You may have noticed my blog looks a little different (it will likely evolve some more in the near future). I thought I’d change things up in celebration. Guess who is *this close* to hitting 1,000 followers? Heck yeah! I’m SO close that I may actually hit the milestone while I slumber, in between the time I scheduled this post to publish and it actually publishing. Unfortunately, I do think a chunk of those followers are spammer blogs who post in Croatian or redirect you to pyramid schemes promising financial independence. But I have quite a number of good eggs in there as well, and I love you all dearly. Since I’m usually a “more the merrier” kind of gal, I thought you all could help invite some more guests to the party.

There are many ways you can join my cult ensure you catch each and every valuable post I make. Because let’s face it: they are all winners. I don’t know who wouldn’t want to jazz up their week with stories about Michael Bolton, what I think about baby names, and the time my kid danced on Betsy Ross’ grave?

First, you can simply subscribe to the blog by hitting the little “send me to your inbox” button on the sidebar. New posts will be emailed to you, hot off the presses! And then there is the social media route: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Some of you may follow my blog already, but not any of my social media accounts. So I thought I would make a case for why you need more Are You Finished Yet? in your life. What do my social media accounts offer that my blog doesn’t? Basically, it’s like the bonus gift on the infomercial.

Twitter: If you follow me on Twitter…you will be underwhelmed. Full disclosure: I’m not much of a tweeter, other than sharing my blog posts. I don’t get the big appeal. Forcing me to limit what I have to say to 140 characters is pretty much like asking me to pick a favorite child. All my words deserve their day on the hot glow of a computer screen. HOWEVER, I highly suggest following me if you are a fan of people who won’t spam or hog your Twitter feed. My sparse tweeting will ensure that @poopstories and @AmandaBynes will get their fair share of your feed time. 

**If you are down for a bit more activity, you might want to think about following the brand new Twitter account for the Remember the Time Blog Hop (@RTTBlogHop). Emily of The Waiting and I will share all the weekly posts from the blog hop participants. And knowing Emily, she will be much more on top of it than I will. Which means sh*t will get done over there.

Facebook: Facebook is where you will find me most of the time. It’s my Peach Pit, my Cheers, my Central Perk, my The Max. In other words, I go there because everyone knows my name, and they let me stay as long as I want (read: I get to use all of the words there. As many as I want.) Along with sharing my blog posts and links to other super-awesome things on the interwebs, I will also dazzle you with little gems that I can’t figure out (read: too lazy) to turn into full-length blog posts. Like these:

• My 5-year-old just referred to the hair on his legs as “fur.” I seriously thank God every day for adorable little moments like that. They can immediately erase all the hard and frustrating ones.
• I spent the morning chauffering around Ironman. Going through the security clearance was a bitch, and it was kind of annoying when he would keep shouting, “Enemies on our tail! Countermeasures!” But I guess it’s a pretty big honor.
• Grace (on deciding to join the school choir): “But auditioning is my biggest fear. Actually, my biggest fear is Ashley Furniture Home Store. Because it’s boring. And it doesn’t have pizza.”
• I feel like for reputation’s sake, I need to tell everyone that I am a little addicted to Trop-a-Rocka Diet Snapple, crafted by Bret Michaels…you know, in case I end up with chlamydia. Then you know I got it from the tea.

Pinterest: Of course, I’m on Pinterest. Again, blog posts. Always with the blog posts. And you can check out all the crafts and recipes I never make. That’s all I have to say about that.

The last time I made a push to hit a milestone, I promised I would make you all a new music video. This time, I thought you might enjoy some free stuff. So if you help me spread the word about this here blog, you may very well be the recipient of one of these three marvelous prizes:

1. A free set of Jamberry Nail Wraps. I might be a little addicted to these. I had my nails bedazzled with spiders for Halloween, and just two days ago, I tried out the french tip set. They are cheaper than a salon, and you get WAY more variety. My friend Caroline is a Jamberry consultant extraordinaire, and you can check out more about the product (or order up some for yourself) by going to her website (primpyournails.jamberrynails.net/) or her Facebook page.

Enter the Jamberry Giveaway!

2. A “Crafty Girl” Ruler from A Little Bit of Bliss. My friend Catherine can monogram like nobody’s bid-nezz. Her shirts, bibs, bows, and burp cloths are beyond adorable. I’ve been outfitting my children in them for years. She also makes cute little gifts like these “Crafty Girl” rulers, and she is kind enough to give away one to my readers. They are perfect stocking stuffers for your creative little one, make a great gift for that teacher who has mad bulletin-board-decorating skills, or keep it for yourself to add to your mass accumulation of scrapbooking tools. Head over to her Facebook page to see new products as they roll out, or visit her website at alittlebitofbliss.com (my son is modeling one of her t-shirts in the “boys” section!).

Enter the “Crafty Girl” Ruler Giveaway!

3. A copy of Milk Diaries by Maggie Singleton. I have sung the praises of this breastfeeding book before. Instead of your typical breastfeeding “how-to” book, Maggie compiled stories from the real breastfeeding experts: moms. Each story brings a pearl of wisdom that can only come from experience, and there are good doses of empowerment, understanding, commiseration, and humor as well. Oh, and one of those stories, “The Lactation Consultant from the Black Lagoon,” was written by yours truly. The book has received positive reviews in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and on the local television show, “Great Day, St. Louis,” as well as praise from pretty much any mother who has read it. Milk Diaries is available on Amazon, and you can follow Maggie on her website and her Facebook page.

Enter the Milk Diaries Giveaway!

The giveaways will close on Sunday, November 17th at midnight. So get yourself entered, and pass it along to your friends. Some of the entry options allow you to enter once each day.

Consider these gifts as a token of my thanks. If I haven’t expressed it enough in the past, I really appreciate those of you who read, comment, share, and support this blog. You make me all warm and fuzzy on a consistent basis. In fact, I might just go tweet about it.     ….Nah. Who am I kidding? Tweet schmeet.