Friday, May 23, 2014

The Liebster Award

I'm excited (and a bit surprised) to announce that my blog was nominated for a Liebster Award! This award allows fellow bloggers to spotlight blogs that haven’t yet built up a large following. Lori Maclaughlin of Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams nominated me for this award. Lori blogs about her self-publishing journey, and she did a really cool theme for A to Z titled Fictional Favorites where she highlighted some of her favorite fictional characters.



The current rules for accepting this award are:

1. List 11 random facts about myself.
2. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me.
3. Nominate 11 more blogs who have less than 200 followers and let them know they’ve been nominated.
4. Post 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer (if they wish to accept the award — it’s completely optional).


So, here we go!


11 Random Facts About Myself (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Truth):

  1. I would rather clean the bathroom than clean the kitchen.
  2. I was told by the ultrasound tech that my first child was a girl. Lo and behold, it wasn't a girl, but a bouncing baby boy! Four others followed him. I've often wondered, where did my girl go?
  3. I play the piano and compose music (for fun) on the side. 
  4. It is a dream of mine to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. 
  5. I despise cooking, but I do it so my family won't starve (usually). 
  6. My husband is a better cook than I am. 
  7. I used to dream about being an actress, dancer, or singer (basically anything to get me on TV and in the spotlight). 
  8. I played soccer in high school, which is why I'm forcing encouraging my boys to play also. 
  9. I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed cheerleader in high school. And yes! Cheerleading IS a sport! Trust me, it ain't easy lifting and throwing a 120 pound girl into the air. I got hurt more cheerleading than I ever did playing soccer! 
  10. I'm a baby when it comes to swallowing pills. Anything larger than an Advil and it's not going down! 
  11. I once completed a triathlon and felt like a SUPERSTAR!

11 Questions Asked by the Person Who Nominated Me


1) What is the best place you’ve visited?

Belize. Absolutely beautiful. The lush jungles, combined with the Mayan ruins, combined with the turquoise waters and beautiful beaches made for an exciting, adventurous, as well as relaxing vacation.


2) What’s the most unusual thing you’ve done?

I don't know if this is all that unusual, but I tend to be a "thrill-seeker," so I convinced my husband to take me parasailing during a trip to Key West. Way cool.


3) What’s your favorite movie?

Hmmm, this is a hard one. Titanic? Or maybe, You've Got Mail? Although, I do love The Notebook...I love romantic comedies, and even though Titanic isn't a romantic comedy, it is a classic.


4) What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

It's a toss-up between Mint Chocolate Oreo and Chocolate Moose Tracks. Both are YUM!



5) What fictional character do you like best?

Katniss from The Hunger Games. She is strong, intelligent, devoted, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. And it would be cool to be able to shoot a bow as well as she does. Just saying.


6) What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

Divergent by Veronica Roth. I've talked about this already in my What's Up Wednesday post, but her books have inspired me.



7) Why should people read and follow your blog?

Because it's AWESOME! No, really, I think there's something for everyone here. If you're a parent, you can relate to the joys, triumphs, and frustrations of parenthood. If you're a writer, you can relate to the joys, triumphs, and frustrations of being a writer. If you're a published author, you can offer encouragement and advice! :)


8) Morning person or night owl?

Definitely, a night owl! I find I do my best writing after all my kids are asleep, in between the hours of 9:00 pm and 1:00 am. I can't give up that time -- my time -- when no one is calling "Mom!" or needing food, or wanting my attention, no matter how tired I am the next day!


9) What’s at the top of your bucket list?

To become a published author.


10) What do you consider your most important personality trait?

I think I'm a really good listener, which is probably why random people I meet in the grocery store tell me their life story. Throughout my life, I've found this to be true. I'm not a "fixer", meaning I don't try to help fix the problem, but I am good at listening. Don't we all need a good listener from time to time?


11) Have you ever performed or been the recipient of a random act of kindness and what was it?

Yes! I have been the recipient of many random acts of kindness but the one that comes to mind happened not too long ago in our local grocery store. I had my two youngest boys with me (I think I've told this story on here before, so sorry!) and they were seated in those carts that look like race cars with two little steering wheels so the kids can pretend to drive. Well...The two-year-old bit the four-year-old and started a chain reaction of hitting and screaming. They were both crying as I hurried through the store to get the last items on my list, when an older woman (grandmotherly type) came up to me and asked if they could have these cookies she had bought. The cookies were wrapped, character cookies from the bakery. The boys immediately stopped crying and I was able to finish my shopping before they were done with their cookies! I was so thankful for that sweet woman who went out of her way to make my life easier, and my day better.




Now for the nominations of other great blogs!


  1. Melanie Crouse -- Melanie is the co-author of Alchemy, the first book in the Prophecy Breakers series. I met Melanie during all the A to Z craziness and turns out she and I have a lot in common! Melanie blogs about life, family, and writing.
  2. Heather Belle --Heather is a busy mom and wife who writes AMAZING 5 minute prompts on her blog Belle's Bazaar.
  3. Heather Holden -- Heather is an amazingly talented artist and creator of the insanely cool comic Echo Effect featuring Coco and Nicholas. 
  4. S.K. Anthony -- S.K. is a mother, writer, and an official "make-stuff-up-er." She wrote a hilarious A to Z where she came up with her own words she titled S.K.-isms. 
  5. Liz Blocker -- Liz is a talented writer whose A to Z posts gave us an inside look into her current WIP. I was blown away -- both by the writing and how she is able to weave the story through six different lifetimes. So cool!
  6. Le&ndra Wallace -- Leandra is a YA writer with a super fun blog where she talks about books and writing, and often highlights other authors. 
  7. Madeline Mora-Summonte -- Madeline is a very talented writer who specializes in flash fiction. Her A to Z short stories were the highlight of my A to Z experience, and many of them gave me the chills. Truly wonderful writing!
  8. Erin Funk -- Erin and her sister Jaime Morrow are the creators of the awesome weekly blog hop What's Up Wednesday where writers can connect with one another, spread encouragement, and offer words of wisdom.
  9. Jaime Morrow -- For the same reason as above, Jaime rocks for creating such a cool blog hop and the adorable badges to go with it.
  10. Chrys Fey -- Chrys writes a blog about writing a novel and has great tips and advice for doing it RIGHT! 
  11. Lynda Dietz -- Lynda is an editor with a fantastic blog about books and editing.
Last, but not least, the 11 Questions for the Nominees to Answer (Should you choose to accept):

  1. What are your favorite pizza toppings?
  2. Who is your favorite superhero?
  3. If your house were burning down, what would you take and why?
  4. If you had a time machine, what year would you travel to and why?
  5. What are you afraid of?
  6. What's the best book you've read in the past year?
  7. What is the best vacation you've ever had?
  8. What's your biggest pet peeve?
  9. What's your favorite love story? (movie or book)
  10. What is the best thing you've done in your life?
  11. List five adjectives to describe yourself.

Congrats to the nominees! Looking forward to reading your answers, should you choose to accept!


25 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to start a club- Mother's Without Daughters. We are a special group of ladies...and seriously, I've done no research, but all the all-boy moms I know are very pink and girly...what's up with that?

    I don't like to clean the kitchen or the bathroom and I would love to visit Belize.

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    1. Yes! I like the idea of that club--I'm on board! :) It is so true about the boy moms being girly! I've noticed that too! And another thing I've noticed is that I gravitate towards women who are the mothers of all boys, and it's something that happens even before I realize they have only boys! Kind of funny.

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  2. Congratulations!
    Para sailing would be a blast. I'm not a thrill seeker, but I would do that.

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  3. Oooh I loved parasailing, and Katniss, and The Notebook! I liked You've Got Mail . . . and Titanic? Well I over watched it when it first came out. I think I need a longer break from it still lol

    Thank you for nominating me! I think this is my 4th Liebster :D

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    1. 4th Liebster? Whoa! Aren't you popular! :) If you weren't so fun, you wouldn't get picked so much! :)

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  4. Congrats, sounds like a full and wonderful life! I've got one boy, so I can't imagine 5, but I'm sure it just adds more "excitement" to the day:)

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  5. Grats! My husband is also a better cook than I am. But he also burns twice as many pans than I do...

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    1. Haha! As long as he washes the dishes when he burns them, then it's a win win! :) It's great to have a husband that cooks, isn't it. Too bad mine isn't home more often to do it! :)

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  6. Congratulations! And thanks for nominating me! I came THIS close to seeing Phantom on Broadway this year, but in the end Les Mis won out. We're going to see Matilda too. It will be my first time in New York and I don't know if I'm more excited or nervous.

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    1. I LOVE Les Mis! I went to NYC in high school with the hopes of seeing Phantom, but it was sold out. We saw Les Mis instead, and it was awesome! You'll love it! So jealous you're going to NY (but in a good way!) :)

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  7. I don't think I could do the parasailing thing...maybe... That sounds like something my husband would try to talk me into. I definitely couldn't do a zipline or bungee jump, and I'd never, ever skydive!

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    1. I did the zipline thing through the Guatemalan jungle once, and that was pretty amazing! I've never skydived, and if I ever did, I'd want to wait until my kids are grown. Just in case...

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  8. I have four nephews and one niece. My sister-in-law and brother both wanted another girl, but kept having boys. They know your pain.

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  9. Thank you so much for the nomination, Kristin! This is the first time I've even been awarded the Liebster, so I'm thrilled! I'll try to put something together to go live tomorrow.

    Oh, and I just watched The Notebook today. ;)

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    1. Here is my post: http://writewithfey.blogspot.com/2014/05/liebster-award.html

      Thanks again for nominating me! :D

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  10. How cool that you're able to play and compose music! I've always admired people who can do that. And I can totally relate to the pill-thing--I've never been able to swallow one of those! I'm very much a night owl, too, although I don't have any practical reasons for being that way, heh. Hope your dream of being published comes true! :)

    And thanks so much for nominating me! (And for your kind words, too!) I'll have to see if I can find some time to answer these questions...

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  11. Thanks, Kristin! I'm so glad you enjoyed my A-Z flash fiction.

    I used to live in the Northeast so I've seen a number of Broadway plays, including Phantom. I wonder sometimes though, if I would appreciate them more now, seeing as I'm a lot older. :)

    Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption

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  12. Thank you so much for the nomination and the shout-out, Kristin! I'm honored, and I so appreciate it :) I would love to accept it - but I was nominated for a Liebster not too long ago, and I think you can only accept it once? I'm not entirely sure...but I don't want to be a Liebster hog, LOL! I'll totally tour around to the other nominees, though, and thank you again for thinking of me!

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  13. Great post, Kristin! With me, it's dusting. I'd clean 10 bathrooms before I'd dust. And I can't swallow any pills bigger than Advil, either. Funny. Glad you had fun with the award. Now I have more blogs to check out!

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  14. Loved reading this! I accept the Liebster.=) In the process of getting it done so thanks! I also started a FB pge finally for my blog. I am saying out loud "I AM A WRITER!"

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  15. Hi, Kristin! Thanks so much for passing on this award to me. I'm afraid I can't accept though because I'm so busy these days and won't be able to invest the time in the questions and passing along the award. I appreciate you thinking of my blog though! And thanks for your kind words about What's Up Wednesday! We're so glad you've joined us! :)

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  16. You know, it was once my dream to STAR in Phantom of the Opera, so I'm 100% behind you wanting to see it on Broadway. But I won't be in it. Got smart about that one somewhere along the way. ;)

    Here's a cheese badge for the listener in the room. And I agree, people should TOTALLY follow your blog. Duh!

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