Lela Davidson's Blog
June 1, 2012
We did this, and now we’re done. (Kind of, keep reading.)
If you thought Listen To Your Mother NWA was done a month ago, and for many it was. But Stephanie and I have been working to tie it all in a bow. In case you missed a single moment, here’s how it went down, in reverse:
Gave some money to two worthy Northwest Arkansas causes
Put on a seriously cool show, with nary a hiccup (that others might see)
Chose a stellar line-up to ensure success
Read dozens of extraordinary stories throughout a two-part audition process
Got the super exciting news that Northwest Arkansas would host a show
If you missed the show, you’ll have your chance to see all the amazing readings. The videos will be posted here in a few weeks. We’ll keep you posted.
May 31, 2012
A recent Gallup poll found that stay-home moms are more depressed than working moms. No kidding? In related news, sales of wine and erotic fiction rise just after the last day of school. (I made that up. Call it women’s intuition.) No study needed to confirm that caring for children is grueling work.
Consider the daily onslaught: 50 shades of snot, 22 textures of poo, and 14 ways to embed yogurt into the carpet. Add in a complete lack of control over your schedule and long stretches of isolation from activities and people that bring you joy.
Read the rest of this post on Today Show Moms
May 29, 2012
Snooki is having a baby this summer. Let the commentary begin. While the reality star’s future on Jersey Shore might be hindered by the impending bundle of joy, she is confident in her innate maternal instincts. She told V Magazine earlier this month, “Everyone will be surprised to see a different side of me. I’m loving, caring, sensitive, protective, and very maternal, no matter what people might think.”
Before you judge Snooki’s fitness to be a mother, consider for a moment your own wildest days (and nights), and how they would have played out in an edited-for-conflict “reality” show. (And your antics weren’t encouraged by producers standing by with body shots.)
Read the rest of this post on Today Show Moms
Image: Torsten Mangner, Flickr
May 23, 2012
Being a member–however inconsequential–of the Bloggerazzi has its benefits. I have been plied with fabulous products, drunk sorbet cocktails on a rooftops in California, and inteviewed the outrageous Wendy Williams. But until yesterday I had never held a chicken in my arms. A heritage chicken, no less. (I think that’s like an heirloom tomato, but for poultry.) Also, it might be a rooster. Don’t get all 4-H on me.
With some other members of the NWA Blogger elite, I traveled via highway and dirt road to P. Allen Smith’s amazing Moss Mountain Farm, where a select group women bloggers from around the state were treated to a private tour of the home and gardens of this Arkansas treasure.
Mr. Smith even showed us his bedroom, and his big ass vegetables.
Not in that order.
I’m being obnoxious, but the truth is that Smith is passionate about history, botany, and agriculture. He is a gifted designer and talented artist. (Those vegetable I reference are incredible oversized renderings of humble edibles that I’d sell my earlobes to have hanging in my house.) Most impressive is Smith’s commitment to share his talent with the world from his home in Arkansas. Lucky Arkansas.
Some hightlights of my day on the farm:
Bonding with other NWA bloggers on the 3-hour trip to Little Rock, and back! They had much more interesting just-out-of-college jobs than I did. Lyndi, Stephanie, and Amy made the hours fly.
Pro: I loved my brand new kickass boots courtesy of Country Outfitters.
Con: I forgot socks. But the boots were so comfortable it didn’t matter. Wore those suckers all day.
Discovered X White Blend by XWinery. Never tasted wine quite like that before. Delish.
Learned a lot about and ate more than my fair share of soy beans and edamame. (Yeah, they’re different. Hang out on my Facebook wall and you’d know that.) Thank you, Arkansas Soybean Board!
Made new friends from all over Arkansas, including one named Lela :)
Planted soybeans at Moss Mountain Farm. Oh, yes I did.
And completed my apprenticeship as a Chicken Whisperer. Went a little something like this:
Smith hands me a chicken. I fumble to pass off my phone to a kindly bystander.
Smith: Hold her legs… Hold her legs…. Hold her legs.
Me: Where are the legs?
Smith: They’re underneath the chicken.
Surprisingly, I left the gorgeous home and grounds actually feeling better about my own home and gardens, not worse. Nothing about Moss Mountain Farm is perfect. Nothing is manicured and ideal. But it’s all purposful, interesting, and beautifully serene.
P. Allen Smith is an inspiration. He is more than a brand. He has embraced his own interests so deeply that they now serve others in a significant way. Plus, he’s just a great guy–authoritative, humble, and funny. I might have a little crush.
If you want to see more pictures, check out our collaborative bean2blog Pinterest board. There are also many wonderful pictures on Kelly’s blog.
Images: Lyndi Fultz
Dear FCC: Country Outfitters gave me a sweet pair of boots, which my teenage daughter is already eyeing. Not sure you can call that compensation, but there you have it.
May 17, 2012
Did you clean your room?
Yes.
You made your bed?
Uh huh.
And the closet?
Yes, Mom! Jeez.
May 14, 2012
For ten years I thought my daughter weighed ten pounds at birth. Oops.
The Legend of My Ten-Pound Baby
Did you enjoy? There’s more where that came from.
Order Blacklisted from the PTA in paperback or Kindle now.
Like This? Try These:
Podcast: Easter Bunny Blues
Podcast: Got Hotel Rooms?
Podcast: Does Sam’s Club Count as Date Night?
Audio: Lela Davidson
Image: D. Sharon Pruit, Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr
May 10, 2012
Wow, it’s been busy. I think I said that last month, and it’s even truer now. In fact, these recaps are an important way for me to keep track of what I’ve done and where I’m going. Some fun things that happened in April.
My essay “When You Want to Run Away” appeared in Houston Family Magazine.
Admitted that I sometimes just roll my eyes and sigh when my children lie to me in April for Today Show Moms.
Represented my adopted state of Arkansas for iVillage.
“Earth Mama Wannabe,” a chronicle of my battle with cloth diapers, was published in metroparent in Milwaukee.
“The Case of the Easter Bunny” hopped into Broward Family Life.
Hit the front page of Today.com and msn.com with my commentary on helicopter parenting and crawling helmets for babies.
Considered the financial factors involved in staying home and going back to work after baby for Chicago Parent.
Helped parents make friends with Facebook for Atlanta Parent, San Diego Family, and Savvy Kids in Little Rock.
Presented strategies to prevent cyber-bullying and control the damage of its effects for Piedmont Family Magazine.
Told the world the very stupid thing my kids learned to do on YouTube for Today Show Moms.
Attended and sold books at the Missouri Writer’s Guild annual conference. With the guidance of Claire Cook, Christina Katz, and Christie Craig, I came away with a focus I’ve been lacking. Thanks to these ladies, I now know better what I do best.
My “Car Trouble” was featured in ParentsSource magazine in Pennsylvania.
Met with several brands, wrote lots of proposals, and signed our first clients for Peekaboo Media Group.
And then there was Listen To Your Mother, which I can say without too much exaggeration, was transformative.
So, yes, it was a lot. And it was a LOT of fun.
Images: Megan Clemence Photography, Today.com
When I noticed the dark brown wound on the back of my 13-year-old son’s hand, he explained that he had burnt himself with salt and ice. “I just wanted to see if it would work,” he said. “It didn’t even hurt.” When my shock turned to anger, he implicated his 11-year-old sister as an accomplice. I had apparently raised not one, but two, “gifted” children.
Why would honor students with no history of drug use or brain disorders maim themselves in the name of curiosity? They saw it on YouTube, naturally.
Read the rest of this post on Today Show Moms
Given the lengths so-called helicopter parents will go to protect their children, one would think an actual helicopter blade were hurtling toward their sheltered offspring. I suspect the stress caused by parents’ fears might harm kids more than the occasional stitch-worthy gash, or bump on the head.
Case in point: crawling helmets.
Seems some parents are so concerned about the rate at which their babies are ambling about the living room that they are purchasing crawling helmetsfor their high velocity tots.
Read the rest of this post on Today Show Moms.
May 8, 2012
I hate shopping. Really, I do. Unless it’s for food or maybe during some odd phase of Jupiter circling the Moon of Target, I don’t enjoy it. Shopping for clothing is the worst, which is why I usually put it off until I have a very specific need. This accounts for the few sweaters in my closet that you might pry off my cold dead body sooner than convince me are past their prime. And yet… somehow I manage to look not terrible most of the time. I think.
My secret: Let others choose.
Getting dressed has become much more frustrating since my daughter turned about six and started telling me what was what. But I’m also getting better at it. I’m anticipating her reaction, and basing [some] of my wardrobe decisions on it.
But what’s better than a [now] tween daughter to help you get dressed? Very stylish friends.
I’ve been looking especially cute this spring thanks to some help from my business partners in Peekaboo Media Group. With minimal direction (no bare arms, don’t make me look short) they picked out several ensembles for a recent photo shoot. Even better: Dillard’s gave us a discout on anything from the shoot. I bought the key pieces, added a little mixing and matching with the help of my daugther, and set out for my most fashionable season ever. I think.
My secret is simple. It’s the same for clothing, wine, and entrees at dark restaurants with menus that have too-small font: Let others choose.
What makes you feel cute? Head over to Life Well Lived on BlogHer and join the conversation. There are prizes!
