All Videos Videos

When is the right age for kids to have sleepovers? Now, we are not talking a famous pop star inviting Vivien to his big ranch. Nice kid, nice family. Do you let your kids have sleepovers? Either at your house or elsewhere? My niece was 6 when she had sleepovers with Vivien. She would arrive quite bravely with her little suitcase and never had a qualm. But then I m her aunt, so I think there are different rules. But should there be? Share

Oh, the things we give up in order to be mothers: our bodies sleep travel casual sex indiscriminate spending time to read spa days with the girls casual sex Well, here is one more thing that I have to say good bye to at least for now. Share

Vivien was a champion nurser. We were a good team. She could latch on anywhere and stay there long enough for me to watch almost an entire Law and Order. I did my part as I took the whole year off to just be her mom. We had no money worries; we lived in a nice place so it was easy to be a nursing mom. I wasn t having to find a quiet moment in a cubby at work to pump. I was lucky. I just got the phone, the remote, a glass of water and hunkered down with my girl on the couch and watched TV. Sometimes I read, but that was a little trickier. For some reason for months Law and Order was my favorite nursing show. For one thing it s always on some cable channel, and I also Tivoed a few of them. I knew Vivien would at least get me to the part where Sam Waterson takes over as the D.A. So this video is about something that always bugged me about the show. I want to know if you ever noticed this as well. And by the way, I don t like the new cast. No charisma. No one cute like Benjamin Bratt or Chris Noth or with the personality of Jerry Orbach. And Special Victims Unit, forget it. It s always about kids. Rex is not as hard-core about nursing as Vivien. So, with him I try for a segment on Hardball. Share

The irony here is that I critique fashion on my TV show and in Star magazine. What works when people play dress up and are thin or have stylist is not hard. But to achieve a nice look when you still have a spare tire from childbirth and are in Momcognito, now that s harder. Further irony, I m shortly going to help the gal who won the Momversation makeover pick out her winnings at Target. Those who can t do teach Share

Probably another symptom of sleep deprivation. Here, exposed. My deep dark secret. Sigh. Well, now you know it all. And I couldn t have done this in a less flattering angle. But anything for my art! My video explains it, but here is a good piece by a British writer about her fear of escalators and how she overcame it. She feels dizzy. I don t feel that; it s more a concern for my children and a bit me. Uh, I feel so ashamed. Like I just admitted I wet my bed. Did you know there is a name for fear of escalators? It s called Escalaphobia. Here is some stuff from about.com.  Italics are mine. Elevator Myths t have to pay much attention to them. TRUTH: Escalators are six-ton moving machines and should be treated as such. Pay the same attention to an escalator as you would to a moving bus. Oh, great, that makes me feel a lot better. MYTH: The steps will flatten out and all the people will slide down. TRUTH: This is impossible. Each step is a full triangular structure consisting of tread and riser supported on a track and cannot flatten out. But can it claw at you? MYTH: Many times people think that escalators move too fast.TRUTH: They move at only normal walking speed. The misconception is probably due to the visual perception created when you are standing still and everything else appears to be moving. I can t hear you I m heading for the stairs. MYTH: Children often think that the steps fall into the basement and have to be restacked every morning. TRUTH: Escalator steps move on an endless chain system. At the bottom they rotate under and over up the underside of the chain to reappear at the top. Over crushed bones MYTH: Escalators can reach out and grab you. TRUTH: No part of an escalator can do this. But people must be careful of loose clothes, untied or long shoelaces, high heels, long hair, long jewelry, etc. because these can get caught in an escalator s machinery. See I told you! MYTH: Escalators will stop and restart themselves. TRUTH: Escalators only stop if they are stopped by the specially designed STOP button, or if there is an obstruction or over speed. Once stopped, escalators can only be restarted by someone with a restart key. Hmm, maybe I should stop it, then I could get on. MYTH: If an escalator is standing still, it is just a set of stairs. TRUTH: Not at all! Escalator steps are not the correct height for normal walking and should not be used in that manner. The risk of tripping and falling is increased Yeah, but great for working your glutes. Share

A Cool Mom Classic: This is how desperate I get for light conversation with an adult: I watch my own vlogs for company. Hey, it s someone I agree with! But it s not just moms who find working from home a tad lonely. My friend Heather produces the Dr. Dean Edell show (my old job) from her apartment in San Francisco. But she is a social animal. She thinks work parties are fun, so it s a crime that she no longer partakes in that. Not to mention all the cute outfits she doesn t put together and because there are no people to compliment her on it. We have The Office to show the tedium of work life, but since we are social creatures, there are worse fates than making fun of your boss. Who do you chat with at home? Share

My opinion, blah, blah, blah. My viewpoint, blah, blah, blah. I m sick of me! Let s hear what Rex thinks. Share

Not that long ago Halloween meant two things to me. Either stay at home and watch TV while I gave out a little candy or get some really slutty, fun costume on and go to a party. The best outing in that incarnation was 1999 at a party in Oakland as a naughty doctor. It was lousy with athletes who had gone to Cal (sigh, brief staring off into space as I think about those bodies flirting with me and asking for a check up. sigh). A friend of mine is one of the owners of Trashy Lingerie.  They have great stuff, and if you are so inclined to be a hot mommy, you can order online. One of these days I will slip on my naughty gas station attendant or whatever, but not when I m walking my daughter around the hood. So, what does a mother wear and not embarrass herself or her family? I think I came up with it. Share

There are those moments that people always remember where they were when they heard the news, Pearl Harbor, JFK assassination, 9/11. Then there is the next level that most people remember, for me one of those would be when John Lennon was killed. Even the recent death of Michael Jackson was a little moment, a no kidding! And with a 24-hour news cycle always on high alert sometimes they try to create these moments. The OJ car chase (I will admit I know exactly what I was doing driving to Menlo Park from San Francisco to see an ex-boyfriend in a community play thinking, poor guy, no one will be in the theater tonight. ). The media is hoping we will get involved, stay tuned. Will the next one be a big phony baloney one? Rolling my eyes that I made sure not to turn on the news after reading about balloon boy online lest Vivien see it and worry that she too might be carried away, perhaps by a cluster of birthday balloons. Share

Don t know who else has the nerve to say it I will. Can YOU answer this question? Share

I also thought of titling this Why Nursing Is Easier. It shows what is going on at mealtimes. I still nurse, but am trying to feed him finger feeds and such three times a day, per doctors orders. As I write this I m so toast. Kind of ran out of places to get Rex down for bed in our current home. It s late, and I haven t even tried to then get Vivien down. I want to eat something first. I ll write more when I m not exhausted and my back doesn t hurt. Oy. Share

We all have our Waterloo. For some it s left turns. And they aren t necessarily conservatives. Share

Take me home country road! Oh, anyone who knew me back in my pre-married days knew there was no one who knew how to be single like yours truly. I climbed on top of some nice looking men, traveled, went out for the fun of it, and had a wide circle of friends. Now, I m a borderline shut-in whose friends are those who comment on this site. Oh well. So, I do get sent things all the time from companies and such in the hopes that I will blog about them.  I rarely have. I just can t seem to figure that out. Ironically, this magazine arrived not as a pitch for a blog, but as a sample subscription. Like they had my name from the way-back years. Sadly, presently I could sooner relate to Aspirational Housecoats. Share

Okay this story is not your normal disciplining someone else s kid. More like abusing someone else s kid. That was my launching point for this vid. But, like I ve told you, I m not always that rested, and honestly, this is not one of my strongest ones. It s like I forgot to end it. Instead, I just ended it. Help me out: write an ending to this video. I ll try to be more with it on the next one. Share

Sorry, got to call some nut job moms out. I m sure I m not the only one who has been on the other end of some extreme parenting. Is that a show yet? Share

You ever notice how old friends take more work than new friends? Often, old friends have accumulated baggage that we must contend with because now, we are in too deep. Or you made them when you were so young or needy you couldn t screen them as sharply as you do newer friends. It s like the difference between dating my 20s and dating in my 30s.  In my 20s I put up with all kinds of nonsense. In my 30s at the first sign on annoyance, I was, Get your crap and get out of here. Here is a thought on my present state of friendships. Share

Since we are social creatures, I think it s in parents best interest to support their child s friendships. When we had to move, I rarely looked at a house that wasn t in Avery striking distance as I called it. That is Viv s best neighborhood buddy, who we use to be a stone s throw from.  We are a long walk or a short drive now, and happily Avery s mom and I are making that friendship work. Of course 8 to 10 years from now, Vivien will much prefer to spend as much time away from me and with her friends as possible. That will be hard, but I am bracing for it. But what if her friends aren t real? Check out this article about imaginary play in the New York Times. Share

Been a bit busy with Vivien s birthday. Will tell write about that, but sometimes I just need to ramble about pop culture. Share

Sure health care reform, our status in Afghanistan, and whether Jennifer Anniston will ever get remarried are important issues. But I want to turn you to my favorite cause du jour: bringing back the housecoat. Share