Entering these contests today:
1. Camera giveaway at Pioneer Woman
2. Bath products at href="http://southernhospitalityblog.com/giveaway-
winners/giveaways/bauble-bath-giveaway/">Southern
Hospitality

Really??? That’s all you could offer me today, internet?

Oh well, maybe Friday will bring more chances for bad luck.

Contests entered:28
Contests won: 0

Speaking of luck (and to explain how bad mine is) I got on a pair of roller blades yesterday to work out, and within the first 5 minutes, was flat on my back. My not even one year post-op back. Yep. That one is me!

Anyway, my hurt back (and scraped elbow) will forge ahead!

1. Retweeted to win an iPhone 4 with @dealsplus
2. A fabric giveaway sponsered by 3 Four and Under
3. Wall Art! From O My Family
4. Pleated Poppy! love! from OMF!
5.Roni’s Weigh (super inspiring!) is giving away cold hard cash!

Contests Entered: 26
Contests Won: 0

1. A cool jewelry giveway at Little Miss Momma
2. The O My Family madness continues with an Eco Mom giveaway
3. A Gussy giveaway at OMF. I just heart Gussy.
4. An awesome party kit from Your Memories Captured, courtsey of OMF
5. And an etched portrait from Sullivan and Sawyer at OMF
6. Twitter giveaway (@dealsplus) for an iPhone4.

Shew! I am contested out!

Contests Entered: 21
Contests Won: 0

Anyway, off to the contesting!

1. A tea book giveaway at Southern Hospitality (Entered on Saturday)
2. A beautiful necklace giveaway on decorchick
3. O My Family is celebrating precious O Baby’s first birthday with presents! Expect to see this one alot. Here is a gift card giveaway to hugs&kisses designs
4. Another OMF for a print from Life Verse Designs
5. And another… OMF is giving away a set of notecards from Pear Tree Greetings
6. Still Trying for that iPhone with @dealsplus on Twitter

Contests Entered: 15
Contests Won: 0

And I don’t want to spend more than a little time on each entry.

Contests entered today:

1. Retweet and follow @dealsplus to win Apple product (although this one might have been yesterday’s contest… not sure)
2. Retweet and follow @pricegrabber to win an iPad
3. An office supply giveaway (SQUEE!!!) on I’m an Organizing Junkie
4. $100 giveaway at Southern Hospitality
5. And a Tasty Kitchen give away for a Le Crueset French Oven. Is it a Le Crueset?? Isnt that redundant?

Contests Entered: 9
Contests Won: 0

It does not matter how big or small, I want to enter a contest each day and keep track of it here so after a year I can know if there is anything to be said for entering a lot of contests.

Also, at least at first, I am not going to Google “sweepstakes” or the like- I am going to enter contests and sweepstakes where I come across them in my regular daily surfing of the interwebs.

In the cases where I am entering a sweepstakes from a blog, I will list the link for the blog (credit where credit is due, and all) but in hopes that you will find the blog interesting- not necessarily the contest, because it lowers my chances of winning!

Today, day 1. I am entering:
1. A Scentsy warmer giveaway from Southern Hospitality- I entered this contest by leaving a comment on the post
2. A laundry detergent giveaway on Alice: – another comment
By the way, if you don’t do Alice, you just must. It is wonderful.
3. Twitter contest by following @dealsplus and retweeting to win an Apple product
4. A FiestaWare giveaway on Pioneer Woman

Contests Entered: 4
Contests Won: 0

I got dealt a couple of pretty devastating blows today- one rocking me in my professional life, and the other in my personal. Each, incident threatened to undermine some of my basic assumptions about life. The details are what they are in each situation, but suffice it to say that tears have been shed from 8:15 this morning when I got the first bit, to 4:30 this afternoon as I was getting ready to wrap up my day.

So, now I am faced with a decision. How do I cope, when I am not the main focus of either of these events? How do I support without getting sucked into a situation in which there is no right or wrong? Well, there clearly is a right and a wrong, but I don’t think that anyone is willing to compromise enough to get there.

This is pretty cryptic, no? I am definitely tired and overwhelmed by the sadness of the day. But, I have more people in my life that I am thankful for than I can count, a sweet and sexy man to share my every thought with (and my bed! whee!), a precious baby boy that clamors out of his high chair just to catch a glimpse of me when I get home, and a few raggedy animals to pat on the head as I push them out of my way.

And, I am very thankful for a mom that has led me through life’s many situations with grace, compassion, stubbornness, and resilience. Tomorrow is her birthday, and I am thankful for a day that I get to spend in celebration of her life and all that she means to me. When I got the news this afternoon, she was the first to dissect it with me- even though it is specifically news with which she likely cared nothing for- except that it affects her children and grandchildren. Through 28 years of being your daughter, there has never been a moment in which I was not proud to be your daughter. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you!

Boo!

How do these guys, these very famous guys, think that they are going to get away with cheating on their wives? How do they think that this could possibly be a good idea as their young children, many of them sons, stay home with Mommy and watch her find out that their hero is THIS FALLIBLE?

As I watch TV with my little son this morning, I am devastated by the lack of morality and basic decency in the lives of those we call our “reality.” There is such a dichotomy between what we vocalize to our children and what is shown in the media. Where are the men that will stand up and say that they will not cheat on their wives, will not drag them into a scandal, and will actively work to revoke the man card of any that does?

I certainly don’t mean to get all Nancy Grace here, but I am just severely disappointed. I look at my Kase, and think that he will have a wife someday. How do I teach him that honoring her does not mean doing what feels good? Or that “falling out of love” with her is not a good enough reason to find pleasure elsewhere? As my husband and I watched “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ at the very beginning to see their adorable children and just HOW THEY DO IT! with 8 children, Kaleb told me that his gut said that something was wrong with their marriage. He, apparently, called it, because now we see what they had worked so hard for fall completely apart. Their own selfishness cost them the ultimate gift to their children- an example of what marriage should be.

Personally, I have a lot of pent up anger about and history with cheating and divorce, and the cases that continue to present themselves make me even more disappointed and distrustful toward the men in our society. I do know that this is not only a man’s problem- and women, myself included, must contend with the temptation that immediate gratification in the arms of another offers. I have been tempted, I have nearly given in, and I have resisted thanks to God and thanks to the long-term gratification that I find in the arms of my one true love.

I do write this selfishly. I am disgusted, but I am at heart a cheerleader. Let’s honor one another! Let’s commit and mean it! Let’s raise our children to understand the meaning of a promise, and equip them with the ability to keep those promises. Finally, let’s be the example. And let’s not simply accept those that choose the easy way our of their own misery. That is a boat with a wake too big for some to survive.

Nine months of carrying this little boy have been the most life-changing thing I have ever gone through. Kaleb and I have spent a lot of time reflecting on this pregnancy lately. We have thought about the initial reticence when we found out we were pregnant- not that we weren’t trying, we just thought we had a little more time to get used to the idea. How that reticence has changed to acceptance and then to uncontrollable excitement and nervous anticipation in the last weeks is truly one of the miracles God has worked in both our lives. This baby has been loved since the moment we knew we were going to have him, but only recently has that love overtaken the uncertainty we initially felt.

Our pastor recently said in a sermon that “the only thing worse than waiting is wishing that you had.” Those words have new meaning for me. Kaleb and I waited seven and a half years before deciding to start a family- and I am so grateful that we did. The assurance that I have, not only in our marriage, but in our readiness to be parents, is unmatched by any other assurance in my earthly life.

We are about to leave our house as a couple- and come home a family. I know millions have gone through this, but I feel like I am the first person ever to experience this. I am about to go meet my son. My number one son. What an amazing feeling.

Even if I do feel like I am going to puke.

I try hard not to dwell on the things that I can’t wait to get back to after he is born, but it is a little hard when even the simplest of activities can cause you to cry out in pain. So, I thought I would just go ahead and get them off my chest. That way, maybe I can focus on being grateful for my little guy.

I can’t wait to get back to exercising to the point that I sweat. As much as I hated running before, I can’t wait to be out of breath from a good three miles- instead of from walking from the car to my front door. I cant wait to be able to tie my shoes without going into convulsions. I cant wait to sleep on one side all night long- or maybe even on my stomach if I feel like it! I can’t wait to fit through narrow openings again! I cant wait to lift something heavy without someone saying “You shouldnt be lifting that!”; which reminds me how much I cant wait to get back to lifting weights! Oh, and I definitely cant wait to not go to the doctor every week and be weighed and pee in a cup. I cant wait to be able to think or talk or dwell on anything other than birth. I cant wait… oh, wait, that is too gross to mention… And speaking of which, I cant wait to stop learning about gross things that happen during pregnancy!

Most of all, I can’t wait to be Kase’s mommy. He is already such a huge part of our lives, but waking up with him and being the one that he relies upon for food, comfort and nurturing is a pleasure that I am not sure that I can even put into words, I am so giddy with anticipation. I think back to a time when I was convinced that I did not want to have children. I see that girl that was inside me and I am so grateful for the changes that God has made in my heart. I am also grateful for the things that have remained a central part of me.

I am so anxious to share my wonderful family with him- to show him how parents and in-laws celebrate one another in success and support each other in failure. There is a lot of pain in the world, but he is going to learn so much good from the many people in my life. Growing up Rutherford (and Hoekstra and Winn and Fitts) is going to be an adventure that this little boy will learn to cherish as much as I have learned to cherish my childhood. Imagining him with my family is one of the most exciting parts of his entering the world. I cant wait for him to learn how much he is loved by so many people. Whether he comes in 9 days, or 12, or tomorrow, he is the luckiest little boy I know because he gets to share the group of people that have shaped and molded me- and for whom I am so grateful.