There is so much to digest from Sunday's event! Lots of knowledge, lots of great women, lots of products, and I haven't even tried them all yet!
To start from the beginning, thanks to Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel for hosting the event. If you've looked at the Whrrl story, you'll see this is quite an amazing setting!
Thanks to Kimberley Clayton Blaine for talking to us about vlogging. I really appreciated her advice when I spoke to her later about my own insecurities about it, and she didn't push me to do anything that makes me uncomfortable! I was fully expecting a "get over it" response, but she reminded me that these are our spaces, and we should do what we want to do with them.
Still, you may be seeing more video here of the kids or other events.
Especially now that I won the drawing for an iPod Nano, thanks to Ebates!
But back to the order of events. After the vlogging conference, Momfluential - an amazing woman with a way with words that I adore - led a discussion on Brands and Bloggers, with input from the PR folks there for the event. What stood out for me was that, as always, communication is key. And of course, staying true to oneself.
I won't be talking about some of the products because they don't apply to our family. It's not a good or bad thing; I just don't need a stroller with my 9 and 12 year old daughters! You can find a more complete listing of companies at Tiny Oranges. But please read all about the products I adore, am coveting, and yes, even my not-so-great opinions.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Just post already
I keep trying to think of something specific, have a train of thought, but then those posts end up on LA Moms Blog or Parentella, and this space lies sadly dormant. And I miss it!!
So here goes: just a rambling post of whatever.
I had my first Parent Committee meeting for the girls' after-school program last night, and I'm totally excited about the possibilities. We're going to set up Family Fun Nights; chances for the parents and children to all get together, and our first one will be to make cards and letters for the soldiers in Iraq.
What was crazy (in a good way) was that of the 6 parents there, 5 of us were single parents!
At the event on Sunday, I got to talk to sweatpantsmom and Los Angelista about education, and particularly, arts high schools. While I think our first choice for Sylvia remains the same, I'm aware of more options now. I *love* hanging out with smart women that I admire so much!
I've received some amazing feedback on my latest Parentella post. I particularly appreciated the teacher who called it a "must read for all parents and teachers."
I haven't talked about this here because I wanted to wait for some real news to report, but it looks like there won't be any. I dangled my feet in the home-purchasing water and have gone back to my original belief that it's just not right for me. While there are a few condo possibilities that would be in my purchasing price range, I have no down payment. I have no security blanket. I think the pressure would just be too much for me. Not to mention, I think it's about a year too early for us to think about moving again. It would be easier to consider it next year when the girls will be graduating from their schools and moving on to the next level (OMG, that's just a year away), and besides, I don't know yet where Sylvia will be going to high school so it might be too early to plant myself anywhere anyway. But by next year, SoCal prices, I'm sure, will be back out of my range and I'll be paying rent for the rest of my life. No harm, no foul.
I took Jan. off from budgeting, but I've come back full force in Feb. It was rather depressing at first to discover that I've been living beyond my means for so long, and I got a bit panicked about how I'm going to justify paying for summer child care that I really can't afford, but I'm hoping that by paying more attention, I'll figure this thing out.
And that's all I can squeeze out before my brain starts to hurt.
So here goes: just a rambling post of whatever.
I had my first Parent Committee meeting for the girls' after-school program last night, and I'm totally excited about the possibilities. We're going to set up Family Fun Nights; chances for the parents and children to all get together, and our first one will be to make cards and letters for the soldiers in Iraq.
What was crazy (in a good way) was that of the 6 parents there, 5 of us were single parents!
At the event on Sunday, I got to talk to sweatpantsmom and Los Angelista about education, and particularly, arts high schools. While I think our first choice for Sylvia remains the same, I'm aware of more options now. I *love* hanging out with smart women that I admire so much!
I've received some amazing feedback on my latest Parentella post. I particularly appreciated the teacher who called it a "must read for all parents and teachers."
I haven't talked about this here because I wanted to wait for some real news to report, but it looks like there won't be any. I dangled my feet in the home-purchasing water and have gone back to my original belief that it's just not right for me. While there are a few condo possibilities that would be in my purchasing price range, I have no down payment. I have no security blanket. I think the pressure would just be too much for me. Not to mention, I think it's about a year too early for us to think about moving again. It would be easier to consider it next year when the girls will be graduating from their schools and moving on to the next level (OMG, that's just a year away), and besides, I don't know yet where Sylvia will be going to high school so it might be too early to plant myself anywhere anyway. But by next year, SoCal prices, I'm sure, will be back out of my range and I'll be paying rent for the rest of my life. No harm, no foul.
I took Jan. off from budgeting, but I've come back full force in Feb. It was rather depressing at first to discover that I've been living beyond my means for so long, and I got a bit panicked about how I'm going to justify paying for summer child care that I really can't afford, but I'm hoping that by paying more attention, I'll figure this thing out.
And that's all I can squeeze out before my brain starts to hurt.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekend Wrap-Up: LA Moms Blog and BitDefender host a great party
Don't really have the brain power right now to write coherently, so please enjoy the pics and catch up on the party at Twitter #svmomsbitmoms.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
10 Things I'd Rather Do
Female2Female's Blog Challenge this week is 10 Things, any 10 things. I picked 10 Things I'd rather do than date!
1. Spend time with the girls. I spent VDay with the two loves of my life.
2. Work. I love my job, I love the people I work with. The work challenges me, and I've got smart, supportive mentors that are there for me and I enjoy their company.
3. Spend time with friends. Lunch, coffee, dinner, hanging out, laughing, talking...nothing like friends.
4. Spend time online. Whether it's blogging, reading blogs, Twitter, Facebook, I love surfing and seeing where it leads.
5. Belt my favorite musical numbers. I love singing just for singing's sake. While the girls do homework, and I make dinner, we've got the iPod going, and we all break out in song :)
6. Read. While lately I haven't been feeling it to read anything too deep, I love losing myself in the written word. As Sondheim said in Passion, "I read to dream."
7. Sleep. Because I'm old.
8. Spend a weekend on a cruise ship. All the fun of companionship, without the awkward parts.
9. See a Broadway show. Duh.
10. Watch The Daily Show. All the laughter without worrying what I'm wearing!
I could easily come up with another 10, at least!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I believe in musicals
I've been reading This I Believe, a compilation of the NPR series, and have been inspired to write my own essay.
I believe that all of life's answers can be found in musicals. Mostly Sondheim musicals, but some others as well.
I've often said that the theatre is my cathedral, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that I truly believe in the life's lessons learned in experiencing the human condition through one of our greatest art forms.
Now before I lose everybody because you think you don't like musicals (that is, if I haven't already), I have to say, that statement is about as valid as saying you don't like all movies!
There are many, many different types of musicals. While I like more than your average Jane, I can't say I love them all. I love the ones that say something about us.
It wasn't until Into the Woods, however, that I truly began to understand how musicals spoke to me about what I believed.
Sondheim took fairy tales and changed their messages by adding a 2nd act about what happens after Happily Ever After. I cannot listen to this cast recording or watch the DVD without learning something new. More than anything, it reminds me that our schemas are not always based in truth; that it's worth exploring what we think we believe when confronted with information that does not coincide.
Wicked taught me that the most powerful relationships don't have to be romantic or relative; we learn from everyone that we meet in our lives and when we're lucky, we have friends that hold a special place in our heart.
Avenue Q taught me that "everything in life is only for now." That has gotten me through the darkest hours of these past 5 years. Every time I start to wonder if I actually can make it through this, I turn on "For Now" and I remember all of the times I previously thought I wouldn't make it through, and I did. It is how I know that every emotion has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Rent reminds me that whenever I feel like no one gets me, we all have a community. I have several communities; theatre friends, work friends, online friends, lifelong friends. Sometimes, I just need to reach out to another network.
In the Heights taught me that you can change the world by serving your community.
I believe in music. I believe that characters that feel something so deeply have to sing it. And sometimes, I do, too.
I believe that all of life's answers can be found in musicals. Mostly Sondheim musicals, but some others as well.
I've often said that the theatre is my cathedral, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that I truly believe in the life's lessons learned in experiencing the human condition through one of our greatest art forms.
Now before I lose everybody because you think you don't like musicals (that is, if I haven't already), I have to say, that statement is about as valid as saying you don't like all movies!
There are many, many different types of musicals. While I like more than your average Jane, I can't say I love them all. I love the ones that say something about us.
It wasn't until Into the Woods, however, that I truly began to understand how musicals spoke to me about what I believed.
Sondheim took fairy tales and changed their messages by adding a 2nd act about what happens after Happily Ever After. I cannot listen to this cast recording or watch the DVD without learning something new. More than anything, it reminds me that our schemas are not always based in truth; that it's worth exploring what we think we believe when confronted with information that does not coincide.
Wicked taught me that the most powerful relationships don't have to be romantic or relative; we learn from everyone that we meet in our lives and when we're lucky, we have friends that hold a special place in our heart.
Avenue Q taught me that "everything in life is only for now." That has gotten me through the darkest hours of these past 5 years. Every time I start to wonder if I actually can make it through this, I turn on "For Now" and I remember all of the times I previously thought I wouldn't make it through, and I did. It is how I know that every emotion has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Rent reminds me that whenever I feel like no one gets me, we all have a community. I have several communities; theatre friends, work friends, online friends, lifelong friends. Sometimes, I just need to reach out to another network.
In the Heights taught me that you can change the world by serving your community.
I believe in music. I believe that characters that feel something so deeply have to sing it. And sometimes, I do, too.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
We had "the talk"
My 12-year-old has reached the point of no return. It was time to discuss intercourse. Not to sound too naive; it wasn't our first conversation on the subject, but it was the first where we discussed more than just abstinence and pregnancy.
It came after watching The Pregnancy Pact together. I'm proud to say she was horrified at the thought of actually wanting to get pregnant during high school, and while she tried to reassure me that she will NOT be doing that while in high school, I didn't want to leave it at just that. We discussed options, we discussed condoms, we discussed STD's.
Shortly thereafter, I read the MSNBC article about Abstinence ed, minus the morals, may work. While no one should be convinced by one sole study, I can't help but think that this approach of talking about both abstinence and safe sex makes logical sense.
I could easily have agreed with my daughter, and admonished "you better not!" after her vow of celibacy, but I didn't. I've grown accustomed to thinking about consequences, and I didn't want her to one day not tell me that she'd broken her vow for fear of my disappointment. I didn't want her to face the consequences of that all by herself.
While we certainly have our fair share of verbal spats because she's an adolescent and I'm the mom, we still talk a great deal. I need to do my part if I have any hope that she'll still talk to me when she's 16.
So I talked to her about all of it. About all of the options. About all of the possible consequences of such decisions. And I did tell her that if she changes her mind, I want her to talk to me or another adult about it. I try to make room for the possibility that she might not want to talk to me about such things, but she also has the numbers of her aunts, uncles, and trusted family friends in her cell phone.
What was especially weird about it was how it wasn't weird at all. Neither of us were embarrassed, and she asked questions so I know she wasn't just thinking, "please let this be over soon" the whole time! It was a conversation, not a lecture. She even felt comfortable enough to admit her own insecurities that no one will ever like her. And I got to just hold her, while she found comfort in my arms. And I was comforted that she still needs her mom every now and then.
Originally posted on LA Moms Blog, Feb. 16, 2010.
It came after watching The Pregnancy Pact together. I'm proud to say she was horrified at the thought of actually wanting to get pregnant during high school, and while she tried to reassure me that she will NOT be doing that while in high school, I didn't want to leave it at just that. We discussed options, we discussed condoms, we discussed STD's.
Shortly thereafter, I read the MSNBC article about Abstinence ed, minus the morals, may work. While no one should be convinced by one sole study, I can't help but think that this approach of talking about both abstinence and safe sex makes logical sense.
I could easily have agreed with my daughter, and admonished "you better not!" after her vow of celibacy, but I didn't. I've grown accustomed to thinking about consequences, and I didn't want her to one day not tell me that she'd broken her vow for fear of my disappointment. I didn't want her to face the consequences of that all by herself.
While we certainly have our fair share of verbal spats because she's an adolescent and I'm the mom, we still talk a great deal. I need to do my part if I have any hope that she'll still talk to me when she's 16.
So I talked to her about all of it. About all of the options. About all of the possible consequences of such decisions. And I did tell her that if she changes her mind, I want her to talk to me or another adult about it. I try to make room for the possibility that she might not want to talk to me about such things, but she also has the numbers of her aunts, uncles, and trusted family friends in her cell phone.
What was especially weird about it was how it wasn't weird at all. Neither of us were embarrassed, and she asked questions so I know she wasn't just thinking, "please let this be over soon" the whole time! It was a conversation, not a lecture. She even felt comfortable enough to admit her own insecurities that no one will ever like her. And I got to just hold her, while she found comfort in my arms. And I was comforted that she still needs her mom every now and then.
Originally posted on LA Moms Blog, Feb. 16, 2010.
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