Category: On blogging

Sometimes women bring me down. But this isn’t one of those times.

God, women can be just awful to each other.

Catty PTA members, terrible mothers- or sisters-in-law, nasty playground moms. They often dominate conversations among my friends, online and off. I see many a Facebook status that agonizes over Mean Girls who grew up to be Mean Moms.

Bloggers aren’t immune to it, either. Feuds between bloggers happen frequently, it seems – some public, some not – and while they can play out like train wrecks you can’t help but stare at, they can be incredibly disheartening.

But this isn’t post about mean moms or nasty bloggers. I’ve seen too many of those posts and I need some positive thinking right now.

It’s a post about awesome mom bloggers. Women who support each other, build each other up, radiate kindness and heart. Yes, there is drama in the blogging world. But there are also tons of awesome women in it, too.

Here are some of the blogging mamas who have been making me feel warm and fuzzy lately – and I whole-heartedly recommend you check them out:

Boston Moms Who Blogthese women rock

Last weekend I met up with a group of local bloggers for dinner. Some I have spent time with before, some I knew just online, some were totally new to me. It was FABULOUS. I stayed way too long and had so much fun (and talked WAY too much – sorry that I yap when I have a glass of wine, ladies).

It was a night filled with sharing tips, laughing over blogging silliness, and building each other up. I walked away from that dinner energized and happy, knowing I had another clan of fabulous women to learn from, lean on, and celebrate with. (And if you want to know all about them, I’m listing all of them at the end of this post. Please check out their blogs!)

Jill Smokler, a.k.a Scary Mommy

Jill is awesome for a million reasons, but here are just a few:

She is a huge supporter of other bloggers and regularly has small bloggers like me guest post on her blog, which gives us great exposure to her giant fan base.

When I was freaking out about going on Katie Couric’s show, Jill took the time to give me some great career advice and promote my show appearance to her fans. She’s a busy woman. She didn’t have to do any of that. But she did.

Jill has an amazing nonprofit called Scary Mommy Nation. Right now and up to May 12, all donations up to $1,000 made to SMN are being matched by Jill and passed onto The One Fund Boston to support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. (You can donate here.)

You may have heard that Jill has a new book out: Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies). If you have a funny bone, you will want to read it. I read the book cover to cover in a day. It’s as hysterical and honest as you’d think it would be, and I was bummed when I was finished – because I wanted to read more.

And if you’re a blogger, I hope you’ll buy Jill’s book to return the support that she shows our community. She deserves it, and you’ll love it. Everyone wins.

Nikki Knepper from Moms Who Drink and Swear

Nikki is another blogger I’ve gotten to know a little more lately. She, too, has an amazingly hysterical book out right now: Moms Who Drink and Swear: True Tales of Loving My Kids While Losing My Mind.

I’m in the midst of reading Nikki’s book and honestly? I am torn about whether I want to keep reading it. I love it and don’t want to put it down, but should I save it for my vacation in two weeks because I love it? I’m thinking it deserves to be read with a Mai Tai in-hand, so I may make myself wait.

Not only does Nikki make me snort with conspiratorial laughter, but behind her lovable potty mouth is a woman who amazes me with her kindness and her giving nature. One minute she’s making me laugh, and the next I’m teary because of a selfless act she commits to help one of our mutual friends.

Nikki is a fabulous person and a fabulous writer, and I hope you’ll grab a copy of her book. You won’t regret it. And if you’re one of the few people in the world who haven’t liked her Facebook page, you can do that here.

Who is a blogger whom you think deserves a shout-out because of her great blog and amazing awesomeness?

PS : Here’s the list of the Boston mom bloggers I hung out with last week – check them out!

Annie at Stowed Stuff
Cheryl at Busy Since Birth
Diane at Dollops of Diane
Jessica at Don’t Mind the Mess
Julie at Dennehy Public Relations
Julie at Next Life, No Kids
Kerry at Kerry Goodwin Photography
Kim at Kim World
Kim at Red Shutters
Lollie at The Fortuitous Housewife
Nikki at Days with Us

For Bloggers

Honest Mom has two great features for bloggers: the Honest Voices Linkup and Blog Tip Friday. The blogging community has been so good to me, and this is my way of giving back to you!

- Read about the Honest Voices linkup and find out when the next one is.

- Check out all the Blog Tip Friday posts.

I hope these features give you new blog visitors and give you ideas for your blog!

Good things are happening ’round here…

Sometimes good things happen. Really good things. And happily, the last two weeks have been full of them for Honest Mom. So much so, you may have missed some of it. So here’s a little wrap-up of the latest events to catch you up…

I was interviewed for a Parenting Magazine article on parents and depression that hit the stands on 2/15. You can read it online or check it out in the March issue. Lots of you jumped in on the Parenting.com Facebook conversation about the article when some ignorant people shot off their mouths – rock on, ladies.

I was thrilled to be a part of the article, but what’s interesting is this: When I was interviewed for it I was not on SSRIs, but I am back on them now. It’s kind of odd, looking back on when I was interviewed for the article. I was so hopeful I was done with my bout of depression and that I could handle everyday parental stress on my own. But here I am, back on meds. But that’s okay. I’m feeling good. And that’s what counts.

Also, I don’t agree with all of what the article says (like the doc who said we’re using meds to deal with the emotional roller coaster of parenthood – I think that’s a big generalization) or how it ends with me sounding like I went off SSRIs because of something my daughter said (I didn’t go off meds because my daughter said that). But hey – the article is good, and it’s raising awareness about depression, which is something I’m happy to be a part of.

You may have seen my post on Scary Mommy called “Rage: The Scariest Symptom of PPD.” It got a huge response from so many moms who were relieved to hear they were not alone. And many moms decided to get help after reading what I wrote. I can’t think of anything better than helping moms like that. It was a really emotional day.

50 Ways to Be Positive is a new, free eBook that I am featured in, along with a bunch of other fabulous bloggers you may know. It was put together by the fabulous Anna from My Life and Kids and is a great read – check it out!

And lastly, I got some really exciting news: I’m going to be in a book! I wrote an original essay that was selected for a humor anthology that is coming out this summer. When I get the all-clear to talk more about it, I will. But trust me, it’s gonna be awesome. And I’m tickled to be a part of it!

So that’s the scoop. Lots going on. All of it good. Yay!

Thank you for being an Honest Mom reader. I am touched by all your comments, emails, and Facebook messages, and I’m thrilled that we’re creating a little safe space for moms to vent, support each other, and laugh.

And for those of you who have kids off from school this week like I do – good luck. It’s gonna be a looooong week here, I can feel it.  ;-)

 

8 Must-Pack Things for a Conference (That Aren’t Totally Obvious)

So you may have heard BlogHer starts tomorrow. Ha ha.

Whether or not you are going to BlogHer, you may attend a blogging conference such as Blissdom or Bloggy Boot Camp sometime in the future.

I’ve gone to many, many conferences for work and this is my second blogging conference. Here is my list of less-obvious, must-pack things – what would you add?

- Power strip : Outlets to plug in your laptop and charge your gadgets get taken up quickly. Bring a power strip and you’ll not only be guaranteed a place to plug in, you’ll also make friends!

- Gum and mints : I am always drinking coffee. Therefore I always have coffee breath. Hence, gum and mints. Bring lots to share.

- Clothes that mix and match : Jeans? Skirt? Dress? If you’re going to an overnight conference, pack things that mix and match so you have lots of options.

- A pin with your blog’s logo to attach to your lanyard : I am an anonymous blogger, so people won’t know my face. They may know my Honest Mom logo, though. So I’m wearing my logo on my conference lanyard to help people place me. This is a good idea even if you’re not anonymous. It keeps your blog brand visible. And even if your Twitter/Facebook avatar or logo is your face, people may recognize your face but not connect it with your blog.

- A thin Sharpie : You’ll probably want to make notes on the business cards you collect. Lots of business cards are glossy and a regular pen won’t write on them. A thin Sharpie allows you to write on any business card

- An extra bag for swag : Conference sponsors give out TONS of goodies, or swag. Even the swag I got at a one-day local conference was a lot to tote around. Bring an extra bag to take it all home – and if you’re going to a big multi-day conference, make sure it’s one you can check in at the airport.

- Snacks : Conferences tend to feed you breakfast and lunch, but you’re on your own for dinner. Make sure you have some Luna bars or something in case there is no food available and you’re not going to dinner until much later.

- Business card holder : Bring this not just for your cards, but for all the cards you collect. It looks much more professional to tuck them away neatly when you collect them, instead of shoving them in a pocket. And of course, it is more respectful of the blogger’s carefully designed card that she surely agonized over creating!

What would you add to this list?

PS: At the encouragement of Kim from Let Me Start By Saying and Nikki at Ninja Mom, I made my first Brite – based on this post. Check it out!

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New to Honest Mom? Get the backstory on this blog with no secrets – except my name.

I blog about my high-maintenance kids, dealing with depression, and sometimes, I can be kinda funny.

Welcome and thanks for visiting!