So, there was this post on BlogHer’s Own Your Beauty page yesterday about authenticity and the things that make us stand out as individuals. I kept thinking about it, wondering what makes me unique. Other than my Lebanese nose (read: Jamie Farr), how am I different? It was harder than I thought to come up with a list of 25 things that aren’t typical.

I think women spend a lot of time trying to look like one another, but it is our unique traits that make us beautiful. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not going to stop dying my hair, but maybe I won’t worry so much about that darned chipped tooth.

1. I have big hands.

2. I have big feet. Size 11, to be exact. But, you know what? They’re pretty.

3. I hate to fly.

4. I hate to drive long distances almost as much as I hate flying.

5. I’m convinced I will die a tragic death. Probably in an airplane crash or a car accident.

6. I take Zoloft for anxiety.

7. Coffee, chocolate, peanut butter and beer are my four food groups.

8. I don’t mind all of the scars on my body, because they all have a memory associated with them. Good or bad. Even this one.

9. I shave every day. My legs, that is. I can’t stand the feel of hair against clothing. *shudder*

10. I save articles from magazines and newspapers for my daughter to read when she’s old enough to move out. Things that I hope will keep her informed and safe.

11. I think it is disgusting when people bite their nails.

12. I bite my nails.

13. I also pick at my cuticles constantly (see above re: anxiety).

14. I hate elevators.

15. And, carnations.

16. I am terrified of cats (not kittens, but the full-grown, sneaky, pouncing, scratchy kind).

17. I have a cowlick on the back of my head. In the 4th grade, I cut it off because it wouldn’t lay flat for school picture day. It looked delightful growing back.

18. I open my mouth and throw my head back when I laugh. Probably so everyone behind me can see my cowlick and everyone in front of me can see my fillings.

19. You know how people have those camping chairs in a bag that they lug to fireworks or their kids’ baseball games? Well, I still use a good, old-fashioned lawn chair. The kind with the interwoven straps.20. I’m good at painting walls and never need tape.

21. My musical tastes range from Joni Mitchell to Black Eyed Peas.

22. I’m tone deaf. Well, not really…because I can actually hear that I can’t carry a tune.

23. I constantly have songs stuck in my head and they will change at the drop of a hat. Someone says the word “prerogative” and it’s suddenly all Bobby Brown up in here. You’re welcome.

24. My favorite flavor of popsicle is banana.

25. I have a crooked smile.

Now it’s your turn. What makes you different boys and girls?

I know two ways you could be different…you could be the winner of a $100 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods courtesy of BlogHer and sponsored by Gatorade or the winner of a $100 gift card to Best Buy courtesy of BlogHer and sponsored by Samsung.

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Let’s talk a little bit about social media, shall we?

Mom, I’m going to get into the Twitter conversation now, so go ahead and turn off your computer. Wait…you don’t have a computer. Put down the paper with the blog posts I printed for you.

I have been working in social media for almost seven months now; which pretty much makes me an expert. It’s like that whole dog years thing, but don’t ask me to do the math.

My job is the best job in the world. Just ask me and I’ll tell you. Only, please don’t ask me when my husband is around because he isn’t living his dream of being a mean math teacher and I am sitting on the sofa with my feet propped up on the coffee table, reading the thoughts of brilliant people all across the web, occasionally stopping to hug my kids or pet the dog. This is a day at my office.

But this really isn’t about my job or how I make my husband jealous. This is about how I got here. This is for anyone who doubts the power of Twitter.

Just over a year ago, a childhood friend of mine held a conference here in Columbus for pet bloggers. Have you ever heard of BlogPaws? You should have heard about it. Well, unless you hate puppies and kittens…in which case you need to 1) Have your head examined and 2) Stay away from my children. You and your mean, hateful soul.

Though I occasionally write about my pets, I’m not really a pet blogger. Nor am I a mommy blogger, a tech blogger or any other niche blogger, but that’s another post entirely; title to be “Who the Heck AM I?” My point is that I didn’t know anyone at the conference. I talked to a few people in the lobby and I mingled with some folks in the bar, but I didn’t want to barge in on conversations between people who had wanted to meet each other for years.

Other than my childhood friend, who was kind of busy running the whole thing, the only other person I was remotely familiar with, and that I knew would be there, was the woman who would be giving the keynote speech, Elisa Camahort Page. Elisa is one of the founders and the C.O.O. of BlogHer, Inc. If you are a blogger, you already know that. She’s kind of a big deal.

I had never met Elisa, but I am a member the BlogHer ad network. That makes me kind of like Elisa’s honorary kin. Yee haw! I sent out a tweet saying, @ElisaC I can’t wait to meet you and hear your keynote speech. Well, it said something like that. You can’t really go back and search old tweets with great consistency. (Side note: This sometimes makes my job difficult and I would appreciate if one of you smart people would hurry up and develop something for that.)

After quite a few more tweets, I met Elisa. We had lunch together, I cried during her keynote speech (see above comments regarding puppies and kittens) and sat with her during a cocktail party that evening. I soaked in her brilliance. Then I went home.

Would I have met Elisa without Twitter? Probably. But, before I ever shook her hand, the ice had been broken. She knew what I looked like, she knew bits of my personality and she knew my sense of humor. I knew she was wicked smart, that she was a vegan and that she loved the theater. I was less intimidated meeting someone with whom I had already had numerous “conversations”.

And, a few months after that, when I took to Twitter and mentioned that I was looking for part-time work, saying something like, Looking for additional part-time job. My work history is in the now-defunct mortgage biz, I have a huge gap on my resume and I work in a school kitchen. Call me.

Guess who did?

Elisa.

The amazing C.O.O. of the largest community of women who blog (25+ million unique visitors a month – Nielson NetRatings) is now my boss and, for certain, I wouldn’t have the job without Twitter, because I never would have considered reaching out to BlogHer. Not a chance.

Instead, I put myself out there for the world to see. Okay, maybe not the world, but for my 2500 followers. So, it’s more like I put myself out there for a small, rural town. But, wow, are these townspeople awesome.

So, see…I am kind of a social media expert. I know that you have to be in this space in today’s culture, that you should let your personality come through in your tweets and that you need to put your desires out there. If there is something you want, just ask for it. You never know who is listening.

And, you never know…you just might get exactly what you’ve been dreaming of.

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As a busy mom, with two kids, two dogs and two jobs, I am always wishing there were more hours in a day.  I can’t tell you how often I climb into bed late, already thinking about how I should get up early because my “to do” list is so long.  And, if I’m not thinking about it then, I start thinking about it when I wake up over and over during the night.

I’m not trying to solve world peace here, I’m just trying to make sure there are bowls clean so that the kids can eat cereal before school, or that I’ve made it to the grocery store and that they have the cereal to eat.  I wish for more hours because my daughter’s softball uniform is filthy and she has a game the next day, or because no one in the house has any clean underwear.

That last sentence?  Well, that’s why I wept when I read about Samsung’s Super-Capacity Powerfoam Washer and their Biggest Capacity Dryer.  I’m not kidding. Can you imagine what being able to wash 28 bath towels IN ONE LOAD would mean to a person like me?  It would mean so much.  So very much.

My current washer and dryer are the first washer and dryer I ever bought…and I just turned 40.  They are older than my kids, older than my marriage and older than the dirt I try to get out of my son’s pants.

Oh, they still work okay…if it weren’t for the LOUD noises they make and for the fact that it takes me three days to do a week’s worth of laundry.  My washer had the largest capacity for sale in 1995, but it still can’t fit my thin, king-size quilt.  That means I get to make special trips to the laundromat so I can wash bedding.  Guess how much time that takes.  It takes a lot.

So, yeah, I may have cried a little out of pure want and desire.  The idea that it’s even possible to wash and dry so many clothes at once and not be a slave to my basement steps…sigh.

It’s not just the large capacity, but also the Steam Cycle on the Powerfoam Washer that helps to rid your clothes of stubborn stains.  No pre-treating!  Holla!

And, the dream of a front-load dryer has a Steam Refresh setting to freshen clothes AND a Steam Wrinkle Away setting to reduce ironing!  If you’re not weeping yet, then you don’t have kids who wear uniforms to school.  I have an intimate relationship with my iron.  Unfortunately.

The capabilities of this high-powered pair astound me.  They make me long for the day when I can haul my 16 year old washer and dryer to the curb.

They also got me thinking about what I wish other appliances could do to make my life easier.

I mean, if the Samsung Super-Capacity Powerfoam Washer can wash 28 bath towels, why can’t my refrigerator make me dinner?

Look, I’m going to admit it.  Maybe I watched too many episodes of The Jetsons, but I have always wanted a refrigerator that has a secret, side door where I can store a baking dish with a casserole, chicken, lasagna…or maybe brownies.  Then I could set a timer and the compartment would go from chilling the food to cooking it, convection-oven style.

I think it would be great to come home and not have to worry about getting dinner in the oven.  There are only so many things you can make in a Crock Pot (see brownies, above paragraph).

Really, if Samsung has created this powerful washer and dryer, the possibilities are limitless.  I just know it.

Someday I won’t have to lose sleep because my to-do list is so long.  Someday.

Now, tell me what your time-saving, dream appliance would do and you can be entered to win a Best Buy giftcard for $100.00 courtesy of the folks at BlogHer!  Here’s how:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment telling me what your time-saving, dream appliance would do

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

For other chances to win, visit the Promotions & Prizes section

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older and runs from 6/8/11 – 6/30/11.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Good luck!

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For nearly four years, I have chronicled my son’s blatant honesty in this space. I never thought I would say what I am about to say.

He’s been lying a lot.

Of course, he doesn’t hide the truth when it comes to telling someone that their forehead is greasy, or that their hands are wrinkly or that his 53 year old therapist must be “younger than mommy because she is smaller”. That one was a double whammy.

No, he’s been lying about whether or not he got toothpaste on the counter, his socks were put down the laundry chute or if he put the skateboard away. These are things for which he wouldn’t be punished, yet he lies about them nonetheless.

These untruths are spoken despite the fact that we have a steadfast rule. You will not get punished if you tell the truth.

The other day I sat him down and said, “Enough! I have taken away your video games, the TV and your controllable car. I have sent you to bed early and denied you dessert. You need to understand that you have to tell the truth! It is important and this is final, buddy. WE DO NOT LIE IN THIS HOUSE!”

Then he looked up at me and asked, “So, can I go outside and lie?”

Make sure you stop by my review page where I’m giving away a $100 gift card to Best Buy courtesy of BlogHer and sponsored by Samsung and a $100 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods courtesy of BlogHer and sponsored by Gatorade.  Leave a comment on the individual posts for a chance to win. It’s that simple! And, I’m not lying!

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