August 26, 2010
It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a senior in high school, and in typical senioritis slacker form, I spent my days in class doing something other than the busy work absentmindedly handed to us by our teachers. Back then, I would write full notebooks worth of love letters to my boyfriend (now my husband), within which I poured out my angsty, love-struck teenage soul.
I blush now to think about how our young love would literally make my heart do little leaps. I’m blushing even more as I realize just how ridiculous that sounds to my jaded mama ears!
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August 13, 2010
Butt Glued to the Computer Chair While You Tweet Away? Capitalize on Your Twitter Account.
Okay, so you’re not an eBay power seller, nor are you a novelist finishing up your next bestseller. You don’t have some sweet agreement with your Fortune 500 company to telecommute and you’re not some kind of famous blogger. But… you do spend a bit of time online. It would be nice to be able to take that time spent and make a tiny bit of moolah, wouldn’t it?
Unless you’re Holly from the Girls Next Door or one of those chicks from The Hills, you’re certainly not going to get rich doing this, but hey, if you’ve got a decent following on Twitter, it’ll take you mere minutes, even seconds, per day, and those dollars and cents, they do add up.
Frugalista mamas need every cent they can get their hands on, after all 
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August 8, 2010
Bloggers are story tellers.
Quite simply, we’re grassroots reporters, whether our features cover personal reactions to the BP Oil Spill, our favorite organic baby foods, Hollywood’s latest disaster star, Intel’s latest processor, or anything and everything in between. As such, most, if not all, of us wholeheartedly want, welcome and wish for comments. We absolutely thrive on this interactive feedback from our oftentimes faceless audience, and after a small taste, we very nearly crave the dialogue created on our blogs through our comment systems. For many, comments comments comments are the fuel that keeps them going.
So what’s the proper way to comment, as a blogger to another’s blog? Should we only strive for quality dialogue or should we allow bloggers to perpetuate the audacious acts of shameless plugging? Is there any way to reach a happy compromise?
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August 6, 2010
Thanks to the awesome folks at Kodak, a group of bloggers and I (some just in town for BlogHer ‘10 and others native New Yorkers like myself) were treated to a open air bus tour through downtown Manhattan; and as hot as it was on top of that bus, the entire event was absolutely spectacular! A comedy show rousing presentation by the Kodak ladies and a delicious catered lunch at the world-famous Caroline’s on Broadway kicked off the event, and then we were loaded onto our buses for one of those definitive tourist experiences.
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July 29, 2010
What will OpenSky do for the blogosphere?
In a nutshell, OpenSky will epically improve the shopping experiences to be had by blog readers the world over. Gone will be the days of bouncing around the interwebz between reviews and retail websites. Instead, OpenSky is making it absolutely possible for your favorite bloggers to give you quick, easy and secure access to the products they love and want to share with you.
Love the reviews you’re reading from a certain blogger? Awesome, because OpenSky will make it so that if you do choose to purchase the item in question, you just might be able to buy it from that blogger, which will support said blogger, thus exponentially increasing the chance that he or she will continue to be able to create reviews and other content for your consumerist pleasure!
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July 25, 2010
Vee-logger. Vuh-logger. However you pronounce it, it is the it thing in social networking and blogging nowadays. While I have dabbled in it a little bit, I’m still pretty much a newb to this whole video blogging business. If you too are looking to start vlogging, check out the following links for tips and advice, cuz I know I will be.
Whether you’re blogging or vlogging, you should definitely heed the words of the pros, then adjust what you glean to fit your own style and grow from there!
Look out for more video content on MamaDivas.com
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July 20, 2010
Not that I dislike diaper cakes, but seriously, folks, there are plenty of other baby shower gifts I’d rather get if I got pregnant again. Diapers, being absolutely necessary to be successful in the art of childrearing (wonk, wonk), are always appreciated of course. It’s just that receiving a ribbon and plastic wrap encased two foot tall diaper cake is not all that memorable. Or unique. Or awesome.
If you really want to wow the mom to be, save the money you were thinking of spending on that custom designed, three tier diaper castle and get her something she’ll really love. Have your heart set on presenting mama with diapeys? First, consider getting her something else, and then go ahead and throw in a gift card to Diapers.com or get her a combo box of size 1 and 2 diapers from Costco (not newborn size.. never newborn size).
5 Baby Shower Gift Ideas Mama Will Love
Under $30.00
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July 19, 2010
Today is Day 1 of the SITS community Problogger Challenge! I’m definitely excited to be taking part, because revving up your blog alongside hundreds of other ultra motivated lady bloggers is always a good time 
Are you up for the challenge? Check it out. All of the awesome participants who make through the entire 31 day endeavor will be automatically entered to win a sweet camera courtesy of BlogFrog. So you’ll learn a lesson in dedication and blogging stamina, improve your blog(s) in the process, and you’ll be entered to win sweet prizes? Why wouldn’t you want to join in?
The lesson and task for Day 1 is the Elevator Pitch. How would you describe your blog in a short concise sentence or two? (Like a business card or header tagline.) What would be your more detailed description of your blog?
MamaDivas.com is for hip mamas with a little dose of diva in *em, featuring parenting articles & tidbits, book and product reviews and giveaways.
MamaDivas offers moms articles related to parenthood as well as anecdotal tidbits that many parents will be able to relate to and a crafty tutorial thrown in here and there. In addition, MamaDivas.com features reviews of some of the best products available that help make life easy and simple for parents, while still staying fun and chic!
If you’re a current reader, you’ll notice that my elevator pitch isn’t different (at all) from the information currently contained in my About page. However, this exercise does force me to focus on the fact that it’s supremely important to stay on point with the content I post on MamaDivas.com. I’ve already cultivated a long term goal for my blog as a result of this first exercise, and that is to keep my content as relevant and as interesting to other parents as possible. Going off on wildly unrelated tangents is only marginally forgivable, and only if the content truly kicks butt.
To find other bloggers participating in the SITS community 31 day ProBlogger Challenge, search Twitter for the hashtag #31DBBB.
July 14, 2010
My four year old asked me one day, “What are you going to be when you grow up, Mommy?”
It’s a rather loaded, though appropriate question, as I often feel that I’ve got so much more to learn and experience. As a mother who chose solely mothering over pursuing a dream career at the same time, I can’t help but believe that I still have to prove my intellectual worth to myself, my family and most of all, my children. While littleQ rattled off a list of professions that he did and didn’t want to pursue in his beautifully bright future (mostly he just wants to be like mrQ), I mused thoughtfully about all my childhood ambitions, secret dreams and youthful expectations.
(Read the rest of the entry…)
July 2, 2010
The following is my contest entry for the Lovable Labels BlogHer ‘10 Giveaway Contest in the Mom Position category~ Please wish me luck!!
Long term position for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment needed:
Help Wanted: Do you delight in cleaning up poop, mopping up barf and having your name called repeatedly (to the point of obnoxious insanity) while juggling a hectic family schedule and doing all in your power to squelch your own seemingly inevitable nervous breakdown from materializing?
Then You’re Perfect for the Job of Mommy!
Are you always down for new experiences, daily surprises, and unending possibilities for personal growth and learning? If you answered yes, yes and YES!, then you are just right for the role of Mommy.
Qualifications:
- Formal RN or LPN training with extensive bedside experience is helpful. You should have an affinity for loose stools, projectile vomit and possibly other various bodily fluids as well.
- Formal training as a teacher is a plus! The ability to foster an educational upbringing is a necessity to being successful in this position.
- Did you train at the Cordon Bleu in France? Kudos to you if you did, because it’ll be your job to make sure that all vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods are prepared in a not only edible but delectable way to ensure proper nutritional intake.
- Those with sewing, knitting and crocheting skills are highly encouraged to apply! DIY skills can prove to be quite beneficial in this position.
- Though not absolutely necessary, it is beneficial to be what we call a frugalista. Not one yet? You will soon learn, and you’ll find yourself madly clipping coupons that’ll save you 10% off 99 cent boxes of macaroni.
Non-Negotiable Requirements:
- You must be capable of unconditionally loving another person.
- Except for once in a blue moon when your significant other decides to be some sort of AWESOME, you will not have sick days or personal days from this position.
- Date nights with your spouse and girls’ nights with your best friends will no longer be priorities.
- You must be dependable, strong willed, thick skinned and persistent, at least when it comes to parenthood!
- You will be required to come when summoned for health and/or safety reasons, no matter what it is you’re doing and no matter where you are.
- Quitting is not an option. Once you take on this position, it is yours forever. No exceptions, no excuses.
Compensation:
- Although other positions with a similar breadth of duties and responsibilities may provide you with a 6 figure salary, in this position you will be compensated with sticky hugs, butterfly kisses, drooling smooches, spit up, food stains, soiled diapers, wailing tantrums, wet salty tears and unconditional love.
So, ready to start?
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