Inspiration

Have You Seen: “The Parent Rap”?

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I found this video from a Facebook friend last week. It is called: “The Parent Rap.” As you may be noticing, I am finding more and more parent things that interest me. I thought this was a clever rap from a family with four kids (no, do not worry Chris, I do not want that many). In any case, take a minute to enjoy!

Did you have a few laughs? I did. Hopefully all the parents out there had a few more, and that it resonated with your daily life. Although maybe they should have added in a section about “sleep.”

The Parent Rap vaguely reminds me of the “Swagger Wagon” video from a few years ago for the Toyota Sienna mini van. If you have not seen it before, take a moment to watch it now:

That is all for today folks.

Happy Friday!

Girls Speaking Out = Change

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Speaking your mind and putting yourself out there can make a difference. It can make a change in the world. I am all for it. Change.org is a website that allows individuals to start petitions. Three sixteen year old girls learned in their civics class that it had been 20 years since the last female moderated the presidential debate. They proceeded to start a petition to push for a female to moderate the debate this election and received over 180,000 signatures. This article from New York Daily News shares more details and also states:

“The commission did not immediately respond to requests for further information. But an official downplayed the teens’ role in the selection of moderators, noting the process has been in the works for nearly two years.”

Regardless of whether that is true or not, I am in awe of the perseverance and passion of these three teenagers to speak their minds and put their beliefs into action. A woman will be moderating one of three of this year’s presidential debates. Candy Crowley will be moderating one presidential debate, and Martha Raddatz the Vice Presidential debate.

I love the quote from one of the teenagers in this Christian Science Monitor article:

“It’s really important for young women and boys to see women as role models, in position of power,” Tsemberis says. “It’s about getting women to be visible in society, and not being discouraged because they’re being judged by what they look like.”

I agree. 2012 continues to be the year of the woman!

You go girls!

Charcuterie: Mmm and Nom Nom

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A few of my co-workers and I were talking about the rise of the term “charcuterie” in restaurants and food carts. Charcuterie: the art of making sausages and other cured, smoked, and preserved meats. I am seeing quite a list of newer places in Portland that have the main focus of charcuterie, bread, and cheese. To name a few: Olympic Provisions, Chop Butchery, Portland Meat Collective, and a new food cart called: Cheese & Crack.

Chris and I have been exploring the world of charcuterie for a while. But, before I tell you about that, can I just tell you for a second that I never announced we were having charcuterie, because I never knew cured and smoked meats with our cheese and crackers was charcuterie! Nor did I not have the slightest idea how to pronounce it. We even had fun (during the work conversation I mentioned above) trying to pronounce it correctly. Maybe I will just call it cheese & crack. Now that I can remember!

last night’s charcuterie with cheese

We often on the weekend relax around plates of different types of cheeses, crackers, charcuterie, and fruit and enjoy the multitude of flavors. What I love about it is that a little actually goes a long way. It is the strong and different flavors that make this meal so amazingly enticing. For me it is also the best of both worlds – salty and sweet. A sliced pear, on top of a slice of smoked gouda on a salty cracker. Mmm and Nom Nom. A perfect way to end a day of exercise, adventures, sun, and play. It is how we often end a full day.

What about you? Do you dabble in charcuterie?

Happy Birthday Matty!

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Today is a special day. It is my brother-in-law’s 21st birthday! I have known Matt for about 9.5 years, which means he was 12 when I first met him. A lot has changed (for both of us) in the past 9 years. Mostly I have enjoyed and appreciated watching him grow into the man he is today. He has tried new things, pushed boundaries, explored the world, seen more of the US and the world than I have experienced, and grown the peach fuzz. Okay I digress.

Matt in action

My message to the birthday boy: “Matty, you mean the world to me and to Chris. We are so excited to have the opportunity to watch you grow into yourself. You light up the room when you walk in the door, with your grin, your sassy wit, and enormous hugs. You can carry on a conversation with anyone. What I love though is that your maturity shows through because you humbly make sure you connect and engage with others in the conversation, and ask questions about their life. There are many people twice your age that still have not figured that out. Can you tell we love you? You are the little brother I never had.”

And now, a little message about Matt from his big brother:

“My lil’ bro Matty-boy is one solid fella. He’s loved by everyone and disliked by none. He can schmooze with the most elitist of adults, business owners, and politicians. The boy’s got mad social skills… and like we always joke about, he could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves. At the same time, he can hang with friends he’s known all of his life and even makes the time to entertain and engage with their younger siblings who look up to him as if he’s a rock star. Speaking of which, he’s that too. Killing it on the drums whenever he has the chance… or gets paid to do so. I’m proud to be his big bro and can only hope that the examples I’ve set, good and bad, have and will continue to help push him further in life. Happy 21, bro. Proud of ya.”

Happy Birthday Matty!

Two Favorite Apps + Two New Tips

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I am someone who likes to share a good thing. When I find an amazing local bakery, I cannot help but share and tell others. If a great company gives stellar customer service, I tell others. I will also warn others about bad customer service. I apologize in advance that the rest of this post is going to be app/iPhone-centric. I do not know if these apps are available for non iOS devices, but they might be.

incredibooth photo

My newest favorite app is called: IncrediBooth. It is a 99 cent app, that lets you take four different pictures and puts it together in a photo booth style photo. There is something about the nostalgia of photo booths. There used to be a toy store in Portland that had an old-fashioned photo booth that gave you a black and white photo. I love the fun and spontaneity of these booths. Now I can do it right from my phone!

Wunderlist. A free app. It creates lists that you can update online or from your iPhone or iPad. Chris and I keep our lists of weekend To-Do’s, movies or TV shows we want to watch, restaurants we want to check out, etc. I could add an item to a grocery list from home and Chris could sync the list when he gets to the store to find my additions without having to call or text me.

Ready for some tips now? I have had my iPhone for a few years now, and I just learned two things last week. Someone at work told me how to close out of your apps (I always thought I had been when I got out of them). Only to find out that they are still open in the background taking up battery life. To close them, double-click the home button and all open apps will show in the bottom bar. Hold down on one of the apps to get them into close mode and they will all show up with a red X. Then close the apps you no longer want open.

My second thing I learned last week is that you can set up a more complex password on your iPhone than just the traditional four numbers. I had no idea! If you want to make it more complex, go to Settings, General, then Passcode Lock. You will have to enter your current Passcode, then turn “Simple Passcode” to Off and your iPhone will prompt you for a longer, more complex Passcode.

What other random iPhone or iPad tips do you know? What apps have been your recent favorites?