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Tuesday
Nov232010

"Ears" To the Holidays

When I was growing up – a long way away from Southern California in more ways than one – I went to Disneyland twice. That's two times. In about 30 years. And on my first trip, I was 6 months old. My dad traded his driver's license for one of the park's strollers, which was a relatively new invention back then. My second? I was a junior in high school.

So my life as a Southern Californian began as a Disneyland-starved adult, never quite getting my fill of swirling tea cups, space-themed roller coasters and over-the-top parades. My kids have the life I used to daydream about: Living within 60 miles of the Happiest Place on Earth. Of course, as an L.A. family we are also on a tight budget and don't always have the time or wherewithall to brave the 5 on a Saturday morning. So our treks to the park are carefully planned and quite measured. We've settled upon the holidays as our favorite time disto make our big annual trek: When I need a dose of extreme holiday spirit and the kids feel as though they've been transported to our own version of the North Pole.

The park gets a holly-and-big-bow makeover this time of year, and the mood everywhere is infectious. The Haunted Mansion has enough Christmas "spirit" to haunt even the Scroogiest of visitors. The "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade routinely brings tears to my eyes, even when those silly reindeer walk by on two legs instead of four. The "Believe ... In Holiday Magic" show mixes fireworks and snow, and I still can't figure out how they get Tinkerbell to flit above Sleeping Beauty Castle. It's a Small World remains my all-time fave, and this DL standard gets decked out with snowflakes and Feliz Navidads-aplenty.

So part of your "tax" as a Southland family is to make the pilgrimage to this hallowed ground in Orange County. I recommend the holidays, but you have to find your own special schedule and create your own traditions.

In case you're in need of motivation, Disneyland Ambassador Danielle DuBois took a moment during my family's trip last weekend to chat with me about some of her favorite holiday treats and treasures in both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Watch this, and see if you can resist (she had me at "giant, handmade candy canes.").

Monday
Apr122010

Interview: Tween Expert & Author Rosalind Wiseman

What is the most important message on the minds of tweens these days? That they matter and that they have a voice and want to be heard. That's what tween expert Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queens Bees & Wannabes (which inspired the movie Mean Girls), told me in a video/phone interview last week.

Wiseman offers words of advice to haggard parents such as me, who often finds herself mystified by this irrational, emotional creature that has taken over the body of my adorable little youngster. But the tween years are a critical window of opportunity for parents to be a helpful and credible source of support, she says, and can set the stage for guiding them through such issues as bullying and the lack of self-confidence. The body image issues are also a major factor at this age, which is why Wiseman says she joined forces with DontFretTheSweat.com. The site includes a panel of parenting experts and provides tools for parents and kids to develop confidence, self-esteem, and self-reliance.

Check out her brief interview here:

Friday
Feb262010

Punching the Clock

Sands of TimeAs the self-proclaimed queen of "I Don't Have Time For This," I often wear that title as though it is a burden that has been thrust upon me. The truth is, my perceived lack of time is caused by a series of choices that I have made. I chose to put my daughter in Girl Scouts. I chose to put my kids in a school that requires a long commute from my job. Yes, I chose to have a job. Heck, I chose to have kids!

The choices we make and how we spend our time essentially make us the people we are. That's the message I received loud and clear from Diane Flannery, Ph.D., director and co-founder of the brand-new UCLA Family Commons (read more about the center's mission at Health-E). By applying scientific studies and research to our real lives, the facility provides a nonjudgmental space for parents to gather resources, evaluate the issues they're dealing with and ultimately, help create healthy, mindful families.

Getting to that point means taking a close look at yourself.

One of the first things the folks at the center do to help parents is to give them a Family Wellness Checkup. Since "we are what we do," Flannery says, this test helps break down, hour by hour, how you spend your life. Then you take those results and compare them to your values to see if it all matches up.

It was eye-opening last year when I started counting calories to help me shed a few pounds. If you look at, think about and quantify each bite, then you figure out pretty quickly why you can't see your feet when you look down at the scale. I had the same experience when I started looking at my always-empty bank account. We eat, spend and do stuff throughout the course of a week without even realizing how much or how little.

When I looked at my 168 hours of the week, I realized that almost 100 of those went to work and sleep. A big chunk went to school. My chart showed very tiny bubbles for exercise, family activities, fun and relaxation. Does that correspond to my values? Do does it motivate me to make some changes? No and yes.

If you're interested in taking a Family Wellness Checkup you can sign up at the UCLA Commons site. Flannery sent me home with the "5-Minute Hourglass," an item you can buy at the center. The hourglass helps you dedicate five minutes to focus on whatever matters most to you. And trust me, you have time for that.
Wednesday
Feb102010

App-tastic

I've been known to – uhm, jokingly – say that my iPhone is like a third child to me. So that makes my apps akin to those "I love yous" and syrupy hugs I get from other two (real) kids. The love flows freely from my human children, so I expect nothing less from my apps. Oh, sure, there's the occasional game or really useful application that's worth the 99 cents. But I figure that by limiting myself to downloading just the free apps that I probably cut down on the thousand or so distractions that could easily take time way from those "real" children I referenced earlier.

Thought I'd share a couple of fun and helpful free apps I've run across lately.

First off, find out where to dispose of old batteries and electronic equipment by downloading the iRecycle app from Earth911.com. You'll easily find recycling locations for everything anywhere in the U.S. I also found out that there was a free compost workshop on Feb. 20 in Burbank in the app's "Events" and learned that computers, batteries and televisions topped the list of most recycled materials in 2009 in the "Articles" section.

For the kiddos, bring books alive on your iPhone through Iceberg Kids' library of free digital books that include Curious George titles as well as The Pokey Puppy and the Mr. Men books (you can find titles to purchase for kids and adults, too). What makes this app cool is that it allows parents to record their own voices reading the books, creating a personalized element that is unique among kid-oriented apps. Here's the demo:


The Table of Contents makes navigating the books very "book-like," and it's easy enough for kids to flip through pages and follow along.

You just have to decide whether your young reader is responsible enough to take care of your "other" child. (I recommend keeping your iPhone in a very protective case and making them wash their hands first. But that's just me.)
Friday
Jan222010

Just Twittering Around

Just in the last hour, these are some things I've learned/discovered/pondered/planned for:

  • Ways I can volunteer at a local Ronald McDonald House (@rmhc)

  • A relatively easy and tasty recipe for ginger and lime chicken (@kitchenmonki)

  • The Antelope Valley Hospital here in SoCal desperately needs Type O blood donors (@LANow)

  • Why my nose runs when it's cold (@whyzz)

  • There's a vegan bake sale next weekend benefitting Doctors Without Borders serving Haiti earthquake victims (@flavorpill_la)

  • Lake Tahoe has 70-90 inches of new snow (@squawcreek)

  • The rains pummeling SoCal aren't bothering the black and white star of SeaWorld (@shamu)


Where, you might ask, would you have access to such a broad range of topics and tidbits, all in one place?

Twitter, of course.

parrotBefore you roll your eyes and start sputtering words like, "who has time for that?" hear me out. Sure, I dove in to this social networking, microblogging tool because L.A. Parent needed a presence out there, and I figured I could find some good material to share with others. But my Twitter feed – that glorious list of Tweets from people I am following – is my connection to an amazing array of topics and products and media and organizations that I'm interested in. That list above is merely the tip of my Twitter iceberg, which, if you don't carefully monitor yourself, could also become your Titanic.

birdSo the busy mom might ask, "Why should I be Twittering? I hear it's a waste of time – and with Facebook and other online social networks, I can't keep up with it all."

Believe me, I understand the concept of "not having time for this." I'm not saying it's for everyone. And PLEASE don't start contributing to the Twitter useless blather streaming nonsense of informing the universe of what you had for breakfast and how you're tired of the rain. That's what Facebook is for. Twitter – at least in my internet universe – is somewhat akin to a universal "forward" button you might find in your email program but without the in-box pollution that comes with that. So if you're thinking about seeing what this Twittering is all about – or maybe have but not sure how to use it – I offer a few words of wisdom:

  • DON'T fall prey to this horrible trend of adding "Tw" to every word relating to Twitter. Right now cross off words like "Twitterverse." It will be tough to resist, but be strong.

  • DO Tweet interesting and cool things you find out there. That can include cool blog posts, live events you think people might want to know about, a tip you've discovered for getting your toddler out of bed, or neat things to check out.

  • DON'T abuse hash tags (#). Those pound signs you see next to a word in a Tweet allows you to search all Tweets in the Twitterverse (oops) for that key word. For instance, #Haiti, #FollowFriday and #MothersDay are legimately trending topics you might want to search. Others like #letsbehonest or #becausechocolateisawesome might fall into that "time waster" category.

  • DO reTweet (RT) if you see a Tweet you like and want to share. Twitterers appreciate that!

  • DO set aside time for your Tweeting. If I didn't do that, my children would never see me.bird-red

  • DON'T Tweet while you're having a baby. Or doing anything else that requires your full attention. Or that might make people wonder, "Why is she Tweeting right now?"

  • DO follow your interests. I follow the local weather stations, my child's school (yes, they just joined Twitter!), craft sites, travel stuff, food writers, health organizations and parenting bloggers, among many others. If someone follows me, I generally follow them back unless it's X-rated, just trying to sell me something or just too far out.

  • DON'T believe and/or reTweet as gospel everything you read on Twitter.

  • DO use lists. Organize your Twitter feed so that you can see relevant posts easier.

  • DON'T feel pressure to Tweet. You can be an observer if you want to. It's OK.

  • DO follow cool people, like these two: @carolyngraham and @health_e.