WONDERFUL holiday give away!

Found a sweet holiday give away at Red Shoes! Gorgeous pair of earrings - Go Check It Out...

Now....

Go on....

You know you want to...

AWESOME BOOK GIVEAWAY

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted here.
You'll never know how much I miss it. SIGH

So I thought I might start up again with a short little one to get me an extra entry in a drawing for a free book from my friend Lizzie at A Dusty Frame.

Mainly because this book touches on a subject that is a big part of my life.

Autism / Aspergers Syndrome

No, none of my children have this. But I have no fewer than Five friends with children who are afflicted to one degree or another. And I have two nephews who have it. So I'm trying to learn...and I'm DEFINITELY acutely aware of the challenges moms and dads face when trying to help their kids. They have to FIGHT for every service and every therapy. And they have to fight for their families and friends to understand and accept their children.

OK...anyway. The book is called Cowboy and Wills. Go check it out at the author's site and at Lizzie's site; she even has a video clip to give you an idea of the story line. And of COURSE...sign up for the GIVEAWAY!

I hope to post again before Christmas, but in case you miss my posts...
Happy Holidays, my friends!!

A Dusty Frame Giveaway #3

My friend Lizzie at A Dusty Frame has posted another giveaway!
Elegant Rose has alot of wonderful "pamper yourself" kinds of bath products
that would make an hour or two in the bathtub seem like a day at the spa!

My favorite is the Almond Vanilla Brown Sugar scrub.
I have a tough time with rough, cracked feet.
I bet this would be just the ticket to making my skin feel and smell wonderful.

Go leave her a comment and get in on the giveaway.

Blessings to Liz on her Blog Birthday!

GUESS WHAT?? GUESS WHAT??
My friend Lizzie at A Dusty Frame is having a Bloggy Birthday!!
Her blog is three years old! How cool is that???
She is having giveaways and sharing some super uplifting cards she has received.

Go on over and check it out when you have a minute.
Sign up for the give away items (VERY awesome stuff!) and let her know how much you appreciate her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, My friend!
You bless me!

Cavities, Decay, PLAQUE!

Took my kids in for the yearly dental check up.
We go to OHSU Pediatric Dental School.
Let me tell you, when the ONLY dentist in our town that accepts our insurance advised me that she didn't "do" kids...especially NERVOUS kids...and referred us to the Dental School, I was nervous. I thought, I don't want "students" working on my kids. One has already had a HORRIBLE nightmarish event with a dentist. I still get nauseous when I think about it.
But these students have been IN-CREDIBLE!! they are so caring and gentle. They take time to make sure the kids are not scared. They do everything they can to make it fun! The waiting room is painted like a forest. One of the supervising dentists does an amazing impression of Donald Duck.
ANY WAY...last time we were up there, the student working on #1 was stunned that the kid only brushed his teeth once a day (if that!).

OK, I know. But I turned my mommy license in last week, so you'll just have to owe me one.

This student suggested electric toothbrushes. And #1 bit. Hook, line and sinker. And he told numbers 2, 3, and 4. And mommy was saying to herself "please, Dear Lord, don't let them be expensive!" Cuz one toothbrush ain't bad, but TIMES FOUR?

Ummmmm...

Turns out they weren't too bad at all. I got one for all of them for under twenty bucks. And the batteries were dead by the time we got home. Toothbrush fights, you know.

So today while I was over at Five Minutes for Mom, I saw they had a drawing for a free FANCY Oral B electric toothbrush. Cadillac Style!

Which drew my attention...because
NOW I'M JEALOUS! I want one, too!

Custom Car Models? NO WAY!?!?!

Do you have a boy in your house to buy for?
How about a BIG BOY who likes to tinker with cars?

I found this AMAZING giveaway and even if you DON'T win the giveaway, you can still get a discount with a code from Five Minutes For Mom.

The company who makes these custom car kits apparently has stands in some malls according to their blog...but they are from Canada. So it may be there. If I ever saw a RideMakerz booth, I'm sure I'd be drawn to it like a bee to a flower.

Cuz I have a 14 year old who LOVES to build. And a fiancee with a HUGE streak of 5-year-old.

So go check it out! The Five Minutes for Mom button is on my sidebar, too. They have lots of incredible give away's going and interesting blogs from moms of all walks of life.

**Winner**Winner**Winner**

The winner of the Rick Fuller T Shirt is....

Jane M.

Thank you all so much for visiting my site
and for checking out Rick's artwork.


This was kinda fun!
May have to do it again sometime.

Jane, I sent you an email. Let me know if you don't get it.

***Give Away*** Indian Mother

JUST in time for the Holidays!

This is the first time I have ever been the HOSTESS for a giveaway
and I'm VERY excited about having the chance.
I have a sweet friend who is a talented artist.
He does Native American pieces, gorgeous wildlife drawings and,
AMAZINGLY, can create an original piece of art from one of your special photos!
Rick Fuller
set up this site on Photo Works to showcase some of his favorite works.
He would love it if you would come check it out and maybe do some Christmas Shopping.
AND
If you would like to have a chance to
WIN AN ADULT SZ LG T-SHIRT

FEATURING HIS BEAUTIFUL DRAWING

INDIAN MOTHERHE has more wonderful artwork to see at Lasting Impressions Custom Artwork.

**To be placed in the drawing, send an email to me
babykatcherathotmaildotcom
and let me know what YOUR favorite piece is!.

I'll need your name and a way to get in touch with you if you win.
If you write about my GIVEAWAY on your blog and link to me,
I'll throw your name in the hat TWICE!
so when you send me the email, make sure and include
a link to your blogpage so I can check out what you wrote!!

Thank you for passing the word
Sorry, no prize substitutions!

GOOD LUCK!

DRAWING WILL BE HELD MONDAY, NOV 24 AT 8pm

The Biggest Mess EVER - CHBM Contest

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to sit down and check out the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. But I went over there today and GUESS WHAT!?!?

They are having a drawing! For an ORECK XL vacuum cleaner!
I used to use one of these things many moon ago when I was a motel maid and they ROCK! I've always wanted one so thought I would throw my hat in the ring.
The deal is...you need to write about the biggest mess you ever had to clean up, link to CHBM's and to Oreck's site.

I thought I'd already written about this horror, but when I searched my blogs, I couldn't find any posts with the words "yogurt" or "hay" or "triple antibiotic".

Got your curiosity up now, don't I?

Picture this in your mind...I'm 7 months pregnant with a 3 year old, a 4 year old and an 8 year old.
The eight year old has a program. So I ask the husband-type-person (HTP) if he will watch the two little ones for an hour while I take the boy to his school presentation. Cuz' chasin' them lil' girls around the grade school gym in my condition does not appear under "FUN" in the dictionary, ya' know.

And he agrees.
So I go.
And then I come home.

And then I stand in the dining room and SCREAM. Bloody murder.
Whereupon he comes out of his shop in the garage and says "I was watching them, I swear!! I was only out there for about five minutes!!"

I know he is lying because there is no way two teeny girls could have made such a huge mess in five minutes...or fifteen minutes...or 30 minutes, for that matter.

The huge horrific drift is in layers in the middle of the light grey living room carpet. I will, for your enjoyment, list these layers from bottom to top. It's kind of like a giant ice-cream sundae...only one I have to CLEAN UP around a huge pregnant belly.
And I'm really happy about that, you know.

Bottom layer - six VERY LARGE stuffed toys (3-4 feet tall) that had to be hauled down a flight of stairs from their bedroom. Three of which are white. This will be important here in a minute.

Second layer - some miscellaneous clothing out of the dirty clothes hamper.

Third layer - Hay from a decorative scarecrow I kept in the entry. Yep, he's empty now.

Fourth layer - the entire contents of a tube of triple antibiotic ointment. And apparently that wasn't enough goo, because the fifth layer is...

TWO CONTAINERS OF NEON PINK AND PURPLE TRIX YOGURT.

Yes.

They had to get those out of the fridge, figure out how to open them and ended up squeezing the contents out through a hole in the foil top. As evidenced by the squished plastic containers garnishing the top of the pile like Marachino cherries.

Through gritted teeth, I just told everyone to "GO AWAY, PLEASE".

HTP took the little girls up to their room, then went to his room to watch TV. He probably figured he was safer if he wasn't on the same FLOOR of the house that I was.

The yogurt never did come out of the stuffed animals, but I did manage to get it out of the carpet.

Mommy Jewelry

Was stopping by Island Life just a little while ago (she's got a beautiful page!) and she is doing a GIVEAWAY that I just had to shout about! A gift certificate to this company that makes gorgeousicious jewelry...Mother's Jewelry. Well, gramma's, godmothers and other's, too. But the work is exquisite. Appropriately, it's called MyMommyBracelets.com.

I've always wanted a piece of Mother's jewelry.

Hint, hint. :D

Drumroll, Please.........

OH MAN! She did it again!!

Donetta gave me another present!

And JUST when I deserve it the LEAST. I've been doing nothin' but whining over here and she still blesses me.

Thank you, Dear Friend! I am humbled and honored.

And NOW, I get to pass it on to some of the stars in my sky...
Because I can't give it back to Donetta. Wish I could!
So here's my list.
1) Connie! Where would I be without your love and support?
2) DeeDee never fails to make me laugh when I am down.
3) Lizzie for being brave when life gets so tough. And for sharing her challenges with us even when it's hard to say how much things hurt.
4) Rebekah for showing herself a friend and for making me think.
AND 5) CJ at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. It's got good friends, good info and Great contests. I appreciate her and what she does for us CHBM's.

Dear Kiddos

MamaBlogga is hosting a "group writing project".
I thought it sounded like a BLAST, cuz you know...I'm writing and I can't shut up.

I practically SLEEP with my keyboard. Good thing I can multitask...post while going potty (I have a wireless keyboard, so hush); Write an essay while cooking dinner - I'm tellin' ya! The range on that wireless keyboard is GREAT, but it's hard to see when I'm making a mistake. Thank God for Spell check.

Anyway, I don't remember how I came upon the MamaBlogga ~ I think it might have been from Scribbit. But I DO know that I like her. AND I love her theme for a post...so here goes!

DEAR KIDDOS;
I know you want me home. Please understand I am trying my best to figure out how to support us all and still be there for you.
That funky little parenting class I took many moon ago only left me with one glaring truth "Your children want attention from you. If they can't get it by being GOOD, they will get it by being BAD; but they WILL get your attention one way or another!"

They weren't lying. Do you know how I know that?
Because I think the lady who wrote that book knows you.

I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW ONE EVERLASTING TRUTH! I know you are there. I love you with all my heart and I hate being apart from you. I think about you all the time!

So you have my attention! Understand?!?!

NOW, you can stop this campaign to make me grey before my time.

• Please quit cutting your hair off in my bathroom! I know the sitter should have been watching you better because it probably took a good 30 minutes for you to cut off that much hair and create your reverse mohawk, but STILL...You should have known better!
• No more making concentrated Koolaid creations in the kitchen. Sticking to the linoleum in the mornings is pretty disgusting.
• I had to paint those walls in your room. I painted them white because that's the color the landlord bought. I DID NOT paint them white as an invitation for you to DECORATE them with pen, pencil, marker, crayon, fingernail polish and any other marking utensil you can dream up.
• Those are MY things. Leave them on my dresser or in my jewelry box. I know you want to be close to me, but those things are important to me and it would make me sad to lose them or have them broken.
• Screaming and throwing yourself on the floor does not make for good communication. The only thing it succeeds in doing is making ME want to run away screaming.
• I know you don't hate me, but MG, brother and sisters DON'T have that same assurance. When you are angry, it is NOT ok to use your words to hurt others.
• Please don't cry when I have to go to work. It shatters my heart around my feet and you know what? It's not my fault. If you want to get angry with someone, write a letter to your father ~ you know, the one in prison being served 3 meals a day and not having to pay child support. I'm sorry, I care about him, I do; but he has hurt me enough for one life time so I won't take on the guilt as well.
• I will be home with you soon. PLEASE just hang on, OK? I don't know what I'm going to do or how I'm going to support us all, but GOD DOES! He has given me a peace about this - it's the right thing to do even if it is super-scary. He'll take care of us. I promise.

Now close your eyes, go to sleep, take a chill-pill, relax. I love you! God loves you! Gramma and Grampa love you! MG loves you!

So stop making us want to tear our hair out, ok?

Much love forever and ever... Mom

Living the Dream

So it's no secret that I LOVE the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas!

And if they are having a CONTEST, you know I'm gonna be RIGHT on that one! Cuz it's FUN!!
Plus, I have this problem...Help! I'm blogging and I can't Shut up!

OK... Back to the point! Try this one.
C'mon! Give it a whirl. Write your heart out. Live dangerously!

The generous crew at LTDChix is giving away a "Living the Dream" T-shirt.

Go check them out...right now...

it's ok. I'll wait right here.

Did you see them? Aren't they HILARIOUS??? My personal fav was the referee Mom.
Cuz that's like how I feel every MINUTE of the day that more than one child is home at a time.

The TOPIC is “Living the Mommy Dream!".
Hands down, it's the fact that I get to be MAGIC.

It's very cool. Having your kids go "Ooooo, Aaaah" - you know, kinda like when they see the fireworks. All you have to do is a few little optical illusions! Like the rubber pencil trick. Hold the pencil loosely on one end with your thumb and index finger and wave it up and down. It looks like it's bending.
Or when you put your elbows together and swing your arms around in the "around and down" thing we learned as teenagers. If you don't know what I'm talking about, trust me, it looks VERY freaky.
Then there is that "mommy esp" that serves so well. When you round the corner and the kiddo looks at you with that Deer-In-The-Headlights look that says "HOW in the name of all that is holy did she KNOW I was in here getting into the cookies????!"

Because I'm MAGIC!

Plus, you know, it was just too dern quiet in here.

Some day they will figure out that I'm just a mortal...but until then??

I'm milkin' it for all it's worth, ya'll!!

Loose Lips New York ROCKS!

A few days ago, I wrote a post for a Contest that CHBM's was hosting.

Guess what?

The GENEROUS, WONDERFUL, WISE, FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE people at Loose Lips NY picked MY humble little blog as a

WINNER!!

$50 of their product...free for me.
I am honored, humbled and blessed.

And now I can replace all that makeup I bought in 1989. I hate to waste it, you know. When you spend $6 on something, you really want to use it till it's all gone.

But what the heck! I'll toss it in the trash when my new treasures come.
Live dangerously, that's my motto!

Hee Hee.

Mother's Day Giveaway

Looky, Looky, Looky!
Some SUPER AWESOME Mother's Day Giveaways

going on over at 5 Minutes For Mom!

There's Chocolate and an IPod!
There's the neatest baby carrier ever AND
There's a MAKEOVER!

WooHooo! Check it out!

Angie the Ant FUN

I don't talk about them much but I really enjoy visiting the twins at Five Minutes for Mom. They get to work together, have little ones close to the same age AND they are both pregnant right now. How wonderful it must be to have a sister and friend all wrapped up in one!
They are hosting a drawing for an Angie the Ant prize pack.

"We are giving away one limited edition set of Angie the Ant and The Bumblebee Tree with a stuffed plush Angie. Each set is signed and numbered, and only 150 exist! (This limited edition set, along with individual copies of the book and Angie the Ant apparel, are sold through their OFFICIAL Angie the Ant Website. 50% of the profit of this limited edition set is donated to Prevent Child Abuse America.)

If you want to win this limited edition set, just leave a comment before 12:30pm Eastern, Tuesday May 1st. We will announce the winner Tuesday afternoon."

Preventing Child Abuse is something we ALL wish we could help with...so now's your chance!

My naked face!

Looky, looky! I found a drawing for a FUN prize Package package over at Adventures In BabyWearing! She asked that we BARE our faces and post a picture without makeup like those celebrities do. I've seen the celebrity "Before and afters" and they are just downright SCARY!

It's pretty easy to find a photo of me without makeup. I hardly EVER wear makeup. :D SO I was all ready for this contest/drawing. I know this one isn't real "close up" but if it WERE you'd be able to see all my wrinkles.
Which is why it ISN'T and which is why I don't HAVE any close up photos of me. Ewwww!

No big deal to show my naked face...but if it wins me a WONDERFUL prize package from our generous hostess, I'm willing to risk it all. :D

Go check out the fun and get your name in the drawing. Have a blessed day!!

My top 5 Mommy Beauty secrets

My AMAZING friends over at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas have come up with another awesome contest! They have arranged for two of us to win a $50 shopping spree at Loose Lips NY! That is so funky how their page just kinda faaaaaades in when you click the link. Then, when you exit, it does this closing-circle thingy.

Oooooo - Aaaaaaaah!

I wish I was that cool!

OK, OK! Back to the contest now. They would like participants to write about their "top five makeup and beauty hints, tips and secrets". For someone who is lucky if she's coherent enough to remember to put on her deodorant, let's see how I do.

Hmmm, now. Let me think.

Uhhhhhh...OH! I got it! My super-colossal, Fantabulous, fantasmagorical...

TOP FIVE MOMMY-OF-FOUR BEAUTY/MAKEUP HINTS!

1. Yogurt is good for your skin. Seriously! When one of my kids was a baby, she ADORED rubbing yogurt in her hair and all over her face and torso. And she has the MOST gorgeous skin with a little cute beauty spot on her right cheek! Try it sometime. But make sure it isn't the kind with fruit chunks. Not so fun.

2. When you go out the door in the morning, try to make sure there are no dried boogies on the shoulder of your shirt. This one is a definite must if you wish to appear lovely and poised!

3. Do not use mascara that is older than your oldest child. My oldest is 13 and that 14 year-old mascara just BURNS! Plus I looked like I'd been crying. So that got me some sympathy for most of the day. And a couple of hints on how to get rid of allergies.

4. It is NOT a fashion statement to take your kids to school with your clothes on inside out. And your hair not brushed. Because you never know who you will run into! (like the 1st grade teachers' buff blond firefighter hubby - YIKES). That's why I always lay my clothes out in the proper order and turned right-side out BEFORE I fall into bed. So when I get up in the morning, I can just slide into them half asleep, jam my AC/DC "For Those About To Rock" baseball hat on my head and jet off to the local elementary. And coffee drive thru. You know. Have to. Not a choice!

5. And lastly, sleep is your friend. Try to get at least two uninterrupted hours. It will keep the Louis Vuitton luggage under your eyes from becoming unmanageable. And if you CAN'T get enough sleep, then we are SO lucky to have great people like the

Loose Lips NY! crew to provide us with concealer to hide those unsightly bags. Not to mention the infant teethmarks on your cheek. Or the bruise on the bridge of your nose from when the toddler head-butted you last week.

There you go, ladies! My top 5 tricks to a more stunning you. Enjoy!

OH, Heavenly Days! I WON!!

I WON! I WON! I WON!
**Jumping up and down, giggling and clapping my hands like a five-year-old**

As most of you know, I am a CHBM's groupie. I write for them, I read the other lady's stuff, I join the meme's and, MOST CERTAINLY, enter the drawings/contests for FREE STUFF!!

Well, last week I wrote a post for a contest to win $50 in merchandise from the All Mom's Go To Heaven fashion boutique. I entered not only for the free stuff...which is always cool...but because I appreciate this company's philosophy of recognizing mothers for all they do "behind the scenes". She even has a page on her site HERE to nominate your favorite mother for a weekly drawing!

When I receive my generous, wonderful, amazing, beautiful gifts from All Mom's Go To Heaven, I'll post some pictures so you can see how very COOL they are!

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

Do I deserve to go to Heaven?

**ALERT ~ ALERT ~ ALERT**

It's an AWESOME CONTEST over at the Crazy Hip Blog Mama's website. You can win some great stuff from the All Moms Go To Heaven store.

Ahhhh, but there's a catch. You have to WRITE something.

AND there's a SECOND catch...it has to be FUNNY.

OH BOY!

So here we go, ladies and germs.
My top ten reasons why

ALL MOMS GO TO HEAVEN

1. If you can change a poopie diaper that has gone up the back and down the legs without chucking up your cookies, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
2. If you can endure being asked "Why, Mom?" three-hundred-sixty-three times in one day AND come up with an answer EACH time, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
3. If you can survive spring break without running down the street tearing your hair out screaming like a mad woman, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
4. If you don't blush eight shades of red when you hear the question "Mom, where do babies come from?", YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
5. If your "Mommy-Radar" comes on when things are TOO quiet and you catch the kid before he hits the floor, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
6. If you can open the bathroom door and discover your child covered in your makeup without screaming bloody-murder...and eventually see the upside of the situation (You can go buy new makeup!), YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
7. If you can survive waking up every two hours around the clock for at least four months without putting the offending "little alarm" clock up for adoption, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
8. If you can endure the bodily-fluids marathon (wipe a snotty nose, get puked on and change a poopy hiney all in one day), YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
9. If you have ever wondered WHY you signed up for this job in the first place at 5pm then wondered how you could ever live without him at 9pm as you watch him sleep, YOU DESERVE TO GO TO HEAVEN.
10. And the top reason why MOMs deserve to go to heaven...for all the times you saved the child's life...or at the least, chose not to kill him.

Ah, well, it may not be all that humorous. And I may not even be eligible because I write for CHBM's weekly (even though it is volunteer) ~ but you know what? it was fun writing it anyway.