blogging Archives - Jana Says

Blogs you should read instead of mine, part 1

September 18, 2015 by Jana 18 Comments

I’m at a blogging conference this week, running a mentoring session, so there’s no recap for the week. But I didn’t want to leave you hanging on Friday and create a void in your life from the usual stellar content I create in this space which is why I’m suggesting you read these blogs because they’re approximately 100 times more awesome than me (except I’m not awesome and they are and even though 100 times zero is zero, you know what I mean because math is confusing):

TexErin in Sydneyland–Erin is one of my two internet twins (does that make us triplets? Again, math is confusing). She writes about music and books and her cat looks just like my cat and I love her and you need to pay her a visit.

The Random Path–Mackenzie is my other Internet twin and she writes about motherhood and recipes and living in Portland and all kinds of stuff.

Alyssa Goes Bang–Alyssa is hella talented and smart and disciplined and ambitious and she is what I wish I had been at 25. She also has a magazine and edits books and does yoga and runs and really, I’m exhausted just writing all of that.

Voyage of the Mee Mee–Amanda is one of the most hilarious people on the interwebs and if you’re not reading her beautifully redesigned blog, you need to change that pronto.

Ali A–I genuinely don’t even know what to say about Ali except she’s hysterical and sarcastic and smart and writes one of my favorite blogs of all time and she’s from Long Island and lives at the beach which of course makes me love her that much more.

Easily Entertained–if you want to read anything about TV or movies or concerts, you need to have Christina’s blog on your radar. She also talks about living in Seattle and her kids (who are adorable) and I think maybe she and Mackenzie should meet because I think they’d get along really well.

Stuff, Things, Etc–I want Kristin to be my daughter’s teacher so badly because she’s an amazingly passionate teacher. She’s also a military wife, dog mom, recipe giver, booknerd, and other kinds of awesome traits that make her blog a definite daily read of mine.

If I didn’t mention you today, don’t hate me. This is something I’ll do monthly because let’s face it, there are so many of you guys who are way better than me and deserve the props.

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You like me! You really like me! At least I think you do…

May 4, 2015 by Jana 40 Comments

If you’re not reading Ali’s blog, you need to get on that. Pronto. She’s hysterical, her observations are dead on balls accurate, and she’s from Long Island so that means she has a special place in my heart (although I live in Delaware, I was born and raised on Long Island). Also, for some reason, she likes this little blog here. In fact, she likes it so much she nominated me for one of those fun blogging awards that go around.

As part of it, she asked me (and other bloggers) 10 questions. I’m going to answer them because why not. I’m also going to post my 10 questions at the end and nominate everyone who has a blog and wants to to answer.

What inspired you to start blogging? Believe it or not, this blog started out as a personal finance blog. I wanted to document our journey out of debt and how we were learning to manage our money and also, I love to write and needed an outlet for it. I eventually tired of writing about money all the time (and admittedly, I wasn’t very good at most of the time) and converted the blog to what you see now. Sorry.
What song do you ABSOLUTELY hate? “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. That song makes me want to stick sharp objects in my ears.
Have you ever written a blog post that you regret posting? Absolutely, and I’ve since deleted them. There are a few more that need to go because they’re basically shit and not at all reflective of what I want here. But I haven’t done it yet because #lazyblogger
Has your blog ever faced any negativity & if so how did you handle it? If my blog has faced negativity, it’s been behind my back. I’ve been fortunate so far that no one has been openly hostile to my face or in the comments or via hate mail, but I’ve also never had a post go viral so maybe my experience is skewed. I did have a couple of posts featured on The Consumerist which received a few not so nice comments but I just chalked that up to their readers not having a sense of humor.
Who inspires you? This is probably the most difficult question for me to answer. If I’m going the celebrity route, it’s Mindy Kaling, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poehler…all the ladies you’d expect to see on a list. If I’m going the people I know in real life, I’m going to say I’m inspired by anyone I know–specifically blogger friends–who manage to enjoy life and be all around awesome. Mostly, I’m inspired by people who live their lives for themselves and not for the purpose of impressing anyone else.
What’s in your purse right now? My wallet, phone, crayons and paper, pens, a nail file, few lip balms, hand lotion, my all purpose bag featuring band aids, ibuprofen, tweezers, gauze, etc., antibacterial hand soap, tissues, baby wipes, and my keys. I have a typical mom purse.
What website are you DYING to get featured on or write for, if any? Book Riot, HuffPo, Hello Giggles, and Buzzfeed. Blogger standards, I suppose.
What’s your favorite room in your house/apartment? I’d have to say my living room. It’s good for reading, Netflix binging, napping, and it’s next to the kitchen for convenient snacking.
If there was a movie about your life, who would play you? I can’t think of any short, fat brown haired, brown eyed actresses except for fellow Long Islander Nikki Blonksy but I’m not sure she’s acting any more so maybe Ellen Page even though she’s not fat. I can lose weight. Or she can wear a fat suit. Definitely one of those.
What’s your most embarrassing moment? I don’t know that I have one that’s so mortifying it sticks out in any way. I did have an encounter once with the then-dean of my entire university and after he told me he worked for the school, I asked him what he did. Like I’m supposed to know what he looks like. The husband never lets me forget it and says I should be embarrassed by it. I’m really not but we’ll roll with that one.

Now it’s your turn. Feel free to answer all or some or none of the questions below.

What websites or blog do you read every single day?
If you could attend one awards show, which one would it be?
What is one thing you are deathly afraid of?
What book do you always recommend to people?
Open a playlist on any device you have. Hit shuffle. What are the first 5 songs that come up?
When and where do you blog (as in, at what time of day and in what location)?
What song is your personal anthem?
If you were selected to give a TED Talk, what would be your topic?
What’s your favorite quote or saying?
What is a song, movie, book, or TV show that always makes you cry?

Bonus question: Do you think Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman?

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This week in…: Inaugural edition

January 23, 2015 by Jana 12 Comments

When I was a kid, I spent many, many days and nights watching Mets games. One of the features of the pre or post game spots was something called This Week in Baseball (TWib). It featured game highlights and interviews with players and other stuff I can’t remember but it was a great way to get a comprehensive summary of all the stuff that happened during the week. Kind of like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, only less funny and totally about baseball.

Because I like the idea, I’m declaring Fridays “This Week in Jana’s Life”. I had originally thought I’d call it “This Week in Jana” but that sounds kind of gross and leads to unwarranted, mostly pornographic search terms and I’m not really up for that because people are pretty fucking sick and disgusting so I changed it. That’s the power I have.

Here.

On my blog.

You can be jealous.

It’s okay.

What we’re going to do on Fridays going forward, or until I get bored with it and move on to something else, is recap what I’ve been doing, watching, thinking, reading, and other verbs ending in “-ing” during the week. Sort of like the old format of Friday Favorites but also kind of different.

Hope you like it.

This week in being an adult…I finally scheduled a haircut appointment that’s 3 months overdue and to quote my friend Mindy, my hair is so long I look like I belong on a compound (just to clarify, it’s not Kaling. Although I wish we were friends. No, this Mindy, who also, oddly enough, lives in Boston, is a friend of mine from WAY, WAY back when hair bands were popular, Will Smith was the Fresh Prince, and we all wore flannel). I also wrote a whole bunch of appointments in my calendar and on our family calendar, started getting my tax stuff together, and worked out my arrangements for the yearly conference I go to (it’s in Charlotte, NC this year. I’ve never been and I’m excited).

This week in reading…I’ve read 4 books this week which I think might be a new record for me but I also haven’t been sleeping much and reading is better than staring at the wall, listening to my husband snore, plotting his demise because he can sleep comfortably and soundly and easily and I can’t and he must suffer like I suffer. I’m currently reading The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. You guys. Wow. I can’t wait to review this book for you next month.

This week in cooking…I’m having a love affair with my crockpot. Mostly fueled by my own laziness and a small budget, I use my crockpot no less than 4 times per week and at this point, I get ragey if I have to cook a meal using the oven or stove. If you have a favorite crockpot recipe, please feel free to share because I love trying new ones.

This week in listening…The best $10 I spend all month is on my Spotify subscription. While I enjoy making my own playlists and saving all the albums, I’m starting to branch out and listen to the ones that Spotify makes (or other users make and Spotify promotes them. I’m not sure how that all works). This week, I’ve been enjoying Rock the 2000s and Diner Jukebox (for my 50s obsession). Eclectic taste FTW!!!

This week in binge watching…The husband and I are still working our way through Rescue Me but I can’t watch it during the day when he’s not home so I’ve started rewatching all the seasons of SouthLAnd. It’s not on Amazon or Netflix (which is complete bullshit) so I’ve been getting the DVDs from the library. Homicide: Life on the Street was the gateway into my obsession with violent, gritty shows but SouthLAnd solidified it. I’ll have a rundown of my favorites in this genre in the next week or so because I know you’re all curious.

This week in people hating…I don’t know what the hell is going on lately but it seems like every asshole under the sun is coming out of the woodwork. There’s one woman in particular I’m thinking of who I know in real life but wish I didn’t and holy hell, do I despise her and she’s the kind of person who makes you wish it was legal to, just once, punch someone in the face with absolutely no recourse. Also on my list, the people who made Steph’s life a frozen hell and anyone in Congress who didn’t stand up when Obama mentioned equal pay for women.

This week in blogging…This is me, apologizing for being a terrible blogger friend. I’ve been shitty about commenting and sharing, I’ve been shitty about responding to comments you all are kind enough to leave, and I’ve been shitty about all the other things I know I need to be doing. I’m hoping to get my act together next week, when I’ve finally had a chance to work though some of the personal issues I have going on.

This week in laughing…Or pinning, because that’s usually where I find most of the random stuff that makes me laugh.

Have a great weekend, y’all! See you Monday!

Linking up with Amanda for the first time in forever

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Choose Your Own Adventure: Simplify in December, Create in January

January 8, 2015 by Jana 20 Comments

Can I say how much I love all the choose your own adventure challenges? Not only do they help keep me focused (which, let’s face it, it’s in short supply these last few months) but being able stay focused while picking my own rules for doing so is basically the best way to go.

When the topic for simplify came up for December, I planned to apply it to blogging. And did I ever! In fact, I simplified so much that I didn’t blog for almost 3 weeks. It was necessary to do, given my mental health situation, and man, did it feel good. I mean, I missed writing and reading blogs and chatting with people during the day but all the other pressure? Gone. The ideas for posts kept flowing, I gained new perspective on what I want to do with the blog, and I realized that I need to go back to my blogging roots. Whatever those are, I’m not quite sure, but I do know that I need to stop obsessing about all the parts that stressed me out.

I don’t blog for stats and likes and shares. I don’t blog to compare myself to other bloggers. It’s not why I started and it’s not why I need to keep going.

I blog because I love to write, I love to share my story, and writing has always been my dream job. While I don’t get paid for it (yet. Fingers crossed that it changes), I’ve realized that my blog is a step, a big one, towards achieving that dream. That’s what I need to remember, along with the fact that blogging is a way to connect with people I might not have otherwise had the chance to connect with.

That’s the important stuff.

The other important stuff is my simplified blogging plan.

The specifics: I’ve decided that I will no longer blog 5 days per week. If I have enough to say, I might blog 4 but for the foreseeable future, I’ll be blogging on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. I’ll be sharing some old posts on Facebook and Pinterest on the days I’m not publishing new content and hopefully, by the end of the month, I’ll have a newsletter established for a special series I wanted to share on the blog but for now, will only be sharing with those who want to read it. I don’t want to shove it down your throats.

This simplified blogging schedule will also allow me time to work on editing my first book. Publishing a novel has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember and it’s time to stop thinking about it and start actually doing it. And trust when I say the book needs A LOT of work. On another note, if anyone else is working on a big project and wants an accountability partner, let me know because I’m all for that.

The two new projects, editing and starting the newsletter, also fit in with the theme of this month’s challenge: COMPLETE. For me, it’s important that I complete the first pass of editing as well as complete the set up for the newsletter. Not only to keep me in content and connecting with readers but as a self-esteem boost. I haven’t completed a project in years. I’m hoping this will help me gain momentum I desperately need.

Also on tap for this month’s challenge, complete the update of my photo frames in my living room as well as the decor in my daughter’s playroom. We organized the shit out of it over my break and now it’s time to make it look a little nicer. I have some ideas, too, and I can’t wait to share them!

If I haven’t yet said it, thanks for sticking with me through all of this. I appreciate it more than I can say and I’m hoping, in the coming months, to have lots of good stuff for you guys.

Are you participating in this month’s challenge? If so, what are you working on?

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On getting rid of perfection

January 5, 2015 by Jana 17 Comments

How to Fold the Perfect Fitted Sheet

How to Make the Perfect Cookie

How to Scramble Eggs Perfectly

How to Host the Perfect Party

How to Write the Perfect Blog Post

How to Craft the Perfect Blog Title

These are examples of actual pins that have come across my Pinterest feed. Often. As in every day. And quite frankly, I can’t handle the word “perfect” any more.

I’m not sure when the pressure to be perfect set in. I’m even less sure as to when everyone started thinking that they had the solution on how to be perfect. Because I don’t even know what perfect means. It’s such a subjective word. What’s perfect for you isn’t perfect for me and vice versa. So how are so many people all of a sudden authorities on being perfect? How can they tell me what to do?

And why is it so important to be perfect? Why can’t it be good enough just to be good enough? Just to try your best?

I don’t know about you, but when I see that word, perfect, I don’t see something to strive for. I don’t see success and hard work and a beautiful, awe inspiring end result.

I see pressure.

I see a standard I can’t achieve.

I see never having self-acceptance, never being satisfied, and never being happy.

I don’t like living like that. It’s too hard. It’s too emotionally draining.

So I’m done with perfect. And you should be, too.

Because perfection isn’t that important.

No, what’s important is trying your hardest to get through. To do what you can within your limits and your standards.

The standards you set for yourself. No matter how high or low they might be to someone else.

Because when you strive for perfection as set by societal normal or blogger edicts or Buzzfeed decrees, it begets depression, intimidation, sadness, and frustration.

But when you strive to do your best according to your morals, values, and goals, even if it results in imperfection according to everyone else, you get satisfaction, happiness, productivity, and gratitude.

I’m aiming for those. Because I’d rather be happy with burned cookies than be sad with perfect ones.

Life is what happens inside the imperfections.

And I’m completely fine with that.

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Blogs you should read instead of mine, part 1

You like me! You really like me! At least I think you do…

This week in…: Inaugural edition

Choose Your Own Adventure: Simplify in December, Create in January

On getting rid of perfection

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