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Jul
30
This is just too much fun! As promised, I have another giveaway for this week, to celebrate the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. I was trying to think of what I would like to win right about now, and it’s a clear choice. I’m giving away (1) $50 gift card to Target. It’s back to school time, kids have grown out of all their clothes, who can’t use a trip to Target?
To enter:
Please leave a comment telling me what you would like to buy at Target if you win the gift card. If you’re like me, that could be a long list!
I will pick the winner using the random.org generator and will notify them via their email. Open to US addresses only. It’s one entry per person, but you can earn extra entries.
To earn extra entries:
- Subscribe to my feed You can subscribe through a feed reader or you can also subscribe by email and have posts sent to your email address. If you’re not familiar with RSS feeds and would like to know what the heck it is , click here.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
Please leave 1 extra comment for each additional entry, telling me which you have done (ie 1 extra comment if you subscribe, 1 extra comment if you mention this on your blog)
This giveaway will end at midnight CST on Tuesday August 5th CST. This giveaway has ended, the winner will be announced soon. Thank you!
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Jul
29
Ah, the sweet sound of ….. nothing. How can it be this quiet? Oh yes, my sons are gone! They’ve gone to visit my in laws for a few days. This is the only time that I have both of my kids gone at the same time.
By this point in the summer, they are tired of each other, they are tired of me, and, I admit it, I’m a teensy bit tired of them. Ok, not tired of them, but tired of the more and more frequent bickering as summer goes along.
I used to visit my grandparents during the summer, and I loved it. You know how it is at grandmas, you never hear the word NO. It’s round the clock fun, candy, whatever you want. And as much as that used to bother me, I know it’s something kids need. There’s nothing like going to grandma’s house.
I’m sure by the weekend I’ll be missing them terribly. I know the quiet will get old in a day or two, and I’ll be missing their laughter. But for now, this is bliss.
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Jul
27
You know I love giving things away around here, so I’m thrilled to be participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. I’ve got some great items to give away, so I decided to do more than one giveaway this week.
My first item is so lovely, I’m having a hard time actually giving it away! I’ve got a 5 x 5 fine art print from mixed media artist Kelly Rae Roberts. It’s the Speak of Your Gratitude print, which I just love.
To enter:
To honor the intent of this beautiful print, leave a comment telling me something that you are grateful for.
I will pick the winner using the random.org generator and will notify them via their email. Open to US addresses only. It’s one entry per person, but you can earn extra entries.
To earn extra entries:
- Subscribe to my feed You can subscribe through a feed reader or you can also subscribe by email and have posts sent to your email address. If you’re not familiar with RSS feeds and would like to know what the heck it is , click here.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
Please leave 1 extra comment for each additional entry, telling me which you have done (ie 1 extra comment if you subscribe, 1 extra comment if you mention this on your blog)
This giveaway will end at midnight CST on Thursday July 31st.
I will have another giveaway which will start later this week, to celebrate the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. Be sure and check back, it’s going to be fun!
This giveaway has now ended. The winner will be posted by Monday August 4th. Thank you for entering!
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Jul
27
When I first started reading blogs I had no clue what an RSS Feed was. Now I can’t live without it. It’s an easy way to get updates from your favorite blogs and news sites without visiting the actual website. For those unfamiliar with an RSS Feed and how it works, Simple Mom has a great post explaining it, in a lot more detail.
You can subscribe via a feed reader such as Google Reader, which is what I use. You can also receive updates from my blog to your email address. When I first started subscribing to blogs I did that but I found I prefer to get all my updates in a reader for quick access. Either way you subscribe it is free.
Click here if you’d like to subscribe to my site. That link will give you the option of selecting a reader, or the option to receive email updates.
If you would like to recieve updates via email, you can also enter your email address in the box at the top of the left sidebar, where it says “Subscribe to my blog via email”. No spam, just blog updates.
You can also click on the little orange feedburner icon after each post, where it says “New here? Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss or have it delivered via email”.
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Jul
26
There are so many great giveaways going on right now.
Heather at A Daycare Life is giving away a Flip Video camcorder. Enter by August 1st, there are several ways to enter on her blog.
Andrea at Momma in Flip Flops2 is giving away (2) $10 gift certificates to Burger King. Enter by July 31st.
Check out From Dates to Diapers and Beyond where Christine is giving 10 readers 3 free pints each of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. In this heat, that sounds good to me. She’s also got some other prizes celebrating National Ice Cream month. Enter by July 31st.
Shelly at scadesigns is giving away a free ad banner. Shelly is an incredible designer, and so helpful. She’s done all the design work on this blog, I may be biased but I think it’s lovely. She’s great to work with – she never once complained about my constant questions. And the banner she’s giving away is just adorable.
Melody from Slurping Life is having giving away a Birthday Hugs and Wishes Precious Moments figurine to 2 readers. These are so sweet, enter by August 1.
Finally, I’m excited to be participating in the Bloggy Giveaways carnival, which starts Monday, July 28. I will have several giveaways throughout next week, starting Monday. So check back daily for that.
Happy weekend.
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Jul
24
I may as well just come right out and admit it. I’ve written plenty several a couple posts proclaiming the joys of being the mom of 2 boys, so now it’s time for some honest confessions.
There are some things about having kids that I don’t like.
Yes, it’s true. I can try to deny it, I can sugarcoat things and attempt to cover up my shortcomings, but I think I should just let it all out.
I have a real problem with certain things that my kids love, the biggest one being sleepovers. I went to lots of sleepovers as a child, but looking back one thing stands out in my mind: I never had a sleepover at my house. Hmm, wonder why that would be?? Is it possible that my parents never wanted to be responsible for entertaining a houseful of goofy girls? I can totally relate to that.
When they were younger, my kids always wanted to try to sleepover, but inevitably I’d get the call around 11pm or midnight to come get them. Which was fine, I didn’t mind that. But when we had children over to spend the night and they wanted to call their parents to pick them up, I took it way too personal. I felt like I had failed. It was crushing.
So when they got a little older, I felt like I had to be super mom, with an exciting array of fun activities and snacks planned. I gave up on that after having one of my sons little friends over a couple of years ago. At the time my son hadn’t had many friends sleep over, at least none that had lasted the night. So I planned a movie, pizza, and ice cream sundaes afterwards. I let my son come with me to pick out everything, so it was all ready for the big night.
We left the movie, which was fun, and I excitedly announced, cheese pizza at home! Our esteemed guest announced that he was lactose intolerant and couldn’t eat dairy. For a minute I didn’t catch it, then I realized what he’d said. Ok, fine, no problem, we’ll just make a quick stop at a drive through for him.
In my eagerness to win the sleepover of the year prize, I made the mistake of saying “whatever you want to eat”. What I meant to say was “whatever is cheap and on the drive home”. By the time I drove all over town to the closest McDonald’s, I was not such a happy mama. And it was late, so my brain was not functioning well. So when we walked in the house, I said “now you guys can make ice cream sundaes“. Yeah, I wasn’t thinking straight. As I was explaining to my husband why we were so late, because of the lactose intolerance issue, he gave me a funny look. That’s when I woke up from my daze and realized, our special guest couldn’t eat ice cream, either. All my marvelous plans out the window.
Now before you think I’m bashing kids, or anyone, who can’t eat dairy, just keep reading. Because I’m definitely not. And this story is far from over.
My son, who was pretty young, had his heart set on those ice cream sundaes that he had lovingly picked out the toppings for. I tried to talk him out of it, out of respect for his friend, but he was not having it. Did I mention it was late? He was tired and cranky too by now. So I said his friend could eat some of the gummy candy we got for topping, while my son made his sundae.
His friend watched while my son elaborately decorated his ice cream with 7 toppings and globs of hot fudge. I watched too, waiting for the tears to start. And I did feel sorry for him. But instead of crying, he turns to me and informs me that even though he is lactose intolerant, he eats ice cream all the time. Being such a smart mommy, I recognized this for what it was, a desperate attempt to get to partake in the ice cream extravaganza. I felt sorry for him, but I had to gently tell him that I couldn’t do that, since it would probably make him sick. Wouldn’t it?
He insisted he could have it. I did the only thing I could do, because he was getting quite agitated. I called his mom. I apologized profusely, and explained that I hadn’t known about the lactose issue and had got all this food that he couldn’t eat. There was a long pause, then “lactose intolerant?” Then laughter. Hysterical laughter.
Apparently in this child’s family the father had some digestive issues that had nothing to do with lactose but everything to do with gas. So as a family joke, whenever they ate food that caused this gas problem, the dad would say he couldn’t eat it because he was lactose intolerant. The child had started using that line whenever he was served something he didn’t like. Oh my.
So he got the ice cream sundae, but my husband had to serve it to him because I was busy banging my head against the wall. Needless to say, that was the very last time I tried to be the sleepover queen. Now I avoid them, as much as I can. And when my kids finally whine enough that I break down and let them invite someone, I do nothing. Really. If I can arrange it, I let my husband entertain them and I hide in my room til it’s over. That one experience was so traumatic for me, I just can’t get past it.
So come on, tell me what you don’t enjoy about parenting, that your kids love. I have more, but I’ll save the rest for another time. Reliving this sleepover nightmare has worn me out.
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Jul
23
I work at home, and I constantly struggle with getting everything done. The housework is often the first thing to get ignored.
Last summer I finally found a solution to this problem. I hired house cleaners. Not your typical house cleaners though. These are very flexible, reasonably priced cleaners. One is 13 and one is 11. Yes, I hired my sons to clean. And it worked out wonderfully.
My kids get bored when I’m working from home, and after a few weeks of summer bliss, they’re sick of electronics and it’s too hot to be outside in the middle of the day. Instead of nagging at them to help me out, I hired them. And I let them do more than just pick up or dust. They actually like having more responsibility.
Here’s a list of things that my boys do:
- Vacuum
- Clean bathrooms
- Put away dishes from the dishwasher
- Mow the yard
- Wipe down blinds
- Windows
And whatever else I come up with for them to do. They are paid a very minimal wage, but they’re happy with it. We started this last summer, and my house never looked better. In fact I really missed my house cleaners when school started up again. Then they were back to doing their regular chores and I was on my own again with the cleaning.
This works great for me, but it’s also good for them. You know those nights where at 9pm someone says “Mom where’s my favorite blue shorts, I need them washed tonight”? Once my sons started doing the laundry, I never had that problem again. Having the boys mow the yard frees up time for my husband on the weekend, which is nice for him. And it also teaches them to pick up after themselves as they go along, so the mess doesn’t accumulate. It’s a great lesson, and I look forward to summer knowing my house will be cleaner.
You can check out more great Works for Me Wednesday tips at Rocks in My Dryer.
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Jul
22
I just read a very inspirational post by Kyran at Notes to Self. You have to read it, then look into your heart and see if you could find the courage and love to do what she did.
This is something I struggle with as a mom. When people ask me what I want for me kids, my answers don’t include riches or admission into the best college. What I want most for them is that they be kind. To everyone. Not just to people “like them”, whatever that means.
I used to be so much more judgmental than I am now, now that I’ve got more than a few rough years under my belt. Now when I start to judge my instinct is to consider whether or not I’ve walked even a minute in that person’s shoes. Most of the time, I haven’t. That’s enough reason for me to check my judgment, to stop making assumptions and instead just care. And be kind.
My kids have questions when they see the homeless wandering the streets. My oldest has started being judgmental, which I suppose is normal. But it’s not acceptable. I’ve explained to them that any number of things led to those people not having a place to live. Any number of things that could happen to any of us. It’s important for him to understand that bad things, things you can’t control, can happen to anyone. Life happens, and it’s not always pretty.
We’ve told our sons that they will go to college, we’ve talked about the importance of education and making the most of your education. A few weeks ago we were stuck in some highway construction and my son was noticing the construction workers. His comment was that “somebody didn’t go to college”. My response was, do you think everyone has that choice? Do you think the good things you have in your life are guaranteed for everyone?
I probably came across a little harsh with him, only because this topic is so important to me. I want him to appreciate his life, his gifts, his blessings. I also want both of them to understand that we all deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, no matter what cards we’ve been dealt in life. It’s a simple, basic lesson, but it’s taken a lifetime for me to learn it, and I’m still learning it every day.
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Jul
21
You know that phrase, “When one door closes another opens”? It’s one of my husbands favorite sayings. Whereas my favorite saying is “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. Just kidding, I’m actually getting much better at being optimistic.
I got news last week that things are changing at my current job. Changes scare me, once I find my comfort zone I would never leave if I had a choice. Even if my comfort zone isn’t so comfortable anymore, it’s easier than finding something new. But it looks like I’m not going to have much of a choice.
I reacted to the news of impending changes by curling up with a blanket and letting myself be overcome with worry. (That’s pretty much my normal reaction to any change.) My husband is actually happy about this, he thinks I’ve chosen the path of least resistance in life and that I need to challenge myself. And he knows that won’t happen unless I’m forced to. I hate it when he’s right.
Is there reason to worry? Sure, a little. I wasn’t given a lot of time to prepare for these upcoming changes, and while new doors may open, they don’t always open right when you need them to. I’m nervous, anxious, scared, but also a little excited. The sad truth is, I would never make the choice to broaden my horizons, or change my familiar patterns in life. I need a push. I prefer a gentle push, but I’ll take what I’ve been given.
So, I’m looking for that next door to open, since this one is closing. I know that a new door, or possibly several doors, will open. I’m confident that whatever is waiting for me behind those new doors will be good. No, it will be great.
So how do you deal with change, especially changes that are completely out of your control? Do you instantly go into “can do” mode? Or are you like me, lagging behind a bit, a little afraid of whatever might be coming?
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Jul
18
I’m deeply engrossed in our annual family garage sale this weekend – I know, you’re overcome with jealousy at the thought of that. My life is just overflowing with excitement. Since I’m planning on being too wiped out tomorrow to get much of anything done, I thought I’d post some giveaways and links for you a day early. Happy weekend!
An Island Life reviewed and is giving away Radius Toothbrushes. These sound great, my family could certainly use these after my sons dentist fiasco a few weeks ago. Enter before midnight July 22.
Seven Dogs and a Baby is having a printer giveaway. What a great prize! Enter by July 31 to win an HP 526 photo printer.
Robyn at Robyn’s Online World is having her very first giveaway, for a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. Now that is a prize I would love, since reading is one of my favorite things to do. Enter by August 1.
5 Minutes for Mom is also giving away an HP Photosmart A630 Photo Printer. Enter by August 12.
If you’re a newer blogger - like me – you have to check out 5 Minutes for Mom. It’s a great resource for bloggers and moms, and they’ve recently expanded the site by adding several sister sites. I personally am working my way through their Reader Blogs section and have already found several great blogs to read. The two moms that run the site are Susan and Janice and they are work at home moms who also run two toy stores: A Rocking Horse To Love and Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles.
There ya go, now get busy entering to win those incredible prizes and check out some other great blogs while you’re at it.
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My boys
Where did those little guys go?Cuteness overload
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