PARTY REVIEW - The Internet Mommy Book Launch

The Best Internet Mommy Party Ever

By Mini Mommy Blog Expert

Note:  All photos by Mini Mommy Blog Expert or her mom, Janis Brett Elspas, Mommy Blog Expert

What a super fun party The Internet Mommy Book Launch event at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, California was! I can’t tell you how exciting it was for me to attend this with my Mom – my first event -- and to cover it for this, my very own new column on Mommy Blog Expert. That's me and my mom  you see here.

From the minute we arrived at this meet-up it was non-stop fun. First, we received Pump Station gift bags filled with lots of nice items including a stainless steel, nontoxic water bottle by Safesport, a Born Free plastic training cup for babies, and a 12 ounce bag of whole coffee beans from One Harvest Project, a wonderful organization that connects individual farms and co-ops around the world with those of us -- like my Mom, and sometimes me—who are java lovers.

But wait, there’s more!! As I continued digging through all the goodies, I found a copy of Kimberley Clayton Blaine ‘s brand new book The Internet Mommy.  Mrs. Blaine is also the author of What Smart Mothers know: Affirmations for Mothers With Young Children.  Other treats inside the bag were a sweet smelling bar of One With Nature Lavender Soap with Dead Sea Salts, Boob Tube (a bust and neck firming skincare product by Mama Mio), Susan Kay Wyatt’s The Twelve Gifts of Birth CD with 14 songs inspired by a best-selling book by Charlene Costanzo, and some gentle saline wipes for stuffy noses that were appropriately called Boogie Wipes. There too was another CD, a funny and kid-friendly one for toddlers and older kids called It’s Hip Hop Baby, with all the kiddie favorites like “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and 11 more tunes. 

You may be thinking, “WOW! You got so much stuff in your gift bag.”  Although you may be right, there’s more to tell. I also received a pink and black rubber “Empathy” bracelets that TheGoToMom.TV donated in honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There was also a 16 fluid ounce can of Steaz, a new kind of organic iced tea with green tea, blueberries, pomegranate, and acai berries, and a whimsically patterned Carolina Pad & Paper purse-size spiral notebook from their Prints Charming Collection designed by Jacqueline Savage McFee.  See the picture for all the goodies we received.

While the food was prepared, all the women attending had the chance to mingle, have a cold drink, and share with each other about blogging. Everyone was very friendly and I was impressed how each person was introducing themselves to others. Actually, no one seemed shy and all seemed to be enjoying them selves. Several of the evening’s sponsors had booths ringing the main room. First we stopped at the Invisalign table where I met a lady doctor who knows my orthodontist because she was a student his, believe it or not.  We also visited online community Momslikeme.com 's information area where we received an eco-friendly reusable carrying bag, water bottle, T-shirt, change purse, and an adorable book by Sandra Boynton with DVD called One Shoe Blues starring B.B. King with special guest – Momsock -- the famous sock puppet.

Now, back to the party and the important 411 on the food. Sony sponsored the venue and many Hors d’oeuvres including chicken with cheese quesadillas, salmon, and some entrées were served. There was a hosted bar with wine for the adults; luckily they had several types of soda for me as I was by far the youngest guest there.  For the main course there was an elaborate taco bar with all the fixings in an adjoining room.


And, to top it all off, they had the tastiest-looking dessert display you see here of treats courtesy of Yummy Cupcakes. My mom and I only had salad and sodas (since we keep kosher) but I still think everything looked really delicious.

Here I am with the author.  After chatting with guest of honor Kimberley Blaine, who I felt privileged to meet, she signed my copy of her book The Internet Mommy.  Many  of the other women who contributed to this book flew in from all over the U.S., so we were able to interact with some of the top mommy bloggers in the business and got lots of other autographs too.  BTW: Please watch this blog for a separate The Internet Mommy book review, co-authored by my mom and me coming soon.

Then, they announced a surprise giveaway: if you had a star, square, triangle, or heart on your name tag then you won a prize. Guess what? I had a square on my tag, so for my door prize I received a super-cute polka-dotted, pop art style lime green, baby blue, and turquoise made by
Go Green Lunchbox that you will be able to read about in a separate product review I am writing to be posted soon.

The Go Green Lunch Box sure was a real hit, and, obviously, so was this celebration. I can’t wait until my next event invitation arrives so I can do another Party Review for you!

Mini Mommy Blog Expert is the middle triplet (Baby B) of Mommy Blog Expert. She lives with her family (a total of four kids) and parents in California and has been writing creatively since first grade. In addition to doing party reviews for MommyBlogExpert, she will be blogging on other topics. An actress and violinist, this talented young lady already has appeared in a number of films, television shows, and print ads and is currently writing and illustrating her first children’s book, which she hopes to have published when it is completed.