OC Family - Moms. Kids. Life. - (Momfluential)

Back to The Future at CES

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:11:00 GMT

Picture this, you take a box out of your bag, plop it on the coffee table, plug it in and put on your viewing glasses. Suddenly you're immersed in a 3d world with your favorite game, movie characters. Like sports? You may find yourself lunging for the ball as it flies at you. But stay seated. Because your chair will give you a medically correct massage while you check your email, tweet, log into facebook, choose from thousands of channels to stream music to/from and download the latest movies and television show and videochat with friends. In the event that you need to leave home, a car will pick up where your living room devices left off. Seamlessly. Paging Ray Bradbury...

Last week I hopped on board a spaceship and took off for the future. At least that is what it felt like, in many ways. I went to CES, the International Consumer Electronic show in Las Vegas to check out all that is new and cool. I hear about great products for my family's health and safety all the time, so my focus this trip was more on myself. Read: FUN! I wanted to suss out the cool but also the practical and beautiful items that made my life as a busy mom and closet tech freak, a little easier and more entertaining. I saw "stuff" at CES in spades. It was tough to choose my top ten favorites. So many things vied for my attention: wafer thin flatscreens, the $2500 swarovski encrusted headphones, the laptops and desktops and tablets, the bedside personal internet devices that make my clock radio look like it needs a crank for handwinding...

My favorite practical item though? It's ironic. My favorite thing at the CES show was a candle. Funny, right? Candella candles are so realistic they fool the eye. No simple flickering LED, these high tech candles are far more convincing. You're probably already familiar with the illusion that launched the company selling these candles, if you've ever been in the haunted mansion in Disney. Candella has licensed this technology. For the longest time I've wondered how Disney achieved the floating candles that look so incredibly real. The answer is simple, but complex. It involves a chaos engine. No wonder these people were on my spaceship ride.

The result is a realistic looking candle that won't burn your house down, that's eco & kid friendly. They make a bulb that you can even use in your chandelier. It's romantic and old fashioned and futuristic all at once. It's also totally accessible in my present day world. No spaceship goggles needed. That's some technology that I can use right now! So I guess you can say, it's back to the future with me. Check out this video I made in the Candella booth and see the rest of my CES picks on Momfluential.net.

Momfluential holiday flick picks

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:55:00 GMT

I'm not sure if I can recall the last time I saw a film in the theater. With four young kids and a busy (hectic!) work schedule, I find that most movies end up on my "wait for video" list. Except...

Winter break is one time of year that our whole family heads out to the theater to watch movies. Particularly on Christmas day, when we've been known to go for the (gasp!) double feature. When we're not out at the theater, we're giving our assorted film rental memberships a workout. Tis the season to be entertained!

What do we watch? Inevitably the titles we choose tend towards comedy, action adventure and kids films. Our list is rounded out with a couple of films to watch on date night and a couple to watch at home, snuggled under a blanket once the kids have gone to bed. Here's our picks for Holiday 09.

What's on your movie list this holiday season? Going out or staying in?

Welcome to Camp 'Home For The Holidays'

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:54:00 GMT

No budget for a Swiss ski vacation this year? No Problem! I can help...

If your family is like mine, panic about the upcoming break is starting to set in right about now. Our budget is tight. My husband and I are working through the holidays without a sitter. But we have a plan for this holiday season. A little plan we like to call "Camp Home For The Holidays". Feel free to adapt the schedule to your own family...

Camp Home for Holidays: Week One

Day 1: Pajama Day! On pajama day no one gets dressed! We have lots of fun sorting fabrics into assorted color groupings and experimenting with soap, water and other household chemicals. At the end of the day we learn how to fold like they do at the GAP!

Day 2: Top Chef Challenge Day! On Top Chef day we shop for, chop, prep and assemble all the ingredients for two weeks of dinners. No chef is complete without bartending skills. In an elimination challenge, kids will compete to make the perfect Margarita for mommy. One child will be asked to wash the dishes and go to bed without supper.

Day 3: Nature is Fun Day! On Nature is Fun day we learn how to "make a river" with the hose to remove the seasonal leaves off of the driveway. We study the environmental effects of precipitation on lawn furniture as we use our high powered water guns to hose off the patio set and flush poisonous spiders from their lairs. We cap off our nature day by examining the water cycle and how it affects our gutters. The best helper gets to climb the ladder.

Day 4: Label it like it's Hot! On day four every child will be given a labelmaker and several sets of bins from the container store. Each child will be given a sector of the house and will compete to get every closet, junk drawer and toy shelf labeled and organized in under four hours. Winner gets to keep their stuff!

Day 5: Art restoration and appreciation day. On this day we will walk through the home with our spackle knives and magic sponges admiring the works wrought on our walls by plasma cars, careless ball tosses and other "incidents". We will learn the fine craft of bullnose corner plaster restoration and examine the color wheel as we patch holes and redecorate.

Day 6: Spa Day! On this day all the kids will learn the proper temperature to draw a bath, and learn the basic principles of shiatsu and reflexology. After they take turns practicing their new skill on my feet and back, they will be given the chance to rest and practice meditation in a quiet room.

Day 7: Paper crafts! On this day the kids will sort through all the accumulated paper in the house, shucking and sorting the piles into bills, correspondence and recycling. They will get decorative scissors with which to clip coupons and multi colored sticky notes for categorizing the bills. Whoever has the most papercuts by lunchtime, gets to dole out the character bandaids.

Whew. I have a plan. Who needs Switzerland. Looks like we're going to have a great vacation after all!

PS. No need to call Child Protective services. We own Disney and Zoo Passes and are not afraid to use them if the going gets tough.

Hey Mickey, Where's the Menorah?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:14:00 GMT

My family and I are huge Disney fans. This is evidenced by our season passes and frequent trips to Disneyland after school and on weekends. We've spent countless happy, memorable days at Disneyland, often bringing along friends and family "virtually" for the ride.

But somehow we've never managed to get our act together and do the Holidays at Disney thing. Which is kind of shocking given the hype and our proclivity.

Naturally we were all very excited to go and see the lights and displays at Disneyland and California Adventure. We'd heard so much about the spectacle that we were willing to brave the dense holiday crowds to get a gander. And so, two nights before Thanksgiving we joked, "Cover me Mickey, we're going in!"

More stories at Disneyland & California Adventure

The lights, the decor, were dazzling. Beyond. Over the top and blingarific. Just the way we'd expect from Disney. We oohed and we ahhed at the Christmas tree that seemed tall enough to touch the stars. The basketball sized ornaments that reflect the entire town square were a joy to behold. But something was clearly missing.

"Mommy," my 5 year old son asked. "Do you think Mickey has a menorah here somewhere?"

"Of course!" I answered, confidently. Too confidently, in retrospect. "I've got a special prize for the first kid that spies the menorah!"

We went on, deep into the park. Through New Orleans Square with its beautiful Mardi Gras and vintage themed decor. I marveled at the amount of detail on every single festively festooned lamppost. We fought our way through the crowds to get a glimpse of Small World. What a glimpse! The light show, the snow... Wow, wow, wow! The two hour line was too long for our youngest tots, but we still snapped pictures of the facade. If there was a menorah within, we weren't getting close and it would have to wait for YouTube *

Hours went by as we made our way through the rest of the park, expecting at any moment to discover a nook or a cranny with a decorated dreidel. Underwater by Nemo? On Autotopia? Someplace in Tomorrowland? Alas, we spied nothing. Not until we were sailing through Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Mommy! I found it! Woot! I found the menorah! What do I win!?" shouted my 12 yr old. The people sitting behind us looked startled and confused. They asked us if we'd found a hidden Mickey or something. I was too speechless to respond.

My daughter was technically correct. She HAD found a menorah. But it was hardly the image of holiday happiness we'd been anticipating. The eight branched candlelabra, considered the universal sign of hanukah, was overturned and broken in the window of a burning building. Yo ho, yo ho aside, the only party that came to mind with this image was a pogrom. A memory that's only a couple of generations old in my family, and hardly the one you'd expect to stumble across at the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Our search for another menorah became almost desperate after this ride. Something to replace the distasteful image lingering in our minds. Oh beloved Disney! How could you disappoint us so cruelly?

I couldn't merely give up. Back at home I searched Google and discovered a flickr photo of a menorah, lit in a window on main street. We pointedly returned a few days later to see it for ourselves. I was just too heartbroken to have my children's memory of their holiday at Disney be such a negative one.

Before searching for the menorah we'd seen online, I made sure to check in with Disney PR on Main Street. They told me the exact location of the one menorah in the park that was not concealed within a ride. You can find it above the jewelers. Once again my stomach sank. All I could think was, really? Really Disney?! Who came up with this plan? Goofy? This felt like stereotyping of the worst type. Adding insult to injury. But good thing we had the tip. It's easier to accidentally find Hidden Mickeys. The menorah is quite small, as is the window.

The Disney attendant on duty went on to happily tell me that they not only had a menorah for hanukah but there was also more Jewish holiday decor in the form of a mezuzah on the door of Dr Silverstein's office! This was just ignorant. Mezuzahs have absolutely nothing to do with the holidays. They are a traditional Jewish way to bless a home or place of business. All year round.

I made sure to take my own picture of this needle-in-a-haystack menorah that took us so long to find and ultimately broke our hearts a little. I'd like to say it made us feel better to see it, but in some ways it made us feel worse. We've been relegated to one tiny little window where we're unlikely to be noticed. Are we supposed to feel welcomed by this compartmentalization? Certainly I'm not. I am both baffled and offended by this wisp of an effort. Then again, it could have been worse. The little menorah could have been over the bank or a lawyer's office, right? Ho ho ho!

The fact of the matter is that there was more attention paid to any one of the hundreds of super-sized lamppost wreaths in the park, than to that single dollhouse worthy symbol of our winter holidays.

Just between us Mickey? You might want to get a menorah (and a Kwanza kinara or two) in a more prominent place. I'd lose the menorah in the burning building, though. That's just in bad taste Mickey. Dr. Silverstein would plotz!

Mickey, I'm not a hater. I desperately want to stay in love with Disney. It's been such a part of our lives. And our family celebrations. We have Disney dreidels and menorahs in our collection like these. Ironically we couldn't find any Jewish holiday items to buy in the gift shops at Disneyland, even when we would have spent almost any amount just to make ourselves feel better. That's how desperately we wished to be included in some small way in Disney's "Holiday Magic".

So at the very least, Mickey, stock the gift shop. Us non-Christmas celebrating people are willing to fork out for our holiday joy like the rest of the tourists, and you're missing out on some serious retail ops.

*Note: We've scoured multiple Holiday Small World videos for a glimpse of a menorah or a dreidel. If it's in there, we've yet to find it. That doesn't mean it's not there. We'd love to see your photos or footage if you photographed other-than-Christmas holiday decor at Disneyland.

Car memorial stickers: Forget me? Not!

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:34:00 GMT

We love our rear windshield car stickers here in So. Cal don't we? Who doesn't want to personalize their vehicle? Considering how much time we spend in our cars, it makes perfect sense that we want to inject them with a little more personality. They are like a gateway product to vanity plates and far less expensive. Even I, a long time sticker abdicator, recently took the plunge and decked out my van with a sticker familia. But there's one type of sticker I've seen a lot of lately that doesn't make any sense at all. The "In Loving Memory" car sticker. Seriously folks... What's the deal!?

The other day, whilst tooling up Antonio Parkway in Ladera Ranch, I saw a "In Loving Memory of Johnny" sticker on a late model Honda Civic. Right below that decal, on the very same rear windshield, was another decal that said "It's all about ME!"

So which was it? Me? Or Johnny?

I'll admit it. I don't even get the memorial stickers in the first place. Memorials on the side of the road make sense, in a "scene of the crime" type way. But why on the car? Why not on a tee shirt or a backpack or your front door? How about beer cosy? Cause Johnny... liked beer?

I've gone so far as to wonder:

1. Did Johnny die in the car?
2. Was Johnny hit by the car?
3. Is the car now a shrine to Johnny? Is there other Johnny memorabilia inside?
4. Perhaps the life insurance money that was collected upon Johnny's death, paid for the car?*

*This would possibly explain the "All about ME!" sticker alongside the memorial one. Johnny's kicked the bucket and paid for my car. Now it's all about ME! So long Johnny and thanks for the car!

Perhaps one of you can enlighten me about this practice. In the meantime I've got a strict "no dead relatives on the rear windshield" policy for all my vehicles, past and present. I'm not wanting to forget them - I've just barely got enough room for the living ones! Check out our line- up.

Pearls before Swine Flu

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:19:00 GMT

I'm not shocked that my entire family, including me, got Swine Flu this fall. After all the hype and hoopla about the disease, and considering my four kids special talent at catching every bug to circulate at their loverly place of education/infection, I was already resigned to it. Figured it was inevitable.

So I did the sensible thing to prepare. I went out and bought some new jeans in a size smaller than usual. I got some tiny tees and made plans for some family photography in a few weeks that would feature the new, post swine, svelter version of me.

Come on. We all know that the one single silver lining of dealing with flu season is the post flu jeans try on, right?

Well I was duped. Swine flu is not your friend in the dieting department. It turns out that I got the non barfing, non high fever version and as a result, was able to eat lots and lots of halloween candy as I convalesced with my fellow sickies. Sure I coughed almost nonstop for two weeks, but coughing all day seems to only burn off one or two snack size Snickers. It doesn't even begin to address the Starbursts or Jolly Ranchers that were a medical necessity at the time. No wonder this disease is named after a pig. I think I've gained close to 10 pounds with all this laying around and getting better!

I know there is a lot of public health info out there on Swine Flu, and I suggest you read it so you will be prepared, should you come down with the dreaded disease. A little information goes a long way and can save you cash. Cash that you might have spent on a new pair of skinny jeans online, if you thought you'd come out of this minus a few LB's. Caveat Swiner.

Good luck to all of those who are currently convalescing, and those who are doing their best to ward off the disease. If you're looking for a shopping distraction to get you through this, best you stay away from clothing and candy and check out the Swine Flu Retail Therapy "Shop Yourself Sane" guide on Popshopology. If nothing else it will make you laugh. And a good belly chuckle is the best medicine of all. Plus it burns more calories than coughing.

Old-Fashioned Family Fun: Journey School Harvest Faire

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:47:00 GMT

Something amazing has been happening the last few weeks at the Waldorf inspired school my children go to. The entire school community has been working together to put together a festival that is magical, and quite unique.

The Journey School's Harvest Faire is unlike anything I have experienced in the OC. This event is a marked change from the various elementary school fundraising fairs I have attended at our other schools in the past. These other events usually revolved around commercial enterprise, rather than craft and, and business often eclipsed pleasure and the true nature of the celebration. For me (and I suspect I was not alone) receiving plastic water bottles from realtors and frisbees from flooring companies does not a fun Saturday afternoon make.

Though those fund raising events were well intentioned, and we appreciated the gesture of support from local businesses, the focus on commerce, sales and spending, did little to foster a sense of community in us. Community, as a school, as parents, as residents of the OC, is something we all could use some more of these days. We're so glad we've found this at Journey! I'd love to share a little of this with others. Come for the crafts, come for the snacks, come for the good old fashioned fun and sense of community!

I almost wish I was not working a booth so I could take advantage of the many craft projects & activities! Here's what you will find:

Fairy house decorating
Hat making
Apple stamping
Felt gnome doll making
Candle making
Hay bale mazes
Pixie potion creation
Cake walk
Potato sack races

How fun does all that sound? There will be live music, a handmade & eco friendly vendor marketplace, a hearty lunch courtesy of Soup Plantation, and treats, sweets & coffee for sale in a whimsical Fairy Cafe. Ticket prices are around a dollar apiece for crafts and snacks.

Check out some of the slides from last year's Harvest Faire. This year's is going to be even bigger and better. I hope to see you there!

Top Ten iPhone Apps For Busy Moms

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:52:00 GMT