How to Teach Your Child to Ride a Scooter…While Looking the Other Way!
May 14, 2013

How to Teach Your Child to Ride a Scooter…While Looking the Other Way!

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Ready to scoot!

Ready to scoot!

Big news in our house…we finally broke down and bought Jack a scooter! It’s lime green…like his bike…and his shoes. I’m sure many wonder what the big deal is and why we just now succumbed to the peer pressure. Well, if I’m being honest (and I’m speaking for me only), I’m so afraid that Jack has inherited my klutz gene and worry that he’ll spend more time falling off the scooter than actually on it. Let’s face it…riding on the sidewalks of New York City is on a whole different stratosphere than riding on the neighborhood streets of Houston, Texas. And if you ever saw me on a skateboard (I don’t even think they had scooters back in the olden days?), or roller blades, you’d understand my fear. With the exception of one big wipeout on the second day of riding where he hit a big bump on the sidewalk (it may as well been a crater!), and his unwillingness to go downhill at first because it was too fast (he got over that quickly), I’m happy to report my worries were for not as Jack mastered the contraption with ease…and did it in less than a week!

Matching lime green scooter and shoes!

Matching lime green scooter and shoes!

Scooter riding in New York City is a big deal and there are just as many adults getting in on the action as kids. Some parents even get their kids up on these 2 and 3-wheelers as young as two years old. It’s so popular that Jack’s school actually has “scooter” parking…right next to the strollers. Watching little kids dart in and around sidewalk traffic can be a bit overwhelming and nerve-wracking because they haven’t yet learned that the pedestrians have the ride away and they need to go around them. Heck, some adults haven’t learned that yet either. It’s kind of like driving a car in Manhattan…you have to be super defensive and assume pedestrians will dart in front of you at any turn.

So now that Jack has perfected his riding and is now doing tricks with his 3-wheel, Maxi Kick scooter, he’s informed me he wants to move on to the 2-wheel Razor that goes, “super fast!” Slow down buddy…it’s only been a few weeks and my hair color appointment isn’t until next month! Imagine our conversations when he starts to drive. Sigh.

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A Dance with my Father.
May 1, 2013

A Dance with my Father.

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My first father-daughter dance.

I was recently watching one of the many signing competitions on T.V. and there was this male performer who gave a gut-wrenching performance of Luther Vandross’ “Dance with my Father.” It brought tears to my eyes, but to be fair I typically cry during sappy insurance commercials. It really got me thinking about and missing my own father and dancing with him.

As a little girl I would love to watch my parents dance. With my dad’s 6’4 height, dancing came so easily for him, and watching him expertly lead my mother across the floor was magical. We would always have music on in our house, especially his favorites like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, his fellow New Jerseyite, Frank Sinatra, and many others. My father was always happy when he had his music playing.

Whenever I thought about getting married it was never the wedding dress I dreamed about. It was the band! This was by and large due to my father’s influence. When it came to choosing the band I knew exactly what I wanted… and what I didn’t want. For starters, I told the band manager who was responsible for putting the play list together that in no uncertain terms did I want to hear: Kool & The Gang’s, “Celebration,” the Macarena, anything by Celine Dion and most important, no Vanilla Ice! So I had two bands: one that played the standards with a singer and five-piece orchestra, and the other that DJd fun wedding dance music while the other band took a rest. It was definitely a party!

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A special father-daughter dance.

For the orchestra portion, I worked directly with the manager to put together a play list filled with many of my dad’s (and my) favorites. And when it came time for the father-daughter dance, and they began to play Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” I’m not sure who was more emotional.

We spend so much of our lives wanting this and that and sometimes forgetting to count little blessings along the way. While sadly I’ll never have another dance with him, I’m so fortunate to have had that father-daughter dance at my wedding, and it will be a memory I take with me forever. I only hope I’m around when Jack gets married one day so I can dance with him.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I hope you’re dancing and celebrating with all your musical friends! I love and miss you everyday. xxoo

“If I could get another chance…another walk…another dance with him, I’d play a song that would never end. How I’d love, love, love to dance with father again.” – Luther Vandross

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Get on your bike and ride!
Apr 2, 2013

Get on your bike and ride!

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Spring has almost sprung in New York City. Spending two weeks in both Texas and Florida recently and enjoying seasonal and in some cases, unseasonably warm temperatures, it was so great to not wear a coat! Don’t get me wrong, I will take coat-wearing (light jacket, actually) weather over 100% humidity and 90+ degrees any day of the week, but come on…it’s April and I’m ready to put away my North Face!

We all caught Spring fever while away (and that was literal for Jack with a fever of 103!) and are now ready to shed our wool for sandals and t-shirts. No one caught it as bad as Jack as once we got home he was ready to bring out the bike and hit the streets of NYC!

We bought his lime green bike with training wheels last summer (and matching bike riding lime green Asics) and while he got some quality riding time in, he has a long way to go before shedding the extra wheels. Learning to ride a bike in New York City is unlike anything any of us has ever experienced. Growing up in Texas you had big driveways and neighborhood streets as well as school parking lots to perfect your riding skills. And kids rode their bikes everywhere. The sight of bikes spread all over the driveway usually meant there was trouble inside. While I was never a big bike rider, I did get some experience from my pink banana seat. It was hot! I remember the day the training wheels came off. I got on my bike to ride it down the driveway and within minutes fell on my ass. I still have that great coordination today.

Bike riding for Adam in California was similar as he too rode his bike everywhere. Hell, he never had training wheels as his father told him to get out there and just ride. And ride he did. One time when we were visiting California he took me by his old neighborhood and pointed out the streets he learned to ride and the distance in which he used to go for school and essentially anywhere he needed to be. I’m pretty sure in today’s world parents would be very reluctant to allow their kids to ride so far. But then again that probably holds true for just about anything associated with kids “playing outside.” So sad. I know he was never serious (much!), but my dad used to always respond to my cry of, “I’m bored” with “go play on the freeway!” And we didn’t live too far from it. Hum?

So now we are tasked with helping Jack to learn to ride a bike in NYC.

The first step was to put the training wheels back on as we took them off in order to store the bike for the winter. I had no idea if I did it right and just held my breath that they didn’t fall off while he was riding. To my amazement I did install them correctly. In fact, I put them on where it was harder for him to ride and he had to really use his balance as to not tip. That coupled with a flat back tire (that I didn’t discover until much later…oops!) he pedaled his little heart out and fell fast asleep that night.

While I’m thrilled Jack is as excited today, as he was last summer when we bought his bike, I can’t believe we’re at this place. Didn’t he just start walking? At least when he first started walking he had the cushion of the diaper to break his fall. He is so determined to ride his bike and during this first outing he only fell over once.  Shockingly it was because he was talking and not looking where he was going. I have to really work on my non-reaction skills as I can see a lot of skinned knees in his future. I know, I know…this is only the beginning!

So if you happen to be in our neighborhood this summer, be sure to look for the kid on the lime green bike with matching shoes. If you get in his way, no worries, he has an annoying bell on his bike to warn you.

I would love to hear other stories of your first bike ride experiences too!

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People Magazine – A Bittersweet Journey
Jan 10, 2013

People Magazine – A Bittersweet Journey

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When you work in public relations, like any career really, you make personal goals for yourself that sometimes seem out of reach: clients who see eye-to-eye with you and just get it; media contacts who actually take your calls; and worldwide domination for your clients. Okay, I’d actually settle for simple recognition. When it comes to getting publicity for a client we also all have our dream “hits.” If you’ve ever worked with me you know the one media outlet that I’ve obsessed about getting a client in has always been People. Let’s face it, “if it’s not in People it just doesn’t matter!”

Behind the scenes of the People photo shoot

In my quest to get my clients in People I’ve hit some roadblocks along the way. The most crushing experience I had was when I first began working on the Travelocity account shortly after the site launched. Much to my surprise I found out that People actually had a travel editor! Who knew? I couldn’t contain myself as I daydreamed about seeing the Travelocity logo in People magazine and knowing that I would have something to do with it. I mean why wouldn’t the travel editor at People be interested in talking to the creators of this groundbreaking website that was changing the travel industry?  I was a little anxious as I was waiting for the editor to answer his phone, but when he did I proudly announced who I was and whom I was calling on behalf. But before I could get anything else out he abruptly interrupted me and said, “Have you ever read this publication? It’s called People…we don’t cover websites!” And then he hung up. What? Did this really just happen? Did he really ask if I’d ever read the magazine? It took me days to recover.

More behind the scenes from the People photo shoot

Even after that traumatic experience I never gave up hope that one day I would have a client on the pages of People. And that one day is now. Okay, full disclosure…I didn’t actually pitch them and all I really did was coordinate with ESPN PR guru extraordinaire, David Scott, and the writer and editor…but it was still People! While it was everything I dreamed of to work with the writer, photo editor, photographers, stylists and hair/makeup people (at 8am on a Sunday morning!), it was a very bittersweet moment. This particular article was about my client…and dear, dear friend, ESPN SportsCenter anchor, Hannah Storm, and her horrific accident.

They had read about Hannah’s accident in which her propane grill literally blew up in her face while she was preparing dinner for her family. She received 1st and 2nd degree burns to her neck, chest, face and hands. She also lost half her hair and her eyebrows and eyelashes were singed. Remarkably, just three weeks after the accident, she returned to work to host the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on television. Everyone was so amazed that just three short weeks after such a terrible accident she would be able to return to work…and appear on television.

My very brave, beautiful friend posing for People with no makeup!

During the interview Hannah stressed the importance of grill safety and really reading the instructions on your grill. Too many people don’t understand the dangers and this is a very common accident. She also talked about her return to television and how she didn’t want to give a false impression to other burn victims because so much of her appearance was “fake” including hair extensions, false eyelashes and penciled in eyebrows. She still remains in a lot of pain from the burns, but she knows…and reiterated to People that she is very, very lucky and blessed.

A great article by writer, Charlotte Triggs

I say this is bittersweet because while I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to work and coordinate with my favorite magazine, this is my friend and essentially big sister and to see her in such pain as she relived her experience for the writer was very hard for me. I couldn’t have been prouder, however, of Hannah for having the courage to tell her story and be seen with no makeup for the magazine, and of People magazine for telling her story in such a thoughtful, meaningful way that will hopefully teach about grill safety and inspire others that no matter what life throws at you, if you have faith and love of family and friends you can do anything.

 

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Say Good-bye Mommy…I’m ready to play!
Sep 10, 2012

Say Good-bye Mommy…I’m ready to play!

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I never really understood why most parents (including my own) would always get excited about the start of the school year and thought of their kids going back to class. I mean what wasn’t fun about hanging out with your kids with no real schedule and doing whatever you wanted when the mood struck? Well I can now tell you I totally get it! OMG! Don’t get me wrong; I love my child and I had a blast hanging out with him ALL summer with his endless thirst for adventure. We were basically non-stop all summer long (see post How To Exhaust Your Kid…) and because of it, I now know the New York City bus and subway system better than ever. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ready for him to go back to school.

Jack the Orange Clown Fish!

Because Jack is in preschool (a 4s program…essentially kindergarten) they name their classrooms after a color and some sort of animal. The class names are the Grey Dolphins, the Copper Sea Otters, the Green Sea Turtles and the Orange Clown Fish. I’m still not sure the rhyme or reason to how the teachers choose which child goes in which classroom (or how they come up with these names!), but Jack is an Orange Clown Fish, and very proud. You see, he actually wanted to be in that class because orange is one of his favorite colors and let’s face it, on most days he basically behaves like a clown. A perfect match!

Naturally we bought him some stuffed orange clown fish animals to mark the occasion (one official Nemo from the Disney Store and one fake Nemo from Toys ‘R Us…which for some strange reason has blue hair).

Nemo & Fake Nemo!

Again, because it’s preschool, there’s a phase-in schedule for the first week, translation: they don’t go to school the full day. I guess it’s really true the more you pay the less they go to class. So instead of his regular 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. day, he goes from 8:30 a.m. – noon. Seriously? He’s four…it’s time to cut the cord!

Jack was so excited to start the day that if I would have allowed him to he would have ran all the way to school. In celebration of the day he even wore an orange jacket. I just want to know when the excitement of going to school stops? The first homework assignment? The first test? The first bad breakup?

Jack & the backpack!

As expected it was all smiles as we entered the school. The teachers enthusiastically welcomed everyone and we were allowed to take them into their classrooms and spend some time to get them settled. Because it was the first day we had some forms to fill out and other school business, and most parents stuck around to talk to each other and to make sure their child was okay. I was probably there about 10-15 minutes when Jack walks up to me and says, “Say good-bye Mommy, I’m ready to play!” WTF? Are you kidding me? Was he kicking me out of his classroom? Right about then his teacher walks up to me and said that he had come up to her to say that he was ready for his Mommy to say good-bye so he could go play. This totally reminded me of my first day of 1st Grade when my father took me to school. He asked if I wanted him to come in with me and I told him that I was okay on my own. What I didn’t know at the time was that statement shook him at his core…for a very long time.

I think it’s safe to say there are no separation issues with Jack and truth be told, I was the one who had the separation problem this morning. I guess I wasn’t fully ready for summer to end or for him to go back to school after all! No worries…I know I’ll get over it with the proper phase-in schedule!

I’d love to hear some of your first day drop-off stories too!

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