http://www.mommyq.com MommyQ

A friend of mine told me about CraftGossip a few months ago, and today it’s one of my all-time favorite websites. From edible crafts to felting to needlework and sewing, this blog is full of unique, creative and fun ways to make everything under the sun. And I mean everything!

Just in time for Halloween, CraftGossip is featuring all kinds of awesome ideas for the spookiest time of the year. The Bat Softie Mobile (Sew4Home) is so cute, the Tulle Pumpkin Dress costume (a la Craft Passion) is divine and the Spooky Lollipops are amazing (Ohdeedoh).

What’s great about CraftGossip is there are plenty of neat projects you can do with minimal expertise. For people like me, it’s golden. I think it’s eye candy for the soul. I just love the way the main blog is separated into sub-blogs too. You can hone in on your favorite kind of crafty fun and get loads of inspiration. If you start reading the bios for the Craft Gossip editors, you’ll quickly see why it’s so darn cool.

Get even more H’ween ideas by clicking here! Enjoy!

“Dad, tell the one about bonking that kid in the head with your toy train.” “Dad, tell the one about running from the neighborhood bullies.” “Honey, tell the one about passing out in the park.” That’s the way most of our family get-togethers end. Whether it’s sitting around the table with half-eaten pieces of birthday cake on car-themed paper plates scattered about or sipping coffee together, stuffed from a delicious Thanksgiving turkey, the best part of every family gathering is the laughter.

After the last bite of food has been taken and our rambunctious, young kiddos have retired to the playroom, the adults sit around the table and retell funny stories we’ve heard a million times.  Certain topics never seem to get old like my dad’s rebellious childhood or my husband’s PG-rated college adventures involving alcohol-related stupidity. My sister and I tend to tell the same stories from our childhood about goofy Barbie antics and high school shenanigans.

No matter what life hands us over the years, laughter always proves to be the best medicine in my family. It’s affordable, easy to find and doesn’t require planning.  As far as family traditions go, it’s a no brainer.

More exciting news for all of us Google fanatics, Google Instant. According to Google, this newfangled search tool features “predictive, real-time” search results. Google Instant will save you 2-5 seconds per search. Uhm, maybe I’m totally ridiculous, but I never thought searching was a long process to begin with. That was the whole ease of Google. It was fast.

And what’s with “predictive” searches? Well, it seems this type of search shows you results before you finish typing. In other words, it’s psychic. Great. Now I have someone else telling me what I want. The kids, my husband and my laptop. Super.

I’m not sure why this Google Instant concept is so newsworthy because 2-5 seconds isn’t a big thing to me. If I didn’t have to type at all  – now that would be exciting. It would save my back from the pain of sitting, typing and slouching all day. I wouldn’t have to deal with sticky keyboard keys or pieces of cookies getting lodged under the cracks by the space bar or my missing Alt key. Why not ditch the keyboard all together, Google? Let’s go ahead and take it to the psychic level now. We know you’ve got the technology tucked away in a tin Sucrets box.

I guess you save precious time by not clicking the Enter key? Sure, pick on the poor soon-to-be obsolete Enter key by making it an outcast. I happen to like the Enter key because it does good things. I’m done. I hit Enter. I get closure. Without the Enter, there is no closure and you know how much humans need that. How do I know my search is over? Enter key. How do I know things are in motion? Enter key.

Maybe the next Google announcement will be about psychic searches and they will call it Google World Domination. I would totally read about that.

On Monday night, MommyQ attended the Hair Affair Fashion Show and it was totally intriguing. From the moment I walked behind the red velvet curtains to conduct my interviews and take pictures, I was in eye candy heaven. The 18th Century French inspiration was vivid enough to make Marie Antoinette order a French Cosmso (3 oz. pineapple juice, 1 1/2 oz. vodka, 1/2 oz. cassis, garnish with pineapple slice or leaf) and party like a rockstar.

Waterstone Aesthetics and LegitArt Entertainment came together to oragnize the event and it was magnificent. Not to mention, 100% of the proceeds benefited Locks of Love, a non-profit for children under the age of 18 who suffer from long-term medical hair loss.

The wigs and hair pieces for the runway show were jaw-dropping. You must see the pics to truly understand how grand they were. I spent mots of my time backstage, watching the model prepare and get final touches on hair and makeup. I was totally impressed with how calm the folks running the show remained, even three minutes prior to the opening of the curtains. The models did a wonderful job bringing personality to all of the outfits. It was also great to see the look of satisfaction on the stylists’ faces when their model’s look came together. Pay special attention to the model with the birdcage on her head.

Experience the full story on News 8 Austin and visit Austin Eavesdropper for even more info, pics and goodies. Plus, find out which Texas model is destined for greatness on the reality show America’s Next Top Model.

Last weekend, the second annual Austin Fashion Week began with a huge party and fashion show at Idea City, the place GSD&M calls home. Partygoers and fashionistas did their best to beat the heat and as the sun went down and a cool breeze entered the equation, it was time to get serious about style.

What Bloggers are Saying:
You can see what local fashion bloggers like Indiana Adams (AdoredAustin), Joanna Wilkinson (KeepAustinStylish) and Tiffany Diane (AustinIsBuning) had to say about the runway show and Austin’s unique aesthetic in a News 8 Austin blog complete with video.

80s Pop Star, Tiffany
One of the hightlights of the evening was definitely 80s pop star, Tiffany, belting out her famous tunes. Part of me was expecting to see a redheaded teenager in an acid-washed denim jacket and big hair walk out on stage.  No, Tiffany is all grown up like the rest of us now. But she did an amazing job and really engaged the crowd. It was impossible not to sing along when she sang ‘I Think We’re Along Now.” See how Tiffany dazzled the crowd on News 8 Austin.

Austin’s Fashion Talent
A Project Runway contestant who competed in Season 6 , Louise Black, is participating in Austin Fashion Week this year. You can read about more of Austin’s notables on News 8 Austin.

My Fashion Blunder…
I have to tell a quick personal story, because it’s just to hilarious not to share. I wore a totally unique dress to this event – a Marc by Marc Jacobs red-striped linen dress. After the fashion show, we went to grab a drink at a local bar called Townhouse. After we walked in, we realized my dress matched the red striped fabric on the furniture exactly.  What are the odds of that? It was hilarious and just goes to show fashion is totally unpredictable.

Here are a few pics from the evening:

MommyQ is a bona fide fashionista. Well, at least for a while. I’m excited to report I will be a contributing fashion blogger for News 8 Austin this year during Austin Fashion Week, August 14- 21, 2010.  This is my first year involved in Austin Fashion Week and although it hasn’t officially begun yet, I’m already thoroughly excited.

My first blog post is about the fabulously talented Lisa Kennedy, an Austin-based fashion stylist and hairstylist. She has been helping me rediscover my own style, which has been slightly derailed by two pregnancies. Seriously, during my style consultation she pointed out the obvious. I own a ridiculous amount of black shirts. Lisa and I were standing in my closet together and I was like, “Oops. How did that happen?”  Find out exactly what a stylist can do for you and why you don’t have to be a celebrity to have one by clicking here.

What keeps Austin so stylish? It is the eco-fashion? The thirst for individuality? The cowboy boots?  Nope, it’s the people. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the women (and men) responsible for keeping Austinites informed and stylish. Get a fresh perspective from:

- Fashionably Austin keeps you fashionably connected to local fashion, as well as fashion catwalks around the globe.  My new friend and part of the dynamic duo behind this online fashion community, Cheryly Bemis, will be reporting from these events. It’s always fun to follow Cheryl!

- Austin Slave to Fashion is shopping and styling in the ATX. She loves all things fashion and thinks everyone deserves to feel good and look good in what they wear.

- Keep Austin Stylish keeps you up-to-date with the latest fashion news and trends in the most casually chic city in Texas.

- Let your imagination run wild with Colours Marie. Go ahead, colour outside the lines.

- Austin Eavesdropper covers music, fashion, food and all things fabulous. You’re all invited to “dork out” with her and celebrate the coolness of Austin.

Get your fashion fix on Twitter: @coloursmarie, @austinstylish, @slavetofashion, @webanna, @TollyM, @ATXfashionweek, @FashionablyATX -  and don’t forget me @MommyQ

Earlier this week, my first guest blog appeared on Betty Confidential. I read an article about Angelina Jolie’s parenting style and it made me wonder if I were really ridiculously wealthy, would I be a different kind of mom? Enjoy!

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A few weeks ago I was at the nail salon flipping through a tabloid. The story that caught my eye was about Angelina Jolie and her mother-in-law, Jane Pitt. The two weren’t getting along so well because Brad’s mom was annoyed at Angelina’s overly relaxed parenting style. She worries that the nannies are too involved and that Angelina doesn’t provide them with enough discipline. According to Brad’s mom, the kids stay up late all of the time, they eat lots of junk food, go out in public looking unkempt. Brad’s mom believes young children need a more structured upbringing.

I’m a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, so I’m knee-deep in kiddos every day. As I was about to knock Angelina for her mommy style, I couldn’t help but entertain the scenario in my head. “What kind of mom would I be if I were super-rich like Angelina?”

If we had ridiculous amounts of disposable income, would I be a different mother? Would I invest in more “we” time or more “me” time? Would I choose to spend more quality time with my children or with myself? Would I throw caution to the wind? Would I let my children stay up late munching Cheetos, knowing that I didn’t have to deal with the orange handprints all over the sofa? My housekeeper would handle that. When the boys start to slap, pinch, shove and wrestle for toys around 5:30 p.m., would I just let the nanny figure out how to intervene? Or would I even be at home? Maybe I’d be at the gym or shopping or – gasp! – getting my weekly massage. Would I be constantly running out of the door, kissing my kids on the cheeks and yelling last-minute directions to my nannies on the way out?

Read my final thoughts about it by clicking here!

Image: BettyConfidential.com

Who is MommyQ? My two-year-old blog, MommyQ, is fueled by coffee and cynicism. I like to call it a parenting blog with a dash of celebrity gossip and a sprinkle of fashion advice. Over the years, MommyQ, has become my aspirational, online persona and she is all about eye-candy, fun and functionality. MommyQ might buy a pair of pair of $300 Tory Burch clogs, but I probably wouldn’t. In today’s economy where many folks are trying to help other families find deals and cut costs, I blog about upscale bathing suits for toddlers or the cool baby clothes Sandra Bullock bought for Louis. My blog is supposed to be a departure from reality in many ways – yet still honest & helpful – because life as a mother is stressful enough.

Who is the real MommyQ? I’m the quintessential mom balancing work and life and buying lots of stuff along the way. I’m an English major with an affinity for marketing and writing. I’ve always aspired to be a professional writer, but nothing motivated me enough to pursue that dream. All of that changed after I became a mother. Who knew having children could change you so completely.

Suddenly, I had endless amounts of thoughts, musings and experiences that I was truly passionate about and an engaged audience who shared my journey. I’m a self-taught WordPress junkie and social media guru, so my entry into the mom blogosphere in 2008 was a bit rocky. After a few weeks, I was hooked. I’ve been blogging, tweeting and trying to figure out the dreaded Google algorithm ever since.

Mere months before I started blogging, we got a devastating autism diagnosis for my oldest son who was three at the time. I harnessed my emotions and decided to blog about it a few months later. I cried through the entire post, but I wrote it and it was beautiful. At that moment, I realized how much my experience raising and Autism Spectrum Disorder child might help other parents struggling with the same situation. The reality of autism is not easy to talk about, so I don’t write about most of the time. When I feel strong enough to discuss it, I write a heartfelt post and hope others will gain inspiration from it.

There’s something unbelievably amazing about being a mom blogger. No matter where you are in your life, you’re always connected. It will be my legacy to my children, even if I have to beg, borrow and steal for it. I’m entering a very exciting phase of my life as a blogger because promising things are happening. It’s a huge balancing act, but it’s totally worth it. Besides there’s always Botox to help ease the permanent stress lines. As soon as my youngest is out of diapers, maybe I’ll be able to afford it.