Back to School

I’ll be honest, this back-to-school season is extremely overwhelming for this mom. I have crazy-emotions right now, mostly because this is a season of many important firsts for our family:

First day of Kindergarten: My daughter is starting Kindergarten on Monday. You’d think I would be okay with this concept; after all, she has three years of pre-school under her belt. But this time, in my mind, it’s different. Kindergarten is the first step toward graduating high school. The school is big, and there are tons of older kids to influence her. This Mama Bear is nervous. First day of Kindergarten also means…

First day of public school: I mentioned the three years of pre-school, well, they were small private schools. And these schools were small, high-security schools with strict rules. I don’t know enough about the new school to have an opinion, but I’m sure I will in no time. The teachers and parents seem great, so I am very hopeful and positive.  First day of public school also means…

First day of no uniform: Yes, my daughter went back-to-school shopping for the first time. My daughter now has choices and opinions about what she wears to school. While she is excited, I am not. I love school uniforms. I miss school uniforms. I am frightened by some of the clothing options for little girls. I guess I’ll have to create (and enforce) my own rules. The first day of no uniform means…

First day of marketing over-load: I loved the fact that my daughter’s private schools did not allow branded clothing or merchandise in the classroom. No SpongeBob lunch-boxes or iCarly backpacks.  The kids brought bags with solid colors, simple designs and no logos. Luckily, we found an appropriate backpack and lunch box for Kindergarten. Of course, this means I totally over-spent on my kid’s backpack, but it took persuasion for her to select the brightly colored (and pricey) backpack over the “Princess” option. And to top it all off…

First day at a new school in a new city: Yes, we just moved to this state, city and school district. Lots of big changes for my small family. But, I am so proud of my little girl. She is handling all of these changes with grace and tolerance… which is more than her mom can say.

– LTV Mom

This post was inspired by participation with the Yahoo! Mother Board, where 80 amazing women share thoughts on a single topic each month.  While Yahoo! is my client, these thoughts are mine and I did not receive compensation for writing this post.

Photo credit: My Stock Photos via Flickr

]]> http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/back-to-school-a-time-of-firsts/feed/ http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/aarti-sequeira-food-network/ http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/aarti-sequeira-food-network/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:00:45 +0000 Stacy Libby http://www.ltvmom.com/?p=1540

The Next Food Network Star Season Six Winner: Aarti Sequeira

This foodie loves Indian cuisine. I can devour a plate of Gobhi Aaloo and butter chicken (with a side of naan, of course), but the thought of actually cooking the meal is down-right frightening. Thanks to the winner of The Next Food Network Star Season Six, I think I found my solution: I will stick to ordering my traditional Indian food at my favorite restaurants, and will simply try infusing some Indian flavors into my everyday cooking at home.

This culinary point-of-view is the vision for chef — and now TV star — Aarti Sequeira, who won Season Six of the competition Sunday night. Aarti was an early fan favorite due to her bubbly personality and infectious smile. But I believe she won because her new show, called Aarti Party, is interesting, unique and inspirational. She can certainly teach wanna-be chefs like me how to enjoy some Indian flavors without tackling full-flown Indian cuisine.

On Monday, I was fortunate to speak with Aarti and discuss her victory. Here are highlights from the call:

Q: What most excites you about making your new show on Food Network? A: Aarti’s answer was both simple and poetic. She said she wants to really live up to her full potentia and “go boldly into [her] future.”

Q: Will you continue your online cooking show and blog? A: Aarti wants to keep blogging and is not sure about her online cooking show. She openly admits that food-blogging “is an art form for sure.” She also added “the blog stays, the blog got me here, and it gave me a sense of who I am.”

Q: At any point during the competition, were you star-struck? A: Aarti gladly admitted she was star-struck when she met Paula Deen because “she’s so relate-able” and overcame her fears to live out her full potential. I liked that about Aarti, but then again I like anyone who stays humble and appreciative of what she has earned.

Aarti was a total joy. Her telephone persona is as charming and vibrant as her television persona. I would invite her over for dinner (and a few glasses of wine!) without hesitation. Aarti’s new show premieres on Sunday, August 22 at 12 noon EST on the Food Network.

Food Network SVP Susie Fogelson

Now, let’s talk about my personal highlight of the call: talking to Food Network SVP of Marketing, Creative Services and Brand Strategy Susie Fogelson. In all honesty, Susie is a stud. I want to be her when I grow up. She is smart and just pain cool.

Susie joined the call for a Q&A and spoke about the business decision of hiring Aarti. Here are highlights:

Q: Throughout the competition, what did you see in Aarti to vault her to victory? A: Susie quickly answered that Aarti was “interesting on so many levels right out of the gate.” If you watched the show, you know she had to work on confidence at times, but Susie said it was no surprise, she kept poise and professionalism throughout the competition. She finally added that “her light never dimmed.”

Q: When did you see Aarti break away from the pack? A: Susie quickly quipped that “Aarti had me at hello.” She added that Aarti has “a great spirit” and her “accent and smile are beautiful.” A true story-teller (that is a fancy term for marketer), Susie said she was intrigued by her background and personal story. Susie also spoke broadly about the competition saying “you have to be confident in this job, if you can’t maintain and sustain, it’s the kiss of death.”

I truly loved these conversations. This mom appreciates the opportunity to speak to two wonderfully smart, talented, driven and successful women. I’ll tune-in and watch Aarti Party… and dream of having Susie for dinner some day.

– LTV Mom

Photo Credit for Aarti Sequeira: Food Network

Photo Credit for Susie Fogelson: Food Network

Austin, Texas

Well, it’s official. I am an Austinite. For those of you who you did not hear the news from me, I am so sorry. The whole thing happened quickly and quietly for many reasons. Quickly: we wanted to be somewhat settled before The Kid started Kindergarten in late August. Quietly: the entire process has been extremely emotional and stressful, and I really didn’t want/need the added attention. Plus, I hate goodbyes, and these goodbyes were just too hard.

Jon and I lived in California for 16 years, and they have been some of the happiest years of my life. We finally found where we belonged, built great careers, discovered new hobbies, bought a home, brought our daughter into the world, and met amazing friends… no, built a family… in California.

Since I left with unanswered questions, here is a quick Q&A:

Q: What? You moved?! A: Yes. We moved to Austin, Texas this week.

Q: Um, why? A: Job opportunities and closer to family.

Q: Are you leaving Voce? A: Thankfully, I will continue to work for Voce and service my clients from Austin. My colleagues at Voce have been very supportive of this change, and I am so appreciative. I am also beyond thankful that my clients are so supportive, which is a relief and a joy.

Q: Will you be visiting California? A: I will be in the Bay Area once a month for work. This actually is pretty cool because I will return sans family responsibilities, so I will have time for happy hours in Santana Row, dinners out in Palo Alto, and maybe even karaoke with Glennia.

Q: Was it hard to say good-bye? A: Oh yes. Beyond words. The hardest person to hug good-bye was my beautiful goddaughter. Well, I didn’t actually tell her goodbye, I told her good night. I am a chicken.

Q: How have people responded to the news? A: It’s been a mixed bag but mostly positive. Those who have been to Austin are excited or even jealous. Of course the Silicon Valley loyalists think we are crazy.

Q: Do you know anyone in Austin? A: Thankfully, yes. We have friends there; in fact, our first friends in California are now in Austin. Also, my cousin (and possibly my daughter’s favorite person on Earth) lives not too far away in Dallas.

Q: Who had the most surprising reaction? A: My mom-blogger friends. I was touched and humbled by their support, surprise, sadness and (in one case) tears. You have no idea how much you touched my heart. [Note: second runner-up goes to four-year-old Olivia who cried for 30 minutes when she heard the news. I love that kid!]

Q: Can we come visit you? A: Absolutely! Please! We will have a small apartment at first, but hope to be in a house by the time SXSW hits (because apparently we will have a houseful, so make your reservations soon!) Just make sure you give me enough warning so I don’t have to cancel playdates with Sandra Bullock’s kid or postpone my regular bike rides with Lance Armstrong.

Q: Are you going to buy a pickup truck? A: No.

Q: Are you going to wear cowboy boots? A: No.

Q: Are you going to start yelling “Hook ‘em Horns?” A: Hell no.

Q: Will you fly your Iowa State flag on game day? A: Hell yes. Even on Oct. 23 when the Cyclones roll into town for their annual slaughter.

Q: Do you blame UT for ruining the Big 12 conference? Q: Well, I would like to actually make friends here in Austin, so I will quickly move to the next question.

Q: When can we see you? A: You can see me every day on Facebook on Twitter or here on Laptop TV Mom. I will post updates and photos as long as you do the same!

Q: Are you excited? A: Actually, we are excited. Change is good. This much change at one time is stressful, but it can be good. But I will only accept change – and be excited – as long as we can continue friendship with the people we love.

- LTV Mom

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Author: Maddie Dawson

My first book-reading with this club is “The Stuff that Never Happened” by Maddie Dawson. The book is a reflection of marriage and parenthood, choices and mistakes, and personal evolution. The book explores infidelity, love, and the complexity of marriage.

I’ll be honest with you, I had a hard time getting this post started. Marriage is such a personal thing; no two marriages are the same and every couple handles their challenges and triumphs differently. That said, I am one of the lucky ones. I will proudly say — even at the risk of sounding smug — I might have the best husband ever. And I really mean it.

As I read this book, I felt a variety of emotions, randing from anger to compassion. I guess the constant emotion was my best life-lesson: no matter who you marry, you and your spouse are going to evolve as you age, just try to evolve on a parallel track.

My husband and I were married young. He was 26, and I was 23. Looking back, I would never advocate getting married that young (and will probably freak-out if my daughter wants to marry that young).  But, I was madly in love and I got married.  Sixteen years later, he’s still the love of my life.

As cheesy as that sounds, I have to say that he and I are both very different than when we married. How could we not be? We married so young. And since that time, we experienced a variety life-changing events both together and individually: we moved to the West Coast, built our careers, made new friends, traveled the world, had a child, dealt with deaths in the family and more.

I am a different person than when we met. And so is he.  Honestly, that’s how it should be. I’m glad that I have evolved into a happier (and hopefully) wiser person with experiences and memories shaping who I am. But I am even happier that my evolution was parallel to my husband’s. We both have grown and changed, and luckily, we stayed in-synch and together. The opposite could easily be true, and possibly the norm for people who married at our age.

– LTV Mom

Photo Credit: Maddie Dawson Web Site

]]> http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/from-left-to-write-personal-evolution-during-marriage/feed/ http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/i-was-the-perfect-mom-before-i-had-a-child/ http://www.ltvmom.com/blog/i-was-the-perfect-mom-before-i-had-a-child/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:37:34 +0000 Stacy Libby http://www.ltvmom.com/?p=1481

Perfect mom... until I had a child.

I recently started re-posting some of my favorite articles I wrote for the Silicon Valley Moms Blog over the past years. This one seemed to hit a nerve, and it’s the post closest to my heart. Please enjoy:

Before I became a mom, long before I was pregnant, I knew exactly how I was going to parent. My husband and I would watch other parents, sometimes in wonder and often times in horror. We would discuss what we saw and how we would handle kids when it was our turn to parent.

Luckily, we were on the same page (most of the time) about how we wanted to raise our family. Of course, we also knew we had no idea what we were talking about and would end our conversations in jest saying “it’s a good thing we are such perfect parents” even though we had no kids. (Even then, we kept our sense of humor!)

Flash-forward to today, and our baby is a sassy and beautiful five-year-old girl. Even after five years, we have have finally come to the conclusion that we have *no idea* what we are doing. My husband and I still laugh when we recall how weknew exactly how we were going to behave when we had a kid, and then we look at our reality:

Then: Why do people bring a screaming baby to a restaurant? I am trying to enjoy a meal with my husband. Now: Oh man, I wish I could help that poor mom and rock that baby so mom can try to eat two bites of food.

My Sweet Girl

Tina Fey

I was a proud contributor to the Silicon Valley Moms Group for three-plus years. I was part of a network that produced amazing content, I worked side-by-side with amazing women and smart writers, and I was fortunate to make life-long friends.

Those who follow the industry know the network has stopped publishing new content, and the founders and writers have gone their separate ways. In my own personal tribute to my beloved site, I am going to highlight some of my favorite contributions to the blog. And this one might be my all-time favorite, mostly because I adore Tina Fey. Here it goes, please enjoy:

Reposted from Silicon Valley Moms Blog on May 27, 2010:

I have never written a fan letter in my life. I went to high school in the 80s, so I was tempted to write letters to Tom Cruise; in college, where I studied journalism, I wanted desperately to meet Dan Rather.

Today, as a working mom, I really don’t have time for fantasy lunch dates or dreams of meeting celebrities. I have a daughter, a husband, a job, a house and lots of responsibilities that need my focus and dedication. But, I finally found somebody I’d like to take the time to publicly thank: Tina Fey.

Now, I typically don’t like it when commoners like me praise celebrities. After all, we don’t really know them as people; we know their work, their public persona and the stories we read in the press. Even so, I am inspired to write my very first fan letter. Here it goes:

Enjoying the waters of Orange County with best friends!

My California Girl!

2005 Silver Oak Napa Valley

It’s time for another Winos Pick of the Week, and this time I am glorifying a 2005 Silver Oak Cab.  Simply put, I don’t think my words can do this wine justice.

If you are not familiar with Silver Oak Cellars, let me share a bit about their history. The winery was founded in 1972 with the mission to perfect the Cabernet Sauvignon. Well, I think they are darn close to perfection.  The bottle claims “finesse and elegance,” and they are on their way.

Out of respect for the winemaker, I will refer to his/her tasting notes and agree that the wine had a wonderful garnet color with hints of dark cherry, cinnamon, cloves, lavender and licorice. While my palate might not be refined enough to note each flavor this wine has to offer, my palate tells me this wine is fantastic. In layperson’s terms: I loved the deep color and the rich, deep flavor.

My husband and I enjoyed this wine with our traditional Sunday night fare: grilled filet mignon and roasted veggies. We previewed the wine with some Gruyere and Dubliner cheeses.  I believe this wine can stand alone without food, but it certainly made my cheese and steak sing.

As much as I love this wine, the marketer in me adores the Silver Oak tagline: Life is a Cabernet.

To find out more about winery tours, tastings, wine parings and more, visit SilverOak.com

– LTV Mom

Photo Credit: Silver Oak Web site

Well, this working mom gig I have has been keeping me from my blogging. Oh well, even I know when to walk away from the laptop (and the TV) and focus on things like dance recitals, summer camp, client meetings, and a load of laundry or two. That said, I am still a loyal watcher of The Next Food Network Star and have been joining the weekly calls to talk to the judges and eliminated contestants. Lets’s get caught up:

Drama and Divas: There’s been some drama in the show, including some fallen stars and some surprise winners. One thing I have noticed is some lost confidence and some uber-divas. So, during one of our weekly conference calls, I asked Food Network’s Vice President of programming and production Bob Tuschman how he can differ confidence from Diva-ness. Bob quickly pointed out that the two are often “flip sides of the same coin” meaning that most stars on TV and film are “charismatic and demanding.” [LTV Mom: You probably need a little of both to reach the top of your game, but appearing cocky turns me off no matter what you do for a living.]

Points for Bravery: A blogger on the call asked Bob if the contestants got “bonus points” for creating a daring dish, even if the dish was a flop. Of course, this question was in reference to the famous “jerk cabbage” that was created during a challenge in Week Three. Bob response was “ultimately not” and the contestants still have to focus on execution. We also asked what saved the chef behind the nasty dish from getting the axe, and Bob quickly replied “there was somebody worse than him.” [LTV Mom: This was the week Dzintra Dzenis went home.]

Learning from Experts: I love it when guest judges appear on the show, and on Week Three, famed chef Guy Fieri joined the cast. One blogger asked Bob what the contestants can learn from someone like Guy, and I appreciated Bob’s response when he said there is “so much to learn from Guy, he’s a model for what you can do in this competition.” Bob also said “Guy is 100 percent unapologetically Guy.” Bob recommends that aspiring celebrity chef should follow Guy’s lead and not try to imitate other people and “don’t do what you THINK a cooking show host should be. Don’t try to become a TV host, that will get you sent home.” Lastly, Bob underscored that “Guy is Guy whether the camera is on or off.” [LTV Mom: Great reminder for all of us, regardless of our profession.]

Good-bye to DAS: Week Four’s eliminated contestant was cutie-pie Darrell (DAS) Smith, who hails from the Great Midwest. As a viewer, I could see a spark of “something” in DAS, but he just couldn’t get past is nerves to shine on camera. During our conversation this week, DAS admitted that he was so stunned by the serving raw chicken to Wolfgang Punk during the first episode that he never recovered. (DAS called Puck “culinary god.” I asked DAS for his signature dish, to which he replied: “A potato crusted halibut over assorted vegetables, what ever is fresh and in-season, and a rosemary beurre-blanc sauce.” I also asked DAS what goes through his mind when he’s in the middle of cooking a dish for an elimination challenge, only to be confronted by Bobby Flay. DAS admitted that the kitchen creates a very high –pressure situation, but the contestants get to the point where we are comfortable with the judges. He added, “We are all chefs, and it’s like talking to a regular chef.” I tell you what, DAS showed more charaisma and charm on the call than he did on the show. He told stories about being on his grandma’s farm, picking fresh tomatoes, and watching her create tomato-basil soup. Now that would have been a charming story on-camera.

Dishing with Dzintra: Week Three’s eliminated contestant was the eccentric Dzintra Dzenis who famously told her challenge partner to “shhhh” while in front of the judges during an elimination challenge. Manners aside, this Texan beauty is (as my mom would say) an odd duck. Even Bob wisely called her “interestingly quirky” but her downfall is that she can appear “dazed and confused.” On the plus side, Dzintra is a great teacher and she truly loves food. Like previously eliminated contestants, I asked her signature dish, to which she replied: “A nice great big piece of beef tenderloin that’s grilled, steak fries, steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce.” I also asked her for a favorite restaurant in her hometown of Austin, to which she replied: “Chez moi!” She added there are so many good restaurants in the area, but “I really love my cooking, my family loves my cooking, my friends love my cooking. It’s all about here. It’s home.”

Next Episode: Tune into The Food Network on Sunday night at 9 p.m. PST to watch next week’s episode, and then come back to Laptop TV Mom for another recap!

– LTV Mom