Giveaway: 50th Annual Birmingham Village Fair

There is nothing quite like a fair. Carnival rides, sinfully delicious foods, games, lights, the hustle and bustle of excited families...the combined effect is FUN! Some of my favorite childhood memories involve going to fairs. Now that I have a family of my own, my kids love going to fairs too. Spring is officially (we HOPE!) here to stay in Michigan, which means carnival season is underway!






The weekend of May 30-June 2 marks a momentous occasion: the 50th Annual Birmingham Village Fair!

The Birmingham Village Fair will be held in downtown Birmingham on the surrounding streets of Shain Park. The hours are as follows:

Thursday, May 30 - 12 to 10:00 p.m.

Friday, May 31 - 12-11:00 p.m. 

Saturday, June 1 - 11 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 

Sunday, June 2 - 12-9:00 p.m.

Wristbands will be available for purchase at the fair for $20. Discount wristbands are available until May 29 at the following locations for $15!

• Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber - 725 S. Adams Rd, Suite 13, Birmingham. Office hours 9-5 Monday-Friday.
• Birmingham Bloomfield Credit Union - 576 E. Lincoln, Birmingham. Office hours 9-5 Monday-Thursday & 9-6 Friday.
• Bank of Birmingham - 33583 Woodward Ave., Birmingham. Office hours 9-5 Monday-Friday.

**Please note** These discounted wristbands are valid for the following days & times:

• Thursday, May 30, 12-10 p.m.
• Friday, May 31, 12-6 p.m.
• Sunday, June 2, 12-9 p.m.
• NOT VALID SATURDAY!

The Birmingham Village Fair is sponsored by AT&T U-Verse, Bank of Birmingham, Lakeshore Express Aviation, and WOW! Internet Cable Phone.

For more information and to stay in the loop, head over and like the Village Fair Facebook page!

Happy news! I am giving away 2 wristbands for the Birmingham Village Fair to one lucky reader! To be clear, these are the discounted wristbands that can be use at the restricted times noted above. They will come in the form of a voucher, which the winner will then take to a ticket window at the fair to exchange for wristbands.

Just use the Rafflecopter form to enter! Good luck, and maybe I'll see you there!

I have received free tickets to this event, tickets to give away and compensation for this sponsored post through TweetTeam.com. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that my family worked together to give our living room a deep cleaning and mini makeover on Mother's Day. The kids really worked hard and Chris was completely game when I told him that's how I wanted to spend my day.

I am thankful for being spoiled for Mother's Day.

I am thankful for the wonderful opportunities that have come my way thanks to this blog.

I am thankful for opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and grow.

I am thankful that I get to spend some one on one time with Connor at Boy Scout camp this weekend.

I am thankful for a fabulous year of 3s preschool for Mathilda, which is coming to an end next week! Already!

I am thankful that I have been able to be a stay-at-home mom all these years.

I am thankful that I was able to chaperon Connor's field trip this week.

I am thankful for beautiful weather that warms my soul and makes my days a little more joyful.

I am thankful that we are about to begin couch shopping for the family room. I can barely contain my excitement on that one!

I am thankful for a fun night out seeing Jillian Michaels with my good friend last week, and for making a new friend too.

I am thankful that my allergies have calmed down a little bit.

I am thankful for lots of help from my mom and my in-laws, which makes many things possible that otherwise might not be possible. Like going to Boy Scout camp when Chris has to work all weekend. And going downtown to see Jillian Michaels on a Thursday night (again Chris was working).

What are you thankful for today?

Giveaway: Bon Jovi Tickets! July 18 at Ford Field in Detroit

Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time to start making some fun plans! Concerts are a staple of summertime fun...like Bon Jovi and The J. Geils Band, coming to Detroit's Ford Field on July 18, 2013.

When I posted about this concert a few weeks ago and mentioned that The J. Geils Band would be opening, I learned that Detroit has a special bond with this particular band. All the more reason to get your tickets! Plus I know plenty of women who are still swooning over Jon Bon Jovi, decades after he first arrived on the music scene. Maybe even hoping to get close enough to the stage to be christened with a few drops of his sweat.

Have you ordered your tickets yet? Click HERE to get more info & order today!

If you'd like to WIN 2 FREE tickets to see Bon Jovi and The J. Geils Band at Ford Field on July 18, you are in luck! Because I'm giving them away! I want you all to know how generous I am, because these tickets could have been mine, but I am unavailable on that date. So instead I'm hosting this giveaway so that one of my wonderful readers will have the opportunity to attend in my place!

Just to be clear, these tickets are for the July 18, 2013 concert at Ford Field in Detroit. So please only enter if you live in the Detroit area or plan on visiting (or giving them to someone who lives here...you get the idea!). Use the Rafflecopter form to enter, and Good Luck!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

So What Wednesday

Oh it's REALLY a So What week around here.

So what if our family room is totally torn apart? We completely re-arranged our living room on Mother's Day:  moved the piano from the living room to the family room, swapped chairs, brought cabinets out of the family room & into the living room and hallway. And now our family room is looking pretty dang, well...let's just say I wouldn't invite you into that room if you were to drop in for a visit.

So what if I chose to spend my Mother's Day cleaning and re-arranging furniture. Once in awhile I just get this itch for a CHANGE and that was the day. So now our living room looks totally different. We still need a few things to complete it, but I am really happy with the changes.

So what if my darling daughter has completely peeled the leather off the seat of one our dining room chairs...in tiny little bits. And she's working on a second chair. New chair covers have been ordered, which should solve the problem for the time being. Since our dining room is adjacent to our living room, the new covers will go along with our living room transformation.

So what if I'm playing store with Mathilda while writing this. She has half of my attention. Give or take.

So what if Mathilda's preferred hairstyle of late is a headband worn hippie style.

So what if we skipped preschool yesterday because I didn't feel like doing bike day. No one tell Mathilda. If she catches wind of this at school tomorrow she is not going to be a happy camper.

So what if Mathilda is now arguing with me about wearing her nightgown to play outside. Yes we've moved on from playing store. This kid never wants to take her nightgown off.

So what if the blog has been relocated to the backseat of my life these past couple weeks. Maybe longer. I'm still here, and I usually post on the Facebook page pretty regularly. But I'm definitely a bit behind in my blogging responsibilities.

So what if it's sounding like I'm going to be missing Mattie's end of the year school picnic to attend a blogger event. I am sure I can find someone to step in for me and take her so she won't miss out.

So what if I brought my (uninvited) kids to a wedding last weekend. Just the church, don't worry. I'm not rude enough to bring them to the reception and demand extra plates. Just rude enough to walk into church (late) with four uninvited guests.

So what if I'm going to take this opportunity to plug a giveaway I have going on that's ending in 2 days. So go on and enter to win 4 personal training sessions from Swift Results Personal Training. Thank you!

So what if I'd like to promise you that I'll have more giveaways going live later today (I have about 6 I need to post!) but I'm just not sure I'll be that with it. I'm battling a headache and a child who is itching to get outside and play.

What are you saying so what to today?

Book Review: The Love Wars By L. Alison Heller

 
To make it at Bacon Payne, Manhattan's foremost law firm, associates have to take dedication to a whole new level. The incentives are impressive, but the price is high. All-nighters, dinners at the office, lack of a social life...those are just the tip of the iceberg. Playing the game is required to succeed, and that comes with an understanding that the firm comes first.

Molly Grant, matrimonial attorney at Bacon Payne, has her reasons for sticking around. But how long can she continue to burn the candle at both ends while simultaneously ignoring the nagging voice in her head telling her that the choices she is making in the name of career advancement do not align with her personal beliefs and character? When she starts listening to her heart, everything starts to change. An old flame is reignited, but who at Bacon Payne really has time to invest in relationships? And perhaps it is best to leave the past in the past. A colleague becomes a mentor and confidante, but could he possibly become more?

As Molly secretly attempts to retain a sense of self she can comfortably live with, the reader is left turning each page in stressful anticipation of what will happen next. Can Molly pull it off, or will her double life catch up with her? There were literally times I had to take a deep breath and put the book down because I couldn't stand the suspense. But I couldn't stay away for long, because I had to find out what happened next!

L. Alison Heller's novel, The Love Wars, is a book about lawyers behind the scenes, without focusing too much on courtroom drama. It's a romance, but it's also a book about staying true to yourself, and having the courage to recognize when it might be time to re-evaluate what you thought were your dreams and goals in life. I'm sure many can commiserate with Molly, as they trudge through life trying to please parents and bosses, and struggling to chase after dreams that are no longer relevant.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of The Love Wars in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.