Halloween Hootenany at Berkeley Plaza

We are at the Berkeley Plaza on Shattuck street near Allston in Berkeley, CA.  We are at the Hootenany, with a Bluegrass band.

Tables and chairs were provided.  We had sandwiches from Paris Baguette in the Plaza.  Our friends had Chipotle which is across the street.

Recommended old fashioned barber in Oakland, CA

I recommend Dax Lee’s Barber and Apothecary in Oakland, CA.  I took my son there today for a haircut.  I like the wood floors, American flag perched proudly in the back wall, and old fashioned barber chairs.

I highly recommend Erin!  She is skilled in long, short, straight, and wavy cuts!

Yesterday, when I stopped by to make the appointment, I picked up some hair oil and conditioner from O’Doud’s Apothecary.

Odoud’s Apothecary
Conditioner
98 Moore Street Ste. 1
Brooklyn, NY. 11206
832-795-7526

Dax lee’s Barber & Apothecary
DAXLEES.com
1707 Webster Street
Oakland, ca.

Recommended post-partum products and gifts- Earth Mama

I love the earth mama products for pregnant and new bungalow mamas.   Earth Mama makes great gifts too!

Earth Mama

No Petroleum, Parabens, or artificial fragrance

Earth Mama Angel Baby LLC
9866 S E Empire Ct.
Clackamas, OR
97105
USA
503-607-0607
EarthMama.com
Babylosscomfort.com

Halloween Parade on College Avenue in Oakland, CA

Today was the Halloween Parade and trick or treating  on College Avenue in Rockridge, CA.  This is an annual tradition for the Rockridge community, and my son has been doing the parade since he was a baby.

Get Down With Detroit

Motown, the Motor City, the D. With its history and culture and great places to hang, this happening hot spot can’t have just one name!

The Inn at 97 Winder

With accents like marble fireplaces and ornate chandeliers, the 10 rooms of this converted 1887 mansion- a throwback to Detroit's earlier heyday- radiate glamour. theinnat97winder.com _______________________________________________________________ Baker's Keyboard Lounge theofficialbakerskeyboardlounge.com Pair a night of top-rate traveling acts and local talent with soul soothing food (smothered pork chops, saucy barbecue ribs) at the city's oldest mass cluh, an intimate 84 year old joint just off of Eight Mile. _______________________________________________________________ Takoi takoidetroit.com Originally a food truck in the shadow of Detroit's iconic Michigan Central railroad station, this energetic Thai eatery rose to cult status, thanks to impeccable eats inspired by the markets of Southeast Asia. Don't miss the kitchen's standout Khao soi (curry and coconut noodles.) _______________________________________________________________ Lady of the House ladyofthehousedetroit.com Detroit native Kate Williams is putting this former pub on the map with unexpected dishes, starring regional purveyors and locally sourced produce. A not-so-subtle nod to female power. Your drink may arrive in a goddess stemmed goblet. _______________________________________________________________ Eastern Market eastern market.org Everything delicious about Detroit is ripe for the picking in this spirited commercial district. Find food trucks, curated murals, and shops peddling everything from poultry to pet accessories! _________________________________________________________________ Motown Museum motownmuseum.org The music that defined Detroit, Motown was born right in Detroit at Hitsville, the record label's first headquarters. It now houses a museum where you can learn about the label's history and even sing a few bars of your fave Supremes tune in the studio where they recorded.

Movie recommendation, Out Of Africa

I love Karen Blixen’s house in Out Of Africa.  This movie highlights the identity and life of a home in a woman’s heart.

Recommended cookbook, The Foreign Cinema Cookbook, by Gayle Pirie and John Clark

“This highly anticipated cookbook offers readers a chance to savor the best of Foreign Cinema with 125 recipes, rich storytelling, and 200 lush color photographs. “

Recommended book about nutrition: The Nourishing Traditions Book Of Baby and Child Care by Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas S. Cowan, MD.

In 1996, Mrs. Fallon Morell published the best selling Nourishing Traditions, the cookbook that launched her career in alternative health.  Sally Fallon Morell, MA is founding president of the Weston Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org.)
I recommend the books Nourishing Traditions as well as The Nourishing Traditions Book Of Baby & Child Care.

Movie recommendation, Away We Go

For years, I have loved the movie, Away We Go.  It is an ageless story of the transformation and change that occurs when a family begins, of any number.  They travel to different cities looking for a home.  In the end, they settle in an old bungalow type home inherited from a grandmother.  It is old, worn, on the water, and beautiful!

Favorite organic maple syrup- Coombs Family Farms

My favorite maple syrup brand is Coombs Family Farms brand. They also have a space on their blog for recipes. 

“Small is a big idea.”

Coombs Family Farms

Coombsfamilyfarms.com

They use health spouts to reduce the impact on their trees, vacuum tubing to add efficiency, and reverse osmosis to reduce their carbon footprint.

Paisan Italian Restaurant in Berkeley, CA

Paisan Italian Restaurant in Berkeley, CA is our dog Mo’s favorite restaurant.  It has an indoor covered patio for rainy and/ or cold and foggy nights.  My son loves the spaghetti and meatballs.  I love the patio lights, wood , canvas, and brick natural covered patio area.  When I am here, I feel like I am on vacation.  We bring my son’s homework, games, or books with friends or on our own, and stay awhile!