This odd for her behavior continued on through the weekend, and into the start of the next week. With no actual physical symptoms, and just worried they had overdone it schedule-wise lately, Heather sent her to school Monday.  Halfway through the day, knowing that her behavior was so unlike her, Avery's teacher sent her to the nurse and guidance counselor to see if either of them had any ideas. Neither did, but both were very concerned.

What would cause the general mood and disposition of a happy child to change drastically overnight?

Of course paranoid thoughts filled the heads of those who know and love her. And knowing something just wasn’t right, Heather took Avery to the doctor the following day. While the pediatrician’s first thought was exhaustion, after a few questions about other ailments in the family and finding out that my brother-in-law had been diagnosed with strep throat the week before, he ran a strep test …. That came back positive.

PANDAS

No - Not the cuddly, cute, black and white variety, PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. While this is rare, this can happen to kids when their body's defenses are trying to attack the Streptococcal bacteria causing the sore throat, there is some degree of mistaken identity and it also attacks some parts of the brain. This autoimmune attack is thought to occur on closely related parts of the brain, causing a range of behavioral and emotional problems.

“Typically, a child with undiagnosed PANDAS may be taken to the Psychologist and/or Pediatrician for treatment of an onset or exacerbation of ADHD symptoms, oppositional behaviors or OCD. Stimulant or anti-depressant medication may be prescribed and/or a behavioral intervention or counseling initiated. As the infection passes and the strep antibodies reduce, the symptoms gradually subside and parents and clinicians believe that the intervention was successful. However then there is another strep infection, the symptoms return and the process is repeated. The problem is that the brain is being continuously damaged by the repeated attacks by streptococcus antibodies; and after each attack the recovery of damaged brain tissues may not be as complete as we would hope. Eventually the child may develop a chronic psychiatric disorder.”

Maybe you have heard of this? A few years back, mother Beth Maroney wrote the book Saving Sammy, where she talks about what she and her son went through when he suddenly "caught OCD." This child went through years of therapy and medications and wouldn't leave his room for years before being tested for strep. He's now 20 and is in college. 

Or you may have seen articles of the strange "mass psychogenic illness" affecting 18 teenagers in Le Roy, New York? Just last week Dr. Rosario Trifiletti diagnoses the kids with PANDAS stating that:

"eight girls tested show evidence of infection with at least one of these pathogens. Both of these agents have been associated with a PANDAS-like illness with the sudden onset of motor and vocal tics. Thus, a PANDAS-like illness is my working diagnosis, rather than a mass conversion disorder."

While the medical community is still in disagreement over whether or not the Le Roy children actually have PANDAS or if the onset of the symptoms are related to other stresses, it is something to keep in mind. While I hate to be Jenny McCarthy-esque and propogate internet health rumors that may or may not be true, I also know that there are many health issues (like Kawasaki Disease) that are newly discovered and just don't have the years of research defending them yet. 

Thankfully, my niece’s pediatrician caught this, and after just 24-hours on antibiotics, she was back to her sweet self. But with ADHD, Autism and many behavior issues on the rise, it makes you wonder how much a simple round of antibiotics may have made a difference. 

Pretty much, Valentine's Dinner out is like amateur night. It's like going to an Irish bar on March 17th - it's for people who desperately need an excuse to go out to dinner. We love eating out. We don't need a special occasion to enjoy a good meal out - so why bother to do it on the ONE night that everyone else feels the need to and fight the crowds?

ESPECIALLY when my husband is SUCH a good cook? And we all know there 'aint nothing sexier than a man who can cook...

Last week the nice people over at BevMo sent me an email reminding me of one of my favorite champagnes, Schramsberg. 

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine is one of the best sparkling wines on the market. It has rich and honeyed flavors of orange, sweet limes, Meyer lemons, vanilla and toasty bread. It is perfect served with fresh oysters and caviar, or aged Gouda and other hard cheeses.

Know what else it pairs nice with? Just a glass. :)

But if you are at a loss of what to prepare tomorrow night, never fear - they also offered the perfect suggestion. Scallops!

So just because you don't have a babysitter doesn't mean the night can't be special. Get some cheese, a (few) bottles of wine and/or champagne and make it a special night at home. 

Seared Sea Scallops with Braised Leeks, and Caviar Sabayon

Submitted by Chef Cyril Frechier Rover's, Seattle, WA

• 4 leeks trimmed, white part only
• 4 large diver Sea Scallops
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs or Brut Napa Valley
• 1/2 oz. caviar
• 8 oz. butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. Walnut oil
• Sea salt
• White pepper

1. Braised Leeks - Trim and clean leeks. Lay in a shallow casserole, cover with water up to 2/3. Add 1/4-cup butter and one teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, partially covered. Cook over moderate heat until whites are soft, about 30 minutes. Keep warm in the cooking water.

2. Sabayon - Beat the egg yolks and place in a small saucepan. Over low heat, add the Blanc de Blancs a small amount at a time, whisking constantly until thickened. Do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 4 ounces softened butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Scallops - In a sauté pan on high heat add olive oil. When hot, sear scallops until golden brown on the outside and still moist in the center, about one minute per side. Lightly season with sea salt.

4. To assemble - Remove leeks from cooking liquid and slice lengthwise. Toss in a small bowl with walnut oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Divide onto four plates. Place sea scallop on top of leeks. Gently mix caviar into sabayon and spoon over scallops. Serve immediately.

For all my San Diego Lovelies...

Nicole and I are "hosting" a free screening of the new Reese Witherspoon movie This Means War, TONIGHT at 7:30 at the AMC in La Jolla. 

Book a sitter or grab a friend and join us!

If you want to join us for this movie, just claim your tickets here: http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp/promotion/e489822d6eb257e40a8a7fbf70618395

If you've ever been to these things before, you know it can be a hassle to get seats sometimes, but we get reserved seats. Just let me know that you are going and we will reserve your spots!

Hope to see you tonight!

Zoe is a girly girl. While I'm sure my penchant for hot pink, make-up, shopping and earrings have something to do with it, she is who she is. She's kissy, and huggy and want to brush my hair and put on lip gloss. She also notices things - new shirts, hair cuts and nail polish...and if you want a glimpse of what she will be like at 16, all you need to do is take her to ULTA. It's actually almost scary. 

For her 3rd birthday I let her get her nails painted at the kids salon. A few month later out of sheer desperation of needing a manicure and having no other time, I took her with me and let the nice little ladies at my neighborhood chop shop paint her nails with glitter and a flower. Was I introducing this female ritual a tad early? Maybe. Did the gnarly talons hanging off my fingers care? No. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Since then I've take Zoe with me a few times to get her nails painted. It always amazes me how she always picks the brightest, sparkliest colors and sits OH SO STILL as they layer it on her tiny toes and fingers. At home I have to beg and bribe to get her to hold still while I trim her nails. At the nail shop, she sits up straight and proudly holds still until every last finger is polished to perfection. 

Today was one of those days. Since discovering Gel polish I can push my appts to 3 weeks out, but in a bout of OCDness the other night, I managed to pick 1.5 nails of my Bubble Bath polish off. TACK-Y. Zoe and I had 2 hours, so we went to get our nails done. While there, I heard no less than four times from old ladies over 70 about how they "didn't get my nails done for the first time until I was 40!" or "Wow. My mom would never pay money for me to get my nails done at that age." To which I SO wanted to reply "Because there wasn't nail salons on every corner in 1910!"

Yes. Zoe got her nails painted. And then she did the only other thing MORE shocking to the AARP set - she sat quietly and played with my iPhone until I was done. And yes, she can navigate the iPhone, the iPad and our cable better than you can. So SHUT IT. 

**************

Last week I got a call from my best friend from High School. Between kids, work and life we hadn’t had a chance to talk much lately. Yet she knew where I had dinner the night before and saw that Zoe got new shoes. Ahhh, the wonders of Facebook. Keeping us aprised of hundreds of friends, and the minutiae of their lives.

My husband Jason and I put a lot online. Between Facebook, Twitter and our blogs, you can probably piece together what you think our daily lives look like…or can you? See, maintaining an online presence is kinda our job (one that one day we hope will really pay the bills!) and while you may know that we enjoyed our dinner last night, do you really know US? Jason and I have definitive online personas – our personal brands, as we say. And while these personas have stemmed from our “IRL” (in real life) personalities, we choose what we share online, and what we don’t, based on what we want others to know.

As social networks are becoming more the norm in daily lives, I’ve put together a  list of five “Facebook Fallacies” or things to keep in mind while you are online.

1. Facebook = FAKEbook: To be brutally honest here, if you think you know someone based on Facebook status updates, think again. Facebook is all about sharing the best or funniest moments in life. Yes, people also share low-points and frustrations, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Take a look at what your friends are posting. Pictures that have been chosen because they are the most flattering angle and then photoshopped or edited. Check-in’s at fab parties, restaurants or airports as you are jetting off for a week in Hawaii. You never see someone posting that they are Target getting more Monistat for that persistent yeast infection or that they just lost their s*%t on their kids in the middle of Starbucks and spent the last 2 hours locked in their bathroom sobbing. Unless, of course, that person is a…
2. Facebook “Debbie Downer”: We all have a few of them in our lists. The people whose stream of bummer comments makes you want to jump off a bridge. Occasionally noting that your kids have now been sick for 2 weeks and you want to pull out all your hair is one thing, but if every comment you post is negative, people will get sick of you. We will hover our cursor over the right hand corner of a status update and “hide” your stream of negativity. People go through crappy times in their lives; we all have true grief, anger and frustration and it helps to vent it and get virtual support from your network during these times. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m not talking about people that are going through a serious illness, or dealing with the loss of a loved one – those are the people that need you and the people in their lives to help them through and check on them, just like you would do with any friend in a slump. What I’m talking about here are the Debbie Downers, the people that can’t put anything positive up and after reading their updates you literally hear a “sad trombone” in the background. Stop it, because really….
3. No One Really Cares: Sorry, but it’s true. I would guess 95% of what goes up on Facebook is stuff that no one else really cares about. I’m not changing the world with my updates and pictures and if I didn’t put them up people wouldn’t have a gaping hole in their lives. So why are we doing it? For fun, for a laugh,to brag or to share information that we think is useful and interesting to others. Think about the last Facebook posting that you can still remember. I bet it was a link to an interesting article or the outtakes reel from “Bridesmaids” that’s making the rounds. Now there is the 5% of things that people DO care about. That includes births, engagements/weddings, celebrity sightings, really exciting news and huge milestones. And while I know that every other picture I post is one of my adorable children, I know that the only person that really, truly cares about that picture is my mother. And while people that happen to be online when I post it may hit “like” or leave a nice comment, I also know that me posting that picture of Zoe in a crazy tutu is not going to change your lives. And that if  it didn’t happen to be on the top of your news feed at that very moment, you probably would never have even seen it. Unless of course you are a FB stalker. Which brings me to my last two points:
4. Don’t be a stalker… or a lurker: Facebook is modern day voyeurism, a glimpse into the lives of others. Many people are weary of it because of the creepy people out there – just looking, collecting information but never noting they are there. It’s tricky and a fine line. You don’t want to be an over commenter, but never saying anything, just lurking in the shadows.. people, that’s just plain creepy. Comment and Like as you see fit, but being a straight up lurker just isn’t cool.
5. Don’t come in my house and piss on my floor: I think of a person’s Facebook’s page as their personal space. It’s an online spot to share their thoughts and opinions, and I treat it like that. We ALL don’t agree with everyone 100% of the time, but unless someone is asking for my opinion, I don’t really give it. Friendly, spirited  debates are one thing, but raining on someone’s parade is never okay. If someone is thrilled that a particular proposition just got elected into action, that’s not my invitation to spout off – on their page – on why it should have never passed. I save my rants, and snarky comments, for my page, not my friends’ and relatives’.

Last year it was noted that a single tweet only has the lifespan of one hour. After that, the update is pretty much lost. And Facebook’s posts are not much better. In fact, according to AdAge.com, the average Facebook post gets 50% of its comments/likes within the first hour and 20 minutes, and 80% of all comments are made within 7 hours. While it may seem like some people (current company not excluded) are always online, you know that is not always the case. If you have a busy day, there is a great chance that you missed something, someone posted, or they missed yours.

What I’m trying to say here is don’t mistake Facebook friendship for real friendship, and don’t judge a person on their Facebook cover. What’s inside – what people are not sharing online – is what really matters.

*****

Update: A funny Facebook pic making the rounds that sums it ALL up!

Ad from American ApparelIf you follow a basic rule of fashion and trends, then yes, bushes will be back.

Take the latest scandalous ad from American Apparel that shows a model's pubic hair through a pair of lace panties. Admit it - when you look at this ad you are shocked. But why? Victoria's Secret shows see-thru lace underwear all the time, but there is neither hide nor hair of, um, well...hide or hair to be seen. If this picture did not have a dark spot where we are (now) used to seeing a flesh tone - would you even think twice about this ad?

What about famed waxer and "real" NY "Housewife" (who's not married and is a working woman, so how she qualified for that title escapes me) Cindy Barshop trying to bring back the merkin? While these are not your 1800s hooker vag toupees, these modern merkins are brightly colored and made of REAL fox fur. Yes. You read that right. She is selling not only the application of bright fox fur and feathers to a woman's cooch (post wax of course, homegirl still needs her bread and butter money) but she is actively promoting this as the next big thing to hit your nether regions. For only $225 the hippest of the hip can now you can now have a Merkin to go with their Birkin.

You can watch the G rated video demonstration of the process here...

The moral of the story is that bald may not be beautiful anymore. And while we (hopefully) will never go as far back as to the unmaintained wild bush woman days, maybe we'll think twice before having it all permanently removed.

What do you think - will pubic hair make a comeback? And are you willing to grow yours out under the guise of fashion?

This is your spot to be creative. Use a beautiful landscape picture, find a picture that you think fits the space well, or be creative and make a collage or take a custom picture to use. Remember this is THE image that people are going to see when clicking on your page, so make it something that represents who you are.

The Timeline cover photo size is 850×315 (850px wide and 315px height) - so a panoramic-type picture is best to fit the space. I tried a few different covers before deciding to do a collage from a family photo session last summer. Using Picasa (a free download photo editing tool) I made a collage of a group of pictures in the correct size. I love these pictures of my family, and love that when people see my page they get a great sense of who we are in one shot. 

If you want to use a beautiful image to represent your page, check out www.Fookcover.com. They hand-pick beautiful photos and images that are already sized for Timeline. I love seeing what people are coming up with. For super creative graphic-types this is a chance to shine - using  both your avatar and photo in conjunction to create a cohesive look across the top of your page. 

Privacy

Most of us who are Gen-Xers and older haven't been on Facebook long enough to have embarrassing college moments and now regrettable status updates. But? It's a good thing to do a quick scroll back to make sure you didn't say something incriminating before your parents and in-laws joined Facebook. It's simple to go back to those updates, hover over the left side of the update box until you see the pencil icon, then chose "remove from timeline" or just delete. 

I joined Facebook in June of 2007 - when I was about 4-5 months pregnant with Zoe. What I realized is that Zoe's entire life is documented in Timeline. From her first pictures, to videos of her first words and steps, it's all there. As a mom who always wanted to scrapbook more, I love it! But in 10 years will Zoe like my status updates about potty training or her Target meltdown? While I love to share about my kids, I usually do try to follow the "ten year rule" - in 10 years if they see this information, will they be embarrassed or horrified that I put that online? If so, I rethink what I'm about to say. 

Apps

One of the things that Facebook is touting as a positive feature is the integration of apps to Timeline. While fabulous, remember if you allow a 3rd party app to post things to your Timeline, people are going to learn some things about you that you may not want public - like that you've been listening to an hour-long Nelson marathon on Spotify. 

Changing what people can see is simple, though - just go to  “Account Settings” in the very top right pulldown menu on your profile, then click “Apps” and you’ll be presented with a list of all of the apps that have access to your Timeline. Remove the ones you don’t like or, under “App activity privacy,” change who can and can’t see the content posted by that app.

Stop Complaining and Go with It

Facebook is always going to evolve and change. It will never be the same from year to year. It's technology. It's innovation. It's the future. Don't fight it - embrace it. Learn how to use it to your advantage and to your liking... and if you don't like it, you can always delete your profile. But you know you'll never do that. 

When we got to AG Place the next morning, all the other girls had a special carrier for their dolls. I told Zoe she could get one thing there, and she chose this particular bag to carry her doll in. At one point during the lunch, Zoe handed me Kanani to hold. While other mothers may have laid the doll on the floor, or on a chair, I actually sat there, holding Kanani in my lap. One of the other moms made a comment that it looks like I really love that doll. While my main thinking was that I'm not going to put the $100 doll in her $40 outfit on the store to get trampled on, I realized that it was more than that. I didn't want the doll sitting on the floor, missing the party while all the other dolls were sitting at the table. Yes, I anthropomorphized the doll.

But this isn't anything new. Ever since reading the Velveteen Rabbit as a child I have thought of special toys as having feelings of their own. A child's love can turn an inanimate object "real." And thanks to the Toy Story franchise, I now "believe" that toys come to life the moment we leave the room. When we were moving a few years ago, I found myself actually telling Zoe's Woody doll not to worry that we would find his hat, and then actually being excited when I did find his hat hours later in another corner of the house.

A few weeks ago, Zoe misplaced "Yubbie" (her lovey - a pink blanket with a bear that she's had since she was born). Yubbie never left the house, so it's here - somewhere - stuck in a random closet/cupboard/pile of junk. The first night we noticed it missing, Zoe decided to sleep with a stuffed fox that my mom got her for Christmas. "Foxy" was a soft, squish-able stuffed animal that has become a favorite and quickly attached itself to our hearts. So yes, Foxy made the trip to LA with us this weekend.

After a long, cold and rainy tournament on Saturday, Lucas and Jason decided to not come up to LA. No problem: Zoe and I would just take the relaxing train home Sunday afternoon. After almost leaving Foxy at my parents' house, Zoe clung to her Yubbie replacement in the car on the way to the train station. After getting out of the car I stuck Foxy in the bag with Kanani that I was carrying. Union Station in LA was crowded and hectic. We got to the train, claimed our seats and settled in for the 2 hour ride. Right before our stop, I grabbed all our bags. I did a once over noting that we had my iPad, my phone, Kanani, 2 backpacks and our duffle bag. We got off the train just as Jason and Lucas were driving up. It wasn't until bedtime last night that we noticed that Foxy did not make it home. After checking the car, all the bags, calling my parents, it was apparent that Foxy was gone. I even called Amtrak on the off chance that someone turned her in, but alas, Foxy is gone.

All night I kept thinking of poor Foxy, all alone, cold and possibly wet from the rain as she lay somewhere between Los Angeles and Oceanside. I hope that she knows she was loved and that maybe another child picked her up to give her love and years of cuddles. And then I realized...

I'm freaking insane. 

Like most, what I started in 2006 as a creative outlet is now a business and a personal brand. While I once hid my blog from prospective employers, my various blogs are now proudly displayed on the top of my resume. It's no longer about free drinks. Its now about how I can successfully support my family using my talents. I'm not kidding myself into thinking I'm the only one out there with that goal. Hundreds of other bloggers out there share my mindset, and hundreds are actually doing it. In this business I talk a lot with people all over the nation about what we are doing, where we hope to go - goals, aspirations, etc. I always come back to content. I've always thought that good content was the key to success, but honestly, that's not the case. 

As we grow and begin to analyze our traffic we are all noticing the same thing - the crap posts are the ones that get read. 

Half asleep, we throw up a rant about Starbucks, desperate for content we write about fall nail trends - and these are the posts that catch fire. Whether they were Stumbled, Pinned or Shared on Facebook, we watch these posts rake in hundreds and thousands of hits. Meanwhile, the beautiful ode to your life-changing decision sits stale, dust gathering on the hit counter. The poignant post you threw your day into about the state of the Mommy Wars goes unnoticed while people are STILL reading about fall nail trends well into the winter months. 

So I ask. Why are the lame posts getting read and the good posts not? 

Is it that the Internet, like the general population, just seems to be getting dumber? Is it that more and more people read blogs from work or from mobile devices - where they only have a moment to decompress, thus leading to the mindless fodder? Honestly, I don't know the answer. But as a blogger and a writer and a professional, it's a little sad to see. Since our pay is based on traffic, as bloggers are we dumbing ourselves down to a traffic generating level? And if we haven't yet - is it only a matter of time until we do? And then what? Then what does the blogosphere become? 

On the flip side, when it comes to actually making decent money from our blogs, we are only as good as our traffic. Retail stores don't carry items that don't sell, so why shouldn't you offer the public what they want? 

So I'm throwing it out there to fellow bloggers - do you notice this same trend on your blog? Are you mindful of this when you write posts?

Who needs to shop when you can spend all day redoing your site?