Blogs

I've been giving a lot of thought to all the blogs I maintain (and have maintained). I think I may work on combining them all into one public blog (at this address). I'll need to edit a lot of posts to maintain privacy and it'll take some time to bring everything over. I liked the idea of having separate blogs for separate things, but it turns out it's all connected. It's all MY life - the boys, the military fun, the crafting, the homemaking, etc.

So, I'll get to work on that eventually. I thought about starting a new blog entirely, but I couldn't think of anything better than What Today Looks Like. It's my favorite.

Stay tuned for fun blog drama in the future :)

My Resolutions

It's the first full week of 2010, and it's time to commit.

• Read Harry Potter 5, 6, and 7.
  
• Save up to buy an SLR camera.
• Value myself more. Do my hair and put on some makeup every day. Take walks twice a week. Get to the gym once a week.
• Cut TV time. No TV for January, no live TV for February and March. Who knows if I'll even want to watch much TV after that.
• Rework my novella into a novel. I wrote it my senior year of college. While it might sound "cocky," I do think it's better than most fiction I currently read. The only problem (and it's a big one)? It's only 50 pages.
  
• Enter 3 writing contests.
• Participate in Eat from the Pantry Challenge. We started December 28.
  
• Submit 1 piece of writing to an editor.
• Commit to housework schedule. I haven't been flawless so far, but it's going.
  
• Begin bucket list.
• Update blogs three times a week.
• Attend 2 scrapbook retreats.
• Make money blogging.
  

I am blogging about the pantry challenge and books I'm reading at Committed Housewife. My goal there is to have ads and actually make some moolah off of it at some point this year!

I still have my craft blog here (no new posts just yet): MelissaInk Designs.

The Question Game

So, um, Jennie (from She Likes Purple and Style Lush) is going to think I am stalking her. (Jennie, I'm not, I swear, you've just had some most stellar posts lately.) Today, she asked:

What is one place (you haven't yet been) that you'd be ridiculously bummed to never travel to in your lifetime?

I answered Greece immediately. I went back and skimmed the other 20+ comments and found that Greece was the most popular answer. Weird, huh? Do we have some primal need to reconnect with the birthplace of Western society?

You know, I could probably live happily without going to Greece. I'd probably be more bummed if I never made it back to Chester, England. In all of England (and Ireland, but I was never taken with Ireland the way some people are), Chester was the best. It had everything good about London without the hassles tate come with a big city. We only spent a day there, so I often wonder if I'd be as fond of it the second time around.

Oh, and the Florida Keys. My husband and I need to make it back there some time.

I'm clearly more rooted in the known and familiar than the unknown.

In similar news, rumor has it that we may not find out our next assignment till well after Christmas. It's just a rumor as of now, but would anyone be surprised? Not this lady. I wouldn't be surprised, but I'd be a little disappointed. We've been waiting for this news for a long time. What's three or four months, though, when you've been waiting for years.

Can You See Them?

Several people were having trouble viewing the pictures. Blogger was giving me some trouble yesterday. I think it's fixed. Please comment on the picture post to confirm you can see them - or email me - whatever! Thanks!

Pictures

Here you go:
This is what he spends a lot of his time doing - trying to look over or under them. They stayed up well the first couple days he had them, but now they're slipping a lot. We're going to go in next week for an adjustment. His sweet, small nose presents a problem when wearing glasses.Here you can see the "lazy eye." This was taken just an hour after getting them. After just a day, we noticed that when he looked straight through them that his eye was looking straight on. When he takes them off, though, it's back to wonky.We're thankful for a fast and rather non-invasive solution. He's doing a great job at keeping them off. (I really expected them to be thrown across the room and a much bigger battle to get him to wear them. No issues, though.) There are a couple other kids in his class who wear glasses - at least one, I believe, is for the same thing. So far, so good.

Bean really wanted green frames, but he happily settled for black this time around. He also has a silver case, which I need to decoupage with Luigi.

My Husband's Friend ...

One of my husband's friends is keeping a blog about his personal finance challenge. He and the wife are trying to save $10,000 in 19 weeks. Nate is one of the funniest people I've ever met, so while personal finance is usually a snooze ... this blog promises to be hilarious and entertaining. Check it out here.

Another Attempt @ a Crafting Blog

OK, so I am ::trying:: to actually maintain a crafting blog. Again.

I would really like to get on some design teams, so I can work with free stuff! Basically, stamp/craft companies "hire" you to be a "design team member" and "pay" you with their products - stamps, paper, tools, embellishments, etc. Companies want you to have and maintain a blog, so you can use their products and tell the world about them, so I really need to make the new craft blog a priority if I want this to happen!

Also, you know, if I'm discovered and acquire fame in the stamping/crafting world, then I could actually design stuff and make real money. That's not a goal I have written down, but, you know, I'm not going to turn it down should it arrive :)

So check out my new blog ... and tell you friends.

MelissaInk

Of course, I will still be updating What Today Looks Like with all my mamahood misadventures!

Also, congratulations to our old neighbors, A. & G. Baby Girl L. arrived on August 4 and looks simply adorable. Look for her birth announcement on MelissaInk within the next week or so. (Oh, and her name does have my stamp of approval ... something I know her mother and father took into serious consideration ... ha ha.)

Blog Candy (Free Stuff for YOU!)

So, my birthday is very soon ...

To celebrate, I am offering my readers some "blog candy." The winner will receive six cards handmade by yours truly. You pick the theme (birthday, jungle, blank, flowers, etc.).

To enter, you just need to leave a comment on this post. (I prefer it be about how awesome I am or a memory you have of us or how cute my kids are ... you get the idea, indulge me.) A winner will be randomly selected.

EVERYONE is eligible, so don't shy away because you're my father-in-law or my mom or someone I haven't talked to in forever or someone I've never met in real life or someone I talk to every day :) I'm happy you're reading! You have until Thursday, June 4 at midnight to enter. The winner will be announced Friday.

Unplugging

I am going to spend the rest of April "unplugging" from the internet. I'm not denying myself completely (I do run a business that acquires my attention online from time to time), but I won't be checking my email more than once every other day. I may post a pic here or there, but it'll probably be pretty quiet on here till May.

He Really Is Delicious

It's come to my attention that my blog is eating up pictures of Moose. Seriously. I noticed it the other day, but I just assumed it was my computer. I was helping my friend from House of Toys yesterday with her blog, and I noticed the same problem on her computer.

So, it's confirmed, Moose really is delicious.

I'll see what I can do to remedy this, because I know we all need our Baby Moose fill of cuteness.

In other news, Bean's class was the top collector of BoxTops, Campbell's Soup labels, and Tyson A+ labels for PreK-3. I think a good chunk of that was a donation from my MIL :) So, please keep sending BoxTops, Campbell's Soup labels, and Tyson A+ labels (the entire label, not just the A+ box) ... they really do make a difference. Each year Bean's school gets THOUSANDS of dollars thanks to these silly things. I remember my school earning new playground equipment in the first grade thanks to Campbell's. You can also feel free to donate to your own school, of course :)

I took Moose for his 6-month shots today. They were out of one, so he got just got the oral and two shots in the leg. He didn't even cry! Guess having legs the size of tree trunks does have its perks.

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I believe you are finally beautiful enough to share with the world. Now, I'm not all about outward appearances ... but a book is judged by its covered. You are also, I believe, appropriately named. It was a tough choice. I want to be family-friendly, but I'm sort of tired of being so censored (which, granted, no one asked me to be, but I'm from the Midwest, and we're raised politely up there ... not loudly like my southern counterparts or boldly like my coastal complements).

Side note: Compliment and complement ... not the same word! Similar (complementary, you might say), but not the same.

Thank you,
MelissaInk

I should also mention that Project Mouse appears resolved. No more hanging wires ANYWHERE in the damn pantry. No more holes. No more signs of mouse poo-poo. I replaced the trim that night (after Husband schooled me in the ways of the nail gun) and Husband (after a, umm, fight discussion) painted it up. Fresh and new and clean and once again housing lots of canned and dry goods ... and cookbooks ... and small appliances ... and big serving dishes ... and tempra paint ... and Play-Doh. You see what a big part of my life this little space is? Now you can understand why having a mouse desecrate the space was so traumatic. Oh, and my mom theorized that the random wire was an old TV antenna wire - good call, Mom.

A New Year and a New Start

Welcome to What Today Looks Like.

This blog is dedicated to my every day life. While much of life is consumed by holding a baby and keeping a pre-schooler in line, other things come up from time-to-time ... so I'll write about all that.

After several years of blogging about my kiddos, I attempted to take some time off. But. I. Just. Can't. I've found that a blog is the easiest way to record my children's milestones and the easiest way to keep in touch with long-distance relatives (which is all my relatives, since I live where no man would live by choice).

That being said, this blog will focus solely on the kiddos and parenting and that sort of stuff.

*Editor's Note: First entry on What Today Looks Like.