Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

It never (or at least VERY rarely) snows where we live in Southern California. This year for Christmas, we gave the boys the gift of snow! We found this stuff at Harrod's in London & it's really, really cool (literally). The kids love it, but perhaps not quite as much as I do!

Happy Holidays!

I love Christmas! Wrapping presents, singing Christmas songs, decorating the tree, baking cookies & watching the kids open presents. I hope you get everything you wished for. Here's a little gift from me to you, my favorite Christmas song EVER: Step Into Christmas by Elton John:

Wild Encounters

I'm a huge animal lover, have been all my life. When I was really young I wanted to be a veterinarian & one of my young sons wants to be a zookeeper. Over the Thanksgiving holiday our family took a trip to Michigan where we were greeted not only by snow (!) but also hunting season. My thoughts on hunting are a little complicated. When I see deer walking in the woods, I slow down to look at them or let the kids take a photo. I certainly don't feel like shooting them. That being said, I understand that deer can be pests & I'm definitely a meat eater. During our vacation I saw something that I've never seen before. After eating lunch at McDonald's (thank goodness we'd already eaten!) I saw an SUV at the drive-thru with a dead deer strapped to the roof (not something you're likely to see in Southern California). Try explaining that to your kids!
When we arrived home, we found that a coyote had moved into our yard. We have a large yard that's totally fenced & somehow he's gotten in & can't get back out. I've called animal control, department of fish & game, etc & no one can seem to tell us how to get rid of him (although their voicemail system did tell me how to get a hunting license). The coyote doesn't seem too afraid of me & comes right up to our backdoor & looks in. Of course, I'm nervous about our dogs & kids (although he's probably more interested in all the ground squirrels & bunnies). If any of you have coyote advice, I'd love to hear it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There's something kind of great about a holiday that seems to be almost totally based on food. Remember to take a minute before you slip into a tryptophan induced coma to think about all you have to be thankful for. Have a wonderful holiday surrounded by family & friends!

Edamame Update

Who would have thought that my post on chocolate covered edamame would cause me to receive over 100 e-mails? Many people agreed with me that it didn't sound good. Cooks & chefs said the combination would be fine (perhaps even delicious). I also heard from several Trader Joe's employees (& friends of Trader Joe's employees). I learned from them that TJ workers sample all the products that they carry (what a great idea!). The consensus was that since the edamame are dry roasted the taste is similar to a chocolate covered nut. Alright, I like chocolate covered nuts, so I decided to drive over & pick up a container so I could give a fair review. When I arrived, I headed straight to the edamame display & ...it was gone! The edamame had been replaced with caramel covered popcorn. Oh well, I guess I wouldn't be able to do my little taste test after all. But then, I was approached by "Brad" one of my super helpful TJ "crew members". He told me that it had simply been moved to the "chocolate covered" section of the store. So. here I sit with an open container of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Edamame. What does it taste like? Let's see: dark chocolate, slightly salty & crunchy like a nut. It reminds me of the Trader Joe's milk chocolate covered soy nuts (& that makes perfect sense since edamame are soybeans, after all). Will I get them again? Probably not, but at least I can honestly say that they aren"t as horrible as they sound.

Delicious?

I'm a fan of Trader Joes. I'm sure I've mentioned it before. They offer good food, typically healthier stuff than at the grocery stores, that's easy to prepare & at reasonable prices. But today when I was on my weekly visit to TJ's to stock up on supplies for school lunches, I saw an item that made me say "Ewww" out loud! I'm a firm believer that almost anything tastes better with chocolate on it. But Trader Joe's may have gone too far with their latest creation: chocolate covered edamame! Don't get me wrong, I like edamame. I eat a little bowl every time I have sushi, but the thought of it covered with chocolate just seems wrong. I may take the plunge & try it. I hate to condemn a food I haven't tasted. If anyone has tried it & thinks it's delicious, let me know.

Forces of Nature

With wildfires raging in Southern California, I wanted to let you know that our home, family & pets are safe. Thank you for the e-mails expressing concern. We've got fires burning all around us (Malibu, Santa Clarita, etc.) We had a scare the other day when winds shifted, the sky suddenly turned black & orange, the power & phones went out. But just as quickly, the skies cleared & utilities came back on. We're not being evacuated, the kids' schools are open. The winds are stronger than I've ever felt. Huge branches keep dropping from our trees blocking the driveway, but we quickly pull them out of the way. Several hundred thousand people have been evacuated & the current numbers say at least 1,000 homes have been lost. Please keep those who are in danger in your thoughts & prayers.

Bonaduce -vs- FairPlay

So Many Choices!

Have you ever noticed that you can go weeks without any special plans & then suddenly you'll be invited to three events that are all on the same day & time? It seems to happen to me all the time, but this month more than ever. My sister scheduled a wine tasting party the same night my good friends planned our annual trek to Knott's Scary Farm (hard decision, but family wins). I'm invited to London for work, my husband's 20 year high school reunion & Mario Lopez' birthday party all fall on the same weekend (hubby wins, but really only because of last minute travel problems with London). Just this week I was asked to be a presenter at the Annual ERA (Electronic Retail Awards) in Las Vegas the same night as the Fox Reality Really Awards. I tried my hardest to attend both. I'm really fascinated by the whole Direct Response Industry & I was looking forward to all the educational seminars at the convention. Plus, I was flattered that they asked me (a fledgling host) to present. But the Fox Reality Awards is a REALLY fun event, I have tons of friends who work there, I have a great time doing the Reality Remix Roundtable & I am truly a fan of reality television. I was also one of the judges for the awards this year. At the event virtually every reality star from every reality show hangs out in a fun, casual, booze filled venue. Last year I saw "parts" of Chynna Doll that I'm still trying to erase from my brain! My initial plan was to attend the ERA show & all the events, present the award & fly straight to LA for the Fox party. Hey, I would already be in a cute dress, it could have worked! But, I decided it was a crazy idea & I was having so much fun in Vegas that I decided to stay. Check out the clip of all the excitement that I missed at The Really Awards! Reality Stars mixed with alcohol always makes must see TV!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid353549946/bctid1213872318

Busy, Busy, Busy.

What a fun week! Besides being the "Mystery Reader" at the kids' school & attending back to school nights & puppy obedience classes, I also filmed a roundtable segment for Reality Remix Weekend, I did a Pop Culture segment for Bob Saget's show (1 vs. 100) & finally found a few minutes to edit my reel. I added footage from the Ab Shark & Bun Shaper infomercials, one of my Parentpedia segments from Disney's Family.com, a little Craft Lab (look for a blow torch), some new Reality Remix, & included a little bit of the studio tours that I did for the special features on the Bewitched box set.
Let me know what you think!
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18580360

The Dog Days of Summer!

Summer is my favorite season. The kids are out of school. The weather is warm. Everything seems a little more relaxed. While this summer had the makings of being significantly more crazy than usual, it's turned out to be one of our best. We're well in the midst of our move from Orange County to Los Angeles. We could have been stressed that we arrived at our new home over a week before most of our furniture & before the remodel was finished, but we've turned it into a little camp out. Since our cable hasn't been hooked up yet, we're enjoying more of the simple pleasures of life: swimming, eating Otter Pops, running in sprinklers. Another thing that has kept us occupied is the newest addition to our family: our new puppy Zuma! She's a Leonberger & will soon be bigger than I am (really...130 pounds!)!

Welcome To The Parker!

I'm one of a very few people who will openly admit that I really enjoy reality television. I also have a life-long love of the desert oasis known as Palm Springs. So, when my good friends at The Parker invited us to the screening party for their new Bravo series, how could I say no? The event was everything a screening should be: relaxed, fun & decidedly "hip". My favorite part about going to screenings is seeing how people in the show/ film react to seeing their friends / themselves on the big screen. They laugh, they cheer, or in the case of the Parker crew they collectively "boo" at a rather obnoxious food critic. We watched the show from a comfy, cushioned circular lounge chair right in front. Although they weren't serving my favorite Kobe Beef Sliders, I munched on my snacks of choice (Junior Mints & Reeses Pieces). We also got to see the second episode of the series, which I enjoyed even more than the first. Check out the show, it's fun to see the chaos that goes on behind the scenes at an upscale resort. By the way, only in Palm Springs will you attend a screening with the Mayor sitting cross legged on the floor in front of you!

On The Road Again

Here I am, 2 weeks post-op & all I can say is that I'm overwhelmed & humbled by the outpouring of love & support that I've received. Surgery went great. I was in superb hands: my surgeon was my long term doctor, who delivered my 3 youngest children. My scar is really low, so I can still wear a bikini (& I did yesterday!). The hardest part of the recovery is actually taking the time to heal. Luckily I have the most wonderful family, who've taken amazing care of me. I'm the proudest mom in the world to see what loving, compassionate children I've raised. When my doctor told me it would take six weeks to be back to 100%, I wasn't quite sure what that meant. I knew I wouldn't be able to do an hour on the stairmaster, but I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to walk up a flight of stairs (or even 2 stairs!). I decided it wouldn't be smart to "post" on Percocet, but I'm totally off all medication now & I'm feeling really good. I'm allowed to start driving tomorrow.
Before my surgery, I made a commitment to attend the Hollywood Collectors Show in Burbank this Friday & Saturday, http://hollywoodcollectorshow.com/Burbank.htm , & I WILL be there. If you're in town stop by to say "Hi".
I don't know if I'll ever be able to respond to all the e-mails, cards & messages that I received (I'm going to try), but please know that your thoughts & prayers are truly appreciated.

Medical Update

Sometimes morning TV keeps you up to date on current events or the latest in fashion and Hollywood gossip & sometimes it provides information that can save your life. The other morning while watching Live With Regis and Kelly, they talked about the funeral of Claudia Cohen (pictured). WHAT? Didn't I just see her on TV a week ago? When did Claudia Cohen die? For those who haven't heard of her, she was a regular on Regis & Kelly and had been the gossip columnist at New York's Page Six for years & was probably just as well known for being the ex-wife of Ronald Perelman. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and sadly left a young daughter behind.
The conversation about her death continued on The View where I learned that her only symptoms were sudden weight gain & bloating. Hey, I'm a little boated. I jumped on the scale & to my surprise, I'd gained seven pounds in 2 weeks. It must be the Sprinkles cupcakes (I don't think I've mentioned it, but I'm obsessed with the red velvet ones). To be safe, I called my doctor to schedule an appointment. Well, it turns out that I have a tumor the size of a grapefruit! After further tests, they found two other smaller tumors. I go into the hospital for surgery on Tuesday. Luckily, I'm by the beach, so I'll be able to watch 4th of July fireworks from my hospital room. I really debated writing this post. I certainly don't want anyone to worry about me. But if you read my blog regularly, you know that I'm a big supporter of promoting awareness (AIDS, Autism, etc.). If reading this post encourages even one person, who is experiencing symptoms and ignoring them, to seek medical advice & diagnosis, it's easily worth giving up my lack of privacy.
On the positive side, I may be posting more in the next couple weeks. I'll be on bed rest, so what else do I have to do? I'll be better soon & I've got some fun TV projects lined up for August!

Parentpedia

I worked on a really fun project this week for Disney.com / Family.com called Parentpedia. I'm sure you've all heard of Wikipedia, an online resource for information on just about anything (I'm even a category!). Well Parentpedia is an online resource for parents. One of the segments we shot involved me explaining that Parentpedia can help you with just about anything that family life can throw at you. This was illustrated by all sorts of things being "thrown at me". The script called for me to dodge a bowl of spaghetti & ends with me catching a soccer ball. Luckily it was decided that spaghetti wouldn't "read" well, so instead they threw a lamp at me. After a couple takes, the binky that had to bounce off my temple was replaced by a stuffed animal. You'd be surprised how much a pacifier can hurt when it hits you in the head. Parentpedia should be up and running in July. I'll keep you posted.
http://family.go.com/parentpedia/

Wayne Newton

I'm back! I know it's inexcusable that I haven't written in so long, but I'm officially back on my regular blog schedule. My computer decided to melt a series of charger cables & despite the fact that the battery is on the recall list, Hewlett Packard hasn't replaced it yet. I'm not happy HP! I'm certainly no computer expert, but when a "laptop" starts burning my thighs, we've got a little problem. I'm trying to transition to an Apple Macbook. I'd always heard they were easier, but after years of "right clicking", I'm not sure how to use the mouse. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon (I've purchased the Macbook for Dummies book, but haven't had time to read it). So, I'm posting today from the kids' computer.
So much to say, so I guess I'll start with our weekend trip to Vegas. My husband was already there for selection day for his Verge development (that'll have to be another post), so I drove 5 hours across the desert with a van full of kids to meet him. Immediately upon arrival my darling hubby surprised me with tickets to a show! Would it be Elton? Prince? Nope...Wayne Newton! I can honestly say the only Wayne Newton song that I could think of was Danke Schoen (& I only knew that one from Ferris Bueller's Day Off). I also had visions of Wayne sweeping me off to his horse farm (remember Vegas Vacation?).
Well to my surprise, I LOVED the show! We weren't the youngest people in the room, but it was close. Wayne's show was a fun combination of his songs, covers of other hits & comedy. I was the only person in the room who knew that the 2006 Academy Award winning song was It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp (& I felt a little embarassed shouting that title out considering the audience). But they asked if anyone knew the title & then they performed it! One of Waynes' singers told him who I was & we took photos with Wayne & various others. I'll post them if I can ever figure out how to scan.
I'd highly recommend the show: Old school Vegas at it's best!

Memorial Delay

Sorry for the lack of posts. I try to keep my blog upbeat & lighthearted (much as the way I live my life). Unfortunately, we had a death in the family recently & that, combined with Memorial Day has left me at a loss about what to write. Without getting into any discussion about political beliefs or thoughts on the war, I'd like to say that I think of myself as a very patriotic person. I'm very proud to be an American. My Grandfather was a fighter pilot in World War I & my Father was in the Army in World War II. On this first day of Memorial Day Weekend, I sit at home, surrounded by my loving family, & quietly support our troops.

Myspace & My First Frenemy

Well, I'm about a week into my myspace experience & I finally understand the appeal. My 300+ friends are made up of a fun mixture of real friends, old friends that I'd lost touch with, people I've met or worked with, people I'd like to meet & a group I guess could best be described as people who'd like to meet me. My myspace philosophy is simple: If you ask to be my friend, I'll accept your friendship. I look at everyone's profile first, but haven't turned down any requests. I might be a little concerned about my "friend" who likes "kinky balloon play"; but perhaps only because I'm not sure what that is. I'm also flattered by the handsome, famous guy who asked me out & then apologized when he read my bio & saw that I was happily married.
I did have to delete one friend. In two days he filled my bulletin board with over 100 messages. He responded to his elimination from my friend list by informing me that there are much "cooler" people than me to chat with. I'm sorry Naked Shower Guy (a description of his online photo, not his screen name), but you're right, there are much cooler people.

Teacher Appreciation Day

Tomorrow is National Teacher Appreciation Day. They've taken a survey & by an overwhelming majority, the teachers have said that the gift they most appreciate is a heartfelt letter from their students or parents. Teacher Appreciation Day makes me think of all the teachers I've had over the years: the Good, the Bad & the just plain...Odd. For the Good, I immediately think of Mr. Alexander, my 6th grade teacher who told fascinating stories & read O. Henry books to the class. I also think of Ms. Girault, my favorite teacher ever (English in Junior High) who encouraged me to write & let me babysit her beautiful daughters (with equally beautiful names: Genvieve & Giselle). I didn't even complain when she only paid me 75 cents an hour (way below the going rate of $1). For the Bad, no one compares to my junior high art teacher, Ms. Costello, who brutally told me that I had no artistic ability & was wasting my time & her time! All these years later I still think she was awful! Just goes to show how biting comments can stay with you. For the Odd, I automatically think of one of my College Instructors who taught the oddly named course: Challenges Of Leisure. A typical class involved an evening field trip to a dark side of town where we'd hang out with prostitutes and drug dealers. I'm still not sure if he was promoting that as an appropriate way to fill our free time or perhaps just an alternative. In retrospect, I guess I'm lucky that the tabloids didn't run an article suggesting that I was turning tricks!

Be My Friend!

I know I'm way too old and not cool enough to be on MySpace, but one of my dearest friends set up a profile for me and I'm going to use it.

So the next step is getting friends (since that seems to be the "goal" on MySpace). Most folks seem to have thousands of cyber friends & I currently have 1. If you're familiar with MySpace, you probably know that my first friend "Tom" isn't even a real person. Well, I suppose he's a real person, but he's not technically my friend. But I think on MySpace, the word "friend" is used rather loosely.

But with that said, please be my MySpace "friend".

http://www.myspace.com/erin_murphy