Halloween: No Tricks, Just Treats at Magnolia Bakery

My 7-year-old son loves baked goods almost as much as I do. But he’s picky, too. When I try a new recipe and it doesn’t quite work, he has no problem telling me it’s not good.

So I knew he would be brutally honest about the cupcakes, pies, cookies, and bars that we were to sample at Magnolia Bakery last week. The bakery threw a Halloween party and my little Indiana Jones was eager to try everything.

And he did try everything. Pumpkin whoopie pies (which I thought were fantastic), cupcakes, pumpkin brownies, butter cookies, and apple pie. After he downed his second mini cupcake he looked at me and said, “This is good. You should give this place a good review.”

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I have to admit everything we tried was very good especially the apple pie. The crust was beautiful and delicious. I don’t love the cupcakes, but my kids thought they were amazing, even my 6-year-old who is not a fan of baked goods.

My husband is a fan of baked goods, but he can’t have them as much as he’d like. He has Celiac Disease and can’t have wheat flour so cupcakes are often times out of the question.  Luckily, we were at Magnolia on a Tuesday and one of the cupcakes of the day was a flourless chocolate cupcake with a vanilla meringue buttercream. They packed it in a box and we took it home as a surprise.

He was thrilled and so were the boys. Dressing up in costumes and having pie and cupcakes is second only to dressing up in costume and being given candy. Happy Halloween!

Ford’s Car of Tomorrow

The first new car I bought was a Ford Ranger pick-up truck with a bench seat. It was about 15 years ago and I was living in Southern Illinois working at my first newspaper job when the clunker of a car I had driven from Tucson to the Midwest suddenly died.

My brother sells cars and he told me there were 2 trucks in my price range. They were both manuals with a bench seat, but one had air conditioning and one a radio. It was summer and ridiculously hot so air conditioning won out.

My Ford Ranger was simple, reliable, and the best car I ever had and I think of it fondly. So when Ford invited me out to Orlando to learn about Ford’s vision for new car technology I could not pass it up. I’ve gone from being a single girl in a pickup to a mom in a high tech hybrid SUV. I wanted to know what kind of safety features I can look forward to seeing when my kids start driving.

From the look of it, there will be a lot and they will be amazing.

A group of journalists and bloggers were invited to Orlando, Florida by Ford to learn about new technology and hear Bill Ford, Jr. speak at the World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems.

First we heard about Ford’s Driving Skills for Life program that I wrote about for MomsLA. Then we heard about some of the new safety systems that Ford is working on along with other car companies.

The Intelligent Vehicle Technology is amazing. Ford is working with other car companies to make it possible for vehicles to talk to one another to avoid accidents. I was able to ride along during a demonstration. The video below talks about how the technology works and the last part was the very scary real life scenario. That gasp at the end was me.

The goal is to have all cars talking to each other and talking to intersections to avoid collisions and ease traffic congestion. But what was really interesting to me was the potential for apps for the car that can monitor your health and wellness. Like the car-to-car crash avoidance systems, these are meant to be a way to identify and alert the driver to issues before they become a problem. Ford is working with medical device manufacturers to figure out ways to check blood sugar levels and give allergy alerts for people with asthma or allergies. I don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea for car companies (or insurance companies) to know that much about you, but they say that privacy is important and the systems won’t keep your information.

We also heard Bill Ford, Jr. speak, but I’ll have more video on that later.

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post but my family and I were given airline tickets, and hotel stay to attend the event plus Disney world tickets. That said, the opinions in this post are my own. You can find more from me at MomsLA.com where I am editor and cofounder.

Berry and Cherry Smoothie Recipe with Milk and Yogurt

Every once in a while I pull out pictures of my 2 boys as babies. There’s the older one with a bowl of rice and spinach on his head and a big smile on his face. And there’s the younger boy with pureed carrots and peas mashed into his cheeks. See, I tell them, you were so happy when you ate whatever I gave you.

They were the best eaters until one day they weren’t. So I do whatever I can to get healthy food into them. I put peas on their pizza, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on their broccoli, and even put chocolate in their milk.

My younger son drinks milk every day, all the time, but the older one only wants it if it’s doctored in some way. His favorite of course is chocolate milk. I add a tiny bit of chocolate and he drinks it up.

Milk and Chocolate Milk in souvenir Hogsmeade mugs

But the way I love to give him milk is in a smoothie. There’s so much nutrition in their morning smoothie that I don’t have to worry when they go the rest of the day without eating much of anything. There’s no added sugar, just really good ingredients.

He gets protein and calcium from milk and greek yogurt. He gets fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin C from blackberries, raspberries, and dark sweet cherries. And lastly, he gets potassium from banana or mango. Serve the smoothie with a bowl of oatmeal and you have a power breakfast that kids will love.

We experiment smoothie recipes all the time, but this one is our family favorite. The cherries make it especially delicious.

Mixed Berry with Dark Sweet Cherry Smoothie
2 cups frozen fruit (Trader Joe’s Mixed Berry and Cherry Mix)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 banana
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mango or orange juice (optional to taste)
Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

There’s still time to vote for your favorite picture in the Master of the Glass Half Full Photo Contest on Facebook. Follow the Maestro on Facebook or Twitter.

This is a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and Latina Mom Bloggers.

The Plastic Surgeon: Part 2

This is the second of a 2-part post. Part 1 was published Oct. 19.

“That settles that. There’s no chance in hell we’re doing conscious sedation,” I told my husband who was now holding our drowsy little boy.

He then looked at me baffled, like I’d said I was going to tapdance naked through the hospital. “Why? Why wouldn’t we?”

I often wonder how my husband and I can hear the exact same conversation or see the exact same thing and come away with a completely different version of what happened. “Oh, the nurse,” he said. “That’s just her opinion. It doesn’t sound that bad.”

Dr. George (not his real name) came back in and I explained that conscious sedation wasn’t for our son (or me). We decided on Benadryl and hoped for the best. Luckily, I come from a family of narcoleptics. We’ve fallen and stayed asleep at loud concerts, stoplights, bars, and even while holding a conversation. I hoped that my son was as sleepy as his mama.

He was. One shot and he was out. The doctor, nurse, and my husband each asked me if I wanted to leave the room. “It can be very hard for a mother to see a needle put into their child. We don’t want you to pass out.”
I squeezed that kid’s big head through a hole the size of a quarter, idiots. I think I can watch as he gets a couple of stitches, I thought to myself. “I think I’ll be fine.”

The giant needle going in and out of my son’s lip was disturbing to see, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as watching Curious “George” play plastic surgeon.

The first five stitches went in with no problem. Then suddenly, George’s hand started to shake a little. By the 10th stitch the needle barely made it to my baby’s mouth. His hand was all over the place and at the last second he plunged it into my son’s lip. He stopped, turned around, breathed heavily four or five times and continued. After 14 stitches, it was all over.

As my boy continued sleeping I asked the doctor about the flap of skin protruding from my boy’s lip. He said not to worry, the extra skin would fall off in a month.

Four years later, it’s still there.

The Plastic Surgeon: Part 1

The surgeon walked in the door looking like he’d just come from pumping iron in the hot sun. His rolled up sleeves showed off bronzed biceps that glistened with either sweat or tanning oil, and his thinning hair was gelled up on the top of late forties head. If he had walked into a bar I would have giggled with my friends, but this was no bar; I was in an emergency room holding my bloody 2-year-old son whose upper lip was split in two and partially hanging off.

George Hamilton (not his real name) put out a manicured hand, flashed a dazzling smile and said, “I’m the plastic surgeon they called in to look at your son.” He efficiently checked out my little boy who wailed, kicked and screamed during the 30 second exam. “He definitely needs stitches. And I’m definitely the one to do it.”

“I’m a little nervous about this. But you’ve done this kind of thing a million times, right?” I looked from Dr. George to my husband. “Right?”

Suddenly a cloud passed over George Hamilton’s face. His teeth even seemed to gray as he said darkly, “I don’t know anyone who’s done it a million times. A million times?? I can go out there and try to find another doctor who’s done it a million times.” He started breathing heavy and talking louder. “Do you want me to do that? Right now? Do you?”

“Uhhmmm,” I looked from my husband to the nurse who had just walked in. Both were trying not to look at me. As they searched for their happy place I said, “No.” He took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

“What the hell was that?” I asked the witnesses. “Oh,” said the nurse shaking her head and still not looking at me. “I’m sure he’s ….this is going to be fine. No problem. He’s a great plastic surgeon I’ve heard people say. Great. No problem.”

I looked at my husband. “He seemed like a nice guy,” Carl said. “What’s the problem?”

“That he seems crazy. You don’t think that was a little odd?” I asked patting my son on the back. After the large dose of pain killers, he was starting to doze off.

Dr. George came back in the room, as bright and sunny as the gold highlights streaked through his hair. “Okay, everyone, let’s talk about what we’re going to do here. First we put him under conscious sedation and then we do the stitches. Great! Any questions?”

“How do you do the conscious sedation? Is he going to feel it? How many stitches is he going to have? Will it hurt him?” I took a breath and went on. “Is he going to have a scar? Are the stitches the kind that dissolve or have to be taken out? Will he be able to…”

>Dr. George clapped his hands together and said, “Okay, great! I’ll go get everything ready and be right back.”

“But..” my voice trailed off as he left. A new nurse walked in to get a box of gloves from our room when she spotted my boy.

“Oh my God! What happened? Poor baby,” she came over for a closer look.

What did happen? I left my child and his brother at home to make the 2 hour drive to San Diego to take surfing lessons with my sister. I left him with a babysitter and drove far, far away to do something totally self indulgent; not only were we going surfing but we were going to out to dinner and maybe a movie. How could I do that!? (My sister and I are from the desert southwest for God’s sake; we shouldn’t even be in the water!)

“He fell off of his little red wagon face first onto the concrete.”  

The nurse examined him and explained the procedure. My son would receive a shot in his arm that would put him out. He would be unconscious, but his eyes would be open. “I would never do that to my child,” she said.

“Why?” I asked, startled by her frankness.

“Because they’re unconscious, but their eyes are open. They lay there unable to move and you just have to wonder; will they ever wake up? It’s terrifying. I would just give him some Benadryl and hope he sleeps through the procedure.”

I stared at her as she walked out of the room. 

Tomorrow Part 2

Our America With Lisa Ling

In preparation for lunch with Lisa Ling, a group of us were given access to three episodes of Our America with Lisa Ling. There was one called “Modern Polygamy,” the next “Amateur Porn,” which airs tonight, and the third was about veterans with post traumatic stress syndrome called “Invisible Wounds of War.”

Not surprisingly for me, I watched the polygamy episode of the documentary-style show first. I find that lifestyle fascinating, not just because these men have multiple wives, but I find religious fundamentalists so interesting. How can they believe in something so completely?

And how can a mother let a young girl get into a marriage with an older man who has another wife? I was ready to be outraged. I’ve read “Under the Banner of Heaven,” by Jon Krakauer about two brothers who kill their sister in law and her baby in the name of God and “Escape” by Carolyn Jessop about a woman who escapes her polygamist husband. And I watched every episode of “Big Love” on HBO.

But what was so intriguing about the episode was that I wasn’t outraged. The town that they profiled, Centennial Park, Utah, wasn’t scary and oppressive and it wasn’t a town ruled by men. The women there appear to have a choice and a voice. In fact, according to the show, the women there choose their husbands not the other way around.

Some of the community leaders have even partnered with a Gay rights activist to help them keep the government out of their bedrooms.

Before the show, I had a very definite opinion on polygamy. Now, while I don’t approve of that lifestyle, I can see another point of view.

And that’s what I love about “Our America” on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. Ling and her team do such a great job of telling intimate, well documented stories. She said that they spend weeks with the subjects they chronicle on the show and she gets to know them. And the audience gets to know them as well.

The show isn’t loud and it’s not yelling at you, Ling said. “It’s not sensational.” Ling’s goal is to take the audience along on a journey and then at the end the hope is that they leave with more understanding and maybe more compassion.

I didn’t feel the same level of compassion to the subjects of the “Amateur Porn” episode that airs tonight. It seemed like a bunch of people making really bad decisions that you know won’t end well. But it was definitely compelling to watch. The second season of “Lisa Ling’s Our America” starts tonight. I would highly recommend checking it out.

The New Muppet Movie Trailer

It’s no secret that I love the Muppets. I love the Muppet Show, the Muppet movies, and I can’t wait until November 23 when Jason Segel’s “The Muppets” comes out. If it’s even half as good as the original, “The Muppet Movie,” I’ll be happy.

Here’s the latest trailer and it’s fantastic!

OC Blogger Bash: And Now the Pictures

In case you have not seen the posts about the OC Blogger Bash over at MomsLA or OCBloggerBash.com, let me just tell you, it was fantastic! The food, the music and especially the outfits were amazing. I was very impressed with the effort people put into their looks. Here are a few photo highlights –

Caryn Bailey took this photo of me posing with a candy cigarette
Shayna Marks and Sarah Auerswald (photo by Yvonne Condes)

 

Shannon of Sassy Lemonade (photo by Yvonne Condes)

 

(photo by Yvonne Condes)
(photo by Yvonne Condes)
The MomsLA ladies – Sarah Auerswald, me, and Elise Crane Derby (photo by Yvonne Condes)
Sarah Daly, Mary Kay Holmes, Elise and Sarah (photo by Yvonne Condes)
Sarah and unidentified woman (photo by Yvonne Condes)

Master of the Glass Half Full Photo Contest

Being a positivity ambassador has really helped me in the last week. I’m now approaching life with a much better attitude. And it’s an attitude that my son, pictured above, already has. He is a glass half-full kind of guy all the way and I love it. He’s always putting a smile on my face with his excellent take on life. Now your child can catch a little positivismo with the help of the Maestro. As part of the Master of the Glass Half Full Campaign, parents can enter a Facebook photo contest to win prizes. All you need to do is go to the Maestro’s Facebook page and upload a picture of your child holding a glass of milk just like the Maestro.

 

The prizes are great for families with little milk drinkers. The 1st place prize is a french door stainless steel refrigerator with a year’s supply of milk. 2nd place is a bicycle with a front child seat and a year’s supply of milk. And 3rd place is a professional blender with a year’s supply of milk.

Photos will be accepted now through October 21st. Online voting runs from October 24th through October 28th. Make sure to check back because the winner will be announced on Monday, November 7.

For a little inspiration, here is a letter from the Maestro himself. letter_master_eng_yvonneLA

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and Latina Mom Bloggers.