Twitter's Secrets

The news yesterday about Twitter's hacked information has brought out the either-or kind of thinking. Some are all for the public viewing if Tech Crunch does indeed publish "a variety of alleged documents including "financial projections, product plans and notes from executive strategy meetings," and the original pitch for Twitter's reality based television show." (PC World, "Twitter Hacked, Secrets to be Revealed?" July 15, 2009) Others, such as Michael Hickins who writes for InformationWeek's Digital Life Weblog, have pronounced that Tech Crunch's Michael Arrington has crossed the journalistic line and so "should have the decency to step down." ("Michael Arrington Should Step Down" July 16, 2009)

I do not normally write about stuff like this on my ol' blawg. Posts on dirty diapers, drinking nasty smoothies, and writing reviews of homeschool products is my general forte. But I had to deviate this time.

The population of news media - think CNN or FoxNews and the like - is a group I tend to shy away from. Unless I am offered a link to read from a friend or family member, I do not watch/read/or view mainstream sources for so-called newsworth pieces. We do not watch television at all, so even turning on the nightly news doesn't happen around here.

All that to say, I just really do not care for the so-called journalism that happens daily around the globe.

Stolen information is just that: stolen. They are not a gift handed to you to use in whatever way you want. Professional and moral decency has flown out of the window in Mr. Arrington's case. I'm with Mr. Hickin's in that a resignation, and even a public apology, should be in the works.

I am not personally privy to how news organizations gather their information. I am interested in what journalistic "lines" there are that should not be crossed, according to those in that profession. I am guessing that using stolen information as a news piece is crossing that line.

Thoughts? Convictions? Remarks?

New Website Coming Soon

Courtney Chowning and I have partnered together to start a new website just for Christian women bloggers: Faithful Bloggers. We have been working hard behind the scenes to bring a much-needed site for those who would like to join a social community that strives to honor our heavenly Father. Please visit the page and sign up to be alerted via email of news and launch date information.

Our launch date is scheduled for around the first of August. We will be hosting giveaways from some gracious sponsors. If you would like to donate an item or service for the launch, please email me at wisdombegun@gmail.com .

You can also follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/faithfulbloggrs

If you would, please pray for Courtney and I as we build up this site, that it may be used to the best of His glory!

Thank you,

A Post About Buying Business Cards

In less than two short weeks I will be at BlogHer '09. Pretty much everything is ready for this trip to be made. Except for a little thing that I kinda forgot. Sorta.

Business cards.

What's the big deal, you may ask? Who cares if you have business cards are not? And why do you need a business card? You have a pitiful, wannabe blog, not a business.

(Oh, if you actually said that last sentence to me, I might cry a little bit. And then get a box of tissues. And some chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better.)

I quickly found out after winning my trip from JVC that if you want to quickly exchange information such as blog and email addresses with other bloggers, you buy business cards. It is much easier to whip out a card to hand to someone you meet, rather than "Oh, excuse me while I dig in this bottomless pit called a purse to find a crumpled up piece of paper and half a pencil to write my info on." Unless you want the info written on baby socks. I seem to have lots of those in my purse.

Now, folks, I have had over a month to order some business cards. A month. More than. Yet, I like to live on the edge until there is less than two weeks. And so, this morning? Yeah, I decide that today is the day. I will easily pick a business card, fill in the necessary items, and have it shipped before I leave.

I love my dream world. It is such a fun place to be.

Did you know that if you wait to order business cards when you have less than two weeks before your event that you'll need to get 3-day shipping? And did you know that 3-day shipping costs a little more than *gulp* $30. Thirty dollars.

As I am sure you have guessed, I will not have beautiful, professionally-made business cards to hand out to those I meet at BlogHer. They were pretty. Had a little bird. And some pink. And brown.

You never know, though. I may start the next trend. Black and white home printed business cards will be all the rage before you know.

And hey? At least my business cards did not originate from a place with a goofy monkey.

Just sayin'.

Friday Links

Forgive me, please, as I share this random list of links that I found interesting enough to bookmark. Want to share some of your interesting links with me? Add them to a comment!

• "Pit to Distress" - I had never heard of this. And, frankly? It is just plain disturbing. Thoughts? *I cannot vouch for the rest of this site. I only read this article.*
  
  
• From Shannon, It Gets Easier. For us young mamas.
  
  
• This Website Grader gives you a good idea on where you might want to work on your blog.
  
  
• Want to learn the basics of American Sign Language? We are going over some simple signs with the children.
  
  
• I know it is July. And 500 degrees outside. And it doesn't snow here. But still, I found this site on snowflakes pretty helpful when I was making our weather cycles unit study.
  
  
• Kindness. Blogging. But, kindness while blogging? With the sometimes nasty, mean-girl behaviour that occurs whilst mommy-blogging, Courtney reminds us Christian gals to emulate our Saviour.

Five Ways to Help Out a Young Mother

It came to my attention from hearing a passing conversation that many people do not know how to help out young mothers. Being a young mother myself, I thought myself qualified to answer with a little list I made up. Feel free to leave comments on what you would add to my list!

1. Bring her meals.

A sweet lady from my church overheard that I had an afternoon dentist appointment on Wednesday. On Tuesday, she brought over some enchiladas she had made so that they could just be popped into the oven on Wednesday evening and I would not have to worry about dinner on an already too busy day. Another family brought meals to us every Friday the last couple of months I was pregnant with my youngest. When I do not have to cook dinner, that is one less thing to worry about!

2. Help her out once a week.

If you are an empty nester, here is a great mission of mercy opportunity for you! Call her up and tell her that you have Tuesday (or Monday, or Thursday, etc) mornings free from 9-12 and would love to come by and just help. Many young mothers are proud and may turn you down. For those who realize that accepting help is okay, however, this will be a welcome opportunity to get that list of items on her refrigerator done. Offer to help clean bathrooms or kitchens, sweep floors, do laundry, run errands, or make meals. Before you come over, mention that you are stopping by the grocery store and ask if there is anything you need to pick up for her. When you leave, ask her if she has any library books she needs you to drop off.

3. Come by just to chat.

Call first. Bring by an interesting article or book that might pique her interest. Ask her opinion or thoughts on a current event. Let her talk and make sure you listen.

4. Invite her over and her family over.

Let her see that your house gets messy, too. One thing that eases my guilt over my less-than-perfectly-organized-house is seeing that not every home looks like Martha Stewart lives there. A lived in home should look lived in. Period.

5. Offer free babysitting.

Give her and her husband a chance for a regular date night. One thing my husband and I miss about living near our parents is the weekly date nights. His folks or mine willingly offered free babysitting so that we could go out. This is huge, folks, in a busy parent's life.


What are other ways you can think of to serve busy mothers?

The Old Schoolhouse 2009 Planner - Review

It is that time of year. Last year I enjoyed the maiden voyage of The Old Schoolhouse's Crew. I was blessed to be asked to stay on for another year as a First Mate. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on many different products this year. First up we have:




I am a planning, list-making type of gal. In order to find my way and do what needs to be done at the Wisdom Begun house, I organize to the best of my ability. It sure is a blessing when I am able to have the tools to help me in that organization!

This year I was given The Old Schoolhouse 2009 planner to download and review. This planner promises to help you

"prepare for the coming year the easy way."

My husband reminds me often that you cannot get things done the right way unless you have the right tools. It is like trying to bake a cake without an oven. It just will not happen. Homeschooling is similar, in that it requires some prior planning, with the right tools, in order to achieve good results. Does The Old Schoolhouse 2009 planner truly help in this planning?

Let me give you the skinny on what The Old Schoolhouse 2009 planner actually is.

• Contains 375 pages of forms, recipes, calendars (both yearly and monthly), articles, educational helps, and a myriad of planning pages.
• Forms are able to be typed in and saved.
• Cost: $39
• Monthly supplemental modules available to purchase.
• Comes in an easily downloadable, straight-to-your-computer format.

What are my thoughts?


This is actually more than a planner. Sure, you have the usual calendars and weekly planning sheets. However. The planner includes more than most organizational tools geared towards those who home educating. There are daily schedules included that can go up to five children. Field trip planning. Nature journals. Co-op sheets. The forms alone are a huge benefit, especially for those who want planning sheets available to them without having to search the Internet or create their own. Everything is all right on your home computer. Each month features helpful articles and educational info, as are recipes. And the planner also includes plenty of household forms: garden planning checklist, prayer journal, address book, and the like.

I am not a huge fan of eBooks but one huge benefit to them is that you can print only what you need. If you are a huge fan of library books then you print out the library items sheet. Need a grocery list or meal planner? Print that out. And so on.

Overall, this is a great planner and a welcome addition to my homeschool journey. Feel free to check it out here.

See you soon for more reviews!

My First Vlog and Proof

Yes, I can grow something!