Support Your Local Blogger

Did you ever see those movies? The ones with James Garner; Support Your Local Gunfighter & Support Your Local Sheriff? They crack me up.

But today's post is NOT about that.

It's actually about all of YOUR feed back (feed back...no pun intended...snicker) regarding what I should serve at my Lia Sophia Party.

Finger foods won by a landslide.

As a thank you, I wrote down each of your names and had Girl draw one at random.

The lucky winner will be sent a copy of Paula Deen's Christmas with Paula Deen. You know, cause we all need more butter in our lives!

And the winner is...

Roo!

So, Roo, please drop my an email and I'll ship this pretty book which is filled with stories and recipes for Christmas.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book myself and was not paid by Paula Deen or Simon Schuster.

Massive eye roll...

Thank you to everyone else for your ideas and input.

And the Winner is...

Just a quick note to those of you who wished for, pined for, lusted after, my copy of A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts I am so sorry, but the drawing was for Christmas socks - insert sheepish, embarrassed grin here. Thanks for playing though!

Without further ado...

Here is the Christmas bag filled with your names...



Here are your names...



And here is our winner...



Susan J. Reinhardt!

Okay love, I'll post on your blog and we'll workout the details. Happy socking!

And to everyone else who played along, thanks!

Socks, Rocks, and Goodies Galore!

As promised, here is a pic of the pair of socks that will be given away on Friday, December 12th. Remember to comment on my blog this week to be entered into the drawing. I know it's just socks, but come on, everyone needs socks and who doesn't love Christmas socks? I'll have you know these were picked out by Girl who liked these ones better than the black, red, and white stockings that were designed to look like a red brick chimney with snow topping it.

Now, about those rocks...

Sometimes I just feel like pelting people with rocks. A conversation took place this weekend that left me worried and sad. I want to fix the problem, but I can't. It's one of life's little lessons that must be learned, but I want to fix it anyway. I would even stoop so low as to put a band aid on it and pretend like it didn't happen. Pathetic, I know.

Or, maybe it is because I consumed too much junk food this weekend. Egad! Whenever Soldier Mommy and the boys are here, they always bring junk food. Lots and lots of junk and I happily eat it because my mind is on auto pilot and don't even think before I take.

Okay, not true. I do think. I think things like, "Oh! Is that chocolate cake? Did you buy it for me?" and "I bet that would taste great with a cup of tea?". I've even been known to say things like, "I know I shouldn't..."

Take Saturday for instance; it was a work day for me and instead of grabbing my usual protein drink, I grabbed a cinnamon roll. Beloved looked at me and said between bites, "Tastes better than a protein shake huh?"

Yes, yes it did.

But now I have to detox all the sugar out of my body. I was hoping to lose some more weight (still hanging at a loss of 25lbs) before Christmas. This may have been a bad idea. It is, after all, Christmas, and while I can pass on the mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls with butter, and stuffing, sweets are truly hard to pass up.

Maybe I should go find a big rock and bash myself in the head. I understand when you're in a coma they feed you a liquid diet. That should help take the pounds off!

This and That

We have eased into the days of summer. It will be a summer filled with me trying to figure out how to get places without driving. I mean really! Gas is over $4 per gallon. We live in the country so if I want to walk to the store I have two choices: I can walk to our little country store that is five miles round trip and the prices are higher simply because of location –or I can walk 15 miles round trip to the Safeway in town.

There is actually another option: I can just make sure I do everything that neeeeeeds to be done in town when I am actually in town. This third option seems to be my best bet but sadly I have a child at home who has Bible study on Monday nights, play practice on Wednesday’s, Piano lessons on Friday’s, and I’m certain that she’ll actually want to hang with her friends from time to time. Silly girl! Doesn’t she know that her mother is the bestest company evah? Snicker.

So, we’re feeling the pinch. I haven’t located another work-at-home job and I’m still waiting on some writer things to come through. We decided that me getting a job right now isn’t really a good plan. We have company coming in July, Miss C will be working at camp for two weeks (read: my driving her to town and picking her up twice a day for TWO WEEKS) and then Mr. W will invade with all his cuteness while Soldier Momma trains for her deployment next spring.

It's funny, but I now shop the way I use to when our children were wee babies in arms. If it isn’t on sale, I don’t buy it. If it’s still expensive I carefully weigh whether it’s worth it or not. Many times, we just go without. Who needs a tomato when they are over $4.00 per pound? Cheese? HA! There must be a cow shortage! I have to be frank and admit that I am beginning to miss the chickens we had. If things had been different, if the Great Chicken Massacre hadn’t happened, we’d still have farm fresh eggs at a fraction of the price.

And in other news…

I’m still working out, still eatin’ good (cept for those Peanut M & M’s that Miss C bought), still feeling strong. I started working out with weights and although the workout is hard I feel… stronger…leaner… meaner? Well, maybe not mean. Maybe tough is a better word. Yeah, tough. Someone (CoughteriCough) called me a goddess. Not, I’m certain, in the Biblical way, but in the You Rock way. And that felt great :)

And in case you’re interested…

We know a young man who entered the Mountain Dew Ad Contest and made it to the final ten. We are really proud of this homeschool graduate and his movie making skills. You can check out his ad, which is called Caveman Can and can be seen HERE

While there make sure and vote. The winner takes home $10,000 and that will sure help Zach pay for college. I’m biased, but I really do like his entry best!

Clocky Winner!!!!

I have to say that the panel of judges (Beloved, Sleepy Miss C, and myself) enjoyed reading the entries for the Clocky contest. Personally, I was happy to note that I am not the only parent who has trouble getting a kid out of bed.



But without further ado, the winner of the Clocky Alarm Clock from Spoon Sisters is...

Sharon Wren

Here is her entry for your reading pleasure:

Trying to get my 2 boys (6 and 8) out of bed is a nightmare. Like you, DH can get ‘em up easily, but I’m the one who’s home in the morning. I try rubbing their backs, talking nicely, talking louder, threatening lives and other sorts of general chaos. But some days the only thing that gets ‘em moving is when I sing. And I ain’t no Julie Andrews. How bad am I? I was once asked to stop singing in a karaoke bar full of drunks. So when the boys don’t move, I tell ‘em “don’t make me sing!!!’ And if that doesn’t work, I start singing “The Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie at the top of my lungs. It’s not pretty. Halfway across the country Simon Cowell is hiding under his bed w/ his hands over his ears.

But they do get up. BTW, should this entry win and should you wish to torture your listeners (readers), I could record a few minutes of the experience.


So readers, do we want to 'hear' Sharon? Or shall we take warning from those drunks in the karaoke bar? Let's vote! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Sharon, congrats honey! I hope Clocky gets those boys rollin' outta bed each and every morning! And stop back by and let us know how it works. We'd love to know!

Win a Clocky from Spoon Sisters

As many of you know, I have a teenage daughter at home. She’s a brilliant, happy girl who brings sunshine into this house and fills her father and me with great joy.

Except when it comes to getting her out of bed in the morning

Waking that kid up is one of my least favorite things to do in the entire world. Worse than scooping the cat box, worse than laundry and far worse than a root canal. Over the years we’ve looked for various ways to wake her up. We bought her an alarm; she simply reaches over and turns it off. We’ve threatened her with earlier bed times, being splashed with water, and the loss of privileges. While it might work for a little while, it never holds for more than a couple of days. Then we are right back to square one.

Beloved has had stern words with her and she always promises to do better and she does… for a day or two. But Beloved isn’t here in the morning, I am. Apparently, even though I think I’m a BIG, BAD, MOM, I do not carry as much parental weight as the Daddy does. (Anyone else have this problem?)

Our typical morning runs something like this:

7:45 – Alarm blares/she turns it off/I holler, “Good morning Honey!”

7:50 – Standing in her doorway, “Your alarm went off, get up!”

8:00 – “I’m serious! Get out of bed!”

8:15 – “Get up right now! You have school, you have chores, get up!”

8:17 – “If I have to come in here again, I’m bringing water!”

She gets up, throws a crabby glance at me, and flops onto the sofa.

She’s always been hard to wake up and I have great fear that she’ll never survive in the outside world (which means she’ll be living with her father and I until the day I DIE!). It’s my fault, I’m sure it is, but I just can’t take it anymore. There must be a way to make the kid get out of bed on her own!

I had just about given up all hope when I came across this over at Spoon Sisters:



Clocky - The Alarm Clock that Runs Away and Hides

If you’re favorite song is “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” then make room on your night table for Clocky. Clocky gives you ONE chance to get up. If you choose to snooze, believe it or not, Clocky will jump right off your night table (up to 3 feet) and wheel around your bedroom looking for a place -- far away from your bed -- to hide, beeping all the while, before sounding his alarm again. And, yes, you WILL have to get out of bed to silence his alarm. The snooze time can be set from 0-9 minutes, so if you set it at "0" Clocky immediately "runs" away. If you want Clocky to be just like every other alarm clock on the block, and stay put on your night table, simply disable his wheels. Moves on wood or carpet. Comes in Almond, Aqua, and Coco - a rich chocolate brown. Takes four AAA batteries; batteries not included. Measures 5-1/2" L x 3-1/2” W x 3-1/2” D. Click Select Style below to choose.

Price $50.00


Ha ha ha ha ha ha!


Isn’t this fabulous! I mean seriously! The aqua color even matches her room!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am in love!

And while you’re over at The Spoon Sisters: check out their other fun and fabulous items and don't forget that Father's Day is June 15.

Wanna WIN a Clocky of Your Own?

Bonnie Spoon (thanks Bonnie!!) has partnered with me to give away one Clocky (almond color only) to one lucky reader.

So, here’s the skinny on how to win:

1. Post a comment on this blog

2. Send me an email (amfriedrick@msn.com) describing an experience you’ve had trying to get one of your children out of bed. Make sure to include your name and a valid email address ! SORRY THIS CONTEST IS FOR US RESIDENTS ONLY

3. Contest ends at midnight, Friday, June 13, 2008.

4. Our panel of judges: Beloved, the sleepy Miss C and I, will chose one winner.

5. The winner’s story will be posted on my blog on Monday, June 16, 2008.

6. Winner will receive one almond colored Clocky (batteries NOT included) delivered by USPS.

Non-Bloggers are welcome to enter – simply email me. Sorry, no snail mail folks!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get a kid outta bed!

Click here to go the The Spoon Sisters store.

The Winner is...

The delightful Miss C pulled one name from the basket this morning for the $10.00 Starbucks card. Thanks to all of you who played along!

And the Winner is…

PATTI

You can visit Patti’s blog Here.

Congratulations Patti!

Sunday Update

Bio-mom and I spoke. I’m sorry, but I can’t help but get the feeling that she is dangling the girls like a carrot in front of me. I don’t like being teased and I certainly don’t like being manipulated. Frankly, I don’t know where it will go from here. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I haven’t spoken to my mother since the day before Easter. Which leaves me in an interesting dilemma: Do I send her a Mother’s Day card? Feel free to weigh in on this one, but understand, I have spent my entire life being emotional abused by this woman.

In case you are interested in winning a free copy of Read My Lips you can check out Teri’s blog for details.

The top fifteen photos for the $1000 Mother's Day Photo contest have been chosen. Hop on over and vote for your favorite here. Simple click on "contest" from the home page and look for the contest. (No, mine did not make the cut, sniffle, sniffle, sniffle).

Make sure and check back on Thursday when I post my first book review for litFUSE!

Photo Entry

Here is my entry for the photo contest being held over at 5 Minutes for Mom




Some of you have seen this picture before, it's a pic of one of our foster daughters. The reason that this picture reminds me of motherhood is because when the Destroy first came to us, she didn't belly laugh. She was very somber, withdrawn. Who could blame her? She'd been removed (for the second time) from her mother and moved to first one foster home (where she thrived) and then to our home (second foster home).

It took time, but with lots of momma love, that wee blondie girl started to trust us. Then she smiled and before you knew it, she laughed and what a laugh it was.

This, my friends, is motherhood at its finest. Hearing a baby's belly laugh, is there anything sweeter?

5 Minutes for Mom: Mother's Day Give Away

Those gals over at 5 Minutes for Mom are at it again. There are some great prizes and all you have to do is click on over, comment (in most cases), and wait until May 11th to see if you have won.

Why not check it out now?

Happy Day, Happy Day

Ohhh sooo many things to tell you!

hysterical laughter here

First, received a call from the Bio-mom and after a very nice chat about the books I had sent her, she told me her reason for phoning.

drum roll

She wanted to know if I could take the girls for a day. Mama needs a break. From the sounds of chaos in the background, I’d say Mama needs a llllooonnggg vacation. Oh, wait, she had one for a year, snicker.

snotty eye roll here

Okay, I’m not really that mean (maybe just a little mean) I know Bio-mom is trying and I know it’s hard. So I was thrilled (thrilled) to set up a date with the wee girls. I am so excited. I get to be the good auntie! I get to be the fun auntie! I get to take them home after spoiling those little tyrants for hours and hours and hours.

gleeful laughter here

Sadly, Beloved pointed out that spoiling them rotten and being “fun” auntie might make Bio-mom mad, so maybe I shouldn’t be too fun.

Right…

So, next Friday (May 2nd) it’ll be party at Auntie Ann’s house!! Woo whooo!

And in other news, I am on the diet wagon again. I warned you weeks ago that I was going to jump back on. Only this time, it’s a bit different. A friend, who shall remain nameless (unless she really wants to be named), found a site for us to track, well, everything!

Over at The Daily Plate you’ll find a terrific tool to track what you are eating and how many calories you burn with exercise. There are forums, groups, a listing of diets, and even a place for your to list your own meals. It even helps you track how much water you drink!

Now, I know what you are thinking, “How is a website going to help me lose weight?”

Well it won’t, silly, unless you apply yourself. For me, having to tattle to the computer everything I put in my mouth is helping me to focus on good choices. I can easily see how many calories I’ve eaten, how many I should be eating and, hold on to your knickers, how much fat is in what I eat.

Diet tip: Do not eat peanut butter!

I adore the fitness tracker and love seeing how many calories I’ve burned. Using this tool, it’s easier to make choices regarding which exercise is best for me on specific days. For example, if I’ve got a lunch or dinner date at a restaurant where I know I’m going to have to make some hard choices, I’ll walk an hour instead of thirty minutes because I’ll burn a lot more calories (that’s an extra 30 minutes along with the Pilate's).

Diet tip: Muscles get bored. Vary your workout by renting different types of exercise DVDs from NetFlix!

Since we all can’t be fit as a fiddle, like Patti is, we have to work at it. No, there are no quick fixes, but I know you can do it.

At The Daily Plate you can decide how much weight you would like to lose per week and see how many calories you should eat per day to help you attain that goal. My calorie count is pretty high, but I've yet to actually eat that many calories. My thinking is; if I'm not hungry I shouldn't eat. There are many ways to go about eating throughout the day, although most experts suggest six small meals per day, which seems to work very well for me.

Diet Tip: Carry fruit or protein bars with you so you won't be tempted to eat empty calories.

So, for those of you who drink Mountain Dew and eat Cheerios for breakfast, might I suggest you plug that meal into The Daily Plate and see exactly what you’re eating?

And don’t even get me started on all the sodium we are eating! No wonder so many American’s have blood pressure issues!

In writing news, I’ve submitted my entry for the Christian Women Online Contest. The winner will be announced May 11. I entered a contest over at Hearts at Home (winners to be announced May 4). My decision to enter these contests (and others) is to have deadlines and topics to write to. If nothing else, it’s a good exercise in writing.

Teri J. Brown has helped me to plot out my book. Which is both exciting and scary, since the plot, as they say, thickens…considerably. Time will tell.

But the big, fun, exciting, thrilling, news is that I will be joining some other amazing bloggers and write reviews for Litfuse Publicity Group. I am looking forward to reading some great material and helping other authors get the news out about their recently published books. Being a bookworm, I adore the thought of having new material to read! Happy day, happy day!

And the Winner is....

The alarm announced 5:20 and I hopped out of bed. Today was the day. I rushed to my computer and waited, rather impatiently, really, for it to boot to life. ”Why do these things take soooo long?” Finally, it was alive enough for me to open my email.

I’d pretty much talked myself out of winning Scribbit’s April Writing Contest. Last night, I lay in bed, trying to pray and ignore those nasty little voice that tell me I should get a real job. My own tiny voice could barely be heard above the din, “But…I can write. It’s a gift God gave me…”

Yeah, whatevah.

So imagine my surprise at WINNING!!!!

Wow! Thanks Michelle at Scribbit for hosting the contest. Thank you Elizabeth at Planet Nomad for judging the contest.

There were some truly awesome entries and I really hope you’ll stop by these very talented writers blogs.

Here are the MOST honorable mentions:

Mozi Esme Entry: Clean Underwear, Cheerios, and Gloryland

Musings in Mindanao Entry: Whenever I Go Home, I Leave Home

Marybeth Whalen Entry: I Can't Go Home Again

Never a Dull Moment Entry: My Home Away from Home

CommuniKATE Entry: The Heartbeat of My Home

Ima on (and off) the Bima Entry: Sedar Night

Gosh! I'm just so surprised and so thrilled! I think I'll go make a cup of tea (still not drinking coffee, grumble, grumble) and maybe do a little writing :)

Pink Soap makes You Smell Good

Below is my "fiction" entry for Scribbit's April Writing Contest. Check this out and more at

Scribbit: Motherhood in Alaska

Pink Soap makes You Smell Good: A Story about Going Home

Many people have trouble retaining memories from their early childhood, but not me. Mine have been burned into my memory – leaving a scar that is forever vivid, forever burning. Returning home often resurrects melancholy memories of those who have passed while being warmly embraced by those who love you best. At eight-years-old I was being returned home for the fifth time and I felt none of that nostalgia for that place they called home.

The taxi sped me homeward as the snow swirled outside. Turning from my window, I looked at the driver who sat secure behind the taxi's Plexiglas shield. His hair, stringy and gray, hung to his shoulders and turned up at the ends. He drove as if he was alone, humming a gentle tune and chewing on his cigar.

Sliding my glance sideways, I took in the brown skirt and folded speckled hands of the social worker. I cannot recall her name, there had been so many, but I remember that her voice was kind, her eyes a dull brown. She had a certain smell that I couldn’t place, but now understand to be the smell of a longing for retirement. My gaze turned toward her window and I watched as white flakes whirled past, some splattering against the window in a suicidal race for the road below.

Home? What did that really mean? The social worker said that my home was with my Momma; a place so removed from any ideal of home that I nearly laughed out loud at the thought. I'd been in enough homes to know that the one bedroom apartment my Momma lived in with her fat, greasy boyfriend and four cats was anything but a home.

When I was younger, I had no idea that there were people who lived differently than we did. They didn't play in alley ways with forgotten syringes and bits of broken glass. Their neighbors weren't crack heads or prostitutes. They didn't have regular visits from the local police and children didn't race cockroaches on wilting summer days.

I suppose I should thank Momma for being an addict. If she hadn't been, I would never have known that there was life outside the projects. Because of her, I learned that mac and cheese didn't always come from a box, that pink soap made you smell good, and that hands were made for love, not for hitting. Without Momma's addiction, I'd never have owned a pair of black Mary Janes, worn a hat to the First Baptist Church on Easter, or slept, unafraid every night tucked between clean sheets.

Although they were making me return home, I knew it would only be for a short time. One way or the other I was getting out and the next time, I wouldn't be going home again.