Friday Freebie Winner

I want to thank April from April's Little Family for working with me this week to work out the details of the giveaway. If you haven't checked out her Etsy site, please hop on over there and see what she's got. If you don't see anything you like, she does custom scarves too. Just tell her what you're wanting and she'll have it for you in no time. I couldn't believe how quickly she made both of the scarves for the giveaway.

I ran the Random number generator for comments and the winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

32

Timestamp: 2009-01-31 04:19:55 UTC

And #32 is: Donna at Lena & Macy!
Donna said...

Yippee..enter me, enter me! :)

I loved the hat entry. Those pics were too much!

Donna
mommy to Lena and Macey

I picked you! Or, rather Random.org picked you. Congratulations! Just email me with your address and April will get your scarf in the mail to you-- after you let us know which one you want.

Stay tuned next week for yet another fun Giveaway!

Welcome to the Sick Ward

Its been Theme Week around here. So with Theme Week I'm bound to the theme of the day. A few things have happened in the mean time. I've had a house full of sick kids. I was supposed to have a reporter come and interview our family on Wednesday. The gods of Baby's R Us must have aligned with rising Jupiter and a crescent moon and allowed me a glimpse into Emma and Ryan's future. I got to go to the bathroom-- alone.

But alas, I was writing about a different bathroom experience and hats. Not that theme week wasn't fun, but now these other things are old news. I'm going to write about them and you're going to say "That was so 3 days ago" to which I'm going to reply "And your point is?"

Last Sunday as I was preparing to be Good Citizen Denise and go eat cheesecake go listen to a school board bond proposal, Jenna was complaining of a headache. A fever was soon behind.

It lasted about 36 hours, a low grade fever, constant headache and occasional tummy ache. Jenna went back to school on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Julia came home from school on Monday crying. She had a sore throat that was killing her. She had gone to the school nurse but since she didn't have a fever the nurse sent her back to her class. By 7:00 Julia had a fever. By 9:30 she was hugging a toilet. The next day I took her to the doctor to receive a $30 diagnosis that I already knew (remember I watch House now)- a very nasty case of Strep throat.

Monday was Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, which coincidentally is the Year of Julia. To celebrate, and I use the term quite loosely, I ordered Chinese. Sickly Julia turned her nose at Chinese and wanted Sonic. So being the doting mother that I am (I heard that kids!) I got her Sonic and a Sprite.

On Tuesday morning the babies woke up when I did, around 7:00. I was upstairs checking Julia and when I came down I found this:

Yes, that would be Julia's Sonic cup the Emma had taken out of the trash. Great. I mean, ordinarily I wouldn't care that my baby pulled a cup out of the trash and started drinking it, but you know, this one was covered in strep.

Wednesday night Emma was running a very low grade fever and was cranky. The question was did she have Jenna's virus or Julia's strep? Thursday she ran a low fever off and on but by that night it was higher and she wasn't eating and even gagging on food. I've been known to make a meal or two that my kids didn't like, but this was pizza.

Off to the doctor for us this morning, with Ryan in tow. Diagnosis: Strep, and a nasty case at that. I felt terrible. It didn't present like strep so I didn't take her the doctor making her suffer a day longer then necessary. One more thing added to the Mommy Guilt List.

So what does a poor little 18 month old with a nasty case of strep throat look like?

This would be Emma who was still quite incised that not only had someone stuck a cotton swab down her throat, but someone else stuck a stick in her mouth. The indignity of it all.

You would think that she would want her mommy to make it all better when we got home.

And she did, but was still unhappy until she spotted this:

To which she instantly stopped crying and started reaching and grunting. When I picked it up she started babbling "gabba gabba."

I don't know about you, but whenever I see a remote control Yo Gabba Gabba is the first thing that comes to mind.

But my baby was miserable and if she wanted to watch oversized, overgrown, stuffed animals bouncing around, singing annoying songs I was going to let her. She started on my lap but was soon down in front of the tv.

Nothing like Yo Gabba Gabba to make things all better.

I think Noggin needs to add that to their list of endearing qualities: Enhances preschoolers' social skills and self-awareness, expands musical and kinesthetic skills and is a baby narcotic. I always told you it was Baby Crack. Just remember who told you first.

And so, there's one question that remains.

When's this ticking time bomb going to go off?

By the way, the shirt is completely appropriate.



Be sure to comment on Freebie Friday so you have a chance to win a handmade, crocheted scarf-- and no I didn't make it. A professional did!

Freebie Friday

This week has been fun. Who knew themes could be such fun? That said, I think they were fun because they were my own personal crazy themes. Maybe I'll even give it a try again sometime. Maybe I'll even make a whole new set.

So I'm sending theme week out with a bang. Freebie Friday means GIVEAWAY!!! Who doesn't love a giveaway? Show me a person who doesn't love a giveaway and I'll show you a crazy person.

As always, the question is what to give? So I thought about how cold its been every where. And then I was dropping by April's blog April's Little Family and I noticed her Etsy store. April crochets scarves and sells them on Etsy. The wheels started turning and before I knew it I had a prize! The prize for this one day only chance to win giveaway is a handmade, crocheted scarf lovingly made by April, and made specially for this giveaway. But wait! It gets even better! The lucky winner gets to PICK one scarf from two scarves that she's made. One is a light muted pink and the other is a hot pink, both super soft.


















You can check out her scarves at her Etsy site here. Oh, and there's more pictures of both of these scarves on there as well so be sure to check it out!

How can you win a scarf and be the envy of all your friends? Leave a comment, it's that simple. No crazy rules this time. No extra entries for following, or announcing on your blog or standing on your head (although I'd like to see a photo of that if you have one.) Just leave a comment and you get a chance to win. For fun, but not required, tell me what your favorite theme was.

The giveaway is open from 12:01 am to 10:00 CST Friday, January 30. I'll pick the winner from a Random Number Generator and announce the winner Friday night-- late, obviously.

Oh, and be sure to drop by Brandy's blog for her own Freebie Friday!

Life Lesson Thursday

(This is the 5th post in a series of themed posts. Be sure to drop by tomorrow for a VERY special post!}

As parents we want to impart wisdom onto our children. We wish to take our life experiences and pass on the lessons we have learned. Those ungrateful urchins often don't listen, but we try anyway. Its human nature for us to try, the circle of life...

Sorry, for a moment I heard African drums and had the strangest desire to lift one of my children into the air and hold them over a cliff.

Anyway, as I was saying, we want to give our children life lessons. Lessons for living life, rules about what not to do and rules about what we should do. We've all heard that the most basic rules of life are really learned in kindergarten and there's really no arguing with that. Those rules are pretty great. But there's some that just don't seem to be covered in any classroom and its up to us, loving parents, to pass these pearls of wisdom on. Today's the day to start.

Today's Thursday life lesson is about hats.

What the...? you're asking. I'm sorry. That was covered yesterday in What the...? Wednesday, but if you scroll down you'll find that post below.

Think about it. Who really teaches us about hats? As I pondered the mystical topic of hats I was overwhelmed with everything that I could teach my children. Unfortunately, they seem to have short attention spans so I'll have to keep it to the really important stuff.

My precious, darling children, (remember this is for my children, but feel free to eavesdrop)

I wish to pass onto you the wisdom pertaining to hats. Far too many people just whip a hat on their head without even giving it a second thought. But cherished cherubs, hats are more than a mere accessory and must be regarded with careful thought and consideration.

{Who doesn't call their children Cherished Cherubs???}

First, a hat can be your most helpful aid.

Yikes!!!

This is a perfect example. Can you believe that your next to perfect mother would actually go out in public looking like this? But what's a person to do, out in the world without a hair brush? Silly heads, she has a plan. She may not brush her hair, but she has a plan to cover up her dirty little secret. What's her plan?

A hat, silly! Hats can make everything better. Feeling sad? Put on hat. Feeling lonely? Put on a hat. Feeling upset that you missed most of LOST because of cranky, whiny sick kids? Sorry, no hat's gonna fix that. Glass of wine and a DVR, maybe, but not a hat.

So hats are not a cure all, fix all for everything. But here's something else you should know young padawan: They can actually cause you harm.

{Note the cool Star Wars reference, alluding and comparing the wearing of hats to The Force. It also carries a bit of foreshadowing: we're headed to the Dark Side.}

You put on a hat and look so cute and stylish. But think girl! Think boy! Think before you behat yourself. Hats are not to be worn lightly. Wearing hats can have drastic consequences.

Ahh! Look away! Yes, its true, a dastardly case of hat hair.

Young innocents, wearing fleece hats in the dead of winter. Sure those hats keep your heads warm but what happens when you take them off?

Crazy hair! That's what happens!

Think of wearing a hat like entering a lifelong relationship with your significant other. Wearing a hat is a commitment. Once you put that hat on, you're pretty much stuck with it. No turning back unless you happen to have a bottle of detangling spray {or a really good prenup}.

And that mon petit chou {'my little cabbages' in French, a by product of 8th grade French class} is my lesson on hats. I can see that your minds have begun to wander. Perhaps if you were wearing a hat, your wee little brains would be held more firmly in place.

Until our next lesson, the evils of eavesdropping, remember that I love you!

Mommy

*******************************

Be sure to check out Brandy's Life Lesson Thursday at her blog I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom. I love that she's playing along!

Yesterday Kristin at The Way It Is and Carey at Life In the Carpool Lane decided to join in the fun of What the...? Wednesday. If you want to join in today's fun let me know and I'll link you here! Email me at dms052564@gmail.com when your post is up.

I tried to do a Mr. Linky for this, but would you believe I'm completely original and there wasn't a title for Life Lesson Thursday? And to top it all off, I had to PAY money to up grade to create my own (I have no idea how much) Frankly, I'd rather keep the money for things like GIVEAWAYS so I'll just enter them here the old fashioned way.

Other Blogs joining in Life Lesson Thursday:

Brandy at I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom- lessons learned from Reality TV
Anita at A Wife, A Woman and a Mom-- lessons learned from telling jokes!

What The...? Wednesday

Ryan: Emma, I don't think that's a good idea.
Emma: The view up here's amazing! You can see the TV from here!

My friend Brandy's giving my theme's street cred by playing along with me. So be sure to check out her blog I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom to see her What the ...? Wednesday! I can't wait to see what she came up with. I hope she got her laundry put away...

Tidy Tuesday

Yesterday I told you that I hated strict structure. But sometime the house keeping duties just seem to get away from me so I decided that it might not be such a bad idea to come up with a list of chores to do on certain days of the week. In my effort to keep my house not only less cluttered, but also much cleaner I'm trying to be like my idol: June Cleaver.

Oh, hi! You caught me on Mopping Monday.

Wiping Wednesday. I just love to dust! See how happy and smug I am!

Filling up on Vaccum Friday. Bye, bye carpet dander!

But I saved the best day for today, Tuesday.

Welcome to Toilet Tuesday.

Who isn't happy scrubbing the toilet when they're wearing their pearls? You noticed my outfit? What, this old thing?

Today we're going to clean the boys' toilet, something that probably hasn't been done in about a month. It can't be that bad, can it?

Oh, I guess it can.
Beaver and Wally would never have made this big of a mess!

The job might be heinous but at least I'm dressed for success.
If only I had a frilly apron...

Whew, saving the world one toilet at a time.

Nothing like the satisfaction of a job well done! I feel just like June Cleaver.

See, simply by dressing smartly you too can make the most dreary of household chores more fulfilling exciting. And be sure to keep your children entertained with an educational activity so while they're learning and expanding their brilliant young minds, you can be equally productive without interruption.

What? Not buying it?

Okay, the real Toilet Tuesday.

Cleaning toilets, one roll of paper towels at a time. Any "pearls" that I find are immediately flushed down the toilet! I think June had a secret maid.

Be sure to check out Brandy's blog I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom for her version of Tidy Tuesday!

Multipurpose Monday

Times are tough. We're having to make ends meet and sometimes its not easy. Our family is having to cut back on many things so we're trying to be resourceful and find multiple purposes for ordinary household products.

In a way, we're hopping on the whole organic, use what you have trend. It's just like the multiple uses of baking soda or vinegar. Like how adding vinegar to you laundry will brighten your whites and darken your darks. Or how adding baking soda to your laundry will help remove stains. {Although my very limited chemistry background is telling me not to add these two products at the same time. You know the whole acid/base thing.}

Well, you have to read about those uses somewhere so consider this post to be your own personal Public Service Announcement. That's right Good Citizen Denise, who cheerfully attends school board bond meetings, is bringing you a very useful tip today. If I were into themed blog posts I might do this every week. But alas...

So without further ado and needlessly prolonging the suspense, today's featured household product is:

Chocolate Pudding

Yes, the one and only chocolate pudding. The cup of contentment, comfort in a cup. Yes, it is true, I buy my children prepackaged cups of pudding. But they like it and it does contain 10% of their daily nutritional requirement of calcium. So it's a health food too. Yum, pudding.

I know you're saying "Has she lost her mind? Pudding? Health food?"

Look we could sit around debating the healthfulness of pudding all day long, okay maybe it would only take 30 seconds, but that's not the point. And we've also established in a galaxy far, far away long, long ago that I have indeed lost my mind. Moving on.

It turns out that chocolate pudding has MANY uses that my children discovered just the other night, and without a government grant, too. How resourceful.

Did you know that chocolate pudding makes an excellent hand sanitzer/moisturizing lotion?

As well as an excellent over all body lotion. Its also a good body paint, for those who are into that sort of thing.

Let's not forget to mention it makes a great face mask. No pointless fine print to not put it near your mouth and nose. Completely non toxic.

Mustache enhancer.

Lip gloss. Mmm, chocolate flavored.

But it has other, non beauty benefits as well.

Finger paint

And my all time favorite:

Tub cleanser. Perhaps my above reference to laundry uses makes much more sense now.

So there you have it. The Multiple Uses of Pudding. Remember you heard it here first.

If you need a nap enhancer visit my early post today, the themed post that spurred the week of non traditional themed posts, Not Me Monday.

Not Me Monday

Unbelievably, with all the random factoids I've thrown out about myself I think there are a few that I haven't shared: I hate to follow a strict routine. I hate to have strict rules. I hate strict structure. I hate to be told what to do.

You know the movie Yours, Mine and Ours? The new one, not the old one. Well, I'm much more like Renee Rousseau, but toned down a whole lot. So maybe that's why I've never jumped on the themed day blog topics. Because once you start then you have to keep doing it. What if I don't want to do a Thankful Thursday? Once I start, I look like an ungrateful sluggard if I miss it. Then there's the being told what to do. If I follow along with someone else's idea I feel like I can't come up with my own.

But that being said, I've had several people tell me that I really should do a Not Me Monday. After some thought I decided "what the hey?" In fact, I'll make a Blog Theme Week. But today will be the only traditional theme. The rest of the week I'm creating my own. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

I did not take a shower last week and wonder to myself when the last time I took a shower was. {And that my friends is a very poorly worded sentence.}

I did not just point out my own grammar mistake.

I did not feed my children ramen noodles for dinner while I had leftover pizza.

I did not feel too badly since that was what they wanted. Oh wait, I think I should have said I DID feel badly because this is just like opposite day, right?

I did not go to my brother's house to hear about a school board bond issue proposal merely to get cheesecake.

I did not leave all progeny at home so that I could eat cheesecake listen to information about the bond proposal without whining.

I did not think about cheesecake the entire time the assistant superintendent talked about the a fore mentioned bond proposal.

I did not get only a piece of cheesecake but also a piece of chocolate pecan pie.

I did not enjoy either of them.

I did not almost get my brother addicted to Lost this afternoon.

{Jeez Louise, this list is boring. No wonder I never do this.}

I did not take my children to the mall playground while Julia was getting her hair cut and look at my watch every 2 minutes praying for 30 minutes to be up.

I did not worry about my children being trampled by large, unruly children at the mall playground.

I did not tell Emma in Payless Shoes that I was never taking her shopping again.

Emma did not ignore my threats.

I did not ignore my children hours on end Thursday while scouring the internet looking for new LOST theories.

I did not have 3 children and 2 dogs in my bed with me this morning.

I did not endure over one and half hours of crying from Emma last night/this morning never figuring out what was wrong with her.

I did not, finally in desperate exhaustion, tell Emma that she HAD to stop crying and go to sleep because Mommy was really tired. {Is Desperate Exhaustion correct word usage?}

Emma did not stop crying a few moments after I did not sternly tell her to stop.

I did not just compile the lamest list possible.

I do not think I will be doing this again. Wait! Opposite Day! I DO think I will be doing this again.

Oh, whatever.

I think I need to try out my other Monday Theme. Multipurpose Monday.

Twenty Five Random Things

I was tagged on Facebook to write 25 Random things about me. Like the whole world doesn't know pretty much everything about me anyway. How I am supposed to come up with 25 more things???? And more importantly, if I'm going to sweat over this list then I'm multipurposing it on my blog.

So here we go! *** yawn****

1) I'm sitting here typing in wet pants. I'll leave you guessing how they got that way. (It is random)

2) I started a new writing class this week appropriately titled Memoir Writing. Guess its time to get back to work.

3) I think I'm done adopting but I keep getting a feeling that God isn't done with me adopting.

4) Julia just got her hair cut and straightened by a flat iron. It really doesn't involve me, or does it? Guess who will be flat ironing her hair all the time now?

5) Emma is a Holy Terror in public now. I took her, Ryan and Jenna to the mall play area for 30 minutes while Julia got her hair cut and I needed a Valium when I left. (again, involves me and somewhat random.) I settled for a Red Robin Santa Fe burger and raspberry iced tea.

6) Lest you think that I now have bladder control issues and I begin getting offers from Depends to do reviews on my blog, my wet pant situation is the result of Holy Terror in #5.

7) Thinking, thinking.... still thinking... my Lost obsession has reached new terrifying heights. I may have to admit myself into LOST rehab in the near future, well maybe not until the end of May when I begin suffering withdrawals.

8) Speaking of addictions. my Starbucks habit has dramatically decreased. Lack of funds+ Starbucks costs lots of $$ = Less Starbucks. (Not to worry, I make my own Mocha's every day with my espresso maker and Starbucks Mocha powder.) My brother told me he heard Starbucks is having serious financial difficulties. Now I'm riddled with guilt.

9) Twenty five????? Really???? Okay, how about this, we'll stick to the addictions a little while longer, that should get me rest of the way there. Lately I've craved pita chips. Just plain pita chips. How weird is that?

10) My blogging friend Denise trying to push a new addiction on me by encouraging me to begin watching 24, beginning with Season 1. Do I really NEED a new addiction? Did the NEED for a new addiction ever stop me before?

11) I think I may need bifocals. I'm having a VERY difficult time reading this teeny, tiny print. What is this font anyway? Font size 5??? (The font on the notes page of Facebook is so tiny that I struggled to see it)

12) Ross has got me hooked onto House. I never watched it before until last week and now I have my DVR recording multiple airings a day. The problem is I never have time to watch them.

13) I have had fabric for over 2 years that I'm going to use to make draperies for my dining room but I can't make myself sit down and sew it. (Have you EVER sewn draperies??? Its a pain in the booty.)

14) I'm really tired of cleaning up puppy poop.

15) I'm trying to coordinate and arrange a blogging friend get together sometime in the near future, probably this summer. Who wants to come????

16) I don't get totally offended when people ask me if I'm trying to be like Angelina Jolie, tell me that I AM like Angelina Jolie, tell me that I'm falling behind Angelina Jolie, etc. All I hear is "You look just like Angelina Jolie" to which I smugly respond: Yeah, I know, I hear that all the time.

17) This is to Stephen King, yes, THE Stephen King: Yes, I know I used an adverb (smugly) but felt it was appropriate in this instance. (To everyone else: Steve told me NOT to use adverbs because it cheapened my writing. We had a long conversation in bed one night about it)

18) I like snow. There I said it proudly to the world.

19) Seriously what font size is this??? I need a magnifying glass! There's probably some place on templates, profile, SOMEWHERE to change it but darned if I know where it is. I know, that's not a random fact/thing about. But what about the fact that I struggle to understand Facebook. I just don't get it. Why is someone sending me Lil Patch plants and what the heck do I do with them???

20) I am NOT having an affair with Stephen King so go call all your friends you just called and tell them its not true. He just drops by every night in his book-- On Writing.

21) Some days I wouldn't mind having an affair but don't think I have the time.

22) That said, I'm not sure I'm ready to date anyone. Its seems like so much work. Wasn't there an episode on Sex in the City about this? And if so, which girl from Sex in the City am I? I wanna be Charlotte.

23) Some days I really feel like my life is headed where its supposed to be going, like all the pieces are falling into place and I've found my PURPOSE. Other days, I feel like I've deluded myself.

24) I'm still thinking about getting a tattoo. I just want it to be meaningful so I haven't figured out what to get, or where to place it on my body. I was going get one on my lower back but Trace and Ross forbid it saying that area is a Tr@mp St@mp. Any suggestions?

25) If you're still reading you must be an insomniac. My sympathies. I want to leave you with one last gem, a pearl if you will, one randomly insignificant significant factoid. My children tell me that I snore. I personally doubt the validity of this because I have never HEARD myself snore. However, I think this means that I need my own room at our blogging get together. Oh, and my affair can't be a sleepover.

Too Big For Your Britches

Dear Emma,

I realize that you got off to a slow start and I admit that I wished for you to catch up to your developmental age. But a month or so ago you accomplished that goal and the slingshoted yourself through the stratosphere of milestones.

First you decided that you were too big to be sitting in a high chair, you're 18 months for goodness sakes, you should be sitting at the table like all the big kids.

But you didn't stop there.

You decided you could take walks by yourself, in the street no less.

Tricycle, shmicycle. Bring on the two wheeler. But that proved too tame for you as well.

How about learning to drive a car?

You realized that the remote control could actually make the tv do what you wanted so you could watch your favorite show.

But at least you're not a couch potato.

The final straw was when you decided to literally start surfing the 'net on Mommy's chair but Mommy has to draw the line somewhere. By the way, I've canceled that online Advanced Calculus class you signed up for. I think you should consider preschool first.

Love,
Mommy

PS> Mommy wants to thank you and Ryan for letting her watch her LOST event uninterrupted by you both. (Julia was a different story.) I also want to apologize for ignoring you and Ryan and the blogging community as I planted myself in front of my laptop searching the internet for theories and explanations to the ever growing mysteries of LOST. I'll try my best to not ignore you next week.