The "Swanky LA Party" that really wasn't

As many of you know, my "real job" is in PR and Marketing. And while this blog thing seems to eat up just as many hours as a full-time job, let's be honest, it don't make squat. But I do it for a few personal reasons and the occasional "perks." Last week was one of those particularly perk-filled weeks - a private icing demo with the cupcake queen of the world, lunch at a DELISH Mexican restaurant in Hillcrest and a private preview of the new Souplantation Express that is now open and is just minutes from my house. I pretty much ate my way through the week. Then late Thursday, Jason gets an email from a PR agency in LA that represents Nivea For Men, inviting him to a "super exclusive pre-Golden Globe party at a famous jewelers Beverly Hills private estate!"

Being the celeb-u-whore that I am, I *almost* screamed with excitement. ME?! At a PRE-GOLDEN GLOBE PARTY IN BEVERLY HILLS?!

With thoughts of the palatial estates of Lisa and Adrienne of RHOBH, I envisioned this fabulous LA cocktail party. I pictured myself in a fabulous dress and platform Louboutin's casually laughing with someone who turned out to be a high powered executive at Sony pictures who just happened to be looking for a work-from-home social media consultant. And yes, in the fantasy I was 20lbs lighter and had  the after-glow of a vacation in Cabo. 

Alas, what I really am is 100% naive. 

I GREW UP IN LA, I really should have known better. But! In my defense, in the past 10 years I've been to some super amazing corporate parties with some amazing people in attendance. Just ask me about the time I ate fried chicken with Tone Loc and Vanilla Ice at the Rainbow Room on Sunset. Still...

Sigh. I need an iPhone 4 with a flash something FIERCE.

The party was more of a gigantic line. We waited in line to get in, we waited in line for a drink, we waited in line for a few bites of food, then we waited in line for another drink before waiting in line at the valet to leave. The party, which was advertised as "old school Rat Pack Hollywood glamour" with a "cocktail/dress-to-impress" dress code, was full of women that looked they were trying to be porn stars or men that looked like they were trying to be P. Diddy (or is he Ditty Dirty Money now?). I kinda got the feeling this was going to be the case: on the drive up to LA I searched the party's Twitter hash-tag and checked out the profiles of the 4 other people tweeting about it. Think of all those house-party scenes you see on Entourage, then make all the people in attendance about 30% less attractive and 50% less interesting.

But the thing that irked the PR girl in me most is that flat-out misrepresentation of the event from the PR company. The "private estate" turns out to be a house, owned by some jewelry company, that is used strictly as an event rental. The gift bag that the invite claimed to be "worth $200" was a few samples of Nivea for men products. And the best misrepresentation of the night: the announcement of the attendance of James Franco - but I'll let Jason tell you all about that one. 

The whole night I couldn't help but think how out of place I felt. I don't think we exactly looked out of place (quite the opposite, I was actually complimented on my shoes a few times!), but we really felt it. Then again, the entire gathering was enveloped in an awkward feeling. It seemed to be crammed full of people, none of them really wanting to be there, but feeling like they had to be seen there JUST IN CASE someone else was there. Maybe it's the LA thing? Or maybe it was just a horribly executed event. But what I do know: our little VIP party for the opening of Sprinkles in La Jolla last week was about 50 times cooler. 

Challenges: Sprinkles Cupcakes

So what better way to spend a night of your first week on Weight Watchers than attending a VIP Grand Opening party for Sprinkles Cupcakes. Veuve Clicquot and Red Velvet - enough goodness to test the willpower of even the most anorexic celebrity.

The event was amazing. Candace Nelson, CUPCAKE QUEEN OF THE WORLD, spent about 45 minutes with us, talking about everything from how she started her cupcake empire to how many cupcakes she eats a week. It was a fantastic evening. Check out the whole post, the video and the AMAZING cupcake GIVEAWAY over on The San Diego MOMfia site.

The Progression of the Turquoise Room: A new friend and family mascot

The wall has taken on a life of its own. What started as a way to make a new house a home has now been absorbed into the personality of our little family. The wall made it's "official debut" on our annual Holiday card, and as you can see, the bright color makes quite the backdrop for our quirkiness. With the addition of the Mohawk Home Zebra rug, I felt that room was finally beginning to take on its own identity. It went from being "the room we didn't have furniture for or know what to do with" to a room with a flavor all it's own. But do we leave the wall alone or adorn it with something equally as interesting?

Obviously something as interesting. 

The moment we saw it we knew we had to have it. A large, white, ceramic moose head. Right there, on the big turquoise wall. To us, that is perfection. Odd, yet oddly fantastic. If you know us in real life, or following Jason and I online, you know, we like things a little off-kilter. 

While I'm not quite sure my Dad agrees with the awesomeness of the MOOSE, my parents bought the headpiece for us for Christmas this year. How many people do you know that got a moose-head for Christmas? 

But here's the thing, the thing weighs like 50lbs, and OF COURSE the stud in the wall isn't in the right place. It also didn't come with wall mounting instructions, and the people working the hardware aisle of my local Home Depot looked at me like I was insane each of the four times I was in there over the course of a week trying to figure out how to hang the thing. We finally cried "uncle", and called our friend/resident handyman to help us out. He took my call just after finishing re-tiling an entire bathroom and laughed at going from a job so intricate and artistic to hanging a moose-head. Yet, even he was stumped (which made me feel like less of an idiot). Regardless, we got it up... and it's perfection.

Of course with our moose-head on the wall and our zebra rug, the room is looking a bit like a high-end, modern hunting lodge. But, it's always a good conversation starter. Hey, not every kid can play "Gaston" with as much realism as my kids. 

The Moose already seems to be "part of the family" and tonight at dinner we decided to name it. While Zoe suggested we call him "Moose A Moose" (vetoed!) Lucas suggested a play on words, and that we name him Mousse...very proud of his name, he exclaimed "You KNOW, like the Chocolate DESSERT!" And while I'm very fond of animals having theme songs, let me introduce you to the newest member of the HipMamaB/PetCobra household: "Vanilla Mousse."

I think he's fitting in quite nicely. 

Special Thursday Night Confession: 3 days and about 87 points later...

So since Monday my head was all a flutter with deep thoughts of life, I didn't confess anything for the week. So I thought I would make it for it tonight, with my confession of this: I've re-joined Weight Watchers. 

The new year, Jennifer Hudson, a lady at TJ Maxx that asked Zoe if she was going to "be a big sister soon", and my friend Maria all played a big role in the decision. But since I actually completed all levels of Angry Birds, I needed something new to obsess over. So off I went to weigh in and sit through the introduction of PointsPlus. My take? It's lipstick on a pig - just a new color lipstick.

However you slice and dice it, we all know the answer to weight-loss is actually fairly "simple" - eat less, drink more water and exercise. Viola. We see the men in our lives do it all the time! "Honey, I'm feeling flabby..." all of a sudden they are running again, not eating bags of chips while standing over the sink and switching to diet soda and BAM! They are 15 lbs lighter (MEN. But we get to birth babies! I don't think that was really a fair trade there, ladies). And while yes, the points have changed - most people get 29 points a day {forever} and 49 weekly BONUS points, fruit is now free (because as they like to say, "you're not at WW because you ate too many fruits and veggies!") and wine is now 4 points instead of 2 (priorities) - it's basically the same program.

But what I do like about the new PointsPlus is that they have made it easier to make the "better health decision." This was my biggest problem with the program last time I did it: that instead of eating right, people (myself included) just ate as much processed low-point food as possible. 

Take the 3 PM snack attack - you have 2 points to spare, do you reach for a 2 point apple or a 2 point bag of baked Doritos or a 2 point Jello Pudding Snack? In the past, one would probably reach for the chips or sweetie. Now, being that fruits are free, it's more like "I'll have that apple/pear/grapes/banana first so I can have a glass and a 1/2 of wine later!" Okay, maybe not the best example, but you catch my drift. 

The best part about Weight Watchers for me, and why I've been moderately successful with it in the past, is that I am held accountable and forced to face the music about just how fattening the majority of food I consume without thinking about it is. I'm the queen of exclaiming "Really! I usually do eat healthy! I don't get it!" and really, it's true. Fast food is an occasional occurrence, I don't buy big bags of chips, we use 1% milk, and buy "better for you" alternatives from Trader Joes. Yes, we do eat out, but at good restaurants that serve good food. But even "good food" can be bad. 

A great example is the leftover from NYE Ham Sandwich-fest Boudin sourdough roll. Sweet and innocent looking and something I consumed 3 of earlier in the week, this sucker clocks in at 8 points. EIGHT POINTS. For a BUN. That's 2 glasses of wine and a banana, in case you are keeping track. 

So now I'm thinking about things more. Instead of the random handful of almonds (not "technically" bad, but still), I will try to reach for grapes. Instead of an assortment of crackers, salami and cheese, we will have sliced cucumbers and tzatziki sauce! Pizza will be a treat, not a staple, in the dinner rotation. And I'll recite the good old 80's WW mantra that we probably all remember from our mothers: "Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin!"

Except for maybe tots and chicken & waffles. Those taste 50 million times better than being thin.

Oy. Issues. 

The other thing I got goin' on over there?

Yes, I was a bit absent from this URL in December. Yes, its my month of hate... but the real reason I didn't do much over here, was because I was busy birthing Baby #3. Before you squeal CONGRATS and ask to send pink or blue knitted blankets, Baby Three is a new blog... The San Diego MOMfia. 

While it's not all me, Theresa (@rockonmommies) and I co-founded (co-birthed?) the site in effort to bind the fabulous group of bloggers we are lucky enough to call friends here in San Diego. Mary (@MamaMaryShow) had this fabulous idea for all to sing a song to Tiffany & Co. - she wrote it and her hubbie edited and produced it. Tiffany gave us a beautiful ornament to gift to one lucky reader and an idea formed... "What if we can get a few giveaways to launch the site?" This idea quickly turned into 15 days of giveaways and a whole lotta' work. 

But SO. Totally. Worth. It. 

So, occasionally, in-lieu of time and creativity, I may point you over there ----> www.sdMOMfia.com. 

Like right now! To read all about the product that saved my lips!

Enjoy!