Go-Go Mommy

National Chocolate Cake Day

January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day... need I say more?  Visit this page to review some fun ways to celebrate as you homeschool your children or if you just want a fun picture to color on the computer - I had a blast with it!

http://allrecipes.com/Feeling creative?  Go to one of my new favorite sites called All Recipes.  You'll find hundreds of chocolate cake recipes from real people.  You'll even find reviews and star-ratings for each recipe so you can get a variety of opinions on whatever recipe you are thinking of trying.  Some reviewers even tell how they changed the recipe which is inspiring too.  I could spend hours reading about all the yummy recipes on this site but if you don't have the time (and with Poppy and Sweet Pea I never do) here's a link to the top 20 chocolate cake recipes.

If you don't feel like messing up the kitchen or don't have time to run out for ingredients, why not treat yourself and head to your favorite bakery to pick up a little chocolate cake today?  While I no longer live near Cupertino, CA, I must say that if I did, tomorrow would definitely include a detour to La Patisserie on Stevens Creek Boulevard.  You could ask my mother-in-law (who, by the way makes the most incredible carrot cake on the planet) that this is a bakery that is head and shoulders above the rest.  Whenever my in-laws come into town, we seem to find some reason to have something to celebrate just so we have an excuse to stop by and pick up one of their most popular cakes which just happens to be entirely make of chocolate.  I'm talking chocolate cake, chocolate icing, chocolate filling...what could be better?!  I know, maybe their individual desserts....

Whatever your chocolate cake obsession, enjoy and happy Chocolate Cake Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

What I got:

- A "picnic" breakfast in the living room. (The best breakfast ever complete with bacon, omelette, pancakes, cranberry scone, brioche bread, and the most yummy fried onion and potato dish ever. YUM!)

- A cup of tea in a colorful mug from my new set of "HuesNBrews". Beautifully painted colors of celery green, sky blue, orange, pale orange, and pale green. I love it!

- A new MacBook complete with Microsoft Office for Mac for my new business venture. (This gift was totally unintentional since we already had a MacBook but I kind of killed it when it fell off the shelf where I keep it when I opened the cupboard door. As Sweet Pea says; "Uh oh!" - More on the business venture to come soon!)

- A trip to one of our favorite towns to run around the "town fountain" and enjoy lunch out. (Still no cooking today for mom, yeah!)

What I am getting:

- My favorite dinner - linguini and meatballs with a delicious salad and fresh bread.

What I need most:

- Nothing, just to leave the computer and get back to enjoying this wonderful holiday.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

It's National Popcorn Day!

I don't think there is a person son this planet who loves popcorn as much as my father in law. So in honor of today, January 19th - National Popcorn Day, I am dedicating this post to him. (Let me just add that it is with the most loving respect that I'm sharing this information with you.)

All I can say is that if you happen to have my father in law over to visit and he happens to ask if you would like a snack and then just happens to offer to make some popcorn since its no trouble and is very easy - let me just say that I would not be exaggerating if I told you to have your bowl ready and to score some as soon as the microwave beeps. If not, let's just say that you better be happy with a polite first helping and the rest will be history in just a few quick minutes.

Apparently, no one is sure of the exact origin of national popcorn day - which makes this topic very interesting on many levels for this historian/popcorn lover. While January 19th is cited as the official day, some information ties the celebration to the Superbowl, for obvious reasons. Another interesting wrinkle is that National Popcorn Month is October.

So in honor of today, open your cupboards, find that popcorn, and turn on that machine or microwave and treat yourself and your loved ones to some instant love! Here are some additional ways to celebrate the day:

- Get the little ones involved in making a "popcorn craft" like popcorn pictures;
- Share your favorite popcorn stories;
- Attend a Popcorn Day Event;
- Try a new popcorn recipe like one of these, or this;
- Send a loved one a National Popcorn Day ecard!

Any other ideas to share? And by the way, if you decide to pay homage to the "dancing popcorn (and hotdog)" we all know and love from our "drive-in" days, I'd love to hear about it!

Happy poppin'!

It's Cookie Time - Happy Holidays!

Hope your Hoildays are just as sweet!

A Procrastinator's Holiday Shopping Tip

I know I'm not the only one out there that promises each year to begin shopping for the holidays earlier. Here in California you'd think it would be a piece of cake. After all, with each city holding multiple art/wine/something-or-other festivals throughout the year, I should be finished with my shopping long before the holiday season even begins in October (and don't get me started on that subject). Needless to say, it is now December 16 and I still have about 1/3 of my shopping to finish.

I have just, however, come up with the perfect solution which will start me on the right track for "Happy Holidays in 2008." I found my gift idea while I was on PhotoWorks website as I finally designed and ordered our family's 2007 holiday photo cards: I'm going to create a 2008 family recipe book!

Okay, so a recipe book may not sound very exciting but just take a look and you'll see it's not your everyday cookbook. I've put photobooks together on other websites but I never thougth of doing this until I saw how beautifully it could be done on PhotoWorks. They already have a template for the cookbook so all I have to do is collect a few favorite recipies from everyone in the family, try them out throughout the year, take photos of my yummy creations to upload to the photo cookbook, and enjoy my homemade creations. Then, at the end of my year in the "Go-Go Mommy Test Kitchen" I can simply print and ship the books to my family/contributors. I heart PhotoWorks!

I'm already so psyched to get started that I'm sending out the "call for recipies" after I finish this post. Wish me luck with my 2008 gift resolution! I'll definitely keep you all posted on the progress and I'd love to hear about your own gift ideas!

Photo Friday! 12.14.07

Poppy & Mommy's ever-so-hip homemade holiday decorations. Hey, you gotta start somewhere!

Hip Family Outing: The Holiday Train

For those of you who reside in the bay area of Northern California, an exciting holiday event is about to take place: the 2007 Caltrain Holiday Train is coming to town with Santa, Mrs. Claus and friends! This weekend, December 8 and 9, the Holiday Train will leave San Francisco and stop at four stations along the Penninsula each night. You can view the poster here.

What a great kick-off to the holiday season! Each station will have live entertainment 30 minutes before the train arrives. The entertainment varies from station to station and may be an orchestra, choir, or even a barbershop chorus. I can't wait to see the girls' faces as we sing carols, watch a train decorated with more than 40,000 lights pull into the station, and then see Santa and Mrs. Claus come out to greet everyone. I believe the word is priceless.

Best of all, you can bring unwrapped toys and books to donate to Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army. What a fun and worthy event. Hope to see you there!

Merci! Mahalo! Grazie! Xie xie!

Lucky me, lucky life
loving home, loving wife.

Two girls I need
who need me,
lucky, lucky, lucky me.

A day of thanks to reflect
on a year past so circumspect.

Some days hard, some were easy
some left me euphoric, some queazy.

Mom at home 24/7
can be both hell as well as heaven.

Poppy growing so tall and right
endless energy, boundless light.

Sweet Pea following her sister's lead
her firsts were my rewards indeed.

And KB, you made my dreams come true
I love your heart, your hard work...you!

So with my friends both new and old
before the year of reflections grow cold

a wish of thanks to all today
let tomorrow bring what it may.

Oh lucky me, lucky life,
friend, daughter, mother, sister, and wife.

Thanks for the inspiration, Rose!

You can also find me as "JB" at Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Foodie-Licious

CALLING ALL FOODIES! You know who you are...

You may be a Food Network Foodie, characterized by the following:
- a viewer of "how to entertain" shows like Barefoot Contessa, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
- a fan of pop culture and food history: Good Eats with Alto Brown, or Unwrapped
- a reality junkie like The Next Food Network Star or the ever-popular Iron Chef.

You may be a Snail Mail Foodie and subscribe to magazines such as Gourmet, Food & Wine, Cook's Illustrated, or The Art of Eating (look here for a top 10 list.)

Or you might be a Tech Foodie and follow great food blogs such as Gluten-Free Girl, Orangette, or Aapplemint.

Whatever your calling, in honor of the upcoming food feasting holidays, it's time to share the love and send your favorites. What makes you a foodie? Do you have a new "Foodie" category? What are your favorite food magazines, blogs, cookbooks (now there's another Foodie Category) or favorite recipes?

Thanks for sharing - can't wait to broaden my horizons!

Hip Poetry: Squish Goes the Spider

Here is a wonderful poem in honor of Halloween. It was written by a new poet who is just beginning to find his voice: my brother, PH.

Squish Goes the Spider!

My name is Mike
And bugs I like
But spiders are a different kind
One I sure hope never to find
There's something on the rug
I can see it's no bug

Squish goes the spider!

I look up and see a web
Made by one I call Jeb
I knock it down with a broom
Across the floor it starts to zoom
It looks like its about to frown
As I run it down

Squish goes the spider!

Two in one day
Pretty good I have to say
Sometimes I miss and they flee
Smiling back at me with glee
To me they really are a pest
Of this I do not jest

Squish goes the spider!

If one escapes my sight
My sis always would be full of fright
She screams when one is on the wall
And just watches it fall
I don't want one to bite her

Squish goes the spider!