Disney Mom's Panel - The Dream Postponed

Word began circulating yesterday that Round Two notifications for the Disney Mom's Panel were arriving in inboxes. My heart started beating faster. I spent a couple of hours checking my email every five minutes until it became apparent that I was not moving on. Boo. Talk began circulating before I closed my computer down about how many had moved on. Everyone was in agreement that the number seemed low. Theories started to pop up.

You know how you feel like something is right? I'm talking about feeling way down deep in your bones that something is right for you. That is how I feel about Disney Mom's Panel. The funny thing is there were up to 20,000 other applicants who felt the same way. I am bummed today. I am a little sulky, no point in lying about it. However, I still trust the process. I would like to think that there is something wrong with the process and that's why I wasn't selected but my brain won't let me. My self esteem likes to revert to middle school and tell me I just wasn't good enough, but that isn't necessarily true either. The truth that I see is that Disney has had years of wonderful panels with incredible women(and men) and I have had the pleasure of getting to know several of them. Disney's process has and does work. I cannot wait to see who makes it onto the 2011 Mom's Panel, and I will be hoping to join them in 2012.


photo by Molly Gold
Dreaming of the 2012 Disney Mom's Panel

Relevant Conference Giveaway!

When I first heard that the Relevant Conference would be happening I was thrilled to register.  I have spent a good part of this year looking forward to traveling to Pennsylvania to learn and meet more people.  I was very fortunate to attend several conferences this year and it has been very interesting to compare the experiences.  Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way of my journey to Relevant.  My father has terrible arthritis in most of his joints.  He has had one hip replaced and was scheduled to have the other replaced on October 6th.  I thought about selling my Relevant ticket when he scheduled that surgery, but he has already been through one and we know what to expect.  And then the unexpected.  His right knee has started to bother him.  He started to fall.  He's over six feet tall so he has a long way to the ground.  Problems with his muscles and his arthritis make it terrifying when he falls.  He can't necessarily catch himself.

All of this makes him sound very frail and I assure you he is not.  He is hearty and funny and trapped in this body that is failing him.  So they changed his hip surgery to a knee surgery.  Yikes.  Longer time in the hospital and longer rehab.  Boo.  I also have to admit that I am feeling a little "conferenced-out."  I have been so fortunate to attend these conferences this year, but it has meant being away a lot.  Well, maybe not a lot, but more than we are used to.  I have decided to spread a little good fortune around by giving my ticket away.

I will accept entries through Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 12 noon Eastern Time.  All valid entries will be entered into Random.com and a winner will be selected.  The winner will be announced here, on the blog, early Saturday evening.  The winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected!  Best of luck!

For EACH entry you must leave a comment! To Enter:

1. Follow this blog by RSS feed, Google Friend Connect or by email.
2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Tweet this ONCE a day "Win a ticket to The Relevant Conference via @amymchodges http://bit.ly/8ZzgUB "
4. Mention this contest and link back to this site in a blog post.

I hope the Relevant Conference is a rewarding experience for all!

***EDITED FRIDAY 10/8 TO CLARIFY #3- If you tweet on subsequent days(today and tomorrow) please leave another comment that you have tweeted!  Please don't tweet more than once a day, only once will count and I don't want to clog everyone's twitter streams! I wish I had more than one ticket to give away!!*****

*******Winner Information*******
My most sincere apologies.  My dad was having a very bad day at the rehab center and I wasn't able to leave there until after 7pm.  (then I had to pick up dinner, family was starving!) So, drumroll please**********the winner is***********
Sprittibee!!
Please DM me the name you want me to transfer the ticket to.
I wish I had tickets so you all could go!  I entered all of the entries into a spreadsheet and drew a number with Random.org.  If any of you would like more information please don't hesitate to email me. 

Type A Mom Conference

I just returned from the incredible Type A Mom conference in Asheville, NC.  Those of you who know me IRL (in real life) you can stop your laughing now.  The irony is that I am nowhere close to being a type A mom.  Fortunately there was a great mix of women of all different parenting and blogging styles, there were even some brave dads.  There are so many things to say about the conference but I want to devote my first to one of my favorite subjects, community.

Kelby Carr is the founder of the Type A Mom conference and she "gets" community in a way that so many others don't.  It's easy to say that you want everyone to be comfortable, it's quite another to actually make that happen.  In the weeks leading up to the conference, Kelby had time for everyone.  She replied and retweeted on twitter and did what she could to ease everyone's anxiety.  When the inevitable discussions about what to wear happened, Kelby didn't just say "It's comfortable" she said "Wear what you're comfortable in."  There's a big difference.  Some of us are most comfortable in jeans and flip flops  ( I did bring my fancy sparkly flips) but others are most comfortable in dresses, or khakis, or leggings.  I'm guessing that her philosophy worked because I barely remember what people were wearing, but I do remember their faces and their stories! 


You see, community is about how we interact with each other.  Kelby set the tone by communicating openly with everyone.  At every conference you see little groups of people talking and laughing, heading off to wherever (dinner, parties, etc.) but at Type A it was different.  The groups were not closed off.  Everyone was encouraged to pull up a chair or join in for dinner.  Introductions were made and insightful questions were asked.  The hotel had groupings of couches and chairs outside of the main meeting rooms.  These couches were actually comfortable and filled for the entire conference.  There was no rhyme or reason to the groups that formed in those seats.  It was whoever needed to recharge their computer or check their email or just get off their feet for a second.  Great conversations happened around those couches and they were completely organic.  They came about because people were willing to engage with each other. 


There is more to say about the conference, but I was so grateful for the community I had to write this first.  What's the lesson I learned?  Be open.  Be the one who takes a chance and walks up to a group.  Be the one who tweets out about dinner plans.  Be the one who always invites in.  Be the one who welcomes.  If you do these things you will find your community.