Today, I have 20 minutes to do my 10 by 10.  20 minutes!  Here are 10 things that I can usually do in 20 minutes.

1. Watch 1/5 of Scandal.
2. Do something cute with my daughter’s hair.
3. Make a really great breakfast.

(Homemade biscuits with cheese… so good! More food on instagram…)

4. Sew 3 pillow covers.
5. Paint my daughter’s face.

Check out the Carnival Face Paint tutorial – here…

6. Sit at Wife Saver in Augusta, GA waiting for fried chicken livers – soooooo worth the wait.
7. Play cars with Mr. Social.
8. Start to take a 60 minute walk, and change my mind.
9. Pin about a gazillion things on Pinterest.
10. Order 2 pairs of shoes on ideeli – because they only give me 15 minutes to do it.

Well great. Now I have used up three minutes giving you that list!

Here are 10 blogs I checked out today. Swing by, comment, and tell them that SocaMom sent you… As usual, my comments are in italics.

http://socialsavvymom.com – @socialsavvymom on Twitter – Her latest post is a wonderful one about homeschooling kids through the holidays, and using cooking as a teaching tool.  Very cool to use my love of food to teach my kids about science, math, and culture!

What a wonderful post! Just yesterday, I made biscuits for breakfast, and my son asked me if he could help. I was experimenting, and not using a recipe, so I told him not until I knew what I was doing. Next time, I’ll make sure they get in there will me and know why I use what I use when I am trying something new in the kitchen. I just learned to make roti, so maybe learning to do that would be a good kitchen cultural lesson. Thanks for all the resources! 🙂

http://goddessintellect.com – @goddess_i on Twitter – She asked how we feel about taking back gifts after a break-up.

I never asked for anything back – not even keys. I only gave keys twice, and my daddy showed me how to change a lock, and it was usually done in a couple of minutes! I’ve had people ask me for stuff that I borrowed, but not anything that was given to me. The minute they asked for it, they’d better be prepared to come get it, cause it was going out on the curb… I wasn’t very nice back then. 🙂

http://mamagoesbam.com – @omghada on Twitter – We all are looking for some happiness in our homes, the more the better. This mama has parents from Barbados, was born in Canada, met the love of her life in New Zealand, and is raising her family in New York!  I checked out her post on happiness in the home.

I love it! Sounds so much like my own house. I have decided to spend time with the kids by teaching them how to do some of the stuff I love to do, like painting and sewing.  They learn a skill and we spend quality time together – sounds like a win to me!

http://thegetfitdiva.com – @thegetfitdiva on Twitter – She’s serious about getting fit.  This fellow Black Weblog Awards nominee posted recently about not gaining or losing any weight at her last weigh in.  Sounds good to me!

My fitness buddy just informed me that the food pics I was posting on Instagram were telling on me… I am slipping! I homeschool, so working out in the earliest hours of the morning are a good idea for me too – I’ll be stopping in more often for some fitness motivation… 🙂

http://www.harlemlovebirds.com/ – @harlemlovebirds on Twitter – She was recently invited to participate in a meeting of sorts about the upcoming election and voter suppression with none other than Al Sharpton. Lucky!

I live and vote in DC, so as far as I know, everything around here is on the up and up – I should find out though. Thank God for Google… searching now.

http://www.703mommyandme.com/ – @703mommyandme on Twitter – Her newest team member Katie shared a recipe for fennel crusted pork… I don’t cook pork, but I could see how this recipe could be altered to fit my household.

Love it! I’d switch out the pork for chicken breast and it would be a winner at my house… 🙂

http://www.blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/ – @bgg2wl on Twitter – I kept seeing her at conferences, and eventually I stopped her at BlogHer in NYC and asked… “who ARE you?” She had this fabulous hair, height, and confidence that made me remember her which is a big deal, cause thanks to mommy brain, I don’t remember much sometimes. This weekend she’ll be in my area at a free workout session with an Army drill sergeant… not sure if I’m ready! It’s at 4 pm, so I’ll have plenty of time to think about it!

http://www.onlylaila.com/ – @onlylaila on Twitter – Her Wordless Wednesday reminded me that I need to find some pumpkin patch or something for the kids to go to.  Everybody is taking their kids – the blogosphere is teeming with pumpkin pics and happy faces in cute fall boots, jackets, and scarves.  This momma has to get it together.

http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/ – @daniellesmithtv on Twitter – Her post about siblings getting along… spot on.  I didn’t get along with my brother until he moved out.  I hate to think that we missed some great years as kids. My kids love each other one second, and can’t stand each other the next, but this morning, I heard my daughter ask her brother who is only 11 months older than her, “Do you like me?” He says, “No. No I DON’T like you… I love you!”  It really warmed my heart, and let me know with all the bickering, deep down, they really do love each other.

http://britnidanielle.com – @britnidwrites on Twitter – She’s done homeschooling, and has moved on over to “unschooling.” I heard about it at the 2:1 conference this summer (for bloggers who also homeschool), and I hadn’t thought about it until someone asked me on Facebook if that was what I was doing.  I have encountered so many different reactions to my decision, but luckily, I haven’t gotten too much opposition from my family or my husband’s.  They see how well the kids are doing, and their progress is undeniable. Check out her post and see how you can deal with the naysayers in your professional and personal life.

So that’s it – WHEW! Made it!