This giveaway is now closed and the winner has been contacted.  Congrats Sharon!

Hailey and I recently had the chance to check out this fun Frog Pod from Sugarplum Dreams.  It is perfect for bath time!  When Hailey is done playing with her toys in the bathtub I can just scoop all of her toys up, rinse them off, then hang them up to drain.  It makes clean up so much easier.  And it reduces the mold and mildew that can form on the bathtub toys.

There are so many other fun items at Sugarplum Dreams too.  Check out some of these other great choices:

So how would you like a chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Sugarplum Dreams?  You’ll be able to get it in time to spend for Christmas!

Here’s what you need to do for a chance to win:

• Go check out Sugarplum Dreams and then leave me a comment letting me know what you’ll want to buy if you win the $50 gift certificate (you can change your mind if you win).

Want some extra chances to win? Leave me an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH of the following things letting me know what you did:

• Blog about this giveaway and then leave me a comment with the direct URL to your post.
• Stumble either this post or my blog.
• Subscribe to my RSS. If you are already a subscriber leave me a comment to let me know.

Can’t wait to see if you win?  Use this code to save 15% off a purchase of $50 or more until December 31st: livin15

This giveaway will end on December 8th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be randomly chosen on December 9th and notified by email. Please see all of my giveaway rules here.

This giveaway is part of the Cafe’s Holiday Expo.

 ”I don’t sit on Santa’s lap.  I just want to stand by him.”

…it just has to be scary.

Want an idea of how my mind works?

A few weeks ago (or maybe a month, I’m not totally sure) Hailey was running and playing in the living room.  She stopped and looked at me and said, “Owww, my head it hurting.”  So I asked her where it hurt and she pointed to the back of her head.  I gave her a kiss and then she ran on her way, totally fine.  But do you want an idea of how my mind works?  My first thought was, “It could be a brain tumor.”  And then I worried about it for the rest of the day.  Never mind that she was completely fine a second later.  It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be scary.

Another time Hailey looked up at me and I thought one of her eyes looked lower than the other eye.  Clearly (in my mind) she’d had a stroke or some other serious problem with her brain.  Then I realized she just had her head tilted to the side.  But for the rest of the day (and maybe even the next day) I kept staring at her making sure her face was still even.  It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be scary.

Last week while Hailey was sick we were in the steamy bathroom trying to help her cough and Hailey said, “My jaw is hurting.”  So I asked her where her jaw was (I wasn’t sure if she knew) and she pointed to her forehead.  So, I said, “Where does it hurt?”  And she pointed to the top of her head.  A few seconds later when I asked her where it hurt she pointed to her stomach.  Apparently nothing really hurt because she couldn’t decide where it hurt.  Or, if her head did hurt- it could have been from being sick for 2 weeks and from taking medication with a side effect of headache.  BUT, in my mind it was clearly another sign of a brain tumor.  It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be scary.

A few days later Hailey was playing.  She stopped, looked at me, put her hand on top of her head and said, “I’m cold.  I need my sweatshirt.”  Want to know how crazy my mind works- I thought her head must have hurt and that she also had a chill.  Both of which, in my mind, were signs of a brain tumor.  It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be scary.

I have to tell you that I really debated over whether or not to post this.  As I read back over this I know I sound really crazy.   I know these thoughts are not rational.  I know that Hailey is perfectly healthy and she shows no signs of any serious illness.  I am thankful that other than a few colds and some problems with asthma- Hailey has been completely healthy.  But this is still how my mind works.

And these are just a few examples of how my mind works- I go through thoughts like this every single day.  My mind always creates a scary scenario no matter what the circumstances.  Remember, It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be scary. 

So, am I completely paranoid?  Do other moms do things like this?  Do I just deal with it or should I be medicated?

The Velveeta Casserole Challenge is officially over and they have announced the winner.  Congratulations to A Cowboy’s Wife at My Wooden Spoon.

Now of course I was hoping that I had won, but I am happy for A Cowboy’s Wife too.  I knew I had some stiff competition!  I had a lot of fun participating and am thankful to Kraft for allowing me the chance to be a part of this great contest.  And not only that but I made some new bloggy friends and was able to give away some great prizes too.  So it was a blast even though I didn’t win!

I am going to be figuring out who won all of my giveaways in a couple of hours when Hailey goes down for her nap.  I’ll email if you are the winner of any of my giveaways to let you know that you won.  You can also check the individual giveaway posts (they are all listed at the top of my left hand sidebar) as I will announce on each post who the winner is.

Thank you so much to all of my supporters!  I really appreciate the time you took to stop by to vote for me every day!  And a special thank you goes out to Valmg over at I Know EVERYTHING, Just Ask My Hubby- she made me that fabulous looking “Vote Daily” button that you have seen on all of my blogs!  Thanks Valmg!!