I spent all day yesterday prepping for the video shoot. It's taken me longer than I intended to get this first project done. I had a few ideas, but none of them seemed really good. Then Busy Dad threw down the gauntlet and I knew I had to do something I felt really confident about.

Mary, from The Mama Mary Show tagged me in a meme awhile back. She wanted to know where I thought my life would be now if I had chosen another path. If I were to play the "Woulda, Coulda, Shouda" game, what would I be doing instead? I told her I'd be in business as an event planner. The fact that the idea for my first Tastemaker challenge didn't come to me right away, based on my "Woulda, Coulda" career choice has me wondering if I am overestimating my abilities just a little.

For my first Tastemaker 2010 project, I've planned a theme party. In the final video I'll walk you through it giving tips and ideas on everything from invitations, to decor and food suggestions. I'll link the recipes I used in the accompanying post and maybe offer the invitations I created as a template others can use (if I can figure out how!)

After my video goes live on You Tube I'm going to need a favor. After you watch the video please take a second to rank it using the star system underneath the video. Five stars would make me really happy! You will need a You Tube account (you're good if you already have a Gmail or other Google account) and if you don't already have one thank you in advance for signing up! This has been really fun to put together. My anal tendencies may have pushed me to go a little over the top, but who wants a below the top party? My Whrrl story below gives you a little sneak peak.

Thanks for your patience. I'm almost there!

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Breast Cancer Awareness: Video PSA - Touch

Raising Respectful Sons

My son will turn 7 in a few days. He's still a bit of a Mama's Boy, and that's just fine with me. He will hug and kiss me for no reason. Tell me he loves me and that I'm beautiful. He has pulled out my chair at home and in restaurants. He's held doors open and said, "ladies first." Sometimes he'll open the car door for me and close it when I get in. He's growing up to be quite the little gentleman.

When I found out we were having a boy, I told Phil how important it was to me to teach him to be respectful to women. More than just being a gentleman, I want him to understand the concept of not being dismissive toward women, not objectifying them or demeaning them. As Tyler grows up I want him to know what a healthy male/female relationship looks like. It's our job as his parents to teach him those qualities and to lead by example.

Last weekend, a 15-year old girl was gang raped in Richmond California. Allegedly, as many as 20 people watched it happen. So far, five arrests have been made. In this day and age of pocket video cameras and phones with video cameras, I think it's only a matter of time before a tape surfaces. I'm disgusted and so sad for the young woman and her family. And I'm angry with those boys' parents because they failed so miserably at teaching their sons the same lessons I'm teaching mine.

Breast Cancer 3 Day Training Tip: Pedicure Do's and Dont's

My feet have never looked as bad as they do now. I'm embarrassed to wear open toe shoes, but here in the land of almost year-round flip flops it's too warm for boots during the day. I really want to go in for a pedicure but I'm holding off until after the walk.

Here are a few quick pedicure tips:

DON'T: Get a full blown pedicure before the walk. If you have to have cute looking feet, tell the pedicurist not to use any files or pumice stones and to focus only on your toes (see below).

DON'T: Pop any blisters you may get before the walk unless they are really, really bad. Let nature do it's thing. Cover them with moleskin until they pop on their own.

DO: Moisturize! I've been using Aquaphor on my feet at night and it's helping to keep the rough spots from cracking.

DO: Stay on top of your cuticles and the length and shape of your toenails. MANY people lose toenails during the walk. A lot can be attributed to ill fitting shoes, but taking care of any hang nails etc. before the walk can't hurt too.

Any other tips for taking care of your feet that I might have missed?