The R Family Diaries

How Twitter Killed My Blog

2010-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, you may have noticed.

It's been pretty much *crickets* over here.

I was looking back over my blog and realized something.

The waning of my interest in blogging coincides with something.

My introduction to Twitter.

Yep.

I am a full blown Twitter lover.

It's so quick.

So easy.

So engaging.

It used to be that I would think of something I wanted to share with you guys.

I'd write a blog post.

Now, I just tweet it.

I guess some could argue that a tweet is not as fulfilling as a blog post.

But it does offer something I love.

Instant Gratification.

Instant Conversation.

With the blog, I have to write the post, wait for you to come on over, read, decide to leave a comment.

Then, if I want to return the comment, I have to head on over to your place and read your entire post and comment.

Over on twitter, we are chatting right away.

And if you think of @ replies like comments, well, then, I am getting my feign satisfied.

Plus, while over 400 of you follow this blog, over 4,500 of you follow my tweets.

You do the math.

For someone like me who enjoys being heard, twitter is my crack.

I know some of you are thinking that tweeting doesn't improve your writing skills or allow you to put forth your thoughts the way a blog post can.

I beg to differ.

Twitter may actually improve your writing skills.

When you have to get something across in 140 characters or less, and you do it successfully?

Now, that is good writing.

And, some of you might say that twitter won't foster the connections that blogging does.

Again, I must disagree.

I chat with @mamakatslosinit @lula34 @mindlessjunques @buriedwithkids @lemusingsofmoi and so many MORE people than I ever did just through blogging alone.

Plus, Twitter can help your blog. Yep. More people to know and communicate which means more people to read your stuff.

In fact, I'll be tweeting a link to this post.

I am certainly not making the case for dropping your blog and running to twitter.

It's not for everyone.

Remember, I am not a writer.

I am a talker who writes.

Twitter offers me the ability to "talk" with my keyboard.

And, I am not saying that I am done blogging.

What I am saying is, if you are truly interested in what I am up to and want to connect RIGHT NOW....

You can find me @SITSGirls

Photoshop Actions- Free!

2010-01-05T22:50:00.001-08:00

Okay.

I am in LOVE with this FREE photoshop set of actions!

It whitens teeth, brightens eyes and smooths skin.

Took this:

to

And, now you want to know where you can get it, right?

Now, Rita, of Coffe Shop is CRAZY generous and has listed a ton, and I plan on trying them all, but the one I used for this shot is called "Powder Room 2".
{It's down towards the bottum under "Retouching".

You do need minimal knowledge about layers and such, but I mean minimal- AND, this can be used in Photoshop elements, which is a bit more tricky of an installation, but doable.

{I must thank my friend, Carissa for turning me on to this site!}

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies. And Martinis.

2009-12-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

Do you use Whrrl?

If not, you should check it out- so easy to upload pics- just drag and drop.

Plus, it can send your story to facebook and twitter- great way to use social media.

You don't need to join to check out my story, I made it public.

Just click on it!

A Dynasty. Really?

2009-12-13T22:30:00.000-08:00

So the remaining Jackson brothers have a reality show coming on soon.

"The Jackson 5. A Dynasty."

Really?

Dynasty seems a bit strong, doesn't it?

I mean, when I think dynasty, I think Mao's Dynasty.

The Kennedys.

Maybe the 1991-1993 Chicago Bull's Basketball team.

But if we are going to call the Jacksons a Dynasty, I've got some issue.

So, the Jackson 5.

Good band.

One stand out member.

Micheal.

He becomes a star, a legend perhaps {NOT a Hero}.

His sister Janet, also incredibly talented, power player in the music biz, big star, for sure.

So, if all it takes is TWO siblings "making it" to warrant the title of "Dynasty", then we have quite a few more among us:

If the Jackson's are a dynasty, then the Osmonds are most certainly a Dynasty.

And, I'd say the Baldwin's beat the Jackson's for famous siblings.

Hello, the Jonas Brothers, of course.

Mary Kate and Ashely qualify.

So do Candice and Kirk Cameron.

Hanson.

Oh, and what about the Lennon Sisters?

Or, Frank and Sylvester Stallone?

Oh, and then we have Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.

And, Paris and Nikki Hilton.

Owen and Luke Wilson.

Um, hello, Brandy and Ray Jay are totally a dynasty.

Emilio Estavez and Charlie Sheen.

The Phoenix Family boasts the talents of River, Joaquin and Summer.

The Arquettes, no question.

I'm sure I could go on and on.

I have to say, it really bothers me that members of the Jackson Family have decided to use the attention brought on by the untimely death of their brother to increase their own fame.

I am not interested in the goings-on of anyone who names their son, "Jermajesty."

Period.

You?

Liar. Liar.

2009-12-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Things I say that make me a liar.

"I'm just going to run into Wal Mart real quick."

"I'm happy to help."

"I'm not really into vampires."

"No problem, I've got time."

"Yes, I made it from scratch."

"So good to see you."

"I'll be off the computer in a minute."

"I'm 32."

"I'd love to play xbox with you!"

"I am so happy for you."

"I couldn't eat another bite."

"You have a lovely home."

"Winning isn't what matters."

"Bless her heart."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Your turn.

What make you a liar?

Merry SITSmas!

2009-12-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

From my family to yours..... Merry SITSmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I hope each and every one of you has a holiday full of love, laughter and joy!

Here is fabulous 2010!

xoxo,

Tiffany

The Truth.

2009-11-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote this anguished post about The Boy believing in Santa?

It's happened.

The Boy knows.

Knows the truth.

The truth about Santa.

Sigh.

We made it 9 years.

Sigh.

It went down like this at 4:34PM on 11.30.09.

The Boy:"I think I want another Star Wars Light Saber". {The $100 that actually light up}.

Me: "Um, from who? You already have 2, and you are asking for a dirt bike."

The Boy: "Santa."

Candy Man: "You need to ask your friends about Santa Claus." {Candy Man thought he should've known last year.}

The Boy: "Wait. You guys buy the stuff from Santa?"

Me: "What do you think."

The Boy: "No, you don't."

Candy Man: "Let's think about this for a minute. You really think a man travels around the world delivering presents?"

The Boy: "So Santa is not real. I kind of thought so."

Long Pause.

The Boy: "So, the Elves- they aren't real either."

Me {on the verge of tears}: "No."

The Boy: "Then why do adults try to trick us with the books, the movies, the stories?"

Me: "Well, its all about the spirit of Christmas and giving. It's fun to see kids get s excited."

Me: "Are you sad?" {Fearing we have traumatized him for life.}

The Boy: "Yes."

Pause.

The Boy: "Now that I know it's your money that means I can't ask for a car."

Clearly, he is devastated. ;)

Party Like I'm turning 35.

2009-11-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

I am turning 35.

In a few months.

Not a big deal, really.

But, I do want to celebrate.

Big time.

Candy Man agreed to a party!

I know.

I can't believe it either.

Drinks.

Dancing.

More Drinks.

And, instead of presents, canned goods for charity.

I'd love some good appetizer, dessert or drink recipes.

I'd also like to know how you celebrate.

What's you idea of the perfect party?

Any fabulous parties you've been to lately?

Do tell.

One Mom Blogger

2009-11-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

Yep.

That's me.

I went and bought myself a dotcom.

Easy to remember.

Will come up in search engines.

I like it.

And, I'll be making that change to Word Press.

Ladies, it's fantastic.

The pageviews over at SITS have increased dramatically in just 3 days.

Why?

The layout.

Instead of scrolling, you click.

The more clicks.

The more pageviews.

Plus, it has all these cool ways to tag your posts.

Awesome SEO plug ins.

Don't worry, not much will change here.

But, if you want to update me in whatever place you keep my blog address, please do.

I am now www.onemomblogger.com

Dreaming Oprah.

2009-11-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

"Oprah in my dreams
As real as it may seem
It was Oprah in my dreams"

So that was little play on Debbie {now non as Deboarah} Gibson.

You're Welcome.

Anyway, on to "Dreaming Oprah".

The other night I had a dream about Oprah.

I don't remember much except I was REALLY excited to talk to her and she was super nice.

But, that's not what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about the actual act of dreaming Oprah.

It's not like I watch her show regularly {although I am DYING to be on it}, so why am I dreaming of her? Why is she in my the deepest part of my consciousness?

It must happen to lots of people every night.

But how many?

What is she doing in their dreams? Skiiing, Cooking, Stripping?

Yesterday, I tweeted,

"I am formulating a post about dreaming of @Oprah. I think it happens more than we realize."

And, within minutes, I got this tweet from IndieBizChicks:

"@SITSGirls I wrote a blog post on a dream I had with @Oprah in it before… http://hw4bd.th8.us"

Seriously? People are not only dreaming Oprah, they are posting about it!

I went to go buy DreamingOprah.com- ITS TAKEN.

People, we have a phenomenon on our hands.

So tell me-

Have you ever dreamt Oprah?

If not, do you know someone who has?

What strange popular culture folks have popped up in your dreams?

H A L L O W E E N

2009-11-01T07:51:00.001-08:00

We had a fabulous night of trick or treating with friends.

And, I had a fabulous time enjoying Captain and Coke.

Which led me to need to pee half way through our trick or treating extravaganza.

Fortunately, a kind stranger allowed me to use their facilities.

To that stranger- I am eternally grateful.

And, I leave you with this cuteness:

SITScation.

2009-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

More stories at Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

It was incredible. Motivating, Inspiring, Fun and More.

Sigh.

Let's go back.

Eight Year Old Antics

2009-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

So, while was out of town at a retreat, my hubs took the boy to a Padres vs Dodgers game.

We are huge Dodger fans, but live closer to San Diego, so they went to Padres Stadium and sat behind the Dodger dug out.

They got 2 balls tossed to them- one from a Dodger and one from a Padres, had amazing seats and.... got on TV.

My husband dvr'd the game knowing they would be seen.

Within the first 2 minutes, here is what happened.

My son is the kid in the bright blue, just to the bottom left of the batter.

And, all along we've been thinking he's shy.....

Who knew?

Keep the Secret. PLEASE!

2009-09-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Dear People Who Over Commercialize Brilliance and Ruin it:

My name is Tiffany.

I love to read.

So much so, that I created a word to bestow upon those literary gems that leave you changed inside once you've read them.

"Crackliture"

What's Crackliture, you ask?

Books like this one.

The word Crackliture was created to describe a set of books I'm sure you have heard of by now- a little old series called, Twilight.

I read Twilight before most of you knew or cared about Edward and Bella.

And now, you can't sneeze without germing up someone who thinks THEY are the biggest fan.

Fine- you take Twilight.

But only on one condition.

I keep Hunger Games.

I read Hunger Games on October 7, 2008.

Almost exactly a year ago.

Again, at the time, it was just a book.

A few weeks ago, I finished it's equally wonderful sequel, Catching Fire.

Now it's becoming a phenomenon.

I cannot STAND to see that fabulous story go down in commercialized flames the way Twilight is burning now.

I knew Twilightease (as in disease) was getting bad.

The half ass movie, the stupid t-shirts, the perfume.

Then I saw this brilliant post by Heather and I died a little inside.

Burger King crowns?

I am begging you, commercial America, please leave Hunger Games alone.

Let my future Mockingjay tattoo be original, not a sticker in a happy meal.

Let the book remain a secret amongst those who haven't yet found it's beauty, not the script for a bad after-school-type-movie.

Let Peeta and Gale love Katniss and tell their story without being pitched against one another on "teams".

Put a stop to the madness. The action figures, the Halloween costumes, the lunch boxes.

Yours in All Things Crackliture,

Tiffany

Whose with me?

Start by making a vow.

A promise to keep Hunger Games and Catching Fire to yourself.

Maybe if we don't blog and tweet about it, we can keep it safe?

I'm willing to take any and all ideas.

Go.

Yes, She Is Alive.

2009-09-20T22:00:00.001-07:00

So I've been back for a week.

Still adjusting to life without room service.

And a chocolate on my pillow.

And giggling in the night.

And reading six books at my leisure.

And floating in the beautiful waters of Cozumel while Samuel brings me drink after drink after drink.

Needless to say we had a fabulous time.

And, since it was my turn to have Mona ride around with me, she got to cruise too.

Here is a little video for your enjoyment.

Yes, apparently, I say "apparently" a lot.

Want to know more about Mona? Kathy's got the scoop here.

Hookers on Vacation

2009-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well ladies.

I am off.

On a trip.

With these two hookers.

I know, I called them hookers.

I'm feeling feisty.

And, really excited.

Oh, and this hooker will be with us too.

More to come.

Muuuuuhahahahahahahahahahaha.

Blogging for Dollars?

2009-08-25T00:04:00.001-07:00

My friend, Melissa, recently wrote this post, expressing her frustration with the small circle of bloggers who seem to be getting all the perks.

I read it and left a lengthy comment, then realized I had even more to say.

So, here it goes.

I have been feeling some stress and increasing negativity in bloggyland lately.

Unrest among the masses regarding PR, "A List" (whatever that is) Mommy Bloggers, the lack of money in blogging, etc.

I've personally considered withdrawing completely and have spoken to a few other bloggers who are also feeling somewhat "disenchanted" with blogging as of late.

It seems to have lost its luster.

Here is how I see it:

You begin blogging for fun.

For connections.

For camaraderie.

You get a few followers and comments.

You want more.

You begin to see others talking about the free stroller or set of books.

You want that too.

Then you hear that some are getting to travel, meet with PR firms, speak at conferences.

That sounds fun.

You wonder, why not me?

As a blogger who has a blog that generates some income, will be speaking at a conference (so what if it's my own conference, still counts, right?) and is paid to work with a PR Firm, I want to give you the low down.

The way I see it.

Take it or leave it.

1. Contrary to popular belief, unless you are Dooce or Pioneer Woman, there is no real money in blogging. Some of you are incredibly talented writers. You work on your blogs daily. Hours of time crafting posts, coming up with blog fodder, agonizing over what to post next or why your pageviews are dropping. Stop. It doesn't matter. Even if you made $100/month, would it be equal to minimum wage when you added up the time spent? In the scheme of your life, do pageviews really matter?

Here is some perspective, Chic Chick Media (made up fo 4 blogs, 1 being SITS) gets over ONE MILLION combined pageviews each month and sells ads for $75/month. Split between 4 blogs.

2. Most PR firms and brands have not figured out the true value of "mommy bloggers" and they never will as long as someone is willing to do it for free. The PR firm that does Fishful Thinking got my involvement for two reasons: A. Fishful Thinking is a great program, not a product. It's something I am thrilled to be part of and has personally improved my parenting and enhanced my life. B. They compensate me for my time, offered real training and truly wanted input from the moms involved.

I receive "pitches" all the time. I choose not to participate, as unless they are offering monetary compensation for MY hard work and prime "bloggy real estate", I'm not interested in making them money. My choice. I have no problem with review blogs, but I rarely read them.

3. Most PR firms and brands do not look beyond pageviews. Until they start matching bloggers to brands, we will continue to see the same women representing the brands. How many times have you seen an ad on a particular blog and wondered, "What the hell were they thinking?". There is one blog in particular that has me scratching my head every time I see a new ad.

4. Women are often each others worst enemies. We will find any reason to be outraged at one another. Jealousy is alive and well in bloggyland. We won't share our secrets or tell the truth when it comes to our contacts, stats, income, etc.

5. So even after the above, you still want to be a Queen Blogger- (whatever that means) Here is my 2 cents. If the popular girls at your high school went to another high school, would they still be popular? Probably not. We make them "A List" by giving them pageviews. For a great blogger, I am thrilled to do this. Happy to give her my "business" in clicks. She has earned it. For a blogger who baits traffic by causing drama and linking it up- not so much. Want to stop giving drama queens traffic? Stop linking to their drama-ridden posts. Spend your time getting your blog out there. Educating yourself on how SEO works. Network, promote yourself- that's what they did.

So here is my final piece of advice.

Blog if it brings you pleasure.

Enhances your life.

Makes you smile.

It IS a choice.

Unless it's making you over $40,000 a year, it's not worth 40 hours a week.

If you come by here one day, and this blog is gone, don't worry about me.

I'm fine.

Just ready to move on.

No, I am not planning to take my blog down anytime soon, but if it was all gone tomorrow, I'd shrug my shoulders and move on.

Happy with the friends I made, the laughs I shared and the lives I peeked into.

Feeling Lucky?

2009-08-23T23:23:00.001-07:00

So, SITScation is coming up in October.

It's going to be a fabulous weekend at a fabulous hotel with fabulous women.

Whrrl {this totally awesome application} is going to sponsor one lucky lady to the conference.

Airfare, hotel and ticket.

All paid for.

So get your sweet ass over there and enter.

Yes, even if you already have a ticket, you can enter.

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

And, can't wait for some luck to rub off in me in October.

True Blood- I'm a Sucker for It.

2009-08-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Get it?

My clever play on words.

I'm a "sucker".

As in "blood Sucker".

I crack myself up.

My obsession started last season.

I could only dream of it during the summer, as we had no HBO at the summer place.

I came back home and watched 4 episodes in one day.

Heaven.

Bliss.

Eric.

I am obsessed with True Blood.

And, completely and totally devoted to Eric.

For those of you not watching True Blood {and living incomplete lives}, Eric is the bad boy version of a vampire.

He's tall.

He's blonde.

He's immortal.

He's smokin' hot.

He's a "sheriff". {And you know how I like a man in "enforcement".}

Sigh.

So how about you?

What's on your mind these days?

Time is on My Side.

2009-08-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

So camp ends on Friday.

My busy, hectic, fun summer of hundreds of kids comes to an end and I go back to being a suburban mom.

A suburban mom with one kid who goes to school all day and a husband who is home.

I have quite a relaxed Fall/Winter ahead of me.

It's strange to go from everyone needing something to no one needing anything.

What shall I do with my time?

I thought I'd make a list.

1. Sit in bed and watch the entire second season of True Blood.

2. Figure out how to actually run a blogging conference, since I have never even been to one.

3. Blog at least once a week.

4. Visit at least 4 blogs a day.

5. Go on a cruise with Heather and Lula.

6. Cut my hair short. (This one is still up for debate.)

7. Report for jury duty. UGH.

8. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read.

9. Announce some exciting news. (NO, I am NOT pregnant).

10. Have lunch at the vineyard with friends.

What would you do if you had the time?

I laughed so Hard I Peed a Little.

2009-07-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe I am the only person alive that hadn't seen this, but I just about died laughing. I am not a fan of cats- but creative kids? Love them.

The Black Out.

2009-07-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've kept quiet about this PR "Black Out" as I do not do reviews on my blog or on SITS- we give stuff away from mom-prenuers, but do not review the item or receive any product for ourselves in return. The money we do make is off ads and put directly back into SITS- (like buying bounce houses).

But then I saw Scary Mommy's take on it {which I loved} and my comment to her was turning into it's own post- so here you have it.

I don't care about black outs and I am not interested in slamming other bloggers. I don't read blogs I don't enjoy. Why give someone the page views?

I would love to see brands and PR firms really look at the blogs they are advertising/supporting. Page views can be VERY misleading depending on how a blog is set up. The content, the loyalty and the readership should be the focus- the MATCH of brand to blog.

Working with Pepperidge Farm and Mr Youth on the Fishful Thinking initiative has been a wonderful experience- they offered real training, real compensation and chose their 10 faculty members based on more than page views- an interview was involved- questions about your online and offline reach- I wasn't chosen for the campaign because SITS has lots of page views (in fact, they contacted me through my personal blog and didn't even know I was the "Tiffany" of SITS)- I was chosen because I am a summer camp director who also blogs.

The truth is very few bloggers will ever make any real income from ads on their blogs. If you enjoy free stuff, go for it. If not, don't. But do take the time to know your audience- the connections we've created through blogging are not because of reviews- they are because of the glimpses we offer into each others lives.

If you are feeling burned out from blogging, turn off your computer.

The free bottle of BBQ Sauce will be there to review when you get back.

And if it's not- you'll survive.

I promise.

Facebook Fiasco

2009-07-04T11:45:00.001-07:00

So facebook seems like a great idea right?

Are you aware it can be used by your enemies?

It can.

Like the my arch enemy.

We will call her "Sue".

Sue is one of those people who you seem to always cross paths with.

One of those people who has always been, well, jealous of your life.

And, in love with your husband.

We recently attended a party.

She was there.

With her camera.

And, a sole purpose to take as many bad pictures of me as possible.

After calling my name and taking a very close photo of my surprised face, she said, "These are going up on facebook."

Then proceeded to snap away at me all night.

To the point that my husband even noticed.

The pictures of course, ended up all over her facebook page.

The worst pictures ever.

Like in the midst of laughing with eyes half shut and double chin pictures.

She of course tagged me.

I untagged.

She tagged again.

Really?

I thought of the perfect revenge.

Tonight, and for all the nights after that, I am going to sleep with my hot husband.

And she's not.

I Will Remember This.

2009-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

I wish I still had my pink sleeveless t-shirt with the Bille Jean iron-on on the front and my name in felt letters on the back.

Sigh.

I watched the Thriller video at least 500 times in an attempt to know every.single.move.

Today, on my usual route home, driving down Hayvenhurst, I passed his parents home.

Tons of people were gathered outside, news trucks were everywhere.

A stack of flowers was beginning to mount.

No matter what else went down, he was and always will be the King of Pop.

For the real Michael Jackson experience, watch the video in full screen.

Coming Up for Air

2009-06-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Wow.

It's been a loooong time.

Too long.

Still busy, but wanted to let the few of you who still come by to know that I am alive and well.

Hope to return to blogging soon.

I know, you totally miss me.

I totally miss you.