Yesterday morning, before Drama Kid's second birthday party (yes, two I'm a sucker and softie, sue me). I watched the video from his first birthday and got all teary.

I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. Before I had him life seemed to move at a normal pace. Slow even. But the minute the doctor put him in my arms, time seems to have accelerated tenfold. Maybe pushing a baby out releases something into the atmosphere?

I look at him when he doesn't know I'm watching and sometimes the love, pride, honor at being his mom, protectiveness and fear for the day he strikes out on his own overwhelms me. He is such an incredible little man.

Dear Drama Kid- In the blink of an eye you have gone from baby to boy. You bypassed crawling, hit the ground running and never looked back. Your fearlessness has stopped my heart more times than I like to count. Your sensitivity, empathy and loving nature makes me smile.

You are the light and joy in our lives and we thank God for blessing us with you. We wish you love, health, peace and happiness in your sixth year. You are, and always will be, my precious cargo. Happy birthday! We love you so, so much!

October Bloggy Carnival Winners!!!

Sorry this is so late. We went to a birthday/Halloween party last night and had the first of two birthday parties for my son today.The carnival is fun but I'm glad it's over! Though I'm sure in January we'll all be saying, "Already? It seems like we just had a carnival!"

Thank you to everyone who entered. I really wanted this carnival to be at least as good as my last one and it ended up being better! Thank you too to my sponsors, EarthExpressions and Dropps for offering such great prizes. Congratulations everyone!

The winners:

The Target card goes to Chantelle.


The grand prize winner of a three-month supply of Dropps is Grace. Betsy and Emily (no blog) are the runners up and will receive samples.


The book lover's prize goes to Suz.

The handmade pendant from EarthExpressions goes to ahiltz.

The three boxes of Jer's Handmade chocolates goes to Rebecca (no blog).

Go back to the Bloggy Carnival Giveaway to see a list of all the winners.

Bloggy Carnival Giveaway Day 5- $25 Target Gift Card

**COMMENTS NOW CLOSED** Short and sweet today. I'm a bargain shopper by nature. I avoid paying full price whenever I can. I research things online and cut coupons. This is the first time in several years the holidays are going to take more than a little creativity on my part. And I know I'm not alone. Hopefully this will help.

To enter:
1. Leave a comment. More than "enter me," or "I'm in!" please. What are you doing this weekend? What did you have for dinner last night? Tell me a joke. Whatever.

2. I MUST have a way to get in touch with you! NoReply@Blogger will not send you a response. I will have to delete comments with no contact info.

3. Comments will close on Friday, October 31st at 11:59pm CA time.

4. I will use random.org to draw the winners and post the results/notify winner via email and in a "Winners" post on Saturday 11/1.

6. You don't need a blog to win, but I MUST have a way to contact you. US residents only (sorry!)

***My other 4 giveaways also end tonight. Odds are pretty good!***

Day 1: chocolate from Jer's Handmade

Day 2: handmade pendant from Etsy seller EarthExpressions

Day 3: great fiction book, $5 each to Starbucks/Barnes and Noble, tote

Day 4: enviro friendly Dropps laundry soap

Bloggy Giveaway Day 4- Enviro Friendly Laundry Soap

**COMMENTS NOW CLOSED**  

Going green and changing the impact my family has on the environment can often seem daunting. Sometimes it's hard for me to know where to start, what changes to make, what we can afford to do and what changes will have the most impact.


I believe we all need to be more conscious of what is happening to our planet, but I also believe in doing what is practical for you and your family. I'd love to stop using paper towels, but know I'd never be able to keep up with the laundry so I try to buy recycled ones and I use cloth towels for dusting and light cleaning.


One change I have been able to stick with is using environmentally friendly laundry soap. When I saw an ad for today's sponsor, I emailed and they responded right away with a really great offer for THREE winners!



Dropps are concentrated liquid gel pods just like ones for the dishwasher. They dissolve immediately, are biodegradable and are phosphate, chlorine and NPE free (I had to look up the last one, it's nonylphenol ethoxylate). Dropps are sold online through their site, Amazon and Drugstore; and in Target, Wal Mart and Whole Foods.


They come in three sizes: 2,20 and 26 load pouches. I asked if a larger size is available through Costco or Sam's. A 42 load size will be available in December but only at the current locations. They come in a Fresh scent or dye-free non-scented which would be good for hubby's eczema.

One winner will receive a three-month supply of Dropps! That's 60 washloads (three 20 load pouches)! And two runners up will receive sample packages.


**Update: The literal second I hit publish, the doorbell rang with my samples! I'm not being dramatic either. I swear! Funny how things like that happen. Like when you think of a song and it comes on the radio. Anyway, I gathered up some of the mountains of my laundry and used one of the 2-load packs for a large load. The packs float and look like dying jellyfish while they're dissolving.


To enter:

1. Go to the Dropps site to read more about their environmental benefits.

2. Come back here and leave a comment on this post and tell me your impressions or what you're doing to be more green - required.

3. I MUST have a way to get in touch with you! NoReply@Blogger will not send you a response. I will have to delete comments with no contact info.

4. Comments will close on Friday, October 31st at 11:59pm CA time.

5. I will use random.org to draw the winners and post the results/notify winner via email and in a "Winners" post on Saturday 11/1. The lowest number will be grand prize winner.

6. You don't need a blog to win, but I MUST have a way to contact you. US residents only (sorry!)
 
***Enter the day 1 chocolate giveaway here, day 2 handmade pendant here and day 3 book lover's prize here. Tomorrow: Target