Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater!

It's hard to admit but I feel like I've got to come clean.
I've been cheating.
I have another...blog.

Shortly after finishing all the paperwork for our Ethiopian adoption, I decided to ask about reviving my agency's blog. It's a blog for the families and by the families and hadn't been active for a year. Since I began working on blog in January, I've posted almost 100 times, every week, either 3 or 5 times a week. Some of the posts are copied (with permission) from blogs from other agency families but many are written by me based on whatever is my latest Ethiopian or adoption related curiosity...recipes, parenting books, Ethiopian culture, travel info, holidays, books for kids, etc.

The blog has been a great opportunity to distract me while waiting for our referral and now for our courtdate. It's also been a great excuse for me to research, research, research any and everything about Ethiopia.

So if you are looking for any info on Ethiopia or adoption or Ethiopian adoption, feel free to stop by. Or if you just want to see some of the cutest kids ever (in my weekly Foto Friday post), feel free to stop by.

The Great Juggling Act

In the midst dealing with two highly dramatic and energetic, yet adorable, boys (which means going to parks,

building complex and large train towns,

and going to school),


I have lots of other stuff going on. We are toying with the idea of moving. That means meeting with realtors, internet research, driving neighborhoods, conversations with banks, going to open houses, etc. It's been both exciting to think about the possibilities and depressing to come to grips with the realities.

Then there are the adoptions...I'm expending a lot of time and energy and all I'm really doing is spinning my wheels. Besides being obsessed with reading adoption blogs and forums (and checking them an embarrassing number of times a day), I've taken up working on the blog for one of my adoption agencies where I've posted 6 days a week for the last four weeks.

All this is my explanation as to why by blog (and the friendships I had formed with other bloggers) has suffered. It's not really much of an excuse though...

Life is a juggling act, especially for mamas. But I've been letting some of the balls drop.

I'm hoping to get back into the blogging (and photography) swing of things

Since this blog is a photo album and journal for my family I would really like to do a Christmas recap (how late is too late?), more posts about the boys (especially some Who's Who? posts) and photos of me and the boys (otherwise known as 52 weeks or Shoot Me). Sense I'm so far behind on Christmas recap, maybe this isn't too late for a New Year's resolution...to start carrying my camera more and documenting our life through blogging a photography again.

Meanwhile, in the several days it took me to actually finish this post, we've moved up another spot!


Here's to the great juggling act and moms everywhere!

The Sneaky Blogiversary

I missed my blogiversary! I guess it's not terribly surprising considering how little I post nowadays...

A year ago, if you had told me that I would be faithfully writing 5 days a week, reading countless blogs, "meeting" friends online and even would have another blogger fly 2000 miles to stay with my family, I would have thought you were insane. But, that is just what happened...for about 8 months.

And during that time, if you had told me that I would stop reading my new friends' blogs and only write very sporadically, I would have told you were insane. But, that is just what happened...for about 4 months.

Blogging was a large and fulfilling part of my life. And I very much want to get back to it. I'm not sure what the hold up is though.

In any case, I wanted to mention my blogiversary...even if it is a day late.

More blogging, less candy...

Someone somewhere decided that November was NaBloPoMo. (For those of you clueless (like I was moments before googling NaBloPoMo) it stands for National Blog Posting Month.) Apparently, the goal is to write a blog post every day in the month of November. Why would someone invent such a thing? I have no idea.

But I needed motivation to start writing again. So I'm taking up the NaBloPoMo challenge. With my track record of late though it more likely to be the NaBloPoEv3rdWe challenge...which would be National Blog Posting Every 3rd Week!

So, what does someone write about on the first day of November? Their adorable kids on Halloween and the whirling sugar-addicted dervishes they turn into the very next day, of course.

I had grand aspirations for what we would do with all the candy the boys got from trick-or-treating. I even started a blog post in September offering my readers suggestions for donating it, trading it in, leaving it for the Halloween fairy and doing science experiments with it. What is it they say about the best laid plans? The post never got finished and I never even followed through on the suggestions myself.

Today we tried the "eat all you want whenever you want" method for the second year in a row. For one day only we dump all Jack and Logan's candy in a huge bowl and set it on their little table. The only rule is that they are to sit on the chairs at the table to eat the candy. They don't have to ask if they can have something. They are allowed to eat whatever whenever for the whole day.

Last year this method worked great. They would take one lick of a lollipop and move on to try another flavor. They quickly realized that they didn't like the gummy body parts and tossed those in the trash. They liked the packages with multiple pieces of candy (M&Ms, Skittles, Nerds, etc.) and would open packages and dump them with other candies in small bowls and use their fingers to mix the different kinds together barely consuming any of it. I don't think they ever finished a whole piece of candy last year.

In the end, I considered it a success because though they may have eaten a ton of sugar in one day, they consumed way less than if I had doled one or two pieces out over the course of a month or two. In that scenario, they would have eaten those nasty gummy body parts because they would have been their one and only treat for the day. They would have finished each and every lollipop even if they thought there might be a better flavor out there. They would have eaten every package of M&Ms, Skittles and Nerds instead of being hypnotized by the bright colors and different sizes mixing together.

Today, the boys consumed way more candy than they did last year and there were way more tantrums than last year. I better get a new plan for next year. The only good thing is that all the candy will be gone at the end of the night and I didn't have to listen to my boys whine all day that they just wanted to eat one piece more.

Have you ever seen a grown woman do a happy dance over bread?

When I become a rich and famous celebrity I'm only going to do paid endorsements* on products I really like and use regularly. Luckily these two products would fit the bill because I already buy their brand weekly.

So I'm a bit late in saying it but September is Whole Grain Month. For our family it wasn't really a big deal because we eat whole grains throughout the whole year. Our sandwich bread of choice is Oroweat** 100% Whole Wheat bread. When Jack started school two years ago and sandwiches became a major lunch item, I tried out lots of whole grain bread. Most were rough or dry or hard. I went so far as to try and make my own sandwich bread but couldn't get it to slice thin enough. My quest was over after we tried Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat. I buy a loaf every week.

Oroweat has two new products that they sent me to try.

Have you ever seen a grown woman do a happy dance over bread? Yea, it's a little pathetic but here is why I was so excited when I heard about one of their new products. One of our regular dinners is homemade veggie burgers and my consistent problem is what to serve them on. Buns are way too thick and bready for my taste and I hate the fact that my kids are getting way more bread than veggie burger.

So every time I make veggie burgers I cut my sandwich bread (Oroweat 100% Whole Grain) into rounds. I get one round per slice of bread. It's the perfect bread/veggie burger ratio in my mind.

The one problem? I'm left with this:And I hate waste.

But then I found out about Oroweat Sandwich Thins. (Envision me doing the happy dance!) Seriously, it is the perfect solution.

Round? Check!

Not too thick? Check!

100% whole wheat? Check!

No high fructose corn syrup? Check!

I love it when a reoccurring problem gets solved! I haven't made the veggie burgers on them yet but we did give them a test run for grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM! Besides burgers and sandwiches, these would also be great for a paninis.

And I needed a quick and easy dinner tonight and I thought, "Why not use the sandwich thins to make mini pizzas for the boys?" They gobbled them up!

The second new product from Oroweat is their Dutch Country 100% Whole Wheat bread. Quite honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between this bread and the Oroweat bread that I buy weekly...which is a good thing since I obviously like what I usually buy. The Dutch Country smelled and tasted like the standard 100% whole wheat but had a smoother springier texture. In that regard it seemed more like white bread. I'm not a food critic so I'm not sure how best to describe it other than to say that it was good.

I guess we are an Oroweat family because I like their old stuff and their new stuff. I'd definitely recommend them, especially if you don't think you'll like whole grain bread but want to make the switch for health reasons.

Now, who wants to buy me a panini press for Christmas?

*This wasn't a paid endorsement, though I did get some dough...I mean bread. ;)

**West of the Mississippi the brand is called Oroweat. Over the river it's called Arnold.

The Country Fair

I live in a big city. Actually, a ginormous city. But I long for a smaller town...with country fairs and wide open spaces. With fresh air and safer neighborhoods. With less traffic and more quiet. With a sense of community where you actually know your neighbors' names and kids can play on their street.

So when I read that Chili Pepper over at Art's Chili is hosting a country fair, I was instantly drawn to the idea.

Starting September 14 (and running through October 7), bloggers can write their own post to participate in a bloggers' country fair.

You photograph your sewing, canning, painting, drawing, photography, baking, building, scrapbooking, needlepoint, knitting, cross stitching, etc...masterpiece and post it on your blog. You can explain your entry with some journaling or just put up your picture.

Then you can link your post on Chili Pepper's blog hop post and head over to other bloggers to see their entries. Everyone who links up will be entered to win prizes.

I have no idea what I'm going to make for the fair. Heck, I've never even been to a fair so I think a little investigative work is in order. But my local fair is out of the question. If you want a good laugh, take a look at these 30 second commercials for the fair where I live. I think you can understand why I might want to move.

And trust me...the commericals are worth seeing. I think they might be the funniest videos I've ever seen because they are supposed to be a parody but are very true to life.

Hope to see you at the bloggers' country fair!

She's having an affair!

Hi! This is Carey's computer. Shhhh...don't tell her I've hijacked Life in the Carpool Lane.

Carey has been avoiding her blog and I know why. I almost hate to admit it because she's a rather nice girl but Carey was having an affair!

See, she joined Facebook. I think she was looking for a less serious relationship for a bit. The blog took so much time and energy. It was draining. But now, even her fling with Facebook seems to be running it's course. She hasn't posted on it in 2 weeks. I think she might be getting serious about her blog again. Only time will tell for those two star-crossed lovers...

Anyway, I thought I'd copy some of the stuff she's posted on Facebook to kind of get everyone up to speed (and serve as a record) as to what has been going on.

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Carey: thinks it stinks when one of the kiddos is already climbing in my bed and I don't even have my PJs on yet...

July 13 at 11:33pm

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Carey: Naptime and the living is easy...

July 17 at 2:12pm

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Carey: is a waffle-makin' fool!

July 20 at 8:43am

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Carey: should be packing for Monterey but is a world class procrastinator! (We hope to leave at 6AM!)

July 21 at 10:15pm

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Carey: Logan has essentially been pull-up free for 2 weeks! Sorry if he peed on your lawn...

July 25 at 9:22pm

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Carey: As if things aren't complicated enough, one kiddo has the flu (possibly swine!) and the other doesn't have it...yet! That means we are confined to the house and I have to keep them separate!?!?!?!?!?!

July 27 at 7:03pm

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Carey: Woohoo! The fever broke last night!

July 28 at 8:01am

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Carey: Scott likens our house to a fraternity house...you never know who's bed you'll wake up in!

July 28 at 8:30am

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Carey: Yes, that weird little boy taking an after dinner walk around the block with no shirt, socks pulled up to his knees, wearing construction goggles and carrying a rolling pin was Logan. Feel free to point and giggle...

July 28 at 8:05pm

Hopefully, Carey will be back soon. I hate sneaking around behind her back. I think she was getting suspicious of the clickity-clack of the keyboard when no one was 'using' the computer.

Peace out!

- Carey's computer, AKA The Mini

Odds 'n ends...

So, I'm still a blog slacker. I'm not reading many and I'm not writing too many of my own. But there are a couple of things I should bring up...

I haven't really written anything about Denise's (from There is Always Room for One More) visit. I guess since she was the mama running away from home I felt like it was her story to tell more than mine. But since she is having computer difficulties and is off on another adventure currently, maybe I could dish just a little.

Scott was a little concerned about having a perfect stranger stay with us. But we figured Denise wouldn't brave a several hour flight with her youngest, Emma, just to kill us.

Once we met her it was clear that our family had nothing to worry about. Denise is funny, easy-going and so fun to be around. Emma is such a sweet charismatic little girl.

Since we had my crazy boys with us most of the time, we kept it low-key and kid-friendly...the beach, the playground, window shopping. I had a great time hanging out with her and getting to know her better. I consider myself lucky to have made a friend through blogging...a friend that I was able to meet in real life and will hopefully continue to know.

I wish I had written this post yesterday so I could easily post some pics...but, as you'll read below, I'm having a bit of computer trouble.

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Angel at Starting Over is hosting a giveaway...$50 of Avon products! She is going to draw the winner on the 4th of July because it's her favorite holiday...and mine too. Be sure to stop by her site soon to enter this generous giveaway.

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Just a reminder that I host Tuesday's Tips for Summer Survival. Every week I share a kid-friendly tip and ask others to link up their crafts, outdoor fun, cooking, outings, etc. The goal is to end up on the other side of this summer with what little sanity we had when we started. So far we've had some amazing ideas and we are only a third of the way through summer. Soon, I hope to get a recap post up of what we've got so far...

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But, my little HP Mini is being sent back to HP because something is wrong with the speaker...quite honestly, I think the boys did something to it...but don't tell HP that. So I'm using my old enormous laptop which was replaced by the Mini because it would randomly turn itself off. (And the laptop knows I'm speaking ill of it because it just crashed AGAIN!) This does not bode well for my blog slacking...

Thank goodness for autosave on Blogger...my laptop just crashed again! I guess the fact that I'm actually posting this speaks to my persistence...

Also, I am...

In my last post, I ran through a list of all the things I am. I should have added this:

I am a slacker.

Why? Well, you probably know why, my friends. I haven't read or commented on your blog. And I've barely posted on mine.

But I have two good excuses.

1. It's Denise's fault. She is a bad influence.
2. Facebook. It's an even worse influence that Denise.

See, Denise of There is Always Room for One More is visiting. We are having a great time and not left with much time during the day to blog. And at night I am beat! (That has more to do though with my, of late, poorly behaved boys...)

And this week I joined the wonderful addictive world of Facebook. I'm unsure if life will ever be the same.

But my blog will be the same...eventually.

I am...just taking a nap!

Read all about it...I mean, me!

I've got my "about me" blurb and my "100 things about me post" and yet you are still clamoring for more info about me! (Well, not really, but a gal can pretend, right?)

It's a good thing that my friend Angel at Starting Over interviewed me so you could quench your nearly insatiable thirst for all things "Carey!"

It's so hard being this famous...and good-looking...and admired...and well-dressed...and talented...and perfect. (What? You think I was overdoing it? Just with that last one, right?)

The bloggity blog blog tag

So you are sitting in front of your computer wanting to post something...anything. But nothing comes to mind.

Have no fear! Carey at Life in the Carpool Lane is starting the easiest blog tag about blogging. Answer the following questions on your own site when you've got nothing better to blog about. In 10 easy answers you've got yourself a post! (Don't want to post on your site? Then feel free to answer a couple in my comments.)

1. Where are you blogging right now?
2. How many unpublished posts do you have in your 'draft' box?
3. Whose blog inspired you to start your own?
4. When do you usually publish your posts?
5. In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read?
6. How long have you been blogging for?
7. Why did you start blogging?
8. Why do you keep blogging?
9. If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be?
   
10. If the internet was "turned off" for one month, what you you do with all the time you used to spend blogging?
    

Looking forward to seeing everyone's answers so make sure you let me know if you've grabbed this.

Here are my answers:

1. Where are you blogging right now? On my bed (with my mini computer)
   
   
2. How many unpublished posts do you have in your 'draft' box? 25
   
   
3. Whose blog inspired you to start your own? Denise of There is Always Room for One More, I found her blog through reading others' adoption blogs and was immediately drawn to her family. I read all of her posts and then slowly started leaving comments. At some point, I thought, "well, if she (with 6 kids) can find time to do it, then so can I!"
   
   
4. When do you usually publish your posts? Usually 10ish at night
   
   
5. In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read? 65
   
   
6. How long have you been blogging for? Since December 2008 so 6 months
   
   
7. Why did you start blogging? I've kept a journal off and on since college. So I knew how rewarding it could be to keep track of daily life as well as special occasions and milestones. I desperately wanted to journal about our growing family but could never find the time to sit down and write. I soon realized that blogging was easier for me because I could edit my work and save it to work on at other times. It allowed me more freedom than putting pen to paper.
   
   
8. Why do you keep blogging? I enjoy keeping a record of family events and daily life. But I also love the friendships that I've developed with other bloggers. And I was really surprised and touched by the comments from the earth week posts I did. It felt like I helped to open a couple of my friends' eyes which was a very cool experience.
   
   
9. If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be? I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this question because its a hard one... I'd say There is Always Room for One More because without Denise's blog I might not have started this blog. However, if the friend were planning on adopting from China, I'd recommend China Adopt Talk because it has been an invaluable source of information and where I spent 99% of my time on the computer before I started blogging.
   
   
10. If the internet was "turned off" for one month, what you you do with all the time you used to spend blogging? Read? Exercise? It's hard to say because I'm often doing something else while I blog...watching TV, waiting for a pot of water to boil for dinner, blowdrying my hair, watching the boys in the tub, etc. So maybe I'd just be more in the moment...less trying to multi-task.
    

Feel free to grab this for yourself and pass it on!
Happy blogging!

Ta Da!

Don't suppose you've noticed a little something new around here...

In fact I know you've noticed because I've gotten so many compliments on my new blog design. And I'd say 'thank you' except I didn't design or code it. That would be the talented Jessica at This, That & Your Blog.

She was hosting a redesign giveaway on the same day as several other designers. I only entered hers because I loved the clean, fresh looks of her designs.

Jessica was so creative and easy to work with. And she is a steal! I think she only charges $35 for a complete makeover.

So go and book Jessica at This, That & Your Blog before she realizes that she is worth way more than she charges!



Thank you, Jessica!

Aren't I the gracious hostess?

You've heard me mention how blogged down I've felt lately. I don't think I'm really any busier than usual so I'm not sure why I'm getting so behind. But I'm so behind that I have tons of awards and tags coming out at the seams. I'm not exaggerating...I have 7 awards and 2 tags!

So here is the deal...it would take me forever to type out all of my friends that I am passing these on to and I've got to get to bed soon. So, please take what you want from the awards and tags below. What's mine, is yours. No, really. Please help yourself... (Am I lazy or a gracious hostess? You decide.)

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The Entertaining House's Jessica and A Sense of Humor is Essential's Martha both awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award.

Here are the rules:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

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Martha at A Sense of Humor is Essential also awarded me the Queen of Alll Things Awe-summm!!! Award.

In order to keep this crown, I have to list 7 Awe-Summm things about myself.

• I'm extremely efficiency driven.
• I take decent photos.
• I love my kids and husband with every fiber of my being.
• I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself in public for the kids.
• It only took me 2 weeks to write this post.
• I'm trying to do small things to help our planet for the sake of my kids.
  
• I was able to list 7 awesome things about myself really quickly (yea, right!)
  

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Veronica Lee of Of Mice and Ramen awarded me 4 unique awards.

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Christina at Rant-Rave-Roll passes on the Super Follower Award to me.

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Christina, of Rant-Rave-Roll, also tagged me with 6 Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy.

Here are the rules:
1. Mention the person who nominated you.
2. List six unimportant things that make you happy.
3. Tag six blogs, state the rules & notify them with a teeny comment on their blog.

Here are 6 unimportant things that make me happy:

• My bed
  
• Coke Zero
• Watching TV and my DVR
• Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars
• Sleeping in
• Driving with the windows down
  

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Enterainingmom, Jessica, of The Entertaining House passed on the '5 favorite things about summer tag' to me.

I realize that I have been a bit whiny about summer, specifically how to fill 90+ days with my wild boys. But I really do love summer...
Here is my list of five favorite things about summer:

• The smell of sunscreen on the warm bare skin of my boys
• Reading in the hammock Scott bought me
  
• I don't look weird wearing flip-flops (as opposed to the rest of the year, especially if it's raining)
  
• Seeing my boys play at the water park or in the sprinklers
  
• More daylight
  

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What a weight off my shoulders! Whew... I feel so much better. I just hope that I didn't forget any.

Random bits of randomness

Am I insane?

Lately I've felt very, very behind on writing blog posts but even more so on reading your blogs and commenting. As Mimi would say, I'm feeling very blogged down.

So I must be insane to consider joining Facebook and/or Twitter. Why do I need to add more instant technology to my life when I'm already feeling like I'm failing at what I've got?

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I've taught the boys that it is not nice to tease. So it's ironic that we have an ant farm on the dinner table, right?

Unusual centerpiece, huh? Poor little ants want our dinner but all they have to eat is that weird blue gel.

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Seems weird to me but the boys love, love, love balsamic vinegar. Logan, if given the chance, will dip his hand in the container and then stick it in his mouth. Yummy!

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Is there anything better than siblings getting along?
The boys are reading their Lego magazine together.

Calling all bloms!

My parents read my blog and my dad in particular has been very supportive. (He's so impressed that I can do strike-throughs and different size fonts). Well, he recently coined a new term.

Blom (noun): A blogging mom

He wants me to put it out there and see if it catches on.

Wait a minute...now that I think about it...sometimes Dad is not supportive. Like when he called me and told me that FOX News was doing a piece on mom bloggers (this was before he coined blom) and all the crazy stuff they post. He told me that in the news clip they showed this ridiculous mom wearing a step-stool.

I totally flipped out. It had to be me, right? I mean how many other bloms are running around wearing step-stools. I was torn between feeling like a fool for looking like a crazy woman on the news and being proud that I made it on the news looking like a crazy woman.

Then slowly, I realized that...he...was...laughing at me. "Damn it, Dad! That's not nice! Don't mess with a blom...we've got too much to do and not enough patience for these shannanigans."

Anyway, I think he may have hit on something with 'blom.' Just start throwing it out there in casual conversation:
"Yeah, I'm a blom."
"You know, bloms are the coolest thing right now."
"Blogging dads are so passe. It's all about the bloms!"

And don't forget to use it on your blog too:
"So, today I was chatting with some other bloms."
"Calling all bloms!"

You will be so hip trendy cool whatever the latest thing is. (Man! I'm one old blom...)

Oh, it's you again!

Thanks for coming back

Do you mind me asking...why do you keep coming back? I guess I want to know what type of posts you like or even which specific posts you like.

So, if you've got...oh, I don't know...3-4 hours to kill, could you read through my 124 posts and let me know what your favorites are?

What? You don't have that long? Okay...I'll give you a head start.

Below is a sampling. I'd love to hear your picks for my "best" posts. Whether is funny, helpful or oh, so relate-able I really appreciate your opinion.

A little slice of daily life:
Been there, done that
Deja Vu
Barely a "bog-wothy" day
Our secret recipe
The other side of the camera
Tag! I'm it!

The silly things kids (mine specifically) do and say:
Who's who?
Another Who's who?
Silly boys!

So relate-able:
In my defense
3 Me Mornings
"Not me!" Monday
Another "Not me!" Monday

Some quick and easy tips:
Random Tip #74
Tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes. Oh, my!

I've even had a few serious posts:
Why adoption? Why China?
Bags, farmers and worms...oh, my!

If you've got the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of my posts. Which is your favorite? Any of the above or even one I haven't mentioned...

And thank you. For coming back... And your comments...

Random notes from my first giveaway...

Lessons I have learned from my first giveaway:
Apparently, I am not the only one with an addiction to Target. I heard from many of you about your struggles. Just know that you are not alone. And there is help for us. I am planning on starting a 26 step program (12 steps is not enough!) to help us kick this dangerous habit.

A note to all of my new followers:
I realize that I bribed you. And I'm a feeling a bit of regret over that. I can't make you stay against your will. If you want to go, I won't try to stop you. But let me say, I am a loyal commenter. Show me a little comment love and I'll happily reciprocate. Over and over again...

Although, now that I think of it, I do realize that you left me a comment (or four) when you entered my giveaway and I might not have returned the favor yet. I was a little lot surprised at the number of entries I received...my husband had asked me if I thought I'd get as many as 50! I got more than 4 times that amount.

Anyway, I'm loyal to those who are loyal to me. So if you feel like sticking around, I'm happy to have you and I'll be sure to swing by your place.

Now on to the giveaway:
They say (and who is "they" anyway?) it is better to give than receive, right? Well, then why did I have the urge to run right out to Target with this gift card and continue to feed my addiction. I started out many times only to turn the car around and hang my head as I slunk back into the house to put the gift card away. It's an addiction, people! But the first step is acknowledging it. Only 25 more steps to go!

I've had so much fun with this giveaway. But the time has come to announce the winner with a little help from random.org. Here is who's on the receiving end of a $50 gift card to Target:

#119

Congrats to The Musings of the Mrs.!

Swing by Lindsay's site and don't let your jealousy get in the way of congratulating her.

This week is Earth Week and I've got another giveaway planned. It won't be as easy as this last one but it's for a good cause...our planet. I'm going to make you work for it because our planet and the little people who live on it (like my kiddos) deserve it.

Step right up and enter here!

In honor of my 101st post I'm doing a giveaway!

I spent some time trying to think of the perfect thing to give away. Something that figuratively said "Life in the Carpool Lane" but was useful, wanted, needed.

Somedays I considered giving the boys away (but that's probably not legal) and they don't really qualify as useful.

Then, I combed through my past 100 posts and thought I could offer products that I mentioned. Maybe:
a set of orange ice cube trays
a Dan Zanes CD
The Goonies
a book from my spring reading list
a Matchbox car
V8 V*Fusion

Instead I decided to give something away that people would really use and want.
A gift certificate!
A gift certificate to Target!
That way you could buy some of the above things if you actually wanted them.

I thought $50 would do the trick!

{Cute kid not included.}
{Logan was also to be in the pic but was uncooperative and refused to wear anything on his lower half!}

I can hear you thinking, "But Carey, the economy is bad. Times are tough. How can you justify spending $50 on a gift certificate for a lucky reader?"

See, that's actually the easy part. I looked around my house and found $50 worth of merchandise that I could return to Target. Yes, I have a spending problem (but only at Target). I really had that much merchandise stashed away with tags attached and receipts saved that I had purchased in the last 90 days. (Kind of ridiculous when you think about it... So, I'm trying to not think about it.) The really sad part is that quite a few items came from the dollar bins. I should have apologized to the poor people behind me in the return line.

So I returned it all and bought you, one lucky reader, a $50 gift card.

If you've actually read this far then you must really want it.
So here are the rules:

To enter, leave one general comment on this post. (Feel free to tell me how wonderful you think I am.)

For extra entries, leave a separate comment for each additional chance:

• Follow my blog (or current followers let me know you already do so)
  
• Add my button to your blog
  
• Write a post on your blog about my giveaway and in your comment here leave a link to your post
  

When all is said and done, you could have left me as many as 4 comments meaning you have as many as 4 entries in the drawing.

If your email address is not visible in your profile, you'll need to supply it in your comments. Otherwise, if you are the lucky winner, I'll have no way to get in touch with you.

I'll stop accepting comments/entries as of Friday, April 17, 2009 at midnight PST and draw a winner at random (using random.org) shortly thereafter. Giveaway is only open to US or Canadian residents. Giveaway is not open to my husband, Scott. (Don't even think about it, honey!)

Good luck!

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No more entries are being accepted. The winner will be announced shortly.

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Finally! The recognition I so richly deserve...

All these months, mostly in my "Not me!" Monday posts, I've joked about me being the running for the completely fictional MOTYs (Mama of the Year Award).

But then, lo and behold, Veronica Lee of Of Mice and Ramen actually awarded me the Mom of the Year Award. (It's like that mantra, "you've got to believe it, to achieve it," right?)

Thank you, Veronica Lee. Thank goodness you awarded it to me because if you were to ask my kids, they'd probably never give it to me!



***Mom of the Year Award Rules!!***

~~Rule One~~ Admit one thing you feel awful about involving being a mom!

Ummm...only one thing? It's going to take me an awfully long time to narrow down my long list of things I feel awful about to just one.

How about my inconsistency in parenting? Or the fact that I purchase way too many toys to buy my kids' happiness? No, wait, maybe being short on patience? Hmmm...then there is the fact that I use disposable diapers not cloth. Ooh...how about the fact that my almost 3 year old needs to be sleep trained?


~~Rule Two~~ Remind yourself you are a good mom!

I am a good mama. At least, I'm as good as I can be with the little sleep I get.

Sometimes I can be extremely patient. Sometimes I actually play with my kids, sitting on the floor surrounded by blocks or cars. Sometimes we cuddle in my bed and read. I try to feed them healthy foods. I care about the planet for their sake. Several times a day, I tell Jack and Logan that I love them. I know with absolute certainty, I would do anything to protect them and would defend them with my life.


~~Rule Three~~
Send the award to 5 other Mom's of The Year that deserve credit for being great moms and remind them they are the Best Mom they can be! Remember to send them a note to let each one know you've selected them and add a link to the person who nominated you!

Okay, this is the hard part. It seems as though you, all the mama bloggers I know, are awfully deserving. Though, when I think about it, I guess I wouldn't be reading your blogs if I thought you were a lousy mama. So again, I'm going to take the easy route and pass this award to some of my newer blog friends.

And they are:
Carrie at Martin Manor Happenings
Keri at Life of Logan
Heidi at The Johnson family tales!
Shasta at Crackers and Chaos
Alicia at More Than Words (who's not a new friend but we had a phone conversation this week, which was a first for me...we'll not talking on the phone but talking to a blogger through something other than my computer)

Okay, it's official...this mama is rambling and barely coherent...I'm going to bed.

"Not me!" Monday

So, the MOTYs have asked for further proof of my exemplary mothering to be considered for the annual Mama of the Year Awards. (Apparently someone is running a smear campaign against me!) I provided them with the following list of things I'd never ever do in order to show them that I'm the best candidate for this completely fictional prestigious award:

I did NOT run out of deodorant and have to use Scott's, much to his disgust. I did NOT smell like a man all day, much to my disgust!

I did NOT know unequivocally that Jack was sick when he looked at Logan dreamily and said, "I love you, brother."

I did NOT have a panic attack when I realized that our take-out menus were missing.

I did NOT order a pizza for delivery so that I could use my dinner-making time to bake a dessert instead.

I did NOT tell the boys that I would play hide-and-seek with them and then let them hide while I "looked" for them by sitting on my butt blogging and shouting, "Oh, where are you?" occasionally.

I am NOT spending way too much time blogging thereby ignoring Jeff and Loyd. Wait...what are my kids' names again?

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MckMama is not hosting "Not me!" Monday today as her youngest is in the hospital having some major heart trouble. I'm thinking good thoughts that Stellan's little heart stops beating so fast and is able to come home to the rest of his family soon.