You Might be a Dog Mom If...

Life is definitely changed for the better since I adopted Starla three years ago. But life has definitely changed to accomodate her. I've mentioned before how your relationship and dating life totally changes when there's a dog in the picture, happy hours are no longer a thing, and vacations are bittersweet because you have to leave your sweet pup at home.



Today, I've teamed up with Sarah from Sarah Emily Blogs to share a few things that mean that you might be a dog mom.

You refer to your dog by their name in normal conversation

"Starla loves to jump on me in bed." "Is that your child??" "Well yeah, my dog."

Your fur babies have more than one name

Chloe goes by: Chlo, Chlo Chlo, Chlobee & Chlobug. Yoda goes by: Little Man, Yo, Yo Yo, Yodabear, Yodabug, & Mister. Starla is Starlita, Starz, & Miss Ma'am.

You have full conversations with your dog

"Starla, we've talked about this. No more begging for treats from the front desk lady. She thinks you're a wild animal."

Personal space is no longer a thing.

Your dog is just as excited for mail day as you are.

Hello Barkbox! You make my fur children very happy every month.

Dog fur is forever a part of your wardrobe.

unless it is a chiffon type material, it has a touch of fur on it and, I am okay with that.

You celebrate doggie birthdays and holidays.

Fur santa is a thing people! Our babes always get a new toy, treats, and pupcakes!

When you go to a friends house, you ask if you can bring your dog.

We aren't friends if you don't love my fur children. Don't even think about asking me to lock up my dog if you're visiting my house.

You are constantly cleaning dog toys and bones from around the house.

We have a huge bin that we use for puppy toys but they always end up covering the floors and dog beds. Can someone teach our dogs how to "clean up"?

You own dog related shirts or bumper stickers.

#noshame

you roll your eyes at THIS post written by an obviously bitter woman.

like really? what is the point of telling fur moms that they aren't real moms? We are! Our fur babies depend on us to feed them, take them out, take them to the vet, love them. #sitdown

32

The Luckiest Girl Alive

I picked up this book, as slightly morbid as this may seem when I heard an article about the author. She based some of the events of this book on a true life experience: Her rape at age 14.

As a girl who watches SVU (and I'm sure you do too), I was drawn to the realism of the situation and curious about how everything played out. Is that bad? I feel like kind of a sick perv saying that but I feel like I'm not alone here. Anyways, I ordered it off Amazon and received the book within two days. It's been nominated for awards, called "The next Gone Girl," and even recommended as a Skimm Read.

Meh.

I agree with it being in the same category as Gone Girl for two reasons. 1) I couldn't put down the book until I finished it. 2) The really disliked the main character.

The main character TifAni or "just Ani" has a serious borderline personality disorder. Even the book starts off with her calling herself a "cold-hearted bitch." She is extremely manipulative, fake, and overly concerned with outward appearances. At times, I felt like she was giving me a complex. "I really should have worn mascara today to prove to my coworkers I'm someone to be reckoned with," "I need to be a size zero when I get married," "130 lbs at 5'3" is squat!" Wait...what am I thinking? I kept pushing through it because I was hoping that her personality was a result of the terrible rape she endured at such a young age.

Alas, it seems like poor TifAni was doomed to be the person she grew up to be for so many other reasons. The book has an insane plot twist that I wasn't expecting and I had to go back and reread the brutality of it because I was so shocked. I won't spoil it here but you can find some good spoilers on Goodreads or tweet at me. After the entire situation, TifAni - the luckiest girl alive - is determined to make her own path in life, be successful, and fake it until she makes it.

However, at this point it was so contrived that I just wanted to get through the book to mark it as read on my list.

I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting book that kept me going through and I really feel for the author/main character. However, I just didn't like any of the characters in the book.



I still have a lot of feels towards this book. If I was in the same situations would I have turned out like her? If she had a better mother would she have felt a stronger foundation enough to report the rape? Would even reporting the rape do anything or would it turn into another cover-up since her rapist was a wealthy family that already donated to her school? How the hell was her fiance so stupid and naive? Seriously, Arthur?! How much of this is actually true?

26

Why I Added my Blog to my Resume & Why You Should Too!

Resumes are always tricky. Do you remove unrelated work experience? Do you put a goals section? Should I note "references available upon request" or is that already inferred? One big question I had when I was updating my resume recently was if I should put my resume on my blog or not.



After a little introspection, I decided to go for it. I'm proud of my blog, I've shared it with my friends and family and talk about it frequently why should I be afraid to put it on my resume? I've learned tons of great skills from my blog that I can easily apply to any job.

How to List your Blog on your Resume

You might be thinking "Well I don't do anything blog related in my career, so I'm not going to add it." Neither do I! I work in Continuing Medical Education (CME) as a program coordinator. In layman's terms, I work to develop educational programs like conferences, webinars, journal-based activities and more to make sure that physicians maintain their education and keep current. How is that related to blogging? Not at all. Here's how I listed my blog in my resume:



I kept it general enough that any employer can understand what I do. Working with brands, got it. Built network of readers, check. Developed brand, that's great. Then I sprinkled in some names of processes and programs that I work with, so if your employer is familiar with those programs, they know that you will be competent using them. Edit your resume to fit your field, but start with basics to show that you know what you're talking about and doing and put in lots of dedicated time and effort to your blog.

[Tweet "Have you been blogging over 6 mos? You should add it to your resume right away and here's how!"]

 

Listing Your Blog on LinkedIn

I try to update LinkedIn as much as possible. I just saw a great article interviewing someone who works at LinkedIn, she put it in a great way, "Linkedin is not an online resume! It's a digital representation of your professional self." So even though I'll update my LinkedIn to reflect my resume, I try to change it up a bit.



First of all, I switch everything to present tense to show that I am currently doing all of the above things. LinkedIn also allows you to upload media files to each job. So I added in my media kit because LinkedIn is a great way to reach out to brands. If you haven't tried it you should!

Related Post: How to Balance Blogging and Working Full-Time

Mentioning Your Blog in Interviews

Hands down, every company I interviewed had some questions about my blog. What is it, what do I do with it, how much time it takes in my day, etc. They're usually curious about something they don't usually see on resumes and that's great because you want to stand out in the pool of candidates. Even if they don't ask you specifically about your blog, you can always find creative ways to tie it into the interview.

I had one interviewer ask me, "How do you describe something complicated to someone who knows nothing about it?" I decided to go for an example of having to explain SEO to my friends or newbie bloggers who are less familiar with it. He actually went into further depth and asked me to explain it to him!

Another example of how you can tie it into typical interview questions are as follows:

Q: Tell me about your greatest strengths.

A: I am a self-starter, I'm very motivated and dedicated to my job. As the sole owner of my website there are always projects that need to be finished and tasks to be done that I can keep on top of because of my constant dedication to tasks put in front of me.

Q: How do you manage multiple deadlines?

A: I work on numerous deadlines that overlap on a regular basis. Managing and maintaining my blog is a perfect example of that because I have learned how to pace myself, prioritize tasks, and keep my blog organized while working a full-time job.

P.S. This last one was actually the exact same response that I gave in an interview!

If you plan to put your blog on your resume, I would definitely practice what you want to say about it and be prepared that companies will look at your blog before or after your interview. So make sure there is nothing that is NSFW. Practice a quick elevator pitch for your blog if you get the general question, "What is your website all about?"

In the end, just remember that you've put in lots of hard work and dedication to your blog. Make sure that your passion for it shines through, and hopefully it can be used to your advantage in your resume, LinkedIn, or job interview.

Have you added your blog to your resume? Why or why not?

 

53

Currently

I haven't done a general life update in a while, so here's what I've been up to currently.

Feeling Tired and sore. I've been running more than usual and my legs and lungs are screaming at me. I'm trying to go to my doctor to get an inhaler. I'm done with the fact that I wheeze constantly during runs how tight my chest gets. It's not healthy.

Reading After You. I picked it up at the airport and will probably finish it this week. So good! My boyfriend was making fun of me because I watched the preview to Me Before You and started crying so he thought it would be a bad idea for me to read it on the airplane...it was.

Working on Losing weight. As much as I really try to avoid numbers on a scale, it's a good way to track my weight right now because I am so overweight :/ Winter was not kind to me. I'm tracking my weight daily and aiming for a 1 lb weight loss per week. I have to start somewhere.

Needing some more inspiration for blog post writing. I've been lacking recently. I was an avid MWF poster with blog posts scheduled out weeks in advance. I haven't had that all this month. Eek. It has been busy and it will stay busy until probably July so I'll just have to push through it.

Wanting a professional dog washer on call 24/7. Starla's gotten into every mess recently and she stinks all the time! I can't give this dog enough baths.

Annoyed that my spring allergies are in town.

Frustrated that I have such great news but have to keep it under wraps for a few more weeks. My "secret" of which you may be able to guess because I had a hint blog post about it the other day but then took it down because it really should stay secret for now.




Loving my new Rocksbox subscription.

Linking up with Christy.

39

How Purses Make Me Feel Confident & What's in My Bag

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatMattersToU #CollectiveBias

After just getting back from a few day long conference, I'm definitely feeling worn down. I'm lucky because my office is casual attire every day. So when I whipped out my business dresses and slacks, I couldn't feel more frumpy. Especially after the winter (and putting on a few winter pounds) I found myself fidgeting in my work dresses, wanting to unbutton my slacks, and slumping down in the chair to feel more comfortable. Nothing makes a girl feel less confident than being in clothes that used to fit and are now a bit too snug.



Now that I'm home, I definitely need to boost up my confidence now that the bloating from all the Chicago Deep Dish has mostly gone away. Many women like to wear their favorite, sexy pumps to make them feel more confident. Other women love to buy some new make-up and try a new look. Since I'm not very make-up savvy and refuse to wear heels in downtown D.C., I like to style out with a new purse.

Related Post: What's in My Bag?

In the Summer months, I like to go with a light colored purse. My white and tan bag is my absolute favorite. It is versatile with a short straps and a crossbody strap. I'm a huge fan of bags with lots of inside pockets which is awesome for fitting all of what you need in your purse.



Whenever I switch my purses, I start first making sure to protect my new bag. Always use a protectant spray before you switch over. Usually these sprays take about 12 hours to set before you should be using them. You definitely don't want any ugly denim stains on your nice white summer purse, right? Then I work on taking out all the unnecessary items. Have about 50 business cards in your purse? Take out some and leave a small handful, maybe only ten. The essentials I always keep in my purse are my wallet (duh!), a pen, a few business cards, lip balm, headphones, and my feminine items for that time of the month ;)



A key function that I need all of my purses to have are lots of pockets. Especially for all your feminine things, because nothing is worse than having a tampon loose in your purse when you pull out your wallet and have it go flying out at your waiter. Confidence blown! When you're on your period you need the most help you can get to feel your best. In addition to having pockets to hold everything, having discrete feminine products is super helpful, too. U by Kotex® has a couple great products for women on the go like me. Their U by Kotex® Click® Tampons are designed small and are pocket size and U by Kotex® Cleanwear® Ultrathin pads are super thin for fitting in your bag but also extremely comfortable.



U by Kotex® at Walmart can help you feel like U. There's no need to sulk around the house in the baggiest clothes possible. Throw on what makes you feel like U and conquer the day. Plus, if $25 in rewards doesn't make you feel better, I don't know what else will! All you need to do is purchase any 2 packs of U by Kotex® at Walmart, text UbyKotex to 811811 and upload a photo of your receipt and then you can choose your customized reward at UbyKotexRewards.com.





U by Kotex® is available right at Walmart and if you're lucky like me, it's pretty close to your nearest outlet mall which has your favorite purse brands on awesome sales!

What matters to U? How do you feel confident and comfortable, especially during that time of the month?

20

Three Perfect Spring Reads and Wine Pairings

I’m Amanda from Anchored to Sunshine, a DC based lifestyle blog, and am taking over Alanna and Co. today!

Over on Anchored to Sunshine I blog about anything and everything that happens in a 20-something year old girl’s (woman’s?) world. From book recommendations, new recipes, fitness tips, and of course life, I share it all!

Since the weather is warming, the days are getting longer, and we finally have a few extra daylight hours to enjoy after work, I figured I should share with you how I plan to spend my evenings!

Books + Wine = Heaven :)

If you are a white, red, or bubbly drinker, I've paired the perfect book/wine combination for you!

Instead of wasting your nights clicking through Netflix, turn to one of these three amazing books with a glass of wine in hand for a perfect evening! Also, all of the wines listed below can be found at Trader Joes for under $10 (I know how to drink on a budget!).

 

French author, French setting, French wine!
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain paired with a glass (or bottle) of Les Portes de Bordeaux

or

A little bubbly and some magic :) What more could a girl want?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern paired with a glass of Le Grotte Lambrusco dell'Emilia Bianco Dolce

or

Sipping on a Spanish wine will improve your Spanish, right?
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón paired with a bottle of Albero Tempranillo (I can never just drink a glass of red wine)

What books (or wines) are you hoping to devour/absorb/enjoy/divulge in this spring? You can find me on my patio sipping and reading!

22

A Wine Stroll

Today, we have Jenna from Flower Town Charm sharing with us an awesome adventure she just had in her state of South Carolina called a wine stroll. Let's go take a stroll with her and see what her wine recommendations are for us.

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A Charleston Southern Plantation Wine Stroll

When my husband and I were considering a move to Charleston, SC, we did a lot of exploring, and it was a visit to a plantation called “Middleton Place” that stole our hearts! We fell in love with the South, and made the move as soon as humanly possible, but not without a couple of hurdles along the way! If you would like to read more on how we made the move from Hawaii, to Arizona, and now to our historic home in Charleston, please click here. So now that we live maybe 15 minutes away from that plantation, we visit time and time again, and we can’t get enough! The Spring has to be our favorite time to visit, because everything is blooming, the weather is perfect, and they host a wine stroll! Did someone say wine? We’re so there! We have gone to a couple of these wine strolls now and they are to die for! So today I wanted to share our experience with you, to give you a little taste of what Charleston, southern plantations, and a wine stroll are all about!


Middleton Place is about a 25 minute drive from Charleston International Airport, but the drive itself is even stunning. Its nothing but trees towering over you that form almost a tunnel the entire way up Ashley River Road. When you first arrive at Middleton Place, you can feel the history as you pass through the century old live oak trees with flowing Spanish moss, and are greeted by the peacocks that roam the property. Middleton Place was not only a working rice plantation when it was created, but is also now "America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens”, which was carefully planted and planned out by Henry Middleton on 65 acres on the Ashley River, over 250 years ago, and there is always something in bloom. Now it is open to the public to take house tours, roam the gardens, ride the horses, stay at the Inn, or as we did today, the wine stroll. The wine stroll is every Wednesday from March-May from 5:30pm-7:30pm, and each week has a different region of wines and is held along the reflecting swan pool. If you would like more details on the wine stroll, please click here. As we arrived today, they had 4 wine tasting tables set up along the pool, along with a fifth appetizer table. Each wine table has a white or a red to choose from, and today’s region was Italy! They always have 8 different wines to taste, and you can even bring along your own wine glasses so you feel right at home. You can fill your glass and walk through the gardens at your leisure, mingle with other guests, and just take in the beauty of it all. We brought along another couple with us this time, our friends Kaylee & Tommy, and this was actually their first time to Middleton Place as they recently moved here from New York. We all had so much fun, and we tasted each wine together and picked our favorite, which was the Riunite Lambrusco from Italy, almost a sparkling fruity red wine. We walked through the gardens as we sipped our wine, and took a couple pictures along the way too! It was a prefect evening!


I also want to mention that the restaurant at Middleton Place is definitely in the top 5 of our favorite restaurants in Charleston, which says a lot when you consider the amazing food Charleston offers. Charleston is actually third in America for the most visited cities, and if you should ever visit, now you know one thing to put on your must do list! I hope you enjoyed reading about our little adventure, as we very much enjoyed sharing it with you!


Thank you Alanna for letting me guest post today, I hope you are having a wonderful vacation!
If you would like to read more posts I have shared or future posts as well, please feel free to visit my blog here, and subscribe to my email list to receive posts straight to your inbox.
Mahalo for reading!
-Jenna at Flowertown Charm

10

Today, we have Anne from Love the Here and Now blog sharing some of her famous blogging advice. Today's all about Facebook Groups.

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I'm going to make 2 of my opinions known right here, right now. Personally I don't like Facebook. To be fair, I did once. I loved it. It was my favorite social media platform. Lately it seems though that Facebook is passive aggressive. From the posts that are elusive in detail that leave followers wondering what it means and the poster secretly hoping that people will beg for the details to the bragging I see left and right. Throw in politics being discussed left and right and you have a recipe for disaster. It has gotten old and I have toyed with the idea of deleting my account on more than one occasion. I am over the Facebook drama. Here's my second opinion. I love Facebook. As a blogger, it is amazing. The support groups you find are second to none. Someone is always willing to lend a hand, some support, or encouragement. In fact the Facebook groups that I belong to as a blogger are the only reason that I am keeping my personal Facebook account. They are that important to me. Something this positive deserves to be shared so today I am talking about my favorite Facebook groups for bloggers and hoping that you, as a blogger, take a moment and join them and reap the benefits of being a member.

Facebook Groups for Bloggers

Before I dive into the 10 Facebook groups for bloggers that I highly recommend you may be wondering why you should be joining these groups (or any other group I may not have mentioned). To be honest, I don't know why you wouldn't join a group geared towards bloggers. They offer so many benefits.

Knowledge

Since I have only been blogging for just over two years I still find that my knowledge of certain things is sparse. So many of these groups have people that have so much more knowledge than I do. I am like a sponge in many of these groups, absorbing all of the information and tips. I take note of technical information and all of a sudden, what once seemed so out of my reach is explained so well that I am able to attempt something on my own.

Support

As I mention below in the first Facebook group for my WordPress theme, members often get technical issues resolved prior to needing to open a support ticket. It's pretty wonderful knowing that many of these groups provide support basically 24/7.

Experience

Again, with only two years of blogging under my belt it is so beneficial knowing that I have access to bloggers that have been blogging for much longer.

Encouragement // Inspiration

We all need some extra TLC at times and these groups are there for you. Have an issue with a company? Break your blog? Someone is always there to lend a hand and a shoulder.

Community

Where else can you find hundreds and even thousands of people that share the same interests as you? I have the answer to that question: in any of the following groups! It's nice to see random strangers coming together through a mutual love of blogging.

Promotion

Some bloggers simply look for groups to promote their posts. Many of these groups do allow that, in fact they encourage it. For me though, personally, I don't do that. I use my own social media platforms to do that. Instead I choose to use these groups to educate myself and to interact with others.

Restored 316 Themes

Granted this one is specific to not only WordPress users but also bloggers that have purchased a Restored 316 theme (affiliate). This group is phenomenal. Setting up a new theme or want to change something on your blog? Go ahead...pose a question to the group and people will chime in and help you out. Even more impressive? Lauren , the mastermind behind Restored 316 Designs and her coworkers often personally respond. I check this group daily as I often learn something new each time I visit.

My key point of advice to anyone buying a WordPress theme is check out the support that they offer. I highly recommend using a business that provides a support group like this one. You often can resolve issues prior to needing to open a support ticket.

Blog and Biz BFFs

This group was created by Melyssa from The Nectar Collective. Melyssa started this group for bloggers and entrepreneurs and it is definitely one that is full of support and encouragement. Ask a question and you will get knowledgeable responses form not only Melyssa but other members as well. Looking for feedback? This group is full of positivity.

For Love + Money

Although this group appears to be geared more towards the business end of blogging you will definitely find a place here even if you are not selling anything. It's loaded with information that applies to all areas of blogging.

Blog Beautiful

This was one of the first groups I joined and I absolutely love it. Need design feedback on your blog? Have a design question? Marianne is a wealth of information and has created a great community in this group. I love that she has designated different days of the week to certain topics. For example, Tuesday is called Tips and Tricks Tuesday where you are encouraged to share new things you have learned. Intention Monday is all about sharing your latest projects.

Blogging Boost

This is a recent addition for me and one that I feel will be beneficial. You can promote your posts and encourage your fellow bloggers. Read through the posts and you are bound to learn something new here as well.

[bctt tweet="Looking for Facebook Groups for Bloggers? Look no further! Here are 10 great ones to join."]

The Peony Project

This group is truly amazing. Looking for encouragement and support in all areas of your life and blogging? This is the group for you. Betsy has created such a wonderful community that embraces all of its members.

#GirlsOnWP

This is the probably the most technical of the groups I belong to and I love it. Although I am not technically inclined I always learn something new here. I am impressed by the wealth of knowledge that these women possess and I find it not only helpful but also inspiring. They make me want to learn more about the behind the scenes aspects of running a WordPress blog. Ashley, the blogger behind Nose Graze, knows her stuff and can code like nobody's business. She amazes me to no end.

Genesis WordPress

Another great group to join if you are looking for WordPress knowledge and experience. Both are free flowing in this community.

The Blog Loft

Want to grow your blog? Meet other bloggers? Collaborate with other bloggers? This is the group for you. If you are looking for promotion there's a daily thread for you to share your blog posts. You will also find lots of great information and courses being offered by members in this group.

Web Appeal

I love this site as it is a great resource for all things blogging related. As the page states, it can be considered office hours for your website. Someone is always willing to lend a hand. Don't be fooled into thinking it's all technical though; there's plenty of opportunities to share your posts and just chat with others. Allyssa has created a great community here.

Do you belong to any Facebook groups for bloggers? Which ones? Do you think they are as beneficial as I do?

7

A Day in the Life of a Librarian

Today, I have Becky from Disney in my Day here guest posting. I met Becky when we participated for a swap. Becky is a librarian, and if you know my love for books, you'll know that I was super interested to hear how it's like working as a librarian. Today, she's here to share a day in her life as a librarian.

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When people hear that I’m a librarian, I’m often asked, “Oh, so do you sit around and read all day?” or “do you have the Dewey Decimal system memorized?” (The answers are no, definitely not, and not completely though I know popular topics like the fact that dinosaurs are 567.9). So what exactly does a librarian do all day? Well, I’m happy to share a peek into my day with you!

I work in the children’s department of a medium sized public library. I am a certified librarian, meaning that I had to get my master’s degree in library and information science. My official job title is “circulation and technical services,” though I really do a little bit of everything. The one thing I don’t do often is reference, which is the librarian that sits at the desk and is available to help you find things and answer questions.

Early Morning

Typically my day starts out with two hours on the circulation desk in the morning. This is where you go to check in and check out. We have a separate desk for the children’s department to do this. Most of my time is spent checking in – we don’t get busier til later in the day, but there are plenty of returns that have piled up from the night before, or “in-transit” stuff that has been sent back from other libraries through our inter-library loan system. If I have time while I’m out there I try to get some other things done. I tend to be the “problem solver” for my department, so anything that people don’t know what to do about they leave for me. I deal with things like DVDs that won’t play, books with ripped pages, patrons who don’t want to pay fines, etc.

Late Morning

Once my desk duty is done I get to go back to my office in the back and tackle some of the projects back there. I have many different things I’m responsible for. Some of the major ones include ordering books and other materials, cataloging, dealing with billing (people who are charged for books because they haven’t returned them in months), answering emails, etc.

Afternoon

Then it’s time for lunch! My afternoon looks different every day. Sometimes I meet up with my co-worker and see if there’s anything we need to work on. We have a number of projects, including creating displays, rearranging books that no longer fit on the shelves, and weeding. Weeding is one of my favorite things to do – it’s basically when you go through and get rid of any old books that aren’t circulating anymore. There are some crazy things that you find! Certain days I have meetings as well. I go to monthly meetings for the children’s department and county wide meetings for the heads of circulation and cataloging. We’ve also already started preparing for summer reading, which takes a lot of time! We are switching to an online recording system this year and I’ve kind of been put in charge of making sure everything works, so that’s a big job as well.

There are other special events that happen too. On Thursday mornings I do a family storytime. Wednesday evenings I lead a math club for grades 3-5. And during the summer I host a middle school book discussion and library jeopardy game on Monday nights.

Like any job, being a librarian can be frustrating at times – but there are so many things I enjoy, and my day always looks different so it’s certainly never boring. And being surrounded by books and people who love books is pretty great too! As a librarian I always get asked for book recommendations, so here’s a few I have to share with you:

Picture books: There are two I’m loving right now. The first is called Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, by Josh Funk. It’s hilarious! And if you’re looking for a great read-aloud, check out The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak.

Elementary school: If you haven’t heard of the “Who Was” series, they are super popular with kids right now. They’re actually non-fiction biographies but kids at my library are eating them up! They enjoy the writing so much they don’t even care who the book is about, which is actually a great way to get them learning about people they might not have learned about otherwise. You’ll find books on everyone from George Washington to Walt Disney to Dolly Parton.

Middle grade: First of all, I’m a big fan of middle grade books that are appealing to adults too (so I recommend you read them even if you’re not in middle school!). This is my favorite type of book so I have a bunch I’d recommend: Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead for a realistic look at middle school life, pretty much anything by Gary D. Schmidt (though I absolutely loved Okay for Now), and The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst if you’re looking for a fun, crazy fantasy.

Young Adult: My library’s children’s department really only goes up to 8th grade, so my young adult knowledge is not quite as vast. But a few that I absolutely loved are The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (be prepared for tears), and How to Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo.

Adult: Though it’s not typically my genre, I’m absolutely loving the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (actually the pen name of J.K. Rowling). Some really good mystery/detective stuff. And if you’re a book lover, check out the Storied Life of A.J. Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin, about the life of a small bookstore owner.

8

Staying Energized with Infused Water

Hi everyone, I'm Emelia from Dream Big & Buy the Shoes. I live in Erie, Pa which is known for it's cold, long winters. On my blog, I write about everything from life, my adventures in the kitchen, fun and (hopefully inexpensive) DIY projects, and my everyday beauty tips.

Since Spring hasn't fully sprung in these parts, I am in need of some energy boosters...anyone else?!

Let's get to it.

Four Ways to Boost Your Energy Everyday

Get movin'....for at least 30 minutes.

Sometimes a 30 minute workout- whether it be a walk, a nice jog, or some cardio can feel like an hour or so. I know when I do a T-25 workout I can get my heart rate up and feel great, and think to myself...wow that was only a half hour?! It's a great feeling...so make yourself move in some way.

Dance it out.

I'm not saying you have to go to a class, or that you even have to be a good dancer. Cleaning your house? Put on some jams and get shakin! Cooking some dinner or making a healthy snack? Check out what's new in music and shake your booty while you stand by the stove. Dancing is an instant mood, and energy booster.

Watch a funny video.

Laughing can instantly make you feel energized. It's good for the soul, and your brain, especially if you're in front of a computer for most of your day. Head to YouTube- check out your favorite vlogger, or watch my latest favorite- Carpool Karaoke with James Corden...guaranteed to get you re-energized.

Drink some Energy Boosting Water.

Now, a delicious and easy recipe for an energy boosting drink. I am a huge fan of infused water which can make any day better, but when it's jam packed with great fruits and veggies it's a whole new level of greatness.

You will need:

large pitcher

1 orange

1 lemon

1 handful of blueberries & blackberries

1/2 cucumber

8-10 strawberries

To make:

Clean your fruit and vegetables

Slice the orange and lemon, I prefer them to be whole

Slice the cucumber and cut up strawberries in to quarter pieces

Add all your fruit to the bottom of the pitcher

Put in one tray of ice

Fill pitcher with water

Let sit for at least 30 minutes refrigerated

Enjoy & add more fruits and vegetables if desired

 

I hope are getting some sunshine where you are, and have enough energy to soak up your days and nights.  Be sure to come visit my blog, Dream Big & Buy the Shoes for more ways to enjoy life and inspiration to dream big.

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Top 5 Summertime Trends under $100

Hi everyone! I'm headed off to Chicago and am probably on the plane right now heading to a wedding. Wish me luck because it's supposed to be super cold. Brrrr. Anyways, I'm making sure you all stay entertained by having a few people guest post on my blog during my absence. Today, we have Dana from Pellerini sharing the top 5 summertime trends under $100!

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It may only be April, but before you know it Summer will be upon us. The weather will be warmer and I don’t know about you, but I’m psyched to wear some of the trends I’ve been seeing in fashion magazines and online. The only downfall? Stocking up on trends can affect your wallet. Here are my five favorite trends - all with options under $100!

Rompers

I can’t tell you how much I love rompers. They are so comfortable, come in every color and pattern under the sun and are perfect for those warm July days (and the dressier ones are amazing for a night out). Choose from strapless, sleeveless, short sleeve or long – the options are endless.

Wide-leg printed pants

Yet another comfortable trend for the summertime, wide-leg pants are the epitome of comfort. Grab a pair with a cool print and pair it with a solid colored t-shirt or tank top. Put on a pair of flat sandals or fun wedges and you’re set for lunch with a friend or a casual dinner by the beach.

Thin-strap maxi dress

I love maxi dresses. They scream comfort and are very “forgiving” when it comes to their fit. Depending on where you are wearing it to, you can layer it with a cute cardigan and sandals or on its own.

Off-the-shoulder

I just got my first off-the-shoulder top and even though it took me a little getting used to (I was always worried it was going to snap back up my shoulders), I loved the look. What’s great is that this trend isn’t only for tops - there are off-the-shoulder dresses and rompers as well.

Fedoras

Looking to create a fun look with built in sun protection? Fedoras are all the rage now – so feminine with the slightly oversized, flowy rim.

There you have it - 5 of the Summer 2016 trends, all under $100. Which trend do you like best?

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A Sunday Brunch at #EarlsTysons

I love a good upscale casual restaurant. This past weekend, I was invited out to a PR/blogger brunch at Earls Tysons. I had never actually had heard of Earls, so I was surprised to find that this was a chain of restaurants that started in Canada and then moved south to the States.



We were greeted by Dylan Todd, the General Manager of the Tysons Corner location, who gave us the whole run down and history of Earls. I was shocked to hear that he has been with Earls for almost two decades as he's worked his way up to manage this anticipated location. He was extremely passionate about the company, the food, and his patrons, telling us how he even treated a family to a free meal after they woke up to no power this past Sunday because of the extreme winds in the area. Having many friends, including my boyfriend, who have and currently work in industry this meant a lot to me. That's definitely going above and beyond the call of duty.

We started off sampling a Strawberry Fizz and the goat cheese Frittata. The Strawberry Fizz was a great brunch libation that I would substitute for a mimosa any day (no heavy OJ!). It had Aperol in it which gave it that lovely burnt orange finish. Yum.

Next came the hot wings and hash. The hot wings aren't on the brunch menu, but hey that's the good part about brunch, you can order whatever you like ;) They were perfectly crispy and had a great flavor without being too spicy. I would have eaten the whole plate of them but since I had more food to taste, I resisted.



Next was the Spicy Sausage and Mushroom hash. Since I'm not a fan of egg yolk (egg whites all day!) nor a fan of mushrooms, I probably wouldn't have ordered this from the menu. But I'm glad they placed it in front of me because it was amazing! The avocado had a great flavor and it was just the right amout of hollandaise without being too overpowering. As much as I would have liked to pick out the mushroom, it was a great complimentary texture to the hash.

I'm getting full just recapping what I ate. Thank god, I came hungry!

We then tried their Sweet Virginia benny, a classic, and their steak and eggs. If I go back, the Steak and Eggs is hands-down what I'm ordering. It was served with two over easy eggs on warm sourdough with bacon jam. That bacon jam was to-die-for.



The portion you're seeing here is just the sampler size, so don't worry. If you have an appetite and want something savory, you'll get a whole striploin of this delicacy.

They came around and served us our second round of drinks. This time they gave us a house favorite called the Bee's Knees. Al from In A DC Minute described it perfectly by referring to it almost like a "cold hot toddy." It was definitely delicious, and I'm glad we only had a small taster of it because I would have had a few of those!



Isn't it adorable?

We finished off with some dessert and a tour of the restaurant through their Whiskey bar and lounge area (where I should never take my boyfriend there because we'd be there for hours!), their outdoor patio space that can seat up to 100 and is perfect for a warm day with friends, and finally throughout the bar and restaurant space. The restaurant is really gorgeous and a great space to take friends from the area and impress visitors from out of town. It's a very accessible location from the metro on the silver line and also driving in.

[caption id="attachment_1886" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding[/caption]

I had a great time meeting other bloggers and having awesome conversations, but I have to say that I will need to come back for their dinner menu. Even if it's half as good as it's brunch (which I'm sure it's just as good as their brunch!) I'll need to sample it.

Earls Kitchen + Bar in Tysons. 7902 Tysons One Place, Tysons Corner, VA. Park on the fourth level of Parking Garage E.

Out of what I tried, what would have been your favorite?

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How to Truncate Your Posts in Bloglovin'

I'm still pretty new at Wordpress. I just switched over a couple months ago. But here I go again, finding tricks and tips that may be handy for you to use.

I've seen a lot of people recently complaining about Bloglovin' "scraping" their posts. What that means is that Bloglovin' is pulling the entire content from your blog post onto their site. So instead of driving traffic to your website, your readers can read your entire blog post on Bloglovin'. The only way/reason for a reader to click over to your site is if they want to comment, since they can't comment on directly on Bloglovin'. A scraped blog post on Bloglovin' looks like this:



So if you are sharing your posts to twitter or facebook from your Bloglovin' page, this is where that link will take them! That's no good! So I've found a very simple work around to stop Bloglovin' from scraping your entire blog post RSS feed and make your blog post look like this on Bloglovin'



See how it doesn't show the entire post and goes to (...)? That's much better. Your readers will now see an excerpt of your blog post and then get prompted to click "Continue Reading" which will take them over to your site, with a Bloglovin' top static bar. This will still allow your site to get page views and drive readers directly to your blog where they can find more great content to read.

[Tweet "Let's make sure Bloglovin' keeps driving traffic to your site. It's time to truncate your posts. Here's how"]

All right, let's get to fixing this.

Setting up Truncated RSS Feeds in Wordpress

First, go to Dashboard/Settings/Reading.



Now look for "For each article in a feed, show" and click Summary instead of Full Text and save.



Ta-da! That's it. Seriously. It's that easy. This method will truncate posts in your RSS feeds in Bloglovin', Feedburner, and Mailchimp. Luckily, Bloglovin' will always pull images from your blog post but if you want Feedburner and Mailchimp to pull an image with your blog post, try installing a plugin like RSS Image Feed to keep an image with your blog post excerpt.

Hope this is helpful :)

Have you had any issues with Bloglovin' or noticed traffic referrals from Bloglovin' dropping lately? 

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