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Remember the post I did last February with the theme "Mom, you don't think like me." No? You can read it here . I almost made the same mistake again when helping Elli set up her fundraising campaign. Only this time I didn't. I remembered that conversation and pitched my idea to Elli a little differently. In other words, I listened to her and didn't push my agenda quite as hard and wouldn't you know it - we have success!! Last year I tried to break down the fundraising goal into logical increments which she could achieve by babysitting, fundraising, pet sitting, etc. I even had a spreadsheet. Horrors! It was way too structured for her. So even though I would prefer to know how many babysitting jobs I need to make the money her brain is not processing the project that way. It's much more fluid for her. This year she is raising money to go on a 2-week trip to Costa Rica with a group called Cross Cultural Solutions.  We've told her she has to...

Elli is hosting her first Pop-Up Shop as a Brand Ambassador for Epic Sky. It's pretty cool. So if you are a teen, or are the parent of a teen and are in the area stop by for a little shopping! Your teen could be the next Brand Ambassador! Powered by Eventbrite

Do you ever get in a crafty mood? It strikes me about once a year. Usually around Christmas. This year it struck at Halloween. I was supposed to pick up plastic spiders and glow sticks to help decorate the marketing area of our office. Easy peasy. No crafting necessary. Except I went to the wrong store. I went to J o-Anne Fabrics . I thought they would have Halloween decor. And it's near my house. The Halloween stuff was pretty much gone - replaced by Christmas! As I'm wandering around the store figuring out what to do I decided I would skip the little plastic spiders and make two giant spiders instead. Two big, hairy spiders. With googly eyes. I had it pictured in my head. I would get the biggest styrofoam ball I could find, a feather boa, floral wire, felt, glue and googly eyes. And then I would recruit the teenager to help me. They came out super cute! Big, hairy and not too scary. BIG HAIRY SPIDER  makes 2 1 Large Styrofoam ball cut in half (the bre...

My friends Marian and Monika have started a new brand for teen girls called Epic Sky. It's part fashion, part social and 100% awesome. Elli has participated in a few of their photo shoots and is now part of their first video. This proud mama just has to share it with everyone. I'm pretty sure you'll recognize Elli. But if not, she's in a gray top and denim skirt. You'll see her riding a skateboard and she says her name at the end. Enjoy-

Elli and I got in a huge fight the other night. It ended with her calling me the "Fun Crusher." It was like a punch in the gut. No one ever wants to be called a fun crusher. Ever. I basically told her she couldn't do something - which apparently all her friends were doing and it set off a fight like we've never had. She's 14. Completely independent with an incredibly strong will like most teenagers. Here's the thing. She's a really good kid with a good head on her shoulders. She has great judgement which is why she sent me a text asking permission to do something. Her friends did not do that with their parents. They took the risk. I'm not sure if Elli was really going to ask permission. Or if my text to her asking when she would be home prompted her to ask permission. I'll never know. I know you're wondering what happened. Basically, Elli wanted to jump in the high school pool (which was closed) with all her clothes on with ...

by Kris Mulkey Don and I were watching tv the other night when he looked at me and said, "Please stop making cookies. Why did you start making cookies again anyway?" You could tell he was really struggling with keeping his hand out of the cookie jar. Or in our case, the Ziplock bag of home-made sugar cookies in the freezer. "Uh....to be nice. Because you like cookies." I said, kind of snickering. Which is mean really. I know he loves cookies and has trouble eating just one. So really, he's right. Why do I taunt him. But then again, where is his will power? Why can't he eat just one? His will power to stop after one is non-existent when it comes to cookies and other sweet treats. I can stop. I don't need to eat cookie after cookie. In fact I can go without cookies all together. I know they are in the freezer. But they are not calling me to eat them. When I was working with Jump Start on the diet I did have sugar cravings a lot. Which is...

by Kris Mulkey This past weekend I was trying to get Elli to understand something and she said "Mom, stop. I don't think like you." It literally silenced me. I stood in her doorway looking at her and thought, you're right. You don't think like me. That's why you have not opened the spreadsheet I put together for you which will help you get your fundraising effort organized. You're creative and a free spirit. Most of the time I understand you. But today I don't. You are a complete alien to me. Why did I think she would want a spreadsheet? Why have I been banging my head against the wall trying to get her to understand my point of view. She doesn't care. She wants to figure it out on her own. Her way. Which of course in my opinion is all wrong. But then again. I'm not 14. I'm the mother of a very smart "I know everything." 14 year old. Just like I was at one time. So how do we communicate with these alien beings? How...

by Kris Mulkey I was getting ready this morning and for whatever reason started thinking about my favorite products (make up, nail polish, etc.) and how loyal I am to certain items from select brands. I am not loyal to one brand - but many brands for different reasons. There are items I absolutely will not switch. NO WAY. Then there are other items where I am not loyal at all. Is everyone like this? How hard would it be for a new brand to get me to switch? Most of the items I've bought recently (and have become favorites) I was able to test first. Either with a makeover or free samples. There is a reason there are so many freebies at the make-up counter. It works! Here are my current favorites: 1. LOREAL VOLUMINOUS LASHES MASCARA WATERPROOF BLACK - I discovered this mascara after complaining about the price of department store mascara to the clerk. She suggested I try Loreal because it was the equivalent. She was right! It doesn't clump when you apply it and doesn'...

by Kris Mulkey Last Saturday I thought I would write a post about new year's resolutions. I wrote and re-wrote the post three times. I was having trouble getting focused. Should it be about me, about work, about our family, a combination of those things? It wasn't coming together so I decided to give it a rest and come back to it later in the day. Or the next day. I put on my workout clothes to go for a walk. It wasn't raining. The air was cold, but not uncomfortably so. The crisp air would feel great on a brisk walk down the hill, and back up again. I took Sam, our chocolate lab, with me so he'd get a little exercise. I usually take Bentley our King Charles Cavalier because he's easier to manage. But he completely annoyed me the day before by pooping four times on our walk! I have no idea where all this poop comes from. But it really sucks carrying stinky poop bags so I decided to take Sam. I had my headphones on with a little Katy Perry pumping in my ears ...

This recipe is exactly what creme brulee is supposed to taste like. The custard is creamy with great vanilla flavor and the top is crisp, crunchy and sweet. You know it's perfect when you tap the sugar top with your spoon and it sounds like you're tapping on glass. Anything else is no good. All you need is a little torch to crystallize the sugar so it turns into sugar glass. A double boiler will work in a pinch. I used Alton Brown's recipe with one alteration. I didn't use a vanilla bean. I have some great vanilla paste that has the brown vanilla flecks in it so I used this instead. It works perfect. You can pick up a jar at Williams-Sonoma . It's way cheaper than buying vanilla beans and tastes great. I use it in the place of vanilla in practically every recipe that calls for vanilla. Alton Brown's Creme Brulee Click here for the recipe.

I eat two eggs for breakfast every day so I'm always looking for a new way to make them. This egg scramble is quick, tasty and healthy! A handful of spinach and a dab of cream cheese make for one tasty plate of eggs. Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Spinach 2 eggs 1T water Handful of baby spinach 1t butter 1T cream cheese (Philadelphia Cream Cheese has the best taste) Sea Salt Fresh Ground Pepper Scramble the eggs with the water in a small dish. The eggs will get a little frothy. Add the butter to a small saute pan. Heat over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Let the eggs start to cook for about a minute. Gently fold the eggs. Add the spinach. Stir until the eggs are almost done. (Don't over stir. You want large bits of egg.) Take the pan off the burner. Add the cream cheese. Gently stir in. The heat from the pan will finish cooking the eggs and the spinach. Serves 1 Ready in less than 5 minutes. The pan: I lik...

A funny thing happened at lunch yesterday. There was hardly anyone in the office so I decided to take a leisurely lunch to kill a little time instead of eating at my desk like I usually do. I walked over to Fog City Diner which is just a few blocks away. It has a nice bar area for us singles to eat at, and lots of people watching out the window. They had a special lunch menu called the "Neighborhood Lunch" where you could choose a cup of potato soup or small Caesar salad and then either a albacore cheddar melt, sesame chicken salad or Southern fried chicken sandwich. It seemed like a lot of food for lunch. But then I knew we'd be eating dinner late on New Year's Eve. And that potato soup sounded so good. So I ordered it. What the heck. I was going with the soup and the chicken sandwich. I'm by myself. Who would know except me and my ever growing waistline? And then I thought, "Oh, I'll just eat half the sandwich. It will make good leftovers."...