Welcoming myself BACK to the BLOGOSPHERE!

Once upon a time there was a mom who spent her days pretending to get housework done working the fingers on her left hand to the bone and blogging with her right. There wasn't a moment of her life that didn't land on the pages of MY SEMBLANCE OF SANITY.

She had thousands of fans that laughed and cried the days away as they shared happiness and sometimes grief through the years. This popular Mommy Blogger was nominated for awards, was asked to write of other websites and even got the attention of publishers and agents with her goofy rants that could turn a harrowing situation into a run-for-the-bathroom-gonna-pee-my-pants moment.

Well, this Mommy Blogger went away for awhile. No, she wasn't incarcerated! No, she didn't fake her own death. She didn't even claim to be kidnapped and run off with Joe Jonas to Hawaii....wait, let me think about that for a minute....

I have been LONGING to get back to all of you and BLOG my pants off! Mainly because the media has inundated me with things I need a soapbox for and my facebook status slots are just NOT giving me the same validation that my AMAZING fans have in the past.

The last thing I wrote that wasn't a repeat or a product/book review was in June when a tornado hit our house. Yes, our house in the southeastern corner of PA.... where tornadoes DON'T go! Before that, the last time my blogging skipped more than a week or two was in 2007!

So, no matter the reason, no matter the time that has lapsed in between... I AM BACK! Can you gather your friends? Can you link to me on your facebook? Will you friend me on facebook?

I NEED YOU! I have missed you!

So, let me RE-introduce myself to you...and let the PARTY begin!

Since the last time I blogged:

1. I turned 40

2. I went VEGAN after a month of eating completely RAW last spring

3. My kids have all had birthdays - Matthew is 13, Emily is 12 and Izaiah is 5

4. I started illustrating for ReadingReadingBooks.com - an emergent reader publisher

5. I have a new baby - a chinchilla named Wodney

6. Our office has been turned into a HUGE studio just for moi

*crafting area*

*drawing area*

*writing area* (not ME pictured, LOL)

7. I still think my husband is the hottest man alive

8. Yesterday I had to dump 17 gallons of water out of size 12 snow boots

9. Yesterday I also had to clean up poo-water after the toilet overflowed WITH POOP IN IT

10. I have become a JUST DANCE 2 addict and will fight to the death for the high score

11. I am (with my husband) designing a middle school assembly program and have written a book for teens to coincide with it

12. I am also addicted to facebook - FRIEND ME!

13. I opened my own Etsy shop

14. I am also addicted to Picnik.com OMGH I could spend HOURS playing around with pictures

15. I have 30 minutes to finish this list before I go pick up Iz from preschool

16. Did I mention I can JUST DANCE with the best of them?

17. I have become more passionate than ever for TEENS and MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

18. While horsing around with the kids I blew my knee out and tore my meniscus over the Christmas break

19. I have not scrapbooked in WAY TOO LONG

20. I'm still making some killer cakes

*for my niece*

*for HOTCOP, remember him?*

21. I still play with my food

22. I did another mural - this one didn't take a year and a half to finish

23. I teach some amazing 5/6th graders on Sunday mornings in a program @ our church

24. I have 22 minutes to finish this

25. 25 is my favorite number!

....and I am still a goofball, I am still passionate, I still wear my heart on my sleeve and love helping people!

I am also hoping that when I hit post that my photos aren't overlapping my words  - I am having flashbacks of trying to get those tornado pics posted!!!
***UPDATE: the pics are ALL OVERLAPPING!! Grrrrrrr***
***UPDATE, again: OK, the overlapping is gone but how about the spaces?? WHY SO MANY?"
***UPDATE again: 4th try's the CHARM, right?

I hope you don't get sick of me! I hope you're glad I am back!

SUBSCRIBE if you haven't already :)

Peace OUT, Mamas!

The Mystery of the Cross-Dressing Pre-schooler...

So, I am sure you are intrigued by the title! And that's what I am gonna tell you about today. I got an email from BlogHer saying that due to a new regulation, I cannot run contests and reviews next to their ads that I am getting paid for having on my blog. I TOTALLY get that and must have overlooked that on their latest UPDATES. So, I chatted with Laura (a totally awesome gal) and we figured out the best way to handle the current post for the contest I am running. Neither she NOR I wanted to delete that post and cheat those of you who entered out of your entry so we came up with an idea. I promised Miss Laura that I would jump right into the new project as soon as I laid my youngest down for his nap. 1:00 came...."Oh, Izaaaaaaaaaiiiaaaaaaaaah....nappy nap time!" Some whining. Kisses. Blankie. "I love you." Ahhhh, peace! I cop a squat in front of my laptop and start creating...at this rate I will have 10 blogs by the time next year rolls around, but anyway....... Dum, dum, dah....Announcing the new SANITY'S REVIEW!

This is where I will review entertainment, media, products and places. All with the main theme of THINGS that will either KEEP your SANITY or make you LOSE it! And, while my brain churned and my fingers flew across the keys to rectify my "oops" on THIS blog, my little man had gently climbed out of his crib, tip toed into his sisters room, pulled EVERY article of clothing she owns out of her closet and was having a fashion show when I walked in. (Now, this is the after-I-ran-back-downstairs-to-get-the-camera photo.) When I walked in, he had the striped shirt over his head, pink undies, argyle socks and was peeking out the armhole with an "OHCRAPSHECAUGHTME" look. So, Laura, thanks for your help. When can I expect you and your clean-up crew? Just kidding, it is not Laura's fault that when I get into something artsy I can't hear a DAG GONE thing! He finally went to sleep at 2:30.

*sigh*

Peace.