Blogger Tip: Tag Your Posts

I'm going to throw out a little tip to people today. This is mainly for bloggers, or people whom have blogs. Try and "tag" or "label" your posts with as many terms or search words as possible. It makes things easier to search on the Internet, if you want it searched, that is. Plus, when you are trying to look for one of your own older posts, it makes things much easier.

*I use my "labels" a lot when working on blog posts. Sometimes, I want to link back to old posts and/or sometimes, I want to see if I've blogged about something before.

More tips about this subject:

search engine land-Effective Tagging For Both Usability & SEO

fuelmyblog-Why "tag" or "label" or "link" in blog posts

OC Family..another place to stalk me

Last month, I was contacted by Suzanne Broughton, from Alive in Wonderland. She was putting together a team of Orange County Moms to blog for OC Family. She was joining them as their lead blogger and wanted some fellow mom bloggers to join the fun. I agreed to join in the blogging fun.

I've already written a few stories, but was a little shy about posting on it here. I finally decided to pull the trigger and post tonight. Especially since I opened their website very early this morning, to see my big ole' mug plastered right on the top of the page. I had to take a a screen shot, cause I'm blogger, and we do stuff like that.

So be sure to check out OC Family's Website, in the center section for my usual antics, sarcasm, drama, and pictures, of course. I'm going to try and make this blog more Orange County related, with some of my randomness in between. I will posting there a few times a week, so be sure to check back often.

And if you want to read/comment and/or stalk the posts I've written so far, well check out Angry Julie Monday on OC Family's Mom Blogs.

Oh, and I keep saying "Mom Blogs", but we can't forget about Adam, our token "Dad Blogger", or as he likes to call himself, "Reluctant Stay-At-Home Dad".

The fabulous picture was taken by JJ (Jen Johnson) of Jen Johnson Photography.

A Little Bloggy Quote for the Day

"Think of blogging like charity…you do it because you want to, not because you expect anything back."

Trisha Haas
Founder of MomDot

The Written, or Typed Word

I try to not have my blog about sunshine, rainbows, and magical unicorns all the time. It's actually ironic because of my blog name. I try and make my blog a happy place. I'm not trying to be fake, but really I really don't want to dwell on the crap in my life. I will post about my struggles with Angry Toddler, my ADD, and some of my vents. But I usually think before I actually hit that "post" button. I have deleted several posts, because I might offend someone, or I think that someone in my real life will read my rants and know that I'm talking about them.

Seriously, I wish I could be anonymous. One of my bloggy friends, Mrs. Newlywed, is an anonymous blogger. She gets crap all the time about not revealing her identity. I admire her though, because she is anonymous, can write what she wants to, and hit that "post" button. She has told me that she does think before she hits "post". What would happen if her boss read the post? She also said that if any of her IRL (in real life friends) found her blog, they would automatically know it was her, and she would be ok with that. I don't think I could be anonymous, because I'm loud, obnoxious, and would let it slip out somehow. So that's why I monitor what I write. But I do have bad days. Believe me, I wouldn't be Angy Julie.

Because of my job, I can't be as honest and open as I would like to be. Another thing is I actually have morals and integrity, most of the time. So on the surface, this is a "mommy blog". I used to cringe when I've heard that term in reference to my blog. But really, I'm embracing it now. I am a mom. At work, I'm an employee. I work for "the man". I wear a uniform forty hours a week. When I'm on "Julie Time", I try and embrace all things girly. So who cares if I blog about my kid? Why does it matter to you? I don't understand why everyone has to judge people based on their blog niche. Does that make my blog any less important? I started this blog as a place to put my thoughts down, and people could comment if they wanted. I simply amazed on how my blog has evolved in the past two years, and I'm still proud about what I write.

But lately, I'm seeing people write things on blogs, forums, and twitter that make me cringe. I'm a total voyeur, and read everything that I can, when I have time. Just because I haven't commented on your blog, newsletter, post, or tweet...doesn't mean I haven't read it. Most of the time I read things from my phone. It's easier, but it's pretty hard to comment from. When I'm on my computer, everything auto-logs and it's easier to comment more frequently. What I am really rambling about is the nastiness, the curse words, and overall rudeness that I'm seeing online more frequently. Really, do people think that they can just type things out, and not offend people. Do people care anymore? Is it all for drama and blog traffic? I actually made this comment to my husband the other day, "does this person kiss their children with this mouth?" I'm not that conservative, but seriously. I even saw something similar on an online mom show the other day. I was amazed, because this person works with PR Firms, yet she doesn't present a very good image if you saw this show.

What I am really saying is, people, you might want to think before typing something out, e-mailing, commenting, tweeting, posting on a forum, producing a Internet based show, and/or a video online. People do remember this. At least I do. You might have written this four months ago, but if it impacted me enough, I will remember.

I give a great phone conversation though, ask anyone. I can talk all day long. I do have opinions on anything and everything. But I won't always write these opinions down. I actually tend to "vomit" my information all over myself, if you ask me in person though. It's a really bad character flaw for me. I can't help it.

*I'm including some links for topics relating to this matter, cause I'm random like that.

Loralee's Looney Tunes-It's Never Too Late for Civility
Ben Shapiro from Townhall Dot Com-Meghan McCain's Big Bust

Dr. Phil and Dooce

Remember I posted about going to the Dr. Phil Show in August here, well the episode is airing tomorrow, Wednesday the 14th of October.

The show is titled "Guilty Moms". It's about working moms vs. stay-at-home moms. Yea, umm guilt, really don't have it. Ironically, most of the stay-at-home moms I know, they are doing some kind of work. Whether it's running a blog, a photography business, an etsy store, or some kind of hard core volunteering.

Oh, and Heather Armstrong from Dooce, was a guest also.

And I may have stood up and said something during the show, hopefully they will edit me out, I'm serious. I was shaking and stuttering, not good at all.

Being Narcissistic...Some New Pictures....

My mood changes daily...duh, I'm Angry. I recently decided that I needed a new profile photo for my blog. And since I'm usually the one taking pictures in my house, I can't take a picture of myself. I called upon my friend, Jen Johnson. Jen has become an awesome gal pal!!! She has a personal blog, The BlahBlahBlahger and also her photography site, Jen Johnson Photography.

So I knew that Jen was taking photos last night of me. I was supposed to meet her at 6:30pm. At 5:45, I was frantically running around trying to figure out something to wear for the photos. Nothing like the last minute. And I've gained a few pounds, ugh, that limited a lot of my wardrobe. Those lovely button-up shirts I bought last Fall, were um, a little too tight. I settled with a shirt from Kohl's, a jean skirt from Ann Taylor Loft, and some flip flops. I forgot that we were going to Peter's Canyon, which is a trail park where people um, hike, run, and mountain bike. You can imagine it all now, Angry Julie in her flip flops and jean skirt while people are passing us on the trail. Oh, and I brought a Monster with me. Cause I needed props, right? I can't go anywhere without a Monster. Angry Husband actually told me that they should be paying me for all of the PR that I give them.

Oh, and the shirt...I'm trying to figure out what the heck was going on with me...does it look like a maternity shirt (hell no I'm not pregnant) or are the twins trying to come out and play?

So the photos, you probably want to check them out...

Passwords

I'm writing this post out of frustration. It seems like every site that I go on lately needs some kind of password.  I go on a forum, my banking, Twitter, Blogger, e-mail.....you need a password.

It would be easy if you could just use one central password. But nooooooo..

Sometimes it's 4-6 letters, 6-8 letters, 6-8 letters with at least one number.

A username with 6-8 letters, 6-8 letters with one number.

This is only in my personal life.

I think we have like ten different programs at work that need passwords too.

I'm on complete password OVERLOAD! I'm about to crash. Does anyone have a good system for passwords and.or usernames?

Please help my brain.

I swear I fill in one of those "I've forgotten my password and/or username, please e-mail it to me boxes everyday"!!!

Just Spotted and The OC Blogger Awards

Last night I attended "Just Spotted's" OC Blog Awards Party. This was their first annual awards. I was nominated for "Favorite Local Micro-Blogger" and oh my gosh, I won. I would like to thank all my fans for voting for little ole' me!!!! You rock!!!

I'm so glad that I was able to meet so many people that I've only spoken with through the computer. My favorite person to meet was Debbie from Dippin' Dots. I chatted with Debbie on Twitter for awhile now. And ironically, I've never even tried Dippin' Dots. Well hello, I love me some dots now. I tried the rainbow ice. I'm trying to be dairy free right now. The rainbow ice hit the spot.

I also met awesome people like Hollie from the Anaheim Hilton, Carolyn from @OCRealtress, @sbonnin and some many other people that my ADD keeps me from remembering. So "HI" to everyone!!!

One of the most awesome parts of the night was the photo booth provided by Capital Photo Booths. I wish I would have tried more poses. I took these photos at the beginning and then forgot to go back. When I got to my car later that night, Kristin had left a set of her photos on my car window. I giggled.


I just want to give a HUGE Thank You to Coleen and Kelly for putting on this event. I know that it takes a lot of work to put on an event with this many people. There is hours of hours of time spent behind the scenes, and both of these women have children to raise too. So I thank them!!

And here's a list of all of the winners! Everyone is really a winner just to get nominated though!!!

The 2009 "You've Just Been Spotted" Orange County Blog Awards Reader's Choice goes to...
Most Creative Site: Made
Best Food or Cooking Site: Fast Food Maven
Fabulous Lifestyle & Design Site: Sadie Olive
Great Shopping & Style Site: Boutiquing.com
Site with most Beautiful "Eye Candy": Kamee June
Best "Kid & Family Friendly" Site: Tiny Oranges
Favorite Local Blog: Alive in Wonderland
Top "Local News": Seal Beach Daily
Favorite Local Micro-Blogger: AngryJulie
The Runner's Up (otherwise known as Editor's Choice) are...
Most Creative Site: This Mama Makes Stuff
Best Food or Cooking Site: Picky Palate
Fabulous Lifestyle & Design Site: Peace, Love and Momminess
Great Shopping & Style Site: Popshopology
Site with most Beautiful "Eye Candy": Tara Whitney
Best "Kid & Family Friendly" Site: Double the Adventure
Favorite Local Blog: Twenty Four at Heart
Top "Local News": Daily Pilot
Favorite Local Micro-Blogger: YelpOC

How Social Media Impacts Me

I was surfing my one of my parenting forums today, because that's what I do. I have several sites that I check daily. I may not post as often on them, but I do check them. One of the women posted this link to this You Tube video about Social Media.



That statistics that they gave were quite amazing. I use most of these sites/applications daily, but I never really thought about the number of people that do. My parents are just starting to see the trend also. My mom and dad kept asking me to teach them. It's quite frustrating, as my mom can barely use her e-mail. I've tried, but they just don't get it.

This is a part of my daily life. The people and sites that I connect with online, are just as much as a part of my real life as my co-workers, family, and neighbors. I actually like some of my online connections better. I have genuine bonds with these people through my computer and Blackberry. I have even taken the time to meet some of them.

My husband does not use social media as much as I do. Yet, he's in a pretty technical business. I think one of the main factors is that he doesn't have a smart phone, which was his own decision. But yet, once again, I got the plea at dinner last night.

"We should really get iPhones. It's amazing the things that you can do with them".

The video I posted above was done by the people from Socialnomics, a Social Media Blog. I have never visited this site before. I will be bookmarking and subscribing to it now.

Here are some of the Social Meda statistics that they posted on their site.

*Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web
*If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia
*Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Ireland, Norway and Panama
*54% = Number of bloggers who post content or tweet daily
*78% of consumers trust peer recommendations
*24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation because we no longer search for the news, the news finds us

And if you don't know what Social Media is? You do. Because you are reading this blog right now, which is a part of Social Media.

Mountain Biking & Text Messages

(click photo to make larger)

I met some very cool people last week, when I attended the Orange County Startup Princess event. One of the women was Carrie from This Mama Makes Stuff. I got a message from Carrie on Twitter yesterday. She asked me if I wanted to go mountain biking with the girl's on Wednesday night. I replied with yes, and that I would most likely be there, in a matter of words.

Oh, and the trail we are riding, "Three Bitches".

I'm a little apprehensive and cautious about this whole "trail ride". A few years ago, ok more than five, I had a mountain biking accident. I was riding the Whiting Ranch Trail with Angry Husband. I was coming down from a hill. I was going at a medium pace, and must have hit a rock or something. All I know is that all of the sudden I went over the handle bars of my bike and landed with the bike on top of me. It was a few minutes before Angry Husband discovered me at the bottom of the hill. He had taken a different route.

I could barely walk and thought that I broke my hip or something. I was scraped up, bruised, and in pain. I had him take me to the ER for tons of x-rays. Luckily, my hip was not broken and I would survive. My bike on the other hand, had a cracked fork, and bent pedals. My helmet was also cracked down the middle. I took my bike to REI for service. They had never seen a fork so damaged. I think it was a manufacturer's defect in reality, and not the accident. Maybe my fork caused the accident, I don't know.

I never really got on my bike after that. About six months ago, I thought maybe, I would start training for triathlons. I got my bike serviced and inspected. And there it sat, or actually hung in my garage rafters.

After tweeting Carrie, I had this texting conversation with Angry Husband. I was at work, hence the texting.

ME: Ok..I got invited to go mtn. biking wed night at 6. Am I ready?

AH: physically or psychologically?

ME: Both?

AH: lol, well your bike works fine..well it did 6 months ago when you had it tuned up. i will pull it down tonight or tomorrow and see if anything needs fixed..as for the mental aspect you are on your own..

ME: Yea, I prob need some new shorts as well.

AH: you should go for a test ride tomorrow day to get refreshed on the bike, so you don't look like a total dumbass out there and fall on your face.

Well I went into the garage this morning. Angry Husband had not checked out my mountain bike. Fail. I wrangled it down and inspected it. Sigh. Both of my tires were flat. I could not locate the pump. So I walked with the bike about a mile to the gas station.

I then went on my ride. I did about 3-4 miles around my local area. My body was not used to riding a bicycle at all. I didn't realize how bad my knees were from running. I'm a mess. I really need to stretch more. After riding, I worked on stretched out my legs/knees/body. I was also not used to the shifting.

Also, I will have to drive Angry Husband's "angry truck" to the trail site. I don't have a bike rack on my Tahoe. Sigh. My old car, I had a sweet rack.

Carrie said we would take breaks. I hope they have sympathy on me. I will have to strap my cellphone onto the front of the bike for "emergency purposes" aka "HELP!".

Wish me luck tomorrow night!

You've Just Been Spotted-Orange County Blog Awards

I just found out that I was nominated for "Favorite Local Micro-Blogger" in the "You've Just Been Spotted, Orange County Blog Awards". These awards are sponsored by the lovely women from Just Spotted, a fabulous Orange County website.

I'm thankful for the nomination. I guess all of my rambling pays off somewhere.

So go to their site, click on the button above, and vote for me!!!

(P.S. check out all the other fabulous people nominated too, while you are there, but VOTE for ME.)

Oh, and speaking of micro-blogging, you can find me on Twitter here.

I went to BlogHer and all I got was this t-shirt

I'm totally kidding. I was trying to think of a good title for this post. I didn't want to start it with "BlogHer Recap, My Story...." because that's been done before. I know, I've seen it. But really, isn't this BlogHer 5K t-shirt fabulous?

I started off my trip to Chicago with a flight detouring to Dallas, TX. Well I really wasn't detoured, my flight was not non-stop. I meet some fabulous people while waiting for my connecting flight who just happened to have the seats next to me on the flight to Chicago. {Hi there!!! You know who you are!!!} I was able to manage my flights due to my new little friend. I like to call him, Mr. X. I arrived at O'Hare and met with my roommate, Shannon. This was our first time meeting. We actually "met" on a parenting forum, awhile ago. We hopped in a cab and made it to the hotel, in horrible weather.

Shannon and I then began our hectic weekend. I attended these functions, if you really want to know...cause I know YOU do.

*Mom Central Cocktail Party
*MomDot Dinner Party
*Room704 Party
*BlogHer 5K
*EA Sports Party
*Mommy Needs a Cocktail
*MamaPopRocks: Sparklecorn
*BlogHer Cocktail Reception (Saturday)
*BowlHer
*CheeseburgHer Party


I walked away with some great swag. I didn't fight for it though. Really, the swag fighting was kind of entertaining. I walked into the Room704 party late, and all I heard with women bitching about "the free stuff" being gone. But my only thoughts were, "Holy Crap, is that "The Nap Warden" and "Scary Mommy"? Did I just see a naked woman walk by? Yes, yes I did..it was Naked Jen. Seriously, I lost all conversation when I saw Jen walk by, in her nakedness. I knew it was time for bed.

I got up at 5:45 the next day (Friday) to do the BlogHer 5K. I strapped that Garmin of mine on and ran with my ladies. Yay for the Garmin, because I was able to track our distance. I met some awesome Fitness Bloggers too. You know who you are. I actually felt better after doing that run. Perhaps, it was the Walgreens I ran into, to get my Monster. I got back to the room, ate some food, and attended some sessions.


Friday night, I wore two outfits. I rocked The LBD "Little Black Dress", but I really don't know how little it was. Then I changed into my MamaPop gear. A lovely personalized "Angry Julie Monday" shirt, some knee socks, and a jean skirt. I was intensely fascinated with that cake. I also wanted some fruit with my alcohol. I may have gone to the bar with one of my "blog crushes" Jennifer and ordered a very expensive drink. I may have gone to another bar after the event. I returned back to my room with some Legos from BusyDad. Oh, and I met my night time Twitter Family @onlyaman and @churchpunkmom.

Saturday, I was barely functioning, but made it to one session, "Vaginally Challenged Bloggers". I loved it. And I'm glad that I pushed my way to the front. I'm more used to hanging out with guys than girls anyway. I work with mostly men, or boys as I like to call them. After the session, I was ready for some food. Food came, and then went. Yep, I got sick, took a nap, and almost missed the entire day. I scrambled to get myself together and got dressed.


Shannon and I headed to BowlHer, and then back to the Hotel for CheeseburgHer. I assembled a beautiful paper bag hat with my blue flower attached.


After stuffing down McDonald's cheeseburgers, I headed back to the room with Cynthia. We had a great discussion about blogging, etc. In reality, I was holding her EA swag bag hostage. We said our goodbyes, she left with (2) bottles of Cuervo, and I checked my e-mail.

I finally crashed after a very very long weekend. I woke up the next morning to the sound of Shannon packing and getting ready to leave. Sigh, I knew it was over. We said our goodbyes and she left. I headed down to the coffee shop at the Hotel for some breakfast. I ate a $25 omelet. YES, with tax, tip, and everything, it was $25.

I left later that afternoon for the airport. I didn't share a cab with anyone. I was ok with it. I was totally over-stimulated and needed some quiet time. I made it to my flight check-in and had a bit of a problem. My suitcases were overweight. I had to re-arrange some shoes things. But I finally was able to check in. I flew home by the way of Atlanta and then Orange County. I was very excited to see Angry Husband and Angry Toddler at the airport. I think Angry Toddler missed me. Angry Husband probably did too.

I just wanted to give a HELL YEA to all of these people! Because you made my weekend ROCK!! If I missed you in my shout out, I'm sorry. Forgive me. Yell at me in a comment or something. If you have pictures of me, let me know. I'm starting to see them pop up.


ForTheMommas, Twenty Four at Heart, Nap Warden, OnlyAman, Churchpunkmom, Picnik, Piper of Love, Playgroups are no place for Children, Undomestic Diva, @amysho, Workout Mommy, MizFitOnline, Ecostore USA, Kevin Burke, The Unlikely Housewife, @mumby, Looney Tunes, Scary Mommy, Sarah Bellum's tales of wit&charm, Blogfully Yours, Bizzie Mommy, and of course my @EmmieJ.

You probably wanted to read about nastiness, didn't you? I had no issues at BlogHer. I worked the room. I loved everyone. I miss everyone. I approached everyone. I'm not shy!

and YES, I was dehydrated. I paid $5.95 for one of those crappy water bottles in my room. Please let BlogHer 10' be sponsored by a water company!

YES, that's right...New York, here I come! I bought my ticket already for 2010!

I'm Going to BlogHer..The Angry Julie Edition

This week I will be attending the BlogHer Conference in Chicago. This will be my first time attending the conference. Yes folks, I'm a BlogHer Virgin. I wanted to go last year when it was in San Francisco, and in my home state, California. I felt that my blogging was not good enough, and that I couldn't compete with the "good bloggers". Well this year, I paid for my ticket in February, because I knew it would sell out quickly, as it did.

I have no idea what to expect, as I'm quite overwhelmed. I know that many people are overwhelmed and not sure on what to expect. I've been reading posts about BlogHer on blogs for at least two weeks now. I've seen what parties people are going to, what they are wearing, what sessions they are attending, or what touristy places they are going to visit. I love seeing everyone's comments and posts on Twitter. There was even a hashtag started today that said, #amgoingtoblogher.

I'm really not that nervous or meeting or interacting with people at the Conference. I work in the public sector aka law enforcement, so I talk with people first hand forty plus hours a week. I can start conversations very easy, almost too easy. I tend to talk a lot, and really fast. So please do not think I'm a freak if you meet me, it's the ADHD talking, not Julie being obnoxious. If you judge me by my blog title, you might think I'm Angry, but really, I'm not that Angry. I have an opinion on anything and everything, just start a conversation and I will give you it. I read a lot and I'm online a lot, so I have a wealth of random information in my head. Seriously, it's scary!

I can really thank my college sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, for my excellent conversation skills. It's all those summer workshops that we spent hours in, practicing for Fall Formal Rush. I'm sure all the sorority girls will know exactly what I'm talking about. I can have a conversation with almost anybody, without even asking "what's your major, or what high school did you go too". I like to start with "What your blog name, and what's your genre?" I like to categorize people, it makes me remember them better.

I've been trying to work on an outline or a schedule all day today. I like to be organized. It makes things easier for me. I tend to over program myself and then I get overwhelmed. I showed Angry Husband my quasi schedule. The days were filled from six am to midnight. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "well this is a once a year event, you really want to get the most out of it that you can." Oh my, did Angry Husband really agree with me? Say it ain't so. I spent a good twenty minutes with my BlogHer roommate, Shannon, on the phone earlier. We discussed our RSVP's and schedules. We pretty much agreed to go to all the same events. Yay, I will have a partner in crime...did I say crime, oops this may be a little bit out of my jurisdiction.

Now, the wardrobe. Everyone is really freaking out about what to wear. Angry Julie wears a uniform four days a week. This will be a nice change for me, to wear normal clothes, that are not navy blue. I have a ton of clothing, and most of it is brand new with tags. Although I doubted my own wardrobe and headed out to the stores today. I'm actually thankful that I did. I found the perfect "little black dress" at TJ Maxx for only $39.99. I also tried on a dress new tags with tags from Ann Taylor Loft courtesy of "The huge closet of Angry Julie aka Wasteland of Never Worn Clothes". I think I have a pretty hip wardrobe and will be sporting it daily in blogger land aka Chi-Town.

I can't wait to meet everyone and experience BlogHer. I hope you forgive me if I don't remember your name. I may appear to be rude, but really it's my un-medicated ADHD.

Oh, and you probably want to actually see those dresses I mentioned above, don't you...well guess what..I'm going to show you anyway!

The TJ Maxx Dress

The Ann Taylor Loft Dress

P.S. I was one of the 20 winners of The Johnson and Johnson BlogHer Scholarships!!! Thanks to Splenda, I'm receiving $1200 to pay my way! I'm pretty excited~

Blog was Down, but now Back Up!

My blog was down for a little over twenty-six hours. I have pretty much been freaking out for at least twenty of those twenty-six hours.

I could log into my Blogger Dashboard and type posts, edit posts, and see my reader. But I could not change my layout or see my actual blog. Every time someone would view the blog, they would get an error code from Blogger. I thought it was my domain host, it was not.

The only way to get it fixed was to post on the Blogger Help Boards. I think I posted at least ten times. There were several other people having the same issue. There is no other way to get things fixed with Blogger. No person to e-mail. No phone number to call.

Having this happen has put some thoughts in my head. I've been thinking about changing to Wordpress for awhile now. This incident might facilitate me to make the change. I had this discussion with another person using Blogger last week. If we make the change to WP, would our followers come on over. It is very easy to follow "Blogger Blogs" right now. All you have to do is click "Follow Blog" at the top of the page.

I just don't know if I want to make the switch, quite yet.

But seriously happy right now, cause the blog is back up!! I can be a functioning human again. Not someone is staring at the computer, and keeps hitting "refresh".

The Honest Scrap Award

Honest scrap award? Huh? When Kirsten Wright gave me the award, I got to thinking, oh gee. What do they not know about me? I'm an open book. “This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.”

Thanks Kirsten!

Now, onto the rules of how it works:

1. “Nominate” seven more bloggers to spread the happiness.

• The Happily Ever Afters of the Lancasters
• A Dramatic Mommy
• Simple Queen Mumma
• Lee-Ann's Crazy Life!
• Restore
• Nautical by Nature
• Chic Runner

2. Tell ten honest things about yourself.

1. I have Adult ADD. I was diagnosed a few months ago.
2. I'm totally OCD about making sure everything is locked at our house (i.e. doors and windows before we got to bed and/or leave the house.
3. I hate when Angry Toddler's hair starts getting long. I get his hair cut every month.
4. I know the clerks names at several convenience stores in the city I work in.
5. I will only drink Aquafina bottled water.
6. I wear flip flops daily now. The only time I wear socks is at work.
7. I wear hair short, otherwise it would be in a ponytail every day.
8. I probably wear make-up like one time a month.
9. I have more running clothes than normal clothes.
10. I don't have a favorite restaurant that I like to go too. I'm good with whatever.

FIVE HUNDRED POSTS!!!!!!

(no reason for this particular photo, just wanted to share a photo of little ole' me, while in college! Look I had hair!!)

This is my 500th Post!!! Last week was my TWO Year Blog Anniverary!!! I can't believe I've rambled so much in the past two years!!! I just want to say a big thank you to my readers and followers!!!

Orange County Peeps: A GIVEAWAY = CUPCAKES

If anyone has read my blog in the past two months, you would know that I have a special love for cupcakes and for my favorite cupcake baker, Kristin. Kristin is the owner, baker, cupcake maker, and cupcake creator at Meringue Bake Shop.

In honor of my TWO YEAR blog anniversary, Kristin has graciously offered her services to me for a GIVEAWAY! That's right, I'm doing a cupcake giveaway. This will only be for my Orange County bloggers, well, and anyone in the surrounding area if you want to come pick them up in Orange County.

Kristin is offering, 1 dozen regular size or 2 dozen mini size cupcakes (1 flavor) decorated with custom fondant or sprinkles. Valued at $30. Must be used by Sept 1, 2009.

I thought I would have a little local giveaway since I've been given a lot of love lately from my local peeps.

Here's the rules!

1. Check out Kristin's site at Meringue Bake Shop, and her blog too!
2. Let me know what you like from her site.
3. Follow Kristin on Twitter!
3. Comment here, obviously!
4. Blog about this giveaway! Let me know here in a comment!
5. Tweet about this giveaway! Let me know here in a comment!
6. Become a follower of my blog! Let me know here in a comment!
7. Follow me on Twitter! Let me know here in a comment!

I will be giving this away at 12 PM PST on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. I will be choosing the winner randomly!

TWO Year Blog Anniversary

On June 24, 2007, I started my blog off with The Virgin Post. I had no idea on what I was going to blog about, how long I would be blogging for, or if anyone would even read my ramblings.

In my son's early years, I was on several parenting forums or message boards. I was that first time mom with lots of questions, but didn't want to bug my in real life friends. I went on the forums looking for answers and found friendships. I was very active on the forums, the first two years of my son's life.

I found that the "forums" were like anything else online, a popularity contest. I had posts with no comments. These were message boards with 10,000+ members, yet I didn't get responses like everyone else. I was tired of being ignored, and wanted to share all of my thoughts, and general "Julie-ness" with someone.

After two years of blogging, I think I've found my "niche" and my people. I've met a ton of people through my blog and on Twitter. I have found that there are people out there like me, and which makes me smile.

I'm glad I stuck with blogging. I'm able to go through my archives and read all my randomness, about Angry Toddler's events, and everything else.

Since it's my 2 YEAR Blogging Anniversary. I will be giving out some gifts! Stay tuned in the next few days for some giveaways. I will be doing some National Giveaways and some local giveaways for Orange County Peeps! I will be posting more tomorrow!!!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

What I Learned This Week

Life is incredibly busy for me right now. At the beginning of May, actually Mother's Day, I switched shifts at work. I'm now working weekend nights. It's a pretty hard shift when you have a family. Luckily, I only work this shift about 4 months out of the year. It really messes with my body. When I get really busy, I find it very hard to motivate myself when I have some downtime. Downtime, what's that? I work Fridays-Mondays. Angry Toddler has gymnastics on Tuesday nights. Almost every Wednesday, I have something planned, and Thursdays I have run club.

I really have to write everything down to get myself organized. Luckily I have my Blackberry which has an awesome calendar function. I sync it with my Google Calendar. This really saves me from over-programming myself. I almost signed up for some overtime this week on a day that I had a very important Junior League meeting.

I've trying to get especially organized with my Blog lately. It's really coming together and I have a good feeling about it. I have all sorts of ideas in my head, but not enough time in the day. I could literally do two to three blog posts a day if I wrote down everything that goes on inside my head. Thankfully, for Twitter, I can post my ramblings. Kirsten from Wright Creativity gave me a great tip today. She told me that she writes down her blog posts on a calendar. She's able to organize her posts, which gives her a guideline for her website, etc to follow. I always want to participate in blog carnivals, but there are so many out there. By writing things down on a calendar, I'm able to pick and chose when and how I will write my blog posts. I will still so some random posts, but I needed a little structure. Thanks Kirsten!

I also learned how to properly clean the screen and keyboard for my new MacBook. It had umm, sneeze dots all over the screen. I like to call them "water spots", but really they are most likey "sneeze dots".

I'm sure that there are other things that I have learned. I truely belives that I learn something new everyday. But really, the ADHD takes over and I get forgetful. That's why I started doing a calendar for my blog posts today!!

MomDot's Blog Link-A-Thon

Today I am participating in MomDot's Blog Link-A-Thon. I think it's a great way to get to check out more blogs. I can't wait to click on all the links!!

1. Lori@Not Always Charming

2. Fairy Blog Mother

3. Crazy Adventures in Parenting

4. Engineer a Debt Free Life

5. Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Girls

6. Good Golly Miss Blondie

7. SavvySuzie

8. For The Love of Baby!

9. Tammy@lovemy2dogs

10. Blessings Abound

11. Coupons, Deals and More

12. Hairstyles For Girls

13. Stacie @ The Divine Miss Mommy

14. A latte in the morning

15. KiddiesCorner Deals

16. 3 Kids and Us | Mom Blog

17. The Ohana Mama

18. Coupon Queens of Laurel Run

19. Today’s Journey

20. Eve @ Confessions of a Housewife

21. My Charmed Life

22. Laurie@DoubleBugs

23. Lisa @ Final Score boys3 girls2

24. New Sue Review

25. Suzanne Calling

26. Just For Me…and You

27. Time Slides By

28. Babes and Kids

29. Declutter a Little Each Day

30. Grocery Savings for Real Families

31. Life Starring Ellie and Eve

32. So Cute Crafts

33. Brea’s Mommy

34. Are Muffins Just Ugly Cupcakes

35. It’s A Beauty Filled Life

36. The crazy suburban mom

37. Donna’s World

38. Momma’s Gone Over the Wall

39. Mommy’s Quiet Time

40. Joyce (Saving My Cents)

41. My Trendy Tykes

42. The Not-So-Blog

43. Confessions From HouseholdSix

44. SiPPyCuPSand FiNGerPriNTS

45. Jennifer@CouponMommie

46. Shasta @ Crackers&Chaos

47. Giftfully Simple

48. Just For Fun

49. Digital Mommy

50. Me And Craig

51. Parenting Princesses

52. Shan@Last Shreds Of Sanity

53. Inside My Head

54. Petit

55. My Love Lucy

56. FreckleBox personalized gift

57. Baby Lulu Dress

58. Blog 4 Mom

59. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

60. Jolly Mom

61. My Life My Journey

62. Maman And Gourmand

63. Jess - Life @ 30

64. The POSHpreneur

65. A Blog of Goodies

66. Christy aka The Write Gal

67. LookWhatMomFound

68. Peanut Butter & Smelly’s Dad

69. Lucy

70. Angry Julie Monday

71. The Mogul Mom Blog

72. Angela

73. Deal-ectible Mommies

74. Christy’s Creations

75. Lisa

76. Courtney@Booksnboys

77. Wannabe Supermom

78. Thre Craft Momma

79. Internet Toddler

80. Jennifer@Life is a Sandcastle

81. Kristen of La Dolce Vita

82. Cranberry Fries

83. Toni @ The Mud Bug

84. The Mom Buzz

85. Tricia @Nightowl Mama

86. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls

87. Mommy Cracked

88. EclecticBird

89. Mama Mentor

90. Moomettesgram’s Musings

91. Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews

92. Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes

93. Diaries of a Domestic Goddess

94. Go Graham Go!

95. NerdFamily Things

96. NerdFamily Blog

97. Making Money Keeping Money

98. NerdFamily Food

99. Flying Giggles & Lollipops

100. Gena @ Morris Bunch

101. Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy

102. A Kindred Spirit’s Thoughts

103. Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House

104. D-Lo’s Lounge

105. Free Sample Freak

106. What Mommies Need

107. Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1

108. icefairy’s Treasure Chest

109. Cheaper Than Therapy

110. Therapeutic Reviews & Giveaways

111. Lily Bean Designs

112. Dirty Diaper Laundry

113. Dance Momma

114. JamericanSpice

115. Mombalance

116. A Pocket Full Of Buttons

117. Ordinary and Awesome

118. Reviews and Giveaways

119. Subjective Beauty

120. Tales From A Shopaholic Mommy

121. Mommiemayhem

122. IE Mommy

123. Nikki @ Blasian Baby Notes

124. Amber Woodward

125. Grammy Janet’s Place

126. Outnumbered 3 to 1

127. ShimmerMeBlue

128. Dev’s Favorite Giveaways

129. Joyful Money Saving

130. 1stopmom

131. A Modern Mama

132. PourSomeSugarOnMe

133. Fancast

134. Lollipop Baby

135. Lola & Ben

136. idoby2celebrants

137. Sue Jackson

138. Cackleberry Kids

139. Gifts By The Stars

140. Jemma

141. Handmade Kids

142. Ollie Rose

143. Babasfarmlife

144. Banquet Manager

145. Monkey’s Momma

146. This Mom Can Shop

147. EcoLabel Fundraising

148. Divine Chaos

149. baby kakes ink alphabet onesie

150. tee from recycle me

151. Elizabeth @ Suzy Q Homemaker

152. marla mandell bread (5/17)

153. ozone socks 5/15

154. Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs

155. Hip T

156. ThenComes Baby

157. Homemade Gourmet

158. Fresh Pure and Simple

159. MomDot Mom Blogs

160. MomDot Mom Reviews

161. Bloggers Give Charity

162. Organic Baby Resource

163. Potamus Prefers

164. The Army Wife

165. Through Hazel Eyes

166. Frugal Rhode Island Mama

167. Just Jingle

168. And Twins make 5!

169. Frugal Plus

170. Christie

171. What Happened To My House?

172. Miracles on Mama Street

173. Heck Of A Bunch

174. Blog Designs by Susan

175. mommy23monkeys

176. Hanna

177. Got Kids Need Valium

178. Womb At The INNSANE

179. Katie & Kimble Blog

180. Kim @ Adventures SAHM

181. The Frugalicious Mommy

182. Penny Pinching Diva

183. Another day. Another thought or two

184. Beauty4Moms

185. Nikki @evilflu.com

186. Little Miss Julia

187. Mrs Zeee

188. Cheryl

189. Frazzle Dazzle SuperMom

190. Florida Mealtime Savers

191. Inspiration Station

192. Mommy’s Kitchen

193. Saving with MamaNordy

194. Saving SAHM Sanity

195. A Little Piece Of Perfect

196. Nodin’s Nest

197. Lil Miss Eco

198. Laryn Strickland

199. HeatherMama

200. The Gerber Babies Blog

201. WhateverSuccess

202. Women Who Win

203. Kat @ The Burb Blog

204. Happy Healthy Families

205. Sweeps4Bloggers

206. dramaqueensmum

207. The Mom Trap

208. Multitasking Mama

209. Mama Michies Musings

210. Little People Wealth

211. Belly Beyond

212. Kim Kihega

213. Mom Fuse

214. Juanita

215. Adopt a Do

216. On the Refriderator Door

217. Christine

218. Little Diva

219. My Household Junk

220. I’m Here….Really

221. Brittany@The Greer 5

222. mary

223. Nicole @ Nicole’s Nickels

224. Lori Newman

225. Kris @ NSQSA

226. Debb

227. Shawn Ann’s World

228. Peke Moe -NZ made baby sleep sacks

229. A Simple Kinda LIfe

230. Sweet Serendipity

231. Bouncing Off The Walls

232. Jane Loedding

233. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

234. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

235. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

236. Musings from Me

237. Veronnica

238. The Adventures of Miss V

239. Mudd Kids

240. Mom Most Traveled family travel

241. Relishing the Dirt

242. Good, True and Beautiful

243. Deb @ Frugal Living and Having Fun

244. The Last Blog on Earth

245. A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

246. Rae

247. kimert@diaries of a coach’s wife

248. Dore’s Diaries

249. Blog by Donna

250. Lisette

251. Pillaging With Buffie

252. Mom of Faith

253. GODSOWN

254. flutterbyechronicles

255. shelley

256. Life In A House Of Blue

257. kristen

258. Alex the Fey Thriller Series

259. MamaCheaps!

260. Donalacasa

261. A Jewish Journey

262. Anissa @ Our Chaotic Life

263. BethinNC

264. Stuttering Shell

265. Don’t Blink

266. Life is Sweet

267. Lisa

268. Sue@Stay At Home Mom

269. m.e (cathie)

270. Run DMT

271. Princess Ratbag

272. Michelle G

273. CF Mama @ Nathan’s Fight

274. Moody Mama Says

275. Laurie Ann

276. Cooking During Stolen Moments

277. A Simple Walk

278. Vanessa

279. middleagedmom

280. Ramblings Of A Wannabe Writer

281. Oh My Baby

282. Fordcast Sunny

283. Lisa Miller

284. Stacie @ The Divine Miss Mommy

285. Bibs & Cribs {very cute stuff}

286. My Lil’ Budget Book

287. Misadventures in Baby Raising

288. My Mommy Said

289. Milk & Honey Mommy

290. Milk and Honey Mommy

291. Amy O’Neal

292. Parenting Children

293. A Girl And Her Life

294. MarieLynn Boutique Blog

295. Born Fabulous Boutique Blog

296. The Pitter Patter Boutique

297. Stephanie Deese

298. Brea’s Baby Boutique Blog

299. digiscrapping.net - Heather Manning

300. Kids Activities Blog

301. Two Little Whales Cloth Diapers & More

302. 3 boys & a dog

303. Karen ~Georgia Angel

304. JenniferB @ my not so hurried life

305. Shannon Blogs Here

306. A Virtuous Woman

307. Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

308. Dreamer

309. Lollipop Book Club

310. Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower

311. Heck Of A Bunch

312. MomSaves4U

313. Barely Domestic Mama

314. Emilie @ Baby Loving Mama

315. Professional Family Manager

316. Kathleen

317. Coaching The Family

318. Frugal Creativity

319. Easy Being Green

320. Dandelion Bubbles

321. Shelly aka The Attic Girl

322. Foxtoybox-Discovery Toys

323. Ashley @ Beauty4Moms

324. Colleen - Mommy Always Wins

325. Playground for Parents

326. World of Discovery

327. Kati @ Country Girl City Life

329. A Little Bit Nutty

330. Mahayla’s Mommy

332. If I Could Escape . . .

333. The Shopping Mama