Mommy's Purse to the Rescue!!!

Before I was a mom I thought I was always prepared. Only after I became a mom did I truly find out what the word prepared meant. I thought, "This is just how I am when I'm with my daughter" but I realized that once you're in mommy mode you can never go back. Which in not neccessarily a bad thing.

I recently got the opportunity to shoot in San Francisco. The thought of having three days to myself with uninterrupted sleep was exhilarating! This would be the first time I would be away from my daughter for such a long period of time. I knew it would be difficult but I wanted to enjoy myself as much as I could.

On this trip, I discovered that I was very prepared. Let me over-emphasize that, I was "mommy" prepared! When I boarded that plane I had snacks, anti-bacterial, baby wipes, aspirin, extra napkins (because you can never have enough napkins in your purse) and more things than I care to list. Let's put it this way, I had feminine products and it wasn't even that time of the month. I just like to have them ready in case someone else needs them.


I think once you become a mom you develop this mentality of "always" be prepared! For instance, carrying around an extra outfit just in case your little one has an accident. Having snacks in case they get hungry. Taking books and crayons to the restaurant so during those few minutes they are distracted you can devour your meal before a meltdown.

My fellow actors noticed this as well. We worked in 38 degree weather for fifteen and a half hours and one of the actors looked like she was freezing so I offered her a blanket. Another actor had a headache, no need to call the medic, I had aspirin in my pocket. It was two hours 'til dinner and craft service was quite a hike but one of the actors was hungry, fear not I have goldfish and granola bars in my purse!!! I remember someone saying, "Wow! You can tell Bernadette is a mom." I thought to myself, "I certainly AM a mom" and took it as a complement.

That trip made me realize that I practically have everything I need, but if I don't I can certainly ask a fellow mom and I'm pretty sure she will have it.

$20 Cinnabon Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Now if you've been out to your local Cinnabon lately you would have noticed the delicious NEW cupcakes they are now selling. I know I have! They come in four flavors: chocolate, vanilla, cinnaswirl and carrot cake (my favorite).


If you'd like to try these yummy treats for free, join the contest!

Here's how:

Leave a comment on THIS BLOG (NOT Facebook) stating what your favorite dessert is. Let's keep it G rated people. Some of you might have to create an account to do so but it will only take a minute, I promise! AND if you become a follower you'll be able to sign up for future giveaways. And there are some GOOD ones coming up!

The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on April 12, 2010.

Comment away and good luck!

Fun, Food, Friends and Free Stuff at the Ritz!

A few weeks ago I got an opportunity to attend the LA/Orange County Moms Blog party at the Ritz. It was hosted by SV Moms Group and sponsored by BitDefender, Stride Rite and the fabulous Ritz-Carlton of Laguna Nigel.

The best part of these events is all the great stuff we receive and in addition we also get the chance to meet and catch up with fellow mom bloggers in person.


We had the opportunity to network and share valuable information about integrating brands into our blogging, which is very helpful to bloggers who haven't tapped into this market. After two hours of the roundtable we proceeded to learn about all the products we were about to receive.


Here are just a few of my favorite items and will follow up with more in the future:

iGO green Charge Anywhere-
This awesome charger works as a wall charger to charge almost any device while charging it's own battery for device charging away from a wall outlet. It even has two USB outputs for simultaneous device charging. It works with multiple devices including mobile phones, digital cameras and GPS devices just to name a few. This handy charger is a definite must-have for trips as well as regular day to day life!


Cinnabon Cupcakes-
Now you might be asking, "Cupcakes?!" Yes, CUPCAKES!!! Cinnabon is not only spreading joy through their cinnamon rolls but now also with cupcakes. I am a huge fan of their cinnamon rolls, which is probably why I still have some baby weight to lose, and their new cupcakes rate equally as high. They come in cinnaswirl, chocolate, vanilla and (my favorite) carrot cake. These yummy treats are now available at your local Cinnabon. I will also have a $20 Cinnabon gift card giveaway so that you can try these new cupcakes so make sure to check back in a week!


Skechers Shape-Ups
Every busy mom who is trying to lose the baby weight looks for quick and easy ways to incorporate exercise in their everyday lives. Now they can with Skechers Shape-Ups! The second I slipped them on I fell in love. They are comfortable and sporty at the same time, not to mention the added bonus of helping shed those extra pounds. After wearing them for a few days while grocery shopping I've noticed an improvement on my calf muscles and posture. If you're looking for a shoe replacement I definitely recommend trying out these Shape-Ups!


Dole-
Dole has a special place in my heart. Not just because they gave us some awesome fruit cups, which every child loves, but because they made me feel like a winner with the help of fellow mom blogger Yvonne. See, there were many items raffled off at the event and after all the winners were announced I was disappointed to find out my name was never called. But Yvonne won a great gift basket from Dole which had everything from recipe books (which is so appropriate because Yvonne is an excellent baker and does it successfully for a living) to cans of pineapple and last but not least, thee cutest pink Dole hat!!! She graciously shared that hat with me so that I could also feel like a winner. Thanks Yvonne!


Bosch Appliances-
If you're a coffee addict like I am, you'll love Bosch's new TASSIMO single-cup beverage maker! They had a wide variety of flavors, caramel being my favorite. If you're not into coffee they also had other flavors including hot chocolate which was creamy and decadent. Each individual serving is barcoded so the machine knows exactly the right time and temperature to brew. Wake up to a perfect cup with Bosch!


Thank you to Daphne, Heather and Jason of the Rogers Group for sharing such terrific products and participating in the event.

After visiting the booths and learning about all the giveaways some of the mom bloggers and I were able to relax and enjoy some of the delicious food at the Ritz.


California rolls, my favorite.


And chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.


Eunice and Me at the event.
I would like to thank SVMoms Group and all the amazing sponsors for allowing me to take part in such spectacular event! Live, Laugh, Blog!!!

A Day at the Zoo with Animals and Moshi Monsters!

I was recently invited to spend a day at the L.A. Zoo and have a personal hands-on demo with an online video game site called Moshi Monsters. I had never heard of this site and was excited to learn more about it.



Moshi Monsters is a free online site where kids can adopt a monster and care for it. I was happy to sample the various games such as the daily challenge which can help the player accumulate points called Rox. They can then use the Rox to buy things such as food, furniture, treats or toys to boost their monsters mood. As time passes, their monster will move up in levels and be able to visit new locations in Monstro City.



I was particularly impressed with the games because they were educational and entertaining at the same time. They incorporated math, English and comprehension which can help kids learn while they play video games. I feel that this will also teach them responsibility which they can incorporate into their everyday lives.



After the demo, we were able to enjoy the warm weather at the L.A.zoo. My daughter enjoyed the colorful flamingos, bears and peacocks.







We returned to sample more of the games which are 90% free! The other 10% gives your child access to some cool extras which are available on their website here.


All in all I would recommend this site to parents with children who enjoy video games because they can learn and have fun at the same time. So adopt a Moshi monster now at www.moshimonsters.com!

Spa Day Should be EVERY day!!!

I consider a “spa day” the perfect day! After having a child, spa days are far and few in between. So I felt extremely lucky when I got pampered at the Pacific Waters Spa at the Hyatt Resort in Huntington Beach. The location alone was relaxing. I, along with a few mom bloggers, enjoyed mini 15-minute samples of hand treatments, facials and massages (my favorite!).

Group Yellow: Me, Yvonne and Eunice.


Valley Asian Moms: Me, Amy and Marsha
The salon's staff also demonstrated how we could use regular household products to do our very own treatments at home. I sampled the coconut oil, coffee grind and cocoa mixture.


They gave us a tour of the numerous amenities including a salt-water jacuzzi, an outdoor fire-pit, and a roomy bathtub for two (just to name a few). Our tour ended with a delicious, healthy lunch. My favorites were the salmon, grilled vegetables and fresh fruit for dessert.


All things must come to an end and I was very sad to leave the spa. I want to commend the amazing staff and PR representatives, Jessica and Toni of Purry Communications, for being such great hosts.


After the spa we relaxed at the Red Chair Lounge with some "mommytini" cocktails, yummy appetizers and desserts.


This experience reminded me of how important it is to take care ourselves. So often, moms put everyone else's needs ahead of their own that they forget about themselves. Being a great mom means being able to give ourselves a break and this was the perfect way to do it. So I'd like to say thanks to the Pacific Waters Spa for allowing me to take part in this amazing event!


All my readers are probably wondering, how can "I" get this amazing experience?! Well you're in luck! Right now if you become a fan on their Facebook page and post "I became a fan of Pacific Waters Spa by reading funny yellow mom" you'll receive 20% off any 60 minute treatment! AND you'll also help me help my friend ,Amy Anderson, "funny yellow mom" (who is an amazing single mom and totally deserves a spa day!), win a contest they're having for mommy bloggers. The blogger with the most referrals wins a spa day! Valentine's is right around the corner so give the gift that keeps on giving!

A New Year With A New Name

There are many times in my life that I consider memorable. Coming to America, my first time up on stage doing stand-up, graduating college, getting married and MOST importantly the birth of my child. I feel very blessed to have experienced these things. It seems with the addition of my daughter, every day and every second have become more special. She brings an unexplainable joy to me in whatever she does and says.


We rang in the new year with some dear friends, the Chambers family, in Pleasanton, CA. We love spending time with them because our daughter Isabella also gets to spend time with their three kids. On our drive up, we discovered that our daughter had developed car sickness. Not fun. She also had a cold so she was not in the best of spirits. Despite her illness, she still took part in all the fun. She played with all the smaller kids and observed the older kids, mentally taking note of what they did so that when she was bigger she could do the same.

During this trip my daughter also experienced night terrors. I know they advise that you let them sleep through it but that is not so easy when you are a guest at someone else's home. Needless to say, my husband and I got very little rest.

After a few days, I took a much needed nap and my husband took our daughter out to play for a few hours. When they came back he said she asked for me and I said, "How???". This was surprising because in my daughter's 16 months she has said many words but has never uttered the word "mama". She says both "dada" AND "papa" but never "mama", which was starting to hurt my feelings. She reached for me and I carried her and after a few minutes my husband took her away and she reached for me again and said with such urgency, "Mama!!!!" I couldn't believe it! FINALLY! I was in such shock I just looked at her and made sure I wasn't hearing things. Then she looked directly at me touched my face and said, "Mama?" I got teary-eyed and answered, "Yes, mama." It meant so much to hear this little person call me for the first time. It was the best present I could receive to start off the new year.

Since then, I have heard her say it sparingly. I asked the pediatrician why it took so long for her to say it and her response was, "All children are different. And maybe the fact that you're with her most of the time, she doesn't feel the urgency to call for you as much." Which made sense. All I know is that when I do hear "mama", it's music to my ears. In fact I gotta go, I just heard it again. Mommy's coming!

Pass the Milk Please

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend the "Great Gallon Give" kick-off and milk mustache campaign unveiling at the swanky W hotel in Los Angeles. It was a star-studded celebrity event with the current "Got Milk" mustache spokesperson, Rebecca Romijn, her hubby Jerry O'Connell, and the hilarious You-tube sensation, Anita Renfroe.








I love attending these events, especially when they are kid-friendly. They had faux ice-skating, a legos area and even a plant-a-seed station where the kids got to bring home their potted creations.





They also had a station where you could take your own milk-mustache photo with the whole family, print them and put it in our very own "Got Milk" photo frame.



I think my favorite part of the event was being asked to take part in a "Pass the Milk" internet campaign. They shot various people in front of a green screen and we would pass the milk from right to left. Sounds simple, right? It was a little more than meets the eye. "Hold the gallon up higher, now lower, now pause for a second, now pause for a second and look at the camera." I do this for a living and for some reason I got a little flustered. I think having my family and friends there watching put a little pressure, but still SO much fun and definitely my favorite part of the event.







The "Great Gallon Give" has pledged to help families in need by passing a virtual gallon of milk to friends on Facebook. For every gallon passed, they will donate $1 to Feeding America, up to $100,000. So please take a moment to pass the milk at Facebook.com/MilkMustace.