Pop Culture Connections

Really lovin' this topic so far. I love really thinking about the people who are important to me and the ways I stay connected to them. I'll admit that sometimes the daily-ness of it all makes it difficult to really maintain meaningful connections.

Look for examples of connections in pop-culture today.

Movie: Breakfast Club
Those kids so did not expect to be connected. But, they were.

Book: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Gadget: Email
I do realize email isn't a gadget, but it is most certainly my favorite technological advance in terms of communication.

As always, one entry for any comment.
Two entries for commenting and/or blogging with your own pop culture list.

Connect the Dots

My family used to go on a lot of road trips when I was young. I became an expert at that game where you draw dots and then each person gets to make one straight line (at a time) and try to make boxes. Once you made a box you would put your initials in it. Loved that game. I thought of myself as quite the strategic little thinker.

Making connections in real life can some times be like that. You make a friend, introduce a friend to that new friend and voila new connections are made. Maybe you are looking for a new job and have to try and leverage the people you know into a new opportunity for yourself.

I have a friend who says he trades on the relationship market, as oppposed to the stock market. Who does he know? are they rising for falling? Interesting way to think of all the people we meet, deal with, like or dislike.

Here is the connection questionairre -- tell me about your dots that are connected!

• Do you come from a large family? Is your family close in a traditional sense?


• Do you like to throw parties of strange groupings of people?


• Where do you make most of your connections?


• If you wanted to make a new friend, where would you look first?


• Who is your most trusted with a secret connection?


• Who is your connection who knows the most people?


• Who is your connection that you have lost touch with but would like to rekindle?


• Do you make a lot of new connections or stick with your older connections?


• Have you ever had to move and start over?


• Do you believe internet connections are as powerful as real life connections?

Alter Ego—Week Three—The Theme

We’ve had some fun talking about girl power.
We’ve taken a hard look at our habits.

This week’s our focus is. . . connections.

We grappled with whether or not to make this an actual Alter Ego topic; it feels like we’ve already “covered” it. When I really thought about it, though, we’ve never covered it on purpose; it’s just something that comes up naturally in conversation.

So, this week, let’s look purposefully and thoughtfully at connections.

Who are you connected to?
What connections do you value most?
How do you maintain connections?
How do you build new connections?

The challenge for today. . . share a quote meant to make all of us think about connections.

One entry for a comment

Two entries for a blog post.

Three entries for getting another person to play along (as long as that person lets us know it was you who sent him or her here)

“Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.”

-----Harriet Goldhor Lerner

Creatures of Habit

Wow - what a week! Thank you so much for sharing yourselves and your time with us.

• This reader is going through some serious, heavy stuff. She needs us, our prayers and a little support. HUGS from me and everyone at Fancy Simple.
• This reader brought this reader (A BOY, Gasp!) to participate in our photo hunt.
• This reader understands that change happens with one little step.
• This reader did the questionairre but I was most impressed with the photos of chocolate...yum.

This weeks winner?

Congratulations Jennifer!!! Please email your address to fancysimple@gmail.com.

Stay tuned, tomorrow kicks off our new theme!

7 Habits of ____________

Disclaimer:
I've never actually read Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Perhaps that is why I've yet to learn how to be highly effective. I tend to shy away from self-helpish books. I think the only one I've ever read is Who Moved My Cheese?. I digress. . .

Today marks the end of our little look at habits, routines, tendencies, mannerisms, grooves, addictions. . . whatever you want to call them.

To wrap it all up, I challenge you to choose seven habits (in honor of Covey) that you believe make an effective person. Define effective yourself. They could be habits you already have in place; they could be habits you aspire to. Choose seven.

One entry for a comment. Two entries for a blog post.

(By the way. . . I will get to that habit photo hunt. I'm really excited about it. I just haven't quite managed to make it a priority yet.)

Stay tuned on Sunday for a wrap-up of the week and a winner.

Friday Full of Habits

First let me say that I LOVED the Habit Hunting photos. Great work ladies! I have been reading your posts and you are pushing the boundaries.

I have noticed on some post that many of you felt bad recognizing your habits. Let me say, we ALL have bad habits (I personally have more than I would care to admit)!

Today is Action Day at Fancy Simple. For your habit related action I challenge you to spice it up today. If you normally order a diet coke, order diet dr. pepper today. If you normally are a couch potato, go for a walk in your neighborhood. Do something today to change one tiny habit and then write about what that was like.

Maybe someone wants to write a spicy email or make a spicy phone call to their hubby today -- that would be a new habit I could get started on!!!

As always, one entry per comment, two for a blog post.

Happy Friday!

Habit Hunt

We haven't done a photo scavenger hunt for AGES!

Grab your cameras and find one picture for each of the following categories:
1. Habits in Action
2. Good Habits
3. Not-so-good Habits
4. Habits to Aspire To
5. Habit Forming

(I left the categories vague on purpose. I can't wait to see how each of you interprets them.)

FIVE entries for posting a link to your set of photos. But, you have to have a photo for each category.

ONE entry just for leaving a comment.

Watch for mine later today. . .

Habits... a Pop Culture Overview

Well, I have to admit that I was pretty excited to read about everyone's routines! You ladies are BUSY!

Today is Pop Culture Overview Day here at Fancy Simple Alter Ego. Finding Pop Culture references to habits and routines was a little harder than girl power - but more fun too - I had to search my memories!!!!

Movie -- Groundhog Day. Fun spoof at what you would do if you could alter your routine in big and small ways to change the direction of one day.

Music -- 9-5 by Dolly Parton. I mean, come on! What gives us more of a routine than getting up and heading to work every day - sometimes with bosses that just don't get us?

Blog -- Ok. Every single day I MUST check the throwing things blog. What is your must check?

One entry for commenting.

Two entries for doing a post on your blog.

Three for getting someone else to play too!

Q&A: Habit Forming

Post a comment to earn one entry.
Post your answers to the questionnaire on your own blog to earn two entries.

1. What's your morning routine?
2. What's your bedtime routine?
3. What's missing from your daily routine?
   
4. What is a habit you're working hard to develop?
5. What is a habit you're working hard to break?
   
6. At your favorite restaurant, do you always order the same thing or do you try the special?
7. What things do you buy at the grocery store every single time you go?
8. What would someone close to you say is your most annoying habit?
9. Which outside forces have the biggest impact on your routines?
10. Describe the person you know who is most driven by habit.

Thanks for playing along.

Alter Ego -- Week Two -- The Theme

Good morning ladies! I hope you are returning from your weekends refreshed and rejuvinated. Funny how a few days can make a big difference huh? I was lucky to spend the weekend with some of my girls (shopping, eating, maybe even a few drinks) but now it is back to real life.

Real life is made up of the routines we create. The things we have to do (or choose to do every day). Rhonna Farrer is one of my favorite ladies. She often runs 21 day challenges - encouraging people to start a new habit. A new routine.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -- Jim Rohn.

This weeks theme is HABITS. What are the little routines, must do's, and details that make up your day? Your life? Your inspiration?

This project started out as a way for Barb and I to get motivated. To not be so complacent with our every day and to THINK ABOUT THINGS. Along the way, we have learned some things about each other, you fun people, and our relationship.

We would like to you think about your habits this week. Are there habits that you must have? Are there habits you would like to break? Are there habits that you hope to create?

To get you started on this theme - can you make a timeline of your day? What is your normal routine? How do you get from Monday to Tuesday?

One entry for posting a comment. Two entries for posting on your blog. Three entries for getting a friend to play (just make sure they indicate who inspired them to participate).

Most of all.... Have fun!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Wow ladies. What a great start to the alter ego challenge! I would like to highlight a few cool things from this challenge:

• One of you is applying for a new job. (GOOD LUCK!)
• One of you remembered a special woman and shared with the rest of us.
• One of you is from the same state and me and Barb!
• One of you is learning to take some time for yourself. Good for you!

Many of you in your questionairre said that you didn't think you mentored anyone. To end the Girl Power week, I want to share something with you. I have been blessed to have strong women (in my career, in my family, in my faith, in my hobbies) who took an interest in me and helped me learn how to be the kind of woman that I wanted to be. Mentoring doesn't have to be something big, scary and official. It can be small, someone to take you to coffee and say -- this is the image you are presenting to the world - is that what you mean to do? Take time in the next few days to think if there is a younger woman that crosses your path that you can share a little bit of yourself to. Pay it forward ladies!

Now, for what you have all been waiting for.............

CONGRATULATIONS RANI!!!!! you are the winner of this weeks challenge. Can you please email us your address at fancysimple@gmail.com?

Tomorrow will start another theme. These themes get better and tougher as we go on - so bring your friends! I have really enjoyed learning about your lives and hope you continue to visit the other FS gals who are in this challenge.

xoxoxo Angie and Barb

the Power of Girl Power

We've celebrated girl power all week through quotes, questions, pop culture, and photos.

Today is your chance to take action on the topic.

I challenge you to do something for another woman sometime soon.
Donate winter coats or board games or books to a women's shelter.
Send flowers to your friend who just had a baby!
Help your widowed neighbor carry in her groceries.

Do something kind for another woman.

Tomorrow a winner!
Monday a new topic. . .

GIRL POWER - an essay in Photos

Where did you learn about:

(thanks for the photo Colleen!)

Was it from:

Your crazy friends?

Maybe your Grandma?

Or did it come from experience?

Liz writes:
This is my girlpower photo because whenever I need to feel like I have accomplishedanything in this world I look at this photo. I grew this person for9+ months, pushed her out for a whole day, nursed her for the next 15months and loved her every second since the minute we knew she wascoming. Now she is her own girl who does not need a BABYsitter, but abig girl sitter, who picks her own clothes, and writes her own name.Every day I make choices that affect her well-being and development.If that isn't girl power I don't know what is.

I learned about girl power from my mom - a lady who embodies toughness with a smile:

Today's challenge? create something, a photo, a layout, a poem. show us your girl power without words. This will be worth 3 additional entries (so be sure to point us towards your creation).

Happy Friday!

Girl Power is All Around

So. . . we've been introduced to our theme.
We've found some quotes related to the theme.
We've answered some great questions about the theme.

Today. . . let's find some examples.

To earn one entry today. . . leave a comment.
To earn two entries today. . . leave a comment (or post on your own blog) about:
1 song
1 book title
1 movie
that completely show girl power!

Here are mine:
Song: These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra. . . not Jessica Simpson)
Book: Thousand Splendid Suns
Movie: Bridget Jones's Diary

Girl Power QUESTIONAIRRE

Good morning! Can you believe it is already Wednesday? It seems to me like this week is flying by. I can't hardly keep up!

Thanks so much for all your great thoughts, attitudes and willingness to hang with us through this experiment.

Today's challenge? A Questionairre. Twenty Questions about being a GIRL.

1. Name
2. Pink - Love it or Hate it?
3. Signature shade of lipstick, lipgloss, etc.
4. Do you have a best girl friend?
5. Do you have a woman mentor?
6. Are you a woman mentor to someone else?
7. Tomboy or Princess?
8. Favorite Girl Band
9. Are you a mom? Do you want to be one?
10. Do you and your mom have any rituals?
11. Fashion magazines - yea or nay.
12. Do you have a feel good outfit?
13. Have you called your grandma or special aunt, or special older lady lately?
14. Signature Scent?
15. Favorite female tv character
16. Favorite place to hang out with gal pals?
17. Did you ever ditch your girl friends to be with a guy? Do you still?
18. Friend you call when you need a laugh?
19. Friend you call when you need a shoulder to cry on?
20. Have you reminded your friends of how much they mean to you lately?

Fill it in. Post it on your blog. Cheer others along who are on this journey, go an comment on a blog of a fellow Fancy Simpler - Alter Ego gal (see side bar for links). Encourage others to join us, it is not too late. This is just the beginning!

As always, you can earn one entry for commenting on today's post. To earn extra points? If you post this questionairre on your blog (with a link back to here) you can earn 2 additional entries.

I love the girlie quotes you have put in the comments. Who knows, they may resurface yet this week!

go forth and spread the GIRL POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 1 THEME

Welcome to Day 2 of Fancy Word for Simple’s Alter Ego challenge.
Are you ready to have some fun, do some big thinking, and win some prizes?

This Week’s Theme:

Here are a few quotes from throughout this journey through 2007 to get you thinking about this week’s theme.

Women and Creativity
Be Your Beautiful Self
Be tough!
Get What You Want
Hoping
Toughness
Fear
Diva
More about Divas
Learning to Be Yourself
Being a Bad Girl
Sex Appeal

Are you seeing it?

Quotes from influential women about the power of being a woman.
(And these are just my favorites from January through April!)

This week’s theme: GIRL POWER

What do you love about being a woman? What do you despise?
What are some of the challenges faced by women?
Where have we been as a gender? Where are we headed?

How to Earn Prize Entries Today:

1. Go back to Sunday and sign in (if you haven’t already) to earn one entry.
2. Post a link to our contest on a message board or your own blog. Link up on to your promo on Sunday’s post (if you haven’t already) to earn two entries.
3. Respond to this post in the comments in some way to earn one entry.
   

--OR--

1. Respond to this post with your own quote (or a link to an entry on your own blog) about girl power to earn three entries.

Can't wait to read your comments! See you tomorrow for more about girl power.

Time to Alter your Ego. -- ARE YOU READY?

It's time to mix it up around here at Fancy Simple. You are probably noticing the new colors, the removed links and a general change of attitude.

WHY? We recognize that many of us come from different places -- where we live, what work we do, how we play, who we love and why we believe. There are common themes however! For the past ten months (eek!), we have been talking about lots of topics - at least on the surface.

For the next few weeks, the ALTER EGO contest will help us think deeper, build relationships and refocus our lives on the things that really matter. But we do realize that a girl needs a little incentive to do all that hard work! We promise to make it fun and throw in some fabulous prizes!

The rules?

1. You can earn one entry per day by posting a comment here.


2. Each daily post will contain ways to earn additionally entries.


3. Entries can be earned Monday through Friday. If you miss a day, feel free to go back, but NO entries will be accepted for that particular week if posted after 12 midnight (CST) on Friday.


4. Winners will be revealed each Sunday.

Each week will have a prize based on the weeks theme. The grand prize will be a package of all the things a Fancy Simple girl needs to make her way in the world. The grand prize winner will also be invited to guest blog at Fancy Simple for a week.

All participants will be entered in the grand prize drawing. You will recieve as many entries as you have earned in a particular week in the weekly drawing. Those entries will also be added cummulatively to the grand prize drawing.

Sound interesting? Your challenge for today --

Sign in! Post a comment, tell us why you want to play. All commenters today and Monday will be added to the Alter Ego Link Bar.

• If you do a blog post on your blog today about Fancy Simple (and direct us to your blog either via link or email at fancysimple@gmail.com so we know about it) you can earn 3 additional entries.


• If you post about Fancy Simple on a message board (and send us in that direction so we know!) you can earn 2 additional entries. It doesn't matter if you start the thread or just comment on a thread.

Keep your eyes peeled for the first theme. You want a hint?

WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?

Okay. We've been lots of talk this week.

Monday: Do you know who you really are?
Tuesday: Your impact
Wednesday: What really matters to you?
Thursday: Let go
Friday: Laughter

Today I challenge you to take action. . . letter writing action.

My challenge to you today is to write a letter to someone. Maybe you chose someone you've lost touch with. Maybe you just want to remind someone you care. Take an actual pen and a real piece of paper, write a special message, add a little postage and send it off.

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU.... LAUGHING ABOUT?

This week has been a little more jagged around here than many of you are used to. Tough questions - and we have been impressed with your honesty and ability to let people in, even for a glimpse. For those of you who haven't played yet. COME ON!!!! Its not hard. This will help you in the big contest (to be announced....) and in life.

But on to today. Its Friday. Lots of heavy stuff going on. So lets examine something that is a little lighter. No matter how bad things are, there are things you have to, need to laugh about. In my darkest hours, laughing is what pulled me through.

So today tell me. What are you laughing about. What or who can bring you out of a dark day even if only for a minute.

(and have a happy Friday).

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU. . .

. . . KEEPING THAT FOR?

You're doing a great job so far, dear readers, but I know there's more of you lurking around out there. Step up!

"Letting go doesn't mean giving up,
but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be."

Lighten your load on this Thursday morning.
What are you holding on to that you should have set free a long time ago?

WHAT THE HELL REALLY MATTERS TO YOU ANYWAY?

Thanks to those of you who jumped in yesterday. Don't forget that you can email your answers to fancysimple@gmail.com, blog about it and link here, or jump in the comments. This week is setting the stage for the next few weeks and getting your brain warmed up could help you. Not only is there self actualization at the end of the tunnel there are some hot hot prizes.

So for today. Get your gears moving. Tell us what really gets you fired up. What matters to you? What is at the core of who you are and want to be?

Five Things on Wednesday: What are the five things that are at the core RIGHT now of your life. Don't sugar coat. Don't hide from it. Tell us what really matters to you.

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

You probably didn't know this, but Angie and I are queens of the road trip. Our favorite road trip activity happens to be brainstorming. It's usually brainstorming about ways that we can become independently wealthy, but sometimes it's productive brainstorming.

Fancy Simple was one of those productive brainstorms. . . I think. But, I will admit that 10 months into 2007, it is starting to feel more like a chore or a routine than something that is actually thought-provoking.

So, for the next few weeks we will be kicking it up a notch by taking a good hard look at our lives and the things we stand for. There will be some tough questions, but we promise to make it very worth your while.

Your task for today. . . take responsibility.

Who have you made the biggest impact on?
Who have you let down the most?

Just post their names in the comments or via email.
Nothing else necessary (unless you want to share more).

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

Do you ever wake up in the morning and ask your self some variation of this question? Do you find that self analysis and awareness helps you in your daily journey? Are you living up to your full potential?

These questions are often at the heart of fancy simple. This little experiment is the only new years resolution I have ever truly lived up to. It has assisted me in the exploration of my life through some good and bad times.

Do you know who you really are? Do you want to know? Can you tell me five themes that make up who you are? Who you Want to be?

Barb and I have been working up a little activity. We are going to need your help and participation. NO WALL FLOWERS. We may be calling on some of you to yell out answers -so get ready.

A dame that knows the ropes is unlikely to get tied up. Mae West.

Daring

"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she’s beautiful."-Sophia Loren

Okay, so that's easy to say when you are Sophia Loren. However, Fridays are always my worst fashion day. I have double the kids, double the spit up, fingerpaint, crusted food and all other manner of Mommy accoutrement than a normal day. So today I am going to make an effort, even if it is just aiming for a good hair day, to FEEL beautiful.

I chose this quote to end my week of guest blogging because I think it really embodies what Fancy Simple is all about. Feeling inspired, even if it is just faking it until you make it. Embracing what is unique about yourself and using that to fuel your creativity. Being a gross, crusty slob is what makes most of my friends think that I'm beautiful. Let's face it, a mom who loves her kid is always a beautiful thing.

So thanks to everyone, especially my loyal posters Barb and Angie, for a great week. I really enjoyed choosing quotes and having themes, so different than the usual off the cuff blogging. I am really excited to see what you have in store for next week!

"The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain." Kahil Gibran

So, I should be rewarded for wanting to not eat the doughnut, not judged for actually eating it? Nice.

Everyone's A Cynic

"A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future." Journalist Sydney J. Harris

I am a huge fan of The Daily Show and watch it with my eyes half-open every night (I am the mother of a three year-old, I'm up early!), but some nights I see the disappointment seep through the parody and it makes a cynic out of me. I know I can get some thoughts from this crowd about how to stay positive about the political process. Come on ladies, show me what you've got!

A Thing of Beauty

"I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong." Buckminster Fuller

When I quit my job to be a stay at home mom people used to ask me if I would miss "using my brain." Little do they know that being a mom of a three year-old involves more problem-solving than, well, most jobs. For instance, how do you find more cheese, when there is no more cheese? However, being a mom means that the solution is usually beautiful, big smiles, and more cheese!

So today when you are dragging through the drudgery and scrambling for solutions, take a minute and try to make them beautiful ones.