for beautiful, random, sweet, heroic moments caught on camera.
Take time to focus on all the good in our world during this Thanksgiving holiday!
I’ve been surgically enhanced.
December 15, 2011 By 8 Comments
Get your mind out of the gutter.
I don’t have new boobs.
(Have you seen these puppies? Please. I need more boobage just like I need extra weight. Ugh.)
I’ve got some nice, new steel to enhance my tibia. And, for extra fun, they (the doctors) broke my fibia. It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
The photo on the right shows my tibia & fibia before the surgery. The bones are obviously mishapen and damaged. The photo on the left shows my surgically enhanced leg with the “tibial nail” and the matching accessories – the screws. I have screws and a massive nail in my leg. Screws.
I am walking now, very slowly. I walk like a Weeble. Except I just might wobble over. People look away when they see me walking. It looks painful. That’s because it is. It’s painful. And it’s scary. I’m afraid that I’m not healing as fast as I should be. Being scared and in pain are not a good combination.
I could really use a good joke. Got one?
OVO from Cirque du Soleil Family Day TODAY!
December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
OVO from Cirque du Soleil® Family Day!
Cirque du Soleil invites kids, young and old, to OVO Family Days on Saturday, December 3 (10 am – 1 pm) at Beverly Canon Gardens, located at 225 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. Join in the fun as we celebrate OVO from Cirque du Soleil, under the big top at the Santa Monica Pier beginning January 20, 2012!
This family-friendly event will feature:
- Face painting and activities from little june bugs
- Balloon artist from Send In the Clowns
- Radio Disney’s road crew with music and activities
- Cupcake decorating from Sprinkles Cupcakes
- An interactive animal exhibit from Prehistoric Pets
- Bug dance performance and class from Gabriella Charter School
- Snacks from Bouchon Bakery and Madame Chocolat
- A special appearance from the Cirque du Soleil Truck
- And more!
OVO from Cirque du Soleil Family Days
Beverly Canon Gardens
225 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills
Saturday, December 3rd
10am-1pm
OVO is perfect for the entire family!
Click Here to get a special family 4-pack for as low as $194*!
*The Family 4 Pack is available for all performances from Sunday to Thursday and the 4pm performance on Friday. Only purchases from 4 to 8 tickets may benefit from this special package. Two adult and two child tickets start at $194. A minimum of one adult ticket and one child ticket must be purchased within each Family 4 Pack. Convenience fees included, applicable to select Price Levels and performances, delivery fee will apply.
* I was not compensated for this post.
Flap Happy & Kai Bean Kids Factory Outlet Store SALE TODAY!
December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
20th Annual Holiday Sale at Flap Happy and Kai Bean Kids Factory Outlet Store!
Dec 3rd from 10am-5pm
They sell children’s clothing, swimwear, rashguards, shorts, tees, dresses, hats and outerwear that are discontinued, irregulars and samples. Prices are 20% – 80% off regular retail! Their amazing products are manufactured in Los Angeles! They have relocated from Santa Monica to Culver City adjacent, and invite you to come shop in their bright and colorful new store during the annual Holiday Sale!
5830 W. Jefferson Blvd. Suite 200 in LA, 90016
310-453-3527
Regular Store Hours: Tues. – Fri. from 10am-4pm
www.flaphappy.com
* I was not compensated for posting this information. I was sent two outfits to review for my children, which I wholeheartedly loved!
Wiggles Tickets Winner!
August 8, 2011 By 1 Comment
I recently posted a Wiggles concert ticket giveaway for 4 tickets to the upcoming performance next weekend. I am happy to announce the winner – Eva Fogg!
Congratulations, Eva. Please email me with your contact information so I can give your info to the Wiggles PR team: dlagoldberg@mac.com.
I have a few more exciting giveaways coming up… keep checking back! Thanks to all who entered the contest.
* I was not compensated for this post.
Two Tips on How to Apply for a Job
February 21, 2011 By 38 Comments
This morning I posted a “Help Wanted” ad on Craig’s List. Three hours later and 46 emails have arrived in my inbox. Based on what I received so far, I made up a list of “what not to do” when applying for a job.
#1 Apply for jobs that fit your resume.
The position I am advertising is for a part-time administrative assistant. The first email I received in response to my ad was from someone who wants $40,000 a year. In my ad, I clearly stated the salary and it is considerably lower that what this person requires for work. I get the idea that this person wants to demonstrate their abilites and that although this ad is for a part time person, maybe I’ll see this fantastic resume and decide that we have to hire them. Not gonna happen. I automatically think “we can’t afford you.” Next. (Another point to consider – is it really appropriate to send your salary requirements when sending your resume to someone for the first time? Isn’t that like asking what the job pays in the initial interview? It’s a turn-off for me.)
#2 – Take the time to write a cover note that is personalized and demonstrates why I should hire you.
Simple idea. So simple because everyone knows that is what you should do when applying for a job, right? Maybe not. I received about twenty emails that were blank with their resume attached. By doing this, you are making me do the work to figure out why I should hire you. Not my job. Next.
So far, very few people have written cover letters that are interesting. Tell me a little something about what sets you apart from the other 46 people who have resumes in my in-box. A personal angle will always set you apart from the pack. Tailor your cover letter toward the job requirements listed in the ad. I’ve had people from entirely different industries apply for the job without telling my why. I can only assume that you didn’t read the ad. Or maybe times are tough and you need to branch out into a different field. Okay, fair enough. Then put that information in your engaging and personalized cover letter. And then you’ve caught my attention.
My dear friend, Lisa Vitale, an amazing smart woman, is writing about her search for a job on her blog. I know it’s not easy to find a good job these days. I am proud to tell you that we employ over 150 people right now. And we’ve found some incredible people who are helping us build our brand at an incredibly fast pace. I want to keep that up… just need a little help from the applicants!
Contest Winner – Juice in the City!
January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Virginia Yee, you are the winner of $25.00 to spend with www.JuiceintheCity.com. Please email me at dlagoldberg@mac.com with your contact information so we can get you your Juice Bucks!
Congratulations! And thanks to all who entered. Be on the look out for more fun contests coming SOON!
Contest! Get Your Juice in the City
January 18, 2011 By 11 Comments
As a business owner, I can’t help but love the phrase “Shop Local.” I love supporting independently owned businesses in our neighborhood. As you well know, there are a trillion new sites imitating Groupon that foster group buying in return for great deals. I recently discovered Juice in the City, which encourages hyper-local shopping.
Today’s deal in the South Bay features 22 Degrees Prebiotic Gelato, located in Redondo Beach, which gives you $8.00 to spend when you invest only $4.00. Last week, Juice in the City featured a massage at Terranea Resort. (Heaven!)
There are several unique things about Juice in the City that you need to know about:
* Each deal is found by a local mom, who personally recommends the business and/or product. Today’s deal, for example, was found by Shannon Brentin. On Juice’s website, Shannon says “ I am SO impressed with the owner, Kaity, and all the research, time and energy she put into creating this unique, delicious treat. She refuses to sacrifice an ounce of quality when it comes to her clever creation, which I love. Many gelato shops use pre-manufactured mixes that include artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives. But from the beginning, Kaity was determined to create a fantastic, quality gelato; and she wanted to provide health benefits as well. Mission accomplished! This stuff is AMAZING, and I love that I can take my kids out for a healthy dessert!”
* You can make money, too! Juice in the City brings on local moms as local business consultants to help find and secure the deals. As a local business consultant, you get paid a healthy percentage of the revenue made from the deal. (Yahoooo!)
Sarah Eisner, one of the founders of Juice in the City, has given ManhattanBeachMomma some money to give away! I have $25.00 in Juice in the City bucks to share with one lucky reader!
To enter: Go to Juice in the City and sign up for the city closest to you. (You will get a $5.00 credit just for signing up!) Then, come back to ManhattanBeachMomma and post “I signed up” within the blog comments section. One reader will be chosen (via Random.Org) on Friday, January 21st at noon. I will post the winner here and contact you by email.
Good luck!
I’m ok with the Word “Momprenuer”
January 12, 2011 By 13 Comments
Last year, one of my best friends, Lisa Vitale, nominated me for a “momprenuer” award through Bag Lady Promotions. I didn’t stand a chance of winning. I was up against amazing heavy hitters like Dayna Landry, founder of CityMommy.com, and Jen Levinson, founder of Jen’s List, Jennifer Berenson, owner of Jeneration PR, and Alycia Denham, founder of YogaHitch. These girls have lists, big email lists. Fresh Brothers does too, more than 8,000 people, but it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to use that list to campaign for myself. I got a lot of support on Facebook; and honestly, it was just super cool to be nominated.
I did attend the conference hosted by BagLady Productions last September. It was an incredible day. I met people like:
Ann Evanston, who has become my social media mentor.
Justin Krane, a financial planning genius.
Louise Eddington, a blogger and great lady.
I learned a lot that day. I collected a lot of business cards. I made new friends. I stretched my wings a little further than usual and I liked it.
I recently had someone ask me this: Do you really want to call yourself a “mompreneur?” I was a little thrown off by the question. I wondered if “mompreneur” somehow has a negative connotation. I don’t walk around calling myself a “mompreneur.” This person also attended the BLP event in September. She was someone who could have picked up a lot of clients at that event; but somehow the word “mompreneur” turned her off and she felt that she didn’t connect with the group. Her loss.
About the word “momprenuer”…I like it! I used to be a tv producer. I was really good at my job. Really good. I loved everything about my job, except the fact that I had to exist in a world where tv production was perceived to be as important as brain surgery. It just isn’t. I survived (and mostly thrived) working for one of the craziest (albeit brilliant) executives EVER. After being laid off from the company that I had worked with for 8 years when I was pregnant with my twins, I knew I needed to do something better with my life. And then the twins arrived…and every category that I ever put myself into – tv producer, writer, etc. disappeared. I was mom. I was Adam’s wife. I am, still, both of those things – wife, mom. And frankly, marrying Adam and creating our little family was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. They are my cake. Everything else is icing.
Icing: I was honored when Baglady’s Laura asked me to be on the BLP for 2011. I accepted, and have joined great company on the board: Stacy Butler,
Ann Evanston, Kim Tracy Prince, Alexandra J. Rembac, Dayna Landry, Lisa Vitale, Devon Leigh Smith, Andrea McKinnon, Andrea Fellman, Renata Abraham, Carmen Linder, Cynthia Miller & Kara Frans.
I hope you’ll check out BLP’s website. If you own a business in LA, you need to be a part of this club!
Thank you notes are the bane of my existence.
December 23, 2010 By 7 Comments
I love to throw parties for my kids. We have six year-old twins, so whenever we have a birthday party, it’s quite a large gathering. And that means that there are a lot of gifts to be opened and a lot of thank you notes to be written.
This year, we held their party at Fresh Brothers, Redondo Beach. (Of course!)
Sadly, I was unable to attend the party because I was in the hospital. (That’s a whole blog post in itself.) My friend, Rose Pierce, an incredible photographer and blogger, kindly documented the party.
I got a hall pass this year on writing thank you notes because I wasn’t at the party. The kids opened their gifts and of course there were no notes kept on who sent what.
I have a confession to make: last year, I was at their party. I helped the kids open their gifts, and still didn’t write thank you notes. I suck.
Yesterday, two social media mavens, Ciaran Blumenfeld and Ana Roco Castro launched a new Iphone & Ipad app called IGiftThanks. This app allows you to create digital thank you notes and share them with the recipient via email, Facebook and Twitter.
Initially, I thought it was a cool idea, but thought that digital thank you notes might seem really impersonal. Or tacky. But the idea of easily sending 50 or so thank you notes easily was really appealing to me. I downloaded the app onto our Ipad. (It’s $1.99, less than the cost of a single greeting card, as the IGiftThanks press release points out.)
To test it out, I used the “Quick Thanks” option. It allows you to choose a themed frame for your note.
I chose the snowflakes and added a picture that my daughter created on the Ipad of a dreidel. This image then goes into an email that can be sent to the recipient along with a quick note of thanks. Hit the send button and it’s off into digital cyberspace. No stamps needed. No worrying about your terrible handwriting.
I really like IGiftThanks. It’s easy to use. It’s very affordable. And best of all, it’s fun.
I will start using IGiftThanks. Will you think less of me for sending a digital thank you note?
