truth in blogging

Okay fellow bloggers.  Here is the deal.  Sometimes I really want to write about a situation.  But I know if I do there is a big chance that someone close to me will read it and most likely be hurt by it.  Not that I would be writing anything very negative.  I am sure that these are situations that happen in everybody's life.  But it probably would feel different to be reading about yourself on someone's blog than just experiencing it in real life.  I would imagine that it would mostly be because everything would be from my point of view.

Anyway, I just wonder what other people do.  I am guessing most people just don't write about it.  Which is what I do (or don't) even if sometimes I really, really want to.

Kanzashi hair clip giveaway

My Four Monkeys has another giveaway that is pretty cool.  It is to kick off her new Etsy shop.  They are really beautiful hair clips that are home made.  This one ends a week from today on 5/24 so enter now!

Melissa & Doug giveaway through My Four Monkeys

My Four Monkeys is one of my favorite blogs.  She is hosting a cool giveaway that ends tonight.  I know, I know, I am so behind on my giveaways.  This one is for a  Melissa & Doug ice cream play set.
  As a teacher and a mom I love Melissa & Doug.  Lilly has loved everything made by them as well.  Enter away! 

The SodaStream Review

I had won a SodaStream machine and several sample flavors through a giveaway on Savvy Coupon Mommy's blog.  I have had it about 2 weeks and thought I would give a little review.

First of all, I thought it was so cool to have won something.  I never win anything and this was something I really wanted.  Okay, my husband is the one who really wanted it but I thought it was a cool concept.  In fact, I did not get to make a soda for about a week.  Vinnie loves to make it!  The first time I made one I did so while Vinnie was out at school.  I remembered how to do it, kind of, but was missing one crucial step.  You are supposed to twist the bottle to the machine before you start the carbonation process.  I did not.  The first hit of carbonation sent the water spraying all across the kitchen and me.  Oh and this was the morning of Lilly's birthday party!

Here are a few things I really love about it.  The regular flavors do not use high fructose corn syrup.  The diet flavors do not use aspartame.  The downfall is that they do taste rather diet-y.  The machine is very streamlined and does not take up much space.  It also does not need to be plugged in!!  I do not have many outlets in my kitchen so this was a huge plus.  It uses regular water.  What is easier than that?

So besides the diet-y taste there are no negatives that I can see for now.  We have made a lot of bottles and have not needed a cartridge change yet.  There is a store in South Orange called Kitchen a la Mode that I understand sells the cartridges and the flavors.  This will be convenient and shopping local is a plus.  I don't know yet how often we will need to change it.  It might be a good idea to keep an extra on hand.

The verdict?  We love it and will continue to use it.  We had a party last weekend and Vinnie did a little tasting for some people.  It was fun and people were awed by the fact that you can make your own soda.

Do you have one?  What is your favorite flavor?

It feels as if I am propping my eyes open with toothpicks

Lordy am I tired.  This week was so emotional.  It started out with Mother's Day and my birthday on Sunday, being let go on Monday, having an interview on Thursday and finding out on the way home that another co-worker was let go, some other in-between crap and tomorrow is my Convocation.  I am about to go upstairs, read my book U is for Undertow Kinsey Milhone Mystery and listen to some Enya:  A Day Without Rain.  Reading helps my mind empty itself of any crap floating around.  The music calms my soul.  I know that playing Enya to relax is played out.  I get it.  But it still works for me.  And at this juncture, whatever works will be utilized to its fullest extent.

Last night I did not go into Lilly's room when she started crying at 10pm.  She fell back asleep.  She did not come into our room until 5am-ish.  Tonight I let her cry again for about 5 minutes.  So far she went back to sleep.  It is so hard as a parent to stay out of the room.  We had gotten pretty good at letting her cry and recognizing her different cries.  After she was sick and had the last few seizures I did not leave anything to chance and went in if she cried for more than a few minutes.  It is difficult for me to let go of that need to check on every little whimper.  However I am doing her an injustice by not letting her fall asleep on her own.  She became accustomed (very quickly I might add) to getting up around 10pm and hanging out with us.  But 2 y.o. girls need their sleep and so do their parents!!

So what the heck am I still doing awake???  Blogging and finishing the dishes and feeding the cats.

Happy weekend!!