CityMama™

Meeting Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards looks on as Mary Tsao speaks.

A couple of days ago I was contacted by Beth of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog to ask if I'd like to join them in meeting Elizabeth Edwards (wife of the man who should be our Vice President right now). I said "yes!" even before I had babysitting lined up, that's how much I wanted to go.

I knew that she had a new book out—I'd seen her trying to get a word in edgewise with Charlie Rose (will he just shut up already?)—and I was curious to see what she had to say. I so hoped that it wasn't another one of those, "I'll give you my book if you promise to blog about it" deals.

In preparation for today's meeting, I bought her book Saving Graces. I figured that I would flip through it and see if any questions jumped out at me. To my surprise, once I cracked it, I could not put it down, and was up until 3AM last night finishing it. Elizabeth Edwards is a very compelling writer. Her book is actually very "bloggish" (or "journalish") in that you feel that she is talking directly to you. She is raw and honest and doesn't hold anything back. The book is inspiring and so touching.

I don't normally pick up books like this and might have passed it up because we already know so much about the Edwards family, their down-to-earth roots, the tragic loss of their son in a car accident, that she had two kids in her late forties, her breast cancer struggle.  But I am so glad that the universe aligned and the book found its way into my hands.  It sounds corny, but I feel I am a better person today for having read it.

True confessions

I subscribed to Cookie magazine under the guise that I need it for "work research," and...

I love it.

I know! (Commence teasing.)

I thought the premiere issue was a little over-the-top, but I'm giving it a second chance. If you ignore the ridiculous "fashion spreads" it actually has a lot of interesting and informative content.  At least to me anyway.

It's the first parenting magazine that I've ever subscribed to, and I like that it's unapologetically different. I can't tell any of the other parent rags apart, can you? Sure some articles and ads make me snicker a bit (like the Bugaboo* ad that's on page 1 and 2) but on the whole, I can relate to much of it.

I'm that quirky demographic of parents that are too cheap practical to buy an Xplory or Dwell sheets for my kid, but I also won't buy my kids clothes at Target because they are shite. I will happily pay $25 for a kid's shirt or $60 for a pair of children's shoes if it means they will last. I know high-price doesn't always mean high-quality, but lots of times? It does. It's hella embarrassing, but I admit it: I'm glad that a magazine exists that I can kinda relate to.

Just call me "target market."

Anyone else want to confess anything today? Like you secretly love Dr. Phil or you spent your kid's tuition money on a designer handbag? Tell me.

*I know it's an easy target, but it's an easy target because paying $700+ for a stroller is ridiculous.