April, 2014 | This is authentic

April 2014

Time to eat

There is nothing but deliciousness at the Brooklyn Larder, thank you very much.

What with Easter coming up and holiday treats on the brain, my mind naturally roams towards The Brooklyn Larder, one of my favorite local spots for stocking up on all sorts of supplies to soothe the savage appetite.

Better known as Bklyn Larder, this emporium of deliciousness is located on Flatbush Ave in Ft Greene and has everything you need to fill the shelves of the perfect pantry. There’s also a cafe and cheese shop, plus the kind of small batch artisinal beverages we have all come to expect from these Kings County-style food establishments.

A few things for the chilled section of your kitchen…

And how cool would we be if all of our spice racks were filled with bottles like these?

And if you’re not so into cooking yourself? Check out their house made treats or really go for broke and have them cater something for you. They have some great looking Easter baskets that are well worth the trip (they do ship, but I’m thinking it might be a bit too late for on-time delivery at this point…)

The Sandman doesn’t cometh nearly enough…

health/beauty - tech

I have to admit to secretly being jealous of Sleeping Beauty… I could use 100 years of sleep right about now. (painting by Edward Burne-Jones)

Basically, I am in a constant state of tiredness. I’m either exhausted, or just plain tired, pretty much all the time. And I’ve heard that when we sleep 5 hours or less a night for 3 nights in a row, our ability to function is the same as when we are legally drunk.

Without any of the fun.

That being said, I am trying my damndest to do anything I can to remedy this situation, but the most obvious thing (Get more sleep!) seems to elude me. An engaged life in the big city with a kid and a husband and work and not much childcare does not leave a lot of room for shut-eye.

Enter sleepyti.me, which I am hoping is going to save me.

According to all sorts of science, we sleep in 90 minute cycles and it is much easier and more beneficial to wake up at the end of a cycle than in the middle. In other words, it’s not so much about how much sleep you get as whether or not your sleep patterns align with these cycles. So, in the case of shut eye, less can sometimes mean more.

All you have to do is tell sleepyti.me when you want to wake up, and it will calculate the optimal times for you to fall asleep. So if I need to wake at 6:15, I can fall asleep at 9:15 or 10:45 or 12:15 to reap the benefits of my natural cycles and wake up feeling refreshed. You can also tell it when you are going to bed, and it will give you the ideal times to rise and shine.

Needless to say, I will be trying this tonight. Anyone else game?

Limeade to the rescue!

health/beauty - kids

The apple cider vinegar people of choice have now gotten into the beverage business.

It’s spring break this week, so for us that means all bets are off, routine-wise. Movies every day, extended playdates with friends, a general optimistic feeling that warmer weather is here to stay…

Then comes the dreaded email from school about a student having strep throat, and the whole world of swimsuits and butterfly chasing comes crashing down around us.

Especially as our little one has a bit of a cough.

So I turn to all of my usual remedies with a vengeance, and while I was stocking up at the local health food store, I discovered another addition to the arsenal. Because while Mommy’s apple cider vinegar and honey tea is dutifully consumed, a prepackaged limeade from Braggs (that just happens to have that same magic vinegar in it) goes down like a treat.

And who doesn’t like a treat every now and again?

Monday, Monday– or more links about apps that will improve our lives (maybe)

links - tech

I wonder if anybody ever made apps for her phone?

Vertical videos have always driven me crazy… here’s an app called Horizon that keeps all your shots horizontal, no matter how you’re holding the phone.

Can’t bear the idea of going to the gym? Try Tabata, an app that delivers short (starting at 4 minutes) and sweet workouts you can do anywhere.

Why bother learning how to write more clearly and succinctly when there’s an app that will essentially do it for you?

Jauntful is an app that lets you print out (and digitally share) your own travel maps, complete with favorite spots and secret routes, so you have all the info you need in your pocket, without using up you batteries.

For the design-obsessed among us, there is finally Canopy, a filter that brings all the beautiful, useful and lovingly designed merch on Amazon into one spot.

Now that we’ve got all these well designed products coming into our homes, here’s a whole list of apps to help with spring cleaning – digital and otherwise.

And last, but definitely not least, we have Forecast, an app that gives you up to the minute weather reports wherever you happen to be.

Staycation!

places

Our view from the Standard Hotel in the East Village.

A couple of weeks ago my in-laws (god bless them) came and stayed with our daughter at home while my husband and I took off for a two night (childless!) voyage to the far off island of Manhattan. One of the great things about New York City is that it’s as fun to be a tourist here as it is to be an insider. Here’s what we did (if you’re curious, or want to copy us– which you should…) — Read more

Time for some new kicks

style

The classic tretorn, but in lime green suede. And really worn in.

My friend Wendy gave me these Tretorns about 10 years ago and I have worn them to death. Literally. And now it’s time for a new pair.

But instead of being exited, I am all sad and overwhelmed by the choices out there. I think I’ll just stick to my guns (traditionalist that I am) and go with the same brand…I mean, I’ve been wearing some version of these sneakers since I was in junior high school. But even then, there are lots of decisions looming.

Nylite Florence… one of my many choices of Tretorn sneakers.

Do I go with the new Florance Broadhurst line and have crazy patterns on my feet wherever I go?

These collaborations with Club Monaco appeared in Esquire Magazine (which is where I got this photo) are more along the lines of the classic shoe.

Or do I just stick to the basic version? And even in that case, what color might I want? And do I stick with suede or branch out to canvas?

Oh who knows. I think I still have a little while before my current pair falls completely to pieces. Until then, I’ll just drive myself crazy trying to decide. And please don’t anyone suggest going with a different brand…

Bunny Books

kids

Every Easter, for as long as our daughter has been able to move around on her own, there has been a basket left at the doorstep by the Easter Bunny on a certain significant Sunday in April. And while he does put a few eggs and something sweet in there, the main attraction is a book or two that has something to do with either the holiday or the season in one way or another.

Here are three of my current favorites:

The Easter Rabbit’s Parade by Lois Lenski.

In The Easter Rabbit’s Parade, a bunch of farm animals plan an Easter surprise for the little girl who cares for them. Originally published in 1936, it is gentle story from a gentler time. In the best of all possible ways.

Here Comes The Easter Cat, by Deborah Underwood. Pictures by Claudia Rueda.

Here Comes The Easter Cat is the story of a cat who, sick and tired of everyone fawning over a certain well known bunny, plots to take over Easter. Hot off the press, this one makes a great gift as you can be pretty sure no one has it yet.

A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long.

And last but most certainly not least we have A Seed Is Sleepy: a book about rebirth in the form of seeds. Stunningly and meticulously illustrated, the pages work both as works of art and scientific record. The text is seemingly hand written, though it’s hard to tell these days, what with modern technology being so tricky, but lets just believe in the vision of a pen and ink doing the work here.

Oh and check out a few of my other favorites here… These books never go out of style!

Yesterday, at some point…

photography

Clearly, I am not getting enough sleep. Even my pictures of coffee are fuzzy…

Real live magic fairy dust!

health/beauty - kids

Just a spritz of this and your child will transform from a whirling dervish into a cherubic angel. Or something like that…

The minute I saw this little bottle of Calm Kid Mist on the shelf at Kiosk, one of my favorite local spots that I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about by now) I knew I had to have it. Visions of spraying a bit of this over my daughter’s WHY-CAN’T-I-HAVE-ANOTHER-BOWL-OF-ICE-CREAM storms and having it instantly dissipate are very very appealing.

Well it might not be quite that dramatic, but a nice gentle whiff of lavender and lemongrass will tone down even the most potent tempests. I’ve been spraying a bit on my daughter’s pillow before she goes to bed and I swear she’s falling asleep more quickly than ever. Plus her room smells lovely, which is never a bad thing.

As Fancy Nancy would say, a hydrosol is just a fancy way of saying mist.

And then for the Mamas, there is this Clary Sage Hydrosol from my absolute favorite (and brand new!) aromatherapy company EVER Brooklyn. Billed as a woman’s emotional rescue (sign me up!) the scent of clary sage is wonderful for relaxing without sedating. Because we grown ups need some fairy dust too!

Monday, Monday– or more links about Heather, Roxanne and the other Brooke Williams

links

Roxanne Shante and The Real Roxanne had the same name just like like me and that other Brooke Williams... Photo by Ernie Panicciole

Roxanne Shante and The Real Roxanne had the same name just like me and that other Brooke Williams… Photo by Ernie Panicciole

Another Brooke Williams (and our name is Legion, for we are many) wrote a piece in the New York Times yesterday about the trauma of not being me.

Or at least not being the me she imagined from a few messages left on her phone by mistake. Which immediately reminded me of UTFO’s Roxanne Roxanne, Roxanne Shante’s bad ass rebuttal, and The Real Roxanne’s subsequent addition to the mix.

Sure, I am finding the above-mentioned situation a bit unsettling, but hey, at least it’s not tax identity theft, right?

Stuff like that kind of makes me want to throw up both of my hands. Like Marvin Gaye.

Or maybe I should just be quietly thankful that we are all Brookes and not Heathers.

This is a bit off topic, but did you guys know Cher actually got arrested for “borrowing” her moms car?

Oooh Easter is around the corner! And when one begins to think about dying eggs, one must of course consult the master of all things craft, Martha Stewart.

And last but certainly not least, check out this incredible video of old cellphones making beautiful music with their beeps and ringtones. It’s actually quite moving.

This is authentic - "

April 2014