Where Did Your PodCast Go?

Yes, I had a PodCast... Connections Coaching Cafe. Actually, it is still around, I just have not recorded in a really long time and for those of you who subscribed and/or listen occasionally, I appreciate the love and I truly apologize for leaving you high and dry these past few months.

I was in the process of truly defining what my coaching practice was going to be and that (along with other family obligations and travel) did not allow time to regularly record the PodCast. I was barely blogging at the time too. I was in that "Where is this going" phase, it was hard to maintain focus. It was also hard to come up with motivating anecdotes when I was struggling with my own motivation. As I explained before... coaches are human too. When it comes to empowering and enriching lives, I never want to give less than 100%. I have to remember...that notion also should apply to me! I needed to step back, re-prioritize, and get to the core of what was important to me, my family, and what I wanted this practice to be.

Well, as you can see...this summer, I am back in the saddle... revamping my web presence and coming up with great coaching programs and workshops. The plan is to revive the "Cafe" with more vim and vigor!! I hope to relaunch in late August or early September. Stay tuned!

List of Ways to Efficiently Work From Home - List Mama Guest Blog

Some of us who are blessed to be able to work from home on a full-time or part-time basis can sometimes find it hard to work efficiently due to the many distractions that can present themselves during the day. The lure of household chores, needs of children, phone calls from friends and family who just don’t get that "work from home" concept. Working from home can be more challenging than working in an office. Getting into an efficient routine, establishing guidelines for yourself, and boundaries for your friends/family are essential to success.

See my Guest Blogger List on List Mama Blog

Blog Blocked...AGAIN!

This is reaching depressing proportion! Can you believe it... I am blog blocked again! I say to myself every morning, "I need to post something on my blogs" and then I go completely blank! So tonight, I decided to, again, just blog about not being able to blog. I am probably thinking too hard about it. I am looking to be inspirational or belt out some prolific prose but what I am doing is setting myself up to be where I am right now...stuck! I am putting too much pressure on myself to write something "worthy" when I should just do what I tell others to do... just write. Write for the sake of writing. I have read the blogs of others and they are so easy going...just writing about their day, etc. and here I am trying to win a Pulitzer or something. As the subtitle of this blog states, these are my notes on how I live a life I love within the chaos. Fingers are hitting keys and you have something to read. Blocked? Blog about it!

Your Big Sister - One Year Later

I cant believe it has been a year (and two months) since my book, "Your Big Sister's Guide to Surviving College", was released! It seems like yesterday that I was pitching the concept to Nancy, my publisher (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Inc.). I am always asked if this was this the book I knew I would write. The answer is a resounding NO! I almost didn't write at all! I had this preconceived notion that I had to be degreed in English or Literature and well read on the "classics" to be a real "Writer"... at least that is what all of the writing magazines and references I studied lead me to believe. Being that I have a book on the market now is a true testimony to don't believe everything you read! This was a book from the heart...not to mention it was easy to write because I had already written it 10 years ago... I just had to revise for a wider audience.

Having "published author" on my list of accomplishments is HUGE! I am just so grateful to this whole experience because of the other professional doors it has opened for me. Everything I am doing now is a direct result of this book and I am so glad I took the leap of faith.

So what am I writing now? So many of you have asked for and are anxiously awaiting a sequel... the next installment of the Big Sister's Guides series. Well, I am happy to say....I'm working on it! I actually have several topics in the works, I just cant seem to focus on one at a time. I am writing them all simultaneously and it is a snail-race to the finish line. I just go where my writing muse takes me, ya know!

To all of my loyal fans (most of whom are related to me) thank you so much for your continued support. Please continue to spread the word about Your Big Sister!

Blog Blocked!

I guess it is a bit different than writers block...or maybe it is the same?? I just joined the Mom Bloggers Club and I am so excited to be in this group yet...heaven help me, I have nothing to write about... except about the inability to write. I know exactly what is cutting off the creativity supply to my brain. I am single-mom-ing it for two weeks while my hubby is away so balancing toddlers and working from home with very little assistance has absorbed the forefront of my brain. I know so many others do it all of the time but it always throws me a bit. I have my little routine down to a science and that wasn't an easy feat with my tendency to be a bit scatter-brained. When things get altered, I sometimes go all nutty, you know? Well not too nutty... but it definitely takes a toll on me creatively. I put all of my eggs into my mom basket and carry it around with pride until my husband's plane lands...then I happily hand it over to him and run run run to my laptop! I have 3 more days...I think my brain knows it too..because hey...I'm writing...right?

My Hybrid Mom Magazine Article

I am so excited right now!! I wrote an article last summer for Hybrid Mom Magazine. It was my first paid freelance piece and I was very proud. At the time, HM was just getting off the ground so they were not able to send me several copies of the magazine nor a presentable electronic clip. Luckily, I was able to hit up a local Gymboree where the magazine is sold and they gave me several copies that I proudly distributed to my family. Well, HM has certainly gained momentum over the last 9 months and they have a spectacular online presence these days. I was browsing along...joining forums and their online communities and I notice a little box that says "Search Hybrid Mom Articles". Not expecting anything...especially since my article ran so long ago...but still curious, I typed in the first word of my title "Queen". You can imagine my delight when I saw "Queen of Convenience by Christie G. Crowder" proudly displayed on the list of results. I immediately clicked on it and copied the url, printed a copy and made a PDF of the page! I am full! I am immortalized once again in cyberspace! Now everyone who did not get a chance to read my piece in a tangible glossy medium can do so by clicking RIGHT HERE! If you enjoy it, please leave a comment!!