MIA-

Matt and I are in Florida for a little get-away and a MACARONI MEETUP! It's been amazing. I'm sorry, but I cannot get enough of this video from Friday night.



We left the kids with Nene and Cece for the weekend. I've been getting text and picture updates of their various adventures and when I call Lane he talks for a minute, but then is like "talk to ya later!" So they are doing fabulous while we are away.

You can see my babies AND my new niece or nephew HERE!

Although this weekend has been fun, relaxing, informative and inspiring, I can't wait to squeeze my kids when we get home. First time we've been away from each other for any period of time and I am happy to say ALL parties survived!

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And now a break from our regularly scheduled program

to dote on my husband.

He really is amazing. It's no secret, I've boasted about him before. I'm just blessed to have him by my side in this game we call life. If nothing else, I really want Parker and Lane to read about the kind of husband and father he is and to know how appreciative I am!

We haven't been home for ages. We pulled in at the crack of midnight Friday night and I had to prepare for an event for Macaroni Kid that was taking place all weekend. CUE: Mr {amazing} Mom. After 5 short hours of sleep we were up and at 'em. Matt got the kids ready and we were out the door by 8:30 am. He helps me set up, hangs around a bit to let Lane play and I feed Parker one last time. He kisses me, gives me a "go get 'em" pep talk and they are out the door.

I really don't have to do this event. I'm not getting paid to do it, but I committed to a business and I am enjoying building it. Besides for the fact that it brings in extra income each month, it most importantly has given me a place in this community. Sure, I've lived as a citizen of Greenville for 5 years, but it wasn't until Macaroni Kid that I actually felt a part of it! And Matt knows that...and better yet...wants that for me...and our family. Yes, the money is nice, but it really doesn't beat the other stuff Macaroni Kid has done for me.

And instead of him maybe asking "why do I have to do this" because after all we just got home from being gone 2 weeks, there are 3 suitcases and their contents strewn about the living room floor. We don't really have groceries and the fact that we barely got 5 hours of sleep last night doesn't help the situation. Matt, just does it...no questions asked. Just offers all the support he can, pulls up his mom jeans and takes care of them ALL weekend. And while I'm away, I really don't think a whole lot about them. I mean sure, I talk about my kids when I am there, but I don't think about what they are doing or worry if he can handle it. He provides just as good of care as I do (except he can't breastfeed) :-)

And then I get these pictures on my phone on Sunday, while I am away all day again, my heart smiles and everything is confirmed yet again as to why I fell in love with him and married him in the first place.

So...I am thankful on Valentine's Day (and everyday) for this man:

 

Loving, supportive, kind, caring, thoughtful, responsible, intelligent and easy on the eyes (If I do say so myself!) ;-)

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Macaroni Mom in the Media!

Last Wednesday I did an interview with Fox Carolina reporter Lauren Elise and they aired it last night in the Upstate! It can be found on their website here.

I fell asleep before it came on so I didn't watch it last night, but we DVR'd it and I watched it this morning....and this was Lane's reaction when I showed him. :-)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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One of THOSE days

You know, where you wake up with a smile on your face at the thought of going on a date with your 2 year old. Just you and him...at 10:30 no less...to be sure your date is over before nap time. One of THOSE days when you step out of the shower and you hear pitter patter footsteps and the door swings open and that 2 year old, the one you have the date with, says "mornin' momma" with the biggest smile on his face. One of those days where his excitement about seeing Elmo can hardy be contained and he gives you a high five at the mere mention of the words Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and Telly.

One of THOSE days where your husband and your little girl go on a breakfast date to Starbucks and you are secretly jealous that you can't witness it all. One of THOSE days that you resist from setting out clothes that you want Parker to wear and only give the directions of "You have to put her in something pink" :-)
One of THOSE days where you walk hand in hand with your 2 year old to the car and he looks up at you with his shy smile and you can tell he is just as excited as you are to be spending this one-on-one time.


His eyes tell you he feels special and that having your attention all to himself is priceless.



One of THOSE days where you leave the house on time, find a close parking spot and find your seats just as the lights are dimming and Grover is taking the stage. One of THOSE days where your usually-too-busy-to-sit-in-your-lap 2 year old decides that your lap is the perfect seat to watch Elmo's Healthy Heroes and the seat next to you is really just for your purse.


One of THOSE days that you are glad to be a part of Macaroni Kid because that is the reason you are sitting with your 2 year old at Elmo's Healthy Heroes! (Comped tickets...woot! woot!)

One of THOSE days where you ask him what HE wants to do next and he replies...'chick-flay' so a lunch date to Chick-fil-a it is!

One of THOSE days when even though he mentioned he wanted milk to drink, you remind him they have lemonade and he quickly changes his mind.



One of THOSE days where you let him drink lemonade and eat french fries and not even nag him to eat his chicken.



One of THOSE days where you watch him read his book, that he got in his kid's meal, in your rear view mirror and can't help but feel so blessed.

One of THOSE days where you get home and find a box at your door step addressed to Lane and Parker McConville and watch your 2 year old fill with excitement and anticipation, as he opens each goody. And it's like Christmas.

He smiles and jumps around at each treasure, even if they are from the Dollar Tree, Marshall's or Kohls clearance! Thanks Nene! We love our goodies!!

A little something for everyone...tutus, shoes and bows for Parker, Halloween straws, Thomas whistles and Matchbox cars for Lane and even Harley got a bone!
One of THOSE days where you walk inside and find a straightened house and this:

and your heart instantly melts.

One of THOSE days where Lane promptly gives his new book to Daddy and asks him to read it.

One of THOSE days...those fun fun days. Where everything seems worth while and nothing is as important as the people sitting in front of you.

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Fall Festival at TLG

So before Parker was born, I was asked to represent Macaroni Kid at the Fall Festival put on by The Little Gym that was happening on October 1st. I was all for it, but things were depending on when the baby arrived. Luckily, she came in plenty of time and we could all attend the Fall Festival. I set up a table with a craft (Macaroni necklaces) and I also had silly bandz, suckers and Macaroni Kid tattoos! The kids loved it and I signed up tons of new subscribers, which finally got me to blue daisy level! Who cares if I just had a baby 12 days ago. I have been out of the Macaroni scene for a few weeks and I was ready to get back to work! :-) I am feeling pretty good being 12 days post partum and Thursday night Parker took an ounce from a bottle given to her by Matt! Therefore, I felt like I could leave for a few hours and not worry about her starving.

Matt brought the kids out for a little bit and Lane had a ton of fun!

His favorite was probably this:











His least favorite was probably this:

He's not a huge fan of people dressed in costume.

Parker was pretty much indifferent about the whole afternoon. But look at her jeans...hehe!


Lane also, with the help of Daddy, pained a cute little pumpkin!

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Greenville Macaroni Kid

So I mentioned back in June that I was starting a new wobby called Macaroni Kid. I have been plugging along for 2 months now and have really accomplished a lot! (somewhat, to my surprise)

As a refresher, it's a weekly newsletter that I publish for the Greenville community. It lists all the kid and family friendly activities that happen in Greenville and has become a one-stop resource for parents to plan their children's social calendar. In addition, to listing events, I also have the freedom to write articles, do reviews on music and books, list recipes, craft ideas, etc. It really has become a passion of mine. I enjoy it so much! Who would have thought!

I was hesitant to do it at first. Macaroni Kid is a national company, but as a publisher for Greenville, I have the exclusive rights for our area. I don't get paid from Macaroni Kid, in fact, I pay them a monthly fee just to have the rights. So what's the catch?

Greenville Macaroni Kid is my baby so I have the freedom to publish what I choose. In addition to publishing, I also offer advertising space for local businesses. So not only am I trying my hand at "publishing," I am also dabbling into some marketing and advertising. Yikes! It's been fun though and I am already seeing some awesome benefits! Of course, I am getting paid from advertisers in the form of a monthly monetary amount, but I am also receiving some pretty awesome perks because Macaroni Kid loves to barter for ad space as well.

Example: I advertise for Greenville Yoga and I get to take yoga classes for free. I advertise for a 3D/4D Ultrasound business and get one for free! I have also been sent several children's books in the mail to read and write a review on, as well as trying out different products and writing reviews for. I just finished picking out labels that I am going to try out and write a review on for all my readers. Click here and you can see all the labels to choose from! They are pretty neat and one of my readers is going to win a set of the Back-to-school ones. I am expecting bag tags and the Ultimate Back-to-School combo for Lane to arrive in the mail any day now (just in time for him to start school). All for FREE!

I have reached my first Macaroni Milestone! When a publisher gets 250 subscribers, they are considered a "Pink Daisy" level. Besides for this, ah-em, stylish necklace ;-) that I received in the mail last week,



I get certain privileges that not all publishers get...like the Mabels Labels offer. Not everyone received the privilege of getting free labels and reviewing them for their readers! Out of 219 cities that have Macaroni Kid, only about 50 are Pink Daisy members! I was pretty proud of that.



My next big Macaroni Milestone will be a "Blue Daisy" Level. This is when you reach 500 subscribers. I am about 80 away from that and I plan on making a big dent in that number this weekend. I am attending an event called Switch-a-roos. It's a HUGE consignment sale and I will be there with a table and some crafts for the kids signing people up! Wish me luck!

So needless to say, this is taking off a little more and bigger than I expected. I know there are people out there that would be awesome at this. If you are one of them, let me know! There may be a Macaroni Kid waiting to start in your town! I have lots of good things to say about Macaroni Kid. The company is really awesome and supportive. They give you everything you need to get started and continue to be successful. It's fun, it's pushed me out of my comfort zone (which is probably the BEST benefit) and you can really earn some extra money by doing it!

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My new wobby!

Macaroni Kid, LLC Monthly Publisher Mom News
June 2010
© 2010, Macaroni Kid, LLC www.macaronikid.com


Welcome New PM'S! (PM'S=publisher mom)
May, 2010


Angela
Greenville, SC

Yep, I'm at it again. To make a long story short...(or a long story long) Here it goes:
Surfing the web one afternoon and 3 different times, came across something called Macaroni Kid. I felt like I needed to explore what the deal with Macaroni was all about since it kept popping up. E-mailed a few people and eventually got in contact with one of the head Macaroni Moms...and before I knew it, I was signing on the dotted line.

What is Macaroni Kid:
A free e-newsletter, to subscribers in your area. I have the exclusive Greenville rights and I am the only one that can publish. The newsletter is a hub for all kid and family events and activities in and around the Upstate. I'm having a blast making lots of contacts and finding out all the fun stuff to do for kids and then sharing with the community. Here's my webpage: http://www.greenville.macaronikid.com/ So far there are 3 in SC-Me in Greenville, Stacey in Columbia, and someone in Charleston who I haven't talked to yet. Natiionally there are about 170 moms that publish for their cities so it is a fairly new thing. It started out in May of 2008.

It's basically called a "wobby" because it falls somewhere between work and a hobby. I publish all events for free and don't collect income from Macaroni Kid, but eventually, after my site and subscriber list rises, I will be able to charge businesses for advertising. Pretty cool right!? After 2 weeks, I've had 2 businesses approach me about advertising. Most moms make a monetary income per month as well as getting perks such as free lessons or classes for their children in exchange for running an ad or promoting a local business. It's basically fulfilling my creative writing side and giving me something to do during naptime, with hopefully a later result of bringing in a little income! :-)

If you have any questions, just email me or leave a comment. I will get back to you! You can check out my site and subscribe (even if you aren't local) to hear from me every week at http://www.greenville.macaronikid.com/ I appreciate the support! In addition to listing events, I also write articles, list fun kid recipes and crafts, and also include some general articles. You may even see Lane or Matt in a picture or 2! (haha! of course!)

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Macaroni Mom

I'm a Macaroni Mom! Are you? Ask me how you can be one too!

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