BlogHer13: The Parties – #SweetSuite13

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Jackie

I know…. I know…. this is a little late to the game but why post when everyone else is? This way I’ve had time to think and decide what I really want to write about when it comes to my experiences at BlogHer13 and the parties.

One of the parties that I was excited to be invited to (wait… I was happy to be invited to them all really) was the Sweet Suite which was hosted by Joey Fortman (Real Mom Media), Charlene DeLoach (Charlene Chronicles), and The Big Toy Book. This party was all about the coolest toys and getting to actually check some of them out. Who wouldn’t want to attend this party?

This is my own picture. 🙂

Of all the parties that I went to this one had to be the best organized because they had scheduled times that you could come. This meant that there weren’t huge lines of people waiting to get in or large crowds of people inside. I think that other people should take a lesson and do something similar for their parties.

And the brands that were there… simply amazing is all I can say.

The reps that they had there took the time to explain their products, brand, and how they were working with bloggers. I loved that they were interested in actually talking to us which was a feeling that I had not gotten at other parties.

A few things that I learned…

The SpiroGraph has been brought back and it’s just as awesome as it was when I was a kid. As a matter of fact they gave us little travel SpiroGraph sets and my daughter called dibs on it as soon as she knew I had gotten one and I have yet to use it. Also, remember Fashion Plates? The rumor going around that night was that they were bringing them back! I have never seen so many excited women before. I’m pretty sure that every single one of us there had them when we were kids and couldn’t wait to get them for our daughters.

The worlds most awesome doll house was there and calling to my inner little girl like no other! I have 3 girls (11, 13, 17) and I know that even at their age this doll house would intrigue them and I bet that my 11 yr old would want it if I showed it to her. This house is HUGE! It’s called My Girls Dollhouse and it’s built and designed for 18 inch dolls (think American Girl size). You can customize the house when you order it and even get furniture for it. This… well, this will be at the top of every girls holiday wish list.

Photo from The Big Toy Book

Seriously this picture does not do the house justice. It’s amazing!

Leap Frog has a new LeapPad coming out that is WiFi enabled which I think is pretty cool. We have one now and whenever I want to add new stuff to it or get the badges and what not from the games my son has played I have to connect it to my computer and then log in to the website. Now, it’s really not that much work but being able to do it over WiFi would be so much easier and time efficient.

There was also a rumor that Snoopy was there…. I never saw him at all.

I could go on and on about all of the great brands that were there and the fun toys that I was able to really check out but then this would be the post that never ends, it goes on and on my friends… (is the song stuck in your head now? You’re welcome).

Were you at #SweetSuite13? What was your favorite toy?

Disclosure: This post isn’t sponsored or anything like that. I just loved the party.

BlogHer & Friends

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Jackie

BlogHer is done and over with for another year and that means for at least the next week or so the blogosphere is going to be saturated with BlogHer wrap up posts, pictures, and more tweets about how everyone is missing each other. I am no different than all the others and am jumping on the bandwagon.

So was my first BlogHer everything that I could have ever wanted it to be? eh… sure. It was really good but I missed out on the keynotes, VOTY awards, and the sessions and that was my own fault because I didn’t get a full conference pass. It’ll be okay though because now that the sessions are being transcribed and posted on the BlogHer site I can read through them at my own pace.

There are a few things that I did learn though. First of all the conference really solidified how much of an introvert I really am. I mean geesh… I spent so much time worried about being the annoying person that didn’t have friends that I didn’t just walk up to groups of people and talk to them. I tended to keep to myself more than I should have and I think that hurt my overall experience.

On the bright side I met just about everyone on my list of must meet people as well as so many other wonderful people. There were smiles, laughter, and lots and lots of hugs. I felt like I belonged and accepted to a special group of people. I was with friends and it was amazing because these people who I have “known” and chatted with for the past three years were with me in person and the best part… these women were no longer just my friends in the computer, they were my real life friends.

Did I mention that there was lots of hugging? What about the squeeing? Well, there was a lot of that too.

The first day that I arrived in Chicago I met up with an amazing group of women…. there had to be close to 20 of us there at lunch. Most of them I had met through blogging and others were totally new to me. Regardless, I was met with smiles and hugs… I felt totally welcomed to the group. The rest of the weekend was much of the same.

My biggest regret? Not taking enough pictures! When I was going through my phone looking at the pictures I did take I realized that there weren’t that many and I didn’t get pictures with everyone!

Another thing that I learned was actually before the conference began. The women who were once just online friends are open, honest, and trusting… we swapped phone numbers without a second thought and almost immediately started talking to one another. And we are still talking.

I’ve found my ‘tribe’. The group of bloggers who I trust completely and would help out in anyway that I could if they asked. They’re women that I could sit up talking to late at night sharing silly stories, laughs, serious conversations, and more. I made connections that I value greatly and they’re connections that I will continue to maintain and grow because aside from simply being a connection they’re friendships and that is more important.

It’s Wednesday and because of that I’m linking up with Shell for Pour Your Heart Out and Angie & Amanda for Wordful Wednesday.

Thank You….

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Jackie

So today is my first official day back in real life. Meaning that I am no longer in Chicago at BlogHer and that means no more delicious dinners with friends, and no more chatting, hugging, and enjoying a glass of wine with them either. Although, now that I think about it, Google Hangouts could really work for the chatting and enjoying a glass of wine together.

Everything about my trip was wonderful and there isn’t a lot to complain about really.

But this post isn’t a recap of my trip to BlogHer. My sole intent is to say Thank You.

If it weren’t for my family then I wouldn’t have been able to go this year. So to my husband who stayed home from his motorcycle trip with friends, thank you. It means a lot to me that you did that especially since Andrew spent the weekend whining that he wanted mommy to come home.

To my in-laws, thank you for helping with the hotel room. They let me use some of their Starwood Points to book my hotel room at the Sheraton and that alone saved me TONS of money. This really meant a lot to me and I appreciate it more than they know.

To Gigi, my amazing roommate, I want to say thank you for sharing a room with me. Also, for introducing me to people and being so very helpful. You’re simply amazing!

To BlogHer, thank you for having the expo/party pass option for those of us who really want to get to the conference badly but decided last minute and don’t have a lot of money.

And to everyone else…. thank you for being my friend, reader, and supporter. Okay, the thank you list is done for now and all to soon I share some recap posts with you because I know that you’re dying to hear all about it, right?

What I hope… #BlogHer13

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Jackie

In just a couple days time I’ll be on a train headed to Chicago and the biggest blogging conference around. Yes, I’ll be attending my very first BlogHer conference! Like everyone else who is attending I am excited and looking to a fun filled weekend and just like all of the other newbies I’m a little nervous because I don’t fully know what to expect.

Right now at this very moment my biggest worry is if I will be able to see the amazing Queen Latifah at the VOTY awards! Seriously, this is important, first world problems because I only bought an expo/party pass. If not, then I’ll be the one hovering right outside the door peaking in the window or through the door barely cracked just to see a little bit. I sent out a tweet or two and posted my issues on Facebook so I’ll find out soon enough. Fingers crossed people!

Anyway, I have a lot of hopes and dreams for #BlogHer13.

I hope that I get to meet everyone that is on my lists of must meet. Bloggers who I admire and have followed since day one.

I hope that this little conference will help push my name & blog out there to the front where more people can see it.

I hope that I make some excellent and long lasting connections with some of the amazing brands that will be there.

I hope I can make connections with PR reps from various marketing firms that I leave a good impression on.

I hope that I get to meet Ree Drummond because I do love her show on Food Network.

I hope that I get to meet Queen Latifah because I’ve listened to her for years and she’s pretty awesome.

I hope that I can past my nervousness & introvertness (yes, I made that word up) and put myself out there a little bit.

I hope… well, I hope that I don’t make a fool out of myself. That would be terrible!

What about you? What are your hopes and dreams for BlogHer if you’re going this year?

It’s official… I’m going to #BlogHer13 and I wrote a post about it

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Jackie

I’m not 100% sure if this is okay to do. I asked around a little and everyone told go ahead… why not… and so on and so forth.

Anyway, so I’m doing it because it’s my first time going to BlogHer and I want to shout it from the roof tops. Well, not really because I’m not really the shout anything from the rooftops ever type of person.

So I’m going to BlogHer this year and I am pretty damn excited about it for a few reasons. Let’s list them out because it’s easier.

1. When I first started blogging I kept seeing all this talk on Twitter about about BlogHer and who was going and all that. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it was a big ol’ conference that just about everyone besides me was going to. I vowed that one day I’d go.

2. I’ve been trying to figure out how to really make a career out of social media and blogging. It’s been hard especially when I have a full time job and need it until I can replace it with something else. I was once told that I need to go to conferences and that it really helps make those connections that could boost my career. That has been stuck in my head since it was told to me and the more I read on blogs, Twitter, and conversations in private FB groups I realize that there is truth in it.

3. Most of my friends live in my computer. Sad I know but it’s true. I really want to meet all of those wonderful people that I have connected with over the years, I want to pick the minds of those who have done great things through blogging, and most of all I just want to say that all the people that I talk to daily are friends in real life… and not just in my computer.

4. This one might be most important. This little weekend getaway is much deserved! My husband takes snowmobiling and motorcycle trips throughout the year and the last two that he took resulted in a toddler puking all over himself, his car seat, and the car while driving 75 mph down the highway with 2 teens and a tween in the car. Oh.. and no place to stop right away. The other event was multiple sick kids or something… I can’t remember because I started blocking out all the bad things that happened while he was gone. Oh wait! I forgot the best one. The most recent motorcycle trip was over Mother’s Day… even though I said it was fine it would have been nice to have something special on that day.

A little about me? Well, you can check it all out on my About Me page.

Most lists because they’re easy!

1. I’m an introvert. Just like Shell explained in her post… I’m not mad, not a bitch, and I’m not stuck up. Please come talk to me!

2. I’m pretty open. Just ask me anything.

3. I’m a mom of 4 kids from toddler to teen. Because of that I can relate to just about anyone.

4. I’m not one of those young bloggers. This year I’ll be 41 years old… does that make me middle aged?

5. I like wine, chocolate, and most food. I LOVE food.

There are things that I’m worried about when it comes to a huge conference like this. I bet that a lot of people are.

1. Will I look like a moron? Will I be dressed right.

2. Will anyone even know who I am?

3. I’m not going to the sessions (it was the only way I could get to BlogHer). Will I be missing out on something really important?

4. What if I can’t speak to the reps in a way that conveys what I want & that I am the perfect person to represent them?

5. What if people think I’m strange?

The what if’s could go on an on. I’m a newbie… it’s sort of expected.

I plan on having a wonderful time no matter what. I am going to meet all the great people that I talk to online, who’s blogs I follow, and the really smart people who are doing exactly what I only dream of doing.

I’m going to go to parties and have fun.

I’m going to get dressed up (probably) and eat my dinner with a glass of wine and not have to worry about helping a toddler.

I’m going to hog the entire bed.

I’m going to take notes. Lots of notes.

I’m going to take lots of pictures.

I’m going to eat cheeseburgers, fries, and drink my beloved Diet Coke and not feel guilty about it.

I’m going to make the connections that I need to take that next step.

I’m going to relax and go with the flow because even though I am making all sorts of lists nothing goes as planned when there are thousands of people in one location.

This is me… everyday me. Not the cute me from my professional profile pics. This is end of the day, messy hair, smudged makeup, jammie wearing, tv watching mom with the cheesy smile.