Responding to Snarky Comments

I packed a diaper bag for my baby girl with some wipes, a bottle, and the usual business for a check-up at the pediatrician’s office for a routine visit. It was supposed to be a routine visit. Little did I know I would soon be handed a script to get x-rays.

STAT.

In somewhat of a panic, I grabbed my daughter and rushed off to see the Radiologist. Entering the doorway with my extra large diaper bag, hat, gloves and the whole bit, I finally reached the counter with the weight of my daughter in my arms. A woman sat behind the counter peering beneath her dark charcoal frames while waiting for me to provide opening remarks. I began, “Hi. I’m here to get x-rays for my daughter.”

In a snarky tone she asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I just came from the pediatrician’s office and they told me you make room for emergency situations and she is to be seen today.”

While snapping the end of a pen cap and tilting her head to the side she responded with, “We don’t accept walk-ins.”

Getting a bit annoyed I answered, “Ok, well maybe you would like to give them a call since I just came from there and that’s what I was told. My daughter needs to be seen…TODAY.”

Snarky woman pushed her arms away from the desk and rolled her chair backwards over to reach the phone. After a brief chat with the pediatrician’s office, she got up from her chair and collected some papers. Without a word, she grudgingly provided the necessary paperwork for me to fill out. Apparently, my daughter was going to be seen.

Already upset from not knowing what was going on with my daughter’s health, snarky woman’s attitude was the last thing I felt like dealing with. I took the paperwork, my anxious daughter and the 20 pounds of gear I had on and found a seat in the waiting room full of adults.

I quickly realized there weren’t any children’s books lying on the table. The walls were not painted a cheerful blue, red and yellow and there was not a toy to be found in that space. Anywhere. This was going to be a very long afternoon.

After sitting my daughter on my lap as I tried to get situated to begin the paperwork, sheer panic suddenly struck me. Considering this was what I thought to be a quick visit with the pediatrician at an office we knew very well, I was obviously not prepared. My daughter already drank her bottle and I did not have a lunch packed for her. To make things worse, there was not one small toy to be found in my bag.

So without toys in the office or substantial food in my bag, what’s a Theta Mom to do? When Miss Fussypants decided to cry out of boredom and hunger, I would have nothing to give her. And in an office full of adults, this certainly was not a pleasant situation. Luckily, through one more desperate attempt to find something in that bag, I located some Puffs. I broke them out as soon as my daughter became restless. Within moments of cracking open the Puffs, snarky woman stood up from behind the counter, opened the sliding glass window and popped her annoying head out.

“Excuse me…” she said as she glared directly at me. Pointing to a semi-ripped piece of paper hanging outside the glass window she added, “There’s no food or drink permitted.”

I couldn’t believe it. She was serious.

And I was seriously done.

I added, “Well basically, you have two options. You can either listen to my baby girl scream loud and uncontrollably for the next hour and watch me go insane OR we can all have peace and quiet while a few Puffs decorate the carpet. Take your pick.”

She didn’t move for a moment. I don’t think she expected me to react to her snarky behavior. That response immediately kept her quiet as she slowly closed the glass window.

And for the record, I chose the latter.

Indefinitely.

***And I know many of my bloggy friends would want to know the outcome of my daughter upon reading this post. She is doing well. It’s just so amazing to me how others seem to forget what it’s like to have children.

Thank You

When I graduated from college, my parents threw me a huge bash to celebrate. I gave a little speech at that party in front of my family and friends and the reason I spoke that evening was because I wanted to share my gratitude toward my parents who helped to finance my education, as well as all of my family and friends who were there to support me. When I finished speaking, I placed the microphone down and I had the DJ play Natalie Merchant’s Kind and Generous.

Right now, it feels so appropriate to share this song with you.

The bloggy love shared for me yesterday overwhelmed me. So many of you took the time to wish me well on my special day. Honestly, it moved me. It proves once again that I am part of an amazing community of women and bloggers here that it’s almost hard to put into words.

As I mentioned in this postreadership is what makes blogs thrive. You continue to inspire me to be a better writer and blogger. I am always excited to put out new content and continue the dialogue with you. You – my followers, readers, subscribers and those who comment are what make this blog so amazing. There is such an energy felt here at Theta Mom and part of that energy is the connection that can be found with each of you.

Today, I look forward to visiting your blogs, catching up on Twitter or chatting with you on Facebook because that’s what this blogging thing is all about. And when I see you I will be thanking you, for being a part of this community. As Natalie Merchant writes,

“I want to thank you, show my gratitude,
My love and my respect for you

I want to thank you.

I hope that every single one of you that read this blog know how much I appreciate the time you take to read, comment and follow my blog. It really means more than you know.

And I look forward to continuing this journey with you more than you know.

xoxo

I am Celebrating

Each of the candles preciously placed on the top of my birthday cake by the hands of my four year-old are instant reminders of years gone by. To me, it’s a beautiful metaphor. Every candle that glows is like a photograph set in a frame. They each come with lasting memories. Candle by candle, year by year, I remember.

Each candle represents a certain time in my life.  From the very first candle to the thirty-something candle, I have a memory.

As another candle is added to my cake this year I am reminded of the beautiful life I have been given and the other candles that stand before me remind me of that. Birthdays should be a time of pure joy no matter how many candles sit on top of that cake because each candle is a symbol of the years that have been lived and that in itself is a blessing.

I am who I am today because of the experiences that helped shape me. Some are good, some are bad, but all of those experiences truly build character. And every year as I add a candle to this party I have more love to give, more tears to cry and more laughter to share…

Because I am alive.

Today, I am rejoicing. I am rejoicing because the man upstairs gave me this beautiful gift called life and today is my reminder of that amazing gift.

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So if I don’t stop by your blog today, it’s because I am celebrating every single year that I have walked this Earth.

Because today is the day of my birth and I can’t wait to count and watch those candles glow.

Alex and Ani Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed, thank you to all who entered. Congratulations Tami! An email has been sent.***

Alex and Ani is a company that began ten years ago named after two daughters of the owner, Carolyn Rafaelian. This designer empowers the human spirit through unique artistry and aspires to ensure that her customers adore pieces that reflect their authentic personality. Carolyn comes from a family of jewelers so she has already mastered the craft of this business. Her success has been continually attributed to the ability to design pieces that express awareness, empowerment, and inner beauty. Alex and Ani continues to inspire women through unique design which truly brings out the beauty in everyone.

I reviewed the Crazy Love Expandable Wire Bangle in Russian Gold. Aside from loving all kinds of different pieces of jewelry, I love a bangle bracelet and adore this design. It’s so lightweight and feminine, yet sturdy and secure. It fits my wrist beautifully and slips on and off with ease. The love charm dangles gently from the bangle which gives this piece such character. It can be worn alone or with other bangles and will compliment any outfit.

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And you must check out The Love Expandable Wire Set of 5 which is another gorgeous bangle that comes with two beads, one love charm, and two plain charms. This exclusive patented design allows for easy opening and closing. This bangle is available in Russian Gold and Russian Silver and you can view full details of this piece here:

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You can Become a Fan of Alex and Ani on Facebook here and follow Alex and Ani on Twitter here.  You can purchase the Alex and Ani Love Expandable Wire Set of 5 for $81.00 here or you can enter to win because Alex and Ani is giving one lucky Theta Mom reader her very own Love Expandable Wire Set of 5 Bangle Bracelet!!!

How to Enter The Alex and Ani Giveaway:

Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

 Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and extra entries won’t count unless the required entry is done)


1. Follow Theta Mom on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name. (1 entry)

2. Become a Fan of Theta Mom on Facebook here and leave me your FB name. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Theta Mom via email. You must activate the subscription for this entry to count. (2 entries)

4. Subscribe to Theta Mom any other way. (1 entry)

5. Grab one of my cute buttons and add it to your website. (2 entries per button)

6. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click-can click up to 3x)

7. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: Enter to win The Alex and Ani $81 Russian Gold or Silver Bangle Bracelet #giveaway @ThetaMom  http://ow.ly/1oGakt Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)

9. Add Theta Mom to your blogroll. (2 entries)

Giveaway Rules:

 This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on February 15, 2010 and will end on February 25, 2010 at 9 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided Alex and Ani’s Crazy Love Expandable Wire Bangle in Russian Gold. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

Build Your Following Through the Power of Social Media

Last week, I wrote a post about the 3 Secrets to Getting ‘Return’ Blog Followers and I received an astounding response. As readers and bloggers, this topic completely resonated with you. Many of you left some really thoughtful comments, some followed up with questions and others shared that the post made them reflect on their own following practices.

I love reading your comments, every single one of them. No comment ever goes unnoticed. As I mentioned in that post, a supportive blogger reaches out to others in some way; this certainly doesn’t mean a comment for every comment or visit for every visit. However, it does mean that it is important to get to know your readers because building a community means establishing relationships and making connections. If you don’t comment, respond, visit, email, tweet, chat or stumble at some point, then how are you really relating with your readership?

Blogging is interactive and engaging. When I publish a post I am sharing content but moreover, I am creating dialogue. This is never static. Blogging is an evolving process that is always changing and the dynamic that keeps this process changing is the interaction of its readership. Readership is the reason blogs continue to thrive.

For a moment, think of a super popular blog and the major following that blog has. Of course the blogger behind that blog makes it fabulous through compelling content and great blog design, but the readers that support those blogs are the very reason they reach superstar status. Essentially, blogging wouldn’t be much if the dynamic of interaction was not a major element. If this was the case, many blogs would have the comments turned off or be published privately without the public knowledge and recognition of others input. This is why as bloggers, we love comments! We want to continue the conversation and know that someone else is reading, interpreting and responding to our ideas. 

So, how can you establish your own community and continue to build your readership? My answer is short: utilize social media to its fullest. If you want others to make a connection with you then you need to make a connection with them as well.

Now, I am certainly not a perfect blogger with all of the answers, nor do I claim to be. I am still learning as I go through this process as well. However, what I do know for sure is that the beauty of blogging is you can publish whatever you want because it is your blog. So while some bloggers are looking to build a following, others do not share in this goal. If you are looking to build a readership, then read on because I am sharing the two social media platforms that I use everyday and in my opinion, are essential for any blogger that wants to grow his/her blog.

Twitter is the number one way for others on the web to “find” you and your blog. Think about when you first started your blog. You created your first post and couldn’t wait until tons of comments came in. Then, you were disappointed to find that you only received three. Why? Not because your content was terrible or your design needed work. It’s because nobody knew you existed. You could have the most brilliant posts and gorgeous design, but it doesn’t matter if nobody knows where to find you. Twitter will help you to establish an online presence, but YOU have to make that happen. This takes a lot of time and hard work. You can’t just join Twitter and then tweet your own links all day long and never interact with anyone. Nobody wants to follow someone who only tweets about themselves.

Just like blogging, it’s a two way street. Do I promote my new posts and giveaways? Of course I do. But, I also use Twitter by maximizing its potential in which I begin a conversation, ask questions and put myself out there. I want to get to know my peeps and Twitter is the perfect place to establish those connections. Here’s a little experiment to try: The next time you are about to follow someone on Twitter take a peek at their stream. Are they tweeting with others and engaging in conversation or at others by just supplying a bunch of links? There is such a difference and those that engage in conversation are the ones who will be followed.

So if you are a new blogger, create an account and get started! If you are already using Twitter, then tweet more with those you follow and begin following others of interest and begin a dialogue. Get out there and start tweeting not just about your site, but with others and get to know them. You will be amazed at how this interaction will quickly build your following. At the same time, it will help you to promote some of your posts to potential readers that may not have found you otherwise. And don’t just tweet, retweet as well. Bloggers are very receptive to those who retweet their posts and you will find they will reciprocate the retweet love when you need it. You can check out my new custom Twitter background (I’m so freakin’ excited about it) and follow Theta Mom on Twitter here.

Facebook is the second best platform for others to “find” your blog and is a great place to make connections. Honestly, I was very hesitant at first about joining Facebook. Although I may post pictures of my children on this blog, I do not share their names, birthdays, etc., and since I don’t even share my last name, creating an account on Facebook didn’t seem so advantageous to me. This was until I learned you can create a fan page for your own website without having to “friend” everyone and their mom. {Although, I do think it is good karma to friend those that friend you, especially if they are fellow bloggers.}

Just like Twitter, sharing a new link or post on Facebook through a fan page can be seen by many instantly. Furthermore, once someone becomes a fan of your site, your link shows up on their page. So just like the power of Twitter, your link is now in a place to be “seen” by others who may not have found you otherwise. But again, you need to take the time to converse with your peeps, reply to their comments and get to know them. Just like Twitter, it takes time and effort to maintain these relationships, but it’s so worth it! You can become a fan of Theta Mom here.

So, what’s the bottom line? As many of you already know, building a readership takes a lot of time and hard work. A huge following doesn’t happen overnight, but by putting yourself out there to network through social media and connect with the very people who enjoy your blog will help to get you there.

Building a community means establishing relationships and making connections and at the end of the day, isn’t that what blogging is all about?