My manuscript is in a contest...

 “I am M. Yes, just “M,” you don’t need to know what it stands for. You will never have a reason to get that close to me. I’m one of those girls you probably wouldn’t trust to babysit your offspring. One of those girls who sometimes doesn’t trust herself.”



The chill from the tiles of the bathroom floor bleeds through my wet jeans as my hair drips into my journal. Standing fully clothed under a cold shower when you are pissed off is nothing less than stunning. It breaks the inherent rules of the shower. I don’t mind breaking rules. It’s what I do best.


I think I burst the blood vessels in my eyes just moments ago when I screamed at my stupid, useless therapist in my least favorite room at BCH; The Therapeutic Services Center. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t even breathe let alone verbally dive into the twisted and painful web of the last fifteen years of my life; with an audience, nonetheless. Group therapy is nothing more than spilling your barren heart to a bunch of people who will use your story to make their own sad lives look a little brighter. Well, my sad life could make the chick from ‘Mommy Dearest’ look like she deserves a Mother of the Year nomination. So, talking about it makes my tongue burn.


Here I sit, shivering, cold and tortured on a Monday afternoon. I sometimes don’t even know who I am.
 

*************************

This is the first 248 words of my YA edgy novel about a goth girl lost in her own mind. It's way more in your face than the picture book text I usually  write but I channelled a combination of students I have taught over the years and I am in love with this book. It is a tough story but one that needs to be told.

I entered this manuscript in a contest on Brenda Drake's contest.

Feel free to leave your comments.

Peace out, Mamas!

CONTEST WINNERS! *(updated)*

(updated with another winner!)

Crafty Mom of 3 IS THE GOOGLYBANDS WINNER!

Congratulations, you are now THE COOLEST MOM on the PLANET!

Head over to her blog and say "hi!" and "Congratulations!"

Jen, please send me your mailing address - michellebrownlow@yahoo.com - so I can get your 5 packs of Googlybands out to you ASAP!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While our ACTS OF KINDNESS CONTEST was filled with amazing acts, I am sure you all will agree that Felicia deserved the prize with her story! Well, Daedra from Strawesome felt the same way, too!

Felicia, please contact Daedra - sales@strawesome.com - as soon as possible so you can give her your mailing address and you can soon be the owner of your new STRAW!

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES! BRAVO!

Peace.

500th Post GIVE-A-WAY with PrintArtKids!

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the wonderful work of PrintArtKids! And just in time for my 500th POST! WOO HOO!

If you are a mom, you know that NO REFRIGERATOR is big enough for all the artwork your kids bring home. And, I don't know about you, but I hear the heavens part and someone yells at me everytime I throw their artwork away. That could have something to do with being a former art teacher...there's a whole class on how NOT to EVER destroy a child's creations.

But, I think I have found the loop hole! PrintArtKids! This company will make beautiful cards, note pads,return address labels, gift tags, notebooks and stationery with your child's artwork (or your favorite photograph) as the central focus!

They have GREAT products available for Father's Day, Birthdays, Teacher Gifts, etc!

I was curious about the clarity of the images, so when Abbe contacted me to see if I would like to check them out, I took advantage of the opportunity. I was thrilled when my order came! Quick shipping and BEAUTIFULLY crisp and clear photos of my artwork were on notecards and notpads!

As an author, I will FOR SURE be turning to Abbe at PrintArtKids for my pormotional materials to hand out at events I attend at schools and conferences! This is a GREAT company with careful attention to detail.

Stay in touch with PrintArtKids with the links below for ideas for your kids' artwork - never put another thought into WHAT to give for a gift to your favorite teacher, bus driver or family member! This is one of a kind work with a one of a kind business!

Now, the GIVE-A-WAY information!
Leave a comment below or email me michellebrownlow@yahoo.com with your school's address (by Friday the 14th, 5pm EST) so Abbe can add YOUR school to her mailing list...many art teachers use companies like this to promote their students' artwork! Your art teachers will THANK YOU!

I will use Random.org to choose a winner.
YOU WILL WIN A SET OF 8 NOTECARDS!
If there are 10 or more entries, TWO winners will be chosen!

Thanks Abbe!
CLICK HERE to "LIKE" them on FACEBOOK!

Peace.

Envelope, please...

Thank you (applause), Thank you (applause)...

It has taken me way too long to get back to the contest from last week!

I apologize for my brain fart!

But, there are TWO winners!!
I had to throw out the last question, "Which of these have I not done?!"

When I originally ran this quiz...yes, it was on old one...you could have gone back a year or so and peeked! :) ...I had not  yet gotten my tattoo so THAT was the thing I hadn't done.

But last summer, on my 39th birthday, my BFFs took me for my tattoo!

See...

So, if I throw out the last question, HALLY and JULIEinPA win! Both of you! :) Please email me at michellebrownlow@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can send you your ORIGINAL, SIGNED MKB ILLUSTRATION! YAY!

How well do you know your BLOGGER?

Alright, I thought this would be fun! Because I have been away so long working my fingers to the bone creating some really fun artwork for a couple picture books I will soon be shoppig around. So, I decided to RE-introduce myself to you - my faithful readers! The first person* to answer ALL of the following questions correctly will win an original illustration! * if you have known me since high school, you cannot play this game! LOL! Get ready...get set...GO! 1. What 3 states have I lived in? (a.) PA, LA, NY (b.) PA, CA, VA (c.) PA, MD, TX 2. What college did I attend? (a.) Virginia Tech (b.) Penn State (c.) didn't go to college 3. How many children do I have? (a.) 5 (b.) 4 (c.) 3 4. I have been blogging since... (a.) 2007 (b.) 2006 (c.) 2005 5. I met my husband how? (a.) he was my college boyfriend's roommate (b.) he worked at the local gas station (c.) he is my cousin 6. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I was a(n)... (a.) customer service rep (b.) sausage casing inspector (c.) art teacher 7. What is my only sibling's name? (a.) Tiffany (b.) Carlos (c.) Booger 8. What is the main character's name in my latest children's book? (a.) Tracy Poo (b.) Casey Shrew (c.) Macy Sue 9. My favorite color, without a doubt, is... (a.) purple (b.) blue (c.) puce 10. I have done all of the following, except: (a.) pierced my own bellybutton (b.) stole a road sign (c.) birthed both children with NO epidurals (d.) completed my Master's Degree with a 4.0 (e.) embarrassed my husband with the things that I blog about (f.) talked a cop out of citing my friends for public urination (g.) recently adopted (h.) got a tattoo on the nape of my neck (i.) watched FOOTLOOSE over 30 times (j.) met John Stamos, Kirk Cameron and Alan Thicke (k.) gave up soda 2 1/2 years ago (l.) was/am a vegetarian (m.) was a telemarketer (n.) pledged a sorority (0.) had a panic attack while driving thru a tunnel (p.) got detention for being late to school 3 x (q.) made a Michael Jackson scrapbook (r.) failed my drivers test the 1st time (s.) cut the tip of my thumb off (t.) owned my own craft shop (u.) had my own bath & body product business (v.) was a direct sales consultant for a company called HENN (w.) was a hot dog preparation specialist (x.) fake-cleaned for a party (y.) over-ate until I was dizzy (z.) wrote 24 truths that could incriminate me in front of the whole world! Have fun! Leave your answers in the comments section! REMEMBER, the FIRST one to get all the answers right wins a really cool illustration!

The envelope please....

And the winner of the LeapFrog LEAPSTER 2 is ...

(drum roll)

ZACHSGRAN!

She was hoping to win this for her grandson and she DID!

Congratulations!

The envelope, please! (and a contest!)

Hi all!

I have run a few contests these past couple weeks and wanted to let you know who our winners are!

The MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BOOK goes to IrishMama!

and

The CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS goes to Bobbi-Jo from The High Family (go check out her photo - you'll see why she won! Too cute!)

There is a LEAP FROG LEAPSTER 2 contest coming up by the end of thise week!!!

Come back to check! That would make one AWESOME Christmas gift and it will be FREE!!!

Happy Shopping.

Peace.

They are bangin' down my door!

Hey all!

I know it's been awhile, I apologize! I've been feverishly working on a couple books and preparing for a speaking engagement - yeah, ME, SPEAKING! Like a bumbling idiot, probably! I may grace a post with some video of it after it's over - heck, if I can figure it out, maybe I will SKYPE it - we will see!

I love y'all for subscribing and it will pay off in the VERY near future. Listen why.

My inbox has been INUNDATED with companies asking me to review products and some are offering extra items for giveaways! JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

PBS, TinyPrints, VTech Toys, Simon&Schuster and MORE!!

Can you say FREE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? Enter a contest and win a toy or discount that will help to complete your holiday shopping list!

SO...if you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE!

Peace.

LeapFrog Tag Reader GIVEAWAY!

BIG CONTEST NEWS and more reviews...

Head over to SANITY'S REVIEWS for the latest!

Good luck!

Hellooooooooo....

Oh my goodness!

It is NOT that I haven't thought about you.

It is certainly NOT that my life is boring.

It is NOT that I am on strike.

It's just.....just.....

between being The Poop Nazi, writing my most favorite children's book EVER, teaching art club and pulling off an art show, and .... I haven't even had a chance to watch Jon & Kate + 8 in over a month! Whew! Now, THAT'S busy! :)

Well, you get the picture!

I am excited about recently having a story I wrote chosen as the Top 25 on MOMVERSATION.COM!

Check it out! Head over there, register, scroll down until you find my face, click on VIEW and read the whole story...then VOTE FOR ME!! :)

I would LOVE to be a GUEST PANELIST on their show!

I'm back! Will be sending you some funny posts soon! Let me know what you think of my story on Momversation!!

YEEEE-HAAAWWWW! (& another contest!)

I AM LOVING MY MAKEOVER!!!!

I don't know about you, but this new get-up is way way way FREAKING better than my old one! Cindy @ BlogTogs is one AMAZING woman!!

Owain's Mommy is the winner of the MAKEOVER CONTEST!! She was the first reader to get all the answers right on my little multiple choice guessing game!

And, of course, you know how much I love to give stuff away....well, for the next 7 days anyone who subscribes to my blog will be entered in a contest to win some gorgeous earrings from High Strung Beads, Etc.

And, yes...those of you who already subscribe WILL be entered, too!

Loving my new blog! I think I might put my laptop on my nightstand so I can peek at it throughout the night! Would that be weird? Ya think? Really? I don't think it is weird....I think it is kinda fun!

So, scroll down the sidebar and SUBSCRIBE!!!!

Nighty night blog friends,

Contemplating Heaven....(& a CONTEST!)

(contest deets at the end of this post) These last two weeks have been like none other when it comes the people around me dying. Close people. Family. Friends. It's rocking my world. In the last two weeks my mom's best friend's son was murdered, the mother of a dear friend of mine choked to death while out to dinner with her husband and friends, my uncle passed away in his sleep and the "Nan" of my friend of 35 years went to be with Jesus after being placed in hospice. I believe in Heaven, I always have. There is no doubt in my mind that families are reunited, friends bathe each other in long awaited hugs and even family pets wag their way back into your life. I can't say for sure where it is. As a child, I always thought it was in the sky. I mean, that's what they tell you when you are a kid but I don't think the Bible actually tells us where those Pearly Gates are. I think that freaks some people out a little. This week I have been thinking alot about how lucky those 4 people are to be with those they have loved and lost. I have been pensive about how their pain is gone. I have also thought of those they have left behind. The tears that have been shed over these four people could overflow the ocean, I am certain of it. But at the same time, I think, most of those who wept would agree they were selfish tears. Tears of longing for one more touch, one more laugh, one more...something. I think they would all agree that they are happy their loved one is in a better place! I wonder if they wish we weren't said. Although, I am sure I will have fond memories of my days on earth, I have a hard time believing that upon my arrival in Heaven I will waste one second longing for what used to be. My poor self-image will be washed away and replaced with one that is similar to Jennifer Anniston, I am hoping! [Yep, that was a hint, God! Please?!] My poor choices and bounced checks will be G-O-N-E! I won't ever YELL again! I won't have to ever listen to the words, "Press 1 if you are an english speaking customer, and 2...." Wait...wait just ONE minute! There will be NO dishes to do? You don't think there will be, do you? I bet NO ONE changes diapers there! Do you think there is chocolate? I bet there are Chocolate trees!! I WON'T HAVE TO CLEAN MY HOUSE!!!!!! Wow! I don't know about you all....but this is sounding pretty good! NOW DON'T GO CALLING 911...I have enough SANITY left to NOT ice myself! Ewww! Just trying to throw a little humor into a string of days that has been far from humorous. Leave me some comments... What are your thoughts on the subject? Yeah. I asked. I'm not afraid to hear what other people think. If I can share MY thoughts with you, why wouldn't I respect yours? But, please remember...RESPECT is the key word there. How does all of this segue into a contest, you ask? Well, my blog is getting a bit of a re-birth...TOMORROW...so it will be down for a couple hours as a magician @ Blog Togs gives it a whole NEW body! I am SOO excited! The Contest is: Answer the following questions, the first person to get them all right (or the most right) will win their choice of one of these Faith Creations, LLC baubles! (words: "MOMS ROCK!")

1. My NEW blog will have four pictures on it; they will be:

(a.) of me (b.) of my kids (c.) of my crafts

2. My NEW blog theme will be:

(a.) punk rock (b.) country (c.) scrapbook look

3. My new blog's color scheme will be:

(a.) the same/purple (b.) black and red (c.) pink, brown, blue & green

4. My new blog's title will be:

(a.) the same/My Semblance of Sanity (b.) Mommy's DONE! (c.) Don't make me pull this car over!

5. My new blog's slogan will be:

(a.) cleaning up life's little messes since 1997

(b.) Motherhood...the same old, same old but with a Mojito this time

(c.) Loving my life...but only on the even days LEAVE YOUR BEST GUESSES IN THE COMMENTS!

(Oh, The Mom Show: Episode 2/What's up with Self Esteem? will air later next week...still wrapping up some loose ends!! But, it's gonna be worth the wait! Go over to my channel and subscribe so you don't miss out!) Nighty Night!

It's...it's...it's...

My daughter in a CRAZY mood! My son's best friend was pointing in the picture. So, other than HALEY who KNEW who it was (stinker!) who do YOU believe is the closest? Go back and read the comments.

Guess!

OK...I was in the mood for a contest! Guess what the culprit of this shadow is and win AN ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION by Moi!

(Dina, you can't guess! LOL!)

CONTEST WINNERS!!!

Well, I have to say that these past two contests were complete LET DOWNS!

I know I am "preaching to the choir" here, but, man oh man!! I used to have over a hundred comments when I ran contests and so many entries that I couldn't keep up with my email. It's more fun that way!!!

For those of you who enjoy reading me, I am asking you to give me the scoop, what is it that you think has chased away my most loyal of readers? Hmmmmmmmm. I am stumped. :) If you would like to help out and boost my readership so we can go back to the fun contests with lots of entries (because I have some book review requests sitting in my inbox), please call 1-800-Email-my-blog-to-everyone-in-your-address-book-please-NOW! Just kidding (well, kinda)! :)

Anyway, on to the contests.

MY 300th POST CONTEST

No one chose one of my top 3 favorite books....so NO PRIZE!!! Just kidding! You know me better than that! But someone chose a book from my Top 10 list!

Hooray for Kim Weedleton from Bugs & Bunnies!! I will have your one-of-a-kind ORIGINAL illustration mailed out to you sometime this week! Thanks for playing!

The GREAT HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST

We had one....count them...o.n.e...entrant!

Quite honestly, I think she would have won regardless who entered...yeah that's a challenge!!

Winning for most LABOR INTENSIVE costume..... this little chick!

Hooray for a Sassy Redhead of Tiaras and Tantrums! You will receive a signed copy of...

Well, I must get back to my lab and mix up a concoction. Something with billowing smoke and slime that will entrance the next 100 readers to stay and visit awhile...join the next contest...or just amuse me with their comments!

You'd think that with a friend like Dawn over at Because I Said So, I would get the hang of keeping readers around! She is the master! If you haven't checked out her blog in a couple days, head on over...it has been revamped and it is AMAZING! She is in LA and is Twittering....go check out her latest adventure...(spoiler alert) she is meeting up with Courtney Cox (aka Monica from Friends...like I had to tell you that!) later!! Seriously!

The GREAT 2008 Halloween Costume Contest...

It's the second week of October...has it crossed your mind? Have you asked the kids? Have you started your shopping or web surfing for JUST THE RIGHT ONE? I am talking HALLOWEEN COSTUMES! Are you the Mom that forgets about needing Halloween costumes until October 30th and you are forced to throw your child into Daddy's over sized shirt and tie for 7th year in a row as she squeals, "I don't WANT to be a computer geek, AGAIN!"? ...or... Are you the mom that has a college degree in Halloween Costuming? You know who you are...spending hours searching the internet for specialty fabric, making organza flower petals the size of Montana until your fingers bleed and then constructing thick green stems taller than your husband just so your little FAIRIE looks realistically tiny next to her GIGANTIC flower! ...or... Are you the resourceful one? The one who can turn a clear garbage bag, some blue packing peanuts and some colorful fish cut-outs into a wearable fishbowl? Handle-ties never looked so good as they do over your shoulder in tank-top form! Right? So, which is it? Well, in the spirit of the DRESS THEM UP AND FILL THEM WITH SUGAR season, you can join in the fun and post your Best Last Minute, Labor Intensive and/or Resourceful Halloween Costume on your own blog with a supply list and directions and link back to My Semblance. Invite everyone you know (and some that you don't, if you want to win) to come vote for your all week this week. Results will be tallied Sunday night, October 12th. The winner from each of the 3 categories will win a signed copy of:

This sweet story of the Halloween Fairy, Eve, is a non-scary alternative to Halloween picture books. Creative tie-ins to jack-o-lanterns, candy treats and dressing up are all a part of this rhyming book's new approach to October's favorite holiday. It's a birthday party! It's not a coincidence that the publisher of Lisa Sferlazza Johnson's book is Positive Spin Press! Gorgeous illustrations by Tucker Johnson bring this story to life. The best part? It is one in a series of 3. Christmas Eve and Winter's Eve will be the focus of contests to come.

Find your best photos and enter any one or all three categories:

Best Last Minute Costume

Best Labor Intensive Costume

Best Resourceful Costume

**Don't forget to post your picture on your blog, include the supply list and directions. Then invite others to come vote for you on this post! Look at it this way...this post will then be a giant craft book of ideas YOU can use THIS year...and you might win!!

Now go! Get posting!

Weekend, Wimp-outs and Winners!

OK...so for the first time in a long time, I have no pictures for you! I could. I have them. But I am in "easy button" mode. Wouldn't ya love one of those things? The Easy Button. Ahhhh, life would be a breeze. "Ack! I have 30 seconds to get dinner ready so the kids get to soccer/baseball/dance/cheerleading on time." Enter Easy Button! VOILA!~ I would love it. So, our weekend was a blur. Way too busy but all in all we had a great time. I am one of those people who enjoys not having 13 billion things to get done/show my face at/participate in, etc. I like a mid-Sunday snooze on the couch. I think I had one in 1999. It was nice. Friday night was my 20th class reunion. I had a 3 o'clock appointment to have liposuction, a face-lift, and a butt-transplant and then it was off to an evening of trying to read the name tags (I wasn't planning on wearing my glasses) of people I hadn't seen in 20 years while carrying on a full conversation with them and trying to get out of the introduction to my husband, "Honey, this is cheerleader girl who stole my prom date right out from under me the week before the prom." Yeah, so I skipped it. I really did. We actually had a last-minute babysitting glitch that would have had us showing up late which for some reason had me too anxious. What is really funny is that I was never a nervous kind of person. Throw me into a room of people I don't know and give me 3 minutes. I will have them laughing and introducing me as their long lost sister. I am usually the fun one. So, I can't explain my fear of showing up late. The reunion was an adult dinner Friday night and a Saturday afternoon FAMILY picnic. Which I loved the whole premise for! Break the ice and have a good time with the grown ups and then show off your kids the next day. Well, that would have been fun except for the fact that I committed that date to memory and did not put it on my calendar so I inadvertently planned my son's 11th birthday party for the exact time as the picnic. I didn't realize it until AFTER I had sent him to school for 47 invitations. (Not really, but too many to re-schedule) His party was a rock climbing party and I am now know among my friends as Queen Belayer! I didn't know the term "belay" until a bald, tattooed guy with big wheel tires in his earlobes told me that I would be "clipped" to a rope and solely responsible for the child dangling 35 feet above my head. So, me and three other adults dangled children for 3 hours! I couldn't move my fingers the next morning! It was horrible. But all the kids had fun, no one fell and I ended up thinking Big Wheel Guy was really cute! We came home and the kids passed out for a couple hours and then it was off to a football game to watch my daughter cheer! Friends met us there and we clapped and squealed for her. Who won the football game? No idea, I am a cheerleader mom! We went out for a late-night snack and lots of giggles with friends while the baby was at home with our babysitter snoozing away! The baby was snoozing, not the babysitter! Yesterday I had a baby shower to go to and the coolest part was that a lot of my friends I was sad to miss from the reunion were at this shower. So, we reunited on a small scale and they filled me in on who was still hot...who was still the dancing queen, who had them in stitches and how many people asked where I was. I am a dork. I wish I had gone. ----o0o---- I LOOOVED all of your CIRCUS antics!! It was really hard to choose but I chose by the one who gave me the loudest giggle! And the WINNER is.................................... Jennifer from The Fun House! Jennifer wrote: "That's easy--I'm the Ringmaster!I coordinate the comings and goings of the clowns--including the "how many clowns can fit in the minivan" trick, the feeding of the animals, shouting to the acrobats to "get down!" when they are in danger, cleaning up the monkey's messes, and general supervision of the freakshow! I don't call my blog The Fun House for nothin'!" Thanks for playing! I want to use some of your CIRCUS references in an upcoming book I am planning. If you would like to continue sending references to what position you would hold in the circus and why, keep them coming! I need a lot of them! Think of the following positions: Lion tamer acrobat tightrope walker sideshow freak clown plate spinner trapeze artist ringmaster juggler magician fire walker

And, last but not least...

Back on September 7th I posed a question as to whom the 8 NAMESAKES I will be starting soon are for....

Karla with a K wins with her guess....Mady, Cara, Collin, Leah, Joel, Hannah, Aaden and Alexis!

Congrats Karla, email me with your details. I am finishing up orders and prizes this week.

The Circus is HERE...a CONTEST!

"Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages...."

I don't know about you but my house is like a FRIPPIN CIRCUS on most days! Somehow, probably because no one else wanted the job, I became the ringmaster. It's kind of like that phenomenon in gym class when the two popular kids get to pick teams and you are the last one picked. Well, apparently I am the least popular person in my house and I ended up with the proverbial shortest straw!

So, on any given day I wipe butts which I think is similar to the guy with the shovel that follows the elephants around. I try NOT to feed my kids as much fiber as an elephant so I can stay on top of that job. And only one is still in diapers so I think I am good. I think I got this down.

Because I can wipe a butt, make a sandwich, clean the toilet, feed the dog, do a craft, sing a song and talk on the phone all at the same time...I think I qualify for the resident ACROBAT as well. Oh, that's just great...RINGMASTER AND ACROBAT...is NO ONE ELSE qualified for either of these jobs? Let me gather their resumes...

kid #1 - um, no...

kid #2 - nope...

kid #3 - yeah, right...

my dear hubby - BWAAAA HAAAA snort giggle giggle! Crap! It really IS all on me!

So, I was left to deal with the following things (and the reason I have not been blogging) just this week.

We had an injury...

the alligator was wrestling with the kids and my youngest tried to feed him the Polly Pockets and "he bite bite!" At least that's the story I got.

It's a more exciting story than what really happened which was simply a 3 year-old finding the tape in the junk drawer and pulling the end for all he was worth. While chasing him around the island in the kitchen and around the table and into the living room the tape wrapped itself around his flailing arms! Not funny. If it wouldn't have been cutting off the circulation to his hand I would have made him keep it on to show him it was a silly idea. And, it may have kept him still as he would have STUCK to something and I could have finished dinner.

Then there was the flood... In the kitchen. While I was otheriwse occupied and only a few steps away my son decided to play Noah without his ark. He was innocently playing in the sink which keeps him occupied and he loves it and is usually good about NOT making a mess (except for that one time when he realized the faucet is actually a hose you can pull out and aim). Today, he chose a coffee mug as his weapon and he filled and dumped. Apparently he dumped a couple times but because I had a towel on the floor I didn't hear the splat. I didn't hear until the WAVE came!

Apple Coring 101... was, I thought, my breaking point this day (did I mention this all happened within 30 minutes? *twitch twitch*). I was a cool mom and made craft/drawing supplies available so that after I finished "parting the SEA" I could get dinner on the table. I had also supplied a healthy snack. His favorite. "Bapple!"

Then I had to make the birthday cake for my oldest's (still scarred by the sex talk - scroll down to read that) 11th birthday.

Sweet success...

Wait...where did that extra piece come from?

You have GOT the be kidding me! Nice. Perfect ending to a perfect day! NOT!

---------o0o---------------

CONTEST:

Tell me about your life IN THE CIRCUS and what position at the circus you feel you are most worthy of...tightrope walker, the lion tamer, sideshow freak, trapeze artist, clown, the audience...did I miss anything?

The best "quote" or scenario will win this book.

Sidewalk Circus is a gorgeous wordless book about the anticipation of the coming circus. It is a Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award winner. By Paul Fleischman (Author), Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)

Good LUCK!

And as always...refer, link, post! Everyone is welcome!

Get out your ballots...

I am in the TOP 10 out of 111 Parenting Blogs on DIVINE CAROLINE! Click and vote!

As I was sayin'...

(Disclaimer: A contest winner, plea to vote for me, some mind-numbing rambling and a huge prayer request going on below...get ready, your eyes may burn, your mouth could go dry, you may shed a tear but it's all worth it, I tell ya. It's all worth it!) Let me start at 7:47am. Do you know what I did at that time this morning? Here are your hints: 1. I squeezed tightly. 2. Giggled. 3. Smooched. 4. Waved. 5. Cried like a baby! My youngest, only the tender age of 3, got on a bus and started his trek to pre-school. I am still in shock. My house is quiet. I have been quite productive this morning. I was out to the post office and back within 10 minutes with no shoes to tie, diapers to change, or cajoling to do. He is at school. I am missing him terribly! This child of mine has been a miracle from the start. He came home April 25, 2006 as a severely neglected and abandoned 9-month old foster child. He was emotionally inept and had the pain tolerance of an elephant. For 3 months he did not have tears when he cried. I questioned the doctors about dehydration. They told me that tears are the body's way of SHOWING a need. When needs are not met for an extensive period, the body stops making tears. Like many of his firsts to be celebrated, I remember the day his tears "came in." Then, on April 9, 2008 he became a BROWNLOW! His adoption was final. We all shed tears that day! Tears of joy! This is my baby who got on the bus today. He has issues from his past that make him quite a handful on some days. But this baby can love like there's no tomorrow. He woke his brother and sister this morning with tender kisses and said, "Me bus!" He hugged them goodbye and waved and giggled as the aide buckled him into his seat. Here's a peek at my little wonder!

(btw...YES, I saved the tears until the bus pulled away...I read the books, people, I know what I am doing! LOL!) ----------------------o0o-------------------- CONTEST WINNER!!! Wow, I heard lots of advice from your moms and got a lot of giggles, too! My mom always told me about the "clean underwear" trick, too. Somehow, I hoped that if I was ever in a life or death situation (which I have been and ironically was not wearing underwear...because I was having a baby!) the doctors would be more concerned with SAVING me than with the documentation of "clean or dirty"! But of all your advice there was one that stood out above the rest...one that I will start sharing with my children!

"Choose your friends, don't let your friends choose you!" Pink Heather from Penguin Pie is our winning entrant and Dawn of Because I Said So is the other winner for referring Pink Heather here. Pink Heather wins the AMAZING magabook, between us girls by Vicki Courtney! Enjoy! Congratulations PH, we hope you will stay and enjoy MY SEMBLANCE regularly! I love your blog! If you haven't checked her out yet...click on her...she is one talented mom! --------------o0o----------------- Check the sidebar and vote for me for the DIVINE CAROLINE contest! I could win a $250 VISA gift card! The winning blog has only 70 votes more than me! HELP! --------------o0o------------------ On a more somber note...there has been a tragedy in the blogosphere! Read this story about famed Mommy Blogger Mrs. Nielson from the Nie Nie Dialogues. Her family is in need of your prayers and support! Read the article and if you find it in your heart, search out the auctions on eBay and bid! What an amazing outpouring of love for this "virtual friend" - Go Mommy Bloggers! A friend needs us now! ---------------------o0o--------------------- Peace!