Just Call Me Oriental

Lela Lee - You Rock

This morning, an older gentleman came to my house to pick up an electric sander he bought on Craigslist from my boyfriend. I'm such a nice girlfriend that I agreed to risk life and limb and wait for this strange man to show up, pay and take the sander while my boyfriend was at work. So let's call this gentleman, John. Why? Because that was actually his name and even if it wasn't, you'd still probably believe me if I said it was. Lot's of guys named John.


OK, so John looked to be in his early 70s or so and after he plugged in the sander to test it and gave me the cash, he asked me, "Where are you from? Are you Korean?"


OMG!!! Here goes the conversation I've had with one zillion white people who just can't accept the fact that Asian Americans are actually AMERICANS!!! AHHHHH! I try my best to be patient with these folks, but come on. It's 2010. I get it. You fought in the Korean War and I'm grateful for your service to both countries, but does that mean you're still incapable of accepting people of color as Americans 57 years later? If I had an accent, then ok. I think it's a little bit of an excuse to ask someone where they're from. We do that to white people with accents all the time, but I speak English without an accent and any of you know me that my mannerisms, clothing, household, etc are all pretty non-FOBish. I'm clearly an American. Or maybe a Canadian, but we won't open that bag of worms. You get the point. 


Here's the rest of out titillating dialogue:


Amy: Yes. I'm Korean, but I've lived here my whole life.
John: But were you born in Korea?
Amy: Yes, but...
John: Where?
Amy: Seoul but I've been here since I was an infant.
John: I was stationed in Korea in (insert name of Korean city north of Seoul), just north of Seoul. I could tell you were Korean. Most Americans assume that all Orientals look the same, but I can tell the difference (no you can't dude). I lived in Korea and I can tell the features of different nationalities. (WOW! Good for you, cause I sure as hell can't.)
Amy: Well, there are some characteristics, but you can't always tell. Especially Chinese and Korean people since Korean people...
John: Well, Japanese people too because you know Japan occupied Korea for 40 years. (So now he's contradicting himself... you can't tell dude)
(The next section of dialogue was kind of a blur as I was just trying to get him to leave)
Amy: OK, I hope the sander works out for you.
John: You have a nice day now.
Amy: You too. Happy holidays.


Then John got into his non-Oriental truck and drove away.


I'm not going to rant and rave about this exchange, I'm just going to say this one thing: Don't have this discussion with an Asian Americans. It bores the shit out of us. And just for fun - you should all visit this website: AllLookSame.com. Have fun and John, I hope you're enjoying your sander.

There Will Be Blood!

I was slightly devastated today to learn that McNeil-PPC, Inc is discontinuing manufacture of my brand of tampons: o.b. Yes, those freaky little numbers sans applicator. I LOVE these tampons. How do I love them? Let me count the ways...

1) They are way more absorbent and leak proof than any other tampon I've ever tried and since having a child and reaching my late 30s, I bleed like a stuck pig. A stuck pig on its period. TMI? Tough.

2) They are small! Easy to fit into a pocket - even a teeny tiny pocket. I'm an active person and I travel for a living so I don't always want to lug my purse or a giant tampon around with me, like on stage, when I'm snowboarding or running, riding Tower of Terror at Disneyland... you get the idea

3) No applicator - no extra waste! o.b. tampons are the greenest, most eco-friendly tampon you can find. There are other crazy contraptions like sea sponges and cups that are groovy and all, but sometimes, you just gotta jam and let's face it, I bleed like a... well, re-read #1.

So McNeil-PPC, Inc., I damn thee to hell! I hate you for making me love you and then walking out on me. I thought we had something real. I guess I'll just have to go with the flow and find a new slow jam.

My TURKEY WINNER!!

Just a quick note to announce the winner of my Screamin Daily Deals and TheBlogFrog.com's SoCal Family Connect community Turkey Dinner giveaway... BERNADETTE!! Her blog is Bern-Baby-Bern.blogspot.com. Please check out her blog and congratulations!! 


The holiday season is officially off and running! I attended Aubrey's preschool Thanksgiving Feast today which was a ton of fun and I also bought almost everything I need to make holiday gifts. I bake treats every year. Both to keep costs down and to avoid the mass commercialism and mobs at the malls. And I love to bake - so it all works out. I just need a couple more items and I'll be all done with my holiday "shopping"!


Better get back to nagging my three year old. Rest time is a battle these days. She doesn't want to nap anymore, but definitely needs a quiet time. She fights this too, but I have to stick to my guns. I'd be so embarrassed if she turned out to be an axe murderer or something. Ta-ta.

Disney On Ice Is Coming to SoCal! Here's a ticket DISCOUNT CODE!

The holiday season is upon us and that means Disney is in full swing with amazing entertainment for the family! It's no secret that I'm a little obsessed with Disney and I can't WAIT to take Aubrey to the new Disney On Ice show, "Let's Celebrate!" If you live in SoCal, I have a great family deal for you on tickets! Stay tuned...

This new skating show features over fifty beloved Disney characters and will be at four different venues in SoCal this holiday season:

Staples Center - Los Angeles

Dec 15-19

Honda Center - Anaheim

Dec 21-26

Citizens Business Bank Arena - Ontario

Dec 29-Jan 2

Long Beach Arena

Jan 5-9

Here's the special ticket deal - get a special $48 Family Four-Pack offer or $4 savings on ticket prices ($12-$16-$21) for select performances! Regular ticket prices are $16-$21-$25.

Use the code "MOM" at TicketMaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000, to redeem your savings! Savings to not apply to front row or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges and handling fees may apply.

We'll be at Staples center! Hope you and your little ones can make one of the performances too! Happy holidays!

A SoCal Giveaway of Thanksgiving!

I'm THRILLED to announce this very awesome giveaway, made possible by Screamin Daily Deals and The Blog Frog's SoCal Family Connect community. 


Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and that means the holiday season is upon us! This has been a difficult year for our great country and many of us are tightening up our budgets and spending more carefully. Even if your financial status hasn't changed in 2010, I'd be willing to bet you know a family who has experienced job loss, bankruptcy, home loss and more.


Let's get to the good part of this post - I have been given a full turkey or ham holiday dinner, made by the fine people at Bellemente Catering in Santa Clarita Valley, to GIVE AWAY!!! This is a $150 value and the winner gets it for FREE!


What I'm hoping is that people will enter this giveaway and of course, if they are in need, keep it for themselves - but if not, I hope that the winner will donate this fabulous meal to a family in need, or a local organization such as a shelter, half-way house, etc. Be creative and think of what you could do with this meal! I also hope this giveaway will spread awareness of Screamin Daily Deals and the great things they are doing for our local communities... on top of giving us killer deals!


Maybe this giveaway will inspire YOU to buy additional meals through Screamin Daily Deals and give them away! Spread the love this holiday season and feel good about your purchase contributing to local schools and non-profits as well. That's the coolest thing about Screamin Daily Deals!


You can view the details of this holiday dinner here and remember this link is just to see the details of what the dinner includes - you do NOT have to buy the deal!


Here's what you'll get - Serves 8-10 people:
- Choose either a whole, roasted, unsliced turkey OR ham
- Salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Gravy
- Rolls
- Pumpkin pie


Here is the fine print:
- Does NOT have to be use for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This deal doesn't expire until Feb 12, 2011 so you can use it any time before then if you are the winner
- Must place your order 72 hours in advance
- You must pick up the food in Santa Clarita or you can have it delivered within their delivery area for an additional fee
- They are closed on the actual holiday, so if you want this deal for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you will have to get/receive the food the day before and reheat for your holiday meal.


To enter the giveaway, please leave a separate comment for each entry. There are 7 different ways to enter and the first two are mandatory! This giveaway is a short one and will only run through midnight PST on Thursday, Nov 18, 2010:


1) Leave a comment and tell me what you would do with this meal if you win! (mandatory)
2) Register for Screamin Daily Deals - use this link & receive a $5 credit in your account! (mandatory)
3) Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect 
4) Follow me on Twitter
5) Follow my FunnyYellowMom community on TheBlogFrog
6) Follow the SoCal Family Connect community on TheBlogFrog
7) Tweet this giveaway & leave the URL in your comment: 

"Win a FREE Thanksgiving dinner for 10 in SoCal to keep or giveaway! Hurry - ends 11/18!!  http://tinyurl.com/24c42vm  (Plz RT)"  

Winner will be selected using Random.org and must claim the dinner within 24 hours of being notified via email or I will have to select a new winner. PLEASE be sure I am able to reach you via email or Twitter - leave it in your comments!


Good luck and happy giving!

SCREAMIN DEALS!!! Quick - they won't last long!

Just a quick note to let you in on two really great deals - one local here in Orange County and one national that you order online from anywhere in the US! BOTH OF THESE DEALS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LESS THAN 4 HOURS NOW - SO HURRY!!!


If you have kids you know that you are required to label a lot of their stuff - clothes, sports equipment, lunch boxes, toys, sippy cups.... the good ol' Sharpie pen can really get a work out and so can your writing arm, but the problem is it does wear off with washing. There's this awesome company called LabelDaddy.com and they make these customizable, adhesive labels that are even water proof! A mom at the mall playground told me about them last year and she swears by them. She labels her kid's sippy cups and runs them through the dishwasher and they stay on! On clothes and they stay on through the wash. Nice!


Now that Aubrey is in pre-school, I do have to label things but have been really lazy about it because it's a lot of work. Now I have a great excuse to try out LabelDaddy.com. Here's the deal: 

$25 for $50 worth of labels! Buy it now!

The SoCal/Orange Country local deal is 50% off admission to the Orange Country Women's Expo on November 21st in Anaheim. I've heard lots of great things about this Expo and here's a chance to get a ticket for only $2.50. AND if you use my link to register with Screamin Daily Deals, you get a $5 credit and that means it's FREE!!!

Here's the link for the OC Women's Expo

And here's my special link for a $5 credit Screamin Daily Deals registration!

Have fun and have a great day!

Hi from Milwaukee, WI

This mama is on the road all week in America's Dairyland; Wisconsin. I have two shows behind me this stretch and four more to go before I head home for a day and a half.


Sadly, I'll be missing my boyfriend's birthday on the 12th and as always, I miss him and my little girl, Aubrey. The comedian does not live a glamorous life nor and easy one. I'm all screwed up on the time changes - especially since daylight savings just ended too - and I haven't been exercising so I don't feel so awesome right now. Tomorrow, I'll get on that. I was bummed when I arrived at my hotel to find out the hotel gym is being remodeled right now. Boo!


But I do get to see the country and sometimes the world. Why, tomorrow I'll be driving to the exciting town of Appleton, WI and then on to La Crosse, Superior and Platteville. WOOT!


It's late - better get to bed. Big day of driving and luggage schlepping tomorrow. 

Join Me On SoCal Community on TheBlogFrog.com

(Imagine there's a nice photo here... working on it)

Fat announcement: I have just joined the team over at TheBlogFrog.com as a community leader for the SoCal Family Connect community! If you're a blogger, you've probably already heard of Blog Frog and you might be aware of what a great tool it is for building your readership, discovering other blogs and connecting with blogger communities all over the place.


There is a team of six SoCal bloggers serving as community leaders and we'll be talking about everything from books, parenting, money, sports, recipes/cooking, entertainment and more. Come join in the discussions and share your thoughts. We want to hear from you and know what YOU think! You'll probably make some new friends too. Awww! 


The Blog Frog's SoCal Family Connect Community is sponsored by Screamin Daily Deals - offering you deep discounts on lots of awesome stuff in your area and then giving part of your money back to local schools and non-profits. Cool way to build community, huh?


Right now, I'm on the road in the midwest and I'm so glad to have a little break from my 3 year old's television shows. If I have to hear The Fresh Beats Band song, "Loco Legs" one more time or have to listen to that skinny white kid "rapping" anymore, I may throw the tv out the window and follow it. What kid shows do you love and hate?


Am I the only one out there who had a little secret crush on Robbie Rotten? I also know all of the Yo Gabba Gabba episodes and I kind of wish I were Super Martian Robot Girl. 


So come on over the the Frog side and see what we have to offer! I bet you'll get hooked like me - it's kind of like Facebook for bloggers. YIKES!

Aubrey's Mickey Mote Review

Aubrey is ready to get started!

Today Aubrey and I received a new Disney Mickey Mote to try out and Aubrey's review is in!

The Mickey Mote is a preschooler remote control device that allows the viewer to interact with special Disney DVDs in a "Discovery" mode. The lucky preschooler's parent or caretaker gets to program the Micky Mote with the DVD remote and then you are pretty much ready to get started. Also, you are able to play the interactive Discovery mode games with your regular DVD remote arrow buttons.

The Mickey Mote seems fairly simple, and not to brag, but my kid's no dummy, so I thought she'd pick it up quickly. Aubrey is just under 3-1/2 years old and this product is being marketed to children between 2-5 years of age.

She really wanted to "do the star"

Aubrey's first reactions: 

She loved the packaging and couldn't wait to get it out of the box!

She loved the buttons and wanted to "do the star" immediately

There were a couple issues getting started: The Mickey Mote requires 2 AAA batteries which aren't included and I didn't have on hand. I had to charge up our rechargeable batteries and this made Aubrey really antsy having to wait. I popped in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Numbers Roundup DVD but apparently I programmed the buttons in the wrong sequence because I feel the directions weren't written in the best sequence. When we tried to answer the first questions on the DVD, it wasn't reading correctly, so this caused a little more lag time. (see the video)

I had to reprogram it and then we had it right. By this time Aubrey had lost a little bit of interest in answering the questions and simply wanted to watch. She also wasn't very interested in answering the questions correctly, but just wanted to click the characters or pictures she liked the best. Aubrey is a girl with strong opinions, much like her mother.

Aubrey tries it on her own

Now, before I go any further, I should mention that I have the world's CHEAPEST DVD player. It was the cheapest one you can get at Best Buy about 2 years ago, so maybe it's a little slower than others, but Aubrey seemed to be a little impatient waiting for the questions to load and then go back to the cartoon action. It was like a pause, then the question, then a pause before returning to the actual cartoon. I also felt there was a bit too much cartoon in between each question and the questions weren't worded really well for a preschooler. I had to really help Aubrey understand what they were asking. 

One other negative is that even though the remote is easy for little hands to hold, my 3 yr old didn't quite understand the concept of pointing it right at the DVD player to get it to work. Once again, my total piece of doo-doo DVD player might not respond quite as well as others' DVD players, so you might not have a problem with this, but it seemed like it didn't work very well unless it was pointed pretty directly to the player.

Now, for the good part... it's Disney and my kid loves anything Disney. As a test, I started out working with her, helping her answer the questions and prompting her to push the correct buttons and then I let her go and sat back to observe. Once she was doing it on her own, she wasn't getting the answer correct most of the time, but she still enjoyed playing with it and pretending she was doing even more than just answering the actual questions. 

Who doesn't want to see this face on their TV?

She loves Mickey's Clubhouse and really enjoyed watching the DVD, even if the Mickey Mote wasn't quite up her alley. She dances and sings along to the songs and bottom line, I think this will be a lot more fun and appropriate for her several months from now. This is the first kind of "video game" she has been introduced to at home, so I think she'll catch on with a little practice. I'm thinking four and five year olds will really get this right away and for two and three year olds, it's something you and your child will probably have to play with together and learn as you go. Nothing wrong with that.

Just in time for holiday shopping, the new Mickey Mote will be available beginning Nov 16, 2010, packaged in a DVD Play Set with either Mickey Mouse: Clubhouse Numbers Roundup or Handy Manny: Big Construction Job. It retails for around $29.99 and the other Discovery Mode enhanced DVDs are already on the market and ready to use with your new Mickey Mote, including Handy Manny's Motocycle Adventure, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally, Little Einstein's Fire Truck Rocket's Blast Off and six additional titles.

I hope you found this review helpful and happy Mickey Moting everyone! Woohoo!

I was not compensated for this review and I did receive the product to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed on this blog are completely my own. So there.

It's Raining, It's Snowing, It's The Road

Ball State University Campus - Nov 5, 2010

Just a quick note to say hello from cold, wet, slightly snowy Indiana. I'm in Muncie, IN and was in Fond du Lac, WI last night. I'm so grateful for the work, but this weather blows. I'm really not used to the cold anymore and I'm such a wimp about it, it's pretty pathetic. I'm not sure why anyone gets out of bed in this kind of weather. It makes me want to lie in bed and watch Oprah all day with a box of candy and a cup of tea. OK, I fantasize about this at home in SoCal when it's 100 degrees out, but the cold adds a little something special to the fantasy.


Next week I'll be on the road all week in Wisconsin and I'm sure it will be even colder, but despite the cold, I'm grateful for the work and hanging out with college students reminds me just how old I am, which is always a treat. Tonight, I mentioned to a student at Ball State University that I recently went to my 20th high school reunion and I'm pretty sure I heard her gasp a little bit. 


I'll be making a quick pit stop home this weekend before heading back out for the week and I'm looking forward to seeing my sweetie and my little Aubrey.


I hope you're keeping warm, wherever you are.

Fresh Brothers Pizza - Play With Your Food!

Aubrey calls him the "Pizza Guy"

I've heard people talk about Fresh Brothers Pizza but had never been to one. Well, lucky me, a brand spankin' new location just opened in my hood so Aubrey and I went to check out the grand opening!

The artist hard at work

To celebrate the new spot, kids got to decorate their own pizza boxes and then make their own personal pizza. We got to sample the cheese and pepperoni pizza as well and check out the new restaurant.

Doing it all by herself!

Ta-Da! Ready for the oven!

Aubrey had so much fun at this celebration, that she requested to go there for her special treat after her first dentist appointment yesterday! She ate MORE pizza and when we went in to use the bathroom, she was beyond thrilled to find out there was a tv in there. This is pure magic for a three year old. OK, I got a little excited too. 

The finished masterpiece

Fresh Brothers is fresh pizza, salads and wings. Simple and good. Good ingredients equals good food and they also have a full gluten-free menu which I think is so awesome. We are not a gluten-free family, but I know it's a big concern for many families today. The other super cool thing for all you parents out there, is the kids' special pizza sauce that they make - it has several different veggies blended into it and the kids don't even know. It really is delicious!

This is fun!

Click HERE to see their entire menu!

We don't eat out a lot as we are trying to save money spend more time together at home as a family, but this is the kind of place that is fun to go to as a family. The kids get a ball of dough to play with while you wait for your meal, the food is delicious for adults and kids and the prices are reasonable. The walls are also lined with plasma TVs so you can watch Nick Jr, CNN and ESPN all at the same time. 


Fresh Brothers also delivers and there are now five different SoCal locations to choose from: Redondo Beach, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Westlake Village and Calabasas. 




I was not paid for this post - just got some awesome pizza samples and a child with a messy, happy face. All opinions expressed here are my own. So there.

Goodness is EASY! Now pack your lunch & get outta here...

The good people at Fresh and Easy have come up with a new line of foods called, the GOODNESS line. Why? Because it's just that and to help get the word out I teamed up with Fresh and Easy (my favorite grocery store on the planet, btw) to throw a Goodness party at my house.

Mmmmm... food...

We even had Fresh and Easy Balloons!

The whole point of the Goodness line is to give parents/child caregivers nutritious, easy and affordable options when picking foods for kids. The line includes breakfast cereals, animal shaped mac & cheese, prepackaged fruit, baked chips, kettle corn and more and most importantly they contain no artificial colors, sweetners, flavors or preservatives, no added trans fats or caffeine and no high fructose corn syrup. This is real food your kids will love and many of the items are grab-and-go ready for snacks and lunch bags.

Aubrey & her friend get busy cooking up some more food for the party!

We tested the Goodness products out on my daughter, 3 year old Aubrey, and some of our friends and it was thumbs up all around. The mac and cheese was especially a hit and Aubrey loves the cereals for breakfast or an after school snack. Not gonna lie, so do I.

The happy Goodness testers

School season is in full swing, so if you're a busy mom, make your life a little easier and check out the products. Now go pack that lunch, guilt-free, and eat the rest of the Halloween candy before the kids come home from school. Oh come on, I'm not the only one... right?


Fresh and Easy stores can be found in California, Nevada and Arizona. If you're one of the lucky people to live in these states, here's a link to find a Fresh and Easy near you!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Giveaway!

MGM just released the 1968 family classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, on blu-ray DVD and to celebrate, Aubrey and I attended a special screening of the movie at The Grove in Los Angeles. Where we were treated to popcorn, drinks, a Scrumptious Sweet Co. candy bar and even got to see Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes (Truly Scrumptious) in person. To say it was a bit of a childhood dream come true would be an understatement.

Aubrey was thrilled beyond words (um, did you see these lollipop bushes mommy?) and is absolutely hooked on the tittle song. Even if she does pronounce it "Kitty Kitty Bang Bang" it's music to my ears hearing her sing a song from my childhood. 

We did end up leaving shortly after intermission (yes... there's an intermission) because the movie is 144 minutes long - you do the math. My kid is three. But she really did love what she saw and now we own the new blu-ray DVD so we can watch the parts she likes the best, right at home. The DVD also has some great extras like a sing-along, interactive games, Sherman Brothers' demos (the brilliant composers who wrote the music for this movie and other classics like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and The Aristocrats), Remembering Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke and more.

It had been a loooong time since I had seen this movie and I think I like it even more now. So much fun and Dick Van Dyke really is a true icon. However, if you remember the scene when all the dogs run into the Scrumptious Sweet Company factory during the Toot Sweets number, I'm about 100% sure I saw a dog fall from the upper walkway in the background. I'm not kidding. I couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the movie. Oy! OK... anyway... Now you need to get the DVD so you can see it, and...

Now you can! The good folks at MGM have given two copies of the new hi-def transfered blu-ray Chitty Chitty Bang Bang DVD for me to giveaway to my blog readers. Here's how to enter the drawing - each one counts as an entry, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each action. It's easier for me to count them this way:

1) Follow my blog on GFC

2) Leave a comment about a memory of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang OR tell me if you haven't seen it yet!

3) Tweet this giveaway - here's something you can copy and paste:

"Enter to win a blu-ray DVD of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on @TheAmyAnderson 's blog: http://tinyurl.com/29da6m7 HURRY Ends 11/7! Plz RT!"

Here's the fine print, but I'll actually leave it normal size so you can read it. If you remember this movie, then you're OLD like me... This giveaway will end at midnight PST on Sunday, November 7, 2010. Two recipients will be chosen from the entries, using Random.org. A shipping address must be received from the recipient within 24 hours of notification or a new recipient will be chosen.

I was not compensated to write this review. I did receive copies of the DVD as a gift and giveaway items and attended a screening of the DVD to facilitate my review. So there.