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Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

An Open Letter to My Little Girl

To my little girl who lights up a room when she smiles and who has been given to me to love, guide, and honor…

You continue to inspire me – to be a better woman, a stronger person, a better mom.

You have been brought into my life for a reason and I am forever changed since the moment I saw you take your first breath. Although you manage to steal my patience on a regular basis and probably shaved a few years off of my life from worry, I can’t imagine walking this Earth without you.

I watched you struggle with things that came easy for others and I prayed that you would remain strong and confident. You never gave up on yourself and I never gave up on you.

You are a fighter, one that has more sass and spunk than any little girl I know; you’ve taught me the true definition of hard work, never letting even a single setback get in your way.

I am in awe of you.

I am in awe of how far you’ve come.

You have shown me the face of gratitude.

You were sent from above to teach me the true meaning of courage, resilience and HOPE.

You love without judgment,

You live without prejudice,

And it is YOU who continues to remind me what’s truly important in life.

Regardless of the challenges that still remain, you will get through them – we will get through them and you will be reminded every single day that YOU ARE ENOUGH.

As I watch you play dress up and rock those pigtails in your hair, I am blessed to have the opportunity to watch you learn and grow into an extraordinary little girl and ultimately young woman – one who I know will leave an amazing footprint on this Earth.

My job as your mother is to love, guide and honor you – and I will continue to do that, all the days of my life.

Thank you sweetheart, for being YOU – just the way you were meant to be.

 

This post is part of the Linkup with Just Be Enough an amazing site dedicated to empowering humanity, celebrating and accepting who we are – just as we are.

It’s a momAgenda COMM Holiday Bash

Many of you know I am the Brand Ambassador for momAgenda as well as the Leader/Administrator of the Council of Media Moms. It is such a pleasure to partner with a company that completely understands the social media space in addition to having an absolute amazing product. I am honored to lead such a talented team of savvy media moms who also fully endorse this brand as well. So, when we collaborate and piece together an amazing holiday campaign, you better believe we are thrilled to kick things off with a Twitter Party and of course we would love for YOU to join us!

We know this is a busy time of year as everyone is making holiday plans and wish lists, so we thought what better way to celebrate the start of the season with some organizational fun? There will be TONS of momAgenda giveaways and we will be talking all things shopping, motherhood and of course, organization! 

MOMAGENDA COMM HOLIDAY BASH 11’ TWITTER PARTY DETAILS:

MODERATORS: Follow @momAgenda and @ThetaMom

PANELISTS: Follow the COMM Team: @Babyrabies @Heirtoblair @littletechgirl @luxurytravelmom @momtrends @scrappinmichele @taraZiegmont @tonipatton

DATE: Thursday, November 3, 2011

TIME: 9 pm (EST)                      

HASHTAG: #momAgendaCOMM          

PRIZES: Here is a sneak peek of just some of the amazing goodies that will be given away that evening!!!

***RSVP below at the official Twtvite BEFORE the event – only those who have RSVP’d will be eligible to win prizes awarded throughout that evening.

Contest Rules & Disclaimer:Winners awarded momAgenda prizes at the Twitter party will be chosen randomly. To be considered as a giveaway winner, participants MUST be engaged throughout the online Twitter party and RSVP prior to the start of the party. If prizes are not claimed within 48 hours, momAgenda reserves the right to choose another winner.

My Daughter Loves her Woolly Boo

Woolly Boo is a family owned business lead by a mother-daughter team that began in 2009. This company was born through the idea of offering natural, chic and chemical-free bedding products for children. Before launching the business, Vahida and Selma (the mother-daughter team) ventured out to find these specific products and quickly realized there was a strong need in the marketplace for them and set out to do it all on their own. Together, they created this business including a distinct line of children’s bedding that contains 100% organic wool and 100% natural cotton.

I reviewed the Toddler Pillow in Pretty in Pink Twill. These pillows are made from nearly two pounds of the cleanest wool available and come in two different sizes. You also have the option to choose a sham for the pillow in seven beautiful choices and if you have your own fabric, they will even custom design the sham to match your décor! The sham is also completely removable and washable, making it easy to maintain. This toddler pillows retails for $55.

I was so thankful to be introduced to Woolly Boo at an event in NYC earlier this year because my daughter has had a difficult time sleeping some nights due in part to the fact that she sweats. I never knew that this product containing wool would actually keep her from sweating. As soon as the pillow arrived, I was so excited to “test it out” with my little girl. And now? She’s sleeping like a champ! She no longer wakes up with her hair and face all sweaty and she is certainly much more rested. She loves her Woolly Boo. Just as the company’s tagline states, “For a healthy and restful sleep…” that seriously couldn’t be more true! If you are in search of durable, organic and well designed children’s bedding, look no further than Woolly Boo.

When visiting the site, you will find the complete line of Products including Toddler Travel Pillows, Crib Bumper Pads, Crib Mattress Pads and even Toddler Bedding. The infant sleep sacks are also a Woolly Boo favorite! Be sure to follow Woolly Boo on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates and product information from this company.

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

Two of My New Favorite Things

My parents recently came back from a trip through New England. They drove up to Maine, headed back down into New Hampshire and eventually into Boston, Massachusetts before returning to the lovely Garden State. They did some shopping along the way and of course, they just had to pick up some special gems for me that just spoke volumes.

I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD upon opening and really adore these gifts to pieces. They are ranked right up there like the one my sister-in-law gave me last year.

Ready?

Gift #1: The perfect napkin to have at your next girl’s night out function – specifically for all of you mamas like me:

Is that not the best?

And… perhaps my new favorite…

Gift #2: The essential bag for women (like me) who have ALWAYS struggled in the cooking department:  

OMG. Do my parents pick out the best gifts or what?

Sage Advice on Attending Blog Conferences: Molly’s Story

My guest blogger today is Molly, author of the blog A Day in Mollywood. She’s sharing a personal story reflecting on her experience attending her first blog conference. I know her words will resonate with you, no matter how far along you are in your blogging journey.

A week before I attended BlogHer (my very first blog conference) my friend Heather, aka Theta Mom, gave me some advice:

“DO NOT care what ANYONE else is doing but YOU. It’s a fact that there have been tons of bloggers that actually STOPPED blogging after attending conferences in the past because they let their insecurities and comparing themselves to others get the best of them.”

How could anyone stop blogging after attending such a popular conference? I thought it impossible and even giggled a bit because I knew that would never be me. Only, it almost was.

Almost.

My struggle with depression put a big damper on my conference experience. So much so that when I returned home I didn’t blog for a week, with the exception of a scheduled post for my son’s birthday. I had no inspiration and when it did spark I was too ashamed to have wasted a wonderful conference trip that many would have loved to attend. Then there was Heather with more wise advice, telling me it might help to write about it. I finally caved. I wrote about it and I’m so glad I did. The support from the blogging community was nothing short of amazing. Suddenly, I got my groove back.

So today, I want to share with you the valuable but difficult lessons I learned from attending my first blog conference:

*Do your research. There are so many blog conferences to attend. Yes, your twitter feed might be blowing up with BlogHer hash tags. There is a reason for that, of course. It is an amazing community of bloggers and although I had trouble while there it had nothing to do with the conference itself. I really do hope I get a second chance! But now more than ever I realize I should have checked out all my options instead of basing my decision on where everyone else was going. There are conferences specifically targeted to social media mavens, crafters and handmade goods, review and coupon blogs, and brand awareness. These conferences provide opportunities to meet and network with people in your niche. Some will boast 4,000 attendees and others will provide a more personal setting where you can get to know twenty people well. Who knows, maybe there is one close to where you live! No matter what, please do your research before deciding which one is right for you.

*Put self-confidence on your packing list. No doubt about it, BlogHer is a BIG conference. From the moment I walked in I felt overwhelmed. I naively thought that I would get to meet all my favorite bloggers. Let me save you the trouble. It’s not possible at a large conference. Pick a few “must meet” people and make it your mission to get in front of them. I may not have met everyone on my list. But I did get to meet three of my blogging idols! Let me tell you, it was totally worth coming out of my comfort zone to meet them. One of them even used my business card to find me!

*Remember, it’s not a competition. Blog conferences are not the time to brag about your feedburner stats and followers – unless of course you’re in a class to discuss those topics. The reality is that no one is there for that reason. I came up with four reasons people attend blog conferences: to see blogging friends they have already met, to meet and network with new blogging friends, to learn something new and – all of the above.

If we want to get the most out of a conference we must remember that everybody is somebody. You might see a group of people talking to one person and think, “Wow, they must be somebody!” Well, guess what? You’re somebody too. I don’t care if you have 20 followers or 2,000. If you are there for A, B, C or D, then you’ve got something in common with everyone else there. There are no losers. Everybody wins.

Find out who you are.

After attending my first blogging conference, it took me a few weeks to realize who I am as a blogger. There were clues while I was there but I didn’t see them until I left. Looking back I wanted to meet authors and writers; bloggers who practice their writing craft every week, bloggers who inspire me with their writing every time they post. It wasn’t until I returned home that I realized where I fit amongst all the attendees. I love to write. I love to blog. I am a writer-blogger! It only took me five years of blogging to realize that!

But now that I’ve got it figured out I can move forward in a more productive and meaningful way. I don’t have to push myself to sell ad space and do reviews on my blog if I’m not comfortable with it. If an opportunity comes up which interests me I might act on it. But I don’t have to force myself to compete. I’m simply a writer trying to spread my words around. The conference helped me realize that.

My best advice? Think about the posts that you have written over the past two months. How did you feel when you pressed publish? If you felt uncomfortable then that’s probably not your niche. If you felt excited and super happy each time you got a comment on that particular post then that is what you’re meant to be writing.

Don’t give up.

If you came home from a conference feeling defeated – do it again anyway! Push yourself. We’re rarely at our best in the beginning. Like Heather said, don’t let your insecurities win. Go to another conference, the same one or try a different one. I don’t care. Just try again. I never thought I’d say this, but I will be going to another conference. I don’t know which one or when, but I will and I know I’ll be better for it.

If you are interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® please send me an email since I am currently accepting submissions. Full details can be found on the Network page.