As of late, when I attend mom blogging conferences it’s for one of two reasons. Either I’m going to them on behalf of companies to find bloggers that might be interested in working with them or I’m attending in a role as mentor/volunteer.
To be honest with you, I don’t really learn much at mom blogging conferences anymore. After blogging for so many years, I kind of know this blogging stuff inside and out. So, if I go to a conference I’m either being paid to do so or I’m there to help others and in that case my conference fee is waived.
But this conference was a different story. The Food Blog Forum Conference held at Disney’s Grand Floridian was a smallish gathering of 125 food bloggers. And when I heard the lineup of speakers, I knew that I definitely wanted to attend.
While I feel like I know what there is to know about mom blogging, I still have a whole lot to learn about food blogging. And what better way to learn than by listening to others who have successful food blogs? It doesn’t hurt that attendees were offered a package that included a stay at the Grand Floridian, park passes and some meals at a giant discount. So, it was sort of a no brainer to attend.
The Grand Floridian is quite spectacular. The most deluxe of the deluxe hotels at Disney World, the Grand Floridian is exquisitely posh and the staff oh so very gracious. When we visit Disney we usually stay at the economy hotels. So, this was a very decadent weekend indeed.
Our conference was held right at the Grand Floridian at their conference facility which is located just minutes away from the hotel rooms.
And as I mentioned earlier, there were some highly successful food bloggers among us. Up above is David Leite who I feel very privileged to know. David was on a panel on growing your blogging community and he had some insightful comments to share. For those of you who love food, be sure to visit his site Leite’s Culinaria. Lots of good cooking over there!
My real purpose for attending this conference was to learn more about food photography. And when I heard that Todd Porter and Diane Cu were speaking, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to learn from two of the best in the food photography field.
But I have to be honest with you, I didn’t get as much from their presentation as I had hoped. You see, there was a lot of time spent talking about videography which totally isn’t my thing. And even if I was interested, their videos are professional and extremely creative. Way over my head.
So, for me it was a little frustrating as I had hoped to walk away with some new ideas on composition, props and equipment that I could use over at A Beautiful Bite.
Even though I didn’t get a lot of tips and hints on how to take better pictures, I did get the chance to network with other food bloggers which was pretty awesome. We chatted about cameras, recipes and the ups and downs of food blogging. It was very nice to share my joys and frustrations with other people who understand what I’m talking about.
Only a food blogger can understand why another food blogger would melt into a puddle of tears when the sun sets before a recipe can be photographed.
A food blogging conference wouldn’t be quite right without some food. We were treated to all kinds of whimsical creations made by the Disney chefs. While they had some delicious appetizers, I think most of us were enamored with the very magical dessert table.
And of course there was swag. Mostly edible swag. This was one conference where no one could say that they were hungry.
And if that wasn’t enough stuff to drag home, some of the attendees participated in a food swap. Myself and about 30 others brought food items that represented our states and we swapped in the Grand Floridian lobby.
Trying to get this stuff into my suitcase was the ultimate game of Tetris.
Oh, I had to save room for one last thing in my suitcase. In Downtown Disney there’s this shop called Goofy’s Candy Company where they hand dip treats in chocolate. My kids just love the chocolate dipped Rice Krispie treats. And even though my suitcase was bursting at the seams, I couldn’t leave without those.
All in all I had a great time. While I didn’t learn as much as I had hoped I would, it was still great to connect with other people who do what I do.
One thing that I heard from one of the conference speakers that really resonated with me is the idea that in order to grow, you need to surround yourself with people who are what you want to become.
And in my case I’d like to become a successful food blogger/stylist/photographer. So, even though I didn’t get a lot of new knowledge from the conference, I did make some new friends who are darn good at what they do. And there isn’t any conference swag better than that!
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Yesterday was the first full day of actual conference sessions. It was a day filled with lessons on visual technology, work-life balance (ha! as if!) and a lot of food.
As a blogger, when your mom leaves a comment on your last post with this message, you know it can’t be good:
Does anyone remember the post from last December when I shared with you my prized find of a 
I’m not sure where the time went today. I distinctly remember waking up, getting the kids dressed and fed, ushering them out the door to the bus and that’s when the rest becomes a blur.
There are so many blooms on this tree that it forms a natural canopy around the back of the house. Isn’t it gorgeous? As I stood underneath the tree, the wind was gently blowing and the petals were cascading down around my head.
It’s so hard to believe that just weeks ago it was snowing. Spring is like a salve on winter weary skin. Don’t you think?
And where did these leaves come from? I swear they weren’t here a week ago. I guess I just got too busy to notice. Note to self, schedule time to be in the now before it’s the past.
My greatest discovery was that my chives came back. Not only did they come back, they hopped out of the deck planters and are now in various spots around the back yard.
I’m a girl who likes it hot. Steamy hot so that the windows fog. And of course I’m talking hot in the kitchen, just in case I need to clarify.
First things first. The meat. I’ve been pulling away from ground beef and substituting ground turkey whenever I can. But as you know, ground turkey can be quite bland.
After cooking up the meat, I added cheddar cheese, onion, cilantro and some salsa. Sure looks like we’re building a taco, yes?
And then I went all fusion. How about wrapping it up in an egg roll instead of stuffing it into a taco shell?
Some were baked to keep with the healthy theme of the deliciously seasoned ground turkey.
And some were deep fried because it just seemed like the right thing to do. I mean really, we are all about choice over here.
Which one would you have gobbled up first? The baked taco egg roll or the fried? Of course I had to sample both. I’m not going to give you a recipe if I haven’t tried it myself. What kind of blogger does that?
Yup, this recipe is a keeper. Just spicy enough. Not so much that it burned our taste buds off, but hot enough for us to grab a beverage. My fusion taco egg rolls.
Mother’s Day is this weekend! And to celebrate this very special day, 
On board the Odyssey, mom gets to leave the everyday stress of life behind on the dock and enjoy a delicious meal, entertainment and picturesque views of the city.
A very fine way to celebrate a special day! Both the Odyssey and Spirit of Boston have sailings scheduled for Mother’s Day. Check out the Entertainment Cruises 
