Mom's The Word - A Blog by Jen Maier Founder of urbanmoms.ca

This Whole Writing Thing's Got Me Down

Remember a few weeks ago I told you that I was going to be one of the editors for the new Dove.ca site? Well the site is up and article number two has been posted. I should be thrilled, right? And in some ways I am. It is an honour to represent a brand that you really believe in and have your opinion and perspective valued. But in this case it has also been incredibly humbling. I have had to come to terms with the fact that I am simply not a writer. I guess having a degree in English and writing a blog and running a business does not mean you can actually write in a formal, structured way.

I have struggled. I mean I have REALLY struggled to write these pieces. Not because I don't know the topics or am uninspired but because I tend to write like I talk in an organic, story-telling kind of way with tangents and irrelevant snippets scattered throughout. I never blog from an outline and it has been years since I thought about format, structure, and precision when writing.

To be honest this is the hardest thing I have ever done professionally. It does not come naturally to me at all. I am finding it stifling and frustrating and, thankfully, when the article is complete, I am finding it fulfilling. Or at least I am incredibly thankful that I will never have to conquer that particular article again. It's hard to tell which.

I have never found anything like this terribly difficult. I was one of those kids who always got great grades despite the fact that I hardly studied and skipped a ton of classes. I was lucky I guess. Or was I? Now that I have to face something this challenging I don't know where to start. I have no experience. I feel dense because it is not clicking for me and is taking far more time than I feel it should. And then, even when it is done, I know it is mediocre. I know I will be spending more time going over it with the editor and having her, once again, explain to me the "rules" of this type of writing and the reasons why I need to follow them. But it is not that I don't want to. I swear. It is really, truly because I can not wrap my head around it. My brain just doesn't work that way. Isn't that weird? I've never known that before so I suppose I can be grateful for that.

Anyway, check out the latest article by me and the other editors on Dove.ca and let me know what you think. Please, be kind.

An Exciting New Endeavour

There are very few brands I really respect. And even fewer brands I admire. However, as many of you know, the Dove brand is one of them. Having worked in marketing for many years I know how hard it is to lead the way to change. It takes an exceptional brand and some brave marketers to challenge the status quo and make a difference. In my opinion Dove has done just that. I am a big fan of the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and the Self-Esteem Fund.

Yes, I know this is marketing and yes, I know they are still trying to sell me something. But I also know that I am a consumer and I would much rather buy a product I believe in then one I don't. So, in support of the Dove brand and everything it stands for I was honoured to be asked to be one of the contributing editors for the new Dove.ca. Dove poses a topic and we, the editors, respond with our perspective as well as blogging in response to comments and conversation from women who visit the site. Here I am!

I am really excited about this site and what it represents. So, check me out and the other editors at www.Dove.ca!

Introducing the McDonald's Moms!

As I have mentioned before, urbanmoms.ca is the Official Mom Media for the exciting Moms Quality Correspondents program from McDonald's. Tonight I will be going to meet all of the moms before their first field trip to McDonald's Corporate Head Office in Chicago.

I'll post about those two events later but, for now, I wanted to introduce you to the women from across Canada who will be representing all of us moms. They'll be posing the tough questions and getting to the bottom of what things are like behind the scenes at this global giant. Oh, so send me your questions and I'll get them to find the answers! Either by email or in the comments below.

So, without further ado, here are your Mom Quality Correspondents (MQC):

Naomi Jesson – Surrey, BC
Bio:
Married
- Son, 3 years old – loves to dance, play with trains and hockey who is also learning to read
- Daughter, just turned 1 and already “getting into everything”
- Started Moms group in local community that has an internet forum component – strong believer in support from fellow moms
- Founded (with others) the Valley Vixens – running group for moms who want to get in shape and have so far completed 3 half marathons
- Loves to wakeboard in her free time
Wanted to become an MQC to become more informed and learn about healthy choices

Laura Day – Halifax, NS
Bio:
- Son, 13 who loves the outdoors and reading
- Daughter, 10 loves to play the drums
- Alumni member of the Arthritis Society – diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at 23
Entire family loves heading to the beach – rain or shine, no phones allowed
Wanted to become an MQC to learn about McDonald’s concerns for the well-being of young people and is curious to see what steps are being taken to ensure quality

Corinne Payne – Montreal, QC
Bio:
Married
- Daughter, 10 loves soccer, computers art and is a karate black belt
Son, 4 loves to run,  bike skateboard and rollerblade
- Member of the School Governing Board, Vice-President of the Parent Committee
- Corinne is an ESL teacher in Montreal
Wanted to become an MQC so that she can share her thoughts, learn about the quality of food at McDonald’s as well as learn more about standards system-wide

Alicia Martell – Thornhill, ON (YES! Our very own Ali from Juice!)
Bio:
Married
- 3 children, (2 girls, 1 boy) who love dance, swimming, hockey, drama and soccer
Ali runs her own parenting blog – Cheaper than Therapy and is a regular entertainment blogger on urbanmoms.ca
Wanted to become an MQC to see the “myths” about McDonald’s shut down and so that she can have a smart answer to give other moms when they tell her she shouldn’t take her kids to McDonald’s

Kathy Hryciuk – Winnipeg, MB
Bio:
4 kids
- Son, 19 in College for Culinary Arts, Son 16 who is artsy and In grade 12, Daughter 15 who has a scholarship to Hockey School in Kelowna and Daughter 10 who loves hip-hop and is very social
- “Gatorade Trainer” for her kids hockey teams and volunteers a great deal with her kids’ schools
Kathy is a fitness and nutrition “addict” and loves sharing this knowledge with others – ran first half marathon and loved it
Wanted to become an MQC so that she can see where McDonald’s is headed for the future and help dispel the rumours about the brand

Spreading the Cyber Love to My Kids

I am a freak for technology. I am seriously in love with my Blackberry. So when Best Buy got in touch and asked me about my kids and the internet I was happy to oblige.

I have a home-based office. I am at my computer a whole lot. My philosophy is, technology is awesome but only if you know how to use it. And who better to teach my kids about the internet than me.

I hear so many of my friends talking about how their kids want an email address or want to instant message or get on Facebook and they won't let them. They won't let them because they are scared. They are scared because they don't understand it. It is foreign and intimidating and they read somewhere, sometime that these things are bad.

Knowledge is power. So, I spend time with my kids online. We browse sites, research projects, and I moderate communications. I want them to be experts but I also want them to understand and respect what's out there.

Plus, if I need to, I can just look over my shoulder:

Be Brave

Wow. This was sent to me yesterday by some folks at Pfizer. They wanted my opinion. Well, my hysterical tears and warm and fuzzy feeling was difficult to describe to them but, in simple terms, it really touched me. I mentioned to you earlier this week that my mom was diagnosed with Melanoma and I have been reading a lot about how outlook and attitude play a huge role in treatment and recovery so this fit right in. It is part of Pfizer's www.morethanmedication.ca message. Grab your hanky and check it out:

Girl's Self-Esteem - Who IS Responsible?

So, I'm going to be participating in this fab new project with one of my fave brands (details to come VERY soon). To kick it all off I have to respond to this question "Is pop culture responsible for the self-esteem issues facing girls and women today?" My first thought was "of course!" but then I started thinking about personal responsibility and one's home environment and I thought that maybe it isn't so clear cut. I have a daughter. I was a teenager. I know all about the issues of self-esteem from many perspectives but this is a complex question.

So what do I do when I need to sort out a tough question? I turn to you. What are your thoughts? Who is responsible for this mess? Is it worse now and why? And who is responsible to make it better?

I would love to hear from you so please complete the poll below and share your perspective in the comments too. More details to come on this exciting new project!

Inspiration from Body & Soul

Here's a pic of me and my mom at the opening night of Body & Soul, the play commissioned by Dove pro-age. Can I tell you that we LOVED this production?! I have never experienced anything quite like it. 13 women, not actresses, with no experience on stage, sharing their stories. Baring their souls to a theatre full of people. It was powerful and inspiring and unique.

I realized two things while on this journey with these 13 brave women:

1. I have been extremely lucky. I have a loving family. I have not experienced violence or major hardship and I have always felt loved. This has shaped who I am just as much as the sadness and trials many of these women have gone through has shaped them.
2. The tradition of storytelling has been lost in our culture. The legacy passed on from generation to generation, the wisdom of our fore-mothers is no longer a part of our wired and fast paced existence. I lost myself in this production because I was overwhelmed by the opportunity to learn from these wise women. I was touched by their willingness to put themselves out their and face some of their own truths, publicly, for the first time.

The women themselves seemed so connected. They supported each other onstage and the "realness" of this play is what made it so impactful. These women are working through and learning from life just like you and me. They are learning to remove the burden of societal pressures and accept themselves - both body and soul. It was beautiful to see.

Now, they are celebrities in their own right. Pioneering and carving a niche for a new message and a possible trend in this type of storytelling. Here are a few pictures of me with some of the stars:

Me with the beautiful, talented, and tall-like-me Ann Marie Hasley.

The soulful and inspirational Glenda Klassen, the wise and youthful Jeannine Boucher, and me.

The luminous and remarkable Pauline Pattern and me.

These are only a few of the unique and amazing women I got to know. All of us who attended felt grateful to be a part of this journey. Thank you to the 13 stars, the playwright, Judith Thompson, for her inspiring and thoughtful interpretation and to Dove pro-age for making it happen.

Oh, and one more thing...we were hobnobbing! Check out a pic of my mom with Luba Goy of Air Farce fame. Yes, I know. A bit of an odd couple. My mom is very tall and Luba is very short.

Body and Soul CONTEST!

This is something I am REALLY excited about. It is a first and I am going to be a part of it! Let me share my glee with you. Dove, one of my absolute favourite brands that I have tons of respect for, has done something totally unique - they have commissioned a play. Yup, this play on beauty and aging called Body & Soul was created by award-winning playwright Judith Thompson along with 13 real women who also star in the production. The play is taking a different look at a woman's aging body and hopes to ultimately initiate discussion and change around how society views aging. LOVE it!!

So, when they invited me to attend opening night on May 10th I didn't want to go alone so, after I called my mom to be my date for this Mother's Day event, I decided to give away 3 pairs of tickets to some lucky urbanmoms.ca members! Unfortunately, as the play is in Toronto at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, only T.O. locals can apply. And how do you get lucky? Simple. Just submit a comment below on why you would love to go and then I will use the Randomizer to select the 3 lucky winners who will receive a pair of tickets. I will let you know by this Saturday who the winners are so make sure to include your email address!

Curious about this show? So was I so I asked a few questions and Dove pro•age Brand Manager, Margaret McKellar, answered:

1. The members of urbanmoms.ca have always expressed a huge amount of respect for the Dove brand since the launch of the Real Beauty campaign. How does the brand continue to stay true to this message?

Thank you. We have received a lot of genuine, positive feedback from women of all ages around the world in response to the Campaign for Real Beauty.   

As you may know, Dove was inspired by findings of The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report.  This study told us that women want to see more diverse images of physical attractiveness and images that reflect the vision of beauty women have, versus the one currently portrayed in popular culture.  That study also told us that only 2% of women describe themselves as beautiful.

We therefore launched the Campaign for Real Beauty - and, later, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund - to serve as an agent of change to educate and inspire girls and women on a wider definition of beauty and to make them feel more confident about themselves.  In everything we do, we maintain our singular focus on this mission.

2. I have never heard of a brand commissioning a show. Is Dove the first to do this?

As far as we know, this is an industry first.

At Dove, we're always looking for new and different ways to engage with Canadians and spark dialogue and debate.  body & soul is the latest example of this.

3. What does the Dove brand hope to gain from Body and Soul?

Through body & soul, Dove is bringing to life the dialogue about aging that we have been engaging women in since the launch of our pro•age line of products last year.

Our mission is to inspire the women in the play, and all those who see it, hear about it and become involved, to celebrate aging and abandon the idea of anti-aging.  We hope that women feel inspired by the idea behind the play - that mature women are beautiful and have a wonderful voice that is meant to be heard.

4. Are you at all concerned that branding the show might turn people off?

The show is intended to spread our pro•age philosophy: celebrating the diverse beauty of mature women and demonstrating that beauty has no age limit.  We believe that this will resonate strongly both with women who hear about the play and women who attend it.

5. On urbanmoms.ca we have celebrated all of the Real Beauty ads, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, and the positioning of ProAge. What do we have to look forward to from this progressive brand?

At Dove, we continue to seek out new ways to share our democratic view of beauty.

Next up:  on June 7, Dove is bringing together moms, mentors and thousands of young girls to take part in simultaneous Sleepovers for Self-Esteem.  To join the party, and help us make sleepover history, please visit www.dovesleepover.ca.

When a field of flowers looks like Starbucks

We are urban dwellers. We live in a typical Toronto neighbourhood. We are near the subway, near the high street, and our house is very close to our neighbours. We share a driveway and have a postage stamp backyard. My kids spend far more time at the school playground or park then in their backyard. There are speed bumps on our street to slow down the harried drivers rushing to the Starbucks at the corner. My kids are city slickers and their world is defined by what they know.

This has never been more clear to me than tonight. My daughter and I lay down to read a bedtime story and she picked one of my faves from when I was a little girl, Jennifer's Walk. (Just as a little aside, I looked this up to get you the link and found out that it is worth quite a bit of money...who knew?!) Anyway, I loved this book as a child and so do my kids. We revisit it every few months and love rejoining Jennifer on her adventure. Jennifer, unlike my kids, lives on a farm. Her walk takes her on an adventure of her own backyard past vegetable gardens, through fields, meeting horses and sheep, barely able to glimpse the top of her house from the spot where she knows she has gone far enough. Her backyard is full of surprises and hiding spots and adventure.

Tonight as we were reading about Jennifer running through the field of black eyed susan's chasing butterflies my daughter exclaimed "Wow, Mommy! That field is almost as big as Starbucks!". Yup. No joke. That is her ruler from massiveness. Starbucks.

Then, in the distance on one of the shots of the whole area, you can see what I suspect is a lighthouse. I point to it and say "What do you think that is?". Without hesitation my 5 year old states "It must be the CN Tower." That's my girl.

It's not like we don't ever get out of the city. Both of her grandparents have places in the country that we visit often but my children's world is here and everything they know is measured against what is familiar. I know that my daughter would find it strange to walk out her front door and not be able to wave to her bestfriend across the street or walk to the grocery store and toy store and stop in to rent a video all within a few blocks from her house. I wonder what a child growing up on a farm would think? Goes to show you, perception definitely is reality.

My iMac Crush

Look at her! Ain't she GORGEOUS?!

Obviously I am not talking about the HIDEOUS picture of me but of my beautiful new iMac. Ahhh...life is good. I learned while investigating new office computers that, often, the best option for a small business is an iMac. Many say if your next desk top isn't a Mac, you are a fool. Well, I ain't no fool and this thing is SO cool!

Check out our IT support person, Megan, getting it all set up:

Now here we are enjoying a celebratory glass of wine after a full day of new computer, new printer, new copier/scanner, and new phone system. Oh, yah...drinkin' on the job. Thanks Megan...you ROCK Sister Soldier ;)

Ummm. No, despite how it looks I am not holding Megan's hand and no, I am not sitting on her lap. But, yes, that wallpaper is a picture of my kids and me using the new most fave iMac toy (tied with Garage Band) called Photo Booth. You can totally distort your face and do all of these cool effects. Check some of them out:

There's definitely some Mac love in this house!

Why I LOVE YouTube and my new reality TV obsession

There are plenty of things about the internet I loathe but the love I have for this...place/thing?...outweighs it by far and one of my obsessions is YouTube. Granted, there is a lot of crap on YouTube but SO many gems that we would otherwise never see. Check out a few of my most recent faves:

This spoof of Hey There Delilah called Hey Harry Potter made me laugh because it was so right on!

Because I am a reality show freak and LOVED this performance on American Idol! (Maybe I'm as pathetic as the guy in Hey Harry Potter :P)

Because I'm a sap and I NEVER tire of the Free Hugs Campaign. Tears. Every. Time.

You know I have a reality show addiction, right? Well, I watched Oprah's new show Oprah's Big Give the other day and now I have to PVR it! It is The Apprentice with style and purpose. More tears too. Anyone else tune in?

Confession Time...My Secret Little TV Obsession

Confession time. I am addicted to The Biggest Loser. I love this show. Hey, I'm not too proud to admit my weaknesses. I don't know what it is about this silly reality show that has me hooked but I just can't stop myself. Maybe seeing desperately obese and unhealthy people see the benefits of moderate eating and exercise? Or, maybe it is watching trainers Bob and Jillian whip their butts into shape day after day? Or watching the amazing transformation over the course of the season? Check these out:

Un-freaking-believable!

However, there are some things about the show this season that are really bugging me. The show seems to be moving farther and farther away from the whole fact that losing weight IS a challenge and more toward the faux drama of "strategy" and "game play" typical of other reality shows. It bugs me enough that they vote people out each week. Shouldn't they help everyone and then whoever sheds the highest percentage of body fat wins? But to add in all of this strategy and alliance crap takes away from the fact that these people are facing the biggest challenge of their lives - losing weight and getting healthy!

Then, on the totally grates-on-my-nerves side are the very un-subtle product placements. The latest one was for gum. Jillian, one of the trainers, tells her group "if you want to satisfy a sweet craving try this new Extra sugarfree gum!". Barf-o-rama! So contrived. Before that it was oatmeal and before that Brita water filters. It just takes away from the whole thing and I am sure I am not alone in saying that these things make it really difficult to get into the show and trust that what we are seeing is not just one big manipulation. Is this The Truman Show?? YOUR VIEWERS KNOW YOU ARE DOING THIS. And, in my opinion, it makes me actually think LESS of the brand because of how irritating and disruptive it is to the flow of the show.

Then finally, I hate to do this to you just like I HATE the fact that they do it to the contestants. NOTHING could make me strip my clothes off in front of millions of viewers each week to weigh in...especially when one has this much weight to lose. Why don't they simply subtract the weight of their t-shirt? Is it REALLY necessary to embarass these people like this? Sometimes I actually have to turn the channel. The worst are the man-boobs. And, strangely, the only picture I could find to illustrate my point has these appropriately placed blue dots to give the guy a small piece of his dignity back. Maybe they are trying to motivate through public humiliation? I don't know but it is sooooo not cool.

See what I mean?? Yet, I continue to watch because I absolutely love to see their successes. What about you? Do you watch The Biggest Loser? Any other less than stellar TV show addictions? Do tell in the comments below.

My Addiction

Yes, I am coming out of the closet in hopes that someone can help me. I have an addiction. OK, it's not quite as serious as Britney or Brad Efron or Amy Winehouse I realize but no matter what I do I can NOT shake it. The truth is, I know I should but I really don't want to...I love it toooooooooooo much.

Here's the deal. Every morning - no joke, EVERY SINGLE MORNING - I go to Starbucks for this:

Now, this ain't no regular coffee. I don't even like coffee. I self-righteously avoided coffee for years. Then, one fateful day, my sis took me to Starbucks and introduced me to this:

And now I need my daily dose. My Starbucks Grande Non-fat, no water, Tazo Chai. I actually crave this thing. If I am on vacation and there isn't one I miss it. It is the first thing I do when I get home.

At first I thought it was the social aspect. You know, meeting friends and chatting over coffee. Conveniently running into people you know at the local coffee spot. Of course this is huge for someone like me who works from a homebased office but it doesn't really explain the cravings or the headaches.

I knew it was getting bad when I would walk in to my local Starbucks and without even opening my mouth my drink would appear. My friendly neighbourhood Barista saw my face and thought "Grande Non-fat, now water, Chai". Yikes. See what I mean?

So, I am going to try to turn over a new leaf. I am going to try and kick this habit and dump this monkey. I haven't figured out exactly how but I am going to make a plan over the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. I know my pocketbook and my waistline will thank me so any suggestions, advice, or encouragement are greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!

Our Final Kitchen Party of 2007!

With holiday entertaining at it's peak what could be better than another Cuisinart and urbanmoms.ca Kitchen Party and tips from our fave lovable Chef Ezra Title of Chez Vous Dining! It was our final Kitchen Party of 2007 and definitely one of the best. This diverse group of Toronto women were definitely keen to hear Chef Ezra's tips and were thrilled to learn more about how Cuisinart can help. They were engaged and engaging...what a great group! (Click here for recipes )

Here's Chef Ezra doing his thing:

Can you guess what this is? It was the main ingredient of our first dish...

My guess (and a few others) was ginger, but nope. It's a Jerusalem Artichoke...who knew?! And it was found in our yummy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup.

Of course, I absolutely LOVE Ezra's mini fajitas with avocado puree but nothing can beat the sweet potato shepherd's pie with short ribs cooked in the pressure cooker. This thing is awesome! It speeds up cooking time by up to 70% and man were those things tender. And who knew that the sweet potatoes would add so much to the dish! Here is urbanmoms.ca's Agathe serving it up.

Then, DESSERT! A molten chocolate cake...delicious. Need I say more...

And finally, what has become a bit of a Kitchen Party tradition, the guests get to get up close and personal with Chef Ezra for our group picture. Thanks to the guests, Chef Ezra, and our friends at Cuisinart for a fabulous final Kitchen Party! Have a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Product Testing Mania!

Last night was urbanmoms.ca's first official Product Testing Party. Picture this: 30 of our most influential Go2Girlz product testers, some amazing products, great food and you've got a party! The great part is these women took their jobs very seriously. We have some amazing feedback on each and every product that we will be compiling and will be used to generate our Holiday Wish List which will appear on urbanmoms.ca in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at some of the pics.

Our wonderful hostess, Agathe, baking some yummy treats including Baileys Cake...mmmmmm.

Two of Agathe's boys helping to stuff the fab swag bags. Thanks guys!

Sampling wine and cheese.  Being a product tester is a tough job but somebody's gotta do it ;)

The Product Testing Mania in action!

The best part of my job...giving away prizes!

Check back soon for our Holiday Wish List generated by recommendations from this Go2Girlz event.

The Brands That Get It - My Top 5

Sometimes I fall in love with a brand.  You know what I mean?  There are lots of products and brands I like but very few I love.  There are just some brands that are able to find that sweet spot and hit it right on the head.  Below is a list of My Top 5.  If you have your own I'd love to hear them so share in the comments below.

1. Dove. We've written about Dove a bunch of times on urbanmoms.ca and nothing has changed.  Dove tapped into an amazing insight a few years ago and has completely changed the way we view beauty and beauty products.  I particularly love the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. Everyone knows this campaign and most women love it just like I do.  Here are a bunch of my Dove faves:

TRUE COLOURS:  My all time fave.  Makes me cry.  Makes me want to tell my daughter how perfect and beautiful she is.

ONSLAUGHT: As a mother (and their key consumer) this resonates.  As a marketer, pure genius.

AMY: We can all relate to Amy, can't we?

EVOLUTION: Makes me think every single time.

I also love the ProAge Campaign. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vilUhBhNnQc

2. Apple.  From packaging to advertising to product innovation.  They have definitely created a LoveMark for their brand.  Talk about brand loyalty - ask any MAC user.

MAC vs. PC:  Just plain genius.  I don't know about you but I would definitely much rather be (or date)the MAC guy.

iPod: Just makes you wanna dance...like they do.

iPod Family: Mmmm, purdy.  And cool.  Who doesn't want the new iPhone?

3. Starbucks.  Oh, Starbucks.  How do I love thee? It is almost like Cheers...without the booze. Smart, smart marketing.

Look! It is my home away from home.

What would I do without my daily grande, non-fat, no water, Tazo Chai? Exactly.

4. Mastermind Toys. This place is like my kids Starbucks. The service is amazing, the toys are selected with care - I really respect this brand.

Oh, and the Book Lady at our local shop is a total expert. My son and I pick her brain all the time. Love!

5. Whistler. Maybe because we are planning our annual ski trip but there is something about Whistler that sets it apart from the rest. I WANNA ski Whistler! For one thing, it has a Starbucks ;) But really, the quintessential ski destination.

My fam at Whistler 4 years ago in the summer.  No skiing then.  And please, don't ask about my look...I was post-partum.

SO??  I showed you mine...what are your Top 5?