I don’t often check my stats to see what kind of traffic I get. Even though I’ve been blogging since 2007, I generally assume that no one except my mom and maybe a teenager lost on the Internet in Uruguay reads my blog. Okay, fine, that may sound a little pathetic, but in all honesty, the dial is very seldom pushed by a new referring URL or traffic source. However, the other day I noticed a spike— from two places… one took research. One did not. The one that took research eventually led me to a lovely little forum where everyone’s avatar/ photo is of Joe Flannigan. (You remember him from ...Read More
11.11.10
3
I can remember being about 8 years-old and carefully coloring in between the lines on a plastic sheet… minutes later I would place this delicately crafted piece of plastic on a baking sheet, shove it in the oven and wonder: How, oh, how will this plastic Barbie shrink to the size of Tom Thumb??? SHRINKY DINKS. Do you remember them? They were incredible. Magical. And frighteningly unsafe and probably, TOXIC. They HAD to be toxic. Right??? With a 3 year old, I definitely try to do my best to provide foods (minus the occasional “Old” McDonald meal we indulge on every blue moon) that aren’t blatantly out to destroy organs. But to be honest, ...Read More
I may have created a monster, and his name is William…. I don’t quite remember how it happened, but it was something like this…. One day, Jonah was having your average meltdown about something – an I need another string cheese, higher bubbles in the bath NOW, I want my own car (as in- his own Nissan Motor car) moments… Completely exasperated, the only way I could talk him down off the hysteria ledge was quickly distracting him with a story about a little boy named William who also didn’t get the piece of string cheese, higher bubbles in the bath, etc etc…. Weeks later, he is now begging me for William ...Read More
When’s the last time you looked in the mirror, and saw those dark circles under your eyes as a status symbol– a beautiful indication of the hours you put into your family and life, instead of a sign of exhaustion and stress? Or when’s the last time you looked down at your breasts (literally DOWN at your breasts, as they now fall below the equator) and considered their (dis)placement as a rite of passage, instead of “the shitty thing about breastfeeding?” OR when’s the last time you looked at your ass in your not skinny jeans but alllmost 2 sizes CLOSER to the skinny jeans, and thought it looked perfectly ...Read More
10.21.10
5
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to fly to Toronto for a behind the scenes set visit of the family friendly, made for TV movie “Change of Plans,” produced and sponsored by Walmart & P&G.; I was quite honored to be asked to come to travel to Canada, (the home of my beloved Michael Buble) just to see what was doin’ on set and meet the stars- Joe Flannigan and American Idol’s Brooke White. (You know one of those just super natural, super sweet, super pretty, perfect wavy hair that doesn’t frizz, cute hoarse voice type people– Yah that’s her.) Anyway, the hosts from P&G;, Walmart and MS&L; ...Read More
This past weekend, we took a little trip with a bunch of friends also with kiddies to Underwood Family Farms. In Los Angeles, “pumpkin patches” are usually hosted out of a parking lot behind a supermarket, with paparazzi lurking for “Stars, they’re just like us” moments. (God forbid the world shouldn’t know that Marcia Cross also “picks. out. a. pumpkin.”) So when we finally got to Underwood, approx. 50 miles out of town, I have to say I was beyond delighted that this was a far cry from your itty bitty overpriced city pumpkin patch. Nope, this was a full fledged overpriced country farm– replete with real tractors (oh ...Read More
10.18.10
6
Since the inception of this blog, I have affectionately referred to my son as “Baby-Ko.” But alas, the time has come to not only acknowledge the fact that though he is forever my baby, he is in no way a baby. He is a little boy…. A little boy with an infectious smile, incurable curiosity, and an ability to produce bowel moments on a moments notice. Yup. I simply told him that I had a Buzz Lightyear motorized motorcycle that would be his in exchange of 3 poops on the potty, and I saw in his eyes a “Noooow we’re talking, lady,” smirk that he never gave with my lousy ...Read More
10.04.10
8
As I get more and more entrenched in the “mom space,” I’m starting to wonder if some moms have a stronger genetic predisposition to the “MG” (that’s: Mom Guilt) more than others. Is it regional? Is it an age thing? Is it an environmental thing? Until recently, I would say I was your quintessential Californian/ Westside neurotic mom. Perhaps it was a divorce, a full time job (in said “mom space”), and some personal drama sprinkled here and there that made me loosen the reigns… that made me able to laugh at myself more and truly embrace the “whatever works” attitude that I desperately wished I lived by. Of course, connecting ...Read More
There are two kinds of people in life: People that burn toast (always), and people that do not (ever). I am a person that always burns toast. And eggs. But to be clear, this doesn’t make me a bad cook. It just means, that in addition to having lousy appliances and pans (because I believe if I had a better pan, said eggs would be “better”), that as my son gets older, I will be the butt of all cooking disasters and jokes. Because of my knack for burning bread, I will be deemed as a mom who can’t cook. “Don’t ask mom to make it!” Ha, ha, ha…. “Sure, you ...Read More
09.15.10
4
Last weekend, I took Baby-Ko to Disneyland for his very first time. Knowing full well that the idea of Disneyland really would mean nothing to him until he actually set foot on Main Street and experienced the joy and churros that is the magical kingdom, I had been making a concerted effort to point out the iconic and very magical Disney castle at the beginning of various movies. (Who am I kidding. We really only watch one. Mary Poppins). Of course, I had concerns about how he would handle the big D– the crowds, the line, the (no) nap… But, seriously, the minute we pulled in to the parking ...Read More