Noah and my day....

Not a happy post....you were warned. I have been playing phone tag with my friend Rivon...the one who is taking care of Noah's brothers...she has been busy lately.  We were finally able to catch up last night. I am sad to say that Noah passed away on Monday night.  His tiny body just couldn't hang on any longer. His family is obviously devastated beyond belief.  He is at peace now and no longer in pain, resting comfortably with Jesus.

Psalms 31:9   O' Lord have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow.


I can't imagine the pain they are going through.  It seems that so many young ones are going home sooner.  God will comfort all those who ask and it time things will get easier.  But I am sure they don't certainly feel that way right now.  


I am still trying to help the family the only way I know how to and if you wish to donate to the family I know they would be grateful.  A single Mom of three boys isn't an easy life.  You throw in everything they have been going through and well...you can try to imagine it. 

A local radio station has been helping spread the word of the families situation.  A huge thanks goes out the KFDI in Wichita.  If you follow the link it will take the article and a few more ways to help the family.  

It is my understanding that the funeral is Saturday.  May God be with Noah's family and friends during their time of grief. 

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted… “ (Jesus’ words)

Week #1 of Win This Bag ~ by HipSwap

Welcome to Week #1 of

Win This Bag

sponsored by HipSwap

hosted by Sidetracked Mom’s Blog

“Win This Bag” is a 6-week event that will feature 6 weekly giveaways. There will be one designer handbag given away every week! Each bag will be an authentic, recognizable designer brand such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach, or Fendi. Our 6th week will feature a highly coveted designer handbag and you will have the option to claim bonus entries for each of the 5 weekly "Win This Bag" giveaways you entered leading up to this grand finale! So, enter each weekly giveaway to increase your odds of winning!

Here’s what really separates this event from any other handbag giveaway you may have seen before… some of these handbags will come to you directly from a celebrity’s closet! That’s right –

Thanks to HipSwap, you have the opportunity to win the exact bag that may have been on the arm of a famous celebrity!

About our Sponsor:
HipSwap is a mobile and web marketplace that connects buyers and sellers locally and nationally. It enables people to discover what's inside the most fabulous closets, homes, and shops in neighborhoods and cities across America. HipSwap currently offers delivery service in Los Angeles and New York with its iconic pink delivery van.

This week’s prize:

Dancing with the Stars fans will love this week's prize! Karina Smirnoff has been on 11 seasons of the show with season 13 taking her to the championship with partner J.R. Martinez. She has many championships in ballroom dancing...pretty sure I counted 16 different titles in over 4 different countries.



How to Enter:

1. Create a HipSwap account. You will be asked to enter your name, email and zip code. If you do not live in the United States, please enter your City and Country in the Zip Code field.

2. Once registered, you can earn additional entries by:

a. Pinning your favorite HipSwap bag on Pinterest

b. “Liking” HipSwap on Facebook

c. Following @HipSwap on Twitter

d. Tweet with the hashtag #winthisbag for daily bonus entries

e. Following the blogs who are bringing you this awesome giveaway

To be credited, all entries must be completed using the Rafflecopter form below. You can complete as many or as few entries as you’d like but remember, the more you do, the better your odds of winning! Plus, once you are following all of your hosts, entering each subsequent weekly Win This Bag Giveaway will be even faster & easier!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide 18 years of age or older, except where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook and is Facebook-compliant. To qualify to win, you must complete, at minimum, the mandatory entry on the Rafflecopter form. All entries will be forwarded to our sponsor for the purpose of randomly selecting a winner. Winners will be notified by email from a HipSwap representative. Winners will have 72 hours to respond or risk forfeiting their prize. Prize may re-awarded solely by the Sponsor's discretion. Prize fulfillment is the sole responsibility of the sponsor. This blog may not be held liable for Sponsors who do not fulfill prize shipments. The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We reserve the right to publicly publish winners' names and/or likeness. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Blendtec!

Welcome to the Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender giveaway!

I have teamed up with Kate n' Kaboodle to celebrate the final giveaway in her Funtastic Summer Event. The Funtastic Summer Event started June 10th with dozens of fun, summer themed giveaways! You can find all the giveaways here! The Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender is the Swiss Army Knife of Blenders because it can do the job of many appliances. It’s a whole juicer, a meat grinder, a latte machine, a bread mixer, an ice cream maker, a grain mill, coffee grinder, milkshake mixer, and a blender all in one! The sleek design features an illuminated, easy to read, touch screen with universal icons. This enables effortless selection of blend cycles. Blendtec created pre-programmed blending cycles to to produce optimum results for a wide range of blending tasks. Making a smoothie is as easy as a touch of a button! Just add your ingredients and press the "smoothie" icon! Want total control? The revolutionary new slider interface gives you absolute control over your blender’s speed. Touch anywhere on the slider to jump right to any speed, and slide your finger up and down to fine tune your blend. The Wildside Jar is BPA free and has a total volume of 90 fl oz. Clean up is a breeze with the flat, sealed, touch area and smooth motor base design. Just wipe it off with a damp cloth! No more messy buttons! The small, sleek design allows the Blendtec Designer Series Blender to fit under most cabinetry so it is easily accessible. This blender is more than a pretty face! With over 1500 watts of power, the commercial grade motor is the most powerful motor available for home use. The Blendtec blender is build for speed and power! The precision-machined socket connects directly to the motor, resulting in a finely-balanced motor assembly. This reduces vibration and noise, which is critical at the motor speeds you will see with the Blendtec. The air-flow design keeps the blender cooler enabling the blender to have a longer life.

Want to see the Blendtec Blender in action? Check out all Kate n' Kaboodle's Blendtec reviews!

Make sure you also check out all the giveaways in Kate n' Kaboodle's Funtastic Summer Event!

 

Connect

Blendtec Online Blendtec Facebook Blendtec Twitter Blendtec Pinterest

Buy It

The Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender can be purchased on the Blendtec site for $499.95.

Win It

One very lucky reader is going to win the Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Blender, a $500 value!

Open to U.S only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All over the place ;)

If you can't tell, my blog is all over the place.  I don't like to do any one thing all the time.  I like to keep things mixed up if you will.  I post pictures, happenings and giveaways! One of the giveaways that starts on the 26th is very cool! Every week be sure to come back and check out my blog for the next six weeks in a row.  I have teamed up with tons of bloggers to giveaway a new purse every week for the next six weeks! Can't spill any of the secrets right now but you won't want to miss it!  ....think Dancing With The Stars!! ssshh!

Morning........

Sunday Mornings.  Quiet time for all of us.  We got up several hours ago and everyone is ready to go to bible study. Everyone is playing on something electronic for the moment to pass the time by.  Then it is off to study and lunch.  Then it is time for Mom...aka me...to go to a Scentsy Sister's house for some fun.  Don't know what it will entail other than Bling bling and more bling for convention :) What can be more fun than that! I know that we will learn a lot today and I will have much more to share tonight or tomorrow.

FREE Blogger Opp: 8 Weeks of Designer Bags

Looking to drive traffic to your blog?  Want more Facebook likes or Twitter follows?

Sign up to join a giveaway that’ll run for 8 weeks and prize out a different designer bag each weeks!  What girl wouldn’t want to win a fancy shmancy bag of their own?  Cathy of Sidetracked Mom is putting together this HipSwap sponsored giveaway and wants all you bloggers to join in to promote and post on your blogs!

Best of all…it’s FREE.  You’ll get your choice of a link as a thank-you for promoting the sign-up & event on your blog.

Fill out this sign-up form and please be sure to let them know God has a plan for ALL of us! referred you :) 

LoveSac CitySac Giveaway!

They look soooo comfortable!!!

The LoveSac CitySac Package Giveaway Event hosted by Mom Powered Media: Iowa-Mom, Powered by Mom and Real Mom Reviews is now open to bloggers!

Cost is $5 or free with announcement post. See bloggers wanted post for more details.

Prize: Cow Phur CitySac Package (retail value $900)

Open to: US only

The event dates: July 3 – July 24

Blogger Note – (Canadian/other bloggers may participate in this event if you have a large number of US readers/traffic)

Link options are: Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and Pinterest.

What is required to join? 

• Fill out this form with your information!

• You will receive an email from me confirming your participation a week before the event. If you do not, please email me at teri@momtobedby8.com and I will check into it for you.
• Then on or around July 1st you will receive another email from me with the html code for publishing the giveaway.  Note it is required that you publish the giveaway html in full to be included in this event.

Referral prize: The blogger who refers the most bloggers to join will receive $25 via paypal or amazon e-code.

Day 98 - A picture of you and your friends out somewhere

I have a few picture post that aren't done yet so I thought I would finish them up while posting other post.  Several of the 100 ask for different pictures of your friends.  This time I thought I would find something different.  This one was take in 2010.  Fun times to be had by all! Not my best picture but that isn't what this is about!

Progress

Don't you love it when you make progress?? I don't mean in one certain area but it general.  Some times I feel like I have taken 2 or 3 steps backwards and then all of a sudden....I am forward five and didn't even realize it.  Times are never easy.  Nothing worth having is :) I say that all the time and I am sure my boys just looove me for it ~ hee hee!

Hubby and I have been together for quite a while and needless to say....in my opinion at least......that it hasn't come easy (I really do think he would agree with me).  We seem to take one step forward and if we are lucky maybe even two or three at a time. But then something throws us backwards yet again.  Sunday we took at least five steps forward. And it wasn't because of what I did or what he did.  It was what God is doing.  Doing...not did or will do...but what God is always doing.

Working for us.  God is great. And no matter how much 'seems' to be wrong with life....it really isn't.  Not in the grand scheme of things. Yes, money can be tight....you have a flat tire....or completely forget what you thought was an important appointment.  But everything happens for a reason. I have said that since high school. And God has his reason's.  We aren't to always understand them...and yes sometimes we think it might be easier if we did....but God knows and honestly that is all that matters.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

6 and in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Summer Social Giveaway!

The Summer Giveaway is running from June 18th through July 2nd

The Collective Media Magic Team

 Just Like June, Have Sippy Will Travel, Closer To Lucy, 3 Princes and A Princess 2,  That's What She Said,  and our Special Guest Hostess, Blessed Elements 

invite you to join in on the summer fun :)

One Grand Prize winner will receive a special $700 prize package 

containing all of the following items:

A GK  Curling  Iron  and Conditioner ($200 value)

A Barbar 2300  Titanium Ionic Flat Iron ($165 value)

An Exuviance 3 Piece Age Repair Set ($150 value)

The Natural Skin Shop Glycolic Peel (Up to $98 value) 

An Elegant Shabby Apple Dress (ARV $80) 

A $50 gift card to SwimSpot. 

3 Runner Up Winners will each receive:

A GK Curling Iron and Conditioner ($200 Value)

Four lucky winners ~ Are you going to be one of them???

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coach Signature Purse Flash Giveaway!

Coach Signature Purse Flash Giveaway!  How very cool! I never had one so I thought it would be neat :)

Day 97 - A picture of something you no longer have

This beautiful girl was with our family for quite some time.  She first belonged to my husband's Uncle Terry before we took her in. She was born in March of 1997.  She was a high spirited always on the go kinda girl :) She loved being outside, loved all kids and didn't particularly care for small animals...especially cats :( We took her in sometime in 2002...made her a spoiled rotten house puppy....who tolerated our cats quite well.  They were in the house and I guess she figured they belonged LOL She passed over the Rainbow Bridge September of  2011.  She was 14.5 years young and is truly missed everyday. 

Funtastic Summer Event: Blendtec Blender $500 value! {free event for bloggers-sign up now}

Kate n’ Kaboodle is having a Funtastic Summer Event starting June 10th!  This event will feature two weeks of fabulous giveaways ending with the grand finale, a Blendtec Designer Series Wildside Total Blender that sells for $499.

Are you a blogger and would like to join this event?

Click the banner above!!  Sign ups run from June 10-25th

Written by Tracey Klemish

This was shared with me by a dear friend and I can say that I found it very me...as it were.  Thought that it was worth sharing.......

The sun never seems to shine on me in just the right way - a personal essay

Tracey Klemish for the Mohawk Valley Independent • Mon, Jun 04, 2012

I have never considered myself pretty.  Especially when I see what the media tells me pretty is.  I am not thin.  My nose is not cute and upturned.  I am dark haired, not fair.  My body has scars. And my laugh is loud and honest… it sounds NOTHING like the tinkling of bells.  The sun never seems to shine on me in just the right way… so that my dark tresses glimmer in it’s rays. My make-up smudges.  My thighs rub.  To be honest… I am the complete opposite of everything that pin-ups are made of.

I looked at my children the other day.. and thought how adorable my littlest’s nose is.  And a few minutes later my mom commented that … that child had my nose.  I love that nose.  My daughter was looking at me and she smiled and her eyes twinkled, everyone tells me that she has my captivating eyes. She turned and posed and I noticed that her little shape is going to be curvy like mine and I was glad that she would have a body that would someday be nice for her hubby to hug.. IN THE FAR, DISTANT FUTURE… when she is like 40yrs old.    And my son, who is different, has a smile that tells of love, secrets and peace… and I have been told that when he smiles he resembles his Mommy.  These physical traits that I turn to mush over… in my own children I have never loved on my own body.

How is it that I can love the very bits of me that make up my children… and yet disparage over them on myself?  They say Motherhood is beautiful.  They say it is rewarding.  They said it is underpaid and under appreciated and yet the most wonderful experience ever.  They say you change once you become a Mommy… that you see the world through new eyes.  They say that you are never the same.  I believe it.  I thought it was just because of how fierce my love and loyalty to my babies is.  I thought it was because now I would do anything to stay with them.  I thought it was because now I am so amazingly connected to these 3 little souls that I hurt when they hurt, I laugh when they laugh, I feel what they feel…. so deep into my being that I am no longer just me, I am part of them.  I never realized that I would come to love myself more.. because of the bits of me that are in them.

How awesome is God that he could create such a tangible, life changing experience, bond, and gift… Motherhood?  How blessed am I that He chose to bestow it upon me?  How perfect is his love for Me and My children that he would find ways to make us love ourselves more by giving us each other to love?  This is not something that can be explained away by monkeys and cave men.  This is too big for that.  It is too specific and well planned.  It is too miraculous to be mere coincidence.  They say if you want to believe in God look into the face of a smiling or laughing baby.  I have been blessed threefold with tiny faces to remind me that not only am I loved, but that the beauty God knew I could never see in myself… he allowed me to see through my children.

Tracey Klemish writes the Tasty Tattler column for the Mohawk Valley Independent. Her new blog, ladyofphoenixrose can be found by clicking here.

In my opinion this speaks to most of us...I have heard others say the same things...and I know that I feel like this myself.

More about Noah....

Rivon called today to talk about Noah.  He has a couple of rough nights.  She wanted to let me know about his Caring Bridge site too.  Caring Bridge is a website that is strictly dedicated to helping families keep in touch with and about loved ones who are ill.  Most of the post and pictures are from his previous bout with cancer but there are some updated post.  Click here.

If you live in this area or are close to Wichita, The Red Robin is also raising money for Noah.  On June 13th, they will be donating 15% of all sales to him.  You do need to bring in the flyer with you and I have attached it here and there is one on the Caring Bridge site photos as well.

If you would like to read more about him from my earlier post go here.

DYSON Housewarming Giveaway!

Welcome to the Dyson Housewarming Giveaway event. This took months in the making and Mom to Bed by 8, the Iowa Mom is proud to bring you this fantastic home essential and offer you the chance to win one too! Big thank you to our lovely co-hosts How to Have It All, Mark Your Savings and GiveAway Bandit.

Dyson DC23 TurbineHead Canister Vacuum
Delivering 220 airwatts of suction power, this canister vacuum cleaner features advanced Level 3 Root Cyclone technology to ensure thorough, efficient cleaning with no clogging or loss of suction. It also offers a TurbineHead brush bar that's ideal for cleaning medium and short pile carpets and can be turned off for hard floors. Certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the unit expels air that contains up to 150 times less mold and bacteria than common breathing air thanks to the vacuum's money-saving, lifetime washable HEPA filter. Plus, Dyson's Bactisafe screen traps and kills bacteria, mold and allergens on contact, preventing them from re-entering the air.
The Telescopic Wrap System allows the hose and wand to be compressed, and ensures that the Dyson DC23 can be stored away neatly and compactly, with no loose components or wires to get tangled. It comes with a stair tool for focusing on dust and dirt from stairs and stair carpets, a brush tool with long bristles to dislodge cobwebs and for delicate cleaning, and a high-velocity airflow crevice tool that's ideal for cleaning base boards, picture frames and in-between furniture. Other features include a clear bin with 0.44-gallon capacity, 21.6-foot cord length, and easy-to-maneuver fixed wheels. The vacuum measures 13.9 x 19.3 x 11.9 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 19.5 pounds. The Dyson DC23 TurbineHead is backed by a 5-year warranty.

Open to worldwide, ages 18+. Giveaway ends on June 15^th. Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter. Good luck to all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. God has a plan for ALL of us! is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.