Sarah Hattman, Author at Clairemont Communications

Friday Five: Mother’s Day Edition

May 8, 2015January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanBlog, Free AdviceChildhood, crafts, DIY, Mothers Day, mothers day gifts, Sleep remedies

Mother’s Day is less than 48 hours away, which means there is not much time left to find a gift that lets your mom know just how much you love and appreciate her. It’s the one day of the year set aside to show her gratitude for all she does, and finding that perfect gift can be tough – especially if you are looking to find something other than the standard flowers or candy. Yes, it might sound a little daunting or even down right worrisome given the time crunch, but fret not, here are five ideas that are sure to hit the mark.

Special Memory from Your Childhood

Does your mom have mementos from your childhood? I am guessing she probably does. Perhaps there’s a picture of a younger version of you helping her in the kitchen or the two of you on a family vacation. Whatever the photo, have it framed so your mom can display it in a prominent area of her home and be reminded of the happy memory often.

Hobby Goodies

Moms spend much of their time taking care of everyone else, but this doesn’t mean they don’t have other interests. Does she play a sport, spend her free time in the garden or have a passion for reading? A great way to encourage her to take time for herself – other than just on Mother’s Day – is to stock a basket full of goodies that reflects to your mom’s hobbies or interests.

Creative Cards

Skip the store-bought card, and send her a sweet message that comes with a sweet treat. Real Simple offers six fantastic ideas to help you design a card or craft that is sure to melt her heart and possibly curb a craving.

A Good Night’s Sleep

Chances are your mom stayed up many nights to take care of you. Now you can thank her by creating a homemade good night’s sleep kit. The internet is full of recipes for lemon, lavender, peppermint and chamomile teas to help her relax and drift on into dream land. But why stop there? Natural Living Ideas offers seven DIY ideas for a perfect night’s sleep.

Journal

This gift is recommended for the sentimental mom. It will allow her to express her feelings and encourage her to take time to reflect. You can take it to the next level by writing the first entry that captures on one or two of your happiest moments with her.

What have you done for your mom that has been meaningful to her?

“The Loss of Your Pet has Touched Us All”

April 22, 2015January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanBlog, Copy Cat, Public Relationsloss of pet, pet euthansia, Public Relations, sympathy, veterinarian1 Comment

On March 13, 2015 I said a final farewell to my sweet Jack Russell Terrier, Piper, after 13 years together. The sad goodbye actually started months earlier, on December 20, when I received a call from the vet and learned that she had transitional cell carcinoma – bladder cancer. The prognosis was grim to say the least. I was told she had only weeks to live and that I should prepare myself to make the decision to have her euthanized.

From the moment I received the phone call, I vowed to love Piper as much as I could and to make her as comfortable as possible for as long as I could. We spent a weekend at her favorite place, Holden Beach, visited all her favorite parks and trails and took extra long walks daily. I also let her eat all the human food she could stomach – including rib bones.

I’m not sure if it is was all the love she was being showered with, or simply her tenacious nature, but she had more than a couple of good weeks; she had a couple of good months. However, in early March I started noticing signs that let me know the cancer was progressing and I came to the realization that she was in a lot more pain than I wanted to admit. The end was quickly approaching, and I would have to make the one decision I hoped I would ever have to make.

But how could I be expected to make this decision? Piper and I had been through so much together including 11 moves – two of which were cross country and she was in my lap both times for all 3,500 miles – four jobs, two careers. Not only that, she was always the one who consoled me when I was sad or calmed me down during times of high stress. She was my constant companion, and I could not imagine life without her.

Throughout the process, I was in touch with Dr. Maria Glover at Kildaire Animal Medial Hospital. She and I spoke on a regular basis as I updated her on Piper’s situation and proceeded to ask her a ton a questions. On more than one occasion she told me that I knew Piper better than anyone and I would know when it was time to put her to sleep. I never thought it would happen, but it turned out Dr. Glover was right. After many good days and bad days with Piper, I was suddenly aware that I was being selfish and Piper was suffering.

My husband and I were with her in her final moments, and I wanted to make sure she knew how much we loved her and that I was grateful for the all the joy she had given me throughout the years. I hugged and kissed her, told her she was a great dog and that I would never forget her.

In the days that followed I was overwhelmed with texts, phone calls and sympathy cards. However, it was the card I received from Dr. Glover and her colleagues that moved me to tears. On the outside it simply read, “With Sincere Sympathy,” but when I opened it up I could hardly believe my eyes. Not only had 13 people written a heart felt note, but a separate card was enclosed informing me that Kildaire Animal Medical Center had made a monetary donation to the Andrew Davis Memorial Fund in memory of Piper.

A portion of the card reads, “The loss of your pet has touched us all greatly.” While I knew they all cared about Piper, this line really stood out to me. As I continued reading, it became evident just how moved they were by the loss of Piper. The Andrew Davis Memorial Fund is set up to help low-income families pay for basic services as well as emergency procedures.

This simple, yet extraordinary gesture was completely unexpected, but greatly appreciated. While I continue to miss Piper each and every day, knowing the donation made in her memory is helping others experience the joy of having a pet brings a smile to my face.

InSpire to Go Digital in 2015

April 7, 2015January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Professional Development, Trendsawards, digital, Inspire, NCPRSA, Public Relations, Triangle PR

We live in a digital world. The movies we watch, the music we listen to and the pictures and videos we take are all in digital form. For some of us, even the books we read are digital. As of 2015, I am happy to say that the the NCPRSA InSpire Awards are also digital.

Looking back, especially after writing the above paragraph, it’s hard to believe the decision was a tough one for me as the awards chair. I kept asking myself, “Will people accept or reject the format change? Is this really the year to make the switch?” But perhaps the biggest question I had was, “What about the thud factor?”

That’s right the thud factor. Having been involved in PRSA awards for several years – writing, submitting and judging entries – I know that there’s something impressive about flipping though an award binder that is stacked full of evidence of the entrant’s hard work and dedication. These binders make a loud thud when dropped on a table.

However, knowing that many other awards submissions are strictly online and the fact that the transition to digital was inevitable, I simply could not justify putting off the switch another year. Aside from just making the decision to make the switch to a digital format, I promised myself that I was going to stick to it. There would be no regrets, no matter what happened. And just think about all the paper we would save!

We are now a third of the way through the process and I’m excited to say that it has been smooth and easy – so far. Sure, I fielded many, many questions about the format and offered my advice on best practices when solicited. On the day of the final deadline, I thought my phone might never stop ringing as the calls came in back-to-back as the clock inched closer to the cutoff time for submissions. But, much to my surprise, no one challenged the format or the submission process.

Then it came time to sort through all 86 entries, organize them by category and enter them into a spreadsheet for the judging chapter. I found this step to be the most challenging, and ironically it had nothing to do with the digital format. In terms of format, it made the process of sending the entries to the PRSA Sierra Nevada Chapter for judging much easier. I did not have the challenge of boxing up all the entries or lugging them the post office for shipping. There is also the fact that it was more cost effective to share a link with the judges as opposed to ship them.

It might be too soon to say with 100 percent certainty, but I think the digital switch has been a success. I invite you to attend this year’s banquet on May 12 and ask me after the awards are handed out to the winners!

The Evolution of Maternity Fashion

March 23, 2015January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanBlog, Fashion, Oh Momma Mondaybaby bump, Kate Middleton, maternity fashion, royal baby

Clairemont team member Tracy Lathan 38 weeks pregnant with her first child – and looking as fashionable as ever!

There have been more than 31 million births this year and we are only three months into 2015. That’s a lot of pregnant women; however all eyes seem to be on Kate Middleton. As the Duchess of Cambridge is weeks away from giving birth to her second child, people around the globe are monitoring her every move eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next royal baby. Many people, especially women, are curious to see what outfits Kate will wear as she fulfills her royal duties as a pregnant woman. She always manages to step out donned in a chic, classic and sophisticated outfit that is appropriate for her role as duchess and very fashionable.

I have to admit, I am fascinated to see how women approach maternity fashion. Do they work to conceal it or do they flaunt it? Looking back at maternity fashion during the past 100 years, it’s interesting to see how things have evolved.

Constriction

At the turn of the 20th century, all women wore corsets and pregnant women worked to constrain their growing bumps by wearing “maternity corsets” designed to contain their expanding waistlines. By the 1920s maternity corsets were replaced by girdles that confined the hips more than the waist. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the focus shifted from constriction to support.

Keep it Loose

Throughout the years, no matter the style, women found ways to conceal their baby bumps with loose clothing. Even flappers who were know to cut loose and wear fun flirty dresses, opted to hide their bump!

Shifting Perspective

Lucille Ball made a bold move in the 1950s when she publicly showed off her pregnant belly on-screen during filming of “I Love Lucy.” However, it was Demi Moore’s decision to pose nude at seven months pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair that really help shift the view of pregnancy and pregnant women from embarrassing to empowering.

Current Trends

These days just about anything goes when it comes to maternity fashion. On again given day, it’s not uncommon to see a pregnant woman wearing form-fitting shirts and another wearing very loose clothing. Fortunately, many of today’s popular styles are over-sized which allows women to forgo “maternity” clothing all together – and spend that money on baby clothes instead.

What is your preference for maternity style? Do you prefer to cover up and conceal or flaunt it?

Countdown to the Summer Travel Season

March 10, 2015January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanBlog, Trendsbeaches, North Carolina coast, tourism, travel season, Wilmington

It’s been a long winter. Maybe it’s the single digit temperatures or the multiple bouts of winter weather, but for some reason winter feels especially long this year. Needless to say, I am thrilled that we are a mere 10 days away from the official start of spring. For me, and thousands of other people, warmer weather means one thing – the summer travel season will soon be here!

Before joining the Clairemont team, I worked for James Korenchen Public Relations (JKPR), a full-service PR agency based in Albuquerque, N.M., that handles media relations for TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website. During my time at JKPR, I worked with TripAdvisor on a variety of trend stories ranging from holiday travel plans to the quirkiest New Year’s Eve celebrations, but my favorite announcement was always Best Beaches.

TripAdvisor recently announced the winners of its 2015 Travelers’ Choice Awards for Best Beaches as determined based on the quantity and quality of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor gathered over a 12-month period. Topping the list of 25 U.S. destinations is Siesta Beach, Florida (which is a frequently recognized by travelers as a top destination) followed by eight other Florida beaches, seven in Hawaii, five in California, and one in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

I commend TripAdvisor’s timing of its Best Beaches announcement each year. It comes when many of us are ready to say good riddance to winter. This year residents in the Central and Eastern regions of the U.S. have endured a ferocious season with record snowfalls and the return of the dreaded polar vortex. The Best Beaches announcement is a glimmer of light at the end of a cold and dreary tunnel, and for those who cannot wait a few more weeks, it gives them an opportunity to turn their warm-weather dreams into a reality.

If you are looking for a warm-weather destination prior to late spring and early summer and are feeling adventurous, you might want to consider one of the destinations named Best Beaches in the World – including Siesta Beach at number 14.

While I would love to take a trip abroad and visit one of the fabulous beaches on this list, fortunately, in just a few short weeks a warm-weather destination will only be a quick drive from Raleigh. Growing up in North Carolina, I spent many summers at Holden Beach, and I also lived in Wilmington for seven years. I might be biased, but I think the North Carolina coast has some of the best beaches in the world – even if they didn’t make TripAdvisor’s list. Along with the hundreds of miles of pristine beaches, you will find a mix of fresh delicious seafood, friendly people, charming towns and even a bit of history along the North Carolina coast. And if you ask me, it doesn’t get much better than that.