XiaolinMama

Accessories Make The World Go 'Round

2010-03-18T05:00:00-07:00

I heard you all loud and clear - accessories are key to any and all outfits. Whether it is a hand knitted scarf, a simple locket or something rockstar sparkly. We are all in agreement that the right accessory "makes" an outfit.

EYEWEAR: The right sunglasses are key. Who doesn't look for glasses and imagine themselves looking like Jackie O, glamorous and oozing of casual wealth? The ultimate accessory. I have been on the hunt for the right pair and I think I may have found them in these. Hello pretties!

JEWELRY: I totally admit to seeing my all-time favorite necklace in a boutique display and saying to myself, "You, perfect necklace, complete me." It was love at first sight. What makes it perfect? It goes with everything - from the track suit I wear in the carpool line to the sun dress I practically live in during the summer. I have built entire outfits around this necklace. Yes, I love it THAT much. BTW- the perfect piece of jewelry doesn't care if you gained 5 lbs last week eating a box or two of Girl Scouts Cookies.

SCARVES: Kim, one of my brilliant readers wrote "I'll buy scarves in a color I would never "wear" in a blouse or dress, but in a scarf, I feel like I can get away with anything!" I totally agree. I love how a scarf can dress up any outfit and bring a pop to my standard little black dress. I especially love that when worn over a black dress or white tee and jeans it brings the attention to your face or the area above your waist. Especially nice when you there are areas you don't want to emphasize, especially after eating the forementioned box of cookies. Wondering if you all have some ideas for summer/spring scarves?

SHOES: Living in California, there are two types of shoes in my closet -flip flops/sandals and the non-flip flops. I've got them in many colors, some plain and others adorned with rhinestones and such. I know so embarrassing. In the winter, Ugg Boots replace flip flops, but nothing compares. Flip flops work with almost every outfit - jeans, yoga pants, sundresses and skirts. Check these cute floral sandals by Born that I have my eye on for summer. I am major need of expanding my repertoire - any ideas of stylish yet comfortable shoes that are just as versatile?

Accessories make the world go round. They make it easier to update basic pieces (jeans or LBD) with something trendy without breaking the bank. Or a classic pashmina in an unexpected color might keep you toasty and help you look smokin'!

What is YOUR favorite accessory? How do these help pull your day time or night time look together? I'm looking for your ideas to share in our upcoming video, so please send me some of your brilliance.

This post is part of the “Putting it All Together” video series, which will look at everything from shopping your closet to decorating your home. Each video will feature a couple of your favorite bloggers offering tips and tricks on putting it all together: your house, your closet, your life.

Putting It All Together - “A Night Out and a Day In”

2010-03-15T08:15:45-07:00

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend time with some of my IRL girlfriends. We drank wine, read trashy magazines, soaked in the hot tub, talked about our husbands & children. Most importantly, we spent time listening, commiserating and laughing. It was perfect.

Virtual Girls Night Out
Over the next two months, I get to do the same thing with you all - mah girlz online- through a new BlogHer project, Putting it All Together. This new collaborative video series talks about what really works for us - real women - from lifestyle to personal style. This series of videos will be hosted by some of the bestest bloggers evah : Susan of Friday Playdate, Holly of Nothing But Bonfires, Rhoda of Southern Hospitality Blog and Ree of Pioneer Woman. Hang tight, we'll have a few special guests too. (I know, I seriously had to have several glasses of wine to calm down after I heard that they let me be part of this crew.)

Yours truly will be the hostess of the first webisode, where we will be discussing fashion. Better yet, my guest is going to be Loralee, yes that Loralee! And we are headed to visit Ree on her ranch to enjoy all that clean country air and shoot some video sharing your best ideas on what to wear for a "Night out and a Day In". So HELP! We need your best advice, funniest stories, and great photos. We'll be blogging your great ideas, and featuring some of them in the videos.

What do I know about fashion?
In a former life, I wore high heels, fashionable clothes and had a subscription to Vogue Magazine. (cuz that IS what makes you fashionable!) Seriously, I used to have some kinda fashion sense, but it has long gone by the wayside since birthing kids and starting my own business. I am no fashion plate. But I DO avoid all things neon colored, have gotten rid of clothes with lace applied to it and anything that emphasizes my rear. (We should all do that!) I also watch Project Runway and yell snarky remarks at the designers for not making clothes for regular gals like me. So there, I know plenty about fashion and so do you!

The question still remains, what DO regular gals wear on a daily basis. What is your typical look for daytime? I own my business, so one of the perks is NO PANTY HOSE ever again. You can find me most days in either a pair of of Gap jeans or yoga pants and a t-shirt. I often can be spotted with a cardigan or fleece pullover. Its the day time mom-uniform, allowing me to be ready for carpool, the PTA meeting, a coffee shop run and a conference call all in one outfit. There must be other options? Right? Please share.

Conversely, what do you wear when you have a special night out - whether it is a special date with your life partner or a night out with your partners in crime, what do you do to spiff yourself up? Do you immediately head out and pick out a new outfit for the big occasion or do you recycle an old dress? Personally, I simply put on "clean jeans" and throw on a sparkly accessory or cool scarf. I may actually bust out my little black dress if I'm going all out. The possibilities are endless and we'd would love to hear your suggestions and tips for not so ordinary occasions.

Hope you'll join me and the entire blogging team on this journey as we try to figure out how to "put it all together".

Savvy Savings - Deals for Family Fun

2010-03-08T15:14:52-08:00

The folks at SavvySource - are super smaht! They know that money at my house and almost everyone else's house I know is tight. Who buys things full price anymore if you don't have to? Right? Savvy Source is launching a new deal for other smaht parents and other deal conscious folks who want/need good deals on things they do with the kids in their lives.

This week's deal - $40 family memberships to the Oakland Zoo. It's more than 50% off the $85 rate. Cool! This is like Groupons, but for things the whole family would use. Take advantage of this week's special by clicking here. You have 72 hours to buy the deal before it disappears.

If you purchase through my link, they I get a small % and maybe me and my kids will have the funds to join you too! Win- win for us all:)

BTW -PLEASE enter my contest to win a $100 Visa Gift Card over at Xiaolinmama Reviews.

Asian American Voices Project- Universal immigrant stories

2010-03-01T08:32:08-08:00

Many of you know that my parents immigrated from the Philippines in the 70s. But what you probably don't know is that my parents both worked up to three jobs at any given time - working overtime at their day jobs, selling goods at the local swap meet on the weekend and picking up gigs as they could. It wasn't easy, but like many immigrants they did it in search of a better life for themselves and their families. We've all heard about the struggle, experienced it, seen it on tv or in stories, but there is so much that is left unsaid.

The Asian American Voices Project created a series of short films to illuminate the experiences and contributions of APIs in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley Asian American Voices is a multimedia project that facilitates education and advocacy on policy issues that impact Asian American immigrants. Even if you are not from SV or of Asian descent, these stories matter because in many ways they are stories of all immigrants. The films cover challenges with health care, housing and immigration.

One of stories really grabbed because this woman looks like my lola ("grandma" in tagalog). Nenita Ibe, an elderly Filipina woman, works hard as a room attendant in the hotel industry. She is an active member of the union committee, advocating for workplace changes that will improve the lives of those around her. Her story touches on issues of health care access, language access, immigration reform and family reunification. All of these were daily challenges in my own family.

What can you do now?

Check out the film trailer. The full film is being shown on March 4th at DeAnza college and on March 20 it is being screened in conjunction with the San Francisco Film Festival. Events and discussion groups are free. Check their website for more details.
Check out the AA Voices Facebook page
Enter the contest! They are giving away 2 tickets to the SF AA Film Festival starting March 2nd. Enter the sweepstakes.

Post a link to website on your Facebook and tweet about it.
Join the Twitter Party on March 16 from 12 to 1pm PST. City Mama and I are hosting the conversation.

(BTW- I was a board member at Asian Americans for Community Involvement, which is the agency behind this project. They hired my social media company Clever Girls Collective to do online outreach. But I woulda wrote about this anyway!)

Teaching kids to love Hip Hop: Battlefest 360

2010-02-28T12:37:00-08:00

If you've been following me for a while, you know I am anything BUT cool these days. I sport the mom jeans. I have the mom "don't mess with me" stare and frankly, I am too tired to do anything cool. LOL!

But I am a lover of hip hop and have a crazy fascination with dance crews. Yes, you know Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew show on MTV? Love it! Back to days of Run DMC, JJFad and songs like "Egyptian Lover, Baby", there has always been a special place in my heart for hip hop. (FYI: I love all kinds of music. Did you know I run a music festival too?)

I was dismayed many years ago, when I had Snoop or something along those lines bumpin in my car and had my 4 year old yell out "Mama, turn it down! It hurts my ears!" Since then, I have been on a mission to "enlighten" my child on various genres. He has always been a rock fan, so you can imagine my surprise when he came home excited about someone called "Michael Jackson". "Have you heard of him mom? He sings this song called 'Thriller'?" he said excitedly. Ahhh. Now I have my chance to share some old skool! He loved it and was enamored by the dance moves in the video. His 4th grade class even did their own rendition for the school talent show.

This weekend I took the kids to see Battlefest 360, a show put on by B-Box Productions in San Jose. Dance Crews from all over California came to show off their moves, while 2000 fans rooted them on. I had not been to anything like that in years. I wasn't quite sure how the kids would like it, but they were floored! The kids danced in their seats, cheered for the crews and loved the loud music. (Be still my heart!) The atmosphere was family friendly. There was a rainbow of ethnicities and ages represented - Black, Filpino, White, Latino, teens, kids and grandparents - all there for a good time. Yes, there was a bit of suggestive dancing, but overall the moves were inventive and took the genre to a new level. Dang.

Check out one of our favorite performances by the Main Stack's Dance Crew from Berkeley. Seriously, watch it! You'll never look at the medals ceremony the same way.

The kids were "popping" in the street on the way back to the car and asked if we were going to the next show. My daughter takes ballet classes and wants to switch to hip hop. My 10 year old started trying to do robot moves - ha! They were impressed by all the moves that required spinning on heads. I told my kids that their Uncle Neil (who attended the show with us) used to do that and of course, my brilliant 6YO child commented "No wonder his hair is always flat!" I think this show inspired some new hop hop fans.

Gettin My Kitchen Mojo Back with Sticky Rice with Mangoes

2010-02-16T23:49:01-08:00

I've been sick with the cold from hell. The kind of sick that my poor kids have been subject to their father's cooking - lol. We've been eating out, bring food in and well, eating whatever can be cooked in 30 min or less - hello Rachel Ray.

But today for some reason, I craved to be in the kitchen and what I wanted to eat was Sweet Sticky RIce with Mangoes! It was super easy to make and disappeared very quickly. I'm never ordering this at the Thai restaurant again, now that I know I can make it in about 25 min.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Serves 2-4
1 cup Thai Sweet Rice (also called "sticky rice", available at Asian food stores)
1 3/4 cups water
1-2 ripe mangos, cut into bite-size pieces (look for mangos that are fragrant and easily bruised), or 1 pkg frozen mango
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (for a natural sweetener substitute maple syrup)
1 can good-quality coconut milk
1/4 tsp. + pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

Preparation:

Soak the sweet rice in 1 cup water for 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

The sticky rice can be steamed or made in a pot. To make it in a pot, do not drain. Add 3/4 cup (more) water to the rice, plus 1/4 can coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. coconut flavoring, and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice, lifting any rice grains that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Turn the heat down to medium-low (#2.5 to 3 on the dial).

Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and leave to "steam" cook for 5-10 minutes.

Make sauce and serve the dessert right away, or store the rice (covered) in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

To make the sauce, warm the rest of the can of coconut milk together with 1/4 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. coconut flavoring (optional) and 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring over medium heat (5 minutes).

Add cornstarch (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat. Tip: Try not to boil the sauce, or you will lose that wonderful coconut flavor.

Before serving, taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk.

There are 2 ways to serve this dessert:

Place scoops of the sticky rice in bowls (Note that sticky rice can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature, as desired). Ladle a generous amount of warm coconut sauce over the rice (creating an “island” of sticky rice). Add slices/pieces of ripe fresh mango. (If using frozen mango, be sure to give it enough time to thaw before serving.)
Portion out into serving bowls, making sure everyone has equal amounts of rice, mango, and sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe from About.com

Blissdom Conference Roundup

2010-02-07T12:12:06-08:00

This week I got to attend my first Blissdom Conference. Super FUN, I am EXHAUSTED! There were interesting panels filled with tangible tips to take home and people genuinely wanting to meet new people and learn new things, dancing plus Harry Connick Jr! Exactly what you want in a women's bloggy conference. Kudos to organizers @alliworthington and @barbarajones and everyone who must have put in countless hours to make it all possible. Thank you.
Loads of fun was had by all, but here are a few highlights:
* Watching my new music soul mate Rock and Roll Mama and ModernMami whip up fancy entries in 20 minutes for the Potato board's cook off. I loved watching everyone cheer the contestants on, the dancing that ensued while waiting for the judges decision and the fun potato bar.
* Keynote speech by Kevin Carroll, author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. He was AH.Mazing. I don't say that lightly. He spoke about passion, power and intention and simply hit a home run with the entire crowd! I ordered his book this morning.
* Balancing life and blogging life with the brilliant Christine Koh aka @bostonmamas, Deb Rox aka @debontherock, Carmen Staicer aka @mttsm. They shared gems of brilliance on balancing their on and off line lives. My walk away was - Yes you CAN say NO! There are always other opportunities. Agreed. It is so hard sometimes to really believe it, but it is SO true. Thanks for the reminder gals!
* Throwing a party! Clever Girls Collective (ahem!) threw a lil soiree for all the event attendees. Blue drinks, boas and prizes - what more can you ask for. I made the play list of all of my fave party songs and was a lil nervous that folks might not like it. But I got a ton of compliments, working on sharing it. Anyone have ideas on how to do that?

Of course, there was plenty of swag - from chips to make up to ice cream bars! re given in the Blissdom swag bag or available in the expo.> My favorite bits of Blissdom Swag:

Land's End Canvas Bag, Plus $15.00 coupon: Sturdy, just the perfect size. Clean, unlike the one I own and use almost everyday and is FILTHY!! Not the sexy filthy, the filthy that comes from being toted to every soccer/basketball game the past two years. Thank you Lands End for giving me a new respectable bag. I know what I am using that coupon for - rain gear!

Hallmark cards:   The ladies from Hallmark brought not only cards, but gave bloggers the chance to meet the ladies who wrote/designed the new line of "encouragement cards" for kids. SO COOL! I love to write notes and leave them in my kids' lunch boxes (usually on post it notes) These cards are sure to take mom's love notes to a whole new level. They came in all
sizes and are simply perfect for both my 6 year old sweet girl and my 10 year old sports loving boy. My favorite card was this one featuring fake snot - that can also be pulled out of the card for him to play with. Gross=perfect for the 10 year old set.

Lisa Leonard Necklace: This pretty little thing is a simple silver necklace with the word "bliss" pressed on it.   Simple is how I like my everyday accessories, so this piece just sang to me. Already ordered this one off her site. She also gave us a $10 off with the "bliss10" code. Quick, order one!

Blogging conferences 2010

2010-02-05T16:46:06-08:00

One of the things I love about owning my own social media company and being a blogger, (besides hangin with my gals @citymama and @dearbadkitty) is going out to bloggy conferences! What is not boss about getting to see your favorite online friends, having a few martinis and picking up some swag?

In January, I was beyond ecstatic to moderate a panel at the beyond amazing Altitude Design Summit in Utah. First of all, I am a design wench. I love to go to home and design blogs and imagine how these pretty things will look in my crazy house. Home/Design bloggers are a special breed - fun, shy, appreciative of the aesthetic of everything! I was so invigorated by everyone I met. People were open to meeting new folks. Every session peaked my interest and they had awesome food -everywhere. They had candy girls! hell-oh, EVERY conference needs retro candy girls! Kudos to @designmom and all the event organizers.

The kinds of questions and conversations you'd only hear at the ALT summit:

"Maybe there should be a session on typefaces and luxe fabrics"

"Monetizing? I just wanted a place to put all the pretty things I liked in some order."

"Hey, let's go check out the Sundance Film Festival and pretend we're producers of the next best indie film."

"Did you see the sofa made out of ice? Be careful when you sit down, your butt may get wet."

"I love her blog! I can't possibly say hi - she think I was a stalker."

"ooh, love your card. What font is that?"

"I do ALL my decorating based on what I find from the blogs on that panel!"

Blissdom 2010 starts today.
Already I've been impressed by line up of speakers conference organizers @alliworthington and @barbarajones have put together. They sent conference attendees a pre-conference care package. Brilliant move - no more squeezing packages of chips or crackers in my bag to take home. Instead, I gave the coupons included in the gift box to the HUZ to feed themselves while I 'm gone. Thanks to sponsors ConAgra, Hebrew National, Hunt's and Orville Redenbacher's! I also left the movie rental coupon and popcorn for them all to use while I'm gone. Now everyone is happy. I'm gone - off to have martinis and they not only have dinner, but post hotdogs activity.   Perfect planning #blissdom girls!

Clever Girls Collective is hosting a party! Deets are here. Hope to see you there!

I'll also be at Mom 2.0, Blog Her and Blogalicious 2010. Am thinking about SxSW interactive and Web 2.0? Thoughts on these conferences? Am I missing one that is a MUST go? I hate to miss a good party, um I mean I hate to miss good "professional development opportunity.

Late New Year Resolutions: Being Gentle

2010-02-03T11:53:29-08:00

What happened to January? I had BIG plans for January- you know the kind that change the world. Well, not really, but the kind of plans that made it easier to find shoes in my closet and the kind that would require to me to HAVE to buy new jeans, cuz I've lost SO much weight. sigh. Alas we're in February and I'm left wondering what happened - kids, work, begin sick with the flu and a million reasons.

This year the one resolution I am going to keep it is being more gentle - with others and myself.   I am totally one of those gung ho gals - give me a task, I'll get it done. I'm laser. Sometimes that means prioritizing, being focused, running over people and other minor tasks. At the end, I am left with both a feeling of accomplishment and the guilt of ignoring competing needs/people.

So this year, I working on being kinder and letting go of the guilt and cutting me some slack.

Help out a sistah, keep me honest on this will ya?

Altitude Design Summit

2010-01-22T10:28:53-08:00

One of may favorite things about being a blogger is getting to meet inspiring people. This weekend I have the honor of facilitating an amazing panel at the Altitude Design Summit, with the Maggie Mason of MIghty Girl, Stephanie Brubaker of StephModo and Chelsea Fuss from Frolic! These ladies are seriously rock stars in the design/lifestyle blogger world and I am not quite sure how the conference planners let me even near them.
We'll be chatting about monetizing blogs beyond ad networks. I am beyond excited to get to know these ladies and tell them up close and personal how much I think they kick A$$!
More to come...