Awesome Things: #2 (Gelatin Flowers)

I was both honored and humbled to be able to attend one of the Las Comadres comadrazos this past weekend. These Las Comadres events bring professional Latina women from all over the country to meet, make connections, and bond.

One of my favorite parts (other than the panels) is the exhibitor tables that are set up all around the main conference floor room. There were so many hispanic- and woman- run businesses to see, and most of them were completely new to me.

I was completely surprised by the table for Gelatin Flowers. Gelatin Flowers is, well, exactly what it sounds like: This company makes adorable, edible flowers in convenient little containers. I never thought I'd use the words "delicate" and "gelatin" in the same sentence, but just look at what they can create with what is essentially jello:

Beautiful. I graduate with my Master's this May, and I've been trying to think of something cute and summery to give as a parting gift for my guests. These gelatin flowers seem kind of perfect for the occasion:

*Sigh* Okay, enough time staring at tasty treats - I have classwork to complete if I'm actually going to make it out of school!

Where Monsters Go When You Grow Up Giveaway (TWO WINNERS!)

As an (aspiring) English teacher, I recognize the importance of reading to a child's development. And not just reading alone - reading together with adults is not only a great way for the adults to model good reading skills, it's also a wonderful way for children and family to bond.

Enter Where Monsters Go When You Grow Up! This book, written and illustrated by a father of two from Austin, TX, is designed specifically for adults and children to read together.

The story centers on a little girl,

the monsters in her closet,

and Daddy, who always comes in to save the night ("because everybody knows monsters are afraid of parents!").

Where Monsters Go When You Grow Up is not only a loving look at a parent who addresses his child's fears in a kind and humorous way, it is also a story of life and growing up: What does happen to those monsters in the closet when a child stops believing in them? What happens to Daddy when his little girl doesn't need him to save her from the big, bad monsters anymore?

I'm not going to lie; I tear up just a little every time I read this book, and I don't even have children yet. But, as Reading Rainbow said, don't take my word for it - here are some of the reviews from amazon.com:

As long as kids continue to have imaginations, monsters will always be with us. But just because we might know they're creatures of the imagination, does not mean that we should ignore the fears of our children who "know" they're real. This book shares one father's very loving way of dealing with those "pesky" monsters, while at the same time validating his child's beliefs and fears.

My wife and I just finished reading this children's book and intend to read it to our little grandchildren. In a very tender and sensitive way, Mr. Dorchak has handled children's irrational but very real fears of "monsters in the closet." Through this wonderfully crafted story, we see a parent not ridicule his child's irrational fears, but lovingly meet the child at her own level of understanding and deliver her safely from "the monsters." For every parent with a child who fears those "monsters" in the dark, this book offers a solution because everybody knows monsters are afraid of parents.

Where Monsters Go is a really cool book. It's great to see a children's book that is done specifically for parents to read to and with their kids! This is a fun, touching story with really cute drawings. The words chosen and ideas presented encourage conversations between parents and their kids. I especially loved the fact that it allows the parent to be the hero in their child's world - that is priceless.

The Giveaway

Greg is giving away two autographed copies of Where Monsters Go When You Grow Up to one of my readers! I just know you're going to love it, so I've included lots of options for you to earn entries! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and remember that you can tweet twice per day (there are two different sets of text) for bonus entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For a Happy Face

I love, love, love getting free samples! I judge companies based on the presentation (please don't just send me a sample in a cheap envelope; that looks unprofessional) and the content (you know what's cool? Including a coupon) of the freebies they send out to their current/potential customers.

A packet of samples arrived from Mario Badescu today, and I have to say that they passed with flying colors! I had filled out the MB questionnaire - not even that long ago! - on my skin type and issues, and the company sent me a bunch of recommended products for my skin type. The set even came with a list of every item and detailed instructions for use.

At first glance, the samples seemed awfully tiny. I remember thinking, "how is there even enough here for me to try everything once??" Now that I've used them, though, I see that there's actually enough for me to try each sample for about a week! How cool is that?

Roommate S and I decided to do our skin care routine together tonight so we could sit around and sip wine in our face masks. Here is my Mario Badsecu routine:

The Enzyme Cleaning Gel, which was nice and light and made my skin feel very clean.

The Cucumber Cleansing Lotion, which didn't sting like I expect most astringents to.

Followed by a 20-minute wine break for the Drying Mask to set. The mask smelled really strange, but my skin looked amazing when I rinsed it off!

Finally, I wrapped up by applying the Hyaluronic Eye Cream, which I was pleased to note you need very little of for one application.

Result: I like these products! My skin feels great, and my only real complains is the smell of the Drying Mask. I can't wait to do the morning routine they recommend tomorrow!