Riot and Frolic

Sinus Buster

April 10, 2013

It's not often that I do product placement [LIES! ALL LIES! I do it all the time. Here. Here. Here. And here.], but sometimes I feel really passionate about a particular doodad and have to share it with you.

Sinus Buster, people.

Made with the same stuff that sends ne'er-do-wells running and crying from a shot of pepper spray (capsaicin, y'all), Sinus Buster clears out your sinuses homeopathically.

My friend recommended it to me after I had been complaining about my month-long feeling-under-the-weather-ness. I had mentioned how it seemed mostly sinus related, with a lot of headaches and stuffiness and drippiness and Kleenex and mucus and coughing and yuck.

She built up the immediate effects of the product – I mean, one does end up spraying pepper spray (more or less) directly into one's face. Stinging, burning, eyes watering. Yikes.

But I was desparate.

I've never been so excited and scared to use a product. With trepidation, I depressed and inhaled. Yes, a little stinging, but not unpleasant, really. If it burns, you know it's working, right?

Two days later, and about 6 squirts total of the goods, I'm free! Whatever it was that had a grip on me for the better part of 2013 got it's ass handed to it by Sinus Buster.

Thank you, Sinus Buster!

What products can't you live without? Do you do unpaid programming also?

One year ago: The Garden of Good.
The Garden of Good (and Barely Any Evil) : 2013

April 9, 2013

It's spring, technically, so in spite of the looming snowstorm, I'm planning my garden.

It's totally a mental preparation at this point: taking stock of what vegetable the ladies mention liking/actually eating, checking out Pinterest gardening boards, admiring seed displays in the stores, etc.

More tomatoes (that fruit at different times), more flowers, more snap peas, less pumpkins, was the zucchini worth it, will my herbs actually grow this year, maybe I'll get those pavers for between the beds…

Do you have a garden? What are you growing? Have you started seeds already? Do you buy plants instead? Is it okay that I'm excited about canning already?

One year ago: LLLL.
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

April 8, 2013

– inflammatory speech is the only way to get press. The olde "Why I Hate Dancing With The Stars" article was shared over 20 times via Facebook and Twitter and started epic comment threads. People either wanted to agree whole-heartedly or think I was an ungrateful idiot. (I really didn't care either way; I totally agreed with myself on the article.) When I wrote the opposing side "Why I Love Dancing With the Stars", I wasn't being wishy-washy, I just see it differently from a good-for-the-industry way (versus the first stated opinion of not-so-good-for-teaching way). But not a peep from the social media spectrum. I see how it is.

– next post: Why I Hate Puppies

– V does portraits.

that's me

– you know what is not a great idea? Spring cleaning right before hosting a dinner party. On second thought: maybe it is. I got A LOT done in an hour and 45 minutes.

– completely jealous of the toddlers' outfits.

peplum! lace bottomed leggings! color combos!

– made the most awesome granola (recipe here) , paired it with cookie dough yogurt (recipe here), and had a surprisingly healthy and filling meal that satisfied my sweet tooth.

crunch crunch yum

– you know what's adorable? Your baby talking. Zoo's word is "happy". She says it over and over in her tiny midget voice and it is killer. *melt*

– joined my folks for an early unbirthday party for Mae Cake where she played against type and grabbed the carrot cake cupcake, instead of the hot pink or pretty pink ones. Mae Cake : defying expectations since 2010

of course she wants the carrot one

who would want a cupcake named paris hilton?

– the cupcakes are from Cupcake and I HIGHLY recommend them. Wow. Like… Wow. Their chocolate frosting? Tastes like chocolate. Not sugar. Same with every flavor. I had a coconut one that was like a Twinkie and a Snowball put together… except delicious. Coconut, marshmallow, lemon, vanilla, amazing.

– the office is open for business. Our uninsulated, drafty room that will eventually be our home office is now warm enough for the ladies' toys and a decent place for them to play on their trampoline and bounce on the sectional couch.

– Martin Freeman. Watson. Hobbit. Tim. TIM FROM THE OFFICE. I knew I recognized him from something else. TIM.

You have to love him.
Sunday Special: Free

April 7, 2013

My first eBay purchase ever came in the mail this week. It was a $175 DKNY cotton/silk skirt (WITH POCKETS) that I bought for $5.

Bam.

I love it so much, I even ironed it. It's supremely comfortable, has HUGE POCKETS, and is black, so duh, it's perfect.

And eBay? Dear Lord. That's a slippery slope. I'm not even going to link to it, for fear of accessory. (No, not for fear of necklaces and bracelets and such, because I've already bought plenty of those, but for fear of accessory, like I'll be an accessory to your massive online shopping and you'll blame your credit card balance on me.)

And my blazer… thingy? THRIFT SHOP. It's merely a Target find, but I loved it when it was at Target a year or two ago, and then I found it at the THRIFT SHOP.

Bam.

And the shoes? I bought them with a gift card that I got from one of my awesome students about 5 years ago.

The hat? 60% off at Charming Charlie. $6.

Yes, I paid more for my hat then I did for my skirt.

Grand total?

$18.

BAM!
Why I Love Dancing With The Stars

April 5, 2013
Lest you thought I had LOST MY MIND last week, I'm here to assure that I have not. Like I attested in my post "Why I Hate Dancing With The Stars", I do believe the show has done many good things for the industry of ballroom dancing (as well as made some aspects of teaching more… challenging).

Here's why I love "Dancing With The Stars":
- Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, plus ALL OTHER PROFESSIONAL MALE ATHLETES WHO WERE GOOD. Men. Dancing. MEN. DANCING.
1. These are dudes. Men with a capital M who are Athletes with a capital A in the most popular professional sport in America (yes, football has surpassed baseball). And they are Men who are Athletes who Dominated Football. They are Men that other Men admire. They are Men who set a great example.
2. They brought their attitude toward learning and being coached and performing to the dance floor. 100%. All the time.
3. They were awesome. Emmitt, who was a badass on the field, bought his big-ass smile and shimmy and rocked out a trophy ball. Jerry Rice came in 2nd (and beat a girl).
- Tony Dovolani. Tony is a consummate professional: performing actual basic movements and not getting caught in tawdry love affairs (thank God, since his wife is beautiful and he has 3 kids). His choreography is recognizable and appropriate for his students. Mwah!
- Pop music in the ballroom. While not all the DWTS choices are stellar (any Paso, ever), bringing ballroom to Top 40 is a huge plus. The common misconception for years was ballroom dancing is just Frank Sinatra, with a little Herb Alpert thrown in. AKA, old school. Knowing you can dance Cha Cha and Swing to a Pussycat Dolls song or Waltz to the Twilight soundtrack or Rumba to the new Pink song means it's not your grandmother's dance and a new generation can dance to music they love.
- Popularity. Duh. 20 million people watching THE BEST SPORT IN THE WORLD. The entire nation knows about ballroom dancing. It's fun, flashy, and aerobic. It's hot, pretty, romantic, hypnotic. It's getting exercise surrounded by an entirely good-looking and awesome group of people to music that you enjoy. OKAY.
- In the realm of mindless television, it's a reality show where learning and hard work pay off.
- DWTS has given every charity the easiest theme ever to sell. In every major market, there's a local "Dancing With The Stars" event. And who doesn't want to see celebrities (locally or nationally) be awesome or terrible?
- 2 minute dances. Those couples get 2 minutes to wow us with their Showdance. I think most pro-am solos would be wise to do the same.
- On a totally selfish note, when I started teaching, there were always a few men at competitions. Not a "few men" in each heat. Like, a "few men", TOTAL, competing at the competition. After the boys of DWTS threw down, the number of amateur men skyrocketed. More people (man or woman) wanting to take dance lessons? Thank you!
Yeah, teaching people with great expectations is difficult, but if "Dancing With The Stars" brings more people to the ballroom, I'm in.

Everyone loves Derek Hough. Derek Hough loves the nation's #2 sport.

One year ago: Got To Be Startin' Something.
I’m So Proud of Myself

April 4, 2013

I followed a pattern.

Well, 90% of the pattern.

And it turned out so well that I'm going to do the pattern AGAIN. And again and again and again.

Dana, over at Made, has a GREAT tutorial on how to make a girl's dress out of a man's shirt. And while going through our Goodwill pile, I snatched a couple of The G's old ones and decided to upcycle.

With very similar construction to the Halloween dresses, Mae Cake is calling it her "Halloween dress" (or could it be that the only dresses I've sewn for them have been the Halloween ones?… Yes, it's that one). It took maybe an hour or two AND I EVEN PRESSED SEAMS.

Stop it.

I know.

But I won't.

Here's the pics:

it's not really crooked, but check out my shoes!

accent fabric!

The accent fabric was leftover from my bored boards projects and it made the dress rock. Can you see where I took the pocket off? The answer is "yes".

mae cake approved

she tells me she is rapunzel, and therefore doesn't wear shoes

I ALSO upcycled V's FAVORITE SHIRT IN THE WORLD, which was of course princess-themed. It was getting rather short and as cute as I think her little belly is, midriffs on toddlers are WRONG (take that, Honey Boo Boo).

I came across some tulle at the thirft store the other day, so I decided to add a couple layers of skirt to her tank top.

SCORE!

princess cinderella, surrounded by easter shenanigans

princess dress #75 of their collection

MOTHER OF THE FRICKING YEAR!

One year ago: I Love Spring. Duh. Who doesn't.
Easter Candy

April 2, 2013

Our house has become a veritable Candyland after the holiday weekend.

G is the jolly king?

I'm not complaining.

I freaking love Easter candy. Way more than Christmas candy (candy canes? no.), or just regular ol' everyday candy.

First of all, there's Cadbury.

CADBURY!

Mini eggs.

if we lived in england, we would have fancier packaging AND different colors!

CREME F-ING EGGS!

My love for the creme egg was a bit legendary at my old job. The day these babies hit the gas station candy aisle, I'd find one in my locker and lo and behold, that was my harbinger of spring.

"only around to release their goo" from january to april. twss?

Did you know creme eggs come in a "mini" size now?! But don't confuse them with the actual Mini Eggs!

ridiculous and fun-sized

Robin's Eggs? Otherwise known as chocolate covered malted milk balls, but EVEN BETTER because they have a CANDY SHELL! (Which then makes me wonder why M&Ms have never ventured into the malted territory. I mean, they have peanut, peanut butter, coconut, pretzel, almond…) LOVE!

my parents still buy these for me

Jelly beans? Well, hold on, on that one. Regular jelly beans? Kind of gross. They taste like Kool-aid, in a bad way. But STARBURST JELLY BEANS! OKAY!

What's your favorite candy? Is it available all year, or do you have to wait for it? Do you like Peeps? I mean, really, what's your stand on Peeps?

parkour!

One year ago: LLLL.
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

April 1, 2013

– extended bedtimes for the little ladies, to accomodate my ever-expanding work schedule. I thought I was a stay-at-home mom? NAY, says the dancing population of the Twin Cities. Okay, fine, I'll teach everybody.

– cursing the little ladies (in my head) for not being asleep already as I'm writing this, but oh… [see above]

– new music! Have you heard of Macklemore? I'm pretty much in love with every song I've heard of his and currently bump this one AMAP (as much as possible).

– made boatmeal that is too sweet. Whaaaa? I had some leftover white chocolate chips from these brownies, so I threw those in with some shredded coconut. But white chocolate chips are made from ???. Not anything resembling chocolate. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, some more oil, artificial flavoring, and death. So, I guess I'll read the label the next time I buy an innocuous baking ingredient.

– my fashionista aunt called me a fashionista. I swooned.

– made some dresses for the little ladies for Easter. And they turned out. And I love them.

– yes, yes, pictures are forthcoming of their Official Easter Outfits and the "Halloween dresses" that I made (apparently any dress that I sew is a Halloween dress, according to Mae Cake).

Yeeeeeah. It was a slow week. But I'm back on Facebook, so that's exciting.

How was your week?
Sunday Special – On Monday, but actually Saturday

April 1, 2013
EASTER! I was pondering why Christmas gets so much more play than Easter, because really, without Easter, a LOT of the world wouldn't label themselves what they are. Plus, on the non-secular side, it's Spring and an Equinox and not winter.

Ponder amongst yourselves.

Anyhow, "what I wore Sunday" is actually what I wore Saturday night, to the Holy Saturday shindig. If you think I got pictures at 2am in between arriving home and filling Easter baskets, you are sorely mistaken. I threw on all the same clothes today and took a couple shots.

I chose this amazing photo because of the nice juxtaposition of the "done" part of our kitchen versus the "undone" part. And I like that my recent grocery purchases photo-bombed me. Plus, I'm looking at the hole that I punched through the knot in the wood floor with my high heel and hiding the fact that I'm not exactly fresh-faced today.

I was trying to find the best lighting to capture the color in my shirt, so I'm on the porch here. I'm a bit obsessed with the colors in it.

Clothing deets:
- blouse & tights: Target - the shirt is there now
- blazer: Forever 21
- flower pin & shoes: H&M
- skirt: thrifted, a million years ago
People have started to notice I wear this color A LOT. I call it Hot Coral.

How was your Easter/weekend?

Linking up with Plane Pretty and Fine Linen and Purple.
Why I Hate Dancing With The Stars

March 29, 2013
While Dancing With The Stars has bought unprecedented exposure to ballroom dancing, I must argue that it sucks for the industry. In the land of trying to set realistic expectations for students, Hollywood has put the glitter in everyone's eyes.

Here's why:
- I have had several students lament that they're not as good as [Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Donnie Osmond]. Well, no.
1. Most students fail to see that the measuring stick that DWTS holds up to regular amateurs is not equal. Celebrities on the show are celebrities; aka, very very wealthy, often elite athletes, and seasoned performers. Not the usual qualities for a 50 year old computer engineer.
2. These celebs devote 20-40 hours PER WEEK preparing for the show. An average of 30 hours for four weeks DOING ONE ROUTINE. For most people, that's at least a year of lessons. By the time you get down to the final, most of the celebrities have logged as many hours as most students will log in their entire career.
3. Most regular students don't have something on the line, like their pride and being watched by millions on national television. You bet your bippy you'd be kicking your ass into gear if 20 million people were watching you.
- DWTS stars learn a routine. They don't learn to dance. I'm sure if you asked Apolo Anton Ohno to dance a waltz with you, he'd have no idea what to do. Same thing if you tried to lead Shawn Johnson in a swing. The TV people learn choreography, not lead and follow.
- Dancing for a television audience and doing an actual dancesport competition? Very different. On DWTS, most of the time one couple gets the floor to themselves to showcase their awesomeness (or lack thereof). At the United States Dancesport Championships, there are 30 couples on the floor just trying to get the judges to notice their awesomesauce.
- Now people "know" about ballroom dancing. No, people know. Like, you ask avid watchers why Melissa Rycroft beat Shawn Johnson and you are sure to get a slew of opinions. On one hand, it's pretty easy to recognize good dancing, even if you don't know why it's good. On the other hand, many people think they know what good dancing is because of who wins on the show. Eh, not so much.
- As good as many of the final routines are, those folks on the telly have also not learned any technique. They might have learned where to step with a heel versus a toe, but the "why" is not important for them. They have manufactured an effect with no actual production. The nuances of leg rise and foot rise, extension and turnout, latin motion and shaping come from practice practice practice and a good amount of sustained education.
My dear DWTS fans, don't be intimidated by those suckers on t.v. Under the same circumstances, I'm sure you would be just as good as Jason Taylor or Stacy Kiebler. If DWTS makes you feel bad, turn off the tube or reevaluate what you're doing with your dancing. Maybe you should do a Showdance routine. Or maybe you should just practice your latin motion while watching the show.

Win!

One year ago: On Running With Mediocrity

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