BlogHer 2011 - Focus on Me!

Have you ever had an experience that was so meaningful that you just wanted to relish in the memory and savor it like a fine wine? My trip to the BlogHer Conference was that way for me. I've been holding on to all of my wonderful experiences and will share them as I feel moved to do so. The thing that made BlogHer 2011 so remarkable for me is that this year I am in transition. So, I did not approach the conference from the standpoint of how I can become a better blogger but rather how I can be the best me I can possibly be.

This meant focusing entirely on my personal desires, listening to my body and attending the sessions that supported my desire to better myself. I focused on my health - both physical and mental. I know this is not the classic approach to the BlogHer conference but it was what I needed and honestly it was the best BlogHer I've attended to date.

I started most my mornings with exercise, the first courtesy of P&G and the Live Well Lived sessions which I enjoyed. Especially the aromatherapy session when we did a guided meditation with the facilitator. Unexpected but totally enjoyable and my foot massage did wonders. Thank you P&G!

On the first full day of the conference I was treated to yoga courtesy of my sponsor, Pfizer and it was amazing beginning the morning overlooking the beautiful San Diego marina. And did I mention, that prior to stretching I did the BlogHer 5K run with Together Counts!

I wore my sparkle skirt and joined the other ladies as we sparkled our way around the marina.

In the afternoon I went to a great session with Ms. Browkow who is celebrating the beauty of living the best life ever as you approach the forties and beyond. This dialogue was intimate and she answered questions and even offered to provide me with a counseling session during this transitional time in my life.

Photo credit: Angry Julie

On Saturday I was treated to a workout with Bob Harper of The Biggest Loser fame he made me his honorary assistant and we had a ball. My legs were screaming after the workout in a great way!

And on Saturday afternoon I spent the day with the special guests from Pfizer. Wendy a registered dietitian spent at least 45 minutes talking with me about making good dietary decisions, provided websites and even told me about a twitterchat I can join on Wednesday evenings. When we finished speaking I felt like I had a friend whom I shared my shortcomings with - not eating right and gaining some weight - who cheered me on.

I followed our conversation by speaking with Val Waters, she is a celebrity trainer who specializes in getting folks Red Carpet ready. I'd like to consider us old friends, we met at another conference earlier this year and I worked out with her using her Val slides which are amazing. She also encouraged me to keep up with my exercise and maintain my "cutie booty!"

Another highlight of the conference for me was the Voices of the Year where I learned the importance of having a pair (or two or three) of red underwear and celebrated my friends sobriety anniversary. So many voices and I cried so many tears. You can visit BlogHer.com to read all of the posts that were shared - be prepared with tissues....

I suppose you can see my overall theme remained the same. Take care of self, celebrate self and at one point I went to sit by the pool and shared an impromptu lunch with my good friend Jennifer.  BlogHer 11 I focused on me. I happily admit it and next year when it is held in New York I will probably do the same.

For those of you curious about the conference it can be whatever you want it to be and this year it was everything I anticipated and more!

Disclosure: Many thanks to my sponsor Pfizer for making my trip to BlogHer 11 possible. 

Nestle Family Summer Grand Giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS TO AMBER entry no. 207 chosen by Random.org! 

Can you believe summer is coming to an end? To celebrate the end of Summer, 
I am giving away a gift pack from Nestle that you don't want to miss! 

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader  will win a NESTLÉ Family Summer Prize Pack including: a $100 VISA gift card, ice cream (NESTLÉ DRUMSTICK, EDY’S/DREYER’S) coupons, NESTLÉ Pure Life coupons and summer activities (jump rope, chalk, beach ball, hard and soft flyers, a ball and a Lambada catch ball and mitt set)!

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

- Tell me in a comment one fun summer activity you like to do with your family that would make it the BEST SUMMER EVER!

Additional entries

Tweet about the contest- "Enter to win $100 gc, NESTLÉ ice cream and beach ball, jump rope, chalk and a Lambada catch ball and mitt set on http://cutiebootycakes.blogspot.com/2011/08/nestle-family-summer-grand-giveaway.html @cutiebootycakes!" You can do this once daily. 

Follow me on twitter: @reneejross and @cutiebootycakes  1 entry each (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Friend me on facebook 

Rules

Please be sure to leave a comment for each method of entry.


If you do not have a blogger profile that includes your email address, please include it in your entry.

Contest will close at 11:59 PM E.S.T September 2nd, 2011
Contest is open to residents of the United States

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in the NESTLÉ Family Summer Promotion and for writing this post.  The giveaway was sponsored by NESTLÉ Family and sister brands. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

Hot and spicy? That's me!

Last month I mentioned that I'm one of the newest ambassadors for Mom's the Word on Dinner and today - TODAY my first video is debuting. You can check it out here but also take a trip over to facebook and add your tips on how to spice up pasta. Pasta is certainly a favorite around here and I'd love to hear your secrets!




And I forgot to mention, tonight from 8pm - 9pm EST there will be a twitter party to talk about spicing up your pasta and there will be prizes, PRIZES! 

Ragú® “Mom’s the Word on Dinner” Twitter Party Date:                     Tuesday, August 23rd  Time:                    8 p.m. - 9 p.m. EST Location:             #MomstheWord Host:                     @MomTalkRadio (Maria Bailey, Founder of MomSelect); @ragusauce

Disclosure: I am an ambassador for Ragu's "Mom's the Word on Dinner" and this is a sponsored post. As usual, all opinions are 100% my own! 

I Can't Take It With Me Sale!

I may have brought it all back home with me, but I can't take it with me on the road trip. Here is a notice for my upcoming end-of-summer garage sale.

Still tagging,

Marjorie

LBR foster Flo has finally found her boxer spirit again! She was a little sad when she first came to her foster home, but then she found a yellow tennis ball under the couch and remembered she was a boxer after all. Yay, Flo! I hope you find your family soon.

Alouette and her babies

Anyone remember Alouette and her babies? She's a new LBR foster dog who found comfort in a little pink baby dog toy. She carries it everywhere, bathes it, and sleeps with it. Her foster mom was telling everyone how much she loves it, and how she's afraid how Alouette would react if one of the other dogs got hold of it and destroyed it.



So what did the awesome LBR volunteers do?





Yup, they raided every Petsmart in the area and bought Alouette as many pink babies as we could find! Some of the awesome Petsmart employees were helping us dig through clearance bins and even getting forklifts out to get into the way up high stuff.



Alouette says "Thank you, LBR! I love all my babies!"

Back to School! Supplies for Charity

My son started pre-school two weeks ago and the school supplies he needed were minimal. His school requested things for his classroom like construction paper, lysol, and anti-bacterials (which by the way I purchased at Walmart). In the four year old classroom no pencils and paper were needed but I'm sure my shopping list will increase next year for kindergarten! 


For those of you that are shopping for back to school, Walmart has a large area that has supplies at great prices.  I was tasked with finding a backpack, filling it with supplies and giving it to a student in need. With giftcard in hand, I went to work. Take a look at all the things I purchased for under $25.00! 




(I know I said under $20.00 in the video but after checking my receipt I realize I spent just under $25 which is still a bargain!) I am so happy to be able to bless a student this year with school supplies! Thank you for the opportunity Walmart! 


Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and have been compensated for writing this post but as usual all opinions are my own. 

First Book Chat - an easy way to give back!

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Taste Testing

For as long as I can remember I've been a fan of Sargento cheese. So when I was asked to do a taste test comparing processed cheese with Sargento it was a no brainer. When my package arrived I dug right into to the Sargento cheddar cheese and didn't even bother tasting the processed cheese. It was so bad in fact that for fear of eating the entire bag by myself, I had some of my friends try the taste test too.

I made a platter and had the processed cheese on one side and the Sargento on the other. Needless to say the Sargento was a big hit!

Diane was brave enough to try the processed cheese and she said there was no comparison! 

Piera and Dawn got a big kick out of tasting the cheese and like me, were already a fan of Sargento. It is honestly the only cheese I buy and this "taste test" just proved that I will remain a fan! 






Disclosure: This taste test was sponsored by The Motherhood and Sargento, I received compensation for the post but all opinions are 100% mine as usual. 

Back to School! Clothes

Most people are finding it hard to believe that school is right around the corner. Well, I have news for you, my son started school on August 1st. And I have to say that I am thrilled. I must admit that it is nice to have mornings to myself. Although he was in camp and had a visit with grandma, for me it is a good break to have moments for myself during the day when I can work. 

Of course, back to school meant I had to shop for new clothes. My son is like a weed and so I took a trip to Walmart to see what I could purchase for under $40.  I was amazed. My son is now the proud owner of 5 new outfits to start the school year. 

As you can see, he has several shorts sets with his favorites, Buzz Lightyear and Cars. We are in Georgia so although school is back in session it is very much still summer. These clothes will last him until at least the end of September maybe even October because we have such warm weather.  This week I plan on highlighting other purchases from Walmart that can help you get ready for back to school too! 


Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and was compensated for my time and given a gift card to shop for the back to school clothing. All opinions are my own.

Dog-tired

Man oh man, am I tired! I'm glad I get a nice, long nap while Mom goes to work, because I could use it. Wonder why I'm so tired? Well, blame THIS!





Oh sure, she looks cute and innocent. But she's got energy! She's really giving me some good cardio, that's for sure. This is Briar Rose. She was my foster sister a long time ago, before Cinderella came to live with us. We thought she'd found her forever home, but then her dad lost his job and had to send her back to us. He was a runner, and they'd go running a couple of miles every single day. Now Rosie has me running that in laps around the house and the backyard! She's fun to play with, but I've got to teach her the fine art of resting. :)

Lawry's A Fabulous Summer of Flavor

Last week I had the pleasure of being a member of the Team Atlanta Mom Bloggers as a part of the "Fabulous Summer of Flavor" sponsored by Lawry's.  Our theme was "On Vacation" and we made pizza, garlic knots and a tomato salad that were to die for! If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am a vegetarian so in addition to the chicken pizza we made a veggie pizza too. It was so delicious. Instead of the chicken we used tomatoes, mushrooms and a good dose of garlic. Simply delicious. I was on a team with the fabulous
Piera at Jolly Mom (our hostess), Lisa at Life with Lisa, Meghan atJaMonkey, Dawn at My Home Sweet Home and Diane at Diane at Turning the Clock Back

White Chicken Pizza Recipe

What you will need:

2 Chicken Breasts

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade

5 cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 Tbsp of olive oil

1 large bunch fresh spinach

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Homemade Pizza Dough

Directions:

Marinade chicken in Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade (overnight is best, but a few fours will work).
Cook chicken on grill pan until done and then shred.
Roll out pizza dough very thin and brush the top with olive oil and add minced garlic. Add fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and chicken. Don’t overload your pizza with toppings–it’s best to keep it light.
Cook your pizza on a pizza stone or quarry tiles in an oven t

hat’s been preheated to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Recipe makes 2-3 pizzas, depending on how thin you roll out your pizza.

Balsamic Herb Tomato Salad

Ingredients

2 pounds tomatoes, cut into

Cutting Tomatoes

wedges

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade

Parmigiano Reggiano

Tomato Salad

Directions

Combine the tomatoes, scallions and marinade in a large salad bowl and toss to coat. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

Dough

Dough Knots

1 3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast

5 1/2 cups all-pupose, unbleached flour

Coating the Knots

Garlic Coating

1/4 cup olive oil

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 cloves garlic, finely crushed

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Parmigiano Reggiano

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste

Directions:

Sprinkle Lawrys Lightly

Combine water, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, and active dry yeast in a large bowl. Mix to dissolve yeast.
Add flour and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lint free towel and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for a few days if you want to make it ahead of time or go ahead and begin making the knots.
Divide the dough in two balls to make it easier to handle. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 5″x16″ and 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 1/2″x5″ strips.
With floured hands, roll each strip back and forth to create a rope. Tie into a knot–over, under, and through– and place on sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
Make the rest of the knots, cover pans loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise before baking. You want the knots to double in size (approx.)
Preheat oven to 500° F. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
While knots are baking, make garlic coating. Gently warm olive oil, butter, and garlic in a small saucepan. Add chopped parsley and set aside.
Remove knots from oven, place in a large bowl and toss with garlic coating OR brush the coating on. Season with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Did I mention that we are competing with other Mom Blogger across the country for the best recipes?


Help us win? 
You could win the 3 Lawry’s products we used during our cooking!
Scoring is based on overall community engagement with blog readers and Twitter followers. Please leave a comment on this post and tweet it, too. You can use the share buttons below!


One commenter or tweeter will receive a sample pack with a 16-oz jar of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade, and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade.


How the enter:
Follow @reneejross on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway using the Share buttons below. Leave your Twitter Handle in a comment below.
Additional Entries:
Leave me a comment with your favorite way to use Lawry’s
Facebook Share / Comment (must post to your profile)

It's raining!

Boy, the humans are sure excited about water falling out of the sky. Sheesh. But I admit, it does make things a lot cooler, and it's been a LONG time since we've had any. But whenever it rains, my mom makes us suffer indignities like this:





Save me.

It sure is quiet around our house today. Do you know why? Because my foster sister Vivian went and got herself adopted yesterday! She seems really happy with her new dad, and I know he's going to spoil her like crazy. We miss her a whole lot, though. Mom said she cried the whole drive home after dropping Vivian off yesterday.



Congratulations, Vivian! I hope you're very, very happy in your new furever home!

The Summer Parasol

That's my grandmother, Florence Hubbard, (holding the second parasol on the right) at her Wellesley College Reunion.

I don't remember her, but the family cottage is full of her mementos.

Her school books, mostly on the subjects of Art and Natural History, have always resided on a shelf next to the fireplace. And in a dark corner in the hall, as if waiting for her return, is her parasol. It is there that I discovered it one summer, and it soon became a constant childhood companion. How did that fragile paper confection survive its career as a prop for my daily whirling, twirling and dancing on the lawn, fashion shows, theatre productions and dress-up parties? In quiet times, it shaded and guarded me from the noonday sun. This is one special family keepsake which will definitely not make this summer's garage sale. So its back to your corner, Dear Friend. Be patient, the next generation - little Emma, Mila or Lila Grace will soon discover your hiding place.

Still Whirling and Twirling,
Marjorie

LBR is in desperate need of foster homes! If you're in the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex, please consider fostering. LBR will provide all vet care, food, crates -- you just provide the love! Please go to www.savetheboxers.com for more information.

I don't know about where you are, but it's sure been HOT in Texas lately. We're in the middle of a long string of 100-degree days, and yesterday was 110! And that was the day my mom's air conditioner died, of course. She was really worried about how my sisters and I would handle it. We ended up having to go to Aunt Diana's for a little while to watch TV with her in the AC while Mom sweated and waited on the repairman. Remember, dogs want a cool place to stay in weather like that as much as a human does. Especially if they're short-snouted breeds like boxers, since we have a lot of trouble breathing when it gets hot.

The Digital Moms Handbook

My good friends Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla have written a book that ALL, I mean ALL new bloggers, current bloggers and aspiring bloggers MUST have. It is called The Digital Mom Handbook and I think it really should be called the Digital Moms Bible! It has everything you need to know about the business of blogging. There are so many resources, personal success stories and insights in this book.


Here is a synopsis of the book: 

To work or not to work? That seems to be the bottom-line question for most mothers today. But Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla, founders of Momgenerations.com and Classymommy.com, are proving that the equation is changing. They have blogged, vlogged, Tweeted, and Facebooked their way to dream careers at home--and want to help you do it too! The Digital Mom Handbook has all the information you need to help build your ideal balance between work and home.

It is in stores now and I HIGHLY recommend you purchase a copy.  And just so you know, I'm not just saying this because I'm in the book. 


This truly is a MUST HAVE for all Moms that want to turn blogging into a business.  It will save you a good deal of time and energy because everything you need to know is laid out for you.


Seriously. Purchase this book. Now!