I came across this little gem in my StumbleUpon wanderings and thought it was too fantastic not to share. 

I love the list, but figured I/we could add a few of our own. So I'll give you mine and I'd love it if you'd share yours in the comments and we'll have ourselves a little happy-day party. 

Life's Natural Highs continued...

~ A rainy, snuggly, stay-in-bed-reading kind of day
~ Being taken back in time by a song
~ Making your spouse laugh
~ Laughing so hard you cry
~ Playing at the park
~ Hearing a child's belly laugh


~ A random compliment
~ Being known
~ Laughing so hard it turns into a giggle-snort
~ The perfect set that results in a hardwood-pounding kill (yes, I'd be talking about volleyball here)
~ The tug of a fish at the end of your fishing pole
~ A spine-tingling kiss

Okay, now it's your turn: keep our list growing in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

I'm excited to share that I got my first cover story with Simply Family magazine! Mine would be the New Beginnings: Surviving the Kindergarten Drop Off. 

You can check out the magazine online at www.simplyfamilymagazine.com 

My article begins on page 34 if you're interested in checking it out. 

Even with the excitement over this being my first article featured on a cover, this is one of my favorite pieces that I've submitted thus far. It's probably a toss up over the article on onlies and this one I'd say. 

Random ponderment: Is claiming a favorite piece of written work like telling your kids you prefer one over the other? 



At any rate, an exciting new step in my journey as a freelance writer. 

Thanks for reading...Stay tuned! 

Confession: An outdoorsy kind of girl I’m not. Hiking, hunting, camping…I'd really rather pass. Fishing, is good, I can work with fishing. And, so, you ask? Well as I sit here scratching far too many mosquito bites, I'm reflecting on this past weekend when the family went on our annual camping trip. As we were getting things set up – sweltering, with the mosquitoes already beginning their feasting - I think my words were, “This is my idea of hell.” Clearly not a fan.

It’s not that I don’t have fond memories of camping from childhood, I do, but still…I don’t get it. Dirt, bugs, heat, rain, uncomfortable sleeping, daringly eating your meals on a floppy paper plate…Even still, I can recognize that it’s not all bad. So I give you…

5 Reasons Camping Is Not the Worst Thing on Earth:

1. The stars - It’s not like I don’t have a stellar view of the stars in the sky from home, but I’m telling you, there was something awe-inspiring about the clearness and total beauty of those stars this weekend. There is something utterly spectacular about a Montana sky. I guess they don’t call it Big Sky Country for nothing.  

2. Watching my kiddo have oodles of fun - I might not be a fan, but my kid did not get the memo. Running amuck with her cousins, finding whole new levels of brave, fishing...She had a blast and all while reminding me that she's so good at letting me know when it's time to let her go to grow. 

3. Campfire – I might not actually enjoy s’mores (and no, I don’t consider this a fatal flaw), but I do totally love watching everyone find that fine line of perfectly toasting their ‘mallows to hopelessly burning them beyond anything edible. Plus…What could possibly be better than a rousing game of name that tune around the campfire. Gone are the days of the sing-along, no, now it’s time to bust out the i-pod. Welcome to camping in the 21st century. 

4. Mishaps – In our family, it just wouldn’t be any kind of vacation without some kind of something going wrong. One family member suggesting our next year’s camping trip be dubbed: “The Griswold’s family camping trip,” kind of says it all. 

5. The bugs…No the dirt…No, no the weather – So none of these things really gets my happy on, but the bugs at least are good for a few funnies. You know…The awesomeness of watching people as they flail about attempting to rid themselves of these pesky, blood-sucking monsters. The bonding that occurs as you take turns fogging each other in an effort to create an impenetrable wall of bug-be-gone. Bugs, in a round about kind of way, can bring the funny, dirt and weather…Not so much.

So no, an outdoorsy girl I’m not (and don’t tell my family I said this), but it’s not the most horrifyingly awful experience to ever be had. That wasn’t much of a glowing recommendation, was it? Baby steps.  


And in case my use of "amuck" got this moment in Hocus Pocus stuck in your melon...There ya have it. 

Okay, so it's not the new adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but it is the new adventures of me...This picture is just cuter. 

Now that August is nearly upon us, I'm thinking it's time to share my latest news in writing land. 

You might have noticed that in the last month or so I've been focusing primarily on my TV Moms Examiner column and less and less on my Billings Early Childhood/Parenting things. There's a reason for that. 

Earlier this month I met with the founder of the local magazine I regularly submit articles to and starting in August I'll be taking on a more active role on their website. I'll be doing some blogging about various parenting topics for them, and I'm excited to see where this will take me. This doesn't mean that I'm totally abandoning my Billings Examiner column, but odds are you'll only see the occasional article published there from here on out. I'll of course keep you posted on where and how you can keep up with me on the Simply Family website once everything gets up and running. 

Also in the land of random, but awesome: in July I had received an e-mail about a scavenger hunt that DoSomething.org was putting on with the suggestion that it might be a good tie-in for my TV Moms column. I definitely agreed and this exchange turned out to be a beautiful God-incidence in the making. Working on an upcoming piece for a magazine, the person who e-mailed me turned out to be the perfect source. She was incredible in answering my questions and it was just all around amazing. When I can let you know a little more about that, I totally will. 

Until then...Stay tuned, and thanks for reading. 

I've always said that if you're going to choose to write about something that could be considered controversial, you've got to be prepared for the responses you get. I still think that, but I thought I'd toss out a response of sorts to some of the comments I've been getting on the Amy Winehouse post I put up on Saturday. 

First, can I say: thanks for taking the time to comment - I'm a writer so knowing someone is reading what I've written never hurts my feelings - even if we disagree. Second, I know there are incredibly important, powerful, and devastating things happening in our world at large. I promise you I'm not totally oblivious. My lack of coverage on various world topics isn't a lack of caring, it's just not the direction I usually go in my writing. 

There are certain things I absolutely don't feel qualified to comment on and there are others that I don't feel fall in my niche. I have my opinions - we all do, but I'd say it's safe to say that you will never catch me using my corner of the web for a place to discuss the latest political happenings or major world events (I'm talking honest-to-God news here). That's not who I am.

You'll have your opinions and I'll have mine, but mostly this blog is just me putting out whatever random thoughts that happen to be flitting through my brain that day or letting you know what kind of progress or epic fail I've experienced with my writing. 

Ahhh, with all of that said, I do think debate is important so really and truly; thanks for stopping by, reading my work, and taking the time to comment. It keeps things interesting. 

Until next time...

News of singer Amy Winehouse's death hit the web this afternoon, July 23, 2011, and it has created a flurry of reactions across the massive community that is the internet. 

I'm not popping in today to give you any of the news information on her death, rather, I want to talk about people's reactions to this news. 

Amy Winehouse was 27 years old, an incredible artist, and an addict. But above all she was a human being. It seems that basic concept is forgotten when you see people respond with blasé  statements, like: 

~ It was only a matter of time.
~ No shocker there. 
~ Sad, but not surprising. 
~ GOOD!!! 
~ Not at all surprised.
                    --via Twitter and Facebook
I could go on, but it should be noted that the cause of death has not been determined yet. We can assume all we want, but as of this writing we don't know how or why she died. Even if eventually we learn that she died as a result of drug usage, can't we demonstrate a little compassion for those left behind and a lost life? 

Obviously everyone has a right to their own opinions, but out there in the real world Amy Winehouse has friends and family who love her - faults and all. Not one of us is perfect, yet it's so easy to toss judgments out. I do it; we all do. But today I just want us to think of one thing - there are people whose worlds shattered today because Ms. Winehouse is no longer in it. 

And let us not forget there's a lot going on in our world at large today that could use our sensitivity, sympathy, and prayers. Those coping with and recovering from the attack in Norway, our military, and countless individuals whose stories will never be told. 

I guess what I'm saying is, let's take it back to kindergarten: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 

Thanks for letting me divert from the norm.