Upcycled Holiday Craft Decor

One of my favorite projects:

https://alegreramos.com/2015/12/diy-upcycled-holiday-decor/

 

The One Car Experiment

Back in May I saw a panel on how transportation is changing in Los Angeles. I heard a statistic that astounded me: “The average car in LA is parked 22-hours a day.”

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After thinking about it I realized that my family had one of those cars, and I told my husband that I wanted us to TRY to be a 1-car family. The reality is, I’ve lived in LA my whole life and have owned a car ever since I turned 16. However, the LA of my childhood was a very different place than it is today. We didn’t have a single metro and ride-sharing programs like Uber didn’t exist yet.

I asked my family to embark on an experiment with me and to try for 2-months to be a 1-car family. We are very lucky to live in a part of LA with lots of public transportation options and bike paths. So far we’ve gone 10-days as a 1-car family and it’s been easy! It takes a little bit more planning and communication, but we are starting to get a rhythm down. My husband and I have worked out a schedule: I get the car Monday/Wednesday and he gets it Tuesday/Thursday/Friday. He’s worked out someone he can carpool with to work and I plan all of my meetings for Monday/Wednesday.

No matter what my plans are, I start every day biking with my little to her school. There is a Trader Joe’s on the way home that we frequently stop at for fun.  I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that I’ve lived a 6-minute bike-ride from Trader Joe’s for 17-years and I had never biked there before. But that’s the reality. It’s so EASY to just jump in the car. It becomes a kind of crutch.

I’ll keep you posted on how the experiment goes. For now, I’m enjoying NOT working out because the hour-of bike-riding I do to get my kid to school each day is much more FUN and feels so much more productive than “exercising.” I’m also excited to see what it does for our family’s bottom line. I’m pushing to go on a vacation with all the savings...it’s always nice to have a carrot to entice you.

Be a spark in the world!

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#BeASpark

#ChallengeConventionalWisdom

Intuitive Cooking Classes in 2017

SAVE THE DATE

I’ll be teaching a cooking class called “Intuitive Cooking: How to Unleash your Creativity by Learning to Cook without Recipes.” The focus of this class will be Salads, Soups and Stirfry.

The class will be in the San Fernando Valley on Sunday January 22nd, March 12th and April 2nd from 2-5pm.

To be notified when registration opens, send an email to IAmASpark@emberliving.com