Most moms are natural-born multi-taskers-an ability that many of them are nurturing as part of their transformation into effective multi-level marketers. This can be unofficially traced back to the advent of the home party, where moms emerge as effusive sales consultants for their favorite brands, inviting their friends over and for product-themed social events in a festive setting. These home-based entrepreneurs often followed the reliable wine-in-the-kitchen/products-in-the-dining room format, but once creative and smart marketers started catching on, they began offering moms new ways to sell more, more often, and without even popping a cork!

When paying attention to what marketers today are telling us, it's easy to assume that consumers are being asked to march to the middle. This is not a pathway that advocates mediocrity, but instead one based on the assumption that consumers want to balance healthy with satisfying. The silver bullet that every Mom wants is the product that tastes amazing, leaves her fully satisfied, has no calories and sends her into a state of guilt-free bliss. Has "having it all" ever been out of style? I don't think so.

All it takes is a handful of real-life Moms to help make a big impact on your brand. They can help you come up with a winning new Mom-targeted product, a promotion that will really drive Moms to make a purchase, or an advertising campaign that truly resonates with them. It's called a Mom-advisory board. In our practice, we are big fans of them, because we have witnessed, again and again, powerful results when companies put them to work.

All across America, marketers and brands are working on figuring out today's complex moms. With her spending power and powerful social voice, this influential decision-maker on household products is a most coveted target for brands. Yet 75% of women still feel brands miss the mark. So what does today's mom want from a brand?

I just finished reading Michal Clements' and Teri Lucie Thompson's book, "Tuning Into Mom" and, as often happens, struck upon a concept that I had not really thought about for a while -- the impact of the age of Mom's oldest on buying decisions for the whole family.

The Light Green Movement: Engaging Today's Eco-Conscious Mom

As a self-proclaimed "social media mom," I found a recent infographic from Performics to be quite interesting. Yes, social media moms are more likely to own smartphones than other women and, yes, an overwhelming majority believe they can influence companies by voicing their opinions via their social networks. But the two stats I found most interesting were those regarding how moms' offline actions are somewhat motivated by those brands they follow on Facebook.

The other week, Pinterest moved in to the No. 3 spot as the most-popular social network in the U.S, trailing only Twitter and Facebook, eclipsing LinkedIn, Tumblr and other more seasoned social sites. Where Pinterest is winning is with women, and, in particular, with moms.

National Mom's Nite Out is May 10. In case you aren't familiar with the event, it is a night for moms to celebrate motherhood with each other. Moms can attend local events, join in a Twitter Party online or watch live events via SheStreamsTv.com.