The Season for Dressing Up and Going Out

Welcome back!

Are you taking advantage of the wonderful evening events in your town new urban mom?

After we had kids our evening social life took a serious dive. We’d make the odd feeble attempt to go out on the town but between arranging for baby sitters and me slowly growing out of my slinky evening clothes, “stepping out” became “staying in.”

During the last few years we’ve re-awakened our glamour puss selves and made the effort to dress up for a night out.

During the holidays there are even more wonderful opportunities to make it a dressy family night out. Before you start frowning just think about it…

First there’s the Nutcracker Ballet. Don’t worry about falling asleep…there are outstanding productions out there to be seen and if you haven’t gone out much you’ll be so busy looking at all the new fashions and improvements they’ve made in theatre chairs that you should be able to survive the performance without napping.

I did a quick scan of some of the other neat Holiday activities going on in cities across the country that may give you more ideas. [Read more]

The Gift of IDEAS…

I start every holiday season with the best of intentions and they begin with the promise that all gifts will be purchased before December 1 so that I can ENJOY the holiday season.

You know what they say about best laid plans. Well this year I zeroed in on the problem.

When it comes down to actually buying gifts for certain people like my mom, my best friend, and my teen daughter I freeze somewhere between entering the store and the checkout. The reason for my immobility is rooted in one of three things:

1. The gift the person really wants is too expensive and my wallet won’t let me purchase it.

2. The gift the person really wants is no longer available and I can’t figure out what else to purchase.

3. I really don’t have a clue as to what this person might like at this time/age/period in their life.

Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I would yet again disappoint some dear friend or relative with a gift they’d sooner return, I got an early “gift” from a friend whose business it is to know about all things retail.

Chele Neisler, a leading shopping guru for moms shared with me her 2007 Holiday Gift Ideas report. This is an excellent document filled with ideas for practical and affordable gifts that would appeal to a lot of people on your list. In this quick to read report Chele shares her gift idea tips and vendor preferences with all of us just in time for the holidays.

You don’t have to wait or fill in any forms to get this guide. Just click below to claim your guide right away!

Holiday Gift Ideas 2007

What I’m Thankful For

Like many people, I don’t spend enough time acknowledging the good people in my family and in my communities that make life meaningful for me. Good thing this Thanksgiving holiday slows us all down for a short while to focus on these very things.

This year has been a special one for me. I celebrated 20 years of marriage and my eldest child entered her senior year of High School. I can’t believe how the years have zoomed by! It is definitely time to take a breath to think about all I’m thankful for.

First my parents. Without their guidance and wanted and unwanted advice, I wouldn’t be who I am…heck I wouldn’t be here! I’m so happy they’re around to shower their love and attention on my children and that I am around to lend a hand as needed to these two very special, independent and unbelievably loving people.

Next my husband…I felt like I’d been waiting all my life for him when we met 20 years ago. Together we’ve created the dream I’ve nurtured since I was a little girl – my own loving family and home. He’s a good father to our kids and my rock solid best friend and confidant – the only person I can comfortably wake up at 3:00 a.m. to share an idea or goofy question!

Most importantly I’m thankful for the two children that I’ve been blessed with. They can push my buttons on a regular basis, but they also have brought me the most joy in my life. I’m proud of the teens they’ve become. They never cease to amaze me with their gentleness, kindness and desire to step out of their comfort zone to assist someone who needs it. Again, I have to thank my parents and my late in-laws for their lasting influence on my children.

I’m so grateful for my family and the ability I have to work and live in communities that strengthen and nourish me. That includes my physical “new urbanism” community that I talk endlessly about in this blog and in the virtual community of friends that I enjoy through a chance meeting online with Kelly McCausey of Mom Masterminds .

Through this network I’ve met some very inspiring women, mothers and entrepreneurs that include:

Nell at Casual Friday Every Day

Lynn Terry – Click Newz

Carrie Lauth – Natural Moms Talk Radio

Lynette Chandler – Tech Based Marketing

Tiffany at Nature Moms Blog

Aurelia Williams – Parenting My Teen

Alyssa Avant – Life From My Lap Top

Chele Neisler – Moms Love Shopping

Tishia Lee – Virtual Assistant

Annette Yen – Noah’s Ark Workshop

Alice Seba – Internet Marketing Sweetie

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Mommy Blogging: More than Mad Money and Milk

Ever since Elizabeth Edwards sat down with a some mommy bloggers in Silicon Valley, main stream media has started to pay some serious attention to mommy bloggers.

Just this morning as I drove into the city I heard one of my favorite radio parenting commentators talking about her “recent” exposure to mommy blogs.  Hard to believe for many parents this is relatively new.

Many moms blog as an outlet to sort through concerns, anxieties and the joys of motherhood.  Others blog for those sames reasons but also for other more practical reasons as well.  Being the multitaskers we are, moms are finding ways to earn sizable incomes as bloggers so they can continue doing what they love – caring for their children.

Many of you reading this know this already, but I’ve spoken to quite a few moms who were amazed at the seriousness of the mommy blogging “business.”

The Denver Post reports that mommy blogger Dawn Meehan generates about $4,000 a month.

Another mommy blogger, Heather Armstrong claims her blog, dooce.com, now “supports her familly allowing her husband to be a stay-at-home parent, too.”

Remember that Virginia Slims ad “You’ve come a long way baby”? Well tech savvy “new urban moms” - you’ve not only come a long way but you’re leading the way! 

Read more here.

Grocery Shopping Never Felt so Good

There was a time in the not too distant past, before I moved to our neighborhood and embraced community life, that I absolutely HATED entering a super market.

There were times when I would have preferred to have a tooth extracted than enter the crowded, pushy, fluorescent lighted aisles of my supermarket.

That was then. Now I love it! From a more exciting selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, to better lighting, music and displays – supermarket owners have caught on to the fact that if mom’s enjoying her time shopping, she will shop more. Even better–she’ll be a “happy” shopper (less complaints).

Today I had to run into one of our local grocery stores to pick up some butter and a few other things. I looked at my fellow shoppers and noticed how pleasantly happy everyone seemed. And no I wasn’t tipsy or on anything, I tell you these shoppers (mostly women) were happy to be where they were.

Whether it was the store’s environment or the spillover from living in a new urbanism community where everything just clicks, it just felt good to be there. And it isn’t just today, whenever I enter this grocery store it’s a positive experience.

The icing on the cake was what happened at checkout time. A lady in front of me with four items offered to let me go first because I had TWO items. How gracious is that? I know that this kind of thing happens all the time, but I couldn’t help comparing my shopping experience today to the dreary experiences of only a few years ago.

I have to plug our local grocery store – it’s fantastic. The picture in this posting features the owners of “The Village Grocer.”

So are poor shopping experiences forcing you to eat out more than you should or are you in “grocery shopping heaven” as well?

A Movie for our Times

I’m not one to blog about movie celebrities (especially when unrelated to the topic of this blog), but there are a few actors who stand out for me because of their work and their public stance on issues of real importance, like our communities.

George Clooney is one of those individuals.  He has spoken out on the outrageous destruction of human life and communities in Darfur. And he has lent his support to various political leaders who in his opinion will make a difference (see picture at left featuring Clooney with Senator Barack Obama).

 We recently saw George Clooney’s latest movie Michael Clayton and I found myself moved by one of the simple yet meaningful messages in this film.  You can only fool yourself for so long – do the things that you know to be right and true for you – you’ll never rest otherwise.

I think the whole “green movement” is fueled by individuals doing their bit according to what they believe is the right thing to do. Every day we make decisions that are driven either by others’ opinions or what we believe to be right, according to our own moral compass.

I’m a little bit of a Pollyanna in that I think every human being has a decent moral compass. Unfortunately for some, that moral compass becomes damaged through experiences in life.  In the movie “Michael Clayton” George Clooney’s character has a somewhat damaged moral compass that is not beyond repair.

Clayton, a despondent lawyer at a large New York firm, becomes aware of the real link between a large agribusiness client his firm represents and the death of folks in a small Wisconsin community. When the lead litigator on this case has a breakdown after years of bamboozling the victims in this case Clayton is called in to use his unique talents to “fix” the situation.  Through a series of events that cause pain and intropspection, Clayton is finally moved to make the kinds of moral decisions he should have made about his life and career years ago. 

This movie is great on two levels.  First the personal one around how we choose to lead our lives.  And the second one around corporate greed and how we need to not take things at face values.  It seems on a regular basis the powers that be are finding out about the dangers of substances in our food and products that we buy for ourselves and our kids.  Don’t take anything for granted.  Keep informed, read credible news sources, compare information, talk with friends…then think about your decisions and make choices that are truly right for you.

A Relevant Post About…College Football

Before you question why there is a post on here about college football…hear me out.  My passion is community life and the ways in which urban planning, businesses and governments work together to support our desires and needs to  socialize, connect with each other, and lead fulsome lives.

Well, as a relative latecomer to the college football craze (I did not get the fever until after I had graduated from university) I think it is one of the great community boosters that we ought to pay attention to and probably learn from.

My introduction to college football happened in East Lansing, Michigan some ** years ago.  To me that town was “okay” but nothing compared to my home town (a major city). 

That said, the year I was there, the Michigan State Spartans won the Rose Bowl national championship and that little town of East Lansing (and Lansing) lit up like the fourth of July (literally – there were firecrackers in JANUARY).  That experience changed my perception of Lansing overnight.

My own university experience had been nothing like this – we had no where near that level of passion for any sports team.  For me it was quite a novel experience to have an entire city rally and get excitied behind a COLLEGE football team. 

What I took from the whoe event was how that team (and especially that championship win) brought everyone in the city together  -  the rich, the poor, blue collar to white collar.  When the team won and even when they lost, we experienced it together as a community.  Isn’t that the kind of feeling we want to generate in all of our “new urban” minded communities?

I ended up marrying an Ohio fellow who is a dyed in crimson and grey Ohio State Buckey fan…so I inevitably became a Buckeye fan (sorry Spartans!). 

Tomorrow the Buckeyes have an important game against Illinois.  I’m feeling the excitement and the stress.

So tell me, which college football team are you cheering for this weekend?   

Where are You Walking to Today?

Last week I was shaken in a good way by a major national news story about a scientific health report confirming that it is not only poverty that leads to tragic health circumstances like diabetes, but the way our communities are designed. If your income and lifestyle doesn’t support health club memberships, golfing, swimming and the like, your only other form of exercise might be the kind you get by walking to a store to get milk, or strolling to the park to relax.

If there is no market, or community center, or park that is within safe, walkable distance to your home, many less advantaged folks who could best benefit from this kind of recreational walking, won’t. Unfortunately many of our depressed urban centers and even inner rung older suburbs, are designed to facilitate driving and that is about it. Here’s a link to the story if you’re interested.

Yesterday I decided that my daughter and I would walk to her tutor. She wasn’t thrilled about this as we usually drive (I’m always running late on a Saturday morning – bad mom). There is no reason for us not to walk more often than we do since we live in a community that is ideal for walking. We have an historic village within a few blocks of our home (where my daughter has her tutor), a conservation park is just one block south of us and no less than 2 state of the art libraries and community/fitness centers are within a 2-5 mile radius of our home. Interspersed in between all of this are various walking and biking trails, excellent, fresh food supermarkets, a seasonal farmers market, numerous art galleries, one museum, two central gathering squares for outdoor music and seasonal festivals, and shops of every kind.

I feel blessed to live where we live and I think whenever possible we should encourage our civic leaders to be champions of new urbanism and to look at their communities not just as sources of residential or commercial tax revenue but as living, organic souls that nurture and affect the health and wellbeing of the children, adults and wildlife that live there.

So, where are you walking today?

The Green Way to a Fresher Bathroom

I just came across the most wonderful way to scent your bathroom.  Danny who writes the blog Simply Green came up with a simple and affordable way to have an instant Eco Bathroom.

I’m going shopping tonight for a cheap bathroom renovation that will smell devine - thanks Danny!