In the wake of Amy Storch’s post about Kristin Ruiz (remember her from this post?), who blatantly and deliberately plagiarized posts written by Amy (you can read more details here), I thought I’d offer some constructive criticism to Del and Kristin Ruiz with regards to her blog, Our Ordinary Life.
It might be time for a redesign. Maybe some brutal honesty and harsh truth will allow you to regain the trust of your readers and rebuild relationships with all of the companies that you have just completely obliterated. I’m not much of a designer, but I’d like to offer the following as a solution:
Click me for larger version!
You’re welcome in advance! I’m happy to help, anytime.
Twitter: _kateCouture
says:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Too soon?
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
@Katey Guillot, no. definitley not.
I do suspect that she really is hating herself right about now though.
that said, people do need to realise that their actions have consequences. and whilst she has commited a BIG NO NO (I’m being polite with that phrase) and opened herself up for ridicule, she has apologised. Now she just has to ride it out and accept what comes her way.
@Becca_Masters, she did not apologize. She wrote a terribly worded, extremely insincere, excuse-packed post that sounded like an apology but absolutely was not. I think she should just leave the Internet, personally.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Avitable, she doesn’t know how to apologize, unless it’s copy and pasted from someone else’s site.
@Tanya,
LMAO
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Kim, Even her famous cease and desist letter she’s been claiming she sent to me is copy and paste from a lawyers website. That’s funny.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Tanya, Nuh-uh. You’re making that up.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@It’s Just Mo, I don’t make stuff up, that’s Kristin’s specialty.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Tanya, I couldn’t help myself. I read the letter. That lawyer is in basically the same town in which I practice (he’s in a suburb). I don’t know him, but I can tell you right now, no lawyer would have written a letter like that. Thanks for the laugh.
@Tanya, OMG!
Twitter: thepsychobabble
says:
@Becca_Masters, I read the reply post she put up about it. I must have missed the sincere apology part between all the flimsy excuses.
Twitter: bonggamom
says:
@Becca_Masters, she offered lame excuses for her actions and did not own up to the full extent of her plagiarism. It was not just 1 time, and not just 3 years ago. Not only did she plagiarize Amy, she plagiarized herself — content on Babble is supposed to be original, not a cut-and-paste from your own site (and definitely not from someone else’s!).
That wasn’t an apology in my book.
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
@bonggamom, i was sent a link where the apology she made was pretty ok. hmmmmmm. unless she took someone elses apology and posted that?
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
@Becca_Masters, this is the apology that I read.
http://www.ourordinarylife.com/2012/03/owning-it/
whether or not she was sincere (i don’t know her or her writing style *yeah i realise how that reads*) she apologised. based on the blogospheres reaction i’d like to think she really is sorry for what she’s done (hey, i’m only 27!!!)
What she did was so very definitley wrong and I agree with you Adam, she should leave the internet, if only to really reflect on what she has done. and her husband (whilst i appreciate he wants to defend (ha) his wife, is just making matters worse.
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
heh. just realised I responded to myself. lame or what… but you’ll know what I meant.
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
oh god, and it’s all full of grammatical errors.
fucknuggets.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Becca_Masters, They didn’t teach her not to steal in grade school, nor did they teach her how to spell or use spell check.
Twitter: bonggamom
says:
@Becca_Masters, see, now THAT is a sincere apology. Hers wasn’t
@Katey Guillot, It’s never too soon!
Twitter: paintingchef
says:
Love.
@Susannah,
Twitter: Anne54304
says:
Doubley Love.
@Annie Y,
Twitter: thepsychobabble
says:
I wonder if Del will come through and reply to every single comment (multiple times!) again?
Twitter: themuskrat
says:
@thepsychobabble, I hope so.
@thepsychobabble, I was hoping, but maybe he’s actually taking the prudent path and shutting the fuck up for once.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Avitable, Remember, his excuses have always been that he didn’t graduate high school, he lived in a foreign country for a year, he has dark skin, please forgive him, omg – he needs to put a sock in it and fall in a dark hole.
@Tanya,
Have you told anyone about the lovely site you coauthored called “Notordinary life” or something like that in which you said that Kristin’s father committed suicide because he was so ashamed to have her for a daughter? Yeah you’re a real nice person.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@susie, I don’t know Tanya, but I must have missed where she claimed to be a nice person. All I’ve seen her claim is that she’s not a thief.
@It’s Just Mo, That’s because she’s NOT a nice person!
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@susie, Neither am I. You’d do well to mind your tone.
Twitter: karensugarpants
says:
That is all.
@Karen Sugarpants, ha!
I bet Del is SUPER pissed off at his wife for doing something so stupid, therefore not enabling him to continue to be a complete and utter douche on the Internet. What a crappy day he must be having.
This is also a prime example of why I’m totally glad I’m on your BFF list and not your “other” list. Never do I want to be there.
@Miss, and you never will be! xo
Twitter: tlkaply
says:
This has all been remarkably entertaining. I especially enjoyed the surprise ending.
@Kaply, it’s like a movie. A really bad Lifetime movie.
This is doubly… funny? interesting? sad? in light of the whole Chrysler fiasco. She’s totally screwed.
@Erika, as she should be. It’s sad, but I don’t feel bad for her.
Twitter: mamikaze
says:
Just when you think this shit can’t get any more stank. Boy howdy.
@mamikaze, I know, right?
I’m only 25 and I know that plagiarizing is wrong. I feel so advanced.
@gingermandy, you’re a savant!
Twitter: bonggamom
says:
@gingermandy, I wish we could “like” comments, I would “double-like” yours (FYI, credit to @Anne54304 and @paintingchef in the comments above for that idea!)
Twitter: slackmistress
says:
She said she was sorry but she made excuses, as did her husband. She didn’t own up or take responsibility. Shit like this drives me batshit insane. When you’re a writer, WORDS ARE YOUR CURRENCY.
I would have respected a “I knew it was wrong, and I did it because I thought that Amalah was a better writer than I was.”
@Nina the slackmistress, I would have respected that, too. Her apology was so insincere that it’s clear she’s only sorry that she got caught.
Twitter: xtremeparnthood
says:
This right here is a bucket of awesome. I’m 36 but I can assure you that I learned that stealing was wrong when I was 6.
@Sunday Stilwell, same here!
Twitter: blondefabulous
says:
I only caught a little of this as it blew up and OMG! What an ass. I thought very little of her from the whole car thing that you covered, but now for her to be shown up as a plagiarizer? Talk about karma being a bitch! THEN, I saw the twitter argument between Del & Redneckmommy and almost lost it while driving on SR60!! One should never laugh heartily at the folly of others & drive simultaneously! I wonder how many others she has stolen from?
@Blondefabulous, I was thinking the same thing.
Twitter: FairlyOddMother
says:
Since I only read about the Chrysler mess a couple of days ago (what can I say? I live under a rock. A rock made of children), this entire batch of crazy has happened at warp speed. I remember thinking, “wow that woman is some kind of mean to make such a fuss and get another blogger kicked out of a stupid contest” and then—whammo—the sweet justice of karma comes back to bite her in the butt. I am happy to say I had no idea who she—or her delightful husband—were before this, and I hope that after this week, they kind of fade away from my consciousness again.
Great parody: “I’m only 27″ should now become the blogger catch phrase for anything stupid we do.
@Fairly Odd Mother, I’d love to make it into a meme that circles the Internet.
Twitter: FairlyOddMother
says:
@Avitable, Ooo, yes! You go first!
Twitter: helenamarie
says:
@Fairly Odd Mother, meme meme meme! We could splice youtube fail videos with “I’m Only 27″ scrolling across the screen as the sad-trombone sounds plays (“play them off, keyboard cat!”-style).
Oh snap! I literally LOLed.
@Glitter Makes Me Hot, that’s what I like to hear.
This.is.perfect.
Karma at it’s finest.
@Jenna, that’s what I was thinking, too.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Jenna, It’s about time the Karma bus rolled around in her hood.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
I, for one, will be eternally grateful to Kristin Ruiz, because without her, I might never have crawled out from under this apparent rock that has prevented me from discovering this highly amusing and entertaining site before now.
@It’s Just Mo, welcome. We all float down here.
@Avitable, dammit, the kids are sleeping in the hotel room and that had me laughing hysterically, along with everything else you’ve written on this topic.
I guess thank yous are in order for Kristen and Del, because they pointed some of us cave dwellers to some mighty fine writing-that has not been lifted from somewhere else!
Twitter: bonggamom
says:
I think I’ve commented more on @Avitable ‘s last 2 posts than I have on the entire interwebs during the whole of February. It’s like a Jerry Springer show, I just can’t look away.
Twitter: helenamarie
says:
@It’s Just Mo, Same! Loving the archives!
Twitter: msmegan
says:
Good to see we haven’t bred the pitbull out of you yet.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Megan, Even my pitbull knows not to plagiarize someone else’s work. And he’s way younger than 27.
@Megan, oh, that will never be gone. It’s just a bit more domesticated now.
Twitter: TaraZiegmont
says:
I didn’t even know about this til I read it here and went looking. It’s interesting that this particular blogger caused a bunch of drama and nonsense at BlogHer in 2009. Everyone was picking on her, of course. People don’t change.
Twitter: coalminersgd
says:
@Tara, Hey Tara, what did she do at BlogHer 2009? I’m nosey. I was there, but I think I was more concerned about trying to get into The Bloggess’s panties and wasn’t paying much attention to anything else.
Twitter: coalminersgd
says:
@Tara, Whoops! Never mind. Did some digging, found out, and WHOA! Had no idea. That is messed up.
@Tara, oh yeah, and there’s been a bunch of shit since then that’s been less publicized, too, I’m sure.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Tara, Tara, she attacked me in person at BlogHer. She’s a psycho nut.
Did she fake the pregnancy too?
@Lynda, I give it about a 50% chance of being true.
Twitter: Bellaventa
says:
I am officially slayed – this is brilliant. And, judging by the events of the past few days, deserved. Stealing is wrong, kids.
Yeah. I said it. And what?
@Robin, thanks. I agree.
Twitter: ProfCritic
says:
This wins the Internet today! And I agree with others; her apology wasn’t much of one. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the seriousness of what she’s done. Amy handled this beautifully.
@Professional Critic, Amy handled it with class and aplomb. I handled it less so.
I really don’t get her “apology”. So really, she still not actually responsible because she was pregnant? So, the hormones made her do it? She also didn’t name the writer from whom she stole.
I fucking hate perpetual, douchebag victims.
I still hope she’s actually learned a lesson, though.
Fucker.
@Sybil Law, Aww fuck my spelling/ typing mistakes, too. GAH.
Twitter: thepsychobabble
says:
@Sybil Law, OMG. I’m only 27 AND I’m pregnant. There is SO MUCH shit I need to go do, now that I know I’m not actually responsible for doing it! Whee!
@Sybil Law, I think her “apology” was more of a “Oh crap, I got caught, so maybe I should make it appear as if I am really sorry.” I get the feeling she’s more sorry she got caught.
@Sybil Law, fucker.
Twitter: scoutshonor
says:
Wow. Just wow. Marry me, Adam? Oh wait. I’m already married. Ooops.
Remind me NEVER, EVER to fuck with you, FUCKER. You take escalation to a new level…and I ♥ it!
~Scout
@Heather Murphy-Raines/Scout’s Honor, so many people think *this* is me escalating it to a new level. This is just taking it up a tiny notch in my mind.
Twitter: scoutshonor
says:
@Avitable,
Believe me, I know you held back. You kept it light-hearted and funny when she could have gotten a shiv to the back from the way it sounds like she has behaved in the past. My husband and I met her at a Seattle T-Mobile event and she seemed nice, but just shows you that you never know. Having been the victim many, many times with people stealing my drivel, for me, this is unforgivable. That said, all this drama is why I have AVOIDED conferences. Eek! I will look for you at BlogHer–glad you don’t bite too hard!
~Scout
Gah! The timing of this could not have been MORE PERFECT! Adam, as always, you are a genius.
@meg, thanks.
Wow. That karma bus had a really short route to come about so quickly, didn’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it work so fast!
@Christina, Amen, sistah! Karma really worked fast this time! Rarely is the universe so quick to satisfy…
@Christina, well, it’s been brewing since 2009 . . .
@Avitable, I’ve heard about this mysterious 2009 incident a lot – what happened?
@Avitable, Oh, never mind, sorry. I read the commenta above and figured it out.
I need someone like you on my side. Not that anyone is pissing on my parade, but if someone ever does I want your bad ass defending me.
@Annabelle, it’s what I do!
Excellent. I give you another ::slow clap::
Disclaimer: I am sure the ::slow clap:: was patented in 2004, or maybe 2006, by Kristin and Del, so I must give proper credit.
@Suzy Q, I don’t even think they can *spell* slow clap.
Twitter: DontSpkWhinese
says:
This. Is. Brilliant!!!!
Awww… C’mon… she is only 27 and that means she is incapable of knowing stealing other people’s work is wrong AND lacks the ability to own up to her shit.
Right?!?!?! Who really thinks that is an acceptable “excuse”?? My kids come up with better excuses than that shit and I find myself oddly proud of them for that comparison.
Maybe she should have learned that when you are caught in some shit the best thing to do is to own up to it, apologize genuinely and take what comes. Making excuses just makes you look like an ass… and you will be made fun of on the interwebz because of it.
@Leila (Don’t Speak Whinese), yeah, her apology was that she was sorry she got caught.
Twitter: themuskrat
says:
Desperate and pathetic are as desperate and pathetic do.
@the muskrat, is that a Forrest Gumpism?
Twitter: coalminersgd
says:
OK. Here’s my take. Just two weeks ago at the Georgia Academic Decathlon competition, one of our speech medal winners was discovered to have plagiarized her speech. Her speech was mostly made up of an essay about the craziness of our English language. This 16-year-old high school student had her medal taken away from her and her “A” (the prepared speech was her 1st semester final in the class at her high school) was also taken away.
Ahem.
Don’t give me this 27-year-old-I-was-pregnant-and-it-was-the-hormones-and-because-I-was-raised-by-a-foster-family-and-have-a-GED bullshit. Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Plagiarism = Theft
Theft = Stealing
Stealing = Illegal
Therefore:
Plagiarism = Illegal
Ergo, she needs to be glad she just got off with being fired from her job and quit playing the “poor pitiful me” card, stop hiding behind her husband whose mouth needs to stop writing checks his butt can’t cash, and apologize PUBLICLY to AMY. Something which she has yet to do. She couches her public apology in vague terms and that isn’t enough.
Good for Amy for calling her out and good for you for doing so as well. If the 16-year-old high school student can accept her consequences with grace (which she did), then this chick should be able to do the same.
@Coal Miner’s Granddaughter, damn – I wish I had been able to attend. That’s crazy.
Plagiarism is bad…I get that. And I think Amy did a pretty good job of setting this gal straight. But this post and comments mocking her site, calling her names, and declaring she should leave the internet just feels like mob mentality bullying.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Kat, Adam’s post is satire. Satire is not “bullying.” Satire is satire. Period. With regard to the comments, if you think a relatively small group of people having a conversation about someone’s poor behavior constitutes “bullying,” then I am glad you have never witness or experienced actual bullying. Honest, no snark. That term is very popular these days, all to often to describe any internet behavior where one person criticizes another.
Children in the country are DYING, they are choosing to end their own lives, not because people say things about them on the internet that they don’t like. These children are being bullied, night and day, in person and through every available form of technology and social media. To equate a conversation like this to what those children go through is a great dishonor to kids who actually suffer, and the memories of those who have not survived.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@It’s Just Mo, all TOO often. Apparently, the typos and grammar mistakes are contagious. At least I’m in good company with Becca and Sybil up there.
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
@It’s Just Mo, gotta love the grammatical and spelling errors!! Amen!! Lol
@It’s Just Mo,
Perhaps you’re right. I suppose satire isn’t my thing then.
If I were the plagiarizing blogger I would be crawling under a rock after getting called out by a blogger as distinguished and respected as Amy Storch. It doesn’t get much more humiliating than that…so this post with the attributing comments just feels like a whole lot of blows to someone who’s already been sufficiently knocked down.
As far as “bullying” is concerned…I guess we’ll agree to disagree on that. I don’t think it has to be so extreme as resulting in suicide. I think it can start with a simple blog post where a gathering of your peers mocks your site, calls you names, and roots for you to leave the internet.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Kat, Amy called out the behavior and the fake apology without including any identifying information or anything else that would let the average reader know who this person was. So Amy didn’t exactly “call her out.” And Amy was well within her rights to do exactly what she did the way she did it.
While you are entitled to your opinion, I can’t simply “agree to disagree” on what constitutes bullying. Doing so totally demeans the horrible experiences of children who are consistently and perpetually threatened. If adults calling other adults names constitutes bullying in your world, I wish I could live your charmed, easy life for just one day.
@It’s Just Mo,
You can’t ‘simply agree to disagree’?? So…what? Do you want to box it out? We disagree. Period.
And let’s not go making assumptions about one anothers life shall we? You don’t know me from Adam.
No pun intended.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Kat, you are entitled to your opinion. While I have no intention of “boxing it out,” I don’t have to agree that there is more than one definition of “bullying.” Words mean things.
You’re right, I don’t know you. I simply find it impossible to believe that anyone who has witnessed the devastation caused by the persistent torment of a child could ever think that an adult criticizing another adult falls into the same category. Any adult who feels bullied in that situation probably does not have the requisite coping skills to survive the world of the internet.
Please don’t get me wrong — I fully respect your right to have your opinion. And sure, name-calling isn’t nice or polite or respectful. But when, among adults, the slightest negative comment results in cries of “bullying,” those instances of mere hurt feelings water down and dilute the situations where real harm is being done, and the latter no longer gets taken seriously.
@It’s Just Mo, This is off topic, but I’m curious to know, how do you feel about the trial going on right now about the Rutgers boy who used a webcam to spy on his roommate who later jumped off the Hudson River Bridge? Is that bullying? Are college kids adults?
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Allyson, are college kids adults? I think it depends on the context. Legally, yes. Emotionally, sometimes. Psychologically, I don’t know. I am not a psychologist, so I don’t know whether human brains are still developing during the ages of a typical college student.
Did the Rutgers incident constitute bullying? I have no idea. Bullying means habitual negative behavior, repeated over time, in order to gain power over another individual. I don’t know anything more about the incident than what you posted above. I’d say a person secretly filming the intimate actions of another person certainly can give the film-er power over the subject. But I do not know anything about the relationship between the two of them, or what was done with the film, or what other behaviors the subject was exposed to.
To me, though, whether or not it constitutes bullying is irrelevant. How do I feel about it? I feel that it is one of the most horrifying invasions of privacy a person could commit against another. There are plenty of horrible things that people do to each other — for example stalking, harassment, threats, defamation, invasion of privacy, and any act of physical aggression or violence — and those acts are egregious in and of themselves. Sometimes those things are part of a pattern of bullying and sometimes not. If not, the fact that something’s not bullying doesn’t change the awful nature of the act.
@It’s Just Mo,
And let’s be clear, I’m 100% on Amy’s side here. In no way am I insinuating she was out of line. I think she handled it perfectly.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Kat, Oh, I didn’t think you were insinuating that at all. And I agree with you.
@Kat, plagiarism is the worst thing that one could possibly do with regards to blogging. It’s the theft of someone else’s intellectual property, and in this case, someone’s extremely personal story. So, I’m sorry if you think that this is harsh, but this isn’t even close. I bit my tongue when I made this, and yes, I made fun of her, but not nearly as strongly as I feel.
Fuck Kristin and fuck Del Ruiz. They are the reasons that companies hesitate to work with bloggers, why other types of bloggers make fun of the personal/mommy blogger set, and why people think that the Internet is filled with immature trolls. They are the worst type of bullies – the ones who are constantly the victim while scheming and plotting to get whatever they can, regardless of the rules or the laws.
I wish Isabel and Alphamom would sue her for the infringement, but Isabel’s going to be nice about it because she (and Amy) are classy people. I’m not a classy person. I’m an honest person, and I think that they should leave the Internet as professional bloggers and find another career. Because, clearly, this one isn’t working out for them.
/end rant
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Kat, Kat, are you aware Kristin is the Internet bully queen? Or are you Kristin in hiding? Read the facts. She’s had this coming for a LONG time.
Good lord Adam, I fall a couple of weeks behind in my blog reading and look what you go and do. You exploded the internet!
Twitter: Becca_masters
says:
@Neeroc, Ha!!!
@Neeroc, It’s what I do!
dude, you’ve had my back in the past and man, I hope you always will because you are all kinds of wonderful. or should I say “Some Kind of Wonderful” were you give your college education in earrings to me because you think my leather drumming gloves are the shit.
@gorillabuns, hahaha!
Twitter: Kimt205
says:
I am just catching up. This is crazy shit. And it annoys the hell out of me that I write from the heart, I’ve submitted posts to Babble and MamaPop and been rejected many times over because I’m not a parent, and this bitch can copy and paste and get paid.
@Kim, well, she won’t be getting paid anymore!
Bravo, sir.
I almost feel bad for these two. Almost. I do feel bad for their kids. If they have any sense, they’ll step away from the Internet. Having followed their “careers”, it’s clear they both have some serious, serious problems that they need to face – they’re a couple of textbook sociopaths, and they need help.
@Jason, agreed, completely.
Your contributions to this epic tragicomedy are greatly appreciated. Well done.
@Beta Dad, thank you. /bows
I just wanna say that I so totally love you for doing this, that I would look at photos of your balls dressed up as a turkey. And I would smile, even.
Yeah, I said it!
@Cyn, smiling is okay. Pointing and laughing is frowned upon.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Your fake post titles slayed me this morning. Especially the “I’m Only 27″ page.
I think Babble should ask her for the money back that they paid her for the post she gave them that was plagiarized, don’t you?
You should totally make a t-shirt to wear to BlogHer that reads “I’m only 27″.
@Elizabeth@Table4Five, I think Babble should investigate every post she ever wrote and demand that she pay back every penny.
@Avitable, I actually think the original authors of the posts should be paid. But not by Babble.
BTW, I know someone who can make that shirt for you.
Twitter: Barking_Mad
says:
You win the internet!
@Audrey, thanks!
Twitter: Rsimplelives
says:
I didn’t know people would even do such a thing. huh?
m.
@Mark, people can be, as a whole, shitty.
@Avitable, You should know!
genius. pure genius. But YOU knew that! (so did we!) I should ‘steal’ this ala @ordinarylife and post it on my own blog lol.. just kidding of course.. but I’m so linking this one up!
@dlawrence, link away!
Twitter: VerdantDude
says:
I’ve been reading and thinking a lot about this subject, and I think I’ve come to an important decision.
Roast beef and swiss cheese with lettuce, onion, tomato with oil and vinegar and salt and pepper on a hero for lunch today. Salt and vinegar chips on the side. Maybe an iced-tea.
Phew! Thank God THAT’S over with.
@B.E. Earl, sounds good, except for that iced tea shit.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
Adam, Adam, Adam.
3 words:
You
Are
Amazing
That it all.
@Tanya,
@Tanya,
4 words for you.
You
Are
A
Bitch
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@susie, Awe, Kristin and or Delfino, you’re so brave for hiding behind a screen name, once again. It must really suck to have no life and so much hate and jealousy towards people that have outed you for who you really are. So, has the US government contacted (again) you in regards to the food stamp and welfare theft that you’ve committed? Better yet, how are those ‘school loans’ working out for you to buy your weed with?
@Tanya, First of all let’s get one thing straight. I am not Del & Kristin hiding benind a screen name. I am proud to say that I am Del’s great aunt, Kristin’s great aunt-in-law and great-great aunt to their 2 beautiful daughters. And their soon to be 3rd daughter. (Yes she really is pregnant. Not just a 50% chance as this unfunny and cruel Avitable person would want you all to believe.)
And secondly I want to apologize for calling you a bitch. It was a gut reaction to the mean and spiteful things you have been saying about my family. I understand you & Del and Kristin have had issues in the past. I don’t know all the details and really don’t care to know them. I’m sure that things were said and done by both parties that were wrong. I’m not blaming you nor am I blaming Del & Kristin. It was in the past, and you both need to just get over it.
Anyway my concern is not over that but instead over the more recent events.
What Kristin did was wrong. I know it. You know it. Del & Kristin know it. Kristin has been beating herself up over it. The stress has even caused problems with her pregnancy. You might say she brought it on herself and you are partially right.
She admits she deserved to lose her job with Babble. She admits she has been a not so nice person in the past . She has vowed to change that and I believe she will.
She does NOT deserve the hateful things people have been saying. This incident is between her and Amy and although I haven’t really looked it appears Amy has remained a class act and not joined in the bashing, unlike you and Avitable and all the other high school “mean girls” and guys who have posted on here.
Kristin says she is broken. Leave her alone. Let her heal. Enough is enough.
@susie, if Kristin is broken and wants people to leave her alone to heal, she should stay the fuck off the Internet and stop the excuses. She should shut up her fucking idiot of a husband (yes, your great-nephew), stop sending out notices of copyright violation when she is a plagiarizer, and disappear for a while.
Her plagiarism isn’t between her and Amy. She stole content from a blogger and used it to get paid for a site that she didn’t belong at. It’s an issue that is public and important to more than just Amy. And of course she brought it on herself – she is NOT a fucking victim.
I understand you want to defend your family, but you could be a better supporter by getting her to just withdraw and “heal”.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@susie, Apology is accepted, however I agree with Avitale on this one. Del is an idiot that’s making everything worse. Have you read his twitter stream? He makes Kristin look worse than she makes herself look. They both do, but he makes her look worse. I’d fall off the face of the earth in embarrassment if my husband talked shit the way Del does to people on his blog or twitter. She’s going to college for business marketing, right? Des she copy off other students papers or are they smart enough to read online that she’s a thief? They both are immature and need to grow up.
These two have been Internet bullies for YEARS. Are you aware of that? Del’s entire so called blog is a lovefest and addiction for me. They both are mental and the world sees it.
This whole ‘issue’ isn’t just with Kristin admitting she stole content from another blogger; it’s about her stealing from MANY bloggers. Shes stolen from me and admitted it, but in the 3+ years that she did it, she’s never once apologized to me, or the other loggers. All she has done is continue on like nothing’s happened, bullied and harassed numerous people on twitter, her blog, and in person. Kristin is a hateful soul. The girl needs help. Even her own sister said she needs medication.
If she has ‘complications’ in her pregnancy, she needs to back off, they both need to get offline and focus on her health. She drank like a fish with her last pregnancy, hopefully she’s sober this one. If she’s having pregnancy complications, it’s because she needs to realize all the harm she’s done, grow the hell up, do a hell of a lot more apologizing, stay offline for a while, stop stealing shit from people and stop her childish cycle of hate that she’s been doing to me and others for 7 years now.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Tanya, loggers = bloggers. Pardon the typo, I’m typing on my iPad.
)
Twitter: KariewithaK
says:
@susie, I see you want to defend your family. However, this is a situation that Kristin and Del created on their own free will. This “hate” you speak of is merely truths being spoken across the interwebs and net in reply to her lack luster of an excuse for theft and repeated theft at that. If this were the real world where people hold real jobs, she would have been hauled off in front of a court of law and sued for her tortious actions of intentional proprietary reproduction without citation of the source. This is not being “Mean Girls” and boys ma’lady, this is how the real world revolves. If you truly care for your family and their honor, consider the fire storm you have inserted yourself into.
I was once Kristin’s friend. I defended her BLINDLY. I believed her lies and unfathomable stories of how she was mistreated only to be mistreated by her myself. I did not and still do not hate her, as do others who share my feelings. I merely walked quietly away only to be attacked; a character assassination, numerous emails attacking me as to why did I unfriend her, confronting me, when I was being adult and walking away avoiding a confrontation where she would be the victim, when the situation did not present itself with a victim.
She has betrayed people’s trust and acted in a very juvenile fashion not taking adult ownership for wrong doings throughout her entire life. She merely admits her wrong and then cries wolf once more because she does not carry the mental or emotional capacity to deal with such an adult, responsible issue. She litters her mistakes with excuses. Adults do not excuse their adult wrong doings with their childhood. Otherwise I would be able to run amok telling everyone, I am an adult child of an alocholic and was abused….I can be an asshole…don’t hate me! NO…that is not owning up, growing and learning from mistakes.
If you care for your family, suggest they seek help and remove themselves from the internet to allow her the family time she claims to need to carry on in her pregnancy and to avoid “complications”. This is not a hateful suggestion but one of common sense. If she were working in the real world with a “real” job then she would take a leave of absence to mind her health and family, that is what adults do and people who work in the real world.
Please be mindful that in all of this the common denominator is Kristin and Del who continue with the provocation of this situation. It has been Kristin and Del to attack others when they have quietly stepped away from them, as I did, only to be pushed, provoked, and resulting in stooping to their decrepit levels where they act out foolishly and despicably, yet remorsefully so, I apologized and stepped away to avoid further conflict.
Before making accusations based on a biased and loaded ear, please lend the ear of others who have had first hand experience, and do not carry a bias and hate towards these two (Kristin and Del), but have been scorned by their juvenile and their hateful actions.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Karie, Perfectly said, Karie. If they choose to remove themselves from the ‘drama pot’ and internet bullying that they continue to carry on doing, that might be the best things for them both. I, myself, DID carry hate with me for what Kristin and Del did to me and many others. Life is too short to hate and I refuse to waste any energy on two that are heartless souls. Their actions are years and years of ongoing messes. I, myself, don’t see either of them ever changing.
Twitter: twinmomoftwinz
says:
It’s all already been said. Plagiarizing is wrong. She knows it. She has to look at herself in the mirror and deal with the consequences now.
With that said, my favorite part of your whole post is the family photo of the Obamas. You’re one funny motherfucker. Um most of the time.
@Stacey, ahem. ALL of the time!
bwahaaaaaaaaaaa To funny!! I love it!!
Thanks for the laugh
)
@Nicky, thanks for the visit and comment!
What makes me really sad about all this is how Kristin has been bullying other “smaller” bloggers for at least 3 years now, that I know of. No one could stop her from that.
But a “bigger” blogger gets copied and pasted, and then she’s dealt with. It’s so sad…the ones who don’t have the big friends to back them up, just scream into the wind.
I know of 3 instances where Del and Kristin have harassed and gotten what they screamed for. And no one could do anything. And Ordinary Life’s followers just grew and grew on GFC and twitter. We all just watched and wondered. With information so easily found on the internet, how could companies, and online mags like Babble NOT know about Kristin and Del?
How could they not?
And yet, with paid blogging gigs being such a rarity and something we’d all wish for, Kristin WHO IS UNABLE TO EVEN WRITE, SPELL, OR USE PUNCTUATION, get’s a babble gig. I don’t get that. Didn’t Babble visit her site? ANY post up, on ANY day is full of typos and spacing errors. On any day.
It’s frustrating to the rest of us that this type of blog is rewarded in the hundreds of ways that hers was. Frustrating.
As far as stealing someone’s content. Sheesh…I knew it was wrong from 3 years old on up. You don’t copy. Hasn’t she ever head the preschool chant “copy cat?” Kristin knew. Being 27 has nothing to do with it. Having only a GED has nothing to do with it.
She wants to get something for minimal effort and she’s learned to just take it.
Though I hate to see someone suffer, I really don’t think she is. I think she has learned that some fake post about being sorry, and a few months passing, and she’ll be back in the saddle again.
I think she’ll have no consequences at all.
I won’t watch to see. I won’t have to look. Her name will always pop up everywhere, because companies don’t vet out who they pass the candy out to.
Rant over. Thanks for this space.
And mortification over your own sins? I don’t think she has the conscience to feel that. Nor Del. I think they both are figuring out their next move right about now. Watch for a reinvention.
@Alexandra, it is frustrating, and unfortunately sometimes it just takes someone big enough to make enough noise for it to make a difference. I’m hoping that she reinvents herself as someone who can spell and use proper grammar.
Twitter: Zakary
says:
You are my favorite of all time.
@Zak, that’s precisely what I strive for!
Twitter: sugarfree32
says:
I’m a relatively new follower and I just felt the need to tell you how awesome this is. For reals. Anyone who pulls the kind of shit that that girl…errr….woman did should be called out and forced to wear the scarlet letter. The question is what letter would it be? There are so many words that could be used to describe someone like that…..
@Heather aka Sugar Free, MF comes to mind.
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
Miss plagiarism herself just wrote a new ‘apology’ post. It smells like crap. I wonder if she stole that too. She’s stolen from me for years, and was caught by me and now others.
Twitter: TwitsJustMo
says:
@Tanya, oh my, my. Internal inconsistencies, admissions/nonadmissions, and more and more excuses. I didn’t use being 27 as an excuse, because I was only 24! Utter disaster.
@It’s Just Mo, @mommygoggles @avitable
Why would the liar think 24 would make it that much better??! OMG She’s a dipshit
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Nicky, Nicky said dipshit. That made me giggle.
@Tanya, I’m not even going to bother reading it.
Twitter: eatplaylove
says:
It’s moments like this that I am proud of my 5 readers (3 of which are family members) because all of my words, thoughts, and bizarre notions are my own. It really pisses me off when others steal and lie to advance their standing in the blogosphere. What a shame.
@Denise-EPL, it’s the worst thing someone can do in blogging.
Twitter: coalminersgd
says:
Oh, wait… WAIT!
CLARIFICATION! She was only 24 when she did this. 24, people! Therefore, she’s still in the clear, because 24 is younger than 27 and, obviously, anyone under the age of 25 is a moron and free and clear to theft away.
My apologies.
http://www.ourordinarylife.com/2012/03/no-title/
@Coal Miner’s Granddaughter,
I wonder when she consideres herself an adult?! At what age are you responsible for your wrong doings? Obvioudly not 24 and definately not 27!!
Yup Kristin and Del= MORON’s!!!
The poor children they are having have no chance……..but they’re not foster kids(yet) So maybe they have a fighting chance?!
*hand hitting forhead*
Twitter: mommygoggles
says:
@Coal Miner’s Granddaughter,
Poor poor pitiful soul. She’s only 27. I dread to see her lies and excuses when she’s 37, 47, 57. I feel sorry for her kids.
@Coal Miner’s Granddaughter, wow.
Twitter: momdot
says:
She would have been OK if she had a Felipe to look after her.
Oh. Wait.
trisha
@trisha, hahaha!!
Twitter: mommaJWoww1`9
says:
hahaha. awesome!
@Jennifer, thanks.
I’m an irregular visitor to all blogs these days, i’ve pretty much given up blogging and maintain my site only in order to whore it out to dodgy SEO companies.
This kind of shit makes me pretty glad of that. do not miss it, at all.
@Dan, I bet – this type of drama makes it hard to enjoy the benefits of blogging.
Why may I ask is Del posting via his Twitter all these links to various articles and blog posts regarding copyright, plagiarism, stealing images, and so on and so forth? We all know that she is guilty, he isn’t doing Kristin a bit of good! He just makes her look guiltier and guiltier by flaunting the fact that he knows she plagiarized. He should have followed his own advice last night when he told DadCentric he was just going to walk away from online. And I am with everybody else, she just needs to stop trying to make excuses (only 24 now) and just admit it was wrong and get on with it. It was wrong in 2009 and it was even MORE WRONG 3 or 4 days ago when it was posted on Babble. And how stupid do you have to be to not remember what you wrote from what somebody else wrote. She claims she doesn’t remember much from that pregnancy, was it because she was drunk? Because she did fully admit to thinking nothing wrong of having at least a glass of wine while pregnant in one blog post! Tisk, tisk, Kristin. And while I’m at it, I don’t think the fact that being a foster kid, getting a GED, etc has anything to do with her stealing somebody else’s work. You learn in elementary school, which I know she had to attend not to copy out of the encyclopedia when doing a report or copy line from line from a book that your doing a book report on! She has been in college for years now and in college you have to write term papers, I wonder how many term papers shes plagiarized. She didn’t know any better right?
Twitter: coalminersgd
says:
@Elizabeth, Oh, I see what he’s doing there! Give it a few days and I guarantee you that one or both of these “bloggers” is going to blame a big-name blogger for plagiarizing one or more images on their blogs. You wait. They’re getting ready to deflect by directing blame elsewhere. That whole, “Oh, yeah? Well…well… she didn’t cite this picture from so-and-so!” No doubt about it.
@Coal Miner’s Granddaughter, I didn’t think of that, but your probably right. They’ve got to start thinking of how to make a come back. After all they are the ones that have always been bullied. And you know that I’m sure she’s stolen more than just from this Amy gal. What are the chances out of all the years she’s blogged she didn’t by chance get “lazy” and steal something else. Or maybe she felt the same way about a product review or something similar.
@Elizabeth,
I read Amy’s post to my husband yesterday while he was driving. His response was that Kristin probably doesn’t remember what she wrote and what was Amy’s because she’s plagiarized from multiple bloggers.
Honestly, someone with more time than me should probably go through, post by post, take key sentences from each post and Google them. I’ll bet that she stole from five or six people.
It makes me glad that I am so not an A, B or even C list blogger, and really sad for those who she’s stolen from.
@Elizabeth, well, I did steal images from their site for my parody. So I expect a cease and desist letter any day now . . .
Twitter: Faiqa
says:
You know what’s fucked up?
This woman has not gotten two posts and over 300 comments on your blog.
You wrote a LINE about my birthday and didn’t even send me a present.
Asshole.
Twitter: Faiqa
says:
@Faiqa, “HAS NOW” Not not.
@Faiqa, did you send ME a present? You’re right, though – you do deserve a post all about how awesome you are.
Pingback: Is it better to be right, or happy?
What I find very amusing in all of this is that she plagerised HER OWN POST. In http://www.ourordinarylife.com/2012/03/no-title/ she copied and pasted the same (poorly written) paragraph from http://www.ourordinarylife.com/2012/03/owning-it/. Now THAT is lazy.
I had never heard of Kristen Ruiz before the whole Crysler fiasco, and I hope I never hear of her again.
@Leah Johnsey,
I was going to comment. Then I realized I agree completely with the last sentence of this.
Twitter: babyrocasmama
says:
That mock-up is fabulous! I laughed so hard, but had to stifle myself because my hubby is snoring, er, sleeping in bed behind me. Then I started reading the comments and had to stifle again because worse than his snoring like a buzz saw is him getting woken up and not getting enough sleep. He gets rather bitchy.
I knew that ol’ Voldy would eventually get taken down a few pegs. I’m sad that it took this fucking long, though. And you’re all right, she cannot string two sentences together to create even one coherent thought. Neither can that Moldy of hers.
But she gets all kinds of free shit, paid conferences and trips — what the fuck??
So brands don’t care about the QUALITY of the bloggers they pick to represent them? Content is no longer king? It’s all about traffic and who can either whore themselves out or beg for votes the best now? Well that would be why I haven’t gotten anything, like ever. I’d LOVE a free ride to BlogHer or some trip to a corporate office where they give me schwag and a few appliances. Or a car (we really need a new one or a second one cuz ours is seriously old and we only have ONE).
I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that 98% of her posts are not her own. Well, maybe my estimate is too generous.
As for her and hubby’s whining/bitching/indignant over perceived slights or because they fear losing a contest? Well that’s what happens when you’re living off the state dole — you feel ENTITLED to handouts and when you don’t get them you cry foul and threaten an ACLU lawsuit for discrimination or some shit.
“I stole some great lines and didn’t attribute but I’m only 27 and a foster child. I didn’t know any better”. Give me a fucking break! Neither of those posts were apologies; they were grammatically, syntactically incorrect gibberish posts filled with poorly worded excuses as to why she shouldn’t have to take responsibility for her actions EVER. Didn’t I see something in a link Moldy posted about someone intentionally making fun of Voldy after her father died? But she was a foster child, that indicates no parental involvement, does it not? And another cited reason for her theft/plagiarism? Maybe I’m confused.
My mother has serious issues and was very abusive to me, but I never used that as an excuse for anything I ever did wrong. I own it all. Why? Because they were my mistakes. No one else’s. Mine.
In another comment someone asked if she was really pregnant. I’m sure she is. She needs a baby to continue to be a mommy blogger and get free shit. Plus she’ll get more welfare now.
Don’t y’all love to see exactly where your tax dollars are going?
Just for the record, my husband is Hispanic, Jewish, has a college degree AND a decent job (for almost 15 years now). We struggle to make ends meet, but get no help or hand-outs at all. Everything we have, we have worked for. Yet people like K & D who are unethical, bullies and work the system get things handed to them left and right.
Funny how that works, eh?
*Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes. It’s late, I’m typing in the dark and hubby is snoring so loud the windows are rattling.*
Twitter: baltimoregal
says:
Dude,
Normally I think you’re the guy who brings the nuclear weapon to a knife fight but you played this one just right imho.
Kudos for the extra hilarity.
Love the oh-so-clearly labeled and pointed parody! And their inability to get it! Adam, you are indubitably awesome.
wh
sorry for the premature button pushing, I’m
2427, 36 I think.I have to tell you Adam, THIS has been the best post I have read in a long time, and the comments??!?! even better!!!
I purposely stayed away from this issue because I had already seen what a whiny and pity hungry person she is, but I feel the world needs another comment right about now
ohhh emmm geeee! if her fake apologies and rants about not having a chance at the chrysler contest weren’t enough, you need a parody about her fb timeline… it will have people spitting drinks at screens everywhere!!!
It started with her sorry boo-hoo’s about not being able to get votes, because she was on vacay, then because she was this or that… then it was “oh woes me! It’s not fair!!!”
she suckers everyone of her friends into her pity parties…
best fb post?!?!?!?
The one where she said “I wish I would never wake up”
really!??! I have an overly-dramatic tween, and let me tell you, Kristin Ruiz certainly has my DD beat!
I can bet my pink elephant I have in the backyard that her getting pregnant was ONLY for future opportunities. She is a pampers brand ambassador, and if pampers knew any better they would quit that relationship with her ASAP!
I feel she is pregnant to “keep” her relationship with pampers since she was running out of options with her girls.
I’m sorry, to me that is an attention-hungry, pity-loving, person, unless a company is going to give me an 18 year contract, and a case of liquor a month, I am not popping out a kid for some free diapers!!!
I needed a place to “release” my inner shit-spits about K, and thank you Adam whole-heartedly for this ;D
bwahahaaa, sorry for the stupid looking post above, lol, pls delete…
sorry for the premature button pushing, I’m 24 no, 27 no, 36… I think.
I have to tell you Adam, THIS has been the best post I have read in a long time, and the comments??!?! even better!!!
I purposely stayed away from this issue because I had already seen what a whiny and pity hungry person she is, but I feel the world needs another comment right about now
ohhh emmm geeee! if her fake apologies and rants about not having a chance at the chrysler contest weren’t enough, you need a parody about her fb timeline… it will have people spitting drinks at screens everywhere!!!
It started with her sorry boo-hoo’s about not being able to get votes, because she was on vacay, then because she was this or that… then it was “oh woes me! It’s not fair!!!”
she suckers everyone of her friends into her pity parties…
best fb post?!?!?!?
The one where she said “I wish I would never wake up”
really!??! I have an overly-dramatic tween, and let me tell you, Kristin Ruiz certainly has my DD beat!
I can bet my pink elephant I have in the backyard that her getting pregnant was ONLY for future opportunities. She is a pampers brand ambassador, and if pampers knew any better they would quit that relationship with her ASAP!
I feel she is pregnant to “keep” her relationship with pampers since she was running out of options with her girls.
I’m sorry, to me that is an attention-hungry, pity-loving, person, unless a company is going to give me an 18 year contract, and a case of liquor a month, I am not popping out a kid for some free diapers!!!
I needed a place to “release” my inner shit-spits about K, and thank you Adam whole-heartedly for this ;D
I died laughing! I popped over to her twitter today to see if she’d ever decided to take some adult responsibility- no such luck. What I did see was her whining about you “bullying” her (a parody is not bullying, Kristen!) and thus this post. In conclusion- I love you, and that woman is a fucking idiot.
Pingback: Part One, Technical Foul: Lying Online | SNOOWS
Twitter: supermomtweets
says:
Thank you for the much needed laugh! I just heard about this today!!!! Where the hell have I been hiding to miss this news!?!?!
What is even worse is this plagiarizing blogger actually has REMOVED her “apology” post from her blog, which will save her from it being archived and searchable via Google in the future. What a sham. http://www.ourordinarylife.com/2012/03/owning-it/ “The page you are looking for no longer exists.”
@Worthy,
The classy person owns up to their mistakes and leaves the posts about them up for all posterity. (I have a couple of those in my history, I don’t delete posts.)
She’d rather we all forget about it. More importantly, I think she’d rather have all the free products and the paycheck, so she’ll delete the post and hope it all dies down.
Too bad anyone Googling her name will find Adam’s posts…