sweatpantsmom

And visions of doppio-espresso-macchiatos danced in their heads

2011-12-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! Nothing like an impersonal blog posting with an embedded photo to warm your spirits and convey the true meaning of the season! Wishing you a wonderful holiday, and may it be filled with joy, health and the company of those you love. And may you never be standing behind me in line at Starbucks because yes, it will seem like I'm ordering that many cups of coffee. . . . . . . .

Making me cry daily

2011-12-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a short movie that Kiyomi made. The first time Rigel and I saw it, it made me want to cry (and Rigel, too.) Mostly out of pride, and partly because of the emotion she manages to evoke with the music and images. Also, I wasn't expecting something so polished since she set it up with "So, you wanna see my movie I made that kind of blows?" How can you not get emotional after that?

Kiyomi made a film about pancakes why?

2011-12-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

Kiyomi and her friend Maya made this cute little stop-motion film about making pancakes. Why pancakes? Because pancakes are awesome and tasty. They used a still camera, painstakingly moving their props around in small increments and then shooting it frame by frame. It took them forever, much longer than it would take you to make a batch of pancakes in regular time. I think they even ate those

Man in brown costume dancing kills

2011-11-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

I can't stop watching this. And I don't care what my girls say – this is funny as hell. I tried to explain it, but they don't seem to understand – this is DOMO. DANCING. They just gave me the same look as the woman in the photo, rolled their eyes and then went back to their homework. Kids these days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You had to be there

2011-11-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

When Kiyomi was in elementary school she had a love-hate relationship with a girl I'll call E. They'd known each other since first grade, and went from intensely hating each other to being best buddies who couldn't wait to get together on the weekends for a playdate. While E could be sweet, she could also get aggressive and I know at least a couple of moms who had discouraged their daughters from

Winnie the Pooh (and Breakfast, Too!) at the El Capitan Theatre

2011-11-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

Who knew my teenagers would be so excited to meet Winnie-The-Pooh? I was invited to a screening of Disney's new Winnie the Pooh movie at the El Capitan Theater as well as a pre-show character breakfast at the Disney Soda Fountain and Studio Store and I had initially thought I would pass it up – while my girls are still very much into Disneyland, I thought they'd roll their eyes at seeing an

HalloweenTime at Disneyland: Teenagers Unleashed Edition

2011-10-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to check out the park in all it's Halloween Time glory. I've said this before, but Disneyland is one of those places that my teenage daughters, 13 and 15, still get as excited about as when they were 3 and 5. What is it about this place that makes them squeal like a couple of toddlers in an all-you-can-eat ice

'Sing Your Song': HBO Documentary on Harry Belafonte Will Make Your Day-O

2011-10-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I was invited to a screening of 'Sing Your Song,' the HBO documentary about Harry Belafonte that is airing tonight. Like me, you're probably most familiar with him because of the song 'Day-O.' You can listen to it here. Trust me, you'll be singing, "Daylight come and me wanna go home," for the rest of the day. You're welcome. Read more about it here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This post is not about cats

2011-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

Recently I ran into someone who reads my blog, and she said, "Oh, I love your posts about cats." I thought she must be mistaken, because I don't post about cats on my blog. After all, our cat Milkshake rarely does anything that amazing. And on the rare occasion that he does – like try to flush the toilet after he uses the litter box – he stops before I can grab a camera. And I'm not one of

Get in mah belly

2011-10-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here are my latest food posts over on the Restaurant blog on Uptake. Bar food, refreshing beverages, hunks of meat and a condiment query – you may need a nap afterwards. Raising the Bar at Duke's in Malibu This past weekend my husband and I found ourselves in possession of one of the rarest commodities for a parent: a three-hour window to ourselves. The teenagers were busy with homework and

Real Deal! Real Steel Giveaway

2011-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Dreamworks' Real Steel yet, the new movie starring the beautiful Hugh Jackman and an equally stunning robot? I have to admit, I'm a little partial because my husband worked on the ad campaign and had been raving about it for awhile. So I knew it was going to be good and apparently everyone else agrees – it just opened and is already number one, taking in $27.3 million this past

Think Different

2011-10-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." - Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Commencement Address This is my Halloween pumpkin from two years ago. I only did this design because I couldn't figure out how to carve an iPhone. It seemed like posting it now

On her way

2011-10-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Kira played a 45-minute gig out on the patio of a local Italian restaurant. I should add that she booked the gig herself, made all the arrangements with the manager and performed from a playlist of songs that she learned entirely on her own. Not a small feat for a 15-year-old. As you can tell the girl doesn't wait around for things to happen - the day she was born is a little fuzzy to

Cirque du Soleil's Iris: See It NOW! (Ten Years Will Just Fly By)

2011-09-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I was invited to preview Iris, the new Cirque du Soleil show that premiered last night and will be taking up permanent residence at the beautiful Kodak Theatre in the Hollywood & Highland complex. I've written before about my love for Cirque du Soleil, and the fact that it will be in one place for an extended period of time (I hear the lease is for ten years) is good

I'm a big fan of food

2011-09-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Besides sleeping and driving like a crazy person, one of my favorite things in life is food. Eating it, talking about it, writing about it – I guess you could say if food had a cheering section, I would be right up front wearing an ill-fitting cheerleader outfit and screaming the loudest. So it kind of makes perfect sense that I'm now writing for the Restaurants blog on the travel site

Entourage, I don't even know you anymore

2011-09-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was the final episode of the final season of one of my favorite shows, Entourage. I hate it when my favorite shows come to a close. I don't really have time to watch a lot of TV, so when one of them comes to an end I take it incredibly personally, like the producers lure me in and then when I'm really invested they say, "Oh look - let's just pull the plug so she'll have to go back to

Flipping Off Movie Stars

2011-08-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I was driving back home after dropping Kira off at a movie theater clear across town. (Why across town, when there are a million movie theaters that were closer? Because this one was more convenient for her friend. Kira has now been instructed that any future friends she makes have to live within a five mile radius of our house. When she meets someone, before even striking up a

The Internship I Wish I Had

2011-08-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post 'Help Wanted' ads, but this came through my mailbox and seemed too good not to pass on. Broadway/LA is looking for an intern at the Pantages Theatre. I used to work at an ad agency right above the Pantages, and we worked for some of the best music venues in town, including the Greek Theater. Working in a theater environment is one of the most exciting experiences I've ever

One thing off my bucket list

2011-08-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Rigel and I have been trying to get the girls to sing together forever now with no success. In the rare times that they happen to belt out a few bars just for fun, we can tell that they harmonize really well and have encouraged them to perform together. We've even tried blackmailing them, but apparently the threat of showing up at their school in our underwear doesn't hold the weight it used to.

House and Senate Both Agree: Nintendo 3DS Price Drop Is Awesome

2011-07-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Tired of hearing about debt ceilings and deficits and defaults? Why not take a break, kick back with a non-partisan beer and play a few games on your Nintendo 3DS. Haven't had a chance to pick one of these beauties up? Well, this is your lucky day - Nintendo just announced they're dropping the suggested retail price for the Nintendo 3DS™ system to $169.99 (from $249.99.) This bill will no doubt

Like one of my home movies, only better

2011-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of an unsuspecting Filipino grandmother reading Go The F**k To Sleep to her grandson. This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time, and before you go and start saying it's perpetuating some stereotype just let me tell you that my mom would have read it the exact same way and had pretty much the same reaction. Except after every page she would have added, "That

Road Trip 2011: Now With Less Napkins

2011-07-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

We all have memories of road trips we've taken – one of mine happens to revolve around a coveted Starbucks napkin. One of my most vivid memories of a road trip with my kids happened over ten years ago while on a drive up to San Francisco. My husband and I had stopped for our fiftieth cup of coffee and we had gotten the girls, around five and three at the time, a couple of cookies. For some

Baby, You Can Drive My Car (While I Sit Here And Worry)

2011-06-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is a post I wrote about a new program that's being offered by Allstate. It's useful for everyone, but may be particularly convenient for teens who are just starting to drive. I high recommend it - and you know I wouldn't steer you wrong. (Horrible pun absolutely intended.) My oldest daughter turned fifteen a couple of months ago, and as usual another year older brought another whole set of

Can Your YouTube Account Pay For College?

2011-06-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest post for Tree.com. It's about a kid who is paying for his college tuition at a big university with the ad earnings from his YouTube videos, and they aren't even porn. No, really. As high school students everywhere are graduating and preparing to take that next step into the world of higher education, one question is first and foremost on the minds of many of them: Can I

'Kung Fu Panda 2' finds inner peace. Me, not so much.

2011-05-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I was invited to a screening at DreamWorks Animation for a preview of the upcoming animated feature 'Kung Fu Panda 2'. There was fighting, betrayal, and the triumph of good over evil. But enough about the the post-screening blogger luncheon and the brawl over the last panini – let me tell you my thoughts about the movie... Read the whole darn thing here! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .