Going to the Grammy's Again!

Yessssssss!

We scored another invite to the Grammy's this year - I am so excited... Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Gnarls Barkley, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Police are all scheduled to perform at the Staples Center February 11. I can't wait!

Super Bowl XLI Commercials

The ads are such a fun part of the Super Bowl... This year, a 30-second space is reportedly being sold for $2.4M!

There is a video at YouTube (put out by Budweiser Media) that has snippets of all of the Budweiser Super Bowl commercials. My son is going to love the Mad Max (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) one but I think the "But He Has Bud Light" spot is going to be hysterical!

The much-hyped K-Fed commercial for Nationwide Insurance is actually pretty funny.

This one from GoDaddy.com was supposedly banned - too funny.

And, lastly, the pitched idea that won the NFL Super Bowl contest - I can't wait to see it!

Barbaro Euthanized

Such a sad story...

Autism on The View

According to my TV Guide, The View is going to dedicate an hour to Autism today. Toni Braxton (whom I believe has a child recently diagnosed) will be a guest. I don't usually watch the show but will certainly tune in. I am always happy to see the disorder receive attention in the mainstream media.

It looks like I'm going to have to tune in to Regis & Kelly as well - Rockstar Supernova is performing!

In My Thoughts And Prayers

Kelley Tuthill is a young Mom and television reporter in Boston who has taken her battle with breast cancer public. Read her diary and follow her progress as she fights for her life.

SAG Awards

Did anyone watch it last night? (Isn't everyone an awards show junkie like me?!) Anyway - Chandra Wilson won (deservedly so) for best female actor in a drama series for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy and her acceptance speech was absolutely adorable - I literally laughed out loud!

Weekend Ramblings

Well - it look like Tiger Woods is going to win the Buick Invitational. Again. My husband was down in La Jolla for most of the week beginning last Friday night (the night of the previously mentioned birthday party). He played in practice rounds at Torrey Pines (south course) on both Saturday and Sunday and then came home for a day and a half of work before leaving to go back down for a round in the official tournament pro-am on Wednesday. He was paired with PGA professional Ryan Moore who we were pleased to see made the cut Friday and, when he finished today, was tied for 16th!

We had a rather nice, quiet weekend at home. We leave for Vegas on Friday so I have been busy with laundry, lists for Grandma, house-cleaning, etc... We're looking so forward to the trip. We were invited to a Super Bowl party at Jet nightclub in The Mirage but haven't decided if we'll do that or watch at our favorite sportsbook in Vegas - Caesar's Palace. Regardless - it'll be great. I still don't think it has sunk in for my husband that his much-loved Bears are going to be there!

And to update on my sons' little "meltdown" at the birthday party a week ago... according to his teacher, not one child in attendance mentioned his behavior at s chool on Monday! I was so pleased - for him. He was so certain that he had "ruined" the party yet that definitely doesn't seem to be the case. I know that some kids make fun of him and have been less than kind but, the majority of them seem to accept him for what/who he is - for now.

Report Card Time Again

The year is already more than half over - hard to believe!

Report cards were sent home last week. We didn't have parent-teacher conferences this time around - they just sent them home with the kids in an envelope that we were asked to sign and return.

My daughter received an absolutely perfect report card. No tardies, no absences and no deficiencies. She received a + in every area. (Letter grades aren't done here until 3rd grade. Until then, the kids get a + for "meets standards", a checkmark for "needs assistance meeting standards" and a - for "does not meet standards".) I'm so proud of her - the only comment her teacher made was that she was a great student and a hard-worker. Such a good little girl...

My son received a super report card as well. I'm very proud to say that three areas in which he "needed assistance" last quarter have now been changed to "meets standards". They were: follows directions, completes work in a timely manner and works independently. Good for him! Three other areas where he "needed assistance" 1st quarter remained the same but they are all things that we are aware of and working on - handwriting, creative writing... Some of the math concepts introduced in the 2nd quarter earned him a "needs assistance" as well. That was a little upsetting since he had met all of the standards in math 1st quarter. The pace of the work has picked up a bit in the 2nd quarter, though. Some concepts they've introduced were giving him trouble until just recently when we (finally) discovered a method of teaching them which works for him.

Meals On Wheels

A friend of ours (whom we met through the local Rotary) found out that his wife has an advanced stage cancer in mid-December. She had surgery on her bile ducts before Christmas and will start chemo after she has recovered from that. A fellow Rotarian got a calendar out and assigned a night to those of us willing to make dinner for the couple. Our night is tonight and I've been cooking a new soup recipe (to bring over with some fresh french bread) all day.

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup
Courtesy of Paula Deen

Stock:
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving


For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper.

Super Proposal

I just heard a story on FoxNews about this guy...

Interesting! Gotta love the internet!

Rumors of New Dancing Stars

Rumor has it that Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills 90210), ex-NSYNC member Joey Fatone, Billy Ray Cyrus and Laila Ali (Muhammad's daughter) will be sparticipating in the next Dancing With The Stars season (starting March 19). A girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to attend a taping of the first episode last season and would love to go again!

XLI

Well - it's been decided! Bears vs. Colts for the Super Bowl in Miami - cannot wait for the game!

I look forward to the next two weeks - curious to see what the spread is and who is favored.

I love Vegas during Super Bowl weekend!

Birthday Party = Disaster

My beautiful son (who is 7.5 years old and Autistic for anyone who doesn't know) went to a birthday party for a classmate this afternoon. He's been incredibly excited about it since the minute the invitation arrived. I was excited for him - eager to get him some peer socialization (something we struggle with right now) outside the confines of his classroom.

The party was at a local warehouse that contains huge rooms full of blow-up bounce-house type toys. The place was great - very clean, well-staffed and organized. When we arrived, his eyes started spinning like a cartoon characters' might. He has had a tendency in the past to get easily overwhelmed but we haven't seen him in such a state in months. It's probably something we should've predicted - the excitement and anticipation of what he was about to partake in, the colors (red, purple, yellow, blue and green walls), the noise (children screaming with joy, music) and the brightly-colored mosaic tile floors and carpets were making even the most typical kids explode with excitement.

We stayed for a little while and reminded him about things like visiting the bathroom when necessary, not crying when the party was over and it was time to go, adhering to the rules of the facility etc... He was semi-receptive but definitely eager to break free and get to the fun. After about 10 minutes of watching him jump around like a monkey and feeling comfortable that he was safe and enjoying himself, we decided to take our daughter (6.5 and not invited to said party) out to dinner.

The little party-goers spent 40 minutes in one room with 5-6 play "bounce" areas, 40 minutes in a second room with more fun bounce toys and then the final 40 minutes in a private room for the actual birthday party (pizza, cake, gift-opening etc.).

We returned about 10 minutes into the third (party) session to find our son sweaty, discombobulated, red and crying his eyes out. He was not terribly coherent and obviously overwhelmed. The busy bustle of the party was going on around him as he cried in a heap on the floor. I went to him to find out what was wrong and he said that his balloon had popped. Seconds later, an employee of the company approached him with a replacement. He stood up but contined to cry. When asked why, he replied that he wasn't done playing. I explained that that portion of the party was over (an hour and 20 minutes wasn't enough for him!) and gave him a few minutes to try and re-group. The irrational and uncontrollable tears continued to flow so we decided it was time to leave. He was upset about missing the cake and even said to me at one point that he "knew (he) ruined the party".

..Oh how my heart hurts for this child..

I assured him that he didn't "ruin" anything and that his friends understood. He did not resist our early departure - as much as he might've wanted to stay, I think he knew that he was out of control and could take no more.

We didn't talk about it much after we arrived home as I didn't want to dwell. Perhaps tomorrow we will discuss what happened.

He's almost 8 years old and it's so disheartening to see him doing things that other children did at ages 3, 4 and maybe 5. I've learned that there are lots of things I can help him with (academics, sensory issues, social stories etc.) but what can I do to help him mature?

A few things upset me about tonight. Firstly, it's hard to see him act like that in public. It's been a long time since he has been this out of control. While I'll never enjoy it, I've grown accustomed to the stares and the (mostly) sympathetic looks from other parents and have learned to not let them upset me. (Reminds me of a t-shirt I came across online once that read "My child is Autistic - what's your kids' excuse?" Hah!) More bothersome, was the fact that I think he really realized that his behavior was out-of-the-norm. Until now, he's always been seemingly unaware of his odd behaviors and differences - and it's been a bit of a blessing. He was not oblivious last night, though - he knew nobody else in the room was acting the way he was but he just couldn't control himself.

I hate that for him. I worry about his self esteem and wonder if it might not be time to start talking to him about his Autism - making sure that he understands that certain things he does are not his fault and that a neurological problem he has is to blame. As much as Autism is a part of our lives (in my head and in my heart every minute of every day), it's not something we have ever really discussed specifically or at length with him. How will we know when it's time? What do we say?

SNAP

Finally - my 7.5 year old son can snap his own pants.

Despite years of private occupational therapy (from which he has graduated - hmmm...), he has a number of fine motor problems (zipping, handwriting, buttoning etc.) and has not been able to do his own pants until just recently. He didn't even want to try - getting frustrated after just a few attempts. Over Christmas break, though, he showed initiative - wanting to do it himself (despite being thin enough to pull up most of his pants without even un-doing them). It took a few days but his little fingers have finally figured it out. Now, he will un-do and re-do them ad nauseum - he's so proud and we are too.

I hate that things that come so easily to my daughter (and other "typical" children) are always such a struggle for him. Boy do we celebrate as a family when he passes another milestone, though - no matter how "late" it is!

We're hoping to tackle shoe-tying next...

Brrrr!

California is in the midst of a major deep-freeze at the moment. We've had temps in the 20's every night for a week - breaking 20-40 year old records. Every morning, we are waking to stories of burst (frozen) pipes at area restaurants, homes and apartment complexes and the devastation to local citrus crops has been horrendous. I read somewhere that citrus in California is a $1 billion/year business and estimates are that 80% or more of crops have been destroyed.

The temperatures haven't bothered me as much as I'd have thought. I do worry constantly about my next PG&E bill (I'm conservative with the heater in our home but gas prices are high here right now) and, at night, I wake with every little sound - wondering if one of our pipes is getting ready to burst. The kids (neither of whom are accustomed to such temperatures) haven't minded much either. They'd love for some snow to accompany the cold weather but we haven't seen a single flake!

This is just going to make the arrival of Spring that much sweeter!

Heartbreaking

Nikki Bacharach, daughter of Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson, committed suicide, the songwriter and actress said in a statement Friday.

Nikki Bacharach, 40, suffered from Asperger's Disorder, a form of autism. She killed herself Thursday night at her condo, said Linda Dozoretz, a spokeswoman for the family.

"She quietly and peacefully committed suicide to escape the ravages to her brain brought on by Asperger's," the statement said.

Nikki Bacharach died of suffocation using a plastic bag and helium, said Mike Feiler of the Ventura County coroner's office.

Born prematurely in 1966, Lea Nikki Bacharach studied geology at Cal Lutheran University, but could not pursue a career in the field because of poor eyesight.

"She loved kitties, and earthquakes, glacial calving, meteor showers, science, blue skies and sunsets, and Tahiti," the statement said.

Nikki Bacharach was the only child of Burt Bacharach, 77, and Dickinson, 75, who were married from 1965 to 1981.

It was the second marriage for both Bacharach, the Oscar-winning composer of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," and "What the World Needs Now is Love," and Dickinson, star of the film "Dress to Kill" and the TV show "Police Woman."

Bacharach has three children from other marriages.

No More 25-Cent Martini Lunches!

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

In a day of surprise announcements, Mandalay Bay said it plans to close "Mamma Mia!" in late summer of 2008, and Commander's Palace, a spinoff of the New Orleans fine dining icon, said it will shut down Jan. 16.

"Mamma Mia!" is the third Broadway production to call it quits in Las Vegas, but the ABBA-based show will have lasted 5 1/2 years and 2,300 performances. "Avenue Q" lasted nine months at Wynn Las Vegas; "Hairspray" had a four-month run at Luxor.

It was not immediately clear whether Commander's Palace, which opened shortly after the new Aladdin's rebirth in 2000, was heading for another location, as rumored. Chef Carlos Guia confirmed the imminent closure of Commander's Palace in an e-mail.

Also announced Thursday, but not unexpected, was Celine Dion's end date at Caesars Palace. Her 4 1/2-year run will end Dec 15.

I've seen Mamma Mia! and am not upset (or surprised) about the fact that it's closing. I'm absolutely crushed about the closing of Commander's Palace, though! It is THE most amazing, wonderful restaurant - I love everything about it and am certainly hoping that it will just be relocating and not leaving the city completely. I have wonderful memories of their 25-cent martini lunches from the past 2 Summers. It's something we look forward to all year long!

Vegas-bound

We are going for the Super Bowl again this year. We did it a few years ago and had a blast. We're staying at Caesar's Palace this time. I'd hoped to see Celine Dion - she announced recently that her show there will be ending later this year - it appears that she is not going to be performing the weekend we're there, though - bummer. I hope the Bears make it through the playoffs to the Super Bowl. If they do, of course, my husband will have to make a decision between Vegas and Miami for the weekend!

Are you KIDDING me?!

Right after Thanksgiving, a neighbor of ours began preparing for what was obviously going to be quite a large holiday party. We live in a neighborhood where large parties (political fundraisers, company parties etc.) are thrown frequently and it's not uncommon to see rental companies, caterers etc. driving up and down the street. Preparations for this particular get-together, however, were the likes of which I have never seen before. They started the Monday after Thanksgiving and continued all week long - dozens of trucks and vans daily handling tent installation, generator set-up, decorating... Most of the companies (rental agencies, party planners) were from Los Angeles - a bit unusual - and I drove by every day just dying of curiousity. I had hopes that the resident (new to the neighborhood) would kindly invite his neighbors (customary, isn't it?) - but no such luck.

The party was held on Saturday December 2nd. We saw a tour bus with music equipment pull up and unload early in the day and then limousines, caterers (Wolfgang Puck) and VIP transport/protection busses later on. We had tickets to a Lakers/Clippers game that evening so we missed out on the actual event. When we returned home just before midnight, things were breaking up and we never did hear what exactly went on.

I had mentioned the party to the lady who does my nails at my appointment in mid-December and she was as curious as I was. At my next appointment - just after Christmas - she couldn't wait to tell me that she had spoken with a client who was there (or was it a client who knew someone that was there?)! Apparently, the story was that the music guest at the party that night was none other than INXS - a band I have loved and followed since I was in high school! I didn't believe her at first - it was just too bizarre. The more I thought about it, though, the more plausible it seemed. They were back in the U.S. after touring in Europe - even in California on the Thursday before (House of Blues) and in Indio (2 hours from here) on Friday just the night before. I came home (stunned) and did a bit of research. I couldn't find any specifics but it was common knowledge on a few of the online fan bulletin boards that they were at an "invitation only private party" Saturday night.

Oh. My. God.

What are the chances of that?!

J.D. Fortune, Kirk Pengilly, Garry Beers, and Tim, Andrew and Jon Farriss - right across the street from my house! And I wasn't there! I will forever be annoyed by that fact... Note to self: GET TO KNOW THY NEIGHBOR!