CfC-2 Winner

Here's to Keetha, the winner of the toddler learn to read books. Keetha is so sweet about sharing her darling grandchildren. I'm glad I get the chance to share these books with her.

She was also my first commenter, so there's that.

Congratulations, Keetha! I'll be looking forward to the pictures of Mackinley and Piper learning how to read with these. Be sure to post them...oh, right. You post all that stuff; I shouldn't worry!

Key Lime Pie

Yesterday I talked about what we had for Bill's birthday dinner and teased you with thoughts of dessert.....

Well, I'm back to share. I love making this recipe. Most people think that Key Lime Pie is very difficult to make, but my recipe is easy. Well, I got it from the bottle of Key lime juice, so it should be easy and good, right? I get HUGE raves every time I make this and have to laugh because it is so simple.



Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie

1-9in. graham cracker pie shell
1-14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. (I usually plan on refrigerating for at least 2 hours.) Before serving top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with lime slices. (As you can see above we're all about the fresh whipped cream. Heh.)

(A note about the juice: You can typically find it in the juice aisle of the grocery store. It is usually on the top shelf. A bottle is good for 4 pies and will keep in your fridge for a while. Worth it to have on hand if you like key lime pie! The website has other great recipes and a section about where to find a store near you.)(Recipes like Key Lime Pie cocktail, and Honey Lime dressing. Oh my, I think I'm in love!)

This is the best Key Lime pie I've ever had. Well, second to an old family friend that made the whole thing from scratch-probably including the crust, but I digress.

Make this to surprise your family some time soon. You won't be sorry!

Pizza Party

A while back we had our headless friends over to celebrate Bill's birthday. Kathy said that she would bring stuff for pizza-I said great, I'll do the rest.

She brought pre-made dough and hand-made pepperoni. All you do is press the premade dough onto a cookie sheet or pizza stone, top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and other toppings (obviously optional) and you're good to go. Bake at 400 or 425 (?) for 20 minutes or until as done as you like it. It was all soooooo good!

The pepperoni was perfect-not too spicy but definitely flavorful.

This was the kid's pizza-Cheese only. For all 3 pizzas we used 2, 6oz packages of mozzarella, hand shredded.


This final pizza was THE BOMB. I could have eaten most of it myself. (Come to think of it I just about did.) The sauce was home-made pesto, straight from Kathy's garden, with chicken breast, chopped artichoke hearts, and mozzarella. I don't even like artichoke hearts and I liked this pizza. Truly amazing food that night! And yes, we did have salad, too, but who wants to see that?


You'll have to come back tomorrow to see what I made for dessert!


Pssst! Have you entered my clutter giveaway for toddler reading books? You still have time!

The Dirty Dozen-Round 2

Week 2 of this "12 try-3 go through" stuff. Last week was pretty tough but I thought that the voting was pretty good: Danny, Michael, and Alexis Grace were great choices. I would have liked to see Anoop make the top 12 but maybe he'll get in on the wild card. Let the singing begin!

Jasmine- Oops missed this one. The judges didn't seem to like it. I'll come back to it by dvr later...(I saw the recap clip, I won't bother.)
Matt G- I dig this guy in an Elliot Yamin sorta way. (Why have I never heard this Coldplay song? Oh yeah, I don't have a radio in my car anymore. Gah!) Pretty good! Not the best, but pretty good.
Jeanine- Ooh-out of tune. She looks like a recording artist, though. Not a good song choice. Yuck. She didn't leave an impression-at all.
Nick/Norman- (I love this guy. Singing or joking. Let's see what he does tonight.) *snicker* He is good-really, a good voice and so funny. OMG I loved this. (Simon, I don't agree!) Dude can entertain and I'd like to see him more. Maybe not to win, but I would like to see more of him.
Allison- Wow. She's good. Very good. She should go through.
Kris- Bummer to have to follow Allison, ya know? Started off slow...but good; I'm curious what the judges will say. OK, he could do alright, but I don't see him going all the way.
Megan- She is really good. Really. A very unique voice, so pretty; she has a whole package. She should go through. Judges seem to agree.
Matt B.- Good singer, good song, great story, but he seems a little awkward on stage. Hmmm. Judges seem to be blah about the whole performance.
Jesse- I'm not sure about this one. She is kinda nasaly, which I don't like, but otherwise she's pretty good. Not the hottest performance, though.
Kai- Good but not super memorable. It doesn't seem like his style either.

(OK, I swear that I wrote this stuff before the judges talked. I know that it looks like I just wrote what they said but I really, really didn't!)

Mishavonna- I like her but I can't say that I'd choose her over Allison and Megan this week.
Adam- Stones...this should be interesting. A first for Idol, as far as I know. Um, I'm not a Stones fan so I thought it was just ok. He does have a real voice- a really good voice.

(It took me the whole show to realize that they ditched the "chat with mom" portion of the show.)(Thank goodness.)

(Just re-read my thoughts and I guess it wasn't a very memorable night, eh?)

So, my top 3 of the night were Nick/Norman, Allison, and Megan, with Adam as the Wild Card. What did you think?

Off to vote!

Thanks to BooMama for hosting this craziness every week!

One Down

Two to go.

Who's Googling This?

Google is a fascinating thing. Combine that with a blog about a Headless Family and you get some pretty interesting search terms.

Case in point: (highlights from my last 100 hits)
headless family (This lurker was from Thailand. What is it about asians and this blog?)(Twice, but not both from Thailand.)
jailbait cleavage (Eeeew. Although he/she got to my post about Twitter-I brought it on my self.) (This happens a few times a month.)
foto funny
big headless girls
filler 2 (Twice, even!)(Wait, 3 times.)(Huh?)
click for clutter

Some, I know, are obvious. Recent titles, etc., but what is up with people from Asia, the continent, Googling headless family and getting me? Even looking at the Google pages I can't figure out what they are looking for. Any ideas? Or do I really want to know?

The other thing that has completely caught me off guard is that I get a minimum of 5 hits a week from the pictures of our tattoos from our vacation to Hawaii last summer. If any of you found me because of this post and actually got one of these tattoos for yourself, please, PLEASE post your pictures so we can all see them.

Not many people think of the SEO before they start a blog. I certainly didn't. The tips that I had heard/read included theme, and continuity, but now that I know what freaks would come out of the woodwork, I may have thought twice about the whole 'headless' thing. I thought that I would get more hits on things like kindergarten, family, school, you know, the stuff that I actually write about?

What words bring people to your blog? Are they creepy? Funny?

Blue and Gold '09

For those of you who don't know, Blue and Gold is the yearly awards ceremony for the Cub Scouts. The boys love getting their patches and badges. It's fun to watch them be so proud of what they've accomplished! The ceremony was last week and both boys had a lot of fun.

HB#1 has been in scouting for 3 years now, and just earned his bear badge, among other patches.

This was HB#2's first year in scouting and he is really loving it. After 2 years of being the tag-along he definitely deserves his time in the spotlight!

Congratulations, boys! Mommy loves you!

Click for Clutter-2

When cleaning out my boy's room a few weeks ago I came across these early reader books. I purchased them from a Scholastic Book Club flyer that the kids brought home from school. They have been a great tool for getting the boys to read. They each have only a few words, with pictures for cues, with fun themes. There are 11 books (somehow we lost one of them, there should be 12,) and it includes a workbook (never used.) My son's Kindergarten teacher suggested them, and they have been well loved, but gently used.

Leave me a comment if you want these books-either for you and your little ones, or as a gift for someone special. (You must include a valid email address, and this is open to everyone-because these are small and light I will ship overseas!) The number of requests will determine the method of choosing the winner, and I will leave comments open until Friday evening. Please let your friends with small kids know-I don't want anyone to be left out!

Shout out to Darryl for starting the Click for Clutter craze!

Sunday Funnies

Hat tip to Indiana Keetha for this. I was on the floor!

Filler #2

Sorry, folks, for the dead air here.

I'm sick, thanks to a particular 7 year old that I know that went to urgent care last Friday.

Been on the couch all day. I know, I know, I should have used my time more wisely and written.

Instead I tried to catch up on reading. Failed that, too. I still have 124 in my reader. Yikes.

And somehow I got roped into going to ANOTHER field trip tomorrow.

(Don't go there with me. I NEVER told the teacher yes-she assumed. Gah!)

I even had a post or 2 almost finished for your viewing pleasure but (see above) never edited. See? Fail.

The good part is that I WILL be better to go see my cousin for his birthday on Saturday, come hell or high water.

Mind over matter!

Now I think I'll go order a pizza because there is no way I'm cooking tonight.

Season Eight

Well, here we are at the beginning of Season 8 of American Idol. I love American Idol and if you weren't around last year, I blog about it each week along with BooMama, and all of the others. If you want to join us, just write your post and head on over! Or you can see what every one else thought...Have fun! (Oops! She's not doing a Mr. Linky this week. Next week, hopefully. Or is it when we get to top 12? We'll see.)(Edited: Mr. Linky is up at BooMama's! Whoot!)

*****

Now for the first round of 12: In list form! (There are too many to list song choices tonight. Sorry.)

Jackie Tohn- I've been on the fence about Jackie, and tonight didn't do anything to help. Sounds like the judges, er, Simon! agrees with me.
Rickie Braddy- Boring. Not bad, but it isn't getting my attention, either. (Aside, this quiz-the-parents thing is old already. Oy. 1 hour and 40 minutes left?)
Alexis Grace-Great voice, good song choice. Like the pink hair, even! Favorite so far!
Brent Keith- He's a looker, this one. Yummmmm. I could watch, and listen, to more of Brent.
Stevie Wright- Pitchy. I love her and hope she gets a second chance. Not good tonight.
Anoop Desai- He's good-he definitely deserves a chance in the top 12. So-so song choice, though. Killer likability.
Casey Carlson- I wanted to like her but the gyrations and funky facials are killing it for me. Eew.
Michael Sarver- Good, but I'm not sure it's enough. Best of the boys so far, anyway.
Ann Marie Boskivich- Very good! Second only to Alexis. She really has a shot. I don't agree with the judges on this one.
Stephen Fowler- I have high hopes for him... Pretty good so far! (Headless Dad says no...wonder if the judges will agree?) Oops, I guess they agree with HD.
Tatiana Del Toro- In accordance with BooMama's rules, I will not be mean. That being said? Why is she even here? She is my soapbox-er this year, and if she doesn't go home after tonight I'll gouge my eyes ears out. Gah. Whitney as a song choice? Not smart. Do these people not watch this show? Doing Whitney is the kiss of death. Stop. Now.
Danny Gokey- Love this guy. Love, love, love. He is Headless Dad's top pick going into the top 36-and I agree! Yes! Hes nailed it!!!

Well, it looks like we have our top guy-Danny, and my pick for the top girl is Alexis. As for the third? I'll go with Anoop-Dog.

And if I catch you voting for Tatiana I'll cut your fingers off.

Kindergarten Readiness or Academic Redshirt?

It seems to pop up a lot this time of year-it is time to register your 4 or 5 (or 6!) year old for Kindergarten and you are unsure if your child is ready. How do you know? In this environment of "No child left behind" and designer preschools there are no clear cut answers, and no answer is ok for every child or every family. Each state has it's own rules, cut off dates and requirements but one thing is clear. Not every child is ready to enter Kindergarten when the state says he/she is.

Last spring I addressed these issues and more in my Kindergarten series-6 blog posts about my observations of K-readiness, promotion to First grade, and every thing in between. (I will say here that I am not a teacher. This series is written from my perspective as a parent only, in a relatively economically stable neighborhood. Socio-economic, family, maturity, and a host of other factors can-and do- change the realities for children in our society, in our neighborhoods. Please read these with that in mind.)

Part One-Introduction
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six-Where I wrap it up and answer some questions.

I was also alerted to another article that you might find interesting written by Julie Blair, and published on burbmom.net. Thanks, Holly!

So, I know that it is a big assignment, but if you have a child going into Kindergarten (in my not so humble opinion-here anyway,) I urge you to read these posts, including the comments. There is a lot of information and things to consider before you walk your child up those steps for the first time.

Be sure to leave your two cents also. I have a lot of new readers and I'd love to hear about your experiences as well!

Love, Hope, and Football

It is no secret around here that I looooove me some sports. (That would be my English degree talkin', folks.) Football, baseball, whatever, I love them all. I especially love a great sports story that is inspiring, a story that is really about the human condition and compassion.

This fits the bill perfectly.

You must go read about the Gainesville State vs. Grapevine Faith football game. It's ok. I'll wait.

Back? OK.

What those coaches, parents and players did is tremendous. Those boys from State will remember that love for the rest of their lives. Issiah really said it all when he prayed this prayer:

"Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."

That is the great commission. To love, to give hope. That is what Jesus would do. That is the definition of love.

Special thanks to Sophie for leading me to this link. AWE-SOME!
image courtesy google images and www.art.com

Ironically, our pastor had a lot to say about this subject today, and I had to update this. Actually, it's not ironic at all but me really trying to listen to the Holy Spirit, and use this space for what He wants me to use it for.

What do you think you would have done if you'd have seen one of the kids from the above article walking down the street? You probably would have pulled your child closer, or held your purse a little tighter under your arm. Would you have gone up to them? Offered them food? Money? Your coat? What about asking that kid what you could pray for him? Would you pray a blessing right there, right then, for God to bless him? Richly, abundantly, above all? Are we really living what Jesus commissioned us, or have we fallen into the 'American' way? Living is more than just the Golden Rule, but it is really reaching out, helping, loving, lifting up, forgiving. If you don't believe me, believe the one who said it. Read Luke 6:27-38. We are commanded to give-our life, our money, our clothing, our hearts to those who are marginalized, help those around us, pray for them, do what we can to lift them up. That's when we get our reward.

Cake Decorating, Grade 3

HB#1 wanted to participate in cake decorating too. He first wanted to do an elephant (a WHAT?) but I had to say no after searching the web for examples and came up with nothing that would be even remotely easy to accomplish. After looking at pictures on this cake decorating site, he decided on a snake. I should have tried to make it once but didn't. I still think it came out pretty good.

We I started out with a bundt cake, then sliced it horizontally so I had 2 circles. Then cut down at "12/6 and 9/3" (like on a clock) so I ended up with 4 quarter circle pieces. I then placed them on a foil covered piece of cardboard approx. 18"x20" (specs say no larger than 20"x20".) I cut the tail end to a point (left side of the picture), and turned one piece to look like a triangular, poisonous snake head. That came out really, REALLY cool. I also had to cover this one with a powdered sugar/milk mixture. Not as easy-that is why it looks a little messier than the star.

Anyhoo, HB#1 wanted a green snake with red details. His partner brought fruit roll-ups for the tongue and other sprinkles, etc., to decorate it with. It came out a little, um, weird, to say the least. But they liked it, so I guess that's all that matters. And I didn't have to buy it (the other mother out-bid me. Shucks.) I kinda would have liked to decorate this one myself to try to make it look at least reminiscent of a real snake.


I think that the PTA ended up raising nearly $2,000 that night at the cake auction. Pretty good for letting a bunch of kids get all hopped up on sugar at lunch time, no?

Cake Decorating, Grade 1

The PTA at our elementary school has a cake decorating contest and auction each year. All students are eligible to participate. This was the first year for Headless Boy #2 to participate. There are several categories to enter; he chose school spirit. They are the "Superstars" so of course he made a star cake!
They are allowed to bring it to the school with a coating of powdered sugar mixed with milk so it has a 'shell' on it. There can be no other decoration and they can only use food items to decorate it. Mama worked hard on that part.

I mixed the blue icing and sent marshmallows for decorating. The inside is supposed to be a small star. It didn't quite turn out that way. He also used white piping to go along the edges.

Not only did I have to buy all of the supplies, I also had to buy the cake back. He couldn't live without getting his cake. I guess $2 isn't too bad-and it tasted pretty good, too!

Stay tuned for Part 2...

5 Tips for Homework

I have made no secret of my big, giant FAIL at homework time. These are the 5 things that help me to get through the afternoon. Well, when I remember to do them all!

1. Have a talk with the kids-about their day, what is coming up that evening, what they had for lunch, anything! to reconnect.
2. Remember to send them to the potty!
3. Snacks. Headless Boy#1's second grade teacher had a session called "Chew and Do" and it helps for them to be able to munch while they get to work. I keep goldfish crackers around for this.
4. Quiet voices. (Stop laughing!) If you know anything about me or my household IRL you're sure to find this one funny. I am loud. My kids can be pretty loud. I have found that if I keep my voice-volume and tone-lower than normal that they respond to me more calmly.
5. Let them choose the order of the papers that they do. The boys bring home a weeks' worth of homework at a time. HB#1 has to turn things in on certain days: I let him choose if he wants to do worksheet A first or read. HB#2 turns in the whole packet at once so I tell him that he has to do 2 (or 3, or 4) pages per day but he can choose any of the worksheets in the packet. If he does all of the math on the first day, great, but he still has to do the rest of the work at some point.

And actually I have a bonus tip:

Don't forget to breathe!

Do you have any other tips? I'll gladly take suggestions!

Oh, and don't forget to go back to Shannon's place for more Works For Me Wednesday tips!

Jeans (Alternate title: Why Vanity Sizing Can Kiss My Booty)

A few weeks ago I went into the Gap Outlet with a gift card in hand that I had received some time back. With the economy the way that it is, and stores folding like a Hallmark card, I've decided to spend the cards that I have so I don't lose the money. I have not had much luck at any Gap store lately so I was prepared to get a top and call it a day.

I used to love the Gap. You know, the days in the late '80's and early '90's when you could buy one of everything, and it would go with most of what you already had in your closet? I had multiple pairs of Gap jeans, skirts, the works. And don't get me started on the Gap t-shirt. Most every color, my friends. And don't tell me you didn't, too. I just won't believe it because we all had them.

Since I don't get to shop often I just grabbed things that I thought were cute, piled my arms full, and headed to the dressing room hoping that I had the right sizes. I tried on short sleeve tops and long sleeve tops, sweaters, sweats, and OH MY GOODNESS who failed to fill me in on the amazingness that is the yoga pant? 20 lashes for you (with a wet noodle, of course,) because how I have lived without them is beyond me.

(Here is where you are probably going, "Hey Headless! Your title is 'jeans' and you're talking about yoga pants? What's up?" It's all in the build up. Follow, please.)

My favorite pair of jeans were black and went everywhere with me. Circa 1995, they were the old school high-waisted jeans (don't laugh, you wore them too!), and were the jeans that I wore on my first date with Headless Dad. For this reason, they still hang in my closet. They are a size 10.

In my trying on session at the outlet I grabbed a pair of jeans that looked cute. I did not have much faith in the Gap jean, as for the last 8-10 years I have not found one pair of pants or jeans there that fit me anywhere-waist, butt, length, nothing. But hey, I was there, and I might as well try, right?

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I tried on these jeans. They fit p.e.r.f.e.c.t. Not too high or low in the waist, long enough, dark wash, cute pockets that don't make my butt look, well, saggy or otherwise weird.

They are a size 8.

Which brings me back to my title.

I weigh, at minimum, 15 pounds heavier than when I met HD. I had not yet had children, which caused my hips to permanently widen. I know that these jeans are cut differently, but are you serious? I love being in a size 8, but looking at these 2 pairs of jeans, side by side? I am not stupid. I am not brainwashed to think "Ooh! I'm smaller than I was 14 years ago!"

Really, look at this:
(Please ignore the dust lines on the black ones. I said they hang in my closet; I did not say that I wear them. Mostly because I can't. And they are hopelessly out of style. And too short.)

Am I wrong? How about a closer look:
Yes, photographic evidence that my new size 8s are a full inch wider than my old size 10s. Need more evidence? I think not.

Happy

Do you see that? Let me show you better...

That is hail/freezing rain, accumulated after about an hour at the school today.

That reads about 37F.

Yes, this Colorado girl is very happy!

Schedule-The Beginnings

Thank you all so much for your tips on getting my schedule together. I've been working on it and things are coming together. Somewhat.

Here's some of what I have to look forward to; things that are already scheduled:

Sunday: Football (for the next few weeks,) Church.
Monday: School, Track
Tuesday: School, Bowling, Baseball, Batting cages.
Wednesday: School, Scouts (on alternate weeks), Baseball, Track
Thursday: School, Football
Friday: School, Football
Saturday: Baseball

This is just the school and sports portion of the schedule. I am going to have to schedule in things like laundry. And cooking. No joke. Then comes writing, etc. I think I'm going to have to cut down on the "social media" time. Fur realz.

I will be taking someone's suggestion of grocery shopping on Wednesdays. (I tried to find who suggested this. I'll keep looking...) We get the ads on Tuesday, with sale prices beginning on Wed. and so that should help the budget as well. I did it last week and so far, so good. I actually think my grocery bill was less than $50!

So, for now I will leave you with 2 really good posts that relate to planning:

Amy in Ohio had a great post on Losing Weight in Cincinnati about setting goals for weight loss. Her tips are easily transferable to other areas!

Michelle of Scribbit wrote recently on setting goals. She has great suggestions-many that I'm trying to implement.

Go forth and read!

Quickie

I wanted to get a few things out before I forget.....

I got great suggestions about scheduling! Thanks you guys! I'm already starting to implement some of the ideas and I'll be back with the new and improved schedule soon, complete with links to some great posts/ideas for staying organized.

We have dodged the scheduling bullet so far-all sports and practices are on different nights. However, we have one team to add, and unless they are having practice on Sat. and Sun. (which won't happen), I'm going to have some scrambling to do.

I've been thinking about Facebook. It is really weird. It is really fun. Jenn said it best: "All of my worlds are colliding on Facebook" and it's kind of freaking me out.

Pathwords is a cumulative, acquired skill, which is easily lost if you don't play for a day or 2.

The stimulus package has my head about to explode. Don't get me started. Especially on our state budget. If you haven't heard, the state of California is, literally, 2 weeks from being out of money. No paychecks for state workers, no income tax refunds. And the bailout money? Gah! I'm going to have a heart attack just thinking about it. I guess that's why you don't hear me talking more about it here.

And that chick with 8 babies? By in vitro? With no father? I say make the doctor who implanted that many embryos financially responsible. And if ONE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION GIVES A PENNY TO HER FOR THE STORY THEY SHOULD BE SHOT. (Figuratively, of course. I'm not a freak.) I hope she doesn't get a dime. It would be paying her for her stupidity, and that's just stupid.

So. There you have it. A whole lot of nothing-but thanks for listening anyway!

5 To Lose 5

Over the last 2 years I have lost and kept off 15 pounds. I know that it is not a huge weight loss, and I could probably stand to lose another 5, maybe 10. That said, there are some things that have really made the difference for me.

5 to be exact.

My top 5 tips to lose 5 pounds (or keep them off!):

1. Stop drinking soda-even diet!- every day. I am a Coca~Cola freak. I love the stuff, especially out of the fountain with that little pellet ice. I don't drink it. Well, let me clarify: I now drink it only as an occasional treat. Really. Maybe one per month, in place of a dessert or other snack. I actually keep caffeine-free Coke around since I usually will indulge during a favorite tv show and the caffeine would keep me up.
2. Add veggies! We routinely have salads for dinner at least once or twice a week. There are tons of varieties out there-just go look for your favorite flavor. We actually love taco salads around here-yes, the kids do too! Start with lots of dark greens mixed with iceberg, brown ground turkey add taco seasoning, chop your favorite veggies, (we add red or orange bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, jicama, celery, shredded carrots, cilantro, the works! or whatever we have on hand,) and mix up this dressing: Lite Sour cream and salsa. About 50/50, to taste. Crumble tortilla chips on top, if you wish. Yummmmmm.
3. Cut down on your coffee habit. I know! I used to finish the pot (a 12 cupper) after Headless Dad would leave for work. I totally pollute my coffee-sugar and half and half. I looove my coffee. Stopping at 2 cups has saved me hundreds of calories a month. I still pollute it, but stop before I pollute my arteries and waist line, too.
4. Eat breakfast. I know, everyone says it, but it is true. Find something that you like. For me, it's low-fat granola with vanilla yogurt and fruit, preferably berries. I don't love to eat early so I usually will eat after my walk, or at least after the kids leave for school. I really feel like crap if I don't eat breakfast now, could that be why you don't feel so good? Other ideas could be an egg sandwich, protein shake, bowl of cheerios with a banana. Just do it!
5. No list like this would be complete without EXERCISE. Find something that you love and do it every day, or almost every day. For me it is walking. I live in an equestrian neighborhood, nestled next to National Forest land, so there are great trails all over. I love to walk and check out peoples' landscaping, house paint color, additions, and day dream about what to do to my own house. Of course we can't do it right now, but by the time I've added a bedroom and an office, painted the joint, put a deck on the back, and added a pool, I'm unlocking the door to my own house. The time flies even without an ipod. I also try to get in floor work-sit-ups and push-ups, but don't always. Other ideas could include bike riding, running, swimming-just move. Make it a part of your day. Start small if you have to. You'll be glad you did.

Well, those are my best tips. What are yours?

After you answer, you can head back to Shannon's for other WFMW tips!

I Am A Writer

On Friday while surfing around I came across this post by Kelly over at Don Mills Diva. (On Friday she updated the story, more on that later.)

In essence, a "journalist" used quotes by Kelly about blogging in an article, online, and did not include links to her blog or to the posts that included those quotes. This journalist did not specifically interview Kelly for the article but used other previously published quotes. The issue at hand, as I understand it, is not so much that the reporter used previously published quotes, but that they didn't properly attribute and link them to Kelly and her site.

In the continually emerging and changing land of online journalism and blogs I find this infuriating. As Kelly said in her article this is exactly what some online journalists point to as 'shoddy' reporting by bloggers. As people that write for "real" news outlets they should be subjected to strict rules about attribution, including links to original material.

When I first began reading blogs I knew what I was reading-a blog is an online journal written by (typically) one person about their life-by definition an opinion based medium. As a ' young' blogger I have been extremely careful to link to blogs that I take ideas from or quote from. For example, here I used an idea from Darryle: purging clutter and passing it on to someone who could use it. Because I linked to her she got a little more traffic-exposure for her project. I also got some traffic here because she linked to me. Mutually beneficial, don't you think? However, it is not just the hits that are the concern. I did not come up with the idea-she did. I asked if I could take her ball and run with it a little. She was delighted to have me do so as long as I linked to her. Small price to pay for big benefits. This is the way of the blogosphere.

These are the lessons that we learned in Kindergarten. Play nice. Be fair. Share. Help.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all remembered those lessons?

I am not a trained journalist like Kelly but even as an elementary student I was taught that you can't copy someone else's work without giving them credit. Writer's words are their property, and using them without proper credit is stealing, plain and simple.

Kelly is encouraging all bloggers to embrace the title of Writer-with a capital W. We all have a unique voice and a unique story to tell and by respecting ourselves as Writers, our communities at large will begin to respect us more as well-and not attempt to steal our work.

I am no fancy, popular blogger, and will willingly admit that I'd love to have a lot more traffic. After over a year I have to embrace that I'm a Writer-with a capital W, and demand that my colleagues in the blogging world be respected. We are worthy of that respect because we put ourselves, our highs and lows, our expertise, our insecurities, OUR SELVES out there every day and have created an important community that has become a force in our communities and world. A force in opinion, in advertising, in connecting. A force in connecting with others that are like-and unlike- us. A force that is more and more mainstream every day.

So head on over to Kelly's place, get your button, write your post, and stand up for yourself and your work. You are a Writer.

And so am I.