No Privacy

My friend text this photo to me last night. She was trying to simply use the restroom and her cat apparently needed in.
With a house full of kids and cats, one place a mom can usually find refuge is the restroom, I guess not. Lol!

Pity Party for One

Do you ever just feel defeated?


Nothing going your way?


As much as you think "I have my health, my family and life is actually pretty good" you still feel dumpy?

That is how I feel today.

I am tired.

I can feel the tension in the back of my neck.

I tried to run errands this morning.  Couldn't find parking at the school so I left.  Post office was closed.  My accountant was closed.  My Starbucks buddy who meets me every Wednesday was not there.  My daughter is home sick, she keeps sneezing and coughing.

All I want is time for myself.  Am I being selfish?  (Now the guilt will make me feel even worse.)

Is it that all the bad little things start adding up and they trump the good big things in your life?

I know I just need the day to pass.  Get some work done.  And get over my pity party.

Tomorrow is another day.  And summer is almost here! Whoo hoo!

Don't look at my toes. :-)

I know, I'll get a pedicure!  That always works!

UPDATE (Just moments after pressing "publish"):

Right after I posted this Pity Party for One I headed over to SPI, Pat Flynn's blog, and found the most amazing video trailer:

It really puts things in perspective.

I still feel dumpy but at least I know it won't last.  The video did cheer me up.

Click here to help the video get done and give hope to others: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cranktank/im-fine-thanks

Fun with iPhone photos

I had an interesting week with my iPhone and photos I took.

I know SB can make coffee but apparently can't count.

Not looking forward to reaching this age. LOL.

Perfect for my pessimistic wino friends.

Text my son sent me.  He's 13 and just the little things touch my heart. But he is such a guy...he loved the meat, lol.

Happy Memorial weekend to all those who sacrifice so I have freedom.  Thank you for your service.

Lazy Doggie Day

Don't you wish you could have days like this?
My dog, Maggy.

Hangin' with my Gnomie, Brian Wilson Gnome that is.

Fear the gnome beard

Brian Wilson's gnome made a huge splash at Giant Stadium Sunday. 20,000 people got the gnome! And I was one of them!

He is out this year but that didn't keep people away from AT&T park on Sunday.  I heard some people stood in line since 8 am to get the Brian Wilson gnome.  That's crazy!  (But it is cute.)  We arrived at 11 am for a 1 pm game just to stand in line that was about 1/2 mile long to get into the park and get our gnome.

We have season tickets this year to all the home SF Giants games.  I had never been to a Giants game before this year.  And I wish that was not the case.  The stadium is amazing!  It is beautiful and feels like you are going back in time to watch old time baseball with its brick walls and pennant banners.

Not to mention the fans are awesome!! It is so nice to attend a capacity game of crazy fans!  Sunday's game was the 106th consecutive sold out game!

Me and hubby

Did I mention they have THE BEST GHIRADELLI SUNDAES!!?  I didn't take a photo of it because frankly, I just wanted to eat it.

I am hoping to see a "splash hit" this year.  That's when a player hits a home run over the wall the head to the bay.  That would make my year!

GO GIANTS!

New Beginnings for AllieRambles

BEGINNINGS

Most people online know me as AllieRambles at Ramblings of a WAHM, where I write about blogging and creating a business online as a mom.  This blog, Allie's Web Quest, is simply a place I hide out and rant about whatever I like.

I started it back in September 2010 with absolutely no direction, goals or plans; I just wanted to see where it would take me.

The blog is suppose to be a bouncing board of ideas on how to earn a living online.  And how I have earned.  But frankly, I had to learn about blogging, social media and SEO first before I felt I could move on to actually earning online.  At least that was the route I took.  i felt I needed a strong blog before I could move on.

So I have a whole bunch of posts about How to Start and Run a Blog, Social Media and SEO but not quite any about online income and business, unless you count the one where I rant about how little I have earned.

This is where I stand today, in front of you, saying I am reinventing Ramblings of a WAHM. Well, I guess you would almost call it a shift in content.

I am done writing about how to blog, network and get to the top of search engines.  I want, no need, to write about how I make some money online.  And I am getting there.

IT IS A SLOW PROCESS

I have won contests that brought in $150.  I use Swagbucks and BzzAgent to get free stuff and earn Paypal gift cards.  I sell stuff on my blog like ebooks for business and blogging, aka affiliate sales.  I earn a tiny bit from Google Adsense.  

I would say I am moving forward.

Why am I writing all this?

1. If you know about SEO I am busy backlinking many of my posts using keywords in the text above. (See I did it again in that last sentence.)
2. I have links so hopefully you can go to my other blog and discover a new blog to read.
3.  And honestly, I am venting.  I can't do this on my other blog, it is too "business".  I can't just "let loose".
4. Actually, I sat down to write about 4 sentences about the new look of RWAHM!!!  I am so excited!!

Here is the before and after banner.

Anyhow, have a great day and if you are a SAHM or a mom with some extra time and a drive to learn online business come say hi over at my other blog.

Summer is Almost Here! #WW

Electronic Monster Baby From Hell

Yesterday my 13 year old son became a father for about 15 hours.  He brought home the dreaded electronic Real Care baby. 

TJ, my grandson for 15 hrs

As part of sex education here in our school district, the 8th graders take home this baby to teach them about responsibility and the fact that babies are not easy.  And TJ was not.

It was all fun and games talking about naming the baby and what is expected of the students, right after school but when 4 PM came around my son's demeanor changed, he disappeared into his room until dinner. By 6 PM he was already done with it.  Wow! He still had over 12 hours with the electronic monster.

The baby has a timer, it starts to sense and do things at 4PM until 7AM the next morning.  And it started in at 4:11 PM, crying.  It was so weird to see my son holding a baby.  For him, babies are a whole different species.  He was 2 when his sister was born and that is probably the most experience he has had.  Maybe a few toddlers and children here and there, but no infants.

The baby cried what felt like the whole time I was awake until 10PM.  My poor son.  He rocked, feed, burped and changed the diapers but it still fussed.  He couldn't put it down.  He got the colicky baby.  (Karma is a bitch cuz he was a colicky too.)

I was awake around 5:30 AM and heard nothing.  I felt relief for him.  BUT WAIT!  Nope, baby starting crying at 5:44 AM.  I went in to see my son and he looked like a zombie.  He told me the baby didn't quiet down until 1 AM.  And then woke up again at 3 AM and 4 something.

I let him sleep in as long as I could but he had to go to school, to get rid of TJ. 

We weren't sad to see him go.  But, guess what, he gets another one in high school. For a week!!!

Are There Any Parenting Blogs Focusing on Teens?

I miss those years...

I am a mom of a teen boy and soon be teen girl (who, I might say is already going through the emotions of a teen so I just can't wait to see what comes in 2 years, lol.)

If you know me I am online A LOT.  I have a few blogs, I am on the popular social networks, I try to earn a living online and I am just hear reading to learn.

The one thing I have not come across is mom blogs that focus on the teen years.  

There are expectant mom blogs, newborn mom blogs, and child mom blogs.  But I just can't seem to find blogs about mom (and dads) writing about their life with their teen.

WHY?

First, I assume their teens would never talk to them again.  But, really, is that so bad or different than what is already going on? (lol)

And, well, are the parents of teens done with parent talk?  Do they think they got this whole raising a child thing down?

Because I don't.

I would love to meet some parent bloggers who talk about having teens.

I have found one place I can explore and seems to be growing: Mom Bloggers Club "Moms with Teens". There is some talk going on there but I would really like to read some blogs.

Any ideas? 
Do you write about your life with a teen?

Thin Mint S'Mores

This last weekend my daughter and I celebrated Girl Scouts 100th anniversary.  We camped and enjoyed activities.  But one of the highlights is always S'mores, right?  Girl Scouts is credited for starting S'mores so we better eat some while camping out.

I brought a box of Thin Mints to the camp, I mean you can't have a GS activity w/o GS cookies.
We decided to smush a Thin Mint right next to the chocolate and marshmallow.  Oh my!  It was so yummy!

I did not take a picture, it was simply too dark.  But here is the recipe:

1 graham cracker split in half 
1/2 Hershey bar
1 Thin Mint Cookie
1 toasted (or burnt) marshmallow

Place in this order:

1 graham cracker, Hershey chocolate, Thin Mint cookie, marshmallow, the other graham cracker.

Eat it up and just try not to be sticky.

SneakPeeq Your Way into Fun Shopping

Do you ever wish you could be rewarded for shopping online?  Have it be social and fun?  Have an exclusive peak into up and coming designers and brands?

You can with SneakPeeq.

It is a new way to shop online and it is so much fun!

And easy...sign up with your Facebook account.  At that time you will get a $10 off welcome gift certificate to shop.

What SneakPeeq does is different than other online shopping places do.  They reward you with discounts for being social and shopping with them.  But that is not the only fun thing about SneakPeeq.  What I love about it is that you get a glimpse of up and coming artists, designers and brands. 

And what is really fun is that you get to peak or "peeq" at the discount price they are offering you.  The more you buy and share your finds on SneakPeeq, the deeper the discounts.

Join SneakPeeq
It's Free

Blog Commenting Just Got Fun

I bet you never even thought about what is the best way to leave a comment on a blog.  Did you?

I have been commenting on blogs for a long time now.  I absolutely love commenting whenever I have the time.  I learn. I'm social.  I meet new bloggers.  I get traffic to my blog. Etc, etc.

I have a special technique I use.  I try  to make my comments a little more personal.

This is how I comment.  And you can get more details here: How I Comment for Blog Success

Cheers!!!

Cinco de Mayo for the Ones Watching What They Stuff in Their Faces

Was that title just too harsh?  I stuff my face on Mexican food when I can, and I am not ashamed. 

But I do try to make better choices while I stuff my face with the spicy cuisine.

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo.

Check out how I do it.  And there is the most awesome recipe for Carne Asada (cut flank steak) there too!

Making Healthy Cuisine Choices on Cinco de Mayo

Fairy HobMother Rocks

The Fairy HobMother fluttered into my inbox last week.

Who is this Fairy HobMother?

Matt Mitchell, to be exact.  But even more than that she (er he) is a generous, smart, online business entrepreneur who runs Appliances Online.

You are probably wondering what the heck am I talking about?  Who cares.

I do.

Matt offered me an Amazon gift card for mentioning his site on my blogs.  (I also wrote a post up at Ramblings of a WAHM, which will be live May 5th.)

Let me back up, I tend to get ahead of myself and loose my readers.

The Fairy HobMother sends bloggers that he finds in the blogosphere an e-card for Amazon if that blogger mentions his site in a post.  It is that easy.  I already redeemed my card for the new Blogess book. :-)

So thanks a bunch Matt, er, Fairy HobMother.  You not only made my day but also the Blogess for the sale she just got. 

Mock Pina Colada Vi Shake

My trainer, Maria, lured me into the Body by Vi shakes.  To tell you the honest truth, at first I DID NOT like them.  But they have grown on my and I can honestly say I have a lot more energy and I feel I may be losing some weight.

I normally make the shakes with soy milk but Maria also suggested Coconut Milk.  I love coconut.  But for some reason the milk of a coconut didn't sound very appealing to me.  BUT I figured I would try it anyway in a shake, just to say I did.

OMG! It is like a Virgin Pina Colada!

Here is my recipe:

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup crushed ice
2 scoops Vi shake powder

Blend in blender.  Enjoy with a little umbrella and pretend you are on some tropical beach.  (With Johnny Depp.)

I was joking with my friend this morning that I just need to add some rum. :-)