Guest Spot

Hello again one and all! Today you can find me over at My Beautiful Crazy Life sharing some thoughts on setting life goals. Who said goals were only for the new year? Not this girl! 

Hope everyone has a FABULOUS Thursday:-)

The Life of Two SoKools Guest

Happy Wednesday one and all! Remember Alison? You know, the fabulous lady who posted for me on Sunday? Well, today you can find me over on her blog sharing some tricks and tips to staying cool in this unbearable temps! 

Be sure to stop by and say hello:-)

Guest Post-La Vita e Bella

Today's guest post is coming to you from one fabulous lady! She's a fellow teacher with a passion for life. Be sure to stop by and share the love with Adrienne:-)

Manners Matter

Hi! I am Adrienne from La Vita è Bella , where I blog about all things beautiful in life with a witty point ofview. Please pop over for a visit, I would love to see you. Thank you so much to Lauren for allowing me to take over her blog today.

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” 

~Emily Post

Like many of us, I was raised by a mother who insisted on teaching me proper manners even at a young age. She purposely took me to wedding and baby showers and out to lunch with on occasion so I could practice. These lessons have stuck with me and I continue to try to be better mannered as I move through my 30s.

Of course, we all should know to hold the door open for one another, greet each other, shake hands
properly, write thank you notes, serve your guests first, etc. However, how should we conduct
ourselves in this ever changing social media climate? If you are a blogger, you probably use one or more of the following social networks to amplify your message or post; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, etc. But did you know that there are some guidelines you should keep in mind when conducting your conversations via these networks? That your conduct and manners are equally if not more important in your conversations on the internet?

It’s true and makes sense. If you want your readers to be engaged and stay that way and if you want to attract new traffic and sponsorships, you must be mindful of your online actions.

As a teacher, I have to be mindful and our principal said something very important about social
networking activity this year, “If you wouldn’t post it on a school bulletin board then don’t post it
online.” As a blogger, I have to be just as mindful about my actions. I want my readers to come back
and know that the person behind my blog acts with class and integrity on and off line. My partnerships with affiliate companies and other sponsors are very important as well. Who wants someone promoting their product or service who doesn’t conduct themselves in professional manner? Trust me; no one wants to be attached to that.

If you take away anything from this post, it should be think before you post a blog, status update, tweet etc. For more information on Social Networking manners, go to the Emily Post Website. They have this and many great articles on manners for any occasion.

Many thanks to Adrienne for her stellar tips on manners in this every-changing world!

Guest Post-The Sweeter Side of Life

 Hello one and all! Today I have the wonderful Heather stopping by and sharing some of her favorite things about summer vacation, a topic very near and dear to this teacher's heart;-) We met many moons ago and I am so excited to be able to keep in touch with this sweet girl through blogging!

Hi everyone! I’m Heather and most of the time you’ll find me over in my own little corner of the the blogging world at The Sweeter Side of Life. Today, however, I’m writing my first guest post for Lauren while she’s on vacation! 

Lauren and I met during a class at NC State, where we were both studying middle school education. Though I never left the Raleigh area, I also got married the summer after graduation and will be starting my 3rd year of teaching middle school Science this fall. Some people think we’re crazy for teaching middle school, but I absolutely love my job and couldn’t have chosen a more fitting path. And one of the best perks about being a teacher? Summer vacation! Like many beginning teachers, I find it easy to lose myself in my work and get overwhelmed in the craziness of the school year, so the summer is the perfect time to unwind, relax, and do some things for myself. Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about how I make the most of my summer vacation!  

1st things 1st: Spend lots of times with friends and family, especially my wonderful husband! My husband puts up with so much during the school year that I almost don’t know what to do with all this time together! And being able to make plans with friends on a whim, or travel a couple hours to see family without having to be back for work on Monday, is beyond wonderful. I definitely see a girl’s night in my near future.  

   

2nd up: Work on my fitness. I’ve always enjoyed being active, though during the school year I haven’t been sticking with it like I should. This summer though? I’m sticking with it! Running, workout videos, and the hubby and I even went swimming this morning. Forcing myself to get up with the sun early-ish and workout makes me feel more productive throughout the day, and it prevents me from sleeping the day away in bed. 

 

3rd on my list: Catch up on my reading. I’ve got an entire list of books that I’d love to get through by the time summer is over, and while it might be a little ambitious, at least it’s a goal! I love to read and I firmly believe that no pool, lake, beach, or couch is complete without a good book close by. My current undertaking? The Hunger Games series (yes, I know, I’m a little behind on this one). 

 

4th: My crafts! This is definitely a personal favorite that I unfortunately don’t make time for enough during the school year. While I am by no means an artist (my sister gets all of that credit), I do like to dabble in little crafty projects here and there, scrapbooking being my biggest one. I started scrapbooking when Greg and I started dating and just haven’t been able to stop since. Now that I’m teaching, summer has become my time to catch up on scrapbooking from the previous year. Sorting through endless photos and shopping for cute stickers will definitely keep me busy for a few days. And now thanks to Pinterest, I’ve got a lot more ideas and things I’ve tried or want to try. Creating fridge magnets is my newest project and a few things on my to-do list for the summer include creating a small terrarium, refashioning old t-shirts, and repainting a clay flower pot we inherited. 

 

5th but surely not final: Travel! With summer vacation comes trips; whether to the beach, another state, or somewhere tropical, it’s always nice to just get away for a few days. Our destination of choice this summer? Our family’s lake house! Last summer we traveled out west to San Fransisco, and two summers ago we honeymooned in The Dominican Republic, so this summer we decided to keep it fairly local and simple. The lake is only a little over an hour from our house and we’ve already been a few times this summer, with friends and with family. You just can’t beat soaking up sun on the dock or floating around in the cool water! Just what this teacher needed for a little R&R this summer.  

  

While my list could go on about things I fill my summer with, I think I’ll stop there for now. Feel free to stop by and visit my own blog if you’d love to hear more about how my summer is going! Thank you so much to Lauren for sharing her space with me; have fun at the beach!! 

 ~Heather

 

Many thanks again to Heather!

Guest Post-Life of Two Sokools

While the hubby and I are away relaxing with his family on the beach this lovely lady will be posting for me today! Be sure to stop by and say hello to Alison at the Life of Two SoKools!

Why hello The Merry Mrs. Mobley readers!  I'm Alison and I blog over at the Life of Two SoKools.  I'm stoked to be over here guest blogging while she is out vacationing.  Have I mentioned how awesome Lauren is for having me?  Of course YOU knew this already.

Just like Lauren and her husband, I am a newlywed. My husband and I have been married for a little over a year now, how did that happen so fast?!

One of the things we love to do together is get outside.  Being in the Pacific Northwest it can be a pain in the butt sometimes (no thanks to all this rain), but the bad weather just makes getting outside even more beautiful and enjoyable.

Hiking

We love hiking.  One of our first dates was hiking up this crazy hill out in Eastern WA to go stargazing.  I still have no idea how I managed to pull that off.  Thanks dating jitters!  

 

Anyways, I love getting outside for a hike.  What better way to explore God's beauty?!  Our bookcase is full of hiking books for this area (and a couple for Kauai, California, and Oregon).  

Backpacking

I was introduced to backpacking by my husband and his family when we first started dating.  I actually never thought about it before I started dating him.  Now, however, I love it.  I may have said that hiking was a great way to explore God's beauty, but I think backpacking is one of, if not, THE best ways to see what God has given us.  

Unplugging and jumping out in the middle of nowhere to go camp is such an awesome feeling.  The world seems so much bigger (and peaceful) when you're out there.  I know it's not for everyone, but if you enjoy hiking and camping, I highly recommend trying it out at least once.

Kayaking/Canoeing

The day Nick proposed to me, we went kayaking on Seattle's Lake Union.  It was incredible.  Not to mention an intense workout.  

You don't have to work really hard to kayak/canoe.  Take your time.  Being out in the water is so much fun (just don't let your fear of dark/deep water get to ya.  I'm telling you, I hate dark water)   

We recently acquired a free canoe from a relative and while it's not the best in the world, we love it!

Biking 

My husband is a crazy man.  He bikes to and from work almost everyday.  That's 12 miles each way.  I admire him for it.  I, on the other hand, am still a newb with biking.  I wish I could get as into it as he does.  

Living in a small town (or any town for that matter) makes having a bike so nice, though.

Walking/running with your favorite companion

Need I say more?  I love my dog (who unfortunately doesn't live with us right now), and taking him out for a walk is calming and relaxing.  Even if he isn't a great walking dog.  He likes to lead too much.

On that note, running/walking with your significant other is a great activity to do.  My husband pushes me so much when we go out.  I may get really frustrated during, but afterwards I'm so grateful.  It's such a great time for us to talk and do something together that we can do no matter where we are.

Sitting outside while blogging

Why not, right?!

This also goes for sitting outside and reading.  One of the most relaxing and feel-good activities ever.

Those are just a few ways that we get outside when there's tolerable weather :)  Are there other ways that you get outside?  My husband and I want to try paddle-boarding someday.  Maybe that will be added to our list eventually... I can dream about owning a paddle board can't I?

Thanks again Lauren for hosting me and thanks to all of you for listening (or reading in this case)!

Many many thanks to this lovely lady for stopping by!