The future's so bright

I read about Pierre a while ago – after all he is the CEO and founder of Sole Technology (which makes Etnies, eS, Emerica and Etnies Girl among the more familiar brands). What struck me of course was that he was a skateboarder! (I think this was about the time I had just seen Dogtown and Z boys so I had skate on the brain but more than that I was in awe of his story – starting out at 15 as a skateboarder in France, going to University then becoming an IBM engineer then coming to the US to become a skateboarding champ before launching his own footwear brand. Whew! I love hearing about people who follow their passion and thus, never really have to WORK a day of their life – since they love what they do. For Pierre Andre Senizergues, being a skateboard champ served as his inspiration. These days he is a dedicated environmentalist and in his own words, “more of a designer really.” Whether its designing state of the art skate shoes or making a building more eco-friendly (think solar panels and waterless urinals in the Sole Tech building) — the word that I think would best describe him is innovator.

The other OC mom bloggers (like DaytrippingMom and CalifLorna) and I met him recently at the Sole Technology headquarters in Lake Forest, CA. We got a tour of the facilities and an introduction to Etnies’ new “Grow with Me” Fit System.

Before shopping at the Company Store, we had lunch at one of the rooms. There was quite a spread and even a special section for our kiddies (whom we brought along – Sole Tech. provided childcare while we toured – c’est si bon!) My son and I sat down to eat when who should join us but Pierre himself. Looks like you hit the kiddie buffet, I joke. His plate had mac and cheese and yes, chicken fingers. (So much for the French palate right?) We chatted – he excitedly talked about his toddler and his other design projects. You could hear the passion in his voice.

Soon it was time to go, back to work for the Etnies folk while the rest of us mamas rushed off to pick up our older kids and put the little ones down for their naps. While it was fascinating to see all the technology that went into crafting a shoe, I think the best part of the day was getting to hang out with the cool dudes behind the cool shoes.

I didn’t grow up with Santa Claus. Being raised Catholic meant that we focused more on the Birth of Jesus as the reason for Christmas. Add to that, coming from an Asian country, the idea of a white bearded man dressed in red and bearing gifts was a bit foreign. Plus we didn’t have chimneys.

When my eldest son was born, we made sure he had all the traditional Christmas trappings – Jesus born in a manger, and yes, Santa Claus. Our house in Southern New Jersey had a chimney so surely Santa had a way into our home to deliver presents – and to get to the cookies we had lovingly baked from scratch. We prepared reindeer food out of oats and tinsel and scattered it outside the front door. We even had a picture taken with Santa at the mall!

My boys with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at a private home. You can have Santa visit your home for a fee and it's all for charity.

I stuck Christmas cards and photos onto the fridge and one day my then 2.5 y.o. son observed that the Santa in his photos was different from the Santa in Amanda’s photo. That was tricky. I explained that these were “assistant Santas” and that the real Santa was in the North Pole. He wrote a letter to Santa but I don’t think my explanation really satisfied him. It seems he went on “believing” for our sake and naturally, for the presents. I didn’t think he “believed” again until his baby brother was born two years later. It was as if Santa became “real” again and sharing the customs and traditions with his brother brought this mystery back to life.

So if you are looking to get a photo with the Man around Orange County one of these days, you could go to the mall or you could check out one of these cool events.

Take the night train and meet Santa. At the Irvine Park Railroad, activities include riding the Christmas train, storytime with Mrs. Claus, games, and more.

Take the night train with Santa

This event is in Long Beach but my fabulous friends Laura and Tracy organized it and it’s for a good cause. It’s more intimate than the other Santa sightings – with lots of activities beyond the usual photo op. The fundraiser is Sunday, December 6th from 6 – 8 PM. 100% proceeds go to Breast Cancer Angels. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.AnEveningwithSanta.com.

An Evening with Santa
http://www.aneveningwithsanta.com/

Santa for a Cause

Another cool Santa sighting will be at the Orange County Market Place @ the Fairgrounds. On Saturday November 28th, Santa Claus will arrive in a red 1929 Ford Roadster assisted by “Twinkie the Elf.” There will also be a toy and clothing drive that weekend. Bring a new toy or new clothing (unwrapped) for free admission, and a free 4X6″ photo with Santa on day of your visit.

Of course, if you want to meet the man and the Mouse, hop on over to Disneyland and head on over to Big Thunder Ranch to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

And with that I leave you with this little ditty.

Last Sunday, avid home “chef” and my fellow blogger at OC Family, Priscilla invited me over for an early Thanksgiving Dinner. We had hoped that the Costa Mesa Big Foot would join us but apparently the Sasquatch had other obligations. Yay, more turkey for me. Here’s a little slideshow from that day.

To get the recipes for Brown Sugar-cured Turkey and Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic-Lemon Vinaigrette, visit TopMomBlog.

Good food, great company = an awesome Thanksgiving!

This weekend I got the chance to meet celebrity stylist Sam Saboura at a meet and greet/makeover event at Coldwater Creek in Seal Beach. Okay, so Coldwater Creek isn’t top of mind when shopping for me but when Sam started making over store shoppers, I watched with admiration. Many of the women I met at the event were over 70 and they looked amazing. It wasn’t the clothes they were wearing but their youthful spirit. But it took Sam’s style suggestions to TRANSFORM them – with a little color here and an accessory there – the change was instant.

I didn’t get a makeover myself but I did manage to ask Sam for some style tips for mommies. (Here’s a video – which I so painstakingly edited myself – woot! Let me know what you think.)

During our “meeting” at Peet’s Coffee Sunday morning, we thought of making a video to No Doubt’s “I’m Just a Girl” after seeing these guys belt out the Backstreet Boys.  I don’t know how we’ll pull it off exactly but it’s one of those crazy things that come up when you get some mommy bloggers together.  I feel so fortunate to be part of remarkable group of creative, intelligent and funny bunch of women!  Oh yes, it so happens that we are all moms too.

Isn’t it sad that too often women who have children forget that they were, CAN be and ARE creative, intelligent, funny and awesome.  Those sleepless nights and shower-less days take its toll and you look into a mirror and you don’t recognize the person staring back at you.  On bad days like these, you feel like a shell of your former self. On a good day you catch a glimpse of your child and suddenly you realize your purpose and you see life full of endless possibilities.

Motherhood is one of those things that despite all its wonderful aspects shakes you to your core – and makes you wonder about your identity. It makes you want to find, redefine and assert who you are inside.  “What were you in a previous life?” I often ask mommies I meet – and of course they launch into their previous jobs – BK (before kids).  But we are more than our jobs.

In my past life, I’ve been a teacher and TV producer. I’ve worked in the fields of fashion, publishing and radio.  And through it all I’ve felt what kept me grounded was knowing what it was I was good at and what it was I enjoyed.  My own struggle has been more about finding my purpose rather than discovering my identity.

 

What was it all for? What am I working towards?  In a nutshell, I want to be the best wife to my husband and the best mom to my kids. But don’t we all?

 

In the words of Wanda Sykes, “I’ma Be Me.”

]]>