Lately I have been trying to refocus myself. I don’t want to be consumed with being a wife, either. Joshua didn’t marry me because I was a perfect wife (hahaha, perfect wife) but because he liked who I was when he met me. Unfortunately, I find that I’m forgetting who I used to be and I’m not sure who I want to be. I think I was funny once. I was definitely sarcastic and witty and loved to read. I was passionate about God (hmm) and I enjoyed spending time doing things not on the computer that didn’t involve cleaning.

I wish I could figure out where I want to go from here. I need to figure out how to define myself, albeit loosely. If I’m not a mother or a wife, then what am I? I simply don’t know. My life is so wrapped up in being both that I don’t really have the time to figure out who or what I am. That scares me. For someone who used to be so independent, so headstrong, so…individual, that scares me.

This entry took a random, blubbering turn, didn’t it? I’m just going to stop right here.

http://aithyne.wordpress.com

The goal behind that site is to list giveaways I’ve found and/or entered. I actually don’t enter every giveaway I come across because I don’t always need or want the item. However, I do like to alert other people to them in case it helps them out.

Ditto for deals. There are some excellent sites, like The Thrifty Mama, that cover nearly every good coupon deal possible at Kroger, Publix, CVS and whatever else is out there. That’s not what I plan to post, although honestly, I haven’t really decided on that aspect of the blog. Regardless, I still plan on posting some of my favorites, but I definitely won’t become competition for the other deal-posting mamas out there.

I’m off to bed. I’ve gotten a lot accomplished online tonight even though Noah’s been stirring every 10 minutes or so. One second I think he’s too hot, the next second I think he’s hungry and then I start to wonder if he’s getting cold all "alone" in his crib (which is side-carred to our bed). So I’ll just resolve that by going to bed and wondering what I did to become a human pacifier. ;-)

Congratulations! I’ve sent an email your way. You have 48 hours to respond before I move on. =)

I enjoyed this giveaway so much that I am brainstorming other things I can do. As you may or may not know, we’re pretty tight with money right now, but I’m (mentally, not artistically) crafty and I’m sure I’ll come up with something. ;-) I also loved the people I met through this giveaway…so many wonderful mothers and mothers-to-be.

If you didn’t win and are hoping to win another giveaway, try my husband’s $5 Amazon gift card giveaway, where all you have to do is comment. Or, check out the ones I blogged about the other day.

Now, we’ve all been sick here over here with some nasty stomach bug so I’m off to go cuddle my boys and finish watching a movie. Regular posting should resume tomorrow, after some much needed rest. ;-)

Cloth diapering is fun, environmentally friendly, and cute. Kids make the perfect models for the cutest prints…but so do wetbags! I love wetbags. I collect wetbags, okay?

My favorite one was made by Michelle of SMJAE and has Heather Ross’s “Goldfish in Bags” print. My mom’s dryer ate it up when I was in Houston but before that, I carried it everywhere. I had planned on using it as a mama cloth bag when Noah was potty trained so needless to say, I was heartbroken when it got chewed up and spit back out by the Dryer of Doom!

Michelle was wonderful though and offered to make me a replacement. I was so sure I wouldn’t be able to get that print again that I was overjoyed to hear she could do that for me. Her wetbags are truly Quality; deserving of a capital Q. They have never wicked for me, the sewing is sublime and her collection of fabrics are adorable.

On top of that, her customer service is incredible. She’s always been quick to respond to my emails, very sweet and keeps the lines of communication open from start to finish. She obviously takes pride in her work, which makes me take pride in being her customer. I absolutely recommend her to anyone and I have left raves on many diapering sites, like the Diaperpin. (That’s what I do when I’m a happy customer.)

Now, she’s been so generous as to sponsor a giveaway for my blog (and blog readers). If you’re not a cloth diapering parent or your kids are potty trained, don’t go away! This may still apply to you.

The Giveaway: A custom slot for a 10″ x 12″ wetbag. That is perfect for mama cloth or diaper bag size (or both, if you’re like me)!

Don’t want to wait? Look through Michelle’s stocked wetbags or purchase your very own custom slot at her store, Sewing Mom Just Accessories Etc. She also sells cloth wipes, mama pads and diaper inserts, so check it out!

How to enter: It’s really easy – just leave a comment telling me either 1) what your favorite “thing” to buy handmade is or 2) one step you take to better the earth (ie: cloth diapering, recycling, etc). Your comment must be posted by 11:59 PM EST on Earth Day – April 22nd, 2009. I will use a randomizer to choose the winner on the 23rd and we’ll go from there. Make sure to use a valid email address as the winner will have 48 hours to respond before I move on.

Get an extra entry: You can get one chance to win for each of the following…

• Follow @aithyne on Twitter and then leave a comment saying you did.
• Tweet about this giveaway to spread the word and then leave a comment with the link.*
• Subscribe to my blog via email and then leave a comment saying you did.
• Blog about the giveaway and then leave a comment with the link!

Good luck!

* Edit: Whoops, make sure to include @aithyne in your tweet or link me to it! Also make sure they are separate comments so you get your entry. ;-)

http://churchexperiment.blogspot.com

Basically, this man is visiting 52 churches in 52 weeks in order to redefine his faith (that is almost verbatim from his site, by the way). So far he’s on week/church #15…and I kind of wonder if my old church will end up on that list. Considering how he would have to travel to Houston, I find it highly unlikely, but I think it would be interesting.

Regardless, I do recommend checking it out. I even added his link to my blogroll!