Hello Blogging World!

Thank you so very much for stopping by the Musing Mommies 2010 5MFM Ultimate Blog Party!

This is the home of the Musing Mommies Podcast; a show for moms, by moms.  Kim and Dawn are two 30-something moms in Austin, Texas and each week they record a funny, exciting and entertaining hour long podcast.  They discuss all things parenting and motherhood as well as just about anything else that comes up in their day to day lives.  They do exciting interviews with inventors, small business owners, mompreneurs, authors, and bloggers, and they have giveaways at least once a month!

Kim is a SAHM to 2 children and is the motivator, research guru and mixmaster for the podcast.  She does all the editing for the podcast and works like a rock star to bring our listeners great interviews and interesting topics. Kim has a deep devoted love for the Twilight Series (*cough* obsession! *cough*), and makes sure to work something Twilight into every show.   She loves photography, music, audio books, crafty things and podcasting. She also co hosts a book club podcast and she has a great sense of humor.

Dawn is also a SAHM to 2 children, and she also owns her own photography business.  When she’s not taking care of the kids or doing photography stuff, you can find her cooking, baking, or writing.  She loves feeding people, both with food and with words, and she loves helping others in any way she can. Dawn uses the podcast as her own form of therapy to work through her social anxiety and awkwardness.

So come on in, take a look around and have a listen! The Musing Mommies always have something going on and we’d love to know what you think about our show!

And make sure you check out the Musing Mommies prize, number 99 on the 5MFM Prize Page. The MuMos will give one lucky winner a signed copy of Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner. If you are a mom who loves paranormal fiction, this is the perfect book for you!

Prizes we would love to win:

GRAND PRIZE at the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 is a Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025*
Bracelet Provided by: Christine Leiser Schroeder
Earrings Provided by: Christine Leiser Schroeder
USC 60
USC 53
USC 44
USC 40
USC 39
USC 38
USC 37
USC 35
USC 15
US112
US72
US49
US20
US18

Thanks for stopping by, we can’t wait to meet you!
The Musing Mommies, Kim and Dawn

{Guest Blogger}

Life Coach Susan Liddy, MA, PCC, CPCC

I’ve always said that moms have the toughest job on the planet. Not only do they care for their own children, but they often willingly take on responsibility for their children’s friends, their relatives’ children, and any other child who comes along needing mothering! In Mom’s heart, there is room for everyone and plenty of nurturing to go around… also for a husband or boyfriend, and one day maybe even her own parents.

It’s easy to see how a Mom could put herself last on the priority list… or worse… forget about herself entirely while she looks after everyone else.

Do you remember how you took care of yourself before you had children? What were your dreams? Ambitions? What was your daily routine like? Chances are, you made your needs important… and you allowed yourself free time just for you.

Of course, once you’re a mom, it’s no longer easy to fit in that workout, let alone make time for daydreams and other simple pleasures that you once took for granted. These days, you’re busy planning your day carefully, trying to fit it all in before time runs out.  A busy mom quickly learns to go with the flow in her tumultuous life. School meetings and appointments are often rescheduled; kids fall sick unexpectedly; soccer games get rained out and friends break plans. Not to mention, the unexpected surprise of a forgotten overdue bill that needs attention, a car breakdown, or any number of inconveniences that can wreak havoc on your day!

Despite all this… you must remember one thing. YOU are still just as important as you ever were. In fact, let me rephrase that. YOU are even MORE important than you ever were. So, Mom, please don’t forget, in the midst of caring for everyone else, that it is critical that you make time to take care of YOU!

Ways to care for yourself:

Plan out your schedule a day or two in advance so you can fit yourself in there somewhere. Develop a routine that you can stick to during “off hours” when things are the least hectic. For example, maybe you designate Sunday as shopping and cooking day. This way, you can prepare nutritious meals for your family in advance, then freeze single servings that they can heat and eat as needed. This will free up so much dinner making time Monday through Saturday, which will make your life a whole lot easier.

Have backup babysitters available. Wouldn’t it be great to know that there’s a stay-at-home mom in your neighborhood who has room to watch more child on a day when you really need it? Or how about having the freedom to take a Saturday night off while the kids stay at home in the care of a local teen or senior? Interview your sitters in advance and get referrals. If you can’t afford babysitting, do kid swaps with other parents.

Have once a week date night with your S.O…. and make it something special. Just because you’ve been married many years or had yourself a bunch of kids doesn’t make you any less deserving of a night out alone with the one you love. Go out to a nice restaurant, catch a movie, meet up with friends or have them take you out dancing. Wear that new skirt you bought and don’t forget the lipstick. Having a social life and a little romance now and then will keep a spring in your step and a sparkle in your eye. Mom needs that every once in a while!

Schedule group play dates for your children and other moms. As the kids socialize, so can you. This is also a great way to make new friends if you’re new to the neighborhood or just haven’t had the time to meet people. Seek out child-friendly places to take your kids, that you’ll also enjoy. If you have preschoolers, get everyone together for lunch at the local park where the little ones can swing and slide while you chitchat.

Take a day off! Even Mom needs to recharge her batteries every once in a while. If your children are in school, maybe instead of spending the day working, cleaning and paying bills, you can play hooky from your responsibilities for a spell. Hit the beach, spend the afternoon window shopping, meet an old friend for lunch or take in a local museum or other culture.

Finally, consider that you are a role model for your children. How you take care of yourself reflects not only on how they will treat themselves when they become adults, but also how much effort they’ll expect their own wives or husbands to put into self care. You want your kids to grow up feeling fulfilled and happy as adults, yes? Taking care of you is NOT selfish; it’s actually a gift to yourself and others. After all… the more you put in, the more you’ll get out in the way of a happy and fulfilled life.

About the Author:

Life Coach Susan Liddy, MA, PCC, CPCC is the founder and CEO of AspireLifeCoaching.org, a life coaching company on a mission to empower women globally. Susan is the author of the “Secrets to Ultimate Living; What you wish you knew when you were 20!” and an active contributor to many blogs, including her own blog, SecretsToUltimateLiving.com.

Click here to get FREE access to Life Coach Susan’s Passages to Empowerment Video Series: Passages to Empowerment Video Series

(We are helping to promote Susan’s programs. In gratitude, Susan pays us a commission for any referrals who sign up.)

It’s February 1st, January is G.O.N.E. Do you feel more organized? No, me neither. But I feel like I’ve had a good start. Keeping it fresh in my mind is giving me steam to keep going. I know it’s a work in progress because it is such a big project. I know I can do it and I’m sure you can too.
Have you been enjoying the Facebook page daily tasks? Are they helping at all? What can we do to improve on them?

I have another question for you, are you ready? Ok here:
What can the Musing Mommies do to make your life better (that is within our power and within reason)?
What do you need from us?
What would you like for us to talk about?
Is there someone you’d like us to interview?
Do you want to be on the show?
Ok, so that was more than one question, but I’m on a roll
Tell us what you think. We love and need your feedback to make our podcast and website a better thing. Help us out please and give us your thoughts.

We love you and are so grateful for you, our fans.
~Kim

I just have to share this blog post that I came across. It’s GREAT for us moms that actually text (poking Dawn).  I think you all will get a kick out of it.

I found this on the Hip Moms Who Work blog.

Seems like everything under the sun has a text shorthand equivalent (just checkout netlingo.com) but no one has come up with text shorthand for Moms. WTF?! We deserve our own secret language!

I’ve taken the liberty of starting a list of shorthand we can use when we text one another. Of course, I based this on the most commonly used phrases in the current Mom lexicon.

MKRDMN – My Kids Are Driving Me Nuts
OMGMKRDMFN – Oh My God My Kids Are Driving Me F***ing Nuts
MHIDMN – My Husband Is Driving Me Nuts
OMGMHIDMFN – Oh My God My Husband Is Driving Me F***ing Nuts
MNC – Mommy Needs Coffee
MNW – Mommy Needs Wine
MNM – Mommy Needs Margaritas
MNV – Mommy Needs Vodka
ITHNNIHH- I Told Him Not Now I Have A Headache
CTMA – Calgon Take Me Away
WHIJCTPU – What Happened I Just Cleaned This Place Up
MNANO – Mommy Needs A Night Out
IIHTGTASGIWLMS – If I Have To Go To Another Soccer Game I Will Lose My S***
GTT – Going To Target
GTC – Going To Costco
GGS – Going Grocery Shopping
HNTGAV – Husband Needs To Get A Vasectomy
LCKMA – Laundry Can Kiss My Ass
GMOH – Get Me Outta Here
GMFOH – Get Me the F*** Outta Here
LGAT&L – Let’s Go All Thelma & Louise
WRWGFDBINMA – Where Are We Going For Dinner Because I’m Not Making Any
MBRSSTFOOMBWIBO – My Boobs Are So Saggy They Fall Out Of My Bra When I Bend Over
WYPSP# – What’s Your Plastic Surgeon’s Phone Number
IHSMLIAW – I Haven’t Shaved My Legs In A Week
IHSYT – I Haven’t Showered Yet Today
IHBMTYT – I Haven’t Brushed My Teeth Yet Today
INAM/P – I Need A Mani/Pedi
IHNTW – I Have Nothing To Wear
INTGOM – I Need To Get Out More
INTGAB – I Need To Get A Babysitter
IGCYWC – I’m Going Crazy You Wanna Come
WYSP# – What’s Your Shrink’s Phone Number

So if you have any more to add to this please leave a comment and let us know!

~Kim

Because I personally love browsing blogs I thought I’d re post something I read on ProBlogger. Please read and don’t leave us all hangin after the Turkey day break:

Yesterday was my first day back at blogging after a 10 day vacation with my family and on Twitter I commented that I was finding it a little hard to get my brain back into blogging mode. @Mikeachim responded by suggesting I write a post on the daily rituals that I use to get my mind into gear.

I thought I’d take his suggestion and jot down a few notes – both as a way of getting my head back into blogging but also because looking at the tweets I received this morning it’s a problem many bloggers face.

As my head is a little scattered today (as I readjust) I’m going to tackle this as a list post – here’s a few thoughts:

1. Coffee

2 lattes with a sugar in each is a fairly essential part of my blogging routine.

2. Cafes

More important than the fact that I get caffeine into my bloodstream each morning is the fact that I do it in one of 2-3 local cafes each day. I find getting out of the house (I usually walk to them so get a 10 minute walk in too) helps me to snap myself out of ‘home mode’ and into ‘working/blogging mode’. I also find that blogging in public is stimulating too – sitting in the middle of a cafe is noisy and some might find it distracting but for me I find it actually helps me generate ideas and takes me into a slightly more social space than sitting alone at home in my front room.

You can read the rest of the article HERE!

Enjoy
~Kim