New Beginnings

As we usher in the new year, it is time to celebrate our accomplishments from the previous year, but more importantly, it's time to look ahead to what new adventures 2013 has in store for us!

Nationally, 2012 saw both moments of  great accomplishment and joy as well as moments of grave sorrow. We watched with pride the events of the 2012 London Olympic games. We witnessed Facebook 'go public'. We voted in the 2012 presidential election and (like it or not) re-elected President Barrack Obama to office. And, we held our breath with anticipation as the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world on December 21st. We also watched in horror as the events of  the Colorado theater massacre and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary unfolded before our very eyes. (My thoughts and prayers go out to those babies who senselessly lost their lives as well as their families who must somehow find a way to go on without them.)

Personally, 2012 also gave way to moments of great accomplishment as well as moments of grave sorrow. I (finally) made the commitment to lose weight (35 lbs!!) and get fit once and for all. My husband, John, and I  joyfully celebrated 3 years of a successful marriage. John accepted a new job opportunity. I declined a new job opportunity. My oldest son, Riley, challenged himself by playing TACKLE football for the first time and by learning to play the recorder. My stepson, Khegan, advanced from the k-4 elementary school building to the intermediate school, where he earned straight A's on his first-ever 'big kid' report card. Both of the 'big boys' got sMart phoNes for Christmas (Oh my!)! And, my baby, Micah, developed in to the sweetest, fastest, ornery-est, little chatterbox you can imagine! He is such a tremendous blessing to our family. 

Amidst the happiness of 2012, my family also experienced sorrow following the miscarriage I experienced in April. It was a tough time, but we have faith that God has a master plan for us and that our baby is looking down on us from heaven.

Now, as we embark on a new year, it is a time to look beyond the accomplishments and sorrows of 2012 and focus on New Beginnings!

This year I plan on giving this blogging thing another try AND training for a half marathon.  

Although these may sound like lofty goals, they really go hand in hand. As a busy, working mothers, we need OUTLETS for our stress. We need INTERESTS & hobbies outside of our jobs and our kids. Running is my stress outlet. Blogging is both an interest and a hobby (albeit an old interest and hobby that I had, up until now, given up). And, get this - I can BLoG about ruNnInG!!!! 

Coming soon... check out my half marathon training page.  

Other things I am looking forward to in 2013... paying off the last bit of our credit card debt (can I get a WOOT, WOOT?!), the start (and hopefully completion) of several household maintenance projects, potty training the little man  (maybe), #4 wedding anniversary, continued fitness and weight loss, watching my sons grow into little men, and possibly even a (much-needed) family VACATION!

As I look ahead to my hopes, dreams, and goals for 2013, I - like many others - face doubts in my own abilities. Will I be able to keep up with all the work my goals entail? Will I be able to achieve my goals? What unforeseen circumstances could contribute to my failure? Will I fail? Or, maybe, just maybe, will I taste the sweet taste of success?

What are you looking forward to in 2013? Please drop me a comment and let me know what New Beginnings are in store for you.

Giving this Blogging Thing Another Try...

It's been 2 years since my last blog post... but I've decided to give this blogging thing another try. I've really missed blogging over the last couple of years and I've really missed the new bloggy friends I had met through   blogging, but mainly through Twitter. (Although, I am not quite ready to go back to Twitter yet, but that is probably a whole other post.) 

Why come back to this blog, you ask? Why now? 

Well, honestly, I've thought about returning to this blog several times over the last few years, but I would always get scared and back out. 

Why was I scared, you ask?

Because blogging and tweeting was becoming a little bit of an obsession for me and I no longer knew if I was doing it for the right reasons. I was staying up late writing posts. I had made a "1 post a day" rule for myself. I was tweeting like a mad lady. I felt guilty if I didn't read everyone else's (my friends, followers, and twitter buddies) blog posts daily - it seemed they were all reading my blog fairly regularly so I wanted to reciprocate. Plus reading blogs is almost as fun as writing blog posts! 

But, also, I was eager to expand my blog. And excited about the possibility of earning extra money by advertising and attracting sponsors for my blog. Don't get me wrong - advertising and sponsors are awesome resources for bloggers and what could be more awesome than earning a little extra money doing something you love to do? 

The danger, as I quickly learned, was that instead of blogging because I wanted to blog, I found myself blogging because I had to blog ... in an effort to create and build and expand my brand. And that, my dear friends, was like having a second full time job! It was EXHAUSTING!! Always thinking about what to post for the day, constantly tweeting, constantly promoting ... pumping out post after post, day after day. And, the contests and giveaways! So many contests and reviews and giveaways. The responsibility of it all weighed heavy on me. It makes my heart pound just thinking about the pressure I had put upon myself! 

There I was trying to juggle a full time job, husband, house, 2 active boys, and the demands of pregnancy all while trying to keep up with this blog. It was too much. I just couldn't do it. So... 

I quit.

Actually I "took a break" but as the days turned into weeks, I couldn't brink myself to come back to this blog. I felt embarrassed that I gave up. But I also felt relief from the stress of it all. I had gotten in over my head. I tried to do too much, too soon.

And, I lost the enjoyment of blogging.

Now, after a little over 2 years, I am ready to come back to blogging. SLOWLY. Without the pressure to blog every day. Or even every week. Without the pressure to tweet and promote the blog. This time, I am blogging for ME! And, of course anyone who needs a little support and encouragement once in awhile as we  continue along in this crazy, hectic, AMAZING little journey called motherhood... 

Bloggy Slacker

Yes, I've been a bloggy slacker. The last few weeks have just proven hard to find the time (or energy) to blog.  As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting a baby - after a whole year of battling secondary infertility. I am thrilled to be pregnant, but everything comes with a price.

Two weeks ago I was on bed rest due to something called subchrionic bleeding. Later, my doctor discovered two empty yolk sacks in my uterus. My understanding of that discovery is that there was originally 3 embryos, but only one implanted. Quite the revelation!

Pregnancy has also made me totally, utterly exhausted. Expected, I know. Still it has really thrown me for a loop. It's hard to work all day and then taxi around two 8 year old boys at night. And then homework, dinner, etc. By the time I get all the "must do" stuff completed, I am whooped! No energy to blog.

And, can you believe, I haven't been feeling the Twitter thing either lately?! That's just not normally like me. Maybe I'm in a funk? But I really don't feel like I am ... I am just tired. I am focusing every. single. stitch. of energy that I have on getting through me day.

Oh, and I thought I was going to avoid the morning sickness thing this time around - wrong! Still, it's not as bad as it was with my first pregnancy, but I am still having some nausea..

Last week, Khegan's grandfather passed away. I know I may have mentioned this to some of you before on Twitter. Khegan was very close to his Pappie. His mother lives/lived with her mom and dad so Khegan saw Pappie frequently. It was very tough on him (and still is). It's been an ordeal for our entire stepfamily. Emotionally exhausting.

Then, just last weekend one of my best friends got married. I was in the wedding of course. I had to juggle all the pre-wedding events with Khegan's grandfather's funeral events. It was challenging, but I managed. The wedding was beautiful and everyone had a great time.

I am going to try my bestest to get back on the bloggy train. There is no way I am going to be posting every day like I was for awhile. But, I am going to try to post 2 to 3 times a week. So please don't give up on me! =)

Twitter 101

Tweet much? If you do, then this post is for you! Whether you are new to Twitter or a veteran Tweeter, there are some common courtesies you should be aware of whenever you are interacting with folks in the Twitterverse.

Today I did my research for this blog post by asking my Tweeps about their biggest #PetPeeve when it comes to #TwitterEtiquette. Before I reveal to you the biggest Twitter faux pas that people commonly make, I will review some #TwitterBasics, #TwitterTerms, and #TwitterTools that you will find most helpful.

#TwitterBasics

# = Hashtag Use this to identify and search for special topics
RT = Retweet Your Tweets repeated by others
140 = The max number of characters in a Tweet  
            (hint: use less than 140 so ppl can RT)
@ = Mention - One of your Tweeples is tweeting at you!  
           (hint: no space after @ ie. @NewBreedMama)
CAPITAL LETTERS = SSHH! YOU ARE SHOUTING!!
*italics* = Use the * symbol before and after a word for emphasis, OR
                   to symbolize action *blushing*
::Hugs:: = Expression of love and support

#TwitterTerms (and commonly used lingo)
 
MM = Mention Monday #MM
FF = Follow Friday #FF
Wordless Wednesday = Specific to Mommy Bloggers >> Post with Pic Only
Thx4RT! = Thank you for the retweet
WOOT! = Hooray, Yippee, Yahoo
SQUEE = How exciting or "Look at me! I'm a cheerleader!" Lol - you get the picture
LOL = Laughing out loud. If you don't know that one, we may have a wee problem... #JustSayin
LMAO = Laughing my ass off!
ROTFLMAO = Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off!
Shout Out = Acknowledging someone  (ie. Here's a shout out to @MaryBeauty for giving me the idea for this post!)

#TwitterTools

HooteSuite & TweetDeck = Apps to help you tweet more efficiently
Qwitter = Find out who "unfollowed" you
Friend or Follow = Find out if your followers follow back

Lists = Make Lists for ppl you follow the most 

Random Helpful Hint: Those links at the bottom of a tweet - they help you follow the conversation.

That's just some basic information to help you get started with Twitter. Keep in mind that when tweeting in 140 character phrases everything is in shorthand. :) And emoticons are used A LOT. =) If you don't know what something means, feel free to ask. Your tweeples will help you out! My best advice for getting more followers is to join the conversation!!

And with no further ado...

#TwitterEtiquette and #PetPeeves (Faux pas you don't want to make!)

If someone @'s you, do NOT ignore them. I mean, we all know that it can be easy to overlook a tweet here or there, but to CONSTANTLY ignore someone tweeting directly at you - SO not cool. Especially, ESPECIALLY if you tweet with them often!

If you tweet with someone regularly, follow them. Don't be a #TwitterSnob. Nuff said.

Tweet more than just links!! Ok so maybe around 30-40% of your tweets can be links to your site, other sites, you blog, etc. But if ALL you tweet is links, you'll get unfollowed quicker than you can say #FollowFriday.

No spamming! No one wants to follow a spammer.

Auto DM's from TrueTwit... Annoying a hell.

Auto DM's are ANNOYING!! Period. Especially if they are self-promoting links.

Be original! If ALL or MOST of your tweets are RTs no one will pay attention. If you continue to rephrase the same tweets over and over again, BORING!

Follow Back Y'all!! If you create a Twitter Follow Linky, then follow the people that link up, k?

Keep private information private. Common sense people! No weird sex talk, etc. That is the CORRECT use for DMs #WeirdSexTalk.

Don't be an ASSHOLE. Be polite. Be courteous. Be respectful. Once you tweet, it's out there.

Paid Tweets! Ok, I can see the temptation in this. Actually, I am guilty of Sponsored Tweeting (I even have a button on my blog *puts head down*) BUT if ALL of your tweets are SPONSORED - who is going to want to follow you? Really?

Twitter is a fun social networking tool. Just tweet with care & avoid these common faux pas to make the most out of your tweets. And don't forget to HAVE FUN!!

Would love to know your thoughts! Was this article helpful? Did I miss any of your #PetPeeves? Comment below and join the conversation. While you are here, I would love it if you'd take time to follow my blog with GFC and to Follow me on Twitter @NewBreedMama.

Not Going to BlogHer? What's Your Excuse?

This week is BlogHer week. BlogHer '10 will be held on Friday August 7th and Saturday August 8th in the Big Apple. Bloggy Mommies everywhere are packing up and heading to New York City! The Tweet-waves are filled with talks of BlogHer.

The #BlogHer hashtag is everywhere! What to pack? What to wear? What parties to go to? What talks to attend? Will you be my roommate at BlogHer? Can I get your cell number so I can call you at BlogHer? I can't post a giveaway this week - it's BlogHer! My BlogHer Sponsor is such & such. My BlogHer BFF is so & so. I hope I can I lose 10 lbs before BlogHer!

Give me a Freakin' Break with the BlogHer Talk Aleady!!!

But really, I know that is just my jealousy talking...

The truth is, this mama is not going to BlogHer - and I am a little sad about it.

There are a variety of reasons I am not attending BlogHer this year. I am a newbie blogger. I really wasn't that interested in it - until I started hearing all the #BlogHer Twitter talk... I didn't know enough to register for the conference. I didn't have a sponsor. I had a family vacation planned right before BlogHer. I couldn't take the extra time off work. My son's 8th birthday party will be held over the weekend of BlogHer. 

But again, I am sad I will not be a part of it.

Blogging is a whole new world to me. A New Breed of Mom just had it's three month birthday. Since starting this blog, I have met such a fabulous group of strong, independent woman who are also mothers. So often, we, as mothers and wives and sisters and daughters and friends, lose sight of our true selves.

Blogging is a way to stay in touch with the "me" part of me. I think it's probably like that for many of you too. Yes, we blog about our children and our families and our marriages. The difference is we blog about this stuff for us. Not them. From our own perspectives, we share the most intimate details about our lives. We share our inner-most thoughts, feelings, goals, and dreams.

That is why I can relate to everyone who is getting so worked up about this event. At BlogHer you meet your counter-parts. Other mommy bloggers. You put faces - real live, human, faces - with the user-names you are used to seeing comment on your posts. All of the sudden, it becomes REAL. You are exposed. Naked. The content of your blog is no longer some form of therapeutic relief or online diary. People have read what you wrote. And they are REAL people. And now, you must face them, face-to-face. In real life. Scary, right?

If you're like me, you may be saying, "I really don't give a damn what other people think about me." But wait. Even if you don't give a damn about what other people think, if you're a blogger (especially a serious enough blogger to be attending a conference about blogging), you DO give a damn about the readership of your blog. And if you generate a substantial income off of your blog, then your readership is that much more important to sustain.

Hmmm.  

Then the self-doubt sets in. What if they don't like me in person? Will they stop reading my blog?

Once that self-doubt sets in, it is logical, it is human nature, to want to protect yourself from any possible threats of harm - whether real or imagined. And our mommy-blogger counterparts, like us, are sophisticated, worldly women capable of anything they set their minds to. Just a tad bit intimidating, right? So we go out and get our hair colored, get our nails done, get a pedicure, buy a whole new wardrobe - you get the drift.

So, yes, I am sick of the BlogHer talk, but I TOTALLY understand the hype and the excitement for those of you who will be attending. You will get to meet each other. In real life.

Next year, maybe, I'll get to be part of BlogHer 2011. If I can get a sponsor...

My First Ever Wordless Wednesday Post

Have you ever watched those bloopers shows? Or the outtakes at the end of a T.V. show or movie? That's what this Wordless Wednesday post is all about. My family's bloopers. Enjoy!

Mama Lindsay's New Do!

Papa John's Silly Grin

Khegan the Rapper

Riley the Rapper

The One With the Cows

Grrrr!!!!

The One With the Okapi Butt

 (Look in the background!)

Don't Talk to Me Until I've Had My Coco Puffs!

Don't Drop Me Dad!

Don't Drop Me Mom!

 

Did You LICK the Cake?!!

These Are Our Excited Faces

Liquid Courage

(wedding day jitters!)

It Itch's!

(look at Khegan's hand...)

Guest Bloggers Wanted

We are leaving for vacation one week from today! And I am so ready for a vacation! This has been a busy (bi-zee!) summer. Time is just flying by. Between the pool, baseball games, and visits with grandparents; our boys have been on the move all summer long! John is not liking his job very much this summer. He is a manager in a distribution center and their warehouse is not air-conditioned! It's torture for him. And me? Well, I work at a slow-paced, cushy, desk job in a nice, air-conditioned office. Still, I am READY for a break!

Next Saturday we are packing up and driving north to South Haven Michigan - a lazy vacation town off of Lake Michigan. (The picture of the beach that you see above is an actual picture of the beach in South Haven MI!) My mom and stepdad have rented a big cottage there and we will be spending our vacation with them as well as my two stepsisters and their families. I've never been to South Haven before, but my mom and stepdad frequently go there for weekend getaways. In addition to a cottage right on the beach, there is also a 'kids club'. A place where you can drop off your kids for several hours each morning and each evening! This thrills me to no end, because this means we will be able to have some "grown-up time" during our family vacation! How cool is that?!

Here's my dilemma. I do not want to worry about blogging while we are on vacation. (And, actually, according to my mom, they may not have Wi-Fi there! I know, right? No internet!) Initially, I was prepared to post a message informing my readers that I was laying on the beach, soaking up the sun, and that I would be back soon. However, I think that would just disappoint my readers to no end. I mean, how would you survive a whole week without my stimulating blog posts, right?

Being the still kinda-sorta newbie blogger that I am; I did not know that there was a way to set up an auto-post and post a pre-written blog automatically on the date and time that I select. Thanks to all the highfalutin, fabutastic mommy bloggers that I rub elbows with every day on Twitter, I now know that setting up auto-posts is an option. (Thanks guys!) So I think I may take advantage of that and pre-write a post or two to publish while we're away. On vacation. I did mention we are leaving for vacation next week, didn't I? Can't you tell I'm excited?

Still, even with the advantageous ability to auto-post some of my own, pre-written blogs, I want to find a way to keep my readers entertained and hanging around while I'm away.

That is why I am looking for a handful of guest bloggers to help me fill in the gaps. This is how it will work. My guest blogger(s) will submit their posts to me via email by Thursday evening of this week, which is July 22nd. (If you are thinking, gee this girl sure gives people a lot of notice, please understand that this is a last minute idea from a newbie blogger just learning the ropes.) Anyways, I will use this sweet, awesome, cool auto-post thing to publish the guest posts throughout the week I am on vacation. Did I mention I am going on vacation? :)

What's in it for you? 1 million dollars. No, wait - I don't have a million dollars. But I'd like a million dollars. Let me know if you know how I can get a million dollars. Ok, ok - sidetracked again. As a guest blogger you would get 1) a warm and fuzzy feeling for helping out a friend in need, 2) the opportunity to pull in some new readers because, of course, I would promote your blog in the guest post, AND, now here's the kicker, 3) I would owe you. Yep, that's right - I would owe you. When you and yours take off to the beach for a week (or camping, or boating, or going on a cruise, or whatever) you can cash in your IOU and I will return the favor.

If you're interested send an email to NewBreedMama@yahoo.com or direct message me on twitter or even comment on this post and let me know! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Grab a Button! Share a Button!

This New Breed Mama is getting more and more crafty every day!!! Today, I got my new business cards in the mail from Vista Print! They (Vista Print) are awesome, by the way, and they have GREAT deals going on too!

Anyhow, it inspired me to get rid of the old 'plain Jane' button that I had, and make a pretty, new button that replicates what's on my business cards. (Matching blog button and business cards! How cool is that?!) AND I made them all by myself ... with the help of some wonderful directions given by Mommy Moment Blog.

So I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE if you would grab my button and link it to your sight! AND if you do... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know b/c I would be HAPPY to return the favor!!

Writers Block

Today has been a long day. I’ve worked my normal eight hour day and then I met some friends for a few drinks after work. That’s something I rarely do, but since my boys are not home this week it seemed appropriate to spend a night out with the girls! I didn’t stay out too late because I really wanted to spend some quality time with my hubby tonight.

However, when I got home hubs was in the middle of a TV show and did not seem to get my subtle hints that I wanted his attention. (He can be dense like that sometimes!) Now, most of the time, when my subtle hints are not working, I have no problem giving very direct hints. Example – “I want you to turn that television off and talk to me! Your wife needs your attention and she needs it now!” But, tonight, for some reason, I did not resort to direct hints and retreated upstairs to write.

My blog is my passion and my baby, so to speak, but I also, in an attempt to better my writing skills (remember over-arching goal = book deal!), have been doing some freelance writing. AND, I actually get paid for the freelance writing gig – not much, but it’s real money. So, when I retreated upstairs to the loft to write, I first made the edits to the article for the freelance gig. Then, when I moved on to my bloggy writing, I instantly found myself facing a bad case of writers block.

Writers block is a new experience for me because, well, I am a woman with a lot to say. My first instinct was to come up with some masterful piece about now being a member of Top Mommy Blogs and how everyone should vote for me… which, by the way, you should definitively vote for me. Let me pause for a moment and direct your attention to the pretty little picture in the upper right hand corner of my blog that says “Top Mommy Blogs – Vote for Us!” All you have to do is click on the little button… I know you want to… just click it, already!

After considering writing what would have been a very-much-so self-promoting article about how great it would be for everyone to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and also to follow my blog (lower left hand side of screen folks!), I decided against it figuring no one would want to read a blog about how great I think my blog is – that would just be way too self-centered.

Then, the next thought that popped into my head was writing an article about how to talk to your child about death. My husband and I recently found out that one of my stepson’s relatives, to whom he is very-super-a-lot close to, was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer. This relative was told he has only months to live and I am very concerned about how we are going to approach the subject with my stepson, who will no doubt be heart-broken.

But then I decided that it is still too touchy of an issue and would take a lot of energy (that I don’t have at 11:30 at night) to write an article about that subject. So, I took a break from writing and tucked my hubby into bed – he likes it when I tuck him into bed.

Now I am sitting here at my computer blogging about not having anything to blog about. And I’m reading what I have just written above and thinking that it probably makes me look like a very insensitive person to be thinking about self-promoting things like Top Mommy Blogs and serious family issues like death all in the same thought process.

Really though, I am a very sensitive person and always try to consider how my actions could impact other people. Even as I sit here and write this I am thinking about how you (the reader) might be feeling about the content of my rambling blog post. And, on that note, I think that I am thinking way too much and it is past my bedtime.

The Sugar Doll Blog Award!

Cate from RealLifewithKids gave me my first ever blog award! I'm so excited! The Sugar Doll Award is an award for your favorite blogs! However, there are rules for the giving and receiving of the Sugar Doll Blog Award...

Rules are as follows:

1.Thank the person who gave it to you!

2.Share 10 things about yourself

3.Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think rock!

4.Contact the bloggers and let them know you’ve picked them for the award.

So....

Thank you! Thank you, Cate! You rock! Love RealLifewithKids and I would give this award right back to ya, but I HATE chain letters/emails so I won't do that you, BUT all of y'all should check her out! This girl's has some bloggin skills!

Now, let's see... Ten things about myself... This should be easy, but I am trying to think up some amusing little facts that you may not already know...

1. I bite my nails

2. I hate mushrooms

3. I was born on Thanksgiving Day

4. I LOVE country music!

5. I'm an avid reader of books - yes, something about turn real paper pages makes me smile :)

6. I like to gamble - scratch off tickets and KENO are my faborites AND slot machines

7. I played softball in highschool - well, for 2 years and then I quit

8. I didn't know what Riley's sex was going to be before he was born - if he was a she her name would be Rylee

9. My favorite color is red

10. I once rode a mechanical bull! True story.

Ok, now it's time for the presentation of the awards! Drum roll please! In no particular order.. Oh, BTW this was soooo hard to bring this list down to 10 - I love all you bloggin mommas out there!

@KishaFloren - This girl is funny! And she is not afraid to speak her mind, in fact she likes going In Through the Out Door !!

@LuckyandSass - Lisa is witty and fun and... She Ain't Heavy !! Oh, and she was the ONLY one of all y'all that took my Father's Day Challenge! he-hmm...

@My2Gs - Lacie takes great pictures (she should hook up with @livelaughshoot, if she hasn't done so already!) Lacie loves to let us see what life down her lane is like at Life Down Our Lane !!

@ColeEmmett - I've just started to read this girl's blog, so I'm embarrassed to say I don't know Cole's momm's first name... but I LOVE reading Cole's First Blog !! And plus, the #junebloghop about weddings was a grand idea!

@JessAriasCooper - Love, love, love reading her stuff! She funny, insightful, and down to earth. Don't trust my opinion follow her because this Mama's Got Flair !!

@MommyMomentBlog - Jody at Mommy Moment is one awesome mama! She has great tips and SWEET, I mean SWEET giveaways!! Hoping to win one some day myself ;)

@carolinamomof3 - Ok, so I don't know if you can really call her site a blog... but this lsweet southern lady knows about beauty, fashion and Mommyhoodunscripted !!

@RockinMommi - She's a mommi and she's rockin! What more is there to say?! Check out her RockinMommi Blog !!

@VersatileMommy - Find out how about the time this mommy peed during a conference call! Still ROFLMAO! She got on her Slippers&Stilettos - say what?!

@stresslessmomma - Are you a momma in need of some stress management skills? Aren't we all?! Check out this momma at Stress Management for Moms !! PS - Fabutastic tweeter too!!

Breaking into the Mommy Blogosphere

For the past two months this New Breed Mama has been working her tail off trying to break into the Mommy Blogosphere! On Twitter, I rub elbows (well exchange tweets) with some awesome, amazing, high-status mommy bloggers. I read their hilarious stories about children throwing up in their mouths, making toilet paper torpedoes when Aunt Flo comes to visit while at Ikea, and crazy visits to their shrinks.

Seriously, I mean these women rock! THEY ROCK! I don’t know how they do it! Many of have managed to create their very own blogging empires right from the comfort of their own living rooms! To illustrate, let me tell you about Mommy Moment Blog . This blog is only 3 ½ moths old, folks, and now has 700 followers! 700. OMG. Not on Twitter, but on her actual blog! Amazing! And the Mommy Moment Blog fan page on Facebook is taking off – 776 “like’s” at last count! On Twitter, 1,555 followers!

A New Breed of Mom Blog cannot even compare… If you scroll down you will see I have a whopping 20 followers. (BTW feel free to follow me!) I was quite proud of how my little blog was coming along – until I talked to the ladies at Mommy Moment. The New Breed Mama is on Twitter, and that is going ok, 369 (ha 69!) followers, but The New Breed of Mom’s Facebook page – a sad 17 followers. 17. SAD.

How are these women doing it? If you are reading this right now, and you are one of these stellar mommy bloggers, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! , comment on this post and tell me what the secret is! When I’ve asked others how to gain a following on my blog and build traffic, I get responses like, “Just keep writing and posting regularly – it will happen.” and “Talk to people on Twitter. Read other women’s blogs and post comments.” I’M DOING THAT ALREADY!!

Then, there’s all the companies, who are like, “You need to have a higher page rank.” and “Make sure to post in a manner that will help with SEO.” I was like WTF is a page rank?!!! And who the hell is SEO?!! I now know page rank is some crazy algorithm that Google uses to determine who should come up first in their search engine, but I think it really means "I want to make $$$ off of you!!!" For real – how sneaky!! And SEO, that stands for "search engine optimization", but what it really means is "sell-out earning opportunities”!

Yeah, so, in summary – it is TOUGH to break into the mommy blogosphere!

Connecting with Local Mommy Bloggers

This morning, I had the opportunity to attend the Columbus Metropolitan Library Summer Reading Club kick-off event. The library welcomed local Columbus Mommy Bloggers for a special talk given by the library’s director. It was a great experience, and my first time every connecting face-to-face with other mommy bloggers!

We were all able to exchange blog information, websites, twitter urls, and contact information. I was the newest mommy blogger out of all of the attendees, although some of the other moms had been blogging for years! I also learned that there are other local events for mommy bloggers which I may be interested in.

The mommy bloggers I met:

Summer
@EverythingMoms and http://everythingmoms.blogspot.com

Amy
@amyturnsharp or @littlealouette and http://www.alittlealoutte.com

Kristin
@cbusmom and http://www.cbusmom.com

Christina
@mommystory and http://amommystory.blogspot.com

Alvin
@wyliemac and http://the270.com

Dawn
@thiswomanswork and http://www.thiswomanswork.com

Sometimes, being the New Breed Mamas that we are, we don’t always have the chance to meet and talk to our internet and twitter friends face to face. However, I encourage anyone who has the opportunity, to venture out and meet other local mommy bloggers face to face. Building local connections is a great way to build up readership and to stay ‘in-the-know’ about what’s going on for mothers in your neck of the woods!

“To blog, or not to blog?”

First, it must be said that I am a newbie blogger. It’s been a little over a month since I started blogging, and it’s no secret that I absolutely love it! I love writing. I love the rush I get when I hit the “publish” button. And I love reading everyone else’s blogs!

If only someone would pay me to spend my days at home writing articles, blogging, and reading the amazing blogs written by other, fabulous, New Breed Mamas... (And if, by some chance, you are someone willing to pay me to do just that, by all means, email me now! *Hint,hint. Wink, wink.*)

With that being said, my family can obviously not afford the luxury of me staying home to work on building up my writing career. That leaves little ole me to juggle a full-time, job, two kids, my husband, my house, our dog, and whatever else is needing done on any given day.

For this New Breed Mama, who is trying to do it all, finding time to work on my blog and other articles is difficult. (And that, my friends, may be the understatement of the year!) However, since I am a passionate woman, who is passionate about writing, I make the time – at least on most days.

Luckily, I am blessed with an amazing husband, who is super-supportive of my dream. He picks up where I leave off, and for that reason, he is my hero.

Still, there are days when it is very hard to find the time and energy to write. Today is one of those days.

Yesterday was my sons’ field day at school. Being the super-mom that I am, I had volunteered to run one of the activities. After agreeing to spend my Thursday with a bunch of crazy-excitable children who were ready for summer vacation, I had thought that I might as well schedule my Friday off work too. And heck, since I had Friday off too, and my 10 year high school reunion coming up the following week, and a fro that was desperately in need of some TLC, I was determined to pencil in a trip to Indianapolis to visit my rockin’ hairdresser of a mama!

So, my last day and a half has been a whirlwind of, 1- sugared-up elementary school students, 2 - driving three hours through a torrential down-pour with two argumentative, cranky, seven year olds who were coming down from a sugar-high, 3 – visiting with my mama and stepfather, and later my baby sister and brother in law, 4 – stepfather taking my boys for a fast ride in his little BMW convertible, 5 – brother in law taking each of the boys on their first-ever Harley ride, while I watched in absolute terror (yes, I made them wear helmets!), 6 – a spa day for me (yay!) including a manicure, pedicure, cut, color, and wax, while the boys spent the day swimming with grandpa, 7 – rushing home to make sure the boys made it to their 7 pm baseball game, 8 – spending a half hour waiting in the rain at the ball field, only to find out that their game was cancelled (which, then, the sun promptly re-appears!), 9 – dinner out with the family at a sports bar/restaurant (where, by the way, this woman won $65 dollars playing keno!), and finally 10 – home again, home again, jiggity, jig.

Once in the safety and comfort of my own home, as I felt the tiredness settling in, I had to ask myself, “To blog, or not to blog?”

What would you do?

How I Became Addicted to Twitter

It all started last November, when I began tossing around my age-old dream of writing a book. I had always wanted to write a book, but I never had any good book ideas. I know me, and I know that in order to devote the time and effort to write a book, the subject would have to be something that I’m truly passionate about.

One morning, during my husband’s “busy season” at work, while I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get the boys dressed and out the door, it occurred to me that I am A New Breed of Mom. It occurred to me that I, like most other moms today, am somehow different than my mom and, really, all other generations of moms that have come before me. That morning, an idea sparked in my head. When I write my book, it will be about A New Breed of Mom.

My idea, at least initially, had faded, just as quickly as it had come to the forefront of my mind. Then, in April, after things in my life had slowed down a little bit, and just when I was starting to feel a little too comfortable and too complacent with my life, the idea came rushing back. I would feed my need to feel productive, and successful, by finally writing my book.

Oh, but wait, who am I? I can’t just run out and write a book and expect for a publisher to notice me, and to see me for what I really am – a diamond in the ruff. No, I would have to have a platform upon which to sell my book. Hmmm…. What I needed was a website, a blog - a place to start publishing my thoughts, advice, and experience about being A New Breed of Mom.

Then, presto! A New Breed of Mom was born!

You’re probably asking yourself, what does this have to do with Twitter? Well, I’ll tell you.

After A New Breed of Mom blog was up and running, I needed to figure out a way to generate some traffic for this site. I had heard of Twitter. My baby sister was on Twitter. But, I didn’t know if it was right for me. A social media marketing and networking sight? Did I have it in me to be that technologically savvy?

If you would have asked me a year ago what Twitter was, I wouldn’t have had the first clue. After several weeks of hearing the constant buzz on the T.V. and radio about “Twitter this” and “Twitter that” and “Follow so and so on Twitter”, I finally broke down and asked my youngest sister - what the heck was Twitter?! Initially, after being explained the concept, I said, “Nope. That’s not for me. I’m not a social media marketing kind of person.”

Ok, back to the somewhat present time. I needed a way to promote my blog. My sister said, join Twitter. It’s a little hard to catch onto, but you’ll love it. Ok. I will do it. I will join Twitter.

Then, I joined Twitter.

At first it was just about finding other ‘mommy bloggers’. Then it was about posting links to promote my articles. Then, it was about gaining followers. Now, it’s about having a network of, dare I say it, friends, who all share my interest in blogging about motherhood, parenthood, and the experiences of being a mother in today’s technologically advanced world.

Yes, my friends, I am addicted to Twitter. Are you?