Mamarazzi Knows Best

Spontaneous vist to Pageant of the Masters

Suzette Valle — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:01:46 -0700

This year of economic uncertainty and belt-tightening has made us all re-think how we spend our time, gas and money on family outings. Pre-planning every detail for a family getaway is challenging enough, and perhaps the greatest deterrent to doing anything spontaneous with the family. But, rewards await those brave enough to throw caution to the wind and venture out on a completely unplanned family adventure.

Our summer "staycation" was punctuated by a very good friend's invitation to spend the day with her family at their resort destination in Laguna Niguel, a mere hour an forty minute drive from each of our homes.

Spontaneous decision number one; get in the car and drive -- no suitcases required.

After walking on the beach, enjoying a long lunch and great conversation about college visits and the upcoming school year with all of our kids, we decided to go see one of Laguna Beach's longest-running art show: the Pageant of the Masters. Celebrating it's 75Th year, this southern California art showcase is an eye-defying human re-creation of classic paintings, sculptures and porcelain figurines you have to see to believe.

Spontaneous decision number two; go to a sold out show without tickets.

Yup, we didn't have tickets to this performance -- which runs every day in August and is already sold out -- but thanks to my friend's resourcefulness (and a little luck), we all managed to get tickets that same day -- 8 total! -- by various means; hotel concierge, some were donated back to the ticket booth, and one right at the door. Nope, we didn't pay extra either, they were all face value!

Once inside the outdoor theater, the "tableaux vivant" or "living paintings" had our incredulous attention the entire two hours. We were hypnotized by the actors' ability to pose completely immobile, in very uncomfortable positions, for the three minute musical pieces which accompanied each painting. After recovering from initial disbelief, the audience was treated to step-by-step reconstructions of several tableaux which included child actors posing ever so still, an amazing feat our kids couldn't achieve in their own seats!

Nineteen paintings were recreated at the Irvine Bowl during the show including the crisp white sculpture of Shakespeare's Memorial by William Kent, Henri Toulouse Lautrec's "The Dance", Edward Eyth's "Olympic Spirit" sculpture now on display in Beijing (pictured below), and the finale's traditional piece by Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper.

Try holding this pose for three minutes. They did!

If you're feeling foolhardy, here are some tips to better enjoy the pageantry of this show: bring binoculars, blankets and buy a cup of hot chocolate. This will make an otherwise chilly night outdoors more palatable.

Saying goodbye to our friends that night was bitter-sweet, but the experience was very rewarding and offered our children a few life-lessons:

* Small sacrifices yield big rewards

* Don't take NO at face value

* Have and intrepid adventure once in a while. It will certainly bring a smile to your face for years to come.

1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS REVISITED

Suzette Valle — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:14:51 -0700

Sharing family stories and anecdotes with your children is the best way to keep those memories alive and pass them on to the next generation. Every four years, I have the opportunity to bring my family closer and relate the incredible experiences I had at the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, California. I, along with 29,000 people, volunteered for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, LAOOC, in exchange for the opportunity to be part of this historic XXIIIrd Olympiad.

I have a ritual for this: I go through my edge-worn photo album with them, spread out my prized pin collection, and choose one to wear each day during the two-week competitions. As my family and I watch the athletes on television, I'll recount the adventures and memories I accumulated during the games twenty-eight years ago. (The memories part is getting harder to do as I move up the age podium!)

In 1984, a few months before the Olympics, I applied to be a volunteer interpreter and passed two language tests: Spanish and French. A few weeks later, I was the designated interpreter to the Mayor of Barcelona, Spain, Pascual Maragall, and this city's Olympic Committee bidding for the 1992 Olympics, which they won! (This is when I also point out to my children the usefulness of all those high-school and college language courses!)

Based at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA, the volunteer pool assembled there to get their daily itinerary. My list of activities during those two exciting weeks resembled a day in the life of a Hollywood celebrity; I rode in limos with officials and attended lavish lunches and dinners; I recall a private evening at Paramount Studios, and a spectacular luncheon put on by the Spanish Olympic Committee at a Hollywood director's home. Special food was brought in from Spain and prepared by Spanish chefs (I still remember the delicious chilled cantaloupe soup!). It was surreal to witness the glamorous side of the negotiations to secure the Catalans the right to host the 1992 Olympics!

During free time, volunteers with clearance were allowed to visit different venues and watch the competitions. The Olympic village at UCLA was a favorite place to see the athletes. It was there I spotted Nadia Comaneci, the world-famous Romanian gymnast, casually walking by with her parents, and asked if she could turn around for a photo. I quickly snapped away with my Kodak Instamatic camera and got the photo below!

Pin trading and collecting were popular activities during these Olympics. I collected several pins, but I'm most proud of the trade I made of a US pin for a pin representing the Egyptian Synchronized Swimming Team -- a rare pin because Synchronized Swimming debuted in Los Angeles as an Olympic sport -- and these were difficult to find.

As volunteers, we were given a special pin to wear (note the pink square on our tops in the photo below) with our LEVIS-designed LAOOC-issued uniforms and shoes. Ah, yes, pure polyester!

Another volunteer perk was participating in the full rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies. After the bands and flags paraded by, everyone sitting at the Coliseum heard instructions on the loudspeaker to reach underneath the seats and pull out a color card to hold over our heads. Once all the cards were up, the entire stadium turned into a giant display of the world's flags. It was quite a low-tech Technicolor sight!

Closing ceremonies were also out of this world! They included a space ship landing reminiscent of the movie Close Encounters of Third Kind, and an All Night Long party with Lionel Ritchie singing until we couldn't dance anymore. Greg Louganis, Carl Lewis, Synchronized Swimming, the Russian boycott and other historical events took place in Los Angeles during the summer games of '84. But for a twenty-four year old waiting to start grad-school, it was a summer of Olympic size memories.

I hope I've inspired you to take the time to share your cherished stories with your own kids or grand-kids. And remember, your adventures don't have to be of Olympic proportions either; the tree house you built, or the mud fights at the near-by pond are just as much fun to re-tell.

Why not take advantage of these last few days of summer vacation to start a new tradition? You just may remember something you did a few years ago (well, maybe more than a few), that will impress your kids today!

"Swifter, Higher, Stronger" Olympic Motto

Dishing-Up Pop Culture Teens

Suzette Valle — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:18:16 -0700

Everybody wants a piece of the teen-pop pie served up by Disney, but not every helping is a healthy portion. Perhaps to boost sales, teens have been featured in established magazines who would normally focus on more mature celebrities; Vanity Fair had the controversial Miley Cyrus wrapped-in-a-sheet photo, and Rolling Stone magazine displayed the "Clean Teen Machine" Jonas Brothers on the cover. Recently, the Teen Choice Awards astutely chose Miley Cyrus as host and the shows ratings noticeably improved. Miley's face can still be found on every piece of conceivable merchandise from Wal-Mart to Macy's.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the Jonas Brothers were doing their media rounds last week, and will be very visible again this week because they have a new album to promote; A Little Bit Longer hit store shelves today. Items with the teen hearthrobs' likeness are selling like hot cakes at Target and Limited Too.

Chelsey Handler couldn't resist partaking of the Disney confection either. I occasionally indulge in this late night celebrity dish, but I'll admit I was a bit mortified last night when she spoofed the Jonas Brothers on her show Chelsea Lately. In a staged interview with three Jonas wannabes, she bared her top and brushed up against a fake "middle Jonas" (taunting him to break his purity vow) who in reality is eighteen years old. The good news is she didn't go for the younger Jonas impostor representing the fifteen year old tempting morsel. The bad news: she's thirty three, and, well, she's thirty three.

At this age, I'd suggest keeping your hands out of the cookie jar.

Let's not OD on OJD

Suzette Valle — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:16:05 -0700

You didn't need to look very hard to get your daily dose of Jonas to treat your chronic OJD (Obsessive Jonas Disorder) because the Jonas Brothers were everywhere this week! On-line, in magazines, newspapers and on television, the band of brothers ran the gamut of media coverage to the delight of our female teenage population.

Monday's double dose began with the 2008 Teen Choice Awards followed by an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The TCA's focus was almost exclusively on the siblings' segments called "Ask a Jonas Brother". (Though the shows obvious intention was to showcase Miley Cyrus, these bros seem to steel the spotlight!).

Relief on Tuesday was provided by a re-scheduled live interview and performance on LA's KIIS FM with Ryan Secreast, previously scheduled for Monday, but Mr. Secreast was ill.

Wednesday my husband brought home a full page color add from USA Today advertising Bayer and Nick Jonas' partnership for diabetes awareness.

Thursday the boys played their new single Burnin' Up at the So you Think you can Dance television finale on FOX.

Friday's prescription was administered with the constant flow of an IV: Good Morning America had the Jonas Brothers performing at Bryant Park, and MTV had a 24/7 blog and live stream following the boys from New York to Jones Beach for their concert that night. My daughter and her equally stricken Jonas Sistas stayed glued to their computers for this first-of-its-kind on-line Jonas experience.

If you turned off the computer and turned on your TV to avoid ODing on the Jonas antics, you probably failed because you either heard them singing Target's new ad jingle or saw them during breaks on ESPN's Little League World Series playoff games.

Quick! Tune in to the Olympics before the family plans an intervention ...

NEW URL FOR MY BLOG

Suzette Valle — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:08:23 -0700

Hello to all my readers,

I have a new URL! The new URL is:

www.mamarazziknowsbest.com

I hope this address will be easier to remember when you want to check out my blog. It will take a couple of days to become active, but the old one is still good. Make sure you add it to your favorites once you've use it and it works!

I'm close to two hundred readers now, so go ahead and start leaving comments on the posts you like, or dislike, so we can get to know each other. You can also send me an e-mail if you'd like to be added to my notifications e-mail list.

Thanks to all of you for reading!!

Suzette

Teen Choice Awards 2008 Update - Spoiler Alert!

Suzette Valle — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:44:03 -0700

Teen celebs arrived for the TC 08 awards show walking a green carpet matching this year's 'go green' theme. Lacking the appropriate credentials, our teen aged journalist-in-training worked their way through the crowd snapping photos of today's popular young stars arriving at the Gibson Amphitheater.

High School Musical cast member

Kaycee Stroh as she arrived at the Gibson.

Inside the Gibson Amphitheater before the awards show.

More pictures coming soon.

Spoiler Alert! As noted in the previous post!!!!

Ready ...

And the winner of the dance off is ... with a lot of booing from the audience, and the jaw-on-the-floor expression from a surprised Nick Jonas, the surfboard went to Miley Cyrus and her M&M crew.

Now, let's watch tomorrow and see what Fox does with the audience's less-than-pleased audible reaction to this selection.

August 4th at 8 PM on Fox.

Teen Choice Awards 2008 - Jonas Sistas For Life at the Gibson

Suzette Valle — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:48:24 -0700

With hair, heals and dresses at the ready, four teenage girls set out early this morning to the Teen Choice Awards at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, CA to catch a glimpse of their idols: the Jonas Brothers.

Jennifer Porras of Laguna Niguel, Cheyenne and Savannah Eisert of Laguna Beach and Bianca Valle of Coronado first met at a Jonas Brothers concert at the House of Blues in San Diego in 2007, and have now attended more than ten events together to support the Jonas trio. The American Music Awards and the Kids Choice Awards are among the events they've attended together.

Today they will be reporting the red carpet arrivals (from the fans perspective), and they are hoping to greet the Jonas boys before watching the live taping of the 10th annual Teen Choice Awards.

Spoiler Alert!! If you plan on watching the show tomorrow on Fox at 8 PM, tonight I will be posting the much anticipated dance off results between Miley Cyrus' troop versus Adam Sevani, (or Moose from the movie Step Up 2) and ACDC's crew. Consider this your warning if you'd rather see the winner announced during the television broadcast.

Come back later to find out more and see photos from the red carpet - camera-phone photos, of course!

Jonas Brothers Sistas for Life: One Gets Noticed!

Suzette Valle — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:15:10 -0700

Jennifer Porras is part of Bianca's group of friends who call themselves "The Jonas Sistas for Life", and who were also invited to be part of the casted audience for the filming of the upcoming JB 3D concert movie. She was photographed at KIIS FM's Wango Tango rockin' out to the Jonas Brothers, and was featured on Comcast.com as a superfan. Read the rest by following the link.

Finally! A little recognition for all the hard work and dedication that goes into being a Jonas Brother's superfan.

Way to go Jen!!

SHAKE IT UP

Suzette Valle — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:32:15 -0700

There was a whole lot of shaking going on around here yesterday, and it wasn't just the 5.4 magnitude earthquake rattling ...

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2008

Suzette Valle — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:00:19 -0700

A Little Hollywood in San Diego Requires Much Patience

It's nice to have Hollywood visit our fine city for Comic Con; Fox, Nickelodeon, CBS, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney, Warner Brothers, and other major studios were here to promote upcoming films and television shows. If you were after celebrity sightings, this was the place to be this week-end.

The annual comic book convention had something for each of the 125,000 people there; Uglydolls and Yo Gabba Gabba for the younger set, plenty of blood and action figures for the older teens, and an endless collection of geeks, cooks and Storm Troopers to delight one and all.

To really take advantage of everything available for families at Comic Con you needed the same strategy used for a theme park; a lot of patience, and to choose your lines and attractions carefully.

Cast members for TV shows like "Heroes", "Pushing Daisies" and "The Big Bang Theory" were on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures, but actually getting these was quite a different story; long lines to get tickets entitling you to an autograph or photo, another line to get it, pushing and cutting in line were all necessary tactics to get the coveted moment with a star.

Amidst all the celebrities and movie hoopla, Paul Pope, an 'alternative' comic book artist voted Best Writer/Artist at the 2007 Eisner Awards (the comics industry's equivalent of the Oscars), and who's latest graphic novel, Batman Year 100 (DC Comics), won Best Limited Series, sat quietly at the Kidrobot booth signing the Comic Con 2008 exclusive Masked Karimbah vinyl figure he designed, and which sold for $125.

I asked him what he thought about Hollywood's invasion of Comic Con, and he told me he liked the influx of money to the overall event, and added "for me, it's a value-neutral situation since I already work with a few Hollywood directors." (Referring to The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, from Paramount Pictures).

The detraction from comic books to movies and TV shows at this year's convention was overwhelming; the spectacular logo-ridden studio and network displays overshadowed other artist's curtain-lined cubicles. Welsh actor Gareth David Lloyd of "Torchwood", a Sci-Fi British TV program, calmly sat signing pictures as the crowds mobbed studio booths to get free posters or buttons to carry in the Con's popular, larger than large bags!

When I asked Pope if the large crowds attracted by the movie studios was a good thing for his industry he replied, "Comic Con's gotten too big. It's like a really good [Wall Street] stock. It's ready to split".

We really enjoyed Comic-Wood this year. Let's just hope the San Diego Convention Center is able to keep this bit of Hollywood glamour from splitting elsewhere!

Jonas Brothers: Mainstream Music or Disney Fantasy?

Suzette Valle — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:29:38 -0700

Does the cover of Rolling Stone make you a serious musician?

With the on-going debate whether teen bubblegum pop bands are considered serious musicians or not, the Jonas Brothers have boldly gone where few adolescent music groups have gone before: the cover of Rolling Stone. ‘The Clean Teen Machine’ -- so dubbed by Rolling Stone Magazine due to the absence of gossip, sex and drama in Kevin (20), Joe (18) and Nick Jonas (15) -- has captured the attention of the music industry’s influential magazine, and supplied enough information to quell doubts about their serious musical abilities: writing, playing and singing their own music.

For any musician, landing on the cover of this iconic magazine is a sign they've joined the mainstream music world. For the Jonas Brothers, this is an especially sweet accomplishment since they’ve been able to maintain a foothold in both the fantasy and realistic musical spheres while simultaneously being brought up by Disney. Making the rounds on TV morning shows, late night shows and just about every music related television broadcast, the boys are getting more exposure to a broader audience than just the Disney family of TV networks. But the weening process is not complete yet. With a few projects still in the works for the boys and Disney; a TV show called J.O.N.A.S., Camp Rock 2, and a 3D concert movie, this balancing act is far from over.

In its debut issue, founder Jann Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces." In the case of these young brothers, the attitudes embraced in their music is hitting teen girls hard right where it matters; emotions, dreams, relationships and hope are all delivered through innocent lyrics and common teen situations their listeners can relate to. And all of this is music to a parents scrutinizing ears.

The Jonas Brothers’ music is also selling like funnel cake at a state fair. EOnline reported the record sale of the legally downloaded single Pushing Me Away reached 116,000 this week “making the group the first act ever to sell more than 100,000 online copies for three straight tracks”.

But wait, who exactly is this Rolling Stone article suppose to reach? According to USA Today, “at a time when some younger readers wouldn't know Sgt. Pepper from Dr. Pepper, RS [Rolling Stone] still attracts them to its slick pages: The magazine's rate base of 1.4 million readers, its highest ever, has a median age of 27”.

Well, maybe RS just found a way to broaden the age group of their readership. My thirteen year old daughter ran to the newsstand to buy RS’s latest issue because her idols were on the cover. She read the entire article, which she found a little difficult to understand (and to read in that minuscule font!), and, admittedly, it was the first issue to cross our home's threshold. And, who knows, maybe it won’t be the last …

Jonas Brothers Trio Three Times Better in 3D

Suzette Valle — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:13:55 -0700

JoBros Productions, Inc. sure knows how to keep their fan base happy and hooked on their latest Disney prodigies: the Jonas Brothers. Fans are continually informed of the band's up-coming activities, appearances and ITunes releases by pre-recorded personal phone calls through Say Now, text messages, e-mails and fan club bulletins. The Jonas Brothers reached out to their fans once again, and invited a few hundred of them to be part of the filming for their upcoming concert movie in 3D.

Like many households with teen girls right now, ours is all about these Jersey boys, and the summer of 2008 is burning up with everything Jonas! My daughter Bianca Valle and her friends Jennifer Porras, Lili Strasser and Celeste Alvarado were among the loyal fans invited to spend quality time with the band as part of the ‘casted audience’ during the filming for the upcoming Jonas Brothers 3D Movie said to be released in theaters in January 2009.

Last week-end, about three hundred teen-aged followers got the opportunity of a life time to join director Bruce Hendricks (who also directed the Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Movie in 3D), and the Jonas Brothers for rehearsals and filming which included meals and floor tickets to both concerts in Anaheim, California.

Confirmation notices for those lucky to have been selected as part of the volunteer casted audience were sent out Saturday morning before the first of three concerts scheduled for Southern California.

“I waited over a year to meet Nick, Kevin and Joe, and kept telling myself my time would come. I never imagined it would come in such a big way,” said thirteen year old Bianca Valle of her experience meeting the siblings and becoming part of their first big screen movie.

This fan-exclusive experience at the Honda Center started at 2 PM on Sunday, July 13th, with check-in and lunch for the ‘casted audience’ while watching the crew set up the stage for the concert that evening. All three brothers, and the ever-present Mr. Jonas, AKA ‘Papa Jonas’, could be seen supervising the set. Nine cameras surrounded the stage and the teenagers on the arena floor that evening.

“The girls were on the floor right up against the stage. They were so close that Nick held Lili's [Strasser] hand and Bianca [Valle] grabbed Kevin's leg -LOL! And Celeste [Alvarado] protected Bianca from fainting as the crowd of joyful fans began to push against the stage to get closer to the boys", said Javier Porras of Laguna Niguel, father and chaperon for the “Jonas Sistas 4 Life” team of casted teenagers. “The excitement was overwhelming and the anticipation well worth it - the concert was amazing. We still can't believe the girls were part of this historic moment”, he added.

Monday, July 14th, started with the ‘casted audience’ checking in at 11AM at the Honda Center. Fans had the opportunity to be up close and personal with Nick, Joe and Kevin as they performed portions of various songs for specific 3D shots for the movie.

While taking a break from filming, the boys played Burnin’ Up, the single from their new album A Little Bit Longer to be released August 12th, and led the girls in a memorable sing-along which prompted Nick Jonas to quip “you are very good!”

During this intimate moment with fans, the three siblings chatted and let their small audience in on some 'confidential' information about them and their song S.O.S. (Sorry, I’m not at liberty to say what this information was. I was sworn to secrecy by my daughter!)

“Nick even wished Jennifer [Porras] a happy birthday next week. Jennifer also asked Nick to homecoming and he smiled”, added Mr. Porras.

Monday night’s concert decibel levels tripled as the Jonas boys introduced a surprise guest, Taylor Swift, who performed the same number twice for the cameras. It was a long and exhausting day, and made longer by the need to wrap filming of the special 3D effects in time for the concert that evening. This meant a total of about 10 hours on their feet – for the casted audience and the band!

The Jonas’ exhaustion became noticeable when Nick forgot a few of the lyrics to “Play my Music”, and instead smiled for a moment while he recovered the tempo. Nothing escapes the attentive eyes and ears of their hard-core fans!

I'll keep you posted on the JB in 3D coming in January!

Light posting everyone. I'll be traveling a bit, but not too far!

Suzette Valle — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:44:12 -0700

I'll be taking some one-gas-tank trips this week, and attending the filming of the upcoming Jonas Brothers 3D movie. I ...

Josh Peck

Suzette Valle — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:05:25 -0700

Is this Josh Peck pictured just a few months ago at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards? My daughter took this and ...

Privileged Fourth of July!

Suzette Valle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:50:47 -0700

On this busy day full of patriotic activities with friends and family, it behooves us to take a step back ...

SAT Prep Course + Summer Job + Staycation= Smart Kid!

Suzette Valle — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:48:23 -0700

While summertime is in full swing in our sunny southern California corner of the world, our teenager is having his own version of summer; preparing for tests, working and vacationing at home will be all the summer fun under the sun he'll be having! As a junior in high school this fall he faces the most challenging time of his academic life. Once referred to as "the best time of your life", the high school years are now full of extra tests, extra course work (AP anyone?), and extra expense. Long gone are the days high school students could just get a summer job and forget about school for a couple of months. The prospect of preparing for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for college, along with a slue of other tests kids will take during this third year in high school, is enough to make anyone shiver in the middle of July!

Deborah Collins, a counselor at our son's high school, gave an example of the test-taking schedule most high school students will have as juniors: "They take the PSAT (Pre-Scholastic Assessment Test) in October, and then take the SAT reasoning test in March, the ACT in April and the SAT subject tests in June. Students have an opportunity to retake these tests in the fall of their senior year."

Preparing for the SAT is essential to obtain the high scores needed in today's competitive college admissions process. Instead of paying for a private tutor or class to prepare our child for this important college pre-requisite, we purchased a 600 page SAT test-prep book published by a well-known scholastic company complete with seven, yes seven, practice tests. At the end of the seventh test, the last page exclaims: "Don't stop now. We've got even more great info on line". It also includes a DVD with even more material to cover, and an additional suggested list of books to read over the summer (this sure takes care of any summer leisure reading!). The good part about this type of course is that it can all be done at home.

A couple of weeks before school was out, our teenager went to a job fair and a series of job interviews; he filled out applications for the all-important character-building summer job, and passed the drug screening test. Two interviews later he got a job as a pool concierge at a local resort near our home. The resort is located within walking distance from our house, and just being there feels like a vacation. Sounds fun! We sure hope he sees it this way too because this was not a coincidence at all, but a very calculated move: no commuting involved!

Though our teenager drives, the fact that a tank of gas now costs more than $65 would mean that a good portion of his wages per week would go to pay for his transportation alone should he have chosen to work further away. When he considered this expense was close to the cost of a new video game, and almost the cost of a college application, walking to work won by a landslide.

As many families are doing this summer, we are also embracing the 'staycation' (vacation+stay=staycation). The de rigueur family summer road trip depicted in movies such as National Lampoons' Vacation, is closer to becoming just that: a movie! With our economy deteriorating, and the cost of gasoline now reaching $5 per gallon, it looks like the staycation will be popular with families this summer. Jeff Brown, a contributor for MSNBC.com wrote: "In its annual summer vacation survey, the American Automobile Association said the average North American vacation will cost $244 per day for two people for lodging and meals." I'm glad our son will be procuring the towels and beach balls for those who can afford this per diem!

Adding to the staycation's appeal is the realization that for college-bound teens everything they do from now on really matters; what they participate in, how they spend their free time, and the jobs they choose are examined as something that could potentially help them or hinder them in an application to their dream college.

So, how could a job as a pool concierge look good on a college application? Perhaps if described as follows:

"I chose a job as a pool concierge because it was close to home so I could have more time to study for my PSAT, ACT and SATs, and also save the money I would have spent on gas to pay for my college application fees."

All this while getting a tan? ... Smart kid!

Let the Games Begin!

Suzette Valle — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:30:46 -0700

The first day of summer is finally here, and your family is enjoying the languid, warm days with little to do. Just a few weeks into this long-awaited break and you hear it. No, I'm not referring to the usual "I'm bored" summer anthem, instead your kids whine, "no, not again!" as the seasonal family reunion looms in the horizon.

Kids, especially teens, might think it's boring to be with people they only see once a year. Perhaps even if visiting with family once a week is a challenge, there's a great way to stop them from dreading these gatherings ... just let the games begin! If it's your turn to host the family picnic, make sure you organize some games the whole family can play, and you'll see what a difference a little Bingo can make.

I have never been one to segregate the children from the adults at family events, and have always looked for ways to be inclusive. Our multi-generation celebrations had to change once the children were no longer toddlers. Having a wide age range in one place for 4 to 5 hours at a time made for some uncomfortable moments between the adults who were trying to have conversations, and the kids who had nothing to do. Sound familiar? The key to harmonious reunions in our family has been to play games. Now, our family has found a way to be together while having fun and creating lasting memories!

In her blog post "20 Tween and Teen Conversation Starters", Vanessa Van Petten, author of "You're Grounded!", wrote that games can help with family communication: "The biggest problem is how to get us young people talking and engaged. I find that some of the best ways to do this is to play games like Scrabble, Clue or Sorry that you can all engage over the common game." Playing board games certainly contributes to family bonding, but playing physically or skill challenging games are also a great ice breaker and quickly unite a large group in uproarious laughter.

Keep in mind, that to successfully enjoy playing games during a gathering greatly depends on preparation and quantity. When planning, try to have more games than you'll need, and most importantly, take the time to prepare them; if you need to print up trivia sheets or set up a skill challenge, make sure you have what you need on hand so you don't break the momentum once the fun has started.

Here are some other helpful tips to successfully lead games:

*Form teams with equal numbers of both adults and kids.

*Write up trivia questions including things from both children and adult movies, TV shows or current events. This way they need each other to succeed.

*Have prizes. Anything from candy bars to $5 gift cards from Starbucks, Game Stop or Barnes and Noble work well. You can also ask everyone to bring a couple of gift cards or presents to use as prizes.

*If at home, use your yard as well as the living room. Try to plan several games to be played in succession once the group has settled in one area.

One more piece of advise, don't let anyone talk you out of playing. Teenagers will probably protest at first, but when they see how much fun everyone is having they will want to join in - at the very least, they'll want to get their hands on one of those gift cards!

Books: Penny Warner's "Games People Play" and "The Best Party Book Ever; 1001 Creative Ideas for Fun Parties".

Websites for games: http://www.partygamecentral.com/; http://www.party411.com/gameguide.html; http://party-games-etc.com/

Trivia websites: http://www.triviaplaying.com/; http://www.funtrivia.com/

Would you like to share a game or suggestion that worked for you and your family? Post it in the comments (requires registration) or send me an email. Thanks for reading!

'Sex and the City' Friendships Revisited

Suzette Valle — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:28:11 -0700

While admiring the fabulous wardrobe those beautiful friends paraded in "Sex and the City", the movie also dared me to compare my own friendships ...

To Ipod or Not to Ipod

Suzette Valle — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:37:04 -0700

"Sure, you can have a $300 Ipod. How about a $400 Iphone instead?" you sarcastically ask your child while ...

The Police and San Diego Reunite

Suzette Valle — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:56:29 -0700

Sting and The Police were back in town after a twenty five year absence. I was at San Diego Sate University...

Surprise Visit from the Jonas Brothers in San Diego

Suzette Valle — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:56:46 -0700

How timely! After posting the previous blog about the Jonas Brothers, they made a surprise appearance on May 19th at Adobe Bluffs Elementry School in San Diego, which apparently won an online contest. Can you imagine how exciting it must have been to have the most popular teen band in the United States actually performing on your own school's playground? But the serious kudos go to everyone who was able to keep this event such a guarded secret since it appears only the school children and a few locals were there.

These boys certainly like surprises because earlier this year they made another surprise visit at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles, while thousands of fans were waiting to purchase tickets for their concerts. This surprise visit was actually filmed as part of a promo for their When You Look Me in the Eyes tour.

Wouldn't it be great if the Jonas Brothers surprised all of their fans in San Diego by adding our city to their upcoming Burning Up tour schedule? Hint, hint ...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/images/080519jonasfans.jpg

Tasteless Texting

Suzette Valle — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:23:32 -0700

I was driving my daughter and her friends to the mall the other day, when I noticed an eerie silence in the car. When I looked behind me, I was surprised to see all four with their heads down and their eyes fixed on their tiny phone screens, fingers furiously pecking at the minute key pads. At first I thought it was a coincidence they were all replying to messages they had received from other friends, but then they all laughed at the same time and that’s when I knew something else was going on; they were texting each other and having a silent conversation so I couldn’t hear what they were discussing!

Boy, did I feel awkward having to remain silent the whole way to the shopping center. I suddenly knew what limousine drivers must feel when they are screened off from the back of the car. Isolated in the middle of a group of pre-teens, and all I could think of was how distasteful!

“Wait, this isn't right. That's actually rude! Isn’t it?” I thought to myself.

It's apparent we are losing yet another battle to technology. Among teenagers, oral communication, along with letter writing, is being replaced by typing - as fast as you can - to communicate among each other, and worse yet, about each other. Short, curt, and rude messages are being exchanged between friends, before school, at school and after school. It happens with rapid speed, and with no time for politeness or care for the ‘tone’ of the messages. Everything and everyone is material for the incessant need to text; what the girl standing next to you is wearing, the ugly hair the teacher has today, or simply to say ‘I’m bored’. Texting has become the essential way to communicate among kids, especially teens.

What is a parent to do? Well, first and foremost, purchase unlimited texting from your provider because your child will run up a bill that’ll make you want to dip into the college fund to pay it off. Second, get a phone with a key pad for yourself and … start texting! If you want to stay in touch with your kids while they're out, just try texting instead of calling to see which one gets them to reply the fastest. Yes, I gave up on calling them because they just don’t want to be heard saying “yes, mom” in front of their friends. However, if after calling trying to find out who and where they're at fails, just text “cal in 5 mins or i cal the police!” Yes, this one really works for me.

Finally, when you’ve just about had it with the tiny keypad and cryptic writing, there is one redeeming quality to all this silence ... hear it? I didn’t think so.

Move Over Miley!

Suzette Valle — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:32:30 -0700

If you havent' heard of the Jonas Brothers by now, you probably don't have ...

Update! 50 Best Moms 2007 Contest Launch

Suzette Valle — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:48:29 -0700

Time Warner chose our mother-daughter team to help launch the 2007 San Diego 50 Best Moms contest!. Wow, what an ...

Disney Makes Dream Come True for Coronado Girl

Suzette Valle — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:00:00 -0700

While Bailee Davis was helping her team win the softball championship on May 17^th, she had no idea ...

San Diego's 50 Best Moms Contest

Suzette Valle — Mon, 15 May 2006 12:14:00 -0700

April 21st, 2006 was a special day because it was my daughter's 11th birthday, but by 2 o'clock that day, ...