Smiles that Make My Holidays

'Tis the season....


to be cranky.


Oh, I'm supposed to be jolly?


I forgot. Between the shopping and the crowds and the present-wrapping and the present-shipping and the cookie-baking and menu-planning and the worrying about my child having a meltdown during his Christmas program, I forgot.


I got tired. And cranky. I wanted to just take my bottle glass of wine and go to bed, earplugs in and not wake up for a week.


But, then I remembered....those smiles that do brighten my holiday and make all the craziness worthwhile.

 

And maybe this year, we will get a better pic of the three boys in front of the tree than what happened last year:

But, if not, I know I'll still see their mischievous adorable smiles and much like the Grinch, my heart will grow 3 sizes on Christmas Day.

I am participating in the Invisalign Teen Bright Smiles Holiday Photo Contest with Dumb Mom.

Besties Photo Contest

Do you want to know something awful? Even though my bestie has been in my life for 29 years, the most recent pic I have of the two of us together is from our senior prom. OMG. The fashion mistakes...mine, at least. Yes, that pic is somewhere on my blog. I'm kind of hormonal today and not up to the mortification of posting that particular picture right now.


But, it did get me thinking that it's kind of pitiful that the most recent pic I have of the two of us together is over 15 years old! We really have to fix that!


Do you have a pic of you and your bestie that you'd like to share? Maybe it's recent, maybe it's like mine and not-so-recent. But, it should be a pic of the two of you that you love! Share it with us and enter our contest!

To enter:

Contestants can submit a a photo of themselves with their best friend to FriendsYouLove@gmail.com

Submissions will be accepted 9/7 - 9/12.

Voting will occur 9/14 - 9/18 on Friends You Love.
We are putting together a fabulous prize pack from our sponsors for the winner!

And don't forget about the World's Greatest BFF contest! I'm loving reading all the entries! And the prize pack for that for you and your BFF is so awesome! Details on that will be announced soon. You can check out that contest HERE

Btw, I have a Clorox giveaway that is ending Tuesday night- germ-busting things and school supplies. Easy entry HERE

Plus, I have a Mabel's Labels giveaway- and so do four of the other Friends You Love girls- you can check that out HERE

Don't forget to ask someone to guest post for you to be a part of the Friends You Love blog hop next Monday. Details HERE No, this is not a follow-me sort of hop- it's about building friendships! Check it out!

Do You have the World's Greatest BFF?

A best friend.


Do you have one?


Someone who you can tell everything to?


And I do mean everything.


The stupid things that you've done, the times you've really messed up- even the times you really messed up but aren't really even sorry about.


Your secret hopes and fears that you think anyone else would roll their eyes at if you told them.


Who would never tell anyone your secrets.


Someone you can safely have an emotional breakdown in front of, or call sobbing on the telephone and she listens.


Who doesn't judge and usually ends up making you feel better and laugh, no matter what is going on.


Someone who you know will be there anytime you need her and will tell you to shush when you feel bad about having to ask for any kind of help(like watching all three of your kids on short notice when she has two of her own). Because she's your best friend, so of course she will help you out.


A best friend who you could just drop by her house without notice(until you move 600 miles away).


A best friend who gets you.


Who knows when you are being sarcastic or serious without you having to tell her.


Who knows what your insecurities are and will always stick up for you.


Who knows the real you.


A best friend who will always be there, without a doubt.

The above is an excerpt from a post I wrote in celebration of Angie's (my BFF) birthday a few weeks ago.

Now, with the ladies of Friends You Love, in celebration of International Women's Friendship Month, we want to encourage you to write a post about your BFF! And you'll have a chance to win a prize pack for both you and your BFF!

<center><a href="http://www.friendsyoulove.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="FriendsYouLove" src="http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad202/That_One_Mom/Friends%20You%20Love/wgbff_contest.png"/></a></center>

We want to hear why you think you have

The World's Greatest BFF.

To enter:

~Write a post about your BFF.

How do you know her? How has she been there for you? Tell us about the things you've been through together, through thick and thin. Why is YOUR BFF The World's Greatest BFF?

~Come back here and link your post up

Entries accepted 9/2 - 9/19

On 9/23, we will post our Top 5 favorite BFF posts.

~Beginning 9/24, the public can come back and vote for their favorite!

~Voting will close at 5 p.m. CST on 9/29(um...what time is that EST? 6pm? I 'm so tired, stop laughing at me)

~The winner will be annouced at the Twitter Gala on 9/30 and will receive an extensive prize package

 for herself AND her BFF!

So join the challenge! Write about your BFF, come back, link up, and win!!!

Back-to-School: Power A Bright Future (and Giveaway, too!)

From time to time, I get up on my former-teacher soapbox. Don't worry, this isn't one of those times.  But, as a former teacher, I do know the hard work and effort that goes into being an effective teacher and running a school.


The right teacher and a good school can make such a difference in a child's life. When it came time for my middle son to go to preschool, we searched for the right school and teacher who would be able to handle the special challenges that he had. We found that teacher in Miss Michelle, who loved him, saw him as smart, and made a huge impact on him.  He's always been musical and the music programs in his school were invaluable as well.


He's in a new school this year, but doesn't quite understand that he does have a new teacher. He's waiting for his teacher from last year to show up. In his words: "My teacher is my Miss Michelle. She's perfect for me."


Those teachers and schools? When you find them, they are priceless. They made such a huge difference in the lives of our children.


But, sometimes, those schools could use a little extra help.  Enrichment activities like music, art, and sports are some of the most memorable for children, but those are often the first areas to go when there are budget cuts.


Each year parents hold fundraisers to keep enrichment programs in schools. Now there’s another way to raise money for your child’s school: Power A Bright Future, created by the Clorox Company, will help brighten kids’ futures with school grants to help fund critical programs. Parents and teachers can help kids continue to learn and play by nominating their school programs for a Power A Bright Future grant from the Clorox Company.

As part of the Power A Bright Future grant program, Clorox is seeking nominations for school programs for a chance to win a $50,000 grand-prize grant or one of three $20,000 grants to help provide critically needed resources to school programs that enrich kids’ lives and create brighter futures. In November, four schools will be chosen to receive grants and the opportunity to impact the lives of children in their communities.

 
 
 Nominators will receive exclusive Clorox classroom tools and the chance to win coupons for Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, Clorox® Regular-Bleach and other great prize packs daily.
 
 
For more than six generations, Clorox has been a trusted stain remover and disinfectant, ultimately helping to keep families healthier, cleaner and happier. Clorox wants to continue to celebrate these activities that help kids continue to learn, play and create. To nominate a new or existing school program, visit http://www.clorox.com/ from August 12 to September 27, 2010. You will find the official rules there, as well as details on voting.

What a fabulous opportunity that would be for your local schools and programs! If you do enter, please let me know and I'll always give you a retweet to help spread the word about your entry!

But, in the meantime, there is a Clorox prize pack that you can win here!

Giveaway: One of you will win a Clorox giveaway bag which includes:

• Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
• Dr. Harley Rotbart’s book Germ Proof Your Kids
• Clorox Hand Sanitizer
• Tissues
• Fun stickers
• Crazy cutting scissors
• Markers/pencils/crayons

To enter: If your email is not in your profile, please leave it with your comment. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Contest will close at 9pm EST on Tuesday, September 7th.


First entry: Tell me about a teacher, school, or program that you think is worthy of one of these grants!

Bonus entry #1: Follow my blog either through GFC or by confirmed email subscription.
Bonus entry #2: Tweet and leave a link to your tweet: Help your school with a #CloroxBrightFuture grant and enter a #giveaway http://bit.ly/9DdQBh


I wrote this post after being engaged by TheMotherhood.com and Clorox and am being compensated for my participation.


This giveaway is now closed and the winner is Naomi #49. Winner will be emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Don't forget to apply at Clorox for a grant for a school program!

NOT Mom of the Year

When I hear the title "mom of the year," two things come to mind.


The first being that someone is being sarcastic and talking about some sort of epic mom fail that they experienced.


The second being this ideal that I could never, ever live up to. Probably one that none of us can ever live up to. Your idea of Mom of the Year might look a little different from mine, but I'm going to tell you what mine looks like....and why I'm so NOT Mom of the Year.


And maybe even why I think that's okay.


Mom of the Year wakes each morning before her children to get everything ready for the day. She showers, dresses, starts the laundry, has breakfast, works out and is alert and happy when her children wake up.


I am always woken up by a child or three busting into my bedroom, asking for breakfast and a tv show. I bury my head under the covers and murmer to Hubs that I have no clue who these morning people are because surely, I couldn't have given birth to them. Oh, and I do get dressed, but you can bet that I don't look as put-together as Mom of the Year.


Mom of the Year fixes her children a hot breakfast, everything from scratch, organic, freshly-squeezed. All children are dressed in clean clothes that actually match. They sit at the kitchen table together.


My kids love milk(not organic), bananas(again, not organic), and some form of frozen waffles or pancakes(sometimes actually FROZEN and not even heated up in the microwave or toaster because they love them that way and I'm too tired to argue). They are still in their pjs and will be for a while if we aren't headed out the door. Sometimes they might just be in underwear because my kids like to be nudists. And they eat breakfast wherever, as long as it's not on the couches.


Mom of the Year has developmentally appropriate activities planned for the morning. Ones that will enrich, teach, and be fun. She loads her kids up into her spotless vehicle and whisks her children off to swim class, gymnastics, karate, kiddie yoga, Latin, computer- whatever the class of the day is.


Me? Um, what are we doing today? Those classes are expensive and trying to coordinate three children's schedules when none of them is old enough to be somewhere alone is hard. How about...the park? Or the pool? Or playing outside in the yard? Um...let's see? Wanna go to a movie? Get a new book from the library? Um...we haven't been to the aquarium recently, wanna go there? Our plans are more last minute. And that minivan I load them up into? Yeah, it's always a mess. Even right after I clean it out.


At no point during the day does Mom of the Year lose her cool with her children. If they need reprimanded, she does so in a quiet voice, staying calm at all times.


I try that, thanks for the tip SuperNanny. But, sometimes, I lose my cool and I yell. Or say something sarcastic or even....horror....administer a spanking. And I resort to bribery sometimes, too.


Mom of the Year prepares yet another fabulous meal for lunch, followed by naps, rest time, or an art project for her children. She cleans up the house and works on any projects that need to be done.


Well, my kids are peanut butter and jelly addicts. Or you know, dinosaur-shaped chicken. With fruit. They love fruit. Can I get points for that? Followed by a nap for one of my kids and then televisison shows- it's preschool on tv, right? Plus unstructured play time. So, I can clean up the house, too, just like Mom of the Year blog.


Mom of the Year has fun playdates scheduled for her children for after the quiet time and probably some volunteer work to do. She's President of the PTA, runs the local moms' group, and a host of other activities.


Playdates just give me more motherbitch stories. I'll join the PTA, but only because the former teacher in me feels obligated. I got burnt out on running a moms' group so I'm hiding from them now. And besides, I'm still busy blogging you know. Though, I do make sure that they go places where they can socialize and make friends- it just doesn't have the structure of the playgroups.


Mom of the Year has yet a third fabulous meal on the table for her family.


Okay, sometimes I do this, too. Because I can actually cook. Unless it's another one of those 105 degree days and Hubs won't be home for dinner. And then I think ice cream is a perfectly acceptable dinner. I don't let them have chocolate ice cream, though. More points for me.


Mom of the Year has a fun, quiet activity for her children before bedtime. She gives them baths, lays out fresh pajamas for them, reads each a developmentally appropriate bedtime story. She tucks each in with a kiss good-night.


Kids' choice of activity after dinner here, as long as it's nothing too crazy. Baths happen some days- and some days it's more of a rinsing off...or even an "oh well, you're not too dirty, let's skip it." My kids prefer to sleep in underwear(diaper for the baby) instead of actual pajamas. We all pile into one of the kids' beds and read the story of the whichever child managed to ask me for a story first. Send them off with a kiss good-night.


Mom of the Year finishes whatever small chores she didn't get to during the day and prepares for the next day. She spends quality time with her husband and gets to bed at a reasonable hour, ready to do it all again the next day.


Um, yeah, my house is still a mess, so I better do something about that. Or maybe not because they'll just mess it up again as soon as they wake up the next morning anyway. And I'm tired. I want to sit on the couch with Hubs, watch tv, read a book, blog, talk, have a glass of wine, and stay up way too late. I go to bed knowing the morning will come before I've had a chance to get fully rested. I bet Mom of the Year doesn't drool in her sleep like I do, either.


So, obviously, I'm NOT Mom of the Year.


But, do you know what? My boys are loved. They are fed, they are entertained, they learn new things, they make friends, and they are happy.


They tell me more times than I can count each day "I love you, Mommy."


And so, I'm okay with being NOT Mom of the Year.


Check out The Mommyologist and Life Without Pink for more moms who are NOT Mom of the Year.

I.D. Me Labels

Who couldn't use more help keeping track of their child's things?

I.D. Me Labels offers a wide selection of designs that can be used to label any of your children's belongings. Great for camp or school. Or maybe even for moms like me who need to remember which child something belongs to!


I really like the classroom set and would have used that back when I was a teacher to help me stay organized.


You can win an I.D. Me Labels Summer Camp Combo Pack over on their site.




*I am receiving a complimentary set of I.D. Me Labels All-Purpose Icon Labels. No form of monetary compensation was received*

A Father's Love: No Fear with the Second Baby

Another great picture contest with ToothSoap- this time, one that I'm entering!


I was looking through pics of Hubs with our firstborn when he was a baby. And, in most of those pics, Hubs looks like he is afraid he is going to drop Monkey.  There's a sweet awkwardness to the way he's holding the baby...and he's always looking at the camera.


But, when the second baby came along- Hubs was confident and adoring. You can tell in this pic, taken in the hospital with Bear, that Hubs had changed as a father. He was comfortable with this "Dad stuff" now.

You know, where he got to the point where he would do anything for his kids, even if it meant standing in line on a hot July day so that his oldest son could get a pic taken with June from Little Einsteins.

Or floating down a lazy river with his youngest son, when it would be so much more relaxing on his own.

All those little things that he does to show how much he loves our boys....makes me love him even more.


Shouldn't a father like that win this contest????



You can enter on these blogs....yeah, I'm being nice and telling you this, even though I want to win.

Btw, if you are here b/c it's Friday and you wanted to see who the newest BFF is- you'll have to wait until the morning! :)

Cutest Pet Pic: WINNER

Weren't the finalists so stinking cute?

I mean, how do you pick from those three????

You can't, right???

Well, @toothsoap couldn't, either.

So, they ALL win.

AND get $100!

Isn't that fabulous????

Gotta love Toothsoap!

Cutest Pet Pic: Finalists!

THANK YOU TO ALLLL OF THE ADORABLE ENTRANTS in The Tooth Soap® Cutest Pet Pic Contest!  It was so hard to choose! 

drumroll please

The THREE Photo Finalists for Tooth Soap® Cutest Pet Pic Contest are: 

Winner will be announced sometime Next Tuesday on all three blogs 

and

Pet Pic Contest Starts Today!

TODAY'S THE DAY!   GET THOSE ADORABLE OR FUNNY PET PICS OUT!

<a href="http://toothsoap.com/shop-dentist-recommended-tooth-soap" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s27/dperry_2007/largeforpost.jpg" /></a>

Did you know that Tooth Soap®( the source of the internet's biggest buzz) offers additional great all natural products!?  One of the products that they offer is  Tooth soap® for your PEt! Fido or Fluffy can have clean teeth too!  In a safe and all natural way! ( how to brush you pet's teeth with Tooth Soap®)

WANT TO BUY SOME NOW?  SAVE SOME MONEY ON VET CLEANING BILLS!?  

USe coupon code " PET" to save $5..00 on a bottle ! 

or 

 You can win some!! 

PSSST.........Plus some Tooth Soap® Goodies for yourself!

<a href="http://toothsoap.com/shop-dentist-recommended-tooth-soap" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s27/dperry_2007/smallbuttonPETPIC.jpg" /></a>

Simply grab the Tooth Soap® Pet Pic Badge 

*****Display it on your sidebar  and in your submission post. *** 

( both places please! USE WHATEVER sized badge works for you !)

Write a post that includes your Cutest pet pic!    

Link up below to enter. 

3 finalists chosen by 

@supahmommy, @shellthings, @chiefshiding

( no bribing) 

Final Winner Chosen by  Karen VanCleef of @toothsoap 

Winner receives Tooth Soap® " My Pet Won Pack!"

•  Tooth soap® 
• Tooth Swish
•  Tooth Brightener 
• Tooth Soap® w brush  for your Pet!

Contest submissions close Thursday June 3rd @midnight.  Finalists will be announced Friday June 4th and winner will be chosen and announced Thursday June 10th on all hosts blogs.  

WANT TO BUY SOME NOW?  SAVE SOME MONEY ON VET CLEANING BILLS!?  

USe coupon code " PET" to save $5..00 on a bottle ! 

Just Dance! Contest

So You Think You Can Dance...Dance....Dance....

Okay, so I really can't dance.

At all.

I'm terrible.

But, give me enough to drink, and I'll shake my groove thang and move it, move it.

Or, put me in a situation where I don't care(my brother's wedding, the mancave with Hubs and BIL) and I'll dance.

I still pretty much suck.

But, you don't actually have to be a good dancer to play the Wii Game Just Dance.

If you missed it, here's the infamous dance video.

If you can move your Wii remote like the dancer on the screen= big points.

Even if, like me, you look like a total dork doing it.

I wanted to have a dance party, but motherbitches got in the way. See the post above to find out about that mess.

So, we'll have one here.

This is the trial run. There is one much bigger coming. But, you, my bloggyfriends, will have an edge. You'll have been practicing and preparing and ready to kick some butt.

In case you missed this about me, I'm a super-competitive person and if there is going to be a huge inter-bloggy dance-off coming, then one of MY peeps is going to win.

Details will come about that later.

But, for now, the DANCE contest is open!

Here's what you do:

Pick any song on Just Dance.
The SHORT version.
Video-tape yourself dancing to it and be sure to show your score.
You have until Wednesday, February 17th to get your best score.
Highest score wins a fabulous prize to be determined. Because I have no clue what it will be. In addition to being crowned The Dancing Queen.

On that Wednesday, I will ask for your scores. Remember, you must have video evidence of your dance and score.

Oh yeah, in the event that I am the Dancing Queen, the prize that I have no clue about will go to the second place finisher. It's not like I can sit back and not play.

Not to give anything away, but it's quite possible that during the later dance contest, scores will not be the only thing that counts: think creativity. Like, if you want to dress up like you're from the 80s as you dance to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. See how competitive I am? Once again, blog police, you can come get me if you don't think it's fair to hint at something that will happen later.

For now, LET'S DANCE!!!!

If you do not own Just Dance, a lot of the Redboxes have it to rent!

Who's in?