Tag: Community

Posted on

Way to Well Health

Sounds good, right? Who doesn’t want well health? Well now Walgreens is partnering with AARP to bring well health right here to Milwaukee. Excellent!

You know those pink mammogram mobiles? This is very similar, except instead of squeezing your boobs in their fleet of customized vehicles, they provide free health tests to aid in the prevention and early detection of some of today’s leading diseases – heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Did you hear me? FREE! Continue reading “Way to Well Health”

Posted on

It’s kind of a big day around here

Ok, so, hi there. I have so many great things going on today, that I’m kinda at a loss for how to begin. Maybe a list? Let’s give that a shot…

 

#1 –> It’s my birthday today!! Yahoo! Yes, I do still get excited about my birthday, even the really uneventful ones. Like today’s. Although it is Tuesday, the day of the week on which I was born, so that’s fun.

I’m 33.

Hmm, a palindrome, albeit a short one. 3-3. It sounds pretty blah, boring, even old-ish I would say. But I guess that’s all a matter of perspective, really. Like when I was 20, I would’ve thought oh man, 33 is oooold. However, when I’m 70, I’ll think oh man, 33 was so YOUNG. For right now, though, 33 just is.

I don’t really feel like I’m approaching my mid-30s. For the past, well, 11 years I guess it is now, I’ve perpetually felt like I’m 22. Why 22? Who knows. Guess that was a good year. But I still feel like I did right when I left college and Madison. Until we go back for a visit that is, usually for a football game day, and I see all the coeds at the bars now and think, are you kidding me?? There’s no WAY we acted like that when we were here. (although we probably did, ahem)

So we have that happening. Happy Birthday to ME!

 

#2 –> It’s my SITS Day!! Double yahoo! I know at least some of you have never heard that term “SITS” before, so let me give you a brief description, right from the lovely ladies themselves:

SITS = “The Secret to Success is Support”, and it is a most excellent blogging community. When I first started this little hobby called blogging last year, this was one of the first groups I found to try to discover what this world was all about and who was out there.

It’s proven incredible.

They feature bloggers from all around the world, they provide invaluable blog advice and tips, they host conferences and get-togethers across the country, and they’re just an all-around fantastic group of women. When you have a chance, please, go check them out!

For any of you joining me today from SITS, welcome! I’m honored to have you stopping by, so by all means check the place out. You can learn a little more about me personally here, you can noodle through the year-long daily journal I’m in the process of keeping for our daughter here, and you can find some of my favorite posts here.

Thank you all so much for being here, new and old, SITS and non-SITS!

 

All right, so I guess I only had 2 things on that list, but aren’t they 2 very awesome things to have to list?? I’m pretty pumped about them, anyway.

 

 

 

Posted on

Happy anniversary to me!

Today marks 1 year exactly since my very 1st post on ScooterMarie. Now how do I go about celebrating that?

image source

I would have loved to show you screen shots from all the iterations of my blog design since last March, but unfortunately I was never trolled by archive.org so I can’t grab any of those for you. ‘Tis a shame, too, since this blog looks WAY different than it did when I 1st started.

It actually looks a lot different than it did just a few months ago. Damn you, Wayback Machine! Why didn’t you find me?

So hmm… What can I say about this 1 year milestone in the blogosphere?

I can honestly say it’s something I never really thought I’d do. For years, whenever I heard the word “blog” I just automatically assumed it meant a tech-based website that was going to be completely over my head in jargon. Not my bag.

Not once did I think this world was full of the humor, wit, class, emotion, ideas, and just all around sense of camaraderie that it has turned out to be. I think that’s the best part about this past year of blogging – all the wonderful blogs and people behind them that I have discovered.

People laugh when I say “My blogging friend so-and-so,” but it’s true. I genuinely consider all of you friends, all of you people who currently only live in the Internet for me, whom I haven’t yet met in real life.

But I still feel like I know you – I’ve read about your families, I’ve learned of your struggles, I’ve laughed at your stories, and I keep you in my reader for more. Now don’t you feel special!

But it’s true – I consider you girls (and guys!) my friends.

And I have a feeling that if (or hopefully when) we do meet in person someday, I will be proven correct. We will be friends.

Thank you all (both from the Internet and in real life) for coming to ScooterMarie and reading my words. It’s your comments and connections that make this so much fun.

So here’s to continued friendships through ScooterMarie. I love telling you our crazy stories, and I hope you’ll keep coming back for more.

1 year down, many to go…

 

 

Posted on

Just click on that little orange button

Some of you, dear readers, may have subscribed to my blog through the Google Friend Connect widget that used to be in my sidebar, and for that I thank you sincerely!

Unfortunately, Google is doing away with Friend Connect in a matter of weeks, so our connection will be lost. I know! The horror!!

Have no fear, though. There is a most excellent and incredibly effortless way to keep our bond alive and strong even when that widget goes by the wayside permanently.

All you need to do is take a peek up in my header and click on that little orange RSS button. Or you can click right here if you’d rather:

It will magically open up a screen for you to subscribe to ScooterMarie and have it delivered right to the reader feed of your choice. Easy breezy!

Or, if you prefer to receive all of my insanely witty banter and tantalizing charm via email, please enter your email address in that little box over in the sidebar. FeedBurner will zip a note right to your inbox with every new post.

You’ll never miss a word of ScooterMarie again! I can feel your collective sighs of relief washing over me now…

So please, if you would be so kind – either subscribe via the orange RSS feed button up top there or stick with me via email subscription from the box in my sidebar. You will totally make my day. See how happy I am?

Thank you!

 

 

 

Posted on

Do I want my kids to be French?

One of my sisters sent me an excellent article written by Pamela Druckerman for the Wall Street Journal online the other day, and I couldn’t help but immediately want to share it. The full article can be found here. It is pretty lengthy, so I’ll do my best to break it down for you.

The basic gist of it is that French parents have mastered parenting, if you will, with an ease and calm that their American counterparts can often only dream of employing.

Say what? I know.

But before you start throwing freedom fries at me, let me explain the rest of what the article imparts. I think by the end you’ll agree with me that we American parents could actually stand to take a few notes from our cohorts français.

Those of you with children, think for a moment…

Who of us hasn’t

  • Left behind a sea of shredded napkins and salt packets after a meal at a restaurant?
  • Chased a boisterous toddler incessantly around a table/room/floor/building/yard in the hopes of wearing him/her out or simply as a form of entertainment? (i don’t know about you, but rampant toddler-chasing doesn’t rank highly on my list of fun)
  • Lugged around every toy or game imaginable with which to bribe said toddler when needed in exchange for peace and/or good behavior?
  • Given up on saying “No” and just given in to a child’s demands before your sanity was utterly and permanently shattered?

Now, who in the crowd doesn’t want

  • Respectful children who mind their parents from the 1st request, not the 100th?
  • Children who can entertain themselves happily without constant attention?
  • To not have to lose their voice shouting for obedience from their offspring?

So what does Ms. Druckerman suggest we do? I’m so glad you asked. Let’s begin with a little comparison though, again, from the article above.

What French parents are doing:

  • Being involved with their families without being obsessive. Good parents aren’t at the constant beck and call of their kids, but instilling patience and a sense of delayed gratitude in them.
  • Stimulating their kids, but not 24 hours a day.
  • Not suffocating children with a million lessons here and play dates there, but instead letting toddlers do just that – toddle.
  • Setting rigid, unwavering boundaries, but entrusting their children with independence and freedom within those boundaries.

What American parents are doing:

  • Hyperparenting, helicopter parenting, overparenting, “kindergarchy” – basically all up in their kids’ faces all the time.
  • Not being firm and consistent in teaching kids “No”. As such, their children are accustomed to, and usually demand, instant gratification – running around wherever/whenever they want, snacking all day instead of waiting for meal times, generally displaying a “whatever” mentality when it comes to obeying their parents.
  • Allowing their kids to be attention mongers and basically running the show.

Now let me make crystal clear – this obviously is not meant to apply to every single French parent and every single American parent. No, absolutely not. Nor am I implying that it does.

I know there are countless outstanding parents building strong, wholesome families around here, and I’m sure there are just as many shitty French parents who have no idea the meaning of the word. But just from personal experience, I have witnessed enough examples of the American parenting style focused on in this article to agree that this argument does hold some weight.

Ok, so now what do we do about this?

Isn’t that the million dollar question. But fortunately, the suggested answers seem pretty reasonable and downright easy to me:

  • Be stern in your commands to your children. Don’t shout and yell at them, but be convincing and authoritative in your tone.
  • Be consistent. Don’t give up right away when your child says “no” and runs away. You’re the parent – they can learn that.
  • And I think the best advice actually came from my sister herself: “Though I was a quasi-mother for all of three weeks or so, it showed me good reason why parents need to be stern, strong, and straight forward from the get go, all the while still being loving, caring, and comforting.”

Well said, A, well said. I think all parents can agree that those are some good words by which to live.

And no, I don’t want my kids to be French. I just want them to be happy and well-behaved. After reading this article, that really doesn’t sound like much to ask at all.

 

 

Posted on

5 new faves

For the past couple weeks I’ve been doing a 31-day blog-improvement challenge hosted by the SITS Girls. It’s proven to be a lot to take in and I haven’t been the best at keeping up with all of the tasks on the days they are assigned, but I have found some most excellent bloggers in the process.

And why keep their magic all to myself? I’m no blog hoarder, despite what that list that grows daily in my Google reader may say.

So today I want to share the love with youse guys. (don’t start sending hate mail – NO, i don’t really talk like that. just thought i’d throw in a little Sconnie-accent humor)

Here, in no particular order, are 5 wonderful blogs that you should totally go check out. And don’t forget to tell them I sent you. ‘Cause I’m cool like that.

*****

Blairadise – Blair is a girl from the good ‘ol U. S. of A. now living in South Africa with her most beautiful family. I’m not even kidding. Her darling daughter just turned 1, so I love following her stories with a little girl pretty close to D’s age.

 
 

The Kids Are Alright – Seriously, this girl has it goin’ on. Angie lives in Madison (gold star right there!) and writes about it all – toddlers, fashion, balance, and blogging. She is full of the awesome, like this post of tips for new bloggers. And yes, I etched them all in my memory.

Angie also writes for Mama’s Gone Madison, a fantastic group of Madison mamas sharing resources for families in that Badger-loving area (which will always hold a special piece of my heart!).

 

Ramble Ramble – Ginger is simply wonderful, and I adore her blog. I mean just look at her header – it’s a box of candy! What’s not to love? This marketing mama is driven to have her own little creative space on these crazy interwebs, and she does an awesome job sharing tips and stories she’s found along the way. What first drew me to her blog was this tale, wherein I discovered that they, too, lived in Jersey City and loved losing themselves in the streets of Manhattan and the surrounding area. Small world!

 

The Wine{a}be – Suzanne has been a great help during this bloggy challenge we’re both undertaking, and her blog is beautiful. She’s all about the ins and outs of life in SoCal Wine Country (lucky girl!), and I hope that someday I, too, can explore all the magnificent places out there that she gets to experience daily. Oh, and I like wine too! Duh.

 
 
 
 

Little Green Bow – Deanna is one super cute girl with one super cute blog. She’s a DIY maven who loves a good challenge and even started her own software company! She also lives near my sisters, so I just automatically kinda feel like she’s part of the family. Except she doesn’t know me or my sisters, but that’s not creepy at all. Ahem. She also has a fantastic Etsy shop!

 
These beautiful ladies are all on Twitter and some are on Facebook too, if you’d like to follow them, so go have a few good new reads. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
 
 

Posted on

(Semi-)Blacked out to stand against SOPA/PIPA

Why the black bars up in the corners today? you may be wondering. A day of mourning? Not exactly.

Without completely blacking out my site (i wanted you to still be able to see me! well, and to give a little explanation of what’s going on, too), I’m joining thousands of others to put the Internet on strike for a day in an act of protest against the proposed Internet censorship bills SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act in the House) and PIPA (Protect IP Act in the Senate). SO-what?

Essentially these 2 controversial pieces of legislation aim to put control of the Internet in the hands of the government and corporations, namely the entertainment industry. They claim it’s to try to crack down on rogue foreign websites and Internet theft, but a core goal of these bills is really to get people to maybe buy more Hollywood movies. What the what? Yeah, I know, that’s what I thought too.

There are, of course, many more intricacies to and repercussions of these bills, and my synopsis above barely scratches the surface. Please watch this video for an excellent recap of what may happen if this legislation does pass.

If you’d like to join me in the protest, head on over here and here for details and to email Congress to stop the bills. For the sake of retaining my freedom to keep my blog as I know it, thank you!