Chick Chat

Of the many relationships we have in our lives, the bond between sisters is unique, stretching and bending through periods of closeness and distance, and almost never breaking. Sisterly ties tend to have fewer emotional knots; they are girlfriends, rivals, listening posts, shopping buddies, confidantes, and so much more.

Brothers share a biological link, but the ties that form those connections are different. They rarely seem as emotionally joined as girls who grew up under the same roof. What sets sisters apart is a very intimate meshing of heart, soul, and memories.

Is it possible to truly appreciate the relationship between sisters, without getting a peek at who they were when they were young? In my mind, the answer is no.

(I heart Kacey's Mom for the photos she sends me.)

My memories of Kacey's sister, Mindy, go back many, many years. The two share a closeness that neither have taken lightly nor taken for granted as they have gotten older.

For this week's Chick Chat, we are talking to real life sisters in the blogosphere. These siblings are helping us to understand what is special about their relationship, how has their bond has evolved over time, and who is the bigger social media maven.

Join us today as we talk to our sister duos, including....

Kacey and Mindy
Grand Pooba from Pooba and Lindee from The Orr Family
Christie from My Life-A Work in Progress and Joan from Joan of All Trades
Lolli from Better in Bulk and Andrea from The Hatchers and Their Hatchling
Angie from The Arthur Clan and Drew from Happy Chaos



-Francesca

Chick Chat

A couple of months back, Thuy came up with the idea for the three of us to conference call in order to catch up with one another. It works great. We chat, make plans to get together, and talk about the blog.

Last night was no different, except that Thuy was multi-tasking by talking to us and making meatballs at the same time. She is a wonder. Each night, after M goes to bed, she makes dinner for the following night. In contrast, Kacey gets take-out about four times a week and I wait for my husband to get home from work to handle dinner.

I guess it is really no surprise that Kacey and I did not participate in this week's Chick Chat. Perhaps we should be spending more time with our friend in person and learning a thing or two about meatballs with coriander.

Thankfully, not everyone in the blogosphere shares our bad habits. Jenni from Jiggety Jigg, Jo from The A-Priori Mommy, Kim from The Ungourmet, Denise from There's Always Room for One More, and Heidi from Sacred & Profane all share with us what they've got cooking in their homes today. Join us as we go on a tour of their kitchens and find out what their kids really eat and how they manage to get a meal on the table each night.

Maybe there is hope for Kacey and I yet.

-Francesca

(Comments off. Go visit some blogs.)

Chick Chat

Some of my favorite people on the Internet are in their 20s. It is not really hard to understand why. They often make me laugh with their over-the-top, F-yeah! posts focused on love, friendship, and working for the man.

For this week's Chick Chat, we are taking a trip around the blogosphere to visit a few of these 20-something bloggers. What do they want to be when they grow up? How connected are they? What do they look forward to during the next several years and what scares the crap out of them? Ben from No Ordinary Rollercoaster, Cheryl from Confessions of a Twenty Something Year Old, Severina from The Lifestyles of Sevi, Jessica from The Everyday Adventues of Me in the City, and Lilu from Liv it, Luv It will tell us.

In preparation for this post, I sat down with Giancarlo and recorded a segment too. I figured he is going to experience life as a 20-something a lot sooner than I will again.


-Francesca

Chick Chat

Parents of twins and multiples have long fascinated me. How do they accomplish the daily feat of keeping their little ones fed, clean, and entertained all at the same time?

I remember when I first brought my son, Giancarlo, home from the hospital. To say that I was at a bit of a loss as to how to take care of him would be an understatement. During his first few weeks of life, we both often cried out for our mom.

Join us today as we take another trip around the blogosphere for Chick Chat, talking to moms of multiple kids. What are their secrets to survival? What stories do they have to share? And, most importantly, do they dress their children alike?

Helene from I'm Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor is a mom to two sets of twins, Cindy from Follow Our Journey is a mom to triplets, and Jen from Buried with Children also has three little ones, in addition to a big brother.

Sadly, Kathy B! from The World According to Me and Rachael from Little Bites of Heaven weren't able to participate this week as planned, but their tales of parenting to multiples are not to be missed.

-Francesca

(Comments off.)

Chick Chat

Where are all the Dads? This week on Chick Chat our very own Ask a Dad, Tyler, answers questions about participating in the female-dominated world of blogging. He coined the word flogging (father blogging) and then promptly uncoined it once he learned it was already a word that means to strike hard.

Be sure to check out the other Dads featured this week, including: Whit from Honea Express, Kevin from Always Home and Uncool, and C's husband from The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom.

Support Dads!

Chick Chat

Confessions. We all have them, especially Moms. We let our kids eat treats before dinner, sit them in front of the TV longer than we should, and maybe even skip bathtime when we just don't feel up to it.

Or is that just me?

This week on Chick Chat we are turning our vlogs into a confessional for Moms. Joining us will be Carebear from Beauty and the Little Beast, BabyMama from BlogBaby, Juls from Every Day is a Crazee Day, and Cat from the Juggling Act of Life. We hope you will visit each of these sites and listen to what these Moms are confessing.

But before you go, it seems that even Kacey and Thuy have a story to tell...

I, on the other hand, am an open book and have no secrets.

-Francesca

Chick Chat

Since my husband and I had kids, we no longer travel like we once did. Vacationing happens in a different way. Our destinations are usually to the Happiest Place on Earth, the zoo, or an aquarium. Leisure time is still very fun, but in an all-new Churros and Mickey Mouse ears kind of way.

This week on Chick Chat we will be hearing from vloggers from all over the world, many of whom live in countries that I still daydream about visiting. Sue from My Home Wellington joins us from New Zealand, TypO from Wandering the World lives in Egypt, Rebecca from The Misplaced Americans currently resides in Brazil, and Laura from Under the Sheets...Shhh lives in my own backyard here in San Francisco, California.

Join us today as we take a virtual trip around the world and hear what life is like for these vloggers. Remember that in order to see all of these videos, you will have to visit each blog.

For me, it will be like taking a mini-vacation without having to pack sippy cups, snacks, and DVDs. Let's go...

-Francesca

(Comments off.)

Chick Chat

Chick Chat is back! Time to see and hear from our fellow bloggers.

Today, the Three Bay B Chicks, Ann On and On, Bitchin’ Wives Club, Bantering Blonde, and Hangin’ with Mrs. Cooper will all be dishing about their husbands. Who are the men behind these ladies? What funny experiences have they shared as a couple? How did these bloggers meet their future Mr. Right?

Get clicking to find out! Since each site has a unique video, you will have to visit all five blogs to see the videos.

We would also love for you to join in on the fun and participate in an upcoming Chick Chat. Let us know you are interested by sending an e-mail to contactchickchat@gmail.com. We are always looking for participants and topic suggestions.

Look Who Won!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the kick-off to Chick Chat a success. We are already looking forward to upcoming chats and new participants.

Before moving on, we wanted to share with you who won our fabulous prizes!

The two $50 gift certificates to Lisa Leonard Designs will be going to...

Yaya, the fabulous orange nanny, from Yaya Stuff

AND Tonya from Finding My Peace in this World.

Donnetta, from Life in the Fast Lane, will be proudly wearing the Shhh...Mommy's Blogging tee-shirt from Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha.

Enjoy ladies!

Chick Chat

What is it that girls talk about? The answer may very well be absolutely everything. Topics frequently range from husbands, to kids, to friends, to family, to politics, to fashion, to celebrities. Nothing is sacred.

This same “anything goes” approach also seems to apply to the blogosphere. Blogging is a means for women to declare to the world what they are going through and to find others in a similar situation.

However, what if we could take the connections that we have formed with one another as bloggers one step farther? What if we could finally see and hear the people behind the posts that we read?

That’s where Chick Chat comes in. Chick Chat is a semimonthly post where the ladies from the Three Bay B Chicks and Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha will film themselves chatting on a particular topic. To make things more interesting, we will be linking to three different blogs who have also filmed their own video segment in response to our conversation.

We kick-off our video series today with a discussion on the blog world. The Three Bay B Chicks, Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha, Pooba, Optimistic Cynicism, and The World According to Me will be sharing everything on their mind about the blogosphere.

So have some fun and get clicking. Since each site has a unique video, you will have to visit all five blogs to hear and see what these ladies have to say.

Now it’s your turn. Want to turn the camera on yourself and participate in an upcoming Chick Chat? Let us know by sending an e-mail to contactchickchat@gmail.com. We are looking for both participants and topic suggestions. Our plan is to rotate the participation not only among ourselves, but also among all our friends in the blogosphere. We want to hear what everyone has to say.

We’d also like to thank the wonderful bloggers that linked to us today as part of the Chick Chat kick-off and encourage you to take a moment to visit these sites. The tales, tips, humor, and support that await you on these blogs are something to which we should all aspire to…

What's a Chick Chat Day Without a Giveaway?

We feel that it is our Chick Chat duty to connect you not only with fun and interesting bloggers, but also to help you look great…on and off camera. After all, if you are going to be a part of Chick Chat, then you should be, as Oprah says, “your best you.”

As part of the today’s kick-off, the Three Bay B Chicks, Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha, Pooba, Optimistic Cynicism, and The World According to Me, will be hosting a give-away beginning at 12:00 am EST Thursday morning and ending at 12:00 am EST Friday morning. To enter, visit the sites participating in today’s discussion and comment on the giveaway post. Since there are five bloggers with something to say, you have five opportunities to enter our giveaway.

Want something more? To earn an extra entry on each site, simply follow the Chick Chat participants. Ultimately, 5 Chick Chat participants x 2 entries per site = 10 total entries.

To entice you to start clicking, three winners will be chosen at random from the five sites participating in today’s Chick Chat. At stake are two $50 gift certificates to Lisa Leonard Designs and a SHHH…MOMMY’S BLOGGING tee-shirt from Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha. Winners will be announced on all five sites on Monday, April 13.

Now about those prizes…

Lisa Leonard’s designs show us that all that glitters is not gold. Her desire is to create simple, lovely pieces that can be worn with jeans or your little black dress. Each piece is meaningful and a work of art. Lisa’s custom jewelry is hand-stamped with your children’s names or a special phrase or verse. Check out Lisa’s site to figure out not only how you might spend a gift certificate on your loved ones for Mother’s Day, but also how you can splurge on yourself right away!

Also up for grabs is also a newly released SHHH…MOMMY’S BLOGGING tee-shirt from Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha. Honestly, who has time to chat when the blogging world awaits? Certainly not us! Silence family and friends without uttering a single word by wearing your SHHH…MOMMY’S BLOGGING tee.

The fun doesn’t stop there! Join us today at 1:00 pm CST for a live Twitter party regarding Chick Chat, upcoming video topics, and more on the giveaway. We hope that Lisa Leonard herself might even join our chat and talk more about her lovely designs.

Tell Us What You Have To Say

Blogging is a funny thing. You can get to know everything in the world about a person, but never see their face or hear their voice.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow change that? Even for only a little while?

The Three Bay B Chicks and Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha will be kicking a video series known as Chick Chat this Thursday, April 9. Twice a month, we will post a clip of ourselves chatting on a particular topic, as well as link to a few bloggers who respond to what we have to say in their own video.

Interested? Swing by the following blogs tomorrow and see what we are talking about:

Three Bay B Chicks
Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha
Optimistic Cynicism
Pooba
The World According to Me

Chick Chat participants will change regularly, so be sure to let us know if you might like to join in the fun. We want to hear what all of our bloggy friends have to say.