I Want to be a Mamavation Mom

Mamavation is a social experiment that was created for moms as a way to encourage them to lose weight and guide their families towards a healthier lifestyle. It is also an opportunity for two moms (Mamavation Moms) to enter a 7 week healthy living boot camp. The selected moms will receive the following:

~ Nutritional plan created by Dr. Renna, a nutritionist
~ Fitness program created by Tracey Mallett
~ Treadmill from Smooth Fitness
~ Earth Footwear
~ EA Sports Active
~ Tracey Mallett and Tae Bo DVDs

In exchange, the Mamavation Moms have to keep a daily food/exercise journal, appear on MomTV, post on their personal blogs about their weight loss journey, tweet their experiences and upload a weekly vlog. And provide lots of encouragement and support for other moms out there who are moving towards a healthier lifestyle.

Mamavation moms are selected via Twitter. I really want to be a Mamavation Mom. So, please, help me to make this move towards a healthier and, ultimately, a happier lifestyle. To vote for me go to twitter and tweet the following: "Hey @bookieboo! I want @curiouschild to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support!"

Thank you,

Your Blog is a Verbal Portrait...

And it will hang on the walls of the internet forever. For that reason, you need to make sure that the picture you are hanging up for public view is of you looking your best. No spinach between the teeth, uncontrollable cow licks or other weird things that can mar a picture...

Yes, this is a rant about misspelled words and bad grammar on blogs. It drives me insane. I understand that some people blog for fun while others blog as way to share their thoughts or feelings and a few others blog for profit. Whatever the reason, understand this, people are reading your words and they are forming opinions about you based on those words. You want that impression to be a good one, right? Think about it, you wouldn't post a picture of yourself with crusties, would you? It's the same thing. Trust me.

When I was a librarian, I used to read blogs written by some of my colleagues and wonder what were they thinking? How do they expect to be viewed as professionals when they can't even be bothered to use spell check? If I saw too many obvious misspellings or grammatical errors, I'd just delete them from my reader. It's pointless to read the blog if I'm just mentally swiping with my red pen. I have now taken this attitude towards mom bloggers.

Maybe it doesn't bother you that I'm removing your blog from my reader (especially when you're getting over a hundred hits a day) but if I'm taking this attitude, how do you think potential advertisers might feel? I pay attention to the discussions on Twitter and I know that there are mom bloggers out there who are trying to figure out how to get paid for blogging. In order to draw companies, your writing has to be clear and easy to read.

Here are a few tips that may help you out:

1. Read your post out loud to make sure that it makes sense
2. Use spell check - If you're unsure of the spelling of a word, there are plenty of online dictionaries (or go old school and use a book)
3. Don't be afraid to rewrite something (even after you've posted it - I'm constantly editing)
4. Check your grammar
5. Have fun

Remember your blog is a work of art, so make sure your masterpiece is finished before you hang it on the wall.

Happiness is Having a Beautiful Functioning Kitchen

For the past two weeks, I've been tweeting about, blogging about and posting pictures of my kitchen make over in progress. This kitchen redo started off as a simple wish to repaint the kitchen cabinets which were the color of chocolate milk and made my kitchen look dated, country and old - all things that I am not. A couple of days into the project, I decided hmmmm, I think I wanna change the hardware, which led to multiple trips to Lowe's for new hardware (measure, measure, measure and, oh, count the number of drawers and cabinets you have too). After painting the cabinets, the walls started looking old and dingy, so naturally I had to paint them too. Which, of course, led to the painting of the trim, window sills and the back door. Do you see where this is going?

Anyway, I am now finished. And I have to say, I love my new kitchen. I'm an avid watcher of "Design on a Dime" and other shows that suggest ways to redecorate on a budget. I'm also a big fan of repurposing and shopping in your house for accessories (sometimes moving something from the living room to the bedroom can give it a whole new look). Of course, there are times when you really just have to purchase things, for that I turn to stores like Big Lots, Michael's Craft Store and Family Dollar (yes! a can of paint can make dollar store finds look like they came from a department store).

The inspiration for my kitchen is a poster that I bought when we first bought the house. Sounds odd, but that's the best way to redecorate. Find something you love and find a way to incorporate it into your room. If you love the color blue, find a shade that makes you happy and decorate around it (for color suggestions, you can always check out the paint department at Lowe's). Shows like "Dress My Nest" show you how to use articles of clothing or accessories as inspiration. Give it a try. Even if it seems unconventional, chances are if you love it as a color or article of clothing, you'll love it as a room.

So tonight I'm making my first dinner in my newly decorated kitchen and I could not be any happier. What's for dinner, you ask? Fried chicken strips, spinach and Bucatini al Prosciutto....yummy!