So, come on everybody, I’m jonesing for some news from my readers and friends! What’s going on? What’s new, who’s doing what? It’s funny how four days away from the Blogosphere feels like a million! My comments accept links, but only one or two, so leave me a link to your favorite post this week!

I’ve got news, but I can’t tell you yet! It’s about my new job, and it’s even better than I ever expected, but that’s all you’re getting out of me until it’s official, so you’ll have to wait!

I can tell you that I am going to the BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas this November! I’m going as an employee of BlogTalkRadio though, so I won’t be going to the sessions, I’ll be helping run the exhibit booth! So anyone reading this who’s going, make sure to find the BTR booth so you can stop by and say hello to me!

I think I may have used up the entire day’s quota of exclamation points allowed by blogging law.

BlogHer announced the location for next year’s conference-San Francisco. I’m seriously considering finding a way for my kids to stay with family members so Chris can come with me. He has always wanted to see San Francisco. He could sightsee and photograph to his heart’s content while I attend sessions. As much as we love being with our kids, I just can’t see affording FIVE plane tickets to the other side of the country, renting two hotel rooms, etc. Plus, Chris and I have had a tough year, we deserve some “we are still in love with each other as people” time, don’t you think? /sappy romantic stuff

My friend Drew, who blogs at The BenSpark, is having a very special fundraiser on his Photo-A-Day site. He is attending his High School reunion on November 24th, and his class is raising money to help one of his classmates. His classmate Becky Machinski and her husband Mike have both been battling cancer, and they have three little girls. The whole family has had to move to be near treatment locations, and they have spent all of their savings and income on treatment. They can’t get insurance and their bills are astronomical. So, how can you help?

Drew has taken a photo every day since April 2005. He took thirteen of his favorites and created a calendar on Lulu.com. The price is $15.00, (Lulu.com charges $11.29 to make them and a $0.74 commission which leaves him with $2.97). He is donating $2.00 from the sale of each calendar to the Machinski family. If you can buy a calendar, that would be wonderful. If not, would you mention the fundraiser in a blog post? Drew’s goal is to raise $200.00, which means he needs to sell 100 calendars. I know we can help him reach that goal! Again, the URL for Drew’s blog post is http://www.benspark.com/2008calendar.html, feel free to save the image of the calendar to your computer and then post it, anything you can do, I know Drew would appreciate it. It’s good to give back.

Thank you so much to the website Bestest Blog of the Day for naming me their Blog of the Day today, and awarding me “The Best Mommy Blog”!! Wow!! What an honor!! Bestest Blog of the Day is a great way to discover new blogs, too. There are a LOT of “Bestest” blogs out there

I’d also like to give a shout-out to four of my readers, who left me comments yesterday. I was worried that four days away meant everyone had forgotten me! So thank you to Jenn, Tanyetta, Graham, and Mimi, it was great to get your comments!

And thank you to my buddy RWA, who started a radio show on BlogTalkRadio! My boss sent me the link, so just so you all know, when you link to BlogTalkRadio, they know, and they appreciate it!

Okay, I think I’ve committed exclamation point abuse, and I’m reaching the point of Link Felony, so I’m going to sign off now. Remember, I want to hear from you! Show me the love, people!

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You guys, I have missed you and this blog! I have been in training for my job with BlogTalkRadio all week, leaving as soon as Nathan goes to school, driving over to a coworker’s house, staying there until 3:00 when I leave to meet Ryan off the bus, and then working from home until 5:00 or so. It’s working out really well because Shannon, my coworker, has a two year old son, so Kaitlyn has someone to play with (and fight over toys with) while we work.

If you haven’t been to the BlogTalkRadio site, I encourage you to check it out! Politics, sports, religion, self-help, music, TV-whatever you’re into, there’s probably a radio show broadcast you can listen to about it. You can listen to shows live and call in to ask a question, or listen to archived feeds. It is hot, hot, HOT!

I have to run, but I just wanted to let everyone know I hadn’t forgotten about you or this blog, and I promise I’ll visit all of your blogs and get caught up with your lives just as soon as I can! MissYaLoveYaMeanit!

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Ryan and I were in the drive-thru at McDonald’s yesterday (a Happy Meal is 11 points, you know), and he told me he wanted a Snack Wrap.

“Okay”, I say, “and Daddy wants some fries.”

“I want fries!”, says Ryan. “And a drink, too.”

“If you’re having all of that, you should get it in a meal. Do they have a Snack Wrap meal?”

“Of course there isn’t a Snack Wrap MEAL, Mom. It’s a SNACK.”
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Kaitlyn walks up to me holding the remote. “Here, Mama.”

“What do you want to watch, Katiebug?”

“Bedet.”

“Bedet? I don’t know what that is. Do you want to watch Dora?”

“No.”

“Diego?”

“No.”

“Backyardigans?”

“No.”

“I give up, sweetie. I don’t understand. What do you want to watch?”

She looks me directly in the eye, takes a breath and says,

“BEH—DET.”

Well, that cleared that right up.

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I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to write about Cookiesamore, a unique website that offers you the chance to Show Your Support of Our Troops! For just $24.00 plus around $10.00 shipping, you can send a loved one overseas this gift package containing 11 different snack items and six gourmet cookies, carefully packed and including your personalized message!

Even if you don’t know someone overseas, many churches and charities have lists of servicepeople who would be sure to appreciate a gift that says “thank you”, “we appreciate you serving our country”. Other gift package themes include Happy Birthday, Good Luck, Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas. Any of these would be sure to mean a lot to someone who can’t be home for the holidays or for their birthday. Show our troops you are thinking of them and you know how much they miss ordinary things like Doritos and homemade cookies! Send a gift basket today!

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Not literally, unfortunately, but I took the advice of my new drill sergeantesque Weight Watchers leader and spent the day moving instead of sitting. Sitting in her meeting this past Saturday, I knew right away that she is the kind of leader I need to motivate me to action. She said if you aren’t breaking a sweat, you aren’t exercising. Walking around the neighborhood with your dog, parking the car further away, taking the stairs, that is activity. Breaking a sweat and using your muscles, that is exercise. So for FOUR HOURS today, I dusted, swept, scrubbed and mopped my kitchen, Kaitlyn’s room, both bathrooms and the hallway, and now I’m sitting here with my back, hips, butt, and legs ACHING. But I feel great! And my house looks fantastic!

And I journaled every bite of food I took today and I stayed perfectly within my Points range. Damn it, this might actually be my new life! There is a THIN PERSON inside of me, I know it’s hard to see her, but she is there, and I want her back. Even if I have to, again in the words of my new Weight Watchers leader, make BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS come out of my body in order to find that thin person again.

Oh, and I have a new profile address for MyBlogLog, because they merged with Yahoo. You can now find me at http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/Table4Five/. Just so you know

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