Suzannah Otis

Once Upon a Time…

2 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

This is part 1 in the All About Me series for NaBloWriMo that I’m taking part in for February.

So I figured what better place to start than the beginning right? My parents met in Boston, when my dad was working in the same restaurant as my mom’s ex-husband – my siblings dad. Her ex-husband was working there on the side, his actual career was that of a high school English teacher. My dad had moved up from waiter to Maitre D’ of this particular place, The Cafe Budapest. This was a 5-star Hungarian restaurant run by a feisty woman named Edith Ban, a Holocaust survivor with her concentration camp number tattooed on her arm, a flair for business and wearing beautiful white dresses. The restaurant was famous for its cuisine as well as its color-themed rooms and was featured briefly in the movie The Housesitter.

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National Blog Posting Month-A Month of ME!

1 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

Those of you who have been online for a while have probably heard of NaNoWriMo before – National Novel Writing Month. The goal there is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I tried it once about 4 or 5 years ago, and didn’t get much past a first chapter. Blogging is a little less daunting, so with a reminder from a friend’s blog, I thought I’d sign up and give NaBloPoMo a try.

Since I can’t ever make things easy, I thought I’d go a step further and make all posts related to this month about me. Yes. Me. Of course I’ve blabbed about myself before, usually in relation to Disney and my memories there, but I thought I’d use this slightly shortened month to talk about myself, either in-depth or just some fluff pieces. A lot of times you stumble across a blog or a person online and you think you know them based on their likes, their recent entries or their tweets. Sometimes what’s visible is only the tip of the iceberg that is the person behind a blog. The way I relate best to people is based on common background or interests. I know I instantly feel a kinship with someone if they say “I love David Bowie!” or “That was my favorite toy as a child!”. Why not expand on that and see just how much we all have in common?

So welcome aboard and stay tuned for some fun (and hopefully interesting) posts all about me. There will probably be additional non-me-related posts this month as well, but I’ll try to do 28 NaBloPoMo posts on their own. That said – any questions or topic ideas about me you’d like me to touch on? I’m all ears (or eyes really). 😉

Adding Pixie Dust to Social Media at Walt Disney World

29 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 14 Comments

Followers on twitter, facebook, or even readers here of my posts on Solo-parenting tips and First-timer tips have probably heard of the upcoming Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World. Having dipped its toes into the ocean of social media and mom bloggers for a while now with Magical Mom Blogger trips and cruises, Disney has now decided to venture into the world of social media conferences.

walt-disney-world2 — Walt Disney World knows how to CELEBRATE!

Walt Disney World will play host to over 100 mom (and dad) bloggers on February 10-12, 2010. Lucky attendees will be treated to what Disney does best – celebrate! Even the name reveals it is not just another blogging conference – celebration is right in the title. And as if simply being on Walt Disney World property for the event was not enough, Disney went the step further to host guests at one of its Deluxe properties, the Polynesian Resort, add in amazing social media speakers who are the top in their field, AND allow attendees to bring family members as part of the conference fee. The value for this event is just mind-boggling since staying at the Polynesian for even one night is close to the cost for the entire 3-night event (including up to 3 guests) with park tickets, some meals and who knows what other surprises Disney has in store. When I first saw the event invitation, I knew I would do whatever it took to be able to attend. This is simply a once-in-a-lifetime event (which I hope happens more than once as I’m sure this is only the beginning of Disney’s social media conference hosting!). I’ve come to the astute conclusion that this taking part in once-in-a-lifetime events thing is a good habit to have. That’s a good plan, right?

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11 Years Ago I had the Best SuperBowl Party Ever

28 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

11 years ago, I wasn’t exactly partying like it was 1999. I had high blood pressure, swollen ankles and was pretty much done with being pregnant. It had been a rocky start due to severe morning sickness that left me unable to even keep water down. Typical first-time mom-to-be worries kept me on edge most of the pregnancy and after being told it was a girl for almost 5 months only to discover in the ultrasound it was a boy, I was always expecting the unexpected. So perhaps I should’ve known in the morning when I went in for my 37 week check up on that last Friday in January, that I’d be admitted to the hospital by that night.

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Ace of Cakes & Cake Boss Watch Out!

26 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 12 Comments

Actually, I kid. A lot. Charm City Cakes, Buddy from Cake Boss and any other bakers, with or without tv shows, have absolutely NOTHING to worry about. However, I am in need of their creative thinking right now. I’ve sort of built up a reputation of making fun and exciting cakes for the two big kids birthday parties and now that I’ve sent out invitations for my baby’s 11th birthday party (I still remember MY 11th birthday like it was yesterday…how can I have an 11 year-old son?!), I am drawing a blank as to how to compete with prior years’ creations. I took a year off for C’s last party because I was still adjusting to having a baby around and the place we had the party offered ice cream cakes, so it seemed to work. However with S’s last party, I upped the ante with the famous Spaghetti & Meatballs Cake for her Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs movie party, so I feel it’s only fair I get back on track for C’s party in 2 weeks.

Click to continue to cake pictures!

Back to School – It’s Never Too Late!

25 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

I’m in the process right now of filling out my FAFSA form for 2010 and beginning the process of going back to school to complete my degree. Those who’ve known me for the past 10 years or so know this has always been a big goal for me.

To make a very long story short not as long, when I was actually IN college back in the 1990’s, I’m not really sure what happened. I loved high school so much and I did well. I was in all honors and AP classes and graduated with honors. However, I soon discovered that being in a small, close-knit Catholic high school was quite different from heading off to an enormous college in downtown Boston. I loved my classes, but being a commuter, I sort of floundered socially. It was much easier to find an excuse why I couldn’t make it in to classes than to suck it up and head in town. I thought maybe the school was the issue, and transferred to…an even bigger school in another part of Boston. I’m not sure why I thought that’d solve my problem. Again, loved my classes…that’s where I majored in Creative Writing for Children and later Public Relations…but again, I just felt lost.

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Goat Cheese in Puff Pastry with Balsamic Vinegar

21 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

A little while back my friend wanted to come over and make a Beef Wellington for the first time ever. I’ve seen enough Gordon Ramsay shows to know that dish was a bit too intimidating for me to even attempt. Not wanting to be completely useless, I decided to make us some appetizers using the goat cheese we’d just brought home and some frozen puff pastry shells we had. Now before you think, wow, Zanna has written a whole paragraph and there is no mention of Disney – what gives? Well, I’ll have you know that whenever I think of goat cheese, I think of Tony’s Town Square restaurant in Magic Kingdom, which at one time served a baked goat cheese appetizer and it was divine. So that’s what made me decide to whip this up that night. I posted a picture on Twitter and got many compliments and requests for a recipe, so I thought I’d share.

Click to see recipe and picture

Revenge of Harold’s Purple Crayon

18 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

Surely we all remember that beloved children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon, right? That Harold was every child’s hero with his ability to create a wonderful world of purple from a single crayon. He was also every parent’s nightmare. Purple crayon?! Just where is he drawing this world? As a parent you have to ask – what was that author thinking?! Of course, I’m just kidding, the book is a wonderful reminder of just how vast a child’s imagination is and the wonders it can create. But I recently had my own experience with a purple crayon that made me look at it in a completely different light.

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The Great T.P. Debate! Cottonelle Over/Under Contest

14 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 24 Comments

I’m sure you’ve seen the new Cottonelle commercials featuring the debate of the ages – putting the toilet paper over or under when you start a new roll. If you’re anything like me, you are pretty passionate over your choice. I know I actually get kind of annoyed at the people on the commercials that say “Under!” How can they possibly feel under is the way to go? OVER is clearly the only choice, it shows the top of the roll that way – and every time you are in a hotel, you always know housekeeping has been there because they fold the TOP of the roll into a nice little triangle – hanging OVER the roll!! 😉

But don’t let my opinion sway you – you can now vote for your own choice, over or under! Head to http://www.cottonellerollpoll.com and place your vote!

Also, by leaving a comment on this post you will be entered to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries!

Disclosure: By posting this entry, I am entering a contest for a month’s worth of Cottonelle toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.