Swap Mamas Blog

Swap Mamas Gets A Mention: The Early Show on CBS

2009-11-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

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!

THIS is what Swap Mamas is all about.

2009-10-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

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!

Gwinnett County, Georgia Mamas First Swap Meetup!

2009-10-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

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!

Swap Mamas Launches Two New Applications!

2009-09-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

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!

Handmade Mamas Forge Friendships and Swap Talents

2009-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

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!

It's Personal

2009-08-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-05-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Share Your Little Luxuries

2009-05-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

I was packing up some tennies to mail to one of the Mamas the other day and my gaze happened upon a stack of US Weekly magazines. There they sat, still fairly new, but I'd read them and was done with them.

It got me thinking. What a shame it was to see them go to waste! I wondered if the Mama I was sending the shoes to might enjoy a few magazines for herself. I could easily slip them into the package, but since I wasn't sure of her tastes, I didn't.

So, in order that we may get to know each other even better, a few changes have been made to the questions on your profile page. Now, along with spaces to list the things you have to gift or swap as well as things you're looking for, there's also a space to list the little "extras" you might love to receive. The little things that you tell yourself are "wants" and not "needs." The little luxuries that go by the wayside. The things that would be fun to have, but you can certainly live without.

Because who knows? Your swapmate may just have a few of those "extras" sitting around going unused!

What's New in Groups

Mama's New Size (Petite)
Have some old clothes you want to swap out? Maybe you are in need? This is the place to post extra-small and small women's clothing!

Montgomery, Alabama Mamas
For us Mamas who live in Montgomery, Alabama or the surrounding area. Maybe we can do a few local swaps!

Perspective

2009-05-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

The following list was emailed to me by a blog friend, the wonderful Marcy of The Glamorous Life Association. She didn't write the list herself. I suspect it was written by one, or perhaps many, who actually LIVED the bullet points below.

Times may be bad. Life may be tough.

But what IS bad? What IS tough, really?

It's good to remember to keep it in perspective.

Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.

Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.

Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.

Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.

Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours.

Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.

Being poor is living next to the freeway.

Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.

Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn’t mind when you ask for help.

Being poor is off-brand toys.

Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.

Being poor is knowing you can’t leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.

Being poor is hoping your kids don’t have a growth spurt.

Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn’t have make dinner tonight because you’re not hungry anyway.

Being poor is Goodwill underwear.

Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.

Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.

Being poor is your kid’s school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.

Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.

Being poor is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.

Being poor is an overnight shift under fluorescent lights.

Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.

Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.

Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger’s trash.

Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.

Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference.

Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.

Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.

Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.

Being poor is not talking to that girl because she’ll probably just laugh at your clothes.

Being poor is hoping you’ll be invited for dinner.

Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.

Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.

Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.

Being poor is your kid’s teacher assuming you don’t have any books in your home.

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.

Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.

Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually stupid.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually lazy.

Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.

Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn’t bought first.

Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that’s two extra packages for every dollar.

Being poor is having to live with choices you didn’t know you made when you were 14 years old.

Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.

Being poor is knowing you’re being judged.

Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.

Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by.

Being poor is deciding that it’s all right to base a relationship on shelter.

Being poor is knowing you really shouldn’t spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.

Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.

Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won’t listen to you beg them against doing so.

Being poor is a cough that doesn’t go away.

Being poor is making sure you don’t spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.

Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.

Being poor is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree.

Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.

Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.

Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.

Being poor is seeing how few options you have.

Being poor is running in place.

Being poor is people wondering why you didn’t leave.

Lessons in Coupon Clipping

2009-05-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my daughter MP came to me proudly clutching a Papa Murphy's Pizza coupon she'd cut from a circular -- I'm guessing she found it buried in the towering stack of mail that has permanently taken up residence in the front hall.

Bills, bills, go away ...

"Look Mama," she said. "FIVE DOLLARS!"

Here's where I demonstrate I'm a complete sucker for the Teaching Moment.

"Yep," I replied. "It's a coupon that's WORTH five dollars. It means that when you buy a pizza, you give them the coupon and you get five dollars off the price. So, you don't have to spend as much money."

Here's where I swear I could look in her eyes and see the tiny five-year-old cogs turning.

"So," she said. "I'll give you the coupon, you get the pizza, and then you give me the five dollars."

And here's where I realize I could be raising the next Suze Orman ...

Or more likely, Al Capone.

Have you joined the Coupon Swap Group yet? They have a crazy popular Coupon Train going, and if coupons are your thing, you're not going to want to miss it!

April Giveaway Winners!

2009-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Elisabeth -- April's top referrer, and the lucky winner of the amazing Grand Prize Pack (valued at $149.88) from beloved author and artist Sandra Magsamen!

But wait! Elisabeth's not the only winner. The following four runner-ups will each receive a copy of Sandra's sweet new book, Welcome, Little One:

Jo Basey
CC Davis
Laury Hoganson
Rena Hearn

Nicely done, Mamas!

And now for May's Contest ...

Click here and tell all your mama and papa pals to join you at Swap Mamas -- Come June 1, the top two referrers will each win a copy of the fabulous new book, Rattled! A Memoir, by Glamour.com Blogger Christine Coppa.

Maybe you invited friends a few months ago, and still haven't seen them on Swap Mamas. We all get busy and sometimes emails slip through the cracks -- why not invite them again? The more members that join, the more stuff to swap!

Good luck!

What's New in Groups

Home Decor
Picture frames, tablecloths, pillows ... if you're looking for change we could exchange!

Husband Swap?
Ok, not really. Let's start w/eliminating all the stuff our men accumulate over the years. Like that hideous recliner that has worn a path in our hardwood floors or the clothes that "he" can't fit into! Let's swap! Yours might need what mine doesn't!

Home Schooling & Educational Supplies
Old textbooks, workbooks, extra craft supplies ... even toss out ideas for seasonal and learning units ... if you're a homeschooling mama or have a lust for learning, this is the place for you!

El Paso, Texas Mamas
For Swap Mamas in the El Paso, Texas area.

Thanks to the Mamas ...

2009-05-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, it's only natural that, in the spirit of true social networking, Swap Mamas adds a blog to it's repetoire, yes? (You knew it was only a matter of time, right?)

After just three months, we're closing in on 900 members, and the swap activity is nothing short of phenomenal. Mamas are giving. Mamas are getting. I, myself, recently received a HUGE package of clothes from Swap Mama Angie.

Let me preface this by saying, in general, I tend not to buy girlie clothes. It's not that I don't love them ... it's just that pants are easier. And to be honest, I'm a bit lazy when it comes to wardrobe choices. Which means MP kind of lives in sweats.

The clothes that arrived from Angie, on the other hand, were ALL girlie. Beautiful and girlie and not a pair of sweats to be found. Actual DRESSES. MP was thrilled beyond belief.

Her expression says it all.

Thank goodness for friends like Angie for infusing a little fashion sense into our lives.

Okay, Swap Mamas, now it's your turn. Become a fan of the Swap Mamas Facebook Page and share YOUR thank-yous in the Wall of Thanks Photo Album!

Can't wait to see your loot ...

(If you're NOT already a member of Swap Mamas, click here and join! It's super easy, crazy fun, and best of all FREE. Seriously. Wadda ya waiting for?)