Enjoy this video that features my daughters & our dog.

APPS

There are many free Halloween apps, and a handful of quality apps that are on sale this week. We’ve amassed a great collection of holiday apps in the past couple of years. A few days after Halloween, I quietly remove the apps from my iPad and my daughter’s iPod touch, keeping them on my computer, of course! By the time the next Halloween comes around, they’ll be like new

PAID

• Mickey’s Spooky Night Puzzle Book app!

This popular kids’ app, currently ranked #1 in the App Store for “Paid Book Apps,” gives kids a chance to join Mickey’s “spooky” Halloween party with friends like Daisy, Donald, and Goofy, offering an immersive and interactive reading experience for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch! At the party, readers get the chance to solve a haunted mystery while keeping on the lookout for ghost surprises. Currently, the app is available from the App Store for just $0.99.

• The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
• What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss
• The Berenstain Bears Go on a Ghost Walk

FREE

• The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin for Android devices at the Amazon Appstore for Android – today only!
• Pumpkin – Sweet Adventure for iPhone/iPad – today only!
• Make a Zombie for iPhone and iPad
• NameScream (iPhone)
• Moody Monster Manor for iPhone and iPad – this isn’t specifically for Halloween. It’s a really cute app!

Poison Center Help
For parents, obviously! This iPhone app will connect users with their local poison center with just the click of a button. By clicking on the Poison Help logo, users will have free, confidential access to a medical expert who can answer questions about poisons or help users treat a poison exposure. During an emergency, you don’t need to scramble to find the number!

CONTEST

• Now that you have a bunch of great Halloween photos, put them to good use! Enter The Children’s Place Halloween Costume Contest for a chance to win up to a $500 gift card! Visit their Facebook page more more info.

TIP

If you can’t wait to get rid of all the Halloween candy, read about some great uses for extra Halloween candy at BabyCenter.com

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

If you drive buzzed on Halloween, your evening could turn into a real nightmare.

Halloween is fun, yes, but it is often one of the deadliest nights of the year due to the number of impaired drivers on the streets. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, 48 percent of all traffic fatalities on Halloween night involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or higher. Halloween means dark streets full of little kids distracted by candy and costumes. That makes it especially important to start planning a safe and sober ride home from whatever fun you’ll be having that night — so your evening doesn’t take a truly scary turn.

Whether at a Halloween party, a costume contest at a bar or trick-or-treating through the neighborhood, many of us will be on the road tonight. NHTSA and the Ad Council are reminding everyone that the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead and designate a sober driver before you head out for your Halloween festivities.

• Designated Driver Drink List — One of the most important things you can do before going out is designate a sober driver. If you’re throwing a Halloween party, make sure to offer non-alcoholic drinks for the sober drivers. This Facebook tab features 50 non-alcoholic party drink recipes.
• Alternative Ride Locator — This Facebook tab features a list of nationwide alternative ride programs that can help keep your readers safe.
• Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving website — Here you can sign a pledge not to drink and drive; play “Spot the Difference,” an interactive game that simulates the effects of buzzed driving; and watch a real-life video about how buzzed driving changed one woman’s life.

This Halloween, let’s work together to put an end to buzzed driving. Don’t ruin your Halloween with a DUI — or worse. Plan ahead and designate a sober driver before you begin celebrating. Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

I was sitting on my computer at my dining room table this afternoon, when I felt a rumble. I stood up and looked through the front window, seeing a guy on a ride-on lawn mower in the yard across the street. It sure was loud, but could I really feel that way over here? Then the rumble turned to shaking, which quickly intensified.

You know that feeling where you think you’re going to faint? Light-headed, dizzy, weak in the knees? That’s how I felt. I almost lost my footing. The shaking got stronger, and Maya yelled “What’s going on?” from the family room, where she was playing with Maura. I yelled back for them to get under a table, because the noise that came from above us was definitely scary. Which table did they crawl under? The glass coffee table. Yeah.

Walking around the house after, surveying for damage, I found that my half-full cup of coffee swished around enough that a little spilled on the table. The front door had opened wide, as did several kitchen cabinets. Books had fallen over on their shelves, a few frames were crooked, and the shampoo bottles sitting on the side of the bathtub fell in. I couldn’t find any cracks in the walls or anything broken. Thank goodness. The entire thing had to have lasted at least 30 seconds, which doesn’t seem long at all, but certainly felt like forever when you’re afraid the roof is going to collapse!

Maya was probably the one who was the most shaken up by it all, no pun intended. She had a panicked look on her face afterwards, almost wanting to cry, and played quietly under the kitchen table with her Barbies for a while, before I decided to head outside with them, in case there was an aftershock. She asked me if there was a hurricane coming (which there is… Irene!) but she meant a tsunami (‘one of those really big wave things,’ she explained), and I reassured her that there wasn’t and that we were really far from the beach anyway. She was also afraid to go to bed tonight, and asked me “What happens if another earthquake comes at night and I don’t wake up in time?” “In time for what?” I asked. “In time to run under a table!” That broke my heart. On top of that, minutes after finally falling asleep I heard her cry and ran upstairs to find that she had thrown up all over her bed. I think it might be a bug, as Maura was sick last week, but it’s been a bad day for her regardless.

Maya’s reaction makes me realize how ill-prepared we are for this type of thing, and how sad it is that instead of thinking “earthquake,” the first thing that comes to mind to many of those in DC and New York is terrorist attack.

Did you feel the earthquake?

Taking photos of ice skaters with no flash in a dark arena is HARD. I got a few decent ones, though.

Joannie Rochette

Sasha Cohen

Evan Lysacek

Ekaterina Gordeeva

For more Wordless (or Wordful) Wednesday, visit:
5 Minutes for Mom ~ Latina on a Mission ~ Mom of 3 Girls
New York Chica ~ Run DMT

Wednesday was crazy. One minute I was getting Maya ready for school, and the next, I was on my way to New York for The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection fashion show. Not only did I have a seat for this celeb-studded event, but I also had red carpet access! The show itself was amazing – but went by super fast – and before I knew it, it was time to go back home. As my train sped away from Penn Station, I felt like Cinderella after the ball. All the magic slowly fading away, as the Manhattan skyline disappeared in the distance…

For 8 years now, The Heart Truth has opened Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with its Red Dress Collection Fashion Show. This annual event raises awareness and encourages women to take charge of their heart health, spreading the message that “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear–It’s the #1 Killer of Women.”

Dr. Nakela Cook, a medical officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute believes that women are definitely much more aware of this issue now. “What we want to do now is move that awareness into action and really have women take their risk for heart disease seriously, and think about how they can actually prevent heart disease down the line… it’s absolutely never too early and never too late to be concerned about your heart health. We know that even young women, ages 20-39, have at least one risk factor. 60% of them have at least one risk factor that they can really do something about, so it’s important for young women to be engaged in this. It’s also important that older women recognize that their risk of heart disease increases after the age of 55 and it’s never too late to make a difference in your life… we don’t want women to have to suffer in the lives that they live.”

The Red Carpet

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes place at Lincoln Center, which is a big complex in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City’s Upper West Side. Media check in was a mess! Lots of pushing and shoving, with the big names like E!, Access Hollywood, and MTV being escorted in ahead of everyone else.

I got my badge.

Then there was waiting. And more waiting. Finally – after an hour and a half of waiting not-so patiently with a handful of other bloggers, I was let through onto the red carpet.

I was even taken backstage for a few minutes to see some of the celebrities putting last minute touches on hair and makeup! Camila Alves, who later changed into a Kaufman Franco gown, is gorgeous!

Audrina Patridge didn’t hesitate to do interviews while her hair and nails were being done.

Actress Archie Panjabi stars as Calinda in one of my favorite shows at the moment, The Good Wife, so I was a little starstruck. She and her publicist were both so incredibly nice!

Gayle King, Oprah’s BFF… I had no idea that she lost both her parents to heart disease at a young age. She said in an interview – “Anytime we can get the word out, I think it’s important to do so. So I wanted to be here. You get to wear a gorgeous dress, you get people to make you look as cute as you can possibly be, and it’s all for a good cause.”

Then I ran back to the red carpet to wait for the stars to start walking by.

Ali Sweeney was the first. So pretty and so nice, wearing a gown by Tadashi Shoji. In an interview, she said, “An organization like this, an event like this, really encourages women to pay more attention to your health. Many women die from heart-related diseases that are preventable, and that you can – just walking, getting out there, being active, paying a little more attention to your nutrition – you can really keep your heart healthy.”

Eva Amurri, in Chris Benz… she’s Susan Sarandon’s daughter, but a fantastic actress in her own right, and looked flawless. Her dress wasn’t really red, but I loved it! And her hair. And nude Christian Louboutins. All perfect. Chris Benz, the designer of her dress, walked beside her. They seemed to be having a great time!

Actress Dania Ramirez, in Catherine Malandrino. Beautiful!

Julianne Hough looked stunning in a Swarovski gown and necklace! This necklace weighs a couple of pounds and took 150 hours to make. 10,000 stones. She said in an interview that she “didn’t realize until this year how much heart disease affects women, and… so the fact that I didn’t know… well I’m sure that a lot of people don’t realize!”

Audrina Patridge, in Badgley Mishka. Her dress looked better in person. Really beautiful.

Denise Richards, in Matthew Williamson. Her dress seemed like the most casual of all the gowns.

Laila Ali, in A Pea in the Pod. I would have liked to have seen her in a brighter red, but she still looked absolutely amazing, well into her third trimester. I couldn’t believe it when she told us she’s due on April 1st. “I got a bump in the front and a bump in the back!” she said, and knew just how to work both!

Linda Gray, with her designer Pamella Roland.

Katrina Bowden, in Oscar de la Renta. I love love love Oscar, but this dress was just okay.

Patti LaBelle, in a Zang Toi kimono-style gown… “So many women are taken away because of heart disease, and we take it for granted that we have a heart for everybody else but ourselves. We take care of everybody… make sure your heart is ticking right. So Thursday I go and have my heart checked out… because it’s important to check it out,” she said.

Patti kept raising her arms, even after we’d tell her her hands wouldn’t come out in the photos…

Cat Deeley, in Alberta Ferretti. She seemed so relaxed. Effortlessly beautiful!

Archie Panjabi in J. Mendel.

Gayle King, in Donna Karan.

Natasha Bedingfield, in Reem Acra.

Garcelle Beauvais, in Monique Lhuillier. I loved this gown, with its lovely rosettes.

Giulana Rancic in Marchesa and Eve in David Meister.

The Show

It was finally time for the show to begin! This was the runway. It didn’t seem that long.
But I’m sure when you walk it it seems endless…

After texting back & forth, @MsLatina and I saw we were directly across the runway from each other.
Can you find her?

I saw Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, Surgeon General of the United States, in the first row. I later heard her say in an interview that her priority is prevention. “It’s important to get the message out, particularly to women, that heart disease is the #1 cause of death and that they need to be aware of the symptoms and the signs, and when to call for help. If we can get these celebrities to help us get the message out… that’s what we’re trying to do tonight.”

The celebrities were there to do just that. Each one sashayed down the runway to a different song.

Julianne opened the show. She was a natural on the catwalk. Then came Audrina, Eve, and Dania. Linda Gray walked to the Dallas theme song and got a huge applause from the crowd.

Taraji P. Henson, in a gown by Naeem Khan, really worked that catwalk!
She was feeling the song – Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

Dita Von Teese wore a Zac Posen gown that accentuated her tiny waist.
I loved the way the strap fell off her shoulder as she turned to leave the runway.

Garcelle = gorgeous

Suzanne Somers looked super cute in a short dress by Ina Soltani!

Giuliana Rancic probably had the most fun, dancing most of the way down the runway, only stopping to blow a kiss to her husband, Bill Rancic (The Apprentice), who was a few rows in front of me.

Ann Curry, from The Today Show, looked lovely in a gown by Carmen Marc Valvo.

Gayle King saw herself on the big screen, and her immediate instinct was to cover her butt with her hands. Funny. She looked great, though. Natasha Bedingfield ended the show, and then stayed on the runway to perform an acoustic version of “Strip Me.”

To close the show, all the ladies came back out for one last walk to Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
The energy in the room was incredible!

While everyone was there to see celebrities in their red dresses, I spied a few famous faces among the audience as well. Matthew McConaughey took photos of his wife Camila Alves from the front row. Nearby was the crew from ANTM – Jay Manuel, Miss Jay Alexander, and the hot hot hot photographer Nigel Barker. Carson Kressley sat near the NHLBI acting director Susan B. Shurin, and I heard that Susan Sarandon was there, cheering on her daughter, Eva. Countess Luann de Lesseps from the Real Housewives of NYC  stood out in a red satin dress. I saw figure skater Johnny Weir, too.

I didn’t get home until 2am, but it was an incredible experience that I won’t soon forget! You can find highlights from this show, along with other Fashion Week presentations, at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Youtube Channel, and learn more about The Heart Truth at www.hearttruth.gov.

Which is your favorite dress?

Disclosure: I received an invitation to this event, but I covered all my expenses and was not compensated in any way for this post. All photos above are my own.

I’ll be offline tomorrow.
Taking some time to celebrate the last day of the year with friends and family.
So I just wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a…

Happy New Year!

Here’s to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011!

Image above created at: http://www.makesweet.com/mixer/my-new-year-2011

In case you can’t read my daughter’s beautiful handwriting…

For more Wordless (or Wordful) Wednesday, visit:
5 Minutes for Mom ~ Latina on a Mission ~ Mom of 3 Girls
New York Chica ~ Parenting by Dummies ~ Run DMT

I took that photo of Maura late last night. Donald always sits at the foot of her bed, but she felt the need to hug him because, like me, she had Disney on her mind.

Yesterday I found out that we’ll be going to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World next year. We went to the last conference, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been granted a spot at the next one.

Luck. That’s what I’m attributing it to.

While last year I received a personal invitation, this time around, registration was open to everyone. Hundreds (maybe thousands?) of social media savvy moms applied this past Thursday for a very limited amount of spots at the next conference coming up in March. It wasn’t clear whether registration meant that we were ‘in’ since we had to include our blog and Twitter stats. “All registrants will be verified prior to registration confirmation…” Verified for what exactly? While I was optimistic, my expectations weren’t high. I thought that maybe they’d pick a whole new crop of moms for this next conference and since I went to the last one, I’d be out of the running.

This wasn’t the case. I received my confirmation email yesterday. “Dear Mariana: Let the social media memories begin!” I didn’t read much further before jumping on to Twitter to see who else got in… and was sad to see that many, many of my friends did not. I got lucky.

It took forever for the registration page to load for me, so I know I wasn’t one of the first ones. I don’t have jaw-dropping traffic on my blog, and many of the “big” bloggers weren’t accepted, so stats aren’t it either. I just got lucky.

That’s something I was missing at the last conference. If you were following my saga, you might remember that I almost didn’t get there. Snowmaggedon, Snowpocalypse, Snowverkill – whatever the weathermen called it – hit the DC area that week, bringing the entire city to a standstill. We had multiple flights cancelled, trains were shutdown… but I wasn’t giving up. I had promised my daughters a trip to Disney World and I was going to get them there. The 30+ inches of snow in my driveway didn’t scare me. A nightmarish 30-hour bus ride followed… and well, I don’t even want to look back on it at this point. Our brains seem to be wired to rid themselves of painful memories, don’t you think? We got there, and it was worth all the trouble it took.

Yesterday, after finding out the good news, I didn’t run and tell my kids. They still don’t know. I did ask them both if they’d like to go to Walt Disney World again, though.

Maura: “Yes! I promise I’ll be a good girl! I want to see Donald, and Minnie, and Daisy, and Mickey, and Goofy!!! Oh, and Pluto, too! Please mommy??”

Maya: “Yessss! I’d love to go back sometime.” She said, in a reserved, I-don’t-want-to-seem-overly-excited-because-that’s-not-cool sort of way.

Me: “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

Before you start cooking your bird tomorrow… did you read my turkey safety tips?
The winner of the roasting pan was Susi – hope she gets some use out of it!

Her advice: “We invite people that we love and want to spend time with, don’t stress about whether everything is perfect and celebrate what we are thankful for – fantastic friends, plenty of food and good health.” Nicely said.

I asked my readers to give me some advice on how to make Thanksgiving dinner a success, and these are some of your tips. Thanks, and happy Thanksgiving!

• Ann said “We actually like to deep fry the turkey! I love it because the mess is all outside and it doesn’t take all day!” She blogs at Ann Crabs.
• Jeanine starts planning early. “I do the prep work for many of my dishes two days before so I won’t feel so rushed on Thanksgiving Day. I also let other family members handle dessert.”
• Yvonne said “We never have to plan the menu for Thanksgiving Dinner because we have the same thing every year. My ham and turkey are put into a paper bag and rolled up tight. Then I cook it overnight in a very low oven. The paper absorbs grease and also browns the meats. Easy. Always put on rack nearest the bottom of the oven and tuck paper ends firmly on bottom. Make sure paper is not touching sides or racks.” What a unique idea! I’m definitely going to try this!
• Rochelle likes to make the easier side dishes the night before. “This way Thanksgiving Day isn’t so overwhelming. Also, for pumpkin dishes, I bake my pumpkin a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Then I freeze it. The day before Thanksgiving, I put it into the fridge so it can thaw and I can bake with it.”
• Debbie does as much as she can ahead of time. “I get loaves of stuffing bread. I break them up, and dry them out. I make stock and freeze it for the stuffing. I chop the onions and celery ahead of time and freeze it, too.”
• Tiff also tries to prepare as much as she can the night before, “so that on Thanksgiving morning I can watch the Macy’s parade without worrying about the upcoming food I have to prepare.” I love watching the parade!
• Marci, she starts “early that morning adding garlic in the bird and making the stuffing– I bake the bird with the stuffing inside and baste it a lot throughout the day– usually about 45 minutes before I remove it from the oven– I take the cover off the top so it can brown.”
• Ginny realized that “in years past the kids get crabby waiting for food. The day before, we pre-plan already made snacks throughout the day to keep the kids from getting to that starving point without having to cook anything additional on Thanksgiving day.?” Why didn’t I ever think of this?? Ginny blogs over at Hey Gin….
• Kimberly says that “one thing I do is get everyone to bring something since we have so many people in our extended family now. I involve my kids in helping and try to do as much before the big day as possible.”
• Nan Lara thinks that “the thing that makes it a success is I cook my turkey the way my mom did… with mayo on top… and I ask family to bring dishes so I’m not cooking it all.”
• Renee and her sister plan their menu in advance and “share the “burden” of Thanksgiving dinner (and all other holidays) equally so know one gets too stressed or financially burdened. Team work works for us!”
• Amanda likes to “keep it casual! No stuffy clothes, no worry about setting everything just right like a Martha Stewart spread… just a good meal with everyone who’ll come join us. Everyone brings something they like to share almost like a potluck but it’s not necessary. Neighbors that don’t want to come over but don’t have anywhere to go or anyone to come visit always get a plate and a hug. We try to make sure if we’ve got it, they’re taken care of, too. Biggest thing though is keeping it casual, everyone at ease with full bellies makes for a good day.” Sounds like a great time!
• Vicki does not change the menu because “family members get upset! I do the bird and everyone brings a side dish.”
• Joey shares – “In our family, we keep things less stressful by dividing up the cooking! lol..I usually do the turkey, and family members bring the pre-decided side dishes haha. It also helps to plan a night or two before by getting things prepped to make the actual cooking on the morning of, much easier!
• Flufferwuffer (cute name) says “Plan, plan, plan ahead! That way, you won’t forget to make an important side dish, OR run out of time/oven space.” Flufferwuffer blogs at Cheap Geeks Anonymous.
• Trisha Lynn advises to “do a lot of prep work ahead of time so you wont feel so rushed and aalso if any mishaps happen you wont feel so chaotic and you can take care of it!”
• Ellen likes to “make ahead as much as possible and keep it in the freezer.”
• Heather says that “the only reason our Thanksgiving dinner is successful is because I DON’T COOK. I take that back, I’m responsible for bringing the deviled eggs. I say the best way we make it a success is we all know who everyone’s specialties are and that person is responsible for bringing whatever they are best at making: me-deviled eggs, mom-homemade pie, dad-stuffing, grandma-EVERYTHING!!?”

Again, Happy Thanksgiving!! I’m thankful for such wonderful readers.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit:
5 Minutes for Mom ~ Latina on a Mission ~ Mom of 3 Girls
New York Chica ~ Robyn’s Online World ~ Run DMT