Do what I say. And what I do.

In my job as a marketer, there’s a lot of focus on how much we moms talk to each other, exchanging advice about how to get our whites whiter.  Yeah, we blab a lot. And yes it’s true, we might talk to our friends, sisters and total strangers about the best stroller to buy when you’re going to have two kids under two years old, or how to get a six month old to nap in that stroller, or where to go for date night.

I’d say the most common assumption being made, based on the pitches I receive for this blog, is that we talk mostly about products.  But I think that’s wrong. I think we are more likely to talk about experiences or activities.

Which is not to say that I haven’t been influenced to buy something because of a blog post I read.

For your amusement, here are three examples of things that I actually bought because I was influenced by another parent blogger.

1) Trader Joe’s pub towels. Alma wrote that they are amazing for sopping up any liquid, including pee. The next time I found myself at Trader Joe’s I tossed two packages into my shopping cart. (Ok, so what she actually mentioned was the same product from Costco. Still, I was inspired.)

2) Pond’s Make-Up Remover Wipes. V-Dog listed these as something she’d be packing for BlogHer, explaining that after a long night of drinking and talking she’d be too lazy to wash her face properly. “Hey,” I thought to myself. “I’m that lazy, too!” Next time I went to Target, I tracked down those wipes. Did I get that one right? Perhaps it wasn’t V-Dog after all, but rather one of her partners-in-crime.

3) Bento box containers. After looking at Wendy’s lunchboxes week after week, I just had to own some similar containers. More than that, I wanted the experience of going to the Korean dollar store she referenced as being a 30-minute drive from my house. And so I went. And I bought.

But about what I’ve DONE? Where I’ve GONE or things I’ve TRIED? The power of bloggerific influence can be seen here again.

1) Photographed my kid in front of graffiti. I stole this idea from Sweet Juniper when they were living in San Francisco. Heather and I spent two afternoons chasing these photographs, and it was super fun.

2) Exercised. Last year, Kristen set out to reclaim her body from three pregnancies that consumed her early thirties. She blogged and tweeted about her commitment to the 30 Day Shred video.  Like a gaggle of other Motherhood Uncensored readers, I hopped on the bandwagon, making an extra effort to exercise and letting Jillian Michaels lead me through it.

3) Wore a scarf with confidence. Shana told me I could.

4) Made a toddler dress from a men’s shirt. Just like Dana.  (Ok, much worse than Dana.)

5) Taped quarters on my kids shoes. Mike did this, blogged about how much fun it was. Then I did it. Blogged it, too.

And how many people have bought a white noise machine because I or “The Rookie Moms” told them about it? A lot, it seems.  But I don’t care about that. I’m not looking to actively sell you guys stuff that other people make. (Unless I think it’s totally awesome and will help you get more sleep.) What I wanted, when I started this blog (with Heather) was to inspire new moms to get out of the house. I was on the other side of that first year, and I felt like my coping strategy needed to be documented, out there in the world, for other moms to read. Get. Out. Of. The. House.

We have listed hundreds of activities here.They’re written to inspire you to take action.

Did you try any of them? Did we influence your behavior, not to BUY something, but to DO something? Just curious.

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Speaking of action, I will be hosting a diaper drive in collaboration with Help A Mother Out in San Francisco during the first week of May.  If you live in the Bay Area, please come!