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My Two Favorite Posts of 2014

December 29, 2014 Leave a Comment

Looking back over 2014, it’s surprising to me that my favorite and, coincidentally, most popular posts were about foster care and adoption. All of these posts were written out of desperation– a way to express an overflowing amount of frustration and emotion.

This post, titled 10 Things I Never Knew About Foster Care, was found and featured on Adopt US Kids. I had no idea it was on there until I started getting thousands of hits. When I tracked down the actual Facebook post containing the link, I felt beat down and discouraged by the negativity I found. After I regrouped my emotions, however, I realized that 99.9% of the feedback was positive, filled with relieved fellow foster parents who were thankful that they weren’t alone in their experience. I learned that to be a blogger, one has to hear the negative feedback and ignore it, so long as one can evaluate the situation honestly. I wrote this follow up post as a defense for why I blog about foster care, and it gave me a lot of much-needed clarity and peace of mind.

10ThingsINeverKnewAboutFosterCare

My second favorite post of 2014 was an open letter I wrote to one of our foster children, a boy who no longer lives with us but is still very near and dear to my heart. I think about him every day, and this letter remains as proof that we loved him and loved the gift that he gave to us.

This post went viral when it was featured on Parenting Magazine’s website. I felt so honored that others got a glimpse of the change that foster care has produced in my heart.image

In a nutshell, these were my two favorite posts of 2014. Please, feel free to share them with current foster parents who might need encouragement or solidarity. Know that I have always made time to respond to inquiries and fellow foster parents– some of my best “blog friends” that I found through these posts are now part of my personal profile on Facebook! 😉

 

Filed Under: Adoption, Best of the Best, Blogroll, Life

Let’s Be Friends Blog Hop

December 23, 2014 Leave a Comment

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Welcome to the Let’s Be Friends Blog Hop!

A blog hop is a set time frame for current or aspiring bloggers to find new blogs and quality content. It is a great way to make new friends and find inspiration! It is also a fabulous way to promote your own blog and posts.

Dear Friends,
What a day to celebrate! This is the 97th week of the Let’s Be Friends blog hop! Thanks for joining us on this special day. Chelsee and Tiffany are extremely delighted to see the way this hop has grown and love to see your faces each week!

Join us every Tuesday at 7am (MST). This blog hop focuses on content. LINK UP YOUR FAVORITE POST from last week in this fun content-sharing blog hop! I love the idea of blog hopping, but I love the idea of reading posts and quality content on new blogs I’ve never been to even more. Instead of simply linking up your blog button, you are now able to link up your favorite post you recently wrote. Have a delicious recipe to share, DIY tutorial, or heartfelt post? Share it with us! All hosts and co-hosts put up some unique and fun content from the past week. Make sure to check them out. P.S.- you may still link up your blog button and blog name, but it is encouraged to link up your favorite post instead. You will get more page views and interest if you do so! Some of the most successful blog hops I have participate in focus on content rather than just exchanging follows. You never know who will become a loyal follower or pin that delicious new recipe you posted!

The BEST part of this blog hop? Each week there will be a WINNER! That’s right, each week we will choose one lucky blog to feature from the previous week’s hop. This hop receives thousands of page views every week, so your blog will have the chance to be center stage for free. You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win. Only those who link up a specific post are eligible to be featured! *You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win.

The last exciting change is that the co-host spots will now be available to all sponsors of The Dwelling Tree or Southern Beauty Guide. If you are interested in co-hosting the blog hop, email Tiffany or Chelsee about sponsorship opportunities and how to co-host the weekly hop!
There are a couple of great giveaways going on right now at Southern Beauty Guide and The Dwelling Tree. Go check them out! 🙂

Let’s Be Friend’s Blog Hop Guidelines
1. Link up your favorite post from your week.
2. Follow your hosts and co-hosts.
3. Grab the button and post it on your blog so we can share the love.
4. Visit 3 other blogs, comment, and follow them along!
5. Tweet about this blog hop, using #letsbefriends
6. Pin the button on pinterest so we can spread the news!

***Once a week, one blog will be chosen to be the featured blogger from the previous blog hop.
Meet your hosts:
The Dwelling Tree: Blog, Bloglovin’
Southern Beauty Guide: Blog, Bloglovin’
Meet this week’s co-hosts:
sponsors
Penny @ Penny’s Passion
Kelly @ Our Cone Zone
Jess @ Living on Sweet Tea
Lauren @ Simply Free
Mary @ Little Bit of Class Little Bit of Sass

***This weeks featured post from last week’s hop:

Thank you all once again for continually linking up at our blog hop. It is such a fun time and I am so impressed each week with all the amazing posts. Please continue to link up an actual post instead of your blog. We want to keep reading your content and it makes it more fun to pick a winner!
Is there anything we can do differently or better? Please share in the comments!
… onto the winner!
Musings of a Museum Fanatic
Puppy Chow
Hello everyone! This is Chelsee. With Christmas only a few days away I feel the scrambling feeling all over again as I am trying to decide on what to wear to Christmas Parties and what dishes to make. I intend on making the recipe I chose to win today and hope you all do too. I have tried it and I personally love it! 
I found Betsy‘s post to be very informative and easy to follow. For someone that needs detail instructions like myself, this recipe will be one you look forward to making. Not only is this treat easy to make but it is also super yummy.  Betsy is one of my favorite bloggers, she has all the best recipes, music reviews, and more that all will love. I personally look to her for all my pampered chef needs!
I will be referring to it in the future. This time of year is supposed to be about so much more than getting! Thanks Betsy for this post, I loved it, and had to share!
Go check out Musings of a Museum Fanatic, a blog I am sure you will want to follow ASAP.
Keep posting awesome content! You make it so fun for us to read all your posts! If you can, please link up a specific post. It makes it easier for us to come and visit!
*Remember YOU can be next weeks winner! 🙂




An InLinkz Link-up


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Filed Under: Blogroll

Let’s Be Friends Blog Hop

December 16, 2014 Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Let’s Be Friends Blog Hop!

A blog hop is a set time frame for current or aspiring bloggers to find new blogs and quality content. It is a great way to make new friends and find inspiration! It is also a fabulous way to promote your own blog and posts.
Dear Friends,
What a day to celebrate! This is the 96th week of the Let’s Be Friends blog hop! Thanks for joining us on this special day. Chelsee and Tiffany are extremely delighted to see the way this hop has grown and love to see your faces each week!
Join us every Tuesday at 7am (MST). This blog hop focuses on content. LINK UP YOUR FAVORITE POST from last week in this fun content-sharing blog hop! I love the idea of blog hopping, but I love the idea of reading posts and quality content on new blogs I’ve never been to even more. Instead of simply linking up your blog button, you are now able to link up your favorite post you recently wrote. Have a delicious recipe to share, DIY tutorial, or heartfelt post? Share it with us! All hosts and co-hosts put up some unique and fun content from the past week. Make sure to check them out. P.S.- you may still link up your blog button and blog name, but it is encouraged to link up your favorite post instead. You will get more page views and interest if you do so! Some of the most successful blog hops I have participate in focus on content rather than just exchanging follows. You never know who will become a loyal follower or pin that delicious new recipe you posted!
The BEST part of this blog hop? Each week there will be a WINNER! That’s right, each week we will choose one lucky blog to feature from the previous week’s hop. This hop receives thousands of page views every week, so your blog will have the chance to be center stage for free. You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win. Only those who link up a specific post are eligible to be featured! *You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win.
The last exciting change is that the co-host spots will now be available to all sponsors of The Dwelling Tree or Southern Beauty Guide. If you are interested in co-hosting the blog hop, email Tiffany or Chelsee about sponsorship opportunities and how to co-host the weekly hop!
There are a couple of great giveaways going on right now at Southern Beauty Guide and The Dwelling Tree. Go check them out! 🙂
Let’s Be Friend’s Blog Hop Guidelines
1. Link up your favorite post from your week.
2. Follow your hosts and co-hosts.
3. Grab the button and post it on your blog so we can share the love.
4. Visit 3 other blogs and follow them along!
5. Tweet about this blog hop, using #letsbefriends
6. Pin the button on pinterest so we can spread the news!
***Once a week, one blog will be chosen to be the featured blogger from the previous blog hop.
Meet your hosts:
The Dwelling Tree: Blog, Bloglovin’
Southern Beauty Guide: Blog, Bloglovin’
Meet this week’s co-hosts:
sponsors 2 sponsors
Lauren @ Simply Free
Ashley @ Keeping up with Ashley & Cody
Penny @ Penny’s Passion
Kelly @ Our Cone Zone
Jess @ Living on Sweet Tea
***This weeks featured post from last week’s hop:
Thank you all once again for continually linking up at our blog hop. It is such a fun time and I am so impressed each week with all the amazing posts. Please continue to link up an actual post instead of your blog. We want to keep reading your content and it makes it more fun to pick a winner!
Is there anything we can do differently or better? Please share in the comments!
… onto the winner!
650x503xhow-to-give-back.jpg.pagespeed.ic.A8TfswOM9c
Eternally Wanderlyn
How to give back this holiday season
Hello everyone! This is Tiffany. This time of year is my favorite. I love the holiday season. I am the lady that puts up my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. Charlie Brown Christmas music has been playing over and over again around here.
This time of year can also be really stressful. Parking lots turn into road rage war zones. On Black Friday people actually fight over scarves and DVD’s and toasters. (ugh).
Which is why I loved this post so much that I pinned it and kept it saved away for myself. There are so, so, many people in need. This list by Lynsey is super well thought out and organized and gives us ideas for ways to give back to charities. She puts in links to different charities that help soldiers, families in need of gifts, and more.
I will be referring to it in the future. This time of year is supposed to be about so much more than getting! Thanks Lynsey for this post, I loved it and had to share!
Go check out Eternally Wanderlyn, a blog I am sure you will want to follow ASAP.
Keep posting awesome content! You make it so fun for us to read all your posts! If you can, please link up a specific post. It makes it easier for us to come and visit!
*Remember YOU can be next weeks winner! 🙂


An InLinkz Link-up


Filed Under: Blogroll

An App for Busy and Pregnant Moms

October 17, 2014 1 Comment

IMG_6061

You guys, FINALLY there’s a great app for moms! When Tiffany, whose husband is the one designing the app, contacted me about doing a review, I was excited to try out something that could be of use to my friends and other moms like me. You can program it to hold details about each of your kids, including appointments, current running shopping lists, and even their important milestones (something that’s especially important for moms who only update their “Baby Books” once in a while).

IMG_6062 IMG_6063

Like I was saying, I think that the “milestones” section would be really helpful for someone to record these accomplishments on the go, and then update the baby book when the time is right. I don’t know about you, but I always worried about remembering the little stuff, especially once we had two babies instead of just one!IMG_6064

Kids appointments are hard to keep track of, especially dentist ones that only happen twice a year. I will find this part of the app really helpful for long term record keeping, especially since their next dentist appointment isn’t until 2015 and I haven’t even BEGUN to look at new dayplanners yet.

IMG_6065

This app isn’t just for moms to keep track of their kids. It also has some stuff for us as well! The app features special shops just for moms, along with a few stress relieving games (including a trivia game about other famous moms throughout history!).

IMG_6067 IMG_6068

 

The app is only .99 cents and is available for Android and iPhone users here.

Tiffany and her husband Jonathon are the sweetest husband/wife team, and they’re very open to suggestions for the first round of upgrades that will be taking place soon. They’d love your input as well! Contact them through their site, MommyApp, and let them know what you think!

Note: While this post was sponsored, I only write my honest opinions, and would never give a positive review for something that I didn’t consider worth it.

Filed Under: Blogroll, Deals

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