Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Swap Mamas Gets A Mention: The Early Show on CBS

Have you heard? Swap Mamas was mentioned this past Monday on CBS's The Early Show!

Okay, technically not exactly "mentioned." If you keep your eyes peeled, you'll see a nice loooong screen shot of Swap Mamas' home page right smack in the middle of the segment.

Check it out HERE. W00T!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

THIS is what Swap Mamas is all about.

My wonderful Swap Mamas friend Shannon Geyer sent me these beautiful quotes today and because they perfectly illustrate the spirit of Swap Mamas I wanted to share.

Each small act of kindness reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of the good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it is passed, until simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away. -Dean Koontz

Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.-Frederick Beuchner

In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds. -Aristotle

Thank you Shannon!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Gwinnett County, Georgia Mamas First Swap Meetup!

Check out these photos from the Gwinnett County, Georgia Mamas first Swap Meetup today!



Organized by Group Founder Eve Rothacker, the Mamas decided to meet at a local Chikfila. From the sounds of things, they not only had a great time getting to know each other but swapping in person! (And take a look at the loot!)


And? The Mamas plan on meeting once a month as their new group grows -- how awesome is that?

So when's YOUR Local Meetup? Make sure to let us know and we'll put you in the blog ...

Happy Swappin', Mamas!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Swap Mamas Launches Two New Applications!

Swap Mamas just added two awesome applications to its menu ... a highly anticipated REVIEW function and a fun little MEMBER MAP application!

First, the Review Function.

At last! Members can review their swapmates and rate them on a scale of 1-5 stars. Eventually, we're hoping that not only will members get into the habit of posting a review every time they complete a swap; that they'll also check out the Review Page BEFORE agreeing to a swap. This may very well turn out to be the site's most useful tool -- make sure to visit THIS PAGE often!

Next, the Member Map.


How fun is this? Something tells me it won't take long for the entire U.S. to be COVERED with Mamas ... Check it out HERE and add your location!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Handmade Mamas Forge Friendships and Swap Talents

One of my absolute favorite groups on Swap Mamas is the Handmade Mamas group. Talk about a bunch of talented Mamas!

And how much do I LOVE that these members are using their artistic talents to create items to swap?

Take Rheanna, for example. She makes adorable handmade dolls.


And then there's Amber, who makes breezy little dresses.


The two got together and decided to swap talents. Within a day or two, Amber came up with this darling number:



*Swoon* I can't wait to see what Rheanna comes up with!

Blessed with artistic talent or not, this group is definitely worth a poke around -- you never know what gem you might find!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

It's Personal

Imagine if every able person in the U.S. sent one useful thing they no longer needed to someone who did.

This is one of the simple ideas driving Swap Mamas. A dream really. Because let's face it, we like our STUFF. In a society where a large number of us -- subconsciously or not -- define who we are by what we have, it's hard to part ways with our STUFF.

And when we do part ways with that STUFF, it makes perfect sense that perhaps we feel like we're giving away a little piece of ourselves.

Which is exactly the point.

Giving it away feels good. Giving it to someone who really needs it feels better. Giving it to someone you've made a personal connection with (who really needs it) feels utterly FANTASTIC.

Whether it's sending a box of baby clothes to a Mama in need; or walking next door and helping your neighbor, give it a shot. Give a little piece of yourself.

If you don't find yourself addicted to the feeling, this Mama will eat her shoe.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Swap Mamas Meetup: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

This weekend marked the very first local Swap Mamas Meetup! The day was gorgeous in Bozeman, Montana, the turn-out was great, and Mamas made some fun face-to-face connections while the kids played in the park (and made new friends themselves). Check it out ...






Somehow, I wound up coming home with more than I arrived with ... no, we didn't take home the Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, but MP DID score three books, some kind of Playdoh contraption and a Lite Brite game. Best of all, I got rid of a TON of clothes and added valuable space to my storage unit. Yippee!

For those of you who couldn't make it, there were a few leftovers I'll be putting up on the site soon (some really cute 3T - 5T girl stuff and baby blankets) -- I expect them to be snapped up within days so keep an eye open!

When is YOUR local group having a Meetup? Do you HAVE a local group? If not, now's a great time to start one -- just click on ADD A GROUP on the Groups Page, add your area, and tell all your local friends to join! And when you're ready to organize a Meetup, make sure to post details in the EVENTS section (you'll find the link under the COMMUNITY tab).

Swapping locally rocks!