Wednesday Words: How Will You Measure Your Life?

For today's edition of Wednesday Words, I'd like to share some tidbits from a book I recently read: "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon.


As a special treat to you, I will even spare you my own analysis. You're welcome.

Your Strategy Is Not What You Say It Is

"You can talk all you want about having a strategy for your life, understanding motivation, and balancing aspirations with unanticipated opportunities. But ultimately, this means nothing if you do not align those with where you actually expend your money, time and energy. In other words, how you allocate your resources is where the rubber meets the road."

"They {unhappy people} prioritized things that gave them immediate returns - such as a promotion, raise or bonus - rather than the things that require long-term work, the things that you won't see a return on for decades, like raising good children."

"If your family matters most to you, when you think about all the choices you've made with your time in a week, does your family seem to come out on top? Because if the decisions you make about where you invest your blood, sweat and tears are not consistent with the person you aspire to be, you'll never become that person."

The Ticking Clock

"When parents engaged in face-to-face conversation with the child {in the first two and a half years of life} - speaking in fully adult, sophisticated language as if the child could be part of a chatty, grown-up conversation - the impact on cognitive development was enormous...In short, when a parent engages in extra talk, many, many more of the synaptic pathways in the child's brain are exercised and refined."

"Outsourcing" Parenting

"When...parents seem to be carting their children around to an endless array of activities in which the kids are not truly engaged, it should start to raise red flags. Are the children developing from these experiences the deep, important processes such as teamwork, entrepreneurship, and learning the value of preparation? Or are they just going along for the ride?"

*****

It's an interesting book, covering both career and relationship happiness, using lessons from some of the world's greatest businesses. While a bit heavy on the research-and-business angles, I still took away a lot of food for thought.

UNICEF Partners With Hallmark to Help Children

You can help support the world's most vulnerable children by purchasing one of Hallmark's new UNICEF everyday greeting cards. A portion of every card will support UNICEF's work ensuring child survival wherever children's lives are at risk.

On the back of each card (there are 116 designs, for occasions ranging from birthdays to weddings to bon vogage) the impact of the purchase is described. I received a few samples, including a wedding card which can provide Vitamin A doses to boost 23 children's immune systems and preserve their eyesight for an entire year, and a "Love" themed card which can provide three disposable syringes, ensuring children are safely vaccinated.

The cards I received ranged from $2.50 - $4.50 in price, which is pretty reasonable considering the huge reach the purchase can have. If you need to buy greeting cards anyway (hmm...isn't one of your favourite bloggers celebrating her birthday today?), why not spend your money where it can make the most impact, and help to improve and sustain the lives of children around the world?

Artist Series Activity Pack from Stuck on You: Review and Giveaway

Giveaway open to US and Canada!

When I was contacted by Stuck On You and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their personalized Artist Series Activity Pack, my response was a resounding YES! Frannie, my six year old, is quite a budding artist, and I knew she would absolutely love to experiment with some new goodies. (Too bad I couldn't have timed this for Christmas or her birthday!) It literally hasn't left her side since she received it. (It has been in the van, to school, to daycare, and in her bed.)

The Artist Series Activity Pack is personalized with a name of your choice, and comes with:

• 1 activity book (colour-by-number, mini wordsearches, etc.) with child's name
• 1 mini scribbler (images to colour as well as blank space for drawing) with child's name
• 12 kids' artists coloured pencils, pre-sharpened (these little details matter!)
• 10 double tip marker pens
• 1 large pocket pencil case (this is really big; it actually holds all included items plus more of Frannie's junk treasures, and it's also durable) with child's name
• 1 sheet of mini-stickers with the name of your choice for labelling the pencils and markers (these don't come labelled. This would be one thing that would make the package even better.)

This package is available from Stuck On You for $49.95 (a $59.85 value). It may seem a bit pricey (I wouldn't spend that amount for a toddler) but the quality really is excellent, and older children can appreciate the personalization. (Your child's teacher will too, when he/she doesn't have to ask "Whose marker is this?")

Since Frannie is now six, I told her she is responsible for reviewing any of the goodies she receives through the blog. Here is a transcription of her responses:
What is your favourite part of the Artist Series Activity Pack?

The Mini Scribbler because I love colouring the best.

What else do you like about it?

The Activity Book because the activities are really cool to do. It's a good thing and it can help you learn stuff. I like things with my name on them because I think my name is different, and it's cool when you open something and you don't know it's going to have your name on it, and when it does it's really special.

If you could change anything, what would you change? (Her eyes lit up at the thought of having this power.)

It should come with a pencil sharpener.

Of course Stuck On You is offering one Artist Series Activity Pack (name and design of your choice) to a lucky This Mom Loves reader. Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The contest will close on July 14th at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet My Personal Stylist: Practical Fashionista

Allow me to introduce you to my personal stylist: Lisa McLatchie, Practical Fashionista! (You may have noticed her link at the top of my sidebar.)

I found her through a simple web search (looking for a personal stylist in or near the GTA) and was very impressed by what I found.

So, what makes her qualified anyway? This must be a common question, as she addresses it on her site:

"Yes, I have been trained as a Personal Stylist. Not only did I study Fashion Design at Seneca College, I am also a certified Image Consultant, and have been personally trained by Stacy London from ‘What Not to Wear.’ Yeah, THAT Stacy London!"

Before contacting Lisa I had tons of other questions, but as I continued to browse the site I realized my worries were not unique to me:

"Seriously though, I fully understand the idea of working with an Image Consultant can seem a bit scary…


“Will she make me get rid of ALL of my clothes?”
“Will she think my clothes are ugly and cheap?”
“Is she going to make me spend tons of money on a new wardrobe?”
“Is she going to use me as a dress up doll, and put me in clothes I don’t feel comfortable in?”

Simply put, the answers are “No”, “No”, “No”, and “No Way”! Well, THIS one won’t anyway."

Reading that on her site really put me at ease about setting up a consultation.

While she offers many services, including colour analysis and personal shopping, what I need the most is a "Wardrobe Makeover", so I contacted Lisa to set something up. She's a busy lady, but after a few e-mails back and forth we picked a final date....which will be arriving next week!!

In advance, she sent me her "Personal Style Assessment", a fill-in-the-blanks Word document asking questions about my style and colour preferences, where I usually shop, my lifestyle, work specifics, size information. etc. She also asked what I am hoping to achieve with this makeover, so I provided her with my three main goals:

1. Purging my wardrobe. I am great at getting rid of things in every other area of my life, but I feel wasteful parting with my clothing, and I often think that perhaps an item will come back in style, or if I just had the right shirt/skirt/pants/accessories to go with it, I'd wear it much more often. Sometimes it takes a second pair of eyes to notice that something just doesn't work anymore.

2. Making new outfits with what I have, and accessorizing. I'm good with jewelery, but I have tons of belts, scarves, tights (and legwarmers - who can forget those?) which I rarely wear because I don't know what to wear them with.

3. Coming up with a Fall 2012 shopping list - hopefully not just my standard sweaters-and-dress-pants combos.

Now, I have tons of stylish friends who could help me with this endeavour, but I don't think I am cut out to take even the kindest wardrobe criticism from friends whom I see all the time.

My helpful friend C predicted: "She's going to tell you that you need real leather boots, which I already told you!" Well, C, I will have you know that I do own real leather boots, but the black thigh-highs with stiletto heels just don't seem appropriate for our work environment!

I've already started excitedly thinking about my "Keep", "?" and "Donate" piles, which will be ready to go when Lisa arrives.  With any luck, her expert eye will pare down the "?" pile, leaving me with a big donation bag...and an excuse to shop!

I can't wait...and I'll be sure to give you all the details! Check out Practical Fashionista for more information.

Disclosure: I am being provided with a Wardrobe Makeover for the purposes of reviewing Practical Fashionista's services. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Anastasia's Picks: "Capture the Flag" by Kate Messner

My ten year old niece "Anastasia" offers her latest book review:

Capture the Flag by Kate Messner (available July 2012 from Scholastic Press):

When the flag of the U.S.A. is stolen, three kids meet each other at an airport, and decide to try to find out who stole it. Searching for a flag is dangerous, when evil people are on the loose and searching for you. But when you have a gang of eager kids, anything can happen!



My favourite parts are when suspense takes place. You are on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens!


Something I would change is ... well, maybe... nothing! I liked this book through and through!


I recommend this book for 9 to 12 year olds. I will give it 4 out 5 stars.

*****

Kate's research for this book was particularly interesting. She contacted the curator of the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit at the National Museum of American History, and once he checked her out, he invited her family to the museum an hour before it opened one day to enjoy the exhibit, "talk about how one might go about breaking into the enclosure, prowl the back hallways and ride the freight elevators to devise a getaway plan".

My students know Kate Messner as the author of "Marty McGuire", which we read this fall. We even had the opportunity for a virtual author visit through Skype, which was a fantastic experience for the kids. The second installment in the series, "Marty McGuire Digs Worms" is now out...and my students have been fighting over it!

Visit Kate Messner's site for more information.

Does the "Monday's Child" Poem Ring True For You?

Just a little bit of Friday fun here: Remember the old poem, "Monday's Child"?
Monday's child is fair of face,


Tuesday's child is full of grace,


Wednesday's child is full of woe,


Thursday's child has far to go.


Friday's child is loving and giving,


Saturday's child works hard for a living,


But the child born on the Sabbath Day,


Is fair and wise at work and play.

My girls were both born on Fridays, and they are certainly loving. The giving part may come a bit more as they mature and sharing becomes a easier...but we practise being charitable by donating used clothing, books and toys.

As for me...I'm sure you're all guessing that I was born on a Monday (ha ha) but I actually fit my Saturday profile very well. I don't mean that I work hard in a "slaving away just to make a dime" kind of way, but I certainly get a lot of joy out of work (whether that be teaching, writing, or working around the house) and practically nothing makes me happier than crossing something off my to-do list. (I'm currently on my report-cards-are-done high.)

Productivity is my idea of "fun". (Which is why my friends are always wary when I suggest doing something "fun". Apparently not everyone uses that adjective for organizing kitchen cupboards.)

Does this poem fit you? Your kids?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hello Summer $1000 Cash Giveaway!

These cash giveaways are so fun, I couldn't resist joining up for one more:

And here we are again to give you a chance to win BIG BUCKS!!! Happy Home and Family, Diva Fabulosa and a group of amazing bloggers have teamed up to give 1 lucky winner a whopping $1000 paypal cash! Yep you read it right, $1000 cold hard cash!

What would you do if you win $1000?

Go on a holiday ?

Have a home makeover ?

Go on a shopping spree ?

If someone handed me an extra grand right now, I would probably spend it decking out the new deck....or save it until it was time to shop for a back-to-school wardrobe! (It feels like a sin to say "back to school" in June...my apologies!)

Here are the details:

• Giveaway will run June 20 at 12:01 am EST – July 20 at 12:01 AM EST
• OPEN WORLDWIDE
• You must be 18 years or older to enter.
• Entries will be verified.

Wait for the Rafflecopter to load and enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to you!!

SEO For Absolute Total Complete Beginners

I am not a web analyst; I am a teacher. I could prattle on all day about SRTs, IPRC's, IEPs and ADHD. I cannot, however, give you any sort of expert tips on SEO.

What I can offer you is a beginner's perspective. After blogging for two years, I recently decided I should learn a little more about this oft-used term, and here's what I found out:

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it's the process of trying to get your site (or blog) to show up more often naturally in search engine listings. For example, I want to make sure that when someone is searching for information on PC Cooking School Birthday Parties, my post shows up in their results (and as close to the top as possible). That way, my work gets more exposure and I get more traffic.

I read many articles on SEO for Beginners, and compiled the top three tips which I have begun trying to incorporate into This Mom Loves:

1. Use correct, specific titles for posts. Looking back at my archives, I haven't always been good at this. Titles like "My New Favourite Thing" won't draw people looking for "Pandora Bracelets". That said, I don't want to abandon all creativity in my titles either just for the sake of SEO.

2. Use correct, specific anchor text and labels. When linking to another site (or elsewhere on your own site) with anchor text, avoid generic expressions like "click here for more info". Instead, make sure the highlighted text represents exactly what it's pointing to: "find more info on organizing linen closets here".

The same goes for your photos and other images: I had no idea that the name you've given to the picture when saving it to your computer affects how your posts come up in searches. Not many people are Googling "jpg023", but if you've labelled your image properly, someone just might find you.

3. Write quality content. Well, I certainly strive for that. I'm still trying to find the balance between sharing personal parenting details, review/giveaways, editorials, and information items. I love trying out products and finding new readers with the exposure that giveaways provide, but I certainly don't classify myself as a "review and giveaway blogger". However I also don't fit into the "look how cute my kids are and read about their every milestone on a daily basis" niche either. I love all of the Celebrity Momterviews I've done, but I'm not strictly an entertainment blogger. Hopefully my reader base enjoys the eclectic mix they find here at This Mom Loves: travel, decorating, education...it's all there.

Another oft-shared tip is to post frequently, and while I know there are some twice-a-day bloggers out there, that just doesn't work with a full-time teaching schedule. I try to set aside chunks of time to write two or three posts and program them for the week, but sometimes I can only get one post out. It's not worth forsaking the quality referred to in Tip 3 in order to pump out a greater quantity of material.

Where are you on the SEO spectrum? Are you a guru who can suggest a next step for me, or a fellow beginner guilty of cryptic post titles and generic photo labels? Do you even care? I'd love to hear from you!