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Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of  Clever Girls Collective . #UbiChamps Impromptu dance party with Elli and her friends. Today's post is by elli mulkey, age 11 Just Dance 4 is a fun, active, video game for the wii and play station. The game is for all ages. It's fun for party's, sleepovers, and just hanging out with friends. I really enjoyed playing it with my friends. You don't need to know how to dance, you just follow the people on the screen. It is also a friendly competition. You try to follow the moves as best as you can to earn points. Who ever has the most points at the end of the game wins. You can even make your own character and collect prizes for moving up levels. The prizes are new songs. I LOVE dancing. So it's the perfect game for me. I've only played it a few times and I'm already on level 6. It is easy to work, an...

We just went from here.... enjoying the pool, beach and beautiful views in Cabo San Lucas and delicious frozen cocktails like the Miami Vice. (Half Piña Colada half Strawberry Daiquiri and one hundred percent yum.) To home......where we're getting ready for the first day of school. Which is of course exciting. But it means summer is over and we're back to our school routine - less freedom and fun. We'll need some date nights on the patio with home-made versions of the Miami Vice cocktail!! Elli was a nervous chatter box in anticipation of her first day of middle school, which is today. She lay in bed quizzing me on multiplication tables. "Is eleven times eleven one hundred and twenty one?" she shouted from her room. "Yes." "Is eleven times twelve one hundred and thirty two? "uh.....yes." Did I cheat by looking up the answer on my iphone. Maybe. "Yay! I'm doing math problems in my head!" she said. ...

Thai Sesame Stir Fry I was sitting at my desk the other day thinking about what to cook for dinner when I got an email from a new food company here in Northern California called Citizen Chef.  It was like a little food angel reaching out to me. The email went something like this: Dear Kris, According to a survey 93% of people say sharing a meal is the most important activity in connecting them with their family. So where do busy moms and dads find the time to stir up a quick, and healthy meal for family dinner? Meet Citizen Chef , a recently launched San Francisco-based food startup focused on providing a solution for busy parents – by bringing healthy ingredients to families who are time strapped, on-the-go and want to share a home-cooked meal. Each meal “kit” includes fresh veggies and flavors that prepare a complete chef-inspired dinner in under 15 minutes.   Any interest in testing out a meal? uh, heck yes!!! I printed the coupon and drove...

We had the most amazing drinks and dinner with friends last night. We ventured into San Francisco and tried a Moroccan restaurant called Aziza . It's not like any Morrocan restaurant I've ever been to. No sitting on cushions on the floor. No eating with your hands. Chef Mourad Lahlou has taken traditional Moroccan dishes and reinvented them in ways that harmonize with the fresh, local, artisanal ingredients of Northern California. It was really impressive. I'm not sure they were quite ready for three couples out on the town on a Wednesday night because all their kids were away at camp. We started at the bar. We almost didn't make it to our table we were having so much fun. The mixologists (bartenders) along with the owner have created a menu of cocktails using fresh ingredients, muddled herbs, vegetables and fruits, spices and of course the latest and greatest spirits. It was hard picking which drink to order. We were all in awe of their skills behind the...

I tried my hand at mixology today! I bought a mixer from BevMo! called MIXT Pomegranate Martini mix. The idea with this mixer is you just add vodka and you have an instant cocktail. The flavor is pretty good, but it was a little flat all by itself. So I did a little of my own mixology and came up with this tasty treat!! It's a good thing I'm addicted to cooking shows because I never would have thought of adding basil. Enjoy! Blackberry Pomegranate Cocktail 1 oz cold Vodka 2 oz MIXT Pomegranate martini mix 3/4 oz Blackberry syrup 1 large basil leaf 1 small lemon wedge 1 lemon twist for garnish In a shaker  with ice add vodka, MIXT, syrup, basil, lemon wedge. SHAKE 15-20 times. Pour in martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Blackberry Syrup 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1.5 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh) In a small saucepan add water and sugar. Bring to a boil, dissolve sugar. Take off heat. Add blackberries. Let sit for 15 minutes. ...

Remember a few years ago when Elli donated her hair to Locks of Love ? She did it again. This time she donated 14" of hair! Our friend Lisa is going through Chemo right now. She's shared with us on Facebook how awful it is to lose her hair, and her nails, and to feel like you're sucking on a tailpipe when getting the chemo treatment. We can't imagine. The worst we have it here in the Mulkey household is being exposed to nasty dog farts. We are so lucky. My achy back and creeky knees are nuthin'. Nothing. I'm not being poisoned to eradicate an invader in my body. {thank God} Elli gets this. She wanted to make sure her hair was donated in Lisa's honor. So that's what we did. The hair is used to make wigs for cancer patients. I know I've said this before, but when I grow up I want to be just like Elli. She's 10. I'm not. She's amazing. I'm not saying that I'm not amazing, and gracious, and ge...

Hello. Hello? Anyone here? Hi. I know, I know. I've been M.I.A. I used to be obsessed with writing this blog. Then I got my new social media job with BevMo! I'm so busy tweeting and Facebooking and creating websites, I barely have time to breathe, let alone write something on the blog. I've gone days without even thinking about it. Sometimes a week will pass. {gasp!} It's crazy. I used to obsess over my stats, comments, etc. Not anymore. I thought I was busy before. I had no idea what busy was. Seriously. No idea. My family is taking it well. I'm on the computer ALL THE TIME. The house is not clean. The meals are not good. The family is hanging in there. Elli ate noodles for lunch everyday last week. Of course she loves noodles. But sheesh. Good thing she's the happiest, most awesome kid on the planet. The good news? I love my new job. I'm doing all kinds of fun stuff with pr, social media, grand openings and events - it...

Happy Mother's Day! Don't laugh. But Don and Elli gave me this for Mother's day. The Dyson Animal . Yep. I got a vacuum. Not exactly what I had in mind. I did imagine a gift in a box. A pretty blue box. Or a silver box. Or a box that fits in the palm of your hand. Not a box big enough for Elli to make a fort - which is what she did the minute the new vacuum was lifted out. They did get me a cute pair of jammies too. So that's good. And Don did do the vacuuming today. Another plus. But then he proceeded to tell me how hot and sweaty he got vacuuming - so I doubt he'll be manning the animal again anytime soon. The machine is so strong and powerful it's harder to maneuver. So here's the good part. Our floors and carpets are clean. We were shocked and disgusted with how dirty they were. We thought we had a nice vacuum. (SEBO) But it was not doing the trick. We filled up the Dyson container after vacuuming the house. FILLED IT UP! As in it wa...

Oui Oui! French wine is delicious!! J'adore vin français (I love French wine!!) I always thought I didn't like French wine. I had a few bad experiences with wine that tasted really horsey. Literally, it tasted like a stinky horse in the barn. So I shied away from French wine. I'm happy to report that I was wrong!!! The funny thing is, I don't think I'm the only person that is a bit shy about French wine. I attended a French wine tasting at BevMo! last Thursday. Our guests at these tastings usually head straight for the bar and immediately start tasting. The atmosphere is always lively with guests sipping wine and friends chatting. This night was different. Everyone walked into the tasting room and went straight for the cheese without filling their glass with wine. And no one was talking. It was weird. I think they were intimidated by the labels. It couldn't have been our host. Emmanuel was delightful. He was friendly and charming with a twinkle i...

Don's wine flight We went to BIN 38 in San Francisco last Saturday. We took Elli with us, which probably wasn't the best decision, but we were eating early (5:45pm) and thought it would be fine. We rarely go out anymore. But now that I'm working again (woo hoo!) we decided to treat ourselves to a day in the city. Don did a quick search of places in SF and found BIN 38. We love wine so it sounded great to us. It was listed as a $$ price point. Which is a little misleading unless you're very careful with what you order. It turns out BIN 38 is quite the happening singles scene and it's more wine bar than restaurant. They made an amazing plate of pappardelle noodles with an alfredo sauce for Elli. It was super tasty so she was happy. Don and I each had a different wine flight, w shared the olive tapenade appetizer, and each of us enjoyed a really yummy entree. He had scallops. I had chicken. Burrata $14 Castelvetrano olive tapenade, garlic puree, char...

I have an amazing BBQ chicken recipe for you. It's awesome, and so easy, you'll hug me the next time you see me. This is the kind of meal the boys love. And when the boys are happy and full, we're happy. Right? That's how it is in my house anyway. And I only have one boy to feed. But he's a big eater. So when I can satisfy him I'm oh-so-happy.  Want to know the best part? You can have this sandwich, which is a meal, on the table in 30 minutes. Start to finish. It starts with this dude right here: Guy Fieri. And the big honkin' roast chickens they make at Costco. No one will need to know that you really didn't do anything. It will be our little secret.  Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwich serves 6 1 large Rotisserie chicken  1 jar Guy Fieri Kansas City BBQ Sauce 1 package of cole slaw mix 1 jar Marie's Cole Slaw Dressing 6 Slices of Sourdough Bread 1 clove of garlic 3 T butter Cheese (optional) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chicken...

"Mom, I want to go on a date." silence "Mom, I want to go on a date. Can I go? I want to know what it's like."   silence "Mom?" she was standing two inches from my face. "I heard you." I was processing what she said, thinking that if I didn't make eye contact with her she would drop the subject and walk away. "Mom....I want to go on my first date with a boy that I know, that's a friend." WHAT? A date? With who? Where will you go? "You know I'm going with you. Wherever you go."  My mind was racing with so many thoughts. I didn't really expect to have this conversation so soon. A date? Boys? She's in fifth grade. Is this normal? Should I let her. Holy crap, I need Don. "Where's your dad? Don?" I looked at the door hoping he would magically appear at that very moment. "Mom. It's just a question." she said, with just a little bit of eye roll. The thought o...

Can you believe it? I've been blogging for 3 years! It all started with a post about Pork Chops. Now I occasionally get paid to write a post. I've been invited to be on Anderson Cooper, people send me things to write about (like wine!) I went to the Napa Valley Film Festival and got to meet Adrien Grenier (hello gorgeous), attended BlogHer Food and the Wine Sisterhood conference. Crazy, right!!? And so fun. I'm a Member of the Clever Girls network where I'm friends with some really cool cats, including a girl named CAT! I've written sponsored posts for the Napa Valley Film Festival, Heart of Haiti, Cheerios, Star Olive Oil, Sante Nuts, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Yahoo, Marzetti Salad Dressing, Cube Dog and Walgreens. I joined a writing club called The Red Dress Club which then evolved into Write on Edge. It became much more than a writing club for me. I made real friends. I was featured in the Marin IJ Newspaper in January. A mind blowing and very c...

I have a guest post today!!! Please read this essay by my friend Karen Lynch. Karen and Kyra We met about 6 years ago at a China girls playgroup shortly after we moved from Connecticut to California. She has written a story about her adoption experience and is looking to get it published. Please vote for her essay on Facebook . The winner of the contest will get to meet with a book publisher! Click here to link to the story, then click the "like" button at the end of the story. Thank you! # # # # # The Road to Kyra by Karen Lynch “Look, Mommy! Lil Sis. “ Aidan pointed to the personalized license plate on the car ahead as we drove to school. We had been searching everywhere for signs that his baby sister would soon join our family, our variation of I Spy. The wait seemed interminable. There were, of course, the reams of paperwork. Then, countless referrals we had extracted from friends and employers, people willing to testify we were a wholesome, or at ...

Have you ever thought about what you would do with your lottery winnings when you win? No? Liar. Of course you have. Everyone has. It's fun to dream about all the things you'd buy or do with the money. I've had this really strong feeling about the lottery lately. It could be because it's been in the news. I don't know, I just had this feeling I should buy a ticket. So I did. How cool would it be if I won! I know exactly what I'd do with the money. 1. Pay off our debts. 2. Pay off the mortgages of our immediate family members - my parents, my sister, brothers, my nieces and nephews, brother and sister-in-laws 3. I would buy us a house. 4. Set up a trust for Kiddo! here in Mill Valley. 5. Set up a college scholarship for kids that want to study the arts - dance, music and art. 6. Set up a foundation for small business. I would want us to be like AFLAC. We're there for you in emergencies. We would give 1x only "gifts" to help out...

Have you ever gone on a trip and done something so fun you can't stop thinking about it? That's what this wine blending experience was for me! I got to play wine maker for a day. Pure heaven!!!! It was an amazing experience that I got to share with all my new Wine Sisterhood friends. I wasn't exactly sure what "blending your own wine meant." Would we be climbing on barrels drawing samples with a syringe? Would we be holding our glass up to big tanks grabbing a sip? My mind was full of ideas on how this might work. We were quickly taken from our bus to the AVA room at Conn Creek which was beautifully set with barrels lining the walls, wine glasses on the table, brochures and pens carefully layed out, and a nice little taste of wine waiting for us.  Aaaaaah, this is what they meant. I pictured something much more rustic. Silly me. We started out by tasting the Cabernet from Conn Creek. Everyone loved it. All of us immediately thought, "oooo...