Melt my heart

Usually at the end of each month, I do a month-in-review and reader appreciation post. But I'll save that for a bit later because...

She's celebrating

Whether you're a blogger or not, I'm sure you'd appreciate exciting blog milestones like 30,000 pageviews! But not mine. Tania from MauiShopGirl celebrated 30,000 pageviews earlier this month and I'm excited for her to share her blogging experiences right here.

It’s been so wonderful getting to know, Tania, through our blogs and instagram (mauishopgirl). We share a love of photography and petite fashion blogs ;). Hope you’ll love reading her blogging journey as much as I have! Find out where her passion for writing came from, why it was put aside for a bit, and how she got her groove back by blogging.

*Tania resides in Maui and currently blogs at MauiShopGirl. Join with me to celebrate her successes by reaching 30,000 pageviews earlier this month!*

Success at the aquarium

Thanks to everyone whom I tagged and responded! I can't wait to share some of their responses with everyone :).

Earlier this month, we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I remember going here as a kid. I went with my family. I went with my 5th grade class because we were doing a whole series on some book we were reading about the sea. Here's a picture -- I was a big kid, with thick bangs.

Simple Sunday: Drawing with Dad

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Friday Fun: tag, you're it

I was recently tagged by Who{is} your momma?, formerly known as Little Boy B Makes Three, to continue a chain letter for the digital times, if you will. Man, are there a lot of steps. Provide random factors about yourself. Answer questions. Tag people. Ask them questions. Whew...I need a break ;)

She beats blogger's block

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Tuesday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging. Yesterday was Lou of LouLouLoves, who shared her blogging experience and secrets!! Secrets no more ;).

Today's guest post is by Jen of JenKakio. I met Jen through another blogger friend. I think Jen’s a real sweet girl and have enjoyed interacting with her on her blog and on instagram (jen808). Read on for her tips on fighting blogger’s block, which I can certainly relate to! I also think her tips are great for any type of "block" -- writers', photographers', etc.!

*Jen is a full-time college student from Hawai’i and currently blogs at JenKakio.*

She writes

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Yesterday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging.

Today's guest post is by Lou (as I'll call her) of LouLouLoves. I came across LouLouLoves during a blog carnival/hop. love her blog because it’s beautifully designed, and she’s just the kind of person you’d like to hang out with on a Saturday afternoon. Read on to see what’s she’s learned about blogging, what she wants to learn, and her blogging secrets! You definitely want to stick around until the end of this post!

*Lou is a working-mom from Sweden and has a daughter nicknamed “Bubba” and one on the way. She blogs at LouLouLoves.*

She loves

Hello, wonderful people! I want to thank all of my guest-posters from last week, Nilsa, Kat, and Mandi. And I want to thank all of YOU for your support by leaving thoughtful comments for each of them. From my own experience, I know that guest posts don't always receive a lot of comments, so both I and each guest-poster truly appreciates your time! For the last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 more bloggers. Hope you'll stick around and be as kind to them as you were last week :).

Today's guest post is by Kristin of Mondays with Mac. I’ll be honest and say that Kristin is not a person I’d meet in my daily life. I spend most, if not all, of my time in the suburbs of D.C. where I work and live with conservative types. So, to have met Kristin and to read her journey as a mother at Mondays with Mac: a gay fairytale for the digital age, reminds me that being a mother is being a mother, no matter the race, ethnicity, beliefs, or type of family. Read why Kristin calls her blog a pre-teen, what her blogging tips and tricks are, why she, like me, doesn’t like CAPTCHA codes, and why the love for her son overflows into her blog.

* Kristin is a mom to a beautiful baby boy named “Mac” and blogs at Mondays with Mac.*

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Our weekend started Friday afternoon because our daycare closed for half a day for parent-teacher conferences. I slept most of Saturday away (which initially sounds awesome) because my stomach hurt (see, not so awesome). The sleep really helped, so thanks again, hubby! Hubby even took our 21-mo (J) to get a haircut by themselves! Saturday night, I made avocado frosting. Sunday, my sister appreciated the fact that I made cupcakes with avocado frosting, even though they weren't as successful as I thought they'd be. Photos after the jump!

Simple Sunday

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Friday Fun

Hope you enjoyed reading about the blogging experiences from others this past week. Thanks for all of your WONDERFUL comments! For a summary, here are the posts from Nilsa, from Kat, and from Mandi.

Help us win a petiteBox!

Hi Friends!

petiteBox is a subscription to a monthly shipment of full-sized and sample-sized "luxury" Mommy and baby items. Read more about it from Jas at AdamAlexMommy here and here. They recently launched in the U.S. (was only in Europe before), and now are launching a competition called petiteOne where members submit baby photos on their Facebook page and the baby with the most votes wins a free petiteBox. Voting for May ends May 31st. Would you consider voting for my little J? And an incentive for clicking right here: you'll see what the J stands for, though please don't spread it around or leave his full name in the comments. Thanks!

She gives

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Tuesday, I featured Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. Wednesday, I featured Kat of Vodka and Soda. Today, I'm featuring Mandi from Sweet Tiny Blessings. I met Mandi on a blog carnival/blog hop event. Her post about older kids being bullies/over-bearing at the play gym around her infant instantly made me a new follower of her blog, Sweet Tiny Blessings, since I could see myself relating to her. Read why Mandi started blogging, how she grew her community of sponsors and readers, and what she’s looking forward to for her blog.

* Mandi is a stay-at-home to a beautiful girl named Baby C and blogs at Sweet Tiny Blessings.*

She's resourceful

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks to everyone who left such sweet and DETAILED comments on yesterday's post. You put a smile on my face, and probably on Nilsa's too! THANKS for the support, and hope you'll show the same love to Kat of Vodka and Soda.

I don’t know about you, but when I started blogging, it was mostly a personal documentary about pregnancy (now, raising a toddler). I wrote mostly for people I knew, and now, to people I’ve met online too. However, Kat had a specific vision when she started DreamyBabies. Read why Kat started DreamyBabies, how her site grew, how she was able to help other parents, and also why she moved on.

* Kat is a mom to a beautiful 3-year old girl named Kayla and currently blogs at Vodka and Soda.*

She blogs

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Today’s guest post is from Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. She’s been blogging since 2007 (whoa!). I call her a veteran blogger, and you’ll see why below. Her post has headings (*wink*)! Read why she calls herself a “life blogger”, why she doesn’t blog anonymously (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), how her blog and “real life” intersect, and her “lessons learned”.

* Nilsa is a working-mom to a beautiful 18-month old named Gavin and currently blogs at SoMi Speaks.*

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was 80F both days, so we were able to play outside, which is my favorite way to pass the time with our 21-mo (J) on the weekends. Here's a post updating y'all on what we've been up to in the Ng clan.

Simple Sunday

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That. But before I get to my photo, I'd like to wish all Mommies and Soon-to-Be-Mommies a…

Friday Fun

One morning, I was trying to change our 21-mo (J) out of his PJs. He wants nothing to do with that, by the way. He rolls around on our bed in his bodysuit, chubby legs exposed. He grabs his ankles and falls backward into our fluffy comforter. He crawls away and hides underneath the covers. At times, I get annoyed because he's taking so long, but that morning, I appreciated how big our son is getting, but also how small he is at the same time. Soon those chubby legs will be replaced by lean muscle. Soon he'll be dressing himself. Soon he'll be waiting for the school bus. I better cherish these moments, even if that means we leave the house 15-20 min later.

Dealing with tantrums

A few weeks ago, J suddenly lost interest in eating meals. It was really odd considering he's been a great eater since he was born. We were really lucky. In a nutshell (details, advice from readers), he'd throw a tantrum when it was time to get in the high chair. When we finally coerced him into the chair, he'd take 2 bites and squirm to get out.

Encouragement

I began taking photography a bit more seriously beginning this year. That means:

Building blocks

Happy Tuesday! I'd just like to thank you for your support as I transitioned from blogging in 2 places (expandng.com and capturng.com) to just blogging here. You have allowed me to blog about both my family and my interests in photography. You gave me examples of your own blogs and how they also cover different topics and are reflections of who you are. We aren't one dimensional people, so why should our blogs be, right? So...THANK YOU for your support. When I have time later this Spring, I hope to get started on either redesigning expandng.com or designing a whole new blog.

And now onto today's topic: building blocks.

What I think about blog awards

Hope you had a great weekend! Today's topic: Blog awards.

Simple Sundays

Here's a second installment of Simple Sundays...

Snapshots

Happy Friday, everyone! Got any exciting plans? We might visit the National Aquarium -- the awesome one in Baltimore! Usually we like to be close to home so our 21-mo (J) can get his usual nap, but lately, he's only been napping an hour on the weekends, no matter how tired we try to get him, so we don't mind traveling as much.

Tracking my health

With all the stress about our 20-mo son (J) not eating -- I know it's small potatoes compared to real world problems -- I decided to increase my visits to the gym to 2 times a week. I think the time away from home and also the release of some toxins will help with relieving stress. And losing a few pounds won't be so bad either ;). I hate the treadmill but I also know it'll be my fastest route to my goal weight of ah hem ma nah pounds.

Wordless Wednesday: Muppet hands

After Jasper got a haircut, his legs look so long and skinny.

A boy and his puppy

Happy May!

When we first brought Jasper home, he was only a few months old. Our son was only a bit over 1 year old. Jasper immediately found a liking to our son since our son was small, on the ground a lot, dropped food, and had food on him at all times. Jasper loved to lick our son's face and toes. Our son didn't know what to make of him back then.