List My Five Lists: Christmas Quotes, Christmas Movies, How to Shop for Hippies & Bohemians, & More!

I write for List My Five, an amazing website where you can share fun lists (and even make some money too!)  I wanted to share some of my recent lists with you, as they relate to December and the Holiday season.  I have more to do, but here is what I have so far:

If you were born in December (or just want to know a little more about December) then check out:

 The Top Five Things to Know About Your Birth Month of December

If you're looking for some great Christmas Quotes, check out:

The Top Five Christmas Quotes

If you're looking to donate to charity, check out:

The Top Five Reasons to Donate to Toys for Tots

If you are looking for some great ideas for Holiday party food, check out:

The Top Five Appetizers for a Holiday Party

            

If you are looking for some great Christmas movies to watch, well...

 let's just say, I have a LOT of options for you:

The Top Five Christmas Movies I Will Be Watching This Year

The Top Five Christmas Movie Classics

The Top Five Christmas Movie Classics for Kids

The Top Five Animated Christmas Movies

The Top Five Christmas Movies for the Whole Family

The Top Five Funny Christmas Movies

The Top Five Christmas Movie Musicals

The Top Five Romantic Christmas Movies

The Top Five Non-Christmas Christmas Movies

            

If you need some ideas for shopping for your hippie, bohemian, free-spirit friends and family, the following lists should help you out immensely.  One is Michigan specific, but if you live in Michigan, it's an awesome bonus I guess! haha  Check them out:

The Top Five Things You Should Know About Better World Books

The Top Five Hippie and Bohemian Stores in Michigan

The Top Five Books for Hippies, Bohemians, and Free-Spirits

The Top Five Online Shopping Resources for Hippies and Bohemians

I hope my lists can help you out this December.

If you want to read my other lists too, just look through all of them by going to my

List My Five Profile

Peace and Love,

Meagan

Highlights of My Bohemian Weekend (Featuring Furry Friends)

This weekend had a lot of good things in it.  I saw a lot of friends, my sister and her new husband got back safely from their honeymoon, Tum won some pizzas for all the guys, and Will bought some groceries.  Mmm... real food.

In addition to all that, I also got to go to a craft show with my mom in Mason, MI.  It was a great time.  She got a lot of cool stuff and even bought me a snowman! I love him.  He's sitting on top of my entertainment center smiling down at me as I write.

My favorite part of the weekend though?  Putting out the pumpkins from Halloween.  Why?  Well, because when we busted them up and put them out back, the squirrels loved them and went crazy over them!  Check it out:

I LOVE SQUIRRELS!!!!

I know some people have a hard time understanding my love of squirrels and my desire to feed them (most notably, my mom) but there is just something so magical and cute about squirrels.  Maybe it's the puffy tail.  Or... maybe I like squirrels because they are like gypsies.  Hmm....

Anyway, the other thing I did this weekend was research, write, and read.  When I wasn't at the craft show or outside with the squirrels I was working.  But I think it's gonna pay off.  I got an interview with Wilhuff I can work with, lots of new ideas and outlines, and most impressively (maybe): a series of 12 lists on List My Five that give fun and helpful information on your birth month.  If you want to check them out, just click on your birth month below:

January

February

March

April

May 

June 

July 

August

September

October

November 

December

And that's about it.  Oh, except I  forgot to tell you... I got a call from the unemployment office today.  I have to call them back tomorrow.  And talk about what?  I don't know... maybe I just have to beg them to help me! In any case, please wish me luck!  This Bohemian needs some money soon!!

Peace and Love,

Meagan

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian is Getting Read Around the World!

Visitor Demographics for 

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian...     

United States 78.0%

United Kingdom 9.0%

Romania 3.0%

Denmark 2.8%

Russia 2.0%

Canada 1.5%

Brazil 1.1%

Australia 1.0%

South Korea 0.5%

France 0.1%

Apparently, PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian is read in all sorts of places around the world.   This cheers me up a little, knowing that I really can reach the world... little by little. I will say, I am surprised at how low Canada is on this list.  Where all my Canadians at?   You all live right next door! haha Just playin' Canada. But seriously, let's see if we can spread this Modern Bohemian love a little further.   I'd like to see a few more countries on this list. :) Like Germany... where's Germany!?!?! Ich liebe dich, Deutschland! Kommen Sie zu meinem blog! Bitte!   What about Italy? Visita il mio blog! Per favore. :) (I hope I said all that right! haha) Keep it coming world. And I will keep sharing with you.  And together we can spread peace and love and understanding and show that all people,  from all walks of life, from all over the world, CAN come together as a community; in peace. Peace and Love, Meagan P.S. - Here are some helpful resources if you want to be a world traveler... or at least feel like one. :)   And/or for if you just want to connect with other people around the world, like I am apparently doing with  my little blog here! haha  Enjoy: World Travel and Tourism Council Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips New Concise World Atlas Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase Book Google Translate Top 5 English Words and Phrases to Learn in French Top 5 English Words and Phrases to Learn in Spanish Top 5 English Words and Phrases to Learn in German Top 5 English Words and Phrases to Learn in Italian The World's Best Eco-Lodges: Earth-Friendly Hotels PonchoMeg's Guide to Everything Michigan The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian's Great Glorious Gluten-Free Day!

Every day is filled with gluten-free food for me, but some days, I get super excited... because some days I discover new, delicious, gluten-free food and I don't feel so restricted anymore!  It's the feeling of freedom.  Of pure joy!

Okay... I know I sound a little overly dramatic, but you have to understand... I ate food with gluten in it for 25 years!  And food, just like music, clothing, art, movies, etc., brings with it special memories, feelings, and traditions for me.

For example, Fall weather is perfect for cider and donuts.  Except traditional donuts are like Gluten Monsters; filled with gluten and ready to sicken. ( But oh so tasty. ) I can't eat those!  And gluten-free donuts?  Just not quite the same... at least, I haven't found any as tasty as the Gluten Monsters out at the Cider Mill.  I haven't found any that even come close!  So disappointment sets in.  Cider and donuts is a part of family tradition.  So I'm left out a little, and it makes me sad.

But yesterday, that DIDN'T happen.  And we were kind of afraid it would.  I'll explain.

Will and his family took me with them to Frankenmuth yesterday and we went to the Bavarian Inn for an early dinner.  Now, at Bavarian Inn, you can get an amazing family style meal to share, but of course, it is filled with gluten.  You must imagine my joy then at discovering that the Bavarian Inn has a fairly extensive gluten-free menu that includes salads, beer, wine, at least 5 entrees including chicken, fish, and steak, and even dessert! I was thrilled!  I was able to celebrate a special event (Will's uncle's birthday) with people I care about and not feel left out (or hungry!).  I also got to enjoy the awesome atmosphere of the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, Michigan, one of my FAVORITE places to go in the Fall.  But it gets even better.

Later that night when Will and I were back home, I tried Ian's Wheat Free, Gluten Free Cookie Buttons (Chocolate Chip).  Will's mom bought them for me, but I was hesitant to try them because I have had a LOT of bad, packaged, gluten-free cookies.  But I tried them.  And WOW they are amazing!  I mean... they are really yummy AND gluten-free AND they are really not that bad for you!  Really!  One bag is less than 150 calories (and for people on Weight Watchers, I saw somewhere online that it was only 2 points.  But don't quote me on that, I only saw it at one source.  You may want to research it yourself.)

How exciting is that?  Two gluten-free moments of pure happiness and satisfaction!  What a great, glorious, gluten-free day.

While we are on the gluten free subject, here are a few gluten-free lists I've published on List My 5:

The Top Five Gluten Free Recipes for Thanksgiving

The Top Five Foods for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving

The Top Five Gluten Free Candies for Halloween or Anytime

The Top Five Somewhat Healthy But Yummy Gluten Free Snack Foods

If you had a great, glorious, gluten-free day where you discovered and enjoyed something new, please share it!  Leave a comment. :)

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Oh Life... oh ever changing life...

This has been, and continues to be, a time of interesting highs and lows for the Modern Bohemian.

We'll start with the lows...

I've been sick, and it worries me. (See earlier post)
A friend's father just died
I don't have enough money to pay my rent
I can't seem to be able to get even a part time job out in the "real world" (only online)
and the State wants to cut back on and/or take away my unemployment benefits... which I've received for less than a month.
Etc. etc. etc.
Boo.

But then there are the high notes!  The happy points!  The exciting moments!  Including:
Getting hired to be the Lansing Electronic Music Examiner on Examiner.com.  (Check out my first article with them here: "Macs Bar supports electronic music in Lansing")
Getting my article, The Top Five Zoos in Michigan, featured on the front page of List My 5.
Getting more followers on Twitter
Getting approved as an affiliate for  and  and
and seeing Wilhuff succeed in the online, social networking world.

But where's the in between?  I can't go through life like I'm on a rollercoaster; up and down, up and down!  Sometimes I need some in between.
The ideal ratio would be 70% good things (the highs), 10% bad things (the lows... you know, so that I can still appreciate the highs), and 20% in between (in between.  Neither bad, nor good, just a normal, smooth sailing kind of boring regularity that sometimes help to keep a person sane.)

For now, I probably just have to deal with the rollercoaster ride.  Maybe eventually the good things (like, my writing) can help with the bad things (like... my lack of money), but until then,  I just have to keep trying my best and plugging away and working hard to survive and keep hope alive...

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Hippies, Bohemians, and Free-Spirits... and LM5

I love List My 5 because it allows me to have tons and tons of creativity, and when the creativity is flowing, I start thinking of all my hippie/bohemian/free-spirit brothers and sisters around the world, and when I start thinking about all them I sometimes get inspired to write about them! So yeah... this is the result of that:

The Top Five Places for Hippies Bohemians and Free Spirits Online

The Top Five Hippie and Bohemian Stores in Michigan

The Top Five Books for Hippies Bohemians and Free Spirits

The Top Five Places for Hippies and Bohemians in Grand Rapids Michigan

Peace and Love

~*~*~*~MEAGAN~*~*~*~

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian Has Been Busy, Busy, Busy!

My life has been busy.  Crazy busy.  And I don't even have a "real" job! haha
Well, first of all, my sister's getting married, so we're all getting ready for that.  I am maid of honor, so I've done all the dress fittings and whatnot, and we just had her Bridal Shower on Sunday.  She's getting married November 6th, so it's coming up fast!
In addition to all the wedding stuff, I have also been working on my writing a lot, trying to make some progress.  You all know that I have been writing for List My Five, which has been amazing by the way, but I've also applied to be an Examiner for Examiner.com (cross your fingers) AND I've been working on my book.  In addition to all that, I have also been helping Will get set up online as his DJ Persona: Wilhuff.  It's been time consuming and all that, but I've been having a lot of fun doing it too.
Besides the wedding and the writing, I have still been working with RealStyle to get extra work in movies and television shows.  Most recently, I got to work on Detroit 1-8-7.  Amazing!  I even got a chance to talk to some of the stars of the show, and they were super nice guys.  Plus, as always, I met so many amazing people on set (extras, crew, security)... what a blast!
Finally, my friend K.J. is getting married in February and wanted to get in shape, so I now have a new workout buddy. We've been getting together at 10:00 am every week day (except Tuesdays when she's out of town teaching) and we've been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred and Pilates together.  We're going to add running, Tai Chi, and a few other things in as we go too.  Besides working out with her, I still work out alone, so I am really making progress.
So yeah... crazy times.  I'll write more later.  But right now, I have to go tackle some more things that have popped onto my plate! haha
Peace and Love,
Meagan

Halloween Movie Lists from The Modern Bohemian

First of all, I have to say that this modern bohemian LOVES List My Five.  I've been making top five lists like crazy since I joined in September.  My most recent lists are all Halloween themed, so I thought I would post them up here in case you need any ideas for what to watch during this spooktacular season.
Peace and Love
Meagan

The Top Five Classic Halloween Movies

The Top Five Musical Halloween Movies

The Top Five Funny Halloween Movies

The Top Five Scary Halloween Movies

The Top Five Family Halloween Movies

The Top Five Romantic Halloween Movies