Happy Friday, everyone! I’m joining Jennifer in 7 Quick Takes today…

1. For those of you in the US, I hope you had a great 4th of July! We went to our local parade then had a celebration in our neighborhood, complete with a blow-up water slide for the kids and speakers and a microphone for a talent show. It was such a fun time with family and friends and we feel so lucky to have such great neighbors!

Bailey at the parade.

Just a few of the fireworks! (We have quite a show in our court each year. This year, we probably had about 100 people gathered together watching.)



Me with just some of our awesome neighbors!

 2. Endings and beginnings: After almost two years of being the Managing Editor of 5MinutesforFaith, I’ve passed the baton to my friend and fellow writer, Barbie. Not only is Barbie a beautiful writer, she is also incredibly organized and online savvy. (She’s already doing some exciting things over at the site!) While I will really miss leading the team of amazing, beautiful women over there, I’m super excited to be sticking around and starting back up as one of the regular writers there. If you haven’t been over to the site in a while, be sure to stop by and check it out. You’ll be inspired and encouraged!

3. On a completely different note, if you’re a mom with 50-100 pounds to lose, there’s an open casting call in Long Beach, CA on July 16th. The producers of The Biggest Loser and Extreme Home Makeover are casting for a new daytime ABC show (called The Revolution) and they are looking for deserving moms who want to make a change in their lives. See more here: https://bit.ly/l3haSP (I’m not getting paid to mention this; I was contacted by the producers and just think this is a great opportunity for moms. In fact, after I emailed one of my neighbors about this opportunity, she emailed it to a friend and her friend submitted an audition application! I’m so excited for her and I can’t wait to see what happens!)

4. Some tips for anyone on twitter, I came across this excellent article on maximizing use of twitter. I wanted to share it with you because it’s a great read!

5. And for you bloggers: if you are new to the world of blogging, I came across this great article: 9 Tips for New Bloggers. It has some some good advice worth checking out!

6. My son (10) is wanting to start guitar lessons. (I’m really excited; I think he’ll love it!) There’s a group lesson through our city parks and rec department that I’m thinking would be a good place to start… Have any of your kids taken guitar lessons? Do any of you have tips for beginners or recommendations about lessons that I should be thinking about? Thanks for any advice!

7. Last, make sure to stop by for Mom-Monday next week! I am finishing up revisions to my parenting book and am looking for quotes/stories from other moms to include in it. I’ll explain more about it on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone! What are your plans? My daughter has a swim meet and I’m so glad that the temperature will only be about 90 here in California! (It has been 103 and 104 the last couple of days!)