From the monthly archives:

May 2009

Philly’s Picnic with a Purpose

by Jo-Lynne on May 31, 2009

**The video is working now.**

Y’all, yesterday was SO much fun. Even though there were several roadblocks along the way (and I mean that literally AND figuratively) the picnic came off without a hitch, and I am SO grateful for the help of so many of my fellow bloggers (and their husbands) who came together to make this such a fun and laid back event.

hebrew101
Photo credit: Sarah {Genesis Moments}

We had gorgeous weather; it couldn’t have been more perfect. There wasn’t a fly or a bee in sight. Seriously, a picnic without FLIES. I didn’t know such a thing could happen. (Note to self: host all future picnics in May.)

First, the roadblocks (in addition to the literal one, that is): I was disappointed on Friday when I found out my husband was unable to attend (read: supervise the children and carry heavy boxes of supplies to and from the car.) Although. Even though he couldn’t make it to the picnic, he drove all over town yesterday morning and went to FOUR grocery stores to find enough Hebrew National hot dogs for the picnic. PLUS, he willingly and without complaint, drove back to the party store to retrieve the balloons that I paid for and absentmindedly left in the store. Yes, he’s a GEM.)

And then yesterday morning I got a call from Emily of The Motherhood, saying she was unable to attend, due to an injury that needed immediate medical attention. I had been looking forward to hanging out again, and disappointed that I wouldn’t have a partner to share in the hostessing and media coverage, but with the help of a few good bloggers, I was able to get all the supplies to and from the picnic, and judging by the number of cameras on the premises, there will be plenty of media coverage to go around.

And now, on to the GOOD STUFF: Big shout out and megathanks to my good friend girlymama who was a tremendous help with the planning and shopping. Also, to the husbands of Shannon and Sarah — the guys who hovered over the grills and kept the flame from getting blown out, to provide us with perfectly cooked hot dogs. And I also want to give a shout out to Crayola, who donated a huge box of goodies for the children at Home of the Sparrow, in addition to all the generous donations brought by the attendees of the picnic. Also, I want to thank Elizabeth and her friend, Jennifer, who came and painted faces for HOURS for a meager honorarium.

Okay, that’s enough of the businessy stuff. Now on to the FUN part! PICTURES!!!

I’ll post some here, but you can see more at the Picnics with a Purpose circle at The Motherhood (click on them to view larger), as well as on the Picnics with a Purpose flickr page.

Hebrew National sent t-shirts for all the kids. Some of the adults got in on the fun too! This is my littlest. She’s not at all camera-shy:

Photo credit: Jo-Lynne’s faithful Blackberry (not bad, eh?)

The crafts were a hit! Thanks to whomever suggested decorating these foam visors!!

hebrew4
Photo credit: Nick

Jenn worked TIRELESSLY painting faces. Here is Mel’s little girl:

hebrew-2
Photo credit: Mel {Box of Chocolates}

This is my little one:

hebrew-20
Photo credit: Sarah {Genesis Moments}

The kids decorated these baskets for the donations we collected.

hebrew15
Photo credit: Sarah {Genesis Moments}

The outpouring of donations was phenomenal.

hebrew
Photo credit: Sarah {Genesis Moments}

The kids gobbled those hot dogs right up!

hebrew3
Photo credit: Nick

Now THAT’S a hot dog.

hebrew8
Photo credit: Sarah {Genesis Moments}

After dinner, we planted flowers for the residents at Home of the Sparrow.

hebrew-1
Photo credit: Mel {Box of Chocolates}

hebrew21
Photo credit: Nick

Before we left, we tried to gather all the bloggers together for a photo. Unfortunately not quite everyone had a chance to jump in the picture.

hebrew1
Photo credit: Nick

We had SUCH a good time. Philly has an amazing community of mom bloggers. I can’t wait to hang out again!!!

There are more posts at Occupation Mommy, A Box of Chocolates, Genesis Moments, Celebrate the Silver Lining, The Mommy Esquire, Incognito Mom, girlymama, Total Mom Haircut, and I’ll add on as I get more.

Here is a video I put together from Sarah’s footage of the event. ENJOY!

Hebrew National – Picnic with a Purpose from Jo-Lynne on Vimeo.

{ 24 comments }

Links and Shout Outs

by Jo-Lynne on May 30, 2009

in Linky Love

Today’s the day for our Picnic with a Purpose, and I survived! So far, anyway. The rain moved out overnight, and it’s a gorgeous day. I’m so bummed that Emily won’t be able to join us. Say a prayer for her if you would; she has a nasty injury that needs immediate medical attention.

We have bloggers coming from New Jersey, Delaware, and all over eastern Pennsylvania, and I can’t wait to hang out and nosh on hot dogs (Hebrew National, of course, as they are sponsoring these events!)

The cool things about the Picnics with a Purpose is that there is a purpose. Each organizer gets to choose a charity of her choice to sponsor, and I found a wonderful local organization called Home of the Sparrow that provides temporary housing for homeless women and helps them find jobs and permanent housing and get back on their feet. I’m so excited to support this awesome service to the community.

If you can’t be there, be sure to check out the Picnics with a Purpose circle at TheMotherhood.com later today for live updates and photos, and I’m sure I’ll be twittering along the way.

Here are a few links for your reading enjoyment!

The Sound You Hear – We Are THAT Family

Won Young Man – blackbelt oma

I Shall Speak of It No More – Notes From the Trenches

13 Steps to Healthy Eating – She Lives

{ 3 comments }

Mojitos

by Jo-Lynne on May 29, 2009

in Tried and True Recipes

I realize I’m woefully behind the times, but I have recently discovered the mojito.

I KNOW. Mojitos are so yesterday. (As an oh-so-diplomatic server once informed a friend of mine when she went to order one, to the hilarity of our entire party.)

I had my first mojito one warm summer evening last summer when a neighbor invited us over to hang out on the deck, and they served homemade mojitos made with homegrown mint. It was DIVINE. I’m sure it helped that it was the perfect evening to enjoy a refreshing mojito.

I’ve ordered them on occasion since then, but I haven’t had one NEARLY as good as the one my neighbor made. I asked him for his recipe a few weeks ago, but he is a professional chef, so he was all, “It’s nothing! Just throw together simple syrup, lime, and rum.” Um, hi. Have you met me? I need VERY. EXPLICIT. DIRECTIONS. Like with measurements.

So I took it upon myself to experiment with different recipes until I found one as good as his. It took me three recipes and numerous tries to get it right. See what I endure for the sake of ye ole blog?

Recipe #1

I didn’t think I wanted to mess with making simple syrup, but I was afraid that granulated sugar wouldn’t dissolve, so I chose this recipe from About.com with powdered sugar. It was not a hit. It was way too tart. I tried adding another teaspoon of powdered sugar, but it still didn’t cut it, so I moved on to recipe #2.

Recipe #2

I wanted to try a different recipe to compare while the taste of the first one was still fresh, so I didn’t have time to make simple syrup and wait for it to cool. So I decided to try The Cuban Mojito (Mojito with Granulated Sugar) from The Mojito Company. It was better, and I realized that it used half the lime juice and twice the sugar of the first one. That’s when it occurred to me the reason I didn’t care for the first was that it had too much lime. But I didn’t care for the amount of club soda with this one, and it wasn’t very minty either.

Recipe #3

The next day I decided to break down and make the simple syrup. I found this post entitled The best mojito recipe ever… She gives four tips that she swears take the mojito to the next level. I only used the first tip, but MAN DID IT EVER MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. The secret? MINT-INFUSED simple syrup. Here’s how.

Make your own mint simple syrup: 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar (use 1/3 brown sugar), heated until the sugar dissolves (you can use your microwave for this). Then let it steep with one cup of mint leaves for at least 30 minutes before you strain it & store it in your refrigerator.

I did it on the stove top, and I didn’t bother with the brown sugar.

mint

That’s what it looks like before the sugar dissolved. When the liquid is clear, remove from the heat and cool. Then store in a container with a lid that seals until time to make your drinks.

I followed the rest of her directions but made a few alterations of my own. Here’s my version.

Mojtos via Musings of a Housewife

1. Into a tall glass, pour 1 ounce of the mint simple syrup.

2. Add 6-12 fresh mint leaves, and muddle it together.

3. Add crushed ice. Muddle some more.

4. Add to that 1-1/2 to 2 ounces of light rum (depending on the kind of day you had.)

5. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime.

6. Add a splash of club soda and stir. (I don’t even find it necessary to add the club soda at all, but that’s just me.)

7. Garnish with a mint sprig and a slice of lime.

mojito

If you want to make a larger batch, it basically boils down to this: (Oh, I’m so punny!)

Mix thoroughly 2 parts simple syrup to 1 part lime (or more if you like your drinks more tart than sweet) to 3 parts rum. Pour in a tall glass over ice, add a splash of club soda, garnish with mint and lime, and serve!

Yes, I realize that mojitos aren’t intended to be made in bulk. But if you want to make a few at a time, I won’t turn you in to the mojito police.

{ 32 comments }

Convicted

by Jo-Lynne on May 29, 2009

in Motherhood

I recently signed up for a newsletter that sends a daily parenting tip from the National Center for Biblical Parenting at the recommendation of my dear blogging buddy Missy wall e dvdrip download .

I have received two issues so far, and there is only one word for the way I feel when I read these. CONVICTED. And it’s not an entirely pleasant feeling either.

The first one was about how we are building a tape in our children’s minds. Basically the point was that everything we say to our children is creating a tape that will be replayed over and over. The final point was this: “Take a moment and think about the tape you’re creating in your child’s head. Is it the one you want them to remember?”

YEOWCH.

Last night’s tip was called Enjoying Your Child’s World. In it, parents are encouraged to honor their children by participating in activities or conversations that interest the child — as opposed to expecting them to fit into your interests or desires.

This is an area I struggle with tremendously. I do not like to play. Even as a babysitter in college, I remember an employer telling me that she had recommended me to a friend and that she told her friend, “She’s not one to play, but she’s great with the kids, and she will often read to them and bake with them.” That pretty much summed it up.

x men origins wolverine download

I am much the same kind of parent as I was babysitter. I do not play. I do not color. I do not do messy crafts. I DO allow my kids to cook with me, but even that is a chore. And now that I have two little angels vying for my counter space, I’m more likely to say, “No, not this time.”

In other words, I realize that I spend time with my kids, but on my terms.

The other side of the coin is conversation. The author of the article pointed out that making time to talk about the things they want to talk about is also important. I have a friend who is fond of saying, “We spend the first two years of their lives trying to get them to walk and talk and the next 16 trying to get them to sit down and shut up.” And I always giggle, because HOW TRUE IS THAT!?

But I want to make an extra effort to listen to them when they want to talk to me, to turn away from whatever I’m doing and engage with them. If I want them to listen to me when I have something important to say, perhaps listening to them is a good start.

The information in the article isn’t necessarily news to me; I doubt many of the parenting tips are going to be huge epiphanies, but I really need these daily reminders. Hopefully they will be the kick in the tush I need to make some changes that will benefit my children and our family over the long haul.

I have a feeling I will be referring to these daily tips often in the upcoming weeks.

{ 23 comments }

Costco, Pedicures and Picnics

by Jo-Lynne on May 28, 2009

in A Day in the Life

Let’s see. I could regale you with tales of my latest shopping venture with two lively children — to Costco, no less. Or I could wax eloquent about my latest parenting epiphany. Or I could tempt you with the mojito recipe I’ve been perfecting this week. Or I could abandon the blog altogether and pick up the house. I know which my husband would vote for. Good thing he doesn’t have a vote. Ha!

So by now I’ve mentioned 2 or 20 times the Picnic With A Purpose for Hebrew National that I’m organizing on Saturday. Yes, THIS Saturday! It’s actually almost here. Have I mentioned that I don’t LIKE organizing events? It’s not that I mind the work involved. It’s just that I don’t like the responsibility associated with it. It’s a lot to keep track of, and keeping track of things is not my strong suit. You may already be familiar with Exhibit A.

I am so afraid of forgetting something MAJOR. Like the grills.

*writes “grills” on The List*

Yes, I’ve resorted to a list like a reliable person. It’s getting P-R-E-T-T-Y freaky around here lately.

And also, no matter how well I plan, I tend to get really stressed out and overwhelmed on the day of the event. It ain’t pretty. I know this because last year I got roped into volunteered to host our church picnic. The morning of the event, I almost self combusted, as my husband can attest. He got the brunt of it, poor guy. Honestly, it’s a wonder he sticks around.

But even though the planning is a tad overwhelming, I am thrilled to be a part of it, and I am SO looking forward to this Saturday. A ton of local bloggers are coming with their families, and I can’t wait to hang out with them. We have planned fun crafts and games for the kids, we’re having a ton of delicious food (I know this because I did finally make it to Costco today), plus we are supporting a fabulous local organization called Home of the Sparrow that helps homeless women get back on their feet by bringing donations and working on a service project at the event. AND I get to see Emily of The Motherhood again. We met when I represented Huggies for The Motherhood in a local campaign last fall, and she is just a doll. We will be twittering as well as posting live updates, photos, vlogs, etc. to The Motherhood, so you’ll want to tune in, for sure!

So this morning I had two gloriously free hours while all 3 kids were in school, and I had to make an executive decision: pedicure or Costco. After a quick Twitter poll, I did the responsible thing. I got a pedicure. What? It was TOTALLY the responsible choice. I can take the kids to Costco. I can not take the kids to the nail salon. Nuff said.

After I got my toenails all beautified, I picked up the girls from school and headed to Costco. First of all, Costco is a half hour away. That, in and of itself, is a trial for my poor, abused children. How dare I ask them to sit in the car for an hour with the comfort of air conditioning and my engaging personality?

As it turned out, our shopping expedition went along quite swimmingly until the very end. I had to re-arrange the cart a few times, and finally I called my husband to see if he could make a Costco stop tomorrow for beverages because there was no WAY they were fitting in my cart, and there was also NO WAY I was dragging two carts and two kids through Costco at lunchtime.

I don’t know about YOUR Costco, but mine is mobbed at lunchtime. Everyone goes on their lunch break, I’m assuming. So after I gathered everything my shopping cart could possibly hold, we got in line at the checkout. I was JUST about to put my first item on the conveyor belt when my 3-year-old conveniently announced her need for the potty facilities. Although she wasn’t concerned at all with decorum. It was more like,

“I have to PEE really BAD. I have to go NOW or I’m going to PEE and POOP in my PANTIES!”

Oh happy day.

I was fortunate enough to locate a bathroom sign at the front of the store, but upon further investigation (with a heavily loaded shopping cart and 2 children straggling behind) I discovered that it was only accessible AFTER you check out. So I left the cart off to one side (much to my 6-year-old’s concern) and marched them through an empty checkout line and up the steps (YES, up steps) to the bathrooms, which, happily, were remarkably clean albeit inconveniently located, where we took care of business before returning to our cart to stand in yet another lengthy checkout line to purchase food for 70.

And that, my friends, is the sum total of my day’s accomplishments so far. You’ll have to wait on the parenting epiphany and the mojito recipe. Careful, lest you topple off the edge of your seat.

{ 11 comments }

How To Create A Button Code

by Jo-Lynne on May 28, 2009

in Bloggity Bizness, How To

I explain to my design clients over and over how to create a button code, so I thought I would write a post about it.

So you just got a blog makeover and with it came this nifty little button. (Or you got industrious and made your own using my tutorial.) But you aren’t entirely sure what to do with it.

The Code

First, let me explain the basic button code. Here is the code to my Musings of a Housewife button.

Now let’s break it down. There are basically two parts:

Hyperlink Reference: <a href=”http://www.musingsofahousewife.com”>

The hyperlink reference is defined by href. This determines the web page that the button will link to — in this case, Musings of a Housewife.

Image Source: <img src=”http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/dcrdesign/SMB.gif”>

The image source is defined by img src. This calls up the image from where it is hosted online.

So, let’s use this generic example, and I’ll show you how to create your own working button code. You will replace the parts in bold.

1) Create the Hyperlink Reference

Replace “Web Page URL” in the hyperlink reference above with the URL of the web page you want your button to link to. Make sure to enclose it in quotes.

2) Create the Image Source Code

Host your image somewhere online. I use Photobucket. Once you’ve uploaded your image, replace “Image URL” in the sample code above with the URL to your image.

3) Insert your new Button Code into the vessel of your choice!

Paste the entire button code into a blog post (in the HTML view, of course) or into a sidebar widget! And you’re good to go.

Troubleshooting

If you have trouble with the button code working, check your quotation marks. You MUST have quotes around the URLs to the web page reference and the image source.

If you do, and it’s still not working, your quotes may have been changed to “smart quotes”. Smart quotes are the curved quotation marks that distinguish an open quote from a close quote. Of course your keyboard does not differentiate, but some computers convert them automatically. HTML does not like smart quotes. HTML wants straight quotes. Because smart quotes are not always so smart and sometimes turn the wrong way, which gets the HTML all befuddled. So. You may need to take the code and put into a TextEdit program and then save it in HTML format, which should make the quotes straight, and then copy and paste the code into your widget. I KNOW. Life is full of inconveniences, though, so get over it.

Now you may be saying, okay, that’s cool. But what’s a button for?

Blog buttons are basically a way to promote a website.

Other uses for buttons are:

1) Blog carnivals. (Like the What I Learned This Week button on my sidebar).

2) Button ads. (See the square ads on my sidebar.)

3) Buttons are used to display that you are a member of a group. (Such as the Frigidaire Test Drive Team button on my sidebar.)

4) Buttons often promote another blog that you write for. (Such as my Chic Critique and Philadelphia Moms Blog buttons.)

5) Design credits. (Such as my DCR Design and Desperately Seeking Wordpress buttons.)

See? A myriad of possibilities! Got questions? Leave ‘em in the comments!

* * *

If you’re in the market for eco-friendly, reusable bags, check out my EcoBags Classic String Bag giveaway.

{ 18 comments }

Free is Good. Required Minimum Balances, Notsomuch.

May 27, 2009

Do you ever have something happen that is SO ridiculous and SO entertaining that you can’t WAIT to put it into a post? Well that’s exactly how I feel right now. My fingers are DANCING to tell this story. Because I just got off the phone with my bank, and apparently there is an idiot [...]

30 comments Keep reading

Fashion Question of the Week

May 27, 2009

Big Mama is taking a break over the summer from Fashion Friday, so I figured it doesn’t matter when I post my fashion questions for now. So here you are. Fashion talk on Wednesday!
Becky says:
Here’s my quandary. I am progressing in my weight loss after having 3 kids in 3 1/2 years, but [...]

20 comments Keep reading

How Did I NOT Know about WiseStamp?

May 26, 2009

.!.
I use my gmail account for EVERYTHING. I love my gmail. I love that I can access it on any computer with an internet connection. I love the spam filter. It actually WORKS. I do NOT love that I can’t use HTML in my custom signature.
paul blart mall cop HD download
UNTIL NOW!
Today I discovered yet [...]

6 comments Keep reading

What I Learned This Week Vol. 17

May 26, 2009

This week I learned a few things of note:
1) I must really be addicted to blogging because last night after I posted that I enjoyed my unexpected blogging break, I realized that I had posted on Saturday morning. So in reality, there wasn’t much of a break at all. And yet, I was feeling quite [...]