Surf Clinic!

You may be tired of hearing about this... but I'm not tired or writing about it so THERE...

day 2 group (totally forgot to take photos on day one!)

We had a blast - the 2-day surf clinic with Medelise was the highlight of my year! Besides the amazing couple of days out on the surf, it was great to get to know this new group of ladies who came together from all around... and came together we did! Laughing, paddling... listening to Medelise let us know when a wave was coming, coaching us through it... and then paddle, paddle PADDLE!!

that's Narragansett in the background

We spent the first day in Matunuck, with amazing waves, a bit difficult, I drank more ocean that I want to admit but the result was catching MORE than my share of waves and getting us right into it! I got a little ocean nettie-pot and cleared out my sinuses... Day 2 we surfed Narragansett, which is a totally different surf. Gorgeous clear water, sandy beaches, and surfing all the way onto the beach! Then the second half of the day we went back to Matunuck for more epic waves ('epic' in my eyes at least!).

zinc covered faces - but a happy bunch!

I came home hardly able to lift my arms, totally exhausted - in a GOOD way and a summer tan I couldn't get anywhere else. I am pretty sure Medelise is going to run the camp again in August so I will keep you posted on that if it happens... let me know if you are interested.

website *glitches*

lately we have had some trouble with slow loading on the website, it took awhile for us to figure it out but we have straightened things OUT... so if you waited FOREVER for say... Lucky Fish to load in the past... it's all FIXED!

SLOW LOADING... NO MORE!!

YaY!

If you ever encounter problems on the website... email me!

thanks EVERYONE!

SHOP NOW! www.nonchalantmom.com

Art Southampton 2013

This weekend is the beautiful Art Southampton show in... Southampton, NY! We also went last year so you may remember my post (click here), this year we had camps going on and all at home but my husband is there with his gallery Aureus Contemporary.

Art Southampton is a gorgeous venue, in a gorgeous place... it is presented by the people at Art Miami, this show is a top tier international contemporary and modern art fair on July 25 though 29. The fair features a carefully selected group of more than 85 international art galleries with a strong focus on works from the 20^th and 21^st  centuries (my favorite!). It's a good chance to see some beautiful contemporary pieces in a great setting.

Here are some of the artists that you will see in the Aureus Contemporary booth:

Claire Shegog -  'Busby's Jewels (White)'

Jeremy Dean -  'Chief'

Karim Hamid - 'Portrait of a Lady in Blue'

Art Southampton
July 25 - 29

VIP Preview - Thursday, July 25th 6 - 10pm

Friday, July 26th - Sunday July 28th from 12 - 7pm and Monday 12 - 5pm

Surf's UP!

medelise on the surf!

This is a reminder that my friend Medelise is running a SURF CLINIC for Ladies next week, July 29 & 30, so if you have always wanted to learn how to surf here is your chance! All you need to bring is YOURSELF and the rest will be supplied for you! This time of year there are usually nice easy waves down here in Matunuck, so it's perfect for learning and Medelise is the perfect instructor. She will teach you to paddle out and then help you catch your first wave (and many more after that!)! There is a bit more involved but really.. .it's just THAT EASY!

Just in case you want to brush up a bit the website Well + Good posted today a nice intro to surfing which might help you get familiar with the idea and well, I promise you will never regret this fun time out on the water with the waves and sun and SURF!

DETAILS:
Woman's Surf Clinic
Matunuck, Rhode Island
July 29-30 9:00 to 2:00
$140.00 includes surfboard, wetsuit and booties and instruction on getting yourself out there and on some waves!

You can email me or to Medelise (click here) for more information and to answer any questions you may have. She needs your information by THIS FRIDAY, JULY 26th if you are going to join us.

facebook!

okay yea so... better late than NEVER... I just really figured out Facebook and I have been having some FUN with it! it's SO easy to share fun blogs or facebook posts and I PROMISE you I don't go in for that chainletter type crap! I keep it pretty meaningful, I like to stick with good images (yes, I'm a freak about that stuff) and I really like good ideas (just like my BLOG) but it IS so much easier to Facebook than write a blog, so sometimes I just do that... which means... you have to FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

Friend me at Nonchalant Mom (two words) on facebook!

I'm also super active on Pinterest - I use it for all KINDS of inspiration, mostly HOME.. love IT!

and Instagram... well its coming along... :)

Favorite Thing of the WEEK!

Our Favorite Thing of the Week this week is also a NEW ARRIVAL! We just received a small summer capsule of Lem Lem that is perfect for right NOW! Keep cool in summer brights with white... always nice! The Bathsheba Dress was $248 and since it's our Favorite Thing of the Week it's now: $198!

The Bathsheba Dress is white Ethiopian cotton with grey and neon yellow stripes - shop NOW on Nonchalantmom!

summer pasta

I have pretty much ZERO want for cooking these days, it's just too darn HOT! Unfortunately my kids can't live on popsicles! This is an easy summer recipe that takes minimal prep and is a riff on my all time recipe favorite, Salmon Pasta!

Summer Pasta Jubilee! (ha!)

use your favorite shape pasta
a piece of salmon (can be just a small piece, depending on how you like it)
one leek chopped
2 tbls tamari
2-3 tbls olive oil
cup peas (can be frozen)
cup broccoli/carrots or whatever slivered (you can buy them organic packaged at Trader Joes called: Broccoli Slaw my favorite for easy summer cooking)
handful of basil
handful of parsley
1-2 tbls Greek yogurt
1 tbls creme fraiche (optional)
1/2 lemon
salt
pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees, chop leeks place in oven proof pan and lay the salmon on top and sprinkle with olive oil and tamari and bake until opaque (or just under and cover with foil when you take it out to finish).
cook pasta - while pasta is cooking chop the basil and parsely - when pasta is just about done add the Broccoli slaw and peas.
save a cup of the pasta water and drain pasta and veggies.
put all ingredients into a large bowl (take the skin off the salmon, pull apart with a fork, and add with leeks and juices) and squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top.
Toss together with a dollop of Greek yogurt and creme fraiche, 1-2 tbls of (really GOOD) olive oil and the 1/2 cup of pasta water (add however much you need to keep it from being dry). salt and pepper to taste (I like it with a lot of pepper)

garnish each plate with more parsely or basil and maybe some toasted pine nuts!
KIDS will love this and it's great for babies too!

treasure BOX - be ready for next season!

Franny's treasure box of future clothes (wovenplay coat, velvet blazer, the perfect color orange jeans, an vintage batik dress, etc....)

Kids grow so fast it's almost hard to keep track. I know this is nothing new to you but maybe this idea IS... I like to keep a box for each of my kids of things that I find for the future. In Franny's box there is a wool felt jacket that I found in Santa Fe years ago (a size 10 year!), a Wovenplay dress that I loved so much but could only get a size 8 (she will fit into this SOON!), a pair of Erica Tanov pants from when she made a kids line about 8 years ago! Sander has a bunch of vintage surfer t-shirts from a trip to California years ago and a suit jacket from a Swedish thrift shop that I am dying for him to fit into!

My point is when you come upon these things, and they aren't necessarily the right size it's nice to keep them, if you love them and know it's something that will be fun for your kids to have later. I like to call it a treasure box because sometimes we forget about things and then open the box and there it IS and it fit's perfectly!! Last Christmas it was a black velvet blazer I had found and we pulled it out and it was perfect for the Holiday season events.

here are some of my suggestions and if you can't find your size... remember you can put it in your TREASURE BOX!

Wovenplay is always good for a long term save, and now that it's on SALE it's nice to grab something at a good deal!

Wovenplay - darger dress was $128 now on SALE!

Wovenplay - ribbon jada suit was $108 now on SALE!

Littl by Lilit - che sera dress in sunny yellow!

It can even be as simple as a Lucky Fish T-shirt - maybe your favorite T does not come in the right size but your kids can wear them later... 

Well, I hope you get the picture! Have fun treasure hunting!

good saving and find your treasures!

Also, Wolfechild is having a sample sale... find something for you treasure box here!

okay, I will admit it... I'm hooked on Once Upon a Time...

My kids and I stumbled on this show accidentally and we were pretty much instantly hooked on Once Upon a Time. It's been a really nice thing to do at the end of a hot day to relax in front of the TV and watch an episode together. It's a great family program and it will keep you all pretty well entertained (there is no sex, no drugs, and no rock and roll.. no really - a gun did show up in one episode and I was pretty bummed out... they totally didn't need it but there it was) - There is sword fighting and just a bit of kissing between Snow White and Prince Charming. So there you go, those are your warnings, it's probably okay for kids 7-8 or older. Otherwise it is pretty harmless, you will go from Story book to "Storybrook" the fictional Town in Maine, in which only these characters live.

We found Once Upon a Time on Netflix, they have season 1 and then we frantically searched for season 2 and had to sign up for Hulu to get it! The show is on ABC and it just finished airing season 3 in June, and you will be happy to know it will go on for season 4 (Starting in September).

click here for the website with more info

NEW markdowns taken and we've added LUCKY FISH to the SUMMER CLEARANCE!

Your favorite summer gear is now marked down even MORE!

PLUS we've added Lucky Fish to the SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE!

shop NOW!

summer toner...

okay these are NOT my legs.. but they will be SOON! ha!

There is nothing better than exercising, but I noticed that my legs looked kind of 'cheesy' or lumpy the other day. I haven't been skin brushing for awhile and I knew this would be the answer. So last night Franny and I did my sisters skin brushing system, Britt Beautiful Skin. You KNOW I am not trying to sell you this thing because at the moment I am all sold out and my sister doesn't have any either! But I also know that many of you already HAVE  her skin brushing kit, because I sold SO many! So, this is just a friendly reminder because, like me, you may have fallen off the skin brushing wagon but really this is the BEST time to skin brush!

Skin brushing goes way back to the ancients and comes in many forms. In general you take a natural bristle brush and rigorously and symptomatically brush your skin towards your heart. You start with your body and then work out to your limbs, brushing towards your heart. I really like the Britt Beautiful Skin system and I follow her book each time I do it so that I don't forget anything. And I think it's important to do it they way that she lays it out so that it cleans out your lymph system in the correct way. (you can read my sisters past posts about skin brushing here)

Guess what... after just ONE skin brushing session my skin looks SO much better... obviously I am BACK ON the wagon! So I will keep you updated. It feels so great and gives you a bunch of energy. I don't know why I ever stopped, but I think it's a real secret to beautiful skin. So keep working out, but just add skin brushing to give your skin a beautiful glow and get rid of the lumpy cheesy look!

Britt Beautiful Skin

really.... SO easy... and I've been buying these....

Rice Crispy treats - I had no idea how easy and fun these are to make! Then I made them for my daughters school - 250 of them... but I got the idea from a story in a magazine I blogged about - Lille Nord - I've had the idea in my mind ever since!

I don't even think I need to give you the recipe (marshmallow + rice crispy cereal), I'm probably the last person on earth to make them. What makes these so cute is the white chocolate drizzled on top but I have to say that made them REAL sweet - we left that out the next time and just sprinkled the cute confetti sprinkles on top and they are SO cute!

we put them in little parchment bags and put names on them...

fun treat!

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language

I love Stephen Fry and when I found this I just thought it was visually terrific (I think there are more of the sort actually) and you can't beat the message. I shared it with my kids, they didn't really know what he was talking about but they loved it just the same... and maybe it will stick with them subliminally.

I feel I may be just what he is talking about, my grammar and word usage is horrible, I wish I were better. But after writing a blog for 7 years I have to say... it get's much more free and easy to write, it's been a product of confidence and a 'well, I hope somebody cares' type of thing... at some point you just have to let GO!!

have fun and WRITE.... NO MATTER WHAT...

favorite thing of the week! - WOVENPLAY Albers Sunsuit

Our Favorite Thing of the Week this week is by Wovenplay, one of our truly favorite collections. We love this sunsuit for it's throwback appeal, the cotton Albers sunsuit is 100% hand printed cotton and fully lined, easy tie at the neck and zips in the back for a super good fit! It can be used as a swim suit or just a run around in the suprt HOT summer suit!

best thing NOW it's it's on SALE! was $118 :: now $80
in either cerise or teal

 Wovenplay Albers sun suit in cerise

Wovenplay Albers sun suit in teal

Shop the Wovenplay collection here at Nonchalantmom

womens surf clinic! - Matunuck RI

Medelise catching a wave!

Okay guys... this is your chance, remember last year when I did the surf camp, I heard from ALL of you who wanted to do it too! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! My amazing instructor Medelise is going to hold a special SURF CLINIC - here are the details:
 
The clinic will run July 29 - 30th from about 9:00am to 2:00pm with a lunch break. It will take place down in Matunuck, Rhode Island. The cost will be $140.oo per person, you will be provided with a surfboard and a wetsuit. This is a great deal and I guarantee you that you will be catching waves by the end of two days, Medelise is a fantastic instructor! So let's do it ladies. Medelise did not start surfing until she was 42 years old, I started last year at 47. YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD!!!! LET's get in there and have some FUN!

email me if you have any questions and I will email you the sign up etc...
I'm so excited to do this all together!

Utility Canvas - women 2013

I finally got the chance to take photos of the NEW :: Utility Canvas womens collection on a model and everything looks SO great... perfect fit, all so soft and comfortable. My friend who we photographed these dresses on was in love with every one of them! These dresses look great on everyone, the shapes are easy and comfortable and OH so easy for anytime!

farmhouse dress

farmhouse dress

tank dress

tank dress

trouser skirt (also in navy)

field bag

washed bag - yellow, orange or black

city mini dress

city mini dress

city mini dress

cross over dress

cross over dress

3/4 tunic dress

3/4 tunic dress

LOVE them ALL!! and such a good fit... YAY! Utility Canvas we love you!

shop now at nonchalantmom

Macrobiotic Summer Conference 2013

Ever want to take a vacation and learn a tremendous amount of information on Natural Living and Healing with Food!? The Kushi Institute Summer Conference is your place! I tell you this is one of my favorite things of the summer, taking time off for myself, learning about cooking, healing, philosophy, yoga and exercise of all kinds (and SO much MORE!), and the most terrific food all they way through!

afternoon lunch... just imagine dinner! YUM!

The Kushi Center has been putting on the Macrobiotic Conference since the 1970's (probably earlier) and it is a great chance to meet with and talk to some of the Macrobiotic GREATS! John Kozinski (for EVERYTHING), Ed Esko (9 Star Ki), Lino Stanchich (vitality and strength), my FAVORITE yoga teacher (and my GURU!) Karin Stephan and you might even have the chance to listen to a lecture by Michio Kushi himself! (if you have the chance don't miss it! you will always remember him and his kindly way of explaining things).

Ed Esko explaining 9 Star Ki

Melanie Waxman during a cooking class (watch and taste!!)

Even if you are just into it for the food! or the exercise! or the 9 Star Ki! (one of MY favorite classes!) you can choose to focus your day on the classes you want to hear. There is even Swing Golf! (a technique that will change your golf game for life!). I loved meeting new people and putting myself in the very different situation (waking up at dawn, doing various types of exercise, eating fantastic food, going to classes), each night there is a event to get everyone together for some relaxing fun (or you may choose to sit in your room and review ALL the information you learned that day!). Any way you look at it the Summer Conference will set you on a path of holistic and healthy knowledge that will change your life, and your families life!

Denny Waxman and others at the conference enjoying dinner! (that's my EMPTY plate!!)

Dates: August 1 - 4, 2013
Where: Dolce Executive Conference Center in Basking Ridge, NJ - (it's a GORGEOUS location just outside of NYC) - there a just a few on-site rooms left - this is a beautiful location!


click here to find out more information

Happy 4th Everyone!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the day!! Instagram is going wild with gorgeous photos!! Thanks ALL!!

happy 4th OF JULY!!