tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36920891205748117582024-03-13T03:04:05.027-07:00Mom It ForwardMomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-15635300901055994102009-04-12T09:22:00.000-07:002009-04-12T09:31:50.776-07:00RSVP—Guy Kawasaki Joins #GNO This Week at Our Virtual Pajama Party Sponsored by My Mommy Manual<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's a Pajama Party Without a GUY?</span></span><br /><br />The fabulous <a href="http://twitter.com/riasharon">Ria</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/zenmommy">Suzanne</a> from <a href="http://mymommymanual.com/its-a-pajama-party-virtual-live-april-14th-helping-women-in-kenya/">My Mommy Manual</a> and in partnership with <a href="http://momitforward.com">Mom It Forward</a> and the <a href="http://12for12k.org/">12 for 12K team</a>, are throwing the pajama party of all pajama parties and you're invited. In support of our 6-week focus on charity, service, and giving, they are raffling off a wide array of prizes with the proceeds going to <a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu Microfinance</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/">Basa Body</a>, and <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.co.ke/">Coast Coconut Farms</a>. <a href="http://mymommymanual.com/pjparty/">Click here to enter to win!</a><br /><br /><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/EdKeDQI11lE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EdKeDQI11lE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></object><br /><br />What's more? <a href="http://www.guykawasaki.com/">Guy Kawasaki</a> is joining in on the fun! After all, what's a pajama party without a GUY? Join us Tuesday, April 14 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. eastern (8 CDT, 7 MDT, & 6 PDT) to chit and chat about tips for entrepreneurs—starting and running your own business and using social media to do it. Click <a href="http://momitforward.com/rsvp%E2%80%94guy-kawasaki-joins-gno-this-week-at-our-virtual-pajama-party-sponsored-by-my-mommy-manual">here</a> to RSVP for the party!<br /><br /><em><a href="http://guykawasaki.com/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-560" title="guy-kawasaki" src="http://momitforward.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/guy-kawasaki.jpg" alt="guy-kawasaki" width="150" height="98" /></a>Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of <a href="http://www.garage.com/" target="_blank">Garage Technology Ventures</a>, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for </em><em>Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of nine books including </em><em>Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and </em><em>The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.</em><br /><ul style="text-align: left;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><blockquote><br /><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When</span>:</span> Tues., Apr.14 from 9 pm to 1 a.m. EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT) <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></li><br /><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">What</span>: Girl's Night Out (What's GNO? <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-mommy-gossipgno.html">Click here to find out!</a>) </span></li><br /><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Topic</span>: Tips to Starting & Running Your Own Business—in conjunction with our charity to fight poverty in Kenya (<a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BasaBody</span></a>, <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coast Coconut Farms</span></a>) </span></li><br /><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where</span>: <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://tweetgrid.com/grid?l=9&q1=%23GNO&q2=GuyKawasaki%20OR%20Zenmommy&q3=RiaSharon%20OR%20MomItForward&q4=yourvery%20own%20username%20here" target="_blank">Tweet Grid</a> (use the #gno hashtag)and on <a href="http://mymommymanual.com/pjparty/">UStream</a><br /></span></li><br /><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Who</span>: </span>@<a href="http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan">guykawasaki</a>, @<a href="http://twitter.com/riasharon">riasharon</a>, and @<a href="http://twitter.com/zenmommy">zenmommy</a><a href="http://twitter.com/yehu_africa"> </a></li><br /><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP</span>: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF">http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF</a>). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your <span style="font-weight: bold;">twitter URL</span> in the URL line. <span style="font-style: italic;">Please do not enter your blog URL there.</span></span></li><br /></blockquote><br /></ul><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">How Do You Enter to Win the Giveaways?</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://mymommymanual.com/prizes">My Mommy Manual</a> has rounded up nearly $5,000 in prizes. Check out this short video below to see how to enter!<br /><object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/3EIA4BirFQs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3EIA4BirFQs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></object><br /><br /><a href="http://momitforward.com/rsvp%E2%80%94guy-kawasaki-joins-gno-this-week-at-our-virtual-pajama-party-sponsored-by-my-mommy-manual"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Click here to RSVP for this week's RSVP!!!</span></a>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com144tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-30205241040300271362009-03-29T13:00:00.000-07:002009-03-30T15:45:36.488-07:00#GNO Makes a Difference—Social Community & Responsibility<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">One Person Can Make a Difference!</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnerobot/2947044192/" title="ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND EVERYONE SHOULD TRY. by ginnerobot, on Flickr"><img style="width: 248px; height: 406px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2947044192_b2302443f1.jpg" alt="ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND EVERYONE SHOULD TRY." /></a><br /></div><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><blockquote><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When</span>: Tues., Mar. 31 from 9 pm to 1 a.m. EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">What</span>: Girl's Night Out (What's GNO? <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-mommy-gossipgno.html">Click here to find out!</a>)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Topic</span>: Social community & responsibility—kicking off our Mom It Forward Moms Helping Moms charity (<a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BasaBody</span></a>, <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coast Coconut Farms</span></a>)!<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where</span>: <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://is.gd/pKqU" target="_blank">Tweet Grid</a><a href="http://is.gd/pKqU"> </a>(use the #gno hashtag)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Who</span>: </span>@<a href="http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan">ChrisBrogan</a>, @<a href="http://twitter.com/dannybrown">dannybrown</a>, @<a href="http://twitter.com/briancarter">briancarter</a>, Catherine from @<a href="http://herbadmother.com/">herbadmother</a>, Rainee Baldwin from @<a href="http://twitter.com/basabody">basabody</a>, Troy Holmberg from @<a href="http://twitter.com/yehu_africa">yehu_africa</a>!<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP</span>: Visit our new site at <a href="http://momitforward.com/">http://momitforward.com</a> to RSVP. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></li></blockquote></ul><br /><br /><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnerobot/">flickr</a>.</span><br /></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-35192469158645640482009-03-27T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-27T21:00:00.233-07:00What Is A Virtual Bake Sale?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkmIsLvHRVV7zJD56umuidKiZkpWn1uPM3EBDorigJ6xKz0Yz3DZZ8Xo78_ZC7SaWZZCCJ058khAkCwrNwlG7zkut2Y4zMgCZRSXPQZP6jnaLzuJ3Hq-9fvAvA0qcHPaYzyRDeRxFck8/s1600-h/Kate6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkmIsLvHRVV7zJD56umuidKiZkpWn1uPM3EBDorigJ6xKz0Yz3DZZ8Xo78_ZC7SaWZZCCJ058khAkCwrNwlG7zkut2Y4zMgCZRSXPQZP6jnaLzuJ3Hq-9fvAvA0qcHPaYzyRDeRxFck8/s400/Kate6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317647785718039810" border="0" /></a><br />Kate (@<a href="http://twitter.com/asimplewalk">asimplewalk</a>) is a foodie author and owner of <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/">Cooking During Stolen Moments</a>. (Love the pot in the window in her header..!) We met Kate at BlissDom09, I talked her into playing some board games one evening in fact!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Teaming up with Share Our Strength; Kate tells her story.</span></span><br /><br />Ever since I was a little girl, I have been passionate about helping children that were less fortunate than myself. When I was in fifth grade, I began sponsoring a child through Christian Children's Fund with my allowance money. I loved giving in that way - feeling like I was doing something important for other children. Never in my life did I imagine that someday I might have children on the receiving end of that cycle.<br /><br />But that is exactly what happened a few years ago. A series of events led to our family relying on the kindness of strangers and food pantry donations to see us through. I saw first hand the work and compassion of organizations whose first priority is making sure children are fed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWOEqnWJTNdhp9oLSmofe7716GkH4hN6cgJWzYqGfprZNAETGcT06ZMoLmMQIw45nlNOy1eKd-mUnNzLdtzR8PY0XElthHZtzWGfxhidC_IcgvHCo7LrmyPlo3Zcji6K-xEyWQ-krTWI/s1600-h/Miller_fam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWOEqnWJTNdhp9oLSmofe7716GkH4hN6cgJWzYqGfprZNAETGcT06ZMoLmMQIw45nlNOy1eKd-mUnNzLdtzR8PY0XElthHZtzWGfxhidC_IcgvHCo7LrmyPlo3Zcji6K-xEyWQ-krTWI/s400/Miller_fam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317648284315253762" border="0" /></a>Now that the tide has turned toward the better for our family, I feel that same passion I did as a child, except this time I'm armed with first-hand experience. A commercial on Food Network for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale really got me thinking. I knew I wanted to get involved. I tried to figure out what I could do that would have the greatest impact. That's when the idea of the <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/virtual-gabs/">Virtual Great American Bake Sale</a> occurred to me.<br /><br />I emailed <a href="http://strenth.org/">Share Our Strength</a> with my plans. I was thrilled when they responded that they loved the idea and set up a conference call with me.I partnered with them to create the official Virtual Great American Bake Sale.<br /><br />I can't wait to see the power of the blogosphere in action. I hope you’ll join me in my vision to make the <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/virtual-gabs/">Virtual Great American Bake Sale</a> a success. Let’s support Share Our Strength’s work to make sure that no child goes hungry!<br /><br />You can read all of the details and find out how to participate on my blog, Cooking During Stolen Moments. Click the button to find out more!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/virtual-gabs/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rUCjeGfWisd1K_rfkfpNud4Z8FKyU-d-ykWF1u6mJGLLds62hYXDr_mJLxKoxKN2bYd_MK1LioP1XXvU9NrpqYpixevicGHiONp5OuX2lp-ZKFcoBfVvLQASTid_FSTebF0DlYKa858/s400/VGABS_button.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317648330494297298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />~~~~~~~<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Calling All Foodies!</span> The virtual bake sale needs your recipes! Hurry, deadline is April 5th!<br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-68430659428974119842009-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-26T21:00:00.557-07:00How Can I Make My Blog Giveaways Better?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy2LSfjjfNTeiH7XthI9SJy-JqQoET4LAmO25d2AF0bXJhBjnZfdUBplaqS6PVjUMqSpDSR1vCAUdo-Xg93llSsEWTInLaHkdXXNjUx4BBkQu01A7xeAIij6ECH04JOgYGA3H3rZyobU/s1600-h/MomFuse+Jessica+and+Twins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy2LSfjjfNTeiH7XthI9SJy-JqQoET4LAmO25d2AF0bXJhBjnZfdUBplaqS6PVjUMqSpDSR1vCAUdo-Xg93llSsEWTInLaHkdXXNjUx4BBkQu01A7xeAIij6ECH04JOgYGA3H3rZyobU/s400/MomFuse+Jessica+and+Twins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317634012554570738" border="0" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/momfuse">Jessica</a> is the founder of <a href="http://momfuse.com/">MomFuse.com</a> a popular site for moms that features product reviews, awesome giveaways and so much more. When she started Mom Fuse she mainly wanted it to be a place where moms could come and get honest reviews on the products moms might use, this soon turned in to companies offering to host giveaways.<br /><p>Giveaways are becoming very popular, especially with the way the economy is. Now, more than ever, people are getting online to find the best products for the lowest price or even for free.<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why do companies sponsor giveaways?</span><br />Companies sponsor contests and giveaways in order to get their products in the hands of consumers. Why? Because if you like a product you’ve tried, you are likely to tell someone you know. Hence, <span style="font-style: italic;">word of mouth marketing</span>. This is also why companies want to get their products reviewed. Companies are seeking out more and more mom and family related blogs to do product reviews and giveaways.</p><p>If you’re hunting down companies to sponsor a giveaway or have been approached by a company that is interested in hosting a giveaway on your blog here are some simple tips to help make that giveaway a successful one.<br /></p><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://momfuse.com/2009/03/revolution-foods-lunchbox-simplicity-giveaway/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsRKExgv_kXdOTOeAh7VHzfT0aANfkM-GhjjAHpH17qQRDSBcPg3XJy-ysepE9DepBm3YhbnExz3_fztoH-rpAGdodlYgZuL_n_bP4tiYiRj6siUx-RnRAVR3AV4hEWCMLSiwCmQrz4s/s400/revapproved1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317640309218956002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Tell your readers why you would want the product.</span><br /></p><p>Your readers trust you, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t read or subscribe to your blog. So, if the product you're giving away isn’t something you would want, why would <span style="font-style: italic;">they </span>want it?<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Make it easy to enter the giveaway.</span><br /></p><p>I know when I visit blogs and enter giveaways, if the process of entering to win is too complicated or there is too much stuff to do, I won’t enter. —I am a stay at home mom to infant twins, I run <a href="http://momfuse.com/">MomFuse.com</a> and the <a href="http://barteringmomsclub.com/">BartingMomsClub.com</a>, and I like to spend time with my family. I don’t have the extra time to do a ton of extra stuff!<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://momfuse.com/2009/03/windex-outdoor-all-in-one-giveaway/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud4UPY7FZvaymTQgHDUhqfr4CCqK5v3F50o0kfDaF3xS8yHjUTGeN83zigw3QWyaxSfXZBIvX0kLd4Ycr46LCMozzIKDc_HaPS9aWh9DSKPJxIwuudAUPmpjLReI-xkEMeA-yVV-1nsc/s400/windexlogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317640302466544290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Promote, Promote, Promote</span><br /></p><p>Promoting a giveaway is the only way people will know you have one. There are tons of free sites out there to list your giveaway (just do a Google search). There are also other blogs, like Mom Fuse, that allow you to list your giveaway. You would be surprised at how much extra traffic and giveaway entries you receive from these.<br /><br />Twitter, which has become very popular, is also a good way to promote your giveaway or anything else terrific on your blog. Be sure not to come off as spammy. People don’t like spam or those who spam them.<br /><br /><br /><br />Another great way to promote is to offer additional entries to those who post the contest info on their blogs. This not only helps spread the word about your giveaway but also gets people linking to your website and in turn getting you more visitors and better stats.<br /><br /></p><blockquote>The bottom line, write a story, not just a review... companies will appreciate your creativity, and so will your readers! </blockquote><br /><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-51308221593392313032009-03-25T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-25T21:00:00.462-07:00What's The Trick? How Can I Grow My Blog?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzeE4dEHYQVQYFP6T44hAsMz9CoaUVKTRLLi7GZBrux960oarMvDU8VtWdaYsyy0IjxeQFzSyeIkvvqwsUqivzvSIqHajbDlCnaGm8LQGwhLNg2oHVUs_ZH0_0uNklvDLW1jaRTnCrz8/s1600-h/Me+and+Kids.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzeE4dEHYQVQYFP6T44hAsMz9CoaUVKTRLLi7GZBrux960oarMvDU8VtWdaYsyy0IjxeQFzSyeIkvvqwsUqivzvSIqHajbDlCnaGm8LQGwhLNg2oHVUs_ZH0_0uNklvDLW1jaRTnCrz8/s400/Me+and+Kids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317201219036290962" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://twitter.com/makeandtakes">Marie LeBaron</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> is a 30 something stay at home mom to 3 silly kids. Before life as a mother, she graduated with a </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238007232_0">teaching degree in Early Childhood</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> & </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238007232_1">Elementary Education</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, after which she taught four years of </span><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238007232_2">Kindergarten</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. After her first child was born, she decided to read books and sing </span><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238007232_3">silly songs</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> at home. She misses the classroom, but she now gets to bring the fun and learning into her home and ours. You can follow more of her projects at her parenting blog </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.makeandtakes.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238007232_4">Make and Takes</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Here's a few tips and tricks to help increase traffic to your blog.</span></span><br />As I've been blogging for 2 years and currently have just over 4,100 daily subscribers, I know most of these tips have helped my own readership grow.</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/k2d2vaca/703476356/" title="traffic jam by K2D2vaca, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1319/703476356_990e40a55a.jpg" alt="traffic jam" width="500" height="379" /></a><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Niche Blogging</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - Find your passion and blog about it. It's much easier and comes more naturally if you blog about something you love. It could be food, parenting, photography, knitting, design etc. If you're genuine and real in your posts, people respond to that and want to read more.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Submitting Posts</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - There are some great sites that take submissions for related posts and can bring you new readers. Here's a few to check out:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /><li><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/" target="_blank">Stumble Upon</a> - here you must submit other sites as well as your own.</li><br /><li><a href="http://kirtsy.com/" target="_blank">Kirtsy</a>, <a href="http://digg.com/" target="_blank">Digg</a>, <a href="http://www.delightfulblogs.com/" target="_blank">Delightful</a></li><br /><li><a href="http://craftzine.com/" target="_blank">Craftzine</a>, <a href="http://getcrafty.com/index.php" target="_blank">Get Crafty</a>, <a href="http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/" target="_blank">The Craft Crow</a>, <a href="http://www.tipjunkie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tip Junkie<br /></a></li><br /><li><a href="http://tastespotting.com/" target="_blank">Tastespotting</a>, <a href="http://foodgawker.com/" target="_blank">Foodgawker</a>, <a href="http://foodphotoblog.com/" target="_blank">FoodPhotoBlog</a></li><br /></ul><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">How-To Type Posts</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - A post with a recipe or directions to make something are very popular with sites like Stumble Upon or Kirsty. They tend to bring a lot of traffic, as people love to see how to make things for themselves.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Use Twitter as a Business Card</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - Twitter is great for building relationships with people, but it can also be great for sharing your site with others. Try to follow people who are in your area of interest. Chances are they will see your profile and click on your blog link, seeing who you are and maybe staying a while.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Responding to Comments</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - When someone leaves a comment on your blog, try to comment back or even email back to readers who may be new to your blog. It helps them feel welcome and you can say thanks for sharing their comment. Chances are they'll find you took the time to say hi and they'll come back to read more.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Leaving Comments</strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - Visit other people's blogs and share a comment. Who doesn't love to get comments? Read their posts and comment with something relevant to add, letting them know you're genuine!</span><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I hope these tips and tricks help. What else have you found to help increase traffic to your site?</blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Photo by </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/k2d2vaca/">flickr</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span></span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-85764359308193442462009-03-24T23:02:00.000-07:002009-03-24T23:31:37.574-07:00Don’t Leave All Your Love on Twitter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQPevqzh2uxz6i4LfI8mbpOm7RqIo0hPFN0W1zr3iB-hu2wPoK5sKS8QSZ8rRYmEU5jSf4saegCbNX7hNT_2ZwGHE56wXHMrGpLijjxeam2poSWq6vE8RgsV4L-gH6Gmgo4ZZXbZhP_s/s1600-h/janice-susan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQPevqzh2uxz6i4LfI8mbpOm7RqIo0hPFN0W1zr3iB-hu2wPoK5sKS8QSZ8rRYmEU5jSf4saegCbNX7hNT_2ZwGHE56wXHMrGpLijjxeam2poSWq6vE8RgsV4L-gH6Gmgo4ZZXbZhP_s/s400/janice-susan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317002881511381394" border="0" /></a>Today's post is brought to you by the amazing Twin Turbo charged team from <a href="http://5minutesformom.com/">5 Minutes For Mom</a>! <a href="http://twitter.com/5minutesformom">Janice </a>and <a href="http://twitter.com/susancorradino">Susan </a>are the duo dynamo behind th fabulous phenomenon known as <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/5808/ultimate-blog-party-2009/">The Ultimate Blog Party</a>. Have you SEEN it? THOUSANDS of participants!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Written by Janice:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I ADORE Twitter. I should be a Twitter Evangelist!</span></span><br /><div id="content" class="wide"> <div class="wrapper"> <div id="permalink"> <div class="thumb"><a href="http://twitter.com/5minutesformom"></a></div><blockquote><a href="http://twitter.com/5minutesformom"><img style="width: 56px; height: 56px;" alt="Our-photo-90_bigger" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/53274144/our-photo-90_bigger.jpg" /></a> <span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">Anyone have blogging questions? See if I can help? #gno</span></span><br /></blockquote><div class="user-info clear"><div class="screen-name"><a href="http://twitter.com/5minutesformom"></a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is one of my favorite social media tools. Through</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">140-character-or-less masterpieces, which are fast and fun to write</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and get instantaneous responses, I can develop my social media</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">footprint, drive traffic to my sites, and, most importantly, connect</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">with an ocean of people, many of whom I might never otherwise get the</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">chance to meet. I can talk to Darren Rowse. (@<a href="http://twitter.com/problogger">problogger</a>) And you never know – he</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">might just talk back! THEN a whole lot of people would see him talking</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">to little old me!</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />But even if Darren Rowse doesn’t follow me back or even answer my</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">tweet, there are thousands of other wonderful tweets that are waiting</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">for me. There is a vast world of twitter friends and I am on my way to</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">finding each one of them, one tweet and follow at a time. Yes, that</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">kind of interaction and opportunity is just plain exciting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But there is Mor</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e...</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Twitter is a networking party, a chance to mingle and connect. We</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">chat, catch up and even introduce one another. We laugh and have fun.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We cheer each other up and cheer each other on. And sometimes, in the</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">middle of it all, we drop in some self promoting links.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />But, I have found the most valuable rewards of Twitter come when my</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Twitter friends and I leave TweetDeck or TweetGrid and delve into</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">deeper relationships. Through visiting their blogs and websites,</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">commenting and engaging in these different forums, I get to know my</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Twitter friends better. We develop stronger bonds and a better</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">understanding of each other. Through events like Tweet Ups,</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">conferences, and parties, we are able to establish “In Real Life”</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">connections that solidify our online connections taking us to the next</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">level of friendship and loyalty.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/endlessstudio/2571671064/" title="Heart Mouse by _ES, on Flickr"><img style="width: 184px; height: 169px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2571671064_e5c6386063_m.jpg" alt="Heart Mouse" /></a>What are YOU doing with your Twitter Love?</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A reply comes in from a stranger. Wow – a new friend! Someone heard my</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">tweet and cared enough to tweet back. It is a magical feeling really.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It makes the world cosier and certainly more fun. It is connection –</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">the nature of Twitter. We tweet back and forth. We follow each other.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are Twitter friends. And that Twitter friend might just become one</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">of my best friends and my most loyal ally. But I will never know if I</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">don’t take that connection to the next level.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />So what do you need to do to ensure you get the most out of Twitter?</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23898723@N00/3323161345/" title="The girlfriends by theother66, on Flickr"><img style="width: 502px; height: 377px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/3323161345_f008229149.jpg" alt="The girlfriends" /></a><br />Take a minute and take a chance. Jump over to your new followers’</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">blogs, leave comments on posts, and get to know them beyond the 140</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">character format. Chances are, if you like them in short form, long</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">form will be a great fit too! Get out to Tweet Ups and other IRL</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">events. As wonderful as technology is, nothing can replace meeting in</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">person. It is a wonderful feeling when an online friend becomes a real</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">life friend. Support each other. Promote each other. On Twitter and</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">off, there are so many ways to help each other. Just like at</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Christmas, it is better to give than to receive. (But don’t worry -</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">you will probably have your share of receiving too!)</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yes, following up on Twitter friendships takes time. And you probably</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">don’t have time to invest in every Twitter reply or follow you have.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But it will serve you well to take all that love you have found on</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Twitter and let it grow both on and off your Twitter app.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://5minutesformom.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 52px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEgIxt4x2477yz2M1ySzwvwxpjQ_YGJHIoS8l2NGblSjgy5ad96m2eLhqHB7cSGz3ckQ1dvzovTjVr-ggtHp6yK6bbTW5XSvhIqugxzOwMK4VLGsB-KPQWu7QCteLdgj-tmIwDLWtYFs/s400/5minutesformom+janice+susan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317003089144321186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photos from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/endlessstudio/">flickr </a>and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23898723@N00/">flickr</a>.</span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com247tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-25940591292425062502009-03-24T19:00:00.000-07:002009-03-24T19:07:30.119-07:00Park City Mountain Resort Vacation Giveaway Winner!<p face="trebuchet ms"></p><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Can you even imagine how hard it must have been to choose a winner from over 100 nominations!</span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUHV10_c0sCW6KFXPbBTtLiqR8YMkwk7AuzAWo6htgrmtqtNDj9G5ajRIqKgZU0vdh0_V9ABk2iZQdYzQoV9WBMCNdRw3AYoQ7BoSiKVXL7RRZNWAmJihuLK4IPHoS0c-1kDmhC83i6o/s1600-h/Park+City+Mountain+Resort+Summer+Giveaway+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUHV10_c0sCW6KFXPbBTtLiqR8YMkwk7AuzAWo6htgrmtqtNDj9G5ajRIqKgZU0vdh0_V9ABk2iZQdYzQoV9WBMCNdRw3AYoQ7BoSiKVXL7RRZNWAmJihuLK4IPHoS0c-1kDmhC83i6o/s400/Park+City+Mountain+Resort+Summer+Giveaway+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316455556124724514" border="0" /></a></p><p face="trebuchet ms">When we asked you to nominate someone who exhibited Mom it Forward's Mission in your lives, we had no idea just how amazing all these entries would be!</p><p face="trebuchet ms"></p><blockquote>Think of a person who has made a big difference in your life. Someone that embraces the <a href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-mom-it-forward.html">Mom It Forward mission</a>. Someone that lifts others, has overcome challenges with a smile, is a positive force for good, or just makes your world a better place.</blockquote><p></p><p face="trebuchet ms">So many people—you, your own moms and a few extraordinary husbands and dads—nominated people to win in the true spirit of Mom It Forward! It was so fun to watch the nominations come in and to be touched by every single one of them.</p><p></p><p face="trebuchet ms"></p><p face="trebuchet ms"></p><p face="trebuchet ms"></p><p face="trebuchet ms"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">We dare</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">you</span> to read through all of the nominations both on the <a href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2009/02/win-free-park-city-mountain-resort.html">Mom It Forward Site</a> and the Park City Mountain Resort <a href="http://snowmamas.com/">Snow Mamas Site</a>. Could <span style="font-weight: bold;">you </span>make that decision?</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A panel from <a href="http://snowmamas.com/">Park City Mountain Resort</a> has been given that task, and without further ado, let's announce the winner of:</p><blockquote style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Lodging</span></span> for up to 6 people (3 nights, 4 days) in a 2-bedroom, 5-star condo<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Dinner</span></span> vouchers for 3 nights for the entire family<br /><br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resort Passes</span></span> good for 3 days, including a wide range of <a href="http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/activities/index.html">family activities</a> such as<a href="http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/activities/index.html"> </a>a climbing wall, an Alpine Slide, a Human Maze, miniature golfing, a Zip Rider, mountain biking and hiking, and more (valid between May and August 2009)<a href="http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/activities/index.html"><br /></a></li></ul></blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> </a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >And the Lucky Winner Is...</span><br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Congratulations to Jessica Whitt at <a href="http://half12.blogspot.com/">Go Blog Yourself</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/tjstaab">Tonya Staab</a> nominated you to win!</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHDq_WplqOSBQ1-80EbrKpu1yOldgMHXJwekrLpv6PoEQOzPz4IdKmwqCa5xDrqgHhaIPVeFzheId38u5kAJAWSgBukPVK7_xaGcLJVfSETxDdoRdjvzoEKT5fQsyiUgfnleBc-lIlt4/s1600-h/winner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHDq_WplqOSBQ1-80EbrKpu1yOldgMHXJwekrLpv6PoEQOzPz4IdKmwqCa5xDrqgHhaIPVeFzheId38u5kAJAWSgBukPVK7_xaGcLJVfSETxDdoRdjvzoEKT5fQsyiUgfnleBc-lIlt4/s400/winner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316939122059465010" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Here is her entry:<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><img src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" alt="Blogger" /><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm Tonya Staab<br />I would love to nominate Jessica Whitt for this trip. She is truly an inspiration. Jess very recently had the most devastating loss any mother could imagine. One of her 2 year old girls lost her battle with neuroblastoma. She has shown nothing but strength and courage and love throughout the days and nights spent in and out of the hospital to saying goodbye to her beautiful little girl. Jess is one of the most wonderful women I know. She's the type of person who is always there when you need a shoulder to cry on, even when she is going through so much herself and she truly is the sweetest person I know and such amazing mother.<br />I would also like to direct you to a cause that Jess whole-heartedly believes in (aside from raising money for Neuroblastoma and childhood cancer). Prior to her little girl being diagnosed, she started a blog called Will Play For Food http://playforfood.blogspot.com/ . The premise of this blog is to encourage parents to get their children involved in donating to charities. Primarily food banks. Mother's organize play dates in their local areas and each person attending brings food to donate to their local food bank. Such a worthy cause and a wonderful way to get your children involved in helping others. This is the type of person Jess is.<br />Jess is a dear friend of mine and I know she deserves this. Her family needs this.<br />Her blog address is: <a href="http://half12.blogspot.com/">Half12.</a></span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://half12.blogspot.com/"></a></span><p></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Please contact momitforward [at] gmail [dot] com to get details about your upcoming summer luxury vacation at the Park City Mountain Resort.</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Thanks PCMR for sponsoring this giveaway!<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"><img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-76075041720933313642009-03-22T07:32:00.000-07:002009-03-22T18:28:14.716-07:00Blogging Tips, Techniques, and Perks! RSVP Here!<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's an Ultimate Blogging/Birthday Party at #GNO This Week!</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/5808/ultimate-blog-party-2009/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 458px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qnaXsXuPKL59JW1uXkqIk7I_AiEt0_lCmDdmqBl6WL9Mpqx_oVRheeUyCnNCpkwqP1Q0k3gaWafBDebVRk3WN9ds2RP_o97zicYBUgYDoeajk3rjz9cjvK4OZjq6NboPW-Yn9sg3dlg/s400/Ultimate+Blogging+Party_banner.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316057197561525106" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWbZMjnyJOIL65kDlH2ps-Z-u_PA-NI2WBsR4QaHY8gETukry5MIdOJt3FSMTsaC-txnAt6H_d7UjJJ2cxYrpX7c0Ps8Uh0pHC2c220uVD0SdcWlepDIhABl10UzG9cyMazuwxsYM_hs/s1600-h/Birthday+Cake%21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWbZMjnyJOIL65kDlH2ps-Z-u_PA-NI2WBsR4QaHY8gETukry5MIdOJt3FSMTsaC-txnAt6H_d7UjJJ2cxYrpX7c0Ps8Uh0pHC2c220uVD0SdcWlepDIhABl10UzG9cyMazuwxsYM_hs/s400/Birthday+Cake%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316048466322126754" border="0" /></a><a href="http://5minutesformom.com/">5 Minutes for Mom</a> is holding their annual <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/5808/ultimate-blog-party-2009/">Ultimate Blog Party</a> and Mom It Forward is jumping in FEET first to party with them! #GNO will be talking blogging all night this Tuesday with amazing expert bloggesses, excited to share the tips and techniques to their blogging success as well as some of the perks they've experienced from blogging! Come learn, ask questions, share your expertise along with them, and party with your favorite #gno gals.<br /><br />Plus... <a href="http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF">Jyl </a>and <a href="http://twitter.com/carissa_momIF">Carissa</a> are turning 29 (again!) this week. Have a piece of virtual birthday cake to celebrate with them! Mmmmmmmmmm! <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanaroo/2416470297/">Flickr.com</a>.)</span><br /><br /></div></div><br /><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><blockquote><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When</span>: Tues., Mar. 24 from 9 pm to midnight EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">What</span>: Girl's Night Out (What's GNO? <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-mommy-gossipgno.html">Click here to find out!</a>)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Topic</span>: Blogging!<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where</span>: <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://is.gd/ottS" target="_blank">Tweet Grid</a> (use the #gno hashtag)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Who</span>: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/5minutesformom">@5minutesformom</a> (Susan Carraretto), <a href="http://twitter.com/emom">@eMom</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> (Wendy Piersall)</span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://twitter.com/makeandtakes">@makeandtakes</a> (Marie LeBaron)</span>!<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP</span>: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF">http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF</a>). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your <span style="font-weight: bold;">twitter URL</span> in the URL line. <span style="font-style: italic;">Please do not enter your blog URL there.</span></span></li></blockquote></ul><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold;">Please enter your twitter URL and not your blog URL in the RSVP list.</span><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=mommygossipgno&postid=22Mar2009"></script><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Ultimate%20blogging%20and%20bday%20party%21%20GNO%203/24%20w/%20@5minutesformom%20@emom%20@makeandtakes%20http://tr.im/hFRY%20PLS%20RT%21"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-66102291269244023772009-03-22T06:30:00.000-07:002009-03-23T10:05:33.946-07:00#GNO Live—Moms Helping Moms Fundraiser<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Meet Up With #GNO Gals for a Great Cause Sat., Apr. 18 in the US, Canada, & Australia</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDldLp05rCq3LRmNwO1Cv9Wr1HjX5KAkSm3y8Y4u_3x-TBrPMBOHXrO-iJtC4Zx8-yIxYgsHfN8l4rG7AxqRC0LXblJwoMzZnL1XaCTtGM0JUWaF0ozcPUZQVvplR5pV-HZ3FZlhFSt8I/s1600-h/Basa+Body+Woman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDldLp05rCq3LRmNwO1Cv9Wr1HjX5KAkSm3y8Y4u_3x-TBrPMBOHXrO-iJtC4Zx8-yIxYgsHfN8l4rG7AxqRC0LXblJwoMzZnL1XaCTtGM0JUWaF0ozcPUZQVvplR5pV-HZ3FZlhFSt8I/s400/Basa+Body+Woman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316132462993312978" border="0" /></a>Mom It Forward, in partnership with <a href="http://12for12k.org/">12 for 12K</a>, is kicking off 6-weeks of fundraising for moms and by moms (Tuesday, March 31 through Tuesday May 13) and we need your help!<br /><br />On Saturday, April 18, Mom It Forward and <a href="http://12for12k.org/">12 for 12K</a> events will be taking place all over the US, in Canada, and in Australia (see list of locations below) to raise funds and awareness for <a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu Microfinance</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/">BasaBody</a>, and <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/">Coast Coconut Farms</a>. The goal? To combat poverty by empowering poor rural entrepreneurs in Kenya to help lift themselves out of poverty through enhanced accessibility to sustainable financial services, business opportunities, and skills training.<br /><br /><a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu Microfinance</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/">BasaBody</a>, and <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/">Coast Coconut Farms</a> work together to achieve this mission. How? First, women secure micro loans from <a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu Microfinance</a>. Next, they purchase a franchise from <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/">Coast Coconut Farms</a>, which gives them the materials, skills/business training, and opportunity to run a coconut oil extraction business right from their village. Then, Coast Coconut Farms makes regular village runs to purchase the coconut oil and processes it in its plant. Finally, Coast Coconut Farms exports the oil to the U.S. where volunteers there use the oil to create and sell bath, body, and cooking products—part of the <a href="http://basabody.com/">Basa Body</a> and Coast Coconut Farms product lines—returning the proceeds right back to Africa to help more and more women.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >How Can You Help? </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUEAYb5M39BIgtBgd8jnT2pvEGQyY7AGHV4LdfkCc_LJHkZxZPk76DA6VDaDRt7oU4DGdU0wo7Xt7K6O44atW5DgXZ0XjtJBXTIpAecRCaFvTjHrii-vxTX-x0XN4lod3fnridEEWZ7s/s1600-h/cherrysoap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUEAYb5M39BIgtBgd8jnT2pvEGQyY7AGHV4LdfkCc_LJHkZxZPk76DA6VDaDRt7oU4DGdU0wo7Xt7K6O44atW5DgXZ0XjtJBXTIpAecRCaFvTjHrii-vxTX-x0XN4lod3fnridEEWZ7s/s400/cherrysoap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316142982990428162" border="0" /></a>Our goal is to raise $35,000 for <a href="https://choicehumanitarian.org/donate/payflow_example.php">Yehu Microfinance</a> (click <a href="http://yehu.org/donate-now">here</a> to learn more about donations) and sell $5,000 worth of Basa Body and Coast Coconut Farms product like mint chocolate truffle and cherry soap with coconut oil (shown left) or hand lotion (shown below). Cash donations or product purchases is certainly one way to help and is much appreciated.<br /><br />We recognize not everyone can donate cash during these tough financial times. Therefore, we have come up with many ways to contribute:<br /></div><br /><ol><li>Be part of a Moms Helping Moms event planning committee in your area.<br /><br /></li><li>Volunteer at a Moms Helping Moms event.<br /><br /></li><li>Donate product or services for the event (the venue, food, raffle items, etc.).<br /><br /></li><li>Help us publicize it on and offline.<br /><br /></li><li>Attend the event.<br /><br /></li><li>If there is not an event listed for your area, consider putting one together. We have a team and materials in place to help with this initiative.</li></ol><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where Are Events Taking Place?</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3qrhI06PgSh1opne6x69bU4HS1mpDdWWD-RWLAI2EfQXDr_Fa4LFg4BM3LggcnXVfdvskoQ1FjGyCgTjCjTeMolljaTjIxC4lGbOccLwHA2wuSq4JSjl1rnhZmu5pRU2qgKypcAdURY/s1600-h/yehu_woman_2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3qrhI06PgSh1opne6x69bU4HS1mpDdWWD-RWLAI2EfQXDr_Fa4LFg4BM3LggcnXVfdvskoQ1FjGyCgTjCjTeMolljaTjIxC4lGbOccLwHA2wuSq4JSjl1rnhZmu5pRU2qgKypcAdURY/s400/yehu_woman_2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316141158936131586" border="0" /></a>Mom It Forward and <a href="http://12for12k.org/">12 for 12K</a> are working with volunteers within our communities all over the US, Canada, and Australia to support <a href="http://yehu.org/">Yehu Microfinance</a>, <a href="http://basabody.com/">BasaBody</a>, and <a href="http://coastcoconutfarms.com/">Coast Coconut Farms</a> through fundraising efforts. The live events listed below (details to come) are being planned and carried out by amazingly giving teams of volunteers in local areas. The success of these events relies on terrific volunteer involvement and every team is looking for help. If you have time, services, or products you would be willing to donate, please e-mail us at momitforward AT gmail DOT com so we can put you in touch with the team leader in your area.<br /><br />Note: Hyperlinked cities mean there is a Facebook group already formed for this team. If you are near one of these cities and would like to contribute, please click on the link, join the Facebook team, and let the team know how you'd like to contribute. Thanks!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixYv9xGsOsFJYudplIiYGb35A_f2tzLwMF6RsvdJtNu7De6Ct71-4KeoPqKlSBFfM30sU1wv1YQn2_8vdU0t4DCc7Ln1XW2_Owd5E0VSsRIHoIyRsU4J9RSKJzMFKlmKoRM7hzmK6FdQ/s1600-h/basa-body-item.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixYv9xGsOsFJYudplIiYGb35A_f2tzLwMF6RsvdJtNu7De6Ct71-4KeoPqKlSBFfM30sU1wv1YQn2_8vdU0t4DCc7Ln1XW2_Owd5E0VSsRIHoIyRsU4J9RSKJzMFKlmKoRM7hzmK6FdQ/s400/basa-body-item.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316141955605923730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >The United States</span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=56057524245&ref=ts">Chicago, IL</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=57677675851&ref=ts">Dallas/Ft Worth, TX</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=68793559458&ref=ts">DC Metro (DC/MD/VA)</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7918&uid=141214340410#/group.php?sid=2d053e8ccbc5960a990ba347813aeb5e&gid=141214340410">Kansas City, MO</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=57311769543&ref=ts">Milwaukee, WI</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=74381605089&ref=ts">Nashville, TN</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=68628492194&ref=ts">New York City, NY</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287#/group.php?gid=71923767003&ref=ts">Philadelphia, PA</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=e50681ccf15f9d88def2a2bd91015ce1&gid=61883206287">Portland, OR</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=56948228558&topic=7716#/group.php?gid=59113097798&ref=ts">Raleigh, NC</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=56948228558">Salt Lake City, UT</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7554&uid=72176707577#/group.php?gid=72176707577">San Diego, CA</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Canada</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/editevent.php?success=1&picture&eid=62625142546&new&m=1#/group.php?gid=58696714582">Toronto</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11026&uid=139813450290#/group.php?gid=139813450290">Vancouver</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" > <span style="font-weight: bold;">Australia</span></span><br />Sydney<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxGhWSTIUpUCDsxzLtO0AUQZDp15wmdwS_FNIxnEHd5ZLoqN_ldGVhU2mqfnMkruRCdUHorDVbiNMjxg-qY6AuAGb8CXN-h0Gyv-PSmzHisvacnOvjFdAiS35_r1mwLHPom7Ok3fHo8Y/s1600-h/kenyan-kids.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxGhWSTIUpUCDsxzLtO0AUQZDp15wmdwS_FNIxnEHd5ZLoqN_ldGVhU2mqfnMkruRCdUHorDVbiNMjxg-qY6AuAGb8CXN-h0Gyv-PSmzHisvacnOvjFdAiS35_r1mwLHPom7Ok3fHo8Y/s400/kenyan-kids.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316414324573149314" border="0" /></a>If you are interested in participating or having an event in your area, please contact us at momitforward AT gmail DOT com. Thanks for your interest! Together, we can change the world one mom at a time!<br /><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=GNO%20goes%20live%20for%20a%20great%20cause%20Sat,%20Apr%2018%20in%2015%20cities%20in%20US,%20Canada,%20&%20Australia.%20Click%20to%20check%20for%201%20in%20ur%20area%20http://ad.vu/k3se%20Pls%20RT"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-32121537788276937722009-03-21T13:52:00.001-07:002009-03-21T14:04:11.978-07:00Kids Easter Crafts Service Project—Fun for the Family!<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" >Serve Side By Side With Your Children Saturday, March 28 in Salt Lake City!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://momitforwardchristmasboxhouse.eventbrite.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLM8KnM8xNT26GNjrGsBYyX7Lux6Uxjn9nS7S55YdWoL3TtQ1-9FnREDT1aYpvLNeAQnYCbE-GZuNhkdF32HrNhQFJIAUxvRQuGO_2-O1yqBQlTUmmyxvnfdRmCG78pXGohYQxt5X2rjc/s400/Bunny+Ears.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313674006075133058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Want to teach your children the value of service and giving? We have just the opportunity for you! Take advantage of this amazing service project, hosted by <a href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/">Mom It Forward</a> and sponsored by </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://makeandtakes.com/">Make and Takes</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.provocraft.com/">Provo Craft</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, where you can serve side by side with your children all for a great cause.</span><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><ul><li><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">What:</span> We'll be making spring crafts and ornaments to decorate the "April Tree" for the <a href="https://www.thechristmasboxhouse.org/">Christmas Box House</a>.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When:</span> Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m to 12 p.m.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where:</span> <a href="http://www.cbh.slco.org/">The Christmas Box House</a>—3660 S. West Temple<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP:</span> <a href="http://momitforwardchristmasboxhouse.eventbrite.com/">Please click here to RSVP</a> by 3/26 so we can purchase the right amount of materials and food. In your RSVP, be sure to mention how many people will be coming in your party.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">For More Information:</span> Please contact marie [at] makeandtakes [dot] com or momitforward [at] gmail [dot] with "Christmas Box House" in the subject line.<br /></li></ul></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >(Photo used with permission from Flickr.com)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" >What Is the Christmas Box House?</span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><img alt="Christmas Box House Children's Shelter" class="" src="http://www.cbh.slco.org/images/CBHouse.gif" border="0" width="343" height="247" hspace="0" /></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In 1997, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.thechristmasboxhouse.org/" target="_blank">The Christmas Box Foundation</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, with support from the community, agreed to fund and build a new shelter intake/ assessment and residential facility. This facility has greatly enhanced services to abused and neglected children and reflects a statewide model for delivery of best practice assessment and treatment services to victims of child abuse. </span><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Christmas Box House provides: </p> <ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li>Emergency residential services, 24 hours a day, 7 days-a-week, to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or a foster care placement failure. </li><li>Emergency intake and assessment services, based on a multi-disciplinary treatment approach, are available around-the-clock for youth to address their emotional, physical, educational and placement needs. </li><li>The Residential Unit provides specialized care for a maximum of 34 children, ages 0-11. It provides state-of-the-art comprehensive services, which reflect best practice and innovative breakthroughs in childcare. </li><li>Over 45 licensed Resource Homes within the community provide nurturing care to children for up to 28 days. Last year Resource families provided care within their homes for 619 children. </li><li>For current volunteer and donation needs, please contact Tammy Champo at 801-269-7506, <a href="mailto:tchampo@slco.org">tchampo@slco.org</a>, or Elisbeth Williams at 284-3301, <a href="mailto:elisabeth@thechristmasboxhouse.org">elisabeth@thechristmasboxhouse.org</a>. </li></ul> <div style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="dtFooter"> </div> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >(Information and picture taken directly from <a href="http://www.cbh.slco.org/">http://www.cbh.slco.org/</a>.)</span><br /><br /><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Live%20in%20UT?%20Wanna%20teach%20ur%20kids%20to%20serve?%20Join%20us%20Sat,%20Mar%2028%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-64922727200867306512009-03-20T21:20:00.000-07:002009-03-20T21:20:00.608-07:00What Is Composting, And How Can I Start?<div>Daisy's garden is still under a blanket of snow, so she satisfies her gardening itch by blogging at <a href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com">Compost Happens</a>, <a href="http://a-mothers-garden-of-verses.blogspot.com/">A Mother's Garden of Verses</a>, and <a href="http://mid-centurymodernmoms.typepad.com/midcenturymodernmoms/">Mid-Century Modern Moms</a> -- that is, when she's not at her day job as an elementary teacher.<br /><a href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: rgb(220, 238, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237404223_0"><br /></span></a></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hi, I’m Daisy, and I compost in my backyard. </span></span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/2006/09/taking-break-from-reading-instruction.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlWpDFlpBKEYtu-l28rh1Dhf01lw7WhMZKgDX_Yt4uJkOuxCfnHUA_qZBI8uiGkNmFC1_sh1fM-soyx0zZLabS2Exk3abyteOwq4u01m_XBbROe8zZQkFYwCx0hfuGkg9UC3qCyvDUjM/s200/compost+b4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314611909009605314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You could call me an urban <a href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/2006/09/taking-break-from-reading-instruction.html">composter</a>, although my home city is more suburban in size and style. I have a bin in the backyard, a bucket in the kitchen, and a small pitchfork and shovel in the garage. These are <a href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/2008/05/oh-that-i-were-glove-upon-that-hand.html">my tools</a>, and this is my story.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I gather more kitchen garbage than I ever thought possible and dump it in the bin. Layered with grass clippings, weeds, and the occasional pile of leaves, the mixture, well, rots. Slowly but surely, it decomposes and becomes again one with the soil. I stir it once in a while with a pitchfork or turn the layers with a shovel, but that’s about all. Compost, as they say, happens. And it often happens not because of my efforts, but regardless of what I do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My bin is simple. It looks like a large black garbage can, but it has no bottom. The lid is easy for me to take off, but somehow the raccoons haven’t gotten into it. Husband bought it for me several years ago, assuring me that it is made from recycled plastics.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Regular ingredients in my compost include coffee grounds, banana peels, apple cores, potato peelings, and melon rinds. Children prefer not to eat the heel of the bread? Compost. Bag of chips down to the crumbs? Compost. Shucking corn on the cob from the farmer’s market? Put the husks in the compost. Some of my more unusual ingredients have included wax paper covered with cookie crumbs, the paper wrapper from a fast food sandwich, and paper towels used to wipe up a spill. We’ll add small amounts of grass clippings because large layers tend to mildew and not mix well with the rest. The contents of our pet rabbits’ litter boxes can go in the compost on occasion, but again, not too much or it simply won’t decompose completely. In the autumn, the fallen leaves will provide the final top layer before winter sets in and it‘s too cold for the process to work.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/2008/05/oh-that-i-were-glove-upon-that-hand.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJOzIAp3IeVdO4YrZ2BgFtboxZEJbbkde61AGb6J82NcyGWGxzSrpX9IPaa6L-bH-LpSYDFCnCsbrACV_EeJV8NkR8Jm1TzGwX_JAv0TOKDqvl1lG3l7qxnmPKI1kULkY-guV1lr_brA/s200/gloves+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314612017895732482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There is very little that can’t go in the compost. Eggshells might work in warmer climates; here, they still look like eggshells months later. I use them to fertilize my tomato plants instead. Meat, dairy, and seafood are not good ingredients because they decompose slowly or because the smell will attract wildlife you might rather not host in your backyard. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There are specific "recipes" a home composter can use, but I'm pretty easy about it. If the compost is too dry, I add more wet ingredients (and I use the term ingredients loosely). If it's too wet, I start adding dry ingredients like dried grass clippings. But sometimes the decomposition doesn’t go smoothly.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Imagine the following: Husband added a batch of wet grass clippings after he mowed the lawn last. Usually grass clippings in small amounts work great; the heat of the pile increases, speeding up the process, and the grass itself decomposes quickly. This time, though, the Week of Constant Rain hit the Midwest. The additional moisture made the grass clump together, develop mildew, and stink. The continuous rain made any other dry ingredients that were set aside, well, just as wet as the grass clippings. The result: a very malodorous compost soup.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When this happens, I add the usual kitchen waste and stir what I can to separate the clumps of green and, um, grey-green. If the sun stays out, sometimes there is hope for a few dry stacks from the beyond-bloom daylilies and other past-their-prime perennials. If all else fails, there’s always shredded newspaper.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was chatting with a teaching colleague, discussing the fast pace of our jobs and how weeding and composting give me such pleasure. An environmental science teacher, she understood completely. She knew that sometimes, we just have to sit back and let nature’s cycles take life at their own speed. In this fast paced, oft-wasteful world, it feels good to take action on a small scale. Composting does that for me.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://compostermom.blogspot.com/2008/10/next-years-resolutions.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA_tmHmAFwiMuw2uOuakWxYbP6ibndq4a2alhFKoXfiygvH75INQvpEVli9rBiirDguS7-sqD_7YW6yMgXfNI936emIntp4nJvLrOQlJAsPw1d3PMBQ-il0xZNFL-_EephXlratKej8M/s200/tipped+tomato+closeup+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314612126287866642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In our climate (northeastern Wisconsin), composting only works for about half the year. Every spring we spread the previous year’s compost on the garden, and then the whole cycle starts again. No matter how much or how little I work with the contents of my bin, each spring I have a pile of luscious, deep brown compost to mix with my garden soil. Compost, no matter what I do, will happen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><blockquote>This post is a combination of two posts written previously. My yard and garden are still covered with snow, but I'm ready to spread the spring compost layer as soon as the white stuff melts.</blockquote></span><br /></span><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-32546333014381781692009-03-19T21:02:00.000-07:002009-03-19T21:02:00.842-07:00How Do You Shave Your Head Without Caring?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTtb6CZjs9eWehOjBi0os9g8_dK7mYn-x-S6_FkXbRGycbqm5gCZb3fH8nLH0k7V7mwJGvMDL1AG6xPluTwed_8DsEfFvUdDEIuIttpmjoZ4p_C7gWvIVarNpebJmB3QmOZhGeH1PLHEX/s1600-h/StBaldricksJandC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTtb6CZjs9eWehOjBi0os9g8_dK7mYn-x-S6_FkXbRGycbqm5gCZb3fH8nLH0k7V7mwJGvMDL1AG6xPluTwed_8DsEfFvUdDEIuIttpmjoZ4p_C7gWvIVarNpebJmB3QmOZhGeH1PLHEX/s320/StBaldricksJandC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252759105366461954" border="0" /></a>Jay from <a href="http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/">HalftimeLessons.com</a> is a husband, daddy, and fledgling writer. He started Halftime Lessons to talk about his journey across life's halfway point, and fights for balance between his loves...his family, work, blog, and raising money for St. Baldrick's children's cancer research. To learn more about this amazing cause <a href="http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/2009/01/tuesdays-tribute-immediate-and-dramatic.html">visit HalftimeLessons.com</a> where you can also enter the <a href="http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/2009/03/im-donating-my-headits-only-given-me.html">HUGE contest</a> ending tomorrow, when Jay shaves his head!!<br /><br />Most people can't shave it all off. I mean, it's your hair, for goodness sake. What if it doesn't come back the same? How 'bout if your head decides that hair color is just a pain in the butt, and grey is just...well...easier?<br /><br />In March of '08 I faced these fears for the first time. I raised money for children's cancer research for St. Baldrick's, and got in line to shave my head in empathy to those kids who didn't get to make a similar </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >choice</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >, and my knees started to shake.<br /><br />And then it happened.<br /><br />My friend and event coordinator, Chandra, had us look up to the windows of the hospital oncology wing where the kids were waving down at us.<br /><br />And I stopped caring about the hair, and started caring about the kids. And so tomorrow, I am going to shave my head again. I've raised some money, my bags are packed, and I could care less about my hair. So how do you shave your head without caring? Well, you can't.<br /><br /><blockquote>I can't shake the feeling of excitement in me, and I don't want to. I hope I get the goosebumps all day again. I hope I can stop crying. I hope my mom is proud. I hope my cousin is watching.<br /><br />And I hope, for them.</blockquote><br /><br />Jay @ HalftimeLessons.com<br /><br /><br />Would you like to <a href="http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/2009/01/tuesdays-tribute-immediate-and-dramatic.html">read more</a>? Why don't you come see the <a href="http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/2009/03/im-donating-my-headits-only-given-me.html">HUGE contest</a> Jay has going, and help if you can?<br /></span><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-19281111787304453612009-03-18T21:56:00.000-07:002009-03-19T08:13:14.786-07:00Can You Survive Without a Grocery Store?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSYQnEa_JIDepOBXyp7B7-aEcMqyKtyoHi4nWMoLJKTxPtZMVZnaLeXgL1FbbcARhoqimKRK2Yv1Hpvb6L1zvIXqpNqhgd6PxhQMKqgeMvJDIof1s-3P7fCDwp1OIPc8t0OY6SN6UfLs/s1600-h/JA+apple.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 94px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSYQnEa_JIDepOBXyp7B7-aEcMqyKtyoHi4nWMoLJKTxPtZMVZnaLeXgL1FbbcARhoqimKRK2Yv1Hpvb6L1zvIXqpNqhgd6PxhQMKqgeMvJDIof1s-3P7fCDwp1OIPc8t0OY6SN6UfLs/s200/JA+apple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314603893109334018" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://twitter.com/growingfood">Jean Ann</a> has an organic garden coaching business in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_1">Portland, OR</span>. She teaches people how to grow their own food on her blog, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.gardenertofarmer.net">Gardener to Farmer</a> and in her <a href="http://budurl.com/6w85">GYO groups on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_3">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="http://budurl.com/8jbr"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_5">MySpace</span></a> . Recently, she partnered with <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_7">Susan Harris</span> of Garden Rant fame to develop a collaborative directory that would serve as a starting point for people searching for <a href="http://gardencoachdirectory.wetpaint.com/">Garden Coaches</a> anywhere in the world.</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br />There are several reasons why now is the right time to learn to grow your own food...</span><br /></blockquote><ul><li>Cost savings</li><li>Certainty of production methods</li><li>Supporting your local community </li></ul><br />Lots of writing and conversation has come forth about the return of the Victory Garden…and I don’t mean the TV show.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqrxAtqJa8DRivzi5Kcr3_fjQ16C1yVFIH__tMiw-x5we8OcQ2DRAkDffBmDb61P-IsFc1GcMc7FI1CSnPvA64JrRc4ov-n1NkOgbzHVOY1S_O4Ih5Ph43pv2MAInQxJwxU0RjTv-PZc/s1600-h/6a00e552f1583b8833010536a40eda970c-320wi"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqrxAtqJa8DRivzi5Kcr3_fjQ16C1yVFIH__tMiw-x5we8OcQ2DRAkDffBmDb61P-IsFc1GcMc7FI1CSnPvA64JrRc4ov-n1NkOgbzHVOY1S_O4Ih5Ph43pv2MAInQxJwxU0RjTv-PZc/s200/6a00e552f1583b8833010536a40eda970c-320wi" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314916745414680866" border="0" /></a>There was a time when we knew how to take care of ourselves in this way. We could grow and harvest our own fruits and vegetables, care for our own chickens, and milk our own cows. Even in the past 50 years or so, the family veggie garden was a common part of life.<br /><br />Then we went and got all “citified”. Stopped relying on ourselves and started buying into the myth that getting our produce from the grocery store was a better idea. And the more we purchased, the more big agriculture grew, finding new chemicals and genetic modification practices to increase yields and length of storage.<br /><br />Looking back on it, I can understand why we were eager to embrace “progress”. It was an amazing time saver, particularly for women who were raising a family and working full time. I mean, who had time to put in a full garden?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6dAqYRSBycJFftucrnGpDlTPYUlEwcPeoJU3MZCIxHeMTC8PGzPCYX6049868ce3t1yNowN2juIJ59RibV0IHWx7xA_aIxJ0vrS_QIlQhZ2nKwDkslhokqL1Kg_tXQN5QI-ww5D5jik/s1600-h/6a00e552f1583b8833011168b5c0c3970c-320wi"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6dAqYRSBycJFftucrnGpDlTPYUlEwcPeoJU3MZCIxHeMTC8PGzPCYX6049868ce3t1yNowN2juIJ59RibV0IHWx7xA_aIxJ0vrS_QIlQhZ2nKwDkslhokqL1Kg_tXQN5QI-ww5D5jik/s200/6a00e552f1583b8833011168b5c0c3970c-320wi" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314916919642107586" border="0" /></a>But in embracing this cultural shift, we’ve lost our respect for food. We have lost the understanding of what it means to value the earth and the bounty that it provides. We’ve lost touch with small farmers, now struggling to survive. We’ve lost the ability to provide for ourselves. And this is a bad time to not know how to provide for ourselves.<br /><br />The biggest hurdle we face in returning to some level of food self-sufficiency is overcoming the notion that buying produce at the local grocery is a good strategy for healthy living. As we hear report after report of harmful bacteria in our fresh and packaged food supply, consumers trust mass production less and less. Toxic sprays and other inorganic farming methods can harm the environment and our bodies. And we have no idea of the long term ramifications of modifying our food through unnatural genetic manipulation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvBSV583cAy2oWvxGoafFZB0Y42wnnPGgFE-P5e1oXc8TNW3BsOnQvBaPsW2854tDANrgeDZuI4hquObbFe_ylFjiFHgVa0d42c0rClOCkcfH8e9jNnWZ6vnQ4LDLwgOB9HydgtBRdps/s1600-h/6a00e552f1583b8833010536d800a4970c-320wi"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvBSV583cAy2oWvxGoafFZB0Y42wnnPGgFE-P5e1oXc8TNW3BsOnQvBaPsW2854tDANrgeDZuI4hquObbFe_ylFjiFHgVa0d42c0rClOCkcfH8e9jNnWZ6vnQ4LDLwgOB9HydgtBRdps/s200/6a00e552f1583b8833010536d800a4970c-320wi" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314916746745460226" border="0" /></a>The good news is that it takes very little to reclaim our past. Anyone can grow their own food, even if it is in pots on a balcony or in a sunny window, you can grow some portion of the produce you need to sustain your life. Seeds, soil and pots can be found for little to no cost. Taking small steps as an individual can make a big difference and by choosing to grow your own food and frequenting local organic farms, you help strengthen your community.<br /><br /><blockquote>By not buying produce from big agriculture, you are using your money to vote for change. Together, we can make a difference.</blockquote><br /><br /><p></p><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-84155685206261273962009-03-18T11:07:00.000-07:002009-03-18T11:14:46.500-07:00How Gardening Saves Lives<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW44k-D1IjdnkEcBsParcnkKB-mwYRRf58FyyUteGttHVv6AJsM5VmIOEW49RqVSsvV5LdAJZAqkiBd5Kjo8Wm8Vx_zxkBxi2eLeT8kzp1ifpN0VLXonnbHg-9CXCA_OEmdiv_sY60bo/s1600-h/Shawna+Coronado+thecasualgardener.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW44k-D1IjdnkEcBsParcnkKB-mwYRRf58FyyUteGttHVv6AJsM5VmIOEW49RqVSsvV5LdAJZAqkiBd5Kjo8Wm8Vx_zxkBxi2eLeT8kzp1ifpN0VLXonnbHg-9CXCA_OEmdiv_sY60bo/s200/Shawna+Coronado+thecasualgardener.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314591698962205602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://twitter.com/shawnacoronado">Shawna Lee Coronado</a> is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, energetic speaker, and environmental and health correspondent. Her book “Gardening Nude” is focused on health improvement by exposure to nature, greening, and community building and can be purchased on <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a>. Find more about Shawna through her website – <a href="http://www.thecasualgardener.com/">The Casual Gardener</a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />The Healing Benefits of Gardening<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Over 10 years ago, I was very ill of health. A single Mom, I had endometriosis, combined with stress, lack of outdoor exposure, poor eating habits, severe allergies, high blood pressure, asthma, sugar and chemical sensitivities. This escalated to severe upper respiratory problems. I was always sick with bronchitis triggered by allergies as well as non-stop woman issues such as yeast and bacterial infections, and I frequently suffered migraines and head and back pain.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />All these things and many other pressures began to build in my life. Before I knew it I looked like a skeletal stick figure and weighed only 96 pounds. My back would go out often and I would be left unable to walk for days or even a week at a time. I worked and came home and rarely went out doors. At one point I took over a dozen prescriptions a day just to survive. It was a grim existence.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflbPSSsm97Gzm-yOLVh9OmbVAxsg4shsEb7gQPMaqP7S_uTkPtGMeNX0vQh6ikD4KBcnD2I9OPO_72-jZ2o2_uz8FFPjG5nLD5FufhCAgl6Lumm7zLvW-djvKOrzIkHH9GCE0Wialcr0/s1600-h/Clematis+Mailbox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflbPSSsm97Gzm-yOLVh9OmbVAxsg4shsEb7gQPMaqP7S_uTkPtGMeNX0vQh6ikD4KBcnD2I9OPO_72-jZ2o2_uz8FFPjG5nLD5FufhCAgl6Lumm7zLvW-djvKOrzIkHH9GCE0Wialcr0/s200/Clematis+Mailbox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314591710486780738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One day a surprising thing happened that changed my life; I got the genius idea to build a garden on the city easement area around my front mail box. That experience was the beginning of an incredible journey for me both emotionally and physically. It was a revelation and within a few years, “down-sized” my career, became a professional garden designer and full-time writer. I feel better and look better than I ever have – I am thirty pounds heavier than I was ten years ago, but I look healthy and feel well. It is still necessary for me to take prescriptions, but now I only take three per day instead of over a dozen.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaF5H1gis_tDahNmJOP7ftbyA3b_YaJ8208QI6_bLdLiHbqKsNZyJ-CdJIOc80xTp5OnwRXVwZythpO-XKSWkdJBj-bOOTUgUg4gXJDWu5FWbiyZ1217e0_9dEWKYQiFWgMUQBnnty1s/s1600-h/Shawna+Digging.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 101px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaF5H1gis_tDahNmJOP7ftbyA3b_YaJ8208QI6_bLdLiHbqKsNZyJ-CdJIOc80xTp5OnwRXVwZythpO-XKSWkdJBj-bOOTUgUg4gXJDWu5FWbiyZ1217e0_9dEWKYQiFWgMUQBnnty1s/s200/Shawna+Digging.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314592556032595058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Many gardens later, I am still gardening heartily. As I became exposed to the outdoors and increased my physical activity, I started feeling relief with all my health ailments. Better diet, exercise, and outdoor exposure truly helped me to recover and feel as if I am alive again. Although far from perfect, it was such a tremendous change that I still feel it could be called “a miracle.” Building my health back through gardening had become such an amazing experience for me that I decided to write about it and published “Gardening Nude” in 2008. It is a book about better health through environmental exposure and greening.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><blockquote>All thanks to a garden and one determined woman.</blockquote></span></span><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-78217281976176263422009-03-15T13:52:00.000-07:002009-03-17T11:42:25.660-07:00RSVP & Talk Gardening With GNO Tuesday!<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on the #GNO Lineup This Week?</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjNQaJL-8g9fKMAefj0ufMVQRoTUNCBh10Hi7jCgL2gs-J0D3MiyVGWZOMDA0-Fb_nakAJTWVD6hyphenhyphenTOgIm-p1ImmU44KgzhMF_wjSgK5z5OA-B6CpJ_Yc75yQ-71cDXssiQRXy_usnI4/s1600-h/IMG_1765.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjNQaJL-8g9fKMAefj0ufMVQRoTUNCBh10Hi7jCgL2gs-J0D3MiyVGWZOMDA0-Fb_nakAJTWVD6hyphenhyphenTOgIm-p1ImmU44KgzhMF_wjSgK5z5OA-B6CpJ_Yc75yQ-71cDXssiQRXy_usnI4/s400/IMG_1765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313531190417424322" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjNQaJL-8g9fKMAefj0ufMVQRoTUNCBh10Hi7jCgL2gs-J0D3MiyVGWZOMDA0-Fb_nakAJTWVD6hyphenhyphenTOgIm-p1ImmU44KgzhMF_wjSgK5z5OA-B6CpJ_Yc75yQ-71cDXssiQRXy_usnI4/s1600-h/IMG_1765.JPG"><br /></a></div><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><blockquote><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Topic</span>: Gardening!<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">What</span>: Gir's Night Out (What's GNO? <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://mommygossip-tips.blogspot.com/">Click here to find out!</a>)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where</span>: <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://is.gd/nKoY" target="_blank">Tweet Grid</a> (use the #gno hashtag)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When</span>: 9 pm EST (8 CST, 7 CST, and 6 PST)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Who</span>: JeanAnn Krevelen: <a href="http://twitter.com/JeanAnnVK" target="_blank">@JeanAnnVK</a></span> and Shawna Coronado: <a href="http://twitter.com/shawnacoronado" target="_blank">@shawnacoronado</a>.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP</span>: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF">http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF</a>). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your <span style="font-weight: bold;">twitter URL</span> in the URL line. <span style="font-style: italic;">Please do not enter your blog URL there.</span></span></li><br /></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEu1Y2jctbNRIojVdlha5Txt0QtDAy9ndJKa_V_deQiBUE5FnvNTwvbCyuUSrDsST7U4dZKlZpGbDBCWnZ7ib7SdvlrjmgzzF9C5n00hV4cBEda-ilC2wRxbPZ6kv18uJl947hBOQGYY/s1600-h/IMG_0888.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEu1Y2jctbNRIojVdlha5Txt0QtDAy9ndJKa_V_deQiBUE5FnvNTwvbCyuUSrDsST7U4dZKlZpGbDBCWnZ7ib7SdvlrjmgzzF9C5n00hV4cBEda-ilC2wRxbPZ6kv18uJl947hBOQGYY/s400/IMG_0888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313530891864703538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2009/02/win-free-park-city-mountain-resort.html">Last 2 days left to enter to win our giveaway</a> for a summer vacation at the Park City Mountain Resort. Entries due Tuesday, March 17. Winners will be announced March 24.<br /></span></blockquote></ul><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=mommygossipgno&postid=15Mar2009"></script><br /><br /><p><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=I%20just%20RSVPed%20for%20GNO%20Green%20Thumb%20Gardening%20Talk%20http://tr.im/d2bp%20Tuesday%209PM%20Eastern%21%20Pls%20RT"> <img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a>click to tweet this</p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-87375575193917533062009-03-15T11:19:00.000-07:002009-03-17T16:15:36.441-07:00Guest Tweets for #GNO Gardening!<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOymJeSbVkEJ6rjAlsdGPi-pBHkjxCEqFDys0oX-YUZW6t67-HNU016suPOU6udqblRaupaf6eNzWOQpzb2KFPkxVQ4CkVvKePgtyMpq83hOtB0OJcLni-LPonrVBxLwh2-Q796mH-qQ/s1600-h/Shawna+Coronado+thecasualgardener.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOymJeSbVkEJ6rjAlsdGPi-pBHkjxCEqFDys0oX-YUZW6t67-HNU016suPOU6udqblRaupaf6eNzWOQpzb2KFPkxVQ4CkVvKePgtyMpq83hOtB0OJcLni-LPonrVBxLwh2-Q796mH-qQ/s400/Shawna+Coronado+thecasualgardener.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314223560015634594" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://shawnacoronado/">Shawna Lee Coronado</a> is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. You can read more about her on her website <a href="http://thecasualgardener.com/">The Casual Gardener</a>.<br /><br /></span><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugLSFUcRLPtuwwwq7j4zFMY-bShzUjgJ48u8mQN2IkUgsyA5g_JKZnRPGZKgCvZbmGPmmzJB9My5-1ITAuUqzwQrdeYcriPPB-e0dO8HcKq23xAK_eTaVRvZ_iuf089aqKLdWugB5LsA/s1600-h/JA+apple.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugLSFUcRLPtuwwwq7j4zFMY-bShzUjgJ48u8mQN2IkUgsyA5g_JKZnRPGZKgCvZbmGPmmzJB9My5-1ITAuUqzwQrdeYcriPPB-e0dO8HcKq23xAK_eTaVRvZ_iuf089aqKLdWugB5LsA/s400/JA+apple.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314223479059465074" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://twitter.com/growingfood">Jean Ann</a> has an organic garden coaching business in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_1">Portland, OR</span>. She teaches people how to grow their own food on her blog, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.gardenertofarmer.net">Gardener to Farmer</a> and in her <a href="http://budurl.com/6w85">GYO groups on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_3">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="http://budurl.com/8jbr"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_5">MySpace</span></a> . Recently, she partnered with <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237312864_7">Susan Harris</span> of Garden Rant fame to develop a collaborative directory that would serve as a starting point for people searching for <a href="http://gardencoachdirectory.wetpaint.com/">Garden Coaches</a> anywhere in the world.</span></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Questions for Gardening #GNO:</span></p><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How hard is it to grow your own fruits and veggies?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I have a small/no yard, can I still grow food?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How can your food scraps be used in the garden?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why is a rain barrel good for your garden plants?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How do I store root vegetables without refrigeration?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">What can I add to the soil to conserve water so I don't have to water as much?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">What is the easiest vegetable to grow? What is the most difficult?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">What perennial is drought tolerant in almost all zones and flowers most of the summer?<br /></span></li></ul> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><p face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Great%20Article%20From%20Mom%20It%20Forward%21%20http://tr.im/d2bp"><img target="_blank" src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj139/ODCrogers/TweetThisBird.png" alt="Tweet Me from Mom It Forward" title="click to tweet this" border="0" /></a></span></p><p face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">click to tweet this</span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com214tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-58580339880438758482009-03-14T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-16T08:42:26.592-07:00What Is the Mother Letter Project?<div><img style="width: 90px; height: 136px;" src="http://wldimages.findlaw.com/images/3247553/3402431_1.jpg" vspace="4" align="right" border="0" hspace="5" /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/motherletter">Seth Haines</a> is an attorney who lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is the organizer of the <a id="qx1v" title="Mother Letter Project" href="http://motherletter.com/">Mother Letter Project</a>, and is currently attempting to collect additional letters in an effort to raise funds for <a id="ctp-" title="Compassion International's Malaria Intervention Fund" href="https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/malariaintervention.htm">Compassion International's Malaria Intervention Fund</a>. Seth is married to his lovely wife <a id="ix.y" title="Amber" href="http://therunamuck.com/">Amber</a> and they are raising three young boys.<br /><br /><br />I celebrated New Year’s Day 2008 in small <a id="z:u3" title="village in Mozambique" href="http://www.kujilana.org/">village in Mozambique</a>, Africa. I shared the day with complete strangers who did not share my socio-economic class. I shared the day with people of great need.</div> <div><br />Upon returning, my wife, Amber, and I decided to approach the 2008 Christmas season differently. Instead of purchasing those Christmas gadgets of which we are so fond (who doesn’t love a good gadget), we decided to "create Christmas" and donate what we would have spent to the village in Mozambique.</div> <div><br />For my part, I began compiling a series of open letters from mothers, to mothers. My goal was to collect letters which would encourage Amber, and present them to Amber for Christmas. As part of this effort, I requested email letters from several women including Shannon, from <a id="s-5v" title="Rocks In My Dryer" href="http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/">Rocks In My Dryer</a> fame. Shannon agreed to contribute a letter, and further asked if she could publicize the project, asking other mothers to contribute their own letters. What happened as a result was truly unbelievable.</div> <div><br />Over six-hundred letters poured in from mothers around the world, and on Christmas day, I presented those letters as “<a id="ih1w" title="The Mother Letter Project" href="http://www.motherletter.blogspot.com/">The Mother Letter Project</a> ” to Amber. She laughed and cried as she poured through the stories submitted by complete strangers. She found encouragement in identifying with the struggles and joys of other mothers.</div> <div><br />However, we have experienced an unintended consequence as a result of the letters—our relationship has been strengthened. We have learned lesson after lesson from the lives of others and feel encouraged through their stories.</div> <div><br />As an example, Kari shared about her young son, who spent his last days experiencing seizures in a hospital room. She held his hand through sleepless nights and was by his bedside when he made his way to the next life. In telling her story, she actively rejects bitterness and, instead, recalls the love for her son. She encourages us, through her sorrow, to</div> <blockquote>Parent them intentionally and with purpose. Enjoy every opportunity where little hands seek yours and find contentment there…. Revel in the snuggles after dark that provide the chance to hear the softly spoken thoughts from the bottoms of their souls. Breathe them in deeply. …[R]ecord those little moments you think your heart will remember forever. Every memory captured in time will be worth its weight in gold.</blockquote> <div>Kari’s story was not singular. Others shared similar bits of hard-earned wisdom and Amber and I have tried to learn from that wisdom. They have encouraged us to cherish children. They have encouraged us to make time for each other. They have encouraged us to love well. And in listening to those stories, we have been deeply impacted.</div> <div><blockquote><br />Your stories have the potential to affect others. Share those stories with someone you love via letter. Those letters, even if written to a complete stranger, will affect the recipient's way of living. It will shape their primary relationships. And that is a gift that money cannot buy.</blockquote></div> <div> </div> <div><br /></div>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-57433956467758238662009-03-13T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-13T21:00:00.292-07:00Going Back To School: Is It Worth It?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDYVC15lz5b-MJ50CGukB5O_TAnhl8IrBaHfk02_P5GWyrxUZCPSE5gcoIQrn1zogRejnogYTXoZBqGhm4dMFQAsxOzBQ_tCuFwz74U1OY_YFdkW19ab_sXiAlnIozC9TqIcsBX6Nur8/s1600-h/me09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDYVC15lz5b-MJ50CGukB5O_TAnhl8IrBaHfk02_P5GWyrxUZCPSE5gcoIQrn1zogRejnogYTXoZBqGhm4dMFQAsxOzBQ_tCuFwz74U1OY_YFdkW19ab_sXiAlnIozC9TqIcsBX6Nur8/s200/me09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312532634570604082" border="0" /></a><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Christi Stapleton is a Christian wife and Mom who is in a graduate school cohort through her undergrad Alma Mater. She also loves and teaches first graders all day! She writes at </span><a name="0.1_sji7"></a><a href="http://christis-blahblahblog.blogpost.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-size:85%;" ><u>Blah Blah Blog</u></span></a><span style=";font-size:85%;" >, </span><a name="0.1_immu"></a><a href="http://sowaddayathink.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-size:85%;" ><u>Blah Blah Reviews</u></span></a><span style=";font-size:85%;" > and </span><a name="0.1_nm10"></a><a href="http://showeredbyblessings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-size:85%;" ><u>Showered by Blessings.</u></span></a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><br />Get up. Get ready to go to work. Get 5 and 7 year old dressed, fed, and out the door. Teach first grade all day. Go to meeting after school. Once home, help with homework while hubby gets dinner (Bless him!) Go to meeting after dinner. Get boys bathed, teeth brushed, devotions said, in bed.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vatsug/73577528/" title="homework by bjortklingd, on Flickr"><img style="width: 252px; height: 191px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/20/73577528_f7855bbcf7.jpg" alt="homework" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Phew! Now I get to sit down and relax for a bit! Right? Not exactly…I have to do MY homework!<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Yep, I’ve headed back to school. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but here I am: 14 years after finishing my undergrad, I’m hitting the books again. I am working toward a Master’s Degree in Reading and hope to fulfill my dream of becoming a Reading Specialist.<br /><br />Nervous is one word that describes how I felt about going back to school. I was nervous about having to study again, nervous about how to balance my classes with work, family, church, and sanity, and nervous about how it would affect my family. I was worried that I couldn’t keep up with the workload.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9947410@N03/831477616/" title="Philip knocking on the door outside the Colesium by Maltese Falcon59, on Flickr"><img style="width: 242px; height: 319px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/831477616_6bac7b2bf7.jpg" alt="Philip knocking on the door outside the Colesium" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Then there was the dream I had that I tried to enter a classroom on campus, they wouldn’t let me in!<br /><br />But nerves aside, it is working out well. I have learned several things on the journey thus far. Here they are, in no particular order:</span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1. <b>Prioritize!</b><br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jugbo/437234219/" title="Day 127: To Do List by jugbo, on Flickr"><img style="width: 261px; height: 388px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/437234219_bfe43634a6.jpg" alt="Day 127: To Do List" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Though part of me would love to sit at every ball practice that my children have, it isn’t the best use of my time. Take advantage of times when the house is quiet. Sometimes you have to turn off the “Mama Guilt” instinct and insist on time to do work.</span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2. <b>Your study skills will come back to you.</b><br /></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dogbomb/2679743820/" title="Pink Highlighter Guy by dogbomb, on Flickr"><img style="width: 334px; height: 251px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2679743820_2a3b69664f.jpg" alt="Pink Highlighter Guy" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >You may even realize that you are more of a perfectionist than you were when last you cracked a textbook. You will remember how to prepare for tests, write papers, and even your forgotten love of highlighters!<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3. <b>Life will not cease to exist if you’re housework doesn’t get done.</b><br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimonomania/3016730781/" title="77. it shakes all over like a jelly fish by rachel a. k., on Flickr"><img style="width: 315px; height: 212px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/3016730781_48868513c5.jpg" alt="77. it shakes all over like a jelly fish" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Honestly, my house has never been spotless. I’ve had to learn to ‘let go’ of things that bother me some in order to focus on my homework. Yes, it’s still irritating, but I have to remember that this is temporary. Though it may inconvenience us for a while, it is ultimately FOR my family that I am pursuing this degree.</span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >4. <b>The pros outweigh the cons. </b><br />I love the satisfaction of getting a paper back with a good grade, or knowing that I did well on a quiz. I also enjoy showing both my own children and my students that adults can learn things, too. It is reassuring to know that I am working toward a goal of helping others learn to read. I especially love knowing that I am following my passion.<br /><br /><blockquote>Is it hard to go back to school? Yes. Would I do it over again? Absolutely.<br />Is it worth it? Without a doubt.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/dogbomb/2679743820/" target="_blank"></a></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo Credits: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vatsug/">Vatsug</a>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">rachelak</span>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jugbo/">jugbo</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9947410@N03/">maltesefalcon59</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dogbomb/">dogbomb</a></span><br /><br />If you are interested in locating schools in your area where you go back to school <a href="http://www.collegesurfing.com/mif/">College Surfing</a> can help you! Be sure to check out the amazing offer from <a href="http://www.futurescholars.com/?lid=CTW&cid=fscollbndtwt">Future Scholars</a> 5 Credits FREE!<br /></span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-54750943091478274822009-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-12T21:00:00.426-07:00What To Do To Prepare For Your Wedding Day Photography?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-qoC-7-kdxaAV1a4pLKsGMUAobtR-lj5mnj7JMO75Df9ooqBKoj_G_PqkmS6qqyStsVy4A2DadQtyHm0JgARARq08_2HTZdqhwEotJluZDHk_imlwms7vk8sC7O8raQ40iRfrsuNjSA/s1600-h/photobooth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 87px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-qoC-7-kdxaAV1a4pLKsGMUAobtR-lj5mnj7JMO75Df9ooqBKoj_G_PqkmS6qqyStsVy4A2DadQtyHm0JgARARq08_2HTZdqhwEotJluZDHk_imlwms7vk8sC7O8raQ40iRfrsuNjSA/s200/photobooth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309607175456971730" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://twitter.com/sweetlifeinthe">April</a>~ <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sweetlifeinthevalley.com">Living The Sweet Life </a></span> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Choosing: Choose a photographer that has a similar style as you. Do you want someone who does formal photos or do you want a mix of photo journalistic type candid shots and formal photos of your wedding as well? Will the photographer take pictures of the details of your wedding such as your shoes rings and your decor? </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbA7r1fJYq9Patb-x5DOVBQvPcowSpA4teLe25mnwZXvPHUjpxSxLvkTntH69zO6ennp86T0A969JkprR_ih3kXlNHsaue66OCuixUlWmzaFMUmUNKWrLR1GD-mc4VU9OeygHkWmxstG4/s1600-h/april+atwater+photography_blackburn.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbA7r1fJYq9Patb-x5DOVBQvPcowSpA4teLe25mnwZXvPHUjpxSxLvkTntH69zO6ennp86T0A969JkprR_ih3kXlNHsaue66OCuixUlWmzaFMUmUNKWrLR1GD-mc4VU9OeygHkWmxstG4/s200/april+atwater+photography_blackburn.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309607730755641938" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Share: Share your vision of your wedding with your photographer. At </span><a name="0.1_zq35"></a><a href="http://www.aprilatwaterphotography.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><u>Sweet Life Photography</u></span></a><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > we have a complimentary consultation session with the bride to get to know her and her wedding better. Share some of your favorite photos that you have cut out of magazines etc. Talk about things like locations time of day. These things will help you photographer create wonderful meaningful memories for you. </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Price: Most of the time the old saying you get what you pay for applies to photographers. A photographer who charges more is charging more because of their education experience and equipment. I offer a custom package for every bride since every bride is an individual with different wants and budgets. A good photographer will also have a contract of services that out lines expectations and prices. </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Time: At Sweet Life Photography we ask our wedding couples to plan for 5 to 10 minutes per group shot. This allows time for the members of your bridal party to gather. A typical wedding will need to plan on 45 minutes of formal wedding photos with the wedding party. After the wedding party photos are taken schedule another 30 to 45 minutes to spend time as a couple. Sometimes couples like to schedule a session before the wedding in their wedding attire for formal couple photos so they are more relaxed during the session. The day of the wedding can be hurried and stressful. </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Make-up: In photos wearing a little more make-up is better. Avoid high sparkle and shimmer make-up. It shows up in the photos as white spots. </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span></p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanuHT4rQb2d72MPAKmsfHbKHRvUBWiD1Mc6QzUR5ZgDsyoOC9LzxHH-OB26MjCrNonLdH5PwxZGnLtRoX4SKPPoQFi9j3B2txHEze3ieVtoFuMhIbJhuRFSef1kLMAYOtiz-PMW-FrzQ/s1600-h/april+atwater+photography_c%26cwedding.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanuHT4rQb2d72MPAKmsfHbKHRvUBWiD1Mc6QzUR5ZgDsyoOC9LzxHH-OB26MjCrNonLdH5PwxZGnLtRoX4SKPPoQFi9j3B2txHEze3ieVtoFuMhIbJhuRFSef1kLMAYOtiz-PMW-FrzQ/s200/april+atwater+photography_c%26cwedding.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309607758842696690" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Most of all have fun. Enjoy your day. A good photographer will capture those sweet moments for you. My philosophy in my photography is that the real moments the sweet moments are the photos I take in between the posed shots. </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><blockquote>I am currently booking limited Wedding Bridal and Engagement Session for 2009. See more of April's work and photography at her website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.aprilatwaterphotography.com">April Atwater Photography</a>. </blockquote></span></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-73516124634973629742009-03-11T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-11T21:00:00.914-07:00Does Lifelong Learning Only Apply to Degree Seeking Moms?<a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://twitter.com/mssassypants"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5Gxhwbd9m9u15aRwC8CLLtttxVVHfzJUJrNJno4QJe_oS6Vr4ULQ-K7pELbpHYcK15uzLQdTzyqlBbsuqXsdxrnfY6d6ObhALl8JJamiqcLZ7uFZm1y5eVuZ1QNzi2_kt7hNLm8mzbY/s200/ms+Sassy+Pants" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310206527299344834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://twitter.com/mssassypants"> <span style="font-style: italic;">Ms Sassy Pants</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> guest posts. She is a single mother living in Cowtown, WI, a self-proclaimed nerd who would gladly go to school for the rest of her life if only someone would foot the bill. She currently satisfies her nerdy needs by planning seminars for an adult learning program through the University of Wisconsin. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">You find her sassy style of writing at </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://ms-sassy-pants.blogspot.com/">Ms. Sassy Pants.</a><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >When I was a girl I would sit at my desk in my room and make up homework to do. In short, I was a little nerd and I never quite out grew it. I <i>need</i> to be growing and learning but financial and time constraints derailed my dreams of being a professional college student. So what’s a girl to do? I’m glad you asked. </span><br /></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >I joined my first “club” four years ago but only because I was lured there with the promise of wine, lots and lots of wine. Spending evenings with the ladies of “BookIt”, I learned so much more than I did in many of my college lit courses. Rather than approaching a book with a learning agenda, we let the conversation take us wherever. For instance, did you know that the narwhal whale is believed to have spawned the myth of the unicorn? I learned that while discussing </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whale-Rider-Witi-Ihimaera/dp/0756934095/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235236773&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:100%;" ><u>The Whale Rider</u></span></a><span style=";font-size:100%;" > with a woman who studied marine biology in Melbourne. </span><br /></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a name="0.1_graphic05"></a><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kagey_b/1275467490/" title="Book Club by kagey_b, on Flickr"><img style="width: 376px; height: 255px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1133/1275467490_2173fa1351.jpg" alt="Book Club" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?name=ccf32a38c42f1f28.jpg&attid=0.1&disp=vahi&view=att&th=11f9a049c44dd2a6" alt="Your browser may not support display of this image." width="1" height="1" /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Shortly after my stint with the book ladies, I started stamping with a wonderful group of women. I have never been a visually artistic person. Ever. I was convinced that I would be a complete failure at this stamping thing. But with laughter and a truckload of patience, they taught me how to tap into my dormant artiste. </span><br /><br /><br /></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a name="0.1_graphic06"></a><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><img src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?name=ccf32a38c42f1f28.jpg&attid=0.1&disp=vahi&view=att&th=11f9a049c44dd2a6" alt="Your browser may not support display of this image." width="1" height="1" /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Wine clubs are not only an opportunity to get tipsy with friends but also to learn about soils and climate and ITALY. Who doesn’t want to know more about Italy, the birthplace of pasta and </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0100556/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:100%;" ><u>Raoul Bova</u></span></a><span style=";font-size:100%;" >? Mmmm, pasta.</span><br /></p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ></span><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Who needs a college professor when we have each other and Google? We are the educators and the students. Each of us has something to share and something to learn. </span><a href="http://mom-o-matic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:100%;" ><u>Mom-o-matic</u></span></a><span style=";font-size:100%;" > just blogged about the magazine: </span><a href="http://www.semihomemade.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:100%;" ><u>Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee</u></span></a> and since I’m semi-domestic I had to check it out. You should too. You just might learn something.</blockquote><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:78%;" >Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kagey_b/">Kagey_b</a></span>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-40129321823541454952009-03-09T08:39:00.000-07:002009-03-10T00:08:55.365-07:00RSVP to Talk Green Living With GNO<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's on the #GNO Lineup This Week?</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a title="a fragile life on earth (earth day 2008) by jmtimages, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmtimages/2434666149/"><img style="width: 193px; height: 305px;" alt="a fragile life on earth (earth day 2008)" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2434666149_ab09c0d661.jpg" width="333" height="500" /></a></span><br /></div><ul><blockquote><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Topic</span>: Green Livin<span style="font-weight: bold;">g</span>!<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">What</span>: Gir's Night Out (What's GNO? <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://mommygossip-tips.blogspot.com/">Click here to find out!</a>)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Where</span>: <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://is.gd/mF1s">Tweet Grid</a> (use the #gno hashtag)<br /><br /></span></li><li style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">When</span>: 9 pm EST (8 CST, 7 CST, and 6 PST)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Who</span>: Gabrielle Blaire: <a href="http://twitter.com/designmom">@DesignMom</a></span> and <a href="http://designmom.com/">Design Mom</a>.<br /></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">RSVP</span>: Use Mr. Linky in sidebar (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF">http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF</a>). <span style="font-style: italic;">Please do not enter your blog URL.</span></span><br /><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://mommygossip-gno.blogspot.com/2009/02/win-free-park-city-mountain-resort.html">Enter to win our giveaway</a> for a summer vacation to Park City Mountain Resort. Entries due Tuesday, March 17. Winners will be announced March 24.<br /></span></blockquote></li></blockquote></ul><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=mommygossipgno&postid=09Mar2009"></script>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-83372169496095071272009-03-08T23:55:00.000-07:002009-03-10T08:35:41.224-07:00GNO Talks Green Living<a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0abEcXVw5C6xVsvBW8tlClZ1g0FdF0smpgssInyYDcq7HZCOPoNcOQvzjNp95KsalM8NhHOTZ3BJasJ8SAS3Oh0ya-TSJjIn1E5ANZMwO6D0VSSuM9TmfM7orz4lHmNqItnD4KqkbvAA/s1600-h/Gabrielle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0abEcXVw5C6xVsvBW8tlClZ1g0FdF0smpgssInyYDcq7HZCOPoNcOQvzjNp95KsalM8NhHOTZ3BJasJ8SAS3Oh0ya-TSJjIn1E5ANZMwO6D0VSSuM9TmfM7orz4lHmNqItnD4KqkbvAA/s400/Gabrielle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311326385353473250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gabrielle Blair </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(<a href="http://twitter.com/designmom">@designmom</a>) guest tweets with GNO this Tuesday. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">She is a mother of five and a founder of the popular site Kirtsy (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://kirtsy.com/" target="_blank">http://kirtsy.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">). She also writes a blog called Design Mom (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://designmom.com/" target="_blank">http://designmom.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">) which was named a top parenting blog by the </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Wall Street Journal</i><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Martha Stewart Living</i><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Real Simple</i><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Magazine. She has a BFA in graphic design and loved working as an art director and designer up until the internet took over her life. Now she gets her creative fix by spending her time investigating, writing about, and giving away all things well-designed. </span><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a title="Color of Earth ! by rAmmoRRison, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rammorrison/3257894610/"><img style="width: 440px; height: 184px;" alt="Color of Earth !" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3257894610_9e3499bde2.jpg" width="500" height="364" /></a></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />All these questions and more answered at Mom It Forward's #GNO Tues.!<br /></div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><ul><li>Is "green" something you seek when it's convenient? </li><li>Is it your way of life? </li><li>Do you feel the whole concept has jumped the shark?</li><li>What makes a product "green" for you? Ingredients? Packaging? Reusability?</li><li>What are examples of the best "green" design you've seen? (please share links) Anything from beauty products to household items to cars to homes.</li><li>How much does "green" play a part in how you shop in 2009? </li><li>Would you pay more for a "green" product? Or purposefully choose a "green" product over a "non-green" product?</li><li>If someone is seeking a "greener" lifestyle, what are the most convenient/easy products or behaviors to adapt. Where's a good place to start?</li><li>Ever seen a silly or unbelievable "green" claim? A product that has no business claiming "green" but tries to do so anyway? Share, please. (I recently saw aprons touted as a "green" product because they keep your clothes cleaner which means less laundry. I'm skeptical.)</li><li>How do you envision "green" living? Removing toxins from your home? Living close to the land by eating food you grow yourself? Trying for a carbon neutral footprint by planting trees after a plane ride?<span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.futurescholars.com/?lid=CTW&cid=fscollbndtwt"></a></span></span><br /></li></ul></blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-11975501026495053082009-03-07T21:00:00.000-08:002009-03-07T21:00:00.523-08:00Write A Book? But How?<a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://twitter.com/jamieharrington"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQUunJGtwoaf0mHJ7UMVpOPtncuZN7VH7MVnkX3POQgOUjihNNy0rcB_2ZHTv-HiVkw6snnFPHRaU7Z981WbcZasincjUIgnkv1FzQq_gnCvJYfwCirg3ke5S3h-G2gKkJU8WmHQGSSU/s200/biopic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309757410095479330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://twitter.com/jamieharrington">Jamie Harrington</a> guest posts.</span><br />Once upon a time a girl decided she would write a book. She sat down in front of her computer and started writing. She spent countless days and sleepless nights, typing as fast as she could, finishing her story for everyone to read. When she was done, she emailed her manuscript to the publishing company. They published her book, she went on a national book tour, and became a famous author.<br /><br />That's how it happens, right? <em>Wrong.</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTHR4EoL1J7G2cKFKWAOCOmQx_Mhqrzt6g1L4zHXfgv5maLhMMRjdt_rp8T69BeWDvUOJXlthZQ3pH6VIzd6OidvaDgVzgkmzohAQx-oKHS0J1LdVwfA4dxgBI15uVmUF-YQRfLqMKKA/s1600-h/IMG_2625-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTHR4EoL1J7G2cKFKWAOCOmQx_Mhqrzt6g1L4zHXfgv5maLhMMRjdt_rp8T69BeWDvUOJXlthZQ3pH6VIzd6OidvaDgVzgkmzohAQx-oKHS0J1LdVwfA4dxgBI15uVmUF-YQRfLqMKKA/s200/IMG_2625-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309757664434429058" border="0" /></a>Writing a book is risky, tough, and tiring. Once your book is finished, that is only the beginning. You will spend weeks editing, revising, and polishing your manuscript, only to find that no one is interested in your story! There is no fairy godmother to make sure your book is ready to be published, and you have to find an agent before a publishing company will even look at your work!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuHYZ0IkxyWpkLDhl4XlVbIhvQydjUqDe2nq5J-n6_31LJJIRJ7GYmfaFeymxKON7Oq4i9yLBLQZDlNBEXKcmCUmofVTYjv7pyI8GqxFx5hOSFERADUDvKBwb3zklnnvboDBwczsHQXU/s1600-h/IMG_2616-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 91px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuHYZ0IkxyWpkLDhl4XlVbIhvQydjUqDe2nq5J-n6_31LJJIRJ7GYmfaFeymxKON7Oq4i9yLBLQZDlNBEXKcmCUmofVTYjv7pyI8GqxFx5hOSFERADUDvKBwb3zklnnvboDBwczsHQXU/s200/IMG_2616-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309757421075216834" border="0" /></a>Finding an agent involves the most painful part of the writing process, the query letter. A quick google search on how to write a query letter turns up over three hundred and twenty thousand results. This alone, should tell you there is no one way to write a query letter, and everything everyone has written on the topic is completely subjective. There are websites like <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/">Query Shark</a> devoted entirely to ripping query letters apart, and guest speakers lecture author groups all around the globe on the importance of this one letter. It can make or break you. One tiny piece of paper decides rather or not an agent will take the time to read your manuscript.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh7OocWTBoJ4fOcSEbzIrkKguTzYExG99Va-AAMEh_pYyLrmW3m6DqWRnWluiZtpIr4RO5En8yVnH0H59vblfqs3qyUBomp_7XEMNz5Fx0fGwfCWxG7N2GYYj8xGO7Wv4vlJkqG9sTJk/s1600-h/IMG_2633-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh7OocWTBoJ4fOcSEbzIrkKguTzYExG99Va-AAMEh_pYyLrmW3m6DqWRnWluiZtpIr4RO5En8yVnH0H59vblfqs3qyUBomp_7XEMNz5Fx0fGwfCWxG7N2GYYj8xGO7Wv4vlJkqG9sTJk/s200/IMG_2633-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309757668736885234" border="0" /></a>The worst part of this letter is that it isn't even your book! Sure, it's about your book, but it's about you, too. It contains a brief synopsis and description of your story along with a quick bio explaining why you are the right person to write this particular book. You mail it to an agent, and based on that one letter, they decide if they want to actually read your story. So, you have to take query letters seriously and you have to spend time editing, revising, and getting critiques on them, or your book will never even have a shot. It's like, if a fashion designer were to walk into a boutique with a swatch of fabric and the boutique owner were to decide, based on that 3x3 square, rather or not they want to sell the designer's entire line. It's just so frustrating!<br /><blockquote><br />Don't let this discourage you from writing your book though, seeing my words on paper in a finished manuscript is still one of the best feelings I have ever had. Someday I will get my book published, and when I do, I will frame my query letter.</blockquote>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-87938572121147658522009-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:002009-03-06T21:00:00.534-08:00What's In A Letter?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLshm8GdeBlrvlqxxave5yLEBeY-AH7qsTJHOEJTjaMDZGqZhOs5vOEv3s-pCZuf8OIVeNtfwuroLIOhQLrUXsIvDl37WtrlwsVRK7WFgX_Dntqgdkmudj8AVxXyPjSL3QKHnuy6Z0CiI/s1600-h/Julie+HR+JJ+%2708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 95px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLshm8GdeBlrvlqxxave5yLEBeY-AH7qsTJHOEJTjaMDZGqZhOs5vOEv3s-pCZuf8OIVeNtfwuroLIOhQLrUXsIvDl37WtrlwsVRK7WFgX_Dntqgdkmudj8AVxXyPjSL3QKHnuy6Z0CiI/s200/Julie+HR+JJ+%2708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309754331997683506" border="0" /></a> <span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><div style="margin: 1ex;"><div><p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><i>Julie Cole is one of the founders of Mabel’s Labels Inc. (</i></span><a href="http://www.mabel.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><i><u>www.mabel.ca</u></i></span></a><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><i>) and a proud mother expecting baby #6!</i></span></p><p> </p> <p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >It's true that I don’t exactly follow the rules of old-school etiquette when it comes to pint-sized manners. I prefer that other people’s children call me by my first name and will shudder if addressed as “Mrs”. And while no one likes to see kids getting too wound up in public, I do expect and tolerate a bit of energy and carry-on if they are dragged into the grocery store or bank. I don’t consider this behaviour impolite. Along the same lines, I don’t think it’s rude for a toddler to be fidgeting at the dinner table 10 minutes after being seated – it’s simply as much as a child that age can handle.</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >Having said that, in a house with as many children as mine (make that five with a sixth on the way), manners are still a must. My children are expected to act respectfully and reminders for “please” and “thank-you” are issued throughout the day. </span><br /></p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VP000t0mSrrm-kWzMGf6dL5BdhCSVd2ZYli6quAOwBcwzGr2Cjvaq-dIKdLezEAkaQ8X4GCtaWv24X0bk5IeRinekodT8L5WfhQRnhztxzBxAtzvEAM_R6nLj582-PxiYXGeuqz6O-Q/s1600-h/Mabels+labels+stationary.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VP000t0mSrrm-kWzMGf6dL5BdhCSVd2ZYli6quAOwBcwzGr2Cjvaq-dIKdLezEAkaQ8X4GCtaWv24X0bk5IeRinekodT8L5WfhQRnhztxzBxAtzvEAM_R6nLj582-PxiYXGeuqz6O-Q/s200/Mabels+labels+stationary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309754608229239986" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >As parents ourselves, the team at Mabel’s Labels can relate to our customers’ concerns about the lack of letter writing in these times of growing dependence on technology. Will our children come to rely completely on instant forms of communication like e-mail and text messaging – forms of communication that don’t require grammar or spelling? And will the skills that come from sitting down and writing letters be lost? </span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >And so based on customer demand, we recently launched the “Write On!” Personalized Stationery kits.</span><br /></p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OhfuSKA6FffAd7nGWIIj7QRMJiEx7efkdx86ZCQkx3TDbyF_9uhXvAMsOjUwhYYflyrba0PdneZsbn0bXvRiqOvMYeyiKYnbR-Y3TXpqLK0hGyCbXYZUpKkYKfdeTdns4o9cv_lJtIQ/s1600-h/Julie+with+kids+-+white08.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OhfuSKA6FffAd7nGWIIj7QRMJiEx7efkdx86ZCQkx3TDbyF_9uhXvAMsOjUwhYYflyrba0PdneZsbn0bXvRiqOvMYeyiKYnbR-Y3TXpqLK0hGyCbXYZUpKkYKfdeTdns4o9cv_lJtIQ/s200/Julie+with+kids+-+white08.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309754334937556082" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >Louise Fox, a leading children’s etiquette educator in Canada and the U.S. confirms letter writing contributes to an assortment of skills beyond those of just writing. She notes that letter writing teaches children to be courteous and gracious. In short, a kid who writes letters is a kid with who knows a thing or two about good manners.</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >For my children, letter writing has helped them connect to the older generations in our family. My children have grandparents and great-grandparents, some living internationally. Since many of these family elders are not online, pen pal relationships have been formed between them and my children.<br /></span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ></span></p><blockquote><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >For our family, letter writing has not only provided my children with valuable skills, it has provided them with valuable relationships.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><p></p> </div> </div>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692089120574811758.post-31994888544281574472009-03-05T21:00:00.000-08:002009-03-05T21:00:00.677-08:00Can You Learn to Eat Foods You've Hated Your Entire Life?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://twitter.com/kidappeal"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERoPKHo0W6of0c2ugCU7NsfWVCWIib53_e_NkoDyi8hGgACgwnmwR_0r80ALq65xmDCB9pY_IuT2DzgJ3HWd588UAfzdT1_Duftqp4DxwLcJrGJqpSc1TrBDVV_zNrVM4hNIhvzZBllI/s200/jenna+KidAppeal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309752063484032898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div class="Section1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><a href="http://twitter.com/kidappeal">Jenna</a> guest posts, she is the agent of change over at <a href="http://www.foodwithkidappeal.com/"><span class="GramE">Food With</span> Kid Appeal</a>, sharing tips and tricks with parents who want their kids to eat healthy food. You can read her feeding the family tweets @kidappeal.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was indulged as a child in my peculiar eating habits. I didn’t like stuff mixed up which prevented me from eating sauces, casseroles, soups, sandwiches etc. I liked things plain and separate. I was the girl who ordered a hamburger (dry and never ate the bun) and fries whether we were eating at Mexican, American or Italian restaurant. If you’ve spent any of your years being a picky eater, there are two categories of food. Food you eat, and food you don’t eat. <span class="GramE">Period.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Things got better in college where I was presented with new food I hadn’t labeled as gross. All the sudden Mediterranean and Chinese food became a staple in my diet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhLjGFKBl1oaGdSClCrYSNOiCAmAtfgaA5yDkZdnSECDNmveiSr44PxocK2e-VMHAO-Y1Bwv4ylvUjmGeHpgK-MKs3n3v6te0CY4IdA-YnIEYrclOYI9mBPvcQ3C912IkhGV09b4qxBQ/s1600-h/pickybigboo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhLjGFKBl1oaGdSClCrYSNOiCAmAtfgaA5yDkZdnSECDNmveiSr44PxocK2e-VMHAO-Y1Bwv4ylvUjmGeHpgK-MKs3n3v6te0CY4IdA-YnIEYrclOYI9mBPvcQ3C912IkhGV09b4qxBQ/s200/pickybigboo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309752184191140946" border="0" /></a><span class="GramE">Fast forward to my thirties when I was feeding my young family.</span> I wanted to avoid the whole picky eating thing with my kids. I was dismayed when my food tolerant baby turned into a toddler with some fixed food preferences. He wasn’t picky, but he certainly stopped eating a bunch of things he used to eat. I noticed most of my friends toddlers were the same, refusing some of the foods they’d eaten as babies. So I set out to get my toddler back on track with universal tolerance. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile I still had some hang-ups with food I was exposed to in childhood in the food-I-don’t-eat category: <a href="http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2008/10/steel-cut-oatmeal-with-raisins-yum.html">oatmeal</a>, raw carrots, <a href="http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2008/11/eureka-i-do-like-nuts.html">nuts</a>, peppers and onions. A few times I got brave and would try a carrot here, or onion there, but my mind was made up before I tasted them-they were inedible. No big surprise when I tasted them and said “nope, still hate onions.” I wasn’t successful in learning to like food I hated until I stopped thinking of them as gross food. It’s a mind-set issue. I opened up the door for the possibility to enjoy “hated” foods. I visualize how delicious a raw red pepper strip is, so crunchy and a little sweet, <b>before</b> I put it in my mouth. That reaction too was no surprise, “hmm, peppers aren’t my favorite but I can eat them. No more gagging.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCREJeUiFcqYeXggjPl5iJi0Fv1IO8StSJGqYq8ptIaeNfV816Hfz3ZlFBj-vLPKtJV8FDw3n7zF9SE0fhUZlpzmmeYZoSsQbgSIahN8OvuaPMWZOkK0A8wbFq30E7kabYpWpV9v9Fgs/s1600-h/pickylittlebo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCREJeUiFcqYeXggjPl5iJi0Fv1IO8StSJGqYq8ptIaeNfV816Hfz3ZlFBj-vLPKtJV8FDw3n7zF9SE0fhUZlpzmmeYZoSsQbgSIahN8OvuaPMWZOkK0A8wbFq30E7kabYpWpV9v9Fgs/s200/pickylittlebo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309752229221738530" border="0" /></a>About a year ago, I decided to learn right along with my kids. Often the best way to learn is to teach. <b>When you teach, you often discover what you don’t know, and you can relate to your audience.</b> When I serve food I have historically not eaten, like carrots, I tell them carrots aren’t my favorite. I say that I prefer them cooked, and when raw they are very crunchy. Then I eat one, and show them I survived. The concept that food doesn’t have to be a favorite to be eaten is very powerful in learning to overcome food aversions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote>I’m a recovering picky eater (check out the whole story at <a href="http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2009/01/enter-recovering-picky-eater-challenge_05.html">Food With Kid Appeal</a>). It’s been a life-long learning process, and I’ve got a ways to go-I still don’t like peppers or plain nuts-although I’m warming to red, yellow and orange peppers. I’m glad I’m eating better. I wonder sometimes how I spent two decades not knowing about the deliciousness of oatmeal and onions (not in the same dish!).</blockquote><p></p> </div>MomItForward Jyl and Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491865516287265662noreply@blogger.com3