Today, my first post is up as a contributing writer for the fabulous on-line magazine called Blissfully Domestic, in the Timeless Bliss section! I am very excited to be part of this exciting group of talented women writers. Blissfully Domestic was a finalist in this year's 2008 Weblog Awards, too!
If you have never visited the site, you should go right now. There are sections for financial bliss, kid bliss, military bliss....you name it, it's covered. They say, "whether you're looking for inspiration-budgeting-cooking-crafting-health and fitness-family-empty nesting tips-relationship advise or solace, you'll be able to consider our Timeless Bliss writers your wise aunt-older sister or best friend!" I am honored to be a part of the BD family.
A special thank you goes out to Cindi of Moomettesgram's Musings, the editor for our section, Timeless Bliss. Now maybe none of the other writers selected are like me and have trouble doing the simplest of tasks on the web. But Cindi has been so patient as I learn how to maneuver around in Word Press and follow the BD guidelines. She is amazing because she has several blogs of own, is the managing editor for Timeless Bliss and has an online job and a family. Can you say "Super Woman"?
Now, do me a favor and go over to my little post and give me some comment love, okay? It will make this empty nest Mom feel a little more at ease in my new second home....
Showing posts with label empty nest Mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label empty nest Mom. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Nest Will Be Filled for Thanksgiving
If your family is like mine, then next week the house will go from quiet and clean to loud and messy before your very eyes. Of course, I am speaking about the college children coming home for a few days for Thanksgiving. Or perhaps you have family coming to visit around this special holiday. Either way, the best way for you to be relaxed and enjoy this change is to prepare and plan ahead!
First, go ahead and set the table as if the big dinner was this evening. Once I have set the table, I close the drapes and close off the dining area completely, until the company arrives.
Next, do all the grocery shopping on Monday and Tuesday and make as many things ahead if you are clever and know how to prepare items and freeze or refrigerate your food dishes. I am not that good, but at least I will have all the food bought for Wednesday through Sunday. Have all the recipes out and placed together, ready to use at the appropriate meal.
Make sure each bedroom and bathroom is ready with towels, flowers, etc., then just close the doors as each room is "visitor ready". I am trying to add one special item for each of the children in their old rooms.
Get the laundry out of the way as you may (okay...will!) have some laundry brought to you from the college kiddies.
I highly recommend doing some sort of take-out the night before everyone arrives. You will most likely be running around cooking more than you have in months and it will be a little exhausting. It is amazing how we have gotten out of the regular eating habits we had when our children lived at home.
The best advise, is to sit back and take all the action and activity in stride. Don't try to "parent" so much this holiday vacation. You have probably already built a good foundation and any bad habits they are showing won't get changed because you start to nag them. Remember, some kids are a little homesick and so you want them to just relax and enjoy their home environment for a few days. Getting a little extra sleep, seeing old high school friends and talking to Mom and/or Dad as a new growing adult can be a wonderful time for both parent and child.
I hope I can use my own words and follow the advise. Sometimes I can be my own worse enemy. But it is important to me to have a nice time with the children that I dearly miss (every single day!). I plan to sit back, listen, laugh, do some laundry and cook up a storm. I can rest in my empty nest on Monday, after they leave!
First, go ahead and set the table as if the big dinner was this evening. Once I have set the table, I close the drapes and close off the dining area completely, until the company arrives.
Next, do all the grocery shopping on Monday and Tuesday and make as many things ahead if you are clever and know how to prepare items and freeze or refrigerate your food dishes. I am not that good, but at least I will have all the food bought for Wednesday through Sunday. Have all the recipes out and placed together, ready to use at the appropriate meal.
Make sure each bedroom and bathroom is ready with towels, flowers, etc., then just close the doors as each room is "visitor ready". I am trying to add one special item for each of the children in their old rooms.
Get the laundry out of the way as you may (okay...will!) have some laundry brought to you from the college kiddies.
I highly recommend doing some sort of take-out the night before everyone arrives. You will most likely be running around cooking more than you have in months and it will be a little exhausting. It is amazing how we have gotten out of the regular eating habits we had when our children lived at home.
The best advise, is to sit back and take all the action and activity in stride. Don't try to "parent" so much this holiday vacation. You have probably already built a good foundation and any bad habits they are showing won't get changed because you start to nag them. Remember, some kids are a little homesick and so you want them to just relax and enjoy their home environment for a few days. Getting a little extra sleep, seeing old high school friends and talking to Mom and/or Dad as a new growing adult can be a wonderful time for both parent and child.
I hope I can use my own words and follow the advise. Sometimes I can be my own worse enemy. But it is important to me to have a nice time with the children that I dearly miss (every single day!). I plan to sit back, listen, laugh, do some laundry and cook up a storm. I can rest in my empty nest on Monday, after they leave!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
500 today, 1 Million tomorrow
I know that this is not such a big deal for most bloggers, but Google tells me I have now had 500 profile views come and spend a little of their precious time reading the posts on my site. I recognize that some of you receive that many views every hour of every day. But as a newbie, it's a mini-milestone to celebrate with a good bottle of wine. (I was going to do my special wine celebration after the first 1000 views, but I got too thirsty to wait).
There are debates all over the internet discussing whether traffic is important or not. One thing it does do is give you some form of validation about the interest in your brand of content.
I want to thank those people who are reading my posts and are digging it. I love getting comments. The feeling I get when I receive comments is similar to that of having an orgasm (okay, a mini-orgasm...no, more like the second or third orgasm of the night). It's sooooooo good, baby! Prior to starting this blog, I had no idea I would feel this way and enjoy the interactive nature of this business.
And the bloggers I have "met" are really a very amazing, funny group of people. They brighten up my days especially when I am missing my children. Which brings me to a very interesting topic. The number of people around the age of 50 and are empty nesters like myself, are so often, people who have never blogged. I cannot tell you how many people I teach how to make a comment, how to subscribe to one of my pages and how to do Google Searches from my site. It's kind of like the blind leading the blind, but in the end, many friends are now becoming bloggers.
If you're one of these people who are just discovering the underworld of blogging, please let me know here. (Click on the word COMMENT, write a comment in the box, give me your name and a work website address, an email address or be anonymous if that suits your fancy). It's time to come out of the closet. You won't be sorry you did. And remember, practice makes perfect. So your first assignment is to come to my site everyday. Practice, practice, practice! And make this empty nest Mom a very ecstatic person.
There are debates all over the internet discussing whether traffic is important or not. One thing it does do is give you some form of validation about the interest in your brand of content.
I want to thank those people who are reading my posts and are digging it. I love getting comments. The feeling I get when I receive comments is similar to that of having an orgasm (okay, a mini-orgasm...no, more like the second or third orgasm of the night). It's sooooooo good, baby! Prior to starting this blog, I had no idea I would feel this way and enjoy the interactive nature of this business.
And the bloggers I have "met" are really a very amazing, funny group of people. They brighten up my days especially when I am missing my children. Which brings me to a very interesting topic. The number of people around the age of 50 and are empty nesters like myself, are so often, people who have never blogged. I cannot tell you how many people I teach how to make a comment, how to subscribe to one of my pages and how to do Google Searches from my site. It's kind of like the blind leading the blind, but in the end, many friends are now becoming bloggers.
If you're one of these people who are just discovering the underworld of blogging, please let me know here. (Click on the word COMMENT, write a comment in the box, give me your name and a work website address, an email address or be anonymous if that suits your fancy). It's time to come out of the closet. You won't be sorry you did. And remember, practice makes perfect. So your first assignment is to come to my site everyday. Practice, practice, practice! And make this empty nest Mom a very ecstatic person.
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