My Thankful List

I am thankful for:
1) my ancestors who left places like Poland, Ireland and Scotland and “went for it”.  It is with their genes running through my cells that I am thankful and find inspiration to continue to “go for it”
2) my two healthy kids
3) Dunkin Donuts hazelnut coffee
4) all the people along the way who have given me encouragement, many of them minor walk-on characters who have no idea the role they played
5) Ronald Reagan
6) freedom
7) ranch dressing
8) mint chocolate chip ice cream
9) opportunities that have been given to me
10) all the people who put up with me even when I’m really annoying
11) Twitter!  The resources, help and information received within minutes of asking is incredible
12) my supportive, awesome husband, Surfer Guy
13) Fox News
14) my minivan
15) my blog readers, that’s YOU!
16) the obstacles that taught me how to get creative and figure out how to win anyway
17) whoever invented epidurals
18) my ability to speak Spanish and Italian, oh the conversations I've had....
19) the World War II vet I met at the supermarket a couple of weeks ago who gave me some perspective at a much needed moment
20) the fact that I usually know who to call

Mother’s Day at Dodger Stadium

Growing up in Boston, my father used to take us kids to Red Sox games a few times a season.  We’d always sit in the bleachers, with some real hard core Bostonians, if you get my drift.  I’d inevitably end up with beer spilled on me by some guy named Vinnie.  I loved it and those are the the memories of my youth.  However, I’ve noticed that Major League Baseball has been making some real efforts to bring families out to the games.  Modernized ballparks with family bathrooms, healthier menu options and kid friendly activities are examples.  It’s interesting to see that in any given ballpark nowadays, there really is a section for almost any baseball fan.  Here in LA at Dodger games they have sections like Bleacher Beach, the All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion and My Town.  For Mother’s Day, The Dodgers are doing something really awesome and turning My Town into Dodgertown, Mothers. 

Fans who buy seats in My Town on Sunday, May 9 will get pink Dodgertown, Mothers t-shirts and a special all-you-can-eat menu of grilled chicken sandwiches with marinated artichokes and parmesan cheese, seasonal fruit, Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and soft drinks. But most importantly, $2 from every ticket sold in the section will go to ThinkCure!, the Dodgers’ official charity, to help fight breast cancer and find a cure.  The Dodgers will also wear pink ribbons on their uniforms and several players will use pink bats, including Andre Ethier, Casey Blake, Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin. Can I just say that I gotta wonder how the players feel about using pink bats?  But, hey, good for them supporting ThinkCure!  Special pink Dodger merchandise will be sold throughout the stadium as well.  After the game, the Dodgers will host a Mother’s Day Walk in the Park where mothers and their families can take a walk around the warning track.  Being allowed on the field is really unusual and something very special for Mother’s Day.  To find out all the info about Dodgertown, Mothers happening this Sunday, May 9, click here.

I’ve been a big sports fan my whole life and look forward to getting Chip and Lulu very involved in sports both as participants and as fans.  You can’t get much more culturally All-American than baseball.  Both of my parents are big baseball fans.  They even went to Cooperstown, NY (home of the Baseball Hall of Fame in case you didn’t know that!) during their honeymoon.  Surfer Guy is an LA native and Dodger Fan big time.  This is my blog so I’m going to have to say that if it’s ever an LA-Boston World Series (how awesomely awesome would THAT BE?!), I’m going with my tribe and Red Sox Nation.  But LA is my home now and Chip and Lulu both have their Dodger hats and have been to Dodger games so we are a Dodger family for sure.  Mother’s Day at Dodger Stadium is a fun way for a mom baseball fan to spend the day with her family.  But, even if you can’t make it on Mother’s Day, the season is definitely long enough to find a game that works for your schedule.  Ticket prices can be as low as $7 for same day ticket purchases which makes baseball a sport that is still affordable for the average family.  Visit the Dodger website to see the schedule and ticket prices.  For my dear readers who don’t live in LA, but do live near a Major or Minor League Baseball team, how about you tell your family to “take me out to the ballgame” this Mother’s Day?

Wanted: Mom Birthday Party Stand-In

I'm on the LA Moms Blog Today with Wanted: Mom Birthday Party Stand-In

Earth Day is 40

This year, Earth Day is this Thursday, April 22nd and it marks the 40th anniversary.  It’s interesting that I hear all this buzz about it being the 40th anniversary because I’d say that easily the first twenty plus Earth Days went by largely unrecognized by most of the population.  In fact, only upon hearing that it is the 40th Earth Day was I able to connect back that I was a bystander to the 10th anniversary.  Heck, passerby might be more accurate.  I was in Washington, DC for Spring Break with my family and I distinctly remember driving by what appeared to be some sort of a demonstration or a carnival, to my child’s mind.  Peering from the backseat of my parent’s 1970’s gas-guzzling sedan I read “Earth Day” on the signs.  The year was 1980.  I do not believe Earth Day hit my radar again for at least several more years.

Even though Earth Day itself did not hit my radar, plenty of things that equal “being green” or “earth friendly” sure go back as far as 1980 for me.  My hometown in Massachusetts was an early recycling town, and that doesn’t mean curbside recycling!  We actually hauled our paper, glass and aluminum to a central location twice a month where trucks picked it up from us.  My mom started Household Hazardous Waste Recycling in our town in the 1980’s as well.  From there the list could go on and on and on for another twenty years.  Now THAT would be a really BIG post.  So, to keep it current, I thought I’d do a round up of some Earth Day related things I’ve done the past couple of months.  Some Earth Day related kids stuff.  I’m also going to throw in some new things that are being kicked off in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  My Earth Day Post:

For the past two years, I have been invited to attend the Go Green Expo in Los Angeles which is a convention featuring all different types of green products and initiatives.  One product that I had been considering and was featured by several companies at the expo this year was artificial grass.  No, not astroturf, this stuff looks like real grass.  At first I didn’t understand how fake grass would be considered “green” other than in color.  Then I got it.  You don’t need to water it!  And in California, where water is constantly an issue, that is huge.  I met some nice people from an artificial grass company at the Go Green Expo and through their referral, I hired a local landscape designer who installed some fabulous artificial grass in my backyard and turned off my sprinklers.

I know many of you will remember Planet Earth (a BBC/Discovery co-production) that aired on The Discovery Channel in 2007.  In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, the beloved and award-winning 11 episode BBC Earth series Planet Earth is now available on iTunes with a special, one-time free episode download (“Pole to Pole”) from April 12 – 26, 2010.  So head on over to iTunes for your free download!  Planet Earth is a perfect precursor to Life which is now airing on Discovery and you may recall my story of my attendance at the premiere.  Life is coming out on DVD in June.  Both Planet Earth and Life are the ultimate in TV viewing for Earth Day.

There are some kid’s characters that are sending the go green message to the preschool set.  I’ve received a couple of DVD’s recently that Chip and Lulu both really love to watch.  In Wubbzy Goes Green, a DVD from the Nick Jr. preschool series, many situations are presented that give kids a chance to see how decisions can impact their environment.  To help celebrate the new release, and Mother Earth, Anchor Bay Entertainment has partnered with the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT).  For every Wubbzy Goes Green DVD sold, Anchor Bay will donate $1 to ACT to help support the planting of trees in playgrounds and schoolyards across the country. The special tree-planting initiative continues through May 31, 2010.  In Explore The Earth, Dora the Explorer and her compadre Boots globetrot to beaches, the South Pole and rainforests.  What better way to start to explain that we are on this place called Earth than by pulling the globe off the bookshelf as we watch Dora and try to figure out where she is?

Guess what?  I have not seen the film Avatar.  I have two toddlers and trips to the movies are not easy to come by.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing Avatar on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on Earth Day in the US. (Internationally the release rolls out between April 21 – May 6)  Yay!  This means I will get a chance to watch it!  “This is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, and we felt it a fitting day to release a film with such an eco-friendly theme.” says, Elysia Yeary of the Avatar Media Relations Team.  Avatar grossed over $2.6 billion dollars theatrically worldwide, making it the biggest film of all time.  To add to the launch date theme, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has teamed up with the Earth Day Network to plant 1,000,000 trees worldwide in celebration of the BD and DVD release of the film. 

Earth Day Network will spearhead the initiative and collaborate with its international partners to plant the one million trees, indigenous to each region in 15 different countries, by the end of 2010.  The organization is committed to caring for and nurturing the trees to maturity, as well as considering natural disasters such as fires and landslides during the planting process.  "I am pleased to have the opportunity to share the environmental messages from AVATAR through the efforts during the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and with Earth Day Network,” said James Cameron "Earth Day Network's commitment and actions to promote a healthy, sustainable planet go hand-in-hand with the themes of AVATAR.”  People who purchase the film will be given a unique access code that allows them to go online and actually adopt one of the million trees being planted, charting its location and progress.

I want to say that every day to me is Earth Day.  I don’t modify my behavior just on one day and I truly hope no one else does either.  Rather, I would hope Earth Day is more a day to spread the word about new ideas, initiatives and advances.  Every single day I make an effort to minimize my “eco-footprint” by recycling, re-using or re-purposing.  I bring cloth bags to the supermarket.  I recycle so much household plastic, paper, metal and glass that our recycle bin is often full in advance of trash day and I have to run around in the morning to see if my neighbors have space in theirs.  Meanwhile, my trashcan always has room in it.  I only run full loads of laundry and dishes.  I have trained myself to think: is this the most eco-efficient way to do this?  Before I embark on something.  It’s a constant learning process.  Everyday I try to keep myself open to learning something new about making life more simple, safer, healthier and greener.  We are all inter-related.  Happy Earth Day!

My Toyota FJ Cruiser Test Drive

I’ve been intrigued by the FJ Cruiser ever since they arrived on the roads about four years ago.  My first car, meaning the first car I actually bought on my own, was a Jeep Wrangler.  The second car I bought after that was another Jeep Wrangler, then I bought my BMW.  You know the rest.  I like the up-high-military-tough-utility-vibe you get from the Wrangler and I also was getting that from the FJ Cruiser.  So, when Toyota was kind enough to give me the opportunity to test drive an FJ Cruiser for a week recently, I was thrilled to have the opportunity.  The FJ I received was Army Green in color, which was beyond awesome to Chip.  He kept calling it the “Army Guy Car”.  I was able to install both kid’s convertible car seats in the back seat fairly easily.  There is not a huge amount of room to maneuver in the back seat but it was sufficient.  I think that also, as I became more familiar with the car it would become easier.  There definitely was not room for a third car seat or another person in between the two kids.  The rear cargo area, 27.9 cubic ft. was larger than a typical sedan trunk and more than what I needed for my daily use that week.  With the rear seat folded down, you get even more space.  Visibility is very good because you are up high.  Windows are overall, smaller than the typical car, with a wide yet vertically narrow windshield, although not distractingly so.  Everything from the controls to the cup holders to the rubber floor mats feels very utilitarian.  The front seats are comfortable and upon climbing behind the wheel, I felt like I was in a really, really tough, solid vehicle.  Seating materials are not only water-repellant, but also provide excellent ventilation. Seats are covered with a fabric backed by a special breathable resin coating to enhance the material's ability to shed liquids, making it easy to wipe down the seats. Even the stitched seams of the seat covers are treated with sealant to prevent liquids from penetrating. The FJ Cruiser's floor surfaces are covered with an easy-to-clean rubber-type material.  When you look inside the FJ, you kind of get the feeling you could hose the whole thing down.  [And if you’ve ever had a kid throw up inside your car, that could be a nice option].

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The FJ handled really well on the city streets and the highway.  The turning radium was excellent which I find typical of Toyotas.  One thing that I absolutely loved about my Wrangler was being up high and the visibility that gave me.  The FJ definitely delivers on that.  I definitely had some challenges when going in reverse in the FJ.  Now, to be fair, in my minivan I have both a back up camera and sonar, so I’m spoiled.  However, being up high and having the small rear window did require me to be extra vigilant going in reverse.  Rear passenger visibility is not ideal with the smallish windows.  My kids were happy and and liked to wave to the guys in the trucks who were now at their height.  However, I don’t know how long that would have lasted and keep in mind they are toddlers.  The height to climb into the FJ was fine for both myself and the kids because of the body side steps.  I did have to make sure I helped them getting out, something I don’t worry about in my lower minivan.  The FJ is powered by a 4.0-liter V6 engine that provides 258 horsepower.  I found the cabin to be fairly quiet and fairly well insulated from road noise while on a forty minute highway drive.  The FJ is offered in both 4x4 and 4x2 models, I drove a 4x2 which only comes with a 5-speed automatic transmission.  EPA Estimated Fuel Economy of the 4x2 is 17 mpg (city) 22 mpg (highway).

There are some unique things I’d like to point out.  Although the FJ Cruiser looks like a 2-door it really is a 4-door: The FJ uses side access doors that open 90 degrees in clamshell fashion for easy rear-seat ingress and egress. Additionally, a swing-up glass hatch is incorporated into the side-hinged rear door. The glass hatch opens independently of the rear door and helps accommodate longer items.  Finally, the windshield wiper uses three arms to provide nearly complete coverage of the wide windshield. 

In summary, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is a cool car with a solid Toyota Land Cruiser history and lore behind it.  Do I like the car?  Yes.  Here is who I might recommend this car for: a single person in their 20’s-30’s who wants a sporty SUV but usually doesn’t need to have someone in the back seat.  A family that lives in a snowy climate that already has two cars and would like a 4x4 as a third car.  For me, with the two toddlers, I just can’t give up the minivan yet, but if I had a third garage, I would not be opposed to having an FJ Cruiser in it.  Chip, for his part, would like the “Army Guy Car” returned as soon as possible and is greatly dismayed that I only had it for one short week!

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. provided me with a 2010 FJ Cruiser to test drive for one week.  I received no compensation from Toyota in relation to this post.

The Private Chefs Of Beverly Hills Met With Me Privately

Without planning and with the LA traffic gods singing, I sailed the minivan into the valet at The Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills at exactly 7:25 pm this past Tuesday.  Which allowed me to make to take a quick couple of steps across the small boutique hotel’s lobby, smile and nod at the front desk staff and elevator it up to the roofdeck.  The manager checked my name off the guest list and there I was walking into the event…As literally the first guest to arrive to a Food Network Party for The Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.  The beautiful pool shimmered before me, the hipster bartender and staff were preparing the hip cocktails and all six of the Private Chefs were putting the final touches on their tasty offerings.  So what else was there for me to do? I started talking to the chefs!  First up, Brooke Peterson, who is expecting a baby girl in a few weeks.  We found out that in addition to sharing the same last name, we both love to have theme parties.  I next stepped over to Irishman Stuart O’Keeffe who made the most rocking Guinness-marinated-short-rib-sliders! I swear vegetarians were converted.  Still on that side of the swimming pool, I finished up with Manouschka Guerrier who is heavily influenced by her Haitian roots and served me a plaintain cup with oxtail and a champagne chocolate cupcake with pink frosting that was sooo pretty.  I hit the bar for a glass of cab and flipped pool sides.  I wanted to sample Brian Hill’s fare, but he wasn’t quite ready.  He did assure me it would be fabulous.  I told him I’d loop back.  Next I hopped to Sasha Perl-Raver who was a hoot and had some good eatin’ at her table.  Sasha was working a lemon theme with lemon squares to-die-for.  Crab bites and some other yummy bites.  All soooo good!  More guests were coming, so I wasn’t feeling so ALONE and ODD, which was good.  I also now had friends at the party which was quite nice.  So then I moved over to Jesse Brune’s table.  Jesse was working a red theme with watermelon and tuna sashimi, strawberry pepper soup and a red cocktail.  The watermelon and tuna was better than I thought it would be.  At last I was able to connect with Brian Hill and sample his salmon with mango salsa.  I told him going in that I had developed a salmon aversion with my first pregnancy and needed just a small bite to see how I could do.  He told me, “I worked for Mary J. Blige! I can do whatever you want!”  I wasn’t sure what that meant but I was like, “Ok!”  Brian was so awesome.  I asked him what the most memorable part of the series was.  He told me that the “glamping” (glamour+camping=glamping) segment in tonight’s premiere episode was quite the challenge.  After that he said, “I knew I could do anything in life!”

So, I had met all the Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, most of them privately, and the sun was setting over Beverly Hills.  The Food Network Team took the stage to welcome us and introduce the series.  In The Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, The Food Network peeks into the high-demand world of culinary glamour.  Premiering Friday, April 9^th at 10pm ET/PT, this delicious docu-soap follows six gifted cooks from Big City Chefs, Beverly Hills’ premiere

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private chef placement agency. On-call 24/7, the chefs must cater to the whims of their over-the-top and eccentric clientele in Los Angeles’ most posh neighborhood. Find out more at http://www.foodnetwork.com/privatechefs . I do believe I learned a new term that that night: Docu-Soap.  So, my friends and I settled into a poolside cabana as all the tv’s set up around the pool and in the cabanas began to show the premiere episode “In The Dog House”.  The episode shows the six chefs on three different assignments, each of them very, very funny.  We were laughing out loud.  Can I just take a moment to say I was sitting in a cabana at The Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills, with The Private Chefs themselves all nearby, while I watched their show.  Kind of funny on its own.  The show is laugh out loud funny.  I will watch this show.  I am telling people to watch this show.  I am telling you to watch this show.  I met the chefs.  I like the chefs.  I like their food, them and their show.  Premieres tonight on The Food Network.

I Love Fresh & Easy

There is a very interesting chain of stores called Fresh & Easy and I just love them.  If you are fortunate to live in California, Nevada or Arizona, you just might live near one.  Living in Los Angeles, I live near quite a few of them, including the headquarters!  So, I’ve shopped at Fresh & Easy since they pretty much opened a couple of years ago.  There is so much to love about them that I actually can’t tell you everything right now but here are five things: the prices, the special parking spaces for families, the peanut butter cookies, the self-service checkout (it’s fun for me), and that there is always something new!  Just last week I was invited with some other local bloggers to visit Fresh & Easy’s headquarters to taste their brand new Eatwell line which launched today, April 7!  Basically, Eatwell is a line of prepared meals with limited calories, fat and sodium.  The idea is to give customers nutritionally balanced meal options without having to give up quality or flavor.  Below the "Eatwell" title on each package is the catchphrase "no compromise on taste".  I was intrigued as I perused the new packages while I sipped some of Fresh & Easy's wine offerings waiting for the tasting to begin.  Each package has an easy to understand label that shows the amount of calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium per serving on the front.  Each Eatwell complete meal contains 25% or less of your daily caloric intake and 25% or less of your recommended fat and sodium intakes (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).  The first phase of the Eatwell launch consists of 17 items including prepared meals, soups, salads, sandwiches and sushi.  Like the other Fresh & Easy prepared foods, the Eatwell line is all made in the Fresh & Easy Kitchen.  There is a second phase coming and it will consist of grocery items.  Stay tuned for the launch announcement.  I will have the breaking news.

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At our tasting, among the Eatwell items I sampled were: the Bruschetta Chicken ($3.99), Farmer’s Market Salad ($3.99), Honey Dijon Salmon ($4.99), Veggie Hummus Wrap ($2.99), Spicy Tuna Sushi Square ($3.99), and Turkey Chili ($1.99).  Of those, my favorite was the Spicy Tuna, really, really good!  Everything was tasty, very light and fresh, which I appreciated as I thought about the frozen soggy "diet meals" of my past.  The Turkey Chili could use some spicing up which would be easy to do with some Tabasco.  At the tasting as I asked some questions of the Fresh & Easy team and learned more about the products, I realized what an amazing concept they really have here!  You can basically go into Fresh & Easy and buy a day’s worth of meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, controlling the portions, calories, fat and sodium and do it all for oh, about $13.  There are Hollywood meal delivery services that essentially do the same thing for you but for about $50 per day.  How exciting that Fresh & Easy is making it so simple to eat healthy, tasty and affordable prepared meals.  I wasn’t able to swing over to my local Fresh & Easy today but I look forward to getting there tomorrow and filling my shopping cart like I always do.  I’d like to thank Fresh & Easy for extending the kindness of inviting me in for their wonderful tasting and tour of their headquarters.  They also gave me a very nice cloth wine bag wine carrier, available in their stores and a bottle of Saludas Red Spanish Wine.  I’d also like to thank my good buddy Caryn, Rockin mama, for taking all the fabulous pictures you see here on my post and sharing.  My camera is on the fritz and she is my photographic hero.