Last Chance Survey
I saw this survey over at The Athlete’s Plate and thought it was a fun idea so I decided to join in!
Last food you ate:
Jimmy John’s Ultimate Porker. Don’t judge me, I couldn’t decide between ham and bacon so instead of deciding I had both. It was super yummy!
Last beverage you drank:
Water. That’s pretty much the only thing I drink.
Last thing you pinned:
Last text message you sent:
“FYI B’s car seat is on sale for $30 at Target if u still need to get one.” Aren’t I a good ex-wife?
Last blog you visited:
I just read a great post over at Banana Buzzbomb called Finding the Right Path. It’s a great post! Go check it out.
Last tweet you sent:
“I would love to see B at jury duty! Lol”
Last place you visited:
Mr. Sarcastic’s house. 
Last time you did ab work:
Friday I did Pilates! I am writing this post on Sunday and I plan to do ab work today and Monday.
Last show you watched:
I don’t remember but it was some sort of show that Little B likes.
Last thing you baked:
Oh geeze , who has time to bake?! I haven’t baked anything recently but I know that Little B is hoping for some pumpkin muffins soon.
Last thing you instagrammed:
Did you see my blog post about this from yesterday?
Last item on your to-do list:
I don’t normally have a written to-do list but there is always something that needs to be done.
Troll Alert
Brace yourselves for what I am about to say.
My blog has……trolls.
I know, I know. It was only a matter of time before it happened to me. And some would even say that it is a sign that I have finally made it as a blogger. I was really hoping that the first sign of making it as a blogger would be getting paid to blog but I’ll take what I can get. 
Not familiar with what a troll is? According to Wikipedia “a troll is someone who posts inflammatory extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”
You can’t see any of the troll’s comments because I didn’t approve any of them. Most of the comments have centered around criticizing me for not having a job (When did I win the lottery and why am I just now finding out about it?), accusing me of not being a “real” athlete (I pinched myself and it hurt. I’m definitely real.) and taking offense to the name of my blog because I have not been in the military (Huh?).
I’ll be honest. At first I was a little insulted by the comments. But then as time went on I started to find them to be quite humorous. Interestingly enough when I Googled one of the Trolls names, I discovered that she does this on lots of blogs. More specifically running blogs. After that discovery, there was no way I could take those comments to heart.
So Trolls, if you still decide to take up residence on my blog here is my message to you.
1. I will not approve any of your comments. You want a reaction and I am not going to give you one. Instead I am going to laugh at your comment and promptly delete it.
2. If you post your comment using a profile that I am able to report you with, I will. Every. Single. Time.
3. Your negative comments say way more about you than they will ever say about me.
4. If all you put out into the world is negativity don’t be surprised if that is all you get back.
5. Karma. It’s a bitch.
6. You don’t define me. I do.
Bottom line: I ain’t afraid of no trolls!
Have you had the pleasure of dealing with trolls? How have you handled it?
Five blogs for Friday & Three Giveaway Winners
I need some of this!
I was lacking inspiration for a blog post today but luckily I have read some pretty great posts from other bloggers this week, so I thought I would share them with you! And to make it a little more fun, I am giving each of the 5 bloggers an “award” for their post.
1. The girl crush award – I have had a girl crush on The Running Thriver for quite some time but her Ultra Beast Recap further cemented the crush. Let’s face it, she makes badassery look easy! And she’s a super sweet girl to boot! You should totally check out her blog, she will leave you inspired with each and every post she puts out there.
2. The AWWWW award - I don’t have a desire to have any more kids of my own but stories of babies entering the world make me teary eyed and happy. NYC Running Mama had a great Birth Story post on her blog about her new bundle of joy.
3. The LOL Award – I try to laugh as often as possible and I can always count on getting a good laugh from the posts on WritRams. The one that made me laugh the most this week was “Preschool Anatomy and Boob Talk.” Check it out!
4. The Girl Power Award – Charlotte at Wild Things Run Free has been through a lot this year but she still continues to preserve and chase her dreams. Her post about flying to Texas makes me happy because I know she is taking another step towards finding her happy place.
5. The High Five Award - I love hearing about other people’s races, especially their first race or their first race of a certain distance. Candy Fit’s post on running her first half marathon got me a little teary eyed.
What posts have you read this week that have resonated with you? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
Now I get to make 3 new friends by announcing the winners of “The Real Truth About How Blogs Make Money” giveaway! And they are:
1. Amanda from Run Principessa
2. Laura from Mommy Run Fast
3. Erin S.
If you are one of the 3 winners keep an eye on your email for the code for your free e-book!
Don’t be sad it you were not one of the 3 winners. You can still get your hands on your own copy for only $7.99! I promise that it is definitely worth the investment if you are looking to take your blog to the next level. Click here to visit Bloggers Earn Bucks to purchase your own copy of the e-book. And if you do, let me know what you think of it!
The Real Truth About How Blogs Make Money | Book Review & Giveaway
How did I become a blogger?
My son used to attend Gymboree when he was younger and he befriended a cute spunky little girl in his class. Turns out that cute spunky little girl had a cute and spunky Mom who was named Jackie. Jackie and I spent the classes laughing and telling stories about parenting, life etc. One day Jackie told me a story about taking her daughter to the car wash and accidentally washing her kid in the process. The story ended with something like “And of course I blogged about it.” And that was it for me. I checked out her blog post on washing her kid and I was hooked. I wanted to blog.
Luckily for me, I got introduced to blogging by someone who is really good at it. There are definitely varying levels of bloggers out there and Jackie is top-notch! Jackie happily answered all the questions that I had as a first time blogger. Where do I start a blog? Why is nobody reading my blog?! Why should I be on Twitter? Seriously, I asked those questions back in the day. And as I continued on my blogging journey, Jackie has always been someone I could turn to and trust to give me good information and feedback.
Recently Jackie published an e-book called “The Real Truth About How Blogs Make Money: Tips and Tricks for Turning Your Blog Into a Business (Without the BS)” This book came out at just the right time for me because that was and is exactly what I am trying to do with my blog. And let’s be honest there is SO much contradictory information out there about blogging and making money through blogging, it’s enough to drive a blogger crazy. So I did the only reasonable thing. I bought her booked. Read it, highlighted it, re-read it and now I am telling you about it. It’s that good!
I learned so much stuff because of the book. Some things I have already implemented and lots of things I still have on my to do list. Jackie starts the book by discussing basics like understanding statistics and differentiating between different blog type terminology. She continues with how to get people to read your blog and becoming comfortable selling yourself. And then she gets down to what everyone wants to know. How to make money with your blog. And how does Jackie know all of this? She has been blogging since 2005 “way before blogging was even cool” and was able to transition her blog into a full-fledged business!
This book is a must for any blogger!
And guess what? Jackie was nice enough to give me 3 copies to give away to 3 lucky people! Yay! To enter just use the Rafflecopter widget below. I threw in some ways to earn bonus entries because who doesn’t like earning some extra entries?
My Gardner-White Blog for a Grand
Last week I came across this blog post from MichiGal about a contest being held by Gardner-White, a Detroit based furniture store! They are opening up a brand new location in Auburn Hills next month and to celebrate they are giving away one $1000 gift card and two $500 gift cards! Entering the contest is simple. If you are a blogger from Michigan just submit a blog post about what furniture you would like to replace in your home!
I was literally jumping up and down after reading about this contest! If you have ever gone through a divorce or broke up with a significant other that you lived with, you will understand why. And if you haven’t experienced either of these situations, let me spell it out for you. You don’t get to keep all of the stuff that you once had. Sad but true.
Allow me to take you on a tour of the areas in my apartment that need to be improved upon.
Our first stop is my bedroom. Yeah, we are getting personal pretty quick! Next time you have to buy me dinner.
Here is my bed.
There is nothing wrong with the bed per se. But it is the same bed that was used in the home I lived in with my husband… Not to mention, my bed is just a mattress and box springs on a bed frame. There is no fancy headboard and footboard. In fact, I haven’t had a REAL bed since I lived at my Mom’s house over a decade ago. I think it is about time for a grown up bed like this!
The next stop on the tour of my apartment is my living room. Basically in the separation, I got the couch. I LOVE my red couch. I did not get the nice flat screen TV and entertainment center though. Instead, I got this.
Pretty awesome , right? (Yes, that was sarcasm that you picked up on.) I don’t watch a ton of TV but I think my “media center” could be more visually appealing. Not to mention, my son would be excited to see a state of the art television in our living room. Four year olds are so picky about their electronics! Geesh!
How amazing would this look in my living room?
With this on top. Purely to satisfy the four year old, of course.
And the last stop in my apartment isn’t really a room. See if you can figure out what I am talking about from this picture.
Do you know what that is? That is what every wall in my apartment looks like. Well, except for Little B’s room. He is lucky enough to have awesome furniture AND wall decorations! It’s good to be the kid! While I was perusing the Gardner-White website I discovered that they have fantastic accessories (like wall art and lamps) for making your home feel more like….well, a home! I could definitely use some of that in my apartment!
That completes the tour of my apartment. If you were left speechless by the tour and think that I should win the Gardner-White Blog for A Grand contest, raise your hand. I should warn you that anyone who does not have their hand up will be subjected to another viewing of the picture of my living room media center. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
By writing this blog post I will be receiving a $50 gift card from Gardner-White and a chance at winning a $1000 gift card or a $500 gift card but all opinions are my own! I mean you’ve seen the pictures, I can’t make this stuff up!
Bloggers Earn Money with SocialSpark
Are you a blogger?
Are you wanting to monetize your blog?
Then you should join SocialSpark.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am trying to use this great hobby of blogging to make a little side money. One way that I am doing that is with SocialSpark. SocialSpark connects companies with bloggers to create sponsored posts. What I love most about SocialSpark is that you control what you post. When you get a lead you can either accept, decline or negotiate it. This allows me to decline offers that don’t fit my blog and keeps my blog from becoming “spammy.” I never ever want my blog to be spammy! And I am sure you don’t either!
Another great thing about SocialSpark is that it is super easy to sign up for. Trust me…I don’t have time for elaborate processes. I’m a mother of a four year old and I am a runner. My time is limited!
So go ahead, give SocialSpark a try. You have nothing to lose and lots to gain. Click here to sign up.
If you are a blogger, what tips do you have to help me and others monetize their blogs?
Liebster Blog Award: aka More Randomness About Me!
Jaliza who blogs over at Athlete in Me tagged me in her Liebster Blog award post! Thanks so much for the nomination!
The rules of the Liebster Blog Award are as follows:
Tag 11 blogs and link them to your post. Tell 11 random things about yourself. Answer the questions that the person who tagged you asks. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.
Since I didn’t make the rules and neither did Jaliza, I don’t feel bad breaking them. I’m such a rebel, I know. ;) So instead of telling you 11 random things about me (I don’t want to overwhelm you with my craziness), I am going to split that in half and tell you 5.5 random things. I of course, will answer all 11 questions Jaliza asked of me. It would be rude not to. And I will ask 5.5 questions of 5 other bloggers (I don’t know anyone who is half a blogger)!
And to make things EVEN MORE interesting, my random facts are being brought to you by Mr. Sarcastic. That’s right, I am letting Mr. Sarcastic fill you in on me. Keep in mind that his blog nickname is Mr. Sarcastic for a reason!!! (I may regret this!)
1. I am a super organized neat freak. I would have organizers for my organizers, if that were possible. (True!)
2. I have a tattoo just far enough to the side that I can claim that it is not a tramp stamp. (It is SO NOT a tramp stamp!)
3. I am waaay kinkier that I let on. (No comment…)
4. I don’t drink my calories unless it it alcohol related. (True!)
5. I am a sucker for cheesy romantic gestures. (Very true! And I’m glad he realizes it!)
5.5 I like it in my….. (I’m sure he is talking about something running related here.)
Now on to the questions that Jaliza asked me!
1. What do you love most about blogging? This is an easy one! I love connecting with people who I probably never would have connected with if it wasn’t for my blog.
2. What are your hobbies except for blogging? Hmmm…blogging and running / working out take up most of my free time. Does dating Mr. Sarcastic count as a hobby?
3. What is your favorite blog that you read daily? Just ONE? This is REALLY hard. I read many blogs daily. I can’t bring myself to pick a favorite. Check out my blogroll for some of the blogs that I read.
4. What snack do you eat at the movies? I don’t go to the movies very often. But I watch a ton of movies while hanging out with Mr. Sarcastic. I usually eat ice cream, of course!
5. If you could travel back in time, what era would you choose and why? I would go back to the 1950′s, mostly for the music.
6. Iphone or Android? I have a Droid and HATE it! I gives me error messages all the time. I am hoping for an Iphone in the near future.
7. If you could pick a dream profession what would it be? If I could be a beach volleyball player / runner / blogger AND get paid for it…..that would be AWESOME!
8. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve even given / received? Someone special once told me that I needed to stop “over-thinking things.” And it turned out that he was very right!
9. What’s the best time to workout for you? I always run in the late afternoon. I already get up at a ridiculous hour for work, so morning workouts aren’t really an option for me.
10. A must have item on you at all times? (pick one!) Easy! My phone! Gotta stay connected!
11. Which country, other than you current residence, do you lost most? The only other country I have travelled to is Canada. But I would LOVE to travel to Greece!
The 5 blogs / bloggers I have chosen are all ones that I recently started following. They are:
A Gutsy Girl by Sarah
Bald Guy Running by Christian
Run More Awesome by Sarah Jo
Run Run Johnny by John B
She is on a Run by Kelley
And here are the 5.5 questions I would like them to answer!
1. What is the #1 race you have on your bucket list?
2. If you could only partake in one social media site, which one would it be and why?
3. What was your biggest rookie running mistake?
4. What are you most scared of?
5. Other than running, what workouts / sports do you like to do?
5.5 . What is your favorite…………..?
I am looking forward to reading all of their answers to my questions! Thanks again to Jaliza for nominating me for this award. And thanks to Mr. Sarcastic for sharing some random “facts” about me. If you want to join in on the fun, feel free to answer any of the questions or share some random factoids about yourself! I would love to read your responses!
My Blog Got a Facelift!
If my blog could talk it would say, “LOOK AT ME!!!” as it turns around and models its new look for you.
I would love to hear what you think of my blog. Take a good hard look at it and give me some feedback. Positive and negative comments are welcome. No really, go ahead and look at it. I’ll wait for you…….
Not only does my bog look differently on the outside but it is also different on the inside. Do you know why that is? Because it is now SELF-HOSTED!!! Yep, if you couldn’t tell by the caps I used, I am pretty excited about it! Previously my blog was hosted thru wordpress.com. WordPress.com is a great site to use for blogging and it is free! However, as time has gone on (my blog is soon to be 1.5 years old) I would like to have more control over my blog and possibly utilize it to make a little extra money to help pay the bills and help fund my running addiction. To do that I needed to be self-hosted.
I have been tossing around the idea of being self-hosted for at least the last 6 months. To be honest, I was scared to make the move for three reasons. 1) It costs money. 2) I was comfortable where I was. 3) I didn’t know how to do it without paying someone to do it for me.
I really owe Mr. Sarcastic a big thanks for finally helping me make the jump to being self-hosted. Last week I was entertaining boring him with yet another conversation about my blog and my desire to be self hosted and he said, “Let’s do it tonight.” Ummmmm what??? I think he saw the panicked look in my eyes so he led me to a computer that he built himself and explained that he put it all together and could take it apart and redo it all over again. I had already known that he was technologically savvy but this was MY blog that we were talking about!
So in the end, I let him do it. And you know what? Despite all my nail-biting and worries of my posts disappearing for good….all went well! Everything transferred over just fine and it was done in minimal time. Mr. Sarcastic dealt with my anxiety over the process like the wonderful boyfriend that he is and I am grateful to be with someone who is so supportive and encouraging of the things that are important to me. I really am a lucky girl!
I will be honest that although the transfer to being self-hosted was relatively easy and not very time-consuming once everything was transferred I spent A LOT of time selecting a new theme for my blog and setting up the plug-ins, widgets etc. But in the end it was SO worth it and I am loving my new blog!
The one downside to becoming self-hosted it that everyone who followed my blog via wordpress.com or by email gets left behind. 
That saddens me because I love all of my blog readers. I am hoping they will all find their way back to my blog and either sign up for an email subscription or add me to their reader.
If you have a blog and have been contemplating becoming self hosted as well, click here for a great article that may help you make that decision.
Just as the article discusses, my blog still utilizes the WordPress system but I pay Bluehost to host it. I can’t speak in length about Bluehost as I am new to it but I know it is a top hosting site and it was recommended by WordPress. If you decide to go thru Bluehost I would love for you to sign up by clicking here.
Full disclosure: by clicking on my link I get a kickback from Bluehost. It doesn’t cost you more to sign up that way, it just gives me a little commission for referring you and perhaps that will help me offset the cost I pay them. If you do use my link to sign up and you currently run your blog through wordpress.com, Mr. Sarcastic would be happy to assist you with the process of becoming self-hosted. Yes, he really is that wonderful to me and he doesn’t mind being pimped out in the least!
So what are you waiting for? Make the switch to being self-hosted. It is not as painful as you think it is going to be. I promise!
I’ve been MIA!
Can you believe that last time I blogged was May 9th??? What is wrong with me?
I guess it’s because I am not really training for anything right now plus work has been crazy busy and then both Brennen and I have been sick. Life happens!
You may remember that I was supposed to pace my friend in her first 5k race on Mother’s Day weekend. However, due to my Tough Mudder injuries and her lack of running because of my lack of running we decided to bow out of that race with the intention of selecting another 5k in the future where both of us felt more prepared. Luckily it doesn’t count as a DNS for me as I never registered for the race.
My next scheduled race is the Warrior Dash in July. Perhaps I will find a 5k to do sometime between now and then but I am not feeling the need to race like I normally do. Maybe it is because nothing can ever really compare to the Tough Mudder or maybe because I have been slightly bored with my weekly workout regimen. I think it might be time to mix it up a little. Maybe try a Zumba class?!?!
So what have you all been up to? Any ideas on how I can get out of my workout rut?
