#2009FAILS

Here is my list of 10 fails of 2009. Hopefully we will have learned our lesson and correct these things for 2010.

1. Not adding a disclaimer to product reviews
2. Pressing publish before editing
3. Harassing moms on Twitter
4. Bloggers deleting posts
5. Blog posts without tweet buttons
6. Cyber stalking bloggers
7. Not adding connect buttons on blog sidebars
8. Using a cartoon as your Twitter avatar
9. What? You didn't vlog in 2009?
10. Leaving mean, not negative comments on blog posts

One to grow on:

If you are a blogger and you aren't following @problogger

Turn Your Blog Into a Mobile App

We are all looking for ways to get our blogs known...right? Well, I have 3 and I'd like SOMETHING to come of all my hard work!

I came across this via A Cowboy's Wife (she shared it in a group we are both in) and had to first sign up and then share it with you. (this is the link to download her app http://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/a-cowboys-wife/id347880519?mt=8)

It's a way to have your blog as a mobile app so that you can reach an even larger audience! Now, you are probably thinking...how much is that going to cost...right?

Well, it can cost you $99/year ad free or it can cost you NOTHING for a 50/50 sharing of ad revenue!

Benefits

• Extend your brand to the mobile world
• Follow your readers wherever they go
• Monetize your content with the MotherApp ad network*

Supported Features

• Offline content reading
• Embedding of YouTube clips
• Twitter feed integration

Basically, you can promote your blog in a new and exciting way and maybe gain a new readership and make money doing it!

I've already submitted my application. Submit yours (here).

Check Out This Video Message From Santa

This is adorable, you have to try it!

You fill in the blanks like child's name, hair and eye color, something they will be getting for Christmas, a chore or task that they have worked really hard on (like brushing teeth), where you live, ect.

Then, using all of that info, a video is made especially for your child of Santa from the North Pole.

It's free to do and adorable! I did one for two of my girls and can't wait to tell them that Santa sent a very special message to them from the North Pole. They are going to go ballistic!

Here is the link to the website...(link).

My Heart is Heavy For Shellie Ross

Every day, at the end of the day or if I'm done with all of the things on my "To Do" list, I go blog hopping.

I hit MomDot, Rock and Drool, A Cowboy's Wife, Organize With Sandy and many more. One thing that these 4 blogs all had in common was they had posts about Shellie Ross from Blog4Mom.

She endured the most tragic thing a mother could or should have to experience...the loss of a child. Her son drowned in the pool of their new home. My God...can you imagine?!

So, I'm hopping from one blog to the next, glued to each blog post and now I feel so sad for this mom and yet so happy she has the support from this awesome community of Mommy Bloggers.

There have been some awful things said to her on Twitter because she did tweet about her loss, but come on folks...Twitter is a support system and when one is hit with tragedy, one grasps for support.

I hope she gets through this because I know if it was me, I'd have a very hard time and would hope people were supportive in my time of tragedy.

I Felt Depressed Yesterday: How Twitter Helped

Yesterday I was feeling downright depressed... all-day-long.

I felt "gray" as I call it and not surprisingly it was gray outside. I felt bored, kept checking my email for something exciting to drop into my inbox and was having those worthless human being thoughts.

I thought, "I'm not a good mother."

"My family would probably be better off without me," with a sigh.

I felt downright sad and really needed a pick-me-up, so I tweeted:

"Feelin' so depressed today...gotta get out of this funk and fast!"

And then got these two responses:

PickleSugarPlum @TheAppleOfMyEye It happens to the best of us, sometimes! Hope you snap out of it soon! HUGS!

and...

Elizabeth_N

@TheAppleOfMyEye knock it off-did that help?


And, guess what...it made me smile and it was just what I needed. I woke up this morning and felt "normal" and all signs of the gray funk that was surrounding me was gone.

Thanks Twitter friends for taking the time to respond to my cry for help to get out the gray cloud that was following me yesterday. I truly appreciate it!

Why Are Bloggers Deleting Posts and Pictures?

This question has been on my mind lately because I keep coming across blog posts that disappear or pictures that aren't there anymore and I wonder why this keeps happening. Are we not thinking before we hit publish?

I'm not talking about bloggers that are password protecting their posts. I understand privacy trumps. I'm talking about writing a post, hitting publish and then removing the post or pictures for fear of what? Offending someone?

Your voice is important, but you need to think before you hit publish, just like you need to edit before you hit publish. It's just one of those steps that should be a part of the blogging "process".

Before I hit publish, I read my post out loud to make sure my sentences are complete and everything sounds right. I also spell check and look for punctuation mistakes. I may not find them all, but I try. Then, if I think my post might cause a stir or offend, I save it and think about it. If I am confident in "my voice" and I'm strong in my opinion, I hit publish.

I never go back. If I do go back, in the future, my plan is to put a note in my post explaining why I have edited my post. I think that our voices are so strong in the blogoshere that we owe it to our readers to explain everything that we do. Just like disclosures on our blogs when we receive product or payment for review, we need to disclose EVERYTHING to remain a viable voice to our readers.

What do you think?

Alternative Holiday Photo Ideas from Picnik **GIVEAWAY**

Going green this holiday season? Still like to print and send greeting cards? Either way, Picnik has you covered this holiday season.

Picnik has a lot of fun new ways to alter your photos and make them more festive for the holidays. You can add lights, snow, ornaments, a dradle, different types of hats, candy canes, a red nose that even Rudolf would be jealous of and so much more!

Then when you are done, you can send your creation via Facebook, Twitter or virtually any photo sharing site or you have the option of printing your creation and sending it out the old fashioned way using snail mail.

They even have templates for gift tags, place cards, collages and greeting cards.

Another really cool feature you can use as a blogger, is update your blog banner using Picnik. I was playing around with it last night using my Detroit Mommies banner. I added a present, stocking, Santa hat, reindeer ears and a menorah. It turned out to be really cute and very festive.

Prize

One lucky winner will receive a 3 month Premium Picnik account.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do the following thing. Make sure to leave a comment after completing the required form or entry:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

For Extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest. Multiple tweets count. Leave a comment after each tweet with link to tweet.
2. Become a Picnik Facebook fan (here)

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be selected randomly through http://random.org. The Digital Mommy writers and contributors are ineligible to participate. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person. Contest ends 12/10/09 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

Disclosure: Picnik gave me an extension of the Premium account I already had. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

Momdots Genius Idea

I just got finished reading a post from a blogger about how she receives death threats and will now be charging for readers to view content about her family and personal life. I'm just not buying it. If it was true to the extent that is described, all pictures and other family info would be removed and cease to exist.

I just want to say..."Please people, open your eyes. She's just trying to get more links and advertisements to her blog."

"For now, in an effort to protect my family from being killed, or threatened to be killed, over freedom of speech, my family posts and videos will be private from this point on."

It's a freakin' genius idea, if it works!

"General readers will still have access to a good majority of free content, but if you are an avid reader/commenter and would like a FREE upgrade to Member Status or you advertise momdot on your blog (like in a banner), please check this page to find out if you qualify to view our private posts. We want you to continue reading and will work with you if you have been a part of us."

So, if you don't want to put her banner in your sidebar, but you want to read all about her personal life complete with pictures and video, then you'll need to pay... $5.99 for 30 days.

Either way, she wins and I'm so proud of this blogger for thinking up such a clever scheme.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving...from "The Sexy Pilgrim"

How to Make a Baby

If you are not familiar with the baby making process, then this video will be very helpful in explaining the process of making a baby.

How to Make a Baby from Cassidy Curtis on Vimeo.

Good right!?

You Know You Are a Sister When

A hug feels like a million words without a single syllable being spoken. You can catch the glance of a familiar face across the room and instantly connect like you’ve never been apart. You can squee together, giggle together, cry together and then physically ROTFL like you’ve known each other your whole life.

My lifeline this past year has been online. We moved from California to Michigan and my best friends have been 70×70 avatars and 140 character conversations via Twitter. I’ve followed friends on their journeys in life on their blogs and quite infrequently had phone conversations with my “friends”. To have your soul communication to fellow human beings online to some, could seem unhealthy, but to me has meant the world.

Through my online relationships and because I attended BlogHer ‘09 I now have “real life” friends that are more real to me now after being able to give them an actual hug and tell them how much I truly admire and cherish their involvement in my life. Actually seeing some of my online friends brought tears to my eyes and pulled at my heart strings because I had looked forward to this conference like looking forward to your wedding day…it was finally happening…the day had finally arrived.

I can’t wait to be able to connect with my fellow bloggers again and unfortunately that probably won’t be until next year if I can save up enough to attend BlogHer ‘10 or another conference like TypeA Mom or Blissdom. Until then I will cultivate my online friendships making sure I stay in touch as best as I can and remember that one day we will meet again.

Say It to My Face!

I came across a really cool site that I had to share with you called, Say It to My Face and I’m totally addicted!

It’s a genius idea really! What it is is a site where one person asks a question via video and then others can respond to the video question or to a response to the video question.

I found it a couple of days ago and was racking my brain for a good question to ask and then one finally came to me… “Why do you blog?”

So, if you are a blogger and you have the capabilities and means to do a video response, then go over to Say It to My Face and respond to my question!

This "Mommy Blogger" is Craving a Trip to Vegas

My last trip to Las Vegas was in 2003 when my hubby and I exchanged vows at the Monte Carlo.

Since then, we haven't been back and I'm not sure if it's because now that we have a family we are gearing our vacations toward family style vacations or if it's because I'm still bitter about hitting 7's on a machine and not putting in the max bid. That really made me mad.

Anyway, our stay at the Monte Carlo was excellent. We had one of those package deals that included a ceremony, a gift certificate toward dinner, a gift basket of champagne, snacks and keepsake champagne glasses, flowers for the ceremony, a hotel room for our stay, a video of the ceremony and music during the event. My parents upgraded our room to a suite and it was huge! I had my hair and nails done in the hotel salon. All the wedding details were taken care of right there in the Venetian, the "big day" was seamless.

The night we arrived in Las Vegas we had dinner at the Aladdin buffet and it was amazing! Actually, most of the Las Vegas buffets are pretty darn good. There was more food than anyone really needs to eat and we waddled out of the restaurant after filling our plates numerous times with soft shell crab legs.

Not sure when we will get the opportunity to take a trip back to Las Vegas since we do have 3 small children, but reminiscing helps and when we do get a chance to go back, alone, it will be well worth it!

This is a TravelingMom dedicated post.

Calling Me a Mommy Blogger Won't Hurt My Feelings

What is a Mommy Blogger?

The question has caused quite a stir in the blogging world and I'm here to offer my "opinion" on the term.

A Mommy Blogger is a Mom who blogs, if you want a simple term, but in reality she is so much more than just a Mom who blogs. She is a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, an expert, an entrepreneur, a go-getter, a grandmother and the list goes on.

Just as I would say a Daddy Blogger is a Dad who blogs and a person without child/children is a Blogger. Actually, we are ALL bloggers, we just blog in different ways...make sense?

Plain and simple, but I believe the term Mommy Blogger to be very general and should be followed with a descriptive term like, Mommy Blogger: review blogger or Mommy Blogger: food blogger or Mommy Blogger: photography blogger or Mommy Blogger: parenting blogger, on Mommy Blogger: vlogger, Mommy Blogger: creative writer, ect. One needs to define what type of Blogger: Mommy Blogger one is because we are all different types of bloggers, which makes us unique.

I consider one on my blogs, Giftfully Simple, to be a review blog, so when I tell people that I am a Mommy Blogger, I continue to describe myself as a Review Blogger because I do reviews and giveaways. But, I do have two other blogs besides that one that are totally different, so a description is necessary when describing what I do.

The term Mommy Blogger is a very general term, but it does encompass a vas majority of the blogoshere because a large amount of bloggers are in fact moms.

I bet if you were at a blog conference like BlogHer or Type A Mom and you had all the bloggers attending the conference in one room and you asked all of the bloggers to move to the left side of the room if you are a mother who blogs, more than half of the room of bloggers would move to the left side of the room.

For Moms to be offended by the term Mommy Blogger, to me, makes them look bad. Are you embarrassed to be called Mommy?

Mama Spohr, best known as "Maddie's Mom" writes a blog called "The Spohrs Are Multiplying". She made this comment on Twitter during the Type A Mom conference in Ashville and it brought tears to my eyes because Mama Spohr lost Maddie at the young age of 17 months and the tragedy brought the blogging community together because moms unite and help hold each other up in a time of tragedy...that's what we do.




So I ask you, "What is YOUR opinion in the term being used to describe Moms who blog?"

"Would you like to be called a Mommy Blogger or do you have another title that you think is more fitting?"

EA Launches Need For Speed Nitro

EA launches a family friendly racing game, Need for Speed Nitro on November 3, just in time for the holidays.


Game Description:
Need for Speed Nitro will have players of all skill levels hooked from the moment they get into the action, while arcade racing fans will be exhilarated by the deep and challenging gameplay. Gamers can build up their boost as they drift and drag behind their opponents and use it strategically to change the course of the race, but watch out for the cops! Offering a fresh and unique visual style, the game features a variety of licensed cars which can be fully customized to let the game reflect the player’s taste and personality.

My initial thoughts:
Great graphics, really cool cars and I know for sure my husband would love this for Christmas! He has played Need for Speed on Playstation 3, completing the entire game. it's definitely one his favorite games of all times.

Do you Whrrl?

Whrrling is one of the hot new ways brands are engaging consumers.

What is Whrrl?
Whrrl is a place where you can share photos and text to tell a story as it is happening. You can either upload pictures straight from your iphone or blackberry or upload pictures from your digital camera. Then you can share your story on Facebook, Twitter, on your blog or via email.

Also, there are privacy settings, so you can share your story with everyone or with your friends. It's up to you!

Why you should whrrl:
Whrrling is one more way you can promote a brand you are working with. So, now not only can you write a blog post and make a video, you can also whrrl a story as another form of promoting a brand. Hey, the more the merrier and the happier the brand! Also, whrrling helps promote you, the blogger. It shows others what brands you are working with, what activities you are a part of and more of what you are capable of doing.

For example:

I worked with Zhu Zhu pets here...

Powered by Whrrl

Walmart and Colgate here:

Powered by Whrrl

and, I can carve a mean pumpkin:

Powered by Whrrl

Do you use whrrl? If so, leave me a comment and we can be whrrl friends!

Twitter Wine to Help A Room to Read

Twitter really has become a force to be reckoned with! Left and right I have seen wonderful things that have happened and helped people because of Twitter.

The latest awesome thing that has come from Twitter is wine. Wine? Yes, wine.

Twitter has partnered up with Crushpad to make two wines, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir that when sold at $20/bottle, $5 from every bottle will go to A Room to Read, a San Francisco-based non-profit that helps improve literacy rates in poor countries.

Watch the video below and see if you get chills like I did and also see if you can see the passion in John Woods face, the founder of A Room to Read.

Make Spooky Halloween Pictures With Picnik

What will Picnik come up with next?

Picnik is every bloggers and online shop owners dream because it's easy to navigate and has so many helpful ways to alter, re-size, or give character to a picture.

For example the Halloween features they just launched...


I had so much altering the picture and I didn't even use all of the features.

One feature I wanted to try out were the ghost images and I have the perfect picture to try it on. The only problem... I don't have the Premium package which is what you need in order to take advantage of all these cool features. I was able to play around with the features, you can too, but that was it.

I really do need to upgrade because I feel like I'm missing out and because it's just so much fun to see what you can do!

Want Your Business to Survive? Watch this...

Bloggers and PR In Happy Harmony

Jessica Smith from Jessica Knows was on Facebook looking for bloggers to take part in one of her "projects" and another friend of mine Cindy Crysler sent me a message saying that I might be interested...she knows me well!

The last time Jessica had a project she was working on... it went something like this... biggest fan challenge .

So, when I found out she was looking for bloggers for a "project" I was ready to submit my video!

Create Polaroids Using Rollip.com

I took this picture and using Rollip.com

I made this picture...
Fun! I love sites like this! Thanks to my friend at Paperlili for introducing my to this cool photo manipulation site!

Stop drinking soda and drink WAT-AAH!

I was sent a box of water.
"A box of water?" you ask.

"Yes, well no...a box of WAT-AAH to be exact." I correct myself.

I open the box of WA-TAAH and see four bottles of water with bright colored labels with a funny little man that looks like he's screaming from the top of his lungs..."WA-TAAH!"

WAT-AAH! is the first 100% sugar-free, functional beverage brand designed especially for kids. It has no artificial flavors, artificial colors, additives or sugar.

This summer, WAT-AAH! is challenging you and your families to stay away from the unhealthy, sugar-laden beverages and to DRINK MORE WAT-AAH!

"Why WAT-AAH!? Water is simply the key to true, healthy hydration. WAT-AAH! is ultra-pure water containing the right amount of essential minerals to fortify and maintain children's health (www.wat-aah.com). WAT-AAH!'s mission is to reverse the established behavior and dependency on sweetened drinks among America's children, and ultimately help fight the battle against childhood obesity and to teach kids that healthy bodies can be obtained through healthy hydration."

So, go ahead...be good to your kids and give them WA-TAAH and watch them grow up healthy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Editing Pictures With Picnik Has Gotten So Much Better

So, in the first picture I'm pale, have some fine lines that could go bye-bye, you can hardly see my eyelashes, my teeth could use some whitening and my eyes are a little bloodshot.

Check out the after... I'm a bit tanner, I added blush, lipstick and eyeliner, I took away the fine lines and removed the bloodshot eyes.
Using the clone editing tool, I was able to make it look like i was standing in front of a beautiful sunset. Pretty neat!

I'm so in love with Picnik now. I was given a 3 month FREE trial to try the Picnik premium features and when the trial is over, I will most definitely be upgrading!

How to Stop Your Blog Posts from Importing to Facebook

Above is a quick video on how to stop importing your blog to your notes on Facebook. Once you have it figured out, it is pretty simple.

1. Start at your profile. Your first impulse will be to go to notes in your dashboard. I do this in the video to show what NOT to do.
2. Head up to the SETTINGS and hover over until three options come down. Click on application settings.
3. Find Notes and click on the Notes, not on edit settings or profile.
4. On the right hand side is a couple options, under the Note Settings, click on Edit Import Settings
5. Click on Stop Importing
6. Then you can either delete the ones you have imported or start importing a new one.

BuckDaddy blogs almost daily at BuckDaddy's Blog. Along with product review and giveaways, BuckDaddy tells funny stories about his 3 year old daughter, Danni. you will laugh, cry, and probably start taking birth control.

Meet: Jen Hinton from the Classy Closet

Jen's Websites: JenHinton, TheClasseyCloset, ChicksWhoChat
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KeepItClassyJen
Jen's Favorite Blogs: The Bloggess, iJustine, Classic Chaos
Favorite Social Networking Site: MomBloggersClub

Getting Started on ZooLoo

With anything "new" there is a bit of a learning curve that takes place and sometimes people give up right away without taking a chance, so I'm here to help you get started "zoolooing" because I love ZooLoo so much and to be honest with you, it's so new that I'm feeling lonely over in ZooLoo land and would love some friends (you) to join me:)

The Idea
ZooLoo.com is a complete online environment that brings everything you do online into one space, around your own domain name. With ZooLoo, you can build your own site on your own domain name, and you control exactly who sees your content. Everything is private until you make it public. You also get a personal Web dashboard where you can keep track of all your favorite news sources, blogs, social media sites, videos and more. Plus, ZooLoo has an on-demand entertainment center, a personal shopping mall, a full media center for photo and video storage and sharing, custom photo gifts and prints, blogging capabilities, organizational tools to manage your life online and more.

How to Get Started ZooLoo-ing

1. Sign-up and choose either a ZooLoo Free or a ZooLoo Plus account. A free version gets you a .zooloo domain name, and a Plus account gets you your own domain name (or use a domain that you already own, and haven't really done anything with, it's about time to use that old thing!).
2. Invite your friends! The whole point of ZooLoo is for you to create content on your own website, and then share it with your family, friends or the world. You've got to have people in your network to share your stuff with :)
   
3. Customize your My ZooLoo personal dashboard (click the My ZooLoo icon to do this). Click "customize" and bring in your favorite stuff (like Facebook, Twitter, your fave blogs, local event search, calendar, to-do list... you name it)
4. Then, roll your mouse over the My Site button. When you do that, you'll see the zCreator icon. Click there, and begin building your own website, which you can share with your close friends and family, or the world if you want to make it public. You can add custom pages (just click ADD PAGE), create a blog, share photos and videos and more. One idea, if you're looking for work or trying to get freelance jobs, create your professional profile on ZooLoo. You can make a resume page, add a porfolio page of what you've already done, it's easy.
5. Then, hop over to zControls (you'll find this button by rolling over the My Site icon at the top). In zControls, you can give people access to all of your content. The coolest thing about ZooLoo is that different people can see something different when they visit your domain. So you can give your professional contents permission to see just your resume page and portfolio, then you can give your family and good friends permission to see your blog, family photos and travel diary pages (just an example). Or, if you want, you can give the whole world access to everything but simply dragging the "Public Access" bar into "All Pages."

Of course there is tons more to do, you can roll over the "My ZooLoo" icon and find lots of other goodies:

• My Media gives you photo and video storage
• zLife has a cool interactive calendar, to-do list, address book, and event invitation system
• zSocial is ZooLoo's own version of a social network
• Shopping lets you customize your own personal shopping malls, you pick the brands and stores you want to see
• Entertainment gives you options to get on-demand entertainment (TV, videos, music, local events, etc)

Finally, everything in one place! What are you waiting for :) ENTER "DIGMOM" when signing up and to get $5 off the ZooLoo Plus account

Why I Love ZooLoo (video)

I truly love ZooLoo and the reason behind why I love ZooLoo is because...

3 Reasons Why I Like Twitter's New Homepage

• The Trending Topics front and center- to someone who is arriving to Twitter for the first time this is going to intrigue them. Also, trending topics is explained to the new Twitterer with a conversation bubble that appears when you hover over the question mark icon.
• The New Text:“Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world” This new text is so much more what Twitter is all about because the whole world is on Twitter and we talk Global issues as well as local issues. Finally, no more scaring people off from using Twitter because the feeling they get when the focus is on them. Now with the focus being on the world I think more people will be more apt to engage.
• The Search Bar front and center. This one is big because when you search Twitter, you are searching what's going on and being talked about this very second. I personally use Twitter as a search option just as often, if not more than I use Google especially if what I'm searching for is Breaking News.

Reviewing and a Recommending Products as Bloggers

Are you reviewing or recommending to your readers? There is a difference and it's crucial that you are being clear to your readers when doing product "reviews" and product "recommendations".

The best way to be a credible review blogger is to tell your audience not only the great things about the product you are reviewing, but to also tell them the things you would change about the product you are reviewing to make it better.

The bottom line is to be honest because not only are you helping your readers, but you are helping the company by giving them suggestions on ways to make their product better for the consumer. This is why companies are coming to the "moms who blog" to review their products because they know how much we influence our readers.

And wouldn't it be great if more companies read the reviews that bloggers are posting so that they can offer feedback and factual information to inform and encourage?!

When you are doing a review and you wholeheartedly love the product and think every mom you know would benefit from using the product, then say so, but don't do it unless you mean it because this would be considered a recommendation and a false recommendation could mean no more followers if you are not being truthful and honest.

Bottom line...be true to yourself, your readers and to the companies you are reviewing and everyone will be happy!

Ode to BlogHer '09 by Telling Dad

This cracked me up because a lot of what he said...was so true!

10 Things I'm Going to do After Returning from BlogHer

BlogHer was to say the least, a bit overwhelming.

We met people face to face that we have had relationships and have grown close to over the Internet. I don't know about you, but I had a mental list of the people I wanted to meet and a few of those people I never saw.

We had a schedule of sessions, breaks and parties from dusk till dawn and I know I'm not the only one who got around 4 hours of sleep each night of the weekend.

We met amazing people that we had never met online or off. Overwhelming is a bit of an understatement to the way I felt over the BlogHer '09 weekend, but winding down, I have compiled a list (because that's what I do) of what I plan on doing in the next few weeks after arriving home from BlogHer 2009.

1. Sort business cards from the mass amount of Swag that filled the trunk of my car. Seriously I got more Swag than I got business cards from contacts. Better that Christmas.
2. Write and review the event. I swear I have so much to write about there should be no writers block for this blogger! Plus, my review blog Giftfully Simple seriously needs no product to review for a very long time thank you to all of the vendors that attended BlogHer!
3. Thank the companies. I'm going to try my best, but either by the power of Twitter or via blog posts, I will thank all of the companies that provided Swag for the conference...from Crocs to elf to Kodak and Clorox thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. Connect with the bloggers I met. I met some of the most amazing women and men (very few) at BlogHer and will never forget the people...never.
5. Utilize the knowledge I gained from the sessions. I took notes and have plans:)
6. Visit new blogs. I heard there were 1500 BlogHer '09 attendees which means there are equally as many new blogs to visit. I know that will never happen, I will never be able to visit all of them, but I will be visiting the blogs I got cards from and connected with in hope to find fresh new reads.
7. Update my RSS feeds. I'm going to delete the ones I don't read very much and the ones I won't read anymore after meeting their writer and I'm going to add the new ones I am interested in reading after connecting at BlogHer '09.
8. Make a list of suggestions for next years BlogHer '10.
9. Spend time with my family. Four days was a lot for my girls and my hubby, so I plan on spending some family time with them this weekend...first stop...WNBA game this Friday night.
10. Start planning for BlogHer 2010. After attending BlogHer '09 I now know what to expect and since BlogHer '10 will be held in New York City... I need to plan on this costing me double what it cost in Chicago...oh my!

My Feelings on the MomDot Blackout

After much thought and after attending the Sponsored vs Unsponsored session at BlogHer 09 I have decided that I will not be participating in the PR Blackout that the MomDot community has decided to participate in and here are the reasons behind my decision...

I love doing reviews of products that I can then turn around and share with anyone and everyone who wants to listen. I've always been the type, as far back at elementary school, to share products and trends with everyone around me with pure and honest excitement and feel good that I was doing my friends and family a favor of finding the best products before they had to waste money on all of "mistakes."

The PR firms I have worked with have always been great! Not once have I felt taken advantage of by a PR firm that I have worked with because it is my choice to review or not review a product and it is my choice even accept the product in the first place.

During the Sponsored vs Unsponsored seminar at BlogHer 09, a few representatives were in the room and they said that they have had bloggers that were asked to do a review for them and for one reason or another the reviewer emailed them saying that they could not fit it into their schedule and would have to decline to try the product. Was the blogger black listed and never called again to do another review from their company? No. The reps are humans with feelings too and understand that bloggers are also humans with a lot on their plate and that we can't do everything and that's ok and they also realize we have a powerful voice...otherwise they would not be coming to us to review their products.

So basically, I'm not doing the PR Blackout because I will choose when to say no, I will choose when to write on my blogs and I will be my own person in the blogging world and play by my own rules.

Where do you stand?

**video** Getting Ready for BlogHer

Check out my cleavage shot at the end...oops!

I'm trying to get ready for BlogHer all while suffering with a sinus headache...argh.

Not only am I trying to pack, but I'm also trying to prepare my husband for his first long term babysitting experience with three girls under the age of 6...one being 7 months old. This is not fun...yet!

Once I pull out of the driveway it will be BlogHer or Bust for this mama! I'm on a mission to meet all of my favorite fellow bloggers at one of the largest blogging events for women in the US and making new contacts in the PR world as well.

Plus, the parties are off the hook! I have my list and am ready to party hop like a BlogStar! It's going to be an amazing weekend for sure!

How I Got a Full Ride to BlogHer '09

Ever since I decided I was going to BlogHer '09, the journey has been more like a joyride.

The moment I heard about BlogHer I wanted to go, but we really didn't have the extra money to fund a $200 a night hotel room for 3 nights, a $300 ticket and the gas it would take to get to and from Chicago, but deep down inside I wanted to go so badly that I knew I was going to get there one way or another.

Now, let me back up a bit to BB (before BlogHer).

I started blogging in October of 2008 as a product reviewer for Peekaboo Picks, an online magazine for hip Moms. Then in February of 2009 (yes, only 5 months ago), I started my own blogs Life in the Hills and Giftfully Simple and most recently The Digital Mommy.

The reason I started blogging...the real reason I started...was because I had started meeting amazing women via Twitter that all seemed to be a part of this really cool virtual world and I wanted in! I wanted to be contacted by PR reps to try out cool products or get tickets to review a concert or event. I wanted to be in "that" crowd and I did it...I got in.

The women that are a part of the blogging community that I have grown to love have been interviewed on the Digital Mommy...these women are the ones I look up to, gain knowledge from, go to for advice and I extremely admire. So, if you've been asked to be interviewed by The Digital Mommy or have been featured on the Digital Mommy it's because I truly admire you.

These women that I'm talking about are the women I can't wait to meet at BlogHer '09!

Now, back to the joyride I mentioned above. I had to get sponsors if I had any intention of attending BlogHer '09 and I felt that even before buying a ticket, these sponsors had to be secured. My "friend" Trisha from Mom Dot helped point me in the right direction in finding a sponsor. This conversation was via Twitter one late night and was one of the keys that helped me in securing sponsorship, but it was only one of the keys in the entire process.

Oh, and by the way, the process got easier and easier, but the initial start up was a hurdle.

The first thing I did was write a post about why a company should sponsor me for BlogHer '09 and posted it on my blog Giftfully Simple. I thought the next day my inbox would be full of sponsors and I'd be on my way to BlogHer, but boy was I wrong! Little did I know at the time that this was only one step in the entire process in securing a sponsor.

When the first sponsor came along, I had enough to buy the tickets and attend the MomDot dinner, but when I went to buy the ticket...they were all sold out! So, what did I do? Only the most logical thing...I tweeted! I tweeted that BlogHer sold out, but I really wanted to go, "Does anyone want to sell their tickets to BlogHer?"

Guess what happened... Kelby Carr retweeted my tweet and someone responded, but the problem was that I was starting to feel like I should secure the entire sponsorship and at this point I had half of the money I needed to be completely sponsored, but because I had never done anything like this before, I wasn't at the point where I could convince myself that I could raise all of the money, so I declined the ticket and continued to find sponsors.

The next blogger who fits the term Digital Mommy to a T and played a part in helping me secure my BlogHer sponsorship was Sarah Burns from the Ohana Mama. She suggested I contact Mom ran business owners that I knew from reviews that I had previously done and/or women I had a relationship with through an online forum where Sarah and I met called Mompreneurs Online.

I took her suggestion and contacted a few Mompreneurs I knew and secured two more sponsorships. Yes! I was finally feeling confident I was going to attend BlogHer '09, but what about the ticket?

Well, yes, I did not have a ticket in hand at this point, but my name was on the wait list and I figured I could secure the sponsorship and always cancel if I didn't get a ticket.

Then the email came! BlogHer opened up more tickets and because I was at the top of the list, a "golden" ticket was mine! Woohoo! I had the money to get the ticket and I was confident now that I could secure another sponsor to cover the last bit of money I would need to make the trip to BlogHer.

This is when Jessica Smith from Jessica Knows and the Buzz Coopererative comes in.

Basically, the Buzz Cooperative puts PR reps in touch with Bloggers and vice versa and one of the cool things about the Buzz Cooperative is that bloggers can "pitch" PR reps, so I decided to "pitch" the PR reps requesting a sponsorship to BlogHer and guess what...it worked! I got two more sponsors through that "pitch" and was secure. I had fully paid for my trip to BlogHer! I even landed a beautiful tee from Paperlili, $100 to pay for the MomDot dinner I was invited to attend and a LBD (little black dress) from SlimPerfect to wear to the parties I was to attend Thursday night.

So, you see...it can be done! I got my BlogHer experience completely paid for, I get to meet women that I extremely admire and make connections not only with my fellow bloggers, but also with PR reps from numerous companies. I also get to learn things that are going to help me as a blogger and the companies I am representing.

I can't wait to go to BlogHer '09 and want to thank my sponsors for giving me this opportunity!

Thank you:

Nannies4Hire.com

Care4Hire.com

ReferQuest.com

Wett Giggles

My Plate Mate

Paperlili

SlimPerfect

&

ZooLoo.com

Thank you so much for this! You are making my YEAR!!!!!

PS. I almost secured a car from Ford to drive to BlogHer '09, but that should have an entire blog post of it's own.

I Won the SlimPerfect Contest!

Long story short...

I'm going to BlogHer '09 thanks to Nannies4Hire.com, Care4Hire.com, ReferQuest.com, Wett Giggles, MyPlateMate and Paperlili and of course I need some cocktail dresses for all of the fabulous parties I'm going to attend.

Why do I need **NEW** clothes? Well, the first and foremost reason is because I had a baby 6, no 7 months ago and have not shrunk back to my size six self just yet and will not until I starve myself like I did in order to get to the size 6 that I previously was. So, for the past 7 months I've been wearing my maternity pants and have had no need to buy any special occasion (hot mama) clothes...until now! Yikes!

Now enters SlimPerfect, MuffinTopless and Girlfriendology.

MuffinTopless had a contest on their site for 4 lucky BlogHer '09 attendees to win a LBD (little black dress) from SlimPerfect along with a $250 gift certificate to the online SlimPerfect store. Hello! I had to win this contest! My muffin top has been bothering me lately because I so want it gone, but I can't bring myself to starve myself right now and with BlogHer coming up, this opportunity to win a dress that will help suck in the muffin intrigued me in a major way!

I wrote a post on my other blog Giftfully Simple about how much I wanted to win the SlimPerfect/MuffinTopless/Girlfriendology contest, tweeted about how much I wanted to win and asked friends and family to tweet and post comments on the contest blog and all the effort got me a win!!!

So, thank you SlimPerfect, Muffintopless, Girlfriendology, friends and family (you know who you are) for helping me win the contest and providing me with a LBD to look MuffinTopless at BlogHer '09!

This is what I won...
- a $250.00 SlimPerfect eCard (recently recommended by Oprah’s O Magazine as a “top brand”)
- a gorgeous LBD (little black dress) to wear to the parties at BlogHer on July 23rd!
- private reception, professional hair and makeup from Nicole Rogers of Bombshell Artistry (a few clients you may recognize: People Magazine, Cover Girl, MAC, Brides Noir Magazine) sponsored by U! Creative Advertising Agency
- star treatment, paparazzi…a taste of the “glamorous” life

Tomorrow (7/16) on SnazL

Awesome blogger, PR maven, and author Beth Feldman (Role Mommy) will be doing her SnazL premiere TOMORROW (Thu Jul 16) @2PM EST. Tune in to chill and you might even score some prizes.

Get Organized With SpringPad

I'm on my way to BlogHer '09 and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by ALL the parties and ALL the sessions, so I'm using SpringPad to get myself organized.

I've added all the parties I'm attending to the calendar and will make a list of the sessions I look forward to going to. I made a packing list and as I think of things, I'll add them to the list. This will help me not to forget my video camera, camera, and business cards...oh almost forgot the Poken!

Another neat feature...I'm following BlogHer 09, the BlogRollers, Mom Spark, and a few other VIP. If they post new events, I can see those events and add them to my agenda...pretty cool!

Lovin' SpringPad to help me get organized!

Mamaista- Grab a daily bite

I love all of theses new daily online magazines popping up that get delivered right into your inbox with a bite of information. I like this because as a mom of three, All I have time for are small bites of this and small bites of that. Too much information is exactly that...too much information.

Mamaista sends out a daily email featuring only the latest, most cutting-edge products and services for babies, tykes, tots and moms. All recommendations are made with an eye to helping savvy, recessionista mamaistas find products that are not only stylish, but also versatile investment purchases that will last for many years to come.

Developed in response to the demands of modern moms who don't have time to search thousands of blogs, read through long email newsletters, and spend hours trolling message boards for product advice, Mamaista allows its powerful audience to separate the hip from the hype with just one short and chic daily email.

Offering one product recommendation per day, Mamaista will feature the latest developments in children's toys, clothing, gear, food and health-related products, as well as stuff just for moms. With a team of veteran cool hunting mothers from across the country that road-tests the most exciting new products and services, Mamaista then chooses the best of what's out there and delivers it directly to the inboxes of its subscribers free of charge, Monday through Friday.

According to Elina Furman, Mamaista's Publisher and former Editorial Director of WomansDay.com and Seventeen Online, "Mamaista is like that mom in your lunch club who can feed her baby, send out 10 emails, tell you all about the latest technology in high chairs and still manage to look like just she stepped off the pages of Cookie magazine all at the same time."

Furman came up with the idea to start Mamaista after giving birth to her son. Suddenly, the Daily Candy emails alerting her to the latest boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs seemed irrelevant. "Seemingly overnight, I became a lot more interested in strollers and nursing bras than in handbags and lingerie," says Furman. "The problem was that there was not one daily email that delivered practical and stylish product recommendations for moms in a fun, concise and well-designed format."


Subscriptions to Mamaista are free and require only an email address.

Goodguide.com

I found a great site called GoodGuide.com that helps out if you are trying to "Go Green".

"Going Green" is not easy... it takes a lot of work and with the economy being tight, who wants to buy foods that their children won't eat or shampoo that doesn't do what it says...without trying products, there is no way of knowing.

Now enters GoodGuide.com. Think of GoodGuide.com as that friend who knows everything about products that will help you "Go Green".

For example... Say I am looking for good organic foods to feed my daughter who is in Stage 2 of eating. I could go to the store, grab a bunch of food and play the guessing game or trial and error, but I hate to do that when every penny counts, so I go to GoodGuide.com and look in the 2nd Baby Foods section and I am given a list of healthy, safe and natural 2nd baby foods. Love it! The foods are even given a rating based on 35 product facts.

GoodGuide.com not only gives ratings on food, but they also rate products as well. You can find information on personal care items, household chemicals and even toys.

From the site:

GoodGuide is building a comprehensive source of information on the environmental, social, and health performance of products and companies. The GoodGuide team works with a network of leading academic institutions, government data sources, non-governmental organizations, and private research firms to bring world-class information to consumers.

GoodGuide's scientists have collected data from around the world on chemical ingredients, products, brands, factories, companies, industrial sectors, and even countries. We gather the highest quality data available and convert this information into ratings that can be used by non-scientists to easily evaluate products and companies.

In the future, GoodGuide will have tools to let consumers screen this data through their own personal preferences, allowing them to "filter" and search for products and companies that match their specific values.

Also, you can become a member, it's FREE, and submit your own reviews of the over 70,000 products on the site.

Another great feature...you can buy online!!

Bacon Cheeseburger Rotini

I'll tell you what...lately my head has been spinning with ideas at such warp speed that an easy meal for dinner is not only screaming my name, but I'm screaming it's name as well! Please easy dinner (screaming) HELP!!!

Drama aside, I found an easy dinner to make that not only sounded yummy, but contains ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen...thank you *ahem*!

Here it is for all those Moms out there that are like me...full of ideas with little of no time to accomplish them all, a recipe I found on the back of a Market Pantry rotini box.

bacon cheeseburger rotini

ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups Market Pantry Rotini (1/2 package)


• 8 slices bacon


• 1 lb. lean ground beef


• 1 (10.75-oz.) can condensed tomato soup


• 1/4 cup ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. water


• 4 deluxe slices American cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Keep warm.


2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over MEDIUM-LOW heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to plate lined with paper towels. Crumble 6 slices; set aside. Discard fat. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel.


3. In same skillet, over MEDIUM heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked; drain.


4. Add crumbled bacon, soup, ketchup and water; stir to combine. Heat thoroughly.


5. Stir in pasta. Place cheese slices over top. Break remaining 2 slices of bacon in half. Place one half slice on top of each cheese slice. Remove from heat; cover about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. If desired, serve with ketchup, mustard and a pickle.