mod*mom

summer vacation giveaways

2008-08-08T11:44:00.001-07:00

that's me on martha's site in the blue box on the left. it says mod*mom!!!

(click the image to hear my martha stewart floor designs by FLOR podcast)

enter my summer vacation giveaways!

mod*tot had her last day of nursery school + it's summer vacation + time to relax + have fun, but also organize + prepare our home for the start of kindergarten...

martha stewart :: eco-friendly large area carpet $320+

wall candy :: graphic decal sets $250

bike crash

2008-08-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

sunday, mod*tot's pop (in lime green helmet) escaped bike crash

Computer History Museum | Yelp : Apple Employee #1 Daniel Kottke

2008-08-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

i saw this very mod computer last night at yelp's fabulous 1st annual bash at the computer history museum with apple employee #1 daniel kottke as my personal docent! i LOVE computers + what they can do for us moms.
this computer is actually a mod orange in real life + i got to push the buttons + look inside the plastic visor. the price was $10,400 at neimann marcus, but it says, "there is no evidence any units were ever sold."daniel gave me a fascinating personal tour of the highlights of the museum, including the early apple computers he worked on + earlier computers that inspired woz, steve jobs + him to create the apple personal computers. he also showed me the grandfather of american computers, a united states census computer with dials + punch cards that cut the census tallying time from 7 years down to 3 years. there are so many computers. i've got to go back with daniel for an intensive look at all of them. the computer history museum is a fabulous website + free museum you should check out + yelp is a wonderful website for reading + writing reviews of businesses + services like this + everything in your community from restaurants to dentists to schools.

mod*mom interviewed at blogher by cafepress

2008-08-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

here's a sneak preview teaser of my interview from BlogHer '08 + cafepress
i'm about #6. blink + you'll miss me. whole video interview coming soon...
notice i'm carrying the awesome dv5t entertainment laptop from hp

aptera hybrid 260 mpg test drives

2008-08-03T11:19:00.001-07:00

an aptera could be parked in front of your house by christmas!
test drives of the 230 mpg hybrid begin in december.
aptera just sent me this news update:
Our goal is to start production in the 4th quarter of this year with the release of the “All Electric” version. We will produce in limited volumes initially and then gradually ramp up production throughout 2009. Production of the “Plug-in Electric Hybrid” is planned for late 2009 with deliveries commencing in 2010. Test drives will be possible following the start of production.
here's a link to my earlier post with amazing aptera pictures

enter my summer vacation giveaways

2008-08-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

enter my summer vacation giveaways

whole foods market :: natural hair care products $150

martha stewart :: eco-friendly large area carpet $300+

wall candy :: graphic decal sets $250

blogher afterglow

2008-07-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

i am still on an estrogen high + buzzing with excitement from the fun of blogher + meeting wonderful female bloggers + sponsors. i have so many ideas, new pals + new blogs to write on + collaborations, plus it's summer.

mod*tot has 1 more week of summer school + 1 month of summer vacation before kindergarten starts. she did the funniest thing a couple days ago. we were at the stanford research institute, which is a very top secret laboratory building. very smart people were gathering to discuss artificial intelligence. i was spinning her around outside after playing in the lobby of the mid century modern building. we were asked if she was a scientist. i proudly said "yes, she is a stanford student." a pizza delivery person brought pizza into the building where there was a group of people filling the lobby, then a man told us he was locking the door. mod*tot went into the lobby + dissappeared in the crowd. i went in as the front door was locked + the large group proceeded down a hall. i called for her + looked behind the security desk. a man said she went with the group. i followed at the back of the large group down long hallways of open + closed office doors of scientists + researchers. i loved the building. someone said the wireless mouse + other amazing devices were invented there. we made a few turns + went up several flights of stairs then another hallway + another staircase + a hallway + it flashed in my mind i might never find her. luckily, when i got to the huge conference room she was there standing at the front + said, "pizza?"

they kindly gave her some pizza + told us a shortcut to get out of the building, but we got lost + went down a hallway past interesting scientific posters + i was startled when i passed some double doors with windows + saw a man lying on a gurney with a bunch of robotic devices around him. i looked again + realized it was a realistic doll. i held mod*tot up to see. very interesting. i don't recognize any of those machines from my cancer treatment. we were still eating pizza + reading funny cartoons on office doors when a security guard discovered us + started chatting, then said, "how did you get in here? this is a secret secure area." ooooooops

mod*mom giveaway :: Martha Stewart eco-frendly carpet tiles

2008-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

mod*mom giveaway :: Martha Stewart eco-friendly large area carpet

FLOR modular tiles launched their martha stewart floor designs podcast featuring kevin sharkey interviewed by me, today! i'm so excited! i am a HUGE martha stewart fan + the carpet tiles are eco-friendly, recycled + recyclable, so i am ecstatic that FLOR is offering a martha stewart 20-tile area rug of your color + style choice to a lucky mod*mom reader!

to enter to win, please leave me a comment telling me your favorite styles + colors in the martha stewart FLOR eco-friendly carpet tile collection.
include your email address + url, before midnight, monday august 25

*use the little envelope icon below this post to share this with your friends

mod*mom interview in the new york times

2008-07-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

i'm so excited mod*mom is in the sunday new york times style section!!!

i'm so thrilled + honored to be included in their coverage of female bloggers becoming more influential + successful (thank you kara!) (full article here)

plus, martha producers just sent my martha stewart living podcast (it's my very 1st podcast i've been on + so exciting to talk with martha's style genius pal about an eco-friendly product i love). they had to edit out 20 minutes of us chatting about martha + more ways to decorate with flor.

also, i'm invited to cover the emmy awards in september, so i get to interview + photograph actors, mostly with kids/babies, so that should be fun + exciting! they asked me for my favorite children's products, so i'm compiling a list. so far i've told them bloom + boon. do you have any product suggestions or questions you want me to ask your favorite telev ision actors who are parents or eco-conscious?

the sippy cups are great + we're going to see them!

2008-07-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

the sippy cups shows are groovy + we're going to see them this weekend!
they play music parents + kids love, + the show is clever, funny + a circus.
the costumes are so creative, + the acrobatics + juggling are astonishing.
mod*tot + i are sippy cups groupies + feel right at home in our mod outfits.
you can see the sippy cups tour schedule, hear music samples + buy cds.

mod*mom giveaway :: wall candy

2008-07-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

mod*mom giveaway :: 5 wall candy decal sets $250

i adore wall candy's hip surface graphics for home, office, or nursery!
mod*tot has these darling deerly beloved decals in her bedroom.

to win a set of removable wall decals, check out wall candy arts ,
+ tell me in the comments, what are your favorite colors + styles?
include your email address + url, before midnight, monday august 25

*use the little envelope icon below this post to share this with your friends
subscribe to my feed + daily email updates to get mod*mom sent to you.

team mod*mom makeover : 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid + hp dv5t laptop computer

2008-07-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

team mod*mom added flowers to our 2008 chevrolet malibu hybrid

i'm still sorting through pictures, blogher meeting notes, business cards, product samples + swag. blogher was a wonderful marathon of parties, information, product demonstrations + sampling, make-overs, interviews, photo shoots, celebrities, friends + fans (i have some fans! i'm not kidding)
i was interviewed by the ny times! i'm so excited.

we also gave our amazing hp dv5t laptop computer a mod makeover + i'll load some better pictures soon. i'm sending thank you notes, catching up with mod*tot + housework, plus resting my injured/swollen ankle today.

i met emily post's granddaughter anna + she autographed copies of the emily post manners for kids books. mod*tot + i love good manners. i read her the books before bedtime last night + we both fell asleep.
thank you so much for reading my blog!

gm hybrid malibu is awesome!

2008-07-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

i'm still coordinating the pick up schedule for carpoolers + secret guest to go to 6 parties between silicon valley + san francisco tonight, + greet the east coast gm carpoolers in palo alto + pick up sv mom swag bags to bring.

luckily, i'm doing it all in a fabulous 2008 hybrid malibu 4-door luxury sedan with huge trunk, 100 satellite radio channels, "on star" human voice navigation! it's much more comfortable than the prius, which we also love, but is not as luxurious + spacious + has an exposed hatchback. i mean in the prius, you hardly have any room to carry anything + it's all visible through a hatch back window + heats up like a green house. whereas, in the malibu, we're bringing suitcases + lots of swag bags.

busy week :: martha stewart podcast + blogher conference

2008-07-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

doof-a-palooza at the googleplex saturday was awesome + i'll get some pictures up soon. the googleplex is a wonderous place + the food was out of this world. i took mod*tot for her very 1st pony ride, sunday. so cute!

this week i'm in great anticipation of martha stewart's new flor eco-friendly carpet podcast, featuring her creative genius + close pal kevin sharkey interviewed by me! yes me! i can't wait to hear it. kevin shares brilliant flooring design ideas (here's a video of flor on the today show)

i'm also busy as a bee getting ready for my 1st female blogger conference this weekend in san francisco. gm is sponsoring me with a hybrid malibu + hp is sponsoring me with a touchscreen laptop to liveblog my progress via video, pictures + posts! i'm coordinating with my carpoolers to attend 6 parties the night before blogher. i am still scouting out eco-friendly outfits to wear with my new cork bottom platforms. i feel like cinderella

mod*mom giveaway :: (3) whole foods market natural hair care products sets $150

2008-07-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

mod*mom giveaway :: 3 sets of natural hair care products $150

whole foods wants mod*mom readers to listen to their new video podcasts

Come with us on a tour of John Masters Organics salon in New York City. Learn what plant-based ingredients to look for depending on hair type: curly, straight or color-treated. John Masters is a leader + innovator in the beauty care industry with his award winning natural hair care products.

to enter to win a selection of whole foods market natural hair care products, listen to their natural hair care products podcasts (click here to listen to podcast #1 or podcast #2) + leave me a comment telling me your favorite natural hair care ingredients before midnight, monday august 4
(please include your email address, + your url, if you have one).

*use the little envelope icon below this post to share this with your friends

DooF-a-palooza at Google giveaway!

2008-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

DooF (food spelled backwards) is a new pbs kids show coming out in 2009
+ the DooF-a-palooza party at google this saturday is going to be magical!
enter my DooF-a-palooza giveaway! win free admission (for up to 6)

"our mission to share the magic of good food with children struck a chord with Google’s own commitment to sustainable food practices. We thought, why not invite food purveyors to come up with activities that enable children + adults to participate in + understand how they create their very special food products? Add a dash of Google magic + the opportunity to participate in the creation of DooF + you’ve got DooF-a-Palooza."

DooF-a-palooza features

40 hands-on activities in the amazing Google cafes
DooF film crew: audition for DooF by telling a funny food story
live music, performances, animals + a food backwards spelling bee

DooF-a-palooza activities

Apron Strings — Around the World
Bassian Farms — “Best Burgers + Shakes”
Blue Moon Organics — Berry Sampling + Sustainability
Brown Sugar Kitchen — Healthy ‘Down Home’ Waffles
Charles Chocolates — Chocolate Immersion
Calfia Cafe + Market a Go Go — Book signings + Food Fun
Chronicle Books — Author Signings
CleanFish — Digging for Shrimp + Protecting the Ocean Floor
DooF — Food Backwards Foragers Treasure Hunt
Sunset Scavenger — Stinky Trash to Black Gold
Earls Organic Produce — How to Cut Fruit + How to Choose Ripe Fruit
Eat See India — Mix Your Own Bhelpuri Street Snacks in a Cone
Google Master Gardener — Planting Demonstration + “H2O Infusion”
Google Kitchen Tour
Hippy Gourmet TV — Solar Baked Cookies
Interactive Parenting Media — Food Face Painting
Joey Altman — Kitchen Sink Cook Off
Julia Myall “Cook it in a Cup” Potato baskets
Kaiser Permanente — Mini-Farmer’s Market
’The Best Me’ stage performance
King of Mushrooms — Informative Booth
Kitchen on Fire — Crazy Food Science
Lemon Ladies Orchard — When life gives you Lemons!
Monterey Bay Aquarium — Seafood Watch
Monterey Fish — Squishy Squid
Nick Sciabica & Sons — What’s in the Olive Oil
Obentec — Make Your Own Pretend Lunch
Palo Alto Creamery — Build Your Own Sandwich
Petit Appetit — Personalized Trail Mix
Planet Organics — Organic Trivia Basketball
Revolution Foods — Custom Quesadillas
Slide Ranch — Awaken the Senses
Straus Family Creamery — Making Butter by Kickin’ It (in a soccer ball)
Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association — Stone Fruit Bingo
Veritable Vegetable — “The Root Grow Down and the Plants Grow Up!”
VW Nutrition — What Would Your Favorite Super Hero Eat for Breakfast?
What’s Cooking + The Toddler Cafe — Happy Trails Mix For You + Our Planet

dressy bessy + dapper dan Playskool Ad 1970

2008-07-07T00:24:00.001-07:00

Playskool ad 1970, originally uploaded by obsequies

i adore the 1970 dressy bessy! i bought mod*tot a newer version + it's basically the same doll, but with different materials + colors that aren't nearly as mod. we'll use it as a pattern to make one like the original.

the San Francisco RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR

2008-07-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

the RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR is coming to san francisco this weekend!

saturday + sunday july 12-13, 11am-7pm at fort mason's festival pavilion

check out the craftsters list for a sneak peak at over 150 amazing talents (including robert mahar of junior society + mahar drygoods) coming from all over the country to show + sell their wares! (i'm skating there sunday)

we were in the 4th of july parade in Palo Alto at Greenmeadow Eichler Community

2008-07-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

we pedaled on the 14-person-cycling-powered busycle in the 4th of july parade in palo alto's greenmeadow eichler community!!! it was awesome!
kids decorated their eco-friendly floats with themes like, save water in the bathroom, wind power, eco man + the green queens, easy being green kermit recycles... see all 40 pictures on my flickr

4th of july : free flags + decorations

2008-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

mod*tot loves to print + cut out art from the computer. she's really good with her scissors. she loved the free kung fu panda projects at hp. now she's working on the 4th of july templates to get us ready to ride on a 14-person bicycle powered vehicle in the palo alto 4th of july parade.

here are links to some of the things you can create too:

strawberries + organic strawberry gardening

2008-07-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

mod*tot LOVES strawberries + we are growing edible native strawberries.

the california strawberry commission sent me some strawberry news, facts + links to share with mod*mom readers + their children this summer.

California provides 88% of the nation's strawberries, + the region is experiencing an incredibly bountiful harvest this year. With over 35,000 acres of fields across California, the growers will be picking nearly 6 million crates of delicious, ripe strawberries this week.

California harvests over a billion lbs of strawberries annually. 1 acre of land grows about 50,000 lbs of strawberries. strawberries fight cancer, aid memory, lower blood pressure, help reduce the risk of heart disease,
contain powerful antioxidants + rank 2nd among fruits in antioxidant capacity: 1 serving of strawberries contains more Vitamin C than an orange!

strawberry recipes are here + here
strawberryville has interactive games + activities
the monterey bay strawberry festival is august 1,2,3

did you know strawberries aren't actually berries (although a tomato is)?
(martha stewart's homegrown gardening blog has strawberry growing instructions)

bike race

2008-06-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

today, mod*tot raced with her friends, classmates + hundreds of kids in the ryan's ride bike race benefiting lance armstrong's foundation
+ cancer survivor programs around the bay area.

ryan's ride was created by a cancer survivor + his wife, who had twin sons that went to bing nursery school at stanford university, like mod*tot. 1 of the twins, ryan passed away suddenly of unexplained cause, so his parents created this wonderful community fundraising event in his honor. it's part of the burlingame criterium raced by amateurs + professionals. mod*tot's mod*opa (grandfather) + mod*pop (father) raced in their categories too (my husband won the criterium race once). i ran along the course with mod*tot (the kids are so cute!). we spotted top pros + long time biking friends, like olympian sheila young's husband jim ochowitz, best friend of lance armstrong + father of local olympic hopeful ellie.

enter my summer vacation giveaways $1,000+

2008-06-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

enter my summer vacation giveaways worth $1,000+

doof-a-palooza :: free admission for your family $120
sugarcoat :: removable art car decal sets $300
flor :: mid-century modern eco-friendly area rug $160
dwell magazine :: digital subscriptions $100
whole foods market :: natural first-aid kits $150
harper collins :: sex and the city books
education.com :: summer vacation educational toys $150

mod*mom summer giveaway :: education

2008-06-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

mod*mom summer giveaway :: summer vacation educational toys $150

education.com is a new resource + they'd love to get your feedback, so they're offering 1 fort, 2 stacking toy sets, + 3 magnetic poetry kits!

to win a set of summer educational toys, check out education.com +
tell me in the comments, what are your favorite features + articles?
include your email address + url, before midnight, monday july 21

*use the little envelope icon below this post to share this with your friends

go solar :: solarcity interview

2008-06-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

i'm interested in learning about solar power panels for homeowners – especially if it helps curb their carbon footprint + energy expenses.

at the dwell on design conference + expo this month, i visited solarcity to check out a fully solar-powered car-charging station with the $100,00 high-performance electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster + learned how convenient + affordable solar power can be. solarcity's southern california director jim cahill, discussed SolarLease, the company's zero-down solar financing program that makes solar less expensive than electricity from the utility company. solarcity is california's #1 residential solar power company.

here's my interview with jim (if you have questions or information about solar panels for homes, please leave them for me in the comments below):

1) what's an example set up cost for solar panels in silicon valley?

under the SolarLease, there are no setup costs required. assuming the home has sufficient roof space + good sun exposure, a 1,500 sf home in sunnyvale might lease a 2.4 kilowatt system for $0 down + $65/month. if the home’s electric bill was $150/month on average before the system was installed, the new bill would be approximately $65 (plus the $65 lease payment) for a new energy cost of $130, a net savings of $20/ month.

2) what would the electricity rate be for that homeowner in sunnyvale?

utility rates may vary based on usage and time of day. sunnyvale’s rates are available online at http://www.pge.com/tariffs/rateinfo.shtml

3) the leases are only for people with excellent credit above 720, that will exclude a large population. how can others get solarcity solar panels?

solarcity is continually working on new ways to allow more families to take advantage of power, + SolarLease does that by eliminating or dramatically reducing the upfront cost of the system + installation. both a SolarLease + power purchase agreement (PPA) are dependent on receiving consistent payments, + as such we can only offer this product to homeowners with excellent credit. we estimate that more than 40% of california homeowners meet or exceed the necessary credit score. the cash purchase option is available for homeowners who don’t meet the credit requirements for SolarLease, + they would be able to finance the purchase through a bank or other lender.

4) in this recession, is there help for low-income customers?

Initiative offers a low-income incentive program with rebates as high as $7/watt, more than double the typical rebate. this makes a cash purchase possible for many low-income homeowners.

5) how does solarcity compare with sun run?

solarcity is a single source (or 1-stop-shop) for solar system design, financing, installation + ongoing support. Sun Run is a financing company that partners with multiple installers, so Sun Run’s customers deal with Sun Run for financing, + a separate company for installation and/or support. both solarcity + SunRun utilize extensive federal + state commercial tax incentives for solar equipment to offer affordable solar financing options for homeowners. the main difference between the 2 companies today is the higher upfront cost of Sun Run’s option. solarcity’s SolarLease includes a zero-down-payment option which can allow a customer to save money from day one. Sun Run offers a power purchase agreement that requires an upfront payment that can range from $5,000 - $20,000 or more for a residential system. you should check with Sun Run for the specifics on their upfront cost. visit href="http://www.solarcity.com/solarlease to see some examples of SolarLease savings estimates for typical homes.

6) what else should a family know when considering solarcity service?

solarcity guarantees the electricity output from its solar systems over life of the SolarLease, + includes an extended, 15-year warranty for parts + service. solarcity also provides a free service called SolarGuard that allows customers to monitor their system’s output + positive environmental impact via an internet link. SolarCity is california's #1 residential solar power company, provides homeowners a single source for solar financing, installation + support. SolarCity serves communities throughout California, Oregon + Arizona. for more information, please visit solarcity.com