Is It Illegal to Bring Wine to the Polls?

As a work-from-home mother of two pre-teen/teen daughters, I am constantly looking for ways to save time. Also for ways to convince all the adolescent boys within my daughters’ social circles my daughters' are not to be trifled with, but this article will focus just on the time management thing.

One of my favorite time management tips is...

Do One Thing Today to Make Tomorrow Easier

Which seems a little counterintuitive, I’ll admit. As in “why would I do something for tomorrow when I still have 11 things I have to do TODAY?” At least that’s what I thought when I decided to give this a try.

I discovered that in the midst of feeling frazzled trying to meet work deadlines, throwing something into the slow cooker for dinner, filling out permission slips and mediating tooth-gnashing battles over raw hide bones (between the dogs, not the children) … doing just one thing for tomorrow, no matter how seemingly insignificant, gave me a sliver of control.

You know, it's that same feeling of having prepared well in advance for an exam, thus giving you a sense of superiority over those who were cramming through the night and arrived bleary-eyed and muddled on exam day. (Incidentally, I was almost always the crammer. If I bothered to study at all, but do NOT blow my cover with my children, who assume I was as on top of my studies as I require them to be.)

So some days I just jot down my to-do list for the next day, or set out tomorrow's outfit, or make a phone call I could put off but choose to knock out today. Sometimes I just scoot the throw pillows out of the way right before I go to bed so I don’t tear off my toe when I trip over them first thing in the morning.

You’re welcome, me. I just saved your toe.

This brings me around to tomorrow. Election Day 2012. I’m trying to think of ways to make the brutal lines a little more fun. I am thinking of bringing a lawn chair, a cheese tray, and loading a bunch of funny videos to watch while I wait in line for the privilege to vote.

My only question: Is it wrong to drink at a fire station (my polling site) at 10 a.m. (is this the right time or the wrong time to go?) Will I be mobbed, my chair and treats stolen while some kid watches Will Ferrell on technology stolen from me?

My parting words of advice: do one tiny thing to make tomorrow better, and remember every vote does, in fact, count (hello, 2000!)

What's one thing you can do to make tomorrow easier? What suggestions do you have for me to pass the time in Election Day lines?

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I'm Amy Mac, and I Approved This Message

Just when you thought people clamoring for your vote had come to an end, I am here to say …. not so much.

As you might have noticed at the top right section of my blog, the Amy Mac blog has been nominated for the Best Blog Ever. How exciting! How exhilarating! How annoying for those of you who tried to vote then gave up in a fit of frustration because of technical difficulties!

I promptly emailed the folks at the Bloggers Choice Awards and informed them my faithful followers were having trouble voting for a variety of reasons, including not letting you sign up for an account, and then not letting you vote once you did get signed up.

Here’s the direct response:

Without knowing what accounts they are trying to access, I really can’t tell you much. Please have them contact us with the email they originally used to sign up to the Blogger’s Choice Awards so we can further research – Karen Allen, director of Customer Love.

You can email Karen at Karen@bloggerschoiceawards.com if you are having trouble and I know she’ll solve the problem. And no, I did not make up her title to be funny, that really is her title.

One of my successful voters said she had to sign up for the account then log back in before she could vote, so try that trick, too.

So, please don’t give up! The current first-place blog has only 47 votes, and I know we can do way better than that. We’re smart, we’re tech savvy, and we are determined! No one can stop us now! (Are you humming “I Will Survive” in your head?)

So follow this link, and we’ll share a bottle of virtual champagne if we win!

Sprinkles and Caffeine: What Every Voter Needs

I have written before about the importance of tying your publicity efforts into the current headlines, and today I witnessed a perfect example of how three companies (and I am sure many, many more) are taking the Election Day headline and using it to their advantage.

The question of the (election) day: what do donuts, coffee and ice cream have to do with the election? And, no, the answer is not “the new president will need caffeine and comfort foods to deal with the stresses of his new job.” But that was an excellent guess.

The answer is … if you are voting in this election, swing by Krispy Kreme for a free star-shaped donut with sprinkles, hit your local Starbucks for a gratis cup of coffee, and stop at your local Ben and Jerry’s for an on-the-house scoop of ice cream.

None of these companies has a direct connection with the election, public policy, voting, candidates, or drawing party lines – but each received a high-profile mention on The Today Show. Connecting their product with THE headline of the day will drive traffic into their stores, will likely increase sales, definitely saved them thousands of dollars in advertising, and is building goodwill with lots of Americans who’ll need a little boost after standing in line for hours to do their civic duty.

In the south we advise our children never to ask someone how old they are, how much they weigh, or for whom they will cast their vote. All I know is that I’m old enough to vote, so I did. And I will likely weigh more after a scoop of ice cream and a donut. And I’ll probably be up late watching returns, so I’ll wait until this evening for my free cup of coffee.

Happy Voting!