The Ohana Mama

Here are my Top FIVE Fave Mom Vloggers…I know that are many many many more, so if you are a vlogging mom, leave me a link in the comments so that we can all go check you out!

In no particular order…

1. Trisha of MomDot…this vlogging mom not only chats it up on camera but she makes full-blown music videos.  And her husband takes part too, from his own music videos to interviews between the two high school sweethearts.  Go check her, if you haven’t already, she ROCKS IT!

2. The Mama Mary Show...this women makes me laugh out loud every Monday on her Momsense Monday videos.  She’s funny.  Really really funny!  Be sure to check in with her every Monday for a new Momsense vid and start your week of right! This week she has a video of her husband’s Valentine’s rap to her…damn, that’s one talented couple over there!

3. Hoo-Dee-Hoo…Meredith is awesome She shares great finds, fun tips and her backdrop (her home) is gorgeous!  Watching Meredith is like chatting with a girlfriend, albeit it’s one-sided, but she’s a cool chick that I don’t mind just listening to and watching what she has to share.

4. Cool Mom…Daphne, a mom on momversation, has her own vlogging site, Cool Mom.  I LOVE her videos. They are quick, funny and usually on topic.  She’s sorta a Hollywood insider…you might see her sometimes doing commentary in the tabloid mags…and she’s one FUNNY chick! Check her out!

5. Momversation…the entire crew.  I know, I know, I write about them a lot.  But I love what they’ve got going on…my fave are the funny topics that usually get me to laugh out loud and I often can relate to at least one of their viewpoints, which makes me feel “normal”.  The editing is great, the women are even better and when I’m in it…it’s a HOME RUN baby! (come on, I HAD to go there! wink)

Wanna be a vlogging mama? Here are five vlogging tips…

1. Be entertaining or on topic..we can’t all be funny but we all have an interesting tid bit to share. Take a topic that you see  being tossed around on Twitter in the blogosphere and tell us YOUR point of view…more times than not, others think the same way…and if they don’t then you’ve got a good conversation starter!  Make it fun by taping it in a random spot, say….in the bathroom (sometimes it’s the only place to get some peace and quiet, right?)!

2. K.I.S.S.…Keep It Short Sweetheart…sometimes a quick vlog can be sooooooo much better than a long one.  When I first started vlogging, my videos were long. Too long. Shorter ones can be more entertaining and easier for your readers/viewers to enjoy in today’s busy busy world.

3. Be real…You DO NOT HAVE TO BE ALL PRETTY.  Make it real. No make up? No worries! (see my quick vlog above for a prime example)

4. Look to the light…try not to video with light behind you.  You will be lost on a black hole and no one can see you.  Natural light is best, just sit by a window and let the light shine on you.

5. JUST DO IT! Scared, embarrassed, shy…just do it.  Have fun, talk like you are talking to a friend and go for it!

I can’t wait to learn about more vlogging moms, be sure to share your link with me if you’ve gone video style.

Oh and HAVE FUN!

I am in a choose your own adventure book. But unfortunately this one I can’t go back and re-read it and take a different route to find out what could have happened.  And I can’t cheat and peek at the chapters ahead so see what will happen if I go with number 1, 2, or 3.

Nope, I have to choose, and then I have to PRAY.  Pray that I made the right choice. We do this all the time, right? That’s life.

When we chose to move to Hawaii it was a leap of faith.  A dream. A hope for the best.  A tad bit (haha) of anxiety and a crossing of my fingers, toes and eyes that this was the right choice.

Actually scratch all that.  We did it because in my mind, it was 100% the right choice.  I had to commit and believe, truly believe, that it was the right choice.  Otherwise, doubt can creep in and take over and everything can fall to pieces. At least that’s been my experience.  Don’t let the doubt in…go away doubt!

Fast forward to today.  We’ve been here for three years and I am now faced with a new choice in my book of life.  But this new choice that I have to make isn’t for me.  It’s for my son.

I have to decide where he is to go to kindergarten next year. To start his academic career. Where each steps is like a ladder and can and will take him in a certain direction, much like in candy land.  I’m just hoping the spinner lands on the right color and he never falls down the slide.

Its stressful.

To say the least!

Do we go with private school and sell organs to make it happen?

Or public?  I was a public school kid up until I went to college, but times and location were different.  Every single public school that I went to was an award winning public school.  I was extremely lucky. (and so were my parents…)

Public schools here are forced to take part in “Furlough Fridays”, where kids CANNOT go to school on Friday’s because the government thinks this is the best way to save money…yes they are literally TAKING education away from our kids to fix their own mistakes. This doesn’t help the already tarnished reputation the Hawaii education system has throughout the country.

And it doesn’t help me in my usual defense of how public education can be just as good as private (if not better…ah the diversity!)  After all, look at me, and my sister, and brother and friends and and and…

I want to give my children the absolute best.  To set them up with any and ALL tools to succeed. So it seems an easy choice right?

Private school.

Now we just have to figure out what organs we can live without to make it happen.  My hair grows really fast, maybe I can sell it. That should cover the cost of uniforms…or maybe one shirt for his uniform.

Question for you…

How did you decide where to send your kids to school when the time came?

I am totally stressed out.  I really hope I choose the right path for my kids….after all there’s no going back and re-writing this book called LIFE.

Happy Monday! It’s time to get our hula shake on! Here’s how it works…I will have a featured site or sites that I think are shakin’.  Then YOU share your upcoming…

→ Giveaways
→ Posts from last week
→ Your latest promotion or blog news
→ Vlogs
→ New sites
→ You name it!

This goes for mom businesses too – please share your latest sale or new items in your store!

Here’s my pick to start off this week’s Hula Shake Around the Blogosphere…

2010 seems to be the year (Mommy) bloggers are really stepping up and saying, SHOW ME THE MONEY! Here are TWO NEW SITES to help you do just that, that all seem to be aimed at helping the MOMMY BLOGGER monetize her blog. Signing up is FREE for both of them so head on over now!

♥ Top Mom Blogger: Started by Kim at What’s That Smell and Trisha of MomDot, they bring you behind the velvet curtain and show you the real deal on how they are bringing in money through their blogs…and they will show you how YOU can too! From posts about SEO to Wordpress to Taxes (yup, bloggers have to pay them too…so yup, this IS a business ladies!).  Sign up and you’ll also receive a free download on how to keep track of your daily and monthly blog earnings.

♥ Business 2 Blogger: Always looking for writing opps but don’t know where to start?   Sign up for Business 2 Blogger where they are connecting Bloggers with Businesses. They are having a promotion to launch their new site right now…you could win a transfer from blogger to wordspress and a new blog design!  Go check it!
Now it’s your turn! Leave a link, visit a link and keep the hula shake shakin’! Have a great week everyone!

I received The Darda Victory Lane race track to review before the holidays and I’ll tell you it’s become one of my son’s AND my husband’s favorite toys!  I especially love it because it takes absolutely no batteries and is 100% kid (or Dad) powered.  You simply pull back the car and watch it go! And it doesn’t just putter it goes FAST!

Set up was a snap and it offers different configurations so your little man is sure to not get bored.

The Victory Lane Nascar set comes with little miniatures of Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon’s cars, so your child can host his own race…he just pulls the cars back to charge their engines, locks them in place and then with a push of a button, both cars take off  while the bystanders (your family) watch to see who wins! It’s super fun.

Here’s the Darda in action…

Here’s more info from Darda Toys…

Victory Lance cost $69.99 and can be purchased at the Darda Site.

my ultimate: a bank drive thru + starbucks drive thru

Fast food.  Drive thrus. They are the devil.  BUT, they can also be godsends.  Not only to moms, but especially to moms.  I am not a fast food nazi although I know that there are much smarter, better, healthier choices to fill our bellies and our children’s bellies with. But sometimes, a mom’s gotta do what a moms gotta do.

Top 10 reasons we drove through that fast food joint…

1. Still in your pajamas.  With slippers on feet. This has been my reality.  I had to take my up-all-night-crying-child for a sunrise drive to get her to sleep.  A certain golden arched establishment does make one of the best breakfast sandwiches.  Come on, you know it.

2. No bra. You made it out of those pjs but it’s late in the day and mama needed to release the hounds.  Aching back,aching shoulders and a tad too tight around, yes you are braless. Thank GOD the person in the window at that drive through can’t see.

3. Your child is crying and you need milk. STAT! Oh, and throw in a toy for good measure.  Thank you and goodbye.

4. You have a sleeping child in the back seat. No way are you waking him or her, and Mama needs a latte.  We don’t have one on Maui, but back on the mainland, I’ve been known to drive waaaaay out of way to find a Starbucks drive through.  And yes it was worth it. A sleeping child in the back, a latte in my hand and The Bangles playing Manic Monday on the radio…that rocks!

5. You’re PMSing. Period. (no pun intended)

6. It’s raining. And you dread gathering up your two kids and yourself and walking in torrential downpour.  So you risk only your arm instead. beep-beep.

7. No make-up. Or worse, yesterdays make-up, smeared and it’s Noon.  Pop on sun glasses and drive on thru that fast food joint mama.  No need to lift those shades and expose the raccoon eyes of sleepless mommy nights.

8. In-n-Out. Wham bam thank you m’am. Life is fast…and so is a fast food drive thru.  On nights when you’ve got practices to go to and places to be, the almighty neon drive thru sign can be your beacon to appease the masses.

9. You, I mean your kids, have collected almost every single one of the Speed Racer toys.  Except that last one.  I do it all for the toys…all for the toys.

10. No shoes. In a dash to get out of the house and go hunt down dinner, at 6 p.m., you forget your shoes and have to go the fast food, drive thru route. (psst, this can be done intentionally or unintentionally, I’ve seen it played out both ways. wink wink.)

And there you have it!  It’s all for good reason.  We’re not bad mothers, we’re smart, quick on our feet decision makers.

Other places that I love that offer drive thrus…

Walgreens…you rock!

I mentioned Starbucks…you rock…but I want in West Maui

Car washes….these are the bomb. Most kids like them. But some get really freaked out…beware. You could be stuck for 5 minutes with a crying toddler and absolutely no way out.

Banks. A drive up teller or ATM is the best thing since sliced bread.  Seriously.

I’d love to see…

A drive up sushi joint. Fresh sushi on the spot!

A drive through video rental kiosk

A drive through smoothie shack

And a place that just sells, milk, diapers and wipes.  I think they’d rake it in.