Keep yourself connected even when your battery is dragging like a mom right before bedtime.
The kids are back to school, but there’s no rest for the weary! With the school year in full swing, there’s no slowing down. In fact, things can start getting pretty hectic with your work, your kids’ homework, after-school clubs, sports, music lessons, carpools, birthday parties, and play dates . . . the list goes on and on!
Even the most organized of Moms will tell you things can change at the last minute, and you, of all people, can’t afford to run out of power . . . we mean for your phone or tablet, of course!
And you’re in luck because myCharge knows how important it is for you to stay charged and connected all day–and all school year–long, so they’re giving the gift of portable power. You’ll never be left in the red again!
To keep you charged and connected myCharge is giving 3 lucky winners each an iPad mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger!
The amazingly compact Hub 6000 features built-in cables and connectors for smartphones, tablets, e-readers and more. Get up to 27 hours of additional talk time for your devices, as well as integrated, quick-charge wall prongs. The Hub series is commonly known as the “Swiss Army Knife of portable power devices.”
You NEED this in your life!
Additionally, 40 winners will each receive an Energy Shot compact portable charger for their smartphones that delivers an additional boost when you need it most. They come in a variety of styles and can give you up to 10 hours of talk time! (Please note, smart phone not included in giveaway).
So cute and functional!
So Moms, stay out of the red this school year! myCharge is here to keep you charged and connected! For more information on products visit the myCharge website or follow them on Facebook. You can find myCharge products at retailers such as Target and Kohl’s.
Giveaway is open from September 15, 2014 until October 15, 2014. Fill out the entry form below for your chance to be one of 40 winners to receive an Energy Shot Charger (10 winners randomly selected each week) and one of 3 grand prize winners randomly selected on October 15, 2014 to receive one iPad Mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older, must live in the United States and have a valid shipping address. See giveaway form for complete list of rules and details.
Once upon a time we had little girls who loved to dress up as princesses. They loved Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Cinderella, and Belle.
Ellen’s girls circa 2007 and 2013. What’s that sound you hear? It might be her sniffling. Shut up.
But as little girls are wont to do, they grew up. Now they no longer dress up, unless it’s for prom or homecoming, but we’ll tell you a secret . . . they still love princesses. And we all love Frozen! Sister power all the way!
We’re a little misty eyed that our daughters are beyond playing with dolls, but to quote Elsa, we’re going to “Let it go!” and help you celebrate the little girls in your life with a HUGE Disney Frozen Toy Giveaway!
These toys are next to impossible to find. Luckily, Stephanie from Binkies and Briefcases just so happened to be at Target at the exact same time that they were restocking the shelves and she scored an entire lot of toys from Disney’s Frozen. Yes, she even found an Elsa doll! And lucky for you she included us in her awesome giveaway. The grand prize is $120 worth of toys all going to one lucky winner.
What better way to cool off in July than with some Frozen treats?
One Grand Prize winner will receive:
One Color Change Elsa Doll
One Color Change Anna Doll
One Set of Toddler Anna and Elsa Dolls
And One Magical Lights Palace Play Set
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, ages 18 and up. No purchase necessary to win. Binkies and Briefcases is responsible for prize shipment. One winner will be notified via email and receive a prize package via US Mail. In the event the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
Facebook used to be the land of ease and happiness. You would post something, and ::gasp::, the people who had “Liked” your Page would see it. Now Facebook is as tedious as a seventh grade algebra class with its algorithms and formulas. You can have thousands of followers and because of the “new social media math,” your posts will be seen by 278. As Victor Luckerson wrote for TIME, “The Free-Marketing Gravy Train is Over on Facebook.”
You may think, “Quit your whining and, furthermore, why bother? Just let Facebook go and move on to Google+ and Twitter.” However, the cold, hard facts are that many companies offering paid blogging opportunities still want to see your number of Facebook followers. Those numbers can equal cash in your PayPal.
So how to increase those numbers? Facebook wants you to pay for promotion, but if Veritasium is to be believed, and he presents a very good case, promoting for “Likes” can actually send your engagement spiraling into the toilet. We have sadly seen this happen to friends. What is the point of getting new “Likes” if Facebook then shows your posts to 8% of your followers? It certainly is not worth the $100 Facebook personally wants to charge us to promote a SINGLE post. Boo Facebook.
But we have found and tested another way to get our Page hopping that is actually, dare we say, fun: The Facebook Flash Giveaway (FF Giveaway).
This type of giveaway became possible when Facebook changed its promotion guidelines on Aug. 27, 2013. You are now allowed to run a giveaway directly on your Page’s timeline whereas you had to use a third party app before.
This is a round robin type giveaway lasting 24 hours where people can move from linked Page to Page entering a separate giveaway on each one. The last Page in line links to the first Page in line. It’s like infinity personified.
It is also quick, cheap, and easy.
To get started, you need:
A group of friends to make up your round robin whom you can trust to start and stop the giveaway on time and send out their prizes. At least four other Pages need to participate to create momentum.
A prize valued between $10 and $20.
This prompt:
**FLASH GIVEAWAY!**
Because I appreciate my Facebook fans, I would like to give one of you [insert your prize here] (open to US only)!
HOW TO ENTER: Like my page and this post, and simply leave a comment on this post [insert your comment prompt here]!
This is the giveaway that keeps on giving! There are [some number] other bloggers involved in this giveaway! Hop through to [link to the name of Page after you] to enter her giveaway and to find out where to go next! Hurry, this FLASH GIVEAWAY ends in 24 hours!
*This giveaway is sponsored by [insert your Facebook Page here] and is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Giveaway is only open from [Day, date, and time including time zone] until [Day, date, and time zone 24 hours later]. One winner will be selected at random and will be announced (and tagged) in another post.
Now the How-To Steps:
1.Select Your Participants
As mentioned before, these should be trustworthy people because if one person does not post on time, the round robin flops. You need at least four other Pages to make it fun, but consider that the more people involved, the more unwieldy it can become. We had seven Pages in our FF Giveaway.
2. Discuss Prizes
The great thing is, because there are so many cumulative prize opportunities, no prize has to be extravagant. Gift cards are fantastic because you can electronically send them and have the contest ended and wrapped up in fifteen minutes. But make sure participants have a chance to discuss so everyone is not giving away the same retailer or there is an (embarrassing) discrepancy in amounts. We gave away a “Suburban Survival Pack”: a copy of Suburban Haiku and a $15 Starbucks E-Gift Card.
Have each participant make her comment prompt tie in with her prize. Ours was “simply leave a comment on this post letting us know if you live in the suburbs, city, or country!”
3. Make a Graphic for Promotion
A good size for Facebook is a 1200 x 1200. We use PicMonkey for all of our editing needs. Behold what we created for our FF Giveaway.
4. Determine the Order
We roughly ordered the Pages from most amount of followers to least amount of followers. We sent this out in an email to the participants along with what prizes had been selected.
5. Determine the Time
Be careful that everyone is clear about the time zone. We had a participant in California so we chose the start and stop times as 11:00 AM EDT. Agreement about the end time is even more crucial because everyone must be available to edit their status updates to read “This Contest Has Ended.”
6. Schedule your Status Update
No one has to hover poised over her keyboard to publish on time because of the Facebook Scheduling Tool. Cut and paste your prompt then schedule for the designated start time.
One very important note: Only post your giveaway prompt ONCE or you will muddle your winner selection.
7. Promotion
You can write a blog post promoting the giveaway, but we did not. We just posted a teaser on Facebook the day before. On the day of, we promoted on Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest using the graphic and the URL for our Facebook status update.
IMPORTANT: You can NEVER ask for the status update to be SHARED. This violates Facebook guidelines.
Here is how you get that URL:
This is how we promoted the FF Giveaway update on Facebook the next morning.
8. Pin Your Status Update to The Top of Your Wall
One of the beautiful things about the FF Giveaway is that people are actually being directed to your Page instead of just interacting with you in the Newsfeed. Your lovely Facebook cover photo will actually be seen (make sure it’s good) and maybe you can hook in some new blog fans. But you must make sure the FF Giveaway post is the first thing they see when they visit. Since you’ll probably post other things during the 24 hours the contest is running, you will need to “pin” your post to the top.
9. Relax for 24 hours.
Whistle, whistle. Twiddle thumbs. We’re just kidding. We meant you don’t have to do anything else to tend to the contest. You still have to wipe noses, find shoes, and taxi everyone around.
10. End the Contest
At the end time, go in and edit the status (you can see the edit option in the previous image) by adding at the top: **This Giveaway Has Ended**. Unpin the update from the top of your Page.
11. Select a Winner
So easy. There’s an app that will select your winner from the comments and let you notify him or her directly through Facebook: Rafflecopter Facebook Flash Giveaway App.
Important: The app only shows your last seven status updates. For us, our giveaway was status number 9. Waa, waaa. We had to go back to our Facebook Page, delete two posts that were more recent than our contest, and then relaunch the app. Voilà, our giveaway now appeared as a choice, but it would have been easier to not post as many things during the contest period.
So you select your post, click on “Pick a Random Winner” and the app gives you a name within seconds. You can click on the envelope beside the name to contact him or her immediately. We always take screenshots of our winners, just to cover our bases.
Important: The app is run through the personal account you used to create your Page. The winner will be notified through your personal account, so if you don’t want that to happen, you should contact through your Page and NOT use the envelope icon.
12. Get your winner’s details and send out the prize!
Benefits:
For minimal effort and cost, each participating Page (with followers ranging from 8,400 to 800) got around 40 new “Likes” in the 24 hours.
These were high quality “Likes” that were apt to stay around and engage because they were “referred” from similar genre Pages.
We entertained our followers. We got so much positive feedback about how fun the contest was.
Our “Talking About This” Facebook number rose to %115 of our followers; something we had not seen in a long time and something that kept the “Likes” rolling in even after the contest had ended.
Cons:
Explaining to our friends exactly what a Facebook Flash Giveaway was, but now YOU have this post.
So go try your own giveaway, but first, could you give us a little “Like” on Facebook? You saw that coming, right?
Do you love reading? Enjoy free stuff? Did you miss the boat on summer’s GIGANTIC, multi-blog reading giveaway and you want another chance to win?!?! Well, we’ve delivered, except for one tiny difference – this time, it’s EVEN BIGGER!
Even more of your favorite bloggers have joined together to bring you the hugest giveaway on the innerwebz – you are not going to believe this prize package.
Seriously.
Now that the kids are back in school, maybe you find yourself with a little extra free time for reading grown-up people books with grown-up people words in them. Maybe, as the autumn air gets chillier, you’re looking for an excuse to snuggle up under a blanket. Whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure: you need some great stuff to read. Thus, we bring you…
THE BIGGEST FALL READING GIVEAWAY EVER!
First off, we’ve collected practically an entirely new library for you – nine (9) (NINE!!!) new books to make you laugh, cry, and forget that you were supposed to turn on the crockpot because you’re just plain having too much fun.
You Have Lipstick On Your Teeth, the long-awaited first humor anthology from In The Powder Room, is the #1 Hot New Release on Amazon for good reason – it’s packed with 39 (mostly) true tales by women, for women, about being women—bodily changes, relationships, careers, motherhood, aging, illness, and more—written with the humor and grit that proudly sets In The Powder Room apart. The winner’s shiny new copy will be signed by none other than Lipstick co-author and editor, Leslie Marinelli of The Bearded Iris!
Do you have a copy of the best-selling collection of hilarious essays, I Just Want To Pee Alone, yet? Well, I bet you don’t have a copy signed by four of the co-authors – Amy Bozza of My Real Life signed one with Kim Bongiorno, Kim Forde and Anna Sandler, and she’s willing to part with it JUST FOR YOU! It covers every parenting topic from planning for your baby, to being driven insane by your children, to… wait, are there other parenting topics? Yes, don’t be silly, of course there are. We’re pretty sure.
From Abby Has Issues, you’ll get a signed paperback copy of Abby Still Has Issues, the 5-star rated second installment of award-winning humor writer Abby’s compiled blogging neurosis – everything from the drama of a cab ride with Aunt Mable to her quest to become a naked sushi model.
Carriage Before Marriage has two stories in the hilarious, irreverent anthology What Was I Thinking: 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories featuring essays from Carrie Fisher, Sex and The City producer Cindy Chupack and more. Romantic disasters spun into comedy gold for your entertainment!
Janie Emaus is offering up a autographed paperback copy of her smart and compelling young adult book, Mercury In Retro Love – a story about crushes, conflicts and astrological confusion.
You’ll also win an autographed copy of Not Your Mother’s Book…on Being a Parent, co-authored by Stacey Hatton of Nurse Mommy Laughs. These new anthologies are edgy “poultry for the chakra” books and will have you laughing instead of crying.
Of course your library won’t be complete without a signed paperback copy of the best selling debut of humorist Paige Kellerman, At Least My Belly Hides My Cankles – a touching story of cankles, gestational diabetes, and one woman’s quest not to pee her own pants while carrying twins.
Still want more parenting laughs? Parenting Gag Reel – Hilarious Writes and Wrongs (from the popular Life Well Blogged series) is for moms and dads who’ve fought to get little ones down for a nap, worn their pajamas to drop off the kids at school or can name at least ten shades of poop. If that’s you, you’re in the right place for an afternoon of laughter, thanks to some very funny bloggers, including Snarkfest.
But wait – that’s not all! Because we love you and we know that just WANTING to read doesn’t always get you the time, setting, and accessories that make it possible, we’re also including all of this:
Because it’s hard to concentrate on reading while the kids are awake, we’ll set you up with the customizable kid’s photo clock of your choice from ZAZOO KiDS! In addition to allowing you to upload your own photos, video and music, it has pre-programmed image alarms to show a child visually when they can start the day or when it is time to rest. Brilliant! For maximum reading time, we recommend setting bedtime to 4 PM.
Because they might still need a little help staying in bed, there’s Duck Tape. Everyone can find a fun and creative use for Duck Tape, from crafty tweens to practical DIYers, to mamas who just want to read for a minute, for Pete’s sake. We’re giving away an awesome prize pack of Duck Tape in assorted colors and patterns.
Because sometimes Mama needs a little glass of something while she reads, you’ll get a monogrammed Vino-2-Go for those special times when you need to be the classiest bi0tch at the party, or when you’re just afraid you might spill some precious vino on your precious book.
Because you need to be comfortable while you read, we’re bringing you your choice of one throw pillow from Sewn, Inc. Sewn is a small design atelier in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in dressmaking, custom Halloween costumes for children, home decor accents, and quilted Christmas stockings.
Because you might be out and about while you’re reading (hey, it could happen), the winner will also get a $30 gift certificate to the Jennifer Ladd shop on Etsy, which is chock full of gorgeous handbags and change purses.
Because you’ll need something clean for your kids to wear if you hope to put off the laundry one more day, let us introduce you to Nostalgic Graphic Tees by Elizabeth Horton. Brushed for softness and screen printed using multiple layers of environmentally friendly ink, you’ll be happy when this becomes your child’s favorite shirt because it’ll stand up to life and washings and still look good enough to hand down to a little brother or sister. Winner gets to choose any tee from the Etsy site. That’s winner’s choice! You just have to pick from a size in stock.
Because you’ll need something cozy to “borrow” from your husband’s closet while you read (or because you’re the husband whose cozy stuff keeps getting “borrowed,” or because you just happen to like reading and comfort), Cool Dads is providing one of their tees. They work hard to make tees that their kids would dig, and that they would be proud to wear too. They feature a tailored fit, custom stitching, and high quality bamboo viscose material that makes their shirts softer than the softest cotton, keep you degrees cooler, and even repel sweat to keep you dry.
Because people are always trying to take the few things around your house that aren’t made by Fisher Price (like your new fantastic book collection) and claim them as their own, label them in style with Name Bubbles. These sturdy, water-resistant and dishwasher safe labels come in a variety of colors, sizes, and fonts so you can personalize them just the way you want. We’re giving away a School Labels Pack, an assortment of over 80 labels!
Because we know you’ll get interrupted while you’re trying to read, you’ll get a $40 gift card to Snappin Studio, where they make unique hand stamped metal keepsakes like beautiful copper bookmarks. What a stylish way to keep track of where you left off, until you’re finished getting the kids just one more glass of water at 10:30 PM! Shop for gorgeous hand stamped metal gifts such as personalized guitar picks, unique anniversary gifts, handmade wedding favors and more.
Also, because we know we’re all just barely holding it together ourselves, we’re including a canvas I Just Want To Pee Alone tote bag so YOU can hold all this stuff together – super rare and totes adorable, you’ll be able to carry all this incredible loot in style.
And finally, because we know we might have forgotten something (Who, US???), the lucky winner will also get a $175.00 Amazon gift card, to spend however he or she wants, although we strongly suggest using it to buy the giveaway hosts something pretty.
That’s almost $700 worth of fantastic prizes!
NOW FOR THE NITTY-GRITTY:
To qualify: You must have a deep, burning desire to own all or part of the stuff mentioned above, and live in the United States. (So sorry, non-United States friends – we love you big time, but we don’t understand your sweepstakes rules and don’t enjoy serving jail time. Also, POSTAGE. Gah. It’s, like, more than college tuition.)
Required: Do the little Rafflecopter thingy. Winner will be chosen at random and notified after the giveaway closes on Saturday, October 5. If there’s no response from the winner within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen and so on until we decide just to keep everything for ourselves. (We’re kidding, of course. OR ARE WE? Yes, we’re kidding.)
Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .
One of the most entertaining things about writing a weekly wrap-up is seeing how the Facebook updates and blog posts shake down and flow together. We love to find a common thread for these follow-ups but we never go into a week planning a theme; we just have to look in the rear view mirror and see what happened. You know, like when you swerve to miss a chipmunk and you look back praying there isn’t a bloody mess? Well anyway, for this week the common thread is seriously “Poop and Party.” See if you agree.
I put up a funny graphic about toilet paper this morning. A reader commented about some people using cloth squares instead because of the fear of the chemicals in toilet paper.
I must get your opinions:
How do you feel about reusable toilet paper?
Click here to see the hilarious discussion. Things like “Hell NO!” may have been muttered more than once. Even many fans of cloth diapers couldn’t get on board with this. We were wondering who had enough time in their lives to wash, dry, and snap back together this Etsy roll. Our toilet paper spindles are left empty enough of the time as it is.
The party is going on at Finding the Funny! There’s still time to link up your own humorous post or just scroll around for something to brighten your day. You know what brightened Ellen’s day? Avoiding this disaster:
But what’s a party without gifts?
Well how about a chance to win a Custom Facebook Cover made by the fabulous graphic designer Sara at Cormier Creative? That would give your blog or even your personal Facebook page a boost.
Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. (And be sure to visit Sara at Cormier Creative!) Giveaway ends on Sunday, June 16 at midnight.
We’ve Found Bloggers to Love Who See the Humor in Poop Too
Science of Parenthood is our new blog crush. Created by Norine and Jessica, their tagline says it all – “Because raising kids defies all reason, logic and most of the laws of the universe.” Go check them out. There are more illustrations where this one came from. They have a whole The Scoop On … Poop (And Other Potty-Related Things) Pinterest board.
While you’re checking people out on the party scene, we recommend you follow us, too. You can squeeze it in before going to the store for more toilet paper.
In fact, you can follow us in all of these places.
Being sensible is kind of our schtick. It’s in our name for crying out loud. But every once in a while I wonder about myself.
I began the other day to clean out the basement. Sensible, right? My youngest is 12 years old and we still had moldy Play-Doh sets and ancient preschool supplies taking up valuable real estate on our shelves. A truly sensible woman probably would have gotten to it sooner, but as I delved deeper, I had bigger things to worry about than my sensibility. I unearthed something that made me question my sanity:
Do you see the size of this bag!?!
Who in their right mind would buy a bag of glitter this big? That is a quart of iridescent disaster. I have NO recollection of purchasing it. Do you know the amount of destruction a toddler could wreck if she got her grimy mitts on this? Of course you do and the answer is epic. An epic amount of destruction. They don’t call glitter the herpes of craft supplies for nothing. My only redemption is that the bag was never opened. I may have been crazy enough to buy it, but thankfully I came to my senses before I used it. This little beauty is on its way to Goodwill. Consider it my gift to society. -Ellen
To further redeem our sensible name, we have some crafty-craft to giveaway with no vacuuming required or necessary. Actually, no work on your part is required whatsoever to make the fabulous happen.
Intrigued?
Sara from Cormier Creative is a fabulous graphic designer and has helped countless women bring their blog (and brand) to the next level.
She recently gave Anna at My Life and Kids a total brand makeover (see her magic here) and today, she’s giving away a FREE Facebook cover design to one of you.
Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. (And be sure to visit Sara at Cormier Creative!) Giveaway ends on Sunday, June 16 at midnight.
Link up an old or new funny post. Link up as many times as you want (we’re serious.) The party is open until Friday at midnight. The earlier you link up, the more clicks you’ll get. Click around and meet the other funny bloggers that are linking up. Follow the Finding the Funny Pinterest board. We’ll all be pinning our favorites throughout the month. We don’t ask you to link back to us or include a button on your blog, but we do ask you to send out a tweet or post about the party on your Facebook page. Be sure to use #findingthefunny.
Okay ladies, it’s time to take back Mother’s Day and celebrate it in the way you desire. We may or may not have some teeny weeny problems with the workload and hoopla that surrounds this supposed day of honor. While we all love the handmade gifts and cherish them to pieces, we want to empower you to get your own gift, a gift that celebrates the truth of what it really means to be a mother. What is that gift you ask?
I Just Want To Pee Alone!
This book is a compilation of essays on motherhood from some of our most favorite bloggers on the web. If only this had been around when we were new moms. Some of the things that happened during those early years just bordered on the ridiculous and we thought maybe we were “doing it wrong.” How great it would have been to have these stories not only for commiseration, but to lighten us up so that we could find the funny. This book is hilarious, tender, true and a reassurance that imperfection is normal.
We found ourselves wanting to leave each author a comment about what we thought about her piece. Blogging is about interaction. So since we do have access via the wonder that is social media (how cool is that?) we posed this question to several of the authors:
“How has it been having your words out there in book form without the immediate response and interaction you are use to having on your blogs?”
“Hmmmm….. For me it’s been really weird. Mine is towards the back, and I’m really used to people commenting right away on my blog posts – usually before I even get out of bed in the morning. So I immediately know if what I wrote was good or not. And my mom always calls me to talk about my post too, so I’m really used to that feedback too. I didn’t realize how important that feedback was to me (or those comments) until this book. I haven’t heard from a single person that has read my essay (not fishing for compliments here, I swear!). My mom hasn’t even read it. I’ve heard nothing. And it feels weird. And vulnerable.”
Our comment to Anna: You nailed the feeling of disconnect we have with our bodies after giving birth, the feeling that they are no longer our own . . . and you made us laugh with your imagery. Sad elephant indeed!
“It has been such a strange process! Instead of reading comments from the safety of the moffice, I get IRL (In Real Life) comments. I stand there like a deer in the headlights, praying that they liked it and hoping not to blurt out inappropriate comments about Susan’s 2 vagina’s. My mouth does not have a delete button, unfortunately.”
Our comment to Kerry: Why weren’t you there to tell our younger selves we were rocking it? We love ourselves now, but there was A LOT to love back then.
“When I put something out there on my blog (or Facebook, etc) I can immediately see people’s “Likes” and comments, whether they shared my post, and – if they did share it – what they said to the people they shared it with. There is immediate gratification: It Was Good or It Was Actually Not All That Good. Not only do I get the pleasure of not knowing whether people liked my essay, I get to feel the pressure of being the opening essay. So if mine sucked, would it hurt those in the back of the book? Would people skim my chapter in the book store and say “Meh. Not this time…”? When I am on my own, I’m on my own. This time, if what I wrote wasn’t good, it affected the others after me. Which makes me mumble anxious curses under my breath and reach for the wine.”
Our comment to Kim: No need to worry because you started the book off with a bang. You painted such a vividly hilarious picture of your time as a spa starfish, we felt like we were there with you every step of the way. Is that awkward?
“I’m still convinced mine is all wrong for the book. Not the right voice. So when I’ve had a positive comment or two trickle in, not at all like blog comments, I’m shocked, surprised, and more gratified then I would have imagined. But nothing compares to seeing friends I know outside the blogosphere buying the book and posting pictures of it to Facebook while I wait for them to let me know if they liked my piece or not. Most of my tangible, reach-out-and-touch-them friends don’t comment on my blog posts, so maybe silence is par for the course. Or maybe I crashed and burned. Maybe I don’t want to hear from them, after all.”
Our comment to Nicole: You did not crash and burn, my dear. You shone a spotlight filtered with humor on the ridiculousness of the parenting pissing contest. This line has stuck with us in particular: “We can’t judged ourselves but procreation; it’s a measure of nothing more than the result of biology doing its thing.”
“I’m glad to know I’m not the only one used to getting immediate gratification.<== that sounds weird! It’s been a thrill watching it climb the charts and seeing other bloggers review it. But I haven’t heard any feedback about MY essay and it’s odd. I don’t know what to think. My husband laughed at some of the others and didn’t say a word about mine. So I just don’t ask. But seeing the reviews on Amazon, the comments from people about the book in general getting them to laugh out loud after a crappy day- that is all worth it. Regardless of personal feedback- it’s still been awesome and I would do it again.”
Our comment to Rebecca: You created the best, funniest analogy for middle aged sex we have ever had the pleasure of reading. Life is lived more in the quickie showers than the long bubble baths anyway.
“I am really grateful for the opportunity to tell my story even if no one else liked it, but it’s been hard not getting much feedback. I know I’m not a popular blogger so I shouldn’t expect much, but it’s very easy to get paranoid that my essay stinks and doesn’t fit at all. I saw one review yesterday that did mention mine and it was very kind, so I started feeling tearful with gratitude and wanted to reach out and squeeze the woman, but I have no idea who she is. That is so different than a blog comment which you can always reply to!”
Our comment to Meredith: Your essay masterfully captured what it is like to be a daughter losing her mother. You expressed the tenderness, humor, and solemnity that washes over death and loss in waves. We were left not only thinking your essay was a great addition to the book, but that we would love to have you on our emotional support team any day.
“It’s strange and a little nerve-wracking not to have immediate commentary on something I’ve written, like I’m used to on the blog. But on top of that, my blog posts seem so much more fleeting – whether one tanks or takes off, it quickly gets buried under the rest of the week’s posts. This essay is like a post that keeps randomly popping up to the top of my blog every day, though! Luckily the book itself has gotten SO many amazing reviews, I just breathe a sigh of relief that, whatever people may or may not think about my essay in particular, at the very least it didn’t completely ruin their overall reading experience. Usually, with my writing, that’s the best praise I can hope for.”
Our comment to Robyn: As usual, you were hilarious. Birth plans usually scare us, but your step by step guide to having babies had us proclaiming, “Right on, Sister!” (and we may or may not have peed our pants.)
“So far all the feedback I’ve received has been fun and positive, and it’s always hilarious to hear people bring up my essay….”Soooooooo. About your vagina(s)……”
Our comment to Susan: No one deserves to have a baby doctor who is a “baby.” The best thing she did that day was give us all a side-splitting story to laugh at . . . and extreme gratitiude that we came out of our respective deliveries with the same number of vaginas we went in there with.
We also need to thank Susan for autographing our giveaway copy of I Just Want To Pee Alone! A copy that has NEVER seen the inside of either one of our bathrooms, we might (need) to add!
Giveaway runs until Midnight Monday, April 22, 2013
“What has been the funniest/weirdest “In Real Life” reaction to your book?”
Tracy said, “I have the hardest time telling people the name of the book because I was raised in a family that doesn’t discuss things that occur in a small room in the house that has a toilet and a sink. So, I blush every time I mention it. Which – is a tie in to my piece in the book about how I cannot teach my children anatomically correct terminology.”
Teri said, “So far, my daughter’s reaction to reading my submission has been my favorite. In my essay, I mention that my kid will eat food off the floor or a cheese stick that’s been sitting in her lunch bag for 2 weeks but I can’t get her to load the dishwasher without rubber gloves. Her response upon reading that part: I don’t eat food off the floor…………anymore.”
Lisa and Ashley said, “We were having a “blog meeting” at Starbucks, and we saw a mom neither of us know in real life reading our book. In our excitement we went over to tell her “Hey, we are in that book!” We expected a great reaction and much fanfare. Instead, she was a little standoffish and obviously unamused that we had interrupted her “me time”. She left shortly thereafter and didn’t ask us to sign the book or anything. We guess we gave her too big a “Dose of Reality” all at once!”
So are you getting the drift that you need to get this book and NOW!?! Enter the contest or order a copy to be expressed shipped to you, but just get it. We’ll leave you with the list of “Kick Ass Bloggers” who fill the pages of this perfect Mother’s Day gift.
Welcome to April’s Finding the Funny! Before we start sharing our funny posts, we have a (huge) giveaway!
My Parenting Victory (and a HUGE giveaway)!
My small parenting victory really started out as more of a personal quest: a quest for the perfect green smoothie. I tried so many versions, but let’s just say I had to force them down until I tweaked a recipe to use Chobani yogurt. It is delicious and, well, perfect. Bonus? This bad boy contains 6 cups of spinach!
I was so enthralled with the wonder of this smoothie that I served it to my kids. While my 14 year old thought it was pretty good, my 12 year old was repulsed and she pouted through pursed lips, “Greek yogurt is disgusting!” Oh no! In my hubris, I had flown too close to the sun! Now she wouldn’t eat Greek yogurt! Chobani is so much better than “normal” yogurt because of its higher protein content, lower sugar, and live active probiotic cultures. I had turned her against the perfect food! But in swooped Chobani Champions tubes to save the day!
They are all delicious!
Apparently, it is all in the presentation. Glass of green liquid: bad. Kicky, fun tubes: good. At least for my tween, that is. For me, it’s all good. I get the green smoothies AND the tubes.
-Ellen
Raising kids isn’t easy, but Chobani Champions is all about celebrating the little victories in parenting. Together with Chobani, we wanna make YOU a winner. Enter below to win 1 GRAND PRIZE* of a year’s supply of Chobani and Chobani Champions. Yep, a year’s supply of that delicious, nutritious, protein-packed parenting victory known as Chobani greek yogurt. Our grand prize winner will build a custom case for themselves to be delivered to their doorstep monthly, including 1 case of assorted Champions Flavors, 1 case of assorted Chobani Flavors and a bonus case of either Champions tubes, Chobani Bite or Chobani 32 oz cooking sizes. Every month for a YEAR!*
10 Runners-up will receive one case of Champions Tubes delivered to their doors! Giveaway begins April 2 and ends at midnight April 8. Chobani is gettin’ social to find the good, the bad, the ugly… and a REAL taste of life with kids.
Join all of us on twitter for #spikedpunch Sunday night, April 7 from 9-10pm EST.
Enjoy the party and a chance to win 1 of 2 cases of Chobani tubes! *Giveaway open to residents of the United States only. Grand prize winner will choose from products available at http://chobani.com/products/a Rafflecopter giveaway
We don’t ask you to link back to us or include a button on your blog, but we do ask you to send out a tweet or post about the party on your Facebook page. Be sure to use #findingthefunny.
Mattel has come up with the most brilliant giveaway for Easter! They want us to “Save the Bunny”. How? Instead of loading those Easter baskets full of chocolate and candies, Mattel is promoting “toys instead of chocolate”, encouraging parents to fill those baskets with surprises that inspire hours of creative, healthy, and sugar-free play.
This adorable video heartily endorsed by our kids explains it ALL!!!
It’s like this campaign is speaking to Ellen. Behold the drawer in her daughter’s room where chocolate bunnies go to grow old. That is LAST year’s bunny, folks!
Jellybean doesn’t so much like to EAT the candy as to HAVE the candy.
And what about Erin? She has FIVE kids. If those basket were filled to the brim with chocolate, her dentist might be able to put in that custom fieldstone fire pit. It’s no wonder that we are both fans of filling those baskets with toys.
Meet the Hosts Anna @ 
