Archives for April 2014

The “American Blogger” controversy

April 11, 2014

The hot topic on social media this week has been this trailer for the upcoming documentary, American Blogger. Yes, this is a real film and not a Saturday Night Live parody (or Airstream commercial), as JB thought when he caught a glimpse of the video the other night.

The trailer has been receiving criticism from the larger blogging community (#americanblogger) for its hokey narration and self-important vibe, as well as its portrayal of bloggers as predominantly young white women with perfectly un-done hair who live in eclectically designed (and incredibly organized) homes.

I have to say… I understand the backlash. While I respect and admire many of the women interviewed in the film, all 51 of them are friends with the filmmaker’s wife, a successful mommyblogger herself. I would argue that such a limited demographic doesn’t truly represent the “American blogger.” Also, I imagine that most of them earn an income off their blogs — and most of us don’t.

From that perspective, the project feels more like a promotional video (and a pretty darn good excuse to travel the country!) and less like a documentary about a potentially interesting subject matter… though I suppose I should withhold my judgement until I see the entire film. But what do you think?

(image via American Blogger)

White Converse sneakers for spring

April 10, 2014

My first pair of Converse sneakers were turquoise high-tops lined in fluorescent yellow that I loved to wear with the tongue rolled down and two layers of mismatched slouchy socks. It was the late 80s, after all, and Debbie Gibson and the girls in Teen magazine were my fashion role models.

I stopped wearing Converse sometime in the mid-90s when I feared they looked like clown shoes on my narrow size-10 feet. But a couple of months ago, I started noticing more and more of my new fashion role models, bloggers, pairing sporty white Converse sneakers with otherwise chic outfits — and looking effortlessly cool in the process.

So when we first visited Omaha’s new outlet mall last fall, I pulled JB and Levi into the Converse store to try on a pair of white low-tops, mostly for shits and giggles. I still worried my feet would be too long and skinny for them but was curious to see if I could somehow make them work.

Wouldn’t you know, Converse All-Stars run big, so instead of a size 10, I only needed a 9.5. And anyone with big feet can relate to the joy of wearing a size or even a half-size smaller than usual. I was nearly ready to pull the trigger based on sizing alone, but first I needed reassurance that I could really pull them off.

To my surprise, JB didn’t think the white Converse made my feet look like Ronald McDonald’s, but he wasn’t sure that I was actually a “Converse girl.” So I wasn’t hip (or hipster) enough to wear Chuck Taylors? No, that wasn’t it, he said, trying to explain that he thought I was too “fashionable” for them. Whatever that meant.

So I did what any modern girl would do when she needs a second opinion: I snapped a photo and asked my Instagram followers. The general consensus was that the white low-top Converse were cute and — hooray! — I could pull them off, but that they’re really, really uncomfortable. Like, sit in your closet uncomfortable.

Despite JB’s hesitation, I bought them… and they sat in my closet for months. But not because they were too uncomfortable to wear; I just didn’t think white Converse were “winter shoes.” (That’s weird, right?) Plus, in my very pregnant state, I tried to avoid wearing shoes that needed to be tied. At a certain point, you just can’t bend over to deal with shoelaces.

I’m still debating whether I’m truly a Converse girl, but I’m going to give them a shot this spring. With some Dr. Scholl’s insoles for added comfort.

What do you think of wearing white Chucks with, well, everything? Are you a Converse girl?

(images: [first and last] Polienne, Sincerely, Jules, P.S. I Love Fashion, Moeh Fashion, A House in the Hills, Remain Simple tumblr)

Mom Meet Mom: How to make new mom friends

April 7, 2014

Christa from Mom Meet Mom is taking over the blog today while I’m on a brief maternity break!

Once upon a time, I had a premature baby girl. I was incredibly lucky that I had a tribe of mamas who all had babies right around the same time I unexpectedly had my own. What I didn’t have was someone with whom I could share the unique experience of having a preemie and everything that goes with that: The discharge from labor and delivery without a baby in your arms. The constant feeding struggles. Early intervention. Weekly weigh-ins for months. Being trapped at home during cold and flu season.

It was a sad and isolating bunch of months.

But time marched forward and after a while, aside from her diminutive size, my preemie wasn’t much of a preemie anymore. I went back to work, and that’s when I once again found myself flying solo because no other mama in my life had to add ‘working’ to her job title.

While my baby grew and I worked, two more moms had babies and started their own motherhood journeys. One, my friend Julia, moved across the country with a high needs 18-month-old in tow to a city where she knew no one – flying solo by default. The other, Meg, a stranger to me then, had a son who she’d later discover had a severe nut allergy and she had to figure out how to navigate that all on her own.

There were others, too, the moms we three knew. Moms of toddlers just diagnosed as being on the spectrum. Working moms who were hanging on by a thread. Moms going through tricky divorces. Moms who were having their second, third, or even fifth kid when no one else was, and moms who felt like they just plain didn’t fit in, among others.

The common thread was loneliness. Who’d have thought that becoming a mom – adding people to a family – could make you feel like the loneliest person in the world? Who’d have thought that motherhood could be so isolating?

And that’s how Mom Meet Mom was born. Three moms, three different situations, but each of us wishing we had a way to connect. Not just virtually, but locally and without stress or awkwardness or fear of rejection. We asked around and it turned out that it wasn’t just us three, but rather hundreds of moms (and if we extrapolated from that, it was more like thousands of moms) looking for something more than the uncomfortable experience of walking into a mom’s group where everyone already knows each other or trying to muster up the guts to ask for another mom’s digits on the playground. ‘Mom dating,’ it turns out, sucks.

When Julia, Meg, and I didn’t find an easy way to get what we were looking for, we said, “Okay, we’ll build it.” And we did, with the help of an awesome team of developers. Today, Mom Meet Mom works kind of like a dating site: we don’t just give members a way to search for local moms; we actually match them with the nearby moms who they’re going to get along with and have the most in common with based on their answers to questions about their families, their interests, and their lives.

The Mom Meet Mom that exists now is kind of different than the Mom Meet Mom that existed in our heads and when we first started out. If there’s one thing moms are good at it’s telling people what they want. We’re good listeners, and we listened – shaping the site based on the kinds of things moms were telling us they wanted to see. I actually think that’s my favorite thing about what we’ve accomplished so far. The site isn’t just our project, but a collaboration between ourselves and between us and the hundreds of moms who’ve written with suggestions, compliments, and yes, complaints.

Actually, no, my very favorite thing about co-founding Mom Meet Mom is that in creating this website, I inadvertently solved my own problem. I was a working mom in a sea of SAHMs. Now I’m one of three likeminded moms working together. Of all the successful matches made among moms on the site, the friendship that has developed between myself, Meg, and Julia as we worked – and continue to work – on the site will always stand out in my mind as the first, and best, Mom Meet Mom success story.

Christa Terry is one of the founders of Mom Meet Mom, a social network where moms can find new friends, activity buddies, and playdates for their kids. The site has been featured on Good Morning America and in TechCrunch and DailyCandy, as well as in many other notable places.

Asa’s monthly baby photo (one month old)

April 4, 2014

Dear Asa,

Before you were born, I wondered how much you’d be like your big brother, Levi. Would you look alike? Share similar personalities?

Well! You set yourself apart from your big brother in the delivery room. Whereas Levi’s birth was relatively calm and pain-free, you entered this world in dramatic fashion. Thankfully, it was a fast delivery — even faster than Levi’s! — and, at 9lb 2oz, you were bigger than your brother. You also had much less hair than Levi did when he was born, and yours was blond! Will you always have blond hair? (I kind of hope that you do.)

The first thing the doctor and nurses noticed were your long eyelashes. That’s a trait you share with your brother, along with beautiful blue eyes. When you were brand new, many people thought you looked like Levi, but your daddy and I only really saw a resemblance when your eyes were closed and you were wearing a hat. One month later, you have similar features as your brother but are definitely not his clone.

However, like Levi, you hate having a dirty diaper and will let out a blood-curdling cry when you need to be changed. Daddy says it sounds like a duck being tortured! We have gone through a lot of diapers this past month! You were wearing newborn-size diapers until just a few days ago, although we could’ve bumped you up to size one sooner.

We probably could’ve started dressing you in size 0-3 month clothing sooner than this week, too. At your two-week doctor’s appointment, you weighed a whopping 9lb 12oz — roughly the size of a 2 month old! The pediatrician called you a champion breastfeeder. (You’re also a very noisy eater!) Daddy and I affectionately call you “Peanut,” which I realize is a common nickname for small babies but somehow seems to suit you anyway.

When we brought you home from the hospital, you had your days and nights very mixed up. You’re a night owl, just like you were in the womb! Barely interested in being awake for longer than an hour during the day, you’re suddenly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after your 8 or 9pm feeding. It’s time for daddy and me to re-read the baby books we bought when Levi was born and remind ourselves about baby sleep schedules.

All in all, you’ve been a very easygoing baby. You do a lot of eating, pooping, and sleeping, and only really cry when you need something (like a new diaper). You like to sleep in an aden + anais swaddle and sometimes with your arms overhead in a touchdown position, and we don’t have to do much shushing or swinging when you’re upset; you’re much happier just being held. And you almost always fall asleep in the car (I don’t remember Levi doing that).

My biggest challenge so far has been giving you my undivided attention. I can only ever do one thing at a time, and, unfortunately, Levi also requires a lot of my time and energy right now. I actually spend a great deal of time reminding Levi to be gentle when he gives you hugs and kisses. He can be aggressively affectionate, but he’s oh-so sweet and caring. When you’re crying, he’ll put your pacifier back in your mouth, and he always wants to cuddle with you and hold you on his lap.

I wish you could stay a small, squishy newborn, but I’m also excited to watch you grow and your personality develop. I love you, my little Peanut.

Love,
Mommy

***

Asa turned one month old on March 26, 2014. I’ll be taking a monthly baby photo of him next to his Blabla doll on his birthday to document his growth during the first year.

PS – Levi’s one month old photo!

Desktop Designs: Do something beyond

April 2, 2014

Ciera from Ciera Design is taking over the blog today while I’m on a brief maternity break!

Hey y’all, I’m Ciera Holzenthal, a lifestyle blogger and graphic designer specializing in brand development for creative businesses and passionate entrepreneurs. I’m so happy to be here while PJ is on maternity leave!

This year I have been thinking a lot about expanding my business and really taking it to the next level. I’ve always loved learning and I’m always looking to grow as a person and as a designer. So this year I have pledged to make room for more classes, to take on projects that are outside of my comfort zone, to create an e-book and to do more bro bono work for causes that I really believe in.

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

This quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson seamed perfect for my goals, so I created this desktop design to have a constant reminder to push myself! I hope you enjoy this quote and design for your desktop and iPhone and that it can encourage you too!

Click the size you need below to begin the download:

1920 x 1080 / 1600 x 1200 / 1400 x 900 / iPad / iPhone

PS – Find all of our past desktop designs here.