Sharing a "Latte Love" for my Favorite Blogs {#LatteLove at Home Prize Package Giveaway}

I wish I was a morning person.

Someone who woke up rested and smiling, ready to greet the day by bounding out of bed because I'm so eager to start working, exercising, or simply living in the moment.

In reality, every member of my family knows that there are few circumstances in which they should wake up Mommy (it has also been pretty clearly determined that waking up Mommy by whining or fighting is especially not pleasant).

If I had my way, I'd not only wake up to blissful quiet or the sounds of children happily playing or eating breakfast, but I'd be allowed anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes of time to myself to fully be prepared to start the day. I'd leisurely stroll downstairs, grab a cup of coffee (or, even better, a tasty latte!) and catch up on what's been going on with my favorite bloggers.

As I shared recently, it is easier to make lattes at home than I had realized. Simply heat one cup of milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking quickly with a wire whisk to create foam. Meanwhile, brew your strong coffee (you'll need about 1/2 cup). Next, pour the heated milk into a tall mug, holding back the foam with a spoon, and then add strong brewed coffee and spoon a thin layer of foamed milk over the beverage.

So to combine this delicious drink with some great blog posts? Sounds like a perfect way to start my morning!

The fine folks over at TheBreakfastProject.com and MilkMustache.com wanted to know which blogs in particular I can't live without and, let me tell you, it is hard to narrow them down. In the past 3+ years that I've been blogging, I've come across so many women (and a few men as well) that give sound advice, bring a smile to my face or generally just make me want to read what they have to say.

In May 2011 I had the opportunity to list some of my favorites and, looking back at that post, I find that I still enjoy nearly every single one that I had mentioned (I say nearly, as Victoria from Mommy Is Green has since stopped blogging). But A Mom's Balancing Act, A Nut in a Nutshell, An Island Life, KiddiesCorner Deals, Sippy Cup Mom and The Life of Rylie... & Bryce, too! are still definite must-haves for me.

Delving further into my Google Reader, I never start the day off without a few more of my favorites (as with my previous list, these are in alphabetical order)...

Our Nifty Notebook: I admire Jenny's blog for a number of reasons, but mainly because it's so... her. Her personal posts range from family vacations to homeschooling her darling daughter to crafts or recipes that she likes and each one is easy to read and feels as though it is directed right to each reader.

There are always adorable photographs, great tips, inspiration to try something new... and don't even get me started on how much I love Jenny's themed mantels throughout the year. I get so excited when another holiday rolls around just so I can see how she is going to decorate for it!

Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures: Amber is a wife and mother and, when looking for a place to vent about some of the crazy experiences that parenthood provides, began to write them on her blog. And illustrate them. With crappy pictures.

The end result are some of the funniest, most random, most nod your head because it's totally happened to you as well situations that you can imagine and I feel a burst of excitement every time my Reader shows me that she has published another post.

Rave and Review: When I grow up, I hope to be like Leanne (I can say that because I'm pretty sure that I'm older than she is). She is eloquent, generous, thoughtful, talented, honest and freaking hilarious — whether in person or through written word — and I admire the hard work that she puts into all aspects of her life.

I'm always interested to see what high quality product she, her husband, and their two it can't be legal to have this much cuteness in one family kids have reviewed, because not only will the post be great, but it will have had to pass Leanne's high standards to have made it to them in the first place. What can I say? The woman's got good taste!

The Bloggess: If you spend much time at all online, you know that while Jenny is indeed a blogger, she's also a New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, activist and much more.

A celebrity in her own right, Jenny's posts range from topics such as taxidermy, depression, conversations with her husband, Wil Wheaton collating paper, her crazy cats, a giant metal chicken named Beyonce (who, incidentally, has well over 50,000 Facebook fans. Can YOU say that?) and much, much more. A dozen more paragraphs still wouldn't sum up The Bloggess, which is how it should be, and I wish Jenny would post 10 times a day because it would make my day 10 times better.

There you have four more of the blogs that have a prominent place in my online reading library and that I would love to find have new posts published for me to read while sipping a morning latte. No matter if I've met, emailed or have never been in contact with these ladies, they have still left an impression on me with their individual qualities and stellar writing. Who knew that the internet could introduce me to such wonderful people?

For more information, recipes, tips and ideas for brewing your own perfect latte, cappuccino or coffee drink at home, be sure to visit The Breakfast Project and Milk Mustache. Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to fill their breakfast with a "latte love" soon as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Latte Love at Home Prize Package*!

*Care Package includes a Latte Love mug and a coupon for a free gallon of milk

(Enter with the Rafflecopter form below. If you have any questions or problems entering, there is a video tutorial found here that can help.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received products and compensation from MilkMustache.com and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Bluetooth Keyboard Case for the iPad and iPad 2 from ThinkGeek {Review}

Sitting in the airport recently, I did what any tech-savvy mom does: pulled out my iPad.

After all, what else would I do with my free time than spend it in cyberspace? However, even though there were rows of people sitting around me on their phones, tablets and computers, a man nearby leaned over specifically to me and asked, "Excuse me. What is that?"

Confused, I looked down and realized it wasn't the iPad that he was questioning, it was the fact that I was browsing and typing on my Bluetooth Keyboard Case for iPad from ThinkGeek. I couldn't blame the guy, really, because if you haven't seen one of these cases before, you might not realize just how amazingly awesome they truly are.

From the time I started using my iPad, the portability and the convenience of it was perfect... but the lack of keyboard was not. When I want to type an email or put together a blog post, sitting there pecking at the on-screen keys was time-consuming, to say the least. Not to mention having to switch to a different screen for numbers or punctuation or any number of other missing elements - did it need to be this frustrating?

No, it didn't. Having been introduced to ThinkGeek last year, I already knew (and adored) their selection of unique, innovative and fun gadgets and doodads around. But when I saw that they had a way to make it possible to enjoy my iPad again, I fell in love with them all over again and couldn't wait to give this case a try.

Right out of the box I could see that this case was the perfect combination of quality, style, and convenience. Folded, it has the appearance of a traditional soft synthetic leather protector that closes nicely with a magnetic clasp - just right for men and women, whether for business or casual use.

But flip this open and the magic hidden away inside is laid out right before you: the beautiful Bluetooth keyboard.

The built-in stand makes it simple to prop the iPad up horizontally for easy viewing and incorporating the keyboard essentially turns the whole thing into a mini-laptop or netbook (you can also fold the keyboard portion behind the iPad for normal usage of the screen).

Setup was nearly nonexistent, as my iPad slipped right in the side and with a few quick taps in my Settings and a flick of the small power switch on the side, the Bluetooth keyboard was immediately ready and working.

The keyboard itself has a silicone cover to resist spills as well as is easy to wipe off, plus it provides actual keys, so my fingers were happy find that I was typing again and not tapping at digital boxes. Plus, as well as having quick access to things like an apostrophe or the number 4, I quickly realized just how much I had missed having arrows to move throughout my words or not having to fiddle around to use the Caps Lock.

As well, the keyboard has function keys that make using other aspects of the iPad easier, such as Home, Volume, Search and iPod controls. I can easily pull up my apps or skip to the next song in my playlist without having to do much more than move a finger!

I had expected to really like ThinkGeek's iPad Bluetooth Keyboard Case, but in actuality I love it and know that I will never go back to using my iPad without it. It isn't bulky or heavy (with the iPad in it the entire thing only weighs 2.75 pounds) so carrying it around is a breeze as it fits right into my purse.

I've used this configuration at two blogging conferences recently (and during travel for them) and have been SO much happier than if I had tried to lug around my laptop... not to mention the compliments that have been dished out by other bloggers on the overall great idea. I always credit ThinkGeek and agree that this case is the way to go!

Containing a lithium ion battery, when this Bluetooth keyboard is fully charged it can last for 90 hours of continuous use - 90! And when it finally does come time to give it a charge, simply connect the provided USB cable right to the port on the side and you'll be prepared to go again.

Retailing for $59.99, the Bluetooth Keyboard Case for iPad comes in a version for the original iPad or the iPad 2, so there is no reason to not have one or give one as an extremely-appreciated gift to the iPad owner in your life.

With pages and pages of great gadgets and tools for adults, kids and geeks, narrowing down your wishlist at ThinkGeek is the most difficult thing... well, that and not spending hours on end laughing at the funny descriptions and writing throughout the site. If you haven't visited, go now! And be sure to connect with these hilariously brilliant folks on Facebook and Twitter as well.

(Other than the Bluetooth Keyboard Case for iPad that I was sent by ThinkGeek in order to facilitate my review, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this great company and their unique products.)

Online Love: My Favorite Fabulous Bloggers

Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

When asked to name five fabulous bloggers, I jumped at the chance! I have met so many amazing women (and some men, too) through blogging that being able to name off five of them and tell just why I think they're fabulous wouldn't be a problem at all!

But then... wait.

How in the world was I going to limit it to only five?

I tried. Really I did. And I felt bad that there are SO many other fantastic bloggers out there that, for one reason or another, impress me every day that I would love to write about. I just hope that, even if their name isn't mentioned here, they know who they are.

But I couldn't list every one of them and, when I managed to get my list down to seven, that's as far as I could go.

Without further ado, these are seven of the bloggers (in alphabetical order by blog) that I deem fabulous. I absolutely know that I could count on for not only a wonderful post to appear in my Reader, but that they would be there for me to laugh, cry, commiserate, complain, or just plain be a friend. What more could a girl need?

A Mom's Balancing Act: I know, you're completely shocked, right? I visited a ton of blogs back before I started my own and Jenna's is one of the very few that I continued to read afterward as well. Now having teamed up with her for multiple blog events, I've gotten to know her even better and she is just as thoughtful and sweet as her writing.

It takes a lot to impress me with a product review and I don't know if I could find a single one of Jenna's that I don't find thorough and detailed and fun to read. Not to mention the adorable pictures of her kids that are always included - even though we have never met in person, I feel like I have seen her daughter and son grow up right before my eyes as if I know them!

A Nut in a Nutshell: If you're a blogger, the chances of you not also thinking Liz is fabulous are pretty slim. There's the fact that her blog is incredibly entertaining and leaves you giggling throughout anything from a personal post to a review to, well, what can only be called nonsense...

And then there's the way that she manages to be everywhere in the blogosphere, leaving comments left and right. It's not too often that I go to leave a comment somewhere and find that Liz hasn't already left one. On top of all that...

I've been fortunate to hang out with Liz in person a few times now and I can tell you honestly that she really is as caring and funny and amazing in person as she is online, which just makes her even that much more fabulous.

An Island Life: I consider Kailani everything from a friend to a mentor and credit some of where I am today due to the fact that she brought me on as a writer on her blog back in September of 2009 when I was still pretty new at it all (I still have the email that she sent welcoming me. I was so excited that she deemed me worthy of being a part of her review team)!

I honestly have no clue how Kailani keeps up with her family, her job, her blog, running the Family Review Network, and more. She's like a rock star of blogging! I was also fortunate to meet this tiny little dynamo in person at BlogHer last year and she is adorable and sweet and I was so excited to get to hang out, have dinner, and even have pedicures done together. The next time I'm in Hawaii (I wish!) she's going to have to kick me out of her house to get me to leave because she's just so awesome.

KiddiesCorner Deals: Nichol is also on the extremely short list of sites that I continued to read even after I started blogging, but now I'm so thrilled that we've become even better friends. Nichol puts her heart and soul into her posts and whether they're about a deal, a review, or a recipe that makes my mouth water, this mama's passion and honesty is never a question and I admire that completely.

I know for a fact that Nichol would be there for me online or in person and there have been more times that I can count that we've spent chatting about everything and nothing and all that's in between. I couldn't have been happier to meet her and her adorable family just this month at Reviewer's Retreat...

...and I went away from the conference wishing I could move all four of them into a house on my block so that we could hang out all the time. Why must people always live so far away?

Mommy Is Green: There are some people that are just experts at what they know and Victoria has always amazed me at her commitment to being eco-friendly in every aspect of her life. So many of her posts introduce me to companies and products that I've never heard of before and her knowledge on all things green manages to impress me each and every day.

Victoria and I managed to meet up last year at BlogHer as well and I loved even the small amount of time that we were able to spend together. She's warm and friendly and whether in person or through email, I always feel like she genuinely cares about what's going on in my life even when hers is incredibly busy. Now that's a great friend!

Sippy Cup Mom: I am just this close to meeting Melissa in person and I can't wait! Even though I haven't known her for as long as some of the other bloggers that I have mentioned, she is still counted among the friends and writers that I think are fabulous.

Melissa has just about the biggest heart possible and I'm continually inspired by the way that she wants to help people online and off. Her blog has such a positive feel to it and whether she is writing about travel or a review or her adorable son, there is such a personal feel to each word that I feel like she is talking directly to me. I can't wait to give her a big hug at all of the upcoming events that we're both going to be at this summer and beyond!

The Life of Rylie... & Bryce, Too!: Pillow Pets will always have a soft spot in my heart for introducing me to LeeAnn. She won one of my giveaways for them quite a while back and we slowly started emailing after that... only to turn into a friendship that I love.

LeeAnn manages to combine moving personal posts in with her reviews and giveaways and I have spent quite a bit of time laughing at pictures of her cute kids or crying over the heartbreaking ups and downs life has put her through this past year. I always know I'm in for something good when I see her name pop up in my inbox and knowing that I could tell LeeAnn just about anything about life or blogging and have her understand means a lot to me.

So there you have it, seven of my favorite fabulous bloggers. Each of these ladies has her own wonderful qualities that I enjoy and admire and, in their own way, make me happy to be a part of the blogging community. I love knowing that, no matter what the future holds for my blog, their friendships will have been worth it all.

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

My True Love: Email

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Sometimes I think it's funny that my kids will never experience a time in their life when technology isn't a part of it. When I was a kid, we had a VCR with a remote control that plugged in, a computer with a green screen, and when you wanted to tell someone something, you picked up the phone or pulled out a piece of paper and an envelope.

My girls, on the other hand, will always have computers, the internet, gadgets galore, and, most importantly, instant communication through things like text and email. I don't know how old they will be before I will let them have their own email accounts, but I'm sure that it will be much younger than when I set up mine sometime in high school. Or was it college?

But ever since that day, I can't imagine life without email. To be able to send a message to friends, family or business contacts that are down the block, across the state, across the country or across the world in an instant whenever and wherever is something that is such a huge part of my life.

Whether it is noisy in the background or it is 3 a.m., I can type out a quick hello or take the time to read the messages that are waiting for me. Everything from engagement and birth notices to party invitations to weekly play group details to funeral arrangements have come through my email over the years and I've laughed and cried and stayed informed through all of them.

As well as the personal benefits, without email I'm not sure how I would keep my out-of-town relatives up to date on what is going on in our lives. Sure, there is a picture or two posted here on my blog of the kids most days, but what about when I just want to write a quick letter to my mom telling her about the shenanigans that these two crazies got into today?



And even better than just sending the words, I can take that picture and upload it right into my message so that when my mom opens her email, their smiling faces will be waiting for her. I love that part about email and this little video from Yahoo! sums it up pretty much perfectly:

So, yes, I have a love affair with email. I'm never quite sure what I'm going to find when I pull up my inbox each day, but I just can't help getting excited with the anticipation of it. There is a whole virtual collection of my life in there and who knows what is going to be added next?

What about you? Are you addicted to your email? Is there one in particular that stands out as the best that you've ever received?

Blogger, why must you torture us?

Unless you were lucky enough to be away from the blogosphere for the past 24 hours, you probably realized that there was something going on. If you tried to leave comments, you got an error message. If you tried to log in to your own blog, you were met with this:

Well, sure. Okay. Let's just visit that Blogger Status to see those additional details, shall we?

Um, what? Not only does that not tell me what is going on, but you've actually removed my posts? How in the world can that be helpful?

Considering the description for this page...

Am I the only one feeling like that isn't exactly accurate? The update doesn't tell me a single detail about the problem or what is being done about it... not to mention that "soon" seems to be a fairly relative term for Blogger. The downtime ended up being more than 20 hours, something that doesn't count as "soon" in my book.

Whatever. The good news is that Blogger is back.

Sort of.

As of right this minute, any drafts that I started in the past few days are gone and the giveaways that were posted yesterday are at least slowly returning (one is back but one is not)... and the comments haven't appeared with them. There are also hundreds of comments missing from all of the other giveaways that are up that are hopefully on their way back soon.

Both Jenna and I are aware that there are comments missing from all of our Celebrating Mom giveaways and we will be holding off on closing the giveaways or picking winners until we are certain that everything is 100% back to normal. Also, if you tried to leave a comment or tweet at all during the time that Blogger was down, please leave them today, they're still completely valid.

In the end, at least Blogger has apologized and is working to get things completed. But... is it enough? I won't ever get the time back and the already too-tight schedule that I keep for blogging has been completely ruined and will take quite a while to recover.

How has it all affected you? If you have a blog on Blogger, are you already planning to switch to a different platform?