Sashi: L.A.'s Newest Hot Spot

Last night I was lucky enough to score an invitation to the grand opening of L.A.'s hottest new restaurant, Sashi - a sushi restaurant/sake lounge in Manhattan Beach, which is just south of LAX (the airport).

The food is fantastic, the drinks are exotic, and the atmosphere is amazing! If you want to see beautiful people, Sashi is certainly the place to be. Oh, and because last night was a grand opening event, some celebs decided to make an appearance and check out the restaurant for themselves.

Among the celebs were Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry (My Fair Brady), Stacy Keibler (Dancing with the Stars), Kourtney Kardashian (Keeping Up with the Kardashians), Keyshawn Johnson (former NFL and USC quarterback), Bianca Kajlich (Rules of Engagement).

When in the L.A. area, you must check out Sashi!

20% off at Puma.com

Yes, that's right. You can get 20% off Your Entire Purchase at Puma through 9/30 with code BTS77 . (This offer excludes Mongolian BBQ merchandise. Whatever that is!) Whether you want a new track suit for the fall or a new pair of sneakers for chasing the kids around the house, Puma has a great selection of styles and colors for whatever your mood might be.

Click here to check out what is new at Puma.com.

$50K Happier???

I learned an interesting fact today from Oprah. On a repeat episode yesterday she revealed an interesting piece of information from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Research shows that a couple increasing the amount of sex they have from once a month to once a week can bring them as much happiness as a $50,000 raise.

Now you know how to feel $50,000 richer! Oh, happy day!

5 Minute Rule - It works for Babies, too!

Not so long ago I told you about the 5 minute rule I use with my 3-1/2 year old son when it comes to nap time. (Click here to refresh your memory.)

But after talking to a girlfriend about her infant daughter feeding every two hours, I realized the 5 minute rule can be applied in many other situations.

This advice comes from my pediatrician, which in my book, is a reputable place. It all started when my daughter just wouldn't sleep at night. My pediatrician recommended putting my daughter to sleep five to ten minutes later every night so that she might sleep later into the morning (you know, instead of waking up at 4am!).

Here is the root of the advice. If you try to change a baby's schedule by keeping them up for an extra hour, you are going to get nothing but an hour of screaming, crying, and torture for yourself. Instead, you just modify the schedule by five minutes at a time so the baby doesn't notice the change.

Obviously, going along with this advice means a gradual change and that things aren't going to change drastically overnight. Although, in the case of my daughter, I can recall keeping her up five minutes later and her sleeping an extra 25 minutes that first night, which on that day, made my year!

If you step back and look at this 5 minute rule of gradual change, it can also be applied to children of any age (which includes husbands!). Kids might balk at having to go to bed an hour earlier than they are used to, but they really won't notice 5 minutes. And in the case of my girlfriend's daughter eating every two hours, instead of trying to hold her off for three hours, just hold her off for two hours and five minutes, and gradually keep adding five minutes.

Try it...it's only five minutes!

Stroller Exchange

Need a stroller...find one.

Want to get rid of a stroller...sell one.

It is that simple...well, at least on StrollerExchange.com it is!

Stroller Exchange is a fantastic idea - brought to us by Joggermom.com - that is basically a Craig's List devoted to the swapping of strollers and their accessories.

Here's what you do: You list your stroller with a description, price, pictures and contact information. Interested buyers will contact you through an integrated notification system. Hurry! All listings are free until October 1st and run for 45 days.

If you are looking for a stroller, you can simply browse through the baby jogger stroller categories menu or just use the quick search option in the top left side of the homepage. When you find something you like, contact the seller through the integrated contact system.

So what are you waiting for? Exchange strollers!

NKOTB: The Block is Coming!

I am getting a lot of emails about the upcoming release of NKOTB's new album, The Block, which "drops" on September 2. So here is the deal...if you are interested in buying this CD, you can pre-order now by clicking here.

For those that might be interested, here are the songs that make up The Block.

The Block - Standard Version track listing (Digital & Physical)
1. Click Click Click
2. Single (with Ne-Yo)
3. Big Girl Now (featuring Lady Gaga)
4. Summertime
5. 2 In The Morning
6. Grown Man (featuring Pussycat Dolls and Teddy Riley)
7. Dirty Dancing
8. Sexify My Love
9. Twisted
10. Full Service (featuring New Edition)
11. Lights, Camera, Action
12. Put It on My Tab (featuring Akon)
13. Stare at You

Just a little commentary on the song titles...and keep in mind I am a fan so I am just poking a little fun. Dirty Dancing, yeah that was a movie. Summertime, Will Smith already did it. Sexify My Love makes me think about Madonna's Justify My Love. Twisted...Keith Sweat did that back in the mid 90's. And Lights, Camera, Action is one of my son's favorite songs by The Wiggles! (Most of them are dads, I wonder if The Wiggles ever crossed their mind when they saw that song title?!?)

Olympic Exhaustion

I am so tired from the Olympics you would think I was an athlete participating in them. Nope, I am just an avid watcher who hasn't been able to fall asleep before midnight the past week and a half. (And by the way, I have only watched four events - gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, and track & field.)

And what is with NBC prime time coverage lasting past midnight each night? They even had what they considered a comical segment on complaints they have received about how late their coverage is running explaining that people should drink more coffee in the morning or just call in sick.

I am so tired all I can remember or think about is Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals, gymnastics having a screwy tie breaker and scoring system, Michael Phelps, Dara Torres competing in her fifth Olympic Games (and she skipped 2 in between), and oh yeah, Michael Phelps.

So, the Olympics...exhaustion...it's all I've got for you today!

Photo courtesy of NBC.com

Ladies' Night

No matter what age you are, if you are a lady, every now and again you need a "ladies' night."

I was lucky enough this weekend to have a very special ladies' night with my closest girlfriends. We all went to college together and at one point lived within 100 yards of each other. Of course, over the past 10 years we have married, moved, had kids and only could wish to live that close to one another again. That is why getting together was so special.

With a job, husband, kids, or whatever you have going on in your life, it sometimes can be hard to make time for something like a "ladies' night." (Which in my mind means you need one more than ever!) But here is my advice...make time for it. It's good for you and everything that is going on in your life. With the hustle and bustle of life it is easy to feel unbalanced. But I can undoubtedly say that I feel very balanced after a nice dose of "girl time." And that makes me enjoy my family time even more!

P.S. Another piece of advice...If you are looking for a fun "going out" place in San Diego, I highly recommend Eden at the Ivy Hotel. Our Ladies' Night ended up there and we had a phenomenal time there!

Candyland Birthday Party

You have to check out this amazing 1st birthday party that Hostess with the Mostess planned for Trista and Ryan Sutter's son Max (a.k.a. the only successful couple from the Bachelor and Bachelorette series).
The party is filled with bright colors, yummy food, and my favorite, CANDY!!! (And you can see how photos of Max's first year are spread throughout the candy display, which gives it such a personal touch.)

Check out all the party details along with pictures and video at momlogic.com.

Hats off to Jennifer Sbranti, the Hostess with the Mostess, for pulling off such an amazing party!

Also, if you are planning a 1-year old birthday party soon, here are some tips from BabyCenter.com on things to consider when planning your celebration.

Images courtesy of momlogic.com.

NKOTB Greatest Hits On Sale Now!

For all you NKOTB fans, you can put away your Hangin' Tough cassette tape because the boy band released their Greatest Hits CD today!

Click here to buy your copy of Greatest Hits: New Kids on the Block now!

The Power of the Plug (and the Humidifier!)

As I mentioned earlier, my kids have been battling illness the past week. My 3-year old son was diagnosed with a throat infection and my almost 9-month old daughter has continued congestion and a runny nose (and a whole lotta crankiness!).

But thanks to one of my favorite products, the Pedia Care Gentle Vapors Vapor Plug Unit, my daughter wakes up every morning with clear breathing and no congestion. Naturally, I also have a humidifier going in her room, because I am not sure which of the two (the plug or the humidifier) is creating the most benefit for her.

But the next time your child (or you, for that matter) come down with nasal congestion, I highly recommend using the Pedia Care Gentle Vapors Vapor Plug Unit and a humidifier.

(Yes, I do actually have a spot in my humidifier where I can put Vicks vapor solution, but that seems messy to me, and the Vapor Plug is easy to just plug in and go. Plus it has a built in night light!)

House Full of Sickies

It is simple, my kids are sick, I have a nasty cold, and it is only a matter of time before my husband contracts something, too.

But here is the tricky part, my 3-year old has a fever but my 9-month doesn't yet. Is there anything I can do to prevent her from getting what he has?

About four months ago I seemed to prevent my daughter from getting my son's cold by wearing a specific shirt to interact with each child - that way they were at least just getting their own germs when they rubbed their heads on my shoulder. But that is not going to happen this time because the summer heat is keeping Mommy in a tank top, so they both get the same skin to wipe their noses on.

What I hate the most...you aren't supposed to get sick during the summer! Colds and flu are supposed to happen just during the winter (well, at least in my mind anyway).

I am taking my son to the pediatrician this afternoon about the fever, but any wonderful motherly advice would be greatly appreciated!