When I first saw the #Zombiemoms hashtag on Twitter, I laughed out loud. What else could possibly capture the shambling gait; involuntary groaning; and sleep-deprived, delirious, empty stares of early motherhood? And let’s not forget our compulsive appetite for brains…um I mean coffee.
I had a crush on this infectious tag immediately.
Even more impressive was the hoard of #Zombiemom followers that surfaced from all over Canada and the world, connecting in the Twitterverse in a way that combined both humour and support; spreading mom wisdom with a sardonic laugh, posthumous moan (postpartum? Haha..see what I did there? Oy...) and of course a sweet nod to one of my favourite genres of horror. Excellent.
I don't know who actually started the hashtag or when or where it originated from (although I’m going to say Canada, if not Toronto) but I jumped on the bandwagon. Those of you who follow me know that I often punctuate a slew of my tweets and Facebook posts with it.
So.
Earlier this week when I had the opportunity to actually meet John Russo and Russ Streiner —co-author and producer of the original Night of the Living Dead, respectively — you can bet that I picked their brains about Zombie Moms, how zombie culture has wormed its way into families, and their new roles as Executive Producers of an amazing new production in Toronto – Night of the Living Dead Live.
The Toronto show — running at Theatre Passe Muraille — is the very first live production actually given the official nod from the Godfather of the Zombie genre, George A. Romero, who along with Russo and Streiner is also an executive producer on the show.
It was also really cool to hear about how the production team Chris Harrison, Phil Pattison, Marty Birthelmer and Christopher Bond, were inspired to bring their vision to the stage in a way that would bring the legacy of zombie love to the next generation of kids and tweens while still delivering with a vengeance to the mob of diehard Romero and Night of the Living Dead fans.
Family-friendly zombie drama for Zombie Moms and their wee little monsters?! Huzzah!!
Check out the whole story here on our newest webisode of Trying Times.
So what did you think?! Feel like munching on some frontal lobes? Well good. Because WE'RE GIVING AWAY a pair of tickets to the May 1st screening of Night of the Living Dead Live!!
Here's how to get your tickets.
1. Make sure you've watched our amazingly undead Trying Times webisode — there may just be some valuable hints towards winning!
2. Go over to Kat Armstrong's fantastic Celebritease blog (See? Two Kats are better than one!) and answer the Night of the Living Dead Live trivia question in her blog comments.
3. Shuffle and moan around your living room making grunting corpse-like noises. Ok...this step is optional.
4. Wait to see if you're chosen as the winner!
You have until April 29th to enter, so get to it.
Stay Positive!
XO Kat
Can a busy mom squeeze a little glamour and a good hair day into her life? Is that too much to ask?
Look. I have Fraggle hair and I’m proud.
It's true. I've had 35 years to accept and appreciate its awesome gravity-defying qualities and wispy, rebellious behavior. And I like it, really I do. I’m also not a stranger to finding new styles and solutions for my super fine tresses.
But regardless of how much I love my hair, motherhood means hormone shifts, no sleep, new schedules, and countless stresses. And as amazing as the experience is, your hair eventually starts to tell the story of your life.
For me that story started to take over my life. It became a bit of a sore point for me — I was juggling projects, a separation, newly co-parenting, potty-training, a move, and still physically recovering from pregnancy losses. It was taking me forever to stick my hair into a ponytail in the morning but I didn’t want to chop it. Visions of Marcy Darcy had me frozen in fear.
It was time for a change. A good one. Equal parts practical and pampering.
Was that even possible?
Then I remembered an option: hair extensions. I’d had them before, but that was in a different, pre-baby incarnation.
“You’re a mom now. You can’t have them now.” I told myself.
Wait. What? Why not?
No, I’m not a starlet or someone whose brand currency is determined by their appearance. But if I was spending entirely too much time stressing out about my hair as it was now, wouldn’t easy-to-style extensions that made me feel happy actually save me time in the long run?
And why was motherhood holding me back?
Could I find a practical, easy-maintenance solution to my hair, without sacrificing glamour?
I decided to go to Civello Salon and Spa on Queen St. in Toronto and investigate with the specialists.
Avry Beninato and her incredible team not only educated me from root to tip about Civello’s amazing Extensilk remi hair fusion extensions, they consulted with me to get the optimal length and placement that was right for my naturally fine hair. Translation? The extensions would look natural. Yes. Natural.
It’s different at Civello. They handle your hair lovingly. They listen to your story. They work with you to bring out your beauty — whatever that means to you. And they are so fun to spend time with, which is good because extensions do take a while to apply.
After I learned about how the bonds work and had them expertly applied to my head, they showed me super easy styling tips and tricks perfect for a busy mom. Less than 15 minutes of work with a flatiron and you can go from pre-school to boardroom to date night… you name it. The sheer diversity of style and personal expression was a rush.
The cool thing? Since I've had extensions I have actually cut down preening and worry time in front of the mirror. That means more time with my toddler.
I am so glad I tried them again for the very first time.
More cool stuff?
The team at Civello is a resource for you — they will consult with you about extensions and if they are right for you, and what length will work best with your natural hair. You can feel confident that you will look great no matter what.
They'll also work with you beyond the actual extensions, to match you with the products you need so that when your extensions come out you STILL feel and look amazing.
My fine hair is getting treated with Invati even while I have extensions in. Invati is their ayurvedic herb-derived system that can help prevent breakage and promotes thicker, fuller hair. And it smells delicious.
The Before and After
You’ll have to watch my latest Trying Times adventure here to see the big reveal. I love it!
A huge thank you to the fantastic team at Civello Salon and Spa on Queen St. And stay tuned! Civello and Trying Times are going to be giving you a chance to be in the pampering spotlight!
Stay Positive!
XO Kat
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