Recycle day-V-day promos

I'm totally cheating and recycling a post from last year. I really like it, though, so I thought resurrecting it might be fun. Enjoy! Sorry Krystal, but I had to cut out your input from last year :(

As promised, but not exactly in the same terms, here is a list of marketing promotions this Valentine's day that we found somewhat creative...Well, as creative as you can get amongst heart shaped food items, sexual innuendo and regular, everyday items turned pink and red for one day out of the entire year. I personally couldn't find many well executed viral marketing campaigns, so you're left with these mediocre promotions/campaigns. So, grab a handful of green M&Ms and delve into the abyss of 2008's Valetine promos.


As mentioned before, here is M&Ms viral mini-site. This is one of my top 2 pics for best Valentine's day marketing. A nice departure from all the pink and red this season!

Almost everyone of these promotions involve food of some kind...including these heart shaped salmon steaks. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and apparently it's a little easier to get there with a heart shaped filet-o-fish.

So guys, want to take your significant other on a nice dinner date, but don't want to drop a small fortune in the process? Take her (or him--we don't judge) to White Castle. I wonder if you'll have to order pomme frites instead of french fries.

Papa John's is offering heart shaped pies for the big day. Frat boys everywhere will be jamming Papa John's phone lines, stocking up on Boone's farm, and raiding Blockbuster for any any romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore tomorrow.

As if pizza wasn't enough, you can actually start tomorrow off with a big giant, you-guessed-it, heart shaped donut up to Feb. 14th. Krispy Kreme didn't want to be outdone in the heart shaped food arena, so it came up with this ingenious idea. Nothing like fat, starch and sugar to get you in the mood for love. Of course, since getting pregnant, I have been harboring a love affair of donuts, so this particular promo gets a hit on my radar.

The final, and my favorite of all the heart shaped, Valentine's themed campaigns was a site where you can put your own spin on candy hearts and send them to the one you love, or hate. Depending on your mood, or what you'd like your hearts to say. There's no filter for dirty words, so knock yourself out.

That being said, please come up with some interesting Valentine's marketing for next year, so I can have more fun blogging about your company and how you've got mad marketing skillz, yo.

Empanadas and such

I have to sing (or extol, or write, or evangelize) the praises of Empanada House on Westheimer in West Houston. I was an empanada virgin before discovering this amazing little place last Friday when lunching with a good friend.

Let me just start by saying that I have never been a huge empanada fan. Only knowing of the genre the thick, dry baked ones at Mexican bakeries that have been sitting for hours no doubt. I assumed that all empanadas were similar (yes, I fell prey to the stereotypes) and that pasteis from Brazil were ultimately better and infinitely more delicious. Apparently, I have been misinformed and have been eating the hospital cafeteria version of empanadas before Friday.

So, according to their website, these empanadas are world famous, and I will never doubt that they are. I also recall seeing somewhere that they are from Argentina, which perhaps explains the difference between the boring dry empanadas I have been eating and their delicious, moist and perfectly cooked empanadas.

Ok, now for the good part...my description of their lovely meal...

The first empanada I ate was the gaucho. It was their beautiful, bubbly, crispy/chewy, deep fried but not at all greasy crust enfolded over ground beef cooked in a flavorful, yet light tomato sauce with green olives and chopped hard boiled eggs. The combination of the sauce, the meat and the salty olives with the texture of the eggs was ridiculously good. Even though the sauce was dripping down my chin at one point, I truly didn't notice due to the cloud of euphoria surrounding my tastebuds.

The second was equally as good. The Chuckwagon...Yes, I was also turned off by the name and almost refused to eat it out of shear snootiness. I am very glad that the girl behind the counter was adamant about how awesome it is. She did not steer me wrong. It was tender brisket cooked in a light tomato sauce with perfect seasonings, onions, red wine and mushrooms. Once again, enveloped by a luscious, light, flaky, perfectly cooked, fresh out of the fryer crust. No part was over or undercooked and the fillings perfectly complemented the crust.

Then, I had dessert.

Banana filling with a touch of cinnamon sugar. Nothing else was needed, as this combination proved heavenly. It was a mini empanada, which, had I not been pregnant, would have appreciated. However, it left me jonesing for more, which is why I ended up with 4 extra dessert empanadas to take home and have been slowly eliminating one by one as not to depress myself by the sudden shortage of delicious empanadas. 

Of the dessert empanadas, the best, by far and maybe one of my new ALL TIME favorite desserts is the Evita. It is their homemade dulce de leche, walnuts and sweet potato filling. The gooey, sweet, hot goodness of the dulce de leche melds beautifully with the light, fluffy sweet potato filling and the walnuts add a touch of texture to the whole ensemble. Almost a work of art.

So, walk, don't run to The Original Marini's Empanada House on Westheimer and if you see a pregnant girl in the corner chowing down, please don't disturb her, you may be injured. Consider yourself warned.

Visit their site! Original Marini's Empanada House.

Praise Song for the Day

The inauguration yesterday left me feeling very hopeful and excited (in fact, so hopeful and excited that I woke up this morning and had a chocolate/banana malt for breakfast--sometimes I love being pregnant), so I wanted to post a transcript of the poem Elizabeth Alexander wrote and recited for the special day. I've heard lots of criticism of the poem, but I personally thought it was brilliant. So boo-yah to all those that don't appreciate great literature. This was copied from an online transcript on the NY Times website.

Praise Song for the Day 

by: Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

-And to that I say, Amen.-

Update on housing situation

So--still no house in the illustrious, thrilling, heartbreaking, enigmatic search for a new and larger domicile to house our soon to be family of 3. 

However, we are at offer #4, only to find that the house is option pending and the option is up tomorrow. So, we're just hanging around waiting until tomorrow to decide what we're going to do. Our agent has the patience of Job.

Just wanted to update friends, family and any strangers that might have any advice to share when house hunting.

All I have to say is that when we finally get THE house, the party will be HUGE! I feel a Saint Arnold kegger for this one (despite the fact that I will not be able to partake in the imbibing of spirits at that time).

Creaveability

So pregnant women are supposed to crave stuff right? Hence, my catchy title and excuse to proclaim the goodness of all the things I 'crave' or think are craveable. Pretty smart, right? My foggy brain has not reached the hormonal saturation point just yet, it seems.

Food (the best category of all):

Chinese buffets that are actually good (the one on I-10 between Wirt and Bingle exits). Hunan Chef is the name I believe. Ate myself silly there yesterday. It's a pregnant woman's dream! Seriously, where else can you get kung pao chicken, fried rice, corn nuggets and a stuffed baked potato? Let's just say I probably overdid the 'eating for two' philosophy by around 2pm. Craveability factor of 10/10.

Pizza of any kind, but especially the $5 Hot and Ready's from Little Caesar's behind my house. I dream of the cheesy, doughy, sauced goodness on a daily basis. Creaveability factor of 9/10

Beans, beans and more beans! For some crazy reason, since the dawn of mini-me's conception, I have wanted nothing more than refried pinto beans. Plain, with cheese, with eggs in a tortilla, with salsa and chips, with rice, on a chalupa, straight from the can, with cheese and sauce wrapped in a tortilla. Basically, I'm creating a burrito monster in my uterus. The beans can do no wrong in my world. Craveability of 11/10.

Donuts. Goodness gracious. Delicious fried dough covered with sugar or chocolate flavored sugar. What's not to crave? Craveability of 8/10. My current favorites are Shipley's chocolate donuts.

Fruit of any kind. The one healthy thing I crave (God's way of keeping at least a miniscule amount of nutrients flowing in this body of mine). Oranges, nectarines, plums, bananas, strawberries. Yum. I think I'll have a fruit salad today. Craveability factor of 8/10.

Other stuff:

Television shows-

The Office: I wish they made about 100 extra episodes, so I could watch one every few days or so, and not have any reruns. I could watch Dwight acting out a birth scene every day of the week! Craveability of 10/10

Damages: An exciting legal drama involving FBI, murder, corporate greed and all kinds of other good stuff. An FX show that keeps you hanging without being super-cheesy like 24. Craveability of 7/10.

30 Rock: Anything where Tracy Morgan dresses up like Teen Wolf and performs the song "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" is ok in my book. 10/10.

Clothing:

Anything stretchy in the waist area that I can confidently wear in public. Basically cute workout pants or a few sizes larger stretchy jeans from JC Penny.

Cute, warm, matching PJ's. I can thank my husband for these. However, the ones with the long john leggings are starting to depress me when I look sideways in the mirror.

Bath stuff:

AVON shower gels (cheap and smell awesome). Currently my favorites are plum/nectarine and sunflower/apricot. *Insert shameless AVON plug here* Link to my AVON site. 

Craveability of 8/10.

Anything from Bella Lucce. But especially their chocolate sugar scrub and their French sugared vanilla, silk and honey lotion. Just try to keep your husband away from the scrub, he may try to eat it. Visit their website here.

Craveability of 9/10.

What do you crave, pregnant or not?

So maybe I'm not as bad as this guy when it comes to the Chinese buffet:

Post prego friend categories

So I've realized that from the moment you tell the world you're oven is with bun, the universe will send you Negative Nellies, Encouraging Emmas, No-kid Katherines and Desperately Seeking Pregnancy Peggys. Then of course, there are the grandparents, but that's an entirely separate post.

Negative Nellies:

The people scaring you with miscarriage stories, statistics and birth horror stories (of labor and delivery, tragic pregnancies or anecdotal "my friend's cousin had a kid with 3 eyeballs" stories). I try to tune them out, but every once in a while, they'll catch hold and send me into a whirlwind of panic. I simply oblige them by fake listening and nodding at appropriate pauses. Negative Nellies can also present you with many "if this, then this" statements. For example, if you drink ANY alcohol during your pregnancy, then you will have a severely retarded child. They usually follow it up with a supposed real life example of this. I usually deal with these by going home and downing shots of vodka just to prove them wrong (ok, this IS a joke, please don't get all judgemental on me). Negative Nellies can usually also be grouped in with the Judgemental Judies.

Encouraging Emmas: 

Usually new(er) moms around your age group that are really awesome at giving practical advice and being there for any questions, however stupid they may seem. I seem to notice a pattern of having one or several kids under the age of 5. I assume their bitter, "my kids stole my chance of being an independent, freewheeling spirit" vibes haven't kicked in as they have in the Negative Nellies. They send cute little notes, enjoy attending baby showers AND watching the others open baby gifts, offer to loan you maternity clothes and/or hand me downs to your future bundle of joy. Great group for obvious reasons.

No Kid Katherines:

Your childless friends that either have no intention of getting knocked up in the near future, or no intention of ever having kids. Sort of an awkward bunch to proclaim any new baby developments to. If you're me, you find yourself completely avoiding giving any updates on the pregnancy. They may or may not be feigning interest in your uterus and it's latest habits and inhabitants, but how do you know for sure? Still great friends, but I find myself trying to keep preggo conversations to a minimum, wearing less belly hugging clothes in their presence and trying my best to fight my new 9pm bedtime to attend the occasional event or concert. They're actually really great in keeping a good balance and preventing a total collapse into the pregnancy/kids abyss and helping you enjoying pre-baby life as much as possible.

Desperately Seeking Pregnancy Peggys:

They're similar to the Encouraging Emmas in the fact that they are extremely happy for you (and seemingly mean it). They are on the parenthood path and already planning play dates in their heads. They tend to give the best shower gifts (knowing you will reciprocate one day in the not so distant future), are super excited about any and all updates and ask you all kind of questions about what you're going through. I know this, because prior to September, I was a Desperately Seeking Pregnancy Peggy. 

So ladies, now you know the categories your friends and family will fall under, some will fall under several of the categories, some in between... Now that you (and I) are Pregnant Pollys, we can enjoy the company of all of the above (even the Negative Nellies can be fun at times).

Do not house shop while pregnant

Just a word of advice to my pregnant friends (or soon to be, or one day will be). Do NOT house hunt while pregnant. I have learned that the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy will only make you more nauseous if you decide to bolster it by a few nitro packs of house hunting.

So the first house we looked at almost 2 weeks ago, put in an offer (it was the perfect house for us, by the way), listing agent took 3 days to get back with us. 3 DAYS! When you're house hunting, 3 days is like 3 weeks. Never gave us a chance to counter and never told us there was another offer. I like to call this-house lost due to @$$hole agent. Can't control other people, or their moral standards, so whatever. Pretty pissed, but as everyone says, "well obviously, it wasn't the house for you." Somehow, no tears have flowed from my poor little eyes, which is quite shocking, due to the fact that sometimes looking at a jar of peanut butter will make me cry.

Second house, we did take our time deciding on this one, BUT when we put in the offer, the day before, an offer had been accepted. DAMNIT universe! I'm pregnant. I need a stress free house hunt, but you obviously don't feel like cooperating. Where is the love?

So, perhaps you'll have better luck, but I don't suggest tampering with the already raging hormonal battle being fought in your body by introducing such a stressful situation.

OK, now, I'm off to use my new body scrub and shower gel sent to me by Bella Lucce (the most awesome bath stuff on earth). Perhaps that will equalize some of the disappointment over the last 2 weeks. You can check them out by going to www.bellalucce.com. I feel the subject of my next blog brewing, and I have a suspicion it might involve some high praise of my new bath stuff.