5 Simple Ways To Get More Out Of Life

By Real Zest | Published: December 15, 2011

The simplest path to living a life you love is to love the life you live. Here are 5 ways you can make your life more lovable this week. I wrote them just for you but it’s okay to share if you feel like it.

1. Be more selfish about your time

When you take time for yourself you recharge all the things that make you wonderful. When you’re all charged up and your best self, oh how easy it is to adore you!

To do starting this week: Schedule a weekly coffee date with yourself and a book. Then show up for the date!

2. Belittle more imperfections

If you’re like other fabulous people I know, you’re very, very good at belittling your (and other’s) finer points. Now what about the things that might feel like imperfections but are actually just things that set you (and others!) apart from the crowd? Make a point to belittle the things that deserve belittling. The paltry, annoying, meaningless idiocies we all encounter but spend too much time on. You know what I’m talking about. =)

To do starting now: Start replacing mean thoughts with better ones. It’s a bit like singing when your sad just to turn things around inside.

3. Be more present whenever possible

We love you, we need you, we adore you, we’d like to spend more time with you! But it doesn’t feel like you’re actually with us much of the time. You’ll get more out of conversations with IRL friends if you’re not checking on your digital posse quite so often.

To do starting this evening: Shut your smartphone down from 6-10pm and keep it in your purse whenever you’re eating. 

4. Be more available for friends

Real-life friends are a lot like Farmville in that you only gain points with lots of time and careful tending! If you make a point to add just a few more touches per week, you’ll see the love pour back in greater volume than you dished it out.

To do starting this week: Call three friends just to see how they’re doing and try very hard to just listen. 

5. Be more willing to say not right now

Saying no to people is never fun. It sucks to disappoint others, particularly when you really care about them. But we both know you’ll crash and burn and be of no use to anyone if you try to do too much. The solution? Say “not right now” and see if there’s any way you can say yes later in the day, week, or month. That way, you’re not saying no, you’re just rescheduling. Of course, much of the time people will decline but then they’re turning you down and now they’re the evil ones…

To do starting today: Say no to at least one thing each day. 

Do you have any additional points to add? Share this post with a friend and let them know what you’re doing each day to be more alive!

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Marcel The Shell With Shoes On 2

By Real Zest | Published: November 15, 2011

Need a laugh? Here’s the latest video of Marcel (The Shell With Shoes On). It takes a certain sense of humor to find Marcel amusing but if you find him funny, you’ll laugh quite a lot. If you haven’t seen the first one, I’ve included it below.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On 2

And, as promised, here’s the first Marcel video that flew around the web about a year ago.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Part 1

What video on Youtube has brightened your day lately? Have a wonderful day!

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Five Things I Know To Be True

By Real Zest | Published: November 14, 2011

Here’s a splendid guest post from Kathryn White.

1. Everyday life deserves champagne

Annie Dillard said: “How we spend our days is, of course, how spend we lives.” I’d like to point out that our days are made up of small moments, and when we let them slip by, we let our life slip by. Little things matter. A cup of coffee with cream, the right Pandora station on a rainy day, his arm resting snugly around your shoulder. These are the moments that color your story, the moments that can change the shape of a day if you let them. Celebrate the details around you – and watch how your world expands.

2. Everything looks better from a swing

The magic of a swing is motion — the back and forth, the climb and fall, the breeze sailing past your ears. It’s escaping from your world while you’re still in the middle of it. On a swing, you’re closer to the sky and closer to your childhood. And from there, all your problems, no matter how gloomy, look smaller. When I travel, I make it my goal to find a park in every new place and see it from a swing. I believe it’s truly impossible to swing without grinning. And that kind of joy should be captured often, no matter how grown up you are.

3. Good lighting makes all the difference

In photography and in real life, the right kind of light changes everything. Open your curtains wide in the morning. Go home tonight, slide off your heels, and turn on your lamps. Then look around you.

4. It’s okay to be sad

It’s okay to be sad for a month. It’s okay to be sad for a year. It’s okay to be sad for as long as you are. I’ve just come through a really difficult year, and I’ve learned that the best way to deal with grief is to accept it.  Because I am both an optimist and a people-pleaser, I’d wear a brave face when friends asked how I was doing. I’d deny where I was in hopes of skipping over all the messy paths of grief.  But here’s what I know: travel it now, or travel it later – either way this is one road you will have to walk.  From this side of the year, I can promise you that things get much brighter. They always do. (And look, you’ve gained lovely calf muscles from trudging down that road!)

5. Travel is worth all your pennies

Maybe not all your pennies. You should probably ensure that you’re fed and clothed and the rain stays off your head first. Then, go. I firmly believe that a plane ticket is a tonic like none other. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a plane ticket. Jump in your car, roll down the windows. Just go somewhere. Travel is an education – about the world, and about yourself. When you’re in a new place, somehow you can see better just how you fit into the place you came from.

Ed. What’s something you know to be true?

Image of Kat leading by example, Chelsea Riley

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The Kitchen: Knives Made by Hand

By Real Zest | Published: November 12, 2011

If you love cooking we’re certain you’ll love this story behind the gorgeous handmade knives from Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn.

Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo.

My earliest memory of a kitchen knife was the one my father used to cut watermelons during the summer. Its blade was darkened with age and its wood handle ridged from years in a drawer with other knives.

Is there a kitchen tool you remember from childhood? It’d be great to read your story.

Make something beautiful today.

Seth

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Where The Red Potato Leads

By Real Zest | Published: November 6, 2011

Are you afraid of cooking? I thought there was blood in the mashed potatoes the first time I ate red potatoes. I’d been cautioned before, while peeling potatoes, that if I wasn’t careful I’d cut myself and we’d have to eat bloody mashed potatoes. Bloody mashed potatoes. That’s an awful way to start a post about kitchen adventures but there it is. Seth here. Let’s talk red potatoes. Well, red-skinned potatoes, at least.

My encounter with what I thought was bloody mashed potatoes as a child is just one of my early memories of encountering food in a new way. I was raised in a household that valued individualism and, in particular, the ability to fend for oneself. Trying new things and not complaining about them if they weren’t preferred was another part of the mix that brings me to where I am right now.

I am not afraid to make $5 mistakes in the kitchen.

I wish that weren’t a remarkable statement. But the more people I meet the more I realize how few of us are actually comfortable walking into a kitchen and just whipping something together. Technology allows us to have even baking temperatures, super-hot cooktops, and access to millions of recipes. But instead of using all those capabilities as a springboard to try new things, many of the people I know have a culinary repertoire of 20 or fewer dishes!

Expanding fearlessness in the kitchen is where the red potato (and this narrative, cough) leads. The next time you’re at Trader Joe’s stocking up on heat-and-serve dishes, snag a bag of small potatoes. It’s a little harder to get the red ones now in some places so get some white ones if you must. Just make sure the potatoes are very much on the smallish side. That way their skin will be thin and you can get away with only slicing them once and not have to peel them.

Once you get your potatoes home, wash them thoroughly and place the five smallest potatoes in a pot that’s large enough for twice as many potatoes as you have in total. Take the remaining potatoes and slice them into halves or thirds as-needed so they are similar in mass to the smallest potatoes already in the pot. Put them into the pot as you slice them. Once all the potatoes are in the pot, fill the pot with cool water until it covers the potatoes by an inch. Add a pinch of salt. Place over medium heat, cover, and wait 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes, take a fork and if the potato splits away from the fork as you insert it, the potato is done. A second method is to remove a piece of potato from the boiling water, set it on a plate, and slice in half. If all but the very center of the potato is bright white, you’re probably good to go. The larger the dark shiny portion in the middle of the potato, the longer the potatoes need to stay on the stove.

You’re probably wondering, “Dude, if I follow all your directions I end up with some boiled potatoes. What’s the point of that?!” I can obviously read your mind which is pretty cool but not the answer you were hoping for. Here’s that answer: A bowl of perfectly-boiled small potatoes is a canvas upon which you can make inexpensive mistakes on your way to taking big risks and serving up a masterpiece.

The red potato is just the beginning.

If you can boil potatoes perfectly, you can make unbelievable hot or cold potato salads just by adding a savory sauce and some vegetables. If you can boil potatoes perfectly, you’re one step closer to being one of the few people I know who will try just about anything in the kitchen.

It’s simple. It’s easy to try. You are loved and appreciated. Go forth and cook!

Stay blessed,

Seth

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Two Minute Ciabatta Bread

By Real Zest | Published: September 19, 2011

How can I explain ciabatta to you? Perhaps as love. Ciabatta is not the first kiss shivers of a baguette fresh from a Paris bakery. Nor is it the familiar lovemaking of spicy pumpkin bread and brown butter. Ciabatta is the crisp and easy delight of a hug between friends glad to see each other. You’ll know what I mean when you learn what it takes to make a loaf. The ingredients are simple. The effort is almost laughable. I’m not kidding about the two minutes of prep time. It might take you even less.

4 cups unbleached bread flour
2 and 3/4 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons white or yellow corn meal
Oil for dipping or fresh butter and maple syrup (um, yes please!)

400F oven, 25-30mins, serves 4 unless they’re bored or eating their emotions, in which case just two. Have a 6 quart bowl, large cookie sheet, clean kitchen towel, and rubber spatula handy.

If you have a big mixing bowl, perhaps a big pink one like I have, you’ll be off to a good start. Toss the dry ingredients into said bowl and give them a good stir. If you’re worried that your yeast might not be up to snuff, toss a bit in some warm water with a dash of sugar and see if it bubbles up after a few minutes. Bubbles mean you’re good to go.

Add 2 cups of the water and the oil. If you’re using all-purpose flour, that might be enough water. Bread flour will definitely take more. You want the consistency to be too heavy to be a proper batter and too wet to be a dough. Add more water as-needed. Take a moment to put some flour on your apron. It’s a sign of effort in the kitchen, you see.

Once your almost dough but not batter is ready, cover the bowl with a cloth and set it in a quiet spot. You should abandon your ciabatta in favor of adventures or sleep (a real crowd pleaser) for at least 6 hours and up to 18. Make it tonight and bake it for dinner tomorrow. See why I didn’t say ciabatta was like romantic love? Quite low-maintenance, these slipper-shaped loaves!

When you’re ready, ask your housekeeper to fire up the oven to 400F degrees and sneak up on your bowl of sleeping ciabatta. Whip the cloth off and inspect the batter. It will have doubled in size and be a bit bubbly. The corn meal you were wondering what to do with comes into play now. Sprinkle it evenly onto your cookie sheet. Now you’re ready.

Grab a large spoon or rubber spatula, (my father calls them “spatulahrs”) and gently help the batter onto the corn meal’ed sheet. Pour it slowly and move from one end of the sheet to the other so you get a nice oblong shape like the one pictured.

Place your work of art into the hot oven, shut the door, and distract yourself with something lovely like a book of poems and raspberries. The dishes in the sink have no right to interrupt this moment for you! I was going to add a photo of the raspberries I ate while waiting for the ciabatta to bake but realized that would be off topic.Take a few minutes to rustle up a hot mitt or two and once 20 minutes have passed, check on the bread. If it looks like this, it’s done. The crust will be firm and there’ll be a nice toasty look to things.

If you don’t let the loaf rest for 5-10 minutes after leaving the oven, the splendid air pockets will collapse a bit. That’s what happened to the loaf I made for this post. Nobody really seemed to care though. Fresh butter and maple syrup have that effect!

You can like, tweet, or stumble this post so your friends don’t miss it. You’re so pretty!

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Giveaway: I Like Big Books And I Cannot Lie

By Real Zest | Published: September 16, 2011

This made us laugh. Puns are quite a bit of fun, especially unexpected ones!

You can skip to the bottom of this post if you just want to find out how you can win this hilarious, well-made book bag and a $25 Amazon gift card to spend on reading materials.

Unlike aquariums, zoos, candy stores and race cars, books have retained their ability to amaze. If you’ve met my parents you won’t be surprised that they had rules about reading, too.

  1. Never waste time with a trashy book.
  2. Books are your friends, treat them well.
  3. Never lose your love for reading, it’s a lifeline.

Obviously, those are some smart rules and it’s hard to argue against the results. They ended up with a family that loves books. Big books. Little books. E-books. Flipbooks. Even books we intend to write but have trouble putting onto paper.

Thus ends the lesson and begins the fun!

If you’d like to win the hilarious book bag pictured above and a $25 Amazon gift card to stock it with, here’s how to enter:

Zane Aveton is the winner of this week’s giveaway. Her favorite kids book is All About Me by Dr. Seuss.

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5 Can’t-Miss Ideas for Kid-Friendly Summer Fun

By Lisa Ahn | Published: June 21, 2011

The big yellow bus just dropped the kids off for the last time until September, and you catch yourself thinking, Now what?

After all, summer vacation means more than SPF 50, water bottles, and beach towels. Sooner or later, most parents start to wonder, What next? What will I do to keep these kids entertained and preserve my sanity for. . . how many more weeks?
Whether you’re relishing the days without lunchboxes and bus schedules or anxiously awaiting their return, here are five easy ideas to keep the fun in summer vacation.

1. Camp Kicks

Check out your local YMCA or community college for inexpensive half-day or full-day camps. Last year, our seven year-old spent two weeks at Theater Bugs and fell in love with drama. This year, her younger sister will try out creative movement at a local dance studio. Gymnastics and soccer camps have also been family favorites. Our “future” list includes a Farm Camp run through Heifer International, and nature camps at the Audubon society. Summer vacation can be the perfect time to try out a new activity without a big commitment of time or money.

2. Culture snacks

Plan a day trip to a museum that you just can’t squeeze into the normal shuffle of school, karate, and piano lessons. Children’s museums and science museums are usually sure-fire hits, especially ones with plenty of hands-on activities. Art museums are becoming increasingly kid-friendly as well. At the MFA in Boston, kids can choose puzzles, games, and activities to guide their exploration of the collections. Check out the webpage of your nearest art museum to see what they offer. If the pickings are slim, create your own art kit with a pad of paper, some colored pencils, and a target to seek and explore: dogs or dragons, cats or kites. It’s quick, easy, and they won’t even notice they’re learning.

3. Mind Games

The backpacks are put away, the schoolwork is filed, and pencils are tucked in drawers. It’s the end of learning for two more months, right? Not if you take a creative approach to stretching summer vacation minds. Give kids an inexpensive blank journal and ask them to write or draw in it once a week, or even once a day. A regular period of reflection provides some structure to the haze of summer while also reinforcing creativity, writing, and composition. Math puzzles, riddles, Mad Libs, Sudoku, board games, and logic puzzles are other great ways to keep young – and old – minds active and engaged. Keep academics in focus with short, varied activities that incorporate learning with simple, unplugged fun.

4. Messy Art

Summer is the time to drag out those art projects that make you cringe in anticipation of clean up. Set out some paint, brushes, and big sheets of paper, knowing that you can hose everything (and everyone) down later. Give the kids a bucket of sidewalk chalk and have them create lanes and imaginary obstacles for scooters and bikes. Get a tie-dye kit and go crazy with some cotton. Then, when you’re ready to clean, hand the kids a bucket of water and a few large, old paintbrushes and let them “paint” with water. Hey, that might even be a way to get the dirt off the sides of the shed . . .

5. Nature explorations

There’s nothing better in the lazy summer months than giving kids some unstructured time in nature. We belong to a local lake club rife with tadpoles, dragonflies, toads, fish, and an occasional snake. (We won’t talk about the beaver who wandered into the swimming area. He was a little too big.) Set your child free in a patch of wilderness and he or she will create the wonder of discovery.  Local ecosystems can range from a nearby river, lake, or stream, to a community garden or even a balcony container garden if there’s enough dirt and time for inventive exploration.

Take a walk in the woods together, just watching and listening. You’ll always discover something new. If you want more focus to your adventure, try geocaching or berry picking. Check out your local nature center for programs or guided walks. Join a CSA where they welcome volunteer labor and you’ll combine time in the great outdoors with a bag of produce for dinner. Take a ride on a rail-trail or regular bike path, with stops along the way.

Whether you’d prefer to sit back and let the kids create their own experience or provide some structure, there’s plenty of nature to fit the bill. If city pavements seem to have your beaten, create an indoor terrarium, a bug house, or butterfly pavilion. Follow the advice of Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods and seek out the border regions, the edges of a landscaped space for the most interesting adventures.

Sooner than June can imagine, the yellow bus will be flashing to a stop and those new shoes and sharpened pencils will be waving goodbye from the steps. Summer days have a strange way of lingering as they race on by, moving like molasses but in time-warp leaps. They’re here; they’re gone. While you’re in the middle, the hazy-lazy core of it, catch your kids as they race home from camp or the garden or an art exhibit with a new idea, a new world to invent or explore, a new challenge to fuel them, and you, through the longest, most glorious days of summer.

Want other perspectives on summer fun with kids? Check out these posts:

What about you? How does your family surf the hottest days and emerge refreshed? What are your summer survival strategies?

Images: shootimages, sharkbait

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10 True Beauty Tips From Audrey Hepburn

By Contributor | Published: June 19, 2011

Here are a few true beauty tips from the inexhaustibly splendid Audrey Hepburn. At least, a bunch of people said they were her words until facts proved otherwise. Consider everything from this point forward her words as discovered around the web but, it turns out, gleaned from others who likely stole them from somebody else. Enjoy!

  1. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
  2. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
  3. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
  4. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
  5. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
  6. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
  7. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms.
  8. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
  9. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.
  10. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

— Audrey Hepburn via the world

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