The Real Housewives of Ohio?

I am a HUGE fan of Bravo TV's The Real Housewives series. My favorites are the NYC woman and most recently the New Jersey woman. The drama makes me laugh. I still can't believe how these people actually live these over indulged lives!

I found this blog called Visual Ambassador. Posts are written by a few different women. I particularly liked the post by Saundra Marcel titled Real Fake Housewives. She hit the nail right on the head with some of the housewives thinking they are marketing/branding business professionals - making it look like anyone can do it! If you have enough money I guess you can do a lot of things.

I wonder if Bravo will ask some housewives in Ohio or Michigan to join the clan? Probably not as exciting as Jersey, OC and NYC, but I bet you could still find some major drama! :)

Check out Saundra's blog here: http://visualambassador.com/2009/06/25/real-fake-housewives/. Thanks for the insight.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. She would kill me if I revealed her age so I will refrain, but she still looks like she's 30!

My mom is one of the bravest, strongest, determined, hard working women I know. She had 4 kids before she was 30, was a stay-at-home mom and worked for my dad's business doing all of the behind the scenes paperwork and scheduling - dad could not have done that without her - cared for my brother Paul that had Leukemai (driving back and forth to Mott's Children's Hospital) and was always involved in all of my brother's sports and my extra-curricular activities. For years she was the team cook for the high school football team. I don't think the woman ever slept!

She is the beautiful mother of 5 children - 1 girl, 4 boys (I'm the oldest). All of her kids are grown, in college or moved away. A few years ago she decided to go to college and get her degree in medical coding and billing. She got a 4.0 grade point every semester, completed her externship and received her degree. She is now looking for a job on top of still working for my dad, remodeling their house, (and boy is it awesome!!!), teaching Sunday school, taking care of our 21 year old cat (hi, Spumoni!) and cleaning up after my brothers who are home for the summer.

So today, mom, here's to you. You have taught me to work hard, dream big, love much, give always, cry freely and laugh often (most importantly at yourself). Because of you, I am the woman I am today.

Happy birthday. I love you today and always. XOXO

Twitter: to follow or not to follow?

I have been following @KidsAreHeroes on Twitter for a few months now. Gabe O'Neil is the owner of the account and writes a blog about very interesting topics. I especially liked his posting about why people should follow or not follow you on Twitter. I completely agree and had to share.

Start following @KidsAreHeroes now. You'll be glad you did! :)

To Follow or Not to Follow
Posted by Gabe on June 11, 2009 under Social Media, Twitter, Twitter for Beginners 50 Comments to Read

Every once in a while when I think of it I like to solicit questions from my Twitter colleagues to see if there is any way to help the newer signups out there. I put out the call this morning and among others received this question: “What if I don’t follow back followers? Read more here:
http://www.justgabe.com/2009/06/11/to-follow-or-not-to-follow-2/

J n K + 8 - J

Like thousands, maybe millions, of those that watched the Jon and Kate plus 8 episode last night like me, what did you think? Honestly, I was not surprised, yet I was surprised by the fact that Jon said, "he was excited to start a new chapter in his life." Hmmmm....I'm not sure what that exactly means?

Anyway, today everyone was talking about the episode at work, blogs, text messages, Facebook, Twitter - we just can't get enough of J & K - and I admit it! :)

I have watched the show from the beginning and I love the kids. It was a half hour of my time that I could smile and be thankful I didn't have 8 children to care for. I've always thought Kate talked down to Jon (at least what made it on TV), but last night I finally realized that we have no idea what really goes on behind closed doors. We have no idea how bad this family is hurting. People continue to judge the Gosselins for every move they make or don't make. I say, take a walk in their shoes for a day and then give me your opinion.

Bottom line, I'm sad to see their marriage dissolve. Divorce is never easy and unfortunately all too common. But I think we can learn something from the Gosselins - don't be quick to judge.

Live a little and quit whining!

I am tired of always hearing about how we are in a recession and everyone is going out of business. I personally think this "recession" is a good life lesson on how to cut back on the things you really don't need. We have been living outside of our means for too long - and I'm taking full responsibility here, too!

I recently received an email from Marketing Profs. Their tid-bits of advice are always so handy and quick to read.

Here's what they are saying about the recession - not everyone is feeling the crunch:

• Wine drinkers are still imbibing—but they're "looking more closely at cheaper selections."


• Used car sales are on the rise, as are parts at auto stores.


• Sales at Goodwill Industries are booming—while those at luxury retailers like Saks have plummeted.


• Comfort food is king: Chocolate-maker Hershey's sales were up 20 percent in the first three months of 2009; sales of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese have gone through the roof.


• Do-it-yourself is tops. Consumers are "buying things that they can use themselves," Riechmann says, such as fishing equipment and seeds for at-home vegetable gardens.


• DIY fitness is booming. Sales of running shoes are robust, as are those of bicycle helmets.

I have to agree - comfort food and thrift store shopping are the best! :)

So get out there, stop whining and live a little smarter! I think you'll find that life is still grand!

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year

Tonight I will be attending the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year fundraising event. This is a special night to honor and remember those who have experienced the disease.

It's also a special night because 23 years ago, my brother was diagnosed with ALL. Paul is a survivor, a fighter and my hero.

I'm looking forward to this event and will honor my brother and all of the other children and adults who have survived or lost their battle.

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=264035

Donors needed

Today I finally registered to be a bone marrow donor. I've been wanting to do this for years and just never did it. From now until June 22, you can register for FREE at www.marrow.org. Normally it's $55 to register. Please urge your friends and family to register. There are so many people waiting for a match.

This also hits close to home because my bother, Paul, (I talked about him below) had Leukemia. It's something easy everyone can do to save a life.

Speaking of being a donor...I have also chosen to be an organ donor since I was 16 years old. Organ donation is so very important, too! You can easily register at www.donatelife.org.

I recently knew of a 24 year old male that died in a freak accident. His family kept him on life support for one day and then decided to take him off so that his organs could be donated. This is such a special gift. I applaud his family for making that very difficult decision.

Life is precious. Give the gift of life.

Words you never want to hear...

I have been recently following a blog - ALL for Ally - about a beautiful, strong 7-year-old girl that has recently been diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL). Reading her blog, it takes me back to when my younger brother, Paul, was diagnosed with Leukemia (also ALL) at the tender age of 4.

Our family had traveled to Alabama on vacation, but my mom just knew something wasn't right with Paul. He was weak, pale and had bruises all over his body. As a kid, you don't realize the severity of his illness. As soon as we returned to Michigan, my parents took Paul to the doctor and later learned that he had Leukemia. Paul was immediately taken to Mott's Children's Hospital.

I can remember being scared, wondering if Paul was going to be ok. I'm the oldest and only girl of four boys so I was in charge of "holding down the fort" and being strong when my parents were in the hospital with Paul.

I can't imagine what my parents were going through - questions racing through their minds. Wondering why this was happening and how did this happen?

What I do know after 23 years is that it made all of us a closer family. My mom has always told me "everything happens for a reason" and I truly believe that.

Paul is now 27-years-old, going to school to become a chiropractor and running races and marathons just about every weekend. Paul is my hero and my friend. He has taught me to stay positive, be proactive not reactive and to be a fighter.

Thank you, Paul, for teaching me such beautiful life lessons. Everything does happen for a reason and you are a survivor and my hero. I love you.

Social media...everyone's doing it!

As I'm sure you aware (unless you live under a rock or want nothing to do with it), social media is all the new rage for individuals and businesses. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, MySpace, blogs...whatever you're in to it's always changing.

I have been a part in creating social networks for Dayton Children's (http://www.childrensdayton.org/). It's been an honor to have other organizations and hospitals look to us as an example of what can be done with social media.

We currently have a Twitter page (twitter.com/daytonchildrens), You Tube Channel (youtube.com/daytonchildrens), Facebook fan page (search for The Children's Medical Center of Dayton), a cause page and even our mascot Wally B. Bear has his own Facebook page (below)!

Social media is certainly the new wave of sending out information to a large audience and having that two-way communication. If your organization is not participating, you should really reconsider. There are risks with everything, but don't let that scare you. I was recently sent a great article on "10 Must-Haves for your Social Media Policy" by Sharlyn Lauby. It does a great job at walking you through what should be included in your policy.

Bottom line...technology is always changing and you must adapt and change if you want to keep up, especially in the marketing and public relations field. It's been so much fun learning how social media is evolving. I think everyone in marketing should become a social media specialist.

What do you think?

Where do I begin?

I have always wanted to start a blog. So today I did it. I'm tired of always saying that I will do all of these things and then never get around to actually doing them. I still want to write a children's book...I've been saying that now for over 5 years...I still want to take a pottery class...we'll see if that actually happens...and I still want to ride in a hot air balloon. Life is too short so why do I never follow through? I'll tell you why - lack of money, time and motivation! :)

Anyhoo, here it goes. At least I can say that I tried it!