Candy + Potter On The Air At Q106/Madison

After considering several options, we are excited to announce we will be back on the air Monday January 23, 2012!  I’m not sure if you’re excited, but I am.  Of course I’m incredibly nervous too.  It’s always tough facing a new audience, hoping that they’ll give you a chance.

We are the new morning show on Q106, the big country station in Madison, WI.  After flying in to interview we fell in love with the city, even in January.  It actually reminds me a lot of Seattle (home).  It’s built around lakes, has great restaurants and microbreweries, and is really bike friendly.  The people have been incredibly nice, and thanks to the University and the Capital, there’s a great vibe and always lots going on.

Want to listen?  You can stream the station at www.q106.com.  Or there’s a free App for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android devices.  We’ll be on from 5:30-10am Central Time, which is obscenely early in Seattle!  We’ll be adding a podcast soon for time-shifted listening.

If you’re not following us on Facebook and Twitter, please do!

FACEBOOK

http://www.facebook.com/candyandpottershow (Show Page)

http://www.facebook.com/candynotpotter (Candy’s Personal Page)

http://www.facebook.com/jerrypotter (Potter’s Personal Page)

TWITTER

http://www.twitter.com/candyandpotter

http://www.twitter.com/pottersaid

As always, thank you SO much for your support!

Happy New Month!

I gave up on New Year’s resolutions years ago.  Like most people I made goals that were too ambitious and too hard to stick with.

A lot of people say, “You shouldn’t need a new year to start something new you idiot!  If you want to improve your life, you can start on any day you dummy!”  I might have added the idiot/dummy part, but I’m sure you’ve heard people say the rest.  Personally I think it’s easier to start something new at the beginning of a time period, so I started doing:

New Month Resolutions!

It’s usually to exercise and eat healthy, and if I only make it for 2 weeks, then there’s only 2 weeks until I start again!  If I’m exercising and eating healthy half the time, that’s a huge improvement over not doing it at all.

If you’re having trouble changing your habits, pick a small goal and start it at the beginning of the month (even if it’s January).

Facebook’s New Timeline Could Get You Fired (4 Things To Do Prepare Now)

My New Facebook Timeline - 10 Points If You Can Find Drunk Photos I'm Tagged In

Facebook’s “Timeline” display became available for all users this week.  It’s the new way Facebook is allowing you to show off your profile all the way back until the beginning of time.

I’m sure it’s been years since you were tagged in a drunken photo, complained about your job or boss by name, or dropped 3 F-bombs per post, but now it’s all easily accessible to anyone who can view your profile.  That includes your current and future employers…And YES you can get fired (or not hired) for what you post on Facebook.

You can activate your Timeline manually now, but it will become standard for everyone eventually.  So how do you prepare?  Here are 4 things to help you get your timeline ready:

1.  As always you should review your Privacy Settings.  Facebook changes them often.  Go ahead and delete any Apps you don’t use anymore (I couldn’t believe how many I had!).

2.  Clean up your Timeline.  You have 7 days after you activate it to make it look the way you want before anyone else can see it.  That gives you a chance to put up a Cover Photo (more on that in #4) and clean up anything in your history you don’t want others to see.

3. Get ready to have it suck up a lot of your time.  When you look at how empty your Timeline and/or Life looks before you started on Facebook you might be tempted to fill it with major life events, photos, and videos.  I’ve been married the whole time I’ve been on Facebook so I thought it would be funny to go back and add ex-girflriends to my timeline so I could have it show things like “in a relationship” and “it’s complicated.”

4.  You can do something fun with your Cover Photo.  It’s the new picture across the top of your profile.  Take a second to make it something that reflects who you are since it’s what people will see when they visit your page.  It could be your family, a hobby, or anything that’s important to you.  As you can see above I ended up using a photo of me golfing.  I enjoy golf, and I loved the depth that came with the picture – Plus I figured we could all use a little more green since it’s winter.  Here are some fun ideas if you want to put some work into it.

It’s pretty fun clicking back through your own Timeline, although if you’re like me you’ll realize how dull your posts were when you first started on Facebook:  ”Hey thanks for the poke!”

15 Things You Really Need For A Baby

No, you don't need this.

I have a few friends that are expecting and as I was checking out the latest in baby gear, it dawned on me how much has changed in just a year! My tiny human didn’t have  a quarter of the junk they recommend you buy. (And really he turned out fine except for that tail…) Anyway, I saw one baby registry check list had 113 suggested items. 113! So I went over my baby gear and here are my top 15 – “you better have this stuff when the kid comes home” list. The rest is just frosting on the cupcake.

 

1. Carseat – Duh. But save yourself some money and buy one that will have baby rear facing longer like this one. http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/marathon-70
2. Bath/Utility Seat – Forget the Bumbo chair, this is the best seat. Bath, pool, bottle feeding time – it does it all. http://www.amazon.com/PRI-Infant-Bath-Seat-White/dp/B000BXJZDY/ref=sr_1_5?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1321299906&sr=1-5
3. Crib – No drop down sides but this one switches from a crib to a toddler bed. http://www.amazon.com/DaVinci-Emily-Convertible-Baby-Cherry/dp/B000FT7NXS
4. Stroller – OK, start the debate. This is what you need, 1 collapsable jobbing stroller.It’s all in the roll baby.  Yes, Bob’s are the best but check your local consignment store. http://joggingstroller.com/category/brands/bob/
5. Changing Area – Contoured Changing Pad – Eliminates wiggling off the changing table. And a Diaper Genie.
6. 1-2 Halo Swaddle Sacks – No blankets, no problem.
7. Clothing 5-10 button onesies (short or long sleeved depending on season – solid colors) soft leggings/pants, or jeans, 1-2 solid colored hoodies. 1 or 2 special outfits worn for photos only. Socks. Does the baby need shoes? No but grab 1 solid black pair for photos.  *Always check kid consignment stores for shoes, babies grow out of them so fast, you’ll often find new shoes for 50-60% off.
8. 1 blanket that can be used in car or stroller, 1 blanket that can be used in crib if you need it.
9. Cool bibs – Your kid will be a drooling all star, have them in a bib to save your cute clothing and their skin from rashes. I am a fan of these – http://www.etsy.com/shop/Alliecraft?section_id=5511528 (You’ll find Carter brand lasts longer and for some reason, Target brand stains easier.) Once baby starts solid foods you’ll want SugarBooger bibs.
10. Mirrors, family photos, books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear / moo,baa,la la la / Goodnight Moon / Go Dog Go / (These have nothing commercial about them and babies need fun stuff to read.) 1. Place mirrors above the changing table. Our tiny human still plays with “the baby in the ceiling”. No mobiles above baby’s crib – a bed is a place for sleeping not playing.
11. Nursing Set Up – Get a real chair, not a “nursing chair” that you will hate to sit in.
12. Sophie The Giraffe – Sophie is an expensive chew toy that baby will unfortunately love, she is also safe for the crib. *She squeaks so the dog may love it watch out.
13. White noise stereo set up. How will baby drift off? We use the sounds of ocean waves on an Ipod.
14. VICKS Thermometer, Safety First Nail Clippers (these are the best), Infant Tylenol,  – Other than wipes and diapers, you should have these stocked in your changing table.
15. Baby Swing – This is the one item you should encourage a group to purchase for you. Baby can use this until 1 or so, great for naps and incline sleeping with colds.

5 Reasons Men Shop At The Last Minute

Men are stereotyped as people who don’t buy gifts until the last minute, and it’s one stereotype that is true for a lot of us.  Why?

5.  It’s Not Important…Yet – Gifts are not the most important thing on our minds so we deal with it when we have to, even if it is on December 24th at the gas station (Yay for Gift Cards!).

4.  We’re Lazy – By waiting to get it at the last minute it’s just one quick outing.  We don’t have time to second-guess our decision.

3.  We’re Waiting To Figure Out What You’re Giving Us – We don’t want to be out done at Christmas, so we look for hints or ideas that will help us figure out what you’re getting us or how much you’re spending.

2.  Waiting For A Clue – If we have no idea what to get you, we’re hoping that some magical hint or clue will pop up before December 24th

1.  We’re Too Excited – Once I buy a gift, I can’t wait to give it to you!  So it’s nerve wracking having to hide it and keep it a secret for a few weeks.

Here’s some tips on how to shop at the last minute.

Our Care Package For Our Service Members

CD Cover from Candy + Potter's 3rd CD

Candy and I got the opportunity to send a care package of our CD from a couple years ago to some airmen serving overseas during the holidays.  We asked listeners what else they might like to get in their package and then went shopping.  Here’s what we got:

Thanks for all your help, and a special thanks to our men and women in uniform, AND their families for making incredible sacrifices for us all.

Potter’s Black Friday Shopping Advice

Let be blow my credibility before I start.  I have never been a Black Friday shopper.  I did it once but decided sleep is far more valuable.  I did learn a few things though:

-You don’t always have to camp out all night.  The one year I went I got there 15 minutes before the store opened to find 300 people in line, but  I made it into the store 3 minutes after they opened.  Of course if you’re after an item they only have a few of this won’t work.

-Be caffeinated and well fed.  Being hungry and tired leads to crankiness, and the rest of the population will provide more than enough of that.  Of course you could always go cranky but you risk ending up on YouTube.

-Take someone you like with you.  It helps pass the time in line and it’s good to tag-team if you’re picking up multiple items (It’s a bonus if your shopping partner has bad BO, because people won’t crowd you).

-If you get your item but the checkout lines are ridiculously long, hide it.  But you must hide it WELL.  People will look inside entertainment centers.  Maybe it’s easier to carry some stickers that say, “Floor Model – NOT FOR SALE.”

-Make your goal to just go for the people watching.  If you’re not dead set on getting a deal there’s not a horrible emotional let down.  Plus watching people fight like they’re on Jersey Shore is much more amusing if you’re not in the fight.

-Hit the Taco Bell (or your grease of choice) on the way home.  This one might only apply to me.

What ever you do make sure to enjoy the Christmas spirit!  It’s not every day you can watch people push each other out of the way, scream across aisles, and berate store employees all during the first few official minutes of the holiday shopping season.  I considered trying to lead the masses in a holiday carol but changed my mind after realizing I might get decked with a $49 GPS System.

Woman Loses Fiance In Afghanistan, Then JOINS Marines To Honor Him

 

“Wow…Wow, Wow, Wow.”

That’s all I could utter while watching this story on CNN.  Madeline Cates fiance was a US Marine, and he was killed while fighting for our country.  How did she react?

I love our military and their families so much for all the sacrifices they make, but if the love of my life was killed while at war I might be pretty angry about it.  But Madeline joined the Marines herself to honor her finace.  Plus she’s deploying in the same month she would have originally gotten married.

“Wow…Wow, Wow, Wow.”

 Watch the video from CNN here.

Health Studies Always Trick Me

Cookies Are My Weakness

Health studies are always so misleading.  Here’s a headline from one today:

WANNA LOSE WEIGHT?  JUST EAT SLOWER

Really?  That’s it?  Awesome!  I’ll count to 5 between each bite and the pounds will magically melt away!

Obviously that’s not true.  When you read the article it points out that “A woman who eats slow and prefers whole grains to refined grains is more than likely to be slimmer than a woman who doesn’t.”

Don’t you love how they slipped that “whole grains” part in there?  I can do studies if everything has a qualifier.  Here’s my headline:

WANNA LOSE WEIGHT?  EAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

Then the article would say, “In a recent study people who ate 2 chocolate chip cookies per day while eating only celery for the rest of their meals were skinnier than those who at McDonald’s every day.”

You have to watch out for diet products too because they’ll sneak stuff in too.  ”Just take one pill in the morning and one and night and watch the pounds melt* away!”

*When combined with a healthy diet and exercise

 

Why I Love Blake Shelton

I’m adding Blake Shelton to my Man-Crush list.  That’s my list of celebrity guys that I would love to hang out with.   George Clooney and Justin Timberlake are also on the list.

Blake has great music and is hilarious, but the reason I love him is because he says whatever he wants and doesn’t care what people think (If you follow him on Twitter you already know that!).  He talked about it in this CNN Interview.

He talked about why he thinks he was cast on NBC’s The Voice, “I think the reason that they asked me to be a part of that show is because I’m not afraid to be myself and to say what I’m thinking. I’m not afraid to make an a— of myself. I feel like if I’m a country artist, my job is to lay my heart and soul on the line — and my heart and soul is being a redneck and drinking and being stupid. [laughs] That’s what I do.”

The CNN reporter also asked Shelton if he would ever consider getting “serious,” like backing a political campaign for instance.  Blake answered, “No, I don’t think I’m ever going to get serious. I’m never going to be political or religious or anything that’s going to get me in more trouble than being wasted all the time already gets me in.”

Do I drink like Blake?  No way!  I could never keep up.  Do I agree with Blake on everything?  Of course not.  But I love him for how genuine and real he is.

I’m actually a little jealous – I wish I could spend less time worrying about what other people think.  But of course being a neurotic mess is part of what makes me who I am.

Check out the CNN Video Interview here

Not sure I could have respected Blake Shelton as much back when he looked like this…