"What exactly do you do?" It's a question I often get asked directly and sometimes it's implied so I thought it would be helpful to share the projects I'm currently working on especially if there are followers whose work might align with what I'm doing and which might lead to future partnerships. Here we go...
My experience at BlogHer this year was unique in that not only did I speak at the conference for the first time, but my husband attended with me. Coming from our courtship at Wellesley that started a little over 18 years ago, Mr. Lovebird knew a bit of what to expect when it comes to the gender ratio of BlogHer and overall he confirmed he's definitely glad he came with me. Here are 5 reasons why I am too...
Disclosure: I am a Jet blogger affiliate and this post contains affiliate links; all opinions expressed are my own.
I first met Jet at BlogHer earlier this year and was impressed by their ship-your-swag booth (such a great idea!). Black Friday came and went without us stepping foot in a store to do Christmas shopping, and while I did get a couple smaller items on Cyber Monday, shopping online is still my preferred method for getting Christmas shopping done.
Well here it is a week until the big day, and I've been watching shipping deadlines like a hawk! Since attending BlogHer I've also been watching Jet's price comparison emails that are often included in their newsletters. I was especially interested to see how their prices compare to Amazon so I did a comparison of a few items from my cart (yes, I keep an ongoing cart and shift items in and out of it constantly - it's a bit of obsession!):
Jet total: $83.41 Amazon total: $79.78 *prices as of December 19, 2015
Ahhh so close, but could there still an advantage?
Well, the way Jet works the more you buy the more you savings you accumulate especially on related items. You can save even more by declining the option to return your items. Jet even lets you see savings tally up as you shop!
Still curious about how it works? Check out this video:
I like how using Jet is kind of like a savings game! You can see how low you can go, plus there's free shipping on orders over $35. Jet also has an approachable, fun-loving vibe (if you can't tell by the video above) and during this holiday season shipping crunch I appreciate that they're up front about shipping guarantees with their 2-day shipping icon attached to certain items. On top of all this Jet's partnered with over 600 online retailers to provide shoppers with additional discounts. It's like a network of savings!
If you want to learn more about Jet be sure to visit their website to sign up and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Are you doing any last minute Christmas shopping? If so, are you #teamonline?
We are hurtling towards Kindergarten over here, and if you follow me around social media especially on Instagram you'll see that yes, we now have a walker (and yes, I have video and Grayson's 1 year and 13 months update need to still happen - I have the pics just not the time!).
Things aren't slowing down around these parts, and once I take a moment to sit down and craft a blog post, like this one in the wee hours, there are 12 new developments! Anyway, pictures are fun and bullet points are easy to digest right?
Next, BlogHer was FANTASTIC! My chill approach worked, and I'm still in awe of the awesomeness including this Wellesley shout out from BlogHer co-founder Lisa (I was also mentioned in Boyz II Men's RT!):
And about Wellesley: within 7 days I've been able to visit with 4 alums (and sometimes their children too); it's been awesome! Community is what you make it for sure
With one of my New England Wellesley sisters and our children (remember their first play date here?)
This video I quickly shot during our after-dinner walk capture what life is like in NH for us right now
Considering the above video, I stand in awe at the absolute beauty up here; it completely overtakes me at times and the way it's transformed my life outlook and mindset since leaving NYC metro is so therapeutic including this view at my church's women's fellowship this past Friday; God even blessed us with a rainbow!
Nia's birthday party just might be epic; she somehow thinks it's at Water Country and goes around telling EVERYONE they're invited including the children who are there with her when I drop her off at our Y's daycare while I workout
Speaking of Y, I'm trying to get back on track with working out but our travel schedule has made it difficult; shout out to Courtney who's helping me stay motivated to stick with PiYo. We're also swapping mom-biz services: I took photos for her over the weekend and she's giving me a much needed closet/wardrobe overhaul
We leave for Ohio next Thursday (I'm traveling alone with the kids, but I'm a pro at it), and I'm excited to partake in such State Fair delicacies as roast corn, ice cream, corn dogs and a whole host of other foods that will require me to wear stretchy pants during my entire visit! We'll be having a mini-birthday celebration for Nia; she selected this cake from my favorite childhood bakery (we added Tiana, and no they didn't have Anna and Elsa)
My 35th birthday is fast approaching and I've been stalking Vegas airfare for months so Mr. Lovebird and I can attend Life is Beautiful again, but it's just plain crazy! The line up looks amazing this year, but if we don't go we're thinking a trip up to Montreal will be good (we've never been, have you?)
I'm in the middle of updating my office with the items below; it's coming together nicely (teasers here and here), and so far it really makes a difference having a fantastic set-up to work from (plus it's all paid for from blog income - reinvestment is so important!):
We're finishing up our summer focusing on swimming lessons (the kids go to free lessons our city provides 2x weekly throughout the summer) as well as our summer reading program; I have my own books I'm trying to get through including these
Going back to Kindergarten, Nia has two little playdates which her school is hosting including one tomorrow; I think that is so thoughtful and she's very excited!
Speaking of Nia, her observations have been so hilarious lately, but she's pretty serious when she share them with me and if I laugh she gets mad. Here's a gem: "At the end of praying over dinner tonight Nia asked why we say "amen" and I explained it's like saying, "The end." She replied, "Oh like 'happily ever after.'" Love how a child's mind works!"
Grayson is officially a train boy (check this out)! We went to Day Out with Thomas in North Conway (an hour and a half away). They asked that you come an hour before and with a 9a.m. train ride scheduled (dern 10 a.m. was full and 11a.m. was too late for us) and a 1 1/2 hour distance this meant we were up and out by 6:45a.m. (we arrived 15 minutes shy of departure)
In addition to meeting Thomas before Mr. Lovebird left for a week on business this week, we also took some time to visit the tall ship El Galeon. We were rained out when the tall ships parade brought it in but were thankful to have mild weather when we visited.
Lastly, if you have children in your life this article is a MUST READ!
How is the end of your summer shaping up? Are you needing a caffeine IV drip at this point like I am???
My mind is constantly streaming content for the blog, but the pace of life now... WHOA! I was hit hard this a.m. when my sitter could no longer come last minute and this was my one day to get EVERYTHING done before we pack tomorrow and hit the road early a.m. Wednesday. I'm making do (I got alllll the laundry done!), and am thankful for some quick childcare responses so I can get back on track when I return next week.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of BlogHer 2015 speaker awesomeness! {Image credit, clockwise: Ava, Soledad, Christy, Luvvie, Gwyneth and Melinda)
Here's what's on my mind as I head to BlogHer:
I'm prepared! I'm SO not stressing like I have done for conferences in years' past. Why?:
My sister in NYC confirmed my Moo business cards arrived today (2 full days ahead of schedule!) - oh and about biz cards: they NEED to have a writeable surface. I keep cards for years with notes on them and am such a connector that I frequently go back to them. If I can't write on your card, I don't want it. Yes, I'm a biz card snob
1//2//4//6 are coming with me! (sources in this post)
My gadgets are "on fleek"(I think this is the first time I've used this phrase on my blog, and I'm officially old I'm not sure if it's appropriate!) - I was on the struggle bus, gadget-wise last time around, but now with my MBA, Galaxy S6 Edge, Seagate external HD, and my trusty Jackery ALL. THINGS. ARE. POSSIBLE. I'll be slipping away to see clients while at the conference so I'm going gadget heavy. I'll also have my ancient T2i with me, but my Galaxy S6 Edge is literally "edging" it out (more on that at another time...); to top it off I'm carrying everything in my Kelly Moore bag which is still going strong, and I'm bringing along my Day Designer(a modified version just launched at Target BTW and is also at Blue Sky), but since it's massive, it will mostly likely stay back at my sister's apartment so I can debrief in the evenings
The conference app is fantastic and will make it so easy to navigate - it is very comprehensive and easy to use; I'm pretty much following this small online business track
The private Hasbro party from 2012
Private events - BlogHer has an official stance on "outboarding" and last time it was such a frenzy of people split between official and unofficial events that this time around I've felt an underlying animosity towards the conference as in "why go when it's all about the private parties anyway?" It was such a whirlwind for me my first time at BlogHer, but this time around, while I am going to some private parties I'm not butt-hurt (awful word, I know) if I'm not invited to others. As I've advised before, one of the best policies is not to even ask, "Are you going to such-and such?" cause then it can get awkward. Really fast. Just show up and if you see people you know, great. If not, make new friends (BlogHer can get clique-ish quickly)
It's not just about blogging - last time I attended I had only been blogging for 3 years, now I have 6 years under my belt, and I've grown exponentially; I've also learned it can't just be about my blog. As I've stressed before multiple profit centers are crucial and while I won't be 40 years old and blogging about diapers and breastfeeding (unless God has other plans) it's important that I focus on diversifying my brand. Working as a brand ambassador since my last BlogHer attendance, and now starting a business with my sisters is putting me on track for the long term success!
The partee(ez) - with Boyz II Men and Nick Canon closing down BlogHer on Saturday night I'm super excited after some of the hecticness of the past week and a half to unwind and enjoy. There are parties each night but with my family in town this is the one must-attend party I'll be at
FAMILY - It's been a minute since my kids have seen my parents, and I'm so thankful it worked out for them to fly up from Texas so we can all see each other. It's going to be a packed house for a couple nights at my sister's in Harlem when my parents join from their hotel, but the more the merrier
Lastly, I can't help but be Wellesley-proud; I smiled widely when I opened my alumnae magazine earlier this spring and saw this:
If you're attending BlogHer what are you most looking forward to?
P.S. You can check out my first BlogHer reap here as well as my epic "How to do BlogHer/Blogalicious" post here.
Sharing an anniversary kiss at Acadia National Park (a group of bikers saw us smooching and demanded we capture the moment on camera!)
One of my favorite bloggers Carol, of Girl Gone Travel, recently wrote this line as part of a post earlier this summer: "...my silence, here on the blog, is due to my doing exactly what I always encourage others to do which is to get out there and live. Live life to the fullest. Be in the moment, taking nothing for granted." My heart flip flopped, and I nearly screamed YESSSSSS in agreement when I read this line! This is *so* spot on and encapsulates so much of how I'm feeling lately. It brings to mind a frequent reminder announcement on the cruise I was on with my mom which told people to put their phones away during performances and to take it in with their own eyes because that's the best view - not the one behind a screen.
At our first Portsmouth fireworks last Friday
While I'm very thankful for all the wonderful moments my family and I have been experiencing up here in New England (including celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary which I'll get to in a minute!) and the ability to capture special moments here on the blog, albeit delayed, there's nothing like stepping away from the screen. Now on to the 6th anniversary recap!
We were greeted with this view
When Mr. Lovebird asked that we all join him for a family work trip up to Bar Harbor the same weekend as our wedding anniversary and Grayson's 1st birthday I was a bit skeptical. I had heard of Bar Harbor but never really had a specific desire to go, however when he shared the itinerary with me, being the Type A woman that I am, I recognized fellow Type A-ness in the creators of the event, and I knew we'd have a great time. I was right!
The air was brisk during our stay, but the pool was heated!
Bar Harbor is 3 1/2 hours north of us here in Portsmouth, and I checked the weather in advance, saw it was going to be pretty much perfect and packed accordingly including swimsuits. We stayed at the Bar Harbor Regency Resort which is also a partial Holiday Inn property and while I was nervous about the Trip Advisor reviews, we had a good stay. The event organizers had a few planned excursions, but with a kids' camp scheduled each day with activities for them I knew I'd probably just want to take it easy during the time we'd be together especially because Uka would be in meetings most of the time. It also gave me a chance to meet other New England families who are in the same industry as Uka and we got a chance to plan our own little family field trip to Acadia National Park, which another local mommy friend provided several helpful tips.
Grayson enjoyed watching each night's post-dinner entertainment under the big tent
Lobster cobb salad made it easy to eat the rainbow!
Ahhhh Maine, I don't think filters are ever needed for you
A blurry hug - he loves doing this lately!
This pre-dinner popcorn bar had me questioning all the choices I made at my wedding - why didn't I think of this???
Cadillac Mountain
I was bummed the kids fell asleep when we went to Acadia National Park, but I shot this little video of the view at Cadillac Mountain:
One of my favorite parts of our trip to Bar Harbor was getting dressed up. I used Rent the Runway for the first time a few months ago, when I was still feeling very postpartum, and I have to say they didn't disappoint. Both times have been outstanding and I highly recommend RTR! I received so many compliments and it was fun to feel fancy on the night of our anniversary. The theme was "starry night" so when I saw this dress I snapped it up but then had hesitations that I wouldn't be the only one wearing it (I was wrong!). The conference also gave us a bottle of champagne too (and as I'm writing this I remembered that we left it in the hotel fridge - oops!) and to celebrate Grayson's 1st birthday a beach bucket with a bubble blower. So thoughtful!
I look forward to making it back up to Bar Harbor perhaps next summer. The kids did surprisingly well on the trip - it was so rainy on the way back and they pretty much slept the whole time!
Celebrating our anniversary and Grayson's 1st birthday in the photo booth
Over the weekend we had a belated 6th anniversary date night and saw Jurassic World - I liked it!! I think alternate title should've been GMO vs. Organic agreed? Here's to another exciting year with my homeylovefriend (who's currently on his much deserved guycation in the Caribbean), and I'm excited for what's in store for our little family! Oh and a funny story courtesy of Nia: lately she's been obsessed with asking about what I was doing at specific ages and recently asked, "Mama, when were you a teenager?" I explained that when I was 13, 14, 15 etc. I was a teenager than informed her that at age 18 I met her daddy. Her eyes got big and she asked, "You were a teenager when you met Daddy?!" I replied, "Yes, and I thought he was cute and gave him a kiss!" She turned her nose up in disgust and loudly proclaimed, "EWWWWWWW!"
*Speaking of IRL, I'll be back in NYC with my kids next week for BlogHer (and to see my parents who are also flying up from Texas to meet us!), and while in years past I've been super strategic about my plan of attack for conferences, this year I'm just happy to make personal connections and catch up with old blogger friends. Will I see you there?
We have so many amazing things going on over here (I'm bursting at the seams to share but I can't yet!) and I looked up and saw I haven't blogged in a week. Oops! I think this means that summer is off to a strong start so far, agreed?
The most challenging part is coming off of Nia's previous school's academic calendar in Jersey City, she's now been out of school a full month before she was in Pre-K 3. I was away on my cruise during her end of the year program, but Mr. Lovebird was on picture duty and captured a few special moments including this one:
I went through a brief moment of panic, then mostly thanks to my local mom friends and our library's resources, I've found a good summer schedule for Nia. She's doing a bit of everything just like we did last summer: swimming, circus camp, vacation Bible school and piano lessons for now then hopefully adding some horseback riding and soccer towards the end of the summer. She's such an active girl already and has a lot of energy to burn!
At our local library's summer reading kickoff party
Over the weekend we celebrated Grayson's 1st birthday (at the time of me writing this it's 2a.m. and I just ordered his thank you postcards!). His official birthday is actually this Saturday, but we're heading out of town tomorrow for a long weekend so we enjoyed early festivities. We had been singing "Happy Birthday" to Grayson for a few weeks so he'd be ready when it happened for real - it turned out SO cute, and I can't wait to share the video soon!
Friday will be mine and Uka's 6th wedding anniversary (as of this fall we've known each other 17 years!). We're officially closer to 10 years than not! We don't have anything special planned and will actually be happy to hang in nature this weekend with our kids up in Maine. Speaking of Maine, remember when I wrote about these cute cottages? I'd still like to stay there someday. . . For our anniversary Mr. Lovebird asked what I most needed then answered his own question: "I need help." I really truly do. Not only from him, but from outsourcing a few things around the home, mostly domestic duties, so I can focus on the kids, my business and this blog. I'm juggling so many balls at once and if a few domestic responsibilities can be outsourced that would be great! He's not always physically here due to his work schedule and when he is here he crashes really hard - he hustles hard to provide for our family and in this post-Father's Day week I feel so blessed that we're not only best friends but in this family journey together. I made this collage over on Instagram as a tribute:
Going back to our trip to Maine, it's a "camp" of sorts that's mostly business, but since the families get to come too there is some pleasure. The kids will be in "camp" and while I'll attend a few activities be catching up on work, I'm looking forward to exploring a bit especially since we'll be by Acadia National Park. There's even a formal night and I posted a teaser on Instagram as I'm super excited for another chance to dress up. Hooray for Rent the Runway, and if I could just wrangle my hair! Grayson's birthday was in such an idyllic setting not far from us and the locale reiterated the feeling I get that we're on perpetual vacation up here. It is such a beautiful city and is making up for the awful winter we experienced. Here's one of my favorite pictures from the weekend - I'm so blessed my sisters were able to come up to visit us!:
Here's what I'm excited for the rest of the summer:
An historic July 4th - it's so quaint and typically New England lately as everyone is sprucing up for the holiday; I need to hurry and get outfits for the kids!
Taking both kids for the first time to the Jazz Age Lawn Party - this year is the 10th anniversary and unlike last year I already have my ticket! (Check out the recent pictorial coverage in Newseek)
Grayson's first visit to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio and going to the Ohio State Fair (hooray for the butter cow!)
Keeping up with my fitness - I've supplemented my regular workouts at the Y with PiYo class thanks to my fab, fit, mommy friend Courtney, and it's kicking my butt in a good way!
Catching up on tons of blog posts: awesome reviews (including Disney SMMC On-The-Road in NYC), giveaways and updates (including Grayson's 1 year recap which I'll have ready next week!)
What are you looking forward to next summer? Can you believe it's already July 4th...NEXT WEEKEND?! We're just hanging out here in Portsmouth taking in all the historic festivities. What will you be up to?
Today kicks off the biggest blogging conference of the year, and it's crazy, but I nearly feel conferenced out! After attending both BlogHer and Blogalicious last year I was on the fence about BlogHer this year, but I knew that attending Blogalicious '13 was a MUST. Now coming off our mini-trip to Newport earlier this week and leaving for my hometown of Columbus for a few days this Monday (hooray for the Ohio State Fair!) I don't know what I was originally thinking that I'd be able to fit BlogHer into the mix and now especially with my involvement with GoGo squeeZ's big event this weekend - to say there's a lot going on is an understatement!
I had mentioned attending Claudia Chan's S.H.E. Summit, NExT Festival as well as Blogging While Brown last month - all dynamic experiences - and I'm excited to finally share them with you! What's so great about social media (including the often abhorred hashtags) is that you can get an inside look from the comfort of your home or wherever you may be.
Here we go with the top 5 learnings from each of the conferences:
NExT Festival*
The Vibe: C-level execs who were super approachable (I loved how I could walk right up after a panel and engage in a conversation without their handlers whisking them away!), tech-entrepreneur focus set in Willamsburg, Brooklyn at the charming Wythe Hotel (definitely the hispter scene!)
The Knowledge:
The importance of storytelling - Warby Parker's CEO David Gilboa shared how keeping a common theme throughout his company's partnerships with other brands and initiatives have been able to create better outcomes; rather it be for your own start-up or your own self as a brand always think of the story you want to tell
Consider becoming a B-Corp - I had never heard of this until this conference, but if you want to start a socially conscious venture consider looking into this option to stay faithful to your mission; check out B-Labs
Niche is great, but passion is better - In the constant conversations about to niche or not to niche, I really appreciated this timely nugget from Anthony Casalena of Squarespace. He stressed the importance of not chasing a niche to exploit it but instead to do what you're passionate about
Data is king - from analytics, to having accurate books prior to acquisition, the more on top of your data you are, the better your business life will be; crunch those numbers folks, or hire someone to show you how!
Forgo the advanced degree - when it comes to entrepreneurship the tide is shifting from getting an MBA to getting in niche training at a fraction of the cost; in this economy there is a definite disconnect between expectations and the reality of higher education
*Thank you to UHY LLP for my complimentary ticket!
Claudia Chan's S.H.E. Summit*
The Vibe: 2 days of women's empowerment: Day 1 covered Career and Leadership, but I attended Day 2 covering Lifestyle; attended by mostly women in their 20s, some 30s who are looking to change the world, lifting each other up in the process; I felt a connection to founder Claudia, also a product of single-sex schooling high school through college The Knowledge:
Refuse to be part of the tear-down culture - a great reminder not to get caught up in the trap that causes strife between so many women; the positive environment at S.H.E. reinforced that
+Social Good- an awesome new platform designed to link needs with interest in doing social good around the world; a Kickstarter of sorts for change!
Amplify your ability to succeed via collaboration - this was the same theme echoed at NExT ("collaboration removes competition"); working together vs. against each other is the way to go when it comes to building your brand
10% Challenge - Elizabeth Gore challenged us to invest 10% of our time, $ and/or resources into women and girls; this is a new MUST for me as an entrepreneur and champion of women!
Build STEM confidence early - my mother's in education and stresses this point to me and it was reiterated at the conference; especially those of us with daughters, it is SO important to get them on board with STEM early on; while my Lil Lovebird adores her princesses it makes my heart sing when I see her focused on building with her blocks and making structures - who knows? She could be be the first princess engineer!
The Vibe: The go-to conference for bloggers of African descent - mostly women but some men present; a 2-day conference including a focus on the business of blogging The Knowledge:
If you're not winning in it, don't do it - Markus Robinson's opening keynote was chock full of immediately applicable information including this piece of advice;in the fast-paced world of social media it's best to cut your losses and quickly move on; similar to this point Tamara Jeffries quoted Isaac Mizrahi in her session (Ten Tips for Great Blog Writing), and I've been loving it: "Decide which world you're going to rock and then rock it."
Be an early adopter - don't be afraid of the next thing coming out; I have to say I was slow to Twitter and since jumping in full force about 3 years ago it's had an amazing ROI for my brand, and I look forward to further harnessing the power of Pinterest (check out this tool) and Google+ as well
Educate yourself on protecting your cyber real estate - there are laws in place to protect your content and identity (and scary stories to prove what can go wrong - just do an internet search); you MUST include a copyright notice on your blog (::runs to do this STAT::)
Be careful of pattern matching - this point was brought up by Elisa Camahort from BlogHer; I hadn't heard of this term before, but it sounds like what it is: surrounding yourself with those like yourself; while like often attracts like it's best to keep it diverse in all areas!
Don't discount the power of email marketing - Markus raised this point, and I have to admit it's an area I've neglected (maybe because I get too many emails myself!); he shared that people still pretty much open their emails especially when it's so easy to miss news feeds with the pace of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook; being able to communicate to a captive audience via email is key to blogging success
Overall, I found I'm definitely a fan of the intimate conference experience, which all three were. Next up: Blogalicious in Atlanta!
Blogger or not, are you heading off to any conferences this season? Which are your favorites?
