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Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

Without You

My husband and I are quickly approaching a special anniversary, the date we were engaged. Over the last ten years, we’ve had our fair share of major ups and downs. As a couple, we’ve experienced some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Especially this past year with many moments that truly tested our commitment to one another, we somehow always find a way to get through the tough times and come out of it together, stronger. When the dust finally settles and all is said and done, there is one thing I know for sure – as Usher sings it best with David Guetta, I have a few words for my husband:

“I won’t run

I won’t fly

I would never make it by

Without you…  

I am lost

I am vain

I will never be the same

Without you…

I can’t win

I can’t reign

I WILL NEVER WIN THIS GAME…

Without you.

xoxoxoxo

If you haven’t heard about it out yet, three of my dear blogging friends have an amazing site called Project Marriage which is dedicated to making your relationship stronger. Be sure check it out and kick your marriage into high gear, they are doing some wonderful things over there!

Community: The Blogging Kind

Aside from sheer panic realizing Thanksgiving is about one week away and the holidays are almost officially upon us, I am doing something today I don’t often have the opportunity to do…

It gives me great pleasure to announce that I am guest posting at Katie’s place, Sluiter Nation, writing about something near and dear to my heart – community, the blogging kind.

I am thrilled to be “recruited” today, so I hope you’ll stop by and visit me there. I turned the comments off here so that you’re encouraged to take a moment to click over there!

momAgenda Mini-Daily Review and Giveaway

Many of you know through social media and my blog that momAgenda® is without a doubt one of my favorite brands – so much so that I am the Brand Ambassador for momAgenda and Leader of the Council of Media Moms. And when I publish reviews at Theta Mom® you know that I truly believe in the product so once again, I honestly cannot say enough about this brand.

Many people ask me in such a high-tech world, how does the momAgenda (a planner with real paper that I use with a pen or pencil) compare to those in the digital space – well for me, the answer is simple; I just can’t live without my momAgenda. I am one of those women (who as techie as I like to think I am) still need to literally write things down to stay organized. I actually find it soothing to make my daily list and plan my calendar accordingly, and I always get excited when I begin working in a brand new planner. I’ve had the pleasure of using a variety of Planner Products (and accessories) over the years, but today is the first I am sharing the Mini–Daily in the zebra print and I’m going to explain why you need to add this to your holiday wish list this year.

The Mini-Daily is exactly that – your DAILY planner. Each day is seen in depth, by the hour. Essentially, this is a smaller version of the original momAgenda day planner in that many of the features are included in this product. Here is my organizational tip on how to best use this product: Fill out your Mini-Daily at least the night before so when you wake up, you already have the day totally planned – by the hour. It doesn’t get better than that!

I take my momAgenda Personal Portfolio (which gives me my days/week and even month at a glance) and then I create my daily to-do task list in my Mini-Daily. This product serves as my daily task list. Before the Mini-Daily, I was using a small notebook to make my list. But the notebook was just full of blank paper with no real organization. With the Mini-Daily, I am able to fill in my day under the correct date, by the hour with enough room for notes on the side as well. I also love that there is an entire section devoted to helping you plan that party – perfect with the holidays fast approaching:

And probably the best part about this product? It’s big enough to keep you organized, but small enough so that you can slip it in your purse and take it everywhere you go. You can purchase the Mini-Daily here and be sure to follow momAgenda on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on new products and deals. You can also follow the COMM Team and the momAgenda Blog for the latest community news.

But wait. There’s more.

Because it’s holiday time, we know you Theta Moms are in need of organization as you begin to organize, shop and plan for those holiday dinner parties, so the COMM Team is launching a series of giveaways that will run through the end of this month into the middle of December to get you ready! At Theta Mom®, momAgenda is giving away a Mini-Daily to one very lucky reader!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

I made this super easy for you. Simply follow my blog, visit momAgenda and leave a comment telling me the name of the momAgenda product that’s on YOUR wish list this holiday! Be sure to tweet the following as an extra entry:

I’m getting organized with @momAgenda for the holidays! I entered the #giveaway @ThetaMom http://bit.ly/sRM3Hc   #momAgendaCOMM

***This contest is now closed. Congratulations Jamie! An email has been sent.*** This contest is open to US and Canada residents, ages 18+ and will close on Thursday, November 17th. A winner will be selected via random.org. {The winner must have a valid email address and claim the prize within 48 hours. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen}.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. As the Brand Ambassador for momAgenda® and the Leader of COMM: Council of Media Moms, I am compensated for the work I perform including posts such as this. In addition, I received a Mini-Daily to facilitate this review. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

Tiny Prints Holiday Card Giveaway

Tiny Prints is a business that actually began by three friends who shared big dreams and a sheer passion for beautiful design. Amazingly, this company has grown from a small, self-funded start-up to one of the biggest retailers online of chic, stylish and savvy prints. Tiny Prints is probably best known for their gorgeous line of baby shower invitations and birth announcements. However, this company has successfully branded itself to offer full card collections that meet the needs of every special occasion, including the launch of Tiny Prints Corporate in 2008 which brought the company into the business stationary market as well.

I reviewed cards from their Christmas Cards & Photo Christmas Greetings Collection and the holiday card I chose for Christmas this year is called Jolly Voice from the Vintage Collection.

One of the things I love most about this company is the easy navigation and clear organization of the site. For example, when I was browsing through the holiday cards, they are grouped into categories based on design style, making it easy to shop. You’ll find categories such as contemporary, classic, preppy, whimsy – and the list goes on. It makes viewing the cards so easy since many of the styles that you would be interested are found in one place. Moreover, adding your own photo and customizing the text on the card is SO easy. You can change virtually any text on the card to make it fit your own unique message. Another one of my favorite new aspects of these cards is that they are also fully designed on the back:

You even have more layout options to customize the cards on the back which I chose to add. I included a small photo of my children with some text directly below it which really gives the card a finished look having customization on the back! I cannot wait to send out these cards to family and friends, the photos are clear and the card is made with heavyweight cardstock which shows the outstanding quality of the card. The hardest part when shopping the site is choosing just one design!

Tiny Prints is also known for their outstanding customer service and attention to detail to ensure that every order is executed successfully. They maintain a superior shopping experience which is another reason this company continues to be so successful. Be sure to stay updated on the latest deals and special coupon codes to shop with Tiny Prints on Facebook and Twitter.

The Giveaway:

**This contest is now closed. Congratulations Cassie! An email has been sent.*** Tiny Prints is offering one lucky Theta Mom reader a $75 gift certificate to shop – just in time for the holidays! How awesome is that?!

To Enter: Simply follow my blog publicly, visit Tiny Prints and leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite design! Easy peasy!

Want an extra entry? Follow me on Twitter and copy/paste this tweet as often as you like: Love @TinyPrints and need holiday cards? Enter the #giveaway @ThetaMom to win $75 to shop! http://bit.ly/vPFhnC Please RT

*This giveaway is open to ALL since Tiny Prints ships internationally! The contest will end on November 15th. One winner will be selected at random and contacted via email. If the winner does not claim the prize within 48 hours, another winner will be randomly chosen.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Tiny Prints is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was provided custom made cards to facilitate this review. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

Three Years

Dropping my son at school on the eve of the anniversary of my Nana’s death, my son whispered in my ear, “Mommy, I would like to visit Nana today. I want to give her this.”

And he handed me a folded pink piece of paper.

To you, it would look like nothing more than some silly child scribble – but to me it’s the most meaningful drawing I’ve ever seen from him. My son described to me that he drew three people in that picture – him, his sister and his Nana. They were on the beach and playing in the sand while the sun peeked in and out of the white clouds. He has so many fond memories of going to the beach with her and wanted her to know just how much he remembered her.

And how much he loves her – and misses her.

My son just turned three when she passed and I am amazed at how much he remembers.

I’ve written a lot about her and my son in the past, so I am sharing one of my favorite posts I know you will enjoy: An Idea of Divine Perfection. I hope you take a moment to read that post as I honor one of the most remarkable women to have ever entered my life.

1919 – 2008

Wife, Mother, Nana