Sunday, October 25, 2015

The comfort of tea

Although I've been drinking tea almost my whole life, until recent years, I'd been more of a coffee person.  I don't know why the switch happened, perhaps it was an attempt at being healthier and reducing my caffeine intake, but now I drink tea more than any other drink.

With the holiday season is approaching, I'm looking forward to the reappearance of one of my favorite tea varietals: decaffeinated peppermint green tea.  This tea tastes great, and it's comforting and soothing.  That's what I love about tea: it's a great way to unwind, and it also has health benefits.

I've read that peppermint tea is supposed to be good for stress relief and stomach issues.  Green tea is rich in antioxidants and is said to improve blood flow, lower cholesterol, and help prevent heart-related issues.  Because peppermint tea is herbal, it is already decaffeinated.  Green tea usually has caffeine, but I try to find decaffeinated varieties so I can stick to my goal of reducing caffeine intake.  The health benefits of tea are a great bonus, but mostly I just love the taste and how it makes me feel.

The first peppermint green tea I tried was Trader Joe's.  Their "candy cane" description made it sound delicious, which it is.  But I soon discovered Celestial Seasonings' peppermint green tea which I feel has a stronger flavor, so now that's my preferred choice.


Since I started drinking so much tea, I've also had to find a way of efficiently heating a lot of water.  My brother introduced me to a great system of an electric kettle and a thermos.  Most electric kettles these days are pretty quick at heating water, and some allow you to set the temperature of water you want.  I just use a simple one by SPT.  But the best part of this system is the thermos because we found one by Zojirushi that does a great job of keeping water hot.  If I fill the thermos with just-boiled water before I go to bed, it's still piping hot when I get up in the morning and want to drink my first cup of tea.  The thermos lets me drink tea with less wait because I always have hot water waiting for me.


If you're not as frequent a tea drinker as me, the approaching holiday season might put you in the mood.  The ready-waiting hot water is also great for hot cocoa!  Just thinking about it is putting me in the holiday spirit.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Museums - my favorite fact-based fun

Since I was little, I have loved museums.  There's something about walking into that vast clean building, hearing the echo, and knowing there are interesting tidbits around every corner.  It's even better if it's interactive or has interesting facts to learn.

I still remember stopping by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis during family road trips and seeing my favorite exhibits - the giant rotating globe and a miniaturized house.  Those trips are so ingrained in my childhood memory that I thought about visiting after a 20 year absence during my last trip to Indy, but I was too busy witnessing and celebrating a national championship (more on that in a future post.)

My favorite museum as a child, though, required a longer drive - the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.  That building was full of wonder and history and inspired the future.  My parents would buy me the freeze-dried Neapolitan ice cream from the gift shop.  It was such a treat.
Science-based museums are still my favorite.  Even if I don't remember everything I learn from them, the experience of the learning is fun.  The exhibits are also visually fascinating and spark the imagination.  It's the perfect outing for families because people of every age can get something out of it.

I recently created a video of my visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  You can check it out here, along with baby, toddler, child, and adult clothing to match.  And a video I made previously of the MoMA can be seen here.

 

I hope that this post and these videos inspire you to get out to more museums.  They truly are things of bliss in this world.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Sitcoms of the 80s and 90s

What ever happened to predictability?  The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV?

A while back, I wrote about 80s toys, which all had corresponding cartoons.  But the shows that probably had even more of an impact on my development were the sitcoms of the 80s and 90s.  Those shows were a cultural phenomenon.

They were shows the whole family would sit together and watch.  Shows that taught us all valuable lessons - don't do drugs, don't lie, be nice to everyone, take time for your family.  Yes, the lessons were for both kids and adults.  Remember when Uncle Jesse almost missed the Tanner family picnic because he was working, even though he promised Michelle he would be there?  Luckily, it all worked out in the end.

Everything always did, unrealistically, work out in the end.  That was okay because I knew that TV wasn't real, that real life wouldn't always work out.  It was nice watching something that gave you a warm fuzzy feeling and an ideal to strive for.

Along with the entertainment and lessons, I loved the catchphrases and theme songs.  Just hearing part of them brings a smile to any child of the 80s and 90s.  Don't we all still know all the lyrics to the Fresh Prince rap?  And who could forget when the name "Thicke" was associated with a loving family theme song?

Whether your favorite show was Full House, Fresh Prince, Growing Pains, Family Matters, Who's the Boss, Family Ties, or any of the other great sitcoms, all the shows then made you feel at home.  They were like friends and family.  Thanks to technology, we can still revisit them.  So remember: when you're lost out there, and you're all alone, a light is waiting to carry you home.

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Side note: I've designed some shirts related to sitcoms and other little things featured on this blog.  You can view and buy them on the Little Things of Bliss store on Teespring.*  For Doctor Who-themed shirts, visit the Reboot Whovian store.

If you have any requests or suggestions for other shirts, please let me know.  I will continue to design more and add them to the store.

Here are some of the sitcom-themed shirts so far - currently in baby and toddler sizes in a variety of colors:

Full House



Family Matters



Fresh Prince




Growing Pains



Who's the Boss



*Teespring only prints shirts if the number of shirts ordered reaches a threshold.  If the threshold isn't reached, the shirt won't be shipped and you won't be charged for your order.  See their website for more details, and see each shirt's page for it's threshold.