May 2011 - Live and Love...Out Loud

Archive for May, 2011

It Doesn’t Get Any Cuter Than This (Wordless/Wordful Wednesday)

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Before we get this Wordless Wednesday party started, I thought you’d might like to know…

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It really doesn’t get any cuter than this.

Dirty fingernails. Unkempt hair. Popsicle stained face.

sleeping toddler, kids sleep anywhere,

Summer is in full swing here in small town Missouri and we’re making the most of our days together by spending them outdoors; playing, gardening, going for walks. I’m on a mission to keep my kids moving this summer by encouraging them to be active and enjoy the outdoors. It’s doing wonders for my sanity, bringing us closer together as a family and it’s tiring my poor toddler out.

It just doesn’t get any cuter this.

sleeping toddler, kids sleep anywhere,

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Thank you so much for stopping by and linking up here at Live and Love Out Loud. Please accept my apologies if I didn’t make it to your blog last week. I’m doing my very best to visit as many of your Wordless Wednesday posts as possible each week. I sure hope you understand. And as always, if you’re looking for even more fabulous people to link up with, head on over to the following blogs and link up with them as well. I do. Every.single.week.

 

 

Dagmar's momsense blog buttonDear CrissyBetter in Bulk

 

The Paper MamaWordish Wednesday5 Minutes for Mom

Two ways to link up…

 

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Project Smile: Smile-Worthy Moments and Little Snippets of Happiness

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Life is way too short and my time and energy are way too precious to be wasted on the negative, so I’m celebrating the smile-worthy moments and little snippets of happiness that have been a blessing of sorts over the last month…

Having a nice, relaxing, low-key Mother’s Day with my husband and children. I received beautiful cards and a thoughtful gift, but just being with the people I love is more than enough for me.

Receiving a care package from my parents. Aloha Shoyu and Taro Brand Poi makes this far-away-from-home Hawaiian a very happy camper. Thanks Mom and Dad.

photo journal, hipstamatic, aloha shoyu, taro brand poi, homesick,

Creating a flower bed in our great big yard. Weeding. Digging. Planting flowers. It’s a lot of hard work, but things are coming together nicely and I’m looking forward to watching everything grow.

Adding a little bit of sunshine to my children’s day by surprising them with rainbow pancakes. They were just as fun to make as they were to eat.

Making breakfast fun with rainbow pancakes

Waking up to a beautiful breakfast courtesy of my wonderful husband, George. Never mind that sausage grease dripped all over the bottom of the oven and caught fire. My husband cooked!

Taking a relaxing drive through small town Missouri. There’s so much beauty just waiting to be discovered in rural towns like Plato.

Barbed wire fence along gravel road

The start of summer vacation for my three older children. Though it’s only been a few days, I’m already enjoying the extra time we’ve been spending together.

Learning that some of life’s most memorable moments aren’t meant to be photographed. Like the beautiful moment I shared with my 2-year old daughter one afternoon while laughing and splashing along the edge of a rocky creek.

Paddy Creek

What are some of the smile-worthy moments you’ve been blessed with over the last 30 days?

Toes

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

photo journal, photography, hipstamatic,

Five Fabulous Bloggers Who Inspire, Encourage, Educate and Entertain

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

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The word fabulous is defined by the smarty-pants geniuses at Miriam-Webster as “incredible, astonishing, wonderful and marvelous.” Boy do I have news for you. There’s a whole lot of fabulous out there in the blogosphere; bloggers who take fabulous to another level as they inspire, encourage, educate and entertain people around the world from their itty bitty corners on the internet.

I remember the excitement of being chosen as one of five fabulous bloggers last year by not one, but two fellow bloggers. It was such an honor to be chosen and I was thrilled to say the least, so when I was given the opportunity to create my own list of five fabulous bloggers, I jumped at the chance!

In case you’re wondering, choosing five bloggers is difficult to do. The internet is overflowing with fabulous bloggers and though I’d love to choose every blogger I so faithfully follow, I’ve narrowed my list down to five fabulous folks who inspire, encourage, educate, entertain and ooze fabulous.

Five Fabulous Bloggers

*in no particular order

Mama Kat of Mama’s Losin’ It

Mama Kat is sarcastic, witty and funny as hell. She’s also the fabulous face behind the popular blog, Mama’s Losin’ It. This former high school English teacher is wildly entertaining. While her “pretty much world famous” Writer’s Workshop inspires bloggers to explore creative writing, her fan-obsessed letters to Ellen Degeneres – 19 letters to date – are funny and surprisingly endearing. I’m completely at a loss as to why Ellen hasn’t acknowledged Mama Kat’s fabulousness. Fabulosity. Whatever. Ellen doesn’t know what she’s missing.

Pamela of 2 Much Testosterone

She’s sassy, sweet and downright honest. Pamela of 2 Much Testosterone has a unique perspective on life in a testosterone-filled world and she’s not afraid to blog about it. She’s also incredibly fearless and inspiring; sharing her personal struggles with Postpartum Depression and encouraging others to look for the light at the end of the PPD tunnel. Pamela’s journey is brutal, heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.

Amanda aka Dumb Mom of Parenting BY Dummies

If there’s anyone who can inject a dose of awesome into everything she touches, it’s Amanda aka Dumb Mom of Parenting BY Dummies. This perpetual 29-year old packs a killer smile, effortless humor and has a Ph.D. in awesome. Awesome blog. Awesome photography. And thanks to TLC’s What Not to Wear, awesome style. Amanda is also sweet, down-to-earth and an awesome mom to her three dudes. This Dumb Mom is far from dumb. She’s downright awesome.

Dagmar Bleasdale of Dagmar’s Momsense

Dagmar Bleasdale is the smart and opinionated woman behind Dagmar’s Momsense. Her blog is an excellent resource for breastfeeding, attachment parenting and healthy living. She was recently featured as a Woman Who Empowers for her commitment to educating others about breastfeeding, attachment parenting and natural childbirth. Dagmar is committed to living a more green and frugal lifestyle and was named as one of the Top 25 Eco-Friendly Mom Bloggers as well.

Alicia of Project Alicia

Alicia is a super-sweet wife and mother of two children and the beautiful woman behind Project Alicia. Fueled by her love of photography, Alicia’s on a journey to self-discovery; celebrating and capturing life one beautiful moment at a time. And, she’s inspiring others to look at the world in a whole new light by way of her amazing photo challenges. Project Alicia is the perfect combination of inspiration and beautiful images. You just can’t help but get sucked into her beautiful world.

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Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

You’re Invited: Crazy Days of Summer Photo Challenge

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Popsicles melting in the sweltering heat. Beautiful blossoms swaying in the breeze. Children laughing, skipping, running through sprinklers.

Make no mistake, summer is upon us and with it, memorable moments just begging to be photographed.

You’re invited!

I’m excited to announce that I’m teaming up with my dear friend Alicia from Project Alicia to bring you the Crazy Days of Summer – a fun weekly summer meme aimed at capturing the lazy crazy days of summer.

We’d love for you to grab your camera and join us on Friday, June 3rd, for the start of the Crazy Days of Summer weekly photo challenge. Regardless of skill level, all are welcome to get in on the fun and playing along is easy:

-Weekly themes are provided for inspiration. Upcoming themes for the month of June are as follows…

Week 1, June 3rd – Flowers
Week 2, June 10th – Refreshing
Week 3, June 17th – Water
Week 4, June 24th- Yellow

-Share your images with us at Project Alicia or Live and Love Out Loud each Friday from June 3rd to August 26th. Alicia and I will share a few of our favorites from the bunch in our Top 5 Pics of the Week on our blogs the following Thursday. (All posts will go live at 12:01am.)

-No blog? No problem! You’re welcome to share your photos in the Crazy Days of Summer Flickr Group.

-Grab our super cute button.

Live and Love Out Loud

Sounds like fun, right?

Head on over to the Crazy Days of Summer page to learn more about our fun summer meme and to get a head start on upcoming themes throughout the course of the challenge as well.

We can’t wait to see your photos!

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