Using Pictobrowser

I just posted a piece on Uptake about a recent visit to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Thanks to a nifty piece of software, I was able to include a great photo slide show through my Flickr feed.

Pictobrowser is a quick and easy tool that takes a set from your Flickr stream and makes it into a nifty slide show, with hardly any fuss.

Of course, I was having trouble with Wordpress playing nicely with Pictobrowser, and fortunately, there was a solution, in the form of a quick fix from Kumara Sastry. Installing the plugin fixed and following the instructions fixed the problem immediately (Wordpress apparently blocks objects and iframes). Now all is good and I am looking forward to posting lots more photo essays!

Ideas from BlogHer08 - it's about time!

As I think about getting Kitchen Gadget Girl up and running, and driving traffic and readers to the site, I uncovered a host of ideas from BlogHer that I had not processed. I share them here, mostly to keep track for myself, but just in case they might be useful to someone else.

One of the speakers I heard that weekend was Anne-Marie Nichols. Her Write Spot blog shows bloggers how to promote your site through social networking. Since that is pretty much the game now, her tips and tricks are useful. I enjoyed her recent article on joining a Blog Network, and she wrote up her suggestions from BlogHer.

At the same session, I listened to Gwen Bell, who summed up her talk here. The main takeaway for me was to check out Kirtsy, and start my own Flickr photostream.

From the writing session, Amy Gahran of Contentious provided these tips:

• Clarify my goal in writing
• Who is my core community (picture a real person when writing)
• Make points, set content, have a call to action/next steps
• Keep it to 250 words
• Remove flab

She also suggested checking out Lijit, Wordtracker.com, and co.mments.com.

Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes had tons of great ideas for building traffic. The first one I implemented was the Blogger Blog List for UpTake. In the case of UpTake, it allowed me to build an RSS feed of the travel bloggers that I read a lot. I have not figured out the best way to use it on Kitchen Gadget Girl yet.

She also suggested connecting with other bloggers at the same stage of life. In the technology front, Elise suggested checking out Google Share, Picassa, Fireworks, iPhoto, Picnik, Browsershots.org, Sitemeter, and Google Alerts (to keep track of your content).

And finally, at the FAQs for Beginning Bloggers session, I picked up these hints:

• Adding a banner to my blog, which I desperately need for Eco Play
• When linking to another blog, use the name of the post in your link
• You can add a watermark in photoshop, GIMP or Picnik
• Finding photos for the web

Photo tips for Flickr

I love using Flickr - I mostly use it to make photos ready for my blogs. My food blog, Kitchen Gadget Girl, uses lots of photos, so this morning, I ran out of room on my free Flickr account. Fortunately, I remembered how to make my photos smaller by exporting them out of iPhoto. Once I did that, I was able to upload everything I needed. Here is what I did:

1. In iPhoto, select the photos I want to upload (I do this by putting 3 stars next to the ones I like)
2. Click on File -> Export
3. Select File Export, then Scale Images. I used 1024 for the width, and it automatically figured out the height. I keep the filename, but I created a new folder on my desktop to store all the smaller photos in. Click on Export.
4. Open up Flickr Uploadr, drag and drop the now-small photos into the window, click Upload.

And there you have it. The picture above is Little A helping me can tomatoes yesterday!

Money does grow on trees...

at least, that is what my kids think!

The Big Guy is actually pretty good with money management. In January, we decided to give him an allowance, and after figuring out that a weekly plan would not work for us (who ever has $1 bills in their wallet) we came up with a monthly payout. The first of each month, he gets his allowance and promptly organizes it into his Learning Cents Bank - 55% in spend, 30% in save and 15% in give.

For the money that he saves, we deposit it regularly into a bank account, and my husband and I match the savings 1:1. So, if he deposits $20, we deposit $20 into his account. Nice.

Same thing for the giving, although we have yet to actually give any money. This will be my next project, putting together some options that we can talk about as a family. High on the Big Guy's list now is his school library and Ronald MacDonald House.

Now, we also implemented an allowance plan for Little A at the same time, however, she is less quick to catch on to the plan. Although, after a recent trip to the Apple Store, she now has her heart set on a new iPod Nano, and seems to get that she needs to save her $199 to buy one.

Several times this year, we have caught her in her room with her bank, giving out money to whatever friend was over playing. As a result, we keep her bank in our room and bring it out on allowance day.

Both kids are allowed to buy what they would like with their spend money, but we do try to point out that they have many options. The Big Guy is currently obsessed with Pokemon, and spends most of his allowance on the trading cards - once he reaches 800 cards, I have told him that he cannot spend anymore money on Pokemon. He seems cool with that, and is already talking about saving up for something big.

Our goal in giving our kids money was to teach them how to manage it. When I was growing up, I did not have the same education, and money in my house was a bad thing, a scarce thing, a not-talked-about thing, and it was rare for me to have my own money and make my own decisions.

I would like my kids to understand the importance of saving and giving, and being able to make sound decisions about money. I want to encourage them to make smart choices when it comes to spending their money, and want them to think beyond the short term. Just like their mother, hah!

Thanks to superdumb supervillain for reminding me about the Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast about money management and children, in conjunction with the financial literacy partnership between Consumer Action and Capital One, highlighting the new Moneywi$e eLearning Tool.

Remembering September 11th

The internet is full of beautifully written tributes to 9/11, some are here, here and here. But this afternoon, as I stopped by our local fire station to take this picture, I tried to explain to my kids what happened on 9/11/01.

Both kids talked about it in class today, talked about the Twin Towers and the disaster. I am not sure how many details they heard, but for some reason, tonight I felt as though I could share more information about the awfulness of the day with my two kids.

My daughter wanted to know how it happened. I explained about the airplanes, the really bad men, the towers falling. Why did they do that, she wanted to know. Because they want to hurt the United States.

My son wanted to know what happened to the bad men. I explained they died in the plane crash. I also tried to explain the incredible bravery of the women and men on United Airlines flight 93, the passengers who thwarted the terrorists attempts to crash the plane which was headed for San Francisco.

This particular element still makes me choke up - I can imagine the passengers, frightened out of their minds, thinking about their loved ones at home, determined to stop what is clearly happening before their eyes. I think of their sacrifice, my heart hurts.

After 7 years, I still don't know what to make of this tragedy. I ache thinking about 9/10/01 and how everything was so much simpler that day, just the day before. My son, 13 months old at the time, will never know a time in which this tragedy did not exist. My daughter will always know about the bad people in the world who took over planes on 9/11 and crashed them into buildings.

I have run out of words to describe how I feel. It is still heartbreaking.

Is it so hard to believe

that my name is Gudrun? This weekend I received an email from someone I met at BlogHer, and she addressed it thusly:

Hi Gudrun (eek - I don't know your real name)

Really? The fact that my name is in my email and on my business cards is not enough to make it real? Gudrun is a real name. Honestly.

My favorite - when I am signing up for something, or buying something, and they ask for my name, and I tell them Gudrun, they write it down, then ask for my first name. Huh? Better yet, a nurse at the blood drive asked my name, then wanted to know who would name me something like that. Really. Hurtful.

Please, people, get a little educated.

Better yet, I will tell you what you need to know:

From my Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: Gud-run, the wife of Sigurd and later Atli in Norse mythology.

Gudrun appears as a main character in Nibelungenleid (Norse mythology), Volsungsaga (Icelandic), and Laxdaelasaga (Icelandic). Also, Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence and a Wagnerian opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen. Here is the Wikipedia page all about Gudrun. Oh, and in case you did not know, Gudrun is a feminine name.

Yeah, so it is not that popular here in the good 'ole U.S.A., but Gudrun is very popular in the Nordic Countries and Germany. There is a chocolate named Gudrun, a fancy clothes designer GudrunGudrun and other folks from the blogger world.

Believe me, when I was a kid, I hated my name. It was hard for most people to pronounce, no one could spell it correctly, sometimes they thought I was a boy, and it was generally just a pain. And I can promise you that I spend an inordinate amount of time with my kids teaching them the importance of spelling someone's name correctly.

Nowadays, I take pride in my name, happy that I can be a one-name wonder, like Madonna or Cher. I mean really, how many Gudruns do you know?

P.S. I am trying to collect a running list of Gudruns in the blogosphere, the G-List. Comment if you would like to be added.....

Two kinds of swim moms

IMHO, there are two kinds of swim moms. The first is aware, alert and focused on their child. They arrange themselves on the pool deck so they can see the race, making sure they are there to greet their child when they exit the water. They might take photos, they might not. They are probably wearing a shirt for their team, and have most definitely been a volunteer whenever asked.

These moms carry copys of the program, so they can help other parents find their way, and usually have a spare set of goggles in their pocket, for last minute emergencies. Between races, you can find this mom relaxing with her kids, making sure they snack on high-energy foods, and perhaps playing cards with her son. All in all, a great mom, devoted to her family and properly engaged in her child(ren)'s activities.

Then, there is Me. I do some of the things above, but mostly I like to jostle my way to the front of the crowd with my big 'ole camera, so I can snap 100 photos of Little A or the Big Guy's 25-yard race. Then, I stand there on the side lines and watch the whole race, yelling with my loudest voice for my kids to kick more, or use their big arms, or imploring them to just go faster. Sometimes, I stamp my feet. When the race finishes, I cheer some more, maybe with an arm pump, or if something really great happens, continue cheering so the whole swim desk knows what happens.

I am not necessarily proud of my behavior, but I am very proud of my kids and their swimming, and sometimes I just get so excited I cannot help myself. I am aware they cannot hear me when they swim (both kids have told me this), but still, I carry on. Sometimes I yell so much I have to sit down, all the blood rushing to my head. Maybe after they have done this for a couple years, I will back off and stop being so over-the-top.

On the other hand, maybe not.

Damn USPS and their boxes

I don't normally like to swear, but after today's experience with the USPS, I must vent! Two post offices, two boxes and some tears later, I finally have my package shipped off to Australia (late, I might add, for a birthday party, but that is another story)...

First post office, this morning at 9:30am - I took my two presents in, took them to the counter and asked if I should use the Flat Rate Priority International Box. That would be $39, but it turns out that I could ship my stuff for $20. So I skipped the Flat Rate Priority International box and went with the regular Priority box (free). I showed the lady behind the counter the box I was going to use, and asked if this was the right one. She nods Yes. After filling out all the forms, I take it back to the counter, only to be told that, no, the box I had was not the right box and would not cost $20. For some reason, this completely upset me - probably because I had just wasted a good box. I leave.

Second post office, about 11:30am - I take my Priority box, with the presents inside, into the post office. They have a large selection of regular boxes, so I open the Priority box and transfer the presents to a new Ready Pack box (cost $2.69). I fill out the mailing label and take it to the counter. This postal employee informs me that I could have left my stuff in the Priority box, because, and catch this, if I buy the Ready Pack box and the tape, it would cost as much as sending it Priority. So I take my stuff out of the new Ready Pack box, and put it back in the Priority box, use their tape behind the counter (you can do that if it is Express or Priority, since it has that printed on the tape) and fill out a different customs form (oh, they changed that too.)

While finally mailing the package, I think I asked enough questions to figure out the program. I offer some tricks to mailing through the USPS:

1. If you bring your own box, you can mail an international package Airmail which takes about 10 business days. Better to go with a large padded envelope if you can, it probably saves some money. This was my $20 option.

2. If you don't bring your own box, and your items are relatively light weight, choose the Priority box - it will be cheaper than buying a box and tape at the post office. Also, it will get to the recipient faster. This was my $31 option.

3. If you have a pretty heavy package, up to 20 pounds, go for the Flat Rate box, which will cost you $39.

Hope this can help someone else have a less frustrating experience at the post office!

BlogHer: Rule 1 and 2

1. Stop entering into every conversation or interaction with someone else with the idea that it will turn into a blog post. Stop talking like a blog post. Relax, enjoy the interactions!

2. Comfortable shoes are a must - really, I kid you not.

P.S. These are notes to myself as I participate in BlogHer this weekend. Sometimes a girl just needs a little reminder.

Ordering cards for BlogHer

Ack, BlogHer is only three weeks away and today the pre-conference guide was released. It suggested bringing business cards - business cards? What business am I in exactly? But, I dutifully marched myself over to moo.com and found some great, retro-styled mini cards that will fit my needs perfectly. As soon as they arrive, I will post a picture. So cute they are, really!

Linking for contest-love

I am a sucker for contests, I will enter one even if the prize is not remotely useful to me, like a set of personalized onesies for your triplets. But I do it anyway!

Stefania at CityMama has a cool contest going - she is doing it to raise awareness of her new gig with Savvy Source, building a network of parent bloggers focused on local stuff. In addition to allowing me to enter the contest, she has also given me a chunk of new great bloggers to read. Thank you!!

So, hop on over there, check out the contest and keep your fingers crossed! I am really hoping to win the Nintendo DS games, especially since I have no use for them ;-)

Summer to-do list

Besides it being beyond hot this last week, I also realized that summer vacation is short and I had better put together my to-do list before things get away from me. Here for your reading pleasure and amusement is what I hope to get done this summer:

1. Replace the fence on the side yard (no, not myself, silly, hire someone!)
2. Paint master bedroom and bathroom (hold-over from last summer)
3. Create a piece of garden art using the left-over copper pipe behind the garage
4. Get the fountain in the front yard working
5. Work on the kid's photo albums
6. Frame our new vintage poster (again, not myself!)
7. Get the paperwork in to start a donor-advised fund
8. Launch Green Committee for our elementary school
9. Finish quilting quilt and bind off

Humm, not sure there is the right mix of fun and creativity in there, but it is a start. Also, I need to throw in a couple good books too, any suggestions?

A local's perspective: Palo Alto

This morning, my blurb about Palo Alto was published on the UpTake blog. I enjoyed reminiscing about my hometown, and sharing my favorites. Since I had fun writing it, I thought I would repost it here and create a little meme. If you are reading this and I don't know you, please consider yourself tagged. I would also love to see responses from Erica from Plain Jane Mom, May-Ling, and Naomi from Superdumb Supervillain. And onto the post...

Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of Palo Alto and its residents:

Educated, mindful, adventurous, youthful, eclectic.

What is your favorite neighborhood of Palo Alto:

I am partial to the College Terrace area of Palo Alto, located just south of Stanford University. All the streets are named after famous colleges and universities, the homes are a mix of sweet bungalows and artfully designed family homes, and the proximity to Stanford ensures a good mix of college types, young professionals and families.

Which cuisine do you think Palo Alto does best? What is the runner-up?

Palo Alto is chock-a-block of restaurants for every taste - On California Ave, don’t miss La Bodeguita del Medio for Cuban-inspired cuisine, Bistro Elan for classic French, and the Counter, for classic American burgers, your way. On University Ave, Three Seasons for Vietnamese, Mediterranean at Evvia, Junoon for Indo-fusion, La Strada for Italian, and scads of hip places such as Pluto’s, Pasta?, and Miyake’s. Why limit ourselves to one cuisine, let’s embrace them all!

What is the best free thing to do?

I love the 10-week evening jazz series at Stanford Shopping Center on Thursdays during the summer. Bring a picnic dinner, a beach chair and enjoy the lovely music.

What is your favorite type of entertainment?

Anything outdoors. Window shopping on California Avenue, walking “The Dish” in the Stanford Foothills, roller blading through the neighborhoods.

List the best family friendly activity:

The myriad of parks in Palo Alto are enough to keep the average family busy for weeks. Our favorite is Johnson Park on Everett, between Kipling and Cowper, with a mini-rock wall, cement slide (bring your cardboard box) and slide and sand for everyone. The community garden in the back corner gives it a comfortable, neighborly feel.

What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?

Ok, romance for us means eating lots of great food, exploring places on foot and finding the hidden gems of a city. I recommend booking a room at the centrally-located Garden Court Hotel and heading to Vino Locale for Friday night dinner, with local wines and slow food, before the Friday-night Art Walk. Quick Saturday breakfast at Coupa Cafe (spicy hot chocolate and pastries), before heading out to explore the Farmer’s Market behind the post office. Take a break in the afternoon with a couple’s massage and soaking tub at Watercourse Way Bathhouse Spa. Dinner at Tamarine (sit in the bar and people watch), a movie at the Stanford Theater, end with dessert at Gelato Classico. Go back to hotel, collapse. Order breakfast in….

Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.

I would start with a family bike ride over to Stanford University, stopping for a free visit to Cantor Museum and a picnic lunch on the Oval, with the required frisbee-throwing and people watching. My kids might throw in a visit to Hoover Tower or a splash in the Claw Fountain at White Plaza. And finish with a casual dinner at the Palo Alto Creamery before heading back home.

Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.

I love to take our kids to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, where I used to go as a youngster. Wonderful hands on activities and a small zoo with a bobcat!

P.S. Don't forget to tag some of your friends!

Last Day of School Observations

Thursday Thoughts, that is new and clever. Here are mine for today, not all necessarily related to school....

I am disappointed that Hillary will not be the Democratic candidate, however, I will be voting Democrat this fall. Why any Hillary supporter would switch sides, I will not understand.

Stay At Home Mom - that is an oxymoron. As I work less and less, I also stay home less and less. I am always away from the house. Amazing how that works.

The second to last week of school I finally get the whole morning routine figured out. Funny that it takes me so long.

People who talk on their cell phones while driving still bug me, but pretty soon it will be illegal. That makes me happy.

I love those elastic waistbands on my kids pants, the kind that are adjustable. I hate it when they come undone and disappear into the waistband.

If you want politics, check out your local PTA. Whoa-boy, that sucker is chock-a-block.

How green is green? If you have to order green products from a company back east and they have to be shipped out here, is that more green than just buying something locally and recycling? (thanks to Lisa for this thought)

I loved the book Marley and Me. Made me want to hug and kiss my dog for being so great. Even her barking does not bug me as much anymore. Yeah Molly.

The Last Lecture made me sad, and thoughtful about my kids and what I am leaving for them. It also left me hopeful. But mostly sad.

These are my thoughts for today, now I am off to get my kids to school for the last time this year.....

How a 7 year old can ruin a birthday

I know, at the advanced age of 29 (for the 10th time!), I should be a little more sensitive, but my son ruined my birthday and I want to complain about it.

Grow up Gudrun, is what I am saying to myself. But he hurt my feelings.

The Big Guy was tired of everyone having a birthday except him (Little A, DH and I all have our birthdays within a sever day period), so at my birthday dinner, he threw a fit.

Actually, it started earlier that day, but I was gone, celebrating my birthday with a little TLC for mommy (massage at Watercourse Way, followed by a mani/pedi at Touch of Elegance -- lovely!) DH said all day the Big Guy had been a pain in the butt, complaining and grumping.

Just before dinner (DH made a lovely sablefish on a bed of leeks and cherry tomatoes), the Big Guy started stomping around, complaining that we did not give him any respect. Oh, wait, it was that we did not give him enough respect. What?

He was not happy with dinner, claiming to not like fish. Right after I blew out the candles on the cake, during the serving of the cake, he had a little incident with the cream whipper and he fell apart, going to his room, totally upset.

This was when I decided to revert to his level of maturity and declared my birthday a mess.

Good Gudrun, really adult. Get over yourself - the Big Guy is 7. And yes, it is pissy that everyone gets to celebrate something this month except him. And yes, it sucks that everyone gets gifts and attention, but him. And you are the adult Gudrun, help him understand it.

But just for a moment, I want to whine, and since this is my blog, I can do that.

I want my birthday to be great, just like the birthday celebrations I put together for Little A and DH. I want the dinner to be well thought out, I want the cake to be an expression of their love for me. I want everyone to be happy and want to enjoy being together as a family.

I want DH to spend as much time thinking about my birthday as I think about his. I want my kids to be happy about the chance to celebrate (we all love cake), and I want to make happy memories for all.

I guess I just want my mommy.

In the news again

I hope this will end soon - it is embarrassing, especially when people stop me in the street! Ack!

10 Sweet Years

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary....it is also the birthday of Little A.

Best anniversary gift ever.

10 years is a long time, but frankly, with a couple kids thrown in there, it seems like just yesterday that DH and I met playing Ultimate Frisbee with Ebb&Flow. Now we are into that second decade of marriage where you really see if you can do it. The kids are getting older, they won't need us so much anymore, it will be a chance for DH and I to figure ourselves out as adults (not that we weren't adults when we married, but you know what I mean).

Here is to another 10 years - and yes, we will drink champagne tonight. Little A will think we are toasting to her birthday, little does she know!

Happy Days to you, too, whatever the occasion!

Birthday party madness

Once again, I have worked myself into a tizzy about a kid birthday.

Little A's birthday is coming up in two weeks. She is oh so popular in her class (my dream undoubtedly), so I thought we should invite the whole class. Also, as room parent, I felt like being inclusive.

But then I realized she has other friends outside her class, and we were slowly creeping up to 25 kids. After last year's 5th birthday extravaganza, I vowed not to have that many kids again. So, I could invite just the girls, along with the extra girls she is friends with. But she has two good boy friends, and so that seemed strange. Plus, there are a couple girls in her class that she is just not friends with (no fault on anyone's part). But inviting all the boys in the class seemed silly, as she is friends with only the two.

I thought maybe I could send out the invitations in batches, to her good friends first and then the rest of the class a couple days later. As it was, I already waited until 12 days before the party to send the invites, cutting it pretty close. But that seemed lame, when all I wanted to do was limit the amount of kids at the party.

Just hours before I was set to send out the invitations, DH and I had a meeting in the park, while the kids were on the playground. I showed him the whole list, including all the kids who were outside the class. I *'d the kids who Little A has had play dates with, or had a friendship with. It worked out to be 11 kids. 11 kids is a nice number. Better than 25.

When we got home, we sat down with Little A and explained the situation. Our trump card was that with a reduced guest list, we would allow her to have gifts (with 25 kids, we were going to have a book exchange). She immediately agreed, even agreeing to the list of kids we had put together.

In any case, I should have taken my Dad's advice and just picked the guest list for her. At kindergarten, I think it is OK for parents to help select friends. By second grade, I believe the choice is the child's, unless bad decisions are being made...

What do you think?

The 80's: Would someone please enlighten me?

What is the fascination with the 80's - you know, that decade a couple decades ago. The one that encouraged radical hairstyles, crazy music and strange clothing? There are 80's parties to go to, which always require 80's clothing - last time I wore a short denim skirt, leg warmers, and a polo shirt with the color up. Oh, and some hideous white jewelry. It was awful.

Today, I have been forced to face the 80's by Stefania over at City Mama, she is having an 80's contest. Feel free to flit on over and see if you can answer her questions, including ways to make the athletic folks on pee-chee folders look funny. Can't be too hard, with that woman swinging the tennis racket right over the two football players on top of each other! I think she mentioned something about prizes, could be fun. And spend some time there, Stefania has a great blog with recipes, pictures, and snarky thoughts on parenting....

Loving the public library!

I think I am in love with my library again....

My fondest memories were when I was but a young girl and I would go to the Los Altos Library after school and read Judy Blume books from the adult section. I loved my library then for providing me this unique (and salacious) opportunity.

Now, I love them libraries (Menlo Park and Redwood City) because I can stop in after dropping the kids off somewhere and get work done. That's right baby, FREE WIRELESS! Granted, it is probably bad for me, but it is so convenient to pop in, set up the laptop, answer a couple emails and then go pick up the kids.

Loving the Public Libraries!