LiFe BeGiNS

Real quick notes (OK, not real quick) on Ajers sex talk for the fifth grade cuz I promised. And yeah, we sat in the back, the last row, and yeah, I actually brought a pad of paper and took notes. It was one of those times I really wish I could have live-blogged it.

On the way there, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to discuss before we got there, and he said he pretty much thought he knew everything. I kind of threw it out there that "you know, when a man and a woman have sex, it kind of has to get hard first."

"You mean like a boner."

Yeah.

Then he told me he knew when Dad and I had sex because he figured it out from when Tukey was born. His birthday is in September so he counted backward nine months. OK, and I am so slow right now in my mind, I can't even figure that out here. Hold on... OK, December. So yeah. Ha, that's funny. So I'm guessing now that Ajers thinks the LAST TIME Mr. Manic and I had sex was DECEMBER! And I JUST THIS SECOND realized this. I should have asked him that in the car. I'm so dumb.

Then he thought about his little cousin Gavvy Gavvy (not his real name, of course), whose birthday is November, and he just turned one. He thought back nine months and said, "Hmmmm, that was in February."

"Yep." I said. And I waited for it. And it didn't take long.

"Hey, we were in Cabo with them in February."

"Yep."

"EWWWWWWWWWWWWW! THEY DID IT WHEN WE WERE IN CABO!"

So then I had to call my brother and tell him how funny it is that my son figured out that he and his wife were trying to procreate while we were all on vacation, and when my brother answered his phone, and keep in mind, he is the father of a one-year-old and a three-year-old who was used to partying and drinking Red Bull and vodkas and living it up and now he's like a dad and all, so he answers the phone like this:

"Hell on earth."

Hahahahha. I love it that I can finally laugh at my poor brother's life for he laughed at me for so long for having three babies like I was a crazy fool.

Back to Life Begins ...

Ajers and I are in the car joking about how we'll nudge each other every time they say words like, you know, peni$ and that thing they call a woman's part, and then he said, "heh, what if they say 'insert,'" and that made me laugh.

We get there and we take seats in the last row. I'm expecting a cheesy movie with a talking sperm searching for the egg and a bunch of cartoon sperm bumping into each other flying through the fallopian tubes. But instead there's a woman there with a power point program.

Hmmm. Was not expecting that.

Then she asks how everyone is.

Ajers yells out, "I'M PUMPED!"

He is like obnoxious the first five minutes of this program and I want to smack him in the head. Maybe it was reverse psychology or something, like he was purposely trying to act cool because HE was really embarrassed about it, I don't know, but he kind of acted like he was showing off, yelling out loud and being obnoxious. (I don't know where on earth he gets it--probably his father).

He MAKES ME BLUSH! MY KID IS EMBARRASSING ME.

Next she asks about the 10 body systems and kids start shouting them out, and I'm like, hmmm, did not know that! Like circulatory, respiratory, musculatory, urinary, digestive. I mean, if I were given a quiz, I would fail miserably.

She started zooming through to the female parts and here's something I DID NOT KNOW--

The uterus is the strongest muscle in the human body.

Isn't there some urban legend that says the tongue is? Who knew?

Here's something else I did not know --

The largest cell in the human body: the egg cell. Which is the size of a grain of sand.

Smallest cell - the sperm cell, which is 85,000 times smaller than the egg.

WOW.

So then they talk about puberty really quick, I mean she ZIPPED through this stuff, and when she got to the whole pubic hair part, what she said kinda made sense -- it's there to protect the reproductive parts. To keep out germs and stuff. I guess I always knew that, but still. A nice refresher course.

Skip ahead to when she moves to the power-point slide of--

NOCTURNAL EMISSIONS or WET DREAM and Ajers looks at me and goes, "Oh, this."

I nodded at him. "Did I tell you about this already?"

He said yeah.

So she mentions how at puberty semen is made and it gets crowded like if you were to go into a room and it fills up you need to leave the room, which really makes a lot of sense. She explained that at night when the boys are in a deep sleep it will come out and it will not be too much and it will be white and sticky and if it's yellow and smelly it's something else.

This made all the kids laugh. One kid asked what if it happens at a sleepover. Which was a good question. She asked, "What's one thing you DON'T do at a sleepover?" Everyone said, "SLEEP!" So no one is too worried about it happening during a sleepover now.

Ajers raised his hand and I was like, OMG what is he going to ask?

She called on him.

"Does it hurt?"

Oh, my cute baby wants to know if it'll hurt!

She said that when it happens you're in such a deep sleep you won't even feel it. But don't they WANT to feel it?!?!? Don't they feel good? Those are my questions, not my fifth graders, but I didn't ASK them!

THEN, she got to what I was waiting for her to get to, and this is how it went:

"When a man and a woman are ready for a baby, an act of love called sexual intercourse takes place." And yes, I actually wrote that one down so I could get it word for word!

That was it!!!! NOTHING ELSE! That was like the climax without the CLIMAX! Then she spent the next hour showing everyone pictures of a sperm reaching the egg, a one-month old fetus, all the way through to a birth.

B O R I N G ! ! !

Not once did she use the phrase, "The man puts his peni$ into her v@gina."

So after all that, there was a Q&A session, and some kids asked cute things like, "How come we don't remember being in our mom's stomachs?" and "What if the baby doesn't want to come out?"

Then FINALLY some brilliant little boy, who if I knew who he was, I would go up to him and give him a great big hug, asked this pearl of a question:

"How does the man's sperm get to the woman's egg?"

Know what she said?

"Through sexual intercourse."

UGHHGHGHGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a MuLTiTuDe oF MaNiCiSMS

Ajers Braces:

He got ‘em. He loved ‘em. He even got a t-shirt that says: GOT BRACES that he wore to school the very next day. He came home from school and said it was the worst day of school in his life. His FRIENDS, yep, his friends all called him Metal Mouth and made him cry.

My baby.

So yeah, I emailed the teacher, cuz that’s what I do. I contacted the school, which brings me to the next topic …

Unofficial Poll: How many of you would consider going to your children’s elementary school’s Open House without having taken a shower that day? No makeup, no hair done? No shower. Just gross looking. NOT EVEN LIPSTICK.

A few of you maybe? Half a dozen of you? Say maybe you were too busy, or just too tired, or OK, just say it, too damn lazy to take a shower. Who's too lazy to put on a swipe of lipstick? Is not taking a shower and going to your kid's Open House at school that weird? That’s not so out-of-the-ordinary is it?

How ‘bout this?

Another part of the Unofficial Poll:

How many of you would even consider going to your children’s elementary Open House without having put on a bra that day?

Cuz yeah, I went unshowered, no makeup, hair a mess … and Braless.

Call me classy cuz that’s what I is!

Speaking of classy – which I am not (ahem - braless at Open House) but I have to pretend to be for one night soon,

I know you can't tell, but there's a slit in the front and it's floor-length, and low-cut at the neckline. And here is a close-up of the detail

this is the dress I bought for the event being held Valentine’s night that I am attending with the love of my life. Yes, dumbass, it's Mr. Manic. I promise I will tell you the "I’ve-got-awesome-good-karma" dress story very soon because it’s just too awesome of a story to tell ... Oh, and I promise to wear a bra when I wear this dress.

In the meantime, quick, another Unofficial Poll:

What name sounds best for a character in a children’s bedtime story who is a star?

Would your 3 – 11-year-old anxiety-ridden-possible-bedwetter prefer a calming bedtime story with a star character named:

Twink?

Orion?

Glimmer?

Sparks?

I really need you to put your top choice in the comments section, because, I received a contract to write this story! (I will tell you that one of my original top choices listed here was vetoed thanks to Urbandictionary.com showing it as having a perverted definition! Do you know which one it is? Cuz I sure didn't know it had a bad connotation! I'm just naiive that way!

And finally, tomorrow night is the big Sex Talk that the fifth graders are invited to attend at the school. I told Ajers we’ll go to it and sit in the way back row. I said I’ll bring a notebook and I’ll take notes so we can come home and I can blog about how hilarious it was! I joked with him that we could keep track of how many times they say the word “peni$” and stuff like that! This is going to be so much fun! This is the reason we get to be parents! I can’t wait!

So come on! Chime in with your comments:
Twink, Orion, Glimmer, Sparks. Oh, and yeah, it’s a boy star. If you have suggestions too, I would LOVE to hear them.

a GooD MoMeNT

I was talking with the kids about a book Ajers was reading which has a character in it named Stephanie and he mentioned that the character is a dog.

"Nobody names a dog STEPHANIE!" I said.

Ajers said, "I know, but she's a teenager in the book."

Me: "I was a teenager once."

"I can't picture THAT!" From Ajers.

Diva chimes in, "I've seen pictures. She WAS a teenager once."

Me: "Oh yes I was."

Ajers: "Well, I still can't picture you as a teenager but Dad musta liked what he saw."

Me: "I guess so, but he didn't really know me when I was a teenager."

And then Ajers, with the final blow, as he looks to the mantel at my wedding picture:

"Pretty much your last good moment was your wedding."

SuNDaY BLooDY SuNDaY, JaN. 25

Just when I was giving up hope thinking I would have a bloodless week, you came through for me! I figured that maybe the Inauguration kept some of you from donating blood for the Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive! And I did hear from a few of you who tried to donate but couldn't because of low iron -- EAT SOME MEAT!

Seriously, before I went last time, I was all about the steak tacos, and it was Christmas so I had me some filet mignon, dark chocolate, a few turkey subs, and yeah, I was at about 13.4 for the iron count -- MEAT and beans will get your iron pumped up!

But anyway, I was having serious doubts that anyone was getting the message that I'm doing this blood drive here and GIVING AWAY A VACATION TO FLORIDA -- YES FLORIDA! As in a beach destination, with sun, sand, surf, and WARM WEATHER for five nights and six glorious days, and all we've got registered so far are SIX of you caring, one-pint-less, donating folks ...

WELL, now we have added a SEVENTH and an EIGHTH blood donor to the mix!

Gracious thanks goes out to our most recent donor, another MAN! Yep, I do get excited when the wives who read Manic Mommy corale their men into doing this and I'd like to thank Brian and Erin for their efforts! Here's what Erin wrote about Brian's donation:

He did it!

So what inspired him to donate? Well, when the donation crew comes to your worksite on a regular basis it is hard to say no to donating. When you are O+ there really is no excuse, and when your wife is bugging you to donate so she can enter this competition, well what else can a guy do. (written by Erin with Brian's OK.)

Brian Hess, VA

Cheers,
Erin

Visit Erin's blog at www.shenandoahvalleyparent.blogspot.com and let her know her hubby ROCKS!

And then we have a Manic Mommy Blood Donor ALUM! Yep, Jules is a dear donor who braved the needle last year and Jules is extra special and I tell HER story every chance I can because Jules is deathly afraid of needles, so much so that last year was the first time she ever donated, and she said that she even gave birth to her children NATURAL because she didn't want to get the epidural just because of the needles involved.

And here she is again, donating BLOOD to save LIVES. Even though she is SCARED TO DEATH to do so. She is doing it AGAIN!

THANK YOU JULES!



Here's what Jules said:

Well, I did it again.

Did I mention that I hate, hate, hate...... am horribly terrified of needles? Well I do and I am. Yay for all-natural birth and all that.

SO...... the photo color is how I feel/felt (green), and the motivational words scattered about are there to make sure I do this again.

I get a queezy feeling in my stomach just looking at the picture, so I needed A LOT of motivational phrases. :)

And drat! I think I just noticed that I have more wrinkles than last year.

I'm passing the word on to all my friends. Thanks for hosting this again this year. Hope you get a ton of participants!

Hugs!

Jules- Scared O' Those Nasty Needles

Thank you all so very much! And there is a HUGE SHORTAGE of O NEGATIVE BLOOD right now, so if you've even considered for a second that maybe you should donate, why don't you just DO it. I promise it will make you feel so good. It's an amazing gift that costs you NOTHING to do and will change the lives of people who are desperately in need of something you can give to them!

If you're reading this right now, it means you're giving it some consideration.

Please.

And thank you! : )

Complete contest details are here: Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive!

And to find a local blood center, call 1-800-GIVE LIFE! There is STILL LOTS OF TIME TO DONATE -- Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive runs through February! And don't forget, we're giving away a vacation to Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort!

More fun stuff later this week on Manic Mommy!

Peace UP!

3 SToRieS: 1 PeR KiD

DiVa:

Let me please just preface this by saying that I love children. And the miracle of childbirth is simply amazing, and that there is nothing more wonderful than the journey to motherhood. Absolutely nothing. And I am so blessed to have the children that I have, and I wish that everyone could have children. Having said that, here is a Diva/Mommy conversation:

The other morning, Diva and I were in my bed, enjoying a moment of quiet during the first unexpected day of winter break.

"Mommy, why don't you have another baby?"

"I don't want any more babies. Plus I'm too old."

"But what if you had another girl?"

"Then I wouldn't have all the love for you. And I would have to share my love with her."

"Then how about you could have another boy."

"UGH! Then I would have THREE boys. How would you like to have THREE BROTHERS!?"

We both kind of sat there shaking our heads in quiet contemplation but I know we were both thinking, "Hell to the NO!"

Then she said, "HOW ABOUT YOU CAN HAVE TWINS--A BOY AND A GIRL!"

My reply: "I would barf in my mouth. And die."

AJeRs:

The other morning, Ajers came into my room and said, "I can't believe I'm getting braces next week!"

I said, "I know! Can't you stop growing and just be my little baby still for a while!? It makes me just so sad!"

He said, "Aw come on Mom, you still got seven good years of me left!"

SEVEN? ONLY SEVEN YEARS! He's leaving the coop in just seven years!

Yes, my heart tore a little bit at that one.

TuKey:

And then, just tonight Tukey took a shower and got his jammies on and then jumped into my bed. I got in next to him and snuggled up with him. We never get to snuggle that much any more.

He said, "Can we snuggle for five minutes?"

I said, "Three."

He said, "Eight."

I said, "No way! It's bedtime! Daddy'll kill us if I don't get you into bed!"

He said, "OK, five."

I said, "Two."

He said, "OK, three."

Then AJers came in and tried to make a Mommy sandwich, to which Tukey yelled, "Get out of here, this is MY MOMENT!"

It's so good to feel so loved.

uSa ToDay'S PoP CaNDy

OK, I wasn't going to share this, but a couple people told me I should so I will:

I'm on USA Today's Pop Candy.

TuKeY aND PaL

SuNDaY BLooDy SuNDaY JaN. 18

OK, here's another segment of Sunday Bloody Sunday and I'm excited to bring you some more blood donors from Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood contest! All of these lovely people, ('cept my mother! -- wait, she's lovely too, that's NOT WHAT I MEANT) will be entered to win the great prizes at the end of the contest, which runs through February, and they all have a chance to win a five-night, six-day trip to Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Florida!

Also, if you can't donate blood, if you have a blog, or a Facebook page, or know how to Twitter, or can share this news with ANYONE via the web, the newspaper, a television show, radio show, please do so, as a pint of blood can save LIVES!

Thank you!

Here we go ....

Thanks to the lovely and feisty Irish Wench (LOVE HER SCREEN NAME!) for donating, and she put up a whole blog post about her experience (I tried to put up her photo but had some technical difficulties so you'll have to go see her blog!): Go here to Feisty Irish Wench's blog!

This is what Feisty Irish Wench said: My husband didn't understand the assignment he was given. So there are three pictures instead of one single picture that clearly demonstrates that it was indeed me in the chair donating blood.

Thanks so much Feisty Irish Wench for donating that lifesaving blood and for sharing your experience on your own blog! You are now entered for a chance at the grand prize Florida trip and other great prizes that will be announced at the end of February!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And then we have our FIRST MALE DONOR, SCOTT! Who is from Maryland!



He is Dawn's hubby from Morning Light Mama whom I have loved since the first time I saw the picture of her with her three kids and she's smiling so bright and her kids are screaming!

Scott wrote a great post about his experience here at his blog. Thank you so much Scott, for showing everyone that a man can take the time to donate too! I don't know why more MEN don't donate. It's not like it's a scary thing. Men, are you CHICKEN out there? Yes, that's a challenge to you, to see if more men will donate!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And then we have Debbie from Oklahoma who donated this week too!



Ah, doesn't Debbie look so relaxed and happy? It's because she knows she is saving lives!

Here's what she wrote:

What inspired me to donate? Good question. I was severely anemic twice in a three year period. I was finally diagnosed with having lesions/bleeding internally due to taking medication. I stopped that medication and took double iron pills daily for over six months. During that time of being so anemic twice, both times I found out initially due to being denied the ability to give blood while in the chair trying to donate. This last time around, I was denied on two separate occasions, months apart.

My son's school's PTA scheduled a blood drive. I'm on the board of the PTA, and the president asked me to donate. I told her that I couldn't because I'd been so anemic, and I was sure that I wouldn't qualify. I went to the PTA meeting yesterday and kept looking out the door at the donation area that had been set up. Finally, I knew I just had to try, got up, and slipped out quietly at the end of the meeting. I told the blood donation people that I wasn't sure if I'd qualify, but I wanted to try. They tested me, and my iron levels were only one point above the minimally acceptable range! I was so excited!! So I finished all the questions they make you answer, hopped on the table, and gave blood.

And lastly for this week ...

My Mommy!





Thanks Mommy!

And now, what's holding you back from going out this week to donate? And if you can't, can you please just put a note on your facebook page, your blog, tell your co-workers or your mom friends about the contest? I'd love to get more donators than last year this time around, and there's a MAJOR MAJOR prize this year ... a GREAT TRIP TO FLORIDA!

Thanks all who have donated so far, and thanks to you all for helping to share the word, and thanks to you all who come here to read Manic Mommy! If this is the first you've heard about Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood head on over to this post for all the details on this year's contest! You don't want to miss out on saving lives!

Peace UP!

(Wow, I haven't said that in a really LONG time!)

HuSBaND LoVe

Written January 9:

I was sick last night at 2:00 a.m., one of those sicks where it pulls you from the bed like a wack in the gut, wakes you from the dead of sleep because your intestines are having a warfare that you're going to lose and you're going to lose it in the toilet like THAT SECOND. The type that you're freezing and sweating both at the same time and you're whole body is rebelling and you don't know which end is up and what might come out of where.

Yep. That kind of sick. And damn it all, I think it was the fresco tacos from Taco Bell which saddens me because it's going to turn me away from them for a long while, but back to my story:

So, I'm in the bathroom, and it's the kind of sick where you have to rip off all your clothes to get even in a semblance of comfort even though there's no way you're comfortable at this point because YOU WANT TO DIE, and I'm sweating and holding the garbage can on my lap not sure if I'm gonna puke but DEFINITELY doing the other thing, and I am weak and shaky and I call into the bedroom:

"Honey. I need you. Can you come here?"

And miraculously, he does.

And he says, "Oh God, you look like shit. You're ALL pasty and white. Are you OK?"

"No. Can you get a cold washcloth for me?"

And miraculously, he does.

He gives it to me and was being so considerate and caring! I wipe it on my forehead and shoulders to cool my skin and I am lurching and gagging and God-knows-what and then he has a miraculous thought he decides to share:

"Gosh. We ate the same exact stuff. I hope to God I don't get it."

EFF-ERRRRRRRRRRRR!

HeY FoLKS! PaY aTTeNTioN PLeaSe!

This is a newsy long blog-post, so grab a cup o' joe or beer and settle in for some reading ...

I'm exhausted but there's a hodge-podge of information to share so this is gonna be a newsletterish type of blogpost so do your best to follow along and please make sure to take a look at the links because a lot of these here folks have been pretty good to me and well, make sure to stop on over at their blogs and such to check out their goodly news and wares and yeah, I'm not making much sense with all this burning the candle at all four ends.

First off, my great pal Eileen Cook has a new book out, What Would Emma Do? It's a young adult novel, kinda along the lines of Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, and we all grew up loving Judy Blume and "We Must, We Must, We Must increase our bust!" so check it out for yourselves or for your teenage daughters or nieces. I'm currently in the middle of it and really enjoying it, even though it's about a girl who kisses a boy, and I never got kissed by boys when I was in high school which pretty much made high school suck for me. Well, at least freshman and sophomore years.

Eileen also wrote Unpredictable, which was another great book I featured on Manic a while back, and is currently on sale at Amazon. I'm also hot for Eileen's dad, so there you go. Winka Winka! Ah come on, Eileen's Mom, you know I'm kidding. I know he digs your buns! (WHERE AM I GOING WITH THIS? I told you I was EXHAUSTED!) Anyway, Eileen is a dear real life friend and an exceptional writer, so GO CHECK OUT HER BOOKS. I never steer you wrong!

Another dear but NOT-SO-NEAR friend is Kim Stagliano who is giving away a signed copy of Better Than Bulletproof by Kay Thomas, who is an author and autism mom. The book is described as "romance, sexy and autism" all rolled up into one. You can enter to win and also learn about the author's journey to publication and find out more about the book right here. Tell 'em Manic sent ya!

In the mood to win another book? Recently, I offered this book to you on my blog: BOY MEETS GIRL (Sidenote: I still owe sexy CDs to Kirsten, Christine, Katy & Reagan!) ... Well, for those of you who wanted it but didn't get it, you can run on over to Betty and enter to win one of FIVE copies over there! Just go here: Betty's Boy Meets Girl Book Giveaway and follow the EASY instructions to enter to win!


Next on the list (Gosh, I feel like I'm reporting the minutes from a GD meeting I attended on my freaking life!), I had the opportunity to do a video webcast CELEBRITY interview yesterday and to be truthful, since I don't watch really ANY TV ('cept American Idol, and I'M ALREADY IN LOVE WITH THE BLIND GUY!), I wasn't all too familiar with who he was, but many of you may know him, and let's just say he was on The View yesterday and he has a new book out, AND he was on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy WHICH I TOTALLY DID USED TO WATCH, AND, I would totally want to hang with this guy and drink martinis with him at a cocktail party and have him redesign my house for me! So, any guesses? Well, I'll be sharing info on him later in the week, and might even be nice enough to give away a copy of his new book!

Phew, are YOU tired yet? Cuz I am, but there's STILL MORE!

If you've made it this far and are a regular reader and know something personal about me you can friend me on Facebook here: Facebook Friend Me Here! And gee, if you've read even one sentence of this whole blog, then you probably know something personal about me. My blog is an open book!

Let's see, what else ...

The Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive is GOING PLACES, thanks to so many of you! The donors, YOU GUYS, are stepping up to the plate and we're getting pictures from you! The drive was mentioned on The Boston Herald Blog (excuse the photo - it was taken just seconds before I passed out). Also somehow it landed HERE, may show up in The Chicago Trib, and is rumored to be in The Huffington Post later this week.

And speaking of The Huffington Post, I wrote a little something about my friend Ann Coulter, and you can read that here: Who's the Recipe for Disaster: Ann Coulter or Single Mothers?

And next up is a way cool mom who is creating a web show (think iCarly on Nickelodeon but for the cool moms!) ... Michelle at My Semblance of Sanity is launching her own web show and it's going to be amazing and fun -- a place to chat and listen and submit your ideas and laugh with like-minded and smart women JUST LIKE YOU! So go subscribe to her youtube channel right here: Gabbin'Mama: The Mom Show and let the party start!

(I don't know about you, but I could use a cocktail right about now. And saying "Right About Now" makes me then want to say, "Funk Soul Brother!" Come on, YOU KNOW THAT SONG!)

Last, but certainly NOT LEAST, and thanks so much for hanging in there for so long on this very long post ... I think later I'm going to get one of these, at the grand suggestion of my friend Darren Garnick, who was manly enough to try it himself, and even got his toes painted orange afterward! Read his version here!

This is what it looks like:



This is the song I imagine will be running through my head the whole time:

SuNDaY BLooDY SuNDaY

Hello all you blood donin' fans! I'm very excited to bring you our first donors of the Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Annual Drive! Every Sunday through February I'll be sharing their photos and stories, and I'd love to see YOURS here SOON!

But first, in case you've missed it, this year we are giving away an INCREDIBLE trip to Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Florida!

Destin was just named Southern Living magazine's Readers' Choice #1 BEST BEACH desination, and if you live ANYWHERE near where I live right now, you are probably SOOOO sick of all this snow and ready to get the heck outta dodge. It's been INSANE! It's time to start thinking about somewhere WARM.

So, that's the GRAND prize trip -- a six-night/five-day trip to sunny, warm, beachy, WONDERFUL Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, but that's NOT ALL!

We're also going to be giving away Visa and/or MasterCard gift cards worth hundreds of dollars.

Generous Melissa at Hope Floats is donating $100 gift card so THANK YOU SO MUCH MELISSA! YOU ROCK! She also donated to last year's cause and ROCKS for doing so!

My good pal, Carlos from high school has generously donated $50 towards the drive, which will go toward a gift card of some sort.

I'll be throwing in a chunk of change for the cause, and the amount will depend on how many of you step up to the PLATE and yank up the sleeve so the more of you who donate, the higher the amount will be.

Creative man Rick Green at Organized Doodles is offering one of his fun Doodles from his site for the drive as well!

I'll be accepting any fun or unique prizes you'd like to donate, but of course, the best donations you have are right there inside those veins, so if you get a chance, get to your local blood bank and donate a pint for the sake of someone who needs that life-saving gift, will ya?

1-800-GIVE-LIFE

And now, here are the first of what I KNOW will be MANY of you who will send me your beautiful mugs smiling away knowing you've taken the time to donate blood! AND SAVE LIVES! ...

I've got photos of myself & my coworker, Kristin who I dragged along with me to donate. :) The blood center was BUSY (YAY!), but then I felt bad bugging them to take a photo and my coworker was all the way on the other side of the room. I hope you'll settle for photos of us at the table where we enjoyed our apple juice & animal crackers afterwards! We've got on our stickers, you can see our bandaged arm, and we're holding our vitals card they gave us. :)
Sarah:


Inspired - I participated last year, which kicked off me becoming a Brighten Life member. I donated 3 times last year, and attempted a 4th, but was turned away because of low iron.

Kristin:

I talked her into going since she's been wanting to. She can't remember the last time she donated, but she thinks it was in the late '80s.

And there you have it! I've got a plug on my blog about it, too! :) Sarah's Blog

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Jennifer, Santa Maria, California:

I have been donating blood since I was in 18. I'm O Negative and have always felt "special" that I can help anyone, no matter what their blood type. I have three children and like to think that if they ever needed blood it would be available because someone took the time to donate.

Keep up the great work! and I love your blog!!

Thank you to Sarah, Kristin and Jennifer! And to my mom who has already donated, but who is ineligible for any of the prizes, plus I have no picture of her to share from this donation!

All right everyone else, get out there this week and get stuck! No excuses! There are lives to be saved and trips to be won! THANK YOU!

Wow. I am just sad. *Edited ...

This blogger friend's house burned to the ground on Sunday.

John Travolta's son has died. Which has me just walking around completely and utterly stunned and saddened.

People are in desperate need of your life-saving blood.

Happy New Year? Is it?

Can you help make it better? Please donate. Call your local blood center.

And ALSO, this enthusiastic Mom Blogger makes me happy!
Go Michelle at My Semblance of Sanity!! Check her out here! She makes everybody happy!

I LoVe iT WHeN THeY LeaRN FRoM oNe aNoTHeR

AFTER YOU READ THIS, PLEASE GO READ THE PREVIOUS POST ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO DONATE BLOOD AND HOW YOU CAN WIN A TRIP TO FLORIDA FOR DOING SO! AND LATER THIS WEEK, I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THE GRAND PRIZE TRIP AND OTHER PRIZES FOR THE DRIVE THIS YEAR! Now, we bring you the childish Manic antics:


Isn't it grand when children can learn from each other. Such a great thing. Take today for instance. But be warned. If you're not into bad-word talk with your kids, well, maybe you should just skip this post. Or definitely don't drink a beverage while reading.

So, we're all in the car driving who knows where and the boys spot a Dick's Sporting Goods.

Do you see where I'm going with this already? Good.

Boys start laughing. Like Beavis and Butthead laughing.

Diva doesn't get what's so funny when sons start saying, "Hey, look, Dick's. Heh heh. Tukey, I see a Dick's."

"Yeah, I see Dick's too. Do you see Dick's over there?"

"Yep, right there. There's a Dick's."

And I'm driving in sucky traffic and I go, "Stop it boys. Right now. Just drop it. Enough!"

And Tukey and Ajers are cracking up because it's a dumb boy joke and they can't control themselves.

And of course, Diva is like, "What's so funny? Why are you guys laughing? Why won't you tell me? ... DICK? DICK!!! Why are you saying dick? What's so funny about dick?

ME: Well, NOW you HAVE TO TELL HER!

The laughing stops. Ajers says:

It's a naughty word for a weiner.

(And of course, in my mind, in the back of my head, I am laughing my total ass off because this is one of the funniest conversations I've EVER had with my children in MY ENTIRE LIFE!) And then it gets funnier.

Diva giggles. It's a giggle like she has just unearthed the best secret in the entire world a nine-year-old girl could EVER discover. Then she says:

"Ajers and Tukey have a DICK!"