Blog With Integrity

It seems I'm not so good at taking breaks.
Or maybe it actually wasn't a good time after all. There's a lot going on in the blog world right now.
I'm just going to keep this short & simple, since I am, after all, on break. Sort of.
Blog-wise, I am a very small fish in a very large ocean. I've definitely considered trying to get sponsors, more ads, etc. But I haven't done it, mostly because this is my little home on the internet, and I don't want anyone else to tell me what to do with it. I want to do what I want to do here. Because I want to do it. Not for any other person, business, or purpose.
My goal when I began was not to make money, or get free stuff. It was just to blog. I've been "writing" things in my head since I was a small child and first became a bookworm. It was only natural to start a blog. When I began, I didn't even know the other stuff existed. And now that I do....I don't really care.
I also learned after starting my blog, all about the blog community. That, I care about. Friendships, support, the awesome power of social networking...those things are amazing. And they should be used for good, not evil.

That said....

BLOG with INTEGRITY

By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them.

BlogHop '09

I go and announce that I'm taking my first ever Blog Break, and what happens? I stumble upon this awesome party going on this weekend! It's BlogHop '09. I'm all about a party, so I just had to crank out one quick post and join in on this one. It's a little fun for those of us who aren't at BlogHer '09. I'd love to be there - maybe next year!

So, here's a little about me:
My name is Cyndy. My husband, John, and I have been married for 4 years. Between the two of us, we have four children. Our boys are 16 & 9 years old, and the girls are 13 & 8. They are all awesome kids & we're very proud of them. My husband also has an angel baby, his firstborn son, who lived only 3 weeks. We live in a small town in North Florida.
John is my hero; I never imagined finding a man like him. He is such a good person and so laid-back. He took on a stressed-out single mom and her three kids, and loves us and takes care of us. He also makes me laugh even when I am in the foulest mood EVER. We are very good for each other.
I'm a little bit of a hippy who wants to save the world. We volunteer as much as we can, and try to help charities in small ways. One of those is the March for Babies, as John's firstborn son was a preemie. We walk & raise money in his memory at least once a year.
We are very committed to animal rescue, and foster cats and dogs. We currently have four dogs, three cats, and one fish of our own, and a handful of foster kittens.
I work nights full time at a hospital, and will soon be going to college to start the prerequisites I need for nursing school, which is exciting and a little terrifying.
We love going to outdoor concerts, the springs, the beach, river, lake....we like water. We love camping. I'm all about making memories and having fun. We love to laugh.
I'm not a type-A, overachieving kind of mom. I'm a DysFUNctional kind of mom. I'd rather leave the dishes in the sink and take the kids to the park. Our house is a chaotic zoo (which is why my Twitter name is CyndysZoo!). And that's the way we like it.
There's so much more to say, but this is supposed to be a quick introduction and I think I passed that a couple of paragraphs ago!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy Hopping!

On BlogHer, Babies, Boobs, and Breaks

Unfortunately, I will not be here this weekend: BlogHer (Orlando '10, anyone?)

I will, however, be hanging out here: http://www.blogherathome.com/.

And there are a few other places I'd like to show you. Maybe you can find some new places to hang out while you're not at BlogHer (I'm assuming you're not, because if you were, you probably wouldn't be reading this post!).

If you haven't already, check this out:

The Spohrs are helping NICU families in Maddie's honor. I can only imagine how much the families will appreciate this. It's such a meaningful contribution in Maddie's name.

This is a new site, custom-made for us under-achievers who are proud to do the minimum!

And every chance I get, I'm ogling this site:

Who wouldn't be??

And when I'm done with all of that....I'm going to take a little break. I've never really taken one, and this is my 358th published post! I can haz a rest? I figure this is a good time, with so many people being so busy with BlogHer. I'll still be visiting, and I'll be back - I promise!

And better than ever. ;o)