The Kawasaki Disease Foundation Gala - Can you help?

Just going to be upfront on this - I'm going to tell you a little story that may pull at your heart, then I'm going to ask you for a favor…

My baby boy was 9 months old.

Sweet, little Lucas had just celebrated his first Thanksgiving, was starting to pull himself to a standing position and was about to celebrate his first Christmas. One evening, Jason and I took him to Balboa Park, to what used to be called "Christmas on the Prado" to see the lights. He was all bundled up and tucked in tight to his stroller when our friend looked down at him and said "Wow, I never realize how red his cute little lips were!" Jason and I stared at each other, both of us wondering why we had never noticed either. 

We were only 9 months into this parenting thing. Maybe the baby was cold? Maybe he ate something he shouldn't have? Thoughts raced through our minds. The next day our sweet boy had his very first fever. We called the nurse line and doled out the proper dosage of infant Motrin and gave him a lukewarm bath. Our normally happy baby was crying and sleeping and visibly uncomfortable. The next day the fever continued on. His lips grew redder and his eyes were a little bloodshot. Monday came with an early visit to our pediatrician. She made note that this looks "something like Kawasaki Disease" - but told us not to worry.. that was a very rare illness. She told me not to Google it and freak myself out. She put him on antibiotics and sent him in for a chest Xray to rule out pneumonia. 

This was before smartphones - with my day spent at doctors and caring for my little one, I didn't Google Kawasaki Disease...but when he was admitted to Rady Children's Hospital the next day, I wish I had.

Kawasaki Disease is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF ACQUIRED HEART DISEASE IN CHILDREN. And going on 8 years later, doctors and scientists STILL don't know exactly what causes it. 

We were lucky.

At the time, many pediatricians weren't trained to recognize and treat KD, and far too many parents were losing their kids to this disease. Our doctors diagnosed the disease in time for a successful treatment. Thus far Lucas has had no lasting heart damage. But as the research continues to grow and mature along with the little hearts affected by KD in the past, we are learning that things can always change.

That's why Jason and I are standing together to not only raise awareness for the disease, but help raise funds for the continued research of this disease.

BUT WE NEED A LITTLE HELP

Saturday, November 17th is the 4th Annual "To Save a Child's Heart" Kawasaki Disease Foundation Gala.

This is going to be an amazing culinary evening at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, celebrating all we know and raising money to keep on answering the millions of questions still unanswered. 

At this event, 18 celebrity chefs will cook table side for intimate groups of 8 people. Some of the top chefs from around the country and coming in and donating their time for this cause. I'm proud to be on the committee helping with the gala. I'm happy that I can do anything to give back the community that was there for us when we needed them 8 years ago.

If you are interested in attending the event, you can find more information on the chefs at www.KDFGala.org.

But even if you can't be there - I would still love your help. 

To help raise money at the event, we are looking for donations for the silent auction portion of the evening. 

Anything from gift certificates to restaurants, bottles of wine, work-out memberships or a basket of products would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm going to be collecting items over the next few weeks. If you can help in anyway, please let me know. 

Yes, I'm begging. Because I'm still scarred from the experience and learning all we can about this disease is the only way I can help other parents not have to go through what we went through. 

And This Is Where My Heart Stopped Beating - Neiman Marcus / Target Collaboration

I'm seriously sitting having Target/Neiman Marcus induced heart palpitations. 

Today, the first product images of the highly-anticipated collaboration between high design and low(er) prices were released, and OH. My. FREAKING. God. I'm dying. 

DECEMBER 1st is the date to remember. I just *may* camp out at my local T the night before. After the Missoni debacle, I may need to plan out my strategy a little better... And believe me when I say I will cut a bitch for that Tory Burch lunch box. 

In my opinion, Target hasn't had an amazing kid's collection since Liberty London. My biggest regret is not buying those adorable dresses for Zoe in larger sizes to grow into. But this Christmas I'm thinking ZoZo may need a little Jason Wu or Marchesa? 

For more images of the collection, click HERE. 

Halloween Time at Disneyland

For us the leaves don't change colors and the weather actually gets hotter during October. So how do we know it's Fall in Southern California? By going to Disneyland. 

Once again, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure got us in the Halloween spirit with all of our favorite rides, decor and villains. You all know how much I love Disneyland this time of year, and our latest visit to the park marked yet another passing year.

As with every trip to Disneyland, there were the special moments that made this trip unique.

It was our first "stroller free" trip

My baby is turning 5 in just a few weeks. FIVE. This trip we actually, in all honesty, forgot the stroller. It doesn't live in the car anymore and in the rush out of the house it didn't make it with us. This is a BIG moment in parenthood, and it took us a bit to figure out how to transport all the crap. But we survived. And Zoe rocked walking the park all day. 

My Favorite Goats Had on Halloween Bandanas

We discovered the Happiest Petting Zoo on Earth last June, and it was one of the first spots we visited this trip. And yes, it did make my day that the happy little goats were dressed in their Halloween finery. 

The Art of Frankenweenie

While I will admit that we have yet to see the movie, Disney California Adventure currently has an exhibit showcasing the dolls from the movie Frankenweenie. The models on display were amazing to look at. The details, the size - all of it just fascinating to take in. The exhibit runs through November 5th at Disney California Adventure. 

Zoe Adorableness

I love her age right now. She still wants to wear her princess dresses, she waves at dolls in It's a Small World, but she enjoys totally rocking out at the MadTParty.

As we were walking out from watching the live Alice in Wonderland theme band, Zoe looks at me:

Zoe: "Mom, Alice looks like me."

Me: "Oh really, how?"

Zoe: "Well, we're both pretty!"

I love 5. 

Halloween Time at Disneyland runs through October 31st

*disclosure: Disneyland Parks provided me with four tickets to enjoy Disneyland Halloween Time. Opinions and experiences are my own. 

Child Identity Theft - Yup, It's a Thing.

When I first started blogging, the first thing that every member of an older generation said to me was "Why are you putting so much information about your children on the web?" Being a KNOW IT ALL (tail end) Gen-Xer, I just rolled my eyes at them... But 8 years later, many people whom I've never met know more about my kids than members of my own family, and I have gone back and asked myself if maybe I've shared too much.

While bloggers with older children start thinking along the lines of not wanting to embarrass their kids, the thing that I've never thought is the kind of very personal information I put out on a regular basis. Birthdays, pets' names, places we've been to - not just things that may lead to classroom taunting, but things that may lead to a more personal assault; Identity theft.

Kids are 50x more likely to have their identity stolen than adults.

A few months I was asked if I would be interested in being an ambassador for the company Identity Guard in regards specifically to their kIDsure program, which teaches parents how to make sure their kids are not at risk for identity theft. My first reaction was "What? Why would someone want to steal a kid's identity?" but upon more research I realized that kids have a shiny new Social Security number that's not actively being monitored... and I realized just why this is such a silent, and growing epidemic. 

my copy - too much info!! Bankrupt at Birth by Joe MasonWhile young kids of today can't say this, I remember getting my social security card around the age of 15 - just before getting my first part-time job as a Holiday Gift Wrapper at a local toy store. "Back then" SS numbers were used mainly for tax purposes - if you were not paying taxes, you didn't need one. Now it's part of the paperwork all parents do before even leaving the hospital when their babies are born. It actually wasn't until the year 1990 that Congress mandated all children get assigned a SS number before they turn one. I remember wondering why a baby would need a SS number - but soon realized it was asked for regularly... and without thinking twice, I've given my kid's valuable number out. 

There is tons of talk in the blogosphere on keeping your children safe on line from sexual predators, but we need to think a step past that and also be concerned about identity predators. In fact, since the explosion of social media, identity theft has not only become more widespread - but easier for the thieves. Since our kids are not actively applying for car loans or credit cards on a regular basis, sometimes we just don't realize their identity has been stolen until years later. Can you imagine your child applying for financial aid for college or their first personal phone plan to learn that they are over $100,000 in debt to bad loans for multiple credit cards and defaulted car loans? This happens. And it's scary.

So what can parents do about this?

The book Bankrupt at Birth, by Joe Mason, lists a few things to think about and be aware of when it comes to protecting your, and your kids identity.

• Keep an eye out for notices claiming that your child has been pre-approved for a credit card or loan. Don't discard it as a mistake, but call and make sure that no one has tried to get the approval using their SS number. 
• When asked to give your child's SS number on forms at the dentist, doctor or for a sports program, ASK what they use it for. Follow-up with questions about measures they take to keep the information secure and flat out ask if there is another number you can provide instead. Because of HIPPA and privacy acts surrounding our medical records, we automatically assume information that we give our doctors is secure, but realize that medical offices don't always have high-end, hack-proof security and/or employees that go through extensive security screenings and background checks. 
• Use hard to decipher passwords. I know they can be hard to remember - but don't use birth dates, dogs names or simple words for your passwords. Bankrupt at Birth recommends thinking of a sentence that you can remember, then make an acronym out of it. For example "Beth works at 8 on Mondays" can be a password of "BW@8oM" using letters, capitals and numbers to make it hard to be hacked. 
• And lastly, keep an eye out for things that don't seem right. Did you know that a popular identity scam is the "jury duty" scam? Someone calls you, saying they are from the sheriff or the local "jury commissioner" saying that they are going to be issuing a warrant for your address for failure to respond to a jury duty summons. The majority of us immediately argue that they never got this summons, and that it must be a mistake, which leads the person on the other end to ask for information to help you prove your innocence. Information that would be needed in these cases - information like your birth date and Social Security number...

These are just a few actions to take to help protect yourself. While nothing is fullproof, taking simple actions now is better than having to try to fix the problem when it's discovered years later. If you are interested in learning more about these facts, and other ways to keep your family safe, I urge you to get a copy of Bankrupt a Birth at www.ismykidatrisk.com.

For more information on Child Identity Theft and prevention, Is My Kid At Risk is a great resource. Things you will find at the site include: 

• Quick Start Guide to Child ID Theft: The consequences of child ID theft are staggering. Get all the facts you need to know.

• Risk Factors Worksheet: Review the Risk Factors to see where you can eliminate some risk for your kids.

• Bankrupt at Birth: eBook Excerpt: Get a glimpse into a new book whose authors are on a mission to end child identity theft.

• Child ID Theft Safety Tele-class: Author of the book, Bankrupt at Birth, teaches you about child identity theft and what you can do to help protect your kids. 

• Free trial of Identity Guard®†: Get a FREE 30-Day trial of Identity Guard®

• Subscription to Child ID Theft News: Subscribe just by registering your email address

*disclaimer: This service and the book Bankrupt at Birth were provided to me for review at no charge. In addition I received monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.

And I asked myself - How did I get here? or Contemplating existentialism at Knott's Berry Farm

I have not been to Knott's Berry Farm in about 18 years. Growing up in LA, we did go there a lot as "older younger kids", tweens and teens. Fast roller coasters, scary Halloween parties - all the things beloved by the 8-20 year old range. 

This weekend we had the chance to visit Knott's and their child-friendly Halloween-themed "Camp Spooky" (normally Camp Snoopy). My kids were thrilled to try a new amusement park and I was curious to see how the park has changed over the years. You know, the whole "seeing things through your adult eyes" experience. 

Being 8 1/2, Lucas is just now entering the roller coaster phase of life. Being a whole 52 inches tall, his world is now open to the amazing world of being strapped in and propelled down metal tracks at high speeds. He had his first taste of a pure coaster-induced adrenaline rush after his first loopy-loop earlier this year, and the boy is addicted. A few years back we realized that Jason can no longer do roller coasters. While I think in his early 20s he attributed the post-ride migraines and vomiting to the Jagermeister they were drinking in the parking lot, in his late 20's it became clear that wasn't the case. He just can't handle the speed and loops. Which leaves me to ride with Lucas…

Sunday found us staring at coasters with drops of up to 109 feet and loops that just keep going. Talking about going on a coaster is nothing compared to standing next to it and seeing how it spins, drops and flips you over in real life, and I think Lucas was a little relieved to learn he was still too short for a few of the bigger ones. But the one that I {kinda} forced him onto was the classic Montezooma's Revenge. One of the oldest coasters at Knott's, this ride holds a special place in my heart. Walking through the waiting area (lines were nonexistent since we were there so early) I was flooded with memories of my 12 year old self waiting in line with my friends for that same ride. I remember we were there for my BFF's birthday, flushed with hormones and wearing a neon yellow and lace sweatshirt with a scrunchy around my wrist as we waited in these hot long line with our "boyfriends" at the time ('cause you know it was serious at 12…) excited to maybe hold hands on the ride. I remember feeling SO GROWN UP because Debbie's mom had let us go off by ourselves at the park - that taste of controlled freedom craved by all tweens. 

"SO GROWN UP."

That was the feeling that stopped me in my tracks as I was now, at 37, going on the same ride, walking though the same area with my 8 1/2 year old child. Standing there, I felt the urge to yell "This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful car!" Because, really? How did I get here? And while we are contemplating these heavy, existential questions - why are neon yellow lace sweat shirts back in style?? 

*****

My kids had a fabulous time at Knott's Berry Farm on Sunday. Camp "Spooky" was perfect for Zoe - the rides and decorations were perfectly fitted to her (almost) 5 year Halloween sensibilities. Being that we were lucky to be there bright and early before the park even opened to the public, we were able to go on almost every ride we wanted to. We hadn't even left the parking lot before the questions of "when can we go again?" started from the backseat. 

*disclosure: Knott's Berry Farm was nice enough to host us, and other bloggers, for a fun day at the park to promote their kid-friendly Halloween activities. Opinions and memories are my own.