BlogHer 2010: Chef Scott Leibfried at the Bumble Bee Foods Reception

On the evening of August 5th, I attended the Bumble Bee Foods reception, which took place at the Viking Demo Kitchen on Third Ave in New York City during BlogHer 2010. Even though I am not a huge fan of seafood, aside from shrimp and lobster, my husband is a seafood-lover through and through. So I was curious to see what new ways I could incorporate seafood into my family's diet.

The catered event was intimate, which was perfect. It was the night before BlogHer Day 1, so I was happy to meet some bloggers I have collaborated with online face-to-face, as well as to become acquainted with some bloggers I was not familiar with already.

The best part of the evening was watching Chef Scott Leibfried of Fox Network's Hell's Kitchen create three fairly easy recipes using some of Bumble Bee Food's new seafood products and then being able to sample the results. I was so pleased to find that Mr. Leibfried was exceptionally personable and approachable.

Here are some photos from the event . . .

Although I am not usually a fan of tuna, I actually very much liked this new product . . . the Bumble Bee Easy Peel Sensations Spicy Thai Chili Seasoned Tuna Medley. This product made me look at tuna differently and could lead to something good. I do intend to experiment a little bit. If any of these experiments turn out to be a hit with my family, then I will definitely share them under Easy Recipes.

Thank you to Bumble Bee Foods for hosting such a great event and for providing us with information, recipes, and coupons so we are able to try these new products in our own kitchen.

BlogHer 2010: A Sneak Peek at Hallmark's 2010 Holiday Products

Anyone who knows me is well-aware that Christmas is my favorite time of the year! That is why I was extremely excited to attend the Hallmark "Christmas in August" party during BlogHer 2010.

The party took place in the Martinelli Penthouse of the Buckingham Hotel in New York City. The terrace was just breathtaking, as was the view of the city and Central Park. The entire penthouse was decorated for the Holidays, which made everyone forget that we were in the midst of a hot and humid summer.

I hope you'll enjoy these photos, which give you a sneak peek of what's to come from Hallmark for Christmas and Hanukkah this year. I wish I had taken a photo of the dining area first. It was decorated so cheerfully for the guests to decorate sugar cookies. Once the cookie-decorating fun began, it was too late to capture the beautiful display.

Thank you to Catch the Moment Photo Plus for taking a holiday portrait of me (in my Shabby Apple dress) with "Nick" . . .

Thank you to Hallmark for hosting this wonderful event with delicious food and excellent company.

BlogHer 2010: Grasshoppers Shoes Saved My Feet

I am pretty picky when it comes to shoes. I consider shoes an accessory and they should not be the focus of an outfit . . . well, unless you are wearing a little black dress with red stilettos. I also usually wear comfortable shoes that have at least a 2" heel because I have found that a heel helps to absorb the shock of walking and also a little extra height never hurt anyone's confidence.

For our trip to BlogHer 2010, I packed a pair of comfortable leather sandals and a pair of mid-heel dressy strappy sandals. Both shoes are ones that I consider to be very comfortable. Still, I packed this pair of Black Jensen Stretch Nubuck shoes from Grasshoppers, a brand known for their comfortable footwear. My husband suggested that I pack sneakers, but I wanted to maintain a somewhat professional look.

After being on my feet all Thursday evening, the whole day Friday, and all Friday evening, my feet were tired. They did not hurt, nor did I have any blisters. My feet were just exhausted and I wondered how I was going to make it through the whole day on my feet again on Saturday. The second I slipped on my Grasshoppers shoes, I was relieved that I had packed them. I had to admit that I thought they might be narrow for me, since I am use to wearing rounded or square-toed shoes, but that was not the case at all. The nubuck uppers on these shoes are designed to stretch for an almost custom fit. I think these shoes were the closest I could come to wearing slippers that Saturday.

These black shoes seemed to work well with this casual top and skirt. They are minimalistic and can work easily with different outfits. I even wore them for the trip home on Sunday with a t-shirt and capri leggings. Although by Sunday, my feet and the rest of my body were dragging, these cushy shoes made me as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.

To shop for shoes or to learn more about Grasshopper's Pure Comfort System, visit Grasshoppers.com and Grasshoppers on Facebook. You can also find Grasshoppers shoes at select retailers, such as JC Penney, Burlington Coat Factory, and ShoeBuy.com .

Thank you to Grasshoppers for sending us a sample pair of shoes free of charge to base this review upon.

BlogHer 2010: Familiar Faces

It is no secret that I took many photos at BlogHer 2010, but I did not seem to take enough of all the bloggers I was finally able to meet in person. So many times, our meetings were just 60 seconds long while rushing from one place to another. I wanted to at least share the few familiar faces I did manage to capture.

To our left is Louise of MomStart and myself at the Hallmark party. Louise is also one of the 3 women who keep a charitable organization called Bloggers Give going. If you are a blogger, you should check it out and find out how easy it is to make a difference for deserving children and their families.

Me and Lee (fellow-Constructive Mom) of My Sentiment ExactLee

Renee of What Mommies Need, Cissy of Cool Baby Kid, Kate of The Shopping Mama, and Bridgette a.k.a. Experimental Mommy

Lisa of The Brand Ambassador, Life With Lisa, and The Product Review Place and Robyn of Robyn's Online World

Elizabeth of A Nut in a Nutshell

Elizabeth of Table for Five

It was such an honor to meet and spend some time with these wonderful women! I hope our paths will cross again in the future.

BlogHer 2010: Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club Event

One of the events I was most looking forward to at BlogHer 2010 was the convening of the members of the Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club with representatives of Kellogg's Brand Cereals. This meeting marked the launch of Kellogg's new website LoveYourCereal.com, a site designed to educate consumers on the benefits of, as well as the misconceptions about breakfast cereal.

This breakfast took place in the Jean Nouvel Building on W. 20th St and 11th Ave. This high rise of luxury condominiums is constructed of glass and steel and is still under construction. We were extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy the view of both the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty from this penthouse space.

I hope you'll enjoy these photos from this memorable event . . .

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Meet the Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club Team Members:

Amanda of Mommy Mandy

Audrey of Mom Generations

Caryn of Rockin Mama

Cooper of TheMotherhood

Elizabeth of BusyMom.net

Emily of TheMotherhood

Jennifer of Mom Bloggers Club

Julie of Mommie Cooks

Karen of 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

Liz of This Full House

Melanie of ModernMami.com

Nicole of Momtrends

Robyn of Robyn's Online World

Tricia of Once a Month Mom

Vanessa of ChefDruk Musings

It is an honor to be part of the same team as these outstanding bloggers.

The Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club is a paid campaign led by TheMotherhood.com . Thank you to TheMotherhood and Kellogg's for a wonderful breakfast, cereal samples, cereal bowls, and an exciting kick-off to this campaign.