Simple Mom » Q and A Tuesday

Q&A Tuesday: Why Do You Use Facebook?

Tsh — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:23:36 +0000

Facebook is such a funny thing. I love how it keeps me connected with so many people, especially since we live overseas. And it’s wild to see how paths cross – how your college roommate can comment on “your wall” right alongside your brother’s brother-in-law’s girlfriend. It’s sort-of like a wedding, in that way – your worlds colliding, right in front of you.

So it’s a great tool for keeping up with the lives you love, and for you to update others about your family through photos and little text snippets.

But Facebook can also be a time-sucker. With it’s bajillion applications, you can easily do a lot of pointless – albiet fun – activities, such as sucker-punching your sister. And it’s a quandrary how to handle those people who want to “friend” you, and for whatever reason, you’re not sure you want to.

Susan at Real Simple wrote a little article recently about the oddity that is Facebook, questioning its validity in our lives. So today’s Q&A is this:

Do you use Facebook? What’s your primary motivation? How much time do you spend on it weekly? And – how do you handle those requests for friendship, for accepting virtual plants, or anything else you just don’t want to do?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

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Q&A Tuesday: Why Do You Use Facebook? is a post from Simple Mom

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Q& A Tuesday: How Do You Get Motivated Every Day?

Tsh — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:30 +0000

Today’s Q&A comes from Rachel of Small Notebook, one of my favorite blogs (and fellow bloggers). She’s a mom of an adorable little girl – with another one on the way – and her words are succinct, meaty, and punched with meaning. If you don’t already read her blog, you should.

Rachel’s question is a great one, and I can’t wait to read your answers:

How do you motivate yourself to get going and accomplish your daily tasks when you just don’t feel like it?

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? What’s your mantra and modus operandi for motivation?

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Q&A Tuesday: What Are The Staples In Your Pantry?

Tsh — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:01:59 +0000

Today’s Q&A comes from Heather, half of the duo behind Rookie Moms. They’ve got a great website filled with tips on life with little ones, and their book, The Rookie Mom’s Handbook, is filled with 250 things to do with – or without – your kids.

Here is her question:

What foods do you always keep in your pantry?

Share your staples, and if you’re up for it, share your fallback menu items you prepare with them. I look forward to your ideas!

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Q&A Tuesday: Do You Buy Organic?

Tsh — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:01:49 +0000

This topic has been on my mind with our second book for the book club, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, headed our way in a few weeks. I’d love to hear your thoughts, particularly because most of you are not only the home managers of your family, but also because most of you make the everyday purchasing decisions in your home.

Here’s today’s question:

How important is buying organic food for your family? Has this changed with the economic slowdown? And if you had to choose, when one takes precedence for you – buying organically, or buying locally?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

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Q&A Tuesday : What Are Your Top 3 Essentials When You Leave the House With Preschoolers?

Tsh — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:01:14 +0000

I love longtime reader Sarah Park’s submitted question for today’s Q&A Tuesday. We’re elbow-deep in packing for our return overseas, so right now I’m reminded of how much traveling light is high on my priority list – whether we’re on a 10-hour flight, or whether we’re hitting the park for an afternoon picnic.

Sarah, co-founder of Pear Budget, asks:

What are the three most indispensable items you pack when heading out with preschoolers?

Yep, pick only your top three – and diapers are excluded here.

I’m looking forward to seeing your answers!

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Q&A Tuesday: How Important are Mom-and-Pop Shops?

Tsh — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:36:03 +0000

Today, the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) goes into effect. You might have read quite a bit about it already around the blogosphere, so I won’t reinvent the wheel – Cool Mom Picks has a page dedicated to this recent political move, and it’s become quite the hub of all information regarding this act. There are a lot of great links there, and I encourage you to take some time to read this info. Please.

In plain English, the CPSIA is requiring such stringent safety measures for children under 12 that it makes it all but impossible for those mom-and-pop shops we love to stay in business. The original idea of the act was to require companies to put more responsibility in their own hands, and to increase the safety of their toys, baby equipment, and other child-related gear. We can assume this has to do with well-known issues such as the questionable safety of toys hailing from China, and rare but recent scares of lead poisoning in the paint of certain products.

This is all well and good – but the kicker is that most of the companies responsible for these irresponsible measures can afford to up their safety measures. The wonderful shops that create handmade goods for children cannot. So much so that they have little recourse but to close their doors. And they weren’t the ones responsible for the shady safety issues to begin with.

So, today’s Q&A Tuesday has to do with today’s start of the CPSIA – maybe we can voice our dedication to cottage industries so that some “big people” in Washington can take a little heed to our small voices:

How important is it to you to buy and support small, local, and/or family-run businesses? Describe some ways that you purposely choose to support a small business over other options in your everyday life.

If enough of you share your support – and therefore, how the CPSIA will affect your spending options – then perhaps we can collectively add to the conversation about this controversial act.

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Q&A Tuesday: How Important are Mom-and-Pop Shops? is a post from Simple Mom

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Q & A Tuesday: Cloth or Disposable?

Tsh — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:01:10 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed an ongoing discussion we’ve had about cloth diapering.

I’ve got a post in the works about this (sometimes) heated topic among parents, along with some reviews from those of you who cloth diaper your little ones. So here’s today’s question:

Do you use cloth or disposable diapers? Why? I’d love to hear your reasons for either side of the equation.

There will be no judgement here – I’m going to monitor the discussion, so if anyone is reamed for any decision they’ve made, I’ll delete the ad hominem asap. But I truly want to hear the logic behind your decision, so please share!

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Q & A Tuesday: Cloth or Disposable? is a post from Simple Mom

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Q&A Tuesday: What Are The Ingredients of a Successful Playgroup?

Tsh — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:01:47 +0000

Reader Aimee writes, “I am planning to head up a playgroup in my area but am rather unqualified to do so. Well, I have the children (ages 3 and 1) and am a SAHM, but have never done the playgroup scene.

“Now that my son has blossomed into a social butterfly, and the long cold winters make it difficult for lengthy periods of outdoor play, I can see the benefits of a steady playgroup for the children (and me too!).

“So I have the location – my church basement, which comes well-equipped; however, my question is this: how does one manage a successful play group that can benefit both mothers and children?”

Readers, I don’t have a lot of experience with playgroups. I was in one when my oldest was a baby, but it’s been awhile. Therefore, I’d like to default any answer to you guys! Help me out with Aimee’s question:

How does one manage a successful play group that can benefit both mothers and children?

She also adds these questions – feel free to answer any of them as well:

Can you suggest any rules I should have in place before getting started?
Is structured play a better idea?
How do I deal with unruly children or negligent parents?

Alright, take it away, readers!

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Q&A Tuesday: Should We Still Mind Our Manners?

Tsh — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:01:35 +0000

Sure, most of us would agree that it’s important to teach our kids to say “please” and “thank you.” And I can’t imagine that Simple Mom readers don’t kindly leave a tip when their waitress serves well.

But… what about those rules that have been around for several generations, and – well, we’re not exactly sure why we do them? How important is it in this day and age to slap a stamp on an envelope and mail a thank you note for a Christmas present?

Today’s question comes from Nick Cernis, writer of the famously funny and useful Todoodlist. He asks:

“Are good manners and etiquette still relevant in our busy lives today?”

Nick is a writer and web developer from the UK with a penchant for pencils and a 43-a-day Hobnob habit. He lives at Put Things Off and recently launched 44forks, a kind of light-hearted internet finishing school for lost souls with a fear of cutlery.

Readers, I love Nick’s blogs, and it’s always a highlight when I see something new from him in my reader. I have a fondness for good blog design, and his both fit the bill. Plus, he’s hilarious.

I look forward to reading all your answers! I have some thoughts on the matter of etiquette and the exact definition of good manners, but… I’ll leave that for another time. Today, you’ve got the stage.

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Q&A Tuesday: What Do You Think Of New Year’s Resolutions?

Tsh — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:01:46 +0000

There’s two more days of 2008. The long-standing traditions of New Year’s Eve include champagne, parties, dancing, games, holding your eyelids open until midnight… and making resolutions.

You can probably guess today’s Q&A:

Do you make new year’s resolutions? Why or why not? And by golly, why do you think they’re so hard to keep?

I actually love New Year’s Eve and Day, and I personally love the idea of resolutions. Being the goal-setter and list-maker that I am, though, that’s not surprising. Whether I keep the resolutions, however, is another thing altogether.

What about you?

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Q&A Tuesday: What Do You Think Of New Year’s Resolutions? is a post from Simple Mom

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