When our photographer Juliet told us she was going to be on Oprah. We said write a blog! Tell us all about it! So she did…
When my girlfriend Rebecca told me she was chosen to be in an intimate, interactive audience with Oprah and the author of “Conscious Parenting”, Dr Shefali Tsabary, I thought she was going to ask me to watch her daughter while she was gone. Instead she invited me to come as her one “parent” guest. I was beyond thrilled and one of the first questions that came to our mind was, “What do we wear?”. Blue Fish Clothing, of course!! We decided to meet at the store the day we were driving to Chicago. The girls at Blue Fish were so helpful in dressing us for our appointment with Oprah. After many outfit changes, we found the perfect outfits. They even lent us sandals to go with our new outfits. Being a professional photographer for Blue Fish has it’s benefits.
I had always joked that if I can AVOID being pulled on Oprah by my kids about how I messed up their childhood, then I was a successful parent. Well, I felt now, that my kids did have some influence with me going to Oprah with this parenting topic but I was grateful to embrace this information before it was too late. I have 6 children, Ages 12, 10 , 8, 6, 4, 2 yrs old. They need me to be the best possible parent, or I am messing up six lives.
Driving up to Chicago, we listened to Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson as we talked about different parenting styles. Deciding that we needed no improvements in that department (kidding), the topic went to our shabby feet. We decided we needed a pedicure with the new sandals that Blue Fish lent us (Not really thinking they would be in camera). We had a nice dinner at Cheesecake Factory after our pedicures, hit Whole Foods for some snacks and headed to my parents house (who live in Chicago) to sleep. We had an early morning the next day.
We arrived at 9am and stood in a line to enter with the other intimate, interactive audience members. Many of them had heard about Fairfield, Iowa from when Oprah visited our small town a couple years ago. We exchanged numbers in case they finally came to visit. We were led into a waiting room to fill out all the necessary paperwork, like: don’t tackle Oprah when she comes out etc. They started reading off names, and lead us to the set where the topic of parenting would be discussed and filmed LIVE then later air on Life Class with Oprah (May 18th).
As we walked on set, they looked us up and down and led us to the FRONT ROW…the closest seats you can get to Oprah and Dr Shefali! What?? Was it our beautiful outfits from Blue Fish OR our amazing Oprah-like energy?? I decided it was both. We went on to enjoy the show, on camera most of the time. I wish someone would have told me to smile more, but it really wasn’t about me… (Even though this blog is making it sound like it is.) Needless to say, we had an amazing time. We were gifted with Dr Shefali’s two parenting books which I highly recommend to any parent, grandparent, or anyone that is around children.
Thank you to the ladies at Blue Fish Clothing for dressing us and making us feel beautiful.
