Totsy Blog

Note: This guest post is the first in a series, highlighting Dad bloggers rocking the Movember Campaign against prostate & testicular cancer. Enjoy!

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Mustaches have a bad rap. Something about the smarminess of ‘70s facial hair spilled into the ridiculousness of the ‘80s. And really, nothing survived the ‘80s unscathed. Even David Bowie’s catalog. The death knell of a stylish sandwich duster was rung on a synthesizer. But, like my roller skates and cassette Walkman, I’m bringing the mustache back. And with it, I hope to help defeat cancer... Did I lose you? Let me explain.

Each November, thousands of men grow mustaches of varyingly embarrassing forms to help raise awareness of men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. The movement and organization is called Movember. As participants’ stubble limps toward credible mustache length, they urge their friends, family and coworkers to donate in the name of their facial hair. It’s all in good fun until the end of Movember when there seems to be an annual spike in accidents involving log splitting and premature pistol discharges at high noon.

Last year, I grew a nice semi-handlebar and raised a sizable amount of money as part of a Movember team of dad bloggers. I’m on the same team again this year and I’m thinking of going for something in the Wyatt Earp style, though knowing my growth rate, it’ll probably end more of the in the range of High School Science Teacher.

Of course, the terrible truth is that everyone knows someone affected by cancer. Just this year alone, my wife and I have seen two friends go through the steps of battling the disease. And through my parenting blog, The Daddy Complex, I’ve witnessed still others—mothers and fathers—begin their battles.

When I solicit donations for my Movember drive on my blog, I tend to speak of cancer as if it were a sniveling villain in a teen sex comedy, the kind of character you enjoy seeing fail. I speak of giving the disease a purple nurple or spiking its punch with laxatives. I also pair my posts with photos of dashing men who bravely sported a mustache, people like Burt Reynolds and Teddy Roosevelt. And yes, I’m quite aware I just mentioned the 26th president of the United States and the Bandit in the same sentence.

I personify cancer and then belittle it. It’s absurd, I know. So is growing a mustache in the name of cancer research. Yet, that absurdity takes away some of the pain, some of the fear, some of the sorrow. I’ll never invent the cure for cancer. I was an English major, after all. But, I can grow a pretty awesome mustache. And thanks to Movember, that helps.

[source: www.deal.informer.com]

A green plant can spruce up any space - the living room coffee table, the office, even a bookshelf.  Arranging a plant is an art in itself.  There is so much room for creativity.   One of our favorite ways to spruce up a green plant is with marbles and stones.  Check out this easy, elegant and beautiful arrangement below.

You’ll Need:

Plant of your choice - be sure to ask your local florist about which plants need to be kept in soil and which can be sustained with just water

Clear glass vase in any shape - we used a rectangular one here

Small marbles and stones - marbles can be purchased at your local store and we found some small stones in our backyard which we rinsed thoroughly with water

Step-by-Step:

Be sure to trim down your plant if it’s too tall for your vase.

Clean out the vase and fill the base with a layer of rocks and marbles.

Add the stalks of plants and hold them into place. With your other hand, begin to layer on more rocks and marbles.  Keep layering until you have about an inch left at the top.

Carefully arrange the plant so that it looks the way you want it to.

1. Keep your phone batteries charged.

2. Be nice to your neighbors, you never know when you might need their shower.

3. Small bills, gum, fresh water and working electrical outlets are great bartering tools.

4. Keep your medicine cabinet stocked, prescriptions & GAS TANKS full.

5. Bare cupboards are so ‘90’s – keep dry goods and shelf-stable snacks on-hand.

6. When your local Starbucks is overflowing, try the bar down the street: the outlets are plentiful and the patrons in good humor.

7. Cleaning up your street with neighbors after a disaster can reveal unexpected commonalities: "you're a die-hard Yankees fan, too!?"

8. The generosity of the human spirit IS still intact, as our clothing donations were happily turned away by centers that had more donated goods than they could handle.

9.  Donating to the American Red Cross is as easy as texting REDCROSS to 90999.

10. Mother Nature doesn't mess around: conservative, liberal, urban or rural...none of us is exempt. Let's take care of each other whenever we can.

Having guests over?  Try this easy appetizer dish that only takes minutes to make. Smoky, salty bacon combined with the crunch of asparagus makes the perfect combo for this quick 15 minute appetizer.

You'll Need:

10 asparagus spears - rinsed, trimmed

olive oil

fresh ground black pepper to taste

5 bacon strips - halved, lengthwise

Step-by-Step:

Lay out asparagus on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper.

Wrap a strip of bacon from the top of the asparagus to the bottom.

Impending holiday festivities

An extra hour of darkness to cozy up

Family, food and frivolity

Cold temperatures

Ice-skating

Sweaters, boots & scarves

The crunch of fallen leaves

Movies: let the Oscar nominees roll!

NBA Basketball

The vibe: happiness and gratitude abounds...

Happy Halloween Totsy fans! We've picked our top 5 favorite kiddies costumes from Pinterest! These cute and creative costumes are giving us a headstart for next year. Enjoy and have a happy and safe Halloween!

5) Wall-E

4) Mario and Yoshi

3) Adorable hobo

2) Carl and little Russell from the movie Up

1) Our #1 fav: Mini Dwight from The Office

[Source: http://bluerosegold.blogspot.com]

You said you weren't going to dress up this year. You said the kids will be able to get a costume the day before. You said you’ll get all the candy a few days before. You said not to worry, you have it under control! Dun dun dun...Party city has been cleaned of the best costumes.  Other stores have already moved onto Thanksgiving and Christmas! Have no fear, Totsy is here! We've compiled a list of the easiest costumes, decorations, and treats to put together for all you last minute movers and shakers! Halloween for Procrastinators 101 is now in session!

Last Minute Costumes for the Family

Plastic laundry basket with holes cut out for legs + white balloons + a shower cap = Bathing Beauty (add in a scrub brush or bath sponge to accessorize)

White dress + a pipe-cleaner halo + leaves in her hair and “dirt” on her face = Fallen Angel

Blue T-shirt + cotton balls + tape + a water gun = Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Rain

Black jeans (or tights) + white hoodie + glued cotton balls + ears = A cute Lamb

Clear umbrella + party streamers or metallic ribbons = Jellyfish

Pajamas + thermometer + ice pack + pillow = Sick and Tired

Green (or purple) balloons + tape= a bunch of grapes

All black= “Men in Black”, “Blues Brothers”, “Abraham Lincoln (add a beard)”

Last Minute House Decorations

Blow up a bunch of orange balloons and draw Jack-O-Lantern faces with a permanent marker

Draw a template of a cat on black construction paper, make a cutout, and tape it around the house

Cut out large silhouettes of creepy figures out of black poster board to place in your windows. 

Make some mushy pasta by boiling some spaghetti noodles, and placing them in a big serving bowl with grass and dirt from your front lawn for an icky, wormy effect to fake-offer trick-or-treaters. Or throw in some eyeballs with fake blood for a gruesome effect.

Last Minute Treats

Toss together equal amounts candy corn, pretzels, peanuts and corn chips or make up your own concoction of goodies (mmmm chocolate) and throw in plastic snack bags, add a festive ribbon and you’re good to go!

Dip pretzels in food colored white chocolate and decorate with Halloween sprinkles

Make Halloween rise Krispie treats by adding candy corn, chocolate, crushed bark and any other of your favorite treats to the mix

Last minute candy run? You’re in luck! Usually stores will begin marking down candy the day before Halloween to make room for Christmas treats

Hand out mini bags of chips or other snacks as an alternative to candy

Cute Halloween stationary such as decorative pens or pencils are another alternative, easily found at dollar/discounted stores.

Halloween is nearly here and of course we turn to Pinterest for inspiration on costume ideas, crafts, recipes and so much more!  After some thorough browsing, we rounded up our favorite top 5 across Pinterest! Check them out below.

Favorite carved pumpkin:

Favorite deviled eggs:

Favorite Halloween decoration:

Favorite tablescape: 

Favorite Halloween costume: 

In my search to whip up a festive Halloween treat, I couldn’t get my pregnant self past the rare opportunity (read: excuse) to make chocolate cupcakes. So to assuage my guilt and add an health twist, I opted for gluten-free; and to incorporate the Harvest Halloween season, what else but pumpkin?! (Turns out chocolate & pumpkin is a ridiculously delicious flavor combination…)

The rich and moist texture of the pumpkin puree is more noticeable in this recipe than the pumpkin flavor, but I think it balanced the dark chocolate perfectly. And the cream cheese frosting? Just right. Have fun decorating these sweet goodies and let us know how they turn out in the comments below!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix

2 eggs (reduced from 3 to accommodate the pumpkin)

6 tbsp butter (reduced from 8 to accommodate the pumpkin)

½ can pumpkin puree

1 cup water

1 container cream cheese frosting (also gluten-free!)

Directions:

Follow directions on box, but reduce the amounts as shown above to accommodate for the extra moisture in the pumpkin.

The weather is cold, and Halloween is around the corner. It’s the perfect time to bust out the art table and wrangle your kids into some spook-tastic crafting projects.

(photo: vitaminihandmade.blogspot.com)

We rounded up a few of our favorite creative ideas for 2012 to provide you and your family with some inspiration.  Now grab some hot cocoa, put on the tunes and get crafty!

(photo: http://jennicanknit.blogspot.com)

Little Felt Monsters from The Vintage Umbrella

Halloween Paper Luminaries from Vitamini Handmade

Trick or Treat! Halloween Bags from Sew Can Do

[Image Source: smartmompicks.com]

We plan our costumes weeks and weeks in advance, but tend to leave out one minor detail, staying warm! You’ve just spent all this money on costumes for the entire family and it would be shame to cover them up while trick or treating. Whether you spend the night going to a creepy Halloween party or out trick-or-treating with your children,it is essential that you stay warm, considering it is the end of October.I mean you do want to look BOO-tiful! The problem? Many people purchase costumes for themselves or their children and do not want to compromise the outfit by putting a heavy coat over it. So hide it (not the coat that is)! The key? Layer clothing underneath your costume. Inexpensive thermals can be purchased at Target, Walmart, etc.. For instance, if you or your kids are wearing a costume with long sleeves, a wool shirt is perfect underneath. Remember long johns? Now is the perfect time to break them out. Long johns are perfect for full body costumes. If the costume goes over the head and covers the face, wear a knitted cap underneath. The key to having a spooky fun Halloween is to be comfortable and warm. If you're walking around outside while freezing because of thin costume material, there is a good chance that you won’t get the most out of the holiday. Just a few tips:

Order your child's costume a size or two bigger so that can put a pair of sweats underneath without changing the way the costume looks!

For women's costumes with short skirts, leggings can add to the look and keep you warm.

Knee high or thigh high boots especially ones made of vinyl are great to keep your legs warm.

If you have under armour or anything else that adds another “layer of skin”, throw it on underneath. It’ll put the workout gear sitting at the bottom of your drawer to good use.

When shopping for costumes, you may also want to look for something that has thicker material or a coat or vest that can go over the outfit without compromising its creepy or cute look.

When trick-or-treating with little ones, try to head out when it is still light out, as it won’t be as cold.

Incorporate warm street clothes into your costume. Get creative and choose a costume that will allow you to wear regular clothes and still look as though you’re in costume.

If you and your family are not big on trick-or-treating or Halloween, try this fun, easy and seasonal frozen yogurt recipe for a healthier alternative to ice cream. Spend a night in a whip up this delicious dessert.

  Serves: 3-4

You’ll Need:

3-4 cups Greek non-fat yogurt, strained

1-2 cups pumpkin puree

Agave nectar –  squeeze until you reached desired sweetness

Pumpkin pie spice – add until you reach desired taste

Large flat dish

Step-by-Step:

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all the ingredients.

Place the bowl in the freezer and stir every half hour until it reaches the desired consistency.

Enjoy with a scary movie! 

[Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/moaan/]

Halloween is right around the corner! We bet the kids cannot wait to get on their costumes and trick-or-treat around the neighborhood as ghouls, ghosts and more. But no matter how old your kids are (or even you), it’s always important to be safe. Here are a few tips for having a safe Halloween trick-or-treating experience.

Always have kids have a flashlight and wear something knit – be it glow in the dark laces, glow sticks, even light-up shoes so they can always be seen.

Plan the route in advance

Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods

Only stop at lit houses – not dark ones

Always trick-or-treat in a group and with an adult

Carry a spare Halloween bag in case yours break

Wear ID that’s easy to read

Watch out for open flame Jack O Lanterns

Always watch out for cars backing up or turning

Don’t eat candy that hasn’t been inspected

Avoid candy in loose wrappings or is homemade

Say “no” to strangers

Respect other people’s property

Make sure children costumes do not drag on the floor. Shorter = safer

If you have any tips, please share with us in the comments below! 

Today started with an early morning work call.  There I sat in the lounge of my daughter’s school, post-drop off, with laptop and headset ready to go.

Like most calls, we started with introductions and pleasantries and the woman on the other end, well, let’s just say I could tell I was going to really like her.

Right off the bat, she hit me with this:

“Oh, I’m great this morning. I’ve already had my coffee and my chocolate chip pumpkin bread!” 

Hmm, did she just say pumpkin bread WITH chocolate chips?

“That sounds amazing, do you think I could get your recipe? I am actually writing a recipe blog post today and that sounds perfect.”

Turns out, you don’t need a recipe. I mean you can, if you’re the baking sort and like making it from scratch. In which case you just use your fave recipe.

I prefer to use a mix like the one from Williams-Sonoma. Just add eggs and butter and you’re done!

But, according to the lady on my work call this morning, all you do is add chocolate chips to your favorite pumpkin bread recipe.

Of course, I asked how much to add. A cup, half a cup?

Then, I knew I was making a friend for life when her answer was:

“Well, I guess you could measure your chocolate chips, but I prefer to just dump a whole bag in!”

She didn’t have me at “Hello” but she certainly had me at “dump the whole bag in.” 

I love life and am loving my new recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread!

Thank you, work-call lady

Xo,

Diana

  Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

Either your fave pumpkin bread recipe OR

My favorite- Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread Mix

Toll House Morsels, Semi-Sweet - 12 oz

Directions:

Prepare your mix as instructed on the box or your favorite recipe as usual.

Pour in a full bag of Toll House Semi-Sweet morsels and mix.

We’re big fans of sustainable living here at Totsy. We try to make lifestyle choices that promote healthy, ecologically-sensitive living wherever possible. It’s not often that the “green choice” turns out to be easier and more fun, so when it does, we like to share with you all.

I have three letters for you: C.S.A. They stand for Community Supported Agriculture, a program through which local organic farms (for a monthly fee) will deliver freshly-picked produce straight to your door. Dirt and all…oh the smell of fresh dirt on a crisp morning…

Our family’s box last week: onions, sweet potatoes, fuji apples, oranges, mango, strawberries, radishes, broccoli, carrots, green chard & red leaf lettuce.

I cherish my trips to the local Farmers Market, but sometimes they’re just not practical. As a pregnant working mom with a busy toddler to tend to, I’ll take any opportunity to maximize convenience, especially when it’s as fun and delicious as this.

The farm we subscribe to allows customers to exclude items we don’t want in our box, but I also enjoy the colorful surprise of options I wouldn't normally have chosen. It makes for a fun challenge in the kitchen  (see recent Stuffed Pepper recipe here) and insures my family is exposed to a whole rainbow of healthy fruits and veggies.

Fall is the perfect time to sign up! For more information on available C.S.A. programs in your area, check out: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Did you know that Sesame Oil has been lauded by alternative medicine practitioners for centuries, for it’s profound health benefits? When used as a massage oil, this wonder seed has been shown to:

-reduce fatigue, stress & anxiety

-detoxify, nourish & enhance skin’s complexion

-promote circulation & deep sleep

-create feelings of vitality and well-being

When cold weather and busy schedules take their toll, pick up a bottle of organic Sesame Oil and pamper yourself with a spa-worthy at-home massage.

(http://www.sharegoodstuffs.com)

1. Towards the end of your shower, pour a small amount of oil in your palms.

2. Stand (or sit) away from the direct stream of water,  and apply a thin layer of oil over your skin, working systematically until your whole body is covered. Gently massage muscles in your legs, arms and shoulders, as well as joints like elbows and knees.

3. Let the oil remain on your skin for 5 minutes (relax), and then stand under the shower to let the water wash away excess oil. Do not use soap at this point.

4. Towel off by patting skin gently to remove water.

You’ll notice a perfect layer of oil remains behind, leaving your skin baby soft and ready to take on the day…or the night, as it may be.  For an extra luxurious experience, finish with a Lavender Body Spray.

(http://www.magazine.ayurvediccure.com)