flo (honorable mention)

I know, I know. Yet another Florence + the Machine post.

But seriously....this gal is amazing.




My boy builds coffins and I think it's a shame
That when each one's been made, he can't see it again
He crafts every one with love and with care
Then it's thrown in the ground and it just isn't fair

My boy builds coffins he makes them all day
But it's not just for work and it isn't for play
He's made one for himself
One for me too
One of these days he'll make one for you


Do yourself a favor and spend some time this weekend listening to this band - you can thank me Monday morning.

honorable mention: sophie st vicious

By now I'm sure you've noticed the new blog header. Right? Well if you haven't, LOOK UP. It's so amazing, right?

The very talented, very sweet and very hard-working Sophie created this one-of-a-kind blog banner for me, and I have to say, I'm in love. She captured my little family perfectly and I couldn't be more satisfied. This is my glorious recommendation for Sophie; visit her blog HERE and her Etsy shop HERE and you can even follow her on Twitter HERE.

You also might've noticed I cleaned up a little here and there on the blog yesterday; added some new tabs up top and edited some information. Just trying to smooth everything out and get this site in tiptop shape. Change is good, but I'd like to settle into a groove and focus on the words and stories I'm sharing as opposed to being annoyed with my layout all the time.

honorable mention (the best one yet)

Holy sex in shoe form!!!!

Go ahead and pick your jaws back off the desk - I'm dying here in front of my computer screen. Have you ever seen a sexier, more amazing, more beautiful shoe?

I'm known for my love of shoes, usually of the flat or wedge kind because I *suck* at walking in heels. But for these Christian Louboutin's, I could take some classes or something! Oh my god, I'm dying.

I was going to spend all weekend cleaning house taking pictures - but now I think I'll be glued to my laptop drooling over these unbelievably beautiful stilettos. Woof.

honorable mention

One of my dearest and most favorite-est (is that even a word?!) girlfriends has started her own blog. This girl is witty and pretty and I just adore her.

Her name is Emily and she's started a blog sweetly called My Life - she's getting ready to embark on a fabulous trip to Ireland. Be sure to start following her blog so you can hear tales and see gorgeous pictures of her adventures (because trust me, Emily is the kind of gal that can have adventures in her own backyard)!!

honorable mention

This story is incredible - I mean, this guy basically "free falls" in water. And he manages to hold his breath for almost four minutes. It's beautiful. Eerily beautiful. Hauntingly beautiful.

I think I've watched this video back-to-back about ten times already. Wow.

honorable mention

I'm always excited to promote local bloggers, people I actually know and like. I'm even more excited when those bloggers are part of my family!

One of my loveliest cousins has started her own blog, full of money-saving tips for everyday shoppers - especially those with kids!

So check out her new blog, The Honey Pot, and say "hi"! She's got all kinds of great links to coupons and inside deals you may not be aware of. If you're looking to save a little money and be a savvy shopper, Spring will definitely help you out!

honorable mention

Zooborns - the place to see newborn animals from zoos and aquariums around the world. There's a million "awwwh" moments waiting for you, seriously. I'm in love with these Red River Hog piglets! So cute, I could honestly squeeze them forever.

(originally spotted on The Dainty Squid)

Speaking of the zoo, here's a funny picture of Justin at the Knoxville zoo the summer I was pregnant with Sidney. Never have I ever laughed so much at people and animals in my life!

Sidney comes by all those curls honest - look at his hair!

honorable mention

I hadn't planned on posting for the next couple days, mainly because I don't feel like my chipper self with all the somber things happening around me (a good friend passed away this weekend - it all still seems surreal to me) but the ever-wonderful Melanie from You Are My Fave was such a dear to put together a little fall-wedding collage for Cassie, so I want to share it with you!

I'll be back again soon, whenever the feeling hits me again and the world starts spinning a little more normally once more.

PS I didn't take a single Easter photo - because I obviously am in suckfest mode.

PPS I promise I have one more giveaway from Jacque coming up soon - hopefully I can get it ready to go for next Monday.

PPPS Thanks for sticking around through the muddled mess.

honorable mention

I love Angie  - never met her. I've only "known" her online for a little while. But she just seems like the kind of person you can talk to for ten minutes and be friends with for the rest of your life. She's sweet. And funny. And she's the kind of Mom and person and blogger I aspire to be.

She's got her own store, catering to parents and small businesses, and she recently wrote a little article about how her company is struggling. This is America 2010 - everyone is struggling. I sympathize with her the way I feel a little sorry for my little family; Justin's unemployed and we're working hard to make ends meet. But it's during these troubled times that I like to support another family, when and where I can. Right now, I can't afford to buy something from her. But I have my blog, and I have my voice. And I can do her the small honor of telling YOU all about her in the hopes that maybe you'll go visit and give her company a try.

I promise you, you will fall in love with Angie and her voice and her family and her stories. She's an amazing woman (I was so grateful to have her guest post on my blog before). She's an inspiration and she's always good for a joke and to light up your smoke, oops damn Billy Joel song.

Please go visit Angie at her store Good for The Kids. Go stop by her blog, A Whole Lot of Nothing, and say "hi". You will not regret either decision, you have my word.

honorable mention

Just Me & My Dad is an awesome photo-blog run by a father/daughter team living on two different ends of the world.

They pick a weekly theme and then post their pictures side by side. It's a beautiful blog and I'm so glad I happened upon it (all thanks to The Dainty Squid, another honorable-mention-worthy blog!)....

honorable mention

Holy wow. Spanx now has swimwear.

(here)

(here)

It's a little expensive, but if they do anything compared to what Spanx can do - it'd be worth it. Check out the entire collection here...

honorable mention: Q&A style

Today I am very lucky to have Maria of http://www.mommymelee.com/ (@MariaMelee) on my blog, answering some of my burning questions.

Maria has the kind of blog I admire - she's open and honest, her words are always very fluid and concise. There have been many times I've read her posts and thought to myself "why didn't I think of that?" - she has a way of opening your eyes to new and different things, all the while being very humble and a loyal blog and twitter (and I imagine in real life, as well) friend.

I hope you find this Q&A as informative and enjoyable as I did; it's always nice to pin down a good blogger and pick their brain!


First off, how do you do it?! You have your blog, your review blog and you write for AimingLow and Girl Talk Thursday, among others. How do you find balance in writing and reviewing and picture-taking and editing? How do you keep yourself focused on your daily tasks?

Actually, I completely suck at managing my time. I need a personal assistant to smack me in the back of the head when I’m spending too much time on Twitter or in my feed reader. I try to spend no more than a few hours a week on my review blog since it isn’t currently profitable in any way. My personal blog is my emotional and creative outlet. I blog when I feel like it and usually post right away. I have deadlines to meet with Aiming Low so I consider that part of my work writing, which is what I spend most of my work time doing.

Many people don’t know that I work pretty much full time freelancing. I write web content for IdeaLaunch.com and a handful of small business clients. I also edit web and print content, direct social media strategies for small businesses, and design graphics for blogs. Focus is a constant struggle for me. I’m fortunate to have childcare. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to balance my work time with my creative time.

Pictures? I usually work with photography (as a hobby) in the evening hours after the kids are sleeping and if I don’t have Project Runway to watch. Heh. I’d love to become a better photographer but the hobby is very time consuming and expensive. It’s a long term goal.

You've been on blogger since 2007 - what made you decide to start a blog?

I’ve actually been blogging since the fall of 2001! My previous blog was password protected. I decided to start a public blog when I left a corporate digital media job to start freelancing (and spending more time with my kids.) I needed a way to connect and I thought it would be a way to make money. (Boy was I wrong!) While blogging hasn’t been a source of income, it’s been a source of sanity and friendship. My blog is my voice.

In this day and age, public information is everywhere. It's available 24/7 for the world to see. Why is it important to you to keep your children's names secret? How do you decide what's private and what's public?

I promised my mom I wouldn’t use my kid’s names online. Since they’re little, they can’t tell me whether or not they want to be written about on the Internet. When they’re old enough to decide, they’re welcome to tell me to use their names online. Until then, I feel like I owe them the ability to not show up in a Google search.

At Mom 2.0, one of the panelists described the balance perfectly to me. To paraphrase, I share what is vulnerable for me to talk about, but I don’t share what is intimate in my life. I don’t blog about others unless I know they’d be okay with it.

Speaking of private things, do you think it's possible for a person to regain a certain level of anonymity after sharing public things on the internet? Some people put themselves out there 100% naively and then regret their decisions. What's the best way people can stop sharing so much about themselves online in order to keep their privacy?

I don’t really have advice here. It’s extremely hard to be private on the Internet. Unless you never post any pictures and you use completely fake names, people will be able to find out who you are. My only real suggestion is that you fork up the money to keep your “whois” info private. (This only applies if you have your own domain.)

Some people are absolutely okay with putting it all out there. I don’t think that’s naïve. It’s absolutely a matter of personal preference.

What are three blogging tips you've learned over the past few years that have really helped you become a better and happier blogger?

Write. Just open up a word processor and write. Don’t plan ahead.

Read. If you’re not reading your peers, you will not grow as a writer and you won’t grow in the community.

Value yourself. This goes for your time, your words, and your influence. I don’t care if you have five readers. Your words are valuable—don’t compromise your authenticity for a couple of lattes.

What made you decide to start reviewing products? Did you approach the subject or were you approached by other companies? What makes Your Mama Reviews stand out from your run of the mill mommy-blog reviews?

I think I started out of boredom and interest in getting free stuff. I know! I’m such a dick. But it’s true. We really had no idea what we were doing. Actually, I learned so much about the blogosphere by starting a review blog without researching first. It opened my eyes to the sorts of blogs I really take issue with. It gave me a lot of respect for those who are successful and engaging.

I think we stand out because we focus heavily on the quality of our writing. We really spend time with the products we review, and we try to be a little humorous. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this approach since it takes forever and we’re not making any money.

What draws you to the blogs you follow and the people you friend on Twitter? Are there any online characteristics some people have that really turn you off?

I’m just drawn to a natural sense of connection. I love honesty, clever writing, humor, talent. I’m often drawn to moms of boys because that’s what I’m knee deep in. I’m turned off by bigotry, extreme conservatism and consistently mean behavior. And bullying.

What are your goals for your blog? Do you want to see yourself maintaining at the level you're at or would you like to see your blog reach higher?

I don’t really have goals. Like most bloggers, I love feedback. I hate writing in a vacuum. Comments are way more important to me than traffic and income. Ultimately, if I’m recognized as a writer I’m very happy. If I’m recognized as a good writer I’m pretty much over the moon.

If you had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out with a blog, what would you say to them? What do you wish someone would've told you when you were first starting out?

Spend some time choosing your blog name/identity. I picked mine as a whim and I really hate it. Keep your design fairly clean. Don’t invest a ton of money when you get started—just invest time and write, write, write.

honorable mention

Everyone needs to go see Brandy over at You Don't Know - she has the cutest birthday post up (for herself)! Brandy is a wonderful blogger, a loyal follower (and commentor) and she has THE cutest little boy, Grayson.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANDY!

honorable mention

I *heart* espadrilles - nothing says summer fashion to me like a cute pair of them! They come in all sorts of sizes, colors, fabrics, heights - from daytime to nighttime, they're perfect for summer!

(Loles)

I love them so much, I wore them at least three times a week during the summer of 2006. I wore them to my HS graduation - did all that walking and standing and picture-posing, and never got tired. My feet never hurt. I think that's the major reason I love them; so many heels make my legs and ass hurt ridiculous amounts (because I never wear heels).

(Genoveva)

Who wouldn't want a cute pair of these to slip on during those warm summer months? They're seriously perfect for everything - any time day or night, any location casual or fancy.

(Fabiola)

(Mariposa)

(Phoebe)

Seriously, summer cannot get here fast enough.

honorable mention

This song makes me smile. And get a little teary-eyed. It makes me dream about a decade I never saw. And it reminds me to love the days I've been given.

Bad Company - Shooting Star

Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatle song,
'Love me do,' I think it was. From there it didn't take him long.

Got himself a guitar, used to play every night,
Now he's in a rock 'n' roll outfit,

And everything's all right, don't you know?

Johnny told his mama, hey, 'Mama, I'm goin' away. I'm gonna hit the big
time, gonna be a big star someday', Yeah.
Mama came to the door with a teardrop in her eye.
Johnny said, 'Don't cry, mama, smile and wave good-bye'.

Don't you know, yeah yeah, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, don't you know. Don't you know that you are
a shooting star, And all the world will love you just as long,
As long as you are.

Johnny made a record, Went straight up to number one,
Suddenly everyone loved to hear him sing the song.
Watching the world go by, surprising it goes so fast.
Johnny looked around him and said, 'Well, I made the big time at last'.
Don't you know, don't you know, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, oh, yeah, Don't you know that you are a shooting star, yeah,
And all the world will love you just as long,
As long as you are, a shooting star.

Don't you know that you are a shooting star, Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star, now,
And all the world will love you just as long, As long you are you.

Johnny died one night, died in his bed, Bottle of whiskey,
sleeping tablets by his head. Johnny's life passed him by like a
warm summer day, If you listen to the wind you can still hear him play

Oh oh oh, Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah, don't you know', Don't you know that
you are a shooting star,
Don't you know, yeah,
Don't you know that you are a shooting star,
Don't you, don't you,
don't you, don't you,
Don't you know, don't you
know, oh, yeah, you are,
Yeah, a shooting star, yeah, oh
oh oh oh oh......
Don't you, don't you know
that you are a shooting star,
Don't you don't you know......

honorable mention

I'm playing around with Poladroid - and so far, it's a lot fun!

It's a free download for Windows or Mac - and it's the cutest little desktop program ever, complete with a little camera and everything! One of my goals for this year is to get a new polaroid camera, but for now this program will do nicely!

honorable mention

I'm a sucker for bad Photoshop-ed photos! They can put a smile on my face through just about anything (and lord knows I've been searching for more reasons to smile these days)...so I love PHOTOSHOP DISASTERS! It's a blog after my own heart: celebrating the fact that companies like to think we're stupid and don't notice bad editing - editing that was done to make us feel less worthy and beautiful to begin with.

Check it out - it's top notch funny!

P.S. This giant hand, this CD cover, and this impossibly skinny model are my favorite disasters!

honorable mention

I've had all of Jay's self-doubting I can take! Seriously, the gal looks like this:

(sorry I stole your twitter pic, Jay!)

She's smart and funny and a fantastic blogger - she's witty and charming and about a million other adjectives that would look perfect on some random online-dating site. She's got "it" and she's going to go places in life...even if it's just down to the supermarket to buy groceries. She's making an impact on people out there, me included. I've been following  her blog for what feels like forever now; she's my across-the-pond friend, and if I ever get back to London she's taking me out for a night on the town (that's a request not a demand, Jay!).

And lately she's feeling down and out about her body (especially after reading crap like this) so I'm here to say 'NO MORE' to her! Jay, it's time you stepped up and loved yourself! If you gave yourself just 1/100th of the love you give those amazingly beautiful boys of yours, then you'd never have a body issue to begin with. Woman to woman, mother to mother, I say embrace yourself, dear. You've already proven to me how empowering it is to be a mom in these modern times; like I said, you inspire more lives than you realize. So love yourself. Love love love love love love love love love yourself - even when you don't want to. Even when it physically hurts to smile at yourself in the mirror. Even when you don't want to and you just don't feel like it and you think to yourself, 'today I'll have an ugly day'. NO YOU WON'T. You will be lovely and love thyself and all that jazz, you hear me? Because I want you to keep empowering people like me; I don't want you to let this get you down. You're too strong a woman to let that happen. You're too beautiful to let that happen to you - so hug the mirror. Embrace the woman, the mother staring back at you. And love that lady.

honorable mention

Every time I see this photo from AFP, I burst out into hysterics - I spent a good 30 minute chunk of my time yesterday hee-hawing at this photo. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!!!

Please excuse me while I go pick my laughing self up off the floor...........

honorable mention

(via mackenzie bee's flickr photostream)

I saw this tattoo and couldn't help but smile. I am hopeful, always hopeful for today, tomorrow and beyond.