Need some cash?

What is stopping you from realizing your dream? Motivation, inspiration or just some cold hard cash? I came across a company called Kickstarter that may just help you turn those ideas into reality.

Kickstarter is focused on creative ideas and ambitious endeavors. We're a great way for artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers, writers, athletes, adventurers, illustrators, explorers, curators, promoters, performers, and others to bring their projects, events, and dreams to life.

 How does funding work?

Every project has a funding goal (any dollar amount) and a time limit (from 1 - 90 days) set by the project creator. When the deadline is reached, there are either of two results:

1. Funding Successful: If a project has met or surpassed its funding goal, all backers' credit cards are instantly charged and funds go directly to the project creator. Project creators are then responsible for completing the project and delivering rewards as promised.

2. Funding Unsuccessful: If a project has NOT met its funding goal, all pledges are canceled. That's it.

Here are some projects I found still needing funding...

Now go out there and make something happen!

Favorite Characters

A favorite blog of mine is Tina Roth Eisenberg's Swiss Miss. I loved the question she asked, 

If I had to live my life as a cartoon/children’s book character, I would be….

For me it would be a toss up between Anne of Green Gables and Eloise.

View more answers at Flickr.

Jaime Oliver- TED video

A sobering wake up call. 

Dear Boys...

Dear Boys, 

When you are all grown up, I hope that you will be able to show your children all the amazing places and creatures that we have shown you. I hope that you remember Morpho butterflies landing on your head and that little poison dart frogs would come out of their hiding places if you stood very, very still. 

Remember that you would drink the water directly from the waterfalls and that it was so cold you would have to quickly jump in to take a dip. Remember that Carlos would take you up the mountain by piggy back and teach you about the lizards and centipedes that you would try to catch. Remember that when you played in the dirt the earth was so black that I would have to wash your clothes twice. You live in a magical place and have been very fortunate to have experienced so much in your little lives. I hope and pray that you will be able to do the same for your children. Until then, I will show you and teach you all I can about this little place we call home. Happy Earth Day.

Love,

Lala

All the pictures except the beach one were taken in our little rain forest called Rainmaker in Costa Rica.

Mother has a day- prepare ahead of time.

For all those that wait till the last possible moment to get things done, here is a heads up. Mother's day is May 9. This still gives you time to think about getting something for your mother. Need ideas? Here are some to get you started:

Kat Hannah

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

RG Creations

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along.  ~Margaret Culkin Banning

Hammermann

Women's Liberation is just a lot of foolishness.  It's the men who are discriminated against.  They can't bear children.  And no one's likely to do anything about that.  ~Golda Meir

Beesnetta

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother.  A child is a child.  They get bigger, older, but grown?  What's that suppose to mean?  In my heart it don't mean a thing.  ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

Aunt June

The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence, when only the heart speaks.  ~Carrie Latet

Orange Twist

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.  ~Oprah Winfrey

Huffing coffee

I am not sure how exactly it got to this.
In my perfect Saturday, I would awaken to a hot cup of coffee next to my bed.
Mr. does a very good job of making it and I have since come to expect that it is his marital duty.
 I clean the toilets, he makes the coffee.
There should be no confusion.
The fact that on somedays it appears next to my bedside is, well, magical.
In all actuality it implies - "it's time to wake up".
So today, as any other day, I wander around the kitchen to discover that the beautiful aroma that graces the air at 7:10 am is not around.
Not even a promise of a whiff.
In fact the whole coffee making unit is cold.
COLD.
In it's place are the sad remains of yesterday's brew.
Reason- no coffee mate. I need the coffee mate.
I picked up a nasty little habit when I lived in Costa Rica.
They don't have half and half in Costa Rica. A country that grows the most beautiful coffee does not make half and half!
So my needs of sweet and creamy coffee there were met with a little infusion of coffee mate.
 The powdered kind.

I even travel with it.
In case I wake up somewhere.
And need coffee.
With coffee mate.
 It has gone with me literally to the other side of the world.
Try explaining coffee mate to an airport security officer that only speaks Thai after a non-stop 17 hour flight with a very grouchy Mr. who keeps reminding me that coffee mate IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU PUT IN A CLEAR BAG AND LEAVE IN MY PURSE ON AN
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT!
 Anywaaaay, how could this happen? I buy it in bulk! We're talking Costco sized bulk.
I am that crazy lady that you see lugging around the cart full of toilet paper and coffee mate tubs.
and apparently I am out. Have I gone through it all? I mean we're talking tubs- not the little bottles - TUBS!
So today, I have come to the realization that I might just be a little addicted to the white stuff.
How do you detox from it?
Just stop - cold turkey? I need a replacement.
HELP!
And don't mention tea - it's just not the same.

Even when there's milk around.

A Dirty Little Secret

I have a dirty little secret. I love going to the dump! We have the best dump- I get all braggy about it because it is beautiful. Swoon!  It is really well organized and run by the best group of guys and gals. Every Monday, I pile - well Mr. piles the bag of trash and I get all the recycling. As soon as I pull up, the birds are all a flutter as a welcoming dance ensues. I see our friendly Sam waiting to direct all to the perfect trashy receptacle that will be used for the day. All the containers set up next to each other neat and tidy waiting for some action. Begging for our bottles - pick me! Here's a picture. You can zoom in to see all the bins in a perfect row. There is not one bit of trash on the ground or creepy oozy stuff anywhere. I mean I could wear my Manolos if I had some! I think the ground is cleaner than our kitchen floor.  They even have a "Trash to Treasures" section where you can take your gently worn furniture or toys. And it's all for the taking! 

I was really surprised though to find out the other day that there are certain things you should not recycle:

• Pizza boxes. The oil from pizza can contaminate cardboard boxes, making it impossible to process them into clean paper.
• Napkins and paper towels. It's not the paper goods themselves that present a problem, but the fact that they're typically used to wipe up food, cleaning products, and other "hazardous waste."
• Sticky notes. Their size, color, and the adhesive strip make them a better bet for the trash bin.
• Plastic caps. Curbside programs won't recycle them, but Aveda collects them and turns them into packaging for new products.
• Wet paper. Paper fibers that have been exposed to water are shorter and therefore less valuable to paper mills, making it unprofitable to collect and recycle.

The other thing that our lovely dump offers is an array of educational programs geared for elementary up to high school students. Check out this little game they came up with.

And if this is not a surprise - bird watchers go to the dump to admire the lovely gulls that hang out there.   

Mail Bag!

I have been meaning to post these adorable pictures that were sent to me by some wonderful customers showing off their new babies in their Noonies! 

sent by Alison with her Pink Mod baby

baby Quintin Timothy in his Savannah

and Olivia with her little one in Child's Play

Keep em coming- I love to see them!

Food On a Stick

We at the Lala family enjoy many a wacky thing, one of which being food on a stick. Something about holding a piece of wooded goodness in your hand that brings on all sorts of childhood memories. Sitting in front of the campfire roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. The smell of smoke and cut grass and sweaty Paulie Smitty sitting next to you. Ahh, heaven.  As a mother of two, I have had the pleasure of passing on the same stick fascination to my boys. We discuss food-on-stick possibilities on the way to school mostly. The favorite being their future "Sticky Buns" kiosk selling donuts and cinnamon buns on a stick. Move over Cinnabuns.   While perusing the internet, I found that we're not the only ones attracted by stick food phenomenon. Check these beauties out. I only wish I had come up with them. 

Cake-Pops

Pie Lollipops

Scotch Egg-on-a-stick

Which reminds me, if you are ever in a pinch here's how you can cook an egg on a stick...

I just thought this was cute.

Tofu on a stick

I love this company's motto... 

"Because all food tastes better when it's stick-mounted"

And finally, not your "traditional" stick- I'll let this one slide...

Edible Crayons

And if that's not enough, the Iowa State fair has dozens of Food-On-A-Stick stalls! Mecca...

Jason Fried: Why You Can’t Work at Work

Via Cluster Flock