Mom to the Screaming Masses

It's a Link Up Kind of Day

It's cold outside. It's rainy and windy and I'm so, so sleepy.

I wanted to send you to other places on the web where I've been busy - more than likely saying something way more interesting than what I'm spouting off here today.

Can I take a nap now?

New posts up for Hallmark: Merry Mayhem, Harvest an Attitude of Gratitude. 

New posts up for Reynolds: A New Way to Enjoy a Sweet Potato, How to Make Candy Bar Cookies.

I'm now writing for Target Kids: Dressing Siblings for Fall, Accessorize Your Way Through Fall.

Walgreens Balance Rewards - Is It Worth It?

Bake Off, Face Off!- complete with an AMAZINGLY yummy cookie recipe.

The Wrap Up of the 6 month U by Kotex project.

I'll be back tomorrow with something SUPER COOL. :)

 

Wrap Up

My friend David has a campaign that he's working on. I am not compensated for posting this in any way - I'm posting it because I believe in it. We had a scary experience recently that David heard about, and he clued me in to a great resource - it's called LoveIsRespect. If you've got preteen or teenage kids - boys AND girls - I'd really recommend that you look at the site, and at the very least, share this graphic with your kids - it's small enough that they won't feel preached at, and packs a super punch of information quickly.

These were the BEST meatballs I ever made and enjoyed. Double the sauce. You won't regret it.

Dedicated and pretty, oh so pretty reader Wendy begs a favor from some of you:

My son's 2nd grade class is looking for postcards from all 50 states. They need the following states:

Massachusetts
Georgia
Indiana
Lousianna
Tennessee
Connecticut
Nebraska
Ohio
Rhode Island
Delaware
Kansas
Maryland
South Carolina
and West Virginia.

They need to be unique to that state and the sender should write something about their state on the back. They should be mailed to:

Mrs. Stockert's 2nd Grade
Lewis & Clark Elementary
600 14th St NW
Mandan, ND 58554

Have you seen the video of "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" - my kid has a great explanation!

Did you enter the giveaway for the Flutterific DVD pack - it's a GREAT gift for the upcoming holiday season - it's not too soon to start your shopping!

A Little Bit of Me All Over the Place

It's my time to let you know where I've been hanging out on the Interwebs other than here:

I'm the author of Postive Parenting for Hallmark over at Cafe Mom - new posts:

A Tribute to Grandparents and Go Back to School with Your Friends

I'm the author of Inside the Kitchen for Reynolds (yes, the aluminum foil people) - new posts:

Making a Cake without Making a Mess and After School Treats Made Easy

 

I have a couple of new reviews up:

Dove Conditioner, with a $1000 SpaFinder Gift card

Entry for a Breakfast Basket of Goodies

I'm giving away a iHome

Latest update on my daughter's Invisalign process - I can't believe that she's almost done!

And this very very very cool post, with a $50 gift card attached - and you may see this in your newest copy of Family circle Magazine - and, yes, my mom knows that I wrote this:

 

 

Summer Update #1

Well, it's been a few days of summer break and we are all alive. I'm still (somewhat) sane and we are (almost) all speaking to each other, so I can call it a partial success. We had our kick off the summer with a bang party - we have one every year - and now it's time to get this summer thing rolling.

So far, we've done the water park once.

I believe in starting slowly.

We have family coming to visit this week, the end of the month and next month. I have a trip to a Ford event (so.much.FUN) this month, a potential client trip next month, and Blogher in August. 

I think I forgot to mention that I'm SPEAKING AT BLOGHER THIS YEAR. Oh, my gosh, the nerves. I'm ridiculously happy. I'm speaking on the topic of technology and fitness - and it's in my very favorite place - NYC. CanNOT wait.

I've been trying to line up things for my kids to do that are not expensive - really, free would be so much better - and have been somewhat successful. This week we did start trumpet lessons for Gabe and piano starts for Mackenzie - and she's going to get some guitar lessons as well - she needs musical training before she goes to GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL - basically, performing arts school. She is in the Vocal department. It's an enormous honor and I'm delighted that she will be there next year.

It just means this summer is going to be a loud one, lol. BTW - anyone got an extra saxophone or guitar laying around? Lol.

What's new with you? Big plans for the summer?

I've been busy - check me out at some other places...

Like Her, Like Me - come and watch this great video of me with my daughter Mackenzie!

Posts at Cafe Mom for Hallmark - Memories and Childhood,Celebrity Crushes, and Card Showers.

Posts at Cafe Mom for Reynolds - Learning Lessons and Making Memories and Make It, Just Because

Redbook posts - 10 things you should never say to the mom of a big family,

Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First

Banana Boat Sunblock Giveaway

Other Stuff to See

Lots of linkage extraordinaire for your reading pleasure:

If you need a Mother's Day gift, I can highly recommend Red Envelope - and in particular, these silk pajamas - which I totally gave to myself. But! Never fear! There's lots of other Mother's Day stuff going up THIS WEEK.

I'm giving away a $50 Food Lion Grocery store gift card

I am pleased to announce that I have been hired to write a blog, sponsored by Reynolds,(you know the foil people - but they are so!much!more!)  in which I talk Baking with Kids. My first two posts are up - Baking 101 and How to Get Started Cooking with Kids.

On the Hallmark blog, I am talking Letters from Home. Do you have special letters that you've saved?

i had a very bad day today. It started off terribly with shrieking and screaming and door slamming and yelling and tantrums and ended up worse - but! There was a brief moment of awesome, when I went to the dermatologist for my melanoma follow up and was pronounced to be -

MELANOMA FREE.

Which is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

But because every cloud has a silver lining, the kid I took with me to have a wart cut out (because after three attempts to freeze it off, and it still remains, Mama don't play around) had to have a super suspicious place cut out.And sent to pathology.

Roller coaster, here I am.

I did buy myself a cupcake today. AND I ATE IT. I deserved it.

 

 

 

Reflections and Minutia

I made it through NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month. I posted every.single.day.in.November. Not all of it was newsworthy, but I set a goal and finished it.

I didn't make 30 days of Thankfulness. I think I made about 15. That's an improvement, though, and I'll take it.

I wrote 5,236 words in my document. That's not all that much. But it's a start.Now to figure out where I should send it.

Links for your perusement and enjoyment on this fine Wednesday -

Devoted reader Ouida Gabriel directed me to a book that her daughter wrote and as I know how difficult it can be to get published - I'm promoting it - I have not read it, but it looks to be interesting.

One of my new projects can now be promoted - I'm on the Motherboard for Redbook magazine and my first post is live today - I'd love it if you'd check it out - and comment, that's very important, because it lets them know that I was a good person to hire. Comment over there, pretty please, with a cherry on top. And there's a movement on Twitter attached to this, so if you feel so inclined, add your answer with the hashtag #don'tjudgemebecauseI...

It appears that I've made it - to be mentioned on Mashable. Too bad my name is misspelled - but they did say I was established and highly opinionated. So it's good.

My cousin Tammy has an Etsy shop and she's just lowered her prices on Christmas gifts - check her out! Follow her on Facebook for her cool art work.

READ this - I'm the roommate in question - and, yup - it's true. :)

Diana Gabaldon has a new book out - it's not a Jamie and Claire in the series, but it fills in the gaps somewhat. I'm currently reading The Scottish Prisoner - anyone else?

Promotion alert - I have a post for Blogher below this one that needs a little love. Can you help a girl out?

 

All Around the Web

In lieu of solid reading here, I'd like to direct you to a few other places instead.

I'm the featured Mom of the Week at the all new 4 Kids or More blog. I'd love it you'd hope over there - comments left let them know it wasn't a mistake to profile me!

Iron shavings in your Macaroni and Cheese? Kind of gives Iron Fortified a new meaning, doesn't it?

Sports Safety Tips and How to Balance Homework and Sports are up at Cafe Mom, sponsored by Gatorade

Keeping the Back to School Excitement, sponsored by Hallmark

I was pleased to be asked to co host a text discussion talk at The Motherhood, and the notes - and a FANTASTIC giveaway! - are over at Scrutiny by the Masses.

Don't forget to enter to win $100! The holidays are approaching faster than I want to imagine.

If you've gotten through this, THANK YOU.

Have a wonderful weekend. My mom (!) is taking four of my kids away, so I plan to work out and sleep. And maybe sleep some more.

Who am I kidding - I'll probably organize closets. My life - it's so exciting.

 

Some Bits of Me All Around

And lots of bullet points. Because bullet points be good when you be tired.

• My post on the Surfer's Healing Camp was picked up by the main Surfer's Healing Blog. Although you've read it before, maybe you want to read it again. Or send your friends. Or comment over there.
• I began a discussion at The Parenting Connection. Have you used your freezer to make your life easier? There are some great hints there - mostly left by other people, lol.
• I made an excellent Dr. Pepper Pot Roast, some amazingly delicious Lime Bars, and the recipe for the Farmhouse White bread has been used THREE times this week - my family can eat some bread. And the kneading is very therapeutic for me.
• At Cafe Mom, I'm talking about juggling kids who have multiple sports activites. Or multiple kids in multiple activities. 
• HDRadio sent me a new radio for my van. I'm in serious heaven, right here and right now. They didn't ask for a review - but it's awesome. 
• I'm giving away a really cool Back to School Lunch Kit. There's a great way you can win an all day recess for your kids school. We watched a family movie that's upcoming and recommended. 
• Did you know that, if you have Verizon Fios, you can use your Smart Phone AS A REMOTE??? This BLEW my mind.
• The work on the new office continues. Today I bought a cork board and a white board and my husband hung them for me. He hung pictures and helped me decide the things I want to do. I have to brag on him - he's been really amazingly supportive and anything I want to do for my new office - he's there to do it. Tonight while I was fixing dinner, there were a bunch of kids in there and he laid down the law - it's MY room and NO one else is allowed in without my permission.

That's kinda nice, right there. :)

Round and Round

That's what I feel like I'm doing right now. Going around, and around, and around...

Please to enjoy what I've written elsewhere as I sulk away and go in search of my epsom salts. I've been trying to increase my distance and decrease my time - oh, yeah, I started the Black Belt rotation last week, along with Gabe and Allegra, which means that I've got to be able to run a mile in 8 minutes by the end of September and 2 miles in 17 by the end of November. Today I ran again and my body is tired.It means extra work outs and extra running and gah, I'm just wiped.

I also did two grocery store runs today with four kids. And we bought the first round (ha! love how I'm using that word all.the.time??) of back to school supplies and my eyes, they be crossed.

Need some back to school breakfast ideas?

Babies taste veggies in the womb. Do you think it helped your kids like vegetables as they grew?

Come and share your knowlege of getting back into the school and sports routine.

Need to buy college textbooks? (Shudder. Yes, we do.) Have you ever thought about renting them?

I would seriously pay someone to do this summer reading with these kids. My kids have read all summer long, but required assignments make me want to seriously do bodily damage to a lot of different things.

Comments here are closed. Not because I don't love your comments - because I totally do - but I'd really love your comments on the above posts.

If I survive this summer reading work we are doing today and tonight - I've gotten some questions from intrepid readers to answer tomorrow. They are great - unlike myself right about now.

 

Your Attention Please

I'm traveling today. Blogher was completely amazing and I'm so sad to leave my friends - but I really am wiped out. Just completely exhausted - and praying I can sleep on the plane.

Please read a few of my other posts for me, and commenting, as always, is MUCH appreciated.

Got a new driver in the house? ME TOO. Read to see how Allstate can help you.

Doing back to school shopping? Philanthropy is a lesson that is life long, and it's never too early to begin.

And I'm sharing lunch box, back to school ideas on The Parenting Connection.

I'll be back tomorrow. If I can stay awake.

:)