Archive for the ‘Carnivals’ Category

Who’s In Your Reader?

Posted in Blogs, Carnivals on 01/15/2010 09:09 am by Emily


I will be the first to admit that recently I’ve been low on blogging mojo. I am trying very hard to remain in the moments of motherhood with my daughter so by the end of the day blogging about it (even if I’ve been mentally composing said post all day) is just that one step too far.

I’ve also deleted a bunch of blogs from my reader – I really don’t care for people who whine about how hard motherhood is when they have a full time nanny and spend the majority of their time away from their kids, ditto for people who refuse to ask for help and for pregnant people who complain about noisy kids at their local restaurants (although I might revisit their blogs a few months after their due – just for the fun of it!) So not only is has my blogging mojo been at an all time low, I’ve been lacking in inspiration as well.

Then the other day I realized one of my favourite bloggers ev.ah – Tara from What She Really Wants has been tweeting links to some of her “regularly read” blogs and I loved them and started to feel rejuvenated. I instantly tweeted her that I wanted her to post a list of some of her favourite blogs that I might not read because she’d been batting a thousand so far. Then I thought, “Well other people may not have heard of some of my regular reads so maybe I should post the same” AND THEN I thought “Well what if a whole bunch of us did it and used Mr Linky to track it then maybe everyone could find some new blogs to read and inspire them.”

So that’s what I’ve done – here are a list of 10 blogs I read* that you might be interested in checking out. When you’re done checking it out, I want to know who YOU’RE reading that you think I, and others like me, should be reading too – and hook us all up with Mr Linky (below) so we can keep track and keep up. Sound good?

1.  What She Really Wants

Obviously I need to start with Tara. Go read her blog – she has exquisite taste, is eco-friendly, rolls with everything and anything that falls in her path, has an adorable baby boy only a few months older than Little Miss and a fighter pilot for a husband. Oh and she’s resolved (resoluted?) to bring us 365 eco-finds this year – how amazing is that for a new mom?

2.  Donna Reed In Blue Jeans (aka Monkey Toe Momma)

Monkey Toe and I found each other through the fabulous, and now sadly dormant, That Cool Broad. Connecting in that way you do when you find yourself constantly nodding and “amen”-ing to each other’s comments our bloggy friendship hit the ground running. Its hard to believe this beautiful, youthful, hilarious woman has FOUR kids ranging from teenage to toddler and including twins. We share a love of books, all things Edward and she has a fabulous way of looking at things that has, on numerous occasions, lifted my heavy spirits. I’ve even dreamt about meeting her a couple of times – talk about a connection!

3.  Fell Down The Rabbit Hole (Currently called – You Can Call Me Charlie)

I’m not a huuuuuge fan of celebrity blogs or tweets but I am a very big fan of Glee so when I stumbled across this blog by Dianna Agron who plays preggo Quinn Fabray I was intrigued. I love the beautiful exuberance she has for life, her gorgeous photos and the sneak peak into a life on the edge of breaking out – the sort of life that I very much had hoped to be living at one time. I also like that the blog doesn’t have comments so she’s not seeking approval, encouragement or fake love. I also love that she posts things specifically for her mom.

4.  The Modern Gal

I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly I love best about the Modern Gal – maybe its her charm, her ability to handle even life’s harshest downs with grace or perhaps its the fact that she posted a video of her boyfriend, now known as the Modern Love Machine, punting a football, practically naked, in the snow. Full of helpful links, funny videos and a defiant modern aplomb she is definitely one to read!

5.  The Hairy Farmer Family

I hate to say it, and please don’t let this scare you away, but I think I know more about Anne’s uterus than I do about my own. Despite this (or maybe because of it?) I love reading about the Hairy Wifey’s adventures in the country. Whether she is making extraordinary cakes, stalking her doctors or pleading to the mothering gods for some insight into her son’s development her (truly British) ability to take the piss out of herself has cracked me up and brought me to tears in equal measures.

6.  Tarable

If you’re wondering just who’s going to be buying Totally Styling Tattoo Barbie then you need to check out Tarable. This tough chick with a heart of gold blogs honestly and openly about the reality of motherhood (and now about being pregnant when you have a one year old) and what it does to us. Plus she’s got moxie galore, her daughter’s a sweetie and she’s always up for a beer (when she can!)

7.  The Fashion Police

Oh come on – tell me you haven’t fantasized about pulling out a Fashion Police badge and making a citizen’s arrest every now and again? A great combination of trend spotting, celeb grading, bargain hunting and personal shopping all wrapped up with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek snarkiness this is a great site to wile away some of that not-so-free time!

8.  The Happiest Mom

I had been following Meagan on Twitter for a while (one of those Follow Friday pickups) before I really started reading her blog now I’m hooked. There is so much food for thought here on how we define ourselves, what makes us the best moms we can be but most importantly what makes us happy. Thankfully Meagan’s not a rosy-bespectacled Polyanna but a realist and her insight and musings are a must read. This is the grown-up blog I save for when I know I can really give it my attention and even if my reading is sporadic the writing is not.

9.  Babyccino Kids

This is a newer one for me but I adore it because its along the lines of what I want Spilt Milk Moms to become. Stylish, charming and full of helpful hints this blog reveals a new gem at nearly every visit. I love that the contributors are slightly scattered around the globe and have different backgrounds which leads to a variety of recommendations and tips. If you’re on the look out for products, lifestyles or activities that are slightly different than your own I highly recommend them.

10.  Spilt Milk Moms

Oh, speaking of Spilt Milk Moms I’m going to give us a shameless plug. If you haven’t checked us out, please do! Right now we have a giveaway on for the fabulous Restickables and a promo code for Raspberry Kids and for the next couple of months we have a promo or a giveaway every week.

* This is taking into account that I think most of you already know Bloorb, CityMama & Mom101!

What I Learned This Week

Posted in Blogs, Carnivals, Life on 05/12/2009 08:30 am by Emily

what-i-learned-this-week

I haven’t joined the carnival much over the last few weeks so I thought that I would use today to go on a few rides and eat some cotton candy (at least until my GD results come back!)

This week I feel like I learned a lot…

  • Yes the Twilight books are as addictive as everyone says.I read the first 3 in 3 days. I am soooooooo caught up in the story that its ridiculous and I have taken to rationing the 4th book (I’m halfway through) because I can’t bear to think that its coming to an end.

 

  • I fell in love with my husband all over again. I’m not sure how or why and its definitely not like I had fallen out of love with him or we had drifted apart or anything.  Its like something in me shifted and I appreciate him more and can see how much he loves me and our little family. Every time I look at him I’m overwhelmed with love and feel even stronger about him than I thought possible.

 

  • I can be inexplicably petty.My parents went back to the UK to see some relatives, my mum picked up a pack of adorable organic cotton onesiesfrom one of my favourite stores there. But she split the pack between me and woman we work with and I feel insanely annoyed and jealous. I know she’s just trying to be nice and help this woman out (she’s been through a very tough time recently) but still it burns. I don’t expect my parents to buy anything for the baby but it would be nice and it feels like less of a gift somehow that its being split with someone who she only sees at work. I do know how incredibly petty that is, so I’m owning up ashamedly, but I didn’t think I was a petty person so its not been a great lesson to learn.

 

So that’s been my week…

Oh but you can help me with something… I’m writing a piece on the stupid things people say to you when you’re pregnant (Oh you’re HUGE, etc) so if anyone said something stupid to you when you were PG pleeeeeeeeeeeease let me know!

xoxo

What I Learned This Week

Posted in Carnivals on 02/03/2009 09:01 am by Emily
What-I-Learned-This-Week

This week I learned that life is full of surprises.  And just when you think you are having the worst week ever it all turns around in an instant.  And just when you are basking in the glow of all things good you can be returned to crappiness.

Ok thats not really what I learned – thats just what has happened in the last 7 days.  The recession has made itself very well known in the wishing household hitting first me and then husbando, in different ways, in 72 hours.  What I learned is that as much as I stress and fuss about the unknown all.  the.  time. When it actually hits I am very, very capable of rolling with the punches and actually seem to worry less.  

I also learned that good friends and laughter can fix anything.  Last night two dear friends came over to cheer husbando up and although they stayed for just a couple of hours the house was full of laughter and group ranting and when they left we both felt lighter than when they arrived.

This post is part of the What I Learned This Week carnival over at Musings of a Housewife – so come on – what did you learn this week?

What I Learned This Week

Posted in Carnivals on 01/27/2009 09:23 am by Emily

I love a good carnival and I love the idea of looking for lessons learned each week so I am a proud participant of Jo-Lynne's What I Learned This Week carnival.

What I Learned This Week

This week I (re)learned a couple of very important lessons.

First off – don't assume anything.  I had assumed that the in-laws would be tripping over themselves to come and visit us when the baby is born.  Not so much.  I know that my MIL has a massive fear of overstepping boundaries (her MIL did it all the time) but my assumptions set me up for an irrational reaction which has way more to do with me than it does with the situation at hand.  If you go into a situation assuming you know how people will react you are much more likely to be disappointed than if you go in open to any outcome.

Secondly – My husband is a very smart, kind, adoring man.  I know this generally but sometimes I forget.  He came with me to my midwife appointment and asked such strong, thoughtful questions (that I have to admit I would have only thought of after I'd left) I was really touched by how much he's thinking about and trying to be involved in this pregnancy.

And finally – Perhaps the most important lesson so far.  Do NOT apply your blush in a dark car during the morning commute.  You can't see it and you will be terrified when you catch yourself in the mirror and realise you have incredibly bright copper landing strips on either side of your face.