The Mind, Body and Spirit event this Sunday

I’m a friend and fan of the fun and multitalented Janeane Bernstein, who is hosting a great event this Sunday, May 23rd. “Momz Rock the House Radio celebrates the Mind, Body and Spirit in association with The Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Lupus Foundation of America.”

This year’s event will take place on Sunday, May 23, from 1 p.m to 4 p.m. at Original Mike’s in the downtown Art District of Santa Ana.

The event will feature Mamapalooza and the Motherhood Foundation, local businesses and entertainment from The Momz Rock the House Show.

Tickets are just $12, and buy you an afternoon of entertainment all for a great cause.

More event info at here.

Swimsuit season. And Kleenex at my Weight Watchers.

I lost it at my Weight Watchers meeting today. And I’m not talking lb’s. I’m talking Kleenex, stat! Slight mental breakdown in progress.

With swimsuit season near, and a jeans party last night, it was all too much reality for this queen of spin and sometimes denial.

You see my friend hosted a fabulous Miraclebody jeans gathering last night. I went and the jeans indeed sucked 10 lbs off me, but I was still miserably uncomfortable on the way home in the size I “thought” I was. The party was just the kick in the stitched denim ass I needed. I looked up my Weight Watchers meeting location time, and returned today—after a 15-month, uh, “sabbatical” (to focus on other things, since I so had the weight thing handled since dropping major pounds since my last kid).

So there I was at the same WW location, with my same WW card, in the same vanilla decorated space. I was so back—but almost 20 lbs heavier. I made it through the meeting fine, but then the leader approached me after to review tools. Cue the waterworks.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I lost it. It was that Mack truck moment that hits you sometimes. The reality of how I failed my goal and was now doing something all over again that I said I never would was just too much. And apparently, it was all bigger than the double-digit pounds I had to lose.

The very kind, business-like WW lady turned instant, involuntary Life Coach looked at me and asked one question: “How many kids do you have?” (noting the one I had with me). I said, “Two.” Which she followed with, “Where’s the time for you?” Yep. 2 kids. 1 husband. 1 essentially full-time freelance job. 2 sites. 2 blogs. 1 dog. 1 new bunny. 1 house. And 1 spent Mama. (You know, the normal Mom math, plus or minus 1 or 2.)

My Mack truck was my WW meeting, but everybody has their own point at which it’s clearly evident that they’re in neutral, reverse or on empty.

“Forgive yourself. You realized it. You’re doing something. And we can do this.” she told me.

So here’s to a Skinny Bitch healthy eating, balanced mama, who looks great in the latest mix-match suit, and with or without her miracle jeans.

This was also a Debbie’s Hot Topic at my OC Family column.

A Z'Tejas Tuesday for OC BlogCrush

Another great BlogCrush meetup last night at Z’Tejas at South Coast Plaza. The mingling and margaritas with a divine pair, mixed in with some seriously delicious southwestern cuisine.

I love meeting and catching up with blogger friends in real life, and also discovering new secret, swank hangs.

To think I didn’t even know of Z’Tejas? They were exteremely good to us as they kept the appetizers and drinks flowing freely. And I hear kids eat free there on Sundays? I’m so there, as I adore kid-friendly joints without the circus atmosphere.

Thanks Z’Tejas and thanks Suz of OC Family & Alive in Wonderland and Marcy also at OC Family and The Glamorous Life for, once again, organizing a great meetup.

Here’s a live look below at the night and more on BlogCrush.

Jesse James, an outlaw of OC

My petition to kick the dude out of OC. Let’s cleanse of county of this character with no character. I say exile him to a land of cheaters and major life disappointments. Or we could just go Mad Max style. Tiger and Jesse, 2 men enter, 1 man leaves (maybe that’s 2nd offense). Petition first probably.

I call BS on Prius Runaway Call

If, in fact, it comes out that the San Diego guy is a Prius 911 liar, I think he and the Heaney parents need to be sent off in an extra large Jiffy Pop ballon and flown away to oh, I don’t know … Iraq. There maybe they could go fight for our freedom of speech and see why it shouldn’t be messed with and how you shouldn’t go shooting your mouth off for nonsense to get attention.

That said, I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying the latest 911 Prius call that happened in San Diego last week. I mean, why didn’t the guy just didn’t throw the car in neutral when the 911 operator asked him to do so, as he was flying down the freeway nonstop? How come nobody has heard of this problem? Why can’t anybody prove it? And why are experts talking hoax? And oh yea, the guy owed like $700,000 in debt; there’s always that.

I’m fired up that this James Sikes guy could stoop to such new lows in such real life-and-death dealings. People’s lives are at stake (families, innocent kids, genuine green do-good’ers) and the Toyota company is in shambles and desperately trying to resolve safety issues for drivers. And to think some San Diego schmuck might be out to get attention—at the expense of busy CHPs—and at the price of everyone’s jittery nerves.

And I don’t even drive a Prius! Up until last week I would have had little to say about Toyota except possibly slamming their standard operating procedures and their not being near as forthcoming as they should have with the public. But, suddenly, this guy’s frantic 911 call, brought into perspective the no-win situation Toyota must be in. Here they are trying to track all driver’s acceleration problems (on top of other engineering errors it now seems), and you’ve got Balloon-Boy-like cries for fame and lawsuit cash putting the brakes on the real matters at hand.

The original Prius 911 call where the family died (hear it if you can bear it) that started the whole nightmare will forever live in my memory. I can’t shake it. I’m haunted by its tragedy. And I may never, ever buy a Toyota now—at least not for many, many years to come I can *safely* say.

This just isn’t a matter to mess with.

And it’s worth noting that I’m talking as a parent and shopper here, who chooses vehicles for many reasons, but top of mind is always how the safety gurus weigh in. Additionally, I’ve probably spent about 10 years of my career writing about automotive brands (Jag, Land Rover, Mazda, Ford and more), and I know what these companies go through, I’ve been PR-alerted to recalls, but I have never seen such horrendous happenings of course as what’s going down at the “ever-reliable” Toyota.

It’s a bad, bad scene. And I think Mr. James Sikes did a bad, bad thing.

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What do you think? Hype or from the heart?

If I’m wrong? Awesome. Let everybody think twice out of making money off of a family’s tragedy, as well as others’ real tragedies possibly waiting to happen.