Los Angeles Articles

Wittlebee is the second startup to come out of Science and it’s another good one. Every parent knows that the first half dozen years will have you shopping for clothes endlessly. Some mothers enjoy this. Some fathers enjoy this… I like to call them the other 1%.

You see I loved buying my daughter clothing, before she was born, with gift cards… but once the baby is on the scene buying a carton of milk is as much of a shopping adventure as anyone needs. By the time my son came around I was like, “Mooooommmmmm…. please buy the kids clothes because shopping makes me cry.” And she did. Bless her and bless the Cabazon outlets.

Don’t get me wrong, buying a party dress or a little suit is fun, but buying a stack of onesies, leggings or long sleeved shirts… not so fun.

Enter Wittlebee. They will send you a box of essentials every month. Every. Single. Month.

Ooh, and guess what? It’s really high quality stuff. If you look on their facebook page you’ll see posts from their customers like this one.

i’m loving Wittlebee! Anyone with kids from new to 5yrs HAS to check i out!! 8 articles of clothing for $39/month.(your first box is $19.99) One onsie costs $16 so its totally worth it!! USA made Brands like Cotton Seed & American Apparel. Also Baby Gap & Gymboree…Only the best brands!!! Plus if you have multiple kids you can mix and match sizes in your boxes….Im super excited about this idea!!

I’ve heard about Wittlebee for a while now because Sean Percival is the founder and he’s a friend of ours. What sort of cinches the deal is that Sean’s wife Laurie is known around Los Angeles for her impeccable taste. I knew all along that with Laurie as the woman behind the scenes those boxes would be top notch.

Wittlebee is truly personalized, when you sign up for a subscription they ask a ton of questions.

Boy or girl?
Age?
What size do they currently wear?
What colors do you like?
What style items do you need the most?
What’s a shopping trip like?
What’s your child’s style?
What’s your child’s personality?

The first box may take a while, up to two weeks and then they arrive monthly thereafter.

A Wittlebee subscription is a fabulous gift, particularly since new parents are often showered with gifts the first months and then scramble to find time, energy and money to buy new clothes after the newborn stage is over.

There’s a robust community over at the Wittlebee Facebook Page, and if you’re looking to try it out here’s a coupon that will give you 50% off your first order.

Last night I saw a story on the KPCC Website entitled No fun: L.A. county beaches to levy $1,000 fine for throwing footballs and Frisbees. Because KPCC is my local NPR affiliate and a trusted news source I assumed this was true. KCAL which is a less trusted, but trusted site nonetheless ran a similar story.

I trusted these news sources and became agitated. Los Angeles does NOT need to lose any of it’s tourism dollars. We cannot afford this sort of debacle. So I picked up the phone.

Tony Bell who is with the LA County Board of Supervisors assures me that county is not banning football or Frisbee playing on the beach. The real story is that there was an existing law in place that banned all sorts of play on public beaches and that it was recently revised. Essentially this is a modification to an existing law wherein IF you are playing ball or frisbee on the beach and the ball is repeatedly hitting people on the head or presenting danger the Lifeguard can issue you a warning — and then, if you don’t stop, you could receive a fine of up to $100. — NOT $1000!

A local news outlet ran the story without fact checking and the public was led to believe that there would be a thousand dollar fine for kids playing football.

I called the County Offices, less as a blogger and more as a ticked off citizen, starting with “I’m pissed.” and I got the above explanation. Further there will be motions on Tuesday that will eliminate some of the poorly worded language so the public can be assured that the beaches are, in fact, for families.

In reality someone presenting that sort of hazard could probably also be arrested for battery.

It seems that this is much ado about not that nothing, and in the future I will be sure to fact check even when reputable journalists break the story. I cannot over emphasize how disappointing it is to have been the first person to call the city and ask for details.

On Tuesday there will be a motion to reword some of this.

The following is the text of the ordinances that seem to be confusing are below. Out of context they appear to be rather Draconian. In context they appear to be written in legalese, which as we know is not meant to be easily deciphered.

UPDATE: Here’s another blogger who gets it.

Last night I went to Adrienne Maloof and Charles Jourdan’s shoe launch party. She has designed a line of shoes for them and if you love high heels you’ll love this collection. They’re sky high and full of color and sparkle.

It was an interesting evening because I wanted to ask her a few questions about how she came to partner with Charles Jourdan. Did she look at the shoes in her closet and think, “these could be made better”? Did Charles Jourdan approach her? Did she have a secret sketchbook and a love of all things leather and luxe?

Before I could ask questions there was a mild freak-out. I guess her publicist wanted to know who I wrote for… um myself. And what kind of questions I’d be asking… um questions about the shoes… we were in the SHOE DEPARTMENT. Only a small number of people had been invited. I was invited, this was weird.

I finally got past the publicist. The answer was that the team at Charles Jourdan approached her. Adrienne Maloof knew that she loved shoes (don’t we all) and it was a good and logical partnership. She was a charming hostess, took a thousand pictures and had a kind word for everyone.

What stuck me driving home was how alike reality stars and mom bloggers can be. We’re both deathly afraid that our audiences will turn on us. I have no idea why many of you read this blog. I don’t know if you like me or hate me. Perhaps you have no feeling either way. I’m not asking for an answer because I’m smart enough to know that you should never ask questions that you don’t want the answer to.

Recently a bunch of traffic came to one of my posts from a private mom blogging forum. It’s one I hadn’t heard of prior and it seems to be quite new. There was some discussion about the Infantino Baby Sling post and it was all interesting. They weren’t sure what side I was on. I was unsure there was a side, it was only a discussion. When I scrolled down I read the following:

I’ll admit I didn’t click through. I can’t give JG any traffic. Even I find her to be very abrasive. I think that says a lot. But I think Shawn Ann is awesome.

Things like this used to sting. A lot. Now they entertain me a little because I don’t know who this person is and clearly she has never met me. It’s not personal. It doesn’t reflect on me so much as the author.

Can you really hate someone you’ve never met? Even if it’s someone who has absolutely zero impact on your life?

Are bloggers like Real Housewives? Should we be afraid of the community? Wait, don’t answer that.

I just got off the phone with some guys from Veep. 10 days ago I get an email from them that said:

I’ll keep this email as short as humanly possible. Watch the brief video below, and if you have interest, I’d love for you to use VEEP free of charge. That’s it.

Folks, what you see above is what is known as the perfect pitch. I said sure and I started with Veep Saturday. If you were grading me on this food plan I’d probably get a C, maybe a C-. After a phone call today I sort of know how to use the website. In case you’re wondering I’ve lost two pounds in six days.

Makes no sense to me either.

We went to the party with Nick Cannon and Ingrid Hoffmann last night and I was so glad we went. It was hosted by SKYY vodka and it was a tiny party. Maybe 20 people? Anna and I monopolized Ingrid because we are tacky that way. Here’s a ceviche recipe as told in just a few seconds.

What she didn’t mention was that she’d finished the ceviche off with a dash of cherry infused vodka and it was ahhhhhmazing. There was also a splash of cherry infused vodka in the chocolate mousse. I like drinking vodka but I’ve got to say I really like it in food too.

So after we left the SKYY appetizer party we headed to Mr. Chow for dinner and the chef came out to show how they make the noodles. So fun.

This week I’ve had dinner out with two girlfriends for absolutely no reason at all. If you haven’t connected with a girlfriend this week my challenge to all of you is to grab one friend and go for dinner. You don’t need an agenda or a reason, just do it. It’s good for your soul.

Of course I have about five posts brewing about my incredible trip to Riviera Nayarit. My friend George is headed to Sayulita for a wedding and I’m ridiculously excited for everyone in that wedding party as Sayulita was a charming little enclave that I hope to visit again soon.

As I’m writing a post telling you about a press trip, a small celebrity party and a food plan that was made available to me because of blogging I get a phone call from a marketer friend who wants to talk about the Momfia and how she is sick to death of bloggers complaining about getting pitched. I completely agreed with her. But then if a blogger was on the phone with me I’d completely agree with the blogger. Mostly though I understand that bloggers just bitch and moan too much and we all need better about me pages.

And then we talked about the fact that blogs get popular and the opportunities and the products take over the content.

And then I looked in the mirror.

Shit.

So, I’m asking you, my readers, to please hang tight. I have to tell you about Riviera Nayarit and some surrounding areas in Mexico because the trip was so spectacular you’ll want to add it to your vacation plans.

I wrote about how the web hates Mommy Bloggers.

I’ve got a fun lunch today and later this evening I’m doing something with Nick Cannon, Ingrid Hoffmann and SKYY Vodka.

I don’t know who Nick Cannon is but my 13 year old “has heard the name”. I don’t know who Ingrid Hoffman is but I like anyone who smiles and holds a cocktail.

I’m very clear on why SKYY Vodka is, which is why I’m ditching the fireside chat with Michael Arrington to go hang out in Hollywood. If anyone wants my ticket for tonight let me know.

Last week Kelly Cole, a Mom in my neighborhood, had a fit both online and off about a billboard for Manhunt. Manhunt is an app where men go to find male friends. Apparently they are really good looking friends and they are very happy to find each other.

In the Studio City Patch a self described pro sex feminist (I’m calling that into question) says that this billboard made her have an uncomfortable conversation with her nine year old son who still believes in Santa. She then contacted Lamar Outdoor advertising to have the billboard removed. As my friend Jenny said on Facebook:

If her kid is 9 and astute enough to notice, pick up on, and start a conversation about that particular billboard, but still believes in Santa I think he’s the one lying to protect mommy’s feelings.

Of course Gawker chimed in and made this an issue of Mommy Bloggers being stupid, which is ridiculous. Brian Moylan go to your room! But Brian (who is grounded until I let him out of the house) does have some good points.

• We are the only people who love our kids and are invested in their future
• Every bump in the road doesn’t mean that society should change for our kids
• You don’t have to get into the mechanics of gay sex. Tell him that some men fall in love with other men and like to kiss those men.
• This is “mommy blogging” at its worst. It is someone who is trying to deny the rights and free speech of others because she thinks her kid is in danger. The only thing he is in danger of is learning about the world, and it is your job to guide him through it.

He’s absolutely right, it is mommy blogging at it’s worst, and I’d like to say that this Gawker article is Blogging at it’s worst because he begins with:

Is there anything worse than mommy bloggers? That is a rhetorical question because if you have two firing synapses, you know the answer to that question

But there’s much worse stuff out there. I’ll let Brian slide a bit.

In what might be the best response of 2011 Manhunt Daily has posted the Michael Kors billboard that is right across the street from their own.

With a close up of the (hetero) couple on the left (as opposed to the naked grinding girl on the right).

My kids can totally see either billboard. The takeaway for them (I hope) will be “don’t eat fast food and you can look really awesome naked”.