Hi.

I’m in the process of moving over to

GeekMommy.net

Please join me over there.  This site will probably go offline on Monday, Sept 8, 2008.

Thanks.

LMP

If you’re reading this on a Saturday, there’s a relatively good chance that you’re a person who drifted over here from a link that has to do with the soon-to-be-launched WalMart Money Saving Moms project.  I say that because most of my regular readers know that I tend not to blog on the weekends.  Usually, I’m spending time with my family instead of trying to transfer thoughts to keyboard.

Right now, my darling daughter is over at the neighbors taking them mini-webkinz that she got for them at Walgreens (yep, I shop a lot of places – just like you!) and GeekDaddy is with her.  So I’m taking a moment to get this up.

Are you here for the first time? Then you’re probably a bit curious about me… and why someone calling herself “GeekMommy” is listed amongst a bunch of Frugality Blogging moms.  Guess what? I was too.

When the folks from WalMart contacted me thru Twitter.com about participating in the Eleven Moms project, I was sure they must be mistaken.  After all, I’m not a personal finance or frugality blogger – I’m just a GeekMommy who blogs about my life.  I figured they had contacted the wrong gal.  But then we got to talking and I realized that we all do what we can to cut corners and get the most out of our dollar.

Today’s economy makes everyone stop and think about ways to save more and live better – and that’s what WalMart’s current motto happens to be – Save More, Live Better.  Just like anyone reading this, I want to provide good food, nice clothes, and a comfortable home life for my family – but unless I win the lottery, I’m doing that on a budget.  I do shop at WalMart myself fairly regularly and I love a great bargain as much as the next gal… So yeah, why not me? Why not you? We’re all trying to make ends meet and make our dollars stretch further – so I realized that maybe they did get it right.

So Let’s Hit a Few FAQs, Shall We?

• Am I “doing this without getting paid?” Yes. I don’t work for WalMart.  If at some point in time there occurs a situation where WalMart enters into some sort of financial agreement with me, you can trust that I’ll be transparent about it.  That’s just how I am.  I don’t do “secret agreements.”
• Am I “doing this for free?” No. Free is a funny word.  Personally, I think if I were working for something for ‘free’ I’d be called a volunteer.  I’m not.  I am getting benefits from this.  But they’re non-monetary benefits.  I’m getting exposure to a wider audience.  I’m getting connections to new and different people I would’ve never met without participating. I’m also learning a lot from my fellow 11 Moms.  Seriously, I’ve learned so many cool things from these ladies that I wouldn’t have if this project hadn’t brought us together!  I’m also getting the  opportunity to help other folks.  That’s a big deal to me.  I like being able to help other people.  This is letting me do it on a MUCH bigger scale than I could achieve on my own.
• Do I really believe that WalMart is trying to do the right thing? Yeah, actually, I do. Look, I did my homework.  I know that WalMart’s reputation hasn’t exactly been ’stellar’ in all areas (yes, I’m understating.)  But I believe that they are doing what they can to change and improve that.  I think that this Money Saving Moms project is designed with that in mind.  If I didn’t and I thought this was all some publicity stunt? I wouldn’t be involved.  Because this is MY reputation too.  I’m working *with* WalMart to try and reach out to internet savvy (and novice) Moms (and other shoppers) to try and make their dollars stretch a little further.  Just like I believe that the Dove Women are working to change our society’s impression of what is actually beautiful and the Disney Moms are trying to help Disney bound families have the best time they can.  Sometimes, every day individuals can achieve huge change just by being willing to try.
• “Okay, but aren’t you just being naive not making WalMart pay you for this?” Um, No. To be honest? I don’t think I would’ve done this if WalMart had come to me initially and said “hey, we’d like to pay you to represent WalMart.”  They didn’t.  They asked me if I’d like to take part in a community of Moms who were helping other moms to save money.  And I didn’t say yes right away.  I thought about. I researched it.  I weighed whether or not I thought I could contribute and whether I wanted to tie my blog and myself into this project.  You already know the answer was yes.

So, I’m going to be busy migrating my site this weekend.  This post might not be accessible during that time – but it will be on my new site.  As will more information about me.  But if you want to ask me any questions about this? Feel free to comment and I’ll email you back.

Then again, if you decide just to leave an angry, vitriolic, attacking comment, I reserve my right to laugh at you and delete it, knowing you didn’t read this whole thing.  I’m willing to talk about it with anyone – but that means talk – so as I always tell my daughter? Use your ‘princess manners’ before you hit send.

Lucretia

Okay, this is technically more of an Administrative post than anything else.

At some point, after trying something and finding that it doesn’t work for us, we give up and move on to a different way of doing things.  The question becomes “at what point?” and the answer for me is usually “when the consequences of not changing are more dire than the potential downfalls of giving up.”

Now, a month ago, I got all ambitious.  Having read several “authorities” on blogging, I decided that my lack of consistent writing was due to a lack of structure.  Why I decided this is beyond me… maybe I drank the kool-aid or something. But to be honest, lack of structure wasn’t my problem.  The ability to rationalize procrastinating was my problem.

Anyhow, I boldly asserted that I was going to start posting “by daily topic!“  I don’t recall where that idea came from, but I’m sure it was from a Blogging Guru somewhere who extolled the virtues of having a defined posting structure.  Needless to say, I came up with mnemonic categories… Money $aving Monday! Technology Tuesday… etc, etc.

Soooo… How’s that working for me? Um. Not so hot.

Actually, it’s made me loathe the very concept of blogging.  It’s gone from something I truly enjoy when I’m doing it regularly and right, to something I find every excuse to avoid and then must slog through when I can put it off no more.

Solution? Chuck that silly idea right out the window.

So yes, there are more upcoming changes… one of which is that some previous changes are going to be abandoned.  Like my dreary anti-blogging daily category idea.

But I have found a host that I’m moving this site to.  I’ve set it up. I’m just waiting until the weekend to hose everything up and migrate the site over. Mostly because I can then force GeekDaddy to help me figure out where I went wrong and fix it.  That’s always easier when he’s not at work, ya know.  Also tho, because I expect the traffic to be slower on the weekend.

Another change will be the site format.  Yeah, I know, we’re on look number 3 right now.  But I think I’ve finally found something that makes me happy, so I’ll be doing that about the same time I’m trying to figure out why nothing works on the new servers.

I’m sure you remember me mentioning the Walmart Money Saving Moms thing… Well, that’s going to start being more visible out there as of tomorrow and early next week.  So maybe I’ll even *gasp* get that first video edited and up tomorrow.  Because, you know, if you’re going to migrate a blog, it always helps if you complicate things by adding video into the mix first.

(Are you getting my wry attempt at enthusiasm for the blog move in all of this? Yeah. Woo. Heh.)

So I’m going back to being me.  I’ll post the Eleven Moms videos. I’ll post the Social Media stuff. I’ll post the technical and product reviews.  I’ll even post the kindergarten adventures and the random thoughts. Yes, even some of those dreaded politically-oriented posts… I mean, come on. It’s an American Presidential election year.

But most of all? I’ll go back to what I do best. Life-blogging.  Because in the end, that’s why I blog in the first place, ya know?

See ya tomorrow.  When I’ll be me again.  Before the long-drawn out site migration.

If the new site isn’t here by Monday? Send out the search planes!! Or maybe come see me swearing about it over on Twitter.

I know I’m supposed to just suck-it-up and show a stiff upper lip and all… but our 17 y.o. kitty passed away suddenly last night due to kidney failure.

Our family is actually still reeling from this.

I may post later today, but I may just circle the wagons and wait until tomorrow.

I’m sure you’ll understand – especially if you’ve ever lost a beloved pet yourself.  She was a good kitty and we will miss her horribly.  May she rest in peace.

Apparently, when I wasn’t watching, Rick Sanchez read one of my tweets from Twitter on CNN’s live coverage of hurricane Gustav.

I know because even tho I stepped away from the TV – a lot of my Twitterpals told me.

Rick is integrating Twitter, Facebook and MySpace into the live coverage of the storm.  He’s been on Twitter for a little while now, and the social media folks have been impressed by how he is adapting new media into traditional media for live, up-to-date coverage.

Me too.  Now I’m just waiting for a twitterpal to send me a copy of my 15 seconds of “fame.”  Note to self, make sure you are buffering important stuff on the DVR.  Even when nature calls.

I think I forgot to post!! I thought about it… but that’s as far as it got.

Blame the overly full day that started at 6 a.m. and stopped at 2 a.m. Friday morning.  I was at the salon getting hair done for headshot for the Walmart Money Saving Moms thing… then at the photo place.  Then drove downtown and picked up my friend Kit and went down to Trios Enoteca for the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash 5k and was there from 6pm until 1am – then drove Kit home and my Twitterpal Kath1213 to her car.

Didn’t get home until Friday, really.  So there you go.

I’ll get the Friday post up shortly – even tho technically, this could count – I’ve got something to say today.

Thanks for bearing with me while I try to start being more consistent about this whole “daily posting” thing.  Apparently, I’m less structured right now than I need to be! :)

I’m starting to rethink this subject a bit.  At the moment, I’m weighing in on Mondays for the Tweightloss Challenge and from everything I’ve heard, it’s better to not get obsessive about the scale.

Which is good – because between normal “monthly female water retention” and the stress of getting ready for Kindergarten and a dozen and one other little things – yeah, I was up a pound at this week’s weigh in.

Sigh.

Ah well.  At least I know I’m eating healthier!! Next week, GeekDaddy and I intend to do the South Beach Induction phase.  We’ve done it before and it’s always been a great way to jump-start weight loss (plus, it gets you away from processed foods!)

But we’re only planning on doing the induction part for 7 days.  This is because I suck at doing that part any longer than that and inevitably end up not just falling off the induction plan, but diving head-first into indulgence-after-absence.

So we’ll do 7 days of Induction, followed by the sensible eating we’ve been doing.  Smaller portions, healthier food. You know the drill.

I’ll keep this up for a bit I guess – but I reserve the right to turn it into “Wednesday Whatever” should it prove to be more of a nuisance than an inspiration! :)

Okay, first of all, thanks to everyone who entered the contest!! Due to a couple glitches with the commenting system – and just some general comments in the fray – I went through and listed out all the names.

The following people were submitted in the drawing and I really want to thank you for all of your great vlogging examples!

ultra

Mark Warren, Eric Miltsch, Mocha, Rahsheen, jennydecki, Karl, Adrienne, James from Babyspot, Liz, Tara, Tina, Kelly, Roger Gauthier, Geekazine, Connie, Mark Warren, Brian Bonn, BunnyB, Rob White, Dario Salvelli, melitami, Kevin T, CalifMom, Deb On The Rocks, Banana Lee Fishbones, TSM_Oregon, Seeker65, Freerangemom, Chris Shouse, Home Biss, RobGuy, Suzanne B, tixrus, Mama to 3 Boys and a VLA Biz Too, CanCan, Naomi, brandy3,  Go Annie, Angela Penny

So I know you want to know right now who won… but I’m kind of evil.  I’m going to give you the $2 review of the Flip Ultra first, now that I’ve had a chance to play with it a bit!  (Yes, yes, I know you can scroll down to see who won first, but you can’t blame a gal for trying!)

The Flip Ultra – A User Review

Okay, I have to admit, it’s a cute and sexy little video camera.  This isn’t your big, old wrist-bending video camera that lines the soccer fields and recital stages all across the country.  This is a ‘wow… is that a video camera? It fits in your pocket? How’s the quality? Really? It must cost a fortune then… really? wow’ camera.

The Good

• It’s small – it will fit in your coat pocket, your purse, your backpack, your diaper bag, your laptop bag.
• It’s lightweight – your wrist won’t get tired holding this up – it weighs about the same as the average smart phone or PDA
• The picture is surprisingly crisp and clear – after seeing grainy resolution and fuzzy focus from cell phones and video footage captured with the average digital camera, the resolution and clarity of the Flip Ultra was a pleasant discovery
• The sound quality is surprisingly good – again, the average video camera isn’t exactly high quality on sound unless you are willing to shell out a fair penny, the sound quality of the Flip Ultra is good even in noisier environments.
• It’s easy to use – this is a video camera that you can hand to any passer-by and have him/her push-the-red-button-and-go without any confusing extra buttons or lengthy explanations. Push up to zoom in, push down to down to zoom out.  Red button starts and stops.  It takes a couple of minutes for anyone to learn how to use.  Including my 5 year old who wants her own now.
• Widgets – it comes with connector cables that let you plug it right into any TV with an S-video jack, so you can play the footage back right away on a big screen.  You don’t have to download, reformat, burn a DVD and put it in the player to show Grandma the footage of the kids opening presents.  Just plug it in and go.
• Best of All? The Flip Ultra is incredibly affordable. Retailing at $149 or less (there are some seriously good deals out there right now!) it’s less expensive than most cellphones.  It’s certainly less expensive than the heavier, bulkier, now-collecting-dust-on-my-shelf video camera I bought a few years ago when my kidlet was younger.  Both GeekDaddy and I are fans.

The Bad

• Stability - okay, I’m being honest… I don’t have the steadiest filming hand.  Some of the test footage that I shot made GeekDaddy and I a little seasick when played back on anything larger than the tiny screen on the back.  We discovered that GeekDaddy’s footage was a little less prone to “shaky cam” but it’s hard to keep it steady for longer footage.  Yes, it can be put on any standard tripod, but that kind of defeats the point of portability.
• Lighting – Not much you can do if the lighting isn’t good.  While it handles low light situations fairly well if they are consistently lit, it’s not very adept at dealing with mixed-lighting situations.  Going in and out of shadows is a bad idea, and there’s nothing you can do to manually adjust for low-light.

The Questionable

• Software Glitches – The Flip Ultra comes with its own software.  In theory, you install it and go. From that point forward every time you plug the camera into a USB port, it’s supposed to run the built in software that lets you do basic editing, save files, delete files and play them.  This worked GREAT on my little black one.  It didn’t work at all on a different Flip Ultra camera (purchased in July) even plugged into my laptop.  Despite uninstalling and redownloading and reinstalling the ‘updated’ software, it never ran successfully on one camera, but always ran on my new one.  Was the other camera damaged? Perhaps, but that’s why it’s under questionable.

All in all though, I have to say – this is an excellent little camera.  I’d recommend it to just about anyone, especially given how affordable it is.  So I’m fairly sure that the winner of this contest is going to have as much fun with this as I am.

It seems only fair to announce this using a video, so I’m going to link the announcement from 12seconds.com (tried to embed it, but WP was having none of that…argh.)

Again, thanks everyone for entering, the list above was posted in the order the names were in my spreadsheet (1 entry per person, no matter how many comments you posted!) and the winner is…

Winner Flip Cam Contest on 12seconds.tv

Email me your mailing info at Lucretia AT Geekmommy DOT net and I’ll get it out to you this week!

See you tomorrow!

I’m sorry.

I’m having some real-life-getting-in-the-way-of-very-important-blogging issues! :)

Seriously, my Buttercup starts Kindergarten this week, the DNC is in town, I’m a couple days behind on everything except excuses!  So I’m moving “Money $aving Monday” this week to give myself a little breathing room.

Look forward to the transformation of Freeform Friday into Frugal Friday which will hopefully include some video footage!

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check back tomorrow to see who won the Flip Ultra Video Camera giveaway!

When I started this blog, I posted rather haphazardly to it.  Whenever I really felt motivated to post, I would.  Then I’d Twitter the link, some folks would come and read it, a few would comment and I’d reply and we’d move on again until the next time.

Recently, I decided to take a risk with it though.

You see, this isn’t my first time around the dance floor.  I’ve been blogging for 8+ years now under various names in various places.  With one exception, I found that the more frequently I blogged, the more sparse the comments and readers became.

I know my own reading habits are such that there isn’t a ‘daily blog’ that I read.  No, I’ve never gotten addicted to Dooce or Techcrunch or anything else everyone I know says is “the first thing they read every day upon logging on.“  I’m just not that kind of gal.  The only people in real life I can be around every day are my husband and my daughter – so it’s not terribly surprising that I feel the same way about blogs.  Heck, even when I got the newspaper delivered I didn’t read it daily.  I’m just too random for that.

So it doesn’t exactly surprise me that the kind of readers I attract when I write aren’t that sort either.  You’re more likely the sort who clicked on a link I posted on Twitter, or who occasionally stops by because it’s on your blogroll and you’re bored or you’ve found me on a search engine somewhere.  The thought that I might spout blogging gems daily is just as amusing to me as it is to you.

So when I opted for shifting this blog to ‘daily posting’ under certain topics, I knew I was doing so at the expense of good commentary.  I mean, few folks feel the need to write a letter-to-the-editor of their local newspaper every day about an article they read – why would we think blog readers were going to comment every day?  Usually, I suspect the folks who do “read this one site every day first thing” and comment on it are probably a bit more obsessed with the blogger than the blog.

Honestly, not everything that comes out of an a-list blog site is that fascinating.  A higher percentage than most? Sure.  But if someone is commenting every day on every post – I’d wager money on the fact that the attraction is getting noticed by the poster him/herself, not because every blog spurs a discussion.

Recently, I posted a couple of times in my new format only to have 0 comments.

At first, I got paranoid!! ‘Oh my gosh – this isn’t going to work!! You don’t like the new format! It’s not interesting or engaging enough to read!’

Then I went and checked the site stats… and yep, sure enough, some of you are still reading.

‘Oh duh…’ went the voice in my head, ‘you knew this was going to happen. You’d just gotten used to having someone respond every time you posted here. Now get back to reality and don’t abandon ship just yet.  When someone posts that you’ve gotten boring, or your subscriptions start going the other direction along with your site traffic, then you can panic.’

It’s just that I’d forgotten the law of numbers.

You see, I read monthly magazines cover-to-cover most times… because I have time in which to do it and because the infrequency of their publication tends to mean higher quality of content.  Sometimes I’ll read weekly print publications cover-to-cover, but usually it’s when I don’t subscribe but have bought one on a newstand.  But daily delivered data? Yeah, it’s seldom ALL worthy of note.  So if you’re reading this in your Google Reader or whatever RSS feed you use, I’m not going to be surprised when you skip over or delete a large number of my daily posts unless the title interests you.

But hopefully once in awhile I’ll manage to post something that spurs discussion again.  Because I’d forgotten what it’s like to keep wondering why no one is commenting on an entry.  I guess if I’m going to step up the frequency, I’d better both up the level of content AND lower my expectations!

But do me a favor? If it does get surpassingly boring – before you delete me from your ‘to read’ list? Take 2 minutes to comment and let me know. Even if it’s only to say ‘dude – you suck and you were more interesting when you talked less.’

Thanks!