Yes, it's true...I am (nearly) wordless on Wednesday

So, this whole 'blog every day for a month' has pretty much been a failure this month. I'm thinking February was not the month to do this - I mean, sure...it IS the shortest month of the year, but here in NW Ohio it also tends to be rather dreary. And I don't know about you, but endless days of snow and gray skies and cold temps make me want to curl up on the couch and not blog. I'm just not in a bloggy kind of mood.

Don't get me wrong - some of this month has been FABULOUS. For example - the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. That was three days of wonderful. And I could blog about that for the next four days of February ... but I won't. I think three posts recapping the three days is enough (at least for you, my dear readers). [My birthday was also wonderful, so February gets 'props' for two good things].

And now?

Now I'm just waiting for March to arrive. And hoping that when it does arrive, February will bow out gracefully and take the snow with her. Because I'm pretty much over the whole 'snow every day' thing. Yeah, we live in Ohio but c'mon - one or two days of snow a year would be sufficient. This snowing every day for a week...it's not funny, Mother Nature.

And so, here's hoping next week brings sunshine, thoughts of spring (March 20th...first day of spring!) and more blogging.

Bears, Hairspray, supermodels and social media

Sure. You're probably looking at the post title and thinking "well, one (or more) of these things is not like the other." And on most days, you would probably be correct.

But when you're celebrating social media at Walt Disney World, anything and everything is possible. Which means that teddy bears, Broadway actresses, supermodels and social media DO go together. It's magic! (Warning: this is a very long post, you better grab a snack)

Day 3 - The 'celebration' of social media and moms at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Once again, we were awake, bright and early - ready to hop on the Monorail and head over to the Contemporary Resort for breakfast and our sessions on social media. We'd be spending most of the day in two ballrooms inside the Contemporary, but considering that the forecast was calling for torrential rain all day, no one seemed to mind. [Plus we just KNEW there was more magic and surprises in store for us!]

We had a little bit of on-going entertainment all morning, thanks to the Tweet Sisters. They were loud, funny and they kept giving away amazing prizes (bears, purses, a night in Cinderella's Castle suite!....none of which I won...but that's OK). However, all attendees did receive a very warm and very pink (LOVE it!) fleece jacket with the Walt Disney World emblem on it. This coat might be the best thing they gave us!


Our first speaker of the day was Maxine Clark, founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-a-Bear. She spoke about how and why she started Build-a-Bear, and was inspirational and talked about passion, doing what you love and loving what you do.

A few things I wrote in my notebook:
- Cute sells
- Inspire fun
- Empower kids to make a difference


After Maxine Clark had finished talking it was announced (by her or the Tweet Sister...I don't remember) that one person at each table was going to win the "princess" Build-a-Bears that were sitting on every table. We had a bunny dressed as Princess Tiana and my friend Lynne was the lucky mom who had the 'magical' sticker under her chair! [As I said, we knew there was going to be more magic today!]

The Tweet Sisters gave away a few more prizes (I think) and then it was time for our next speaker - Marissa Jaret Winokur, Tony Award winning actress ("Hairspray") and star of Dancing with the Stars. Let me just say this - MJW is sweet, charming, adorable and so very REAL. There was no Hollywood pretense or "look at me, I'm a star!" attitude. She's the real deal (she even talked about how she has ONE Facebook page - and it's for her friends and her fans, because she wants her fans to feel like her friends).

MJW talked about getting the role in Hairspray and what it was like to win a Tony Award and her experience on DWTS. She said having a 1 year old is much harder than dancing on that show! She really hit home with a lot of what she said about staying true to yourself - no matter how busy and crazy your life is. One of my favorite things she said was this (and I'm not quoting her directly...just copying from my notes): Kids will absolutely change your life, but you have to continue to grow and evolve and be a part of this world...

And then, I met MJW at lunch:

Me, Marissa and JL

For lunch we had another amazing meal (how I didn't gain any weight during this trip is beyond me!). Soup, salad, Parmesan chicken, ziti, veggies and the most delicious mini cheesecakes ever. I was expecting we'd all be in a food coma, but the prospect of more amazing things (and a 'surprise' speaker) after lunch kept us all wide awake!

I'm going to admit something here, when we were told that Kathy Ireland was the next speaker, I thought "Oh. OK. Big deal. Supermodel who owns a billion dollar company." That was my mistake to just lump her into the 'supermodel with a brand' category....her speech to us was the one that had the most lasting impression on me.

A few snippets from Kathy Ireland (again, taken from my notes, so not all direct quotes):
- 'It's never been done' doesn't mean it can't be done
- Each of us is our own brand - what kind of brand are you? Reliable? Innovative? Complicated?
- Social messaging is real life - make sure the messages you are sending are the ones you want to receive
- Your cyber footprint never goes away
- You are engines that move products forward
And my personal favorite: "When someone says 'no' ask why. When someone says 'yes' ask how."

Up next on the schedule was Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs and author of "Trust Agents".

My favorite thing that Chris said was this: "Little bloggers grow up." This simple statement gives me hope for me and my blog and what I want to do with this little blog. Chris talked about relationships with your audience and connecting with that audience.

Some highlights:
- Audience v. community = it's how you place the chairs
- use Tweetdeck or Seesmic because "Twitter is columns!"
- use Twitter to connect - @ replies and commenting: YOU HAVE TO CONNECT!
- Twitter is like a party line on the phone where everyone is listening
- companies want you to tell stories about your experiences with their products in a human way (they don't want you to just be a reviewer)
- it takes time to get readers!

After Chris was done with his session (which was totally unscripted and amusing and informative), we had a short break and a promise of just 'one more' surprise. We knew that our last session was with Maryellen Hooper - a hilarious "mommy comedian" (yes, I just gave her that title)! (Check out her blog). I don't know if I've ever laughed THAT MUCH in my life.

[Yes, there was more food and 'adult beverages' during the show. And everyone 'won' just one more gift - mine was a Disney celebration box which I'm still waiting for ... it hasn't been delivered yet!]

We all headed back to the Polynesian around 3:30 so we could regroup, refresh and meet up at 5:30 for our last night celebration - dinner and a dance party at Disney's Hollywood Studios. When I walked in my room I had a huge surprise - my mom and sister had sent me a birthday gift from the Walt Disney World florist! It included a huge stuffed Mickey Mouse, a "mouse shaped" basket, a balloon and a "birthday cake" created out of Oreo cookies, chocolate bars and 2 Mickey rice krispie treats - and it was topped with a battery operated candle. It was a great surprise and of course, it made me cry.

So, you know how it's supposed to be warm and sunny in Florida? Well, Mother Nature had other plans for the few days we were in town to celebrate social media. It was so rainy, cold and windy on our last night there that they had to move the dinner/dance party inside just we wouldn't freeze to death on Disney property!

The dinner and dance party was fun...but the highlight of the evening was getting to ride Toy Story Midway Mania over and over and over again! At the time of our party, the park was closed but they opened the ride just for our group!

Jen and me on Toy Story Midway Mania

After all the fun, it was time to board the bus and head back to the Poly. Time to say goodbye to new friends and pack our bags. Time to return to the "real world". And so, I hugged my friends and shed some tears.

The time we spent together celebrating friendship, social media and magic was incredible. It was quite possibly three of the best days ever. I am grateful to Disney, Resourceful Mommy Media, Mom Bloggers Club, 5 Minutes for Mom and Mom Select for giving us so many amazing moments and memories.

Here's to Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011!*



*What? A mom can hope, right?

Feel Good Friday - Let's try this again, shall we?

We interrupt the on-going blogging about my social media adventures for this week's installment of Feel Good Friday.

This week, I'm going to list 5 things that have made me happy in the past 7 days....so here we go:

1. My daughters make me joyous! When I came home on Saturday - after being gone since Monday night - the entire house was decorated. For my birthday. My girls had spent the week hanging streamers, coloring banners that said "Happy Birthday Mommy!" and well, it was unexpected and beautiful.

2. Hugs from my daughters. After missing them terribly while I was gone it was wonderful to snuggle with them.

3. My husband. I think we can all admit that we often take our spouses for granted and forget to say "thanks for being you"! My husband puts up with my grumpy moods, my Disney obsession, and my all around general nuttiness. And I love him for that. He was super dad last week while I was out of town - he even baked me a birthday cake (and cleaned the kitchen afterward!). I love this man.

4. New friends. Have you ever met a group of people who are more like long-lost friends than 'new friends'? I did. I spent 3 wonderful days with them last week. And even though I miss them something terrible, I am so happy to know them. You can meet them here.

5. Blogging. Yes, I said blogging makes me happy. While I AM in the midst of a slight 'identity crisis' as far as blogging goes - I'm looking for the "right" direction (and a better design for this here blog .... don't tell Blogger but I want to switch to WordPress ... I just don't know how!), I love sitting down and writing. I have ideas and plans for my blog....but when it comes to actually DOING IT...well, therein lies the rub. I will figure it out.

Happy Friday to you!

Do you have a Feel Good Friday? Join in!

Breakfast in America, lunch in Canada and Dinner: Impossible

After getting only 4 hours of sleep on Wednesday night (I stayed up very late talking with my friend JL .... the conversation was great, so it was worth the lack of sleep!) - I was up bright and early and ready to be on the bus to Epcot at 7:30 a.m.

What we didn't realize was that our bus would be taking us in the 'back' way - behind the World Showcase countries! Now, as a Neurotic Disney Mom and someone who LOVES all things Mickey, I wasn't sure I wanted to see 'behind the magic.' I averted my eyes for the most part, but I will admit, I peeked just a few times.

And now....

Day 2

We gathered in the American Adventure Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase for a breakfast and session with Guy Kawasaki. Guy (@guykawasaki) is the founder of Alltop.com and a true-blue social media expert. His session was fun, informative and informal - he sat at his computer the whole time, talking to us about how to use Twitter:

- Use Advance Search on Twitter
- Twitter is 'one-to-one in front of many'
- UFM (uf-em) - this is what you say to those "Twitter nazis" who think they can tell you how to use Twitter (a "Twitter nazi" is, according to Guy, those people with 50 followers and 20 tweets who have been on Twitter for 30 days or less who think they can tell you how or what to tweet). And if/when you run into these people, you tweet them with UFM: Unfollow me. (Oh yeah!)

One of the many 'interesting' things about attending a social media conference is this - everyone tweets everything. All. The. Time. And, I loved that. As we sat at breakfast many of the moms were tweeting about not having enough coffee, needing more coffee, thoughts of getting up and taking more coffee. (I should note that my friend Jackie did get up and 'steal' a pot of coffee for our table - but it was lukewarm....however, it was a good effort!).

After breakfast we headed to the World Showplace for the "Celebrate Volunteers" event where volunteer families would be recognized and celebrated for their efforts during this year's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day." We were told during the event that since the beginning of this year 600,000 people have volunteered their time for the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day event (Disney was hoping to get 1 million people this year -- to be past their half-way point already is wonderful!).

One of the highlights of the event was the world record breaking 'can structure' - which was going to be revealed at the end of the volunteer celebration (and then all the canned goods were going to be boxed up and donated to local food banks). The structure was 'hidden' behind a wall of balloons, and who better to 'reveal' the structure than Ty Pennington? (And yes, he did say "Move those balloons!")


The Celebrate Volunteer event was so inspiring! Disney and all the volunteers are doing incredible things for this country! For more information on the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program, go here.

After this event, our 'group' decided to head out and put our media Fastpasses to good use - riding Test Track and Soarin'...and then we headed to Le Cellier in Canada's pavilion for lunch. Of course, the food was delicious, but spending time just having fun and talking was great! And, because I was celebrating my birthday, the staff at the restaurant brought me a glass of champagne and a signed birthday card! I love Disney magic!

You say it's your birthday!

Later in the afternoon we had the chance to participate in what was one of the most incredible highlights of the entire three days - Lou Mongello, host of the WDW Radio Show, asked us to participate in a 'roundtable' of mommy bloggers for his weekly radio show. Now, if you aren't a Disney fan, this might mean nothing to you. But, for the 'group' it was like winning the lottery. Amazing. Incredible. If you want to listen to the podcast, go here.

Our magical group of mommies and Lou!

Now, after we finished recording our portion of the podcast we all "hopped" back on Twitter to see if anyone knew any details about the Social Media Moms dinner that night. We knew it was at Epcot and that Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato were going to be singing at some point -- but what we didn't know (yet) was that Robert Irvine from the Food Network's Dinner Impossible had just cooked dinner for us (and taped an episode of DI)! [I think a few of us screamed ... uh, that would be you, Aurora .. when we heard this!]

Let me say this - when Disney throws a party...they THROW A PARTY! The walkway from Future World to the World Showcase was closed to everyone who didn't have credentials (can I just say I loved having 'credentials'!). There were so many food stations set up, I know I didn't make it to half of them (but what I did eat was delicious -- a highlight for me was the 'cheesecake push up'!).

And now, a confession. I am a 37-year-old mother of two and I love Joe Jonas (and the Jonas Brothers). Go ahead, judge me. I don't care. I had no shame when it was time for the 'show' to start - I headed right to the front of the stage with JL and Cindy (and several other moms) and yes, I screeched like a tween when Joe started singing.

Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas

All in all, the second day of the Social Media Moms Celebration was more magical than any of us expected.



Up next: Social media with Build-a-Bear, Hairspray, supermodels and more!

Magic, Moms, Mickey and Social Media

I don't know where to begin my recap of last week's Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

There were so many magical, memorable moments and so many incredible people ... I am still processing a lot of it.

But, I'm going to attempt to walk down memory lane and hope for the best.

Day One
Wednesday, February 10

Having arrived just a wee bit early (um, Monday night) to Orlando, I was just a bit eager to arrive at Disney's Polynesian Resort and 'get the party started'! That being said, I grabbed a cab (well, OK..so it was really just a minivan driven by a soccer mom who I think was pretending to be a cabbie, but whatever) and arrived at the Poly at 8:15 a.m.

I walked in and heard a voice say "Are you with the social media moms?" I turned around, said "yes" and wouldn't you know it....it was my Disney Twitter friend Jen!. We hugged and we might have squealed like school girls (maybe) and, well, that was a great way to start the celebration!

After checking in, being given an amazing swag bag and meeting up with more friends (Jackie - who we greeted at the bus, and JL and her adorable kids)...we decided to head to the Magic Kingdom with our "magical fast passes" (seriously, who knew a little white plastic card could be so magical?!?).

Jackie, Jen, Me, JL and her kiddos!

Let me say this about meeting my 'online' friends 'in real life' - It was as if we had all known each other for YEARS and we were just reconnecting again after a brief time apart. These are some of the most amazing, incredible women I know and I am honored to call them FRIEND. We might have only had 3 days together, but I miss them all terribly and hope we can see each other again. Very soon.

OK....moving on before I make myself cry again.

After spending the afternoon at the Magic Kingdom (and meeting up with Lynne and Debbie), we were off to ESPN's Wide World of Sports for a "What's new in 2010" press event and a tailgate dinner party. We had no idea what to expect. The highlight of this press event for me was the announcement of the return this summer of the Main Street Electric Parade to the Magic Kingdom! This is the nighttime parade that I grew up watching and loving. If by some miracle I can make it back with the family this summer, I will be so happy! And if not, I hope that WDW keeps the parade for a while.

After the press event we headed to another field house for our tailgate party (note: the party was originally scheduled for outside, but it was COLD in Orlando last week! Too cold to party outside). I have to say - Disney sure knows how to throw a party! The food was amazing, the entertainment was great and everyone had a wonderful time. And, I spent the evening with incredible people (I would list you all here, but I don't want to forget anyone....so I'll post some photos instead!)

Jackie, Lynne, Jen, me, Allison, Cindy and JL

JL, Me, Cindy, Zanna, Jen, Jackie and Allison

The tailgate party was such an awesome event! We socialized. We laughed. And, I have to admit, I haven't smiled for so many photos since my wedding day. My face literally hurt from smiling!

We were surrounded by magic and we knew this was going to be a week we'd never forget!

After a while we quickly realized that the room had pretty much cleared out so "the group" decided it was time to head "home" to the Poly.

We were elated, exhausted and excited for what else was planned for us! [And we had to be on a bus at 7:20 the next morning! There's no time to sleep at Disney World!]

Up next: Day 2 - Breakfast with Guy, a podcast with Lou, and Dinner:Impossible

Disclosure: I paid for my fees for this conference, but we were given discounted rates and some exclusive gifts. I have not received any compensation for writing this content.

What happens when you go to a social media conference? You forget to blog.

It's so true...I have had NO time to blog since Tuesday.

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was a whirlwind of sessions, magic, pixie dust and incredible people.

So many amazing moments ... here's a few teasers for you:

- Ty Pennington. LIVE. With a bullhorn. Need I say more?
- Robert Irvine cooked for us.
- Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato. LIVE (This will only have meaning if you're a JoBros fan. And I am. There, I admitted it).
- Magic at every turn.
- Guy Kawasaki
- Chris Brogan
- Maxine Clark - Founder, Chairman and Executive Bear from Build-a-Bear
- Marissa Jaret Winokur (I got my picture taken with her! She's awesome!)
- Kathy Ireland

There are so many blog posts swimming in my brain...but I've had about 14 hours of sleep since Wednesday, so I am going to wait to post until tomorrow or Monday.

I am still processing all of the magic that I experienced.

(Watch this video to see one of the many amazing events the Disney Social Media Moms were able to be part of!)

I hate winter. Alternate title: Thank you Delta for getting me the heck out of town before Snowmageddon 2

I am writing this post from my hotel room in Orlando, Florida.
(It's a Holiday Inn Express, and yes, in fact I DO feel smarter today. Thanks for asking.)

This time yesterday I was FREAKING OUT that I wouldn't make it to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration because of the snow storm the weathermen were forecasting. I had a hotel room booked at the Westin at Detroit Metro, but that was only going to insure that I was at the airport on Wednesday morning - not that I would actually get OUT of the airport.

I called Delta numerous times yesterday to see if I could change my flight. I could - for $290. That wasn't going to happen. And then, at 4:30 yesterday afternoon something told me to check the Delta Web site again and wouldn't you know it - Michigan was added to the list of states that would be affected by snow! And this meant I could do a one-time change to my flight without any charge or penalty (love you, weather vouchers!).

I said "let's do it!" and the lovely Delta rep said "I can get you on a flight at 7:55 p.m." Oh. My. Gosh. That meant I had 90 minutes to finish packing and get my butt to Detroit Metro. And find a hotel for two nights in Orlando. [I was in a total state of panic by now - crying, sweating, freaking out...the whole nine yards].

I changed my flight and told the Delta rep that she was a saint and that I loved her. (No, really. I did.). I called the first hotel that came up on Expedia and made my reservation. I called Kevin and told him to get home NOW.

We made it to DTW by 6:25 pm - just in time. I checked in. Went through security. And then, breathed a small sigh of relief as I walked to my gate.

I had made it.
I beat the snow.
Mother Nature did NOT win.
I was going to the Celebration.

Sadly there are several other moms who aren't going to be able to make it because of the weather. I am still sending positive, warm thoughts their way -- hoping that some sort of miracle happens and they can get a flight or get out of their driveways and drive down here!

I talked to Kevin this morning and Snowmageddon 2 was already happening. Olivia's school was closed. Airports were reporting delays. It was going to get ugly. I am so happy that I made it out last night.

I will be posting as much as I can this week -- I'm sure I will have some amazing tales to tell from the Social Media Moms Celebration.

Right now though...I'm going to go stare at some palm trees.


Thank you to my wonderful husband for understanding my insanity and my need to get down here for this.
Thanks to my mom for that extra spending money ... I will use it wisely.
Thanks to my girls for the picture book you made me ... it makes me cry each time I look at it.

100 days and...yeah, I skipped two days of blogging

OK, I know. I didn't blog the entire weekend. I'm sure the 'blogging police' are heading to my house as I type to issue me a citation for failing during the first week of NaBloPoMo February.

I do apologize and I have no good excuse. I just had nothing to talk about (shocking, I know) and I was busy with the little things. Oh, and I had a panic attack last night about the snowstorm that is going to blanket this area with 3 - 10 inches of snow (depending on what forecast you believe) on the night before I'm supposed to fly to Orlando.

So, I am a bit stressed out right now. My plan is to head to Detroit Metro tomorrow at noon, check in to my hotel at the airport and watch it snow. And then I'll be up before dawn on Wednesday, anxiously awaiting word on my flight. I am hoping that even if there are six inches of the white misery on the ground, the planes will still be taking off. (Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease).

Anyway....

Today is Oliva's 100th day of kindergarten!

How do I know this? Well, I wasn't keeping track of the days, that's for certain. I had no idea she's been in kindergarten for 100 days - until the teacher sent a note home last week that said they would be celebrating their 100 days in class today.

This whole "100 day celebration" thing must be new, right? I don't remember celebrating being in kindergarten (or any other grade for that matter) for 100 days or 200 days or well, any days. We just went to school in August and finished in June and that was that.

While I'm not really mocking this whole 100 day celebration (after all, Olivia's class is having a 100th day parade around the school and they're making a 100th day hat and a $100 bill and they are counting to 100) ... I am ranking it up there with the whole preschool 'graduation ceremony' -- it seems a bit unnecessary and a bit over the top.

At the same time, I still can't believe that my 'baby' has been in kindergarten for that long! In four more months she'll be done with kindergarten and then (oh my gosh!) she's going to be heading to the FIRST GRADE!!!!!

So....happy 100th day of kindergarten, Olivia!
We are so proud of you and you're a superstar student!


[And a note to Mother Nature: You need a serious attitude adjustment. Do not mess with my flight or there will be hell to pay. OK? Thanks.]

Feel Good Friday - It's just the beginning

I discovered a lovely blog this week - The Girl Next Door Grows Up - and "Feel Good Friday" is her weekly meme. After a rather long, exhausting week I decided to give it a shot.

The 'rules' are simple: You can ...

1. Make a list of 5 things that make you happy.
2. Write about something that made you smile this week.
3. Write about something you did for someone else that made them happy or laugh.
4. Post a pic about something you treasure so much it makes you happy every time you see it.
5. Write about your happy place or something that makes you happy, regardless of the type of week you're having.


And without further ado...my first 'feel good friday'.... I'm going with #5:

As I mentioned, I've had one of "those" weeks. I'm feeling frustrated about finances, my job search, my continued unemployment and the never-ending gray skies of Northwest Ohio.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me.

There is something looming on the horizon that I'm so excited about...I can barely contain myself.

I've blogged about it before, but I'm going to talk about it again - it's the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

I leave on Wednesday morning for three days at my happy place - Walt Disney World - where I'm hoping to meet many amazing moms/bloggers and where I'm finally going to meet some of my wonderful "Disney friends"!

I am looking forward to hearing amazing speakers and I'm hoping I come home with some great insight into how to make blogging and social media even more exciting. I am certain that it's going to be an amazing, fun filled, informative, INCREDIBLE three days!

And this, my friends, is what makes me feel good today.


If you want to learn more about Feel Good Friday, check this out.

A true story about me and Abraham Lincoln

Olivia found a penny this morning in her coat pocket.

She told me that they were learning about Abraham Lincoln in school, and that she knew he was the face on the penny.

And then she said, "And, did you know that there was a guy who didn't like him and so he shot him and then Abraham Lincoln died."

Wow.
Um, yeah...I did know that.
(Is this what they teach in kindergarten now?)

And then I told Olivia that I have the same birthday as Honest Abe.*

This is the conversation:

Me: Did you know mommy has the same birthday as Abe Lincoln?

Olivia: No. When is it?

Me: February 12th. See (points to calendar) it says "Abraham Lincoln's birthday".

Olivia: Mommy, what year were you born?

Me: 1973.

Olivia: Holy cow! Is that the same year Abraham Lincoln was born?

Me: Um, no.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.
I don't think I look 201 years old.


*I should note that as a child I thought it was SO COOL to have the same birthday as Abe Lincoln. I was a weird kid.

It's an honor just to be nominated

What a great way to start my Wednesday! My friend over at Athena Bee's just nominated me for the "Beautiful Blogger" award! Thank you so much!

The Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award. (I did!)

2. Copy the award and place it on my blog. (Done)

3. Link to the person who nominated me for the award. (Did it!)

4. Share 7 interesting things about myself (See below)

5. Nominate 7 bloggers (See below)


Seven "interesting" things about me:

1. I met my husband online in July 2001 and we were engaged three months later. We've been married for 7 1/2 years. It was love at first sight.

2. When I was little I had two goldfish named (wait for it....) Luke and Leia. Yes, I loved Star Wars. Then we moved and my mom flushed my fish. Alive. Maybe the force is still with them - somewhere in Lake Erie.

3. I failed the Ohio Bar Exam seven times. (Obviously, seven is NOT my lucky number).

4. I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater when I was growing up. Instead, I quit skating in the 8th grade and only skated for 'recreation' instead.

5. I am afraid (terrified perhaps) of spiders.

6. I hate when people touch my feet. Except to get pedicures. Then it's OK. Otherwise, hands off.

7. I can't drink red wine - it gives me terrible headaches.


And now, the envelope please...

I nominate these wonderful bloggers for the Beautiful Blogger Award:

1. Zannaland - An amazing blogger and a great person!

2. Confessions of a Coach's Wife - Great blogger and a NaBloPoMo participant!

3. My 3 Monkees - My cousin, who is new to the blogosphere!

4. Tales of a Frumpy Mocha Princess - One of my Disney friends who makes me laugh on a regular basis!

5. When I Grow Up.... - Another Disney friend who is new to blogging...here's a little blogging inspiration for you!

6. The Disney Driven Life - The original Neurotic Disney Mom!

7. Happy Family with Steamed Rice - Because I miss her blog posts!


Happy blogging!

I'm giving you ONE. LAST. CHANCE.

LOST used to be my absolute-must-see-TV-favorite-show.

And then something happened. I stopped watching it. I didn't care if I missed an episode or two or well, an entire season. I wanted to be entertained - and quite frankly the last two seasons were not entertaining to me. I don't want to think THAT MUCH while watching television.

[Yes, all you LOST fans out there - go ahead and start commenting now. You know you want to.]

In my opinion, the first season of LOST is something that will never be duplicated on television. It was awesome. Amazing. Mind blowing.

And the last 4 seasons?
Not so much.
It was just too many plot points, diversions, and people that I didn't really care about.

But tonight, I'm giving my former favorite show one last chance at redemption.

We'll see how it goes.

--------------
11:05 p.m. - I just spent 3 hours watching (first) the recap and (second) the season premiere. And I have this to say: I am intrigued. And am willing to add LOST to my Tivo once again. For now. Admittedly, I am totally confused, bewildered and uh, lost....but in a good way. Right now I really WANT to know what is going to happen next.

It's time to potty....or so I've been told

Today the girls had their annual "well check" visits with the pediatrician, and before we even walked through the doors, I knew I would get a lecture from our doctor. And no, it wasn't because I let them have TVs in their bedrooms, or because I feed them chicken nuggets three or four times a week.

You see, now that Emma is 3 years old, it's all about the potty training.

Or in our house, the lack of potty training.

First question from the doctor: So, is Emma potty trained?

Not yet. We're working on it.

"Well you know Mom, she SHOULD be potty trained by now."

Yes, and I should also weigh 125 pounds and be a size 8, but I'm not. Poop happens. And at our house, it still happens in the Pull-ups.*

We're trying. Really we are. But it's not easy. It's not easy for us. It's not easy for Emma, who for three years has been using her diaper as her potty. This isn't an overnight kind of thing. [And no, I don't want to hear about your overnight success stories if you have one.]

Every day Emma says this: "Emma tell mommy when I have to go potty." And she does. AFTER the fact. We had a couple of days where she really was going ON the potty. But those days are gone and we're back to square one.

I just don't need our pediatrician to tell me that she should ALREADY be potty trained. She just turned 3 a week ago. In my mind, she's not behind the curve. She still on track. The train just happens to be delayed a bit.

We will get there. It might not happen this week. Or next week. Or this month. But it will happen. And when it does, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll post the news right here, guaranteeing Emma years of therapy because Mommy just HAD to write about poop.


*I didn't REALLY say that to the doctor. Although I could have. I merely said "yes, we're working on it" and left it at that.

Twenty-eight days of awesome!

OK. That might be a bit of an exaggeration.

In case you haven't looked at the calendar today, it's now February. My favorite month of the year. It's the month of my birthday (and my nephew's birthday). And it's the month when I can eat paczkis with wild abandon. And of course we have to remember it's the month for Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and Mardi Gras.

And this year, it's also the month where I'm going to once again participate in the fun that is NaBloPoMo.

I attempted this daily blogging madness back in November for the "official" National Blog Posting Month ... and was almost 100% successful. I think I missed a few days here and there, but overall the experience helped me make blogging a daily thing. And really, don't we all need more 'things' to do every day?

Yesterday I received an e-mail from NaBloPoMo letting me know that the theme for this month is 'TIES'. Now, before you get all "oh my god, she's not really going to write about NECKTIES for 28 days, is she?"...don't worry. That's not what I'm going to blog about. I don't even think that's possible to blog about for 4 weeks, unless you're Tim Gunn.

So, what am I going to blog about for 28 days? Honestly, I don't know. A friend of mine is going to blog about herself ... which I think is an awesome idea! I love that concept - it's a great way to learn more about the people who write the blogs you love.

I think I'll write some posts about me, some posts related to the NaBloPoMo theme of "ties" and some will just be the random ramblings of this SAHM.

I've got 28 days....won't you join me?