Tag Archives: help

Sorry If You Visited Me And Found NOTHING

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I’m writing this post in TextEdit (notepad for the Mac) because my server is down. If you’re reading this then my husband was probably able to fix it… for now. Is that really excusable? I’ve had this little domain and server situation since Sunday night and already it’s just down? Never mind the fact that when it’s up I’m down because it’s sloooooooooow as sin (How slow is sin, anyway? Anybody know?).

I love my domain. I love my blog. But I’d love it more if my server weren’t crap. My husband said something about how people in California probably love my blog because it’s hosted over there or something and that makes it quicker. Mom, if you’re reading this, how’s the speed? Things good?

But I’m over here on the opposite of California and I can’t get service. Which means I can’t blog. Which means I have three posts (including this) stock piled on my desktop waiting for the green light – waiting for my server to serve me.

I’d like to ask all my fellow self hosted bloggy friends – who serves you? How are you doing this? Why does your blog load in like 3 seconds while mine takes anywhere from 30 seconds to never? Do you like your hosting company? Also, who designed your blogs? Because they are beautiful. And wonderful header by a friend aside, mine still looks like I did it myself. Any tips? Any free tips? Besides, “Go back to WordPress.com you n00b,” because if you’re really gonna talk like that, maybe we shouldn’t be friends anymore.

I like being able to edit my own CSS. I love that my blog address is like 10 characters shorter now. It’s cute. I love it. I’m all professional. But it’s no fun when I can’t publish my posts because my server hates me… Soon I’ll lose all my traffic (you know what’s still left of it) because nobody will be able to load my blog – after a few hours of the waiting game, they’ll say, “What was I looking for again?” and they’ll LEAVE. I kind of want to leave, too, so you know, I’m not judging you.

I’ll be here… waiting… waiting for my server to find itself again and let me post this…

…

NieNie: Turning a Tragedy into a Tale of Fortuity

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I just read this story at 5 Minutes for Mom about Stephanie Nielson, an incredible woman, mother & blogger who was recently in a devastating airplane crash, which killed the pilot and left Nielson and her husband in critical condition, still now fighting for their lives – trying to overcome this tragedy so they can get back to loving their lives with their four adorable children.

I kept seeing this NieNie button (like the one at the top of this post) all over the place, as well as information about the silent auction being held in their honor, but until today I never actually stopped to read WHAT NieNie was, what the auction was for, and why I should care. I’m very glad I finally did that today. You know stories like this move me beyond words, and Stephanie’s family seems like an amazing one, more than worthy of our support. I know many of you can only do so much – your own lives may be just as complicated and strugglesome as the people 5 Minutes for Mom and other bloggers are reaching out to. Some of us can barely afford getting by ourselves, without trying to reach out to others. I know.

But the way that these bloggers are reaching out to Nielson and her family is just amazing – even just to READ about, so at the very least, if you have time today, or tomorrow, go and read the post at 5 Minutes for Mom and maybe reach out to the Nielson family if you can. It’s knowing there are kind people out there who WANT to help, that makes knowing about these tragedies a little easier on the heart – knowing that life is precious, but humanity can be remarkable in their kindness and willingness to reach out. That’s what it’s all about, you know?

Because We Can All Make a Difference, Even While Blogging

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So by now I’m sure most of you have heard of the great 5 Minutes For… Blogs - well this morning I read a post on 5 Minutes for Mom that truly brought tears to my eyes – I’d heard of Parker and his mother, Tammy, the managing editor for 5 Minutes for Special Needs in a few other posts, but never really gave it much thought – because sometimes it’s hard to see past our own lives and hardships, no matter how trivial they are once in perspective.

But when I read the title of this post, “Blogs can change lives… wanna help us change one?” my thoughts were quite obviously, “Um YES!” So I click and read this story of Parker and his mother Tammy, who doesn’t have a laptop which might not seem like a big deal if you don’t know her whole story – I mean I know a lot of us don’t have laptops (I just gave mine to my husband last night when his old laptop finally bit the dust, without a moment’s hesitation I might add – I don’t need mine, he does). But Tammy’s options – not so easy and her situation – truly heartbreaking but also upliftingly inspirational:

Tammy’s son Parker has a myriad of life-threatening, critical health concerns which have devastated their family of eight financially and which make Tammy home bound with Parker. Parker can rarely leave the house – and Tammy can rarely, if ever, leave Parker’s side.

Really you should go and read the post over at 5 Minutes for Mom, because I won’t do it justice without literally copying and pasting the entire thing into my post – but here’s the point of the post – after hearing Tammy’s story and thinking to herself how it just wasn’t right Janice – she did something about it – and she actually managed to get Tammy a laptop from HP (who is already helping students get ready for school with top of the line laptops for under $800 and printers for under $100) – how amazing is that? Just like that guys? This is the kind of difference our community can make when we work together and help each other out and just simply reach out once in awhile – because really, for HP, what difference does one lap top make and the publicity they could potentially achieve from this gesture could be huge – meanwhile the difference that laptop can make for Tammy? Huger. She says, so herself:

If I had a laptop I’m pretty sure I could rule the world. ;)

I could blog from the hospital………where, you know, we tend to spend a great majority of our time. And I wouldn’t have to fight my older kids for computer time. They use the desktop for homework, etc. Especially my kid in college year round.

How great is it that essentially the bloggy universe could make that happen for her? She can now actually DO those things and probably more! But the story doesn’t end there – our job isn’t finished. Because not only did HP respond to Janice’s request with a laptop (and a printer!) for Tammy, but they threw in a SECOND laptop and printer for 5 Minutes for Mom to give to SECOND family in need! And THAT dear readers, is where YOU come in!

They still need to FIND that other family – and you may be able to help. Do you know another family like Tammy’s perhaps that could truly benefit from the use of a laptop and printer, but is equally unlikely to afford such a treat anytime remotely soon? You could really make a difference in that family’s life by entering them for that chance at 5 Minutes for Mom! Here are the specifics of the the drawing they are throwing and the prize one lucky family will win:

We want you to nominate one student or family who you believe truly needs a new laptop and printer.

Try to think of a family who has extraordinary circumstances and whose lives could be changed by a laptop and printer.

You can submit your nomination on your own blog and sign the Mr. Linky below, or if you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment.

Please keep private details (including names and financial information) out of your story. If you feel you need to email us additional information privately, you can reach us at 5minutesformom at gmail dot com. Please put NOMINATION in the subject.

We will select a few nominations and then let random.org help us with the final decision.

Before we announce the winner, we will require that we talk on the phone with that family and confirm the situation. Please be HONEST.

Prize Details

Here’s the details on what HP is providing to our winner.

HP Pavilion dv5t Entertainment Notebook PC

  • Get extra protection from data loss with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection.
  • Play Blu-ray movies using the optional built-in Blu-ray drive.
  • Features a clean 15” diagonal HP BrightView Infinity display.
  • Create personalized, silkscreen-quality DVD and CD labels with optional LightScribe
  • Chat face-to-face or capture video clips using the HP Webcam and integrated microphone.
  • Simplify your password management with the integrated fingerprint reader.
  • Available from $799.99

HP Photosmart C4480 All-in-One

  • Print, copy and scan all from an affordable printer great for students
  • Save paper and ink using the HP automatic paper-type sensor that detects the paper being used and then selects optimal print or copy settings.
  • Print lab-quality photos in a few easy steps without a PC – simply insert a memory card and navigate the 1.5-inch color display.
  • Achieve fast and efficient printing and copying with speeds up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) black and up to 23 ppm color, plus photos in as fast as 25 seconds.
  • Available at $99.99
  • Print what you see – HP Smart Web Printing automatically adjusts web pages to prevent cutoff edges and optimize web printing by allowing users to easily combine portions of numerous web pages onto one page.

So if you think you know a family that can truly benefit from an opportunity like this, be sure to either post about it on your own blog and then link up over at 5 Minutes for Mom or go directly to their post and leave a comment if you are not a blogger – and of course you can also email if you feel that would be better.

So if you are reading this and thinking this applies to you – don’t wait!! YOU can make a difference TODAY!