The zoo was bigger than I expected and we didn’t get to see everything in our 2.5 hours there but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We took pictures together in a photo booth and Jack posed by this begging giraffe.  Probably only in San Francisco can a kid wear sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt in summer.

Strangely, Jack would not let the photographer at the entrance of the zoo take his picture so there are no pictures of the two of us.  He hid his face between his knees.  I could tell the photographer was getting a little upset that he couldn’t get Jack to cooperate so we had to make a break for it with my muttered apology.  Poor photographer probably wasn’t ready to be tested by Jack’s stubborn willpower. 

It was really nice to get two adventures in with Jack over the weekend.  I was a little alarmed when at one point Jack said to me, “Mom, you shouldn’t be a mom.”  I had to gather myself a bit before asking for more information about that statement, and I was relieved when he said, “You are fun and I like you and you should be a dad.”  Hm, okay then.  At least he likes me!

I happily found out that Habitot in Berkeley was having a Family Alien Day (even better – we got half off the tickets because we are members of the Bay Area Discovery Museum).  I saved the news until Saturday morning because I knew Jack would freak out with excitement.  He nearly had a breakdown when he realized he didn’t have any green alien gear and tried to insist that we go to the store to get him a proper outfit. Instead I convinced him that his Superman (pajama) costume was perfect.  After all, Superman is like THE most famous alien ever!

Prior to Saturday we had never been to Habitot.  I had no idea what Jack was missing out on.  As soon as we walked in there was a big mock space shuttle complete with keyboards, buttons, joysticks for steering…Jack spent the majority of his time in that thing.  He had so much fun pretending to dodge asteroids and steer the ship out of craters.  (I spent much of the time imagining how I could get David to build a space shuttle bed for Jack.  Wouldn’t that be SO COOL?)  There was a control station with buttons that made shooting noises outside of the shuttle and Jack thought it was great.  I was amused watching the kids negotiate with one another and I could barely contain my laughter when a child dressed as Batman tried to start the good old Batman vs. Superman debate.  Jack just walked away from the kid.

We did some face painting, enjoyed crater cookies and space punch, and experimented with space goo.  Jack wore himself out running around.  We headed home and both took 3 hour naps.  It was a perfect day.

and our lucky commenters are Sara M D and gonzopants!  Congratulations ladies!  I’ll send you an email to get your mailing address shortly.

If you didn’t win the giveaway, you can still go to Eucerin’s Facebook page and take the Skin First Pledge to receive a free product sample.

My son’s skin is even more sensitive than mine,  and after a breakout of red, scaly, dry skin patches when he was an infant, our Pediatrician advised us to limit baths, avoid all manner of bath products, and slather him in lotion.  We were given a sample of fragrance free Eucerin lotion and it totally healed the irritated patches of skin.  We’ve been using it ever since.

Upon taking the skin first pledge, I received the bag of Eucerin lotion products pictured here (contents: Eucerin Daily Skin Balance Body Lotion, Daily Skin Balance Hand Crème, Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30, Health & Wellness Journal).  Eucerin reached out to me after the conference to offer these full size product sample bags to two of my readers, as well.

So, dear readers, in order to win this giveaway please leave a comment telling me how you take care of your skin.  If you tweet this offer, you will get an additional entry (please leave an additional comment with the URL of your tweet – it will not count otherwise).  I will choose two winners with the help of Random.org on Friday, August 27th.

For more information about Eucerin products:

• Take the Skin First Pledge
• Get a free sample on Facebook
• Take the Skin First IQ Quiz

Disclosure – Receiving the bag of Eucerin products at BlogHer has in no way, shape, or form, affected my personal review nor mandated that I host a giveaway.  I will not receive compensation for this post and giveaway.

I do want to talk about the one full session I attended at BlogHer before I lose the memory!  The session was part of the Writing Lab and was entitled “Stoking Your Creativity.”  The topic was the #1 reason I went to BlogHer and the panelists addressed all of the things that I was there to figure out!

One of the panelists in the session was Rita Arens, author of the blog Surrender, Dorothy and editor of the book Sleep is for the Weak (which has been on my wish list forever…I haven’t read a book in two years!).  I got a chance to speak with Rita on Saturday night after the parties ended and felt even more enamored with her afterward.  She is a smart, funny, well-spoken, down-to-earth woman.  I am so glad I was able to meet and talk to her.

There were a couple of things that Rita said that have really stuck with me since the session, the first being “no one cares if you write that novel.”  Sure, family and friends will be happy for you but ultimately the writing is more for the writer’s personal satisfaction.  When I started writing, I definitely focused more on the fact that I had so much in my head that I needed to get out.  As time has gone by I’ve gotten much more aware of my audience and sometimes that has definitely had an impact on what and how I write.  Rita’s words were a great push for me to go back to the beginning.

At one point in the session someone in the audience asked how a blogger can switch gears and talk about different topics on the blog.  The answer was simple – use tags or categories and readers can choose to skip that entry based on that.  She emphasized that it’s okay that the writer’s mood affects the blog entries – after all, everyone experiences these in life and it shows the writer’s authenticity.  This hit home with me in a big way.  I have struggled over the past couple of years to write on this blog because of all the turmoil in my life.  Somehow I lost sight of the life/blog parallel while worrying about whether anyone would want to read what I had to say.

The live blog version of the Stoking Your Creativity session can be found at BlogHer website.  I would encourage you to check it out and also Rita’s blog.  Even better, go to BlogHer next year in San Diego and meet her!

Related articles by Zemanta

• OFFICIAL BLOGHER ‘10 LIVEBLOG:Writing Lab: Writing Inspiration: Stoke Your Creativity (blogher.com)
• BlogHer ‘10 Speaker Spotlight, July 20, 2010: Writing Inspiration – Stoke Your Creativity (blogher.com)
• To BlogHer10 (scarymommy.com)

Yeah, we have to work on the whole “English goes left to right” thing but I’m still really impressed by his skills!

While in the shower, Jack came into the bathroom and said Wall-E and Eve wanted to show me something.  I peeked out of the shower curtain to see Wall-E’s arms around Eve.  “Look, they are hugging because they love each other!”

Jack watched me while I applied my make up…

Mom, what are you doing?

I’m putting on make up.

Why?  So that you have eyebrows?

Yup!

Thursday night at BlogHer, in between parties, it hit me again.  I was across the country from David and Jack and wouldn’t see them for days.  I had no one to snuggle with and I was a little out of sorts in an unfamiliar city.  I cried talking to David, called Jack and listened to him announce that he was a magician before fluttering away from the phone, and then wandered around the Hilton…

That was when I ran across Ali sitting in the lobby, and that familiar face from San Francisco made everything instantly better.  Plus (if you’ve met Ali you know) she is the snuggliest, huggiest person ever.  We hopped in a cab and headed to the Schick Party where we were both bummed to NOT be let in because we were so late.  Bummer!  Nevertheless, we waited around outside and were able to meet Angie and Aunt Becky and their husbands, among others that my feeble brain cannot recall at the moment.  (Side note – I had NO idea how best to introduce myself to people…hi, I’m Crystal…um, Ewokmama?  Oh, so you’ve heard of me?  Cool, here’s my card anyway because I bought 500 and I have nothing else to do with them.)  After quick intros, Ali and I headed over to meet up with Countess Mo at an Irish pub.  Mo and I hadn’t met in person prior to this but it still felt like I was seeing someone from home.  It was a very welcome interlude.  When Mo left to chase after a friend, Ali and I wandered back to hang out with Aunt Becky & gang back at the hotel bar where Becky’s husband The Daver and I talked about work and corporate America.  We are Teh Kewl!  Or something.

Not too long after the group headed to bed, Ali and I stumbled into some drunk guy who wanted to party with us “fresh girls.”  Ahahahaha.  Ha.  Countess Mo showed up out of the blue (how does she do that?!) to rescue us because she is totally the mama hen.  She rocks and I luff her.  We took a short trip up to a room where Duchess Mama (I am apparently into the royals) was staying with some other awesome ladies (who were you?  am I following you??) and giggling.  It was funny.  I was drunk, though, so don’t take my word for it.  Oh, that reminds me of a funny story of my actual meeting of Duchess Mama.  It’s good, I promise…

So, we were at The People’s Party earlier that night and the set up was such that there were rugs overlapping on the floor.  Duchess noticed this when her shoe slipped under the overlap.  I immediately pointed out that she could TOTALLY get a free drink for that craziness!  So then she “tripped” over the carpet and the hotel folks swarmed her to make sure she was okay and girly totally got a drink.  Meanwhile the Hilton dudes discussed how best to avoid any future accidents and decided to place two chairs over the overlapping rugs…where a few bloggers proceeded to lap dance.  ‘Twas awesome.  (Did anyone get pictures?)

I can’t really remember what happened after we left Duchess & Co’s room so I will wrap this up.  Suffice it to say that all of this was just one night of BlogHer.  Also, there is a lot missing, like the delicious deli I went to with my roomies, the awesome dinner with my roomies, Nona, and Issa where our Irish waitress showed Issa how to use her iPhone camera, that nap I took in the hotel room, the surprise meeting of Jessica from Oh The Joys in the hallway, and the meeting of Undomestic Diva and Shuggilippo at The People’s Party.

So, yeah, there was A LOT packed into every day of my trip to New York and on this particular day the conference had not even started yet.  Still, it wasn’t so much that I didn’t have time to miss home.  There is always time for that.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Best of BlogHer 2010 (betterinbulk.net)
• Third Thoughts on BlogHer (stirrup-queens.com)

I met a lot of awesome people last week at BlogHer.  I didn’t get enough time to talk with those I met and I’m guessing there will be some checking out of blogs this week.  I am still recovering from my trip across the country and the conference whirlwind, so details about the trip may be slow in coming.  In the mean time, here is the profile that hooked me up with David nearly two years ago.  It’s a great way to get to know me!

I am always seeking out new points of view on life from others to test my own opinions. I like to examine the differences and similarities in all people. I love to bounce ideas and theories around. I am playful and not afraid of embarrassment, although I dislike being the center of attention. I am a no-nonsense type of girl who goes for what she wants and I’m passionate about the things that are important to me. Yes, sometimes I argue my point even if I suspect I’m wrong. I don’t give up easily!

I often get so enraptured with a subject that I will read everything I can get my hands on about it until I’m an expert. It’s typical of me to read all of the album lyrics and notes prior to listening to a new CD. I am a master googler. I love imdb and wikipedia.

I’ll know I have reached the ultimate in life when I acquire a maid and a cook. I like it when I can pay someone else to do things I don’t like to do; I feel like I’m helping the economy.

I am somewhat impulsive but I usually spend a lot of time planning. I’m contrary sometimes.

I can be reserved at first but if you’re shyer than I am, I might do something outrageous to get you talking. I’m honest to a fault and will answer any question. My answers will probably surprise you.

I hate to wonder if I’m missing out on something that has the potential to be awesome. I am independent and enjoy time alone, but also love the energy of a group gathering. At a party I’m likely to be found in the corner of a room observing interactions or engrossed in a conversation about the merits of various toothpaste flavors and consistencies (cinnamon gel is my favorite).

I’m not much of a cook but I bake fairly well and often. I’ll make you some peanut butter brownies if you prepare the main course. Or you can give me cooking lessons… Dining out most nights a week is perfectly acceptable, as well (as long as it’s not fast food).

I have an amazing son who fascinates me with his passion and his unbridled sense of discovery. He is inspirational and brings out the kid in me. He makes me a better person every day.

for fun:
I love doing just about anything with another person – life is always more fun with friends. Board games, dining out, travel, BBQs, bocci ball… I like dancing around the house (but I’m a terrible dancer) and pondering the oddities in life.

my job:
I’m an executive assistant at a software company. I like the exposure I get to various types of work, the details about the inner workings of a company, and I learn new things all the time. The money isn’t bad, either.

my ethnicity:
I’m so pale I glow. I’m mostly German with a spattering of British and a little part of every other European country that ever existed, except Italian.

my religion:
I’m highly skeptical of organized religion. I focus on being the best human being I can be and don’t feel that I require a set of instructions in order to do that. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is great, though.

my education:
I could never decide what to major in (Sociology, Psychology, Art, Finance, English…so many choices, so little time) and the classroom is set at too slow a pace for me. I prefer to read a book and learn while doing.

favorite hot spots:
It is my goal to eat out at every restaurant in the Bay Area. Okay, I can skip the seafood but I’ll take everything else! I enjoy museums, aquariums, botanical gardens, coffee shops…the Bay Area is a great place for all of those.

favorite things:
I’m an indoors girl generally, but will venture outside for walks or a hike with the right company. I like to bowl. I’m currently having a lot of fun decorating my apartment (retro yeah!). Wine is tasty. I miss the 90s music scene but am adjusting.

last read:
Lately I’ve been reading any vampire book I can get my hands on (anything from I Am Legend to Twilight). Patricia McKillip is my favorite (fantasy) author. I write and read blogs. I eat up Augusten Burroughs. Click Clack Moo gets a lot of play, too.  [Note: I haven't read a book in two years so this part is out of date!)

I’m looking forward to getting to know all my new friends!

In addition to the awesome design on the cards, I love the fact that the *recycled* cardstock is thick and heavy.  These aren’t flimsy at all!  The packaging is just as beautiful as the cards themselves, and included were a few business card holders.  I couldn’t be happier with these and can’t wait to pass them out!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Photo Cards Retailer Cardstore.com Introduces New Thank You Card Designs for Summer (prweb.com)