I jotted down these thoughts as I waited to board my flight to Miami last week. Then I reconsidered and didn't post them. But as I reread them I realize how true they ring so I have decided to share them with you. Here goes...
"It is not yet 9am and I am waiting at the airport to board my flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I enjoy flying out of this airport as there is never a line, the screening is thorough and everyone is friendly. Big change from JFK and LGA.
As I sit here I wonder about a couple of things. First I wonder how my family will do without me. We no longer have the FT caregiver we had when I used to travel for business. Secondly I wonder how I will do. I am on my way to Miami for an event to celebrate the launch of the Que Rica Vida web site en espanol. Accompanying me will be some of the best and brightest Latina mommy bloggers In the country. They also have big personalities, at least on Twitter and on their blogs. I am not a big-personality-having mommy Latina blogger. I have a big-on-paper personality. I also suspect that I may be older than some of these mommy bloggers. Ah well. I will find my way and make my mark. I am looking forward to these next two days.
So, as I sit here I will push these thoughts aside and focus on something else. I am incredibly lucky to have been selected to attend. And truly life is wonderful. Que Rica Vida!"
So. Was I right? Did the mommy bloggers have big personalities? They did! They were funny and bright and so welcoming. I would go again in a heartbeat.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
La Noche del Develamiento de QueRicaVida.com
Tonight is the big event - the launching ceremony of the new Que Rica Vida.com! As I and my fellow Latina mommy and cooking bloggers get ready for the evening, the General Mills event team is putting finishing touches on what is sure to be a fantastic and tasty affair.
At the recommendation of a fellow blogger, I took a peek at the event floor where the music was pumping, the napkins were being folded and everything was being set up, lined up and shined up for a delicious evening full of surprises.
Some of the Special Guests here tonight will include Karla Martinez, Univision's Despierta America co-host, and Ursula Mejia-Melgar, Que Rica Vida editor, in addition to Adamari Lopez, Dra. Aliza and many others. Tonight's activities will include tastings, cook-offs, meet and greets and a "Charla Contra Cancer" by a panel of experts.
One of the gifts provided to us, the mommy bloggers, is a "mini-libro de recetas" Cocina Betty Crocker. (The full version is available for sale online.) In celebration of Que Rica Vida, I am going to share each of the recipes I cook for my family from the mini-libro with you. I'll take photos, share experiences and let you know what my kids - and hubby - thought of each recipe.
Well, on to the fiesta, because at least for tonight... yo no soy la que guisa!
At the recommendation of a fellow blogger, I took a peek at the event floor where the music was pumping, the napkins were being folded and everything was being set up, lined up and shined up for a delicious evening full of surprises.
Some of the Special Guests here tonight will include Karla Martinez, Univision's Despierta America co-host, and Ursula Mejia-Melgar, Que Rica Vida editor, in addition to Adamari Lopez, Dra. Aliza and many others. Tonight's activities will include tastings, cook-offs, meet and greets and a "Charla Contra Cancer" by a panel of experts.
One of the gifts provided to us, the mommy bloggers, is a "mini-libro de recetas" Cocina Betty Crocker. (The full version is available for sale online.) In celebration of Que Rica Vida, I am going to share each of the recipes I cook for my family from the mini-libro with you. I'll take photos, share experiences and let you know what my kids - and hubby - thought of each recipe.
Well, on to the fiesta, because at least for tonight... yo no soy la que guisa!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Ready... Set... Que Rica Vida
I am in Miami with more than two dozen other Latina bloggers, and I am ready to experience Que Rica Vida.
I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful folks of General Mills Que Rica Vida for inviting me to attend this event. My flight and arrival at Ft. Lauderdale airport was seemeless and capped only by the arrival at the Hyatt Regency Miami. The team assembled by General Mills was super organized and welcoming, providing all the attendees - bloggers, press, etc. with information and a fantastic goody bag.
I don't have much time to blog right now as I have to get ready to go to the celebratory dinner. If I'm not dressed, made up and downstairs by 5:45PM the carriage will leave without me. But I will be back to tell you more about the evening's events.
Greetings from Miami!
I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful folks of General Mills Que Rica Vida for inviting me to attend this event. My flight and arrival at Ft. Lauderdale airport was seemeless and capped only by the arrival at the Hyatt Regency Miami. The team assembled by General Mills was super organized and welcoming, providing all the attendees - bloggers, press, etc. with information and a fantastic goody bag.
I don't have much time to blog right now as I have to get ready to go to the celebratory dinner. If I'm not dressed, made up and downstairs by 5:45PM the carriage will leave without me. But I will be back to tell you more about the evening's events.
Greetings from Miami!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Traveling... Alone
I've always traveled as part of my work responsibilities. In the early days (don't think I'm going to tell you how long ago) I traveled to Albany, NY. I was Director of Human Resources for one of the City of New York's mayoral agencies and had to attend labor meetings. Later, while working for a recycling company, I had to travel throughout New York, Connecticut and New Jersey to perform site inspections and interview candidates for employment. These were the lean years when traveling for work meant jumping on a train or driving myself. It was fun, don't get me wrong, and I really enjoyed being on the road blasting music or listening to books on tape.
As the years passed the trips got more elaborate and interesting. Travel meant attending C.P.E. or going to conferences as an attendee or presenter. It also meant air travel across the United States to beautiful cities in different states. Frequently my husband came along and my business travel became impromptu vacations. Those were the salad days.
And then I had children...
They tell you, when you're pregnant, that having children changes everything. Each time I heard this I laughed and smiled and said "yeah yeah". By "everything" I thought they meant "sleep" or "fancy restaurants" or "expensive clothing". I didn't realize that by "everything" they meant "EVERYTHING". It wasn't until years later when I realized that "everything" included how I felt about traveling for business. It was one of the things that I used to enjoy the most. Up until the point when I became a mother, business travel meant vacation or exploration or education. It meant all the good "ations". Suddenly traveling for business meant guilty feelings and worrying. Where did all the "ations" go?
It took some serious work to get over the bad feelings. I remember sitting in the airport waiting for my first flight after having all three of my girls and seriously considering walking away from the gate. I realized I would be fired but the thought of being back home with my husband and daughters far outweighed that harsh reality. I didn't do it, ofcourse, and consider myself stronger and smarter for it. I continued to travel and each time I did, I felt a little less guilty and even (incredibly) began to enjoy myself a bit. I allowed myself to feel important for being called down to the company headquarters. I took some time to explore the really nice hotels where they sent me. I went out with colleagues and, shudder, I had fun.
So in two days, I will be traveling to Miami to attend the launch of the General Mills Qué Rica Vida website. I know better now than to feel dismal about it. I am flattered that I was invited to attend and I'm excited to meet other "mommy bloggers" like myself. I am looking forward to learning more about the world of blogging and look forward to visiting Miami again. What is more, when I begin to feel guilty about leaving my girls, and the stereo-typical, old world beliefs about where mommies should be start to creep up, I think to myself that perhaps one day my daughters will look back and think that I was pretty cool once upon a time.
Now if I could only get rid of my fear of flying...
As the years passed the trips got more elaborate and interesting. Travel meant attending C.P.E. or going to conferences as an attendee or presenter. It also meant air travel across the United States to beautiful cities in different states. Frequently my husband came along and my business travel became impromptu vacations. Those were the salad days.
And then I had children...
They tell you, when you're pregnant, that having children changes everything. Each time I heard this I laughed and smiled and said "yeah yeah". By "everything" I thought they meant "sleep" or "fancy restaurants" or "expensive clothing". I didn't realize that by "everything" they meant "EVERYTHING". It wasn't until years later when I realized that "everything" included how I felt about traveling for business. It was one of the things that I used to enjoy the most. Up until the point when I became a mother, business travel meant vacation or exploration or education. It meant all the good "ations". Suddenly traveling for business meant guilty feelings and worrying. Where did all the "ations" go?
It took some serious work to get over the bad feelings. I remember sitting in the airport waiting for my first flight after having all three of my girls and seriously considering walking away from the gate. I realized I would be fired but the thought of being back home with my husband and daughters far outweighed that harsh reality. I didn't do it, ofcourse, and consider myself stronger and smarter for it. I continued to travel and each time I did, I felt a little less guilty and even (incredibly) began to enjoy myself a bit. I allowed myself to feel important for being called down to the company headquarters. I took some time to explore the really nice hotels where they sent me. I went out with colleagues and, shudder, I had fun.
So in two days, I will be traveling to Miami to attend the launch of the General Mills Qué Rica Vida website. I know better now than to feel dismal about it. I am flattered that I was invited to attend and I'm excited to meet other "mommy bloggers" like myself. I am looking forward to learning more about the world of blogging and look forward to visiting Miami again. What is more, when I begin to feel guilty about leaving my girls, and the stereo-typical, old world beliefs about where mommies should be start to creep up, I think to myself that perhaps one day my daughters will look back and think that I was pretty cool once upon a time.
Now if I could only get rid of my fear of flying...
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Meaning of "Spain"
Two months ago my husband and I took our three girls to Spain for the first time. Madrid, Spain is the birthplace of my mother. It's the place where she lived until she married my father and moved to New York. And it is the place where I spent every summer of my life. I was very curious to see what each of my daughters would take away from this trip - eager to see what character and taste "Spain" would hold for each one of them. I didn't expect a vast cultural understanding from the twins. They are six years old, after all. If you asked them what Madrid is "like", the first would tell you it is a place where you can play in a playground across the street from a palace and where Mickey Mouse makes balloon animals for you. Huh? Finding people dressed as Minnie and Mickey in front of Palacio (or Shrek in La Puerta del Sol, or Winnie the Pooh in La Plaza Mayor) is the last thing I expected to see. To the second twin, Spain is the home of "Balto" the cutest dog in the world. Balto is my cousin's dog for whom she developed quite a fondness, and vice versa. She asks to go back to Madrid almost every day, not to see my uncles or aunts, but to visit Balto.
But the loss of much of its traditional nuances was also sad to me. In a way, that which made the idea of "Spain" so magical for me as a child was starting to fade. Some things remain the same. The smell of cologne from people in the street, the cleanliness of its buildings and the hard sidewalks with small square designs which absolutely kill your feet were still there. And that's when I realized I was like so many immigrants that return to their countries... their homes, which they preserved in their minds frozen in time... to find everything changed.
It had been 13 years since I last visited Madrid. I will never let that much time pass again.
More to follow...
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Summer of Love
It finally looks and feels like Spring here in New York´s Hudson Valley. The sun is shining and there is a breeze coming off the river. My husband and I decided to take the girls for a little day trip up to Woodstock. I hope to take lots of photos there and share them with you.
Have a wonderful day and see you later!
Have a wonderful day and see you later!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Reluciente
There is no higher form of praise from my mother than that one word. "Reluciente." It's a great word. It goes beyond "clean" or "shiny". It connotes an immaculate nature that radiates light. If my girls are well dressed in ironed clothing with spotless shoes "están relucientes". If the windows are free of splatter marks and pollen, "relucen". When the floors are so clean that light bounces off them and you can see there's no dust or dirt... well, you get my drift.
My mother's house is RELUCIENTE. It is my parent's home, but it's my mother's house. She knows every square inch of it. She senses where dirt might be hiding and focuses in on it like a laser. BZAP! The "alféizares" are dusted every day. The "calefacciones" are wiped down - top, middle and bottom fins - once a week. The refrigerator is pulled away from the kitchen wall once a month. You can try to run in my mother's house, but you cannot hide, Dirt.
Dirt is the enemy. Dirt is personified. Dirt is not an object but a presence. It lurks, it taunts and it is eternal. Each day, my mother's home is a battleground of light vs. darkness, good vs. evil, dirt vs. clean. The discovery of a new hiding place for dirt is something to be celebrated. ¨No te lo vas a creer. ¡Hoy abrí la tapa de ¨insert location or object here¨ y encontré polvo!¨ We all know what happened to that sorry dust. The angels of biblical times would not have been more effective in eradicating it than my mother. My mother is St. George and dirt is the dragon.
The hunt for dirt is not limited to inside my parent´s four walls. Oh no. Weather permitting, my mother opens her door every morning and heads out with her ¨escoba¨. ¨¿Que dirán los vecinos? Pensarán que estoy loca.¨ In sweeping the sidewalk in front of her home, she battles pollution from school buses, delivery trucks and cars, litter from passersby and just plain ¨tierra.¨ You know, tierra, the dirt that comes from earth. That´s good dirt, mind you, outside the home under the plants... where it belongs. But migrate from beyond that little patch of grass between the driveway and the walkway and my mother OWNS that dirt. Stray to the entrance area in front of the door and it´s a goner. In her hands, that escoba is mightier than St. George´s sword.
My mother has a cleaning lady that comes once a week and she cleans WITH her, side by side. ¨Es la única manera de saber que está limpiando de verdad.¨ But she is nice about it, demanding but kind, and she is not above doing anything she asks the cleaning lady to do herself. She does not have a cleaning lady because she is above cleaning. She has a cleaning lady because there are just some things she can no longer physically do.
Reluciente. What else is reluciente? My mother is reluciente. She is real. She does what she advises my sister and I to do. She walks the walk. She is genuine, she is my role model and she is reluciente, inside and out.
My mother's house is RELUCIENTE. It is my parent's home, but it's my mother's house. She knows every square inch of it. She senses where dirt might be hiding and focuses in on it like a laser. BZAP! The "alféizares" are dusted every day. The "calefacciones" are wiped down - top, middle and bottom fins - once a week. The refrigerator is pulled away from the kitchen wall once a month. You can try to run in my mother's house, but you cannot hide, Dirt.
Dirt is the enemy. Dirt is personified. Dirt is not an object but a presence. It lurks, it taunts and it is eternal. Each day, my mother's home is a battleground of light vs. darkness, good vs. evil, dirt vs. clean. The discovery of a new hiding place for dirt is something to be celebrated. ¨No te lo vas a creer. ¡Hoy abrí la tapa de ¨insert location or object here¨ y encontré polvo!¨ We all know what happened to that sorry dust. The angels of biblical times would not have been more effective in eradicating it than my mother. My mother is St. George and dirt is the dragon.
The hunt for dirt is not limited to inside my parent´s four walls. Oh no. Weather permitting, my mother opens her door every morning and heads out with her ¨escoba¨. ¨¿Que dirán los vecinos? Pensarán que estoy loca.¨ In sweeping the sidewalk in front of her home, she battles pollution from school buses, delivery trucks and cars, litter from passersby and just plain ¨tierra.¨ You know, tierra, the dirt that comes from earth. That´s good dirt, mind you, outside the home under the plants... where it belongs. But migrate from beyond that little patch of grass between the driveway and the walkway and my mother OWNS that dirt. Stray to the entrance area in front of the door and it´s a goner. In her hands, that escoba is mightier than St. George´s sword.
My mother has a cleaning lady that comes once a week and she cleans WITH her, side by side. ¨Es la única manera de saber que está limpiando de verdad.¨ But she is nice about it, demanding but kind, and she is not above doing anything she asks the cleaning lady to do herself. She does not have a cleaning lady because she is above cleaning. She has a cleaning lady because there are just some things she can no longer physically do.
Reluciente. What else is reluciente? My mother is reluciente. She is real. She does what she advises my sister and I to do. She walks the walk. She is genuine, she is my role model and she is reluciente, inside and out.
La Limpieza La Llevamos En La Sangre
"Eso de la limpieza lo llevamos en la sangre. Va de familia. Somos muy limpios." I can not tell you how many times I heard my mother (or her sisters or cousins) say this. Cleaning, it seemed, was an appropriate topic of conversation for any occasion. Was it someone´s birthday? That was the perfect chance to chat about how to clean finger prints off a wall. Un velatorio? A wake provided a trip down a sparkling memory lane. ¨¿Te acuerdas de cuando se lavaba la ropa en el arroyo?¨ A holiday perhaps? Jackpot! A holiday presented tremendous opportunities for comparing notes on how to get stains out of table cloths and napkins. If two women from her side of the family were together, cleaning was always a topic of discussion. If there were three women present, the competition began.
First there were the rankings. ¨La Tia "fulana" no era muy limpia. La prima "mengana" es más limpia que su hermana.¨ Then there followed discussion and debate over techniques. ¨El mapo se tiene que exprimir muy, muy bien para que no queden manchas en los azulejos.¨ ¨¡No! Si quieres que el piso te quede limpio te tienes que poner de rodillas para fregarlo bien a mano con una bayeta.¨ Finally came the testimonials. ¨The last time I was at so-and-so´s house I noticed that there were no dried water marks on the faucet!¨ ... Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! The cleaner your home was, the better your reputation in the family and the greater your sense of pride. Mi hogar, mi orgullo.
I still remember the first time I walked into my cousin M.R.´s house and saw her walking - well actually sliding - across the floor with a rag under each foot. I turned to my mother and asked her what she was doing. My mother laughed, playfully swatted me on the rear and said ¨sacando brillo al suelo.¨ It was a proud moment for both of them because I was coming of age. For me it was an epiphany. My mother was a member of a very clean tribe, and I was being indoctrinated. I had already learned the basics. I knew the exact sequence of how to make my bed EVERY MORNING which involved opening the window, removing all the sheets, dusting the headboard and setting the sheets and the bedspread again. (If I didn´t do it I would be reprimanded and hear the age old refrán ¨Cuerpo triste, de donde entraste saliste.¨) I knew bleach, soap and water were the ¨holy trinity¨of cleaning products. And, I was practically a professional at shining shoes and silverware. It was genetic, it was cultural and it was inevitable. I would one day become one of them.
Today, as a wife and mother, I maintain most of the old traditions. Compared to my non-latina friends I am a veritable clean freak. Moreover, cleaning isn´t just an inherited trait but a necessity. I have three young children who happen to have been born into a shrinking and rapidly changing world where flu viruses appear to be gaining strength, one time all-but-eradicated diseases like measles are flaring up in places, and lice checks in school are a part of life. Aside from providing them with good nutrition, teaching them to wash their hands and taking them for regular check-ups with their pediatrician, the best way I know to keep my girls healthy is to keep my home clean. Mi hogar es mi orgullo, and moreso mi familia es mi orgullo. There is no better source of pride and comfort for me than when my three girls walk out of my house, clean, well kempt, smelling good, and - most importantly - healthy.
Disclosure: The good folks at Clorox® are running a contest called “Mi Hogar Mi Orgullo” in which we are asked to share what cleaning and disinfecting our homes means to us. The truth is, I would have written this piece sooner or later as its topic is so ingrained in me. No doubt I will share more on the topic in the future. I haven´t even gotten to my mother´s cleaning routine...
First there were the rankings. ¨La Tia "fulana" no era muy limpia. La prima "mengana" es más limpia que su hermana.¨ Then there followed discussion and debate over techniques. ¨El mapo se tiene que exprimir muy, muy bien para que no queden manchas en los azulejos.¨ ¨¡No! Si quieres que el piso te quede limpio te tienes que poner de rodillas para fregarlo bien a mano con una bayeta.¨ Finally came the testimonials. ¨The last time I was at so-and-so´s house I noticed that there were no dried water marks on the faucet!¨ ... Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! The cleaner your home was, the better your reputation in the family and the greater your sense of pride. Mi hogar, mi orgullo.
I still remember the first time I walked into my cousin M.R.´s house and saw her walking - well actually sliding - across the floor with a rag under each foot. I turned to my mother and asked her what she was doing. My mother laughed, playfully swatted me on the rear and said ¨sacando brillo al suelo.¨ It was a proud moment for both of them because I was coming of age. For me it was an epiphany. My mother was a member of a very clean tribe, and I was being indoctrinated. I had already learned the basics. I knew the exact sequence of how to make my bed EVERY MORNING which involved opening the window, removing all the sheets, dusting the headboard and setting the sheets and the bedspread again. (If I didn´t do it I would be reprimanded and hear the age old refrán ¨Cuerpo triste, de donde entraste saliste.¨) I knew bleach, soap and water were the ¨holy trinity¨of cleaning products. And, I was practically a professional at shining shoes and silverware. It was genetic, it was cultural and it was inevitable. I would one day become one of them.
Today, as a wife and mother, I maintain most of the old traditions. Compared to my non-latina friends I am a veritable clean freak. Moreover, cleaning isn´t just an inherited trait but a necessity. I have three young children who happen to have been born into a shrinking and rapidly changing world where flu viruses appear to be gaining strength, one time all-but-eradicated diseases like measles are flaring up in places, and lice checks in school are a part of life. Aside from providing them with good nutrition, teaching them to wash their hands and taking them for regular check-ups with their pediatrician, the best way I know to keep my girls healthy is to keep my home clean. Mi hogar es mi orgullo, and moreso mi familia es mi orgullo. There is no better source of pride and comfort for me than when my three girls walk out of my house, clean, well kempt, smelling good, and - most importantly - healthy.
Disclosure: The good folks at Clorox® are running a contest called “Mi Hogar Mi Orgullo” in which we are asked to share what cleaning and disinfecting our homes means to us. The truth is, I would have written this piece sooner or later as its topic is so ingrained in me. No doubt I will share more on the topic in the future. I haven´t even gotten to my mother´s cleaning routine...
Monday, May 10, 2010
Qué Rica Vida
I could not believe it when one day the wonderful folks at General Mills® contacted me and invited me to this event! Immediately I weighed my options: A) Free travel and lodging in Miami in addition to attend a fantastic and star studded event in the company of the best and the brightest Latina Bloggers, or B) Stay home with my wonderful girls and do homework and laundry?
... Travel or laundry? Sunny Miami or windy New York? Fiesta or lavado? Well, I did what any responsible and mature mother would do. I picked the Qué Rica Vida launch. It is, after all, for a great cause - the health and well being of my family! Where else can I find a quick, easy and healthy recipe for tonight's dinner while reading up on the latest from Box Tops for Education®, my twins' very favorite PTSA activity?! A General Mills® box doesn't last five minutes in this house without a hole being cut into it.
And what better place to find coupons for so many of the healthful foods I give my family each day? Open my pantry door right now and you'll find a veritable storehouse of Cheerios®, Progresso® soups, and - yes I admit it - Fiber One® snacks. TMI? I think not. And there, in the middle shelf of my refrigerator, is my oldest daughter's supply of Yoplait® yogurts. Once upon a time the Yoplait® Whips! were mine, but she discovered the light and fluffy goodness and it was all over after that.
So, join me as I count down the days, hours and minutes until my trip to Miami. I'll share the event with you as I live it.
Disclosure: I will be attending the Qué Rica Vida courtesy of General Mills®. Airfare, accomodations and dinner are provided by them, and I couldn't be more grateful!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Perfect Day
Today started out like any other day. I made the beds and sorted the laundry looking forward to what would certainly be the highlight - lunch with a friend. (OK, I also logged into Facebook and Twitter. I'm a mom but I do have my limits.)
I had a great time at lunch, so much so that I only checked my Blackberry once to see how much time I had left on the meter. It wasn't until I was walking out of the restaurant that I decided to check my updates. I thought I was dreaming as I read "Congratulations to Amelia..." In a million years I never thought that I would be fortunate enough to win the Sears Portrait Studio BlogHer '10 contest! I sat in the parking lot for 5 minutes checking and re-checking the Facebook post like a nut before I realized it was for real and that I wasn't imagining things.
I am incredibly grateful to Sears Portrait Studio and look forward to meeting all the women whose blogs I have been reading over the past year at BlogHer '10. I feel like a kid in a candy shop. So tonight I leave you with this line from Lou Reed's song. "Oh it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you."
I had a great time at lunch, so much so that I only checked my Blackberry once to see how much time I had left on the meter. It wasn't until I was walking out of the restaurant that I decided to check my updates. I thought I was dreaming as I read "Congratulations to Amelia..." In a million years I never thought that I would be fortunate enough to win the Sears Portrait Studio BlogHer '10 contest! I sat in the parking lot for 5 minutes checking and re-checking the Facebook post like a nut before I realized it was for real and that I wasn't imagining things.
I am incredibly grateful to Sears Portrait Studio and look forward to meeting all the women whose blogs I have been reading over the past year at BlogHer '10. I feel like a kid in a candy shop. So tonight I leave you with this line from Lou Reed's song. "Oh it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you."
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words... Online
They all think I'm crazy. Well, by "all" I mean my "normal", suburban-mom friends. "What do you do online all the time?" "You have a Facebook account? " "Twitter?! What's that good for?"
At first I would try to explain. "We-ell, you see..." Nothing. Pearls before swine, as my old French teacher used to say. (Er, not that my friends are swine, mind you. They are perfectly wonderful if not lacking a bit in their willingness to join the world of web 2.0.) Then I would become defensive. They sensed it, I know they did because they came after me with relish. It showed on my face I am sure. "Who do you, what is it called, "tweet" to?" "Why are you always posting things on Facebook?" "Don't you have anything to do?" I hated that last line most of all.
I do, ofcourse. I have a lot to do. I am a mother of three, with two being twins for crying out loud. But sometimes, while taking a break from shopping or cooking or folding or whatever else it is that makes my days fly, I escape to my digital world. There I meet other women who, like me, have children and are active in the PTSA and maybe even work, but who also see value in social networking. I consider these women enlightened. We didn't fit into any stereotypes in which our respective societies would have liked to place us. We do all the same things everyone else does. We just add a little online time into the mix.
Why do I do it, then? First and foremost, I enjoy it. No excuses. There I said it. It is fun. I also do it to communicate with my friends and family abroad. They see photos of my family, my girls, my parents. Portraits like those by Sears Portrait Studio. Or my own photos - beautiful, rich and online. In addition, it is a creative outlet for me. It is my form of painting, crafting and scrapbooking. Finally, I love the world of blogging and social networking because it is evolving. It goes beyond the "who wore whats" to lunch. It's new technology, another device or a change to a program that keeps my mind sharp.
So now BlogHer 10 is coming. This is my chance to meet those otherwise faceless-but-for-their-avatars women who, like me, get it. That is why I would like to go. It is a portion of my world, gathered together, sharing and explaining and loving every minute of it. And if I get to attend, it will be my turn to relish my little digital pastime as I explain why I can't meet them for lunch.
By the way, did I mention they ALL have Facebook accounts now?...
Disclosure: This post is a contest entry. Sears Portrait Studio is giving away a two-day, full conference pass for one lucky mom to attend BlogHer in New York City, August 6-7, 2010. Boy I hope I win. :)
At first I would try to explain. "We-ell, you see..." Nothing. Pearls before swine, as my old French teacher used to say. (Er, not that my friends are swine, mind you. They are perfectly wonderful if not lacking a bit in their willingness to join the world of web 2.0.) Then I would become defensive. They sensed it, I know they did because they came after me with relish. It showed on my face I am sure. "Who do you, what is it called, "tweet" to?" "Why are you always posting things on Facebook?" "Don't you have anything to do?" I hated that last line most of all.
I do, ofcourse. I have a lot to do. I am a mother of three, with two being twins for crying out loud. But sometimes, while taking a break from shopping or cooking or folding or whatever else it is that makes my days fly, I escape to my digital world. There I meet other women who, like me, have children and are active in the PTSA and maybe even work, but who also see value in social networking. I consider these women enlightened. We didn't fit into any stereotypes in which our respective societies would have liked to place us. We do all the same things everyone else does. We just add a little online time into the mix.
Why do I do it, then? First and foremost, I enjoy it. No excuses. There I said it. It is fun. I also do it to communicate with my friends and family abroad. They see photos of my family, my girls, my parents. Portraits like those by Sears Portrait Studio. Or my own photos - beautiful, rich and online. In addition, it is a creative outlet for me. It is my form of painting, crafting and scrapbooking. Finally, I love the world of blogging and social networking because it is evolving. It goes beyond the "who wore whats" to lunch. It's new technology, another device or a change to a program that keeps my mind sharp.
So now BlogHer 10 is coming. This is my chance to meet those otherwise faceless-but-for-their-avatars women who, like me, get it. That is why I would like to go. It is a portion of my world, gathered together, sharing and explaining and loving every minute of it. And if I get to attend, it will be my turn to relish my little digital pastime as I explain why I can't meet them for lunch.
By the way, did I mention they ALL have Facebook accounts now?...
Disclosure: This post is a contest entry. Sears Portrait Studio is giving away a two-day, full conference pass for one lucky mom to attend BlogHer in New York City, August 6-7, 2010. Boy I hope I win. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
