One Crazy Family - Welcome to Our World!

1.10.2007

I Got a Raise!

Whoo - hoo! I am so excited and proud.

I opened an very unexpected e-mail last night to find that my writing about makeup is so loved by one of the sites I contribute to, that they have decided to re-do my contract. And in the contract there are two noteworthy items. My commissions went from 2 % to 10%, and my pay was increased by 10 times. 10X!

I am so thrilled to be earning my own money - like money I would be paid for leaving the home and the kiddos and working 8 hours a day. Except, I do it from home, any time of day I want, even in my jammies if I so please. And I only put in 8 - 10 hours per week!!!

Labels: blogging, family, family life, jobs, women, writing

link | posted by editor at 10:09 PM
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12.11.2006

Two Weeks Until Christmas???

So, I have just realized that it is like...two weeks until Christmas. Actually - less than. Two weeks from right now, all the mayhem will be over.

And guess what? I have not even purchased one single solitary present yet. I have been a bit busy with Justin and his arm and multiple Doctor appointments and surgeries - and then Caci's (yes, Joey & Johnny too) basketball. And school. And work. And life.

Maybe we should just keep busy...
and maybe the kids will forget about Christmas...
yeah, there is an idea.

NOT!

I better get busy!!!

Labels: blogging, Christmas Presents, doctors, family, family life, holidays, jobs, kids, presents

link | posted by editor at 10:19 PM
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11.20.2006

ALLURE Magazine!

You have read Allure magazine, haven't you?

I am sure you must have seen it at least?

Well this glossy mag is basically called The Beauty Expert. And this mag's head writer called upon my expertise a few months ago for information on some cult beauty products.

You see, she saw one of my posts on that, you know, that other blog I write, and obsess about (gotta write some good stuff, gotta get some good ads, gotta review some great products, gotta get the readership up!). And she wanted to use some of the quotes I gave in my post for her article.

I agreed to let her use it. She asked me all crazy things about my other blog, and it's demographics, and traffic, etc. And she wanted to let her readers know that I was sort of an expert because I have some experience, with the blog, and why with all the beauty product testing and such - I am an expert. And the product she was quoting me about had become one of my favorite products of all time. I swear by it. I use it everyday before I put on my makeup. It is awesome, I tell you! So yeah, I am an expert on this beauty product.

Well, I was quoted in the magazine this month, the December 2006 Issue (on new stands today) in the cult beauty products article (on page 224). Goodie!

But.

What is quoted in the article is not even about the product that she asked me about. Not even the same damn product! And a fact checker even called me to confirm what I had said and verified my blog's address and name spelling and such. And then she e-mailed me what was to be included. And that was correct!

Hmmm.. in the actual magazine, they got my name, age(unfortunately) and where I am from correct, but there is no mention of my blog anywhere and I am totally misquoted.

WTF???

And I was asked by this same publication, for which I had to sign a confidentiality agreement for, about working on something for them, and getting paid. But if they are going to print what they want to print and cater to their advertisers, would I want to even be involved in the process? (Oh yeah, the $$$)

Anyway, Joey thinks I am a star because my name is in a magazine that we bought at the checkout counter in the Big Y. And if that's good enough for him, then that's good enough for me - in some strange sort-of way.

Well, I guess that was worth it alone!

And I should be happy to have at least been noticed by a major publication like Allure in the first place.

Mixed feelings, people - mixed feelings!

Labels: beauty, blogging, family, jobs, kids, Teri, women, work, writing

link | posted by editor at 9:27 PM
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11.11.2006

Getting to Know Me - Pass it On!

A fun little "Get TO Know Yo" List.

The titles in bold are the things I have done.

What have you done??? Pass it on.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (the Hotel in Las Vegas)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (only a few hundred times)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (just a short one, for about 15 minutes, but I did!)
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (on just one glass - I am so lame!!!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (and a goat)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (Does it count at the Venice hotel in Vegas?)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” (Does a magazine article count?)
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone (does my house count???)
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised (raising) children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Poor Henrietta, the Pig.)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon
152. Buried a Child
153. Graduated from College
154. Cooked an entire meal
155. Said a Prayer
156. Told a lie
157. Skipped School
158. Faked being sick
159. Egged someones house
160. Got an idea from this list of something that you would like to before you die

Labels: blogging, family, family life, friends, house, jobs, kids

link | posted by editor at 11:26 PM
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10.30.2006

Tootin' My Own Horn!

A little over a month ago, I was honored to be invited (and be paid) to join the GLAM network. GLAM reaches about 7 million readers a month - yowza. It is the number one site for fashion and beauty. It beat out the competion (style.com, elle. com, ivillage.com, instyle.com, vogue, w, etc.) by a landslide. So you can see why I was honored.

At GLAM, there is a GLAM Network of bloggers - 180 of them to be exact. There are 36 of them in the Beauty category. And I am ranked #2! I am so very excited!