Can you spot my quick quote in this video about what moms really want for Mother's Day? (I mean it: Keep the breakfast, just give me the bed!)
For the May issue of Parents, I got to hear from eight inspiring moms who are working to make the world a better place. If you have a problem who needs fixing, definitely call a mom.
We featured Bethenny Frankel, who chartered her own private planes to bring disaster relief to Puerto Rico; Senator Tammy Duckworth, the first serving senator to give birth while in office; Bozoma Saint John, the chief brand officer at Uber tasked with making it a company worth supporting; Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; Ellen Oh, author and co-founder of We Need Diverse Books; Sarah Evans, who helps build sustainable water infrastructure in Africa; Theresia Gouw, a VC who made headlines recently for being a part of the #AllRaise movement for equality in investing; and Vien Truong, whose organization works to fight pollution and poverty concurrently. Phew! That's a lot of #momspiration.
As 2017 comes to a close, here's a look back at some of the stories I've written in the last stretch of the year.
Plus one special feature that I didn't write, but had the pleasure of editing.
Just wanted to pop in to urge everyone to check out the September issue of Parents magazine, which features a beautiful new redesign including a brand-new font! Just look at that lowercase "a!"
It's been an honor going through the redesign process for the front-of-book, and really rethinking what we want moms to experience when they open the magazine—finding that right mix of humor, service, and heart. Take a look at the September FOB and see what you think.
Before we launched our big redesign, I got to do a couple of super fun pieces for August that I'm particularly proud of, too.
Disney World is on of my favorite places on Earth, so I was extremely excited to be one of the first to visit Pandora: The World of Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom for Parents. I had some tips on traveling there with the kiddos.
Click through to read the rest of the piece at Parents."1. Carve out some time to just explore the land. You may think that, with only two rides, it'll be easy to breeze through Pandora, but there's a lot to be seen just by walking around the paths. One Disney expert I spoke with suggested that you plan on spending 45 minutes there in addition to the time you'll spend waiting on line for the attractions. Look for interactive elements, like playable Na'vi drums and exotic plants that steam and squirt water at guests.
2. Pandora looks completely different in the daytime, when you can see all the details of the extra-terrestrial flora, and at night, when the bioluminescence of the land gives everything a blacklit glow. It's worth it to see it in both lights. Animal Kingdom is looking to beef up its other nighttime offerings, like adding the new Rivers of Light show (which was sadly rained out for my visit). If the kiddos can't stay up that late, though, you can get a good idea of the bioluminescence in the Na'vi River Journey.
3. Talk with the cast members. Everybody has a tale of how they ended up on Pandora—you can start by asking them if they were born on Pandora or Earth. The "Field Guides" walking around can give you even more background about the world's creatures, teach you some of the Na'vi language, and offer hints about what you may see, like how to tell the difference between a true Na'vi and a lab-created avatar. (Hint: Count the fingers.)"
Still got my hands full with the little one, who is now so, so much bigger than she was when this photo was taken by Ulysees Photography. But I'm resurfacing for a second to say that I've got a new gig as the News Editor at Parents. (The baby now counts as research.) Keep an out for my byline there, or follow the just-for-fun pop-culture blog/podcast I contribute to at SportsAlcohol.com.