The Perfect Cupcake

Luckily, she also has quite an imagination and makes up humorous and somewhat gruesome stories for her dolls.  K can be found in her room setting up a Tier 3 ER for her American Girl dolls who have recently been in a deadly helicopter accident and were then “mauled” (aka sniffed) by the German Shepherd, who for the sake of the game is now a Saber Toothed Tiger.

Imagine my surprise several weeks ago when I discovered the American Girl dolls had been left by the wayside and K was parked in front of the television watching the Food Channel’s latest dessert show: Cupcake Wars. When I tried to distract her, she promptly told me: “Not now Mom!  I’m about to find out who won this season’s competition!” Uh, huh?  What exactly was she watching?  It seems that K is hooked on a show that, like Top Chef (on the Bravo network), pits chefs (Pastry chefs in this case) against each other for the honor of winning an award and monetary compensation.  In K’s case, she was watching the final episode of the 3rd season in which Chefs Casey Shiller, Certified Executive Pastry Chef, and Dana Holland, executive chef of Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Cafe competed against several other teams on the episode entitled “The Final Frontier,” an outer space theme.  The winner’s cupcakes would be featured at a VIP party honoring the first man in space.  Guess who won?  And guess who was screaming with joy and jumping all over our living room furniture?  Yeah, it was Jilly’s and K was THRILLED!

So it seems that the competition had been re-run in preparation for Season #4 beginning in January, 2012 but K didn’t know (or care).  When we told her that we decided to go to St. Louis for a winter break holiday, K’s first questions were  ”Can we go to Jilly’s?  You know their in St. Louis too?”

So off we were to visit some wonderful friends in St. Louis and go to Jilly’s.

K Outside of Jilly's: Day 2

We showed up at the bakery a bit later than we had intended: 4:30 p.m.  The bakery was scheduled to close in 30 minutes.  How were to know that we were about to experience Divine Intervention in the shape of Jill Segal and a fantastic cupcake?  When Jill saw us taking pictures, she sadly told us that they were OUT OF CUPCAKES! OMG!  We came all this way (from Chicago to St. Louis) and they were out of cupcakes?  I couldn’t help it.  I swear that the words just slipped out of my mouth: “Oh No!  And we drove all of this way!  From Chicago to St. Louis just to try your cupcakes! And she (my daughter) is such a fan! You can’t be out of cupcakes now?!?”

Jill just melted in front of us.  This wonderful woman who owed us no more than an “I’m sorry but what kind of dummies show up at a bakery 30 minutes before it closes expecting prize winning cupcakes?” explanation, stopped everything that she was doing, grabbed K’s hand, took her to the back room and introduced her to Casey Shiller and Dana Holland, the chefs who created magic and won the contest!  K was speechless, and it looked as though she was having trouble breathing because she was so excited to meet her culinary idols!  Casey asked K if she was interested in designing her own cupcake?  And the rest of the story can be shared through pictures–they are much more interesting and tasty:

Casey and K choose the cupcake

Yum! Cream cheese fills the cupcake

Pink Cream Cheese Icing

Now? Which toppings to choose?

Carefully applying silver balls

More design

Add an Umbrella or No? Choices, choices

The Perfect Cupcake

The Finished Product: Boxed

Dana consults and declares it a "Good Job!"

We get our pictures taken with the famous crew from Jilly's

What a way to spend a phenomenal afternoon in St. Louis!  Adam, K and I had different favorite parts of the trip.  Visiting with new and old friends absolutely made the list of highlights.  But I think that we can all agree that there is NOTHING like a cupcake to make your day and bring a smile to your face.  I cannot thank Jill enough for her hospitality and enthusiasm.  Carey and Dana were fun to work (and play) with and I know that K cannot wait to make it back to Jilly’s again for a repeat performance.  Be honest, if you had a chance to design your own cupcake with an award winning team, wouldn’t you?

Brings a smile to my face every time I see this pic. Must be a Mom thing?

I know that she would!

Willy Wonka's or Jilly's Cupcakes? Yummy!

A few months ago, during my stint with Oprah, I met this fabulous mom, Beth Aldrich, who totally turned me onto her method of enjoying food.  She told me that she wrote a book about her experiences and advise and asked if I would be interested in learning more about it.  Naturally, I said “YES!!” with the caveat that I had no intention of getting rid of my favorite foods in my diet.  She assured me that getting rid of foods was not part of her plan.  I decided to read on…

Fast forward a few months and Beth’s book has been published.  I totally enjoyed reading and following her advice.  She is currently on a book tour and I encourage you to stop by one of her events and take a look at her book, ask Beth questions and learn how Real Moms not only LOVE to Eat, but can still enjoy our favorite foods and fit into our skinny jeans.

Real Moms Love To Eat

FREE AUTHOR EVENTS-Northshore:

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http://wholefoodsnorthbrook-eorg.eventbrite.com/
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LUNCHEON and Demo EVENTS:

The Daily Method North Shore Wednesday, January 11th at 11 a.m

TDM: located in Kenilworth, IL. welcomes author Beth Aldrich celebrating the publicaton of her book: “Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous”. The book outlines a 10-step approach to having a love affair with food and still looking and feeling fabulous, that women WANT to eat and Beth believes they CAN, if they indulge on the right foods. Skinny jeans, energy, radiant looks: Check, Check, Check. Beth even offers a 21-day suggested meal plan for women to carry on in the kitchen!  Beth teams up with fellow Health Counselor, Kristie Booker, to share some super greens secrets from her book, complete with sampling and a book signing.

This event is open to the public, grab a friend and join us. Beth and Kristie cannot wait to meet you and help you to embrace your love affair with food.  Cost for class, including the book and samples, $30

      **Call the studio to RSVP (847) 920-5260.

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It’s the holiday season and you know what that means?  Adam and I are co-parenting with the big man: Santa Claus.

Even though we are Jewish, for the past 8 years, we have insisted that Santa visits all of G-d’s children regardless of their religion.  For most of her life, Santa has surprised Kayla with a wonderful gift in return for her leaving him delicious homemade cookies.  However the ol’guy does have his limits and we thought that $80 for a battery powered stuffed dog was well above it.

A few years ago, Kayla decided that we needed a dog.  I was working full time and Adam was away for business at least 2 weeks out of each month.  In short, we did not have the time nor the patience to add another member to the already growing zoo.  So Biscuit, a battery powered realistic looking toy, became the dog of Kayla’s dreams: just large enough for her to hug, obey her commands to sit and lay down, came with a bone, and could whine and bark on command. Even better? She (and we) would not have to feed or take him outside.  He wouldn’t shed nor would he chase the cat around the house.

Biscuit: The Perfect Dog

Bottom line: Adam and I had every intention of getting the toy for Kayla and decided that despite our protests to the contrary, Santa would be the perfect person to deliver it.  We convinced Kayla that Biscuit was just too pricey and that she would need to select a less expensive toy.  She decided that she would buy the pup herself and came back to us with proposal to perform chores and run errands in exchange for payment.  When we told her that scooping the cat litter and sweeping the floor once or twice would only merit $5, Kayla asked us to take her to the bank so she could withdraw money from her savings account.  We refused to take her and that’s when Kayla decided that there had to be another way to get Biscuit.

Kayla has always watched more than her share of television.  We didn’t consider networks like Sprout or Nickelodeon would influence Kayla’s actions.  Actually the programs themselves had nothing to do with her idea; it was the commercials.  And Adam and I never really paid attention to the commercials.  Until one cold December morning when I emerged from the shower to find my six year old on my bed surrounded by jewelry: my jewelry.

Kayla had divided the trinkets into three piles: Gold, Silver and Not sure. While still dripping wet and in a towel, I asked her what EXACTLY she was doing with my things?  Her response?  ”The nice man on television told me that if I sent him jewelry, he would give me money.  Then I can buy Biscuit!”  My mouth hung open.  I was not sure what to say. I exclaimed “You’re going to do WHAT? I don’t think so.  Those are my things!”  Okay, maybe that was not the best parental response but it was all that I could think of at the time. I then quietly (and slowly) explained to Kayla that that was Mommy’s jewelry and it was not for sale.  I praised her for her ingenuity (she was 6 after all) but told her that there had to be another way to get Biscuit.  I recommended that she do a better job of listening to her parents when we told her to go to bed. Maybe Santa would surprise her.

Our daughter cried and cried at the unfairness of the situation.  She was out of ideas.  When she wasn’t begging us or quoting Shel Silverstein poems about little girls who died when their parents did not buy them ponies, Kayla sulked in her room convinced that she would forever be dog-less.

Imagine her surprise on Christmas morning when she opened a gigantic box and found Biscuit ready and waiting to be played with.  (We put the batteries in the ol’boy the night before so Kayla would not have to wait to play with her new acquisition.)  She thanked Santa over and over for hearing her prayers and bringing her the toy she coveted the most.  The note from Santa admonished Kayla for planning to sell her mother’s jewelry and recommended that she focus on being more obedient and less crafty. (Well, you can’t say that we didn’t try, right?)

Fast forward two years, and Biscuit stands guard in Kayla’s room waiting to be played with.  He was pretty much forgotten when we acquired the German Shepherd a year ago who is much more interesting as well as a lot more work. Earlier this month, Kayla told informed me that there were other children who might appreciate Biscuit more that she did.  It was time, according to K, for Biscuit to be moving on to another home.  She asked me to make the appropriate arrangements.  When I asked her what she was planning on doing with the soon to be empty space in her bedroom, Kayla assured me that Santa would provide. Yikes.

As for me, I can’t help wondering what Kayla will think of next to generate some cash and will it involve doing something with my possessions? For now, I am keeping a close eye on my wallet.  She recently figured out how the ATM machine and credit cards work.

Birdhouse + MD License Plate = Functional Art

I am from Maryland and am always thrilled to collect art that has something to do with my home state.  I also have a thing for birdhouses.  (Please don’t ask me why; I really don’t know.)  So, you know that I jumped at the chance to purchase t a birdhouse made out of broken MD collectors plates with a MD license plate as the roof.  This one was designed and constructed by two women who also happen to live in my town, Highland Park.  Their company is called “Moxaic.” They also offered birdhouses for all 50 states but I selected the Maryland one for sentimental reasons.

An Answer for What to Do With All Of Those Pencils

When Kayla started school several years ago, my Mother-in-Law dumped, um, brought over more than 100 pencils to our house. I wish that I was as clever as  Susan Lowenburg (aka The Pencil Lady).  This Chicagoan uses vintage and art pencils to enhance furniture, accessories and picture frames.   Now that I see what she did, I regret throwing away all of the Chicago Bears pencils instead of using them to construct a funky frame as a holiday gift for my husband.

Imagine a Table Set with Cloth Napkin Roses

I think that I may have fallen in love with Carole Shiber’s table linens.  This picture doesn’t even do justice to her creations.  Imagine having an outdoor summer dinner party where the entire table is decorated to resemble a flower garden.  The napkins are designed to resemble roses while the placemats are designed to be layered to create a botanic centerpiece.  Even better?  She offers a 10% discount on all Carole Shiber website purchases if you use the coupon code 10Always.  This is the type of gift that I know my mother would really enjoy and use.

Look at the amazing scarfs made out of T-Shirts!

These are scarfs; not the knitted kind.  They were constructed out of old t-shirts.  How clever and easy!  Knowing how easy it was to construct these accessories, increases my need to purchase a sewing machine and learn once and for all how to sew!  Imagine what I could have done with Adam’s old t-shirts?  We could have decked the whole neighborhood in original Keats t-shirt scarfs.  In the meantime, I can only drool over other artists sewing creations. As soon as I approached the go dotty gobooth, I felt right at home! First of all, each creation (scarfs, gloves, coffee cup cozies) are one of a kind. (I love knowing that I am the only one who has a particular scarf!)  Second, all of the materials the artists use are “up cycled” wool sweaters, tee-shirts and other discarded clothing items.  Okay, using wool sweaters etcetera is not really a new idea, but the way the artists construct their items is unique and whimsical.  Finally, the items are priced competitively.  I purchased my scarf for $40.  Guess which one I bought!

Look! Matching gloves, aprons & hot pads make the perfect hostess gift!

Okay, okay, I know that you are a bit tired of my constant chatter regarding the perfect hostess gifts but flatter me, once more.  Check out what Michelle Dortch of Chel Domestic Goodies  created.  I had a chance to chat with Michelle’s very proud step-mother who told me about these matched sets.  I love the idea of giving DISH SOAP (of course) and adding a set of matching rubber gloves, pot holders and an apron!  Michelle has such an amazing range of patterns and designs, one is sure to select one to please all of the cooks on one’s holiday shopping list.  Before hitting the stores, I would encourage you to check out Michelle’s site.  I know that I plan on selecting several sets for different cooking friends and family.

Funky & affordable hot pads

I saved my favorite find for last: pot holders.  But not just any potholders! Everyone needs potholders (it’s kinda like dish soap–you know that you’ll use it).  But no one really thinks how these items could also be seen as works of art.  Depending on what people are interested in (like Seurat), their senses of humor (half dressed stud-ly cowboys) or a particular food (sushi anyone?) Stacy Rauba & Yutaka Fujita have created a potholder for you.  And $20 for two washable and whimsical potholders is quite reasonable.  I absolutely recommend that you see (and touch) these works of art.  Fortunately, Stacy an Yutaka are selling their wares at the Andersonville Galleria, 5247 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL. These are just 6 of my favorite findings from last week’s show.  Later this week, I will post pictures from some of the other artists I discovered.  What do you think?  Do the pictures/descriptions inspire you to check out these sites?  Are there any artists that you recommend I check out in time for gift giving to others

Ring by Manya & Roumen, LLC

You could call me a “Magpie”; I’ll admit that I am drawn to shiny things.  I love to collect unusual art, paper, jewelry and even yarn.  One of my greatest joys (outside of family, friends, my country and the basics of life etc.) is finding unknown artists and crafters and getting a chance to speak with them about their creative style and passions.

The holiday season is the perfect excuse for me to seek opportunities to fulfill this small pleasure.  Here is a small list of the various fairs and markets that I have visited thus far:

• A delightful holiday fair at The Grove in Glenview(early November) where I got to know an incredible woman who reuses/recycles old wooden furniture, repairs, paints and resells them.  Thanks to her work, Kayla has a new wooden bed for her American Girl Doll.
• The annual American Visionary Art Museum’s annual BazaART fair while I was in Baltimore last weekend.
• The Chicago Toy and Game Fair: I also met Barb Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of American Doll Houses, a mom-made company that uses recycled materials to create doll houses for 18 inch dolls (Like American Girl or Just Like Me dolls). Kayla has been begging me for a house for her American Girls ever since she laid eyes on the samples two weeks ago.

This weekend, Kayla and I are off to the 11th annual One of a Kind Show and Sale Chicago, to buy unique creations and also help Children’s Memorial Hospital; a portion of tickets sales will benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital.  If we make it before the crowds pile in (and I bribe Kayla with enough Hanukkah gelt), I am hoping to get a chance to meet many of the artists to learn the stories behind their work.  With over 600 craftsmen and women representing  a wide range of media and categories including ceramics, clothing, fashion accessories, fiber art, furniture, glass, gourmet, holiday, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, photography and wood, I am confident that Kayla and I will find quite a few things to inspire us to add just one more person to our ever growing holiday list.  Don’t worry, this time we have set a spending limit and have promised each other that we will not go above this amount.

If you are interested in meeting up with me or just looking for some place fun to shop that doesn’t include the words: mall, frenzied, toys, no parking, I totally encourage you to check out this alternative to mass marketing shopping.

• DATES AND TIMES: Thursday, December 1; noon -9 p.m. Friday, December 2; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, December 3; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, December 4; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• SHOW LOCATION: The Merchandise Mart 8th Floor Chicago, IL 60654 (800) 677-MART (6278)
• WEBSITE: www.oneofakindshowchicago.com
• TICKETS: Tickets are $12 for adults. Tickets are available online at http://www.oneofakindshowchicago.com/
• A portion of tickets sales will benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital.

Look for me there!  I’ll be the harried mom with the kid on a massive sugar high!

It's Black Friday! Let's Shop!

What does it mean to be thankful?  For my family, we embrace the predictable practices of watching the parades in the morning and getting together with friends and family for a fabulous meal in the evening.  If we are back in Baltimore and I can be with my older sister, we always get up early Friday morning to go holiday shopping to take advantage of the “door buster” sales.  We know that the bigger retailers (Walmart, Kmart, Macy’s, Target etc.) will have the greatest deals and discounts and are willing to shop early to get the best deals.  But, I wonder, how early is really too early and does it really make much of a difference whether we shop at 7:00 a.m. or 12 midnight?

A very dear friend of mine, Ivy, is also celebrating Thanksgiving with her family.  Tonight she will go to her niece’s house for dinner.  I am sure that she will relish spending time with her many nieces, grandnieces and grand nephews.  My friend is 74 years old and a widow.  Spending time with family, especially on holidays like Thanksgiving is a rare treat.  But after the food has been eaten, the desserts consumed and the left overs parceled out amongst the different households, instead of going home, my friend will go to work.

Ivy has worked at one of the major department stores for over twenty years.  At first she worked there because she wanted the employee discount, now she works there because she genuinely needs the money.  Unlike many people her age, Ivy is spry and has a lot of energy.  She rarely complains about her aches and pains despite the fact that she has Diabetes and needs to monitor her blood glucose levels.  But she admitted to me, that she does seem to get tired more easily than she did a few years ago.

Tonight this senior citizen is working the mid-night to 10:00 a.m. shift at a suburban department store because, she says, she has to.  Wait? She has to?  I thought that employees LOVED working the Black Friday early morning hours, don’t they?

According to Brad Tuttle’s recent article in Moneyland Time entitled Do Extended Black Friday Hours Actually Increase Sales?,  ”…the decision makers at many national stores are taking a literal approach by actually making Black Friday longer than a day, with extended sale hours that actually start on Thursday. The idea is: If something works, then more of it will work better.”  According to many retail analysts, this justification is not accurate.  ”Instead of increasing sales, extended hours tend to just redistribute sales over a longer time period. Some consumers may be happier with the extended hours—preferring to shop at midnight on Thanksgiving night rather than 4 a.m. on Friday morning—but they’re unlikely to spend more overall.”

Thursday, November 17th:

First, Kayla was in the Pioneer Press as well as featured on The Mommy On A Shoe String video column. Then Beth Engelman and I went to Style Chicago’s Luna Fest.  Sadly, the photos haven’t been posted online so I don’t know how we looked.  I did, however, win 2 gift certificates to the French Pastry School.  The food and the drinks were tasty but the highlight was meeting a really cool hair stylist.

It was our next event that really took a “bite” out of our evening: getting a prescreening of Breaking Dawn which was sponsored by iVillage.  Here is a fan-tab-ulous photo of three of Chicago’s featured bloggers (myself included, of course!):

Breaking Dawn with Beth Engelman, Jim Higley and me! Aren't we adorable?

The movie was not my favorite of the series but I truly enjoyed spending time with Beth.  I can’t wait to find another adventure of the two of us soon!

Friday, November 18th

Yes, I saw Breaking Dawn (again!) but this time with a very dear friend.  The movie was still just okay and while it stayed true to the plot of the book, I felt a bit let down by the whole thing.  I never did like endings and considering I cannot watch Titanic for reasons that I just can’t divulge right now, I am amazed that I was willing to sit through the movie again.  Again, I was with a dear friend so it was worth it to me.

Saturday, November 19th

Ah, Saturday: a day of rest and recovery.  But not for my little troop!  We were out of the house by 7:30 and off to the Chicago Toy and Games Fair at Navy Pier.   Following is a picture that we snapped while we were there:

At the end of the show, we are still smiling

Our Family Tree

 The Best Things In Life Aren’t Things

It is Thanksgiving which means that we are spending time with family, telling tall tales and sharing somewhat obscure childhood memories.   For instance, I recall that my grandmother, Anne, would tell me the story of a small dog named “Mewflu” who traveled the world and went on great adventures.  This was a story that she used to tell her students when she taught school in the 1930’s and early 40’s.  As I got older, I stopped asking her to tell me the story and eventually I just forgot about it all together. Now that I have a child, I wish I could remember the story of Mewflu.  I’ve asked my mother and my sisters if they can recall the tale but everyone comes up with a different version (thus the obscured memories.)

Wouldn’t be wonderful if there was a way to capture the story of MewFlu as well as all of the fantastic stories my grandmother told me when I was a child?  Instead of relying on the recall of someone’s memory, the original storyteller (in this case my grandmother) could tell the story herself.

Fortunately the creators of the newest virtual scrapbook, LiveOn, website thought of that! Now you can create your own life timeline (birth, grade school, high school graduation, marriage, children etc) by either using the site’s suggested life milestones or by creating your own.  I created one for Adam and my 2010 anniversary trip to Italy. Not only was I able to upload ALL of the pictures we took, I also included some video we shot.  For each picture, I recorded the date that the photo was shot, where we were and what we were doing.  You can make the memory as simple as you want (just pictures from the event) or complicated (adding music and interesting graphics.)

You can also record (via video or written word) favorite memories. We asked Kayla to tell us her thoughts about Santa Claus this year.  When she is thirty, she’ll be able to connect to LiveOn and see herself as a child talk about the things that were important to her (like Santa Claus).  I  would like to ask her to video tape herself on the same day each year until she graduates from high school discussing topics relevant to her life.  Another idea for a great timeline!  K’s thoughts and feelings through her years at home!  Not only will she get a kick out of hearing/seeing herself over the years but her children will love listening to her as well.

There are so many options available to the user that the choices get a bit overwhelming.  For an avid “scrapbooker” like me, having a virtual/interactive site is both a dream come true and a nightmare: too many choices! Since the site was introduced a few weeks ago, I have spent a lot of time perfecting my photo memories and playing with the various presentation choices (which picture did I want to be the for the title picture on the timeline?  Where do I want to insert the video?  Do I want to record a new video talking about the experience?)  If that wasn’t enough, I also invited all of my sisters to log on to the site as a member of my “tribe” and upload their own pictures and video.

LiveOn also features a second called “Smart Questions” in which the  site’s visitor (or admin) can answer personal questions that might lead a reader to understand or even to appreciate her ancestors.  I am sure that it would be great to hear my grandmother tell me her about her favorite holiday tradition and compare my answers to hers.  My daughter and her daughter can continue the tradition to the joy and benefit of future generations.

As the weeks and months progress, I’m confident that my “tribe” will continue to upload pictures/videos of our children, our parents and each other at various stages of childhood.  It is exciting to visit their perspectives of the various incidents in our collective lives.   Despite living in different parts of the country, LiveOn gives us a chance to collaborate together to record our history.  As a result of our efforts, we will leave a memory legacy to our children, grandchildren and possibly great-grandchildren that can truly transform how our family celebrates Thanksgiving for years to come.

My Wedding October 29, 2000

Thank you again to LiveOn for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here LiveOn to learn more about storing and sharing your most special memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

It's All About the Turkey

This is a Sponsored post written behalf of DAWN  dish soap. All opinions are 100% mine.

We are off to my Aunt and Uncle’s house for Thanksgiving this year and I have to say that I am quite relieved.  Being one of 4 daughters, the responsibility for clearing the table and helping to clean the pots and pans naturally falls to the women (and sister-folk) of the house while the men enjoy college football.  Since my mother usually hosts the meal, well….let’s just day that I dread dessert and not for caloric reasons.

I feel obligated to provide the “perfect” hostess gift as a token of empathy and appreciation  for my aunt. Initially, I purchased a Talbott’s Holiday tea set for Kathy but quickly changed my mind because (a) I have no idea if she even likes tea and (b) I really like tea, especially Talbott’s.  Although I have known that we were going to my aunt’s for quite some time, I haven’t been able to find the perfect gift that blends humor with functionality.  If only they were smokers and then I could get them an ashtray or two!  (Just kidding. Really, I’m kidding!)

But then, like a boomerang hitting me in the head, I got an idea this morning; one that no one will have thought of: dish soap!  It’s weird and therefore laden with humor but also quite functional. What does any Thanksgiving hostess really need on Turkey day? Surely not hand mixed tea created by Oprah Winfrey’s former hair colorist!  Not when there are  greasy pots and pans as well as the china that needs to get cleaned!  But it has to be the best dish soap. I called my mother and she suggested that I try DAWN; her neighbor swears by it.  Strange?  I never thought of my mother as someone who sits around discussing soap with her friends. Even stranger and perhaps cosmically linked, P & G had just sent me some great samples of the product.  But I digress…

To test my hypothesis that dish soap is a great gift for the holidays, I decided to conduct a little experiment with the breakfast dishes.

8:15 a.m.   Today’s breakfast was none other than the stickiest of the sticky: oatmeal.  K insisted, of course, that she should have warm apple cider to complement her warm breakfast.  A minute in the microwave and the stuff was boiling and clinging to the side of her mug.  Yuck.

Presenting: After Breakfast Mess!

Dried Oatmeal! That will never come out!

8:30 a.m.   Fifteen minutes later we were out the door–the pot full of oatmeal still on the stove (with the burner off) and K’s food sitting relatively untouched on the table.  The cider has congealed into a disgusting mass at the bottom of her mug. So much for breakfast today.

8:45 a.m.  I came back from dropping K off at school and decided to face the mess in the kitchen.  Based on the evidence in front of me, I estimated that the plates and the pots would need to soak in hot water and soap for at least 2 or 3 hours.  Even then, there was no guarantee that I will be able to get all of the food particles off of the pot.  So I poured a bit of DAWN dishwashing liquid which guaranteed “overnight soaking power in 5 minutes” on the guilty offenders, um, dishes.

Dawn Power Cleaning with Oxi

See the timer?  I really was going to put the soap to the 5 minute test.  Suddenly I felt like one of those pretend commercial moms who is euphoric to be cleaning her kitchen!  Who knew that dish soap had such power over my mental health?  <Hello? Sarcasm?>  But I do enjoy a challenge once in a while.  I had a spin class at 9:30 a.m. and really didn’t have time to be scrubbing pots and dishes when there were water bottles to be filled and bikes to be ridden.

Eeeh! That's just too gross!

A Timer: Good for Product Testing and Giving Time Outs!

8:50  The timer went off.  The dishes were in the sink for only 5 minutes.  I grabbed the sponge because, to be quite honest there is no way that mere dish soap was going to get the grime off of K’s plates.  I am happy to report that I was WRONG!  With a mere swipe of a sponge, her plate is grime free and clean enough to scoop oatmeal.  The pot is clean as are the rest of the breakfast dishes and pots.

So clean, it's says "Hi"

I do have one complaint/comment/warning: My hands are really dry from rinsing off the soap.  I almost never use gloves when I wash dishes.  (I think that I may have dropped one or 2 or 10 when I was a child while wearing gloves and am now scarred by the experience.)   In any case, without gloves, my hands felt much dryer than they did prior to using the DAWN Oxi.  So, if I do, indeed, decide to gift DAWN as a gift, I will need to include a set of funky, cool gloves as an accompaniment.  No sense in saving the hostess cleaning time if my gift leads her to spending additional time moisturizing her hands.  I love these, don’t you?

Mustn't forget the "make-me-happy" gloves!

At 9:00  a.m. I was out the door and off to the gym. The dishes were clean (for a change) and spotless.  I was really relieved that I wouldn’t revisit the breakfast dishes later that day to scrub and ensure that none of the food etc. was “lingering”.

So, now I am off to the mall to find some cool gloves for Aunt Kathy.  I am totally sold on the dishwashing soap and my friends think that I am a bit more off of my rocker for getting excited about something that they take for granted.  Obviously, my mother’s neighbor knows a thing or two.  I really need to meet this awesome woman.

One question, how exactly does one get dish soap on an airplane if she’s not checking bags? Carefully?

Please join me at Navy Pier while K and I check out some of the best gifts for the holidays and for next year.  She is always in the market for a new toy!

The fair runs this Saturday and Sunday. November 19th and 20th at Chicago’s Navy Pier from 10–6 p.m on Saturday and 10–5 p.m. on Sunday.  Some of the brands being represented are Hasbro, Razor and Radio Disney.

Kids are optional as you can preview, play and purchase some of the hottest new toys and games  out this season.  If you are a fan of the classics, you can find those too.  Even better? Many of the toys inventors will be in attendance and available to speak with you about their game(s)!

The fair is offering two unforgettable days of fun for all ages – including a Star Wars Breakfast, stage events, life-sized toys & games, contests galore, Young Inventor Challenge, costumed characters, mind-bending tournaments and much, much more.

Why not plan a spectacular holiday weekend around ChiTAG, and enjoy the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade on November 19!