Cooking * Watching * Reading

Do you know my Google Doc of unfinished blog posts is 61 pages long!? I mean, you probably don’t. No, you really don’t know that. I mean, I only just found out when typing this post in that doc. Oh and that doesn’t count the notebooks! I love notebooks.

In case you missed me over the last eight months, here’s a quick list of things that I can’t wait to share with you all - focused on what I’ve been cooking, watching, and reading!

I’ve been trying to create a list of go-to recipes for some traditional meals, so I’ve been testing out some new recipes.

Let’s start with my three favorite places to go for recipes: Half Baked Harvest, New York Times Cooking, and I Wash You Dry. Half Baked Harvest released a new cookbook this year and it’s just awesome.

Some of my “keeper” recipes:

Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts - a seriously easy weeknight meal!

BBQ Chicken Dip - I got a little bored with buffalo chicken dip, so I tried this!

Strawberry Pretzel Jello - A Pittsburgh Classic!

Veggie Pizza - I’ve brought this back recently and I’m obsessed.

Zucchini Lasagna - Just made this last weekend and used my mandolin. Make sure you order cutting gloves or you might earn yourself a trip to Urgent Care - I almost did!

We also have this recipe on repeat. The rumor was that Jennifer Aniston ate it every day when she filmed Friends, but she’s denied that. We just call it the Jennifer Aniston salad in this house. I also use quinoa because I originally couldn’t find bulgur wheat and now we like it! There’s some chopping involved, but it’s delish!



While I don’t feel like I have a lot of free time, I’ve binged watched a lot of shows this year. Here are some of my favorites!

Only Murders in the Building - Hulu

Inventing Anna - Netflix

Righteous Gemstones - HBO

Ozark - Netflix

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Amazon

Succession - HBO

WeCrashed - AppleTV

Brigerton Season 2 - Netflix

Starstruck - HBO

If there is one thing I was able to do this summer, it’s READ! I took down three books during a beach vacation and another one in the last week. Here’s my quick list and review:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Read it. It’s awesome. I believe someone has the rights to potentially bring this to TV.

Meant to Be - Read it. The main couple gives off major celebrity vibes and you’ll quickly see who.

The Jetsetters - Pass. I didn’t love it. It was too predictable and kinda boring. Honestly might be better as a movie or show.

Lucky - It was okay. Quick read and not totally predictable.

The Newcomer - Read it. I enjoyed it.

Read More

Add Substitute Teacher To My Resume

There’s a part of me that always wanted to be a teacher. Like most kids, I would play “school” by setting up my stuffed animals and teaching them assignments. 

Fast forward to Great Social Distance of 2020 and I find myself playing the role of preschool teacher. Things started out okay, then my student began to rebel. My worksheets were no longer fun and she learned the term “I’m bored.”

This marble run game counts as STEM or STEAM or whatever, right? 

So what did I do? I channeled my inner kid and decided to take things up a notch with theme days. Sharing here in case you too are in a homeschool rut.

Last week, we had two big theme days - Space and Boutique.

Our kid’s preschool is sending home some activity suggestions and asking us to keep a journal. These two ideas are tweaks to their suggestions. 

Space Day

• Ironically, Lennon woke up wearing unicorn space pajamas, so it really helped set the tone for the day.
• I’ve been hoarding this spaceship pop up tent for almost two years now, so what better time to bust it out. This Toy Story tent is super cute too.
• While finding planet printables to laminate, I discovered some fun planet songs via Netflix Junior on YouTube. Search around there and you’ll find several cute songs that explain the planets. 
• After the excitement of the new tent started to wear off, the kid said “I want to paint,” so we gathered up anything circular shaped around the house and made our own little solar system. We used the flash cards to determine what color each planet would be and Lennon painted them. You know we touched this painting off with some glitter. 
• When you ask Lennon what she wants to be when she grows up, sometimes she’ll say “An astronaut,” and I know that NASA has a YouTube channel - sadly the videos were a little too advanced for our preschooler. 
• Warning - space lessons can get a little confusing in regards to whether Pluto is a planet or not. In this house, Pluto is a planet! 

Lennon’s Boutique

• One of the school activities was to “make a grocery store.” Knowing that we have plenty of princess dresses, I took things up a little notch by working with Lennon to create her own store.
• First order of business was to create a logo. Using PowerPoint, Lennon typed her name and the word “boutique” herself! I used a font that she could color in. 
• While Lennon colored, I made clothing tags and faux money. We also made shopping bags!
• I’m trying to teach Lennon what I do for work, so I printed a Facebook post template and had her help create an advertisement for the store. 
• Next, it was time to get our store ready. We rearranged some clothing racks, shoes, set out accessories, and finally, priced the clothing with the tags! 
• Finally, it was time to open! 

To get Lennon excited, I asked for her help to brainstorm some themes for the upcoming days/weeks. I'm going to work on my "lesson plans" later today. Here’s our preliminary list - and, if you have any fun ideas for these themes or in general, PLEASE send them our way!

• Rainbows
• Cooking - Goal - To have her cook a dish start to finish by herself. Think PB+J or maybe a quesadilla 
• Life Skills - Laundry, maybe some banking, writing an email, etc. 
• When I Grow Up 
• All About Me - making sure she learns phone numbers, addresses, etc. 
• Health Day 
• Take Your Kid To Work - yes, this has become the everyday, but like really learning about our jobs
• Magic 
• Gardening 
• Friendship Day - the kid picked this one! 
• College - WVU, duh. Thankfully, they made some resources for parents!
• Music - When mom’s in charge, we about to learn about some hip hop. Stay tuned for a Tootsie Slide. 
• United States - exploring the states

Read More

What I’m Doing While Not Blogging Part 3: Reading

Reading more wasn’t a “resolution’ that I made, but in January I started taking advantage of our awesome local library more. They have a great selection and I just can't purchase anymore books. I read them once and then they collect dust. Exception = Harry Potter. I will forever own those.

Thinking about how I use my screen time, most of it is devoted to reading. Reading news or magazine articles. Reading blogs. So as a way to put down the screen a bit, I started reading more books.

So what have I been reading…

All We Ever Wanted - Surprisingly I haven’t read more Emily Griffin books. This might have been my first one. Loved it. The book focuses on the mom of a high school boy and deals with topics parents face today thanks to cell phones. Also, the relationship between the husband and wife. Quick, good read. Recommend it.

The Library Book - Very interesting, true story, about how the Los Angeles Public Library burnt down. Sadly, this book was a new release and due back to my local library pretty quick, so I didn’t get to finish it. It was a bit of a slower read for me. I can’t totally recommend it.

Little Fires Everywhere - Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington started filming this adaptation, so I had to read it before Hulu show comes out! Loved it. The book is set in the Shaker Heights suburbs of Cleveland. The author, Celeste Ng, actually spent some years living in Pittsburgh, so there are some local references! It’s the story of an artist mom and her high school daughter that move around a lot and end up in Shaker Heights. The story focuses on the relationship between the future Reese and Kerry characters and their children. It’s good. Read it. Now.

My Oxford Year - A somewhat self-explanatory title lol. This book is about a woman that spends a year studying at Oxford while still contributing to a political campaign in the states. It’s more love story vs, politics. Actually, politics plays a very minor role in the story. Anyways, while studying, she meets a guy. Will she stay in Oxford or go back to the US? You’ll need to read. Loved it. I want more. I want this to be a movie. I was actually surprised how much I liked this!

What Alice Forgot - This story is by Liane Moriarty, who wrote Big Little Lies - which I read when Lennon was born and pretty much forget the story. I blame sleep deprivation! I think the HBO show is confusing me too because it’s strayed so far from the book. Back to What Alice Forgot. I loved this story. Some parts were a little slow and it started to remind me of All We Ever Wanted in weird ways, BUT this is a story of Alice - who was working out, fell off a cycle bike and hit her head. She wakes up and can’t remember the last 10 years of her life. She and her husband are separated, her sister doesn’t like her much and she has three kids she can’t remember. The story then goes back in time to help Alice remember what she “forgot.”

Victoria - I remember discovering this author, Daisy Goodwin, from some article headline that said “If you miss Downton Abbey, read/watch this” and Victoria was on that list. It’s likely because it was made into a PBS series - which I watched after reading this book! That’s a long way of saying - if you are into Downtown Abbey, old school royalty with some fact/fiction/love, this book is for you! The first season of the PBS series followed the book pretty close and I loved it! I wish there were more books for the other seasons because I started to get lost. This was one of the first books I read this year and went on a Daisy Goodwin kick - following it up with The Fortune Hunter. Loved that too. I want more! 

I think that about covers it! I’m looking forward to knocking down some more books this summer! If you read something good that I should add, let me know!

Read More

What I'm Doing While Not Blogging: Part 1 - Exercise.

Hello? Is this thing on?

HA!

I’ve mentioned before that I have pages and pages and binders and binders of unpublished blog ideas. If only there was more time and resources!

I have a few blog posts up my sleeve for this week in a series I’m going to call - “What I’m Doing When I’m Not Blogging…” I wish I had something more creative. I’m open to suggestions.

Let’s start with the first thing I’m probably doing when not blogging. Well, that’s not true. I’m probably “Mom-ing.” That is a verb, right?

The other thing I’m probably doing my shock you. I’m working out.

I used to totally roll my eyes when I saw people sharing their workout on social media. Like everyone really needed to see that you ran 5 miles this morning while I was still in my pjs. Cool, bro.

Now, I’m a somewhat changed woman. I finally found a workout class that I’m super happy to share a screenshot of my “performance” with my husband and sister once I’m done - with a funny gif of someone falling off a bike.

A bike because, I’m officially obsessed with cycle class.

Before I begin, let me say that I’m not someone that doesn’t like working out. My first job when I was 14-years-old was working the front desk at a gym. I also had a membership, a workout plan from a trainer and occasionally took aerobics classes (yep, I said aerobics).

I’ve always tried to remain active - to balance my love of wine and chocolate - but as you get older and work long hours at a desk, and try to keep tiny humans alive, it gets harder. Throw in an unexpected heart condition that I learned about in 2015, it certainly made my workout plan a little different (everything is okay - I just have some limits!).

Back to Cycle.

In the summer of 2017, a cycle studio became one of my public relations clients. This “forced” me into taking two classes. Then, they opened a studio by my house and I’ve been going on the regular.

If you’ve never participated in a spin class, read on. If you have, you can continue to read, but this may be boring.

I had taken a spin class at a gym before, but nothing like this! The difference is CycleBar is a boutique studio - spin classes is all they offer!

At this studio, you submit your shoe size when you register and they supply spin shoes. It’s kinda like bowling. Yes, it freaked me out a little at first, but you need to wear them because you can clip into the bike pedals. Trust me, you need to do this!

When you book your class, you book your bike. It’s important that you check in and sit at your assigned bike. That’s how you get your results. More on that later.

Most classes are 45 minutes, but they do offer 60 minute classes. Each class typically has a 10-ish minute warm up and a little cool down at the end. For most of the 45 minutes, you are pedaling along to different songs and exercises on a bike. No, you aren’t sitting in the saddle the whole time (that’s what we in the biz call the seat).

The “bar” in CycleBar comes from the two weighted bars at the front of each bike (you can kinda see them on this awful pic below the handlebar). I wish I told you that I found an exercise class where you sip rose and burn calories, but not here folks. This “bar” is all about those arm muscles. During one song, the instructor leads you through an arm workout - typically it’s like 5 straight minutes too. 

I’m not a CycleStar by any means, but after each 45 min. class, I typically burn around 600 calories. During one fluke class, I managed to burn 1,025 and I have the screenshot to prove it. 

Oh yeah, about those stats. They are delivered to your inbox after each class and some mysterious math that has to do with your height, weight, RMPs on the bike and resistance. They also email you your CLASS RANKING. So you know where you finish among your fellow riders. 

When I first started classes, I’d ALWAYS finish last. But in the words of my favorite music artist of the moment, Drake - “Started from the bottom now I’m here!” Here = third to last lol. 

If you made it this far and never tried cycle, I’d totally recommend it! I’m personally pretty shocked how much I enjoy it. I’m not bored, 45 minutes is totally doable, my studio offers a lot of different class times, the instructors are great and make awesome playlists and you feel great after your ride. The fact that they send you scores also makes you want to go back and do better - it’s highly motivating! 

I could go on and on, but I'm going to end this and think about my next workout. Kidding. Kind of.

If you go: 

• Don’t forget socks. Also, the room is always super cold in the beginning, so it's totally normal to wear layers! 
• Bring a water bottle. No need to fill it - they have fancy water machines. They supply a towel. 
• Make your ride, YOUR ride. If you want to sit down and pedal the whole time, you do that.
• Wait for a sale to buy rides - it can be a little pricey. Do the math to figure out the most cost effective price per class for your schedule. 
• Scope out the room for fans. Book a bike near the fan! 
• I wear slide sandals with socks. Yep. But it makes putting my shoes on quick and easy!
• Don’t expect to lose a lot of weight. I’ve been cycling 2-3 time a week and I know my clothes fit a little better, but I’m not seeing the numbers move on the scale. I hear this is common, but there is muscle forming somewhere! While dropping some LBS would be nice, I’m in this for the “healthy lifestyle’ thing ; )

One day, my instructor said something that stuck with me. For some people, the hardest part of the workout is making it through the door. I've completed 54 classes without a "buddy" and I know it can be intimidating to try things on your own. You can also have a million excuses for hitting that cancel button. Consider trying it one time to see if you like it! 

Read More

Don't Get Caught In Social NETworking Scams

You guys. Us adults warn kids to be careful on the internet, but sometimes us adults need reminded as well.

(source)

By day, I work in the social media field. Unfortunately that means I’m on Facebook a lot for client work during the day. And sometimes I see adults being unknowingly gullible, so I wanted to share two cases of that this week.

I saw a number of PA and New Jersey friends think they were entering to win a Disney vacation because they shared a post from a “Walt Disney World” account. Because of my job I know that it’s Facebook illegal to ask consumers to share a post to win something. Sometimes some small companies dodge the rule and get away with it. However, if you are “Walt Disney World,” you know the rules. Here are said rules.

If that wasn’t a red flag that this promotion was fake, I clicked on the “Walt Disney World” page. The page had 2,000 likes and was created five days prior. Second red flag. If this was a Disney official page, it would have been created well in advance and had A LOT more likes. To put things into perspective, the real Walt Disney World page has almost 15 MILLION likes.

So next time you see a contest on Facebook, remember - a brand can’t ask you to share something to win. Also, before entering anything, check the page to make sure it’s legit.

I know what you are going to ask - why would someone create this page? Well working in social media for several years now let me just tell you...PEOPLE ARE WEIRD.

The second scam is a pyramid scheme (and I’m not even going to talk about the Nerium or BeachBody people). I saw one person post about receiving children’s books while the other was about buying one $10 gift and I didn’t even finish the reading rest (apparently it’s some “Secret Sister” game).  

This is another example of something that isn’t allowed on Facebook. Like this blog says, both the book exchange and Secret Sister game can mean someone is collecting your address and that addresses of other women which could put you all at risk for identity theft. Read more here.

I’ll be sure to share more things that I spot, but in the meantime BE CAREFUL! Always check things out before hitting share or participating. And DO NOT share your personal information with strangers (or even those people you knew from high school)!

Read More

The New Dance You Need To Know: How To Hit The Quan

I consider myself fairly hip. Down with the lingo the kids are using these days. I also try to keep my pulse on the latest dance trends as evident in past blog posts.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been over the Whip/Nae Nae like three weeks ago and thanks to the Dancing With The Stars commercials, I’m even more over it. The Nae Nae isn’t new either. It’s been around almost as long as twerking - moms and the mainstream media just got ahold of the dance this summer. I can’t even imagine going to a wedding this fall. DJs probably go from Electric Slide to Macarena to Cha Cha Slide to Soulja Boy to Dougie to Whip/Nae Nae.

I digress.

Anyways, if you are over the Whip/Nae Nae like me, there is a new dances the kids have moved on to - Hit the Quan.

This song by @iHeartMemphis is currently #29 on iTunes. The dance is a bit more complicated than others and involves arm waving, hips swaying and a cool little run to the side step. Above and here is one of the best step-by-step videos that I’ve viewed and this video has 21M views. You can also see an elaborate production by a 5-year-old here and some moves from a member of the Florida Marlins during a game here.

Good luck perfecting these moves before the fall wedding season!

Read More

Social Media + Pregnancy

By day, I’m a public relations professional turned social media strategist. Given that social media is something that I live, eat, sleep, dream and breathe on a daily basis, when we found out that there would be a new addition to our family we had a discussion regarding social media. Would we announce that we were expecting via social media? What details do we want to share? What type of social footprint do we want to create for our child?

(sources: icons, onesie, bib)

Neither the hubs or I post much to our personal Facebook accounts. I haven’t updated my status in over a year nor changed my profile pic in almost two. I do use Instagram about 1-2 times a month and Twitter sparsely for random thoughts. The place I share most information is here on this little blog! So we actually aren’t the most social sharing people to begin with. Oh the irony based off of my occupation!

We shared the news that we were expecting personally with family and friends - either in person, via text or even some snail mail cards. Some people may be finding out for the first time while reading this blog (sorry if we forgot to tell you - it doesn’t mean you aren’t important).  I’ve decided to announce that we were expecting here so that I could talk about things related to this blog - shopping for baby and party planning!

It’s interesting that people now expect couples to make the announcement that they are expecting public via social media. Is it our obsession with celebrities making a huge announcement? Is it because Pinterest is full of ideas for “pregnancy announcements” and “gender reveals?”

While things may certainly change once Baby Girl gets here, we’ve decided to share pictures and updates via a password protected Tumblr page that family and friends can check in on when they want their dose of pictures and updates.

Even though my job title includes the words social media, I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer about what to post online when it comes to babies and kids. I just suggesting discussing social media with your partner to ensure you are on the same page about what you want to share or not share!

Read More

Moving Right Along

            

Over the course of the last two weeks, the hubs and I said goodbye to our apartment of the last three years. It was a lovely first place for us in the Shadyside neighborhood. We haven’t moved too far (less than a mile), but I’ll miss our little courtyard garden (as seen above)! 

Sometimes reader Trish was hungover when I was moving. I asked her – what’s worse: being hungover or moving? We agreed. It’s moving.

I’m no moving expert. I clearly don’t work for Two Guys and a Truck. But I’ve moved from Pittsburgh to Morgantown to Pittsburgh to Blacksburg to Pittsburgh to Chicago to Pittsburgh. So I know a thing or two about moving. Here’s my tips.

• If you are moving a short distance, leave your clothes on the hanger. It’s easier than unhanging them, packing and rehanging them.

• My moving lifesaver – 59 cent blue Ikea bags. I packed those puppies (22 of them to be exact) with containers that I always keep packed, my shoes that are in containers, awkward shaped items, books and even pots and pans. Like I said, we didn't move far!

• Computer paper boxes. Take some of these home from work on an ongoing basis. They are sturdy and have handles (most of them. Make sure you get the ones with handles!). 

• If you are moving DIY style, move all of the light stuff first and then tackle the furniture on the last possible day. 

• Pack a bag list you are traveling for a 2-3 night stay. Use this to get ready at the old place until you are in the new place. Include clothes and all of the essentials to get ready. Don't forget to leave out towels too!

• Pack your suitcases! Fill those early in the packing process with clothes that aren't in season! 

• Pack your tools last - they'll likely be one of the last things you use at the old place and one of the first things at the new place. You may need cleaning supplies for both places - to freshen up the new one and to prep the last one for the cleaning lady or new tenants. 

• Save your bubble wrap! That stuff is expansive!

• While you are packing, organize items by room. It’s so much easier to unpack items when they are grouped by room! On moves past, I’ve also applied color-coded stickers to boxes so that the people moving knew where to place the box!

• While moving is a pain in the butt, it’s also a good time to throw things away that you haven’t used in 1+ years.

Overall, these are likely common sense tips. But please do share if you have any other tips! 

Read More

Tech Tuesday: The Art of the Instagram Hashtag

Whether or not you are on Instagram, by know you likely know about the #TBT – Throwback Thursday. And if you aren’t on Twitter, you can likely figure out what Follow Friday (#FF) means. There are some other #hashtag theme days out there that are gaining traction that I thought I would share with you all!

Why do people use these hashtags? There may be a number of reasons, but I see it as creative inspiration. It gets your juices flowing to take or use an old pic on Instagram. 

• #MCM = Man Crush Monday. An image of a man you think is hot. Can also involve male animals/pets.

• #MPM = Mirror Pic Monday. Eye roll. This is a pic of you in your mirror. If you are participating in this trend, don’t forget what’s behind you in the room! Always remember - pause & review before you post!  

• #ManiMonday = Manicure Monday. Did you get a hot manicure over the weekend? Now is your chance to flaunt your fingers.

• #TT = Transformation Tuesday. Did you lose 10 pounds and have a before + after? Did you renovate your kitchen or re-craft something? Use the #TT hashtag and show a side-by-side photo.

• #TT = Trendy Tuesday. Could be an #OOTD post (see below). Something on trend – fashion, home décor, etc.

• #WBW = Way Back Wednesday. This is for the people that can’t get enough of the Throwback Thursdays.

• #WCW = Woman Crush Wednesday. Similar to #MCM, a woman that you are crushing on.

• #TBT = Throwback Thursday. Old pictures. Enough said.

• #FF = Flashback Friday. See Throwback Thursday. For people that procrastinate the TBT. Lol.

• #SS = Summer Saturday. Show everyone how you are enjoying summer!

• #SelfieSunday = Selfie Sunday. A picture you snap of yourself. Duck face is NOT a requirement.

• #OOTD = Outfit of the Day. Typically a selfie shot of what the poster is wearing.

• #Repost. This is reposting a picture from someone else’s account. 

Read More

Follow Shot of Mom on Pinterest!

Reader Erin writes:

Tell Sue to keep pinning good things!

Reader Erin isn’t the only one that said they love what Shot of Mom Pins. Therefore, I wanted to let you all in on Sue’s Pinterest boards! You can follow her here.

Shot of Mom’s boards range from food, crafts, drink recipes, holidays and more! She pins on a frequent basis and has a following of more than 111 people! 

Read More

Five Shots for Friday

(source) 

Aughhh! It’s totally summer…and a Friday! What are your plans for dad’s day? Some grillin’ and chillin’ is on my agenda. Here are some lovely links to lead you into the weekend.

·         My homegirl Aly from Studio Bash posted photos from another amazing wedding this week. While I love looking at any wedding the Bashs shoot, I loved this wedding gift idea mentioned in the post. Someone surprised the couple by having an artist paint a picture of them at the alter during the wedding. What an awesome gift! (Oh and if you need a wedding photographer in Pittsburgh, Studio Bash is the best!)

·         Speaking of weddings, how cute is this idea from the bachelorette party of Emma from A Beautiful Mess. Six bridesmaids or friends toasted Emma with a different cocktail that was named after a memory they shared with the bride-to-be! Oh and while you visit the site, be sure to check the mini-alcohol piñata. I’ve always wanted to do that!

·         What’s the next best thing to an actual wheel of cheese? Well a digital wheel that decodes your cheese type!

·         LOVE this backyard DIY – Giant Scrabble!

·         If you can’t wait for the giant rubber ducky to come to Pittsburgh in late September, you can order a giant inflatable duck for your pool here! 

Read More

Five Shots for Friday

(source)

• First there was Birchbox, then there were 5,000 other kinds of box subscription sites.  But this one caught my eye – The Period Store. A special box filled with chocolate and meds right before your time of the month (via Small Girls

• What’s on my next birthday list? A “Whip” car from Kennywood for my living room…

•  If that sells out, a swan pedal boat. Wouldn’t that look fabulous sailing down the Mon?

• The latest internet photo meme: Koala-ing.

• A beer for Brady – who is a huge fan of The Pittsburgh Left. 

Read More

Bringing Online Instagram Photos Offline

Do you Instagram? If so, what do you do with your Instagram photos? Keep them in your online gallery and never print them like the majority of Instagram users?

If you are looking for a way to take your online Instagram photos and bring them to life, here are some ways you can do just that.

·         Prinstagram: This site allows you to turn your pictures into prints, posters, calendars, stickers and tiny books.

·         Stickygram: Make your photos into magnets!

·         CanvasPop: Print your photos on a canvas

·         ImageSnap: One of the more creative ideas I’ve seen, ImageSnap prints on tiles. How cool would it be to insert your photo tiles onto an at-home bar?!

·         Posterfuse: Another site that can turn your pics into a poster. This could be a cool high school graduation gift…turning the grad’s pics into a poster for their college dorm room. Oh and it’s only $22.

I actually started to digital scrapbook and used a number of my Instagram photos on the first and last pages of the book to highlight some of our travels and meals throughout the year!  

Read More

Reader Mailbag: Gone Fishing

No, not that fishing. 

Reader (and Chicago celebrity) Jason Sacks writes:

“You should do a blog post on Catfishing”

You know what I say – my readers ask, they shall receive!

I must admit, I still watch Teen Mom. Right now the current season is on Monday night at 10:00 p.m. est. Frankly, there is nothing else I watch in this time slot, so I’m typically multi-tasking while listening to Jenelle get yelled at by her mom. A few weeks ago, I noticed that Teen Mom was followed by a show called “Catfish.” After about two episodes, I was hooked. It took Brady about three or four shows, but eventually he too was reeled in (editor's note: all puns fully intended).

The premise of the show is this:

·         Hook, line, sinker: a young adult meets someone online, falls in love and wants to meet them in person

·         Young adult contacts a man named Nev (the “host” of the show) and asks Nev (who works for MTV) to help them meet their lover.  Nev is to catfishing as Chris Hansen was to sexual predators.

·         Nev and his film crew meet the young adult and get the scoop on the love affair

·         Once Nev gathers the info, he and his team do some “research,” report their findings to the young adult and typically contact the other person to schedule a meeting between the lovers

Now this is where this story always gets interesting. I’d say eight times out of 10, the person the young adult is in love with doesn't turn out to be who they thought (i.e. scary creeper). Lesson learned: There are other reel (lol) fish in the sea. 

Nev hosts this show because he too was catfished. He thought he was talking to some smokeshow (hottie) from Michigan, when it was really some mom with a fake profile. Nev’s whole story was featured in a documentary that was filmed by his brother and debuted at Sundance a few years ago.

The reason this whole “faux profile” thing is called “Catfishing” is explained in Nev’s documentary. The husband of the lady that created the fake profile said, “when live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish's inactivity in their tanks resulted in mushy flesh, but fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active. Vince feels that people like Angela are "catfish", who keep other people active in life” (via Wikipedia).

If I’ve learned all there is to be a parent from Teen Mom (no, I’m not with child, Sorry Mom!), then I’ve learned all there is to be a catfish expert from Nev.

If you are talking to someone that you met online, here are some signs that they may not be real:

1.      They won’t talk to you on the phone: In one episode some cute athlete guy says that his online love can’t talk on the phone because she doesn’t have one…um, it’s 2013. I know six-year-olds with mobile phones. Tell your crush to go out and buy a $25 pre-paid phone from Walmart and call you. Also – pay phones still exists for like $50. While I’m at it, can’t you ask your neighbor to borrow their phone?

2.      They won’t Skype with you: If they are talking to you on a computer, it’s likely that computer is equipped with a camera. Ask the person to Skype with you. If they say they don’t have a camera, suggest the local Apple store or library. If they still keep saying no, ask them to send you pictures other than the ones included in their profile. You see, most people that create faux profiles only have a handful of pictures that they post.

3.      GOOGLE THEM: This is so simple…Google the person. See what a search of their name pulls. If they have a name like “Dave Smith,” type in some other things in the search box like where he’s from, maybe his occupation, school info, etc. It’s likely everyone has SOMETHING else about themselves online than just a Facebook profile.

4.      Google Image Search: This one is a bit more complicated, but once I show you how it’s done, it’s simple. Remember how I said above to ask for more pictures of the person? Well if they won’t give you any OR agree to any of the things above, save their profile picture and run a Google image search. See my step-by-step instructions below. Your search may turn up identical pictures that may have been stolen from someone else’s profile. Yes, there are sick people now that steal people’s Facebook pictures to make their own faux profile. Sick world we live in!

 A few other ways to uncover a Catfish:

·         Look at their friends (if the list is open). Are they friends with relatives?

·         Read comments on their wall and photos. Who comments on their photos?

·         Find out when the profile was created. Are they new to Facebook? Are they friends with people from high school and/or college?

·         Ask them to talk about their family and job.

A lot of this seems like common sense, but if you watch the show, it’s rather crazy how these things don’t occur to the young adult that is in love!

Anyway, I hope sharing these tips educated you on the topic of catfishing so that you either aren’t duped OR can ensure that your child doesn't fall victim to internet fraud! 

Read More

Five Shots for Friday

Tomorrow. It’s here. The SHOT OF BRANDI HOLIDAY GIFT A DAY posting! Like a good elf, I’ve been researching, book marking and writing posts for the entire month of December of gifts for a variety of friends, family members and kids. I’m super excited about some of these items!

(photo from Shot of Brandi* Google analytics)

Anyways, here’s five links to keep you occupied today.

·       Um, wow. Hey 59 People that stumbled on my blog looking for images of Mario Lemieux’s new house because of this past post! Surprise! I don’t have any hockey scoop for you – just glitter, wine and crafts around these parts.  (And yes, I’m watching you people. I have analytics on this blog, what, what!)

·       Rentable glitter carpet for events? Your welcome.

·       32 Best Memes of 2012

·       Having a bad day? Check out Daily Odd Compliment (thanks, sometimes reader Britta)

·       Why wasn’t there a Pro Wrestler in the School of Journalism when I was at WVU?!

Read More

Do.It.All.Again - Five Shots for Friday

(source)

·       Yellowtail wine satisfies girls craving for glitterly products by adding some sparkle to its Sweet Red Roo wine!

·       Speaking of alcohol, maybe I need a little Gingerbread Kahlua in my hot chocolate?

·       A Rubix Cube Birthday Cake? This is awesome

·       Speaking of birthdays, Etsy now has GIFT CARDS! Whoot whoot!

·       I.Can’t.Get.Enough.Of.This.Party! LOVE the styling!

Read More