It's National Wear Red Day!

My paternal grandmother Ruby died from heart disease right after I was born, and partially because I never got to know her, I'm wearing red for her today. Because the red dress is the symbol for women and heart disease awareness, and today's the day to pull out your favorite little cardinal number. Besides the wearing of all the red, there are a lot healthy cardiovascular goings on, and my dear friend Gabby has a great list lined up on Design Mom. So celebrate!

Not to put too fine a point on it.

We've been listening to a whole lot of They Might Be Giants recently. Which reminds me of my freshman year in college. When I spent a whole lot of time doing much the same thing.

Only back then, the giants that they might be weren't doing free podcasts of kids songs...songs like Zeros that the Hurricane likes to sing loudly in falsetto...(yes, a two-year-old falsetto, scientists in my home have discovered that there is such a thing.)

Because back then, they weren't singing the modern-day versions of School House Rock tunes. Or were they? Actually, the more I think about it, they could have been doing that the whole time. Well, that's something to consider today. And while you're at it, keep the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul.

I'm Shriveling Away Into Nothingness.

It seems that the average human gains seven pounds during the holiday season. Which just proves I am incredibly average.

Seven pounds. Exactly.

So to rectify this poundage, I had to do something. A handful of co-workers also wanted to do something, and their brilliant plan had something to do with this thing called fat loss for idiots. I'm not even kidding.

And because I'm such a freaking joiner (Which cliff? Now? Okay!), I couldn't not play along. So I am.

And if you pay attention to this little twitter feed to the right here, you'll notice I've been whining just a little about the weirdness I've been consuming. Last Tuesday, fruit all day. Today, all vegetables. Weird. But I have stuck to it (because I'm a rule follower like that) and have lost five pounds of the seven. In a week. So there's that.

The trick is keeping it off.

And I think I might have found a good solution for that one too.

Last month, Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review The Ultimate Tea Diet, and I was all, "so what are you saying PBN?" And then I was distracted by a shiny sugar cookie and forgot all about it.

But I read through it last week, and it's smart. And it's totally gotten me into tea.

And if you know me in real life, you know that's a big deal, since I formerly drank about five cups of coffee a day. At least. But this year, I'm going tea. Just to try it.

So I reviewed the book over at Cool Stuff today. And I ordered some peppermint patty tea. And I'm giving some away if you comment over there.

So come over for tea.

Cheers!

Women in Social Media are...?????

So I've been asked to speak at a conference on Thursday. Topic: Women in Social Media. Um. Okay. A fairly broad topic. Because apparently there are almost 100 million women using social media....a weird way of saying there are a heck of a lot of pinks reading blogs, blogging, checking out videos on You Tube, reading sk*rt, etc, etc, and all of the above. And I am speaking for all of yous. Yeah. Right.

So if you are reading this blog, and you happen to be a woman, then you my friend are a 'woman in social media'. And I'll be speaking for you on Thursday.

So why not help me out and say what you think women in social media are. Just leave a comment here and complete that phrase..."Women in social media are XXXXX." You'll be registered to win a one-year subscription to Domino Magazine! Because Women in Social Media are lovers of Domino Magazine. Right? Not sure, but this one is. Design Mom is also doing this, so you can leave a comment over there too. Or on sk*rt, of course.

Then we'll put some kind of giant list together a list of all the things women in social media are. Because we're a lot of things. Obviously.

*Also if you happen to be in Htown on Thursday and want to go to the Got Social Media conference, email me at helloqueso at gmail dot com. I have a rad discount code for you.

Raising a Little Boy. Today.

There's a virtual shower going on today for my friend Julie who's having a boy. And as much as I like to talk about the endless amounts of cool baby stuff that exist out there today, what I'd give her, if I could give her anything, is time and space and quiet with her new little son.

That's all. Just quiet and space. Which might as well be diamond unicorns and golden ice cream, because I don't actually know how anyone makes this type mythical "quiet" and "space" happen.

Especially with a little boy. Because with the blues, we've found, there is no slow. There is no stop.

In fact, around our house, the only way for us to even begin to have a glimpse of that quiet is to break our TV. So we did. It's "broken". As in unplugged. After an especially painful whine-fest for Wiggles, the Hurricane drove my favorite HcQ to a place we like to call "done". And even though I'm categorically against an entire family suffering for one punk's addiction, the removal of the appliance has simultaneously eliminated some very chipper Australians from our lives. Which can only be a very good thing. So. We're currently "those" people. The people without a TV. Lucky for us, everything we need is also on iTunes. And YouTube. And the Totally Rad Show.

But back to Julie.
This last weekend, another soon-to-be new mom asked me if I'd like to share any advice. Which, of course, is like asking someone if they'd like to go to Italy. And I was happy to climb aboard that train and go on and on and on and then, after about five minutes of raving about this sleep book or that bouncer thing, I thought, wait a minute, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I know what worked for the Hurricane. And for me getting used to the Hurricane. But I have no freaking idea if any of what I found actually works for anyone else at any given time with any given kid.

So then I excused myself from my own rant and mumbled something about every child being different and the only real consistency being love and patience. Or something.

And then today I saw this speech about giving children love, education, and hope. With an emphasis on hope. And that sounds about right to me.

And although we're smack dab in the middle of political season, this isn't meant to be political, nor is hope. I believe pretty much every candidate from every party would be pro-hope. At least I would hope so. And although I'm not sure where I am politically (and don't worry, I won't talk about it here anyway), I do know...even without a TV...that in between all the rhetoric, there's a lot of interesting discussion going on. From every side. And every angle. And I'm paying attention. Plus, I found that watching this speech given yesterday at MLK's church was a really great way for me to celebrate MLK day today.

It also solidified our decision to turn off the TV. And find the space to celebrate the hope.And that's what I'd wish for any parent, uncle, friend or daughter today.

Clean It Up, People.

This week, I've become a bit obsessed with cleaning. It didn't help when we found this photo above of the dream laundry room on Alpha Mom the other day in Bossy's column (she found it at Container Store).

It's only fueled my cleaning resolution.

And made me REAAALLLY want to win this excellent sk*rt contest: a YEAR'S SUPPLY of laundry detergent from Dropps. And the lovely hand hygiene pack from CleanWell. But alas, I can not win.

BUT YOU CAN!!!

So if you haven't, smack down (Lose it!) some spam. Ten stories in sk*rt's up and coming section and leave a comment here. Odds are good you could win this thing.

$125 worth of sparkling prizes. Just for cleaning it up. You completely deserve it. The contest is open until midnight Sunday. And as always, I seriously hope you win.

Happy Weekend!!!

Hey, It's Winter Kids!

So I just heard a new-to-me band today. Winter Kids. But if you look them up on iTunes you'll just find a lot of songs about winter. And songs about kids. And kids songs. And kids songs about winter. Mainly. But keep looking. Because they're worth it. You can also search under " marzipan & ribbons." They'll turn up. Or perhaps google them.

And if you google them, then you will find sites that encourage kids to get outside in the winter. And sites that sell ski clothing. And sites with printable templates for winter crafts. And finally a site that points you to a myspace page. (Damn millennials and their love for the myspace. Gah.) And there, you will find good music.

And then, if you say all the music I like sounds the same, 1.) I'll hit you because of course I like all kinds of music and 2.) I'll tell you this is true for every person. Even people (especially people) that say that they like all kinds of music. Because I've found that there's a common thread...something perhaps indescribable (unless you write for DC Rock Club, then I'm sure you have 10,000 words to describe it)...that ties most people's music picks together with a lovely brown bow. It's the same thing as when you see a sweater at the store and say...oh, that is so something that so and so would wear. Because you just know. It's like that. Only better.

MDcQ2: The Reckoning

(photo with commentary stolen from Jenny who stole it from Ed T. and then wrote all over it.)

I'm not sure why we were on the table.

Or what I was doing.

But it was fun.

The gals from OpMom.

My favorite Twitter couple...ah young love.

I've also seen a lot more detail written up / photographed here and here and here. And I stole most of these photos from Karen here.

We'll do another one in April. Watch for it.

Save The Drama For Your Mama. With Cheese.

If you're anywhere near Htown, join Jenny and I tomorrow for MamaDramaConQueso II. Of course, you are responsible for your food and drink bill as well as your decision to go home with that cute blogger even though you know he's going to think you're trampy the next day.

*Headline stolen from The Houstonist.

I Can't Go Anywhere.

This political year is going to do me in. Because for some reason I am physically incapable of ignoring it. It being all the pre-game hoopla.

I managed to do this quite well in years past...when the HcQ was glued to (and yelling at) the telly, while I was snuggled up in my corner, jaded. So over politics. And now we've completely flip flopped. And I won't be able to get anything done if there's a TV in a ten-mile radius with people flapping about poll numbers, quarters of percentage points and campaign managers' hairstyles. I'm doomed.

Plus. Then. Once I get away from the magnetic power of my kitchen TV, everyone in my office wants to talk about it. And everyone has a different favorite candidate. The long-time always Democrat is for Paul. The independent is for Obama. The Republican is for Edwards. It's all so very confusing.

So what the heck? Why is this one so exciting? I read earlier that this is the first presidential election in 50 years that doesn't have an incumbent running, or a VP running. So, in other words, it's the first time in five decades that it's pretty wide open.

Anything could happen.

Anything. Like for instance, Anderson Cooper could follow anyone on Twitter.

Anderson. Oh Anderson. I go to my email box this morning, and there's a request from him to follow me. And I say, heck yes, he can follow me anywhere. And of course I'm now following him. Because he's fab. And funny.

So there's that.

But I'm not sure that's enough to make up for the amount of time I'm losing staple-gunned to the tube and the youtube and the twitter and the like.

Anyone else addicted? Do we need to start a support group? Because I think it's going to be a long year.

Edited to add: Karen just twittered this link quiz to select a candidate that best aligns with your views and opinions. You people are killing me.

I'm Resolved to Be Resolved. Positively Resolved.

I'll start this post like most fascinating conversations begin: So, I was watching Oprah today... Actually, I was listening to her on XM radio. Because my husband's car features the holy power of XM. And I like to jack with him. So whenever I borrow his car, I turn it straight to station 156 (that's the temple of O) and crank it up. Gayle King full volume, y'all. Sort of like marking my territory. But more annoying.

And suurr-prise, suurr-prise, today Miss O was talking about resolutions. On her soul series, you know. (Like you don't know.) With some other dude who probably was an expert source on The Secret or Scientology or something. Aaannnyyyywayy, dude was very sure about what he was speaking. And he was saying that the REAL way to make resolutions is to make them positive. Because you people should make lemonade with your crappy lemons. Duh. And, so for instance. Instead of having a resolution like this:

1. This year I'll not watch creepy things like this or this or this.

You should word it as such:

1. This year, I will watch great things like this.

See, so much more positive.

And because I really do believe in writing things down, I'm going to put a few of my positively fabulous Queso resolutions out there.

2. I will read more of the Times Online if only because they use the word "dodgy" a lot.

3. I will post a heck of a lot on Cool Stuff con Queso. Because I can.

4. I will follow the sk*rt chicks on Twitter. (And also follow Super Zoe because, hello, all day comments from SZ.)

5. I will take the stairs. Because I work on the second floor, and I'm really getting sick of all the judgmental looks from everyone on the elevator. Oh plus the environment. Whatever.

6. I will eat more molasses cookies and other non-dirt items.

7. I will believe in UFOs.

8. I will 'try Puncak Highlands!' Because, really, why not?

9. I will hear every detail of Kristen's trip to the Golden Globes.

10. I will join Fitness Made Difficult. If you too want to make your fitness even more painful, then by all means watch this fantastic video. (However if you want a free 8 wk membership to Bally's, you can get one between now and 1/11 by joining Discovery Health's National Body Challenge.) But not me, I'm sold on fitness celebrity Tom.

So what about you? What are you going to do this year? It helps to write it down. And to be positive. So sayeth the Oprah lama. So help her Bob Green. Amen.

P.S. Every link on this post came from the first three upcoming pages on sk*rt. Because that's where I get my 411 yo. Obviously.

P.P.S. #11 I will attend MamaDramaConQueso 2, Electric Boogalo. Because it will be rad.

2007 Was a Record Year.

It seems like about seven minutes after Christmas, the sounds of the season start sounding like the best of the concluding year. And here are my favorites of 2007. In no particular order except the order that they're on the iTunes mix. If you want to listen to them, visit here. If you want to help the Padrino and his stock, buy them. If you want to read me blab on about the song picks, keep reading.

2007 Was a Year.

1. Come to Me by Koop featuring Yukimi Nagano. Okay, so I said this is in no particular order, but this first ditty is probably my favorite of the year. At least it has been for the last few months. It's what happens when acid jazz and swing get together and have a little electronic baby. Plus Koop. Whom I have luuurved since I met her at the SoHo Grand in 2001. Okay, well sure, I didn't actually meet her; I just heard her on the furnished hotel CD. But still. Listen to it here. Also, I'm not sure why we need MTV anymore when we have YouTube.

2. Valerie by Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse. These two people have been absolute treats for me this year. Delights. In so many ways. And then they go and do a fantastic cover of a song by the Zutons, whom I really just discovered this year. Like the song. Love this version of it. Major love here.

3. Hold On by KT Tunstall. Every song she sings makes me happy. This one is tops right now. It makes me want to be really productive. And to hold on to what I've been given lately. Because she says that a lot. You can hear her say that here.

4. Australia by The Shins. Love them. Always. This song is my fave on the album they put out this year. Which is saying a lot. Listen up here.

5. Momentary Drama by Spain Colored Orange. Okay, this song was not released in 2007, but I played the crap out of it this year. And not just because I spent tons of time with Eric Jackson, the bad ass SCO trumpet player, since I make him cut my hair. Because he's swell. Even if he cut bangs on my head. Punk. If you don't know this band, check them out. They're fantastic. You can find the full version of this song on their website under the about us section. Also I love them on this great Olay ad here. You'll be hearing more from them in the upcoming year. I'm betting.

6. Girlshapedlovedrug by Gomez. Great title. Great vocals. Great beat. Great everything on this one. Check it here.

7. Serious by Richard Hawley. Dude reminds me of Buddy Holly. And this song is so good, there's nothing else to say about it. Except if I had a dollar for every time this song has been played in our house over the last few months, I'd have enough to buy the HcQ that XBox 360 he's been needing. Or something. And you can hear it here.

8. So Long You Fool by Sophie Milman. Her voice is caramel. Melted caramel. Over caramel ice cream. With caramel sprinkles. In a caramel bowl. But she doesn't bring her caramelness to YouTube. Sorry.

9. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson. I discovered this song on sk*rt in June, then it showed up on an Old Navy commercial and maybe Grey's Anatomy and probably in Times Square. I can't keep up, it's so popular with all the cool cos. But I still love it, if only for the way she sings those last seven words here.

10. Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova. The "Once" tune. This song is like potato chips. You can't stop listening to it here. And then you can't get it out of your head for seven months. Also, did you know they are now dating in real life? And he's 37 and she's 19. You go, Glen Hansard.

11. Again & Again by The Bird and the Bee. This song is just the kind of thing I like to listen to you. It puts you in a trance. And makes me think of a vacation. In the winter. But that's just my trance. Listen and see where it takes you here.

12. Fidelity by Regina Spektor. I've been obsessed with her this year like I was with Imogen Heap last year. It's just the sad truth. See?

13. Thinking About You by Ivy. My writing partner bought an album of hers a few years ago solely because she was on the front of it. It seems in this case, you can judge an artist by her cover art. You can hear her here and see her here.

14. Ageless Beauty by Stars. Another trancey song. In a good way. You can hear the trancy-ness here.

15. No One's Going To Love You More Than I Do by Band of Horses. They are my favorite band right now. I'm sure that will change next week, because that's how I egg roll. But still. Right now I want to lap them up with a biscuit. You can listen to the whole thing here.

16. Lake Michigan by Rogue Wave. I've never been to Lake Michigan, but if it's anything like this song, I want to go asap. The harmonies on this one are suh-wheat. This band reminds me of stuff I listened to in college...the Trashcan Sinatras, The Samples, the like. However, actually, I'm not enough of a music geek to know how their stylings are inspired by early traces of blah blah and whatever. So I'll just leave it at I like it. And you can hear why here.

17. 1234 by Feist. Listened to this all summer. Mainly I just want the blue sequined outfit she wore in her one-shot video. But yeah, the song's okay too.

18. World Spins Madly On by The Weepies. This singing songwriting duo live together. Recorded this album in their house. And just had a baby there too. It all feels very warm and cozy. Like time has stopped in this cottage of goodness. And the world spins madly on. Here.

19. Stay Awake by The Innocence Mission. Another husband and wife team, here. I found this song when I was reviewing "Spare the Rock" for Cool Mom Picks. Of course it was originally in Mary Poppins. And I found it was one of the only lullabies I knew when I was up in the middle of the night early on with the Hurricane. Wracking my sleepy brain for any appropriate song to sing. I found this to be both of our favorites. You can also listen to it here.

Also these didn't make the iTunes cut because Apple can't make money off them. Or something.

What Will You Do (When the Money Goes) by Milburn. I discovered this band and this song when I was snooping through the HcQ's music collection looking for music to steal. I mean, it's not really stealing if someone in your family already bought it, right? After all, if you use some, let's say, ketchup in your own refrigerator that someone else in your family purchased, that's totally legal. Right? It's like that. And it's here.

Mornings Eleven by The Magic Numbers. Okay, I know this song came out in 2005. But I just heard it for the first time this year. And I've played the crap out of it. You can listen to it here.

Sparrow by Scattered Trees. This is the most beautiful song I can think of right now. Listen to it here. It reminds me of our little Hurricane. I always think of him as a sparrow that God's watching over. Thank God. The kid needs to be under heavy heavenly surveillance. Because he's dangerous.

And the whole album of In Rainbows by Radiohead. But actually, I'd never put this on a mix, because it should be listened to separately. With gin. I don't think it plays well with others. Not that this is a good thing. Nor a bad thing. It just is.

So. That's it. My faves of 2007.

And so here's to 2008. (GO O8!) Best to all of yous from the Quesos. Happy New Year y'all.

The Hurricane, me, and the HcQ. NYE '07 (The HcQ is behind the camera.)