I Go To Skoo!

Tuesdays and Thursdays are now the favorite days of the week for the twinnie monsterlettes. These are the days we go to "skoo". We had a little bit of a rough start, and Logan is still having little chunks of time where he is completely on sensory overload, but for the most part, they love it! I watch them interact with the other kids (a class of only boys... believe it or not!), do the silly little preschool dances, repeat patterns with the teacher, and identify colors. I admit it. I get all misty and proud and full of the happy.

The night before a school day is always the best, because we talk to Logan and #6 about what we will do when they wake up. We will have breakfast. We will get dressed. We will get in the car and go to school to see Miss Patty and Miss Erica and Miss Nikki. No, Momma and Mighty M will not leave. Yes, we will have snack. Yes, we will play. Yes, we will see the kids. And all through the bed time routine, Logan says over and over and over (until we are ready to rip out our hair) "I go to skoo!" and "Skoo when I wake up?" and "Coco go skoo. Logan go skoo. Momma go skoo. Daddy not go skoo. Daddy go work." I think the kid is liking skoo.

This whole "skoo" thing is huge for us, because every single thing about it is new for Logan and #6. Remember, we've been home bound most of Logan's life. They have never been in a group of kids their own age. They have never had to share toys with anyone but the other monsters. They have never had a group learning session until now. They had never been inside a school, much less a classroom full of a riot of color, toys, sounds, and people they've never seen before in their lives. They had never walked in a line, taken turns washing hands with a bunch of other kids, or learned at a kidney shaped table. And yet... they have embraced it! Know what's even more amazing than that? They are in a four year old class... they are the only three year olds there... and they are keeping up. They are understanding. Certainly their speech skills are not on par with the other children. And they are the only ones that never go in the line for the restroom, since they are not potty trained yet. But that has not been an issue at all.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again. Children amaze me with their resilience, their ability to learn, grow, and adapt. It's a beautiful thing to behold.

Another momentous occasion this Tuesday... my #4's first day back to school since our crisis began last week. She is very brave. She is fierce. She is my hero. We have an agreement. She will go to school with us when we take the monsterlettes. If, when preschool is over, she feels too overwhelmed to continue with the day, she can come home. Thank you to everyone for your good wishes and kind thoughts. I'll ask you to continue with them as she learns how to heal, and as we learn how best to support and help her. Your support has been a huge blessing for us all.

Images in this post by Google images

Finding No Answers

This painting makes me catch my breath, for it captures so beautifully the thoughts of a mother. The Monster House has been having a rough time.. a crisis, actually, which accounts for my sporadic attendance here, on twitter, and on facebook. Because of the trauma, I find myself thinking deep thoughts about my little monster in distress, the thoughts of a mother who wants so desperately to make everything better. My circle of friends and I used to make jokes about being ready for our M.D., our degree in psychology, or our degrees in speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, our teacher's certificate, etc. because we have done so much research, so much work with our teams, so much learning. If only I really DID know everything I needed to know medically, and emotionally. Instead, I am helpless.. looking on, crying hot tears, in anguish because my child is hurting~ at times even wishing it were Logan ( I know how terrible that is, believe me. I know) because then I would know what to do. Who to call. How to help. What to request.

Instead I look on, watching my monster struggle, watching her fear and her confusion, her utter incapability to process the whole crisis because she's too young to understand any of it. I hold her, and rock her, and tell her she is my angel. I reassure her in every way I can, telling her all the while that I love her. I dry her tears, and rub her back while she trembles. I whisper over and over that I will never leave her, that I will always be there, will always listen, will always protect her. Only, I wasn't, I didn't. And, oh.. the guilt. The horrible, terrible, consuming guilt of a mother. Could I have prevented this? Most likely not.

I knew her before she was born, this bright, vibrant creature who can light up a room with her smile. Only now there are no more smiles,  there is no more silliness, no more elementary school dramas of BFFs and who wore what that was a fashion disaster, or even worse... fashion suicide.

Where there was once color and life there is now only sadness and grey. My brain is screaming all the time, "HELP ME HELP MY CHILD!" .... but.. I don't know who can help me help my child. And she fades a little more each day, while I scramble in stealth mode to find help, answers... and sneaking whispered, tense conversations with the Daddy very late at night, who is out of town on business yet again. Secret meetings with school counselors and administrators while she is, mercifully, sleeping( Thank you, thank you, Mighty M, for being here!!).

Help me help my child. Please.

walking on eggshells image by photobucket, through google images.

Happy Bloggyversary!

It's been a year? Already? Wow. We should have... cake!!

I shamelessly took this picture from the google, but it showed up in the first place here, on adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com.  

Multitasking Is Over Rated

I am here! I am here, in the flesh, in this totally unscheduled post. I can hardly believe it! We've had a wild couple of weeks here at the Monster House, and I'm learning that I'm not as good at multi-tasking as I thought I was. If I owe YOU an email, a phone call, have not responded to your texts, or suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth and you don't know if I am alive or dead... this will serve as my proof of life. Please  be patient with me.. I promise I have not forgotten about you.

Here are the updates:

The twinnies! They are in SCHOOL! We had our first day this past Thursday. Nightmare of epic proportions. But, I had yet ANOTHER talk with his teacher, and one with his Para ( who had put in her two weeks' notice, and should have been gone last Friday, but decided to stay because the District worked with her availability. Thank you, kind District. That was lovely of you.), and one with his Speech therapist, and today was a thousand percent better.  Happy, non-freaked out twinnies equal a happy, non-confrontational Momma. I will at some point write about the first day of pre-k.. but not quite yet. It was traumatic for all of us.

The #2.. he still LOVES to run! I got to see his cross country meet last week here, his only home meet of the season, and it brought me to tears. He was in a parade with his team, the football team, the cheerleaders..(it was Homecoming) down Main Street right afterward. It was pouring rain out, and the whole family watched and cheered and generally created a public disturbance. That's as it should be. Then again, the parade was led by the Sheriff, and there was all manner of lights, sirens, etc. We just added to the commotion. Also, we're counting it as an educational experience for the twinnies because we caught #6 blowing kisses at the cheerleaders. ("That's m'boy!" says the Daddy)

As for our Mighty M... wow! That woman puts me to shame. We are working together to get the house all spiffy in preparation for the Fall and all the fun Holidays that come with it. We're tackling all the big jobs I never have time for. It's been a little scary to see everything that's been unearthed here, but I swear, it's worth it! The walls have all been washed (!!!!!), the kitchen cabinets are all being cleaned out and wiped down, the refrigerator has been scrubbed inside and out, we're still bottling awesomeness from the garden, and total house carpet shampooing begins tomorrow while the Daddy and his big, muddy boots are out of town on business.  The cleaner the house gets, the lighter my spirits are.  I might even... wash. the. windows. Live in fear.


 #1, #3, #4, and #5 are being their amazing selves. Drama club, after school study group, yard clean up, weekend visitations for #5, play dates, sleepovers, ... it's been just CRAZY! So here is the question of the day. When the weather starts to change.. and you start to feel a warning of a little tingle in the air~ not quite fall, but Mother Nature sending out her version of a "Save the Date", do you get in the mood to get the house and yard in order before having to winterize everything?  I'm weird. I get all addicted to working outside after the winter, and the appeal of working outside stays through Summer. Fall though, means Holidays and big extended family dinners and all kinds of yumminess being created in my kitchen. I want to start all that off with a happy, clean house. How do YOU do it?

AND, lastly... breaking news. Jackson did great with his first day of IViG treatment! Today is his second day of the two day infusion. Take a minute to leave Gina, Jackson, and the rest of the Special Happens family a little message on twitter, facebook, or her blog. She's not only starting his rounds of treatment this week, but is also attending a CNA course  4 nights a week for 4 weeks to keep medicaid happy. She is a fierce Momma!! Show the love.

Images used in this post by Google images

Have You Confessed Today? Riceworks #giveaway

You know when you have a really powerful craving for peanut M&Ms, and you try to squash it, but it just won't go away? And you know that it would be just evil of you to get some, because your child is deathly allergic to peanuts (not to mention chocolate) and he'll want some? Then after two weeks of craving the stupid things, you finally cave in and buy some. Sure enough, the child catches you stuffing a handful of them in your mouth, and wants to share. So, you say the first thing that pops into your head. "Ew, YUCK! I HATE this medicine!" and you make all manner of horrid faces and disgusting gagging noises to throw him off. Yeah. I've never done that. 

Well, riceworks knows that everyone.. and I do mean EVERYONE, has a snacking secret, and they want to know what it is! They cornered me at BlogHer. They made me confess!  It was traumatic. It was... ok. I'm totally lying here. IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN!!! And riceworks wants to hear YOUR confession!  They are not above bribing people for their confessions, either! You'll get a $1 off coupon after confessing~ to help you "win the battle against evil snacks".

We're doing things a little differently this week, and we're having a Tuesday giveaway! YAY! I get the pleasure of telling you all about riceworks, a fabulous company that makes rice "chips" that *gasp* are Logan safe and YOU get to win some!

 We tried the wild rice, Sea Salt, and Salsa Fresca flavors, because that's all our market carried. But holy cow, was I impressed! Now. It has to be said that I have tried a LOT of new things in the time since Logan started this ridiculously restrictive diet. And I have tasted a LOT of things that should never have been called food. Riceworks could seriously take the place of *whisper* Doritos in the Monster House. And no one would complain about it!

Guess what! 5 lucky Living with Logan readers can win a coupon for a free bag of riceworks crisps in the flavor of your choice! 

Before the fun giveaway part, y'all know I have to get the serious, responsible adult part out of the way. Here we go:

I was provided with coupons for 5 free bags of riceworks crisps. All opinions in this post are my own. Images and references to riceworks are used here with permission. I was not compensated to write this post in any way!

And NOW.... the fun giveaway part!

Save the Yuckmouths!

Right off the bat, I want to introduce you to the Yuckmouths. Don't they look fun?? I have a special place in my heart for these monsters, because they belong to my good friend and fellow momma of seven: Lisa, the Yuckmouth Mommy from Seven Yuckmouths & Autism. I know, I know. There are only six in the picture, but she has one Yuckmouth that hates the camera. I can relate.

Lisa and I finally got to meet in person while at BlogHer last month, and we were room mates, too! Oh, my gosh. The woman is hysterical. This only strengthened the friendship we had cultivated as fellow bloggers for special needs through twitter, through our blogs, and via many, many phone calls. We still talk several times a week and marvel at the insanity that is teenagerhood.

Just a couple of days before BlogHer, Lisa  and her family learned that their landlord had sold their house to some people that are in the business of "flipping" houses. They found out when the "flippers" showed up on their doorstep ready to take measurements. I cannot begin to imagine.

This is not good. This is very VERY not good. Not only do they have to find another place to live, but the Yuckmouth Daddy has been out of work for 4 years~ most certainly not by choice~ and there are special needs kidlets to consider. Combined, there are three Yuckmouths with special needs including autism, sensory issues, ADHD, and significant speech delays. The family was surviving for a little while with a combination of unemployment payments and SSI. Unemployment benefits ran out long ago, so they are struggling to make ends meet with inadequate funds through SSI.

While the Yuckmouth Daddy still tries desperately to find work, Lisa is doing everything she can while still being the Momma and tending to her children. Just in time for the coming Holiday season, Lisa has launched darling custom jars  that are becoming all the rage in handcrafted gift giving. Each autism awareness jar she sends out is made with puzzle pieces donated to her by families touched by autism in some way. These jars are wonderful holiday gifts for teachers, therapists, babysitters, neighbors, daycare workers, case managers, doctors, and others that you want to show a little appreciation. You can order them for any holiday, customize them with a name, or order ready-made designs, and receive them empty and ready to be filled, or pre-filled with candy. In my neck of the woods ( I know, I know.  I live in the sticks..), the popular thing to do is sick a bag of brownie, cookie, or cake mix in the jar, slap a tag on it, and call it a gift. They are priced reasonably and would be the perfect way to spread a little holiday cheer without killing your budget. And, you have the added knowledge that you have just helped the Yuckmouth family directly in their quest to find another place to live that will be appropriate for their large family as well as beneficial to their children with special needs. To learn more and contact Lisa, click here.

Want to help, but decorated jars just aren't your thing? You can donate without a purchase of any kind by clicking on the widget below. ALL funds collected through this fundraiser, and through sales of Lisa's jars will be used to help the family get into a place to live. Time is running out, people. This is very real, very serious, and very scary. The flippers have given them just a few short weeks to get out.  You've heard of Save the Whales, Save the Dolphins, Save the green billed purple tailed polka dot snot deelywhacker. Now, let's Save the Yuckmouths! If you are unable to donate, that's OK! Your tweets and retweets, posts to Facebook, and blog posts promoting this cause will be invaluable.

Sunday Comics

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Jackson's Smile

There's something about a child's smile. The look of wonder and delight all over their face that makes you smile in return, and feel better for it.  The freshness and innocence of youth that allows them to find magic in things we take for granted. Their absolute trust in us to take care of their every need. Think about it. When you were a child, did you ever worry about a house payment, whether there was enough money left in the bank for groceries, or how expensive this year's round of school clothes and supplies would be? Of course you didn't. You were busy being a child, working at the business of taking life in and enjoying every  drop of it. That is, after all, what children are supposed to do.

As we grow up and shed the innocence of youth little by little, we become more serious, more saturated in the  stresses and drama of life. More focused on being a responsible adult.  And then there's the day that we become parents ourselves. We suddenly realize that the fate of this tiny little person we hold in our hands directly after birth is completely dependent upon us. And we are thrilled to have the responsibility. There will be times that we wish our child came with a manual. We will lose sleep, worry about the silliest things, and carry pictures in our wallets. We will cry with pride in their accomplishments, and we will cry in sympathy when they hurt.

We already know that there is nothing we wouldn't do for our child. But now we've learned that our child needs special attention. He is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at nine months old. In the next couple of years he will also be diagnosed with Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, and global Developmental Delays. Finally, after a long road traveled trying to find answers for his sleep disturbances, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome turns out to be the latest diagnosis to add to the list at 6 years old. And we tell ourselves to be strong. We accept the diagnosis, because there is no other option. At least we have something to go on now. And we, as parents, continue to go about the business of taking care of our child's every need. We have more, and newer stresses, and we start to forget the magic and wonder.

The medical bills add up. Some the insurance covers. Some, it does not. You apply, and are denied, SSI. The  only silver lining is that you have the option of medicaid as a secondary insurance resulting from being declined SSI for your child. This all sounds great, right? Medicaid to cover co-pays and the portion of procedures, testing, and therapies that your primary insurance won't. It's not great. You've found something that will help your child. An IV infusion called IVIG recommended by your epileptologist. It's scarily expensive. And it's not covered.

Let us pause in our story. I want you to scroll up to that picture at the beginning of this post. Only this time, I want you to think, "This is Jackson." Now. If Jackson were your child, could you look at him, witness his wonder and his smile, and then say you wouldn't move heaven and earth to get him the infusions he needs to calm his seizures? Of course you wouldn't. You would take out a loan on the house, you would work all the overtime hours humanly possible. You would do anything... ANYTHING.. to help your child. And that is just exactly what his parents have done.

Everyone, you have just met Jackson, son of Gina, who writes over at Special Happens. Isn't he just gorgeous?? I'm completely in love (don't tell the Daddy).  I'm introducing Jackson to you today, because I just can't deny him the infusions he so desperately needs. Can you?

Gina's family is starting a fund for Jackson's medical expenses, and we need YOUR help to spread the word.  Please tweet, post to facebook, blog, or donate. There are a multitude of ways to help this family, including submitting a guest post to Gina's blog so she has one less thing to worry about when Jackson starts his first round of infusions, beginning this coming Tuesday.

This will be an ongoing commitment on my part, to do everything I can to make sure Jackson, Gina, and the rest of the Special Happens family is taken care of. What will your commitment be?

Thunderbolt and Lightning, Very Very Frightening!

After a day with no internet and lots of power failures provoked by a ginormous storm, I feel like I can relate to the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody! There is cause to celebrate though, because in 7.5 hours my twinnie monsterlettes will have their very first day of school! Wish us luck! Hmm. Maybe you should wish the school luck instead, because I'm one of "those mothers". Total helicopter, that's me!

It should be noted that this is not today's official post, but I missed y'all! Big, BIG things are happening. HUGE! This is gonna be AWESOME.

Happy Thursday, everyone! Instead of a giveaway today, we'll be doing a give-BACK! Stand by for more info a little later in the day.

Image by Google images

Please hold...

Upon occasion, I have to do things that I hate even more than IEP meetings. We've all done it, we've all hated it. We all put it off until we can't put it off any longer.We all dread it. We all know that this will be a total and complete time suck. Calling state/government agencies. Listening to the William Tell Overture on continuous loop, which I am sure is the product of someone reading somewhere that classical music is soothing. I admit, classical music is soothing~ when it's not on continuous loop for a government agency where the average wait time at 9am is 46 minutes. You might want to rethink your music selection. Perhaps Weird Al's  "Traffic Jam" might be more appropriate.

Thankfully, only an hour and a half of my life has been spent in this way, and I have accomplished a lot! Guess what, y'all! Logan and #6 are going to school starting this Thursday! Yay! This calls for a happy dance of epic proportions.

And now.. the information y'all have been waiting for. The new addition to our family. Everyone, allow me to introduce you to Mighty M. She's the Daddy's daughter from a previous marriage... not an infant, requires NO diaper changes, sippy cups, or burping, and the Monster House is proud and happy to welcome this 21 year old to our ranks. Everyone show Mighty M some love... we sure are thrilled to have her with us. I'd apologize for all the "It's a Girl" stuff, but it was just too dang fun to be sorry for.

Fun things happening this week on the blog. I'm all kinds of re-focused now, after welcoming Mighty M, riding the waves of evil stomach flu with  #6 yesterday, and sitting on hold this morning. Can't wait to get back to working on the blog.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Cartoon by Google Images

It's A Girl!!

By ihave7monsters | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Run #2, RUN!

Today is saturated with thoughts of #2, who will be running in his first ever Cross Country meet today. I won't be able to be there, which has provoked more than a couple of tears. And so my #2, whom I am so proud of it makes my throat ache, run. Run baby... with wings on your heels. I'm with you in spirit.

For those of you that don't know.. a couple of weeks ago, #2 came home late from school and told me he was running with the Cross Country team at school. It surprised me, because this is the original "artistic, but in no way athletic" child. He loves to draw and play guitar. So, I had no problem with him running, but I was surprised. But this next part... he looked at me and said, "Mom, when I run, it doesn't matter how I learn, it doesn't matter how I talk. When I run, I'm like everyone else. I LOVE to run"

That same week I had his IEP meeting, during which I told his resource teacher that I didn't care which mountains had to be moved, I didn't care who I had to talk to, I didn't care what we had to do, the boy  was going to be on the Cross Country team if it took me til my last dying breath. It took just shy of a week to get it all done. But he's on the team, and he is a completely different kid. This has been miraculous for his self esteem.

So, I will play the part of proud Momma all day today, and would LOVE it if y'all would keep my guy in your thoughts. He's a little nervous, but I know he'll be just fine. Winning a ribbon or a trophy doesn't matter to me.. seeing the look of pure happiness on his face when he talks about being part of a team and running like everyone else is the ultimate prize for me.

You ARE the professional.

This post has been bouncing around in my brain like a bad game of Pong for weeks now. I've composed it several times in my head, and it never goes well. So, I'm just going to be direct about it and hope for the best.

I am disturbed greatly by "professionals"  who belittle and berate parents. "Professionals" with those big important initials behind their names, who tell us that we are "inhibiting your child's progress because of your own stubbornness and refusal to provide necessary therapies and treatments" or even worse, going so far as to accuse a parent of a special needs child of Munchhausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS). It happened to me. I was "creating my own drama". I was incapable of showing my monsters love and affection, to the point that the "professional's" opinion was that I was abusing my beloved monsters through neglect.

I have news for "Professionals" with the big important letters behind their names. I AM the professional. I AM  who provides Logan's care, and the care of his siblings. I AM the professional that knows every single monster's medical history, allergy, phobia, favorite songs, stories, colors, and dinners. I AM the professional that knows every medication and dosage every single one of my children needs. I AM the professional that demanded therapy and care for Logan, and will continue to do so. I AM the professional that can tell you what works to help my children sleep and what does not. I AM the professional who sings my children to sleep, walks the floor with the twinnies until all hours of the night, and snuggles each and every monster~ even the teenagers~ when they are scared or hurt or sad. I AM the professional who teaches paramedics, doctors, therapists, and educators about Logan and his needs.  I AM the professional who has meeting after meeting after meeting to make sure my children are getting what they need.

I am not, however, the only parent who has experienced this particular brand of heartache that will rock your world and make you question every molecule of yourself. Make you wonder what business you have being a parent, if some stranger can come into your home and give you a ridiculously detailed report of every way in which you have failed as a human being, as well as a parent.

I have scrutinized every minute of every day, every second of parental interaction with my monsters ever since this experience began August 6.. while I was hundreds of miles away from home, attending BlogHer and learning from other special needs parents, REAL professionals, and bloggers. Yes addicts, that's right. This "Professional" judged my parenting when I wasn't even there.

I have cried buckets of tears. I have literally screamed in anguish. I have spent hours evaluating every word before I speak. I have taken notes, talked to the Daddy (who, by the way, is the most awesome, incredible, amazing person EVER and has stood by me offering hugs and encouragement during this extremely vivid version of Hell), and wondered how I could possibly be this ignorant. Here's what I've discovered: Professionals can be wrong. Very, VERY wrong.

I may be "just a Mom", and I may not have the initials behind my name, but I guarantee I will give you a run for your money. Nothing, nothing at ALL in this world is more important to me than the monsters. I will move mountains to make sure that they get whatever it is that they need. Right now, oh mighty abuse-by-neglect spouting professional, who is of the opinion that I create drama for attention (And really, when do I have time for THAT??), what my monsters need is for me to forget your existence. To be the Momma, and help them to thrive in spite of the havoc you have left in your wake.

To others who have been abused in this way by "professionals" may I say.. keep on keeping on. The best way to get back at people who think they are God is to prove to them that they are wrong, quietly and with dignity~ something that never would have occurred to a "professional" with a Napoleon complex. Don't get angry. Don't respond. Don't allow them the satisfaction of knowing that they have just hit your jugular. WALK. AWAY. And know that the support far outnumbers the fraud. Although.. this post was neither quiet NOR dignified. Darn. *wink*

Why, yes.. I DID get my degree from a box of Cracker Jack. You, too??

Images in this post by Google images


This post should not be substituted for proper medical care,treatment, diagnosis, or therapy. This post should in no way be construed as a "Professional" opinion because you know... I'm "just a Mom"


This post may be deleted at any time, after I sleep and realize I have just spilled my guts over the Internet.


This post was purely for therapeutic purposes on my part.

Monday #forDeeds

Wow.. it's been a while since I've used that title! Feels a little like coming home. Yesterday, I got to meet Deeds, his Mom, his sister, his cousins, an uncle, and a couple of aunts. It was SOOO fun! I got sock monkey kisses, one very quick snuggle, and a look of total approval from Deeds when I let him and his cousins take 100 pictures with my phone. And oh, addicts. He looks SO good! See for yourself! The only picture *I* took was of him with sock monkey. All others are by Deeds and the cousins. Apologies for the watermarks, but since we've had trouble with people stealing Deeds pics in the past, it was a necessary evil. Also, he insisted on a pic of me. So, there's me.. at the end.  My favorite one is the first one. I don't know why.. but it reaches out and grabs me.

The minute I saw Bobbie, I had to have a little teary moment, and from then on, it was all smiles and laughter. We worked so closely together, fundraising for Deeds, that they feel like family to me.

Thank you, to Deeds' aunts, uncle, cousins, sister, and Mom, for letting me crash their impromptu visit "Down South". I will remember this experience always.

Sending you MUCH love, and oodles and gaboodles of hugs and kisses from the monsters. And Uncle Chad, I'm totally going to harrass beg make you brownies and ask nicely for your help with #2's biology. Y'all come on over any ole time!

Sacred Family Saturday!

This week, in keeping with the Sacred Family Saturday tradition here at the Monster House, I've written a little piece for Special Needs Sibling Saturday over at The Squashed Bologna. What an honor ~and a pleasure~ to be included with so many talented writers, sharing glimpses into their family dynamic. Click on over, show some love in the comment section, and let Varda know how very wonderful her Saturday series is.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Monster House Follow Friday!

When I was in high school, knew everything, was young, cute, and thin (ah, THOSE were the days!), my girlfriends and I used to make candy bar posters for our boyfriends on their birthdays. You know what I mean, "You're worth more to me than 100 Grand" and "You're such a Big Hunk". Yeah, I know. Our intelligence and creativity boggles the mind. Anyway, since this is the blog's birthday month ( and mine, too!) I thought for this week's Follow Friday post I would do a twitter handle variation on the candy bar poster.

Here's the disclaimer: All of these twitter handles belong to people I follow. None of them are used with permission. This post is a work of pure fiction (mostly) and meant for entertainment purposes only. No offense is intended in any way, shape, or form (please oh PLEASE don't be offended!). After all.. I follow ALL these people, which means I must like them! Enjoy!

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Dear Addicts,

Everyone knows @ihavemonsters. I'm never @OneBoredMommy. Life is just @lovelylicious at the moment. I have to admit, though, to being really @tiredx6 much of the time. Let me bring you up to date on all the monsters.

#2 just got accepted on the Cross Country team for his High school yesterday. We are ecstatic! This is touching and very @Special_Happens because he has worked so hard to earn that honor.

#1 is struggling, because she thinks all her friends think she is a @geekbabe. I told her there are WORSE things she could be.. like one of the @btchygirls in her classes that regularly give her a hard time.

#3 is going through a phase where he likes anything that goes @Kiboomu! I worry about that kid. You know the saying, where there's smoke there's fire? Yeah. Where there's smoke or fire, there's #3.

#4 has given me adventures in @xtremeparnthood. I swear with her, it's all drama, all the time. She always wants to go and mess around town with @MelissaAndDoug, and I gotta tell ya, they aren't the best influence on her.  After surviving yet another episode of drama, I think to myself, " @wheresmycape and broom?!" She has certainly earned the right to be the red head she is. So, I just pull up my @mommy_pants and keep on keeping on.  

One of these days I'm going to go @starkravingmadm.

#5.. oh , my notorious #5. He's doing so great! He's just finished reading @CMarieGo and is now working on a new book about @DolphinOrganics. The pictures are incredible! I love to hear him read to the twinnies.

The twinnies have turned our crazy house into a @thehugginghome. They bring us so much happiness and are continually inspiring the rest of the family.

The Daddy? Yeah. About him. The one that goes stomping around and beating on his chest, hollering "@IAmIronDaddy !" to which I say, "Oh, yeah? So what does that make me? A @gypsy_momma ?I think not! *I* am a @MomInManagement ." The only problem with that is, the last time I said that? He laughed so hard he burst a blood vessel in his head and pulled a stomach muscle. 

Hope y'all have a wonderful long weekend!

xoxo

The Momma

Coffee-mate Natural Bliss Review and #Giveaway

Good morning, everyone! Hope y'all got lots of rest and are holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee as you read. If you have been following for any length of time at all, you know all about my crazy love of coffee. I don't get a lot of sleep, and I depend on the caffeine boost to get me through the day. I know many of you are in the same boat.

Now, all you coffee drinkers out there know what it's like to have to add some nasty, powdered, off-brand, non-dairy, unflavored ugliness in little paper packets to your coffee. We've all done it, and none of us have enjoyed it. It's enough to ruin your whole day! I like my coffee "light and sweet", so creamer (usually half and half, or whole milk) is always on my grocery list.

Because of the level of my coffee love, you can imagine how thrilled I was to be contacted by Coffee-mate to review their newest line of liquid creamers, Natural Bliss! Made with real milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavors, this isn't powdered ugliness. 

I know how difficult it is to find gluten free options for our strict diets. But guess what~ all flavors of Natural Bliss are not only gluten free, they are also kosher. And because they use sugar instead of corn syrup, there's no need to worry for those of us with corn allergies, either!

This newest addition of products to the Coffee-mate family has made such an impression that Claire Robinson, who hosts Food Network's 5 Ingredient Fix, came up with a French toast recipe using the Sweet Cream flavor and it was featured in Family Circle magazine! Check out her recipe here. In fact, there are oodles and gaboodles of great recipes on the Coffee-mate website .

While you're drooling over that gorgeous picture of breakfast, here's a little early morning trivia to go with your first cup:

Nestle' Coffee-mate was the first non-dairy creamer to transform an ordinary cup of coffee into a rich, creamy, every day delight. Coffee-mate was introduced to us as the world's first powdered creamer in 1961, and soon established its position as America's most popular choice. Over the past decades, Coffee-mate has transformed how consumers enjoy their coffee through the introduction of new flavors, seasonal flavors, and reduced fat, fat free, and sugar free varieties in both powder and ready-to-drink liquid. Today with more than 20 flavors, Coffee-mate continues to reinvent, redefine, and recreate each coffee drinker's perfect cup.

And now, the fun part! TEN Living with Logan readers can win a free bottle of Coffee-mate Natural Bliss in the flavor of their choice (Sweet Cream, Vanilla, or Caramel)! However, due to differing state laws, readers residing in the states listed below will not be eligible for this giveaway, and that just makes me sad.

1. Colorado
2. Missouri
3. Tennessee
4. Louisiana

As always, the boring parts before the fun entering parts:

• Coffee-mate logo,images, and references, and Natural Bliss logo, images, and references are copyrighted property of Nestle, and are used here with permission
• I was provided with coupons for free products to review. I was not compensated in any other way!
• This review contains my own observations and opinions. I was not paid to feature this post.
• Nasty powdered creamer packet image by Google images.

Let the fun entering begin!