What If…I Never Blogged?

Posted August 20, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: , ,

I’ve been thinking lately about how my life has changed since having Brady and really getting down to the business of writing.  What if I hadn’t started my blog?  Writing here every nearly every day for the past few months has really been a blessing in my life.

Starting my blog has given me the push I need to get back in the swing of things.  For a long while after leaving my job, I felt hopeless and lost, like I would never feel motivated or stimulated ever again.  Pregnancy does not treat me well, and I was feeling sick, sore, and miserable most of the time.  Then my beautiful boy was born, and while I was happy, I was also overwhelmed with the fatigue of new motherhood, caring for my older children, and the everyday tasks of running a household.

Blogging gave me that creative outlet that’s so often sought after, but never really understood until you’ve found it.  I was able to use my mind in ways that didn’t involve the routine of caring for others.  Best of all, I began to make connections that made me feel a part of the outside world again.

Through blogging, I’ve “met” people from all over.  Not just the U.S., but from all over the world!  This is exciting for me because I live in a rather homogenous area with little diversity and little change; it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut here.  My blog’s even made it to Pakistan - thanks, Nadia!

I’ve been introduced to lots of wonderful “mom bloggers” at Mom Bloggers Club.  It’s been so wonderful to connect with other moms.  Moms are in a sort of club of their own - no matter where we’re from or what our background, we understand each other.

Through these connections, I’ve found resources for my writing.  I’ve already begun publishing as a contributing editor at Mommy Matter, which has given me the clips and experience all freelance writers need.  And the new friends I’ve made have led me to other writing opportunities. 

And I can’t forget Twitter!  If you haven’t joined, you should consider it.  It’s a great way to network and meet people, get fun tips, and see what great projects others are doing.  Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone there, you can follow me!

Blogging has been an amazing experience for me.  It’s been the catalyst I needed to move onto other what if’s.  There’s a whole world out there for me to explore!  Thanks for joining me for the ride.

I’m a Winner!

Posted August 19, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: , ,

I may not have won my contests, but I did win a blog award!  Thanks so much, Angela, from Unexpected Art!  Angela is a wiz - she knows it all about computers and social media.  What I love most about her blog is that it focuses on the positive things in life.  She’s definitely someone I’d like to hang out with!

Here’s the award she gave me - the I Heart Your Blog award!  Isn’t it cute?  I love it! 

Now I have to do my part and pass the award onto other blogs I love.  This is SO hard!  I love so many.  But I’ll give it a try.  As a matter of fact, I’m picking eight, the rules say AT LEAST seven!  BTW, I’m picking blogs that I didn’t choose for the last blog award - I want to spread the love around.  I’ve met so many wonderful bloggers with terrific things to share.  Here are my picks. (In no particular order)

1. Bear Bugga 

2. Morningside Mom

3. Mutha Mae

4. The Adventures of Supermom

5. Teaching and Learning Spanish

6. Apron Strings and Angst

7. Domestic Spaz

8. BrainFoggles

The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

I’m off to leave messages for these fabulous ladies!  Stop by and visit them too, if you get the chance.

I’m a Big, Fat Loser!

Posted August 19, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Goal Setting, Health

Tags: , , ,

It’s official.  I didn’t win either of the contests I entered over at MomDot.  But that’s okay, the kids and I did have tons of fun doing them!  I was entered into a random drawing of five finalists for the blog header contest, but my number wasn’t picked.  You know what, though?  I actually do like my flowers.  My blog doesn’t look like anyone else’s, and I think that’s cool.  I was pretty bummed that my hideous earrings didn’t win me the cute Little Windows jewelry.  But check out the winner - her earrings deserved the ugliest jewelry ever award!

Now onto what I’m NOT losing - weight!  The email tips from Self.com are not at all the motivator I expected.  I thought I would get a daily exercise and diet tip, but what I received was a how-to for a particular exercise move.  Not that I can blame my lack of willpower and willingness to get off my butt on Self - that’s all me, baby!  But I HAVE been focusing on my writing and on making contacts in the media world.  I’ll update you on that soon!  Maybe once the kids go back to school NEXT WEEK, I can start trying to improve my diet.  It’s hard to resist when they’re coming to me every hour saying, “Can we have a snack?  We’re STARVING!”

Weekly Winners August 11 - 16

Posted August 18, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Family

Tags: , ,

This is a meme I’ve never participated in before.  It’s hosted by Sarcastic Mom, and I enjoy seeing people’s entries each week.  It’s called “Weekly Winners”, and all you do is post your favorite photos from the week with a short caption telling about each one. Sarcastic Mom’s got a contest going on for the most entries, but I’ll probably just jump in for fun every now and again.  Here are my entries for the week.  We took Noah’s telescope out and spent a nice evening looking at the stars!

Noah was so excited to try out his new telescope!

Noah was so excited to try out his new telescope!

 

Oh, the pain we endure for our kids!

Oh, the pain we endure for our kids!

 

I wish I may, I wish I might...

I wish I may, I wish I might...

 

Norah stealing the spotlight!

Norah stealing the spotlight!

 

Even Brady joined in for a little star gazing!

Even Brady joined in for a little star gazing!

There you have them, my favorite pictures from the week.  To see more great photos, from much better photographers than I, visit Sarcastic Mom!

More Contest Fun From MomDot

Posted August 14, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Friday Fun

Tags: , , ,

I’ve decided to enter another fun contest at MomDot - this time the prize is jewerly!  By the way, I did not win the blog header contest, though I was one of five chosen to be put into a random drawing.  Oh well, I’ll keep my pretty flowers.

From flowers back to jewelry.  The prize in this newest contest is a $50 gift card from Little Windows.  This company makes beautiful photo jewelry.  The frames are clear resin, allowing all the color from you photo to be seen - no frame obscuring your picture.  They’re very classy looking, and I just love personalized things (as you may know!).  So I’m in it to win it!

But I forgot to tell you the fun part of how I’m going to win it.  All I have to do is get a picture of myself with the UGLIEST piece of jewelry I own.  MomDot will pick the ugliest piece from all entries received by today’s deadline.  So here it is.  These earrings came from my mom.  They’re clip-ons.  I gave them to my daughter to wear for playing dress-up, and even she won’t touch them!

              

So what do you think?  Are these earrings ugly enough to win?  Go check out the competition and let me know!  I just got my hair cut yesterday.  Do you like it?  I do.  It’s so easy to take care of.  I need all the help I can get at making my life easier.  Have a Fun Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Something New: Vintage Thingies Thursday

Posted August 14, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: , ,

I found a new meme to take part in called Vintage Thingies Thursday. I first saw it at MommieDaze and thought it looked like fun.  You all know I’m usually thankful on Thursday, but I thought I’d mix it up a bit today!

The meme originated at Confessions of An Apron Queen.  You can go to her site to see her thingy of the week as well as others who are participating.  Let me know if you decide to play, too - I’d love to see what cool treasure you’ve got!

Here’s mine.  It’s a shaker for mixing alcoholic beverages.  I’d say it’s probably from the ’50’s.  When I moved out on my own after my ex-husband and I separated, I had to get all new stuff, and I was on a serious budget.  I decided that I didn’t want to go to Wal-Mart and buy all of the cookie-cutter housewares everyone else has, so I did my shopping at flea markets, thrift shops, and on eBay.  I found a woman nearby who sold all kinds of antiques on Ebay, so I bought this fun shaker along with lots of other stuff like china, pitchers, and a lamp, then met up with her to pick up my loot.  Here it is.  What do you think?  It lists recipes for drinks like Dry Martini, Manhattan, and Whiskey Sour.  Any idea how old it is?

 

By the way, the shaker is made of clear glass.  I put white tissue paper inside so you could see the printed recipes.  Isn’t it cool?

Shake Up Your Makeup Routine!

Posted August 14, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Beauty, What If. . . Wednesday

Tags: , ,

Busy women often get stuck in a beauty rut.  With kids, work, and household obligations, it’s easy to get so caught up in the chaos of everyday life that you forget to take time for yourself.  You’re probably thinking, “What time?  There IS no time for myself!”  You’d be surprised what a few quick changes can do for your mood.

How many of us have had the same makeup routine for as long as we can remember?  Until recently, I was a tried and true neutral girl, sticking with all shades of brown.  Boring!  I decided to experiment with some new accent colors, like plum and olive green, and was very pleased with the outcome.  For little money and practically no time commitment, I made a change that made me feel good about myself and provided a pick-me-up to my everyday mommy routine.  You can check out Mary Kay’s website here for suggestions on shades to choose based on your eye color.  You’ll also find application tips for your eye shape.  Just changing the way you apply your current color can have a dramatic effect.

What if you don’t wear makeup regularly?  That’s fine, but consider your skin care routine.  Simply adding a daily moisturizer with SPF can improve the appearance of your skin and fight aging.  Think about adding foundation.  Many people don’t know that foundation can protect your face from the elements as well as add a smoother, more even appearance to your skin tone.  Today’s new mineral foundations are light and go on without the heavy feeling of traditional ones.  Check out what Carmindy, the well-known makeup artist from TLC’s “What Not To Wear” has to say about prepping your face for makeup and creating radiant skin.

Carmindy also offers some suggestions for changing your look for different occasions.  But why not use some of her ideas for everyday to “shakeup your makeup” regimen?  Decide that today’s the day to play with a deep lipstick to contrast pale eyes or go for bronzed skin and coral lips on a hot, steamy day.  The possibilities are endless.

Get Free Stuff!

Posted August 12, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Money, Tuesday's Tip

Tags: , , ,

For today’s tip, I’ll be singing the praises of a website.  Some of you may already be familiar with the site, but those of you who aren’t will thank me.  MyPoints is a website that allows you to earn points that, in turn, earn you FREE STUFF!  I mean it, totally free.  With very little effort on your part.

Sign up, and you can immediately begin earning points.  It’s easy.  Have BonusMail sent to your inbox, and you can get points by taking part in the offer (buying the product, starting an account at the sponsor’s website, etc.) or just earn 5 points for clicking a link to the sponsor’s website.  I earn most of my points simply by clicking the links.  Another benefit of receiving the BonusMail is to learn about various services and companies out there that you may not know about.

Another easy way to earn mega points is to shop online with MyPoints sponsors, many of which you’re already spending your money with!  For example, you’ll earn 2 points for every dollar spent at eBay, 4 points per dollar at CircuitCity, and 10 points per dollar at Overstock.com. 

What can you do with your points, you ask?  Lots.  Depending on how many points you have and how good you are at saving them.  I, unfortunately, like to spend mine instead of saving up for something big.  I just sent for a $25 Walgreen’s gift card, and it cost me 3600 points.  So I’ll be getting my kids’ back-to-school supplies for free!  It’s been my experience that it usually only takes 2 - 3 weeks for cards to arrive in the mail.  There are lots of awesome things you can get with your points.  I’ve used past points to get gift cards to Toys R Us, Omaha Steaks, and Regal Cinemas!  Visit MyPoints.  It’s worth checking out!

A Rebuttal to MomLogic

Posted August 11, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Monday Magazine Motivation, Relationships

Tags: , ,

I read an article online yesterday at MomLogic that really made me mad.  It was about women dating older men and took a very negative stance on the subject.  For those of you who don’t know, I’m married to an older man.  My husband is twenty years older than me (he’ll tell you it’s nineteen and a half!).  So you can imagine I took offense when MomLogic asked their marriage and family therapist “why young beauties hook up with their daddies older men.” 

My first instinct was to go off on a rant sprinkled with a litany of profanity, but I’m sure this statement was meant to incite indignation.  I’m not taking the bait, so I’ve decided to offer a civilized counter to the points given by Dr. Fox.

The first reason given, financial security, is quite laughable in my situation.  My husband makes less money than I made in my previous position.  I certainly didn’t marry him for the money!  The article’s introduction illustrates the Hollywood trend of May-December romances.  I really don’t think Catherine Zeta-Jones married Michael Douglas for the money!  Women today know that they are capable of attaining financial security on their own terms.

Emotional stability is next on the list.  Yes, life experience is bound to lead to a more balanced perspective on life, but we all have our hang-ups, no matter what our age.  I won’t go into details, but my hubby definitely has his.  And he’s had twenty extra years for those issues to become ingrained!

Maturity.  I’ll give MomLogic this one, to an extent.  Often times young guys make you want to scream with their antics, but I know quite a number of “older men” who are quite attached to their “toys”, like fantasy football, computer games, TV sports, and motorcycles, to name a few.  Thankfully, my man doesn’t indulge in ANY of these!

Nope, I have no Daddy complex.  Maybe others do, but being romantic with one’s daddy sure doesn’t seem to be what most women are after.  I hate it when I feel my husband treats me like a child and put an end to it before it can even begin!

Finally, the article says that, “men with power are more attractive.”  I am aware that subtle power dynamics exist in many relationships, such as counselor/patient, teacher/student, adviser/client; however, it’s erroneous to make the assumption that such a dynamic exists simply because one party is older.  We all know what happens when you assume!

So there, MomLogic!  You can kiss my #@&*^ ass!

Fun Videos From My Mom

Posted August 8, 2008 by Mary
Categories: Friday Fun

Tags: ,

Here goes.  I’m going to try to post a couple videos my mom recently sent me.  They’re really cute.  I thought it would be something nice for Friday Fun.  Hope you enjoy!  (And hope I can make this work, I’ve never added a video before!)

Couldn’t add this one, so here’s the link. It’s really cute - a moose family playing in a backyard sprinkler. Check it out here

Have fun.  Have a great weekend!