Month: July 2008

Flesh Eating Fish Pedicure

- Groovy Mom 4 Comments

Does filing, shaving and sanding scare you away from a pedicure? Have no worries!! You can now instead let tiny carp fishies nibble your tootsies.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the Washington D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they’re sanitary. – AP

… Interesting, no? I’m not entirely sure how carp eating your foot flesh is more sanitary, seeing as you can’t sanitize the mouths or bodies of the fish. Nor can you change the fact that fish defecate in the water, possibly while they are snacking on your dead skin. But you know, hey. To each their own. As much as it kind of grodies me out, it also… well, I would maybe give it a go. Apparently it works.

Five Minute Cake-In-A-Cup

- Groovy Mom 5 Comments

Be warned, this is dangerous… In the instant gratification kind of way. It is probably a good thing I don’t have a microwave. Recipe is from dizzy-dee.com.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Instructions:
Mix flour, sugar and cocoa. Mix flour, sugar and cocoa. Spoon in 1 egg. Pour in milk and oil, and mix well. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt). Wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug. Tip contents out of mug onto saucer and enjoy!

I’d probably top this sucker off with some whipped cream and call it delish. If anyone tries it, lemme know.

Laundry Detergent – What Do You Use

- Groovy Mom 10 Comments

I’ve used nearly every laundry detergent known to man.

Purex
Tide
Arm & Hammer
Era
Gain
Cheer
Generic Something-Er-Other
Target Brand
Ecos
blablabla…

Lately it was the Ecos, then Tide (because, over time,  nothing seemed to be getting clean enough). Tide is more expensive and I’m disappointed with it. It doesn’t seem to be getting my clothes clean AND it leaves soap scum.

Now, I use vinegar in the rinse cycle (for softness – works GREAT, yo, just had to add that in)… but still. Nothing. Getting. Clean. Enough. I went back to Gain after forgetting how much I like that brand. I fell in love with that years ago when the kids were little. I’m starting to wonder if it is my over-priced, top-loading, no-agitator washer. An agitator might damage clothes, but by golly – it get’s ‘er clean, too. I’d really love to use an eco-friendly brand, or even one homemade, but frankly if my clothes aren’t getting clean enough, it is not worth it to me.

So, I’m just curious as to what detergent you use, and why?

Homecationing

- Groovy Mom 3 Comments

Congratulations to Courtney, she won the book!! There’s more where that came from; just keep checking back.

…

Is anyone else doing nothing this summer? I know summer is the typical time for “vacations” and all that jazz, but we don’t have it like that to take a family vacation to Destination Somewhere this summer (or, well, pretty much ANY summer). We contemplate going up north to my parent’s cabin, but with the prices of gas, we’re looking at $250-$300 round trip in our van. That’s some crazy stuff. Seriously. So, we’ve been trying to make the best of our mosquito-infested, non-vacation taking summer. Baseball games, trips to the public pool, bike rides, etc.

Lists of Five

Anyone else doing Homecationing? Here’s a few suggestions:

  1. Backyard camping – Set up a tent in the backyard (yours or a neighbor’s, if you want to make it more “destination bound.” You can even have backyard fires in most cities. Nothing screams camping like a tent, fire and s’mores. Maybe some swimsuits and a run through the sprinkler in lieu of a watering hole.
  2. Grilling out/picnicking at a local park – We’ve done this many times before. With friends or without. Having a little picnic, even if it isn’t far away, spices things up a bit, breaking the summertime monotony.
  3. Rediscovering the library – For some it is an underused free destination. If you don’t go there, make a point to do so. Ours has a ton of free programs for kids with reading incentives. Carlito just picked up free admission to a baseball game and a State Park for reading X amount of hours so far this summer.
  4. Movie marathon – If you have a weekend, or a couple days off (great rainy-day stuff), rent yourself – better yet, borrow from the library OR note some movie times on TV and catch a couple a day. Pop popcorn, make some fun snacks and make it a special occasion. Watch with friends, watch as a family, or watch alone. But make the event around the show.
  5. Utilize the State Park – if you live in the US, there’s probably a state, city or county park nearby. Many of them have activities throughout the summer (for free or for a minimal amount). Take advantage of the trails, ride your bike or just visit a part of the park you haven’t been to. Combined with a backpack lunch or picnic really makes a mini-vacation out of a simple trip.

Most of the above things can be done for free or for less than $50, which is only a hint of what a regular vacation can cost. Putting an activity on the calendar and sticking to it, as if it were a real vacation, makes it even more of an “event,” something special to look forward to. The simple act of marking a Me Day or Family Day on the calendar and thinking up 3-5 things you’ll do special for yourself/your family, turning off email, phone and centering only on the day together is a vacation in itself.

Spraying For Mosquitoes

- Groovy Mom 8 Comments

My goodness the mosquitoes around here are atrocious. It is nearly impossible for me to water my plants. I have one hand on the hose, the other swatting away swarms of the nasty little vampires from my arms, face, legs, neck… It is miserable. My lackadaisical days of planting peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach has turned into frantically watering 2 tomato pots (1 is near looking pretty badly) and 2 pepper pots. It is not enjoyable.

In years past, the mosquitoes have been the same. Horrendous. People come to the door, ring the bell and you can see them flailing their arms in a loose attempt to keep the bugs away as the wait desperately for someone to answer the door. It is comical and guilt-ensuing at the same time. You wait a beat, watch and stifle a giggle, then open the door and shoo them in, the poor things.

So I’m thinking of spraying. We are prisoners in our own home, unable to enjoy the outdoors at all. I worry about spraying, the chemicals, yadda yadda, but I still contemplate spraying. It is either that, or hovel in the house most of the day or waste gas driving to areas of the city where the mosquitoes are more sparse.

Anyone else succomb to spraying?

(Side note – we had/have an electric zapper. Doesn’t work.)

Book Giveaway – Are You In The Mood

- Groovy Mom 8 Comments

Book Giveaway: Are You In The Mood?

I received this book a while back to give review, but chick-lit isn’t really my cup of tea. Maybe it is yours?!! I will take entries through the weekend, closing on Monday evening, and will mail out next week via Media Mail.

The author of this book is Stephanie Lehmann. Here’s a blurb about Are You In The Mood? :

Camille Chaplin, a struggling actress living in the East Village, is suddenly playing the role of her life— as a breastfeeding, Upper East Side mom who’s pretending she gave up on her ambitions.

Enter by leaving a comment here. I will contact the winner via email. Response needed within 24 hours or a subsequent winner will be chosen.

USA/Canada only, please.