(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)

Last week as I sat with my husband Clint at my younger son's 5th grade graduation, I thought back to the road that got us here and how sometimes that road comes full circle in ways you wouldn't imagine.

My mind wandered back twenty years to that day when I attended another graduation celebration. I was hesitant to go because I was having issues with my friend who was graduating, but was talked into attending in the name of friendship. "Besides", my buddies who were taking me said, "you might surprise yourself and have a good time!" Across town from the celebration another group of friends piled into a car and headed towards the graduation fun.

As the party got started, I began to relax and was glad I came. It meant a lot to my friend and I was having fun. I only knew a handful of people there, but they were all fun. As the day wore on, a game of volleyball broke out. (Yes, I realize that makes it sound like 'a fight broke out' but, seriously, don't mess with me when it comes to volleyball. I will spike you.) A guy I had yet to meet was taking his turn serving. I have never seen a serve hit so high into the air. Ever. From the time he served until it actually came back down into any general location that it would be reachable by a human to return it, I could have had time to walk off the court, make a sandwich, eat it, wash it down with a Diet Coke and return to spike the ball. Serious hang time. Seeing as I have never been one to resist a good teasing, I completely started in on the HIGHEST SERVE EVER teasing. Grabbed a chair and everything. (Can you believe I could be such a smart alec?)

That guy realized he met his match and teased right back. He never knew what he was getting himself into.

That was the day I met my husband. The guy behind the HIGHEST SERVE EVER.

Twenty years later we sat holding hands watching our youngest son at his 5th grade graduation. Our eyes met and we smiled over our shared memory of that day two decades prior. We could not have imagined then that we would be sitting in an overcrowded middle school cafeteria/make-shift auditorium watching our child celebrate a graduation experience of his own.

Twenty years ago I met my husband.

Eleven years ago I gave birth to my son.

Today we came full circle--together-- from one graduation to another.

Continue reading "20 years ago. 11 years ago. Today." »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

[Here at Mommybloggers, we try to be sensitive to women who are infertile. We have asked many times to call us on it when we are not. One of our goals is to help shed light for women who have not been through infertility to better understand what these women go through. Recently I was contacted by Pamela at Coming2Terms if I could share with you an experiment she is trying. A way to walk in each other's shoes, or reproductive cycles. This is the story. Semi-cross posted at BlogHer.]

My first pregnancy ended with a stillborn baby boy 6 1/2 months into my pregnancy. The baby was healthy. The problem was with me. With my body. At that time, the doctors questioned my ability to ever have children. For those few months of tests, I feared I would receive the worst possible news I could receive: that I would never give birth to my own children. Since that time, I have had medical help and after 3 very high risk pregnancies, I have three healthy children. But what if...

What if the world somehow turned around and those of us who have been able to conceive children were switched with women who were infertile and struggled to become pregnant (even with intervention) and have babies? Suddenly you find yourself childless and infertile whereas all of your friends who have struggled with infertility are amazingly pregnant. Pamela at Coming2Terms asked just that question in a social experiment that asks you how you would handle this experience as you are plopped down at a baby shower for these newly pregnant women? How do you think the conversation would go?

Everyone who is fighting with infertility, you are now able to conceive -- the NATURAL way.

Those of you with children, those who conceived without a thought as to ovulation cycles, FSH or sperm counts, you are now mysteriously unable to bear children. The littles you once nursed, cuddled and bragged on at social gatherings, they no longer exist. The realization of childlessness is frightening, devastating because the once fertile now find themselves in an empty nursery, the house is suddenly silent -- no more giggles or playful chatter or background noise courtesy of Dora the Explorer or Sesame Street.

Those who were once infertile are equally in disbelief. They've just had a loving and spontaneous romp. Two weeks later two pink lines magically appear on an at home pregnancy kit. The newly pregnant can't quite wrap their heads around the idea that no external intervention was required...not a pill, not a shot, not even a visit to a doctor's office.

A chance to walk in another woman's shoes. Or live with her reproductive life.

Continue reading "What once was... is no longer. Walk in HER shoes." »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This past weekend I began to notice the tell tale signs that my 5-year old daughter might have a bladder infection. So, I did what any net savvy Mom would do. I logged onto the Internet and began to search her symptoms, causes and a possible diagnosis. It took about 30 minutes before I was completely freaked out. By 7:00am Monday morning I was emailing other Moms asking for advice about everything from what kind of doctor to call to their own personal experiences. What I needed was not several random sites to freak me out, but one central place I could go to get advice, talk to other Moms who may have advice or talk to a nurse before trying to decide what to do.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was honored to be one of the women on a call with Steve Case. (You know Steve Case? The co-founder of AOL, who led the charge to make the Internet an essential part of everyday life. Yes, that Steve Case!) The call was set up by the amazing and always supportive Cynthia. She arranged this call with Steve for me and a few other Moms. ( Sarah from Sarah and the Goon Squad, Kelly of Mocha Mama, and Jenny of Three Kid Circus-- and of course here!. Sadly, we missed our good friends and fellow Mommy bloggers Mary Tsao and Grace Davis who were supposed to be on the call but had schedule conflicts. They would have added even more to this amazing phone call.)

So how do these things tie in? Yesterday Steve launched RevolutionHealth.com™ which is a free online service which will help families take action to manage their health care and achieve their healthy living goals. In addition Revolution Health™ membership gives members "access to premium health services now only enjoyed by a few." You can read all about it in the press release here.

Continue reading "Steve Case launches Revolution Health just in time for this mommyblogger" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This is Tanner. He is the nephew of one of our featured mommy bloggers, Catherine of Her Bad Mother. And he has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. What exactly is Duchenne's MD? Well, in short it boils down to the fact that all muscle tissue eventually dies and is replaced by connective tissue, which means that he will need assistance with mobility, then with respiration, and eventually his heart will no longer be able to function. Life expectancy is thirties at best.

Let that sink in a minute.

It breaks your heart, doesn't it? Well, you can help. You are not helpless when you hear about this boy. There are two ways you can help. And we ask from the bottom of our heart that you choose to help in one way or another.

First, you can go to Her Bad Auction. Here is an explanation of the auction and how you can participate. (FYI, Mommybloggers has something to bid on. You know you want a piece of us!) All proceeds will go to MD Canada.*

This is a series of raffles in order to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Research. You pick which item(s) you want to win and we'll draw one winner at random for each item. The more tickets you buy (by sending a secure payment via paypal) the more chances you have to win. Place as many tickets as you wish to purchase on as many items (or just one or a few for a better chance at winning) as you'd like to win.

But there is another way that you can also get your kids involved. There is a letter writing campaign that will mean the world to Tanner. What child doesn't love to get mail? Especially a child who feels so isolated and different from his peers. Here is how you and your children can make this time of year extra special for Tanner.

This year, while your children are writing their letters to Santa, have them write a letter or draw a picture for Tanner, too. They can tell Tanner a little bit about themselves, like what grade they’re in or what their favourite subjects are in school. They can tell him about their favourite cartoons and movies or share with him a funny joke – they could even pick out a sheet or two of stickers to send along. This holiday season, let’s show our kids that while the best part of Christmas may be ripping open the carefully wrapped presents from under the tree, putting a smile on a little boy’s face is pretty special, too.

You can send letters to:

Letters for Tanner

1518 Queen Street West

Toronto, ON

M6R 1A4

Canada

…and when you do, know you are making one little boy’s world a little brighter.

We certainly love having fun here and being silly. Rarely do we ask you anything of you. Today we are asking for your help for this little boy. Anyone of us can write a letter. Would you please help Tanner? If our plea doesn't do it, maybe the words of Tanner's mother will. She emailed Catherine after seeing the auction site. This is a portion of the email.

I am blown away… it brings me to my knees in gratitude that this kind of kindness exists - for Tanner's sake. He is one hell of a little kid... ...

I cherish this little boy and every moment he is on this earth and I know you do too. Try not to be sad, but to watch him in wonder and learn from him too. We take a lot of things for granted in this day and age; to see and feel what Tanner and other children or people like him have to face is quite humbling, but that is good, the world needs it.

WE can forget how to love and cherish. All you have to do is look at Tanner or other children who are sick and open your heart, and not forget.

I would love for you to send a big heartfelt THANK YOU to your blogging buddies.
Love,

Continue reading "Show your love" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a baby book for each of my children. Of course, they are all filled out in different degrees of completion, but they all have a book to record the moments of their childhood. Page after page is filled with "firsts." The first time they: sat, rolled over, said "mama", and slept through the night (oh praise be the gods of infant sleeping). It has a place for first steps, first foods and the first day of school. Each with a spot for the date and thoughts about the event. I confess not all of them are filled out even though the tasks have been accomplished. However, each one of them is permanently embedded in my brain. I remember these firsts. For each child.

Last night my teenager came in the room and sat down on the couch beside me. He was all limbs...long legs and arms. Awkward, yet in that stage where he is between a boy and a young man. How is this my baby? As I stared at him I began to think. Obsess, really. When was the last time I picked him up?

I mean, he is now a good inch taller than I am and weighs what a 5'8" male should weigh. There is no more picking him up. But when did I last pick him up? Was he crying? Was he just tired of walking? Did he need just a bit of comfort or snuggling? Was I tired and frustrated that I had to pick him up and didn't cherish the moment? I wish I could remember when it was. I am sure, as it had happened a thousand times before, for whatever reason I had for picking him up eventually passed and I put him down. Never to pick him up again. I had my "Last time that I..." moment and never even knew it. And cannot even recall it now.

When was the last time I sat up in the middle of the night with my tween and rocked him to sleep after a bottle? Did I stay alert and stare into his eyes, memorizing the way he looked in that moment? Did I caress his baby cheek and love how soft and smooth it was? Or was I too tired and rushed the moment praying he would fall asleep quickly? After I rocked him to sleep and placed him in his crib, did any bit of nostalgia hit me? Probably not because I had no idea that would be our last middle of the night date with just the two of us, the rocking chair and soft music.

I thought I would never forget the last time I changed my last diaper of one of my children, but I have. With my daughter being the end of the diaper line in our family, you would think there would have been a parade to celebrate, but there wasn't. I wiped, changed and sent her on her way like I had done with my children thousands (or it feels like millions) of times before. That day she took off her diaper, went into her drawer for "big girl" underwear and we never went back to diapers again. I never knew it would be the last diaper I would change of one of my own children. Another last forgotten.

Continue reading "Do you remember the last time you did it?" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

You people are hysterical! By far, this has been one of the funniest and most enlightening contests we have ever run. We love that you all are not afraid to put it all out there for us to read. Choosing just 3 winners was a torturous event for us. So we did what every diplomatic group would do. We chose our winners randomly. Seriously, how are we to compare peeing in public over dealing with public pooping or vomiting? We just cannot.

With the help of our faithful assistant (Gabriella, daughter or Jenn), we chose our winners. Please, oh please, readers keep playing even if you did not win. We have never laughed so much at what you have had to say. Thank you for that.

3rd place goes to: Molly at Confession of the AtHomeMom. Dance floor puking and making fun of politicians is always good for a laugh!

2nd place goes to: Janet of Dancing Through. We are big fans of sarcasm and spewing at high speeds.

And last but not least, 1st place goes to: Jack's Raging Mommy. The snorting and the gross things Moms talk about were classic!

You can read their winning entries below. Thanks to all of you who contributed. Did you know we already have our next contest running? We beg of you to play. Mainly because we have fallen a little bit more in love with each of you after reading your latest answers.

Continue reading "You made us gag and laugh all at the same time! Winners!" »

Posted by mommybloggers at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I cannot even begin to tell you about the amazing things that blogging has brought my way. Friends. Life lessons. Support. Encouragement. Jobs. Agents. Old college roommates. The list goes on and on. The doors that have been opened to me by being a mommy blogger have astounded me. I have been given opportunities that I never would have dreamed of a few years ago. One of the greatest doors that has been opened is this site and the women I have met through it.

Mommybloggers.com has been so blessed to have been able to interview many amazing women. Each of them with stories to tell. Each of them sharing some things in common, yet enough variation that we all learn from each other. The time may never come when we all meet face to face and drink coffee as we share our stories of motherhood. But through this site, in a way, we have been able to do just that through the cyber world.

If you are new to the site, I recommend you read through our guests and their interviews and essays. They each have had amazing things to say. Each of them inspirational, encouraging and beautiful.

Here are just a few of the faces of mommybloggers. We are diverse. We are powerful. And we are a community that can give not only to each other, but to the world.

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night one of my partners in crime and I were deep into discussions about major issues in the media and debating the finer merits of modern literature over the classics, when..…Yeah, right!. I totally couldn’t keep that one going with a straight face. We were totally dishing about life and motherhood. It was then we stumbled upon why we both love the television show Lost. For the two or three of you out there who have not seen the show Lost, this might not make sense. But for those who are familiar with the show and are parents—especially of teens—there are many correlations between that show and the real life drama of parenthood.

We (the parents) have been thrown onto the Island of Parenthood without any idea of the “right way” to survive. We quickly learn that the best way to handle the entire situation is to band together. And much like the castaways of Lost, many of us would probably not have met each other had we not been put in these same circumstances at the same time. Together we are doing the best we can to make keep Parental Island a peaceful and safe place to inhabit.

The beloved Teens? They are the Others. You can hear them, but you never actually see them. Their mumbled taunts and silent grumbles make your stomach tighten up a bit in fear, but you aren’t even sure what they are saying. And let’s be honest, they can certainly make you feel like you are crazy. It is not unheard of for one of the Parents to frantically grab another and anxiously question: “Does yours roll his eyes? Have you ever heard her say that? Could they possibly eat that much food? How big DO they get? What do they want?” And that whole having to push a button at regular intervals in order to prevent the end of the world? We refer to it as the ATM.

In order for The Others and The Parents to inhabit Parental Island, there are rules that should followed. They aren’t law, but it is definitely recommended to abide by them. A few of them include the following:

Find a buddy and stick with them when traveling in this new territory. Do not go into the area inhabited by The Others after dark. Never underestimate the power of the Others. Whatever you do, do NOT get caught alone in a group of The Others. There is no guarantee you will survive or not be traumatized.

I am sure that the day will come on Lost when all will be revealed regarding the secret of The Others. I heard that day will come with teens. I am doubtful. Very doubtful.

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)