CyberMinions.net

Life With Wee People: Getting ready for Passover chaos...

Nothing beats getting kicked out of bed by your kids in the wee hours of the morning (LOL). I like watching them jockey for position when it comes to getting their kisses and hugs in. We were up late last night getting ready for Passover chaos. We have some of our NYC girls coming down for a visit so we're counting down the hours until they get off the plane (and plotting lots of FL mischief to get into - evil grin).

My kids expect to be hosting a couple of beach outings while they're here. Shorty was singing a love song yesterday about that while Noah fired up the laptop for more wee people dictation. We've been writing our collective butts off and obsessing over the graphic novels. When the girls get settled in I'll share some new art with you guys. We're still mastering Book Club Blues Vol 2 & 3 tracks so this is gonna gt interesting. We're playing tourist for Spring Break (and taking lot of pictures - silly grin). I've been neglecting Localism and YouTube (yeah, I got your e-mails - sigh). The shorties and girls are going to help me post a bunch of fun stuff so stay tuned for the Little Minions editing digital clips. They are getting really good at timeline-drag-and-drop. The special effects keeps them clicking away for hours and now I have to worry about cameras in the fridge and being duct taped to skateboards and bikes (said the chick who taught them to experiment with their creativity - LOL). ;-)

Now if I can just figure out how to keep Noah the Net Geek from opening every other icon on the desktop I'd be a very happy camper. Mr Autism likes running multiple programs and I usually have to close down ten to fifteen just to watch Unbox. He loves keeping busy which usually translates to me being kicked off my laptop for hours (LOL).

Stephen the Minion Blur is a lot easier to handle. You can distract him with loading a Thomas the Train DVD in the living room (and shorty takes off like a bat out of hell to watch it every single time - evil grin).

Life With Wee People: Cranking out the noise... Catch The Rush

A few of my NYC gal pals are coming down in April (followed by a couple of relatives) so next month is going to be mad fun and very busy. I shall be cooking my a$$ off on the foodie and creative side while indulging in another silly mini vacation. As a general rule I like my vacations to be fun and enjoy being a big 3 year old. I've been a wee bit distracted collecting author swag and quietly running amok doing a massive amount of research. I shall fill you guys in on it all later. I collected a lot of eye candy (happy sigh).

Illustrating the graphic novel has been keeping me mad busy and the draft children books are piling up. I'm bugging my girlfriends to do a few animations with me. We have a lot of material and I've been experimenting with some very interesting software. FYI: My kids are totally into turning me into a twisted version of a Dr. Seuss police sketch artist which is mad fun because they enjoy recording nonsense and I get a kick out of them telling me what to draw (wicked little grin).

We got the information on how to create these puppies from a dear old friend of mine: George Hartman. We like the work he did with his publication so we're having a blast lining up our ducks, dotting our I's and crossing our T's while doing ridiculously fun artwork. Stephen, the Minion Blur has been experimenting with miniature car crashes while Noah, the Net Geek has been lining up the plush toys so he can keep his characters straight while performing. Me? I get to take pics, write notes and draw on demand while the wee people drama unfolds...

When I'm not cracking up with laughter (or being chased around the house by kids wielding magic markers) I sometimes get to take wee people dictation during our creative writing projects. Sometimes these things take a while because Stephen likes to drive miniature cars all over the furniture, build ramps and tunnels and/or rap tracks into the mic while Noah frequently yells and does wild sound effects between spurts of dialog. If you leave him alone and simply observe he'll work out the entire dialogue between Sponge Bob et al and a few pillows or plush toys while at play. Then I have to get all dark and twisty on them to keep things interesting because they are unreliable narrators who can't make up their mind on a daily basis where the story-line is heading (hence the multiple books in progress - LOL).

We have been creating some really fun creatures while messing around with this project (which may require more trips to the zoo for further research because we're mixing and mismatching body parts). Our team pen name is going to be "Stephen C. Noah" while the three of us are wrecking the house engaged in this fun project from little minion literati hell. We'll write in our own names when we actually do something independent of each other.

The boys have a very interesting imagination that keeps me bouncing between libraries thumbing through National Geographic magazines staring at the jungle and people from around the world. They expect their creatures to creep in fascinating landscapes with lots of color and texture... like mud... slime... goo... mars bug pooh...

Yeah... they're picky that way (LOL).

When I'm not maxing out my library card or living in Barnes and Nobles I spend an inordinate amount of time on the floor coloring with the kids and letting them run amok editing music tracks with me. We will give you guys a sneak peek of an author tribute track for Lynn Rush. She has some really cool stuff coming up:

Lynn Rush on Amazon

Lynn Rush's Blog

A bunch of peeps are going to RT but I don't know if I can make it because I have company. On Thursday, April 12th from 4 - 6 pm participants can meet Lynn Rush and more than 125 e-book authors and dozens of graphic novel authors. The RT Booklovers Convention will be held April 11th-April 15th, 2012. The convention will be hosted at 

The Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel

9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, Illinois, 60018
(847) 696-1234

If you can go you really should stop by and get a few autographs, chat with the writers/graphic novel illustrators attending and collect literati swag. We all know how much I like author swag so I'm gonna keep pushing the collectibles button (silly grin). Lynn is really sweet and you guys will adore her as much as I do.

This is a brief 2 minute DM Zone interview on YouTube about her trilogy.

We hooked up a couple of author tribute tracks for Lynn on the Book Club Blues Vol 01 project. The Book Club Blues Vol 02 and Vol 3 projects have been keeping me up for late night because it's been 122 days since my last release and I've been composing like crazy but bouncing the tracks back and forth between music projects (said the anal retentive blogger who can't make up her mind which order the songs should go - LOL).

Lynn Rush has Vol 3 all to herself. She's mad fun to play with online and a very cool social media peep so go follow @LynnRush on Twitter. ;-) 

I really do need to get my musical rear in gear and master the rest of these tracks with the shorties so I can post a tease (because I'm waaaaaaay overdue for some mischief - evil grin). This is sneak peek week (and yeah, I will finally get around to answering some of that e-mail that has been piling up while I've been quietly traveling - silly grin).

My kids are tweaking the re-verb so I gotta go before my wah-wah starts to sound like a metal plate chorus on steroids (melodramatic sigh - head thunks on table - eyes crossing). ;-)

Stay tuned for some new music and more random musings (LOL)...

Becoming a Common Practice in the State of New York for Feng Shui Consultants to Attend Village and Town Board Meetings

by Feng Shui Long Island

Recently Laura Cerrano of Feng Shui Long Island, Inc. attended a Village Board meeting for her two clients. Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, the State of New York Villages and Towns, this will become a more common sight and presentation as time progresses.  The demographics of the East Coast are changing.  Majority of of residents are now migrating from the Eastern parts of the world to America. The populations and cultures with the highest influence are individuals and families from China and India.

With the migration comes the beliefs, teaching and inspiration of these cultures, which many follow the principles of Feng Shui and/or Vastu (India's version of Feng Shui).  It would be wise for New York State, the villages and towns to become familiar with at least the basic teachings of this lifestyle and recognize the specific reasoning for why exact changes are requested for the land and/or interior for those living at their given location.

In the state of California, Feng Shui consultants are always collaborating with architects, landscape designers, Realtor's and other interior designers because the State has recognized the imprtance and positive impact Feng Shui has on majority of the residents living there. They have also seen and experienced the increase of ecomnical growth Feng Shui has had for home owners and the rest of the towns, villages, neighborhoods and for the overall State. California has gained a great understanding of how Feng Shui is utilized to achieve a Balanced, Peaceful and Prosperous life through simple but effective changes in the Surroundings and I hope New York State, being very progressive will do the same. 

 Feng Shui LI

*Carole Provenzale has been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant since graduating from the Country's very first School for Feng Shui Studies that was licensed and accredited in 1997. Carole provides on site Feng Shui Consultations Long Island NY, Queens New York and New York City -Hamptons NY.

New York City Feng Shui Manhattan

New York Feng Shui Manhattan New York City Manhattan NYC Consultant Laura Cerrano is a Second Generation Certified Feng Shui Consultant who has trained with Feng Shui Long Island and Masters from across the Country including Shamans to incorporate Native American beliefs and Space Clearings into her Feng Shui Consulting Firm, Feng Shui Manhattan New York City NY. After co-consulting on site for many years Laura began her own business in 2000 and has a strong client base in New York City, New York, Long Island NY, Queens, Brooklyn, New Jersey and the rest of the New York Tri-State area.

Copyright © 2012 Feng Shui LI and Feng Shui Manhattan, All Rights Reserved

Feng Shui Exercise to challenge your body, mind and soul by Feng Shui Long Island Practitioner

How many times do you say, "I'll get to that later." If this is you, now is the time to change that thought pattern. This week challenge yourself by putting that goal or task you've been meaning to achieve last month, week or days ago as part of your must do list.  Even if you do not officially complete that goal by the end of this week, you are setting in motion the necessary energy to help you meet your goal. 

So take a moment, think about what needs to be achieved this week and "Don't just talk about it, be about it."

This has been Feng Shui fitness for you soul, body and mind

 Feng Shui LI

*Carole Provenzale has been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant since graduating from the Country's very first School for Feng Shui Studies that was licensed and accredited in 1997. Carole provides on site Feng Shui Consultations Long Island NY, Queens New York and New York City -Hamptons NY.

New York City Feng Shui Manhattan

New York Feng Shui Manhattan New York City Manhattan NYC Consultant Laura Cerrano is a Second Generation Certified Feng Shui Consultant who has trained with Feng Shui Long Island and Masters from across the Country including Shamans to incorporate Native American beliefs and Space Clearings into her Feng Shui Consulting Firm, Feng Shui Manhattan New York City NY. After co-consulting on site for many years Laura began her own business in 2000 and has a strong client base in New York City, New York, Long Island NY, Queens, Brooklyn, New Jersey and the rest of the New York Tri-State area.

Copyright © 2012 Feng Shui LI and Feng Shui Manhattan, All Rights Reserved

Life With Wee People: Exercise Little Minion Style

Noah the Net Geek has been training for Track and Field (among other things) so yesterday we packed the boys up for some fun under the sun at the Special Olympic County Summer Games.

While en route to Merritt Island, Stephen the Minion Blur gave wee people orders regarding what the next Kim Harrison cartoon should look like. I'm saving that insane argument and collection of new sketches for another blog post (LOL). We're in love with the British covers so Shorty has been quite vocal about me learning the girls features and getting the hang of illustrating burning bunnies shields.

Yeah... he's into custom art (my fault entirely) and usually crayons a lot of it after we're done (to give it a personal touch - LOL). We're trying to find a cool after school sports program for the shorties to get their gym on that also caters to giving their wee people client the benefit of an individualized education program full of personal touches like the instruction provided by their current teachers who are volunteering a lot of personal time to coach 'em.

I tried talking them into an arts and crafts kind of thing but they claim that's what they have me for. I may have to set up a free class at a library since libraries are always looking for volunteers to do creative stuff. My kids would love that: Little Minions Art Classes coming to a blog post near you (but I digress - LOL).

Feel free to give me educational sporty links to Orlando, Indialantic, Cocoa, Vero Beach, Palm Bay and Melbourne people. Will keep you guys posted on what we discover as we go along. We're experimenting. There' a lot to sample in Brevard County and the Special Olympics gives the kids a chance to train for different events and hang out with really cool people who care about their development, dedication and hard work. One rule: must be hands on, interesting and fun. My kids are visual learners (LOL).

Noah did basketball the last time we participated in the Special Olympics and the fact that they quite happily discovered team sports are mad fun helps keep my kids dedicated to learning them.

This event took place at a very cool high school with tractors that made my 5 year old drool (LOL). It started out cold and gray but eventually warmed up (when it was almost time to go - Murphy's Law - LOL).

Irony is, my kids took to running up and down the bleacher steps to keep warm. Sad is the adults couldn't keep up. Mike snagged them in front of the press box and put their hoodies on (which did not last long because running amok made them "too hot" and they ditched their clothes every chance they got - LOL).

Little Dude did his Hulk Hogan poses and showed me his Ozzy Game Face, then went out and placed first in TBT and the 50 meter dash in his division heat. That's my boy!!! Shorty brought home two new blue ribbons. How cool is that? Very!

My Guy Pie loves Track & Field. Every time I turned around Little Dude was dancing in the grass. I was waiting for him to do a cartwheel but 145 photographs and several digital films later I realized I was going to be denied the flip shots. It seems he saves those for the gentle abuse of our furniture at home during The Noodle Wars.

I bet he won the TBT throw because of battling hubby with those blue bowling ball pins (LOL). Yeah... we rough house a lot in my house (happy sigh). 

He gets his victory dances from watching football. We're huge sports fanatics. ;-)

Athletics are mad fun. Anyone can enjoy participating in sports... I'm thinking while I wander around looking for cool business organizations to join I should check into how to help officially coach the wee people in a sanctioned sport. I may introduce them to boxing next and look into forming a small team of wee people warriors (LOL). There's a cool gym in Vero Beach I want to check out which doesn't have a website. Seriously? SERIOUSLY??? I could be linking to you and sending fun social media peeps your way. Just sayin... (snerk).

I'm not leaving my current gym because I love Planet Fitness but it's a fact that there isn't a speed bag, heavy bag or boxing coach there so a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do when she's raising active rough and tumble boys. I may have to join a boxing gym if I want to get my kids into a mainstream program (or not join and ship 'em off for coaching so I can read my fave authors in an uninterrupted bubble bath - LOL).

My kids have an amazing group of friends full of energy who are mad funny (LOL). It's always a pleasure to spend some time with them, their parents, siblings, teachers and coaches. We're already cooking up our next bit of play date mischief. When it comes to occupational therapy my house is an explosion of arts an crafts projects (LOL). My keyboards take an amazing beating and everyone loves the electronic drum machine (LOL). I need a new amp (sigh) and have to replace the Sony (melodramatic eye roll) and shall take care of it soon. Right now I have other things on my mind that need my immediate attention like finding an after school sports program to tire my shorties out (silly grin). Swim team maybe? Hmm...

What ever it is I want to see more smiles like this one (happy sigh). There was a lot of giggling going on all freakin' day. We could barely keep them contained (and sort of didn't want to - LOL). Will show you guys Cocoa Beach next...

That's where we took the boys for a victory dinner on the pier after dinosaur shopping (LOL). I'd tell you more but it's time for me to go to the gym. If I don't work out before it rains I wont survive the next Noodle War (which is a serious work out in itself and is scheduled for 10AM - LOL).

When I get finished at the gym I have to shower, pack a saddle bag, grab my laptop and head down to Miami to see the fabulous Kim Harrison. I want to get my book signed and meet a few blogging buddies for some digital mischief (LOL).

Kim is on the A Perfect Blood book tour. Will post more about that after I find a cool Miami beach to haunt with my laptop. I am being treated to my first Mojito later today. This should be very interesting...

I've never been to Miami so I'll have to cover something for Localism while I'm wandering around down there. Nothing like the hunt for eye candy to keep me all perky and jogging with my Nikon (LOL). ;-)

NAPW

Melodious isn't home. I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop pouting. I want to hear about the baby being born (I'm excited and impatient - sigh). In a few weeks I'm going back to TX to see the latest bundle of joy popping into my virtual world and I have to admit the suspense is really killing me (LOL).

It's a boy and I bet he's beautiful. I can't wait to see him and enjoy the benefits of being a virtual grand-aunt without the pain of giving birth. Yeah... I love babies... they smell really good, cuddle great and melt hearts (happy sigh).

Right now I'm stalking her Facebook page and trying not to call her cell phone. One message at home is good. My fave TX family is busy and should not be distracted from the drama of a new grandkid making his debut on the world. I'm supposed to be going jogging so I'm gonna get dressed and take off in a few minutes. We all know I have to get my jog on before the kids get home from school (and our brand of insanity begins - LOL).

I'll leave in a minute but before I go run off to haunt the causeway I'm gonna leave you guys a link to the National Association of Professional Women.

I was thinking this would be a very cool organization to join (yeah - I actually got an invite - sweet). If this works out there will be functions full of business executives I can study and make friends with while I organize my brand spanking new corporation into sub-divisions.

Florida is different from New York. I have a lot to learn. I wont just be doing real estate while I'm floating around down here. The music studio has to relocate, I'm writing my a$$ off and have to publish all of my music sheets. The graphic art is staying in New York City so I'll have to go back four times a year (if not more) and the girls want to form a Private Investigation firm because they miss me doing their legal investigations for pizza.

Me? I miss retaining them for a dollar, good pizza and all that snarky banter while noshing on great food (LOL). If creating a P.I. firm will get them to come play in Florida then what the hell - I shall start range classes in Orlando immediately.

Okay - after the Kim Harrison tour and my wedding anniversary. I need to behave for that before I go run amok on my next road trip adventure to cook and start kissing beautiful babies. Will be in Miami on Sunday and Palm Beach on Monday. Tuesday is a secret (can't tell you everything - LOL). 

I found a really great range to check out in Orlando. Did you know you could rent some really cool firearms to practice with down here? Yeah... I definitely need to make new professional friends and find out what else I don't know about Brevard County. It's time to join some fun organizations and get busy. The girls are coming down for a Girlie-Girlie Day paintball marathon. I need to be ready for the invasion and have to test run a few locations with hubby and the little minions (evil grin).

I need an interesting list of stuff to join. I'm starting with a library card and working my way up to who knows what. Will keep you guys posted (LOL). ;-)

http://www.webpronews.com/facebook-incident-launches-first-amendment-fight-2012-02

I wouldn't ever want someone forcing me to post anything on my blog or other social media accounts... Reading this made me realize just how much I enjoy having the freedom to speak. If the court said delete it I'd go Okay. If the court said write your own apology I'd say Okay.

Putting words in someone's mouth to write the apology for them or go to jail if you don't publish someone else's apology on your behalf that gives up your personal court business during a custody battle - what a very scary thought...

It opens the door to a whole bunch of monkey business by litigants... The HE SAID SHE SAID during a marriage never ends. Everyone has an opinion, even their stupid opinion... I think I've vented enough in cyberspace to understand how horrific this really is on a personal and professional level. 

Just saying yall might want to pay attention to what you guys are posting on Facebook. Never know if a stray comment is going to come back and bite you in the a$$ after falling out with someone...

Pssst... Realtors, this also means you and how some of you trash your competitors/clients. A few of you are so busy trying to boost your "follow me" numbers you have no idea who your subscribers really are and what they're doing lurking on your social media pages. My girlfriend got dragged to another state to give a deposition for having a conversation with a relative that the soon to be ex-wife didn't like. Cost her a substantial amount of money to comply with the court order because she needed to hire her own attorney, travel, lodge, then get back to New York City.

I bet my gal pal would not have enjoyed having a court order shoved down her throat regarding forcibly apologizing on Facebook for having the nerve to comment on a negative experience for anything personal. 

Neither would I...

Ines Hegedus-Garcia - @ines @jb140 there's a fine line bet prostituting your posts & getting quality readership - @chris_smth @phxreguy @tcar @jimmymackin

This was a tweet I received this morning from my friend Ines in reply to a conversation we were having this morning on Twitter about a recent post on HubSpot about 25 Marketing Stats for 2012.  The post to me seemed a little thin on content provided as it was basically just a list of statistics.  That however is not the purpose of this post.

The conversation started this morning when Chris, Jimmy, Jay, & Todd were discussing the completely annoying use of a Tweet This! link on every single stat on their post.  25 orange Tweet This! links in addition to the regular Twitter plugin seemed a little obsessive to me. My thoughts on the post were that they were only concerned about me sharing it out with others on Twitter. They could care less if I learned from the post, if I commented, or did anything else.

What is interesting though is that while the post is chock full of very interesting statistics that all of those mentioned above would love and share out on Twitter, (It's what we all kinda do for a living, so interesting stats that back up our points are always valuable and helpful)  the conversation turned from great stats, to poor promotion of the post by pimping it out too much.

I wish I could say this is the only example I've seen the past few days, but there are more.  Just before following the conversation above I watched a video from Gary Vaynerchuk on how poorly the Oprah Winfrey Network was promoting through social media.  Here's his rant:

Don't get me wrong, social media is a great tool to promote your products and services.  I use is solely to build and market my business. But, it has to be done in moderation.  If you try using a social network for just promoting you will get nowhere.  Some may listen for a little while, but before long, you become just noise they ignore.

Crossing the Line

What is the line where you go from successful promotion to prostitution?  That's a difficult question to answer.  I believe it varies.  Some businesses can do more promotion than others and get away with it.  Others, the slightest bit can turn off your consumers.  I think instead of trying to use a formula you need to just pay attention to your sphere.  If people are interacting with you less, your traffic is declining, and things seem to be on a downward slope, then maybe it's time to change.

I know in my business I've tested this on numerous times and have found that the minute I seem to be doing more promotion of me, my business and not others everything slows.

The Magic Formula

So, what is the magic formula to promoting things effectively?  How can I get all my stats going in the right direction?  Well, the answer is actually pretty simple.  Spend more time promoting others than yourself.  People pay attention to those who help them more than those who try to sell them something.  You can build a powerful online community by simply talking more about others good things than how great you are.  In return, you are building relationships and trust with that community of followers.  Then, when you promote something of your own, you are more likely to receive better results.

In order to get results from readers and your online community you have to first give something to them.  If not, it comes across really clear that you are just out to pimp your own products/services/things and could care less about others.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.  When do you feel promotion turns to prostitution?

Originally Posted at: 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors

Please Be a Helpful Person....

Feng Shui Long Island and Manhattan Team In Training asks for your help.....

Feng Shui Long Island, Inc. and Feng Shui Manhattan, Inc. have always been involved with community projects and volunteering when able to. The love for motivating and inspiring others is a core key element to Feng Shui. This past year I have been consulting and personal training with many clients that have been recovering or going through treatments for Leukemia and Lymphoma. To honor them and their family members I have recently teamed up with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training for the Grand Canyon Hike for a cure in May of 2012.

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support; I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

At no set amount, Ms. Cerrano asks for your help and if you can please make a donation in support of her efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures. You can donate $10, $15, $20 or up, it's what you feel comfortable with.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training asks to please have all donation in by March 28th, 2012.

*All Donations are tax deductible* If you would like to make a donation please click on: Feng Shui Team in Training with Laura Cerrano

It will only take a moment of your time to make help transform a life

Thank you and many Blessings,

Laura Cerrano

Feng Shui Long Island, Inc

Feng Shui Manhattan, Inc.

 Feng Shui LI

*Carole Provenzale has been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant since graduating from the Country's very first School for Feng Shui Studies that was licensed and accredited in 1997. Carole provides on site Feng Shui Consultations Long Island NY, Queens New York and New York City -Hamptons NY.

New York City Feng Shui Manhattan

New York Feng Shui Manhattan New York City Manhattan NYC Consultant Laura Cerrano is a Second Generation Certified Feng Shui Consultant who has trained with Feng Shui Long Island and Masters from across the Country including Shamans to incorporate Native American beliefs and Space Clearings into her Feng Shui Consulting Firm, Feng Shui Manhattan New York City NY. After co-consulting on site for many years Laura began her own business in 2000 and has a strong client base in New York City, New York, Long Island NY, Queens, Brooklyn, New Jersey and the rest of the New York Tri-State area.

Copyright © 2012 Feng Shui LI and Feng Shui Manhattan, All Rights Reserved

Life With Wee People: Push - Pull the fat off...

My 10 year old is Autistic and my 5 year old sufferes from PDD-NOS. This means I have to get very creative in explaining things to them. They are both visual learners and have taken an interest in my obsession with going to the gym in the wee hours of the morning. Whenever the shorties see me get my Praying Mantis - Tai Chi - Wing Chun warm ups going they like to get in on the act because Kung Fu usually leads to the Noodle Wars. 

We do not have a pool but we do have pool noodles. Two huge red and purple ones. We gleefully wreck the house playfully beating each other with them while learning to kick and block accurately (silly grin). Stephen has taken to staff fighting with the pool noodles while Noah usually wields them like a sword. Me? I usually get my a$$ kicked at some point because hubby likes to pretend write our names on the bottom of the oversized inflatable bowling pins and arc them through the air like guilded missles (which can be a huge distraction requiring very creative retribution - sly little grin).

This is me telling you You Are Your Own Gym (and yes, I am a Mark Lauren fan) so you should have mad fun incorporating play into your exercise routines.

Seems the shorties want me to do my Hulk Hogan poses before they get on the school bus. Why? I have a temporary Rachel Morgan tattoo Stephen the Minion Blur wants to apply to my arm except he thinks my arms "need more work. I'm not Hulk Hogan enough. A really cool tattoo requires a really cool arm."

Even though I can bench press my own body weight he thinks I'm not working out enough. We're on the floor flipping through the pictures of our copy of You Are Your Own Gym so he can select our next push - pull objective. This book is photo rich so my 5 year old doesn't have to read, he simply looks at the pictures and gets busy with his Mama in tow (LOL).

Since Stephen and I are both April babies we've decided we want one of these for our birthdays so we can get our hit - kick on. It will make a stellar addition to The Man Cave. Hubby knows it's on my things to do list (and if he EVER wants to ever see me in a bikini he should give in - hint - hint - evil grin).

I'm jogging on the causeway later. I'll show you some cool water views of Melbourne when I get back and let you guys in on just how effective doing a split military work out really is. Best part? I still eat what ever the heck I want (in moderation) and am making wonderful progress. :-)