first night


It is tradition for me and the B-girl to spend New Year's Eve playing games, dancing, having dinner and smoothies together.

Tonight the bottom dropped out of my blender...literally...and Strawberry Daiquiri mix went all over the floor, but no matter!

I will just enjoy these days

when my daughter actually wants to be home with good ole' mom

because in a few years

she will be thinking of other things

and be able to drive herself out of here

so tonight I will enjoy this New Year's Eve

because, as the annual pics inidicate, these kids grow up fast!

From our house to yours

Happy New Year!

New Year 08

New Year 07

New Year o6

New Year's Wish


Sure,

at midnight I will take the (now) annual pic

of the B-girl, post it and wish you all

a Happy New Year, but right now my

thoughts turn toward our troops around the world.

The solider who cannot kiss his wife at midnight.

The soldier who longs to see her children once again.

Since they will not be with their loved ones this day,

I am sending out prayers

that

in the very least

peace

be with them

tonight.

2008 New Year's Resolutions
for the PR Professional


I have decided to seriously consider some professional resolutions this time around since those personal ones seem to fall by the wayside around March 21 of each year...


In an effort to avoid grandiose and often elusive resolutions, Pierce Mattie PR has compiled a top 10 list of public relations resolutions that will effectively help PR professionals stay focused on the bigger picture without sabotaging the drive to succeed should we meet with any obstacles along the way:

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment
to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal -- a commitment to excellence -- that
will enable you to attain the success you seek."
Mario Andretti.

or

"Smile kid, worse days are comin!"
My mother

1. I will no longer send out press releases. Instead I will send out "news" releases and do so at least once a week.

Or, I will send out "media advisories" because it makes me sound like I have the kind of "news release" that will help them win a Pulitzer.

2. I will commit to take the time to personalize my pitches with several different versions of the news releases to the niche media I am sending it to.

Or,

I will fashion one pitch via e-mail and "blind copy" it so they really have no idea if I sent it to one journalist of integrity or 40 hacks.

3. I will make a habit out of not pitching to bloggers, but will converse with them instead.

Bloggers don't need pitches, they simply desire the witty comments of people like me.


4. I will develop PR campaigns that tell a story with an innovative and/or compelling angle.

Government is neither innovative or compelling, but I promise to spin something.


5. I will utilize social networking and the blogosphere with transparency, not as just another venue for press.

No, I will ignore social networking and utilize the blogosphere for my own personal amusement and an anonymous outlet for ridiculing others.

6. I will commit to being an active listener...Listening leads to questions, questions lead to conversations, conversations develop relationships.

Does that mean I can no longer daydream about winning the lottery during big meetings?

7. I will commit to making 20 phone calls per day.

That's 20 more than I was planning but I do occasionally talk on my office phone and cell phone at the same time.


8. I will commit to setting micro-goals that are achievable on a weekly basis so that I don't sabotage my motivation to succeed.

For several years now, my best micro-achievement has been to nuke the day-old bagels for 40 seconds, which amazingly restores them to their original freshness.

9. I will focus on quality exposure for my client instead of quantity.

Quality, schmality, I need to expand my portfolio if I am ever to escape this dead-end situation!

10. I will invest time to research and educate myself...so that disjointed media is no longer an obstacle to my success.

I have a job and a kid and any spare time I might have spent educating myself has been, and will continue to be, spent frivolously on blogging!

night
stalker



So last night

it was a bit difficult

to get the B-girl to sleep.

She was, shall we say,
"geeked" up on Christmas Eve.

She finally fell asleep after 11:00
crying that Santa had already passed her by

At midnight I crept downstairs

and outside to the car where Santa had

hidden the gifts. Got everything inside,

filled the stockings then

turned the TV on like a jerk.

Couldn't help it though.

There was a Christmas parade of late night movies...

A Christmas Carol, The Bishop's Wife,

the ever popular 24 hours of a Christmas story.

At 1:30, and right in the middle of the Belles of St Mary's,

Little Miss Thing comes downstairs.

Her eyes brightened when she saw Santa had come and gone.

"Stop right there" I said.

"But Mom Santa came!"

"If you look in the stockings or open anything before daylight,

Santa might come back and take it all away so get back in bed,"

I say, hiding the gourmet cheese and crackers I was eating.

"Will you come with me?" she asked in a tender voice.

"Me? Well, um, we don't get this channel on the TV upstairs."

"But Mom I am tired and I want you to cuddle with me."

"Here," I said (thinking I only watch these movies once a year)

"Here is a blanket. Lay on the couch for a while."

She laid down but did not go to sleep.

For the next fifteen minutes

it was

"What do you think is in that box or this box."

"What do you think is in my stocking?"

yadda, yadda, yadda, on and on.

I realized that my quiet time watching black and white movies

by the light of the Chrsitmas tree had ended.

I took my talkative cherub upstairs.

She fell asleep nestled against me.

I decided I too needed rest.

That was

until six this morning.

When she bolted out of bed.

and ran downstairs.

____________________________

Merry Christmas Bloggers

and thank you

for continually reminding me

that charming, creative

and witty people

abound!

sign
of
the
times


And the most memorable quote of 2007...

(insert drum roll here)

"Don't tase me Bro."

University of Florida student.

12 toys to purchase at Toys R U are insane to walk through our doors.

11 ornaments to hang after the back pain of dragging the tree and big boxes of decorations up the stairs by myself.

10 kookie people in the store making conversation when all I need is some tape.

9 ladies baking cookies and bringing them to work where I cannot resist eating them in the hall even before I get back to my desk.

8 kids crying in line for pictures with Santa.

7 stores stormed looking for "black velvet" clothes for my kid to wear in her big debut in the role of a flea in the highly acclaimed "Flea on Top of Santa's Tree" class play.

6 Christmas Cards to send after the other 19 are finished.

5 golden gifts to wrap.

4 phone calls from friends yet un-returned. (They might need something from me and I have nothing left to give.)

3 packages to mail.

2 parties attended, one invite left.

and a desire

to spend

the remainder

of this month

asleep!

cut
down
by
a
little
cookie


We were at the grocery store

and it went like this...

Kidlet

"Mom we need to get those cookies

Santa likes."

Me
"Oh we have plenty of time, besides I thought
we would make some Christmas cookies this year."

Kid (practically laughing in my face)
"Mom we can't do that."

Me
Why Not?


Kid
"Do you know you have to use the oven for that?"

Me (in a very frustrated voice)

Yeah. I know.

Kid

"But you haven't used our oven."

Me

"What are you talking about? I have used the oven."

(I say while realizing the my saute' pan has many more miles on it than the oven. )

The kid

"When?"

Me

"Uh, You know. That time I made those stuffed little chickens for you."

Kid

"Oh yeah remember I did not like them and

remember mom

I WAS FIVE." she says holding up five fingers.

Me

"That's quite impossible but--anyway--we are making cookies this year...yep...that's what we are going to do.

(Suddenly fear rushes in...does that stupid oven even work anymore?)

Kid

"You know I know how to make cookies mom and I do not think you should do it."

Me
Listen I know you make cookies and other baked goods at C's house (after school babysitter). I thought you could show me some baking tips."

Kid

"Well, it is hard work. Maybe you should have an other grown up come over to help you like Aunt Sara or Aunt Amy or C."

Me
Listen here! I am perfectly capable of making a few cookies just me and you!"

THAT KID O MINE

"Okay but I cannot be in charge of the oven because I am not allowed so you will have to figure it out by yourself (again with emphasis) if you are not going to have another grown up."


Then She adds

"And you have to take all those pans out of the oven before you use it."

Me

"NO other grown ups will be necessary and I will remove the pans prior to preheating."

Kid
"You know what pre-heating is...that's one good thing mommy."

Me
"See I know some things about baking,"
I lie.


______________________________________________


Okay bloggers

You Martha Stewarts out there

Any ideas on the easiest way

for me

to

appear

like

I know

WHAT THE HECK I AM DOING?

And don't I need some of those baking things?

Pans or sheets or something?

And some powdery stuff? I know there is powedery stuff.

And cookie utensil things?

And those cute little sprinkles? LOVE the sprinkles!

Am I getting warm?













Or am I toast?

schooled


So,

This week was hectic to say the least.

At Spin City (where I work) I am in charge of booking
and guiding school tours through the city hall, fire
and police stations. These are generally public schoolers
in kindergarten through 5th grade.

I don't book all the tours, however. If they don't need
transportation, or if they are only going to one facility
they book with other employees in the system.

I had two tours booked this week, Wednesday and Thursday...in the afternoon.

Wedesday's tour went off without out a hitch.

On Thursday morning I was in the process of e-mailing
my boss to tell him I was coming in half hour late because I had given
the B-girl some cough medicine and I was waiting a few minutes
before taking her to school---when--he called me.

He told me my school tour booked for the afternoon was
sitting in council chambers waiting for me at that very moment.

I looked at the clock...9:10 a.m.


I told him that was not possible.

He said it was.

All kinds of thoughts went through my head. Why would they be there now? Weren't they booked for afternoon? Did I book a class I don't remember? What the heck is going on around here?

So I tell the B-girl to get her coat on and that she's coming to work with me for a few minutes before school. She didn't like the idea, but had no say in the matter. We go screamin' out of the house and onto my work.

I get to the city council room and there sit 45 school children with some parent chaperones and two teachers. I tell B-girl to sit down. She tell me she doesn't know any kids. I explain to her in my "just do it" voice that every new friend is only one"hello" away. She sits down with a frustrated look on her face. I find the teacher and ask her what school they are from

"We are St. Genevive." she said.

"I have no booking for St. Genevieve today" I say.

"Yes you do!" she replies.

After three minutes of useless banter I extract the information that this class
has been booked for the court and fire station and they booked with one of the judges.

"Why are you here at city hall," I finally ask.

"Oh this is city hall?" "I thought it was the court," she replied.

The students were older than my normal tours, probably fifth grade,
and unfortunately for the teacher they began making comments like

"Hey this is the city hall she brought us to the wrong building ha ha." I told her where the court was and informed her it was within walking distance. She practically begged me to guide them there so I gathered them all up, my kid included, and took them to the court building.

At the court we run into the court officer (who knows me) and I explain to him
this class is do in the judge's court. He tells the teacher where the judge's courtroom is
upstairs and she asks if I could guide them. I try to explain to them that I am leaving at
this point but the officer says,

"Sure MSUgal will take you up."

I try to explain to the court officer that "this is not my tour" and he laughs thinking I am cracking a joke. I have brought tours there before so why would he think otherwise? So my daughter and I reluctantly take the class upstairs to the courtroom.

At this point I am ready to make my get away and take my daughter to school
when the judge decides they are too many children and the class should be divided
in half and the reaminder taken to the fire station.

The male teacher who was taking the other half to the fire station, who was very cute and a bit more lucid than the other teacher, asked if I could guide them to the facility, again, within walking distance. Not beeing able to tell this really nice guy no I smile

and before I can answer

B-girl shouts loud enough for all to hear

"Follow me I know how to get there." So we follow my daughter to the fire station.

There I drop off the class and try to explain to the
firefighters that although I am dropping this class off

"They are not my tour." I attempt to explain that my tour would be there at 12:45
and I would be back then. Nobody understood this particular tout was not my tour--except for my daughter--who has involuntarily learned some aspects of my job as I drag her to various events with me. Any time is quality time, right?


Once we get all the kids into the fire station I explain to the teacher that after his tour of the fire station is over he should return to the court where they will see the court in session and the other half of the students should then come to the fire station.

He thanked me for the help and

then

right in front of this seemingly
caring instructor of education,

right in front of all the students
we so carefully guided through the
spin city campus,

right in front of the two firefighters.

what does my daughter say to me?

"Mom,

Will you please take me to school now?

I could be

getting

an education

right now."

And right in front of all these nice, friendly folks,

what do I answer?

"Don't worry kid

you are

getting one

right now

you just don't

know it yet!"