Social Media in a Mommy's World

While working with my reporter hat on recently we interviewed some great folks about this thing we call social media and how it is becoming an important part of the way everyone does business.

Facebook, Twitter, Four Square, all tools of a fairly new trade where many are trying to hop on board quickly to promote and brand their products or business.

But there is also a little phenomenon called the Mommy Blogger.  She even has the New York Times a little worried or maybe it's annoyed.  Mommies are taking the social media world by storm and advertisers and traditional media are taking notice.

Our UNC-TV crew interviewed Molly Gold of MyGoMom Organizers, Sarah Pinnix of Real Life, and Monica Brady of Mommy Brain Reports.  All of these Moms in the feature below have an interesting perspective on how they use social media in business and life.

Missing My Mom

It has been two years since my sweet Mom died suddenly. 

Even now it is still hard to understand our loss.  

I miss her when my boys do something really cute or funny.

I know it would make their Nana laugh.

I miss the way....

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Mommy Message Alert: Baby Sling Recall

More than one million baby slings are being voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer after deaths involving the carriers in the past year. The "SlingRider" and "Wendy Bellissimo" slings, made by Infantino, are tied to at least three infant deaths.    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advises consumers to stop using this product for children under the age of 4 months old and to send in for a replacement. Recently Mommy Message told you about the caution the CPSC issued over the safety of the baby slings.  Without calling name brands..

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Confessions of Driving in the Fast Food Lane

This is confession time.  Sure, we shop at Whole Foods and love to cook organic and yummy dishes, but there is a little thing called the power of the people.

In this instance, the little people, three little people, who love nothing more than to pull through our neighborhood fast food restaurant to grab a kid's meal.

We do so about once a week, sometimes two.  If you see our arsenal of tiny kid's toys you can do the math on how often times the power of three we drive in the fast food lane.

We've found it's not the food they crave, but the plastic toys attached to this week's theme.  The fact that it is Stars Wars or Hotwheels makes it all the more mission critical.  I won't begin to tell you how many times I've had to walk into the restaurant and exchange a Strawberry Shortcake lip gloss for the boy toy of the week.  A Mommy's work is never done.

I noticed my friend Peter had...

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Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Jamie Oliver is known as The Naked Chef for his philosophy of using simple and whole food ingredients in his recipes.

The Naked Chef has been known to make a contribution to the good eats at our house.

Well, not in the flesh, but through Oliver's cookbooks we have enjoyed the simple, yet elegant way he creates healthy meals for the family.

His passion for changing school lunches to the healthy in Britain is something to admire, but now Jamie is taking on the unhealthy and processed eating habits of the good ole USA in his new ABC television show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  Last night's sneak preview offered a view into an up hill battle where breakfast pizza is king and kids think tomatoes are potatoes.

The chef from England shows up....

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Spring has Sprung

The first day of spring is perfect.  Beautiful sunshine, blue sky, and did I tell you my daffodils are blooming?  They are truly gorgeous plants that herald the seasonal shift.  Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers.

My affinity for them probably dates back to childhood with memories of daffodils popping up from the ground at our neighbor's house.  Mrs. Boyd had a creek that ran through her property on Pleasant Lane.  She had little bridges...

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Wrestle Mania: He-Man Style

There is a whole lot of wrestle mania that goes on here at the bee hive.  My boys love to take all the comforters off the bed and wrestle with their Daddy Bee.  Most times Daddy Bee is playing the part of some character the boys make up and he is usually the bad guy or the transportation.  The themes range from a mixed assortment of Star Wars to super hero and the results border on the hilarious.

After the boys watched free episodes on Hulu of the old-school cartoon He-Man, Middle Bee has turned his ultimate fighting nights into a dual for the Masters of the Universe.  Let me tell you, this boy is serious.

When he is feeling in the He-Man spirit...

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Wordless Wednesday

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Our three little leprechauns love to look for four-leaf clovers

A School Principal is Your Pal

When you walk into your child's school what sets the tone for the atmosphere?  In my experience as a parent and covering education stories, if you have a principal who is a dynamic instructional leader, good things are happening and great teachers are right there with them.

I have been profiling public school principals for The Principal Story on UNC-TV.  These are stories of leaders who are transforming their schools into high achieving hubs of learning against all the odds.  Many of these schools were nowhere near meeting state or federal achievement expectations, but principal leadership seemed to be the key that turned things around.

I can not help but smile...

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Mommy Message Alert: Baby Slings

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a caution about infant slings after investigating deaths involving the carriers.

Apparently infants under the age of 4 months are the most affected age group, especially preemies.

Out Little Bee lived in his sling...

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Treat Friday: Starbucks Man We Love You

What a wonderful Friday treat to break up a week filled with sniffles and snuffles.  It is early release day at school for Big Boy Bee.  (I always think "early release" makes it sound like they are prisoners, but anyway.)

At lunch, while Daddy Bee waited to get tires for his car, we decided to all head to get a pizza at a local Italian restaurant.  We were up for the fun task of taking all three bees into the public eye.  Lunch went well, only one knocked over water and Mommy Bee didn't shatter the light when she hit it hoisting the high chair to our table.  So all in all a pleasant meal.


As we headed to the car Daddy Bee and I decided to look for a little coffee pick me up on this rainy Friday and settled on a Starbucks near the pizza restaurant.

We ordered and when the nice man at the window gave us our beverages he looked and saw little smiling faces peering at him.  "Are there three boys back there?"  he smiled.  "Yep, three boys," we said.  He then held up his finger...

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Wordless Wednesday

Big Bee 

When he was our littlest

and 

only bee

Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters

We have new additions to our family and they don't smell or bite.  Each of the three Bees got their very own Zhu Zhu Pet hamster this week.  These cute interactive toys are just the thing to get us through our desire for a real live hamster.

Big Bee has Nugget, aka renamed Sunshine, and his hair matches the boy really well.

 Middle Bee has the black and white Winkie.  He renamed his pet Furry Chunky Legs. Hmmmmm?

Baby Bee has the brown guy with an acorn on his back.  He has taken to calling it Apple.  I have no idea why, but it's cute when he says it, "Ah-pull"








They explore, they chat, and...

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My Left Foot

For those of you who know me as the "graceful swan" this story will surprise you.  O.K., no one knows me as the "graceful swan", but I wish I were a little more graceful.  I realize it will never happen, but at this point I just want to be able to walk, run, maybe hop a little?  But then there is my left foot, it is misbehaving badly or maybe it is a victim in all of this.  I'm not sure, but it hurts like nobody's business.

Last week while putting up clothing in stealth mode as the children slept I stubbed my left pinky toe on a door.  Oh how I stumped it.  Stumped or stubbed just doesn't seem quite the words to describe the violence inflicted on my teeniest of toes.  After impact I ran into our room and nothing makes me more descriptive or sailor-like than when I hurt my toe.  Dear Daddy Bee was at his desk just staring at me because I was a sight to behold.  My toe ended up a nice shade of purple rain.  I thought it was broken.  It looked broken.  Only an X-Ray would tell.....

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Wordless Wednesday-Lemur Edition

A few words for Wordless Wednesday to help our friends at the Duke Lemur Center.  Along with videographer Keith, we recently visited the lemurs for a UNC-TV PBS story.










These pictures show Research Coordinator Sarah Zehr bringing us up close and personal to the world's most adorable endangered animals.  There is not a place like this one on earth that helps lemurs.

 Now Pepsi is giving money to worthy causes, and they are letting you decide who is worthy.

 Go to: Pepsi to vote for the lemurs to win......

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World Maths Day Olympics

It's not the real Olympics, but you will find a bit of mental gymnastics or "mathnastics" practice taking place at our house.

The Smart Kids Smart Parents founder pointed me to  this excellent online World Maths Day Competition website.  Over one million children from all over the world compete against one another in a math fact showdown of epic proportions.  They can compete as an individual student or with their school.

We are only two days away from the March 3rd start of the 48 hour problem solving challenge.  If your child is interested in math, this site will make your little mathlete very happy.

After registering....

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