Everyday Baby Steps

I promise.  Honest, I will be bringing you feature profiles of awesome mom bloggers telling their stories of how blogging has had an impact on their lives.  I've spoken with several phenomenal women already, and I've got lots of great stories to share.  However, most of those stories still sit on my digital recorder waiting for me to transcribe them!  I hate transcribing, but I'm enjoying listening to these women's tales all over again.

I will give you all a preview of some of the interesting and amazing stories that I've heard so far.  I talked to a mother of two sets of twins.  Can anyone guess who she might be?  I also spoke to someone who moved herself and her family 1400 miles across the country to take a job she received indirectly through her blog.  What a brave move!  I've heard stories of how blogging has improved self-esteem and helped instill a sense of identity outside of the home.  Women have also been given an outlet for creativity and philanthropy through blogging!  Amazing stories I will share each Friday, starting this week.  Maybe I'll even give you two to make up for lost time.

And if you'd like to share your mommy blogging story, just e-mail me.  We can set up a phone interview or I'll send you interview questions by e-mail.  I know blogging and social media are changing the lives of women across the country.  I want to hear how it's affected you.

If you've already sent me your information, don't worry - I will be contacting you soon!  I've had lots of response so far.  Can't wait to talk to you!

Where, oh where did the summer go?  My kids go back to school tomorrow!  TOMORROW! I haven't gotten their supplies, checked to make sure they've got a decent enough wardrobe, or gotten them back on track with the school night bedtime routine.  Ack! 

In my defense, I've been waiting (and hoping real hard) for my Walgreen's gift card to come in the mail from MyPoints before going supply shopping.  It hasn't arrived, so I'll have to go today and shell out the cash.  I did have them go through their drawers and get rid of everything that doesn't fit.  A lot of clothes didn't fit.  Thankfully, they really don't need new stuff until the weather gets cooler.  It's always such a let-down for them to get new school clothes they can't wear until a month into school anyway.  And we did start Norah going to bed a a half hour earlier, but not until last week.  I doubt four days of practice is really going to help much.

But the time for back-to-school has indeed arrived, whether I'm ready for it or not.  So the wonderful article I had planned to discuss on why women tend to focus on the negative will have to wait for next Monday's Magazine Motivation.  But it was a good one, and I've got lots to say on the subject.  Hopefully, this blog will return to its regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.  But I may spend the day recovering, so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me until midweek!

I've been tagged by Janina at Bear Bugga for a fun meme.  I'm supposed to name 7 weird facts about myself.  Sounds like fun, except I'm SURE there's absolutely NOTHING weird about me.  So I guess I can't play.

Okay, you know I'm lying.  I'm about as weird as they come.  So I guess I can probably come up with 7 weird facts about myself to share.  And how appropriate that this would come today, as it's Friday Fun.  It's also my 50th post, and I was hoping to do something special!  So here goes.  Let's see...

1.  I hate vegetables.   I don't think that's weird, but my husband tells me it is.  I will eat corn and peas, canned, but that's about it.

2.  I don't think I can drive without singing.  I know people must look at me like I'm nuts.  It's a habit.  But I usually do manage to restrain myself when someone, besides the kids, is in the car with me.

3.  Speaking of driving.  I don't really like to drive all that much.  I had a couple accidents when I was seventeen and didn't drive again until I was twenty-one.  Then I wouldn't drive on the interstate.  I've gotten past that, but I still really hate driving in cities.

4.  I fidget.  Really bad.  One of my legs is always going.  It drives my poor husband nuts, but I just can't help it.

5.  I don't think this is weird, but you may not have known that I have Attention Deficit Disorder.  Lots of people think that only kids have ADD, but it's not something you outgrow.  And I've learned that it affects women differently than men.  Lots of times women don't really notice it until they have kids, which adds to their responsibilities and stress.

6.  I'm allergic to wheat and milk.  Yep, both of them.  I get cold symptoms, like a stuffy, runny nose and cough.  Sometimes if I eat a lot of chocolate or cheese, I'll get a terrible migraine.  Now that I'm getting older, I've noticed that I also feel very fatigued if I eat a lot of bad things.  I've been terrible about sticking to my diet recently, but I hope to get back to it when the kids are back in school.  I feel much better when I cut out the wheat and milk, and I lose weight. 

7.  I don't watch much TV.  Which is weird, because I used to watch a lot.  I've never seen Big Brother, Lost, or Survivor.  I do watch HGTV, Home and Garden Television.  And I guess I watch a lot of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.  Darn it, I just realized I don't watch TV because the kids are always hogging it!

So there you have it, seven weird things about me.  Probably more than you ever wanted to know.  But I'd like to know more about some of my blogging friends, and the rules here say I have to tag more folks. 

* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm tagging:

Angela  at Unexpected Art

Nadia at Walking Through

Courtney at The Only Thing I Know

Jennifer at Happily Ever After Land

Amy at MomSpark

Ann at Ann Again...and Again

Jenni at Jiggety Jigg

Thanks for checking out all the weird things about me.  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

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 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 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?

I need a little help.  Because I'm always indecisive and can never make up my mind, I need your help.  I need to buy a gift for Baby Emily.  I know I'm strapped for funds right now, but Emily's mommy has been a good friend since high school and has done a lot for me.  So I'd like to get something special.

Problem is, I can't decide.  I've been checking out this site, Personalized-Baby-Shoes.com, where they sell embossed baby shoes, among other cute baby gifts.  And they offer free shipping, which makes it worth shopping online for me.  Some of the most treasured gifts I received for my kids were personalized in some way.  I think a keepsake is a wonderful gift because it's something the parents can hold onto.  Babies grow out of clothing or sometimes never even get to wear it.  Other practical gifts like nursery items or baby gear are very helpful, but my friend has all of these things from her first child.

So here's what I'm considering.  I like the cute little pink and white shoes on the site's home page.  I can get her name embossed in gold foil on one shoe and her birthdate on the other.  The site offers gift wrapping or one of three personalized pails with your choice of an adorable stuffed cow, ducky, or frog.  They're all so precious, that would just be another tough decision for me, so I'll probably just wrap the gift myself.

But here's the other contender.  Personalized baby gifts are great because they make wonderful keepsakes.  Lots of choices here, too.  I really like the baby's first tooth and curl set, but I'm trying to be at least a wee bit practical, so I'm thinking about getting the personalized flap happy bonnet in pink gingham.  Isn't it just the sweetest thing?  I always loved putting my kids in hats, but I never got one of these cool hats with the flaps on the side to keep the sun off their little faces.  Practical and cute.  I'm lovin' that!

Please help me decide.  This is a special gift and, because money's tight right now, I feel like I want to make the best choice I can.  The personalized baby shoes cost a just a wee bit more, but I think it might be more likely that my friend would hold onto them as a keepsake.  But that hat - it even has a cute name, flap happy bonnet!  Help!  I just can't make up my mind.

For What If...Wednesday, I've decided to enter a contest.  A really fun contest at MomDot.  The prize is a new blog header!  Wouldn't that be awesome?  I like my flowers; they're from my wedding, and my best friend and I made the bouquets ourselves.  But a really cute blog header would be fabulous, as I really didn't know what the heck I was doing when I put this layout together.  I still don't, but I'm learning.

Anyway, to win the header, you have to make a sign and take a picture of it.  Your sign can say anything, and your picture can be of anything (as long as your sign's in it).  So here's our entry!

[caption id="attachment_233" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Babysteppers say, "MomDot rocks! Pick our mom!""][/caption]

 Gosh, they're cute!  What do you think?  I don't consider myself the most creative mom, but I think it's pretty good.  And it was a lot of fun.  Go to MomDot to enter for your chance to win a cool, new blog header!