Hallmark cards go to the Edge Of Motherhood, inverview with writer Tina Neidlein

yes, my boobs do look awesome, thank you for noticing!

Hallmark’s new line of cards, “Edge of Motherhood”, speak to all of us moms…whether you have young kids or teens, as they say “there is a Hallmark card for it”.  This new line is funny, edgy, and we had to know what it takes to put it together!  Have you always wanted to know what is behind the masterminds of the greeting card business?  Here is one of the master”moms”..

We had the opportunity to ask one of the writers, Tina Neidlein a few behind the scenes questions!

How did Hallmark come up with the idea of this “Edge of Motherhood” line of cards?

Well, we’ve heard again and again from moms that they turn to other moms for encouragement and support. So we thought it’d be a natural fit to give them a humorous way to do that, and just like that, Edge of Motherhood was born! Only, it was far less painful than an actual birth. No drugs, either.

These cards draw from life experiences that we all have as moms. Is there one particular experience or stage of motherhood that has inspired you the most?

Wow, you know, it’s funny you ask that: my son is 6 now, and just when I think it’s getting easy, and I’ve got everything under control, I have one of those days…yet again! So as far as my own experiences, I’m still able to draw from what I’m going through now and from my past. I will say, however, that those early (hard!) months of motherhood stand out for me as the first time I realized that I was going to need supportive friends if I wanted to survive! That stage, and those same friends who helped me laugh through the hard times, aren’t ever far from my mind.

We all have good days and bad days. Do these effect the type of card you create?

Bad days? I NEVER have bad days! Yeahhh, right. I’d say, absolutely, that whatever I’m going through can help inspire what I’m writing. You gotta find something funny to laugh at, even during the worst days. And that translates right into what I’m responsible for every day: finding that thing that’s going to help people laugh their way out of a bad day, lest they crumple into a big ol’ mess of tears. Not like, y’know, I’ve ever done that…this week…

I read that you think of a certain person and try to create a card around them…does that person ever figure it out? “Oh that’s about me isn’t it?”

Fortunately, not too often. I try to mask any specifics so it’s general enough to work for lots of people out there…I don’t want to lose any friends! However, my husband is totally onto me. He’s knows which cards are about him and tends to look at me with this little disappointed squint. Sorry, man, you live with me, you’re fair game!

Do you ever have an idea wake you up at night? What is the strangest place/event/person that made you say “I have to make that into a card”.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, now that I’ve finally got my kid sleeping through the night, nothing’s waking me up ever AGAIN! Honestly, though, this will sound so cliché, but it’s true: the shower is where it’s at. I’m getting ready for work, making the transformation from At Home Tina to At Work Tina, and something inevitably will creep in. Happens all the time. As far as strangest place/event/person…that’s a tough one. I really find more interesting material in those everyday moments that happen to all of us—the horrifying embarrassment of something your kid has said, for example…everybody’s got a story like that. I eavesdrop like crazy. I just gotta know what’s going on in everybody’s life, whether I know them or not. Nosy, huh?

Any plans to work with Dads on a similar Dads’ line of cards?

Good question! Dads certainly go through much of the same stuff we moms do—needing to laugh at some of those “challenging” moments of parenthood. We’ve got quite a few cards in the “Edge” line that work well for dads, too. So we’re definitely including them in the mix. As far as an entire new line? I really can’t tell you, I really only write funny words and drink coffee around here. But it’d be a lot of fun to work on! I know some hilarious dads, that’s for sure…

I see you are a fan of Pop Culture? If you could sum up the work environment at Hallmark into a movie, what would the title be?

Breakfast Club

Home Alone

Young Frankenstein

Rocky

None of the above, but here is a movie that says it all….

Dang, now you’ve got me thinking here…hmm. Well, since “Funny People” is already taken, I’ll go with “13 Going on 35.” We have way too much fun to be grown-ups. (Now, wait—I’ll probably come up with something better the next time I shower…)

Great movie and looks like a great place to work!

Balance is a Journey – You Never Reach the Top

We had the privilege at BlogHer to talk with Stacey Weckstein, author or Create a Balance and Life Coach. Her thoughts on creating a balance in your life, and how she is reaching out to young moms are inspirational…so much so she sent Janine a little OFF BALANCE…you’ll see in the video…

How did she come up with her vision? Stacey shares the how, why and when of her journey…

Let the Voting Begin! #bestlegs at #blogher09

Here are your top 12! You know judges…they can’t just decide on 10, so we came to common ground on this dozen HAWT legs.

Sometimes it was the pose, sometimes it was the SHOES, sometimes the well defined *please let that be me one day* calves, and sometimes it was *ahem* the tube socks.

But these were the 12 that the judges (Ok, Me, Janine, and Stan from Pacific Shaving Company) agreed were the HAWTEST legs at Blogher 09…and voting starts now and runs through August 7…

Vote for your choice by commenting (here or on the whrrl story) for the legs you love the most.

One Grand Prize Winner will receive a Pacific Shaving Company gift package including one (1) 2-oz. bottle of All Natural Shaving Oil (will last up to a year!), one (1) Nick Stick, and a fancy-schmancy winner button to proudly display on their blog.

Two Runners-Up will receive a 1/2 oz. bottle of All Natural Shaving Oil and a not-quite-as-fancy button to display on their blog.

Pacific Shaving, #Blogher09 and the #1000Trees Campaign

I know, that’s a bunch of hashtags. Because I have a bunch of good news to share! Our friend Stan @pacificshaving at PacificShaving.com is sponsoring the BTSMoms at Blogher this year. There is so much more than just smooth skin, random shavings, and swag going on that weekend.

1,000 Trees During BlogHer 09

Pacific Shaving Co. is committed to planting a tree for every bottle of shaving oil they sell. I KNOW it’s huge, and they have a big heart.

Oh, I haven’t told you yet? During Blogher, Pacific Shaving is offering to plant up to 1000 trees!

I KNOW!!

But we need your help and your participation.

If you are on Twitter follow @PacificShaving and send a tweet with hashtags #1000trees and #Blogher09 and they will plant a tree for every follow/tweet! Up to 1000 trees.  We’ll be starting it off on Thursday July 23, and continue through Saturday July 25!!

Don’t let these guys off easy! Help us make the 1000 trees a possiblity!

Free Shipping for Blogher

Use Code blogher09 until July 31st for free shipping on Pacific Shaving Company all natural shaving oil.

Plus, follow us: @twincident and @shortpumppreppy and you might just get a free sample…

#1000trees Twitter Giveaway

If we reach 1,000 tweets with #1000trees in those 2 days (and thus, 1,000 trees)  everyone who tweeted will be entered to win one of 5  FREE bottles of Pacific Shaving Company All Natural Shaving Oil.

So anyone can win! Guys, gals, Blogher attendees, people not at Blogher, people who have no idea what Blogher is….Just send a tweet with #1000trees any time during July 23-25th and follow @PacificShaving and you’re entered!

Only tweets wtih #1000trees made during Thursday, July 23 and Saturday, July 25, 2009 apply. Winner will be chosed at random on Tuesday, July 28th. US/Canada residents only.

How to get a sponsor for Blogher when you don’t even have a ticket…

Um…

Yes, we are good.   If there was ever a reason to follow the BTSMoms, this is it!

No conference pass to Blogher, HOW SAD…when they sold out, we were, well….we were deciding if we wanted to go or not.   Janine and I had met at Blissdom 09 and as roomies there, we quickly became “roomies for life”.   When the idea kicked in, and we had a hotel room and a bunch of ideas on how to promote a brand, we decided we needed a way to pay for it.  Who needs passes; we have a room and a bunch of light bulbs going off in our heads!!

Let’s face it. We may run Buzz Cooperative now, but Janine and I have always felt more like Frick and Frack. Except that now Frick and Frack are armed with unique ideas and, for lack of a better word, ‘BALLS’ (direct quote from an instant message discussion we had)! And that’s when Stan came into the picture. We started putting the word out about some of our “totally effing innovative” ideas (again, I quote Janine from her amped up IMs) and Stan was all over it like my dog on his ‘special’ hump toy.

Through a series of humorous emails, hilarious brainstorming sessions and, to be perfectly honest a little bit of  begging (shhh – Janine think she played hardball), Stan “got” the genius of the BTSMoms and how we’ll promote his All Natural Shaving Oil to everyone inside AND OUTSIDE the conference.  He simply couldn’t resist forking over some moolah to defray our costs so we could play in Chi-town for a few days. (Yay Pacific Shaving Company!)
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT ON WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU!!!
Live Shaving events? Oh yea…and we’re not just talking legs… (chins, arms, get your mind out of the gutter)

Definitely make sure you enter the Best Legs contest…

And find out how we will Plant 1,000 Trees BlogHer weekend…

• Check back here all weekend long (July 23-26)

• Follow us on Twitter:  @twincident, @shortpumppreppy, and @pacificshaving

• Follow us on Whrrl.com: Janine_Nickel and Linda_Sellers

• Email btsmoms [at] gmail dot com if you want to get in early on the action!