A Single Mom and A Teenaged Girl

Top 10 Things I Learned From the Southern California Power Outage

2011-09-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

So last night, the power went out from South Orange County down through San Diego into parts of Baja, Mexico. It was estimated that approximately 1.4 million San Diego Gas & Electric customers were out of power.

Since my daughter and I survived the ordeal, we came up with the Top 10 Things We Learned:

People get really cranky without lights, air conditioning and food.
You should always have something good to eat that does not require refrigerated food, microwave, or the stove. According to one person on Twitter: chips and beef jerky worked for them!
You must have a car charger for your smart phone! This is an absolute necessity for surviving a power outage!
If you didn't follow number 2, be prepared to wait in long lines at the closest restaurants that do have power. Just getting there to those restaurants, remember to drive carefully, refer back to #1, road rage with 1.4 million cranky drivers is not a good thing.
If you didn't follow number 2 and do not want to deal with #4, and opt for going grocery shopping, remember a lot of the food items are refrigerated and perishable. They will run out of ice quickly.
Be sure to find your candles and lighter before it actually gets dark. Trying to find anything in the dark is tough using the light of your smartphone.
If you didn't follow #6, be sure to have a clean house. It is very difficult to find anything while worrying about tripping on anything on the floor in the dark.
Make sure you have a full tank of gas or avoid the gas stations at all costs if you can, people at one of the few gas stations opened during the outage are crazy, I tell ya!
Without the lights, you discover that Southern California has a lot of stars not only in Hollywood but in the sky!
I saved the last one for what my daughter who is a Senior in high school learned ~ power outage on a school night means no school the next day, which makes power outages the very best thing ever especially when your mom takes you to stay at a Disneyland Hotel.

BONUS: One San Diego Gas & Electric employee's mistake sure can cause a lot of havoc!

Were you one of the 1.4 million San Diego Gas & Electric customers without electricity last night? Were you affected by the outage? What did you do to pass the time or learn from the experience?

Red Writing Hood: Mom of a Teenager

2011-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Red Writing Hood's writing prompt this week was so simple, I had to give it a try!

Write a short story. a.very.short.story ~ 140 characters or less ~ a Tweet!

Here's mine ~

Highschool: freshman year new start sophomore year enjoying freedom junior year almost there senior year graduation tears alone #hardtoletgo

If you try it out, be sure to link yours here!

Oh and for anyone who knows me, you have got to read this one!

Disney Pixar "Up House" Home Tour in Herriman Utah

2011-08-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, while on vacation to Park City, Utah, we stopped by Herriman, Utah and had the pleasure of taking a home tour of the replica of the Disney Pixar Up House. The home was custom built by Bangerter Homes with the permission of Disney.

Since I know many of my friends can't get to Utah and the home will shortly be sold, I thought I would share with you the pictures that we took on this home tour. Please enjoy!

Be sure and come back and visit as I have more pictures to add!

Yes! They even had Carl sitting on the porch!

Stairway

Laundry Room

Nursery

Carl & Ellie's Bedroom

Bathroom

Guest Bathroom

Living Room

Dining Room Table

Kitchen (Isn't it so pretty?)

Jack's Room

Girl's Room

Media Room

Scenes from Up movie playing in the media room

Carl's View from the Porch

For more information about the homebuilder and to read their blog about building this home, please visit here.

UPDATE 08/02/11 8:04 am I just talked to a representative at Bangerter Homes to inquire about Jack and confirm that this was in fact a part of the Make a Wish Foundation. Yes, it was. I did some googling around and found this! Oh my goodness! What a special thing!

If you like this post and have a quick moment to spare, I would appreciate a quick and easy vote! You can vote one time a day until August 11, 2011. Thank you so much!

Canyonlands Ballooning & Moab Adventures - When a Reservation Isn't a Reservation

2011-07-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

So next week we are traveling to Utah for vacation. We are planning on arriving in Salt Lake City and staying in Park City, head on over to Moab, travel onward over to Durango, Colorado, and then head on back to Park City before coming back to Southern California.

Today we spent most of the day making reservations for our excursions.

We looked around the different available excursions and decided to go hot air ballooning and river rafting in Moab.

We did the river rafting a couple years ago with Moab Adventure and had a great time so we thought we would do it again. Actually a couple years ago, we did the Moab Rafting ~ Full Day Colorado River, Moab Slickrock Hummer Safari, Colorado River Sunset JetBoat Tour, Dinner & Night Show Tour, and the Arches Sunset Bus Tour. All of the trips were great and well-organized by Moab Adventure so we thought we would just stick with what we knew, know and trusted and planned the half day rafting this time and try the hot air balloon ride since it was new and they didn't have it a couple years ago. We booked the Hot Air Balloon Ride reservation right through their website and we received a confirmation in the email that said it was paid and we went about our business to plan the other excursions at our other stops.

About an hour later, we get a phone call from Canyonlands Ballooning. She states that even though we have a confirmation, they do not have any availability. We said but we have a confirmation and it was paid and she said that they do not have any availability. I hang up and I tell my friend who made the reservation and she said not to worry, when they went to the website it showed that there was room for two so not to worry.

A little while later, we do in fact get an email from Moab Adventures stating that there is no room in the balloon for us.

What a very disappointing way to start our vacation and we haven't even left yet.

Disclaimer: I did contact Canyonlands Ballooning and let them know that for the past couple weeks, it was my intention to blog about this trip since I know that there is a EVO Social Media Conference in Park City, Utah every summer and I thought it might be good to help spread the word about Moab and to suggest to moms to extend their trip in Utah when they come to the EVO Conference, bring the kids and family, and drive on over to Moab and check it out while you are so close. Moab is a drive from Park City but well worth it in my opinion. Red Cliffs Lodge is a beautiful place to stay and we are looking forward to going back again.

Canyonlands Ballooning response when I said that I was going to be blogging about this trip and including this, she stated that she hoped that we wouldn't include them in it because it wasn't their fault. I do not agree with her statement. I did not have any problems with Moab Adventure with any of the excursions we booked a couple years ago, everything went off without a hitch. In my opinion, what happened was like booking a flight with a travel agent and getting a confirmation and the airline calling the agent and saying they have overbooked. That would not be the travel agent's fault, that is the airline's responsibility.

Special thank you to Cindy McDonald at Moab Adventures! I really believe that you truly wanted to help. I hope that some day in the future Moab Adventures can start their own hot air balloon rides so that they wouldn't have to count on somebody else that could potentially cast a dark shadow on their good name.

World Wish Day 2011 Celebrates Wishes of the Past, Present and Future!

2011-05-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I enjoy about blogging is not only the wonderful friends and people I am able to meet, but sometimes, something magical makes it way into my inbox.

Last week, I received an invitation to The Disney Store and Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Orange County & the Inland Empire event at The Shops at Mission Viejo to celebrate the second World Wish Day 2011.

The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

World Wish Day is a day to celebrate and honor wishes of the past, present, and future and is a day to celebrate the very first wish that took place thirty-one years ago. The beginning of the Make-A-Wish Foundation was inspired in 1980 by the fulfillment of a wish of Chris Greicius.

Chris was a 7 year old boy with leukemia who wished to be a policeman. On April 29th, his mother and her friends and a group of police officers, with the cooperation of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, granted his wish with a custom-made uniform, helmet, badge, and helicopter ride. Chris's magical wish touched the entire community and inspired the beginning of Make-A-Wish Foundation. Click here to view pictures and to read more about Chris's story.

Because of my love for all things Disney and my heart for children, I knew that I would be delighted to attend and share the magical day with my readers.

Joey, Christian, and Monique's magical wishes were a trip to Disneyland but The Disney Store and Make-A-Wish Foundation included a special morning of storytime, a magical meeting with Mickey Mouse, along with a $100 shopping spree provided by The Disney Store before their upcoming Disney Day. The children were also able to "unlock imagination" and open the door to all of the waiting customers.

Meet Christian and Family with Mickey Mouse

Photo Courtesy of Susan Kendig, Mother Muse

Meet Joey and Family with Mickey Mouse

Photo Courtesy of Susan Kendig, Mother Muse

Meet Monique with Mickey Mouse

Photo Courtesy of Susan Kendig, Mother Muse

Paul Gainer and Molly Adams present

Make-A-Wish Foundation representative with a $50,000 check donation.

As part of this special day, The Disney Store presented a $50,000 check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, The Disney Store will be donating ten percent of the first day's sales of each new store that opens in 2011. More than 25 stores are scheduled to open in 2011. The Disney Store will also donate gift cards annually in honor of World Wish Day to each of the 64 Make-A-Wish U.S. chapters and 8 Canadian affiliates.

Molly Adam, Senior Vice President of Disney Store,

waiting to unlock imagination outside of the Mission Viejo Disney Store

While I was waiting for the children to "unlock imagination" outside of the store, I spoke with two mothers who had children waiting in their strollers waiting to go in and shop at The Disney Store. I explained to them about what they were witnessing as the children unlocked the door. The moms were speechless and in awe of how The Disney Store and the Make-A-Wish Foundation came together to make such a special day for these three children and their families. They both said in unison, "That is so cool!".

If you would like to take learn more about World Wish Day, please visit here.

If you would like to make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, please visit here.

Come Sail Away and Party With Me!

2011-04-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am so bummed that I will be missing out on the fun of the Ultimate Blog Party 2011 hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms! However, great news for me! I am sailing away on the Mexican Riviera on the Norwegian Star! We will be stopping at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

I thought, while I was away, I would leave some party music here from my childhood!

I also wanted to leave a linky here so if you stopped here while I was gone, you could leave me a link to your blog, twitter, facebook fan page all or some so that I can come by and visit when I return!

I will continue sharing My Journey when I return! Have a great week! Oh, I would love it if you could take a moment and vote for me here while I am away!

Here for the Party - Ultimate Blog Party 2011

2011-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

A warm cheery welcome to all of my new friends stopping by from 5 Minute For Mom's Ultimate Blog Party 2011. I am so excited you are able to stop by! Please be sure to sign our guest book (linky) below to let me know that you were here!

For those of you that are wondering what a Ultimate Blog Party is, it is a time designated for Mom Bloggers to link up and "party" together in a blog carnival style, visiting each other's sites and getting to know one another by leaving comments. There are also prizes to win just like a carnival. So, if you have a blog, get your post up and link up to the fun.

If you are new to Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl, here's a little bit about me:

1. I am a 41 year old single mom.
2. We live in South Orange County, California.
3. My only daughter is 17 and is a Junior in high school.
4. I work part-time as a paralegal 5 minutes from home.
5. I am a consultant for Gold Canyon Candles and several other home based businesses. If you care to know which other companies, please ask me and I will happy to share with you!
6. In the summer of 2008, I founded Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business. So, if you happen to own your own business, Etsy shop or know someone who does, please refer them to my free business directory. I love promoting mom owned businesses. We also would love to include you in our free blog directory!
7. This past week, I started sharing My Journey as a single mom, so you just joined in just in time.
8. I was a surrogate mother of twins.
9. I also founded OC Wedding Vendors and OC Boutique Vendors.
10. You can also find me on Twitter at @socialpreneurs and because, we are friends now, right? My personal twitter is @teresalolvera. You can also follow my blog Facebook fan page by visiting here.

As a good hostess, I would also like to introduce you to a few Social Media Mom friends of mine. In no particular order, because they are all awesomesauce, please let me have the privilege of introducing you to:

1. Lolli ~ you can read her "Best of" posts over at Better in Bulk
2. Victoria ~ you can read one of her favorite posts at 24/7 Victoria
3. Tara ~ stop by and read her favorite at Feels Like Home
4. Tania ~ one of her top posts can be found at Pure Natural Diva
5. Emily ~ one of the Ultimate Blog Party Featured Sponsors! Be sure to visit her here!

You can follow more awesome Social Media Moms over on Twitter by following this list.

Oh, and just because I really do like my friends and I would love to get to know you better, I only have one requests from you. Please, when leaving a comment and letting me know you stopped by, all I ask is that you please don't leave me comment vomit! We don't like comment vomit. Do you? I didn't think so!

This is a Comment Vomit Free Zone because I truly am here for the party to get to know you!

If you are visiting from the party, please leave me a link to your page so that I can be sure to stop by and visit you too!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

Time to share with your readers what has been going good in your life!

Hosted by:

Shopper Gal, Society of Socialpreneurs,
Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl and our brand new Co-Host, Chase-ing The Dream!

Last summer, my daughter, Holly, (take a peek at her blog here) and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what we are looking forward to and so that we could hear what is going on with our friends.

Then last night I discovered that Shopper Gal is doing the same thing over at her fun blog so I asked her if she would like to merge into one so that our readers could find more good around us!

We both agree that Thursdays are a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

How it Works

Follow all of the host and leave a comment with a link to your blog so that we can follow you back. (Please only leave a comment below if you actually follow all of the hosts!)
You must write a post to "Tell Us Something Good". After you publish your TUSG post, add your blog link (the url for your TUSG post) to the hop below along with your blog name.

Please No Blog Hops or Giveaways Please! These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs that you like and follow back who follows you. (Remember to leave a comment so that you can be followed back.)
Most importantly ~ have fun and come back and see us every Thursday to Tell Us Something Good!

My Something Good

This is a great week!
I am leaving on Saturday for a 7 night Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Norwegian Star.
We will be having ports of call in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

{Permission granted to use photo by American Discount Cruises & Travel}

As if that is not good enough news,
I also surprisingly got a raise yesterday!
Lastly, I have been so concerned about when child support will end since Holly's 18th birthday is in January and she will not be graduating until June. I found out that it will not terminate until she graduates in June 2012.
What a relief!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

With This White Rose - Thank You For Choosing Life

2011-03-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

{photo courtesy of dosbears}

So here I was 23, just found out I was pregnant, and the father does not want me to keep this baby that I am already so in love with.

The counselor, who was provided by the adoption attorney, suggested that I meet with a potential couple even though I knew, they knew, and we all knew that I would not be able to give away the precious baby growing inside me.

The counselor and attorney told me that I could choose anywhere I would like to meet the potential couple for dinner. I suggested the restaurant in the Embassy Suites in Brea, California. I knew that most hotel restaurants were pretty quiet during the week and the restaurant is quite beautiful.

I had arrived first and when the lady walked up to me, she handed me a white rose, and said, "Thank you for choosing life." I was touched so deeply. I will never forget this moment. This one statement will lead to a future event in my life that I will share later.

We sat and looked at pictures of their precious family and the precious child that they had already successfully adopted. I do not remember what else was said but I do know that the day ended with me telling them that I would send them a letter with my decision. That letter was never written. I just didn't know what I could possibly say.

We parted ways that evening and I did follow up with the attorney a couple years later and found that they were able to adopt another baby shortly after our visit.

In my next post, we will discuss telling my employer.

(You can read from the beginning here)

And We Will Live Happily Ever After - Not!

2011-03-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was 23, just found out I was pregnant and I had to tell the father.

He and I had always dated off and on during the five and a half years.

To say when I told him that he was happy and he wanted to marry me and we would live happily ever after would be a lie.

He wasn't happy about it. At.All. He didn't want me to keep our baby. After time had passed where what he wanted was no longer an option, he wanted me to put our baby up for adoption. I knew in my heart that would never be an option. I already loved our baby.

I was very scared. I knew I would never put our baby up for adoption. I told him I didn't think I would ever be able to do that but I would learn about adoption.

I checked the yellow pages for adoption attorneys. I scheduled an appointment and met with an adoption attorney. I told him right from the start, that I did not think that I would be able to ever do this but this is what the father wanted. He suggested that I meet with a counselor and the law firm would pay for it.

I met with the counselor. After a few sessions, she suggested that I meet with a potential couple that are looking to adopt. She thought that it would be helpful to me to meet with a couple so it wouldn't be just a thought of giving my baby away to a stranger but to a real life husband and wife who are wanting to love a baby.

I was scared. I was already out on my own since I was 18. I was not living with my mom. I already knew that I loved this baby. I knew this baby was mine and would forever be mine.

I was going through these motions of attorneys, counselors, adoptive parents, out of fear. I was afraid to tell her father, I had for sure made up my mind, I am keeping my baby. He knew that I didn't think I could do it, but he was hoping. He simply was not ready to be a father.

With the counselor, I was able to look through the potential adoptive parents profile and portfolios. I was able to read about families that are hoping to adopt. I was able to read their letter to the potential birth mom. I was able to read about their journey, see their pictures of their home, the baby's room that is just waiting in their home for the call someday that they have been chosen to raise a precious child. I was able to see pictures of their parents, their sisters, the baby's potential extented family. I was able to read about their infertility struggles. It truly broke my heart. I knew that even though I would never put my baby up for adoption, I was able to go through the motions of what a birth mother would go through.

I had originally thought that if I were able to put my child up for adoption, it would be for a family that didn't already have children. I thought that I would want to give them something that they couldn't have. I was proven wrong, the family that I wanted to meet was a family that had already tried to adopt a baby, who had brought that baby home, loved that baby, and then had to give the baby back to his birthmom, but within a year or so later, they had completed a successful adoption of a little child.

I told the counselor that the only way I would meet with them is if they knew that I didn't think that I would be going through this. I didn't want to get their hopes up. I certainly didn't want to hurt anyone. They agreed to talk to me to just help me.

Would you like to hear about my meeting with this couple?

We Need to Talk - A New Beginning

2011-03-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

So, today, I was thinking that there must be something more to this blog of mine.

I have had it for almost three years now and yet, I still don't think it has met its fullest potential.

I realize that my daughter is going to be 18 in January and I have been a single mom for all of her life. Her father and I were never married. Not sure if you knew that or not, but, no, we were never married and I am very grateful for that now. I wasn't happy about it then, but I am now. We were together for 12 years. I met him when I was 18 and asked him to leave when I was 30. I was definitely a much more wiser person at 30 than I was at 18. Aren't we all?

So, I thought that I would start with the beginning. I immediately thought that the beginning was the day that I asked him to leave. Then, I thought some more and realized "Woah, I was single from Day One! I was single the moment I went to the doctor and peed in a cup and I was told, "You're pregnant!"."

So, I decided I will start to share my journey from there. I was 23 when I was at the doctor's office that day. I am now 41. There is so much more that I have learned since then. I plan to share my journey with you from that day, as I remember.

Of course, after the appointment, I called Holly's father and said, "We need to talk!"

Are you interested? Should I go on?

Tell Us Something Good & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-03-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

Time to share with your readers what has been going good in your life!

Hosted by:

Shopper Gal, Society of Socialpreneurs,
Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl and our brand new Co-Host, Chase-ing The Dream!

How it Works

Follow all of the host and leave a comment with a link to your blog so that we can follow you back. (Please only leave a comment below if you actually follow all of the hosts!)
You must write a post to "Tell Us Something Good". After you publish your TUSG post, add your blog link (the url for your TUSG post) to the hop below along with your blog name.

Please No Blog Hops or Giveaways Please! These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs that you like and follow back who follows you. (Remember to leave a comment so that you can be followed back.)
Most importantly ~ have fun and come back and see us every Thursday to Tell Us Something Good!

My Something Good

I was contacted this week to do a review on something that I really needed!
Now, I will not have to wait for my income tax check to arrive before I can purchase.
This was such a wonderful surprise and was really an answer to prayer.

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Help Save the Children in Japan - Post With a Purpose

2011-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Earthquake. Tsunami. Floods. Nuclear. Fallout. Meltdown.

For the past ten days, the people of

Japan

have been living in chaos and destruction. What the Japanese children have been feeling inside, I cannot even fathom. My heart aches for them.

Today, please join Social Media Moms and A Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl, as we raise awareness and money to support the amazing work being done by ‘Save The Children’ in

Japan

Click on the image below to DONATE on the ‘Save the Children’ site. Every small amount will help, $5 $10 $15 $20 $50 $100.

Japan Disaster Facts

An estimated 100,000 children have been displaced from their homes
Japan facing three disasters: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation
Japan is on high nuclear alert for two nuclear reactors in Fukushima
Many tsunami-affected areas are still cut off from relief
More than 465 roads, 43 bridges and seven railways washed away
More than 380,000 people evacuated across the country

Due to the fact the quake and tsunami hit during the day, most children were in school or nurseries separated from their parents – fears are that many will be orphaned.

The triple horror of Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and potential nuclear disaster has raised concerns over the long-term impact on children, some of whom are already displaying signs of trauma, from screaming nightmares to silent withdrawal.

The potential for lasting trauma is compounded by the unusual multiple nature of the event: a massive 9.0 earthquake, a devastating tsunami and a nationwide scare over a possible meltdown at a nuclear plant.

Experts say the scale of the loss and disruption for some children would have been almost inconceivable: homes destroyed, friends disappeared, one or both parents maybe killed, or siblings and other close family members missing.

Initial efforts to help them come to terms with the tragedy can only be made in extremely stressful circumstances, with families packed into ill-equipped evacuation shelters, suffering bitterly cold nights and frequent terrifying aftershocks.

“We found children in desperate conditions, huddling around kerosene lamps and wrapped in blankets,” said Save the Children spokesman Ian Woolverton, who visited a number of evacuation centres in the coastal regions of northeast Japan that bore the brunt of the March 11 tsunami.

“They told me about their anxieties, especially their fears about radiation,” Woolverton said, adding that several youngsters had mentioned the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which they know from school books.

Parents, many traumatised themselves, have struggled to keep their own fears in check as they try to soothe their children and provide them with some sense of normality and security.

Atsushi Takahashi, 36, said his two-year-old son Haruto has been terrified by the constant, sometimes powerful aftershocks.

“He’s been very scared, crying out ‘the house is shaking. I don’t like the house’,” Takahashi said, holding his son as he waited in a queue for a truck bringing fresh water to his neighbourhood.

“I always tell him that everything is okay and I hug him,” Takahashi said. “I think we just have to let time heal the wounds.”

Many children have had trouble sleeping, woken repeatedly in the night by bad dreams, while others have mentally shut down, shunning any company but their parents, whom they refuse to let out of their sight for even a moment.

Woolverton said the priority for Save The Children was to set up “child-friendly spaces” where children of a similar age could interact and start to play together again.

“I know from years of experience that if children play, it can ward off the chance of major long-term emotional trauma,” he said.

“The idea is also to relieve the stress on parents and to give them a break from childcare duties as they register for emergency assistance, try to find food, locate friends and family members and, in the longer term, jobs and housing.”

Other Ways to Help

Social Media: Post a message for your friends on Facebook or Twitter: I just gave to Save the Children to help survivors of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. You can too!http://bit.ly/dPXObV

Show You Care: One of the easiest things to do is get one of our “online bumper stickers”. It’s a banner you can put it on your Facebook profile, blog, website — and anywhere else online you can think of. Get yours today

Other Social Media Moms participating in Help Save the Children in Japan:
partybluprintsblog.com ~ itsjessicaslife.com ~ treerootandtwig.com ~ Shanamama.com ~ techsavvymama.com ~ thebeedot.com thecentsiblelife.com ~ Betterinbulk.net ~ adailypinch.com ~ mommyality.com ~ www.socialmediamoms.net ~ parentella.com ColoradoMoms.com ~ musingsfromme.com ~ mommasaid.net ~ skimbacolifestyle.com ~ anniewear.com ~ coolandhipiamnot.blogspot.com ~ simplegreenorganichappy.com ~ mommybknowsbest.com ~ ienjoysoup.com ~ Momtrends.com ~ feelslikehomeblog.com ~ singlemomandteenagedgirl ~ brainfoggles.com

Parts of this post are used with permission by Dawn from Party BluPrints Blog.

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-03-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

Time to share with your readers what has been going good in your life!

Hosted by:

Shopper Gal, Society of Socialpreneurs,
Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl and our brand new Co-Host, Chase-ing The Dream!

How it Works

Follow all of the host and leave a comment with a link to your blog so that we can follow you back. (Please only leave a comment below if you actually follow all of the hosts!)
You must write a post to "Tell Us Something Good". After you publish your TUSG post, add your blog link (the url for your TUSG post) to the hop below along with your blog name.

Please No Blog Hops or Giveaways Please! These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs that you like and follow back who follows you. (Remember to leave a comment so that you can be followed back.)
Most importantly ~ have fun and come back and see us every Thursday to Tell Us Something Good!

My Something Good

I am getting excited about going on a Mexican Riviera Cruise the first week of April.

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Mom and Daughter Confession: We Think We Heart Our Blackberry More

2011-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

So, tonight I came home from work and I read Mom Confession: I Think I Love My Son a Little Bit More Than My Daughter.

I thought it was so sad for the mom's daughter if she were to ever read it and I shared it with my 17 year old daughter. We both agreed that our heart aches for the little girl.

Then a little bit later, I asked my daughter where my phone was.

She said, "Your baby?"

I said, "Yes".

That is the nickname she has for my Blackberry, "my baby".

So, I joked with her and said, "Yes, my baby and I love it more than you!" She knew that I was kidding.

She was all, "Hmmph!" and I said, "What about you???" What have you been missing? "My phone!" Yes, she had her Blackberry stolen at church camp a couple weeks ago and she has been missing it like crazy!

So, we both decided that we both love our Blackberry's more than each other because we wouldn't want to lose our phone. Our heart aches when we lose our phone. We miss it like crazy when it is out of sight. We worry to death when it is apart from us. We look at our phone so many times a day. We hold it wherever we go. When we first held our phone for the very first time, we had that "OMG I love you!" moment and not a day goes by where we don't remember that moment. The second our Blackberry was in our hand, it was mine and she felt the same way about hers. You could see the sparkle in her eye when she held it for the very first time. It was brand new and she couldn't wait to make it grow with all of her favorite apps. We bonded with our phones immediately, we never wanted to put it down. People have to tell us all of the time to put it down and give it a rest.

We both kind of like it when we can leave one another and just spend time on our Blackberry.

You know, this was all written and thought of in fun and my daughter and I laughed like crazy while writing this and it really isn't a joking matter what the mother wrote, but you have to take each day with a little bit of sense of humor to get you through and I thought that my social media mom friends would appreciate this as well.

As my daughter and I say good night and say our prayers tonight, we will say a little prayer for the little girl and give thanks for our Blackberries.

Turning 18 - Nine More Months

2011-03-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

So today is March 10, 2011 ~ Holly is three months into her seventeenth year.

Nine more months and she will be 18. Nine.More.Months! How apropo!

It is almost like I am waiting and preparing to give birth again, except this time it is the birth of a young adult and well, we are talking about my only child.

New mothers are always preparing for the precious arrival of their pride and joy. They spend nine months getting their home, life, and daily responsibilities ready for the big day. The parents are filled with feelings of excitement and yet fear.

Perfect examples of preparing for a new baby's arrival is Kelly of Kelly's Korner while waiting for baby Hollis to arrive, Angie of Blessed Beyond Words and Erin of Motherhood in the Industry. Not only are babies being born but parents are sharing their inner feelings as their little ones celebrate another birthday ~ Lolli of Better in Bulk's baby is turning eight tomorrow and Truthful Mommy is letting go of her daughter's last day of five as her precious baby turns six!

Sharing just a glimpse of these families lives touches me so deeply. I wish I had a blog back when Holly was younger so I could look back and see her days of being one, two, three, etc. One of the most touching posts I read recently was "You Won't Remember" by Melissa of Adventuroo ~ Capturing Adventure in the Every Day.

It seems like now, I have those same feelings. I am excited that she will be able to spread her wings and grow and yet I am thinking about whether or not I have prepared her enough for adulthood. Have I taught her all that she needs to know? Is she ready? In all honesty, part of my fear is am I ready for her adulthood?

When she was born, every one said, "Time goes by so fast, enjoy it!" I was like, "Yadda yadda yadda!". Now that she is 17, it is really hitting home how right that they were! Nine.More.Months.

By the way, I know I am not the only mother that feels this way as their child grows older, Gena of The Morris Bunch shared how she feels about her youngest child of six turning one ~ I hope to follow up with her when this precious little one celebrates their days being seventeen.

Lastly, my prayer tonight is that I have given Holly "A Lullaby's Worth" of memories these last seventeen years and that I continue to do so the next nine months. Thank you, Stacey for sharing that with me, even though it brought me to tears.

Holly, I love you to the moon and back a million times infinity!

Friday Blog Hops

2011-03-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

If you are looking for some Fun Friday Blogs Hops, check out these! If your favorites are not listed, please be sure to link up!

Do you like me? Really? Don't Leave Me Lonely!

2011-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

We just launched our Facebook Fan Page for A Single Mom and Teenaged Girl.

I have like, one fan, and that is ~ me!

Can I say, I am "Oh so lonely!"

Please don't give me a complex, please stop by and like me!

My goal with this is that I will be able to connect with my readers and learn more about you!

Please come visit me here.

Once you are there, feel free to leave a link to your blog, your personal website, ask questions, or post whatever.
Just make yourself feel welcome!

I hope to have some giveaways coming your way soon!

What would you like to see?

Do you have a Facebook Fan Page for your blog? Share the link here!

Tell Us Something Good & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-03-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

Time to share with your readers what has been going good in your life!

Hosted by:

Shopper Gal, Society of Socialpreneurs & Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl!

How it Works

Follow all of the host and leave a comment with a link to your blog so that we can follow you back. (Please only leave a comment below if you actually follow all of the hosts!)
You must write a post to "Tell Us Something Good". After you publish your TUSG post, add your blog link (the url for your TUSG post) to the hop below along with your blog name.

Please No Blog Hops or Giveaways Please! These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs that you like and follow back who follows you. (Remember to leave a comment so that you can be followed back.)
Most importantly ~ have fun and come back and see us every Thursday to Tell Us Something Good!

My Something Good

I will be spending this weekend at Disneyland!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Wordless Wednesday - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon Skywalk - Hoover Dam

2011-03-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

January Vacation 2011

Road Trip from Las Vegas, Nevada to Grand Canyon, Arizona

This post is in participation of Wordless Wednesday.

If you are participating in Wordless Wednesday, please link up so that I can be sure to stop by and visit you.

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

I am so excited to announce that I will be co-hosting Tell Us Something Good Thursday with Shopper Gal and my other site will also join in and participate at Society of Socialpreneurs!

Last summer, my daughter, Holly, (take a peek at her blog here) and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what we are looking forward to and so that we could hear what is going on with our friends.

Then last night I discovered that Shopper Gal is doing the same thing over at her fun blog so I asked her if she would like to merge into one so that our readers could find more good around us!

We both agree that Thursdays are a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

How it Works

Follow all of the host and leave a comment with a link to your blog so that we can follow you back. (Please only leave a comment below if you actually follow all of the hosts!)
After you post about your "Something Good", use the link to that post to add your blog to the hop below along with your blog name.

Please No Blog Hops or Giveaways Please! These entries will be deleted.

Follow the blogs that you like and follow back who follows you. (Remember to leave a comment so that you can be followed back.)
Most importantly ~ have fun and come back and see us every Thursday to Tell Us Something Good!

My Something Good

I will be spending this weekend in Big Bear and

Holly is going to camp with her church at Forest Home this weekend!

I am also thrilled that OC Boutique Vendors has gone through a makeover!

Check it out here and let me know what you think!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-02-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Tell Us Something Good Thursday!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what we are looking forward to and so that we could hear what is going on with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good" post! If you don't have a blog, no problem, just leave a comment and tell us something good!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

We will be spending this weekend in San Diego!
It is a four day weekend for my daughter so that is great news...for her!
Also, there is light at the end of the tunnel,
I am almost organized and caught up, not there yet,
but I have a plan to catch up a little bit each day
so that I can be done by the end of the month
and so far so good!
Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

UPDATE: Jeff and Jer are back on the air!
You can listen to them on KyXy 96.5 FM San Diego.
Studio line: 888-560-9650 6-10am Monday through Friday.
Please go to www.kyxy.com for blogs and diaries.
Join their Facebook Fan Page!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-02-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

I will be spending this weekend at Disneyland!

Update: Jeff and Jer found Manny and Josh is getting his truck back!
This is such good news!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Meet Me On Mondays

2011-02-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Java hosts Meet Me On Mondays and I hope to be able to join along each week. This seems like a fun way to get to know each other.

1. Did you watch the Superbowl?

Yes! We watched the game. We were hoping for a Packer win. We were looking forward to watching the commercials but none really stood out as being overly funny or clever this year. Did you see any commercials that you really liked?

2. What is the last book that you read?

The Twilight Series. Lately it seems I read more blogs than books.

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3. What is your favorite kind of cake?

I love white cake with fresh strawberry filling, and it is an added bonus when kiwi is added.

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

4. Do you snore?

Yes, unfortunately, I probably should have a sleep study to test for sleep apnea.

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5. Do you play an instrument?

I can play very little piano. I took lessons my freshman year in high school.

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-02-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Fifth Tell Us Something Good Thursday of 2011!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

Holly wanted to share her something good this week,
she is done with her finals this week and will not have any homework this week!
My something good is that I live in Southern California and I am not living in a blizzard!
My thoughts go out to those who are homebound.
May you stay warm and cozy at home!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Fourth Tell Us Something Good Thursday of 2011!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

My something good this week is that I am in Las Vegas for the week!
We started our vacation in Big Bear and then a week in Vegas
and then will spend the weekend back up in Big Bear!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday - January 20, 2011

2011-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Third Tell Us Something Good Thursday of 2011!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

Our something good this week is that the Jeff and Jer Showgram,
the inspiration behind Tell Us Something Good Thursday,
is coming back on the air next Monday on San Diego's KyXy 96.5!
They have been off the air since 2009 and
Holly and I have missed waking up to them each day!The first thing Holly asked me when I told her that they are coming back is,
"Will they still do Tell Me Something Good every morning?"
I hope so!

{Image Source}

Our other something good is that after 2 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, we will be on vacation!
We will be going to Big Bear and Las Vegas!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2011-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Second Tell Us Something Good Thursday of 2011!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

Holly has been sick for over a week and I am fighting not to catch what she has.
I twisted my ankle last weekend at Big Bear but,
my something good for today is that we are going to San Diego this weekend!
Also, Holly received a karaoke machine for her birthday last weekend,
so it has been fun watching her sing!

{The Singing Machine}

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday - Thursday Blog Hops

2011-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy First Tell Us Something Good Thursday of 2010!

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

We are celebrating Holly's 17th birthday this weekend!
She doesn't know yet what she is getting but I think she is going to love it!
I will be sure to update this post once she opens it!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!
Also, please share something good that you received for Christmas!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Happy Birthday Holly!

2011-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my one and only Holly!

Today you turn 17!

How time has gone by so quickly.

I remember when:

The day you were born and my first thought was, "You look so much like your daddy!"
Giving you nose kisses when you were just a sweet little baby.
I was waiting to get my haircut when you were a baby and this snarky lady came up to me and told me, "Don't worry, my daughter had hair that color too but she is a blonde now, so don't worry!"
How I would love to find her and tell her, that all of your life people have always come up to us to tell you how beautiful the color of your hair is.
The first day you stayed with Debbie. She was truly the best childcare provider ever.
Your dad and I would take you camping at the beach.
You started preschool at Discovery Depot and your little friends ~ Dana, Andre, Lauren
You had to stop by Miss Shanna's classroom each day
as we were leaving and she would draw you such pretty pictures that you loved.
You and I would sit in the trailer and we would watch movies, color and I would read to you.
When you were almost one and you fell off the table getting your picture taken
at Expressly Portraits at the mall. Thank God you were okay.
We had your Christmas Annual Dinners with your grandparents, your Halloween party in Yorba Linda, your bowling party and the many parties you were invited to.
The day we moved to Laguna Niguel and you had to start a new school. You were so good about it.
You earned straight As and we went to Walt Disney World. Oh, I was so proud of you.

In the blink of an eye, I remember when you started middle school
and then you were so excited to start high school.
You have always loved school and enjoyed your teachers you have met along the way.

Holly, I remember so many sweet and special moments of your life.
I could go on and on.
The most important thing that I remember is
that I have loved you from the very beginning.
You truly are my sunshine.
I cannot believe you are 17.

Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2010-12-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

We had a beautiful White Christmas in Big Bear, California!
(Pictures are coming soon!)
I also figured out how to install my wireless internet in my house
so I can now play with my new Pandigital Novel E-Reader at home!
Since I don't know what I am missing with an IPad, I love it!

Happy New Year!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!
Also, please share something good that you received for Christmas!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday is Back!

2010-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

We are in Big Bear celebrating Christmas!
This will be Holly's first White Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

A Little Girl & a Fireman - Christmas Memory 1975

2010-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

I thought that since Christmas is almost here that I would share with you one of my most favorite Christmas memories! Some of my readers from last year might remember this story but since I have met so many new people this past year, I thought I would share it again! It might even become a yearly tradition to share!

This is a true story!

I was about five years old. I was living in Torrance, California. It was about two days before Christmas. I went to church with my mom and sister a day or so before this particular night. At church, we were each given a gift, I received the most beautiful dolly. I loved her. I thought she was such a pretty doll.

As I was sleeping, I smelled something burning. I did not open my eyes. I just thought, "Oh, my mom must be baking cookies for Christmas!" (I should have known better, my mom never baked cookies ~ we always went to her friend's house to bake cookies!) Anyways, I didn't bother opening my eyes ~ even though I smelled something burning!

Then I heard my sister, who was sleeping across the room from me, screaming, "Fire, fire, fire!"

Why I didn't just jump up right then, I will never understand!

I looked down at the foot of my bed and there was the fire. In. My. Bed.

I remember my mom coming in the room telling my sister to grab some clothes out of the closet, and then she told me to get up. My mom grabbed a blanket and rushed my sister and I to wait in her car out in the driveway.

Then the firemen came. They had to pass our car to get in the house and they stopped and asked me if there was anybody still in the house. I cried, "YES!!!!!" they asked, "Who???" I said in the only way a little girl would say crying, "My Winnie the Pooh and Dolly!" and I looked right up at him and asked, "Can you save them? Please save my Winnie the Pooh and Dolly!" and they left to go do their work. They came back and I asked, "Did you save them?" and he said, "No." I was so sad. I cried and cried!

I also remember the summer before that Christmas, my grandma in Oklahoma had bought my sister and I a TV for our room and my mom had decorated our room while we were gone. We had fun bedding and all was burned in the fire. I was devastated!

So, after the fire was out, we went to the next door neighbor's house and we were there for a while. Then we went to another one of my mom's friend's house from church. While we were there, still in the middle of the night, the phone rings. My mom's friend tells me that the phone is for me. To my surprise, it was SANTA!!!! Yes, that is right, SANTA called ME!!!! They told me to take the call in the other room. Sure enough, it sounded like SANTA! SANTA told me that he saw what happened and he felt so bad for me that he sent the reindeers over to give me my Christmas present early and to go run in the other room to get it. I went out to the living room and in the middle of the room, there was a BARBIE DREAM HOUSE! For. Me.

I was so happy, I ran back to the phone and said, "Thank you, SANTA!!! Thank You! Thank You!"

So the years past, and I get older and then I realized the truth about SANTA (for any kids reading this, that he must have been too busy at that time of year to think about me...lol) So, I asked my mom, "Okay, who called me that night if it wasn't really SANTA, I know it wasn't grandpa, who was it that called me that night???" She would never tell me. I would keep asking and asking, because of course, I am stubborn that way. I asked and asked. Then finally she said, when you are 18 I will tell you who was SANTA and brought me my BARBIE DREAM HOUSE. I knew it wasn't my mom because she was just going through a divorce and we didn't have money so I knew she didn't buy it.

So the years passed on and I finally turned 18.

Since I had always wondered who it was that called that night ~ who made that night so happy for me ~ who was part of me learning when something bad happens something really good comes from it ~ I wanted to know who it was.

So, on my 18th birthday:

Me: "Mom, okay, I am 18 now, who called that night of the fire?"

My mom: "The Fire Chief"

(The Barbie Dream House was from Toys for Tots!)

To this day, I will never forget and I wish I could thank the Torrance Fire Chief.

To all firemen out there, thank you for all that you do. Thank you for your bravery and your compassion. I will never forget what you did for me!

Please consider donating to Toys for Tots ~ you never know what lifelong memory you will be helping to create for a child!

Update: I did not know until this morning searching for images that my Barbie Dream House was actually a Barbie Town House...lol!

Image provided by Matris Condicio

Meet Me On Monday

2010-11-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

Over at Never Growing Old, they have a fun blog hop on Mondays where they give us 5 questions to answer so that our readers can get to know us better.

I thought I would give it a try and play along!

1. Do you eat Sushi?

No.

2. What kind of bath soap do you use?

I use caress bath soap or Pink Papaya's raspberry bath.

3. How often do you talk to your Mom?

I don't talk to my mom very often.

4. What TV shows do you watch on a regular basis?

I usually always watch Bachelor(ette), Undercover Boss, Closer, Kendra, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

5. Did you start Christmas shopping yet?

No, not yet.

If you play along, be sure to leave a comment below, so I can come by and visit you also!

Cost Plus World Market Review and $25 E-Gift Card Giveaway

2010-11-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

Decorating for the holidays is such a tradition in most homes and mine is no exception. I absolutely love Thanksgiving and decorating my home for Fall! I have always looked forward to getting out all of the new decorations for the upcoming holiday. Every year, I like to add one or two things for each holiday.

Since I live in Southern California, we do not necessarily get to see the seasons and fall colors in our area, so, I was so excited last week when Cost Plus World Market offered me the fabulous opportunity to do a review of a line of their newest Fall Collection.

Have you ever heard of Cost Plus World Market? No? Go ahead, go check it out! I will wait. Be sure to come back though because you could win something that will help you bring one of those little treasures home!

Okay, you are back now? Great! Didn't you love it?

What I thought was great is that you can order an E-Gift Certificate right from their site! I thought how perfect to the many bloggers out there that would love to give a gift to their favorite blogger bff or out of town friend or family member and even if you wait until the last minute, you can order it right away 24/7! What an awesome feature!

I was thrilled today when I arrived at work and found a huge box of treasures waiting for me to open and take home! Thank you Cost Plus World Market for sending me all of the following:

Autumn Pine Cone and Berry Garland

It looks so real and beautiful on my mantle above my fireplace!

Autumn Pine Cone and Berry Wreath

The wreath is such a warm welcome in my doorway!

Autumn Pine Cone and Berry Baskets

The Autumn Pine Cone and Berry Twig Baskets are a beautiful way to showcase gourds, small pumpkins and more. The woven twigs are decorated with berries, leaves and pine cones for a look that's perfect for your Thanksgiving table, or to keep on display all season.

I absolutely love the fall look of it all!

I love the quality of the twigs, berries and the pine cones!

It looks so real!

I look forward to displaying this collection in my home for many years to come!

What You Will Win:

One lucky reader will receive a $25.00 E-Online Cost Plus World Market Gift Certificate.

How To Enter & Rules:
Mandatory Entry must be completed first or bonus entries don't count. Please leave one comment per task you complete and leave your email address so you can be notified if you win.

Mandatory EntryVisit Cost Plus World Market and then come back and leave a comment below telling me what other product(s) you absolutely love!

Bonus Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email.
2. Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect.
3. Blog about the giveaway and leave me the link.
4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway.
5. Tweet daily and use the retweet button on this post daily.
6. Follow Cost Plus World Market, @worldmarket on Twitter.
7. Like Cost Plus World Market on Facebook.
8. Like me on my Society of Socialpreneur's Facebook.
9. Join Society of Socialpreneurs' social network.
10. Follow Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl on Networked Blogs.
11. Add my grab button on your blog.

Open to US Residents Only, 18 and Older.
This giveaway will end on November 22, 2010 at 11:59 p.m midnight, PST. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected.

Thank you!

From my home to yours, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Luck!

*I was not financially compensated for this review. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*

Awesome Limosuines - Not an Awesome Experience in the OC!

2010-10-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

I know I don't usually do this but in this instance, I just have to vent a little (okay, so maybe a lot!) and do a review of a company that we recently did business with. If you live in or around the Southern California area, and you are looking for a limosuine for an upcoming special event, you might want to read further!

This past weekend, on Saturday, October 16, 2010, we had what was supposed to have been a Hummer Halloween party for my teenaged daughter. We had planned on having her friends arrive around 6:30 p.m. and then we were planning on having a Hummer Limosuine arrive at 6:45 p.m. for dinner reservations at 7:00 p.m. close to home.

Back in September, when we were calling around to make the reservations, we specifically asked Awesome Limousines for a quote for a Hummer Limousine. We called around to several different companies but Awesome Limousines' representative quoted us $625 for the evening out the door. We made the reservation after specifically asking if they had a black Hummer limosuine since the picture of the Hummer Limosuine on their website is white.  We were assured that they have both white and black in all of their vehicles. We told them that we specifically want a black Hummer Limosuine since it is a Halloween party. After making the reservation, we were excited and looking forward to sharing this night with friends and family.

After spending a week decorating our house inside and out and getting ready for the party, we greeted our guests at 6:30 p.m. and we then began to wait for the Hummer Limosuine. At 7:00 p.m. since we had not yet heard from Awesome Limosuines, I called their number and got their dispatch service. I was told that there was an accident on the freeway and we would have to wait further. We then immediately received a call from our chauffer Zane and he explained that he was still in Fullerton off Yorba Linda Blvd. and Imperial Highway and that it would be another 45 minutes. (We were in South Orange County).

I called the restaurant and asked them to please hold our reservation and fortunately, they said, "No problem!" Thank you, Jolly Roger in Dana Point!

At 7:45 p.m., I am now waiting outside, (not inside entertaining our guests), waiting for the limosuine to show up. Zane finally arrives with a black limosuine and I call inside and tell them that the limosuine is finally here and we can go. We hurry up and get in and we are cramped and tight. One of my daughter's friend was crammed against the side and her friends said she should come squeeze next to them.

At the restaurant, we enjoyed the rest of the party, but some of my daughter's friends had to be picked up at the restaurant due to their curfew since we were now an hour behind schedule.

The next morning, my daughter and I go out to run an errand and we see a couple Hummer Limosuines and my daughter says, "Mom, you know we didn't have a Hummer Limosuine last night!", I looked at her shocked and I know that since we were so relieved that a limosuine arrived, we didn't even have time to inspect it. We then realized that was why we were so cramped. Awesome Limosuines had sent us the wrong vehicle!

You can view the Hummer and its amenities by visiting their website. Go ahead, take a peek! Would have been cool, huh?

However, we did not have a Hummer Limosuine as we requested, as we ordered, as we were quoted, as we wanted, as we told our friends and family, and lastly, as we had expected to pay for. We were provided with a Yukon Limousine instead, which was not what we ordered, not what we wanted, not what we told our friends and family, and not what we had expected to pay for.

You can view the Yukon Limosuine's amenities by visiting their website. (Big difference from the Hummer, huh?)

You are able to view the picture differences of the Hummer Limosuine and the Yukon Limosuine on the above website. The Hummer Limosuine had a VIP section separate where the adults of the party could have been comfortably seated and the teenagers could have had their own separate area, which is what we had originally requested.

On Sunday, we contacted Awesome Limosuines, and a oh so friendly gal, Renee, answered the phone who proceeded to be of no help whatsoever. We asked her to please have the manager contact us about our experience. She proceeded to be very rude and she hung up on me. She just said to call back on Monday.

We called back on Monday, Tuesday, and today, Wednesday to try to get this matter resolved. When trying to resolve this today while talking to their manager, Andy Walker, we received nothing but being talked down to and after a long heated conversation, he proceeded to call me a name and hang up on me.  Nice customer service, Andy! Way to go to insult your customer!

You see, why we were so persistent in trying to get this matter resolved, is that according to Awesome Limosuine's own rate schedule on their website, it states that a Hummer Limosuine starts at $125 an hour and an SUV Limosuine starts at $85 an hour. You can take a peek at Awesome Limousines' rate schedule here.

By reading this rate schedule, it appears to me that the starting rate for the Hummer Limosuine is $125 which makes sense since we were quoted $625 for the evening for five hours.  $125 x 5 = $625.00. We were told we were getting a great deal!

We were happy knowing that we were quoted their starting rate for the Hummer Limosuine.

Now, since we did not receive the Hummer Limosuine as requested, I looked up the rates for what we did get instead.

According to their rate schedule on their website, the starting rate for the SUV Limsouine which according to their own website is what the Yukon Limosuine is considered, the starting rate is $85.00 an hour.

Since we were originally told when making the reservation that we were getting a great deal, I would have to believe that a reputable company ~ considering the error in vehicle and being an hour late, that they would want to honor the starting rate posted on their website for the SUV Yukon Limosuine that we were ultimately cramped in which would have been $85 x 5 = $425, plus an extra hour at $85, plus $10.00 toll road (whatever!), and the $100 tip for Zane ~ which should come to a total of $620.00. Make sense? Still with me?

We ultimately ended up paying at the end of the evening for the Yukon ~ $625 (price quoted originally for the Hummer Limosuine) plus $125 for an additional hour, plus $10 for a toll road fee (We do not recall being on a toll road, and even if we were on a toll road, why would the driver need to drive on the toll road at midnight, I don't know?!) and since the driver was pleasant, we did give him a tip of $100 for the evening for a grand total of $860.

Now, when again trying to resolve this issue today by talking to Andy, I asked him specifically how much we were credited for the evening, and he said nothing. We will be contacting American Express and we will see how this is resolved since Andy Walker is of no assistance at this point and will keep you posted if anything changes.

Now, I need to say that part of this is my fault and I am partly to blame. Before making the reservation, I should have read this, and this, and this, and this (be sure to read the filtered one on the bottom also!). I should have also considered this. I could have seen that there was a pattern of behavior that was very similar to what I encountered.

Call it a lesson learned, I guess we should have used this company instead, ONE AWESOME LIMO! You can read their reviews here! Big Mistake ~ Huge on our part!

I talked to Mulligan from One Awesome Limo tonight to let him know that I came across his reviews and let him know that it is a shame that I didn't call him first! You can find One Awesome Limo on Twitter at @OneAwesomeLimo and on Facebook here!

One final thought, Mr. Andy Walker, Manager of Awesome Limosuines, you might want to read!

Help support the F/Stop Breast Cancer Photography Auction!

2010-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

I will be donating 100% of my commission from all sales of Michele Baratta during the month of October to support F/Stop Breast Cancer Photography Auction.

What is F/Stop Breast Cancer? It is the idea of Lydia Shannon!

1. Watch the fun video to see what she has planned!

2. Take a peek at this flyer and then contact Lydia if you would like to become a sponsor.

F/Stop Breast Cancer

3. Be sure to visit http://www.fstopbreastcancer.com/ during the auction, October 14 - 19th, and help promote the auction through your blog, twitter, and facebook pages with your friends and inner circle of influence!

Oh be sure to follow @LydiaShannon on Twitter for more up-to-date information!

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day Six

2010-10-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today's Topic: A moment you wish you could relive!

This is a tough one!

A moment I wish I could relive, I guess meeting Holly's dad and walking away would have been a good idea, but then I wouldn't have Holly with me now so I guess it is good that I didn't! God knew the plans he had for me and Holly.

I had other specific moments typed and then I deleted them because, it was hard to think about reliving those past moments. I realized that each of those moments, eventually, not only affected my life but other people's lives as well and many of them for the good for them. I realize that each moment happened at the right time at the right place for the right reason. (Even though, I might not have liked it at the time!)

Favorite Song ~ The Heart Won't Lie by Reba

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day Five

2010-10-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Topic: A Favorite Quote

I absolutely love this quote/scene from The Wedding Date!

Nick Mercer: Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close... your... eyes. You're safe. You can relax. I'm not going to kiss you. He's gonna be so sorry he lost you, so stop worrying. Forget the past. Forget the pain. And remember what an incredible woman you are. You do that and he'll realize what he lost.

Kat Ellis: Holy crap. You're worth every penny.

This video quality isn't very good but you can still get the idea of how good this scene is!

Favorite Song - Near You Always by Jewel

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day Four

2010-10-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today's Topic: Favorite Television Show

My all-time favorite television show is I Love Lucy!

I just love Lucy and her fun relationship she has with Ricky! Trouble and mischief always finds her but Ricky never stops loving her!

I can watch it for hours!

30 Days of Favorite Songs:

Here is my favorite song video of the day, Follow You Follow Me by Genesis!

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day Three

2010-10-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today's Topic: Favorite Book

I would have to say that my favorite author has always been Danielle Steele. Way back in the day, I used to take one of her books to the beach on a quiet, sunny Saturday morning and just stay and read all day and come home once I finished the book. That was obviously b.c. (before child).

Lately, I read the Twilight book series and I couldn't put them down. They were so fun to read even though I am sure I am not in their demographic, but then again, after looking at this site, I just might be! Ha!

What about you? What do you miss that used to do before b.c.?

Favorite Song Video: (Not too sure if it is the song that I like as much I just love Chris Isaak and Leann Rimes in this video!)

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day Two

2010-10-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today's Topic: A Favorite Movie

I am supposed to share my favorite movie today! Just like songs, I have many favorite movies. I like many 80s movies, romance movies, and I love football movies.

I just asked my daughter what she thought my favorite movie was and she said, "Pretty Woman". She may be right. It was one of the first movies that I bought the video for way before I even owned a VCR machine.

I just looked at my Myspace Profile which I haven't looked at in quite some time and I looked under Favorite Movies, this is what was written a few years ago, I think one other movie missing is The Wedding Date, I love that movie!:

"...Cinderella is my all time favorite Disney movie, started me off young with loving romance movies...enjoyed Somewhere in Time, Pretty Woman, Hope Floats, The Lake House, The Notebook, 50 First Dates, The Sweetest Thing, Gone With the Wind, and old classics with Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, and John Wayne. I also have a passion for football movies...ever since Tom Cruise did All The Right Moves way back when...lol...I also like any chick flick, comedy, and some good classic action movies! Mostly anything besides scary!

Most recent favorite quotes from a movie:

Birdee Pruitt: I would have stayed with you forever. I would have turned myself inside out for you.
Bill Pruitt: Birdee, I wouldn't have let you! People grow. They change. They have to!
Birdee Pruitt: You think that I don't know that? I know that I'm not what I once was. I know that! But I haven't changed so much, that I would go and lie to someone that I love. God, I would walk through fire before I'd let them feel like they were nothing! And I would never break up anybody's home. Because I am not a quitter. I care about my family! I may not be the same person, but then again, neither are you. You're sad, you're weak, and you're... shorter. If you want to know the truth.
Bill Pruitt: I'm in love with Connie. And this is my chance for a fresh start, and I'm taking it, I'm sorry!
Birdee Pruitt: Then you should take it. If that's how you feel then you should take it. You and Connie deserve each other. You were lucky to have me. But you know what? I think I already got the best part of you. And she's standing right out there, and she's waiting for me. I don't know... what's left just doesn't look so good anymore. So why'd you come back? You want my permission? You want my... condolences? Why did you come back?

Birdee Pruitt: Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome. That's what momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will..."

And just one more video of one other favorite song, this is especially true in high school. I loved this song!

What was your favorite movie and/or one of your favorite songs in high school?

30 Day Blogging Mom Challenge - Day One

2010-10-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today's Topic: A Favorite Song

I have too many songs that I love to just single out one! I could probably do a month of songs and post one each day! Maybe I will add a video of one of my favorite songs to each post for this challenge!

For today, I will choose my all time favorite song from junior high and high school ~ Open Arms by Journey.

I was able to go see Journey on July 2, 1982 at the Rose Bowl with Triumph, Blue Oyster Cult and Aldo Nova and then again on August 5, 1983 at the Forum with Bryan Adams.

What was your first concert?

Blogging Mom's 30 Day Blog Challenge

2010-10-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Blogging Mom's 30-Day Blog Challenge!

I guess this was supposed to start in September but since today is October 1st, I will go ahead and start it today and end at the end of October!

I just found out about this challenge from "My Name's Amiko". She is starting this challenge today also so you can go ahead and visit her as well! If you are participating this month also please leave a message and let me know. I think that this will be a fun way to make sure that I post something every day and a fun way to get to know one another!

I will add a linky below so if you want to join in with me, we can link up and find one another!

Here's the topic list for the month:

Day 1 — A favorite song

Day 2 — A favorite movie

Day 3 — A favorite book

Day 4 — A favorite television program

Day 5 — A favorite quote

Day 6 — A moment you wish you could relive

Day 7 — 5 things you could not possibly live without

Day 8 — A thank you letter to someone who's changed your life

Day 9 — A photo you took

Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago

Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently

Day 12 — A song that you want played at your wedding (or was played)

Day 13 — A guilty pleasure

Day 14 — A vacation you would like to take

Day 15 — A person you admire

Day 16 — A song that makes you cry

Day 17 — An art piece

Day 18 — A time when you felt passionate and alive

Day 19 — A talent of yours

Day 20 — A hobby of yours

Day 21 — Something you know you do differently than most people

Day 22 — A website

Day 23 — A way in which you want to be remembered

Day 24 — A movie no one would expect you to love

Day 25 — A recipe

Day 26 — A childhood memory

Day 27 — A physical feature you love

Day 28 — A scar you have, and its story or if no scars- a tattoo & story

Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Day 30 — A motto or philosophy

If you want to join in, be sure to link up your original post here!

Friday Blog Hops!

2010-09-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Facebook Friend Friday hosted by Society of Socialpreneurs!

Please have fun "fanning", "liking" all those that you would like! There's no minimum or maximum limit. Fan or like how many you like. The idea is to fan or follow those that you want to be friends with! After you fan or like them, please take a moment and leave a comment letting them know that you stopped by from Society of Socialpreneurs!

Be sure to link to your Facebook personal or business page, ONLY. Company websites, blog posts, and any other spam links will be deleted. If you would like to list your blog or website on our site, contact me and I can help set that up for you.

We would love it if you would be willing to help us spread the word and share our button!

Add your Facebook link below ~

For more Friday Followers, we recommend that you also stop by Trendy Treehouse ~ Follow Me Fridays, New Friend Friday, Friendly Friday, Blog Hop Friday, Friendly Friday Follow, Social Parade, and the newest one ~ Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays!

An Island Life hosts Aloha Friday.

Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

My question for you this week is:

What is your favorite part about Autumn/Fall?

My Answer

I love warm apple cider and getting out the Fall decorations.
I love that Thanksgiving & Christmas is just around the corner.
This year I would love to go apple picking.

If you are looking for even more Friday Blogs Hops, check out these!

Holiday Shopping Gift Guide - Looking for Vendors!

2010-09-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Over at Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business, we are getting ready for the upcoming holiday season, and we just created our Holiday Gift Guide. This will remain on our official website and blog indefinitely so that shoppers can use our guide any time of the year. This page will be promoted on twitter and facebook throughout the holiday season. I thought I would share the information here also just in case you might be interested or if you know someone that might be looking to help build their home business this holiday season or in case you are interested in bookmarking the site for your future shopping needs.

Details:
View the Holiday Gift Guide here
Exclusive Vendor Price: $15.00 Annually per Company
Includes: 8 Category Listings
Each Company Listing will Be Exclusive!
Only One Representative per Company!
Reserve your spot today by filling out the form here!

If you have a second or third company, please email me directly and we will work out a special discounted affordable pricing solution for you.

Thank you for letting me share this with you! If you have any questions at all, please email me and let me know!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday - September 16, 2010 and Thursday Blog Hops

2010-09-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good
Wow!
I had a great week!
My other blog, Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business was voted Runner Up in the Just Spotted OC "You've Just Been Spotted" 2010 Blog Awards in the Business Category!
And I was nominated in 3 different categories for 3 different blogs!
Single Mom and Teenaged Girl was nominated in the Personal Family category
OC Boutique Vendors was nominated in the Shopping and Beauty category!

I was more than amazed and so shocked to be recognized in the OC Blogging Community!
Thank you a million times over to whoever nominated me!

Another something good ~ we are going to the San Diego Charger game this Sunday!
I have been looking forward to football starting again this year!
How about you? Are you ready for some football?
Who is your team? College team or NFL or both?

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

CSN Review

2010-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I let you know that I was going to do a review for CSN! I just had to pick out something!

It was a very hard decision but I went with these:

Westinghouse Solar Lighting - 403028-08CT - Inwood II Solar Light (Set of 8)

It was a pleasure to do business with CSN. Ordering was very simple and easy. The packaged shipped quickly and was waiting for me when I came back to work after vacation. Oh, the best thing, the shipping was free!

I love being able to sit at the computer and look out my patio at my new solar patio lights. Thank you CSN!

Disclosure: Single Mom and Teenaged Girl was provided samples for reviewing purposes. No monetary compensation was offered or given. The opinions expressed are my true and honest opinion.

Back to Blogging with The SITS Girls - My Very 1st Blog Post!

2010-09-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in the Back to Blogging event this week with the SITS Girls. Thank you to the sponsors, Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.

What we are supposed to do is share our very First Blog Post and see how far we have come. Here is my first ever blog post posted on April 23, 2008.

Welcome
Oh you found us, hmmm...well, first off, let me tell you that I know very little about blogging. I am Teresa and I am 38 years old and I have yet to meet Mr. Wonderful. I have come across a lot of nice guys in my 38 years, I have met Mr. Has A Girl Friend But Didn't Mention it To Me, Mr. Let's Be Friends, Mr. Used to Date my Best Friend, Mr. Chicken Man (That one is for you Amy & Holly), Mr. Want to Date my Best Friend, Mr. You Should Marry So and So (Who just so happens to be married to someone else), and many other not so memorable guys. Oh, I forgot to mention, Mr. I Love You But Let's Not Meet Just Yet! (Interesting story there, believe me! Obviously an internet romance there!)

Anyways, so I didn't mean to be sitting here as an unmarried mother of a 14 year old young lady. My precious grandmother would probably be having a fit by now. If you knew her, you would think that she would have a pull with the angels in heaven and would have pushed and prodded him into my life by now, but maybe, what I am meant to be is simply....my kid's mom.

What I like about this post:
I was pretty open and honest from the start.
It explained who I was and why I named my blog, A Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl.

What I would change about this posts:
I am not sure I would change a thing. It was perfectly written for the time and place it was written.

And as an update, I am about to turn 41 this month, Holly is now 16, and I am still waiting for the angels in heaven to bring me Mr. Wonderful! Some things just never change!

Happy Grandparents Day, I love you and miss you Grandma and Grandpa Sheen!

2010-09-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

(One of those posts, mostly written for me and my own personal memories!)

I love you and miss you grandma and grandpa!

(That's how every letter started that I sent to my grandma and grandpa when I was young.)

Thank you for so many summers spending time with you and sharing the love that we had for one another and thank you for sharing your love of Jesus with me.

At 40, I still miss you so much. I miss going to church with grandma and going to Ft. Cobb Lake with the both of you. I miss grandpa playing Hot and Cold with me. I miss eating the vegetables from your garden. I really don't miss the smell of grandma canning her vegetables. I miss the sleepovers and slumber parties that you allowed us to have with the girls of Apache even though half way through the night one of us would have to be separated for giggling too much. I miss listening to KATT radio station and playing spite and malice with you, grandma. I miss waiting for my grandma to come back from her walk and sometimes getting to go with you and watch you pick up the beer cans with your walking stick. Thank you for teaching me how to embroidery. I miss the smell of breakfast being made when I wake up. I miss you rubbing my feet with lotion, grandma and telling me the stories of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I miss walking into your house during those first days of summer and looking at your polished rocks and looking through your Avon Bottle collection and going to my mom's bedroom that you never changed and getting to look at her yearbooks that you had never even touched and laughing at her hair! I miss the letters that we would write during the school year and how I would tell you how much I was looking forward to getting to go to the Scammahorns for 4th of July after swimming at the pool and going to the park. I miss going to the little corner shop and getting soda and taking the long drive to Lawton for you to pick up your vitamins and how you would always take me to the mall to get our school clothes. Thank you for coming to see me in Lakewood even though I know how much you both disliked to fly. Thank you so much for sharing your values with me and teaching me about the love of Jesus. Thank you for giving me your Bible grandma and wanting me to find a Godly church. I hope you would be proud that I have found a church for Holly and she loves Jesus too.

Grandma and Grandpa, there is so much more that I remember, I just miss you so much!

For those of you reading this, a little background ~ I have always lived in Southern California; however, from the time when I was very young, every summer when school was out until about the weekend before school started, my sister and I would get on the plane by ourselves and fly to Oklahoma City to spend every summer with my grandma and grandpa in a little small town, Apache, Oklahoma.

I stopped going when I started to work when I was 16; however, the first December after I graduated when I was 18 after I graduated, I made it a point to go to Apache to stay for a month since I knew that I probably would not be able to go back since I was off to college and working. I was right. I was only able to go back for a day for my grandma's funeral while in my 30s. I broke down and cried when I passed my grandparent's house and it just didn't look the same.

During those summers that I was able to spend with them, I was able to truly live and be in a Godly home. My grandpa helped build the First Baptist Church of Apache and I am sure everytime the church doors were open, my grandma was there. My grandma had such a love for God and she told me that she thought that I would see the day of His return. As a teenager, my grandma made sure that I was able to go to Falls Creek Church Camp with the youth group.

My grandpa died on November 23, 1983 when I was just a Freshman in high school and it was one of the saddest days. I will never forget him. I will never forget his sense of humor and how he loved to work in his garden and go fishing. My grandmother went to see her Lord and Savior in Heaven years later after fighting alzheimer's for many years.

Thank you for everything that you have done for me and thank you so much for giving me so many sweet adn treasured memories.

Happy Grandparents Day from me to you in Heaven!

For those of you that have grandparents still here with you, please make sure you call them this week and tell them how much you appreciate them. Some poems I found on the internet about grandparents that you might want to share with your kids to send to their grandma or grandpa can be found here.

I've Just Been Spotted times 3!

2010-09-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Stealing from my Facebook Status:

"Oh my goodness!!! Two of my blogs have been nominated for OC Best Blog Awards! I've been "Just Spotted"! I just crawled into bed after a late night working on my blogs and was about to take a nap when I couldn't resist taking a peek at my blackberry to discover that not only was Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl nominated but so was OC Boutique Vendors! Wow!!! Please vote for me! I know, it's the little things that make me happy! http://www.singlemomandteenagedgirl.blogspot.com/, http://www.ocboutiquevendors.com/, OMG make that THREE of my blogs!!! I scrolled further!!! So was Society of Socialpreneurs, http://www.societyofsocialpreneurs.com/! I am personally having my own, They Like Me, They Really Like Me Moment!!!!! Yes, I know complete dork! Anyways, please vote and vote asap, apparently voting ends on Sunday!"

I am so thrilled because just by being nominated, I am now able to bring more attention to all of my fellow entrepreneurial friends and their businesses!

Now, if you take a minute to vote, and we actually win, what great exposure for all of us! Voting ends this Sunday, so please vote today, tomorrow and Sunday!!!

Please consider taking a moment and if you are not yet a part of OC Boutique Vendors or Society of Socialpreneurs, please consider joining for free! Even if you are not in business, but perhaps you love to shop and support other moms, I would be deeply honored!

Here are the Three Categories!

Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl – Personal Family Blog Category

OC Boutique Vendors – Shopping and Beauty Blog Category

Society of Socialpreneurs – Business Oriented Blog Category

You can view the nominations here!

You can VOTE HERE!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share my sweetest success story yet with all of you!

Friday Blog Hops!

2010-09-10T01:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Facebook Friend Friday hosted by Society of Socialpreneurs!

Please have fun "fanning", "liking" all those that you would like! There's no minimum or maximum limit. Fan or like how many you like. The idea is to fan or follow those that you want to be friends with! After you fan or like them, please take a moment and leave a comment letting them know that you stopped by from Society of Socialpreneurs!

Be sure to link to your Facebook personal or business page, ONLY. Company websites, blog posts, and any other spam links will be deleted. If you would like to list your blog or website on our site, contact me and I can help set that up for you.

We would love it if you would be willing to help us spread the word and share our button!

For more Friday Followers, we recommend that you also stop by Trendy Treehouse ~ Follow Me Fridays, New Friend Friday, Friendly Friday, Blog Hop Friday, Friendly Friday Follow, Social Parade, and the newest one ~ Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays!

Please be sure to leave a comment and tell us any fun weekend plans that you have!

Add your Facebook link below ~

If you are looking for even more Friday Blogs Hops, check out these!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2010-09-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good
Holly seemed to really enjoy her first day of school of her Junior Year!
I hope she has a great year filled with special memories!
Oh, this was pretty classic, I talked to one of my elementary school friends on the phone yesterday while she was visiting California from Wisconsin and we talked about Holly and the last thing she says before we hang up is ~ "Don't be so hard on her ~ she is just like you were!" Yikes!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Back to School Wednesday

2010-09-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Holly, went back to school today for her first day of being a Junior in high school. She was not happy about it at all. She clearly knows it is her job to go to school and get good grades but it is so hard to let go of the lazy days of summer. I can't wait to hear about her first day of school and how she likes her new teachers.

It is hard to believe that we have been down this road so many times before and now there will only be one more first day of school before she graduates ~ as a Senior ~ yikes! As much as I want her to graduate, I think it will be bittersweet the next two years watching her grow into a young adult.

If you are a praying mom of a child going back to school this year, please consider joining your local Moms In Touch group. If you do not have a Mom In Touch group for your child's school, consider getting together with one other mom and start your own group.

For more information about Moms In Touch Intl, please click here to visit their official website.

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2010-09-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During "Tell Me Something Good" listeners would call in each morning to tell Jeff & Jer what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - or anything else that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

Our Something Good
We are at the river!!!
(Trying out the scheduled post thingy!)
Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Leaving for the River!

2010-08-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

We are going to the river!

We will be back on Labor Day!

Have a great week!

Meet Holly!

2010-08-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

I am on the way out the door for a busy day before a ten day vacation but I wanted to take a minute and introduce you to my daughter's new blog she just created yesterday! I hope you would consider taking a peek and following her and letting her know that you stopped by!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday & Thursday Blog Hops

2010-08-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

Our Something Good
We are going to the river after work on Friday for 10 days!
We can't wait to just relax and float the days away!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

CSN - Upcoming Review

2010-08-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! A couple weeks ago, CSN Stores contacted me to ask me if I would do a review of one of their products. If you have never heard of CSN Stores before, you should stop by and visit them! They literally have over 200 stores available to shop from! It is a shopper's heaven!

They have everything ~ from kitchenware, bakeware and pie pans!

I love this dutch oven!

KitchenAid Cookware Cast Iron 3.5 Quart Covered Round Dutch Oven in Indigo - 51315

They also carry baby products, pet supplies, school supplies, outdoor supplies, and more! If you are ever in the need of practically anything, stop by and check them out!

Stay tuned for my upcoming review!

Tell Us Something Good Thursday - August 19, 2010

2010-08-19T02:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During Tell Me Something Good listeners would call in each morning to tell them what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - anything that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

Our Something Good
I am going to Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland this weekend!
Also, on Sunday, my daughter, Holly is going to be baptized!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

You might want to also visit these other Thursday Blog Hops!

Mom Owned Business Monday and Other Monday Blog Hops!

2010-08-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Over at my Society of Socialpreneurs blog, each Monday we host Mom Owned Business Monday! If you are a WAHM or love to shop from other moms, I invite you to check it out and link up your websites and/or your favorites!

Here are some helpful hints on how you can partipate in and get the most of Mom Owned Business Monday:

Link up your blog, website, shop, facebook page, or a blog post that features your latest must have product or your latest cutest homemade creation! We support all mom owned business owners, etsy shop owners, direct sales consultants, mompreneurs, small business owners ~ the more the merrier!
Grab our Mom Owned Business Monday button for your sidebar, or create a post, or grab the linky information to include in your post if you want.
Follow the blogs, twitter or facebook pages that you are interested in learning about, be sure to leave a comment saying that you stopped by from Mom Owned Business Monday
Consider making a purchase from one of the Mom Owned Business Owners or considering featuring one of them on your blog.
Please no adult companies ~ we would like this to remain family friendly.

If you would like to share more detailed information about your business, you can also choose to be included in our free business directory by clicking here.

You can also share the button with your friends/readers!

You can link up your favorites here!

Are you looking for some other Monday blog hops to follow today? Check these out and if I missed any of your favorites, please link us up!

Going Back to School Before or After Labor Day?

2010-08-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

When I was in school, we always started school the day after Labor Day and generally always got out of school around June 17th or 18th.

This past June, the last day of school was on June 23rd.  So many of the other students across the blogosphere were already out enjoying the summer. I know the reason that the school district had for the later date was because they have added so many extra no-school days throughout the year!

I am sure the reason why the school district has chosen to add these days is because they were looking at the days that most of the kids were absent and decided that they would compensate for the loss income of the students not attending school on, for example, the Friday before Memorial Day or the entire week of Thanksgiving instead of just Thursday and Friday like when I was in school.

I think it is difficult nowadays to plan family reunions or family get together's with family members across the country because every one's children's has different school schedules. On the other hand, it might be good for people planning summer vacations if they take the different school calendars in their travel destination's area into consideration because for example, in my area, Disneyland may not be as busy in the early part of June because the locals are still in school so they might want to plan their summer vacation earlier in the summer right when they get out of school if they were coming to this area.

I personally prefer starting school right after Labor Day and getting out of school around June 18th or 19th and losing those extra no school days around the three day weekends.  For some parents in this economy, they can't afford to travel on long weekends and it may be difficult to find child care for that extra day.

I would love to hear your opinions! What about your local school district?  Have you noticed a change in your school's calendar?  When do you or did you go back to school? When was your last day of school? Do you still have three day weekends or four day weekends?

Tell Us Something Good Thursday - August 12, 2010

2010-08-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Holly and I were talking about how much we missed listening to Jeff and Jer's Tell Me Something Good each morning on the San Diego radio station Star 94.1.

During Tell Me Something Good listeners would call in each morning to tell them what they were happy about that day or what they were excited about or looking forward to. For example, they would share that they got a bonus at work, that they are going to Las Vegas for the weekend, that they are getting their driver's license - anything that they are happy and excited about!

So we thought it would be fun to start a blog post each Thursday where all of us could share what is making us happy and we could hear what is going good with our friends.

We thought Thursdays would be a great day to do this each week since a lot of people are excited about their weekend plans or something that has happened that week!

Please help us spread the word and tell your friends to come back and link their "Tell Us Something Good"!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing our button!

My Something Good

I was able to get my car fixed today!
We are also going to Big Bear this weekend!

Holly's Something Good

I still have a month left of summer before I have to go back to school!

Now, it is your turn to tell us something good!

Come back and share your post with us!

Little Ones To Him Belong Wednesday

2010-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, as I was reading through blog to blog, I was in tears as I discovered so many blog families who have gone through or are currently going through such heartwrenching major medical conditions with their child. I also realized that so many families have a special angel baby waiting for them in Heaven.

I noticed that some families and parents of these special children had many, many followers and some had just a few, I thought that I would try to add all that we can on my other blog, Playing With Angels ~ Layla Grace, and include all of the little children in hopes that we can share and pray for all of God's Little Children for healing and we can pray for those families who have lost their precious child or children.

If you know of a family or you are one of these families that are in need of prayers, please leave your link and if possible, please leave your twitter, facebook, blog link in a comment after linking up so that we can follow your journey and pray for you.

Please stop by and visit these families and offer your prayers and support.

I thought that we would do this each week on Wednesday so that we can continue to pray and remember those families that need our support and also to add any new children or families that might need lifting up in prayer.

Remember, as God's children, there are no age requirements or age limit for this.

If you know how to design a button and would like to create a button for me that says "Little Ones to Him Belong Wednesday" with the grab code, I would be grateful!

Top 10 Community Sites for Bloggers

2010-07-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 2 of the ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog with the SITSGirls Challenge! Today's assignment is to create a list!

After thinking about it, I thought I would share my personal top 10 social networks for moms, bloggers, and entrepreneurs ~ socialpreneurs! These are in no particular order!

1. SITS - Secret is in the Sauce ~ "A group of more than 6,000 women bloggers dedicated to supporting one another by leaving comments. Lots and Lots of comments."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

2. Twitter Moms - The Influential Moms Network - "TwitterMoms is a social network comprised of web-savvy, social media moms connecting on a range of topics using Twitter."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

3. Living my MoMent - "Free Advertising for Small MoM or DaD businesses or blogs."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

4. The Real WAHMs - "Sometimes you might just need a little outside encouragement from others who have already paved the path and that’s what TRW is here for!"
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

5. The Lady Bloggers Society - The Lady Bloggers Society was formed to give women bloggers a place to connect and a place to grow and learn.
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

6. Mom Bloggers Club - "The Mom Bloggers Club is one of the largest social networks for mom bloggers. With over 10,000 members, the Mom Bloggers Club is a place where moms who blog converge to talk about the latest trends in blogging and support each other in their blogging endeavors."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

7. Bloggy Moms: The Premier Moms Network - "Bloggy Moms is a social network community for inspiring moms."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

8. The Product Review Place - "The Original. New media marketing bringing your brand, bloggers, and consumers together."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

9. BlogHer - "BlogHer is the single most effective way to find and engage with women online, and we develop innovative, integrated campaigns for some of today's most demanding brands and consumers."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

10. Mamavation - "Mamavation™ is a social experiment and weight loss campaign in social media with the goals of teaching moms healthy living lifestyle choices so they can share with their family. Mamavation™ is a two part campaign: (1) a virtual healthy living boot camp for two moms and (2) the home of the first virtual healthy living sorority in social media, the Sistahood™ ."
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

Of course, to be true to my readers, as much as I would love to include my own site, Society of Socialpreneurs - Where Socializing is Our Business, I could only include my site with the title my daughter received when she was 25 days old ~ Most Potential!
Find on Twitter
Find on Facebook

Did I list your favorites? I am sure that I missed some valuable resources, and I do apologize! Please be sure to list your favorites in the comment section and tell me why you recommend them!

31 Days to a Better Blog - ProBlogger Challenge - Day 1

2010-07-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Over at SITS, they announced that they are accepting bloggers to take part in ProBlogger Challenge ~ 31 Days to a Better Blog.

I knew that even though I will be on vacation for ten days beginning this Friday, I thought I would go ahead and participate and I could pick up where I left off when I return. So, if you see me stop, it isn't because I quit the challenge, it is just because I am out having fun in Yosemite, San Francisco, & Las Vegas ~ I will come back well rested and finish where I left off!

I wanted to also share this event with my readers because I thought that maybe you might want to jump right in also! It's not too late! Just click here to sign up!

The first Challenge for today is to write an Elevator Pitch! If you are wondering what an Elevator Pitch is, it is a one minute detailed description of what you are presenting that is used to entice your audience to want to know more.

I will be doing this challenge for both of my blogs, here it goes:

Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl

1. What is your short elevator pitch? Single Mom and a Teenaged Girl is my way of sharing my life as a single mom raising a teenaged daughter while also sharing business tips and having fun along the way!

2. Did completing this task change your blog, or change the way you think about your blog? It might change my blog as I might want to find more business tips to share and share more about the trials of raising my daughter which I have been holding back from sharing.

Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business

1. What is your short elevator pich? Society of Socialpreneurs is for socialpreneurs to share their brand with others on a daily basis.

2. Did completing this tasks change your blog, or change the way you think about your blog? No, since I have been sure what this blog has been about. My goal now is to just be able to share it with others and have more participation.

Thank you for stopping by! Please let me know if you joined in the challenge so that I can stop by and support you as well!

Sunday Song - Our God is Greater

2010-07-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

Add your Sunday Song post link below ~

Facebook Friend Friday - Week Three

2010-07-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Facebook Friend Friday hosted by Society of Socialpreneurs!

We want you to come back and visit and make new friends each week so we will post a new linky every Friday.

You will still be able to add yourself to our permanent Facebook linky on our official website here! BUT, for purposes of networking and building a strong community of socialpreneurs, we want you to be engaged! We want you to be excited to meet new friends each week!

Please have fun "fanning", "liking" all those that you would like! There's no minimum or maximum limit. Fan or like how many you like. The idea is to fan or follow those that you want to be friends with! After you fan or like them, please take a moment and leave a comment letting them know that you stopped by from Society of Socialpreneurs!

Be sure to link to your Facebook personal or business page, ONLY. Company websites, blog posts, and any other spam links will be deleted. If you would like to list your blog or website on our site, contact me and I can help set that up for you.

We would love it if you would be willing to help us spread the word and share our button!

For more Friday Followers, we recommend that you also stop by Trendy Treehouse ~ Follow Me Fridays, New Friend Friday, Friendly Friday, Blog Hop Friday, Friendly Friday Follow, Social Parade, and the newest one ~ Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays!

No one can ever tell me that bloggers aren't friendly people!

Add your Facebook link below ~

Facebook Friend Friday - Week Two

2010-07-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to invite all of my friends to join Society of Socialpreneurs' Second Facebook Friend Friday!

Okay, after a week, the rules changed a lil tiny bit! We want you to come back and visit and make new friends each week so we are going to start a new linky every Friday.

You will still be able to add yourself to our permanent linky on our official website here! BUT, for purposes of networking and building a strong community of socialpreneurs, we want you to be engaged! We want you to be excited to meet new friends each week!

Please have fun "fanning", "liking" all those that you would like! There's no minimum or maximum limit. Fan or like how many you like. The idea is to fan or follow those that you want to be friends with! After you fan or like them, please take a moment and leave a comment letting them know that you stopped by from Society of Socialpreneurs!

Be sure to link to your Facebook personal or business page, ONLY. Company websites, blog posts, and any other spam links will be deleted. If you would like to list your blog or website on our site, contact me and I can help set that up for you.

We would love it if you would be willing to help us spread the word and share our button!

For more Friday Followers, we recommend that you also stop by Trendy Treehouse ~ Follow Me Fridays, New Friend Friday, Friendly Friday, Blog Hop Friday, and Friendly Friday Follow!

No one can ever tell me that bloggers aren't friendly people!

Welcome to Mom Owned Business Monday!

2010-06-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce Society of Socialpreneur's new weekly feature ~ Mom Owned Business Monday! If you run a mom owned business, we want to start each week focusing on you!
I invite you to join us every Monday to build your network and meet other mom owned business owners!

Here are some helpful hints on how you can partipate in and get the most of Mom Owned Business Monday:

Link up your blog, website, shop, facebook page, or a blog post that features your latest homemade creation!
Grab our Mom Owned Business Monday button for your sidebar, or create a post, or grab the linky information to include in your post if you want.
Follow the blogs that you are interested in learning about, be sure to leave a comment saying that you stopped by from Mom Owned Business Monday
Consider making a purchase from one of the Mom Owned Business Owners or considering featuring one of them on your blog.
Please no adult companies ~ we would like this to remain family friendly.

If you would like to share more detailed information about your business, you can also choose to be included in our free business directory by clicking here.

We would be thrilled if you could also send out a tweet, share on Facebook, or write a blog post. The more people that participate, the more people everybody can meet and network with.

If you are interested in helping us host this new blog feature, please contact me! We are also looking for sponsors that might want to advertise next Monday!

Thank you for joining us. Have fun! Happy Networking!

Join Us For Facebook Friend Friday!

2010-06-25T05:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our First Facebook Friend Friday!

This will be an ongoing weekly list so you will only need to add your Facebook fan page, like page, whateveryouwanttocallit page once but you will need to come back to follow new friends each Friday!

Please have fun "fanning", "liking" all those that you would like! There's no minimum or maximum limit. Fan or like how many you like. The idea is to fan or follow those that you want to be friends with! After you fan or like them, please take a moment and let them know that you stopped by from Society of Socialpreneurs!

Be sure to link to your Facebook personal or business page, ONLY. Company websites, blog posts, and any other spam links will be deleted. If you would like to list your blog or website on our site, contact me and I can help guide you.

Have you been hearing crickets?

2010-06-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

{Image Source}

I just took a glance at the date of my last blog post and wow, has it been awhile! I have a little request for you. If you don't hear from me for awhile, please start praying for me!

No, I have not been on an Hawaiian Tropical vacation! I only wish!

If I disappear it is because of who I am -- I am a single mom raising a teenaged daughter. No, I am not a teenaged single mom! Yes! I have had someone think that of me...no, I am definitely not a teenager anymore! If only!

Seriously, if I disappear, it is because I am dealing with raising my daughter and she is requiring my full attention and I am intentionally staying away from my blog so that I do not ruin her high school years any more than I apparently already am by "sharing TMI with random strangers" (in her words, I am sure!). I also don't know how I would feel about later reading the words about the stress we are causing one another.

So, besides dying a short death I am sure since my blood pressure must be sky rocketing about right now, I have been working on my networking site, Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business. I have added quite a few new features and as of yesterday, I am now offering to list businesses for free in our business directory. All businesses will be owned by registered members of Society of Socialpreneurs. I spent quite a few hours yesterday inputting the new businesses on our site!

I would love to add some mompreneurs, mom owned businesses to the site. I also do not have any blog designers yet. If you are a mom in business or if you would like to share my site with your readers, I would be so grateful! I know that there are so many talented and gifted mothers out there and would love to be able to promote them.

I am currently working on adding another feature which requires some help on perhaps your part ~ Weekly Featured Business Socialpreneur and Weekly Featured Blog Socialpreneur. Both will be featured over at my other blog.

If you are interested in being featured as a blogger or if you own a business, please contact me and let me know. I would be happy to feature you and your business and blog! Ideally, I would love to have the rest of the month and July all arranged. So I am looking for at least seven bloggers that would like to be featured!

If interested, please email me at teresalolvera {at} sbcglobal {dot} com.

Make it a great day!

It's a Social Parade - Facebook LinkUp

2010-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Smart and Trendy Moms for hosting this week's Wednesday LinkUp.

If you have a Facebook Fan Page for your business, I would love to visit and "like it"!

I would be so grateful if you could also become a fan of one or all my businesses! I will be using my Facebook Fan Pages to share current information about monthly hostess and customer specials, business opportunity incentives, new products, and will host ~ Facebook Fan Giveaways!

My Facebook Fan Pages:

Southern Living At Home with Teresa ~ Orange County, CA

Pink Papaya Spa Parties by Teresa ~ Southern California

Gold Canyon Candles by Teresa ~ Southern California

Michele Baratta at Home by Teresa ~ Orange County, California

Thirty One Gifts by Teresa ~ Southern California

Orange County Boutique Vendors

Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business

WAHM Online Groups

If you do not have a Facebook Fan Page for your business(es) yet and you do not know where to start to create one, please check out this very easy to follow tutorial I found on the web!

Facebook Fan Page Tutorial

If you have a Facebook Fan Page, please also stop by and visit my other blog, Society of Socialpreneurs, and add your Facebook and Twitter Link here!

Startup Nation Leading Moms in Business 2010 Contestant!

2010-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wow!

My first ever contest!

My business, Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business is a contestant in the Leading Moms in Business 2010 Competition! I would so appreciate all of my friends to support me and the other moms in business in my network!

The more exposure for Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business, the more exposure for all of us!

This includes you ~ all of the moms listed in our blog directory ~ all of the moms that have listed their information on our Facebook and Twitter Link Page!

Please take just a moment to cast your vote and I would be forever grateful if you signed up for the daily reminder to vote everyday and please tell your friends by clicking on the little tweeted button!

Join my social networking site here!

Cast your vote here!

If you have entered your business in the Startup Nation Leading Moms in Business 2010 contest, we would like to support you and vote for you also.

Please add your linky below that will direct us to the voting page only so that we can vote for you!

Thank you so much!!!

2010 Social Media Conferences for Women Bloggers

2010-05-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

{Image Source}

As mentioned in a previous post earlier today, I have been working on compiling a calendar of upcoming social media and blog conferences for women bloggers (and men too!) throughout the United States for my Society of Socialpreneurs ~ Where Socializing is Our Business blog.

I finally finished compiling the twitter links and event hashtags and adding the Event Facebook Fan Pages as the best that I can find and since I have 160 friends on this blog compared to the 16 friends over there, I thought I would also share the link to the post with all of you!

You can check out the 2010 Social Media Conferences for Women Bloggers here!

Let me know if you plan on attending any of these events and let me know if I missed any or if I need to update anything! You can either leave a comment below or contact me here!

Looking for a Blogging Conference Near You???

2010-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

If you want to find out where all of the blogging conferences are being held in 2010, be sure to stop by my new blog, Society of Socialpreneurs, and become a follower or bookmark the site.

I am in the process of gathering all of the conference and event information and hunting down the Twitter links and hashtags for the event so even if we can not be there, we can follow all of the fun on Twitter!

I hope to have the blog posted within the next 24 hours!

Oh be sure to also add your blog to our blog directory by clicking here!

Now tell me, have you ever attended a blog conference? If so, which one(s)? What was your most favorite part of attending? Are you attending any this year?

Ask Me About Willow House!

2010-05-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

How exciting!

Southern Living At Home will become a brand new company this summer!

Southern Living At Home and Entertaining at Home has merged together to bring you ~ Willow House!

The same great products that YOU have come to love and much, much more!

Be the FIRST to host a Willow House Party and introduce your friends to Willow House.

Looking for something Fun to do?
Looking for some additional Income?
Looking for New Friends?

Join me in Willow House.

I have just started a new blog, Willow House: Simply Good Design.

Please stop by and visit by clicking here!

You can also join me over at Facebook by clicking here!

Announcing the Winner of My Southern Living At Home Hurricane Giveaway

2010-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my Ultimate Blog Party Winner of the Southern Living At Home Madeline Hurricane!

Mimi of Woven by Words

She has a 16 year old daughter also, so I think she can understand my delay!

Be sure and stop by her blog and congratulate her!

Mimi, please email me back ASAP your full name and address.

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaway.

Please be sure to come back and visit as I have other fun things to giveaway!

By the way, if you love Southern Living at Home,
please ask me about Willow House - Simply Good Design!

Congratulations again, Mimi!