03:
Editors get a lot of e-mail. If it were paper, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to say we’d probably be buried in it, and you probably wouldn’t see a magazine every month. Some of it helps us communicate with each other and our sources, and some of it comes from outsiders wanting to bring to our collective attentions the latest products or events, ranging from the irrelevant (stock tips!) to the bizarre (Chia pets!).
I read (scan) it all, and I am realizing that my city is more dynamic than I often give it credit for. Here’s a bit of what missed the deadline, or didn’t make the cut for our August issue:
FLINCH Productions is a new theater company that debuts this month at the Stone Street Theatre in downtown Dallas. Although their schedule hasn’t been confirmed with any family-friendly shows, it might be just the thing for mom and dad’s next date night. FLINCH’s first play “COZY” opens August 17.
A Pea in the Pod maternity in north Dallas has a full schedule of pre- and postnatal yoga, fitness classes, and other events during the month of August. And, they’re conveniently scheduled for mornings and evenings, Mondays through Thursdays. Might be a cleansing breath of fresh air once school is back in session…
Oh, and Pat and Vanna will be here August 25-27. Good luck getting tickets (I can’t help you there), but Wheel of Fortune fans will be pleased to know that the north Texas taping is predicted to pump $2 million into local economies. Most of that will probably come from Vanna’s wardrobe. –Liz
03:
Straight from a Dallas fashion exec’s mouth, there is one color this fall that every hot mama needs to have – RED, RED, RED. I’m not saying go out and buy red everything, but red is the IT accent color for the upcoming fall season, especially when paired with black and white. One of my personal favorite indulgences are a pair of leopard print/red patent wedges from Guiseppe Zanotti (available at Saks and Neimans). As animal print is now considered a “neutral,” these shoes will go great with just about any outfit for fall/winter. Whether it’s a touch of red on shoes, or a necklace or even in a detail, red is the color you want to be seen in not seeing as the weather changes (for the better!). I know not every mama can (or wants to) wear sky high wedges, but if you’re up for the challenge, I assure you that you’ll get you’re money’s worth from them this season (and many more to come).
On the “red” note, there is a fairly new organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver, called (RED), that helps raise support and awareness for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. So far, companies such as American Express, GAP, Converse, Emporio Armani, and Motorola all carry their own specialized (PRODUCT) RED. A percentage of each (PRODUCT) RED sold, is given to The Global Fund to aid women and children infected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. It’s not only funky and fashionable, but supports an extremely worthy organization that helps mothers and their children have their chance at survival.
Also, look for our new style section (formerly “KidStyle”) to debut in our October issue. We combined Stuff We Like and KidStyle into one to bring you an even better version of fashion and style finds in the Dallas area. We’ll also be adding a style section to our babyDallas Fall/Winter 2006 issue out in October as well, so if you’re expecting or know someone who is, be sure and take a look!
- Lauren
03:
If you love DallasChild, you’re going to want to bookmark this special “behind the scenes” blog chronicling the daily lives of the editors at Lauren Publications (where we also create FortWorthChild, BabyDallas and DFWEverythingFamily.com).
We aim to provide running (note: unedited) commentary, including sneak peeks at upcoming stories (things we are working on/challenges we encounter), juicy tidbits that don’t make it into the magazine, Stuff We Like (and Don’t Like), opinion about parenting issues, interesting internal debates, info, tips and updates on timely events (things we find out about after we go to press), etc. It will give you a glimpse into what it takes to put the magazine together, as well as the personalities, the private and professional struggles as writers, women, mothers.
Of course, we encourage you to join the dialogue and share your comments (good or bad – we like a good argument; but, please note that we will remove any comments that are not relevant or helpful to the discussion). Also, feel free to email us.
02:
Earlier this year, one of my favorite mommy-lit authors, Judith Warner, posed this question: Are You In, or Out? If the title alone didn’t grab me the subject matter did: Why are highly educated, career-wired women leaving the workforce to stay at home with their kids?
I would be lying if I said the work-or-not conundrum hasn’t been a constant struggle for me since my first son was born five years ago. When I returned from maternity leave, my boss at the time (a guy) confided in me at a staff retreat that I was on the “VP-track” … “unless motherhood derails you.” I was mortified. And determined to prove him (that sexist!) wrong. But I now know he verbalized “that which must not be mentioned” in a PC work environment as a somewhat friendly attempt to prompt me to examine my career in the context of a new life.
When my son was 18 months old, I left the company (leaving behind an offer for a coveted post in LA – my boss’ job … he had been fired). Though my career was heading exactly where I had hoped (and had worked so hard to attain), the hours and abject commitment to a job rang hollow when I looked into my baby’s precious little face. I no longer had the same zeal for the crushing demands of a high-powered career.
Without a paying job, I finally got to partake in the activities connected to long stretches of free time: gym class, story time at the library, a random trip to the zoo on a Tuesday. I tried to write on the side, but I was often too exhausted to flex any creativity after a long day with a toddler (parenting is, after all, also work – and rewarding at that). Eventually, I returned to outside employment on a flexible schedule, focusing on my two greatest passions: writing and parenting (while still allowing big chunks of time with my children).
And everyday I continue to question my choice.
Maybe it is because others (particularly family members) continue to question it: “Why don’t you just stay home? Your kids will only be little once …” is the oft-repeated, mostly rhetorical, query. Or, others feel obliged to share a different refrain, “I guess I’m just lucky that I don’t have to work.” Usually, I brush such comments off, countering that “I work because I want to.” The truth is I secretly wonder: Am I being selfish by wanting to work, even at a reduced pace?
Reading Judith’s essay, crystallized the dilemma in a way I could not: “Given the nature of work today, I don’t think it’s all that surprising that women who don’t take any particular pleasure in their work or have a particular sense of a professional calling or a particular need to make money should choose to opt out.” Bingo. The modern-day American working world sucks and if you don’t love, love, love it (and don’t depend on it), giving it up for a full-time mommy role (which is demanding in a different way) is a no-brainer for some women. You’re not lucky as much as you are practical. And, I’m not unlucky as much as I am drawn to a calling (and, when it comes right down to it, practical, as well). So, maybe the real question isn’t “Should you work (even if you don’t have to)?” but “How do you balance your own desires/needs with raising a family?”
–shelley pate
27:
Lauren loves all things European, has a soft spot in heart for the Irish and would love nothing more than if she meet U2, moved to Dublin (her European-hometown) and became the band’s roadie (well, one of them). But while all the kinks in that plan are still being worked out, she happily resides in Dallas (her real hometown) and does what she loves: concert going, art directing and trying to become a bona fide foodie. Music, art, fashion, politics and seeing as much of the world as possible are all things (and experiences) she could not do without. Magazines and family go without saying … naturally.
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