All the way around the rambling barn

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

It’s 12:47 a.m. on Thursday morning. Thanksgiving. I’ve been trying to get to bed since about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. What’s the hold up? My computer.

I really want to rant and rave about how I am so extremely, overly, completely tired of this laptop, but in the spirit of trying to remain thankful I am flipping through a magazine as the computer sloooowwwlllyyyyyy loads, shuts down, opens, etc.

You see, I needed to do one more thing (well, actually more than one, but I was going to settle for one) before I turned in. Now, I don’t know if my computer gets tired at this time of day, if FireFox decides it’s done fooling around with me or if the Internet superhighway is backed up with traffic, but whatever the problem it. happens. about. every. night. Oops, did I just spend the last two paragraphs complaining?

Since the new day has already arrived, I am scheduling this to post in the morning so I can be one of the first to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving on the actual day. Despite my irritation at this piece of technology, I also want to acknowledge you – my blogging friends – and let you know how much I am grateful to have you in my life.

A few of the other things I am thankful for:

1. My children
2. My computer ‘cause something is better than nothing
3. Stealing from Lin: My washer and dryer
4. The food that we eat everyday!
5. My brain, body and everything up, down and in between
6. The ability to breathe, walk, talk, sing, jump… you get the point
7. Looking 28 - LOL. (That’s the age someone told me I looked yesterday!)
8. True friends. Even if/when we argue.
9. Heating pads
10. Legal drugs (don’t ask.)
11. Men … LOL, I couldn’t resist. Well, most of them. No, really. Men.

This list is in no way all inclusive. In fact, I should probably get some sleep so I can think more clearly. But, I am sure you get the point, right?

I’ll break it down just in case: My computer irritated me and I chose not to get irritated, but to think about pleasant things and what I am thankful for. Even if I can’t be serious in the process.

I really hope you enjoy your day and are able to relax. Even if it’s for just 30 minutes or so. Try to shoot for an hour, okay? I’m already thinking about how I can best spend time with my children tomorrow and still get some things done. This, in fact, is not my weekend with them so I should maximize on doing something fun and positive with them because this is the first time I’ve had them all together in about a month when my oldest came home last.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wordless Wednesday: Put your heads together

Little instructions = lots of giggles!

My Wordless Wednesday posts

5 Minutes for Mom WW participants

Add 'MyPleasure' to your to-do list (GIVEAWAY)

WIN a $25 gift card to MyPleasure

At the risk of being labeled as the blog that gives away sex toys, I am delighted to introduce you to MyPleasure.com. Some of you may be familiar with this company because on The Oprah Show when Oprah held the Aphrodite up during one of Dr. Laura Berman's appearances. The Aphrodite, pictured here, is an infrared massager has interchangeable, soft heads and two vibration speeds.

MyPleasure.com, which is the official online store for Dr. Berman, sells that awesome product along with a wide range of other choices - books, vibrators, lotions and creams, lingerie and anything else you can think of for your sexual education and spicing up that part of your life. The company is, according to their site, "...dedicated to providing the finest adult toy shopping experience possible. We don't use pornographic images or cheap marketing tactics to make money; we try to appeal to a broad, upscale and mainstream audience by offering only the highest-quality products in a clean, comfortable and elegant online shopping environment." This was my first time visiting their site and I was pleasantly surprised at the tastefulness, quality and expansiveness of it. 


MyPleasure has generously offered to give one of you a $25 gift card toward any product from their site.

How can you win the $25 gift card to MyPleasure?

There's one simple way to enter: Leave a comment on this post that answers one or both, if you're brave, of these questions: 1) What do you think about the Aphrodite? 2) Do you think we - as a society - talk about sex (as it relates to committed relationships) too much or not enough?


If you don't have a blogger profile that includes your email address, be sure to include that in your comment.

Who is eligible?

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.

Giveaway extended
This giveaway has been extended until December 3rd. The winner will be announced Friday, December 4th on this post and a separate announcement post. The winner, who will be chosen by Random.org, will receive an email and have four days to respond. If a response is not received in that time then a second place winner will be chosen.

Enter another giveaway while you're here:

Click to enter to win a copy of The Zoopendous Surprise by Boots Hensel or a $25 gift card to Eden Fantasys.

*I was not paid for this post and did not receive any products as payment. The opinions expressed and information given are truly my own and were researched by little ole me. Any questions? :)

Balancing health and life

My health and weight loss journal

Do you remember when I told you about my magazine addiction and the large reading pile that I normally have? Well, that pile is about as big as it normally is. I've even picked up a magazine in it and realized it was the September or October issue. Today, I finished reading the October issue of Working Mother magazine. The cover article* was about Stephanie Ruhle Hubbard, wife and mom of two boys and managing director of structured credit sales at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York City.

Sometimes I'm not able to read the cover article in Working Mother magazine because (picture me with head bowed in shame) a lot of the women they feature are younger than me and way more successful. In my eyes. I know, it's bad to compare.

Anyway, there was something Stephanie said that made me feel a little better about the feelings of discontent I have about having my children at home during working hours (the youngest all day and the two middles ones from 3 p.m. on).

Acknowledging that every mom makes trade-offs, Stephanie believes many fail to make themselves a priority. "I hate it when I hear some great working moms say they know they'll never be the best mom," Stephanie says. "The best mom is a happy mom. It's not about martyring yourself. You don't need to change ten diapers a day to be an excellent parent."

That doesn't specifically apply to moms like me - working from home, staying at home or a lot of both - but it did echo with a realization: I can be my best when I'm happy. It's the reason I put my two middle children in daycare part-time when I was trying to grow my freelance business and take better care of my health situation. It's the reason I needed to put the youngest in daycare when my divorce proceedings began and I was trying to make more money in my freelance business.

I don't have to feel guilty, inadequate or beat up on myself for not wanting my children around sometimes. I don't often reveal my feelings because I don't want to get the frown from the moms who gush about how much they love and appreciate every second and just want to be around their children 24/7. My feelings of love for my children overflow and I know how blessed I am to have them, but I also know that I do them a disservice when I don't have my sh*t together.

If I'm rushing to do paid posts and yelling at them to be quiet. Or telling them I have to work when all they want to do is show me another drawing. When I'm late for a deadline or a promised post and I don't sit down to eat with them. ... All of that just makes me feel worse when I know I have to do it to make money because it's all I have coming in under my own steam and hard work. Not only do I feel like a failure as a parent, but as a writer, provider and businesswoman.

So, I'm going to try and keep in mind that I have to do what I need to in order to be happy to be a better parent, a better person and to maintain my health. I also have to remember what the article said a little further down: "For Stephanie, being a good mom is about memory-making..."

That's why despite looming deadlines I went into the living room this afternoon and pulled my pre-school daughter into my lap, asked my 4 year old for the picture she wanted me to color and we - along with my 6-year-old son - colored for about 40 minutes or so. It wasn't all pleasant because a couple of them whined and I was a little tense because I feel stagnated today, but I finished coloring my picture and spending time talking about colors and how beautiful they did with their coloring.

Tomorrow my children probably won't think twice about whether I need to work or not, but they'll most likely ask if I want to color again. I'm going to let that make me happy and go make some more memories with them.

*The article in the October issue of Working Woman was written by Suzanne Riss for a regular column called "This Is How She Does It."

Weekly Inspiration: Self-less love & Happy Blogsgiving

One of the things I like to do each week is participate in Weekly Inspiration that is hosted by Heidi (ROFL - inside joke) Heather at Maternal Spark. Sometimes I am not feeling inspired at all and a lot of times I "don't feel the love," but when I go to her place and read her current inspiration or any one of her other posts I am often inspired. Today, I click on by to see what's inspiring her and get a little inspiration of my own and the love is all over the place.

For me.

Wow.

I was so surprised and pleased that I sat here with a silly grin on my face and tears popping up behind my eyes. I even felt chills. :D Yup, the big silly grin is still there.

Heather is Canadian and celebrated Thanksgiving in October (shame on me for not saying Happy Thanksgiving) and she's selflessly recognizing Blogsgiving today by putting up the Blogsgiving button. Her comments, her linky love and her undying support of me and my blog is what's inspiring me. I am always amazed at the love my blog friends display to me:

Lin at Duck and Wheel with String always has something funny and encouraging to say. If that doesn't work then she just kicks me in the butt!
Patricia at PJ's Prose offers the sweetest comments and always ends with a hug.
Valerie at Frugal Family Fun Blog even comments on my paid posts - now that's bloggy friend love!
Shaunalynn - the Mom behind The Art and Science of Parenting - has a no nonsense way of giving advice, offering tips and spreading love.

These bloggers, and many others (don't feel left out if I didn't include you), have embraced me and showed me what it's really like to show self-less love. I wish each of you a Happy Blogsgiving and pray that you enjoy your week, your family and your food... Happy Thanksgiving too!

I know I didn't quite follow the rules, but knowing me I will forget to do this another day and I want to acknowledge a few of my friends - even briefly. If I remember to do this again then I'll pass on some more bloggy and linky love. I'm currently in my daughter's dorm (where she's stalking me telling me they're ready to go) so I better get off of here before she comes back from putting her stuff in the van. :)

Can I get a little support?

As a person who suffers from chronic pain, I am always thinking of ways to make life a little easier on myself. In order to do that I have to pay attention to my body. For instance, I've noticed that my lower legs, shins and ankles ache more when the temperature starts to drop. My forearms and wrists hurt more when I am really cold, and when there is a chill directly on my shoulders then those start to ache. If I'm out walking around and it's cold then the pain of walking or standing too long is added to that.

A little preparation, which I rarely do, is all it takes to be somewhat more comfortable. For instance, lately I've been getting chills right before I go to bed and if I don't do something about it before I lay down then I end up having a little restless leg syndrome throughout the night. It's like I'm trying to create friction with my legs to stay warm. So I turn on the two heating pads that I have and put them under the covers. I can't believe what a huge difference this has made in my comfort while sleeping.

When I'm out and about it would be better to wear long kneesocks or tights under my jeans instead of the ankle length socks that I normally wear. That would probably prevent the additional chill even though it wouldn't do much for the chronic pain. I was wondering if some juzo support hose would make a difference. There are a variety of knee high and thigh high socks to try out as well as full pantyhose. I wonder if that would make a difference. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a little support.

Who are you?

Today the three bambinos and I rode (well, I drove) two hours south to pick up their big sister from college. The plan was to get here in time to have lunch with her after her first class then she would go to class, and we'd all leave later this afternoon.

Of course while she's in class I decided to get some work done while the two younger girls bug one of Amber's roommates and the boy gets caught up in cartoons. As I'm opening up the various sites that I work on, read or just visit, I'm continually confronted with signing in. It's funny how using someone else's computer can alienate you from your regular virtual stomping grounds. I almost wanna go to every community and every site that I belong to just so when I visit someone's blog my picture will come up. LOL... Don't worry, I resisted and, yes, I realize it's not a big deal. But what blogger would let that pass by without mentioning it?

Speaking of people wondering who I am: Amber treated me and her siblings to lunch at the campus cafeteria. That place was packed. We had to walk around looking for somewhere to sit. My children were stunned at how many kids were there and stared in wide-eyed wonder. I, on the other hand, felt a little uncomfortable. Here I am a 40+ year old woman with four children and I felt like every eye in the place was on me. It made me think of my freshman year in college when I was just 17 years old - walking into the cafeteria then trying to find somewhere to sit is a form of torture.

It amazed me that Amber walked around so confidently - at least she appeared that way - with not a care in the world just searching for a place to sit. I kept pausing at different tables where just a few people were seated, but she urged me on. Didn't she know that everyone was looking at me?

:)

I already know that people are surprised when they see us together. They often think we're sisters and then they glance at the younger children trying to figure it all out. One of the ladies who worked there said Amber and I look just like sisters. I bet I didn't have those college teenagers fooled despite my trendy jeans, layered t-shirt and jingly bangles. I wonder if they thought, "Look at that mom trying to fit in." However, I'd like to think they thought, "Is that that girl's mom? Wow, she's hot and she looks so young!" LOL

I guess I should take this opportunity to search for paid posts and finish a couple of other assignments while hoping I don't come across a site/account where I can't remember my user name and password (yea, they're normally the same all over, but there's always one...). Please, if you see an URL lurking about that you've never seen before, it's just me, you don't have to wonder: Who are you?

Holiday eyeglasses

I remember when I was growing up I used to wear a snowman sweater during the holiday. I've grown out of that look, but there's always a way to add some holiday cheer to your wardrobe. How about a little of that cheer on your eye wear? I spotted a pair of stylish, rectangular frames that sport a white poinsettia flower on the temple at ZenniOptical.com. Now that's what I call Holiday Fun Eyeglasses.

Buying a new pair of glasses doesn't have to break the bank; there are $8 Prescription Zenni Glasses and to stay up to date you can check out their New Arrivals. Whatever type of specs you're looking for, you'll find a wide variety for the occasion you're looking for or to use everyday.

Where has the day gone?

First of all, if you see Lin, don't tell her I was on the computer today. I forgot that I'm supposed to be taking a break - one day a week on the weekends - because there were some things I wanted to get accomplished. And I have a deadline to meet. I guess that means I better plan my weeks better in order to be able to take that day off, huh?

Today has been a relaxing day, but I am a little irritated that it's almost over. All I did was wake up, take a nap (the highlight of my day), eat/fix two meals (so far, with the kids), write a paid post, finish reading a good book, send a couple of e-mails, talk on the phone, FB, work on my assignments, take out the trash, wash my hair, shave my legs, etc., and that doesn't count disciplining the children and doing for them.

That doesn't sound like much to me since I still have some things to get done. I sat down to write this post and my butt hadn't even made a dent in the seat before one of my children said they want juice. So, I'm off to get juice and fix a late dinner then I'll be back eventually. I must convince myself that washing one child's hair will be a headstart in getting things done tomorrow.

What did you do today?

Holiday family fun

Sometimes trying to come up with activities, outings and events to keep everyone occupied during the holidays can be hectic and tiring. But with a little planning and creativity everyone can have a stress-free, fun holiday break with a little variety.

What types of activities and traditions does your family participate in during the holidays? There's always large, lively dinners, neighborhood light tours and the yearly holiday movie marathon. Now is a good time to insert some holiday games that are an excellent way for group interaction, and a lot of the games can be altered and played with a festive Christmas twist.


Teach someone how to play a game of Bingo and include a friendly wager or prize package. There is also Chinese Checkers, Monopoly and a large selection of other board, Internet or computer games that will interest family members of all ages and skill levels. To put a holiday twist on other games, pop in a Christmas CD to jam to, mix some eggnog and don Christmas attire, family members can laugh through a game of Charades, have someone make up a Christmas Trivia game or organize Christmas Bingo.

Now along with the good food, surprise gifts, holiday music, entertainment and decorations, there will be good times had by all with the addition of a couple of fun games.

Forbidden sleep

Last night I did not sleep well at all. Not.At.All. I started coughing and couldn’t stop. I thought I had been asleep for several hours, but when I stopped trying to keep my eyes clamped shut and glanced at the clock I saw that it had only been about an hour or so.

All night long, between the coughing, tossing, turning, going to the bathroom then a crying child who only wanted me to put their blanket back in place, I never got more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. Can you imagine my frustration?

When my first alarm made a loud announcement this morning at 5:30, I didn’t hear it at first. I accidentally hit snooze, but that’s no problem because I have a second alarm set for just such a mishap. Well once the second alarm went off I was wide awake… oh, for about three minutes I guess.

Suddenly I jolted awake only to discover it was about 6:45. Only 30 minutes – give or take – before my son’s bus was to arrive. I rush to get him up, his clothes ready, breakfast prepared, etc. No matter how late I am I always make sure he gets on the bus so then only one child will be late – the one I have to drop off.

It’s funny how as soon as it was time to get up my body relaxed and I dropped into a deep sleep. Funny is so not the right word ‘cause I am not amused. As I sit here with a lack-of-sleep headache and keep the momentum with the fuel of three cups (16 ounces each) of coffee, I hope that I have that deep, peaceful sleep tonight. YAWN.

Pump up the pleasure (GIVEAWAY & Review)

WIN a $25 gift card to Eden Fantasys

My belief is that an intimate relationship often needs (or should include) a variety of elements to keep it alive and spicey. That's why when I was contacted by Eden Fantasys* to review a product I didn't hesitate. What better way to pay tribute at It's a woman's world than to discuss a part of being a woman that's very important.

EdenFantasys.com provides adult toys, books, products, resources and community. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Kama Sutra Strawberries & Champagne Treasure Trove, which is a gift set that includes Honey Dust body powder with its own feather applicator, skin-warming Oil of Love and Stimulating Pleasure Balm. The products come in a tasteful red box that's perfect for storing the flavorful and sweet smelling goodies.

To my dismay (insert blush here), I was not able to review the products in the way that I would have liked. However, I did test them. The first thing I thought was, "I'm going to have to do some more research on Eden Fantasys to figure out exactly how people are using these products." That's what the site is there for -- there is information provided by Eden Fantasys as well as reviews by customers who come together as a community to discuss these topics. Okay, let me start with the good part of the Treasure Trove: The smell is intoxicating. The Oil of Love goes on smooth and feels warm while it's being massaged in. And it doesn't leave a greasy residue, which is important. It's probably my favorite out of the products in the box.

The Stimulating Pleasure Balm is similar to the consistency of a gel and it also feels good being rubbed on. At first I thought it to be a little thick, but after experimenting with applying it to different areas of the body it proved to be ... uh... pleasurable. I was delightfully surprised by the taste of the Strawberries & Champagne - it is subtly sweet yet flavorful.

The only "bad" I had with the product is the Honey Dust body powder. Although it feels great being dusted on with the feather, I just don't see the purpose. I didn't like the fact that my skin had an ashy look to it with the powder on it and when I used the feather duster a couple of the feathers fell out.

My overall rating though is a definite thumbs up. I believe that if I experience this product in the way that I imagine I'll have an entirely different perspective. ;)

How can you win the $25 gift card to Eden Fantasys?

There's one simple way to enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you think of sensual products. If you don't have a blogger profile that includes your email address, be sure to include that in your comment.

Who is eligible?

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.

The winner will be announced Monday, November 30th on this post and a separate announcement post. The winner, who will be chosen by Random.org, will receive an email and have four days to respond. If a response is not received in that time then a second place winner will be chosen.

Enter another giveaway while you're here:

Click to enter to win a copy of The Zoopendous Surprise by Boots Hensel.

*I was given the Strawberries & Champagne Treasure Trove from Eden Fantasys to facilitate my candid and honest review. No other compensation was received.