Favorites: The Butterfly Joint

Last weekend I took Lucas to the grand opening of The Butterfly Joint in San Francisco. Visiting this amazing woodworking studio has been on my to-do list for quite some time now and I'm so happy we had the chance to go.

The Butterfly Joint is a woodworking and design studio for children ages 18 months and up (and adult classes are offered as well). There are individual classes as well as camps. Students clock in with their own punch cards, strap on an apron and start working on their projects. I love that the goal is to create an heirloom-quality piece to bring home and keep in the family forever. Could you imagine how proud the kids would be?

The grand opening party was so much fun! There was a tool treasure hunt where Lucas had to complete a different task at a work station--luckily there was always someone there to help him out. He got to use tools he'd never heard of before--a vise, a dozuki saw and a bit brace! Once he completed the treasure hunt, he got a bag full of goodies from some of our favorite companies like Petit Collage, Hello Lucky, Bitte, Mapamundi Kids, and Plae. Lucas' favorite part was pulling that steam whistle at the end!

Safety first! Love that homemade first aid kit!

Lucas accidentally cut himself with the dozuki saw and owner Danny Montoya came to the rescue!

Find out about more events in the Bay Area like this one at Red Tricycle.

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Theo's Music Themed 3rd Birthday Party

I can't believe my little Theo turned 3! I still remember sending out his birth announcements, his 1st birthday flip book invitations and his 2nd birthday food-themed invitations. What a big boy he's become -- especially with his new haircut!

This year's theme was music. If you know Theo, you know he loves to eat, but did you also know he loves to sing, rap, dance and perform songs on his guitar? He even has a signature dance move that involves a super wide leg stance, one hand tapping to the beat on his hip and heel raises up and down. I can't stop laughing at, I mean with, him.

I'm also excited to announce that I will be a contributor to the awesome party blog Oh Happy Day! Theo's party is the first in a series of party DIY's I will be working on for them. I couldn't be more excited for what's to come! Many of the products I'll feature will be available in the Oh Happy Day Party Shop--a one stop, expertly curated shop for all your party needs. Scroll down to find links to three DIYs--the invitations, the party favors and the photobooth/props.

Check out the DIY post on Oh Happy Day for these custom invitations -- each with its own harmonica!

No Jackson kid birthday party would be complete without our traditional donut holes and custom cones!

Andrea of Bakin Bit outdid herself once again with the food this year. She made pulled chicken tacos, cilantro/lime rice, jicama slaw, heirloom tomato salsa, guacamole, two cheeses, black beans and sweet potatoes, and a roasted vegetables and summer squash salad with basil vinaigrette. DELICIOUS!

Theo taking it all in. The morning of the party he kept saying, "A birthday party for ME???" Too cute!

One of the biggest hits of the party was the snow cone machine with homemade syrups from Bakin Bit. Big thanks to our friends Nancy, Andrew and Eric for taking charge of the snow cone station! Big hugs and high fives all around!

The kids waited patiently in line to choose their flavors -- my favorite combo was mango + coconut + strawberry. And how cute is Jeanne and her girls Hayden and Hadley?!? (Jeanne, you're supposed to share with your kids!)

Love how Lucas is "reading" to his friends. And super cute that Wilder is wearing his "Go Wild" T-shirt from Lucas' 5th birthday party.

No music themed party would be complete without our favorite kids music duo Your Song My Song! Comprised of Theo's preschool teacher Eric and his talented girlfriend Jaime, they belt out the best kids and adults tunes and make it so much fun! Just look at Theo's rocker face! If you need some awesome entertainment for your kids party, you have to book them!

Since Theo's favorite color is yellow, I made a lemon birthday cake/cupcakes with lemon frosting and lemon curd in between the layers.

Check out the DIY post on Oh Happy Day for these party favors--handmade finger jingles for the little ones! Bigger kids got a small bag of lemon jelly beans.

Check out the DIY post on Oh Happy Day for our photobooth and props--super easy and fun!

Next big boy band right here, watch out! ;)

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SUPER SALE: Good on Paper Online Shop

I've made the decision to close up my online shop and focus on freelance projects. Everything in my shop is marked down like crazy--all cards are just $1--until it's all gone. Bulk and wholesale orders welcome as well! And just to be clear, I will still carry customizable holiday cards and some items, but all of the current stationery, totes and baby t-shirts are on super sale until they are gone. Please spread the word! Great gift items for the upcoming holidays for family, friends, teachers and stationery lovers.

Thanks for all of your support with my stationery line over the years!

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This and That Lately

Things have been pretty busy over here--the kids' school schedules and extracurricular activities as well as work have all bee keeping me on my toes. Here are just a few recent photos. More can be found on my Instagram feed.

1. Cactus centerpiece from Banchan Workshop #4 I shot this weekend (more pics to come).
2. Soccer Saturdays.
3. More Soccer Saturdays. Go Coyotes!
4. What little brothers do while big brothers play soccer on Saturdays.
5. Enjoying my short one on one time with Lucas at school pick ups before getting Theo.
6. And then this happens when we pick up Theo.
7. Frozen yogurt date with Lucas.
8. I love that Theo is my little helper in the kitchen. He's my little foodie in his mini apron!
9. A really good sushi restaurant close to our home. Lucas' favorite food is salmon sashimi.
10. Play date at the Rose Garden. Love that Lucas has made so many new friends in just a month.
11. Theo's hat is back! Fall must be here!
12. I styled a Halloween photo shoot for 100 Layer Cakelet and Whole Foods. Photo by the talented Michelle Drewes.
13. Made this granola again. So good.
14. My baby Pixel would have been 14 this month. I miss him so much and think about him every day.
15. Podcast interview for Jennifer Snyder's Creating Your Own Path series. Photo by Jennifer Snyder.

+ Photos taken with my iPhone 5
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Recipe: My Favorite Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes (gluten free)

One of my favorite things to make on the weekends pancakes. Theo loves sitting on the counter and helping with the measuring, pouring and mixing of all the ingredients. I've been using this recipe for years and the pancakes always come out perfectly fluffy and delicious. Lately, I've adapted the recipe to be gluten free--they're still fluffy but swapping out the white flour with whole grain brown rice flour makes them healthier (um, so I could eat more!). Did the same thing with my Cardamom Coffee Cake and Carrot Muffins. The key to keeping these from deflating is not over mixing the batter.

I love eating these with butter, maple syrup and fresh berries. I usually keep any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for a quick breakfast for the kids throughout the week.

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First Day of Kindergarten for Lucas

So Lucas started kindergarten this week. How can my little Lucas be in kindergarten already? Didn't he just turn 3? I seriously can't believe how quickly he has grown up -- my high energy, creative, sweet and thoughtful boy was ready for the next step. We absolutely love our preschool (if anyone needs a recommendation in the Berkeley area, let me know!) and I cried my eyes out when he graduated. But when I asked Lucas how he felt about going to kindergarten, he said, "I'm ready!"

On day one of kindergarten, emotions went from super excited to shy to so ready. The transition went smoothly and no tears were shed from either Lucas or us (surprisingly). Maybe they will come later, maybe not. But I'm just so proud of my little guy! And I'm so grateful to our preschool/teachers who really prepared him in every way for this next big step.

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Family Trip to Maui

Last week we went on our first family vacation to Maui since Lucas was nine months old and still crawling. We went with our good friends Brad and Nancy and their son Ben which made it extra fun. We even got to celebrate our 10-year anniversary with a nice dinner out just the two of us. I will say that that it was more of a trip rather than a vacation with the kids around. There were plenty of awesome moments -- the beautiful beaches and the pool with water slide, the delicious food (love the ahi poke!), hanging out in our condo, the Hawaiian shave ice, but I could have done without the whining about every little thing. :)

Here are some photos I took with my phone. This picture perfect beach was Napili Beach. It was gorgeous, but the waves and undertow were deceptively strong that day so we had to keep an extra eye out for the kiddos. I even had to "save" Lucas one time from a giant wave by grabbing the hook on his life jacket while holding Theo in my arm!

Scroll to the end to read about a few of my favorite spots.

Hawaiian shave ice and fish tacos! Yum!

We got to celebrate our 10-year anniversary with a nice dinner sans kids at the beautiful Merriman's. We look so tired but are so happy! We traded babysitting nights with Brad and Nancy :)

Happy Theo!

Mad Theo! Tantrums are no fun even in Maui! ;)

When in Hawaii, we had to do spam masubi and shave ice!

It rained on our last full day in Maui but we went out to the beach behind the condo when there was a break in the rain.

We had a bit of a nightmare flight home. After flying nearly two hours toward home, the pilot announces a problem with the hydraulic pump in the center of the plane and that we would have to fly back to the Honolulu airport where we hung out for an additional six hours. After a plane, crew, and pilot change, we were ready to board. We landed around 12:45 a.m. and with two half asleep kids, luggage and car seats, it was a challenge. Also, we had taken BART which closes at 12:30 a.m. so we took a cab back to the BART station. One more car seat change and we were finally headed back home and all in bed by 2:30 a.m. Phew!

Some of my favorite spots (thanks to our friend Tina and our friend John for the recommendations!):

Stayed at Honua Kai Resort and Spa in Maui - We made breakfast each day and lunch most days to save money and the hassle of getting the kids in and out of the car to go eat somewhere.

Ululanis for the best shave ice ever!

Star Noodle for delicious house made noodles and Asian food. We got take out there several times -- make sure to book a reservation if you want to eat at the restaurant.

Napili Beach - Really beautiful white sand beach that's family friendly though the day we went the waves were a bit bigger than usual. 

Kahekili Beach - We had the best time at this calmer beach located just behind the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas.

The Fish Market Maui - Delicious poke, fish tacos, crab cakes, and fresh fish

Merriman's - a beautiful beachside dining experience for a fancy night out

+ Family photo taken by Nancy Cho. All others taken by me with my iPhone 5.
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Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Pudding

The word "healthy" in this chocolate pudding recipe refers to a secret ingredient that you'd never guess -- avocado. I first learned about this recipe from Jennifer Tyler Lee of 52 New Foods at the Williams-Sonoma event I attended a while back. One taste and I was hooked! Luckily the recipe is in her book, The 52 New Foods Challenge, which I made one afternoon with the help of Lucas. Scroll down and you'll see Lucas' favorite part about making it!

Enjoy!

Yeah, I let Lucas do this.

And yeah, I let him do this too.

One tip I loved from Jennifer was not to hide any of the ingredients but let your kids make it with you and see everything that goes in it.

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Theo and the Temescal Alley Barbershop

A few weeks ago I took Theo to the Temescal Alley Barber Shop in Oakland to get his first real haircut -- aka not a bowl cut from Grandma. Remember when Lucas was a total champ getting his first barbershop haircut? Theo was still using a paci!

When we first arrived Theo seemed totally stoked on getting a haircut -- we talked about it in the car on the way there and he was excited. But when it was his turn, he started crying screaming that he did not want a haircut and refused to sit in the chair. The barber was so nice and tried everything but nothing worked. I stayed calm and told him we would take a break, get some donut holes (because they cure everything, right?) from Pizzaiolo next door and try again after that.

Miraculously, that little break (and maybe the donut holes too) did the trick and Theo was ready to get back in the chair, this time with a big smile.

Bowl cut be gone! Though I must say I secretly kind of miss it -- made him still look like my baby guy.

Look! It says Theo!

And then this happened -- Theo move a tiny bit and the clipper's buzzing sound got super loud for 2 seconds and scared him. Poor guy!

Signature Theo rocker face on the right.

He looks so grown up with his new haircut!

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Favorites: Ginger Caftan

When my friend Lisa told me about her latest business endeavor, Ginger Caftan, I was super excited for her (and her business partner Nan). I was excited to design her logo/branding and knew she would do amazing things. Several weeks ago she hosted a Ginger Caftan trunk show in her beautiful home. Complete with a signature ginger mocktail and delicious catered Mediterranean food, the trunk show was a hit and nearly every piece was sold out. So proud of my friend!

To be honest, when Lisa first told me about the caftan show, I didn't hesitate to say yes to attend the show for support -- but I am not a caftan person. I instantly thought I would look like Mrs. Roper in a mumu. But after seeing the fabrics (from vintage styles to bright patterns to neutral tones), the expertly designed details (like pockets!! I love pockets!) and the flattering and comfortable fit on all body types, I can now say I'm a caftan convert!

The next Ginger Caftan trunk show will be Friday, August 28th from 6 pm to 10 pm at Piper's Shoe Parlor in San Francisco. The new collection will include super soft linen, chambray, French beach stripes and a few fun retro prints in three sizes (S, M, L).

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