October 2009

working out the kinks

So as it turns out, there is something horribly wrong with the linking functionality on this blog– whenever you click on a link, you end up right back here at thisisauthentic.com. Not that I don’t like the destination, but it kind of misses the whole point, you know what I mean? Anyway, we’re working it out and hopefully will be back up and running in the next week or so. Thanks for your patience.

Really.

ice cream!

Oh happy day! The beautiful weather has brought the Van Leeuwen ice cream truck back to Bedford Avenue. This is, bar none, the best ice cream ever. For real. And it’s parked right outside of my local subway stop. I have no idea what arduous tasks I completed in a past life to deserve such proximity to this deliciousness, but indulge I will. And frequently.

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My favorite flavor is a ceylon cinnamon, which I have gotten my daughter hooked on as well. My husband swears by their mint chip. If you ever, EVER see the yellow truck with the ice cream cone painted on the front, drop everything and get yourself a scoop of this stuff. You will not be sorry.

clover new york

These people make really nice clothes for kids. Beautifully constructed, simple and classic. Original without being annoying or overly cutesy. Plus the color palatte is mellow, unlike so many clothes for children– especially girls– these days. Worth every penny (which is saying something in this the land of H&M and Target…) Check them out here.

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And bookmark the site so that you can go to them in a pinch when you need to send a birthday gift to your godchild and you care about what the parents think, too…

TEDxBlue

Ummmm…. not sure why I didn’t take any photos at this event, but behold the program above. This was a truly interesting look into some of the most  forward thinking work being done in education today, and about how we can all participate, which is the exciting part. It was brought to East 3rd Street by the Blue Man Group, who have founded their own school (think Reggio Emilia meets Neuroscience) to attempt to address what is lacking in current mainstream primary education.  If they keep this up and continue to inspire in this way, there is actually the possibility of a truly bright future for our kids. My favorite part of the whole thing was a video of a talk given by the classical music conductor Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion. Take a minute to check it out here. You won’t be sorry.

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The event is an offshoot of the TED conferences, which are basically conferences about, in their own words, ideas worth spreading. What they are trying to do now, with TEDx, is to keep the conversation going at a local level, getting all sorts of different people to organize talks according to their own passions, thus growing the community. Which is a longwinded way of saying that they are all about spreading the word and keeping it real.

And anybody who is trying to do that is cool with me. Especially when it’s about helping the next generation gather the tools they need to make this insane world a better place.

little lunch boxes

Ok, Ok I confess. I have fallen prey to the obento box craze that seems to be swelling amongst those of us who pack lunches, either for ourselves or our kids. Being a person who feels like I do the majority of my mothering on the fly, coming up with everything from meals to activities at the last possible second, the whole idea of preparing a lunch ahead of time is beyond traumatic. So to help ease the pain, I thought I’d go with something cute. Here are my two favorites.

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The Gel-Cool polar bear box was designed to benefit the polar bears at the Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo, Japan. What’s especially great about it is that the top can be placed in the freezer overnight and then acts as an ice pack, keeping the contents fresh and cool for at least four hours. The Tomo Tomo Giraffe Sidecar box is made of BPA and lead free plastic and has a classic Japanese-meets-English phrase: ‘Lets enjoy a time with me’ printed on the top. Which doesn’t exactly make sense, but puts a smile on my face every time I read it.

Both boxes are smallish– perfect for a toddler lunch– and, without the lids, are microwave safe. And super reasonably priced, so when they are inevitably tossed down a grate by your 3 year-old, they are painlessly replaced.

Maybe next year I’ll get into making the amazingly beautiful decorative lunches to go inside as well. But this external cuteness will have to do for now.

Kyp Malone goes solo

I am sitting here, at my computer, coming down with a cold/virus/oh-please-not-the-swine-flu, listening to TV On The Radio guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone sing his heart out on his solo album, Rain Machine. Which I am loving. More stripped down than his day job project, but emerging equally (and excellently) from someplace far out in left field this is the kind of record to be listened to when everyone else is asleep. Not because it will drive them crazy, but because you actually want to pay attention to what is going on.

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Which is a beautiful thing, and something I strongly recommend you people go check out. Punk in the true sense of anything goes, kind of fuzzy garage, with some elements of jazz and folk topped with Malone*s otherworldly vocals… it is a truly unique experience. You can hear a couple of tracks on the Rain Machine My Space page. I am still trying to figure out if it has been released on vinyl (that is how I buy all my favorite music, whenever possible) I will let you know if I find out anything.

For now, I am going to drift off to sleep, excited to see how this music affects my dreams…

Bye Bye Cookie…

Is it me? This is the second magazine in a row with which I have been regularly affiliated that has gone under. Still do not know what is happening with the website, but my guess is that it will go the way of dominomag.com and so many others. Run do not walk to the site to stockpile the great recipes, decorating ideas and fun products (even if many are way too $$ to ever consider for your 2 year old) And check out the home decor stories for some inspiration– the more recent ones I wrote can be found here (for now!)

While I will not miss the $300 cashmere sweaters for toddlers, I will miss the photography, the style and the whole attitude of Cookie-world. It is never a bad thing to help to remind us that new motherhood does not equal a life sentence of wearing spit-up covered sweats.

You will be missed.