hallmark

Parenting, Unplugged

November 9, 2011 By Blonde Mom 4 Comments

Sometimes you need a day without your smart phone and a day with your smart kid to realize how lucky you are. When was the last time you unplugged with your family?

Hallmark asked me to write about an unplugged day and I recently had a little impromptu down time with my favorite first grader.

Pink eye?

Uh oh

Doctor’s visit

Just a bug bite

Whew

No TV

You and me

Roll the dice

Your turn

Roll again

Atlantic City

Collect $200

Buttered popcorn

Snuggle time

Turn the page

Cuddly bear

Big smiles

Disclosure: I wasn’t compensated for this post, although Hallmark did send me a little box of goodies to enjoy with my girls, including an adorable read along bear named Cooper. You can find other posts about this venture into unplugging on Twitter with the hash tag #HallmarkBlogOut

Filed Under: My Girls, Parenting 4 Comments

I Come From…

September 15, 2011 By Blonde Mom 22 Comments

Beneath my suburban soccer mom SUV driving self is a long-haired brown-eyed, often barefoot, girl who grew up on a 100-acre plus farm near the Kentucky line. I had the pet chickens, the cows, and the mama who loved to garden (and still does and who is absolutely amazing at it).

My parents divorced when I was 7 and after living in Nashville and doing the whole country club Cadillac lifestyle, my mom discovered a beautiful old farmhouse to renovate about 45 minutes north of Nashville. It was her therapy and saving grace after she and my dad split. My mom grew up in the city in Detroit and she’d always dreamed of living on a farm. Because my older siblings were all out of the house by the time I was 10 or so, it was pretty much me and my mama in the boonies, along with a few dozen animals and birds. I even named all our chickens. No doubt had blogs been around back then I would have had a blog about my chickens. I was serious about these birds, ya’ll.

I was quite tickled to receive an invite, along with several other Nashville bloggers, from Hallmark to a breakfast get together downtown recently. It was a treat (minus the search for parking) to spend some time with blogger friends, new and old. We gathered around a table for a writing exercise with some of the amazing creative folks from Hallmark.

In a rush to clean out my car I accidentally threw away my scribbled in blue ink thoughts, but I’ve taken another stab at them and it’s a very nice reminder of my roots.

Let me know if you do the same.

The house I grew up in…isn’t it amazing? My mom has built a smaller, simpler home at the edge of our property but no longer owns this house.

I Come From…
8 miles from town
The youngest of five
Dusty gravel roads
Shiny black patent leather shoes on Sunday and Love Lifted Me
Wooden church pews and Wednesday night supper
Porch swings and ceiling fans
Bare feet and braces
Jungle Juice in a carton and Roman Meal bread
Hide and go seek and kickball…tag you’re it
Hee Haw and pin curls on Saturday night
The smell of dark-fired tobacco and smoke curled around red barns like a gray ribbon
Screen doors and open windows
Quilts stitched with love
Milk gravy and biscuits
Saturday morning cartoons
Falling asleep to bull frog serenades
No Internet or iPhones
Vinyl albums and TVs with rabbit ears
Soybeans and winter wheat
Napping dogs in the shade and the thump thump of happy tails in the cool dust
Flannel nightgowns and milk and cookies
Orange Crush in a bottle and Archie comics
Honeysuckle and four-leaf clovers
Trees to climb and barns to explore
4-H and the county fair
Go Tell Aunt Rhodie and Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
Love

Where do you come from?

p.s. Here’s a link to a great video Hallmark made from our group of Nashville bloggers’ posts. Thanks for the reminder that life is a special occasion.

Filed Under: Bloggy Things, Mi Familia, Nashville 22 Comments

Taming Butterflies One Morning At A Time

August 19, 2009 By Blonde Mom 50 Comments

Liz from Barefoot Mommies is the winner! Thanks to everyone who entered and be sure to visit my review blog, Savvy Housewife, for regularly posted giveaways.

The first day of school came and went. There were No. 2 pencils to sharpen, nerves to unjitter with special snacks and warm smiles, and unscuffed backpacks to fill with notes for home. Photos taken on front lawns and porches and at desks and in front of classrooms. Old friends and teachers to wave to and new friends to be made.

I think one of the reasons I love back-to-school is all it symbolizes: new beginnings, fresh starts, goals to set, and challenges to meet.

This first week I’m walking her into her classroom every morning. The sights and sounds take me back to my own elementary school years. Miss C is still at the age where she wants mommy by her side and I’m happy to be her escort to ease any nervousness she might have. Nothing makes me happier as a parent than to know that my girl truly loves school.

Classroom 2nd Grade

Hallmark has generously donated a $50 Hallmark Gold Card for one lucky BlondeMomBlog reader! Just leave a comment here telling me how you help ease any back-to-school jitters your kids may be experiencing and you’ll be entered into the drawing. I’ll draw a random winner from all eligible entries left by midnight Tuesday, August 25.

For up to an additional 3 entries:

mention this giveaway on your own blog and link to this post

post the link on your Facebook page

or Tweet about it (I’m blondemomblog on Twitter) but do leave a comment here for each extra entry so I can count it toward the drawing. Thanks and good luck!

Going back to school is an exciting, fun and sometimes, hectic time. To calm the butterflies and build your kids’ confidence, Hallmark has put together this great resource to encourage moms like you. Just for sharing a bit of advice, you’ll be entered to win a prize package valued at $500! Check it out.

Disclosure: This is a paid sponsorship opportunity through my ad network, Real Girls Media, and Hallmark.

Filed Under: My Girls, Parenting 50 Comments