New Series!

Hi Everyone! Today is the day.. The day I am sharing a new series with you!. If you read yesterday's post on defining lifestyle, you know this space is undergoing some changes. And good ones at that! I am on a mission to connect with more people, and share as much as possible. This series is about sharing some great ladies who take to the internet and share their worlds with you. All of these ladies are defined as "lifestyle" bloggers. As you get to know these ladies over the next 6 weeks, you will see, even though they are in a category together, they are all very different. They each bring something different to the table. I hope you will follow along with me, and get inspired.

We all have that question we are just DYING to answer, but it doesn't ever seem to come. Each of the bloggers submitted their own set of questions AND answers in effort to get some stuff out there that they normally aren't asked. If this doesn't define the lifestyle blogger, I don't know what does. So sit back, relax, and expect some fun over the next 6 weeks! 



First up is one of my first friends in the blogging world. Christine over at The So Called Homemaker has been very inspiring to me in my journey and she has always been very helpful. She always helps me out when she can and gives me the answers to my questions. I couldn't think of anyone I would rather introduce you to first. Please go and show her some love and enjoy her questions!



It looks like you cook a lot of really complicated meals.  Doesn’t that ever get old?  
Christine: Actually, most of the meals I cook at home are things like baked chicken with a frozen vegetable and canned beans of some sort.  I’m usually a pretty lazy chef!

Why do you never brush your daughter’s hair? 
Christine:  I do!  She has crazy hair that looks like that even when I brush it!

Do you ever feel like you wish you were doing more with your life?   
Christine: I will admit that being a “homemaker” isn’t what I saw myself doing with my life, but I think what doesn’t show on the blog is that I do in fact spend a lot of time on my real estate work, which is pretty fulfilling and basically like a real career (except that I get to stay at home).  I just don’t talk about it much on the blog/social media because I think that’s plugging and that’s not really fair to my readers. 

Speaking of real estate, you’ve mentioned some horror stories about showing houses.  Can you tell us one? 
Christine: Absolutely!  I have tons.  One of the strangest though was a house that was abandoned but still had tons of stuff in it, including about 6 walkers that had been delivered since the house had been vacant.  What’s weird about that is that there were locks on the OUTSIDES of the bedroom doors.  Then the bedrooms all had holes in the walls.  It was just really creepy, like they were locking up old people and torturing them.

You’ve been married for about as long as most bloggers who give relationship advice.  Why don’t you give any?  
Christine: Honestly, I don’t think I have the right to give advice because although we’ve been married about three years, we’re still learning.  My husband and I don’t believe in talking negatively about our relationship in any way in public, either, so that’s why you’ll also never see me complain about him or anything he does on the blog or social media.  We think it’s important to present an united front. : ) 


Thank you so much Christine for sharing those great questions with us! I hope you all enjoyed them just as much as I did. I hope to see you all back here next week when we connect with Helene who blogs over at Helene In Between. I will be posting this series every Monday starting next week. So look for Helene's Q&A on Monday, September 8th!

Have a good one!

How do you define Lifestyle?

Change. Fun. Adventure. Life. All of these words can tie in with the term Lifestyle. But what does it really mean to be a Lifestyle blogger? It seems to be a place you get thrown when you don't fit into any other category. Niches if you will. We aren't just Fashion. We aren't just foodies. We may not be Mommy's. But we can do all 3 of those things and still not fit into one place. Are we in blog purgatory? A middle ground where people judge us and make us feel bad that we can't fit somewhere?



Most of the blogs I read are Lifestyle bloggers. They blog about things that make me laugh. They make me cry. They even inspire me to do something better. It doesn't bother me that I have no freaking clue what they may post next. There is no schedule. It just comes from within. Why is that such a bad thing? Why must we be something specific?

I WON'T be a fashion blogger because I don't like clothes that much. I get bored looking at clothes over and over again. I WON'T be a food blogger because I would just get fat. I have no restraint when it comes to delicious food. I CAN'T be a mommy blogger because I don't have children yet. This doesn't mean I COULDN'T be good at those things.

Adventures and change are just around the corner. That is the beauty of  life. This is where I belong. 

I am categorized as Lifestyle. I am going to define MY Lifestyle. This Fall. Stick around.

Friday!

I am sitting here watching a movie that I rented from Red Box.. and I already don't know what it is I'm watching. That kind of bugs me when the movie just bombs so quickly I turned to blogging instead, using the movie as background noise. Anywho, that is not what this post is about. The end of August is quickly approaching and that also means this weekend is a 3 day holiday. I just returned from a vacation and I am still not quite back on track with my usual schedule. Because I was just away I am using this long weekend to catch up here, and to relax. So today I wanted to talk to you all about what's going on in September.

First, I want to mention I am hanging out on 2 sidebars in September. You can catch me over at Becoming Adorrable and Helene In Between So excited to be sponsoring those ladies! Some of my favorites reads come from them! I also just finished up sponsoring The Grits Blog, which I recommend 100%! I am not sure I would ever be able to offer sponsorships on my blog due to my life full plate, so I give these ladies credit!

Also equally important: Starting September 1st I am going to be working more on my Facebook page. Please do me a favor and like my page! Much appreciation!

Next up, I am starting a new mini series on Monday (Yes as in Labor Day). I am so excited to bring you all some great new content with the help of a few lovely blogging ladies. Stick around for some fun and good laughs! This series will run through the second week of October.

I just wrapped up Blog Staycation 2014. That was such a fun and educating experience. I really enjoyed collaborating with other bloggers, and these ladies really were awesome to work with. I learned so much about hosting an event, as well as time management. We are hoping to do another one of these soon, so I hope to see more friendly faces next time around!

So there you have it. Updates and goals for next month! Happy Friday everyone!



My Blog Staycation Wrap Up

Oh Em Gee this week has been B-U-S-Y! I just wrapped up the Blog Staycation 2014 with my lovely co-hosts Julie, Jen, and Farrah. Make sure you stop by their pages and show them some love, because they truly are amazing! The Blog Staycation was an event to bring together bloggers and help them get their blogs organized as we truck into the Fall.



I had a little bit of a conflict when I realized the planned dates for the staycation was inter-twining with my vacation. I was going to be out of town for the grunt of it and I had a little panic attack trying to get everything together and ready for the launch and then the 4 days of events. (I ended up having more time when events went on then I though, which was AWESOME!)

With that being said, the most important things I learned during the Blog Staycation was time management and multi-tasking. I could plan ahead with great content AND enjoy my time away knowing everything was taken care of. This is such a great goal for me. Time management has been hard lately, and I nailed it this past week!

I connected with some great bloggers. So many creative minds in one place really got the ideas flowing. This motivated me to get my September schedule planned. A new series is in the works, which will ultimately lead to some other plans for the Fall. I also toyed around with some other ideas which I am really excited about. I couldn't have asked for a better group to explore my blogging goals with. I cannot wait to do this again soon! Please follow me on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on when the next event will be!

Have you ever participated in a blogger event? Did you enjoy it? What do you think about the online events? Tell me below! 

Don't forget to link up if you participated in the event! We would love to see what you accomplished!



Stayed tuned for my Maine Recap. I had a great time with some amazing photos! You can expect to see that early next week! Happy Thursday!  

   

Welcome Trish while I am away!

Hey guys! I am currently away and having a blast up in Maine with my love so, Trish over at Beyond the Khaki Pant was ever so kind to stand in. You can't get one Trish, you get another! I am so excited to have her here today! One of my favorite topics is doing things on a budget and Trish sure delivers some great tips today! Enjoy and see you back here on FRIDAY!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Date Night Ideas on a Budget|| Trish @ Beyond the Khaki Pants

Hi Trish List readers, my name is Trish. I blog over at Beyond the Khaki Pants. I know, kind of a funny name. [Check out my blog to find the inspiration behind the name.] Doing things on budget is something that I am passionate about. A big inspiration behind my blog is financial freedom and independence. I am so happy to be filling in for Trish talking about ideas to keep the magic alive...and the savings account! 

Just because you’re married or been together with your spouse for a while, doesn't mean that you can’t still date. Unfortunately, life doesn't always allow for fancy or luxurious dates. I know this. Both my husband and myself have been through graduate school. Those years were especially tough on budget. Even though we were getting by on very little income, we were newly weds and beyond excited and in love. Rather than sitting at home doing nothing, we started to get creative on how we would now date. Gone were the dinners out. Gone were going to concerts and sports events. Even going to the movies was too expensive. Which really isn’t saying a whole lot- movies are stupidly expensive now. An added bonus?? Even though now we are both working (ie, we’re DINKs) we still try to date this way. Hello, savings!

Here are some ideas that we have tried over the years. Many of them are free. The others are minimally expensive ($15 or less). All of them are as fun as you make them to be! 

9 Date Night Ideas on a Budget

Date Night Ideas on a Budget - Beyondthekhakipants.com
//Have a ‘Goals Night’. I know this might not be the most romantic date, but it can be fun and inspiring. Take out something to write on (a notebook, a poster board…whatever) and sit down with your spouse. Brainstorm and then write down your goals, as a couple and an individual. Include personal, relationship and professional goals if you wish. It’s great to do this over a good bottle of wine and dessert. The best part of doing this regularly is that it’s fun to think about things you’ve accomplished and inspiring to think of what’s to come!

//Picnic at a local park. Avoid the high-cost of eating out, pack your own meal and head to the best park in your area. Leave the technology at home (or at least in your bag) and connect with your spouse. Without interruptions. Especially in these last weeks of summer, getting outside to picnic is an easy solution to date night. 

//Find free events in your city. In Seattle, there are nights where the city puts on a free concert or movie showing. Take advantage of these free events. There are more free events happening in your city than you think. Check out your city's website and search for free events.

//Game night in. Channel your inner child and pull out your favorite board game. My husband and I usually try to do game nights as a group date-night, because most games are more entertaining with four people rather than just two. Throw in some good food or a bottle of wine, even better!

//Groupon a couples event. There are such fun ideas on Groupon for date nights. Everything from cooking classes, to pie making classes, and couples massages. Be on the eye for something in your area. These can vary in price, but if this is your only date of the month that costs money, it might be worth it to splurge $40 for the two of you. Groupon rates highly depend on where you live and the cost of living of your city. These events are likely something you otherwise would not have thought to try.

//Make [a new] dinner together. With this pinterest day-and-age, there’s no excuse for not being able to find something new to try. Pin something that looks interesting, go to the store and get the necessary ingredients, make the dish together. Pretty simple. And fun. And when the dish goes south because it’s the first time you tried making it, you can laugh and choke it up to being a funny memory together. Like the time I tried to broil something for the first time… 

//Try a sport together. Easy sports for date night could include a tennis match at the neighborhood park or going to the local golfing range to hit a bucket of balls. Whether you have the equipment or not, renting shouldn’t be too expensive. Usually the more terrible you are at the sport, the more funny it becomes. Like if you saw me with a golf club…

//Start a project together. Carpe diem on that “to do” list. Sometimes, the things we have to do are not that hard, but starting them is. Pick something fun. (ie…don’t pick weeding) Been meaning to refinish that coffee table? Make a date out of it. Added bonus, crossing that project off the ‘todo’ and getting something beautiful out of it. 

What are inexpensive dates you and your significant other like to do?? What would you add to the list?


Connect with Trish from Beyond the Khaki Pants on Twitter, Pintrest, Facebook or Google!
Trish www.beyondthekhakipants.com

-----------------------------------

One last thing before I go.. Over the past 4 days I have been co-hosting the Blog Staycation 2014 with some great ladies. I am out of town and did not get a chance to write up my experience yet with the weekend but I want to give you all a chance to link up if you participated. Let us all see what you accomplished!  Expect my post on Wednesday ;)