This Holiday post is
sponsored as part of the UrbanMoms Network.
I’m sure that all of you know my friend Ali (aka my Canadian twin in many areas) and you may or may not know her boss Jen Maier from Urban Moms. I’ve known Ali for three years now (!) and Jen and I have gotten to know each other over the last six months or so and even sat together on a panel at Blissdom Canada in Toronto at the end of October.
(Ali was supposed to be on the panel but her Dad had health problems, so Jen graciously filled in.)
Both of these ladies are wonderful, as is the Urban Moms website (and team) in general. I’ve done a couple of guest posts for them in the past and when they asked me if I wanted to be a part of the new network they were launching, I responded with a resounding, “SIGN ME UP.”
So, here I am. They emailed last week to see if I was willing to be part of a promotion where they were giving away an Old Navy gift card. As a woman who has placed four (FOUR) online orders since the Canadian Old Navy website opened in September, I am all for giving my readers a chance to win money to spend at that mecca of Awesome.
What do I have to write about in order to host this giveaway? I simply have to write about what I want for Christmas. I know, right? SO EASY.
Except that I don’t really know what I want for Christmas. I tend to buy items that I need when I need them and am not really one to spend a lot of money on things that aren’t necessary.
Oh, WAIT. Christmas is (about Jesus’ birth, yes, but) not necessarily about what we need. It’s about wonder and surprise and about getting things that you might not even know you wanted. Or maybe that’s your birthday. Mine is next month anyway, so I’ll run with it.
1. A wireless remote for my camera.
Whether I’m taking macro photos of flowers or family portraits, I always use the self-timer on my camera to reduce camera shake/make sure I have time to slide into the photo. Wireless remotes aren’t even that expensive…I just keep talking myself out of spending the money on one.
2. A really great pair of jeans.
I have one pair of jeans that I like because my thighs appear less thunderous than usual but said jeans are quite faded and worn and not ones that I am able to dress up if I need to. I have yet to find a pair that works magic but I haven’t really tried or given myself permission to ignore the price tag.
3. A Photoshop Course.
There’s nowhere even remotely nearby to take a course in person, but I’d love to at least take an online course. I’ve read books and done free tutorials and can do more than I used to be able to, but I know that there’s so much more I could be doing. I just need to learn how.
4. A new bed.
My husband is a handy guy. He’s pretty much renovated our entire (over 3,000 square foot) house since we moved in nearly ten years ago, and has built a lot of our furniture to boot. It is this talent of his (and his inherent cheap/frugal nature) that is making him ask me to wait for him to find the time to build us a bed. The thing is, we have an AMAZING pillow-top mattress that is an absolute dream to sleep on that is…on the floor. WE SLEEP ON THE FLOOR. And have been doing so for OVER FOUR YEARS. I’d like a bed. With matching side tables too, please.
5. A trip to Hawaii, with just my husband.
We had tossed around this idea a couple of months ago when friends of our invited us to join them (sans kids) this coming January. We dreamed about it, we talked about it, we looked for deals, but it’s just not going to happen this year. The main reason is that we have nobody to come and hang out with our three kids. If we had an unlimited budget I could fly one of my sisters or my Mom here and cover their week off of work but, alas. It is simply not the case. But I’m allowed to ask for it anyway, right?
Enough about me. It’s now time to focus on YOU. And your chance to win $100 to spend at Old Navy. Head on over to this post at Urban Moms (Hello to another good friend, Metalia!) and leave a comment.
Good luck, friends!
