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#MomsOffDuty – What Does That Mean? Celebrating 100 Posts!!

This is our 100th Post!!! That is more than two years of Chick Picks, Fashion Posts, Motherhood Rants, and Party Tips and we could not have done it without you!! Thank you so much for supporting Chicks And Salsa!!

One of our most frequently used hashtags is #MomsOffDuty.  It was brought to our attention that ‘life outside of motherhood’ and ‘Moms off duty’ implies that we did not have children or did not care about them. This could not be further from the truth!  It just means that we are not going to beat ourselves up about taking a little ‘me time‘ every now and then.

Yes, we are moms and yes we are obsessed with our kids (as most Moms are). BUT the blog is a way for us to find an avenue outside of the realm of crafting, cooking, and career. Chicks And Salsa is a way to use creativity and media to connect with other women in a way that encourages us to develop ourselves as members of this society.

Reflections:
As women, especially those of ethnic descent, we have a tendency to place ourselves last — behind spouses, kids, career. If there is anything I have learned in these past few years, it is that putting yourself first can feel good sometimes, too. It is also important to realize that ‘mom guilt’ never goes away: we will always wish that when we try a new restaurant with friends, that our husbands were there or when we discover a new park to run at, that we could exercise and watch the kids at the same time.
Moms Off Duty—that is how we feel when we squeeze in a coffee with friends during the day or get a babysitter and vent to a friend over cocktails after school. It is all-encompassing. It is the food that we eat, the activities that we participate in, the civic work that we do, the obligations we have at work, and our responsibilities at home. It is about taking a moment to build yourself as a woman, no matter what corners that life brings your way. Stringing together the moments outside of our routines are often the ones that we remember and cherish.
Celebrating Each Other
You Do You
We challenge you to be ‘off duty’ once in a while and do something for yourself with or without someone else. Push yourself to a new limit and rediscover an old hobby. Or listen to some old tunes and dance like no one is watching. It is possible to be a great mother, an influencer, a career-builder, and an independent woman — find your way to putting yourself first and in doing that, find yourself.
Lastly, thank you for all the love that you have shown us these past few years, hopefully we have more to offer as we learn more about all of you!!
With so much love, your chicks,
Rina and Sonia
Shout out to Neema, one of our contributors and Mom-extraordinaire, see her posts here.
Chick Picks:

6 Reasons Why You Will Love Vero – True Social Media

Honestly, thank you to the makers of Vero! This new app touts that it is the social media solution of the future and after hours of tinkering, here is what I have learned and think I will love:
Its a One Stop Shop!
Yup, its fully integrated. No more “click link in bio” – now images themselves are hyperlinked (bye bye “swipe up” feature).  On Vero you can store your reviews on places, books, movies, etc. and integrate that into your actual story. Better yet, your posts that tell the story don’t automatically delete after 24 hours — Vero actually archives your memories into easy to access categories. This creates a comprehensive representation of who you are, the things you like and what you like to do.
Vero Manifesto
Vero Manifesto
No More Identity Separation
As a blogger/small business owner, I have personal Instagram page and a blog Instagram page. Now, with Vero, you can categorize your followers and share things accordingly.  The categories are Follower, Acquaintance, Close Friend, and Friend.  This is a MAJOR plus for me — for personal posts I can just share those with my family and close friends. For my blog posts I can share with everyone! But it can all be on one comprehensive and very personalized and authentic feed.
Follower Categories
Follower Categories
Some Familiar Features
You can still search for relevant hashtags and people similar to the way you would on Instagram.  This is comforting when switching to a new platform. Hashtags are very useful for categorizing people, trends, and events as well as for searching for relevant posts.
App Aesthetic is Awesome
Instagram now seems very sterile with its white backdrop and locked-in features.  Vero has a darker backdrop that makes pictures pop. The backdrops also adjust according to the image and is lighter for lighter images and darker for darker images. Smart framing for the photos helps enhance the viewing — isn’t that everything you want on a photo-based sharing platform?!
Integrated Layout
Integrated Layout
No Ads
Yup, you read that right, no more spillage from Facebook with sponsored ads and seeing posts you didn’t ask to see.  This app will eventually require a paid membership (annual fee) but to see what I want to see, I think that is fair.
Post Are in Chronological Order
After Instagram changed its algorithm and started giving preference to more popular and engaged posts.  On Vero you see things as they happen when they happen, IN ORDER!
So far, I am very impressed with Vero. Currently I use Facebook, Facebook Stories, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Trip Advisor, Email, and my blog to reach out to my followers. But with Vero I think I can merge a lot of these under one roof. Integrating my social media presence optimizes the way I present my brand — and helps manage my time. The more you share the more complete your story is.
So, what are you waiting for? Make the switch and download Vero App.
These opinions are my own and this post has been written purely out of the exhaustion I experience managing my brand across a variety of platforms.  I see potential here, so I wrote this post.  Time will tell if the Facebook juggernaut is just too big, but for now, I am willing to try something new.
Cheers,
Rina