Social Media Maven?

Hardly.  But I have spent a good deal of time recently getting plugged into all things social media.  It started with the SITS Girls Spring Fling, in which the amazing ladies of blogging showed us how to spruce up our blogs and become social media mavens in just two weeks.  I didn't keep up, but I did get connected with a bunch of social media.  Here's my list.  I would love if you would "like" "share" "Tweet" "pin" "join" "become a fan" "include me in your circle" or "follow my blog" (or two or three of them!)

1.  Facebook - My favorite and best (other than my blog).  Now, I'm not only me, I'm "Straddling the Gap"  This is the easiest one and I'm having a good time with it.  Click and like me.



2.  Twitter - I'm just starting to get this after my initial confusion.  I have a few friends who actually talk respond to my tweets.  I'm starting to build some followers.  I irritated some atheists the other day and I wasn't even trying.  (See below)  If you would like to be one of my followers, I'm straddlinggap or you can just click this link and follow me too.





3. Pinterest - No one had to tell me to do this.  I've been a Pinterest fan for a long time.  If you are one of the 5 people who hasn't joined yet, let me know and I'll send you an invite.  Or you can check out my pins by clicking below:



4.  Instagram - I have yet to take a picture because I have a little cell phone issue (I'll get to that tomorrow), but I do have an account and I'm really looking forward to using it.  I should have some pictures later this week.  In the meantime, I am straddlingthegap (notice a pattern here?)



5.  Google +  I signed up, but I don't really understand this quite yet.  I'm trying to click on the plus button when I like a page, but I'm not sure what else to do with it.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

6.  Klout - I'm in, but this one feels like watching the stock market.  My score is up, my score is down.  Heck, Klout thinks I'm an influencer on Atheism because I made one comment on Twitter and was spammed by 10 atheists.

7.  Tumblr - Again, something I have, but I'm still not sure what to do with it.  I think the tool is for following blogs, but maybe there's more.  I use Bloglovin and like it very much,

So, that's my resume for a social media maven.  I doubt it will be a profitable career, but I'm giving it the old college try.  I'm sure I will stick with some of these, especially the mainstream ones, but who has enough time in the day to work with these and write a blog too?

Just my 2 cents.

cindy

Shoes, Meet Feet.

I'll admit it - I have flat feet.  Yep, I've known it since I was a kid, we called my feet "duck feet".  It's been a bit annoying most of my life because not only are my feet flat, they are wide.  The total double whammy. Now that I'm getting a bit older (ahem), it's no longer a bit annoying; it's get thee to a podiatrist.  Anyway, while I was looking online for some way to keep slingbacks on my heels, I found some great advice on shoe/feet relationships.  If you have a love/hate with your shoes/feet, read on.  (If not, just wrinkle your nose and slowly step back.)

• Shooting the Slingbacks - Usually, the reason your slingback shoe straps are falling off your heels is because the other end of your foot is sliding forward.  E-how has a great checklist to determine the best way to fix it, but let's just say you either need to shorten the straps, adhere them to your heels or put in an insert to keep the ball of your foot in the game.
• Straight Lacing - Looking for fun and unique ways to tie your shoes? (Are you bored? Are your kids bored?)  This guy Ian has a website dedicated to showing you different (and sometimes decorative) ways to lace your sneakers.  Oh, and everything you ever wanted to know about shoe laces.
• Love My Stinky Feet - That's an inside joke with my kids (who don't read my blog).  You wanna get rid of that stench?  Does your kid's closet smell like a landfill?  Here's a bunch of great ideas (not just powder in the shoes) from wikiHow.  Ladies, have a problem with shoes you wear without socks??  Here's the find of the day - Chu Shu Silver Linings!

• Finding Running Shoes for You - Don't even read this if you don't run.  In fact, don't read this if you are still running in sneakers you bought at Target or PayLess.  If you want the right runners for you, check out this Shoe Finder tool from Runner's World
• If the Shoe Fits . . . Did you know there's a method for finding shoes that fit?  I know I didn't.  I thought if you know your size, you just buy that size.  WRONG!  For more awesome tips (like what time of day to try on shoes or which foot to use), check out DrofPodiatry

• Oh My Aching Feet!  You know they do.  There are lots of reasons for aching feet and just as many ideas to relieve them.  Find out everything you ever wanted to know about aching feet (as well as every common foot problem known to man) from Squidoo

Now my dogs are barking and the hounds are howling.  I need to get out of these shoes and relax!

cindy

Constant Computer?

I have this little problem in my house.  It looks a little like this:

No, Brodie doesn't really use the computer, but everyone else in the house does.  There are two kids and two adults living here.  There are 3 laptops, 1 tablet, 1 I-Touch and 2 smart phones.  Yep, we're pretty wired.  While it's a great convenience, it's become a real problem.  The kids spend too much time on the computer and we parents aren't much better.  I do feel pretty comfortable about what we're *not* looking at - we have Covenant Eyes installed on our computers and it's a pretty good filter.  However, I'm still pretty concerned about things like YouTube, even with the filters.

About now you are thinking - just turn it off, and you're right.  However, computers are to my kids what TV was to me.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge now that school is out.  We're trying to keep them busy, but I definitely think we will have to set specific time limits on computer time.

If anyone has any similar experiences, suggestions or alternatives, I'd love to hear from you!

cindy