Tomorrow’s Halloween. What exactly does that mean to you, as an adult? I know we all have some wonderful memories of Halloween from our childhood: weeks spent putting together the perfect costume, parties at school, that pillowcase full of candy that lasted all year until the next Halloween, practically. But now that you’re an adult and too old to go the neighbors’ houses begging for a sugar high, does this “special” day carry as much weight for you? I’m amazed at how many of you can say, “Yes! Of course!”

    I have a friend who lives for Halloween. It’s like Christmas to her. She throws a huge party every year and buys $500 costumes. One year, I won the “Most Creative Costume” award at her party. It was Halloween 2001, right after 9-11, and I dressed up as Miss Afghanistan. I wore a silky, black prom dress, a sash, a veil across my face, clumps of black hair under my armpits and army boots with grenades and knives strapped to them. Very politically incorrect, I know. I was worried it wouldn’t go over very well. But it did. I think we all needed the comic relief after what happened in New York.

    How about you? What was the best Halloween costume you have ever worn? Go back as far as you need to.

    I was going to blog about this a few days ago, but then the fires broke out and our attention was otherwise diverted. However I’m not going to let a little distraction like the worst fire in recent California history stop me from commenting about some absolute insanity that is taking place on the Right Coast. It's a fire called liberalism completely out of control in Portland, Maine, where a local school board has approved a plan to make birth control available to – OK, get this – MIDDLE SCHOOLERS! Click HERE to read the article.

     Let me put that in perspective: This school board thinks its OK to allow 11-13-year-old CHILDREN to have sex! I have a 10-year-old daughter and the thought of her having sex in a year is simply unfathomable!  I mean, my sweet, INNOCENT little girl still believes in Santa Claus.

    Thing is, it wasn’t even a close vote, either. The Portland School Committee voted 7-2 in favor of making contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8. Their thinking is that kids that age are having sex, anyway, and if we don’t give them birth-control options, then they’re going to get pregnant or eventually, a sexually transmitted disease. Had I been at that school- board meeting, I would have asked: Where are these children’s parents and why are they not doing their job as parents?

    I have two daughters and one is a teenager. Call me old-school, but I would never allow either of my daughters to be alone with a boy. (Mostly because I'm much too young to be a grandma!) Why would the parents of these 11-year-olds allow this? If it’s happening, it’s because they aren’t watching. THEY AREN’T DOING THEIR JOBS AS PARENTS.

    Instead of giving our BABIES contraception, how about if we mandate that the parents of these neglected children who are running wild take some parenting classes?  And while they’re away from home attending these classes, they need to make sure they’ve hired a sitter.

    I’m writing this blog from Southern California, that very same part of the world that is going up in flames right now. Thanks to a dangerous combination of very strong Santa Ana winds, unseasonably high heat, downed power lines and calculated arson, Southern California is in the midst of a firestorm that has caused the evacuation of at least 250,000 people in San Diego County. There are several fires blazing out of control up in Malibu and Valencia to the north (only 5% contained at the time of this entry), at least two brushfires threatening the Lake Arrowhead area up in the mountains, several fires in the Irvine area (closest to my home) that were started by arsonists (WHY??) and then the devastating walls of fire in San Diego that fire authorities predict may burn all the way to the ocean. (www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21405632/ - 62k)

     And yet, people still commuted to work (including me), children went to school, restaurants were open for lunch, people impatiently stood in line at the post office  . . . just another surreal day in Orange County. However, I had a hard time focusing today. I kept thinking, “How can we scramble to meet deadlines, keep lunch appointments and casually brush the ash off our business suits without much thought about our neighbors nearly 30 miles away who were fleeing homes that were in danger of being burned to the ground by the end of the day? "

    I’ve always been a planner. It’s just the way I work. So before my kids and I go to bed tonight, we’re going to pack a few duffel bags and discuss our plan of action in case we’re awakened by a bullhorn in the middle of the night. (It's unlikely, but fires are pretty unpredictable sometimes and they don't leave you much time to react.) Some of these fire victims are saying they had only 5 minutes to gather their belongings and get out of the house. I need a little more time than that. I have a lifetime of “stuff” I’ve surrounded myself with.

    So besides your kids and pets – and purse, toiletries and makeup, of course – what would you take with you if you had to leave your house in a hurry?

    Every now and then on this beauty blog, I like to stray from discussions about skin and sex and makeup and touch on topics in today’s news that everyone is talking about. Fitting very neatly into this category is the Ellen DeGeneres debacle and her breakdown on her talk show over an adopted dog. Before we go any further, watch this video. It will explain everything: 

    www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21344745/

    So, what do you think? Was Ellen wrong for giving the dog to her hairdresser’s two little girls without the permission of the animal shelter? OK, LEGALLY, she shouldn’t have done it. But Ellen is a woman who thinks first with her heart. She bought the dog, paid more than $3,000 to have it trained and had every intention of keeping it. But it was “too rambunctious” and didn’t blend in well with her family of cats. So she did what most people would do – she found a loving home for Iggy, a replacement family.

    But when the shelter found out, they swooped in like a SWAT team and snatched Iggy away from this family that had bonded with the dog after 2 weeks, resulting in two heartbroken little girls and puppy without a home. For what purpose, again? Oh, that’s right -- to uphold a legally binding contract.

    I heard an interview with the woman who owns the shelter and she said that the situation has gone too far and there was no way to resolve it. What?? I can think of one way – give the dog back to the hairdresser’s family! Isn’t the mission of an animal shelter to do just that – find loving homes for these poor, neglected and abandoned pets?

    I know exactly what’s going to happen: This woman smells money and is probably gearing up to sue mega-rich Ellen for breach of contract and defamation of character. She’s said she’s been getting death threats, and I’m sure she’s been advised by her greedy legal counsel that she can also sue for mental duress. So instead of doing the right, humane thing for man and beast, this woman, upon her greedy attorney’s advice, is going to turn this well-publicized incident into a payday.

    That’s my prediction, anyway. Don’t you just love litigious America??

    While Mattel toys that were tainted with lead and subsequently recalled have been getting all the publicity in recent months, another health hazard involving high levels of lead has reared its ugly head in the beauty industry with a lot less hoopla. According to a recent study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, more than half of 33 top brands of lipstick manufactured right here in the U.S. (not China!) have tested positive for high levels of lead. Click HERE to read the article.  

    Some of the biggest offenders include:

    • L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red”
    • L’Oreal Coulour Riche “Classic Wine”
    • Cover Girl Indredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red”
    • Dior Addict “Positive Red”

    The danger with lead in lipstick is that although lipstick is used on the outside of the body, it is ingested directly into the body. Just look at the lipstick stain on your coffee cup. And think about that great kiss you had on your date this weekend. (If he doesn’t call you back, he has a good excuse – lead poisoning!)

    Health experts warn that lead builds up over time and can cause learning, language and behavioral problems, such as a lowered IQ and increased aggression.

    I just bought some new lipstick and lip liner this weekend. They cost me about $45, and now I’m second-guessing that purchase. Maybe I’ll start wearing lip gloss only. According to my trend-savvy teenager, the natural look is in, anyway. “No one wears lipstick anymore, Mom.”

    These teenagers might be smarter than we think.