If there is a social media site out there, chances are I’m on it. I love to Facebook, YouTube, Tweet and Tout, but my newest obsession is Pinterest.

When I was growing up, I had a cork board on my wall at home where I would pin pictures I cut out of magazines. It was full of things I loved, things I wanted, inspiration, motivation. Pinterest is a virtual cork board.

Would you ever think of doing a veggie platter like this?

What about deviled eggs in the shape of baby chicks?

Did you know you can braid really short bangs with just two pieces of hair?

Quick Way To Braid Short Bangs

Or store cutting boards on a cabinet door using a magazine rack?

These are all things I found on Pinterest. It’s cheaper than a magazine (free).  And the ideas are endless.  It’s also a great marketing tool for businesses. For instance, my close friend designs housewares products for her family’s company, Architec Housewares in Delray Beach. She pins her products on Pinterest. Someone repins them until pretty soon people all over the country are seeing her cutting boards, cups and colanders.

The one downside to Pinterest is that I find myself shopping more often. You see something you like — you can easily order it. For instance, this green dress I spotted on Pinterest should be arriving in the mail for me any day now.

As well as this bathing suit.

I would have already ordered this leopard and striped skirt if I could find it. Some people pin without a source, so you have to do a little searching on your own. After some investigating, it appears the skirt is a Dolce and Gabbana from a few seasons ago. So it’s probably not available and definitely not in my price range. But it’s hot, isn’t it?

Some social media sites may not make it (think MySpace), but I’m pretty sure Pinterest will always have an audience, mostly female. It’s different from Facebook and Twitter. It’s stylish. It’s useful. I just hope my wallet can withstand it.

I’m not sure if Shiloh the Magic Pony is a he or a she, but I do know *it* is one good looking pony. Shiloh has a perfect tan, deep blue eyes and a silky blonde mane. We have a lot in common, too. We both love live music, especially the Dave Matthews Band. And we both like to tweet (me: @SuzanneBoyd; Shiloh: @ShilohthePony).

Shiloh on the set with me

Shiloh the Magic Pony is like the Flat Stanley of the music world — traveling around the country in women’s purses and men’s fanny packs to attend concerts, take pictures and then move on. I’ve been begging Shiloh’s owner to send the pony my way ever since I took a picture with him/her this summer at the Dave Matthews Band Caravan shows in Chicago. I think he (Shiloh’s elusive owner) was nervous about sending the pony to a non-music venue.

But finally this week — Shiloh arrived in West Palm Beach from Seattle in a small box. And ever since it got here — I have been showing the pony the time of his/her life. Shiloh has watched me write stories, learned about the weather from our meteorologist, John Matthews and was on set for a few newscasts. Shiloh has stayed at my house, hung with my children, been to Delray Beach – it even went to bikram yoga with me.

I get your skepticism. You say, “Why is a grown woman so excited over a tiny toy pony?” Many of my Facebook friends and Twitter followers who aren’t familiar with Shiloh the Magic Pony are wondering if I’ve gone off the deep end or they say I have too much time on my hands. Neither is the case.

Imagine being Shiloh: strangers allowing you access to their lives, their jobs, their fun. There’s no awkwardness, no threat, no feeling that you’re overstaying your welcome.  Shiloh is very different from me — the pony can pack up and go whenever it wants, wherever it wants. No strings, no job, no children. That intrigues me.

But – as I said – we have a lot in common, too. I don’t take life too seriously. And neither does Shiloh. It’s been fun hanging with a plastic pony for a week. Maybe you should try it.

You know those people who love Disney so much — they have the family year-round passes? The ones who make the 2-1/2 trek to Orlando once a month in their SUV filled with children and blankets and Disney DVDs?

I am *not* one of those people.

In fact, the thought of going to Disney gives me such anxiety, I’ve only taken my daughter once – when she was 2. And that was a free trip from my husband’s company. So I was pretty much forced to go.

But being the good mom that I am, I offered to take my daughter to Disney for her 6th birthday. My son also has an August birthday, so I figured it was a two-fer.

So we packed up the SUV with the kids, their blankets and Disney DVDs and made the 2-1/2 hour trek to Orlando. And I’m not sure if it was my super-low expectations or the fact that we made all the right decisions, but it wasn’t bad. Yes. I said it. I actually kind of enjoyed myself.

Good decision #1: We picked the right dates.

We chose to go to Disney when most children were just starting school. Our kids didn’t start until later, so it worked out. And we did not have to deal with the typical summer crowds.

Laine and Minnie

Good decision #2: We stayed at a Disney Resort.

We stayed at the Yacht Club, which has a pool like a water park with beach entry, a big pirate slide and lots of waterfalls. Yes, it is more expensive. But it’s worth it! The kids had more fun there than at the parks.

Trace playing in the Yacht Club Pool

Good decision #3: We did *not* go to Magic Kingdom.

The buses headed to the Magic Kingdom from our hotel had quadruple the amount of people as those headed to the other Disney parks. We did Animal Kingdom one day and Typhoon Lagoon water park the next day. We didn’t wait more than 20 minutes on any ride.

Trace petting goat at Animal Kingdom

Good decision #4: We had “entertaining” meals.

There is nothing about “breakfast with the characters” or a place called the “T-Rex Cafe” that interest me for dining. Except when I’m with a 2-year-old who lasts about 2 minutes at a restaurant. We ate among animatronic wooly mammoths, loud noises and a light show, but it was the best decision we made.

T-Rex Cafe in Downtown Disney

I actually got to eat my entire meal and drink my entire glass of wine without having to pick up salt shakers or knives or whatever else my toddler decided to throw on the floor.

Notice the light show

It was three days of fun. Sanity intact. I haven’t bought a Disney year-round pass, but I may just be talked into packing up the SUV with the kids, the blankets and the Disney DVDs a little more often.

The sweat is dripping from my forehead right into my eyes. My shirt and pants are soaked and I feel like I might pass out or throw up or both. Focus on my breath. Focus on my breath. All I can focus on is how damn hot it is in this room. 105 degrees. But it feels much hotter. And it smells. Like body odor.

I can’t just walk out. That’s a big no-no. If you can’t stand the heat, the instructor here says, the last thing you want to do is get out of the kitchen. Stay in the kitchen. Lie down on your back. Hands by your side. Palms up. And breathe. For God’s sake, breathe.

I’m supposed to be thinking: “This is changing my life. This is making me present. This is what I need to calm my mind.”

I’m actually thinking: “Who’s picking up my child from camp? Don’t forget milk at the store. I wish I didn’t finish off that bottle of wine last night.”

But then again, I am new at this. I look at the women in the bikini bottoms with ripped abs and perfect form and think, “I gotta get there.”

But really, Bikram yoga teaches you that you don’t have to get anywhere other than where you are. It’s about *your* practice. It’s about realizing that no matter what’s happening around you, or how hot it is – you can control how you react to it. Breathe.

Today, I left Bikram yoga in a near coma. My mind shut down. I was completely in the moment. I even had to sit in my car for several minutes afterward because I was so relaxed – I couldn’t drive. I’ve never felt anything like it.

Bikram yoga is not pretty when you’re in the throes of it, and you may look like hell afterward – but what it does for your mind and your body is pretty amazing.

Target: I love you, but I’m onto you.

I had a whole laundry list of things I needed at Target when I went last week with my 19-month-old son. And if you’ve ever shopped with a toddler boy, you know, you better make it fast.

One of the things on the list: razor cartridges. They’re expensive. So when I saw the red Target sign “As Advertised” in front of my Gillette Venus razor cartridges, I knew I had to load up. But then I looked at the price. $14.99 for a 4-pack. $14.99? That didn’t sound like much of a deal. That’s $5 per razor replacement.

I’m not running around the store with coupons and I certainly didn’t have time to research razor cartridges before I left the house, but I’ve bought enough of them in my lifetime to know that’s no real savings. So I decided to lift the little “As Advertised” sign to see the regular retail price and I was shocked. Well, not shocked, but certainly disappointed. It said (drum roll please)….. $14.99. Yep. It was the exact same price under that “As Advertised” sign.

Gotcha!

I guess if it was on sale, the sign would have read “sale price”. But that’s how they get you. I was about to stock up on several packs of razors I thought were on sale. Good thing I looked. I really wanted to boycott razor buying at that point, but my legs needed a shave badly. And I can’t boycott Target because I’m addicted.

But I can be a more savvy shopper. Sometimes I’m in such a hurry I don’t question the BOGO (buy one get one free) deals. But I’m sure there have been times when I’ve paid double the retail price on one to make up for the free item I’m getting. Not anymore. Unless, of course, it’s a beauty emergency.