7 Things I've Learned About Being a Mommy (So Far)

1. It is possible to love someone more than you love yourself.

2. Shopping for baby clothes, while not expensive in moderation, is addicting and can therefore become expensive. (I admit I may have a problem...)

3. There's no such thing as too many burp cloths. Seriously. Buy as many as you can and then buy some more. That's probably still not enough.

4. Asking for parenting advice on Facebook is probably a bad idea. (This one I did not learn through personal experience, thankfully.)

5. Ants are attracted to spit up. Weird, I know.

6. I am still not a morning person despite the two months of 5-6 a.m. baby wake-up calls.

7. Washing bottles is a never-ending chore. Just when you get a sink full washed, it's time for another feeding, and you start all over again.

Dictionary Downfall

Dear Merriam-Webster,

I can get on board with you adding "selfie" and "photobomb" to your pages. I can even understand putting "twerk" in the T's. And certainly "emoji" deserved a place. Those words are used on a daily basis by a majority of the people in this world.

I barely supported your adding of "LOL" and "OMG". (OK, so not really.) But I cannot and will not support your additions of "YOLO", "WTF" and "NSFW".

They're not even words for crying out loud!

Adding these so-called words to the dictionary is, in my opinion, only furthering the demise of face-to-face communication.

Of course, the people who would use YOLO, WTF or NSFW probably have never even cracked open a dictionary or at the very least used an online version. But I suppose us old folks will one day need a way to look up the latest acronym our grandchildren just texted us with.

Sincerely,
Someone concerned with the future language skills of our youth

Monday Motivation

(Not So) Basic Journalism Skills: Newsroom Fashion

One of the toughest things for me to do after college was put together a work-appropriate outfit from clothes already hanging in my closet. Let's face it - what you wore to class, for your school's station or even for your internship probably isn't designed for a career.

Putting together a news-appropriate wardrobe can be difficult, especially when you're first starting out in this business. Revamping your closet can be expensive, especially if you don't have a clothing allowance, but it doesn't have to empty your wallet. It's all in how you approach it. I've reached out to my friends in the business and compiled their advice along with my own to offer some tips for dressing professionally without breaking the bank.

Getting started with your wardrobe makeover isn't as simple as heading to the mall or logging onto your favorite store online (I wish). Trust me when I say that you need to have a plan, or rather a budget. Figuring out how much money you can spend before you hit the stores is important. Chances are you're not exactly rolling in money with your first job. That can make building up your professional wardrobe seem like an impossible task financially, but I promise it can be done. I've been building up my professional wardrobe for years. Although I'm in a decent place financially now, it was slow going starting out. Setting aside money for clothes was the only way I was able to buy new pieces. I started out by setting aside $40 per payday, enough for one really nice piece at full retail or several pieces on sale.  (For more tips on budgeting, click HERE.)

Now that you've got a clothing budget figured out, what type of clothes should you be looking for? Most newsrooms are business casual, unless you're on the desk. Women no longer have to wear pants or skirt suits and can ditch the blazers in some places (we won't get into the whole sleeves vs. sleeveless debate), and it's acceptable for men to wear suit separates instead of a matching set, although a former professor of mine says you should always wear a tie. Reporters can even get away with jeans for some assignments. It all depends on your station's dress code. And ladies if you're looking to the section of your closet where your "going out" clothes from college are hanging for inspiration, stop. A pretty good rule of thumb to follow is if you would wear it to a club or bar, it probably isn't work appropriate.

Don't fill your closet with trendy pieces that will go out of style in a few months. Opt instead for classic, timeless pieces that will stand the test of time. Also look for quality pieces that you can wear over and over again without fear of it falling apart in the wash. Those pieces may cost you more up front but it makes sense for the long-term since you won't be constantly replacing things. Also, if you're like me and struggle mixing and matching your wardrobe to create different looks, I recommend checking out the Women's Fashion section on Pinterest and/or following fashion bloggers for inspiration on how to make more of what's in your closet (Check out a few of my favorites here, here and here).

Maybe the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to join your favorite stores' rewards programs. They'll let you know about sales and send you special offers you'd miss out on if you weren't a member. I'm a member of at least 20 rewards programs including The Limited (my fave), JCPenny, Old Navy and KMart/Sears.

I reached out on Facebook to my friends in the business about this topic. Below I've shared their favorite places to shop as well as any advice.

Stephanie: I think Ann Taylor, Loft and New York & Company are good for the young business woman. I think it's pretty appropriate for a wide range of ages.

Aaron: I tell my male students to go to thrift stores and see if they can find blazers in neutral colors that reflect current style (no 70's leisure suits). You can sometimes find suits but traditionally you can pair a black, navy or gray blazer with any variety of slacks which can be found a variety of prices at a variety of locations. The same advice might hold true for women but fashions change so much over the years for women it is hard to find current fashions in most thrift stores. I also tell my seniors to start asking for suits as a graduation present from relatives who don't know what to get you. Just make sure you know your size.

Nate: Kohls for cheap dress shirts in a bunch of colors. Tiecoon.com for $6 ties! They are great quality too!

Marcus: Ross' Dress for Less is a Godsend. Stock up there.

Madeleine: H&M ... Express has good blouses/work pants and their sales are usually pretty good. And well made so it will last.

Katrice: Ross....great for cheap, practical business appropriate sheath dresses.

Kevin: If you know your measurements and do a little seller research, you can score some nice name-brand suits (new with tags) on Ebay. I've bought 3 Jos A. Bank Sig Gold suits (Retail $1295) for $100 unaltered and with the tags. Per Nate, tiecoon is great and so is tiebar.com

Toneshia: I would say for essentials (black suit, grey suit) spend a little more money and shop at stores like Express or Ann Taylor. For your basic dress shirts, blouses, dresses, check places like Ross, Target, Charlotte Russe, Kohls.

Natasha: Ross!!!! And honestly when you first start out if you cannot afford anything expensive check out Goodwill for basics.

Rhiana: You can get some great separates and suit coats on the clearance racks at Macy's!

Jonathan: If you are weird shaped like myself, short with broad shoulders big neck, it's better to be fitted after signing up for Jos A Banks or Men's Warehouse bonuses and line them up with a sale. I got a suit jacket fitted and 7 shirts a pair of pants and a Blazer for cheap. They give you a birthday gift card that will get you a shirt plus buy one get one.

Scottie: Buy suit separates...not suits that way you can mix and match to create more looks with less.

Betsy: BANANA REPUBLIC!!! They have beautiful, well-made clothes & suits, for men AND women, that will hold up for YEARS. They have pieces that are easy to transition from day to night, & they have sales regularly. I love, love, love the BR!!!

What advice or tips would you offer to someone trying to build up a professional news wardrobe?

Talking Ta-Tas?

Ladies, have you ever had a day where you just feel blah, a little down in the dumps, not confident at all? Those days are over thanks to the "Wearable Womanliness-Boosting Bra" from Triumph International Japan.

Photo via RocketNews24

This new concept bra will give you the pep talk you need to get through any situation.

Got a big presentation at work? Your bra will motivate you with phrases like, "If you give it your best, you'll be OK! Go for it!"

Not feeling beautiful? No problem! Your bra will reassure you that you're not just beautiful but very beautiful.

Feeling a little drab? Don't worry - your  bra comes with a built-in wow factor: lighted straps that you can activate by simply saying "Illuminate my bust, décolletage magical light on!"

For all you health nuts out there, the WWBB comes equipped with a special heart-shaped sheath for your smartphone that will record health data including how many steps you've taken, how far you've traveled, how many calories you've burned and how many hours you've slept.

Got a crush but don't know how to let him know? The WWBB has you covered. Simply press the "heartbeat switch" and your bra will measure your heartbeat and the lights will flash to the same rhythm.

And if you struggle with your selfie game, this bra is exactly what you need. It comes equipped with a selfie stick and the detachable skirt turns into a photography board so you'll have the perfect lighting!

Now for the bad news (there's always a catch). The "Wearable Womanliness-Boosting Bra" isn't actually for sale.

Video via Daily Mail

Monday Motivation

Every Monday morning I get a text message from a former classmate who is now a motivational speaker. The message is always inspiring and designed to start the week off on a positive note. After reading this morning's text I thought to myself how nice it is to have some motivation to start off each week. And then I decided to take a page from my friend's book and offer you guys some motivation every Monday. Have an awesome week, and like the picture says - don't wait!

Inspiration in Unexpected Places

It hasn't really been a secret that I've been in a rut career-wise. I've been feeling burned out, under-appreciated and generally unhappy to go to work. It felt like something was missing. When I got pregnant, the crazy hormones just  amplified those feelings.

After a lot of soul searching and serious consideration of leaving the business altogether, I think I've figured out what I've been missing - creative writing.

As a producer, I write a lot, but it's mostly rewriting or copy editing. Any original writing I do takes very little effort and I don't get any joy out of it. The writing I miss is being able to tell people's stories, the freelance projects I used to take on and the type of writing I do on this blog.

If you've been a regular follower of this blog, you've no doubt noticed that the number of posts per week and even month has dropped significantly. There are many reasons for the decrease, most recently pregnancy, and I have to admit that I wasn't really even all that concerned with getting back to blogging with more regularity ... that is until I read "30 First Dates".

I've been on a romantic comedy kick when it comes to my reading lately. Although extremely predictable, they're light-hearted and fun to read - a combination I've needed for the past several months. I wasn't expecting "30 First Dates" to offer so much inspiration. It was, in short, exactly what I needed to read.

Although it is foremost a love story, at its core "30 First Dates" is about finding yourself. Erin is a 29-year-old math teacher whose love life is a bit of a disaster. She decides to go on 30 first dates before her 30th birthday, use those dates to cross items off her bucket list and blog about the experiences. Along the way, Erin quits her teaching job to go back to school to be a journalist. Meanwhile her blog's popularity is soaring and leads to even more in terms of her professional and personal life.

Reading this book was like a kick in the pants for me. Somewhere along the way I got away from the creative writing that fulfills me. But "30 First Dates" made me realize it isn't too late to get back to that.

Step 1 - get back to blogging. On top of committing to writing two to three posts a week, I've been working on expanding the blog's presence online, sharing posts to Facebook, Twitter and Google+ (links to all 3 in the sidebar). I've also been going back through my previous posts' statistics to determine what types of posts get the most traffic. Between 2010 and 2012, thousands of people were clicking on my posts. My goal is to get back to that level of viewership and increase the number of comments. Eventually I hope to make a little money by doing this, which is why I've started using AdSense (you'll notice ads in the sidebar and at the bottom of this post).

As for the freelance projects, I've lost contact with the main source of my projects from several years ago. However, I'm researching several online ventures and reaching out to publications in my area. This will be slower to develop but I hope to have eased back into freelancing by the end of this year.

As for the telling of people's stories... well, I hope to be able to get back to doing that even sooner. Things are in the works for just that so stay tuned.

My First Mother's Day (In Photos)

 

 

Why I Don't Watch the News

I don’t watch the news.

You’re probably wondering how can someone who works in television news not watch the news? Although it seems inconceivable, it’s true. When I’m not at work, I do not watch the news, opting instead for shows that allow me to get away from reality or getting lost in a good book instead.

That’s not to say that I’m only interested in news while I’m at work. I still read articles online and stay up to date on what’s happening around the world through various social media. Opting for my laptop, tablet or phone has distinct advantages over the television for me, namely in that I get to choose the news I want to see.

Let me explain. All day long Monday through Friday I choose news for other people. That’s what producers do. They craft shows for their audience, picking the stories other people want to know about over the stories we find interesting. That’s not to say that I don’t understand the importance of the stories we’re running. I do. But you’ve got to understand that I’m living in those stories all day long.

For me, it’s much more interesting to watch a news broadcast for the way it’s put together. I like to see which stories a producer has deemed the most important, their presentation of the content and the anchor interaction. I have a hard time watching the news as a viewer. Instead, I find myself watching as a producer, analyzing shots and story placement, in essence picking the show apart.

Perhaps a bigger reason why I don’t watch the news is this – after working in it all day long, the last thing I want to do when I get home is watch even more. Simply put, I need a break. If I immersed myself in news all the time, I’d probably go crazy. I’d most likely be depressed. At the very least my stress level would be through the roof, not to mention my blood pressure.

Here’s the simplest way I can put it: the news is my job, and while it’s a very important part of my life, I refuse to let it control my life.

Originally posted to my professional blog: http://www.wtvy.com/blogs/lessons

My Fake Resume

If I were to put together a resume based solely off of my interaction with viewers, this is what it would look like.