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Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

Emily Press: Labels that Stick with Style

Emily Press Labels is owned and lead by Maureen, a woman who set out to find durable and stylish labels for many of her nieces and nephews. She always heard complaints from other moms about losing or misplacing various items (since they were not labeled), so she knew there had to be a better solution. She jumped at the opportunity to start her own business with children, as well as adults, in mind. She researched and tested tons of different labels through numerous dishwater and laundry cycles. She also continued to design various label collections through this process – everything from sippy cups to office supplies. Maureen wanted to create a company that could be loved by every member of the family. Thus, Emily Press was born.

The first set of labels that caught my eye was the Allergy and Medical labels. Many of you know my son has a severe nut allergy, so you can understand why I personally think these labels are so important for parents of children that have allergies – any kind of known allergy. You have three lines of text so you can fill this info in however you see appropriate. It can give parents a little extra peace of mind knowing that others will be immediately aware of your child’s allergy.

Other great labels found online are from the many designs created within the Hip and Whimsy and Emily Press Chic Collection which are both functional and fun! You could make specific design selections within multiple packs.

Tag-a-tag labels are also an Emily Press favorite because they peel and stick so there is no ironing involved!

But if you are looking for more than clothing labels, be sure to check out labels for products kept around the house to stay organized, such as Spice labels, Tool labels and even Book labels!

Lastly, back to school means fundraising isn’t too far behind! Emily Press Labels happen to make great fundraisers which not only help to raise money for your child’s school, but they also help reduce the lost and found pile! An Emily Press fundraiser is easy to run and can be set up in a day or two. You can track your commissions online in real time so for more information, be sure to check out the fundraiser information.

Emily Press knows that the kids are back at school and you still may be in need of these important labels! This company is currently offering Theta Mom readers 7% off every order by entering the code THETAMOM7 at checkout. This offer is valid through 9/18/11. In addition, Emily Press offers free standard shipping for any order over $39 (before shipping, taxes and after any promotions is applied). For the latest information and deals from Emily Press, be sure to connect with this company on Twitter and Facebook.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Emily Press is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was compensated for this post. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

Kindergarten and Letting Go

I remember at this time last year I blogged about the very first time in FIVE long years that I experienced a few hours to myself – with no children at home.

For the first time.

In five long years.

Being a WAHM, I always manage to juggle work and motherhood and last year, my daughter turned two so she entered a preschool morning program allowing me a few glorious hours alone (a few days a week) since my son was also in a full-day program. BOTH children were out of the house for a few hours and it was beyond fabulous.

I felt like a brand new woman again.

Kind of like what it felt like before I gave birth to my kids.

And this year?

My son starts Kindergarten.

I know – many of you will tell me to grab my tissues and be prepared for an emotional storm since I’ll be a complete wreck. But the truth is, as emotional as I usually get over these things – I’m ready to let him go.

I’m ready to watch him fly and spread his little wings – and as a Theta Mom, I’m ready to begin writing the next chapter, my own chapter.

I wasn’t one of those moms sobbing at his preschool graduation and I certainly won’t be a helicopter mom at the Kindergarten drop-off because I’m SO ready for this next phase in our lives to begin.

Maybe ask me again in a few years when my little girl (my last and final baby begins this process) because I may need to borrow some of your tissues then.

But until that time, September 6th is on the calendar baby, and it’s party time!!!

Motherhood is a Game Changer

I never knew how much motherhood would be a game changer until I became a mom myself. Once becoming pregnant for the very first time and giving birth to a child, not only did my perspective on life change – but so did my entire world.

It made me think about what I really wanted out of life.

It made me look deeper into myself and define what is really important.

It made me honor my values.                       

It made me have an undeniable respect for my own mother.

It made me appreciate my childhood and the way I was raised.

It made me think about my actions in a way I never thought about before.

And it certainly made me make some tough choices about what *I* was going to do with the rest of my life.

You see, when my husband stood by my side at the hospital, having a baby wasn’t nearly as much of a game changer for him.

He returned to work upon Day #5 after the birth.

His professional work clothes fit him without an issue.

He didn’t have to diet, workout or worry about his physique.

His hormones remained completely intact.

His relationships with his friends and co-workers were seamlessly easy to maintain.

He did not have to make the tough career choices surrounding the birth of this baby. He still had a job, a pay check and a rewarding career. My husband simply had to get up, shower, eat a little breakfast and return to work, life as he knew it prior to the baby.

But for me, I held onto this precious soul who napped over my shoulder, wondering where my life would lead.

 I was confused about the feelings I was having – not knowing if a return to my previous full-time job would be the “right” answer for me.

For us.

I agonized over the blood, sweat and tears it took to obtain a graduate degree and I didn’t want to throw that all away – yet, I wanted nothing more than to hold that baby every second of every hour of every day.

I worried about money – about maternity leave, about insurance, about my job, about getting back into my pre-preggers clothes, about how I was still somewhat confused about this new sisterhood I was just inducted into.

Having a baby was certainly a game changer for me.

My only hope is that with time, women will have many more opportunities to make solid career choices and decisions surrounding the work/life balance of motherhood that makes sense for them without feeling like they are giving up on a part of themselves. I’m hoping women will have more chances to find a way to make it all work.

If only my blog was around 6 years ago – having YOU here reading with me, offering some words of encouragement and letting us all know that WE ARE NOT ALONE. If only I knew back then that I was one of millions of women who felt the same exact way.

If only.

Blogging and the Benefits of Brutal Honesty

My guest blogger today is Robin, author of the blog Farewell Stranger. She is sharing her experience with us today about the power of brutal honesty in blogging – that sometimes, you will find an outpouring of support when opening up about your own struggles. She points out that of course bloggers have their own comfort level when it comes to personal sharing and should be used at their own discretion, but she also provides the benefits of where this kind of sharing may lead – to a community of support.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato

It’s true, isn’t it? We all struggle with something, whether big or small. Illness. Loss of a loved one. Even the ever-present thought that we’re not as smart/pretty/skinny as everyone else. The good thing with struggles is that they make great blog material.

The thought of sharing your innermost insecurities might make you want to shut down your computer and run away screaming. You might fear people will judge you. Or, “that’s not what my blog is about,” you might say.

I’ll tell you one thing from personal experience: sharing YOU is a good thing.

 It can be cathartic. Empowering. Healing. It can help you feel less alone. For your readers, it can be reassuring to know they’re not the only ones who struggle. It can help them get to know you better. That’s not to suggest you should turn your blog into a gossip site with yourself as the target. I’m just talking about honesty. Brutal honesty.

I sat down on January 1st of this year and set up a blog. I wasn’t sure where I was going with it, but postpartum depression was slowly killing me and I needed to get it out. I needed to write it out. I didn’t really think about who would read it – I actually thought no one I knew would. But if you read my very first post you’ll see that my boss found my blog before I had even posted something. So much for that theory.

It didn’t matter. I wrote anyway, as though no one were reading it. And I do that still. We talk about authenticity in blogging and how important it is, and I believe that completely. Having said that, I will acknowledge that, yes, you can be your real self without sharing everything. We all hold something back, because it’s too intimate or because we’re not ready to share or whatever. And that’s totally okay. I do that too.

But I’ve also written about things I thought would never make an appearance on my blog. The posts I was most nervous about publishing were the two in which I wrote about my experience with postpartum rage. Those posts included two incredibly personal admissions – the kind of posts I never thought I would share. Ever.

But I finally decided I needed to – not for me, but for others. So I wrote, bawling, and then hit publish. And held my breath. As it turns out, those are the posts that have allowed me to connect most with other people. I got so much support, and I heard from others who have been there too – everything from “thank you for writing that” to “I thought I was the only one and that I was the worst person in the world”. (I know, I did too.)

I’ve also seen many people tell their hard stuff and get so much support in return. I think doing this sort of thing – to whatever extent you’re comfortable – is a great thing to do and can have a huge impact on blogging success (however you define it). I’m not saying you have to spill all your secrets or focus a lot on your personal story if that’s not what your blog is about. Just think about what you could share that will give you a personal connection with someone else. It might help you, and there’s a good chance it will help someone else.

After all, with all the benefits of blogging, isn’t “thank you” one of the best?

Interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® for the Network? I am currently accepting submissions. Full details can be found on the Network page.

This Life: Organizing Your Memories

This Life is a business that was started by Andrea, a mom of three and her husband Matt. She found herself overwhelmed by the amount of notes, videos clips, loose photographs and mounds of artwork that consumed her family memories but had no sense of organization. She realized that all of these special “moments” were captured on various devices and saved in different places. Artwork piled up in boxes, notes scattered about, video remained stuck in the Flip and photos from memory cards were kept in various cameras. This is the moment Andrea knew that there had to be a way to take all of these precious memories from various devices and keep them in one safe place – and to have this organization process be performed by an app. Hence, This Life was born.

This Life was designed to make organizing your digital moments so much easier. The “magic box” simply gathers, enhances and organizes your photos and videos for you in a chronological timeline while keeping them all safely stored. In essence, all of the scanned images you have on your phone, desktop, photo websites and social services will all be carefully placed into one perfect spot – the This Life cloud.

This Life actually improves photos using photo correction based on what is actually needed. Color is balanced, contrast is adjusted, highlights are corrected, etc. The program then organizes these special “moments” by displaying them on a timeline with specific person, date, and location tags. The timeline is also completely searchable by person, date, location, or media type. Again, everything on This Life is stored centrally in the cloud, ensuring that your photos and videos are always safe, synced and available on any device. This Life does all of the work for you! Have an iPhone? Get easy access with automatic sync between your iPhone, the cloud, and your computer. 

This sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, This Life recently launched and here’s why you want to jump on this deal which won’t be around for long. This Life is offering Theta Mom readers an exclusive opportunity to try out this service – for FREE! That’s right! The Adventure Box trial for This Life will house and organize 20,000 of your photos absolutely FREE for 6 months! You can upgrade or cancel your membership at any time. Be sure to check out this opportunity to receive your FREE 6 month trial and stay up to date with the latest developments and new information for This Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. This Life is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was compensated for this post. In addition, I received a free trial service to facilitate this review. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.