36 Seconds of the ‘Wonder Woman’ Pilot

I feel very luck to have a ton of "Wonder Women" in my life. My friends and family are full of amazing females who inspire me daily.

And, Wonder Woman will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in the 1990's, just out of college and fresh off the train from Alabama to NYC, I lived with a fabulous actress and once went with her on a “Wonder Woman” open casting. I had no acting resume, no photo, no story... so I invented a few key parts I knew my talents would allow me to reenact if asked; such as…street urchin. My Diana Prince reading was a hit and shockingly I received a call back. Maybe the movie/TV show part was not for me, but it was such a wonderful, fun experience. It gave me such confidence that I could do anything if I really wanted. Even now, on good days I really do feel like “Wonder Woman”. I dedicate this to all the other “Wonder Woman” moms out there!

Here is this year's attempt at a Wonder Woman TV series by David E. Kelley (married to another fabulous, inspiring mom, Michelle Pfeiffer).



36 Seconds of the ‘Wonder Woman’ Pilot

ps MAC Cosmetics also has a line of Wonder Woman make up. I especially like the lipsticks and lip glass!

I love books. When Barnes and Noble stores first opened I dreamed of sleeping over in a big comfy sleeping bag. My books are like friends and they show it with their worn jackets and gently used edges, especially my favorite cookbooks. I came across this cool blog today called SpaceCoolHunting and saw this inventive design for displaying books.

I think I'm going to try it and maybe have my 4-year-old do a few for her favorite books too. She can spell out L-O-V-E on the jackets. I'll post photos when we are done.

In the meantime, if you like these professional looking, stylish jackets you can order them from the source:
Juniper Books
Thatcher Wine
Boulder, Colorado | U.S.A.
Tel 303 946 1494

Bucket of Love (reposted from Moomah Journal)


Bucket of Love: Teaching the Golden Rule

(I am re-posting this online journal from one of my favorite NYC spots for kids and parents called Moomah. It is a art studio, restaurant and for me, a magical spot to connect with my child.)

-----As a parent I love when I find opportunities that help illustrate the beauty of “The Golden Rule.” It’s for this reason that I love the book, “Fill A Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for the Young Child” by Carol McCloud, Katherine Martin & David Messing. I designed a craft project to do with my kids that I thought was a nice complement to the book. It was really sweet to see how excited my kids got about the idea of sharing love, and watching them hand out their hearts to their loved ones (their classmates, their babysitter, the family dog).

How to do the project at home:

1: Read your child the "Fill A Bucket" book or our text below.
2: Find a bucket. (We found ours in the gardening section of our local hardware store).
3: Decorate the outside of the bucket with hearts (you could use heart stencils, free-form hearts or even cool anatomical hearts from online printouts or old books. Use Mod Podge to collage paper onto your bucket.
4: Cut out hearts from colored construction paper to fill your Bucket of Love.
5: Color, paint and decorate your hearts however you please.
6: If your child can write they can write messages to the recipient of the heart or you can always help them.
7: After all the decorating is done, tell the kids that now it’s time to go out and give out the hearts from their Bucket of Love so that they can fill other people's buckets.

Imagine we all have a bucket inside of us that holds all our feelings. When our bucket is full of good feelings, we feel great. When our bucket is empty or has bad feelings we feel sad. We can fill someone’s bucket with good feelings when we say or do nice things. We can empty someone’s bucket when we do or say mean things. Decorate your bucket and the hearts and go out and share your love with others.

Here’s some examples of things you can say to fill someone’s bucket with good feelings:
“I love you”
“Would you like to play with me?”
“I really like your drawing”
“You make me laugh”
“Thank you!"

Here’s some examples of things you can do to fill someone’s bucket:
Give someone a hug.
Help someone clean up.
Make someone a card.
Make someone laugh.

This idea was inspired by the book Fill A Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness For Kids

By Tracey Stewart-----------------

I will just add one more book that is great for families "SIMPLE FUN for BUSY PEOPLE". As a parent myself I think connection with our families and friends is the most important thing in our lives. I am not always successful in this endeavor and am always searching for new ways to connect. This blog is a mirror of my successes and struggles; dedicated to helping inspire ways to help people connect daily for a happier life. Thank you for all the new ideas I find by other moms, like Tracey Stewart above.

Cathy Riva

Who Wore it Best? Julia Roberts, Michelle Obama, Cathy Riva and the Perfect Party Cardigan




What do Julia Roberts and Michelle Obama have in common? Besides being fabulous? They also have the same eye for fashion. I love this embroidered peonies cardigan. It is by designer L'Wren Scott.

I was watching one of the last Oprah episodes, with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, and first saw this sweater in May 2011. I could not find it anywhere online. Well, it turns out this sweater keeps good company. First Lady Obama wore it first! I stumbled upon one of my talented photographer's blogs, Donna Newman and Ian McGaffic, about working behind the scenes on Martha Stewart Presents: A Hallmark Special "America's Moms- A Celebration for Military Families" with Michelle Obama in April and low and behold, the sweater AGAIN. I had to track it down.

It really is a work of art with the embroidered red peonies in the perfect spots. I googled Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts and the word "designer". L'Wren Scott, stylist, luxury designer and longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger, was the link between the two. It sells online in black, but for those who want this perfect party cardigan in beige the NYC Barneys only has the one I'm modeling below at this posting time.

Who Wore It Best? You decide. Leave a comment here or facebook mention at Cathy Riva of Riva Events.

photo credits: Oprah Winfrey Website, Donna Newman and my blackberry.

Happy Fourth of July






I am grateful for family, love, and life in all its ups and downs. I am so happy I live in NY, NY USA. Happy Birthday United States of America.
Photo Credit: My talented husband, Marc Bloomgarden (Macy's fireworks 2010 from a New Jersey view compliments of our brother and sister-in-law)