Nichole started her very first blog on Blogger in May of 2006, from there she has branched out into what is now The Guilty Parent Blog. She is a social and consumer advocate on issues of importance to women and parents everywhere. She regularly uses her blog as a platform to create awareness and to advocate for change from corporations, media, and sometimes other bloggers on matters that pertain to parenting, children and social media. Nichole is also a Social Media Strategist and Freelance Writer. She took a role as the Social Media Director for Lodi Station Outlets and continues to maintain a successful professional writing business. Nichole also contributes to Type-A Parent and Blissfully Domestic.
Nichole began her life online in 1999 at a little known site for moms called Clubmom (now Cafemom) as a board moderator for parents of school age kids and siblings. Nichole moved her boards to Cafemom when it launched in 2006 and her boards are still active today under Cafemom’s social networking groups. Since then Nichole has worked with other parenting centered sites such as Babyspot.com where she served as Community Manager and social media consultant and was named in 2008 as one of the 50 most powerful and influential women in social media. Since then she has worked for Lifetime Digital Media (part of the A&E Family) as a Community Manager for MothersClick.com and Co-Editor of the Parenting Channel at Lifetimemoms.com .
Nichole is active on Twitter (@Nikki_S) and Facebook (http://facebook.com/theguiltyparent)
More tidbits about me and my lifestyle
- I am the mother of four children; three boys, one girl and they range in age from 16 to 6. (read more about the entire family).
- I am an entrepreneur. I became my own boss after the birth of my youngest child in 2006. I desperately wanted the ability to watch him grow up and let my children participate in sports and activities without missing me on the sidelines. Once the children all started school I felt confident in taking on a work at home position (with Lodi Station Outlets) because it would allow me the flexibility to be home when my children needed me, allow me to continue to grow my own business and do something that I love.
- I garden but hate the weed pulling process. If someone comes up with a weed picker that doesn’t whine or throw a temper tantrum let me know.
- We have livestock. Specifically cows and pigs. It has taught our children where their food comes from and how to raise animals in a free range environment.
- I’ve chased said cows… and the pigs on more occasions than I’d like to remember.
- We try to live as simply and frugally as possible.
- I love gadgets and technology which makes “living simply” interesting.
- I am not religious but consider myself to be a spiritual person. We raise our children in the same manner.
- I am an avid reader. I have read to my children since they were days old. We could fill a room with all the books and magazines that we own and our library is our best friend. Thank Goodness for the invention of eReaders (and God Bless my Nook).
- Knitting keeps me from choking people and my infatuation with yarn needs to be managed like a mental disorder.
- I am the oldest of five children and the product of divorce.
- I’m raising my children to feel as though they can talk to me about anything. I cherish communication and honesty above anything else.
- I prefer to praise my children for trying and failing than succeeding without any effort.
- We parent with the model of a strong work ethic and that everyone has to do their share (this house won’t run itself ya know!)
- I am a lover of all things chocolate and I hide it regularly and creatively from the kids and the husband.
- Related to the above, I’m raising a house full of chocoholics.
- I covet Lipton Iced Tea with Lemon and will accept no substitutions (except slow brewed Unsweet Tea with Lemon – and there again, it’s all about the lemon and not being sweet).
- I love being a wife, mom, and my own boss – I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s the egotist in me.
