Hey Laura, What...?

Today, I’m challenging the shortsightedness of the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills in Congress. You can read more about it here.

In a nutshell,

the US government wants to censor our internet.

If that freaks you out (and it should!), call your Senator, send an email, make a stink.

Wikipedia and Google can help you figure out how to get heard.

I feel kind of silly giving you this recipe, because it is so stinkin’ easy! But if your family doesn’t have any ties to South America like mine does, you may not be aware of this simple, versatile, and delicious food staple.

You can read a history of arepas on Wikipedia, if you like. I’ll just tell you that they are basically…corn flour pita pockets.

I’m sure millions of Colombians and Venezuelans are shaking their collective fist at me for describing their national dish so rudely. But hey, they’re made out of corn flour, and (at least in many places) split open and stuffed full of deliciousness. If they’re not split, then the toppings go on top, which is also like pita bread! So there...

This is a brilliant satirical commentary on the totally unrealistic standard of beauty foisted upon us by US pop culture these days.

Fotoshop, by Adobé.

Well I’m back. What a year 2011 was for my family. Was it crazy for everyone?

We experienced so much upheaval last year, I feel like we are just barely settling down. After 4 years of in-limbo in-boxes living, three offers on potential homes turned down, feelings of total disillusionment, two interstate moves in 8 months, and finally finding our forever home in Central Oregon, we’re making the switch from Survival Mode to Thriving.

One major step toward Thriving that we’re taking is to use our time more wisely.

During Survival Mode, evenings after the kids were asleep ended in an exhausted collapse in front of the TV for a couple hours of vegging before limping off to bed. That may...

Haven’t we all had those nights where we’re scrambling for something to make for dinner and realize (about 4 hours too late) that freshly baked bread would nicely complement the soup bubbling on the stove?

I made these amazing little dinner rolls last night and knew I had to share the recipe. They take about 40 minutes from mixing to serving, so they’re perfect for the last-minute bread addition.

I adjusted the recipe I found to have less sugar and half whole wheat flour. I’m going to keep tinkering with it to try for all whole wheat, as that is what my family prefers. I made some rolls plain (as we love honey on ours!), and some with cheese and sage. I think these would be great at...

I just ran across this article in Pediatrics magazine, further establishing the link between the use of acetaminophen and the asthma epidemic in the US.

If you or your kids are at risk (ie: have a family history of, or other significant contributing factors - like food allergies) for asthma, you would do well to find another fever and pain reducer.

In my house, we use the homeopathic remedy by HomeoLab called Kids Relief Pain and Fever Oral Solution. It doesn’t work for every single type of ache or pain (homeopathic remedies are very specific that way), but more often than not, it is just as effective as an OTC drug.

Read the full article of The Association of Acetaminophen and Asthma...

I’m in the throes of our last few days of packing to move! Only 6 more days until we are on our way home to Central Oregon.

In the mean time, I’m purchasing a couple of these great 50% off coupons from Angelina Organic Skincare. I love her stuff and use it almost exclusively, so this is a great deal for me; I’ll be dropping by to stock up on face lotion as soon as I get into town!

If you’ve never tried anything from Angelina’s, this is a pretty risk-free way to check it out. I love the bath fizzies and shower scrubs. The Skin Doctor is absolutely the best thing for dry, cracking winter skin.

If you call or email Angelina’s, they can probably set you up with some custom sample packs, so...