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Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

The momAgenda Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed. Thank you to all who entered. Congratulations Evonne! An email has been sent.***

momAgenda was founded by former Colgate University graduate Nina Restieri. As a busy mom of four children and a former ad executive, she was always in need of organizing her very hectic schedule. She often wondered why there were so many planners on the market for brides-to-be, but none were made available for the busy mother. After a year of intense research under her belt, momAgenda was soon born. Since its launch in 2005, momAgenda offers a wide range of products to help moms organize their daily lives. As stated on the momAgenda website, “Nina gets immense joy out of helping the pieces of everyone’s personal puzzle – family, career, home and social life – come together.” As a busy Theta Mom myself, I couldn’t agree more!

 momagenda

I reviewed the 2010 faux crocodile momAgenda desktop in spring-green. There are so many features I love about this planner. For starters, it’s the perfect size. Each week is sectioned off with daily notes in the margin for the following; my week at a glance, the kids and even dinner. The desktop provides space for music, fashion, fitness, entertaining resources and vacation planning!  The other thing I really like about this organizer is the fact that there is so much flexibility as to how you could implement this planner to meet your own specific needs. As busy Theta Moms, we are always scheduling appointments for ourselves and our family. We need to remember specific dates relating to not only our personal lives, but our kids’ lives as well. I have been using this planner to help organize my social calendar, dates important to this blog, my family’s scheduled appointments as well as information relating to my job. I can effectively fit all of this information easily within this 2010 momAgenda desktop and it’s in one place! I used to work off of multiple planners and it became very hard to keep up. A busy Theta Mom simply needs momAgenda to stay organized and up to date!

Be sure to check out the variety of products that momAgenda offers, such as the Personal Portfolio here and the Home Organizer here. You can view all momAgenda products by clicking here. *Become a fan of momAgenda on Facebook here and follow momAgenda on Twitter here.

 You can purchase the momAgenda Desktop for $45 here  or you can enter to win because momAgenda is giving one lucky Theta Mom reader her very own momAgenda Desktop!!! 

How to Enter The momAgenda Giveaway:

 Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

 Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and extra entries won’t count unless the required entry is done)


1. Follow Theta Mom on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name. (1 entry)

2. Become a Fan of Theta Mom on Facebook here and leave me your FB name. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Theta Mom via email. You must activate the subscription for this entry to count. (2 entries)

4. Subscribe to Theta Mom any other way. (1 entry)

5. Grab one of my cute buttons and add it to your website. (2 entries per button)

6. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click-can click up to 3x)

7. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: Enter to win the momAgenda #giveaway retail value: $45 @ThetaMom http://ow.ly/1ohTbF Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)

9. Add Theta Mom to your blogroll. (2 entries)

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on February 7, 2010 and will end on February 18, 2010 at 9 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided the 2010 faux crocodile momAgenda desktop. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

3 Secrets to Getting ‘Return’ Blog Followers

I was recently reading a post about what makes you subscribe to a blog. The author posed some really good questions and it made me reflect on why I follow a blog and I would love to take this conversation a step further…

As bloggers, we follow blogs for various reasons; there are many platforms that bring bloggers together, as well as those with supportive communities…and the list goes on.

But as many blogs that you choose to follow and vice-versa, what makes you not only follow, but return to that blog again and again?

For example, you could subscribe to over 300 blogs but really only read and comment on 30 of those weekly. This brings me to the question…out of the many blogs you end up choosing to follow, which are the kind of blogs that you return to again and again no matter what? The kind of blog that if you are pressed for time will be one to visit on your list?

I strive to be one of those blogs that you follow and return to, not ever wanting to miss a post. So when I think of the blogs that I follow, I wanted to share my top three reasons of what brings me back to those blogs again and again:

  1. A blog with well written content that I can relate to: A blogger that posts about topics I can easily connect with is a major draw for me. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about motherhood; any well written post about a topic I can sincerely relate to will get me hooked.
  2. A clean blog design with easy navigation: I enjoy blogs that are easy to navigate with just a few clicks. If I want to peek into the archives or get to know more about the blogger, I don’t want to have to go searching for it. And easy navigation does not have to mean a fancy blog design, just a clean design that doesn’t take away from the content.
  3. A blog that encourages support of its readers: I like a supportive blogger who encourages comments and wants to continue the conversation. How boring would blogging be if you never got a response? A blogger that shows support of its readers is what brings me back again and again. And I certainly don’t mean a comment for every comment. In a perfect bloggy world this would be fabulous, but we all know how unrealistic that goal would be. I’ve tried to keep up and it’s impossible. So, how do you show support? It can be displayed in various ways to fellow bloggers: via a reply to a comment, a visit to the blog, a link back to a blogger within a post, an email, a tweet or retweet of a post, the sharing of a post on Facebook, a Stumble of a particular post, a chat on a community message board, a recommendation of a blogger to another, etc… There are so many ways to help promote and show other bloggers support, so I like to return to blogs that encourage this as well.

So now I would love to hear from you! After you choose to follow a blog, what makes you return again and again? And if you are a new follower, welcome! I am so glad you are here at Theta Mom and can’t wait to check out your blog!!!

My Goo Goo Dolls

My husband and I were driving in the car together recently with the kids. We were listening to the radio and suddenly The Goo Goo Dolls song Slide came on. We both looked at each other and smiled.

Isn’t it amazing how one song can bring you right back to a specific time and place? How your brain becomes instantly flooded with memories of a moment in your life? I recently was reading Carolyn’s blog and she wrote a post about how music can really establish an emotional connection with us and that’s exactly what I experience with certain songs. No matter how old the song may be, it will bring me right back to that time in my life as if it were just yesterday.

Slide by The Goo Goo Dolls was super popular when I first met my husband. It was one of those songs that we would often hear when we were out together. At the time, I was a full-time elementary school teacher commuting to NYC in the evening to earn my graduate degree. There were many weeks that would go by in which I would only see him for a few hours. My schedule and his schedule were so different and to make matters worse, we didn’t live close to each other. We had to make the best of the limited time we could spend together.

So we would often meet in Northern NJ just right outside the city, usually in a bar or restaurant to grab a few drinks and some food before I headed home. Although this was another “crazy” time in my life, it was so much fun.

I looked forward to leaving class and driving out of the city to see him, even if it was just for a few hours. It didn’t matter that it was a random weekday night and that I had to be up early to teach the next day. I was running on adrenaline and anticipation of seeing him and spending time with him. And I can’t tell you how many times we would listen to The Goo Goo Dolls play in one of the bars.

When I hear that song now it brings me right back to when I was 23…all I have to hear is the beginning of that guitar riff and my mind is instantly filled with wonderful memories of when we first met.

And although my life used to be days filled with absolutely no responsibility of paying a mortgage and raising kids, I still wouldn’t trade anything for my days now which are of a much different kind; filled with my daughter’s “Goo Goo” voice and the actions of my very own two little Dolls.

GooGooDolls

As crazy as life can sometimes be as a Theta Mom I love my life just where it is…and my Goo Goo Dolls just where they are.

And the songs that play on the radio today will one day bring a smile to my face. Because I will think of my children and remember them just as they are, right now.

The Big e.l.f. Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed. Thank you all to those who entered. Congratulations to KTKatherine. An email has been sent.***

Eyes Lips Face, better known as e.l.f., was launched in 2004 by celebrity and beauty professional Scott-Vincent Borba. It’s been considered a revolutionary company because it creates cosmetics that moisturize your skin, giving your complexion that natural glow without breaking the bank. I reviewed e.l.f. products before and since I am very passionate about this line of cosmetics, I was excited to work with e.l.f. again!

What continues to impress me about this company is the quality of makeup you receive at such an affordable cost. You can achieve a professional and polished look with money still in your wallet! And when I apply e.l.f. products to my skin, they don’t ever feel heavy or “cakey.” As I’ve said before, I’ve tried other brands in the past that made me feel as though the makeup was wearing me instead of me wearing the makeup. I also have very sensitive skin and these products do not irritate my skin in any way, which is essential to me when choosing a brand of cosmetics.

I reviewed the e.l.f. Makeup Artist Starter Kit which has once again, surpassed my expectations. If you want to check out all of the details of the kit I reviewed, click here.

 The Makeup Artist Starter Kit includes the following:

  • Makeup Artist Travel Belt
  • Travel Mirror
  • Mechanical Eyelash Curler
  • Eyeliner and Shadow Stick (black/smoke)
  • Eyebrow Kit
  • Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara (black)
  • Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter (glow/light)
  • Eye Primer & Liner Sealer (natural)
  • Lip Primer and Plumper (clear/natural)
  • Lip Definer & Shaper (nude/natural)
  • Translucent Modifying Powder (translucent)
  • Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (blushed/bronzed)
  • Concealer Pencil & Brush (light)
  • Makeup Case (black)

ELFArtistStarterKit

This e.l.f. starter kit has everything you need to be your own makeup artist! All of the items fit into the adorable makeup case and I feel like such a pro when I wear the makeup belt around my waist! Each product easily slips into the different compartments for easy access, so when I am getting ready (especially for a Theta Mom time out) I am looking so chic! Although I would absolutely recommend all of these products included in this kit, some of my favorites are: The Lip Primer & Plumper because it is applied like clear gloss that moisturizes my lips and makes them feel fuller; The Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter because I can’t tell you how many mornings I wake-up with those “mom eyes” from being up with the kids the night before and this product quickly diminishes any dark circles or puffiness; The Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara because it actually lengthens my lashes; The Eyebrow Kit because it helps me to keep those brows in check, and The Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder because it gives my skin that “natural” glow…You can follow e.l.f on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

And you can purchase the Makeup Artist Starter Kit for $50 here OR you can enter to win because e.l.f. is giving one lucky Theta Mom reader her very own Makeup Artist Starter Kit! What an awesome giveaway! Think Valentine’s Day ladies and look fabulous!!!

How to Enter The e.l.f. Giveaway:

Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and extra entries won’t count unless the required entry is done)


1. Follow Theta Mom on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name. (1 entry)

2. Become a Fan of Theta Mom on Facebook here and leave me your FB name. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Theta Mom via email. You must activate the subscription for this entry to count. (2 entries)

4. Subscribe to Theta Mom any other way. (1 entry)

5. Grab one of my cute buttons and add it to your website. (2 entries per button)

6. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click – you can click up to 3x per IP address)

7. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: Enter to win The e.l.f. $50 Makeup Artist Kit #giveaway @ThetaMom  http://ow.ly/1nR1ft Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)

9. Add Theta Mom to your blogroll. (2 entries)

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on January 30, 2010 and will end on February 11, 2010 at 9 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided the Makeup Artist Starter Kit from e.l.f. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.