by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on October 2, 2009
Some of you may know that I just spent two days at the headquarters of the world’s #1 food corporation – Nestle. Nestle had the fabulous idea of bringing together a group of mom and dad bloggers, all-expenses paid, as somewhat of a first step in engaging in the social media space. Due to some of the “bashing” by some die-hard activists, who made it their personal mission to judge me for being there, I couldn’t quite make up my mind – should I blog about my experience with Nestle? And if so, when and how, exactly?
As I sit here on my plane trip home I decided that I will, in true YoungMommy fashion, write about my last two days, just like I would after any other event which I’ve been privileged to attend. Not because it’s expected of me, but because I want to – plain and simple. I plan to talk about my reasons for accepting Nestle’s invitation, what I discovered, and what I gained by this amazing experience. On a different day.
First, let me make myself very clear :: I’m not interested in debating Nestle’s practices or ethics. If you came to MY space with the goal of engaging me in any further discussion about why I am a “horrible person for accepting such an invitation,” accuse me of having “no ethics” or of being a “corporate shill,” please leave. If you are here to try to convince me that “Nestle kills babies” or “Nestle’s chocolate is blood-laden,” I am not interested in your comment – I’ve heard you loud and clear, but I will do my own research. If you would like to be polite and feel I may not have heard you before, feel free to email me.
To my dear readers who may be shocked by my uncharacteristic disclaimer, let me assure you that I will point you in the direction of the posts, tweets, and comments that led to this need. I encourage you to do some research yourself and seek to discover both sides, but I will not link to posts, sensationalized propaganda, or slanted media that only seek to point out Nestle’s “evil.”
Now, please take a look at my Whrrl stories from this week, found on my right sidebar, while I try to find my Butterfinger…
Comments will be moderated and deleted if you do not consider my wishes. My blog. My rules.
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on February 21, 2009
On Tuesday I received a fun email in my inbox… It was an “
exclusive VIP invitation to a red carpet event“.
The invitation read:
We all know what its like to juggle our careers, family and social lives – it’s a balancing act to say the least. And moms need to give a little TLC to themselves, as God knows they give it to everyone else!
Frito-Lay is launching their first campaign inspired by women that illustrates something we usually don’t see celebrated – every lovable bit of our womanly selves, from our quirks to our most genuine moments.
We’d like to invite you to a VIP red carpet event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 24 (THAT’S NEXT WEEK!). Our special celebrity guest (BROOKE BURKE!) will host the premier of Only in a Woman’s World, the new animated series celebrating four friends who humorously experience everyday “that’s so me” moments about topics like diet, beauty, snacking, exercise and body confidence.
Of
the four women in Only in a Woman’s World, I most relate to
Cheryl, the “full-time mom”… She doesn’t profess to be super-mom, but she does put everyone else ahead of herself.
Well, this mama gets to celebrate beauty and snacking with three of her girlfriends, come Tuesday! Along with a few other hand selected women bloggers, I will be joined by
Lori (
A Cowboy’s Wife &
My Wooden Spoon),
Katja (
Skimbaco), and
Andrea (
Mommy Snacks), for this {squee}
exclusive event!
But, don’t worry… In true YoungMommy style I will be blogging and tweeting it up the whole time!
Oooh, and I almost forgot…
We’ll get some serious time with the folks at Frito-Lay. Any questions or comments you’d like for me to pass along?
Yes, Mindy, I promise to bring you back some crunchy goodies!
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on December 7, 2008
We’re just not sure if we’ll get there tonight!
Sitting here at the airport is proving to be a bit more than my kiddos can handle at this point. Our plane has already been delayed an hour, and just as Zach was freaking out because Julia was playing with his Rubix Cube, we got word that our plane may not even be able to land in Sacramento once we get there. How is that for timing?
All in all, this weekend has been super fun, but we have hit our limit. We will all be well again after a good night’s sleep in our own beds. But, for now we must all listen to Julia cry under her brother’s sweatshirt….
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on December 6, 2008
As part of the holiday celebrations at Disneyland, Disney invited 50 mommy bloggers, and their families, to attend a weekend of fun at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney Parks in Anaheim. I was blessed to be one of the mommy bloggers invited… one of only 10 from outside the Southern California area.
The trip was for a family of four, but because the max for the room they booked for us could sleep 5, we were able to make special arrangements to include Julia. Josh, Ben and Noah were excited to get to have a weekend of fun, without the big kids, at Mimi and Poppy’s house, even though I felt bad we couldn’t bring them along!
We really didn’t want Josh to feel left out, so we managed to keep the details of our trip a secret. We didn’t tell the older kids we were taking them anywhere until Monday evening, and even then they had no idea what was in store for them!
Friday morning we began our mini-vacation by heading to the airport. Due to major fog our flight was delayed by almost 3 hours, but we finally made it to sunny (and warm) Los Angeles after a very short flight.
Ray and I waited patiently for our shuttle to arrive, knowing that once it did the surprise would be revealed. Once it truly sunk in that we were going to DISNEYLAND they couldn’t contain their excitement… The looks on the kiddos’ faces were priceless, let me tell you!
A special reception was planned for Friday evening, so after checking in and freshening up a bit, off we headed from the Disneyland Hotel to Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian Hotel. There we were greeted by Minnie Mouse and the friendly members of the Disney cast and PR team. Belle, Goofy and Mickey Mouse all made appearances through the evening, and we were served a delicious dinner.
While the kiddos cut out reindeer, got airbrushed “tattoos”, and gorged on cookies and snowflake shaped rice krispy treats, we moms got to hear all about the sweet creations that are so popular at Disneyland at Christmastime. (more on that later) The evening festivities were followed by special “seating” for the fireworks and the Fantasmic light show at Disneyland. What spectacular shows!
As part of all the fun last night I got to see bloggy buddies I had only met online, see some I hadn’t seen in a while, as well as meet new friends. And today, after spending the entire day at Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney, we got to watch the fireworks from the warmth of our room here at the Disneyland Hotel!
I can’t wait to tell you more about the fun we’ve had, and what I learned about the Holidays at Disneyland…
For now, though, I must rest up for another exciting day at the parks tomorrow.
TTFN!
