Elf on the Shelf

Last year we heard about Elf on a Shelf, I had no idea about this holiday tradition but everyone swore that is was awesome and that my kids would love it. I went to every Hallmark store in my area and finally found the kit…

What is Elf on the Shelf, well it is a book and a Elf. You read the book to child/children and then the Elf magically appears. Once the Elf appears for the first time, the family is to name it, my children named ours Sparkle.

The purpose, well the Elf on the Shelf helps Santa know if your children have been naughty or nice. Every night the Elf “magically” returns to the North Pole to provide Santa with a report of the day, and every morning he/she returns and is in a different spot in the house. The kids typically run around the house first thing in the morning looking for our Elf, he has appeared everywhere from appliances, to frames and window shelves…

Every family looks to start their own holiday tradition and I love this one..here is a link to Elf on the Shelf..I hope your children enjoy it as much as mine do..

Elf on the Shelf..

2008 -- A Look Back

Yes 2008 was a hard year for pretty much everyone but do we have things to be thankful for as we head into 2009. Some may argue that we don’t however I beg to differ..

Yes, the economy is in the “toilet” to put it lightly but there is more to the world than the economy. When I look at myself and my own life I think of a quote that has motivates me daily…”Constantly imagine the life you truly want.” I received that quote via a text message from The Secret web site..

When I received that quote I wrote it on a piece of paper and have it on my nightstand, I look at it every morning and every night before I close my eyes. I thought a lot about that quote since I first read it..and I do have the life I want..

I always wanted to be a mom and I am..not only am I a mom but my kids are amazing. Ashlee is my buddy, my six year old little girl that warms my heart every time she smiles and Jack, my three year old little guy who has an amazing imagination and lives with zero fear.

So, as 2008 comes to an end I ask everyone not to look back on the year with sadness but look ahead to what 2009 can bring for everyone. Also, take a hard look at your laugh and be grateful for the wonderful things that we all have and possibly take for granitite daily…

Want more good reads regarding the economy, check out Silicon Valley Moms a lot of great posts!

Twitter

Lets talk about Twitter for a bit, how many folks use it..raise your hands. How many know how to use it? How many enjoy it or see it as another PITA of a social networking tool?

About a year ago I sat in a lunch meeting with Guy Kawasaki and he talked about Twitter, and I thought he was nuts. Why the heck would I waste my time using Twitter, do I really care that someone walked into their kitchen for a glass of water. Do folks really care what I am doing during the day..

Anyway, since in PR the world is turning to online I decided to sign up for Twitter and barely used it for six months. Then about 3-4 months ago something clicked..I started following companies and not just people. Companies such as BestBuy, Walmart, Zappos (love him) and a few others ..in addition some of the people that I believe influence the world of social media and journalists that I read and pitch regularly.

What I started to love about Twitter is that I felt it brought me closer to the reporters, what do I mean, I started to understand them better. I started to know a little more about them what they were reading, what they wanted to hear about from their voice and not a printed article about a product.

Additionally, what I got from following companies, I learned more about these companies. I follow the CMO of BestBuy, he actually helps customers and the CEO of Zappos asks for opinions on shoes and other things that make the company more successful..

I also follow bloggers, mostly mom bloggers but a few others as well..this has helped me with my own blog and again, I felt like I learned about these individuals which I believe has helped me grown in social networking and in PR as well..

So..if you wonder about using Twitter..do it..but follow those that get it and use it right…

Thank Goodness for Health Insurance

Was on the Mom’s Rising Web site today, they were asking folks to submit stories of why health care is important to you. It really didn’t take me long to think of a story, Jack..having my Jack alive is my story…

On a day that should have been amazing, I thought my world was falling apart. It started out like a typical day expect my five week old son Jack could not sleep and was extremely fussy. Jeff got up early and hung out with him on the couch, during the day we noticed that something seemed off, Jack just wasn’t acting right. We took his temperature under his arm and it only registered to about 99.9 therefore we really didn’t panic, we decided to give him a tiny bit of Baby Tylenol and see how the day played out. Well, as the day went on Jack seemed to get sicker and sicker, finally around 5pm I called the after hour care for his pediatrician.

The nurse on the line had me take his temperature rectally and it registered more than 102. With that reading, the nurse had me take Jack to the emergency room..

The ER took Jack immediately, they took X-rays and at first that Jack had a bowel obstruction and that it had ruptured. The doctors decided to air-lift Jack to Children’s Oakland, to make it easier on my five week year old, Jack was placed into a voluntary coma. That way he could sleep while his body worked to fight the infection.

Jeff and I drove to the hospital not knowing what to expect, we were informed at the hospital prior to leaving that there was a chance my son would not make it. Imagine being told you baby, your five week old baby might not live, it is the worst information a parent can ever receive..

To make a long story short..we got to Children’s Oakland to find out no bowl obstruction, however he was very sick. Jack had caught a virus and would be in the ICU for a few days, I slept at his bedside that night. We were put into the family housing for the time he was in the hospital but I didn’t sleep or each much during that five days…

To help Jack fight the virus/infection he was given a blood transfusion to jump start his immune system. Once he got that and the medication Jack started to get better and after five days we took him home..

Without insurance the amount of money I would have needed to pay would have broken my family. About five months after that incident my oldest Ashlee fell on Jack and broke his arm, again needing to rush him to the hospital.

Without insurance the bills would have been our of control and beyond our financial means..

24-Hours of Reflection

As I reflect on the last 24 hours there is a lot of emotion.

On one hand I am beyond thrilled..it was, as Obama has said, time for a change. The US and world had become unhappy with the way our country had been run over the past eight years. Has it really been eight years? Change was needed, just who would be responsible for the change, that was the question about six months ago. The newspapers, TV and radio are saying that McCain was the front runner in the beginning, the American people thought highly of him, he clearly wanted change and, no matter what anyone thinks of his politics, you have GOT to respect the fact he was a POW.

Once the economy took such a massive turn, that is when McCain began to fall and Obama leaped forward and took a front and center lead. At first, I will be honest, I was torn with who I would vote for in this election. While I think highly of McCain there was to much about his politics that I could not grasp or agree with, and then there was Palin, that is a different blog entry all together.

I watched the debates, I read everything I could about these two candidates and in the end, I went with my gut and voted for Obama. His speech was moving, I am proud of America, it was a significant leap forward for our country and I am extremely proud to be an American.

While I am proud to be an American, I am sad and disappointed tonight to be from California. Of all the states I would have never thought a proposition like 8 would pass here, how could we take rights away from people? I have heard pretty much every argument for 8 over the last few days, gay marriage will be taught in schools, religious reasons and pretty much everything in-between. I always like to say that everyone is entitled to their opinion but to me, Prop 8 was not about any of those things it was about rights and those constitutional rights were taking away from a significant amount of people. Why? I want one person to give me an argument that is truthful and solid..

How could we as Californians, as people, take away rights…

So, as I said, on one hand I am happy and proud but on the other, I am sad and disappointed. The emotions over the last few days will last and, as we move forward, I want everyone to remember one thing from Obama’s speech last night..

“We are not about blue or red states. We are about the United States of America.” I say Amen….

Proposition 8...Lets Talk About This...

I need to get this out because every time I see the Yes on 8 commercials I swear I want to scream and throw things at my TV. The one that shows the couple from Massachusetts who says that after gay marriage was passed their child came home and said they learned that a boy can marry a boy…oh and a girl can marry a princess..PLEASE….

First, lets discuss the commercial, seriously, are you kidding me? First, the right to marry has nothing to do with schools. Also, maybe it is just me, but who cares..parents should be teaching this to their child anyway.

The husband and wife from Massachusetts in those TV ads really put me over the edge. I am trying my hardest not to say something cruel about this couple but I saw them in a TV interview on The Today Show and I started screaming at the TV. From what I have read, if Proposition 8 passes it does not affect your school. I know I have already mentioned this once, but I feel the need to repeat myself again and again. My daughter is in the first grade and I know a lot of parents of older children and there is NO discussion of marriage in school. They focus on reading, writing, math and science, not marriage!

The reason we live in the United States is that this is a country about freedom, no matter your race, religion or sexual preference. Everyone’s rights should be the same..why are we trying to take away someone’s rights? The government needs to separate church and state once and for all…this is ridiculous..please focus on the important issues such as the economy and environment.

When we first moved to Livermore there was a lesbian couple that lived across the street from us. They had two children, a boy and girl, and where a very nice couple. Ashlee was one when we moved in, by the time these ladies moved she was about three, old enough to ask questions. She asked once why these children had two moms and I think I told her that was their preference and they were very happy, and that was it.

Here is what I have to say about Proposition 8…if this doesn't pass, which is what I am hoping, anyone will be allowed to marry, no matter of their sexual preference. What is wrong with that? Tell me, why can’t someone who is gay get married? Why?

Parents need to talk to their children. Have the common decency to explain to them about
homosexuality and heterosexuality……the biggest issue I see with Prop 8 is it is going to force parents to talk to their children, OH NO…how scary..please…we should be talking to our children, tell them the truth, be honest, they deserve it!

Kids and Cell Phone, How Young is to Young?

Read an interesting post on Love Shak Baby, it was about kids and cell phones. Interesting that she wrote about this because I have been thinking the same thing lately. I went with my daughter to school the other day, drop her off just like any other day, and noticed that a few girls, probably in the 3rd or 4th grade were on cell phones.

I turned and asked my daughter if any of her friends have cell phones, she is in the 1st grade. She said yes, two girls in her class have cells…I was a little blown away.. After I asked her that question she was quiet for a few minutes and then she said, mom I don’t need a phone, I think I am to young. I was really glad to hear her say that, because she is to young. But when is a child old enough to have a cell?

I remember when I was kids, my mom could trust me playing outside until the sun started to set and then I was home. However, how many times was I late, or stuck somewhere and having a phone on me would have been ideal. The biggest difference, I never let my kids out of my site when they play outside. If one of the other moms are not outside watching, then I am on the front porch, the days are not like they use to be.

However, regards to cell phones, how young is to young? When do we make the decision to buy a child a cell phone? Is it 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade? Chime in, let me know your thoughts..

Safety..Emergency Kits and Police

For my son's preschool we have to put together an emergency kit that includes a granola bar, bttle of water, glow stick and wipes. The thought of having an emergency kit for my son scares me a bit, because I hope that it never has to be used. On the other hand, I am glad that the school is being responsible enough to have these types of items on hand. Of course, the kit is due today and I will be late, they won't get it until tomorrow.

Also, today a police officer visited my son's school. The officer talked about safety and not talking to stranger, it sounds like the kids loved the chat. The one sad thing is that the DARE program that is part of all public schools had to be canceled due to lack of funds. That is just sad to me...The DARE program was really good for kids, taught them about strangers and sadly due to money issues something that important has been canceled. Seriously, there isnt anything else that can be canceled?

Stay-at-Home vs. Working Moms

I have written on this topic before but something happened to me recently that made me feel the need to repost. There seems to be a constant fight between moms, stay-at-home and ones that work, why is that? Shouldn't we all support one another..

I started to think about an old friend of my, well she isn't really a friend anymore, I work full time, take care of the house, have two amazing children and am very happy. You would think she would be happy for me, truthfully, she isn't...

She always makes comments about the fact that I work..comments like..doesn't it bother you that someone else is raising your children. I don't believe my children are being raised by anyone but Jeff and I..and they are happy, awesome kids!

I think that mom's have enough issues to deal with ad should stay out of each others business..stop criticizing each other and just support...

Everyone needs help..no matter if they work or not, it is about how you treat your children and if they are happy. Let me tell everyone, my kids are happy and yes I do work full time...

Fortune Brainstorm

As a PR professional, I have tried for years for my clients to be invited to Fortune's Brainstrom Conference. It has been interesting to watch bloggers yesterday and today comment about the event, in particular Tom Foremski. He doesn't seem to impressed, in fact he seems rather bored. He did also mention on his blog that more excitment is happening within the halls of the event and not the sessions.

Also, there seemed to be some bloggers/reporters upset with who i attending, I saw one comment that mentioned tier 2 media were invited. Interesting to see the comments..I plan to keep reading...

HP Touchscreen

Saw a friend of mine at the HP booth today at BlogHer and they had the coolest item on display, the new HP Touchscreen Monitor. I mean this thing is cool, check out the info..

I am working my contacts to see if I can get one..you use HP software and everything is done based on touching the screen. One of the things they showed me was playing games, such as Solitare, I mean I am addicted to this game but I think it would be 100 times worse if I had one of these monitors...

Come on Ann..set me UP!!!

Day One--Over...

So..Day One of BlogHer is over and it was great, I met so many people and learned a ton. There isn't anything about BlogHer that i didn't like, from the kick-off, exhibits, people, sessions and one think in particular, the Sesame Street suite. When I was a little kid, I loved Grover, I mean loved Grover, I even had a cake in the shape of Grover...

So, imagine how excited I was when I got to have a video of myself with Grover, I am bringing it home to the kids, they are going to love it.

Anyway, Blogher was awesome, can't wait for more and I will deffinitly be her in 09...

BTW-a huge shout out to my friends at HP, that touchscreen is awesome..i would love to play with it!!!!!

Is Mommy blogging Radical...

Sitting in a great session about Mommy Blogging..is it still radical? First it is amazing to me how crowded the room is, it is standign room only..additionally the opinions on mom blogging is so different..

There is deffinitly a mix of thinking with regards to mom blogging..some seem to love the swap and seem to try and make money. Also, there are those who seem to blog to build a community...all these thoughts are pretty cool..

If I take anything away from this session it seems that they are telling people to be themselves, that is my favorite. That readers want your opinion, they want you to be real, they want you to be yourself...that to me is awesome..

The other thoughts, mom's that make money from blogging..is it really a bad thing to want to profit from a blog. Yes, I blog because I love to write, but if this becomes a business, I am not going to complain..

Anyway, the conference so far has been awesome...

First Blogher Post

Day one..i have been here since 8am, all registered and walked the exhibit floor...Let me tell, not being on the PR side is very strange, I knew how the folks behind the table felt, talking about their products/swag until their mouths were dry. I have some cool swag..sat down at an awesome table..learning about SecondLife and Kirtsy..

A Full Night Sleep

So, I am attending BlogHer on Friday, I am really excited because I hear this is a great conference for mom bloggers. It is also in San Fran, which I love, I never get to head to the city anymore, so I am excited about that as well…

The one thing I am most excited about, sleeping in….no one waking me up at 2am by poking me in the face! I get to sleep an entire night, without being kicked in the face, I swear, that is the highlight of my day!!!!!

Social Social Networks..Social Social Everywhere...

Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Friendster, Twitter…lets talk about this Web 2.0 world…have we hit the limit on social networking sites or are more still to come. It seems like daily I am receiving a email from a friend to join a new site, don’t we have enough….

Which one is better, is it necessary to be part of all these sites? Which is better? Not sure I can answer that question, it seems like it is personal preference..

Some people I know really like Myspace, while others are hooked on Facebook..Asia has a fascination with Friendster and the world seems to be in aw of Twitter…Now LinkedIn, I think professionals see this as the next HotJobs…

The one thing that drives me insane about Facebook, the aps, some are just plain stupid..let me poke you, no let me SuperPoke you, let me ask you, why? Why is it necessary to SuperPoke someone..that seems like a big mystery.

How about Twitter? This fascinates me, it sometimes feels like a voyeuristic tool, that I am getting a peak inside a persons’ home, their personal like. There are tweets that make me feel uncomfortable, like why is that person tweeting about using the restroom..I don’t get that! Seriously, is that necessary?

Myspace, I use to be a huge fan, but now it seems more like a place for kids and others to send me Spam. I get more Spam via Myspace than I do sometimes on my Yahoo account…

iPhone Hype...

I have been neglecting this blog for a while, I have been thinking about how I want to continue with it moving forward. Do I want to continue chatting about my life and kids or talk about life, or what is happening with the world. Have I made a decision, not really but one thing I know, I love to write and talk about everything.

So, I think I am just going to write about what gets my attention, if it happens to be about the kids, then it is about the kids, if it is the world, than I write about the world. So, this post is going to be about the iPhone…

I am on Facebook and Twitter and I follow a lot of reporters, I think it is interesting to get their take on what is happening in the world. It seems that reporters are getting tired of the hype..I was watching Tom Foremski’s comments on Twitter and Facebook and wrote about the hype of all the iPhone coverage, he actually made a laundry list of all the iPhone coverage to date, in additionally made a list of articles not related to the iPhone. I have agree with Tom, I want the hype to die…


It is a phone, yes it looks cool and the aps are cool but it is just a phone. Do people really need to sleep in line to buy the iPhone, I just don’t get it…

Am I crazy? Am I wrong? Someone explain the hype to me!!!!

Summer Plans

Things have been so nuts lately, been trying to get the summer plans situated since school is out in about two weeks.

I finally decided on putting Ashlee in a bunch of camps, such as cheerleading, dance and High School Musical. I figured she would enjoy that, she also has her dance academy starting soon.

I have been trying to decide on a new DVD for out main room, we got a 52 inch flat screen about a month ago and now need a new DVD. I am trying to decide if we go Blue Ray or not, haven’t made the decision just yet.

Mother's Day

I had the best Mother’s Day. First Ashlee and I had a sleep over, we do these once a month. We blow up the big queen sized airbed and sleep downstairs together, it is the best time. She loves it and so do I..Jack was suppose to join us but he wanted to sleep in his own bed, who can blame him, it is probably 10x more comfortable than the airbed…

So, I got to wake up to snuggling my baby girl, seriously, what can be better than that. After we woke up, Jeff ran to the grocery store and made me breakfast, waffles and breakfast sausages, my favorite!!!

Then, Ashlee and I ran a few errands and my mom came over early with her puppy Daisy, she is the cutest little dog. I love my beagle Lady but I swear, I could snuggle with Daisy all night because she is so tiny. After we hung out, took the dogs for a walk to pick some wild flowers, we all loaded up in the truck and went to play Bocce ball for an hour. We met my sister and family, her mother-in-law and my in laws, it was awesome. We had a court outside, were we had some great snacks, incredible wine and had a blast playing bocce.

After bocce we had dinner and all hung out, it was probably one of the best Mother’s Day I have every experienced. It was great to hang out with the family, not cook or clean, just relax and have a blast.

Now, it is Sunday, time to get myself mentally ready for work, can’t wait…

Teen Steals Human Skull

This is just weird..

There was an article in USA Today that talks about a teenager who admits to stealing a skull to smoke weed. Yes a skull, not only is that ridiculously gross but weird, just so weird. What makes someone think that a skull should be used to smoke weed, what was going on inside this kids head.

I have heard of other household items being used for this sort of thing, but honestly never a human skull.

USA Today Article

CA/WA Handsfree Law

States across the US are putting hands-free car laws into place, the two most recent will be California and Washington which go into effect on July 1st. This means anyone behind the wheel of a car needs to wear a headset while talking on the phone. If after July 1st if a driver is pulled over in CA or WA on the phone without a headset, you will get a ticket. Plantronics has created a microsite that is all about being handsfree, check it out. There are hidden “eggs” throughout and prizes can be won.

If you are a driver in CA or WA, get your headset now before the law goes into affect!

Plantronics Handsfree

Microsoft Walks Away from Yahoo!

http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/M/MICROSOFT_YAHOO?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-03-21-12-40


Well Microsoft walked away from purchasing Yahoo, they got tired of Yahoo rebuffing their offer and walked. I can’t say I blame the company, it seems like Yahoo was pushing for a bid of more than 50B and MS said “hello no.” When you really look at the deal, Yahoo needs MS more than MS needed Yahoo, I don’t blame them for walking..

Makes you wonder if Yahoo will change their mind and come crawling back to Microsoft…or maybe they have another bid under their sleeve, maybe a Yahoo/AOL merger…hmmmm…stranger thing have happened..

Did anyone ever think HP and Compaq would merge, I don’t think so …..

Microsoft/Yahoo..Will it happen???

I am sure it is because I work in high-tech but things like the possibility of the Microsoft/Yahoo deal fascinate me…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/technology/01soft-web.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I can definitely see the appeal for Microsoft, MSN.com has never really kicked off the way Yahoo or Google have, in addition its IM service is not nearly where the Yahoo IM has risen. I can also see Yahoo’s point, it doesn’t want to be controlled by Microsoft but will Yahoo every be in a position to compete with Google, I don’t think so.

Time will tell and it will be very interesting…

Guitar Hero

My husband works in the gaming industry so you can just imagine the amount of games we have in our home, pretty much a cabinet full. So a few weeks ago we were at a friends and he got the chance to play Guitar Hero, and of course went out the next day and bought it for our 360. Of course it had to be wireless, because now is the modern age and god forbidden there is a cord hanging.

Anyway, now that he has it, the kids try to play it, I love seeing Jack hold the guitar, I think it is as big as he is, so cute. Ashlee tries so hard but she is still just trying to get it. I have played a few time, it took me six times to get through a Poison song, how sad, I use to love that music and I failed at Guitar Hero!

Anyway, we are hanging with the neighbors tonight, I am sure the guitar will be pulled and played again..