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I know this is a long post, but keep reading—you might just be a winner!
I have loved Klutz books since Klutz started selling books and kits. The Friendship bracelet kit would have been a bargain at twice the price. Then there was the hair-wrapping book and kit—endless hours of fun. Irreverence has always been a big part of the Klutz m.o. and this giveaway is a perfect case in point.
Chock full of fun, foolish and frivolous activities as well as some pretty practical ones—who doesn’t want to make a paper airplane that flies forever or learn to do some low-cost video special effects? Though don’t blame me when your kids give you a heart attack after you discover a realistic looking fake hot-chocolate spill on your keyboard.
Three (3) lucky winners will receive:
Leave me a comment telling me your how you’re immature (yes, even at your age!) and I’ll pick a winner next Wednesday—you should have the book in time for holiday shenanigans!
Now this isn’t a giveaway, but I know a lot of my readers have children the perfect age for this contest, so I wanted to pass this information on to you.
ABOUT THE CONTEST
Winter the Dolphin has been an inspiration and hero for children and adults alike. When Winter was just three months old, she was rescued from a crap trap which had seriously damaged her tail. It wasn't clear that she would survive but she did. However, the damage to Winter's tail was so extensive that it fell off. To everyone's amazement, a prosthetic company stepped in an fitted Winter with a prosthetic tail. Now Winter is using her new tail and thriving.
Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.
One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night's stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system! 10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter's Tail, a Winter's Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!
HOW TO ENTER
Send entries to:
Scholastic's Meet Winter the Dolphin Contest
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
Each entry must include student's name, age, and grade; teacher's name; and school name, address, and phone number.
All entries must be received by November 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on or around December 14th. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residences of 50 United States and D.C. ages 6-14 as of November 30th 2009. Void where prohibited. Click here for complete contest rules.
While I’m giving stuff away, there’s one more thing . . . five winners of the Michael Buble CD (chosen by random number generator)
#9
My favorite is I Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis. We danced to this at our wedding.
The singer who did our reception was an Elvis impersonator, although he didn't wear the costume at the wedding! So it sounded like Elvis was really singing to us!
Posted by: Little Miss Sunshine State | October 16, 2009 at 11:39 AM
#5
I rather like Michael's latest single - it gets a lot of airplay over here at the moment and usually that means I tire of them but I haven't with that one.
Tough question. Being an Elvis fan I think mine is probably "Always on my Mind".
Posted by: Reluctant Blogger | October 16, 2009 at 08:13 AM
#23
Black by Pearl Jam is a heartwrenching love song that I love. Everytime he hears it at a live performance my husband tears up!
I also love everything by Josh Groban!
Posted by: imom | October 19, 2009 at 01:28 PM
#14
Lovers Concerto by The Toys
I hope you feel better soon and figure out what is going on.
Posted by: kellyg | October 16, 2009 at 03:15 PM
#21
There Will Never be Another You by Nat King Cole! and Home by Michael Buble. *shiver*
Posted by: Middle-Aged-Woman | October 16, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Phew! That’s a lot of winning. Send me your info everyone.
And last, but not least, it’s time to pick a winner (randomly, of course) from a couple of weeks ago.
One (1) Grand Prize winner receives:
The winner of The Vampire’s Assistant Giveaway is . . .
Oh my 5th grade daughter would love this. We will be getting these books even if we don't win the give-away. She has been drooling over the movie trailers. But our rule is the book must be read before she can see the PG 13 movie since she's only 10. So it'd be nice to win books and movie tickets.
Posted by: Karen | October 13, 2009 at 05:33 PM
Send me your snail mail info Karen and I’ll pass it on so your daughter can get reading and watching!
In my 20 years as a stay-at-home mother it was never my intention to be indispensable to my family. Needed yes, indispensable no.
I went to some lengths to ensure that everyone in my family knew how to do the basic domestic chores that make a house function. I taught everyone how to cook. I gave up a much-appreciated bi-monthly cleaning lady in the interest of making sure all four of my children knew how to scrub toilets and what an old toothbrush is for (cleaning grout). It helped that my husband was the oldest of five kids and the son of a working mom who did not like coming home to a dirty house. He had mad skillz in the cleaning department and his laundry was tres excellent.
I worked one night a week not for the money, but so that Dad was considered just as competent a parent as Mom. I once took a great big deep breath and told my husband to call me back and let me know how many stitches it took when our oldest son took a header into a china cabinet at 18 months old and they were headed to urgent care. I didn’t want to give either my husband or my son the impression that only I could handle emergencies.
So how the hell did I become indispensable?! I can only assume that it was by small degrees. After vigilance in the early years I must have thought the lessons had been learned and I started to do it all—or most of it—by myself. Some sort of institutional amnesia has overtaken my household and I am it for cooking, cleaning and calendar-keeping.
Which was okay—or at least do-able—when I was a stay-at-home mom. That’s not the situation anymore. I’m working full-time and the learning curve better be conquered quickly and by all.
One thing that was true 20 years ago, is true today and will be true years from now. If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Let the reeducation commence.
Blue is the color for today’s photo challenge at The Women’s Colony Sanctuary. Blue is also my favorite color—cobalt blue especially. I was able to take these photos without moving more than 6 feet from the middle of my kitchen.
The backsplash over my sink and the coffee cups on end-of-cabinet shelf
My favorite blue tote and purse
A photo of Grownup Girl going to prom (as a freshman!) in a gorgeous blue dress made by my MIL.
This is a repost from last October 23. I was going to write something new, but after 3 minutes of relatively good health yesterday afternoon between 2:48 and 2:51 p.m. I caught my son’s cold. I’m off to bed now (7 p.m.). I did manage to shop for a new thermometer tonight so that Danger Boy and I can make sure we’re just regular sick and not H1N1 sick.
This is the mother I described in this story. The mother from this post wasn't a mother yet, but was an 18 year old posing for her modeling portfolio (she ended up doing a lot of print and car shows). And no, it wasn't a wig, it was a whole lot of Lady Clairol 40 Volume bleach and some hot rollers. I'll finish the story about what happened after the knock at the door one day soon. Why did her mother kick her out at 17? She never knew--crazy doesn't often make sense.
On what would have been her 68th birthday, here are some things about my mom--a mother I spoke to almost every day of my entire life, who I lived less than a mile from as an adult, a woman who inspired and vexed me in equal parts, a woman who was very clear about her wishes at the end of her life; it is a source of great comfort to me that I was able to let her leave this world as she wanted.
She was married and divorced twice. She realized that one divorce could be a fluke, but two most likely meant you didn't have very good judgment when it came to men and she decided to call it quits.
She was a great mother of little ones, not so great terrible with teenagers and a good and fun friend in adulthood.
She loved her daughters then later her son-in-law and grandchildren with all her heart. Grownup Girl had a special place though--and if she was alive words would not be able to express her pride in all that GuG has achieved.
She was an alcoholic.
She was an Administrative Assistant III for the University of California--most other people (okay, women) that achieve that are college graduates. She chose to work in academia, with scientists, because it was her way of trying to make a contribution to the world. She would have loved to have been a SAHM.
She owned her own home in an upscale neighborhood as a single woman. This made her very proud.
She spent at least 25 years trying to save my sister from herself. My sister broke her heart.
She had the worst luck of just about anyone I've ever met. She was one of those people to whom bizarre, awful things happen to on a consistent basis. We knew better than to say, "Next year will surely be better." Ummm, no.
She did the best she could with the tools she had. She rose above her circumstances in many ways. I always knew that no matter what the circumstances were or what she said or did that her children were first in her life--before her job or any man.
I miss her.
My mother, Carol, October 23, 1940 to May 1, 2002
Over at the Sanctuary at The Women’s Colony Jodi is running a photo challenge. This week’s color was orange.
Here in San Diego we are not as awash in gorgeous fall leaves as many of you are, but I do have this—one of the teeny canvases Grownup Girl painted for me.
And I did cut up this sugar pumpkin for Monday night’s dinner (a yummy Rachael Ray recipe—though I would quadruple the squash) . . .
And I remembered I saw some gorgeous orange flowers at Balboa Park last spring . . .
And it’s not all orange, but there is my beloved IKEA shower curtain . . .
I’d still love to be able to show you some blaze orange fall leaves!
We’d love to have you play along if you’re so inclined. Next week’s color is blue.
