I just can’t help myself – helping my first-grader with his homework makes me feel like a genius. Well, maybe not a genius but a bit like Alex Trebek at a primary school spelling bee:
“I’m sorry,” I’d say [cue my pity face]. “The correct answer is t-r-o-u-b-l-e.”
Then I like to show off a little by using it in a sentence: “You’re really having trouble with that word, aren’t you?”
I realize this feeling will only last as long as his multiplication tables are under 10 and his spelling words are two syllables or less. I’m already struggling with finding the “theme sentence” in a paragraph. I suspect this is actually a moving target created by an English teacher, just for giggles.
To be honest, there were even a couple of times in kindergarten when my son would have to correct me: “Mommy, I don’t think that is the right hat for the fireman. I think it’s the red pointy one.”
“Just testing you,” I’d say. “I knew that.” (Everyone knows that yellow hat = construction worker. Red hat = fireman.)
I’m grasping. Doing first-grade homework is really the only mom superpower I have left, aside from timing banana ripeness and knowing how to fold a fitted sheet. I gave up the notion long ago that I could do it all and have dinner on the table promptly at five.
I guess that’s why this month’s issue theme, “Super Moms: Behind the Mask,” (read it here) is so important to me. It’s a chance for moms to get real and show us exactly how they do what they do. I personally know most of the moms who are featured. They have inspired me and taught me how to be a better mother, proving time and again that the true superpower of a mom is love.
I’m forty-four years old and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I like being the age I am. Like most of my girlfriends I’m not trying to hide from my age, but I would like to look my best.
Navigating the road of anti-aging beauty treatments and products is daunting to say the least, but I committed myself to finding what works best for me. I will stop short of surgery but I was curious about laser treatments and other innovated non-surgical skin techniques.
Doing my research, I met with Dr. Milgrom of AMA Skincare, an Irvine-based medical skincare facility, with an office in Beverly Hills as well. Easy to smile, the Dr. is a towering figure whose passion for science and the pursuit of holistic medicine lead him to open AMA Skincare 13 years ago with his wonderful wife Dr. Alice Pien.
He explained to me that they are both passionate about going beyond the notion of just repairing skin taking a holistic approach to their treatments. They call it the physiological “rebirth” of skin. Dr. Milgrom explain told me, “The regenerative capacity of your skin is enormous, and is just waiting for you to activate it.” And that is exactly what their innovative protocols are designed to do, bring back the physiological youth of your skin, making it healthy on the inside, and resulting in youthful beauty on the outside — in a 100% natural way.
I confessed to Dr. Milgrom I was interested in his treatments, but, honestly, was a little freaked at the notion of lasers or tiny needles on my skin. Keeping my goal in mind, he assured me that using AMA Skincare’s methods would be the very best way to renew my skin for a very natural, healthy look. I was in!
The first treatment I had was AMA’s Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT). This progressive treatment uses an acupuncture roller that creates tiny holes in your skin. You heard that right! Yes, little needles puncture your skin. This treatment will stimulate your skin to jump into hyperdrive to begin regenerating itself. It also offers a great opportunity to get the goodness of vitamin B and different PRM (advanced scientific homeopathy)formulas that help stimulate collagen regeneration and tissue toning deep into the skin using a light mist spray.
I know. It sounds painful, but the nice gals at AMA numb your skin before hand — like completely numb. You don’t feel the needles. The recovery time is nothing you’re a little pink and shiny for the first couple of hours. Here I am two hours after my CIT treatment:
I was a little red and very shiny, but I went to a school function that night with no hesitation. I could just see Dr. Milgrom saying to me, “It just gets better and better with time.” He was right. Here I am after two weeks:
I received a load of compliments that I looked well rested (the ultimate compliment to a working mom) or possibly just happy (which I am). The Collagen Induction Treatments scored me the natural results I wanted.
Next up I was going to try AMA Skincare’s proprietary Spectra Collagenesis™ Facial. This is like a one-two-punch to the aging process. CIT&PRM followed by Collagenesis is one of the recommended combinations of treatments. Again, taking an all-natural approach to skincare the Spectra Collagenesis Facial actually prompts your skin to make new collagen. I left the office that day with immediate results. My skin was tighter, brighter and, well, happier. Now I’m eyeing their full SpectraLift™ as a next step.
I was so very blown away by the results of the Spectra Collagenesis Facial that the folks at AMA Skincare are letting me giveaway one treatment to my readers! AMA is so exclusive people come from all over the world to have treatments. I’m thrilled to offer it! Please leave a comment below to enter to win. I’ll pick a winner via Random.org on May 3. Good luck!
This contest is closed! Denise has been randomly selected by Random.org.
Want to take your family on a unique adventure? I’m giving away tickets to San Diego Zoo Safari Park and including a thrilling tour called The Caravan Safari. Located in Escondido, it’s a short car trip to the San Diego Safari Park, one of SoCal’s most pristine wild life parks. The Caravan Safari is your family’s chance for an up-close and personal look at some of Africa’s most interesting animals. Your family will take this 2-hour tour that includes the possible opportunity of feeding giraffes and rinos and loads of photo opps of the animals in their natural habitat.
Check out this video for an idea of what you’ll be experiencing on the Caravan Safari:
The giveaways includes:
Four tickets to the San Diego Safari Park.
Four tickets to The Safari Caravan (Kids must be at least 8 years old.)
All you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment below. I’ll pick a winner on April 20, 2012.
Jen Tucker is the winner of the contest! Thank you everyone!
“Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?” If you know the answer to that question, then you know who my childhood hero was: Mary Tyler Moore.
When I was 10 years old, I made a solemn vow to myself to grow up and be just like that perky, smart working woman who I watched every week on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” I kept that promise to myself as well as I could.
As soon as I was old enough, I set off to a big city – in my case, San Francisco (my version of Mary’s Minneapolis) – studied TV broadcast journalism and became a TV producer at the local station in the city, just like Mary. Single, working at a big TV station and endlessly cheerful, though I stopped short of exuberant spinning and beret throwing, I was pretty true to Mary’s path.
But then I strayed: I got married, had kids and moved back to Orange County to raise my family. My life didn’t follow my planned roadmap for adulthood; it became uncharted.
I’ve often wondered how Mary would have handled motherhood – the 2 a.m. feedings being just one of the many duties that made being peppy far less likely and Mary’s spinning and hat-throwing reserved more for my toddler’s tantrum at Target.
If The “Mary Tyler Moore Show” continued through her life, would she have wound up a working mom? I am.
In January I started work full-time at Churm Media, the company that publishes OC Family, OC Metro, OC Menus and Southland Golf. I had worked part-time here at Churm, writing this column off-site and managing our bloggers for almost three years, but I took the big leap full-time as our VP of Digital.
This month’s OC Family Camp Issue and the OC Family Camp Fair at The Irvine Spectrum has completely changed my camp-selection process. Before, I used it to choose getaways that would pepper my days at home with the kids, but now I need to fill their summer with activities while I’m in the office.
If you’re a working mom, like me, or a stay-at-home mom who is looking for some relief, the OC Family Camp Fair is a must.
Transitioning from stay-at-home to working mom has been surprisingly smooth for me. I like the hum of the office, the routine, the constant chatting (with adults). There have been a few frantic late-night runs to the grocery store for lunch supplies and one or two tears shed for missed bonding moments, but overall, I’m enjoying the working-mom thing.
I guess I’m going to “make it after all.”
This was my column in OC Family this month. Read past columns, here.
At some point every parent says it: I need a night out! We need some alone time!
I hear you.
How does this sound: An elegant dinner at one of Orange County’s premier Italian restaurants — Canaletto Ristorante Veneto at Fashion Island– and then a movie at the newly opened Island Cinema?
Nice, right?
I’m giving it away! A dinner at Canaletto’s which offers an authentic Venetian experience with a fantastic variety of risotto (my personal favorite), not to mention a unique wine library and signature cocktails.
Canaletto’s design is fresh, cheerful and modern. At night the restaurant becomes more intimate and cozy, the perfect ambiance for a date night. Canaletto’s food will delight you and the service is friendly and accommodating, with some of the dishes prepared table-side. Peek at their dinner menus here.
After a nice dinner it’s just a short walk to the new Island Cinema. Equipped with state-of-the-art audio and projection and oversized-seats your night of luxury will continue straight through the closing credits. Right now Island Cinemas is offering both current releases, but also some Oscar nominated movies you might have missed, like The Artist and The Descendants. (See listings here.) The classic, light design of Island Cinemas replaces the stereotypical theatre experience of over-the-top, neon lit theaters with a more elegant, retreat-like feel. You’ll love it!
The giveaway includes a $100 gift certificate to Canaletto and a $60 gift card that can be used at Island Cinema. Just leave a comment on this blog to enter to win. I’ll pick a winner via Random.org on Monday, March 12th.
Good Luck!
This contest is closed. Heather Codwell is the winner via Random.org!
I’m a recovering Girl Scout Cookie hoarder. In past years I would pack my freezer with Thin Mints and fill my cupboards with Caramel Delights and Trefoils. I clearly had a problem, but I’m a good three years into recovery now. I’m pretty much just a four or five box Lemonade girl now.
But then I saw this and I think I might have a new problem…
The Thin Mint Shake at The Lazy Dog Cafe.
Starting March 1 and through the whole month, every last Lazy Dog Cafe will be serving Thin Mint Milk Shakes. The best part? One dollar of the $4.95 shake will go to local Girl Scout Councils.
The Thin Mint Shake is a wicked combanation of vanilla Ice cream, ice, Thin Mints, whipped cream and a fresh mint leave garnish. Just another reason to love Lazy Dog.
The Berenstain Bears book series is a staple in our house. Brother and Sister Bear, Mama and Papa Bear are like part of our family. We have a stack knee high of them that I fully plan on keeping and passing down to my kids’ kids. They are the type of books you never give away.
Jan Berenstain, who teamed with her husband Stan to write the sweet, educational and funny books for the preschool set, passed away today at the age of 88.
What I liked most about the series was the honest way they tackled common issue in parenting. There is hardly an issue that came up in our house that wasn’t addressed somewhere in a Berenstain Bears book — messy room; bossiness; visit to the dentist; a case of the galloping greedy, gimmies, they all get played out within their colorful paperbacked pages.
Though the books are geared to younger kids, I still refer to them, even with my 10-year-old. Just last night I brought up the Berenstain Bears “Bullies” book. I reminded my daughter of Tuffy the Bear. Turns out Tuffy was picking on Sister Bear because she was being mistreated at home. Pretty heavy topic, but dealt with straight on and with a style that the Berenstain’s mastered over 50 years of publishing.
Stan Berenstain passed away in 2005. It’s sad to think there won’t be more Berenstain Bears books coming our way. But taking a cue from one of my favorite of their books, “The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings,” I will always count the Berenstain’s as a blessing in our family’s life.
Here are my Top 5 Berenstain Bears books.
1.) The Messy Room
2.) The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers (One of the best perspectives on stranger I’ve come across. It’s honest but not scary.)
3.) The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings
4.) No Girls Allowed
5.) The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies
I didn’t think twice about the nail polish I was dutifully applying to my young daughter’s nails. Not even a passing thought. Neither had Melanie Hurley, mother of two and creator of Piggy Paint, an all-natural alternative to solvent-based nail polish. “One day, my daughter dropped a glob of solvent-based polish onto a foam paper plate,” she says, and not long after that the traditional “big girl” polish had eaten through the plate. Scary!
The nice folks at Piggy Paint included a sample in their press kit to me of what solvent-based nail polish looks like compared to their water-based brand when applied to a plastic plate.
It got my attention.
After seeing that the thought of my daughter wearing traditional nail polish and then putting her fingers in her mouth … yuck. I brought home a few bottles of Piggy Paint and applied the polish to my 10-year-old’s nails as instructed by Piggy Paint (they have some great tips and directions on their web site), using their top coat and primer to coax the polish to stay on a little longer.
“Tell the people on your blog it goes on smooth and thick,” my blog-raised daughter advised. I will tell you that it did indeed go on nicely. I’m usually pretty bad about applying nail polish, but Piggy Paint made me feel like a champion nail painter.
Not bad right?
Two days later the polish is still on her nails, though she’s begging me to paint her nails a different color.
The Lowdown:
To find out more about Piggy Paint go to their web site, click here.
The Harlem Globetrotters are back in town this weekend at Honda Center on Saturday, Feb 18 for a 1 pm & 7 pm show. I never miss the chance to take my kids to see their world-famous on court antics every time they are here. Last year I even had the honor of playing against them as a Washington General. You can guess how that turned out … here is the video from that game.
I have four tickets to giveaway for either of the shows on Saturday. Just leave a comment here to enter to win. I’ll pick a winner (via Random.org) on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 10 am. Good luck! This contest is closed! Lori is the winner via Random.org.
With the new year in full swing, I thought I’d implement my new “let’s eat healthier” plan on my hapless family one morning by serving them (secretly) low sodium bacon. As you can imagine it went over like a ton of bricks, which ironically, as it turns out, is exactly what low sodium bacon tastes like.
I’d like to preface this story by saying; The Broughtons love their bacon. I was neutral on the bacon issue before I married my husband, but becoming a Broughton meant loving that particular part of the pig. Our wedding reception featured every sort of food wrapped in bacon imaginable (and a large swan carved out of butter, but that’s a different story). My plan was to go in under the radar with the fake bacon and casually mention the light sodium part after the victory of a tasty breakfast.
I knew I was in trouble the moment I threw the bacon in the pan and it started to turn, instead of the comforting light golden brown, a worrisome yellowy, orangey brown. “They’re going to know! I’m going down,” I thought to myself – mild panic setting in. This was bad. No matter how good the cinnamon rolls or how scrumptious the eggs, if the bacon’s not good, you might as well throw the whole breakfast out the window. (Which is strictly prohibited in our home owner’s association rules and regs.)
There was no going back as the smell of frying bacon filled the house and drew my sleepy family to the table like zombies. Marching forward I had no choice but to serve them the “bacon.” I felt devious. My family did nothing to deserve this … this … What have I done? I sat down with my loved ones and smiled nervously, hiding behind my coffee cup as they filled their plates.
Then I took a bite of the bacon and knew it was all over. Darting my eyes from kid to husband to kid back to husband I could see the confusion on their faces as they ate their first piece. Low sodium bacon makes an unnatural crunching sound that pierces the ears, and with each bite the noise became louder and louder until finally ending with a terrible crunchy crescendo.
My daughter picked up her remaining two pieces and threw them on to her dad’s plate without saying a word. My husband, he would never say anything. He just kept eating, looking straight down at his plate. I finally confessed and mumbled, “The bacon is low sodium,” and with that, a big sigh of relief was let out by the entire family.
Honestly, I think they were just happy I wasn’t able to make regular bacon taste so awful – sealing my fate forever as a terrible cook. They all downed their OJs to get rid of the taste, tore into their cinnamon rolls and tossed the remaining pieces to the dogs (who, FYI, absolutely don’t mind low sodium bacon).
“I just thought it would be a healthier option for our family,” I explained while clearing the table. Thus, almost entirely completing the transformation into my Mother.
**** This is from my column in this month’s OC Family Magazine*****
To be honest, there were even a couple of times in kindergarten when my son would have to correct me: “Mommy, I don’t think that is the right hat for the fireman. I think it’s the red pointy one.”
