Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

a) the first official day of Spring
b) my birthday
c) the beginning of the Spring Reading Thing
d) time for a Sidetrack’d giveaway (check it out here)
e) all of the above

If you picked “e”, congratulations and happy March 20th!

I’m having a bit of a tough time with my reading list this Spring.  In fact, I wasn’t sure I was going to participate in SRT at all, but since I know I’ll be reading anyway, I might as well set a few goals.  My reading will be complicated by a few things: first, Boo’s arrival in a few weeks will definitely impact the time and energy I have to devote to reading; second, my local library is changing locations and is closed for the next couple of weeks (this could make it a bit more difficult to get some of my books); and third, I’m having trouble deciding what I want to read.  As always, I reserve the right to add to, subtract from, or alter this list as I see fit.

And with all my excuses out of the way, here is my list…

Non-fiction:
John Adams by David McCullough
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
The Complete Book of Sewing by DK Publishing (won’t finish this one by June)

Fiction:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Austenland by Shannon Hale
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
Mater Biscuit by Julie Cannon

Bible Study:
Until the baby arrives, I’ll be continuing my study of the gospel of Matthew through Bible Study Fellowship International; after that, I haven’t yet decided what I will do.

The books listed here will be added to my bookshelf in the sidebar and will remain there until the challenge is completed (or I get them read if I don’t finish by June).

For more information on the Spring Reading Thing or to view the other participants lists, click on the button at the top of this post.

Happy Reading!

An Ordinary Life has teamed up with Sleepy Wrap to offer a great babywearing giveaway – one lucky winner will receive a new wrap (in either black or red) plus $100 cash from Sleepy Wrap!

I’ve had my eye on these wraps since my SIL got hers; she has raved so much about it that I decided I definitely need one when Baby Boo arrives. The Sleepy Wrap website has a bunch of great testimonials as well, such as, “Your Sleepy Wrap is awesome. My son Juš likes it very much. I can’t imagine my life without it.” by Nika K.

And now I should say that if you’re interested check out the contest here, but I really don’t want to because I want to win this one myself!

Welcome to Sidetrack’d and my little corner of this big bloggy party! Grab a cup of coffee or tea and a snack (sorry I don’t have anything prepared, we’ve been under the weather this week) and come hang out for a while.

A bit about me…

I am Jana, wife to a wonderful man, Matt, and mom to an adorable 19 month old girl (Little) and to Baby Boo who will grace us with his presence in a few weeks. I spend most of my time chasing Little, reading Dr. Seuss books, and taking care of my family and home. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, blogging, cooking, hanging out with friends, and being outdoors. If you spend any time here, I hope you will realize that I am a Christian and strive to raise my children to know and love Jesus. If you are interested in learning a bit more about me, click here to view my latest meme.

A bit about Sidetrack’d…

I started blogging just over a year ago as a way to stay connected to friends and family and to connect with other blogging moms. Like my life (and the way my mind works), the writing here is somewhat scattered. I write about my family, my life, my faith, my goals with a bit of baseball, books, comedy, and video games thrown in for good measure. I’ve found this is a good way to journal some thoughts, record stories about Little, and “hang out” with some online and distant friends.

Thanks for stopping by to visit; I hope to see you again soon. I look forward to meeting many new bloggers during the party and have a feeling that the Ultimate Blog Party ‘08 is going to be even bigger than last year!

One of the fun things about this party are all the great prizes; if you haven’t checked out the prize list, you really should hop over there. Of all the cool things they are giving away, my top 3 picks would be:

~#26 – Nursing cover by The Pitter Patter Boutique
~#22 – Nursing cover by Peekaboobaby
~#37 – Moby Wrap offered by From Dates to Diapers

If these three are taken, I’d love to have any of the following (in no particular order): 4, 34, 77, 84, 103, 137, 141, any of the Amazon, Target or Starbucks GCs, or anything related to toddlers (girl) or babies (boy).

Thanks to 5 Minutes for Mom for throwing a great party! Enjoy!

Somehow, in the midst of this thing called life, I failed to notice that Sidetrack’d turned one year old last month! It has been a year of recording my thoughts, telling stories, posting various comical things, and meeting some great fellow bloggers. Thanks to each of you for stopping by to read, taking time to comment, encouraging me, and making this whole thing even more fun (and addicting) than it should be. I’m looking forward to the coming year.

And in other blogging news…

It’s that time of year again – time for the Ultimate Blog Party 2008 hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom, and boy do Susan and Janice know how to throw a party! There were about 1000 bloggers who attended last year’s party, and this year will probably be even bigger. There are people to meet, blogs to be discovered, and prizes to be won; the party starts this Friday, March 7th, and continues until Friday, March 14th. Click on the button above, or the one in the side bar, to join in the fun!

The ladies at DE Review are offering the chance to win a great ring sling (open or closed tail) from slingcarrier.com. This would be a great addition to my budding (or soon to be budding) sling collection. If you’re interested, click here or on the button in the side bar.