Words with a Blogger Wednesday

(Just my daily reminder to vote and/or buy my card-thanks!)

It's Words With A Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger is a good online friend of mine. She has an awesome blog and I would like you to know about it too.

This week's blogger is:

Pam from Country Mouse City Mouse

Tell us about your blog:

My blog is about the every day life of our family. I focus mainly on our children and their activities, but I also talk about our extended family. Once in a while I throw in events happening in our community. My blog is my family journal documenting our lives, but I try to write it in a way that other's would enjoy reading.


When did you start blogging?

I started blogging in December 2008.

Do you make money from your blog?

No.

How frequently do you post?

Once a day, six days a week. I may drop the weekend post, once the summer gets rolling, though.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?

Yes! Many! Sadly the blogger who I considered my blog mentor just quit her blog. I miss her a lot, she was very funny, and an excellent writer.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?

For sure! I enjoy their feedback, the readers who return everyday are like-minded. When I have asked for advice they step up and have offered lots of great solutions.

Has blogging changed your life in any way?

Without a doubt!! It has made this world a lot smaller, I have met some amazing people, who otherwise I would never of known. I consider these people my friends. Especially, being a SAHM, it opens up a world of adult conversation which I otherwise would be lacking.

What do you do when you get writer's block?

I take part in daily memes if I can't think of anything to write about. I also read what others are talking about and take cues from them. Or, I look through photos and find something there. I post lots of pictures, it seems:)

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?

I consider myself a newbie still! This is just the beginning of a long journey, I hope. What I did, was join all the 'Mom blog' groups out there. It is a great way to find other's blogs, and then you can start commenting on them. Commenting is the secret to a successful blog! (I think)

Thanks, Pam!

Is that a "tag" sticking out of my shirt?

I've been tagged and given an award by Tami and thought I'd better catch up.

This is a Blogger Buddy Award-cute, isn't it?

The only rule is to give it to your blogger buddies. I don't like to just say "everyone" so, I will pick a few:

Pam

Michelle

Helene

Terra

Now, the other is the 8 things tag.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1) The Hallmark Contest being over so I can see what place I come in.
2) Seeing my book on the bookstore shelf
3) The weekend- it's a quiet one other than the card signing.
4) Having the wedding I am scheduled to shoot be over.
5) Buying a bigger nicer house.
6) Readers leaving comments-I love comments.
7) Catching up with work.
8) Getting an Carmel Ice Coffee from McDonalds-lol!

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1) Worked on photos from a 100th birthday party I took a week ago.
2) Blogged.
3) Relaxed.
4) Laundry.
5) Visited other blogger's blogs.
6) Smiled because the hubby took Emily to dance instead of me.
7) Did "learning time" with my four year old.
8) Went to bed early for once.


8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1) Win the Hallmark Card Contest.
2) Win the Hallmark Card Contest.
3) Win the Hallmark Card Contest.
4) Earn a hefty living from writing.
5) Have a wildly popular blog that everyone in the world loved.
6) Be debt free.
7) Go to Disney World .
8) Win the lottery.

8 Shows I Watch On TV

1) Desperate Housewives
2) Two and a Half Men
3) Hannah Montana-don't laugh
4) Old Christine
5) I would have to say that I watch movies for the rest of my list. (Actually, I could list some more Disney shows but then you would find out just how immature I really am. :) )
6) ...
7) ...
8) ...

I am just tagging the same people for this too so they can curse at me under their breath. I hear you already-make sure your kids aren't around! They might say, "Who is @#^%$ Tess?"

Update on the card and please take my husband's cell phone away

Just to keep you updated, my card jumped from 5th to 2nd place in the Hallmark Mother's Day Card Contest! This happened Friday night when I believe they counted all card sales to the votes. So, I think I'm doing best with sales over votes. Not that anyone should stop voting online but thanks to all who are buying cards too and please if you can afford it, please buy a few more. I think I might just win this after all! :) I also promised someone a gift card from Walmart. I know most readers said that they would just help me to be a friend, so I'll have to go through my comments and sort everyone out. We're down to 2 weeks now so I'll be reminding you everyday to vote or buy a card-I'm so nice, aren't I?

Now, on to regular stuff.

Have you surrendered to the ease and convenience of text messaging yet? I'm sure there's not too many people left out there who don't know how to text. I think it's a pain in the butt finding where all the letters are on my phone, but I've gotten in the habit of sending texts and even switched over my cell phone plan to unlimited text messaging so I don't have to worry about going over the allowed messages. Over the past couple of months or so, my husband has crossed over to the dark side and will send a text instead of calling.

I'm all for getting a text since as you might of read about my phone phobia before. The only thing is, getting a text from my husband can be the most frustrating and agonizing experience ever. I'm not sure if there is a handbook out there about proper text messaging etiquette, but if there is, he definitely needs to read it. He has this habit of sending texts that make no sense WHATSOEVER. Let me give you an example:


He's inside the house and I'm out back.

His text: Get Jo.

My text: Very funny. I know you didn't forget to pick him up. (I was thinking that he was trying to be funny and make me think that he forgot to pick up my son from his dad's house.)

His text: ???

My text: ???

His text: jk

WTF???????????


Sometimes, I'll get lucky and it will simply say, Can you pick up some bread at the store? but most of the time, it just gets to the point where, after ten what are you talking about? texts, I end up calling him and cursing him for making me call. Don't get me wrong, this guy is not stupid. But when it comes to text messaging, he seems to forget to let everyone in on what the hell he's talking about. I'm thinking that maybe it's a male thing and it just takes too long to type out the full sentence or paragraph, so he's hoping that he just might have a trace of ESP and is just mentally transporting the rest of the conversation to me. At any rate, I'm thinking about calling up his cell phone company and offering them a hefty bribe to cancel his text messaging service or maybe I could just accidently step on his fingers with my heavy hiking boots.

Leaving the nest with a few eggs left behind

When each of your children grow up and move out, you expect to slowly gain room in your home and freedom in your life. That doesn't seem to happen in our home. My daughter came home with this little bundle one day.

I had no intention of having a dog. They are alot of work and just like having another child in my opinion. We agreed that when she ever moved out that little Mia would go with her. That was two years ago and when she (Jess) got old enough to get her own place, we had gotten so attached to that little dog that we begged her not to take her. She finally agreed to let her stay.

She ended up getting another dog. And a cat. And another cat. She tried to still get us to let her take Mia but I said that she was too little to go and she wouldn't want to stay home all by herself at her place and every other excuse I could think of to keep her safe here. I know, I'm a selfish and mean.

Jess ended up having one of her cats run away and gave the other away and was down to her big dog, Bella. Right now, she's looking for a new place because her landlord said that her neighbors were complaining about Bella barking too much during the day. Unfortunately, the landlord also said that she needed to rid of the dog in the meantime. Nice landlord, huh? She called me frantic about not having anywhere to keep her dog until she found a different place. I reluctantly agreed to take her. Here are some photos of this big fuzzball.

Let me see, now. One child moved out. Two "children" moved in. Yes, as my children grow up and leave the nest, I have a feeling my nest will end up more crowded then what we started out at.

Words with a Blogger Wednesday

Words with a Blogger Wednesday

This week I have a special treat for you!

You may have noticed that I have a little soft spot for foodie blogs and I love the photos that they post so I can dream of cooking a wonderful meal or baking a scrumptious treat. Yes, it just is a dream-I totally suck at cooking or baking!

Anyway, I found another food blog, but this is a very unique blog-why? Because it is run by a very smart sixteen year old girl. How cool!

Her name is Emily (I'm a bit partial to that name-lol) and her blog's name is

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful"

Take it away, Emily!

Hi, I'm Emily and my blog's called "too much of a good thing is wonderful" (http://emilyann2008.blogspot.com/) I'm from a small little town in Georgia (born and bred!) but I go to a boarding school in Rhode Island. I'm a sophomore in high school right now but I am so ready for college. ;) I have an interesting circle of friends that influence my blog quite a bit and I do tend to tell a lot of stories about them, along with other happenings in my life.
The title comes from a quote by Mae West, who (in case you haven't heard of her) was a phenomenal actress back in the day. I blog mostly about my daily eats, which can be a bit lacking, considering I attend a boarding school in New England. When you live off of cafeteria food, you have to try and be as creative as possible! (Edible food is hard to find.) I am a huuuge fan of yogurt though, so there are a lot of posts dedicated to all the variations I try out. I also feature plenty of flower/nature photos, which I love taking in my spare time.


When did you start blogging?
I started back in November, after I was inspired by seeing so many creative food blogs. At the time, I was also coming to terms with an eating disorder that unfortunately has plagued me since I was about thirteen. When I created my blog, I intended on keeping my ED separate (and secret!) but it became too difficult. Now, "too much of a good thing is wonderful" combines both my struggles/triumphs with my ED and the other various facets of my life.

Do you make money from your blog?
Nope, I don't make a dime. I do sometimes receive coupons in the mail from various food companies though.

How frequently do you post?
I try to post every day or every other day. However, recently, I've been posting less and less due to school work. Come summertime, you can expect daily posts again. Plus, the food will look a lot tastier, considering I can make my own at home.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?
All those that I "follow" are great... hence why I follow them. ;) I love reading all their posts, each day, for both their nummy yummies and humor. Most of the blogs that I read are like mine, "foodies" if you will. If you scamper on over to my blog and take a look on the left hand column (under "Daily Reads"), you'll see them all.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
The readers are so wonderful! The inspiration they provide keeps me from giving up. Each and every comment is too lovely for words. Without them, I doubt that I would continue to blog! There's a wonderful quote by Cicero that says, "Friendship... lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it" and it is one hundred percent true when it comes to everyone who reads my blog. Whenever I am challenged by ED, I know that there are those fantastic readers out there that are ready to lift me back up!

Has blogging changed your life in any way?
Blogging has helped me become more comfortable with my body image and more confident, in general. There is such a supportive community that surrounds me too. They let me rant about my life without feeling self-conscious or crazy and offer the most wonderful, sympathetic advice. Knowing that people, living thousands of miles away from me, are willing to listen to the petty, silly things in my life that I obsess about makes me unbelievably happy (and thankful!).

What do you do when you get writer's block?
Whenever I have nothing clever or funny to say, I go outside, snap a few photos of flowers and post them up. Something about flowers and sunlight (two of my favorite things!) just clears up my mind.
I'm also a fan of Diet Coke, so I chug one of those down when it's rainy and I can't take any pictures. It energizes my mind- it's that crazy caffeine!

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?

On thing that I'm utterly afraid of is for some one I know to find and read my blog. However, if I let that get to me, I would never post again. Lucky for you (just kidding!), I block out that fear and post away. I really insist that if you want to start your own blog, don't worry about others' opinions. Blog for yourself and no one else! :)

If you would like to be featured, post a comment and let me know!

Now I know what monkeys in the zoo feel like

Saturday, we had our card signing and it turned out to be quite an interesting experience. After weeks of having nightmares that every guy I ever dated showed up to see how much I've aged, I was finally going to see how this was going to turn out. They wanted us to come early, so they had to open the gate for us to get in. People that were walking by kind of gave us strange looks as I stood there holding a plate full of pink frosted cinnamon rolls-wasn't that a cute idea? One of the women that worked there gave me the idea when I stopped by a week ago.

They had a table set up for us with a table cloth and flowers and even had crayons and paper for Emily to keep herself busy-thanks, I didn't even think of that. They opened the store and we sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. I was beginning to think that we maybe started it too early in the day-heck, I never go to the mall before noon. Only people that were there were old people that were probably mall walkers just getting ready to go home. So, we had one old person walk by. Then another. Then another. So, I got this idea. I told Emily to say "hi" to everyone that walked by in her most sweetest voice and with a smile. She was game, so the next old lady that walked by, she sits up tall and says very loudly, "Hi!" The lady stopped in her tracks and comes over and asks what all of this was. Emily tells her that she's on a Hallmark card and we're in a contest and would she like to buy a card? The lady thinks this is so adorable and buys one! I know. I know. Use your kid to sell products-I'm terrible. But, all I could think of whenever she tried to coax another unsuspecting victim was all those little Girl Scouts that sit out front of Walmart all cute, asking if I want to buy cookies and feeling too guilty not to. I figure that it's a little payback.

Emily was having fun signing cards and was really getting into the "celebrity" thing. She was all like, I want to sign a card! Someone needs to buy my card. I also think she finally "got it" about this whole card contest thing and that if we won, we would get money and money buys toys. She started trying to sell our cinnamon rolls to people and I had to calm her down a bit.

So, after an hour of strangers coming up to us, I realized that no family or friends had showed up yet and I started to think that everyone forgot. Hard to believe that they could forget after I sent about a zillion email reminders to them daily. I was concerned about my dad not being there yet because he's always the first one to show up at any of my events. I used the Hallmark store's phone and called my husband and told him to call everyone to remind them. Just as I sat back down, my dad rushed up to the table and admitted that he didn't realize that it was Saturday. You know those lucky retired folks that don't have to worry about what day of the week it is because everyday is a Saturday to them.

My dad bought like 5 or 6 cards and gave the stack to Emily to sign. Then, everyone that said they were coming just all showed up at once. We were like bombarded with family and friends and they all had at least 5 cards a piece to sign. So, Emily and I were busy trying to sign cards and talk to relatives I barely see all at the same time. People that were passing by at that time started staring and trying to see what all the commotion was about. Surely, there was some famous people at that table with a line of eager fans waiting for an autograph. I was having a blast with it, but Emily quickly grew tired of it. Celebrity life became tiresome for her and she didn't want to sign anymore cards after that. She even started feeling warm and I thought, is it possible for a body to reject fame? Just kidding about that philosophy.

After family left, it was getting close to our end time so the ladies at the store wanted Emily to sign 10 more cards to put out for customers that didn't come and I guess some of the other women that worked there wanted to buy one or two. Emily was all like, NOT MORE CARDS! I told her that they count for votes and make us closer to winning, so she got through it. (I didn't have the heart to tell her that the other Hallmark store at the mall wants us to do a signing May 2nd. Now I see why childhood actors become alcoholics-oh, the agony! lol)

I thanked the them for being so nice to us and for doing this and we left the rest of our cinnamon rolls for customers and when we were leaving, we found out that the flowers were for us-how cool!

Unfortunately, we both landed bad colds and sore throats from that day and I dragged through the rest of the weekend, but on Sunday I managed to go out and we went to Walmart on the other side of town. I found my cards and my oldest and I put our card in front of all the other cards-isn't it fun to be childish for your own gain?

Have you been missing the drama with my oldest?

If you have been a reader since I started blogging, you've been around for my oldest daughter's pregnancy, her ex boyfriend and all the drama associated with that. You can catch up here and here and Ill throw this one in too. If you've wondered, things have toned down a bit. We did have an encounter with the child support situation meaning, she found out that "someone" called the child support people and told them that she didn't want them to stop going after him for child support because the ex was moving in with her. Whaaaat???? I don't think so, people. She ended up going down there-in person-to tell them that she was definitely not living with him and even had a restraining order against him. Isn't this guy a peach? He cares SO MUCH about his child that he went out of his way to lie to get out of paying for his support. WHICH, ( I need to add) they've only got five dollars out of him so far since the baby was born. I don't know if there's any proof that he's the one who did this but, I'm pretty sure there's a law against impersonating a person and messing with legal documents-am I right?

Anyway, we found out through the grapevine that he moved out of state with his new girlfriend (probably the girl that called and said that she was Jess). We're hoping that he will find a new life there and forget about his old life. I know that's bad to say, but I hope that he doesn't take part in his beautiful son's life. I can see such a wonderful and laid back personality in my grandson already and I do not want that to change. I think if he even spent one minute around his dad, this little boy's outlook in life would be ruined.

Besides, I think it's not all about the biological part that makes you a dad, but earning "the right" to be called "dad". My daughter's new boyfriend is just awesome with him and even tells everyone that he's his and for someone to only spend a short time with a child and love them already, that's the type that deserves a father's day card, not any of those deadbeat sperm donors out there.

So, I just KNOW that you want to see some recent photos of my little guy-right? Ok, you talked me into it.

My little Gerber baby-with hair.

A conversation between a father and his four year old daughter

Emily: "No, Daddy! Don't change the channel!"

Jesse: "I'm not. I'm just looking at the guide."

Emily: "Well, just don't change it."

Jesse: "I'm not going to."

Emily: "Ok."

Jesse: "Would you rather watch the History Channel?"

Emily: "I saaaaid, don't change the channel-ARE YOUR EARS PLUGGED IN??"

Words wih a Blogger Wednesday

I've done it again. Wednesdays seem to come smashing into the side of my face like a brick wall. I did not send out any interview questions to any blogs this week and now its Wednesday and I have none to post. BUT-I do have a blog to talk about, so I'm not all that in trouble, am I?

This blog involves 300+ writers and it has so many topics that everyone is sure to find a good read.

This Words with a Blogger Wednesday's blog is:

Blissfully Domestic

They actually call it an online magazine for women. So is it a blog or magazine? Maybe it's a blog-o-magazine. Or a mag-o-blog. Ok, it's early so give me a break. There are 21 channels and each channel has "Blissful" or "Bliss" in the title, like Blissful Buzz, Creative Bliss or Photo Bliss. Really cute names.

The founder's of this great blog is Allison Worthington. I like her name. It sounds so important and smart-don't you think? She has another personal blog, Mrs. Fussypants which is very popular too. She also is the founder of Allison Worthington Media, runs Worthington Wire and was given the opportunity to have their first ever Blissdom Conference. I so want to run a Blogger Conference some day-would you come to it?

Back to Blissfully Domestic. They also have some other editors of different sections but it's too long for me to list so you need to just go there and find out for yourself. (yep, that was a subtle way to get you to go visit. People should pay me for this. I'm just kidding-or am I?)

I would have to say that the Photo Bliss channel is my favorite since I like to learn more about photography even though every time I shoot a wedding or party, I swear I'm quitting. I'm sure you could find a topic perfect for you or if you love to write, contact them because it looks like they could always use another great woman writer. I'm always trying to think up a new topic that they don't have yet but alas, I still haven't come up with anything. Damn.

So, if you are looking for another blog to add to your list of good reads, go check it out- you won't be disappointed!

The life of a mom

I read a blog post last week about what a mom should be paid to be a mom. I've read about this topic many times before and most come up with the sum of $200,0000 to $500.0000 a year. I could dig that. The mom went on to complain that she worked outside of the house and did everything around the house too. This got me to thinking that no woman ever sat down one day and said to herself, "Hey, I think I will get married, have kids and then take care of every one's needs, wants and desires-and please, please, please can I be the one to scrub the toilet out every day too?"

No, we didn't. We just want love and to have a family and for some reason, everyone just assumes that a mom's job is to do everything. Our home has the same rules too. In fact, if my husband sees me actually not doing anything and watching a tv program, he makes a snide remark or feels that since I'm "not doing anything" could I please get him a drink? Heaven forbid if I sit down for a minute if there's a dirty dish in the sink or a clothing article on the floor.

I decided last night (for the thousandth time) that everyone needed to help around the house. When I told everyone about my plan, my oldest that happened to be over laughed. "Mom, you know how THAT goes."

I was determined to stick to my plans this time and I figured that if everyone picked two chores that they were at least willing to do, then maybe it would work this time. So, my husband picked dishes except for the nights he has to work and keeping our room picked up. Jordon didn't volunteer anything, so he was given the bathroom (just tidying it up, not the gross toilet stuff) and his room. If you've seen his room, then you would agree that this be a chore. Emily wanted the living room-good choice since I usually pick it up by habit every time I walk through it. I smiled and sat back in my chair. I finally was going to get this house under control.

Did everything go as plan? Well, before I went to bed, I went into the kitchen to get a drink and found a sink full of dirty dishes. When I went to brush my teeth this morning, I had to close my eyes so I wouldn't barf at the sight of blue toothpaste plastered all over the sink. Our room was actually clean but when I went get an outfit out of my side of the closet, I found all the dirty clothes shoved on top of my clean clothes.

Ok, maybe THATS why us moms just do it all ourselves-maybe a mom had coined that saying of "If you want it done right, just do it yourself."

I'm so depressed-Let's make a contest out of it!

I just found out that you can check what place you are in after you vote online for my card. Unfortunately, I'm WAY behind with that darn Fan Fav card winning. Please, please, please vote daily. I know, why should you? You don't get anything for it. Well, I've decided that if we all get together and truly vote daily that maybe my rank will move up and if that happens, I should give back. That's why I'm going to do a giveaway every week to motivate everyone. This week, if I reach my goal of moving up two spots or more, I will give someone a $10 gift card to Walmart. In order to do that, you need to vote EVERYDAY! Comment on here after voting daily and you will be entered to win the gift card.

IF by miracle, I can reach the first spot, I will add an additional $10 and if I win at the end of this contest, a reader will win $100 of my winnings!

Now, there's no way to cheat and say that you voted and you didn't, because the goal is to see me move up in rank, so if nobody votes, nobody will win.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and did I say Thank you?

Happy Easter!!

Saturday Shopping -Name Bubbles

Saturday Shopping

Today's shopping experience comes from Name Bubbles.

Have you ever wished that you were able to put your child's name on supplies that go to the daycare? Or how about school? Maybe they wouldn't of lost their hat or the daycare provider wouldn't of mixed up your baby's bottles with another baby's.



Well, now you don't have to worry! Name Bubbles is located in New York and they have totally cute name tag labels that stick on anything and are washable and even dishwasher safe! They have awesome kid labels to use on clothes, sports equipment, toys or really just about anything that you need to label.



I love the Daycare Labels Pack that includes all the baby labels you need to send with them to daycare. Sending your child off to camp this summer? With the Camp labels pack, they can put stickers on all their gear. Swimwear, boots, water bottles and more will all be covered with their information so they won't end up bringing someone else's gear home.



They even have labels for baby showers or birthday favor labels! Visit them today and order a pack to end your worry of loosing your child's stuff!

Words with a blogger Wednesday

I like to start off saying thank you to all who are voting and buying cards-love ya all!

Now, on to Words With A Blogger Wednesday!

This week's blogger is...

Helene from
"I'm Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor"

Take it away, Helene!

My name is Helene and the name of my blog is "I'm Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor" (http://2setsoftwins-helene.blogspot.com/ ). I'm a SAHM of 2 sets of twins, ages 4 and ages 2, hence the name of my blog. We conceived our 1st set of twins on our 3rd IVF cycle and then our 2nd set of twins came along, 18 months later, spontaneously, with no medical intervention (a huge shock!) I spend most of my days hanging out with my kids, learning to see the world through their eyes. I also find that I rely heavily on my sense of humor to get me through each day. I'm probably one of a handful of people whose kids can spill grape juice all over white carpet and find it funny enough to blog about.

When did you start blogging?

I actually started an online journal several years ago at the beginning of our trying to conceive journey. I started the "I'm Living Proof...." blog when I was 22 weeks pregnant with our 2nd set of twins, mainly as a way to keep friends and family up to date on the latest with our family. Then it kind of morphed into what it is now, a daily recording of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Do you make money from your blog?

No, I don't. But I've discovered that I do have a creative side when it comes to writing and I'm really enjoy it. I'm currently working on a book about my experience with infertility but it's a very slow process since the kids keep my busy on most days. So hopefully, one day I'll get that published and go from there. I've also done product reviews and giveaways and even though none of those have earned me extra money, it's nice to be able to try different products for free and then recommend them to others.

How frequently do you post?

Daily, most of the time. Over the weekends, though, sometimes I'll skip a day or two. My kids are always providing me with plenty of entertaining things to blog about.

Do you have a favorite blogger(s) that you just can't live without reading?

I have so many, honestly that it's hard to narrow it down to just one. I really enjoy The Creative Junkie (http://thecreativejunkie.com/). She is hilarious and I find myself laughing out loud (sometimes even snorting) while reading her posts. I also really like 3 Bay B Chicks ( http://3baybchicks.blogspot.com/). The blog is written by 3 ladies who have been longtime friends. Not only are they hilarious, but they are so witty with their storytelling. And sometimes they have an "Ask A Dad" segment, which makes me laugh hysterically.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?

Their encouragement and support has influenced me the most. I don't sugar coat things in my posts, esp those posts on motherhood and marriage, and I'll often get comments and e-mails from other mothers and wives who have read my blog, saying they totally understand where I'm coming from and that leaves me feeling very encouraged, just knowing that there are others out there experiencing the same highs and lows. And besides the encouragement and support, I've learned so much from other bloggers, like gardening tips, fun crafts to do with the kids and wonderful recipes to make for my family.

Has blogging changed your life in any way?

If anything, it has really helped me maintain a great sense of humor. Though most of my days with my family are filled with fun, there are days that are very difficult and stressful. I find that blogging is a release of sorts, where I can write all my thoughts and feelings down and where I can turn a negative or stressful situation into a funny, light-hearted situation.

What do you do when you get writer's block?

The funny thing is that I don't often get writer's block. I keep a pad of paper and a pen near me at all times (and my camera too) because I just know, inevitably, my kids or husband will do or say something that will be worth writing about. Or sometimes I'll just sit at the computer and a thought will pop into my head and next thing I know, everything's pouring out into a blog post. I write exactly the way I talk out loud so it's very easy for me to just jot all my thoughts down.

Any other advice you might have for newbie bloggers?

Just have fun with it!! If your blog begins to feel like work or a competition with other bloggers, than it's not worth the stress it's causing for you. Blogging should be fun and enjoyable...and a great way to meet other people in the blogging community. Get yourself out there and network with other bloggers...you'll be amazed at how many wonderful people you'll meet!

I'm in the paper!

We are in the paper today. Not the most flattering photo but it was so cool getting the whole page and on the front of that section of the paper! Yeah!!
Now, every old boyfriend that I ever had will be all like, "Yeah, I went out with her-I think."

Now, I am just waiting for the card to make it into the store. I'm asking a big favor of anyone reading this and that is, could you please comment and let me know if you've seen it in the store yet? Thank you, Thank you!

Monday quietness

It's Monday again and for some reason I kept thinking that it was Sunday, so I was going to sleep in when the alarm went off. Dammit.

After last week's crazy adventures with all the card press, it seems very quiet today. (do you hear the crickets chirping?) Oh, and voting starts today so please register and vote. I found out that alot of people aren't voting because you have to give them your email address. They DON'T SPAM YOU! So, please vote.

Oh, and if you would like to have me sign a card for you, I am trying to add a Paypal button to my sidebar that you can buy through me (cost is for card, a bigger envelope to put it in, Paypal fees and stamp) and I can sign it and send it to you!

Anyway, I welcome this nice quiet week to get much needed Easter stuff and get the finishing touches of my book done. I've been reading about Dooce's book tour over on her blog and it sounds so exciting. I definitely won't be traveling all over the world but at least in driving distance.

So, I will end my post with a funny little dilemma that we deal with when watching any movie with my youngest.
Whenever the family watches a movie, the rules are as follows:
1. No looking at any blood stuff.
2. No looking at any kissing stuff.
3. No looking at naked stuff.

Ok, I can hear you now, "What kind of movies do you let your kids watch?" Pretty much even the tamest movies seem to have these in them, so calm down and put the phone down. We just watched Speed Racer the other night which I thought was a kid's movie and the kid flipped off the bad guy.

So, my youngest really, really, really gets mad when she has to cover her eyes and totally goes into a crazy fit. She stomps her feet and tells us that tomorrow, we will not be watching this movie again since she can't watch the bad parts. This is such a problem that I've considered never watching movies again because it's just not worth it.

But, since we're a glutton for punishment, we rented some movies this weekend and of course there was a make-out scene and since you never know what's going to happen when a boy and girl kiss these days, I looked at Emily and she looks at me and throws her head backward into the back of the couch and covers her eyes. She then proceeds to start crying because surely, she's missing out on something important since the rest of the family gets to watch. Afterwards, she calmly asks me when will she get to watch kissing? I reply with, "When you are old enough to be kissing a boy-sooo, thirty sounds good to me."

Sunday Shopping -Leslie Patricelli books

I was asked to review two books by Leslie Patricelli, Higher! Higher! and Baby Happy Baby Sad. These were such cute books and a great teaching tool if you are trying to get your toddler ready to read which we are.
My daughter was catching on to the words in the book even before we were done reading it (Higher! Higher!) for the first time. Funny with great graphics, this book lives up to the author's reputation of creating awesome board books. This book is for ages 2-5 and would make a great addition to any child's library of books.

Baby Happy Baby Sad is a very cute book and even though it's for ages 1-3, my 4 year old enjoyed it too. A great book for very young one's too with graphics to keep them entertained and with the use of only those two phrases, it might even help them to read early in age.
You can find these books here: http://www.lesliepatricelli.com/. Her site is very cute and fun too.
So, if you are on the prowl for an awesome read for your little one, you need to go get you one!

Sunday Shopping-Reviewing Mama

This weekend's shopping post is about Zappos. Walking weather is here for some of you and I don't know about you, but I can never find the right shoe. Either they are too tight or hurt your feet after using them for a couple of days. I came across Zappos online shopping and found some great walking shoes that I totally want, starting with these:

Asics

All of their choices of walking shoes are wonderful and you'll have a hard time picking just one pair. They have many colors and styles to choose from and for the whole family.

The ease of the website is a plus too, with specials going on all the time and you won't have to worry about them being out of stock of your favorite brand. Right now there even free shipping going on, so you can shop from the comfort of your home and not have to pay extra for doing so.

So, as the weather is starting to get warmer, get your walking gear together by starting with feet and order a pair of walking shoes from Zappos!

MIA? Friday Favorites

Was I missing in action yesterday? Kind of. No, we didn't get the Words with a Blogger up, but our blogger will be ready next Wednesday for sure. So, please forgive me by reading about my Friday pick today.

Today's Friday Favorite is such a cool shop that you won't want to miss visiting.

Do you like pottery? I do. Especially, very simple but beautiful designs.

When I found Jill Rosenwald's store, I was all "ooh" and "ahhh" about her designs.

She works in a downtown Boston studio with her husband.

Her pottery is elegant and beautiful and everyone should own a piece. Here are a few examples.

You can see a full featured interview done by Etsy here.

Go read it and then you better go visit her shop and get you one.

On cloud nine today-no Words With A Blogger Wednesday

(I'm going to postpone Words With A Blogger until tomorrow)

I did it! I did it! It was so fun and they made me feel like a pampered star. My only regret was that I forgot my camera to take "behind the scenes" photos-bad me, bad me.

When I got there, we had a hard time getting in and luckily, there was someone in the lobby who buzzed us in. We (my oldest daughter came with to watch Emily)brought all our stuff in. Not sure if I told you but they wanted to feature my pet art that I do also to fill time-what a cool bonus! The camera crew buzzed around and scoped out the guests while we sat there nervous as hell. There was a nutritionist, a lady that talked about insurance, an older lady that talked about her antiques and ME.

The producer talked to us and told us they had three rules:

1. Just look at Paula and don't look at the camera or you'll freak out.

2. Have a conversation with Paula.

3. Don't answer with just yes or no answers.

Got it, Buddy.

They fitted me with one of those microphones that go under your shirt. THAT was a bit embarrassing when you got five young guys staring at you and you are hoping that you didn't just accidentally flash them your old bra that you figured nobody would see on a talk show. Oh, and word to the wise, DON'T wear a turtleneck on TV-they HATE that. Microphones don't fit well on turtlenecks. They kept telling me to make sure that I don't move during the interview-yeah, right.

I was on second after the antique lady (does that sound bad?) and luckily, she had a long segment-ha. ha. I had myself all psyched up to not being afraid when the guest sitting behind started talking about how nervous she was. I was all like, "Stop saying that!" Ok, I just said it in my head. When the first guest was getting ready to be done, my stomach started doing somersaults and I thought for sure I was going to barf on Paula when the camera started rolling.

One thing I learned about TV land was they were right about not looking at the camera. I kept my eyes on my interviewer and I felt unusually calm. The interview went smoothly and the host was very nice. So, if I win and they have me back on, I will not be scared. Or, if I can get them to have me on for my book, I'll be there-minus the turtleneck.

Ok, I know you want to see this interview. Please don't laugh or I'll go hide under a rock and die.

Here is the link to the show:

'Paula Sands Live on March 31, 2009'

(If anyone knows how to make this into a YouTube video, please, please tell me how and send me the video in a format so I can upload it to YouTube-thanks!)

Now I'm off to call our newspaper people-yep, after they saw that I was going to be on PSL, they want to do a story on yours truly.