I’ve been blogging for five years now and every year I’ve quietly hoped to be invited to a blogging conference called Disney Social Media Moms. It’s a very big deal in the social media community, or seems to be. Besides getting an opportunity to delve into the world of social media with other women for a weekend, you get to bring your family along to experience Walt Disney World in a very magical way with Disney as host.

When I didn’t make the cut the first year, I thought I’d make it eventually. But when I didn’t make the cut the next year, I began to think I wasn’t the right pedigree as many of my peers were selected and went the next three years in a row. I told people that the rejection didn’t hurt me, but it did. I felt like the awkward girl in high school again, the one who didn’t get invited to the prom.

Side bar: I actually really didn’t go to the prom, so I know what it feels like NOT to be invited.

But guess what? After five years, when I didn’t ever expect the invitation to ever hit my in box, it did. I was on a press trip with my son last weekend and hardly had time to focus on the fact that I got invited or that the invite said that I had to book quickly. All I do know is that the invite felt very validating. The world of blogging has taken to me to places and helped me to explore parts of myself that I didn’t know existed, and I’m grateful, and now it would take my kids back to Disney. After telling my tween aged daughter about it for several years, I would finally fulfill a dream of mine to take her to Disney in a way I would never be able to otherwise. Sure, we’ve been, but this conference would be a different experience.

But unfortunately, we can’t go. The weekend the conference is scheduled is the same weekend as the daughter of an old friend’s Bat Mitzvah. When I noticed the date, I told myself that I would talk to my friend, that of course we wouldn’t miss Disney. But I knew deep down that would be the wrong thing to do. This friend told us to save the date for her Bat Mitzvah six months ago. Our presence at the event would mean the world to her, and when we got the invite in the mail, I quickly sent our confirmed RSVP back, not just for my husband and I but also for the entire family.

So, I scheduled lunch with her in the city to have a conversation about my dilemma, but in the process, the conference filled up and registration closed. I got an email that I might be put on the waiting list and that they were trying to open more spaces after filling up in 72 hours.

Lunch with this friend also got called off and I was glad that we never had a chance to discuss the situation. I would have hurt her feelings and our friendship might not have recovered.

I took it all as a sign. I have a lifetime of opportunities to go to Disney, but I don’t have a lifetime to fix destroyed relationships.

It wasn’t easy for my daughter to understand but ultimately, I believe in her ability to know how to do the right thing and I am the only one who can teach her how to.

So, in the end, the conference taught me about priorities. It taught me to put others before myself. I hope I get invited next year, but if I don’t, I’ll have to be happy with this year’s decision, and that is one thing I know for sure.

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Last week my daughter and I got treated to a very special “health” day by the wonderful women at Cool Mom Picks. She was treated to a cooking class; I was treated to an afternoon sipping mimosas and learning about a new app, LiveHealth Online, that can, quite simply, create healthier, safer lives. With the click of a button, you can have access to a physician who can advise, prescribe medication and help you save time and worry.

The event was held at Havens Kitchen in New York City, a beautiful space dedicated to the preparation and enjoyment of yummy, sustainable, seasonal food. Chef David taught two groups of children to make healthy dishes like granola and yogurt, chocolate ricotta and homemade spring rolls. It was satisfying to know that my daughter was learning about and using wholesome, organic ingredients. The menu really combined personal wellness and well-being and was a great tie in to the day’s mission – to learn about Live Health Online.

Have you ever needed medical advice urgently but had a hard time getting the doctor on the phone? I can think of that happening to me literally millions of times. There was that time she had a dreadful blister under her nose, which turned out to be inpetigo. It literally sat on her face for a week before I knew it was not just a spot but a virus. There was that time she had a croup cough and we ended up in the hospital, only to find out that we could have spent 10 minutes in steam to make her feel better. If only I could have connected with a doctor when I needed to. Sometimes it’s a matter of time – I simply can’t miss work or get away to get an opinion. 

Now if only I could have gotten advice, and medication, from a doctor on the Internet! (are you reminded of Lisa Kudrow’s Web Therapy, the show about the online therapist, too?) That’s why I find LiveHealth Online very interesting. I have had countless chronic sinus infections, for which doctors never prescribe medication for me over the phone. This app could have saved me so much time and energy. Let me explain how.

LiveHealth Online is a new (free) app that enables parents to easily and privately connect with a doctor of their choice from among 44 states when their own can’t be reached. The service can be accessed at any time and allows app users to establish a two-way, face-to-face video chat with a doctor who can both diagnose and treat them, along with their family members for non-emergency conditions such as the flu, cold, strep throat and ear infections. LiveHealth Online doctors in most states can also send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy used by the app user.

How to Enroll

Once you download the app, you need to enroll, which is really quick and easy. Then, each time you log in, you’ll see doctors that are available in your state. Bookmarking a doctor’s profile is easy. LiveHealth Online has a preferred provider section where you can store your doctor’s information.

Once you find a doctor, click Connect to talk with him or her right away. During your appointment, the doctor will review your health history, answer questions and prescribe medicines, if needed. After each session, you can even send a record to your regular doctor.

Before you see a doctor, you can view their star rating on their doctor profile. Simply click on a doctor’s photo to see this information. After your doctor’s visit, we’ll ask you to rate your experience.

Using Insurance

If you have a health plan, your visit may be covered – so you pay less. Check with your plan’s benefits to find out exactly how much you would pay. If you don’t have a health plan, visits start at $49.

Keep in mind, LiveHealth Online is not for emergencies. If you experience an emergency, you should always call 911.

Pretty brilliant, eh? Thanks for the ladies of Cool Mom Picks for introducing me to this helpful app and having my daughter and I for a day of learning, fun and inspiration (cause those ladies always inspire me).

The LiveHealth Online app is available for download from iTunes, the App Store or Google Play store.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post but I did attend a complimentary cooking class with my daughter, hosted by Cool Mom Picks and LiveHealth Online.

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Well, if you’ve been paying attention to my streams as of late, you might have noticed some serious changes taking place. In the course of six months, I changed the name of this blog to The Culture Tripper, changed it back to The Culture Mom, started a new site The Holly Chronicles which I’ve since shelved and done some irreversible damage to my social media channels.

What was my reason for my midlife blog crisis?

The reason? Couldn’t really tell you other than the fact that I must have had a mid-life crisis and taken it out on the Internet!

In all honesty, I thought I wanted to get away from mom blogging, but the truth is that I carved a space for myself as The Culture Mom, and once the rug came out from under me, I missed the brand I’d built. I must also admit that The Culture Tripper wasn’t that creative. There are blogs out there called Culture Tripper, The Culture Trip, Trip Culture…I could go on and on. The epiphany I had in the car when I thought of the name must have been because I’d seen the name before? Who knows. At the time, I thought it was brilliant. And yes, I could have kept the name regardless and not spent a small fortune on having this blog revamped (I’m not technical at all), but I decided to go back to where I started. And it somehow feels right…..after months of trying to shed the mom part of me here, I kind of missed it. I am The Culture Mom, that’s all there is to say about it.

Unfortunately, I lost the Twitter handle and Facebook page. Some guy in Russia is using my old Twitter handle – I’m not sure why – perhaps it’s to capitalize on my existing audience (warning: do not follow him!). He may have scooped up my Facebook page, as well, and it’s literally been a short span of three months since I gave it up so he’s fast! However, I will resolve these issues and march on.

Savvy social media friends advised me against changing up my brand for months before I made the change, but I was determined to change. Believe me, I went through dozens of names, had a designer do a mock-up of one (The Cultured Nomad, it was called – also not a good fit). But none of them worked like The Culture Mom. I knew as soon as my blog changed that it was not meant to be and I regretted the change immediately. To all of those friends who knew the change would not work, yes, you were right – I was wrong.

But here I am again – back as The Culture Mom and I’m psyched. I will no longer mind the “mommy blogging” insults and I will no longer mind the cracks made about the community I’ve embraced and felt so comfortable in for over four years. I did it well then and I’ll do it well again. I will remain true to my niche, blogging about what I am passionate about. You won’t find product reviews here, but you will find info about travel, culture and advocacy. I’ll bring back my fun giveaways and more.

I’m not running away from The Culture Mom anymore – I’m embracing it. I hope you’ll stick around. I hope you never left. I hope you”ll let me know how you’ve been while I was having this mid-life blog crisis. I’m glad it’s over and I’m looking forward to chatting here again.

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Sorry for the change of name and silence this week. Let me explain what happened.

I’ve been talking about rebranding for quite a while. I started another new blog in the process (TheHollyChronicles) but have since realized that this site is more important. Eager to change the name, I finally came up with a good fit: THE CULTURE TRIPPER. After months of hemming and hawing, I told my designer to make the change while I was recently out of town…on a cruise ship! When I saw the changeover while sailing the seas, I freaked out.

It’s no one’s fault but mine, but the site is clearly not where I wanted it to be, so it will be worked on in the next few days. I am not posting during this time but you can find my work elsewhere on Family Vacation Critic, This Girl Travels, Ciao Bambino, MiniTime and other sites I contribute to. I hope you come back to see the outcome. I am really excited to start the next chapter of this blog, which will always have The Culture Mom’s heart and soul.

As I stated in a post a few months ago, my new name “needs to encompass my passion for culture (theater, film, books, television), travel, advocacy and the world around us. It also needs to define who I am and keep me close to the world I’ve come a part of over the past four years. This blog (The Culture Mom)  has been responsible for SO MUCH and I don’t want to ever discredit that.”

Moving forward, I will be more focused on my true passions: Travel and Culture. I hope you will come along for the ride.

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I have always loved to write. I thrived in Honors English Classes in high school, writing short stories and poetry and was on the editorial team of the school newspaper. I went on to major in Journalism in college and spent some time in the CNN newsroom before moving to NYC to work in television programming and production. Eventually, I ended up working in publishing where my writing skills really came into play. But it wasn’t until I started blogging that I truly captured my journalistic spirit, returning to my roots in writing. From travel to culture to writing about causes I care about, I have reconnected with an important part of me.

A few weeks ago, writer and friend and Caren Osten Gerszberg asked me to participate in a “Blog Hop,” in which writers share their views on the writing life. You can read her thoughts and learn of her inspiring work here. Below are my answers to the four questions that are hopping from blog to blog. I will be passing the torch to two wonderful writers—Jennifer Lang and Irene Lane—who will post their own responses to the four questions next week on their respective blogs.

Blog Hop

1. What am I working on/writing? I consider myself a culture writer, focusing on travel, the arts and advocacy. I always have several writing deadlines going on at once.  On the arts side, this past week I turned in an article to BlogHer called “Two Fiery Shows About Friendship Women Should Be Watching Now” about Doll & Em and Broad City, two shows that have had me riveted the last few months. I also reviewed two Broadway plays, Bullets Over Broadway and The Realistic Joneses. I’ve written for Bitch Flicks and Women and Hollywood, two sites that I’m always proud to contribute work to. Advocacy wise, I attended the Women in the World conference at Lincoln Center last week as part of press and plan to write about it over on The Broad Side. Travel wise, I am traveling to both Philadelphia and the Caribbean in the next week and will be recording my experiences over at This Girl Travels, Ciao Bambino, Go Girlfriend and Family Vacation Critic. I’m also producing a play right now, the 3rd annual Listen to Your Mother, coming to Symphony Space in May. I didn’t write the show, this is just a plug! I want to also mention that I’m in grad school, so I’m writing a lot of papers these days and my brain is off in a very different, extremely stimulating but also fried direction. 

2. How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre? That’s a tough question, and I suppose I have to agree with Caren in her post that kicked off this blog hop: my interests are what guide my work and writing. I am one of those people who literally needs to write about what means the most to me in life and what I feel passionate about. On my blog, I don’t deviate from my tag line, “For moms not ready to give up sushi for hot dogs” and my writing stays focused on what motivates me. Along those lines are culture, advocacy and travel. I get a zillion badly pitches daily – mostly mom products and other products you would never see reviewed on my blogs or any of the sites I write for. I want to stay true to who I am. 

3. Why do I write what I do? I have worked in media-related jobs since I graduated from college. I started my career in cable at MTV and Lifetime and moved into publishing later on. It wasn’t until I moved into publishing as the marketing lead for Frommer’s Travel Guides that I learned that I could be passionate about my work, and the reason was none other than the fact that I love to travel. I have lived in Israel and England, and my family has traveled to very exotic destinations. You should really see my children’s passports, it’s quite unbelievable! I live to travel, and I also live to go to the theater. I’ve produced a few plays in NYC over the last few years, and it was blogging and reviewing plays that really reignited my love for theater. As a film/TV/music/TV/art connoisseur, cultural writing is what fits, as well as the travel piece. Basically I do what I do out of passion and pure pleasure. 

4. How does my writing process work: I’m a note taker. I carry around a small notebook and record notes everywhere I go. When I see a play, I jot down notes. When I am out reviewing a travel destination, my notebook is out. If I’m interviewing someone, I use the voice-recording app on my iPhone. Quite often, there are thoughts buzzing in my brain, and I have to bring them together with my written notes to create a good story. I do take longer to write for sites other than my own, and I go over and over and over what I’m writing before submitting it to an editor, particularly longer pieces that I write for custom publications. When I am writing for my own blogs, I tend to take less time and publish too quickly, which is something that I need to work on. Now, learn a bit about my fellow Blog Hop writers…

Consumer travel journalist, Ellen Barone, has been creating and curatingintriguing, trustworthy and engaging travel inspiration and advice since 1998. With her signature blend of narrative and service journalism, editorial photography and digital technology, Ellen is a notable example of a photojournalist fusing blogging, multimedia storytelling and social media to engage with a diverse and active following. Discover authentic experiences, travel advice, vacation tips, travel tech reviews, gear recommendations, ideas and inspiration for your next adventure in Ellen’s popular travel blogs published at TravelUpdatesbyEllenBarone.com.

Mostly American, a little French and kind of Israeli, Jennifer Lang has spent decades jumping between continents. The question that has plagued her most is which way is home? For the past 10 years, she’s thrived on one constant: wherever she lives, she writes. Once upon a time, she was a magazine writer for Alternative Medicine, Parenting, Yoga for Natural Solutions, Yoga Journal and more. Until she decided to focus on writing her own stories as well as teaching Creative Non-Fiction writing classes. Her essays have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, the South Loop Review as well as on ducts.org, among others. In 2011, she and her family relocated–once again–from White Plains, New York to Raanana, Israel, where she continues to write and teach and push the boundaries. Connect with her through her blog, opentoisrael, her attempt to see the good in a place she never dreamed of calling home.

Irene Lane has written and spoken extensively about sustainable travel and how families can choose vacations that support communities socially, economically and environmentally.  She is frequent contributor for the Huffington Post and her blog articles and short pieces also have been published in Green Living Magazine, The PlanetD, Your Life is a Trip and LadyAdventureramong others.  In addition to being the founder of Greenloons, which provides sustainable travel tips and information as well as a carefully curated collection of green travel experiences for families, Irene is the only sustainable travel consultant in the United States who can certify a green destination under the internationally-accredited Biosphere certification.

A freelance writer, blogger, editor and frequent contributor to The New York Times, as well as many national magazines and websites, Caren Osten Gerszberg blogs for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. She also blogs about travel for Embark, a blog focusing on family and adventure travel. She is the co-editor of “Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up” (Seal Press), and the blog of the same name. For two years, she wrote a bi-weekly column, Mom U, for the New York Times education blog, “The Choice,” about the parents’ perspective of the college admissions process.

Judith Fein is an award-winning international travel journalist who lives to leave.  She resided for more than ten years in Europe and North Africa and has a passion for adventures that are exotic, authentic, quirky, historic and immersed in local culture. She has written travel articles for more than 90 magazines, newspapers and internet sites, including The L.A. Times, National Geographic Traveler, The Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, Sierra, the Utne Reader, Hemispheres (United Airlines), Travel Age West Magazine (for travel agents), Robb Report, Art and Antiques, Intermezzo, Continental, The Denver Post, New Mexico Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, Executive Traveler, Dreamscapes, TravelandLeisure.com, Just For Canadian Doctors, Hadassah Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, Organic Spa, Native Peoples, Islands, MSN/UK, AAA Traveler, The Christian Science Monitor, ConsumerTraveler.com.

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The amount of pitches that land in my inbox is often overwhelming and…wrong.  I don’t mean to complain. I am grateful that I am even considered by publicists in my 4th year of blogging and when the right one lands at my fingertips, I am thrilled. I know when I get a pitch that is right for me. It’s generally when I can tell my blog has been sought out for a reason, usually because the person at the other end of the pitch understands my niche and knows what works here on The Culture Mom or beyond in my freelance writing world.

I have written about the topic of bad pitches before and I apologize for raising the subject again. I’ve given examples of bad pitches in several of my posts and I’ve also given examples of positive ways for a publicist to pitch a blogger. In general, when I get a pitch, I don’t hesitate to let the publicist know it’s a bad fit, and most of the time I get back a “Thanks, Holly!” as a response (giving me full knowledge that they aren’t really listening). I guess I’m frustrated and feel compelled to address this topic again because it’s just getting worse. I’ve never really fit into a particular mold in the blogging world as my niche is quite varied so I don’t question the confusion when I am wrongly pitched, but I would hope that if a publicist reads my ABOUT section or looks in my PRESS section, they’ll get a good idea of what I write about. (FYI, if you aren’t sure and you’re here, I cover Travel, Culture and Advocacy. I rarely go off the beaten path.) I also don’t think that at this point in time my blog should be thought of as a great free place-to-place content or have something promoted. That just doesn’t seem fair.

Last week I got a pitch that really unnerved me, and I suppose it was the catapult for this blog post. First of all, the pitch implied that I’m a “mommy blogger” (another topic I have covered here). Then it asked me to enter a contest hosted by a major brand for a free trip to take part in a special event at a health and wellness center. These were the guidelines listed to participate:

An official invite is included below, but I wanted to briefly run through how to participate.  In order to enter the contest, you must write two blog posts. 

POST 1—the first post will serve as your official entry, and will speak to one of the following topics:

•      Post an unhealthy recipe, why you love it and how you’d like xxxxxx

•      Short response: What is one healthy goal you would like to achieve by 2015?

•      Short response: What are your 3 personal tips for embodying a xxxx lifestyle?

Ø  When answering one of the above questions, please include information on xxx (I can provide), along with links to xxx website and Facebook page!

POST 2—the second post will share a link to xxx digital magazine, which I will pass along to you upon confirmation of participation.  Both posts must include links to xxxs website and Facebook page.  Your two posts must go live between April 1 – April 30, 2014 in order to be considered for the contest.  A winner will be chosen by May 14^th.

To be honest, this pitch set off a fire storm in one of the private Facebook groups that I belong to, for so many reasons. First and foremost, that we were being asked to promote a brand, feature links and write not one, but two blog posts. This is all paid space and they are basically asking for free promotions. Secondly, if a publicist wants a travel blogger to review a resort, invite them to come to see it for themselves. In addition, I don’t even post recipes! Lastly, these would clearly be two sponsored posts for which I, and every other blogger, charge. We have rate cards. We are professionals. We, ourselves, are brands!

Well, I did let the publicist know much of the above and she responded by offering me a book. It was her own strange way of apologizing, but like the “Thank you!” that I get daily from publicists, I’m not sure she understood how she had offended me or anyone else.

So, for all of you pitching me on a daily basis, here’s yet another short list of what I don’t do:

– The Culture Mom is not a listing. While I do attend many cultural events, I really write about the ones I cover. Inviting me is fine, but please don’t ask me to run a listing when you don’t one here.

– My niche is fairly obvious – I cover travel, culture and advocacy. I write about these topics here and elsewhere. I don’t post recipes. I don’t review baby products. I don’t write about yogurt.

– Please don’t ask me to repost press releases. My blog is experiential. I make recommendations. I won’t recommend or promote something I know little about, particularly if it doesn’t fit my niche.

– I have a rate card. I’m a professional. Major brands should not ask for free advertising so please don’t.

– I don’t do guest posts unless they are in line with my content. Sponsored posts? Generally, no, because many of your requests don’t seem legitimate and the topics are too off first base.

– Please don’t pitch me with a subject line like this one: Every Mom Deserves a Bit of Pampering. I don’t really respond to a topic that pigeon holes me.

I want to conclude by reiterating how happy I am to be pitched….when they are written thoughtfully. Here’s to more thoughtful pitches and more care in the PR profession. Someone needs to offer them a Blogger 101 class. Any takers?

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I’m determined to reflect and write an account of 2012, as I do every year. It helps to think about my achievements, as I am ending the year on a bit of a low.  I wasn’t sure why I feel this way around this time of year until I saw this tweet from one of my favorite writers and actresses, Lena Duham, and realized I’m not the only one:

Then I realized that if she, the queen of everything creative and successful, can feel this way, I’m not a total loser.  I have so much to look forward to in 2013 and I need to focus on the good in my life.  I’m at a critical juncture and things are going to change a lot this year in a very big way. It’s up to me to stay positive and stay on course to meet my goals.

2013 wasn’t an easy year for any of us on the planet, let’s get serious.  We endured the wrath of Hurricane Sandy in October, a storm that ripped the beautiful part of the country where I’ve spent most of my adult life apart. As with 9/11, I, along with thousands of others, were injured but we will recover and I’ve spent a bit of time working on the efforts to restore the faith of the people it fractured.  The shootings in Newtown ripped the heart out of everyone just a few shorts weeks ago, and we are still watching our nation recover. The nation is still reeling from these two events.  Thankfully, we had a good result with the Presidential election.

On my blog, I kicked off a “I Don’t Know How She Does It” series at the start of the year, as the whole work/home life balance scenario has always puzzled me.  I was honored with guest posts by some of my favorite writers and friends who said things that had been stirring in my mind for years. Ann Imig. Bonnie Rothman Morris. Elena Sonino. Shari Simpson. Emily Paster. Elissa Freeman. Holly Pavlika. Charlene Loach. Britt Reints.  Sara Fisher.  I called, they came, and I earned a piece of wisdom from each person.

I have spent the last few years juggling work and family, thinking that working part-time was the answer to my struggle. But in the last year, after juggling far too many projects, I learned something important: I want one job. It will help me focus the time I have with my family. So, in 2013, I have to make some changes coming full circle with where I started early in the year right here on the blog.

The one thing I will not let go of is theater producing. I described how I fell into it early in the year here through a chance meeting with Ann Imig at BlogHer.  Then it led to an unforgettable experience working on an actual off-off Broadway show, The Best of Everything, my name appearing in the New York Times and now I am taking a producing class at the Commercial Theater Institute that starts next week. I’m also producing another production of Listen to Your Mother this spring.

In 2012, I also spread my wings on the speaking engagement front, and I hope to do more of that in the upcoming year. I talked about Social Good, I talked about Social Media.

While I tend not to talk personally on the blog, I took time out a few times to talk out loud.  Once I celebrated the life of my good friend, Danny Pearl, who I can’t believe died 10 years ago and left such an important mark on our generation.  Moving forward, I’d like to spend more time on topics of interest to me, and I’m cutting down on reviews.  You’ll see more cultural coverage, more issues that I support.

In terms of my own personal bucket list, I don’t think I fulfilled too many dreams this year but I did see Woody Allen live in concert at the Cafe Carlyle.  It was the single most expensive night that my husband and I ever experienced.  But it was worth every penny.

Speaking of bucket lists, I reviewed a book called Bella’s Vietnam Adventure. In that piece I wrote: After my first daughter was born, I started planning a trip to Vietnam.  I wanted to explore the region with my husband and young child more than anything.  When I found myself unexpectedly pregnant, the plan got shelved, but I still dream about it. And we will get there one of these days as a family.

Funnily enough, I am headed there in a mere three weeks.  The item at the very top of my bucket list is about to bhappen.  I am so excited, I can hardly believe it.  I’m calling it my midlife crisis trip.  I’m sure I’ll blog about it, so stay tuned.

I spent much of 2012 learning how to use my voice on social media for social good.  After the Women in the World conference early in the year, and hearing Hillary Clinton call all women “fearless … committed … and audacious,” I formed relationships with Save the Children, moms2moms, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I’m now on the board of Mothers and More, which is really exciting.

Of course, as always, culture played a big role on my blog.  I wrote about a visit to the set of Pan Am, interviewing the cast of Les Mis, books like The Paris Wife, Gone Girl, shows I loved like 40,000 Miles, Venus in Fur, Rapture, Blister, Burn and Chaplin.

My most popular posts? Definitely my 50 Shades posts, here is one of the two. Make sure you read the comments. And this one A Letter to Judd Apatow, which the director himself responded to directly to me on Twitter about:

How was your year?  I’d love to hear in the comments about your plans for 2013 and how you plan to evolve.

With all that said (and I had nothing to say when I started), happy new year. May you all have a prosperous and exciting year! Thanks for reading when you do.

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Joan Crawford said it in the classic film “Mommy Dearest”. We never forgot it. Such a great line. I swore I would never be that mom and that image still rings in my brain every time I nearly lose my temper at home. My mom was a SAHM. Everyday after school growing up, we’d come home and she’d give us a snack and sit us down in front of “The Guiding Light”. I knew every story line from that show for years. Every now and then, I think of poor Roger. He was a meanie, but the actor who played him died tragically from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. My mom instilled a love of culture in me even then. Throughout the 70s, we grooved out to disco music, saw epic films like “Star Wars” and “Grease”, watched “The Muppets”, “The Brady Bunch”, “Mr. Ed”, “Welcome Back Kotter” and more. Even though we didn’t have a lot of money, she took to see Liberace at the Civic Center, “Annie” at the Fox, the Nutcracker time and time again, and best of all, old movies. We went to double features at the repertory house where I munched on popcorn and watched all the Gene Kelley and Cary Grant movies. My sad social life in high school consisted of going to the local film rental store on Highland Avenue and renting every Fellini, Bergman and Woody Allen film I could find until I had seen everything. As a mom, I try to ensure a cultural shot into my childrens blood every week. Whether it be through reading, movies, plays, art, architecture, especially travel, I bring it on. I live in close proximity to New York City and often step out to the theater, concerts and museums. Last week, my daughter asked me why I go to many plays. Hopefully, one day she will understand and love and appreciate the arts as much as her culturemom.

And so it began.  A blog was born.  And then, by fluke, as a result of this blog, so did a chapter for my consulting career, a business, freelance writing jobs and opportunities that I never, ever imagined.

I chose my URL for a few reasons.  I am a culture vulture, there is no doubt about that. I had a logo and tagline created that suits me to a tee, “For moms not ready to give up sushi for hot dogs”.  I liked Happy Meals instead of hot dogs but I was worried about copy right issues.  It all seemed to fall into place. I have brought in every facet of life that I am passionate about: culture, advocacy and the occasional editorial.  And I have learned how to manage a blog and I even have a few readers.

But I’ve learned a lot along the way.  I do not blog the personal.  I have found myself in hot water a few times over sharing my feelings about motherhood, which I tend to express myself poorly about.  I love my family, I love my children, but I want to do it all and sometimes I find taking care of everyone to be too much.  My life is no longer my own and the blog, while bringing a lot of online support into my life and personal achievement to boot, brings extra work.  With all the extra projects brings a new dimension of juggling.  I have struggled with my work situation for the last few years but choose to keep that quiet, too.  Instead I focus on other blogger’s stories, which I love to tell or host guest posts on subjects I am not so eloquent about, and I am busy writing content for other web sites (mainly focusing on my love for travel).  I also get the greatest pleasure when I’m focusing on Social Good and am using my energies to use my words to help others.

I have no announcement today, if you are expecting one.  The truth is that it’s time to rebrand and I am not sure where to start.  My children are ages 8 and 9, and I don’t want to write about mom/kid issues anymore.  I would rather use my skills writing and talking about topics and issues I am passionate about that don’t pertain to motherhood.  It’s time for a change.

And it’s coming.  The wheels are turning.  Stay tuned.

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Last week when I was asked to guest blog over at the Katie Couric Show, there was no way I could refuse.  The guest was Barbra Streisand, a Hollywood icon and someone who’s music, movies and career I’ve followed my whole life (haven’t we all?).  Fortunately, I was able to step out of my everyday life and spend the afternoon in the studio and witness an hour with Barbra.  I spent some time in the green room, avoided the lines to get into the show (bypassing the 2,000 on the waiting list) and was captured in a photo with Katie Couric herself after the show (and I was introduced to Jeff Zucker, which as a former worker in the TV industry was VERY exhilarating!)

The show has created what they are calling “Katie’s Crew”.  They’re bringing in two social media moms to the taping each day and are featuring several guest posts by these bloggers on their site to compliment the shows.  Mine ran yesterday and you can read it here (I’m loving the comments).  They set us up in the first row with our lap tops on our laps and had us “live blog” from the set.  It was definitely an interesting experience and I like the way the show is trying to incorporate the blogging community into the show. They didn’t introduce our blogs on air, but they announced them to the audience before the taping began and again during a break.

So, I had a week between the taping and the broadcast and was keeping mum about all of it, although it was truly not a day I would forget anytime soon.

However, yesterday’s reaction by my mom to my brief appearance on the taped show (if you watched the show VERY closely, you could catch a very quick shot of me reacting to the fact that Barbra has raised $22 million to help prevent heart disease) was the best.  My mom called to tell me that she can’t believe how FAMOUS I am.

Yes, that was the word she used.  I was sitting in the audience listening to a larger than life celebrity and she thinks I’m famous! What would I do without my mom?  Seriously. Imagine if I actually did something deserving of being on the telly?  I think she would have a heart attack.

I’ve had a smile on my face all day as a result.  It will probably last a week.

Thank god for mothers.

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