Tips for Bloggers

This week’s Work For Me Wednesday is about Blogging Tips. Now, I am not a popular or professional blogger, by any stretch of the imagination. However, I do READ blogs. A LOT!!! I have 125 blogs in my reader, as we speak type?!

So, because Blog Reading is my drug, food, entertainment addiction of choice, I have some tips for the blogs that I read (and LOVE!). Please, take what I say or leave it…..I’m okay with it, really. I will just check into some rehab center somewhere for blog addiction. “Hello, my name is Angie and I am addicted to reading blogs.”

Okay, on to the tips:

1. Keep doing what you are doing. Ignore everything that I am about to tell you. No, really. I LOVE all of the blogs that I have in my reader. You are obviously doing something right. I appreciate it!

2. Stay true to yourself. Blog about what makes you happy. Decorating, organizing, cleaning, mommy hood or (my personal fave) a mish-mash of all of the above.

3. Show us some “real life”. I love when my favorite organizing blog shows an area of her home that is less than perfect. It makes me feel like it is okay. I really like it when that area is an area that I have organized—hee hee!! It gives me a sense of accomplishment. LOL

4. Don’t worry if you don’t post every day, or respond to every comment, etc. I know that some blogs are professional (or trying to be) and that is okay. I understand wanting to make money doing this. (I, myself, LOVE some of the free samples that I have received). But sometimes, life gets in the way. Kids get sick, cars break down, houses need to be sold, etc. It is OKAY…..I will still read when you come back, I promise. And again, show us some of that real life adventure!

5. Share your secrets. Now, I am not saying to put your address out there or name your children. But tell me, how do you do it all? Keep a house clean, while wrangling 14 kids, after working out for 2 hours, making nutritious meals and decorate for EVERY. SINGLE. holiday?????!!!

Now, in all seriousness, I go back to Number 1-----Keep doing what you are doing! I love my daily fix of blog reading. You all inspire me to become better. Thank YOU!!!

Hugs,

Missing in Action

Oh, man!!!  Here it is the END of January!  This is only my 2nd post for the month!!!  Great....guess I'm doing REALLY well with setting and achieving my goals.  um, not!  Oh, well.  The great things about goals (instead of resolutions) are that they don't have to start on January 1st!  They can start tomorrow, or Monday, or even tonight, if you wanted to!  Which, yes, I do WANT to start over!  Soooooooo......If you will humor me.....tomorrow (or maybe, Monday) is January 1st.

 

So.....where have I been?!  Busy.  Remember, I have 4 kids, a husband, and I am going to school full time.  The first of the year, brought sickness.  Miss Moo, who NEVER gets sick, was really, really, really sick.  She started throwing up on a Friday morning.  She was able to drink water and kept that down on a regular basis.  However, any and ALL food came back up for 5!!! days.  Finally, I decided that I needed to take her to Urgent Care.  She wasn't showing any signs of dehydration.  The doctor came in, told her she would have to take blood, place an IV, and run a urine sample.  One of the things they checked for was pregnancy.......oh my!!  Now, Miss Moo is far from even having a boyfriend, but the hospital had to do it.  The IV took 2 tries and Daddy coming in to be able to get it put in.  Thankfully, the IV worked.  She didn't throw up after that.  Still have NO idea what it was.

Other than that.....I have been busy:  making lists, trying to get myself and the house organized, working on school, etc.  I haven't worked on everything on my goal list, but I am trying and tomorrow is a new day!!!

Happy New Year!!

Well, obviously, I took some time off.  With 4 kids, the Christmas season can be a little crazy.
So, I wanted to share my mission with all of you, in order to keep me accountable.  Now, notice that I say ‘mission’.  Too often, I have made resolutions and haven’t kept them.  So this year, I am starting something new.  I am on a “mission” to make some changes in my life. 
Per Ali Edwards, I have chosen my word for 2010.  It is ‘mission’.  To me, that word is a starting point for reaching my goals. 
So…..without further ado, my Mission for 2010:
Spiritual:
Read the Bible in 90 days (see Momstoolbox for more information)
Attend church
Marriage:
Be a better wife
Stand beside my husband in the difficult times as well as the fun times
Family:
Take kids to church
Help kids with school
Get Little Bit on schedule
Doctor/Dental appointments
Personal:
Blog daily (M-F)
Work hard at school
Make doctor/dental appointments
Create routines and follow them
Health/Fitness:
Workout 5 days per week (cardio, strength, yoga/pilates)
Drink more water
Stay on track with medications
So, it seems like a lot….but, I have implemented a lot of this already.  I just need to get back on track with it after taking a break over the holidays. 
Here’s to a Happy, Healthy, Fun 2010!! 


Linked to The Happy Housewife

Do you see what I see?

 I love Christmas.  I love decorating--even though, I'm not very good at it.--as witnessed by these pictures.  But, it's fun.  I LOVE looking at everyone's homes and seeing how 'they' do it!  So, thank YOU all who are linking up to the Nester's Home Tour.

A Holiday List!

Today's Mama is hosting a GIVEAWAY!!!  Sign me up!!  So, the requirement is that I answer these questions and link back.  Here it goes:

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
     1.  IPhone  (this is a DREAM---aka, will never happen!!)

     2.  New laptop (scratch that, Santa delivered early!!)
     3.  Wireless networking (ok, I must have been good, I got this too!)
     4.  A pea coat like this:
       

Courtesy of Macy's

            

          5. Flat boots like these:

Courtesy of Payless Shoes

                


2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
      Any of the handmade items from my kids.  I love them all and look forward to putting all the ornaments on the tree each year!


3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
      Hmmmm, this is a tough one.  I have made several handmade gifts in the past.  I guess a Quilt is the next on the list of 'things to make'. 



4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
     Oh, I'm going to age myself here and let everyone know what a GEEK I am all in the same sentence.  When I was 14, I received a Word Processor.  I was so excited and played with that thing for hours.  It helped me to receive an A on my first "REAL" English paper (which included color coded references). Sad.


5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
    A camera for A.  Legos (again) for Bubba.  Anything 'peace sign' for Scoot.  Little Bit jut can't wait to open packages!!

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
    What isn't  my favorite??  HA!  I love Fudge, Sugar cookies, pumpkin pie, turkey, stuffing, mmmmm, the list could go on for days!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
    The only thing that I made this year was the Christmas countdown calendar.  Unless, of course, you count the food:  fudge, sugar cookies, and banana bread are on the list to make.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
    Hands down:  A Christmas Carol.  Any version (except Scrooged).  LOVE.  I went and seen a play when I was in 4th grade.  Ever since then, I have watched it every.single.year.  Atleast twice.


9. Favorite holiday song?
    White Christmas.  Love it.  Reminds me of growing up in Michigan. 

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
   Eating.  Wrapping.  Eating.  Spending time with my family, eating.  Shopping.  Eating.  You get the point! 

Now GO enter the Giveaway for yourself!!  There's lots of fun stuff to win.

Batteries not included and Some assembly required

Ahhhh, probably the most dreaded words at this time of year.  Santa’s Elves just can’t put together EVERYTHING, so that leaves us parents to do the job. 
One year, Papa bought Ashley a Rocking horse.  Such a great present for a two year old.  Except, putting it together was no easy task.  After going to midnight mass, Jon stayed up working on that darn horse.  There was one spring in particular that gave us such an issue!  There were many, many words that cannot be repeated that were said during the HOURS (yes, hours) that it took for Jon to put it together. 
But, oh, the look on that girl’s face when she came down the stairs!!!  I’m sure it was worth every minute, in that tired daddy’s eyes, to see his little girls excitement on Christmas morning.  Although, there will never, ever be another Rocking Horse in the Kerr household—unless it comes pre-assembled by Santa’s Elves.
_________________
The best Christmas Ever!
Jon and I had known each other for awhile.  We were pretty serious, planning on moving in together after the New Year. We were inseperable.  The only time we weren’t together is when Jon was at work or we were in class. 
One night, a few days before Christmas, we were in my living room talking.  My mom went to bed for the night, so we were trying to be quiet.  We decided to write our conversation out.  Somehow the talk turned to marriage.  I half jokingly asked if we were getting married.  The conversation went back and forth without no real answer between us.  It ended up with us saying we are getting married.  How it happened, who asked it first, who said yes (and who didn’t), is still unknown.  But here we are……married! 
That is the story of the Best Christmas EVER!!  I really don’t see any Christmas topping that in my lifetime. 
Hugs,

Angie

Perfection

 

Ahhhh, the ‘perfect’ Christmas tree.  Neatly wrapped packages.  All the lights on the tree, working at the same time.  I have dreamt of this tree for the past several Christmas seasons.  I wanted the tree to all be themed and matching.  With 4 kids, that just wasn’t in the cards.  How boring for them?!  They want to put up ‘their’ ornaments.  Who can blame them. 

As we took out our Christmas boxes this year, I started thinking about how I wanted the house to look.  I wanted some rhyme or reason to our decor.  So, I put half of the cutesy stuff back.  There is no need to use ALL of what we have (4 big boxes, full to the brim). 

The kids and I began to hang the ornaments on the tree.  As we did, the kids (as usual) wanted to hang up ‘their’ specific ornaments.  The ornaments that they have gotten through the years.  I unwrapped and handed them their ornaments, telling them (as I do every year) how someday, they will inherit these when they move out.  The kids suddenly started saying things to me that almost made me cry.  Ashley mentioned how when she moves out, she still wants to come home to help decorate the tree, the day after Thanksgiving.  Lexi mentioned how next year, there will be no more handmade ornaments coming home from school until Addie starts.  Wow. 

No more handmade ornaments!?  No more cutesy Buzz or Barbie?  My tree will look like this: 

Sad! 

So, while my tree may not live up to Martha’s idea of perfect or is exquisitely beautiful like those in a Pottery Barn catalog.  It is okay and in fact, it is absolutely PERFECT.  I want the ‘kid’ tree for as long as I possibly can.

Hugs,

Angie

Pictures courtesy of Martha Stewart and Walgreens.