You may recall back in October, I spent a few days in Chicago hanging out with HUGGIES and meeting moms, grandmas, aunts, etc.  All of that was for a very special reason.  To learn some things about the every day average woman and how she views motherhood and “me time” and the challenges that go along with being responsible for another person’s life.

I met and spoke with some wonderful women.  Some of these women took precious time out of their busy day to capture on video what makes them so special.  Thirty of these women from around the country were fortunate enough to be chosen to have their video appear in a national Generation HUGGIES ad campaign.

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to the thirty Generation HUGGIES winners!  Here are the winners and some of the things they spoke about in their videos, which you can watch over at the Generation HUGGIES site (click on Winners Gallery to watch the thirty videos)

Alicia L – “Being a role model. Having somebody looking up to me and copying everything I do. It makes me strive to be a better person”

Angelique B – “Lots of love, hard work, dedication. You have to raise a child, not just be a mom”

Britt W – “Motherhood has brought so much meaning to my life”

Carrie M – “Once a week, my husband and I have our date night. We spend as much time with her as we can, while still trying to make sure we are ourselves”

Elizabeth C – “The funnest part is hearing her laugh and seeing her smile”

Amanda L – “Sacrificing my career to stay home. That’s the way I think it’s meant to be”

Audrey C – “Constantly trying to keep up with what they’re doing. It’s tough when you have kids 4 and under!”

Carleen G – “I think my mom is an absolutely awesome mother”

Christina B – “I have had to develop my instincts. The most challenging and exciting part is that there are so many new things”

Esther D – “I rely mostly on my gut feeling, from my mom and what i think is right”

Heidi B – “My children are my life. I am in love with my children!”

Jennifer E – “Making sure you can handle what you have”

Kristin E – “I think there are more worries but a lot more opportunities”

LeQuyen M – “You’re expected to do a lot more than just be a mom”

Lynn M – “Complete joy to watch the kids grow, learn and change”

Jackie B – “The most rewarding part is hearing her laugh. It’s so cool for me to just watch her do regular things”

Kristen F – “Being incredibly selfless and putting yourself last. You’re responsible for this person’s life”

LaTriece L – “My me time is her time. Because it’s more fun to play with her”

Lisa L – “I try to make enough time for myself and spend as much time with my family. I’m still striving for that 100% balance”

Maite C – “I get to wake up to the most beautiful thing. It’s an amazing experience”

Melody B – “I work full-time out of the house and that’s a challenge in itself. You have to balance that”

Miriam G – “Most rewarding thing: the learning process. Teaching and loving her”

Patricia G – “It’s been a roller coaster. It’s just wonderful. I can’t even explain how happy I am”

Stacie B – “I’m not that different than my own mother and I’m proud of that”

Valerie C – “I have to step aside and allow a certain amount of time for myself so when my baby wakes up, I have all the time in the world for her”

Michelle P – “Me time comes at midnight when all the children are down. I need to learn how to take care of myself so I can take care of my family who I love so dearly”

Nellie G – “I dedicate my days to taking care of my kids and keeping them happy”

Rita W – “I never thought about me time when I was raising my children, I have to have my me time now (with the grandkids)”

Susan G – “You do what you think is right and trust that as a mom, you know what’s best for your kids”

Yasman S – “Our time is so much more precious because I don’t see her 24/7″

One of the winner’s came from Chicago!  Here is Rita’s winning video:

Being a part of this Generation HUGGIES project was so much fun for me. Maybe even a little “too much” fun, since now I’m 15 weeks pregnant! We just got the first one out of diapers, guess we’ll be giving HUGGIES some business again soon!

After watching and listening to these women share their stories about motherhood, I have come to the realization that we all know how to be mothers. We have this natural instinct about us that kicks in once we’ve laid eyes on those precious little lives that we’ve created. I, for one, am looking very forward to experiencing that feeling again with a newborn. It is a very hard thing to do, to put these feelings into words. Words really can’t do justice to these amazing feelings and emotions of motherhood. You just have to experience it to know.

*Also, a gigantic congrats goes out to Kristine B., who is HUGGIES $30,000 sweepstakes winner!  She just happened to be browsing the web one day and decided to enter the sweepstakes.  Kristine’s two daughters wore HUGGIES and now, their daughters do too!

If you want to read more from the other “celebrity bloggers” who were on location in different cities with the Generation HUGGIES mobile, check out their fine blogs here:

Mommy Needs Coffee
Design Mom
Musings of a Housewife
Suburban Diva

We’ve also all contributed our experiences over at The Motherhood. So be sure to check out our coverage there, too!

Circles:
Generation HUGGIES – NYC (Gabrielle)
Generation HUGGIES – Philly (Jo Lynne)
Generation HUGGIES – Orlando (Tracey)
Generation HUGGIES – Dallas (Jenn)
Generation HUGGIES – Chicago (Amy)

Our collaborative effort – Generation HUGGIES Mom Bloggers

On November 4th, Eric, Hailey and I bundled up and hit our polling place at 7:00 am sharp. We stood in line outside of fire station number 12 and eagerly awaited our turn to speak up.

We waited outside that brisk morning and our little girl was just as energized as the rest of us. I think she could sense the excitement in the air. The line moved at slow, steady pace and when we finally made it inside; we cast our votes and walked away feeling good about doing our part.

Here are some photos from our election day:

Since we’re on the topic of voting, I would love to encourage you all to take a look at the Generation Huggies site where the voting process is still going on until November 30th.

Recently, I spent three days in Chicago at various locations, speaking with local moms, grandmas and dads about what motherhood (and parenthood) means to them.  You can check out my three days of coverage at The Motherhood.   These local Chicagoans were out and about, probably shopping and enjoying the nice weather when they took a moment out of their busy days to record a video and reflect on their lives as parents. They answered questions like, “How has becoming a parent changed you?” and “How are you different than your own parent?”  Many moms are submitting their videos online at Generation Huggies and answering these same questions.

Why is Huggies doing this?  Because they are celebrating their 30th anniversary and they want to include all of us in the celebration.  They want to hear our stories, laugh with us and cry with us. They know how important it is for us to express the wonderment of being a parent.

So, that being said, visit the Generation Huggies site and click on “Video Gallery” (You can view my video under the “Celeb Mom Spotlight” section).  Take a few minutes out of your day to relax, watch and listen to what other moms like us are saying about their experience.  If you are touched by what you see and hear, take a second to click the “Love It” button above the video and vote for your favorites.  And, if you feel so inclined, submit your own video by November 20th no later than 5:00pm EST.  Then, make sure your family and friends vote for you!  Voting ends on November 30th at 5:00pm EST.

The top 100 videos with the most votes will qualify.  Out of those 100 videos, 30 will be chosen to appear in a Huggies national ad campaign AND be awarded $300.  The official contest rules are HERE.  While you are there, you can also enter to win $30,000!  I’d say it’s a win-win situation, wouldn’t you?

Leave us a comment if you submit a video – we’ll vote for you!

More updates to come later!

You can follow me while I’m with the Generation Huggies van today on Twitter and over at The Motherhood

Chicago parents – the Huggies van will be in town Wednesday, October 22nd through Friday, October 24th.  Follow me on Twitter and at TheMotherhood.com to find out the exact locations!  Hope you can stop by and say hi!

Click the image above to head over to the Generation Huggies site to get the full scoop!

***ALSO – We’ll be running a special giveaway here in coordination with the Generation Huggies event!  Check back here Wednesday, October 22nd for your chance to enter to win a really, really cool prize.