Happy Birthday to my Robot

So, today is Jason's birthday. He probably doesn't want me to tell you how old he is (ahem, rhymes with flirty-fix) or that he is getting more gray hair on his temples (not much, mostly from me).

So, in honor of my robot's birthday, here are the Top 10 Reasons Why He Rocks:

1. He is incredibly smart with our money. Thank God. Because, left to me, we'd be living in a super huge McMansion, driving obnoxious SUVs, talking on our suped up iPhones...and not have any way to pay for them. ha!
   
2. He likes to cook and is actually really good at it. Again, left to me, well, you know where I am going with this...
   
3. He is extremely patient with my crazy moods. I have some doozies and he just shakes them off, mostly.
   
4. He is an amazing dad. Our girls are incredibly lucky to have him as their dad. He is super caring, loves to play with them, and is really patient at bath time.
   
5. He is super cute. Suuuuupppeeerrrr CUTE
   
6. He comes from an awesome family and that means everything.
   
7. He thinks about my well-being a lot more than I do. Which is good and bad because he calls me out on all of the stupid stuff I do.
   
8. He likes to watch mostly the same TV shows as I do. That's important!
   
9. He is very outgoing and will talk to anyone. He more than makes up for my introvertedness. :)
   
10. HE MARRIED ME! :P That's the most awesomest thing about him!!

So, happy birthday J.

Love you...

(80085)

Why I love the “blogosphere”

Some of my friends and family ask me why I write my blog. They wonder what the heck I am talking about when I try and tell them that one of my posts was picked up by another blog or when my blog was featured on SITS and the number of comments I received nearly blew up my BlackBerry. I try to explain that my blog is like my outlet-I can post about raising my kids, dealings with my robot-husband and my constant and frustrating weight loss adventure. I also use my blog to share fun stories, videos, and share blogs of friends that I like. The people whose blogs I read regularly become part of my world. I know about their life, their families, their struggles, etc. I get excited for them when something great happens and feel pain when sadness occurs. The same is true for people who leave comments on my blog—they empathize with my frustrations, they help me with suggestions for my problems, and laugh when they think something I write is funny. It’s hard to explain, but one thing about these connections is clear—they are not fake.

Today has been extremely difficult for me because of Stellan. Stellan is an 8 month old little boy from Minnesota. Near where I live, actually. His mother, MckMama, writes a blog that I absolutely adore. She is mom to Stellan and 3 other little kiddos—all of whom are unbelievably adorable. Anyway, Stellan was born with a heart defect that has troubled him on and off during his short life. He was doing well for a while but over the last week, his health deteriorated and now he’s on his way to Boston, via medical airlift. Yikes. I’ve been glued to my BlackBerry today, waiting for updates from @MckMama about his condition. She’s been Twittering updates about his condition and her pain is palpable. I am just absolutely heart sick over Stellan’s condition, and yet I’ve never met him or his mother IRL (In Real Life for you non-bloggers/Twitterers). You can’t tell me that what I am feeling is fake or silly. My stomach has been in knots all morning and I am on the verge of tears every time I see an update from her. I can’t stop thinking about them, yet I have never physically met them or even spoke to them.

Within my little blog-world, real friendships are formed, compassion and concern for a little boy reaches all over the world and laughter and silliness spread like wildfire. You can say that the Internet is rife with horrible people, bad intentions, and dishonesty. But, it also has the capacity to help lift a mother’s heart when she’s desperately trying to hang on to hope, send waves of love and strength to a little boy who needs it in spades, and showers laughter on you when you need it the most. I think that is pure magic.

Now this is how you should get married!

This will make you smile from ear to ear. This is a couple who got married in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

My Obligatory Blogiversary Post! (6 days late)

Last Thursday was my one year anniversary of starting Pink Vanilla Cupcakes. Wow. In one year, I have published 118 posts, had well over 12,000 hits to my site, thousands of comments, 2 blog awards, 2 featured blog honors, and 3 giveaways! Phew. Now, my stats aren’t anywhere near other blogs out there, but you know what, none of that means anything. I started this blog out of curiosity. I wondered if I could write something that someone else might like to read and think it useful or entertaining. Or more, I write something that impacts somebody and maybe makes them think differently about something. I have accomplished all of that and the comments I have received, both post on the blog and via e-mails, have been extraordinary. I didn’t intend to run advertising on my blog when I first started out. I honestly didn’t know how! But, I added Google ads and then BlogHer ads and it’s been fun to see what pops up on my blog! Hey—today I am advertising for Pepto Bismol! Apropos, no!? Ha!

I have written posts on a wide variety of subjects from kids, robots, Susan Boyle, politics, weight loss struggles, and other weird stuff. Some posts were easier to write than others. Some took on a life of their own as I was writing them. Others were kind of boring and pointless! I even admit that. But, I do think I’ve grown and have resolved some very frustrating issues I’ve had by just writing about them here and reading and responding to your comments, suggestions, support, and sometimes criticisms! Hey, bring it on—I like all feedback. Except spam. Don’t care for spam!

So, what’s next?

Well, I just started a product review and giveaway blog to partner with this one called Giveaways and Reviews by Pink Vanilla Cupcakes (original, no?). I can’t post giveaways or reviews on this site due to compliance with my advertising contracts so I created a mirror-image blog where I can host giveaways, etc. I’ve been asked to host a couple really cool giveaways that I know you’ll like and I didn’t want to pass them up. So, I’ll let you know about those on this site and link to the other site for more info! Got it!? Good. ;) Other than that, I hope to keep posting about my weight loss successes (not failures!), my goofy kids and robot husband, reality TV obsessions, really super important issues, and whatever else lands in my brain.

So, thanks for stopping by and reading along. I hope you keep reading. ;0)

It's a sister blog!

I created a new sister blog that will hold all of my giveaways and product reviews:

Giveaways and Product Reviews by Pink Vanilla Cupcakes!

I will always link to them from here so no worries on trying to remember another blog name and URL! :)

Look for my next giveaway coming August 3rd! :)

Giveaway! (hey, where did this post go!?)

I moved this post over to the super cool new Giveaways and Reviews by Pink Vanilla Cupcakes blog! Look there for more giveaways!

Not Me Monday!

Today is Monday and since I’ve been a complete angel all week, I thought I’d take part in MckMama’s Not Me Monday blog carnival again. Time for all of us angels to talk about what we did, err didn’t do, this past week.

Okay, so here we go...

• I would never let my freshly bathed children sleep in the dresses they wanted to wear to school tomorrow, hoping to avoid the morning bruhaha over what to wear and hurry up and get dressed already! Nope.
  
• I wasn't at all excited over the prospect of having to SIT for an hour or so out in the perfectly perfect summer evening while watching Kaitlyn's soccer practice. I also wasn't super bummed when I had to let Jason go on the other day last week because I didn't want to share that! ha. (he went, I am not that mean).
  
• I did NOT cry like a baby watching the Billy Mays tribute on Discovery Channel. Sigh.


• I did not post a "memories of Suzi" post on my Facebook page, only to delete it after people had posted too many incriminating memories that I wasn't ready to relive--or more importanly, have my co-workers and neighbors discover that I am not perfect. :) HA!


• I would never eat an entire Belgian Waffle with whipped cream on Saturday morning at the local fire department's fund raiser. No way. Not me. (sick as a dog afterwards!) Jason ate 3.


• I would never take our precious girls to the race track to bet on horses. I would also never pick the winning horse in BOTH races. Too bad my husband bet on the wrong horse for me on of the races. Nice.
  
• I would never EVER leave my BlackBerry at home while going to the gym. I also would never secretly be thankful that I did. Being incommunicado every once in a while is nice. :)


• Lastly, I would never EVER wait all day to watch the season premiere of Entourage only to fall asleep right before it began. Sigh.

Well, there ya go. Feel free to add your “not-mission” in the comments, or if you so desire, create your own Not Me Monday post and link it on MckMama’s McLinky list!

Not Me Monday!

Today is Monday and since I’ve been a complete angel all week, I thought I’d take part in MckMama’s Not Me Monday blog carnival again. Time for all of us angels to talk about what we did, err didn’t do, this past week.

Okay, so here we go...

• I would never stay up late just so I can watch a Whale Wars marathon on Animal Planet. Nope.
  
• I didn’t agree to let Kaitlyn stop her dance classes because she was bored. I would never let her do that—she needs to stick it out after all! (Truth is, the class sucked. The teacher doesn’t get that these are little kids, not teenagers. They aren’t interested in being in a Beyonce video—nor are their parents, FYI.)
  
• I would never be near-consumed with Michael Jackson coverage after his death. I wouldn’t be glued to the TV while they tried to surmise what happened to him. I have way too many more important things to deal with.


• I would never agree to go to California for a last minute vacation in August. Nope, not me!! (woo hoo!)


• I would never let my 3 year old chew gum and use it as leverage for her to eat her veggies or well, her dinner. Yikes. That’s a bad one. :) I blame Jason on this—he was the one who introduced her to gum. Ha!


• I would never let my 5 year old sleep in our bed, even though she grinds her teeth all freaking night. Sometimes it’s just great to be close to her and her ear-piercing teeth mashing.
  
• I would never check my BlackBerry while on the treadmill, trip on my shoe and just about fall on my ass in front of the entire gym. No, I am way too coordinated for that.


• Lastly, I would never spend money on lunch at work even thought I packed a perfectly good lunch that day. Nope, that is both stupid and expensive. Who would do such a thing?

Well, there ya go. Feel free to add your “not-mission” in the comments, or if you so desire, create your own Not Me Monday post and link it on MckMama’s McLinky list!

But Wait, There’s More!

Wow, what a week this has been for celebrity death pool players. First Farrah Fawcett, and then Michael Jackson, and then Billy Mays. You’ve certainly heard by now how deaths come in threes? Well, sure looked that way last weekend. Trifecta of amazing personalities and memorable moments. Jill Monroe was my favorite of all of Charlie’s Angels. I thought she was so cool. Did you watch Farrah’s Story? It’s the documentary she filmed about her cancer struggle. They filmed through early 2009 and it was evident then that she was nearing the end. It was a lovely tribute.

And then, Michael Jackson. I first heard about him being rushed to the hospital on Twitter. That’s also where I heard he had died. It was amazing how fast and furious the Tweets came in about him dying. I was an enormous Michael Jackson fan when I was younger. I was sad that his life had become such a sad circus full of enablers and hangers on. Like everyone else, I was troubled by the molestation claims and wondered if that whole ordeal would do him in. I feel bad for his children. I mean, if they are his children—there are reports that they aren’t even his children. Here comes the tabloid craziness. This will last for months—remember Anna Nicole? Ugh.

Lastly, Billy Mays died on Sunday. Geesh. Yes, he wasn’t even in the same stratosphere as Jackson or Farrah. I loved watching him on his show Pitchmen on the Discovery Channel. He was so interesting and just so much fun to watch. I grew up going to the Canfield Fair, a county fair in Ohio that rivaled most states fairs. Part of my childhood memories are of watching pitchmen try to sell my parents the latest mop, cutlery set, or wood burning stove (they bought all three and then some!) I thought they looked so cool with their microphones attached to their ears and their smooth delivery. I loved watching their pitch. Turns out Billy Mays most likely was at that fair while I was a kid so I most likely watched him in person. That would be cool!

So, yes, these are just 3 of the millions of people who died over the last week. I know. But, still, 2 of these people were huge icons from the 80s and one was a big burly guy with a booming voice who helped every day inventors sell their products to millions. He changed their lives for sure.

Farewell…

COMING UP on pinkvanillacupcakes.com!

I’ve got a couple giveaways in the works that should be fun. The next post will feature a giveway from Pillsbury—stop back to enter! YUM