Working with Teachers

Experience tells me that informing the kindergarten teacher on the first day of school that you think your child "is kinda smart" is not the best way to endear yourself to her. In fact, you may find out that by the time you attend November teacher conferences, the woman has not even sat down with your child to listen to him read.

Yes, I speak from experience. Interesting though during that teacher conference, a new administrator unexpectedly joined in the fun. And she offered up IQ and Achievement tests for my son via the school psychologist. So it all worked out. Well, not really. More like it launched a bumpy and frustrating journey. But such is life.

I've told teachers too much up front and I've told them too little about my boys. I don't have a knack for providing just the right information.

Anyway, if you're looking for ways to connect with your child's teacher check out Five Things Your Child's Teacher Needs from You. I will say that item #2 can be a bit of sticking point when it comes to gifted issues as many teachers lack a full understanding of the social-emotional needs of gifted children and the continuum of giftedness.

It's not their fault. Few teacher programs emphasize gifted children as a special needs population. And, at least in my state, there's no economic incentive to get gifted credentials, so why bother?

On a lighter note, get ready for National Parenting Gifted Children Week.

Every week (that I bother to write) is Parenting Gifted Children Week at Hormone-colored Days! Check out my other musing on gifted issues.

Marketing to Moms: Mommybloggers in the news

When it comes to marketing to moms, mom bloggers are the news.

Check out these recent stories on mommybloggers from established news outlets:

Chicago Sun-Times with lots of love to Chicago-area bloggers Lisa, or as I know her @blm03.

ABC News shout out to Colleen Padilla and her freezer full of Healthy Choice meals.

Austin American Statesmen I'm in agreement with Rachel Hobson of Average Jane Crafter in that I'm turned off by blogs that seem to have been taken over by corporate interests.

Now in my fourth year in the mom-space, it's fascinating to see how momblogs have and are evolving. That's part of what makes it exciting to be in this space.

At one of the early BlogHer Conferences, there was a bold declaration that Mommyblogging, which was once looked down upon at the time, was a radical act. This statement was debated at BlogHer 08. The outcome as I heard it was that, yes, mommyblogging is a radical act when mombloggers speak the truth of motherhood, messy and inconvenient as it may be.

IMO, a product review, even a gritty, honest one doesn't cut it for me. Now, I do read reviews and I write them occasionally, but when it comes to keeping my eyes glued to the screen late at night, it's writing like this, this or this (okay, that's a dad, but I double-dog dare you to walk away without reflecting on it) that gets me.

Mixing in a few marketing messages, reviews or giveaways here is okay with me, but when the blog become more about the latest marketing junket, glowing thoughts on vacation destinations the blogger never has visited, or just blather to fill space in between paid posts, I'm just not that into it.

I love that this space is evolving. I think it's great that moms (present company included) are flexing their entrepreneurial muscles because of the way the momosphere is changing, but I hope that the smart, funny, honest voices don't get drown out by the ones that are largely shilling for commercial interests.

Your thoughts?

Before you answer, here are a few more links to read. Interestingly, these went up after I put a draft of this post in my queue. Check out Resourceful Mommy's take on MomBlogger2.0 and a PR brownout, which was a response to Trisha's PR Blackout Challenge. And I just had a great Twitter conversation (yes, conversation) with @MaternalSpark, who explains her position on the PR Blackout on her blog.

Oh, and I like this related post from Taste Like Crazy, too.

I really intended to post this next Monday, but there are so many conversations on these issues right now, that I figured I should represent. Plus, if I waited until then I'd have to add at least a dozen other links.

What are your thoughts?

More musings on marketing to moms.

10 Commandments of BlogHer Success

So I'm part of this online community for Collective Bias* and started a discussion on tips for BlogHer success. I offered up one commandment for BlogHer success and asked others to add on. Here's what other top bloggers had to say about a good time at BlogHer.

I started it off with:
Thou shalt remember that blogging is not a competitive sport. BlogHer offers incredible opportunities to come together as a community. If you're blog makes you feel happy, successful or fulfilled that's great. Don't mess that up by comparing yourself to bloggers who have larger readerships, better swag, more party invites or cuter shoes or whatever. Try to feel the love.

Adrienne:
Thou shalt remember that everyone else (OK maybe not everyone but a whole lot of em) are just as nervous and apprehensive as you. It is OK to approach anyone to just say hi, or to squee or to give them a hug. We are all there for the same thing.

Stanley (What? A guy?):
I've never been to a blog/social media conference, but I would imagine "acting the same as you are on your blog" would be a good start.

Naomi, a BlogHer newbie, but music conference veteran (we're talking like old skool SXSW): Pace yourself in all things. It's a lot to stuff into one weekend!

Anne-Marie Nichols:
Don't forget to eat, especially if you are planning to drink at the parties.
Wear comfortable shoes - there's lots of walking back and forth to sessions and to your room.
Make time to call the family once a day.
Travel extension cords/power strips are a must and will make you new friends!
Keep hydrated and keep some Advil on you at all times.
Session rooms can be too hot...or too cold. Wear layers, just like your mom always advised you to do.

Jenn:
Bring a multiple outlet extension cord and you'll make lots of friends.
Be outgoing-don't be afraid to walk up to people and say "Hi, I'm Jenn and I blog at Frugal Upstate. What do you do?"-they are likely to be glad you broke the ice.
Mark your Iphone charger and cord. They all look alike :)
Sleep is over-rated.
Cute shoes are nice. Comfortable shoes are better. (Yeah-I've heard shoes are big, but if my feet hurt I'm not at my best!)
It never hurts to have a snack in your purse. Just in case.

Mercedes:
Thought my advice was spot-on and commented how wonderful it's been when she's met other bloggers. I agree.

Michele:
Can't attend this year. However, last year she was extremely nervous before BlogHer. She thought about why, and then blogged about it. She was concerned about what others would think about her, so she wrote a post about all her bad habits. Once she'd given everyone fair warning, she was able to relax a bit more.

Barb:

This is going to be my first time at a blogging conference so I can't offer any tips but I have appreciated reading yours. I am pretty shy so please break the ice with me :)

Toni:
Thou Shalt Go in With Confidence, be the person you are on your blog after all it is when we are the most real and why everyone loves you :)

And of course, one more tip- join in the fun at the BowlHer party, which is the brainchild of the Collective Bias folks.

What commandments would you add?

*Contact GeekMommy if you're interested in being a part of this community.

Marketing to Moms: Understanding Mombloggers

I put marketing to moms series on hold as I got busy with client projects, marketing my house and working with my boys on the Family Fun on a Budget vlog series.

I've been playing with a lot of post ideas in my mind, they just haven't made it out through my fingertips. Until now.

Earlier this month, Michelle from Scribbit, wrote a fabulous post on things she's learned about blogging. She does a great job of describing blogging, what it means, why we write and why we read. She also makes excellent points about common waves and cycles bloggers experience both in their minds (burnout) and on the page (loyal readers that slip away).

Her piece is so insightful; it's a must read for those who want to work with bloggers, not just market to them.

Bloggers will love it, too. Go read and come back to let me know if you learned a thing or two.

Edited to add: Another look at the inner life of mombloggers, with quotes from several. Via MomDot.com

Swearing makes pain more tolerable

According to a study that will be published in the August 5 issue of NeuroReport, dropping a few f-bombs or curse words helps people tolerate pain. We've all experienced this at some point, right? Stub you toe, hit your finger with a hammer, push something the size of a watermelon out of your delicate lady parts. A few choice expletives can make a big difference (in the case of birth, an epidural can make a even bigger difference).

This reminds me of the time Smartypants (now 11) got stitches in his forehead as a 4-year-old. He'd been jumping on the bed at Bubbe's house while DH and I were enjoying our first grow-up outing in months, maybe years. At any rate, he fell and hit his head on the nightstand resulting in a bloody gash.

By the time we got to her house, the bleeding had mostly stopped and my boy was anesthetized by the TV. I then learned an important parenting lesson: I'd often used the hospital as a threat to my busy, daring boy. For example, "if you don't stop running/jumping/twirling/crazy stuntman wannabe behavior, you're going get hurt and wind up in the hospital!"

Needless to say, once we told out little guy we were taking him the the hospital you'd have thought we'd ripped off the new scab and poured a load of salt on his fresh wound.

We made it to the hospital and got checked in pretty quickly. Every worker from the woman who checked us in to the ER doc commented that it was just like that song, you know, the one about the monkeys jumping on the bed? Yes, we know. It got less funny each time we heard the line.

On to the stitches, the doctor wrapped up Smartypants in a "burrito" which sounds much friendly than a "straitjacket," but has a similar effect. As they cleaned and stitched his wound, little Smartypants was screaming at the doctor at the top of his lungs, "I hate you! You're mean!"

And yes, he let loose with the occasional s-bomb.

"You're stupid!"

He hurled these comments with all the vitriol his intense, yet innocent, spirit could muster. I was on the verge of both laughing and crying as I stood by his side.

The cure for social media overload

I wrote about my recent feeling of social media overload over at Chicago Moms Blog and this morning I discovered a cure! I found it via Twitter, natch.

I'm not sure there's hope for me as the article recommends limiting email checks to three times a day. Three times a day? I check in three times a minute. Erm, perhaps that's part of the problem.

Also, the author suggests that if a person receives more than 50 emails a day {waves hands wildly} they hire a virtual assistant to help sort through it. Is he kidding? Then I'd miss out on the chance to review baby gear and handbags on my blog.

Oh wait, I always pass on that stuff.

Anyway, maybe I can slowly wean myself off of constant email opening. First I limit myself to once a minute and work my way up to once an hour and eventually about 5 times between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm.

With a bit of discipline, I can accomplish this by Labor Day.

Gotta run; you won't believe what just landed in my inbox!

Vanessa Druckman on Shock and Awe in Parenting: A Guest Post

This originally appeared on Vanessa's blog, Chefdruck Musings. Vanessa and I discussed trading guest blogs posts a while back, and when I saw this post in March 2009, I knew it was just my speed. As has been my recent theme, I'm finally posting this.

Vanessa is a French Foodie living in New Jersey (soon to be Ohio) with her husband and three kids. She blogs about her my passions: parenting, cooking, books, TV, movies, and anything else that catches her fancy. Be sure to check out her Tasty Tuesday recipes.

Every once in a while, I resort to drastic measures to get the kids to listen, really listen, and actually hear me.

Yesterday I indulged Jack and Juliette by taking them to McDonald's for lunch as a special treat, just for fun. One and a half chicken nuggets into his meal, Jack started goofing off, lying face down on the plastic bench, and kicking Juliette who was trying hard to eat her hamburger.

I saw two courses of action open to me.

I could begin nagging him to stop, threatening to take away his happy meal toy, and get progressively more annoyed.

Or I could go for shock and awe.

Slowly, clearly and loudly I told Jack,
"Right where you are putting your face is where hundreds of people have sat and farted. Instead of eating your chicken nuggets, you are rubbing your face in a hundred farts."

He sat straight up and ate the rest of his lunch. No more kicking, or shenaniganing of any kind.

Shock and awe success.