Yes, it is sad that Type-A Mom Conference is my conference and I am the last to do a post. It’s hard to describe the post-conference exhaustion that sets in. I also have had so much in my mind that the idea of culling it down to one post was overwhelming. I am not even going to try to, so this very well could be the first of a few posts about the conference.

In a nutshell, I have this to say about the conference: it was so much more than I ever could have hoped! It was inspiring, moving, I dare say cathartic!

Whether we like it or not, whether we planned it or not, mom blogging is a new industry and we are its pioneers. To be in a room full of 250-300 pioneers, laying it all on the line, was unbelievable. To engage with the brands and marketers who get it, who want to be immersed in our community, was stunning.

My main takeaways from Type-A Mom Conference:

• We moms who blog are wildly diverse, as beautifully, splendidly different from one another as (to be painfully cliche) snowflakes. Yet we are all part of the same community. We can debate civilly. We can support one another. We can laugh and cry together (OK, much more than I would have preferred since I hate crying in public). We can join together to make a difference.
• There is something intangible and valuable beyond a pricetag about bringing us together in the same room. The relationships we form online, on blogs, on Twitter, on Facebook, those allow us to seek out people with much more in common than geography ever would. Meeting face to face creates an evolved relationship, something forged with stronger bonds than friends we have solely online or solely in real life can.
• Many of us are rich in influence and cash poor, and something needs to be done about that. For some, blogging is done purely for the joy of it. That is wonderful! For many moms, blogging is a business. It’s time we command respect and begin to earn real revenue for our knowledge, reach and hard work.

I have so much more to say about the conference. This is just the slightest summary. I have so many people, both companies and moms, to thank. There are so many people who, without their support, effort and investment, Type-A Mom Conference would not have been possible. I will devote an entire post to thanking people because I am afraid (being quite tired and sick right now) that I will forget someone important.

Just know that I am in awe of our community, of our minds, or our abilities, of our creativity and our hearts. There is nothing we can’t accomplish. That was my lesson from Type-A Mom.