Yummy lunch (and a giveaway!)

Yesterday, courtesy of Wendy's and theMotherhood, I was able to get out of the house for a little bit and eat lunch with some very wonderful people. And I can't lie. It's always nice for me to get out and get to talk to other adults face-to-face!

Anyway, Wendy's is launching it's new pick 2 menu!

(*note: I copied and paste this image from here)

Basically you get to pick from one of four salads and then an extra side for 4.99. If you ask me, not a bad deal at all. I picked the very delicious Apple Pecan Salad
 


based on a recommendation from a friend who had recently eaten one. And I have to say, she was right. You can tell by looking - it's not just some iceburg lettuce shredded and thrown in there - it's so much better! It was delish. So good in fact, one little 4 year old kept "stealing" bites of it! And I admit, it's very hard for me to be annoyed at my child for stealing salad!




In addition to my salad, I also picked the baked potato, which was yummy too! Someone else ordered the chili, and oh my, it looked really good to me. Secretly, I wanted to pick the frosty, but thought mutiny might ensue from the children should they realize a frosty was a part of my lunch. So I went with the potato. And wouldn't you know it, they all ended up with frosty's anyway when they finished eating their lunches!

As if the food wasn't enough, I also got to talk to some very lovely people and finally get a chance to see Tracey - because we've been talking about getting together forever (okay, for maybe 6 weeks now) and it was so nice to finally get to see her!



In addition to see Tracey and her lovely family, I also got to chat with Michelle, Weasel Momma, Emily, Paula, Lydia, and several other very lovely people! I wish we had more time to chat truthfully because I could have done that all day. Alas, my children couldn't and they let me know exactly when it was time to return home LOL!

So lunch out with friends is so great. And Wendy's new Pick 2 menu is so great, I have TWO $7.00 gift cards to give to you so that you and a friend can go and try out the Pick 2 menu at Wendy's! Just leave me a comment - tell me who you would take to lunch with you. (Make sure you leave an e-mail address so I can contact you). That's it. You have until Tuesday, October 26th at midnight to enter. I'll pick one winner (only open to those with a US address though!)


Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood and Wendy's. My lunch and my friend's lunch was paid for and I was paid a monetary stipend for participating. All opinions, however, are my very own!

*Closing comments as give-away is now over!

Do Good Day recap!

So Wednesday was, to sum it up in one word: fabulous. 

I can not thank 77kids or theMotherhood.com enough for giving us the chance to participate in Do Good Day!  

We all woke up bright and early - or at least what bright and early means at our house ;-) And headed off to the big city. (here's where I also tell you that I used the navigator on my new phone so I wouldn't have to print directions. And also that my phone gets traffic updates and will tell us how much time left on our drive. And so for most of the car trip instead of hearing "Are we there yet?" I heart "How much more time till we get there?" ROFL!)

 We met up with everyone at the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) where we got our box of fun stuff for Do Good Day (thank you cards to pass out, stickers, candy, t-shirts for the kids, and our 77 dollars to pass out). We gathered all our stuff together and headed inside - which was good because let me tell you, it was pretty darn hot that day LOL! 

The moms and older kids started to work on setting everything up. The younger kids found the play room right away!  They seemed to float in and out of there during the whole day - but it was nice for them to have that area to hang out in. Well, at least my 4yo had a good time playing in there. Then he'd come out and do something with me, then go back in. So nice!!

In the middle of the dining room we set up a table and had the kids make some thank you cards. My 7 year old thought this was so fun that she ended up making quite a few cards all through out the day! We had the kids then take the cards they made to the office. They shared the thank you cards with the staff to thank them for all that they do!

Then we were all given a tour of the house by one of the residents there - her family has used the RMH several times. Her older sister was in the hospital. She knew the house pretty well and gave us a great tour of the house. I enjoyed getting to look around. We also learned that Coca-cola donated beverages to them. The vending machines were a quarter for each pop, but the RMH kept that money to help cover costs. The recommended fee for staying was 10 per night. It actually costs about 70 per night to keep a family housed there, so as you can imagine RMH and the families that stay there rely heavily on donations to stay operational.

After the tour, it was time for lunch! 

It really was such a nice lunch. But of course, you can't have lunch without dessert can you? Well, you can, but it's just not as fun is it?

A very full and fun afternoon for sure. But before everyone headed their own separate  ways, we were able to get one group shot!

I was able to talk to one family for a little bit while we were there and being able to stay in this house was such a wonderful thing for them. They were able to visit their daughter/sister everyday - the mom mentioned if they couldn't come downtown they wouldn't be able to do that. I can't imagine as a mom having to leave my child in a hospital for several weeks and then not be able to be close enough to visit daily? :( Heartbreaking, but thankfully RMH is there to help those families out.

This was indeed a full day for us, but it didn't end there!

  

 We got home and ALL of us (yes, me included) sat down to decorate the thank you cards in our box. We had decided while we were driving home that we would decorate all the cards and take them to our local police officers and fire fighters. I won't lie - we dropped them off after typical hours and we were met with a few strange looks when we first walked into the police station/rang the fire houses's door! The kids were all smiles though and so proudly handed a pack of thank you's over. They told them today was Do Good Day and they wanted to thank them for all the good they did. They handed them over (to a nice woman at the police station and a fireman at the firehouse) and asked them to please pass them around to the people they worked with. I admit, as mom watching them, it was so sweet and I loved it!

Then we decided to pass out (cold) water bottles and our dollar bills to those commuters coming off the train at rush hour. 

We patiently waited for the trains to come. Fortunately for us, three trains were all coming in a short period of time so that was good. Unfortunately for us, people were very taken aback and we had a very hard time passing our dollars out. I think people thought we were trying to sell something to them (whether the water, the dollar, a political belief or religious believe - I'm not sure!) Anyway, we passed out what we could - but we couldn't pass out all of it. I won't lie - the kids were VERY disappointed by this. They were so down when we went back to the car. So, we headed to a park and passed some out there. Then we came home and passed out the rest to neighbors and friends! I will say, I think the passing out part was the most fun for all of them! And hence why the most disappointing when people wouldn't accept the dollars. I will say this though, the people who got it and accepted them, really got it and all had such kind words to say to us. And that was awesome! And that was especially nice for the kids to hear. 

And then I think we all came home and completely passed out! ROFL!! We were tired. But we were happy. And we would all do it again in a heartbeat! =)

As an aside, I took lots of pictures on Wednesday and you can see them all here!

Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood on behalf of 77kids by American Eagle, and was paid a monetary stipend for participating in this project.

Good Morning!

It's here ... today is Do Good Day!! We are so excited at my house for this!! It is going to be an amazing day - not only are several of us in Chicago getting together, but all told - there will be 77 bloggers spread out across 11 cities all doing good tomorrow!

Why 77? Because American Eagle is launching 77kids - clothing stores aimed for kids. 77 comes from the year American Eagle was founded - 1977. So 77kids partnered up with theMotherhod.com to bring these 77 bloggers together to do some good!  I think this is a FABULOUS way for 77kids to celebrate their opening!

I am lucky enough to be working with some fabulous bloggers in the area - Melissa, Jen, Lydia, Paula, and Dawn to serve lunch at the Ronald McDonald House! It's going to be so great - I can just tell already!! It seems like all the Do Good Day teams have some great plans going on for today - please head on over here to check out what everyone has planned! So many great things going on - just wonderful!

Yesterday, to prepare two of the kids and I went to target to pick up some items on the Ronald McDonald House Wish List. They had so much fun getting to help pick out what to bring. So while I grabbed paper towels, laundry detergent and hand soap - they picked popcorn, juice boxes, and popsicles! We also grabbed a few books - most notably The Wizard of Oz, as it's a favorite in this house! 

After lunch, the group is going to split up and the kids and I will be heading back to our town to pass out some fliers around our town. We are still debating - hitting parks or hanging out at the local train station. I know, I know, last minute - I swear not on purpose - we had some other ideas of where to pass them out that fell through, so we're onto plan d, e and f LOL!  

I promise to come back tonight or tomorrow and tell you all about it! And maybe even get my kids brave enough to share their thoughts with you. I'll be tweeting through out that day as I can - so feel free to follow me over on twitter!

And don't forget to head on over to Hyacynth's blog and tell her if you did some good today too =)

Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood on behalf of 77kids by American Eagle, and was paid a monetary stipend for participating in this project.

Do Good Day

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail asing if I wanted to participate in Do Good Day. I jumped at the chance - a day to do good things, count me in.

Truthfully, I don't do enough good things and I don't do enough giving back. I used to - in high school I volunteered at a bereavement center and a local hospital - among other various one day activities. I continued to do things in college and then I gave birth to my daughter. And it was a lot harder to get out - I was young, trying to finish school, working part time, had a husband, blah, blah, blah - the excuses just rolled off my tongue. My husband, picked up my slack though and volunteered at the local hospital for more than a couple of years (I'll never forget when I gave birth to our second child, after all the excitement, etc, he left to go tell a couple of patients he had gotten to know through his volunteer work that we had had the baby - which I think is beyond sweet).

Anyway, I do what I can from home now - some sewing/knitting/donating money things. And while I think that's all good - when I received an e-mail from 77 Kids (a kids clothing line from American Eagle) and The Motherhood to actually get out of the house and work in a team with other moms in the area, well, I was all over it. 

So next week, on July 14, the kids and I are going to head downtown - to a Ronald McDonald house and do some good! We can't wait to do it. And it gets even more exciting - you too can help us out. One of the other moms participating Hyacynth is hosting a link up on July 14 for anyone else who goes out and also does some good. And it gets better:

I'll be hosting a link-up Wednesday, July 14-15 for anyone who decides to engage with their kiddos in a random act of kindness.

If you and your little ones engage in a pay-it-forward type of kindess, simply post a picture of your little ones acting part of it out on your blog and briefly write about it.

After the link-up closes, random.org will choose one person to win $25 {cash}. And additionally, that person will choose a charity* to recieve an additional $30.

It can be as simple as your little ones weeding a neighbor's flower bed or helping them clean out some of their unused toys and donating them to a local women's shelter. It's totally up to you!

And though I've been commissioned by ae to participate in Do Good Day, the company has NOT asked me to host this link up. I simply just wanted to pay it forward to one of my friends here by giving away $25 to her family and $25 to a charity* chosen by her {and I think the simple act of engaging our little ones in a little do-good project is worthwhile in itself}.

Fun! Fun! Fun! I will remind you all about this on the 14th and link back to her again. I hope you'll all join me, Hyacynth and all the Chicago moms participating (the list is here!) and go out and do some good =)

We can't wait - and if you need some help on where to start - here is the Ronald McDonald House Wishlist. And if you want to donate some things on that list - let me know. I'll even try to arrange to get them from you so I can bring them down with me. =)

Anyway, can't wait to tell you all about this on the 14th and about how it all went! =)

Need some help!

I've mentioned here before, but over at The Motherhood I have a group for Homemade Holidays.

Since today marks the 100 days until Christmas countdown, I'd like to every day post over there one idea to give people ideas of things to make.

So if you have a tutorial - it can be any craft - sewing, knitting, taping, cutting, or even baking or whatever idea you have, please oh please, link it in the comments section!

I promise to link back to you and give you all the credit you deserve, but I'd love to be able to post a new idea every single day! =)

Thanks all =)

Blink!

And just like that a month goes by!

I really didn't mean to stop blogging, to walk away. But, life does unfortunately get in the way sometimes.

I'm quite busy over at The Motherhood most days too and then I just need to step away from the computer for the rest of the day!

Anyway, summer is almost here and that makes my heart sing songs of joy! I got a bit of a burn sitting outside on Friday - and that was heavenly! I know, strange right - to think a sun burn is a good thing, but sitting in the sun, with the kids playing around me, oh, it was fantastic! I believe I might be seriously ready to leave the Chicagoland area right now - if we could move somewhere where the sun was out more often!

We've been hit recently by the whole bad economy thing - thankfully not as badly as we could have been. Hubby took a pay cut, so we've been readjusting monthly spending. You'll probably hear chatter for a bit about coupons, being frugal and other ways to save money. But, my husband has a job (and we have insurance) and that is something to be truly grateful for! I may complain about lack of spending money here and there, but know that I do know how lucky we are it was only a pay cut!

We've recently been making videos at our house! I will randomly be linking some of them here. I admit it, I've been having fun! I've learned how to edit them, splice them, put them back together - not if I only I could learn to not shake the camera so much or sound like such a nerd in them I'd be all set. But keep your eyes out for them in the coming weeks. My 9 year old and I have been trying to do some how to kids craft videos, which I must admit had been a blast to have that with her! =)

And now, I will bombard you with pictures, so I hope you enjoy them!



Earth Hour 2009


Yummmmmy chocolate!


a flower for mom!


Sears Tower picture which we took in case we don't get back downtown before the big name change!

... A New Beginning

So the other day I told you about my big epiphany and how I was going to use it to set high goals for myself for 2009!

So I sat down one day and thought - really thought - about the goals I want to set for myself.

My first step was to write down what I wanted my ideal day to look like - if I could snap my fingers right now and change my day, what would I change it to. And I wrote, from details such as to how to schedule things to how I wanted to feel and how my surroundings would look. I also kept in the back of my head "if I had one year to live, how would I want that year to look" and wrote and wrote. Which was good in so many ways and really gave me a TON of direction. Now I have a picture - in words - of what I am working to. I'll liken it to people who cut out a picture of a house and carry around in their wallet so that when they shop, they have a reminder of what they are saving for to help them spend money wisely. I now have that for myself and it was VERY helpful.

I read over all of all that and then wrote what is going on today that is disconnect with how I want a day to look. Which, might have been the hardest part because when you do that you have to admit your flaws and shortcomings. Which isn't always oh so fun. But I did it.

After that I made of list of changes - both big and small - that I could make in order to bridge that gap. That was actually the fun part (although I haven't finished it entirely). It also helps fill you with hope because you think, okay, if I can manage to do this one thing, I'll be one step closer to where I want to be.

Then I added goal dates to those items. Because, let's face it, I need all the motivation I can get ROFL!! This was hard because I had to keep them realistic without giving myself too much time to procrastinate and also, I had to decide where to start, where to end, what goes in the middle. Which also means I had to prioritize my goals!

The main focus of 2009 for me will be getting organized. Because I am not organized right now and after I thought about it, I realized that is probably what is keeping me from finishing other tasks I want to accomplish. You can't stay on top of things very well if you can't find things you need, can't find an empty spot on the counter to work, can't keep appointments and other places to be straight and can't sit to relax because the piles around you are too distracting. I also decided to completely eliminate my 101 in 1001 list. Because it just makes sense for me to do that right now.

Anyway, you'll have to read about this all year long, because I'll be sharing my goals and progress! I know, you are SOOO excited to hear that =) I'm calling it "2009: My Time To Shine" (yes, cheesy, I know, but I like it LOL!) and have also started a group over at the Motherhood so come join us!! =)

can you help?

can you help out?

http://www.themotherhood.com/post.php?sid=172223

I voted ..

Did you?


*again, if reading through a reader, you need to click through to get the audio!

Call in the Vote

This is so exciting ... I hope you participate and also, tell your friends to join in the fun too!

Here's how it works - very simple, easy and fun:

1) Join TheMotherhood.com (if you're not already in there) and be sure to put your cell phone number in when prompted during sign-up.

2) Join the Moms CALL IN the Vote circle http://www.themotherhood.com/circle.php?l=8734 and make it your Mobile Circle.

3) Go to your polling place to vote.

3) Pick up your cell phone and call 412-282-1182 (tip: add that number to your phone's contacts ahead of time.)

4) Give us a live, on the ground report. Tell us about voting, how you feel, what the experience is like and any other election day coverage! What did the kids think? Find your inner Couric and maybe even interview some others who are voting for more great coverage of the day. The recordings will show up immediately on TheMotherhood.com in the Moms CALL IN the Vote circle http://www.themotherhood.com/circle.php?l=8734.

5) Take the embed code from TheMotherhood.com (it will appear directly underneath your recording) and embed your voice -- and other recordings you hear there too if you like -- on your own blog.

6) Listen to (and save for posterity) grassroots, citizen mom journalist coverage at its finest on this most historic day.

Do I know how to have fun on Friday night or what?

(If you are reading in bloglines/google reader/etc, I'm sorry but you'll have to open my blog to hear my post!)



Yep. You'll be jealous and wish you had spent your friday night the same way ROFL!!

Listen to this!

No, really, click on it and listen =)



Really, how fun is that? So fun! (and you kind have to to turn up your volume because my phone apparently got a bad connection half way through the call and it gets hard to hear).

Anyway, let me know what you think about it and record your own message over at The Motherhood!

Ta-Da!!!

The new and improved Motherhood site is live! You must go visit if you are a mom (or a dad or a grandma or a grandpa I think LOL)
Seriously, the site is amazing and I love it. Cooper and Emily and their website design team did such a fabulous job! And I have to give a shout out to Becki too, because she rocks and is awesome and her and I were able to see it all early and get in there and post and make suggestions - and we've talked more in the last week than in the last few months because of the site, which is awesome because she rocks and needs to move to Chicago so we can hang out =)

Anyway, go and check it out! Let me know what you think of it =) If you sign up, send me a message letting me know =)

So much to say ... so little time to say it all in!

This is shaping up to be quite the week!
I found out Monday the new and improved Motherhood site will be launching soon! I've been to the test site, and seriously folks, it is just awesome!! I can't wait until I can tell you all to head over there and check it out!!!

Then last night was the awesome, amazing and simply fabulous Method party!!! I have been talking about it all day long just telling everyone how fabulous it was and how much fun it was! A few people asked if this meant they could buy the Method products from me now LOL! Maybe I should have bought a bunch of extra last night to walk around and sell people - they all seem ready to buy hahaha!! But nope, I tell them where they can buy them ;-)

And then today, I got an e-mail letting me know that one of my favorite authors Kate Jacobs is coming out with a new book, and it's the sequel to The Friday Night Knitting Club. Now, if you don't remember, I LOVED that book so extremely much! Just loved it. I have recommended it time and time again. And everyone I have advised to read it has loved it too. And I went and saw Kate (because we are totally BFFs now - at least in my own little head LOL!) at a local book talk. And she is coming out with a sequel and I'm SOOOOOO excited! And they sent me an e-mail today asking if I wanted an advance copy. Umm, YES! lol! Here is a preview of the cover:
And I also have a copy of the first chapter that I am allowed to share here with everyone! I will post that at a later date. I might wait until I get the book and can tell you how wonderful it is and prove it by posting the chapter, or I might just randomly post it another day I have nothing else to write about ROFL!!!

In other news, I have been workng this week - during the day, for my parents, with my children with me. I am blessed in that I can get internet on the go and so I can bring my computer with me and blog! At work! Fabulous! But, truthfully, it's sort of stressful. Because I have to leave the house earlier than I like, make sure I have food for everyone and enough water, and enough diapers and snacks and things to do and I'm so not used to it. And I don't clock out until 6pm - that is usually the time we are sitting down to dinner. This was all unexpected - I got a call Tuesday morning asking if I could come in for the day LOL! This morning I had enough put together to start the crockpot so we could have a decent dinner tonight and we did the dishes, but I didn't get the laundry done before we left and was sort of bummed. Oh well. I am doing what I can with the time I have. I can say though, given all that is going on, the extra income will be quite welcomed in our house. It won't make us rich (I barely breaking min wage here) but it's a family business and I don't have to pay a babysitter so it will be good in the long run!

Okay, over and out for now!

You should read this ....

especially if you live in, near, or around Chicago:
Green Parent Chicago

I discovered it through The Motherhood and am in love! =)

Wii Fit Giveaway!

Holy Moly Cow! The lovely women of The Motherhood are givng away a Wii Fit and a Wii Console! Seriously, how amazingly awesome is that!
So if you want to win one, go here and read the directions!

As an owner of the Wii Fit, I have to say, that this is a fabulous opportunity and please, please, please go enter!

And oh, if you think about, help spread the word to others as well!

The Winner

The winner is Shannon!
Thanks for entering everyone who did. I appreciate it.
And Shannon, e-mail me your info so I can ship it to you! =)

Contest!

Okay, so today I'll start the contest for one of these really adorable change purses:

Whoever wins will be able to pick the one they like. My contests tend to not get lots of entries, so let's make a deal .... if we get 20 entries, I will give away a second change purse!

So here's the deal, I'm gonna make you work for it a bit. You must go over to The Motherhood and spend a few moments looking around, then come back here and tell me what you think!

[As an aside, do you know how to open a new webpage in another tab - right click on the link and select "open in new tab" and that way both pages stay open on your screen. I LOVE being able to do this for so many reasons and always thought everyone knew to do that but learned this weekend that some people didn't know they could do that.]

Anyway - just tell me what you think - tell me your favorite part, a group you want to join, a group that isn't there that you think should be, something to improve the site, etc, etc ... all comments will make you eligible! You have until Saturday night at midnight to enter!

As a bonus entry, if you put the contest on your blog (and let me know it's there) I'll put you in for two entries.

Anyway, spread the word, share the love.

I'm here!

Ack. I've been meaning to get on for a few days now, but well, you know that thing called life gets in the way. And I've been playing my on-line game (World of Warcraft) a whole lot lately so that's been getting most of my free time! But, boy oh boy, do I have much to tell you!

First of all regarding last Tuesday! It was such a pleasure to meet Emily, Cooper, and Becki. Which, I kind of knew ahead of time it would be, because they all rock in so many ways. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint in any bit. It was such an awesome visit.
So Emily and Cooper surprised myself and Becki with this fabulous pair of shoes:

How clever - and they wrote all sorts of fabulous things on the shoes that apparently describe us! And they nicely left off "yells too much", "grouchy", "crabby" and other words like that! LOL. And these shoes were extra comfy as well - I put them on and kept them on all day. I haven't worn them out of the house yet, but I am worried the marker (although permanent) might wear off and I am kind of keeping these more as keepsakes than shoes to wear. But who knows, maybe I'll wear them out someplace fabulous one day and then get to have a fun story to tell while wearing them! =)

The other thing they gave us are these cute coin purses:

which I received a coin purse for Christmas from them and love having it! So here's where you all get kind of lucky. Some day this week - tomorrow if the day isn't as crazy as I fear it will be - I will be starting a give-a-way for one of these little purses! So you too can own one! (I also need to snap a picture of the inside because it has a label in it with the address of www.themotherhood.com on it!). And since I love these purses and I love The Motherhood, well, I have to share at least one with all of you. I suppose if we get enough entries I would even think about giving away two of them, maybe even three! But, well, I don't want to get ahead of myself here =)

So, I will be back to start that giveaway. I will also be back to ramble about my dd (with the food issues). We will have a rough month over at my house with her - but I will explain (most likely in too much detail) more about that later. For now, I'm kind of beat and I do need to get a bit of sleep! But I wanted to stop by, check in, show off my FABULOUS shoes and give you a heads up on the giveaway! =)

Go Motherhood!!!

We just found out some awesome news -- our website, The Motherhood is nominated for a Webby Award, which has been described to us as the Oscars of the web. (OK, this is so cool.) We are finalists in the Family/Parenting category and are up against four great sites, including PBS.
There are two parts to the award: a panel of judges (including David Bowie, Beck, Matt Groenig and Harvey Weinstein - cracks me up these guys are going to be "evaluating" our mom site) and a People's Voice vote.
We would love your vote! The Motherhood is currently third in the People's Voice vote-off, which is pretty good. But, of course, we want to be FIRST!
Here is what to do (and it should not take more than a couple minutes):
1) Go to http://pv.webbyawards.com/ and register to vote.
2) Once logged in, click on "website" and scroll down to Family/Parenting in the "Living" category and vote for The Motherhood!
3) Spread the word, tell your friends and get out the vote for The Motherhood!
Voting ends on May 1st and winners will be announced on May 4th!
Stay tuned for more updates!