Lela Davidson's Blog, page 28
July 2, 2012
Blacklisted Birthday: Meet Lyndi, nwaFoodie
Welcome to the party! I’ve been scheming and planning for weeks to bring this party to a laptop near you. The day has finally come!
Today I want to introduce you to a new friend of mine–online and off–Lyndi, aka nwaFoodie. She writes about all things food in NWA (that’s Northwest Arkansas)–restaurants, cooking, suppliers, recipes, and techniques. And she’s a wonderful photographer who routinely features fabulous food porn.
It took years of virtual interaction before I met Lyndi in real life. Why? Because NWA is bigger than you think, and we are busier than you can imagine. Fortunately for me, through the magic of the blogger community, and one especially proactive and super-social member of it (who you’ll meet later this month) I finally got to meet Lyndi. And now I get to hang out with her all the time. Okay, once in a while. It’s always a wonderful day when I get to see her smiling face.
Also, I owe her a turnip guest post. Never imagined writing that sentence.
Lyndi’s starting the party the way every good party starts, with a signature cocktail! Please pop over to nwaFoodie now to meet Lyndi and learn to make the first official cocktail of the Blacklisted Birthday Celebration!
Get a FREE signed copy of Blacklisted from the PTA!
Every day in July one our Featured Guests will give their readers the chance to win an autographed copy of Blacklisted!
Come back tomorrow to meet DeNae Handy. You’re going to love her.
July 1, 2012
Ephron, Sedaris, Fey… Davidson
Amazing things happen when you offer your Kindle for free on Amazon, like getting to share a virtual page with some greats.
Hundreds of people have already taken advantage of the kickoff to the birthday celebration.
Get your FREE Kindle copy of Blacklisted from the PTA TODAY only.
June 29, 2012
Blacklisted for Free and My Huffington Post Debut!
It’s getting hot up in here! Especially with those boots on…
Maybe it’s the old accountant in me, but I had expected the end of spring to signal the end of my “busy season.” I’m still busy, and it’s still fun.
Answered the question, “Kids and Chores: To Pay or Not To Pay” in Little Rock Family .
Presented advice for teaching kids about money and credit in “Ready, Set, Swipe: A 3-Step Plan for Teaching Kids About Credit” for Little Rock Family .
Helped parents make friends with Facebook in Western New York Family.
Extolled the merits of date night in Western New York Family.
“Texting: Make Mine Unlimited” appeard in Savvy Kids.
Explained why Snooki might make a great mother for TODAY Show Moms .
Helped parents save money at the grocery store in North State Parent.
Wrote about teaching financial skills to kids of all ages in Chicago Parent.
My essay “Busted” appeared in Broward Family Life.
Explained why stay home moms are depressed in “50 Shades of Snot” for TODAY Show Moms.
Spoke to the Ozark Writers League about the business of writing, social media, and self-publishing.
Made a significant financial contribution to Arkansas Visitation & Exchange Center on behalf of Listen To Your Mother Northwest Arkansas .
Gave parents great ideas for getting rid of their kids this summer on TODAY Show Moms .
Had a great time with old and new blogger friends at
P. Allen Smith at his Moss Mountain Farm in… somewhere near Little Rock ;)
Shared my insights about birthday parties and Facebook in Durham Parent .
My essay, “But Why?” was featured in Pittsburgh Parent .
“Meet Me at the Hotel Room” appeared in Peekaboo .
MetroParent ran one of my favorites, “Legend of My Ten-Pound Baby” – you can listen to me read it here.
I spoke about creativity and productivity at the Cooperative Communicators Association annual conference in Tucson.
Spoke about work life balance at a fundraising luncheon for Havenwood.
Added “Thank God I’m a Country Girl” to the collection of recorded essays.
Made up some crazy reasons why waiting to have kids makes sense for men for TODAY Show Moms.
Appeared in my first video as an official member of the iVillage iVoices team!
Made my debut on Huffington Post with a piece about strippers–boy ones. Cheap, but it sure was fun.
Most exciting… I’ve been working on a very special birthday celebration for Blacklisted from the PTA . I hope you’ll join us in July for all the festivities!
To start the party, I’m offering Blacklisted for FREE on Sunday, July 1st! Get it while it’s hot.
[image error]
June 28, 2012
Rocking the School of Rock
Go there.
My little rockstars started out a little on the preppy side. However, the School of Rock had them head banging in no time. Sort of. While my greatest hope was that they would learn to use Spinal Tap references in context and identify songs that needed more cowbell, they have acquired much more.
At School of Rock summer camp, my kids have:
Learned about the origin and history of rock and roll.
Learned to play instruments– at least three chords worth, and I’m told that’s all you need.
Worked as a team to make all band decisions, from genre to stage attire.
Created a custom logo.
Worked through some challenging band member dynamics.
Wrote two original songs, music and lyrics.
Modeled for band pictures.
Shot a music video. (See below!)
Created a Facebook page.
Planned, promoted, and performed a concert.
Not bad for two weeks work. And all in an atmosphere of rock-and-roll. (The freedom of expression part, not the sex, drugs, and failure to acknowledge authority part.)
This camp has sparked my kids’ creativity on so many levels. And what a confidence builder. Who among us canpick up a guitar and bust out the opening riff to Nirvana’s “Come as You Are”? I can’t, but my kid can, thanks to School of Rock.
Remaining summer sessions:
July 9th – 20th
July 23rd – August 3rd
Contact School of Rock Bentonville Rogers here
Matchy matchy much?
CuhRAzy drummer girl.
[Shout at the] Devil eyes not included.
[image error]
Super groovy staff.
Dear FCC: I received complimentary tuition to the School of Rock Rogers Bentonville summer camp, because my kids rock.
June 27, 2012
Blacklisted Honored with Six Literary Awards
When I first started sharing my writing, it was with friends. They liked it, so they said. You never really know with friends. When it started getting out there a beyond my own circles, I still didn’t trust the good feedback. Those people were just being nice. It wasn’t until I published Blacklisted from the PTA, and other people–ones I had no connection to whatsoever–read it and enjoyed it that I knew I wasn’t wasting my time.
Writing is ridiculous.
At worst it’s a narcisistic, attention-seeking effort, a self-important consumer of time that is likely better spend in more practical pursuits–like identifying the origin of that smell in the garage. At best writing is therapeutic for writer and reader alike, building a connection in our lonliest, scariest, most insane experiences.
Writers can help name that which is difficult to articulate–because the words are hard to find, or because the majority is uncomfortable with those words. Or, they can be completely full of themselves.
I’ll let you decide which I am, day to day. But for today, I would like to point out that I am–verifiably–an Award-Winning Author.
I cannot thank my friends and family enough. But when it comes to good words about my writing, I only believe the strangers.
To date, Blacklisted from the PTA has been honored with six awards, varying in their degree of literary prestige, but all extremely valuable to my fragile muse.
To date Blacklisted from the PTA has been honored with the following awards:
The Benjamin Franklin Award
Independent Book Publishers Association, Silver medal, Humor
ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year
ForeWord Magazine, Honorable Mention, Humor
National Indie Excellence Book Awards
Winner, Humor
Reviewer’s Choice Humor Book of the Year
Reader Views, Winner, Humor
Reviewer’s Choice Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
Reader Views, Overall Winner, all Nonfiction books
Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
Oklahoma Writers Federation
Please join us all of July for a celebration of chicks, sips, and shoes. And Blacklisted.
June 25, 2012
Happy Birthday Blacklisted!
It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we slipped on painful shoes and celebrated the launch of Blacklisted from the PTA. In the past year Blacklisted reached readers around the world, opened many new and exciting doors for me, and has won half a dozen literary awards . We owe all this success to the readers and friends, and readers who have become friends. Your support keeps me going, convinces me that my small stories are worth the effort of telling.f
In gratitude, we’re throwing another party!
This one is virtual.
Throughout the month of July I will introduce you to some of my favorite chicks in the blogosphere. We have some fun things planned including favorite shoes, signature drinks, and tasty snacks to share with friends. Speaking of sharing, Blacklisted from the PTA is the perfect beach or pool read, and summer is the perfect time to let your friends know you enjoyed it.
Like any good party, there will be favors! Watch this space to find out more information about how you can enter to win your own signed, personalized copy of Blacklisted from the PTA. (Hint: Makes a great gift!)
I can’t wait for so many of you to meet at this fabulous celebration of all chicks, sips and shoes. And the more the merrier, so tell your friends to stop on by! There is always room on my driveway, and we can always pick up an extra box of wine!
The Best Book Launch Party EVER!
In case you missed it, let me extend my sincere condolences. The launch party for Blacklisted from the PTA was–as my kids would say–Epic. I even wrote about it for the February issue of Writer’s Digest.
What was so great about this party?
Fantastic friends…
My friend, Tina – best Handler ever!
The man behind the hair…
The DJs…
My super sexy, lightning fast business manager…
MOST amazing assistant…
And my mama…
Sorry if you missed it, but here’s your second chance! See you in July :)
Amazing Images by Sweet Portrayal
June 21, 2012
It’s Gross and Dirty at My House, a Giveaway
Oh, hello, June. You’re back, with your heat and laziness and the rings inside my toilet. It happens every summer. This feeling descends that I really should just suck it up and get a housekeeper again. But I have so many good excuses not to.
It’s not that filthy here.
I don’t want to raise spoiled brats who think other people should clean up the rings they leave around the tubs.
The couple hundred dollars a month it would cost me buys a lot of martinis.
Those are the basics. Plus, I don’t really dislike cleaning. I just don’t make time for it, except in spurts. I even make my own laundry detergent. It’s SO easy. I just print out the recipe and hand it to my husband. And recently, during an unfortunate Pinterest session, I learned that Dawn dishwashing soap has a cult following. You can make window cleaner, granite cleaner, soap scum remover, and a nice brisket in the crock pot. But who wants to clean a toilet only to have your bathroom smell like blue soap and vinegar?
I’m over it. Really I am. We have Mrs. Meyers. What more do we need? Ever since I discovered these products at the “fancy gas station” I have been in love.
You would like Mrs. Meyers, too. Unless you can’t smell.
Which brings me to the giveaway portion of this post. The kind people at Mrs. Meyers (who smell wonderful, by the way) have provided me with three vouchers for FREE products. If I were smarter or less generous I would just keep them. But I’m giving them away, even though I’m not crazy about giveaways. See how much I love all y’all?
To enter for a chance to win, just leave your dirty nasty housekeeping confession in the comments below.
We’ll wrap it up on Tuesday at noon CST. Good luck!
Dear FCC: The company that makes Mrs. Meyers gave me some smelly good cleaning products. But I haven’t made time to use them. Deferred compensation?
Like this? Try These:
Three Steps to Good Housekeeping
Confessions of a Dirty Housewife
Spring Cleaning the Children’s Suite
Image: Egan Snow, Flickr
June 20, 2012
Beat Summer Stress with iVillage iVoices
Woohoo, it’s here! My first video contribution as an official iVillage iVoices team member. Stay tuned for the semi-long but inspirational story of how I came to be on this team. Looking forward to making these videos, and hope you enjoy.
This one is about summer and kids and stress. What do you do? I am joined here by iVoices Sharon Rowley, Amanda Rodriguez and Valerie Rowekamp. They have some stress-free summer solutions to keep kids busy. I just have cute make up and decent lighting.
Toying with the idea of posting the outtakes. Your thougths?
June 15, 2012
Old Men Can’t Smell Poop
A new study has found that delaying fatherhood may provide health benefits to a man’s children and grandchildren. Researchers studied telomeres, the tiny biological caps that protect the ends of chromosomes from degrading with disease and aging. When it comes to telomeres, the longer the better. (Just like a man to assume that something’s better just because it’s longer, but this is science!)
While women’s aging eggs are more likely to cause problems for their offspring than boost health and longevity, sperm apparently get better with age. In most cell types, telomeres get shorter over time, but in sperm they lengthen. Therefore, men who father children later in life pass on longer telomeres than men who reproduce earlier. And this one genetic gift can pay off for generations.
Read the rest of this post on Today Show Moms
June 14, 2012
Have You Had a MomLife Crisis?
Um… yeah. Been there done that. I’m not so sure I’ve had so much of a crisis as an ongoing reinvention. Nothing highlights the reality of change like being a mother. Just when you think you’ve got this thing figured out, it completely transforms. Your baby goes to Kindergarten. Your teenager kisses a girl. Your not-quite-adult moves across an ocean. This is motherhood. Brace yourselves.
I’m proud to be part of the team of iVoices at iVillage. My first video will be coming out soon. This week, check out Kelly Wallace, Brandi Jeter, Sharon Rowley, Amanda Rodriguez and Beth Engelman, as they explore the world of the Mom Crisis and why redefining your life isn’t always easy.
![[image error]](http://afterthebubbly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120628-102838.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](http://afterthebubbly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120628-102756.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](http://afterthebubbly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/20120628-102853.jpg){kind=link}