The Versatile Blogger Award!

Last week Lorena from The Mommy Diaries nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award! I was super happy to receive this award. It came at the right moment as I’m hoping that in 2015 I will blog more. I enjoy this little corner of the internet that I have created for myself. WordPress has been great. I have met some wonderful blogging friends here— like Lorena. Please check out her blog. She shares her adventures and a young mom with two adorable children. She has gone through many challenges and has overcome a lot in her personal life but her positivity and love her her “littles” shines through.

Here are the guidelines for the Versatile Blogger Award:
1- Show the award on your blog.
2- Thank the person who nominated you.
3- Share seven facts about yourself.
4- Nominate 15 blogs. – (I’m nominating seven blogs)
5-Link your nominee’s blogs and comment on their blogs giving them the good news!

Seven Facts 

1-I make an amazing banana bread.

2- I love bright colors. They make me happy.

3- When home alone I blast my music as if I was 15, sing a lot, but very badly! My poor neighbors.

4- My office is the subway. That is where I blog, write emails, read and catch up on the news.

5-I am obsessed with journaling- hence the blog. In my journal I have started to add drawings to my daily entries. Its fun and relaxing.

6- I have a glass or two of wine every night. Its therapeutic.

7- I’m already longing for the summer. Winter just began…..

My Nominations

To my nominees- you don’t have to post this on your blog if you don’t want to. No obligation. You guys are busy and may have already received five of these. Its really just a high five- I just really like your blog. Cheers!

Adventures in Rain Tree Land– Mom is a designer working at H&M and has the most adorable little boy. Her blog is filled of beautiful mother and son photos. There is so much joy.

Journey2Dfuture A british gal living in Poland with her sweet son and husband. She is about to have another baby.

A Nugget of Joy– Written by Zee, a mom in Singapore. She writes about family and fun. It has been beautiful to watch their daughter Aly grow. Then she welcomed a new son.

And Three To Go– A family who travels around the world with their toddler daughter.

Finding Cooper’s Voice– This is an amazing blog written by a mom in Minnesota. She has two children Cooper and Sawyer. Her love for her boys is so powerful. I enjoy her honest writing.

Hanson’s Health – Personal Trainer who writes interesting articles on fitness and health.

Our Life in 3D– Blog about a dad and his two small daughters. They have endless fun together.

Tuesdays With Ale: Time

The other day I was on the subway reading on my Kindle “My Struggle: Book 1” by Karl Ove Knausgaard. I was reading about the birth of his daughter Vanja . When I cam across the following sentence , There has never been so much future in my life as at that time, never so much joy I choked up and just wanted to cry. No, I wanted to sob. I kept myself together because I was on the subway and did not want to be that crazy woman you sit next to during rush hour. The author stuck a deep chord within me. This was how I felt with the birth of my son Ale. I remember his birth as the happiest moment of my life. I felt nothing but joy within every fiber of my being. I could then feel the future. I felt that I could see my family’s future 5, 10, 40 years from now within this little being. It was like time suddenly made sense. Everything clicked into place. Then suddenly I understood how precious time is. My quest has since to preserve the present so that I and hopefully Ale would be able to look back and remember the details of our days together.

My obsession with time in the last year has been so strong that I began this blog, and began journaling obsessively. I’m turning into a scrapbook, mommy blog loving, art journal freak. In my free time you can find me scoping the isles of craft stores looking for washi tape and gesso, pouring over blogs here on WordPress catching up on the mommy blogs I love and pinning images of scrapbook and journal pages on Pinterest. This sudden burst of the desire to create something each day here on the blog or a drawing within my journal pages stems directly from the birth of Ale. I know it sounds crazy and far fetched but its the truth. The joy that Ale brings is immense and I need to do something with the energy that it produces. To bottle it. I savor my moments with him by writing and  journaling and subsequently sharing with my family and on the internet with this blog.

My little son who was a baby is now a toddler and is growing so fast. So fast that I wish I could press the pause button for just an hour. I can not even remember what he looked like a year ago. I swear when he wakes up from his naps he is a bit taller, and says and does new things. I see his baby photos and I wonder who that tiny person was. It does not look like my son. My son is the tall skinny boy with tossled curls who talks and dances, and sings, and runs, and jumps and laughs. Oh does he laugh! Not that baby frozen forever by the click of my iphone in a rocker. I will say the same thing a year from now. Ale will be doing even more and my heart will grow even more for him. I want him to grow. I want to see what kind of man that he becomes but I want to hold and remember each moment of each phase. Time is against me. So I take my photos, write this blog, and create a journal page.

Its Tuesday, my day off from work. My day with Ale. This is the best day. I want it to go on forever. There has never been so much future in my life… never so much joy.

Thank you Ale. Thank you.

 

I Won! I Won!

A few weeks ago Journey2dfuture did her first giveaway. The prize was Gourmesso coffee. What mama does not need a little more coffee? So I entered and won! Whoo! Hoo! Happy Dance!

My package of two samples from Gourmesso arrived on Monday. I asked to try tarrazu forte- strong coffee to get me ready and out the door. The other soffio cioccolato- coffee with chocolate! This would be for an afternoon coffee after the playground when it’s really mama who needs a nap but must keep going.

Here are my unboxing photos.

The coffee is beautifully packaged and smells heavenly. But, wait! They are capsules, only compatible with the Nespresso machine. I don’t have that super expensive coffee machine. No fear. I am a resourceful mama. The foil top will come off and I will pour the luscious smelling coffee into my trusty stove top espresso maker.

Cheers!

Thank you Journey2dfuture! — be sure to stop by her blog!

☕️☕️☕️

Nothing To Blog About

In January like many of us I had big plans for my blog. I wanted to blog everyday and participate more on WordPress. My attempt at NaBloPoMo failed miserably. I just could not keep up with blogging, working and mama-ing. For those women- you know who you are- who blog and have a full schedule I give you kudos. I’m not there. And will most likely never reach that. There I said it.

I think another reason I’m not blogging as frequently is that things have been going quite well here. Ale is eating slightly better, sleeping longer and is just blossoming into a super fun toddler. Yes, he does throw himself on the floor every once in a while, yes “mine!” is frequently heard but it’s all fine and normal. In the end I’m not as sleep deprived and happier. Ale is also becoming more independent. He can be left a lone for five to ten minutes. I can actually finish my cup of coffee in the morning. A sigh of relief! This all my be the calm before the storm but I’m just fine with the way things are right now.

Another reason (excuse) is that we have been stuck inside all winter. Do you really want to read about how many Barney and Umizumies episodes Ale has watched? Soon the weather will be warmer and we will be out and about avoiding the iPad at all costs!

Since I’m not blogging as much, I’m looking forward to reading about your adventures. So don’t be a slacker like me, keep it coming! 🌞

Happy Friday everyone!

Blog of The Year 2013 Award!

Wow! Wow! and Wow! Kerry from Winding Road nominated my blog Running After Ale along with nine other bloggers for Blog Of The Year 2013. When I saw the ping back in my WordPress notifications I read it about five times. I could not believe my eyes. This news made my day! I love writing this blog but I frequently get writers block or think of an idea and crush it thinking it would not work well. This nomination came just when I needed a bit more motivation.

There are so many wonderful blogs here on WordPress that I enjoy reading. I wish I had more time to carefully read each one post by post. I love the community that I found here, bloggers from all walks of life and around the globe. It’s amazing since all in all we express similar hopes and desires.

The award was created by The Thought Palette. From this blog you can find all of the details of the Blog of the Year 2013 award and find widgets to proudly display on your blog.

Here are ten blogs that I want to pass on the award to in no particular order. Please stop by their little corners of the internet. Don’t forget to also visit Kerry’s blog!! Thank you!! ☺️

1- Mama Gets Real

2- Journey2dfuture

3- Red Lipstick Mama

4- Finding Cooper’s Voice

5- What The Mom

6- Game of Diapers

7- What A Lady

8- The Adventures of Fanny P.

9- Fascinations of a Vanilla Housewife

10- Raising 5 Kids With Disabilities And Remaining Sane

Vote For Me! I Just registered with Top Mommy Blogs!

This is a new year and I hope to grow my little blog. This afternoon I took the plunge and registered my blog- Running After Ale- to Top Mommy Blogs. If you enjoy reading about my adventures with my sweet toddler Ale, vote for me by clicking on the TMB banner above. Each click that directs you to the Top Mommy Blogs website from my blog is a vote for me.

So please vote once, twice, or three times today and come back tomorrow! I’ve given my blog website a facelift. Stop by and have a look around. Also, tell your blogging friends to come over as well and check out the new design. love to have people over. I would cook you dinner and serve drinks if I really could. Cheers!

Bloglovin

Hi Fellow Bloggers!

In my quest to expand my mommy blogging audience just joined Bloglovin.

You can also follow me there!!

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10759505/?claim=2b6rtjbm3vs”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

 

Cheers!

 

Leibster Award!

On September 8th The Winding Road nominated me for the Liebster Award! I have not been able to sit down and respond until now. I love getting awards and I love to pass them on. Please stop by the Winding Road’s beautiful blog about a mother and her two children.

Rules: Display the award logo, thank the blogger who nominated you  and link back to his or her blog, answer the 11 questions that your nominator asks you, post 11 random facts about yourself, nominate 11 bloggers of your own, with under 200 followers, whom you think are as awesome as you,  and create 11 questions for your nominees

Here are the 11 questions from The Winding Road:

11 questions for your nominees.

1. What is your favorite beverage? Wine. I have a glass of red wine each night. 
2. How many hours do you sleep at night? Sleep? What is that? I get 5-6 hours a night. 
3. What do you eat for breakfast? Coffee, cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt. 
4. Do you like to cook and why? I do like to cook. I love The preparation and making something delicious.
5. How do you spend your “down time?” Blogging, reading, getting a pedicure.
6. Do you play a musical instrument? No.
7. Are you superstitious? Not really. 
8. Are you an introvert or extrovert? Introvert. 
9. Do you like to camp? Camp? Me? Too many bugs and it gets too dark.
10. What is your ideal vacation? Any vacation turns into an idea vacation as long as I can be away from my work! It should be at least two weeks. I need to be close to the water, and it must be sunny. I’m not hard to please.
11. What is the most recent book you have read? Gone Girl. Skip it. It was a waste of time.

Here are my nominees! I like to break the rules every once in a while. I have nominated eight blogs instead of eleven. But please nominate eleven more bloggers. Don’t let the blog loving stop here!

Kukolina

What The Mom?

Pen & Stink

Magical Chaos

The Educated Nanny

Broken Condoms

Autism Mama 76

Her 30’s

 

Here are my eleven questions for my nominies:

1) Do you drive fast or slow?

2) What talent do you possess?

3) What did you have for dinner last night?

4) Where will you next vacation be?

5) Have you traveled without your children?

6) Do you prefer the summer or the winter?

7) Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

8) What is your favorite song to sing to your children?

9) What was the last book that you read?

10) When did you start blogging?

11) What is your favorite blog post that you have written? Add the link if you like!

 

So excited to see your answers!

All the best!!

 

 

Staycation

I’ve been quiet this week in the blogosphere. I’ve been on a week’s staycation at home.

Originally I planned to blog daily and catch up on other blogs. That did not happen. During my week off Ale and I saw our friends and family whom we have not seen in a long time. The time with my loved ones was a much needed as the summer flew by way too fast this year. Tomorrow I’m back to work and our usual routines.

So I’m still here! I have missed my fellow bloggers but I’ll be back later this week.

Happy End of Summer!

How Social Is Your Blog?

High five to the other undercover bloggers out there like me! Yes, you read that right I am an undercover mommy blogger. Meaning- only a handful of people know that I blog about being a mommy to Ale. I choose to go undercover as I wanted to build an audience of people who don’t know me at all and are truly attracted to what I write here at WordPress.

I began blogging in March and my blog is slowing increasing its audience. I’m so happy and having a lot of fun. Often, however, I think I should be doing more to promote my blog.

Follow me!!
Twitter- @runningafterale

Recently I have been thinking of adding a Facebook page or a Google+ page. Then I think of the additional work that it may require. But… this may be a lot of fun and it could increase blog traffic. Just yesterday the WordPress Daily Post published a post on how and why a blogger should create a Facebook fan page- Should Your Blog Be on Facebook?: The Nuts and Bolts of Fan Pages  Many great tips and info was offers but I would like to hear from you- my fellow readers.

Have you linked your blog to other social media platforms? What has been your experience?

Are you also an undercover mommy/daddy blogger?

Do you have any tips to share regarding promoting your blog?

Thanks everyone!