Then my son mixed the numbers around and pulled out one.

And the number he pulled was…

#22 Congratulations Jean @ workingmomma247! who said:

I would love to win this for my older boys. Yes even Hanna Montana…It would make for a great joke gift for them. I’m cruel like that and we always tell them we’d be glad to buy them a girl toy of some kind. For some reason they aren’t falling for it.

Sounds like a mom with a great sense of humor!!  I’ll be contacting you momentarily.  Thanks for playing everyone!!

And the winner is.…

Well, as all this was going on I was also in contact with a gal from Leapfrog who offered for me to host a Didj giveaway on my own site!  How cool is that?

This week I’ll be giving away a Didj Gaming System ($89.99)  plus Hannah Montana software ($29.99).

To enter to win, please:

1.  Leave a comment in my comment section.  The comment button is located above my post just under the title.

2. When prompted, leave a valid email address.

3. To be entered twice, please link to my post in your own personal blog and leave an additional comment with the link.

Comments will close Sunday, December 14, 2008.  I will announce the winner Monday, December 15th.

Everyone is eligible.  Now go enter!!

———————————————–

Didj™ Custom Gaming System
Currently available | Ages 6 to 10 | MSRP: $89.99
The Didj handheld is the fi rst grade-school system that lets kids create the
game and parents customize the learning. Using the included PC– and Maccompatible
LeapFrog® Connect Application, players fi rst select and personalize
an avatar. Then they design the game, choosing background scenery, color
schemes or music. Most important, parents and kids can then customize content,
connecting gameplay with schoolwork. Multiplication hard to master? Kids can
choose to be quizzed on the 6s, 7s and 8s tables. Spelling a stumbling block? Kids can create
a custom spelling list from the 10,000-word database and practice for next week’s test.
Continuing the standard set with the Leapster® Learning Game System, the Didj handheld
auto-levels, adjusting games to children’s particular skills and progress, so players are
appropriately challenged. All this is delivered in a sleek unit off ering the high-quality graphics
and classic gameplay that kids demand.
The LeapFrog Connect Application allows kids to move specifi c curriculum content for each
game on and off their Didj handheld—just like managing digital camera or MP3 fi les. Every time
players connect the Didj system to the computer, the points they’ve earned for correct answers
upload to become Bitz usable for enhanced customizations. Best of all, each time parents connect
the Didj system to their Mac or PC, they can view their children’s progress along LeapFrog’s
proprietary Learning Path, available at leapfrog.com/learningpath,

Do you want to win a Leapster Didj?

Fun, fun, and give away fun

I recently received a fantastic forwarded picture.  Today, I’ll share it with you.

As a reminder, you should always check you child’s homework.  The image is intended to show a mom who works at Home Depot selling shovels. This is an actual child’s drawing.

Has it been a week, really?

Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised that absolutely no sales pitch given to us.  None.  We were asked, but not required, to leave a comment on Leapfrog’s community forum.  We were not even asked to blog about our experience.

OK, now I’m listening…

In lieu of a sales pitch, Leapfrog enlisted the help of Dr. Cunningham, a Leapfrog advisory board member and director of the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education at UC Berkeley.  Dr. Cunningham engaged us in an hour long discussion regarding the importance of frequently speaking and reading to your children ages zero to five.

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to a podcast from NPR’s This American Life in which they did a segment narrated by “Whatever It Takes” author Paul Tough entitled Baby College.  He findings show that the typical middle class family speaks to their infants and toddlers dramatically more often and more positively than the typical lower income family does.  Fascinating!  His work focuses on breaking the cycle of generational poverty by focusing on the children.  If you have 30 minutes to listen about his ongoing work in New York, it’s truly worth your time.

Dr. Cunningham suggests that we should expose our children to rich language through our words, books, and technology, and in turn our children will have a better chance of reading fluently and comprehending difficult vocabulary at an early age.

What a powerful connection, and a fabulous discussion.

I left the event with a gift bag full of the latest Leapfrog products.  My children will be getting some pretty sweet Christmas gifts this year, thanks to our new favorite toy company, Leapfrog.

OH, did I say toy company?  I should clarify.  Leapfrog first identifies the skill that needs to be taught, then creates a system in which to teach that skill.  Kinda like a really smart teacher, huh?  So I should say that thanks to our new favorite teacher, Leapfrog, my children will have hours of fun learning through play!

*****Leapfrog also provided us with a coupon to save $10 off any order of $50 or more when you shop at leapfrog.com which is good through November 15th, 2008.  So shop away!  I know I will be.

Coupon Code: HY8BHPR

Thanks Leapfrog!!  I’m a new convert.  I’ll promote you.  I’ll consult for you.  I’ll work with you.  Heck, I’d even help birth some of your cute little froggy guppies if I could!  I appreciate how nicely you treated us mom bloggers!!

Leapfrog, an educator’s perspective.

My mom was there, by her side as she passed on.  For that I’m grateful.

The funeral is Saturday, so we’re scrambling to get everything together for the funeral and our next two vacations… today.

We leave tomorrow.

And I had to sell my ticket to BlogHer.

Such a bummer.  This was to bet the first time I’d ever taken a weekend for myself to satisfy my guilty pleasures.

There’s always next year, right??

Sigh.

Priorities.  Family always comes first.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So tomorrow, we leave to attend our final party for Grandma Bryan. And Saturday, we say goodbye.

———

I’ve recently been hit with a steam of spam comments.  As a result I’ll be turning off my comments for the days I’ll be gone from my computer.

So all hundreds of you coughONEofYoucough don’t be alarmed when you are unable to leave your witty thoughts on my posts.

Peace, and if you’re attending BlogHer, have a wonderful time.

BlogHer or Bust…BUST

Then we headed off to our local Farmer’s Market to stand in line for the best crapes around. We ate our freshly made crapes in the local park, played tag and just enjoyed being together on this beautifully warm day here in California.

I was able to take a nap prior to my brother and girlfriend coming over. We ate outside in the beautiful evening weather.

The day was great. Just great!

My basic desire for today was to have a day with no family stress, and I think we came pretty darn close! Thanks for such a wonderful day Hubby!

And then Hubby went over to my brother’s place to play video games.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Video Games.

Hmm, let’s see… nice evening. Like a really nice evening with his wife, insert wagging eyebrows, or video games and beer.

He chose the video games and beer.

Yeay for an evening alone, with kids asleep. What mom can’t enjoy that??!!

On another note, I just found out that I won Alli-Fussypants’ weekly caption contest. She had up a really funny picture this week! Head on over and check it out.

Then click over to her jewelery site to see which earrings I won. I chose the Olive Gem earrings. They are so beautiful! Thanks Alli!

And one last thing.

My mom is the most beautiful mom I know, inside and out. She would literally give me the shirt off her back if I wanted it. Actually she has done that before! She’s also the best Nonnie that my kids could ever ask for. The relationship she’s created with my kids, husband, and me is one in a million. I am so lucky and grateful to have her in my life.

Mom, thank you for everything. I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Fog City Mommy is calling you

So here’s reason # 100 why Cash’s Mom should really start a blog…

So V (her sister) and I (Cash’s Mom) went to the mall today– and I stopped by the Benefit eyebrow bar, because seriously the caterpillar had to go!!

 

They were having some sort of MEGA event and one of the super fierce little Benefit hotties conned V into getting her eye makeup done.

 

So I’m sitting there waiting (with super hot bad ass eyebrows) and this really fun spunky Benefit gal convinces me to hop in a chair and shows me some “hot mom” makeup tips.

 

The entire time I’m getting my makeup done, people are flocking around. This lady asks them to get this they run and get it they are all commenting on, “how fab this looks on me,” and yadda yadda…

 

Now at first I thought I was getting the hard sell, but after quite a while of people stopping and watching (gawking even) I realized it’s because I’m a super fierce hot mom. Heidi Klum watch your ass, because when I drop this truck load of baby off… I’m hitting the runway. HOLLA!!

 

Anyway as I’m checking out (I bought some bad ass eye shadow) V says, “You know that was like Miss Benefit herself right??” This lady is the REASON for the big Benefit event!!

 

WHA WHA WHAT???

 

All the girls in the store were gushing and couldn’t believe that Arianne Damboise, known as Benefit Cosmetics’ “Makeup Maven” just did my make up….

 

PRO: I look AMAZING and this is the first time I’ve felt hot in WAY too long..

 

CON: All those people gazing on at how absolutely stunning I am… yeah they were there watching her.

And that folks, is why I love her. Please Cash’s Mom, start a blog! Please!

Jealous Much?

Go vote for me!!