Edited to add: I e-mailed my contact at the PR firm coordinating this giveaway and the shipping. They WILL ship the printer to Canadian residents.

As promised in this flashback post of polyester fabulousness, I am having a giveaway for a Kodak Easyshare 5300 printer sent to me recently by a PR firm to review. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find that it slices, dices, and will even cure your New Year’s Day hangover.

I’ve been very pleased with this printer, which is an all-in-one product that scans, copies, and prints. Honestly it’s been like an early Christmas present for me and I’ve been using it to scan old family Polaroids. It’s been taking me less than 5 minutes per photo to scan and touch them up and even crop them using the Kodak software. The printer was easy to install and the hubby, who set it up for me, was impressed that the 5300 actually came with a USB cable. He’s never seen that with any printer he’s purchased, and trust me, he has purchased lots of printers for clients. Now if you want to get super fancy with cropping and photo retouch, you’ll need to save your photo after scanning it and then use your own software as the Kodak software has basic options. Personally, that’s fine by me. I’m not a Photoshop girl (and I don’t even have Photoshop on my computer.)

I recently ordered online digital prints from Target and the quality of the photos I printed at home on the 5300 matches the quality. You can also stick your digital camera memory card directly into the 5300 without uploading them first to your computer. For someone who takes a bazillion photos, like me, this is like having a digital print kiosk in your own home. The Kodak 5300 also offers inexpensive replacement ink cartridges. The color ink cartridges sell for $14.99; the black and white cartridges sell for $9.99.

To be entered into the drawing for an Kodak Easyshare 5300 all-in-one printer, just leave a comment telling me what you would use the printer for, should you win. For two entries in the giveaway, leave a comment telling me what you would use the printer for AND link to this giveaway post on your own blog. You just need a valid e-mail address to enter (no blog required for one entry) and be a resident of the United States or Canada. I’ll draw a winner from the comments, which will be open until midnight CST on Saturday.

For another chance to win this fabulous printer, Kodak is featuring a Pricey Ink Stinks contest at Brickfish through Friday.

Sarah at the Organized Mom, a stay at home mom who co-founded the company that developed Daily Home Planner software, contacted me in September about trying out her software. Unfortunately this was when I was in the midst of royal freak out MolarGate 2007 and the last thing I was thinking about was getting organized. Oh no, I had bigger fish to fry at that time, like, what crazy secrets would I reveal to my oral surgeon and his staff while under the influence of anesthesia and pain medication and when could I eat solid foods?

Even though I tend to be an Internet addict and I’m married to a computer techie, I still love my paper planner/calendar and have resisted the movement to an electronic organizer or calendar. But lately I’ve noticed a disturbing trend and something’s got to give. Although I’m now spending less time at my office (just four mornings a week) and more time at home I find that I just fritter away that much more time unless I have a plan of action.

If I don’t have a plan for those precious few hours between arriving home from the office and leaving for school pick up at about 2:45, I’d find myself distracted by a dozen different unfinished tasks at the house, like dirty laundry and dishes, not to mention checking up on personal and blog e-mail, and then before you know it, it’s then time to head over to the school to pick up Miss C and my neighbor’s daughter. Basically I would feel like I had accomplished nothing of substance around the house and then after picking up Miss C, there is homework to do, dinner to get ready, etc.

The solution for me, someone who gets distracted way too easily, is to start having even more structure and more routine.

I’m trying out the Daily Home Planner software and I’m going to start using it to plan meals for the week (which I have found keeps our grocery bills down), keep an updated grocery and to do list (instead of having 25 scribbled upon Post It Notes randomly stuck in my office, car, and purse), and just try to stay on top of the girls’ busy social life, what with all the birthday parties, school field trips, and other pressing social matters. The great thing about the software is you can assign each family member, and even the family pets, a role and color so that your calendar is color coded.

I used to be organized, and then, I often joke, I had kids.

And boy am I not kidding.

You can download a free 30-day trial of the Daily Home Planner software or purchase it here.

Let me know in the comments if you struggle with time management as much as me. And, what you are doing about it! (If anything!)

Miss A was in a foul mood this morning when I dropped her off at “school.” Miss C had her Thanksgiving extravaganza at kindergarten and there was much pride and ooohing and aaaahing and laughter in the cafeteria because is there anything cuter than a bunch of 5-year-olds dressed up like turkeys, pilgrims, and Indians doing the Native American hand jive while their parents photograph, videotape, and otherwise document the moment for posterity?

I knew Miss A wanted to continue the festivities, but mama and daddy had to go to work and this mama actually ended up taking Miss C to the office with her for a few hours because the never ending cough from hell will not relinquish her from its phlegmy grip. Forty dollars in co-pays later, we have a negative diagnosis for strep and still no antibiotics. Somehow I feel ripped off when that happens, like perhaps we should get a refund for not being quite sick enough to require drugs.

But I digress. This evening when I asked Miss A’s daycare teacher how she was today she replied that she was in a bad mood and generally said “no” all day long.

We get a report card of sorts at pick up time and a circle was drawn around “fussy” for mood. I was thinking they really need to add “full of piss and vinegar” and “acted like a total little shit” categories, but then I suppose that wouldn’t pass state regulations.

“Miss C, I’m thankful for our nice warm house. What are you thankful for?”

“Dora Mermaid!”

Updated to add: My mother-in-law says thanks to all of you for the prayers and positive thoughts!

My husband is on his way up now to see his mom. He has talked to her and his brother and things sound good. The surgeon said the tumor was no bigger than he thought and that the two lymph nodes they checked look good. My uncle came through his surgery fine, but his tumor was cancerous. Thank you for all the prayers and positive vibes. Keep ‘em coming if you’re so inclined!

Lately we have had more than the usual run-of-the-mill losing one’s keys, staying up all night with a sick kid, trying to identify the odd aroma coming from one of the dogs, running a small business stress at Casa Blonde Mom Blog.

My mother-in-law was diagnosed last Monday with breast cancer. This was a shock to all of us. It was discovered during a routine mammogram (ladies go forth and book your booby smashin’ now if you’re due!) She hasn’t had any symptoms and there is no history of breast cancer in her family. She did not feel any kind of lump during her self breast exams and neither did the doctors, but the suspicious area that showed up on her mammogram film was biopsied and the results came back as malignant. She is having surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor and will have six weeks of radiation. She reads my blog and I know she would appreciate your encouragement and kind words in the comments, as well as your prayers and positive thoughts.

And while the hotline to God is open, my uncle (my mother’s baby brother) is having surgery today to have a tumor removed from his kidney.

And also? My brother’s German Shepherd does have cancer.

What is that saying? When it rains, it pours.

Virgin Islands 1970, originally uploaded by blondemom.

Who is this mystery couple of international intrigue, circa 1970, and is it possible that this woman could have given birth to a fabulous baby girl (hint, hint) the previous summer?

Are they extras for a James Bond flick?

Speaking of extras, need any for the Osmond family reunion?

Can you tell I am having fun with my new printer slash scanner slash copier toy from Kodak?

(Which I plan on revealing more about next week during a big Thanksgiving giveaway!)

Oh, and 1971 called. I have your comforter and Yosemite Sam alarm clock.

p.s. Jess at Oh, the Joys wrote a lovely post recently about old family photos.

If one more person asks me if Miss A, at nearly 32 months old, is potty trained yet, I’m going to get a t-shirt printed for her that says:

“Still Shitting in My Pants and Loving It!”

Miss C was potty trained at 33 months. I only remember this (I am notoriously bad about forgetting dates and times and I can’t remember the last time I entered anything in an official baby book) because that’s how old she was when Miss A was born and I was bound and determined to have Miss C out of diapers by the time baby sister arrived. I’ve been admittedly lax on the potty training with Miss A, but her daycare teacher is working with her. She’ll go at home if enticed with jelly beans or M&Ms and wouldn’t you know she requested “I GO POTTY!” at the soccer fields this morning. You know, when the only available toilet was a porta potty. We let that request slide. Plus it was 40-something degrees outside.

All kidding aside, it’s been a great morning. Miss C had her last soccer game of the fall season. It was bright and early (and cold) at 8 a.m., her team won, and she scored two goals in a row. Go Miss C! Maybe it was her lucky haircut?