Posted on | May 26, 2010 | 6 Comments
my good friend (and blogher ’10 roomie!) Jill has put together and AMAZING fundraiser for Sam, a 6 month old baby boy with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Sam was diagnosed on April 13th and has been given a 30% cure rate.
Jill’s original goal was to raise $1000 for Sam’s family when she posted the fundraiser on friday. within hours, that goal was blasted right through and as of her last update today, $3342 has been raised! the new goal is $4500 by the events end on june 11th. i know myself and many others would like to help her get there.
for every five dollars you donate, you get one entry in the HUGE giveaway put on by so many generous companies, including Modern Bird Studios, Moby Wrap and Ju-Ju-Be, just to name a few. to see the complete list of prizes, go here.
you’ll notice on my far right sidebar the button for #helpSam. if you’d like to help support this awesome cause by adding it to your site, the code is on Jill’s left sidebar here. every dollar helps, so if you can, please do! go here and scroll to the “donate here” button to give.
of course any and all facebooking, tweeting and emailing to get the word out would be appreciated.
thanks friends!
Posted on | May 24, 2010 | 24 Comments
i usually don’t like to touch on controversial issues. it’s not what my blog is about and i really like to stick to the “don’t blog about blogging” rule because frankly, i’d rather write about my kid and silly things that happen to me. but once in a blue moon, something gets me fired up enough to post my opinion on regarding the blogosphere, and this is one of those times.
a blog/twitter friend of mine was recently bashed to pieces by a PR firm president on her blog. as much as it pains me to link the article, i’m going to because otherwise the story is hard to follow. the jist of the story is, diana received a PR pitch to do a giveaway from a company represented by this firm. diana didn’t like the idea (no compensation for her time i.e. the product to actually review), so she emailed back with her feelings. i will say here, that whilst i personally wouldn’t have responded like diana did, the backlash from said PR firm was one of the most unprofessional things i’ve ever seen.
companies are busting their butts these days to have mommy bloggers review and promote their products. i get no fewer than 10 email pitches per day and i admit, they can get annoying. the reviews and giveaways i choose to do here at the Haps are picked through and thought about at length by me. the ones i accept use my name, make sure the product is relavent to me AND my readers, and often remark about something i’ve said in my blog. those people take the time to see what i’m about and by the time the giveaway is done, we have a working relationship that i’d consider personal (even web-friendships in some cases). the ones that don’t bother, don’t ever end up here. in fact, they don’t get a reply.
so, i can see diana’s frustration. sure, her email response wasn’t maybe the best response, but i see why she did it. the PR president’s public bashing on her website? days later and i still can’t fathom. name calling. linking to diana’s blog. ridiculing her to all that would read. she has since removed the links to diana (way too long after the damage was done), but her words remain. she calls diana a “lunatic” and says this about her blog, called Hormonal Imbalances: “diana did a great job naming her blog to represent her personality and the rage that clearly lives inside of her”. how unprofessional is that?
as a mommy blogger and recipient of PR pitches, this really concerns me. so if i email a rep of a firm back, my words and opinions (especially if they disagree with yours) are now up for public bashing and comment? and if you sugar coat it by saying you’re really just trying to work with mommy bloggers so you can use your pitches more efficiently, then it’s ok that you just ran an innocent individual over the coals because she wanted to know what she gets out of the deal?
the icing on the cake was that she has repeatedly deleted comments (written by almost 10 people i know at this time) that disagreed with her and stood up for diana. so you’re not really interested in hearing from the mommy bloggers then are you? her comment policy :
Please note: I welcome all comments and perspectives as long as they are delivered under an umbrella of respect. All disrespectful comments will be deleted. None of us need that negativity in our world.
i almost spit out my coffee. respect? we don’t need negativity in our world? yet YOU just called a woman a “lunatic”, said she was a “cyber bully” (knowing diana, this is hilarious) and said “i hope you try therapy”. yes, let’s try and stay respectful. if this umbrella of respect you speak of is being held by you, then get me the hell out of here.
in the big picture – i see both sides, really i do. i’m sure it must be hard to pitch things to bloggers (NOT just mommy bloggers, this effects many types) and i get that. i understand that there are people out there willing to “work” for free (get no product or compensation whatsoever) and that it can be hard to differenciate just by looking at someones blog. from the blogger side i see how some could take personal offense to being asked to do something to further a companies success without implied compensation of any kind. personally, i don’t take offense, i just make the delete button my friend. however, i have a big problem with the way this lady handled it. the post would have been helpful and informative, in my opinion, if not for the character bashing of diana. her voicing the PR side of the issue was lost on me because of repeated digs on her.
using your position as the bigger fish just isn’t right. this isn’t about how big your blog is or whether or not you do reviews or giveaways or whatever. it’s about human decency and the way people conduct business. it’s pretty gross in my opinion. but you know what they say about those…
Posted on | May 23, 2010 | 37 Comments
one thing the H monster has never been is shy. i often wonder what makes her that way and why she has no fear of anyone. i remember reading along with ‘what to expect the first year’ (funny the things you have time for when they don’t know how to walk) and just waiting for the stranger anxiety to hit. 4 months – nothing. 7 months – nada. a year came and went and nary a freakout about a stranger.
there are only 2 people in this entire world that have ever scared her. santa clause and jack black. oh my word how she is terrified of jack black. heaven forbid i don’t realize it’s the “new friends” episode of yo gabba gabba in time – the second his face pops up – complete and utter melt down. and well, we all know the story of santa clause. side note: am i spelling santa clause wrong? i feel like i may be spelling it like one of the best movies of all christmas time starring tim allen – the ORIGINAL, not any of the sequels.
the older she gets, the more social she is becoming. i seriously cannot plan a trip to the store without mentally preparing to talk to strangers. because without fail, every.single.person we pass gets a big “HI! my shoes?” ::lifts up leg to show shoes:: or whatever her favorite thing is that day (it’s shoes a lot. because she knows whats important in life). i must prepare to say the following at least 20 times: thanks! 18 months. Harper. thanks! no she’s just little for her age. yeah, she’s pretty smart. say bye bye! <—- insert this one earlier if stranger is saying nonsense like “oh that’s an interesting name”.
confession: whilst i do hate the people who ignore her sweet little attempts at conversation (seriously, have you no soul?), i secretly get glad i don’t have to stop and converse with them.
the other day at the park there was a lady and her probably 2 year old. this lady was adorably pregnant (probably like 25 weeks, you know where you’re obviously with child but not waddling or missing your shoes yet). she was holding her daughters sun hat while she went down the slide. Harper walked straight up to her, said “here go?”, took the hat from her and placed it on her own head saying “niiiiice”. she then twirled in a circle. the lady looked at me, put her hand over her heart and made that frowny face that really means “zomg i die from cuteness!”. we laughed. i secretly wondered what makes Harper think that is ok. why isn’t she fearful of people?
not that i want her to be. i just wonder why. is it because we’ve been taking her in public since she was 2 weeks old (judge me)? is there something genetically ingrained in her to be social (from me, not my husband – he hates talking to people). will our next child scream bloody murder if a stranger looks at him/her?
is your child social? shy? outwardly outgoing to the point of 2 hour grocery store trips (coughHarpercough)? i’m curious to see what this personality holds for her in the coming years, and obv, the rest of her life. television reporter? performer? BLOGGER? wink.
post summary: my kid is a social butterfly. if you read my blog, cute pregnant lady at the park, thanks for letting my rude excitable child wear your kid’s hat. ESPLODING FIST BUMP! ::pckshshshsh::
Posted on | May 20, 2010 | 75 Comments
this giveaway is now closed and he winner is number 39 – mjb! congrats and thanks to everyone for entering. now go forth and use the 30% off code!
it’s no secret the baby fever is running rampant on the internet these days. many of my bloggy friends are with child and although i am not (no, really, i’m NOT), i’m still thrilled to host a giveaway of fun and flirty maternity wear.
i absolutely loved maternity clothes when i was pregnant (until of course the last few weeks when i was ready to sleep on my stomach and make friends with a zipper again for crying out loud). the styles are so cute these days and i loved stretching a long tank over my belly or putting on a cute flowy top.
Moody Mamas is launching a new line at target.com and has an adorable line of fun dresses and flirty tops. here is what Moody Mamas has to say about their new target.com line:
The Moody Mamas spring line of maternity clothes hits the virtual racks this week at Target and you don’t want to miss it—these fashionable new styles are sure to sell out! With a devout following of hot Hollywood mamas that includes Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba, Tori Spelling and Bethenny Frankel, Moody Mamas’ colorful spring capsule collection will make every expectant mom look as sexy and chic as our celebrity clients. Each piece is inspired by the runway, from easy maxi dresses to adorable chiffon trim knit dresses. All of our styles are made from luxurious fabrics that give every Moody Mamas piece the feel of relaxing loungewear. Start expanding your spring wardrobe today! The collection is limited in quantity, affordably priced from $39.99 – $49.99, and extends into plus sizes. To shop the collection, click here to visit Target.
really, i still peruse the maternity section at target and even still buy tanks there (what? they’re long and comfy!) and the Moody Mamas stuff is right up my alley. lets cross our fingers this stuff is still around when we go for baby number two (which please, stop holding your breath for – don’t want you to hurt yourself).
the fabulous people at Moody Mamas would like to give one lucky reader of the Haps a $50 gift card to their online store! whether you’re pregnant, nursing, or just a weirdo like me who still enjoys a nice maternity tank, you will LOVE the items they have there. pants, dresses, comfy jammies and nursing wear.
to enter, visit the Moody Mamas new target collection and leave a comment on a few of your favorite pieces.
for extra entries, you may do either or both of these (per uge, leave a separate comment for each):
the contest will run through Thursday June 3rd at midnight PST and winner will be chosen and announced Friday June 4th.
if you’re so excited you don’t want to wait to win, Moody Mamas is offering you guys 30% at moodymamas.com. just enter MMDiscount at checkout. how awesome is that?
ok my pregnant and nursing friends, i expect to see you all in the comments! if you get to be pregnant and all taunting me with your cute bellies then i should get to see you win some adorable maternity wear. just saying.
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Jill’s original goal was to raise $1000 for Sam’s family when she posted the fundraiser on friday. within hours, that goal was blasted right through and as of her last update today, $3342 has been raised! the new goal is $4500 by the events end on june 11th. i know myself and many others would like to help her get there.
