Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Duran Duran and Me

Sigh.  Double Sigh.  Deep breath in SIGH.  Exhale SIGH.

I just realized that I missed my one opportunity this summer to see the Duran Duran concert in Silicon Valley.  I had no idea that my (let's say this together!) all-time-favorite-band-in-the-entire-world-and-don't-even-try-to-dispute-that-they-are-utterly-awesome-and-the-best-band-ever though-Bono-and-U2-is-a-close-second, Duran Duran was in the bay area and played at the Mountain Winery on July 8th.  Yup, I totally missed it....  And if I knew that they were here, I certainly would have moved mountains, playdates, camp drop off, camp pickup and even (ahem) work, to make it to the concert on time.  I would have even gone alone and sat in the back row, singing along with Simon, John and Andy.  Ok, I would have arrived ten hours early, just to be there to greet them and let them know that I am their biggest fan of all time!

Did I ever tell you Duran Duran stories from my teenage years?  No?  Really... I haven't?  Well... sit back and read on.....

Bill Nye the Science Guy, Activeion, San Jose Tech Museum and Silicon Valley Mom Bloggers (and a GIVEAWAY!)

On Saturday morning, I sent a message out to my Facebook group stating, "I am heading over to the San Jose Tech Museum to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy".  Within a few minutes, I had over 25 replies from friends, family and co-workers (current and past) from all over the country saying, "Geek Out!", "I love Bill Nye the Science Guy", "Really, Billy Nye?  My IDOL!", "Can I come along with my geeked out husband?"  It seems that Bill Nye the Science guy is a huge hit with kids AND adults and anyone who simply adores science.

How did this meeting happen? Activeion Cleaning Solutions company brought the Silicon Valley Mom Bloggers (and their families) together at the San Jose Tech Museum to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy and learn more about their eco-friendly product. 

With Bill Nye as their spokesperson, Activeion introduces a novel (and techie) spray bottle for cleaning in the home without chemicals.  We repeat, WITHOUT CHEMICALS!  Activeion has found a way to make ordinary tap water behave like a cleaning solution. To put it simply, they introduce a tiny electric charge into the water so that dirt and germs attach themselves to the water in the same way that they would attach themselves to soap or detergent. So with just water and this very cool household cleaning spray bottle (or as my kids call it, a squirt bottle that lights up when you spray it), it works like a general household cleanswer that can clean hard surfaces, carpets, floor, and glass.  (I swear, my windows have never looked so CLEAN!).  This is totally safe for people an pets, and most important, the environment.

You never know how a demonstration will go when there are over a hundred children and adults - but Bill Nye did not disappoint the crowd!  We all watched as Bill in his signature lab coat and bow tie launched into a demo of the Activeion , breaking down the science behind it in simple terms for our children. Bill sealed the deal with the pint sized future scientists when he brought out the big drum (really, a big rubber garbage can) and banged out huge rings of smoke which hurled across the room like cannon balls. The kids were amazed and thrilled!  Oh yes, and so were the adults!

Following the demonstration, Silicon Valley Mom Bloggers  and their families were treated to lunch and then had use of the San Jose Tech Museum and a ticket to the IMAX theaters.  For those of you that live in the Bay Area (or visiting), the San Jose Tech Museum is one of the crown jewels of Silicon Valley. 

Check out what our bloggers had to share about Activeion, Bill Nye the Science Guy and the San Jose Tech Museum on their personal sites!

• Finding Bonggamom:  A Day of Science, Fun Eco-Discoveries with Bill Nye the Science Guy
• Not Just Working Mom Review:  Thanks Activion and Tech Museum
• Just Peachy Baby Blog:  How my weekend was spent with a cleaning product in aTech Museum with Bill Nye the Science Guy
• Tippy Toes and Tantrums:  The Mean Green Cleaning Machine
• Reviews From The Couch:  Use Charged Water To Clean:  Activeion
• Well Thought Out Spot:  Saturday Morning Outing:  Science and tech with toddlers?
• It's My Life:  Hanging out with bloggy friends just gets easier and easier
• Chalk and Cheese Chronicles:  Activeion & Bill Nye:  Science Fun For Our Family
• Parent Grapevine:  Ready to clean with Activeion

On Monday, June 15, 2009. we will be giving away one Activeion  sprayer.  Leave a comment below, and tell us what you are doing to "go green" in your home or with your family!  Be sure to leave your email address, so we can contact you if you are the lucky winner.  (We promise NOT share your email address.... we simply need to contact you if you win!).  Activeion retails for $299.

.... and the winner is!  Stacey Ashlund!

stacey Ashlund said...

Some recent examples of our green-ness: My daughter's former crib sheets were brightly colored and had beautiful patterns. We had so many of them (a gift from generous cousins), they were barely used or only slightly torn at the corners. She is now 7 - long past crib age. I took one of them & turned it into a gathered skirt that I sewed onto a t-shirt - producing an adorable comfortable dress. I have a picture here somewhere. I also took another one I sewed it into a bag w/ a ribbon as the drawstring - we use these to organize small things like socks & underwear when we pack for trips. We turned a clean empty plastic orange juice bottle into a bird feeder. We recycle everything - as a family of 4, we can have up to 2 garbage cans picked up by Palo Alto every week - we only use 1 and usually don't even fill that. We repair things like laundry baskets with clear duct tape, and fix most things with super glue instead of throwing them away & replacing them.

Killing time on Facebook

I am not exactly sure where my evening went.  It started with a picnic dinner at Rinconada Park in Palo Alto.  It then moved to getting the girls home, washed up, stories read, tucking them in to bed... and then... <GULP>

Hours surfing Facebook.

You see, I have this love-hate relationship with Facebook. There are moments when I love, LOVE, LOOOVE Facebook.  For example, when I want to send out a quick message to my local friends and arrange a "meet up".   You know, the real, face to face friends that you actually SEE.  In person.  On a regular basis. 

And then there are the "old" friends.  The high school and college "friends" that rarely come up in thought.  But then like a rocket that has just launched, you are thrust back into a time you want to forget.

The teenage years.

The Alzheimer's Project with Maria Shriver and HBO : Alzheimer’s is an old person’s disease, but a young person’s burden.....

"Alzheimer’s is an old person’s disease, but a young person’s burden...."  Maria Shriver, May 2009

************************

"How is she doing?", I ask.

He replies, "She is doing as well as to be expected.  Her meds are working this week, but last week we had to change the medication for sun-downing.

"How are you doing?" I ask

He replies with a cry, "I am so sad."

My Father has been a caregiver for almost seven years to my step-mother, who was was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when she was in her late fifties.  At first, he didn't realize what was really going on. He thought that she just needed therapy for depression.  Then, he began "covering" for her memory loss. Finally, after years of denial (cause let's be honest, who really wants to admit that their partner in life has Alzheimer's?), he finally came to the heartbreaking realization that his wife was in early stages of this debilitating disease.  A double blow, because he just buried my Grandmother, who had Alzheimer's for many years.

Frozen, stuck and unsure of what to do, he began seeking support from medical professionals. The first thing he learned: maneuvering through the medial system is one giant nightmare.  Who covers what? Medical, Medicare, personal insurance? What meds should she be taking, and what insurance will PAY for what pill?  What medication would slow down the progression of Alzheimer's?  Why did one medication work one week, and then not work at all the next day?  

It moved beyond just figuring out the right concoction of drugs and payment for the meds.  Sometimes we forget that CAREGIVERS and family members are also victims.  

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Asks California Residents To Talk About Legalizing Marijuana. Ok, Let's Talk!

Drug Addiction.  Just typing these words brings back painful memories that I want to forget.  Believe me, I wish I could forget.....

When I was in college, I (ahem) smoked marijuana.  A lot. There, I said it.  It is now out there for the entire world to know.  Along with a gazillion other college students, I did bong hits, inverted bong hits, smoked a little (or a lot) of doobie, and got stoned. In the late 1980's, I even followed the Grateful Dead and braided hair to make some extra cash while stoned out of my mind. Some may have called me a Dead Head. Life was groovy and marijuana was a really, REALLY good friend.

Marijuana was my only drug of choice.  I never enjoyed alcohol and I still don’t.  I never tried other illegal drugs.  Why would I? Affordable and easy to score, a joint would put me in the “happy place", give me the munchies and a few giggles, a good night sleep and I would be totally fine the next morning.   It was THE perfect relationship! ALL my friends liked to smoke pot, and it was our way to release the stress of studying, tests, papers, reports and all that comes along with being a college kid.

Without much thought, I seemed to grow out of this stage of my life as soon as I graduated from college and began working in the "real" world.  It was great while it lasted, but it was time to move on…. I could, and I did for awhile.

Though I wish I could say that this was the end of my relationship with marijuana.  In reality, it was just the beginning. 

WTF Carrie Prejean

My husband and I have had the conversation (over and over again).... if only the movie, MILK, came out before the Proposition 8 elections in November, 2008.  Maybe the outcome would have been different, and No on Proposition 8 would have won.  I remember waking up to hear that Obama was elected President and that "YES on 8" was probably going to win.  With mixed emotions, I felt insanely happy  (Barack Obama elected President) and utterly sad (that No on 8 was defeated), all at once.

Passionately in favor of same-sex-marriages and equal rights for everyone, I participated in many No on Proposition 8 rallies and vigils.  I messaged out NO on 8 through my tweets, facebook groups, email lists and phone calls through the phone banks.  I honestly believed that there was NO way that this great State of California would not support ALL of our citizens with equal rights.  Heck, it was 2008 - time for change and inclusiveness.  It was time that the world and our country was going to be a better place.... that was the dream.

I am not gay, but I have many friends, family members and colleagues in same sex relationships and SAME SEX MARRIAGES, even if California does not recognize it as "legal".  These are couples that have been together for over thirty years!  And to them, I feel ashamed that our great country and state could be full of  bigots. I am not going to sugar coat my words. I know that some day, our children and grandchildren will  look back at our generation and shake their heads - how come there weren't equal rights for ALL people, regardless of race, color or sexual preference?  How come "mommy couples" or "daddy partners" were not given the same rights as a "mommy and daddy marriage?"  They will look back on us, and think we were just as awful as past generations that supported slavery.

If only Harvey Milk were still alive. He could help and recruit us.....

And then there is Carrie Prejean.  Miss California, Carrie Prejean.  Miss RUNNER UP for Miss USA, Carrie Prejean.  Miss YES-WE-ELECTED-CARRIE-PREJEAN to represent the state of California in the Miss USA beauty pageant.  Watch this video, if you must!

Carrie Prejean, OFFENSE TAKEN!

Passover and the exploding sink

I have tried.  Really, I tried to make a Passover Seder for this evening.  I obsessed about and planned (for weeks now) the menu, scoured the web for recipes,  and asked my Facebook and Twitter lists for suggestions.  I even brought out the crystal wine glasses and delicate china to make this Seder festive and memorable, and spent hours setting the table for our seventeen guests. 

You see, cooking has always scared me.  I have been in awe of my friends and family that could somehow whip out a gourmet meal without glancing at a recipe book.  Shaking my head and feeling that cooking was somehow too overwhelming, I avoided putting my heart and soul into creating a meal.  I have come up with the excuses:  My house is too small.  We only bbq.  The girls only like pasta, so it will be mac and cheese or spaghetti and meatballs.  What about a peanut butter sandwhich?  I think my friends realize and accept that entertaining is not my forte.

Four Oakland Officers Dead. Four Families Grieving. The Bay Area Community Left In Shock.

As I was driving home this morning from the California Street Farmers Market in Palo Alto, I heard the news.  The fourth officer shot yesterday in Oakland, died.

I pulled over and listened some more in disbelief.  Although I heard the odds were not good, I was somehow praying that his life could be saved.

The bay area is left in shock.  Four police Oakland officers shot and killed in one day. 

Four families grieving the loss of their father, brother, husband, cousin, uncle.  Hundreds (if not thousands) grieving the loss of a friend.  An entire police department left in shock.  How can this happen?  Four officers shot in one day.  A community left in disbelief.. and begging:  CAN'T THE VIOLENCE JUST STOP?  Can we all somehow live in peace, without violence, guns, drugs and death? Don't we ALL deserve to live a life without violence and murder?  Especially the men and women who protect our streets and community.......

On behalf of Silicon Valley Moms Blog, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who knew and loved these four men.... who were protecting us.   

Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy and 41-year-old Officer John Hege of Concord, were killed during the traffic stop; and Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, of Danville, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley, both killed at the apartment where the gunman was holed up.

What Did This Silicon Valley Mom Receive For Her 40th Birthday? An Arrest Warrant from New Jersey

A month ago, I received notice from the California DMV that I need to take a written test to renew my drivers license .  I assumed that it was because I was turning 40.  Makes sense.... they want to make sure I still knew the rules of the road. So this past week I went online, studied (and studied) and finally felt prepared to go in this morning and take my written test.  I actually didn't really have much of a choice.  My California license expires tomorrow, on my actual birthday.

I woke up, showered and put on some makeup so my drivers license picture would look like I am still in my thirties! Fed the kids super fast and dropped them off early to school so I could get over to the Redwood CIty DMV before the crowds started.  The line was light (score!) and I whipped out my checkbook, my soon-to-be-expired drivers license and waited for my number to be called.  I felt good, and ready to ace my test.  (Let it be known, I am overachiever and wanted a perfect score!)  Within a few minutes, my name was announced and I approached the counter.  I started to chat with the DMV customer service representative (who was very kind and pleasant) and innocently asked why at forty, did I need to re-take the written test?

Her response:  You only need to take the written test if there is something on your record.

Now let me be the first to confess.  A few years ago, I got a ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign.  Yes, I am guilty as charged.  I was in a rush and did not fully stop.  I apologized to the officer, paid my ticket and thought that was the end of it.... or so I thought.

You would never know Silicon Valley is in a recession if you went to Calafia

Yesterday, I planned to go out for lunch with two very close friends.  A gals lunch out was desperately needed, and our restaurant of choice was Calafia  Having heard about this new restaurant that recently opened at Town and Country Shopping Center, and dealing with a concoction of allergies (hello, gluten free, dairy free, nut free and god knows what else free, between the three of us), we somehow agreed that Calafia would meet all our crazy needs.

Since one friend was hopping around with a broken foot, I pulled into a handicap parking space, and let her out to get our names on the list (No reservations for parties under 8).  From there, I began circling around the shopping center lot.  And around. And around... only to keep driving around for twenty minutes.  Then I planted my car in front of a row, and waiting a few more minutes until a spot finally opened. SCORE!

Aren't we in a recession?  Why in the world is ALL OF SILICON VALLEY at Town and Country?

I then made my way in to Calafia, and bumped in to a few friends that were sitting at the counter (our table was not quite ready).  "Have you been here before?  Did you see the restrooms?  You have to check out the hand drier and the community sink!" they said.  Bathrooms?  Sink?  Community sink????  HUH????