Archives for January 2013

A Curious Boutique for Toys & Treats

January 31, 2013

Inside the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City is a magical place* called JouJou, the French word for “toy.” Packed with handmade finds, eclectic designs, and colorful confections, JouJou feels at once fantastically modern and quaintly old fashioned.

I would peek inside JouJou’s beautifully dressed windows several times a day on my walk to and from the Alt Summit conference. Having decided that I needed to buy Levi a souvenir toy, I finally popped into JouJou before heading to the airport. … READ MORE!

How a toddler feeds a dog

January 30, 2013

How a toddler feeds a dog from PJ Feinstein on Vimeo.

A laugh-out-loud moment from yesterday: Spying Briscoe’s open container of food on the floor (I had just refilled it from a brand new 15 lb. bag), Levi decided to help serve the dog dinner — one handful of kibble at a time.

Got a quick minute and a half? I think the video of Levi feeding Briscoe gets even cuter near the end. Plus, you get to hear my melodious voice around the one minute mark.

Did you cry the first time you dropped your child off at school?

January 29, 2013

After a whirlwind Alt Summit experience, where I learned tips and tricks to grow my blog, it was back to the grind yesterday at my full-time job: Motherhood.

It had been a week since Levi and I spent the entire day together; my mom flew to Omaha a couple days before I left for Alt to get reacquainted with Levi’s schedule. As much as I wanted to dive into my notes from Alt Summit and begin reaching out to bloggers and brands I met at the conference, my first priority was feeding, dressing, playing with, and tending to Levi–and let me tell you, he was quite the needy toddler yesterday. It appears he’s on a hunger strike, which I believe is related to teething. Over the course of the day, he must have had nearly 30 oz of milk but only took 5 bites of solid food.

After his midday nap, we drove to the library to return our borrowed books and pick out new ones. As Levi wandered through the children’s section, pulling oversize hardcover books off the shelves, I flipped through the toddler-friendly board books stored in plastic bins. It wasn’t until I landed on the Scholastic title Bye-Bye, Mommy that it dawned on me–this was my last full week with Levi. On Monday he starts a part-time program at Montessori.

Although I tend to be guarded with my emotions, I’m actually the sentimental type. I think that’s why I take so many photos of Levi; I’m trying to preserve every single moment. So you would think that I’d be an emotional mess at the mere thought of sending Levi off to school, but surprisingly, I’m not. And I feel sort of… confused about my lack of sentimentality on this occasion.

Perhaps it’s because I know that JB and I have made the right decision in sending Levi to Montessori. We’re providing him yet another opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun. And it’s only for three hours a day. I’ll still have breakfast, lunch, afternoons, and evening with Levi. Plus, I’ll be able to use the time he’s in school to cross of even more items on my to-do list. Who knows, maybe I’ll even have the opportunity to regularly visit the gym again. (On second thought, I’m not sure I really want to know how out of shape I’ve become!)

I checked out Bye-Bye, Mommy along with three or four other board books and will be reading it to Levi this week to prepare him for saying goodbye at school. We’ve struggled with separation anxiety, and although I’m not sure if I’ll have tears in my eyes when I leave him at Montessori, I’m pretty sure that he will be crying.

My mom recently recalled her experience dropping me off at nursery school. Neither she nor I cried, but when she left the building, she found all of the other moms in tears. Will that be my experience on Monday?

Tell me about your experience taking your child to daycare or school for the first time. Did either of you cry? Was it harder or easier than you had anticipated? I’d love to hear!

{my 1983 nursery school class photo}

Inspiration and Advice from Alt Summit SLC 2013

January 28, 2013

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have caught a glimpse or two of my recent Salt Lake City escapades. Despite my nerves, I not only made it through all three days of Alt Summit without having a panic attack, I had fun. Lots of fun. And I learned a ton.

Sure, I have some regrets (like wishing I wore my Saturday outfit on Thursday when more people would have seen it) and made some silly mistakes (who puts on a full face of makeup but forgets to apply mascara?). Occasionally I fell victim to the comparison trap, which is hard to avoid when you’re surrounded by super successful and uber fashionable bloggers.

Overall, however, I’d call the whole experience a huge success because I actually achieved all four of my goals:

I reached out to brands about potential collaborations.
I networked with other bloggers.
I bonded with friends I had previously only known online (doesn’t that sound sketchy?) and met some lovely girls with whom I’d love to develop friendships.
I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and took risks.

Rather than give you a play-by-play of my time at Alt Summit, I want to share some inspiring and business-savvy sound bites from sessions I attended.… READ MORE!

Pep talk

January 23, 2013

I woke up yesterday feeling ready to take on Alt Summit. Ready to take on the world, perhaps.

My best outfits for Alt had been packed the night before, and I was eager to begin networking with some of my favorite bloggers and brands. Chronic uncertainty had been overtaken by new-found confidence as I said to myself, “Hey, I can do this! I have something unique to offer, and people want to hear from me. I can achieve [insert random dream here].”

And then, as they say, shit hit the fan.

First, I found myself feeling jealous of another blogger-slash-mom who had just announced a super cool collaboration with a brand I would like to work with. Then I learned I was not among the chosen Alt Summit attendees picked to interview a certain celebrity making a brief appearance at the conference.

Insecurity quickly chipped away at my self-assured facade, leaving me feeling particularly insignificant. But before my disappointment could turn into a full-blown pity party, I forced myself to give myself a pep talk: You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

Actually, my pep talk sounded more like this: “There is room at the top for everybody. There is enough success to go around. One person’s success has absolutely nothing to do with me.”

Over sushi yesterday evening, JB gave me another pep talk, reminding me that I’m not attending Alt Summit because I’m a hugely popular blogger but because I want to learn. And to have fun. So if I have fun with new friends and learn one new thing, I could consider the event a success.

Every once in a while, the boy knows what to say.

Alt Summit officially kicks off this evening with dinners hosted by various sponsors. I’ll be dining with Better Homes and Gardens — eek! Perhaps if I tell them that at my childhood dream was to become a magazine editor, they’ll offer me a job on the spot…

In the meantime, please follow along on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-the-minute Alt Summit updates. Oh, and wish me luck!

{photo via kcajnagrom}