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New Raleigh NC Mom Blogger

August 17, 2010 by Jennifer 5 Comments

Stop the presses people, Jen has left her beloved mountains for the big city living in Raleigh, NC.

It is true my readers, I had to break off the relationship with the Blue Ridge Mountains. We just couldn’t take it any longer as I kept cheating and driving down to Raleigh throughout this year…. it became more apparent that Raleigh, NC would be our new hometown. Mountains, I still love you though and you are only 3 hours from me, so now I can cheat on Raleigh and visit YOU!

Here is to a new journey for our family. Better job opportunity for my husband, better school system for our girls and a better environment for L and her asthma. Also a better area for green and organic living. Trader Joes is definitely all that and a cup of fresh cheeries. We have already bonded tight!

So here we are… stay tuned on this new ride as I am sure we will have plenty of tales from a county girl living in a big city with a super thick southern accent. It’s all good!

Let’s get you all started on this journey with the girls’ first day of school. My babies are growing up. L started kindergarten and M started 2nd grade. L had a bit of anxiety but with some great pep talks from mom (more coming on that) she had a wonderful first day. M said everyone kept wanting to talk to her… maybe they are just enjoying her southern accent as well 🙂

Aren’t they just the cutest, stylish girls on the planet? Of course they are!

We did unfortunately already have our first ER trip and wasn’t even here a full 2 days. My precious L got spider bit. I of course naturally freaked out but all is well again and L’s foot is back to normal. It wasn’t looking so great when it first happened.

You would have had a panic attack too… or maybe I am just a overly worried mom. Yes… that’s what it is I am sure.

Here we go on the rest of our big city journey. Now let me go charge my GPS so I can find my way back to Trader Joes! They do have more than 2 stop lights here you know 😉

NYC BlogHer 2010 Recap

August 10, 2010 by Jennifer 12 Comments

I Came… I Saw… I Mingled… I Connected… I Home!

Where do I even start? Such a great experience in NYC participating in the BlogHer 2010 conference. I thought last year was a great event, but this year was even better if that could even be true.

Let’s walk through the journey Jen went on from Thursday to Sunday!

Hanes put out the red carpet for such a great welcome event Thursday afternoon. My first event right off the plane. I didn’t even have time to go to the hotel and get all dolled up but Hanes you know… they believe in comfort so I was welcomed right on in. It was there that I had my very first bra fitting and now know why my bras never FIT. I was wearing the wrong size OH MY. Hanes to the rescue and oh what about the hottie Michael Moloney from Extreme Home Makeover. It is true, he is a super saavy organizer and finally brought me to my senses that I need to quit hoarding clothes from the 90s.

The clock striked and it was time to zoom back through the streets because I had a hot date with Samsung Home Appliances. I will say hands down that this was such an awesome PR event put on. It was so well done that it will get its own blog post coming really soon. The PR connection here was just over the moon and the explanation of their products and where they plan to go in the future with their modern products was just hit out of the ball park. Awesome evening for sure.

I had to unfortunately tell my hot date with Samsung Home Appliances that it had been a long day and Jen needed a little sleep if it was meant for her to carry on to the next day.

Rise and shine Friday morning. I hit the ground running with my partner in crime over at BabyCenter. Have I mentioned how much I love this gal named Dina? NO? Well, just let me tell you. She is all that and then some. We made our first stop at Starbucks of the BlogHer weekend and goodness gracious knew we needed it since we were full speed on the whole weekend.

After I downed my Starbucks, it was time to go get pretty at Audrey’s and Vera’s Getting Gorgeous event. What a true event for women! This was such a well planned event to get us women more gorgeous. They had clothing brands, technology brands, make-up brands and more there to connect with us. The highlight of the event and well pretty much the whole weekend was meeting Audrey’s family. I have been talking with Sharon and Jane for around 3 years online now and I was so giddy to meet them. They are the most sweet and genuine people you will ever meet. Sharon is one of my hero’s that I look up to when I think back to raising my girls. I so want to have that relationship with my girls when they are adults. Sharon and I shared some teary eyed conversations… she is just an inspiration. LOVE Mom Generation gals!

It was on to have a quick bite to eat. I was so thrilled with BlogHer this year for having such great healthy lunches for everyone. Way to go BlogHer planners!

Since my belly was all filled… it was time to go check out the Expo Floor. It was two levels this year and no I did not get through the Expo floor but I did try my best to make connections with most everyone. I do have to say that it was well organized Expo floor and plenty of room this year to maneuver through all the brands. It is here where I had a one on one chat with a Dream Analyst that Proctor and Gamble had on the floor. We spoke about the dreams I have about my Grandma and I just started crying right there on the floor. Thankfully Amy Hodges was there with me the whole time to offer hugs and smiles!

I gathered my heart and put it back where it was suppose to be and ran back to the Hotel room. It was time to get all dolled up for the Wine in the City Event. I could only stay for the reception but I was so happy that I went. It was in the limo ride there that I met a super fab group of food bloggers and one in particular Rhody Girl Tests. I so can’t wait to begin reading her blog and getting to know her more. She was a real charm! Shannon and Erika put on a great event and I was so bummed that I had to sneak out early.

It was time to get in the Christmas spirit and do my sleigh ride over to the Hallmark Party. They are coming out with some awesome products for this Christmas season. I will be writing more but just let me say, you will WANT these products in your house or to use for this upcoming Christmas season. You know it is in like 4 months right…. YIPPEE 🙂

Santa agreed to drop me back off at my hotel if I would give Rudolph some reindeer food so I agreed and was off to the hotel. It is here that I met up with the ever so fab Dina again to head over to the Savvy Sassy Mom’s Ciao Bello Penthouse Party. The party was so jamming up on the 53rd floor and the views were just out of this world. The Gelatto was simply amazing… you must try it if you have it in your area! It was here that a group of the BabyCenter Momformation bloggers were just having a blast hanging out in the fancy bathtub… you know fully clothed in all but with that view of the city and great friends… you couldn’t resist.

My internal alarm clock was telling me that I really needed my pillow and fast so we cruised on back over to the hotel and I had a date with my pillow.

Saturday morning started out with Starbucks of course. They have Starbucks on every street there I think. There were no withdrawal problems in NYC for Starbucks. I started the morning with having an on air TV interview with Yahoo Shine! The Yahoo folks were so courteous and generous with their time for interviewing us and publishing us really soon. Will share details soon.

The rest of the afternoon I visited a couple of BlogHer panel sessions and made my way through the Expo floors. I sure did get up on stage and dance my heart out with the Just Dance team. Just Dance 2 is coming out next month and I will be first in line to get it :). It was just so much fun and who cares the whole world was watching me shake my booty… as long as I was having fun that is all that matters right? HEHE!

I grabbed little conversations with bloggers that I haven’t met, brainstormed with PR brand leaders, and shared my Southern Jen charm to finish out the Saturday afternoon.

As soon as it was 5:00… all hats were off and it was time to go have fun in the city. Times Square on a Saturday night was crazy. Who knew it was shoulder to shoulder? I ended the night with falling in the road and slicing my foot open. But Prince Charming aka Police Officer rode up on his horse to call an ambulance… I graciously declined as I had my bloggy friends Carolina Mama and Deb Mom of 3 to help me across the street to Walgreens to be doctored up. There was no way that I was going to be causing a big scene in the middle of Times Square with an ambulance coming to fetch me up HAHA!

And that is a wrap folks. Sunday was a full day of sight seeing that I will give its own post.

It was a blast… See you in San Diego 2011 🙂

Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure for Nintendo DS Now in Stores

August 6, 2010 by Jennifer 1 Comment

Last Christmas Santa brought the girls a Nintendo DSi each. Now, let me first say that the girls do not get to play these everyday but they are allowed to play with them a few times a week and on long road trips. I am going to begin reviewing the games that the girls really love here on the blog so that other parents can get an idea of what games to buy for their kids.

A new game is now out in stores. It is Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure.

The game was launched ust in time for Nickelodeon’s primetime television event, which is also titled Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure and is premiering on August 15 (the girls and I will be definitely watching). The game allows preschoolers to be a part of the adventure in a fun, interactive way. Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure follows Dora and Boots on their biggest adventure yet as they try to find their way out of Wizzle World to make it to Dora’s big birthday celebration. Nintendo DS™ players will trace, tap, shout, and scribble their way through challenges, such as riding a unicorn over the rainbow, floating in a magic bubble across Sea Snake Lake and traveling through mystical lands like the Dancing Forest. In addition, gamers can join Dora for special birthday games like Card Match, Balloon Pop, and Dress Up.

Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure for DSfeatures voice actors from the Nickelodeon television show, including a cameo by actress Rosie Perez. Additionally, the game was play-tested for age-appropriateness, fun-factor and quality, and the packaging features a “Kid-Tested” seal.

Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure was developed by Black Lantern Studios, Inc. The game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and has a suggested retail price is $29.99. For more information, please visit www.2kgames.com/2kplay

2K Play is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).

Vaccinations Are Not Required

August 5, 2010 by Jennifer 3 Comments

I have a hero in the blogging world. Her name happens to be Stephanie over at Adventures in Babywearing. As you all know, L has had lots of medical issues during her whole life. We are working through all the issues. One of the things that has always weighed heavily on my mind is vaccinations. L only received her vaccinations her first year of life. Then when all her medical issues started escalating and I begin doing more and more research, my husband and I made the decision to hold off on the vaccinations for her. I knew we had a few years till she had to start school so I would just deal with it later.

Well as you know time and life comes at you fast. L is ready to begin kindergarten. How can this be true? I began worrying on what we would do with the vaccinations requirement for school entry then I stumbled across this informational blog post from Stephanie. She totally answered my questions and made me realize that I could stand up for my child and not make L do the vaccinations to just attend school.

We enrolled her in school Monday and everything went so smoothly and the staff at the school didn’t even bat an eye about the girls’ vaccinations report. Now, I do want to say that I am not saying for you to not get your kids vaccinated. All I am saying is to please read Stephanie’s post and get educated about the whole vaccination situation. You are your child’s voice and we do still have rights here in the USA.

My husband and I both feel we have made the right choice for our girls and I hope the same when you are making the decision about your children.

Thank you Steph for being my saving grace during this time!

I Am Off On A Jet Plane to NYC

August 4, 2010 by Jennifer 1 Comment

The time has come for the yearly BlogHer conference. This year it is in NYC. I am very excited to connect with everyone once again and see my partner in crime at BabyCenter.

I will be proudly wearing my Santa Hat at the Hallmark Christmas in August party Friday night so just smile and wave if you see me ;). I so love Christmas so to be able to celebrate a few months earlier is just an awesome treat.

I plan to take in lots of sights and sounds of NYC on Sunday since the conference will be officially over and I don’t fly out till Sunday night. I am hoping to stay busy the whole time because I know that I will be missing my girls and hubby like crazy. It was just the cutest tonight at dinner. We were saying our prayers and it was the girls turn to do their prayers. Both of the girls prayed for my safety to and from NYC and that they were going to miss mommy so much. Yes, tears were forming in my eyes as they were praying. I love those precious girls so much. I so can’t wait to see them at the airport when I touch down with all their goodies.

Here’s to all the fun times… I will definitely be reporting back with a full review of the conference with lots of pictures and stories. In the meantime, make sure to follow me on Twitter during my journey @OneMomsWorld.

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