Now that Dawson is in kindergarten he is always bringing home newsletters and special notes about all the efforts the school is making to raise money.  We’ve sold magazine subscriptions to family and friends.  We sold chocolates and gift items.  Student fees increased from $20 a year to $35.  Just last week my son brought home another fundraiser. Now we’re selling organic produce grown by local farmers.  A percentage of money raised will go to the school, and a donation of food as well as money will go to a local church that hosts a Thanksgiving Meal for homeless in our area.  Next week I have to make dozens of cupcakes for a bake sale.  The fundraisers never end.

Most of the money needed is to keep the fun activities kids can participate in after school, as well as for field trips and other learning needs.  It makes me sad that our kids suffer by going without these things.  School is for learning, but learning should be fun.

On the flip side, I understand how our community voted against the referendum.  There are so many residents who have lost their jobs and are doing their best to make ends meet.  They just can’t afford the raise in taxes.  As someone who was jobless for 9 months, I know exactly how they feel.

I was very excited to learn that Bing is holding a contest called Our School Needs where students can write an essay telling Bing what their school needs (a science lab?  a new art department? classrooms equipped with computers and other technology?). They can work in groups, classes, or even school-wide to write an essay and take pictures finishing the sentence “Our School Needs: ___________.” To enter:

•Write an essay (500 to 800 words)
•Take pictures (3 to 5 photos)
•Film a video (not required, but fun! Maximum of 3 minutes in length)
Who Can EnterAny student or teacher from a K-12 school can enter. While students under 18 are encouraged to create the entry, a parent, legal guardian or a teacher must submit it.

Bing will award a quarter-million dollars, divided among four schools—$50,000 to three first-prize winners, and one $100,000 grand prize. Pretty darn cool, right?

Check out this video:

What are you waiting for? There’s still time to enter! Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 24, with voting remaining open until Tuesday, October 26th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

It wasn’t always so difficult to get him to sleep.  When he was an infant he slept fairly well.  Toddlerhood approached and things were good, that is until I suffered a back injury and couldn’t lift him into his crib (which was only a problem when my husband worked second shift).

That’s when we became a co-sleeping family.  For the last three years, Dawson has slept in bed with me and my husband.  I know what you’re thinking, but before you judge me, please know that once I was back to my old self I tried to get him back into the routine of sleeping in his own bed.  He cried so hard he threw up, and I felt like a terrible mom because of it.  Crying it out seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.

So, you would think that a child who sleeps in the same bed with his parents would have no trouble going to bed.  Not my son.  He’ll fight bedtime tooth and nail.  I’ve actually had to bribe him with promises of donuts for breakfast.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes, I feel like I’m trying to wrangle a chimpanzee.

Just last night Dawson told me he couldn’t go to bed because a “very scary grasshopper will sneak through the window and bite me on the ear!”  I’m always amazed with his imagination.  These excuses are getting more incredible each time.

I’m sure my child will eventually sleep in his own bed.  Hopefully, it will happen by the time his little brother or sister is born.  I do not want another little person sleeping in our bed — especially because our dog sleeps there with us, too.  I know.  We don’t set boundaries.  We’re working on it.  He can’t sleep with us forever.  Right?

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This post was inspired by the Parent Bloggers Network as part of their blog blast with Sylvania PalPODzzz – Are You Afraid of the Dark? You can learn more about the Sylvania PalPodzzz by visiting their online store, or check out what Dawson thought of the portable rocket ship nightlight we had the chance to review.

You see, things haven’t been going well lately.  I’ve dealt with infertility issues. I got the period from Hades (complete with monster cramps that were just crabulous, really).  I had the 24 and a 1/2 hour flu. I was feeling a little depressed after the chaos of this week, and I was really looking forward to the weekend.

Then, this morning my internet connection died several times, making it difficult to get my work done.  I believe the internet was protesting the snow we’ve been getting.  Six to ten inches of fluffy white crap.  Oh, how I loved it.  Loved being the key word.

Because of the snow, my husband woke up early to head outside and shovel.  I’m so lucky he does this mostly without complaint.  He tackled what he could and then left for work.

Since we live in a bi-level house, and our main floor bathroom is still in disrepair (Side Note:  My husband swears he’ll start the remodel “sometime” next year — after five years of living this way, all I can say is he better get on that task or I’ll lose it), we use the bathroom downstairs.

On my way down to the bathroom I slipped on something wet (freaking melted SNOW from my husband’s boots!) and fell down the stairs in the most pretzel-like position you can imagine — one leg in front of my body, the other underneath my rear end, arms flailing as I tried to grab the railing or the wall or the hand of God…

The pain was awful, and I seriously thought I had broken my leg.  As I crab-crawled on the floor to the phone, I dialed my husband and screamed at him for not wiping up the floor before he left.

The “good news?”  The doctor says my fall caused a minor tear in my lateral meniscus (outside ligament of the knee), and as long as I keep the knee iced and elevated I shouldn’t need surgery.

So I figure this little incident can work in my favor.  My husband feels terribly guilty and I’ve decided to “let him” get the rest of our holiday preparations done.  He can finish the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking and cleaning and then he can wait on me, hand and knee (ha ha), for the rest of this dreadful year.

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This post is also part of a blog blast sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network and Families for Depression Awareness.  FFDA is a non-profit organization that offers support and assistance for folks who are feeling overwhelmed, both at the holidays and all year long. Their free support groups for moms, as well as a plethora of other helpful services, might just be the helping hand some folks need to get them through the holidays so that they can enjoy a completely healthy and happy new year.

For more information about this blog blast, visit PBN.

There was the job loss in February, followed by me entering the last year of my twenties in March (and that freakin’ biological clock is still ticking – with no Baby #2 on the way any time soon, it seems), the summer flew by, fall was practically non-existent (but I believe the Election had me so distracted I missed the leaves changing) and now I’m muddling through the holiday season in a gloomy economy to boot.

So many changes have taken place in these past 11 months.  I’m a nearly full time WAHM, I work for my friend part-time to earn some holiday cash (and catch up on those pesky bills), and I’m trying (unsuccessfully, I might add) to stay on top of my housework while raising a preschooler with more energy than a NFL runningback.

That’s almost enough to drive a normal person batty, but I forget to mention the fitness quest I embarked on this year.  I’m still only down 21 pounds, but it’s a start and I’m proud of my accomplishment.

After all of this, I’m ready to welcome the New Year.  Bring it on, I say!  However, I don’t want a repeat of 2008, so maybe it’s time to make a plan for truly happy new year.  And perhaps I need to learn to ask for help instead of becoming so overwhelmed all the time.

I’ve decided my life needs more organization.  Too often I let things get out of control before I address the situation.  Instead of maintaining the house, I wait to do it all in one day, leaving me exhausted and cranky.  Or, I procrastinate and then make an extremely long to-do list that never gets completed. Next year will be different.

As crazy as this sounds, I’m making a chore chart, split up by category so that I can tackle only a few tasks each day instead of waiting until Saturday to do everything.

And I’ll keep my day planner handy to write down appointments and shopping lists to better coordinate my day.

I know there will be days when things do go according to plan, but at least the effort will have been made and life won’t be so hectic.

What are you doing to make your life less of a “circus” this next year?

This post is part of a blog blast sponsored by Parent Bloggers Network and Big Tent.  BigTent is partnering with Compass Life and Business Designs CEO and founder, Kimberly Fulcher, to offer a special “Get your act together for 2009″ promo. For any group leaders who start a group on or move to BigTent by December 31, Compass will provide a free one month membership ($19 value) to Compass Coaching Network, and all new group leaders will be entered in a grand prize drawing for a “Life Makeover” private coaching series ($1500 value). Groups must be of at least ten members.

For details about this blog blast, click here.

Best Photo

Funniest Costume (because of the tail of course!)

Cutest Costume 3 and Up

I realized this morning that I forgot to post photos of Dawson in his Halloween costume.  Okay, I only remembered because my friend e-mailed me to say, “Hey!  Did you post the giraffe pictures yet?”

So there you go.  That last photo is Dawson making a giraffe noise.  Now I realize you can’t hear this, and I must confess he’s not actually making a noise in that photo.  He simply has his mouth open, with no sound coming out, because his teacher told him that giraffes have vocal chords but can’t make many sounds with them. (It’s true.  I googled it. In fact, they communicate at an infrasound level.)  So everytime anyone would ask Dawson what a giraffe sounds like, he’d open his mouth and sort of grunt quietly or say nothing at all.  It was rather cute.

You learn something every day at The Dana Files, no?  How was your Halloween?  Did you enter this Blurb Halloween Photo Contest going on over at the Parent Bloggers Network?  Click here for details!

You see, having kids is wonderful, but every now and again I wonder, “How did I get to this point in my life?”  My days are filled with non-stop cleaning of the messes Dawson makes.  From picking up toys (4.6 million times a day) to making sure he hasn’t accidently peed on the floor in the bathroom (who said raising boys was easy, right?) I honestly believe I live with a little monkey.  It’s no wonder he likes bananas so much.

The other day I woke up to find my son climbing the drawers in the kitchen to get on the counter top and scavenge the cupboards for the treats I’ve hidden on the top shelves.  I shreiked when I saw him and he didn’t even flinch.  He just laughed and I swear he made a monkey sound, too.

Now don’t get me wrong, my little Dawson is amazing and I wouldn’t trade him in for anything else in this world, but sometimes I want to hide under the covers and let his father handle all the chaos.  But, at the end of the day when I see him crash (literally) for the night, I think to myself, “Zoo life really isn’t so bad.”  It could be worse, right?  At least this little monkey is potty-trained.

This post was written as part of a blog blast sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network and Generation Next to announce their brand-new product – iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds.  If you’d like to participate, click here for details!  Blog Blast ends tonight at midnight!

After Dawson was born, our disposable income went into the garbage can along with the poopy diapers.   Sure, we ordered take-out, but maybe once every other month if we were lucky.   We didn’t venture out to a restaurant with the baby in tow until he was at least 18 months old.  Doug had this crazy fear of being shunned for bringing our cute, sleeping beauty into an eating establishment.

Little did he know the days when Dawson was asleep in his car seat are much easier than a constantly moving toddler that demands to be entertained at every moment.  Ask an 18-month old to wait patiently for his food to arrive like the rest of us?  Have you lost your ever loving mind?  Apparently we had.

I was unprepared for the dining with kids experience.  Even though I had a diaper bag packed with the necessities like bibs, baby spoons and a sippy cup, I failed to bring reinforcements such as Cheerios and small toys to aid in baby distraction.

No sooner than the young, smiling waitress took our order did Dawson decide to throw a fit.  He began to scream and throw his silverware.  He squirmed and tried desperately to wriggle out of the high chair, arching his back while this coyote-like howl came out of his mouth.  I didn’t know what else to do but pick him up and leave the table.  I couldn’t handle all the people staring at us.  It was awful.

Doug had a look of horror on his face.  Actually, it was more a look mixed with anger and humiliation.  He asked the waitress to make our order to go, and we waited in the car until it was ready (and how ironic that Dawson stopped crying once he was strapped in his car seat!). I don’t think we ventured out to dinner again until Dawson was darn near three years old.

Thankfully, my son is almost four years old and now knows that he must behave while at the meal table.  If there’s any doubt in my mind that he’ll misbehave, we change our plans, but I always bring crayons and a small notepad with me to the restaurant, just in case he surprises me with an outburst.

This morning we went out to lunch at The Wooden Chair (one of the best cafes in town) and my little boy was well-behaved.  He was polite to the waitress, he ate almost all of his pancakes and he carried on a conversation with me about preschool.  So much better than throwing forks and french fries.

Speaking of fries, Burger King’s apple fries are awesome (I tried them as part of my new commitment to being fit).  So are their new kids’ meal toys by Crayola.  Dawson got the pocket sized “Happy Ever After” coloring book with his kids’ meal and it’s been tucked in my purse ever since.

There are nine toys in all (one with every BK Kids’ Meal), perfect for boys or girls, so there’s no need to scream, “a chicken nugget meal with a boy toy” into the speaker at the drive-thru (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve blushed after realizing those words came out of my mouth!)

Waiting Patiently for Pancakes.

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This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.  You can participate in this blog blast, too!  Visit this PBN post for details.

It’s not as though I can’t hold my bladder, it’s just something that happens occasionally. Like when I’m busy all day long and forget that I have to pee. Or if I drink too much water and both of our bathrooms are occupied. Occasionally it happens if I can’t stop laughing or if I’ve sneezed or coughed too hard.

This condition is so common among women, it’s still considered a taboo subject even with close friends and family. Recent research found that 80% of women who suffer from light bladder leakage are hesitant to talk to their peers about this sensitive topic for fear of embarrassment. I’m one of those women. And I always blamed my “problem” on childbirth, an after affect of pregnancy.

The fabulous ladies of Mom Central have asked me to help women become aware of this very common and uncomfortable condition, and I learned that Kimberly-Clark’s Poise brand has joined hands with the Women’s Health Foundation (WHF) to increase awareness of pelvic health and wellness.

Recently, the Foundation held the “Below the Belt” benefit to raise awareness of the issues effecting women today and celebrate champions of the cause. At the event, Poise presented the first-ever Passion Award to Linda Michael of Portage, Indiana because her story of personal triumph over pelvic pain and bladder control issues – and her willingness to tell it – has inspired women and doctors alike to share their stories. Click here for Linda’s Story (you’ll need Window’s Media Player or equivalent to play the video.)

Linda personally struggled with and overcame her own pelvic pain and bladder control issues after giving birth to her son and now works toward breaking down the stigma surrounding these and similar problems affecting many women.

We’re hosting a blog tour in conjunction with Kimberly-Clark, to help jump start a conversation on Women’s Pelvic Heath. (To learn more about bladder control, click here.) What kinds of pelvic health concerns do you have? Have you ever suffered from light bladder leakage? How did you “control” the situation? Do you have any advice you’d like to share about your experience with this condition? Comments are open!

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Did you check-out Dana Reviews yet today? Head over there to read about the Box Tops for Education Program, and the really cool contest they launched with Kimberly-Clark!

When we were first married, I cooked dinner every weekday. My husband always seemed to eat what I prepared and never complained, however, as a former line cook in a popular local restaurant, he always took it upon himself to educate me on cooking techniques and ways to “doctor up” my favorite dishes.

I always say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and it started to irritate me that my loving spouse had a “suggestion” for every meal I made. After a few years I decided to hand over the reigns. If he was so smart, he could do all the cooking, right?

In fact, Doug thinks he’s the greatest chef in town and often refuses to go to restaurants because he believes he could cook the meal ten times better. (This is probably why we haven’t gone to Chili’s in ages. He insists on outdoing their baby back ribs.)

After Dawson was born, I barely had time to shower let alone stand in the kitchen over a hot stove. Then I discovered Rachael Ray and fell in love with her 30-Minute Meals. Her cookbooks are my favorites, because when I do have to cook, she makes it quick and somewhat easy. I’ve even caught myself saying, “Yummo” and using a garbage bowl.

My husband, a FoodNetwork addict, will frantically write down recipe ingredients from these shows, and then try to recreate the culinary masterpieces. He will spend hours watching Alton Brown on Good Eats, and has a secret crush on Giada De Laurentiis.

A few years ago, I thought it would be fun to make an Emeril recipe for coconut shrimp. I bought all the necessary ingredients, made the batter with the flaked coconut, and proceeded to line the coated shrimp in rows on a baking sheet. I was so impressed with myself, until I realized I forgot to clean the shrimp veins. My husband assured me we wouldn’t die from eating shrimp poop, but it took me a good three weeks to eat the little crustaceans again.

These days, my “cooking” consists of visits to Subway, and Dawson doesn’t seem to mind. (Of course my know -it-all husband insists he could make a better sub at home. He probably could.)

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This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a contest sponsored by the American Egg Board. If you’d like to participate in this blog blast, visit this PBN post for details.

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Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter this contest! (You have until 11:59 pm CST, comments will be closed at midnight CST.)