Saturday Sweeps

As usual, there are soooo many giveaways and soooo little time!

I mentioned in my last Saturday Sweeps that I won two different things from the same blog, The IE Mommy.  Both prizes have already arrived!  :)

Here’s some of the most recent giveaways I’ve entered…

Two different blogs are giving away a $500 Visa gift card!!!

• Mom to Bed By 8 – ends May 1 – click here to go enter!
• Susan Heim on Parenting – ends May 1 – click here to go enter!

My Springfield Mommy has a few that end tomorrow (that I entered)…

• The Big Wedding giveaway – Click here to go enter!
• A Springfield Doll (with outfit) – Click here to go enter!
• My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Princess Twilight Sparkle on DVD – click here to go enter!

Mom’s Own Words is also giving away The Big Wedding prize pack, but you have more time – ends May 8 – click here to go enter!

As They Grow Up is giving away This Is Our Time on DVD – ends May 4 – Click here to go enter!  Also, My Four Monkeys is giving it away – ends April 29 – Click here to go enter!

My Four Monkeys has a few other giveaways, too…

• Ring the Bell DVD – ends April 29 – click here to go enter!
• The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Things book – ends April 29 – click here to go enter!
• Hermie and Friends DVD – ends May 6 – click here to go enter!

Don’t forget about this giveaway…

The Freebie Depot is giving away a $50 gift card to Olive Garden – ends May 4 - Click here to go enter!

Enter to Win clipart from Babble.com

Wordless Wednesday – Seasons Change

Wordless Wednesday – A Drowned Rat

This is me…

after standing in the rain to get a rope and sign pulled across my driveway to keep whomever it is from waking me at 4 a.m.

Saturday Sweeps!

I’m not a giveaway queen, but I do enjoy entering giveaways from time to time.  I’m not sure if it’s considered a hobby, obsession, or addiction.

Recently, I won two different things from the same blog, The IE Mommy.  That should tell you something… usually fairly low entries on her blog.  (Hint, hint!)  ;)

Here’s a few of the giveaways that I currently tweet about daily…

Two different blogs are giving away a pair of Lee Jeans:

• Momma in Flip Flops 2 – ends April 18 – Click here to go enter!
• Thrifty and Chic Mom – ends April 19 – Click here to go enter!

Cuckoo for Coupon Deals is giving away a black and white college futon – ends  April 21 – Click here to go enter!

Momma in Flip Flops 2 is also giving away…

• a $95 gift certificate to Hapari Swimwear – ends April 23 – Click here to go enter!
• a pair of Pediped children’s shoes – ends April 24 - Click here to go enter!

The Freebie Depot is giving away a $50 gift card to Olive Garden – ends May 4 – Click here to go enter!

Simply Stacie has several giveaways I’ve entered.  Here’s a couple of them:

• a Sphinx Personal Lounger – ends around April 23 – Click here to go enter!
• a CherryMan Prize Pack (includes cherries and cherry swag) – ends around April 24 – Click here to go enter!

Susan Heim on Parenting is giving away a personalized plush teddy bear (in time for Mother’s Day) – ends April 24 – Click here to go enter!

She Scribes is giving away 4 passes to a Pump It Up location (encouraging children’s imagination) – ends April 26  - Click here to go enter!

Enter to Win clipart from Babble.com

Wreck-It Ralph and other giveaways

My daughters and I went and saw Wreck-It Ralph last weekend at the ‘cheap’ theater.  It was pretty good, especially if you’ve ever spent any amount of time playing video games.  I found more than one blog that is giving away a copy of it on DVD/Blu-ray…

• Hanging Off the Wire ~ ends March 4 ~ click here to go enter!
• Motherhood Moment ~ ends March 5 ~ click here to go enter!
• Thrifty Jinxy ~ ends March 6 ~ click here to go enter!
• My Wee View ~ ends March 8 ~ go enter by clicking here!
• Dragon Blogger ~ ends March 19 ~ click here to go enter!  (appears to be blu-ray only)
• One Savvy Mom ~ ends March 27 ~ click here to go enter!

And, something that might go good with that movie is a care package full of yummy goodies.  She Scribes is giving away a HUGE care package.  Her giveaway ends on March 9.  Enter by clicking here.

Simply Stacie is giving away the winner’s choice of a Canon or Nikon DSLR Camera Kit ~ ends March 10 ~ click here to go enter!

Rapper Names and a Lack of ‘True’ Focus

I saw this on Facebook when my friend Kristie posted it.   It’s kinda silly and fun to see what kinds of names you can create.  :)

Then, I received a call from my mom.  She was wondering why more people couldn’t (or didn’t) show up to pray for “the lost” at her church’s prayer meetings.  (She indicated that about eight people showed up, and they had a list of over 1,000 people for whom to pray.  And, she attends a church with several hundred in ‘normal’ Sunday morning attendance.)  We talked some about that and how much our lives revolve around electronic devices… whether it be cellphones, iPads, iPods, iPhones, smartphones, DVR’s, Facebook, laptops, MP3 players (do people still have these?), and the list goes on and on.

Do we have our focus on the ‘wrong’ things?  Stuff like this ‘fun’ thing on Facebook (“Find Your Rapper Name”) IS fun, but do we focus on stuff like this too much?

Seeking Approval

I’ve known for a long time that I seek the approval of others.  I’ve tried many things to avoid doing that… to stop doing that.  But, so far, I’ve not been able to stop or avoid it.  I’m a born again believer in Jesus Christ, and I do not (and did not) have to do ANYthing to earn His forgiveness.  So, why do I struggle with this?  Why have I struggled with this?  Does it really matter why?  I simply would be ECSTATIC if I could get ‘beyond’ this and no longer struggle with it.  I imagine it has ‘fueled’ my depression because deep in my heart I know I can do nothing to gain anyone’s approval.  And, deep in my heart, I know that I shouldn’t worry what others think.

However, even the word “should” is something that bothers me.  It doesn’t matter if I change “should” to “need.”  That bothers me, too.  So, how does one overcome this?  Is it through endless counseling sessions and/or medication?  I’ve done all of that, and yet I still struggle.  I don’t have the answers… other than the cliché of, “Let go, and let God.”  That is so simplistic and yet seemingly impossible to do.