SIGH. I don’t know what to do… I bought my BlogHer 2012 conference pass last year after selling my 2011 pass because I decided at the last minute not to attend. I was so excited at the time and was looking forward to BlogHer being back on the east coast and so close to me in NYC. When it was there a few years ago I had a blast, I was able to commute via car which was nice and I even had my husband pick me up the last night and he got to see the craziness that is BlogHer.

This year has been a total mess for me. It might sound bad, but I have really learned to live my life in REAL life and have let go of most of my online “life”. I feel that it was something that was a long time comin’ because as much as I have found success in the blogging world, I have also always felt detached. I haven’t had a problem cutting back on my output into the blogosphere because I still have managed to get the attention of enough brands to keep me afloat financially. I have a pretty well-balanced work load and a steady following on all social media fronts. I attribute that to getting an early start on the whole SM scene way back in 2007. Yes, it has been that long! It’s insane to think back to the early days when it was just a handful of hopeful moms blogging in their pjs and working with brands for product. My oh my, how things have changed.

Not only have I noticed all the changes, which are both good and bad, I have also noticed myself change. I’m proud to say that I am slowly finding myself again aside from the influence of the blogging world. You see, unless you are a blogger yourself you don’t “get it”. It’s crazy out there and most days are filled with grown women publicly praising each other while behind the scenes they are in a “Secret” Facebook group bashing others. It’s a lot of unnecessary drama some days as well… “How dare this brand ask ME to post about their product for X amount of money… as if!” I have seen a lot of women who would otherwise not be making money, turn down $50 for a post because it’s “insulting” and forgetting the fact that it’s a BLESSING to be home in your pi’s and still make money. There are a ton of women who would LOVE to trade your position with you and glady accept that payment for a blog post.

I think a lot of bloggers have become entitled and forgot where they started. You have to stay humble, treat every project like it’s your 1st opportunity…it might be your last.

That makes me sad. And I see it way too much and I had to get out of the whole scene for a while. I can report that I don’t really “miss it”. I have made great friends and of course I respect the whole thing–I’m still blogging as you can see. However, I’m torn as to whether or not to go to BlogHer because of all of this. I don’t want to fight over swag at a party, I don’t want to feel like a lesser valued blogger because I didn’t get an invite to a “private party”, I don’t want to sit next to a bunch of snobs talk about what PR agency they are working with on what project and hear them complain about the pay, and I don’t want to feel left out of the “cool kids” group because I don’t spend 12 hours a day on Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Google+. ALL of this is how I have felt at one time when around bloggers.

I do want to meet brand representatives face to face. I DO want to sit next to bloggers who are moms and who are passionate about what they do, I do want to leave there with some cool stuff…

I don’t foresee my “Pros” outweighing my “Cons” list at this point… I guess I still have time to sell my pass… and pray about it.

I’d heard of people picking one word to describe their goal for 2012 and I hadn’t thought much about it… I figured that would be really hard to do and I didn’t have time for it so, I’d just not do it. Bleh. Great attitude, right? Anyhow, then this Sunday at church I heard a sermon on Connecting and how we need to connect this year more as Christians to God, to believers and to non-believers. I was inspired and really had one of those “the Pastor is talking to me” moments.

I first connected with Social Media in 2007 when we moved to the East Coast and I was alone, no family, no friends. It was almost an immediate feeling of community because there were tons of women just like me! We were at home with kids, trying to navigate a new area and our husbands were at work. It was amazing to me to know that I was not alone and that in almost every time zone there was a “friend” who was in the same boat as me. After a few months of settling into life in my new town I had made maybe 2 friends. Online I had made nearly 100 new friends. The choice was often easy to stay indoors and “talk” and hangout with my 100 friends in a forum rather than get dressed and go out to meet with one friend. It sounds silly to some, but some get that and understand what I mean. It’s a great thing to have a community of friends online but the need to connect face-to-face is so vital. Right when I had found my “perfect balance” between real life friends, lovingly referred to as IRL friends, and my online friends… we moved, again.

I’ve lived in New Jersey for nearly 10 months now and still refer to myself as a “new” resident. Truth is, I have been hiding out indoors and not really reaching out to get to know new people. It’s definitely taking it’s toll on me because now that the cold days of winter are upon us and I want to get out and do something, I realize I have no one to do anything with. Boo hoo. I need to connect.

How do you connect with other moms in a new town? Well, I found a local MOPS {Mothers of Preschoolers} group and I fully intend to make an effort to attend their bi-monthly get togethers. Also, I am striving to connect with my close friends and family via letters and phone calls instead of the lazy Facebook chat or impersonal text messages I am used to sending. I also plan to make time to volunteer in the community via food pantries or soup kitchens or other community outreach events like that.

Social Media has been so good to me, I have long loved the ability to plug-in, log-in and join in with thousands of women all over the country when I needed a friend or a laugh or an ear to listen… but this year I am making a conscious effort to connect with the people around me.

Lord, Your call is clear that through love I am to serve the people who surround me. Help me to share Your love and be a blessing today. Amen. -Prayer via Joyce Meyer Ministries

It’s a question that I get a lot and I usually shrug my shoulders and say “I dunno, it’s a lot of work…” but then I sorta laugh inside because it’s always the same reaction from people “I want free stuff! Teach me!”

Well, Vera from Lady and the Blog made this video and it is EXACTLY what it is like to be a blogger…and to be married to one ENJOY!

Enjoy your day off with your kiddos if you get it off!

So, first things first– VOTE for this blog if you love it and you have not already voted because you can only vote once! Yes, you have to Register, but you get a daily email from Parents.com that is actually useful! I swear it’s not spammy.

I was nominated by a reader/friend for the Best Mom Fashion Blog on Parents.com about a month ago. The contest ends October 15th. I was early in the game still and I Tweeted and Facebooked of course for votes. I posted the banner on my blog sidebar and sort let it go. I was in 1st place for a long time. I saw another blog slowly start to creep closer to my numbers so I started to Tweet more and Facebook more… still in 1st place.

Then, this blog was too close for comfort and I Emailed and Tweeted and Facebooked and even sent out a mass email on Facebook- yikes! It was getting desperate. However, my brain kicked in and said “Yo, chill out…” I did and I enjoyed my weekend. This was all fine and dandy until yesterday. I was in 3rd place! WWWHHAAATTTTTTTT!!?? I cried, yes, I cried. I moped around my house and I cried and I shook like a crazy person and I vented to my friends and I ended up this morning back on top..no, wait… TIED in 1st in a 3 way tie for now. Like I said, contest ends October 15th.

What do I do now? Seriously? UGH!

Here is the thing– because I realize that not everyone “gets it” and some of you might have already clicked off this page and this blog and so you aren’t even here…so I’m not talking to you if you aren’t here, but I am talking to someone, right? ANYWAY– here is the thing, my thing– I want some validation here. I need recognition. Why? because I am for one, a typical oldest child and overacheiver and attention whore {oh yes, I said that}. But on a more serious note the core of this whole “whaaaaaaa” attitude is that I have been blogging for 4 years now as The Posh Parent. Sure, I was very well-known at one time early on because I had one of the 1st social networkes {like Twitter Moms and Mom Bloggers Club}, but once that was gone I lost my community on my blog. I keep in touch mainly via Facebook and Twitter and in real life with my real life friends. I, in my own mind, feel entitled to some recognition and some validation. Entitled…why? I’m owed NOTHING by anyone at all. The cold and hard facts here are that if you work hard, you will be rewarded and recognized…it’s just not always going to be in the shape or form of an award.

This is nothing against Parents.com because I truly love the magazine and the site, but these types of contests have got to stop. I mean, it can end at the Nomination, but to make people beg and ask and compete for votes is not good for anyone except the site that is getting the traffic. People find ways to cheat {I refuse to cheat}. People use contests and giveaways to gain additional votes. I think the biggest issue here with this particular contest is that people have to Register to vote. It’s not convienient and again, the one who wins here is Parents.com.

The part that drives me nuts is that it brings out the worst in me, that feirce competitive side. I don’t need to compete. I don’t need a contest to validate my worth and I certainly don’t NEED to be “#1″ in the Mom Fashion Blog world… I NEED to know that at the end of the day I did my best as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend and minister to my teens.

Seriously, I have to do this…it’s too funny!

“Moneyball” is the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing radical strategies and statistics that flew in the face of conventional wisdom.

When I saw the previews for this movie over the last few weeks I was immediately draw to it, especially with it being a true story. I have always been very entrepreneurial and taking risks is “fun” to me. I’m a very highly motivated person and once I have a goal in mind, giving up on that goal is pretty much not an option. When my husband and I uprooted from Souther California to New York I knew deep down that this was going to be MY time to shine.

Almost overnight I created The Posh Parent. It was a mixture of channeling my anxiety and pent up creativity in our 800 sq ft apt and just my inner passion to be a business owner. Some of my earlier investments and ideas were a tad unconventional for the time, blogging and starting a social network on a $1500 budget was insane to say the least, but I did it…and did it rather successfully.

Life is interesting. All around us are people who are basically either living out their dream and went for their game changing moment full force or people who are waiting for that perfect moment, that “it just feels right” moment in their life that forever will alter their future. When it’s right you just know it in your gut. I hope that everyone can find that one thing, that one passion deep inside and go for it. No holding back, let it be the risk you take and let it change you. Never let go of the vision that God has given you.

Moneyball, in theaters September 23rd. Based on a true story, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Click here for more

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Sony Pictures via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sony Pictures

You have probably all seen the Facebook posts about “I’m 8 weeks and craving pickles” or whatever… at first, I thought that a few people I knew were legitimately pregnant and I “liked” the status. After the 3rd person posted it I caught on and figured this was some silly Facebook thingy and thought nothing more of it.

Then, I received the email via Facebook to this little secret posting thing that was going around. It’s supposed to be in support of Breast Cancer Awareness which I do NOT get. Anyway, I’m still not one to say anything most of the time. I just don’t play the game and it goes away eventually.

When I went to the ER for my concussion they asked for urine. I knew where this was going already- pregnancy. It’s always the #1 go-to for why a woman faints or is dizzy. Well, I knew I was not preggers and so when the nurse came back to me she said “GOOD NEWS! Your are NOT pregnant!” and just walked away. I was out of it, yes, but that just shocked me and I looked at my husband and was like “Umm, wow that was awful for her to say– how does she know that is a “good thing”?” I actually have been thinking about maybe adding a 4th child to our family and although we have decided against it, how does this nurse even think that is appropriate to say?

It sorta hit me the other day as I kept seeing more and more women posting this whole “I’m 4 weeks and craving…” thing and I started to get a little upset about it. Well, this post said it best although there are more than a few “F-bombs” it still is pretty much how I feel about it all.

I’m not always the shining example of a Christian, nor am I innocent when it comes to maybe posting something on Facebook or Twitter that MAY offend someone. It is hard to think before we share things online and especially on Facebook where oversharing is the norm. I am challenging myself and all of you to this– THINK before you post. Even if it is good news for you, it may be hurtful to others in your stream or on your friends list.

I know it’s exciting to share news of pregnancy, marriage and new homes, but in these tough times and with these things being so HUGE as far as life events go, I don’t think posting jokingly about them is appropriate. On another note, there are still lots of people dealing with flooding and damage across the country from Hurricane Irene and other things like the fires in Texas… or kids living in motels. Before you post and complain about the heat or the cold or your favorite soda not being in the vending machine today PLEASE STOP and think.

Just be sensitive to those around you… that is all.

Bounce has launched an application called “Bounce it Off Millions” on their Facebook page, and they want you to get involved! It’s one of the fabulous things about the internet– the ability to share ideas, opinions and get some quick response from others. This app is both fun and helpful.

Life is full of difficult, but important choices. Need advice on whether to go to Mexico or the Maldives for your honeymoon? Can’t decide whether you should live in the suburbs or the city? Bounce Fanatics can help you make these important decisions— kind of like deciding between the Bounce Dryer Bar and Bounce dryer sheets!

Starting on August 22nd, when you visit Bounce’s Facebook Page click on the “Bounce it Off Millions” app, and submit a question that you need help making a decision on. Your question will be turned into a poll, and other Bounce fanatics will be able to vote on it so that you can make the right choice! Let’s try to keep this fun, people! Don’t ask a bunch of randoms whether or not you should go to the doctor for the huge rash you have on your thigh {save that for Yahoo Answers! }

To celebrate at the end of the four weeks of Bounce it Off Millions, FOUR very very lucky users will be chosen to win a grand prize—the chance to turn their life’s great questions into a Facebook-wide advertisement, inviting Facebook’s 150+ million users to help you decide between your two options! How cool is that!?

Also on the Bounce Facebook page during this time, fans can enter a special sweepstakes for the chance to win two Bounce Dryer Bars—one to keep, and one for a friend. 5,000 winners will be chosen!

Bounce it Off Millions ends on September 17th. For official rules please read here

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by O2O on behalf of Bounce.