If you're going to the big Amazon.com supersale today (even magazine subscriptions at $5 off-who knew?), click through from here. It won't cost you any extra, and it helps put a few pennies in my pocket. Thank you.
I'm setting this to autopost at 5 am my time, when some of you are probably already out at the stores, but I'm still asleep (I hope). Heh.
I'd love to talk about some of the things that we've been enjoying this year. I'm going to make up a bunch of categories for my favorite things, and you can make up your own, too.
Favorite music: I've been listening to pretty much nothing but four albums (are they still even called "albums"?) this year. As I'm typing this I realize they're a totally random assortment, but I'm a random kind of person, so there you go. Here they are:
Free to Worship by Fred Hammond. I'm a crazy Fred Hammond superfan anyway, but the lyrics on the songs on this particular album have been really important to me in this last year. It seems like every time I'm struggling with something, I find something new in his words that expresses exactly what I need right then in the clearest, most lyrical language. And his songs are all bass-heavy and danceable.
Your Man by Josh Turner. (Or download the MP3 version.) I call him "my cowboy singer." I love his voice, and his songs are throwbacks to a time when men were honorable cowboys who just wanted to work hard and play hard. Sweet and goofy and earnest all at the same time.
Out of the Woods by Tracey Thorn. (or download the MP3 version.) I've loved her voice ever since she was in Everything But The Girl ("And I miss you like the deserts miss the rain..."), and was delighted when this CD came out earlier this year. These songs are so personal and achingly romantic, bleak and hopeful at the same time. Watch the videos for "It's All True" and "Raise the Roof."
Brazilian Hits and Funky Classics by Jorge Ben. A compilation of Jorge Ben's hits from the '70s. Lots of that rhythmic, groovy guitar that Ben did so well.
Favorite parenting book: Hands-down, my favorite parenting-related book of the year is Erica Lyon's Big Book of Birth. My review is here. Doctors should hand this book out as soon as a woman sees the second line or a positive beta.
Favorite pants for boys who rip through the knees every time: The jersey-lined nylon workout pants (real name: mesh-lined windpants) from Children's Place. Soft on the inside, but the nylon is far more durable than cotton pants or jeans. No more ripped knees!
Favorite airline: JetBlue kept me happy every single time I flew them this year. The Bliss lotion they give you on the red-eye is great, and their coffee is good, too. 26 real TV channels doesn't hurt, but bring your own headphones, because their free ones can be spotty. They're the nicest airline for kids that I've flown, probably because everyone's so anesthetized by watching those 26 channels of TV that the flight attendants have time to be nice to kids.
Favorite dinner: Bi bim bap. We found the recipe in Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park. It's super-easy to make, and kids can help stir together the marinade, and even crack the eggs and do the vegetables. My kids have decided they like chicken better than beef, so that's how we do it now.
Favorite lunch: Carnitas tacos from the gourmet taco cart near my office. Drool.
Favorite exercise: The winner and still champion...T-Tapp. Only I'm doing even better since I saw Teresa Tapp herself when she was in NYC last month. The ways she explained the Basic Workout Plus increased the intensity for me geometrically. And she's almost freakishly nice. If I lived on the UES I'd go to Donna's Monday night class every week.
Favorite paint: Benjamin Moore's Aura. Water-based, low-fume (seriously), and covers anything in two coats. I was skeptical, but went from deep red to Cameo White in two coats! Perfect for kids' rooms. It's way more expensive than regular paint (I think it's made of ground up truffles and Faberge eggs), but IMO worth it for the ease of application, great coverage, washability, and fewer fumes.
Favorite movie: I go to movies to escape, not to think about issues, so my favorite movie of the year was The Bourne Ultimatum. Completely and utterly unbelievable in so many ways, but I couldn't look away.
Favorite timesaver: Google documents and Google calendar. You can share documents and calendars with other people (whether or not they have a Gmail email account) and cut out a billion steps in the editing and collaboration process.
Favorite made-up knitting pattern: Legwarmers for under my puffy coat. One pair takes two skeins of Lion Woolease (for easy washability) or woolish yarn of your choice. Use US size 8 (5 mm) double-pointed needles.
Cast on 44 stitches. Work a *K1 through the back of the stitch, P1* rib for 2.5-3 inches. Increase 16 stitches evenly across for a total of 60 stitches.
Work body in mistake rib: Row 1: K2 P2 across. Row 2: P1, *K2 P2* across, end with P1. Repeat these two rows for the length of your shin plus a few inches more so you can get that Flashdance scrunch.
Decrease 12 stitches evenly across for a total of 48 stitches. Work a *K1 through the back of the stitch, P1* rib for 2.5-3 inches. Bind off loosely.
Favourite appliance: crockpot is saving my life, hands down
There's a book out up here that I hope comes out in the US called The Film Club by David Gilmour that is really neat - about a dad who let his son drop out of school and kind of trusted the process. But required that his son watch 3 films a week with him. It's neat.
Favourite grown-up toy: Blackberry love!
Posted by: Shandra | November 23, 2007 at 08:50 AM
Favourite meal with family: my homemade pizza or dad's pork sausage risotto ( sounds better in Italian). Noah licks his chops over both.
Favourite night in front of the tele: usually Thursday with 2 hours of Gray's Anatomy, which I saw first in English and then Italian. George's voice is really off in Italian. And Meredith's is even more annoying than the original.
Favourite thing about my 10 month old ( a 2007 baby): those little wrinkles on her nose when she pouts or is about to cry.
Favourite book: Jared Diamond's 'Collapse, how socieites choose to fail or succeed' 500 odd pages on what the title says, but in an interesting way. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143036556?ie=UTF8&tag=moxieandaskmo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0143036556) Took me 2 years to read, can you believe it?? Started it when my elder child was 6 months old, but involved far too much concentration, so I gave up for a while.
Posted by: paola | November 23, 2007 at 09:04 AM
Ooh, this is fun. Paola, I'd love the recipe for the risotto, which sounds amazing to me even in English!
Favorite album: Wilco, Sky Blue Sky. It's pretty much on permanent repeat in my car and I can't get enough of it. Especially after finally watching 'I am trying to break your heart,' the documentary about them from several years ago, I feel like I know them all. And the music just kicks ass.
Favorite gift: The hubs and I stumbled upon Springsteen tix at face value, no less, through my local moms' group. So Monday night we celebrated Christmas early with the Boss and, oh, 20,000 other folks. It was awesome. (remind me of this when there are very few presents with my name on them under the tree..)
Favorite life change: Quitting my previous (and long-dreamed-of) magazine job, which was never what I'd hoped it would be, in favor of a wonderful gig teaching nonfiction and more freelancing than I can handle. Finally, all those years of dues-paying paid off.
Favorite holiday discovery: That NYT video on how to carve a turkey, combined with the Chez Panisse recipe for brine. Yesterday's meal was flawless, if I do say so myself, and for the first time the carving didn't give me any agita.
Favorite age for the kiddo: 18.5 months. Yes, that's right now, so it's sorta cheating. But good lord, I am finding toddlerhood SO, so much easier to handle than infancy. She is funny and mischievous and full of things to say (did you know that Santa brings the mail, apparently?). This is just tons of fun, which is a huge relief after months and months of wondering what the f*** we had done to our perfectly nice childless lives.
Favorite timewaster: lifehacker.com. Yeah, it's allegedly a productivity site, and I have indeed found all kinds of cool hacks and interesting budget tips. But it's also a perfectly legitimate way to while away half an hour while allegedly "working."
Favorite purchase: one-quarter of a cow. We finally got off our butts and ordered a grass-fed, natural cow from a local farmer. It felt insane to shell out nearly $700 for four boxes of meat, but it tastes insanely good. And the per-pound price works out to be quite a bargain. AND I can finally let go of my vague queasiness every time we eat grocery-store beef.
Posted by: michaela | November 23, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Michaela:
Luca's Risotto di Salamino.
In a saucepan, fry 1 pork sausage (broken into small pieces). Once browned, add arborio rice and fry momentarily. Add some red wine (the better the wine, the better the taste) and bring it to boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth (possibly a real meat and vegetable one) gradually (a bit at the time depending on how dry it is). Reduce flame and simmer for another 15 minutes or slightly more if you like your risotto well cooked. 2 minutes before time is up, add parmesan cheese. Leave to 'rest' 3 minutes and serve.
Posted by: Luca (Paola's hubbie) | November 23, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Favorite TG dessert: Frosty Lime Pie made with elegance and love by a friend.
Posted by: Num Num | November 23, 2007 at 10:00 PM
Favorite soundtrack: Once. (movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/) If you've seen the movie, the soundtrack is especially sweet, heartbreaking, and moving. Love the voices.
Favorite excapist movie, same as Moxie's: Bourne Ultimatum.
Favorite cheese: Humboldt Fog. Found out I can tolerate small amounts of sheep cheese and a smaller amount of goat cheese (no cow cheese at all, waaaah!), and this one is like a cross between a good ripe brie and a mild soft chevre, with just a hint of gorgonzola-ish tang. Oh, heaven for the cheese-deprived! http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/
Favorite cough suppressant: Costco French Dark Chocolates. No dairy, 50+-70% cocoa mass, reasonably low calories, and all those antioxidants! Plus it really suppresses the cough. Really! (as my boss said, 'the study that proved that MUST have been done by a woman!') My doctor even approved, heh. :)
Favorite organizational tool: 3x5 cards. That plus a binder to put them in. Wish someone else would compete with Levenger on this one, but at least the Circa journal for organizing them wasn't gastly expensive.
Favorite coffee method: Toddy (south american style cold-filtered). Hated coffee until we tried this (other methods leave too much acid, can't taste the coffee through it). Coffee now tastes like it SMELLS, mmmm. (toddycafe.com) Bonus, no waste AT ALL - never throw out old coffee again. WOO!
Favorite kids CD: Professor Pocket (spanish language support). Surprisingly nice instrumentation, engaging story line, songs that totally crack up the kids, and it's the only thing that has made G *at all* consider using his Spanish at home or with his Baba (who speaks fairly fluently). (professorpocket.com)
Posted by: hedra | November 24, 2007 at 06:37 AM
http://www.sock-dreams.com/_shop/image_upload/product_1039.jpg
Isn't there an easy way to add button holes to any knitted item? I love these leg warmers and would like to make them for my Brooklynite daughter.
Posted by: Chris | November 24, 2007 at 02:13 PM
Does anyone know of where to buy 100% cotton slippers? I hate all that synthetic stuff out there - they make my feet sweat! If you do....that might be my favorite thing of 2007 if I can get them before the new year.
Posted by: julie | November 24, 2007 at 05:23 PM
Re Bourne, no kidding--the fighting was *so cool*, even to this mild-mannered women's college alum...
Posted by: RAchel99 | November 24, 2007 at 05:47 PM
My favorites are always food.
Vosges chocolate. The caramels! And the hot cocoa! And all of it! Yum.
Marash Red Pepper:
http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=P-MAR
Urfa Pepper:
http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=P-URF
Makes even the most quickly thrown together meal fabulous, plus they aren't that spicy.
I've also been a huge fan of the NPR podcasts this year. And the still warm tortillas at the neighborhood groceries.
Posted by: Brooke | November 24, 2007 at 09:03 PM
favorite guilty pleasure - "dancing with the stars" - fun, silly, and even a bit sexy! all my friends make fun of me for this.
favorite magazine - "the sun" - the section called "readers write" is frequently sad and beautiful and haunting and hilarious all at the same time.
favorite teething toy - my electronic toothbrush. she can't get enough of it!
favorite site for browsing - ETSY - i can waste hours just looking at lovely things.
favorite new way to get some protein in my babe - quinoa hot cereal with beans and cheese. yummmm.
favorite new image - my toddler picking up my nursing bra every morning and throwing it around her neck like a scarf, then running about the house.
Posted by: stmom | November 24, 2007 at 09:26 PM
@Chris: I can't tell from the photo of the legwarmers. If they're just one big cylinder, just sew on the buttons so it looks like they're buttoned. If the legwarmers are big rectangles, you can either knit in the buttonholes (put in a YO K2tog instead of the 3rd and 4th stitches of each row in which you want the buttonhole--if that doesn't make sense to you, comment back and I'll try harder). Or knit the whole thing, then do a crochet edge on that side and crochet in some buttonholes at the end.
@stmom: Did you see the commercial for the new electric toothbrushes that play songs for adults? I'm still wondering if I just imagined a toothbrush that plays ACDC...
@hedra: We keep talking about cold-brewing coffee at work. I'm imagining it like a big jug of sun tea out on the fire escape.
@julie: What style of slippers do you like? Scuffs? Slipper-socks? If you can't find cotton, wool will let your feet breathe, too, so felted wool would also do the trick.
Posted by: Moxie | November 25, 2007 at 12:18 AM
Favorite Music: Departed Soundtrack, Sound of Music Soundtrack (for baby), and Carbon Leaf.
Favorite Food: Irish Dubliner Cheese from Whole Foods. Homemade baked potato soup. Can't get enough coffee. Also anything that comes out yummy from the crock pot.
Favorite Magazine: I hate to say it but it's "Rachael Ray" and Family Circle.
Favorite New Thing: My sweet sweet baby boy born in June and my big old 12 year old boy.
Posted by: Heather | November 25, 2007 at 08:58 AM
Favorite New Internet Thing: http://www.catalogchoice.org --it's a DNC list for catalogs, so you can save some trees and stop getting mail you don't want
Favorite Coffee Method: AeroPress
Favorite Candy Discovery: pink grapefruit mentos -- I don't eat lots of candy, especially if it's not chocolate, but MAN are these good
Posted by: Charisse | November 25, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Moxie....something with a sole so I can wear them outside....where can I get some???
Forgot to add my favorite cookbook - Rachel Rays' 30 minute meals....really easy, really yummy and yes they only take 30 minutes! Our favorite is the pumpkin and sausage pasta. Soooooo good.
Posted by: julie | November 25, 2007 at 04:59 PM
Favorite moment of 2007: When I finally got to hold my baby after recovering from the C-section.
Favorite parenting books: The Baby Book by Sears, Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen and The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I also loved Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner, but that's not really a parenting book.
Favorite CD: Colin Hays' solo album Man at Work (he was the lead singer from Men at Work). He's really amazing, and these songs are beautiful.
Favorite TV shows: Chuck, Psych, Bones, The Office, 30 Rock (I've just gotten into this one and it's SO funny), Army Wives, Eureka and Battlestar Galactica. Hmmm, that seems like a lot considering I barely have time to watch TV. Oh, right...
Favorite electronic device: The DVR.
Favorite sites on the internet: Ask Moxie, other mommy blogs, Snapfish and amazon, as always.
Favorite food: The things I prepare at Let's Dish! OMG, those stores and ones like them are the best!
Favorite magazine: Scientific America. Although I think that I will love Brain, Child--I'm asking for it for Christmas.
Favorite time of day: When I get home from work and the Pumpkin sees me and her face lights up with this big smile and my husband smiles and says "Yea! Mommy's home!" while the dog comes running up to greet me. My heart is full of joy.
Posted by: caramama | November 25, 2007 at 05:55 PM
Favorite moment of 2007: When I finally got to hold my baby after recovering from the C-section.
Favorite parenting books: The Baby Book by Sears, Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen and The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I also loved Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner, but that's not really a parenting book.
Favorite CD: Colin Hays' solo album Man at Work (he was the lead singer from Men at Work). He's really amazing, and these songs are beautiful.
Favorite TV shows: Chuck, Psych, Bones, The Office, 30 Rock (I've just gotten into this one and it's SO funny), Army Wives, Eureka and Battlestar Galactica. Hmmm, that seems like a lot considering I barely have time to watch TV. Oh, right...
Favorite electronic device: The DVR.
Favorite sites on the internet: Ask Moxie, other mommy blogs, Snapfish and amazon, as always.
Favorite food: The things I prepare at Let's Dish! OMG, those stores and ones like them are the best!
Favorite magazine: Scientific America. Although I think that I will love Brain, Child--I'm asking for it for Christmas.
Favorite time of day: When I get home from work and the Pumpkin sees me and her face lights up with this big smile and my husband smiles and says "Yea! Mommy's home!" while the dog comes running up to greet me. My heart is full of joy.
Posted by: caramama | November 25, 2007 at 05:56 PM
@hedra: cold brewing sounds interesting. Have you looked into the antioxidant content of cold versus hot brew?
I am currently using the aeropress and loving it for sweet, minimal acidity. The company makes the aeropress coffee maker and... aerobies. Go figure.
Posted by: Susannah | November 25, 2007 at 09:34 PM
Favorite CDs: Anything by Laurie Berkner. My kids' favorite, and by extension me because everyone is happy in the car. We now have the full set and we rotate. Watching my 19 month old dance to "Victor Vito" is the funniest thing ever. And my 3 year old can spell "boots" because of LB. She might be, after Moxie, my personal hero.
Favorite food: Baked ziti. It is the one vaguely nutritious food that the entire family enjoys and will eat without any cajoling or negotiating whatsoever. If only I could slip in some frozen spinach without the preschooler taking notice. Sigh. Maybe in '08.
Posted by: Kate | November 25, 2007 at 10:50 PM
@Moxie - not that far off, though you don't put it out in the sun. ;) The trick would be the 12 hour steep time - you can do it longer or shorter, but 12 is ideal... are there people on site who can set up and drain 12 hours apart? 8 will do, but you don't get quite the same depth of flavor. You'll also have to get it ground (or do so yourself when you buy it - I've found that the grinder in the grocery store has a good coarse grind - some are too fine and clog the filter. Stll worth the effort once every week or two!
@Susannah - no idea on the antioxidants, but I'm sure there are still *some* in there.
Posted by: hedra | November 26, 2007 at 05:24 AM
I thought I was the only one who loved "Chuck". I hope the writers' strike doesn't kill it.
Posted by: SarcastiCarrie | November 26, 2007 at 10:37 AM
@Hedra.....I read on the site that the caffeine content is lower than regularly brewed coffee.....is that true? Hate to say it, but I need my drug. But it sounds great otherwise.
Posted by: julie | November 26, 2007 at 10:38 AM
I've heard that cold brew has more caffiene.
We combine water and coffee (kind of a lot of coffee actually) and let steep for 24 hours at room temp, sometimes fridge in the summer. Then pour through a sieve, then through a filter. Haven't done it since this summer. But it's so good, kind of sweet and syrupy.
Posted by: Brooke | November 26, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Favorites for 2007:
Six o'clock scramble menu service--which I found out about here! LOVE it. It's almost like having a wife.
Vashti Bunyan--okay, she created one album back in 1969 or something so it's a little out of date for a favorite in 2007, but this album is amazing. Always makes me feel happy and earth-mother-goddess-y.
The book "City: rediscovering the center" by William Whyte. A fascinating read by a fascinating character, chock full of great photos of NYC, circa the early 80s or so. Really deepened my understanding of urban design.
"How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk"--thanks to Moxie for this one. I apply the lessons in this book to adults as well as children. When you start to listen--really listen--to what people are saying, you realize how often you jump to offer advice that was unsolicited. Has helped me with my kids and helped me be a better listener in general.
Fresh brewed peppermint tea.
A new buddy of mine. She and I met at a potluck back in July of 2006. Really hit it off, but due to mutual shyness didn't exchange numbers. I kicked myself over it for a nearly a year, until I ran into her again at another social gathering. I made sure to get her number and we've become great friends. Rare to meet people who are so simpatico once you get to a certain age and situation in life.
DH continues to be a favorite into 2007. It's been hard since Younger was born, but we have worked and are continuing to really work on our relationship and things have gotten much better.
Posted by: rudyinparis | November 26, 2007 at 11:10 AM
Favorite sites: Ask Moxie (natch); Hathor the Cow Goddess (http://www.thecowgoddess.com/); Doonesbury.com; Craigslist.com
Favorite book of 2007: Eat, Pray, Love
Favorite new toy(s): Tie between our new iMac and iPod. Yes, we're an Apple family!
Favorite time of day: Picking up my son from daycare as he runs HARD into my arms for the biggest hug ever.
Favorite candy: Mint melts from Trader Joe's. Yum.
Favorite age: The age we're currently in. Right now, almost 2 is sooo fun.
Favorite workout video: Turbo Jam kicks ass. Literally.
Favorite band at the moment: The Go Team. They're a cross between Blink 182 and a really good cheerleading squad. Have a listen.
Posted by: Megan | November 26, 2007 at 12:20 PM
@Jen: DH just got me these slippers, which are toasty and non-sweaty and cute:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/31163024.html
Lots of the other Foamtreads look nice too. Uggs also makes some good ones with a sole, also sheepskin-lined.
Posted by: Lisa | November 26, 2007 at 04:54 PM
Moxie, Are you Brazilian? How do you know Ben Jor?
Posted by: Emma | November 30, 2007 at 11:26 AM
I Like This Blog,Thank you,My Name is Roger Vivier in France.Very Good.
Posted by: Roger Vivier | April 13, 2012 at 05:23 AM