Show me the Love

OK, I am usually pretty Zen here at The Squashed Bologna.

Read me, don't read me, pffffft.  (Are you hearing the ancient wise turtle's voice from Kung Fu Panda here?  Good, we're in synch.)

But I'm going to break form today.

Today I am shamelessly shilling for some bloggy-love.  Begging for your vote.  Asking to be nominated.  Self-promoting away.

There are 3 places I need you to show me some love.  Two take just a little clicking, the third involves some typing, or copy-and-pasting (I'll try to make it as painless as possible for you).

But also?  If you're not into all this, just not a direction follower, wouldn't click or submit even if it earned you a million dollars (no, this won't)? 

That's OK.  That funny little story at the end of this post to reward everyone for getting through all this drivel?  It's there for you, too.

Vote for me, don't vote for me, pffffft.  I still love you.

First, see that little button on my right hand column near the top?  The one flashing (cringe) "Top Mommy Blogs.com" alternating with "The Most -Popular- Mom Blogs on the Web!"  Yeah that one.

Having trouble finding it?  OK, I'll paste it in here, too:

Now, click on it.  Even better, RIGHT click on it (or "control" + click if you're Mac like me) and open it in a separate tab or window so you can still keep reading me here too, at the same time.

Once you're there, find my little niche "Special Needs" in the far right hand column "Categories" list and click on THAT.

Now find me on the Special Needs blog list (back on the left) & click on my blog title.  (I know, I know, I need a button.  Want to make me one?)  That will bring you back home to me, here.

That wasn't too hard, right?

The cool part?  You can vote for me there every day, once a day.  So if you feel like doing it again tomorrow?  Terrific.

If not?  Pfffft, whatever.  I still love you.  Zen.

Next?  I'm taking you over to Babble.  A very cool, very BIG Mom Blogger site.  My new friend Ceridwen writes for them, and she's awesome.

They've already made their "2010 Top 50 Mom Blogs" list, and no, I ain't on there (get real, people). BUT, they are also asking for nominations and votes for the rest of us: the little guys, the also-rans.

And that's where your part comes in.  I have been nominated.  Now, all you have to do is find me there and click on a "like" button.  That's it.  Easy peasey.  Let's go...

Click HERE to go to Babble's nomination page:

Now let's find me, The Squashed Bologna.  First click on the alphabetical tab, then go to the "T"s.  As of this morning I was number 516 alphabetically, on page 11, but that could change.  (Annoying: you first have to click on page 9 to get to the higher numbers, I trust you can figure this one out.)

Now (here's the easy part): click on the thumbs-up "I like this blogger" button.  (You do like me, right?)

DONE!

OK, now, here's the last part (or you can just skip to the funny story at the end if you're exhausted by now, really I won't take offense):

The 2011 Bloggies

There's this thing, the Eleventh Annual Weblog Awards, known around the inter-webs as "The Bloggies."  They're kind of a big deal in the blogging community.  I have less than a snowball's chance in hell of winning one, but it would be nice to be nominated.

So I would love for you to nominate me.  You have until January 16th to do this.

The cool part?  You only have to do this once.  Promise.  (If you do it twice, it cancels your first one.)

Here's how this one works:  You go to the nomination website, here.

First:  READ THE RULES

As they say, you can nominate a blog in any and all categories for which it is appropriate (multiple categories OK).

So for me, may I suggest (in order of appearance on the form):

Best Parenting Weblog
Best Writing of a Weblog
Best-Kept Secret Weblog
Best New Weblog
Weblog of the Year

but definitely NOT

Best Food Weblog

(not that kind of Bologna, remember?)

You fill in the nominee's blog name and blog URL. These are the correct ones for me (you can copy and paste them):

Nominee: The Squashed Bologna   URL: http://www.squashedmom.com

And this is how it looks on the ballot:

Now, here's the catch, and this part is VERY important:

According to the rules, you cannot just nominate me, you MUST nominate at least three (3) blogs altogether, and they can be in any categories on the ballot.  So besides The Squashed Bologna?  You must pick at least two other blogs to nominate.

If you're a blogger or blog reader, this will be a cake-walk. I'm sure you're already planning on how to fill up the ballot.

But if you're not?  If mine is the only blog you read?  May I suggest three wonderful other blogs that fall into the "Best Group or Community Weblog" category.  I am a member of all of these, and they are quite worthy of praise and support.  Here's their info:

Nominee: Hopeful Parents  URL: http://www.hopefulparents.org
Nominee: Band Back Together  URL: http://www.bandbacktogether.com
Nominee: The Red Dress Club URL: http://thereddressclub.blogspot.com

And how the ballot looks filled in:  

Finally, you need to fill in your e-mail address at the very bottom, here, and then "Submit":

And then, when the Bloggies send you a validation e-mail?  For goodness sakes, please click the link inside it to make it so!

You are now done.  Thank you!

I know that was a bit of work, and I really appreciate all those of you who have gone the distance with me, here.  I'm certainly not the biggest or most popular blog out there, but I know I have some loyal readers, and it just feels good to get that jolt of validation now and then; gives me the juice to keep on writing.

Maybe this will help me to get a little more noticed.  Because if I can get a bigger readership?  Find a way to make some money from my writing?  My whole family will benefit greatly.  If I have to go out into the world to get a "real" job that requires me to be absent from home for large blocks of time, I know my kids in general and Jake in particular will pay a price.

OK, I promised you a cute story if you stuck with me through to the bitter end, and here it is:

The other day, Jacob's wonderful ABA therapist, Becca, had a late session with him that was overlapping his dinner time.  Jake was hungry, had finished all his homework, and so Becca sat with him while he ate.  They were practicing the fine art of dinner-table conversation.

These days, Jacob tends to go on and on about movies he has seen advertisements and trailers for, reciting their names and talking about their future opening dates.  And, Jake being Jake, his conversational forays tend to take the form of questions: "Can we go see Rio? Opening on April 15th, Mommy?" (He's got our weekend entertainment planned out through early summer.)

But wise Becca has found a way to steer the conversation away from movies, and they are actually discussing... his actual dinner.  And I get to overhear this gem:

Jake is holding a piece of (GF/CF organic chicken-apple) sausage aloft on his fork, studying it.

Becca:  "What is that, Jacob?"

Jake:  "Mr. Sausage."

Becca:  "What does Mr. Sausage say?"

Jake (glint in his eye, doing a funny little voice):  "Don't eat me!"

Followed by... CHOMP!  And laughter.  My son, the merciless sausage devourer.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

Anyone who thinks people on the spectrum have no sense of humor can go suck an egg.  They have clearly never met my son, Jacob, who IS da bomb.


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