Logan Paul: How is he popular?

I was truly disturbed after seeing a post on Facebook about this guy named Logan Paul who had shot a video in a Japan forest of someone that had committed suicide. Like, who da eff would do something so fakked up? Where is the class?

I remembered that my daughter really liked a vlogger named Jake Paul, so I asked my girl if she had heard of Logan. To my dismay, she said she did. I told her plain and simple that she wasn't allowed to watch his videos any more. Of course, she asked for my reason why. I told her that I saw an article about a video he had filmed. And boom. Instantly she knew it was the Japan suicide video! Yikes! Mind you, she's only 12! She told me she watched it. As if it wasn't a big deal.

Ok. What? A video is up online and it has an actual dead body in there. *Shudder*

This got me thinking that parents should be monitoring what their kids watch better. There are certain devices that allow you to block content, but it's not entirely fool proof. We can't be raising a generation that thinks stuff like this is acceptable. Pranks, fine. Ok. Disrespecting horrifying scenes? Really. Not. Cool.

Be more vigilant with kids viewing. Talk to them about what is acceptable to watch. Watching guys like this is only fueling their sick popularity! Don't do it!

I couldn't find the post about the first video, but it is mentioned again in the article I linked here. There is also another video of Logan Paul traipsing across Japan and making a fool of himself and US citizens. Gawd. Just stop already.

To view the article, click here or go to the link below.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/logan-paul-japan-youtube-video-racist-pokemon-pokeball-disrespect-a8144736.html

My two cents.

Loving Love With Food? My First Box! May 2015

I got my first Love with Food box a couple of weeks ago and it was so pretty in the red box.

Love with Food is a subscription based snack box that's delivered to you monthly. Every box purchased feeds a child in the United States. May's theme was "Fiesta Fiesta". I had to share the contents with my family otherwise they would've been kind of upset with me, haha.

Here's what I received in my May tasting box:

Homefree- Lemon Burst Mini Cookies

These were refreshingly simple, light lemon tasting cookies. We loved them.

Smooze- Coconut + Pink Guava Fruit Ice

I am not a fan of coconut, so I was really hesitant to try this. But I had a couple of licks and all you taste is the guava, so I was happy.

Vintage Bee- Hibiscus Creamed Honey Vintage Mini

I really haven't tried this yet. But I intend to in my next tea or acai bowl.

Bell Plantation- PB Things

I don't like peanut butter, so this went to my family. I didn't hear much talk about it, so I guess it was just ok.

The Better Chip- Spinach & Kale Chips

I like spinach and kale chips and unfortunately, so does my daughter. I never saw this after it was taken out of the box. She claims it was "very yummy".

Dick & Jane Baking Company- English & Spanish Educational Snacks

I was a little disappointed in this one. It tasted a little bland. And honestly, if you're hungry, you won't notice the little pictures or words on the little cookies. So the spanish lesson is a little lost here.

GoOrganic- Blood Orange Hard Candy

I tried this candy, while my girl tried the mint mango. To me, this tasted like sweetened oranges. Nice, but just ok.

I liked eating this one. It was huge, and I mean huge as your thumbnail, corn nuts. Seasoned with a bit of spice. Not too hot at all.

GoOrganic- Iced Mint Mango Hard Candy

My daughter tried this one and she loved it. Unfortunately, that's all she said. Oh, and that it tasted like mango. Sigh.

Overall, I think there were some hits and misses. There's definitely a lot more variety in this box compared to Graze's boxes. Is it worth the $10 + shipping?? I dunno about that. But since these were pretty good sizes samples, I'm willing to give Love with Food another try.


Images are courtesy of Love with Food, I have no claim to them.

Are you interested in Love with Food? Check out my link here.

Make Ahead: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

Another make ahead meal that has become a favorite of mine. Really simple, and requires only a few ingredients.

You've probably seen something like this on Pinterest, but this is my own take on it.

Ingredients
1/2 c. quick 1-minute oatmeal (not cooked)
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (or a good handful for me, since I love chocolate)
1 c. vanilla almond milk (You can also use unsweetened almond milk, soy or regular milk. I have acid reflux and can't take dairy very well, so almond milk works for me.)

Put everything together in a microwaveable container, mix it, and let it sit overnight. By the time you take it out in the morning, the oatmeal will have absorbed almost all the milk. You can add more if you like at this time. I like my oatmeal a little loose so I add more milk. Cover it up and take it along with you. I like to carry mine in a little covered plastic mug so I have a firm hold on it.

Normally, at this point, other recipes tell you that you can eat it. Umm...I'm not sure if it's just the way I'm used to eating it or because I find the oatmeal still a little too chewy for my tastes, but I pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds, just enough to melt the chocolate chips a little. Since the oatmeal absorbed the milk the night before, heating it brings it to just the right consistency for me.

Mmmm...quick, easy, no stove, portable and delicious!

Make Ahead: Pasta Salad

With summer starting to heat things up, I find myself always looking to things that are simple to make and cold!

I don't want to be slaving in front of a stove to make a hot meal for my family in warm weather. I'd rather be chilling on my lanai (Hawaiian for porch or in my case, my outdoor balcony) enjoying some time with my family.

I found a go-to meal that my family really appreciates and loves; especially my girl since she loves pasta. You can make it ahead of time for a dinner the next night or a potluck or picnic the next day. It's really much better to let it sit overnight to let the flavors meld together.

It's a really simple, 5 ingredient pasta salad. You just throw together the following:

1 box of your choice of cooked pasta (I favor farfalle or penne)
Italian Dressing
Sliced Olives (canned or fresh)
Pepperoni Slices
Cubed or Shredded Cheese (Any cheese you want. I prefer to have Parmesan and mozzarella.)

Everything is to your taste, so you can add more if you want. For me, one of everything is pretty good. (1 box of pasta, 1 can of olives, etc.)

That's it! Refrigerate and serve cold. I'd say this feeds anywhere between 6-10 people, depending on if this is a side dish or entree.

Simple, right?

Loving Love With Food? A Preview First!

Still on my philanthropic streak and my love for subscriptions, I came across another food subscription site (while I was pondering whether or not to stop my Graze Snack Box subscription) called, Love With Food.

Screen shot of their home page. Homey, right?

Hey, I love food! Who doesn't love food? With it's bright red logo, it certainly looked interesting and homey. (No, not the ghetto "home boy", but the "homey" as in feels like home.)

Love with Food is a snack subscription service that sends you organic or all-natural snack boxes monthly. These boxes contain as little as 8 snacks, to as many as 20, depending on the level of your subscription (meaning: how much you want vs how much you are willing to pay).

These snack boxes contain organic or all-natural snacks for as little $10. (Shipping is $2 more if you decide to stay on the monthly plan.) From what I can see, these snacks are pretty sizable. But that remains to be seen since I just put in my order and am still waiting for the first box to arrive. But the videos on YouTube show pretty good sized snacks.

The snacks in the boxes are not tailored to your tastes. Which is kind of disappointing since I don't like certain foods such as coconut and peanuts.

What's so great about this company? With each snack box you purchase, Love with Food will donate a meal to a food bank in America. Such a grand and great effort! In my line of work, I've had the humbling experience of seeing how hard it is for shelters to try to help families get fed and get back on their feet. It's really discouraging to see how much they struggle to help and it never seems to be enough. (It's also a struggle to see how many refuse the help as well, but that's a totally different story.)

And now, the bottom line. How much does it cost?

Their different subscription levels.

There are three subscription plans:

Tasting Box
8+ Snacks for $10/mo
Donates 1 meal

Deluxe Box
16-20 Snacks for $17/mo
Donates 2 meals

Gluten Free Box
8-12 gluten free snacks for $24.50/mo
Donates 2 meals

Which did I end up picking? Sad to say, I'm erring a little on the cautious side since this is the first time I'm trying it out, so I went with the Tasting Box. But I can't wait to see it! I will post a follow-up reviewing what I got in about a month. (Sigh, I have to wait that long.)

If you want to check it out, please click on my link here.

And as always, if you have any questions, let me know!

Photo credits go to the rightful owners. I do not claim to own any of them.

Tip: Stitch Fix Previews

Ok, so I'm on my sixth or seventh box from them now and if you're like me, you get pretty excited when you know something is coming in the mail.

When is it going to arrive? Will I like it? How does it look like?

Stitch Fix is one (of many) subscription excuses to keep me on the lookout for anything in the mail and in my inbox.

If you're unfamiliar with Stitch Fix, it is a clothing subscription service where you answer a survey about your likes/dislikes, size and fashion preference online. A stylist is assigned to do your "style fixes" and you are billed $20 for their recommendations. You are sent five items in a box, along with style cards (shows how you can wear the pieces in your fix), a personal note from your stylist and a mailing package for any returns. You try on the five pieces and then keep any that you want or return what you don't in the provided mailing package. Returns ship free. Then you "check out" or get billed for what you're keeping by going online to review your items and tell them which ones you've kept.

Tracking Page. From here you can click on the tracking link to follow your shipment or you can "checkout".

I always want to know what I'm getting in my subscriptions. And usually there are previews in e-mails that companies send you. For Stitch Fix, they don't send you a preview of what you're getting to your inbox. Nor do they have it accessible on your package tracking page. However, if you "checkout", you are able to see the names of the five items in your box and how much they cost. I wish they would show you exactly what the items looked like, but I guess that's all a part of the fun and surprise! If you're really dying of curiosity, you are able to Google the items online.

Example of what the checkout page looks like. It will list each item, the price and ask you to rate it. If you are keeping it, you must click on "keep it".

If you're lucky, you'll be able to find images of the exact items in your box, on a blog somewhere or on Pinterest. Unless you want to look at dozens of pretty pictures, I highly recommend not going to Pinterest to look at the items. Stick to blogs. They will give a more detailed account of the material, the fit, and may show you the various colors the pieces come in.

I've been doing this trick for the past, oh, 3-4 fixes and usually the photos by these bloggers are spot on. And it's always interesting for me to see how other ladies liked the clothing.

If you have Stitch Fix and want a spoiler, try this method. If you're interested in Stitch Fix, by all means, I would love it if you would follow the link here to take you their page. (Yes, I am shameless. Click on my link!)

Hope this helps you! Let me know if you have any questions!

Wth is Stitch Fix? My First Stitch Fix Box Review

I've been trying out subscriptions for the past couple of years. It started out with entertainment subscriptions such as Netflix and Hulu, gaming subscriptions (which totally sucked IMHO), and the latest has been make-up subscriptions. Umm... Many make-up subscriptions such as Beauty Army, Birchbox, Julep and Ipsy.

Then, after seeing a few pictures of myself shared online with pretty much the same clothes I wear now, but 10 years ago! I was like, YIKES! Time for something different.

I've enjoyed having subscriptions, receiving surprises in the mail, so I started researching online and I came across Rocksbox, some craft and gourmet food box subscriptions and one called Stitch Fix.

What the heck was Stitch Fix? It looked interesting enough. Cute clothing and accessories. Huh, I thought, how does this work? Read through the site and I gathered that you filled out a survey on your fashion likes and dislikes, what size you are (yes, a necessity since they need to send you clothing) and how many times you want to receive a box. You pay a $20 stylist fee every month and wait for them to style you. Once you receive your box, try on all the five items in it, choose what items you want and send back the rest. If you decide to keep all five items, you receive a 25% discount off of your bill. And, the $20 stylist fee is applied as a credit to the items you keep. (I hope that makes sense) By the way, if you like my review and decide to try out Stitch Fix, I would love it if you could click through on the link, here: www.stitchfix.com/referral/4456702.

This was perfect! I don't have time to go shopping and flounder around looking for clothes that might look good on me. And I needed to be more diverse in my wardrobe. I like getting cute surprises in the mail. Why not have someone shop for me?? They're bound to have better taste than me, right?

Anyway, I ended up signing up at the end of December, filled out a note for my stylist (here you have the chance to request anything. Since this was my first time, I let her know that I really don't like anything fitted around my waist and that I was looking to add a little more color to my wardrobe and then I waited for my first box to arrive in January 2015.

I received a notification that my stylist fee went through (which meant that my stylist was/has put together my items). Once I got my shipping notification, I logged back in to my account and got a sneak peek at what I was about to be trying on in my box. Being the curious person that I am, I googled everything and searched the Pinterest boards for the items. I knew I was about to receive a dress, a necklace, pants, a jacket and a tank. In about a week, I received this!

My very first Stitch Fix Box!
I was so excited to see it, I pretty much dropped everything to open it.

Everything comes itemized on this.

The style cards that come with your box. Shows you suggestions on how to wear the pieces in your Stitch Fix box.

So, how did it go you wonder?


31 Bits Multi Strand Beaded Necklace, $38

According to my style card, this necklace had beads made out of recycled paper from a women's initiative in Uganda. Cool!

I love the color of the beads. And the style was simple and not flashy, which I appreciated. But...when I put it on, it hung almost to my tummy and it just seemed to lay odd against me. Not to mention the price...I'm sorry, I just couldn't justify myself paying almost $40 for a necklace of recycled beads, even if was by women in Uganda. I had to return it. Oh, but I really, really loved it! Ah, so regretting that decision.

I kinda liked the way that the turquoise beads looked in contrast against the purple sweater I was wearing that day.

Looks so bikerish when it's zipped.

I felt much better with it open. Sorry, the lapel flopped over as the picture was being taken.

I really liked the option to keep it zipped up or open. It was especially chilly that day, so I loved it even more. It wasn't exactly the price I was hoping for, but I could see myself wearing this often. I kept this one!!

Next!

TCEC Taira Faux Leather Jacket, $28

Ohmygoodness...this jacket, even though it was faux leather, felt so smooth and lovely. I put it on and it literally fit like a glove.
(Note: I failed to read the care instructions. You can only clean it by dry cleaning it. Not a deal breaker, but still good to note that when making decisions in the future, you should factor in the care of your clothing.) 

Eight Sixty Elia V-Neck Abstract Print Dress, $58

I'll be honest, I hated and I mean HATED, this dress when I picked it out of the box. I wondered what in the world was my stylist thinking? It looked like a child had picked up a bottle of paint and a paintbrush and went to town on the dress. But...I had to try it on.

Skeptical me put the dress on and....wow....The print wasn't as busy on me as I thought it was gonna be. In fact, it actually looked flattering on me, haha. 

And then I tried to take it off....Umm...I had to have my daughter peel it off of me. Don't get me wrong. From the front, it looked really nice. But from the side and the back, not so good. The chiffon-like material, was tight around my upper back. And the hem fell just mid-thigh. Pretty much a no-no for me since I need to be able to bend down without showing anything else. Yup, I returned this.

This is the abstract dress that my stylist sent me. I wasn't too thrilled looking at it, but when I tried it on, it actually looked pretty nice on me! Too bad it was a little tight in the back.

Pixley Gonzalez Double Strap Button-Front Tank, $44

I live in a fairly warm climate, and I actually have a tank similar to this. I just couldn't, again, justify myself buying a tank for this price. Plus, I didn't like the high-low hemline. Returned!

My stylist thoughtfully put in a tank that could hold up to the weather in my area, yet look cute paired with a jacket or cardigan.

Just Black Adorra Ankle Length Skinny Jean, $88

Oh lordy! These jeans were a black but with a sheen to the material, so it wasn't true denim. It fit ok around the leg, and the material itself was a little stretchy, but it still felt snug around my waist and really long. It was so long, it wrapped around my ankles and ended almost to my toes. Good jeans and pants are so hard to find. Sigh. Sent back.

Beautiful jeans. But I was a little sticker shocked at the $88 price tag. Sorry, the price and the fact it was too long and snug around the middle made up my mind to return it, pronto!

A close up of that beautiful necklace. I really wanted to keep it. Can you tell?? If you want to purchase this necklace, please copy and paste this link http://31bits.com/shop/necklaces/armadillo-song.html

In the end, I only kept one item from my box. I noticed that the prices were a hit or miss. Some were decently priced and some were just outrageous. It makes me really doubt if I'll ever keep more than one item in my future boxes. But, I am going to give it a try a couple more times this year. We'll see if I score another item I love, like this jacket below!

The jacket hanging. Not a great picture, sorry, but still better than the ones above,

(Photos are my own and can not be used or re-created in any way, shape or form without permission from the author of this blog, The Fly Asian Mommy.)