Twomims

Last week I made a pretty dramatic career switch. I went from working roughly 60 hours per week at my job, traveling and working after my kids went to bed at night, to working part time. My new schedule is a measly 20 hours per week from home.

Sounds like a dream, right? What was I to do with the extra 40 hours per week that would now be complete free-time? I’ll tell you exactly what I did, I filled those hours with more stuff. I went running everyday, I baked cookies with my boys, made a lasagna from scratch for dinner one night, ran countless overdue errands. Yes! This was the life. Or was it?

By the end of the week I was just as exhausted as I had been while working full time. So now I am going to make a conscious effort to not make myself so busy, and let some things go undone. Just because I’m not working full time, does not mean that I have to cook elaborate from scratch dinners every night, or have a craft project for my kids everyday when they get home from school. In one week, I am going to Italy for 10 days. Hopefully the simple and relaxing lifestyle of the Italian culture will rub off on me, and show this MIM that it’s ok to slow down.

Ok, we’ve all been there. A lovely and lively dinner out with the fam, and you’re nearing the bottom of your bag of tricks. Coloring, cars, actually eating. The kids are ready to go but you would really like a few more minutes to linger over your dinner. Enter the iPhone. Here are my kids, ages 2 and 4, top picks for iPhone Apps.

#5 Bubblewrap (Free)

Yes. Bubblewrap. Why are the simplest ideas always the most obvious? This is one app that never gets old, and has them saying, “Again! Again!”

#4 PhonyPhone ($0.99)

A clever invention, give them an app that looks like a phone. (We all know that’s what they really want to play with.) This is a great app, don’t get me wrong, but even my 2-year old knows that the button at the bottom of the iPhone takes him back to the main screen. So as he grows bored with the numbers and dialing, he’s right back re-organizing my home screen.

#3 Preschool Adventure ($0.99)

This app has 6 different sections to pick from: colors, numbers, shapes, body, matching and sounds. Although it’s geared more towards my pre-schooler, it’s my 2-year old that really enjoys it. It has a simple interface of tapping pictures to hear their name and a little bit of motion.

#2 Dora and the Crystal Kingdom ($1.99)

With two boys, I was really looking for a Diego app when I came across this one. What can I say, branded material works. The kids love this one. Not only does Dora tell you a bit of a story, there is a coloring book feature and a fun motion game.

#1 Ballonimals ($1.99)

This app is so cool that I’ve shown it to a lot of adults. What else would you expect from Ideo. The video shows it all. You actually blow into the phone to inflate the balloon, shake it to make the animal, tap to interact with your creature AND pop it! With many different animals to make, this one never gets old.

Next week the team and I are headed to LA to shoot with an amazing photographer named Giuliano Bekor. I am excited to work with such a passionate and driven artist. It is truly inspiring to collaborate with talented people. Watch this video that captures his process. I see nothing but good things and stunning work to come. Cheers!

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

One of my biggest inspirations is travel. I love seeing new things, different things, things that are ordinary, out of the ordinary, complex, or just simply beautiful. Here is a collection of photos I took at the Notting Hill market this summer in London.

Expecting MIM and guest blogger Laura Unverferth shares with us her top picks for her new bundle of joy. Check out Laura’s other great finds on her design blog Ruffle or her baby blog Little Frills.

I’ve always loved Dwell Studio’s transportation series…from the baby bedding to the bibs. A perfect color palette and pattern for the nursery (if it’s a boy). They have designed all the matching accessories you would ever need.

This little orange rocker from Argington is my favorite…they have several really beautiful children’s furniture collections, made from renewable and sustainable harvested wood.

I just purchased this print from Sweet William’s shop on Etsy…a great mix of modern and vintage imagery. I cant wait to frame it!

Im a huge fan of Warhol, I was so excited when I found his children’s book Andy Warhol’s Colors.

This ‘just hatched’ canvas from Dotty Spot Designs caught my eye…clean and contemporary decor that you can customize with your baby’s name and date of birth.

Finally, an ad campaign we can relate to! We love the celebration of the late nights, the messes, the juggling and the imperfections of parenthood. Huggies really nailed it with their recent ad campaign from JWT. Not only is the content a breath of fresh air, but the execution is edgy and worlds apart from the warm fuzzies that baby advertising normally gives us.

When my personal vacation photo resembled their vacation ad, they got me. How well do you think they know their target?

Photos by Doulgas Adesko

Throughout my career I have encountered countless creatives, each with their own distinct collections. I have seen several art directors that collect robots (quite common), photographers that collect old cameras (even more common.) But what always stick out are the really unique collections, the ones no one else has. The largest collection of salt and pepper shakers, Pee Wee’s Playhouse memorabilia, vintage porn. I was once at a lecture given by Mervyn Kurlansky, one of the founding fathers of Pentagram, he collected hotel shampoo bottles. I now work with someone who collects old lunch boxes. That’s the good stuff.

I have always longed for my own eccentric collection of trinkets. I don’t collect buttons, old 8-tracks, posters or vintage toys. I have no eclectic, excentric collection to call my own, but I’ve always wanted one.

Recently as a brainstorm exercise I had to write about something I collected. Once again I was reminded that I was probably the only Creative Director in the world that did not have and exciting collection to talk about.

I dumped out my glass canister of matches, the one collection I do have, and photographed it for the exercise. This this is what I wrote…

I started collecting match books in high school, it was a great way to remember traveling and different meals and occassions that I had shared with others. A lot of people write the date and who they were with on each match book, but i don’t really need to. I can remeber almost every restuarant, where and when it was, whom I was with and sometimes even what I ordered. Each matchbook is a moment in time and a memory for me. Looking through these is like looking through a photo album.

The Red Eye in New York, my husband asked if it was ok to order an entree that cost more than a pair of shoes he bought earlier in the day (it was worth it.) Chilpancingo in Chicago, my account person asked, and received their recipe for Lava cake. My bachelorette party at the Luxor in Las Vegas (enough said.)  Random matchbook from a smokeshop in Zurich where my husband purchased Cuban cigars. Zoe in St. Louis, I was timing contractions on our way to dinner with friends, days before my first son was born.

And thus, I validate my matchbook collection. Alas it is not a collection of tiny tea sets from antique stores and flea markets. It may be standard and boring and definitley not one of a kind, but it is mine.

So I have to admit a little foul play. The other night I got a call from a research company. Usually the first question they ask is if you work in marketing or advertising. This time, I coyly answered, “No.”

One week later, I received a 30 minute pilot for a new sitcom in the mail to review. Before I watched the show, I was asked to fill out a booklet that had me essentially choose my top brands within different product categories. The compensation for taking part in the survey was coupons for free products; diapers, wipes, groceries, etc.

During the sitcom, which was awful, there were commercials. Some of them were very old, and some of them were what appeared to be animatics for new commercials. After the sitcom was over, I was asked to break the seal on the second booklet, and once again was prompted to select my top brand picks from the same product categories to receive MORE free products.

At this point, I was thoroughly confused. Was this research company really testing a pilot for a new sitcom, or a vehicle for brand testing within my demographic?  Was I expected to pick the same brands in each category twice to show brand loyalty? Or could the opportunity to try new brands for free convert me from the brands I am loyal to?

Here’s what I did as a mom, not a marketer. The brands that I am, and have been eternally loyal to (Huggies, Crest, Tide, Scotch Brite) I stayed loyal to, and opted to get 2 free packages each of these products. Not even a free trial could get me to switch from my staples. Brands and products that I am not particularly loyal to, I opted to try something new (candles, dry pasta, spices.)

What did I learn from myself? Brand loyalty is a hell of a thing. If not even a completely free, full size product can get trial or conversion, what can? Can any amount of couponing or promotions get a loyal brand buyer to switch? Maybe some, but not this MIM.

As for the pilot I tested, it was so bad that I can only hope it was a joke.
As for the brand testing, I was impressed, and would love to see how it turns out.

This week the entire family got the flu. The summer flu, the high fever, achy, coughing, terrible flu. One by one we dropped like flies. First it got my husband, then me, next my 1 year old, and lastly my 3 year old. I, of course, was allowed to stay sick for the shortest amount of time. Who else would take care of this sickly brood?

The first day, was oddly wonderful. My husband lay on one couch, me on the other. We dozed in and out of sleep in front of the TV all day long. I couldn’t remember the last time the two of us were alone, all day long, doing absolutely nothing. We had short conversations, as we passed the box of tissues back and forth. Taking turns getting up to replenish the Gatorade and ibuprofen.

At 4pm we got the call, the “your kid is sick, come get them,” call. The four of us spent the evening curled up on the couch, watching movies together. The next day we took the boys to the doctor, together. Again, I couldn’t remember the last time a trip to the doctor wasn’t something that I crammed into my already busy schedule, in between meetings and conference calls.

All in all, those 2 days were the most amount of time that we had all spent together at our house, doing nothing in a very long time. I loved it. Being sick gave us the instant excuse to escape the normal routine, the obligations, the responsibilities, and just be. Almost like a snow day, there was no need or reason to go anywhere, or do anything, and just be. As the dishes piled high in the sink, and dirty laundry covered the floor, the four of us snuggled in on the couch together.