Recently we had a chance to stay at The Four Seasons Westlake Village. First of all you can never go wrong with a Four Seasons as their customer service and facilities are always stellar. What a lot of people don’t realize is how family The Four Seasons Resorts are. So much attention is paid to making every little detail of your stay special. There were even children’s sized white spa bathrobes in the closet which my kids got a huge kick out of.

The Four Seasons Westlake Village is situated off the 101 only about a forty-minute drive from LA. Nestled in the hills near Malibu it feels like you are miles away from the hustle and bustle of LA, but it is such a quick and easy drive. We drove up after school on Friday and spent the afternoon at the pool when we arrived. The hotel has two gorgeous pools. The one located at the Spa is lovely, but kids are not allowed to swim there. (Making it particularly peaceful!)  The second pool is a beautiful indoor pool where we spent the afternoon with the kids. The idea of an indoor pool felt a little strange to me at first, but the room it is in has enormous skylights so you have the sense of being outside, as sun streams through the ceiling.

hotel is large and beautifully appointed. For twenty-four hours we didn’t even leave the resort. We dined at the hotel’s ONYX Sushi restaurant that, although felt very much like a fancy date night spot, also had a kids menu and adorable bento boxes for the kids along with wikki sticks and crayons for them to play with. My picky eater son even gave sushi a try for the first time, and is now a fan of California rolls. That in itself was a coup. Then we went up to bed to our scrumptious suite. The kids slept and my husband and I watched a movie.

There is something so special about being away together, even just for a short time. It is so easy to get distracted at home and run to the computer or dishes or laundry, and merely coexist with each other. The kids and I relaxed and played together in the hotel room in the morning. My husband checked out the spa pool, and exercise room. Then we ventured downstairs for a scrumptious brunch. Again, the attention to quality was so impressive. The food was top notch, an omelet bar, homemade pastries, homemade yogurt and a variety of hot entries were offered.

After breakfast we ventured out to the rose garden to play. They have horseshoes set up and also a pseudo – driving range, with golf clubs and small plastic tube like things that we tried to hit into buckets. This was quite entertaining. Our Springer Spaniel also joined us on the trip, as the Four Seasons Westlake Village is a dog friendly hotel.

After we checked out, we visited the Ronald Reagan Library, which is very impressive. The highlight of that visit was being able to climb aboard an Air Force One, and see how the President travels. The museum covers an enormous amount of American history, focusing, of course on the Reagan years.  The museum is well worth seeing, especially for kids 6 and over.

We piled back in the car after our visit and felt as if we had the perfect little family escape. Time to swim, relax, dine, play, and explore outside of LA, but not far from home.

The Spa at the Four Seasons Westlake Village in itself is also worth a day trip, and on Wednesdays they provide free babysitting. So grab some Moms and plan a day of true pampering.

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate

———————

Dear Desperate,

First, keep in mind that Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter the command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html, download Tears 6.2 and be sure to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If those applications work as designed Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, please remember that overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (It runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

So as a Mother’s day treat to yourself I propose that you spruce up your sporty image. Check out Macy’s huge selection of active wear (where you will also find many of the items on sale) and you may, like me, feel a little more spring in your step both working out and stepping out, in your fashionable, yet practical new work out attire.

KCRW radio is one of the best things about living in LA. If you don’t listen to KCRW you really should tune in to the most interesting, informative, and cool programing that you will find on the air waves. My pals over there asked me if I would tell them what our family likes to listen to on road trips: Here’s a section and link to my article there.

In LA, of course, we drive all the time, especially if you are a mom with kids to shuttle around. But a drive that has an altogether different vibe is the family road trip. We cover a lot of ground as a family in our car up and down the West Coast, and then the East Coast in the summer. Along the way we have come up with a list of favorite songs to listen to.

Our criteria: it has to be an upbeat in motion feeling kind of song, a soundtrack that you could imagine hearing with shots of moving scenery. It has to appeal to the kids but can’t sound like the kind of cloying kids music that makes you want to drive off the road. Here’s an eclectic sampling of some of our favorites: for the list:

CLICK HERE.

WHEN:

MONDAY, MAY 7th, 7:30 at the Theatre Palisades.

with : Teri Bernstein, Lee Rose Emery, Annie Fitzgerald, Anita Holsapple, Michael Leahy, Lyena Strelkoff, Johnny Walker

LOCATION & PARKING:

Theatre Palisades

941 Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades, 90272

TICKETS:

Tickets are $15.00 to be purchased online; go to SPARK off ROSE

They usually sell out, so if you are thinking of coming book soon.

There is a free parking lot adjacent to the theater and parking up and down Temescal canyon.

The first product I loved was Skin Owl’s Argan Oil infusion. LA can really dry out your skin. I used this oil (which you apply from a dropper and rub into your face) at night and often during the day. My skin drank it up. While I was nervous that applying oil like that would make me break out, instead my skin felt smooth, and hydrated and glowing. Argan oil is derived from the nut of an Argan tress which are indigenous to Morocco. It is high in vitamin E and is believed to help all kinds of skin conditions.

You can purchase this on line, or, at Platino on Montana, which is also favorite jewelry and handbag spot . (Note to self – Mother’s Day is approaching! But I digress.)

My second favorite is Love Your Face Cream made with blueberries from Maine by Indian Meadow Herbals. (Granted I am a sucker for anything blueberry and anything Maine for that matter.) But this daily moisturizer was fantastic. It is so hydrating and smooth and you can use it day or night. It also does not feel greasy, but instead leaves you with a fresh glow. This cream is made from 96% organic herbs and oils. This company is great for people who have allergies. And they have a number of products that support hormone balance, for the many stages of a woman’s life.

AND NOW FOR BABY

The Honest Company is Jessica Alba’s new brainchild and carries non-toxic beautifully packaged skin and household products that they will deliver to your door. The skin products I tried were very gentle, and especially great for the kids.

I was also enamored by The Honest Company’s printed diapers. (There’s a sentence I never imagined writing.) But really they are so pretty! Why has no one else ever thought to make diapers pretty?

These products are worth a try and you can sign up for a monthly delivery of all the products you need. Those early months of a new baby are so grueling. Having products regularly delivered is such a huge convenience. Then when you finally do have a chance to get out away from the baby, maybe you can wrangle some girlfriends and do something just for you.

Bully was hard to watch not because of any graphic violence, or profanity –(and there is profanity) but more for the gravity and tragic nature of the subject matter. The film follows several families whose children have taken their own lives after having been continually bullied. My daughter and I had a lengthy discussion after the movie to talk about bullying and the subjects of the film. It brought up the issue of suicide, which we had never discussed. It also brought up the issue of homophobia, as it follows a gay teen girl who is bullied. We talked about that too. We both cried about the film as we talked together. It was an intense experience, and yet, I am glad I took her.

Bullying seems to have been around as long as there have been children. My eighty four year old father told of being shoved in a locker or garbage can in high school, for not being “cool enough.”  And this was at an elite private school seventy years ago. So what can we, as parents, do to help prevent our kids from being bullied? As most likely they are  going to face bullying at a time where we are not there.

I was very encouraged last year that my children’s elementary school invited a Los Angeles based group called the The Bully Dudes to perform an assembly for the children. I heard about the performance from my kids at dinner that evening. I asked them what the performance and bullying was all about. My (then) six year old said, “Bullies don’t have enough love in their heart.” My (then) nine year old piped in, “Bullying is not about you, it is about the person doing the bullying.” I don’t know about the usual fare at your dinner table, but this was pretty profound conversation for ours. The kids took so much from The Bully Dudes’ performance, I decided I needed to see them for myself, so I did.

The Bully Dudes are two mimes, Keith Berger and David Prather. Their interactive, entertaining show about bullying is funny, and engaging. What was so particularly powerful is that watching them, I realized that the real way to combat bullying is to create a culture where bullying is not simply unacceptable, but also “un-cool.” The Bully Dudes’ show inspires kids to speak up, band together and not to tolerate or be a part of bullying. After I saw it, I had a chance to ask Keith a few questions about the show. Here are his replies.

How did the show come about?

A few years ago, David Prather and I were asked by the Orange county Performing Arts Center to create an anti-bullying program. David and  I had worked together on some smaller projects, and we were encouraged to one day work on something much bigger. At first I was reluctant to tackle this subject, but as I researched it, I became emotionally “fired up” and inspired to team up with David and create a show that would get the message across to youngsters through a combination of humor, empathy, and finally some viable strategies to deal with bullying.

Were either of you bullied as a kid?

Yes both of us were bullied as kids. But not nearly as severely as many of the stories we hear from people on a regular basis. Most people we’ve met have been bullied, and perhaps one time or more have bullied someone else.

What do you think is the single most important message in your show?

The most important message in the show is that we all need to actively watch out for each other. And when we see someone being bullied, we need to either summon the courage to stop it, or report the incident to a teacher or administrator.’’

So if you are worried about bullying, there are a few things you can do. First, talk to your kids about bullying. Then, see the movie if you think your kids are ready for it. If you are concerned about bullying at your school, I strongly encourage you ask your school administrators to book the Bully Dudes to perform. Although they are based in Los Angeles, they can also take the show on the road to help spread the word.

Also the filmmakers have helped establish The Bully Project, which has a lot of great information.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA

8591 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 652-5874

I loved the film. I am a sucker for the romantic comedy genre, and for the subject matter as well — which is really about how to reconcile contemporary love/parenthood with modern longings for freedom, romance, and well, hot steamy sex.  Much as the show UP ALL NIGHT grapples with the onset of a new baby thrusting the lead characters’ lives into an un-cool, frumpy domesticity, so does Friends With Kids explore the question: Does the birth of a child mean the death of adult fun?

I will not give away the story of the film but will tell you that this ensemble comedy is a must see date night movie. The dialogue is brilliant full of truisms about life with small children. It had the tone of Woody Allen’s early work to me, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The acting is stellar with the all star comedic cast: Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott, and the filmmaker, Jennifer Westfeldt. So book a sitter and make a date. I promise you will have a laugh at this film which examines parental life  as you know it.