When I look back and think of the Type-A Mom Conference, the song Dreams by the Cranberries (who are touring this fall!) comes to mind:

Oh my life is changing everyday

in every possible way

And though my dreams

it's never quite as it seems

Never quite as it seems

I know I felt like this before

But now I'm feeling it even more

Because it came from you

Then I open up and see

The person fumbling here is me

A different way to be

I want more, impossible to ignore

Impossible to ignore

And they'll come true

impossible not to do

Impossible not to do

And now I tell you openly

You have my heart so don't hurt me

For what I couldn't find

Talk to me amazing mind

So understanding and so kind

You're everything to me

Oh my life is changing everyday

In every possible way

And though my dreams

it's never quite as it seems

'cause you're a dream to me

Dream to me

Why?  Because being at this conference reminded me of why we all consistently write our blogs.  Why we share our mishaps, our lessons learned, our...dreams.  This blogging community IS "everything to me".  And yes, "my life is changing every day", as are all of ours as we choose to take our blogs in the directions we wish for them to go.

I think I attached music to my thoughts on Type-A Mom Conference because just like music can stir emotions, so can a great blogging conference.  Listening to Casey talk about how she decided to take ads off of her blog because she wants it to be a place where she writes and nothing else.  Or Cecily bravely talk about her journey to motherhood and her obstacles and losses that she had to endure to get there.  Or when Danielle told me how it was a random Google search that led her to my blog and eventually our blogging community.  Listening to all of them literally brought tears to my eyes.  The good kind.

Music also played a huge part in my Type-A Mom Conference experience in that one of the major highlights of my experience was rockin' out to Guitar Hero and Rock Band on the Wii with  fellow conference attendees.  Thanks to rockstars at Triangle Mamas, we all got to be rockstars.  It was the icing on the cake of a delicious weekend.

Mom Blogger Rockstars

I can't write a post about the conference without extending a big thank you to the sponsors.  I applaud them for supporting the mom blogger community and for bravely entering our space.  With that said, I think it's important to remember that sponsors should be treated like investors.  They are investing in the conference attendees, and are doing so because they want to connect with bloggers and influencers.  Some are newer to our "scene" than others, and we shouldn't forget that.  The return on investment the sponsors receive will directly correlate with their future decisions about investing in conferences again.

There was lots of fruitful conversation and lessons learned at Type-A Mom Conference.  If only I could have attended every panel (by the way, if you're getting in to vlogging, don't use tags that you'd be embarrassed for your kids to see later, just sayin').  Since I'm relating just about everything to music, I can't not mention Angela England of Untrained Housewife.  She not only inspired and empowered her panel with Joanne Bamberger of PunditMom but she wrote an amazing rendition of the conference to the tune of "A Few of My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

I think it's safe to say that those that attended this thought-provoking conference left feeling empowered and inspired.  And ready to pursue their dreams.

And to my blogging community, "I tell you openly, you have my heart, so don't hurt me."

Thank you Kelby and the city of Asheville for hosting the conference.

***The experiences in this post were powered by my Starbucks buddies that ensure my triple and quadruple shot lattes: the ladies of One Moms World,  MyGoMom, Carolina Mama, and Savor The Thyme.

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