The year was 2001 and I remember the day I moved into my new home and stared at all the white walls and I wondered what the hell I was going to do with it all.  So many colors to choose, what if I screw up and the house comes out like a circus or a freak show! My husband reassured me and said it was only paint.

I have mixed feelings about social media. Social media can be terrific.  It is valuable to me in my work and in my personal life.  I am an adult.  While I struggle to find balance, I am responsible for my use of social media tools and the consequence of my actions on it.  As a mom, I question my kids’ ability to realize the possible impact of their actions on social media, despite my lecturing.

“Stop bullying my kid!” are words I never thought I would say. Especially since three (out of four) of my children are only elementary school age. But I have. And with saying those words, I experienced a great sense of worry for my children’s safety.

Were you one of the panicked buyers who recently paid $20 or $30 for a box of Twinkies? If not, did you still lament the potential, although not likely, extinction of this spongy yellow cream filled cake?

I don’t know about you, but my feelings are decidedly mixed about the fate of the Twinkie. When I was growing up, Hostess products were pretty much a staple in our house. While I did indulge in the Twinkie every now and then, I must admit that my favorite was the cupcake, with all of the chocolate and cream-filled goodness it provided. So, the Twinkie was not my “go to.”

Bullying. What is there to say about it that has not already been said? And still, there is so much left to be done.

A couple of weeks ago I asked how far a working mother would go in the bedroom for her husband if she realized he would consider straying if he wasn't consistently not satisfied.  All year 50 Shades of Gray has been the big exciting book and buzz around for women.  Mommy porn is what it has been affectionately called.  I have personally not read any of the books yet - but I have definitely heard and seen the feedback between personal discussions and social media responses from my friends.  There definitely seems to be two differen positions - much like the recent electio

Well, I did it. I went a week without social media (mostly, see my last post for my one slip) and I survived. I learned a lot about myself and the role social media plays in my life in the last week, and although I don't have any steadfast "rules" as I move forward, some changes have naturally occurred.

As we began to return to the semi-normal pace of life this week after the storm(s), I realized that I was WAY behind in my holiday shopping (meaning I hadn't even begun to THINK about it). As I opened the spreadsheet from last year (yes, I do keep a spreadsheet...), something just didn't sit right with me. How could we spend money on relatively thoughtful but truly unnecessary items for friends and family when so many around us had lost so much?

One of my goals in 36 before 36 was to go social media free for a whole week. To some, this might seem ridiculously easy, but to me it was daunting. You can read more about the how's and why's of my challenge here.

Day 1-Sunday

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”