In The Mind of A Thirtysomething Mom

Bloggy Catch-Up

I don't know why I do it to myself.  I sign up for Nablopomo and end up struggling to come up with things to post about everyday. 

I know you guys don't want to read about all the senseless drivel that happens each day here in the Smoochiefrog household.  I'm pretty sure you don't care that Mr. Smoochiefrog is outside getting a contact high from the spray paint he's using to paint M's "new" bike, that Clyde hasn't escaped once today (as opposed to the 3 times he did yesterday), that our Christmas trees still aren't up, or that K is crying yet again over something M did to her.

So instead, how about let's talk about bloggy business?

I'm feeling really bad in that I dug through and can't find the messages telling me who gave me these awards, but I recently received the following two awards:

If you gave me one of the above awards, please let me know in the comments so I can give proper love to you.

I also got hit with this:

The rules are-

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Let's see here.  What don't y'all already know about me?

1. I'm only 5' 4" tall.
2. I have the ability to stare at a person and make their hiccups stop.
3. I love Coke Icees.  They taste different than Slurpees even if no one else thinks so.
4. I have every tooth my children have ever lost (except those that were swallowed or lost) in color coded bags.  I even have a bag ready for K when she starts losing her teeth.
5. I HATE the smell of cinnamon, but love Big Red gum.  Go figure.
6. I worry too much what other people think of me.
7. "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is my favorite fun Christmas song.  I sing it at the top of my lungs every time I hear it on the radio.

I'm supposed to tag 7 people to do this on their blog.  Well, if you physically come to my blog and don't read through a reader, consider yourself tagged.

Now I need to get off the computer before I get lynched.  The tadpoles are demanding Christmas tree assembly, and if I don't comply all Hell will break loose.

Y'all have a great evening!

Open Letters

#1.

Dear Mom in the playarea at the Chick-fil-A in Edgewater:

Just an FYI, saying your daughter was quarantined is NOT any better than her announcing loudly that she had lice.  Really it's not.

#2.

Dear Parents of children playing unsupervised in the playarea at the Chick-fil-A in Edgewater:

That child you think so highly of is a total animal when you're not watching him/her.  You really might consider coming in and paying attention to your child instead of reading the paper/talking on the phone/talking to yourself/blatantly ignoring them. 

#3.

Dear Older Boy Child who body checked K in the playarea at the Chick-fil-A in Edgewater:

You should be glad she got up so quickly.  You were almost body checked by me.  If that had happened, you would NOT have gotten up quickly.  Probably not at all.

#4.

Dear Salesperson Guy at the CVS in Edgewater:

You must not have children.  You stop me as I'm walking out of the store with a sleeping K (who slept the ENTIRE time I was in the store) to ask me which gift card offer most intrigued me?  And you expected me to stand there and converse with you while she slept?  Dude.  Use your brain next time.

Oh, P.S.  If she had been awake, it would have been the Papa John's Pizza card.

#5.

Dear Worker at Michael's in Annapolis:

Somehow I'm pretty sure you were very excited that I wasn't your sister-in-law.  You didn't seem too convincing that you'd have been thrilled if I actually were her and not just look like her.  It'll be our little secret k?

#6.

Dear Diana:

Thank you so much for ending M's rehearsal on time.  By 4, I was pretty much done with trying to have fun while away from home since 10 this morning.  Unfortunately K never did go back to sleep, not that that's your fault.  You tried to get us home and I appreciate that.  Really I do.

#7.

Dear Blog Readers:

Thank you so much for your support this past year and a half.  I didn't expect anyone to care about what I write on a daily basis, yet you do.  I really appreciate that you keep coming back.  I hope that you'll continue to stick with me for many years to come.

and because I can't end on an odd number...

#8.

Dear D:

3 more years of jammies baby!  MUAH!  Love you!

Two Things

1.  Just so's ya know, I'm sporting OPI's Passion this week.

I bought it when I went crazy at the Ulta sale, but hadn't had a chance to try it until now.  It is a BEAUTIFUL sheer shade that looks like I have nothing on.  It's perfect for a French mani!  I would show you my nails so you could see how it looks on fingers, but I chewed off all my nails (BAD HABIT!) and my skin resembles that which you would find on a lizard so it ain't too pretty right now.  Here's how it looks on the OPI site's try-on feature:

Sorry but I could only get one nail to c&p.  It's pretty though right?

2.  Because I'm in the holiday spirit (thanks to WASH FM playing Christmas music 24/7 right now), I'm going to share the Oreo Cookie Cake recipe with you all!  It is just delish and so worth all the 10,000 calories it contains (not really that many, but I'm sure it's a bunch).  Go here to get the recipe!

That is all I can muster up today.  I'm hacking up body parts every time I cough and I think I just lost another one.  Off to find the DayQuil!

Have a great day!

Mail Time V

So on Thursday I received a huDge package from my Mamarazzi's Favorite Things swap partner, Amy.  No really, it was big.  Look:

For reference, that box is one that reams of paper comes in.

And least you think there was lots of paper stuffing, think again.





Just a little bit to keep things from shifting during travel.

Let's take a look at what all's inside the box shall we?



Holy cow, that's a TON of goodies! 

How about an even closer look?



This cute can housed this little guy:



Yup, she sent me an aloe plant!  How freaking cool is that?  When I explained to M exactly what it was, she wanted to break a piece off just to use it.  Silly girl.



This adorable bag housed this:



Organic chocolate oatmeal cookie mix and some homemade cookies made using the mix!  YUM!  This keeps getting better and better!  What else is there?



This bag held all the following:



A big organic chocolate bar, sunflower seeds, a mesh baggie that held 2 rocks with inspirational sayings on them, a bookmark, tea, kiddie band-aids, mini organic chocolate bars and a post-it note pad. 

AND THERE'S STILL MORE!!!!



If you look there in the front, you'll see a children's book called The Snowman, an organic gardening magazine, a journal, some nail polish, a bottle of Dr. Bronners Soap, a matchbook from Amy's wedding, some incense, and right in the very front is a small froggie incense holder.  In the very back middle is a beautiful red picture frame that houses a picture taken by Amy's daughter!  It's just beautiful and now sits prominently on display in my living room.

Amy wrote me little notes about some of the items and it was awesome to get her reasoning behind why they were her favorite things.  I got to know so much about her from her notes and the items in the box. 

Thank you so much Amy!  You are the best swap partner ever!

If you're interested, you can visit Amy's site and see what she thought of what I sent her.
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For those of you who participated in the contest I was holding, here are the answers:

1. Big Red-without Nutrasweet thank you very much!
2. Sudoku puzzle book
3. Oreos
4. Oreo cookie cake-sinfully delicious!  I'll post the recipe soon, promise!
5. A frog ornament
6. OPI, duh!
7. Bubble Bath
8. Michael W. Smith, Christmas (circa 1989!)
9. No Eye Had Seen (a duet with Amy Grant)
10. Microwave popcorn & M&M's
11. It's a Wonderful Life
12. Goobers

We've got a tie for first, so I'll be thinking of a tie-breaker. 
Thanks to those who played along!

Y'all have a great Monday!

Temporarily Out of Service

The blog you are trying to read has been abandonded for a night feasting on a yummy homemade roasted chicken dinner (recipe to follow on the cooking site), shopping at either Tarjay or Wally World, and watching the season finale of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders 3.

Please try your visit again soon.

P.S.  The contest from yesterday is still open.  Try your luck and see how well you know me!

P.P.S.  #12 in the contest is one of my favorite candy choices.  I am very fickle on my candy.  I'm a chocoholic!  I have many different favorites, but this is one of my top 3.  It's the package shape that makes it clearly not one of the other 2.  :)

See you here tomorrow for Weekly Winners!

Mail Time IV + A CONTEST!!!!

Yesterday was a great mail day!  I received two packages; one from the favorite things swap I'm in and the other was an ornament from my own swap.

I so love this time of year!

I'll be posting about the favorite things box on Monday, so be sure to come back then for that post.  Trust me, I got so much in that box it'll take me until then to get the post finished!

So this is the other package:

And when I removed the brown paper I found this:

Ooooooooooo, shiny! 

I ripped open the wrapping paper (I am so NOT a methodical present opener like, ahem, a certain Mr. Smoochiefrog I know) to find the cutest ornament and handmade card.  See:

Thank you so much Katrina!  I LOVE it!  Have a Merry Christmas!

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Now, I promised you a contest and here it is!

I sent my swap partner the following items in a package:

I left it full sized so you can click on it to see it better. 

This contest is to see how well you know me!  Each item guessed correctly is worth $5.  The person who gets the most correct will earn a gift card to Starbucks (or whichever store they choose if they hate coffee like I do)!  Some items are worth $10 if you get both parts correct!  Here is what is written on the wrapping and some hints:

1. My favorite gum
2. My favorite thing to do to kill time
3. My favorite cookies (3 & 4 go together)
4. A recipe that goes with said cookies-guess it for an extra $5
5. My favorite fun ornament this year
6. My favorite nail polish (6 & 7 go together)
7. Earn an extra $5 if you can tell me the specific color
8. My favorite Christmas CD (8 & 9 go together) (HINT: Christian artist)
9. Earn an extra $5 if you can tell me my favorite song from it
10. My favorite movie watching snack (10 + 11 go together)
11. Earn an extra $5 if you can tell me my favorite movie of all time (HINT: It's a Christmas one)
12. My favorite candy

So there you go!  You can possibly earn a $60 gift card for doing nothing other than paying attention about what I write about on this blog.  :)

Some rules:

1. Immediate family is excluded from this contest.  Besides, Mr. Smoochiefrog would swear the movie was Heathers and it would just be a nasty fight.
2. Contest not open to my swap partner.  Sorry.
3. Contest open to anyone who has a Starbucks near them.  If you don't like coffee, you must be in the U.S. or Canada to participate.
4. Cheaters suck!  Don't be a dink and cheat.  Most every answer can be found on my blog.  Try searching here first!
5. Please EMAIL your answers to me!  If you would like to post ideas in the comments, go ahead but I will only accept emailed answers for the prize.
6. Contest closes Sunday at 12 midnight EST
7. Good luck!

Mail Time III

Last week the mailperson brought me another package from my Secret Santa Soiree Partner.  I'm thinking it's the final package because it was chock full of goodies.  Check out all I got:

That's a lot of goodies, all for me!  :)  Here's everything unwrapped:

I received:

• a frog ornament
• a bottle of OPI nail polish
• a scented oil candle holder
• a package of scented oil candles
• some chocolate
• a magnetic to do...to buy...to call...to remember pad
• a 2009 photo frame calendar
• a Christian themed magnetic notepad with a smaller non-magnetic pad attached
• a tube of lip balm
• 3 bottles of Bath & Body Works lotion and shampoo
• a Sudoku puzzle book

I'm totally loving when the mail comes lately!

Thank you swap person!  You've been awesome!

P.S.  I will be posting another mail delivery tomorrow.  That post will contain the contest so be watching for it!!!!

I'm flattered

Someone did a tweet about the 2008 Weblog awards nominations being open until Friday.  I did some searching and found that I've been nominated for Best Parenting Blog and Best Hidden Gem (via Technorati rating...whatever that is).  Evidently, you need lots of seconds if you will to end up in the final voting list.  I don't have those seconds, yet.

This is where I need your help.  If you could pop over to this page and second my nominations for either one or both categories I'd really appreciate it.  All you have to do is click on the + next to the comment that contains my nomination.  No registering or anything like that.  In both categories, my nomination is about halfway down the page.

Thanks so much!  You guys are the best!

P.S.  Look for a giveaway sometime before Saturday!  ;)

This Qualifies as Random Too

Happy Monday ya'll!  I'm jumping on the random train again.  Sorry.  There's just too much rolling around in my head for me to do anything but post it all in one post.  Maybe I need some medication so I can focus better.  *Snort*  Anyone who knows me knows that's a joke.
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Christmas Ornament Exchange People

Everyone should have their partner's name and address by now!  Woot!  I sucked it up big time on Saturday and got them all sent out.  There is now a link up in my navigational bar that will take you to the page that lists all the participants and their respective blogs.  If you're a participant, please let me know if I have made a mistake in your URL.  Happy surfing and shopping!  Don't forget ornaments need to be in the mail with delivery confirmation by December 1st!
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My email/computer hates me!  For some reason, all of a sudden Outlook is telling me that I have no contacts and my address book needs to be reinstalled.  Have no fear though, Mr. Smoochiefrog promised to look at it when he gets home.  If you'd like to donate to the "get Smoochiefrog a better computer" fund, email me and I'll get you my Paypal address.  ROFL
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So I read Twilight.  I got it on Friday and finished in 3 hours.  Yup, I read fast.  Now I'm waiting for the library to get Eclipse in so I can read that one.  I thought it was really good, but I just can't wrap my head around Robert Pattinson as Edward in the movie adaptation.  Sorry.  My brain automatically thinks of this when I think of vampires:

Yup, stuck in the 90's and so wishing James Marsters was still on my TV every Tuesday night.  As for the book again, sorry Holly but I liked chapter 14 better than 13.  No swoonage going on here.  You were right in that if I had to read about how freaking cold as ice Edward's hands were one more time, I was going to vomit.  Total repetition in the metaphors.
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Following that Twilight note, I took one of the quizzes I've seen on other sites about finding out which heroine you are.  Turns out I'm Esme.  How freaking boring is that?  A vampire mom.  Of course.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

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I'm sporting Opi's Think Merry, Pink Merry! this week.  It sparkles.  I like sparkles.  I can't find a picture of it anywhere on the net so lucky you, you get to see my hand!  Feel special.  This doesn't happen for just anyone.

Please ignore any dry skin or horrible painting.  I never claimed to be a manicurist. 
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I've got a post I'll be doing soon that has to do with my inferiority complex and Facebook.  I'm sure you're now all dying to read that one, right? 
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I've discovered that no matter how much you wish it, just having workout videos won't make you lose weight.  Dang it!  I really need to jump back on the bandwagon.   Moving on.
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Last night I made the BEST chili.  I'll be posting the recipe on my cooking blog later this week.  If you're a wuss on chili heat like I am, you've gotta try it.  I promise you won't be disappointed.
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Last night, for no apparent reason other than blatant stupidity, Clyde ran head first into the baby gate.  He then proceeded to wander around the kitchen sneezing for the next 5 minutes.  Stupid dog.
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And that dear friends draws to a close another random post from Smoochiefrog.  I'm going to go find a nice warm bed to crawl into and sleep off the PMS that is raging right now.  Sooner or later it will get better right?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Yeah, thought so.

Have a great week everyone!

Sorry

I'm guessing that Yvonne isn't going to be part of our exchange. 

I'm doing my best to get the partners info emailed out tonight, but it may not happen until tomorrow.

I'm having a really rough night, and I don't know if I'll do anything other than veg in front of the T.V. with Goobers and Milk.

Comfort foods.  Probably explains why I look like I look.

Yeah, sorry to be so blah too.

I'll be better Monday, promise.