DATE ARCHIVES : February 2013

The Blog Workshop

We’ve all heard it before…”time flies when you’re having fun”. Or in my case, time flies when you’re blogging (and having fun at the same time).  As my two-year “blogaversary” approaches, I really can’t believe how many topics I’ve written about and how many interesting people I’ve met doing it. To think, this blog journey just started as just a way for me to vent about that things that really irk me about motherhood and kids! Who knew it would turn out to be so much more than that?

With that said, I also didn’t realize how much I’d have to learn and quite truthfully, how much I still have to learn. I’ve gained a lot from social media, but there are also online courses and plenty of blog workshops out there that can really help out too. The only problem with that is trying to find the money, time, and babysitters those require to make it worth your while. That’s why The Blog Workshopis really a win-win. It is a totally online conference that’s going on May 17th-19th. That means no travel, less money, less hassle, all while getting the benefits of some great speakers that will be dishing out great tips to make you and your blog more successful.

 

The best part is the fantastic agenda they’ve got planned. The line-up of speakersincludes experts on topics that will help you maximize your blog and branch out in ways you may have never thought possible. Some of the speakers are from Blog-Trends, The Blog Frog and IZEA, just to name a few.


 

If you’re worried about money, The Blog Workshop is a real bargain when compared with so many other conferences that you would have to travel to get to. The Blog Workshop’s registration is under $200. You can also get some discounted tickets through the perks offered in their Indiegogo campaign they have going on. It’s a total win-win.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty excited about this event and you should be too! What are you waiting for?  Log on and sign up today!

Mommy Guilt

I am usually the cheerleader of “Mom-Me” time, but lately I’ve had some bouts with some uncharacteristic mommy guilt. Ugh. I don’t really know why because it’s not like I leave my girls often. When I do it’s to go to the gym, do some shopping, or run an errand. It’s not real exciting stuff,  I know, but I enjoy it and it allows me to keep my sanity.

I’m beginning to think some women, myself included, are hard-wired to have mom guilt. Why do we feel like we need to be playing Barbies or cleaning dishes all the time? It’s really annoying.
Don’t get me wrong, once I’m out and about I shed that guilt faster than the celebs lose that baby weight. But, it’s all that time beforehand that can sometimes have me second guessing myself. Pre-kids I remember telling my mom friends how important it was to take time for themselves and not feel guilty for leaving their kids once and awhile. I was the crusader for alone time. What happened? Oh yeah, I became a parent.

I keep telling myself I change enough diapers, read enough stories, and wear my “mom hat” enough hours in the day that it is okay to hang it up every now and again. But yet, I can still feel that guilt creep up every now and again. The funny thing is, I think that “Mom-Me” time makes me a better parent. I think time away and a glass of wine or two is sometimes just what is needed. Coming home after having that time away can make me really appreciate and miss the things that otherwise drive me nuts 24/7. Does that make any sense? The challenge now is to remember that and ignore the stupid little guilt trips.

I Need a Clone

The day is almost over. The kids have finally drifted off to sleep. There is peace in the valley. Finally. But before you can exhale, there are dishes that need to be put in the dishwasher and a mountain of clothes on the bed you need to put away, that is unless you want to be sleeping with your shirts and underwear, which really isn’t an entirely horrible idea at this point. There are checks that need to be written out and perhaps a lunch or two that needs to be packed. If you didn’t already realize it, you need a clone to get all this done before you absolutely collapse. You could have another cup of coffee to get you through, but even that won’t do the trick. You need a clone. Period.

Although your significant other may argue that one of you is plenty to go around, you know it isn’t. There are just not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on that ambitious “to-do” list you made for yourself. You thought that list was a great idea, but now you’re frustrated that not everything has gotten done. But, oh, if you had a clone,  she could do all those crappy chores and you would have time to enjoy the good stuff like seven DVR’d episodes of “The Young & The Restless”, but I digress.

That clone would also come in handy if you had two children who decided to wake up at the same time in the middle of the night and refused to go with their father. Not that I would have any idea what that feels like. But if there were two Mommys, each kid could have one, which would also ease up on the sleep deprivation. But again, I would have no idea what that would feel like!

Sometimes, a clone seems like the only logical solution to the problem so many of us face. By the time you’ve kinda finished everything you have to do, you’re just too tired to enjoy yourself. Ugh!

Okay, so I know I’m not getting a clone (and I’m sure my husband is happy about that one). In the meantime I’ll be sleeping with my clothes until I can cross that off my “to-do” list. There are diapers that need to be changed and little mouths that need to be fed..so ciao ciao for now!

Late to Bed, Early to Rise…Ugh!

I know, I know, I talk a lot about sleep on here. But, if you’re a parent, you know that besides food and poop, sleep is right up there when it comes to popular kids’ topics. Sleep is also one of the many things you sacrifice when you join the parenting clique…that along with not getting to pee and get dressed by yourself.

Using any form of logic, it would make sense that if you went to bed later than usual, you would get up later. Right? I mean, I know that’s what used to happen to me before I got my 5, and 7 a.m. wake-up calls. But, when it comes to kids, you can throw logic out the window. Don’t try to think you’ve got them and their quirky ways figured out because they’ll just throw you curve ball after curve ball, especially when dealing with sleeping patterns.

We had some special occasions lately which meant the girls went to bed later than normal. I thought, oh thank you sweet baby Jesus! They will sleep later and if I get up a little earlier, I’ll have some silent “me” time along with my cup of Joe. Honestly, that was just downright dumb. Shame on me. They actually got up about an hour or so earlier and woke me up from my Adam Levine and Jon Bon Jovi dream. Both hotties were asking me out for a date. Just as I was about to choose, I hear “Mom, Mom…Momeeee!”. Adam? Jon? Then I hear another “Mommy”. No, neither dude because the slight scream was followed by the dash of little feet. As I opened my eyes, still waiting to hear who I picked for a date, I saw my little three-year-old angel. I could still here her little sister waiting for her one way ticket out of the crib! No date for me. I still wonder who was going to ask me out, but I digress.

Now, back to reality where once again, logic would have you assume the kids would wake up cranky and overtired. Well, you know what happens when you assume. These chicks had more energy then someone on a Red Bull I-V. I. Just. Don’t Get. It.

So, what have we learned here? There is no logic when dealing with kids. Some kids don’t need extra sleep (lucky me). Oh, and yeah, I guess it is all worth it because I know they will be teenagers one day sooner than I would like and I’ll be dragging their butts out of bed with plenty of attitude thrown at me. So, sweet dreams!