Sunday, July 29, 2012

You Don't Really Know a Man Until You Have a Child with Him...

Last night I was reading a book I picked up on the clearance table in Barnes and Noble - Candace Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue. And I came across this quote: "You don't really know a man until you have a child with him. Then you see so much. Is he kind? Is he tolerant? Is he loving? Or is he immature and egotistical and selfish? When you have a child, it can go two ways with your husband: You love him even more or you lose all respect for him. And if you lose respect for him, there's no way to get it back..."

Holy crap, right?! How TRUE is that statement?

I'm proud to say my husband is one of the kindest, loving and tolerant men - no, make that PEOPLE in general (men & women) - that I've ever met. He is an amazing father who always puts us - his family - above all else. Do we argue? Yup. Do I get frustrated? Of course. Does he get frustrated with me? Heck, yes! : ) But I'm lucky to have a true partner.


And I think as women, we "get" the idea that being a parent - a good parent - is about truly putting someone else's needs above your own. It's ingrained in us over the 40 weeks that little peanut grows inside of us. The morning sickness. The sharp pains. The weight gain ; ) This baby - this precious gift - comes first. It's not about "me" anymore. It's about "us". Some husbands might be a little slower at grasping this concept. But, they better get it quickly or respect will be lost... and that is not good. It may never be restored. I think that some men don't realize the lasting effects that the decisions they make today regarding their family will have lasting repercussions tomorrow.

And that's why we should share this quote with all fathers-to-be... and probably new fathers in general. Lay it on the line. And hopefully any husbands/fathers who thought the time they put in early on doesn't matter... that changing diapers, giving kisses, making sacrifices are only for the wife/mother... get the picture. Fathers matter. Husbands matter. It takes a unit to raise a family.
I know it's trendy to say things like, "Put yourself at the top of your list," "Your relationship with your husband comes first," yada, yada, yada... I mean, didn't Seal and Heidi Klum preach this on Oprah, The Today Show, and every other TV show they could get on? They renewed their vows every single year, for goodness sake! And look how well their marriage turned out! Oh wait.. that's right... they are divorced : (  Ultimately - in my opinion - the FAMILY comes first. The relationship of the unit as a whole. It takes sacrifice after sacrifice to make it work. And a whole lot of love and understanding.




Tuesday, July 24, 2012

WIN 2 Gorgeous Silver Cameras Thanks to HGTV's Kim Myles and ApartmentGuide.com!

Last week I let you all in on one of the best giveaways I've seen in a while - a chance to win $10,000 C.A.S.H. in Apartment Guide's Your Picks. Your Place. Sweepstakes (easy peezy entry instructions here). {Did you enter yet? If you didn't - then, well, you must not be the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. So wise up and enter NOW before it's too late!}


I also let you know last week that Apartment Guide is working with HGTV's Kim Myles to promote the Your Picks. Your Place. Sweepstakes. Well - wouldn't you know that Miss Kim Myles herself created a dream apartment for a TV shoot Apartment Guide did last month... a space that was chock-full of the most AWESOME accessories and home decor pieces
ENTER THE SWEEPSTAKES BELOW TO WIN THESE CAMERAS!

SO - why am I reminding you of all this?! BECAUSE I was given some of the awesome swag DIRECTLY OFF THE SET to give to you all. Accessories picked out by the hands of none other than miss HGTV Design Star Kim Myles. Holla! : ) So what can you win? These GORGEOUS silver antique cameras from Z Gallerie. How adorable are they?! I'm officially obsessed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the directions above to enter. For every "task" you complete, you get an allotted number of points/entries. One winner will be chosen at random on August 2. GOOD LUCK!



Monday, July 16, 2012

Need $10,000 in C.A.S.H.? Yes, Please!

One of the perks of having a blog is that I find out about some really awesome things that I might not know about otherwise - new products, contests and giveaways, breaking news. I'm super picky about what actually makes it out of my inbox (self-made REUSABLE frozen suppositories for hemorrhoids... not so much... yes I was really asked to promote this. And yes, I vomited a bit in my mouth.). But this easy peezy giveaway from  my friends at ApartmentGuide.com is DEFINITELY worth sharing with all you mamas. So here's the scoop on how you can enter for a chance to win BIG. $10,000 BIG!:

  • Step One: Visit www.YourPicksYourPlace.com 
  • Step Two: Check out the gorgeous room designs that some of our favorite home and decor bloggers put together (Personally, I'm kind of obsessed with Inspired by Charm's "Coastal Escape Dining Room") 
  • Inspired by Charm's gorgeous room design
  • Step Three: VOTE for your favorite design, and then fill out the necessary info so they can contact you when you win the moolah.
DIY Bird's Nest Lampshade
That's it! You can vote once per day through mid-August. And while you are there entering to win $10,000, check out my fav HGTV designer Kim Myles' great DIY tips for making the most of your space (like the awesome bird's nest-inspired lampshade pictured). And of course, if you are looking for a new place to live, you can click over to ApartmentGuide.com - by far, the best online apartment search aid available.
Kim Myles on set for ApartmentGuide.com