Subscription Sunday - Ipsy

I'm not the best at doing my makeup.  Most days I do something really natural and quick.  Quick is key as I don't normally have a lot of time to myself during the day.  Every once and awhile I like to spice it up, but don't have a lot of time to shop for new products.  Ipsy is the perfect solution!  They ship products to try, based on your profile, each month for $10. 

Pacifica Eyeshadow Duo:  These are great colors for me.  Something I would pick out myself - and I love the hint of shimmer it provides.

Avene Spring Water: I would never buy this myself, but it instantly takes me back to vacation at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas, where someone would walk around and spritz the sunbathers with Evian water.  Take me back NOW!

Hey Honey! Peel Off Mask: I tried this last night.  My skin felt really smooth after and it was easy to peel.

Jersey Shore Sun Sunscreen: I was kind of bummed to get this.  I use sunscreen every day anyway, so this won't be used much.  I might throw it in the diaper bag for when I'm out and about and can feel my nose/ears getting too much sun.

Pur-lisse Moisterizer: Another item for the diaper bag/purse.  It's the perfect size to carry with me in the winter.

This is my second Ipsy bag and I'm still loving it!  Overall I wish I had gotten more makeup, instead of products, but still love this bag.  Can't wait for next month!

What subscription boxes do you get?  Let me know and give me your referral code - I love finding new ones!

*Clicking on the links and signing up will give me referral points.  Thank you :)

To Share or Not to Share

I saw a special on Dateline one night about a "family" that was catfishing an entire online community.  Their children were sick, the mother was pregnant, and sadly passed away in a car accident.  People all over the country were wearing support bracelets, posting on their behalf, praying for them and genuinally cared for this family that did not exist.  Red flags started sprouting up, and a simple google image search led one supporter to the real blog - a mommy blog in South Africa!  This catfisher stole her photos and led thousands of people to believe that it was her family - turns out she was a teenager in the Midwest (Indiana, Ohio maybe?).  How would you feel if you were that blogger in South Africa?  Betrayal, violated, scared, among many, many more.

When I started this blog, my husband and I decided that I shouldn't post any pictures of the girls, or really use their names, because "what if bad people get ahold of their information?" Isn't that every parents worse nightmare?

I blog to share my stories, connect with others and have a history of my own saved somewhere.  A huge part of my life are my children.  What kind of story am I sharing if you don't know their names or have faces to the stories? 

Who wants to see this when reading a story about my family?  No one, thats who.

It's not just my babies.  If I want to post pictures of my friends or family - do I need to tell them first?  What if they say they don't want to be online?

Social media has changed the way we share information.  I post pictures to personal Facebook and  Instagram accounts - both of which are private.  But I know some people that won't have pictures of their children anywhere, and I can see that side of it as well.  I am having this internal struggle between "share it all!" and "why are you even writing about them?" and I cannot figure out which way to go. 

For my readers that are also bloggers, how do you handle this?  Did you have this struggle?  What was the ultimate deciding factor?  I'm guessing that I am thinking too much about this, but I can't help but to feel a little protective of my family and friends.  For my readers that aren't bloggers - I'd love your perspective as well.  Help me out!  (It's ok to also tell me that I am looking too far in to this... nothing new there!)

 

Wednesday Wishes - Strength

My friend Anne over at Love the Here and Now asked if I was interested in co-hosting her Wednesday Wishes link up this week.  This is a new link up where you can share your wishes for the day, week, month, year, however long you feel and about whatever you are wishing for!  I jumped at the chance because I love the idea of this.  Your wishes can be serious, funny, simple or complex.  You can really take this link up anywhere you'd like! 

Last week I wished for a great trip to Indianapolis, quality time with family, time to read Gone Girl, and a good day for the mothers in my life.  I'm happy to report that all of these wishes came true.  There is one other thing I wished for, and that was for strength and courage for some events going on in my loved ones' lives.  This wish is ongoing and is the only thing I need this week.  I usually like to keep this blog upbeat and a fun place to be, but today I need to be true to myself and wish for some serious things:

- Strength, courage and quick healing for a good friend who is kicking cancer's ass right now.  I wish I could take it away, but I cant, so instead I wish for her to stay strong and positive.  (You got this!)

- Good results for loved ones going through IVF.  It just has to work, and I wish so badly for it to turn in to some beautiful babies for us to love on.

- Strength and healing for another person that was just diagnosed with cancer.  Treatment plans haven't been made yet, but I wish for something quick and effective, and for her to be strong.

Love this verse.

I am all about finding the good in each situation, so I need to focus on some positives.  There is a lot to be joyful about as well - such as new babies, time with family, weddings and engagements.  For these I wish a lifetime of happiness and health.

What are you wishing for this week?  Grab the button, link up with us and share!  Don't forget to check out other wishers while you are at it!

An InLinkz Link-up

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<a href="http://www.lovethehereandnow.com" title="Love the Here and Now"><img src="http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u575/AnneND5/WeeklyWishespic200x200_zps9885f7b7.jpg" alt="Love the Here and Now" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

The Rollercoaster of a New Blogger

Blogging is sometimes hard.  Really hard.  And sometimes it's fun and carefree.  Just like with anything in life, there are ups and downs.  As a self proclaimed newbie, I am still learning the ins and outs of this crazy blogging world. The "rules", the lingo, what to do and what not to do.  With all of that comes highs and lows. And because I love lists, here are just a few that run through my mind on any given day:

Lows.

• What if no one comments on this?
• That moment when you leave a comment on a "bigger" blog and don't get a response
• Really?  Only that many pageviews?
• Reading passive aggressive tweets and wondering who they were meant for... and "Shit, I hope they didnt mean me?"
• How in the world am I supposed to "market" this thing? And why does that matter?
• Wondering if your real life friends are judging you for what you are putting on the internet
• The fine line of "sharing too much" and not being personable enough
• Wondering how you will stand out in a world of over 152 million blogs.

Highs!

• Getting a new follower on any social media outlet
• Having your tweet favorited or, even better, retweeted
• Hearing from someone thanking you for writing what you did
• Comments!
• Connecting with other bloggers that you have a lot in common with
• Sharing your story - the good, bad and ugly
• Reading posts that change your outlook on life
• Writing what you want, when you want
• Social media shoutouts from other bloggers - that weren't paid for.

What have I missed?  What are your biggest highs and lows?  I'd love to hear them!