Dress Has Always Been My Strongest Suit

June 17, 2015 by Meridith

I have never, ever claimed to be a fashionista. I truly would love to be one because I find it fun, yet daunting. More daunting than fun, if I’m being honest. Most days? I’m wearing something akin to this.

Yep, that’s a car selfie. Because I started writing this post in the car and also because I spend a good deal of time carting my kids around to and from activities. Keeping it real, that’s me.

Now while I am not a fashionista, I actually do embrace the dress up factor to the very fullest extent. I’m talking costumes! Run Disney is the perfect opportunity to get creative. Our costumes have progressively gotten more elaborate. Thankfully I have a couple of very talented friends who are able to make dreams a reality.

Of course, over the years, it’s also expanded to non-Disney events as well. Because why the heck not? (Also, prizes for costumes sure don’t hurt the odds of the Scoot a Doot chicks dressing up!)

It only stands to reason that having the opportunity to try on actual Broadway show costumes would make me lose my ever-loving mind, correct? Correct! And yet, that’s actually what happened.

Let me say it again because I’m not sure you understand. I GOT TO TRY ON COSTUMES FROM BROADWAY SHOWS.

(I also spazzed out slightly. More on that in a few.)

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in New York City on Monday and I’m still on cloud 9 from the entire experience, start to finish. Actually cloud 9 might not be high enough. Cloud 10 or 11, at least.

In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing lots of good info that I gleaned during the event but as a jumping off point, let’s talk about the absolutely amazing and intricate costumes from Disney Broadway shows.

Conference attendees were invited to tour the New Amsterdam theater, which is currently home to the Broadway show Aladdin.

The first thing said to us on the tour was, “How would you like to try on costumes and check out some set pieces from Disney Broadway shows?”

This was my facial expression.

Then I sort of had a freak out moment as we walked to the room. I’m not sure if I’ve shared this before but I am a big theater geek. I was in musicals throughout childhood and college, we have subscriptions to local theater companies. I just love the stage!

I did a good job of keeping it together, for the most part. I think. Okay, maybe the immediate people around me realized how much I was freaking out. I mean, this was a HUGE deal.

After a brief history lesson about the Disney Theatrical groupsshows: Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Tarzan, Aida, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Newsies and seeing a bit of the magic behind a few of the sets, we were able admire the costumes and set pieces that lined the walls of the room.

The wardrobe costume from Beauty and the Beast. Aren't the details incredible?

Madame De La Grande Bouche’s costume from Beauty and the Beast. Aren’t the details incredible?

Headdresses from Aida (that's where the title of this post came from, btw)

Headdresses from Aida (that’s where the title of this post is from, btw)

And then this happened…

Under the sea on King Triton's throne! I think I could actually run in something like this.

Under the sea on King Triton’s throne! Isn’t the headpiece amazing?

My new friend, Melissa of Autism Mommy Avenger, needed a little bath in Ariel’s tub.

From Under the Sea to Stepping in Time.

Fun fact: that coat was small (like my arms were contorted a bit) and very heavy!

And then we took to the jungle!

On the bus ride home Melissa mentioned that these headdresses were worth $7,000. WHAT THE WHAT?

You can bet that I was holding on tight! I am slightly accident prone.

Unsurprisingly, the attention to detail was incredible. Would you expect anything less from Disney?

Something I thought was very interesting was how they used “cheats” with their costumes, sneakers under the Beast’s “claw boots” and Velcro on things like the wardrobe costume above.

Jenn and Cam are always looking for ways to simplify things on our running costumes and make them fit our situations and needs; I loved seeing that Broadway designers do the same!

These headdresses look like heavy wooden carvings but they are actually only 4 ounces. They adjust with the same design as a construction hard hat!

One of the main reasons I enjoy costumes is because it allows me to take on a different persona and be someone else, if only for a little bit.

I think it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day routine of being a mom, a wife, a community member. When I get to wear something a bit out of the ordinary, it’s a reminder that those aren’t the only things that define me. Every day can have a little magic if we just seek it out!

Are you a fan of dressing up random days of the week? Or just Halloween? Are you a big theater geek like me? I’m not alone, right?

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was a free event that I was fortunate enough to be invited to. Other than a magical day, no other compensation was given and all opinions are my very own.

I’m Going to a Conference and I’m Going to Bring…

July 3, 2014 by Meridith

Throughout the years I’ve attended my fair share of conferences. Residence Life, sorority (Phi Sigma Sigma – LITP!), Stroller Strides… all awesome and inspiring in their own rights, though quite a few years ago at this point.

Disney Social Media Moms Philly Celebration was my first blogger conference; I chatted about the overall experience here. Leading up to the big day, there was a lot of discussion about what you should bring along and expect on the event’s Facebook page.

While this list isn’t the end-all-be-all, here are few things that worked for me and might help you out for upcoming conferences!

1. A BIG OL’ SMILE

Hey there, hi there, ho there! You’re as welcome as can be! – Valerie, Jamie, myself and Beth

many thanks to Beth of http://columbus.macaronikid.com/ for this pic!

First and foremost, a smile and an attitude of gratitude. With those two things, you cannot fail. Everything else in this post is secondary. I was fortunate enough to meet Valerie, Jamie and Beth at the start of the day, along with some other lovely attendees. They immediately put me at ease and gave me… confidence.

2. CONFIDENCE

For the Disney Social Media Moms event, you applied and then you were invited based on your application. Other conferences are done via registration. Whether it’s by invitation or registration, chances are you want to be in attendance, and conversely the conference coordinators want you to be there!

Nerves are natural and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat nervous at the start of the day. In fact, I’m always a bit nervous meeting new people. It must be a remnant from my shy teen years.

I’ve come to find that when I look good, I feel good. This is a common theme for most people, yes? I hemmed and hawed over what I was going to wear because I wanted to be comfortable, but adorable.

I landed on the dress (Modcloth) immediately but shoes are always a bit tricky for me because I live in running shoes. I took an Instagram poll on which shoes I should wear with my Ready, Wheeling and Able bicycle dress and the overwhelming response was the nude shoes.

Except the first time I wore them, I got a huge gash on the back of my heel. No bueno!

So I wore the red shoes to the conference and my tootsies were thanking me for it. Plus, people were thinking that I was going for the Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz look. Bicycles. Blue dress. Ruby red shoes. I TOTALLY DID NOT SEE THAT. (Pat pat, Meridith. Way to be observant.)

My point is that I totally love my bicycle dress. I adore my little red shoes with the kitten heels. I felt comfortable and confident and ready to take on the world. And the conference!

3. BUSINESS CARDS

Just as your smile and confidence present who you are in person, business cards are a big factor in representing you and your brand, especially after the conference is over.

Using the header from our blog on one side and the Scoot a Doot logo on the other side with our information, we tied our blog/twitter/Facebook and business cards together for consistency. We ordered a bazillion (or five hundred) from Vistaprint.

Trading business cards is nearly as much as fun as pin trading!

Some of the cards I collected along the way.

As you go around and chat with people, you share cards. That way you can stay connected post event and you’re not wasting time scribbling down contact info on scraps of paper. Additionally, many conferences have door prizes. How do you enter? Business cards, of course.

4. MAKING THE ROUNDS

The doors to the conference room opened at 8am and everyone rushed in to grab seats and explore. Being Disney, there was something to do or look at every which way.

Not going to lie, I was all over the place. I wanted to take pictures and I wanted to talk to people. There was so much to do, so much to see! AND I WANTED TO DO IT ALL.

This is very clever on Disney’s part because the picture opportunities are a built-in ice breaker.

Rocking My Disney Side with Disbroads Tania and Kristen

Give Disney fans props and proceed to party! This photo booth style set up was perfect for people who wanted to take pictures. Plus, you get to make friends with the people around you to ask if they’ll take your picture. Or heck, take a picture with you. Win win!

The bummer is that you won’t get to talk to everyone. I saw people I recognized from Facebook, Twitter, and past runDisney events who I would have loved to chat with in person but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time to make all the rounds. There’s always next time! (Or later – hint, hint – check out number 6.)

5. YOUR THINKING CAP

The clacking of keys from laptops, the quick and nimble fingers flying over Smartphone screens, the scratching of pens and pencils on paper… there was no doubt that it was a social media conference. For me, one of the big questions was: How do you par down what you choose to share and where?

For me, I tried to tweet information on Twitter that I thought were interesting and different. Fun little tidbits which would interest people who weren’t at the conference. I also didn’t want to be so absorbed with being on social media, that I missed what was going on around me (it’s been known to happen). Therefore, I stuck to pen and paper for most of my notes – occasionally hopping on to Twitter/Facebook/Instagram to share things during down time. Find what works best for you and roll with it!

And remember, bring all your electronics juiced up and ready to go. Electrical outlets are a hot commodity!

6. TIME AKA HOOKING UP BEFORE OR AFTER THE ACTUAL CONFERENCE

If you have the opportunity to spend time before or after the event with attendees and feel comfortable and safe doing so, it’s a great opportunity to extend the experience. Attendees and hopefuls of the Philly event created a Facebook page to connect prior to the event. A few opportunities were set up prior and post the conference with nearby vendors, thanks to Aunesty.

Since I was local to the event, I didn’t have too much time to spend sans mom hat, so sadly I didn’t get to partake in those. However, Destiny, Jamie and I were able to make Cheesecake Factory happen!

Like I said earlier, I was a little nervous going into the day but by the time the conference was over and I was ready for lunch, joining up with these ladies seemed like the fantastic idea. We were able to prolong the magic, chat about the conference and life. I felt like I’d know them forever!

There you go! Just a couple of little tips and tricks that I found to be helpful during my first social media conference. Did I miss something? Have you found something helpful that you’d like to share with me and readers? Please comment!

The City of Motherly Love – Philly’s Disney Social Media Moms Celebration

June 24, 2014 by Meridith

Immediately following the Disney Social Media Moms conference in Philadelphia last Thursday the text messages, tweets, and phone calls started rolling in asking the details of the event. I might have been a little excited about it and may have talked about it non-stop for the weeks leading up to it. #yesitotallydid

The short answer: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

The long answer: Um, how much time do you have?

Seriously though, it’s taken me a few days to coherently put together this post because there was so much I took away from the five hour morning session.

It wasn’t even just about what was said, it was the entire experience; in particular the camaraderie with people I was meeting for the first time or whom I’d only conversed with via social media. To not only put a face to the names (and in some cases put a real name to the screen name) isn’t something that happens nearly enough, in my opinion. Having face time (not the app), and being able to look someone in the eye while chatting about common interests and goals is what life is about!

Breathing the same air as Disbroads Tania and Kristen was pretty spectacular.

What can I tell you about Disney’s Social Media Moms Philly event, without sounding too much like a toddler in my storytelling (and then, and then, and then) and also without leaving anything out? Summarizing is difficult, but here are a few kernels of wisdom I gleaned that are applicable to life in general.

Disney are fun makers and as such, are memory makers. My one and only college spring break experience was Disney. My husband and I honeymooned there eleven years ago. Brooke and Vic joined me for my first 13.1 experience at the Princess half marathon in 2012. I’ve adored bringing my children there as the years have galloped past at astonishing speeds. The list goes on!

Disney has a wonderful recipe of mixing magic, Imagineering, and an enthusiasm for connections. Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager for Disney Parks blog, shared a favorite story of a very special lost teddy bear finding his way back home… but not before having a little fun in the parks. The blog post really touched readers because it encapsulated values that we love to see within people and within our favorite companies.

Applying this to my life is definitely not as magical as in the Disney Parks but I do try to incorporate the same type of thought process through my days. I choose positivity, gratitude and overall goodness and gravitate toward those who do the same.

This guy knows all about making memories!

Three of the speakers were Huggies brand MomInspired grant winners and while I don’t have a current business plan for which I’m seeking a grant, I definitely related to the moms on this panel. Lead by Maria Bailey of Mom Talk Radio much of the conversation was based on how to balance time as a mom and time working on their projects.

Well, let’s just say that this was my tweet earlier today…

Yep, rookie mistake. Maria made the point of suggesting that you make sure to look at the white of your children’s eyes when they are speaking to be present within the conversation. As such, I shut down the computer and took them to the pool club where we all played in the pool together for two and a half hours. (Now one is napping and the other is reading. Sweet blissful quiet, you are welcomed with open arms!)

The ladies on the panel told us about their products, shared a bit about their thought processes and also how they went about getting to where they are today with their ideas. Dispensing one piece of advice has to be incredibly hard to do because Amy, Kristi and Jen all worked very hard in following their dreams but they each narrowed it down.

Prior to the On the Road event, the organizers requested each of the attendees to share their favorite Disney Side picture and for me, that was like asking me to pick my favorite child! Pretty much impossible! However, I finally went with the picture that I have on my Meet Meri page because I feel like it encapsulates my love affair with Disney pretty thoroughly.

We were surprised with by HP’s Noah Lomax with this bit of awesomeness…

HP Photo Card Pack with one card that had ME showing my Disney Side. Sweet!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE REAL LETTERS.The fact that we were provided with this adorable card (is it narcissistic to say this?) and a stamped envelope to send along to anyone we so desired. I’m only a little obsessed with postage, you will find me window shopping for custom envelopes on sites like http://www.agenvelopes.com.au/ instead of browsing facebook and social media. Mom and Dad, I hope you enjoyed getting real mail from your adorable daughter.

These days the written word is very often limited to those we read on the computer screen, however I do believe there is something very special about receiving correspondence via the letter carrier. This gesture from HP was appreciated!

The day wrapped with health and fitness guru, the Mojo Coach, Debi Silber. I found myself nodding in agreement with many of the points she made during her presentation.

Debi explained that as moms, we are capable of doing so much. And because of that, we do so much… until we can’t. We get overloaded, bogged down, and take on too much until the wheels fall off (or the mom starts pulling her hair out of her head). That was something that really spoke to me.

Because yes. YES, YES, YES.

It’s why I carve out the time that I need to go to the gym, to get a run in, to go to a Disney Social Media Moms conference (even though it was the last day of school): to make time for me. My belief system, my internal monologue, used to be a lot of excuses… reasons why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do something. It has been updated in the past couple of years to I can and I will.

It’s all interconnected; a lot of what this conference encapsulated was finding and maintaining balance, embracing off-the-wall ideas (or 10pm typos that turn into something wonderful à la Gary Buchanan – ahem, the DIAPER DANS anyone?) and looking to tap into the childlike wonder that hides within us all.

Have you ever been to a social media celebration? This was my first but I would love to participate in more – I had a blast! There’s so much more I’d love to share about this one that I just might have to do another post.

Let’s celebrate! Disney Social Media Moms On-the-Road

May 8, 2014 by Meridith

The past few weeks have been crazypants. I say that in the most loving way possible because it’s all for the greater good, in both my life and the lives of my loved ones. It’s just been a lot.

All the lots.

I’m heavily involved with the PTO at Pooks’ elementary school and the end of the year is barreling down on us. There’s still so much to tackle: field trips, fundraisers, Pride Day (t-shirt and shirt orders to sort along with it, natch), and so forth. But this week in particular is extra busy because we are celebrating the teachers and staff during Appreciation Week, along with our lovely school nurse on Nurses Day.

I’m trying to focus on the celebration aspect of things because hey, who doesn’t like a good party? Plus, these are the educators who have done an amazing job with my son for the past three years and will be welcoming my Little with open arms in 2016 and guiding him through first through third grades.

Now I have yet another reason to celebrate! On Cinco de Mayo, in the midst of the Appreciation Week launch, I received the happy news that I’d been invited to participate in the Disney Social Media Moms (or DSSM) Celebration – On-the-Road in Philadelphia! The City of Brotherly… or should I say MOTHERLY Love, in this instance, and furthermore it’s the city I consider “mine”.

Philadelphia is one of three stops the latest On-the-Road tour hits, the other two being Chicago and Phoenix. It will be such a terrific opportunity to meet people and to LEARN from other strong and empowering women. I know I’ll be taking so much away from the experience and hopefully I’m able to make meaningful contributions as well! I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

This week we celebrate educators, those who shape and mould our children’s lives. This weekend we celebrate motherhood. And on June 19th, I’ll be celebrating with Disney Social Media Moms!

Have you been to any of Disney’s On-the-Road events? I’d love to hear about it; tell me about it in the comments!

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