They say everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame. I got about five this week at the Wendy Williams "After Show". It's something new that Wendy is doing and a few other bloggers have already visited her behind the scenes, post-show. From the minute I got the email I kept wondering, "What?! Why me?" Before I knew it, H and I were NYC bound. Then in an instant we were at the studio sitting in the audience of a live taping of the Wendy Williams show. From the warm-up filled with fantastic, blasting music, being doused with piles of fake snow and guests like Jonah Hill and singer, Common (Seriously! That was like a dream guest to see and watch him perform live! I was so freakin' excited!!) it was so much fun I didn't even feel nervous about the pending interview. Then I was being taken to … [Read more...]
Fear Leaving the Body
I've been feeling too sick and tired lately to do anything but my paid work. Having food chucked at me, wiping snot off noses other than my own and being woken up more than once a night is just wearing me down. I think you all come here for my honesty but not for the humdrum of our daily lives. I've decided to try the '30 Days of Truth' to get my writing flowing again. Day One- Something You Hate About Yourself. Geez.Really?That sounds like an awfully negative way to start. OK, here goes.I hate how I let a fear of failure get in my way. I've gotten better as I have gotten older and seen that this fear will get me nowhere but as a kid it was always there like a shadow lurking just behind me, whispering in my ear that it was just easier and … [Read more...]
So is that like, uh a real job?
It is always when I'm about to go to an event with a lot of our friends that I begin to feel the 'I' word. Insecure. I didn't always feel that way. Nope. It only started when I quit my 9-5 job and decided to make a go of this whole writing thing that I felt these pangs of insecurity.We go to an event and the topic of work comes up. No one asks me about my job anymore. I'm left out of the conversation unless I shoehorn my way in. When I would begin to talk about a particular project I could see the judgment. The "HA! Yeah right! You don't really work anymore, you just stay home." It has been said to me more than once. It has gotten to the point that now I don't even talk about work. Even if I'm really excited about something or something big is coming up I just find something else to talk … [Read more...]
Finding My Way, Again.
I admit that lately I have felt uninspired. I have ignored my blog, been busy with life, work and incubating the Fifth Element the last few months. It hasn't left a lot of room for contemplation, new ideas or much of anything but the bare necessities. I have felt removed from the blogosphere too. I have tried to attend events only to have to cancel from exhaustion. Last Sunday changed all that. I managed to get myself dressed and have the energy to attend the Silicon Valley Moms Group/ DC Metro Moms event that two of my friends put together. After a brunch that I missed (The Comedian got sick, that's life) there was a ssymposium of companies and professional bloggers that allowed me to not just eat some damn fine cheese but to sit in a room full of women … [Read more...]
My Take on Review Blogging- Good or Bad
Most of you know that I also write a review blog, Mummy's Product Reviews. Initially, I didn't set out to write product reviews. It all started right here back in 2006 when as a weekly feature I did 'The Product of the Week'. People were always asking me about places to go, brands, beauty items, I could go on. As a self-admitted "product whore" and advice columnist wannabe, it seemed a likely fit. 'The Product of the Week' was simply my take on a product I tried, loved and wanted to share. That's all. Nothing was sent to me, no one pitched me. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Just items from my house. Review bloggers didn't hold much world wide web space if any back then. Over time things have obviously evolved. An Arbonne consultant sent me a slew of stuff and I joined the Parent Bloggers … [Read more...]
The End of Silence
Last week I conducted a little bit of an experiment. I took myself out of the world of forever Twittering, using Facebook and the rest of the 24/7 social media frenzy. I used it for only work purposes and that was that. I did it because I wanted to see if I noticed a difference in myself and how my week played out via work and with family. Here's what I noticed-Initially, it wasn't that hard to cut myself off from Twitter. I still posted items for work but I didn't 140 character it up all through the day. I got annoyed when people made fun of me for doing this whole #week of silence. Or when they called me to ask why I was still blogging. Um...work. Gah. By the middle of the week I felt like I was missing out on things. I missed my friends who I talk to through Twitter and know IRL … [Read more...]
Ringling Bros.and Barnum & Bailey is Over the Top
As a kid I absolutely loved the circus. It's perfect only child entertainment. No need to bring a friend and you don't need siblings to enjoy the festivities either. I loved the lights, the animals and especially the aerial acts. When MomCentral and Feld Entertainment asked me if I would like to help them out with the DC Metro area promotion I jumped at the chance to participate in the 'Greatest Show on Earth'. It was a great night for the whole family even if TD was a little bewildered at first. She refused to have her picture taken with the performers we were able to meet before the show and even when we took our seats. However, once the show got started she loved watching the dog tricks, elephant paint, clowns cavort and see Daniel Raffo and his Bengal and Siberian Tigers. She … [Read more...]
Apparently I’m a Dork
I find it very interesting to come home from these blogging junkets. After spending days talking RSS feeds, traffic, monetizing, getting all twitterpated from twittering and generally living in a bloggy bubble coming home is the equivalent to having all the air sucked out of said bubble and hearing a loud popping noise. That noise could easily be described as my coolness factor slamming the back door shut as it runs down the street very far away from me. Apparently, I'm now a dork. At least according to H.When I came home on Friday night from Camp Baby I was brimming full of news. I had photos of me and my fun blogging friends, I was excited about meeting my favorite blogger and wanted to share all that I had learned and gleaned from the trip. As I began to talk about the insane amount of … [Read more...]
Rock the VOTE!
In addition to the already fun and cool photo contest I have going there is a new one.This one involves voting. VOTING FOR ME! It's Blog for a Year, a year where I would be paid to professionally blog. What could be more fun? For me that is. Anyway, don't you want to exercise your right to vote? So click here and vote. You can vote everyday too. Please do it. Do it for T.D. who likes to gnaw on plastic but I can't feed her that!Vote daily. Tell your friends to vote. Tell your mailman, your personal trainer, tell your friends and family-VOTE FOR VICKY! … [Read more...]