It's Finally Come to This - A Virtual Party

Are you ready to party like it's 2010? Umm, yeah because when else would there be a blog party? Well, apparently there was one last year, but I was still trying to participate in real-life, in-person parties. Sooo 2002.

What is a blog party? I really have no idea, but I read something that said there were lots of prizes (and not just rubber chickens and doilies) so I'm in.

I do know that I am supposed to (virtally) introduce myself to any new readers that may come to my party in search of prizes or blogging affirmation.
1. If you want a prize from me (rather than from the actual blog party where they only have junk like laptops and cash cards) please enter my second annual (DMV) Dirty Minivan Competition. Any dirty car will do. And the bragging rights are enough to make any husband proud. Shoot, if he knows you are driving around an award winning vehicle maybe he will actually brave the 9 Sunday School Projects, 4 jackets, goldfish crumbs, and straw wrappers that adorn the passenger front seat and go for a ride! And if you really don't care about me or my blog or my dirty car, then scroll down to the bottom and see how easy it is for you to win a $100 gift card to the fair trade company, Trade as One.

2. If you want affirmation from me then leave me a comment! Then I will go to your blog and find something cool about it and leave a comment-even if it's just "Hey, I really like your font." (That's blog-party small talk.)

So my name is Wendy. Some call me the Totally Desperate Mom. Well no one actually calls me that but that it's the title of my book.
I am the mom to Elijah (6), Lydia (almost 4 and almost potty trained), and Jordis (21 months). I am also mom to Faith, but she ditched us for heaven when she was four days old. She had Trisomy 13. I have been married to Shiloh, my UCLA college sweetheart, for 12 years and I like him a lot most days.

When I was nine years old I decided I wanted to be on television. So when my mom was gone I looked in the yellow pages and found a talent agency. I called and left them a message on their answering machine--back in the day when there were actually machines and real life get togethers. That's how I got started in the entertainment business. Did a bunch of print work and commercials in San Francisco and then started flying and driving down to Los Angeles for auditions. Landed a starring role in "The New Lassie" series when I was fourteen and lived down there with friends of the family off and on until my senior year of high school. On Wednesdays I blog about my experiences in Hollywood. Like when I stalked Kirk Cameron, or when I brought Mark-Paul Gosselaar home with me, or when I played opposite Leonardo DiCaprio on Growing Pains. Here's a clip.

The rest of my blog is usually about funny, strange, and interesting things my kids do. I know, I know. What this world needs is another mommy blog . . . hopefully you'll find my blog a little bit unique with my Hollywood junk and the way I keep it real in the motherhood. I tell it like it is--the awesome, the cute, the disasters, the frustration, the beauty, the mental breakdown days, and the dance parties. Motherhood is wonderful and hard. After perusing through my blog, if you don't feel better about yourself or if you don't at least feel a little more normal . . . then just check out these pics of me and my family.

And let me tell you that I love Jesus, I have a big heart for evangelism and missions, I am passionate about adoption (was in the process of adopting a little boy from the Philippines when our daughter Jordis showed up in my womb), and I love encouraging women in their faith. That being said, my blog is not particularly a "Christian" blog. I sometimes blog about my faith or spiritual issues or prayer or I throw virtual Bibles at people. I want my blog to be a place for stalkers, I mean, readers of all faiths. However, you'll will be hearing about Jesus from time to time but because of our common bond of motherhood, poop, Hollywood, UCLA, fashion savvy (stop laughing), crafting (now I'm laughing), forts, music, and fun vacations you should be able to stick with me even if you don't agree with my Jesus stuff.

Welcome to "Tales from the Motherhood . . . and Confessions of a Former Childhood Actress." Hope you stay and party here for a while. And then go check out some of the other blogs participating in this bloggy party and leave comments. And go get some prizes.

And now for my final trick, I am supposed to list in order which cool prizes I would like to win from hosting this shindig.

My top three picks:

** The $5000 cash donated by . . . my imaginary friend. Not really a prize there, but that would be awesome.

1. (#19) - Donated by Hasbro:

A pack of preschool toys because since Lydia stayed dry for 7 days she is back in preschool and is eligible for toys of the genre. I will not tell you that she has been back to her pants peeing at home because that would be discouraging and it would invalidate my 270-Day Potty Training Method.

2. (#32) – Donated by The Frugal Novice:

$25 Target Gift Card

3. (#33) Donted by Nellie Bug's
A custom tutu of your choosing.
And then dear Santa, if can't have those items I'll have. . . 8, 39, 21

Here is your reward for suffering through that long blog post or for quickly scrolling through it to get to the goods:

Win a $100 gift card to the fair trade company Trade as One. Fair trade allows you to give unique, high-quality gifts to family and friends— while giving hope and income to the poor. There are several ways you can win this gift certificate to this awesome company.

1. Leave a comment. Any ol' comment will do.

2. Follow this blog. Then leave a comment letting me know you did.

3. Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a comment letting me know you did.

4. Don't follow me on facebook because I like to keep that to people I really know. Then leave a comment letting me know you didn't.

5. GOOD FOR 3 ENTRIES - Go to my book website and check out the table of contents of Totally Desperate Mom: Keepin' it Real in the Motherhood. Then come back here and leave 3 comments letting me know which chapter intrigues you the most. Well, only one comment needs to tell me which chapter you pick. The other comments can be like this kalhecoiawehfewaihfaegfdlgahjdg aregjr4∑£¢ºt9gjdx.