A Virtual Book Tour For Me? How Awesome!

Alrighty, Inklingers, I have a virtual book tour coming up and I want you too come with me!!

What in the world is a virtual book tour? So glad you asked!!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I will be featured on several websites, with spotlights, interviews and guest posts that you haven't seen here on my blog. The tour schedule is below, and if it says 'Spotlight', that's an excerpt from my book and a little about me. 'Guest Blogging' means I've written one of my spunky articles for that website, and is new material for you all to read. 'Interviewed' means they asked me some great questions, many things you didn't know about me before this book tour. 

So, each day, and each website, has some great Tatted Mom stuff. 

I'm excited.

They will also be running a giveaway for a free signed copy of my book, so be sure to enter that!

AND (as if it couldn't get any better), I've discounted the price of my book for the virtual book tour to just $9.99 for paperback and only $2.99 for the Kindle download!!! If you don't have a copy of my book, this is definitely the time to pick one up!!

I had a lot of fun writing for and being interviewed by these amazing websites, so please take some time each

Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz & Giveaway- 6 Winners in All!

Ever wonder if you are the only one going through crazy stuff when it comes to parenting?

We have 6 authors here who assure you that you are not alone.

Welcome to the Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz, showcasing 6 of the hottest humor parenting books from 6 authors who have been there, done that, and gotten the freaking T-shirt wrote the book about it!

This book blitz features 6 authors, tells about them, their books, their blogs, and gives you a taste of their parenting humor with an Author Interview for each. Then, once you get through all of that, you can enter to win a copy of your favorite book listed here! There will be 6 winners in all for the giveaway (many of the prizes are SIGNED copies of the books), so definitely check that out!

Grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), sit back and enjoy the Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz! Each author is showcasing this post today, so be sure to hit them up and show some love!!

Tatted Mom's Guide to NOT Screwing Up Your Kids by Morgan Moss, from The Inklings of Life

My Love/Hate Relationship With My Blog

There are a few women in the blogosphere that I absolutely adore. One of them is Hot Mess Mom. She and I have "known" each other for a little over a year now, when I confessed my love of her blog to her. She actually replied (without a restraining order), and that's how it all began. I love her blog, the way she writes, how laid back she is when it comes to parenting, and her potty mouth. It makes me giggle.

When she asked me to be apart of her guest blogging series this summer, I, of course, said yes (and may have done a happy dance). Her topic for us guest bloggers was our love/hate relationship with our blog... a subject I know all too well.

So, head on over there, read it, take a look around her site, and be sure to check out her "There's a Chance This is Vodka" cups. Genius, if you ask me! I warn you now, I was wide open with this post, so if you are offended by strong language then what are you doing here anyway you may not want to read this post.

Enjoy!

Summer 2013 Guest Blogging Series Welcomes Morgan from The Inklings of Life


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When Your Perfect Birth Plan Doesn't Go as Expected

When I've been asked by moms-to-be for a great book to read to help get them prepared for motherhood, the first book that has always come to mind is  What to Expect When You're Expecting. It covers pretty much everything you could possibly encounter during pregnancy, and is probably the best guide on pregnancy out there.

The movie was pretty amazing, too. My pregnancy was like Elizabeth Banks' character, and I laughed and cried through that entire thing.

So, when the people at WhatToExpect.com asked me to write an article for their blog, I didn't hesitate. I chose to tell the story of the perfect birth plan I researched and wrote when I was pregnant with The Girl, and how that birth plan was in pieces by the time my daughter was born.

Being asked to write for WhatToExpect.com's Word of Mom blog was a true honor, as a writer, and as a mom, so a huge thanks goes out to them for asking me. After you are done reading my article, take a look around WhatToExpect.com- it's an amazing site, even if you aren't pregnant.

Without further ado, click the title to head there...

When Your Perfect Birth Plan Doesn't Go as Expected

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My Rockstar Experience

Every once in a while we get to feel like rockstars in our life. Maybe it's a promotion at work and everyone

is applauding for you. Maybe it's an awesome dance contest you win at a club.

And maybe it's depositing $92 into your bank account that does it. Hell, that's all it takes for me, at least.

Today's post about My Rockstar Experience is a guest post over at The Wild and Wonderful World of Gingerssnaps. I got to know this chick through The Inklings of Life, which is one thing I love about the blogosphere- "meeting" new people all the time. She also posts in the #InklingsPhoto Challenge every week, so I get to see a glimpse into her life while she's reading all about mine over here at Inklings. A huge thanks to her for asking me to guest post!!

So, without further ado, head over to My Rockstar Experience at The Wild and Wonderful World of Gingerssnaps and see how $92 made me a rockstar and how I had lunch with Angelina Jolie- okay, not really, but read and you'll understand.


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Adorable Baby Shower Idea: A Personalized Baby Blanket for a Baby Boy

Everyone knows that the cuddling and snuggling during the fall and winter leads to the birth of summer babies, so I'm sure you can think of a person right now who is expecting a child in the next few months. Consider heading to BabyBlankets.com for a unique baby shower gift for them!

When I first came across their site, I was blown away at how absolutely adorable their items are. They don't just carry baby blankets, but hand knitted booties, hats, stuffed animal rattles (a favorite!), and baby essential items like burp cloths, diaper changing pads, and hooded towels.

One of my favorite products was their personalized baby blankets for boys. Pictured above are the Bearington Silky Soft Crib Blankets which look amazingly soft- so much that while the age range says 0-24 months, I might be buying one for myself (don't judge me). You can also get receiving blankets personalized,

How to Raise Creative Children

Y'all know I'm the artsy type. Tattoo artist, sculptor, painter, paper crafter... you name it and I'll try it (when it comes to art and crafting, that is). My goal is to raise my kids to be just as creative, if not more.

My post today is found over at VoiceBoks. VoiceBoks is a great parenthood site with unique articles and tips that most parenting sites don't even cover. I was quite honored when they asked me to write an article for them.

So, I'll start it off here for you and then you can finish it up over there! Be sure to check the website out, too!

How to Raise Creative Children

When you become a parent, ideas swirl in your head of what you will and won’t do with your children.

I’ll raise strong, independent, motivated kids who think for themselves and are successful. 
I’ll raise free-thinkers who don’t follow the beaten path but forge their own in this world. 
I’ll raise children with amazing manners who are caring, kind and full of heart.

For me, I wanted creative children. I wanted to raise children who thought outside the box, who were problem solvers because they could see things in a way that no one else could. I wanted to raise children who write poems or stories and sketch when they are bored. I wanted to raise children who looked at a cardboard box and thought, “What could I turn that into?”...

Continue Reading How to Raise Creative Children...


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When I Was a Kid... (Featured Article On Mamapedia)

Life is always changing. Things keep speeding up, instant gratification is a way of life, and kids are growing up much quicker than when I was a child.

Not in my house!

Today's post is one from a few months ago that Mamapedia asked to run on their site. Of course I was happy to oblige; I LOVE Mamapedia.

Here's the beginning of the article, and you can finish it up on their site! Enjoy!

When I Was a Kid...

Most days I look at my kids and think, “Are you sure you are my kids? Did they switch you at the hospital?” Don’t get me wrong, they both look just like me, but it’s only every now and then that their actions or mannerisms scream that my DNA is somewhere inside of them.

Take my son, for example. He is an amazing artist, and every now and then, he’ll stick his tongue out of the corner of his mouth while he’s drawing. He got that from me, and I got that from my dad- DNA. (Yes, I’m saying there’s a stick-your-tongue-out-of-the-corner-of-your-mouth-while-concentrating-on-stuff chromosome.) But then take into account how he can’t sit still while he’s drawing. Spare me the lecture on ADHD please, he’s 7 years old, and today’s kids are used to fast paced everything – learning (“No Child Left Behind”), video games, music. If they take a minute to sit down, of course their body or mind is going to fight it. It’s the way of the world today – keep moving or die.

That started me thinking of how different things are today then when I was a kid. Huge differences…

When I Was a Kid: I’d leave the house right after breakfast in the summer, have to be back for lunch, leave again, have to be back for dinner, leave again, and be back at dusk for the night. My friends and I roamed all over the neighborhood on our bikes, and as long as I was within shouting distance of my mom, everything was okay.
Today’s Kids: If I can’t see them, it’s too far. No more roaming around the neighborhood; there are sickos out there.

When I Was a Kid: McDonalds was a treat.
Today’s Kids: For many families, McDonalds is Thursday night’s meal, plus maybe lunch on Saturday, and breakfast on Monday morning. Fast food is now a way of life, not a luxury.

When I Was a Kid: We made mixed tapes of our favorite songs, and if you didn’t want to hear one of them, you had to hit fast forward for 5 minutes to get past it...

Continue Reading 'When I Was a Kid...'


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Making the (Number) Grade

For those that follow the facebook page, I've mentioned that some really cool things are happening for Inklings. Today marks the first of those cool things, and comes with a confession.

I've been cheating on y'all. I've been writing for other sites- original articles that you Inklingers here haven't read before. I know you are used to me writing a post and then it's featured on another site, but I've gotten into writing original content for parenting websites. It's been pretty amazing.

Making the (Number) Grade at Mamapedia

The first (of many) original articles posted on other sites is:

Making the (Number) Grade, which is found on Mamapedia.com.

I had a lot of fun writing this article about the new grading system for the schools (no more A's, B's, C's, etc), and the new standardized learning system that most of the nation has gone to this year. All articles I write still have my zaniness, my unique way of looking at things, and my sense of humor. It's just being passed to the masses now.

So head over there, check out my article, comment it on it there or here, and check out everything else Mamapedia has to offer!!

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