BlogHer part 3

BlogHer part 1

BlogHer part 2

BlogHer: Learning to love my small blog

It's a rule: you can't fly to New York City and spend your entire stay at a conference. So Friday afternoon I slipped away and took the subway to the Soho/Nolita area. I walked around, had an overpriced cup of Pinkberry (Chicago, I'm staying true to Starfruit) and found a fashion boutique holding a going out of business sale. I bought a cute blue floral dress with a lot of detailing for $29 and headed over to Uniqlo, my favorite NYC shopping destination, where I picked up a lavender cotton dress shirt, a merino wool cardigan, socks, a black long-sleeved V-neck and a green and white striped tank top for under $100.

I got back to the Hilton in time to hear the BlogHer voices of the year (typically my favorite part of the conference) and changed into yet another floral dress for the evening's festivities, a cocktail reception at the Hilton, wine and a surprise author signing with other members of the From Left to Write book club and the Mouthy Housewives party (where I got to talk to the incredibly funny friend of a friend Wendi Aarons.

As I was stumbling back to the Hilton (I'd had a few glasses of delicious Prosecco), I texted Shannan from Mommy Bits, one of my oldest, bestest blog friends so that we could finally meet face-to-face.

Heading back to the Gala now. Be there in a few.

We just left. Going to get dinner.

I looked up from my Blackberry just as two women--one who looked a lot like Shannan--walked by. Then I got another text.

Are you wearing a floral dress?

Yes, coming back now.

We both turned around and I joined Shannan and her roommate Susan (another virtual blog friend I've been following on Working Moms Against Guilt for years) for Italian food. It was so great to connect with them IRL.

Then there was Saturday. I already wrote about the session that spoke to me, so let's skip right ahead to dinner, which another of my bloggy besties, Whitney of Rookie Moms, organized. Thanks a general aversion to Thai food (yes, I was one of the whiners), we gathered at the Aspen Social Club, a mostly deserted bar with tasty food and completely outrageous cocktail prices ($60 for a pitcher of margaritas!) Fellow Rookie Mom Heather was there, as well as their Bay Area buddy Wendy, Meagan Francis, Asha Dornfest of Parenthacks (I turned into such a fangirl meeting her) and 2 or 3 other lovely bloggin' mamas whose cards I either didn't collect or simply lost.

After plunking down $40 for a margarita, a mac and cheese appetizer and my portion of the passed dips, we headed back to the Hilton for the final party of the conference, CheeseburgHer. I wore a McDonald's bag on my head, but I passed on the new cheeseburger "wraps." Blech. Instead, I guzzled a giant glass of red wine (the Hilton offered very generous pours to drink ticket holders) and hung out on a giant cheeseburger bed. 'Nough said.

Photo courtesy of Yvonne Marie

BlogHer part 2

BlogHer part 1

BlogHer: Learning to love my small blog

Friday, the first official day of the conference, began with breakfast. Perhaps I wasn't the only attendee to complain about the quality of the food in '09, because the BlogHer organizers and the New York Hilton delivered deliciousness at every meal. I piled my plate high with oatmeal, fresh fruit and a muffin and went back to the coffee urns again and again. Because breakfast was sponsored by Tropicana, I also tried their Trop 50 Pomegranate Blueberry juice. Thumbs up on taste and no artificial sweeteners.

Then I hit the Writing Inspiration: Stoke Your Creativity panel expecting to hear about ways to get around blogger's block and fire up my posts from the lazy "here's what we did" to something more interesting and insightful. Instead, the discussion seemed more geared toward fiction and poetry writers and included the well-trod territory of "going for a walk" and "setting aside time to write." I did take a few notes on blog editing, something I do far too little of. If I was to follow those directions after writing this post, I would read this out loud, cut the first and last paragraph and delete all uses of the passive voice.

I ate lunch and exchanged cards with some new-to-me bloggers and headed into the two expo halls to check out the sponsor exhibits and see if it was as icky and over-the-top as last year's swag-fest.

Now it was big. Some of the pavilions, like those for Jimmy Dean/Hillshire Farms and P&G were even more elaborate than last year's. P&G, for example, had a Home Away From Home with separate rooms for health and beauty, laundry, their charitable missions and more. I got my makeup "done" in the beauty studio and they snapped a headshot for me which I liked enough to use here on my blog.

Exterior of the P&G exhibit

Although I threw my business card in a few bowls (hey, who wouldn't want to win a Tempur-Pedic bed?), I skipped most of the exhibitors. I don't use diapers or baby bottles anymore, I'm not in the market for a new car and we never eat frozen dinners. Oh, and the frozen breakfast items from Jimmy Dean? They looked like delicious corn dogs, but they were really gag-worthy sausages wrapped in pancakes. On a stick. Not that I tried them. But I know someone who spat them right back out in front of the sampling staff.

People were eating this. In the middle of the day!

I did pick up some cool stuff, though: a to-go container for cereal and milk from the "Got Milk" people, an Assets (Spanx for less) body shaper, Biotrue contact solution (in a TSA-approved size), a giant White House | Black Market tote and an original Todd Parr drawing of my children courtesy of Stouffer's. I also got pictures of myself with Dora the Explorer and Marmaduke the dog. I snapped the former on my cell phone and sent it off to Josh in the hopes of blowing the girls' minds.

I think the BlogHer organizers were right to place the Expo halls far from the conference sessions. Unlike last year, when a Strawberry Shortcake doll was placed on every chair in one session, swag and sponsor signage were largely absent from the panels. And while some will bemoan the crass commercialism of all of the sponsor involvement, I appreciate them. They keep the conference fees incredibly low--far lower than most business conferences. It also makes sense from a marketing perspective. I mean, how often can a giant corporation step off the supermarket shelves and "come alive" to make a one-to-one connection with a consumer?And not any consumer, a highly connected, highly influential, permanently Googleable consumer.

We also can't forget that, despite all the squealing women, parties and generally summer camp-like atmosphere, BlogHer is a business. They make money by selling ads through their ad network and sponsorships to their conferences.

BlogHer: Learning to love my small blog

While parts 2 and 3 of my BlogHer 2010 recap are still to come, right now I want to share what was for me the most memorable, meaningful session of the conference: Little Fish in a Big Pond: Understanding, Accepting and Loving Your Small Blog. You can read the live-blogged recap here.

If you recall last year's invention of the BlogHer D-List, you know I'm okay being a small blogger. Virtual invisibility has its advantages. For starters, less work. I don't stress over my design, participate in Twitter parties or hustle to sell ads, which means I have more time to focus on my real job and my real life. If I don't post for a few days, I don't piss off the masses, I worry my mother.

Unlike the super blog-celebs Dooce, The Pioneer Woman and The Bloggess, I am under no pressure to write amazing posts. Appear on TV. Or score a book deal. In fact, no matter how I neglect my blog, botch the design or write trivial drivel, I just don't have very far to fall. In fact, if I shut down my blog tomorrow, I'm not sure more than a dozen people would call me up to complain. [Side note: I met Jenny the Bloggess at the CheeseburgHer party Saturday night and found her sweet and engaging and not at all possessing of the high horse she's entitled to.]

Now it's not to say that I don't envy the brightest stars in blogging their readership and the opportunities that come along with a large audience. I do. A little.

But what I really want is not a big blog. It's a better blog. A more engaging blog. What I really, truly, deep-down-in-my-heart desire is a blog with a shitload of comments. And that's where you come it. I'm going to improve my game. And you... won't you please, please comment more often? And if you've been reading for some time and you've never commented before, it's time to delurk. Leave me a comment--even an anonymous one.

BlogHer part 1

You know the feeling you got at sleepaway camp when so much was packed into every day that 24 hours felt like a week? That's BlogHer for me. I'll have to break down my days into a few different posts, so let's start with day 1.

Thanks to the wonder of Twitter, I found a cab share from the airport and a roommate for the conference. I exchanged hellos with Kristen Chase and crossed the lobby to my IRL friend and neighbor Carrie and one of her roommates (whom she'd only just met too). We walked a few blocks to Le Pain Quotidien, and had lunch.

Around 3 o'clock our room was ready, so Anna and I unpacked and got to know each other a little bit. Then it was off to my first party suite. I thought I'd go straight from the suite to "A Little Night Music," but I got such generous swag that I had to head back to the hotel to drop it off. I met Meagan, Sandie, Michelle, Stacey and a couple of others whose business cards I either didn't grab or lost. Bernadette Peters led a top-notch cast and our second-row seats weren't too shabby either. After the show, Sandie, Michelle, Carrie and I headed to Shake Shack and walked through Times Square, which was still hopping with throngs of people and costumed characters at 11 at night.

Carrie, Sandie and me (I'm wearing airbrush makeup--can you tell?)

New York's finest were looking fine

Back at the Hilton, Carrie and I met up with TheChicagoMom's founder MJ Tam and fellow writers Beth Rosen and Duong Sheahan for a glass of wine. Then it was bedtime for bunny.

My bag is packed and I'm headed to BlogHer

One small roll-aboard carry-on, packed. Sessions, meals, cocktails and parties have been programmed into my Blackberry. My boarding pass is printed. And a cab has been called.

Okay, can we go back to the suitcase now? I fit 1 handbag, 3 dresses, 1 skirt, 1 shirt and a workout outfit with athletic shoes in there. Plus my MacBook Pro. Plus a duffle bag for swag/NYC clothing purchases. And my toiletries.

I think I deserve to spend the $25 baggage fee I'm saving on cocktails. Come join me for a drink. I'll be the gal wearing the same pair of Dansko gold sandals all weekend.

Not our regular babysitter

Last night our children were watched for a little over an hour by

a) A 13 year old girl

b) A world-famous fashion blogger

If you guessed a, you'd be correct. Ditto for those of you who chose b.

You see, my Hebrew cantillation class conflicted with a concert Josh was assigned to review, and after striking out three times on babysitters, I emailed my Hebrew teacher and study partner to tell them things were looking bleak with regard to my ability to attend.

My Hebrew teacher--who, by the way, is a Norwegian immigrant and Jew by choice who speaks a dozen languages--volunteered her daughter Tavi.

Tavi, unlike most middle school students, authors a well-regarded style blog and gets flown all over the world for fashion shows, photoshoots and interviews. Here she is in September at Fashion Week. Next month she goes to Toyko.

Kind of makes the $7 I gave her for playing puzzles and putting Z to bed seem like small potatoes.

Welcome Channel 2 viewers

If you're interested in a more in-depth discussion of my views on mommyblogging with integrity, check out these posts:

My CBS News interview: a preview
BlogHer left a bad taste in my mouth (but there was good stuff too)

I've been writing almost daily for 3 years, and the vast majority of my 1000+ posts are not about the politics of blogging. I'm more likely to capture the funny things my kids say and do or write about our family adventures. Here are some examples of more typical topics.

The birds and the bees...over breakfast?
Starved Rock State Park: Maybe next time we'll make it a day trip
I hosted a clothing swap!
From jealousy to fantasy in 8 seconds

BlogHer left a bad taste in my mouth (but there was good stuff too)

I attended a BlogHer 09 panel discussion called Sponsored vs. Unsponsored, and one of the moderators asked people to raise their hands if they thought getting paid to write a product review was okay or not. A lot of people voted okay, some weren't sure and I raised my hand for Not. I was the only one.

I spoke my piece, reassuring the filled-to-capacity room that I had nothing against product reviews (hey, I've done a few) or giveaways, but that I felt that basic integrity demands we disclose if a product has been given to us for free. And if a blogger's been paid to write a post or do a giveaway, it should be treated as an ad. Because that's what it is.

Honestly, I thought my feelings were pretty mainstream. Not any more. The women in the room were afraid to post negative reviews. Even posting constructive criticism was avoided. They were terrified of pissing off the PR folks and stopping the flow of goodies. And besides, writing a product review or hosting a giveaway was hard work. They deserved to be compensated for their work on behalf of brands. An interesting argument, but if you're turning yourself into a freelance copywriter, isn't it a little unfair to your readers to post as just another regular, trustworthy mom? I am an advertising copywriter, but I'd never recommend shampoo to a friend without mentioning I work on the account.

Where BlogHer 07 was a kind of geeky gathering of babywearers and girls in horn-rimmed glasses who dreamed of making the jump from blog to book, BlogHer 09 was a chaotic, whorish dance of brands and bloggers. The Expo Hall heaved with activity. Tide brought Tim Gunn. Walmart had Paula Deen. Rick Bayless appeared on behalf of the Pork board. Ronald McDonald, Mr. Potatohead and the Michelin Man posed with women weighed down with bags and bags of swag.

There was the official BlogHer swag bag. Expo Hall swag. Session swag. Party swag. Suite swag. I got a obscene amount of free stuff, and I'm not complaining. I like free stuff. But apparently it brings out the worst in some people. I saw women shove others aside, lunging for more free shit.

And as if the endless free samples, Strawberry Shortcake-sponsored Mommyblogging sessions and Ragu-branded lunch break (I'm sorry, but yuck!) weren't enough, the Blogher09 Twitter stream was just as cluttered with sponsored messages. When a blogger who calls herself Marketing Mommy is fed up, you know it's bad.

Yes, those are D-List Mom Blogger stickers on our table centerpiece

But enough about what I didn't like. Here are my top 9 memories from the past 3 days.

1. Hanging out with fellow D-Lister Sara, who boasted the conference's cutest baby bump.
2. Finally meeting Rookie Mom Whitney in person, after feeling like I've known her since I was pregnant with A. Lunch at Fox & Obel was 100 times more delicious than the Ragu glop I'd eaten the day before.

That's us
3. The Community Keynote. If there was ever any doubt that bloggers are writers, this forum should have put that misconception to rest forever.
4. Hanging out with fellow Chicago Moms Blog writers at the SV Moms party on Thursday.
5. Friday night parties with Jeanne. I let her beat me at a racing game at the EA party at the House of Blues, but I beat her at both drinks consumed and number of items dipped into the chocolate fountain at the Mommy Needs a Cocktail party.
6. Introducing Jeanne to Whitney and the other Rookie Mom, Heather, only to find out that she grew up practically next door to Whitney and went to college with Heather. Small world!
7. Meeting another Alma. I'm 33, and this is the first time I've ever talked to someone who shares my first name.

That's me on the left, Alma on the right
8. Sharing my cache of D-List Mom Blogger stickers with the handful of attendees who were there for themselves and weren't tweeting about their Yummie Tummie tank tops and Lord knows what else.
9. Seeing Liz, Kirsten and Magda in person. These bloggers have integrity. Magda (aka Ask Moxie) performs a public service to parents everywhere and Liz and Kristen know how to work with sponsors and do it in a way that doesn't sacrifice their integrity or voice.
10. Going home every night to Oak Park. From a Thursday late night birthday party for my next door neighbor to Saturday's block party (complete with wading pools, tropical cocktails and a live band), it was refreshing to escape for a check of reality. Heather Spohr closed out the Community Keynote by saying her IRL friends and her bloggy friends are one and the same. I'm not quite there yet.

I'm wearing lipstick to BlogHer

"Mommy, why don't you wear lipstick?"
"Mommy, why don't you wear red lipstick, like Hank's mommy?"
"Mommy, when can I wear lipstick?"

Z's been bugging me about my bare lips for long enough. She's only four, but maybe she has a point. So yesterday, while doing prestige store audits (marketing speak for visiting high end beauty outlets), I tried on some red lipstick.

I was too scared to buy it, but my co-workers were so please with the look one of them gave me a sample tube of Bobbi Brown Red. I think I'm a convert. So look for my bright red lips at BlogHer.

OMG, BlogHer! I finally started getting butterflies in my belly around noon.

I'm a D-lister and that's okay

If Heather Armstrong (aka Dooce) is Julia Roberts and Mom 101, White Trash Mom, and Motherhood Uncensored are the Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolies of the mommyblogging world, what am I?

Janeane Garafalo?

I'm no Judy-come-lately to the world of blogging. I've been at this for three years. But like my friend Sara, I haven't done much to grow my blog. I don't network. I don't Digg or kirtsy. I rarely tweet. I'm an f-ing ad creative and my blog doesn't even have a USP.

But BlogHer 2009 and all its attendant anxiety are fast approaching. Should I worry that my blog is largely unchanged since I last went in 2007? That only a handful of bloggers will recognize me? That I still have leftover business cards?

Hell no! I'm embracing my D-list status. I don't get invited on corporate junkets and that's okay. I'm pretty sure my readers would rather hear about my kids than listen to me fawn over a hot dog factory or sing the praises of Jell-O pudding snacks.

Are you a D-lister too? Look for me and Sara at BlogHer this year and we'll get you a button (real and/or virtual). We might even add you to our blogroll at the soon-to-be-launched D-ListBlogger.com.

We're like a secret tribe

Since I started at my current agency, two of my fellow P&G creatives started personal blogs. I'm going to go ahead and take some credit for that. Megan Boley started MegaGood, a beautifully photographed site that celebrates good food, great design, the beauty of our city and the loveliness of being a newlywed with no kids. Seriously, I think she and her husband eat waffle breakfasts in their beautifully made-up bed--with their cats--every day.

Bobbi Bowers is an even more recent addition to El Blogosphere, and I was thrilled that she discovered my copy room commentary and submitted it to Failblog! It was so meta to see my handwriting on her blog while I'm out of the office.

BlogHer 2009

See that little badge to the right? Apparently my hometown's not just the place to be on Election Night; it's home to BlogHer 2009! As you might remember, I took 10 day old Baby A to BlogHer 2007 and had to miss 2008 because it was the same weekend as the Pitchfork Music Festival.

I think this is worth staying downtown for. Who wants to share a room at the Sheraton?

I'm not going to BlogHer

Who puts the mommy in mommyblogger?

After a weekend of deliberation, I've decided that I really can't justify the expense of attending BlogHer this July. If I was a serious blogger instead someone who just does this for fun, I'd treat the $400 flight, $200 registration fee and cash outlay for hotel and taxis an investment.

But I'm not. I'm more blogging mommy than mommyblogger, and while I'm charmed as hell that a few hundred people like to read about my exploits in pottytraining, I'm no Dooce. That said, I'll miss circulating at the Silicon Valley/Chicago/NYC/DC/LA Moms Blog Party, stuffing my suitcase with swag and meeting some of my favorite bloggers in person, but this way I'll be able take my kids backstage at the Pitchfork Music Festival and celebrate Baby A's birthday with a backyard barbecue.

Where's my bad mommy award?

I let my 3 year old daughter cheat at CandyLand.
And I tricked her into washing my bras.

I fed cheese pizza to my 8 month old and kept her up until 7:45pm.
Then I treated her to a 3am nursing session because, while Josh and I would like her to sleep all night, we love our peace and quiet more.

I lost track of how many glasses of sangria I drank at a company outing. And it's only Thursday!

So it's fitting that, while costing flights and finding roomies for BlogHer 2008, it took me a few minutes to realize I won't just be leaving Josh alone with two kids during the annual Pitchfork Music Festival (he's a Pitchfork writer and would be there from 11am-11pm if he had his druthers). I'll be leaving on Baby A's first birthday.

Alpha Moms on Madison Avenue

It's been some time since I last blogged about Alpha Moms, but it seems the definition of the term, which initially rubbed me the wrong way, has been tweaked to be a little less "cool mom with the Wii" and a little more "working momma with her shit together."

This week's US News and World Report cover story "The New Mommy Track" details how working mothers are pursuing the careers they want without sacrificing family life, and this related article "The Age of the Alpha Mom" shows that advertising creative is starting to reflect this new approach to balancing motherhood and a fulfilling job. Instead of feeding us images of the stressed-out minivan mom of the 1990s and early 2000s, we're seeing a new vision of motherhood: one in which the woman is in control, ably balancing work and home life with the help of her supportive husband and flexible employer.

While I'm thrilled we're stepping away from the frazzled mommy stereotype in the media, I hope to see more evidence that companies really are pursuing talented women with the lure of flextime, telecommuting and job sharing. Selfmademom has done a great job of blogging about the difficulty of on-ramping for SAHMs and the rarity of part-time positions like the one she currently holds.

What do you think, is Alpha Mom a pejorative term or should we take it as a compliment?

Cross-posted to Chicago Moms Blog

Happy blogiversary to me

I've been blogging for one year today.

A lot has changed since I wrote my first post. I was on Oprah, I bought a new car, got pregnant, celebrated Z's second birthday and had a second baby. For the first time since we've owned our house, I had the windows washed and the yard landscaped. I traveled to Portland, Omaha, Mexico, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. At the office, I achieved resident expert status on the subjects of word-of-mouth marketing and blogging. And I attended the BlogHer conference and learned how much I still don't know.

I've used my blog to brag about the trials and joys of pregnancy and parenting, but I'd like to think I'm more than "just a mommyblogger." I write about consumer marketing, customer service, and them products and services I love. And I try to do it from my dual perspective as a marketing creative and as a consumer. Because I'm a mom. The consumer with whom brands big and small want to connect.

As a blogger and a mom, I've been given fabulous opportunities, attending the Chicago Auto Show as a guest of GM and reviewing books, DVDs and other products for Parent Bloggers. I even scored a spot on the Chicago Moms Blog!

Most importantly, blogging has connected me with some really wonderful people, mostly women. I've shared the challenges and joys of balancing a career and home life with other working mothers and I've learned a lot from marketing blogs like Seth Godin's.

I love blogging so much I've convinced my best friend and sister to start blogs of their own, and as a result I've benefited from regular peeks inside their lives (and plenty of photos of their kids).

Anyone care to guess what the next year will bring?

BlogHer download

So, what was BlogHer like? It wasn't the exclusive gathering of hipper-than-thou bloggers I feared it might be. While there were a couple of celebrity mommybloggers on hand, most of the women I met were there for the same reasons I was: to meet the faces behind the writing on our favorite blogs and learn a little bit about how we can improve our game. And it was a lot more diverse than I anticipated. Instead of a bunch of hipsters with red hair and cute laptop bags, there were women from 16-65. Some were professional bloggers, some wrote crafting or cooking blogs. At least two blogged on behalf of nonprofits. Still others hadn't even started a blog yet!

I attended a few sessions on the Business of You and learned that while I'm probably not going to make a fortune from online advertising, I'm too ethically driven to head down the pay-per-post route.

But I learned about other professional opportunities available to bloggers. Some are freelancing as corporate bloggers, some are parlaying their expertise into speaking gigs, and others are expanding their blogs into books. I also heard again and again that the best bloggers--like the best brands--are micro-targeted, covering a particular subject or intersection of subjects in depth.

Which has me thinking. I started this blog as a reflection of myself: a marketer and a mommy. I didn't do it to advance my career, but it has given me insights I've been able to apply to my work and my clients. Do I continue in this line, flitting from product review to customer service rant to birth story, in spite of what I've learned at BlogHer? Do I start a more professional blog that focuses exclusively on marketing to moms and cultivate my reputation as an expert in the field?

Tough questions to wrestle with, huh? Good thing I've got great swag to distract me. Two enormous bags of swag, half from the conference and half from my connections at the Chicago Moms Blog. My favorite items? Chicago Moms Blog and VOX t-shirts (neither of which will likely fit until I quit breastfeeding), The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Your Baby's First Year, FLAVORit medicine flavoring kit, CleanWell natural hand sanitizer, Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter, Innobaby's Packin Smart baby snack stacker, the BusyBodyBook calendar/organizer and a ScrapBlog onesie for A.

It's blogtastic

It's going to take me a little while to comb through my swag bags, digest everything I learned at the panel discussions and check out links to the all bloggers I've met, but I'm happy to say I made it BlogHer with a newborn and a mild case of bronchitis!

One week old Baby A was a super conference attendee (and by far the youngest one there). With her on my lap, there was no possiblity of live blogging the event, but I think she successfully igniting baby lust in all the women who came over to admire her. Perhaps we'll see a BlogHer baby boom in 9 months?

Anyway, check out Beth's pics from last night's Chicago Moms Blog/Silicon Valley Moms Blog pre-BlogHer party.

Gasp, BlogHer's almost here!

The world's coolest female bloggers are descending on my fair city for the BlogHer conference tomorrow, and honestly I'm a little bit panicked. It's intimidating enough to see my favorite bloggers in the flesh and potentially talk to women I've only communicated with via comments sections and email, but socializing and attending panel discussions just one week after giving birth? It feels crazy.

Baby A is a boobaholic and we've given the old Over the Shoulder Baby Holder a dry run, but neither of us has that cool nursing on the go know-how that comes when the kid can latch on by herself and--I don't know--hold up her own head! I'm afraid all anyone will remember of me from BlogHer is my nipples. Plus, do I bring a stroller? It seems like too much bulk, but I'm afraid I'm going to look like a bag lady if I try to juggle an infant, a sling, a diaper bag full of clothing changes and try to collect business cards, product samples and tchotckes. (There will be samples and tchotckes, right? It is a conference after all.)

But before the conference gets going, I get to have dinner with my fellow Chicago Moms Bloggers as well as many of the contributors to the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. I'm sure I'll look really cool and put together what with my poochy postpartum tummy and enormous, leaky breasts. What am I wearing? Whatever fits and camouflages spit-up.

I need your help

Once in a great while my work life coincides with my personal interest in blogging, and this is just such a time. I know I've stumbled across a couple of mommy bloggers famous for their crafting-with-kids ideas, and I am sure there are other moms out there who are great resources for coming up with activities and projects appropriate for grade school kids. Can anyone point me to some great sites/blogs?