About Soapbox Mom

It’s not at all about preaching, it’s just another way of saying “mom blogger.”

Back in the late 1800s, the soapbox was used as a tool for someone to publicly air his/her views. People stood atop a soapbox (usually in a park or on a street corner) and spoke their minds. The modern day equivalent? Blogs! Now, I don’t mean to suggest that I started this blog so that I could be preachy and obnoxious. Rather, the soapbox (er, blog) is just the platform or a means of communicating.

I started blogging because I wanted to share information for parents to help make their lives easier and more fun. More and more people I knew viewed parenting as a chore that weighed them down, rather than an adventure that fed their souls and brought them joy.

Spending time as a working mom and now a stay-at-home mom, I never thought I would leave the career I loved and, when I did, I questioned that decision for years. I remember picking up peas off the floor and wondering, “I worked my butt off in law school for this?” I was discouraged, disillusioned and ever so slightly resentful. But at some point I realized that I had to surrender to the reality of my new situation. So why not make the best of it?

Parenting, for me, then became more like an adventure…or some real world science experiment. I read a gazillion parenting books, took a parenting class or two, and tried (& discarded) many different methods, tactics and strategies. I’ve moved from being rather permissive (as a working mom) to a control freak (when I first started staying home) to a content, peaceful, happy medium of structure and discipline at a reasonable level.

As the kids neared middle school, I found a little more time to renew some of my lost interests — like writing. That’s when I started writing blogs. I wanted to let parents know that, while parenting can be draining and difficult, it can also be rewarding and fun! I also wanted to give parents some of the tools I had to work hard to find when I was learning to parent. The internet was just picking up steam when my kids were little and now, it’s almost at the opposite extreme, where excessive amounts of information often discourage parents from using the internet because it overwhelms them.

So, when I find helpful information or fantastic toys, I write about them. Soapbox Mom is filled with stories, cool tools, helpful articles, homework helpers, fun gadgets, homekeeping tips, party ideas, and whatever might help people enjoy parenting.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll start to enjoy doing laundry, but if something here makes you smile, then … great! That’s the idea.

I’d love to hear from you, so, if you find something helpful or interesting or even just odd, go ahead and leave some comments (I love comments!) and share your thoughts!

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Soapbox Mom began writing in the blogosphere as BMG Mom with the blogs, Being a Mom is Great and BMG Mom’s Reviews. Now you can find all of that content in one place, here at Soapbox Mom. She also co-hosts a podcast with her daughter, Parents and Kids Talk Radio and hosts the podcast called Soapbox Radio.

Contact info:

soapboxmom [at] soapboxmom [dot] com

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LEGAL & PRIVACY

Website Terms of Use

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE “SOAPBOX MOM” WEB SITE. YOUR USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO ABIDE BY THE TERMS OF USE THEN IN EFFECT.

Disclaimer

Before we get much further, let’s clarify a couple of things. First, this modest SOAPBOX MOM Web site (as defined below) consists solely of the opinions, thoughts, and humor of its founder and various, often anonymous, viewers (or, as defined below, “Users”) who elect to comment on such opinions, thoughts and humor found here from time to time, along with links to third party content. Second, except as otherwise noted, the Soapbox Mom Web site does not accept third party advertising or otherwise profit from its operations. It’s a labor of love. Regular sources of third party content are included in the Blogrolls, and suggested additions to the Blogrolls are welcome. Third, if you have a DMCA-based objection, you are welcome to follow the procedures described below, but we can assure you that there is no intent to commercially exploit any third party copyrights on this Soapbox Mom Web site. We reserve the right to post and otherwise disclose any received complaints on the Soapbox Mom Web site. As for privacy, please note that any commenter posts at its own risk and with an expectation (although without any assurance) that its comments may be posted on the Soapbox Mom Web site. No affirmative effort is made to collect or exploit User data beyond the acceptance or denial of submitted comments. We reserve the right to make editorial changes to submitted comments as a condition of their approval, particularly in the case of offensive or abusive content. We use RSS feeds, social networking sites and various online syndicators to make the world aware of the existence of the Soapbox Mom Web site, lest it be a tree falling in the woods.

1. Definitions.

“Soapbox Mom Web site” is a term which refers to the interactive Web site accessible at domain address www.soapboxmom.com (”SoapboxMom”) on the World Wide Web of the Internet, consisting of information services and content provided by Soapbox Mom. “User” means any person or entity who views or posts content on the Soapbox Mom Web site, and

2. General.

1. Soapbox Mom shall have the right at any time to change or discontinue any aspect or feature of the Soapbox Mom Web site.
2. THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE IS NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13 YEARS OF AGE. THEREFORE, PERSONS UNDER 13 YEARS OF AGE ARE NOT PERMITTED TO REGISTER FOR ANY SERVICES OR REQUEST ANY INFORMATION ON THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE.
3. By submitting information about a User or a User’s business, the User agrees and consents to Soapbox Mom’s disclosure and publication of such information. The Soapbox Mom Web site will not monitor, edit, or disclose to third parties any personal information about a User or a User’s use of any services or information contained on the Soapbox Mom Web site, without a User’s prior permission unless Soapbox Mom has a good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
   1. Conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process;
   2. Protect and defend the rights or property of the Soapbox Mom Web site;
   3. Enforce this Terms of Use; or
   4. Act to protect the interests of others.

3. Changed Terms.

Soapbox Mom shall have the right at any time to change or modify the terms and conditions applicable to User’s use of the Soapbox Mom Web site, or any part thereof, or to impose new conditions, including, but not limited to, adding fees and charges for use. Such changes, modifications, additions or deletions shall be effective immediately upon notice thereof, which may be given by means including, but not limited to, posting on the Soapbox Mom Web site, or by electronic or conventional mail, or by any other means by which User obtains notice thereof. Any use of the Soapbox Mom Web site by User after such notice shall be deemed to constitute acceptance by User of such changes, modifications or additions.

4. Equipment.

User shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all telephone, computer hardware and other equipment needed for access to and use of the Soapbox Mom Web site and all charges related thereto.

5. User Conduct.

1. User shall use the Soapbox Mom Web site for lawful purposes only. User shall not post or transmit through the Soapbox Mom Web site any material which violates or infringes in any way upon the rights of others, which is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane or otherwise objectionable, which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law, or which, without Soapbox Mom’s express prior approval, contains advertising or any solicitation with respect to products or services. Any conduct by a User that in Soapbox Mom’s discretion restricts or inhibits any other User from using or enjoying the Soapbox Mom Web site will not be permitted. User shall not use the Soapbox Mom Web site to advertise or perform any commercial solicitation, including, but not limited to, solicitations intended to be competitive with Soapbox Mom’s products and services.
2. The Soapbox Mom Web site contain copyrighted material, trademarks and other proprietary information, including, but not limited to, text, software, photos, video, graphics, music and sound, and the entire contents of the Soapbox Mom Web site are copyrighted as a collective work under the United States copyright laws. Soapbox Mom owns a copyright in the selection, coordination, arrangement and enhancement of such content, as well as in the content original to it. User may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the content, in whole or in part. User may download copyrighted material for User’s personal use only. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law, no copying, redistribution, retransmission, publication or commercial exploitation of downloaded material will be permitted without the express permission of Soapbox Mom and the copyright owner. In the event of any permitted copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material, no changes in or deletion of author attribution, trademark legend or copyright notice shall be made. User acknowledges that it does not acquire any ownership rights by downloading copyrighted material.
3. User shall not upload, post or otherwise make available on the Soapbox Mom Web site any material protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner of the copyright, trademark or other proprietary right and the burden of determining that any material is not protected by copyright rests with User. User shall be solely liable for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from such a submission. By submitting material to any public area of the Soapbox Mom Web site, User automatically grants, or warrants that the owner of such material has expressly granted Soapbox Mom the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate and distribute such material (in whole or in part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or hereafter developed for the full term of any copyright that may exist in such material. User also permits any other User to access, view, store or reproduce the material for that User’s personal use. User hereby grants Soapbox Mom the right to edit, copy, publish and distribute any material made available on the Soapbox Mom Web site by User.
4. The foregoing provisions of Section 5 are for the benefit of the Soapbox Mom, its subsidiaries, affiliates and its third party content providers and licensors and each shall have the right to assert and enforce such provisions directly or on its own behalf.

6. Disclaimer of Warranty; Limitation of Liability.

1. USER EXPRESSLY AGREES THAT USE OF THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE IS AT USER’S SOLE RISK. NEITHER SOAPBOX MOM NOR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS WARRANT THAT THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE OR ERROR FREE; NOR DOES IT MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE, OR AS TO THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY OR CONTENT OF ANY INFORMATION, SERVICE, OR MERCHANDISE PROVIDED THROUGH THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE.
2. THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OTHER THAN THOSE WARRANTIES WHICH ARE IMPLIED BY AND INCAPABLE OF EXCLUSION, RESTRICTION OR MODIFICATION UNDER THE LAWS APPLICABLE TO THIS AGREEMENT.
3. THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. USER SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT SOAPBOX MOM IS NOT LIABLE FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD-PARTIES AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH USER.
4. IN NO EVENT WILL SOAPBOX MOM OR ANY PERSON OR ENTITY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING OR DISTRIBUTING THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE OR THE SOFTWARE UTILIZED ON THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE. USER HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY TO ALL CONTENT ON THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE.
5. IN ADDITION TO THE TERMS SET FORTH ABOVE, NEITHER SOAPBOX MOM NOR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR CONTENT PARTNERS SHALL BE LIABLE REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OR DURATION, FOR ANY ERRORS, INACCURACIES, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER DEFECTS IN, OR UNTIMELINESS OR UNAUTHENTICITY OF, THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THE SOAPBOX MOM WEB SITE, OR FOR ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION IN THE TRANSMISSION THEREOF TO THE USER, OR FOR ANY CLAIMS OR LOSSES ARISING THEREFROM OR OCCASIONED THEREBY. NONE OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY THIRD-PARTY CLAIMS OR LOSSES OF ANY NATURE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. PRIOR TO THE EXECUTION OF A STOCK TRADE, USERS ARE ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH YOUR BROKER OR OTHER FINANCIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO VERIFY PRICING OR OTHER INFORMATION. SOAPBOX MOM, ITS AFFILIATES, INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR CONTENT PARTNERS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR INVESTMENT DECISIONS BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED. SOAPBOX MOM DOES NOT, NEITHER DIRECTLY NOR ON BEHALF OF ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR CONTENT PARTNERS WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THE TIMELINESS, SEQUENCE, ACCURACY, SECURITY, QUALITY, SYSTEM INTEGRATION, OR COMPLETENESS OF THIS INFORMATION. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES AS TO THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.

7. Monitoring.

Soapbox Mom shall have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the content of the Soapbox Mom Web site to determine compliance with this Terms of Use and any operating rules established by Soapbox Mom and to satisfy any law, regulation or authorized government request. Soapbox Mom shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to edit, refuse to post or remove any material submitted to or posted on the Soapbox Mom Web site. Without limiting the foregoing, Soapbox Mom shall have the right to remove any material that Soapbox Mom, in its sole discretion, finds to be in violation of the provisions hereof or otherwise objectionable.

8. Indemnification.

User agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Soapbox Mom, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of the use of the Soapbox Mom Web site by User.

9. Termination.

Soapbox Mom may terminate this Terms of Use at any time. Without limiting the foregoing, Soapbox Mom shall have the right to immediately restrict or forbid the use of the Soapbox Mom Web site in the event of any conduct by User which Soapbox Mom, in its sole discretion, considers to be unacceptable, or in the event of any breach by User of this Terms of Use. The provisions of Sections 5(B), 5(C), 5(D), 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 shall survive termination of this Terms of Use.

10. Trademarks.

Soapbox Mom, the Soapbox Mom, design logo, are trademarks of Soapbox Mom. All rights reserved. All other trademarks appearing on the Soapbox Mom Web site are the property of their respective owners.

11. Third Party Content.

Soapbox Mom, through its operation of the Soapbox Mom Web site, is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties and Users. Accordingly, Soapbox Mom has no more editorial control over such third party content than does a public library, bookstore, or newsstand. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers and Users of the Soapbox Mom Web site, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of Soapbox Mom. Neither Soapbox Mom nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, quality, system integration or usefulness of any content, nor its merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. (Refer to Section 6 above for the complete provisions governing limitation of liabilities and disclaimers of warranty.) In many instances, the content available through the Soapbox Mom Web site represents the opinions and judgments of the respective information provider, or User. Such entities are not under contract and Soapbox Mom neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any third party opinion, advice or statement made on the Soapbox Mom Web site. Under no circumstances will Soapbox Mom be liable for any loss or damage caused by a User’s reliance on information obtained through the Soapbox Mom Web site. It is the responsibility of User to evaluate the accuracy, completeness, quality, system integration or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through the Soapbox Mom Web site. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.

12. Miscellaneous.

This Terms of Use and any operating rules for the Soapbox Mom Web site established by Soapbox Mom constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous written or oral agreements between the parties with respect to such subject matter. This Terms of Use shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. No waiver by either party of any breach or default hereunder shall be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not be given any legal import. Any dispute relating to this Terms of Use shall be adjudicated exclusively in the state courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia or the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Use of the Soapbox Mom Web site constitutes a voluntary and knowledgeable waiver of any claim of forum non convenience with respect to the exclusive fora and to lack of personal jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any part of these Terms of Use that is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable will be replaced with language reflecting the original purpose in a valid and enforceable manner. The enforceable sections of these Terms of Use will remain binding upon the parties.

13. International Use.

By choosing to access the Soapbox Mom Web site from any location other than the United States, a User accepts full responsibility for compliance with all local laws. Users are also subject to United States export controls and are responsible for any violations of United States embargoes or other federal rules and regulations restricting exports.

14. Linking to Third Party Sites.

The Soapbox Mom Web site may provide Users with links to third-party Internet sites. Users assume full responsibility when they choose to follow any links on the Soapbox Mom Web site that lead to third-party sites. Soapbox Mom takes no responsibility for the content of or for transactions involving third-party sites to which it links. The inclusion of a link to a site does not necessarily imply endorsement of the site by Soapbox Mom or any association with its operators.

15. Copyrights and Copyright Agent.

Soapbox Mom respects the rights of all copyright holders and in this regard, Soapbox Mom has adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the termination in appropriate circumstances of subscribers and account holders who infringe the rights of copyright holders. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide Soapbox Mom’s Copyright Agent with the following information (as required by the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512):

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
2. Identification of the copyright work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party;
5. A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

For copyright inquiries under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act please contact:
SoapboxMom [at] gmail [dot] com.

For any questions or requests other than copyright issues, please contact: SoapboxMom [at] gmail [dot] com.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 2/1/2007.