Fox 8 Cleveland and Sassy Chicken Salad.

So.  I was on Fox 8 Cleveland this morning!  I made Sassy Chicken Salad and tried not to make  a fool out of myself.  Here's the clip:



The whole experience was super fun.  And pretty surreal.  Everyone there was very, very nice:

Me and Kristi Capel from her instagram page.  I love that our outfits coordinated.  Yay set design!

From the producer to the hosts to the nice lady who set up my mic they made me feel right at home an totally at ease.  Which was good because I was NERVOUS.

Backstage where I set up my cooking segment and also TRIED NOT TO FREAK OUT.

The set is really cool.  Both bigger and smaller than I imagined.  The cooking area was wheeled in to that empty space on the left:

And this is the news desk:

The response via facebook so far from family and friends who have watched has been pretty positive.  But when after preschool pickup I asked the Dude - my 4 year old middle child - how I did he said this.  And I quote:

"You looked weird.  I missed you.  ..... How do turtles go to the potty?"

THANKS, BUDDY.  Then he wanted to know why I didn't cook something he likes.  I asked him what I should have made and he said without hesitation "Apple Raspberry Sauce and Peanut Butter Jelly"  So there you have it.  Forget Sassy Chicken Salad.  I should have just shown off my mad pbj skilz.

But!  They seemed to be happy with my performance.  And I don't think that I looked... weird.  Honestly once I got rolling with it it wasn't so much nerve-wrecking as just full on FUN.  I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

And since someone asked here's a better picture of the shawl I wore in the segment:

Fragile Hearts knit out of Destination Yarn Silk Road in "Daiquiri"  Many, many more details about it here.

If you are new to this blog and want to play along you can like Life in Cleveland on Facebook and follow @LifeinCle on twitter and instagram.

If you're a knitter or into the whole yarn thing there's lots more pretty at Destination Yarn and @DestinationYarn on instagram.

Yay for new experiences!

Fighting with Celebrities Covered in Sand.

So yesterday I was invited to the Bethenny Calling all my Girls event - a cocktail party at MOCA to promote her new talk show that premiers on September 9.  And I got into a fight with her:

wait.  what?

But first let me rewind.  Yesterday morning I did something that I've been hesitant to do all summer.  I took all THREE kids to the beach BY MYSELF:

Yes.  Three kids.  One parent.  At a place with water and therefore the need for constant supervision and watching and high-level parenting.  With THREE of them.  And I did it.  And it was awesome:

Jumping off a log into the water?  UBERFUNTIMES.

We met some friends there for one last hurrah before everyone starts school.  So glad I did even if I was nervous.  It was tough but not impossible.  Baby steps to normalcy after three kids, right?

Anyways!  Once we got home I managed to get the two older kids hosed off and down for naps but my little guy was not buying it:

Which meant that was going to have no time to clean up for the fancy affair that evening.  And I was covered in sand.

Hair done, makeup on, sand... brushed off.  Besides Eau du Sunscreen and Lake is appropriate for a fancy event, right?

I tweeted my quest for an unsupervised shower using the #callingallmygirls hashtag to promote the event.  Which was perhaps not the best of plans because at the event there was a giant social media board  showing everything with that hashtag.  Which meant that my "please let me shower" nonsense was broadcast for an entire room fabulous and AHEM showered women:

obviously I wanted everyone in the room to know that I probably have sand in my hair.  At least I didn't have spitup on me!  Sigh.

The event itself was great.  Good drinks:

Good food:

Jello shots count as food, right?

And great host:

Who I got into a fight with.

See a girl in the audience asked Bethenny something along the lines of "how do I get my boyfriend to propose"  It went a little like this:

"How old are you?"
"23"
"Haaaaa!!!!!  You're WAY to young! You'll look back on guys you dated when 23 like clothes that are out of fashion.  Right ladies!  Does anyone disagree with me?"

MY HAND SHOOTS UP AS I MAKE EFF NO NOISES AND ANGRY FACES.

Yeah.  I disagree with that statement SO HARD.  I was 24 when I got married.  I was 23 when I got engaged.  20 when I started dating my husband.  And we were absolutely without question old enough to know what we wanted out of life:

This.  This is exactly it.

And old enough to know WHO we wanted to spend life with.  We were graduating with masters degrees ready to conquer the world.  And we wanted to do it together.  Isn't wanting to start life together exactly the reason someone should get married?

Pictured.  NOT TOO YOUNG.  Also:  HOLY CRAP WE LOOK SO YOUNG! 9 years and 3 kids will age you...

We went back and forth a few times and there was a camera and a microphone in my face and I may have busted out the angry jazz hands.  So there's a good chance I'll be on tv unshowered and sandy 2 months postpartum in a cocktail dress and a nursing bra arguing with a celebrity.  Cross that off my bucket list.

After the event some other Cleveland Bloggers were headed to L'Albatros for cheese.  You don't say no to cheese:

seriously.  that is all cheese.  YES PLEASE.

I had a great time chatting with Michelle, Katrina, Crystal, and Julie.  I don't often get to hang out with other bloggers so it's nice to be around some like-minded people.  Meaning we all took lots of pictures of the delicious, delicious cheese.  Although I do not have a picture of the group of us - I think that's on Julie's camera?  I'll have to add it in once she posts it. Until then:

the most photographed cheese plate in Cleveland

Overall it was a super fun night out and I had a great time.  I wish Bethenny all the success in the world with her new talk show.  I know I'll be tuning in!

Disclaimer:  I was invited to this event as a local blogger.  All opinions and angry jazz hands are my own.

I am on NPR!

So yesterday I got to do probably the coolest thing I've ever done because of this blog.  I got to tape a segment for NPR.

Now back in the day when I could listen to what I wanted in the car I was something of an NPR junkie.  Now I mainly get my fix through our alarm in the morning and the "hourly news" app on my phone.  Not quite the same but I'm still a big, BIG fan.  So to be on air was something of a dream for me.

I was on the Regina Brett show.  In addition to hosting a radio show, Regina Brett is the author of 2 books and is a columnist for the Plain Dealer.  My mom is a HUGE fan as Regina's grand-kids are almost exactly the same age as my kids.  So their experiences over these last 5 years or so have been very parallel - right down to their first grandchildren not calling them Grandma (my girl called my mom GA for a loooong time.)

The show I'm on is about Summer Fun the Old Fashioned Way.  I was asked to give perspective about what summer is like for kids now.  Also to give some tips on local adventures for families - I had a whole list of fun ideas some of which were pulled from my List of Things to do with Little Kids in Cleveland.

I was in the studio with Daniel Porter, author of the book "'Til the Streetlights Came On:  Lessons Learned from Neighborhood Games" and chatted over the phone with Dave Shiflett.

And Regina, of course.

Summer has changed quite a bit over the last few generations.  My summers growing up were very different then the summers described by the other guests, and my children's summers are different still.  But some things remain the same.  Playing in water to keep cool, summer reading, bike riding, running at full speed, playing games with peers (both organized and unorganized), and spending as much time OUTSIDE as possible.  These are eternal.

My brother, me, and my dad fishing in 1985

But just because things have changed doesn't mean they have changed for the worse.  Video games, social media, safety equipment, sunscreen, organized activities, etc. might be new (er) but that doesn't mean they are bad.  What's more important is a sense of adventure and a desire to experience the world.

My kids and my husband last weekend. 

Bottom line?  It's awesome to be a kid in the summer.

The Popsicles kids eat today may be made with real fruit and coconut milk instead of corn syrup and red dye but they are still ridiculously good on a hot day.

We talked quite a bit about sounds bringing back memories.  So I HAD to include this sound byte in this post:

Instantly transports me to childhood... you?

Powered by mp3skull.com


Anyways the show will air this Saturday, August 3 at 3:00 p.m. on 89.7 WKSU and on all of the repeater stations throughout Northeast Ohio.  It will re-air Sunday, August 4 at 6 a.m.  You can listen live online at www.wksu.org.  The archived full show audio will be available after the show airs at www.reginabrettshow.org.  You can find more information about Regina and The Regina Brett show at the website www.reginabrettshow.org. The show is also available in podcast form - the link is through her website.

Forgive my first few responses.  I was SO nervous and I'm sure the shakiness came through in my voice.  But this was my first time doing something like this so it took a little bit to shake off the nerves.  Once I got rolling the experience was very fun - and something I would absolutely do again.

Let me know if you listen!

Edited to Add:  Here's where you can listen to the show I was on via the internet:

Old Fashioned Summer Fun

Or the link to the podcast for the Regina Brett Show.


You should be able to be able to listen to my episode either way.

Meet and Tweet!

So I'm a huge fan of Twitter.  Love it.  Enjoy it.  Try to convince all of my friends to join it.  Get an embarrassing amount of my news from it.  I am also a huge fan of the weekly Meet and Tweet over at Our Reflection.  It's a great way to find new people to follow and to gain some new followers yourself.  I've also been known to use completely random images as my avatar:

What.  Doesn't everyone want to follow someone who has a thing for the early '90's?

Despite my shenanigans with the avatars this week I am a co host!  Super, super excited to be hosting this fun link up.  I really hope that all of you play along, too! And please don't feel like you need a blog to join in on the fun. This is all about spreading the twitter love:

I'll turn things over to Laura: 

One of my favorite things about blogging is the community. Especially Twitter.
It's a fun way to make some new blogging friends and keep in touch.

Here's how this Meet & Tweet works...

HOST

Laura @ Our Reflection

This week's co-hosts are:

Lena from Mom2MephisAndRuby

Kimberly from A Night Owls Blog

Jeanne from Life in Cleavland

Brighton from Simple Brighton

Amy from The Charming Blog

Meredith from All Dressed Up

The Rules

1. Mandatory you follow your hosts

{They are the first 7 in the linky.}

2. Follow at least 5 new people via Twitter

{Or more! Introduce yourself... Its a great way to make new friends!}

3. Spread the word!

The more the merrier! Grab a button and add it to

your blog, Tweet or Facebook about the link up.

<div align="center"><a href="http://our-reflection.blogspot.com/" title="Our Reflection"><img src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/_laurahernandez/MeetTweet-2.jpg" alt="Our Reflection" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

One lucky link up person will WIN a FREE

solo guest post on Our Reflection blog!

Drum roll please....

Last weeks Meet & Tweet winner is Aimee from By Aimee & Co.

Congratulations!

Please link up your Twitter account, not your blog.

Want to be a future co-host?
Only requirement is your become an Our Reflection sponsor.
Email me at momsgonnasnap@gmail.com.