The Captive Mommy

Throughout the blog party I had 91 different comments (on both blogs) and/or new mailing list subscribers! Using Random.org numbers were randomly given to each entry (tracked with email address) and the top 7 (the winners) are:

1. Heather @ justdoingmybest-heather.blogspot.com
2. JamericanSpice @ jamericanspice.blogspot.com
3. Mocha Dad @ mochadad.com
4. Susan @ happycamperdisaster.com
5. Stephanie @ andtwinsmake5.blogspot.com
6. Jennifer @ livhealthy.tv
7. Candice @ superfunmama.blogspot.com

If your name is above and you haven’t heard from me yet it’s only because the person in front of you hasn’t picked their prize yet If I am unable to get in touch with someone who has won before Wednesday April 1 I will continue down the list of random winners. This is the same list as posted at Sara*s Pixel Studio Blog because I combined prize lists for both blogs for the party.

Well before going to bed tonight I wanted to just tell all of you thank you for visiting my blog and making this Ultimate Blog Party awesome! I had lots of fun visiting other blogs, following you on Twitter and getting comments and follows from all of you!

I will be closing comments on all my UBP posts now and tomorrow I will work on getting the prizes dished out to everyone!

It takes a lot to surprise me and not very much at all to make me happy but this blog party has done both! I am surprised (pleasantly) that so many of you have dropped by to say hi I’m also excited that I’ve found lots of fun new blogs to add to my ‘blogs’ bookmark folder! I do have one little update to make about my prize list. The Avon Peach Bubble Bath has been taken off because hubby decided to use about 3 oz of it the other evening to give Bo a bath. Lots of ways to look at that. He was giving the kid a bath — not many fathers (that I know) give their kids baths, particularly if the mom is a SAHM. He honestly didn’t know that bottle was being saved for this blog party — try explaining a blog party (and giving prizes away) to your hubby then you’ll know why I didn’t even bother to tell him about it. Besides it was pretty heavy and therefore it would have been expensive to mail (yes I’m a cheapskate — I picked it up from hubby). Anyway so I’ll be finding a new prize to add to the list before the week is out to replace that one.

Today’s comment challenge: has a family member ever used something of yours that you had other plans for?

Well here I sit at 1:15am like a dodo bird. Tonight my BF Charis took me out to eat for my birthday. She gets off work late on Fridays so that meant a later dinner, but that was fine by us. After dinner hubby finally paid out for my birthday and took me to Office Depot to pick out a new desk chair. Until tonight we’ve used a chair from our dinning table — not comfortable at all considering I sit here 3-5 hours everyday — oh gosh I need to stop sitting here that much!! Figuring to save some dough I wanted a moderately priced chair (under $100) but he said they were ugly and he wanted a leather one. Umm okay hubby I wasn’t going to argue! So I picked out the one I wanted, grabbed some rubber bands I needed and we headed home.

Our neighbor (who is a firefighter/hazmat tech like hubby) was working today and Chip wanted to stop by and see him so Bo could see the fire trucks. This was totally an excuse to stop and check out their hazmat equipment. Charis and I stay in the truck with the sleeping Levi because once you’ve seen one (or 100) fire trucks like I have, trust me you’ve seen them all. Turns into an hour visit — poor Josh toting Bo around to see every truck at least 12 times (Bo LOVES ’swimming Mr. Josh’ — he has a pool) while hubby jabbers on and on with the station lieutenant about hazmat mumbo jumbo. Levi wakes up, gets cranky. Bo finally tires of the fire trucks and comes back to play with Charis’ Nintendo DS — promptly looses the stylus, sending us on an unsuccessful search for it.

Me: Bo where did the stylus go?
Bo: I dropped it.
Me: Where did you drop it?
Bo: Down the windmill.
Me: There is no windmill here. Where did it go?
Bo: I dropped it down in the Tahoe, down the windmill.

Exasperated I give up trying to question him. It’s 10pm by now and everyone (except hubby) is ready to go home. Finally hubby hears Levi screaming (no amount of consoling would get him to calm down — he wanted the car to be moving) and finally gets in the car to leave. We get home around 10:45 putting Bo in bed 3 hours past his normal bed time. Levi, having napped in the car, was ready to play. Hubby put my chair together and here I sit enjoying the comfy seat. So that’s why I’m up, blogging at 1:33am

Comment Question: Do you stay up late or do you have an early bedtime? Why?

Oh and hubby found the stylus under Bo’s car seat which is apparently ‘down the windmill’

So I’m a mother of two boys (one 3 years, one 7 months). Most ‘normal’ mothers are asleep right now. Why am I still up at 12:52am? Maybe I ate too much chocolate birthday cake (turned a whopping 26 on Tuesday). Maybe I enjoy only getting six hours or less of sleep before being awakened by a hungry little bear (not the cute cuddly kind when he’s hungry) and then an hour or so later by “Mama! Mama! I’m ready to wake up!” (our oldest knows he has to stay in bed until his father or I come and tell him he can get up). So running on 7 hours of sleep isn’t so bad. Besides I do my best work really late at night. I like the quiet. Well almost quiet — that antique coo coo clock my hubby wrangled from my MIL keeps it from being 100% quiet. He’d been wanting her’s that she no longer used since watching an episode of How Its Made featuring the annoying adorable handmade clocks. Curse the Discovery channel. Speaking of that show did I mention it cost me $400+ for his Christmas gift. He saw the episode on how they make leather fire helmets and since the other guys at his station were all getting them I had to jump off the bridge too . Well he MORE than made up for it with my Valentines/late Christmas present. My new HP TouchSmart all-in-one computer rocks! But I didn’t want one after seeing a TV show about it.

Well it’s after one now I really should go to bed. Here’s your comment challenge for today: Leave a comment telling me the craziest and/or most expensive thing you have ever bought for your significant other (if you don’t have one then for a family member or friend).

Thanks for stopping by my blog for the UBP 2009 by 5 Minutes for Mom! I hope you come back throughout the week and enjoy the fun and prizes I have to offer. If you are new to the UBP experience consider checking out the 5 Minutes for Mom website to learn more about the party. Basically you surf blogs, comment on posts and meet new people. Lots of bloggers will offer prizes too (I’m one of them ).

To win any of the prizes I will be giving away simply leave a comment on this post (with your real name and email address). Tell me how you found my blog, what you think of it or just say hi. Your name will be put into the pot. If you would like to have more chances to win visit every day and comment on those posts too. You can also visit and comment on my UBP posts at Sara*s Pixel Studio Blog (my business blog). For every comment on a different UBP 09 post (here or SPS) you will get another ‘ticket’ thrown into the drawing. More ways to be entered will be announced throughout the week. Prize drawing will be held on March 28 and winners will be notified via email.

PS: Comments on daily posts will be closed at the end of that day (this post will remain open to comments through 12:59pm on March 27) so be sure to visit every day for the maximum number of chances to win.

Click here to see all the UBP 2009 Posts.

Be sure to post a link to your blog if you have one so I can visit you as well!

I have a running list of blogs I’ve visited on my other blog post. My prize wishes are there also

Thanks to everyone for making this blog party my best ever!

To sum it up in two words: FUN & PRIZES!! Between this blog and my business blog (Sara*s Pixel Studio Blog) I will be having lots of fun and giving away some great prizes!

So what is a Blog Party? Simply put it is a party where mom-bloggers from all over the world blog, visit/comment on other’s blogs and win stuff! Its pretty fun and easy to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can just wait until the party begins and surf through all the blogs listed in the Mr. Linky. If you do own a blog and plan to participate you need to plan what you are going to blog about during the week. You can also choose to give a prize by drawing a name from your commenters (people who comment on your blog posts). You’ll need to keep a watch on the 5 Minutes for Mom site for when they post the Mr. Linky (12am on March 20). When they do, sign up and enter in the link to your blog. Be sure that the link you give will actually show your UBP posts – not another page. Then just blog away! Be sure to surf other blogs, make comments (leaving the link your blog) and hopefully win a prize, increase traffic to your blog and make some friends!

I will have two blogs participating in the party so that means twice the fun! You can check out my post at the SPS blog to see what prizes will be given away and how to win! Don’t worry I will explain everything in depth and great detail the day of the party (here as well as SPS blog).