peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

So, I go to the Lancome make-up counter during my lunch break to buy some new eyeshadow.

The make-up girl was unhelpful and a little rude. She boldly suggests that I try the intense anti-wrinkle serum…for extreme wrinkles. Extreme wrinkles?! “Maybe you should try the intense anti-wrinkle serum,” she suggests.

Dude! I know I’ve got some wrinkles around the eyes. Don’t you think I see them every day? Dude! I have big cheeks that go up when I smile and laugh. Too much LOLing, I guess.

I don’t need an orangey-tanned make-up sales tot reminding me. Uh, maybe you should try a college education?

I am reminded of the classic scene in Fried Green Tomatoes when Kathy Bates gets “Towanda” power and bashes into the young woman’s car in the parking lot, exclaiming “I’m older and I have more insurance.” Ugh. Have I turned into Kathy Bates?

Maybe next time, I’ll just visit my gesties (gay besties) at the MAC make-up counter. At least they don’t say mean things to my wrinkled face.

I admit it. I’m a compulsive gum chewer. Always have been. I could give Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a run for her bubbles.

As a kid, it was Hubba Bubba, Bubble Yum, Doublemint, Chiclets, Juicy Fruit, Bubblicious, Fruit Stripe, penny gumball machine-gum I know, right?! A penny!

I can blow a bubble in a bubble. Ooooh, and my father hated that when I’d snap my gum while on a long road trip. And on several occasions, I’d fall asleep with gum and would wake up with it globbed in my hair, requiring some interesting hair cuts.

Then I got the news from the dentist, “Time to switch to sugarless gum.”

So, after years of trying all flavors: spearmint, peppermint, fruity and cinnamon (wintergreen is gaggy), I found my best ever gum.

Pesky Pippi’s pick: Orbit White Bubblemint gum. They are chiclet-like and fun to eat (two at a time is best). And they jangle in your purse, making you sound nice and kooky. It tastes bubble gum-ish and minty, all in one. Fun and good breath, all at the same time.

Can ya feel the excitement?! Can you say Pippi is the next brand ambassador for Orbit White Bubblemint Gum?

Note to mothers: loosen up. Kinect helps you connect with your kids. Accept this.

I encourage you to partake.

Video games are fun. They are part of American pop culture. And they are a big part of my tween’s social life. (I love to say tween…because it sounds really stupid.)

But…  I admit, I am not good at shooters: I have terrible aim. But I do know what’s hip to buy: Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3. I am not a fan of role playing games (that’s RPG to you): I already play too many roles in my life. And I don’t like driving games: I do enough shuttling. Oh and I suck at staying on the road.

But here’s what I love love love on Xbox 360, Kinect games:

• Dance Central
• Dance Central 2–you can introduce your children to C & C Music Factory’s Everybody Dance Now, Digital Underground’s Humpty Dance, and Britney Spears’s Hit Me Baby One More Time. Who doesn’t want to be one of Brit Brit’s back-up dancers? Pick me, Brit!
• Michael Jackson Experience–you can be IN the Thriller video as a zombie. How cool is that?
• Just Dance 3
• Kinect Sports–we have awesome bowling tournaments, right in our living room.
• Kinect Sports Season 2–the other night my tween and I raced down a mountain. And my glutes were sore for days. Oh, and tennis? Brought me back to my high school days.
• Grease Dance–who doesn’t love to dance like Olivia Newton John?

Any chance to boogie and show off my new moves…and to have fun with my kids…is time well spent.

And who really cares if you dance like Elaine from Seinfeld. I said you. Not me. I know how to crunk.

Just remember these two must-haves to play: attitude and your trusty sports bra.

If I am driving in traffic. Or shuttling my kids. And they are already bickering in the back seat. The last thing I want is to hear Barney singing.

I know that Barney delivers a positive message. He is kind and loving and teaches kids to share. But I am actually a Barney hater.

But here are four children’s CDs I love to play in the car with the kids. Over and over.

• Free to Be You and Me is a classic. I loved it as a child, growing up in feminism-power times, and still love it. My kids and I love to sing this song in particular, at the top of our lungs: “Parents Are People.” The messages are still powerful: be yourself, gender equality, and breaking through stereotypes. Although some of the lyrics are a little dated about job equality because today, women are Secretary of State and men work at the MAC make-up counter. Talk about role reversal.

• Really Rosie is another classic from my childhood. Even though it was a vinyl record then. (Nostalgia, right?) The song we love love love to sing loudly is “Alligators All Around.” It’s snappy and it teaches the alphabet. I still clearly remember that  “H” is for “Having Headaches.” Maybe from listening to this song so many times. Play it. Over and over. And trust me, your young children will learn their letters and get an intro to phonics.

• Picnic Playground is by Putumayo and has upbeat songs in different languages. It exposes children to global traditions. And maybe your kids will pick up a few new words in other languages. I like the “Arroz con Pollo” song. Who doesn’t like chicken and rice for dinner? And the South African song “Beautiful Day” is simply beautiful and happy.

• Animal Playground, another CD in the global children’s collection by Putumayo. Every song is a winner. From “The Littlest Birds” to “Don’t Ever Step on a Snake.” And my favorite one that always gets a little tear from me is “Eagles.” About how Mothers need to let their children fly (roots and wings).

But until my children are ready to leave the nest, we will sing these songs at the top of our lungs as we fly down the freeway, late for something.

Who doesn’t love Chinese food? I am definitely a fan of potstickers. With their golden brown outsides and stinky little cabbagy, juicy insides. Yum!

Yet, I am not a fan of eating pork and usually, Chinese restaurants only have that kind. But there’s one potsticker brand that I love love love. And they’ve got chicken in them. And no MSG (except for the optional soy sauce) and no trans fat.

I could well be Ling Ling’s next brand ambassador. Ya never know. You may be seeing a banner ad very soon on my website. Just sayin’.

Buy a bag at Costco. Throw it into your freezer. And then, at 7:00 p.m. (yeah, we eat late), when you’re like “what the hell are we having for dinner tonight?” Just grill up a pan full of these beauties in some olive oil. And ya’d think you’re in Chinatown.