I Swear if You Win This Crappy Prize You’ll Get to Just Pee Alone

PicMonkey Collage

Once upon a time there was a mother who appeared to have her life together.  Her clothes were always clean, she had no need for Spanx , and her hair and makeup were perfection every time she left the house.    She just knew that if she left the house not looking like Gwyneth then all the other moms in her circle would think she was a mess.  She HAD to look like she had a damn clue.  She HAD to appear to have it all together. What these “friends”  didn’t know about this mother was that while she seemed to have it all together on the outside,  on the inside she had so many secrets.  Secrets that she felt she could never tell anyone  because they would then think she was a craptastic wife/mother/woman.

 

She wanted to let her secrets out.  She NEEDED to tell someone with the hopes she would discover she wasn’t alone.  She wanted to announce to the world that she occasionally has sweet dreams about Tiny Channing  and that it is possible that she has a small fondness for Tiny Johnny.  (Who does that? I mean Johnny Depp, really? Can’t she be original? Sheesh.)  She wanted to get her friends drunk and swap stories about well endowed men and sex and vaginas and boobs.  She wanted to help them to realize that talking about these things doesn’t make them shitty wives, they make them normal women with healthy libidos which in turn makes them BETTER wives.

 

She didn’t want to be judged for drinking too much tiny coffee in the morning, or too much  Glass of white wine with the bottle in the background. at night, because damn it, those are the things that help her get through the day.  Throw in an obscene amount of Tiny Choc and at times it was the only way she could stop the one-way train to crazy town.   She wanted to help her friends realize that it’s normal for their kids to drive them bat shit crazy from time to time and that it is more than acceptable to drink a glass a wine or eat half a package of chocolate if that is what helps bring the blood pressure down to a manageable level.  She needed to know that she wasn’t alone in this and that the time for pretending that motherhood is full of rainbows and glitter has passed.  It was time to cut the shit.

 

She was going to tell her friends that she didn’t have it all together.  She wanted them to know that in reality all she really wanted to do was lock herself in the bathroom and scream Tiny IJWTPA!!!!   She wanted to scream it from the fucking mountaintops that she was proud to be a curse word aficionado, and card-carrying member of the MWDAS  club.  She wanted to admit that her life with her kids is nowhere near as perfect as she pretends it to be.  She knew deep down that if people wanted to know about her life as a mother, she should probably just hand out copies of  Crappy to all.  She knew that these three books were her life in a mashed up nutshell and she hadn’t even had the time or the money to add them to her collection.   She needed to get her hands on them.  STAT.

 

So when this woman saw the opportunity from Button and Photobucket  to win an amazing Mother’s Day survival basket, she knew she had to enter for her chance to win copies of Tiny IJWTPA ,MWDAS , andCrappy .  Throw in a $25 spa gift card, a DVD copy ofTiny movie , not to mention Tiny Choc (chocolate) and  Coffee (coffee and a mug) and she knew she had to enter.   She just knew in her heart that she would win and once she did,  she would no longer give a shit what her so-called “perfect” friends thought of her.  She pictured herself telling all those Judgy McJudgerson bitches to take a long walk off a short pier, and then she would take her prize and retreat to her bedroom on Mother’s Day where she would lock the door and lay around  drinking coffee  while reading these amazing and hilarious books and shoving all the chocolate into her mouth.

It couldn’t be any easier to win. All a girl has to do is to leave a comment on this blog telling a secret that she keeps from her circle of friends.   What does she secretly snack on while her kids are sleeping?  Who did she dream about last night? What curse words does she use when she is home alone but would never say in front of another person? Does she dream of leaving the house with her hair in a messy bun and no make-up? Does she have a certain friend that she secretly can’t stand?  It really doesn’t matter what it is, let it out here!

Recap:  1.  Up for grabs, a kick ass prize pack containing a signed copy of I Just Want to Pee Alone, a signed copy of Moms Who Drink and Swear, a copy of Parenting, Illustrated With Crappy Pictures, plus a $25 spa gift card, chocolate, coffee and a mug, and a DVD.

2.  Enter by a) leaving a comment on the blog telling us a racy secret and b) drop your info in the Rafflecopter.  You can’t win if you don’t do both.

3.  Check your email on 5/7 to see if you have won.  Good luck to you all!

Entries will be accepted until Midnight CST on 5/6/2013.  The winner will be contacted via email and if no response is given within 24 hours a new winner will be drawn!  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t want to wait?  Click on the books below and order your copies RIGHT NOW. While you are at it be sure to order copies for your mother/mother-in-law/grandmother/aunts/neighbors/cousins/OB-GYN/worst enemy.  They all MUST read all three of these books.  You never know, it may just lighten them up just a little.  Help them remove the stick.  Laughter, it really is the best medicine.

                             

So This is Really Happening…

Living in the country we have days in which the UPS man pulling into the yard is the most traffic we see all day.  I had been waiting and waiting to see that brown truck this week and every day that passed with nothing was another day I sulked just a little.  Today he came and he had boxes.  Two of them.

My heart skipped a beat and I brought them in and put them on the table.  Since I knew what was inside I couldn’t bring myself to open them right away.  I was nervous.  I had heart palpitations and sweaty palms, I may have even let a little fart slip out as I jumped up and down in my excitement.  Then the reality sunk in.  Inside these boxes are books.  Not a bunch of books that I ordered to read for my own enjoyment.  Books.  THESE books:

Books

<cue the tears>  These are books that contain my words.  Some of them may be dirty and to some inappropriate, but they are still mine.  My thoughts.  My words.  ACK!  It wasn’t real until I saw them and held one in my hands.  Now it’s official.  This is REALLY HAPPENING!

I grabbed the top one and opened it up and glanced at the table of contents and I think my knees buckled just a little.   To look at all those names of so many amazing women all in one place, with my name among them, was something that simply took my breath away.  It isn’t like it is a new development, this book has been in the works for months.  Some of these women I knew before.  Some of them I had read but didn’t know personally.  All of them I am getting to know better and better every day.

ACK!!!

ACK!!!

Since I operate on full disclosure and honesty I feel that I have to tell you that I have actually NOT read this book yet.  Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m afraid to and I didn’t have a copy.  When asked to contribute the list of other contributors was not disclosed.  I knew that Jen (People I Want to Punch in the Throat) would put together an amazing list of contributors and that alone made it difficult to write anything somewhat coherent.  I struggled for a month to write my piece for her and after a TON of editing I closed my eyes and hit the send button.  Once I discovered who all the incredible writers were that were going to be joining me on this adventure,  I may have thrown up a little.  These are some of the most talented and hilarious women on the interwebs.  Now I am in print with them.  Mind. Blown.

What I do know without even reading one single page is that this book is AMAZING.  To have thirty-seven amazing women all together inside one cover, brilliant.  To see thirty-seven women working together to make it succeed, brilliant.  To see thirty-seven women who may not necessarily share the same sense of humor or writing styles or beliefs do something so incredible is eye-watering.  I’m honored to be a part of this incredible adventure and can’t wait to see where it takes us.

I am in awe of their abilities.  I am humbled to be considered a writer of their caliber.  I’m still shittin bricks that my name is in that table of contents with all of these lovely ladies:

People I Want to Punch in the Throat
Insane in the Mom Brain
The Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva
Baby Sideburns
Rants From Mommyland
The Underachiever’s Guide to Being a Domestic Goddess
My Life and Kids
Bad Parenting Moments
Let Me Start By Saying
Frugalista Blog
Suburban Snapshots
Ninja Mom
Four Plus an Angel
Honest Mom
Binkies and Briefcases
Naps Happen
Kelley’s Break Room
Toulouse & Tonic
HouseTalkN
Hollow Tree Ventures
The Fordeville Diaries
Snarkfest
Mom’s New Stage
Nurse Mommy Laughs
The Dose of Reality
The Mom of the Year
Life on Peanut Layne
Momaical
Cloudy, With a Chance of Wine
Confessions of a Cornfed Girl
I Love Them Most When They’re Sleeping
Random Handprints
RachRiot
You’re My Favorite Today
Funny is Family
My Real Life

So, let’s cut the sappy shit, fricken PMS.  Who wants to win a copy?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller? Bueller?  (Sorry, couldn’t resist)  I’m going to give away at least one copy of “I Just Want to Pee Alone”.  It will be the winner’s choice of either a paper copy or a Kindle copy.  Depending on my mood and the number of entries, I may decide to do more copies you never know.  The winner(s) will be announced on Tuesday morning.  The more entries there are, the greater the chances of more copies to be handed out…for FREE!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t want to wait to see if you win?  Want to buy a copy for your sister/girlfriend/wife/mother-in-law/OB-GYN/most hated enemy?  It won’t even cost you your first born child.  Here is all the info.  Once you read it, be sure to express your love for the book with a positive review on Amazon.  We will worship the ground you walk on if you do :)

Get it delivered to your door via Amazon:  I Just Want to Pee Alone

Download it to your Kindle here: I Just Want to Pee Alone

You Nook users can download it here: I Just Want to Pee Alone

You can even get it from iTunes here:  I Just Want to Pee Alone

I Have Something to Tell You

I have something very serious to tell you.  I have been thinking about this for a really long time and I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to break the news.  Oh boy this is hard.  I don’t even know how to tell you this.  You all know I love this blog and how much I adore all of you who are here reading it every time I put some words out there.  In all honesty though, it’s been hard lately, this writing stuff.

Between the recent herpes outbreak,  taking a ride on the Character Assassination Carousel, making an appearance to help my friend Allison over at motherhoodwtf?, and having one of my favorite posts ever being published on Mamalode, it’s been quite a couple of weeks around here.  Throw in our upcoming free parenting webinar by Amy of Positive Parenting Solutions  and it’s been crazy busy around here.  Don’t get me wrong, they are all very exciting things (well, except the herpes.  Who ever wakes up and says OH GOOD, I have HERPES?).  I love helping friends out as often as I can and one of my personal goals is to be published elsewhere.  It’s part of my plan for total world domination.  But I’m not gonna lie to you.  I’m tired.  My brain is tired.  At times my heart is tired. I know, you are probably saying “Tara, suck it up buttercup.  We are all busy, you aren’t special.”   To that I say good gravy you are right.  It is time to put on my big girl panties and get over it.  It still doesn’t change the fact that my brain is giving me a big fat finger lately when it comes to having logical thoughts.

When I think about what to do here, I am torn.  This blog is my outlet but some things I’m afraid to write about, some things I write half a post and then I re-read it and think…oh boy, this sucks.  Some things I just know are repetitive and boring and overdone.  I don’t like feeling afraid of what I write about.  I don’t like feeling like I can’t publish something because I’m scared of the backlash I might get.  I’m not one who enjoys using a filter out of fear and it seems like these days I have to use my filter more than I really like to.  I know this is my blog and I should write about whatever I damn well please, but you all know how vicious people can be.

That makes me start to question if this is all really worth it.   If I am afraid to write what I want to write, then why am I here?  This is just silly.  Should I just fold up shop and go back to venting to Farmer Bob, even if he doesn’t listen all the time?   Do I really want to give up the community that we have built over on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest?   Something has to give around here, so you know what I decided?  Are you in suspense?  Do you want to know my decision?  I think you do…

HELL NO I’m not giving all this up!!!  Were you scared for just a minute?  Please tell me your heart skipped a beat, just one. You guys can’t get rid of me that easily, are you kidding me? I guess in a way I’m kind of like herpes.  Once you have me, you can never get rid of me.  Things may be calm for a while, but if you just sit back and wait I will flare up on you and BOOM, I’m back with a vengeance.

So…what to do, what to do????  Well, how about a book?  I’ve had quite a few people *editors note, more than one constitutes the use of the phrase “quite a few”* ask me when I was going to write a book.  WHAT????  A book??  Are you crazy?  You aren’t, but I am.  That’s right, a book.  Let’s do this.

I have to be honest, it is not just MY book.  The thought of writing an entire book on my own right now makes me want to vomit.  So much pressure to be good, and grammatically correct, and proper.  Blergh.  Blergh.  Blergh.  So here’s the deal, I was asked to contribute to a book.  That’s right, someone besides my mother  likes me enough to actually want to publish me in their book.  A real book on paper, with a cover.  I don’t know that I really believe that it is happening, and I may not until I have a physical copy of the book in my own hands, but I signed papers and everything so something is going down.  I may have signed over my kids or my house, but that’s still something.

All I can tell you is that the book will be amazing and hilarious.  So many fabulously funny writers contributed to it like my very dear friend  The Underachiever’s Guide to Being a Domestic Goddess,  People I Want to Punch in the Throat, and Bad Parenting Moments just to name a few.  It is slated to be out mid-March so just stay tuned, I’m sure you’ll get tired of hearing about it.  Just kidding on that. You will all buy it, and read it, and love it I am sure.

Cover

I’m on a book cover! An ACTUAL BOOK COVER! Look at all those awesome names! EEK!