shout outs: innocence, connectedness, and relationships

I haven't done any shout-outs in a while... I suppose I just somehow slipped out of rhythm. But there are some posts that I read this week that I believe deserve a wider audience and are worth your precious blog-reading time:


1) Cameron describes the innocence of childhood that's revealed when teaching her fifth grade class about the how the Declaration of Independence ("all men created equally") and slavery both existed simultaneously within our history. Go there.

2) Jessica writes a moving post about her encounter with a homeless woman who was seven months pregnant and her revelation of the connectedness between them. Go there.

3) Elizabeth offers four ways to help foster healthy relationships between our children and their daddies. I really do hope that more moms will read this insightful post on such an important and worthwhile topic. Go there.


And on the memos this week, you may have missed the launch of my new series called All the Children of the World, a Bloggy Bits post about How to Get More Comments, or the most clicked post of the week: The Hottest Baby Names of 2011.

Dear friends, any must-read posts you've come across this week? Leave me a link from your fave post (your blog or someone else's). I'd love to check it out over the weekend.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs: the best bloggin buds of 2010

I've now been blogging for seven months and have learned so much from when I first began. One of the things I've realized is that the blogging world ebbs and flows... 

Sometimes ideas come fast and furious, other times the ideas are there but the time is not.

Sometimes you get lots of comments on a simple post that took you just minutes to put together, and other times you get very few comments on a post that you worked hard on and poured your heart into.

Sometimes you think you have a new dedicated follower, only to have them drop off the face of the earth a month later.

Sometimes you're able to spend lots of time networking and commenting, and other times you're lucky to sneak in just a quick glance over your RSS reader.

Sometimes you help a newbie get started, and then never hear from them again.

Sometimes you get a comment from one of your blog heros and it fuels you for your next week's worth of posts.

Sometimes you get lots and lots of hits in a week, and other times not so many.

Depending on your reasons for blogging, these types of things may or may not effect you. But I'd go so far as to say nearly all of us blogging ladies enjoy the genuine connections we form with other bloggers along the way.

In the last half-year I've "met" hundreds of women through the Memos. Some have become "followers" but beyond subscribing have not engaged much… some have become part of my blogging community (my tribe?) and regularly comment and interact… and some have become friends that I now relate with even beyond the blogging world.

I wanted to share with you some of my blogging buddies from 2010. I've chosen each of these women for different reasons: Some of them I can count on to comment on nearly every post I write. Some of them have kids the same age as Levi and we're enjoying learning and growing together. Some of them have given me encouragement when I most needed it. Some of them inspire me with their photos or their writing or just their take on life. 

And all of them make me smile.

Although there are too many to list (and no doubt I'll think of more I should have included after I hit "publish") here are some of my best blogging buds from 2010. Check these ladies (and their fabulous blogs) out!

Laura of Home is Where the Heart Is

Cameron of Ingenue Mom

Ana of Life's a Beach

Mandy of A Sorta Fairytale

Greta of Transparencies of Motherhood

Roz of A Little R & R

Becca of Bare Feet on the Dashboard

Melissa of Confessions of a Dr. Mom

Livy of Making Over Mum

Carol of Knee Deep in Mommahood

Morgan of The Little Hen House

Trish of The Planet Pink

Rachel of Get Real Mama

Amy of Amy Sullivan

Anna of Our Journey to Financial Freedom

Jhen of From Here to Eternity

Casey of One Day at a Time

Micheline of Flyrish, Foibles, and Other Alliterations

Kerry of Nesting with Niall

Rachel of Rachel's Wokabout

Mama Hen of Mama's Little Chick

Thank you ladies for being a part of the Memos and a part of our lives! And thank you for the great content, photography, and heart you contribute to the blogosphere. You inspire me!

Dear friends, do you worry about blog stats, numbers, and comments? Instead why don't you take some time this new year to think about some of your blogging buddies and let them know that you appreciate them! :)

bloggin into 2011,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs!

Guess what? 

Tomorrow the Moms Who Work {home & away} series is going to start! (How fitting for Labor Day, right??! I know, I'm clever like that.)

Over the next several days you're going to be hearing from work-from-home-moms, stay-at-home-moms, studying moms, working moms, business-owning moms... and even a dad! There will be tips, videos, writing... oh, it's all so exciting. There will also be a few posts mixed in there that include some of your comments and feedback about Moms Who Work... Because, let's face it, whether you work inside or outside of the home, it's no secret that moms work hard!

This series will be all about celebrating the choices of moms and families to do what's best for them.


This week's shout outs, yo:
I'm gonna keep this short and simple this week... There's a few blogs I want to share with you that I think definitely deserve a shout out:

• The Bonnie 5. Have you visited the Bonnie 5 yet? Her gorgeous photography inspires me!
• The Pioneer Woman. Hello, I'm new to the blog world. I've just been introduced to the mother of all mommy bloggers. If you haven't met her yet... do. Amazing.
• The Lowe Family News. I found Jessica's blog trough the SITS girls and am so glad I did. Already I love this woman and her writing.  

From the memos:
If you're new here or have not had a chance to stop by yet this week, here are a few highlights from this week.

• Did you read my guest post A Letter to My Pregnant Self at Ingenue Mom's place? If you haven't yet, please do. I poured my heart out on this one. You'll also love Ingenue Mom so check out Cameron's blog and subscribe while you're there.
• If you missed my son Levi's first-ever guest post, you can read it here. We celebrated Fathers Day in Australia and he took the opportunity to write daddy a love letter.
• The Sacred Parenting series continues... I posted part 2 this week: Would you rather raise happy kids or whole kids?

Link up your blog.

This is for you regulars on the memos! I've created a "mates" page and it's missing you! Please take a moment, leave your button, and link up your blog!

Coming up: 

• New series on the memos starting tomorrow: Moms Who Work! Look for some fabulous guest posters...
• Also, stay tuned for my guest post that will be published on Nirvana Mamma soon: I Wanna Be A Rockstar When I Grow Up. In the meantime, drop by and check out some of the other fabulous women guest posting there.

Dear mommy-friends, I'm dreaming a lot about Christmas lately. We're starting to make plans for a trip to Oregon for my first Christmas at home in five years. It will also be Ryan and Levi's first white Christmas (assuming the weather cooperates!). I'm so excited. What are you dreaming about right now?

dreaming of a white christmas,

p.s. Thanks so much to Angel from the Mommy Diaries and Emily from Family and Life in Las Vegas for the Blog with Substance Award. Too kind ladies, too kind. {grin}

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs!

{one} featured blog:

:: The Little Hen House - I wanted to commend this blog to you, and kept marking posts as my favorite to share... until I gave up. The reality is, I love all of Morgan's posts. She is so funny, she's a great writer, and she loves her babes. Get connected with this mama if you haven't already!



{one} fabulous new find:


:: I just found Love, H. (like 15 minutes ago... really) and couldn't wait until next week's shout outs to share this blog with you. I found Holly through the awesome guest post she wrote on Dear Baby, and I'm so glad I did. I'm diggin' her blog already and mommies, you have to (at least!) go read her post about how to stay connected with your baby-free friends. So good!


{two} featured link-ups:

:: It's beach week at Bare Feet on the Dashboard! Link up your beach posts and celebrate the end of summer (or winter in my case!).

:: It's a Beautiful Life is hosting a linky for your favorite shot of your little one's signature look. No doubt every mama has a shot to put in here. I entered Levi's "scrunchie face" - my favorite little angry/frustrated look:

the incredibly photogenic uncle andy {my sweet brother} and 10-week-old
levi... pulling his scrunchie face, complete with a pumping clinched fist.

{four} featured posts:

:: Get Real Mama wrote about what not to do in getting ready for bedtime. I was thrilled (and laughing) when I read this post since just this week I wrote a little bit about our bedtime routine. Check out GRM's blog - her writing is always good for a laugh! And make sure to take heed of her tip of the week: always double check that your little one is wearing a diaper before putting him to bed. {smirk}

:: I know that I just mentioned Ingenue Mom during last week's shout outs... but then Cameron went and wrote a must-be-featured post, and I just couldn't not mention it here. Check out her take on blogging pet peeves... and make sure you're not an offender! {wink}

:: A Belle a Bean and a Chicago Dog wrote I curse you Shel Silverstein, a post which I loved because: 1) I adore Shel's books and poems; and 2) I adore this blog and the lens Liz sees life through. She's both clever and funny... and always worth a read.

:: Melissa at Coming Clean: Confessions of an Imperfect Parent wrote about the funny thing about dads. If you haven't discovered her blog yet, it's about time you do. She writes about motherhood and life with refreshing honesty, humility, wisdom, and humor. Sound like a good combination? It is.



{one} call to action:

:: Nirvana Mamma is starting a Blog for a Cause monthly meme... please check it out and consider how you can join in with Erin and others to use our blogs to make a difference... Love this concept, and love this lady!



{three} notes from the memos:

:: The memo's feature of the week is: Tips and tricks for how to decorate a nursery on the cheap.

:: A special thank you to Finding My Aloha for the Blog With Substance award. I'm so honored! x

:: Some special guest bloggers and I are gearing up for the upcoming series Moms Who Work {at home or away}. If you haven't already, make sure to express your views here. I'll be using exerts from readers comments and advice throughout the series. (Of course if I quote you I'll also link to your blog.) Join in... and keep an eye out: Moms Who Work!



Dear mommy-friends, does anyone else feel that life has been so crazy these last few weeks? I've not had as much time to blog as I'd like to... and am feeling a little bit behind. Tell me what great posts I've missed! Any good finds you want to share?

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs! {to some of my fave readers!!}

Instead of promoting some great bloggers' posts this week... I'm going to promote some great bloggers!

These women are some of my top commenters... and I can't tell you how much I look forward to hearing what they have to say after I've hit "publish"! We've really started to get to know each other as we track with each others lives through blogland...

Of course there are many more, but for this week's shout outs I just want to highlight a few of the mommyhood memos regulars that have been tracking with me for a while now... I love you guys, and you help to make blogging so fun and rewarding!

• M is for Mommy
• A Practical Mom
• Baby Boberg Bump
• A Little R & R
• Mommycrat
• It's a Beautiful Life
• Ingenue Mom
• Masters and a Mom
• Crystalized Reflections
• The Gruneisen Family News
• The Planet Pink
• Korean American Mommy
• The Adventures of JAMC

Now, just one specific post I do want to pull out of the masses this week... If you missed From Here to Eternity's post on changing the world one blogger at a time, please check out her initiative to prepare "Tot Packs" for families in need. What a fantastic (and practical) idea! Love it Jehn. x

And wrapping up the week on the memos, a few posts you may have missed:

• The hot-post of the week: Dear Natural Birth Club
• The just-for-fun pregnancy-related post of the week: Gimme Some Red High Heels 
• And the cute-baby post of the week: Secret Agent Bebe Seeks Placement

And finally, I'm so excited to introduce an upcoming series called Moms Who Work which will celebrate all moms who work... at home, from home, away from home, etc etc. I'll have a variety of very talented guest bloggers and we'll explore the issues that working moms face, whether they receive a "paycheck" or not. I'm really looking forward to this series... and if you haven't already, make sure to add your voice to the conversation!

Dear mommy-friends, I hope you enjoy some of my blogging buddies that I've chosen to promote this week. Of course there are many more of you... but these are the ones that were on my mind to highlight today. Enjoy!

P.S. I also wanted to say thank you to TV's Take for the Foxy Mama award this week! {blush} 

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs!

Oh what a week... a week where monsters (malware virus) ate my computer! But even though I've been frustratingly behind on my reading (among other things)... I still have found some incredible posts that I can't wait to share. So please, allow me...


:: Mom jeans? No thank you. Let's keep it together ladies... it's all about Getting Over the Guilt with Flyrish Foibles and Other Alliterations.


:: And I know I mentioned Melissa last week... but I can't help but give her a shout out two weeks in a row because THIS one is one of the best posts I've read in a looong time. Don't miss Confessions of a Dr. Mom's How Breastfeeding Broke My Heart. {warning: bring tissue.}

:: Erin, our favorite Nirvana Mamma, wrote I Am Mommy Hear Me Roar... and I'm just wishing someone would give her a microphone so that her roar would go even louder. Mmm... yeah.

:: Alyson from Common Sense, Dancing had a guest post on Ingenue Mom that you just have to read: When Moms-to-be Make Plans for Birth, God and Babies Laugh. I was an instant new fan.

:: Sellabit Mum writes about her daughters and how they will Always be Princesses... so how do we teach them to love themselves, be confident, and keep giving kisses to the mirror?

:: Mama Hen from Mama's Little Chick often writes about her precious father. Opportunities to Change a Life will leave you thinking about the legacy you want to leave.


I also want to say a big thank you to Mommycrat for the "Blogger Buddy Award"! You are a great blogger buddy too. {grin} Also, thanks so much to Angela at High Heels and Lipgloss for the "Blog With Substance Award" and Chelsea at Adventures in Vandyland for the "Lovely Blog Award". You ladies are a delight!


And guess what? I had a few other things to share today too... but like I said, my laptop (with a million draft posts on it... ahhh!) was eaten by monsters and I can't get to anything on there! So although I'm (happily) writing on my hubs' lovely macbook (I'm jealous), I'm also sad that I can't get in there... I guess what that means is that next week I might add a couple "old" posts to my shout outs... assuming I can get into that darn thing eventually...? {please send the PC-fixer fairy if you find her, ok?}


Dear mommy-friends, what have I missed this week? Seriously, tell me. Puh-leeze??

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs!

Before I highlight a few of my favorite posts and bloggers this week, I want to ask you to share a little bloggy love to these awesome women:

• Leah at The Lovely Life of Leah almost has 100 followers... help her break the mark!

• Natalie has almost broken the top 100 at Top Baby Blogs and Top Mommy Blogs. Go visit Mommy of a Monster, check out her blog, and then vote for her!

• Mama Hen from Mama's Little Chick has just had her 100th post. Go congratulate her!

My favorite posts from this week:

:: If you haven't already checked out 100 Things I've Learned About Blogging from Mel at Adventuroo, then you need to do that ASAP. So funny... so good.

:: Queenie at The Planet Pink has written an awesome post called Someday that will touch your heart and make it swell with gratitude.

:: Potty training? Let Melissa at Confessions of a Dr. Mom give you some advice.

:: Jehn at From Here to Eternity wrote about Rolling With the Punches and taking time to enjoy her daughter. (You'll also enjoy her beautiful photos.)

:: Have you ever found yourself naked in public? Tabitha from Fresh Mommy has... and you won't want to miss her story about it: Crazy, Beautiful Life. (This is another one with beautiful photos.)

:: And lastly, a must read for you... so that you can pass on to your friends and husbands/boyfriends... When Someone You Love Has a Blog by Good Day, Regular People. You will be laughing and nodding in agreement the whole way through the post.

This week on the Memos:

You may have noticed already, but I've been working to add some pages (see the tabs above). Five out of the seven are now done! {grin} Check them out if you'd like... and be sure to at least go to my "community" page and add your blog into the linky there.

If you're new here, my most popular {commented on} posts from the week were: 
:: so this is what it feels like to have someone call you 'mama'?
:: breaking all the blogging rules: 100 things for my 100th post {about pregnancy, birth, and being a first time mom}

And lastly, thank you to Amy at The Adventures of JAMC for the award this week!

Dear mommy-friends, any favorite posts you'd like to share? Leave me your best post from this week in the comment section - I'd love to check it out!

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

shout outs!

What a week! I am taking the Problogger 31 Day Challenge to Build a Better Blog with the SITS girls (along with many of you) and am learning so much. I’m also discovering so many amazing and talented women that I want to give shout outs to this week!

:: First, if you have never been to my favorite blog, Enjoying the Small Things, please do. You will fall in love. Read Kelle’s post about the preciousness of bedtime with her girls or about her time doing what she was born to do during her weekend away in Orlando. The Orlando post brought tears to my eyes.

:: Next, go tell Kayla at My Bella Baby congratulations, because she just announced that she has a bun in the oven!

:: Asashia at A Practical Mom has a new Facebook fan page. She’s a great mama – go and show her some love!

:: Tamara at Eh! Good Looking Baby wrote a beautiful post about how her daughter Isla carried her through a difficult day. I think any mom could related to this sweet post.

:: And then visit Dean and Tori: Inn Love to see their Levi and her gorgeous photography. He is an absolute heart-melter. {Just like my Levi.}

:: The Mombshelter wrote about turning 32 – a woman after my own heart. Love this post (and love this year of my own life too).

:: And if you get hungry along the way, please check out Jaime’s post about raw baby food recipes at The Baby Who Lunches, and then Melissa at Another Lunch to see the most adorable frogtastic bento lunch you’ve ever laid eyes on. (She is so creative and talented!)

I also wanted to introduce two great blogs that I’ve found through #31DBBB:

:: Jennifer at Momma Made it Look Easy writes about how to raise your daughters with moxie (a must-read for mommies with girls… but us mommas of boys can learn from this one too!).

:: And then there is Lynda at Daily Window – one of my new heroes! This woman is smart and generous! She writes about photography and blogging among other things… Check out her post on free action resources if you’re like me and wanting to learn more about digital photo editing. And... a must see post that she has spent hours on so that you and I can subscribe to all the great 31DBBB blogs by niche with a simple click! (They are pre-sorted by topic: family, cooking, photography, crafts, blogging, health, humor, etc. etc!) Go there... and thank her while you're at it!!


This week on the Memos:
:: If you're new to the Mommyhood Memos, a couple of the best posts (judging by the most reader participation!) from this week were about the "mama badges" we earn doing ridiculous supermom feats, the "baby steps" we take to become better moms, and an ever-growing list of hilarious names we call our kids.


And lastly, it's not too late to enter to be featured on the Memos next week! {Get the details here.}

Dear mommy-friends, I hope you enjoy these great finds, and please tell them I sent you when you visit! If you're new here, thanks for stopping by the Memos! I look forward to connecting. And how about you? Do you have any favorite posts from this week that you'd like to pass along?

P.S. Thanks so much to Baby Boberg for the Versatile Blogger Award!

shout outs!

It's time for some shout outs! Check out some of my favorite posts from others' blogs this week:

:: Lisa from Korean American Mommy posted a recipe for dark chocolate madeleines... and although I can't say I've had much time for baking recently, the photo of her son alone made me want to make and eat these!

:: Queenie from the Planet Pink has been on a roll this week! Check out her great posts on coupon confessions and no through traffic. Love!

:: Feel like you haven't had time to work out lately? Julie from And Baby Makes Three shares a humorous look at working out with a baby.

:: I've been finding more and more photography blogs lately and want to share one of them with you. Mandy from It's a Beautiful Life takes gorgeous photos of her family... and I love this bath time one in particular.

:: The Theta Mom always has great posts... my favorite from this week is birth order parenting. It's sure to solicit a giggle and a few nods of agreement. Check it!

:: And how cool is this? Kristy from Skinned Knees {best blog title ever} has a form on her site for prayer requests. If you need prayer you can fill out the form on her blog and she will pray for you personally. Love! She also has a knack for photography and a stinkin' cute lil boy. Go say hello!

:: And lastly, another photography blog: Shawntae from The King and I has one of the cutest kids ever and does a great job capturing him through her photos. Check out chicks dig scars. {And can someone puh-leeeze buy this outfit for Levi??!}

From the memos:

• My fave posts from the mommyhood memos this week are oh Nap Time, where art thou? and these are a few of my favorite things {sweet, sweet baby}. Check 'em out if you missed them!
• Also, if you'd like to be featured on the mommyhood memos with your own memo, it's not too late to enter. {Find out more here.} The winner will be featured with a link up all next week at the top of my side bar.

Social networking:

• I've joined BlogFrog this week. If you're on, find me! And while you're at it come and join us in the Ingenue Mom's Community! 
• Also... I'm twitterpated. Yup, I'm there, again. You can now find me at my new twitter: @mommyhoodmemos. 

And finally, thank you lovely ladies for the awards this week:

• The Outstanding Blogger from Mama Hen @ Mama's Little Chick 
• The Versatile Blogger from Asashia @ A Practical Mom and Jehn @ From Here to Eternity
• The Sunshine Award from Jennifer @ A Walk on the Sunny Side

Dear mommy friends, did you find any must-read posts this week?

Love us? Vote here!

shout outs! (check out these other blogs)

I wanted to share a few of my favorite posts from this last week... and promote some other mommy bloggers while I'm at it! I was inspired to do so by Cameron at Ingenue Mom, who does a "weekend reading" post that I look forward to every week. (I've found some great blogs through her recommendations!)

Hope you enjoy what I've found:

You will love this post on wee little Isaac's bill of rights (in honor of the 4th of July) by Ana at The Lyman Trio. So clever and funny.

I plan on starting to teach some simple sign language to my son soon, and so was really excited to see this post on Hannah's love for signing at her blog, Our Happy Home.

I've really been enjoying HRH Mommy's thought-provoking posts on the 25 Day Challenge over at M is for Mommy. I'm not going to link to any one post in particular, cause they're all really good! Have a look for yourself!

Natalie at Mommy of a Monster (I Mean Toddler) and Infant Twins wrote a wonderfully honest post on depression. I thought it very brave of her and hope you'll be inspired and encouraged.

I love the concept of getting our children volunteering and was thrilled to see this post on volunteering as a family by Amy at the Amy Sullivan Blogspot.

Big Fat Mama from Cooking up Faith with Big Fat Mama has done it again! She's written a great post about what God would say to mothers if he wrote us a letter. I loved it!

I also wanted to point you to a new blog by a friend of mine that I met through facebook when her sister directed her to the Mommyhood Memos: Jhen at From Here to Eternity. She doesn't have many followers yet, so hop over and "friend" her. She's on a great journey and I have a feeling that she's about to write about some amazing things...

And lastly, one of my current favorite blog's is by Cameron at Ingenue Mom. I know I already mentioned her up top, but I wanted to direct you to a couple of her posts that I especially enjoyed this week. She writes some tips about introducing solids to her little cherub (something I'm very interested in right now too) and also about increasing your blog comments (something I know you're all interested in *grin*).

Hope you are able to visit some of these blogs by these fabulous ladies! And while you're there, tell 'em I sent you! *grin*

Dear mommy-friends, are there any must-read posts that you've come across this week? Please share!

Love us? Vote here!