1. What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh? If I was laughing really hard, it was probably while playing with and watching my 2 year old son.
2. Who was your first CELEBRITY crush?
Kevin Bacon's character, Ren, from Footloose!
3. What is one talent that you wish you had? There are so many. But I guess I wish I had a particular ability to make something. To be able to quilt, or sketch, or something like that.
4. How often do you and your spouse go out w/o the kids? Is it frequent enough?
We try to go out twice a month without the kids, and I would say that it is frequent enough, it is a lot more often than most parents we know!
5. What colour(s) is your bedroom?
Our bedroom is boring off-white!
If you want to participate, stop by Mama M's blog with the link at the beginning of this post to play along. http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend and happy Halloween!
Happy Trick or Tweet Day!!!! I am so excited to be a part of True Femme and to get to participate in the TrickorTweet party! I did not want my hashtag to be too hard to find, you don't have to go digging in old posts to find it.
I thought I would share my 6 year old's favorite Halloween joke with you:
Q: Why did the skeleton not want to go to the sleepover?
A: Because he had no BODY to go with!
And here is some fascinating information about Halloween for you!
Halloween's Origins
(based on an article at history.com)
Samhain
Halloween traces its identifiable 0roots back to the ancient Celts. They celebrated the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) on October 31, when they believed ghosts returned to walk among us. Celts thought that this day assisted the Druids, the celtic priests, in divining the future. The Celts were totally dependent on the earth, and the Druids' prophecies were a great source of direction for them. The prophecies from the Druids provided much comfort during the long, dark winter. The Celts celebrated their new year on November first, it celebrated harvest time, and it also heralded the beginning of winter, the time of year when many people died of starvation or from the effects of the cold.
During Samhain, the Druids erected huge bonfires, and the Celts came together in their communities to burn animals and crops as sacrifices to the Celtic gods and goddesses, wore costumes, and played at telling fortunes. After the festivities, they lit torches from the sacred bonfire and carried them home to light their own fireplaces, another act of protection from the gods and goddesses.
Feralia and Pomona
Over the next several decades, two Roman festivals began to take root as Rome conquered Celtic lands. Along with the traditions of Samhain, the celebration of Rome's festival hnoring Feralia marked the passing of departed souls. A festival that honored Pomona, a Roman goddess whose symbol was the apple, likely explains the "bobbing" for apples tradition that we keep alive today.
The Roman Church
November 1 was declared All Saints' Day in the 7th century, honoring both saints and martyrs. The pope was probably trying to replace the Celtic festivals with a church-sanctioned holy day. The celebration was also called All-hallows, and thus the night before was called All-hallows Eve. Eventually, it morphed into Halloween. Later, in the eleventh century, the Roman church declared November 2 All Souls' Day. It was celebrated much like Samhain: bonfires, parades, and wearing costumes like saints, angels, and demons.
Halloween In America
Colonial times: Celebrating harvesttime with "play parties" where people shared stories of the dead, tell fortunes, sing, and dance.
1800-1850: Annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
1850-1900: New immigrants brought Irish and English traditions, dressing up in costumes and going house to house asking for food or money, the ancestor of today's "trick-or-treating". It started to become a holiday more about get-togethers and a feeling of community than about ghosts and witchcraft.
1920-1950: Trick-or-treating was revived. It was a relatively inexpensive way for communities to participate in the celebrating of Halloween. Families believed they could cut down on pranks being played on them by giving neighborhood children treats.
And finally.... Americans today spend an estimated $6.9 billion on Halloween, making it second only to Christmas in holiday spending.
Finally, here is a blogthings quiz I took yesterday, related to Halloween. I think all my blog subscribers are treats too!:
You Are a Treat
As a kid, you didn't cause too much trouble, and the adults adored you. Now that you've grown up, not much has changed.
You know that a little sugar is the way to get what you want in life, and you are as sweet as they come.
You like to make things better in the world, and you don't mind following rules... no matter how silly they may seem.
You are a truly good person, and there's very few of you in the world. Anyone who knows you is blessed!
I was recently featured as a guest blogger at Mama2MamaTips, and I wanted to share the link in case you were interested. Why Are You Breastfeeding Your Toddler? I am a mother to 4 children, and knew before my first child was born that I wanted to breastfeed, for a variety of reasons. Nursing until my child decides to wean has worked out well for myself and for my children. For 101 great reasons to breastfeed, see this link at ProMom. For great information on breastfeeding, see Kellymom.com
Hey, it's still Friday! I can send out some blog love even though it's nearly Saturday here on the east coast.
Polka Dots Are Pretty
My friend Amy is a wonderfully supportive and inspiring lady. She has been through a LOT in her life, and continues to live with the challenges of depression and fibromyalgia. She and her husband have two children. As a stay-at-home mom, she is focusing a great deal of time in pursuit of ending mental health stigma and preventing suicide. She is definitely a creative spirit, made by the most creative God. She believes in sharing her voice and is learning how to use it. She considers herself a full-time student of life, learning, among other things, how to experience and share joy! Please go visit her, I would love to introduce you!
Tree Root, and Twig
My friend Stacey blogs at Tree, Root, and Twig. First, I'd like to explain her blog title.It’s taken from Lord of the Rings, and it refers to the idea that everything – big AND small – is connected. Even every tree, root, and twig. She and her husband have 3 girls and 2 boys, and she shares on her blog about her children, her observations about life, she does product reviews. She is a deep thinker and comes across as very genuine. I met Stacey at the Type A Mom Conference, though we had written back and forth on twitter before then. She is a delight, and I look forward to getting to know her better. Please go visit her and say hello!
Today is KnitPurlGurl's Birthday!!!! She is quite a woman, I must tell you. Her MomTV bio says: Wife, mom, knitter, crocheter, crafter, autism activist and sipper of $4 coffee. She is much much more than that, as you will soon see! Good thing she likes that $4 coffee, because she has a lot to juggle! I met Karrie on MomTV, participating in Chicks Keep Chatting. We connected over the fact that we both have children on the Autism spectrum. Karrie's blogs features so many things!
Her KnitPurlGurl site features how-to blogs and vlogs, links to her favorite fiber arts supply sites, a calendar with updates on TipJunkie, she also blogs about subjects she is passionate about and shares snippets of her life.
Karrie has some great articles on her MommaTudes site, giving information and advocating for causes like Autism Spectrum Disorder research and equal education rights for those on the spectrum, as well as for finding a cure for breast cancer. She does product reviews and giveaways on both of her blogs. Karrie and 3 other lovely ladies host a BlogTalkRadio show called "Fiber Tudes" on Mondays at 1:30 PM EST, and Karrie hosts a MomTV Show called Stitch & Dish on Fridays at 8:00 PM EST.
Karrie has an Etsy shop called KPG Yarns and Sundries located here. Finally, she can be found on twitter at @knitpurlgurl !
Please stop by one of her blogs or message her on twitter and tell her Happy Birthday!!
I have made some wonderful friends thanks to social media, and Friend Makin Monday is one of the ways I like to spotlight my friends and share them with you. There are so many great connections that can be made! Today's edition features the always amazing and often hilarious women from The Blogrollers together and separately!
I <3 The Blogrollers!!! Chatterbox and AskWifey are vivacious, beautiful, innovative, multi-talented, adventurous, honest, and genuine women. I met them in person at the Type A Mom Conference I attended last month, and they were easy to spot because they wore their ultra-social-media-geek t-shirts from FollowMeTees with their twitter usernames on the front and "follow me" on the back! They both knew who I was, too, which was pretty awesome :)
Chatterbox and AskWifey come across as being very in the moment and present with you, making you feel so at ease with talking to them. TheBlogrollers say of themselves that they "are all about taking the business and pleasure of blogging and social media to the streets in unique and entertaining ways."
The BlogRollers is a social media consulting firm with a corresponding blog that promotes the power of women bloggers and its impact on the economy and on social media. They offer social media advice, promote other blogs in their blogroll, and chronicle their collective adventures in hilarious and multimedia-filled ways. I'm going to enjoy getting to know them both better!
In addition to her work with The Blogrollers, http://askwifey.comChristie AKA Chatterbox is a wife, mother, life enrichment coach, an author, and a public speaker! From The Blogrollers About page: "She has a weekly internet radio talk show on BlogTalk Radio, The ChatterBox,which showcases fabulous bloggers and entrepreneurs as well as allows her to put her gift of gab to good use. She is a published author. Her first book, "Your Big Sister's Guide to Surviving College" debuted the Spring of 2007 and "A Book Is Born" (co-authored) was released in the Fall of that same year." Christie shares her personal journeys, observations, and insights with unmistakable flair, lots of italics and parentheses, and so very much sincerity on her personal blog "My Life - A Work In Progress". Chatterbox can also be found on twitter as @chatterboxcgc.
Lorraine AKA AskWifey is a former music industry executive, and in addition to being a wife and mom, is also a freelance writer and author. She writes for several national magazines, having appeared in Heart and Soul, Teen People, and Upscale magazines. Lorraine has also published a book called "Help, I'm A Newlywed, What Do I Do Now?" that you can purchase here. Lorraine has appeared on The Travel Channel’s Great Cruises: Why Not the Mediterranean. Even more exciting, her wedding aired on TLC'sA Wedding Story! She has a fantastic blog at Ask Wifey where she takes questions and gives advice and direction based on her personal experiences and research, always with her own unique style. AskWifey can be found on twitter as @askwifey.
I hope you clicked on all my links, and have enjoyed getting to know Chatterbox and AskWifey! Please follow the buttons above and go visit them!
1 cup Very fine bread crumbs(I make jalapeno cheddar cornbread and put a square in)
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix.
Saute until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the milk and catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs, remove the bay leaves. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined.
In the center of the pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1-1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350F for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer.
This is best using both ground pork and ground beef, as the pork gives more flavor diversity. However, you can make it with ground beef only.
Recipe from Paul Prudhomme's "Louisiana Kitchen"
I don't have a picture of mine, but I found a blogger while looking for images. Her site is Dr. Mom's Office. She made a variation of it and it has pictures and detailed instructions. Here is her link.
Sisterhood
Community
Authenticity
Integrity
Karma
Pay It Forward
These words saturated the spoken and unspoken conversations during the Type A Mom Conference.
Meeting women I've spoken with online in person for the first time and being embraced in a warm and enthusiastic hug.
Meeting women I had never seen before on Thursday, and being hugged goodbye by them on Saturday. And the best part? Being around women who are as motivated and immersed in social media as I am! I've never been around a group of women who understood and identified with why I spend time interacting with "people I don't know" and who are more transparent on their blogs than they could ever be in person.
Meeting some of these women behind the beauty, the sadness, the passion, the stories.. They have let others online in their communities into their private thoughts. In meeting in person, there is not fear or judgment, only acceptance and gratefulness. Having shared journeys together on their blogs, they have supported one another and know one anothers' hearts. It's a beautiful thing.
Katja Presnal did a great recap of her thoughts on the conference, and the words to the HSM song "We're All In This Together" kept resonating in her head. I find it resonating in mine as well. Jessica Smith's recap contained the lyrics to "Dreams" by the Cranberries. Both are uplifting songs about community and sharing and support.
I have not been blogging long. I have been tweeting for only a few weeks longer than I have been blogging. But I was thrilled to meet many of the women I converse withon twitter and on my/their blogs. I was even more excited when I realized that my chatterbox nature had been noticed by a lot of women who I had not ever interacted with. It is rather surreal to be encouraged and lauded for my talkativeness, my microblogging emotion dumping, my #followfriday posting.
I could get used to being encouraged because I talk a lot. Seriously.
I came up with an idea for business while at the conference, and my network of "internet friends" have been insightful, supportive, interested, and full of suggestions as I make decisions about pursuing this business. I would never have had any idea who to talk to or bounce ideas off of were it not for these PR savvy ladies. Ladies who are just like me. Ladies who enjoy social media, who love to connect with others, who write for themselves and others, and who know how to guide a new blogger and pay it forward.
While I learned a lot from the conference, the biggest impression it left me with was that I had found my social media sisterhood. So many women, so many stories, journeys we are on, so many different ideas about how to use social media... but all of us having the same foundation.
Here are some pictures of my social media sisterhood!
My name is Leah Segedie, Creator of Bookieboo & Mamavationand this is my story.
Years ago I was a mess. My BMI was 40.8, which is obese to say the least. I hid from people. I hid from the outside world. I hid from life. My father was dying of cancer, I had a newborn baby, and I ate myself into oblivion. That was how I dealt with stress.
It wasn’t until my father died that I finally woke up to what I was doing to myself. I didn’t want to be ashamed anymore about who I was. I didn’t want my children to learn my bad habits. I didn’t want to be the fat mom that couldn’t keep up with her kids. I didn’t want to be overweight anymore. I had been overweight my entire life, but obese after giving birth. I had NEVER been successful losing weight in the past and fitness people annoyed the you-know-what out of me. They always seemed so chipper and perfect and that was NOT me.
The one thing my father taught me was to solve problems instead of thinking too much. I said to myself, “get up off your butt and STOP victimizing yourself!” and that is what I did. I got up and started walking with the baby every day. I cut out the soda, even though all I drank was Diet Coke. And that was my beginning. Small steps.Those small steps turned into bigger ones and slowly the weight came off.
Over the period of almost four years, I have lost over 160 lbs. Wow, can I say that again? I’ve lost over 160 lbs! Sometimes that number is unbelievable even to me. After my first child, I lost 104 lbs. and then had to do it all over again with my second having lost over 60 lbs. But I NEVER concentrated on the big numbers and that is why I think I was so successful.
How did I do this? Well, you aren’t going to like my response, but it’s the truth. I changed my lifestyle. I went from sitting on my bum everyday to being more active. I went from eating processed junk everyday to a cleaner diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. I changed my outlook on food and on life. My soul is different.
I’m still not perfect. (And thank God!...perfection is BORING!) I’m misunderstood at times, but I’ve been given the opportunity now to support and inspire other moms to change their lives. When they say do what you love to do and it will never feel like work, they are right. I’m the creator of the Mamavation campaign. And Mamavation is my way of helping other moms take back their life like I did.
What is Mamavation? Mamavation is a social media weight loss experiment. We set two moms up with a professional fitness team and support them as they lose weight and bring home healthy habits to their family. The team is comprised of a celebrity fitness coach, Tracey Mallett, a real doctor to oversee the diet, Dr. Mary Ellen Renna, a lifestyle coach, Tonya Leigh Williams, and an entire cheerleading squad for encouragement. The campaign plays out on several social media platforms: Bookieboo, Twitter, Mamavationand MomTV. The moms are put through the ringer during the process. Not only are they put through an intense fitness/diet program, but they become the faces of the campaign in the blogosphere. They post, tweet, and vlog about their experiences to inspire others to make the same changes.Because that is what this program is about—supporting one another.
Mamavation also has a great sponsor, Earth Footwear. Earth Footwear sends the Mamavation Moms two pairs of shoes so they can burn more calories with every step. The moms also receive additional swag based on their weight loss goals and compliance with the program. Nice perk for hard work and dedication.
If you would like to learn more aboutMamavation, check out the site. You can support the program by attending the Mamavation twitter party launch on October 22nd from 5-8pm PST/8-11pm EST and tweeting support to the Mamavation family by using #mamavation. I’d also encourage you to stop by the site and vote for your favorite mombetween October 15th and 22nd. The Mamavation Mom positions are based on democracy and that means YOU. They need YOUR vote! The next two Mamavation Moms will be announced during the launch party and you can congratulate them as soon as they hear. Make sure to RSVP for the party and enter the giveaway.
There are also additional ways you can get involved. You can join the Mamavation family! There are numerous women who are trying to change their lives OR already live a healthy lifestyle and want to inspire others to do so. Anyone who is supportive of healthy families is encouraged to join us daily on twitter by encouraging one another, joining us on Bookieboo, and on MomTV on Monday nights at 7pm PST/10pm EST.
Every child deserves a healthy environment and role model. You can help me inspire moms over the internet and change lives forever! I would love to see you there!
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I have applied to be on of the Mamavation Moms, and Leah is an inspiration to me. I have inspired others before, and I want to be that person again. Please support me here if you'd like, and be involved in the Mamavation campaign!
I wanted to spotlight three bloggers for you again this Friday!!
On twitter, #followfriday is a hashtag used to highlight other twitter friends you would recommend that your followers also follow. I think it's worth mentioning a few each week in the blogoverse!
My recent favorites are:
Robin at Pensieve is just a lovely sweet darling of a woman. She is the first person I ever met from Twitter, and on that day, we talked like old friends and hugged hello and goodbye in a Wendy's in East Tennessee. She is a dynamic storyteller, has a way of writing and speaking in bold and italic and with exclamation points. She is a sister in Christ, she has been to India and blogged for Compassion International. She contributes to the Incourage website, she hosts great blog carnivals, she was in TIME MAGAZINE for her words on sponsored tweets on Twitter, she has a great sense of style and a contagious laugh. She is down home charming. See, I could go on and on. Go read her blog and get to know her, please! Pensieve SaraSophia at tout-est-des-roses is amazing. She is ethereal, lovely, delicate, forthright, thoughtful, genteel, generous, pixie-like, grounded, a friend of nature, an inspiring blogger, and a bright, shining, sparkling example of beautiful womanhood. She is a homeschooling mom of 4, having also been homeschooled herself. She writes in such a way that you feel like you are reading the words of a fairy, she really is quite bewitching. Seriously. I've never met anyone quite like her. I think you will enjoy what you read, what you learn about her, about nature, and about art, when you visit her blog. Sara is involved in blogging with The Sister Project , and that was where I first learned of its existence. Go check it out too. She loves to connect like I do, and I hope I can continue to ge to know this new kindred spirit I found. tout-est-des-roses
Amber is a doll. I love reading her "raised in the down home south" stories. I love the way her storytelling draws me in and captivates me, like in her recent post on the Mother of God . Having met her in person at the conference in Asheville, I can tell you that she is as genuine as they come. She is a sweet sister who also blogs with the aforementioned Sister Project, a loyal friend, and someone I would like to know better. Please go visit her and tell her I sent you :) The Run Amuck
SarahMae is another honey of a girl. She recognized me from my Twitter avatar from 20 paces away in the Crowne Plaza hallway. She was wearing her Incourage t-shirt, and just gave my soul wings when she hugged me. Such a sweet sweet angel. She has a dynamic way of expressing herself, her poetry and posts seem filled with love and worship, and longing. She has that hunger for the Word that I just don't know how to have. I hope by spending more time with her, learning and fellowshipping, that I can get a glimpse of that, too. Oh, and she's going to start her own conference!!!!! Go visit her! Like A Warm Cup of Coffee
Maddie soaking her foot in hibicleanse at the doctor's office after she sheared the top of her big toe off running down the street barefooted. She actually didn't need stitches, but it will probably leave a scar.
Everything is better with bacon. Or chocolate. Right?
If you've never had Shrimp and Grits, please just trust me when I tell you that it is the BOMB. Yum.
Grits, you say?
Ewww.
Isn't that what Flo told us to kiss on Alice back in the early 80s? It's a Southern thing, right? Why not pour this lovely stuff over noodles or rice? Or couscous?
Well, I guess you COULD.. but it wouldn't be as good. Just do it! Trust me!
This recipe is found in many different places on the internet, I got mine off of allrecipes or similar about 10 years ago.
Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, halved lengthwise, and deveined if you wish
* Juice of 1 lemon
* Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
* 1 1/2 cups grits, I use quaker, follow directions on container
* 6 thick slices bacon, chopped
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
* 1 garlic clove, minced (more if you like)
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) grated medium to sharp Cheddar cheese
* Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
Instructions:
Combine the shrimp with the lemon juice and a couple of generous splashes of hot pepper sauce. Let sit while you begin the grits and gravy.
Make the grits in a large heavy saucepan.
While the grits simmer, get the gravy under way. Fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until brown but still limp. Stir in the onion, green pepper, and garlic and continue cooking until the onion and pepper are limp, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions, sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and continue sauteeing for 5 minutes longer. Stir in the stock and remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat while you finish the grits.
When the grits are thick and creamy, stir in as much of the butter as you wish, followed by the cheese. Add a splash of hot pepper sauce and additional salt if you like. Cover the grits while you finish the gravy.
Return the gravy to medium heat and stir in the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately, mounding the grits in large shallow bowls or on plates and covering them with shrimp and gravy.
SERVES 4
photo courtesy of seriouseats.com
If you make this on my suggestion, please reply and let me know how yours turned out and what you thought!
Annelise turns 4 tomorrow. She is precocious in many ways, but one of my favorite ways is her insight. We often refer to her as "The Quotable Preschooler", because she has such mature insights into life.
Half an hour ago, she was dozing in the recliner, watching Thomas the Tank Engine with her little brother. I had gone upstairs to change clothes and finish dinner, and Maddie (6) came down and scared her. She came to my room crying, having been startled out of sleep.
As we were snuggling and talking, Maddie came in, upset at our neighbor girl. The neighbor, Jacey, had been telling her that the 16 yr old girl up the street couldn't possibly want to hang out with Maddie, because she is only six. (We know this to be untrue, Amelia teaches Maddie how to draw and paint, and makes cookies and banana bread with her. She's even been invited to a tennis match.) I reiterated to Maddie that what Jacey was saying was untrue.
Maddie wandered off, but Annelise and I were still in the bedroom. Annelise looked at me and said, very eloquently, "I wish our guest, Jacey, would quit telling Maddie that Amelia doesn't like her. It's mean.". I giggled, I told her she was right, and that she should go tell Jacey that. So she did.
Jacey was embarassed that she had been called down by a 3 year old. She apologized to Maddie, and listened to me as I gave evidence that Amelia really does enjoy spending time with Maddie, even if she is only six.
Annelise often displays correct behaviour that we wish her sisters would emulate. Pretty difficult when the example is the preschooler!
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