The last time I crimped my hair I was 14 years old pining away for Simon LeBon of Duran Duran. (Why, oh why, wouldn’t he love me? Sniff…)
The last time I used AquaNet I was 16 getting ready for a show choir competition. (Jazz hands and big hair that never moved, by God!)
That is, until this past Saturday night’s Momz Share event.
Pac Man, wax lips, Michael Jackson, big hair, movie posters, leg warmers… we had them all!
It was so great to connect with all of the bloggers and social media mavens that attended! Special thanks to Lara and Sunday, who help keep me sane while we arrange all of the festivities along with Amanda our fantastic hostess! (More pictures from the party can be seen here at betterinbulk.net She can capture a photo like no other!)
Special thanks to Dolci Gelati for the unbelievable treats (Coconut and pistachio? I’m in heaven!) as well as Pop Chips(new. obsession.) and Rita’s Italian Ice in Frederick, MD! (Rita’s provided us with the ice that we used to make these unbelievable “adult” beverages. Expect a post with a recipe soon!)
I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank the Anastacia Dellaccio of the United Nations Foundation and Girl Up! for their gift bags. It is a wonderful cause and we are proud to be helping spread the word aboutthe Girl Up movement.
Are you a blogger in Maryland, DC, Virginia or the surrounding areas? We’d love to have you attend one of our events! Sign up here and we’ll email you when the next event is announced…
A very innocent question that has been haunting me for a few days now.
What keeps ME up at night? Sigh. So many things.
Let me give you the back story on this question… I was privilege to be invited (along with my dear friend Lara) to a celebration for the launch of the United Nations Foundation’sGlobal Entrepreneurs Council on Tuesday evening in Washington D.C. (I know, right? Just a typical day at the office.) The GEC consists of ten entrepreneurs under the age of 40 who will be using their knowledge and influence to help the UN achieve a “new level of innovation and impact in solving global problems.” (Given the fact that in my professional life I council non-profits on marketing and social media, I was ecstatic to be included on the guest list for such an endeavor.)
During the evening, each GEC member spoke on “what kept them up at night.” Their responses varied but the passion in the room was palpable.
I would be remiss if I didn’t list the executives being tapped for this project: Ryan Allis (Founder) iContact, Elliott Bisnow (CEO) Summit Series, Sergio Fernandez de Cordova (Founder) Fuel Outdoor, Brian Gott (Publisher) Variety Magazine, Marissa Mayer (Vice President) Consumer Products, Google, Angela Mwanza (Senior Vice President) UBS Private Wealth Management, Shervin Pishevar (Executive Chairman) Social Gaming Network, Shauna Robertson (Co-Founder) Crowdrise, Zaw Thet (CEO) 4INFO and Randi Zuckerberg (Director of Marketing) Facebook. (Yeah, just a little bit of talent on that committee.)
And as I mingled with the council and the executives from the foundation that evening it began to dawn on me that bloggers also have incredible potential for impacting global philanthropy. Now, this is not a new revelation to the world, but it seems to me that if we could focus en masse, we could make a truly profound difference. That is an incredibly empowering thought.
So, I ask you… As a writer/blogger/social media maven, do you realize how much power you wield?Do you believe that you can change the world with your influence? Have you ever used your online presence to raise money or awareness for a cause?
The video below from the event features Elizabeth Gore of the UN Foundation speaking on behalf of Randi Zuckerberg who was unable to attend the event. She is nine months pregnant and unable to travel. I think we can all forgive her.
As for what keeps ME up at night – anything that has to do with poverty, children’s issues or the plight of women both domestically and globally.
In the piece Chua talks about the difference between “permissive Western parenting” and “demanding Eastern parenting.”
It is an article filled with explosive content.
Chua, a mother herself, addresses the belief system and tactics used by Chinese mothers to raise successful children. She discloses that her own children have never been allowed to do the following:
attend a sleepover
have a play date
be in a school play
complain about not being in a school play
watch TV or play computer games
choose their own extracurricular activities
get any grade less than an A
not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama|
play any instrument other than the piano or violin
not play the piano or violin.
In essence, the article basically states that Western parents do not have as high a standard for our children, thus producing more mediocre children. An excerpt, “Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, ‘You’re lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you.’ By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they’re not disappointed about how their kids turned out… Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them.”
As a mother, I am truly conflicted here. While I certainly admire the tenacity of the “Chinese mother,” (her stereotyping, not mine) I also can’t help but question their children’s mental well being. Especially after reading the author describe an altercation she had with her 7-year-old daughter Lulu during which she screamed, insulted (“I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic”), physically restrained (“Lulu punched, thrashed and kicked”) and refused to let her even go to the bathroom during a multi-hour piano practice of “The Little White Donkey” by the French composer Jacques Ibert. By the end of the night her daughter had mastered the piece.
Despite her despicable tactics (my opinion) this article does cause me to wonder about my own parenting. Am I pushing my children to their full potential? Am I too laissez-faire about their life choices and childhood? Am I too permissive? Too lazy? Too self-indulgent?
Am I cheating my children out of greatness? Or am I raising well-rounded individuals not dependant on academic achievement to feel worthwhile?
Please take a moment to read the article. What do you think about her mothering philosophy or her take on the “Chinese mother?” Are we “Western mothers” lacking?
Should I start by telling you about how I completely forgot my pants (yes, I said PANTS) and had to go back and fetch them? Or perhaps let you in on the secret that I later discovered that I also forgot my bra? (Ridiculous much?)
Maybe I will skip that part and begin my tale with the scruptious food from Piv’s Restaurant or the social media themed cupcakes.
Hmmm….But if I did that I would be missing the heart of the event, which is the bloggers themselves. These women are my tribe, my peeps, my virtual therapists and without them I am fairly certain I would go stark raving mad. When people ask me why in the world I spend my time planning these events, I tell them about the women of Momz Share. That is all the explanation they need…
Come to think of it, it might be best to instead tell the tale with pictures…
The Fall event was hosted by the awesome and fantastic Jill of Scary Mommy and brought to life by the Momz Share power trio: Sunday Stilwell, Lara DiPaola, and yours truly. (Okay, obvious self-promotion but, DANG, we worked hard y’all!)
I would just like to take up a little bloggy space to send out my heartfelt thank you to some of the people who made this night a success:
Pivs Restaurant – Seriously? Their food rocked. I had no idea what to expect. If you live in the Baltimore area, stop what you are doing and go to their restaurant. Right now.
Sponsoring this event was Washington Family Magazine. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with Jolie from Washington Family for some time now. They are fantastic and super supportive of moms who blog!
A big shout out to Amy Phillips of Social Pollen who was another event sponsor. Not only did she provide hands-on help for all sorts of WordPress issues, she also brought the killer social media cupcakes. Honestly? Social media cupcakes? Phenomenal, just like her.
We were also treated to our first splendor station courtesy of Leiann from Love and Kindness. She gave lotioned hand massages and we all fell in love. Not only are her lotions and candles to die for, she is also a terrific example of a mom entrepreneur.
I can’t go any further without mentioning the photographer, Eddie Winter of Edward Winter Weddings. He went above and beyond to make everyone comfortable and captured the essence of Momz Share perfectly. I admit to being a little biased here because, well, he is my brother. That being said, his work speaks for itself. He was the consummate professional and put everyone at ease. (Plus he is way cute, if I do say so myself…)
One last shout out to Michael Guill of 107 Designs who streamed our video LIVE on Saturday night. It was our first time live streaming and it was mighty fun! (He is not only tech-ily gifted, he is also one hell of a dishwasher.)
Other sponsors of our fall Momz Share event that I have to mention are Madeleine from La Papillon Spa who hosted a fun Twitter beauty Q & A contest last week and Melanie and Theresa from Sisarina. Sisarina designed our new Momz Share website. Stunning, right?
If you head over to the Momz Share site later this week, we will have a full accounting of all of the amazing people who provided giveaways and gave support to Momz Share.
Remember, if you live in the DC, MD, VA, WVA, PA area – you are always welcome to attend! Our next event will be announced soon!
Working momma. Flibbertigibbet. Family environs upkeep manager. Deadline juggler. Intellectual magpie... Random postings from a life of a working DC Metro mom. Unapologetically myself.
