The Budge Bunch

I am in a place.  A very good place.

I just got back from Bloggy Boot Camp in Baltimore.

I have been writing and thinking a lot lately about where I belong, what do I want to do, who am I?  I am sure my friends and the few other random readers I have are sick of hearing it.  And so am I.

I feel like me.

Finally.

As I sat and listened to @SITSGirls @mamakatslosinit @ScaryMommy @ResourcefulMom I kept hearing in my head…it is about me.  I make the decisions, I make my choices.  I don’t owe everyone explanations.  I am me, and I can do things the way I want to.  I can and should love and have fun in what I am doing.  No, they didn’t say those exact words.  But that is what I felt and heard.  And it is what I completely needed to hear.

@Feelslikehome explained SEO and I actually understood it …which is a miracle!  And @justicefergie gave us the low down on the FTC guidelines.

I got to meet some amazing women.  In person.

I had no idea what to expect from Bloggy Boot Camp.  I had never been to a conference before.  And I am shy.  When I realized we were going to be moving around and sitting at different tables, I almost ran out of the room.  No, really, I totally thought about faking sick and going and hanging out in my room.  But I didn’t.  I am so thankful that I didn’t.  If it wasn’t set up that way I know I would have just sat in the back of the room, and watched everyone else hang out.  So…THANK YOU!

I sat with a fabulous group of women at lunch.  I loved hearing about what each of them do, and about their lives.  We were all so different, but we all got it.  There was such a positive vibe, that even though I normally wouldn’t have talked much, and was kinda thrown for a loop with a question, I talked about myself.  A lot actually.  Might have scared some people, but hey.  That was huge for me.  I left that lunch knowing I had conquered something big.

Thank you @SITSGirls. I went to learn about blogging.  But I learned so much more.

I came out of this experience a better person than when I went in.

Please check out some of the AMAZING women I met this weekend!

Scraps of my Geek Life

Multi-Tasking Mama

Parenting by Dummies

Motherhood & Me

Today’s Cliche

Desperately Seeking Silence

Hip as I Wanna Be

Mayhem and Moxie

Who Says 8 is Enough?

Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom

If you are thinking of visiting Baltimore, I totally recommend Pier 5 Hotel Beautiful, great location, and the people could not be any nicer!

If you are thinking about hosting a Thirty-One Gifts party, March would be a great time!  Check out the awesome Customer and Hostess specials!

Get our Organizing Shoulder Bag 1/2 off when you spend 31.00!

Get our Signature Cindy Tote for 75% off!!

Click HERE and let me know if you are interested in Hosting a party, Buying products, or Joining my Team!

A friend of mine, @DanBickford asked me to help spread the word about an amazing benefit put together to help his friend Mike Herron.

About Mike

35-year-old Mike Herron, who also goes by the name “Ryke” was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The debilitating effects of this disease have caused significant financial strain for Mike and his four beautiful children. The side effects from prescribed chemotherapy treatments have made it impossible for Mike to work. Without health insurance and having to endure a 1-3 year wait for SSI/Disability assistance, this family is in a bind. Join the community as we show our support and lend a hand to this deserving family.

The Mike Herron Benefit will be held on March 6th From 7pm to 1am.

Please visit the events page for further information.

The Mike Herron Benefit is scheduled for March 6th, 2010 at Skyloft Galleries in Baltimore from 7pm – 1am. If you are interested in contributing artwork to the show or helping with setup and promotion, please send an email to the address below.

for directions and gallery info please visit www.skylofts.net

Please contact us directly at info@themikeherronbenefit.com

For a listing of the current contributing artsits, please Click Here.

(information provided by www.themikeherronbenefit.com)

If you are not in the area, but would like to help, please click here!

Please take a moment to check out the website. I know the economy sucks right now and you may not be able to donate money, but you can help by spreading the word. If you have a blog, why not do a post? Let your readers know how they can help!

If you need more information please contact Dan at @DanBickford

When I heard that Rainbow Brite was making a comeback, I was like “Oh Yeah!”

I loved Rainbow Brite as a kid. Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake, and Wonder Twins are some of my favorite memories of being a kid. Now my daughter has had the chance to get to know Rainbow Brite. Sure, she looks a little different from before, but she is still fun! Chloe loves playing the Rainbow Brite games on the computer. She just loves saying Rainbow Brite, Tickled Pink, and Moonglow. Don’t get me started on their horses, Chloe is in love with them, and has named most of her stuffed animals Starlite, Shimmer, and Sunriser.

I have passed out some Rainbow Brite CDs to my friends and they were thrilled! They had a blast playing the games.

I am giving away two Rainbow Brite CDs. Just leave me a comment with your favorite cartoon from when you were a kid! I will choose two from Random.org

Not to worry!  If you don’t win a CD, you can check out RainbowBrite.com for fun downloads and games!

I haven’t been around much lately.  Although I have been around.  I have been quiet.  I have been looking, reading, listening.

I have been thinking.

I have been full of fluff.  I hate fluff.  But I have been dishing it out.

It has been a long year.  A long year of trying to figure out my place, my niche.  What do I have to offer?  Where do I belong?  Who is real?  Who is fake?

Why am I here?

Why do I do this?

I started blogging a year ago.  I am a news and politics junkie.  I loved to read blogs.  I have for years.  After my lung collapse, I was stuck in bed for a while.  I kept busy by reading my favorite political and entertainment blogs.  I had a few go-to favorites.  They said something.  They were real.  They were not fluff.   Even if it was nonsense, it was well written nonsense.

I am not a writer.

But in my post op drug induced need to keep busy so I don’t pick up a cigarette state, I decided to start a blog.  Then I found Twitter.

I am changed.

This year has changed me.  Changed who I am, and who I want to be.  Even at times when I feel lost.  I know I am surrounded by my other lost friends.  We are lost in a good way.  We are lost in a way to challenge ourselves to figure out who and what we want to be.  We have alot to say.

I stopped reaching out.  Stopped writing about my life and my family the way I wanted to write about us.  We are real.  We have nothing to hide. When I started out,  I looked at this blog as a way to document my family life.  Kinda like the baby book I never finished making for Caitlin or even started for the other three.  Our family is not perfect.  I want them to see that.  I want them to see that even with all of our imperfections, we are still an amazing family.  I want them to be able to look back at this blog years from now, and laugh or cry at what we have been through.  I want them to know that no family is perfect.  Even the family they may have some day. I want them to know that  your family is perfect because it is yours.  But every family goes through rough and horrible things.  But don’t be afraid to talk about it. I know I am not a bad parent when I am going through something tough with my kids.  Even though I may feel like it and need to have a tantrum about it sometimes.

I am not worrying anymore.  I have changed.  I have stepped back and took a good look around and I know what I don’t want.  I know who I am.  I know who is real and I love them.  I thank them.  They get me.

That is why I do this.

It is not all fluff all the time.  No matter what anyone tries to make you believe.

Make sure you go over and check out Eighty MPH Mom for more great Monday Mingle videos
and to link up your own!

Last night I had a Thirty-One Gifts party at my house.  I had a blast!  It was so good to just hang out and relax with my friends.  It doesn’t happen often enough.  Even my friend Tommi was able to make it with her girls.  Which is a miracle since our schedules are so crazy it has been impossible to hook up!  It was chaos at times, but I loved it.  Finally @RachelFerrucci and @Tina529 were able to meet!  One of my favorite things about the night was that Carissa (Rachels daughter) was able to make it.  It was so awesome to see her and Rachel glowing when talking about the new babycoming soon!   This is going to be a fun nine months!  I can’t wait to see this baby!  Great night.  We ate.  We drank. We laughed.  We shopped.  What could be better?

Snow Day!