Hormone-Colored Days

What I've been up to

2012-01-27T14:34:00.001-06:00

Moving in! Slowly. We've been bringing boxes and more boxes over from my parents' place to our new home. And then we've been unpacking and trying to find the perfect space for all that stuff.

Also, I've been busy with my Science Olympiad team. I'm coaching food science, which is baking, only baking where you write it up as an experiment, measure each ingredient to the nearest gram or milliliter, as well as each and every cookie in the batch. And then we assess the cookies on a sensory scale, weigh them to determine the percentage of moisture lost during baking and we might even test the density.

But wait, there's more!

We calculate the calories per serving and test other foods for the presence of protein, starches and reducing sugars. And then there's this whole viscosity thing.

Sound fun? It is. And my varsity team earned a medal at their first competition! I was so proud of them (and more than a little relieved that I hadn't been leading them astray because it turns out that cookies are very 2007 and for this year's competition cupcakes are the thing to bake).

I bake muffins and cookies, but what do I know from cupcakes? Ask me in a few months and I'll give you a mouthful. Literally. Each batch makes about 25 and we'll be experimenting with several different recipe combos.

How Will Social Media Moms Fare in 2012? Here Are My Predictions

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I cut back on my "brands and bloggers" post in 2011partly because client work, family needs, and our new-to-us house (plus the related blog, of course) kept me busy. Also? I'm tired of the repetitive conversation about blogs and brands.

Just a few weeks ago, there was a flurry of posts about whether bloggers should ever write for free. I'd already chimed in about working for free in April, reiterating what I'd already said in 2010.

{yawn}

(For the record, I pretty much agree with these smart women.)

Still, I did step on my soap box a handful of times in 2011. I spoke on the topic of Social Media Moms and Money at Blissdom 2011 and Bloggy Boot Camp Chicago. I also had the privilege of participating on a brand/blogger panel at the Social Media Masters Summit (and I'll be a panelist at the January Publicity Club of Chicago meeting). And dishing with the Blogging Angels was a highlight of my social media year.

On this blog, the post about Blogger Behavior at Trade Shows was one of the most widely-shared pieces I've ever written.

And in September when a very vanilla social media influencer list came out, I published a more diverse list of leading social media moms.

Amy Oztan took the blogger-brand conversation in a new direction with her post on the Blogger Pledge, but the posts about the importance of making The Lists (or not) left me feeling more tired than wired.

So what piques my interest in the year ahead? (Besides finally moving into my house, I mean.) New conversations, new trends.

10 predictions for social media moms in 2012

1. Niche blogging will continue to grow, along with related niche community sites, targeted ad networks and conferences.

2. New social media sites will continue to pop up like weeds. Some of them will thrive (I'm looking at you, Pinterest), others will experience stunted growth after a strong start (you still hanging out on G+?) and the remainder are distant memories (Empire Avenue, anyone?).

3. Given the growing number of ways to be social and the pressure to be online, always, I suspect that many bloggers will burn out, or make drastic cutbacks in order to avoid doing so. In the last quarter of 2011, many mom bloggers deleted their Klout accounts, while others such as Sweetney pretty much quit Twitter altogether. Perhaps the future of blogging conferences is unplugged?

4. Back to Twitter...Twitter has changed, have you? As the general population adopts Twitter, many users seek to keep up with sports broadcasts, TV shows, and their favorite celebrities (whose Tweets may be coming from a publicist, anyway). Many everyday folks (as opposed to heavy users of social media) seek to connect with brands on Twitter to receive special deals and quick customer service. Will the die-hard social media type who helped make Twitter what it is today move on?

5. Vlogging will be bigger than ever in 2012. If you haven't added video blogs to your bag of social media tricks, it's time to get cracking! Danielle Smith, Jessica Bern and Jendi Pagano offer great advice to get you started. Building up a presence on YouTube give readers a new way to connect with you, provides a chance for brands to see you in action, and brings your content to a new audience (albeit one with a lot of stupid comments). A robust video channel expands your social media footprint anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand views each month.

6. In 2012, we'll see a growth in small, low-key, but impactful, real-life brand events. Brands will connect with local influencers to hold gatherings in intimate locations, like the host's home or a favorite local restaurant.

7. It's possible that this year we'll see both the rise and fall of mombloggers. Long-time influencers in the social media space will continue to develop well-compensated partnerships with brands. However, people identified as key influencers may not even have a YouTube channel or (gasp!) a blog. They might just be very active on Facebook, or perhaps they regularly interact on the brand's Facebook page. Does this mean that content will no longer be king by the end of 2012?

8. Flash your stats! Back in the digital dinosaur days (circa 2008) social media moms shared their stats with an awkward reluctance. Nowadays, many bloggers readily flash seductive peeks at their stats via sleek media kits, but brands will increasingly want to verify those numbers before securing major partnerships.

9. That said, brands sometimes look for talent over traffic. In 2012, there will still be companies that partner with bloggers for reasons that go beyond trying to tap into that person's community.

10. The annoying "spray and pray" broadcast pitching from brands to bloggers will continue to be a thorn in side of many a blogger. Nobody handles these pitches with more aplomb than The Bloggess. Learn from her. But before you unleash your fury on a lowly intern, keep in mind that just a couple of years from now, she could be the person who hires bloggers for a big campaign.

How do you think the space will shift during the coming year?

Motorola Xoom and Verizon Wireless Campaign Wrap-up

2011-12-23T11:26:00.001-06:00

In just another week, the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms will come to an end. I've really enjoyed using the Motorola Xoom I received as part of the program. Unlike 99.6% of mombloggers, I'm not in the habit of having internet on the go, and have actually avoided being connected everywhere, all the time.

But it's pretty handy.

As the program finishes, I'm debating whether to continue the Verizon data plan on my own. I need to look beyond whether it's simply fun being able to Tweet/Facebook/check emails on the go to considering the business case for such access, especially now that the new house finally has internet service and I'm not sure how much traveling I'll be doing in the year ahead.

Regardless of how I move ahead, it's been an interesting journey. I noticed that pretty much wherever I went with the Xoom (including my son's doctor's office this morning), someone comments on my "iPad."

"It's not an iPad. It's a Motorola Xoom." I replied this morning and so many times before.

And then I go on to show a few great features of the Xoom that are not available on the iPad (at least not version 1).

I show off the front and rear facing cameras that capture still shots and video. I demonstrate how I can rotate the screen in any direction and be able to read and type. I may even take them on a trip to the Android App Market.

And then, because I'm a disclosure nerd, I talk about the Midwest Moms program with Verizon Wireless, which often leads to a whole different conversation about bloggers and blogging. Though sometimes it just leads to looks of befuddlement.

The Xoom has definitely been a conversation starter--so I guess you can say it's connected me in more ways than one!


Thanks to Verizon for inviting me to be a part of this fun program.

I'll be giving away my very gently used Motorola Bionic smart phone before the year's end, so be sure to look for that ~~*soon*~~ now through Dec. 28, 2011on Reluctant Renovator.

Disclosure: I was not paid to be a part of the program, but I did receive the Xoom and Bionic as well as an unlimited Verizon data plan for the duration of it. I will be keeping the Xoom and, as noted, will be giving away the Bionic to a lucky reader.

Speaking Engagements

2011-12-22T06:38:00.001-06:00

Blissdom Conference Community Leader (February 2012)

Publicity Club of Chicago, Panelist, Gaining Critical Exposure with Mommy Bloggers (January 2012)

Social Media Master's Summmit, panelist, Bloggers and Brands (October 2011)

Bloggy Boot Camp Chicago, featured speaker, Monetization and Social Media Success (August 2011)

Blissdom Conference Panelist, Bloggers and Worth (January 2011)

Type A Mom Conference Panelist, "Using Your Blog to Get Gigs" and Moderator, "Monetizing Beyond the Widget" (September 2010)

Social Media Masters' Summit on "Brands and Bloggers Working Together" (August 2010)

Sweets and Snacks Expo featured panelist for "Newest Products- Hottest Trends" (May 2010)

Featured citizen speaker at a Capitol Hill press event with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (March 2010)

Blissdom pre-conference Wisdom Workshop and Conference Session, Business Track (February 2010)

Blogalicious Conference Panelist "Marketing to Women of Color: The Real Deal" (October 2009)

Family Farmed Media Meet-up Panelist on discussion for producers on how to gain media coverage (November 2008)

Ad:Tech Chicago Panelist "Reaching Moms Online" (August 2008)

Vlogging

2011-12-22T06:10:00.000-06:00

After dipping into video blogging in 2010 with her not-ready-for-HGTV house hunting series, Property Sluts, Kim caught the vlogging bug and has continued on with a sequel named after her new house blog, Reluctant Renovator.

In December 2010, MomBlogMagazine.com featured Kim's vlogging efforts in their Smart Series Interviews.

As on December 2011, Kim's YouTube channel has grown to include how-to, travel, and product review clips, and a few school concerts. The channel's 62 videos have been viewed more than 65,000 times, with roughly 2500 views in a typical month.

Kim and her children have sold several videos to the Johnson and Johnson's YouTube Health Channel. Videos featured at JNJ Health include:
Hoop Fun for Kids
Old-fashioned Face Painting
Halloween Safety Tips
How to Make Butter

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

2011-12-21T14:53:00.001-06:00

Despite Thanksgiving, the ultimate foodie holiday party and other seasonal festivities, not to mention massive quantities of renovation stress, I'm down 7 or 8 pounds from where I was in August.

{pats self on shrinking rump}

But the final weeks of the year mean more parties, latkes, candies and cookies. Lots of cookies as I'm coaching the Food Science team for Science Olympiad and we plan to bake the school break away. Yikes! What's a weight watching mama to do?

Check out these great tips for preventing holiday weight gain from Esther Crawford over at The Dish, the new blogger resource site from ConAgra Foods.

{While you're there, take a minute to register for First Look, First Taste to receive samples of new products before they hit the supermarket shelves.}

What helps you keep the pounds off during the most wonderful eating time of the year?

Disclosure: As a member of The Dish Advisory Board I am compensated for my time.

Dear Small Business Owner Whose Gift Certificate Has Expired

2011-12-14T08:19:00.001-06:00

Dear Small Biz Owner,

I was thinking that my dusty old gift certificate for your services might come in handy now that I *finally* (almost) have a house again. I was also thinking that maybe, given that well over a year had passed since I received said gift certificate, it might have expired. However, the certificate is not dated nor is an expiration date listed.

I wrote you a nice note explaining that I had been holding on to the certificate and was hoping I might redeem it because after a year of house hunting followed by many months of home renovations, I am ready to "nest" and your services would come in handy.

Admittedly, I gave you an out, explaining that I understood if the certificate no longer applied. (Perhaps I should have stressed the lack of an expiration date.)

Your clipped response, "Yes, those certificates are void," left me cold, though.

A short apology, i.e. including the word "sorry," might have been nice.

Etiquette aside, a smarter business move would have been something like, "Sorry, the certificate is void. However, if you want to purchase 3 hours of my services, I will add in one additional hour for free."

I could have been a customer. I could have been thrilled by your expertise and referred my friends to you, written about you on my blog, left you good marks on Angie's List.

Instead, I'm shredding the gift certificate.

Mom, Incorporated: A Guide to Business + Baby

2011-12-08T07:11:00.001-06:00

The renovation has become my job of late, but when I saw this book sitting in my growing Pile of Neglected Items, I gasped. I did not mean to ignore this book (or the laundry pile--also growing--, or my children--who may have stopped growing due to lack of care). Mom, Incorporated is a fact-filled book of business know-how that comes with free hugs.

Danielle Smith and Aliza Sherman wrote a supportive and informative book that came along a few years too late for me, but is sure to be an asset to women, especially moms, who are just starting out.

I'm fortunate to know both of these talented woman in real life, but I tend to think that even if you don't, the book still reads like a helpful conversation with friends. Perhaps that's because the authors freely share their lessons learned and highlight so many real-life mompreneurs throughout the book.

Getting down to business, the Mom, Incorporated provides tips and worksheets on the kind of business to start and how to budget and plan for that business to launch and grow. It also shares insights on what kind of professional advice to seek and what questions to ask.

With moms in mind, the authors discuss finding workspace amidst the chaos of your home and where to get real-life support and encouragement.

Mom, Incorporated is a good book for any mom who's ready to give birth--to a new business.

Note: I received a copy of this book to facilitate a review.

Video on the Go with the Droid Bionic

2011-11-29T23:26:00.001-06:00

I'm still playing with some cool tech gadgets thanks to Verizon Wireless and Motorola. My beloved Xoom tablet died a sudden death shortly after I received it back from the 4G upgrade (coincidence?). I hope to be back next month with some answers and a new tablet. The reason I mention it is because not having my Xoom forces me to explore the Droid Bionic smart phone a bit more.

I know, smart phones are so, what? 2008? And yet, I haven't embraced one. I'm practically glued to my computer at home, so I find some freedom heading out into the world with limited access to my blogs, email, Twitter and other online distractions.

That said, DH and I were out shopping the other day and I wished I had brought my Bionic along. I would've been able to check consumer reviews in real time and ensure we were getting our purchases at the best prices. But alas, we were shopping old skool.

I did bring my Bionic along when I took a group of kids to a new trampoline space in town. It was easy to grab some video. Photos were more challenging given that the kids were constantly on the move. I'll be honest, they didn't come out great. I think the Bionic does a fine job with still shots, though.

And when I wasn't being ~~asked~~ commanded to ~~watch~~ record this child's dive or that one's flip, I *might* have sneaked a peak at my email. Or Twitter.

Check out the video, which was produced in Windows Live Movie Maker, which is not what I typically use for editing. For simplicity's sake, I used the "automovie" feature which automatically adds transitions and such. I'm not impressed.

But I am impressed with Sky High Sports, the trampoline place. In fact, I'm giving away two free passes to Sky High over at Reluctant Renovator.

Disclosure: As part of Verizon's Midwest Moms program I have received a Droid Bionic smart phone and a Motorola Xoom tablet along with a full data plan for each device in exchange for sharing how I am using these devices in my daily life.

Do you Send Holiday Cards?

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

I stopped sending cards once we started living ~~with my parents~~ in limbo, which is now several years ago. I feel like I'm finally ready to write a cheerful summary of the year that was and share my hopes for the one ahead. But if that note is tied to a holiday, Valentine's Day will be the likely candidate.

With skilled labor and a little luck, we hope to be in the new house by the end of this year, but when I say in, that's exactly what I mean. Once we all have beds to sleep in, there will be many, many other details to attend to in order to turn the new place into our home.

So holiday cards are on hold for a bit.

Even so, I enjoyed a recent evening with area blogger, Vanessa Druckman, and Tiny Prints. We got to preview their zippy new holiday line and picked up some great photo tips from an local photographer. (Hint: it's all about light. Also, a fancy camera is better than point and shoot.)

In addition to a few goodies from Tiny Prints (a pack of thank-you notes and a coupon for a Shutterfly book, which will come in really handy when we FINALLY go through my son's bar mitzvah photos), Vanessa sent us home with a box full of treats from Cheryl's- cookies, whoopie pies and bars. Yum!

Disclosure: What? I already disclosed everything above.

Kim and Kris, togther again!

2011-11-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

It's true! Kim and Kris are together again. Kim Moldofsky and Kris Cain are hosting a Chicago Blogger Holiday Bash with Craftsman this Saturday night.

It all started when we met Ty Pennington at the Craftsman Experience last summer. I had been thinking that I'd like to host a holiday event for my blog friends, but I suspected that our house wouldn't be ready for me to host one. Kris and I got to talking and pitched our idea to Craftsman, and by next Monday, the rest will be history.

Craftsman is providing the party place, along with food, drink, and yes, a DIY craft as well as handy holiday swag. Kris and I have contacted some of our favorite brands and clients to arrange fabulous door prizes that night. Serta is going to provide a couple of super comfy memory foam pillows, we've got 3 Striiv units to give away, Sky High Sports in Niles is providing a handful of passes, ConAgra Foods offering a gift basket and there's more. And, of course, Craftsman is stepping up with a grand prize to give away at the end of the night.

Good times y'all!

See you there? If not, follow along on Twitter at #CraftsmanBlogBash

Cross-posted at Reluctant Renovator.

The Cult of Lego: Book Review

2011-11-14T10:58:00.000-06:00

I was sent a review copy of The Cult of Lego from No Starch Press, a publisher that promises to deliver the finest in geek entertainment. No Starch Press lives up to its tagline with books about computer programming, Manga, Lego and more. The Cult of Lego, their latest offering, is the finest book I've seen from them.

Over 300 pages long, thissubstantial hardcover book would look as fine on your coffee table as it would on your kid's ~~bookshelf~~ bedroom floor. Though an unofficial book not endorsed by the LEGO group, it provides a broad overview on the history and uses of the bricks.

My 11-year-old Lego lover was the first one to start paging through the book after I removed it from the packaging.It was written with AFOLs, Adult Fans Of Lego, in mind, but as my son proved, there is enough fodder in it for eager fans of all ages.

I learned about AFOLs a few years back at a social media conference. There was an interesting presentation that included details on how long it took the LEGO brand to recognize--and capitalize--on this market of (mostly) adult men. It was a surprisingly slow development given that an adult fan typically has much more money to spend on Lego products than the average 10-year-old boy.

The serious reader can read the book cover-to-cover leaning about topics from minifigures to Lego art to LUGs (Lego User Groups) and fan resources. The casual reader, like me, can pick up the book and page through it, admiring the creations and picking up Lego factoids. Did you know that the ratio of male to female minifigs is 18:1?

If you're looking for a unique gift for the Lego lover in your family, one that won't clutter the floor or cause puncture wounds if you accidentally step on it, this book is a great find!

It retails for $39.95.

Disclosure: I as sent this book for review. All opinions are my own, though they have been influenced by my brick loving son.

Housing Update

2011-11-09T23:52:00.001-06:00

I think I've ~~mentioned~~ ~~asked~~ begged that you guys should follow me over at Reluctant Renovator, but since I'm still recovering from surgery, I'm going to make it easy on all of us and post my latest video here. I filmed this last weekend, when I was still a bit sore.

Thursday is our first inspection day; wish us luck!

Hunt's Dinner Sauces

2011-11-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hunt's, a client, recently brought me out to Denver for the launch of their new dinner sauce line. Just as the sauces are designed to elevate an ordinary dinner to something beyond, the team went beyond, introducing a group of Colorado bloggers to the sauces at Mise en Place cooking school.

Hosted by the wonderful Anne-Marie Nichols of This Mama Cooks (on a Diet) who demonstrated a few simple recipes using the sauce, our meal was rounded off by the chefs at Mise en Place who took the sauces to an even higher level.

A Tasty Tower of Basil Quinoa, Eggplant and Ratatouille with Cacciatore Dinner Sauce

As an attendee, I received a sample of each of the four dinner sauces, described below, and a few other goodies from Hunt's including a set of Sur la Table mini-prep bowls which I can't wait to use in my new kitchen.

But our kitchen is 6-8 weeks away from completion and I wasn't about to wait that long to try the sauces at home. Over the weekend I mixed up a batch of polenta rounds with Hunt's Greek Dinner Sauce, one of the dishes Anne-Marie demonstrated at the launch event. It was simple to make and it was a hit with my family, as proved by the empty serving dish left on the dinner table.

I plan to try the Southwest Dinner Sauce at our next Turkey Taco Salad night.

The tomato-based sauces come in four flavor varieties:

Tuscan: rich olive oil, basil and garlic
Southwest: black beans and red bell peppers
Greek: artichokes and oregano, and
Cacciatore: sweet bell peppers and aromatic herbs.

You can stay in touch with the brand on Twitter @HuntsChef and Facebook.

The dinner sauces will be rolling out nationwide (I hope) over the next year. I was thrilled to be able to go out to Denver and be a part of this event; kudos to Anne-Marie the Ketchum PR team for planning a fun evening!

Disclosure: As noted above, Hunt's is a client. I wrote this post of my own volition on my own time.

The Ultimate Weight Loss Secret

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks into Weight Watchers, I've lost four pounds and I'm about to make the women in my group go green with envy: I'm having surgery today. Granted, it's not liposuction, though I do plan to ask the surgeon if he can please maybe just suck out a little of the belly fit since he'll have his surgical straw going. I'm having my gallbladder removed.

Medically recommended organ removal = automatic weight loss!

It doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait, it does. The gallbladder holds bile, a fluid that aids with the digestion of fat, so the surgeon suggests finishing out my week with a low fat diet. Granted, I've been doing that anyway.

I'm not sure if I'll make it to my Wednesday weigh-in. If all goes well, I'll have laparoscopic surgery, and should be headed home before dark. If it looks like my gallbladder is acting up or my anatomy is a bit off, then I'll have old skool surgery and well, that will be a longer recovery. Either way, I'll likely be keeping a low profile for the rest of this week.

Three Geeky Android Apps

2011-10-31T22:32:00.000-05:00

I am still enjoying the Motorola Xoom that I have through my participation in the Midwest Moms program from Verizon Wireless. In fact, I'm hemming and hawing because I need to send it in for a free 4G service upgrade. This should be a painless process, but I hate to be without my Xoom, even for a few days. My teen son helped me find a few geek chic apps for the Xoom. Here are three of my favorites.

LH See Hadron Collider: From the marketplace description: Ever wondered how the Large Hadron Collider experiments work, and what the collisions look like? Scientists at the world's biggest scientific experiment - the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva - are trying to answer fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, the origin of mass, and structure of space and time. LHSee makes the Hadron Collider accessible to anybody with an Android smartphone or tablet PC.

Make it 3D: From the marketplace description: You can make your own 3D pictures! You can make your own anaglyph stereoscopic 3D pictures without 3D camera. Make It 3D can make stereo pictures with only one camera.

Google Goggles: Take a picture of an object and let Google tell you more about it. Google doesn't always get it right, but it can be fun to play around with even (especially) when Google is wrong.

With my Xoom boxed up and almost ready to ship, I suppose it's time to dust off the Droid Bionic smart phone the Verizon team sent to me as part of the Midwest Moms program. I brought it along on an outing shortly after I received it, but haven't touched it since.

Using the Bionic feels like cheating on my Xoom. But something's got to fill the empty hole in my heart while I'm Xoomless, right?

Stay tuned! When the Midwest Moms program wraps up at the end of the year, I'm going to be giving away one of my devices through one of my blogs. (No worries, the Motorola folks are going to swipe it clean first.)

Mary Poppins in Chicago: Practically Perfect in Every Way

2011-10-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

I was recently invited to attend a performance of Broadway in Chicago's Mary Poppins. Rachel Wallace *was* Mary Poppins; she was just a fabulous fit and did a fine job of making the role her own, while still allowing older members of the audience like me to delight in our memories of Mary on the silver screen.

As a seasoned adult, I must confess that I'm quite curious about the backstory with Mary and Bert, her chimney-sweeping friend, played by Nicolas Dromard. But the fine singing, dancing, imaginative sets and colorful costumes kept my mind from wandering too far.

I got to speak with a few members of the cast after the performance as a blogger perk. As tired as I was by that time of night (I had flown home from a business trip in Denver at 7 that morning), the cast members were that extreme of perky. They were enthused and full of energy (also many years younger than I am) and regaled our small group of bloggers with tales of traveling around the country with this musical.

It's always a pleasure to speak with people who love their jobs, and frankly, I think that love shows through on the stage.

If you and your kids enjoy musicals, put this one on your list.

How Do You Manage Family Dinner?

2011-10-24T06:30:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned that my client, ConAgra Foods, launched a new online resource center for bloggers. I'm pleased to be the site's first contributing guest blogger and have already posted my second piece over there. In celebration of National Eat Together, East Better Month, I'm sharing tips to help busy families sit down for a family meal.

I have to admit this is a challenge for us many nights. The school activities and sports have ramped up now that my boys are in junior high, and some weeks I fear they are turning into renovation orphans. Our construction schedule is running a few weeks ahead (I know!), which means we've got to make certain decisions ASAP, which means we're running out to Lowes or Home Depot, or the lighting store or the tile store shortly after DH gets home so that we don't slow down the amazing progress our builder is making.

I hope you'll read the family dinner tips--they are not just mine, a few blog friends chimed in, too- and share a few of your own in the comments.

Also, about that very mediocre photo that accompanies the article. Yeah, that's my family and I took the shot. That very meh photo was the best of dozens of shots taken over three photo sessions. The best. I'm not sure if that says more about me, my camera or my subjects. Ugh.

While you're at The Dish, sign up for First Look, First Taste to be the first to preview new products, request samples, ask questions of the ConAgra Foods team and get exclusive coupons.

2011-10-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

The Social Media Masters Summit is taking place in Chicago on October 25 and 26.

Bloggers can attend for only $99.

There will be great opportunities to meet brand folks and learn best practices in the ever- changing social space.

Key happenings on 10/25 include two free events (even if you are not registered for the conference!):
* A Blogger/Brand Breakfast sponsored by Jockey and Calumet Photo
* An evening book signing with Danielle Smith and Aliza Sherman, Co-Authors of Mom, Inc. The chance to hang out with Danielle and Aliza and soak up their wisdom is not to be missed. I'm certain we'll leave feeling ready to tackle new challenges.

Back to the summit, over the course of two days attendees will learn about SEO, community building and management, creating quality video content, mobile social trends, how small businesses can harness the power of social media and other hot topics.

I'm looking forward to speaking along with a rock star group of bloggers on brand blogger relationships on the 26th. I hope to see you there!

Big Renovation Update

2011-10-10T08:37:00.000-05:00

Our builder made amazing progress on our first week of renovation. Check it out--there's even a video of our new, but still raw, space.

About Your "About" Page and More on Bloggers and Brands

2011-10-05T06:10:00.000-05:00

Your About page is the topic of the upcoming MomImpact #OfficeHour chat. We'll be discussing what to do and what not to do to make your About page send the right message that matches your personality, your blog, and the type of engagement you're seeking.

Here's my About page, if you're curious. But you know what? It could stand to be freshened up a bit. Which is one of my points- when's the last time your revised yours? Yep.

It's going to be a lively and informative chat.
Join in on Skype Thursday 10/6/11 at 1:00 Central and is open to members of MomImpact. (If you are not a member, sign up.). If you're not a member of the MomImpact chat room, find me on Skype at least 15 minutes before our chat (which is text-based) and I'll add you to our chat room.

If you ask to join too close to 1:00, I'll be busy with the #OfficeHour and won't have time to add you.

And, by the way, drop me a note if you're interested in writing up a summary of one of the archived chats from September. I will pay a small stipend per chat, which I call my disorganization tax because I never got around to doing it.

There's a bonus chat this week, too!

On October 26, I'm going to be speaking about brands and bloggers at the 3rd Annual Social Media Masters Summit in Chicago on October 26. We're kicking things off ahead of time with a Twitter chat this Thursday evening from 8-10 ET. I'm one of the panelists for #SMMS. Click for details and prize info (there are some good ones).

Also, my friends at KidzVuz are hosting a Twitter party tonight. Click for deets. (Also good prizes!)

Welcome to my Publishing Empire

2011-09-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

First off, if you're a fan of my witty banter, please add Reluctant Renovator to your feed reader. These days I'm writing more often over there than I am here. Don't want to commit to the full feed? Subscribe to Progess Notes, the RR monthly e-newsletter where I share some of the month's best posts and current giveaways.

We're cleaning out the reno house because we are ~~hours~~ days away from demolition. Well, in theory. We're waiting for final permit approval and the village clerk I spoke with assured me that even when the signed papers hit her desk, they may have to sit there for a day or two as she attends to other aspects of her job.

Uh huh.

So this is the latest glimpse of MomImpact's world HQ, artfully arranged.

That's my Motorola Xoom on the lower left side. You might recall that I'm part of the #MidwestMoms program from Verizon Wireless. They gave me the Xoom along with six months of a Verizon data plan.

I can create a wifi hotspot with the Xoom and it's been a lifesaver because our house is not yet wired for Internet. With just a couple of touches to the screen I've got my wifi, which means no more time wasted twiddling my thumbs and I wait for workmen. Now, I can waste my time on Twitter.

Seriously though, it's been fabulous to set up shop at the house and be able to write, blog, Tweet and email from my Xoom or the laptop of my choice. (Typically, the Lenovo up top the ladder. I mostly use my old Dell for making movies. Speaking of which, don't miss this one.)

Also, my husband has this idea that we won't have wifi in the house. Something about me not bringing my computer to bed or whatnot. {rolls eyes} With the Xoom's 3G service, I don't need in-home wireless! He'll be happy about that some day when he's sick in bed and wants to watch a movie. Or kitten videos.

But alas, such a day is far off. We've got walls and cabinets coming down and new ones going up. Soon. I'm going to call that village clerk now.

ConAgra Dishes with Bloggers

2011-09-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

Many of you know I have been working with ConAgra Foods as their Social Media Mom for years. In that time they've taken on quite a few blogger projects and even stepped up to sponsor conferences like Blissdom. Today, I am pleased to announce the launch of their latest effort, The Dish.

I want to call it their newest effort, but honestly, it's been in the works for a very long time. It's been fun to see this online resource center for bloggers evolve and finally go live, but I also know it's just the beginning.

Hop on over to meet the ConAgra PR team, get the latest grocery news from Phil Lempert, find a recipe for your family or your blog and more. I'm there, too! {blushes}

You can also sign up for First Look, First Taste to be at the front of the line to receive new product samples from brands like like Orville Redenbacher, Healthy Choice, Pam cooking spray, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunts and other family favorites. First Look, First Taste members can also ask the team questions and get exclusive offers.

Check it out!

Disclosure: The PR/social media team was quite progressive when they brought me on years ago as a professional consultant and The Dish is just another example of their innovation as well their desire to connect and share with bloggers. I am compensated for my consulting time and my involvement with The Dish.

Social Media Power Moms of Color

2011-09-20T10:20:00.006-05:00

The other day I mentioned that I had tired of the same old conversations among brands and bloggers. It seems like they haven't changed much and I'm weary of being stuck in an echo chamber just adding to the noise. So I feel compelled to warn you that what follows is nothing new. In fact, in May 2009, I had a feature article in the MediaPost Engage: Moms column about the need for ethnic diversity in blogger outreach.

I was pretty disappointed after seeing the latest Power Moms List.

No wait, I was excited because I have so many friends on that list and it was-more than a rehash of the familiar faces that seem to be on the Big Lists. After a quick review of the honored bloggers, I headed over to the MomImpact Facebook page to share the list, and then it hit me.

Where was Jennifer James, founder of the nearly 15,000 member Mom Bloggers Club and so much more?

What about Stacey Ferguson, co-founder of a fabulous blog conference for women of color, FTC attorney and, of course, long-time blogger?

So I said this, "Great women, but lacking in diversity, which is a shame."

And I shared a few thoughts via Twitter, where I learned that a "Social Media Power Moms of Color" list was coming soon. But that didn't satisfy me or others, apparently. It was seen as too little, too late. I'm not sure if the new list ever came out. Regardless, I made my own version.

Marketers, PR pros and editors looking for high powered social media moms of color, look no further.

In no particular order, here are ladies who bring the awesome online:

Jennifer James
Stacey Ferguson

Kimberly Coleman
Carrie Weir
Ana Flores
Thien Kim Lam
Sandie Anugulo Chen
Melanie Edwards
Melanie Sheridan
Christine Koh
Nirasha
Miss Lori
MJ Tam
Ilina Ewen
Carol Cain
Leticia Barr
Yoly Mason
Divina Rodriquez
Caryn Baily
Veronica Arreola
Onica (Nikki from Mommy Factor)
Renee Ross
Grace Duffy
Duong Sheahan
Dwana
Migdalia River
Anissa Mayhew

(D'Oh! forgot these wonderful women on the first go around. See my note below and let me know who else to add!)

Kris Cain
Stefania Pomponi Butler
Kelly Wickham
Sheila Bernus Dowd
Liz Dwyer
Jennifer Rabulan-Bertram
Christy Matte
Christie Crowder

Disclosure: I hate making exclusive lists because I like to be inclusive. Also, I just know I forgot to include some brilliant women. No offense intended! Leave your name and blog in the comments.

Also, as much as I would have loved to give a brief description of what makes each of these moms so fabulous, I have consulting to do and walls to paint.

Should My Gifted Kid Take Out of Level Tests?

2011-09-20T05:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I received this note: I was wondering if you could give me some of your thoughts on the EXPLORE test. My daughter brought home a brochure from NUMATS, offering the EXPLORE test. I was wondering if you saw any value in doing this test so early. She's only in 4th grade, and I understand that the test is for 8th graders for placement in high school. Would you do it at this age? What's the point? Will it only stress her out?

As I went to answer her, I recalled that I've already written about this issue. These tests aren't good or bad, it's a matter of why your child would take them and what you might do with the info. For example, when you realize that your third grader is academically in line with the average 8th grader and you've already maxed out your district's enrichment offerings? It's more of a bummer than a delight, IMO.

At this old Momformation post, I shared reasons why out-of-level testing, that is testing that compares them to older students, can be useful. It helped convince the school to put my older son in a more advanced math class. Scores may be needed for the child to enter certain enrichment programs.

Then again, whoever provides the test probably has some advanced pricey math classes that your child will qualify for once the results are in. (Sorry, I'm cynical like that.)

My older son typically tests well and does not get stressed out by these tests. Indeed, now that he's in 8th grade, some of his friends are really worried about EXPLORE, but it's old hat to him.

And when young students take the ACT or SAT, their scores don't "count" for college, so it's good practice for later in high school. This fall my son has received a few invitations to apply for scholarships at a handful of boarding schools as a result of last year's test scores.

To be clear, he hasn't actually received a scholarship offer, but I do have a friend who's son got one for a private high school in their city.

As the parent, if you have a reason for your child to take it-- mainly school placement or entrance to a program-- then I'd say sign him or her up.

For Anna See

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not surprisingly, the early weeks of this month were filled with conversations about 9/11/01. I read one survivor recap in which the writer, now is his 30s, said that he is certain that he survived the worst of day of his life.

"No," my mind automatically shouted back, "the worst day of your life is when your child dies."

This is, fortunately, not something I've experienced, but I imagine that even the horror of 9/11 would pale in comparison.

Recently, I caught wind that at least one momblogger was not so lucky. Marinka wrote an eloquent post about this and I echo her thoughts, as well as those of Alexandra whose reactions to the news were the same as mine, Unimaginable Realities, so I will let her tell it.

My heart goes out to Anna and her family.

Please go share your condolences with Anna See, whose beautiful son was close in age to my boys.

And if you write about this on your blog, leave a note in the virtual condolence card that Kate has started at The Big Piece of Cake.

Bloggers and Brands - A must read post

2011-09-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

While I still listen to, analyze and am involved in a lot of conversations about bloggers and brands, very little has made it onto my screen as of late. Do I share it here? On MomImpact? On the MomImpact Facebook page? On my Facebook page?

Do I write about it at all or should I stick to writing about my house, which is where most of my bloggy energy has gone lately.

I just don't know. I do know, however, that I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. So much today's brand and blogger discussions are simply a rehash of the discussion that took place yesterday and the week before and so on back to about 2008.

But there are new gems here and there and maybe now that my boys are back in school and I'm settling in to a work routine I should get back to it? Yes? No? I just don't want to add to the noise. It feels like social media has gotten so noisy lately.

Enough with the navel-gazing, though. The must-read post isn't even mine. It's written by Amy Oztan of Selfish Mom and the Blogging Angels. Yes, the Amy Oztan of this scandalous video* and Working Mother Magazine's latest Power List of social media moms, FTW!

Go read her Blogger Pledge. Paste it up as the wallpaper on your monitor, print it out and post it where you need it. If you're making the transition from hobbyist to problogger, you need her advice.

*Did I make you click?

Venus Williams has Sjogren's Syndrome and I Have Advice

2011-09-01T00:29:00.001-05:00

Hi Venus,

I was shocked to see Sjogren's Syndrome noted as a hot topic on my Alexa toolbar. I had to click. Nobody ever talks about Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) except for the people who have the autoimmune disease, mostly women, and rheumatologists. I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Draft 1: It sucks now, but it gets better. I'm living proof!

Draft 2: Sorry to break the news, but no private medical insurer will touch you until 2014 when they have no choice (unless the Republicans send us back the old way where only healthy people get the care they need).

Draft 3: The Advice Route-

Make sure you have a good dentist and visit 3-4 times a year for preventative care. With SS your immune system attacks your salivary glands, which means less saliva and low quality saliva, which makes your teeth vulnerable and can lead to some pretty bad damage. Also, floss daily.

Find a good rheumatologist. Believe him when he tells you that you will likely develop rheumatoid arthritis or lupus in the coming years and listen to his treatment plans. I'm thinking you can afford a second or third opinion, so get it.

Find a good opthamologist. SS attacks the body's moisture-producing glands, including your tear glands. This is bad for your eyes.

Lubricant eye drops like Refresh by Allergan* can offer a lot of relief. Carry them with you at all times. Try not to leave the little droppers like a bread crumb trail everywhere you go. This is bad for your relationships.

If you think some babymaking action is in your future, find a good maternal-fetal medicine practitioner (high-risk OB). Hopefully, like me, you will be one of their most boring cases and your babies will be just fine.

Change your mind. For someone like you, a true champion and top-notch athlete, a fighter, it's going to take some getting used to living with a chronic disease. This is not something you beat, it's something you live with, find a way to make peace with it.

This will take time and practice.

When RA was settling into my bones, it would take hours each morning before my hand could form a fist. I was training shotokan karate at the time and certain I could fight with my "warrior" outlook, so I'd force myself to make a fist ten times over on each hand, crying my way through the pain and the uselessness of my body. In the end, it didn't make a difference, it still took my hands hours each day to become useful.

The right medicine makes all the difference. Now my fingers once again fly over the keyboard.

As one of my doctors put it, finding the right meds in the right amount for the right person is as much art as science. Sidenote: some of your meds may make you seriously sensitive to the sun, you need your next cool tennis outfit to be more along the lines of a burqini as opposed to the current ones that show off your assets. Other side note: I'd totally buy one from your line, though maybe you'd send me one as kind of a 'thank you for the inspiration, Kim' kind of thing.)

But back to those meds- I sincerely believe Western medicine is your very good friend. Which is not to say you shouldn't explore diet or exercise and other alternative options, but don't dis the drugs.

Screw your lousy health insurance plans their direct mail pharmacy, getting your meds at Costco will save you money. I'm not sure how they manage to sell my meds at a lower cost than my health plans, but they almost always do.

You may feel like you're on a downward spiral and will never get back up. You may cry about the end of your life as you know it and as you cry, you'll notice that your nose is runny and snotty, but you aren't really producing tears and then you'll be even sadder. But you know what? It gets better. I'm living proof!

BTW, here's an uplifting piece about my autoimmune journey at the fab website, ChronicBabe. Welcome to the club.

Need more advice Venus, I'm just a tweet away.

*Disclosure: I only wish they were paying me. If Venus does not accept their offer to be a spokesperson (they can finally make eye drops sexy!), I'd like to be next in line for the job.

Engaging Bloggers by Hiring a Blogger

2011-08-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

It's great to see brands engaging mombloggers on a professional level as spokespeople, content creators, consultants and more. I believe in the old truism that a rising tide floats all boats, so rather than complain that Brand A hired her instead of you, I believe it behooves us as a community to celebrate that person's success with the understanding that she's opening doors for others.

I witnessed a good example of this a couple of weeks ago when Audrey McClelland passed through Chicago as part of a TJ Maxx/Marshall's back-to-school* event. Audrey is known for being a stylish mom with an eye on fashion, as well as a mom with four young boys to clothe. If hers boys are anything like mine, which is to say adventurous and messy, she doesn't want to spend a lot on their school clothes.

Audrey was a great fit, and as an out-of-towner, her presence added to the "one show only" atmosphere. I didn't want to miss her on her quick visit, whereas, if the brand had simply invited me to an early morning breakfast in the city, I don't know that I would have joined in.

Audrey also did a great job; she not only related to and was accessible to the moms in the crowd, she stayed "on message" and, I thought, made a wonderful ambassador for the brand.

By contrast, when brands hire bloggers, but spin it differently, it doesn't work. I recently got a pitch from a brand that noted they had engaged a handful of Chicago's top mommybloggers for a project and thought I might want to post about it on my blog.

Wait a minute, I thought I was one of Chicago's top mommybloggers?!

That's what I wrote the PR rep, wishing that I could be as much of a smartass as The Bloggess is. But I don't channel her that well.

I received an explanation back, but that's not the issue. My concern was not who was or wasn't chosen, but rather how I was pitched. This was not the first pitch I've received that essentially says, "You are cool enough to pitch, but not cool enough to actually participate."

Ouch.

Behind the blog, behind the words on the screen, there's a girl who was picked last for the team, had her best friend asked out by the guy she was crushing on, or didn't get invited somewhere special.

(Wait, are you saying that's just me? Because I'm pretty certain it's not.)

Nobody likes to be reminded they are on the B-List.

But many people do like to support their friends.

Brands, choose your words wisely.

Zoom Xoom with Motorola and Verizon

2011-08-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

I'm part of of the new Midwest Moms group from Verizon Wireless. They have provided me with a Motorola Xoom and a Verizon data plan for six months and set me loose to share my experiences.

I received my tablet just before BlogHer, which was perfect timing because the wi-fi network at a women's blogging conference, especially one with 3,500 highly connected women, tends to be a bit sluggish. No worries for me. I was able to create my own wifi hotspot and zip around online as needed.

Having only played with my mom's iPad (my mom's iPad, how wrong is that sentence?), I wasn't sure what it would be like using a tablet as my only computer while at the conference.

It was handy in some ways, not so much in others. For example, one of the tasks hanging over me on the flight to San Diego was to crunch numbers to calculate the surface area of the rooms in our new house so I'd know how much paint we'll need for the walls and ceiling. I was able to pop open my Xoom to complete this. However, later, when I went to enter my data into a Google Docs spreadsheet, I realized it was too cumbersome to achieve without a keyboard (which I may purchase).

That said, having a computer I can tote around is fabulous! Angels sing each time I power it up.

Two weeks ago I attended a high school orientation on my son's behalf while he was away at overnight camp. I took notes on the Xoom (via the Google Docs app) and then snapped shots of his classroom as well as the recommended route to the room from where the bus will drop him off each morning.
The other day I stuck it in my purse before heading to the mall with my younger son. I popped it open while we were waiting for our food (I know, bad manners, but we were in a "fast, casual" place- does that make it acceptable?). Everyone who walked by our table stopped to comment on the Xoom.

I showed my 11-year-old son pictures I'd taken with the Xoom on my flight to BlogHer and within seconds, he was making movies on it. Nothing to feature here just yet, but give him a few weeks and we he'll have something other than me ducking away from the camera.

The Xoom has dual cameras, meaning they can face what you see, or with a quick tap on the screen, capture you as your laptop computer might, so my clever boy tried to switch the camera before I snapped my shots.

And Twitter, dear Twitter, I can finally tweet out pics, something that would be cumbersome (impossible?) with my not-very-smart phone.

I'm really enjoying the Xoom and will be sharing updates on how I'm using it to make my life easier, better (truly!), and the cool apps ~~I've~~ my boys found in the Android Marketplace.

Disclosure Recap: Verizon Wireless has provided me with a Motorola Xoom and six months of data service, so I can be online all. the. time.

BlogHer and BrandHer

2011-08-18T06:49:00.000-05:00

Each year after BlogHer (or any conference, really) I intend to share a little blog love with the sponsors, but I rarely get around to it. By the time I return home I'm some combination of exhausted and overwhelmed from 3 overstimulating days of conference fun.

This year, I'm driven by a bag of blogworthy swag that I swore not to put away until I blogged it. And I reaaaaaalllly need to get that bag out of my already full room.

I spent more time than I ever expected in the expo area at BlogHer. It was very social and I ran into so many friends that it took me a while to work my way around the room. Speaking of which, special shout-out to The Mother Company for hosting an informal gathering of my Yahoo Motherboard friends and I and for not kicking me out when I spilled a grande latte all over their floor. Their products skew a bit young for my guys, but I'm going to watch the award-winning DVD they gave me and then find a good home for it.

I had a few brand conversations, too. I have to be honest, though. I'm not one for deep engagement with brands on the expo floor. Perhaps this is largely because I don't imagine deep relationships with most of the brands.

This is not good or bad. It just is.

That said, here's what caught my eye and a bit of commentary. If I had a name a theme for the swag that came home with me, it would be PRACTICAL.

Glad's new "To Go" line. BPA free containers with a little cup for dressing or dip that snaps into the underside of the lid. It's different. It's practical. We'll see if they're a hit once school starts.

Centrum vitamins. The free bottle saves me a trip to the store, FTW! On the downside, their ingredients include artificial food coloring. Also, why can't adult vitamins be smaller? I'd rather swallow two small pills than one giant horse pill. I often skip taking my vitamin just because of the thought of having to swallow those honkin' big pills. The travel packets of Advil are also a hit.

Lindt chocolate bars. I think they knew I'd eat of every last Lindor truffle if they put them on display, so they brought their new line of intense dark chocolate bars instead. Nom nom. I blogged it, now I finally get to eat it.

My tool belt! D'oh! I was wondering where I'd stashed that. No wonder my swag bag seemed so heavy and full.

Also, the wood. Yes, I brought home some leftover pieces of wood and an unopened pack of shims from the swag exchange room (left over from Lowes) because I'm ~~a total nerd~~ practical like that. Who doesn't need shims, especially when their entire house is being gutted?

3M not only hosted a fine party, but handed out all manner of practical items at their booth. I happened to stop by with my friend Deb who raved about the Command line of products in a more convincing and authentic way than any official brand rep could. 3M is all excited about their new line of full adhesive "super sticky" Post-it notes, but my tween son is less enthused because he loves to turn regular old Post-it pads into cute animated shorts. I should post a video on YouTube.

More likely to be a hit with him is the new Next Generation 20Q! An electronic, handheld version of 20 Questions.

Another hit: Arm and Hammer toothpaste. Between this and the vitamins, I figured I've saved about $15 and a trip to Target.

Did you know that the company that makes Mega Blocks also puts out the Rose Art line and a brand of pens called "The Write Dudes"? I did not. These bright, shiny pens are sure to be a hit with the same boy who makes the Post-it animations. Though he also does this thing where he turns pens into mini-cross bows, so no one can really predict whether he will actually use these to write.

My biggest surprise on the expo floor? Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt. I love it!

What did you think of the expo area this year?

BlogHer Food

2011-08-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

I'm talking about the food at BlogHer11, not the BlogHer Food conference. This was my 4th BlogHer conference and I have to give big kudos to Stacy's pita chips and Sabra hummus for the best BlogHer snack ever.

Saturday afternoon, they served up pita chips and hummus alongside loads of freshly chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, guacamole and other goodies. I was in heaven!

It doesn't hurt that I enjoyed the snack while getting to know Michele Spring, who I'd met earlier in the day at a Blogging Angels event. We talked so long we shut the (snack) bar down.

Why You Shouldn't Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast

2011-08-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

The short answer: because if you wind up heading to the ER later that day with a gallstone attack, you will feel very defensive about your food choices. (I swear, it was only about a 2 ounce scoop, and I was out running errands at 6 AM on a very hot day; it seemed like a decent idea at the time.)

I had a handful of gallstone attacks a few years ago. They came painfully and unpredictably, but disappeared withing 20 minutes to an hour. When this one came on, I was pretty sure what it was and waited, maybe too patiently, for the pain to go away.

The pain was as relentless as that of childbirth labor pains. It simply Did. Not. Stop.

I couldn't get comfortable. I bent, I turned, I twisted, I moved from my back to my side to all fours, but the only relief I felt was a brief respite after a moaning til I ran out of breath. But then, how long could I go without breathing? And if the pain was so bad that I was writhing and moaning, why did I wait three hours before deciding to go to the ER? Good questions all.

Eventually, a small dose of morphine put some distance between my mind and the pain. But while I still had my senses, I thought of friends like Brandie, who recently had a double mastectomy, and dear Susan, whose fight against cancer has brought her more pain than anyone should experience in her lifetime (and yet, she still runs circles around me productivity-wise. For example.).

I especially think of Susan each year around BlogHer. In 2007, just weeks before the conference, she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, the breast cancer without a lump. Because she need to stay home and start chemo, Susan passed her room at the conference hotel to Robyn and I.

She's been fighting on and off since 2007 and she's not done yet. She's mentored women in the planetary sciences (yeah, she's a rocket scientist), as well as other mothers with cancer. Susan has also inspired and helped so many more.

So, um, how do I neatly wrap up this post?

My pain was bad, but the pain of women with breast cancer is worse. The number of my friends who have or have had breast cancer is growing at an alarming rate (I was warned this would happen after 40). There is no way to neatly tie this up with a humorous punch line.

I can only say I'm sorry I won't see these friends at BlogHer this year and I look forward to seeing them later this year.

Please, please sign up for the Army of Women and do what you can to support breast cancer research.

The Obligatory Pre-BlogHer Post

2011-08-03T07:19:00.000-05:00

BlogHer, Blissdom, Blogalcious- all blog conferences can stir up anxiety, but with 3,000 attendees BlogHer 2011 is going to be the MacDaddy (MacMama?) of them all.

Here are two fresh fun posts to help get you ready:

A reference guide to common blogger types from Mom101.

How not to be that jerk everyone talks about next week from Mommy Needs a Cocktail--she is also my ticket sponsor; thanks Kristen! She shares 10 great tips, but in case you don't read down to the comments, I'm going to share number 11 via Backpacking Dad:

It’s always a great thing if someone knows who you are, but it’s not an insult if they don’t. The Internet is a big place, and even if you’ve left 90 comments on someone’s blog some people can’t even remember faces, let alone a comment-pseudonym that has some combination of “mom” “kids” “crazy” and “booze” in it. Taking it personally just means you invented a relationship in your head that isn’t there, not that the blogger is a bitch.

PunditMom's comment about tipping the lovely ladies who clean your room is also one to take to heart. (Does swag tipping count? You know, thanks for cleaning my room. Please enjoy a year's supply on hand lotion!)

And finally, here's a bit of my own timeless blog conference wisdom:

Why I'm not going to talk to you at BlogHer

You are not invisibl

How to have the best BlogHer ever

Ten Commandements for BlogHer success (good, but not nearly as funny as Kristen's post above)

My Other Car is an Earth Mover

2011-07-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Uh, yeah, so I came home yesterday and found this in the driveway. It's related to work we're doing in the basement. If you thought our basement looked bad a week ago, wait 'til you see what's up now. And by that I mean it's even worse.

Way worse.

Details soon over at Reluctant Renovator!

Chicago: I See London, I See France

2011-07-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

I see Marilyn Monroe's underpants. Yep, that's hubs in there somewhere. There were fewer crowds in back and we are all about avoiding lines.

{Insert your own pantyline joke here cuz I couldn't think of one.}

Want to see her from the front? Odd choice for a very large public work of art, but it gives us something to talk about besides the weather.

Soda Stream Review

2011-07-14T06:00:00.007-05:00

The bottle of Soda Stream root beer I brought home from the Housewares Show was the topic of much discussion and product lust, so I got in touch with the PR rep and she sent us the make-your own soda machine to review

The Soda Stream is easy to use and does not require electricity. It's simple and fun to mix up fizzy water on demand and flavor it as desired. Along those lines a certain boy in our house learned the hard way that one does not make a chocolate phosphate by carbonating a bottle full of chocolate milk (seriously folks, don't try this at home).

{pause to pour a glass for sipping}

Along with the Soda Stream unit, we received a CO2 cartridge that will make us about 60 liters of bubbly drinks, two one-liter bottle for making drinks and enough flavoring to last us all year.

Let me break that down a bit. The gas cylinders, or carbonators, can be returned through participating retailers and then the Soda Stream folks inspect, clean and refill them for re-use. The plastic bottles can be washed at home with hot soapy water and re-used, so there's a green element to this system. At the Housewares Show, they had some impressive displays indicating the amount of waste plastic drink bottles create to reinforce the environmental advantages of Soda Stream.

{pauses for sip}

There are a variety of Soda Stream flavor options. Flavor syrups include a variety of traditional options (cola, ginger ale, root beer) in regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free and Sparkling Iced Teas. These retail for $4.99 and up per bottle and make 12 liters or equivalent of 33 12-ounce cans at a cost of about 25 cents a can, according to their website.

Another option is the unsweetened Flavor Essences which retail for $9.99 and make up to 20 liters.

And they also have a sparkling natural line made with cane sugar and without artificial colors or flavors. Woot! Though it's a bit pricier at $9.99 for 6 liters.

We like that it Soda Stream makes bubbly drinks in a few simple steps and that we can mix and match our own flavors, or just drink our fizzies plain. It would be nice if flavorings could be added more simply per glass rather than per liter, so the hubs could drink his plain, I could add a bit of lemon-lime and the boys, well, they'd just go nuts with flavor combos.

If you're a big pop drinker, just enjoy a fizzy sip or two now and then, or like to impress your friends, the Soda Stream will hit a sweet spot with you. Try it, you'll like it. And if you don't Soda Stream offers 30 day money back guarantee.

Soda Stream prices start at around $80 and go up based on the model. You can find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond and other retailers.

Disclosure: I received a Soda Stream maker and many sodamixes to review. All opinions are mine. Ask me for a drink with your choice of flavor when you stop over to see my new house.

Win a Kohler Kidz Wisconsin Getaway

2011-07-13T12:28:00.004-05:00

In early June, just days before closing on our new-to-us abode, we headed up to Kohler, Wisconsin for a housemoon. You know, like a babymoon or honeymoon, only for home ownership.

I'm going to pat myself on the back and say the housemoon concept is rather brilliant. Also, Kohler is the perfect place to take one. I received a bit of inside info on shower and bath trends at a meeting with a Kohler PR rep, but anyone can meet with Kohler design staff and take in sights at the Design Center like the Great Wall of China, as well as dreamy designer bathrooms.

Still, I understand maybe you'd want to go to Kohler to fall in love with your family, not a sink.

Horrible phone camera shot of a lovely vanity/sink

Fair enough. Kohler's American Club Resort has a lot to offer families, though I think it's best for families with kids who are age 5 or up.

We stayed at the Inn on Woodlake, the modern young cousin to the more stately American Club. I think I would have spent a lot more time shushing my boys at the latter. That said, I have a cautionary note about the shower from our room at the Inn, which might be a bit intimidating to young children. My boys (husband included) loved the "car wash" shower in our room, but the showering experience is a bit intense at first and we didn't have a tub.


Water can spray out of all of those squares, or shower tiles.

The showers were a lovely treat; DH wants something similar for our new house. But if you really want to take your relaxing Kohler experience up a notch, make time to visit the Kohler Waters Spa.

Ah, I got hung up on the bathrooms again. Sorry.

The resort has n indoor swimming pool at the Sports Core or outside in Wood Lake proper, as well as ice skating in the winter. They have bikes that can be rented for touring the small village. And though not an official resort activity, we caught a horse drawn carriage one beautiful night and clip-clopped through town, which is by all accounts modern day Mayberry.

For big kids, there's horseback riding.

Not to mention hiking or golfing. And if hitting the links isn't your bag, hit the shops at Woodlake, instead.

If you have really big kids, 14 and up, you can go on a fascinating factory tour.

And oh, the food.

What? Chocolate counts!

If you're with the kiddos, you might skip the upscale dining experience at The Immigrant and opt for the Horse and Plow. Apparently there's a state law requiring every Wisconsin tourist to eat at least one batch fried cheese curds and you can get a big, hot order with your dinner. If you want to go really casual, pick up local produce, artisanal Wisconsin cheese and other local delicacies or order sandwiches to go from Woodlake Market.

Oh, how I regret not buying this.

We kept busy during our short time in Kohler, but if you're feeling antsy (or just not as into kitchen and bath fixtures as I currently am) there's even more family fun to be had in nearby Sheboygan, like the children's museum. (Oh look, Kohler is their donor of the month.)

So you've got your food, your fun, your family time. What more could you want?

Free, you say?

Okay, you can win a Kohler Kidz package with:

   * Two nights at Inn on Woodlake
    * Kohler Kidz Amenities
          o A gift from Movers & Shakers Kids Toys Gift Shop (featuring all kinds of fun that doesn't require batteries)
          o Baseball Hat and wristband
          o Smoothie at Take 5 (yum!)
          o Special treat at Craverie (small, but super yum!)
          o One meal at Horse & Plow (don't forget the cheese curds)
          o Complimentary breakfast buffet
          o Rental of select activity equipment (i.e. free kid's bike rental when you rent one)
    * 20% discount on services at Kohler Waters Spa (do not pass this up!)

The Kohler Kids Package starts at $371 a weekend at the Inn of Woodlake. Rates based on a two-night stay for two adults and one child. But you can win one for free, plus Kohler will provide amenities for up to two children under age 16.

Would you like to win a Kohler Kidz weekend? Enter to win at Reluctant Renovator through July 24!

I'm Going to BlogHer11!

2011-07-13T07:11:00.000-05:00

It's true, I'm going to BlogHer11. When I first attended in 2007, I thought I'd never go again. At BlogHer08, I had a great time, but figured that was my last. Then its came back to Chicago in 2009. How could I stay away?

But by in 2009, even though I had many friends in the space BlogHer felt too large for me and I decided to focus on smaller conferences. 2009 was also the year of the swag-whores. I was done with BlogHer, especially since there are so many great blog conferences are there now.

But after giving away my tickets to Type-A Parent and EVO, and feeling mired in many issues related to our reno house, I decided BlogHer11 in San Diego would be a nice place to be. And then I won a ticker from Mommy Needs a Cocktail and thus, booked a flight.

On a personal level, I want to see my friends. I'd like to learn a few things, especially since I'm approaching my new blog with a different mindset than built this one with back in 2005. I'm interested in connecting with a handful of brands. I'm going to ~~run~~ participate in the 5K.

I'm not concerned about being at the right parties or gathering the most or coolest swag, though if I can win a tablet or something for my new home, I'm game.

On a professional level, I mostly want to take in the scene and note how the space ~~has evolved~~ is evolving in order to best serve my consulting clients.

Will I see you there?!

I'll be reposting some of my BlogHer prep and wisdom posts in the coming weeks. These old posts are not so much about what to wear, but how to be.

Goal Zero Provides Portable Power to Brighten Dark Moments

2011-07-11T06:30:00.002-05:00

It seems that every few years we lose power as the result of a storm. And in the last three years, it seems we've headed to the basement because of tornado warnings more than I can ever remember doing in the past. While there's something cozy about the family gathered together in one room, blankets and flashlights at the ready (it's a cold basement), we have modern worries beyond, say, whether the food in the refrigerator will spoil if the power fails.

What about our gadgets?!

Granted, Tweeting a tornado isn't a priority for me, but keeping some form of communication with the larger world is important during an power outage. That's where GoalZero comes in. I met these leaders in the portable solar technology field at the Travel Goods Association Show when they passed along a handy solar-powered flashlight.

Goal Zero was founded by an entrepreneur who saw a need for renewable power and light based on his work with a nonprofit in the Republic of Congo.

They sent me a Goal Zero Guide 10 Adventure Kit to ~~review~~* play around with and share some thoughts. The Kit consists of a Nomad Solar Panel and the Guide 10 USB Power Pack. It will charge cell phones, PDAs, PSPs, iPods or MP3 players, and USB devices as well as AA and AAA batteries. Other models will charge laptops, and even TVs or fridges.

But back to the Guide 10. It allows us to charge from the solar panels (as pictured above) or from the battery pack. According to GoalZero, we can charge the battery pack, which also functions as a LED flashlight, in 3-5 hours. The pack can also charge a cellphone 1-3 times per charge. (Note to self: if I want to use this in emergencies, I need to make sure to keep it charged up.)

Confused? This video explains it all.

The ability to use the solar pad directly to power or charge devices, gives us some geek chic cred. In fact, I might just bring it with to the beach today. Though I fear then my son's teen friends will want to play killer zombie games, rather than in Lake Michigan, so maybe not.

This is a very portable system, with its lightweight, foldable design and weather-resistant finish. It has a built in flap to store, say, a cell phone or iPod but it doesn't have a pocket for storing the other cables and adapters included in the kit. This does not make mama happy.

In our techy household we already have a whole mess of cables and adapters, and it irks me to add to the mess. Plus, if we were to use the Guide 10 Kit for camping, it could be even more of a challenge not to misplace anything.

Other than that, the Guide 10, our first foray into portable solar power, if pretty cool. You can find Goal Zero products at a variety of outfitters and sporting goods stores. Retail price for the Guide 10 is around $139.95.

Also, if you like to camp, check out my air mattress giveaway over at Reluctant Renovator.

*Disclosure: I had the option to keep this product for a set amount of time and then return to the company or purchase it at a steep discount. The teen ponied up the money to keep it.

We lost power AND this tree in a local park.

Yeah, I'm on Google+

2011-07-10T07:37:00.000-05:00

I scored an invite to Google+ thanks to Arpana from Parentella. It's interesting to see how quickly things evolve from, "Uh, I'm here. Now what?" to real sharing and genuine enthusiasm for the service. I see G+ as more of a Twitter killer than a Facebook one. I can see my social media peeps crossing over the G+ due to factors like the social circles, not to mention conversation in more than 140 characters. But I can't see the average Josephine switching over. At least not now.

For more commentary on Google+, check out this comprehensive list of articles from Deb Ng.
Also worthwhile, is this read on privacy settings.

And if you're on G+, let's circle up!

World of Whirlpool and Induction Cooktops

2011-07-08T06:30:00.003-05:00

I feel like I lost a solid week or two pre and post bar mitzvah and now I'm trying hard to catch up. (Editor's note: How cute. I wrote that on May 17. Ugh.) I'm also launching a new blog that's keeping me busy (since launched...).

I recently had a chance to visit the World of Whirlpool Product Experience Center in Chicago and learn about their new appliances. The Whirlpool lines include Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air. I showed up with a special kitchen issue of Consumer Reports in hand because I am that dorky and many of Whirlpool's products received top ratings.

Knowing I have a kitchen and bath(s) redo, not to mention a new laundry room in my future, I thought this event would provide a good opportunity to learn about new appliances and visit with some of my blog friends.

Chicago is also home to the Kenmore Live Studio (a former client). I think it's interesting to note the different approaches these two companies took. Whirlpool's Center is quite, sophisticated, elegant and elite.

Kenmore, on the other hand, is practically a fishbowl. Located in a busy part of the city, in a street level corner studio with glass walls, Kenmore is for the people. And by the people, too. Parent groups, bloggers, even the Confection Industry trade group have used the space. It seems to me anyone with a good idea and a bit of enthusiasm can host a program there. They even launched their own reality web show.

One thing both Whirlpool and Kenmore have in common is their love of induction cooktops. Their PR folks proclaim that induction cooking is the wave of the future.

Induction cooking is, well, let's just call it ~~electro-magnetic~~ magical and note that in order for it to work, you need ferrous, or iron-containing pots and pans (hint: a magnet will stick to them). Seriously, though, here's a read about the science behind induction cooking.

Induction cooking is the most fuel efficient way to cook.

Not only does it waste less energy, but it heats up more quickly.

It's safer if you have little ones around because the cooking element heats up the pot, not the surface. Therefore if junior turns the stove on and there's no iron pot on the element, nothing will get heated up- there's no danger of burns or burning down the house. Cool, huh?

So why aren't the masses rushing to buy induction cooktops and ranges?

The unit may require an upgrade in your kitchen wiring.

You may need to buy new pots and pans. Out of the dozen or so pots and pans around my parents house, I only found one ferrous pot. This adds an expense to an already expensive new appliance. Also, of the many pots and pans on the market, only a few lines have labels noting compatible cooking surfaces. I'm not in the habit of bringing a magnet when I shop. Are you?

If you have a gas stove, it's likely cheaper to use than induction, even though it's not as energy-efficient.

I think another key deterrent is that few people know someone who actually owns and cooks with an induction cooktop. Who wants to be the first of their friends to take a gamble on such a costly purchase?

I don't know if there's induction cooktop trade group, but I think a massive sampling program is in order if appliance manufacturers want induction to catch on.

When I worked with Kenmore, they provided a handful of bloggers with induction cookpads, which not only made for the fabulous swag, but in hindsight, was a brilliant move. (Even more brilliant because the pad came with an induction-friendly pan.)

I have one of those induction pads and plan to experiment with it in the coming weeks*.

We're rewiring the entire house, buying new appliances and gave away/sold/tossed our scratched up old pots and pan, so many purchase barriers have been eliminated. However, out kitchen has natural gas service, which means low operating costs, and likely a lower appliance purchase price, as well.

We could stick out necks out and go induction. Or we can stick with a gas range.

What do you think we should buy?

Do you have induction? (This is difference than a glass top electric unit.) Do you know someone who has an induction cooktop?

I want to thank the folks at Whirlpool for an informative day (read a more detailed account over at West of the Loop) as well as as kitchen design an appliance inspiration, not to mention one of the best meals I've had all year.

*Given the lag time from draft to posting, I already started playing around with induction a bit more and will share my findings at Reluctant Renovator.

I Make Plans and the Universe Laughs

2011-07-07T10:04:00.000-05:00

Despite the shortened workweek, the was my BIG week to Get Things Done. We closed on the house just days before the boys got out of school which resulted in June being one big blur of camp carpools and meetings with service providers of every strips and color (nice skunk catcher reference, huh?).

On Monday, we sent the tween off for two weeks in Wisconsin (sniff) and the Teen started at a dream-like weeklong, full-day tech camp, because who doesn't want to spend their summer learning JAVA?

Tuesday we had a fairly long meeting with one of the potential contractors and Wednesday (yesterday) I planned to really dive in and start checking things off of my to-do list.

And then...

And then we had a Comcastrophe*. The Internet went out**.

Sigh.

After hemming and hawing and pacing about I realized this was a SIGN that I should clean up around the house (not on my to-do list, but one can argue it should have been up at the top of it) and then maybe catch up on some biz bookkeeping, which I did.

Later in the day I was allowed access to my mom's mifi unit (a portable wireless network basically) and in the evening, there were four of us huddled around the mifi, like cold beggars gathered around a trashcan fire in the middle of winter. Pitiful. Especially since the little mifi couldn't really handle all of us at once.

Today? Today, I work.

* I wish I coined this clever term, but alas, did not.
** Neighbors had some work done and someone snipped our cables!

I'm Speaking at Bloggy Boot Camp Chicago

2011-07-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to be speaking on Monetization to a maximum capacity crowd at the upcoming Bloggy Boot Camp Chicago. The conference, err camp, takes place on August 20 at the Chicago North Shore Renaissance Hotel.

It's practically in my back yard. If the house isn't in shambles by then (and let's be honest, for the sake of my sanity, I am hoping it is), perhaps I will host a bloggy little shindig in my backyard.

Will you be there? Any specific aspect of monetization you'd like to see addressed during my preso?

Gotcha! A New Family Game from Buffalo Games

2011-07-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

My family was invited to review Gotcha! the new family game from Buffalo Games. This seemed like a good thing to try out at our new house given that we don't have any Internet service there and even our cell phones get spotty reception. Thus, we have no choice but to interact as a family.

Gotcha! is a zany game in which the rules are always changing depending on which cards are played. One of my boys is a stickler for the rules, the other likes to bust his brother for breaking them. That makes this a great game for my family, even if they are a little young for it according the the packaging, which recommends it for ages 14 and up.

What do I mean about the rules changing? There are cards that dictate who should follow a given rule (males, anyone wearing glasses, etc.) and then there are cards that dictate what that person, or class of people, has to do (apologize before each turn, burp whenever the player to the right takes a turn).

If a given player misses her cue, another player hits the big red buzzer and moves his peg ahead on the game board, while rule breaker moves her piece back.

We've played it twice so far without managing to declare a winner because of the resulting silliness (and okay, the boys maybe get a little too heated in their arguments about who broke which rule), but we're mostly about the process anyway. And the process of playing this game has involves much laughter, so it's all good.

With a recommended retail price of $27.99, it's a bit on the high end, so you might want to wait for a sale or search for a coupon, but Gotcha! can be a raucous party game (up to 8 can play at once) in addition to being a as well as a fun family game.

Disclosure: I was sent this game to review. All opinions are my own.

Six Signs of an Angry Skunk

2011-06-30T10:38:00.016-05:00

I was often out and about with my boys when they were younger. Over the years we attended several classes at Chicago's North Park Village Nature Center. Their programs were not always top notch, but they were free and weather permitting, we'd enjoy a lovely romp in the woods or quiet nature walk after the class.

In 2004 we attended a program on skunks. The organizers even had a live skunk we got to touch and smell (its stink glands had been removed but the animal remained unpleasantly musky and slightly malodorous). The teacher told us that skunks are nice. Skunks want to be our friends and don’t just go around stinking things up.

Skunks only spray their stink, the teacher told us, when they are scared or threatened. She told us there are six signs of an angry skunk and that the skunk will show those signs before letting loose the stink.

This got me thinking about my own young children. What are signs they are about to blow?
---------

That, dear reader, is one of many unfinished essays abandoned on my hard drive. I never forgot the title or the analogy and it still seems to me like it could be an piece with potential. Ah, I remember when I used to write....

At any rate, I thought of the dusty old draft recently when I noticed we have a family of skunks living below our front stoop at the new-to-us-house. Click. Go read.

There is still time to enter the Serta Sleep Set giveaway over at Reluctant Renovator and more great giveaways planned for this summer.

Serta iComfort Sleep System Giveaway

2011-06-22T06:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the light posting here. If you are a subscriber, please follow me over at Reluctant Renovator as that's where I doing most of my writing this summer, which has thus far been a whirlwind of meetings with contractors, electricians, plumbers, foundation seal fixers and floor refinishers.

Good times, y'all.

Really. I mean, I'm thrilled to have a house, I just have to remind myself that A) we bought low and B) we will be living there for reals by 2012.

I hope..

At any rate, I have a bunch of fabulous giveaways planned for the summer over at RR and here's the first one- a fabulous Serta iComfort Sleep System of your choice---free! What are you waiting for--go enter!

Chicago Summer Fun with Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go

2011-06-16T06:41:00.001-05:00

Chicago native Melisa Wells not only knows how to throw a heck of a book launch party, she writes a pretty good book, too. Her latest book, Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go: Nearly 200 ways to enjoy Chicagoland with teens and tweens, is chock full of where to go and what to do, with a bit of what to eat tossed in for good measure. My mom saw my copy of the book sitting out and ~~swiped~~ borrowed it from me. I had to sneak it back in order to give it a review.

It sounds like my family follows in the foot steps of Melisa's family or origin in that we often hop in the car or on the train and go to town, literally. But even as a frequent hometown tourist, I learned a few new tidbits from Melisa.

I now know a simple way to make it to Ping Tom park in Chinatown.
I learned that my family and I can get our own room at a hostel in downtown Chicago.
There is a state park in Chicago. (Who knew?)
We can tour the Sprecher Brewery? (Granted, it's just across the border in Wisconsin, as are a few other fun attractions.)

And because of the age group her book serves, I'm reminded of a few outings that weren't a great fit when the boys were younger, such as a trip to the Federal Reserve and Fermilab.

Once my mom clears out her bookmarks from the book, I'm adding a few of my own and using this to guide our summer fun.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to facilitate a review and summer of fun.

A Day with @CraftsmanClub: Nearly Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T06:19:00.004-05:00

Talk about feeling the power. Last week, I spent a wonderful and inspiring day with the folks from Craftsman and a fabulous, patient crew of instructors who taught me new terms, skills and technology.

They really pumped up my DIY mojo and I look forward to tackling projects at Casa de Renovation. After lunch, the team showed us a variety of new/up and coming Nextec power hand tools, and I'll be damned if I couldn't put each of those things to work the minute I got them home. #gadgetlust

No, the bloggers did not receive the whole line, but I do have two goodies heading my way that will likely show up in some form at Reluctant Renovator. But before I think too much about building up our workshop, we have to tear down the walls that surround it in order to locate the foundation crack. :-/

Check out a few highlights:

@MissLori swears she didn't purposely dress to match the goody bag.

@HollyConrad's project could not have been a bigger hit.

Holly simultaneously rocks a skirt, legwarmers and a band saw. #awesome

I rock the double chin and the band saw.


@CC_Chapman simply rocks; check out that ogre knife.

Event Tweets referencing "stripping, sawing and corn-holing" can be attributed to @CondoBlues

@RedneckMommy tackles the most challenging task of the day.

Disclosure: I was not required to post about this event. All opinions are my own. I received a wrench-like Craftsman bottle opener, a Craftsman rain poncho, a tin of Garrett's popcorn(!), a box of Frango mints(!) and a few other items in addition to lunch and an ogre sword which, in case you missed it, I MADE MYSELF, albeit with Craftsman's tools and supplies.

Mothers of Intention by Pundit Mom and a Posse of Awesome

2011-06-14T10:45:00.005-05:00

I'll be back with a proper review of Mothers of Intention soon, but I couldn't put off mentioning it now because I am in this book! (Much to my boys' amazement because they think all I do is Twitter my friends all day.)

Moms, Social Media and Politics...oh my!

I can't wait to dig in, not just for the smug satisfaction of seeing my own words in print, but also to read the words of the rock stars of the mom-space who are in there with me.

I spent this morning scheduling electricians, plumbers and basement crack sealers. The house is keeping us busy, but I promise I'll get to this in the near future.

The All-Star, All-Musical Property Sluts Series Finale

2011-06-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

I started my not-ready-for-HGTV house hunting vlog series on a lark. The video series gave me a creative outlet for handling the stress of a frustrating house hunt. Who knew I'd have twenty episodes and a loyal fan club?

The day before my family headed down to Orlando for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we had a contract accepted on a house. Long story short, we wound up withdrawing the contract. The only good thing about that purchase would have been getting footage of me saying, "We just bought a house and now we're going to Disney World!"

On the plane ride to Orlando, I penned a clever ditty based on a well known Disney song. The ride based on that song has been known to leave park guests pulling their hair, screaming, "When will it end?!"

That's how I felt about our house hunt.

But it's over. Property Sluts is over and I've moved on to the Reluctant Renovator, whose first video is scheduled for next week and whose blog is now well-established. You can even follow along on Facebook.

I leave you with this final episode, It's a Buyer's Market After All. My sincere thanks to the all-star cast of bloggers who participated. With an average rehearsal time of about 23 seconds, I think they all did an outstanding job. Visit their blogs via the links below.

Selfish Mom:
We've seen houses big and some houses small,
We've seen moldy basements and shower stalls.
Though the market is weak, sellers price like it's the peak, but it's a buyer's market after all.

MacaroniKidNYC, Honest and Truly, Jen Rab, SAHM Reviews, and Dancing Hot Dogs:
Chorus:
It's a buyer's market after all,
It's a buyer's market after all,
It's a buyer's market after all,
It's a buyer's market after all.

Sweet Life, Rock and Roll Mama:
Interest rates are low, but the prices are high,
Even for estate sales where the owners have died.
The recession isn't nice, you may need to cut your price
Cuz it's buyer's market after all.

Classy Mommy, Me:
Chorus

Same Old Shannon, French Foodie Mom, A Savings Wow:
The housing supply now exceeds demand,
So if you want to sell give your buyer a hand.
Though it's hard to admit, makes you feel like sh*t, it's a buyer's market after all.

Thanks for following along!

P.S. If you're keeping track, as I predicted, the Smokin' House is still on the market, as are most of the overpriced houses. Many of the houses we toured eventually sold once the owners accepted local market conditions by cutting their prices $20 - $80K. The house we now own was one of the few that went on the market at the right price; the owners received multiple offers within one week of listing it

Also. the Home Office episode has remained one of the most popular of the series. Have you seen it?

MyExtra Gum and Other Chewy Delights from Sweets and Snacks Expo 2011

2011-06-09T05:43:00.055-05:00

MyExtra Gum, customized packs of chewing gum, was one of the true delights from this year's Sweets and Snacks Expo. It was love at first sight for me, a gal who is often chomping on gum--most often Extra Bubble Gum (which I've been warned makes me appear--or smell--like a kid. Hmmm.)

At any rate, I was pleased as a kid in a DIY candy store when their PR peeps contacted me with a discount code for a five-pack order. Five packs is the minimum order. Five packs of a single design, I should say.

If you've ever created an online photo album, it's a breeze to create your custom pack. They offer themes based on events like holidays and even bar mitzvahs or you can create your own from scratch.

Even with a pre-designed theme, you have a choice of styles, fonts, background colors and such. You can even alter the appearance of your photos giving them a high contrast look, a 70s feel, remove color and more.

Creating a custom pack was easy and enjoyable. I felt somewhat guilty for designing the packs without the boys around because I knew they'd have fun doing so.

The design process was straight-forward, but ordering that goofed me up momentarily. I knew orders came in units of five packs, but I didn't understand until checkout time that all five packs need to have the same design.

This after I'd crafted 5 different custom packs. At $5 per pack ($25 for the 5-pack unit), it would have cost me more than $125 for the gum when all was said and done. So for Father's Day the dads and grand-dads are getting one measly pack of gum each.

I'd love to see the folks at Extra bring down the price closer to $3 a pack, which I think would make it an easier sell for party favors, birth announcements and such.

In other chewy news

Glee Gum provides the most natural chew. Made with ingredients like real chicle and no artificial colors or flavors, it's tasty, but doesn't provide a long lasting chew for gals like me who will chomp on a piece for hours.

Rev 7 claims to be "the world's most environmentally friendly gum" in that it is degradable and removable. It promises to make our sidewalks a little cleaner. I'm not sure of the brand's secret, but perhaps it has something to do with the sugar-free gum's sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol or maltitol. This could become a favorite with moms; the brand folks say it won't get stuck in hair, but I'm not brave enough to experiment on my own.

Speaking of making the world a better place, each time you buy a pack of sugar-free Project 7 gum, your purchase helps fund a variety of causes, like feeding the hungry or planting fruit trees. The peppermint vanilla I sampled was an intriguing combination reminiscent of that first taste of a minty TicTac. I found the peppermint to be a bit strong, though.

Disclosure: All samples were provided for me; opinions are my own.

The Wait is Over. Now I'm Feeling the Power

2011-06-08T12:15:00.001-05:00

Sort of. We're moving ahead. Literally. Take a look! And yet another person reassured me that our renovations would be over within six months. Six months?!

It's all good though; the future is ripe with possibilities. And tools. Power tools. I'm headed to Chicago for a Craftsman Blogger Summit later this week hoping to pick up some handy DIY tips so I can make use of our new house's large basement workshop, as well as the two saw horses I nabbed from someone's curb the other day. (It was garbage day; I'm cool. Though perhaps I do need to add some new levels to my disclosure statement to clarify what was given to me and what I scavenged.)

I'm looking forward to hanging with Busy Dad, Mom Start and CC Chapman. And apparently my friend Condo Blues is set to be one of our rockstar DIY instructors.

The Waiting Place

2011-06-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

We are set to take position of the new-to-us-house soon. I am a bundle of nervous energy. I have a long list of things to do before school ends this week and I find myself stuck. Anxious. Unproductive.

Three years we've been with my parents. And it's not over yet. "You'll probably be in the new place within six months," my mom reassures me. Only that's not very reassuring.

There is much to do in the new-to-us house, assuming the closing goes through. If we can avoid the mess, the ever present noise and dust and constant flow of workers, we'll hide out here a bit longer. But that's what it feels like. Hiding.

A shower and a Starbucks. Perhaps those will get my going today.

Housemoon

2011-06-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

We're headed off on a housemoon this weekend!

Read all about it at Reluctant Renovator, my new/old house blog.

I Thought I'd Died and Gone to...

2011-05-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Wisconsin for a family retreat with members of our synagogue. Sunday morning the camp grounds were blanketed in a thick, white fog. I woke up early to go for a walk and as I headed out of my room in the lodge, I found myself walking alone down the long hallway. It was silent, save for the gentle squeaking of my rubber shoes on the linoleum.

As I looked ahead to the doorway, all I could see through the large window pane in the door was a bright white light.

I stopped in my tracks.

Was I dying?

Was I going to see the the field and the meeting house when I opened that door or...what?

But I'm here, so I guess you all know how it turned out. It was a very surreal moment, though.

Sea Snax: Sleeper hit of the 2011 Sweets and Snacks Expo

2011-05-27T06:33:00.008-05:00

Yeah, I'm calling it. Sea Snax is at the front line of a new trend, toasted seaweed snacks. And when I say new, I'm talking about it finally having a chance to be featured on Stuff White People Like. Let's face it, snackable toasted seaweed has long been popular in places like Japan and Korea.

In fact, last year when I saw cute little sushi wrappers at Super H Mart, the Korean Supermarket (also home to the endearingly named Fancy Pencil Land store within a store), I bought a pack and realized they made tasty snacks. Little did I know they were never intended for sushi.

Which is why I think Sea Snax will succeed where their competitors have not, their product is accessible to clueless white folks, like me. At Super H, the many varieties of lightly roasted and seasoned seaweed snacks are labeled in languages I can't fully decipher (not mention right next to sheets of the sushi nori, no wonder I was confused).

Sea Snax spells it all out for me in plain English:

gluten free,
no transfat,
no cholesterol,
no MSG,
no sugar,
no artificial colors or preservatives
no canola oil (wait, canola oil is bad?! What did I miss?).

To be fair, Ocean Snacks was also at the expo with their dried toasted seaweed and English language labeling. The two brands are comparable on taste, but I think Sea Snax better understands the American audience.

Nom nom.

One could say that the real sleeper hit of the show was New! Chocolatey! Sleep Squares (TM), "the bedtime delight that helps you sleep through the night.(R)"

{insert your own joke here}

Any chocolately substance that comes with a warning labels is not my friend, and this item has several. Even my mom said it sounded creepy. The Teen can't wait to try it.

Discuss.

The Sweets and Snacks Expo: More thoughts on bloggers and trade shows

2011-05-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the Sweets and Snacks Expo and boy is my tummy full! There's nothing like a gal's first Candy Expo experience, but as a veteran of the event (I even spoke as a mom trends expert at the 2010 expo), I no longer feel the need to taste everything that's offered to me, nor do I feel compelled to finish the entire sample that's offered to me, nor even stock up on snacks for home--in the name of taste-testing with the boys, of course.

My thighs thank me for this.

My boys are cranky.

Seriously, though, as is recommended for almost any trade show, I arrived with an objective. This year, I was on the lookout for candies made with real sugar and natural dyes. I spoke out about these things last year and wrote about the food dye rebellion back in 2008. (Yes, at Momformation. I always feel compelled to point out that I was writing there back in the day as if to prove I'm truly a digital dinosaur.) I'll be posting about my and my not-so-little taste tester's faves over in Gina Rau's Feed our Families blog.

That said, I didn't always take my own advice about bloggers and trade shows. I sometimes asked for a sample to take home. But I see a difference between asking for pricey housewares versus packs of candy that retail for $1 or less. Plus, after a few hours walking the show floor, I'd sampled everything from alpaca jerky to intense dark chocolates and seaweed snackers. My taste buds were doing somersaults. And when it comes to family-friendly snacks, I definitely want opinions from my family.

I was typically well-received when I explained myself and the story I planned to write, but there were definitely some vendors who didn't seem to grasp the blogger angle.

In fact, there are a couple of items I sampled at previous expos and wrote about on my food blog that still bring in traffic via search. At one point, my blog was the in the top five results for these product searches, and yet when I mentioned that to people at those booths, "Did you know people come to my blog when they're searching for information on your product?" {jazz hands}

"Oh, that's nice."

It's not that I expected them to bow down to me, but there seemed to be a disconnect.

People search for your product online. And then they click through to to my blog to read my thoughts on your product. My opinions can impact purchase behavior.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, there were folks who wanted me to promise to mention them.

It's 2011. Are you finding that businesses you interact with understand the power of blogs and social media?

Food, Glorious Food Bank

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Originally published in March 2009 at Chicago Moms Blog. Food pantries are hurting this time of year. Please consider donating time, food or money to your local food bank.

Last week, in a grown-up version of Alternative Spring Break, I spent an afternoon at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. I was due there at the southwest side facility at 1:00 and left my north suburban house around noon, without eating lunch first. My volunteer commitment was to last until 4:00 and I knew I wouldn't make it on an empty stomach. How obnoxious would that be-- showing up at the food pantry only to complain about being hungry? Oh yeah, as embarrassing as this incident.

So I grabbed a bit of road food, which then left me feeling a bit rushed. I headed to the highway to find a jackknifed semi blocking the entrance. It only took me one illegal U-turn to remedy the situation, though. (This from a recent graduate of Traffic Safety School.) I was driving in mid-day traffic, but it felt like rush hour. I think I averaged about 40 mph on the expressway.

The Food Depository is huge. They distribute over 46 million pounds of food each year, helping an estimated 500,000 people annually. For over a decade my dad's business has made a holiday donation to the organization in lieu of buying client gifts, so it was nice to see firsthand how the money helps the Chicagoland community.

Though I arrived a few minutes late, it didn't take long to catch up and get in the groove. We packed boxes for seniors. This involved three main tasks- prepping boxes, filling boxes with the designated foods and cleaning up. Guess which job was assigned to late arrivals?

I unpacked bulk cases in order to keep the fillers supplied with the necessary products and then broke down the corrugated boxes. I also walked the line cleaning up other empty boxes or wrapping material.

For an unpaid group we worked quickly and efficiently. In just under three hours our group of 20 or so volunteers packed 800 boxes, or about 10 thousand pounds of food. My job didn't leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling, but I was aware that even in breaking down boxes, I was playing a necessary role in a larger, more important task.

In the coming year, I plan to get more involved in hunger initiatives. If that means sweeping the floors after a group of volunteers pack up food, so be it. I'm hoping for something a little more exciting this time around, though I may not get as personally involved as this blog sistah.

My thanks to MJ, Chicagonista and the folks at Edelman and Quaker for giving me a chance to do something I've intended to do for, oh, years.

Today

2011-05-24T23:00:00.002-05:00

The cake is a lie.

#ThatIsAll

We Got Approval on Our Mortgage!

2011-05-21T06:28:00.000-05:00

They say the waiting is the hardest part, but let me tell you that paperwork is a pain in the butt, too. After submitting a small sapling worth of papers to the potential lender, we got a request back for what I will call Form 800563A in relation to a former, but recent, bank account.

However, we never received such a form. We did, however, have Form 800563B. This was included in our mortgage application. We were told it would suffice.

But the person who checks off all the boxes of required forms for the underwriter told us we needed to produce Form A. After much back and forth, I finally called the bank that held the former account and they agreed to get me what I needed, which was nice because just a few months ago I had pulled so much money out of there that I think I saw a tear roll down the banker's cheek. (It's karma, baby. I equally upset when, days early, I realized how low the interest rate on that account had dropped.)

At any rate, we've got our down payment stuffed under our mattress (I'm kidding; don't burglarize my parents' house in search of it), full loan approval with a good interest rates, though alas, not the lowest rate of the year that was announced early this week (our lender suggested we not follow rate changes once we locked in), and in the coming week we're going to visit the house with a contractor in tow to talk through some of our planned renovations.

It's not a done deal until the ink on the signed contract is dry, but I'm feeling hopeful. Having the house appraise above our purchase value and securing a loan were two big items on the home buying checklist. We're getting close!

Serta iComfort Crew: It's Cool that my Husband is Hot in Bed

2011-05-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had the pleasure visiting the sleek, "green" Serta headquarters with a small group of bloggers.
We learned a lot about Serta, the 80-year-old mattress company. We heard about their history and just-in-time production process, we explored their unique building and research facility, and now I'm practically a walking encyclopedia of mattress facts.

The big news of our visit, was Serta's new iComfort line. I'll talk more about that in a minute because the thing that stands out in my mind ~~explains why I don't work with a lot of brands~~ is this: memory foam is a space-age (really) material with viscoelastic qualities. That means it acts like a solid, but with pressure and heat, develops the properties of a liquid.

Viscoelastic is not a term you hear often, so my ears perked up at the mention of it. I thought this was the same as a non-Newtonian fluid, but it's not, though there are similarities. My point is, have you ever made oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid, with your kids? It's a fun, simple science experiment with cornstarch and water. Mind-blowing in it's own way and may occupy your kids for hours; lovely.

Speaking of lovely and mind-blowing, or more accurately, paradigm-shifting, I've never had nor been very interested in a foam mattress. My objections to foam were that it's too soft and traps heat, leading to hot nights in the worst sense of the term. Serta's research showed that many others shared my concerns and set out to change the way we think about foam mattresses by changing the mattresses to eliminate those problems.

This spurred the development of "advanced foam technology" that incorporated a supportive, cooling gel. And more recently the "cool action gel memory foam," which should keep even hot husbands like mine pretty cool in bed. Seriously, the guy is a furnace at night.

Granted, I didn't spend a full night on the mattress, but I did get to check out the full line of iComfort sleep systems and, oh my, they feel fabulous.

As part of the blogger event, I'll get to choose a system for my new home. I'm thinking I will request the firm Genius model, but I'll head to a mattress store with DH before I commit. Even if it turns out we don't love our chosen model, no worries. Serta offers consumers (and bloggers) a 120 day risk-free trial, so if we, or you, are not comfortable with your mattress after 30 days, we/you can return it. (The dealer dictates the fine print.)

We will also likely be getting the Motion Perfect Adjustable Base, which left us bloggers swooning with delight. When I mentioned it to DH and he took a quick peek at the hospital bed-type base that raises and lowers the head and feet, he commented that we'll need a new nightstand to accommodate our canes, but I swear, as my blog buddies will, this adjustable base was oh so comfy and soothing. I just need to figure out if the motor and moving parts can withstand our vigorous nightly lovemaking....

Enough about me. What about you? Well, you can get one of these, too, but you need to be patient. I expect to run the giveaway in June, so stay tuned. Serta is going all out with this and you will be allowed to choose the iComfort Sleep System of your dreams. Follow @Serta on Twitter for a chance to win one over Memorial Day weekend.

Fun Serta Facts: Mattresses are assembled in the US and more than 90% of the parts in Serta mattresses are made in the US.

I was invited to take part in this event with a few old blog friends and I made several new ones:
Rockin Mama
MommyWords
I Should be Folsing Laundry
Tiny Oranges
Adventures in Babywearing
Sisterly Savings
MomTrends

Thanks to Serta and Ketchum PR for putting together a fun and informative event.

Disclosure: As an event attendee I also enjoyed dinner and other perks including several Serta Sheep like ones pictured above, only fluffier, courtesy of the Serta team. I was neither required to post nor host a giveaway, but I am glad to do both. All opinions are my own. Yours may vary. Especially when it comes to Oobleck which, though fun to play with and contains only natural ingredients, can be kind of a pain to dispose of- do not dump it down your kitchen sink!

Prayers for @Brandie185

2011-05-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

As online friends go, Brandie and I are old chums. I don't recall when we met online, but I know we met IRL in Dec. of 2009 at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods at a blogger event. We've since enjoyed a girlfriends' weekend in Galena, I invited her to an event where she won a shiny new washing machine and we've even had a non-sponsored (gasp) dinner out with Tracey, who's got the related pictures on her blog.

Brandie, a freshly minted 32 year-old and long-time mom of three homeschooled kids, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Breast cancer. (She's one of three women I know currently fighting this, and about the 6th women I know with the diagnosis in the last two years. WTF?!)

When my family attended shabbat services before my son's bar mitzvah, I wanted to add Brandie's name to the list for refuah shlema- healing of body, mind and spirit. Typically the rabbi reads a list of names of synagogue members and their loved ones in need of healing and then asks the assembled if they'd like to add other people's names to the list before the prayer is said.

DH called out our friends' names and I wanted to add Brandie to the list, but all I could think of was @Brandie185, her Twitter handle. A momentary panic set in; I could. not. remember her last name. I thought of the odds looks I'd get, how the lovely, caring spirit in the room was would shatter like a dropped mirror if I called out " at brandie 185."

I quickly filed through my mental databases and recalled her last name. The Universe aligned and the group set its healing energy across the ether to Brandie. Or something like that.

Tomorrow, Brandie goes in for surgery. I have no doubt she will beat this, but thoughts, prayers and good wishes to remind her of that are always nice, right?

Please stop by her blog and share some love.

50 Dangerous Things (You should let your children do): Book Review

2011-05-16T20:06:00.002-05:00

This just in: 50 Dangerous Things. It's not so much of a Dangerous Book for Boys, which was bit more how-to oriented, as it is a guide for all children who spend too much time indoors protected by their very careful parents. Or perhaps it's a guide for such parents.

That said, I can't say I'm a fan of letting my children do all 50 things.

I mean, whittle? Absolutely! I belive every child should have a knife by age ten. At Chez Moldy we created a "knife contract" when my boys first got theirs, spelling out how, when and where to use it...and still someone got cut, but what can you do?

Walk to school? Yes, once we're in the new house, though certain lazy children deem it too far to walk.

Throw rocks? They are boys, how can they not throw rocks?

Play with dry ice? We do this several times a year. It's awesome. (Hint: add dish soap to water put the dry ice in it. Very cool.)

Play in a hailstorm (with head protection)? I'll let them try it.

Cook something in the dishwasher? I'm game.

Supergluing fingers together? Ummmm.

Squash pennies on a railroad track? Kids did this often when I was growing up (not far from tracks); this scares me.

But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's the point of this book. When we were kids we roamed around and did things we weren't supposed to, but we lived to tell about it. Gever Tulley, the author, believes that kids learn about safety when we expose them to risk. He's right. But I'm still nervous about pennies on the train tracks.

To be fair, the book is more than just a list. It provides guidelines on activity duration, difficulty and dangers, as well as tips for getting started and related skill builders. It's sure to provide the impetus for some different kinds of summer fun. I'm eager, if a bit nervous, to show this book to my boys (one of whom once stuck his finger down his throat in the name of curiosity -age 3- and stuck tweezers into a live electric socket -age 9!-, though neither of those activities is listed in the book).

BTW, the book was born of out this TED talk, which piqued my interest back in 2008. Give a listen.

Statecation: Put Your Tax Dollars to Work While You Play

2011-05-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

Originally published at The Chicago Moms Blog.

A trip out to Galena (disclosure: I helped arrange it) got me pondering the benefits of a statecation. That is, a trip within your home state. Think about it, a statecation is more exciting than a home-based staycation. You can likely drive there on less than a tank of gas. You won't have to worry about things like cramped airplanes or flight delays and you may even pick up a few facts about what makes your state so great.

For example, until I visited Galena a few years ago, I wasn't aware of what a thriving and important city (14,000 residents in the mid 1800s!) it was back in the day.

Beyond history and education, a statecation provides the crucial benefit of putting your vacation dollars to work while you play. We often hear about how spending money is patriotic in that it keeps our economy going. I don't know about your family, but in my family, the money flows a little more loosely on vacation than it does at home.

Why not use that money to help Illinois? We may have a reputations as a blue state, but when it comes to our budget, we are in deeply in the red.

Ride the hills and winding country roads of Galena, hike the forests of southern Illinois and then reward yourself with a trip on the Shawnee Hills wine trail, pose with Superman in Metropolis, head to Springfield for the Lincoln Museum, or check out the Skydeck Ledge at Willis Tower.

Summer is almost here; start planning your statecation now!

Party On! Bar Mitzvah Part 2

2011-05-09T07:34:00.001-05:00

So the nice, relatively simple luncheon for 170 peeps, was a logistical breeze compared to what followed the next day. Yesterday, the day after the bar mitzvah, we held a kids' party. Having a separate party, on a separate day involving group transport to an offsite location (i.e. not our/my parents house- though my boys did manage to break a tree on their easement. Yes, broke. A tree.) and back is ~~a logistical nightmare~~ not ideal.

That said, all reports indicate the party was "awesome." And that's a direct quote from several of the teens involved.

When the Teen was a mere first grader, he asked me what boys did for their bar mitzvah celebrations. You see, he'd been to a couple of bat mitzvahs for cousins, girl cousins, who had DJ-driven dance parties. But he didn't think that's how boys did it.

"Well, what do you think boys do for their parties?" I asked.

"Stand around and play video games?" He guessed.

And that's just what we did.

As I was trying to find the perfect party venue, my friend Rachel suggested the Norris Center at Northwestern University. The student union has a game room in the basement which was perfect for our needs. Available for weekend daytime party rental, the room has several pool tables, a ping pong table, air hockey, a pinball machine and stations for PS3, Wii, and Xbox, not to mention a gree standing dance party game and a popcorn machine.

We brought in cake, snacks and pop and ordered in more pizza than we expected to from the food court upstairs. All of the young people who left our house on the bus, returned on that same bus. (A major concern was kids wandering off to checking out the campus, but that did not happen).

Now I'm ready to breathe easy and start looking ahead---once all the thank you notes have been written and sent.

That was Kaufmans?!

2011-05-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

rugelach!

Yesterday was the big bar mitzvah day! I'll write more about that later, but I want to thank our caterer while ~~our fridge is still packed with leftovers~~ it's still fresh in my mind. I have no doubt that any Jew who's spent time in or around Skokie, Illinois in last 40 or so years has eaten deli food from Kaufman's.

Everyone knows their bagels, we stand in long lines to get ginormous round challah from Kaufman's at the high holy days, and their corned beef, salami, pastrami and chopped liver are legendary. Their trays grace the tables at everything from open houses to shiva houses, but did you know they also offer full-service catering?

I didn't until my mom suggested we check them out when it came time for my son's bar mitzvah.

Bette Dworkin, patiently walked us through everything from food to linens, taking into account our budget, the size of our party and the overall tone of our event. Our final menu included the obligatory bagels and lox, but also an upscale asparagus salad as well as a beet and goat cheese salad that I was worried no one but my husband would eat, but was actually quite a hit. A colorful couscous salad rounded up the trio for our light brunch.

The spread was a huge hit, with many guests asking where we got the food (as well as the catering staff, which apparently stood out from the regular kitchen help). When I told them, the typical response was, "That was Kaufman's?! Who knew?"

Disclosure: I was neither compensated for nor asked to write this post. Although we did get a free 5-pound challah that was bigger than the bar mitzvah boy when he was born, because although I didn't think we needed it, Bette was sure it we should have it. As they say at Disney, it was good show.

Kaufman's is going to be hosting a series of super fun events in June to kick off their Salami Drive for our troops via the USO. Check it out. See you in Skokie in June?

P.S. If you are reading this on the May 8th and live nearby, call me so we can set a time for you to come over and pick up some leftovers!

Bar Mitzvah Centerpieces that are a Mitzvah

2011-05-06T08:51:00.000-05:00

The theme for the upcoming bar mitzvah is "Keep it Simple, Sort Of" which is a unique spin on our typical celebration theme, "What's on Sale in the Party Aisle at Target."

A friend had tipped me off on some simple, and tasteful centerpieces that can be rented from The Ark, a Jewish organization and Kosher food pantry that helps families in need. For about $35 per table, The Ark provides a gift basket full of the kinds of foods they might provide for a family- rice, beans, Kosher mac and cheese. For a small fee, they will even drop off and pick up these baskets. And the cost of the centerpieces becomes a tax-deductible donation.

Simple, right?

But I went the Sort Of route, in part because it seemed more in line with something my son has loved all of his life-books.

Based on a creative friend's input at the school book sale, I purchased about $250 worth of books (win: good for the school), that she convinced me would look good placed in simple baskets filled with shredded paper (win: good for the environment).

I mostly raided my mom's supply of baskets, but wound up picking up a couple more on the cheap at the Hadassah resale shop and a couple more at the Salvation Army Store (where I also scored an awesome Italian-made vintage fedora for $4. #winning).

The books will be donated to Bookworm Angels, a Chicago-based organization that provides books to help teachers at low-performing schools create classroom lending libraries. They will get dozens high-quality, brand new books and we'll get our tax deduction for the cost of the books.

Which makes me happy because the baskets themselves? Meh.

Though perhaps the variety of different baskets placed on fine tablecloths around the room accented by some candy (on sale at Target, true to form) will look a little better?

A girl can dream....

Or have nightmares.

And, by the way, thanks to everyone who supported, or even expressed interest in supporting, my son's mitzvah project. A few weeks ago, he surpassed his $500 fundraising goal. So far, he's earned enough to purchase close to 30 solar cookers through his global giving project.

I'm not in the habit of doing this, but....

2011-05-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not in the habit of giving a shout-out to shows I haven't watched (or the Fox network, FWIW), but as our school team is getting ready to head to the state Science Olympiad Competition (complete with a cheerful send off to the entire student body), this seemed worth a mention.

The TV show Fringe is partnering with Science Olympiad and offering Division C (high school) lesson plans based on specific episodes.

{pause for a quick check}

Erm, okay the lesson plans seem, uh, let's call them "lite," with about 75 seconds of relevant content from the episode for the lesson according to the lesson plan.

{pausing for a bit more research}

I'm sorry, this is lame. If you want to know more you can search to learn more about the partnership; I can't bear to link. I hope the Science Olympiad folks are making some good money off of this partnership.

{Off to watch an episode of Property Sluts. I'm going to create a calculus tutorial based on one of my faves.}

Here's my lesson plan; you can follow along at home!

In the Price Fixing episode of Property Sluts, I discuss my son's plan to drive down prices in our community. I also reference some allegedly sketchy statistics put out by the National Association of Realtors, a group that seems to have maintained an unrealistically optimistic outlook throughout this whole housing market collapse.

Episode scene of relevance: 1:36 - 2:32.

Now use available resources like this and this, explain a logarithmic function.

Big News from Property Sluts

2011-05-04T11:34:00.001-05:00

In Episode 18(!), we share some exciting news about our ~~never-ending~~ house hunt and you'll see why things have been quiet here on Property Sluts in recent weeks.

Dot and Ziggy at the Chicago Children's Theatre: Discount Tickets and Blogger Events

2011-05-03T10:03:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest excitement from MomImpact. We're working with Chicago Children's Theatre on the premiere of Dot & Ziggy, a co-production with Seattle Children's Theatre that is designed for very young audiences--ages four and under.

It's going to be the first live theatre experience of this kind in Chicago.

Local parent and culture bloggers are invited to a performance
at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, conveniently located in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood
on
Friday, May 13 at 10:00 or Noon
Sunday, May 15 at 10:00 or Noon

If you're a Chicago [parent or culture blogger and would like to attend, complete the form and reserve free spots for you and your little ones.

Tickets to Dot and Ziggy are normally $16 weekdays; $18 weekends.

If you're not a blogger or can't make it to the blogger events, be sure to use these discount codes for your Dot and Ziggy tickets (and feel free to share these with your friends and readers).

MOMOPEN: 50% off of tickets through May 15th
MOMDZ: $2 off tickets throughout the run

Disney Engineering and Imagineering Ungeeked

2011-04-28T06:57:00.000-05:00

Whoever came up with the title Imagineer was a genius. Who wouldn't want to be one of those clever men and women who imagine and then engineer Disney's technological delights, the fantastic rides and imaginary yet lifelike creatures?

Just days after our returning from the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we happened upon a special episode of History Channel's Modern Marvels show devoted to all things Disney.

The show provides a lot of great behind-the-scenes glimpses of what puts the magic in the Magic Kingdom and other Disney Parks. Interviews with imagineers abound as they share anecdotes, insights and the science behind the rides and audioanimatronic figures. As tired as I am from our trip, this made me want to hop back down to Orlando and experience everything with a more enlightened mindset.

History Channel even has a free teacher's guide to go with the show, including vocabulary words, thought-provoking questions and suggested reading materials. It's much higher quality than the one I received many years ago from the Popcorn Institute or some such organization that suggested a teacher make a bowl of popcorn and have kids do "popcorn math." Jane has 6 pieces of popcorn. Ramesh has three pieces. How many total pieces of popcorn do they have?

My family and I loved this show; it's worth a watch! Google tells me you can buy this episode on Amazon or rent it on Netflix.

Disclosure: As an attendee of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I received many perks including park admission, but not a copy of this show. I am neither an Amazon affiliate nor a Netflix one.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday: The Thing My Son Put Up His Nose

2011-04-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

Yep, I needed some permanent record of this seeing as how I finally threw the damn thing out.

When Thing 2 was about four years old, we were headed on a two week trip to Arizona but it seemed like he might be coming down with strep. I didn't want to travel with a sick child, so we headed to the doctor, who paused oddly during midway through examining my boy.

He had noticed a bump inside my son's nose. Apparently the epithelial cells that line the nose tend to grow very quickly over implanted objects and the doctor had to dig out this unexpected little find.

And that's the good news. If we had not had this hastily planned doctor visit when we did, the little gem would have needed to be surgically removed.

But that's also the good news because after taking a deep breath, the doctor told me that when he first spotted the lump in my son's nose, he feared it was a rare type of cancer. He was worried he was going to be breaking some really bad news to me. But no, it was just a fuzzy little craft ball that my son shoved up his nose.

The thing is, even as a very young toddler my son was not the type of kid who stuck things in his nose or any other orifice for that matter. He didn't mouth his toys and was generally pretty obedient.

He didn't, doesn't, have any reasonable explanation for why he shoved that thing up his nose.

I found the plastic vial containing the fuzzball when we were emptying out our house. It's now in a landfill.

Share Your Family Travel Tips and Win a $16K Luxury Family Trip

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I saw Wendy Perrin's tweet about winning a luxury family vacation by sharing a few travel tips, I immediately got to work and created an entry for the Conde Nast Traveler A-to-Z Family Travel Contest. Then I got to thinking about time and budgetary constraints in the year ahead and decided not to enter.

But then DH convinced me to enter because he doesn't think I'll win. Nice, right?

Anyhoo, here's a copy of my A-Z list of family travel tips. Note there is also a 200 word limit, so I doubled up on letters:

Always Bring snacks: hungry kids are crabby kids (same goes for adults).
Check Departure times: no one needs to get to get to the airport too early and you certainly don't want to arrive too late.
Eat Frequently (see item 1).
Give Hugs, especially after a tantrum or meltdown.
Install Just as many apps as you need to keep the kids occupied during slow times.
Know Limits for yourself and your children and don't push too far beyond them.
Many Nights you will wind up sleeping with your kids instead of your spouse. It's inevitable.
Occupy Personal space between your kids so they can’t poke/annoy/fight with each other.
Quiet Rest time each day renews body and spirit, especially when followed by a snack.
SomeTimes you need a break; that’s what kids clubs and babysitters are for.
Unnecessary Valuables should be left at home, but priceless “lovies” must come with and should be accounted for often.
With Xylitol, your teeth get protection; stick to sugarless gum while on the road.
Yaks, Zebras, koalas, squirrels, deer, naked mole rats—learn about the local fauna and flora wherever you go.

What are your favorite family travel tips?

I'm on the List of the Top 25 Sexiest Mom Bloggers and Other Thoughts from Backpacking Dad

2011-04-25T06:50:00.001-05:00

One day I'm talking about bras and the next day I find I've made a new link-bait list. Check it out. You're probably on it too, you sexy momblogger, you.

A couple of things about Shawn, author of Backpacking Dad:
He is funny.
He is Canadian.
He is not to be confused with another Canadian man who is well-known in the social space (at least not according to that other man).
He is rethinking the way he does and is compensated for product reviews and giveaways, and he's started an interesting conversation about it.

It caught my attention because I have been toying around with some new ideas and compensation models for product reviews and giveaways.

Do I giveaway to readers one of everything I receive? And then do I charge for those giveaways? Do I need to write reviews or can I do product stories? What should be sponsored and what should be a strict review? And what does my accountant make of all this?

I'm all about the value exchange between bloggers and brands, but I think it's hard to serve up a blanket definition for that term.

For his part, Shawn is clear that once compensation enters the picture he's no longer offering unbiased reviews, but can offer other things in the name of promotion (like perhaps his graphic skills as displayed above?).

Inspired by Shawn's thinking, I'm motivated to define what I'm prepared to offer brands at different levels of compensation. And, of course, on the flip side, there are things I would not do for any level of compensation.

What is your policy on product reviews or promotions? How has it changed over time? Any tips as I reflect on mine?

Good Enough is the New Perfect

2011-04-24T08:00:00.005-05:00

Good Enough is the New Perfect is not just the title of a new book by my friend Hollee Schwartz Temple and Chicagoan Becky Beaupre Gillespie, it's long been my own modus operandi. As proof, I offer up the fact that my first draft of this post was written on April 11 to time out with the book's official release.

So I'm a little late. Sorry.

GEITNP is, coincidentally, also the theme of my son's upcoming bar mitzvah, though I'm happy to report we now have enough table seating to accommodate all of our guests (don't even ask).

Hollee passed along a copy of her book. As the mom of a teen, I'm a veteran parent (AKA old mom) and have had years to make peace with my imperfect ways (mostly), but it's always interesting to get an insider's view of how other moms balance work, self, and family, especially ones who seem so successful.

I think in the first five or so years of motherhood, this balancing act is especially tough. Or maybe it's the first five years after leaving work that are tricky, not to mention the first five years after returning to work.

Or maybe the specific issues change, but those nagging feelings that we moms can and should be doing more (at home, at work or both) never quite go away.

So this well-researched book is like a talk with a good friend, a circle of them, really, who have been there and done that.

I was thrilled to see Chicago's "most twisted" mom, Kim Oster Holstein of Kim and Scott's Gourmet Pretzels, profiled in the book. Not profiled, exactly, it's more that Kim and the other moms in the book share their successes along with their challenges and frustrations throughout the book.

We're all in this together and this book might just offer the clues to help readers define and seek their own "new perfect."

Chicago mamas!

Local readings will take place at an April 29 Kickoff Event at Book Cellar in Lincoln Square at 7 PM and you'll have another chance to see Becky and Hollee (and, hopefully, me) on Sunday, May 1 at a reading at Andersonville's famed bookstore, Women and Children First at 4:30.

Wacoal, the Large Breasted Women of Chicago Thank You

2011-04-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

By and large, I've been hibernating since last fall. Between school, Hebrew school, bar mitzvah tutoring, multiple Science Olympiad practices each week and other family duties, it's been hard to get out at night and frankly, I haven't been motivated to get up and go. That is, until I got an invitation from the Wacoal, manufacturer of supportive bras, lacy lingerie and caffeinated shapewear.

One of the reasons marketers loves moms is that they talk about brands in their daily conversations. One of the reasons the Wacoal invite caught my eye was that it's a brand that has come up in IRL conversations. I also had a vague recollection of it as Oprah's favorite bra at some point. And they not only offered attending bloggers a free bra, but a fitting as well.

I welcomed both.

(Also, I needed help for one last section of Property Sluts: The Musical and I knew I could beg, plead or otherwise cajole a few gals into helping me out.)

Eve, a seasoned pro, did my fitting and we had quite a chat. I sent a few live tweets and reflected on the fact that it was the longest conversation I've ever had with a stranger while topless. I think there are lots of rich stories about women and bra fitting/shopping experiences. The event was not designed to capture these in a formal, or even informal way, but that's something the brand should consider for future events.

Wacoal will be shipping out my chosen bra, I forgot the style name, but I'm really hoping it arrives prior to my son's bar mitzvah because, wow, what a difference the right bra makes.

Like most of the women at the event, I've apparently been stuffing my girls into smaller cups than they deserve. They told us that 80% of women are walking around with the wrong size bra.

Ouch.

Then again, when's the last time you had a proper fitting?

Okay, here's a mini-commercial that I was neither asked nor required to post:

Wacoal sends their fit specialists to fine stores around the country providing complimentary fittings as part of their Fi(GH)t for the Cure* program. Just for being measured and trying on a Wacoal bra, they will donate $2 to Susan B. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research and community health programs. For every Wacoal-related purchase you make that day, the brand will donate an additional $2 per piece.

Note: they will be in Chicago April 28 and 29 at several area Carson's Stores. Search for details or see when they are holding an event in your area.

* Oh, like Fit for the Cure. At first I thought GH represented bra sizes because everyone at the event seemed to leave they event shocked at what large bra cups they were supposed to be wearing. I'm slow like that.

Blogger Butt can be Deadly

2011-04-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

I only warn you because I love you. A new study indicates that having a desk job for ten or more years can double your chances of getting a certain type of colon cancer and increases your risk of getting rectal cancer by a whopping 44%.

And exercising in the off-time doesn't help stave off the risks.

Holy crap! (No pun intended.)

I am also not kidding when I wonder aloud if this investigation inquired about time spent reading a la commode (on the pot, so to speak), as I've heard that can be a damaging habit.

I'm not making this up. Read more at The Telegraph or look for the full report, which does not yet appear to have been published online, at least for the masses, at the American Journal of Epidemiology.

While I had previously been coveting Stow Company's desk that converts to a bed for our guest room in our theoretical new house, maybe I should keep my eye on the treadmill desk, instead.

NCLB, High Stakes Tests and the Education-Industrial Complex

2011-04-21T06:50:00.000-05:00

None of this came as a surprise to me, but this piece on NCLB and high stakes testing is worth a read. You may have wondered how those tests are graded, but the explanation may shock and disappoint you.

Illinois Science Olympiad - I survived to tell about it

2011-04-20T10:28:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, after a send-off worthy of elite dignitaries, my son's Science Olympiad team made its way down to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana for the state finals.

DH and I followed that night with another team parent along for the ride. I was the first driver, eventually handing over the wheel to DH. While the dads sat in the front seat talking, I nodded off in the back only to wake during a horrible storm with these thoughts, "If I'm going to die, I should be awake to experience it."

Does your mind work like this?

The rain was coming down hard and winds threatened to sweep the minivan off the road. Occasional lightning strikes lit up the otherwise impossibly dark sky.

It was scary, but I lived to tell about it.

The championship event (a series of events, really) was fun overall. Like any competition, the day had its ups and downs. For every handful of delighted squeals from children experiencing the thrill of victory, there was a student fighting back tears feeling the crushing agony of defeat.

In the end, my son received a medal in one of his events and the team met their goal, though did not exceed it, which was sad to some.

My boys' former school, a private school for gifted kids, made quite a good showing at State. No surprise there, their team likely has an average IQ of about 145. But our school has something they don't- my boys!

I jest. But, truly, I'm already looking forward to next year.

Remembering to Breath

2011-04-19T21:56:00.005-05:00

The ongoing house hunt plus planning a bar mitzvah (seriously, I am the last person you want planning a 175 person luncheon).... 175 people?! Yeah, I'm not sure how that happened either, other than the fact that we decided to go low-key with food and such and, uh, invite every person we've ever met.

I'm kidding. But between family, our friends, the bar mitzvah boy's friends, about 20 of my parents' longtime friends and another 20 or so on my in-law's side, it all adds up and while we are truly honored by the presence of each guest and did I mention it's a low-key event, I'm definitely in the freak-out zone.

Even if I do throw the tackiest luncheon ever, there will be good food and plenty of chairs (albeit a possible lack of table space) and the important thing is having special people with us to share a most special day.

Right?

Oh, and housing stuff, there is always housing stuff.

And a client project (stay tuned for news if you live near Chicago).

And breathing. I can't forget to do that.

Life is good.

Gifted Chat with Me Today on Skype

2011-04-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

I do a weekly(ish) #OfficeHour Chat (that's really only 30 minutes or so) on Thursdays for MomImpact members (or anyone else who wants to join in--I'm nice that way).

Anyhoo, I'm mixing it up a bit and instead of discussing brand-blogger relationships or how to grow a career in social media, I'm talking about parenting gifted children.

I thought this would be a way for me to connect with readers (dare I call you my readers?) who drop me notes asking about such things.

If you want to join in, find me on Skype and ping me at Noon, Central Time, on April 14, 2011.

Interview with Meagan Francis, Author of The Happiest Mom

2011-04-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm thrilled to be a part of the blog book tour for The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets to Enjoying Motherhood by Meagan Francis. I've known, read and respected Meagan for years (even naming her as one of my top influencers circa 2009), so it's especially exciting to see her latest printed work.

Just like her blog of the same name, The Happiest Mom book is full of common sense tips ("Five ways to -nicely- blow off busybodies") and food for thought without sounding condescending--just what I expect from Meagan.

It's perfect for moms who are pressed for time because it's engaging, yet easy to read in small chunks. As you read through it, you'll feel like you're getting advice from a trusted friend. You might even be motivated to make a few changes so that you, and your family, can be happier.

Also, I'm coveting an "Aim low, go slow" poster (see Secret 2).

I had a chance to talk with Meagan about the book and the process and thoughts behind it.

Kim Moldofsky: I remember when you first started your blog, The Happiest Mom, a few years ago. It was a time when a lot of the books and blogs out there seemed to be venting about the hardship and previously untold negative aspects of motherhood, what was your thinking?

Meagan Francis: I think that the ability to "get real" about motherhood via the internet--at first, it was parenting bulletin boards, then mom blogs--was intoxicating for a while. I mean, finally you could actually say that you found your kids boring sometimes, or express all those frustrations about motherhood, and other mothers would read it and say "Yes! Me, too!"

But after a while it started to feel like I was just reading the same vent over and over. After reading maybe the hundredth post that week about tantrums and losing your identity as a mother and not getting any sleep for years I took a look at my life and thought, gosh, is motherhood really that bad? In the mid- to late-2000s, there were also numerous much-talked-about titles out about how hard motherhood is. And while I think it's great that we were all being honest with each other about the hard side, it seemed like it was no longer okay to talk about the other side anymore. If you wrote about a good day with your kids or said you were trying to be a better mom or even just admitted to being pretty satisfied with your life, you weren't being "real" or "authentic." Or worse, you were bragging.

I had definitely been guilty of doing the whole shtick--writing about my failures as a mother to get laughs, writing about the millions of ways my kids annoy me in order to get the nods and validation. But I was only being half-real. There is that, but there is so much more. I wanted to elevate the conversation a little, to inspire moms to be happier, because I know from experience that you can screw up and still be a good mom; that you can be annoyed by your kids, but still be happy they're there.
KM: You've always stuck me as a very grounded, organized and practical person. Still, with five kids how to you manage to write books, articles, a blog and other freelance projects and still be a happy mom?

MF: I lean heavily on my husband, and have confidence in his competence as a parent. I try to use every minute as wisely as I can. I have gotten used to taking advantage of all those small snippets of time that life offers--five minutes here, fifteen minutes there, they all count. I'm not perfect at it, but one thing I'm always trying to do is be a better gatekeeper of the way I spend my time.

If I'm "working" but not actually doing anything productive, it doesn't count as work and makes me feel vaguely uncomfortable. I try to recognize when that's happening and redirect myself. If I'm watching TV for "entertainment" but am not actually feeling entertained, what's the point? I'm convinced we all have a lot more time than we like to tell ourselves, but we use so much of it distracting ourselves from life, engaging in numbing activities like flipping around the TV or sitting there on Twitter hitting "refresh" over and over. Even brain candy should do something for you--inspire, entertain, inform, relax you--it's not really play if you aren't having any fun; it's just zoning out.

KM: I envision you sitting down and churning out thoughtful posts, fingers flying over the keyboard in no time at all. What is the writing process like for you? (maybe also note difference b/w blog, book and freelance articles?)

MF: Well, I am a fast writer, and that definitely helps. I think that's partly because I spend so much time thinking about the things I write about. Let's face it, moms spend a lot of time doing things that don't require a ton of brain activity--sweeping the floor, wiping noses. I do some of my best thinking in those moments and that means less time staring at the screen waiting to figure out what to write about.

Generally speaking I sit down and just start writing. Sometimes I outline, particularly if the story or post or chapter hasn't taken shape in my head yet. Other times I just start spouting off and then edit heavily later. If I can't get moving on a project in five minutes, I move on to a different part of it, or a different project, or go for a walk or take a bath. There's absolutely no point staring at a blank screen, and just makes you feel more "stuck."

Freelance articles are a bit different, especially if I have to talk to experts or sources to get their take on a topic. In that case I always start with the experts and let them help me shape the story.

My process is always different because I'm always working on many different kinds of things at once, and because my life is unpredictable. If I know I have six hours stretching out in front of me I may take more time getting into the topic. If I know I have just 30 minutes to work I'm more likely to attack the keyboard with a vengeance. But one thing is always constant--I think through topics while not sitting at the computer, and work out what I'm trying to say while going about my life. Then I apply my butt to the chair and write.

KM: Congratulations on successfully turning a blog into a book! Can you share a bit about that process? Was it simply a matter of reworking old posts?

MF: That would have been a lot easier, but no! The content in the book is definitely inspired by the blog, but it's all new stuff. On my blog I tend to dig into micro topics and am quite wordy. The book is much more easily digestible and packed with tips and advice--not as much analysis and reflection. Kind of like Meagan Lite...which makes it a great gift, because it'll be easy for a mom to read. Of course, it's not easy for somebody like me to write short, so there was a lot of back and forth between the editing team and I, trying to get the tone (light, funny) just right and to keep the book short enough that it wouldn't feel overwhelming to busy moms who gave it a quick glance at the book store.

KM: What advice do you have for bloggers who are trying to make the leap from blog to book?

MF: Blogging is great because we can really embrace a small niche and be completely ourselves, but because of the cost and resources involved in publishing a print book, a publisher is going to want to know that you can appeal to a wider audience. They are probably also going to want to know that you can reach some of that large audience via your blog and social media efforts, so demonstrating that you have a solid, loyal readership that comes to your blog because you offer something unique is definitely helpful.

Set yourself apart from the crowd by creating great content, and by being consistent, professional, and likable (or, if being unlikeable is your thing, stick to it!) Of course you should be yourself, but any time you're publishing on a wider scale you have to produce something a lot of people will want to read, so "packaging" yourself in a crowd-friendly way matters.

Also, professionalism is key. Unless you happen to have hit on the hook that brought in a million readers overnight, you need to demonstrate that you aren't a fly-by-night blogger who will be gone tomorrow. Publishers will be much more inclined to work with you if you show staying power. Also, if you're working with brands, I think it helps to participate in quality campaigns that demonstrate you are desirable but also allow you to keep your authenticity.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book. I'm also working with Meagan on some book-related publicity, but not this blog tour. This is her doing. See? She really is on top of things!

Brainy Vacations

2011-04-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

When you're looking inspiration for your next vacation, Popular Science probably doesn't come to mind, but the May 2011 issue is chock full of ideas. Their "Mind trips article" (not online yet) has some great ideas for, uh, geekcations.

If theme parks don't float your boat and trees aren't your friends, you might like:

Digging for dinos

Witnessing a car crash

Learning about robots* or

visiting a lab- they suggested Brookhaven, but I'm understandably partial to Argonne.

If you're looking for other unique getaway opportunities, check our Jennifer Miner's post on volunteer vacations over at The Vacation Gals.

Do you have a suggestion for a unique vacation?

* We hope to make a stop in the 'Burgh this summer.

There is no house

2011-04-11T13:31:00.005-05:00

Just to be clear, we did not purchase the house on which we had a contract. Unlike Property Virgins, Property Sluts are experienced. Sure, we know the joys home ownership can bring, but we know all too well, the expenses and headaches that come along with it.

In the end, the numbers didn't work out (see me for details; DH read an article about how blogs and social media are affecting real estate deals and he's all nervous. For example, if I posted somewhere that I found the house of my dreams and the seller's agent sees it, I've killed our ability to bargain because they know the Property Slut wants it. On a related note, you don't see pics and video of the houses because I don't want to get sued, yo!)

We might rent. Or not. Or by the time we decide, the rental we might sort of want could already be rented.

We are in limbo.

So that's the housing update.

The bar mitzvah update? Ugh, don't even ask. No, really. It's all good.

Life is good. (Repeat as necessary.)

The photo above? It's filler from Disney. I have a lovely Boos Block that was gifted to me that I can't wait to use in my (hopefully) lovely kitchen one day.

The Naked Truth About Swimming in PE Class

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Originally published at Chicago Moms Blog in November 2009.

Back in the 1950s when my dad was a student in a Chicago Public School, the naked truth was that the boys went swimming in the buff during PE class. As Mark Brown described in a recent column in the Chicago Sun-Times, "This was an organized school activity where gym teachers would order their students to take off their clothes and get in the pool for swimming instruction."

I remember my father telling my brother and I such things every time we drove past Lane Tech on the North Side. As a modest child, skinny dipping sounded odd enough, but swimming naked alongside your classmates? Unthinkable.

Now that I'm a wizened adult the whole idea sounds completely whacked. Eventually others must have agreed; the practice was abolished. According to Brown it faded away during the mid-1970s. It's still hard for me to fathom how it remained in place for so long.

I realize that moms back then weren't searching the Internet for convicted pedophiles in their neighborhood, background checks were unheard of and they likely never gave their children the good touch/bad touch talk, but still something about a pool full of naked teenage boys just seems weird. I'd think it would take less than two decades for someone to speak up.

Then again, I attended school in an era when anyone and everyone had free and open access to our buildings and the students within. My gosh, we'd never even heard the term lockdown, let alone practice one. And (hold onto your chair) my brother and I slept over at a teacher's house.

I suppose that at some point we'll look back at today's standards and shake our heads in amazement. A national education policy that ignored our most competent and highest performing students? What were we thinking? Now that I'm reflecting on it, that may cause even more embarrassment than boys without bathing suits.

Fun Finds from the 2011 Housewares Show: Property Sluts Episode 17

2011-04-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

I really thought we'd have a house by now. I mean, maybe we do. But, we're still waiting to hear from the contractor who was out there last week and if the numbers seem do-able then we've got to get an inspection and if that works out, we need to see if the house appraises for the value we said we'd pay. Oh, and the attorney review period might be up before we even get very far down the above mentioned list. The review period was already extended once for our trip to Disney and again because our attorney went on vacation last week.

So I'm putting all of that mess aside to share some of the cool things I found at this year's International Home and Housewares Show. There will be more to come as I'm expecting a review item and a giveaway or two in the coming weeks. Sadly, no, not the "ultimate boy toilet seat" you'll see in the video.

I'm also going to be giving away a pass to the Type-A Parent Conference through MomImpact, so if you're not a member yet, become one!

On to the housewares:

Easy links to a few of the brands mentioned in the video:
Bottles Up, Grid It by Cocoon, Tip N Spray, Pomegranate de-seeder, Scrunchie Wrap, Dsolv compostable lawn bags, and the product that I was seriously geeked out about, the Thricer bagel slicer.

Do you think the Once-ler would use a Thricer?

Working for Free Can Pay. Sometimes.

2011-04-04T07:00:00.002-05:00

Can I pick your brain? Many of my momblogging and social media colleagues field this request on a regular basis. Among my peers, this innocent (and admittedly not always so innocent) question has a variety of answers:

Sure, let's set up a call.
The first 15 minutes are free!
Okay, please note my fee is $ an hour; let me know when you'd like to talk.

In my experience, a friendly exchange or two often (but not always) leads to a deeper and more meaningful (i.e. paid) client engagement. Jessica Smith wrote a smart piece about the potential pay off for letting people tap into your wisdom for free.

Sometimes, a potential client merely wants to explain their project and assess your fit; they want to give you the background and feel you out.

Which is not to say that some potential clients aren't fishing around for ideas on the cheap. It happens.

In recent weeks I've been thinking about this as it relates to our house hunt. We've looked at many older houses that need serious, costly renovations. On more than one occasion, we've asked a contractor to stop in while we check out the house to share some thoughts on potential improvements and related costs.

We haven't paid these contractors any fees nor have we signed any contracts committing to work with them, but in the 30-60 minutes (they are often chattier than I expect) we spend together, I get a sense of their personalities, experience and professionalism, as well as their home improvement ideas. I feel out what it might be like to work together- does he listen to my ideas and needs, or is he trying to get us to build something that will look stunning on the front page of his website?

Once we find a home and decide what renovations are needed (kitchen and bath updates, raising the roof or ~gulp~ adding an entire level to the house), we'll seek a handful of competitive bids, meaning that several folks will spend a bit of time considering our project(s) and talking to us, but only one will actually receive a hefty payment.

It's the cost of doing business. For contractors as well as a variety of creative professionals and consultants it's a way of life. So yeah, sometimes I give it away for free.

That said, there are many factors that determine how much, if any time, I'm willing to put forth building a relationship with a potential client.

1. One is a simple gut check- is there going to be a worthwhile payoff? Sometimes the payoff might be a long-term thing (delving into a new niche, building your brand, or getting a foot in the door, for example) and sometimes it's in the here and now.

2. What is the ask? I've learned (well, am still learning) to provide enough information to demonstrate my competence and understanding of the client's needs without laying all my cards on the table.

This can be especially tricky and I know people who have been burned in the past by revealing a bit too much of their brilliance without a contract or non-disclosure to protect them. Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free, right?

I might have once promised a potential client that I'd make no bones about calling in the lawyers if I saw them implementing my very specific and unique campaign idea. But the reality is, I'd only say something like that if I was uneasy about the relationship to begin with. In that case, I was. And I ultimately wasted several hours with very little payoff.

3. What is the time commitment? I'm typically up for a few minutes on the phone, but much less likely to show up for an in-person meeting without a signed contract already in hand.

Are you willing to share your ideas for free? What questions do you seek to answer before you open up your brain for picking?

Just for fun: Should I work for Free?

Want to talk social media with me? Check out the MomImpact Office Hour. On a few Thursday afternoons each month, I make myself available for free brain picking on all things social media and mombloggers. See the MomImpact website or Facebook page for details.

This Thursday, 4/7/11, we'll be talking about contract basics with blogger/attorney Sara Hawkins.

We Bought a House!

2011-04-01T08:42:00.005-05:00

This may sounds like an April Fool's Day joke, but it's not. The day before we left for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, our agent called to say that a bid we thought we had walked away from was going to work out. So amidst the packing and running around to prepare for a family trip, we fit in a quick meeting with our agent to sign the contract, which included an extra 10 days in the review period to allow for our being out of town for nearly a week.

We came back to learn the seller was trying to excuse themselves from typical seller obligations, like paying for a land survey and we had a small matter of something related to the house that needed to be resolved.

No biggie, except that this week our lawyer was on a spring break vacay with her family and we didn't hear back from the seller's lawyer before she left town, so we canceled our planned inspection and got an additional extension. We weren't going to pay $500-$600 for an inspection if we hadn't hammered out all the contract details, especially since the sellers seemed a bit, uh, wiggly.

Eventually, everything was signed off on, but we'd already canceled the inspection. We're headed to the house today with a contractor, in order to get a a better idea of whether we can afford to fix the place up to our liking. That's one of the things likely to make or break the sale.

Yes, just one of the things. If we like (or at least can deal with) the number the contractor gives us, we'll proceed to an inspection. We still have a few days left in the attorney review period and if we need an additional day or two to bring in our inspector of choice, so be it. We're intent on hiring a man known locally as Dr. Doom, the mere mention of his name causes many an agent to scowl...or roll their eyes.

We're not so worried about the inspection as we are the appraisal. We're not sure if it's going to appraise at our purchase price. Our Realtor assures us it will. Our lender assures us that even if it doesn't, we can pay the difference in cash. Um, no! In a sinking market why would we do something like that, even if it means we're out close to $1500 in attorney, inspection and loan application fees for this whole mess? We'll cut our losses and run.

At this point, I can take or leave the sale. I'm more anxious and nervous than excited, but once we get the contractor number, we'll have a better sense of whether the house will work for us out not.

Either way, I've got a lot of blog fodder in the months ahead.

Edited to add: In the meantime, do me a favor- watch an episode of Property Sluts. It makes me less anxious.

Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge

2011-03-31T07:00:00.004-05:00

It's time to get your science geek on-and quickly- because there's only two weeks left to enter.
Discovery Education and 3M are once again holding their Young Scientist Challenge.

To enter, students must create a one- to two-minute video communicating the science behind a possible solution for an everyday problem related to one of the following categories:
1) the way we move
2) the way we keep ourselves healthy
3) the way we make a difference.

Video entries must be submitted online no later than April 15, 2011.

Click for full details on how to win the $25,000 prize along with the right to be called “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Milestones in Zombie Mothering

2011-03-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Originally posted at The Chicago Moms.

I not only observed their first words, their first steps, even a first petition drive, I helped my children prepare for those moments. I felt those moments.

But I don't feel quite as special for having coached my boys through their most recent milestone: harvesting brains.

Yes, I have become one of those mothers, a new breed of helicopter mom- a virtual farmhand. I am helping the boys tend to their Zombie Farm while they attend school.

I've learned that carrots need to be harvested right away, therefore onions, which can last longer in the ground, are a safer crop. I've come to realize that garden gnome zombies, while good for their fertilization skills, lack the chops to beat the farmer. More importantly, I now know that zombies wilt fast as carrots if they aren't plucked from the digitized soil shortly after they pop up.

I have somehow been sucked into the game alongside my boys. They leave for school with an innocent request, "Mom, can you invade at 10 this morning?"

I work from home, I have a flexible schedule, how can I turn them down?

So here I am harvesting onions, tilling the soil, planting a few more seeds and preparing this undead army for their next invasion.

And so it goes. For each brain they acquire in the game, I can't help but wonder if I'm losing a little bit of my own.

(Photo: No worries, my son is picking strawberries, not tiny zombie brains!)

6 Things Bloggers can Learn from Disney

2011-03-28T08:09:00.009-05:00

My recent trip to Orlando as part of the Social Media Moms Celebration got me thinking about what bloggers can learn from Disney.

1. Provide memorable content.
Provide a memorable experience for your readers- make them laugh, make them cry, make them think. Even if all you do is post product reviews- make them yours, don't merely copy the company's press releases. Your personality and insights, your sense of humor is what makes your blog memorable.
2. When you share your skills and help people discover their own, they will be grateful.
My family's experience in the Disney animation class, where we all learned to draw a Disney character in just 20 minutes, will stand out in our minds for a long time. On a blog level, I've never forgotten how helpful Susan Getgood, marketer extraordinaire, was to me at my first BlogHer conference in 2007.

Think about the leaders in the social media space, they share their knowledge.

3. Never underestimate the value of a great logo.

You know ParentHacks? Their logo is brilliant and it's backed up by useful, well-written content. No wonder it's a classic.

4. Plus it.
Decades before the word supersizing came along, Walk Disney understood the concept. He is famous for asking his staff to take an idea and "plus it." That is, make it bigger and better. Take ShePosts, a site that shares out the latest buzz in the mom-space. The site was good when Esther Crawford started it, but it's even better now that she has a sharp staff of writers adding fresh, relevant daily content for mombloggers and those who watch them.

5. Never be done.
Walt envisioned the Disney Parks as a place of continual growth and change. On our recent Disney trip, I couldn't believe how many things were new and how much had changed since our last trip in 2003. We should look at our blogs and social media projects the same way in order to keep them fresh and exciting--and that applies for us and our readers. Julie Marsh just did it. Jennifer James and Wendy Piersall are masters of reinvention.

6. Take Risks.
Be innovative, be bold, be daring. We think of Snow White, the first color animated film with sound, as a classic, but it was a huge risk for Walt Disney and his company. A cartoon musical for adults? Preposterous! But who among us can't name at least a few of those adorable seven dwarfs?

Colleen Padilla of Classy Mommy recently branched out from her blog with a playdate app and fashion mom Audrey McClellan has branched out with events. Together, they wrote the Digital Mom Handbook, which will be out this summer. They are role models for what is possible in our virtual and real professional lives.

What has Disney taught you about your career?

Disclosure: I was recent participant in the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I received park tickets for my family, three nights at the Grand Floridian, some meals and other perks including a conference with informative speakers like Chris Brogan. I was not asked to post about the event and all opinions are my own.

I was also a participant in the Disney College program in 1989, through which I received my Ducktorate in Management, Disney Style (yes, I have a diploma that states as much), as well as insight into Disney culture.

Vonage Visual Voicemail

2011-03-27T13:02:00.005-05:00

We have Vonage for our phone system because we wanted a house line, but get so few calls on it we couldn't justify paying for the high cost of AT&T service. Vonage comes with "visual voicemail" meaning that in addition to accessing messages through the phone, we can also read a transcription of the message via email.

But the transcription is often inaccurate, sometimes amusingly so, like this recent message.

Hey Brett, I saw that's what's it's Eric. Hey I am getting back to you late Mike I know you left a message early this morning but just wanted to make sure that Becky today. Yeah Rich, are very good. Of course I'm right now we are offering a 3.875 $.36 for the first year after that is Justin 48754 or you can take in a box like said before 75. That's all through your text you know it is either 45. Your tape deck but I know you and Kimberly.

Fortunately, I was able to hear the actual message via my computer and believe or not, it all made sense.

You ever get messages like this?

Disclosure: This was not a sponsored post. I pay my own Vonage bills, yo.

Disney World's Top 10 Hits and (Free) Surprises

2011-03-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

We encountered a few surprises and new favorite attractions during our recent trip to The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom as part of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

Surprise 1: My 12-year-old is a roller coaster fiend

Who knew? And thanks to those mid-ride photos, we have an absolutely priceless pic of him on his first biggie--Space Mountain. I was behind him on the ride, cursing myself for forgetting how dark and noisy it is, and also getting a bit dizzy from all the sudden twists and fast turns. He later took on Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and (gulp) Expedition Everest (twice in one day).

Surprise 1.5: Expedition Everest goes backward down the mountain

Thankfully, the girls in line behind my son and I clued us in, so I had some sense of what was ahead. Or behind, as it were. When our coaster-loving son returned to the ride with DH, my boy only told his dad that he was in for a surprise. Yes, careening down a mountain at high speeds in the dark was quite a surprise. I think it took him a few hours to recover.

Surprise 2: The food

I figured we'd be eating burgers, hot dogs and fries all week. Wrong! The food was outstanding at the family dinners that were part of our event. At the two buffet dinners, they provided a variety of tasty vegetarian dishes, as well as equally delicious ones with fish, chicken and beef. They provided special buffet tables sized for the kids with kid friendly foods like grilled cheese, but still offered veggies to complete the meal.

The third family dinner was a fixed meal held in conjunction with the Magic of Healthy Living Weekend. While DH and I enjoyed the unique and healthy menu items like "heirloom tomato water with basil essence" and "fregola, lentils, quinoa and burgundy amaranth" and our kids found enough to eat, not every family at the event fared as well.

As far as the parks go, healthy options abound, even at the quick service spots (there is no fast food at Disney); it was easy to find a salad.

Even better, kids meals at the Disney parks automatically come with sides like carrot sticks and grapes, though parents can default to a less healthy option like fries if they choose. Kudos to Disney!

Surprise 3: The free animation class at Hollywood Studios

Would you like to escape the crowds, the noise and hot sun for a little quiet time with your family in a dark, air-conditioned room? Join this class! We learned about it while waiting in line for The Magic of Disney Animation. After the feature attraction, you have a chance to queue off in another area for this class.

In the space of 20 calm, focused minutes, you will learn to draw a famous Disney character. Even if you're not an artist, the results will amaze you, I promise.

Surprise 4: Epcot is full of free activities for young children

Back in the day, Epcot was a more adult park, but they've made it more kid friendly with a couple of playgrounds, Kidcot activities, and for slightly older children the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventures (best not attempted during peak heat/crowds of the day as we did).

Surprise 5: Star Tours- The Adventure Continues

Alas, this new 3D thrill experience at Hollywood Studios will not open until May 20, 2011, but I'm sure it's going to be stupendous. We were so close to seeing the new ride, yet so far. That said, the Jedi training classes are still running.

Surprise 6: The animals go home to sleep

All those cool wild animals you see on the Kilimanjaro Safari? They are gathered up each night to sleep in pens and dens as you will see if you take the Wildlife Express Train.

The park now offers Wild Africa Trek, a pricey VIP experience that some will argue is priceless. Sadly, I was not among the handful of the bloggers from our the Social Media Moms Celebration invited to participate. But I heard enough exciting details about it to add the Trek to my Life List. (That is, when I finally get around to writing it down.)

A few nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is also on my big List, as it's increasingly unlikely I will make it to Africa for a more authentic safari.

Surprise 7: Blizzard Beach was closed

My boys were really looking forward to experiencing the fun at this super cool water park, but it's closed for maintenance. They settled for a fun morning at Typhoon Lagoon.

Surprise 8: Fantasyland is growing

A major expansion of Fantasyland is underway. It's going to double in size and Dumbo rides and there will be a new family roller coaster to replace Goofy's Barnstormer, which was my boys' first thrill ride. The newer elements of Fantasyland wont open until 2012, so we didn't actually get to see anything new. Maybe next year?

Surprise 9: Sunburn

I've long been aware that my arthritis meds make me very sun-sensitive, but I didn't realize just how much until this trip. I got burned through my denim capris; I didn't even know such a thing was possible. Ouch.

Surprise 10: A well-behaved teen

When Maria Bailey, one of the women behind the SM Moms event, introduced me to her teen son, he immediately extended his hand to shake mine and looked me in the eye to greet me properly. How long have I been working on that with my kids? Maybe some day my guys will get it down. If Disney teaches us anything, it's that dreams really do come true. Right?

What are your family's tops hits and favorite Disney surprises?

Disclosure: As a participants in the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration I was given park passes for my family as well as other perks, including the chance to hear great speakers, attend special parties and I received several gift items.

Prior trips to Disney were subsidized by my parents (1982, 2001, 2003). As a participant in the College Program and employee of the Walt Disney Company, I was able to visit Disney Parks at no cost (Jan - May 1989).

DH and I took a trip to Disney World circa 1991, during which I actually bought my own park pass.

Illinois Association of Gifted Children Call for Speakers

2011-03-24T06:45:00.000-05:00

It feels like the annual conference of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children just took place and they're already hard at work planning for 2012. If you've got something to say about gifted children, apply to be a speaker.

Mama always said if you don't have anything nice to say, it's best not to say anything at all, so maybe I should sit on the sidelines for one more year.

On the other hand, I'm certain many parents could relate to the following topics on which I am well-qualified to speak:

Advocating for your gifted child: I don't know what I'm doing either
Advocating for your gifted child: Learn from my mistakes
Advocating for your gifted child: How to be THAT mom
Holy Sh*t, I've totally screwed up my kid!
Budgeting for gifted education: How to turn mothballs into money
Budgeting for gifted education: How to guilt grandma into paying for enrichment classes
Budgeting for gifted education: Private school, specialists, enrichment programs or geek camp? How to prioritize your spending.
You did what?! When smart kids do stupid things

What do you think? Should I pitch one of these? Anyone want to propose a panel with me?

Dressing for Disney with Lands End and Quagmire Kids

2011-03-23T16:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to two well-timed product review opportunities my boys were actually sporting unstained clothes Thursday evening at the family dinner during Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Given that they were wearing brand new items, it's no surprise that they started out clean. The miracle is that my two boys also ended the night without a mess.

On top they wore cool ColorFusion shirts by Quagmire Kids that change from green to yellow with heat (click to see in action).

On the bottom they wore Lands End Boys' Utility Cargo Shorts.

These 100% cotton shorts with "ripstop" fabric appear to be as durable as any Lands End item we've owned over the years, which is to say, very durable. The shorts have lots of pockets which makes them great for carrying rocks and coins, the two items most often found in my young boys' pockets.

I also like that even the big kid sizes come with an adjustable waist band, something we typically need, even in the slim sizes I ordered. The shorts are also available in husky and toddler sizes. Check the size chart before ordering. I thought they ran a bit large, but based on reviews on the site, I'm in the minority.

These sturdy shorts retail for $26.50.

Pocket details.

Disclosure: I was sent two pairs of shorts to review. All opinions are my own. My boys wished I had picked a different color.

Disney Mama Drama

2011-03-23T10:01:00.006-05:00

Scene: A hot and sunny day at Animal Magic Kingdom Studios.

Mom: "You'd better lose that attitude right now."

Child: "I don't have an attitude."

Mom: "Then why are you speaking to me with that tone?"

This wasn't an actual encounter between adults and children in my family, it's something I overhead. Okay, there might have been a similar exchange or two during our six days at Disney, but I really did overhear this.

When temperatures and teen (or toddler) attitudes soar, it can be easy to lose sight of what a family vacation is all about- time together, new experiences, family fun, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

It can take a bit of planning to be a happy family at the Happiest Place on Earth, but it also takes a willingness to abandon the plan. For example, we were wilting in the heat waiting to be called for our restaurant reservation at Animal Kingdom, but my younger son really wanted to go see the Flights of Wonder, a bird show that conflicted with our meal time. In the end, we gave up our reservation, grabbed a few egg rolls from a nearby stand and headed to watch the show. We can get great Asian food close to home, but we don't often get to see owls, parrots, hornbills and condors flying within a few feet us of. I'm glad we made the switch.

Take A Break

Pass up the temptation to "do it all" in one day from park opening to park closing and consider returning to your hotel for a mid-day swim or siesta. You'll miss the peak heat and well as the peak crowds, and return to the park refreshed. When the boys were younger, they needed the naps. Now that we're all older, DH and I napped while the boys did their homework

Hop Around

Purchasing the Park Hopper ticket option permits you to visit multiple parks in one day and is a worthwhile expense. You can start your day at the park with the earliest opening hours, take your mid-day break and end it at the park with the latest closing (or best fireworks).

Every Other Day

When our children were preschoolers, we managed our Disney vacations by spending a day in the parks followed by a day swimming at the hotel along with a low-key excursion to Downtown Disney or Disney's fun mini-golf courses. Neither the children nor the adults in our group could handle six straight days of theme park fun.

Go With The Flow

If your agenda reads too much like a checklist and is full of must-do items, you might want to scale back. You also need to be aware that your child might not be the right age or have the right temperament for some of your favorite activities. The families that are most driven to do it all regardless are usually the ones that are the most stressed out.

Remember to Eat and Drink
Whether you pack your own or buy at the parks, full tummies and hydrated kids (and adults) are key. Theme park snacks and drinks can be expensive, but a $10 or even $20 snack is well worth it if it keeps attitudes in check. You simply cannot ignore basic physical needs (hunger, thirst, tiredness) (your child's or your own) and expect to have a good time.

I didn't see any Mama Drama at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration beyond my own crabbiness when I failed to follow my own advice. D0 you have tips for happy times on them park vacations?

Disclosure: As a participants in the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration I was given park passes for my family as well as other perks, including the chance to hear great speakers, attend special parties and I received several gift items.

Prior trips to Disney were subsidized by my parents (1982, 2001, 2003). As a participant in the College Program and employee of the Walt Disney Company, I was able to visit Disney Parks at no cost Jan - May 1989). And boy did I witness a lot of mama drama in my role as an attractions hostess.

DH and I took a trip to Disney World circa 1991, during which I actually bought my own park pass.

Edited 3/23 to add a photo.

Pins on a Map: Book Review

2011-03-19T07:00:00.003-05:00

While we're getting a little culture at Epcot Center, I can't help but think of the section of the book Pins on a Map when author and father David Boesch told his own dad about plans to take his children on a trip around the world. David's dad suggested a trip to visit many countries in just a day or two at Epcot instead.

But David and his wife wanted something more.

I gave up that dream quite a while ago, so here we are in Orlando.

The Boesches, on the other hand, embarked on a most ambitious trip-17 countries in less than a year with their family of five.

That said, we only planned our itinerary last week while they planned over a period of years. If you're not a strong planner, there's something to be said for grabbing the low-hanging fruit.
Pins on a Map is much more a memoir than a how-to manual, still, reading about their ups and downs, the reader can glean more than a few tips about how to pull off such a feat. For example, David shares how to make the most of a family visit to an art museum and, more importantly, how to negotiate daily snacks and allowances for the kids.

Even though my family's faux international trip at Epcot does not require us to use a GPS, I related to Boesch's tales of wanting to throw his TomTom unit out the window. We had a similar encounter with that same brand years ago on a (four-day) road trip.

There are many anecdotes in the book that left me longing for a deeper, richer recounting of their experiences. For instance, I wanted more about the time David knocked his son off of a mountainside during a sort of go-karting experience and two pages was not enough to recall the fear and concern David felt when he thought he lost his family, and possibly a child, at Thailand's 15,000 stall maze-like Chatuchak Market .

That said, with such a large trip, I'm sure it was hard paring down nearly a year's worth of travel stories.

In the end, this is a good and quick read that is sure to ignite your wanderlust.

Well, at least until you get to the end and he discusses the challenges of easing everyone back into daily life in the United States. After a year of intense family bonding (and some fighting) and unstructured days full of physical, intellectual and culinary adventures, coming home, being home, was quite a shock.

At least my big shock is only going to be going from 85 degrees and sunny to gray skies and 40-degree temperatures.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book.

Easy Bar Mitzvah Invitations

2011-03-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

My goal was to get my son's bar mitzvah invitations in the mail prior to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. With the help of Tiny Prints, we did it!

We were pleasantly surprised to learn they would address our envelopes for free; they even mail to US residents them for nothing more than the cost of a first class stamp. However, we had some inserts, therefore opted to mail them ourselves.

To be clear, I am not working with the company and though I did have a coupon, I shelled out hundreds of dollars for these invites and related thank-you notes. This was my first experience as a TinyPrints customer and I have to say it was excellent one. I made several revisions after submitting our original text (hello-I left off our names!) and the designer was quick to get back to me for with changes. (Pay for a digital proof, people. Always.)

A few suggestions for the folks at TinyPrints and, frankly, others who make bar mitzvah invitations:

1) Accept Discover Card for payment. That's how I roll. I get a better return on my Discover purchases than I do from my money that's sitting in the bank. What's not to love?

2) We wanted to let our guests know about my son's mitzvah project, so we printed out a brief description and included it with the invite. We also printed out an invitation to a small kids' party taking place the next day.

It worked for us and was very cost effective, but I'm a function over form person. Some would shudder at the thought of sticking a piece of paper in an envelope alongside a pretty invitation. As I was stuffing envelopes, it dawned on me that I could have printed the party invite or the mitzvah project info on the thank-you note cards that match the invitation. Or I might have been able to repurpose the matching response cards to meet this need. If only TinyPrints had given me that idea, I might have increased my order.

3) Like a growing number of our peers, we did not order response cards. We asked our guests to either call or email us. It's a greener option as well as a more economical one. We set up a Hotmail account for this purpose because goodness knows my regular email inbox is a hot mess. It might be nice for the brand to offer a free or very low cost option for people to respond to (name)@tinyprints.com. This would give the brand one more way to get their name out. And actually, if a person agreed to let TinyPrints contact every guest who sends in an RSVP with a special coupon or offer, the host family could earn a nice credit or discount. (Admittedly, I wouldn't do this, but your mileage might vary.)

The invitations are out, now it's time to get back with the caterer.

Shabbat Shalom!

Cool New Travel Gear for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and Beyond

2011-03-15T21:27:00.011-05:00

After attending the International Home and Housewares Show and the Travel Goods Show which was held at the same location, I was granted a few review samples of some of my most exciting finds. And I have the perfect opportunity to put them to the test this week given this my family/working vacation to Orlando for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

Take a peek at the video.

Extra coolness:
The Train Reaction luggage stabilizer is made in the USA. While the TuGo cup holder and the Kuhi Comfort Travel Pillow are mom-invented products and made in the USA.

The Cocoon Grid-It folks have an impressive line of products for every day use as well as travel. It's all fun yet practical. I want to buy their iPad bag...after I get an iPad.

On a cautionary note, do not have a child sit on the Walkin Bag seat while his brother attaches it to a larger suitcase using the Train Reaction piece and proceed to pull it widely around the house. This is dangerous. Save me the embarrassment and don't ask how I know this.

Check out my guest post over at The Vacation Gals for more of my family-friendly travel finds from the Housewares and Travel Shows. It's good stuff; it got picked up by the folks at USAToday.com's Travel Tips section.

What is your must-have piece of travel gear?

Disclosure: some items were given to me for review, but I was not paid to write this post or the one at The Vacation Gals. All opinions are my own.