Thursday, December 24, 2009

Fa-la-la-la-laaa, la-la-la-blah

Graham doesn't know if he wants Santa to visit us tonight. At least, he claims this nonsense every time I've found myself needing to remind him today that Santa is still watching and it's not too late to get on the naughty list. "I don't want Santa to come. I don't want any presents." Okay, suuuuure. And yet another exhibit into my case that he is a teenager trapped in the body of a 3-year old. His getting up at 9:00, 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. every day since I've been on vacation is yet another.

We made cookies for Santa tonight. (Take that, to-do list!!) Well, we made no-bake cookies for Santa. We put them in the fridge and the boys kept asking when we were going to make cookies. "We just did!" I explained. "But there is nothing in the OVEN!" they countered. You just can't get anything by them.

We had new master bedroom furniture delivered today - the excitement of the day, particularly now that we are trapped inside during a midwestern blizzard. So the boys just had.to.jump on our new bed. Which led to throwing pillows. Graham just couldn't stop throwing things. He had to sit in time out on his bed and when I came in to talk to him: "I just like throwing, it makes me laugh," he said. My heart melted for my boy. "Well there are certain places where you can throw," I attempted to assure him. "Where are these places? Will you take me there?" he said, eyes wide. I explained that I was talking about the place known as 'outside' and promised that tomorrow we could go out and throw all the snowballs he wanted. Come on, Mother Nature. Hear my plea, one mother to another.

If Mother Nature had a son, he would definitely be Blizzard.

Earlier this week we started our Christmas marination by driving down to Branson per my in-laws' invitation. We experienced a down-home Christmas complete with Silver Dollar City, an old-world Americana fun park, complete with electric light parade, steam engine choo-choo ride in the woods, and choreographed LED light Christmas tree (the futuristic part of the old world). I thought was quite the experience, and so did most of the four-state region. We were often engulfed in the masses, which Hubby Hawks loathes. "Get me out of here!" he would say while simultaneously being brushed against by five strangers. "Merry Christmas dear," I did my job as Blood Pressure Stabilizer. (He is going to LOVE Disney World next year!)

And Merry Christmas to you and yours from the Hawks Nest. And to all, a good night.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Why I Am an Accenture Mombassador

Oh, Tiger. You certainly fooled us.

Weeks after your scandalous news broke, it’s not the fact that you aren’t the role model we thought you were. It’s not the fact that you are cheating on a Swedish model and having unprotected sex with random women you meet in bars and clubs. It’s not the fact that my husband has always looked up to you (*ahem*).

No, what I’m struggling with now is actually not even your fault directly. You see, it’s not about how you fooled us, but about how some of your sponsors are still fooled. I just can’t fathom why some of them are standing by you, you dirty, dirty liar.

Let’s take Nike, for example, which pays you $30 million dollars a year. You just paid one of your mistresses some of these millions. These are the dollars that hardworking Americans earn and spend on your sponsors’ products. The sponsors hand the money over to you. To sell more of their products. Do they think the American public is stupid enough to want to buy more of said products because you, the now exposed Tiger Woods, are telling them to?

"I think he's been really great. When his career is over, you'll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now," said Phil Knight, Nike’s chairman and co-founder.

A minor blip. The media is making a big deal. Is Phil Knight married?

Spokespeople are chosen to represent companies and their products based on character, likeability, and some perception that people want to emulate their actions. Do your sponsors really believe that we think you are still likeable? Yes, you are the greatest golfer to every play the sport, but doesn't likeability incorporate the personal, not just the professional? (And dear God, I hope people aren’t wanting to emulate your actions.)

Will moms start to think twice about buying their families Nike shoes considering Nike’s position? Is Nike considering their mom consumers in making the choice to disregard Tiger’s “transgressions?”

Some may argue that Nike believes Tiger’s image will turn around somewhere down the line. But it really doesn’t matter if or when Tiger ever makes a comeback. What matters is that right now, Nike believes that Tiger still personifies the qualities that it wants its spokespeople to have.

Should it matter to consumers that Nike is willing to show more loyalty to its fallen spokesperson than to its own integrity for being associated with an immoral cheater?

Kudos to Accenture for giving its consumers more credit than that.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Family Band

"Mommy, when you grow up you should be a rockstar. And I will be a rockstar. And we will play our guitars together and sing. And Daddy and Reid will be rockstars and you and Daddy will stand together and I will stand by you and Reid will stand by Daddy. And I will have a big boy microphone and Reid will have a little microphone because he's little and you and Daddy will have big microphones."

Oh dear God, in my son's mind we are not the Hawks Family... we are the Partridge Family.

The Partridge Family of Rockstars.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Liz isn't in the nest today...

...because I'm over at JessicaKnows.com - the blog of a colleague of mine in Fleishman-Hillard's Sacramento office, where I guest posted. Oh, and Jessica (whose last name is really Smith, not Knows) just happens to be one of Neilsen's Top-50 Power Moms, a major social media influencer and has all kinds of readers from all kinds of places. Check me out over there and leave a comment if you're interested in the discussion! And if not (hi, Hawks family!) and you just read here for Hawklet pictures, I'll be back soon!