From Dates to Diapers and Beyond!

BlogHer: Sponsors, Swag, Fashion & Parties

Christine — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:09:30 +0000

Blogher, the largest conference for women who blog, is just around the corner. While most attendees have already packed, or at least blogged about stressing out over what they are going to wear, I have just now had time to think about all of this. Okay, well, that’s not entirely true since I have been entering into the calendar on my iPhone, each session, dinner or cocktail party that I would like to attend, as I am invited to something I don’t want to miss. Oh, I’ve been shopping some, too, but I digress…

I have some amazing sponsors, this year, for the ultimate BlogHer experience. As one of the ElevenMoms, Walmart has been most influential in getting me, and most of my fellow ElevenMoms, to Chicago. Disney has provided me with funds to contribute to my five days away from home, I’m hoping that I can find some Norma Kamali clothing for travel, and the folks at P&G - on behalf of Tide - have arranged all of my travel to and from the airport in both cities. I even received a fab rolling bag from Campbell’s!

In addition to my amazing above-mentioned sponsors, I have taken the Omron Overstep Your Bounds Challenge. In exchange for a BlogHer sponsorship, I will be competing against five other fabulous & prominent bloggers for the chance to win $5,000 for my favorite charity, from Omron! More on that later.

All of this has already been promised to me for BlogHer, but let’s talk swag for YOU. BlogHer has always been known as the place to receive pretty amazing swag, but this year will take the cake! Make sure you pack an extra suitcase, and budget in that extra luggage fee. From e.l.f. makeup to Crocs shoes, there will be something for everyone. Oh, and don’t forget about all of the swag you can win… Laptops, carseats, and more!

Last year the swag recycle room was full of rubber key-chains and flyers, but this year I’m thinking there will be less of all that. That is, if the sponsors took note!

BlogHer has a reputation for hosting women who love shoes, and can prove it. This year, it’s being kicked up a notch. With celeb fashion authorities on site, everyone is bound to look their best from head to toe. At least that’s the goal, right? Stay tuned for more on BlogHer fashion, but in the meantime check out some tips from Tim Gunn that might help “guide your style” as you decide what to pack.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just remember we all are. It might help to check out the fab, but unofficial, BlogHer’09 planner that the sponsors of BowlHer put together. You can print it out and start planning your own BlogHer fun, just be sure you use a pencil!

Just don’t forget about all the parties!

Multiplayer games mean fun with everyone!

Christine — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:58:31 +0000

Playing computer video games is fun no doubt, but being able to kick it up a notch and play against other kids around the planet in multiplayer games. That’s right, your kids don’t have to sit at a computer competing against a computer they can play games with other kids. This not only teaches them to use strategy and pay attention to what is going on, but it creates friendships that would not otherwise have been forged. With Cranial Crunch your children can join tournaments that highlight their Nickelodeon knowledge; they can take the Rugrats on a food fight frenzy around Paris, or get soaked playing Wave Rave in a multiplayer game where only the best will stay dry.

Of course there’s more to be a kid than food fights and water gun battles, much more. Strategy games are great for getting the mind to work, and that is exactly what happens when you play games that have your kids favorite Nickelodeon characters such as Timmy Turner battling against aliens bent on destroying the earth, or iCarly who is devoted to being green and tries to get her cafeteria into a recycling craze, and your kids won’t get enough of Planktons Krusty Bottom weekly that has them taking pictures like the paparazzi, of the slimy undersea activity in Bikini Bottom.

All in all, Nick.com has hundreds of games that your kids can play, all of them super awesome, none of them boring, and there are enough games to keep even the pickiest of video game players happy, and you as a parent don’t have to worry about the games they are playing, because they are Nick games, with their favorite Nick characters. You, yourself may be surprised to find yourself playing one of the many adventure games or even getting caught up in a food fight in Paris.

3 Things You May Not Know About Us

Christine — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:00:40 +0000

I’ve never participated in one of these MckLinky Blog Hops, but this one looks like fun! So, here we go… Three things you may not know about us:

ONE::
Through World Vision, we sponsor 5 children in as many different countries in Africa, as well as one from Vietnam. Ray and I led a short-term mission trip to Africa in 2003, where we ministered in unsuspecting ways to the natives in Zambia. Since then Ethan, our oldest, talks almost daily about being a missionary, even as he witnesses to the neighbor kids. Someday Ray and I plan to take all of our children to walk the soil of this torn nation, and learn from the Africans as we seek to show Christ through us.

While Ray and I were debriefing with our team in Africa, we went on a safari. The following shows the unexpected…

What this video doesn’t show is that Ray was hanging out of the doors (that wouldn’t close) to catch the footage! As i screamed, i grabbed him and literally pulled him back in to the bus! We had babies at home who needed us!

TWO::
Four years ago, in May, three of our children (babies, really) had pneumonia and were hospitalized for several days. During their stay, KCRA and the Sacramento Bee followed a young girl, named Hana, as she delivered gift bags to all of the children in the pediatric ICU. This little girl had broken her leg not too long before and remembered feeling scared in the hospital, so she wanted to bring a bit of home to the children now in her place. The chipper 7 year old, the cameras and reporters, all made a quick stop in the room where two of our children lay sick in bed. Our kiddos received a fun bag of goodies and a documented report for all to see…

THREE::
People think that Ray and I have it all together. We don’t. Really, we’re just a large family, with lots of boys, trying to stay sane. We lose our temper. We yell. Alot. I am wiped out before my kiddos’ 3 o’clock snack-time. Ray has to pick up a lot of slack most nights, after I declare that I’m done. BUT, we love each other. And, we love our kids. Unconditionally. AND, most importantly, we rest in the promise that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Yes, I did

Christine — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:07:00 +0000

Because I have been asked, more than once, if I did in fact leave Ben and make it across town without him, I decided to finally tell the story. It’s a hard one for me to tell. I get that knot in my stomach, and I start to tear up, just thinking about it. I can assure you that I look in the eyes of each of my kiddos every time I load them in the car now, just to make sure we don’t leave one behind.

So, here it is. The story of when I left Ben at Target…

Back in October I was hurrying through a bunch of errands, with all six kiddos in tow. Not entirely abnormal. But, this particular day had been abnormally stressful. We had been to the post office and the bank, but stopped off at Target just before heading to the grocery store across town. My older kids messed around the entire time we ran up and down the aisles, while Josh and Ben continuously pushed and shoved each other in the over-sized cart. I don’t even want to talk about Noah’s impatient clamors.

Somehow I managed to pay for everything, while keeping my cool, but as we exited the store I began reprimanding my kiddos for their horrible behavior, and off we went. I was still pretty angry when we pulled into the grocery store parking lot not more than 3 minutes away, and I was probably even still yelling at everyone, threatening them to behave while I gathered a few groceries. As each of my little people filed out of the car, I noticed that Ben was missing.

I checked the car for my slowpoke. He had to be hiding from me. But, when I didn’t see him at first glance, I began yelling his name. I soon remembered that it was Ethan’s job to buckle and unbuckle Ben’s seatbelt. Had he done that? Nope. He didn’t remember Ben being in the car at all.

This was when the panic set in as I realized that in my haste and frustration I left Ben at Target!

Everyone literally jumped in the car, I made sure my kiddos were buckled, and raced out of the parking lot, as I cried to the Lord to keep my baby safe. Traffic began to slow along the highway and I saw an accident up ahead, so I called Target to see if they had found my Ben. They put me on hold as I screamed, “he’s only 2!”

The thoughts that go through your head, when you can’t find your child, are not pleasant, let me tell you. I tried to push each one aside, as I prayed that God would hold my baby until I could find him.

As I finally ran through the doors of Target, there was a cluster of employees right in the very spot we had checked out, not more than 10 minutes earlier. And, there on the floor sat my baby, with a pinwheel in his hand.

Perfect

Christine — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:00:54 +0000

The drive-thru attendant rattled off every item I ordered and asked if it was correct. “Perfect,” I replied, thrilled that the teen who took my order got it right the first time.

The following is the conversation my kiddos had, as we pulled up to the window to pay for and gather our order:

Ethan: Nothing is perfect.

Zach: Yes, God is perfect.

Ethan: But, nothing else.

Julia: Daddy is perfect for Mommy.

Ethan: Nobody is perfect, Julia.

Julia: I didn’t say Daddy was perfect. I said he was perfect for Mommy.

Aaaah, that’s my girl!

Robbed

Christine — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:51:36 +0000

Last night I slept like a baby. It had to be that I was dead tired by the time I climbed into bed (more on why later), but I seriously got one of the best nights of sleep in months.

So, I was incredibly surprised this morning, when I woke up with a pain in my neck that literally crawled up through my head and morphed into a migraine, like some horrible alien in a sci-fi film.

Really? Again? This made my fifth migraine in almost the same number of weeks.

I had so much planned today… I wanted to take a walk with my kiddos, a trip to the park with a picnic lunch, get in a bit of snuggle time with my babies, and maybe even get caught up on some emails.

I was robbed of a perfect day.

***7/10 :: P.S. I forgot to tell you that I’ve had a ridiculous time getting a referral to a neurologist… Still no referral. By the way, I very much dislike my doctor and the PA’s in her office! But, I *have* started physical therapy, so I’m making progress with my neck, at least.***