My Chelsea Lately Experience

That's right, people! I just went to my first Chelsea Lately taping this afternoon and I am hopeful in saying that it won't be my last. What...an amazing show.

I will admit that I was a little bummed that Heather McDonald was not one the round table guests, but Chris Franjola, Candis Cayne and Ross Matthews helped Chelsea put together a very funny show. (Above I have included the opening monologue for the taping we attended.)

And if you listen closely tonight, you will hear my laugh. I laughed before everyone else on a joke, and according to my husband and friends, my laugh stood out. Of course, that would mean a lot more if you knew my laugh, but that is neither here nor there.

I was also a big geek and brought a copy of her book Are you there, Vodka? It's me, Chelsea. She was gracious enough to sign it. Here's what she wrote, "Leslie! Suck it! Chelsea Handler."

And I must give Ms. Handler props...she is a tiny little thing. TV really is the devil when it comes to adding weight. (Thank goodness I am not on TV!)

Oh, and did I mention when we pulled into the parking lot for the taping we saw Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David filming something involving a Porsche? Yes, I am the star struck kind.

Be sure to catch my favorite show, Chelsea Lately, at 11pm on E!.

P.S. I have included below my favorite sketch to date.

Surprise Giveaway in Honor of Mother's Day: $50 See's Candies' Gift Card

Mother's Day is right around the corner (May 10th to be exact). But what do you get for Mom?

How about chocolate! See's Candies are the best chocolates I have ever tasted and are fantastic Mother's Day Gifts. As a little girl, my grandmother and mom always took me to See's for a sweet treat. I have so many fond memories with my mom and grandma, and See's Candies were a part of many of those memories.

So in honor of that bond with my mom and grandmother, one lucky HC&B reader will win a $50 gift card to See's Candies. (By the way, you can give the gift card to whoever you want, or keep it for yourself!

Here's how to enter:

• Visit the See's Candies website and decide which candy is either your favorite or something you would like to try
• Post a comment here telling us your favorite candy as well as your name and location
• Post your comment no later than Midnight PST this Sunday, May 3.

The winner will be announced Monday, May4, so please check back to see if you have won. (The winner will not be contacted.)

Good luck and happy chocolate dreams!

Gift items shown above: Keepsake Collection, Ribbon Box

One Good Thing About a Cold

This weekend my 17-month old daughter has been suffering from the cold that my son had last weekend. She was up all night on Friday night because she couldn't breathe very well. I felt so bad for the poor thing trying to get comfortable in her crib and she just wasn't able to.

And of course, she was cranky on Saturday because she was totally sleep deprived. And when my daughter gets cranky, she likes to scream. There's no real reason to scream, she just does it. But here is the one good thing of her cold (and I am such an evil mom for saying this)...she did so much screaming on Saturday that she has pretty much lost her voice. She has the cutest raspy voice right now, and most importantly, she can't scream.

Everything else about a cold stinks. Especially with swine flu scares everywhere, I am certainly watching her carefully. But I had to laugh at this one slight upside to her cold.

Ward Off Morning Sickness While Keeping Green

I don't know why I was never told about these wristbands you can wear to avoid morning sickness. But I find it is my duty now to pass it on to mothers-to- be that are going through that awful part of pregnancy (since I had to suffer through it with no relief!).

I just found out from The Cradle about an eco-friendly anti-nausea wristband called the Psi band. The wristband is actually used to apply acupressure, so they are drug-free. Plus, this particular brand is eco-friendly because the wristband and packaging is made with bio compatible materials that are reusable.

And now through Mother's Day (May 10), you can receive $3 off each wristband you buy at Amazon.com with The Cradle's special coupon code Cradle45.

There are five different designs to choose from. However, if you do choose the Cherry Blossom design, $1 will be donated to Fertile Hope, an organization that provides fertility resources for cancer patients. Help yourself. Help others, too!

Surprise Giveaway: BRIDE WARS DVD & Paper Shouts' Gift Certificate

A fun movie and a fabulous gift certificate to Paper Shouts? What a great way to start the week!

We have had Paper Shouts' giveaways in the past, but nothing quite as fun as this giveaway. Paper Shouts has partnered with 20th Century Fox to give you a taste of some great style and great fun.

One lucky HC&B reader has the opportunity to win the highly entertaining movie BRIDE WARS, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, and a $25 gift certificate to Paper Shouts.

But wait! There's more! The lucky winner will also be entered into the Grand Prize drawing on the Paper Shouts website. Prizes include movie memorabilia such as the sunglasses worn in the movie by Kate Hudson and a movie one-sheet signed by Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway and the Grand Prize is a great Mexican vacation—6 nights at the CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort and airfare for 2 on AirTran airlines.

Here's how to enter:

• Visit the Paper Shouts website to check out the Bridal Shouts section and post a comment here telling us what card you like best
• Also post in your comment an explanation to which character's style you related to more - Emma's traditional, romantic style or Liv's couture, "only the best" approach to weddings
• Please don't forget to include your name and location (Sorry, only U.S. residents are able to enter this contest)
• Post your comment no later than 1:00 p.m. PST on Friday, May 8, 2009.

The winner will be selected shortly after the May 8 deadline, so please check back to see if you are the winner. (The winner will not be contacted.)

One more thing...the kind people at Paper Shouts are offering HC&B readers a 15% discount on all orders now through May 15. Simply enter the code HOUSES at checkout, click update, and the discount will be applied. Happy shopping!

Have a great week!

P.S. Did I mention you could win a trip to 6-night vacation to Cancun?!?!

Kodak Gallery Mom-a-Thon: Get Your Free Card Now!

I got an email from Kodak Gallery this week that I thought was a really nice concept. They are calling it their MOM-A-THON: Million Card Giveaway. Basically, they are allowing you to make a free photo card for your mom in honor of Mother's Day (May 10).

All you have to do is go to Kodak Gallery to create a photo card. When you are ready to check out, you enter the promo code FREECARD. Naturally, you still have to pay for tax and shipping, but at least the card is for free. I have made these a few times for Father's Day (don't know why I seem to always forget on Mother's Day) and they have made truly special keepsakes.

And perhaps you can stealthily pass this free photo card idea on to your husband or children so that maybe (just maybe!) you could receive one of these cards, too!

(Offer expires 5/16/09)

Learning How to Say Cheese

My 17-month old daughter learned how to say "Cheese!" yesterday while hunting for Easter eggs.

She also learned how to carry an Easter basket like a purse...

I am such a proud Mommy!

Toys R Us Extended Warranties...Not Worth It

A word to the wise...if you buy a playhouse or swingset from Toys R Us, don't buy their extended warranty program. As I have learned in the past several weeks, it isn't worth it.

So here's the story... last year (almost exactly) we bought the Little Tikes 6-in-1 Town Center for my son's birthday. It's a super cute playhouse and both my kids love it. When we purchased it, the sales person offered the 2-year Toys R Us extended warranty explaining that if anything goes wrong with the product, all I have to do is take a picture of it, submit it, and they will either replace that part or send out a whole new playhouse. It sounded pretty good for only $49.95, so we bought it.

Fast forward to January of this year, I began noticing some minor issues with the playhouse and decided to submit the claims to the warranty department. I was shocked when they were all denied. As I was told by the representative, the basketball hoop warping and bending was viewed as an Act of God. (This of course made me flip my lid and ask questions like, "If I had bent the hoop, would I be considered an Act of God? My parents always told me I was a miracle.")

Still irate, I then moved on to a supervisor (because that is what I love to do). Luckily, I did learn some valuable information from the supervisor, including the fact that basically nothing is covered by the extended warranty on a playhouse, playset or swingset. I was also told that I shouldn't have been sold the extended warranty in the first place and that I could go into the store and request a refund on the extended warranty.

So, I took the name and ID number of that supervisor along with my receipt and went down to Toys R Us to explain the situation. I was pleasantly surprised when they actually just processed the refund. The sales associates at the store also explained to me that they are prompted after every sale to offer the warranty. So they just follow protocol. They also told me that since the product was purchased less than a year ago that Little Tikes would probably replace all the parts I have issues with. Once I arrived home, I called Little Tikes customer service and my replacement parts' order was taken.

And here is my silver lining...the replacement parts all arrived in the mail today. Yea! All is good in the world! (Plus, I don't have to swear off Toys R Us!)

Image courtesy of LittleTikes.com

Sex and the City Sequel is Coming Next Summer

Mark your calendars for May 28, 2010. That is when the Sex and the City movie sequel is scheduled to be released, not even 2 years after the original movie was released last year. The movie made $412 million worldwide, so it is no wonder a sequel is coming.

Of course, speculation of babies for Carrie and Big are already circulating. However, Sarah Jessica Parker isn't revealing anything about plot lines from the sequel. She jokingly said, "I want someone to show up that first weekend."

I find it especially fitting that they have announced this release date since I have been watching the original movie on HBO over and over and over the past few days.

Image courtesy of the Official Sex and the City Movie website