tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55192618423622751822024-02-20T21:59:11.058-05:00With Just a Bit of MagicIt takes a bit of magic to be a mom of four, a wife, and work full time! But at the end of the day it's all worth it.Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-12726177593120313402010-10-14T08:20:00.000-04:002010-10-14T08:20:01.033-04:00Yes... it's really me!<center> <a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Mama's Losin' It" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac331/mamakatslosinit/poodle4.jpg" /> </a></center><a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/" target="_blank"><br />
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<div style="color: black;">Today for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop I'm going to share something with you. Something old, something young, something that I look at and wonder, "What the hell happened!" </div><div style="color: black;"></div><div style="color: black;"></div>Today I'm sharing a photo that represents how you see yourself.<br />
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This was my high school senior picture and I remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember getting up and planning what I was going to wear for pictures that day, and being glad that it was a Friday and that I didn't have to work. And the best part about that day was how incredibly awesome my hair turned out! I mean look at it! Everything went well... the curls.... my huge bangs.... everything! Perfect!<br />
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That night my friends and I went out <strike>partying </strike>to a movie and dinner. We had a blast.<br />
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So you're wondering why that picture? Why do you see yourself that way? And the answer to that question is, I'm not sure. It's me. A much younger version of me that's for sure.<br />
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When I look in the mirror I often times see that person. I see the person that had all these grand hopes and dreams for the future but still had no idea what they were going to do. Living day to day, having fun with friends and with barely a care in the world.<br />
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Some people loved high school, some hated it, and some were just indifferent about it. I loved it. If you asked me if I liked it back then I'm sure I would have told you no. It was a good time in my life. A time that I look back on often and wonder where did all the years go? How has it been almost 20 years since I've graduated!<br />
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I've changed a lot since then. I've learned a lot. Made mistakes. I've gone to college. Gotten married. Gotten divorced. Married again. I've traveled. I've had children. I've seen the world change around me at a very fast pace.<br />
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But that's me.<br />
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<div style="padding-left: 10px;" width="400"><span style="font-size: smaller;"></span></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/251/18553233FAD9B3E4A100311CB4411DF4.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important; position: relative;" /></a></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-47559789416368567522010-10-13T08:02:00.000-04:002010-10-13T08:02:58.070-04:00Wordless Wednesday - A baby & red velvet cakeThis is what happens when your parents come over for a birthday dinner and share red velvet cake with your 8 month old son.<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-78861649366298782852010-10-12T21:53:00.000-04:002010-10-12T21:53:48.669-04:00Ten Things I BelieveRecently I was <strike>obsessing over</strike> checking out some of my Twitter stats from the links that Gigi over at <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/cool-stat-tools-to-obsess-over/">Kludgy Mom</a> blogged about and found out that I lost some Twitter followers and 3 of them pertained to my most recent <a href="http://withjustabitofmagic.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-week-in-nutshell.html">post</a> and it got me wondering what in the hell that I did wrong (I'm still pondering this too). Was it because I tweeted to many times about it? Was it really an awful post? Was it just the point at which they decided that they didn't want to follow me anymore? Who knows. To be honest I was bothered by it for a bit and then after chatting with Gigi and Maria from <a href="http://1000reasonsimabadmom.com/">1000 Reasons I'm a Bad Mom</a> I felt better. Things like that happen all the time.<br />
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I decided that since there wasn't a writing assignment for Back to School, Back to Blogging that I'd pick something from the <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/idea-bank/">Idea Bank</a>.<br />
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There are many things in life that I believe and some you may agree with and some you may not. And hopefully I won't lose more followers because if it!<br />
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10 things that believe...<br />
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1. I believe that my kids are the most important things in the world.<br />
2. I believe that there is a higher power(s) but I don't believe in the Christian God.<br />
3. I believe that education is very important.<br />
4. I believe that you can do anything you want.. anything. You just need to put your mind to it.<br />
5. I believe in equality.<br />
6. I believe in freedom of choice.<br />
7. I believe in freewill.<br />
8. I believe that hard work pays off.<br />
9. I believe that love is important.<br />
10. I believe Glee is awesome!<br />
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I'm sure that because of this I'll lose followers. It's possible that I may even gain some. But this is who I am and I'm being honest. <br />
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So, tell me. What do you believe? What makes us different or the same? <br />
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And today starts another week! Oh joy... can't wait to see what fun and excitement it will bring!<br />
This past week was one busy day after another, but then again that's really nothing to new around here. There's always something going on!<br />
Monday started out with an incredible migraine headache that forced me to stay home and because the gods were smiling down upon me I got to sleep in till 10:30am! Can you believe it?!?! Of course I still had the headache when I got up and it stuck with me all day. Eventually, I made it to the chiropractor and he made it all go away. I was happy. I could stand, sit, turn my head, and even blink with out major pain!<br />
Nothing exciting must have happened Tuesday since I can't remember it! So, let's move on to Wednesday.<br />
Wednesday is usually pretty busy because that's piano night. And I normally stick around in town after work until my daughter's lesson. But this time I couldn't. She had left her notebook at home so we had to run all the way home and back to get it. So, I dropped her off and went home (again) and I swear within 30 minutes the phone was ringing.... she was done. Ready to come home! I should mention here that the lessons are supposed to be an hour long.<br />
Friday was a trip! Aside from work the rest of the afternoon was running to get things for my daughters birthday party that night. I know... I know... I should have gotten the stuff sooner. I didn't though.<br />
We had a plan and were ready to get in and out of the store quickly. And then we tried to get the balloons. wow. Let me tell ya... it shouldn't take 20 minutes to blow up 5 balloons and tie a damn string to them! Especially when you don't blow them up all the way! Seriously, these were the most pathetic looking balloons I have ever seen in my entire life. They were small and the strings were all the same color and the exact same length. If the person doing the balloons were a woman then I know they would have looked a lot better!<br />
Now as a bit of advice. Do not go to a corn maze at night with a bunch of kids. We've been to the maze before and it was great, but it was daytime. We spent more time lost and walking in circles than anyone else in that maze. The kids were all excited when they found one of the stops. It was #9. Somehow we missed the first 8! No big deal. We moved on and walked... and walked... and walked. And then there was another stop. It was #9. This happened one more time too!<br />
I swear these kids had me totally <span style="color: #4c1130;">bamboozled</span>! They assured me they knew what they were doing. But I was pretty sure that we were never getting out of there! We were going to be spending the night in the corn maze!<br />
Eventually, we found stops #10 & 12. And by that time I was over the whole maze thing. One of the workers was out there in the maze and helped us find our way out. My 8 yr old was very happy! She was done too and didn't want to keep walking anymore!<br />
There was one hell of a game of Marco Polo going on too! Although I'm not sure that it was a game as opposed to all the kids in the maze just yelling Marco Polo as they ran around. But all in all the kids had a great time and that's all that matters right!<br />
Saturday brought my husbands class reunion and Sunday was dinner with my parents. And as a warning.... do not give a baby red velvet cake. They will make a huge mess with it and turn everything in a 3 foot radius red.<br />
And now that I write about it ... I guess my week wasn't that bad.<br />
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</center>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-68621552743314816862010-10-08T08:32:00.000-04:002010-10-08T08:32:00.855-04:00Blog Boycott DayAhh.... Time to relax! Why not come join us!!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.bellebeanchicagodog.com/"><img src="http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/bellebeandog/blog_boycott_button-1.jpg" /></a></center><br />
Today I am going to ignore the blogosphere! I'm hanging out on Twitter and going to spam the hell out of it with all my Follow Friday Tweets!<br />
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Come find me on Twitter to chat!<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-34497676312595060992010-10-07T10:03:00.000-04:002010-10-07T10:03:21.231-04:00Nostalgia ~ My Dishes RevistedRecently, I got this really great new dining room set! It's amazing. And the best part is that my dining room now looks like a real "adult" dining room. Ya know, the ones with the nice furniture that isn't old and crappy.<br />
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Anyway, that's not what this is all about. But it is what started it because I emptied the old hutch to make room for the new one.<br />
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I have this set of dishes that my husband bought for me and they're very special to me because they're the exact same set of dishes that my grandparents had when I was younger. And I love them.<br />
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Every time we visited my grandparents my grandma would make this soup, it was the instant type out of a box but it was really good. Eventually I learned that it was Mrs. Grass' chicken noodle soup, you know the kind with the little egg and skinny noodles. As kids we loved this soup and I still do and so do my kids, but we always used those bowls. They weren't deep though, more big, round and shallow. And then for a snack after that she'd give us fruit with cream cheese. Have you tried it? It's really good!<br />
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Those dishes have always reminded me of my grandparents and those times so when I happened to find some at a local antique store I was so excited. I knew that I had to have them! But here's the thing, it wasn't the complete set and they were selling them by the piece which came out to a rather big total price. Sadly, I passed and didn't get them.<br />
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About a year later I was looking through some local classifieds online and happened to find the set of dishes again! This time though it was a complete set for at least 10 - 12 people. There were serving pieces, salt & pepper shakers, gravy bowl, cups, saucers, dessert plates, and even an ash tray! The best part was that they were practically giving it away! I think that we paid like maybe $100 - 150 for all of it. I couldn't believe it!<br />
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My husband went and picked up the dishes for me and from what he said the people just wanted to get rid of them. I felt like a little kid at Christmas! There were boxes and boxes of dishes and I had to go through all of them even though it was late in the evening.<br />
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I've only used these dishes a few times since getting them and it's usually when we have a large family meal. I don't use them mostly because I'm afraid of something happening to them. They hold such great memories for me that it would kill me to have one of them broken, but then again my grandma used them everyday and they survived through 9 grand kids. Maybe I should get them out and use them more often, be a bit more trusting (but watchful!), and enjoy them.<br />
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Do you have something special like that? Maybe it was handed down to you through your family or just something that you picked up along the way. Maybe it's dishes, a trinket, or a piece of jewelry. I'm not talking about a picture though because I believe that those are something different all together.<br />
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<img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=89ed71cd-a12d-45c7-9800-576ece20b4fa" style="border: medium none; float: right;" />Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-45511830925255228502010-10-06T15:26:00.005-04:002010-10-06T15:30:38.506-04:00Love & Kisses to all of my Followers<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><center><a ="" href="http://kludgymom.com/" target="_self"><img alt="Kludgy Mom" border="0" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af92/kludgymom/b2s125x97CTA2.png" /></a></center> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">This weeks writing task for Back to School, Back to Blogging has been taunting me all week. I mean how do I do this? Who do I focus on? And what if I offend someone that I should have chosen but didn't? Ugg.... decisions, decisions. So, here's the task that I'm stressing about.</span></b><br />
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<b>Writing Task:</b> feature a few of your loyal <i>followers</i> in a post this week. Act as if you’re their media agent and you’re trying to get them a job. Sell them to your community – talk about how fabulous they are. Or maybe just say thank you to specific followers for their support.<br />
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Now, do you see my dilemma? All of my followers are important and special to me! Without them my blog would be nothing. Nothing. It'd be just be talking to myself... I do that enough because, duh... I have kids!<br />
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I thought about it for a bit and looked through all the people who follow my blog and all that jazz. I decided that I wanted to thank everyone. Because they have all taken the time to read my blog when often the only thing I post is something from a challenge or a meme.<br />
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I was looking at my blog yesterday for a really good post to share with Kris over at <a href="http://www.prettyalltrue.com/">Pretty All True</a> and realized that my blog sucked! Holy shit! How did this happen! It was totally not what I had intended! Nothing special or original there so I didn't leave a post for her. And being all pitiful feeling and what not I tweeted about it and Ashley from <a href="http://justanothermomof2.com/">Just Another Mom of 2</a> pointed out that's how she got started and the challenges & meme's are a good way to start when you're trying to figure things out. I hadn't thought about it that way and it made sense so after that I didn't feel so bad. Besides with hard work it'll get better, right?<br />
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Today I looked again and decided to focus on two followers in particular.<br />
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Barb from <a href="http://www.secondchancemoon.com/">Second Chance Moon</a> and I started blogging around the same time and became blogging buddies during the #31DBBB Challenge and since then I've followed her blog and she's followed mine and I make sure that I read her blog on a regular basis. She has a great blog and is a wonderful writer! Go check it out... now!<br />
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Okay, next in line is my friend who has a name but I don't know it because I'm silly like that at times I guess over at <a href="http://onegirlideas.blogspot.com/">One Girl Ideas</a>. She has a teen just like me. Enough said! No, really... she takes the time to actually visit my blog and I know this because she has mentioned me on her blog! Cool, huh!! She will send me tweets asking how things are going and things like that. Like a real friend! I love it.<br />
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Both of these ladies are new to blogging and are putting in a lot of time in effort in their blogs trying to grow & promote them. Take a few minutes to check out their blogs, leave a comment or two, and follow them. They are really great ladies!<br />
<div style="padding-left: 10px;" width="400"><span style="font-size: smaller;"></span></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/251/18553233FAD9B3E4A100311CB4411DF4.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important; position: relative;" /></a></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-89960886053804650942010-10-06T06:34:00.000-04:002010-10-06T06:34:25.433-04:00Wordless Wednesday - Washington D.C.In April of this year my daughter took a trip to Washington D.C. with her 8th grade class and after participating in an essay writing contest she was chosen as one of the student to take part in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.<br />
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To take part in this is a once in a lifetime event and as parents we were extremely proud of her. My only wish was that we were able to go and see it.<br />
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<div class="p1"></div></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-31700714989384909552010-09-30T15:52:00.000-04:002010-09-30T15:52:43.553-04:0010 reasons I'm glad that it's fall<center> <a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Mama's Losin' It" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac331/mamakatslosinit/poodle4.jpg" /> </a></center><br />
This is gonna be short and sweet! And it's because this is an easy prompt and I just love fall! As a matter of fact I haven't found a single person that doesn't! And if you happen to be one of them that dislikes fall share with me the reason you don't. I'm curious!<br />
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This list is in no specific order.<br />
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1. Apple cider. Especially if it's fresh from the orchard. The stuff from the store is alright but it just isn't the same.<br />
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2. Fresh picked apples from the orchard. The smell, the colors, the taste. Mmmm..<br />
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3. Things made from those apples. I really love apple pie.<br />
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4. Cooler weather. After hot, humid Michigan summers I'm ready for a change.<br />
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5. High school football games. I love to go and support my kids school. It's fun, we see a lot of people we know, and we have an awesome band!<br />
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6. Fall colors in Michigan are amazing! Especially if you take a trip up north. It's beautiful. Trust me.<br />
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7. Pumpkin. Another thing I love! Pumpkin is great in oatmeal, mixed in with a cake mix, and so many other things! And pumpkin pie is my favorite. And you know the worst thing happened last year.... there was a pumpkin shortage! Can you believe it?!?! I almost didn't have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I'm stocking up this year.<br />
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8. The smell of fall. You can smell it in the crisp air on a sunny day when the leaves have changed colors and are starting to fall to the ground.<br />
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9. Raking huge leaf piles for the kids to jump into.<br />
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10. Corn mazes. We don't get to do it often but they're a ton of fun!<br />
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Actually, now that I think about just baking in the fall with apples, cranberries, pumpkin, and all that is great!<br />
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What's your favorite thing about fall?<br />
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<div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/251/18553233FAD9B3E4A100311CB4411DF4.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important; position: relative;" /></a></div></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=bd160253-140a-40c4-b2ca-d64fbab4c13b" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-63059125558463777072010-09-30T14:02:00.001-04:002010-09-30T14:03:04.800-04:00Networking Tips - Review<center><a target="_self" href="http://kludgymom.com/"><img alt="Kludgy Mom" border="0" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af92/kludgymom/b2s125x97CTA2.png" /></a></center><br />
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I'm not going to lie. This is hard. A lot harder than I had expected. There is so much to blogging if you want to make it successful and honestly it's almost like a full time job. And I already have two full time job, one as a mom and two, my job that I go to daily that helps pay the bills.<br />
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My goal would be to not have the second one some day too. But that's another story.<br />
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I was reading the top <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/top-10-networking-tips-for-new-bloggers-0-100-followers-b2sb2b-week-2/">10 networking tips for new bloggers</a> that was for my size blog and should help me grow my blog. And that's when I realized how much work it all actually is. I don't think that I'm going to ever close that tab in my browser! That way I always have it open to refer to so I can make sure that I'm doing all I can to grow my blog. For now I think I need that kind of constant reminder.<br />
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Instead of picking just one item from the list and talking about how I put it to use I'd like to touch on each item briefly. It helps me solidify where I'm at and in a way makes me accountable to all of you for what I say I'm going to do.<br />
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<b>1. Join and be active in several established blog networks.</b><br />
This I have done and have been part of 2 or 3 of them for a while now. Blog Frog has to be my favorite my far though as there are so many communities to join, people to meet, and great information to be found. It's been helpful to me when I was looking for a guest blogger too! I really would like to be more active though! In all of the networks. I need to figure out a good schedule for everything and stick to it!<br />
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<b>2. Comment, comment, comment on blogs you love.</b><br />
Done. I comment and I try to make sure that what I say in meaningful. Sometimes I get new visitors out of commenting and sometimes not. I keep at it though!<br />
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<b>3. Participate in a Twitter hop.</b><br />
This I haven't done. I have taken part in a Twitter party & have found new blogs and new friends! I need to look into this more.<br />
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<b>4. Search your favorite bloggers' blogrolls</b><br />
This has to be the easiest way to find great blogs to read! It also points out how interconnected we all our! This is something that I do often and especially on a new blog.<br />
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<b>5. Get a badge</b><br />
Funny thing... I just created one about a week or so ago! I also created a page with other people's links & buttons to help keep things organized on the main page.<br />
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<b>6. Develop a tribe</b><br />
This is a great idea and I think that this just happens naturally. I've already found that a lot of the people that I follow & follow me have similar blogs. As in content, size, and feel of them. We're all the same but different too!<br />
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<b>7. Aim equal, not high with your networking</b><br />
I have to admit that before they were mentioned in the post I had never heard of The Bloggess, Dooce, or The Pioneer Woman. Most of my networking started with the #31DBBB challenge and went from there. I usually try to keep within my own realm! I have the best luck there.<br />
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<b>8. Dedicate time each day to networking</b><br />
I need to work on this. I usually have Tweetdeck open most of the day, but aside from that there isn't much that I do especially when I'm at work. And on the weekends I'm usually busy and disconnected from it all. I think that 15 - 30 minutes total each day is the minimum that I'd like to put forward and will be including more than Twitter into my routine.<br />
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<b>9. Don't obsess over guest posting just yet</b><br />
I admit. I did this. For a while it was all I was seeing on Twitter and on blogs! I put myself out there and I did it. I've had two guest bloggers and I love it! Maybe it's something that I'd do once a month. This would add a bit for freshness to the blog and bring myself and my guest new readers.<br />
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<b>10. Put yourself out there</b><br />
This sounds like such a simple thing but it really isn't. This is one of those things that takes a while to do. And admitting when you're wrong... whew... that's a hard pill for some to swallow! It's a constant work in progress, but it will pay off I'm sure! For me, one of the hardest parts is just jumping in. I don't want to sound like an idiot or something. I don't want to say the wrong thing and be shunned. It's something that I need to work on by just doing it. Right?<br />
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There is a lot that I have to work on and it will take me time and effort to do it. I'm willing to do it to! I know that someday my blog will be in a much better place, but right now I think it's pretty good for having just started in May!<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-858093804690083792010-09-28T09:26:00.000-04:002010-09-28T09:26:20.921-04:00Post It Note Tuesday - Random Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS3E1vCtA-OaD7JIoApxH0mPJf_DtEVz9VEk1wxynFHCF1tWXhMvOw2V9mPtR-IX3P-nYFrshG-oqmRe-OkcLf7IzgAkRhPG8OiIz2wXPFKJ1ZA8Ztyh1QQbY1TGUwXxrkI6XpNGpZwl-/s1600/superstickies-Tues1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS3E1vCtA-OaD7JIoApxH0mPJf_DtEVz9VEk1wxynFHCF1tWXhMvOw2V9mPtR-IX3P-nYFrshG-oqmRe-OkcLf7IzgAkRhPG8OiIz2wXPFKJ1ZA8Ztyh1QQbY1TGUwXxrkI6XpNGpZwl-/s1600/superstickies-Tues1.png" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDAb-Bcg0JrcFzwp9bIyY8bzfzor0CjRIYosul6mQUScihVUsLVmpzaDvQJ4fiytUmG7YyZF-ZBITk5vPkYl721eogzjYs_ree6gZUPbX68k7l_Mgp66iFOQzu-UX0F3lqaAnqiQi4mJf/s1600/superstickies-Tues2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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<center><a href="http://www.onlyparentchronicles.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Only Parent Chronicles" src="http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu81/Adrienzgirl/PINT/PINTbutton3Reva.jpg" /></a></center>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-25793382271283247742010-09-24T15:34:00.000-04:002010-09-24T15:34:16.492-04:00The Best Vacation We Ever TookFirst of all I have to apologize for my homework being late. Yesterday was totally craptastic just read my <a href="http://withjustabitofmagic.blogspot.com/2010/09/bugs-walmart-my-rant.html">post</a> about it and you'll totally agree. And because of that I had a lot to get off my chest so I did that instead of my homework. Sorry.<br />
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Week two for Back to School, Back to Blogging has given me some trouble. I was able to quickly do the reading and come up with my list of 10 ideas. Then I started reading the 500 + ideas and could not figure out what one I should write about! There were so many good ones! I finally decided to tell you about the best vacation my family and I took.<br />
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In the spring of 2009 my family and I took the vacation of a lifetime! We all went to Disney World, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom for a week. It was the first time that I had ever been there as well!<br />
Now, some wouldn't say that Disney is the vacation of a lifetime, some visit there on a regular basis, and then there are others who would agree with me and have never been there. And to those who haven't been there it's a damn expensive trip! But worth every last penny and I'd do it again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us & our ride for the week</td></tr>
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Upon arrival in Orlando we gathered our luggage and quickly made our way to where our car was waiting to take us to the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=5608">Sheraton Vistana Resort </a>where we were staying for the week.<br />
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As you can see we had a limo for the entire week! We had the same car & driver while we were there to take us where ever we wanted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the resort from our patio</td></tr>
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The resort was huge and we had something close to an apartment with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, dining, kitchen, and laundry. Of course there was all the regular stuff there like a pool & activities, but we didn't hang out there to much!<br />
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Our entire week was planned with various parks, dinner shows, and all the fun stuff that the Disney parks have to offer.<br />
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To say that I was just as excited as the kids is probably a very true statement! And for a few reasons I suppose. Like I said before I had never been there and neither had my kids and being able to share that with them was great. To see the awe & wonder, the excitement, their eyes and expressions on their face as we made our way to the Magic Kingdom for the first time was the best thing ever. It's just so hard to describe it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIDK0Z8l0ChlisNQNOEh_ltf6xSDA_WXDCR5dRY4hnSSTrhk4ao3oZGW5J9zm35WeCF2a5f5gCYlVTZjxmvrSPwmw7cYDowo2kuUedoFnkfdVuxcAzsmTDdaC3yoyhoeOmcYeac5DMPbj/s1600/DSC01890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIDK0Z8l0ChlisNQNOEh_ltf6xSDA_WXDCR5dRY4hnSSTrhk4ao3oZGW5J9zm35WeCF2a5f5gCYlVTZjxmvrSPwmw7cYDowo2kuUedoFnkfdVuxcAzsmTDdaC3yoyhoeOmcYeac5DMPbj/s320/DSC01890.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I wanted to see every inch of the park, meet all the characters, and ride all of the rides! I mean it was incredible and a once in a life time thing... I think that maybe the kids felt the same way! For my husband this wasn't the first time that he'd been here. He and his family had been several times before this.<br />
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The first characters that we met while there were the wicked step-mother and sisters from Cinderella. The costumes, they way they looked, and the way that they acted was EXACTLY like in the movie! They were in full character too!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LC7BpzlAdePYo14jW4HKa6_kxX7KVBO2Z4WTlF6IDmfhs7NE_O8K7XTy0VASaCjiGw9SPanx4xRypi5M7Xt6Xd-XBOALakWusAUy4aPk9dd7PlfTRu19JTSJAkotqnaFapTbaJeQB_k9/s1600/DSC01911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LC7BpzlAdePYo14jW4HKa6_kxX7KVBO2Z4WTlF6IDmfhs7NE_O8K7XTy0VASaCjiGw9SPanx4xRypi5M7Xt6Xd-XBOALakWusAUy4aPk9dd7PlfTRu19JTSJAkotqnaFapTbaJeQB_k9/s320/DSC01911.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><br />
One of the best things that we did while there was taking a boat out on the lake around the Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. The evening was cool, the sky was clear, and we had the absolute best view of the fireworks available. The boat floated around until it was close to the time the fireworks were to start and then parked in full view of the castle which was lit up with ever changing colors.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFXp9iGOhkf1XlIbYMi5TaCzBTmvEnZkRQvgeqdeq7oYIaqMPqWCA8XxDJg5xUIhj7hxoiibgsTbWYYGiWWPCJk4CzXo4kan7xJm19ucLA0KpC0a-ADnekqr2BeYpWVI1v7SYDcVnBbql/s1600/DSC02193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFXp9iGOhkf1XlIbYMi5TaCzBTmvEnZkRQvgeqdeq7oYIaqMPqWCA8XxDJg5xUIhj7hxoiibgsTbWYYGiWWPCJk4CzXo4kan7xJm19ucLA0KpC0a-ADnekqr2BeYpWVI1v7SYDcVnBbql/s320/DSC02193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was a fantastic week! I'll finish up with some highlight for fear that this could on for ever!<br />
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Dinner at <a href="http://www.alcapones.com/">Capones</a><br />
Visted Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios, and Downtown Disney<br />
Went to see the <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hoop-de-doo-musical-revue/">Hoop De Do Review</a> dinner show<br />
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Here are a few of the pics from our trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6KLPyaWlqUmW18-Ax41ayWK1FPRVgG0S-KauPAwC7cY8aeDw7V3qUvDeKYPzNp1cCCJBQX5DTdjaeJ7KF7tD8D5dmei8Z8wk98EDNlPzGJpofCcRUYphAjrcguvod4nlFsrgE3YsJgyy/s1600/disney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6KLPyaWlqUmW18-Ax41ayWK1FPRVgG0S-KauPAwC7cY8aeDw7V3qUvDeKYPzNp1cCCJBQX5DTdjaeJ7KF7tD8D5dmei8Z8wk98EDNlPzGJpofCcRUYphAjrcguvod4nlFsrgE3YsJgyy/s400/disney.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-67564487268402184122010-09-23T12:08:00.000-04:002010-09-23T12:08:27.535-04:00Bugs, Walmart, & My Rant!Okay, kids! The word of the day is "Craptastic"! That's the best way to describe my day yesterday. Craptastic.<br />
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To start the day I had a meeting at work that was totally pointless and a waste of my time. The outcome for priorities was exactly as it was before we went into the meeting. I just don't understand why we had to go through that meeting that was more than an hour (scheduled for 30 min) to come to something we agreed upon a mere 3 months ago! Craptastic!<br />
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Fast forward to the afternoon. Looking at Twitter I found out that there is a <a href="http://similac.com/recall/">recall</a> on Similac formula due to insect parts and larvae being in the formula. Craptastic! My son drinks that brand. So, after work I went home and pulled up the site. It was slow. Terribly slow. I got the phone number and called and of course I got the automated system which went on about this and that and finally told me that due to weather they weren't available to take calls. Really?!?! Craptastic!<br />
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Back to the incredible slow website. I entered the lot number of the first container that I had. Recalled. Entered the second one. Recalled. Craptastic! What was even better was that the second one was EMPTY! Yes. I fed my son bugs. Way to go mom!<br />
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Here's where my level annoyance went from 1 to 2, maybe 3. I called the husband to let him know what was going on. And he tells me that if I breastfed we wouldn't have this issue. Really!?!?! Don't. Judge. Me. I went on to inform him that I could if I was able to stay home. But I can't. I have to work...full time. I'm gone from 7am until almost 5pm. He told me that I could just pump in the bathroom and store it in the fridge. I barely have time to go pee while at work let alone take the time to pump as often as would be required! <br />
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Moving on. I gathered my son, the formula, the receipt (yes, I had one!) and we were off to Walmart to get something new and bug free. I wasn't concerned Walmart always has the recalls posted and I even called ahead of time stating that I had a recall about formula. They just told me to go to the service desk and they'd take care of it no problem. Do you have any sense of where this could be going?<br />
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I made my way to the service desk and waited. And waited. Because they only have one person there to help the long line of people. My first warning was that I didn't see the recall notice on the board with the rest of them, but I could've missed it.... it was sort of far away. I was very happy that my son was happy and not yet starving.<br />
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Once it was my turn I explained in complete detail everything that I read on the website about the recall and that both containers were recalled, showed them my receipt, and from here things went down hill. Fast. The guy at the service desk needed to call up a manager and luckily for us she was walking up there! He then explained that there was a recall and she proceeded to tell me that they know nothing of a recall basically telling me that I was a liar. I told her that I didn't know when the recall was released but that I had just heard about it earlier. She wasn't nice. She did check the computer and came back to tell me that there was nothing that they could/would do. Annoyance level had now reached at least a 7 on a scale of 10. Double Craptastic!<br />
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Here was the deal. They were doing nothing to help me. Nothing about the bug infested formula that was on the shelves. Nothing. At. All. I guess they don't have the internet on the computers at Walmart. Jerks. I left.<br />
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I left and went to another store down the road. Kroger. Kroger is AWESOME. But wait.... I'll get to that in a minute. I was annoyed so I called Walmart and asked to speak with the store manager. I then explained the situation to him and then he put me on hold for close to 5 minutes. When he finally came back he let me know that if I went home, printed off the page(s) with the recall info on it (actually he wanted a list of all the affected lot numbers), brought it back to the store he would then take my bug formula and exchange it for the exact damn thing. Why you ask. Because that's their policy. I explained that the site has a form, you enter the lot number and it'll tell you if it's recalled or not. There's not a list of all the lot numbers and that if they give me the exact thing I'll go home, look to see if it's recalled and have to return it too. He told me that's their policy. Annoyance level 9.<br />
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Okay, on to the Good Guys at Kroger. I needed formula. I went in and out of curiosity I went to the service desk to ask if they knew about it and they didn't, but guess what? They have the internet on the computers there at Kroger! Amazing!<br />
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To make a really long story short, they looked up the recall, looked up the lot numbers on my containers, gave me money back even though I didn't buy it there, and they pulled off all of the powered formula from the shelves!<br />
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I won't shop at Walmart anymore and I will shop at Kroger more than I did before. They exceeded every expectation that I had. They were polite, courteous, and willing to look into it. I left there with my annoyance level lowered back down to a mere 2.<br />
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Moving on.... I went home and fed my now hungry son some bug free formula and the girls some pizza rolls because that little field trip too an hour and a half.<br />
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Hour and half after that... we lost power. No storm. No wind. No rain. As a matter of fact there wasn't a cloud in the sky, just the beautiful, large full moon. I was thankful we have a generator.<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-83372521068516028572010-09-22T08:19:00.000-04:002010-09-22T08:19:27.345-04:00Wordless Wednesday - September 21stNiagara Falls - September 2010<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAnmZIEf5Wi32Civ9jTEwLrT876G_8NvpmCax6CzAKvtFexUg-l0JSC8uR0zpztshvrM5z8KGS5KZ2zhs9OquLU1ulr_SLoDWN6yA0tvYabuKY9MEi_U9m30KSVOW3Y2e1NLxwJUjLLMY/s320/falls2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYbvRGMy3FD_0MjjI2J3nCgZI4B0PDLQAjQjs1W9lWb4aWJ_D_3AcwHnaFlOcG12QXjV27YV8ZGLecy7YSf8VuN9OWxBT9lN-VE7Iorg6MEArnbxA1SAuja7E8XF_S-NMcmLQmYIJMXmg/s320/falls1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls after the Maid of the Mist boat ride</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably the best shot of the falls I got!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kids!</td></tr>
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-44850955597088952982010-09-21T07:48:00.001-04:002010-09-21T08:00:08.082-04:00I Finally Get It<i>Recently I was looking for someone to do a guest post for me, found someone, and it went really well! So well that I sent out a tweet and was able to get another person to do a guest blog post! It's great! It helps me in growing my blog but it also lets others write about something different, grow their blog, and best of all it helps build friendships!<br />
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This week Jessica from <a href="http://theunemployedmom.com/">The Unemployed Mom</a> is my guest blogger! Her blog is one the first ones that I started reading and from there I went on to finally start my own blog. I guess you could say she helped inspire me!<br />
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Family stuff, our mom's being right, and teaching our kids something valuable! Read on!!</i><br />
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I remember hearing my mom say things like "this is what life is all about" and I used to scratch my head thinking she was crazy. Was life really about sitting around with family doing nothing? I could have thought of a million things that seemed like more fun, instead I was dragged along to family<br />
functions. To me, those things were boring and I never understood why she got so excited about them. Why did we always have to do family stuff?<br />
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There were a lot of things that my mom thrived on that I just didn't get. She was always about being in her comfort zone and never thought about stepping outside of it. She worried about my brother and me all the time, something that drove me nuts! She used to always say "someday you'll understand" or "just wait until you have kids".<br />
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Fast forward 20 years later and I am blown away at how smart my mom was! I finally get it! Life is all about those precious moments shared with loved ones. I never quite comprehended that until having a child of my own. In our child free years, my husband and I enjoyed a non-stop lifestyle. We were<br />
always on the go, whether it was traveling, going shopping or walking around Disney to get out of the house. We hated just sitting around doing "nothing".<br />
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Don't get me wrong, we still enjoy getting out and about but it is much more difficult with a kid. Even a quick trip to the market takes planning (diapers, snacks, toys, extra clothing, etc.). I keep reminding my husband how our life is more enriched with our little one, but sometimes he has a hard time seeing it (he'd prefer to be sipping Mai Tai's in Hawaii or shopping in the Big Apple without worrying about a tantrum). Our son brings us so much joy, he is truly a blessing. Even on days when he shows his true<br />
2-year old spirit, I can envision my mom telling me to savor the moments because "you'll miss these days when they are gone".<br />
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I just find it amazing that she was right on all accounts! NEVER would I admit that to her of course, but wow! It seem like yesterday my son was this helpless little bundle that needed me for everything. Now, he's so independent and growing up right before my eyes! I hope I can teach him the same valuable lessons and morals that my mom taught me!Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-76536044188308249972010-09-16T21:00:00.000-04:002010-09-16T21:00:44.105-04:00Chelsea J. Handler and I are tops on Google!Google like me! Ya know what this mean?? My John C. Mayer prank has succeeded and I may have to continue with it on a weekly basis! Or until I get bored with it.<br />
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Take a look at the Google search I just did.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHaEmFWsXFQ9CClRNdTqYupswxenZLupV1jTPi7qdZjyBESUXyiXWDbnf_8HfvUDXf0FuP1tKCM7ppzUySF9aCF9M-7h5pAzTZu6LMobdcXbo3wv94btj-naRpXrrJpx7RopC8XIrbCcIx/s1600/%232spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHaEmFWsXFQ9CClRNdTqYupswxenZLupV1jTPi7qdZjyBESUXyiXWDbnf_8HfvUDXf0FuP1tKCM7ppzUySF9aCF9M-7h5pAzTZu6LMobdcXbo3wv94btj-naRpXrrJpx7RopC8XIrbCcIx/s640/%232spot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yea, that's right... #2 baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> See that! I'm at number 2 AND 4! It's absolutely freakin' amazing! What's even better.... I'm higher than that douche bag Perez Hilton and Chelsea J. Handler's wikipedia page!<br />
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Okay, that's all for now. Just had to share that bit of exciting information! <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/251/18553233FAD9B3E4A100311CB4411DF4.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important; position: relative;" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-15832662952676064632010-09-16T14:01:00.001-04:002010-09-16T15:10:46.244-04:00Why Chelsea J. Handler is Awesome & Needs to be my BFF!<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Okay, so for a bit of fun and excitement I got on the bandwagon with the rest of Merry Band of Pranksters that follow the incredible Aunt Becky over at <a href="http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/">Mommy Wants Vodka. </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The goal: pick a person preferably a celebrity (Chelsea J. Handler for me), mention them again and again, and then mention them so more in a post or two on your blog to get to the top of a Google search. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aunt Becky targeted John C. Mayer firstly because she hates his song; “Your Body is a Wonderland”. And then the curse began…. Read her <a href="http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/john-c-mayer-totally-hates-me">blog</a> for all the John C. Mayer entertainment!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why Chelsea J. Handler would want to be my BFF! Why the hell not!! I mean really let’s take a look at some stuff here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chelsea J. Handler and I are almost the same age! We grew up in the same era, the awesome 80’s! So we listened to the same music, watched the same TV shows & movies, and wore the same acid washed jeans!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chelsea J. Handler is freakin’ hilarious! Have you ever watched her? You should. I like entertaining friends and they’re way better than the ones that do nothing or the imaginary ones we all had as kids (don’t lie… we all had ‘em!). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She has her own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Handler">Wikipedia</a> page that’s full of great info! And we all know that the information on Wikipedia is the truth! Check out Chelsea J. Handler’s page and I bet some day soon there will be a picture of her and I there! I may have to update Chelsea J. Handler's page soon. I want to make sure people know how awesome my BFF is!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Did ya watch the VMA’s? Yea, I know. I said on Twitter that they’re crap. And they still are. BUT Chelsea J. Handler was the host this year and that was awesome and the best part about it…. She told off that piece of crap, douche bag Perez Hilton when he said her performance was crap. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are a few other tidbits as to why we’d be the best friends:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler likes vodka. So do I!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler supports LGBT. So do I!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler got a DUI and had to attend a class. I had to go to a class because of a speeding ticket.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler wrote 3 pretty cool books and I LOVE to read.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler is #4 on The Twitter 20 (HA! Better than you Perez Hilton!). I’m on The Twitter too…. Just not as high up on the list.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Chelsea J. Handler likes Tom’s Shoes. I love ‘em! It’s a great idea so go buy some.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Look! Here's a great pic of the two of us!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUorS4BnzAQN3fQuOwa6ADnr7xYT6yxG8SInITz5RXhpdn7yy1Kudoac-yTudnx39RL97b8Bgq7ErMtfdDoprqYJLkXTed9LewxkqywF5He6VgYdJHwbBPfVXk1Db9beSkpVa5wVgrBB4/s1600/bff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUorS4BnzAQN3fQuOwa6ADnr7xYT6yxG8SInITz5RXhpdn7yy1Kudoac-yTudnx39RL97b8Bgq7ErMtfdDoprqYJLkXTed9LewxkqywF5He6VgYdJHwbBPfVXk1Db9beSkpVa5wVgrBB4/s320/bff.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My BFF, Chelsea J. Handler, and I!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Aren't Chelsea J. Handler and I full of total awesomeness!! </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-10146891395652526592010-09-15T15:59:00.000-04:002010-09-15T15:59:07.417-04:00What blogging means to me & why I do it.It's that time of week again! That's right it's my post for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Mama's Losin' It" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac331/mamakatslosinit/poodle4.jpg" /> </a><br />
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The topic that I chose was one that I've written about before, but it was in response to a post over at <a href="http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/">Mommy Wants Vodka</a> about why I blog. So, I <a href="http://withjustabitofmagic.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-i-blog-because-i-work-full-timehave.html">answered</a>.<br />
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I thought about simply linking back to my old post for the workshop but thought I'd do a part two and elaborate upon it a bit more. Something short and sweet. This is it.<br />
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This weeks prompt....<br />
<i>Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?</i><br />
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I've been blogging since May of this year and have found that be successful at it you have to put forth a lot of work. Probably a lot more than I thought and I'm working on how to balance building a successful blog, working full time, and being a mom. I won't lie, it's damn hard. Really hard.<br />
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I like blogging. I like meeting new people even if they're only online friends for now. I like knowing that I'm not the only one in this crazy place called motherhood. I like that most everyone out there is similar to me in many ways. I like that I have a hobby that I can do whenever, where ever, and it doesn't require a costly trip to JoAnn's for scrapbooking or sewing supplies!<br />
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I know that there is so much to learn about blogging, SEO, increasing readership/followers, coding, and simple maintenance of my blog. And I know that with time I'll get it! And with the great circle of bloggers out there I have found an endless supply of help that I appreciate!<br />
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One thing that I do like is that my kids read my blog. They follow me too! The often ask, 'have you updated your blog recently?' and then they go off to read it! Great kids, huh!<br />
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The husband follows me too.... just not sure if he actually reads it though!<br />
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But at the end of the day, when all is said and done I do it for me. I blog simply because I want to. It's for me to rant, rave, ramble, or just share a few thoughts. <br />
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I hope that this answers the question. <br />
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<div style="padding-left: 10px;" width="400"><span style="font-size: smaller;"></span></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/251/18553233FAD9B3E4A100311CB4411DF4.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important; position: relative;" /></a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-47288407872738408242010-09-15T07:50:00.002-04:002010-09-15T07:53:12.911-04:00On cookies and frustration.<i>Not that long ago I set out to find someone who was interested in doing a guest post for me. I posed the question to all the great people who are part of the <a href="http://theblogfrog.com/1238573">Crayon Wrangler's Blog Frog</a> community as well as on Twitter and was able to get an immediate response from my new friend, Maryline, from <a href="http://www.francoamericandream.com/">Franco-American Dream</a>! Needless to say I was excited... and still am!<br />
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Do you have kids? If so, you can totally sympathize with Maryline! I know I went through it with my girls and am going to be going through it with my son! Wonder what we're talking about? Keep reading! </i><br />
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This past month has reached new heights in dinnertime struggles with my now 17-month old.<br />
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Two nights ago was the perfect example of the doomed 6pm disaster…<br />
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And I mean it. <b>Food everywhere except in his mouth.</b> Constant screaming, crying, and kicking, with some head-throwing back against the high chair – just to spice it up. Me? Starting to scream back and lose my mind. Oh yes.<br />
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To the untrained eye, this baby is in excruciating pain from teething, it's so obvious. He's shoving his fingers all the way in the back of his mouth and literally screaming bloody murder. I was surprised none of the neighbors knocked on the door to check in on us.<br />
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But in reality, set him down, and all is fine again. So, now I know better.<br />
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Except this past night? <i>Much worse</i>. Screaming at the pasta which he normally loves, screaming at the applesauce... Come on, who screams and rejects applesauce, at 17 months old?<br />
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Do I really make food for him to just decide he will not eat? Hell no!<br />
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Food, I swear, is <i>everywhere</i>. He first spits it out, slowly so that the food slides down his chin and neck. He then rubs his face with his fists, slowly painting his cheeks, eyelids, and forehead with the edible body paint of the day...<br />
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<b>Bibs at that point are WAY useless.</b> In fact, I don't even put them on. Why add to the laundry? The clothes were going to get washed <i>anyway</i>!<br />
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In the past moments, I've been fuming and cursing inside; at my husband, who should give it a try once in a while to give me a break; after my son who's clearly not understanding I am feeding him THE very best; at the dog for not being able keep up with the nutritious projectiles covering the hardwood floor, the legs of the high-chair, and the tip of my toes.<br />
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By the way? Don't wait for your kids to beg you to get a dog, get one the day you start solids with your first-born. It's a win-win, trust me! (Actually, make that happen from day one if you can, as it turns out, dogs also crave wet burps. Gross? Not really, just convenient.)<br />
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And so that night, I felt like my son was going to bed on a nearly empty stomach. But soon after, realized I did not have a choice. Let me confess, just between you and I, I briefly attempted the force feeding thing (yes, the one thing all parenting books will tell you not do), it did not work well at all. The screaming was getting louder, the mess just bigger and my sanity was NOT saved.<br />
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And so tonight, I changed my approach, I filled a few small bowls with different foods he likes – Goldfish crackers, cantaloupe, raspberries – on the ottoman, and let him play/eat for a bit. Then I sat him in the chair, with a bowl of food (pasta, red sauce, beef – homemade!), and two spoons. With the dog in stand-by to clean up after him, always.<br />
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And I? Stepped away. Still there, just not by his side holding the fork or trying to entertain him as I always have done.<br />
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He actually ate at least as much as he would have with my intervention, not necessarily much more. However I’ll admit it was far less hectic.<br />
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I would not say quiet. But sustainable. And that is good news, because <b>I have about 18 more years of dinners to go</b>.<br />
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And this is how I realized my son is making his way through life, learning independence. Just like I've learned to let him play with the front door until he gets tired of it. Because a tantrum over a door isn't worth it.<br />
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Conveniently, my son just learned a new word over the past few days: cookie, and with the French accent, please! It's so cute, it actually sounds like <i>ka-ki</i>.<br />
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Tonight when he was pointing at the pantry chanting<i> ka-ki, ka-ki</i>, I did let him have a little piece so I could strategize on the dinner plan. At least I knew he would not go to bed on an empty stomach!<br />
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Sometimes cookies are better than nothing. No doubt the next lesson my son needs to learn is simply “no”. I will wait for my husband to come back from his business trip to get started!<br />
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<b>When it comes to our children, don’t we all lose our mind over battles not worth fighting?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Testing mommy's boundaries, one meal at a time."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=36b77610-adef-46a5-bc9e-98a5bdd6de5f" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-26521727482878880672010-09-14T10:36:00.000-04:002010-09-14T10:36:44.357-04:00Some Great Plugins for Blogger!This week started the Back to School, Back to Blogging challenge that is being hosted by Gigi over at <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/">Kludgy Mom</a> and our reading and assignment was to find a plugin or widget and share what we've found about it.<br />
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<center><a ="" href="http://kludgymom.com/" target="_self"><img alt="Kludgy Mom" border="0" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af92/kludgymom/b2s125x97CTA2.png" /></a></center><br />
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When I first started looking around I didn't realize that there were so many choices for Blogger! There are a lot that are pretty useful ones depending on what you want to do with your blog and the information that you're writing about. There are also some pretty silly/odd ones that I wouldn't use. I don't need glittery, flashy content on my blog. Although my 8 year old daughter would love it!<br />
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I decided to share a couple of the plugins/widgets that I use and one that I'm considering using. These are probably pretty well known to many, but for me they weren't. And they're ones that I like and use daily.<br />
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The first plugin that I love to use is <a href="http://www.zemanta.com/">Zemanta</a>. This tool helps with finding images, it finds articles related to the post that you're writing, it suggests labels, and they suggest your posts to others where appropriate. It was really easy to install and even easier to use! Also, you don't have to worry about copyright issues when using the images that they suggest.<br />
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<a href="http://disqus.com/">Disqus</a> is the next plugin that I just found and started using. This came about because when someone comments on my blog posts I have yet to figure out how to comment back directly instead of 3 or 4 comments below. It's hard to respond to each of the comments that people leave and because of this I went in search of something else to use and this is where Disqus came in. Now I can do exactly what I want and all I had to do was sign up and then click a couple of buttons to install. It was super easy! I was even able to import the comments already on my blog!<br />
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The last plugin/widget is one that I am pondering and it's for using different fonts with your posts. Blogger doesn't come with very many choices and I like more options even though I may not use them all the time. This <a href="http://www.bloggerplugins.org/2010/05/how-to-add-custom-fonts-to-blogger.html">site</a> shows you how to add custom fonts to your blog, they recommend the Google API but there are 3 choices from which you can choose. It does appear that there are more steps to get this working, but nothing all that complicated from what I can tell. Hopefully this will do what I want!<br />
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Have you used any of these or have you found one similar that's better? Share your thoughts with me!<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-35518165171238699232010-09-09T14:12:00.000-04:002010-09-09T14:12:49.229-04:00The Breakfast Club - a memorable movie<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:THEBREAKFASTCLUBST_lp.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Breakfast Club" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/THEBREAKFASTCLUBST_lp.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 200px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:THEBREAKFASTCLUBST_lp.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>The prompt from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop that I has to write on last minute is.... What was it about that movie? Describe A movie you once had memorized.<br />
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Yeah, I know. It's late in the day but I had to do it. I love movies. And more importantly I love the John Hughes movies from the 80's.<br />
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<i>"They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse. Before the day was over, they broke the rules. Bared their souls. And touched each other in a way they never dreamed possible."</i> <br />
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So if you don't know The Breakfast Club is about 5 high school kids who get stuck in detention on a Saturday. These kids are as different as night and day but at the end of the day walk out knowing more about each other, understanding each others social group a bit more, and even friends.<br />
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I watch this movie any chance that I get no matter how far along the movie is! I think I may even own it (I know that I have Pretty in Pink & Sixteen Candles).<br />
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Some of my favorites scenes from The Breakfast Club are when they're all running around the library dancing, sneaking through the hallways avoiding Vernon, Allison putting cereal and Pixie Stix on her sandwich, Brian reading the essay that he had written for all of them, Allison's transformation, and of course the end where they all walk out together.<br />
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If you haven't seen it go out and rent it now! Along with all the other iconic movies from the 80's by John Hughes. They are amazing!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Mama's Losin' It" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac331/mamakatslosinit/poodle4.jpg" /> </a>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-18023565759024578072010-09-09T10:58:00.000-04:002010-09-09T10:58:57.152-04:00Buzz on By Thursday!Normally I do a post for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop but I thought that I'd do something a little different today!<br />
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Elizabeth over at <a href="http://sunnybugworld.blogspot.com/">Sunny Bug World</a><span style="color: black;"> as well as the ladies from <a href="http://emmysclosetbows.blogspot.com/">Emmy's Closet</a>, <a href="http://thetwosavvysisters.blogspot.com/">Two Savvy Sisters</a>, </span>and <a href="http://www.fashionablyorganized.com/">Fashionably Organized</a> are hosting a blog hop and a giveaway!<br />
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It's a great way to meet new people and increase your blogs readership! I know that I could use a few new readers & friends... how about you?<br />
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This week they're giving away these super cute Bee Line magnets from Sunny Bug opening later this month on Esty. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Bee Line is all about: Making a Bee Line toward Positivity & Empowerment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stop by their blogs, check it out, and enter in the drawing!</span><br />
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</div></span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-8204285122030690972010-09-08T21:12:00.000-04:002010-09-08T21:12:57.792-04:00First Day of School - Not So Wordless WednesdayFirst of all I have to say that I can't take a decent picture! I'm so annoyed that all of the pics that I took for the first day of school are blurry! <br />
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From the left is Lauren who started the third grade, Caitlin whose a freshman, and then Natalie who started middle school this fall as a 6th grader. Yes, I have kids in three different schools and driving them to school daily can be a challenge especially when the two oldest start at the same time!<br />
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</div>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-42905869111273881352010-09-07T15:24:00.000-04:002010-09-07T15:24:56.920-04:00Tag! 8 questions for you!In going through all updates for the blogs I follow I was reading one from <a href="http://www.multiplemama.com/">Multiple Mama</a> about 8 questions about me.<br />
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Here's the game. I'll answer them and then you do the same! Think of it as an updated version of Tag! And it's an easy post to do!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">1. Why did you start blogging?</span><br />
Why not? It was something that I pondered for a long time and finally took the plunge into the pool! And now that I've done it I love it! I've met a lot of wonderful people that are in similar boats as I am! Best of all I'm not alone in this great big pool! There are so many people out there that are willing to help and it's great.<br />
I like being able to rant, rave, tell my side of the story, or just ramble on. I like that I'm not the only one out there that won't be winning the mom of the year award. I like that I have an outlet and one that doesn't take a lot of time!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">2. If you could travel any where in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why?</span><br />
Hmm... so many choices. Well, I'm going to go with that there's not a restriction on the length of the trip either. I think, after some research, I'd start my trip out here in the U.S. because there's a lot I'd like to see here. Like the Grand Teton's, Yosemite, Grand Canyon (again), Salem, and a few other places. From there I'd move on to Ireland & Scotland and stay there for about a month. After that I'd warm up on the Greek islands and take a cruise over to Italy. Of course I'd take my family and a nanny to help out with the kids because I'm sure that there are times they'd want to hang back at the posh house we're staying in while the husband and I go out.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influence on your life? If so, what?</span><br />
I probably did or not. I really can't remember. There are teachers that stick out in my mind but none that did something that greatly influenced me and my life.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?</span><br />
Just one?!!? Geesh... that kinda limits me. Well, the first person that comes to my mind (Don't Laugh) is Rachael Ray! I love her shows! She seems to be such a down to earth person and I would love to just spend the day cooking and hanging out!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">5. Toilet paper — over or under?</span><br />
I really don't care as long as we have some in the bathroom when I need it!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.</span><br />
I would have stayed in college after graduating high school. I stopped for a while because of a stupid boy. And that was a HUGE mistake. One of epic proportions. Stupid. But I knew everything at the time. Nope. Wrong. Shh... the parents were right. Now, I did finish college but I think that I'd be in a better place with my career had I stayed on track when I was younger.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">7. Tell about your pets — if any.</span><br />
4 kids ( 3 girls - 14, 11, 8 & 1 boy - 7m), 1 dog, and my husband. I have plenty!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">8.</span> <span style="color: purple;">Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.)</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Actually, I think it's somewhere in the middle and I'm situated in a really good area. I live between the capital city of Lansing and the failing city of Flint. But I'm also only about 2 hours from northern Michigan or the Detroit area. So finding something to do is fairly simple!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Tag! It's your turn now!</span></span><br />
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</span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15012551542418581742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519261842362275182.post-81906765640040144832010-09-02T22:04:00.000-04:002010-09-02T22:04:17.571-04:00Another Bad Mom Moment....So, needless to say I won't be getting the Mom of the Year Award anytime soon! I seem to have these moments every now and again. And they're more often than I'd like them.<br />
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Here's the story....<br />
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I work full time and my day starts at 5:30 am and usually ends around 9pm when I finally get to sit down and relax. That's a long damn day! This past week at work has been one challenge after another and more meetings then necessary! There were interruptions, changes to priorities, and confusion added to my projects. Honestly it sucked.<br />
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Today wasn't the best day. With the holiday weekend coming up we're planning on going camping for the weekend which adds a bit more work for me which isn't to bad since the camper doesn't get fully unpacked till the end of the season. This was supposed to be a family thing. Today my daughter calls and says she wants to go up north with her friend and that she really wants to go because she hasn't been able to do anything with this friend all summer. I understand. Really I do. When I was her age I would have rather gone with a friend instead of my parents too. But it kind of upset me because I was hoping for a nice weekend with the whole family.<br />
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With all the frustration I ended up taking it out on my daughter. I snapped at her and wasn't very nice. And it all came up before I knew it and then it was to late. I feel horrible. I tried to talk to her. I tried to apologize. But she was mad/upset with me and didn't want much to do with me.<br />
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I have to get better at not taking my frustrations out on my kids. They don't deserve it. They didn't do anything wrong (ok... sometimes they do) and it isn't fair to them.<br />
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The question is how do I do this? What can I do to change things so I don't take my frustration out on them? I suppose that like any change that you make in your life it takes time and effort.<br />
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Wish me luck! And maybe someday I will get that Mom of the Year Award!!<br />
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