If I had to do it all again...

I don't consider myself one to get writer's block but I do get overwhelmed and find that I just do not make time for writing. Today, however, I'm writing a letter to my younger self. Why? Well, I could say that it's because I'm inspired by the holidays... but that wouldn't be entirely honest. I'm actually entering a contest at Chocolate Covered Daydreams where someone will win a Wii Fit Plus. It's not a random drawing, but is being judged. Of course, I'm hoping that all the winner will be me but this contest had an unexpected outcome. Once I started composing the letter in my head, I realized it was pretty therapeutic. I went back and changed my letter entirely. With that, here's my letter to my younger self:

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Dear teenage Nicole,

What would you think if I said that 25 years from now, you'll be married to a fantastic man, have two beautiful daughters, have seen some wonderful places and be retired? As you look around, that doesn't seem very realistic, does it? You feel unpopular, ugly and sad. But I'm here to tell you that it's all true. It will happen if you stay on the right path.

You're going through a rough time, I know. I remember. But seriously, it's really not as bad as it seems. The braces will come off and you'll shed the glasses for contacts. You'll do great in school, too. Believe it or not, you WILL eventually have a boyfriend. You'll smile with confidence and make people feel at ease around you.

But I'm not going to say everything is rosy. The hard truth is that you'll find more difficulties in the future, too. Depression, an eating disorder, financial strains, infertility and depression (again) to name a few. But you'll get through it and you'll come out stronger on the other side. Alongside your husband, you'll become financially savvy. Your children will make you feel old and young at the same time. You'll see some family members leave way before their time and others live to see great-grandchildren.

Just keep a few things in mind:
- You're not perfect. Nobody is.
- You won't have the perfect life. Nobody does.
- Realize there's a difference between being hard on yourself and beating yourself up.
- You're a good person, even when you are at your lowest.
- You'll have some friends who stand with you and help you... you'll have others who use you and abandon you.
- Experience will show you that life is not fair. Some people lie and cheat to get ahead while others work hard just to make ends meet. You will get passed over for job promotions but something better will come along if you maintain a positive attitude.

It all works out eventually.

When I started this letter, I had every intention of telling you YES, apply for West Point or Harvard like you (will) consider. But then I realized that the decisions you're about to make... that I DID make... got US to where we are now. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. The same way. With all the mistakes, hardships and all.

I'll close this letter by simply saying "Hang in there. Just keep your chin up and have hope because good things happen to good people."

Sincerely,
A much older, much wiser and much more confident you.

Do You Shop Zappos.com?

Every time I turn around, I swear I'm hearing about Zappos.com. They started off selling shoes but now they've extended into housewares, too. It's only a matter of time before they add electronics and whatever else. Why do I say that? Because earlier this month, Amazon completed the acquisition of them.

I've never purchased from Zappos.com. I've never done a review for their products on SahmReviews.com, my review blog. I don't even participate in their affiliate programs. But by way of my public relations contacts, I do receive information about various promotions and contests they are running. As part of a recent press release, I found out that for THIS WEEKEND ONLY, they have opened up their VIP Club registration. Free. The offer is only available until midnight on 11/30.

So what? You don't shop there? As I said, neither do I. But once upon a time, I didn't shop at Amazon, either. And now that Amazon owns Zappos, who knows what will come. Who knows what the VIP program will bring in the long term. What I DO KNOW is that their VIP program offers free overnight shipping for life. Seriously.

I'm not being paid to share this information and I'm certainly not getting any cool products (or I would be talking about this on SahmReviews.com!) I'm sharing it because I think it's a great opportunity. Go ahead and sign up for the VIP program. It doesn't cost anything.

Oh... and by the way, once upon a time Amazon only sold books.

To the Bettendorf Box Scrounge

Dear Box Scrounge in Bettendorf,

I woke up this morning to find cardboard strewn across my driveway. Thank you very much for putting your need for boxes over the clean way I attempted to recycle my cardboard.

You see, that very nice huge box that you took was holding all my other recyclable cardboard. When you took that box, you left behind an unsightly, unorganized mess. Thankfully, there weren't strong winds last night carrying my cardboard all across the neighborhood.

If you were in need of boxes, you could have come during the daylight hours, knocked on my door and asked. I would have said "Sure, I know what it's like to need boxes during a move or cleanup project." I probably would have even logged onto the local Craigslist and done a search for moving boxes. Then I would have given you my boxes and found another way to keep my cardboard organized for the recycling man.

If you found it necessary to take boxes in the middle of the night, you could have at least had the courtesy to bring twine along and clean up the mess you left behind.

What ever happened to common sense?

Sincerely,
Nicole, Bettendorf resident

How to Repair a Trick-or-Treat Pumpkin

It's trick-or-treat time!  We own two orange pumpkins and one purple pumpkin.  After careful discussion, the girls mutually agreed that Miss M would use the purple pumpkin for last night's festivities and Miss K could use it tonight. 

...Except that Miss M managed to break the handle last night.  Both girls were disappointed.

So superdad, DH, promised to fix it so Miss K could use it tonight.

To the untrained eye, this is just a Halloween trick-or-treat pumpkin. No big deal, right?  Well... all you geeks out there will appreciate how DH fixed it!

(Yes, he created a handle out of Cat5 cable then crimped network ends to it to hold it in place.  If we need to hook up a computer while we're trick-or-treating, we're totally set.  Gotta love having a geek husband.)

Tooth Fairy's First Visit

Last Friday morning, Miss M lost her first tooth!

Free for Des Moines Moms of Young Children

If you're a Des Moines area mom to a child who doesn't attend school in the afternoons, please keep reading. If you're not but know someone in the Des Moines area who is, please forward this link to them.

I've made a lot of great contacts as a result of my review blog, SahmReviews.com and I'm fortunate enough to find out about a lot of great events. Since SAHM Ramblings has local readers, I wanted to make sure to share this wonderful event sponsored by "got milk?" representatives for the Milk Mustache Campaign.

It's a sad fact that 2 out of 3 kids don't get enough calcium. But get this, kids who drink chocolate milk or other flavored milks have higher intakes of calcium than kids who don't. Duh. Chocolate milk tastes really good... I can't believe that all kids don't consume it! hehe Chocolate milk is offered as an option at my daughters' elementary school and they both often (or always) select chocolate milk to accompany their lunch.

Anyway, in an effort to raise awareness, the "got milk?" crews are on a 25 city Halloween tour around the nation. Des Moines is one of the select 25 cities celebrating this Halloween-themed event!  Here's what they sent me:

Event Activities:

• Receive quick tips on how to make this Halloween a safe and healthy one

• Snap celebrity-inspired chocolate Milk Mustache photos to take home as a souvenir

• Participate in Halloween activities and answer the latest “Twivia” question posted by @MilkMustache on Twitter for a chance to win fun prizes

• Taste and learn how to make fun Halloween-themed recipes

• Sample delicious and nutritious lowfat and fat free chocolate milk from local milk processors

• Interact with fun educational museum exhibits

Sound interesting?  Here are the specific details:

Date: Wednesday, October 7

Time: 12 - 2 p.m.

Location: Science Center of Iowa

401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway

Des Moines, IA 50309

And it's free... Did I say that already?

If you think you'll be able to make it, please leave a comment or email me with your name and the number of people who will be attending with you.  My representative said if  I'm interested (or my readers) in attending, that she could bring along some goody bags especially for us!  She has also offered some prizes for me to give away on my blog, SahmReviews.com and I'll be sure to post a link when I get the contest details and prize photo posted.

This should be a fun event! Be sure to follow the Milk Mustache team on Twitter for information and a chance to win prizes or keep up on their tour by becoming their Fan on Facebook. You can also check out the Why milk? website

Don't forget to leave a comment or email me if you'll be attending the event! Not in Des Moines or can't make the event? Join the Halloween Twitter party on 10/13/09!