Plenty of new changes are happening with my design studio, HappyTapper. And to go with those changes, I relaunched my site. I have to admit that it looks pretty darn good.

I’m getting set to relaunch Gratitude Journal in a few weeks. I’ve been working on this one for months. It’s taking a lot longer than the original version, but it also has dozen of new features — you can get a sneak peak on my new site.

Also, I’m teaming up with one of the top developers in the northern hemisphere, Jiva DeVoe. He wrote the book on cocoa. No, really. This is it. I’m seriously flattered that a guy with this depth of talent wants to partner. We already have some amazing projects I’m excited to see on iTunes.

It’s taken me a long time to get this far with my business, which started as “just a hobby”. I absolutely love designing for mobile devices and feel lucky to be doing this full time with some truly talented people and for some world class clients. Bring it on 2012!

Through the blue summer days, I shall travel all the ways,
Pricked by the ears of maize, trampling the dew:
A dreamer, I will gaze, as underfoot the coolness plays.
I’ll let the evening breeze drench my head anew.

I shall say – not a thing: I shall think – not a thing:
But an infinite love will swell in my soul,
And far off I shall go, a bohemian,
Through Nature – as happy, as if I had a girl.

-  Arthur Rimbaud

What a perfect day to celebrate my birthday… 11-1-11. All ones. Yes, I’m the person who will always makes a wish when the clock shows 11:11. The number one is my lucky number. So this year I’m making that my word for the year. Luck. Lucky. Luckiest.

I’ve been blessed with beginners luck. The first time I make a new dish it always turns out surprisingly delicious. The second time, not so great. My first iPhone app was a huge success. The second and third didn’t compare. The first time I got on a plane I didn’t just go to the next city, but part way across the world to live for a year in Germany. To learn a language I only studied for one year. One works just fine for me.

The word for luck in German is glücklich which is the same word for “happy”. I love that. Luck is happiness and happiness is luck. The phrase “happy birthday” in German is “herzlichen glückwunsch” which directly translated means “heart filled lucky (or happy) wishes”. Those Germans are so “vernünftig”.

The Roman philosopher Seneca once said “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I feel these past years have prepared me wonderfully for what lies ahead for this next year of life. The trials have given me insight, patience, and the wisdom I need. Mostly, I realize more than ever that each day we are all lucky in our own way. Here’s to a glücklich year for all of us.

ps: I also want to wish my late aunt Carol heart filled wishes who was also born on this day!

A few weeks ago a college friend invited me to an info meeting about something called Protandim. I never heard of it and didn’t go because I was busy. But I still placed an order with her mostly to help a friend with her new business venture.

Protandim costs $40 a bottle and is branded as an “anti-aging supplement”. You tell me what women wouldn’t go for that? It’s all natural ingredients that reduce the oxidative stress levels in your body. According to their website:

“A single daily caplet of Protandim creates a cascade of your body’s natural catalytic antioxidants that are able to destroy millions of free radicals per second, on a continuous basis – 24/7. “

I took my first pill two weeks ago on August 5th. Here are a list of the noticeable differences:

• Ear problem almost gone - late July I started having a constant pulsing wave sound in my ear. The doctor said it was fluid in my ear. I tried ear candles, drops, hot pads, hair dryer. Still, it was there and loud, waking me in the middle of the night and not letting me get to sleep. It’s now about 95% gone!
• More energy – this was the first thing I noticed, which is like pure gold to a new mom. Months of sleepless nights left me incredibly tired, super crabby, horribly forgetful, and uninspired. The energy I felt wasn’t that hyper-I-had-too-much-coffee buzz. My creativity was back. My designs were great. I remembered what I did that morning.
• Clearer complexion – Because of all those sleepless nights, my skin was taking a beating. Mother nature was having a laugh giving me wrinkles and pimples at the same time. I actually looked for an anti-wrinkle-zit cream at Target. The wrinkles are still there but the bags under my eyes are smaller and the pimples gone. I even have a glow.
• Deeper sleep – This one is tricky because of the ear problem which plagued me for a couple weeks. Perhaps the sleep was deeper because by time I fell asleep I was insanely tired. For the past two nights with my ears much better I managed 8 solid hours of undisturbed sleep. Pure bliss.

Needless to say, I ordered another month’s supply. My husband has also been taking it and claims he hasn’t noticed any difference. Pushed a little harder, he has felt similar changes but credits a change in lifestyle. The first things friends say is “Perhaps it’s in your head?” Even if it is, I don’t care!

IMPORTANT: I don’t sell Protandim and am not trying increase my friend’s sales. I’m sure she’ll do fine without my help. I’m sharing this because all the information I found on the web was written by someone who sells the product which makes it hard to credit. I don’t sell it. I’m not getting any kick-backs or freebies.

I plan to do another update after a few more weeks to see if I noticed any other effects. Or if the ones I’m currently feeling are still there. So please check back.

Also, if you tried Protandim and aren’t selling it, I’d love to hear about your experience. Did it work for you?

Two of my nieces spent the night with us yesterday – fitting in some time with their baby cousin before they head back to school. They showed up wearing a couple of wigs they scored at our neighbor’s garage sale, and the laughs just kept coming all day long. Our son absolutely loved all of their attention too.

Later in the day, we all went for a walk chatting about almost every teen girl’s favorite topic – boys. I immediately thought of a book I recently read called On Becoming Fearless by the brilliant Arianna Huffington (she ran against Arnie for governor). It’s  about the fact that women have so much potential, yet hold ourselves back. What does that have to do with boys?

If my wonderful nieces are to become the sensational women they are meant to be, they have to become fearless in everything, including relationships. Instead of drifting down that usual route of falling for guys who need to “be fixed”, I’d love to see these young women share their lives and hearts solely with people who brings out the best in them.

If there’s one thing I discovered as a mom is that time is precious and who you share it with means everything. They are so lucky to have grown up together. I hope they continue to look out for each other keeping guys with bad intentions light years away (times two).  They can bet that their aunt Carla will watching over their shoulder just to make sure!

via Philo-sofia

I’m guessing you’ve seen this video on Facebook or Twitter. It’s amazing and well worth a few minutes. I have two nieces that are this age and there is so much I want to tell them like…

1. Read more books. They open your world.
2. Write about it then let it go.
3. Stay in choir so you can sing at campfires by the beach.
4. That job sucks but stick with it. You’ll be ahead of others just by learing good work ethics.
5. If he doesn’t make you a better person, forget him.
6. Leave drinking for a bit longer. Your brain is still growing.
7. Go to more concerts.
8. Learn how to make the things you want.
9. Start giving to charity. Make it a habit.
10. Bad stuff will happen. You will feel crushed and defeated but the universe is looking out for you. Trust it.
11. Learn to let go. It’s hard and it hurts, but it’s the only way to move forward.
12. Be so comfortable with yourself you’re happy to go to the movies alone.
13. Trust your instincts and listen to your heart. It’s not lying to you.
14. Don’t worry if others mistake your kindness for ignorance. Keep being kind.
15. Do yoga and meditate. Be grateful for everything in your life.
16. Twenty years from now you’ll be even more beautiful, amazing, and hitting it out of the park. Believe it.

I feel so lucky. I just love my boys!

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

I came across this quote on Maggie Doyne’s website (a super amazing woman) and I’m sharing it with you today because my life once again is drastically changing (remember back in January I said my word for the year is change? How very true that is.)

Today is my last day with NASA and tomorrow will be my first day 100% employed by HappyTapper. Anyone who has ever taken this leap will know just how insanely scary it is. To my great fortune, I already I have some amazing prospects that I can’t wait to turn into clients. Projects that really make my head spin and my heart leap.

Another great blessing is that I’ll be able to share more on my blog and in my tweets with you. Because of the nature of my job with NASA, I was hesitant to discuss certain topics. But now that the only person who can fire me is me (and my clients), I’m taking a bigger leap.

In honor of this change, I redid my blog design again — not that any of you probably noticed. If you’re anything like me, you see all blogs in the same design in your reader. It’s still work in progress, but I’m getting rid of the clutter, the pages, the links.

As for the picture above, it’s a wonderful photograph by Boy Wonder available on Etsy. I purchased a copy for my son’s room – a gift from my husband and me to him to celebrate a personal milestone that happened on June 14th. Life is changing and change is good!

By mid-March we looked like a couple ready for rehab. Partially because of the lack of sleep. Mostly because of the crap we put in our bodies. Our skin was rough, eyes dark and puffy, and we had zits like a teenager. It was time for a detox.

As fate has it, our new nanny (we went through four, that’s another story) asked if I read “Skinny Bitch”. I got a copy from the library and breezed through it in a couple days, throwing food out of our house as I read. Just two weeks later, my health and looks have never been better. This is the first photo I’ve taken in years that didn’t require a bit of Photoshop.

Tiger and Me

Compare that to this untouched photo taken last summer. Mind you, it kills me to put this horrible picture on the Internet. The only reason I’m sharing this mordifying shot is because I want you to wake up to the toxins in your diet.

Skinny but very toxic me.

Before our “winter/baby survival” binge, I thought we ate healthy. A few years ago we knocked off a lot of weight using the South Beach Diet theory. Then we just stayed clear of carbs and sugars. “Fat Free” and “Sugar Fee” were our friends. We might have been thinner, but we still looked awful because we were eating crap.

How I Skinny Bitched Me

I won’t go through everything in “Skinny Bitch”. Instead, I recommend you get a copy and read it. But I will highlight a few things that I’m doing different that I know are working.

• Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. My son has about half this in formula. So it’s a nice way to keep up.
• Take Hydraplenish supplements. I’ve been dehydrated all my life. Time to catch up.
• Eat less meat. It’s disgusting how they slaughter and package animals. If you have to have a fix, go for a free range critter that’s been butchered humanely.
• Eat as much organic as I can. Thank heavens for Pomegranate¬†market – the new organic grocer in town. Please shop there so they stay in business!
• Eat only ingredients I can pronounce. I always knew I should be doing this, but didn’t for sake of¬†my friends “fat free” and “sugar free”.
• Eat anything I want. If it’s wholesome and good for me, why not? I know my stomach is about the size of Starbucks Trenta, so why stretch it. That’s gross.
• Ignore the food pyramid. It’s made up by people in suites who are more interested in money than your health.
• GAVE UP¬†ALCOHOL! It’s almost socially expected of us to drink so it’s hard to think that it could be harmful. Give it a week and you’ll see a difference. If you can’t, perhaps that’s saying something.

Still not convinced?

Then watch this video and learn how the American food products are messed up. Stop feeding yourself and your family¬†poison. Your health will suffer, you mentality will be killed and your spirit won’t shine nearly as bright as it could.