Archives for September 2013

How to follow your favorite blogs on Facebook

September 30, 2013

Twitter. Pinterest. Instagram. Facebook. Google+. YouTube. Flickr. What’s your social network of choice?

As a blogger and social media consultant, I spend a lot of time online trying to connect with as many people as possible over a variety of channels. I primarily use Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to socialize and network, although I’ve been trying to use Pinterest more frequently. (I have some blogging friends who are Pinterest champs, but I haven’t quite figured out the best way to use it as a promotional tool.)

The one social network I don’t use at all is Google+. I need to take some sort of Google+ 101 class because I don’t even understand the point of it. Do you?

Unless you’re a fellow blogger, chances are you don’t spread yourself as thin as I do across social media. You probably stick to just one or two outlets to update: Facebook and Pinterest. Twitter and Instagram. Instagram and Facebook. You get the idea.

You might also learn about updates to your favorite blogs via social media. Many bloggers (myself included) share links to new posts on Twitter and on Facebook. If you stalk Twitter like I do, you’ll catch all of my blog-related tweets. But you may not be seeing all of my Facebook updates, even if you’re constantly refreshing your feed. That’s because Facebook uses some algorithm that’s beyond my comprehension to filter what page updates you see. Boo!

However, I recently learned that you can change Facebook’s default setting to see all updates that the fan pages you follow post. Here’s how to follow your favorite blogs on Facebook without missing a post:

Step 1: Click the “Like” button on the fan page you’d like to follow.

Step 2: Move your cursor over the button that now says “Liked.” A dropbox should appear with “Show in News Feed” bolded and checked. Underneath that line, click “Settings…”

Step 3: The dropbox now asks “See which updates?” and you’ll see that “Most Updates” is bolded and checked. Click “All Updates” and voila — you’ll never miss a post!

I hope that one of your favorite blogs to follow on Facebook is Bunny and Dolly. There’s always a lot of great conversation taking place over there. If you’re not already a fan, I invite you “like” us Facebook now!

Non-princess Halloween costumes for girls

September 27, 2013

Halloween is still five weeks away, but supermarket shelves have been stocked with miniature-sized candy for over a month. Pinterest is bursting at the seams with candy corn crafts and pumpkin-inspired decor. And my Facebook feed is filling up with questions about children’s costumes — where to buy them and whether they should be cute or creepy.

Levi wore an adorable yellow duck costume from Carter’s last year, and this year he’s going to wear a bug costume I purchased at Pottery Barn Kids last November when all of their Halloween costumes were on clearance. It doesn’t appear as if they’re selling it again this year, so you’ll have to wait a month to see photos of what it looks like! If you can swallow their $60 price tags, PB Kids has some equally endearing baby and toddler costumes like this bumblebee costume and this giraffe costume.

But if you’re bored-to-death of zoo animals and cartoon characters, why not take a page out of photographer Jaime Moore’s book? When Jaime’s daughter, Emma, turned five, she dressed her up as a variety of influential woman from history — including Coco Chanel, Amelia Earhart, and Susan B. Anthony — to take creative birthday portraits. Jaime wrote on her blog that she wanted Emma to know about real women worthy of her admiration, not just fictional Disney princesses.

Have you planned your child’s Halloween costume yet? What do you think about transforming him or her into a historical figure for Halloween? Would you do it?

via Daily Mail

Personalized crayon party favors

September 26, 2013

When Levi turned one last year, I struggled to decide whether we needed goodie bags for his first birthday party. Since most of his friends in attendance were around his age, I didn’t think they needed (or cared about) fancy party favors. Still, I didn’t want to send anybody home empty-handed, so we gave Levi’s guests colorful balloons tied to bottles of bubbles that doubled as table decorations.

Levi’s friends at his second birthday party in July included some slightly older children, so I wanted the favors to be enjoyable for the bigger kids while still reflecting the interests of a two year old. Since Levi was just getting into coloring, I thought crayon party favors would be practical, fun, and, most importantly, age appropriate.

Rather than buying a bunch of small Crayola boxes, I reached out to Katie Gill-Harvey from A Childhood Store about creating personalized crayons for each of Levi’s friends. Kids are always happy to receive something with their name on it!

I had received samples of Katie’s handmade crayons in my Alt for Everyone and Alt NYC swag bags and loved that they were non-toxic and eco-friendly. She uses only soy and beeswax instead of paraffin wax (a petroleum by-product), which create slightly softer crayons than the traditional variety.

Since I didn’t know exactly who would be coming to the party when I started working with Katie, she made a package of name crayons for each child invited plus two additional “L-E-V-I” crayons in case we had last minute changes to the guest list. Luckily, only two of Levi’s friends weren’t able to attend, so I saved their crayon bags to give to them at a future play date.

Katie packages her crayons in small drawstring muslin bags hand-stamped with turquoise ink. From a selection of sixteen designs, I chose the cupcake but also really liked the ice cream cone. To identify which bag contained which child’s name, I labeled each with turquoise washi tape and a silver Sharpie. Finally! A use for all of the washi tape I’ve been hoarding!

Happily, the name crayons were a big hit with Levi and all of his friends, and I know their parents appreciated that they were non-toxic. (Yes, two year olds still put things in their mouths!) Aside from their natural properties, I also love how convenient the crayons are: Simply toss the drawstring bags into your purse or diaper bag for spontaneous restaurant placemat coloring.

Unfortunately, Katie isn’t taking any custom orders at the moment because she’s on maternity leave (hooray!), but she has plenty of pre-made designs for sale in her Etsy shop. I know that Levi would love the Things That Go or Robot crayon sets. And wouldn’t the 3-Month Crayon Club Subscription make such a fun birthday or holiday gift for your favorite toddler?

I’m curious, what are you thoughts on party favors? Are they necessary or a waste of money? And what have you given out in the past?

P.S. — Levi’s FIRST first birthday party and his SECOND first birthday party.

(Ed. Note: Morning sickness and general first trimester malaise killed my productivity this summer. That’s why this post about the party favors for Levi’s second birthday party, which took place in July, is so belated. I’m sorry!)

The 2013 Iowa State Fair (Levi’s third state fair!)

September 25, 2013

Driving to Des Moines to spend the day at the Iowa State Fair has become a summer tradition for us. We made our third consecutive visit on a hot and sticky Saturday in August, this time bringing along my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.

It took a bit of wrangling to get eight people, including a baby and a toddler, out of the house and into two cars. The drive from Omaha to Des Moines normally takes about two-and-a-half hours, and although it was earlier than his normal nap time, I was hoping Levi would snooze en route so that he’d had enough energy to last through the afternoon. But like last year, Levi didn’t sleep a wink. Not going to Des Moines. And not coming home from Des Moines.

What kid can’t (or won’t?) fall asleep in a car? Mine, of course. Sigh.

… READ MORE!

AM/PM: A day in the life of Emily Meyer from Tea Collection

September 24, 2013

AM/PM chronicles a day in the life of busy mothers to explore how all different types of moms juggle their responsibilities — from stay-at-home moms to moms who work full time outside of the home. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I don’t know how she does it” about another mom, read on!

Today we’re talking about motherhood with Emily Meyer, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Tea Collection, one of my favorite children’s clothing companies. If I could, I’d happily outfit Levi exclusively in Tea — I love their modern designs, especially for babies and toddler boys.

Tea has been growing rapidly since its inception in 2002 (in fact, it won the 2012 Cribsie award for Best All-Around Children’s Wear For Stylish Tots), which means Emily has years of experience being both a businesswoman and a mom. Let’s take a glance at a typical day to see how she gets it all done.

Q. How old are your children?

A. Clement, 4; Georgia 2

Q. Do you have the same job that you had before becoming a mom?

A. Yes, same job!

Q. Walk us through a typical work day… What time do you and your kids wake up?

A. 6:30AM

Q. What does your morning look like?

A. Get dressed…figuring out what to wear! Breakfast with the kids. Chat with mom or my sister on the way to work.

Q. What time do you eat lunch?

A. 12:00PM

Q. What does your afternoon look like?

A. Working with design on the next collection. Reviewing e-commerce business. Select images for the upcoming catalog. Catch up with emails. Brainstorm, discover.

Q. When is dinner?

A. 7:00ish

Q. What does your evening look like?

A. Playing with my kids. Reading books. Lights out at 8:30 (for the kids)! A bit of TV with my husband and a glass of wine. We love Mad Men!

Q. What time do you go to bed?

A. 10:30PM

Q. What do you most look forward to doing on the weekends?

A. My husband and I have townie bikes with seats on the back for the kids – we love riding around Palo Alto, visiting the Cantor Art Museum at Stanford or going to nearby parks. Sometimes my husband brings his guitar out to the backyard, strumming while the kids do water play (in the warm weather). Outdoor time is paramount.

Q. How do you de-stress when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

A. Sleeps solves everything. A nap is one of the most luxurious gifts anyone could give me.

Q. What’s your dream job?

A. I have it! But when I retire I want to be a Blues singer.

Emily’s weekends with her family sound idyllic, don’t they? One of these days I’m going to own a bike — and live someplace temperate where I can ride all year long! To learn more about Emily and Tea Collection, please visit teacollection.com or follow Tea on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. — Did you know that Tea also sells women’s clothing? This season I’ve got my eye on a Tea Collection fashionABLE Scarf, which was designed by Tea and hand-woven in Ethiopia by fashionABLE artisans. fashionABLE is an organization that helps build small business cooperatives in Africa, providing meaningful work with fair wages to women. Each of their scarves comes with a note that tells the story of one of the courageous women who works with fashionABLE.