One of the things that I’ve always loved about Beverly Hills is that it’s not obsessed with football. I chose a husband for this reason – during the year of courtship well into the first years of our marriage, I was blessed to call back home and tell my friends who are football or deer season widows that I was neither. WAS.

Thanks to the influence of business travel to Georgia and one of my crazy Mississippi friends, my husband has become an SEC fanatic and now he claims 24/7 TV viewing rights on weekends to the SEC and Seahawks! I complain bitterly that I did not sign up for this! It was easy for me to move all the way out here because I never liked football, and never could relate to anything football. I would rather do almost anything than go to a home game at my own alma mater, let alone one of the top three universities. There’s indisputable evidence that had I remained in my home town, I would have had to conform to the calendar of football if nothing else: many invitees did not make it to our wedding reception in Mississippi due to the fact that it was the weekend of the Ole Miss vs. State game. Priorities. So now in my own adult home, each year I grumble about hating the games and the loud noises they make when they are on TV. I serve a lot of dude food like queso and onion dips, then go have cocktails at Neiman Marcus with friends who are oblivious to football as well.

But I have to love this one fictional football team in South Carolina that my friend Nancy has created. Last Sunday while my hubby watched football, I attended the premiere of my sweet Alabama ex pat pal, who has embraced the football obsession of our home with The Bar. Nancy had the idea and got together with some other cool Hollywood people, and they now have ten episodes of this hilarious comedy about a bar in a community college town in the Deep South. Two of my most creative friends Shannon and Jeannine came along, and we howled at the characters and the colloquialisms. The afternoon, although it was about football, really wasn’t about football. It was about celebrating a friend’s hard work and HUGE accomplishment in a very little timeframe. Watch the whole season of “The Bar” above, and wish the cast and crew a hearty congrats!

In two days the Critter will have been back to school for an entire month, yet in my mind I cannot end summer until after Labor Day. We had exactly two months of summer this year and it just was not enough! It seems that it only just started, and now I’m reflecting upon what we did. If you ask me, I’d say “not much”… then I look at my photo stream.

Turns out there was WAY more to do than hanging out at home! We went to the premieres of Netflix Dinotrux and The Humpback Whales, hung out at the JPL and at a film studio with a producer. I toured the fabulous newly redesigned and rebranded Mosaic Hotel, and attended a glam preview of the new Sephora in Beverly Hills. I dined on SkinnyPasta at the LINE Hotel and partied with Eva Longoria at the launch of the LG ProBake oven. I lost three left flip flops and got the Critter outfitted for Cub Scouts and with an orthodontic spacer appliance.

I met the sons and wife of Charles Schulz, and was able to attend an exclusive presentation of the style book and clips of the upcoming Peanuts Movie, which really warmed my heart. I had just finished the paintings for the book Louis XIV of Beverly Hills and turned them over to a fine art scanner, so this presentation created dreams of my Critter one day making a 3-D film from my work, as Bryan and Craig Schulz have done.

I feel so blessed for this wonderful time, but it goes so quickly – Im pretty sure if I blink hard it will be Halloween.

On this weekend in 2005, I had just met my husband. I had just started back up with a beloved client again to finish more of what we started. I also had just finished designing my mother’s new Gulf Coast house and was there in Gulfport, enjoying the sultry breezes, a few cocktails and amazing gulf seafood, catching up with family and friends. We knew a hurricane was out in there, but we consulted with all the neighbors who were, along with us, veterans of Hurricane Camille. We even knew where the water went up to in our neighbor’s house, and the storm surge wasn’t going to be that high. We would probably hang out upstairs with the shutters closed and the worst that could happen would be six inches of water on the newly refinished pecan wood floors. We scoffed at the idea that we would need to evacuate – there had been so many false alarms in the past, here and when I lived in New Orleans. In a flash flood one day in the early 90s I was stuck on the interstate for nine hours within spitting distance of my Garden District exit, so there was no way we were joining an exodus of people onto Highway 49 to get out, only to be turned away.

And then it got serious. My new almost boyfriend (now husband, who had been in the U. S. Navy) called and asked the address of mom’s house, and when he found the place on the map, he started getting emphatic. “Do you realize how serious this is? You have got to get out of there!”. So the denial slipped away, and we called Robby’s mom who still lives in the old nighborhood that was well out of the storm to see if we could stay the night, then packed up the supplies we were going to use for the storm and headed over. The last thing my mom said about the house was “do you think we should get sandbags for the windows? If there are only a few inches of water reaching the house, they may stop it – I am so worried about ruining the floors…” I think I rolled my eyes or something and told her that it’s time to go. I had become sufficiently convinced that the storm was going to be bigger than we thought.

Robby’s family was fantastic – they had all sorts of systems for survival in place for once the water and power inevitably went dead, and in between watching the wind in the trees predict how close Katrina was coming we ate a lot and watched the news on the solar powered tv, took naps then awakened to ride the storm out in the wee hours of the morning. The storm proceeded to pummel the Coast for an entire night and day, many hours longer than Camille did. We all sort of went into a type of shock, because we didn’t need to see the news to know that there would be nothing left. It took a while for us to get back to the beach, because the destruction from the storm had blocked streets and intersections. We did arrive at what was left of our house just before the National Guard, the press and the looters got in, the latter two before the former. All of a sudden, there we are, talking to Harry Smith standing on the pecan floor, and noticing women rifling through the massive debris that was now our neighborhood.

The reality then became that we needed to get the hell out of there, because it was crushingly obvious that there was nothing to be done or saved. We managed to get up Highway 49 over countless downed trees and power lines, shocked by how far inland the destruction was all the way back to Jackson, where my mom’s primary residence is. We noted what a luxury it was that her building had a generator so we were able to be cool and get clean, after almost three days of hurricane experience. We were very fortunate to have that luxury, as it was not so for so most. Our friends and family suffered extreme hardships and many lost everything. People died during and in the aftermath from the stress and fear and seeing the world look like the apocalypse had happened. None of these are happy memories.

I am very grateful for the few days before Katrina ruined everything, because my childhood hometown looked more beautiful and lush and graceful than ever before, and I got to relive the best parts of my memories by driving down Highway 90 with my mom, commenting on every house that we loved to talk about since I was old enough to say veranda. They lined the beach drive like beautiful ladies in a row, having an afternoon cocktail and watching the water. It hurts to know that they are not there anymore – gone along with the surge of the tide of a natural disaster. I only wish I’d taken a “before” video.

I love that my married life and motherhood have begun to have annual traditions. The springtime months are always a whirlwind – April brings Easter and My Perfect Husband’s birthday with the Critter’s birthday immediately after, then Mother’s Day, and then I travel to a different city every year for the PBS Annual Meeting. I always am energized by the wonderful networking and programming I am able to preview, and the fun I have with my fellow PBS Kids VIPs and friends from PBS SoCal. It’s also become a tradition now that my Mother’s Day gift to myself is to take some extra time off and explore the city after the meeting has ended.

When I discovered that this year’s meeting would take place in Austin, Texas, I immediately thought GIRL TRIP! I had just reconnected with my best best best friend from high school (thank you Facebook), and she lives in Austin. My BFF Debra, who was my first roomie here in LA is now happily married and living in Houston, so I announced we would get together as soon as my meetings ended.

A huge thank you to the folks at PBS and PBS Kids for making our visit completely awesome! In the realm of tradition, our PBS Kids Very Involved Parent group have now attended three Annual Meetings, and now here we were at the fourth – we now have connected as friends and had a terrific time catching all the moments together – the highlights this year included: a special performance at the venerable Austin City Limits by the up and coming Peterson Brothers, hilarious and inspirational breakout sessions with the creators of the latest PBS Kids programming Ready Jet Go! and Nature Cat, and a fun informative cook’s tour of the pristine new Whole Foods Market. I learned (and ate) more in these few days than I have room to share, but stay posted for a more information as the premieres of the new shows come nigh, and a trip to the JPL with the folks from Ready Jet Go!

I hugged goodbye to all my VIPs and before I knew it Bianca was there to pick me up, just like when we were in high school! We talked so much and caught up on the last twenty years, and it was like no time had passed at all. We talked kids, husbands, history, food, drinks, politics, fashion, and I don’t know what else over lots of great food in several different locations. I got to meet her super creative smart kids and see where she lives, and it was all good. She is still a raving beauty who can make me belly laugh, and I can’t wait until our next rendezvous.

Debra rolled in from Houston on Friday afternoon, giving me a chance to lie around binge watching Grace and Frankie, (which was perfect, considering that it’s a show about old friends), and then get my act together, because she was looking fabulous from H-town. We figured out that we have now been friends for twenty years! It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since we were roommates near the Farmers Market for my first summer working for Wilson and Associates – we were instant gal pals and have never wavered in supporting and cheering one another on, and it was so good to be together in this funky fun town to do nothing but gab, eat, drink, and take in local culture. Taking pity on me as a mom who has to keep up with everyone’s schedules, Deb had sussed all the cool stuff to do, so all I had to do was be ready to go, and go we did. She found some terrific hot spots for us to do our apps and cocktails thing, and some fantastic music venues that took me back to my college days of hitting the Subway Lounge and the Delta Blues Festival. We even managed to do a power walk and do a little shopping. I have to say that Austin is a really cool place – great culture, sophisticated quality dining without pretense, and an all around good time, in fact, I really want to go back as soon as I can! Check out my photos to see some of our highlights and for information on the venues – it was a perfect place to have me-time with my girls and come back to Beverly Hills revitalized.

Thank you again to my sweet friends and the wonderful staff at PBS Kids for making this such a special trip – next year: Chicago! I have to get on Facebook and see who I know there…

The first time I met Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff was in 2010 at a wonderful eco-awareness event at Rolling Greens – deciphering what chemicals are going into our home, food, and clothing was something that concerned me greatly, and I was really impressed by the non-judgy way Rachael’s group shared information and super luxe “green” products. Y’all know how we moms are constantly being shamed for so many things that it’s hard to keep up. I think we all get it that less toxins = better, but sometimes it can be overwhelming and one feels like only scientist can translate the chemistry.

Over the years I’ve watched Rachel persevere with her message and I just love how she get things DONE! Publishers say no? Who cares? Rachel has worked on this book since her youngest child was born eight years ago, and I was able to celebrate the release with her and some other fabulous moms with missions last month at the Naturepedic store on Robertson. The evolution of the partnership between Mommy Greenest (Rachel) and Naturepedic was organic (pardon the pun), as Rachel and Barry Cik, founder of the American made organic mattress company both created their product out of care for their children and grandchildren. The event was chock full of friends supporting a better way to do things and sipping champagne in celebration with some of the best foraged nibbles I’ve tasted in ages from Mia of Transitional Gastronomy .

You can read the ebook here, or order the printed book directly from Rachel, too – but don’t wait – it’s a limited edition! A huge congratulations to Rachel on completing her mission and thanks to Naturepedic for helping her realize the vision. Now I just need to get a new mattress to lie on and read the book…

Were you wondering why I was having lunch with William Shatner last week? Let me tell ya, he is an ICON. Not since I posted this picture of the lovely Dahm Triplets have I gotten such feedback! Funnily, the first thing people would say after “William Shatner? For real? Awesome!” would be “what are y’all holding in your hands?”

That, my friends, would be an adorable hand knitted lovey-creature called a Clanger:
“Clangers is a Sprout Original series that follows a family of pink, long-nosed, inventive and inquisitive mouse-shaped creatures who live on a small blue planet, out in the starry stretches of space not far from our world. The Clangers have many friends that make up their community but welcome creatures from outside planets as well. Kind and generous creatures, they communicate with distinctive whistles, and a narrator–William Shatner–comments on the thrilling and often hilarious events which occur in every episode.”
I think we can all agree that Clangers will be far out! Premieres tomorrow on Sprout – check your local listings.
A very special thanks to the folks at Sprout for such a memorable afternoon, and thanks to Courtney for my poached photo below. I was actually sitting so close to Bill (yeah he’s Bill now), I couldn’t get a good shot (see my ring and my pursecase strap photobombing.

Mr. Shatner with one of the Stars of the new Sprout show Clangers . #sproutclangers #santamonicamacaronikid #mackid #williamshatner #sprout #kidshows

A photo posted by Courtney Lewis (@mackidcourtneyl) on Jun 10, 2015 at 12:52pm PDT

Binge watching is nothing new to me. In my college days I loved to rent six (the limit) VHS movies from our local video store, pick up Chinese takeout and live off the two for the weekends my mom might be out of town. Once I had my own apartment, I carried on this ritual for many years, devouring one movie after the other. Following these binges, I would have huge spurts of productivity and creativity, accomplishing all the things I had guilt over not doing while I was watching the movies. Over time this has become a part of my creative process, the movies setting the tone for what comes next.

The first television series I can recall binge watching was cable series about two brothers. I knocked out an entire season in three days, and coincidentally ran into one of the lead characters in Trader Joe’s the day after I completed the season finale. I approached him and told him that I loved the show, and that I watched all the episodes back to back. He seemed really surprised that a person would do that, so I deduced that this was not something everyone does.

But now we have Netflix. No commercials. No waiting for a new episode! I started my love affair with Netflix by watching Arrested Development – all four seasons – in eight days. I am now having to check myself occasionally(frequently), because when I binge watch a show, I tend to take on the attitude of the program and need to remember that I’m NOT IN THE SHOW. I’ll have you know that I started watching season three of Orange is the New Black at eleven pm on Thursday night, and finished at 3:30 am Sunday. I have to make sure I don’t backhand anyone, make my own wine in a jar, give myself a tattoo, or start smoking again. I’m pretty tired, but at some point in the fourth episode I figured out how I want to sketch a design for a silk scarf in the collection I’m doing, so now I can’t wait to get to it. I guess my system still works.

I’m really happy Netflix chose me as a #StreamTeam member, which has allowed me these indulgences that I so love. Recent binges include Grace and Frankie, Bloodline, and the Critter is nuts for All Hail King Julien. Now that I have outed myself, y’all wont be able to stop me from chatting the things I’m watching. I am already planning to watch Sense8 when I go into my next creative torpor.

Wow, this is a game changer across all playing fields. As unfathomable this is even to a person like me who has always had friends and colleagues who challenge gender roles, I look at it as a mother. Things will be really different on the playground now that a well respected Olympic decathalon winner can step up and say. “This is the real me”. I wonder what the future will hold now that Bruce is Caitlyn, not Kaitlyn.

I’ve been obsessed with Instagram this year and how easy it is to post my latest moments in time. If you’re missing my longer musings, don’t worry; My Perfect Husband slipped a new MacBook Pro in my carry on as I left for Austin, and it makes blog posts really easy. I love that the tech is catching up to how I want to spend my life – more time doing things, less time worrying over technical things that take away the joy of sharing something cool. More to come…

Oh hello there – I’m in Austin right now attending PBS Annual Meeting. There’s SO much more great programming  coming this year! I will share more soon, but for now listen to this awesome ditty from the new PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go! performed by the folks who brought you Dinosaur Train. This will stick in little minds like the Schoolhouse Rock of your childhood. I really wish I’d had this to help me through Astronomy 101…