For full instructions on how to make the bacon sliders and the bacon topped potato skins, check last year’s post appropriately entitled, “Bacon Tastes Good.”

I’m also making my predictions for the Superbowl:

1) The Giants are going to win by the peach fuzz on Eli Manning’s chinny chin chin. The die-hard Charger fan in me loathes E. Manning, however he and the rest of the Giants have been comin’ up big this year.

Photo via VillageVoice.com

2) Madonna is going to perform the best half-time show ever, despite the luke-warm teaser videos I’ve seen this week featuring Nicki Minaj.

photo via midwestsportsfans.com

Her set list was leaked earlier this week but I want it all to unfold for me live, like the infamous wardrobe malfunction with my boyfriend, so I’m not peaking. You can if you want. It’s right here.

3) Honda will win best commercial, at least for those of us who still quote John Hughes films daily.

My final prediction is that of the premiere Smash, Steven Spielberg’s attempt to catch the GLEE train, is going to disappoint jazz-hand-waving theatre geeks everywhere. I really hope I’m wrong about this one, but the commercials look painfully bad.

Photo via TVRage.com

EIGHTY!

Yes, I used ALL-CAPS because holy mackerel that’s a lot of years!

Here I am, going on and on about turning forty, but EIGHTY?

If you were to meet my mom you would never know she is eighty. Her hearing is going and her walk is slowing, but her zest for life just keeps growing and growing. And despite bunions and arthritic hands, she is pure spunk from head to toe.

I’ve spent the past few weeks working on a video montage for her big birthday bash (and when I say big, I mean 400-people-aboard-the-USS-Midway big), and though the video will ultimately be my birthday gift for her, it has also turned into a gift for me. Sifting through piles of photos, albums and picture frames has gifted me glimpses of her long, fruitful life, both past and present. Some were moments I could recall with faces I know well, and others were of a time and place I know nothing of.

Like her days as a songleader at Pasadena City College

She's on the far right. Check out that air!

or as the Social Director of the Arizona Biltmore.

Looking very official

My favorite part of the video montage is the section with photos of my mom and her husband, Jim. They went to high school together (so did my mom and dad, but that’s a entirely different story), and reunited six years ago, after both of their spouses had passed away. Seeing them together is romantic and love-affirming. It’s beautiful to see two people in their Golden Years, enjoying life together, traveling the world and truly making every moment count.

Atop Mt. Alyeska, Alaska

Three things were a constant in every single photo:

1)   Her strawberry blond hair. Even in the black and white photos, her red hair stands out.

2)   Her smile. My mom’s smile lights up any and every room. Always has, always will.

3)   Her spirit. Her positive spirit oozes out of her, and is apparent in each one of the photos.

She is truly an inspiration to everyone that knows her.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I am proud and blessed to be your daughter. And I will stop complaining about being forty because you have proven to me that the best is yet to come.

Stay tuned this weekend, I will post the video montage after its premiere on Friday night.

I have leg warmers on the brain.

My freakish obsession started a few weeks before Christmas, when I spotted some funky adult leg warmers at Target. I passed by them at first,  did a double-take, walked back to them, fondled them a bit, and then tried to imagine where in the hell I would wear them. I was a sweat-band’s length way from buying them, but then chickened out. I hung them back up next to the old lady knee high trouser socks and walked away humming, “Let me hear your body talk, your body talk . . .”

And as soon as I walked away, I regretted leaving them behind.

Then, last week a fellow tweeter tweeted this:

I’ve only just recently met this funny gal, Jenna, via Twitter and am pretty sure we’d be besties if we met in person because she’s pretty much rad. I immediately tweeted back,

A long and hilarious (you-had-to-be-there kind of hilarious) twitter conversation ensued. And now, I REALLY can’t stop thinking about leg warmers.

Just the mere thought of leg warmers make my heart feel all warm and cozy, probably because they remind me of my youth. You know, the youth that is slipping farther and farther away. They remind me of my days in the dance studio as a young ballerina. And of those summer afternoons, roller skating around my driveway as a young Olivia Newton-John wannabe, singing along with the Xanadu Soundtrack.

Speaking of Xanadu, please tell me you’ve seen this film. If you haven’t, go buy some Boones Farm or fancy box wine and rent it (a good buzz will be necessary in order to make it through, but seriously, it’s a classic).

Back to the inane topic at hand . . . though, as I mentioned in my tweet, we’re “never too old” to wear leg warmers, but it’s kind of like the whole pigtail thing. Should a woman of “mature age” be wearing pigtails and leg warmers? Well despite mild reservations I had at Target a few weeks ago, I say hell yes!

And with that, I’m now on a hunt for some wicked cool leg warmers that I can wear to my 40^th birthday party. I’m really maybe sorta kinda serious about it, so if you find any, give me a holla!

Now, go rent Xanadu, and report back to me tomorrow.

Photo via Adele.tv

The Adele 21 CD has pretty much been on repeat in my car and on my computer since last spring when I bought it. As a result, my kids know every word, just like I do. The other day, as Rolling in the Deep was cranking in the car, I turned around to catch them singing at the top of their lungs, and with feeling. It reminded me of the post I wrote last week about singing Janis Joplin with my college girlfriends.

As I looked back at my kids singing, I got a vision of them off at college someday, listening to “old-school artists” that their mom used to love. I could picture them, in 12-15 years from now, in a messy dorm room somewhere, hanging out with their friends, blasting Adele’s 21, remembering the lyrics from way back in the day, with accompanying fond memories of their childhood.

They will also have this YouTube video, taken last summer, to remind them.

That vision was comforting to me, just like the melody of an old, favorite song. Adele’s voice comforts me and it moves me in ways that I cannot explain, though I tried here in my review of 21.

I feel a similar sort of electric current pulse through me with Adele, as when I hear Janis. Both women have such a soulful way of making me feel passionately about life with their words, their voices and their melodies. And then there’s P!nk. Oh good lord, I love that woman. She’s another one who gets me goin’. The music of all three women have a way of making me want to either go on a long run or belly up to a bar with a bottle and a pack.

What artists get you goin’?

Warning: Video contains mature language. Well, just one five letter word that describes male genitalia. But still. Probably not suitable for children.

My 40th Birthday is less than 60 days away, folks. As I do with any major impending event or rite of passage, I get a little wiggy. I do weird shit in hopes of shedding a few pounds and looking my best, as is demonstrated in my latest video blog.

I’ve heard that “everything changes” at age 40, like metabolism decreases and cellulite increases, and that whatever condition my body is in at 40, is going to be the best I’m gonna get. Yet, in the same breath, I’ve also heard that a woman at age 40 finally enters a phase of being comfortable in her own skin, and that despite the saggy, flabby, wrinkly body parts, she is more likely to feel confident about herself (especially now, thanks to Botox).

Whatever the case may be, I am looking forward to the next phase of life. But I am also hell bent on losing some lbs. Hence the crazy shit as in the video above.

In anticipation for the big birthday, I’ve come up with my own take on the Dance, Laugh, Sing, Live poem to remind me of what’s important in this next stage.

The time was spring 1994.  The place, a shabby apartment in Isla Vista, the college town just outside the UC Santa Barbara campus.

Everything about this particular evening was pretty much just like every other party evening. My three besties and I were gathered at our friend Carlos’ apartment, just one block off DP (Del Playa was/is the main party drag in IV), where the floors were sticky and so was the weed, from what I was told. My girlfriends and I were all donning the standard party “uniform” of black top, jeans, and Del Rio M·A·C lipstick. Cheap glasses filled with cheap Merlot (Fetzer I think) were being mixed-up all over the place since wine charms had yet to be invented. The music in the background was most likely something like Aerosmith, Meat Loaf or the Black Crowes.

This pretty much described every party we attended at UCSB, especially that year, our senior year.

The part of the evening that made it distinguishable from other night occurred at some point during our game of Asshole of Mexicali or whatever the drinking game du jour happened to be.

Before I knew what was happening, a song came on that I did not recognize, which was a rarity. I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to music at parties so I was just on my way to change the CD when I realized that EVERY OTHER person at the party knew the song. They not only knew the song, but they knew EVERY word to the song and they began singing at the top of their lungs, even the guys. In fact, one friend beat me to the CD player and cranked up the volume even more. Electric energy filled the room. It was a bonding moment for everyone at the party, everyone except me. I am a joiner, so being inadvertently excluded from this moment because of my own lack of musical knowledge was a big fat bummer.

As soon as the song ended, I looked at my best friend and asked her, “What in the hell song was that?”

She replied matter of factly, “Me and Bobby McGee, you know, Janis Joplin.”

What? Huh? Who?

Though my parents were always playing music during my childhood, they were from an older generation than most of my friends’ parents, so while I was listening to Ragtime and Dixieland with my folks, most of my friends were listening to the likes of The Carpenters, The Beatles and the one and only Janis Joplin.

So, although I had heard her name before, I was not familiar with any of her music, and being the lyrics whore that I am, I felt inadequate at this poor showing. How did I make it into my twenties without learning Janis Joplin?

The rest of the CD played on, as all of my friends belted out song after song. Meanwhile, I nodded my head, pretending to love the songs, mouthing “watermelon, watermelon” so it looked like I knew the words.

I do not like not being part of the fun, so I faked it. Girls are good at that kinda thing.

The very next day I went to the local music shop and purchased, Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits. Once I heard the first song, Piece of My Heart, I was hooked and, again, couldn’t believe I was twenty-two years old and hearing it for the first time. I drove around in my car for hours with Me and Bobby McGee on repeat. By 5:00 PM I knew every word to not only Bobby McGee, but to the first five tracks on the CD, and was ready for the next gathering of friends.

Bring. It. On.

Sure enough, the following weekend, we gathered at Carlos’ apartment and I made sure JJ got put into the mix. As soon as I heard those first melodic strums of her guitar, I hopped up, cranked the music, and sang along with my friends, for the first time out of what turned out to be hundreds, to one of the all time best songs ever, Me and Bobby McGee.

That night started a long-standing relationship with me and Bobby McGee that has created countless memories with my friends. It became the anthem to our senior year at UCSB, it then became my go-to karaoke song at the Lamplighter in the late 90′s. Then in the mid 2000′s, it landed me a stint on the game show, Don’t Forget the Lyrics.

Though I hopped on the Janis bandwagon a little late in life, she has become one of my all-time favorite artists. The soulful, empowering feeling of her music just fills me up. If you’re not on the Janis train, it’s never too late to hop on. I’ll be busting out my old CD from college to play in the car for the kids today.

“Feeling good was good enough for me, good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.”

Here is what I have found out about preventing colds and relieving them once they invariably hit.

***DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a medical professional, though I’d like to play one on TV, or in the bedroom, but that’s a different story.

Besides the tried and true methods of getting plenty of sleep, cutting stress out of your life, drinking lots of water and washing your hands one hundred times a day, here are a few

Tips to Prevent the Common Cold:

Vitamin B – The research I’ve done shows that Vitamin B has not been a proven, effective method of preventing the common cold or flu, however, many of my friends SWEAR by it, including Madonna, who is not my friend, but will be someday. Apparently what it does give you is energy, which in turn, makes you feel well. Some health food stores like Sprouts give out B-12 shots one day a week.

Vitamin C – In grade school I was traumatized when I learned about pilgrims dying of scurvy, which was enough to sell me on Vitamin C for the rest of my life. No additional research needed on this one for me.

Vitamin D – Along with helping our friend Calcium to improve bone density so us ladies don’t get all rickety and hunched in our old age, Vitamin D has also been proven to boost immune function. So ladies, if you don’t already take Vitamin D supplement, add it on in to your routine with some Calcium. It’s a win-win combo.

Zinc – More and more research is showing that taking Zinc can fight off a cold. If I can get my hands on some Cold-Eeze losenges in those early hours of feeling my throat tighten, I am typically successful at fighting it off. I have a box of the sugar-free variety on hand at all time. I’m sucking on one right now, in fact.

Probiotics – This is one remedy I haven’t tried yet, but many of my readers recommended them, including my girl, Summer of Le Musings of Moi. I hope it makes my hair like hers too. I am ordering some online today.

A few of the other drug-store remedies I use are Zicam (I’ve started using the mouth spray and love it) and the Emergen-C powdered packets of vitamins. When I feel a cold comin’ on, I take two a day. Also, they are great for hangovers.

*******

So if you’ve taken all of the advice above, but STILL manage to come down with a blasted cold, continue the regimen above because it will help cut the duration of the cold, but I also have a few tips on how to feel less crummy.

Tips To Relieve Common Cold Symptoms:

1)   Clean Out the Gunk With a Neti Pot – This contraption used to scare the crap out of me because I was fearful that the water might somehow go into another cavity of my brain and make my head explode (I’m a hypochondriac, did I mention that?). Once I got over that fear, and felt the glorious feeling of being able to breathe out of my nose again, I was hooked. It helps flush out the gunk in your nasal and sinus cavities. At BlogHer I receieved a complimentary Water Pik which is what I’ve been using most recently. It does the same trick as the Neti Pot, and when I am sick, I do it a couple times a day.

Check out  this video with my live demonstration.

One word of caution when using the Neti Pot or the Water Pik. The other day I saw this headline via Twitter the other day: Neti Pot Deaths Linked to Brain-Eating Amoeba in Tap Water.  HOLY SHIT! I quickly clicked on the link and went onto read that bacteria from either dirty water and/or pots that have not been thoroughly cleaned have been the cause of a few deaths. So, be sure to clean out the contraption well before and after use, AND, boil the water and just let it cool down before you plunge it into your nose.

2)   Gargle with Epsom Salt: I must be honest, Epsom salt is absolutely disguting. BUT? It works! Singers and actors who use their voice a lot use it to help soothe their throats before and after performances. It also helps with sore throats caused by the common cold or the flu.

Here ‘s a quick video with a demonstration on how it’s done.

3)   Lube up with Mentholatum – Though this stuff might make you smell like a 95 year old lady, it works like a charm. My mom used to put this stuff on my nose and chapped lips when I was young and I used to despise it, but now, I can’t live without it. It soothes the chapped area right under my nose, plus the strong smell helps me breathe. Another trick is to put some Mentholatum in a pot of boiling water, put a towel over your head, lean over the pot and breath in the stinky steam. It clears your chest, your sinuses and your even pores.

*******

Some homeopathic remedies that I’ve been trying are

• Manuka Honey, a $40 raw honey that apparently has magic powers for curbing colds and sinus issues. Put it in your tea with lemon.
• Apple Cider Vinegar another completely disgusting remedy (if taken straight) that apparently works wonders. Both items have a regular place in my kitchen cabinet and will get major usage throughout the next year.

Cold Remedies I Have on Hand At All Times

Please remember that I am not a medical professional so seek medical advice before taking any supplements that you are questioning. I just know that these things work for me.

Now let’s have a happy, HEALTHY, 2012, shall we?

I cried at a parent/teacher conference yesterday, at my five-year-old’s preschool.

No shit. Full-on cried.

If you know me personally, this will not come as a shock because I have been cursed/blessed with an over-zealous sensitivity gene and over-active tear ducts, both of which I inherited from my mom, and I have a tendency to cry a lot.

I call it a blessing and a curse because I really love to cry. Crying, for me is an expression of emotion, sometimes sad, but many times happy. It’s a release of angst. It helps me purge myself of the shit that gets bottled up inside me and typically, when I’m feeling wigged out about something, all I need is a good cry and then I’ll feel better. But it’s a curse in a professional situation where I am expected to hold it together, like in a parent/teacher conference.

Which brings me back to the story at hand.

When I walked into the dimly lit, feng sui’d classroom (our preschool, though Lutheran, also has a certain Zen-like quality), I felt a little tense. My morning had been stressful, I could feel a cold threatening to attack and I had “misplaced my phone, which made me crankier than a baby without its binky. Oh, also, I was PMSy, so, even before we started the chat, I was a bit on edge.

Within the first minute of sitting down, the entire vibe of the meeting was intense. Her concerned, serious look coupled with the phrase, “Well I have some issues I’ve been meaning to discuss with you,” completely blindsided me.

Completely.

I was expecting to hear words like delightful, kind and loving. Instead I got challenging, defiant, and misbehaving .

Her words bounced around in my brain as I began to visualize my otherwise well-behaved kid turning into a “problem” child. I half expected her to tell me that my kid was a cutter from the severity of her tone.

As I listened to a few anecdotes of how Lily had been misbehaving, the bad mom thoughts began to creep in. Out, out damn thoughts.

Then, they came. The tears. Hot tears tapped at my eye panes and before I knew it, one had snuck through. The rest came steadily. The more I tried to fight them, the faster they emerged. I tried to grasp what the teacher was telling me as I simultaneously questioned myself on why I was so teary?

Mainly, it was disappointment, in Lily, in myself, and in this teacher who apparently didn’t learn the pro-con-con-pro method of communication.

As is typical in a situation when I am feeling personally attacked, I snapped back a bit. “You probably should’ve started with a positive,” I said through shame and tears.

From that point on, any positive feedback she had for Lily was inconsequential because the negative feedback had already sunk in, like a basketball through a hoop, and I couldn’t rebound.

In reality, the “issues” are not as dramatic as the teacher had made them sound or as I am making them out to be here. They certainly didn’t warrant my barrage of tears, it’s just that I felt blindsided. I was not expecting that at all. After my shock from the meeting wears off, I will chat with Lily about the “issues” and will work on resolving them. They are normal five year old behaviors that are manageable.

In the meantime, I will grapple with these take-aways:

• My kid’s not perfect. Damn!
• I need to lighten up and toughen up. Otherwise, the tween and teen years are going to kill me.
• I should not attend a parent/teacher conference while PMSing.

********

Addendum: After having this post out in the world for a few hours, I realized that I did not make clear in the beginning how much my kids love this school, as do I. Though I think this conference could have been handled better (on both of our parts), I think the school is amazing (and I’m not just saying that because the center director is my Facebook friend and might just read this someday). Overall, our experience at this school have been amazing, which is probably one of the reasons I was so shocked yesterday.

Also, tonight Lily told me before bed, that next conference, she’s going to get a great review.

Personalized Rings from Little Green Room on Etsy

They are delicate and darling. Another reason why I love Etsy and why I love my BFF.

Check out some other cool items by this designer that would be great for the next holiday coming up, Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas from Little Green Room on Etsy

I cannot get enough of Etsy and all the funky, unique gifts it has to offer! Thanks Mern, for my thoughtful and darling gift!

One such thing I’m working on is a photo montage of my mom’s old photos for her upcoming 80^th birthday. I have been procrastinating this video for months now, only to realize today that I have one month to get it all done. I went to her house the other day to look at all the old photos she had pulled and had a blast going down memory lane with her.

Some of my favorite pictures were of her days as the social chair at the Arizona Biltmore back in the mid 60’s.

The pictures all showed off her bright strawberry blond hair and her effervescent personality. She was a real life Julie McCoy, which is exactly the nickmame many of my friends have used for me over the years.

Every time there was a special event, my mom would dress up to match the theme, like this Luau . . .

And of course there was the country western theme . . .

I might’ve had to draw the line at this pilgrim costume for Thanksgiving though . . .

One thing is for sure, my mom is still the stunning life of the party just as she was back then.

P.S. If you don’t know who Julie Mccoy is, grab your binkie and your blankie and go nigh-night.