Don’t Be Fooled By The Rocks That I Got…

September 2, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot Leave a Comment

alternately titled: suppose I were to drastically change this blog

Back in the dawn of dot.com, when the Internet was basically still a newborn babe in 80′s hot pink and neon green swaddling cloths, my dad bought me my very own domain: jennyonline.com. And like a typical teenage girl, I mostly ignored it. It didn’t feel like me – or I wanted to carve out my own existence or something… I don’t know. But with all of my ongoing layout changes (you’ve probably noticed that I am basically never content with it anymore) and overall feelings of discontent, I’ve been feeling the need for… a change. An overhaul. Something.

So when my dad converted my old dot.com to a wordpress blog that is conveniently not wordpress hosted and he not so subtly handed the logins over to me and said, “You know, whatev,” I felt compelled to at least import this blog’s content to it and play around with the self hosted layout options. I have to admit, it’s pretty cool. And the name? It doesn’t really suck.

a screenshot of jennyonline.com right now

It’s all a tremendous work in progress and being the fickle pickle I am, who knows? I may decide not to bother and just stay where I am, because honestly? It’s easier. But… I’m very very tempted to make the change.

What do you think? Should I stay or should I go?

- edit -

After talking to my dad and thinking it all over, I think my current plan is to keep my domain name as is- meaning mommablogsalot.com stays the same – BUT switch to self hosted under his current hosting service, the same place jennyonline.com is hosted. I’m going to spend a few more days or weeks playing with jennyonline.com to make sure I am happy with the site speed, etc. Feel free to check it out yourself and let me know if it loads okay for you – any help is appreciated.

Filed under blog-related

not so wordless: laundry day

September 1, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 4 Comments

diving in you could say

Since little Miss Baby Blueberry is not getting any younger, I decided it’s time to start getting her involved in household chores! Her first task was helping mommy fold some laundry – namely her now clean cloth diapers and covers. Hey, she made the mess! Let her help clean it up, right?

climbing right in

BB is quite the go-getter. She immediately got to work and climbed right into the thick of it.

mommys little helper

Sometimes she got a little distracted from the task at hand and started daydreaming. She has quite the imagination.

is it a laundry hamper or an airplane?

Is this a laundry basket or an airplane? Or maybe even a rocket ship! There’s no limit to where that imagination of hers can take her!

did I mention she's all about clapping right now?

She was so proud of all her hard work, she had to give herself a little round of applause. I didn’t mention the fact that technically she hadn’t started folding yet… better to just encourage her, right?

ohhh my favorite!

She’ll be mopping my floors in no time, I’m sure of it.

Filed under photography, wordless wednesday

Quiz: Should You Read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?

September 1, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 2 Comments

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society So you keep hearing about this book about potatoes and pie and literary stuff somewhere in Guernsey, wherever that is. Word on the street is it’s the best book written since sliced potatoes but then you hear it’s written entirely in letter form and that kind of makes you nervous because, “Seriously?” How good can a book be if it’s relying on weird gimmicks and strange pies? And that woman on the cover doesn’t look very exciting. But seriously, what the heck is a potato peel pie?

Rather than give into the hype of the latest “Awesomest Book Ever According To Everyone,” I’ve cleverly devised a simple system which will help you decide whether or not to read this book that everyone keeps telling you about. The answer to your prayers, I know. No need to thank me – this was for the greater good of literature and literature lovers everywhere, I’m sure.

So, are you ready to take my quiz? Great! Let’s get started!

  1. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like writing letters, as the book is chock full of fantastic letters and will have you itching to write to everyone you know immediately.
  2. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not like writing letters, because after reading all of the fantastic letters in this book, you just might change your mind.
  3. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like great literature, as this book is also chock full of fantastic literary references that will make the book geek in you swoon with delight.
  4. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you have not read much great literature, as this book will give you several great examples of where to start.
  5. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like strong, witty characters. There are several in the story to choose from.
  6. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like annoying, judgemental dim-witted characters as there are a few of those, too – but don’t worry, we mostly just laugh at them and roll our eyes a bit.
  7. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like laughing – because you’ll get many chances to do so while reading this book.
  8. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not like laughing, because there are also several deep, soul wrenching stories that are sure to tug at your heart strings and make your mouth go all frowny.
  9. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like love stories. This book has a couple great ones complete with impatiently waiting and “Does he or doesn’t he?” and best of all, a few happy endings.
  10. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you have an interest in World War Two or life shortly after the war. There are many fantastic stories of the war and tales of courage, bravery, heart ache, hardship and survival. It’s supremely moving, motivating and … magnificent.
  11. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you don’t have an interest in World War Two, because this book might just change your mind and give you a reason to be interested. The letter format of the book will deliver stories of the war, of romance, friendship and more in very nice, bite sized chunks, making the whole thing very manageable and easy to digest.
  12. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if it’s been a long time since you’ve read a really great book – because this one fits the bill.
  13. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you’ve just finished a really great book, because isn’t it always nice to read two in a row?
  14. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you are still asking, “What in the world is a Potato Peel Pie?” because I’m surely not going to tell you, so you’ll just have to read the book to find out.
  15. You should not read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not know how to read yet - but really, shouldn’t you learn how to read already so that you can finally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?
  16. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do know how to read, because otherwise you really have no good excuse.

So, what were your results?

Filed under books & reading, reviews

Top 5 Pictures from August

August 31, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 2 Comments

Tomorrow will be the beginning of September and I thought I’d just go ahead and post my Top five 365 pictures from August now before I forget, because seriously? You know I will. I think August was a very eclectic mix of beautiful, stunning pictures and rather pedestrian, pathetic attempts – but then I’m probably just being hard on myself. Anyway, there were some pictures that I just absolutely loved, and those would be…

the artist at work on 365 Project

This picture just melts my heart for no obvious reason. Or maybe it’s a very obvious reason? I don’t know, but I love it.

that boy of mine on 365 Project

Oh this one just tugs at my mommy heart strings. I want to bottle this picture up and save it forever. One of my favorite MM pictures of the year.

smooth sailing on 365 Project

This one was taken with my silly little Canon which I find amazing because it’s soooo pretty. I love the detail of the water, it makes me want to jump right in!

my bike on 365 Project

I spent a lot of time farting around with the camera, trying to take the best artsy shot I could of my new bike and this was the big winner in my book. A little toying around in picnik with the coloring and voila.

the money shot on 365 Project

Just in the nick of time, I scored a sweet, sweet shot of the little Baby Blueberry trying on her potential Halloween costume. Love this picture – I just want to kiss those cheeks forever!

and a bonus shot because I couldn’t resist including this one, too:

walking on water on 365 Project

Here are my top 5 pictures from January, February, March, April, May, June and July.

Filed under milestones, photography

sweet shot tuesday: my little cat girl

August 31, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 9 Comments

the money shot on 365 Project

With the autumn season approaching, we’ve been thinking ahead to all the fun fall festivities – an upcoming little vaycay, cooking our first Thanksgiving turkey, and trick or treating with the kids. MM announced early on that he wants to be Mickey Mouse which just thrills us as it’s such a classic Halloween costume and one we think we can easily make ourselves. With BB we have a few choices. My cousin sent a really cute “cat” costume, which you can see in the picture above and the ones I’m going to pester you with below – I love the little tutu and tail. Problem is, it fits her like a glove and Halloween is in two months. A growth spurt between now and then could very well make the difference between this costume fitting or not.

cat girl and her plaid meets surfer brother

My back up plan is to make her a matching Minnie Mouse costume to her brother’s Mickey. It would be adorable, you have to admit – but the costume we have now boasts the awesome power of being FREE. If it fits then. Maybe I should make the Minnie Costume anyway since it would be fun as dress up clothes and the dress may be wearable outside of costumes? But that costs money and time – and by time, I mean my husband’s time because when I say, “Maybe I should…” I mean “Maybe I should make Dan…” because unfortunately for him, he’s the crafty, clever half of this marriage and I’m the “ohhh wouldn’t this be fun,” half that piles projects on top of him faster than he can keep up sometimes.

I love her little legs in this shot

But that is not really what this post is about – that’s just the background information on why my daughter was dressed up like a little “cat girl” this August for no apparent reason.

last one I swear

Although really, with shots this sweet, do I need a reason?

Sweet Shot Day

Filed under holidays, photography, sweet shot tuesday

Daybook: August 30

August 30, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 1 Comment

MM learning to use a whistle

Today…

Outside my window: it’s a pretty basic August day – in the 80′s with some wind but mostly just more blue skies. I’ll take it.

This weekend we: took the kids to a local playground for a picnic with some friends from my meetup.com group. The weather was beautiful despite some strong winds and there was lots of good food and company. We also took another bike ride and of course lots of errands were run. We bought fabric to make some new cloth grocery bags an also a new purse for me since I have this idea in my mind for a new bag but haven’t seen exactly what I want in stores for a price I’m willing to pay. The fabric is very pretty – I think it will come out nice.

BB in her kitty costume with big brother

I also: made BB try on a Halloween costume that my cousin sent over to see if it fits her. It fits perfectly right now which means if she has a growth spurt between now and Halloween it may be too small, but we’ll see. She looks really cute in her little kitty costume but I also think a Minnie Mouse costume would be cute since her brother wants to be Mickey Mouse. Lots of possible ideas for sure.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie BarrowsI am reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and I’m now about halfway through it already and just in love. Like if I could sit and read it all day, I’d seriously consider it – such a good book, I highly recommend it! It amazes me how funny and heart warming a book about post world war 2 can be but it really is a great, fun read and one of the better written books I’ve read in a long time.

This morning: MM and I made a daily schedule chart. My mother in law was talking to Dan last night about potty training and mentioned that some of the moms she knows whose kids potty trained more easily were on a stricter schedule and I decided to give it a try. Why not, right? I also thought MM would enjoy the structure and he’s very interested right now in times and when we do what – and also loves charts. I made a basic spreadsheet with times listed and lots of space to list what happens at each time – and then I made magnets with pictures of things we do during the day like lunch, brush teeth, bathroom, check the mail, etc. I wanted to be able to move the pictures so that we have some flexibility each day. I think it will work out okay, but we’ll see.

our daily schedule

Some other links I think you should click:

One last picture to share before I go: I love this sweet picture of Baby Blueberry with her daddy at the picnic we went to. I especially love that it shows off the hubby’s new beard which I may have mentioned once or twice. We’re big fans of the beard.

bb and her daddy

Filed under daybook

Video: Babbling Baby Blueberry

August 27, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot Leave a Comment

This is a nice short video for your viewing pleasure – BB babbling and giggling away and possibly saying “dada” but maybe just making loud funny noises. She likes to do this allllllll day.

Filed under motherhood, videos

{this moment}

August 27, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 2 Comments

baking cookies with my kids

{this moment} – A Friday ritual hosted by SouleMama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Filed under photography, {this moment}

Aloha Friday: e-readers, tablets and netbooks, oh my!

August 27, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot 17 Comments

I get those Borders Rewards newsletters with coupons off books and all the latest news from Borders. Lately there’s been a lot of talk about ereaders – dozens of new devices are coming onto the market and what started as a vague novelty interest on my part has slowly turned into actual intrigue. This morning I was reading about one of Borders’ newest acquisitions the Cruz Tablet which is actually both an e-reader and a tablet PC – another new technology we’ve been hearing a lot about. It makes sense to me that they’d want to combine these two markets and the Cruz runs Android which makes the geek in me squeal with delight!

Now I wonder, would buying something that is just an e-reader be silly with the way technology seems to be heading? I don’t know. And the technology is so new that the Practical Jen in my head says, “Slow down! Wait until they’ve really had some time on the market before considering one. Besides you shouldn’t be spending frivolous money right now anyway.” Meanwhile the Jen Who Likes Stuff says, “You’re thinking about buying a little mini laptop soon – for the same price you could get that Cruz Tablet which would essentially accomplish the same thing in a smaller package with an e-reader built in. It’s where technology is heading – get on board!” I don’t know what I’ll end up getting yet or even if I’ll be getting anything or when, but in the meantime I know I’ll be scanning reviews, taking notes and daydreaming about Future Jen With the Cool New Gadgets.

So my Aloha Friday question this week is:

Do you own or want to own a netbook, tablet PC like the iPad or an e-reading device like the Kindle, Kobo, Cruz Tablet or Reader?

If money were no object, which one would you want to buy?

aloha friday @ an island life

For anyone not already in the loop, Kailani @ An Island Life takes it easy on Fridays by posting a simple question for you to answer – and she invites you to do the same. Just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Filed under aloha friday

She Knows 2010 Parenting Awards: Who Will Get Your Vote?

August 26, 2010 by Jen E @ mommablogsalot Leave a Comment

she knows 2010 parenting awardsHave you heard of the She Knows Parenting Awards? Each year parents are asked to vote for their favorite products, companies and brands. She Knows writes that the “SheKnows Parenting Awards are a direct reflection of our readers’ opinion on specific products. Our goal is to give our readers all the information they need to make the best informed decisions in their everyday lives. All products or companies in nomination are reviewed by our team and handpicked accordingly for each category. Each winners are determined via an organic voting process performed by our SheKnows readers.”

Some of my favorite companies and parenting products are in the runnings this year, like Barley & Birch – one of my favorite eco-friendly children’s clothing boutiques and the Kaboost portable chair boosters – such a unique alternative to a traditional booster seat! I hope you’ll head over to SK and support your favorite companies with a vote in the She Knows 2010 Parenting Awards.

Filed under contests & giveaways

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