Sunday, March 08, 2009

THe DoNoRS, THe PRiZeS

Coming up later this week, we'll be doing the big drawing fot the Second Annual Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood Drive. If you missed it this year, do not fret, you've got plenty of time to prep those veins for NEXT YEAR'S EVENT! (If you're a big-name sponsor, contact me NOW!)

One of these fabulous qualifying donors (you know who you are!) will be winning a trip to Sandestin, Florida for six days, five nights! Here's the prize structure:

$25 Target gift card: ONE winner.

$25 Target gift card: ONE winner.

$25 Target gift card + a copy of an existing doodle artwork from Organized Doodles from Rick.

$25 Target gift card + a cute bow purse from Jen from her site HERE.

$50 Visa GIFT CARD: ONE winner.

$50 Visa GIFT CARD: ONE winner.

$100 Visa GIFT CARD: ONE winner.

GRAND PRIZE: Sandestin, Florida VACATION. (Travel not included.)


Thank you to Jen, Carlos, Melissa at Hope Floats, Rick at Organized Doodles, Laurie at Sandestin Beach and Golf Resort, (and moi!) for making all of these fabulous gifts available and possible!

And FYI, Target, I don't have to give away YOUR gift cards for this blood drive, I just do because I LOVE TARGET!

Also thank you to Heartland Blood Center for all of their special help during the blood drive.

So, later this week, we'll be doing the video announcement drawing live at the Heartland Blood Center locally, so check back on Thursday (hopefully!) to find out if YOU'RE GOING TO FLORIDA!)

Here are our wonderful donors this year. Will you just look at the faces of these AMAZING people! THey are all SMILING and GRACIOUS and BEAUTIFUL! And they're not smiling about the prize they may or may not win. They're smiling because of the selfless act they are taking part in. The life-saving act of donating blood!

Are you in for next year? I hope so!

Here they are! And not all of the donors are shown here, but we got close to 50 donors in a two-month period!

Me, kicking off the Second Annual Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood Drive:


Sarah:


Kristin:


Jennifer, Santa Maria, California:


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!

Scott:


Debbie:


My Mom:


Brian:


Jules:


Shelly P.:


Melisa:


Michelle:


Nikki:


Monique and her dad:


Lynn:


Jessie:



We can't forget Kirsten who donated but didn't take a photo and doesn't care about the contest because she just had a trip to St. Thomas and is happy to just be saving lives anyway!!

Kim:


Andi:


Weaselmomma (the ONLY one to accept and take the Manic Mommy CHALLENGE!):


Mommy Melee:


Alicia:


Donald:


Jen T.:


Amanda H.:


Madison A.:


Nikki B.:


Maddie S.:


Gloria:


Michelle B.:


Sabrina:


Erin H.:


Ryan's Blood Bag:




Claire:
A Day Of Blood Loss - a very unique take on donating blood!

Amy:



Kristy:


Sue:


Candace:


Carlos:


Me:


Martha:


Laura:


Michelle:

Friday, March 06, 2009

FiVe-BuCK FRiDaY, MaRCH 6



Welcome to the second installment of a new feature on Manic Mommy ...

FIVE-BUCK FRIDAY!


It's Five-Buck Friday where I'll ask a random question and the first commenter to get it correct will win a crisp (or not so crisp!) five dollar bill from me!

Here are the rules -- I make them up each week as we go along! You can guess up to three times in the comments so number your guess when you guess, and after your third guess you can't guess anymore. I think that's the only rule I have so far. If, for obvious reasons, you know the answer (like, for today's question, if you were at the particular movie with me!) then you can't guess!

Other than that, I'll make up rules as we go along.

So, let's play ... FIVE-BUCK FRIDAY!

In my wallet I have two movie ticket stubs. Here are the clues:

I took my children to see both movies.

One we saw in December. The other we saw in October.

One is animated and the stars were animals.

The other was a sequel movie.

I saw one of the movies more than once, and I blogged about it and its prequel.

Women have swooned over the male stars, both the animated voice and the real live person.

These are the clues so far; So guess two movies in the comments section - one an animated one, and one a non-animated one. And later, depending how the answers go, I'll either give clues or allow YES or NO questions so pay attention to the COMMENTS section!

GO!


Last week's Five Buck Friday:

Guess the Lunch Bill?

Thursday, March 05, 2009

eSSuRe & THe VaJiGiTY

My vagina has a cul-de-sac.

A lovely little pocket that one of my old OBs from when I gave birth must have thought it would have been fun to create. He must have been bored after I pushed out my nine-pound, four-ounce bundle of daughter and decided, hmmm, let’s make a cul-de-sac in here.

I wonder if it has a name, like Uterus Court or Ovarian Corner. You know, a quaint little out-of-the-way place in the neighborhood where everyone thinks it’s most desirable to live. The spot in the subdivision where the kids can play without getting run over by the traffic in the ‘hood.

How do I know this?

Something was residing in it and the doctor found it yesterday, and it was cotton and had a string attached and was not so pleasant smelling. Yep, a tampon. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you all gross out for a while. It wasn’t in there very long, at most 36 hours or so. And since I had an internal ultrasound the day previous, I’m sure that was the ‘mass’ the chick discovered floating next to my ovary that looked suspicious.

So, yeah, that’s how my Essure procedure began yesterday. Well, not quite. It began with me waking up and taking my shower and thinking, “This is the last shower I will ever take knowing I will be able to procreate.”

And this morning's shower I thought, “This is the first shower I have taken knowing I will never be able to procreate.”

Does your mind work like that? Mine does.

So, yesterday before I leave for the doctor, I take half a Xanax, as they instruct me to do, and we all know I am a Xanax-taking pro, except for this time in Cabo which was bad, bad, bad!

And then I take the other half when I arrive there.

I love, love, love the nurse, Mary, who I still love, even though she gives me some shot in the ass and informs me, “YOU HAVE HORRIBLE STRETCH MARKS.” That is EXACTLY what she says. And yes, she is looking at my hips and ass area.

But I don’t know if it’s her personality, or the Xanax, but I still love her. She tells me stretch marks are hereditary, which I already know, and she tells me she has varicose veins, which are hereditary too, probably to make me feel better. So I bend down to show her I do not have varicose veins, and I do in fact have very HOT legs that are varicose-vein free (I think that’s the Xanax kicking in, me bragging about my own legs).

She asks me if I have ever met Dr. O, and I tell her no. She tells me he is a hottie. I am excited to meet Dr. O Hottie. But she tells me not to tell him that she said he’s a hottie. I should tell on her after she said I had horrible stretch marks though right?

But when he comes in, she’s right. He’s hot. I’m glad. And I still like Mary. I ask Dr. O if he has ever considered being a newscaster because he is so thorough in detailing what will happen, and also he has great newscaster hair. Not like Matt Lauer, who probably at one time had great newscaster hair. I don't mention his great hair out loud, at least I don't think I do.

I tell Dr. O that when he yanks out my IUD I would like to keep it as a souvenir. And I ask him if anyone has ever asked to keep their IUD. I’ve had mine in since 2003. He says no one has ever asked to keep it. He was going to wash it off for me but I told him not to. I wanted to see if there was any gunk on it. Cuz I’m weird like that. It’s not too yucky. Do you all want me to post a photo on here? I can also post a picture of my fallopian tubes pre-Essure-procedure and post-Essure-procedure on here if you like. Cuz I watched the whole thing happen on the TV. Like a Discovery Channel show.

And I felt the whole thing happen too. It was kinda weird. I felt the tube thingy snake up into my fallopian tubes and then they let this little springy thing loose in my tubes. Dr. Hottie showed it to me first. It actually looked like the spring from a Bic pen. You know the kind that you would take apart in grade school when you were really bored and then you’d get blue splotchy ink all over your hands and your teacher would yell at you for playing around with your pen and then she’d yell for you to go wash your hands and then you’d secretly grin on your way to the bathroom cuz you got outta class anyway? Those kinda springs.

That’s what it looks like and now that’s inside my body. Two of them. And whenever I need to get an MRI I have to show them this special card that says I have some funky stuff inside my body. But, they won't make the machines go off in the airport. Drat.

And scar tissue will form over them in three months and prevent any swimmers from getting all up in my stuff to make babies. And that’s good because I’ll be 40 in one month and nine days and I don’t want to be chasing any little babies around in my 40s.

Last night, I did get a little weepy though, thinking that’s it. No more babies. I love, love, love, cherish, adore, worship my three precious, wonderful, awesome children that I have though. They are my life!

When I got home, I slept for four hours, and Mr. Manic took really good care of me, because well, of course, I took really good care of his nuggets. He will not have to smell his nuts ever burning. He will not ever have to have his feet in the stirrups. That BASTARD, do I love him or what?

But here’s the thing. And this is how I can make sure to make his life a living hell if he ever crosses me:

If he decides someday to ditch my ass and marry a 20-something with fake tits and way, way blond hair who wants to have his baby someday, well, I’ll let him have her. Because guess what? I will be laughing at his 60-year-old self running around with a freaking toddler of his own while I’m a divorcee doing what I want to do, living my life the way I want to live while he’s got a demanding bitchy young wife who doesn’t know the first thing about motherhood and he’s a 60-year-old dad!

Hahahahahah! Because that’s when his nuts will really be in the chopper!

Don’t forget to come back to Manic Mommy tomorrow for FiVe-BuCK FRiDaY where I’ll ask a fun question and the winner will receive Five Dollars just for the heck of it!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

"TWoS" DaY: GooDBYe RePRoDuCTioN

(New Feature
Two Words
Every Tuesday)


On Wednesday
It happens
Giving Up
My fertilization
I’m feeling
Very sure
Children done
For me.
Completed family
Populated enough

More time
Maybe four
Love three
They’re Good
Adore them.
I’m Old.
Not really.
Almost 40.
Hubby is.
It’s time.
For permanence.

I’m OK
I am.
Aren’t I?
Little Unsure?
Not me!
Babies DONE!
I’m SURE!

So tomorrow
It happens.
Out-patient.
Quick procedure
Called Essure
No pain.
I hope.

No tears.
Not sad.
Really not.
Goodbye Babies.

My husband
Thanks me
He still
Will have
His nuts.


Previous "Twos"Days:
"Twos" Day, First Installment

Sunday, March 01, 2009

SuNDaY BLooDY SuNDaY, MaRCH 1 FiNaL

*****Entry I missed!!! So sorry:

A Day Of Blood Loss A very unique take on donating blood! Thanks so much Claire! And sorry for not getting you into the post sooner!


CONTEST / FLORIDA INFORMATION AT THE END SO PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE DONATED AND ARE ENTERED TO WIN THE FLORIDA TRIP!


This is IT folks! Here are your FINAL donors for Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood Drive!

Alum Donor Amy, from Indianapolis

Here's Amy's blog post from this year.




Inspiration: Just seems like a nice thing to do! I'm over 1.5 gallons now.

Thanks Amy! I'm always SO thrilled to have alum donors show up again! And I see you brought a friend this year ...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kristy - Amy's pal donated too and here's her blog post,
Nicole, Deipnosophist, and photos:




Amy and I have been blood sisters for several years now, encouraging each other to donate blood when we can. I have been out of the habit due to first my pregnancy, then nursing a baby. I am not sure if nursing precludes donation, but I had enough going on!

Anyway it’s my job to drag her to the gym, and her job to drag me to be poked by needles.

I really detest the needle stick, but it’s worth it to save lives. Thanks for the motivation, Amy!

Do you donate? If not, give it a shot. It’s easy and the cookies afterward are tasty.

YES! Even though Manic's blood drive is OVER until NEXT YEAR, you can still donate - it is EASY and there are always FREE COOKIES and LIVES SAVED!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey Stephanie,

It's Sue from As Cape Cod Turns ...

HI SUE! CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU AT BLOGHER!

... thanking you for getting me to go donate blood. I did it when my nephew had cancer, but had found excuses since then not to. You gave me the push I needed, or was it the potential trip to Florida? Either way, I went. I planned it well; I first went and had my hair cut and then went to give blood. I look good in the picture, right?

YES YOU DO SUE!!! FABULOUS DARLING!

Yes, and quite colorful because I am tired of all the brown around here and am ready for spring!

ME TOO SUE! AND SINCE TODAY IS MARCH 1, WE CAN'T BE THAT FAR AWAY, RIGHT?

Since I live on Cape Cod, they gave me a squishy lighthouse to hold to get my blood pumping. I should have slipped it in my purse!

Sue :)




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~

Candace B.
ROyal Oaks, MI
if you post this pic of my Sat. morning hair, I will cry. One pint of b positive in the bag, sister!!

Cry sista cry, cuz I'm posting it, and you look beautiful with your Saturday morning blood-donatin' hair!

I had just been at my favorite moms to moms sale & a ponytail/headband combo is the only option when you're fighting for the good size 5Ts.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My friend Carlos, who donated not only blood, but also $50 toward prizes for the event and he knows he is ineligible to win the trip to Florida so he is NO threat to those of you who are in the running to that vacation! Which I know will make morninglight mama's hubby very happy cuz he is dying to win that trip to Florida and one fewer contestant in the mix will just make his day. Thanks to my bud Carlos!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Me, donating again, which was a very close call, even though I had a double-burger the day before and was eating broccoli and spinach a lot, I was only 12.6 on the iron scale and you have to be 12.5, but I did it! TWICE during the blood drive! YAY ME!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ALUMS Martha and Laura:




Hey miss manic, Martha and I both made it to donate today (I was not sure they would take my blood cause I was sick a bit ago)

Laura and Martha, Laura's Blog

This is of course the greatest contest! Everyone wins plus so many more who are the recipents win the most LIFE!

love ya
Laura and Martha Jean

Thanks so much Laura and Martha! I loved that this Mother-Daughter Duo donated AGAIN this year. Martha was just 16 last year and it was her first time donating then!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey Steph,
I finally did it. After weeks of trying and being told my hemoglobin levels were too low and being deferred again and again, I kept at it, and today... my hemoglobin levels were 12.7. Phew! I'm the consummate try try try again story. And there are four neonatal babies that will benefit from it (I'm a neonatal donor).




My Heartland Center refused to take any pictures, even after I cited your knowledge that once the needle was in, it was fine. They wouldn't allow any pictures on premises at all, not even post donation. The best they could offer was a note written on their letterhead that I donated today. I took pictures of me still in the parking lot, so I hope that works...

Yay blood donation!

Thanks Michelle--I know you've gone like three or four times to donate--this is what I call DEDICATION!!! And you musta had some crabby Heartland folks, cuz at MY HEARTLAND they are great and let us take photos all the time, and YES, you're right, I did clear it with the headquarters there before I started the blood drive, so you must have just had some cranky people. But good for you for getting the letter, and I know you donated last year but didn't get any photos so good luck in the contest this year!!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL DONORS THIS YEAR:

In fact, good luck to everyone this year. Here's how it will work. Later this week, I will put up a list of the prizes and also show everyone's photos again. Some of you indicated that a trip to Fla might not be possible. Here is what the trip details so if you think you cannot swing it, let me know and I'll not include you in the Florida drawing:

A complimentary stay of Six Days/Five Nights in a 2 Bedroom Resort Classic or Northside Villa at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

Expiration date: 2-28-10.

Reservations must be made within 30 days of arrival. Recipient must be at least 25 years of age or accompanied by a legal guardian. Blackout dates apply for the following months: March, April, June, July, December 30-January 2. This certificate does not include gratuity or incidentials and is NOT TRANSFERABLE, REDEEMABLE FOR CASH OR FOR RE-SALE. We appreciate your attention to the expiration date noted below. No extention will be issued. Please present coupon upon arrival.

(And there is an 800# to call when you win the Florida trip.)


So, if you want to win this trip, you have to be absolutely SURE you're going to be able to use it for yourself and your family, or please let me know to withdraw your name from the Florida trip drawing. We have other prizes in the contest you can qualify for!

So, next week, I'll announce the other prizes and those who are qualified to win, and the following week, we'll do the live video drawing like last year at the Heartland Blood Center so stay tuned, and please, to all you donors, just leave me a comment that you either CAN or CANNOT do the Florida trip to make it easier for me to regulate the contest!

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL PARTICIPATION, and if I have any last minute donors that show up in my email TODAY, I WILL INCLUDE YOU! xo