06.30.11

Celebrating Two Years at Theta Mom

Two years, today. Or perhaps I should say yesterday or maybe even the day before to be precise.

My blogging journey has been one hell of a ride so far. This post is not an “Ooooh, look at me and everything I’ve done” perspective, but rather an “Ooooh, look at the REAL potential this blogging gig can bring with tons of dedication and hard work…” perspective. The fabulous Tiffany said it best, “A success for one blogger is a success for ALL of us.” Here’s my story…

I had the idea for Theta Mom in early 2009. For many months straight, I did nothing but write. I wanted to find my voice, develop a clear mission and define myself in this space before I presented it to the world. I always knew who I was but I wanted to be really concrete about the kind of blog I wanted to run. I knew that I always wanted to remain professional but at the same time, stay authentic. I wanted to begin a real dialogue with other women and touch the lives of mothers everywhere; I wanted to connect with women and mothers in a way that hadn’t been done before.

I had a voice and I wanted my voice to be heard.

Once I had the Mission written and refined (in addition to tons upon tons of blog posts) I started to research blogs and the art of blogging itself.

I immersed myself in it.

For many months I ate, slept and drank blogging. I wanted to know every aspect of the ins and outs of blogging. I bought several books to kick start this process and I hung on every word. I documented and took notes. I wrote and wrote some more. I was like a sponge, soaking up every single thing I could possibly learn. At the time, I was doing this in the midst of raising a newborn baby, small toddler and working part-time as an Adjunct Professor. Saying that sleep was not on the agenda is an understatement. Although, I think it saved my sanity from that time in my life. I needed an outlet from the daily grind of motherhood and once I found my niche, I ran with it.

I continued to stay up late many nights to learn and read as much as I could online as well about the field of blogging. Once I had a good handle on the industry, I then immersed myself with the inner workings of WordPress and this book soon became my new bible {still full of blue sticky notes everywhere}:

And, so it began.

I published my very first post at Theta Mom on WordPress on June 28, 2009 using a horrid free WP theme I found online. The background was a dark burgundy and the graphic girl was holding a purse and was walking through the city…a far cry from what it is today. I honestly think only Brittany {who by the way was my very first blog follower and one of my absolute besties to this day} remembers that design (THANK GAWD). All free themes are NOT bad, but I was a total newbie and obviously didn’t know enough about free themes at the time. Oh, how things change. I was so miserable with that WordPress design and not having the time, patience or experience to design an entire site myself, I jumped over to Blogger and set up a cute, easy theme of pink and green…with birds.

Birds? Really?             

Yup. Frackin birds.

Thankfully, I think only Helene and Elizabeth remember that design. I re-published that first post three days later on July 1, 2009. The problem was Theta Mom had nothing to do with birds. So, I immediately contacted a designer that worked on Blogger and that’s when I became face-to-face with my infamous stroller chick {which, for the record, I will say goodbye to very soon as the time has come for me to give up the graphic girl}. I remained on Blogger with my stroller chick for about two months when I once again became miserable. This time, it wasn’t the design that was the problem – it was the platform.

In November of 2009, I left Blogger and jumped ship back to WordPress. It was a super scary time because even seasoned peeps like Mama Kat and Angie were still using Blogger. I felt like I was crossing back over to the land of the unknown leaving so many of my Blogger friends behind, but within months, it’s almost as if the entire blogosphere ditched Blogger in late 2009.

Once I moved back to WordPress, that’s when I really started to “brand” myself. I met Lauren, the most talented designer on the planet and she made the migration for me and gave me a fabulous new design. THAT was the moment I knew I found the right look and feel for Theta Mom.

Four months later, I began TMC, a sought after blogging community that continues to thrive. When I had immediate support at its inception (and still do to this day) from so many fantastic bloggers, I knew I was onto something special. I mean, really special. And on my first blogoversary, I was amazed at how far I had come – how so many women and mothers resonated with Theta Mom and everything that this blog stands for.

Late last summer, I officially began working professionally as a blogger and social media consultant. I even started my own business. I properly re-launched Theta Mom in January to showcase these new changes with another new redesign by Lauren, highlighting the addition of The Marketplace and later launched Theta Mom Media on its own platform and I am currently working with several amazing clients, such as momAgenda. Nina is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I have ever met. {And in case you were wondering, she is absolutely gorgeous in real life}. She has created an amazing brand and she is so much more than just a company I partnered with; she is a talented, smart and savvy business woman, a true inspiration and a mentor – someone I truly look up to in so many ways and if it weren’t for my blog, I never would have had the opportunity to work with her, which leads me to this very moment, right now.

Two years later.

My blog has morphed into something bigger than I could have ever imagined. This blog has opened so many doors and brought me the kind of opportunities I never even knew existed. It’s also been a place for my refuge and sanity.

This blog is my third baby and it’s a place I call home.

With tons and tons of continued hard work and dedication, I’m confident that I will continue to see Theta Mom and Theta Mom Media taken to new heights. I hope by sharing my journey thus far serves as a small piece of inspiration for you regardless of your own blogging goals.

As for my readers? I can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given me, the love you have shown me and the kind words of inspiration you’ve provided for me over these last two years. I hope you know how much I appreciate every single tweet, comment and email and I am so grateful for every single soul that reads my writing. I’m also thankful for those that support the fellow bloggers I feature, the women in business whom I endorse and the brands that I choose to partner with. I hope you will continue to be here for Theta Mom and watch me grow and change as I travel this path.

Because the bottom line is, I just can’t imagine traveling this crazy blogging journey without you, because YOU are the reason I still continue to hit publish.

And THAT my friends, will never change.

xoxoxoxoxo

{ 56 Comments }
06.28.11

Pizzazzing You: A Trendy Online Boutique

Pizzazzing You is a trendy and chic online children’s boutique. This woman-owned business is run by three generations of women which began in 2005. The vision for this company is to offer consumers unique and original clothing, gifts and accessories for children, specializing in personalized gifts as well. Pizzazzing You is proud to offer couture collections making this your one online stop for all things chic! In addition, we know how hard it can be to find stylish clothing for boys so this is yet another reason why Pizzazzing You is a perfect fit! 

For starters, I love that this company creates personalized gifts for children of all ages with items such as ceramic plates, wall tiles, jewelry, lunch boxes, room décor and much, much more. There are so many unique finds that make online shopping for kids so much fun! I adore the personalized ceramic plates like this one:

And how cute is the personalized jewelry like the pendant necklace adorned with Swarovski crystals and pearls? Can you say adorable?

Are you looking for quality baby gifts? Pizzazzing You also offers a gift registry so you can shop for the trendiest gifts for that special mom-to-be or new mom. There are so many boutique-style baby gifts designed with the finest materials packaged ready for perfect gift giving such as this Blanket Gift Cake:

 

If you’re planning a baby shower, special favors such as these sticky notes are the perfect addition to any table:

One of my favorite aspects of this online boutique is the Birthday Gifts – great for any mom with a child of any age! Hats, bibs and apparel make the list, such as the infamous birthday hats (one of my absolute favorites):

And how could I leave out Hair Accessories? You can mix and match coordinating colors to make your little girl the talk of the town!  I couldn’t be more thrilled to support a fabulous woman-owned brand that offers quality products at affordable prices and I hope you do as well! Be sure to stay up to date with the latest trends and exclusive offers on Facebook and follow Pizzazzing You on Twitter.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Pizzazzing You is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was compensated for this post. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

{ 10 Comments }
06.24.11

How to Start a Freelance Writing Career

My guest blogger today is the talented Nicole from Defining Moments. She has some great advice packed into this post if you want to jump start that freelance writing career. Since I love to discuss WAHM topics, this fits in the TMC Network perfectly. *And after you read this awesome post, be sure to check out her blog today since I am guest posting on hers! I’m talking all things blogging and social media related, two other topics that I know this community loves!*

When my oldest daughter was born in 2005 I started my “career” as a stay-at-home mom. At first, I reveled in the beauty of lingering coffees watching the Today Show. But after awhile, the mundane nature of changing diapers and talking to a babbling baby started to take its toll on my brainpower and my morale.  So, I began a part-time career as a freelance writer. As I type this, I have several regular writing jobs for print publications and it’s just enough to keep the ol’ Mommy-brain from creeping in too often. It allows me a sense of professional accomplishment amidst the chaotic life that I live with twins under the age of two and a wonderful near six-year-old daughter. Additionally, it supports my writing conference attending and stiletto obsession. So how do you get going with your own paid writing opportunities?  Well, I’m here to share what I’ve learned so far. I am by no means the guru of freelance writing, but I have found a way to support my shoe addiction nonetheless. 

1) Master the Art of the Query: A query is a brief pitch to a publication sharing what you have to offer them in the way of an article. Many publications like to see clips along with your query to see who has published your work before, so when you don’t have clips available, you must sell yourself with a fabulous query. The most important element of a query is tailoring it to the publication you are pitching so do your research! Look at past issues, become aware of what has been published in the last year – those are the ideas you should not be pitching. Find out the names of the managing editor if it’s a smaller publication. If it’s a larger one, there are editors for different sections of the magazine so you need to be attentive to that and pitch to the appropriate editor. Make sure that you are looking at a current copy of the magazine’s masthead to ensure you have the most recent name because editors tend to change frequently.  

2) Start Small: I started out with a small local publication. I pitched them an idea for an education article because that’s where my professional background lies and they gave me a shot. I have been featured in every issue since then. The small, regional publications are the magazines that are most likely to take a risk on a new writer. Starting out pitching Parenting Magazine or O Magazine isn’t likely to yield a response if you have yet to gain some experience. Just like anything else, you have to work your way up one article at a time.  

3) Write What You Know: Use your expertise from life as a stepping-stone for becoming a freelance writer. Whether that’s experience from a career pre-children or a parenting article based on a personal parenting experience, start with something you are knowledgeable about. If you’re writing what you know you’ll feel more comfortable and your writing voice will be more authentic.  Your editors are more likely to trust you with a topic you have experience with rather than one that you don’t at the start of your writing relationship. 

4) Be Flexible: I have managed to build some wonderful working relationships with my editors because I have been flexible. By being open to article changes such as tweaking the focus or the deadline of an article, you begin to build a reputation for being adaptable. Once you build a positive working relationship, you will find more assignments coming your way as well as more creative control due to the trust you’ve built by meeting the needs of the publication. 

5) Check Your Ego: This goes hand in hand with flexibility. You might be a fabulous writer, but you are not the editor, so it’s important to honor their role and allow them to make changes as needed. It’s important not take it too personal. Each publication has certain goals to meet in the way of word counts, page counts, advertisements and layout. Sometimes it’s a simple layout issue that requires a change to your article. It’s important to realize you will see some changes to your work. With that in mind, if significant changes are made and you are genuinely feeling as if your “voice” was altered, you should feel comfortable enough to voice your hope that the editor might confer with you first on such drastic changes. But, pick your battles. When you are just starting out as a writer, a big ego isn’t going to fare well.  

6) Sometimes Free is OK: An online presence is key to building your marketability in the writing world, especially if you have book plans in your future. Your online following and presence can make the difference between getting assigned a regular column or not. It can mean a book deal or no book deal. I contribute in a variety of places, some of which is for free. I do this because I gain writing experience, I gain an additional online presence and I learn so much from those who are many steps ahead of me. The teacher in me is ok with trading writing for a learning experience. But with that in mind, I set limits and you should too. I have a number of set hours I’m willing to contribute to writing for free and I don’t take on more work than that time allows.

So don’t be afraid to write for free – choose carefully, set limits and you’ve got a win-win for both you and the site editor. You begin to add to your portfolio while you are in the beginning stages of your freelance goals. Free is not forever, it’s simply a place to start to build your reputation as a dependable writer who provides quality work. 

Want to guest post at Theta Mom® for the Network? I am currently accepting submissions, full details can be found on the Network page.

{ 55 Comments }
06.21.11

Parenting in the Digital Age

There’s been so much talk recently that this generation of high school and college graduates are at risk of the digital divide…and apparently, it continues to widen.

It’s been documented in comparative education and there are a host of several issues on the table, but the one that stands out in my mind is how many of these young adults actually need to “re-learn” the art of some basic interpersonal  communication skills because for most of them, this was not a necessity. They simply relied on texting, tweeting and “Facebooking” as their main way of communicating; the face-to-face dynamic of communication (such as successfully conducting themselves in an interview) is somewhat foreign to them – a paradigm that certainly needs to shift.

For me, this begs to ask the question, if there is an issue now for college graduates (who were at the cusp of this digital generation), what the hell does this mean for my kids?

My son will be six and he already knows that mommy has her own website. He understands the concept of blogging and vlogging and he actually understands the idea of Twitter and Facebook as a means of communicating. He knows that my iphone is “connected online” virtually anywhere and the word app has no relation to food. He’ll ask me to text or email his friends’ moms to get in touch with them for a play date and he rarely sees me “talk” on the telephone. Moreover, he knows that mommy makes a living working on the computer.

His little world is filled with “play” smart phones, DS cartridges and a million choices of shows to watch ON DEMAND.

Doesn’t this speak volumes?

I want what we all want for our kids – to give them the best possible everything in a world that is changing as we speak. However, living in the digital age certainly creates more challenges of parenting this generation and I’m sure there will be tons of new repercussions as we move through this process. Online bullying, for example, was near non-existent ten years ago and today? It’s happening every minute.

Quite frankly, it horrifies me to think that some of today’s college graduates actually have to “learn” the kind of communication that we practically experienced naturally. In essence, an iPhone may help to connect you to the right people but it certainly won’t guarantee you the job. For me, it’s the real, face-to-face relationships that are more important now than they ever were – and I will be sure that although my kids may grow up with more gadgets and platforms than I could ever dream of, they will have plenty of other interpersonal experiences and be cognizant of this, too.

I’ll make sure of it.

Maybe this means that mommy puts down the iPhone and has some real conversations on the telephone. Maybe it means playing more board games than hopping on the Wii.

Maybe it means to just be without so much technology all of the time.

Maybe.

Maybe we can actually have the best of both worlds, I mean hey – my kid may be blogging about me one day on his own domain. I can only hope that he’ll say that I parented with love and conviction – and did the best job that I could raising children in the digital age.

A damn good job.

{ 30 Comments }
06.17.11

Featured TMC Blogger: Sellabit Mum

TMC welcomes Tracy, author of the blog Sellabit Mum.  She is one awesome blogger and one hell of a vlogger, too! She’s totally got her act together staying authentic with a touch of sarcasm – the perfect mix for a mom blog. She’s one of the most supportive tweeps I know so be sure to get to know her better! Here is how she describes herself and her blogging journey in her own words:

“My name is Tracy and I blog at Sellabit Mum. No worries as I am neither celibate nor British. I like to say I am just Midwestern and have a headache, but I do have three daughters to prove my “I am not celibate” point. Ahem.  If you want to know how my unusual blog name came about – you can watch my vlog.

I have been blogging for over three years. I started my blog after my last miscarriage as a way to celebrate my then two beautiful daughters and to find joy again. Also blogging is much cheaper than counseling. I’ve always been a very sarcastic person and found that my blog brought out my funny again. I need to laugh at myself and also laugh at my kids, because oh my word kids do strange things.

One day I hope my kids will understand my brilliant sarcasm and not give me blank stares as they are my main audience and are a very tough crowd.

I came by motherhood quite by accident. I mean, I know how it physically happened (wink wink) but never planned it to happen. I was a Marketing Manager for a Fortune 100 company for fifteen years and lived and traveled all over the world and assumed that would be my life until retirement. And then one day I found myself married and pregnant and BOOM my world shifted.  I quit my job when my second daughter was six months old – that was six years ago and I never looked back. I love being at home.

Also after four losses, I found myself pregnant and 40 with our third daughter. She will be two shortly – which makes me 33 if I do my math correctly – and she is the icing on the cake for us. 

Besides blogging, motherhood, and of course gourmet cooking (cough), my husband and I own a small business and I am an independent rep for an incredibly fast growing children’s clothing company which feeds my passion for fashion.

I mainly write humor and love to self-depreciate, vlog off-key songs, and have fun, but I am also intensely into photography – so I tend to get serious when showing pictures of my kids and their emotions that come out in those shots.  They speak to me and at times bring me to tears as I never knew how amazing motherhood could be.

I hope you will come over and say hi and laugh a bit or tell me how awesome my skin looks for my age.  I am so excited to be here today. Thank you, Heather – you have such an incredible community!”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter! New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members! *To be considered as a Featured TMC Blogger, be sure to comment and visit this week’s feature! Have a great weekend ladies!

{ 42 Comments }
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