a little bit of cheer for us all

Posted: November 10, 2010 at 12:02 pm

It looks like I will be spending another day snuggled with my little M on the couch. On the bright side, she hasn’t thrown up since about 5:30 yesterday afternoon and she slept well overnight. She still has some tummy upset though and needs her momma. That is of course my number one focus, even if it does mean another lackluster blog post.

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I’m not sorry for that though. Not every post needs to be exciting, motivational, special, or interesting. I do hope you all enjoy the majority of what I put out here, but I don’t worry when one week inhibits the fitness or fun part of Faith Fitness Fun. Thankfully, faith is always there to help me in these weeks. Life is life. It’s our job to make the best of it. Look for more regular posts on interesting topics - Q+A about my fitness competition, a discussion on abs, blogging, etc – when I have downtime later this week.

For now, I will share what I have been working on after so many of you showed interest last week when I mentioned it.

holidaybutton

First off, I can’t believe I have red and green together on my blog before Thanksgiving comes. I know I could use a little cheer though. How it works? Easy as 1-2-3!

1. Send me an email ( tina [at] faithfitnessfun [dot] com )BEFORE DECEMBER 4th with this information:

  • Name
  • Blog Name & URL
  • Mailing Address
  • ANY information you want your “Secret Gift Giver” to know – vegan/gluten free/don’t like chocolate/obsessed with giraffes/etc

2. Receive your “Secret Gift Recipient” information by Monday, Dec 6th. Put together a small gift no more than $20 in value.

3. Ship the gift out by Dec 20th (a full two weeks after you get your recipient’s info), so hopefully everyone will receive their gifts by the end of the year.

DISCLAIMERS

  • MOST importantly – please, please, please ONLY sign up if you KNOW you will participate. When Janetha hosted the Valentine gift exchange earlier this year, she had quite a few people not send their gifts. How disappointing for those expecting them. Let’s avoid that this time around. If you sign up, then DO IT. If you sign up and realize you can’t, let me know right away. Be kind!
  • This gift exchange is open to everyone who participates in the blog community, including regular readers. This is a general gift exchange for the season of giving, so no matter what your faith beliefs, feel free to participate! Also, I plan to pair those in the US with each other, Canadian addresses with each other, European with each other, so shipping costs stay as reasonable as possible.
  • Feel free to share about this gift exchange on your blog, tweet this post, share on your blog’s Facebook fan page, etc. You can also add the Holiday Blogger button (same as picture above) to your blog by copying the code from below and pasting it into a widget for your sidebar.

This is such a great community and we all deserve a special surprise to celebrate such a beautiful season of compassion and joy. Spread the cheer! And sign up! 😀

  • Do you ever feel guilty for not having exciting stuff to share on your blog? I used to, but after 9.5 months of blogging I realize not every day is wonderful…plus, it’s best to be real. And still focus on life.
  • Do you think you’re going to participate? Let me know if you have any questions on the gift exchange!

 
116 Comments to “a little bit of cheer for us all”
  1. what a wonderful idea tina!! also, can i just say M is such a stinking little cuttie, so glad she is feeling better, your such a good momma 🙂

  2. Morgan says:

    Poor baby! I hope the future big sis is feeling better soon!
    I used to feel guilty about not blogging at all. But now that I have a newborn, I just don’t have it in me. If I lose readers, oh well, but no guilt!

  3. Lee says:

    I definitely run out of things to talk about. I usually jus tstick a picture of my dog in when that happens. Or I just don’t blog.

    I was one of the people who didn’t get a gift in the Valentine’s Day gift exchange. I can’t have bad luck two times a row, so I’m definitely in. I’ll send you my info.

  4. What a fun idea! I’m definitely in for the gift exchange. I’ll send you the info.

  5. teresa says:

    I’m so glad your little sweetie is getting better. Throwing up is the worst for the little ones, I think.
    The photo is funny because I see your lower leg, but it doesn’t look possible that it’s connected to anyone.

    I love the gift exchange idea. I love sending people gifts. My info is coming.
    Thanks for organizing it!

  6. haha love the post! So true – I don’t feel bad when I don’t have anything exciting to post – true story. I try to have something to share – a book review or product review or something, but a lot of the time it’s just this was my crap day. I worked, I walked, I worked more and I came home and got in bed. LOL

    Love the idea of a gift exchange – so cute! I’ll get my info over by 12/5!

  7. Sana says:

    Not everyday is going to be happy. I am just slow blah in my classes at school, but I usually don’t post about how much it is getting to me…
    Hope your baby gets better ASAP!

    • Tina says:

      And I hope classes get better for you! I remember how stressful the end of the year was and I had pretty basic classes for me with Spanish. You’re strong and work hard though. I know you’ll make it. 🙂

  8. Awww, hopefully she gets better fast!

    Have you considered using elfster.com for the gift exchange? We are using it for a forum gift exchange and it seems to work out great – only the person you “draw” gets to see your address, you can create a wishlist and ask anonymous questions.

    Either way, you’ve got an email.

  9. kate says:

    i was just feeling like my blog post today was super lame, an easy easy easy recipe and two little gratitude nuggets. but you are right, life happens!

    i love little exchanges like this! thanks for organizing it. i will send you an email with the neccessary info.

  10. I totally agree, not every post and be incredible! Even what you think are your “boring” posts are fun for me to read. I love this idea of a blogger exchange! 🙂

  11. One of the most important aspects of your blog to me as a reader is how honest and true to yourself and your life you are. Keep it up 🙂 SO excited for the blogger gift exchange!!

  12. […] We already have over 30 signed up. Be sure you are able to participate, then join in! […]

  13. Nicole, RD says:

    AWE-SOME! I just emailed you 🙂

  14. Marlo says:

    YAY i cant wait to participate! its going to be so exciting.

  15. Sarah says:

    You are such a good mama!
    I’d backed out of the blogworld for a bit there, and when I came back, I read many of your posts. You, Tina, are a breath of fresh air.
    And yes, I think I will participate in that gift exchange of yours. I think that sounds like a great idea:).

  16. Just sent you an email this is so fun!

  17. Leashieloo says:

    Definitely going to participate!

  18. FUN! I just sent you an email, I can’t wait to participate!

    I don’t feel guilty so much anymore but then again, I am not posting every day like I used to. I would rather post interesting stuff (or interesting to me at least) than posting fluff pieces on the daily.

  19. Tracy says:

    I love this idea! I am participating! 🙂

  20. I’ve been totally feeling like a boring blogger lately. Glad I read this post! Love the gift exchange idea.

  21. Howdy Chica! I love your blogging gifts idea. I think I might do it, but need to be sure first. 😉 I have a birthday party, then a cruise, then an anniversary, then Xmas! So, December is a busy month for us! Anyway, I wanted to write in and make sure you check out my post from today. I know you’ll appreciate it. 😉

  22. If I were to post tonight, it would have said that I got so busy frying up the chicken nuggets that I didn’t notice the horrible smell coming from the oven. I totally charred the sweet potato fries. sigh. Seeing how often others post makes me feel guilty. I am lucky to get one good post out a week. 🙂

    I am in on the gift exchange!

  23. Thank you so much for coming up with this idea. I think we have alot in common from what I just read on your blog. My wife Ashlee and I blog at http://ashandlewplus2.com She is a stay at home mom of twins and I a pastor. We blog about our life’s journey towards having a balanced life as well as a healthy life. Check us out and you will be getting an email from us about the gift exchange.
    Lew

  24. I sent you an e-mail. Just let me know if it didn’t arrive! 🙂

  25. I want in! I’ll email you! 🙂

  26. Brittany says:

    I’m so glad i saw this … Such a great idea!

  27. […] is organizing a blogger gift exchange. She is 8 months pregnant and taking on this task PLUS caring for her daughter. Thank you Tina for […]

  28. […] Want something different under your tree?  Tina at Faith, Fitness, Fun is hosting the blogger gift exchange. […]

  29. Katie H says:

    Hi Tina! I love that you are hosting this! I emailed you a week or two ago to participate…let me know if you didn’t get it! 🙂

  30. I definitely might be interested! But I want to make sure 100% that I can before I email you. What a great idea! What kind of stuff should we be sending to eachother? Baked goods? Anything?

    • Tina says:

      Thanks for being 100% sure before committing. 🙂

      And as for what to send – any little items. Things like homemade goods or favorite treats you want to share (like a local item you love). Little picture frames, cute stationary, a cute but inexpensive workout top, quality running socks for a runner, Starbucks gift card, etc. Any number of things really! Nothing more than $20 in value and you can always find smaller, easier to ship items. I hope this helps!

  31. […] in my future… which is GREAT because I have a holiday party to attend this weekend AND the blogger gift exchange to look forward to! (Make sure you sign up for the gift exchange if you haven’t […]

  32. […] Only a few days left to sign up for the gift exchange if interested! […]

  33. This is a BEAUTIFUL Idea!! I will blog about it and send ppl over!! Let’s get record numbers giving! Thanks!

  34. Kristi says:

    What a great idea!

  35. […] I transferred a bunch of my pretzels into a Santa tin and tied them off with a festive red ribbon for one of my gifts for my Secret Santa as part of Tina’s blogger holiday gift exchange. […]

  36. Savvy says:

    Aww, missed this!! I guess there’s always next year. I look forward to watching everybody’s unique gift ideas!!

  37. What a cool idea! So sorry I missed it!

  38. […] anyone else participating in Tina’s Blogger Gift Exchange? I got the name of the person I am buying for and too excited! I’ve never done one before I […]

  39. […] have to run out during lunch today (burr) and get my Blogger Gift Exchange gift! I’ve been looking for something in particular for a week now! Who would have thought it […]

  40. […] rockin’ out to Christmas tunes on Pandora, and wrapping up some Christmas presents. I’ve got a Blogger Holiday Gift Exchange gift to send out […]

  41. […] made some for my partner in the blogger gift exchange! Your package is being sent tomorrow! Sorry for the […]

  42. […] year, I had one extra gift on my list, too. I signed up for Tina’s Blogger Gift Exchange, so I had a Secret Santa gift to shop for as […]

  43. […] With another week under my belt, I was excited to do absolutely nothing on Friday night but relax with Linky. But I has a super surprise waiting for me at my door–my secret santa gift from Tina’s Blogger Gift Exchange!! […]

  44. […] am participating in Tina’s secret santa gift exchange and I got my gift!Thank you so much SUKI! This is seriously the best present I could ask for and I […]

  45. Aw… too bad I miss this… looks like fun! Hopefully next year though! 🙂

  46. […] This year, I decided to join in the fun at Tina’s Blogger Gift Exchange. […]

  47. […] night, my mom and I made a quick stop in Jacksonville to pick up a package! I signed up for the blogger gift exchange hosted by Tina and was super excited to get my package! And my secret blogger […]

  48. […] you very much to Tina for organizing the Secret Santa gift exchange and thank you to Meagan for sending such an awesome […]

  49. […] into the holiday, I was most excited for the blogger Secret Santa exchange put on by Tina! How awesome that idea was. Needless to say I was pretty stoked about what I got for Jamie. […]

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