When Mommy's away princess will have her way

I was away for a couple days at BlogHer in Chicago (incidentally, I had a blast) and I returned from the conference a little early. Much to my surprise, I returned home and princess had had a ball. Apparently, daddy went to Sears shopping for god only knows what and princess must have stumbled across a Hannah Montana showcase because there was a plethora of random items H.M.-related in MY bed when I returned.

• H.M. flip flops - two sizes bigger than she wears and she can't even walk in them!
  
• H.M. socks - really, is it that serious? The H.M. logo is on the bottom of the foot so no one will ever see it! (see pic)


• Three dresses that must have been on or near the display because otherwise daddy would never have bought them


• H.M. hair accessories out the wazoo - about eight hairbands and 50 million elastics - by the way, her hair is about 4 inches long; it's going to be at least a few years before she can even use these things

Clearly, when mommy's away princess reigns the day - so it worked out well for both ladies in my household -- mommy got some me (and girl) time and princess had her time!

I'm Feeling All Warm And Fuzzy Inside

OMG, BlogHer was a blast! I met so many of the women I stalk women behind the blogs that I follow that I was trying my best not to act all silly and star struck in their presence.

I had a few reservations about going to BlogHer but I have no idea why. I have no regrets for going and in fact, can't wait until NYC next August, where BlogHer 2010 will be. The conference itself was great, but that's nothing compared to hanging out for three days with all these wonderful women who share their funny, inspiring, or heartfelt stories with me (okay, and the rest of the world). I also really enjoyed meeting the women whose tweets make me stop in the grocery store and start cracking up to myself.

There is so much to say that I don't even know where to start! Today, I just want to say hello and give big hugs to some great women I got to meet "In Real Life" (Blogher's theme this year) and who helped make my weekend so much fun.

From left to right, Denene from My Brown Baby, MommyDaddyblog, Christie aka Chatterbox from My Life, A Work in Progress, Lorrain aka Ask Wifey, Me, Renee, and BabyMakin(g)Machine. It was so great to meet these ladies and see Renee again.

I also met Beth from I Should be Folding Laundry, she won the award for Best Eye Candy Blog, MochaMomma (she is fun.ny!), and Mommy Wants Vodka, and of course, our title sponsor for Blogalicious, Mrs. Sowell from MomNoir! She is awesome and divalicious- perfect fit!

I'll fill you all in more later because I have to unpack my SIX bags from the trip (four of which are mostly swag) check emails, return phone calls, get my house ready for the kids who are coming back in TWO days, and more.

I can't wait to see my kiddos again. My stomach flips just thinking about hugging and kissing on them.

Smooches!

BlogHer Day 1: First Impressions

Justice Jonesie and I are sitting on the floor in the "Blog to Book" session at BlogHer. We're on the floor because the session is packed. The session is packed because the conference is huuuge. There are 1,500 women here and it's surreal. A couple of impressions from the first day of my first BlogHer:

• Everyone here has an interesting story.
• Marketers understand the power of social media to advance their brand.
• BlogHer is not the place to come if you want to get some rest.
• The legendary swag is awesome; but shouldn't be the main reason that we're here.
• The moms who brought infants are either super brave or super crazy. Or both.
• Girls just wanna have fun.

More updates to come!

Ford Drive Experience at BlogHer

Yesterday was our first day at BlogHer - well, really it was pre BlogHer because the conference doesn't offically start until today. We spent the day with Ford, which was really cool.

I'll be honest, I wasn't that thrilled before because my impression of Ford is not good. But, they've come up with some really innovative technologies AND what's most impressive is that they're changing their cars with women in mind. Yes, I said it - there are 2010 models with rear and side view sensors (for those hard to back out of mall spaces); refrigerated compartments in the rear seat (to keep your drinks, formula cold); pocketbook hideaways; and parallel park assist that will actually park the car for you. There is one model that I want and many of us were hoping that in return for our time, there were keys in our lunch boxes - but no such luck! So, our day with Ford was fun and interesting.

Off we go!!!!

BlogHer, watch out 'cuz here we come ... see you there!

My goals for BlogHer

I'm looking forward to some relaxation time since it's going to be ONLY the second time in princess' life that we are going to be apart. I figured I would sleep in, relax at night, catch some sun and maybe some shopping, but from the looks of things, my itinerary is so full that I'll need some time off when I get back home! There are crazy parties and events (which start way too early for my liking), lots of discussions and tweets - all in all, lots of hype. I'm looking forward to it (oh, especially our event on Friday night "Lush Experience"). Wish me luck in achieving my goals!

What do you want/need in a car?

We are gearing up for BlogHer next week - we're busy planning our wardrobes, figuring out our itineraries and most importantly checking all the details for our Blogalicious Lush Experience on Friday night (check it out here...shameless plug).

One of the many activities that we have planned is the Ford What Women Want Vehicle Tech and Quality Event. We're going on a tour of a plant where we will be able to meet some members of the Ford team and hear from them why they believe that Ford is different! I hope that we will be able to see for ourselves as well, and that the experience is going to be more interactive than demonstrative - I hope! In my opinion don't tell me that your product is great, let me try it and I'll tell you!!!!

Maybe I shouldn't be writing this post because my experience is a little ... hmmmm, let's say tinted. I drive a Jaguar that I hate and can't wait to get rid of. I've had it for about 2 1/2 years and it's been the worst car experience ever! I'm literally counting down the days until I can get rid of it. What's a little terrible is that fact that my model is said to be made by Ford. I don't know for sure - it says that it's made in England, but apparently all the parts are Ford parts ... but who knows!

For the first year and half that I had the car it was in the shop about 7 or 8 times for various reasons - actually, it was NEVER the same reason which was a little frustrating. And that's not what I expected or wanted in a car. Granted, it was a used car, but it was only a few years used when I bought it so I expected that everything would be fine. At that time princess was just over a year and going out with her was like throwing dice. I may have made it out to a location, but I was never sure whether the car was going to bring me back home. And being stuck in a place behind God's back is not very re-assuring especially when you have a toddler. So, my number one requirement is reliability! Now, of course I like all the frills and thrills that come with a luxury car - but if you're stuck on the side of the road waiting for Triple A, what use is plush leather seats with heat warmers or rain sensor wipers (I don't have those, but you get the gist). I would say that my rear sensors are absolutely lovely though. I'm so dependent on them that I don't think I'll be able to parallel park without them ever again.

So, I am very interested in seeing how things have changed at Ford and what we can expect from them in the future. I have my opinions about what I want/need in a car, what about you? What would you like to see in a car? Please leave me comments because I'll be taking them all with me - this is your opportunity to share with Ford what you want/need in a car.

BlogHer Basics

Oh my. I've just spent the last 30 minutes reading posts from all over the web about Everything I Need to Know About Going to BlogHer But Didn't Know I Needed to Ask. All of the advice, tips and observations I've read lead me to ask this one question: Is it really that serious?

In my 30+ years on the planet, I've been to my share of conferences. However, never before have I seen the frenzy that BlogHer creates. There are multiple posts detailing what to wear and even more explaining what to pack, who to meet and how to begin a conversation. Are we going on a safari here ladies, or to a conference in Chicago?

Don't get me wrong - I am super excited to attend my very first BlogHer and definitely plan on having the best time by going to as many things as I can and soaking up as much as I can. I just had no idea that the protocol was so.deep. That said, it's doesn't take much convincing to get me to buy new outfits for a special occassion. Consider the Assembling of the BlogHer Wardrobe officially begun. It's times likes these when I wish that I had an InStyle Magazine weekend outfit fairy in my back pocket. Adding no pressure at all is the latest news that Project Runway's Tim Gunn will be in tha house. He even has a list of Essential Items for BlogHer for *%$@! sake.

I already have one dress (that seems to be all I wear these days - easy, flattering and pretty) for either Friday or Saturday during the day and another for one of the jillion cocktail parties. Apparently people started planning for this thing months ago, so I am way behind the curve. It's true isn't it? Women dress up for other women. Sad. But true. Get packin' ladies!