Come on, I miss you!

Ok, so I've moved the RSS feed over to www.maternalspark.com and I attempted to redirect this blog over to the new url but it just leaves a dead end here. Instead, I thought I'd post this and ask you to come over to the new URL. Please? I don't want to leave you behind! Besides, the new Maternal Spark is much cuter. Really.

Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs

Image via Wikipedia

BestCollegesOnline.com has created a list of the Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs. I nearly passed out to see that Maternal Spark was listed in the Aspiring Authors section.

I mean, Neil Gaiman's blog is also listed (in the Published Author section), and so this makes me just like him right? Cause we're both on the same list, right? Cause his link is right there on the same page as mine right?

In case you have had your head stuck in a crevice and don't know - Neil Gaiman is the genius mind behind American Gods , Neverwhere and the new Tim Burton flick Coraline.

I can't believe our links are on the same Top 100 list. It's like we're best friends now. Tee hee!

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Reflections on Maternal Spark

Being that it's the start of a new year, I've been feeling reflective on the past one. Check out this graphic that was made at wordle.net- a compilation of words used on Maternal Spark. I think it's quite fitting and love how the words "Spark Something Creative" are right in the center.

Go make your own wordle and see what it says about you!

Call for Submissions - Want to be a Featured Mom?

I'm looking for Creative Moms to showcase on Maternal Spark! You are one aren't you? Or maybe you know of someone who is so fantastic that you think she should be featured here...tell her to email me. I love browsing so feel free to send me links, pictures or anything else you think will give me a sense of who you are and what you do. Please email all submissions to heddy.e @ gmail dot com. Use the subject line "Submission".

At this time, I can only respond to those who are chosen to be Featured Moms although, I'd like to thank you all in advance for your time in contacting me! And thank you to all the past Featured Moms for making Maternal Spark, well, Sparky :)

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Hope you all had a fantastic Holiday Season!

Hello! As you may have noticed (or not) I took a bit of a bloggy break over the holidays. Not so much because of the holidays but more because my darling little H is still having separation anxiety issues - especially at bedtime, and this has left me with little time for, well, anything really.

I was up with her at 1:30 last night for an hour. Yawn.

I really hope she gets over this soon. It's SO draining! And I have lots of projects in mind that I'm dying to jump on...like knitting. I've decided I want to learn to knit well. You know, like with a pattern. I also have one project in progress that I really want to finish. I've started a rag quilt and I guesstimate that I'm about halfway finished. That quilt calls to me on a daily basis and I just haven't had the focus to pick it up.

Anyway, I just thought I'd pop in and see how you all are doing. Things will pick up soon here with new giveaways and new featured moms and the Monday's Muse meme of course. What have you all been up to?

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A few things here, a few things there

#1) Unless you've been under a rock, you've heard of the Mom Bloggers Club. I've been a member for a while and have to say it is one of my favorite spots on the net. Well, I've been named one of the top 10 members to get to know! Wheeee! You guys already know me but do you know the other 9 on the list? Check them out, they are all great blogs and moms to know. Oh, and I'm also an ambassador for the MBC - if you aren't on my friend list just send me a request and if there's anything I can do for you over there just let me know and I'll do my best to help out. Ok, here are the other members.

1. A Cowboy's Wife (Lori)
2. Kristen Andrews
3. MaternalSpark
4. Jen
5. Annette Piper
6. Jennifer
7. Alyssa
8. Dannie
9. Kailani
10. Anne-Marie Nichols

#2) Little H is having some freaky deaky separation anxiety lately. Only at bedtime. So it's meant that I put her in her crib, then, lay outside her doorway in the hall "sleeping" so she can see me while she's falling asleep. Now you know why I haven't blogged much this week! It seems to be getting slightly better and I'm thankful that it hasn't bothered her when I drop her off at the sitters. I'm also thankful that once she falls asleep it seems to be business as usual for the rest of the night although, sometimes I've ended up camped in the hallway for quite some time.

#3) Look up there. WAY up there. There are a crapload of giveaways happening here right now! Some of them are open only to RSS email subscribers. Make sure you plug your email in that box to the right in order to qualify.

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Random Tuesday Thoughts

Thought I'd join in this fun Meme today. It's hosted by my bloggy buddies Keely and Kelly...go check em out.

Ok - here are my random thoughts.

What is that on the floor of my minivan? Oh, a dirty diaper in a ziplock bag. Keepin' it fresh.

Go Sharon Go! I think it's great that this creative mom finished NaNoWriMo and found herself nominated for a Pushcart! (By the way, she has links to her poems on her blog...go read. Really.)

This is a cool link. And so is this. And this, um yeah, some of my stuff belongs here.

I finally spent some of my birthday money on a small, red leather messenger bag. I love that I can wear it across my body so it doesn't slip off my arm constantly when I'm chasing little H around the grocery store. It will also fit a diaper and wipes case so I can ditch the huge diaper bag (not the ziploc one although, that should also be ditched) for quick trips.

Curious...Red Skittles plus diet Coke = cough syrup flavor. Ew.

I wonder what Green Skittles plus diet Code equals? Om nom nom. Slurp. Weird! It's like there's no flavor at all! I wonder if there's a drink that can cancel out the flavor of Pesto? I hate Pesto.

Congrats to Katie for wining the Rebecca Martin CD!

Oh look! It's snowing. The first few snowfalls of winter are always so nice and pure. It's like everything is fresh again. Whoah, snow is nature's ziploc!


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Maternal Spark in the Blogosphere

What a week! Maternal Spark had mentions all over the place.

My "Chicken or Egg" post which described my mental struggle with Little H's nightlight was chosen as the first "Featured Neurotic Mom Moment" over at The Neurotic Mom. I'm so proud to be the first in such a fun series!

I blushed reading the featured Design Focus over at Apron Strings Aflutter - the designer of the new Mercantile Spark blog.

and

I had a guest post go live at The Velveteen Mind. Megan is having guests at her place all month and I am finding myself in great company. Come check out my nut factor.

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1 Great Project - 3 Reasons to Do It

I've recently corresponded with Creative Mom Jenna McCarthy, Author of The Parent Trip
She was telling me about how as a writer, she walks around with a notebook to capture all the funny things her kids say. She says her children are "pure fodder" for her writing endeavors. She then told me how she takes those notebooks and turns them into a special project that allows her to do three important things:

1) Use and encourage her creative mind.
2) Include her children in that creative process and
3) Encourage her children to read and enjoy stories.

Here's what to do:

As your kids say funny things write them down. I know that many of you are bloggers and chose to journal these silly snippets in a digital format - that works too and in fact, might be a nice way to keep everything all in one place for later use.

Once you have a nice collection of quotes, start transferring them into a small journal or scrapbook. Here is where you can include your kids. Ask them to doodle on the pages or decorate with stickers. You can also have them choose photographs of themselves to be included in the book. Don't forget to add a title that includes their name.

When it's done, you'll have a storybook that your kids will want you to read over and over again. What child doesn't like being the main character in a story?! Especially a main character who is funny, silly and smart too! You'll have loads of fun reliving memories and your child will feel special and loved in a whole new way. Plus, they will be learning without even knowing it. These books will help them to recognize their name in print, as well as the names of any siblings or other 'characters' in the book such as pets. Older kids will learn to see why you thought what they said was humorous and laugh at themselves too. What could be better?


Here are a few gems from Jenna's collection -

At the park:
Sophie (4 years): Mom, why is there a hole in this bench?
Me: Well, what is the bench made from?
Sophie: Wood!
Me: That’s right! And where do we get wood?
Sophie: Home Depot!

In bed at night, singing songs:
Sophie: “This old man, he played seven, he played seven up in heaven…” Mom, what’s heaven again?
Me: That’s where grandpa lives, with God and all of the other people who have died.

Sophie: God DIED?

I know you have a funny quote from your own little one in your mind right now don't you? Go on now, start their book you can always come back later.

About Jenna McCarthy's book:

The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties is a must-read for expecting and new moms. Packed with wit and wisdom, The Parent Trip is "smart, hilarious, incredibly useful and so honest it almost hurts,” says Peg Moline, Editor-in-Chief of Fit Pregnancy magazine, adding “Every pregnant woman should read this book."

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Some very fun posts are in the works

I wanted to just do up a quick post to let you know that I'm working on some fun things for the near future. You see, when I started this blog I had a vague plan of what I wanted to write about. I feel that I've slowly lost a little focus here and there and life got busy and new plans started up and over time, I've moved away from my original goals for Maternal Spark. Now I want to get back on track and I have a new plan of action. I'll be focusing a little more on the core ideas of Creativity and Motherhood by writing a few article style posts.

While I still love hosting giveaways, they will now be posted on weekends only. (If you have a giveaway hosted with me, watch for an email with your new dates outlined. Most will only be moved a few days here and there)

I'll still be showcasing the Featured Moms as scheduled :)

I hope you'll all come along as we explore the intricacies of being a Creative Mother.

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Bloggy link love from me to you

I've been a bad blogger lately. My bloggy pals have linked to me, given me awards and tagged me for memes and I've yet to respond to those lovely messages and links. I know I've been busy but is there any excuse for ignoring my fellow blogging moms? No, no there isn't. I hope this makes it up to you all!



<a href="http://www.maternalspark.com" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/Heddy_e/blogaward.gif" /> </a>

Here are the rules:

Post the badge on your site and link back to Maternal Spark.
Tag 5 of your bloggy friends who have sparked creativity, conversation, controversy and friendships! That's it, it's easy to spread the sparky love so go on...do it!

Without further delay - here are today's recipient of the Sparky!

Kelly the Neurotic Mom
Mom of Romance
Merissa
Adventures in Mommyland
Feterie
Nodin's Nest
Keely
Ms.Q
Sweet'n'Sassy
Rachel of Following in Her Shoes

If you haven't received the Sparky today - don't worry, it doesn't mean I don't love you. And I will be giving it out again at some point...you'll have to stay tuned to see who wins next! Oh, and go take a peek at the winners - they are all fantastic blogs and you should subscribe, comment and get to know these ladies.

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The One Where I Alienate all My (4) Male Readers

Hey man people, I like you I really do. If you want to be able to continue our relationships you might want to press that little button up there, to the left. The one that looks like this <--. Seriously, do it.

Now that it's just us girls let me show you what is wrong with the state of marketing today. Yes, I know this post isn't about creativity but it has to be written or my brain might asplode.

A little background for you. Shopper's Drugmart is, as you might guess, a drugstore. They have a little loyalty program that gets you reward points every time you make a purchase and those points can be used for $ off your purchases...save up enough and you can get $75 of free stuff which is great when you are buying diapers (still) and formula (not anymore). We cashed in a few times and it was fantastic. Now, free stuff doesn't come without a price. They have me on their mailing list and I get a magazine full of ads for makeup - whatever. I also get coupons and stuff from time to time. Whatever. But the other day I got this:

It was a little box. My name was on it (on the other side) plus there was something in it! I had visions of sweet smelling lotion samples, or some kind of hair product. I got excited and missed the subtle hints as to what was inside (I've used arrows to illustrate them for you. Notice the polka dotted ribbon and the red dot in the exclamation mark.

I opened it up and here is what was inside:


The text says "A fitting gift just for you! FREE samples!"

Just what I wanted. Boy, how "fitting". How did they know I was only days away from menstruating?

I don't know about you but I've used the same brand of 'protection' for the last 15 years. A free sample isn't going to change that. The only time a woman deviates from her 'usual' is if she's out in public and discovers an unfortunate surprise. She runs to the washroom only to find her purse stock is gone. She might then, take whatever is in her girlfriends purse because it's better than praying to the lord that your quarter is accepted in one of those machines on the wall (it never is.)

So, Kotex and Shoppers Drug Mart, you've wasted your money. Your little pads disguised as presents thing won't convert masses of women to the Kotex side. It will however, make us blog about how stupid an idea it was. If you want to increase your sales, get online and use some new media. And that blog you have going where you talk to teen girls about peer pressure doesn't count. We don't want to have 'happy periods' (another brand, I know) we want to complain about it as much as we can. We want to align ourselves with the brand that says - "Aw man, the witch is visiting? Here's some chocolate." Maybe you should have sent me some of that and I'd be in a different mood right about now.

So girls, what should I do with this Kotex sample? Suggestions?

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Don't mind me

I'm going to be playing around with the colors around here. The layout itself likely won't change but I may change the header image. I think I'm over the green. Are you?

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Smart, Creative and Entrepreneurial Women

There 's a blog called Our Creative Life and she has a post up now about women who also run businesses. Go check it out and browse through the link list. It's sure to take you to some interesting places.

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Featured Mom - Lauren of Restored 316 Designs

Today's featured mom has a fantastic way of helping other moms. She designs blogs for them! Not only does she do great work but she also offers some freebies just for fun like the polka dot background graphics shown at left. Read her interview and find out how to get them as well as a few other great freebies.

H: How long have you been doing what you do?

L: I have always been artistic in one way or another all growing up but it wasn't until after the birth of my daughter that I found interest in graphic design.

H: How did you get started?

L: I actually originally started doing digital scrapbooking for my daughters milestones and it just grew into a passion for helping other people once I saw there was a need for that sort of thing. One of my passions is simply doing things for other people and this filled that desire perfectly.

H: Were you creative before you had children?

Yes, I have always been creative in one way or another whether is be sewing, crocheting, photography, etc.

H: How do you find time to stay creative?

L: Lets just say that nap times and my husband are a God-send! I don't know how I would get anything done without those 2 precious things. My husband also works from home so we take turns taking care of our little girl.

H: Do your kids show any creative spirit??

L: Well consider my daughter is only 14 months, about the only creative spirit she shows is with her food!

H: What have you learned after having your kids (in relation to your art)?

L: One of the main things is helping other mothers like myself achieve a freedom to stay home with their children while providing an income and doing what they love. I knew before having children that I would do whatever it took to stay home with my kids. I have done that and just want the same for other mothers.

As far as my art goes, I have learned a tremendous amount also. I have really learned that I truly enjoy graphic design and photography above all other creative outlets I used to have. I guess I have just found my niche.

H: Anything else to add?

L: First I just want to say thank you Heather for featuring me on Maternal Spark!

Second I want to say that if you are just starting your business don't let the whole process of building a business overwhelm you. It can be really overwhelming when thinking about marketing and websites and all that while also focusing on your product. I would be more than happy to help anyone out with a e-commerce website, blog design, web banners for advertising, or anything else you may need to get your business started. You can visit my site at http://www.restored316designs.com or watch for giveaways and our monthly calendar on our blog at http://www.restored316designs.blogspot.com.

If you are interested in any of my services let me know Heather sent you and you will receive 10% off!

Thanks for joining me at Maternal Spark Lauren! If you'd like to grab her freebies you can find them here.

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Share your inspirations...Interested?

I thought I'd share these wee paintings which were done quite some time ago. They are 5x7 which I'd found the perfect size to complete in one sitting. I should really take some time to do a few more as I miss the fluid pace of brush over paper.

These days, I find it takes a bit too much time setting up my supplies, and then the clean up is another story. I guess that's why I haven't done any for a while.

My minis are pinned to a bulletin board in my office and I intend to add a few more images so that it becomes my Inspiration Board. Maybe I'll snap a pic of the board every time I add something new. How about we do it together and maybe add something new once a week? Are you up for it? I think it would be fun to see each other's boards grow and it will give us a bit of insight into who we are.

It could be like one of those meme things I keep seeing around. You know the ones - like wordless wednesday? Leave me a comment if you are interested and if there is enough response I'll make it all official like with a button and linky thing and all :)

A Canadian Mom writes about post partum sex

Recently I've had the pleasure of making the online acquaintance of a fellow Canadian mommy blogger who goes by the screen name Mama of Romance. Her new blog - Sex Diaries of a Mom is such a fresh take on the life we moms lead post baby. Don't worry about clicking over there - there isn't anything graphic or gross, in fact most of her posts are PG rated.

She is an example of how that maternal spark of creativity takes on many forms - hers happens to be discussing how becoming a mother changes a marriage and let me tell you, she's one creative mama!

She has graciously written a guest post for me, so here it is - enjoy.

More Than a Mom

By: Mama of Romance of Sex Diaries of a Mom

Being a Mom is more than being a guardian to your child. To many of us, being a Mom has so many other sides to the story.

I think the secret to enjoying Motherhood, is to savour, and make the most of each moment.

For instance, I found myself dancing in front of my baby shaking maracas and giving them to him so I could change his poopy diaper. That makes me a great ENTERTAINER.

Holding my 2 year-old in my arms after he falls, and quickly changing the subject by making a toy magically appear that I had tucked away so it wouldn‘t lose it‘s charm. That makes me a HUMAN KLEENEX, and a MAGICIAN.

I placed 2nd in the race against my 4 year-old to clean the house before dinner which made our job less overwhelming. I’m a world-star ATHLETE, and COACH.

Changing every day chores that the kids loath doing into fantastic adventures makes me the best STORY-TELLER in the entire world.

Not having enough money to do decorate my son’s bedroom was NO challenge at all as I wiped out a paint brush, and painted his favourite things on a wall. I am an ARTIST.

Being a Mom means I’m a HUMAN GARBAGE CAN, a HUMAN CANVAS of which my children splatter anything, and

a TAXI DRIVER,

a MAID,

a CHEF, and

a PUKE CATCHER.

a COMEDIAN…who turns even the saddest of frowns upside down.

a SEWAGE SPECIALIST.....I can’t begin to count the number of times that I’ve had to retrieve invaluable items out of our toilet.

Making a paper hat, ship, or airplane in a pinch at a restaurant to keep my children occupied as the food is taking so long to arrive - makes me an INVENTOR.

Amazingly, during a wedding ceremony just as the bride-to-be was walking down the aisle, I instantly prevented a 2 and 4 year-old disaster by miraculously moulding the contents of a jar of play-doh into each of their favourite animals. That my friend, makes me a GENIUS.

Whispering into my spouse’s ear late at night, totally exhausted in a feeble attempt to be intimate, I tell him to imagine that we‘re in some exotic place to create some excitement. Because in reality, after having children, real opportunities to have special, intimate moments are practically inexistent. That makes me a GODDESS.

I cherish being a Mom because that makes me,

a HUMAN TEDDY BEAR, a HERO, a ROLE-MODEL, a QUEEN, a BEST FRIEND, and much more.

That being said, we are all way more than “Just” a MOM….

Go visit Mama of Romance and show her some comment love. Her blog has only been live since the end of July but she's already got lots of posts up to keep you reading for a while.


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Creative blocks - what to do?

I'm in a predicament right now where I'm trying to think of something and it just isn't flowing.
You see, I'm planning to start up another blog, in addition to Maternal Spark. It will be separate, but related, sort of.

My problem is I can't think up a name for it!

The blog will be about how small, home based and indie businesses can use blogs and social networking to gain a presence on the web and grow their businesses. Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject but I've learned a great deal on blogging over the past while as Maternal Spark launched and I feel like I have some knowledge to share. I also plan to have a panel of people in the know for Q&A purposes (if you are interested in this, email me).

Here's what I'm doing to over come my problem. I hit Thesaurus.com and started searching words that I feel are related. Now I'm making a list of those words and seeing how they might fit together.

Initially I thought about calling it 'Maternal Mentor' but realized I'd like to be read by people who aren't necessarily moms too....not sure if that would matter - opinions? Then I thought using the word 'Spark' would be nice too but can't seem to fit it in.

Anyway here are a few words that I like - if you guys get any bright ideas, reply in comments. I could use some help!

Domestic
Spark
Domicile
Abode
Familial
Dwelling
Mentor
Resourceful
Endeavor

If you suggest a name and I use it, I'll transfer $25 from my paypal account to yours :)

So what are you into?

I've been working on developing a weekly "Energizer" post. The idea being, I would post exercises or fun projects or ways to jump start your creative projects and you would get so inspired you would rush away to work into the wee hours and come out with a masterpiece. That's the idea anyhow. Then it occurred to me that it would be a whole lot easier if I knew what my readers enjoyed most. Are sewing tutorials going to fall on uninterested ears? Who cares about writing prompts? Punch your answer into the poll below and give me a little direction wont'cha? After all, this blog is for you.

Update - Personal and Bloggy

Well, it's been a little while since I updated with 'crap that's happening in my life' and boy, let me tell you, there's a LOT of crap!

First off, the editors behind a large anthology book series have been reading up on me here at Maternal Spark. I don't want to say who because nothing is happening yet but.... I did receive an email from them saying that my story would be a good fit for their anthology and would I consider submitting? Would I consider? - Hell Yes! The email said I would need to respond with my interest as soon as I could. So I did. And I got an error message back that my email couldn't be received. So I called, and got a machine. Well, it was like an episode of Seinfeld and I couldn't think of what to say and I'm sure I came off like a blundering idiot. I think I said something like "This is Heather, you emailed me, I'm interested. You can call me!" who knows. I haven't had a response back for my efforts at contacting them so ladies, if you're reading now - I'm interested!! I guess I'll try and call again, maybe I should write a script first.

Then, after the high came a low. My childcare arrangement fell into the crapper and I'm left with nobody to watch little H starting August first. It might as well be tomorrow because I'm working full time and hubby has a load of overtime to work through. This means that even if we had months to find something - when are we going to be able to go visit these places and interview people and do background checks? I just came back to work and don't have any holidays to pull. I'll have to take time off without pay - if they let me. Nice return to work for me; it's great looking like an unstable mommy who can't get her shit together right?

What else, I'm sure there's more. Oh, hubby's sunglasses are still in the toilet so we only have one working set of facilities - it's fun explaining to company why they can't use the downstairs loo. In addition to that, he's boiled a pot of eggs until all the water was gone and they exploded. That was a nice smell to come home to - smelled like burning farts. And he broke his baby toe while attempting to vacuum.

Think I could find a daycare for my one year old as well as my 30 year old? Geez.

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