Category: Life

I guess I’m a lucky person in some respects – I tend to get home from work at 5:30pm and I have the whole evening to decide what to cook, go out and get the right foods and then prepare it while still settling down to dinner at a reasonable time. Unfortunately in the current economic climate this is simply not an option for many people, and as a result it leaves many people looking for ways to really reduce the amount of time that they have to spend in the kitchen.

Although you can’t always make food cook quicker, you can improve its chances of cooking well by having the right quality cookware in the same way that you can decrease the preparation time by having the right kitchen tools. Although these might cost a little more, good quality kitchenware will generally last and it will help you to cut down the time you spend in the kitchen – adding hours back into your day.

I’m looking for new kitchen cookware – where can I start?

So you do want to cut down time in the kitchen, but you aren’t quite sure where to start off! Well it can be difficult working out exactly where you can save time in the kitchen, but purchasing some good quality implements can go a long way to ensuring that you are put firmly in the right direction and some of the popular purchases you might make include:

• Good quality kitchen cookware. The cookware you have is perhaps one of the most important elements of your kitchen and if you want to cook food efficiently and ensure that you are able to generate the heat that you need for your food to cook well and cook it evenly, then it’s crucial that you do have the right quality cookware to enable you to effectively complete this task
• Good quality kitchen knives

Preparation is key and if you are the type of person who likes to prepare their food as quickly as possible then having high quality kitchen knives which can easily cut through any food that you might have is a great way to ensure that this food is adequately prepared and ready to go when you need it.

Although many people are reluctant to spend money in the kitchen, especially during such a tough economic time, if you are looking to achieve a good work/life balance then chances are you will be looking to cut down any additional time that you do spend in the kitchen and investing in good quality utensils can help you do to this.

I got a press release today from the folks at Lynnina, a new swimwear manufacturer founded by Lynn Werner, who is described in the release as “a California-based mom who wanted to create a chic swimsuit alternative that delivered style, coverage, and comfort”. Lynnie’s debut swimwear line “features boardshorts in a variety of colors and prints, with complementary mix and match tops…that ensure that unsuitable suits never get in the way of a cool dip on a hot day or splashing around with your kids at the pool.”

I sooooo want to support Lynn and momtrepreneurs in general, but oh sweet Lord, these suits are FUG. Check them out:

If Mom’s Jeans were swimsuits, I’m afraid these would be them. Even these cute, skinny models look dumpy in them. Bleech. No. Freaking. Way.

Even though I do it all the time, it makes me sad that the word “mom” is so often associated with the pejorative. Ugly jeans are “mom jeans”, big ‘ol, unsexy minivans are too “mom”, etc. I know there’s this whole “hot moms” movement, complete with books and television pilots and skinny celebs who grace the covers of Us Weekly looking Victoria’s Secret runway-ready an hour after giving birth, but you know the female image that comes to mind when “mom” is uttered isn’t JLo. More like Patricia Heaton’s character on “Everybody Loves Raymond”.

Just the other day, I was in the workout wear store Lucy with Momtourage member Dana, and she was encouraging me to try on a pair of Lucy pants that she loves. They were cute and quite comfortable. However, they gave off a “this is as put together as I could get today – some workout wear/exercise clothes” vibe to me that I immediately associated with “mom” – and not in a good way. When I asked Dana if they were too “mom” she was like, “Um, I’ve got news for you, Chels – we are.” True, but does that mean we have to sacrifice attractiveness/style because we have kids? I refuse.

I know my body’s not the same as it was before I had kids, and thankfully, there are some pretty hot-looking Miraclesuits and Spanx swimwear options out there. But this crap? Kinda feeling like it’s an insult to moms everywhere. Lynn, honey, give us a little more credit! Or at least some better colors and patterns.

So Mother’s Day is a whopping 2 days away, and other than a family BBQ in the afternoon (no different than any other Sunday, really), we have no plans. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Why? Because I’m in charge, of course, and it’s been the last thing on my mind. I plan my birthdays and those of everyone else in this household, so I shouldn’t be surprised — but I’m drawing a blank. I have no idea what I want to do, although I could list upwards of 10 things I don’t want to do, like laundry, dishes, nap time, and bath time.

So today is International Women’s Day. It is celebrated all over the world and has been observed since the early 1900′s. There have been many struggles and achievements reached by all different women in our past. Clara Zetkin, who was a leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, came up with the idea of an International Women’s Day. In 1910, she proposed that every year there should be a celebration on the same day in every country to press for women’s demands. This idea sprung from the oppression and inequality women were feeling in the early 1900′s because of hours they worked, the pay they received, and voting rights.

I love Deepak Chopra. I mean, how could you not? Just listening to the sound of his voice is so soothing, calming, and grounding — not to mention what comes out of his mouth. His “spiritual solutions,” meditations, and even just basic responses to interview questions all seem so simple, and yet he is where he is because his musings are, arguably, genius.

There’s always room to improve — I would still make a few tweaks for next year — but overall the party was a great success, people raved about the food and there were very few leftovers (although we did enjoy them and I polished off the last bit of cake just yesterday). All the guests but 1 were able to make it, and I think also because of all the planning we did cleanup was a cinch. When you plan and execute from a thoughtful place, it shows in many ways.

While some of you may know that I am a fluent Spanish speaker (I often get mistaken for a native Argentinean), my interest in languages goes way past Castilian Spanish — I’ve also studied French quite extensively, dabbled in a little Portuguese, can throw out a few random words in German and once decided that Russian would be my next venture. With Spanish under my belt for years now, however, the French language has always sort of been that beautiful dress in the window for me, so delicate and stunning, yet where would I wear it? How can it be of use to me? Can I be the woman in that dress? I don’t have anyone with who I can practice my French; there are no French bakeries in my neighborhood (probably a good thing) and with all the other things going on in my life studying the philosophy that The French Do Everything Better isn’t always at the top of my priorities list.