In a sea of thousands upon thousands of bloggers, it is seemingly getting more and more challenging to draw in a loyal fan base, especially for new bloggers. With so many good blogs out there to read and so little time, YOU want to be one of the blogs on everyone’s “must read” list so you have to think about setting yourself apart from the many blogs that are already out there…

Here are the five rules I live by since I began this blog that seem to be the necessary elements consistent with maintaining a successful blog:

The Five B’s of Blogging:

1. Be relevant: We have all heard from the pros that it’s important to find your niche and know your audience. I think the more critical aspect of this idea is to be relevant. Who wants to read about topics that are clearly not interesting or posts that have no meaning or purpose? Keep content placed in an authentic context for your readers. This is a great way to bring readers back as you write about topics that they can relate to. Blog about ideas that will create meaning for your readers; you want your posts to resonate with your audience and keeping the content relevant will help you to achieve that.

2. Be original: Nobody wants to read a blogger that appears and sounds like an already established blogger. Everything should be unique from blog design down to the core of the writing. Keep your blog authentic and original. Don’t ever try to be like another blogger – it.just.won’t.work. Original bloggers are successful because they are original. Make your own mark in the blogosphere and make it count. Nobody likes a copy-cat.

3. Be thought-provoking: Whether your writing is rich with sarcasm, filled with humor or dripping with raw honesty, stick to what you know and do it well. Know your own voice and make it work for you. You want readers to walk away thinking about your post. Some of my best posts have come from thought-provoking ideas that generate discussion in the blogosphere and these are the kind of posts that have made an impact and gave first time visitors a reason for returning.

4. Be engaging: Stay active in conversation with your readers. Constantly make connections and make yourself available through social media. Ask questions within a post or encourage readers to begin a dialogue about the current discussion. Strike up conversation on Twitter and reach out to your audience. Showing your readers that you are available and that you want the interaction will keep them engaged as well.

5. Be yourself: Own your content. Be confident in yourself and what you publish. Know who you are and what you stand for. Set your own ground own rules and live by them. Don’t ever compromise your integrity as a person, writer or blogger just for the sake of a post. Maintaining your readers’ trust is everything, so continue to define your own space and blog about the things that you are passionate about. Stay true to who you are throughout this process and this will easily translate to your readers.

Do any of these strategies make your list? As a blogger, what advice have you found to be useful? 

Men’s Wearhouse was founded in the early 1970’s by George Zimmer. The very first store opened in Houston, Texas and by the late 1990’s this company was operating numerous stores from coast to coast. Men’s Wearhouse is committed to offering customers the highest quality professional clothing at affordable prices including expert tailoring, perfect fit and outstanding service which makes this brand truly stand out among some of its competitors. My husband was given a fabulous opportunity to put this commitment to the test…

We recently visited our local Men’s Wearhouse store. As we entered, we were warmly greeted and immediately given one-on-one assistance. Men’s Wearhouse wants to be your clothier for life and with such immediate and great service we understand why this company has been so successful in forming real relationships with its customers.

We met one of the store managers and he gave us a brief overview of the Men’s Wearhouse philosophy. He was so knowledgeable and informative. My husband and I knew any question would be answered accurately and honestly about the store, the clothing and the brand itself. And so, the Men’s Wearhouse experience began. First, the store manager properly measured my husband for a comfortable fitting…

He then started to select some suit jackets for my husband to try on. Based on what my husband was looking for in terms of color, style and cut, the store manger selected various suit jackets in different colors, cuts and styles that he thought would be a perfect match for my husband…

And after a few tries, my husband actually had a hard time choosing! They all looked perfect on him!

But when he finally found this one, he knew it was the “right” look for him.

And since we had our son with us, the store manager didn’t want him to feel left out so he grabbed a suit jacket especially designed for children and helped him to look just like Daddy. My son was thrilled!

“A future Men’s Wearhouse client…”

So, after my husband chose the perfect suit jacket the store manager grabbed the matching pants and my husband was off to his official fitting at the back of the store. An expert tailor came out to accurately customize the suit to fit my husband’s body. Once his fitting was complete, we then met with the store manage again at the front of the store to review all of the other suit options. This included various shoes, shirts, ties and accessories. The store manager worked with us to pick and choose that perfect “look” that my husband was going for. Each option was laid out on the table with an explanation and things to think about…

This is what you call excellent service. The store manager was there to answer all of our questions and provide sound advice, especially when we couldn’t make a decision on our own! And in the end, my husband looked awesome.

You can find a Men’s Wearhouse store near you here and follow Men’s Wearhouse on Twitter and Facebook.

The other reason I am so excited to share this post with you is because Men’s Wearhouse is hosting the third annual National Suit Drive during the month of September.

Men’s Wearhouse is partnering with over 200 nonprofit organizations across the country and during this event, every Men’s Wearhouse and Men’s Wearhouse & Tux stores will act as drop off locations for used professional clothing. This drive will provide men in need with the appropriate professional attire to transition back into the workforce. For many of these men in crisis, the clothing they receive from this National Suit Drive will give them a boost in confidence. Simply knowing that they will be appropriately dressed will assist them as they embark on the road to new opportunities.

Men’s Wearhouse knows that this kind of impact made by helping these men will in turn affect their families and communities in a positive way. Clothing donations collected from every Men’s Wearhouse store is then directed to local nonprofit organizations. To find a non-profit near you benefitting from National Suit Drive, click here:

You know I love comments and I look forward to hearing some feedback on this review. Moreover, what I would love, love, love for you to do is help to spread the word about The National Suit Drive – a great cause hosted by Men’s Wearhouse. You can simply copy and paste the following to tweet:

Visit local @Mens_Wearhouse store to drop off used clothing for National Suit Drive event. Details @ThetaMom http://bit.ly/bkFBBi Please RT

So not only is this a company my husband will visit again and again based on this amazing experience, but this is a company we can both proudly say is living up the their commitment and full expectations: offering customers the highest quality professional clothing at affordable prices including expert tailoring, perfect fit and outstanding service. In addition, this is the kind of company that is hosting a National Suit Drive to give back to those who need it most – and really, what’s better than that?

Theta Mom was contacted by Men’s Wearhouse and provided a $750 trade certificate to shop at Men’s Wearhouse in exchange for publishing a piece about the Men’s Wearhouse experience. These are my own, honest opinions reflective of my husband’s experience from a recent visit to our local Men’s Wearhouse store.

I yelled at her.

Over a spilled cup of juice.

I barked at him for not listening. It was one of those days…

After I put the kids to bed upon a very exhausting day, I was up late mopping the sticky kitchen floor because of the spilled juice from earlier and suddenly, I felt even more annoyed. The last thing I wanted to do so late at night was mop the floor and there I was, mopping the floor.

Tired. Cranky. Done.

You know the kind of day I am describing – when you just wish the long day would come to an end already. The kind of day that screams, “You need some time to yourself for your own sanity.” But as tired as I was at that point, getting into bed actually didn’t sound appealing. I needed some time alone.

So instead of writing, tweeting or watching some senseless reality television, I stumbled upon a random episode of Mystery Diagnosis. I instantly became engrossed in a particular documentary and hung on every word of this compelling story. It was about an 11 month-old baby who was having very strange symptoms happen all at once and soon this baby and her symptoms became a mystery to doctors; they didn’t have a concrete diagnosis. The situation went from bad to worse and ultimately, this baby was fighting for her life.

The images I saw in that video were horrifying.

And as hard as it was to watch, I continued, staring at the screen in sheer agony and listening to this mother speak about the distress of such a dramatic and terrifying situation. My heart was breaking for this woman and her baby. I couldn’t even imagine the pain this mother endured as she watched her little innocent baby slowly taken over by this horrible, horrible illness. It turns out it was an attack on her immune system and doctors still aren’t completely sure why it happened.

When the documentary ended I was motionless – almost breathless.

I couldn’t get those images of that baby out of my head.

I looked down at my clean kitchen floor and saw the lonely mop standing in the corner and I thought of the events that occurred earlier in my home. I felt so guilty for yelling at my daughter over some spilled juice and being so short with my son. In the midst of my own crankiness, some desperate woman was holding the hand of her 11 month-old baby who was fighting for her life in a hospital bed hoping that her baby would make it through the night and *I* was the mother screaming at her kid over a sippy cup.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that mother…

I couldn’t stop thinking about that baby…

I wanted to run upstairs, wake my kids up and tell them how sorry I was for being so snappy earlier. I wanted to tell them how much I love them and that they are my entire universe. I wanted to hold them and explain that they mean everything to me – and that I am not perfect. I wanted them to know that tomorrow is another day and mommy gets another opportunity to make this thing right…

We are all hard working moms with our own crosses to bear in life and we all deal with different issues. But when you read or hear about another family and the heartache they experience with the unstable and unpredictable health of their child, as well as dealing with the fear of potentially losing that child, well, that’s just something I cannot.even. imagine.

Yes, I managed to live out another parent fail - but one that certainly put things in perspective for me.

TMC welcomes Kat from Today’s Cliché. I found Kat through this fabulous community and was intrigued by the fact that she blogs with her husband! Yes, that’s right. Today’s Cliché is co-written by a husband and wife team. They make a great pair, writing about posts that are so relevant to us all. And the title of their blog couldn’t be any more fitting!

Meet Kat and her family – and this is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ve fooled most everyone. The perception just might be (which is NOT, in my case, reality) that I have it all together. Four kids, a bustling business, and a He Said/ She Said Blog with the hubs. I’m lucky enough to also be married to this same guy: my soul mate. At BlogHer three weeks ago, I cannot even count on two hands the number times I got the “and your husband BLOGS WITH YOU? I can’t even get mine to READ my blog!”  Hubs claims it’s because he gets to call me out in a public forum with no recourse. He loves Today’s Cliché because he can nail me on all of my idiosyncrasies for which there are no words; in fact, often he actually gets my peeps (mainly girls) to side with him. The nerve!

On Today’s Cliché, it will be apparent that I’m simply just a spaz at heart. I’m the one who makes lists upon lists upon lists upon lists; for myself, the sitter, my husband, and my kids. I don’t miss one detail.  Ironically, as the car heaves away with my family of six in tow… (picture the most obscene caricature drawing in your head right now) and we are a good hour from home I scream: “AHHHHHH!  I FORGOT the … (you name it: driver’s license, the ticket, the BABY!).

I focus on all of the wrong things: the things for which I cannot control. Whether it’s what I desperately want from Overstock.com that’s going to sell out before I save enough cash to buy it (we’re on a serious debt diet – it stinks). Or, worrying about where my kindergartner will go to for Middle School. Or, I obsess over calculating if my roots will be grown out from the overpriced salon appointment I just had — exposing all of my gray follicles — by the time Bloggy Boot Camp in Philly rolls around.  Another constant worry: if I’m going to offend anyone in my posts. I need to get over all of those things. Again, I focus on the wrong things: those of which I can’t control.

Please tell me you can relate. Misery loves company (although I am far from miserable today! Heck, my kids all went back to school this morning. The most wonderful time — and DAY — of the year)! I need to get to know more imperfect women so I don’t feel like such a failure, some days.”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter!

New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*Instead of leaving a comment here, please show some love directly on the blog of the Featured TMC Blogger. Have a fabulous weekend ladies!!!

Hotels.com knows that a much needed vacation, especially a free one, can relieve stress like nothing else. They recently launched an “I Need a Vacation” promotion for a grand prize winner to receive a vacation for life. Yes, this sweepstakes proves that Hotels.com is not only a smart way to plan your next vacation, but certainly the most rewarding.

So how do you enter for your chance to win a vacation for life? Simply visit this promotion and upload the most creative, funny and compelling photo of yourself that would best highlight why YOU deserve a vacation! The contest is currently in full swing and ends on September 6th. In addition to the grand prize, there are plenty of chances to win daily giveaways which include a Flip Ultra Camcorder!

Here’s how:

By uploading a picture to this sweepstakes, not only do you become entered into the grand prize drawing but you also have the chance to win a Flip Ultra camcorder if you receive the most votes for that day! Even if you don’t upload a photo but vote for your favorite photo, you will still be entered into a random daily drawing that gives you the opportunity to win a Flip Ultra camcorder of your own! You can increase your chances of winning the grand prize or the daily drawing for a Flip Ultra camcorder by recruiting your friends and family to vote on your uploaded photo daily.

But wait, there’s even more.

Hotels.com values the readership of Theta Mom and knows that a Theta Mom certainly deserves her own vacation! So, are you ready for the most amazing giveaway ever?

Hotels.com is going to give one lucky Theta Mom reader either a one-night stay at Hotel Maya, a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel in Long Beach, California or a one-night stay at The Alex Hotel in New York City {winner will choose which hotel} AND a Flip Ultra camcorder right here @Theta Mom! One other lucky Theta Mom reader will be selected to win a Flip Ultra camcorder as well!

That’s right! There will be one winner selected at random directly from this blog who will win their choice of a free hotel stay in either Long Beach, CA or New York City and win a Flip Ultra camcorder AND the runner up from this contest will receive a Flip Ultra camcorder as well. Two winners!!! Is this an amazing giveaway or what???

How to Enter The Free Night Hotel Stay & Flip Ultra Camcorder Giveaway:

Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly {and tell me you are} AND click here to enter the “I Need a Vacation” sweepstakes by either voting for an existing photo {tell me which photo you voted for} or upload your own photo and tell me you did. 

Want an extra entry? Copy and tweet the following as often as you like: Enter @ThetaMom to win a Flip Ultra Camcorder & Free Night Hotel Stay from @hotelsdotcom http://bit.ly/9iM3nx Please RT

Have fun with this contest and good luck!!

*This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on September 6th. Two winners will be selected at random using random.org and will be contacted via email. I was contacted by Fanscape to help facilitate this promotion and was provided a Flip Ultra camcorder in exchange for publishing a piece about this campaign.

That should be the mantra which reminds us of the most challenging yet satisfying job we perform every single day.

Once I gave birth to my son I went back to work full-time. I was a complete work-out-of-the-home-mom with a great career. As I dropped my son off at day-care, my days were suddenly filled with feelings of abandonment and worry. I had a brutal commute and left my house (with baby in tow) pulling out of my driveway by 6:20 am to get to work by 8. I felt the daily pressure of trying to make it to work on time while sitting in traffic and was always under the stress of having to take time off when my son got sick. I performed my long “day” job and returned to my “other” full-time job as mom by night…

When I walked through the door close to 5 pm, dinner was waiting to be cooked, the family was ready to be fed and then there was the clean up that would ensue, bath time to be taken care of and the rest of the all-inclusive routine. But wait, didn’t I deserve at least five minutes to play with my kid since I didn’t see him all day? It was hard. Harder than I could have ever imagined.

Then I got pregnant with Baby #2. When my daughter was born I took a very long maternity leave. It was at this time that I became the complete stay-at-home-mom. Suddenly, my very long days were filled with an unsettled crying baby and a very active toddler who needed me to entertain him every five minutes…

I missed earning a paycheck. I missed the conversations at work. I longed to have more stimulating conversation over lunch other than baby talk. Actually, I missed sitting down at the table longer than five minutes to finish my lunch in peace. As much as I loved being home with my kids I felt isolated and alone. It was hard. Harder than I could have ever imagined.

Currently, I am a work-at-home mom and I constantly juggle the time with my kids and the appropriate time to fulfill my job. I like getting a paycheck again and occupying my mind with a position I am passionate about. But I do not have a Nanny or a sitter so in essence, I work in addition to being a full-time mom…

I juggle conference calls in between naps and play-dates and I respond to the majority of my emails at snack time. I miss my work wardrobe and those face-to-face conversations with my co-workers. And although I love the opportunity to see my kids’ faces everyday, this comes with a price and tons of sacrifice. I rarely have any “down” time since my life is dedicated to taking care of the kids and maintaining a job. It is hard. Harder than I could have ever imagined.

I don’t care if you are a work-out-of-the-home-mom, a stay-at-home-mom, or a work-at-home mom, nobody has it any easier.

We are moms, Theta Moms, and EVERY mom is a hard working mom. Period.

Since the launch of TMC, I am so proud to say that we are currently almost 500 members strong and continue to grow daily. I still receive feedback from bloggers sharing that they have found some really great readers from this site and others have shared that they found some real bloggy friends here. Bloggers are beginning to find their own “tribe” with fellow TMC members. Those connections are amazing and THAT is what this whole thing is about.

So I thought I would have a button made that represented TMC even better than before…and so here it is:

How adorable is this new button? So please grab it from the right sidebar and replace it with the old one as this is again linked directly to the TMC page.

And thank you for continuing to support this mission. I also must add that my reply to comments plug-in was previously not emailing my replies in the last couple of weeks but that is now fixed! I can reply through email again! YAY!

So yes, I will admit it’s a Saturday night and my kids (even my husband) are in bed. And what am I doing? Posting about my new bling and sharing my excitement over an awesome working comment plug-in. If you are a blogger, you TOTALLY understand my happiness in that last sentence.

So come talk to me – because now when I reply, I won’t be hearing crickets anymore.

TMC welcomes Gigi, author of the blog Kludgy Mom. I met Gigi from this very community and I have seen her blog go through many fantastic transformations over the last few months. She moved to WordPress, updated her blog design and even changed her domain name! In doing so, she is now in a really great space and ready to share it with you! I also love her definition of a “Kludgy Mom.” Gigi is such a supportive blogger and has been an avid Theta Mom reader since the launch of TMC.

Meet Gigi and this is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“I used to work in high tech marketing. There’s a term in tech called kludge – which is an inelegant solution to a problem – basically, a patched-together fix. When I started blogging, “kludge” kept popping into my head: it applies to parenting, too!  A *kludgy mom* (clue-gee mom) is a mom who uses clumsy or inelegant, yet effective, solutions to household and parenting problems. A kludgy mom practices the art of embracing a life lived haphazardly. A kludgy mom doesn’t follow a project plan. A kludgy mom makes things up as she goes along. A kludgy mom is not perfect, nor elegant, and often screws up. But somehow, it all works. I’m a kludgy mom. Maybe you are too.

I’m also a recovering lawyer, fumbling foodie, SAHM and displaced Californian now mired in the suburbs of Austin, TX. I have two kids, Boy Wonder, age 7, and Little CEO, age 5. My stories are heavy on the snark with a little bit of sap thrown in for good measure. I’m not afraid to talk about the elephant in the room. I try to make my blog a place where people can feel like they’re having cocktails with a good friend. No judgments, but no holds barred. I hope you’ll come and join me!”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter!

New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*Instead of leaving a comment here, please show some love directly on the blog of the Featured TMC Blogger. Have a fabulous weekend ladies!!!

When I first began my blog I wrote a post about some of the fears I experienced once I became a mother. I made this revelation as I gave birth; the things I used to worry about growing up as a child myself could never pale in comparison to those I would feel as a mother.

I wrote that post almost exactly one year ago (to the date) and now that my children are a year older I notice my fears or worries continue to change. Yes, I still fear that my kids may choke on a hotdog or that they could potentially drown in a pool. I fear that they will feel unbearable pain if they fall and hurt themselves and the list goes on…

But as the new school year quickly draws near, I now have a new set of Theta Mom worries that are beginning to show their face.

My son has a severe nut allergy and I worry about how it will go at pre-school as he sits at the “allergy” table. Last year, he sat with one other child and it seemed to be fine (as he did not feel isolated or alone) but will this year go just as well? Will he have another successful year and will he mesh well with his new teacher?

My daughter on the other hand will be turning two and this will be her very first experience out of the home. She will be attending a toddler program two mornings a week and I do worry about this very first experience for her. Will she cry? Will she not care? Will she do well and work well with the teachers and the other kids?

As much as these worries and fears sometimes encompass my entire being, I try to settle in and focus on what I can do as a mother to ensure my kids feel good about these “new” experiences. It’s sort of like entering the unknown for all of us and these are the times no matter how you slice it can be a little scary.

As a little girl I used to worry about rocks getting stuck in my jelly shoes. At that time, that was my biggest concern in life…

Once again, somehow rocks in my jellies just don’t quite make the list anymore.

Do you worry about the new school year approaching? How do you settle your own fears and how does this translate to your kids?

***This contest is now closed. Congratulations Tara! An email has been sent.***

Storkie Express has been in business for twenty years and this company is dedicated to fulfilling all of your printing needs. The Storkie team is truly committed to providing customer satisfaction through quality production and outstanding service while maintaining affordable prices. They also pride themselves on creating an easy to navigate website to easily place orders as they make this process seamless from start to finish. I reviewed 20 custom birthday invitations (which I cannot display here since it contains my personal information). However, take a look at some of the gorgeous designs offered by Storkie Express:

What impressed me most about this company was the complete customer service and how easy it was to place my order. I was able to customize my invitation (including font style, size and specific wording) directly on the invitation. I was also able to easily upload my own photos and revise the card flawlessly to my own personal style. The processing portion of my order was just a few clicks away and my cards arrived to my home very quickly! I was also fully satisfied with the fantastic quality of the printing and the images of my chosen photographs on the cards. Overall, it was a great experience to work with Storkie and I would highly recommend them for any of your printing needs!

You can shop the array of beautiful Birth Announcements, Baby Shower Invitations, Birthday Invitations and it’s not too early to think about Christmas Cards either! There are so many adorable designs to choose from! You can also find Storkie on Facebook and follow on Twitter!

The Giveaway:

Storkie Express is offering one lucky Theta Mom reader a $50 gift certificate to shop at Storkie and what’s even better is I made this so easy for you to enter! Simply leave a comment telling me how you would spend the $50 by visiting Storkie and be sure to follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

Want an extra entry? Copy and tweet the following as often as you like: Leave a comment @ThetaMom to win $50 to shop @Storkie #giveaway http://bit.ly/atIsz3 Please RT

*This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only and will end on August 26th. One winner will be selected at random using random.org and will be contacted via email. I was provided 20 custom ordered Birthday Invitations from Storkie Express. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own, honest opinions about the product which are reflective of my experience.