There is something so special about having the same sex sibling.

I was the oldest of three children. I have a brother who is two years younger and a sister that is five years younger than me.

Growing up I never wanted to hang out with my sister because she was so much younger than I was. I have visions of her sitting at the top of the stairs peering down with sad little eyes. All she wanted to do was hang out with me and I always told her, “No leave me alone!”

Now looking back I cringe when I think about that. Of course it is not one of my finer moments, but I was young and didn’t understand the value of sisterhood.

Thankfully we have a really close relationship now and we are best friends. At times, I feel like I’m the one at the top of the stairs looking down on her.

When I look at my two boys, who are only two and half years apart, I really hope that they have a close relationship like my sister and I.

Growing up I knew two brothers that were inseparable. Now years later, they live miles apart and rarely speak to one another. As the one brother would say, “We just grew apart years ago.”

On the other hand, I know another set of brothers that even in their thirties and after having families of their own, they still do everything together. When you are around them, you can really sense the love they have for one another.

I always watch them and think that’s how I hope my boys will be when they are grown up.

My boys are young and have that love/hate relationship right now.  They fight over every single toy and bicker back and forth all day long.

However, they hate being separated.

They often sneak kisses when the other one isn’t looking;

And love sharing snacks while enjoying a good game of sports.

They already have a special bond.

And I pray that this lasts a lifetime.

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Post tags: Boys, brothers, sibling love

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Recently I was given the opportunity to partner with CSN and do a product review for them. They are absolutely awesome! They have 200 stores with everything from console tables, bedding sets, beautiful rugs and light fixtures.

Look at this coffee table isn’t it absolutely stunning?

Last year, I bought this gorgeous lamp from them and still receive some many compliments on how different it is;

So what am I going to review for them? Well I am going to keep that a surprise! I know I’m horrible aren’t I?

I will give you a hint. I am doing a room make-over and I will be using their products to help give a more finished look to my sun room.

We have been in our new home for almost a  year and we are still painting and decorating the house. It’s a long process but since I absolutely love my home its well worth the wait.

I will show you before and after photos of my sun room using my new products from CSN. I am super excited to get started!

In the meantime, head over to CSN and have a look around. I guarantee you’ll find a few new products that you can’t live without.

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: review

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If you need more info about Friday Favorites, read THIS.

But it is pretty simple. Write a post with your favorite reads from the week, grab my button and link up!

If you didn’t get a chance to write your post, no worries just link up YOUR favorite post from your personal blog.

Have you ever wondered where everyone blogs? Do they blog in their kitchen, on their couch or do they have their own little space in the house? Centsational Girl held a “Where Do You Blog Party” and let’s just say now I am slightly jealous!

Seriously some people are just way too creative! Check out how Jen from Made by Girl created the same light fixture below by using household products….it will blow your mind!

Its so sad when you read a post like this from another blogger.  I wish Tracie all the best!

Do people really live like this? I can only dream!

We all have lessons that we wish we would of known sooner in life. Check out this series called ‘Life Lessons’.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blog love, favorite posts, Friday Favorites

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Once again I am reminded of how much fun it must be to shop for a little girl.

If you have a boy, I’m sure this situation is pretty familiar to you.

I head to the kid’s department and see two {if I’m lucky three} racks for boys. I look to the right and notice rows and rows of clothes for little girls.

Pink, lace, skirts, tights, frilly dresses, glittery shirts, cute headbands…

I take a deep breathe and try to focus on my real purpose – to buy my son a few items for back-to-school.

I start to look through the racks and notice that all of the clothing for boys look the same.

You have the standard t-shirts, button downs and collard shirts. Of course a few jump out at me and I think “wow that is cute” but its few and far between.

My eyes keep drifting over to the little girls section and every time I see a leopard shirt or sparkly dress, crazy thoughts run through my head like; “I wonder if my hubby would get upset if I played dress up with my boys?”

I know crazy right?

The other day I watched a mom pick out clothing with her four-year-old daughter and I was envious. She was holding up this adorable pink button down jacket and brown fall boots.

They were giggling and laughing and I remember thinking, “Its not fair.”

Funny thing is I am ok with having two boys. In fact, I actually love having all boys.

I believe it is the clothing that taunts me and makes me miss not having a daughter to dress up.

From now on when I go shopping I avoid the little girl’s section. It is much easier that way!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: back to school, Boys, mom of boys

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Me and Bobbie from My Mama Runs

What has surprised me most about blogging is the real, solid friendships I have made.

Connecting with other bloggers is really rewarding and everyone can benefit from a mutually supportive relationship.

I think that is the beauty of social media.  You can find a great connection with someone that could live thousands of miles away.

I developed a great friendship with Devan from Accustomed Chaos. We have a lot in common; both have little kids, our husbands work a ton of overtime and we spend most dinners eating alone.

We always joke that we wish we lived closer, so we could have weekly dinner dates. Unfortunately, we live far from one another but I am hoping one day I get the chance to meet her!

Here are a few tips that have helped me establish the blogging relationships I have today:

1. Find your niche

Look for bloggers that write about similar topics. Read their About page to get to know them better, sign up for the RSS feed so that you don’t miss a post, visit regularly and comment, comment, comment!

2. Follow Their Social Networks

After you follow them through Google Connect or through their RSS feed, make sure to follow them on twitter, like their fan page, join their community and their LinkedIn networks.

Again make sure to interact with them by commenting or starting small conversations.

3. Reach Out

If you find a blog that you absolutely love – reach out to them. Ask them if they would be open to exchanging guest posts or maybe work on a project with you.

For example, I worked with Mary from The Mommyologist on Not Mom of the Year Contest and Lori from Mommyfriend on the Blogher’10 Pity Party.

Both were a lot of fun and I loved getting to know Mary and Lori on a more personal level.

3. Give Back

Add them to your blog roll, link back to them in one of your articles and retweet their posts. This is a great way to show your support and who doesn’t love a little recognition!

4. Listen

Be attentive to what your blogging friends are saying. Are they working on a new project? Do they need advice? Are they going through a difficult situation?

Giving feedback, support or a little encouragement goes a long way.

5. Connect Offline

Depending on how far you live from your blogging friends, it may be feasible to set up a lunch or dinner date with them. If not, find out if they will be attending a nearby event or conference and plan to meet up then.

I originally met Erica from Mommy’s Still Fabulous at Bloggy Bootcamp in Baltimore. After we got talking, we realized we only lived 20 minutes from each other!  We now talk regularly, plan occasional lunch dates and are getting ready to start a new project together!

I believe establishing true friendships in the blogging world is really important in succeeding as a blogger.

Now its your turn. Have you developed any real friendships through blogging? Do you have any tips on how to reach out to other bloggers and start a connection?

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blogging, blogging tips

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If you need more info about Friday Favorites, read THIS.

But it is pretty simple. Write a post with your favorite reads from the week, grab my button and link up!

If you didn’t get a chance to write your post, no worries just link up YOUR favorite post from your personal blog.

Do you need a pick-me-up? I know we all do at some point so here are a few simple ways to re-engerize yourself.

Ten things your mother will NEVER tell you about having children until it is too late!

Would you go back to life pre-technology? You know before smart phones, lap tops, twitter, facebook, blogging, etc.? Hard question, isn’t it?

Do you live in Philadelphia and are you a blogger? If so, you may be slapped with a $300 fee!

One mom’s mission to save money for her family by giving up luxury items, cutting her own hair, taking the trash to the local land fill, and making her own facial scrub. Year to date she saved $2,812.66 – impressive!

Happy Reading!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blog love, favorite posts, Friday Favorites

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I can’t believe summer is almost over. I have mixed emotions about it.

While I am ready to dive right into my favorite season Fall so I can wear boots, my favorite sweater, and sip on pumpkin spice coffee – I know I will miss so many things about this summer in particular.

For one it was the first summer in our new home.

We made so many great memories; swimming in our pool, camping in the backyard, BBQs, riding bicycles, roasting marshmallows…the list goes on and on.

It is always bitter sweet when one season ends and another one begins.

I started looking through photos from the past few months and found a few that really capture our Summer of 2010;

We ate lots and lots of Jersey corn. The sweetest and juiciest corn you will ever have! Little B couldn’t get enough and would chant around the house corn, corn, corn! I love this photo of him.

Playing games on the boardwalk. This year Big A really got into it and was a good match for his Dad.

We did a TON of swimming! By mid-July Big A was swimming without his life jacket on. It was so awesome to watch him go from being hesitate to jump into the water to swimming under the water all by himself.

The boys had a ball splashing and running through the sprinkler.  I love hearing them giggle from excitement!

We spent a lot of time on the miniature golf course. This year we bought Big A his first set of golf clubs because he absolutely loves golfing. When he steps foot onto the course, he is all business! He usually averages about two holes in one each time we play – I think he might have found his calling already!

I’m sad to see the summer come to an end but I’m really looking forward to creating new memories with my family.

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Mama Kat's Writer's Work, summer

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We all know that friends come and go – as sad as it might be.

I was the first one of my girlfriends to have a baby.  In the beginning, I got lots of visits and phone calls but that quickly ended.

It hurt but I understood that my friends had their own lives and I didn’t expect them to realize what I was going through at the time.

A couple months before my son’s first birthday, I reconnected on Facebook with a few girls that I went to high school with.

This has truly been the best thing that has ever happened to me.  These girls are my life line and without them I don’t know how I would survive motherhood.

I never knew the true meaning of friendship until I met them. We always make time for each other, not to mention have a blast when we are together. We have regular play dates, dinners together and occasional girls night out.  It is never a dull moment.

Our first babies were all boys. Since then some of us had little girls and others {like me} added more testosterone to the group.

One of the best things about my friendship with them is that I know they truly love my boys as I do their children.  Its an awesome feeling to know that when you leave your child with someone they are being taken care of and loved just as you would.

Today I am celebrating one of my best girlfriends, Melanie.  On Wednesday, August 18th, she gave birth to the sweetest little girl, Miss M. Look at how beautiful she is;

My girlfriend, Kerri, and I went to visit Melanie in the hospital and this is our first official photo with Miss M.  {BTW isn’t Kerri’s little girl, Miss H, super cute! She’s already a ham when it comes to taking photos!}

Over the last few years, Melanie has been the greatest friend I could have ever ask for.  She is such a caring person and I truly value our friendship.

Melanie has overcome so many obstacles in her life and despite the odds of her carrying her baby girl to full term, she did it! I am so proud of her and admire her for the way she handles everything in her life.

I am so happy we reconnected after not seeing each other for over 10 years! She has definitely made my life better and I couldn’t imagine her not being in it.

Melanie – congratulations to you and your family on the birth of your beautiful, healthy little girl. I couldn’t be happier for you! XOXO

*********************************************************************

UPDATE: I am so thrilled to be Laura’s, The Purse Blogger, Favorite Lady of the Week! Please stop by and check it out.  Thanks so much Laura!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favorite lady of the week, friendships

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If you need more info about Friday Favorites, read THIS.

But it is pretty simple. Write a post with your favorite reads from the week, grab my button and link up!

If you didn’t get a chance to write your post, no worries just link up YOUR favorite post from your personal blog.

Here are a few great reads that will keep you busy this weekend:

This article goes along great with my recent post, Balancing Family, Life and Blogging. If you have small children, then accept that your day won’t go as planned.

Can you believe back-to-school is quickly approaching? Here are some great ways to make a Bento Box Lunch. These are just too cute!

Most of us are addicted to technology {me included}. Want to know if its taking over your life? Read this.

This is something I have been meaning to do for a long time! Organize my recipes that are taking over my kitchen.

These are just beautiful photos and such a sweet way to remember summer.

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I have to share my favorite back-to-school items; Thermos FUNtainers!

We recently reviewed the Thermo FUNtainer bottle and food jar and my boys went absolutely crazy over them.

Here are a few things I love about them:

• BPA Free
• On top of each container, it tells you how long it will keep your food hot or cold…genius!
• Hygienic push button lid with pop-up silicone straw is easy to open
• Made from unbreakable stainless steel material. My boys already dropped the items a few times and they never chipped, scratched or left a dent.
• Leak proof…a must have!
• Snack cup has an extra wide opening to make it easy for the boys to use for snacks
• Super cute designs

Have a great weekend everyone!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favorite posts, Friday Favorites, review

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I have been struggling lately with balancing everything in my life from family, responsibilities, looking for a job to blogging.

By now you probably know I am trying to land a job in marketing/social media after being laid off from my job last year.  I have taken on a few projects that I feel will be great additions to my resume and ‘hopefully’ help me keep my foot in the door.

But at times, I admit I think I have taken on too much.

Most of these ‘projects’ are volunteer work and I am starting to question if they are really worth my time and will they help me land a job?

With my boys home with me every day and the fact that they can not entertain themselves, it becomes harder and harder for me to manage my time.

So I jump on the computer for a few minutes here and a few minutes there and by the end of each day I often feel like I am spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.

I partially blame social media for being so distracting. I’ll sit down to work on a post or help with BABYssentials’ community, turn on Twitter and Facebook to check my accounts and then find myself getting sucked in for the next few hours.

Today I had lunch with one of my blogging friends, Erica, to discuss a project we are working on together {yes another one that I will be able to reveal very soon}.

We started chatting and I told Erica about how I am struggling with balancing everything in my life and my concerns for taking on all of these projects.

Erica is smart, witty and I really value her opinion.

She told me that I need to organize my time, set-up a schedule for myself and make finding a job a priority.

This is exactly what I needed to hear. Of course as a previous Marketing Manager I understand the importance of using schedules and time management, but I never looked at applying them to my own personal life.

Why? I’m not really sure but I certainly will give it a try.

I have decided that I need to structure my days or at least the days when I have no obligations or plans.

My mornings will be dedicated to BABYssentials and commenting on blogs, nap time will be used for catching up on twitter, facebook and email and three nights a week I will assigned myself one task {write a post for my blog or one of the websites I contribute to, network on LinkedIn, work on my own personal blog, etc.}.

I really want to keep most of my days free for my boys. I really hate the feeling that I am always attached to the computer or my blackberry and not focused on them. They are my priority and what is most important to me.

I also do not want to be on the computer every night. My husband works a lot of hours and most nights {if he isn’t working late} it is our time to hang out.

I am still debating on what projects to hold onto and which ones I need to let go of but for now I will try to schedule my days and see if this helps.

I’d love to hear how you deal with balancing family, responsibilities and blogging. Do you create a schedule for yourself? When do you blog and how to do you manage your time? Please share any tips you may have!

© Life Without Pink for Life Without Pink..., 2010. | Permalink | 34 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: balancing life, blogging tips, Pour Your Heart Out, social media

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