I like apples and bananas

...biting off more than I can chew.

Cadbury Creme Eggs are delish!

Got 2 minutes and 35 seconds to spare? Good. Press play below.



Now, I'd like to know if some 5 year old genius created this contraption?!

That was a waste of a perfectly good Cadbury Creme Egg. For shame. :)

There are more where that one came from.

Mommy Bloggers and the Media

Thanks to Maria Bailey of BSM Media, I hung out with eight superstar bloggers and participated in a panel educating PR and advertising reps about the mommy blogging phenomenon. Check out this power panel:

Kim Orlando, founder, Travelingmom™.com;
Jory Des Jardins, co-founder, BlogHer;
Emily McKahnn, co-founder, The Motherhood and Been There;
Julie Marsh, co-founder, Parent Bloggers Network, MotherGooseMouse, associate editor, Cool Mom Picks, Imperfect Parent and the Mile High Mamas;
Jaymi Spencer, The FlipFlop Mamma and FlipFlop Mamma's Place (Etsy shoppe);
Ashlee Allen, founder, Mama Speaks, The Nest Baby Sling and Tasty Vegan (Which I may become addicted to, fast! She had me at White Bean Hummus.);
Arianne Segerman, To Think is to Create, Mama Speaks, They Might be Vegan, NWI Parent, and Chicago Moms Blog;
Stephanie Precourt, Adventures in Babywearing, Mama Speaks, NWI Parent, Chicago Moms Blog;
...and then there's me (hi, I'm Amy!). Co-founder of MumsTheWurd, The LadyBug and her Blogging Mama, Chicago Moms Blog, co-founder of ParentSphere.net and VA at 5 Minutes for Mom.

I felt pretty elite during my ascent to the 14th floor of Chicago's Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel. My timing couldn't have been better. The banquet chef happened to be in the same elevator and told me how Al Capone and his mob buddies used to hang out in the Tower East Room, the exact room where our event was to be held. He even showed me the "secret door" in the wall that Al and his buddies would disappear behind to get away from law enforcement officials. Only in Chicago! :)

I could see why Al liked the Tower East Room -- very sophisticated. And it was kind of fun that our panel tables were raised and facing the audience. Bloggers up on a pedestal, fancy that! :)

Maria did a phenomenal job of selling out the event with a group of 80+ marketing and advertising professionals, who came to listen to what this influential group of blogging women had to say. We began the panel by covering topics like what makes blogging so attractive to us, finding the time to blog, and the way we use the blogosphere as a means of connecting with other individuals who share similar interests.

We also spoke a lot about Twitter, the form of micro-blogging that is all the rage these days. Just the other day, I wrote a post on how I think Twitter can be used to promote your brand, blog, interests, etc.

I have to say, blogging has come a long way in just the past year. Being a blogger myself for the past four years, I have recognized this trend. I have certainly become more interested in playing an integral part in the way people are targeted for advertising on their blogs. My opinion may not be as strong as others on this subject, but I do recognize that everyone treats their "brand" differently. "To each his own" is a phrase that I use quite often. I think that we are all just getting our feet wet with this "new media" thing and there is still so much to learn.

Some of the most important topics that we addressed were advertising, product reviews and pitches. I think the majority of us agreed that much knowledge can be gained by reading a blogger's "About Me" section. Sending a quick, personal message with a brief introduction can't hurt either. There seems to be backlash when mass emails are blasted to dozens of bloggers and when they are not personally addressed to the recipient. Now, I can only speak for myself here, as I really do not mind receiving press releases. I take a moment to skim through them (or not). If the product or message that is being marketed is not for me, I delete it. I may even contact the PR rep and create a dialog with them so they know what interests me. To me, it's all about networking. In turn, respectful relationships are created and the way I see it, you never know what opportunities may arise because of said relationships. I take direct charge of the situation and that is how I transparently manage my brand.

Each of the panelists brought so much passion and creativity to the discussion and I think our points came across clearly. The audience seemed generally interested in hearing what we had to say.

There are sites out there to help bridge the gap between marketers and bloggers. One such site is "Mom Select". This is a site where marketing and advertising firms can virtually "meet" bloggers and find out what their interests are. I foresee programs like this becoming more and more popular as this ever-growing blogosphere dives into more uncharted waters.

In closing, here are some of the other panelist's perspectives from the Mommy Blogger Monologues event. I highly recommend checking out what these influential women have to say:

Bloggers love meeting other bloggers
I'm mommy monologued out
I've been a busy girl
Mamalogued
Mommy bloggers unite

Thank you, Maria for organizing this event and gathering together such a great group of women!

*Cross-posted at 5 Minutes for Mom

I am in complete and utter shock!

Ok, ya'll know that David Cook is my fav...but I am SHOCKED that he WON!

Wordless Wednesday: Four of the Chicago Mom Bloggers

L to R: Sara "Self-made Mom", Steph "Adventures in Babywearing", Arianne "To Think is to Create" and me!

Steph, Arianne and myself were on the "Mommy Blogger Monologues" panel yesterday at the Millenium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago. We rocked the hiz-ouse. More soon!

An announcement has been made...

...Over HERE.

...and I couldn't be happier!


Thanks Janice and Susan, for making a dream of mine come true.

XO,

Amy (and Eric & Hailey too!)

Most memorable Tweets: April

pagirly my sink just burped. 08:03 AM April 28, 2008 from twhirl

pagirly "May all your joy be joyful and all of your pain be champaign" 07:32 PM April 19, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly I just drove past the fun bus. I wish I was on the fun bus. 07:45 AM April 16, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly I'm tring to find my happy place...or at least a good place to hide. 07:33 AM April 15, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly i think that robin williams is nuts 08:42 PM April 09, 2008 from web

pagirly @ashleeallen are you like...mrs. potato head...with a bucket 'o parts? 08:38 PM April 08, 2008 from web in reply to ashleeallen

pagirly yesterday, i had the brain of an 80 yr. old, today, a 55 yr. old. something i should probably work on, wouldn't you say? 09:59 PM April 06, 2008 from web

pagirly I'm one sheet to the wind. Thinking of calling it a night. 10:10 PM April 04, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly We're out of the clown car! 05:14 PM April 04, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly In the cbs studio with katie couric!!! 03:38 PM April 04, 2008 from TinyTwitter

pagirly @AdInBabywearing believe me, you wouldnt want your children near this madness. 03:59 PM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to AdInBabywearing

pagirly i feel like we're at a wax museum. 03:55 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly we're taking pictures of the doll head with the tat, like she's a chimp at a zoo. 03:54 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly @Glennia "heads are gonna roll" 03:45 PM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to Glennia

pagirly we're the geekiest of geeks! 03:39 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly i'm going to go and buy a ton of barbies so i can french braid their hairs! 03:30 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly it's the exhaustion kicking in. i get a little wacky. 03:29 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly can we go braid hair now? all of this ve-ve talk makes me want to braid. 03:05 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly @socalmom surgery is the new black. 02:22 PM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to socalmom

pagirly we're talking ve-ve's! 02:18 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly can someone tell me what i just said? i have no idea what i just said. did i make any sense at all? 01:41 PM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly @Pamelah oh man....if ONLY you could reach through the internet and hand me a latte!!!! 01:34 PM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to Pamelah

pagirly @momsfavorite where are we again? 12:25 PM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to momsfavorite

pagirly @Dayngr i could make some money off of selling some of my friends. 10:45 AM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to Dayngr

pagirly @socalmom just put me inside a bubble. call me bubble girl. 10:34 AM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to socalmom

pagirly i'm getting the heebie-jeebies. is that a word? 10:14 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly i'd like to be a cat. 10:13 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly drink johnson and johnson soapy bathwater - it's a great laxative! 09:02 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly @AudreyPinks we're holding your sister hostage. 08:58 AM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to AudreyMcClellan

pagirly this just in: i'm a horrible live blogger. 08:56 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly @JanePinksBlues "this just in: massive amount of mom's invaded the local grocery stores and bought up all the nutmeg" 08:52 AM April 03, 2008 from web in reply to JanePorricelli

pagirly do you think we'll get in trouble from the teacher for passing notes (tweets) back and forth during class? 08:48 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly i wish i had candy in my hotel room. 01:28 AM April 03, 2008 from web

pagirly shoot. i forgot my toothpaste. 11:57 PM April 02, 2008 from web

pagirly @JanePinksBlues hey you're right next to me! 07:17 PM April 02, 2008 from TinyTwitter in reply to JanePorricelli

pagirly @ToThink friendly dancing robut's are where it's at. 11:17 PM April 01, 2008 from web in reply to ToThink

pagirly row row row your boat...COME ON! sing it with me! : | 11:07 PM April 01, 2008 from web