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!