Halloween Rules in the Burbs

As a way to emulate one of my idols Bill Maher, I have developed some New Rules for Halloween in the Suburbs

New Rule: The amount you spend on Halloween decorations should not exceed the amount you spend on Christmas Gifts.

New Rule: In order to enjoy Halloween, one should not be required to have viewed multiple episodes of one or more of the following: CSI, Law and Order, Cold Case or any other true crime drama. Our holidays do not have to be played out as reality shows on our front lawns (please see pic of my neighbor's yard). Can I just have my mini snickers and get out here now?

New Rule: All those punk teenagers who refuse to dress up and come carrying the king sized pillow cases should be given candy -- hear me out: would you rather have your front yard forked and your house egged? However, one should keep a stash of something lame like the taffy with peanut butter, tootsie rolls, smarties or even toothbrushes to give them.

So there are a few new rules. If you have some of your own to share, let me know and I can post them.

Trick-or-Treat,

Cassie

Luna Tea Cakes are from the heavens

The makers of Clif bar have developed a product for women, the Luna Bar. While targeted to women, my husband still really enjoys their products too, so who cares?

I became familiar with the Luna bar a little over a year ago when Carrie Underwood of American Idol fame (I only mention her because she is some type of celebrity around here -- I am not an Idol or country music fan) endorsed their product. I thought that I would check them out and enjoyed the nuts over chocolate bar, but I didn't really think it was anything different from other protein bars. It might have tasted better than a power bar, but it wasn't something that I was going to go out and buy a box of.

A few weeks ago, two friends suggested that I try the tea cakes if I wasn't jazzed about the protein bar. They raved about them so I thought that I would give them a try.

Living in the middle of nowhere, I had a hard time trying to locate their product. So, I ordered a box online and kept my fingers crossed that I might like these things, especially since with shipping a box cost me around $20.

The first bite was a little surprising. The cake is quite dense, but loaded with flavor. I prefer the berry pomegranate flavor, but then again I really cannot make this claim because I have yet to try other flavors. The texture is a bit gooey and is a cross between a gooey granola bar and a muffin. The best part, besides the flavor, is that the two piece cake is only 140 calories, making it a great afternoon pick-me-up snack or a quick breakfast with a banana on the run.

My thrifty friend who told me about this product let me in on her insider secret -- apparently, www.drugstore.com is having quite a sale on this product if you feel the need to order.

Crest Commercial

Could someone out there inform the makers of Crest that my son is a HUGE fan? I guess this is fitting since his Pops is an orthodontist. He loves his toothbrush, but really for biting and sometimes brushing. However he does have a major addition to toothpaste. He doesn't really eat it, but likes to chew on the lid and unscrew the cap and then screw it back on. I guess next year we will have to dress him up like a dentist.



Speaking of costumes, I saw the cutest costume this weekend. Check out the UPS driver. I think that this could be in the works for next year.

Well, I completed the Monster Dash, my first 5K race today and I am not only pleased that I reached my goals, which were:

1. Finish the race

2. Finish in the middle of the group

3. If possible, don't walk -- even if your jog is a slower pace than your walk

I am also pleased that I finished in less than 30 minutes. While I still would not label myself as a runner, I think that I am well on my way.

I am not sure if this was motivating or embarrassing, but I was totally lapped by a woman pushing a double jogging stroller with two kids (adding at least 60 pounds) and a woman dressed in a mouse costume. Nice!

Thank you and congrats to all my friends who helped answer all my questions and for all of your support. Got to run -- must train for my next race.

Food for Thought

When I started my quest to lose the baby weight, I signed up and joined Self's Reach Your Goal program where you log your workouts and keep a food diary. They even give you sample workouts and menus to help you along. On their menu suggestions for eating out were several Subway sandwiches. Of course I grew up on Subway, being that my parents owned a couple of franchises and all, so I am familiar with the nutritional value of their products and was not surprised to see their endorsement by Self.

However, in logging my meals the other day, I went to my nutrition data website and then the Subway site to see the nutritional value of their soups. I was especially surprised to find the amount of sodium in their soups. Yikes! I then decided that I would file a comment online with the submarine franchise giant to see if they might consider a lower sodium option. I did not honestly expect to get a response from a real person. I imagined that they would send me a form letter thanking me for my request and letting me know that they will consider my opinion and that would be it. I am not kidding you, less than 10 hours later I had an e-mail from the owner of the store where I visit a couple of times a week. He responded by telling me that he would be meeting with his soup supplier later in the week and in fact, he was going to order the Rosemary Chicken Soup, which has less sodium and qualifies for the American Heart Association's Heart Healthy diet. Now that is customer service!

I guess that I am pleasantly surprised. As you can tell by my previous posts, I am sort of a food snob and really hate franchises for the most part. Typically food prepared for these types of restaurants is overly processed and at most large food chains customer service is non-existent. This was not the case with my Subway store and I have to admit, the McDonald's people in my home town are pretty good too. I guess it depends on each local store.

Well if you are need a quick and healthy meal option, I would suggest checking out your local Subway restaurant and give their soups a try. Guess I sort of have to try the Rosemary Chicken one soon.

Eat What?

A friend recently shared with me this book that got me thinking about my diet. If you are not the diet type, Eat This, Not That may be for you. BUT really this book, in my opinion, only counts calories and sometimes fat, sodium, etc. so it not really a book for the diet serious. Basically the gist is: If you are going to eat out, here are the best options to consider. They also show you what to buy vs. what not to buy at the grocery store and they give you some helpful eating tips.

Now the Men's Health team has developed the same book, Eat This, Not That, targeted for kids food. I have yet to go out and purchase yet because I rarely eat at franchise restaurants (sorry, I am a food snob), but perhaps since I now have a child and franchises are probably in my future, I should go out and buy a copy.

If anyone has checked this out, let me know what you think.

To the Max

A friend of mine shared her love of Max Factor's new lash perfection with me so I went and tried it out. I agree with her review. This mascara is absolutely fabulous, but what makes it so great is not really the product, but the applicator. The wand that one uses to apply the mascara is different and hard to explain. Anyway, you can view her review by going here http://http//www.sashasays.com/2008/09/max-factor-lash-perfection-volume.html

This weekend when I was looking through the Sunday paper, I found a coupon for a BOGO deal for any Max Factor product. I thought that I would gobble up another mascara, but was tempted by the vivid eyeshadow duo. Ok, I am no runway model and I have no use for blue eyeshadow, but for some strange reason I was oddly drawn to the bronze and sort of peach shadow duo. As you can tell if you visit their site, the colors are not really for the average mom, but they do have a few shades for the more conservative types. Like the mascara, the applicator pen makes it super simple to apply; however, I suggest smudging in with a brush or finger unless you prefer a perfect eye shadow pen line.

Go check out this find and let me know what you think. If anyone has any other great eyeshadow products (dying to try urban decay's eye shadow primer), feel free to pass along to me.

Join me for the Webcast of the Women's Conference

From http://www.californiawomen.org/

Hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, The Women’s Conference is the nation’s premier forum for women where the world’s greatest hearts and minds gather every year to unite thousands of diverse woman with a shared conversation and a common purpose – to empower, inspire and educate women everywhere to be Architects of Change in their own lives, in their communities and around the world.
The Women’s Conference covers timely topics that matter to women today and the key concerns that matter to them every day – family and parenting, religion and spirituality, service and activism, business and entrepreneurship, money and finance, news and politics, environment and conversation, health and fitness, and style and beauty.
The theme of The Women’s Conference 2008 – Be Who You Are. Feel it. Live it. Pass it On… is a call to action that is meant to encourage all women to discover their unique and authentic purpose, passion and power to transform themselves and the world around them.
The call to action will be delivered by a world-class roster of more than 70 newsmakers, visionaries and opinion leaders who will engage in the “once-in-a-lifetime conversations” that will remind us that we are not alone in our quest to lead an authentic life and that the power to be an Architect of Change lies within each one of us.

This year’s line-up of speakers and participants will be led by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver and include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Christiane Amanpour, Bono, Warren Buffet, Sister Joan Chittister, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Matthews, Indra Nooyi and Gloria Steinem.

Sarah Silverman for President

Sarah Silverman gets it. This election could hinge on Florida yet again. So if you have a bubbe in Florida, go down there and convince her to vote for Obama. Surely, she wouldn't have the chutzpah to do otherwise. Quit kvetshing. Get off your tokhis and schlep on over and share your pro Obama speil.

Check out her video here http://www.thegreatschlep.com/

Golf widow, full-time working mom needs to vent

If anyone has a great hobby that takes about four to five hours at a time and does not involve children or doing anything for your children or family, will you let me know? I need a new hobby that allows me to escape from it all for about ten hours every weekend. Like many of you ladies out there, I too am a golf widow/mom in great need of me time.

Don't know about you ladies, but when I have a spare couple of hours, why do I spend my time either A.) preparing meals to keep my family nourished, B.) shopping for the family including food, other necessities and clothing, and C.) reading books about raising families, etc.?

It's time we form a coup and overthrow our golf playing spouses. Any ladies up for card night where we can drink wine and have a great time away from the fam? That was one suggestion. If anyone has any others, I would love to hear from you.

Oh, while I am at it....question: why do non-working moms, whose kids are in school full-time, not have time to prepare meals for potlucks? I noticed this weekend at our tailgate party that all the homemade items were brought by full time working moms, while the other ladies who look so damn cute in their designer jeans and matching accessories (because they have time to exercise daily and get facials) always bring something from the store. What is even more annoying about this is that they have the nerve to keep their dish in the store bought container. Oh what would Martha think?

Thanks for letting me vent. I think that I may be feeling a little bit better.

Not your Average Cup of Joe

If there is one thing that I require daily, it is my morning cup of java. I am still quite impressed with myself that throughout my pregnancy, I managed to only have a handful of leaded cups.

Sorry for the digression -- Anyway, to say that I have an obsession with coffee would be putting it lightly. Not only do I love coffee, but I have turned into a coffee snob. My palate can distinguish the mere subtleties in beans with ease and that is just what happened a couple of weeks ago when I discovered Coffee Slingers in Midtown OKC. http://www.coffeeslingers.com/

I have to admit, I was surprised to find out that they actually don't roast their own beans. I guess the flavor and the process of their coffee (french press only), is so good that my "sensitive" palate was not as sensitive as I thought. I highly recommend the Guatemalan and pick up a bag of beans to go because they get different beans every month. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will start their own roasting soon.

The atmosphere in their urban midtown location is also a bonus. Where else can you go in OKC and feel like you are once again back in college? Clad in suit and armed with blackberry, I was greeted by neighborhood spinsters and artists. What a nice change of pace from the rat race. If you need a break, go check it out for yourself. I hope you enjoy the flavor explosion as much as I did. Gotta run, I am off for another cup.

Cheers!

Bully Bites Back

My little biter has now become the victim of another bully. I got that dreaded phone call from school today and to my surprise they were not calling to tell me that my son was the aggressor. Instead he was cast in the role of victim. When I was told the news I chuckled and said, "Serves 'em right. Perhaps now he will know how it feels and quit biting the other kids."

I guess most parents don't quite respond in this manner because the teachers kept apologizing and thanking me for understanding.

Can you tell me who these parents are that get bent out of shape over a child getting bitten? I will steer clear of them.

Enjoy the little man's 16 month pic from Grandma Kiki.

Pizza Party

Our city recently acquired a new restaurant chain where you can prepare a pizza to take home and bake. You too can check it out http://www.papamurphys.com/

We purchased the family size because I really wanted to build my own (chicken, artichoke and green peppers). I learned quickly that the family that these folks were referring to were the families shown on the Biggest Loser -- I have never seen a pizza that big! Besides the enormity of it all, the pizza was actually pretty good. The sauce was sweet and they were quite generous with the cheese. After my $3 off coupon, the pizza was under $12 and fed four adults and two kids.

I plan on going back and will most likely try a lower calorie option. I have a coupon for the chicken Mediterranean and that is next on the list. I will let you know if that one is worth it.

If you live in the Norman area and want to check them out, they are located in the old Tullios location in the Robinson Crossing shopping center.

Mangi!

Fantasy Football

So I need 16 points to be scored by Jamal Lewis tonight in order to win this week's fantasy football match up and I am probably the only person playing fantasy football who has no clue who Jamal Lewis is other than the fact he plays for the Browns and was acquitted of drug charges.

What's the big deal with this fantasy sport that makes it so much fun? I don't really know. Perhaps if there was more money at stake, I might care a little more. Really the only reason why I joined the league was to learn a bit more about the NFL and hopefully be able to hold a conversation with the guys in the office -- wait a second, the guys in my office don't really watch sports. I guess that I was hoping to have one more thing to discuss with my husband, although, we rarely talk about the NFL.

You know what my real fantasy is with this football game? It's wishing that my dear husband wins lots of money playing so I can go out and treat myself to a day of shopping.

No Whiners

Our friend the banker has decided to take on a new venture and call him crazy, but he thinks that he can make some money owning and operating a liquor store. Little does he know that being friends with me means discounted wine and spirits. And before I had my precious son, I was known to be able to put a few away. Knowing this information, the banker asked me to help him with his supply list of wines. So my plan is to choose many of my favorites in various price ranges.

Today's question is if you could pick your top three favorite mass produced wines (one cheaper $7-10, one moderately priced $10-20 and more expensive over $20) what would you choose?

My list of favorites include
1. Yellow Tail Shiraz or the Rosemont Shiraz ($7-10)
2. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (a little over $20)
3. Justin Cabernet around $30
** favorite wine, but probably a little too pricey for the store is Caymus Cab

Let me know your faves and I will send out a comprehensive list soon.

Red Sox Victory

Even though he was sleeping at the time, the little one was excited about another Red Sox post season victory on Monday.

The Great Debaters?

Did anyone else find last night's debate as boring as I did? I lacked the desire to watch and the only reason why I tuned in was to get a friend to stop chastising me via text message.

Personally the only debate in our house last night was whether to watch True Blood first or Entourage. We chose the Vamp series and were left having more questions unanswered -- sort of like the presidential debates.

Really, who killed Gran? Was it the creepy Eric from Fangtasia in dog form? I hope next week gives us a glimpse of who this killer is.

Who is killing our economy? Is this crisis caused by eight years of failed leadership and oversight? Perhaps the next debate on the economy will offer some answers and possible solutions. Somehow I don't think that having the government sponsor failed mortgages in order to keep people in their homes is going to even make a dent in this crisis. Even if it does, it does so to the tune of another $350 billion dollars. Tell me Mr. McCain, are we the taxpayers going to foot this bill too?

I think the only exciting part of last night's event was when McCain referred to Obama as "that one." Was someone's bigotry surfacing here? Probably not, but you have to admit, it was a bit awkward.

Well, go ponder those questions and let me know your thoughts about the debates or about True Blood.

For me, I am looking forward to another new SNL this Saturday. I wonder if they can find that guy in the black and white Cosby sweater from last night's debate and get him to appear in the audience. This dude could rival Tilda Swinton for worst dressed. Yikes!