Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

BlogHer

Casual is the New… (SKECHERS)

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…well, technically, there’s nothing very stylish about “casual”. If your pants have an elastic waistband, your t-shirt hangs down to your knees and your shoes fasten with Velcro… congratulations, you are the mayor of Casualville. But is casual considered a “look”? Or is it simply the absence of style?

Whatever it is, it is me. Big surprise, I’m a stay at home mom. I’m not about to sport a bandage dress while taking on the glamorous vacuum, KWIM? And since pajama bottoms double as my “casual” day look three days out of seven, let’s just say I have come to embrace my inner fashion slob.

However, when attending BlogHer ’11 earlier this year, I had to put together a few key looks that would show the public I still knew a thing or two about le haute mode. Only tricky part: the conference dress code was “business casual.” There’s that word again. The c-word.

Clothes weren’t really too much of a problem; slip dresses, well-fitting jeans and a few sparkly tops did wonders to slide me past the fashion police, but I was obsessing slightly about shoes. EVERY veteran BlogHer attendee proclaimed “Don’t wear heels!” in their pre-conference posts, and I wasn’t about to sport sneakers with skirts. What’s a girl to do?

Thankfully SKECHERS swooped in and saved the day. I must admit, I was a little hesitant when they offered to outfit me in casual looks that would go from day to night. My experience with SKECHERS was limited to their oh-so-awesome Shape-ups, and I was curious to see what they could come up with – casual, comfy and stylish? Huh, we’ll see.

Well I’m pretty much eating crow. Just look at these on-trend, super cute shoes (click to enlarge):

My fave pair is the Women’s Jubilee – Front Row in Black (pictured above left); any time you bling out casual shoes with:

soft fabric shoe lining
cushioned insole
low profile shock absorbing midsole
flexible rubber traction outsole
AND
sequins (!!!)

Lena is interested. Very interested.

I’m so happy that SKECHERS has made me seen the light: causal CAN be chic!

Click here to visit SKECHERS online.

A BlogHer ’11 Tale

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Sigh. Finally a moment to sit back and reflect on my BlogHer ’11 experience. By now, you’ve likely come across many tales from other fabulous bloggers, but I’d like to share my thoughts as well as have something to add to my pile of memorabilia.

(My travel buddies for the trip were Tammi from My Organized Chaos and Farah from Faces by Farah, so you’ll likely see their lovely faces in a lot of my photos from the trip. And, many of the photo credits go to Tammi – such a wonderful shutterbug!)

Getting there was a whirlwind. With a golden ticket from Ford and less than two weeks to wrap my head around the fact that I was actually going to BlogHer, I had suitcases to pack, babysitters to arrange (thanks husband!) and babies to wean. (Turns out that Reid was just fine while I was gone – but literally jumped on my boob the second I walked through the door. Huh.)

THE BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
PALM TREE LINED STREETS

Although the conference took place on Friday and Saturday, I was crossing my fingers that I’d touch down in time for Mom Central’s Canadian Embassy Party on Thursday night. Turns out I had plenty of time to arrive at the hotel, relax and shower before clinking wine glasses with wonderful Canadian bloggers and friends. Putting a face to many of the bloggers I had chatted with online was so enriching! And, the @MC_Canada ladies were beyond wonderful as always – they continually inspire, teach and support moms and blogging in Canada. Fan 4 Life.

On Friday morning, a pulse check with the Ford ladies during breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel. Ford put together one classy group of social media-minded gals; I was looking forward to getting to know them all over the next few days. Our little group included Donna Marie Antoniadis ~ ShesConnected, Erica Ehm ~ The Yummy Mummy Club, Raymi ~ Raymi the Minx, Shannon ~ Zchamu, Tenille ~ Feisty Frugal and Fabulous, Sarah of Get Mommy Some Gin and Dee ~ Cocktail Deeva.  Friday also saw the first day of the conference and me popping in and out of the conference hall, taking in the bits and pieces of all BlogHer has to offer. Much time was spent in the famed expo hall, where I chatted with brands and of course, snagged a ton of swag. Thankfully, I was very selective with my freebies (read: too cheap to pay excess baggage fees) so I whittled down the loot to mainly toys, makeup and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.Many of the booths offered photo ops – too good to pass up when you’re hanging with two gorgeous babes!

Friday night was the much-anticipated yet socially-taboo Softcup party. Anticipated because it was held on a rooftop patio and promised appearances by Mario Lopez, Ryan Cabrera and Amanda Beard; socially-taboo because it was sponsored by a tampon alternative. Regardless, the fun ride via pedi-cab, yummy apps and Cake Vodka shots made it easy to attend and enjoy a party put on by menstrualogists. Bonus: had a chance to hang with the gorgeous Stephanie from Sassy Modern Mom and the equally adorable (and mummy-to-be!) Shelagh from Practical Mum.We then hightailed it to the Cheap Sally party at Stingaree. With a reputation as being San Diego’s best nightclub, noticeably absent were the caged go-go dancers. But I digress; there were jars filled with Rockets (or “Smarties” as they’re known in the US), a Gordon Ramsey cooking display complete with cushions emblazoned with his gorgeous face (managed to snatch one of those!) and a continuing parade of martinis, kobo beef sliders, party goers and party anthems.

A quick pop into the Sparklecorn party was a bit of a letdown; most of the attendees were already sobering up and a quick walk around the room had us running back to the hotel to turn in.

Saturday was a repeat of Friday – dabbling here and there in the seminars and sponsor exhibits, in addition to meeting with friends, bloggers and brands. I was dying to indulge in authentic San Diego fish tacos, so off we trotted to a local Mexican bar/resto for lunch. Yum!

Saturday night; another Ford reunion at Tabule restaurant. On the menu for moi:Shared Starters:

Shrimp and Crab Portobello
Lettuce Duck Wraps
Thai Baby Back Ribs
Mesquite Smoked Ahi Tuna Tacos
Salmon CevicheEntrée:
Lobster Ravioli

Do I really need to say any more? We finished the night partying at CheeseburgHer, where yes, bloggers do wear McD’s bags on their head (I didn’t) and help themselves to a buffet of (wait for it)… cheeseburgers… all night. There was much tootsierolling on the dance floor (you’re welcome Farah) and after shaking our money maker to some old school R&B, it was time to turn in.

At the Ford Family Picnic on Sunday, I had the awesome opportunity to learn about Ford’s Focus on Safety, test drive the peppy Focus (with Donna from She’s Connected playing navigator and Rose – Ford Canada’s rep – describing features and benefits from the back seat). And, we enjoyed the most drool-worthy BBQ at the South Embarcadero Marine Park which was literally right on the water. Bliss.

Donna and Rose weren’t just awesome driving buddies; they later proved to be even better shopping partners as we booted it to Fashion Valley Mall, Nordstrom Rack and Target. When I finally strolled in at 10:00pm that night, it hit me that I hadn’t yet packed and had a 6:00am flight the next morning, necessitating a 3:30am wake up call. Needless to say I got my sh*t together in a hurry so I could hit the hay! The flight home was unremarkable and I literally wept with joy when I saw the faces of my two sweet boys waiting for me at the airport.

Next year BlogHer ’12 is back in NYC – who’s coming with? xo
FARAH AND I, ON OUR WAY TO MOM CENTRAL’S SOIRÉE
I AM 100% CRUSHING ON SARAH @MC
THE LOVELY AND ICONIC ERICA EHM
THE GLORIOUS MARIOTT CONVENTION CENTER
EXPO HALL, BRIMMING WITH BLOGGERS
BUILDING UP MY STREET CRED ON THE SESAME STREET STOOP
PHOTO OPS WITH BLOGGERS AND VAMPIRES
IN OUR PEDI-CAB, READY TO PARTY
THE BEAUTIFUL STEPHANIE AND SHELAGH
GROUP SHOT WITH MR. DIMPLES
GORGEOUS ROSE AT THE FORD FAMILY PICNIC
THE SUPER SAFETY FEATURES: INFLATABLE SEAT BELTS
TAKE ME!
PRO ACTIV VENDING MACHINE? SERIOUSLY?

Headlines

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Hey Fabulous Readers!

I’m back from a much-needed blogging break. SO much to tell!

My head is swimming with details and I simply don’t know where to begin, so forgive me if I list the awesomeness via Headlines:

BLOGHER ’11 ROCKED
I spent 5 days in sunny San Diego, enjoying my first (and certainly not last) blogging conference. For bloggers wondering what the conference is all about, and what to expect, I’ll let Google handle your inquiries – you’ll find many amazing posts on the subject, all from unique perspectives that really are a must-read. For my part, I’ll just say this: GO. Go once. Go every year. Go because you want to. Go because you should. Just GO.

FORD CANADA RULES
As you likely saw from a previous post, I was sponsored by Ford to attend the event. Ford put together a wonderful group of ladies – including Donna Antoniadis from ShesConnected, Erica Ehm of YummyMummyClub fame, Dee Brun the Cocktail Deeva – and superstar bloggers from across Canada that I had the esteemed pleasure of both meeting and tweeting. More posts about my experience at BlogHer to come.

VASANTI ON MY CHEEKS, SKECHERS ON MY FEET
I was also lucky to have my makeup for the event provided by Vasanti Cosmetics, and SKECHERS outfitted my shoes for the duration of the trip (four stylin’ pairs to be exact). Yup, awesomeness all around… and posts on those fabulous sponsors to come as well.

THE END OF THE GIVEAWAY GAME
I embarked on the conference with an open mind and put much thought into the direction of my blog. And after a lot of soul searching, I realized that my true strengths – and desires, for that matter – lie in posts that aren’t necessarily tied to reviews and/or giveaways. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE giving back to my readers, and will likely review many more products in my time, but have decided to transition away from a “review” blog and get back to Listen to Lena! 101: shopping, family, recipes and fun. So after my final set of giveaways for the Summer Beauty & Fashion Guide, you’ll see more classic Lena posts; me just writing for the sheer pleasure of writing. To all my sweepstakes friends, thanks for stopping by! Hope y’all will stay for a good story or two.

SLEEP DERIVATION
With so much going on over the last few days, I need to turn in! Goodnight friends, back for more fun tomorrow!

BlogHer ’11- Here I Am!

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Hey Fabulous Readers!

I’m writing this post on Thursday morning, somewhere over Wichita, Kansas. My final destination? San Diego, California. Yes, I’m headed to BlogHer ’11!

As the last week has been somewhat of a whirlwind, I haven’t had the chance to sit down and let y’all know about my excellent adventure ahead. Well, 5 hours on a plane gives a gal a lot of time to blog!

It all started about two weeks ago, when I was contacted by Ford Canada and asked if I’d like to attend the biggest blogger conference in the world – as their guest.

Gee, would I like to decant champagne into my water bottle? Of course!

So between wrapping up my Summer Beauty & Fashion Guide, making the necessary travel arrangements and mentally preparing myself for the conference, I’ve been *slightly* less than organized.

(Read: one hot mess.)

But it’s all good! I made it! I’m on my way! And with any luck, my luggage will make it too!

Tonight I’m donning my LBD for the incredibly swank Mom Central Canadian Embassy Party, and after that, it’s two days filled with meeting, mingling and much too much partying.

On Sunday, I’ll be test driving some of Ford’s best selling vehicles at the Ford Family Picnic. Think I can convince them to do a review and giveaway?

Until then, you may see sporadic posts, based solely upon my level of sobriety/ insomnia/ availability/ etc. But for the most part, I’ve decided to take a bloggy break until I return next week.

Hope y’all have a truly awesome weekend, and we’ll chat soon! Hugs!