Happy second bloggaversary to me! Two years ago today I started my journey as a blogger. I remember the  rush of adrenaline I felt in the moments after I pushed “publish” for the very first time.  If you had told me on this day in 2008 that my life would change and that a whole world was about to open up for me I would have giggled and shrugged it off.  Two years later, I am fortunate to reflect on the incredible opportunities that have come my way;  lots of travel, teaching and speaking, launching MomActive, hosting a radio program and a MomTV Webcast, meeting the Mile High Mamas in Denver and being present for an evening that not only began the Mom it Forward Denver Chapter,  but ensured that our group would be strong. The experiences have been amazing, the people inspiring, and the work fulfilling.  Below is the text from very first post as The Bantering Blonde:

This is it! My very first time ever blogging.  I’m so excited to blog. BLOG, I love the word.  I’m a blogger. The word just sounds so sophisticated in a hip, not so sophisticated way.  Somehow, saying, “Just a minute Sweetie, Mommy is just finishing up this blog entry” sounds so much better than, “Just a minute! I’m busy on Facebook, Nana is beating me at Scrabble again and I just need to IM this person back….”

Happy second bloggaversary to me! Two years ago today I started my journey as a blogger. I remember the  rush of adrenaline I felt in the moments after I pushed “publish” for the very first time.  If you had told me on this day in 2008 that my life would change and that a whole world was about to open up for me I would have giggled and shrugged it off.  Two years later, I am fortunate to reflect on the incredible opportunities that have come my way;  lots of travel, teaching and speaking, launching MomActive, hosting a radio program and a MomTV Webcast, meeting the Mile High Mamas in Denver and being present for an evening that not only began the Mom it Forward Denver Chapter,  but ensured that our group would be strong. The experiences have been amazing, the people inspiring, and the work fulfilling.  Below is the text from very first post as The Bantering Blonde:

This is it! My very first time ever blogging.  I’m so excited to blog. BLOG, I love the word.  I’m a blogger. The word just sounds so sophisticated in a hip, not so sophisticated way.  Somehow, saying, “Just a minute Sweetie, Mommy is just finishing up this blog entry” sounds so much better than, “Just a minute! I’m busy on Facebook, Nana is beating me at Scrabble again and I just need to IM this person back….”

You all know how I love to preach the power of social media but this isn’t just another “social media does good” piece. This story goes way beyond that and highlights the power of human kindness and proves that everything happens for a reason.

If you haven’t heard about Ted Williams, the homeless man with a golden voice, you must be living under a rock. I was head down working today but after seeing the story posted on my Facebook page by one friend after another, I had to find out what the deal was.  The video of Ted, who held a sign saying he had “A God given gift of a voice.” was filmed by Doral Chenoweth for The Columbus Dispatch. It hit the internet on Monday, yes Monday January 3rd, just two days ago, and went viral with 5 million hits in few hours. Redditors in Columbus, OH went nuts trying to find Ted to offer him jobs and all sorts of help. The threads are amazing-read them. By today the formerly shaggy pan handler on the corner had been on radio and TV shows, offered high profile jobs and even a mortgage for a home. The best part of this story is that Ted seems like a truly genuine guy and if you watch the video below you can’t help but think it couldn’t have happened to a better person.

This is my warm fuzzy for the week…

Here is the original video….

Before

My pantry was shamefully disorganized and in need of some serious attention. This dungeon of lost food items is both esthetically and emotionally offensive. Today, I discovered that my pantry is also a greedy money sucking bastard.

I tackled the bastard head on today…

Take It All Out Baby!

Take it all out baby!

I took everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, out of the pantry and I even checked expiration dates. We won’t discuss what was found. Let’s just say there were a few items that didn’t qualify to regain entry into pantryland.

I also wiped down the shelves and the walls with a vinegar and water solution-the same one I use on my floor. I’m sure there is some scientific ratio but I just sorta splish and splash it all into a spray bottle. I’m feeling so generous today that I Googled it for ya, there are a zillion entries for Vinegar Cleaning Solution.

Evidence of Waste

Hey Sugah Sugah!

Just how many bags of dark brown sugar does one need? In fairness, this picture actually has one bag of rock hard light brown sugar mixed in. And take note, one of those cocoa powders is Dark Chocolate so really it looks worse than it is. Right?

I’m not the greatest of cooks but I try to experiment with a new recipe here and there. The problem with this is that every time I decide to try a new recipe I make a list of what I need and my pantry is such a mess that I give up looking to see if I have the ingredients and just run out the door with my list. Budget friendly technique? I think not.

Here’s the budget buster, if I add up the cost of 3 bags of brown sugar (estimate $3) and 2 tubs of cocoa powder (estimate $5) all items purchased needlessly, I could have saved almost $20. There’s more where that came from. Think of all the items I tossed because they’d expired-or because they said refrigerate after opening and were not refrigerated after opening. This clean and organize concept might not be so bad. See, the blonde can think frugal after all!

{By the way, check out this listing on Ebay for Hershey’s Cocoa - did I miss something? Is there a run on cocoa powder? $12.95 plus $14.35 shipping? I wonder how much of this stuff they sell. I thought about emailing but my curiosity doesn’t always amuse those serious Ebay sellers. (I used to be one so I can say that.) I want to know who spends almost $28 on a tub of cocoa powder? It doesn’t even taste very good! Seriously, if you are desperate for some cocoa powder give me a call and I’ll deliver it to your door with a pretty smile for $20. What do you call a brain fart on a blog? A blog fart? A literary brain fart? I think we can classify this paragraph as some type of bloggy brain fart.}

Sanity Restored….

*Pretty Pantry*

ahhhh.

Hey, look at that! I’m 2 for 2 in my very own new year blogging fest! I don’t have the balls to actually commit to a “Project 365″ -way too much room for failure-but I have resolved to embrace my fear and just write. Every day… maybe.  So, there it is. And here it is.

Do you have a bucket list? My “bucket list”, which I have self title my 40 Before 40, is overflowing with the things I would like to do before I turn 40. I’ve probably talked about it a million times and some of you know about the most important things on the list. For example, I will bravely travel on a zip line before I turn 40. This is the single MOST important item on my list and it must be completed or I shall forever live in shame.

Why? Why, I’m glad you asked! It’s a really good story but I’ll tell you later because it’s just humiliating enough to qualify for it’s own post…

Have you read my list? Of course you haven’t and neither have I!

Talking and committing to paper/weblog are two very different things. This list exists in my head, in my heart, and smack dab in the middle of my mind like a billion pound brick of elephant poop with a big smiley face that just laughs at me.

“Haha,” says the billion pound brick of elephant poop, “hows that list workin’ for ya? When we gonna see this list you speak of so frequently” {I swear I’m not drunk, I gave up Diet Coke two days ago (again) and I think the cleansing process must be releasing toxins into my bloodstream, hence the elephant poop hallucinations.}

It’s an important list, this 40 Before 40, and I don’t know why I agonize over publishing it. Well, yes I do know exactly why I agonize.

What if? What if I put it out there and then can’t or don’t do something?

I’m beginning to see the value in the whole writing every day thang… LAWD, will you look at that? Who gives a hoot if I do or don’t check off all those things on my bucket list? What does it mean if I turn 40 and haven’t completed everything on that list?

Here’s the thing friends, there is courage in dreaming big and making big fat lofty bucket lists. So what if I don’t get to check off “win power ball and save the world” before August 18, 2012? Yesterday I wrote about the difference between intention and action. This list needs to exist so that I can turn my intentions into action.

Stay tuned, you may or may not see a list from me soon.

Do you have a bucket list? What are the most important things on your list and what actions are you taking to complete them?