Gabriella,

I cannot believe you are 7 years old today. You, my miracle baby that was a surprise and blessing to all of us. You were such a little fighter in the womb. They told us to prepare to lose you when you stopped growing for over a month. But you had a mind of your own and knew that you had a place in this world. You fought. You began to grow and you came to us three weeks early. You were such a gentle birth. (And you even forgave me for finishing watching the Dallas Stars game after your entered the world.) You just snuggled in with your grandparents, aunt and brothers as if you had always been a part of us.

The weekend I was in the hospital with you was the weekend I was supposed to be picking up my one year chip for staying clean. I think you were the better prize that day.

You are the dream daughter I never thought I would have. You're the continuation of generations of women who love to live, laugh and love. You may be Daddy's little girl, but you and I have a bond that is unbreakable and unshakable. When you look into my eyes I wonder how in the world one person can love and trust me so much. I want to be the Mom you see when you look at me that way. In you I see my future and my past. I see all the wonderful things ahead of you. In our relationship, I see the full circle love that I had with my own Mom and it makes me eternally grateful that you are my daughter. My girl.

I have watched you grow from a colicky baby to a fun loving toddler to the amazing first grader you are today. Every step of the way I have cherished you and your life. The gift that you are to this entire family. You rescued me from myself. I know you were sent here to do so many things in this world. Rescuing me was one of your greatest. And you are only seven!

With you, I learned how to slow down and enjoy motherhood with more ease. I learned to worry less about "should do's" and live more in the moment. With you, I learned how that ice cream for dinner every now and then is good for the soul. With you, I realized I want to be the person you see when you look into my eyes.

Today, as you turn seven, I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world...except with you.

I love you more than you know. And remember our pinky promise: Best friends-- even when you are a teenager. (I am holding you to that.)

Happy Birthday, my sweet, sweet girl.

Love,

Mom

Cross posted on Mommy Needs Coffee

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I remember the night clearly. The boys would not stop fighting. The girl was clinging to me like Saran Wrap. The dog was chewing anything he could get his slobbery teeth on. Dinner burned. The husband was grouchy. I had hit my limit. With a look of desperation mixed with "don't mess with me", I grabbed my car keys and left. Without one word to anyone as to where I was going or how long I would be gone. I just left.

And it felt great.

That night I drove with the windows down feeling the freedom blow through my hair. I listened to the radio as loudly as I wanted to on a station that I enjoyed. As I felt the sensation of being overwhelmed subsiding a bit, I decided to settle on a location to wait out my frustration and give the family some time to regroup and figure out the truth in the saying "When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

After I became completely cozied up in a local bookstore complete with attached coffee shop, I sipped my coffee, and looked around me. I watched one mother wrestling her daughter into a stroller. I saw a couple holding hands looking at magazines. And then my eyes met hers. She sat in one of the overstuffed chairs just a section away from where I sat. I didn't know her, but I knew her. That look in her eye said the exact same thing that mine did. "I am overwhelmed and escaped." She must have recognized the look in my eye as well because she raised her cup of coffee to me in solidarity and gave me a weak smile before she returned her attention to the book she held in her other hand.

I am smart enough to know that I am certainly not alone in becoming overwhelmed with motherhood. With life, for that matter. But in that moment, it certainly felt good to see another woman and know that she understood. Sometimes, all we need is to know that we are not in a sinking ship alone. Trust me, Moms. You are not in a sinking ship alone.

I do wonder why I waited until my breaking point to leave that night. I have since learned to step out alone more often and long before I snap and have to leave the house. In fact, I am pondering grabbing my keys as soon as I finish this because I have been interrupted so many times as I post this, I am considering putting in a traffic light to keep the kids from slamming into each other as they race to tell me something that has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than their need to speak. Though, the fact that I am running a fever of 102 and have taken NyQuil, I am guessing my form of escape will be sleep. But can I get a w00t when it comes to an early bedtime when you have three kids?

Just so you know, other mothers are not only feeling overwhelmed, too, some of them even have an escape plan as I do.

Continue reading "You are not in a sinking ship alone. Or the bookstore. Or the library." »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the primary jobs as a parent is to help your children navigate the tough waters of growing up. Sometimes you can teach them from the mistakes you have made. But other times, they just have to learn these lessons on their own. Those can be the most painful for a parent to get through. We fight the urge to help them through painful situations that we see coming around the bend, yet we know they have to experience them to grow up and mature.

Take for instance my 6 year old daughter. Last week she had a friend at school pull the ever-too-common "you are not my friend anymore" without reason or explanation. It broke her heart. I wanted to teach her about Mean Girls and that it is a part of life. But how could I? How could I tell her that in too many cases these mean girls get older but never grow up? I couldn't. I comforted her and did my best to help her through it knowing all the while that this would not be the last time a "friend" broke her heart. And helping guide the way for my teenage boys? Teen boys were alien creatures to me when I was a teen (though not as alien as teenage girls) and I am supposed to help my own navigate these teen years with enough interference to keep them safe, but enough distance to let them grow. It is a tough balancing act.

As I watch my kids grow up, I want to capture these years. I want to let them know who they were at certain ages and what they were most concerned with and worried about. I started a tradition a while back where I write a letter to my children on their birthday and recap the year they just went through along with my wishes for them for the next year. I don't publish these on my blog, but many bloggers use the Open Letter as ways to communicate with their children at any given age.

Take for instance Vivian who writes at Danieldoo who wrote a beautiful open letter to her daughter for her sixteenth birthday.

You and I have been through so much. There was a time that it was just the two of us making our way in the world. Those days were tough but I look back on them with pride. You taught me about real, no games, no strings, no boundaries kind of love. You have been special since the moment I found out you existed. You were not planned and the marriage you came from did not last but you were meant to be and you have had purpose since day one. No child has ever been loved and wanted more than you.

...

This is a milestone birthday. Many new freedoms and responsibilities come with this age. Before you embark into new adventures, like your first real job, driving and officially dating, there are a few things I want you to remember and hold in your heart. We love and believe in you more than you know. We do remember how it feels to be your age. You are going to discover that you still need our counsel, and that does not mean you are weak.

Beautiful, honest words from a mother to her daughter. Words that I am sure they will both cherish for years to come. I love the idea of writing letters to our children as they age. Letters that may or may not touch them at the moment, but will be cherished years from now. I have letters like that from my own mother that mean the world to me today.

Then I came across another birthday open letter that may never be read by the daughter it was written for. However, the candor and rawness of it was so touching I saw the power that an open letter can hold for it's writer as well as the intended recipient. Jennifer who writes a blog titled It's All About Me wrote a letter to her biological daughter that she put up for adoption. She writes to her daughter about how she is feeling as her daughter's birthday approaches.

Here is just snippet, but the entire letter is poignant. I wonder if the biological parents of my brother or sister would open up like this. If they, too, would want to share their feelings with them. I wish in my heart that somehow Jennifer's daughter would see this, too.

Seventeen years ago on January 30, I gave birth to a little girl who God intended for another family. I was in no position to raise a child, and He knew the best life for her was with adoptive parents.

I am at peace with the choices I made, but it doesn’t mean I stop thinking of you, my darling daughter. You are always in my thoughts and prayers, as are your parents. I thank God that he was able to provide a family for you, and hope that you have brought them great joy.

...

And of course, I wonder if you think of me. I wonder if your parents have shared the knowledge of your adoption with you, making sure you know how much they love you, that they chose you to complete their family. I wonder if you appreciate their love as much as I do.

Continue reading "If I could write a letter..." »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I believe we all have days when we feel we are overwhelmed. We have moments that grab us by the throat and threaten to choke out our strength to endure one more callous word, one more pile of dirty laundry or break up one more fight between our kids. And then? Then we are shown what it is like to really have a fight on our hands and our laundry woes seem so petty.

This week I have been so proud to be a part of the mommyblogging community as I have seen how these moms have rallied around one of our own. (Just look at the member of the Team Why Mommy roundup! And those are only the ones who signed up there and does not take into consideration the many, many other who are are Team Why Mommy's side.)

Some of you know a fellow mom blogger by the name Susan. Others know her as Why Mommy of Toddler Planet. Most of us know her as the mom who stood up and educated us on Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She didn't choose to become the face of this disease. This disease cruelly chose her. Susan is a mom with two young children. She blogs and revels in their life together.

From the moment she shared with her readers her diagnoses, people rallied around her giving her any support she needed--whether she asked for it or not. Susan shares with us what it is like to be a mom and have IBC. Her strength, courage and openness in talking about it has been touching and heart-breaking. To read her is to love her.

This past week she underwent surgery. A double mastectomy. Though considered radical because her cancer is only in one breast, Susan felt this was the best way for her to go.

Even though the cancer is only in one breast, I have elected to have a double mastectomy instead of a single, for several reasons. The first is that we can’t be sure that there are no cancer cells in the left breast. Since I was nursing when diagnosed, the MRI was somewhat ambiguous to the first reader. The oncologist believes there was no cancer in the left breast, that it was simply increased uptake due to the active ducts, but I’ll feel better just in case. The second reason is that because of my back pain, it wouldn’t be good for me to have one large-ish breast and one flat side. It would torque my spine and be uncomfortable, particularly as time goes on. And I’d always have to wear a prosthetic breast to make them “match.” The third reason is the most important — a double mastectomy will reduce my risk of breast cancer recurrance by 15%. Now, that may be a small figure in most circumstances, but to me it’s huge. Since the risk of recurrance for inflammatory breast cancer patients is 90%, a reduction of 15% leaves me somewhere in the neighborhood of 75% recurrence risk. Much better!

I am comfortable with my decision to have a double mastectomy. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is the right thing to do, and the right timing to do it. I’ve had 6 months of chemo to rid the rest of my body of cancer cells and reduce the tumor burden to make the surgery possible. I have looked forward to this for so long….

As news of her surgery began to spread around the Internet, moms and other bloggers began to rally behind her in a show of support. Each time I would stumble across another blog bearing the "Bring It On" button that showed that Susan was in that blogger's thoughts, my heart was warmed. Too often we forget that there are real people behind the blogs we read. Real people with real feelings and real problems that need and appreciate our support when life gets tough.

Here are just a few of the amazing posts I came across that touched me and made me proud to see bloggers support each other in this sometimes cruel environment.

Grrrlfriend Jess at Sassafras writes:

I won't ask you to get on board with all of today's to-dos. They are my own personal missions in honor of WhyMommy and in gratitude for the life I have right now, in this moment, at this time, today. But please do join me (and many others) in sending a prayer, a comment, a blessing, a bit of the love you have to give WhyMommy's way as she undergoes a double mastectomy and as she looks toward many tomorrows.

I pray that God holds WhyMommy in the palm of her hand and that all of the goodness sent her way will lift up this amazing writer, mother, wife, woman and give her peace.

The GoodyBlog interviewed Why Mommy back in September of 2007. (You can find that interview here on the GoodyBlog.) As the surgery approached, they posted these words of encouragement--along with the "Bring It On" button.

WhyMommy is going to have a double mastectomy and we to ask all of you to join us in sending our love, positive thoughts and prayers her way. WhyMommy go kick cancer's butt!

Mamma Loves summed it up beautifully. This community of mom bloggers that do what they can to take care of their own.

The biggest surprise about blogging has been the incredible community that exists to laugh together, cry together, mock each other and when necessary bolster each other in times of need.
...
[She] has shared with us her deepest fears, her physical pain and the emotional turbulence of living with cancer. She also treated us to her moments of joy and the triumphs of perseverance.

She's given us so much through her words, and never once has she asked for anything in return except for our positive energy to support her battle with cancer.
...
So today is the day that we might return just a smidgen of what she's given to us.

Sometimes we need to put things in perspective when we are overwhelmed and feeling like it is all too much. Susan is a great example of that.

Continue reading "When life gets tough, the mom bloggers online rally" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

...Well, one of the "we's" of the original triad of Mommybloggers.com founders had a baby.

One of our original Mommybloggers, Meghan, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. We couldn't be any happier for her than we are right now. (And not just because she is sleep deprived and we are not. We love our Meghan.) She is one of us. A part of our family. We are tickled pink blue to have an addition to that family.

Benjamin James arrived on September 21st, very very early in the morning. He's a big boy, weighing in at 9 pounds 7 ounces at birth, and is now past a whopping 10 pounds. No wonder I was so tired all the time. Lugging this kid around! Now if only we can get him to sleep for 3 consecutive hours with some regularity...

We are thrilled as we can be for Meghan and her family. Please go over there and wish this gorgeous and sleep deprived mama congrats on this adorable little man!

We love you, Meghan!

Wanna see a sneak peek? Picture after the jump!

Continue reading "We had a baby! Sort of." »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Today is the birthday of the ever popular and much loved JENNY!

Now, I know you all love Jenny. What's not to love? She is funny and fun. Loyal and good. A hard worker and trusted business partner. So why aren't you showering her with praise? Come on! Let's hear it for our very own Jenny.

She listens and is always there. Just like the monkey-faced partner that she is.

Share the love here and/or on her blog. I mean, she is 35 today which is half of 70 which is really getting old. (I can say that. I am older than she is so I can mock her age at any given time that I want. Even on her birthday.)

And Jenny...for you:

Continue reading "Happy Birthday to the Co-Monkey Face Founder" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Mommybloggers: So, Sweatpants Mom, huh? Tell us about the name of your blog.

Marsha: Okay, let me clear up a misconception. I don’t actually spend all day in my sweatpants. I’ve been known to throw on a pair of jeans and a blouse once in a while. Sometimes they’re even clean. I thought of calling my blog ‘WellGrooomed Mom’ but who needs that pressure. It’s all about lowering expectations. Now when people meet me and I don’t have toothpaste on my chin or I’m not wearing my pajamas they’re thrilled. What was the question again?

Mommybloggers: You crack us up every time we read you - your combination of dry wit and eye for the humor in any given situation makes your blog a joy. Have you always been a writer?

Marsha: Aside from the occasional copy line or witty email, I’ve been a graphic designer in the entertainment industry all my life and never wrote a single thing until around three years ago. Now I primarily write and take on only a few design jobs a year, but for some reason whenever anyone asks me what I do I say, “I’m a designer.” Obviously I don’t feel worthy of calling myself a writer yet. What’s up with that? Help me.

Mommybloggers: As the kicked-back mama of two girls,you often write about your style of parenting, and how it differs from what is expected these days. Do you get any flack from readers?

Marsha: I’ll occasionally get scolded by the righteous mom who thinks I should get off my lazy ass and get my girls into soccer, but otherwise I think most of my readers relate to what I’m saying and are somewhat relieved that they’re not alone. No one wants to be the only mom on the playground who didn’t serve their kid organic muesli for breakfast, or who opted to take everyone to the mall instead of to the noon showing of ‘Storybook King Lear.’ I’m thinking of starting an after-school ‘camp’ for like-minded parents and their kids who want to shun the whole über-parenting trend, but are afraid of becoming social pariahs. We’ll all pretend we’re shuttling the children to softball games or drama lessons but then everyone will just hang out at my house and drink coffee, eat junk food and refuse to talk to our kids about their feelings.

Mommybloggers: We have to ask - are you a "mommyblogger?" What do you think of the term?

Marsha: I am a mommyblogger, damnit! There’s a stigma attached to a lot of terms these days and I just don’t get it. Mommyblogger is a mom who blogs, for chrissake. I think it’s all in the way the term is presented. For instance, someone called me a “lady driver” the other day and the way he said it was so offensive, even though I am in fact, a lady who drives. Of course, I did just back over the guy’s foot but that’s beside the point.

Mommybloggers: We loves us some Prince, too - how is your plan to reform your children's musical tastes going?

Marsha: I’m losing ground fast. The little ingrates asked me to turn down “Purple Rain” the other day because they couldn’t hear their YouTube video of My Chemical Romance. They finally listened to some Janet Jackson recently, though. I found that withholding food for a few days really increases their appreciation of fine music.

Mommybloggers: What gets you really excited?

Marsha: Coffee. You think I’m joking.

Mommybloggers: What could you live your whole life never having to deal with?

Marsha: Cockroaches, junk mail and the mother of one of my daughter’s friends. You see there’s a theme here – none of them have any business being in my house.

Mommybloggers: Tell us something surprising, that your readers don't know about.

Marsha: It took me two months to get back to Mommybloggers with the answers to these questions, and theyre still speaking to me.

Mommybloggers: Your husband and daughters are often the subject of your posts. What do they think about the whole blog thing?

Marsha: My husband often thanks me for making him look so good in my stories, and he should. Because he’s really just a terrible person who usually brews the coffee too strong and makes a lot of noise washing dishes when I’m trying to sleep in.

As for my kids, I’ve actually told them they’re not allowed to read my blog, mainly because of the um, language I often use and the subject matter of some of my posts. When there’s a piece that I’ve written about them that I think is appropriate I print it out and let them read it. But they’re pretty savvy, and as they get older they’re getting suspicious of what I write about them; I think it’s only a matter of time before they go behind my back and read my archives. I’m hoping they’ll spend their computer time more wisely, hacking the school’s files or looking up bad words like normal kids do.

Mommybloggers: What won't you write about?

Marsha: There are certain things that my husband, kids, friends or family members do and then immediately say to me, “Do NOT put this on your blog” and I respect that. Like the time my husband got locked behind the gates of our storage space facility, I had to be sensitive and not write about it. Oh wait - I did. But you know, I got a crapload of hits on that post and a ton of comments so it’s really important to get your priorities straight and seize the moment.

Mommybloggers: So all of a sudden, we're seeing you everywhere. Tell us where we can get more of your writing.

Marsha: I spend an unhealthy amount of time writing about Angelina Jolie’s flat stomach and Britney Spears’ bad weave over on FameCrawler as well as on my two blogs, Sweatpantsmom and Views From The Pants. I also just got my first print byline in Genlux Magazine, where I interviewed Hayden Panetierre from the show Heroes. I have three thousand copies in my van if you’d like one.

Mommybloggers: What do you think about all these multiple-blog-having writers? Is quantity a good thing?

Marsha: Sure, why not? I personally can’t keep up with more than two blogs, but if you want to have sixty and can maintain them while remembering to shower and feed your kids, then I say more power to you. It’s like my motto as I’m going through the aisles of Costco, “Screw quality, go for the quantity.”

Mommybloggers: Where do you think this whole "mommyblogging" thing is heading - for you personally, and for the internet in general?

Marsha: I think the reach of not only mommybloggers but bloggers in general is just going to keep growing – in politics, advertising, and in media. People are starting to take notice of and appreciate the wide diversity of voices out there and the influence they can have. Let’s just remember to use our powers for good and not evil. And by that I mean putting an end to blogs about American Idol and Beanie Baby collections.

Mommybloggers: Aaaaand: Here are the questions we subject all of our victims, er, guests, to:

1. What is your favorite parent related word?
Goodnight.

2. What is your least favorite parent related word?
Catwhen. As in “You promised we could get a cat when can we get one?

3. What is your favorite creative censored curse word used around children?
We don’t really have any ‘substitute’ words we use around them, although we try not to let loose too often. It’s getting harder as they get older and the words have more weight. The other day my husband said ‘fuck’ in the car and you could have heard a pin drop. Finally my 9-year old said, “Dad, I’m SO disappointed in you.”

4. What is your favorite hiding place within your home when you need to get away from it all?
Sadly, the bathroom.

5. What hiding place have you been found in too often and can no longer use?
See #4.

6. If Oprah exists, what would you like to hear her say when you arrive at the Oprah Winfrey show when she features the Mommybloggers?
I’d like to hear her announce that we’re part of that annual show where everyone gets all the free stuff. I could really use a new blender.

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This week on Mommybloggers we are featuring the always fun and very adored Marsha of Sweatpants Mom. We have been fans of hers for a very long time and are thrilled to be able to feature her. With a mixture of humor, snark and always honest with her opinions, Sweatpants Mom has become a favored blogger by many in not only the mom blogging community, but in the blogging world in general. It did not take us long to realize that this is one woman we admire and want to share her greatness with you. Though we could gush with our personal opinions of her, we would rather let you hear from her readers and fans. They are the ones that rock her blog with comments and adoration.

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Jamie of Blonde Mom had no hesitation in letting us know how hilarious she thinks Marsha is and how much she admires her writing.

Marsha is one of the funniest bloggers out there. As a mom to two daughters, I can relate to so much of what she writes about. She always makes me laugh!

Jodi of Jodi's World was quick to point out her reasons for loving Marsha. (And we know there are many!)

Why do I love Marsha from Sweatpants Mom? Well, that's easy. She rocks. And she almost always makes me laugh. And I really love to laugh. Her writing style is never preachy, she is a Mom, a very funny Mom, who is muddling through early morning wake up calls and school lunches like the rest of us. Blog on Sweatpants Mom! :)

Contrary of the blog (aptly named) Contrary spills the beans on how, though they may be night and day in some areas, that does not stop her from singing the praises of one of her favorite bloggers.

The thing I like best about SPM ( aka Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!) is that even though I suspect she and I are complete opposites in all the most important matters, I know I would still be perfectly happy spending several hours sipping alcoholic beverages and talking about absolutely everything with her. She's hilarious, irreverent, goofy, kinda weird, a tad snarky, and she doesn't bore me half to death talking about her latest shoe purchase. Which makes her worth her weight in donuts. With sprinkles, even.

Early in her mommyblogging addiction, Mary Tsao realized that she found a funny and adorable blogger in Marsha. She tells us all about her admiration and her reasons that Marsha is a go-to blog when Mary needs a giggle in her day.

I found sweatspants mom and her blog Sweatpants Mom very early on in my mommyblogging addiction. That sweatpants mom is one funny lady! Whenever she posts (which isn't often enough... hint hint!) I get a smile on my face. When I'm having a really rough day, I dig through her archives just for a chuckle. Because c'mon, who can't relate to a mom wearing sweatpants?! Thank goodness I now can read sweatpants mom on Babble's FameCrawler blog. Daily, snarky sweatpants mom! Hurray!

Be sure to stay tuned later today for our fun interview with Marsha aka: Sweatpants Mom. You won't want to miss the fun chat we had with her. In the meantime, if you need your fix of her writing, feel free to visit her blog, but definitely come back later today for her interview. You will enjoy it!

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I admit it. I am a pack rat, much to the dismay of my husband. Honestly, it is usually the sentimentality of the objects that has me holding on tightly to them. Last year when I began to become overrun with papers and art projects and drawings, I got 3 containers. One for each of my children. I could only keep what would fit into those containers. Once they became full, I had to go through the many papers and get rid of some of those cherished (at least at some point) notes and drawings. My favorites? The letters! Those little notes that our kids write to us. To the Tooth Fairy. To Santa. Even to each other. I have finally been convinced rather than get rid of those cherished items when my container overflows, I need to scan them. That way I get to keep a record of things that I may have thrown away in years past.

Apparently, I am not alone in loving these kind of letters. Prompted by a post by Sheila it was evident that there was a wonderful post to be written that would be full of these types of memories. Searching through the vastness of Mommy & Family blogs, I have been led to some of the most precious letters out there. I wanted to share a few of them with you all. (Hey, sometimes we just need those warm, fuzzy posts. I am gifting you with that joy now.) FYI: Clicking on the image will take you to the actual site where these letters are posted. To truly grasp the content, you should go visit these sites and learn more about the kids behind these adorable letters of love.

First we have a letter from a girl named Ava to a friend in her class, Rachel.

Ava has a friend in her class, named Rachel. This is a letter she wrote to her, which I find adorable. She got Rachel's look just right, glasses and all.

Such simplicity. Don't you remember when you would write a note to your best friend just because. No reason. Just because you wanted to draw a picture and say hi? I miss those days.

Continue reading "Kids write the darndest things!" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

School has just begun and the kids are whining about homework. I had some sympathy but not too much. I mean, I have been there and done that. And it is still minor homework. Until? Until they assigned me homework. I was supposed to write an essay about my older son in a million words or less for his English teacher. I am sure I made the English teacher weep a bit with my style of writing. But? Don't care. He can't fail me. (I don't think.) So I thought I would share it with you.

---

An Essay About My Son by Epstein's Mother*

This is quite an assignment. Trying to tell you about my son in less than a million words will be a challenge. Seeing as I am a writer, I will do my best to keep it closer to 995,000. (But we all know how wordy we writers can be.)

I know that I am biased, but I have to tell you that son is one of the funniest people I know. Even though I am his mother and have no choice in whether or not he is in my life, I would still choose to be his friend. That boy? He just has the funny!

He is an observer. An observer of life, of people and of situations around him. He does not jump right into the unknown without first taking in the situation. Not to say he cannot be just as impulsive as the next teen. He certainly has that down. (Just ask him to clean his room and you will see his immediate need to jump out of his seat and be occupied by the nearest situation not involving room cleaning.) However, those times when you think he has pulled away or not paying attention, most likely he is assessing the situation around him. He can tell you a lot about the people around him whether or not you were even aware that he was paying attention.

He does tend to keep emotions locked inside at times, but he is good at eventually coming around and opening up and talking. In January 2006 his grandmother passed away. He was as strong as a kid his age could be who had to go through this, but it did take him a while to work it all out. If there was any worry I had about him, it would be that he tends to keep too much inside. I am, however, so thankful that as he is getting older, he is becoming more open and willing to talk freely to me. (We must not speak of this lest it curses the process and we lose the magical “teen who talks to his parent” ritual.)

Continue reading "Second week of school and they gave ME homework!" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

When it comes to being a mommyblogger, there is one question that continually comes up. I heard it when I was on the first mommyblogging panel at the first BlogHer. It came up again the next year. And, yes, it was mentioned again this past year. In fact, I have heard it in several forums. What question is that?

If I am labeled a "mommyblogger" will that take away my credibility as a writer? (You can interchange the word credibility with respectability, authenticity etc. The gist stays the same.)

This is a no-brainer. The answer is a resounding NO.

I heard one woman stand up and say that although she has a blog that falls under the mommyblogger umbrella, she does not want to mention it or the blog when it comes to her book proposal as she fears she won't be taken seriously as a writer. Whereas I respect the woman, the premise is crap.

There is one thing and one thing only that will cause you to lose your credibility as a "real" writer.

Your writing.

I understand that many women do not like the label mommyblogger. Admittedly, blogs that fall under that label have been written off as fluff at times or consider a sub-species of blogging, but that does not effect your writing ability or your talent as an author.

I am associated with 3 blogs with the title Mommy in them and one with the word Mom. Obviously, I do not have a problem with the term. Neither did my agent. How did she find me? Through my personal blog, Mommy Needs Coffee.

Yes. A mommyblog WITH the name mommy in the title. Did it scare her off? Not at all. You see, she did not become horrified by the title. She did not run away in fear over a label. She stuck around. She read my writing. She talked to me. She saw the writer in me. Not the label of my blog. And now, through hard work and writing my heart out, we are working together to get my book published.

You see, it is not the type of blog you have that will make you less appealing as a writer. It will be your writing. If you are a good writer and you have a good story to tell, do it. Write it. Tell it. Your blog label won't stop a professional agent or editor from seeing your talent.

I know I can get sensitive about this issue. Mainly because I think that it is a cop out to say you cannot be taken seriously as a writer if you are labeled a mommyblogger. That is just not true. Do you know what will keep you from being taken seriously? Bad writing.

What is my point? Do not let a label, title, genre or category of your blog stop you from pursuing your writing career if you want one. If your dream is to be a writer, then bust your ass, write your heart out and let your passion and talent shine through.

Trust me. Any agent worthy of working with will see through any of the superficial crap such as the word "mommyblogger" and know when there is a good story to be told.

Write quality pieces and get quality respect. Write drivel and stay obscure. But please, do not hide behind the mommyblogger label. There are too many of us out there busting the myth that we cannot be "real writers." Join us. Or move aside. Either way, realize that one simple word that you hate will NOT keep you from success. Only you and your writing will do that.

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I started having contractions three months before she was due. After realizing these contractions were not Braxton Hicks, but actual "these will bring the baby" contractions, we got my butt to the hospital. Already on bed rest and high risk, we knew better than to take any chances with this pregnancy. I feared the worst. I have had a stillborn and was terrified we were going to have to endure losing another baby. Little did I know that earlier that day, my best friend's ex-husband and his new wife gave birth to their premature baby at that very hospital. In that very room. She was due within days of me. It started them on their journey of being parents to a premature baby. I was lucky that day. They were able to stop my labor and I went on to have my little girl only 3 weeks early.

But what about those families who do have premature babies? Many of us followed Julie of the blog A Little Pregnant as she went through her IVF treatments, following her through her pregnancy and then the shock of her giving birth to her son at 30 weeks gestation. She shares her feelings two weeks later at how exhausting it already had become. Many of us wept with her when she was overwhelmed and cheered along with her with every victory. Throughout all of it (and throughout any situation like that) there was the ever present question: What can I do?

Last week I received an email from fellow BlogHer, Kristy Sammis telling me about her very close friends, Missy and Dan, who recently gave birth to a sweet baby boy. Fifteen (15!) weeks early. Follow the link and see how tiny that little baby was when he was born. She wanted to share with me their story and what they did to help their son. What you can do to help other premature babies. (She gave me permission to share this with you.)

He's been taken very good care of and is quite a fighter, but the ward is in need of some love from the outside world in the form of tiny and soft blankets for its other preemies. The hospital-issued blankets have been washed so many times that the blankets are harsh and scratchy, and preemies need and respond (and develop) better with super-soft materials.

I know there are many crafty women on this site who are more than capable of whipping out a fresh new, super-soft blanket in the time it takes me to choose what shirt I should wear with what pants on any given day that requires me encountering anyone beyond my family.

Continue reading "Premature babies---How you can help!" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Before I do a final wrap-up of starting your mom blog, I think it is important to go where many bloggers eventually find themselves. Do you put ads on your blog or not? There have been some amazing discussions about this over the past week and again at BlogHer. So, let's hit this one head on and talk about it.

Last week MetroDad started a discussion on what he felt was a "throw away post" on ads on blogs that began to take on a life of its own. He didn't expect it to become an issue that would have other people put him up as the "anti-ad" blogger. (For the record, he is not anti-ad.) In his original post he writes about it.

But you know the omnipresence of advertising in our daily lives is getting out of hand when parents start auctioning off naming rights for their unborn babies and college girls start tattooing corporate logos on their breasts.

As usual, I'm not passing judgment on any personal bloggers who feel the need to post ads on their site. Advertising is a biological impulse found throughout the natural world. Peacocks attract the attention of a mate through a multicolored feather display. Baboons signal their sexual readiness with a pair of red, swollen buttocks.

This all came about from a post by mimi smartypants in which she stated shock at seeing a huge blinking ad on the site of one of her favorite bloggers. And did not like it.

My point is more that, through my lame, idealistic, aging-punk, Diaryland-colored glasses, I have a hard time seeing personal web pages as a business. There is something so cool about getting to read the thoughts of people I have never met, and then over there in the sidebar is this big honking ad for a multi-billion-dollar corporation, and that punctures the pleasure balloon somewhat. Ads are fucking everywhere. It would be nice to see just a sliver of handcrafted, non-commercial, free-to-all, personal-expression space in the world, even if just on the internet.

Let me be perfectly clear, though, that both of these bloggers have come out and said that it is their opinion and they don't care what people do on their own sites, but that they do not want it on their own. MetroDad states:

Not sure how the previous throwaway post morphed into me being against people having ads on their own blogs. As befitting my long-standing philosophy of "live and let live," I really couldn't give a shit what other people do with their own sites.

And mimi smartypants said:

It probably doesn't make me like the writing any less, assuming I liked it in the first place... but it somehow disappoints...I have a family to support too, by the way. And I'm not all pissed off about the ads on blogs, I clearly said that if it floats your boat, then fine. I am, however, very tired of advertising.

As I said, it can get quite heated. However, as anything, there are two sides to every story.

When Liz of Mom 101 asked about ads, she received plenty of positive feedback in her comments. (I cannot link to the authors because they led to dead links, but I encourage you to go to Liz's site and read all of them for yourself.)

Amanda wrote:

I adore blog ads. They pay us for doing what we love and it just doesn't get any better than that. Maybe I'm a naive little capitalist, but isn't that what the free market is all about? People who do what they do well should be rewarded for it.

David wrote:

It's your blog, do what you want. If someone doesn't want to read your blog because of ads, that's fine too. I think this stuff has a way of working itself out.

Continue reading "Monetizing your mom blog" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Moms. One way or another we became Moms when children entered our world. Many of us through our own pregnancies. A lot of talk came up this past weekend at BlogHer about body image. Y of Joy Unexpected spoke of her "shame" over her stretch marks on her belly and how when she spoke of it women began to send her pictures of their own stomachs. I sat there and literally cried. Those stretch marks are badges of honor and we live in a world where because our bodies are not longer perfect after carrying our children, we can feel shame. That makes me sad. I love Y and would no matter what marks her body bears. But, moms, those marks are not something to ever be ashamed of.

Y's words really hit home with me. I have felt them. I still feel them at times.

You gave me my beautiful children, my three beautiful children. It should be easy to love you for that reason alone. I do love you for that. I do.

But, my God, I hate you too.

I hate you because I am a slave to you. I hate you because there are so many things in life I've not been able to do because of the fears and insecurities I have about you.

Your sagging breasts embarrass me.

Your gaping hole of a belly button repulses me.

Your stretch marks humiliate me.

Your loose, hanging skin infuriates me.

Just as a pregnant woman should never feel she looks "too huge" or "ugly" as she carries her baby. I found an amazing link of beautiful pregnant women. (Aren't they all, though?) You must go see this site. It is amazing.

And breastfeeding? Normal. Natural. Not somethingto be hidden or shoved to the side. (I was thrilled to see so many nursing moms at BlogHer not even blinking an eye at the fact that they were feeding their children just as no one seemed to even give it a second look. (Okay, when I asked Kristen Chase if I could kiss her baby's head and she said yes, I was a bit surprised to see that her baby was nursing at the time. Not horrified. Just surprised to get to know Kristen so well.) Erin of Queen of Spain has taken on the "hiding breastfeeding" issue herself with her tit brigade.

What is my point? Moms, you are beautiful. When you have stretch marks. When you are pregnant. When you are breastfeeding. You are beautiful. So, no more shame. Whether you are size 2 or size 22. You are loved by little people who think you are the world. You are their hero. Trust me when I say, the don't care about the things you are not happy with. They just love their Mom. And so do I.

So be proud of yourselves, Moms. You are beautiful.

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~Jenn is going to go forgive her hips now.~

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Cross posted on BlogHer.org
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You can also find my writing at Mommy Needs Coffee, Mommybloggers and Work It, Mom!

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

How could I not cover the panel on the state of the Momosphere? Of course I will recap. The panelists were an amazing group of women that I deeply respect. Chris Jordan, Catherine Conners and Lena Lotsey with moderator Jory Des Jardins. (We deeply missed Mommy & Family's own editor Nordette, but she was in our thoughts.) It was a standing room only crowd. (Go, Momosphere!)

The discussion came up that at times the momosphere can seem like high school and seem political in nature. Allison of Lemonade Life live-blogged the session. In her coverage she noted this part of the conversation:

For the first part of the conversation, the panelists (Catherine Connors, Lena Lotsey and Chris Jordan) discussed relationships between the newbies and the veteran mommybloggers and the mommybloggers with babies and the mommybloggers with elementary-age and older children. They discussed whether the momosphere was political, and Catherine argued that while it might seem political - or like high school which was the recurring analogy - that the momosphere (and I think the O.C. as well) is more like a party or a salon.

“You make friends, you move, there are bigger groups, they shift and change. But that’s not political, that’s social,” Catherine explained.

Very good points. I think a deeper discussion about what does happen when a mom who has been blogging about her young children grows out of that phase. There are a lot of us out there and we enjoy the social atmosphere and the camaraderie as much as the mothers of young children. We just are facing different issues. There is definitely room for all of us. In my opinion we just need to get the parenting sites to realize that our children do grow up beyond the age of six. They really do!

And what about blogrolls?

Chris Jordan posed the question, “How do you manage a blogroll? How do you do it withoutmaking anyone feel left out?”

There was a bit of discussion on that and when asked who actually dropped their blogrolls, many hands went up. Are blogrolls on their way out and linking within your entries to other bloggers the new way to go? I would love to hear what you think.

Robyn on Silicon Valley Moms Blog wrote about the issue of the commercialization of the momosphere.

There was a civil discussion about the commercialization of the momosphere. Women that spoke about not allowing for a monetization of blogging. Reasons varied from protecting children to it as hobby to trying ads and then removing them later. Opposing agurments were that monetization that it brought validity to her blog. Another stated that she shouldn't be ashamed to receive money from her blog just because she writes about motherhood. The feminist in me totally agrees. We shouldn't be shamed into accepting ads and we shouldn't be shamed from choosing to not have them. Just as our content is personal, this is a personal choice too.

I loved the final sentence there. Just as our content is personal, this is a personal choice too. Have ads. Don't have ads. You have to do what works for you without guilt or feeling like you are corrupting what you are doing. It is personal. I couldn't agree more!

Finally, in a discussion I want to see go well beyond this session and straight to the ears/eyes of marketers:

How can corporate marketers do a better job in marketing to the momosphere? Why are they eliminating moms of color? Where is the diversity?

This issue must be discussed. And discussed. And discussed until it is no longer and issue.

As for the initial topic: The State of the Momosphere: I think this panel did an excellent job of telling where they felt it was and letting the audience tell where they felt it was now and where it may or should go.

Here are a few links I have found of people who either live-blogged it or wrote about it:
Miss Priss.org
Silicon Valley Moms Blog
Lemonade Life

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Cross posted on BlogHer
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~Jenn is off to try to figure out the state of her momosphere here at home.~

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You can find more of my writing at Mommy Needs Coffee, Mommybloggers and Work It, Mom!

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

(This is part V in a series on starting a mom blog. Cross posted on BlogHer.)

Your blog is ready to go. You have your platform. You've named it. You have decided how much personal information to include and what you want to do about pictures. Good job. The basics are done. Now, the hard part starts. Your blog--ANY blog-- is nothing without good content. You knew I was going to get to it eventually. We have to talk about content. Political blogs will mention politics. Food bloggers will talk about food. Mom bloggers will inevitably talk about their children. Let's face it: they are a never-ending source of entertainment. However, before you type one word about them, you should decide what is yours to share and what is theirs to keep private.

This to me if the most essential decision you can make as a blogger. Once your words are out, they are out. A few years back a journalist made a snide comment about how your children's future prom dates will Google them and read every embarrassing story ever written about them.

And?

My dates didn't have Google. They had my Mom. She had enough stories and pictures to keep me humiliated for life. (The only way to hold her off was to marry my high school sweetheart and never have to worry about it again.) My point is that, yes, your words are out there. And, yes, you have a great potential of embarrassing your children. But it is not just about the things that may make them blush. It is about things that they want to remain private--just between them and their mom. It is about respect. Only you and your children can decide where this line is drawn.

A great example of a mom blogger being called out by her teen is Grace Davis. One day while discussing what her daughter could expect in terms of going to BlogHer last year, her daughter said something that halted Grace and completely altered her way of thinking when it came to blogging about her daughter. (Read the whole entry. It is a great lesson in mom blogging and communication.)

Your blog is really funny, Mom. But, you make me and my friends look stupid."

Stupid. I was devastated. I hastily run through blog entries in my mind. Did this make Moll and her friends appear stupid? Or was it this, or this ? Did this offend her?

What do you do once your child is old enough to read what you are writing about them and their lives? They will have an opinion and it won't always be that they adore your every word. You have now jumped into a new world. The world where your children want to have a say in their own privacy.

Grace handled it with the class she handles everything. She gave her daughter the ultimate position for a child of a mom blogger.

I won't take down the posts, but I will take on Molly as the Official State of Grace Editor for Adolescent Affairs. I'll be showing her any blog entries related to her prior to publishing.

But that is not the only way to go when it comes to mom blogging. It is your space to talk about what you feel impacts you and your life. Being a mom, that will include discussing your children. And our children are not always the brightest ray of light in our lives at all times. Sometimes they are difficult and frustrating and downright crazy-making. Bloggers are writers. Writers write. Mothers vent. It is only natural that you will have a tendency to want to vent about those little people that effect so many (if not all) aspects of your life.

Continue reading "Content and your child's right to privacy" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Originally the topic of this part of the series was going to just focus on posting images on your mom blog. I was going to cover just the basics of "do you" or "don't you" include pictures, but from the comments I have received, I feel it is important to cover the "why's" and "why not's" of posting images of your children and/or your family. It is not just a matter of who sees your pictures. You should also think about how to protect your images as well.

One of the most common questions after whether or not to use real names is whether or not to post images of your children. As with every other aspect of your blog, this is going to have to fall into doing what you feel works best for you and your family. However, there are some issues I will bring up that you should think about. First, when your school (if you have school age children) ask if you give permission for them to use your child's image or likeness for publicity or promotion, do you think about it before agreeing? They may use your child's photo on a website, newspaper or national publication. Yes, blogging is an entirely different game, but you have to remember that your child is not living in a bubble. There are many bloggers who choose to completely leave images of their family off of their blog. Karen of the blog A Deaf Mom Shares Her World chooses to limit images by using back shots or far way images. It is where her current comfort level lies. Then we have bloggers like Liz of This Full House has no hesitation in posting family pictures.

Something important to remember about posting images is that whether or not to post is not just an issue of security. As more than one mom blogger found out the hard way, some people will take images of your children off of your site to use in ways that can be offensive, inappropriate or just in ways that they are not intended to be used. Tracey of Sweetney went through this and let me tell you, it was a hellish experience for her and her family. Hellish because she felt violated by having someone use images of her child on another site without her permission or approval.

Continue reading "Picture this!-- Part IV of the mom blog series" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've covered platforms (and you taught me a thing or two as well) and we have covered naming your blog. Now we come to one of the most important decisions you will make as a mom blogger. To name or not to name. Meaning, to use your real name and the real names of your children or to stay as anonymous as possible. This is an important decision for any blogger, but if you are going to be blogging about your children, this is one decision you really need to ponder. You must decide what is right for you and for your family. For as many women who are mom bloggers there are that many different opinions and reasons as to whether or not to use real names.

When I originally started my blog, I had cute names for the kids. As my freelance career started to move forward, my name was getting out there, I lost my own anonymity. And to be perfectly honest, I had a hard time remembering which child was called what. It took a certain authenticity out of my writing. So, I started to use the real names of my children.

Some mom bloggers don't think twice about using the real name of their child. Take Heather Armstrong of Dooce for instance. Not only does she use her daughter's name, Leta, she publishes monthly letters to her and talks freely about her life as a mom and her child's life. Another great example of a mom blogger using real names is Liz of Mom 101. She even petitioned the Internet to help her name her new baby. (To the best of my knowledge, they did not go with anyone's suggestion. Which, in actuality is fine because we all know eventually most moms end up calling their kids by their dog's name anyway.)

We have some moms who choose not to use their own names or the names of their family members. They come up with amazingly creative ways to refer to their offspring. Which leads to the question, "How long will you be able to stick with nicknames if you choose them?" If you start with a nickname, you should either stick with it or come up with a creative way to change it. Some mom bloggers do this with humor and grace. I have used her as an example before, but it makes me laugh. Busy Mom refers to her three children as (wait for it...) Busy Girl, Busy Boy and --my favorite-- the Not Yet Kindergartener Formerly Known as the Preschooler Formerly Known as Busy Baby. I cannot wait for that baby to hit high school. His name will be a blog entry in and of itself.

Some women choose to blog using their own first name but choose to keep the names of their children out of it. Rather than trying to come up with a cute nickname or a name they will forget, they make up the names of their children and use those instead. Sort of like a chance to rename all of your children if you had to do it all over again. A blog that admits to this is Rocks In My Dryer.

I'm a 30-something stay-at-home mom to four kids: Adam (age 9), Stephen (age 8), Joseph (age 6) and Corrie (age 2). Those aren't their real names, and yes, as a matter of fact, I HAVE mistakenly called them by their "blog names" before.

I know of several bloggers who do this, but if they don't admit to it, I am not going to call them out here. I just want you to know that it is an option to just make up names for your children. If it makes you feel better keeping their anonymity, I recommend this route. Let's face it, little "Cutie-Pie-Baby" won't be a baby forever. One day (and trust me on this because I have one in my house) they become teenagers. They do get mad being referred to as "Cutie-Pie-Baby." (They are not too fond of "Surly Teen With An Attitude" either.) If you have always called your child Fred, he can remain Fred regardless of age or personality. If their blog name changes with each age, it may get confusing for not only your readers, but for you as well.

Continue reading "Your new mom blog (Part III): Let's get personal (or not!)" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

So, I am going to assume that you have chosen your blogging platform and you awakened from that possibly technically boring entry in Part I. Welcome back. Get some coffee! Let's talk names. First up, what do you want to name your blog? This is probably one of the most important decisions you will make. People may not judge a book by its cover, but trust me, they will judge a blog by its name. What message do you want to send? Do you want to declare yourself a mom blogger in the title? How much information do you want in your name?

How about a few examples. Let's take Busy Mom. Her title is brilliant and tells you what you are getting right up front. You will be hearing about life from a busy mom. You can safely guess she is a mom blogger. Now, let's look at Mir's Woulda Coulda Shoulda. Her name does not shout mom blog. It intrigues and makes you want to know what she "would, coulda or shoulda" done or not done differently, right? And then there is the middle of the road that hints at being about motherhood but just might simply be about life in the suburbs. Suburban Oblivion is a great example of just such a name.

Now, I know that people change their blog names. I did. I was once Java Diva and then switched to Mommy Needs Coffee. You will still find Java Diva in a lot of blog rolls after several years. Now, changing names is possible, but sometimes it takes a while for readers to get used to it. Take BlogHer's own Chris Jordan. Once know as The Big Yellow House, she is now the ever popular Notes From the Trenches. Still the same great writing on the same great blog. Just the name changed. (And the url, but that is for later.) She was good about talking her readers through it. Before you know it, people will move on and almost forget your old blog name. But let me warn you ahead of time, it is not without it's own share of headaches. I suppose what I am telling you is this: Choose your name carefully, as you did the names of your own children. You can certainly change it later, but it confuses people and there will be a lot of pouting along the way.

Continue reading "Starting your mom blog (Part II)- What's in a name?" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I am starting a month long series on starting a mom blog. I have had many requests on some of the ins and outs, do's and do not's as well as a few basic ways to move forward once you have a blog. Today we will focus on your blog platform. Now, I know that this particular segment may bore the snot out of many of you, but we have to start at the beginning. (A very good place to start...sing with me!) Anyway, we need to learn about what kind of platform you want to use. Basically, how to do you choose where to start your blog? Which blog platform is right for you? I am not going to tell you which to choose because it really is personal and each platform has both its own pros and cons. I will just list some of the popular ones and some mom bloggers who use them.

Some of the things you need to consider are your budget, how much of a commitment are you planning on putting into your blog? How personalized do you want it to become? Do you want your own domain name or are you fine with a tag-on platform name? Let's start with a few of the basic platforms.

One of the easiest platforms that many bloggers start with is Blogger. Blogger hosts your site and let's you choose from many different templates. It is free to use, the templates are easy to use and the speed of use is relatively quick. The storage space is 300MB. (Pretty great!) Many bloggers start with blogger and enjoy it so much they stay with it. A good example of mom bloggers who use blogger are Baby on Bored and Suburban Turmoil. Both quality and well designed blogs. Both hosted on Blogger. It is the platform I stared with when I first launched my blog.

Another site that can host your blog is Wordpress. Wordpress is free and has the option of using Wordpress hosting or hosting your site elsewhere. Wordpress has some great pre-made templates. It also is one of the most configurable platforms out there. Wordpress can grow with your needs as your blog grows. Karen Rani of Vodkarella uses (and designs blogs for) Wordpress. My own personal blog is also using Wordpress. These are two examples of using a platform with our personalized domain name. A few that use the Wordpress url tag-on include Fracas and Dixon Seven Family Blog.

Now then, a choice if you want to pay for hosting is Typepad by Six Apart. Typepad has amazing features and is very easy to use. Storage space on Typepad is 100MB. TypePad's clean design makes it easy to work with, but its it limits its usefulness with it's inability to create static pages. Pricing on Typepad varies according to your personal blogging needs such as how many authors and how much storage and bandwidth you need. From Typepad's own page is states:

TypePad is the premier blogging service for professionals, hosting many of the world’s most popular blogs and small business websites. TypePad’s ease of use enables you to create a blog in minutes.

Continue reading "So you want to start a Mom Blog- The Series" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)