The R Family Diaries

"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and then that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive- and all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment." - Juliet Ashton "The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" Did you know that I majored in History? I love just about all history, but have a few areas that really interest me. Colonial America and World War II {specifically the Holocaust} being two that have captured my interest completely. At USC, I took a class on the Holocaust taught by a Rabbi. It changed the core of who I was. Not only did we have survivors come in and speak, we actually studied how such horrific events could come to pass. The seeds go back farther than you could imagine. How an average man, rejected from art school, could start a political movement in the back of a bar that wo

I am over at Angie's Seven Clown Circus today. I'm giving something away. Like money. Plus, I am totally clever, and funny and witty- over there.

So we were at a stop sign in our neighborhood and we saw 2 boys walking down the street with shovels. Full-sized shovels. My husband says, "I wonder what those boys are doing with those shovels" The Boy quickly {and confidently} asserts, "Oh, they're on the school digging team." I seriously almost peed myself.   Where does that kid get this stuff? "Digging team"?  Bwaahahahahahahahahahaa. Winners- of Optimism Pays: $35 gift card- Natalie                                                     $20 gift card- Kimberly (Email me! vampmama@gmail.com)

I have spent the evening reading through your Optimism posts and am so incredibly touched. The inspiration and depth has me in tears. We can make such a difference in the world by sharing hope . By dwelling in the possible .   By believing in abundance .   By knowing we are worthy of wonder . Thank you for celebrating the good .  For seeking it out and savoring every bite .   I adore each and every one of you.   A winner will be posted on Wednesday. Until then... keep optimistic.

Hi Ladies! Welcome to the Optimism Pays Link Up! Here's what is going down: In celebration of fishful thinking' s 5 ingredients, I will be highlighting one every few weeks. Today, is OPTIMISM! So, there are two ways and win and to participate. 1.  Link up below a blog post about optimism... a story, a photo with a caption, your thoughts on it...anything related to a positive outlook.   2.  Make sure to refer people back here in that post to vote for you! 3.  If you want to play, but don't want to to post, you can leave a comment here with the 2 links you feel best represent optimism.  4.  Click the fish in the top left corner (site meter will let me know you did!) 5.  As usual all my "followers" get an extra entry. Oh, and if you use a picture, head on over to Cecily's place and link up to her Friday Photostory...that gets you 2 link ups for the price of one!! Prize: Those who link up are entered to win a $35 gift card- their choice.  Those who just comment a

If your here for the Optimism Pays Contest info, that's here . The Boy and I went on a walk. Well, I walked, he rode his scooter. Um, rode might be to much of an action word... it was more like, barely ride, wait for mom to catch up and then ride a second or two more. Anyway, it was a gorgeous day in the neighborhood and at one point, we walked by these two gorgeous boxers. Off the leash, but apparently very well trained, as they slowly approached us and began to give us the once over... with their noses. Of course, their heads were at my crotch. By the time one of them was done getting their fill,  I think we were married. {At least I hope so, otherwise I feel really used.} As we walked away, The Boy says, "Mom, that dog was totally smelling your butt." I said, "Yeah, I guess he was trying to get to know me." Will looks disgusted and says, "Well, that was totally awkward." Yes, son.  Yes, it was.

The "Optimism Pays" link up and contest. With so much drama in the blog world {and the real world} let's focus on something fun. So here is how Friday's link up/contest will work. The theme is Optimism. You can write about anything, a story, a poem, your thoughts, why it's imporant, one line under a photograph, etc. The prize. $30 gift card {winner's choice}. How to enter: 1. Write a post about Optimism. 2. Link it up to the Mister Linky {will appear on Friday}. Be sure to use the link of the post. 3. Include a photo and you get linked here AND at My Chaos, My Bliss's Friday Photostory {this will get you some nice additional traffic}. I will also be mentioning it on SITS. 4. The post does not have to be new! You may have something in your archives that just needs some tweaking. 5. Links must be relevant to Optimism and cannot contain profanity or anything else I deem rude. {Muuuuhahahahahaha.} Winner will be chosen by me and my crazy methods and

So the name " Fishful Thinking " may you leave you wondering "What the heck?". "Guide to Secret Fishing Spots"? "Guide to Best Sushi Restaurants"? How about "Guide to Raising Optimistic, Resilient and Empowered kids"? Yep. The last one. Pepperidge Farm has joined forces with Dr. Karen Reivich to develop an initiative that promotes parenting for possibilities called Fishful Thinking. As you know from yesterday's post, I spent this past weekend with Dr. Reivich and 9 other moms who make up the "Fishful Thinking" Faculty. Dr. Reivich is the real deal. Not only is she the co-author of "The Optimistic Child" and "The Resilience Factor" and heads up cutting edge research studying the benefits of optimism and postive thinking- She is also a mom. A mom to FOUR kids. I am always a bit wary "self-help" programs and to be honest, there are only a handful of parenting books I've read that aren't t

Wow. What a crazy week it has been. I left for NY on Friday, did some Fishful Thinking all day Saturday with some AWESOME moms, stayed up all night because with the time change and East Coast to West Coast, I would have slept maybe 3 hours. 3 hours. That's just a tease. I was so amped up on the FABULOUS women I met and the incredible information I had just been giving, I could.not.sleep. Car came to get me at 5:30 AM EST.... which {with daylight savings} was 1:30 AM to me. No, I decided it was better to just stay up. Heck, I used to pull 30 hours in college all the time. Right? Right. Got the JFK. They had a Brighton shop. Dangerous. I was in there for 2.5 seconds and spent $120. But I did get a free umbrella. And the hottest wallet ever. Screaming baby on the flight home. Not like cute baby crying. Like "i-have-special-baby-future-seeing-power-and-this-plane-is-going-down" crying. I don't know about y'all, but I had a secret flying trick when the boy was a baby.

So the winners. That's why you came over, right? Lie. Tell me you came by because you love me. Because you think my thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating writing on Tampons and Resiliency are genuis. Not because you want to know if you won this or this. Okay, now that you've stroked my fragile ego..... The winners of the $100 Target Cards are: Sandy and Finding Joy and Choosing Happy The winner of the Spring Fling Bag is: The Smith Family So there you have it. If you un-follow me now, I'll die. So don't.

Happy Spring Fling ladies! I am giving away a brand new bag by Etsy vendor "retrofied" I love the Amy Duck fabric she used and the quality is fantastic.   The included coin purse is adorable. $68 value! Here is the info from her shop: This hobo bag is made with Amy Butler's Acanthus in Duck Egg on the outside and a coordinating river rock colored cotton twill inside. There is also an attached wristlet - yes - a throw back to the purses we all carried as little girls, so I hope this one makes you feel like a kid again. A large 1 1/2 inch fabric covered buttons and elastic loop hold your Duck Egg Hobo closed. There is arow of three slip pockets inside. Size: 12 inches wide at top 15 inches wide at bottom 22 inch handles 2 inches deep 11 inches tall 2 pleats add extra depth to hold lots. 1 entry, comment 2 entries follow me. Good luck! The winner of this contest and my previous contest will be announced on Wed!

It just dawned on me that I have had some super exciting news that I haven't officially shared! You all know how I feel about the importance of optimism and resiliency in the successes I've had in my life and how important it is to pass those on to my son. Did you know my company is named "Bright Future Managment"? Doesn't get more optimistic than that! A few months ago, I was contacted by a PR firm representing Pepperidge Farm. They were interested in interviewing me for a faculty position for Fishful Thinking , an initiative that offers parents tools for fostering optimism in kids. Now, as the director of one of LA's largest and oldest private summer camps, I get contacted to participate in all kinds of things for kids... usually, I pass, as I want to spend all my free time with my boys. But in this case, the message and the presentation was so incredible, I jumped at the chance and agreed to the interview. Within the first 5 minutes of the interview I wa

After a very looooong 2 weeks of camp enrollment and a long day of camp tours, my oldest, best and closest girlfriends showed up. All together. To surprise me. To honor and celebrate my birthday. It was truly incredible. That these women who I love so much, thought of me, planned for me, celebrated me. I am humbled. I am grateful. I am touched. The night was amazing.   The surprise was surreal. The food was delicious. The drinks were delightful. The letters of love where incredible. The fabulous shoes, the to die for bag, the glamorous make up, the balloons and confetti, the ice cream cake, the princess tiara, the feather boa, and the hotel rooms were the things birthday dreams are made of. The company was perfect. To Erica, Shanell, Ginger, Kim, Rachel, Dani and Kai- my deepest gratitude. You really did add a year to my life and memories and happiness to last a life time. To the girls who couldn't be there but wanted to- all my love. To my husband who had a hand in the plan and ca