2009 Recap on Tonight’s #gno Twitter Party!
December 29, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 16 Comments
Can you believe 2010 is only 2 days away! Let’s give 2009 an amazing goodbye by sharing the #bestof2009 during tonight’s last #gno Twitter party of the year from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, 6 PT)! Click here to party with us!
And, don’t forget to click here to enter this week’s giveaway for a $250 Visa cash card. Deadline: Thursday, January 31 at midnight PT.
- What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, December 29, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #bestof2009.)
- Topic: Best of 2009
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from State Farm. Deadline: Thursday, December 31 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
2010 Women and Mom Blogger Conferences to Attend
December 23, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 29 Comments
Looking to take your blog or social media practices up a notch in 2010 and have a little fun while doing it (check out our smiles from BlogHer 2009)?
Here’s some awesome opportunities for girls’ weekends out, errrr, I mean amazing blogging and social media conferences 
, that are perfect for women looking to grow their blogging and social media knowledge as well as their brand connections.
See the list below to compare conference focus, dates, location, audience, number of attendees, and cost.
January
Chicks Who Click—Colorado
A one-day Social Media Conference for Women incorporating networking, education and empowerment with like-minded women, achieving great heights in the area of Social Media.
Website: http://www.chickswhoclick.net/chickswhoclick.html
Location: Denver, Colorado
Date: Saturday, January 23
Audience: Women in social media
Number of People: Approximately 100
Cost: $225
Alt Conference
Where design-minded folks—bloggers, lifestyle sites, and the companies that want to connect with them—get together to make connections, discuss theory and love on all things design. The focus will be on growing communities, marketing, and monetizing.
Website: http://altitudesummit.com
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Date: Thursday to Saturday, January 21-23
Audience: Bloggers and design enthusiasts
Number of People: Approximately 300
Cost: $350
February
BlissDom
Dedicated to making sure each of [its] attendees has a meaningful weekend learning, connecting and cultivating inspiration for her blog, her business, her family and her life. Special focus on writing and business tracks. Also, new this year is a one-day event with 12 different Wisdom Workshops on Thursday, Feb. 4.
Website: http://blissdomconference.com
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Date: Thursday to Saturday, February 4-6
Audience: Women and mom bloggers, women entrepreneurs and social media enthusiasts
Number of People: Open to 500 attendees
Cost: $299
Mom 2.0 Summit
A place for marketers, mompreneurs and social media enthusiasts to get to know one another, connect, converse, and build relationships. This year’s Summit discussions will focus on three smart paths you can take to even more enlightenment in social media, marketing, networks, and brand building.
Website: http://mom2summit.com
Location: Houston, Texas
Date: Thursday to Saturday, February 18-20
Audience: Mompreneurs, mom bloggers, marketers, and social media enthusiasts
Number of People: Open to 350 attendees
Cost: Early bird pricing is $399. Rates increase December 31.
March
Chicks Who Click—Nebraska
A one-day Social Media Conference for Women incorporating networking, education and empowerment with like-minded women, achieving great heights in the area of Social Media.
Website: http://www.chickswhoclick.net/chickswhoclick.html
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Date: Saturday, March 6
Audience: Women in social media
Number of People: Approximately 100
Cost: $225
SITS Bloggy Bootcamp
Whether you are a newbie or seasoned blogger, you’ll walk away with tons of new ideas and new connections. Networking and collaboration is what bloggy boot camp, hosted by SITS, is all about.
Website: http://www.starsandheartsmedia.com/?page_id=12
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Date: Saturday, March 6
Audience: Geared to women bloggers
Number of People: Only 85
Cost: $89
South by Southwest
Five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.
Website: http://sxsw.com/interactive
Location: Austin, Texas
Date: Thursday to Tuesday, March 11-16
Audience: Those passionate about all things interactive
Cost: Current pricing is $475 for the Interactive Badge. Rates increase January 15.
FitBloggin’10
Website: http://fitbloggin.com
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Date: Saturday, March 20
Audience: Those passionate using blogs and social media to spread a message of health and wellness.
Cost: $99.95 (Early bird special sold out. )
Social Media 4 Small Biz
A two-day interactive, family-friendly conference for small business owners featuring some of the best social media experts, PR professionals, and small business consultants.
Website: http://sm4smallbiz.com
Location: Aliso Viejo (Orange County), California
Date: Thursday to Saturday, March 25-27
Audience: Small business owners with an online storefront who want to get smart on social media
Number of people: Approximately 150
Cost: TBA
April
Chicks Who Click—North Carolina
A one-day Social Media Conference for Women incorporating networking, education and empowerment with like-minded women, achieving great heights in the area of Social Media.
Website: http://www.chickswhoclick.net/chickswhoclick.html
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Date: Saturday, April 10
Audience: Women in social media
Number of People: Approximately 100
Cost: $225
June
Evo ‘10 Conference
At Evo’10, it’s all about interaction—interacting with other bloggers, business women, and brands while evolving your blogging and social media skill set through hands-on, interactive workshops.
Website: http://evoconference.com
Location: Park City, UT at The Canyons Resort
Date: Thursday to Saturday, June 24-26
Audience: Women and marketers looking to connect with each other and evolve their blogs, their businesses, and their brands.
Number of People: Full access passes available to 350 people. Opening keynote and party open to an additional 150.
Cost: Early bird pricing is $249. Rates increase March 1.
August
BlogHer
Offers innovative ideas and [the opportunity to] interact with a mix of social media experts, business bloggers, and brand marketers who have experience building campaigns and working in social media environments.
Website: http://www.blogher.com/blogher_conference/conf
Location: New York, New York
Date: Thursday to Saturday, August 5-7
Audience: Bloggers and businesses
Number of People: Open to 1800 people
Cost: Early bird pricing is $198. Rates increase March 1.
October
Blogalicious 2010
For three days, black, white, Latina, Caribbean, Asian-Pacific, and Native-American bloggers, among other nationalities, will enjoy a weekend of entertaining discussions and extraordinary events, all experienced in the company of exceptional women.
Note: All conference information, including description paragraphs, was taken directly from the conference websites. Please refer to individual websites for additional information, rate increases, or other conference information revisions.Website: http://www.blogaliciousweekend.com
Location: Miami, Florida
Date: Thursday to Saturday, October 8-10
Audience: Women bloggers
Cost: TBA
Giveaway! $250 Visa Cash Card
December 21, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 1,169 Comments
What a better way to ring in the new year than with a $250 Visa cash card!
One lucky winner will receive this amazing gift from State Farm. The requirements are simple and you have 10 days to enter!
Entry Requirements
Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway:
- Leave a comment on this post, identifying one thing you would like to do in the new year to adopt a healthy-living lifestyle.
XX - Post these two messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a $250 Visa cash card from State Farm http://bit.ly/7BxgKT #50MPC #gno PLS RT
X
Interested in healthy living? Learn more about the 50 Million Pound Challenge: http://50millionpounds.com #50MPC #gno PLS RT
Extra Entry Requirements
The following four entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Simply do any or all of the following and leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.
- Join the 50 Million Pound Challenge and be on your way to a healthy 2010.
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
- Join the Mom It Forward Flickr group and leave a picture here of how you are “momming it forward” this holiday season by spreading holiday cheer to others!
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. State Farm and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Thursday, December 31 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.
State Farm will provide for the Sweepstakes one Visa cash card worth $250. This prize is transferable. The winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the prize before another winner is selected.X
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways.
50 Million Pound Challenge Promotes Healthy Living
December 21, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 12 Comments
With 2010 right around the corner and with being overweight topping the list of health issues facing Americans, many are thinking of ways to adopt healthy living habits for the new year.
Dr. Ian K. Smith, M.D. created the 50 Million Pound Challenge (50millionpounds.com) to help people:
- Shed those excess pounds, achieve healthier weights, and reduce our risk for life-threatening diseases.
- Unite as a community and pool our strength and resources to overcome the health problems that afflict us.
- Learn more about our bodies and what we can do to live healthier, longer lives.
- Teach our youth the importance of making healthy lifestyle decisions that will benefit them for years to come.
Join State Farm, sponsor of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, and other healthy living enthusiasts as we discuss diet, exercise, and how-tos for healthy living here this Tuesday, December 22 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, 6 PT) on Twitter. (See details in the list below.)
And, don’t forget to click here to enter this week’s giveaway for a $250 Visa cash card.
- What: State Farm is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, December 22, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #50MPC.)
- Topic: Healthy Living and the 50 Million Pound Challenge
- Who: @bookieboo @jaybashinc @mandyhjellming @markting4mom @ronisweigh @skinnyjeans @stephanies
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from State Farm. Deadline: Thursday, December 31 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Handmade and Personalized Family Christmas Stockings
December 13, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 6 Comments
When I was 4 years old, my mom made each member of our family stockings that looked like us. Mine had two brown ponytails and freckles. My dad’s had black hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a long tie. They were made out of felt and fabric and each year, my mom hung them on the wall in the most prominent place in the house.
X
X
We always looked forward to the time she’d pull them out of the box and begged for them to be the first Christmas decoration to go up. With each new child, she’d make a new stocking to add to the mix until today, we have 8 stockings, each resembling the members of my family.
X
Last year, my sisters got together to make similar stockings for their families. I wasn’t able to go, so my sister made two just for my boys. As we brought these out this year along with the other Christmas decorations, I recognized the excitement I felt growing up for “my” Christmas stocking.
What fun holiday traditions do you have?
Giveaway! Enter to Win Ski Passes & Lessons From Park City Mountain Resort
December 13, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 65 Comments
Winter is the perfect time of year to get out and take advantage of outdoor activities the whole family can enjoy.
Whether you live in Utah, plan on being in the area during this ski season, or were looking for the perfect reason to come to the mountains, Park City Mountain Resort would like to help make your holiday season more enjoyable by offering one lucky winner an amazing gift pack (with an approximate retail value of $900), including:
- Four adult single-day lift tickets*
- Two days of Kids Signature Programs (ski lessons) for two kids (ages 3-14)**
See “Fine Print” for details.
Entry Requirements
Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway:
- Become a fan of the brand new Snowmamas Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall, sharing a family/holiday travel tip and/or your favorite winter activity.
X - Follow @snowmamas and @pcski on Twitter.
X - Post these two messages on Twitter and/or your Facebook profile page:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win $900 in ski passes & lessons from @snowmamas & enjoy #utahpowder http://bit.ly/8vep2n #gno PLS RT
X
Become a fan of @snowmamas FB pg 4 valuable family winter travel planning tips: http://bit.ly/8ovS6K ! PLS RT
Extra Entry Requirements
The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Simply do any or all of the following:
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
- Become a fan of http://facebook.com/momitforward.
- Read this post and leave a comment, sharing tips for ways in which you help your children fall in love with giving during the holiday season.
- Join the Mom It Forward Flickr group and leave a picture here of how you are “momming it forward” this holiday season by spreading holiday cheer to others!
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Park City Mountain Resort and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, December 20 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.
Park City Mountain Resort will provide for the Sweepstakes two single adult lift tickets. These tickets must be used during the 2009/winter 2010 ski season and expire May 31,2010. They are transferable, but may not be exchanged for cash. This offer includes lift tickets only.* The kids Signature Program includes two lessons for kids ages 3-14 only. It does not include equipment, clothing, or rentals. ** Total value of prize is approximately US$ $900. XFull disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Join #gno this Tuesday to Chat Family Travel & Winter Activities With Park City Mountain Resort
December 11, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 31 Comments
With the holidays upon us, family travel and winter break activities are on many moms’ minds! Can you relate?
What are your plans for the holidays? Are you traveling or staying home? Planning some fun winter-related activities or snuggling up by the fire?
Join Park City Mountain Resort’s Snowmamas this Tuesday, December 15 on Twitter from 9-11 ET for a special family-travel and winter-activity themed #gno where you will get insiders’ tips and tricks to planning the perfect winter vacay from home and away! Party details included in the bullet list below.
Don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway and win up to $900 in Park City Mountain Resort ski passes and lessons. Click here for details!
- What: Park City Mountain Resort is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, December 15, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #snowmamas.)
- Topic: Family travel and winter activities
- Who: @alyandrea @eric_hoffman @katjapresnal @krista_parry @makeandtakes @meishalawson @pclinda @snowmamas @sugarjones @takingthekids
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from Park City Mountain Resort’s Snowmamas. Deadline: Sunday, December 20 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Giveaway! Win a Spa Treatment, $250 in Origins Products, & Free Gift Wrap!
December 10, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 317 Comments
The holiday season is all about giving. But often, we’re so caught up in coming up with the perfect gifts and acts of service for others that we don’t make time to give back to ourselves. If you’re like me, you barely find time to wrap the gifts you do buy!
Origins would like to help make your holiday season more enjoyable by offering one lucky winner an amazing gift pack that’s all about YOU! (with an approximate retail value of $400), including:
- A 60-minute spa treatment at a local spa of your choice*
- $250 of Origins Holiday Gift Sets**
- Wrapping of up to 10 gifts***
Entry Requirements
Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway:
- Become a fan of the http://www.facebook.com/Origins Facebook page. Visit http://origins.com and leave a comment on the Origins Facebook page, sharing which Origins product you’d love to try and why.
X - Post these two messages on Twitter and/or your Facebook profile page:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win $150 spa treatment, $250 #origins prize pack, & free holiday gift wrapping. http://bit.ly/4JOh3b PLS RT
X
Stay up to date on winter skincare tips by becoming a fan of the http://facebook.com/origins page. PLS RT
Extra Entry Requirements
The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Simply do any or all of the following:
- Read this post and leave a comment on your tips for winter skincare.
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
- Become a fan of http://facebook.com/momitforward.
- Read this post and leave a comment, sharing tips for ways in which you help your children fall in love with giving during the holiday season.
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Origins and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, December 13 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.
Origins will provide for the Sweepstakes one free 60-minute spa service at spa of winner’s choice up to $150 value*, $250 of Origins Holiday gift sets chosen by Origins**, and winner can receive up to 10 holiday gifts wrapped for free at a nearby Origins retail store (not valid at dept. store)***. Winner of Grand Prize is responsible for bringing the holiday gifts they would like to be wrapped to an Origins retail store only at time agreed to by both parties. Origins will wrap designated gifts by end of business day of drop off. Gifts must be no larger than 2ft x 3ft. If winner is not able to bring gifts to Origins retail store winner will forfeit this portion of prize. The remaining prizes will be shipped to the winner via 2nd day shipping at the expense of the Sponsor. Total value of prize is approximately US$ $400. XFull disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways.
The Grand America Hotel & The Melting Pot Give Moms a Much Needed Time Out
December 10, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 1 Comment
When you think of taking a time out, do you think of a place children go or a space they take when they are in trouble? I know I do. But, isn’t the concept behind time outs more about kids needing a break from others, their surroundings, or even you, their mom?
Having some alone time gives perspective, breaks up the routine, and enables kids the opportunity to reflect before jumping back into a situation. And isn’t the same true for adults? The only difference is no one is there to force us to take these much needed breaks.
Last weekend, I experienced as close to that as it comes, but it wasn’t for being in trouble and it provided 100% of the break that I needed.
The Grand America Hotel and Spa offered me and four of my friends (Carina, Marie, Janet, and Allison) the opportunity to stay at their five-diamond hotel overnight to check out their digs and take advantage of their spa treatments. Then, The Melting Pot, which happened to be located right across the street, offered to treat us to dinner. I’d put myself in time out every day if this is what it would be like! And, the weekend put me just in the right spot to return to life in general better prepared to tackle the upcoming week, be a better mom, and deal with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
The Experience
Three things in particular made this the best time out evah: X
- Friends. Sharing common experiences makes life so much richer. When you do that with quality people—people who are uplifting, inspiring, and amazing individuals—it adds to the experience and makes you strive to be a better person as well. While the hotel and restaurant couldn’t have provided this element, they did provide an environment where friendship could flourish. The Melting Pot didn’t wince when our dinner turned into a 4-hour affair. The servers had personality, accommodated our many and varied requests, and didn’t make us feel like we had extended our welcome. The Grand America offered a generous suite and an extended check-out time so we could stay up all night talking and sleep in (and we did both!).
X 
Food/Drink. The Melting Pot’s Alpine Ridge dinner for two (drooling as I think of the cheese fondue!) and The Grand America Garden Restaurant’s buffet didn’t leave us hungry, but who were we to turn down the welcome basket of treats The Grand America left for us or the sparkling lemonade waiting as we exited our massages? What’s a girl to do, right?
X- Massage. I’ve had a lot of free massages in my life for one reason or another, so I am comparing apples to apples when I write this next statement. The duet massage at The Grand Spa was the BEST.MASSAGE.OF.MY.LIFE. I don’t even know how to put into words what this experience was like. To describe it briefly, two massage therapists work on your body in tandem. Some times, they are doing the exact techniques on opposite sides—one on the right arm, the other on the left, for example. And at other times, they are working together but on different parts of the body—one on the head, the other on the feet. It is a complete trip, a total escape, allowing you to deeply relax. Talk about stress reducing. Suffice it to say that the duet massage was worth every ounce of time spent this weekend and I’m plotting ways to cover the $210 for future appointments (yes! that was plural!).
How You Can Take an Amazing Time Out at a Discount
And right now for the Holidays, The Melting Pot in Salt Lake City, UT is offering an amazing dining deal. Guests who purchase $100 in Gift Cards get a Holiday Gift of four $25 cards that may be used quarterly throughout 2010. But you must come in to the restaurant for purchase, call 521-MELT or email tj@utahmeltingpot.com. (They have extended Holiday hours!)
And if that’s not enough to tempt you, check this out! Use this discount code for your next stay at The Grand America. Follow this link for and exclusive room rate of $100 off! Or mention “Social Media” at the Grand Spa and get 20% off your spa treatment. Hopefully this will help you enjoy a fabulous spa getaway without breaking the bank. Here’s to a much needed time out for all of you and a relaxing holiday season!
#gno Holiday Party TONIGHT With Origins!
December 10, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 25 Comments
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! But with holiday parties, shopping, and travel, many find themselves stressed out, making it difficult to enjoy the Christmas cheer.
What are ways you can de-stress this time of year? How can simple pleasures like skin care and beauty help you enjoy a happier holiday season? If you had a few extra hours during the holidays, what would you do?
Join Origins the rest of the Mom It Forward community here for a special holiday #gno TONIGHT Thursday, December 10 to discuss the answer to these and more questions! Party details included in the bullet list below.
Don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win a $150 spa treatment, a $250 prize pack of Origins products, and free wrapping of 10 gifts at any Origins retail store.
- What: Origins is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: TONIGHT! Thursday, December 10, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #origins.)
- Topic: Enjoying a Beauty-Filled and Stress-Free Holiday Season
- Who: @dailymakeover, @duongsheahan, @erikalehmann, @jennyitup, @mominthecity, @wordsmitty
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from Origins. Deadline: Sunday, December 13 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward is grateful for the brands that sponsor its weekly #gno Twitter parties. As part of their sponsorship, they provide tips and techniques and/or expert advice and information on party topics, offer products for giveaway(s), and if applicable, make e-coupons and discounts available to the Mom It Forward community.
