By now I’ve had a few days to re-group – and had time to think about the lessons learned from attending a two-day event, and planning a one-afternoon event.  Vera Sweeney did a good job of summing up the tips for travel bloggers, so I’ll just give you my top ten general lessons learned.

1. Travel Bloggers get the best perks.  While us Mom bloggers are writing for diaper bags and coupons, Travel Bloggers are writing for vacations and press trips. Yeah, I know.

2. When stuffing Swag Bags, don’t have soooo many different things.  Sure, it’s great for your guests, but you, the stuffer, will suffer serious back pain from all the bending and lifting.

3. Virgil’s BBQ (now open in the Bahamas at the Atlantis Resort) makes awesome wings (800 pounds of them for Superbowl Sunday), incredible pulled pork, but will leave the un-used-to-eating-like-that in a BBQ induced coma.

4. Always provide name tags for your event attendees/party guests…especially if you only know them by their Twitter name.

Which leads to number five:

5. Wear ear-plugs, so when people do the “Oooooh You’re @soandso” squeal, you won’t be deafened.

6. Having a Magic Show, A Princess Show, a singer, three arts and crafts stations, Wii stations and Xboxes will not be too much for a room full of blogger-kids; they’ve seen too much to be overwhelmed by anything. (I stand corrected, DadaRocks and J&R jr.)

8. TripAdvisor may be awesome, but check out Travel Video Postcard to really SEE where you’re going.

9. Luxury Travel Mom really is about the luxury.  In the funniest, nicest, least snooty way possible.  But I still want her job.

10. After planning/setting up just ONE party, I appreciate even more what a great job Traveling Mom, Family Travel Forum, Travel Media Showcase and Taking The Kids did in setting up this conference at the very lovely Omni Berkshire Place.

and since #10 wasn’t really a lesson learned (more of a thank you!) one more:

11. Whether throwing an event or attending one: high heels are not your friend.

True, the article only talked about twelve year old girls getting driven into Manhattan from Greenwich, Connecticut, to have make-up lessons on the Upper East Side – not 7 or 8 year olds. But twelve is young enough.  Young enough for what, you ask?  Young enough that it’s just plain awful.

I get that tween girls are growing up faster than they were when I was that age.  I mean, when I was that age, the word Tween didn’t even exist.  Now, it doesn’t even set off the spell-check. (Which also didn’t exist when I was that age, just so you know.)  But I also know that twelve year old girls are just as insecure as ever.  That they are figuring out who they are. And as their bodies change – who they will be.

Do we really want them to be so singularly focused on their looks?

What does it say to a twelve year old girl that having great hair and makeup for a Bat Mitzvah party is worth two hours in the car (one there, one back), hundreds of dollars in fees, and the physical pain of an eyebrow wax? What does it mean to a twelve year old girl when a staff of grown women fawn over and serve her for the sake of her looks?

It says that no matter the cost, the time, the classist nature of entitlement it all implies – looks are the most important thing.  Beauty above all else.  And worse, that even at twelve, their own natural beauty isn’t enough. They need professional make up artists and facialists.

I don’t blame the girls.  I don’t even blame the pop culture machine that presents them with impossibly beautiful and perfect role models who are all primped and primed ad nauseum.  I blame the parents.  I blame the mother in this NY Times story who thinks it’s so perfectly OK to treat a twelve-year-old like a 20 year-old that she put her picture, and her first and last name in The New York Times!  I blame the mother, who said that if her daughter was going to put on make up, she could at least learn how.

How about this?  Tell your twelve year old daughter she doesn’t need make up at all because she’s beautiful the way she is.

Because she is.  And because to be willing to imply otherwise by spending exorbitant time and money artificially altering that natural beauty.  Well, you might as well sign her up for a lifetime of feeling insecure.  A lifetime of body image issues.  And a whole world of misery.

You Could Win this Emergency Readiness Kit

So here’s the thing about living in Manhattan: It’s culture filled and exciting.  It has great shopping and even better food.  It’s never boring, it sometimes smells. It’s where my family has lived since the late 19th century.  And it’s an island, which means that if there’s an emergency here, well, we’re kind of stuck.

So to us, being prepared for an emergency is a necessity.  Yet in a ridiculously un-scientific survey of the other moms waiting outside school for pickup one day last week, not one of them was.  Not even me.

Well, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) wants to change that.  They want  to give New Yorkers in all of the boroughs the resources to help them take the first steps towards being prepared in case of any emergency.  Not just horrifying attacks, but big snowstorms, or hurricanes, or who knows what else?

Here in NY, the closing of H&H bagels is an emergency.  But really, nothing can prepare you for that.

One way to prepare for more universal emergencies – like water main breaks or black outs – is by taking the new Readiness Challenge – an online emergency simulation that forces you  to make quick decisions at every turn.  It’s not like the answers aren’t obvious once you see them.  It’s just that when you take the test, you see just how many of those “obvious” things you haven’t done.  Luckily, the Readiness Challenge also guides you to the My Meeting Place Facebook application and other OEM resources to help you get started on your own emergency plans.

The OEM even has a link where you can go to find out when your NYC street will be plowed. (If we ever get an snow this year.  I mean, it’s January, and today it was 60 degrees!)

The OEM sent me an emergency preparedness kit (first aid kit, flashlight, batteries and other items you may need in an emergency) and they want to send one randomly chosen winner one, too.  All you have to do is:

Take the Readiness Challenge and navigate your way through the online tool to find out how prepared you are for an emergency.  Once you’ve finished, leave a comment telling us how it helped you get started on your emergency plans.  One lucky winner will be selected to get their own readiness pack.  But everyone who takes the challenge will get the knowledge and information they need to be ready in case of emergency, no matter where you live..

Like if Loehmann’s ever closes. Or, well, something like that.

But I’m not going to let that stop me.

This week’s Duane Reade Shopping assignment was supposed to be about bundling up for winter.  But all that happens to me when the cold weather blows, is that I want to leave the city, and head somewhere warm.  So though I went into the store thinking I would be scoping out hats, scarves and hand warmers, when I got there, all I could think was escape.

Luckily DR has plenty of travel supplies…so my fantasy of a warm winter getaway was good to go.

First of all, I love the little sample sizes of products.  When I was in middle school, I remember writing away for EVERYthing in the back of Seventeen Magazine.  Well DR has just about everything, too.  Perfectly sized for getting through security fast.

They also have a pretty impressive array of cosmetic bags – from the cutesy to the sophisticated.  At Duane Reade!  Who knew? I happen to like the polka dotted ones.  But the solids (except not in that green…ugh) are nice, too.

And then there’s the stuff to put in them.  I’d been looking for a pair of super low peds that wouldn’t show in my ballet flats that I wear all summer long, and I found ‘em here.  Score.

And I’m still not deep enough into my warm weather fantasy life to forget that in the summer, you have no coat to hide your figure flaws.  So I noticed this handy lump smoothing item.

Since my fantasy also includes air travel (first class, of course.  It’s MY fanstasy) I checked out the nifty airplane items – like the blow up neck pillow, the eye shades and the chargers of all kinds.

But once I left the store, and was hit with the reality of the weather , I realized that to really beat the heat, I could only go to one of two places: Fairway or Citarella.  Both conveniently located across the street.  Why there?  Because the only way to really deal with the cold is to make a nice hearty stew. So I did. Here’s the recipe:

Lamb Stew (adapted from Mark Bittman)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3.5 lbs. lamb shoulder, trimmed of extra fat and cut into stew-sized cubes

Salt and Pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 Bay leaf

1 Cinnamon Stick

2 star anise (optional – but good)

1 cup pearl onions (use frozen, it’s easier)

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 cup chopped dried dates

3 Tablespoons raisins

Parsley to garnish

1. Brown the meat in the olive oil over medium high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  You may have to do this in batches.  When they are all browned, return everything to the pan, add the chopped onion, and stir until the onions are soft. (Use a pot with a cover, you’ll need it later.)

2. Add  the next 5 ingredients and stir to blend.  Cover the pot and cook about 1hr, until the lamb is almost tender.  Add the figs and raisins, cook 20 minutes more, or until the lamb is super tender.

3. Garnish with the parsley and serve over a hearty noodle, like bow ties, orchiette, or wide egg noodles.  Tip: It’s best to wait and eat the stew the next day – rather than the day you cook it. That gives the flavors time to combine and penetrate the meat while in the rerfrigerator.

Sadly, the stew didn’t do the trick.  And I was left with having to go back to Duane Reade and buy this.

Bummer.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for CollectiveBias. #CBias The money spent and the opinions given are my own. #duanereade

You can see more photos from my trip – and check out the goods for yourself by clicking here.

When they were this age, no tech was no problem!

Family vacations are supposed to be all about togetherness.  So does that mean that no one can be on their phone or handheld game, or ipad, or computer the entire time?

Yikes. I mean, can you get the DTs from electronic withdrawal syndrome?

Kim Orlando gave that a shot on her recent family vacation to Aruba (the no tech – not the DTs)…and I commend her for it.  But the truth is, I’m not really willing to give up tech entirely while I’m on a trip – so I can’t really expect my kids to be. What we’ve done – without hard and fast rules, but with some success, is make the rule that tech is only for checking in with your email in the morning, and checking out a bit at the end of a long day. I do not check my phone all the time while we are away.  My kids do not carry around their various electronic accessories.  But for a plane ride, let’s face it, nothing beats a bit of DS or a movie on your iPad.

I think we’ve struck up a compromise. Works for us.  And maybe it will work for you — (and you have to read this next line in a game-show announcer voice) on your vacation to beautiful Aruba!!!! Yes Traveling Mom (where I am a contributor) is giving away a fabulous trip for a family of four to Aruba.  (including air fare!)

It’s easy to enter.  All you have to do is watch the video below about how Traveling Mom founder Kim Orlando dealt with electronics on vacation,  and her tech-deprived kids (and husband) on her trip to Aruba, and answer the question of the day. The details about the contest are all here.  Where you can learn about more ways/chances to win.

The Traveling Mom crew is also hosting a Twitter Party all about traveling with tech.  And I’m gonna be there.   January 23, 9-10 pm eastern. Wanna come?  If you’ve never been to a Twitter Party, it’s easy.  Just click here and find out how to RSVP. Still not sure? Well, just so you know, TMOM always give out awesome prizes!

But for now, check out Kim’s video.  Once you’ve watched that, you’re REALLY gonna want to win the trip!

I also heard someone call it The Consumer Exhaustion Show.

I agree with both.  Although the “best week” part can be hard to agree with sometimes.  What with the crowds, the jacked up prices, the long lines, the Japanese businessmen overly buoyant as they slip the bellman a $20 bill to put them and their bevy of hookers to the front of the taxi line.

And then there’s the tech.  Miles and miles and miles of it. 1.861 million square feet, to be exact.  So you don’t get to see everything..to say the least.  But here were a few of my favorites:

The refrigerator of my dreams, from LG.  I live in an apartment, and my kitchen is a classic NYC galley style.  That means, that when I open the refrigerator door, I completely block the back door. Not THAT big a deal, but annoying.  This LG French door fridge just looked awesome. With a very cool feature that puts bottles of juice or water at kid level, and accessible through a door-in-door feature that means you don’t have to open the whole fridge just to grab a drink. Isn’t it gorgeous?

I also really liked the wireless Wi Drive from Kingston that I got at the Clever Girls Ladies Who Tech party. It’s a wireless USB drive that allows multiple devices to access it at the same time. That means you can watch a grown up movie on your computer while your kids watch something else on the iPad.  All without wires.

Verizon showed off a new in-store giant wall that makes shopping easier.  It’s a touch screen wall that doesn’t just help you with Verizon shopping, but helps you find restaurants, stores…whatever in a super-cool interface with circles of proximity and connections. Could it be that they’ve found a way to make going to a Verizon store less than horrifying?

I saw wireless TV’s that you can move from room to room. The latest trend in cameras – both video and non- is that they are WiFi enabled. I got a SONY WiFi Bloggie camera (also from the fabulous and wonderful Clever Girls) that lets you post your video to Facebook, an email address, a blog…whatever, right after you take it – wirelessly.  It can live stream too.  And even though it’s no bigger than a cell phone, it can hold up to 3 hours of HD video. I would have liked it to have a reversible screen – or a front screen -so it would be useful for vlogging as well.  But I guess that’s why they call it a Bloggie, and not a vloggie.

The cases you can get now for all your devices are amazing.  From custom DIY versions, and adorable wearable purse-type ones from Case Mate (here’s the wall of their booth.  Covered entirely with cases!), to blinged out versions from just about everyone,to this one from Griffin Tech that @beccasara called The Mr. Potatohead of Iphone Cases. So cute!

Much of what people talked about was the Cloud – and being able to use things across all your devices. It doesn’t make for exciting blogging, but it could make our lives even more seamlessly connected.

Want to know more about my trip to CES 2012? Take a listen to the Blogging Angels podcasts we made while we were there.

One with Ben the PC Guy. (though he really ought to change his name to Ben the  Windows Phone Guy)

And the other with Beth Blecherman of TechMamas.  And she is the Tech Mama!

But I leave you with this – lest you think CES is all high level gadgetry:

Because Who Doesn't Want to Rest Their Wrist on a Boob or Butt Cheek Whilst Typing?

Yes, it’s a mouse pad.  And those? Those are the wrist rests.  You gotta love CES.

Yes, this woman was working the floor last year.

Like a lot of techies, techie wanabees, and social media junkies who just got sucked into it, I’m headed to CES this week.

Unlike a lot of techies, I’m dreading it.  But I’ve developed a few survival skills.  So here they are -   – especially for women. Hope they help.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. I live in NY.  We walk here.  A lot.  But schlepping around the convention floor is exhausting, and there’s really no where to sit. So leave the heels at home. No one will be oggling you anyway; that’s what booth babes are for.

2. Bring healthy snacks. It may sound crazy, but you may not have time to eat during the day. The convention is HHHHHUUUUUUGE. And just getting from one appointment to another can take forever.  The only food is convention food. Which means it’s unhealthy and kind of sucks, and you’ll wait on a ridiculously long line for it.  So stick a few granola bars in your bag.  You’ll thank me later.

3. Give yourself time to get to and from the Convention Center:  There are shuttle buses.  But you could wait on line for them for 45 minutes.  No joke.  The taxi lines aren’t much better.  So plan for that.

4.  Be wary of those who want to live by the “What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” motto. Believe me, they won’t be people you want anything to happen with.  Ewww.  Again: that’s what booth babes are for.

5. If you must gamble, set yourself a budget and STICK TO IT.  Basic advice, I know.  But you’d be surprised how easy it is to tell yourself, “I’ll just try one more time to win it back.”  You won’t win it back.  Look at it this way: if the odds were in your favor, the gambling industry would have been out of business a long time ago.

6. Get ready to be in the minority.  If you’re a woman, you will be SERIOUSLY in the minority.  There are 150,000 people at this thing and 149,000 of them are men.  And not in a good way.  This is a serious geek fest.  Aside from the few hoodie wearing, high-top sporting hipster types who look young enough to be my kids (some of them might be), this is not a hip crowd.  These are tech geeks.  With all the cliche social failings that go with the moniker.

7. Don’t be fooled.  Every year, there’s something that’s the “BIG THING.”  Last year, it was 3D TVs.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t know a whole lot of people who ran out and bought those just because the powers that be at CES said they would.  As a matter of fact, I don’t know ANYONE who got one. Did anyone?

8. Get Outside Last year, I do believe that the only fresh air I got was while waiting for the shuttle bus. And by fresh air, I mean air saturated by the exhaust of dozens of transport buses and the body odor of thousands of tech geeks who just spent the day rushing around from appointment to appointment in a windowless concrete box.

9. Don’t get drunk. I know it’s Vegas.  I know there will be parties.  I know you will be tired and maybe jet lagged, or oxygen deprived.  But this is a business trip.  You will not want to call someone you met while there and have them say “Oh, right! YOU’RE the one.”  That’s bad for business.  Very very bad.

10.Try not to overhear what the hookers in the lobby of your hotel are saying.  Yes, there will be hookers.  Everywhere.  And I beg of you, BLOCK YOUR EARS.  Trust me on this, the things you hear them say will haunt you forever. (Can you feel me shuddering?  I’m shuddering.)

11. When in doubt, go with glitter.  This is Vegas, baby.  I know I said no big gambling, no big drinking, but here in Vegas, you can dress BIG.  Sequins, leather, high heels (only at night), flash!  Wear your most outrageous “I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought this and I’m never going to have anywhere to wear it” outfit and I guarantee, you’ll fit right in.  And if you don’t, who cares?  What happens in Vegas…well, you know the rest.

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