They Came! They Came!

So, earlier this week I told you guys about the great deal I got on new suede moc-ballet shoes. Well, they arrived today! Yippee!! And even though it's still August and they're lined in warm, fuzzy fur, I just had to try them on. They haven't been off yet. Sooooo comfy! My feet will definitely thank me once the weather turns up here and I'm dragging the kiddo to school at the crack of dawn.


I got them in black, they also come in a pretty brown...and EMLTreasures, where I purchased mine, have them on sale right now for $13.99 - can't beat the price! So if you're looking for a great everyday mocassin/ballet shoe for the fall months, definitely check these out!

Boost My Blog - Friday BlogHop

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Design It Chic Friday bloghop, your place to learn easy tricks to design and promote your own blog! And since today is Friday again, that means it's time to catch up with Boost My Blog Friday here at Writing My Life Away.




For those of you new here, it's very simple.. the only rule is: no rules!! That's right!! This blog-hop is supposed to be a boost in our blogs' asses... friends-wise:)!!

So just make sure you link with us, follow us as the host (and leave us a comment so we know you follow us and return the love back:) And then feel free to follow whoever you want to, leave nice comments, send them love notes and chocolate boxes *WOW scratch that last part:P* and don't forget to do the happy dance!

Potty Training and Goal Setting

We're potting training at the Knight Casa. A little early according to some, but bebe is ready at 2 1/2 so we figured why not?

First step? We bought a potty seat and put her in pull-ups rather than actual diapers. No change. She went, she told us after - or not at all. We'd change, reminding her that her 'job' was to keep her pull-ups - and the shapes that fade away when wet or dirty - dry. We started over like this for days on end with no actual 'training' going on. We would go on the potty about 20 minutes after eating/drinking/snacking.

Didn't matter.

We took action. No more pull-ups. Big girl pants. AND rewards for going on the potty.

I washed a lot of clothes. She went on the potty AND in her pants. Didn't matter. Then I got a great idea: I reward myself for meeting  my writing goals with chocolate, a big calendar where I mark up days, a nice meal out. She was already getting the sweets reward, but what about some other type of system?

I made a poopy chart. Divided into days and weeks. Every time she kept her pants dry and went in the potty, she would get a sticker. She loved it. So much more than just getting a few M&Ms. That was 4 weeks ago - we're now only in pull-ups at night and since the last few nights have been dry...tonight we're going for big girl panties then, too. We're working on it.

Just like I'm still working on meeting my writing goals, she is working on meeting her 'big girl' goals. How about you? How are your writing (or life) goals coming in 2011?

My new podcast is all about goal-setting (or re-setting in some cases). Check it out on my front page. And let's start a little goal encouragement area in the comment section - share your goal and reward system...so we can all learn from each other!

Totally Tuesday Bloghop

The rules are simple.

1. Add your blog title and URL.

2. Follow your hostesses Busy Mom's Tips and The Work at Home Helper and the feature blog My Life as Mom and Wife.

3. Follow any blogs you wish

4. Make sure you leave a comment so that you'll get a follow back.

5. Grab our Totally Tuesday Blog Hop button if you'd like so that followers will know where to leave a comment.

*Each week I will randomly select one of the blogs listed in the Linky to be the feature blog for the next week.*

Our feature blog of the week is Crystal from My Life as Mom and Wife.

Let's get to know a little more about Crystal...

My name is Crystal. I am a stay at home mom to a little girl. I am also a full time student. My blog is about the day to day life of of a stay at home mom and wife. I am loving my adventrue through motherhood and I wanted to share it with the world. From toddler funnies to mommy/wife rants to daily activites, there is some thing about My Life as Mom and Wife that you are sure to love!

Ballet-Mocs - Must Have For School!

So I forgot to mention that part of my retail therapy Saturday was to buy new shoes for bebe for the coming school season. Pre-school or not, the kiddo needs cool shoes...and that, of course, made me think about dragging myself out of bed at 6am to get her ready, brave the colds of an Up North autumn/winter season. And I realized I needed something comfy and cozy for myself to make it through.

Enter these babies - the new thing for fall - a ballet-moc in waaarm suede. Aren't they just too cute? I'm getting them in black. Can't wait to feel the soft furry lining against my tootsies this fall, and the suede outer makes for a simple way to dress up jeans for pick ups/drop offs, trips to the store...you name it!

I found these at one of my new favorite online shops, EMLTreasures...be sure to check out their other items because every shoe you might need is in there!

Meet Me Monday

Welcome to Meet Me Monday! Meet Me Monday is a weekly link-up hosted by Inspiring You 2 Save and Stacy Uncorked. It was created for socializing and to help bloggers get new followers, subscribers, and readers. Every Monday a new linky will be posted. Here’s how it works:

Follow the hostess and co-host (first and second spot on the linky)
Leave a comment if you’re a new follower with your web address and I will follow back.
Grab the “Meet Me Monday” button from here and place it on your site to help spread the word.
Link up, visit other blogs, and make new friends!

Let's Get Social Sunday!

Let’s Get Social is a weekly link-up hosted by a fabulous group of four bloggers, which includes myself, Tree of Mother of Pearl It Is, Bridget of Guide To Smart Shopping, Jennifer of Sweep Tight, and Brandi of Life with Five Monkies. We created Let’s Get Social as a means to socialize with other bloggers as well as help you gain more followers!

You can follow via any social method you like. You can also follow more than one method and we encourage you to do so! Please be sure to leave a comment letting the person know how you followed so they can follow you back.

To Participate:

-Follow all hosts in the first four spots. Please leave a comment on our Let’s Get Social post letting us know how you follow and we will follow you back. Please be patient with us as it might take us a couple days to get through everybody.

-Add your link to the linky and visit as many sites as you want. Please be curious and follow back those that follow you. The more connections you make the more followers and back links you will have!

-Spread the Word! Help us get the word out about the hop by posting our button on your site, posting about the hop, adding the hop to directories, and posting on forums. The more people that know about the hop the more connections we can make.

-The hop opens at 9 PM ET on Saturday night and runs through Sunday. Direct links to your site only please; links to your blog hop or giveaways will be deleted.

Retail Therapy - Shoe Addiction

So the past few weeks have been...harrowing to say the least. Not only have I been dealing with the usual freelance deadlines but I've also been on deadline for a sooper sekrit projekt and dealing with end-of-summer trips and getting the kiddo ready for school. By Friday I needed as escape. On Saturday I decided it was time for some retail therapy.

I spent more time than I should have wandering around Borders (anyone else sad that bookstores seem to be heading downhill fast?), browsed my way through Macy's and JCPenney and stopped dead at Kohl's because of the shoes to your left. Aren't they pretty?

I'm 5'7 so I don't really need the extra height platforms offer (and thank goodness the hubster is TALL) but I couldn't resist these Leopard print Mary Jane's. Aren't they just...pretty? And, tall spikey heel or not, they're actually really comfy, too. Wore 'em to church today and not even our 45 minute long song service - in which we stand and stand and stand - bugged me. Got a lot of nice comments about 'em too. Anywho, they're priced to sell at $58 and since they're Vera you know they'll hold up over time.

Today, much more relaxed and ready to take on new deadlines. Which is good since I have two magazine articles due this week, several business-related pieces and a feature going in to an editor at Woman's Day...plus, hubster's birthday, a dinner party with friends and only three days until school starts. All in all, I may need more retail therapy by the end of the week!

You Don't See This Everyday

So with fall in the air Way Up North, the kiddo is back to regular breathing treatments for her allergies. Late last week, grandma took her to the county fair and she picked up a bug - not a good thing since she was already reacting to all of the pollen. By Sunday, we were headed to the ER for a shot of steroids and, on the way inside, there was a group of guys smoking macanudos cigars. I just looked at them for a minute and then, rude or not, I had to know why.

Sure, you see smokers with cigarettes huddled in areas but cigars? Turns out, one of the guys was a new dad and you know the tradition: guys smoke cigars after babies are born. He said he got a great deal online to buy wholesale cigars and they didn't want to waste the moment. But you can't smoke in a hospital. So, on a randomly cool August afternoon, there they were in the outer courtyard. At least it wasn't raining.

The Crash of '11...

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? It actually was. You guys know I'm fanatical about virus and spyware protection because of a horrendous computer crash back in 2005, but guess what? I just had another one. Even though I followed all the rules.

I turned off the computer on June 12th, loaded up the SUV and we headed out to see family for summer vaycays. Got there, booted up the computer...and a big fat nothing. Seriously, just a black screen asking for a boot disk and for the life of me I couldn't make it better. This was especially bad because (as you guys know) I live on the computer. It isn't just fun for me, it's my livelihood. So, computer dead, we headed right out and bought a new one, a desktops and the I sent the crashed one (just in case miracles happened) to be check out by a computer doc.

Turns out, the virus was actually imbedded in some spyware that I had inadvertantly picked up and that my virus protection didn't/couldn't catch. I couldn't believe it. I'd been religiously scanning for viruses and my protection software didn't pick up another program.

Since then I've turned into a scan-a-holic. Seriously, I have a top of the line virus program and I also invest in backup/external hard-drives and back everything up weekly and monthly - off the hard drive. And so far, no problems.

Thursday Thirteen - Office Space!

Thirteen Things about Creating Creative Office Space They say your home is your castle, well as writer's our offices are that castle..and they need to be well-stocked...these are a few of my must-haves.... 1. Space - seriously, I need a little space so my office isn't all junked up. It isn't sparse, either... My desk and bookshelves are packed, but I also have a "relaxtion" area with a comfy chair and a favorite throw. 2. Music - music helps me block out my analytical brain...so I don't turn into my own worst editing enemy. I can write and move on...and only later when I'm actually editing do I edit. 3. The jar o' stuff - yeah, I have one. It's an old mason jar filled with really random things but it is a huge help with brainstorming. There is a reeeeeeeeealy tiny pencil, a coin from Isreal and another from Germany, a ring box shaped like a rose, some silly costume jewelry...and a lot of other random things. When I'm stuck, I paw through it until an idea hits me. 4. The "comfy" chair - in my case it's a leather captain's chair. Oversized and so old that the leather is really slippery in places. I salvaged it from my grandfather's house years ago...it's truly, hideously ugly but soooo comfortable. 5. A great location - away from doors, with a good/inspiring view and away from noise. Basically away from distractions. My office now doesn't have the best location, but it'll do until we move...I have a great view but it can get a little loud from time to time. 6. A reference section - I have two bookshelves in my office.. one for fun books and one for work books. I have reference books on places, careers, games...you name it. When I need information, it's just a few steps away and if I can't find it in my books, the Internet is just a click away. 7. Connectivity - Every home office needs connectivity...which means you need outlets - electrical, phone jacks, broadband/LAN hookups. I'm a wireless girl, which is a huge help. But, when I'm in serious edit/deadline mode, I de-connect so I'm not tempted to go online. 8. No clocks - maybe you're not like me, but if you are you'll understand. I can't have a clock in my room...I even disabled the clock in the bottom corner of my computer. Why? Because I'm a huge time-cruncher. If I'm stuck, I'll focus in on that clock and really lock up my brain. With no clocks, I don't have a clocking ticking away more and more minutes. 9. Stocked Up Supplies - whether that is extra paper, notebooks, sharpened pencils, pen or paper clips... make sure you have everything you need stocked up every time you go to work. Why? Because if you make a lot of trips through the house to find whatever is missing, you'll wind up doing laundry/dishes or some other household chore and not writing. 10. Let There Be Light - This should be a no-brainer, but make sure you have more than flourescent lighting available. Nothing is worse than spending 8 hours under flourescent lights. Nothing. 11. Temperature Control - (aka a snuggly or two)...in our old house all of our rooms had their own temperature control. Not so the new condo. And I hate it. My temperature is all over the place, I'll start out hot and wind up cold so I keep a sweater and a snuggly blanket in my office... 12. Comfort Food - I keep fireballs and red hots in my office and I go to work with a 32-ounce iced tea... that way I have a few snackies and plenty to drink - so I'm not making 100 trips to the kitchen. 13. An alarm - not to be confused with a clock. I programmed my computer calendar to beep at me throughout the day - every couple of hours or so. I get up and take a break - head to the kitchen for water or more tea, take a quick walk around the block or just run the stairs here at the house for a few minutes. Why? To minimize butt-spread, of course, but also to keep my brain moving. I find a few breaking throughout the day keep me fresh and help me stay focused on the work.

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