We had big plans for our summer vacation this year: We were going to visit my husband's family in Wales.
That may not sound like much (given how many times we HAVE traveled to see my in-laws over the years). Let's change the emphasis: We had big plans for our SUMMER vacation.
You see, we have not been to the UK in the summer since Megan was a 1st grader (she just finished her first year of middle school). We tend to go in the winter, when flights are cheap. Unfortunately, that's also when the weather is cold and dreary, many of the tourist attractions are closed, and the sun starts to set around 4:00 p.m.
I really wanted to go this summer, but it was not meant to be. With crude oil at record highs and the American dollar at record lows, traveling to Europe is simply too expensive for our family this year (even though we save on hotels by staying with family).
So instead of one big vacation, we are taking several little road trips.
The folks at Ask Patty (the women's automotive website) and GetRoadReady.com produced this nifty video with tips to help you prepare for a family road trip:
GetRoadReady.com is a terrific resource for planning a vacation on the road: It's got a Rand McNally trip planning tool, which offers suggestions of attractions to see along the way... checklists... and games you can download for the kids.
I'm fortunate that my daughter is an excellent traveling companion. She has to be: We've been packing her off on trans-Atlantic flights since she was an infant... and she has to sit quietly in a car for seven hours to see my side of the family.
She's good. She's really good. But she's still a kid, and an only child at that -- and she gets bored. For years, I resisted the idea of buying her any kind of handheld game consoles (after all, I didn't have anything like that when I was growing up; why does she need one?)...
...and then, the kind folks at Nintendo gave us each one. And the first time we made the drive from Los Angeles to Sacramento, I was in shock: The DS kept her occupied and happy. We were even able to play games together, using the WiFi function (and made up some of our own using PictoChat).
All I could think was: Why didn't I get one of these for her sooner?
And now, we prepare for a family road trip by getting the car checked out... packing lots of snacks... and including lots of games for our Nintendo DS.
So, in honor of the start of summer road trip season, I am having a contest. I will be giving away TWO first prizes of a Nintendo DS PLUS their new Crosswords DS game (where your kids and YOU can test your word play skills on a variety of puzzles, word searches and anagrams)... AND I'm giving away one second prize of a Get Road Ready kit, with a variety of products to make getting there easier.
To Enter: I want to hear about YOUR most memorable road trip! You may tell me about it in a comment to this post, or write about it on your own blog and then link to it in a comment on this post.
Each comment with a road trip story (between now and June 30) will be an entry in a random drawing, with winners announced on July 1.
Get ready - get set - go!
Disclosure: I am one of the blogging moms who is part of the Nintendo Ambassador program, and have enjoyed receiving review copies of their games for the Wii and the DS.
I would write about the games more often, but for one thing: the minute my daughter sees that a new one has arrived, she pounces on it -- and I'm lucky to ever see it again.
I've been trying to convince her that SHE should start writing game reviews for me, but so far, that sounds too much like homework to her. So you will just have to wait for my somewhat late reviews of the ones I eventually get to play with.
But if Megan and I are often found fighting over who is going to play with what game, my husband manages to stay out of it. He's just not that into it. Sure, he enjoys challenging himself to downhill skiing on our Wii Fit (a thorough review to be published here later)... and he has been known to actually beg the rest of us to play Wii Tennis with him (when he remembers we own a Wii). But game playing just isn't first on his list of fun things to do with the family...
...so I chuckled to myself when my friends at Nintendo asked if my husband would enjoy opening a Mario Kart Wii on Father's Day.
"I don't know," I told him. "But I do know my daughter would enjoy it."
So when the new toy arrived last week, I did not hold it for Father's Day. Sure enough, the kid glommed onto it immediately, and pronounced it "way cool." Then she began nagging the two of us to play it with her.
And now, my husband is a Mario Kart Maniac.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT MARIO KART WII:
* It's a classic.Who doesn't like playing Mario Kart? (I realized after seeing the game that it had many of the same tracks as the old Mario Kart for the GameCube, which my husband has played many times with our nephews in the UK. He loved it several years ago; of course he's loving it now that we have our own updated version for the Wii.)
* It's got several cool new tracks. All your old Mario Kart favorites are there (with updated graphics) plus several new ones.
* The Wii Wheel adds a new dimension to the game. This is a wonderful innovation. Of COURSE a driving game should be driven with a steering wheel. Duh.
* You don't actually need the Wii Wheel. Additional wheels may be purchased separately, but you can use the Wii remotes and nunchuks you already own to enjoy multi-player local games of up to four people.
* You don't actually have to be in the same home to play against your friends. You can connect with up to 12 friends over the Internet.
WHAT WE DON'T LIKE ABOUT MARIO KART WII:
So far, I've got nothing to report here! I think we're going to have to play it a lot more... Let me get back to you AFTER Father's Day.
Kids in Southern California are blessed with an abundance of family attractions and activities. It's a pretty short drive from our San Fernando Valley home to Disneyland, California Adventure, LegoLand, Magic Mountain, Hurricane Harbor and more. My daughter and I love it.
I wish I could say the same for my husband. He HATES amusement parks, with a passion. Getting him to agree to a Disneyland trip is like pulling hair (and if you've seen my husband, you know he doesn't have a lot of hair to spare).
Thank goodness for Sea World. The San Diego marine park is one of the few places in SoCal that offers something for everyone in our family: Animal exhibits, entertainment and rides -- with the added attraction of comfortable ocean breezes.
I've been enjoying the park since right after it opened in 1964. My husband and I visited before we were married, and then again on our honeymoon. It continued to be a favorite destination after our daughter was born and we discovered that it contains one of the best children's play areas I've ever seen.
So I was delighted to receive an invitation to the grand opening of the play area's newest incarnation, as the Sesame Street Bay of Play. It has all the wild and wonderful features we enjoyed when Megan was a toddler -- with the addition of three gentle rides and Sesame Street characters. And now that our daughter is in her "terrible tweens," I am nostalgic for those sweet days when I could rest my feet after a long day of shows and animals, and sit on a shady bench while husband and child climbed nets as high as the sky.
Here's some video I took of the Bay of Play's unveiling:
And here's Megan's kid's eye view of the Bay of Play:
Don't you love the way she protests that she's only there because her mom is making her... and then proceeds to have fun despite herself?
At least, she was not too cool for the park's other attractions, which include amazing animal shows and opportunities to get up close and personal with sharks, whales, dolphins, penguins and seals.
The Memorial Day crowds (combined with the fact that we got up at 5:00 a.m. to drive to San Diego) prevented us from seeing EVERYTHING there was to see at Sea World, but we managed to sample quite a bit of the park (including two times on the Journey to Atlantis ride). Want to see how we spent the rest of our day?
Our Day at Sea World from Donna Schwartz Mills on Vimeo.
Some day, we would love to do the Breakfast with Shamu or the Dolphin Encounter. Sea World also offers an amazing camp program where your kid can spend a week interacting with the marine biologists and trainers who work there.
Wanna know how we spent the rest of our time in San Diego? Visit me at my main blog, SoCal Mom.
People who meet me today might be surprised to learn that my college major was Radio-Television-Film. I was one of those kids who liked to make my own little films with my dad's 8mm home movie camera (these were the days before the invention of consumer video camcording).
Movies, music and television were my passions, and I could not think of anything else I wanted to do with my life. This became a problem for me when I got older and realized I'd gone as far as I was going to go in the entertainment business (my friends and I used to joke about how we'd clawed our way to the middle).
So you can see why I've had my eye on the Flip camcorder since I first heard of it through some of my blogging friends. (Note to PR people: In my case, reading about this device on blogs TOTALLY sold me. Just thought you should know.)
I received my Flip over the weekend as a birthday present, and it's everything I'd hoped for -- and more. I've been putting it through the paces, and you can see some of the results here:
Megan at the Gym: 5/19/08 from Donna Schwartz Mills on Vimeo.
FLIP PRO'S:
FLIP CON'S:
50-50:
The quality of the raw video I shot looks a lot better than what you see in the clip. This is because the software automatically prepares the video for use on YouTube. I am going to experiment with editing the videos with some other programs I own to see if I can upload to Vimeo in a higher quality format. If that doesn't work, I will be sorely tempted to upgrade the Muvee software that's built right into the Flip.
I loved the fact that Pure Digital Technologies packaged the camera with a little pouch, so I can carry my Flip in my handbag without getting it all scratched up. It's quick and easy to whip it out, turn it on and start recording the moment you have an inspiraton.
The bottom line: I can't decide which of the two new toys I got for my birthday is my favorite (the other one is a Wii Fit, which I will be reviewing here tomorrow). In fact, I'm going to shoot some video for that review so you can see both toys in action!
In the meantime, catch my first attempt at vlogging at SoCal Mom here.
We've had our drawing and we have our winners!
The following readers will be receiving cute Cruzor Gator flash drives:
Florinda of Reading, 'Riting and Randomness
Lorna of Lorna in Wonderland
Kelly from West Coast Grrlie Blather
Glennia of The Silent I, Kimchi Mamas, and the MOMocrats (to name a few!)
Congratulations, ladies... and stay tuned to this spot for the next contest on SoCal Stuff!
Reader Amanda, who did not leave a blog URL...
Yes, I know that Mom's Day is still two weeks away... but the kind folks at SanDisk have offered my readers a prize that would make a perfect gift (or just a handy device you can use yourself):
SanDisk's Cruzer Gator is an stylish flash drive covered in a mock alligator (I like the pink, because it's the girliest color and therefore less likely to be "borrowed" by my husband).
I'm going to use mine to store an album of digital family photos to give to my mom as her Mother's Day present, including these shots I took on Mother's Day last year. (Note: only my Flickr friends will see any photos of the kids; the rest of you will see some nice scenes of the Ventura Yacht Club, where we had our holiday brunch.)
SanDisk has generously offered five of these little beauties to readers of SoCal Mom and SoCal Stuff. Entering the random drawing is easy: Everyone who leaves a comment on this blog and SoCal Mom between now and May 2nd is automatically entered (just make sure you include a valid email address so I can let you know if you're a winner).
UPDATE: My contact at SanDisk has informed me that the flash drives being offered are NOT 8GB as I mistakenly thought. The Black and Red ones are 4GB and the pretty pink one is 2GB. I apologize for my confusion. They still make awesome Mother's Day gifts!
As a dieter who just lost 56 pounds, I know that there's nothing better for my body than plain old water. During the weight loss phase of my diet, I was encouraged to drink 80 ounces of water each day -- and while I've slacked off a bit on maintenance, I've found that I've become accustomed to keeping myself pretty hydrated.
And then, there's my daughter, the gymnast, who trains for 16 grueling hours per week. Between my daily aerobic workouts and her crazy routine, we both guzzle up a lot of liquid.
I was surprised to learn from a nutritionist who spoke to the team parents at my daughter's gym that athletes who work out as intensely as Megan (expending as much as 600 calories per session) really DO need more than plain water. They need to replace their electrolytes, and consuming a little sugar in their drink can help them replenish their energy.
(Gosh - so there's something to those Gatorade ads? Go figure!)
After hearing that, I became less insistent on giving Megan a plain bottle of Arrowhead, and allowed her to indulge her taste for fancy flavored waters -- at least, during her workouts. So I was jumped at the opportunity to test the new Antioxidant Waters from Snapple -- and was curious to hear what she thought of them. I'm personally kind of wary of the claims that these products contain enough nutrients to make a difference in a body's defenses... but I also think that drinking them can't hurt anything but your waistline and teeth (if you overindulge). And if drinking something that tastes good makes you drink more, that can only be good.
"These are pretty good," Megan announced when we did our tasting. Later on, when she drank one during her workout, she proclaimed them as "very good." Her favorite flavor is the Agave Melon (the Dragonfruit was a little bit too sophisticated for her 12-year-old palate, although I liked it a lot).
Unfortunately, my 30- to 60-minute workouts are not as intense as my daughter's, and I can't help but think I have to run on the elliptical machine for a good 15 minutes before I use up the calories in just one bottle of Snapple's water (or the ones by rival makers Glaceau and Sobe). Maybe when I'll be able to enjoy the benefits of the Antioxidant Water without guilt when my weight stabilizes (in another four to eight months). Or maybe I'll work myself up to the point where I'll be brave enough to train for a marathon (like my friend Karen Sugarpants). In the meantime, I'll stick with plain water for myself...
...but will be purchasing more Snapple Antioxidant Water for Megan.
Continue reading "Snapple's New Water a Nice Hydrating Option" »
The folks who organized Johnson & Johnson's Camp Baby pulled out all the stops for the 55 blogging women who attended.
The flew us out to a top-notch business hotel near the headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They wined and dined us. They showered us with some amazing swag (from the inevitable products -- which I, for one, will be using -- to goodies from co-sponsor Nintendo). And they obviously gave a lot of thought to the program they presented: we heard from medical doctors, who offered insight into child development and health issues (and yes, there was some selling of J&J's image and products, but that was to be expected).
All in all, it was a heroic effort to begin a dialogue between the blogging community and one of the world's foremost manufacturers of health, medical and cosmetic products. But it will probably be remembered most for the afternoon breakout session with the horrifying title: "Girl Talk: 'What's Happening Down There?'"
"Down There" does NOT refer to Australia or New Zealand. No, this session was led by two very earnest urogynecologists, and promised to be a discussion "that touches upon myths, the body and ways to help women with bladder and other 'down there' related changes after giving birth."
It's an embarrassing topic that makes most women uncomfortable, and I would hope that the two female medical doctors who chose this as their specialty understood that. Most of us went into the session with a feeling of dread, and that was even after we'd experienced the scary germ doctor who informed us that fecal matter is EVERYWHERE.
I wish I could say I behaved in a manner befitting the wisdom and experience I have accrued in my 50+ years on this planet, but that would be a lie. Instead, I (and most of my colleagues), behaved like 12-year-olds. I was as giggly, gawky and grossed out as I'd been in sex education class, back in the early '70's.
The hotel is one big wi-fi hotspot, and J&J encouraged us to blog the event, so most of us hid behind our laptops as the doctors went over the parts of female anatomy that can be weakened through changes wrought by pregnancy, childbirth and age. And most of us (who are on Twitter) tweeted through the whole thing with rude comments to one another about bladder leakage, fecal incontinence and Kegel exercises. (I know. I am saying "Ewwww" right now, as I type this up.)
It occurred to us that Twittering during a lecture is the modern day equivalent of passing your friends a note in class. Except that the world beyond the room (at least, the ones who are following your Twitter stream) can see everything you are saying. And the tweets coming from that room were um, hysterical.
The funniest part of all this is that as the good doctors went on (at one point, they told us to think of the room we were in as a big uterus and imagine the ceiling dropping in on us, and that is what a hernia would be like) and we tweeted, and we joked... and most of us gained several new followers. (For that, I must publicly thank Erin, the "Queen of Spain", who listed all of our Twitter identities to her followers.) To all my new friends: I seriously doubt that you will ever read the words "vagina," "pelvic floor" or "peeing" in my Twitter stream again.
By the time we'd finished that session and were safely ensconced in the final breakout (where some nice ladies were trying to teach us about styling our girl children's hair), we were giddy, tired and impossible. The room was strewn with giant Barbie heads (you know, the kind your little girl uses to play hair dresser), and we could no longer focus. It had been a long day, with few breaks and we were tired.
We'd managed a second wind for dinner at a very swanky restaurant, where the Nintendo folks set up Wii's for us to play (including the Fit, reviewed here last month). While there, I had a nice conversation with one of the PR ladies who helped Johnson and Johnson plan the event. We talked about the challenges of working within the ever-changing world of social media, and how it differs from traditional media. We also touched upon the lack of diversity among this event's participants, which many of us found strange -- especially when we learned that Johnson & Johnson's President of Baby Care is an African-American woman. The publicist I talked to -- who is also African-American -- said that they had hoped for a more diverse group, but that the ethnicity of bloggers isn't often apparent from their writing. I got the feeling that she was sincere... and that they will try harder next time.
And I hope there is a next time. I think that -- despite the grousing, the skepticism and the rude Twitter tweets -- most of us are walking away with a better understanding of one another. And if that was the company's goal, I think it's been achieved.
In the last couple of years, blogging has become an interesting business -- and I use that term in the commercial sense. It's weird, because when I started this blog (back in 2003 - I know, it's mind boggling to me, too), I never expected anyone but my friends and family to read it.
Obviously I -- and the blogosphere -- have come a long way. Especially since we showed up on the radar of corporate America.
This post is not going to be about the political/social aspect of partnering with marketers. This is a topic that has been covered thoughtfully and forcefully by others, and is better suited for my main blog, SoCal Mom (where I hope to talk about the phenomenon after I've had some time to evaluate this event, but in a broader sense).
But I did want to talk a little about the wonder I feel every time I get an email promising an opportunity that is going to be FUN -- like the one that began my relationship with Nintendo... and the invitation I received last year to meet General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. Or my very positive association with the Walt Disney Company, which paid me last year to be a consultant for Family.com.
These are things that NEVER would have happened to me without my little blog. They make logging on to my computer each day a little bit like Christmas. You never know what you are going to find in that email you are about to open.
So I was a tad giddy back in February, when I got an unexpected invitation to attend Johnson & Johnson's Baby Camp. A retreat with mom bloggers, like a mini-BlogHer? Only all expenses paid? On the East Coast (in New Jersey -- home of my beautiful blogging buddy, Lizzie Thompson)?
Did they know that I am in my 50's and not likely to have much contact with babies until I become a grandmother (hopefully, not for another 10 or 20 years)?
I RSVP'd immediately, in case they came to their senses.
Since then, there's been a lot of chatter in the blogosphere about this event and others. As I said above, I will deal with that in another post, after the event is over, and probably at my other blog, SoCal Mom.
This post is about the event itself.
Everything has been first class -- including my airplane ticket to New Jersey (not all participants got that perk. I think mine was due to how promptly I was able to RSVP). The Heldrich Hotel, where the conference is being held, is a quality, four-star facility. The food served at the dinner buffet was surprisingly good (I tend to expect less from food that's sitting out in a chafing dish). I didn't even have to drive myself to the airport -- Johnson & Johnson arranged for a towncar to transport me to LAX and back.
We have each received a goodie bag filled with Neutrogena products, like anti-wrinkle cream (AHA! Maybe they actually do know how old I am). There's also some partner mark
eting going on here: the shuttle from Newark to New Brunswick was a hybrid Tahoe, courtesy of General Motors (a company that really does understand marketing through blogs), and the vintages we sampled at Queer Eye and Top Chef host Ted Allen's wine pairing seminar were provided by the parent company of Robert Mondavi.
Ted Allen, by the way, was wonderful: informative, funny and highly entertaining (just as he is on television -- only he seemed a lot looser. Or maybe we were the ones who were loose. A number of us went straight up to dinner after a chat session in the hotel bar. Anyone who has ever been to a party filled with mommy bloggers -- or even a PTA convention -- knows what that's all about).
I live-tweeted the Ted Allen event, which seemed to unnerve our hosts, one of whom asked another attendee what I was doing by texting on my phone through the whole thing. I guess they had not yet learned about Twitter (we were telling Ted about it, too -- he writes a couple of blogs of his own, and ended his presentation by asking US for pointers. Which, of course, we were more than happy to provide).
Tomorrow's agenda is chock-full of events, from 7:30 a.m. until midnight -- with nary a break inbetween. I expect to learn a few things here. But I think Johnson & Johnson is going to learn just as much -- or more -- from us.
And that's probably the point of this entire exercise.
In the meantime -- getting to reconnect with old blogging friends, live and in person -- is an experience I am savoring.
More tomorrow -- and with a little luck, I will be a lot more coherent than I am tonight.
