12 months + 117 posts = 2011 a year in review

Can I just say this - good riddance to 2011. You have been a particularly craptastic year. At least the last half of it, anyway. I am not sad to see you go on your merry way. Buh-bye. I never did like the number 11 anyway.

So, in the course of 12 months I managed to bust out 117 blog posts. Hmmm. Not a great record, for certain. But it's better than 2010 when I only "managed" to write 104 posts. At least I got that part of my New Year's resolution right - I did write more in 2011. I guess I had more to complain write about.

Grab a drink. And maybe something to eat. We're going to review 2011 in all its gory glory. Fasten your seat belts, it might be a bumpy ride.

January - Aside from a snowstorm and two birthdays (Olivia and Emma, 13 days apart), the month was relatively uneventful. As 2011 started, I was still enjoying my job and actually like the people I worked for. Funny how a few months can change all of that.

February - For the record, the weather around these parts sucked a lot in February. We had a snowstorm as the month started and then as the month was winding down we had an ice storm. That was not in the forecast. And it was damn scary. Our house is surrounded by tall, scary trees and they terrified me during the overnight ice storm. We also lost power the day after the storm and spent two nights at my parent's house. You just gotta love winter in Ohio. (No, I do not have to love it. I detest winter.). On the non-weather-related front, I became the proud owner of an iPhone in February. And I still love that phone. (Yeah, materialistic. Whatever.). Oh, and I turned the big 3-8 in February. More gray hairs appeared overnight.

March - This was a weird month. The proverbial sh*t hit the fan at my office and it was all downhill from there. But, I also had an amazing, life-changing experience at Disney's Social Media Moms Celebration. Let's start with the bad stuff first. My job. On March 2nd, I blogged about the job. And then again on March 3rd - where I blogged about crying at work and how much it sucked. (My word of the day was "annoyed" - yeah). On March 10 I was called a "wussy" by the business services director at my former employer. Oh and then on March 11 I was told that I needed to decide if my family or my job was more important (yes, really...my ex-boss, The Bully, told me this).

And then, thankfully, I boarded a plane on March 16 and headed to Walt Disney World for the second annual Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. This event was truly a life-changing event for me this year. While I blogged about it in April, I'm going to talk about it now. (If you want to read the posts again they are here, here, here, and here.)

Not only did I meet MORE amazing people friends, but I also had the chance to see many of my friends and spend some quality time with them (you know, more than just tweeting at each other every day). I also had the opportunity to meet the amazing, brilliant, incredible Rene Syler - and for that I am thankful. Her words still resonate with me now, nine months after first hearing her speak. She spoke about following your passion, how real growth hurts, how people who make you feel bad have NO place in your life, and how you need to be able to say every day "I am happy!" All of these things impacted me for the rest of 2011.

Oh, and did I mention I also went on an African Safari trek at Disney's Animal Kingdom? Yeah, you can read about that here.

April - Well would you look at that? My job still sucked on April 1. No foolin'.

May - My job still sucked. The weather finally got warm. My grandma died. And I wrote about that - and deli trays. Oh and did I mention my job was still sucking the joy out of me? Yeah. It was. Of course I blogged about The Bully and what a b*tch she is.

June - We went to Disney World with the whole family ("Chaos Party of 10"). It was epic. It might have been one of the best trips at Disney. Ever. I almost didn't get on the plane to fly home. Staying in Orlando was so very tempting. Oh, and we skipped spring and went right into summer and sweltering heat. With no a/c at the job. And then, on June 22 the job went directly to hell in a handbasket. I call it my "Target Moment" - that very moment when you realize you'd rather work at Target than spend one more day in hell. It was this point that I knew. I was now a target for The Bully and it was all over, except for the closing credits.

Oh, and I also realized that I was OLD in June as I attended my 20 year high school reunion.

July - Holy Toledo. I wrote 19 blogs posts in July. I took a "non sick" sick day. I had my "year end assessment" with The Bully, where she questioned the "need" for "work friends" (probably because she doesn't have any). And then, just when I thought the job couldn't get worse, it did. Epically worse. I was at a crossroads. I had a choice to make - continue to work for The Bully and suffer whatever fresh hell she chose to dish out on a daily basis, or save my sanity and my physical health and resign. I chose the latter. I resigned from my job on July 19, one year exactly from the day I started my job. I was free. I was happy. I slept through the night for the first time in MONTHS.

Oh, and we had a heatwave. And I broke my toe. And Emma was stung by a bee. And I blogged about envy and following your passion.

August - Olivia started second grade! I became a "dance mom" and a "cheer mom" when Emma started taking dance lessons and Olivia became a cheerleader. And, we adopted a new kitten - and named him Shadow. It was a pretty OK end to the summer.

September - The blog celebrated it's 6th birthday. I applied for the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. Again. I got really dizzy. And, Olivia was diagnosed with serious food allergies and seasonal allergies. That knocked me on my butt (good thing it's heavily padded). She has a peanut and sesame allergy and we are now armed with EpiPens. And she's getting allergy shots once a week for the "seasonal" stuff. It's a whole new [food] world for us. But we're adjusting.

October - Another year, another rejection for the Disney Moms Panel. Kevin and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. Steve Jobs died the same day. I don't think that's related. Oh, and we had a fun Halloween. It was kind of a slow month, other than the many job interviews I had. All of which ended in nothing.

November - Let's just face it - Nov. 10 was an incredibly crappy day in my life. As in, it sucked. A lot. It was as if all the bad news that was fit to print was printed that day. Just for me. I didn't get my dream job. And I learned that I still had to deal with a crapload of B.S. from The Bully and my former employer. (I'm seriously never buying another box of Thin Mints in my life. EVER.). And yeah. That was November. It wasn't very good.

December - Let's see. The good thing about December? Yeah, it's the last month of 2011, so it has THAT going for it. And Christmas. That was nice too. The rest of it? Nothing spectacular. More rejections from potential jobs. More frustrations for me. Other than that? A few giveaways. And not many blog posts. Oh, and I booked a flight to the Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Disney in February. I'm doing my first 5K. I guess I should start training soon, eh?

And with that I bid 2011 a not-so-fond farewell. We had some good times but we had some really crappy times too. I am choosing to remember the good times and learn from the bad.

Onward to 2012.

Happy New Year.

What to Expect ... a giveaway!

OK, first things first.

NO. I am not expecting.
That ship sailed five years ago, right after Emma was born.
Two and done, thank you very much.

However, some of you - my dear readers - might be expecting. Or maybe you just had a baby. Or you're thinking about getting pregnant.

Whatever your situation, the folks over at What to Expect have a perfect book for you.

What to Expect When You're Expecting - a week-to-week guide that will answers your questions from "planning through postpartum." I had this book on my nightstand during my first pregnancy. If something "weird" happened (yeah, like every day when you're pregnant for the first time), I'd grab the book and look it up.

What to Expect The First Year - a month-by-month guide that "explains everything you need to know" about the first year with your baby. Oh how I would have loved this book as a first-time mom eight years ago. I was so clueless when we brought Olivia home from the hospital! When we got home I remember looking at Kevin and saying "now what?"

What to Expect The Second Year - this is the "complete why, when, and how-to guide to your toddler's wonder year." Yeah. This book would have been a lifesaver during Olivia's second year. Oh man. I always heard about the "terrible twos" but didn't believe it until I saw them firsthand. We had sleep issues with Olivia (starting at 8 weeks old, mind you) and they lasted well into her "toddler" years. Any guidance would have been welcomed. And don't get me started on the whole pacifier "issue" and "breaking" her from the bottle.

Anyone with kids knows parenting isn't easy. You wonder if you're doing it right. Or if you're scarring your kids for life by letting them co-sleep (guilty as charged, thank you very much). The What to Expect books are a great resource for parents (and grandparents!). And so, I'd like to make it a bit easier for you!

I have partnered with What to Expect and am giving away SIX of their books! For a chance to win the book of your choice (What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect The First Year, OR What to Expect The Second Year), simply follow the Rafflecopter directions below. I'll be choosing the winners at random and notifying them via email (at which time I will need your mailing address).

Good luck!
Happy New Year!

Disclosure: I was given a set of "What to Expect" books for review. I received no other compensation, monetary or otherwise. ALL opinions in this post are MINE. 

A happier meal - the new and improved Happy Meal at McDonald's

On any given day if you ask my youngest where she wants to eat when we're "out and about," she will reply with "McDonald's" (which actually comes out as McGoggles at times, but whatever). And yeah, I'm OK with her choice - I have a weakness for McD's fries and if a Happy Meal is going to .. make her happy, then that's fine with me.

And now that McDonald's has spruced up their Happy Meals - they include an "automatic" offering of fruit in every meal .. I'm even more OK with it.

Have you seen the new and improved Happy Meals? Not only are apple slices included (along with 4-piece McNuggets, a hamburger or a cheeseburger, and fat-free chocolate milk or 1% white milk), but the world famous french fries come in a much smaller (and quite "adorable) package - 1.1 ounces of fries to be exact. So our kids are getting FRUIT and milk with their fries and McNuggets. 

Heck, I'd even order this for myself. 

According to a press release - "The new Happy Meal is part of McDonald's recently-announced 'Commitments to Offer Improved Nutritional Choices' which aims to help customers - especially children and families - make nutrition-minded choices for their daily lifestyles, whether visiting McDonald's or eating elsewhere. By including fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald's hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce."

I know getting my kids to eat fruit - other than pineapple and applesauce (yeah I know it's not "technically" a fruit, but it IS made from apples) and maybe a random banana here or there - is a daily challenge. So if I let them get a Happy Meal every now and then and it has apples as part of it, I'm all for it. I even told them today, "if you don't eat the apples, you don't get Happy Meals anymore." Yes, I used a veiled threat to get them to eat their fruit. Sue me.

So, have you checked out the new Happy Meal yet?
What did you think about the smaller fry size and the apple slices?

And more importantly, for all my northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan readers - how would you like two coupons for a free Happy Meal? (Yep. Free food. That's what I'm talking about!). Leave me a comment telling me what is your favorite McDonald's menu item and include your email (so I can contact you if you win). I'll choose two winners at random on January 7, 2012. [The coupons are ONLY good at McDonald's locations in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan].

Disclosure: I was provided with "Be Our Guest" cards from McDonald's. I did not receive any other compensation - monetary or otherwise. ALL opinions are mine.

Merry Christmas 2011

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

(Photo Credit: Ashely Photography)

The first ever Bah Humbug Awards. You really don't want to win this.

OK. I have three days until Christmas...so I can still be feeling a bit cranky and Scrooge-like and I'm going to vent and get this stuff off my chest and then I'll be all merry and tinsel.

I'm going to award a few VERY deserving people my first ever "Bah Humbug Awards" - trust me, you don't want to win this. 

My first Bah Humbug "award" goes to people who choose to ignore my daughter's peanut allergy (or any child's food allergy if we're getting all technical about it).

Today was Olivia's "holiday" party in her class. I put "holiday" in quotes, because we all know we can't have a "winter" holiday party that celebrates all the winter festivities, for fear of not being 110% politically correct and offending someone. So, Liv's party celebrated ALL the holidays throughout the year. (Still shaking my head at this one). Her teacher sent home a note that said each child was to bring in a "traditional" holiday food for ANY holiday, and OH BY THE WAY there are kids with peanut and soy allergies in the classroom so please plan accordingly.

Me, being the responsible mom of a child with serious food allergies, I sent in tortilla chips and salsa. Easy enough. No peanuts, soy, sesame, etc.  (We didn't have any "no gluten" warnings, and I'm not even sure if there is gluten in chips and salsa). Other foods sent in included meatballs, sugar cookies, Hershey kisses and Jell-O cake. Oh, and then we had Buckeyes (peanut butter and chocolate), PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES, and an apple pie with a crumb topping made with, you guessed it, peanut butter.

Sure, there were "warning labels" by the offending food stating that they contained peanuts and soy, but c'mon people. How difficult is it to just NOT bring food like that?

The peanut butter/apple pie mom even said to me "well I knew we had kids with peanut allergies in this class, but it was late and I didn't feel like looking for another non-peanut recipe so I guess those kids will just have to skip my pie. Oh well."

Imagine how stupid she felt when I looked her in the eye and said "Yeah, my kid is the one with the peanut allergy. Guess it's a good thing she doesn't like apple pie." [What I really was thinking was "you stupid, irresponsible, b*tch..what if my kid couldn't even be around peanuts? Would you be so blasé about it then?]

And my next Bah Humbug "award" goes to the employers who keep rejecting me in such wonderfully unprofessional and incredibly stupid ways.

First there was the institute of "higher education" who went as far as to call my references, but only because I was ONE of the "finalists" and they hired the other finalist, telling me via email how "lucky" they were to have so many "talented" candidates. Whatevs.

Then, there was the school administrator at another interview who said "you're very impressive on paper but even more impressive in person and we WILL be in touch soon." He lied. They were never "in touch" again, unless you count the GROUP rejection letter that was emailed out by the school receptionist on the administrator's behalf. Yeah. I said group rejection letter. It mentioned "all of you" in every sentence. All of you were talented. All of you were impressive. Oh, and all of you suck so you aren't getting the job. [OK, it didn't say that last part, but it was implied.]

And then, there was the rejection I received today. On the phone. Three days before Christmas. This school [wow..I'm sensing a trend here...no more schools for me] invited me out THREE FREAKING TIMES for interviews and a tour of the school (!!!!) and then they decided to COMBINE TWO JOBS into one, thereby eliminating the position I was interviewing for. The position I really would have loved. The position that I "interviewed excellently for" and "was highly considered for" ... the position that they gave to a MAN.

Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me. ??????

I'm just not sure what to do anymore in this whole job search circus.

Here's the thing. NO. I do NOT wish I had kept my job within the fifth level of Hell. I am still happy that I made the decision to leave the organization and their cookies and badges behind. I do no regret telling that bully exactly what I thought of her, and while we're on the subject I hope she has a miserable Christmas and drinks bad egg nog.

But this job search thing SUCKS. It sucks a lot. I'm a talented gal (if I do say so myself) and damn it all I can't understand why I can't find a job. (I mean other than the whole economy being in the toilet thing). I'm pissed off. I'm frustrated. I'm angry. I'm feeling like a failure professionally and that totally sucks.

So where do I go from here? Frankly I have no freaking clue. The job market in Toledo is craptastic. Maybe I start looking for a job out of this city. Out of this state. A friend of mine suggested that perhaps this last rejection means 2012 is the year for me to FOLLOW MY DREAMS AND PASSIONS. Maybe she's right. What is my passion? Writing and social media. Now I just need to figure out where it's leading me and take that route.

And with that...I move on.

To Christmas with my family and too much food (and maybe even too much wine). And then on to 2012. And damn it all, it better be a good year. "12" is my lucky number, so if the gods and karma are listening...make it a good one for me, OK?

Merry Christmas to all.
And to all a good night.

Not so wordless Wednesday - a small reminder for my readers

Yes, my blogging has been seriously lacking.
I have no excuse.
Other than...I had nothing to say.
Shocking, right?

But...as we get closer to Christmas, I have a reminder for you, my dear readers.

You have three days left to enter the Global Resort Homes giveaway that I'm hosting with my good friends Kristen and Jackie.

We will be choosing the winner on Christmas Day and, well, you can't win if you don't enter.

Click here to go to the original post.

Good luck.

Wordless Wednesday - The Boardwalk

February can't get here soon enough.

It's the perfect day for some giveaways!

OK, so it's rainy and dreary here (again) .. and in my mind, that makes it a perfect day to enter some giveaways.

For those of you dreading winter (the entire northern half of the US), why not dream about a 7-night getaway in sunny and warm Orlando? Sounds perfect, right? Check out this post - "Global Resort Homes giveaway" - and enter for your chance to win a 7-night stay in a vacation home, courtesy of Global Resort Homes. (I'm co-hosting that giveaway with Kristen and Jackie - be sure to check out their blogs too!)

And, if you're looking for a new, inspirational book to read (or to share with someone else), check out this post - "How can you escape neverland?" - where you can enter to win a digital or print copy of the new book "Overcoming the Nevers" by Teri Johnson. It's a great read and a great way to start the new year.

So there you have it ... just some light reading suggestions for this rainy, dreary Monday afternoon.



A few disclaimers: 
1. Disclaimer: Global Resort Homes is sponsoring my stay in a resort home in February. No other compensation was received for this post.
2. Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of "Overcoming the Nevers" and the chance to participate in her blog tour for the book. I received no other compensation.

How can you "escape neverland"?

As anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows, the last half of this year has been rather challenging for me.

Well, OK...a lot of this year has been challenging for me professionally.

I was subjected to months of bullying at my old job and eventually had to quit that job in order to preserve my sanity. And now, five months later I'm still dealing with those people and their lies and bullying. 

I never thought it would happen to me.

Do you see that word?
Never.

It can be a positive word (I never thought I would run a marathon) and it can be a negative word (I never thought it would be so hard to find a job). When it's a "negative never" it just hangs there, tormenting you. But there's a way to move past the negative and come out of it a stronger person.

This is the theme of a book I was recently introduced to - "Overcoming the Nevers" by Teri Johnson. In the book, Teri talk about how we can all overcome the "negative nevers" that are crippling us and keeping us from discovering who we were created to be.

As I write this post, I've just begun reading the book - but so far it is resonating with me. Loudly.

Case in point: "...negative Nevers. They come with feelings of regret, embarrassment, insecurity, guilt, and shame. They can be stumbling blocks and obstacles in our lives. They are troubling." (p. 14)

That right there? Yeah. That's how I've felt rather often this year. I was left feeling exposed and insecure at my old job because I never thought I'd be a victim of workplace bullying. I feel embarrassed because I'm now unemployed and can't find a job. I never thought I'd be almost 39 years old and still looking for "the job." And I could go on and on about the "negative nevers" that are hanging around here lately. It's quite a hefty list.

But I think with Teri's book I am going to overcome these "negative nevers" and come out of this stronger, better, and happier. The chapters in the book start with "Willingness" and move through Acceptance, Faith, Surrender, Courage, Admission, Transformation, Humility, Responsibility, Restoration, Clarity, Awareness, and Light. All steps we need to move through in order to escape the "negative nevers."

I think this book is going to make a difference in how I look at the world around me. I refuse to be a victim any longer - I have already spent too much time feeling this way. I'm going to take control and kick those "negative nevers" to the curb.

Who's with me? Let's put those "negative nevers" in their place.

And to help you in this endeavour, I'd like to give one of you the chance to win a digital OR print copy of "Overcoming the Nevers."

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is (1) leave a comment about ONE "negative never" you'd like to overcome, (2) decide if you want a digital or print copy, and (3) include your email address in your comment so if you win I can notify you. The contest is open until 12/9/2011 at 11:59 p.m.ONE winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.


More about the author and the book
In Overcoming the Nevers by Gardening Your Life and Nurturing Seeds of Truth, Teri uses her life experiences as a springboard to help readers move on from the crippling, joy-stealing “Negative Nevers.” The book shares the tools that Teri has learned as well as practical tips and applications for using them in your life to overcome your worst nevers. Are you willing to discover the truth about who you were created to be? Overcoming the Nevers inspires and equips you with the opportunities to become your best YOU.

Teri is the President and Founder of Keeping it Personal. She is also a writer, speaker, and sought-after personal growth expert who enjoys great conversations while sipping coffee, photography, and soaking up as many sunsets as she can. Teri is passionate about helping others as an encourager and a cheerleader to many. The author lives a joy-filled life, deeply devoted to her husband, her two boys, and her relationship with God. Connect with Teri at TeriJohnson.com.

_____________
Disclosure: I was given a free copy of "Overcoming the Nevers" and the chance to participate in her blog tour for the book. I received no other compensation. All opinions here are my own.