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| Daily |
| Today Is Witch Day |
| If the broom fits. |
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Not all witches are wicked: some are sweet, others make a mean pasta dish and most of them magically save the day. Read up on 13 of our favorites storybook sorceresses. |
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Sit down for a spell to make a broomstick bookmark for all those witchy reads. |
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| Enchant your kitchen table and their lunches with witch-inspired edibles that are finger-licking good. |
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{ Today’s ideas brought to you by The Flying Monkeys } |
The word SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) was not a word I was too familiar with at one time. I was a career woman, bound and determined to defy all odds and prove that I could be supermom and career woman in one awesome cape.
After a few years of 50 hour work weeks, constant travel for my job on top of cheerleading and T-ball games, I had this bright notion that I would come home and try my hand at SAHM-hood and homeschooling. (Major respect for teachers EVERYWHERE!)
How hard could it possibility be to stay home all day with my children?
My expectations of being home every day were so far off that it is comical.
SAHM-ing is hard work. In fact, I think it is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Other moms made it look so easy. The blog posts I read about SAHM-hood told me it was be the “best decision a mom could ever make.”
Well, excuse me, but somebody forgot to mention a few things. Here are ten things that no one told me about being a SAHM:
Yes, SAHM-hood is hard but there is a community of SAHMs out there, including myself, which would not change one single moment. Most of the time, I am tired. I stay frustrated. I daydream about going back to work, but the moment one of my children reaches over and grabs my hand, tells me they love me or I hear one of their awesome laughs, I remember why I am staying home.
Even on my worst days, I cannot imagine life anyway else.
Sarah West is a homeschool mom and freelance writer. She balances her time teaching, speaking and writing about matters of faith and family. Sarah is also the first time author of Walking the Talk: A Parent's Guide to Intimacy and Healthy Relationships. You can keep up with Sarah on her blog.
If this is your first time hearing about the “Puffle” craze, you are in for a treat! Instagram streams from across the globe recently filled with this eye-catching sweet, and the moment we realized the shop is a short drive from LA, we had to try it out. Is it as magically delicious as it looks? See, and hear, for yourself…then hop in your car (or on your broom) and cool down with made to order ice creams and Puffle cones at Santa Ana’s Cauldron Ice Cream.
photo: Erin Harris
The Hype, The Craze, The Close, The Re-Open
With all the enticing pictures popping up just as temps were peaking, we had to try it out ASAP, and were greeted with a waiting crowd of hundreds of people and a nearly two-hour wait for an ice cream cone. Fortunately for everyone else, Cauldron took this pure insanity as a sign that they needed to overhaul their system in order to meet the raging demand and reduce wait times. The ice cream shop was closed to customers for one week and celebrated its grand re-opening on August 31, so now you won’t need to grumble about how long it takes to get your Puffle. So rejoice and get in a nice short line to enjoy this made-fresh treat.
photo: Cauldron Ice Cream via facebook
Think Of It As Edible Bubble Wrap
“What they heck is a Puffle,” you ask? Based on a popular Hong Kong treat, it is an egg waffle that resembles large format bubble wrap, almost the reverse of a typical waffle. It looks like something out of a children’s storybook, or perhaps Willy Wonka’s factory, and it wraps beautifully around a couple of scoops of ice cream, essentially creating a two-in-one dessert. The cones are made to order and served warm (melting alert!), so be sure to grab plenty of napkins.
The ice cream is also following the latest ice cream trend (see local shops Creamology, Creamistry, Ice Cream Lab, etc.) of making and freezing your order before your eyes, using a creamy base, fresh add-ins and a blast of liquid nitrogen. Freezer burn, farewell. Plus, the smoke effect coming off the machines is super cool.
photo: Erin Harris
To Puffle Or Not To Puffle?
Next question: “Soooo…is it worth the hype?” (And the drive…) The answer on the part of your kids will likely be an unqualified and resounding “YES!” After all, there’s something irresistible about desserts that are nearly as big as your face and look like something you’d only find at a state fair. Grown-ups, on the other hand, may find the combination of a thick Belgian waffle wrapped around a couple of scoops of intensely rich ice cream to be a little, um, much. Unless you are some kind of a waffle fiend, big people are better off ordering the ice cream on its own.
photo: Maria Cariza V. via yelp
Don’t Worry: There’s Stuff For Grown-Ups Too
The liquid nitrogen process produces ice cream that is exceptionally dense, smooth and rich in flavor, so it makes for quite the indulgence even without the waffle-cone-on-steroids that is responsible for the shop’s sudden success.
And, in keeping with modern gourmet ice cream trends, some of the flavors (which rotate monthly) have definitely been developed with discerning palates in mind, including Earl Gray Lavender, Sea Salt Caramel (above) and Vietnamese Coffee. At the other end of the spectrum are kid-pleasing options like Rainbow Road (made with Fruity Pebbles) and Cirque de la Crème (made with Circus Animal Cookies, below). Whether you go full Puffle or not, your sweet tooth is sure to be satisfied.
photo: Olivia H. via yelp
Harry Potter Fans, Wave Your Wands
FOr young witches and wizards waiting with baited breath for Harry Potter World to open in 2016 at Universal Studios (if only there was a spell to make time fly!), consider passing on the Puffle and getting this magical sipper. The Wizard’s Brew Float is butterscotch soda with fresh vanilla ice cream, and if it puts you in mind of Butterbeer from Hogsmeade, well, we won’t tell the kids this concoction isn’t exactly what Harry and friends drink.
photo: Cauldron Ice Cream via facebook
Cauldron Ice Cream
1421 W MacArthur Blvd.
Santa Ana
657-245-3442
Online: cauldronicecream.com
Have you puffled? What’s your verdict: worth the drive or it’s all hype?
—Erin Harris
Remember when you unwound from the week with three martinis and a dance-off that lasted till 2 a.m.? Well, now that you’re a parent we are betting your “unwind time” looks a little different. Here are the ten luxuries that every parent wishes for.
Photo: Club MomMe
1. A bathroom security guard.
A burly bouncer to stand outside the bathroom door and prevent anyone from barging in or shouting requests or grievances in the general direction of the sacred space.
2. A full-time broom operator.
They follow behind your brood 24 hrs a day sweeping up crumbs, cereal, pet fur and, yes, even splattered yogurt.
3. A bedtime genie.
Your three wishes are “get in bed, go to sleep and stay asleep.” Granted.
4. An all-expenses paid night in a hotel.
All alone, with high thread-count sheets and an Ambien.
5. A birthday gift delivery app.
Just enter the party date, age, and birthday kid’s interest, and an all 24 birthday parties of your kids classmates are taken care of.
6. A personal chef who specializes in packed lunches.
You will never battle with bento boxes again.
7. A full interior car detail (carseat included).
They will remove Every. Single. Cheerio.
8. A professional photo organizer.
They will open up IPhoto, and they won’t leave until everything is sorted by date and event, your children all have respectable, physical albums and there’s a back-up of it all on flash drives.
9. A butt-wiper.
Self-explanatory.
10. An at-home masseuse.
One that won’t judge you for wanting to stream the new season of Orange is the New Black during the rub down.
What parental luxuries would you wish for? Tell us in the comments below!
Kara Larson’s Grasshopper boutique on Alberta street in Portland is a veritable one-stop shopping wonderland of toys, books, games, art supplies, decor, clothing and shoes for savvy kids. And for moms looking for a treat for themselves, Kara also owns Tumbleweed Boutique, right next door to Grasshopper.Larson recently sat down with Red Tricycle to discuss which toys will engage and delight children with all different types of personalities. Additionally, as the creator of Wild Carrots, a line of childrens’ clothing locally handmade from limited-edition fabrics and designs, Kara shares her expert opinions on wardrobe essentials and what to keep in mind when shopping for children’s clothes.
Red Tricycle: As the designer of Wild Carrots clothing, we’d love to get your expert advice on what to look for when buying clothing for kids.
Kara Larson: Comfort would top that list… if it’s not comfy, a child won’t want to wear it. Practical, functional, long lasting… Wild Carrots fits generously, so it grows with the child, and of course, cute is always a must. I love cozy tees for layering in the seasons. It’s a good way to make clothes last longer. The summer dress can now be worn in the winter with a layer. I also love lots of patterns… and stripes, of course.
RT: Where shouldn’t we scrimp in our children’s wardrobes?
KL: Good-fitting shoes are really important. A child’s shoe size generally grows about one size from 9 months to a year. It’s worth the investment when you think about all of the things our feet do for us.
RT: Tell us what you think are the best toys and must-haves for kids.
KL: For a curious, teething infant: The Dano teether, made in the USA, has 3 rings for texture and dexterity and can be chilled. For a girly-girl toddler: Girls love play kitchens & play food… and for some reason they all love the broom and mops. Or the sweet little Blabla dolls. For tomboy girl toddlers I love the Bilibo from Kid O, it’s an open- ended toy with endless possibilities. It can be a helmet, a spinner, a scoop, a cradle- a sled…For rough and tumble toddler boys, it’s got to be the Stomp Rockets. For toddler boys with a gentle approach to playing, I am loving the new puzzles from Crocodile Creek, I also love the Plan Toys treehouse or farm. Bookworms: We have so many great books right now. At the top of my list: Flotsom, Spot It, The Secret Lives of Princesses, Kitten for a Day, Curious Garden and Shadow Shadow. For kids who love to build: Swiss-made magnetic building panels and race car sets from Geomag. I also love the creativity of building train tracks. Plan Toys has one that combines a road system that is pretty fun. Kids who love nature like the solar print kits, garden tools, mini microscope, great outdoor adventure books, (Down, Down, Down….)
RT: What are some good picks to keep kids happy indoors on rainy days?
KL: My favorite new toy is the Spooner. It’s fun for balance and coordination, for the active kid. But I am also loving the Habitadule. They are super cool colorful cardboard pieces that you can make forts with. For aspiring artists, I love watercolor crayons. They are fun and they make great gifts. I am obsessed with the paper cutting collages, beautiful papers from France that you cut and put into the pictures to create works of art. Also, any Taro Gomi coloring book. My son has one and it’s a great thing to take traveling or to a restaurant. I have my own too, it keeps me young.
Grasshopper is located at 1816 NE Alberta Street, Portland. 503-335-3131.
—Beth Shea
