A Little of This, A Little of That, and a Giveaway

Comments Closed-- Winner will be announced tomorrow 4/29/11. Thanks for entering!

Wow! Today marks my 600th post. I realize my life isn't really that interesting. That most of my blog posts are just little updates on our family from our corner of the Midwest. And really, I thought I would've given it up by now. But this blog has been a chance for me reconnect with people I know in real life, a platform for meeting new people via their blogs (even if I never meet them in person), and oddly therapeutic. So until it becomes a chose to do so, I'll keep blogging. If nothing else, I know there are a few family members that check-in just for the pictures-- reason enough to at least keep posting those. Speaking of pictures, how about a little of this: The advantage to living close the zoo and having a membership, is that we can go for an hour and not feel like we wasted money or gasoline. Sunday was beautiful-- temperatures in the high 80s and sunny! We went to the zoo for the last hour they were open and took some pictures among all of the bloomin' flowers.

I took over 100 pictures. So many turned out well. It's hard for us to decide which ones we want to blow up to hang up around our house. I know one will be this one though:
It's one of my favorites.

The crazy thing about going to the zoo though? Both of my kiddos were in great spirits despite being sick. I'm not some psycho-mom heck-bent on getting pictures on the one nice day of the week. Cate had strep throat last week and was pretty much on the mend, other than complaining her ear hurt. A weekend call to our pediatrician verified what I already thought-- she was already taking an amoxicillin, which should cover the ear if she had an infection. We were to call back if some Ibuprofen and over-the-counter children's decongestant didn't clear things up. Brennan had a little bit of a cough over the weekend. But he was eating, sleeping, and going through diapers just fine. Sunday night, we could hear a little more of the cough in his chest, so yesterday morning I took them both in (Cate was still complaining about her ear).

Turns out there was a nasty infection growing in her ear. She's on a new amoxicillin now and seems much better 24 hours in. Brennan was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis. The doctor said he was too little to give any medicine, but if his condition worsened (struggling to breath, not eating, not wetting/dirtying his diapers), we were to bring him back for a breathing treatment before heading to Children's Hospital for oxygen and possible fluids. Thankfully, God heard our prayers to protect sweet B, and while he got a little worse initially at home, he started to improve by yesterday afternoon. This morning he's not wheezing or purring (raspy breathing). He's not really coughing much either. We're still being vigilant and are planning to stay at home today and tomorrow (and the rest of the week if we need to), just to be sure his lungs and airways are able to heal. Please continue to pray for his recovery. The thought of a hospital trip freaks me out a bit-- especially after having made a few with Cate already in her 3 years.

And now...the real reason you're here. I thought quite a bit about what to giveaway. I don't have blog sponsors nor do I make extra money from advertisements. So no freebies there. A friend suggested something handmade. But when I think about the things I can make in a reasonable amount of time, they didn't seem like things people would actually want. If you really want some knitted dishcloths for your kitchen or a sensory blanket for your baby or something else that I've shared on here, just let me know. I like doing that kind of stuff. I'll make it for you.

So since my blog is pretty random and seems to cover "a little of this" and "a little of that," I thought I'd giveaway a gift card for somewhere that has "a little of this" and "a little of that." They have a little of everything. Amazon! We're on a budget though, so today's giveaway is $10 to Amazon. $10 goes further than you'd think on that website. And the best part? I can send the gift card electronically (unless you want snail mail) so you can use it as soon as you win. To enter, leave a comment.
For additional entries:
1. Follow this blog (click follow on the right) and leave a comment letting me know you follow
2. Link your blog or a Tweet or a Facebook status (or all three) to this post and leave a comment for each that you do.

Comments will close on my 29th birthday, which is April 28th, and I'll announce a winner the next morning.

~Melody :-)

**Amazon did not contact me for this giveaway. They did not give me any compensation nor provide today's gift card. I'm providing out of our own budget and the kindness of my heart because I love ordering from Amazon myself.

***I think Amazon would be in business whether I promoted them on my blog or not. :-)