Archive for March, 2010

It’s finally here! Today is the first official day of our new “Meal Planning Menu” blog hop.

The InLinkz is below. Just add a link to a recipe post on your blog (old or new post is fine!), select a picture (we’d prefer a picture of the actual food you’re cooking, but a blog button or icon is fine!), and that’s it! We’ll keep this InLinks open until Saturday afternoon, when we’ll select 7 recipes that will be featured in next week’s “Meal Plan”!

By Michaela

I’ve been faking it.

There I said it– and do you want to know something? I feel a little better now that I did.

Let me stop your mind from wandering though and clear things up before it gets too far into the gutter… the thing that I’ve been faking is… I’m not an extrovert. Not by any means. 

I’m an introvert through and through. I have been all of my life… so much so that in school some people thought that I was a snob when really I was just shy. Yet… when it comes to being online, I’ve been trying my hardest to be an extrovert. So, yes… I’ve been faking it; because being an extrovert when you’re really an introvert is hard work. It’s something that I often feel I’m still not very good at, but I try. 

It’s funny, because for much of my life I was, in situations where I had to be, extroverted. I was a cheerleader in high school. I worked retail and sales jobs. I schmoozed with vendors at trade fairs, but the whole time I was just waiting for the chance to be able to be “me” again. 

To some extent, the same applies online. While it’s easy for me to put myself out there on my blog and bare my soul for all to see, I find it hard to take the first step and approach others. I find it hard to approach not only PR and companies that I would love to do reviews for, but also other moms that are out there. I have to put on my “game face” when I do and I’ll be honest… I’m sweating bullets the whole time, because it’s a big deal for me. I’m constantly second guessing myself and wondering if I did everything ok or said anything that could be misconstrued or taken the wrong way. 

I sometimes wish I could be the social butterfly that my sister is… that it would be easier for me to approach people without all of the inner commentary that goes on in my mind. But, that’s not me. So I will continue to put on my game face and be an extrovert when I have to, all the while glad that I have my warm, soft, safe introverted world to go back to when it’s all over.

How is your online “persona” different than your real-life personality?

Michaela is a student, a wife and the mama of a rambunctious toddler and a newborn. She posts regularly at her blog Mama Michie’s Musings, where she writes about her family, her life and her inability to be more like June Cleaver!

By Elizabeth

I control what you see.

I control what you hear.

I control what you know.

I am big brother.

And I’m watching you…

A lot of people– including my own mother– don’t really understand what I do. I’m a news producer… not an anchor, not a reporter, and definitely not the weatherman. Where does that leave me? And why do *I* have control over what kinds of information you have access to every morning, noon, and night? Why does a woman who makes less money annually than I spent annually on my college education have that kind of authority?

Take a news story. Any news story. The recent Toyota recalls, for example. In the beginning– in the purest form of information, the breadth of ALL the information available– there is this:

NEWS.

Then, a news-gathering source– someone at the Associated Press or Reuters, or maybe a reporter at your local TV station– gets ahold of that information and, having only two minutes to tell the story, whittles it down to this:

News.

Then, ultimately, someone like myself– the peons of journalism, the people whose names, faces, and voices are never seen or heard on air– takes that information and turns it into this:

news.

My mother– yes, the same woman who still thinks my anchors write their own material (they don’t; that’s my job)– once asked me how much of what’s actually ON local television news is true. I told her the truth– 100%. We don’t put lies on TV. But then she asked me a much more important question: what percentage of a news story ever makes it on air? And again I told her the truht– a much sadder truth– maybe… on a good day… 10%.

It’s true. It’s my job to turn a 140-page medical journal that some scientist has spent the last 17 months slaving over into a 20-second story. It’s my job to take the 750 page Congressional Budget and condense it into 30-seconds. It’s my job to turn a mother’s plea for the safe return of her kidnapped child into just one minute. It’s my job to turn just about everything that’s important into something that’s rather cynical.

So the next time you watch Matt Lauer, or Diane Sawyer, or Brian Williams… think of me… the busy bee behind the scenes, turning the complicated into the simple, the long into the short, the “who cares?” into the “I care”‘s.

Got a question about TV news and how it works? Feel free to leave it in a comment, and I’ll respond with what I hope is a coherent and HONEST answer!

Elizabeth is a full-time working mom who’s trying to have it all… and learning the hard way that isn’t always possible. You can read more about her at her brutally honest blog, Confessions From A Working Mom.

By Toni

They say everything old is new again. And while that may be true for some things, it isn’t necessarily true for all things.

I am happy as the next gal to see the return of the high waist jeans. I’m not talking about the kind the goes all the way up past your belly button. A nice mid-rise will do, just fine. The thong, th-thong, thong, thong thong look has long since worn out it’s welcome.

But. No- let me rephrase that.

BUT.

Ladies, it has come to my attention that a most disturbing trend from the 80′s is making it’s way back around again. It is trying to invade the home of every household in America. This simply cannot do. We must fight this at all cost! What is this horrible trend that has my knickers in a twist?

Sweatpants are trying to make a comeback.

Now, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with being comfortable. To each their own. The sweatpant just comes with it’s own stigma. Try as you may, no matter how many cute accessories you pair them with, what shoes you wear, or what bag you are carrying… sweatpants are stilll… well, sweatpants. And they are never a good fashion choice.

I am aware that trends tend to run in twenty year cycles, and since we are just entering into a new decade, I suspect we will be seeing less of the 80′s and more of the 90′s within the next few years. Which only makes me shudder when I realize that flannel shirts will be gracing the local clothing store nearest you soon. Let’s just pray that Doc Marten combat boots and greasy hair gets totally forgotten about.

Toni is a full time stay-at- home mom, a wanna-be (but not too shabby) vegetarian cook, a sometimes not-so-bad photographer, and all around sweet heart. You can find her musings over at Hemp and High Heels.

By Honey B

So I’m all into the Weight Watchers thing. I’m going to the meetings as planned, and I’m obsessed with getting the 10% key ring, and the charms for 25lbs, 50lbs, Lifetime, etc. Obsessed. The immortal phrase from What About Bob comes to mind- “gimme gimme gimme, I want, I want, I need, I need.” I’m actually hoping if I apply those thoughts towards a key ring instead of Twinkies, I might have a shot at the key ring! 

On Tuesday, another WW member got her Lifetime charm. It went on the key ring I’m so obsessed with. She looked awesome too; she looked like she felt good. I was SO impressed. Lifetime! Until the Leader asked her how much weight she had lost. And she answered… 26 pounds.

 I’m sorry what?

 26 pounds?!

I can lose 26 pounds just by cutting out Little Debbie products!

Now don’t get me wrong, she’s obviously done well. She had weight to lose, and she lost it. And she lost it in a healthy way. Which is more than I can say about myself… yet. But I lost a certain level of admiration when I found out her total loss was 26 pounds.

If I’m being perfectly honest about what I need to lose, I’m staring down 82 pounds. And that’s just 5 pounds below the top of the recommended weight ranges for me. 26 pounds isn’t even a third of what I need to lose. And when you’re not losing more than the recommended two pounds a week, that’s a lot of weeks.

I will never begrudge this woman the attainment of the Lifetime achievement. But I’m going back to the WW meeting on Tuesday really hoping to see someone who has lost 50, 75, or 100+ pounds. Because I know that person has pushed through weeks, and plateaus, and too many baby carrots, and persevering, and surviving work potlucks, and wavering resolve, and even more weeks to see it through to Lifetime. That is some serious weight loss.

 But let’s be honest here… why do I want to meet one of those people so badly? Pretty much just to know that yes, someone can give up Little Debbie products and go on to lead a normal life.

Honey posts regularly at the Honey B. Blog, keeping you apprised of Baby Bucket List progress and the life of a wanna-be mommy!