First, please calm down. Breathe slowly  into the brown-bag-o-panic with me. Life is so good with the internet, but it is important to remember that, in fact, the internet is so good because of life. Your life. My life. Our lives. And life will go on.

Our passions really make up who we are, and the internet is the tool we use to communicate about those passions. So the day after tomorrow, I might not blogging about my latest find that makes me feel like a supermom (tm), or living vicariously through a favorite blogger who has moved. to. Paris. for three months (the nerve!), or reading tweets with pride that the peeps over at Baby Bargains have discovered my favorite baby gear and toy store in all the land, but I will still be sharing my passion with you wherever we meet.

I love ink pens and paper; fancy hotels; and trashy reality series. I love my baby's blue eyes and his daddy's great smile. I love products that make life easier and also ones that are beautifully useless. And, please, do not step in between me and a banana creme pie. And, one thing that I really love is hearing about the passions that fuel you - the running, the knitting, politics, and more.

So, please oh blogosphere, don't you forget about me because I certainly won't be forgetting you.

After our little bundle arrived, we've been wondering how to give him a little taste of giving back in toddler terms during the holiday season. We have lots of ideas as he gets a little older

• decorating stockings for ladies at WLP;
• selecting and delivering the coloring sheets we provide for the kids that attend the holiday dinner at the WLP
• picking presents for a child of the same age in a family that we sponsor at the WLP

It will still be a work in progress this year as he's still a little too small at 15 months to grasp what we're doing.

In the meantime, one of our favorite brand of shoes, Robeez, is doing something awesome to give back this year.  Robeez will be donating a pair of soft sole shoes to K.I.D.S. with every soft sole purchased through December 23rd. K.I.D.S. is a charity, Kids in Distressed Situations, that helps children in need all over the world.

The little one loves his Penguin Robeez. I think he'll like his new pair of boots too! Take a look at their soft soled shoes - boys and girls. Trust me, they make fantastic gifts. And remember for every pair you buy, a needy child will receive a pair.

How about you? Any ideas for getting little ones involved in Giving Back Projects during this time of year?

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FTC Disclosure: While we love Robeez, this was not my brainchild. Help spread the word!

Live in the Boston area? Click here to find out the many ways you can help the Women's Lunch Place.
Everyone can click here to donate to the Women's Lunch Place.

It's no secret that I'm not sure what I'm doing around here yet. But I've been hanging around twitter for a little bit getting to know a pretty awesome group of people 140 characters at a time. Back in October, the stars aligned in the form of a visit from grandma that allowed me and mr. kimword to attend the aiminglow in the city event sponsored by hp. I got to meet a handful of the people in person that I follow on twitter including Anissa Mayhew.

We had a fairly brief discussion that covered so many topics, but one topic keeps running through my brain and making me laugh out loud. She was on her way to New York City later in the week for another aiminglow in the city event, and she said that someone had given her a list of all of Museums and Gallerys and their corresponding days of the week that they offered wine and cocktails for free. We both laughed at the creativity of a person that would put together that list. A list for some sort of grown up pub crawl...a gallery crawl really. Perfect! Anissa is definitely my kind of funny lady.

I'm writing today because Anissa had a serious stroke yesterday that has her in the hospital. There's lots of thoughts and prayers going out to Anissa and her family and a process has been setup quickly to handle the bucketloads of help that is sure to follow. If you are reading this, please stop and say a prayer and send a wave of goodness to Anissa and her family. They are bound to need every little last bit of it. Then, if you don't know Anissa (or really even if you do), head on over to twitter and read some of the lol-full-o-funny-ness of this very cool lady including her last tweet before this awful event:

One of my favorite funny posts is the play-by-play of Anissa's Twitterstalking of Ralph Macchio. And after scanning the twitter feed this morning, I came across this little doozy that Anissa is going to LOVE.

You can find more Anissa at Free Anissa; at AimingLow; at Mayhew Review; and at Blog Nosh Magazine.

Update: Link to Today Show Segment about Spanking feature Anissa that aired today

There's no better time than the present they say, and, frankly, I am sick of the excuses. The excuses that come out of my mouth, and especially the ones that I tell myself. Time to get a move on. The baby is 14 months old. That makes it TWENTY FIVE months since the pregnancy started. That's a long time to hang onto the I'm pregnant/I've just had a baby excuse. Enough.

So, for the next 16 weeks, I'll be taking things up a notch on the exercise front.  I've been doing strength and cardio workouts about three times a week at a gym that does small group training. I'll be continuing that. In addition, once a day I'll be doing an exercise video.

Weeks 1-6
The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Boot Camp and The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Weight Loss Yoga

Weeks 7-12
The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max and The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Weight Loss Yoga

Weeks 13-16
Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred Lord. Help. Me.

I'll also go on walks with the boy and try to squeeze a swim in where I can. It seems like a lot to take on, but this doing a little here and little there is just not working.

Plus I'm going to update my progress on this blog...stay tuned.

Are you looking to lose weight? Now thanks to his blog, Conquering Diabetes, on WebMD, you don't have get weighed in front of all of America to benefit from his diet and exercise wisdom. Have diabetes or know someone who does? Don't wait, start reading now!

I thought this was an inspiring story of how a regular person told diabetes to take a hike:
A Diabetes Reversal Story, Part I
A Diabetes Reversal Story, Part II
A Diabetes Reversal Story, Part III

• Now the mother of an 8.5 month old. Whaaat? Where does the time go?
• Dr. D and I are on  a mission to get some of this weight off.
• Which has led to working through a six week program to boost willpower based on The Beck Diet Solution. I'm on day 9 of 42. More to come on this.

There's a lot going on, and the real world reality of work/life balance has slapped me in the face. I'm looking forward to trying to sort all of that out here now that I'm back in the swing of things.

What to do. What to do. The boy's head was becoming worse and worse, and then his hair started falling out.

Then I remembered a little issue I had a few years ago that involved too much oil under one eyebrow that irrated my skin so much that it made it dry and itchy. I tried everything over the counter and by prescription. Nothing worked.

Until....Cetaphil, a gentle over-the-counter cleanser available at the drugstore. I began using Cetaphil every morning and every night, and before you knew it the irritation was gone. So, back to the google, and I typed in "Cradle Cap Cetaphil."  And there in the comment section of the blog Ordinary Days, I found the confirmation I needed to proceed

Here's my secret cradle cap remedy...Cetaphil (regular old face wash from CVS) helps clear it up. Rub it on his head at the beginning of a tub, let it sit through the whole tub, and then wash it off right before you take him out (I left it on there less than 10 minutes). I did this with my son, and it only took 2 tubs for his cradle cap to clear up. And it also helps with baby acne.

So, I did just what the commenter, Jessica from A Bushel and a Peck, suggested. I started rubbing Cetaphil on at the beginning of bathtime and rinsing it at the end. I only used baby shampoo on the other parts of the scalp that I didn't rub with cetaphil. Four weeks and about 8 baths later, his very nasty case of cradle cap is barely even noticeable.

Below you will find links to online resources that were mentioned during the chats along with information about the featured presenter for each topic. If I missed one, or you have a great resource, add it to the post using the comment section below. There were some really nifty and neat tools included in the discussion. Enjoy!
Search Engine Optimization
Kelby Carr - TypeAMom & Foodie Mama
Twitter - @Typeamom

• SEO Keyword Research
• SEO Plugin for Wordpress Blogs
• Creating Content Hubs
• Keyword Tool
• Google Keyword Tool
• Long Tail SEO Targeting Tips
• PageRank Resource
• Targeting Seasonal Keywords
• Affordable SEO makeovers for small businesses and bloggers

Press Releases
Susan Payton - The Marketing Eggspert
Twitter - @Eggmarketing

• Paid Press Release Distribution Services - PRweb.com and marketwire.com
• Blog Posts on Press Releases
• DIY Press Releases Book
• Press Release Examples
• Ecourse: Write Press Releases to Grow Your Business

Web Design and Development
Char Polanosky - Essential Keystrokes
Twitter - @CharPolanosky

• Ecommerce Wordpress Theme
• Wordpress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin Wilson - great book to start with
  New Edition available February 2009'
• List of Wordpress Tutorials
• Freelance Blogging Gigs
• Web Design Tutorials and Resources

Legal & Financial Advice
Elizabeth Potts Weinstein - The Wealth Spa
Twitter - @ElizabethPW

• Free Articles and Radio Shows

Podcasting
Kelly McCausey - WAHMTalkRadio, WAHM 2.0 &KellyMcCausey.com
Twitter - @KellyMcCausey

• Tool called Pamela that Records Skype Conversations
• Audio Acrobat - Service that allows you to record conference calls
• Post about Blog Talk Radio
• Submit Audio Articles to Lady Pens (Ask Kelly for an invitation.)
• Blog Post about How You Can Benefit from Podcasting
• Proof You can Podcast in just a Few Hours Per Month

Bloggers Working with Big Brands
Lucretia Pruitt - GeekMommy &Walmart's Eleven Moms
Twitter - @Geekmommy

• The Deal with the Walmart Eleven Moms
• New Site launching February 2nd - SocialMediaMatters.com
• Izea - Transparent Pay for Post

Work at Home Tips & Advice
Miranda Marquit - All Business and MirandaMarquit.com
Twitter - @MMarquit

• Pay Yourself First Article
• Batch Processing Article
• Family Helpers
• More Info on Mothers Helpers

Word of Mouth Marketing
Barbara Jones - One2OneNetwork & The WOM Mom
Twitter - @BarbaraJones

• Great Information on Word of Mouth Marketing

Blogging & Blog Networks
Wendy Piersall - Sparkplugging & EscalateMedia (the company behind TotallyHer!)
Twitter - @eMom

• Advertising Section Sample
• Media Kit Sample
• Free Tool to Determine Demographics of Your Audience - Survey Monkey
• Article on Joining a Good Ad Network
• Sample of Someone Supporting Craft Business with Blog and the Corresponding Blog
• Adify.com
• How to Make Money from a Blog using Affiliate Advertising
• Niche Affiliate Programs that are Perfect for Mommy Bloggers

Building Online Communities**
Liz Strauss - Successful-Blog & SOBCon
Twitter - @Lizstrauss

Trends Affecting Small Businesses**
Anita Campbell - Small Biz Trends
Twitter - @Smallbiztrends

Taxes**
Kelly Phillips Erb - TaxGirl
Twitter - @Taxgirl

Building a Personal Brand**
Jessica Smith - JessicaKnows & MomForce
Twitter - @Jessicaknows

**I wasn't able to particpate in these parts of the event, however, once the transcript is released, I will update this post to include any resources that were mentioned.

Trader Joe's web site gives us the nitty gritty.

Applesauce Crushers
Enhancing the convenience of the consumption of applesauce has challenged applesauce purveyors throughout the ages. We’ve crushed that challenge. How? With our Applesauce Crushers. We’ve taken all natural applesauce and packaged it in unique pouches that allow you to squeeze, squish, crush the delicious fruit sauces straight into your mouth. Yes! Right into your mouth – no spoon is necessary. Made just for us in France, these unique snack pouches are perfect for lunch boxes, briefcases and slip into a decent sized pocket with ease. Kids love to crush ‘em! And could there be a more fun way to get a good supply of Vitamin C? Doubtful. Each package of four 3.17 oz. pouches of Applesauce or Apple Carrot Fruit Sauce Crushers is $2.99.

Update: Nutrition Information for Applesauce Crushers

I got a few questions about the nutrition information. Here it is!
Serving Size: 1 pouch, Servings per Container 4
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 50 Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 11 g
Protein 0 g
Vitamin A 2%  Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 2%  Iron 2%

I'm sure kids would love them. My boy is just barely gumming his way through stage 2 solids, so we have some time before I'll be able to turn him loose with the tube of Applesauce Crushers. So when I saw these little products, I was actually thinking of the boy's mom instead of the boy. It struck me at the perfect snack to pack in the diaper bag for moms. It's quick, clean, and nutritious -- and only 50 calories.

What's your favorite snack to pack in the diaper bag?

Well, you might think that my husband would have had a clue when I wimpered something like, "my baaaabeeee is all the way in the other room in his crib." The Swede, who is unbelievably caring and thoughtful most of the time, attempted to comfort me by saying, "You know, some day he will move out of our house."

Um, thanks a million for clarifying that for me.

I suppose he has a point. But still.

I've been waiting for this day since we brought him home. A time to sleep uninterrupted by baby gurgles, breath-y sighs, and other such noises that are oh-so-cute until you are the worried mother with this itty bitty noise machine in your face. All. Night. Long. But last night, I found myself curled up in the bed missing those exact noises and the feeling that that my whole little family was within inches of me. It's crazy how time flies, and how it is so easy to get caught up in what is next. You forget how fast the craziness-of-now could become the sweetness-of-yesterday. And these last 4.5 months have been so crazy, and yet so heavenly sweet. I wish I could master seeing the sweetness in the daily craziness, but that's always been a struggle for me.

Of course, it shouldn't be hard at all after reading this ultimate love letter to a wife. It's a blog about a family interrupted; written by a dad who was left raising his baby girl alone after his wife unexpectedly dies 27 hours after giving birth. Not exactly an uplifting topic, but the posts are not only a beautiful ode to the man's wife and daughter, but also a reminder for all of us to be thankful for everything and everyone we have at this very moment.

And so I am. Thankful, that is, for my beautiful family including the feisty little one sleeping in the crib all the way in the other room.