Chicago Moms Blog

You're Invited! To a chicken pox party?

Now, I had to straitjacket my oldest during his vaccinations, and he still managed to clock a few male nurse technicians in the balls, so I know (and those technicians know), that shots are not fun. But still, "kookoo" was the word that most frequently popped into my head when I heard about folks who weren't vaccinating right along on schedule, as certainly (I thought) catching any of those nasty death-inspiring diseases like measles, mumps or rubella would threaten all of us a lot more that a hearty kick to the nut sack. Easy for me to say.

Plus, I'm a doctor's orders follower. And my kids' doctor handed me the schedule and said "vaccinate". And, my mother who works with autistic kids said "it's not the shots". Mother knows best. Just like Doctor. Right?

Click HERE to continue reading on our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.........

Mommy Bloggers' Liability for Product Reviews - Will It Cause a Chilling Effect?

Mommy bloggers are some of the most active participants in social marketing. Companies have been tapping into the social media power of mommy (and daddy) bloggers, because there is a certain authenticity and trusting relationship that develops between moms and their audiences...oh, and there is purchasing power too. After all, moms control the pursestrings in many households. It is not uncommon for marketers to reach out to moms in a very active way, sending them products for free to review and discuss - honestly and openly - on their blogs.

It is not news that social media - blogs, twitter, facebook - still lives in the real world and that defamation law and trademark rights and copyright protections and, yes, false advertising law still apply to these types of communicaitons. But there are many untested applications of law to social media. One of the newest facets of social media law is the consideration by the Federal Trade Commission of guidelines that would hold not only companies, but individual bloggers, liable for false statements made in connection with product reviews. There is a fear by advertisers that there will be a chilling effect on what bloggers write about products. And rightly so - false advertising is false advertising, wherever it takes place. However, don't forget that bloggers are very vocal. Writing is What. They. Do. I'm not so sure this business is going away. 

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING ON SILICON VALLEY MOMS BLOG......

Hey Facebook, nursing is not obscene!

...cross posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Today, a number of women and men are participating in a protest against Facebook’s decision to remove photos of women breastfeeding their infants, labeling the content as “obscene.”  A huge fan of the Facebook social network, I am among those greatly disappointed in what I perceive to be an anti-woman policy.  Granted, Facebook’s CEO is a very young man whose business card happens to read “I’m CEO… bitch” – something that also doesn’t inspire confidence in the organizations femme-sensitivity.  So, turn
and turn about, I intend for this post to be a kick in the balls of whichever man made this decision gentle suggestion that Facebook pay homage to progressive Silicon Valley and reconsider its policy… or that CEO Zuckerberg call his doctor parents and get the low-down on the importance of breastfeeding, as I bet he benefited from that “obscene” act himself.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post at the Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

excerpt from the NYC Moms Blog Post: Facebook Nurse In

I love Facebook.  It helps me stay in touch with friends and find people I haven't spoken to in years.  It gives me a platform to promote my book and share my thoughts.  And most importantly, it provides an unrivaled distraction and procrastination technique when I'm working.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post at the New York City Moms Blog

 

Calling all LOS ANGELES and ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOMS BLOGGERS

CALLING ALL LOS ANGELES AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOMS BLOGGERS! Welcome to the SOON-TO-LAUNCH Los Angeles Moms Blog and  Rocky Mountain Moms Blog, the newest sister sites to Silicon Valley Moms Group.

We are close to launching in Los Angeles, our launch party will be NEXT MONTH. So we are making one last request before the party. We are just starting out in Rocky Mountains Moms - and are thrilled to be adding new writers in that region.

If you are a mom living in the Los Angeles or Rocky Mountain Area and would like to be considered as a contributor of Los Angeles or Rocky Mountain Moms Blog, please send us an email to info (at) svmoms (dot) com.  Please provide a link to your personal site or attach two writing samples.

We look forward to hearing from Los Angeles and Rocky Mountain Moms!

What I Learned at BlogHer '08

... cross posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.
I have to admit I was very intimidated at the beginning of BlogHer'08, I had no idea what to expect and it has been years since I attended anything like this. As a small business owner I was always the vendor at the trade show, and I was never wined, dined or even given a free water. Well.....times have changed and I do not think I will look at a conference or trade show again after this affair. With the swag, the parties, the cocktails, the make-overs, the free gifts and free food I felt like like Sally Fields at the Oscars,"You like me, you really like ME!"

By the end of the event I was t-i-red. I was tired of talking about me, about my blog, about other blogs, learning about blogs, what I should (and should not) be doing with my blog, B to the L to the O to the G - ahhhh enough about it! Being around over 3,000 women (and a few men sprinkled in to make sure it did not turn into an free for all pillow fight in our panties) made for some interesting conversations, observations, discussions and I learned a even learned a few things:

Click HERE to continue reading at Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

You are in MY Camp

... cross posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Listen up My Little Kiddies- you are in MY camp now!

So, remember last summer when Mommy signed you two up for all kinds of different camps that you said you wanted to go to? Remember how you begged me to sign you up for golf camp, Lego camp, art camp, soccer camp, sports camp and then swimming lessons AFTER camp? And if you recall Mommy and Daddy emptied out their savings accounts so you could enjoy your summer? Remember? Remember? Well, um do you also recall how you both sort of complained after about two days of camp? How you did not want to go to camp and how you hated swimming? I remember the tears after week 3, of camp as I dragged you to golf camp? No? Well I remember....

So this year I cut back, I mean way back on Summer Camps for you two. I don't want tears again, even though I work I want you to enjoy summer. Daddy and I agree you can handle staying home this summer, we think that it will be fun for you. Don't worry, Mommy is lucky that not only is she the boss but she has the ability to take a break from work and hang out with you two. Don't worry we will have fun, I mean lots of fun! Here take a gander at what our first week of what MY camp looks like:

Click HERE to continue reading on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.....

White-Trash Babysitter

...cross posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

My six year old son, Guy-Guy, learned to read from the television. That's kinda white trash. I wish I could say he learned from his teacher or Sesame Street or ANY show on PBS, but it was lower than that. He learned to read the list of shows on our TiVo. Three years ago he was recognizing the words Scooby Doo, Pokemon, and Thomas the Train well enough to scroll through the list and pick his favorite show. So, maybe it wasn't real reading, but he did get the main idea.

When I took him to the eye doctor last year, I sheepishly explained that we realized he had a vision problem when we got new TiVo software. The list of shows changed to a smaller font size. He'd had a tantrum since he couldn't read it anymore and threw the remote at the TV. Turns out Guy-Guy is far-sighted, and thanks to TiVo we'd figured it out.

Clearly, we let our kids watch too much TV. That is probably our biggest parenting vice. Early word recognition is an upside, but the whole family has become marketing victims.

Click HERE to continue reading on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.......

MySpace, Facebook, Yahoo IM - How Do Parents Eavesdrop Anymore?

....cross posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Back in the day of the dinosaur, when I was a teen growing up in the 70's, a ringing telephone was an event that involved the entire family. For a long time our home only had one phone, attached by a cord to the kitchen wall. With three boys in the house, if a girl called, everyone knew.

"David!" my brother would yell. "It's your girlfriend."

I'd stretch the cord over the kitchen counter and huddle next to a cupboard where I'd whisper sweet nothings into the receiver, hoping no one but my girlfriend could overhear. My parents sat smug with the knowledge that they actually had a clue about our lives.

Times have changed.

The house my kids and I live in sports a wireless landline, two cell phones, and two laptops...

Click HERE to continue reading this post on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.....

Calling Los Angeles Mom Bloggers!!!

If you are a Los Angeles Mom (living anywhere in the Los Angeles area) and would like to be considered as a contributor on the LA Moms Blog, please email us at info(at)svmoms(dot)com.  Please provide two writing samples or a link to your personal blog. We are looking for LA Moms who can commit to at least two posts per month (that is one post every two weeks).

To be considered as one of our initial group of contributors, you must:

• Live in Los Angeles
• Be a Mom
• Love to write and be willing share your HONEST experiences about parenting. If you've got a perfect life, tell your mother, your sister, or your best friend; if you're struggling to do the best you can, can laugh at your mistakes, rant about your disasters, or cry about your tragedies, we want to hear from you.

We certainly look forward to hearing from you.....and can't wait to get this site launched. The Los Angeles Moms Blog is part of the Silicon Valley Moms Group sister sites. Stop by and visit the "About Us" sections to meet ALL our contributors:

• Silicon Valley Moms Blog (launched March 2006)
• Chicago Moms Blog (launched April 2007)
• DC Metro Moms Blog (launched September 2007)
• New York City Moms Blog (launched December 2007)
• New Jersey Moms Blog (launched April 2008)
• 50-Something Moms Blog (launched May 2008)
• Deep South Moms Blog (launching June 2008)
• Los Angeles Moms Blog (soon to launch)
  

Contact Us at info(at)svmoms(dot)com

Wildfires, Technology & Feeling Helpless

...cross posted from our sister site, SIlicon Valley Moms Blog.

My sister's house is 3 miles from the line of the wildfires today and I'm 3000 miles away in the midwest with our parents, safe away from the flames, the smoke, the danger.  But all I can feel is helplessness and concern for her, her husband, their home and the animals they have there.

Late last night, I finally spoke with my sister, who had no power and had spent the day gathering resources in the event of an evacuation.  Then she asked a favor that was as much for me as for her - to track what was going on online, so feeling like perhaps I could still help in some small way, I spent until late researching what was going on and trying to get an accurate picture of the situation.  What I learned is that even with incredible technology, we're still in the dark in these emergencies.

Last fall, we suffered one of the worst quakes we've had in the Bay Area in a long time, and as a result, from my fanatic list making, girl scout history and security experience, I pieced together 3 articles for SVMoms about why we need to be prepared, how to prepare, and what should be in our kits.  That became a part of a Red Cross Ready blogging effort and I think people really benefited from thinking about what we need to do to prepare for emergencies.

Click Here to continue reading this post on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.....