Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

Moms' Getaway at Montage Laguna

If there is such a place as heaven, I expect it would look a lot like the Montage Laguna. For one thing, I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture at the place.

I've been fortunate enough to stay at the hotel on two occasions (which I've written about here and here and here). The last time, I was determined to sample EVERYTHING the resort had to offer... but stopped short of using any spa services.

One reason is that it was an anniversary visit, and my husband is kind of high maintenance: When the two of us go away together, he expects us to do everything together. And unfortunately, he just isn't into activities like couples massage. 

We did while away our final afternoon in the spa pool area, and I recall watching a bridal party relaxing there before the big event -- and thinking how much FUN that would be for a girlfriend getaway.

So you can imagine my response when my LA Moms Blog colleague Kimberley Clayton-Blaine asked me if I wanted to spend the Saturday before Mother's Day at Montage Spa with some of my favorite mommy blogging friends. I may even have uttered the phrase, "BOO-YEAH!" before shooting off an emailed reply.

It's a bit of a drive from my neck of the SoCal woods (the San Fernando Valley) down to Laguna Beach, so it was nice to have companionship in the form of my carpool buddies, Sweatpants Mom and Los Angelista. We had so much fun catching up with one another that the 90 minute trek flew on by...

  ...and once we got there, the day kicked into high gear as we were greeted by that fabulous view --  and mimosas, which we guzzled sipped as we waited for the rest of the LA and OC Mom bloggers to join us.

We were led on a tour of the property by Kacey Spies-Bruno, the hotel's Director of Public Relations -- and the first place she led us to was a part of the property I had no idea existed... even though I'd been there before, with my daughter.

Paintbox is the resort's children's club, staffed by an enthusiastic crew who oversee age appropriate games and crafts for children from 2-12... and now include activities for teenagers.

Director Stacy Adelman looks like a kid herself (and has the spirited demeanor of a cheerleader), so I was surprised to learn of the years and years of experience she's had overseeing programs like this - both at Montage (where she's been since they opened seven years ago) and at various Club Med resorts. 

You can also ask the Paintbox staff to customize a special day for your entire family: dolphin and whale watching, surf lessons and plein air painting are just a few of the activities you can choose from.

I think my daughter would have enjoyed it if we'd known about it when she was 10. And now that she's 14... well, I would prefer to sign her up for teen activities than allow her to hang out unsupervised on the beach. So I think the new teen program is an awesome addition to the hotel's services.

After our tour of Paintbox, we were all whisked away and deposited at the Montage spa, where we were issued shoes and lockers. The place is simply gorgeous. While you wait for your appointment you can sit beside a fireplace and enjoy tea and healthy snacks -- or you can step outside and use the sauna, steam bath, whirlpool and cold pool, which are located on a shady deck.

A few of us with later appointments ended up lounging by the swimming pool which overlooks the beach (that's where I took the panoramic photo at the top of this post). We ordered lunch (and cocktails) poolside and I have to tell you -- it was all as yummy as it looked. A photo of the cocktails with the ocean in the background is now the wallpaper on my phone.

It was ironic that there are signs in the spa asking patrons to turn off their cell phones - but as we were invited specifically to blog, vlog and tweet while we were there, most of us were sitting around with several pieces of electronic equipment, all tapping away delightedly. Hey - this is how WE relax!

Having taken the Vlogamama Workshop the previous week, I DID attempt to create a video depicting our day... but I'm still learning how to use my camera and microphone and editing software, so rather than inflict my awkward little production on you, I'm going to show you what Kimberley created -- which will show you exactly how fabulous a Montage spa day can be.

This post continues on my food blog, "What's for Dinner?" ... and if you really want to see my awful video, you'll find it here.

DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation for this post other than the food I consumed and the facial treatment I received in the Spa. I have no business affiliation with the Montage Laguna.

Promotion Potpourri: Ambassadors of the Ocean

You may recall that a couple of months ago, I attended a Los Angeles Moms Blog event held at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel. Yesterday, I received an announcement that Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program formally launched at the hotel a couple of weeks ago, on Earth Day.

According to the hotel, this program "is designed to give guests of all ages the most fun and enriching experience possible in nature...through excursions, games, multimedia presentations, discussions and activities.  The natural wonders of Southern California make it a natural classroom and living laboratory where kids, families and adults can learn and grow during a fun, interactive activity."

During the course of the program, the hotel will be "dedicating each day to different aspects of Southern California’s natural wonders – kelp beds, the intertidal zone, the sandy beach, terrestrial ecology, native culture, sustainable living and becoming an Ambassador of the Environment."

Full program descriptions can be found here. 

DISCLOSURE: I have no affiliation with the Ritz Carlton or Jean-Michel Cousteau's organization. I received no compensation for this post - I just thought it was interesting enough to share.

Vlogamama: Because Even Mommy Bloggers Need Continuing Education

I'm pretty old school: I started blogging because I have a compulsion to write, and the easiest things to write about are the activities I pursue in my own life.

I never expected anyone other than family and friends to read this stuff. I certainly never expected to make any money doing this, or that my online endeavors would open up my little house-and-family-centered world to some interesting experiences (such as dining with the Vice Chairman of GM, visiting the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, or hanging out at the Oscar red carpet).

Blogging is like any profession or hobby: As time goes by, you want to progress - get better - and push the envelope. That is why in 2005, after keeping this blog for 18 months, I signed up for a little upstart conference called BlogHer... which opened up a whole new online world for me. I met some of the most fascinating, generous women I've ever known -- and discovered all kinds of amazing tools and techniques I could be using to be a better blogger.

I incorporated some of these right away: deli.cio.us, Flickr, Technorati tags (typing this out now, I'm blown away -- can you believe all of this was BRAND NEW just five short years ago?) But there were other areas that didn't feel right to me.

One of those was video blogging, which was being produced by a handful of pioneers even then (before pocket camcorders like the Flip made it REALLY EASY to do). I found the concept intriguing. After all, my college major was Radio-TV-Film.

Actually, my first major was theater - but I have a face made for radio. And after a disastrous exercise in freshman acting class - when I was told by the blind girl (!) that she hated my voice - I realized I wasn't going to make it as an audio performer, either.

But writing is something that has always come naturally to me, and I decided to focus on that. For several years, my writing efforts were concentrated on telling stories through visuals and dialogue... until the years passed and I realized it was time to get out.

For nearly seven years, this blog has been my creative outlet. While my friends engage in scrapbooking and cool crafts, I've self-published my weird little thoughts on the Internet. I've been accused of being narcissistic, and I suppose I am - but not any more so than anyone else who keeps a journal or writes a memoir. The difference is that I publish mine myself. I'm still kind of surprised when someone tells me she's read it...

...and I love it. I love the immediate feedback. I love the relationships I've built.

And yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love getting free stuff. But while I didn't expect to earn an income from blogging when I started out, it would be really nice if I could. For one thing, I wouldn't have to keep defending my blogging activities to my husband, or try to explain it to my friends.

I could blog without the guilt.

Although I say over and over again that I don't really care about my stats or my standing or my popularity on the web, that's not entirely true. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I can't help but think that I will someday create something of value from this obsession to write.

So I had a lot of reasons to sign up for Kimberley Clayton-Blaine's Vlogamama workshop, which was held on Saturday at the luxurious Montage in Beverly Hills:

1. Web surfers increasingly prefer to watch video over reading blogs. Text-only sites are becoming extinct. And I'm sensitive enough about my old age without comparisons to a dinosaur.

2. Search engines now have the ability to index video content - so having some can dramatically increase your rankings.

3. Can you say "viral"?

4. The blogging networks I belong to want us to do it.

5. Kodak gave me a beautiful HD camcorder for the red carpet interviews I got to do at the Streamys this month (previously disclosed!), and I would like to put it to good use.

6. After attending the Streamys, I've felt renewed interest in telling stories via visuals and dialogue again. But so far, all my attempts have been dorky -- especially after I saw what Sugar Jones did with her Streamy footage... all I can say is WOW.

I hoped Kimberley could point me in the right direction.

And I was right. Kimberley cut right to the chase with excellent tips and guidelines to make our little video blogs more engaging. She also showed us some best-case examples of what some of the more creative mommy blogging vloggers are doing right now and then told us how to get our finished product out and in front of an audience.

It was quite an eye-opener. Web video is a whole new world.

We finished the workshop with a hands-on session, where we partnered into pairs and took turns video-ing one another, trying to incorporate the guidelines Kimberley set forth.

I was only partially successful - and had even more difficulty when I tried to edit the goofs out. (NOTE TO SELF: Must find better video editing platform. And no, at this time, I cannot afford to purchase an iBook so I can use iMovie, which everyone says is THE BEST for this purpose.)

One other main flaw with the video attempt below is that I'm pulling it from YouTube. Vimeo (one of Vlogamama's sponsors) has superior quality - but I've exceeded my upload limit for that service this week, and I wanted to get this post up while the workshop is still fresh. I will replace this clip with the Vimeo version as soon as I have one:

Kimberley will be holding this workshop in other cities very soon. Information forthcoming on her website, here.

I would be remiss if I did not make mention of the level of service we received at Montage Beverly Hills. We've all had to attend meetings held at hotels, and often need assistance finding the meeting room. You are usually lucky if you can collar someone who will give you a meeting room name and point you in the right direction. You might not quite follow where you're supposed to turn and then get lost. (Well, that's what usually happens to me.)

At Montage, the question "Where do I find the meeting room?" did not result in directions. No, the hotel employee I asked insisted on escorting me there.

The same thing happened when I asked the wait staff where I'd find the ladies' room. I was not sent off into the hallway alone to look for it - I was led there.

From the beautiful luncheon spread to the golden pens we were given for note taking, all of the women in attendance were treated like VIPs.

And you can get an idea of how gorgeous the facility is from this video Kimberley made of the session.

Disclosure: My attendance at Vlogamama was paid for by Yahoo, as I am a member of the Yahoo Motherboard. But I didn't know that when I signed up! Kimberley had kept the cost of the workshop for non-Motherboard members surprisingly low. Knowing Kimberley and the scope of the material we would be covering, I felt I was getting a bargain before I discovered I wouldn't have to pay for it.

I have no affiliation whatsoever with the Montage hotel chain (much as I would like to!). I am merely a fan.

Tales From the Red Carpet

When I was a little girl in the pre-feminist 1960's, it seemed to me that the highest accomplishment a woman could aspire to was... Miss America. And I dreamed of someday wearing her crown.

I eventually realized that I was not going to be tall enough, or slender enough - or pretty enough - to get within 50 feet of a beauty pageant. So my aspirational fantasy evolved: I wanted to win an Academy Award.

I held on to that dream well into adulthood. The problem is, you have to actually accomplish something awesome in movie production to even be nominated, and while I spent a lot of years thinking and outlining and starting screenplays, I never actually finished writing one.

So I downsized my goal to see how many Awards shows I could attend.

This was easier than it sounds. In the 1980s, I had the kind of jobs that gave me entree to the Grammys and People's Choice Awards as a journalist... and attended the Emmys three times as a guest of some nominees (an experience I've written about before).

But I never did make it to the event I think of as the Mother of All Awards Shows: The Oscars.

If the Superbowl is the ultimate viewing and bonding experience for the American male, the Academy Awards plays that part for the American female. And in Los Angeles, Oscar night is something of a municipal holiday. Even out here in the deepest, darkest region of the San Fernando Valley, everyone knows at least one person who's a nominee. When the ceremony was held on Mondays, people left work early so they could watch - and the evening traffic on Oscar night was terrible.

I'm sure that's not the reason why the Academy switched the event to Sundays... but it's certainly made it easier to throw Oscar viewing parties.

As it is, the Academy Awards is one of the few big televised events that West Coasters get to see in real time (unlike the Emmys - and the Vancouver Olympics - which were tape-delayed even though they originated in our time zone. DON'T GET ME STARTED...)

Okay, so you all know how I feel about this. Now you'll know why I didn't hesitate when a representative from Kodak (one of the program's big sponsors) asked me if I was interested in watching the red carpet arrivals from the bleachers.

I figure that unless my daughter realizes her dream of becoming a film director (which simultaneously warms and strikes fear into my heart), this is about as close as I'll ever get to the gold statuette. 

And besides - it will be FUN.

So next Sunday, I'll be live tweeting (#KodakRedCarpet) and taking photos from (near) the Red Carpet as the megastars arrive, and I won't be alone: some of my favorite people in the blogosphere will be there, too. I've compiled a Twitter list of the people I know of who will be with me on the bleachers - follow us all here.

El Nino 2010

I awoke at 5:30 AM this morning to the news that there were already two SigAlerts on SoCal freeways.

That's right: We've been hit by the first of four winter storms expected this week.

This clip - sent to me by my sister - perfectly illustrates what happens in Los Angeles when we get to experience a little "weather." It cracked me up - because it's just so true. (And I am one of the first ones to freak out if I have to drive on wet roads.)