magic mochi custard cake and how to create your own recipes

My latest baking craze has been mochi custard cake, and I've made it for pretty much every event I've attended for the past two months. Which means I've baked it pretty much weekly, have dialed it in, and it's pretty much idiot-proof now.

It's also magic, because you dump in what feels like a bowl of slightly lumpy milk, and it separates into a layer of mochi on the bottom and a layer of custard on top. Plus, both the bottom and the top add a bit of crunch in contrast to the chewiness of the mochi and the creaminess of the custard. All together, your mouth gets to have a creamy/cruncy/chewy party of textures, and it is delicious.

free international wire transfer and airbnb discount coupon

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Since we're moving to Germany, we had to wire transfer our deposit for our apartment, and rather than paying our bank $50 (no, thanks), I started researching a bit. It turns out there are several companies out there who charge WAY less for this service, and with a coupon, you can send money abroad for FREE (up to 3000 pounds).

If you need a free wire transfer, here is a coupon code for TransferWise. And if it doesn't work because you're trying years from now, feel free to send me a message at serendipityberries at gmail, and I'll get you a new one.

And I just booked a flat in Paris for the month of September, and I got another coupon. So, if you're new to airbnb and would like $35 off your first stay, here's another coupon. (And if that doesn't work, I'd be happy to get you a new one, too.)

Happy travels (and international living)! Hope this helps make your journey a bit easier.

inner voice

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     "What we are 

     teaches the child more 

     than what we say, 

     so we must be 

     what we want 

     our children to become." 

               - Joseph Chilton Pearce

let kids play

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I've said this before: kids really need time and (mental) space to play. And we parents need to chill out on overscheduling our kids.

This is a great article on Quartz that looks at stress in young people and the rising rates of depression in our youth.

My hypothesis is that the generational increases in externality, extrinsic goals, anxiety, and depression are all caused largely by the decline, over that same period, in opportunities for free play and the increased time and weight given to schooling. 

the day i stopped saying ’’hurry up’’

This is a brilliant post for all of you harried parents out there. Enjoy.

When you’re living a distracted life, every minute must be accounted for. You feel like you must be checking something off the list, staring at a screen, or rushing off to the next destination. And no matter how many ways you divide your time and attention, no matter how many duties you try and multi-task, there’s never enough time in a day to ever catch up.

That was my life for two frantic years. My thoughts and actions were controlled by electronic notifications, ring tones, and jam-packed agendas. And although every fiber of my inner drill sergeant wanted to be on time to every activity on my overcommitted schedule, I wasn’t.

You see, six years ago I was blessed with a laid-back, carefree, stop-and-smell-the roses type of child.

• When I needed to be out the door, she was taking her sweet time picking out a purse and a glittery crown.
• When I needed to be somewhere five minutes ago, she insisted on buckling her stuffed animal into a car seat.
• When I needed to grab a quick lunch at Subway, she’d stop to speak to the elderly woman who looked like her grandma.
• When I had thirty minutes to get in a run, she wanted me to stop the stroller and pet every dog we passed.
• When I had a full agenda that started at 6 a.m., she asked to crack the eggs and stir them ever so gently.

life's a game

Eric Barker is the only blogger I subscribe to, and I love this week's post. Enjoy.

This Is The Most Fun Way To Make Your Life Awesome

“Working on your goals” is usually not fun. It’s way too formal and serious. And that’s one of the reasons we quit.

So how can you build good habits, improve yourself and have a great life — while still having a blast?

I decided to call an expert on the subject. Steve Kamb is the bestselling author of Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story.

Steve meshes psychology with video games, movies and pop culture to make achieving goals enjoyable. He’s also the “Rebel Leader” at Nerd Fitness where he’s helped nearly 300,000 people achieve their fitness goals.

What’s his secret? Steve says you need to turn your life into a game. Sound silly? It is. But it works. Steve’s ideas can help you get the life you want — and they’re spectacular for motivating kids as well.

When I hear something over and over from very different sources, I take notice. And “make it a game” is one of those things:

• What’s one of the things people who live through disaster scenarios have in common? They make survival a game.
• Happiness expert Shawn Achor said the best way to deal with stress is to see problems as challenges, not threats.
• Kids do better in school when it’s treated like a game.

Warning: There is much silly ahead. But silly is fun. And this is the kind that can help you achieve your dreams and live a better life.

Let the games begin…

 What’s Your “Next Level”?

We all know we’re supposed to set goals for ourselves and… Sorry, I’m already yawning. “Goals” are so formal and stuffy.

So let’s look at life like a video game. What are your levels? What do you need to accomplish to unlock that next reward?

You need to get to 100 points to unlock the ability to buy that shiny new thing you’ve been wanting. Every hour you spend working on that awful project for work gets you 10 points.

Or every time you visit the gym gets you 10 points. Want to be a better parent? 20 points for every hug you give your child. Here’s Steve:

As I was contemplating this idea of improving myself, I thought back to why all these games were so addicting to me. I wasn’t aware at the time, but behavioral psychology and game mechanics often go hand in hand. Specifically this idea of the “Progress Principle” — that progress is the most motivating thing. I started to apply these ideas to my life, and thought, “Instead of getting addicted to another video game, why don’t I apply those game mechanics to my life and get addicted to improving myself?” I took the goals I wanted to achieve and created “levels” so that I could see consistent progress and feel good everyday.

And Steve’s right about the research. Harvard’s Teresa Amabile found that nothing is more motivating than progress.

getting pregnant is hard

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To clarify, *I* am not trying to get pregnant. We are done/shop is closed/that ship has sailed (for us)/we are happy with two.

But my friends are discussing when to start trying to get pregnant, and I suddenly remembered when my partner and I were first trying. Prior to this, we thought if we didn't use some kind of protection, we'd be zapped by pregnancy immediately. Ha!

I want to set some things straight, and I hope this can help someone out there feel more prepared. Knowledge is power, so let's get powerful.

1. It's not that easy to get pregnant.

There is basically this teeny tiny window of a few days each month where pregnancy is even possible, and some months, nothing will happen for no obvious reason at all. It's supposed to take up to a year for healthy couples to get pregnant, which means (for the non-math-inclined) there are eleven months of not getting pregnant without any causes other than chance.

another happy dance around the world

I enjoy living under a rock, but I somehow missed this video that came out four years ago. In any case, it's an awesome follow-up to my favorite video of all time.

Enjoy.

juicing for health

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This juicing trend has been around for years, and I didn't have any opinion of it one way or the other until I saw my brother-in-law last month for the holidays.

He has a desk job and had slowly gained weight, as so many people do. First, he lost about twenty pounds five years ago after we shared The China Study with our families. He started doing yoga for his back. Then, he started juicing.

happy 2016

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Happy new year. I know I'm a little late to this party, but here's a little inspiration to get fired up.

"Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because the world needs people 
who have come alive."

- Howard Thurman

Go be alive! May your 2016 be full of life, adventure, and laughter.