Sunday Sound Out

From Chicago, where nine out of ten dentists recommend you read Because I Said So, it's your host, the woman who's hunting down that tenth dentist, Dawn Meehan.

Quick question for Sunday sound out- where is your blog about carline? Would love to share it on facebook!
You can read the post about the Kiss 'n Drive HERE.

HAHA!!! I nearly choked on my chocolate oatmeal, when I read that.
Let me get this straight. Chocolate? Oatmeal? They make chocolate oatmeal??? Oh yum! I have got to find me some of this!

Is it acceptable to buy your book and give it to my brother who has a very large belly and looks like he's gonna need it soon?
Absolutely! And it'll go over even better if you accompany it with a "Baby Under Construction" t-shirt!

Have you considered a giant stapler?
I cannot, for the life of me, remember what this was in regards to. But I have considered giant staplers in the past (mainly for sewing purposes). The reason I declined, however, was because Brooklyn ate some staples a couple years ago. I had to dig through her poop to make sure they passed okay. I think, had they been giant staples, it wouldn't have turned out so well. Yeah, she gave new meaning to the term "stomach stapling".

Have you thought about giving her [Brooklyn] a Kate (as in Kate plus 8) type hairdo? ...practically shaved in the back and a little length in the front so people know she's a girl?
Uh no. No way. Have you seen her hair?

It's too prettiful to cut. I'd rather smear peanut butter in her hair every day.

Just curious how you do get the gum out?
Peanut butter: it's not just for sandwiches

Maybe more e-bay auctions?? lol
Hmmm, I still have the original pack of Pokemon cards. The winner of that auction said she didn't really want the cards so they've been sitting on a shelf above my desk for years.

Your ex should be put in jail for abandonment and neglect. And stupidity.
Don't forget the contempt of court and the DUIs.

Would he be willing to auction off the drawing? That's really cool and I'd love to have it on my wall!
Actually, we're in the process of making some prints of Jackson's drawing. Jackson is choosing a charity to donate any proceeds to. He's really excited about the project!

Dawn: all you ever have to do to show your thanks is posting that Wii dancing video.
Tell ya what, just imagine watching a very steamy sex scene on TV with your parents in the room. Now imagine something about 20 times more awkward. Yeah, that's me dancing.

OMG I'm still chuckling over the "sucks to be you comment" that you're sure was the only thing Clay heard. Did he pick up on it or did you get lucky?
I can't even count how many times Clay has graced us with his newfound catchphrase. My friend Eric was over to watch the Bears game earlier and spilled some wine when Brooklyn and Lexi jumped on him. Clay looked at him and said, matter-of-factly, "Sucks to be you."

How do you spend time with your teenager? My almost 16y/o seems to be the one that gets lost in the shuffle at my house because he is so independent and requires less from me.
You're right. It becomes harder as they get older because you don't read them bedtime stories or help them brush their teeth or help them with their homework anymore. Plus, teens would rather hang out with their friends than with Mom and Dad, which is normal. But I still insist on spending time together as a family and taking little trips and doing things together. I also try to sneak in those little moments that don't seem like much at the time, but I think they add up in the long run. For example, Savannah talks about her friends and stuff that happened during the day when she first comes home from school. She also loves to come with me when I have to run errands which gives us time to talk and hang out. Austin and I chat after the little kids go to bed oftentimes. I'm trying to make an effort to play more games with the kids in the evening because that always includes conversation and laughter. Unless it's Monopoly. I've been known to take that game a little too seriously. So I've been told. It's not my fault, I'm awesome at Monopoly. And both Austin and Savannah love to watch movies with me after the littles go to bed. I know it's not time spent in conversation, but it's still time together. And you can always, always, find me on the sidelines of their baseball, softball, hockey, football, etc. games.

SSO question: I bought your book from Borders instead of Amazon (because I'm like a special super shopper there and I got a discount). You still get credit, right?
I've had a ton of questions like this. Okay, here's a very simplified version of how it works. When a publisher agrees to buy and publish an author's book, the contract will state how much money (royalties) an author will make on each book. Let's pretend it's $1 a book. The publisher will give the author an advance against royalties. So, let's say the publisher gives the author a $500 advance. At $1 a book, 500 books have to sell before the author starts seeing any royalties. I don't personally care where people get my book; I'm just thrilled that you want to get it! If you like it, please tell someone about it. If you don't like it, then it wasn't really me who wrote it. It was my sister.

And is this a book I can give to a first-time mom and not scare the crap out of her or should I keep it for myself?
Uh yeah, you might want to hold onto it for yourself and give it to the first-time mom after she's given birth.

Now a suggestion. Why in the world don't you have Blogher ads on your site? Its my understanding you can make some serious money if you are a widely read blogger such as you are.
I did have BlogHer ads. I made a whopping $100-$150 a month. Still, every little bit helps, right? But BlogHer ads have some restrictive policies and because of those, I would have had to turn down some higher paying writing jobs, so I dropped the BlogHer ads. At this point, I need to have my blog header redesigned so that ads show up "above the fold". For some reason, the ad people think that no one will scroll down to see the ads even though they have to scroll down to see any and all content on my blog. Apparently they think people are too stupid and/or lazy to scroll down and if the content isn't at the top, the minute they open a page, then they'll just click on by without reading a thing.

Why can't you get money from your blog? There are many less deserving bloggers making a ton of money from their blogs. Why don't you take on some ads?
I'm not exactly turning down dozens of advertising offers a day. Do you know how many companies have asked to advertise on my blog? None.

How are the boys doing?
Austin has good days and bad, but I believe I'm seeing more good than bad lately. :) Jackson, on the other hand, is still in the hospital and going through some major medication changes.

Again, I really can't find words to thank you enough for all your kindness. I'm blown away by this amazing community here! Nothing I can say adequately expresses my gratitude. Every day, I get more cards, emails, and comments of encouragement and support.

I admit, I spent two days in bed this past week. I let myself slip into despair. I felt sorry for myself and had a hard time finding the will to get up and go on with my day. But thankfully (with much help from my kids and you guys), I snapped out of it. Despite all the crap happening, I have many more blessings than crappishness (it's a word, trust me). I still believe everything's going to work out okay.

Besides, the only thing that staying in bed and ignoring the world did, was give me a LOT of work to catch up on! It didn't change the situation. It didn't make anything better. I really hate this saying - When life give you lemons, make lemonade. I feel like slapping people when they say this. BUT, it's true. No matter what your situation is, you can choose to say, "Oh woah is me. Life is so unfair. Whine, whine, whine." OR you can say, "Well, that sucks, but I've still got my health and my friends and a roof above my head and God at my side. It's gonna be okay!"

I'd personally rather smile and laugh and enjoy what I DO have than to cry over what I DON'T have.