Before there were endless PR pitches, link contests, product reviews and the feeling that if your blog doesn’t have 72 ad banners and 25 comments per post you’re a complete failure, there was just writing on your blog for fun, meeting up for a good time and feeling that you were a part of something special.
I’ll be honest that as the blogosphere and mom-o-sphere have grown, I’ve had that feeling less and less. Maybe it’s my fault. Perhaps all the personal gains and losses I’ve had over the last four years sent me further away from the blog community when it should have been pulling me toward it. But, whatever the case, 
I had an experience today that made me remember all the things I love about being a blogger and why I continue to write and post.
I was part of a select group of bloggers participating in a program coordinated by The Motherhood to partake in a day of good deeds: “Do Good Day.” It was sponsored by 77Kids, a new store for girls, boys and babies by American Eagle. I love Cooper and Emily having connected with them in blog years past, and was really excited by the opportunity to work with them.
Led by the mighty Hyacinth and Melissa here in Chicago (there were teams of 7 bloggers in 10 other cities around the country doing good today too), we agreed on a Do Good Day program: Bake for the tenants of the Ronald McDonald House and then pass out $77 worth of $1 bills at random in the afternoon on our own.
Thanks to resident bakers Emily and Michelle, we made a cake and thumbprint cookies for the residents of the RMH. In a conversation with a resident couple before we started cooking, I was told of the hardship families must endure when their kids are at Children’s Memorial Hospital, but the family residence is in another city completely. For these families who are already shouldering the burden of the high cost of healthcare, saving money on meals and hotel rooms is a necessity. RMH pays for 100 percent of their living expenses. Residents can stay there for as long as they want. Soda only costs $0.25 from the vending machine. Amazing.
Also, 77Kids included for each of us a “goodie” box filled with the $77 to pass out as well as goodie bags, an adorable (and high quality) tee shirt for my eldest and thank you notes to pass out at the organizations at which we were volunteering.
Since I brought baby burrito, I was not in charge of baking. Which is a good thing, because there’s nothing I do worse than bake. So baby burrito and I wrote some thank you notes, clipped money and gave all of Theresa’s (count ‘em) SEVEN kids someone to watch and play with. We laughed, shared stories and learned a lot about how lucky we are.
I had to leave early to go to an appointment for baby burrito, but I wish I could have stayed longer to chat and gab with the amazing women in the room. It was that intangible good feeling I had when I left that I had done a good deed and had a nice morning with interesting women that reminds me why I stay connected and committed to the blogosphere.
And it was nice to be a part of a company-sponsored experience that didn’t feel pushy, sales-y. Just Good-y.
Full disclosure: I was compensated to be a part of the 77Kids team and to post and tweet about my experience. However, the mushy, gushy bloggy-love feelings are all mine. You can’t pay for that.
I shop at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods almost once a week not infrequently. At first, the store, a behemoth grocery store by any standards, let alone a Whole Foods, scared me. But I’ve grown to love the size, the selection, and especially, the sushi bar. (I even got Cyn to meet me there once.)
Which is why I was appalled and horrified that a local mom, Lisa Portes, was BANNED from Whole Foods for LIFE for accidentally taking out a $15 bottle of chewable vitamins amidst a clusterf*** of epic proportions with her kids. (Full story in Chicago Magazine via Windy Citizen.)
Everyone who has children, babysat children, or watched children from afar can understand how difficult it is to grocery shop (or do any kind of shopping) with kids. Just the baggage and items alone needed to keep them occupied, dry, sanitized and fed is enough without remembering the grocery list, your wallet, and your own, sustainable shopping bags. (Portes gets extra props for those.)
So what, she paid for the groceries, left, forgot another item and went back to get it, took her kids to the bathroom and forgot to pay. Was that worth the shakedown by the security guard in the parking lot, a Whole Foods “mug” shot and directive to never step foot in the store again?
I think not.
I remember fondly when Kristen forgot to pay for the duck that accidentally fell into her shopping cart. Was that worth the $6.95 to take her kids out of the car, go back and pay? Readers were mixed, but I know that I wouldn’t have gotten out of my car at that moment to return it.
We all have our bad moments as mothers. And apparently Chicago does not like when moms have those moments, or moms in public in general (as referenced by the comments to this story and the Stroller Wars story that I was a part of.) Not all of us are a texting, careless, maniacal bunch.
I personally think it’s clear that Portes did not intend to steal the vitamins. It’s also clear that a company has a policy against shoplifting and I cannot fault Whole Foods for adhering to policy.
But where’s the middle ground? It’s not like Portes was a repeat offender. It’s not like she didn’t offer to pay. I’m not sure how the Whole Foods organization works, but most companies I’ve worked with over the years with regards to employee relations give managers the ability to assess the situation of their own store or office and make an informed decision based on that.
Rather, what it seems, is that everyone likes a scapegoat, especially when it’s a harried mom. It’s easy to judge that mom and assume the worst. She was an easy target for the bored security guard in the parking lot. As Portes says, “They didn’t leave the slightest margin for human error.” And that seems exactly like what it was. Human error. We all err as humans.
Even the crazy Chicago mom haters.
Even the manager and the security guard at Whole Foods.
I love the store, the products and the people I encounter at Whole Foods. But I’m not a fan of the way they handled this situation or their inane, inflexible policy. It makes me wonder who’s looking over my shoulder as I soldier on through the vast aisles of the store. I better make sure I triple check my cart on the way out.
It’s not often that I can escape my bubble of SAHM-land and get together with my IRL blog friends, but occasionally it happens, and when it does, it’s great.
Last week, my old friend MJ invited me to be a part of a roundtable and brand “expo” at the Hard Rock Hotel all part of an SV Moms/ Chicago Moms Blog initative. I was really flattered to be invited because even though I helped to launch the CMB back in the day, I have the tendency to be a lame “slow blogger,” as Alma says, who hasn’t written over there in quite some time.
But that aside, it was great to see old friends like Jill, Kim and Caitlin, and to meet up again with new ones such as Meredith, Melissa, Beth and Lisa. I’ll always feel a connection to the CMB community even if I’m not online with them every day, and for that, I’m grateful!
I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention the brands that attended the event. MJ brought a variety of companies into the room, and I thought while they were all eager to connect and chat with us, it never felt sales-y or pushy. I think the brands like Peapod, Energizer, Garrett Popcorn and The Oprah Store were as excited to be there as we were. It also helped that Peapod had read my recent post and tweets about saving my Passover and that the awesome Liz was on hand from Oprah to make it more personal, however, their genuine interest and social media savvy was impressive.
I couldn’t finish this post, though, without mentioning that the highlight of the event for sure was that I was one of 10 or so winners of Chevrolet’s #ChevyMissions. By winner, I mean that I get use of a Chevy vehicle for an entire weekend. I’m looking forward to my drive in the Chevy Tahoe on an upcoming trip to Michigan. I’m planning on utilizing all the cargo space that car offers as compared with my smaller SUV.
I always feel re-energized to become a “faster” blogger when I attend these get togethers and I am hopeful that as the Chicago blogging community continues to grow, we’ll all still get together in these smallish sessions.
First g-d parted the sea so the Jews could leave Egypt. Then g-d made Peapod. In my rush home from a vacation (where, it can be noted no kids slept and I didn’t let them cry it out), I have had no time to do my yearly pilgramage to shop for Passover food supplies.
But, on my husband’s (he’s more observant then me) suggestion, I went searching for a solution online to the Skokie/ Lake Zurich-based Peapod and found quite the Kosher for Passover selection (although, it should be noted that Tam Tam Crackers are not K for the P).
Peapod (and I’m not getting paid to say this) is a sure lifesaver for those housebound by babies, weather or laziness. In fact, anytime I heard there was going to be any sort of precipitation nearing the Chicago area, I’d open up the browser and click, click, click. How satisfying to know that my next meal was only about 15 minutes (and a $7 delivery fee) away.
This afternoon, though, I slogged through the three (not ten) plagues of my household – a bad internet connection, a whining four-year old and a slobbering baby - to get this sacred grocery shop done. When I hit the “Checkout” button I swear it was better than when the plagues fell down on Egypt. When Peapod arrives tomorrow morning (between 8-10 am), I will bow down to the delivery man (or woman) like the Israelites bowed down to Moses. For I will be able to make my matzah kugel.
Let my credit card go (I really didn’t care how much more it cost to Passover shop this way)… Peapod saved my Passover.
Cross-posted at Second City Baby
In a change of events to my personal plans (read: need sleep, stop nursing), I can no longer use the awesome nursing supplies provided to me to review by the ever so generous folks over at Bravado.
But, as the saying goes, my loss is your gain.
If you’re nursing and can tell me your MOST embarassing nursing in public story (I didn’t say it would take nothing), you will win a FREE NURSING BRA from Bravado! Winner gets to pick their own size and color and will get the tank within 2-4 weeks (go to - www.bravadodesigns.com to pick).
I’ll say this contest ends next Friday, mmm k? Good luck!
Back about 8 weeks ago, I was singing my own praises about my abundant milk supply and breastfeeding prowess. Now, I’m just a regular-old nursing pro. But while I have mastered the hooter-hider, (I highly recommend the Bebe Au Lait ones, and I’m not being paid to say that.) I have not mastered the attractive or comfortable other nursing gear.
Tempted not to spend a lot of money on a product, like a nursing bra, that I might have only used for a week or two, I bought a few cheapie ones at Target. Ten weeks later, they are still highly unattractive and not very comfortable.
Which is why I jumped at an offer by my friend Beth to test out (and giveaway) a new nursing wardrobe by Bravado. (I am being compensated to say this.) Bravado, apparently a well-recognized brand in the lactation nation but unknown to a rookie like me has come out with an affordable line of nursing gear at Target called Basics by Bravado. Yay! Just one more thing I need to add to my cart.
The stuff looks totally comfortable, and I like how on their website Bravado itemizes each item’s use and purpose.
See? She didn’t cheap out on nursing gear like I did.
I’ll tell you how it lives up to its promise when I get my gear to test out.
But, in the meantime, you can enter to win $500 worth of must-have baby items by entering the Basics by Bravado “Spot a Mom” by following these easy steps:
- Find the nearest Target store in their area offering Basics by Bravado nursing wear.
- Visit the store and snap some pics of themselves finding the Basics by Bravado store display.
- Email their photo, along with their name and contact details to basics@bravadodesigns.com.
Let me know if you decide to do it! If you do, I’ll put you in a pool to win Bravado nursing gear plus a DVD. I NEVER do contests like these, but now I’m like a member of La Leche or something. Well, not quite, but who doesn’t like free stuff? Good luck!
Disclosure: I am being compensated for writing a review of Basics by Bravado and conducting the contest. Not for breastfeeding, although if I was I’d be a bizillionaire right now.
