Tag Archives: community

Favorite (and not so favorite) Things

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I find myself checking out dooce.com when I should be doing other things. Its one of my favorite ways to procrastinate online (following checking email and facebook as well as other miscellaneous sites).

Yesterday on dooce’s blog she (a.k.a. Heather Armstrong) posted her own answers to a question from Gettysburg Mom, a user on the dooce community forum. At the end of her post she asks us, her readers, what our answers are.

I was inspired to answer her question here on my own blog. Here we go:

FAVORITE THINGS about the holiday season:

-Specialy treats flavored with pumpkin, cinnamon, clove, and cardomom (but not all at once). Oh, and hot cider. Yum.

-Christmas music. I love to hear it and sing it. Will liked singing Christmas music last year and I have a hunch he will like it even more this year! (I have this fantasy that we will get all dressed up and go Christmas caroling. … that will most likely stay a fantasy unless someone else makes it happen).

-Wrapping presents. (Heather, I would wrap yours were I in town. I LOVE to wrap presents. I make them mini-works of art.)

-Christmas trees.

-Celebrating Christmas at my mom’s. She always makes the house so cozy and her Christmas trees are so lovingly decorated. Christmas is just not “Christmas” if I can’t be with her in her home.

-Watching my son’s growing love of celebration and ceremony. He loves to sing Christmas songs and he likes the stories and ritual behind it. He also loves seeing his family!

LEAST FAVORITE THINGS about the holiday season:

-Christmas shopping. I invariably shop for myself when I should be shopping for others. … I just don’t know what people want (that I can afford). … I know from my own experience that when I receive a gift that I just can’t use or don’t want to use I feel guilty and burdened. I love the thought of the gift and, I especially love looking at the wrapped version of the gift and the opening of the gift but, too seldom do I find something inside that I need or want. Sorry! (See? I feel guilty just admitting it.) I would rather receive a note with an announcement of a donation made to a community who needs water or education.

-Being cold. Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area helped out a lot in this department. (Especially now that I migrated over to the East Bay.) I would freeze my a** off in Portland, Oregon (where I moved from 6 years ago).

-Bad Christmas Music. This needs no explanation, right?

-Bad Christmas Food/Drink. You are what you eat. And I don’t want to be crap. I don’t want to feel like it either.

-Driving from the SF Bay Area to Portland. That’s how we get there (if we’re going). It was easy when Will was a baby, he would just sleep most of the way. He’s 3 now. We have to do the trip in two days to ease the many “pains” for us all involving Will’s comfort level. (Its better on our backs too.)

-Pressure and obligations. This means different things to different folks, I am sure. And it varies a bit from year to year for myself. (This could be a whole ‘nother blog post.)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Enjoy yourself and the ones you love. And, consider doing something for others whether it be a smile, or something like a donation to help build a well for a community who desperately needs water.

You choose. You always have a choice.

Bay Area Strider: Strider Balance Bikes – Ages 1-5

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These bikes are amazing. Don’t take my word for it. Ask my son or any kid who has tasted the awesomeness that these bikes are.

Last year, Billy and I became distributors of Strider balance bikes for kids because we couldn’t find any in the SF Bay Area to test ride or to buy. When we finally got our hands on one (for Will’s 2nd birthday) we were so impressed with the design. Then, when we saw Will get his hot little hands on it we were astounded. He was drawn like a moth to flame. Beautiful! So fun!

Any kid who can walk can ride this bike. Kids begin walking with it, then, when they get the hang of that, they put weight on the seat and use their feet to glide, then, (and this is really cool), they begin coasting with their legs held up. When they have the hang of THAT they can use the “launch pad” to rest their feet and coast like a super star.

I have lots of pics and vids to share and will get to that in time. But for now, I just wanted to let you know what we have been up to as well announce that we have a website, Twitter account, and, a Facebook Page to support our family business Bay Area Strider. Check them out and “Like” us, post a message, and tell people about it. They will thank you for it! And, so will we :)

Thank you for your support, as always,

Christine

http://bayareastrider.com/
Bay Area Strider Facebook Page
http://twitter.com/bayareastrider

e: gogogo AT bayareastrider DOT com
e: christine AT bayareastrider DOT com
e: billy AT bayareastrider DOT com

Dear San Francisco Mama Bloggers

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Dear San Francisco Mama Bloggers,

I have been searching for you but am finding you are harder to find that I thought it would be.

I would love to connect with you and hear your stories, the good and the bad. I want to know what you have learned, what you have questions about, what you want to know more about, and what your fears and worries are. What are your dreams? Why aren’t you doing them? Can we support each other to reach for them?

I envision a community of mamas (or anyone who is interested in what a mama’s life is about) be it virtually, physically or both.

If you heard my call, tell me, what is on your mind? And, are you free this weekend? Let’s meet at the park and say hi. If you cannot make it out, then, leave a little note in the comments section, or email me privately. I love notes. I love to leave them. I am so delighted when I receive them.

I look forward to making a connection with you. And, if you are up for it, through that connection, I will connect you to those who also want to connect.

Yours,

Christine

San Francisco Bay Area Mama

e: christine at maternityshare dot com

Ps. Even if you aren’t currently in the San Francisco Bay Area, feel free to reach out!

No Cars In N. Portland This Sunday

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Portland planned a “no cars” event this Sunday, June 22nd, in North Portland to coincide with an annual conference “Towards Carfree Cities”. This conference is part of the World Carfree Network, “an organization promoting alternatives to automobile use and car-centric city planning”.

This event is modeled after a very successful large scaled one hosted in Bogota, Colombia that is actually held once a week. More than 70 miles of roads are closed and about 2 million people show up for dance lessons and community events.

Portland will be the first city in North America to host the event due in large part to its “commitment to mass transit and urban planning”. It has been completely funded by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kaiser Permanente, Metro and other sponsors.

There will be three parks along a route that will be designated for biking and walking where people will be able to take dance lessons, listen to live music, watch yoga demonstrations, take part in bike workshops and enjoy food booths.

This is a link to an interesting article about the event.

Here is a link to a page that has a pdf both of the map and events as well as additional information about the event.

i heart etsy

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I’m totally fascinated with Etsy (www.etsy.com).

In the words of Etsy:

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.

Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice:

Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

Watch the “about” video to see a bunch of spirited, creative people tell the little Etsy story.

Billy introduced me to Etsy in January of 2008 and I have been visiting their site on and off since. I spend about as much time (maybe more) reading their articles as I do looking at people’s Etsy shops.

And, recently I discovered the Etsy videos… these made me fall in love with them even more. They have this style that is raw documentary meets inspired, thoughtful, and creative.

One video that I really enjoyed (I’ve watched it twice) was about this guy who creates t-shirt designs from the stuff of his dreams. He is a self-made, passionate artist who makes a living at what he does. His beginnings seemed grim but he persevered. Me: inspired! Watch his little video portrait.

Recently I discovered that my friend Kirsten Moore of Portland, Oregon is a seller on Etsy. Her company is called piper ewan. Her stuff is so divine that they even did a feature on her! Visit her blog post “written up” to find out who’s writting her up now.

And finally, I will leave you with a short Etsy article on Guerilla gardening. This is something that Billy and I have talked about doing. The author has some inspired ideas. Although, I would test the soil quality if you plan to eat your crop.

Etsy walks the talk. They have really created a great community, not only online but in person as well. People meet up and exchange ideas, teach skills, and the list goes on.

I look forward to eventually becoming an Etsy seller myself!