Author Archive
October 9th, 2009, 2:16 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
 “We all love your blog here at the Register.”
That’s the e-mail I received from Theresa Walker, an editor of the Life section of The Orange County Register, over two years ago (I still have it). She was commenting on the “citizen blog” I was writing on the Register’s website. Anyone can have their own blog on the site and I signed up and started blogging … and blogging … and blogging, hoping someone would notice me. I was thrilled when I received her e-mail.
We met for lunch and that’s when Theresa asked me to be one of the bloggers for The Mom Blog — again, THRILLED! I had been a stay-at-home mom for three years and had started blogging after a heart-to-heart with my husband over dinner one night. He told me he thought I was a creative person with no creative outlet and suggested I search for my calling. Then I told him I had this hair-brained idea about starting to blog. He was all for it.
We launched OC Moms in February 2008 and I kicked off my blog, then named “Mommy’s Mind is not a Toy,” with this post “…and all the germs laughed.”
Since then I’ve made a lot of friends here in this space and connected with a lot of O.C. Moms. But, now it’s time for me to move on to other writing adventures that have come to me in cyberspace.
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Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • Roxanne "Roxy" Hack rocks • stay-at-home mom • Theresa Walker rules! | 24 Comments »
September 29th, 2009, 12:53 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
(Photo by Suzanne Broughton)
Although it has been in the 90’s in Orange County the last two weeks, the calendar says it’s Fall and Disneyland has all their decorations out for the season, which has kinda got me in the mood, even though I’m still sporting jeans, a tank top and my Rainbows.
On Saturday I was treated, along with a handful of other mom bloggers, to a VIP Tour of Disneyland’s new Halloween Time attractions, decor, and shows. Though Disneyland has had Halloween events in the past, mostly in California Adventure, this year they pulled out all the stops and decorated both parks in orange and black, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts.
We spent the day cruising the park, riding some of the new attractions, and eating at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. You can check out the Whrrl Picture Story I did with Debbie Lavdas of Peace, Love, and Momminess for more photos.
While waiting for the fireworks to start, at the very last minute, a few of us were ushered to a prime spot right in front of the castle and we were treated to what I think is Disneyland’s best fireworks to date: Halloween Screams - A Villainous Surprise in the Skies. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • Disneyland • Disneyland fireworks • ghost galaxy • Halloween time | 12 Comments »
September 21st, 2009, 2:53 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
Well, I’m sick. Almost like clockwork, two weeks into school and a kid gets sick. Just like buying a new backpack, coming down with something is part of the back to school process. My son Ben, who just started kindergarten, was the first to bring home the inaugural virus.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t resist kissing my sick kids. I know I shouldn’t. It goes against all logic, but when they are clingy, fevery, and snotty, I just can’t resist smothering them with smooches like they are some kind of get well balm. This is one of those things that before you were a parent you would NEVER consider doing, but now, seeing your own kids sick your instincts kick in.
Sometimes it seems that whether I get sick or not is more like a lottery than a science that involves germs and immune systems. SOMETIMES, I can almost OD on Emergen-C, pick-up every dirty tissue as carefully as if it were covered with black widow spiders, and wash my hands like Monk and I still wind up with the sniffles or the throw-up’s or whatever combo is in this season. So, why not hug and kiss away, right? This might be my lucky flu season…and they are sick after all.
One of the weirdest parts of having a sick kids is the inevitable ”who done it” we all play–come on, I see you there, you do this too. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • sick kids • sick mommy | 7 Comments »
September 19th, 2009, 4:42 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
http://www.vimeo.com/6612464
As promised, here’s a video I put together from the D23 Expo. It’s long, long, long, at 5 minutes, but I wanted to get in all the Disney people talking about the coming changes to Disneyland and a bit with the talking trash can, and of course a clip montage set to ’80s music.All very important.
You can read my post about D23 here: History was made and remembered at D23.
Some of my other Disney related videos:
Disneyland Press Event Outtakes
Mickey Mouse’s Trick-or-Treat Party
My interview with John Addis, Senior Show Director at Disneyland, about Magical.
Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • d23 expo | 1 Comment »
September 16th, 2009, 12:41 pm by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
I was a part of history on Saturday when I attended the very first D23 Expo. Fans of all thing Disney converged on three floors of the Anaheim Convention Center for four days to meet Disney stars, listen to Imagineers talk about the creative process, and just simply bask in the joy of being among people who also have a passion for that perky mouse.
D23 was introduced in March of this year and touted as The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience. It included a WEBSITE, in which you can still become a charter member, and an annual D23 Expo. (”D” for Disney and “23″ for the year the Walt Disney Company was founded.) The concept brings every aspect of the Disney experience under one umbrella: D23.
… and bring everything together they did at the D23 Expo. The Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Channel, collectors, Disney Artists, the Disney Store, and even Pixar had their digs set up and were selling their own particular slice of the Disney brand.
The D23 Expo also became a place for the Disney higher-up types to make announcements and answer questions from the media (which included me and Marcy with our press passes), and fans alike.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the news that surrounds Disneyland:
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Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • anaheim convention center • cars land • d23 expo • disney fan • Disneyland • toontown | 7 Comments »
September 11th, 2009, 10:08 am by Suzanne Broughton, Contributing Writer
(From the Worldwide Kids’ Art Gallery.)
Today I was caught off-guard by my daughter in the car on the way to school. “What is a terrorist?” she asked me from the back seat, dressed in red, white and blue for her school’s “Patriot Day.”
“Umm, well…A terrorist? Good question…umm” I stammered. Like most important parenting moments so far, I was unprepared. I don’t want to scare her, but I want her to know why today is significant and give her an appreciation for the people who tragically and heroically died eight years ago.
In my mind I went through three or four different answers and each one seemed wrong–like TMI for an eight-year-old. So, I did what I thought was right for the moment, I asked her what she knew about 9/11 (which was more than I thought) and told her I would love to talk about it when she got home today, because (look at that?) we were almost at school. **whew**
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Posted in: MomCrush - Suzanne Broughton • talking to kids about 9/11 | 12 Comments »
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