An American Mum in London

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An American Mum in London

Funny fact about me: I spoke with a proper English accent in elementary school. I wore a tie and carried a briefcase- a young lady version of Alex P. Keaton. We lived outside the United States for a few years in the mid-1980's which really informed who I am today. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to do the same thing for my kids. My dear friend Julie Kemp met an English man named Jonathan here in the Bay Area. They fell in love and she hopped the pond.  Now with two young children, Daisy and Charlie, she gets to experience raising children abroad.  I asked her some questions about her experience...

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Designing Women

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Designing Women

Here's the reason I will be posting my feature on being an American Mum in England tomorrow rather than today as scheduled! That and the fact that I am having to type this on a laptop that is failing with each successive keystroke (my new Macbook Air gets here Friday!). It's funny to have final projects and big tests when you are an old lady like me. I can't wait to start designing real spaces...

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I was really excited to read this book to Jasper when he was little, because I remembered it from my childhood.  He liked it so much that he chewed the side of the book up.  I made up this activity as part of a preschool parent share at Wylie's school, because the kids are studying insects.  They raised caterpillars and released them as butterflies today.  The teachers read The Very Hungry Caterpillar while I set up the activity and then the kids gathered around and made their own hungry caterpillar sushi rolls.  See the photo tutorial below. Today is the day that I announce the winner of the Kikkerland Birch Paper Straws

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The Secret Ingredient

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The Secret Ingredient

I found the perfect popsicle molds at World Market. They are the classic shape and they use regulation sticks, which make them better than the usual plastic handled set or even the Zoku Pop Maker in my book. I've had today's recipe in my head for a little while now.  By using coconut water you add some electrolytes to the treat (good on a hot day), plus it's sweet, but low in sugar.  I added a teensy bit of fresh ginger to the strawberries in the juicer to add a little kick.  The kids didn't seem to mind.  Here's the recipe:

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Screen Test

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Screen Test

I have a lot of irons in the fire right now...school is wrapping up (I can read blueprints!), I'm working on a new design for the site to launch sometime this summer, and I'm beginning a new video project for Poppy Haus that will occasionally put me on the other side of the camera.  It's this last bit that has me contemplating things.  Are you comfortable in your own skin? I'll admit it, when it comes to pictures I'm my own worst critic. I've talked about this before.  I took a little practice video of Wylie and I hanging out together to test out a video app and see how I looked on camera, and it took a few tries for me to really see myself objectively and realize that I didn't look that bad. I was so distracted by the little things that I'm pretty sure no one else can see. Video is funny because you see yourself talking, which looks incredibly weird. It's not like looking in the mirror, you get to see what everyone else sees all the time. I really need to get over myself, because I have a some fun ideas to share, so to conquer my fear of the camera, and for your viewing pleasure, I give you "Heather and Wylie Talk Animals", a completely unedited, grainy picture with no plot. Enjoy!

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