Welcome to Mommy, for real’s beautiful brand-new website! With this, my maiden post, I am both welcoming you and humbly asking for your help.

When an author writes a book, the release day is sometimes called Launch Day, and a gallant effort is made to get the book onto the Bestseller List. The author rallies all his/her friends, readers, and strangers off the street to all buy the book on the same day to boost it as high as possible on the bestseller list. This seems like a lot of work.

As I am not actually “selling” anything or making money, my Launch Day is going to look a little bit different. I am not asking you to go and buy something, but I am asking you for some favors. With as much gratitude, humility, and cuteness as I can muster. So here goes:

Today, on Launch Day of my new site, I am enthusiastically asking you to:

  • Consider subscribing to my posts, either by email or RSS feed. To those of you who previously received my posts by email, you have my deepest apologies regarding the cumbersome act of re-subscribing all over again, and you have my solemn vow that I will not be changing websites again! RSS feed is another handy way for bloggers and multi-blog readers to keep all their favorite blogs in one place. It’s the little orange and white button by the Facebook and Twitter icons at the top right of my sidebar.
  • You can still add me into your Google Circles with that cute little g+ heart button. Don’t ask me exactly what this means, because I haven’t quite figured it out. Best as I can tell, it is some sort of ill-advised popularity contest designed to make people feel stupid.
  • Follow me on Facebook, but rely on FB updates at your own peril. Pages that you may have “liked” aren’t necessarily showing up in your newsfeed, so if you want to guarantee that you are getting all my latest posts, consider also signing up for email or RSS subscriptions. But you should definitely still “like” my FB page, because in addition to sharing my posts, I often write meaningful updates about things like my kids peeing on the carpet and throwing my underwear all over the place. I am probably going to whore myself out pay to “promote” this Facebook post, in an effort to get as many people who actually “like” my page to see it. Will you do me the following very big favor? Please “like” the post or comment on it, even if you think it is a piece of crap rip-off, since I’m not actually posting my usual attempt at motherhood-humor piece. The more you like or comment on my FB posts, the more likely you are to actually see them in your newsfeed in the future, and it also helps boost my “Likes”. Since this is Launch Day, let’s get my Facebook numbers up there! 600 or bust!
  • Find me on Twitter! No, I’m sorry you cannot follow me on Pinterest, but as I have deviated from pretty much all of my previous “I will never” principles (joining Twitter, switching to WordPress, ditching my PC), I will likely suck it up and take the Pinterest Plunge, mostly because of Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms Pintershit posts.
  • Share! Share! Share! On Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, email, whatever your particular poison is, I would be extremely appreciative of your help getting the word out there that I have moved my blog.

OK, confession time. I am now sitting down with a glass of wine, some clinical strength anti-perspirant, and a box of tissues, because that self-promotion stuff makes me sweat, cry, and drink. I suck at it. It feels horribly unnatural, and I like it even less than I liked going door to door selling Girl Scout cookies. And everybody loves those damn cookies. I hate selling things. I hate self-promotion.

I was recently syndicated on BlogHer, an event that caused me to literally jump up and down, clap my hands, and shriek when I got the email. I had submitted a small handful of parenting pieces to them in the past few months, and had waited with anticipation only to hear crickets and tumbleweed. The post that they finally showed interest in was none other than The Awkward Blogger. This is no coincidence, and it makes sense that the post that resonated the most with BlogHer (and other blogger friends of mine- I received more comments on that post than any other I have written) was one in which I plainly laid out all of my hang-ups about being a blogger.

To sum it up, promoting my blog goes against every fiber of my nice-girl upbringing. I was socialized to be humble, polite, and reserved. I’m sure this was challenging for my parents, because I was loud as fuck when I was growing up. I still talk way too much. But my point is this- many of us nice Midwest Lutheran girls who grew up in the 80s were taught not  to brag or show off. It was one thing if someone said, “Wow, Stephanie, you have a beautiful voice!” causing me to blush and say, “Do you really think so?” and something entirely different to walk around saying, “I am a fantastic singer. Would you like to listen to me perform?”

Ah, the confidence and ease of youth.

Ah, the confidence and ease of youth.

So I find myself struggling with this show-offy, braggy, equivalent of me saying, “Hey guys! Come check out my new blog! It’s awesome, and so am I!” I guess what I am saying is, forgive me, dear readers, and know that my desperate pleas for your support, subscriptions, and sharing on this very special Launch Day! are not triggered by some egomaniacal desire for the fame to which I am so clearly entitled. In contrast, it makes me incredibly self-conscious. And a bit ill.

In The Awkward Blogger, I confided that here in the blogosphere, I feel like the shy girl that has no one to sit with at lunch. There are so many witty, intelligent, successful bloggers out there that I have crushes on, and I still feel like I am struggling to “fit in” here, and sometimes my poor fragile self-esteem wants to throw in the towel. I was overwhelmed and moved by the number of bloggers who shared with me that they also feel this way; I want to extend a big thank you and virtual hug to all my blog friends who have helped me not to feel so isolated and neurotic on this strange journey.

In conclusion, I am so happy to have you all as readers and friends- thank you so much for stopping by my new website! I sincerely hope you’ll be back. I will gleefully accept your compliments below in the comment section, though in all fairness they should be directed to Julie at Fabulous Blogging in the form of Facebook likes, Twitter follows, and blog consults. I will now attempt to stop drinking, crying, and blubbering, and get straight to work on an actual post  for you to read bright and early tomorrow. If you will do me the honor of stopping by again, that is!

With much love, gratitude, and awkwardness,

Stephanie xo

 

(That’s right…one more favor! You’re on a roll- just a quick click!)

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