Welcome to the Party!

Hello. Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party. Come on in. I've made some of the best cookies everah.

There will be lots of dancing.

Maybe a mermaid will join us too.

There will be music (thanks to the fridge DJ) and when the kids go to bed there will lots of adult beverages.

Perhaps a blueberry beer or ...

...a scorpion bowl to share.

Let me introduce you to my family. My husband Dave and I were college sweet hearts. I feel very lucky that I found him so early. He is a great dad and husband. However he has his quirks, like this and that. Still the teenage girls flirt with him. I do too.

That is Dave on the left.

My daughter Caitlin is almost 5. She can be such a sweet girl and such a terror the next. She challenges my sanity each day. I love her more than I thought possible. She loves a party and being silly.

My son Davey is almost 3 years old. He is full of energy and spirit. He challenges my child proofing skills each day. He gets in trouble that Caitlin never even attempted. I love watching him explore the world.

Maximus is our wonderful yellow Labrador retriever. He will be 9 years old in June. He has been through a lot this past year. He was attacked by a pitbull. He thankfully recovered from that. Recently he was diagnosed with a degenerative invertebrate disk disorder. He is doing well with the help of medication. He has been a challenge at times but I can't imagine his warm 95lbs. body not sleeping at my feet.

Maximus has been known to help himself to a beer.

He is super gentle with the kids and loves a party. Just look at him rocking the hulu skirt.

And there is me. I'm Vicky, a stay at home mom, part time gymnastics coach, former middle school teacher, wife, amateur photographer, exercise enthusiast, and blogger. I hope that you enjoy the party and come back to visit soon.

I write about lots of subjects. Here are some examples you may want to check out:

• On Fridays, I write about my fitness and dieting challenges. This post I discuss Jillian Micheal's Making the Cut.
• Sometimes I write about how children can "help" your self esteem.
• My husband and I are taking Simple Mom's 52 week date challenge. You can read about our spa date here.
• On Tuesdays I share what is ticking me off. Please come and share your own peeves. In this post I share what toys were annoying me after Christmas.
  

Be sure to join the party. It is going to be fun and there are tons of great prizes too. I'd be happy to win any of the prizes These are my top choices:

• A $100 gift eCertificate to Restaurant.com from Amy LeForge of Earnest Parenting

• A custom-made tutu for my little girl from Sweet Patootie’s via Peachy Keen

• 3 day 2 night stay from Holiday Inn Main Gate East in Kissimmee, FL from Holiday Inn Main Gate

• $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com Gift code from Kelly’s Lucky You

• $50 gift certificate to eSpecially Simple Graphic Design & Consulting towards a blog makeover