BlogHer ’09 – Coming Home Again

What I’m taking away from this year’s BlogHer:

It’s not the LBD, but he liked it anyway!

Good friends: Whether I made new, renewed old, and finally saw those people in person after trading lots of emails, I am truly blessed in my life to have such great people in it. And yes, I mean you.

The Parties: Everyone who was involved in throwing a party deserves high fives and props for providing us with fun, food, drinks and music. I think it’s important to remember that they didn’t have to do this. At all. So a big Thank You for all of your hard work. I laughed, danced, and chatted with people and had a phenomenal time and I can’t thank you enough.

The Panels: Even though there were panels I wanted to see, the ones I did see were inspiring, humorous, and insightful for me. I’m renewed. I’m so proud of my friends who spoke and imparted their wisdom. I learned so much.

The Suites: The Shutter Sisters suite, the Method Suite, The MomTalk Radio Suite were all places I sought out to take a moment to recharge and learn something new. The CheeseBurgHer Suite was beautiful and crowded, but the next morning as the Starbucks Recovery Breakfast Suite was just the ticket to wind down after a busy week enjoying the last few moments of BlogHer. Isabel, Lindsey, and crew, you are awesome. Thank you for your hospitality.

The Swag: I’m going to focus on the positive. Thank you to the people who packed those bags. You are the true rockstars. Thank you to the companies who supplied the contents. Thank you to the people who organized and did the hard work to get the swag. Thank you to Lori from BlogHer who found my friend Janet her BlogHer bag after many took two or more. I was grateful for her help and kindness.

The City: Chicago, you really turned it on for us. The great weather, the friendly people, the beautiful cityscape, the food…I could go on for DAYS. Except for the man who complained at me at the airport for apparently “getting in his way” and the Limo that after waiting 45 minutes never showed up, the rest of my stay was magical. Thank you for throwing out your prettiest welcome mat.

The BlogHer Team: You guys did a great job. All events have issues, but overall this was a top-notch event. Thank you for all of your blood, sweat and tears, because I’m sure there were many.

Facing my fears. I think this sums it up nicely:

I did this ALL BY MYSELF. Me. Alone. On a ferris wheel.

Enjoying Myself: The things I did, the places I went, the conversations I had, the laughter I shared. The fact that when I handed you my card and you recognized me, or told me I look just like my Twitter avatar, or loved what I was wearing or remembered the name of my site because you read it, means everything to me. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. I’m honored.

Meeting Tim and Carson, photographing the back of Paula Deen’s head, playing peek-a-boo with Ezra, meeting you, rooming with you or hugging you because it has been so long are the things I’ll keep with me long after those flash drives are lost or filled, the lip gloss tube is empty, and the toys are lost behind the sofa. Those are the things I want to keep. Those are the things I will keep.

Shiny Happy People. Or Shiny Tipsy People. I’m not sure.

Thank you for that. Let’s do it again next year, okay?

more photos can be found here.

#BlogHer09 in Chicago, Take Two

This post was originally written two years ago after I attended BlogHer in Chicago. I’m reprinting it today because I’m headed to BlogHer again in Chicago, I’m wicked excited, and while this time will be very different, I will be missing Belinda who can’t make it this year. Posts and photos to come for this year, so be ready!

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I’m sitting here, going over in my head all the things I want to share with you about my BlogHer experience; and I just don’t know where to begin.

I suppose I could start off all usual-like and tell you I made it to the airport faster than I thought I would, and randomly introduced myself to someone that I thought might also be a blogger traveling to Chicago (embarrassingly, she wasn’t; but she was incredibly sweet and we chatted for quite awhile); or, I could start with my arrival into Chicago, when I freaked out because I was all out of sorts by myself since I haven’t traveled in a very long time without my kids..but why start there?

I’ll start by telling you I arrived in Chicago carrying my baggage and went straight to the hotel I thought (more about that later) we were booked into and dropped off my bag, then headed for the Navy Pier. I almost tripped over Mocha (Kelly) trying to find her. I met several women I had read online religiously for over a year. Jen, Heather B., Susan, Sarah, OMSH, Karen, Zoot, SueBob, Lena, SJ, Belinda, Jessica, Mary, and JenB. Oh, and I got some swag and went to some really great sessions. I met Kristina, who was in the hallway and I saw her blog over her shoulder. I also got to hug Erin, who I hadn’t seen in FOREVER; which was pretty cool.

Blah, Blah, Blah, ya’all really want to know about the swanky suite, don’t you? Okay…here goes:

• After a really nice (and incredibly expensive) dinner at a restaurant I can’t even pronounce properly unless I am drunk; Belinda, Kelly and myself headed to the hotel. Except…we couldn’t find it. Nor could we agree on which hotel it was. Apparently Marriott has decided to own something like 15 hotels in a span of 15 blocks. So we started at the Marriott/Magnificent Mile and they told us (actually, me) that….we were at the wrong hotel. Kelly was parking her car in a garage and I had to call her to come back…which she loved. They gave us directions and once I figured out my left from my right, we made it back to the hotel that I left my bag at.

• We go inside, and I tell the desk clerk we’d like to check in. She begins tapping at the computer and tells me she can’t find our reservation; do I have my confirmation number? Uh, why yes, I do, on my email. So she directs me to a computer, and I get the necessary information. This is about the time I get that look on my face that Belinda refers to as “truculent”. You would too!, I mean, it’s after 12 am! I’m an hour ahead still, so my body is wanting sleep…She does the smartest thing of her shift, which is she says “I will get the manager”. She lives another day.
• The manager, a very nice gentleman, tells me that we are in fact supposed to be back at the Marriott/Magnificent Mile. By then I had had enough, and I figured that Kelly and Belinda were starting to rethink rooming with me in the first place, so…I begged the manager to please, pretty please just give us a room. Here’s my certificate*….and he says no, he can’t. We have to go back…but he will make sure we are taken care of..he promises.
• I think I might have cried at this point, the details are sketchy.
• We get into the car, again, and by now I’m fairly certain Kelly wants my head on a skewer. We get back to the Marriott, and the bell boys remember us. They may have laughed, or at least snickered. I head inside and check us in, which I have to say, they were incredibly obliging. Comped the valet parking, gave us a room on the 45th floor. Things were looking good….
• We trudge to the room, open the door, and I set my bags on the closest bed to the door, and look to my left. Through the open door is this beautiful vision.

Do you hear the harps and angels singing? We did.

• So we entered. And I think a few “holy sh*ts were said as we checked out the place. It had a dining room! Stairs! A frickin’ CHANDELIER! And…the room adjacent to the dining room was also open, so that made 3 bedrooms – one for each of us. Then a bloodcurdling scream came from the upstairs loft and I ran up to see what was going on. Kelly showed me this:

How a CrazedMommy cleans her child’s room

(On a SUNDAY, no less!!)

Step 1:
Tell children it’s time to clean their rooms. Watch kids scatter.

Why YES, my children live in self-imposed squalor!

Step 2:
Make children pick stuff up. Put earplugs in ears so as not to hear the whining.

Photographic evidence that in fact my kids have TOO MUCH STUFF!

Step 3:
Leave room. Close door and hope they don’t kill each other while you mix cocktails. (Hey, it’s 5 O’Clock SOMEWHERE!) Notice out of corner of your eye small child make a break for it.

Mount Laundry. Guess what the kids are doing tomorrow?

Step 4:
Check back a bit later (after a quick nap and a shower) and see this:

Hey, it meets fire codes!

Step 5:
Notice that there is a clear path from the door to the bed.

Realize that this is all I’m going to get from them today. Decide that this will do…

…for now.

Commence nap on sofa. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Celebrate with a cocktail.

(or an iced tea. Whatever.)

My BlogHer LBD for Tim Gunn

Trust me, it looks WAY better on!!

I have jeans, dress pants, tops, and shoes. I’m going with black, with a side of black. I don’t know why, I just am.

See you at BlogHer!

No More Myths About Autism

Getting to Know Shash: A BlogHer Primer

crossposted at blogher.com

Here are a few things to know about me that will help brighten our BlogHer experience in Chicago:

• I will probably hand you a business card, or High-five Poken you, or iPhone Bump you. I’m coming well armed with technology and stationery, and I’m not afraid to use them!
• My name is Shari (rhymes with sorry), my nickname is Shash (rhymes with posh), and I love you just that much more when you try to pronounce them correctly. Think of it as verbal foreplay. Rawr.
• There will be lots of hugging. Prepare yourself.
• There’s a fairly good chance I might be partly cloudy with a chance of emotional at times. I’m on a collision course for a date with Mother Nature during those days. I will do my best, but I can’t guarantee that it will be smooth sailing for me. Just hand me a drink, and I’m sure everything will be fine. Pinky swear.
• Also, I can get overwhelmed. Seriously. It’s not you, it is most certainly me. So if I look like a deer-in-the-headlights every so often, just be patient. I’ll reset and be right as rain momentarily!
• If I meet you earlier in the day, and forget your name by the end of it, this is my blanket apology. I’m way better with faces than I am with names, and I’m not trying to be rude. By the way, that name tag looks great on you, may I say!
• While it might appear at face value that I’m at BlogHer to network (see #1), I am actually there to meet new friends, catch up with old ones, and finally put more than one-dimensional faces to Twitter friends I talk to. After all that, I am there to become BFF’s with Tim Gunn.
  
  (I kid, I kid! Maybe.)
• I enjoy long walks, dinner by candlelight, and sunsets on the beac- oh, wait. Wrong questionnaire. My bad!
• I’m looking forward to seeing/meeting/hanging out with you.
• No, I’m not kidding.
• I’m nowhere near packed yet. I probably will wait until the last minute to pack too.
• I will probably bring too much.
• I’m sure I will forget something important though. I usually do.
• Did I mention I was excited to meet you?

So, are you ready for BlogHer?

A Magical Weekend For So Many Reasons

Last weekend, I spent two days in the company of these lovely ladies:

The Disney #magicalmoms FL Mom Bloggers:

• Shellie Ross of Blog 4 Mom
• Daisy Sutherland of Dr. Mommy LLC
• Leigh Caldwell of Theme Park Mom
• Melanie Edwards of Modern Mami
• Stefanie Fauquet of Mommy Musings
• Cindy Schultz of The Mom Maven

We were also joined by:

Tanya McNally
Maria Bailey
Leanne Jakubowski
Laura Spencer
Mary Haupt

The whirlwind time we spent together learning all about Disney and how they create that special magic was incredible. I have made some forever friends. The special touches, the little things that made it all perfect not only for us, but for our families who joined us were beyond compare.

I know a little about the Disney magic. And I was reminded in a forever cherished way this trip.

I grew up around Disney. It was at one time where both of my parents worked. It was, when I was in High School, where I worked. Grad Night for me was in the Magic Kingdom. I met my first pen pal at the Contemporary Resort Hotel pool.

When my mom became ill with cancer, Disney supported her through her illness in large and small ways. Holding her job for her ‘for when she gets better‘. During the worst days of her cancer fight by bringing her food on crisp linen with the instructions to ‘Just leave it by the door. Don’t clean it up. We’ll get it tomorrow.’ (Imagine if their own employees will do that for each other, consider just how far those employees will go for a guest. Pretty darn far, I’d say.) Consoling me and offering me assistance after she died.

Disney when I was younger, was my playground. It was where I grew up. It was the place of many milestones and celebrations for me. I brought my husband for his first trip to Walt Disney World. It holds a special place in my heart. I relish bringing my kids to Disney, even if it is to go to the LEGO Store.

When I was younger, the top of the Contemporary Resort Hotel was a Restaurant/Lounge called Top of the World. It had an observation deck where you have an incredible view of the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. In the lounge they had a drinks list, and on that list was drinks like Monorail Yellow and Monorail Blue. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to finally get to try those drinks!

To my dismay, by the time I was old enough, the Top of the World was no more. It was closed to make way for what is now the California Grill.

I had the opportunity to have dinner there last Saturday night with my new friends. As the sun set behind the Magic Kingdom, and the appetizers were devoured, I was having a surreal moment. Not because I was in a fancy restaurant, but because I was eating dinner at the Top of the World!

Without my mother.

We had planned to eat here. It simply never happened. Time ran out.

As I sat there, talking and laughing and enjoying my dinner, my mother was never far from my mind.

I went out to the observation deck with some lovely ladies, and we took photos of the setting sun. We found someone to take a photo of us. We laughed and smiled and enjoyed the view. I remembered her.

After sun had set, and our fabulous waiter suggested we head out to the deck once again to watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. We did.

As I stood out there, watching the fireworks explode in the sky above, and hearing Jiminy Cricket’s voice as if he was whispering in my ear, I felt my mother’s presence. I felt like I was 8 years old again; when I held my mother’s hand and watched the fireworks go off and remembering those special moments that fade over time. That had faded in my memory until that evening.

As I turned to her, because she knew about my connection to Disney and how much it means to me, and all I could say was

“Thank you for this. You have no idea what this means to me.”

But I know she does.

And I can’t thank her enough. For everything.

38

38 is shaping up to be pretty darned great.

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So my family went to Busch Gardens and I wrote about it here.

A teacher in Port St. Lucie, Florida got her job back, and I’m not happy about it. Read why.

This week, at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, I talk about my son’s broken volume control issues and request knowledge on the best earplugs.