fffabulous

a fffabulous idea: flattenme.com

Kids love books. They love to be read to, listen to beautiful stories, and look at colorful pictures and funny animals. But they'll love it even more if they can become the hero of those amazing stories. This happens to be exactly what flattenme.com is all about, and this is absolutely fffabulous: Choose your story (we love the potty dance, and the magical under-the-sea adventure), upload your child's photo, and you are all set to make your child the happiest child on Earth.

I discovered flattenme.com back in December while reading sfbaystyle.com (it made The Today Show too), and I was wowed by this children's book concept right away...What an amazing idea, and what a precious gift to give to a child. Go get one for your child, your niece or nephew or your friends' child now. They'll love it and they'll love you for it!

my special tree

fffabulous baby week may be over, but I still have a few fffabulous baby things to talk about. So here we go! Children's books are very dear to me because reading to a child is much more than just reading a story. It is about creating a bond with your children and snuggling and cuddling with them while reading their favorite books; it is also about developing children's brain connections since they are so influenced by these repetitive positive actions when they are read to. So, all in all, I am a big fan of reading to kids, and therefore of children's books.

I heard of the My Special Tree children's book through a friend, and I had to meet its author, Raki Desai. Raki used to be a teacher at an elementary school; she is an avid reader herself, and she loves children books. Raki wanted to write something special, that 'special book' that would be appealing to everyone: a transitional book that not only kids would enjoy, but one that much older children would also love while getting its message and the meaning behind the whole story, too. I have to admit that I liked this because I always hear of parents who have children of different ages that do not know how to please them all. Problem solved!

Do you want to know more about My Special Tree? Well, here it is (highly simplified and without all the cute illustrations from Dylan Pecro, an up-and-coming illustrator): My Special Tree is about a young girl who has a tree that is very dear to her; she writes stories under her tree all the time, and as she gets older, she has to go to college and leave her tree behind. While in college, she gets to study architecture and after graduating, she gets to do her dream job: build a toy store (kids will love it!). The issue is that the company wants to use the land where her tree is!!! After much debate and letters to the company, they finally agree to build the toy store around that special tree. Yay!

I love every stage of the book, as it can really relate to so many children: children who have something or someone special in their life, such as a pet or a book; children who are starting school and are facing a transition; children who can understand what it is like to have a conflict and know how to weigh the pros and cons of a decision; and even us adults! Another great thing about this book is that it is a nice reminder that every single tree is indeed special, and every single tree counts!

My Special Tree is the first book that Raki wrote and published, and it is a very special book! Thanks Raki!

no country for old stuff

Okay, although it feels like summer, it's technically still springtime. And spring rhymes with spring cleaning (yes, that was easy!). And if you're like me, you may need a bit of encouragement to proceed with this task. If so, I may just have the best trick to get you started. Lucky you!

I discovered Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston a couple of years ago, and it is one of those books I just keep reading over and over again. Although the title mentions Feng Shui as a method to reorganize your living space, this book touches only very briefly on making your home more Feng Shui compliant (but it's still a great book to learn about the basics of Feng Shui). Karen explains that the more order you create into your life--through getting rid of all that crap you've been accumulating over the years, the better your life will become, and the more energy you'll have. This book also helps you become more detached from material things, starting with those things you don't use anymore, and how ridding yourself of them will only create space for brand new and more vibrant things in your life. A couple of months ago, I followed Karen's advice and donated three sweatpants I hadn't worn in two years. It took me a while to get myself to do this because they carried memories I didn't want to let go of, but as soon as I did, I came across these sexy sweatpants, and I had to get them. Okay, so I spent a little money in the process, but now I enjoy wearing my new sweatpants every single weekend, and I feel even more fffabulous in them than I did in my old pairs. As difficult as it can be to get rid of old stuff, I say 'go for it!', and you'll experience some 'joie de vivre' you've never experienced before. Yay!

So are you ready for some serious Spring Cleaning to make place for the new? (And by 'new', it could mean a sexy new pair of shoes or a brand new purse.)