Talk To Me ~ Please!

Hi friendz! So I know I haven't done Talk to me Tuesday recently. I'm just not sure if people are really interested in it. I'll give a refresher about what it is for you newcomers, and I'd love some feedback! Basically, the idea is that every Tuesday the kidz readers will share a post from their blog that is uplifting or inspiring in ANY way - funny, silly, cute, heart-warming, even if it's just a new product you use that you think other people might like - you get the idea. Just leave a comment with the link to your blog if you want to play along. And PLEASE leave some feedback. If people are on board with this idea, we'll keep going with it. If not, I'll come up with something else! So please be honest because I've got some pretty thick skin and just want to have a true idea of what people think. Thanks everyone!

It's Your Turn

You know the drill....



Thanks for participating and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sharing Time

By now, most of you know the drill.... share an inspiring link from your blog on the Mister Linky, and then go visit the other inspiring posts. It's that easy! Enjoy!

To The Max

As most of you know, Tuesday's are a fun day when we all share inspiring posts from our blogs to uplift and inspire one another. I want to start today's Talk To Me Tuesday with a photo essay by Ellen from To The Max. This post was very uplifting and inspiring to me, so I needed to highlight it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! And when you're done being touched by Ellen's insights, be sure to share your own post to help others as well.

Raising a Child with Special Needs: A Photo Essay

It's hardest when they are very little. You assess their every movement, their every look. Is this normal? Is that? You fear what the future might hold. You wonder why it happened. Why.

As they get bigger, so do their personalities. And boy, can they have big personalities. So much bigger than their disabilities.

Sometimes, they have sisters or brothers to help. Or to fight. It's all good.

Sometimes, they figure stuff out by themselves. If they don't, maybe they will tomorrow, or the month after, or the year after. You learn that they are on their own timeline, and that is OK.

You still have moments when you worry that your child is staring out the window at the world as it passes him by.


But what lies ahead isn't as scary as it once was. You have a new sense of what "normal" means. You've found patience, strength, resilience and determination you never knew you had. And your love for your child? It is so much bigger than his disabilities.

Grand Prize Winners Announced! & Talk to Me Tuesday

The hour is finally upon us, the moment we've all been waiting for, when we announce the winners of the grand prizes!

I was on the edge of my seat (okay, my couch) as I punched the numbers into my favorite winner-determining website, sure to include everyone who did a post announcing the kidz blog and also those who forwarded an email to announce the kidz blog.

And the winners are....

2nd runner-up, $50 gift card to Zappos, is Gayla from Where Are My Angels

1st runner-up, $100 gift card to IKEA, is Stacy from Stacy & Steve's Family Blog

and the Grand Prize,

a $200 gift card to Target,

goes to....

Tara Eagar for forwarding an email!

Congrats to the winners and Thank You to EVERYONE who participated in the kick-off week in any way. Thanks for helping to spread the word, adding your comments, sharing your insights..... I have been blown away by all of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Now - the show must go on. So onto our routine posting activities....

By sharing an inspiring post with the rest of us, you will not only uplift those who stop by to check it out, you will also be entered into the drawing for the giveaway of.....



an Instyler! For those who don't know what an Instyler is, it's basically a smoothing iron with some bonus features. So hop on the Mr Linky to be entered to win!

Your Turn

It's day 2 of the kick-off party, and it's not too late to enter to win the GRAND prizes. I just never get tired of telling everyone about them, so let's review, just for good measure.... $50 gift card to Zappos, $100 gift card to IKEA, and $200 gift card to Target. Irresistible? Go here to find out how to enter! It's easy!

For those of you who are new to this site, let me introduce you to my personal favorite day of the week: Talk to Me Tuesday. This is the day when the readers get to share posts from their blogs that are inspirational or uplifting in any way. By participating in TTMT (by sharing a link on the Mr Linky below), you will be put into a monthly drawing for an Instyler....

If you're not sure what this fandangled object is, let me tell ya..... It is basically a smoothing iron that rotates the heat through your hair and also brushes it while you run it down the hair. This helps make the hair more smoothe than most smoothing irons. I personally love it, and thought I'd share the love! So hop on the Mr Linky to be entered to win! Also be sure to stop by the other posts to be inspired or uplifted. I am never disappointed and I promise you won't be either!

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the kidz kick-off week. I am so excited to meet all the new readers!

As I've mentioned before, this entire week, just by leaving a comment on each daily post, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of two prizes. Yesterday's commenters were entered to win....

These fun tub crayons, and

this lovely heart charm necklace

.

The lucky winners were chosen through the site random.org.

The winner of the tub crayons is Colleen of The Princess and the Monkey. And the winner of the necklace is Kelsey of K... is Not Your Average Girl. Congrats ladies!

Commenters on today's post will be put in a drawing to win one of these two fantastic prizes....

This adorable tooth fairy pouch pillow, and

This simply stunning 'Signs of Spring' bracelet by SD Vintage Collection

Thanks for linking and commenting!

It's everyone else's turn to share inspiration. I love this day! I love going to read everyone else's posts, and I truly am always inspired. So.... everyone share your inspiring posts!

An Animating and Exalting Effect

Alright, everyone, it's my personal favorite day of the week here at kidz. It's the day when you get to share your stories.... any story that is inspring in any way. I'm afraid the readers are over-analyzing the word inspiring because even though I've tried to explain its broad definition several times before, I've still not seen very much Talk to Me Tuesday activity. And that's hard to believe, considering participation in TTMT is an automatic entry for the monthly giveaway. And to answer your question, no. I'm not below bribes. Please participate! Please oh please!

January's giveaway was a blanket made of this fabric....


So cute! And the winner of the fab blanket is....

Amanda from Come What May and Love It. Congrats to Amanda!!!

Okay, let's see what Webster has to say about the word 'inspiring'....

inspiring: having an animating or exalting effect

Well, we could go all day, looking up animating and exalting to get down to the real definition. But basically, think to yourself, 'okay, does this post cause anyone to feel exalted/uplifted/better than they did before they read it?' Then it fits. Or try this, 'Does this post cause anyone's face to go from expressionless to having an expression (i.e. is it animating)? Then again, it applies. It's a pretty broad definition, so please play along!

And for extra motivation, check out February's giveaway for TTMT participants....

An Instyler

No. This is not some mystical dream. It is reality. An Instyler could be yours if you simply follow my simple guidelines of what qualifies as an inspiring post. Not sure what an Instyler is? Go HERE to find out, but trust me, it's a simply fantastic device for your hair.

Simply add the link to that post on the Mr Linky below, and voila, you're entered to win the Instyler! How simple is that?!? And be sure to go visit the other inspiring posts so you can be animated and exalted....

Taking Turns

Do you have something uplifting/inspiring to share with the rest of us? Hop on the Mister Linky and share away! Your participation will put you in the drawing to win a blanket made of this fabric (being modeled by Chloe)....

Just Do What You Can

Last week as I was trying to get a few things organized in my storage area, I came across a journal and a cherished memory I'd like to share.

Back in the day, I volunteered for Make a Wish Foundation as a 'Wish Granter.' My experiences in this position allowed me to meet many amazing children and families. I so enjoyed being a part of that wonderful organization and the process that led to making dreams come true for such well-deserved children.

The entire series of actions that are taken from the beginning, when someone nominates a child, to the celebration after the wish is granted.... it is amazing. I am so grateful to have been involved with Make a Wish, and hope that I have time again in the future to join that team again.

One of the little girls I worked with had a wish to go to DisneyWorld with her family. It was such a joy helping to bring that wish to life! When she and her family returned, there was a celebration filled with a slideshow from their trip, and made complete by raising a star in her name to be added to the other stars in the lobby.

Each star represents a wish that has come true for a child. It is a sight to behold. As we raised her star to the ceiling her mom sang the Disney song, "When You Wish Upon a Star." It was a lovely moment.

This little girl had several congenital defects, and one visible defect was the fact that she had only one arm. But when her star reached the top, her mom finished the song, and everyone started clapping, so did she. She clapped with one hand. Although her clapping made no noise, her enthusiasm for life spoke volumes to me.

The song I shared on Saturday, Shine All Your Light, has always made me think of the lesson I learned from this little girl. "Just do what you can, clap with one hand...."

I hope we can all just do what we can. It doesn't matter if it doesn't measure up to what others can do, or if we wish we could do more than is possible for us. What matters is that we do our best, give all we have, to each moment and each person.

Please join me in sharing an inspirational post from your blog. Just add your name and link to the Mister Linky below, and be sure to visit the other links as well. Everyone who participates will be put in the drawing to win a fleece snowflake blanket!

Talk To Me, Goose....

I can't believe it. I was so excited about Dallyn yesterday, that I completely forgot to announce the winner of the weekly giveaway, a $25 gift certificate to restaurant.com.



And the winner is....




CC from If Only I Had Super Powers. Congrats CC! You deserve a night out on the town!



This week's giveaway for commenters is:

This 12x12 scrapbook paper and sticker stack. So you paper crafters out there, leave plenty of comments this week because each comment will enter you in the drawing to win!

NOW... onto Talk To Me Tuesday. You know the drill. Find an inspirational/motivational/comical/just down right fabulous post on your blog. Then link us to it on the Mr Linky widget. Be sure to visit everyone else's posts as well. Participating in TTMT will enter you into a drawing to win a fleece snowflake blanket!

Warm/Fuzzy

Remember Dallyn? How could you forget this face....

Well, he's going into the hospital today in preparation for open-heart surgery, which will be tomorrow. And thanks to some of you for helping out (Martha, my mom - Saint Bonnie, and one anonymous person), I was able to deliver a package to Dallyn and his mom Shellie today, to help them survive this scary experience. Thanks to everyone's support, Dallyn has some books, a blanket, and some music for his time in the hospital. And Shellie has the knowledge that people support and care for Dallyn - I can't think of anything that could help her more!!! I'll keep everyone posted on Dallyn's progress. In the meantime, please keep him and his mom in your thoughts and prayers!

Now it's your turn! Create or pick out an inspiring post from your blog (keeping in mind, of course that inspiring has a very broad definition). Then just add your link to the Mister Linky, and you're all set! Then be sure to also visit everyone else's inspiring posts. What a great way to ring off the new year!





Everyone who participated in Talk to Me Tuesday in December was entered into a drawing for

a blanket made of this fleece fabric.

And guess who won....?!?!

Danyele from A Thorn Among Roses

Congrats to Danyele!!!

This month's giveaway will also be a fleece blanket. I think it's appropriate that those who participate in warm/fuzzy posts should enter to win warm/fuzzy blankets! This month's fabric can be seen here, modeled by Chloe....

The fabric was so cute that I had to get enough to make Chloe a blanket out of it too. The giveaway is for the blanket only. I'm keeping Chloe, and she'll probably want to keep her snowman. ;O)

Thanks everyone!