Mommin' It Up!

May 14, 2013

Girls Unstoppable

The main sponsor of last week’s Mom 2.0 Summit was Dove. Their goal was to spread the word about their “Girls Unstoppable” campaign.

Their mission?

“To encourage all women and girls to develop a positive relationship with beauty, helping to raise their self-esteem, and thereby enabling them to realize their full potential.”

I have to say – it was the highlight of the weekend for me, and I want to share with you what Dove is doing, how you can get involved, and how you can use the tools they’ve developed with your own kids.

Here’s a quick video produced at Mom 2.0 (I didn’t see Jenny or me in the background but we were THERE!)

Why is this important? Take a look at these statistics:

– 72% of girls feel pressure to be beautiful.
– More than 60% of girls avoid certain activities because they feel bad about their looks. For example: 19% won’t try out for a team or a club; 23% won’t go to the beach or pool; 13% won’t give an opinion; 15% won’t go to school.
– Satisfaction with body image decreases as girls progress to adolescence. While 75% of 8-9 year old girls say they like the way they look, by age 12-13 only 56% like their appearance.

I am having a really, really hard time putting into words how meaningful the experience was for me, and how much I believe in the work they’re doing. But let me tell you this – when I had a chance to meet Dove’s Global Self-Esteem Ambassador Jess Weiner last Saturday afternoon? I couldn’t speak – my emotions got the best of me. But it was ok, because Jess got it, she knew what I was communicating even though I couldn’t say a word.

In any case, I encourage all of you to visit Dove’s Girls Unstoppable website and take a look at all the resources they’ve made available. One of the most helpful things I found on there is the self-esteem activity guide for mothers and daughters – it’s full of conversation starters and activities to get our daughters talking with us. I cannot wait to go through it with Kate! You can download a version for girls 8-11 or one for 11-16 year olds.

You might learn a thing or two about your own self-esteem while you’re at it.

May 7, 2013

Lands’ End Loves from the Mom 2.0 Summit

In case you hadn’t heard, Jenny and I spent last weekend at the amazing Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel for the Mom 2.0 Summit, our favorite blog conference ever, thanks to Lands’ End.

The location was amazing, the conference was amazing, the people were beyond amazing… and we’ll get to that.

But first, the important things – what we wore.

We were swathed in Lands’ End from head to toe all weekend (although let’s be honest, that’s pretty standard for us no matter where we are!). Lands’ End provided us for the perfect outfits for traveling, sun bathing, conferencing, and partying.

Here are a few of my faves!

First – the conference portion of the weekend. For Friday’s sessions, I wore a linen v-necked dress and added the Stretch Straw Belt and a Coin Charm Stretch Bracelet, and the Parker Mid Wedge Knotted Espadrilles. I loved the whole outfit, but especially the shoes – they are crazy comfortable! I also carried a Medium Colored Open Top Tote Bag throughout the weekend – the monogram made me feel very fancy!

For the conference sessions on Saturday I wore a Short Sleeve Cotton Modal Wrap Dress. There’s really little I love more than a wrap dress – they are so flattering. This one is really soft and comfortable, and the gathered sleeves add a bit of fanciness! I went with silver jewelry – the Large Link Necklace (LOVE) and Classic Hoop Earrings, and for a splash of color I wore the Trista Mid Wedge Leather Slingback Espadrilles in red.

Of course, no conference is complete without parties… and with help from Lands’ End, we were totally set.

The opening event was a beach party. I wore a Patterned Shirtdress from Lands’ End Canvas, with a silver multi-strand necklace and the D-ring Web Belt (both also from the Canvas line), and the Shea Flat Leather Sandals. I loved the whole outfit – it was perfect for a night on the beach!

Friday night was a cocktail party, and then Jenny and I went out for dinner afterwards. I wore one of my very favorite outfits – the Women’s Linen Slit Neck Dress from the Canvas line, with the Skinny Perforated Leather Belt, the Tia T-Strap Sandals, Beach earrings, bracelet and necklace in coral, and – since SoCal is chilly at night (who knew?) – the Crew Neck Cardigan.

The final party was inspired by the Kentucky Derby, and right before we left for Cali, Lands’ End came out with the PERFECT dress – I had to have it. Fortunately, they were so kind as to overnight it to me at the Ritz! It’s a Short Sleeve Linen Colorblock Dress, and I loved it SO MUCH. I added a Wide Nylon and Leather Dress Belt (which worked perfectly with the dress!) and nude Ashby Patent High Heels, and I was ready to drink mint juleps all night long (although sadly, I only had one – they disappeared quickly!).

Just looking at those outfits (not to mention the picture of the view) makes me want to go back! Jenny and I were so proud to represent Lands’ End at the Mom 2.0 Summit – we truly live our lives in Lands’ End and we were thrilled to show everyone at the conference just what Lands’ End has to offer. Stay tuned for Jenny’s outfits tomorrow!

April 26, 2013

Your self-esteem boost for the day.

In my never-ending quest to make all of you feel better about yourselves by showing you the dumb stuff I do, I give you this.

What is that, you ask?

That is all of the food that I took out of my refrigerator last night and threw away because it was too old to eat.

And by “too old,” I mean like yogurt from March 2012.

Did you know that jalapenos eventually mold? They do.

Similarly, did you know that apples from McDonald’s don’t mold? It’s true. They just curl a little around the edges.

Let’s see, what else did I learn? Strawberries shrink, cheese sticks get hard as rocks, and leftovers never get eaten.

So there you have it, folks – a self-esteem boost AND a science lesson.

You never know what pearls of wisdom you’ll find on Mommin’ It Up.