Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Marie Claire on "Fat" People: Belligerent or Brilliant?


I just happened to stumble upon an interesting debate today while casually glancing through my Twitter feed. I happened to notice that Marie Claire was a trending topic. I thought to myself, "That's weird - do people even read that magazine anymore?" And more importantly, "What's going on there that's such big news?"

It appears a blogger at Marie Claire posted an article titled, "Should 'Fatties' Get a Room?" Sure, even at first glance of the headline this article is already pissing off readers. Well, I don't want to get into that. Agree or disagree, this could turn out to be one brilliant stunt. Sure, Marie Claire may still have subscribers, but are they as in as Elle, Glamour, or InStyle? I don't even know if I've noticed Marie Claire in the checkout aisle at the grocery store in recent months. This really got the internet marketer in me thinking...

One of the tweets that stands out in my mind in particular is one that read, "Who the heck was still reading Marie Claire anyway?" This is what makes this ploy (if it truly is one) brilliant. Think about it... the title itself is controversial in and of itself. Using the term "fatties" definitely catches attention. Then after you read on, and are inevitably infuriated over the blogger's insensitivity and judgment, you (well maybe not you specifically, but enough of "you" to start the buzz) tweet about it, protest on the mag's Facebook wall, and create a media frenzy over one poorly thought out article.

Can you remember the time you last saw even one of your favorite brand's as a top trending topic in the world on Twitter? Just in the time I've spent writing this post (about 20 minutes) the mag's Facebook page has gained 15 fans. Even if they only "liked" the page to be able to protest on the Wall - they're still "fans."  Imagine the gigantic spike in traffic their website is seeing today. Just think, if they're selling ads on their website based on impressions the page gets- Marie Claire may have hit the jackpot.  Sure the brand will have to bounce back and spin it "PR style" but I know one thing for sure... Marie Claire magazine isn't dead...

Again- NOT condoning the content or point of view of this article. I just want to wait and see how this faux pas can affect their overall brand and reputation. In the age of Twitter where news is instant, the brand really needs to step up to the plate and address the situation before it gets really out of hand and they can't recover from a reputation perspective.

I challenge you to think beyond the content of the now infamous blog post - What's your take on this? Not on the hatred and disgusting display of insensitivity, but if it truly is just a PR stunt - brilliant or belligerent?

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Let's Talk Boobs by Cali

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child I was overwhelmed with what I had to do! Take
prenatal vitamins, find a Dr., go to said Dr., A LOT, find a pediatrician for your baby, register for baby
items you are unfamiliar with and have no idea what you need, go to baby shower, get the rest of the
things you need. Can't forget dealing with the things that happen to your body, whose boobs are these?
Where is my baby bump? THERE it is! Why are my boobs leaking? I need nacho cheese Doritos at 2am.
Why can't I sleep? No I really wanted cooler ranch Doritos? What do you mean you can't find
peppermint stick ice cream at the store? I could go on for weeks! So hard to prepare yourself
emotionally for what is about to happen.

Eventually it crossed my mind "oh my gosh I am going to have to feed this being!? Now I get to my
point. I knew breastfeeding was best. I knew that I wanted to do what was best for my baby. So why
not? Well from the very beginning of my son's life I ran into SO many "booby traps."
Booby trap number 1 for me, formula! I had more cans of formula than I knew what to do with before my son was even born! Samples, checks you name it, they gave me even more IN the hospital too! Other road blocks included a total lack of support and advice. After my son was born we were thrown into a breastfeeding class that had at least 15 other moms and their own new bundles of joy and ONE lactation consultant, with a half hour to help us all.

That was no good! We got a quick once over and I was told he had a great latch. Well okay then, this
will be smooth sailing! Then the melt down came, my first night home, no milk had come in, baby was
crying, I was crying, my boobs hurt, chaos! What do I do? Oh yeah, all that formula they gave us (see
how that works?) Then it happens, for me the most crippling blow to my attempt to breastfeed...
Nursing. In... PUBLIC!? Going out was scary, leave the house? What if the baby gets hungry? What if I
have to feed him in public? What if someone is offended and says something rude to me? I was so sure
I would crumple into a pile of tears that I resigned to staying home. But that got old fast as my father
came to town a few weeks after my sons birth and we were off to the races, lunch out, shopping, visiting
family, and it felt GREAT to be out and about, except for that cold sweat panic when the baby got
hungry, so formula it was (again, see how that works?). I felt so much guilt as my milk supply decreased,
and his formula intake increased, what a slippery slope.

My return to work also yielded many issues for me. Working in the food industry as a server provided
many pitfalls. Long shifts often, what we refer to as "doubles", left no time to pump, when can a server
stop and breath, let alone sit down for 10-15 minutes and pump? It was the end of the end. I would be
lying if I said sometimes I don't feel pangs of guilt about not breastfeeding him longer. However I
learned a lot from that first attempt.
With the birth of my daughter I felt ready, I was prepared with support groups and more knowledge than
the first time around. While I took the diaper bags that the formula companies used for marketing, I hid
away, gave away, threw away the samples, keeping the bag and even the occasional convenient cooler
bag. This time around the hospital I delivered at had changed things around; instead of one class with
many moms and one lactation consultant, they had a lactation consultant that came to my room to
help. I had people to call when I got home and realized, oh yeah this hurts! I came to realize, well yes, it
hurts at first (only the initial latch, not the entire time), and about two weeks (if even that) later it didn't
hurt. Wew! I made it through, with no formula. Then the big hurdle... Nursing. In... PUBLIC! Maybe it
came with a little bit of age, maybe it came with a little experience, but this time around I figured, I really
didn't care what anyone else though, I would not put someone else's needs in front of my child's. Armed
with a few nursing bras and a few nursing shirts, I was ready to take on the world. I did it! Here we are,
five months into breastfeeding and I feel like a superhero!

Two great "movements" that have come around since I had my first child that I would like to give credit
too are, Ban the Bag and Best for Babes. I was very happy to see that the hospital I was delivering at was a participant in Ban the Bag. I feel that it's really setting mothers up to fail, "breastfeed because it is best for the baby."

But here is some formula for when you fail". It would be like a doctor sending you home with a prescription
for chantix to quit smoking, and a pack of cigarettes, what good is that? I can't say enough great things
about Best for Babes, they are doing a great thing, and I recommend that site to any mom that is
breastfeeding, wants to breast feed, or is struggling with breast feeding. If I can do it, you can try! But
importantly, if you don’t suceed, do not beat yourself up over it. Because while breastfeeding is good
for your baby, having a hapy healthy (phsically, mentally and emotionally) mama is really what matters
most!

Have any mama’s here run into any “Booby Traps?”

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Few of My Favorite Things

There are so many things I love about the Traverse. The cargo space helps me transport everything from a six foot table to a big load of groceries. Hands free Bluetooth makes me like talking on the phone because I don't have to search for it when it rings. My son (and I) love the skylight in the back seat - he always tells me when it's raining. The heated seats warm me right up!

Here's a clip of a couple more of my favorite features the Traverse offers! Stay tuned because there are more to come! :)

Favorite Traverse Features from Amanda Bastock on Vimeo.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Win Tickets to The Greatest Show on Earth!



The Circus is in Town! Well, not yet, but it will be!

I remember the very first time I went to the circus. My parents told my sisters and me that if we did all of our chores and were good little girls, we would get a surprise. We had no idea we would get to go to the circus!
It was so exciting! The lights! The animals! The adventure of it all, right in our "backyard!"

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum’s FUNundrumSM!

The Greatest Show On Earth® just got Greater!

Ladies and Gentlemen…Children Of All Ages… The Greatest Show On Earth® just got Greater with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM. Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, Barnum’s FUNundrum! is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it!

SEE Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM at the Quicken Loans Arena OCTOBER 20-25.

SHOWTIMES for Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM include:
Wednesday (10/20) at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday (10/21) at 7:30 p.m.
Friday (10/22) at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday (10/23) at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday (10/24) at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Monday (10/25) at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $15.00, $20.00, $43.00 (VIP), $68.00 (Front Row) and $85.00 (Circus Celebrity) and are currently available at the Quicken Loans Box Office, online at ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-754-3000

I'm so excited to get to take my little guy to the circus now that he's old enough to appreciate it!
Cleveland-area parents - Win tickets to take your little one! I have 3 pairs of tickets to giveaway good for a show this Wednesday 10/20, Thursday 10/21, and Monday 10/25.


This one is Cleveland only so first come, first serve!


Leave a comment then I'll email you to get your mailing address or we can arrange to have them picked up/dropped off if you're local.

And those who don't want to enter to win but do want to enjoy the circus- use the code FAMFUN to get $5 off your tickets!

Toasty Buns!

Well, this week was challenging... I had a pretty bad head cold (which I was finally able to kick just in time for the weekend) accompanied by a lovely case of larygitis. Meanwhile, I worked about 50+ hours and gave a two hour presentation. What's the one thing you hate to be when you have a cold? Being cold!

I'm such a freeze baby. The weather went from beautiful and warm fall weather, to typically cold Cleveland fall weather in the matter of a day. Cleveland is known for the weather changing at the drop of a hat. At lunchtime it's beautiful and sunny - just warm enough for the sun to heat up your car so you're good to go without a jacket. And by 5:00, it's cold again. The sun went away (of course because it's only ever nice outside when you're at work and unable to enjoy it) and now you need to warm up- and fast!

After having worked 11 hours with a cold, sniffles, and aches, I race out to the car in the light rain and fridgid temps. The heated seats warmed me up so quickly I didn't even have time to sit in the car and complain about how cold it had gotten!

Going in the Right Direction

As I mentioned in my last post, I was pretty much worthless all week due to a head cold. So this weekend was pretty busy to make up for all the down time!

First off, this week's mission was to go out to lunch with a girlfriend got some girl time. I can do that! Lucky for me my sister-in-law also happens to be one of my closest friends. We decided to take some time out and meet for dinner.
She hadn't seen the Traverse yet so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to show it off! Her first thoughts? "This is awesome!" My thoughts exactly :) We took a picture to commemorate the occasion!

Then, Friday was my best friend's birthday. We packed up the kiddo (and all his stuff) and made the voyage down to Canton to visit. By the time we dropped the kiddo off and were on our way, it was dark. I've never driven to Canton in the dark. If you're like me (a landmark driver) it's really helpful to be driving in the daylight.

About 45 minutes into the drive I asked - did we pass Lover's Lane? (That's one of my landmark signs because it's so memorable) Apparently we did and I didn't notice... which lead me to the conclusion that we made a wrong turn because clearly, I wasn't paying attention.

We ended up getting on another highway that was going to take u way out of our way. I was already peeved because we were running late, so this was just great. I have a good sense of direction, but it was dark, and everything about it felt wrong...

OnStar to the rescue! This was exactly the quick fix I needed! In just a few minutes I was on my way (the right way) again! Just pressed the OnStar button, gave the representative my friend's address, and the car did the rest! Well, not really, I still had to pay attention and physically drive the car, but the Traverse let me know where to turn with visual help on the display! Such a lifesaver!

Here's a picture I took with all of our stuff loaded in the cargo space. That's a six foot table in there too! Plenty of room left! No matter how full I think I fill it, the back always seems like it can fit so much more... it's huge!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Pee Pee in the Pot-tay!

Today was an exciting day. We had a couple of our friends over last night to watch the Ohio State football game (don't even get me started on how bad we looked!). Our friends have a son who's just six months older than Josh (we'll call him B). It's amazing at how much six little months can make a difference. When they were younger - I would constantly compare Josh to B trying to see if he's "normal" and on track like the other kids... We all do it...

Well, B is potty training. We've seen that Josh is ready to start, but were introducing it slowly. He tells us he has to go, but is then afraid to actually sit on the pot. I think after "seeing" B use the potty yesterday (or seeing the praise he got when he was finished) sparked some motivation in Josh.

Shortly after I woke up, Josh said, "potty mommy." Of course, I was thinking, "ok, we'll go to the potty and he'll be afraid to do anything." I sat him down and waited... and waited... and waited...

He'd stand up and look in there, sit down again, stand up again. The third time he sat down, he stood up about 30 seconds later and said "all done." I, of course being the skeptical encouraging mother that I am, checked to see if any business was truly done.

To my surprise, there was actually pee in the potty! A celebration followed. I called my husband up the stairs, we hugged him and congratulated his accomplishment. Josh then just looked at me with a "so what" expression on his face. I could imagine him saying, "big deal, you pee in the potty every day and I don't give you a high five."

Now, I'm just hoping we can keep this going... Let the fun begin!

Toasty Buns

Well, this week was challenging... I had a pretty bad head cold (which I was finally able to kick just in time for the weekend) accompanied by a lovely case of larygitis. Meanwhile, I worked about 50+ hours and gave a two hour presentation. What's the one thing you hate to be when you have a cold? Being cold!


I'm such a freeze baby. The weather went from beautiful and warm fall weather, to typically cold Cleveland fall weather in the matter of a day. Cleveland is known for the weather changing at the drop of a hat. At lunchtime it's beautiful and sunny - just warm enough for the sun to heat up your car so you're good to go without a jacket. And by 5:00, it's cold again. The sun went away (of course because it's only ever nice outside when you're at work and unable to enjoy it) and now you need to warm up- and fast!
After having worked 11 hours with a cold, sniffles, and aches, I race out to the car in the light rain and fridgid temps. The heated seats warmed me up so quickly I didn't even have time to sit in the car and complain about how cold it had gotten!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Music to My Ears

Have you ever heard an old song on the radio that you haven’t heard in years, turned the volume up and jammed until the song was over – whether or not you were still driving? I love music. In the morning my favorite songs get my ready for the daily grind. In the evening, music helps me relax and unwind.

When I picked up the Traverse last Friday, I had to make sure I brought my CD book with me. I knew this car would have a great sound system so I wanted to make sure I could really enjoy it by listening to my favorite songs. It’s been 5 days and I haven’t even opened the CD book. I don’t understand how, after all these years, this music fanatic has survived without XM radio!

Right after I picked up the car, I really put it to the test and drove down to North Canton for a visit with my best friend. If you’re from Cleveland, and have driven down 77 South before, you know this drive is not an exciting one. The road is typically lined with orange barrels which means the drive will consist of the speed limit going from 65 to 50, then back to 65, then when you get into Akron, back down to 55.

Chevy seriously thought of everything when putting this car together. One of my favorite features (which means it must be really cool because there are so many!) is the volume “control.” I’m sure there’s a way fancier name for it, but it’s one of those things that makes you go – “why didn’t I think of that?!”

So, I’m driving down the road, approaching the entrance ramp to the highway. You know what happens next: I accelerate and turn up the music since the sound of the engine and the noise from the highway drown out the awesome song that’s playing. Wait, no, I can still hear it… how’d that happen?

The Traverse automatically adjusts the volume when you accelerate! I think this is the coolest thing ever! So when you get on the highway or accelerate, the volume goes up just enough to compensate for the noise. When you decelerate (or when you’re getting off the highway, pulling up the the traffic light on the exit ramp) the volume re-adjusts so you’re not one of those people blaring their music to the high heavens for everyone to hear.

The combination of these two super cool features made my 75 minute voyage to Canton seem to be over in the blink of an eye. I jammed to the 90s on 9 and relived the first decade of the 21st century on Pop2K (yes, I’m a girl who likes the stereotypical pop music). I was having so much fun in the car that I almost didn’t want to get out of it when I got there. Luckily, when I got to my friend’s apartment, she wasn’t quite home yet so I got to hear a few more songs and weened myself from the radio.

Now, if only we could invent a TV that does the same thing for when those loud, annoying commercials come on…

Chevy Mom's Time Out

Well, I'm super excited to officially announce that I'm a Chevy Test Driver for the Northeast Ohio Mom's Time Out promotion! This is such a cool opportunity which has allowed me to drive the Chevy Traverse for a whole month and blog about my experiences. I love, love, love the car already! I think I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on it actually.

Of course my son loves it, too. He's almost 2 years old now and loves trucks. Every time we see one on the road, "truck mommy! Truck!" Which is followed by the "vvvrrrooommm, vvrrroooooomm" sound. It's so cute. So now that mommy's driving this "truck" (as it is to the little people) he just can't wait to get in the car and go! He seems fascinated by all the space around him compared to the sedan I drive. I think he may be just as sad to see it go at the end of the month as I am.

So check out the Chevy NEO blog that will document our fabulous experiences and excursions. You'll also get to see my first attempt at a vlog (video blog). It was not as disastrous as I thought it would be, but it's still kind of embarrassing since i was a video virgin...  :)

The Moms Time Out campaign is being sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Chevy Dealers who gave the chosen bloggers a 2010 Chevy Traverse to test drive for one month and blog about our experiences using the vehicle. Moms Time Out has given us some fun missions and will be providing us with gift cards to accomplish them.