tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331072562009-11-13T17:19:21.776-06:00Serving up mama goodness with opinions on the side.ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-41823627664323561042009-11-13T17:19:00.001-06:002009-11-13T17:19:21.856-06:00

Another contest involving creativity in exchange for notoriety. Some say user participation creates a personal relationship with the brand, but only if you win. If you DON'T win, you've given a fantastic design that they can use as they see fit = no compensation. We all love a great pair of shoes, but wouldn't you love to be able to say that you actually designed a pair?  New contest powered by 

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-4503153388933288152009-09-30T09:25:00.001-05:002009-09-30T09:25:57.191-05:00

What does it mean when a client sends you a job opportunity - at another advertising agency? Is this a hint?

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-38114689817351596162009-09-29T11:30:00.001-05:002009-09-29T11:30:31.754-05:00

Gather, an online social network to make new friends and form new social circles, and Mom Central Consulting, a social media agency specializing in Marketing to Moms, today are releasing the results of a survey conducted to understand moms' social habits online.  [FULL DISCLOSURE: this information came to me from a PR contact representing Gather...an organization that helps people meet online (

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-77794092193320190062009-09-22T08:58:00.001-05:002009-09-22T08:58:08.556-05:00

An online social network recently conducted a survey of Moms to determine the most popular back to school lunches. Some highlights from the survey:There is a nearly even split between those that pack lunches (52%) or buy school lunch (48%) The PB&J is the most popular (37%), but a surprising 24% of parents don't pack a sandwich for their kid's lunches. Which fruit is most favored? In a close race

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-17452478776910570502009-08-19T14:16:00.001-05:002009-08-19T14:16:55.139-05:00

This is timely. My little guy is now in a bit of a rut with the nighttime routine...as in he's habitually dragging out the goodnight process. Source: ebeanstalk.com Question: Dear Ebeanstalk, my 3 year old is prolonging her bed-time ritual for up to 30 minutes. She wants to change her dry diaper, asks me to get her water, read her a story, scratch her back…the list goes on and on and on…Ughhh…I

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-10576982899565377692009-07-17T12:23:00.001-05:002009-07-17T12:23:24.011-05:00

Interesting viral marketing tactic. Check out this PR post just received from Staples:Have you or your readers been victims of bad photo tagging on Facebook? UGH! Perhaps it was that old prom photo sporting your signature big 80's hairdo? (is that you in the attached photo ;) Or those pictures from the company holiday party you hoped would never resurface? Now, you and your readers can have the

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-69379928894617684272009-06-08T12:08:00.001-05:002009-06-08T12:08:33.626-05:00

Really, Comcast?Did your market research show that Crocs were a good incentive - perhaps the cherry on top of your $150 savings?Wow, this is one odd promotion.

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-46486721093726812902009-05-27T09:41:00.002-05:002009-05-27T09:53:45.209-05:00

This time around, now that I'm (ahem) an "experienced" mom, I'm even more interested in child development. Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby's development. And they select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on their baby toys page.Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-24940276007230892032009-05-07T08:58:00.001-05:002009-05-07T08:58:24.641-05:00

We're celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday this summer, with friends relatives joining from 11 states and Ontario. Hey, that's Canada - I suppose this makes it an international celebration!?  There's a good deal of coordination involved, from organizing the location & site rental, to lining up hotel rooms and of course, inviting everyone.  I've used Evite in the past, but this time I

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-16232331071883094172009-04-06T13:02:00.001-05:002009-04-06T13:02:46.793-05:00

Thought this was interesting...Source: ebeanstalkHow Can I Get My Child to Tell Me About Her Day at School? By: Shari Harpaz, CCC-SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist)Ever ask your child, "what did you do at school today?" and get the response, "nothing?". Rest assured, you are not alone! Parents often complain that they can't get their children to tell them much about their day at school. A child's

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-24553278294651169032009-03-20T16:36:00.001-05:002009-03-20T16:36:16.941-05:00

I just laid someone off. She was not surprised. She even offered to help with the transition of anything that is needed.This is a sign of the times...

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-30707182771052395472009-03-20T09:02:00.001-05:002009-03-20T09:02:21.983-05:00

I have to lay off someone on my team today.I am working on developing the right words to say - not only for that conversation, but also for the conversation I'll then have with the remaining team members. I really believe layoffs are as hard on the people who go, as the people who stay. This is for different reasons, of course - but still.

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-34852687843933543702009-03-11T17:25:00.001-05:002009-03-11T17:25:08.731-05:00

So, I'm all about X degrees of separation.This morning I learned that a colleague's co-worker is Garrett Weber-Gale's dad.Who is Garrett Weber-Gale? He's on the 4x100 meter relay that Michael Phelps anchored in August. You know, that one where Michael took a half-breath and totally beat out the other anchor leg swimmer? And it was amazing? And we all jumped up and yelled at the TV? Yep, that's

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-66748176356676534522009-03-03T16:47:00.001-06:002009-03-03T16:47:51.431-06:00

------ Forwarded Message From: Aileen Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:26:45 -0600 Subject: Someday... I'm going to master your mellifluous client voice. So smooth, so soothing...You're like the client-service Jedi Master.

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-13756722506889450732009-03-03T12:23:00.001-06:002009-03-03T12:23:21.629-06:00

It's hard to put into words how I feel about having a daughter, except that it's magical and amazing and I can't imagine life without here. But I wasn't always sure I wanted a girl. A favorite writer seems to feel the same way about her new daughter...I found Rebecca Woolf's description of her evolving mother-daughter relationship so personal, so compelling...http://www.girlsgonechild.net/2009/02

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-70805234196177343592009-02-20T13:25:00.001-06:002009-02-20T13:25:42.744-06:00

I don't know what e.e. cummings was writing about, specifically, but I've always loved this poem. Now that I'm a mom, I enjoy it all the more, because you truly do carry your children with you always. I will say goodbye to them a million mornings - but still I have days when a lump forms in my throat.  here is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the budand

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-11068878897836189682009-02-19T15:28:00.001-06:002009-02-19T15:28:07.068-06:00

I love HBM because she nails thoughts...http://badladies.blogspot.com/2009/02/amazing-survivor-race-challenge.html This is so, so true. We as parents (as moms) don't always remember how we wound up as moms...that there was first this person we loved and wanted to love us and together wanted to make someone else to love. And all the reasons we love them are there - if we will unearth them.  The

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-39033709253082121022009-02-11T09:06:00.001-06:002009-02-11T09:06:40.736-06:00

These days, the minute I pull Doph's socks off, she grabs her toes. She absolutely loves them -  weaves her fingers in between them and won't let go. She cannot get enough of them. I almost feel bad putting on her sleeper, because then she can't access them. It is probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Wish I could soak up and enjoy this five-month-old a little more. I think I skipped

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-50608831914211364302009-02-03T22:45:00.001-06:002009-02-03T22:45:56.446-06:00

...in a few ways...Hubby gave me a pep talk this morning and I was able to get a ton of work done at the office on my projects - not just those I supervise. But first, I experienced record output from Thundermouse and the Doph. T-mouse is doing a great job on the potty, so I'm happy to be called to wipe at two intervals in the morning. But Doph's output was a little too much. Thrice? In an hour?

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-61570952529325355352009-01-26T22:12:00.001-06:002009-01-26T22:15:33.560-06:00

 John Lithgow is my best friend. Seriously. I swear.

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-27955638945971879782009-01-25T10:49:00.001-06:002009-01-25T10:49:11.296-06:00

Resume...said one way, it means "to begin again"Said another, it's a document of credentials. Both seem applicable today. I'm starting up blogging again after a long absence. I tapered off during the summer of 2008, while pregnant with Doph - and then completely stopped blogging while on maternity leave. I'm starting up again after a surprise piece of mail yesterday. It was a check from BlogHer.

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-59762640687319820372008-10-16T22:46:00.001-05:002008-10-16T22:46:47.783-05:00

For those keeping score at home, I'm now starting my eight month. Three weeks ago, I was involved in a major new biz pitch. It's not typical that you pitch a new client while 29 weeks pregnant.  Pitching is nerve-wracking anyway, but especially so when you're the primary client contact and the relationship will be determined, in part, by "personality fit."  We received the news today - we got

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-38870907436397362582008-08-08T11:22:00.001-05:002008-08-08T11:22:51.590-05:00

 I have been reaching for a team lead position that is currently vacant, and sacrificing a lot of myself to do that. For example, when junior team members need help, I listen. When I see a department need, I respond to it. When I noticed that we have a ton of work in the pipeline, I develop a report to communicate to management that we're about to drown and don't have a liferaft. All of this is

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-8923438707668221112008-07-25T08:54:00.001-05:002008-07-25T08:54:24.402-05:00

http://www.workitmom.com/blog/2008/07/22/the-upside-of-being-a-working-mom/ This is good...I certainly identify with the switch that's flipped the moment I see my son. I'm able to forget work while I'm with him, and just focus on the important things. Like Nataly, I had a hard time checking my work frustrations at the door before he was born. Some days it's literally a weight off my shoulders

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33107256.post-77412550254279975592008-07-23T10:07:00.001-05:002008-07-23T10:07:21.802-05:00

An intern I supervised recently asked me to be a reference. Here are a few suggestions I made to her:Here's what has helped me be a good reference in the past. If you pass my name & info to a potential employer/application, let me know (an email is fine) so that I can be prepared when they call. If you can tell me anything about the type of opportunity or any other info, that's all the better.  

ChicMama!http://www.blogger.com/profile/14433099039913541302noreply@blogger.com0