Friends, I have an epic summer giveaway for you today! I’m partnering with nine amazing blogger pals to offer two lucky winners one $500 Amazon gift card each! The graphic at the bottom of this post includes inspiration for a few cool things you could use that gift card towards (Apple watch! iPad! Samsung camera! Kate Spade bag!), but of course if you’re looking to load up on GU or fancy pens or books to load into your summer tote, that’s totally up to you!
Friends, today is this site's 9th birthday! When I started Boston Mamas 9 years ago, I had no business plan; I simply was fueled by a passion to create community via useful and interesting content + small business and local resource support. This simple passion (and my lack of long-term business planning - HA!) remains, and I am astutely aware that YOU are the inspiration for so much of what I do. There are 3,390 posts in the archives to prove it!
Not long after posting my Creative Assistant job alert, I found myself incredibly moved by the response on social media, and by the volume of applicants, their qualifications, and the manner in which they shared their personal/professional goals and dreams with me. After combing through the applications (several times!) and chatting on the phone with the wonderful women who made the short list, I'm really thrilled to introduce you to Laura today.
Friends, it’s time to kick off a new chapter in Boston Mamas history. My beloved editorial assistant Kris-Ann needs to hang up her spurs (sob!) so I’m looking for a replacement! I am renaming the position to Creative Assistant because while the role will be rooted in editorial, I’d like the job to encompass other elements moving forward, which I think will be awesome and fun! Please read the job Q&A below to see if this is a fit for you, and if so, apply!
Friends, I'm so excited! I’ve been wanting to write more fashion editorial and after pondering and consulting with Kris-Ann, today I'm launching a new editorial series called Style on a Budget. Why? Because while I do believe in investing in key pieces, there are definitely ways to amplify and improve your wardrobe without breaking the bank. I also share the frustration of many women when I see “bargain” fashion editorial that is far from affordable.
Hello friends, there's been a lot of digital chatter about Facebook reachageddon (translation: you soon won't see Facebook updates for pages you have liked unless the page pays to promote updates). I understand why Facebook wants to further monetize their platform and this model is challenging for little indie operations like me, who don't have a giant (or remotely formal) marketing budget.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been planning on announcing a new editorial series that puts your awesomeness in the spotlight. The new series is called Lessons Learned and in it, I want to feature your stories about lessons learned from everyday experiences, whether it’s something unexpected or challenging you have learned at work or home.
I have several editorial series that I've been planning on launching for oh, say, the last year (seriously!) and other things just keep getting in the way. But today I'm finally kicking off Local Gems, through which I'll feature awesome and sometimes lesser known gems in different communities in and around Boston. Putting a spotlight on local businesses feels even more important to me right now given the recent closing of Isis Parenting.
Is it possible to jump up and down with excitement while sitting at a laptop? Well, I'm doing some version of that right this second! To celebrate my new decade, I wanted to give this site the looong overdue gift of a makeover. It’s been seven years since I built Boston Mamas (I can't believe I used that awful pink background for so long...SORRY!) and I kept telling myself I'd get around to redesigning it myself and I kept not getting to it. Frustrating.
Well hey there, today is my birthday! My 40th birthday to be exact. Whenever my age has come up during the past year people typically respond with, Oh no, are you totally freaked out?! It's made me think a lot about how bent out of shape our culture is about the natural process of aging. Today I'm asking you for a birthday gift: to read this post, reflect on your milestones, think about the good things that are happening in your life right this second at the age you are, and, if you feel so moved, to share this post with others and encourage them to similarly reflect. This is why I think 40 is the new 40:
Friends, I am so grateful for the enthusiastic response to my help wanted call last month. I was blown away by the volume of smart, accomplished, totally awesome people who applied. I wish I could work with you all! However, the reality is that I'm still shoestringing it indie style here at Boston Mamas and I could only make two hires. And now that the paperwork has been signed and I have responded personally to everyone who applied I wanted to share two happy welcomes with you:
Friends, I'm turning 40 this year and I'm totally good with it; I embrace natural aging! I also think about milestones a lot and have been reflecting on personal goals lately (I'll soon share a post about how to tackle goals like a boss!). There's one goal I've been daydreaming about; I wasn't sure I'd pull the trigger on it this year, but I did. And assuming all goes to plan, I'll be tackling it the day after I turn 40:
Last week when I was writing about birthday intentions for this website, it was interesting to go back and read about my eight intentions for 2013. And given that we're halfway through the year, I thought it would be good to check in, both to see what progress I've made and where I need to keep working. Do you do regular check-ins on your goals? I'd love to hear about what you're working on this year. (Feel free to share in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.)