The Silent "I"

Holiday Entertaining with Fresh & Easy

This weekend, I was thrilled to host a house party for some of my blogger and work friends sponsored by Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets.  The folks from Fresh & Easy brought in some of their best holiday fare for us to try out, including Brie & Cranberry Pastry Puffs, Mini Beef en Croutes, and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp appetizers. The appetizers are in the prepared foods section of the store, and are uncooked when you buy them. Just pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes, and you have tantalizing, decadent appetizers that seem like you've been slaving all day to prepare. I mean, seriously, how could you go wrong with brie cheese wrapped in butter pastry? Or anything at all involving bacon?

A few months ago, I went to an event in San Francisco to launch new Fresh & Easy stores in Northern California.  I had never heard of Fresh & Easy before that, and was delighted to learn that they offer fresh, wholesome foods at reasonable prices. Fresh & Easy is owned by the British supermarket chain Tesco.  They are in the middle of opening stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona. In addition to their own branded products, they also offer some of the top name-brand items and fresh bread from Il Fornaio bakery. 

Sony Cybershot Photo Fun Mom Event: Turning Moms into Rock Stars

 

Jeannette Kaplun of Todobebe taken with Sony Cybershot DSC-WX9

 Ever wondered what it would like to live like a rock star for a day? I had the chance to experience a little of the star-treatment just before the BlogHer Conference this year, courtesy of Sony Electronics.  I was one of about fifteen lucky bloggers invited to attend a special event hosted by vlogger Kimberly Clayton-Blaine of The Go-To Mom fame.  When she invited me, I had not idea what to expect, and was surprised to find what they had in store for us. 

When I was first invited, all that I knew was that we would be given a Sony Cybershot camera to test out and we would have our pictures taken by world-renowned celebrity photographer Brian Smith.  What I didn't know was that we would be wined, dined, pampered, primped and photographed like we were rock stars. They had me at "camera".

I arrived at the San Diego Airport and was greeted by a rep from Sony who escorted me to a car to take me to the Hard Rock Hotel.  Arriving at the Hard Rock, I was greeted by another Sony representative, who helped me get checked in. Even though it was early in the morning, my room was ready and I was able to unpack and get settled in prior to the evenings festivities. All I needed was an entourage to carry my purse and drive me around in a Hummer, and I would have fit right in there.

My Trop50 Fab Five Bloggers

Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

One of the things I love most about blogging is getting to meet bloggers. I've made some unexpected friendships in the blogosphere that I hold near and dear to my heart.  When the Clever Girls asked the Clever Network to write about "Five Fabulous Bloggers" I had a hard time narrowing it down to only five.  I could name 50 right off the bat, and probably 500 if you gave me a minute.  The assignment, however, was five, so here are my five:

1. Aimee from Greeblemonkey - Aimee is a photographer, blogger, music maven, web designer, and more. As a photographer, she's showed me that photos don't just represent what you see, but what is in your heart. And her heart? Is a warm and wonderful place, full of light and shade, sparkles and shadows, color and texture.  She's also that girl who will make you a mixed tape full of wonderful, undiscovered surprises that will rock your world and broaden your horizons. Aimee is rock & roll with soul.

2. Amie from Mamma Loves - Another brilliant writer/photographer and a working mom like myself. The best way I can describe Amie's photography, writing, and persona is beautiful. There is something so exquisite about her words, her images, and her person.  Her tagline is "for 3 minutes in the 80's, I was awesome," but I think she has it completely wrong. I think she has been and will be awesome for decades.  Amie is someone that I don't see often enough, but when I do, I always feel right at home with.  I wish we lived closer to each other, but for now, I'll settle for glimpses into her beauty through her blog and photos.

3. Donna from Socal Mom - Witty, wonderful, and wise, Donna is a blogger, podcaster, and former Hollywood comedy writer.  Donna's blog was one of the first blogs I read when I first started blogging, so I've always thought of her as a trailblazer. I was thrilled when she joined MOMocrats and I was able to get to know her off-line.  Her keen eye for detail and wry sense of humor come through whether she's blogging about politics or travel or being mom to a teen or the latest car show. On top of that, she's the kind of friend who will sit with you in the emergency room for four hours, just so you don't have to be alone. I know this from experience, and it's something I will never forget.

4. Marsha from Sweatpantsmom - Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! Everyone wants to be (or should be) like Marsha. Marsha is probably the funniest and most charming person on-line and in person, with style to spare. Although she's my age, she rocks the funky glasses and mini-skirts, can wear leggings and not look like a burned sausage, and is generally one hot mama.  In fact, I've told her she should change her name to "Hotpantsmom."  Mom to two teen girls, she is also a graphic designer, and celebrity interviewer extraordinaire. Marsha finds the humor in just about any situation. Marsha's the friend you want to take shopping with you, because you know she would tell you what looks good and what makes you look like a sad clown hooker.

5. Beth from Techmamas - Although Beth is totally famous and one of the Time 140 most spectacular twitterers on the planet or something, she is also one of the nicest people in the blogosphere. Check out her blog for tips on the latest technology, and how to keep your kids from becoming video-game addicted zombie roadkill.  I'm fortunate to have Beth live near me, because she is one of the people I know I can count on in a crisis.  When my husband had open heart surgery recently, Beth volunteered to take my son at night when I had to be in the hospital ICU. This is no small feat for a mom of 3 boys.  Adding a fourth boy to a household would likely drive most moms to the bottom of a bottle of gin, but Beth? No way. She also collected donations from MOMocrats and friends to buy our family Waiters on Wheels gift certificates so I didn't have to cook. Beth is simply good people.

Again, it was really difficult to narrow down this list to only five, since there are so many fantastic bloggers out there, many of whom I've been privileged to meet in person.  If you're not on the list, you can be sure you were next on the list.

So, who are your Fab 5?

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

Disney Wonder Comes to San Francisco

For the first time ever, the Disney Cruise Lines fabulous Disney Wonder arrived in San Francisco, en route to Vancouver.  The ship was on a repositioning cruise, moving from it's southern base in Los Angeles up to Vancouver for its maiden Alaska voyage in May.  Several of my favorite fellow mombloggers and I got to spend some time aboard the Disney Wonder on Friday afternoon, while most of the passengers were off exploring San Francisco.  Kimberley from Tippy Toes & Tantrums, Ana from Finding Bonggamom, and Whitney from Rookie Moms were all along for a special press tour and luncheon.

Each Disney ship features a character statue at the main floor landing, and Arielle is the star of the show on the Disney Wonder.  Ana was nice enough to pose with her. The ship, like Disneyland and Disneyworld, featured themes in every restaurant, hallway, and common area.

I really loved the giant Dale Chihuly blown glass sculpture hanging over the main atrium in the ship.  It was like hundreds of giant technicolor blue and gold poppies hanging from the ceiling.

Next Up: Ford Green & NAIAS in Detroit

Thanks to the Clever Girls Collective and the fine people at Ford Motor Company, I've been invited to participate in the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) press event on Monday and Tuesday.  I'll be with a group of about 100 bloggers and media people from around the world who get to see a sneak peak of what Ford is presenting at NAIAs this year.  I leave for Detroit tomorrow, and I am excited to find out what Ford has in store for us.  I've heard the emphasis this year is on green technology and environmental sustainability, which makes it doubly exciting for me.

Since we just spent two weeks in our car driving halfway across the country, I now consider myself an expert on things like gas mileage (our current car was meh), comfort, and entertainment in cars. Also, if they have any tips on how to get the smell of rotten French fries out of the carpet, I'm all ears. 

When I had the chance to try out the Lincoln MKT and Ford Taurus, I was impressed on all counts. Ford has come a long way in terms of green technology, high tech amenities, comfort and style from my Grandpa's Ford Fairlane to now.  I can't wait to see what Ford has planned for the next generation of cars. Electric? Hybrid? Levitating? Rocket-powered? Invisible? Who knows?  I'd like an invisible, levitating rocket-car for dealing with Bay Area traffic, but will settle for one that gets more than 40 mpg.

Follow me on Twitter (@glennia) and Facebook for real-time updates and follow the hashtag #fordgreen on Twitter!

Disclosure: I was invited to participate in this program by Clever Girls Collective, Inc. in partnership with Ford and Ogilvy PR. Ford Motor Company is paying for my travel and accommodations at the 2-day Driving Green Technology event, I will not be compensated in any other manner for my time.  My opinions posted here are my own.

PHOTO: Lincoln MKT that I got to try out in 2009, courtesy of Ford. Sadly, it's not mine, but I did take the photo.

Halloween at Disneyland

Our family was treated to a preview of Disneyland's Halloween Time festivities a few weeks ago by the Disney PR team.  I've been so busy with school plays, two jobs, and refilling the soap dispensers in our house that I haven't had a chance to share some of our photos and some of the fun things that lie in store for October Disneyland visitors.  Ok, that last part is a lie, because the hand soap dispensers are still empty, but you get the drift. Love Disney. Busy life. No blog time.

We drove down to LA from the San Francisco Bay Area this time around, and arrived at the Disney Grand Californian just in time for...a scheduled power outage.  We arrived at the witching hour (midnight) and were greeted by spooky bellmen carrying flashlights.  I guess they weren't realy that spooky, but when you drive  up to that big hotel and almost all the lights are out, it's a little scary.  The bellmen assured  us that there was nothing to be alarmed about, but that every year they check all the circuits in the hotel (to avoid a real power outage.  Surprise! we happened to arrive just as it was starting. 

The hotel was dark, lit only by the ghostly chartreuse glow sticks positioned around the huge lobby.  The computers and elevators were working, so we were able to check in, but it was a little unnerving.  I couldn't help thinking that they might consider making this part of the Halloween package, a sort of haunted hotel deal. Alex thought that brushing his teeth by the light of the glowsticks was big fun.  The only part I didn't like was being awakened when the lights and radio came on at 3:30 in the morning, signaling the end of the blackout.  Of course, Frank and Alex slept throught the whole thing, so I got up to turn out the lights.

Evolution of a BlogHer: 2010 Edition

Last week, 2400 bloggers (including myself) swarmed the BlogHer 2010 Conference at the Hilton New York in New York City.  This was my fourth BlogHer Conference in five years, and each year BlogHer helps me grow, discover something about myself, and move forward to a new chapter of my life online.  Each conference has been empowering to me in a way that has been hard for me to quantify.  For me, BlogHer has been, and continues to be, nothing short of a revelation, an unfolding of a new area of myself to explore and nurture over the coming years.  So, my BlogHer recap this year is not about the parties, the sessions or the friends I hugged (there were many; they were fabulous), but a recap of what BlogHer has meant to me over the years.

BlogHer '06, The Writer: I was a fly-on-the-wall at BlogHer '06.  I had not been blogging long, and really didn't know where I was going with this newfangled blog thing.  I didn't know any of the bloggers outside my little Silicon Valley momsphere. The bloggers I read but didn't know personally, I was way too intimidated to just introduce myself to.  I didn't think of myself as a writer, but a lawyer with a blogging hobby.  At the closing keynote speech, I heard my personal blog-heroine Grace Davis say, "If you have a blog, you are a writer."  That was my revelatory moment.  I realized that having a blog helped me to realize the joy that I get out of writing, and reading the work of other women who love writing as much as I do. I decided to keep blogging and exploring what the inner-writer in me had to say.

BlogHer '07, The Activist: In 2007, I realized the power of community and the power that words have to spur people to action. At BlogHer 2007, I heard Elizabeth Edwards in conversation with Lisa Stone about her husband's campaign and the issues she cared most deeply about--healthcare, poverty, and the environment.  I had the chance to speak with her personally, and felt a kinship to her and her ideas.  Soon after that, Stefania, Beth and I met in a coffee shop in Palo Alto and gave birth to our own form of on-line activism: MOMocrats, a collective of like-minded, highly-spirited, outspoken moms. Although the Edwards campaign (and Edwards himself) faltered, the MOMocrats flourished. Within a  year of launch, we had interviewed Barack Obama, gotten Michelle Obama to guest-post, and were invited to be part of the media covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention.  I met women through MOMocrats that I consider to be part of my tribe and my lifelong friends.

 

 

 

Yahoo! Mother Board Summit: The Mother of All Conferences

Recently, sixty-five moms from all over the US and Canada descended on Palo Alto and Sunnyvale to attend the invitation-only Yahoo! Mother Board Summit.  The moms are a high-powered group of bloggers who are plugged in to all the latest trends in marketing and social media, and were invited to participate in a one-day conference at Yahoo! Headquarters in Sunnyvale. I was fortunate enough to be invited, and had a wonderful time connecting with old friends, and meeting some great new friends.  I was happy, for once, to not have to travel to a meeting.

I have been on the Mother Board for three years, from its inception.  At the beginning, we answered surveys and tested out new Yahoo! products and gave the marketing team feedback.  In the past year, it has grown into a community of 80 bloggers who support and advise each other through a Yahoo! group and on the pages of the Yodeling Mamas blog. 

The Mother Board Summit was a mix of practical advice for bloggers, marketing focus group for Yahoo! products and services, and socializing over great food and drinks.  The women on the Yahoo! marketing team and Voce Communications did a fabulous job of organizing the content, and shepherding the attendees from place to place.

Disney's World of Color Blue Carpet: Or, In Which I Officially Join the Celebrity Snarkerazzi

Part of the Disney World of Color Premiere night was a chance for the mombloggers to line up with the other papparazzi members of the legitimate media to take pictures and chat with celebrities on the red carpet. Only this carpet was blue, because this is Disney and water is blue. Get it?

Anyway, I've never been to a red or blue or rainbow-colored carpet event before, and it was pretty exciting.  I've seen or met a few celebrities in my day, mostly at airports or stalking them in back alleys after the theatre.  This was more like seeing them in their natural habitat, swimming frantically upstream to spawn or make it into the next issue of Us Magazine, or whatever payoff comes from walking down a blue carpet with people screaming at you and being forced to smile into various digital devices while total strangers gawk at you.

 

Of all the various TV and movie personalities who came sauntering down the field of blue, Teri Hatcher was probably the most accommodating.  She was a total doll and spent quite a bit of time with the moms, taking questions, posing for pictures, and just looking gorgeous in a green dress.  She even took a few arms-length photos of herself and fans, which was probably way beyond what was required of her. She has a new website called Get Hatched on Disney Family that she was promoting, and someone very likely astutely pointed out to her that mombloggers were both her target audience and likely her biggest allies. Well played, Teri, well played.

Disney's World of Color Premiere: Lights! Cameras!...Water!

I had the great privilege of being invited to Disney's World of Color premiere at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, California on Thursday, June 10.  Disney sponsored myself and other family travel and mombloggers to be part of the media contingent who were allowed in for the opening night festivities.  Along with viewing the show, we also got to hang out on the red blue carpet with celebrities, meet Disney executives and Imagineers, and hear about what's next for the Disney Parks, Resorts, and Cruises.  It was a hectic but fun two day adventure, and I was honored to take part in it.

The show itself is a visual and auditory extravaganza, a stunning display of animation, waterworks, fireworks, and lights.  I had seen preview clips of the show, but none of them did justice to what we witnessed.  The show was introduced by none other than the Mouse Himself, and a series of spectacular fireworks.