Miss Info Writes: People are usually shocked when I tell them that I’m actually kind of shy in real life… but it’s true. Pulling out stories from others is a breeze, but talking about myself is pure struggle. That said, I loved opening up my humble abode to our friends from The FADER and Sonos for their incredible “At Home With” series because I know that there are so many folks out there just like me, cramming family, friends, work, and of course, music into their day.
READ: Kiesza And Miss Info Tour New York City (Video)
Watch as I drag Mikey Fresh to the farmer’s market, have a brainstorming meeting about our upcoming site redesign (it’s finally coming!), eat bagels and lox with my girls, and listen to some tunes with my 3-month old baby boy, Max. Most importantly…I get to share some thoughts about being a working mom isn’t a sacrifice, it’s a bonus!
Even before Max was born, I started planning some new projects that explore the lifestyle of folks who live and breathe hip hop like ourselves, our readers, our colleagues, and the artists we love. More on that coming soon. But I hope you guys will hit me with your own stories of hip hop parenting. Next week, the fader will have some behind-the-scenes footage from our shoot, as well as some Inappropriate Hip Hop For Kids playlist and a Top Ten Baby Sneakers list ; )
Here are some fun facts about my “At Home With… Miss Info” shoot:
1) One of the most popular members of our family is missing from the video. FUZZ THE CAT! In fact, the order of importance around here is definitely 1) Max, 2) Fuzz, 3) Plants….99) Mom and Dad.
Fuzz was deathly afraid of the crew’s lighting equipment. So not only did he hide in the nursery for the entire shoot, but the stress actually caused him to “release” tons of his fur afterwards. The poor Scottish Fold cat practically exploded in a pouf of grey hair.
2) Poor Max could barely move in his tight NuNuNu outfit. It fit him like an Under Armour jersey. Motherhood has taught me that buying fancy outfits for babies is a total waste of money. In fact, since Max was born 10 pounds 1 ounce (I know…I have no idea how he fit in my belly either) when we got home from the hospital, he couldn’t fit into any of his newborn or 0-3month size clothes. Luckily, there are great places to donate baby stuff for moms in need, like BabyBuggy, RoomToGrow, and LittleEssentials.
3) I was using Sonos speakers long before the fader asked me to be in this video. In fact, I stream NPR while taking a shower because the Play:1 speakers are humidity proof…I use a Sonos Playbar to replace my television’s crappy built-in speakers…and I stream Disney classics through a speaker in the nursery. True stories! The sound quality is amazing, and the app is easy to use. I only wish I could play youtube audio on Sonos, but at least I learned how to connect the speakers to my laptop.
4) Mikey Fresh really does come over to hang out with Max and work on the site with me. Sometimes Jeff and Eric Rosenthal from It’s The Real join us to watch award shows or eat waffles. But I don’t usually drag them to the farmer’s market in 90-degree heat like I did on that day.
5) You get to see tiny glimpse of our upcoming MissInfo.TV redesign in the video!
6) Joseph Patel and Robert Semmer from The FADER made magic out of my mess with this video…I remember afterwards thinking…why couldn’t I speak properly that day? Maybe I needed more coffee, maybe I had mommy-brain…but what I touched on and want to expand on is this…
Hustling in the entertainment/media game (or any game for that matter) and cherishing a family life or a personal life at the same time is always called “balance”…which is true in that you need both to be whole. But it’s not balance as in you’re either on it, or falling off. I compare it to a seesaw because you have your ups and downs, but you don’t get off. That’s just not an option. Give yourself the freedom to not be everything to everyone simultaneously. And get help from the people you love!
(Much love to my beautiful girls who let me ambush our precious catch-up brunch with a full camera crew, lol. Jenn the Fashion Biz Killer, Shane the Supermom Fashion Editor, Tracey the Brilliant Photographer, and Julia the Shia LeBoeuf Wrangling Film Producer)