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Do you hear that? No… Listen.

It’s the sound of coffee brewing in my otherwise empty house. I just dropped off the husband and the kids at their various places of employ/school. My first meeting isn’t until 10am. My phone is on silent. My email is being ignored. It’s just me and my cup of coffee.

It’s this tiny moment in the morning- the proverbial calm before the storm- that gets me thought my entire day. What a luxury it is to have it!

What are the essential luxuries you need to get  through your day? After all, a life well lived is marked by moments of simple pleasures.

Is it looking forward to a night out with friends? A great book? A lovely new handbag for the Spring?  No matter how big or small your essential luxuries may be, share them with Acura in a short video (less then two minutes) and be entered to win an all-expenses paid weekend getaway for two in Scottsdale, Arizona and a MacBookPro* 

Stay at a luxury hotel and test drive the 2013 Acura RDX before it becomes available to the public. You’ll also receive a personal introduction to the vehicle from the people who designed it with luxury in mind. For more details and to submit your video, head to the RDX Challenge tab on the Acura Facebook Page.

To enter to win this fabulous weekend getaway, please “like” the Acura Facebook page and find the tab for the RDX Challenge on the left-hand side of the screen. The instructions and how to submit your video are all there.

But wait! That’s not the only opportunity to win a bit a luxury and learn more about the 2013 Acura RDX….

Join Splash Creative Media on Wednesday, February 1st from 9-10 pm ET (6-7 pm PT) for a fun Twitter party, where we’ll discuss the contest, the 2013 Acura RDX, and of course, life’s essential luxuries.

It’s easy to join the party. Simply follow the hashtag #RDXContest.

Hosts:
@JustPrecious, @CentsibleLife, @TechSavvyMama, @GraceDuffy

Please also follow:
@Splash_Creative and @Acura_Insider

Prizes: 

We’ll also be giving away prizes that will help you experience luxury in your everyday life!

• $25 Barnes & Noble gift card
• $25 Starbucks gift card
• $50 SpaFinder gift card
• $50 Restaurant.com gift card
• Grand Prize: Nook Simple Touch (valued at $99)

How to Enter:

RSVP below for a chance to win!

Enter your name and Twitter handle. To be eligible to win you must RSVP and participate in the party using #RDXContest. All winners will be chosen by random drawing and must have a mailing address within the United States. Official rules can be found on the Splash Creative Media site.

Disclaimers: *MacBook Pro is a trademark of Apple Inc. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion. Acura of Honda Motor Corp. is a client of Splash Creative Media, which is a property of Just Centsible.

I met Project Runway’s Anya Ayoung-Chee at the Clever Girls Collectives’ Ladies who Tech Happy Hour at the super swank Wynn/Encore hotel in Las Vegas. We both were in town for CES 2012 and taking a much needed break from the frenetic show floor.

I am normally terrible when it comes to recognizing celebrities, but I knew Anya immediately. It was as if I spent an hour with her in my living room every week for fourteen weeks in a row. Oh wait… I did.

I adored her on the ninth season of Project Runway, cheered along as she won the competition, and was thrilled at the chance of meeting her in person. She is as lovely and gracious seated across a table as she appeared to be on the show. We had a terrific conversation, and as a testament to what a tech-savvy and dedicated blogger I am, it did not occur to me to RECORD any of it until halfway in.

That night, I ran back to my hotel room (on the less then swanky side of the Strip) to record every bit of wisdom, inspiration, and insight gained from my fifteen minutes of rubbing elbows with fame. So, how did this graphic artist turned beauty queen turned reality show sensation win it all at Project Runway within just FOUR MONTHS of learning to sew?

Focus on What Matters. Forget the Rest.

What I found most inspiring about Anya was actually her inability to sew, and I told her so.

You could turn any garment that Laura, Josh, or Victor made inside out and wear it. The craftsmanship was so flawless. My clothes were probably a mess up close, but you couldn’t tell on the runway.

As Michael Kors repeats season after season of the show, “It’s Project Runway, not Project Seamstress”. Anya latched on to that idea quickly and knew exactly where  to spend her energy. She focused on her talents and did not let the other stuff (the things that didn’t matter anyway) bog her down.

She could have beaten herself up over her supposed lack of sewing abilities. She could have obsessed over all the reasons why she “shouldn’t” and “can’t” and “what if”, all the while talking herself out of even trying. Instead, she decided to win.

Everyone is filling a role that they think they ought to be.

The funny thing about TV is that we use it to watch “reality” when we know perfectly well that it is anything but… Scenes are edited. Words are taken out of context. Other things are added. Yet, we still want to believe that it’s all truth and goodness.

I’ve only been on one side of it, so I asked Anya what it was really like to be on Project Runaway. The REAL Project Runway.

The cattiness and drama on the show was… surprise… edited into the show. According to Anya the entire group was very supportive of one another and had a strong sense of camaraderie.  Remarks seen on TV were taken out of context or completely forgotten.

This made it awkward to watch the show together, but we all understood that what you saw on TV wasn’t real.

When I asked what it was like to be judged on the runway week after week, she admitted that it truly was nerve-wracking.

“Michael Kors was so funny,” she added. She knew not to take his remarks personally, but use it as advice. “Heidi, Tim, Michael, Nina. They all wanted us to succeed and they were only trying to help. They just seemed harsher when on TV because that was the role they were supposed to play”.

I’m very guilty to taking any sort criticism to heart.  My first reaction is to lash out, defend myself, or just freak out. In reality, there can be a lot of good to be gained from criticism– an opportunity to do better, suggestions for improvements, holes in your plan. However you want to take it, it’s just as important to consider the source. Perhaps, they too are simply “playing a role” that they think they need to fill.

Get to work.

When Tim Gunn visited Anya at home, she had completed very little. At the time, there was civil unrest in her home country, a lot going on in her personal life, and the added pressure of competing on the show. “The stress was just so overwhelming!” she said, and it showed in her work. She flitted from one idea to another, accomplishing nearly nothing. How many of us can relate to this? 

The best advice from Tim was to just muscle through.

Treat my workroom as an intensive incubator. Start draping muslin. Get to work.

I asked how she was able to find her focus during the show. While the show was broadcast once a week, the challenges came one right after the other with very little time to rest and regroup in between. “It was grueling,” says Anya, but she credits her success to remaining focused and being cut off from the rest of the world. All together. All in it together. There were no distractions or outside delays.

It’s no surprise that the most productive time is alone time, free of interruptions and distraction. And, the best way to get alone time is to demand it.  Set aside specific hours in which you turn off your phone, block social media, and don’t hold any meetings. Shut the door, sit down, and focus nonstop.

In other words, GET TO WORK.

A redesigned, all new Honda 2012 CR-V  was debuted at the LA Auto Show before Thanksgiving. A few weeks prior, I was invited by Honda to gorgeous Park Hyatt Aviera in Carlsbad, California on a convert mission to test drive this fabulous new car for myself.

No Tweeting. No Facebook. No blog posts until it could be unveiled to the public! In other words, pure agony…  So it is with so much suppressed excitement that I share with you what an honor and a thrill it was to be a part of this event!

Read the rest of my review of the Honday 2012 CR-V on my friend and Wonder Tech Twin, Leticia Barr’s site, Tech Savvy Mama… Beep, Beep! 

Disclosure: I was a guest of Honda for their CR-V press event in Carlsbad, California. Honda provided travel arrangements and accommodations. Although I was not required to write about the event, I was more than happy to do so. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received. Images courtesy of Honda. 

Behold, the Duffy family holiday card of 2011 has arrived!

Front:

Back:

It took not one… but two photo sessions to capture the right images in this card. The first one was the wrong time of day. The kids were cranky and the lighting was wrong. We were all sweaty and stressed… and it showed. So we recreated the “moment” a week later, except earlier in the day. Clothing, hairstyles, and make-up were nearly the same. (Spot the difference and you get a prize… and by prize, I mean a hardy “Good job!”)

It took another week to get the images from the photographer, and a few more days to pick the right card and wording. Finding gorgeous holiday cards was simple. It was picking just ONE that was the hard part. Regardless, the entire process took a lot time and energy that, quite frankly, I have very little to spare these days.

So, why do I even bother?

I would like to think that our friends and family would notice if we didn’t send cards this year– that the Duffy mugs and our holiday greetings of good cheer and love would be greatly missed on their mantle, door frame, or wherever else one displays holiday cards. On the other hand, I would like to think that people would totally understand…

After all, I’m not that great about sending birthday greetings and (shameful admission) were it not for Facebook to remind me, I would probably forget entirely.  I have two little kids! I’m a working mom! We have a busy life! These are things that my dearest already know about me (and they love me anyway).

So, again, why do I bother sending my annual Christmas card?

It’s because I’m not that great with everyday greetings, and this is my one time of the year to tell people that I still think of them– everyday, in some way– even if I don’t have the time to call or email or whatnot.

It’s because I am a busy working mom, and it’s important to reflect and remember for whom and why I am working  so hard.

It’s because I have two terrific kids (and a wonderful husband) and I want my pride in them to show.

It’s because my dearest family and friends DO care to know how we are doing.

It’s because getting a photo done, picking out a card, and finding just the right words is as close to handmade as I will ever get, but the sentiment, care, and love is just as deep.

It’s because I really do love all of you so much… and wish you a Happy Christmas and a New Year filled with boundless joy and rich with  blessings.

Disclosure: I have been contracted to work for Tiny Prints through the holiday season. Regardless of my employment status, I order holiday cards every year and will continue to do so for as long as possible! I have not been compensated for this post, and the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 

Friday afternoon, my son greeted me after school a huge smile and a heavy backpack.

“Is this all of your work from your very first week of Kindergarten?” I asked in delirious excitement.

“No, Mommy. It’s something for you,” he said handing over his load. Inside was The Entertainment Book, two catalogs- one for cookie dough and one for wrapping paper, and a letter to the parents. Gee thanks, school.  

This is my third year as a parent at this school, so I know the drill and I  know that the school really needs the help. Incidentally, this is also the third year that I’ve petitioned for a “Write a Check” campaign and have been refused. Apparently, our school has some very “motivated” parents who like the thrill of the sale and I am definitely NOT one of them.

I went to private school all of my life and I’ve choose to do the same for my own children. I know this part of the deal, but things have changed significantly since my day.

For one, my little sister and I actually used to go door to door unaccompanied throughout the far-reaches of our neighborhood to do our school fundraising– something completely unheard of these days.  I barely let my children play in the front yard without my supervision, so the onus of raising these funds are all on me, which brings me back to my original point…

Let’s just have a ”Write a Check” campaign and call it a day, shall we? No? Huumph. 

In that case, here are three fundraising ideas that have captured my imagination and my heart in the past few days: 

Original Works of Art

Last week, Cool Mom Picks featured an interesting school fundraising idea from Portrait Press Fundraising. Instead of shilling stuffy wrapping paper or cookie dough I wouldn’t trust to spackle a bathtub, why not offer original art from the kids in the class?

Two Brooklyn parents–daunted by the amount of money their schools always needed (but couldn’t seem to raise)–realized that if they sold an item everyone wanted, money could be raised with a lot less fuss. So they developed their Portrait Press fundraising kit, wherein each class creates artwork for a tea towel, pillowcase, or tote bag.  (source: Cool Mom Picks)

It’s a very sweet idea, but…. of course, I can’t seem to leave well enough alone.  I would only be interested if I could purchase just MY kids’ artwork or hand print or whatever on the object.

Frankly, I don’t really want to remember the kid who threw Scout’s shoe in the toilet and thereby forced me to carry him… and his backpack… and his lunchbox… and his sister to the car…

Yes. This is a true story. It happened a few weeks ago during camp, but I’m still bitter about it. Slightly.

Building a Library

Another idea that my co-room parent offered up for the school auction in the Spring is to have the Kindergarten paint a bookcase. Each family contributes a few book to put on it and the entire thing is put on auction. The highest bidder would get to keep the bookcase and all of the books.

It supports reading. It involves the parents and the kids, and it’s something people would actually want. I love, love, love this idea.

Priceless Photos into Holiday Cards

No one can resist adorable photos of their own child, especially when an expert photographer is taking them!

To help raise money for the school, a parent at my Lou’s daycare volunteered to do photo sessions with the kids dressed up as cowboys and girls and riding a pony. I don’t typically go for these sort of staged photos. In fact, I think they are super cheesy, but the look on my daughter’s face riding that pony…. OH MY OVARIES! I bought them. I bought them all!

The best part about it was of the surprise factor. They didn’t announced that they were doing these photos. Well, maybe they did? I don’t know since I’m so rushed trying to get to and from work from the school that I never pay attention to the signs and notices posted.

Of course, this makes me a perfect sucker for these things, because when do busy, over-scheduled, frazzled working parents have time to organize professional photos. Uh, never.

I would have gladly paid triple the amount if they had let me bring my son and given me the digital images for my Christmas cards.

What are your thoughts on school fundraising? What has worked for your school? What has flopped? 

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Remember: Leave a comment on this post for an additional entry into our Fill the Backpack giveaway. Each member of Splash Creative Media is offering a backpack overstuffed with over $750 worth of  Back to School merchandise.  Enter to win on any or on all of our blogs.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Splash Creative Media as part of the Fill the Backpack Campaign. The thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect those of  Splash Creative Media or any of our Fill the Backpack sponsors.