Category Archives: About Blogs

Behold, a blog-stuff extravaganza!

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We now take a break from deep thoughts to just have a little bit of fun.  It’s like a three-ring blog circus:

  1. General Conference Blog-sharing Activity/Contest
  2. Comment Prize Giveaway
  3. Post-It Awards

General Conference Blog-sharing Activity/Contest

It’s been a long time since I participated in a meme (don’t worry, I had to look it up once, too–it’s basically some kind of questionnaire that you can fill out and pass along to others).  I thought it would be fun to have an extra reason to pay careful attention at Conference.  Here are the meme questions:

General Conference Highlights, October 2010:

1.  Who were your three favorite speakers?

2.  Favorite talk?

3.  Favorite hymn sung during Conference?

4.  Who wore the best tie?

5.  Do you think conference had a “theme”?

6.  Share a few of your favorite quotes (paraphrasing is fine).

7.  Something that made you smile during conference.

8.  Any evidence that your children paid attention?

9.  If you had to give a talk in General Conference (don’t faint, this is hypothetical), what do you think you’d speak about?

10.  What are some of your post-conference goals?

On Monday morning, I’ll post my own answers here on this blog and you can post your answers on your blog.  (You can cut and paste the questions and just fill in the blanks with your answers.)  Then just leave a link to your post in the comments on Monday’s post here.  That way I (and other readers) can check out what you had to say.   And you can invite your readers to do the same thing so you can find out their conference highlights.

Also, on my Monday post, I’ll post a General Conference trivia quiz.  Whoever has the most points will be entered into a drawing for a prize!  (Not sure what yet, but something cool.  Oooh, I know.  How about President Monson’s new biography?)  Monday will be a fun day.

Comment Prize Giveaway

Now, any of you who have a blog know that blog comments are like little Christmas presents.  They make you happy.  My little ol’ blog has been up and running here since last March and I just noticed in my stats recently that I’m eerily close to getting my 5,000th comment!  I know some people get that many comments in a week, but whatever.  I still felt like celebrating.  So whoever makes magical comment number 5,000 will win another prize.  I’ll figure out what after I peruse your blog and think of something fun.  Just wanted to do something to say thanks to my fantastic readers for giving me so many little comment-gifts over the last couple years.

Post-It Awards

Here are some of my recent favorite September posts from BlogLand.  Several of them are from the the September Celebration of Family from Cocoa and Jocelyn‘s blogs.  Enjoy!


What is Real from Chocolate on my Cranium , written by Misfit Cygnet

Eternal Families from Chocolate on my Cranium, written by Allison Kimball

On Women and Men: Can’t We Just Get Along from Mormon Mommy Blogs, written by Braden Bell

Stage Two from Tatro Family

Presence from Mommy Snark

Peace of Mind for Fifty-Eight Cents from Write Stuff

We are where we are for a reason from THE MEANEST MOM

Love from Sweet & Simple Truths of the Gospel

Making Service A Way of Life For Your Family from We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice In Christ, written by Misty

Warnings and Forewarnings In The Family Proclamation from We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice In Christ, written by Susan

Lucy from Rabbit in the Headlights

Stuff that matters, starring you.

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First of all, thank you to all of you who made such kind comments on my recent post.  You said some great things that made me think, and you definitely made me feel loved and appreciated.  You made me feel better. Thank you.

I wanted to make sure that you knew about this little month-long festival going on over at Chocolate on my Cranium (click on the button):

This month marks the 15th anniversary of “The Family:  A Proclamation to the World,” which is even more powerful now than the day it was announced.  It’s a benchmark of truth and doctrine.

“Why do we have this proclamation on the family now? Because the family is under attack. All across the world families are falling apart. The place to begin to improve society is in the home. Children do, for the most part, what they are taught. We are trying to make the world better by making the family stronger” ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley

Anyway, there are bucketloads of posts going on over there about different points of the proclamation, as well as blog hops and giveaways galore.  You’ll definitely want to spend some time there this month.  (And if you’re still on the fence about it, okay, I’ll tell you.  I’m guest posting there next week.  At least show up that day.)

_____________

And in case you’re looking for more good stuff to read, I also wanted to honor some of my favorite posts in the last little while (and by little while, I really mean all summer.  It’s been a little busy around here. Give me a break.)  Let’s hand out a few Post-It Awards, shall we?

Winners –or anyone else who cares– click on the award for more info.

Posts that somehow inspired me, listed by post first, then the name of the blog:

For This Child I Prayed from I’m (Not) Crazy Mommy

Passing the Bridge of Sighs from Blog Segullah by Annie

Presence in Mothering from Mormon Mommy Blogs by InkMom (ooh, that’s two!)

learning every day from Hughes News

What I learned about being a mother by watching my husband be father. from You’re Pretty too.

Blessings from Write Stuff

whirring and spinning from a*may*zing

parenting from Confessions of a cookie addict

What (I Think) Women Want: To Husbands from Mormon Mommy Blogs by Braden Bell

Outside perspective from Mommy Snark

Lasts from Overstuffed

BLIND BY CHOICE from Becoming LDS

Go visit them and leave a little comment there; I bet it would make them smile today.  I’m sure there were many more great posts, so don’t feel bad if you had a masterpiece you think I left off the list.  In fact, feel free to paste your favorite post from this summer in the comments.  I’d love to read it.  Really.  This list here is just simply a case of the days I was not too lazy to actually click the little star button in Google Reader.

You people rock.  Yes you do.  (I did not say that in an annoying voice.  Trust me.)

If a blogger falls down in a forest of bloggers, does she have a voice?

Posted in About Blogs, Diapers, Divinity by

I haven’t been producing many quality posts lately, and I have no real reasons except that life has seemed a little busy.  And when life is busy, my brain goes a tiny bit frenzied and most of the stuff I have to say is barely comprehensible, much less inspirational.

Oh, I did start taking a Zumba class at my gym.  It’s an exercise class that’s kind of a cross between latin dancing (which I love, mostly because I really like latin music) and jazzercise (or whatever those dancy-type cardio workout classes are called).  Anyway, it’s kind of fun even though it makes muscles that I’ve never even met before cry out in pain for several days at a time.  And it’s also fun if you don’t consider the fact that I look like the biggest, most ridiculous, uncoordinated fool this side of the Tex-Mex border.  Continue reading →

Time to come clean: Let’s talk about Internet addiction.

Posted in About Blogs, Diapers, Divinity by

The Lord knows that I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, so when He wants me to learn something, he hands it to me in small, digestible pieces . . .  EVERYwhere I turn for days and weeks, even months at a time.  (He’s really so patient while He waits for me to get it.)  I will give an inventory of his subtle messages just in the last 10 days or so.

  1. Elder Bradley Foster in General Conference:  ” . . . a distraction doesn’t have to be evil to be effective.”
  2. Sister Julie Beck:  “There is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. . . But with personal revelation, [a mother] can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently. . . . mothers can feel help from the Spirit even when tired, noisy children are clamoring for attention,  . . . Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks.”
  3. Elder Robert D. Hales:  “Mother, Father, are you in there? Grandpa, Grandma, are you there? Being there means understanding the hearts of our youth and connecting with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too. . . . I would hope that we would bear our testimonies so that our children will know where our hearts are and that we love them. The greatest love and the greatest teachings should be in our homes.”
  4. My house needs attention.  When I resurface from the office and look around at the messes, I know my time could have been better spent.
  5. A friend gave a wonderful talk at church about time management that really resonated with me.  (Hi, SP!)
  6. I remembered this post that I wrote almost seven months ago, (and it was a good one) but it’s a lesson I still have not completely learned.
  7. I stumbled upon this post.
  8. I caught myself having only half-attentive phone conversations because I was trying to read email at the same time.
  9. I want to start exercising regularly again, but I  feel like there’s not enough time in the day.  Why is that?  (pause for burning self-reflection)

Tell me I’m not the only one who sees some of myself in this cartoon.
I don’t even own all those gadgets, but still. At some level, there’s a sad truth in there.

I’m pretty good at monitoring my children’s screen time, but when I get online, it’s kind of a chain reaction of “tasks*” and before I know it, I’m not proud of how much time I spent.

*Any blog comments?  I need to check email and see if they wrote me back about that fireside assignment.  Oh, let me see if Matt transferred my budget into my account yet.  And . . . a quick look at Reader to see if any blog friends have posted anything new.  Ha ha.  Better comment on that.  Okay, that’s good.  Before I sign off, I’m just going to check Facebook really quick.  I don’t think I’ve updated my status for several days.  Oh look, one of my old young women is engaged.   Check out her fiancee’s page to see if he’s a loser.  And all his photos.  Hey, he’s friends with a girl I taught at EFY; I wonder what she’s up to these days.  . . .  Oops, forgot to do my status.  Type-ity type type:  “Avoiding laundry.”  Check email ONE more time.  I don’t think I ever read that attachment that Shantel sent me yet.  Whoa, newsflash: there was an earthquake in Utah?  Better check that out.  And I forgot I wanted to look at the menu for our date night restaurant so I know how much to budget for dinner . . . .

I think you get the idea.

So I’m going to be proactive about this little, ahem, problem.  I found this link, and it reviews the top ten internet controls software.  These are programs that control not only content, but also let you set daily and weekly time limits for individual users, including YOURSELF:

http://parental-time-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

It looked like this one was really good, but it doesn’t have a Mac version that I can see:  http://www.kidswatch.com/ I also found this one that has a Windows and Mac version:  http://www.netnanny.com/

And here’s a link for some free downloads for simple timers and filters.  (As with all free shareware, make sure you have a good anti-virus program in place, just in case.)

http://www.sofotex.com/download/Security/Parental_Control/

(A special note for my mother, mother-in-law, and any other concerned relatives:  Don’t worry.  I don’t spend all day on the Internet and I’m still feeding and bathing my children.  Really.  My life would just be a lot more efficient if I spent less time on the computer, so I’m working on it.)

And that’s it.  I’m just admitting my own willpower might not be enough to keep me constantly focused on the things that matter most, so I’m going to use tools and rules and accountability and such to help me.  And friends like you, who I’m betting will get this and will offer great advice.  So thanks.

Friday Favorites

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Time to share some bloggy love.  This round I wanted to celebrate some of the great things people have done that I’ve read about on their blogs recently.

Without further ado, the Post-It winners are (click on their names to see their celebrated post):

Molly and Lara both made the same coolest Valentines card idea ever.  Next year, post it BEFORE Valentine’s day so that those of us with a vaccum in our brain in the place where creativity should be will have an option besides the cards we bought at the store that say things like “Valentine, I’m racing to wish you a speedy Valentine’s Day.”

Sue has the world’s best giveaway going on:  a netbook laptop!  But her blog’s always worth reading anyway.

Speaking of the best, DeNae went public this week to prove that she has the sexiest legs in the blogosphere.  And she does.  She also tried to prove she has the messiest house.  *snort*  She doesn’t.

There are places in my house that make me want to run away (like my entryway and my laundry room).  Some people look at places in their house and get creative and industrious.  Poppy took an empty corner and created a kids’ desk area.  Julie managed to make a roomy and sleek laundry area.  Oh the jealousy.

Ramona ran a half-marathon and looked like a rock star doing it.  Inspiring.

Mary survived the dreadful task of weaning her children from the family bed.  It’s a good thing too, since they were about to start high school and all.  (She’s hilarious.  You’ll love her.)

Stacy wrote a great poem that any of us who are winter weary can relate to.  And to think that I probably only have about 3 months of winter left around here . . .  (sob).

And Terresa wrote one of the best posts I’ve ever read that captures both the joy and trial of parenthood.

Oh, and I can’t forget to congratulate Kristina on her new hernia.  Nice work, KP.

Congrats to all of these ladies who make the blogworld a great place to be.  (The “rules” for winners are here.)

One more thing to share:

Some music is just POWERFUL.  And if you can watch this video without feeling a swell in your heart, then you are cold and dead inside:

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!  I’m having a JAM party (Jane Austen Marathon)— it will be awesome.  Of COURSE you’re invited.  🙂