Monthly Archives: September 2010

In honor of my first pre-sale link for my book going up on Christian Book.com (yahooo!), I’ve decided to host my first bloggy contest.

I’m giving away everything you need for a lazy book-reading afternoon:

- A 13-oz bag of fair-trade coffee from Just Love Coffee– you choose the kind. (FYI: my friends Johnathan and Rachel are raising money for their adoption by selling this superyummy, fair-trade coffee)

- A Pumpkin Patch Truffle Box from Moonstruck Chocolates– pretty much the most delicious chocolates EVER.

- A novel of your choice from Amazon (under $20)

- PLUS, I’ll throw in a pre-order copy of my book, which will be shipped to you in February or March.

Fun, right?

This contest is open until Friday, October 15th.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post saying you want to enter (+1)
2. Add an additional comment if you are currently a follower of my blog (+1)
3. Become a follower of my blog and tell me in the comments (+1)
4. “Like” my “Christian Mama’s Guide” page on Facebook (+1)
5. Blog about this contest (+2)

That’s it! Good luck!

Okay, so I don’t usually post book-related posts on Wednesdays but I just couldn’t wait for this.

Check this out:

My book cover was illustrated by a fabulous artist named Monica Lee. The instant I saw it, I fell in love… it’s cute and hip and fun all at the same time. She did a great job, right?

Anyway, yesterday, a blogger named Cindy Ann who blogs at BluPenny, interviewed Monica about how she came up with my cover illustration and the process she went through.

It’s so cool to see the different sketches Monica did and to see how she arrived at the final product.

Check it out here... and then tell me what you think!

Tomorrow’s my daughter’s birthday and I had the fantastic idea to her party here at the house instead of, well, having it at Jumpy Gym or Chuck-E-Cheese or somewhere else where they do the cleaning and prepping and cooking and decorating for you. So, let’s just say it’s been a crazy week. And, since it’s been crazy, my brain has no ability to think of anything witty, funny or in any other way interesting to say. So, I’m re-posting a retro post– this one from my blog back in June of 2008. Here you go:

Do you think it’s possible to unpotty train a kid?

I know, I know. Potty training is a milestone… a rite of passage. I should be proud that my son is now a big-boy and has tiny blue boxer briefs to show for it.

But being a mom of a potty trained kid isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Take yesterday for example. I was kind of on a roll. I had both kids out the door and in the car at a reasonable hour. Both kids had clothes on (so what if Joey’s shorts were a bit dirty) and both kids had eaten breakfast. I think I even combed Kate’s hair.

Before you start patting me on the back, let me just tell you how the cookie crumbled (or the Lighning McQueen underpants unraveled if you will…)

About five miles down the road, Joey said those six dreaded words: “Mommy! I have to go potty!”. Gulp. I squeeled into the nearest gas station and ran into the mini-mart with a kid under both arm. I grabbed the key and raced to the bathroom.

My pride in making it that far without an accident was short-lived because when I stepped inside the tiny bathroom and saw the dingy, brown toilet and the filthy, wet paper towels on the floor, I wanted to turn and run. Of course, by now, Joey was doing the dreaded “potty dance” and I had no choice.

As I piled fourteen layers of one-ply onto the seat, Joey grabbed the roll of toilet paper and spun it around, pulling a long string out before I grabbed him and held him haphazardly over the toilet, begging him to pee quickly without so much as touching a single thing. Not a single thing.

We stood there for nearly an eternity, with me balancing a pantless two-year-old on one knee with a baby in my arms and a grimy bathroom key between my chin and my shoulder. I oh-so-calmly cheered my son on as he squeezed out the teeniest, tiniest dribble of pee. I swear. Had he peed his pants, I doubt I would’ve noticed.

When he finished, he asked for a sticker.

I scrubbed him down with anti-bacterial gel and left before we all caught some deadly infection or worse, he decided he had to pee again.

I’m seriously considering weaning him off the big-boy draws and putting him back into pull-ups. Maybe the under-draw fairy can come get them and trade them for a fancy, new box of diapers. I figure that after a few weeks, he’ll forget all about the potty and I can switch out the pull-ups for regular old diapers and go back to my safe (and easy) diaper-changing world. I’ll even give him a sticker every time he goes in his diaper without telling me about it.

Okay, I’m going healthy on you this week (sorry, but we’ve had a carb-loaded comfort fest for the last few weeks so I had to work something sorta good for you into the mix!). Today’s recipe:

Curried Salmon & Rice

1 lb. fresh salmon fillets
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked basmati rice
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup roasted and salted cashews
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
4 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix ginger, garam masala, coriander, tumeric, and curry powder together in a small bowl. Divide spice mixture in half. Rub half onto the salmon, set the other half aside.
3. Bake salmon for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
4. While water is cooking, bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add basmati rice, wild rice, remaining seasoning mixture, carrot and salt.
5. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is tender.
6. Stir in cashews and parsley.
7. Enjoy.