Monthly Archives: November 2009

The sky is not falling unless you lost 63 pounds in 27 days and you have a wonderful pill that will save us all from our fat selves.

The FTC has new guidelines, and they ask bloggers to behave differently than members of the old media. My husband can put products all over a TV screen without so much as a nod. Ryan Seacrest can’t get through three minutes of radio without mentioning a sponsor, but bloggers, bloggers are different. The FTC will hold bloggers to a higher standard.

Great.

Blogging is a cesspool, it’s no secret. There are “review bloggers” who are in the news every other minute. A group of women created a badge that had to do with integrity, and then they mixed advertising and PR on their site and were embarrassed. Many bloggers should not be trusted. I apologize on their behalf.

Here’s the thing. If I’m talking about a product, I’m disclosing. Why? Well, Matt Cutts is scarier to me than any FTC drone. I don’t want my good status with google to go away. Really, that’s the reason. I’m not an altruist, I’m not here to sing kumbaya, I’m not posting this information to help my fellow mommy bloggers. With today being the first day of FTC oversight of blogs, I’m going to be the first Mom Blogger to tell you that I disclose because it’s what google makes me do.

Since we’re busy being pragmatic here, I’ll let you know a few more things about blogging and brands and some of my rationale. I’m not talking about brands here. Mr. Gottlieb turned 45 in November and I bought him an incredible camera. If you see him around town with it, I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it. I own my blog, it’s not a partnership between me and any other brand. If they’d have supplied the camera, or even a discount, I’d probably mention it. I’m perfectly happy to talk about cameras in a global manner.

Disclosure isn’t difficult. If there’s a giveaway on the blog assume that there’s a benefit to me. Tony Hawk hung out with my kids so I did a giveaway. That’s a no brainer. Serena bought me a glass of wine and told me I was pretty, so I did a giveaway for one of her brands. Listen kids, therapy costs, there’s value in a girlfriend whispering sweet nothings.

I’ve always disclosed when I’ve received anything material from a publicist. I’ve tried to do it within the context of storytelling, and I’m a little bit sad that the FTC doesn’t trust bloggers. The reality is that many bloggers are not to be trusted, but the communities don’t pop up around them. Darwin works in cyberspace too.

I disclose because my readers are smart. I disclose because this is just a mommy blog, and I don’t have an agenda involved where I trick you. I disclose because the search engines require it.I disclose because if I don’t, you won’t trust me and that would suck.

Now if everyone would just look around and realize that not all bloggers are in the United States, they’ll see the added ridiculousness of it all.

My friend April sent out a sweet and touching Holiday Newsletter. Since I’m boozy touched I’ll try and do a year end wrap up here.

This year the Gottliebs attended a half dozen major league baseball games. We thought about reading books, but the Yankees and the Dodgers were too inviting. We are praying for the NFL to return to Los Angeles, as we are too apathetic to get to a hockey game.

We didn’t move, have any births or accidentally kill a dog this year. Last year we did.

Mr. G. is solid at work, he finds is creatively fulfilling and Jessica bitches and moans that the housekeeper sucks, but her tennis is good.

Everyone is grateful, it just doesn’t look like it.

There will be no vacation this December because Mr. Gottlieb turned 45 and requested an OhMyGawdYouSpentWhat camera for his birthday. The good news is that both car leases are up in a few months and Jessica’s mid life crisis is a heartbeat away so her new car will be expensive and fast.

2009 was a lot of fun. Totally unproductive, but fun.

Too bad she didn’t show up today.
I’ll be in the corner sobbing.

I’m exhausted this afternoon and it makes no sense at all. I didn’t even get out of bed until 8.30 this morning. Today we spent the middle of the day at the Farmer’s Market. I walked my kids through the same stalls I delighted in thirty some years ago.

I’m just tired from five days of celebrating. We’ve cooked and cleaned as a family, we’ve shopped and jumped in leaves. We’ve had lunches out, visited dog rescues, played football, hemmed school pants and we’ve just sat around chattering.

I’m tired from it all. The good kind of tired. The lazy Sunday tired.

We’ve have five long days of being together, with no fights, no tears, no big events and no schedule.

I love it, but I need a nap.

I want to go to Tanzania.

Watch the video and then follow the kids here on twitter. Often between 10 and 11 at night in Los Angeles I’m lucky enough to find them active.

I’m thankful for the internet and how it levels the playing field.

I’m supposed to spend the day today talking about how Thankful I am. I’m supposed to say that it’s wondeful that Jane popped out of bed all healthy this morning, begging me to go to school.

I’m supposed to say that I’m thrilled that I can finally take a deep breath, and that my lungs are finally clearing.

I’m supposed to be grateful that I have a husband I adore, and who makes me laugh.

I barely slept last night because the steroids make me jittery, but I slept a little because of the benadryl I’m taking for the rash.

I sat downstairs on my family room sofa, shivering under a blanket and wishing I could sleep. When I lie down I literally feel like I’m drowning in my own mucus and I started to cry, then I felt congested sitting up too. And as I gasped for breath, alone on my sofa, I sobbed uncontrollably because a few weeks ago I was sitting on that sofa with Anissa. Who also cannot breathe.

I don’t feel grateful or lucky or even okay.

I feel like somehow G-d forgot about her, and like all she ever did was give of herself, oh except on the days when she gave a little more.

So I’m sorry if I can’t be all sparkly today, but I’m finally not sick and maybe a little more in touch with my feelings than we’d all like. And well, I’m having a crisis of faith.

It’s easy to have right now. It’s just wrong.