← Back and Ready to Rock Pumping at #BlogHer12 →

If you had talked to me a week before BlogHer, you would have known that I was STILL on the fence as to whether or not I was going. I already spent the money on a train ticket, the hotel, and the conference itself, but with my dwindling milk supply I was nervous. Actually, more like terrified. I ended up being able to get some donor milk, so that solidified my decision to go (more on that later), and I am oh so glad I did! Let’s join in on the fun of so many other bloggers out there, and do a recap shall we?

Wednesday – After a tearful goodbye to The Husband and Monkey, I hit the road for up state New York. I drove through Canada where the border patrol laughed at me for telling them I was headed to a blogging conference. One even said “You’re going to a CLOGGING conference?” and I had to correct them, and then explain all about blogging. I felt like the ultimate nerd. I stopped in Canada for some Tim Hortons and then made it to my friend’s house around 9pm. Who’s my friend? Oh you know, the awesome chica Sarah over at Mindfully Frugal Mom.  We’ve been virtual friends for a few years now, but this was the first time we’ve met in real life.

Sarah and I on the train, at like 5 in the morning

Thursday – Sarah and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn. Oh wait, no we were up even earlier (3:45am). I had to pump, then get ready to head over to the train station. Can I just say that taking a train is SO much easier than flying? No security, no hassle, no fuss. And the train pulled out of the station literally at the exact time we were supposed to go. It wasn’t so bad being on the train for over seven hours either. We talked, dozed, I pumped, and just relaxed while we got ready for the craziness that is BlogHer.

We arrived in New York City around 1:00pm. We got off the train with all of our luggage and then just soaked in the sites of NYC for a few minutes before jumping into a cab. After dropping our bags off at the hotel (and scanning the lobby wondering who all was there for the conference), we walked our starving bodies to Chipotle to pick up a burrito. Then, I pumped and took a much needed shower.

Thursday evening was awesome because I got to meet so many other green bloggers. I attended an event put on by Stonyfield Farms and Healthy Child Healthy World – I purchase Stonyfield’s products regularly for The Husband (I used to eat them too, before having to go dairy free), so it was exciting to be at an event sponsored by a product I love and support.  The event was FULL of other green bloggers – It was so awesome to meet like-minded individuals and to finally put a face to a name. These girls are awesome. Check out the bottom of this post for a link to some of their awesome blogs. I only wish this event had been after I had been in NYC for a bit. Since it was the beginning of the trip, I was still a bit reserved (not to mention tired), so I didn’t come out of my shell as much as I would have liked. There’s always next year, right?

Thursday was also the day that Sarah and I met our other roommates. I will say that I was super nervous to meet them, but my fears were quickly erased! Our roommates were flat out awesome – we couldn’t have gotten luckier, and I totally mean that. The five of us got along so well. We respected each other, laughed together, and just had fun together. We spent Saturday evening hanging out together, and it was a blast. I wouldn’t change that experience for anything. Also, while I love me some green bloggers, it was cool to meet some ladies outside of my ‘niche’. Let me introduce you to these awesome ladies:

Sarah from Mindfully Frugal Mom

Natalie from Growing up a NJ wife

Jennifer from Mommy Huh

Mindi from Simply Stavish

Check out their blogs – I promise, they are all wonderful, kind-hearted, fun, and just all around awesome ladies.

Oh! I almost forgot. Thursday, the President himself showed up at BlogHer via life video conference. I know it’s an election year and all, but I was pretty impressed by his short speech.

Friday – Friday started off great with the newbie breakfast at BlogHer. I also hit the expo floor and attended a few sessions where I learned about working with brands. I also had lunch with Martha Stewart (well, not one-on-one, but you know) and hit up an off-site party. I was busy all day long, and with pumping every 3-4 hours, I had almost no downtime. By nightfall, it was time for the much anticipated Sparklecorn party, sponsored by BlogHer. When I first showed up with Sarah and Jennifer, we kinda did an eye roll…but we meandered on in, got a drink and then decided to hit the dance floor. When we did, we decided what the hell, let’s do this. So, we full on danced…and I mean like high school dancing including full on jumping and giggling like crazy. We still turned in early, heading back to the room around 11:00, but we had a blast and I wouldn’t change it for anything. To get a taste of the craziness that is Sparklecorn, check out the video below. *You may get seasick watching this video. Consider this your one and only warning!*

 

The panel of bloggers Saturday morning

Saturday – Saturday was for more sessions and more time in the expo. In the morning, I attended a session that was run by four fellow bloggers…bloggers that are experienced and were (at one time) small like me. They each have a much greater following now, so they used their gained expertise to talk about how they got to where they are, and also answered questions from the audience. It was such a great learning opportunity to hear from bloggers out there just like me…and a big confidence boost to show that anyone can get to where they are, you just have to work for it. I was most impressed by Gina from The Femimist Breeder – Gina came across as so professional with a strong desire to help others. She is a woman that knows who she is, and I admire that immensely. It was an honor to be able to hear from someone like her, and take her words of wisdom, digest them, and then work on a game plan for bettering and growing my blog. I left feeling like I need to have a long hard think about where I see this blog going.

On Saturday I also got to attend a small gathering for those that are currently pregnant, or those with young babies. I had a blast learning about the first tests given to newborns and mingling with other moms. I was also given the opportunity to try out a tank from Bravado Designs…and the verdict? I’m in love! I really need to get some more of these in my collection of nursing tanks.

Me holding my awesome new tank from Bravado Designs. Photo courtesy of Nikki from Say Cheese and Wine.

Saturday night was a night for the roommates. We walked to central park, got dinner, and then took the opportunity to have a hilarious photoshoot of the 5 of us. We chatted, laughed, almost got killed by dry ice (stay tuned for the deets in a later post) and just had a blast. Even though I had met all four of these girls just a couple of days before, it felt like we had known each other for so much longer. I’m missing them already!

In summary…

BlogHer was great. It was a wonderful few days away from real life where I got to let loose, learn about blogging, and mingle with some truly inspiring individuals. Now that I have one under my belt, I’d love to go back next year and learn even MORE. I’m not going to lie, being away from the fam was tough…but in the end I’m so glad I went. I truly feel that it’s important to get lots of ‘me’ time in, because as a result, it makes a better ‘me’ which in turn, makes me a better mom.

Some of the amazing Green bloggers that I had the privelage of meeting are listed below. Check out their blogs, seriously…some great ladies here!

Mindfully Frugal Mom

Cloth Diaper Geek

Good Girl Gone Green

Groovy Green Livin’

My Plastic Free Life (buy her book – My Plastic Free Life)

Green Talk

Almost All The Truth

Made in USA Challenge

Dirty Diaper Laundry

Condo Blues

The Eco Chic

The Eco Friendly Family

Nature Moms Blog

Green and Clean Mom

Conscientious Confusion

Momma Words

Green 4 U

Did you go to BlogHer? What was your experience? Are you going next year? What do you hope to gain?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by thecrunchywife

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