Julie Delpy Tells Me She Wants Her Son to Speak French

Before Midnight

It's rare that I talk to two celebrities in one week, but I caught up with Julie Delpy at the Four Seasons to talk about her new movie, Before Midnight.

We talked about everything from long-term relationships to growing older to her Paris-born son's American accent.

It's all here at mom.me.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

'Modern Family' Mom Julie Bowen Talks to Me About Anaphylaxis

Julie Bowen (Photo courtesy of Anaphylaxis101.com)

Modern Family actress Julie Bowen discovered her 6-year-old son had life-threatening allergies when he experienced anaphylaxis as a toddler.

Check out my interview with the super-funny and two-time Emmy-winning actress over on mom.me.

While she's serious about educating parents about anaphylaxis, she's also really funny when it comes to talking about her 3 boys -- 6-year-old son Oliver and 4-year-old twins John and Gustav.

When comparing her experience with young boys to her character Claire's older children, she says, "I’m at the very caveman period. It’s very male and grunty and filled with laughing and crying."

Love her!

L.A. Story Is a SoCal Journalism Award Finalist!

All I can say is "wow" right now. I was reading FishbowlLA and discovered that L.A. Story is a finalist in the Blog, Individual category for LA Press Club's 55th annual SoCal Journalism Awards.

So excited! And completely stunned.

The two posts I submitted -- Last Days as an Only Child and Waiting for My Baby -- were (are!) so meaningful to me, and it's amazing that they're getting recognized.

Thank you, LA Press Club! And congrats to all the other finalists!

7 Months Old!

Baby Will is 7 months old!

I know this monthly update comes closely on the heels of last month's 6 month post, but this picture is lighter, brighter and makes me really smile.

Plus, we have another update!

While picking Will up from daycare last week, I found out that he can sit up by himself. I figured he was on his way -- he is a super-fast crawler, after all -- but I hadn't seen his newest feat for myself. ... Until Saturday.

He sits up in the cutest way. Here's how he does it. While lying on his tummy, he pushes his chest and bottom up with his arms (like a little mini push-up). Then he gets his bottom higher and higher into the air, walks his little legs closer to his tummy, as if he's going to stand up, and then, PLOP! He plunks his bottom onto the floor, and voila! Sitting baby!

It's so funny and sweet to watch.

Even more funny and sweet? Watching CC and Will interact. They really make each other laugh. In fact, that's why I chose this photo. CC was behind me while I was taking it, and Will got a kick out of watching her put on a show.

Love my kiddos!

Extreme Bedroom Makeover: Disney Paint Edition *Sponsored*

Ta-da! CC's bedroom makeover, courtesy of Disney Paint

CC got a dose of Disney magic, as her formerly white-on-white bedroom transformed into a glittery, periwinkle playroom. Thanks to a festive shade of Disney Paint and a subtle-yet-charming top coat, CC's once-monochrome walls now have a splash of glittery fun.

While the room itself is lovely, and the shade is just right—not too light, not too dark—what amazed me the most about this project was how relatively easy it was to finish. And the painting itself didn't take up a lot of time. (You can see the "before" pic here.)

I found out that as long as you organize everything beforehand—the brushes and rollers; placing the tape on the wall's edges; setting the drop cloth; and basically just having a strategy—painting can actually be fun. Who knew?!

The topcoat was even easier, as I just used the roller to spread the glittery white liquid over the already-painted walls. (The white eventually disappeared, by the way.) In fact, I decided to glitter up CC's pink bathroom walls while I was at it.

You can see the glitter here (left), which really looks great when the light hits it just right.

So to celebrate CC's "new" room, I invited over some CC's friends from school and the neighborhood. It was really fun, asking all of the girls to don their favorite princess attire. We had princess goodies on hand, including tiaras and wands, as well as treats for the kiddos and grown-ups alike.

CC and her princess friends

The girls made crafts, chased each other around with their wands and—wait for it—sat in a circle talking on CC's bed. For some reason, that made me choke up a little bit—not in front of them, of course. But it was as if some sort of fast-forward button had been pressed, and suddenly CC was in high school and giggling with her friends about secret crushes and crazy teachers. (I digress.)

But the girls loved the paint, and especially the glitter. The moms, too, asked me about the glitter topcoat, wondering if it was a pain to add. (Thankfully, no!)

So, would I dive headlong into a painting project again? I would. Everything was much easier than I'd thought. And would I choose Disney Paint? Definitely. In fact, next time, I might even go for the chalkboard paint, aka Great Slate!

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends.The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.

'What Maisie Knew' *Giveaway*

What Maisie Knew, starring Julianne Moore and Onata Aprile (Photo courtesy of Millennium Entertainment)

UPDATE: Congrats to Jennifermiya, noreen and Anita Althans, who won the What Maisie Knew prize pack! Please email me at losangelesstory@gmail.com with your addresses so I can have them sent to you. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Divorce is obviously hard -- doubly hard when you have parents who are intensely self-involved. That's what happens in new movie What Maisie Knew, starring one of my favorite actresses Julianne Moore and opening in Los Angeles May 17.

Based on the novel of the same name by Henry James, the film tells the story of 6-year-old Maisie as she's navigating life with parents who are way less than ideal.

Julianne Moore stars as an aging rock star to Steve Coogan's contemporary art dealer, and their bitter custody battle is less about providing a stable home for their child (Onata Aprile) than making the other one suffer a more damaging blow.

When the two parents then take on (again, less-than-ideal) new partners -- Maisie's former nanny, Margo (Joanna Vanderham) and the much younger bartender, Lincoln (Skarsgard) -- things go from bad to worse.

As Maisie gets older -- and is shuffled from house to house -- she realizes that she must rely on herself instead of her selfish parents.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

To spotlight What Maisie Knew, I'm giving away 3 sets of goodies from the film and from Julianne Moore.

* A What Maisie Knew poster, signed by star Alexander Skarsgard

* An autographed copy of Julianne Moore's latest children's book in her Freckleface Strawberry series (which CC loves, btw!)

* What Maisie Knew pens from Millennium Entertainment

To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite Julianne Moore movie.

For more chances to win, follow me on Twitter and retweet this giveaway. I'm at @la_story. Or you can "Like" the L.A. Story Facebook page and share the giveaway.

Just be sure to leave extra comments telling me you did so. 

Good luck, and I will announce the 3 winners on Friday, May 24!

Why I Love Mother's Day, aka Staycations Are Totally Worth It

Hilton Anaheim

I spent Mother's Day weekend with my kiddos taking in the gorgeous view from the 12th floor of the Hilton Anaheim.

Talk about the power of a semi-staycation.

While Ian had to work (boo), CC, Will and I made the hour-and-change drive down to Orange County and enjoyed an overnight break from the normal L.A. routine.

We splurged on hamburgers and hot dogs -- catching a glimpse of a serious "Brony" while we were grabbing dinner. (Apparently, there was a convention at a nearby hotel for adult fans of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Never before has a 20-year-old man had so much in common with my daughter!)

We also watched a kid-friendly movie from the comfort of our cozy hotel beds, slept in until -- wait for it! -- 7:30 a.m., and had an amazing Mother's Day brunch, complete with a chocolate fountain, pastries and Will's first restaurant high chair.

And don't forget the special game of hide-and-seek, which is doubly fun when you're in a lovely hotel room.

Yes, this Mother's Day was incredibly special. Thank you to the Hilton Anaheim -- and, of course, my family.

CC and Will giving me the fish eye at the Hilton Anaheim Mother's Day brunch.

(Note: Media accommodations provided)