A Couple More Pics

Got a couple more pictures...


Eight extraordinary bloggers on the red carpet at the Glamour Reel Moments premiere!


Bill from Glamour, Courteney, Kiwi, Demi, and Jean from Suave

(Photo Credit: Lester Cohen/Wireimage for Glamour)

Home From Glamour Reel Moments

Wow! What an amazing trip of a lifetime! I can't thank the people from Suave enough!!!

So, let's see where I left off... on Monday, we all went to Lukaro Salon in Beverly Hills and got manicures and pedicures, then Luke O'Connor, owner of Lukaro Salon, did our hair. This place was gorgeous! And no one there was all pretentious and snobby either. Luke is a really super nice, smiley guy! :) (Did you know that he did Debra Messing's hair for Will and Grace? And now he styles Julia Louis-Dreyfus's hair for The New Adventures of Old Christine. The manicurist was funny (in the way that she said what was on her mind) and told me I was crazy for having 6 kids and that my nails were awful and my cuticles were horrible. Umm thanks? LOL

There I had a yummy lunch and talked to the Suave reps about the brand. Have you guys seen this Suave commercial? I LOVE it! Who can't relate to this? Suave gets it. You become a mom and the kids are the center of your world. Taking time for yourself just isn't as important anymore. But there comes a time when the kids get a bit older that you start thinking - hmmm, maybe I should spend a little time on me again. I know I feel 100% better when I've taken a few minutes to do my hair, put on some make-up, and dress nicely. And I love that they show a little bit older kids in the commercial. The Suave reps said that was on purpose. They're not aiming their message at moms who have little babies. Of course you let yourself go when you have a baby! Baby comes first. What mom is going to worry about her hair when she only got 2 hours sleep last night, right? But they know it's important for moms to put themselves back on their "to do lists" and take a moment to care for themselves.

Anyway, I love the commercial and I think Suave gets moms. Besides, their products work and at a fraction of the price of most other ones.

OK, so after the salon, I walked down Rodeo Drive. Did you know that everyone in L.A is a size 4 or smaller? It's a law. If you gain weight, you have to relocate. I think it could be depressing living there.

Later that night, we went to Nobu for sushi. I've never had sushi. There's just something about eating raw fish that turns my stomach. Still, here we were at this Hollywood Hot Spot and I figured, if I'm going to try sushi, this is the place to do it. I probably won't ever have better sushi than this. I tried it. It didn't taste bad. Still, I couldn't get over the fact that it was raw, barely dead fish. It's a mental thing. Michelle tried sushi for the first time too. I think she and I are both happy we can say that we did it and happy that we can say "no thank you" the next time someone offers us raw fish wrapped in seaweed. Unless I'm stranded on a deserted island and have no way of making fire, I don't see myself eating it ever again. This is why I always pack Twizzlers when I travel. I figure if I crash in the ocean, I can live on Twizzlers and won't have to eat raw fish. Just sayin'...

Tuesday began with a brunch OUTSIDE! We ate outside and the weather was just perfect! I've got to say - I am in LOVE with California weather! Sunny, warm, blue skies, no humidity. The no humidity thing was great for my hair, but I have to admit I was thirsty the whole time I was there and my skin felt kinda dry and I started getting nosebleeds by the time I left.... Still - my hair wasn't frizzy at all! Or maybe it was just from Suave Sleek No-frizz Cream.

Anyway, we had brunch with Suave and Glamour reps. We got to meet Kiwi Smith (writer of Legally Blonde among others), Francesca Silvestri (producer of Glamour Reel Moments), Leslie Russo ( Glamour Associate Publisher), and Andrea Buchanan (Glamour Reel Moments directing alum) and listen to the story behind Glamour Reel Moments. Glamour chooses 3 stories from the thousands submitted by readers. Women in the film industry, like actors and writers, are given the opportunity to get behind the camera and direct real stories and about real women. It's a cool thing!

After brunch, Liz from ThisFullHouse.com, Michelle from Scribbit.com, Amy from MomAdvice.com, Beth from RoleMommy.com, and I did some sightseeing. We went to Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign, and Santa Monica. I really had such a nice day seeing these amazing sights with these amazing women! Liz is a gorgeous sweetheart who is so much fun to be around! Michelle is tall, thin, beautiful and demure. Amy is a fellow shutterbug, Beth has this really great laugh and they're both so cute and little, I just want to put them in my pocket and take them home! I feel like these girls are my BFFs now!

Then it was on to the premiere! How exciting! We arrived at The Director's Guild Theater and walked the red carpet! When we got inside, we stopped for a picture. Everyone was smiling nicely except me. I was nervous. I laugh when I get nervous. I looked like I was on drugs. Seriously, I heard people muttering, "What's with the blogger on crack?"

Then we stood back and watched for the celebrities to arrive. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures there. :( I tried to discreetly take a little video with my Flip though... There's just something strange about seeing celebrities up close. I mean, they're just ordinary people like you and me, but something about the fact that you see them on tv makes it all kinda strange. I would like to have talked to a few of them and complimented them on their films, but I felt out of place and didn't want to intrude and be "the dork who thinks she's good enough to talk to us", ya know?

Since I'm a total dork and almost never watch tv and certainly don't follow the lives of celebrities (mainly because I'm too busy following my kids around!) I had no idea who I was seeing most of the time. I had to ask my fellow bloggers who everyone was. I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of them, but these are the names I can remember: James VanDerBeek, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Demi Moore, Kiwi Smith, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, a whole bunch of Arquettes, David Spade, Ashton Kutcher, Sheryl Crow, Matthew Perry, Lucy Liu, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Aniston, Laura Dern, Matthew Perry, Rita Wilson, and Anna Farris. Did I mention that Matthew Perry was there? I'm sure there were more, but I have no clue who anyone is. I'm just proud of myself for not yelling out, "I love you Chandler!" in the middle of the films.

The movies were great! Each writer had a good story to tell, and each director did an awesome job! There really should be more women directors in Hollywood! I mean, you can only see so many car chases and buildings blowing up, ya know! You can check out these short films yourself right HERE! And there are some celebrity pics HERE.

From there, we went to the afterparty at Chateau Marmont. It was a really pretty place and we stayed outside most of the night where the weather was just gorgeous. I brushed up against Matthew Perry a couple times because I was stalking him it was so crowded I couldn't help it. It's a good thing he left before I drank enough to get bold and ask him to marry me. I ended the night at Mel's Diner on Sunset with the Suave girls.

Such a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience!!! Thank you to Suave and Glamour for all you do! And thank you to my fun, new blogger friends! Go check out their pages if you want to hear more about the stars at the premiere, and see more pictures.

LIZ

AMY

BETH

MICHELLE

CINDY

LIANNE

NADINE

Enjoy the slideshow! I'll try to put a little video up before I leave for Florida.
I have to explain a couple pictures - the picture of Liz holding up a pack of cigarettes is because Kirsten Dunst left them behind and Liz and Michelle grabbed them up. The second to last picture in the slide show is me with Kiwi Smith. And tall, thin Michelle was mistaken for Laura Dern a couple times at the after party! LOL!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

(OOPS) Wine Winners

Here are the winners of the (oops) wine aprons and tote bag/wine glass charms...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

35
17
104
Timestamp: 2008-10-14 06:55:43 UTC


Kelly said...
Love a good Merlot! Love both of your blogs, Dawn!
October 9, 2008 6:39 AM


Rachael said...
I love it all! One of my good friends once told me that if she wasn't pregnant she might be an alcholic because she loves wine so much, I am the same way!
October 8, 2008 6:58 PM

Melissa R. said...
Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc are my favorites!!!
October 12, 2008 12:05 PM

Congratulations Kelly, Rachael, and Melissa! Email me with your shipping addresses and I'll get these out to you right away! Thank you to everyone who left a comment! :)

Glamour Reel Moments - Day Two

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Glamour Reel Moments - Day One

The car showed up before 10:00 AM to take me to the airport. He wasn't supposed to be there until 10:20 so I made him wait. I'm a woman. I can do that. I hurried around, finished getting packing and ran out there with my still-hot flat iron in my hand. (It was too hot to pack and I couldn't very well leave it behind!) I couldn't decide what to wear so I packed my huge suitcase along with 5 pairs of shoes. What? I'd had 7 pairs originally!

I got to the airport and went through security no problem. I grabbed my laptop and purse and shoes off the conveyor belt and went to grab my laptop case when I accidentally pulled off the bag belonging to the woman behind me. She grabbed my knees and tackled me. Oops, sorry lady.

I had a bagel and coffee while listening to an elderly couple sitting near me have the following conversation .
WIFE: The airlines went downhill when they stopped serving food.
HUSBAND: What?
WIFE: The airlines went downhill when they stopped serving food on the flights.
HUSBAND: You want food on the flight?
WIFE: Airlines don't serve food anymore!
HUSBAND: I just got you a sandwich! What do you want?
WIFE: I know you got me a sandwich! I'm eating the sandwich! Don't you think I know I have a sandwich! The airlines don't serve sandwiches anymore!
HUSBAND: Are you still hungry?
WIFE: Turn up your hearing aid!

I love to people watch in the airport. It's a great, fun pastime.

I had to use the bathroom before boarding my flight. O'Hare has those cool toilet seats encased in plastic. Before sitting down, you wave your hand in front of the sensor and the plastic advances, offering you a brand new plastic-covered seat free from any pee drippings. And why is it that there would even be pee drippings in a women's public bathroom anyway? Hello, we're women! We don't have to stand and aim. There should be NO drippage! Are women so afraid of butt cooties that they have to hover and drip all over the seat? Why is this? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

My seatmate on the flight was quiet and kept to herself so I pulled out my newly purchased Nicholas Sparks book (Did I tell you guys that I had a chance to interview him and I forgot all about it and missed the conference call? I'm still mad at myself for that one. I love, love, LOVE Nicholas Sparks's books! They make me cry like a baby.) Anyway, I pulled out my book and we both minded our own business until the last hour or so of the flight when a flight attendant got on the speaker and gruffly announced, "Will you PLEASE sit down! The seat belt sign is on and we don't want you getting hurt or falling on other passengers. So, TAKE YOUR SEAT!" The girl sitting next to me and I looked at each other and cracked up. It just wasn't your typical, happy flight attendant speech. Then we started talking. Fun times.

I got to the airport, met Janna and Jillian, the Suave representatives, and was taken to the hotel.


Bed all to myself!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have to share with 3 kids tonight!



You should see the size of this shower in person! I bet George Clooney could fit in there with you, Cindy. ;)


AWESOME basket filled with Suave products and other goodies!




Gorgeous, no?

Then I met up with Cindy from HelloDollface.com and Liz from ThisFullHouse.com. We had a yummiful dinner (mojitos) at The Grand Lux Cafe. Now, I'm about to go through my awesome gift basket and curl up with my book so I can finish the last few pages.

I'm sure some of you have noticed that I added a Twitter widget to my blog. If you're interested in hearing the profound thoughts that go through my head every hour of the day, you can follow my Twitter stream. I can update it with my phone! It's like crack and I'm hooked!
Where the celebrities go to have their babies.


Liz and Cindy


Me and Liz (Don't pay any attention to the tomato sauce on my shirt. It's part of the design. Honest.)


Mmmm beignets!

Tomorrow it's off to Lukaro Salon for a day of pampering and then on to dinner at Nobu!

Oops, I Messed Up

I goofed up. Shocking, I know. I accidentally wrote that I had 3 (oops) aprons to give away. I only have 2. But I do have an (oops) tote bag and (oops) wine glass charms that I'll give to the third winner. So, please forgive me for having a stupid moment. You still have time to leave me a comment on what your favorite wine is HERE. I'll choose the 3 winners on Monday, Oct. 13. Thank you!

Got Milk?

OK, so when I was asked to talk about milk as a nutritious drink, my first thought was - Milk? Ewww! Yes, I'm not a milk drinker. It's true. I really don't like it. However, growing up, my parents made me drink milk every day and now I make my kids drink it. Why? Because it's full of nutrients you need to grow strong and stay fit. It's an easy way to get your daily calcium and vitamin D requirements. Plus, when I pour my kids a glass of milk with dinner, that means they aren't drinking other things like, sugary juice drinks, pop (or soda or coke or whatever you call it where you're from), or other sources of empty calories and artificial ingredients.

As grocery prices rise, it's getting harder and harder to keep food in the house, so you want to make sure you get the most nutrition for your family from every grocery dollar you spend. And for 25 cents, you'd be hard pressed to find a more nutritious beverage. Check it out. And HERE are some tips to help you get the most nutritional bang for your buck while at the supermarket.

And now, hurry and go HERE to sign up for a chance to win free groceries! Every day from now until October 12, five entrants will win $150 in free groceries!

Oops!

I had the opportunity to taste (oops) wine when I was at the BlogHer conference back in July. It was yummilicious! Now, I'm no wine connoisseur despite attending a wine tasting with Ted Allen from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Iron Chef America and Top Chef. I did learn a little about wine though. Like getting the kids to bed is so much easier after you've had a glass or two. And a nice Merlot goes very well with macaroni and cheese (thanks Jenifer for that suggestion!) I also learned that during a wine tasting, you're supposed to taste the wine and not down the whole glass at once or you'll find yourself in the position of having an empty glass and won't know what to do when he says something like, "Now eat a bite of the mango and taste the chardonnay. Do you think it complements the mango?" Oops.

Speaking of "oops", there's a really interesting story behind (oops) wine. In 1994, Jean-Michel Boursiquit discovered that the Merlot of Chile was not made entirely of Merlot, but a blend of Merlot and the lost grape of Bordeaux: Carmenère.

In the 18th century, there were 6 noble grapes of Bordeaux. In the 1860s, a root-feeding aphid destroyed vineyards throughout Europe. The Carmenère was lost. Or so it was thought. However, these Carmenère grapes had been transplanted from France to Chile and have been enhancing the Merlot of Chile for over 100 years. Now they're used in all the (oops) wines. There ya go - not only do I provide a laugh or two, but I'm now bringing you social studies lessons!

Check out the 5 varieties (oops) offers: Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc Carmenère, Carmenère Merlot, and Chardonnay. And while you're there, take their quiz on the lost grape of Bordeaux! It's hilarious and it'll enter you to win a cool (oops) girl t-shirt, golf shirt, or voluptuous beauty apron.

And just for my awesome readers, (oops) wine is giving away 3 voluptuous beauty aprons! Just leave me a comment and let me know your favorite varietal and I'll choose 3 random winners on Monday, Oct. 13! Good luck!

Yoo Hoo!

Last call for Jill who won a B> t-shirt! Email me with your shipping address so we can get this out to you!

B > Than Winners!

***Oops, I meant to post this last night and got sidetracked IMing Michele over at Semblance of Sanity. I'm sorry for making you wait.***

Wow, you guys are awesome! You came up with so many really great B> t-shirt ideas! Although I really loved all your wonderful ideas, I chose the 3 that made me laugh the most because, well, I just love to laugh! And then I chose just one more because I couldn't decide! So, here, in no particular order, are my 4 faves:


kymomma said...
B > men/flush

Funny:B>procrastination / tell you how laterDonna W. in PA :)

Jill said...
OH NO! I should NEVER have read all the other comments! They have scrambled my mind!!!How 'boutB>Coyote / Road Runner

Alexis said...
What a great shirt. I would love this one. Ok a saying ... HMMMM B>Model size ... LOLThanks Dawn. Alexis :)mom2mycrazy2@blogspot.com

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who took a moment to leave your great suggestions! Email me with your shipping addresses so Kelly can get your shirts out to you. And remember - YOU CAN STILL GET FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR ORDERS PLACED BY OCT. 15TH SO HURRY AND STOP ON BY B>THAN NOW!

***** Edited to add my email address. Mom2My6Pack@aol.com *****

More Winners!

I never heard from 2 of the 10 winners I picked for the SafetyTats, so here are 2 new winners:

Here are your random numbers:
37
109
Timestamp: 2008-10-02 04:08:07 UTC

Those comments came from:

Katina said...
Great idea! KatinaKatinaSharp.blogspot.com
September 22, 2008 8:05 PM

Missy Johnson said...
Both my girls are runners, I would love to have those.
September 23, 2008 8:08 AM

Congratulations! Email me at mom2my6pack@aol.com with your address.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, know I said I'd choose 4 comments with the best fashion advice to win the mechanical pencils but after going through the comments for over an hour, I couldn't narrow it down to just 4. You guys are just so awesome! I really, really appreciate everyone who took the time to look at all my pictures and give me your 2 cents. You guys came up with a lot of helpful advice, links, and compliments. I'm forever grateful to you!
So, I went with the random number generator again. Here are the winners of the Cadoozles pencils....

Baby Tunnel Exodus said...
Do you have a dvr or On Demand programming? I would get a bunch of What Not To Wear episodes and pick and choose what they say works best for your body type. Are they snarky? God love 'em, yes. But they know what they're talking about. I walked into a store the other day and said, "I want the What Not To Wear Jeans" and the Gap guy took me right to them. Voila! Dark wash, straight leg, Not low rise jeans. Laaaaa!Call the Suave rep and ask her opinion about what everyone else will be wearing. Cause you don't want to go red carpet glam only to find out the celebs and everyone else wore jeans and white button down shirts... you know, to "connect" with us moms. Ppppffff, right?Remember good accessories can make an ok outfit really (sorry for the pun here) sparkle. So you could do a little black dress and infuse color with your jewelry and your shoes. Oh, the SHOES. Realize they will be "dinner shoes." This means they will be unbelievably gorgeous (art!) that will only be comfortable for about as long as it takes to go out to dinner. But Come On - It's Beverly Hills! One things for sure, this Midwest girl will be livin vicariously through you, and counting on the photo recap post. More than anything though, be confident, because that's always classy, no matter what you wear.
September 27, 2008 9:52 PM


Joanna said...
Okay, I was voted "Best Dressed" in high school, so I'm the right one for the job! (Of course, I've always thought some of my friends nominated me for it as a joke...uh oh, did I just say that out loud?)In my opinion, for the premiere and after-party, I think you should go with the first black dress (the one with sleeves) and wrap yourself in that gorgeous pink shawl. I think it will look very classy, but not like you're trying too hard.Next, your casual outfit...I love that first little black (it looks charcoal gray in the picture) jacket. It's cute and dressy enough to make the rest of your outfit look nice and classy. Now for the rest of your outfit. I think I would put that jacket with a pair of black pants, being careful to match the colors as best you can (is it gray or black?). Underneath the jacket I would put a bright color, such as bright pink (yay, you can wear pink!) or bright green (because being eco-friendly is so posh!). I'm really not one to wear heels much, but for both outfits, you should wear some cute stylish black heels, preferably HIGH heels. Good luck with that! I can't wait to hear how it all goes!
September 28, 2008 7:54 AM


Niki said...
I read thru the comments.. and I agree 100% with what Jilly bean said.. But make sure you get some good looking (ie; painful) shoes!Good luck and have a blast! Say Hi to Monica for me!
September 28, 2008 9:55 AM

FreeSpirit said...
I would go to J.Jill and tell them that you need help. They have great, unbelievably comfortable, expensive-looking clothes, accessories, and shoes! Also, first black dress with pink shawl is a must! Wear black strappy sandals or JimmyChoosI have set you up a website with pictures and links for EXACT clothing. You asked for it!http://onoudi-unt.blogspot.com/2008/09/for-because-i-said-so.html
September 29, 2008 12:04 PM


Email me with your shipping addresses.
Thank you so much to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!