Sorry I’m a little late to the party to post these; I had a business meeting this morning. LOTS of great CyberMonday specials. Check out some of these:

• Amazon continues to make me happy with lightning deals all day. Many more deals today than over the weekend (they really turned it up for Black Friday and for today). Keep your browser pointed to this page and be ready to buy when something you like comes up for sale.
• BabySteals.com is having a new “steal” every other hour. The next one is at 11:00 a.m., then one at 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00 (MST). The current steal is for toddler-sized Umi shoes at 54% off. You won’t know the next steal till 11:00 a.m. so keep checking back.
• Free shipping on a Kids Busy Box. I’ve blogged about these before. Great gift for a grandparent or aunt; it’s a craft box full of everything you need to make seasonal crafts. The boxes come out with seasonal themes several times a year. Free shipping is good today only. Use code CYBERMONDAY at checkout.
• Free shipping + 20% off everything (even new stuff) at Gymboree online. Monday only!
• Free shipping today only at Serena and Lily. Use code CYBERMONDAY at checkout.
• RedEnvelope’s sale has been extended. 50% off a lot of stuff plus an additional 10% off orders over $50. Use code REDFRIDAY at checkout.
• Crate and Barrel – today only – save 15% and get free shipping. Use code SAVE15 at checkout.
• DSW.com (awesome designer discount shoes) – 25% off online today only. Use code SAVE25.
• Borders.com (online only) – Buy 1, get 60% off your 2nd book. Use code BCM1219B. Plus free standard shipping on orders of $10 or more. These deals are good today AND tomorrow.

I’ll post more deals as I find them. Happy shopping!

I’m going to keep posting deals as I find them. Be sure and check Tuesday’s post for a good, long list of great deals and discounts. I figured I’d start a new post today because I’m discovering lots more good deals.

• Friday until 10:00 a.m. — get 20% off your entire order at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
• 25% off your ENTIRE order at Kushies Friday- Sunday. Use code “blackfriday” at checkout. For those of you new to this blog, Kushies carries those adorable PJ’s I put my son in. Be sure and check out their clearance section. They have some cute reversible cardigans for just $5.99 — plus you’ll get 25% off. I own several of those and love them for cool days here in the South. They’re a thick cotton so plenty warm until we get our “winter.”
• FatWallet.com has a running list of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals including sneak peeks at ad flyers.
• For the baseball fan in your life (i.e. my husband), EverythingBaseball has Black Friday deals here and Thanksgiving week specials here.
• And don’t forget Amazon’s Lightning Deals happening now. New deals every hour on the hour. Gotta be ready to snap them up, though! I just got the Bond movie Casino Royale DVD for $2.00. Great stocking stuffer for my hubby!

UPDATE:

• Gymboree – 30% off EVERYTHING online NOW through Friday at 3:00 p.m. Or if you want to go to the store, it’s 30% off until noon Friday. After that, 25% off everything.
• Red Envelope is always great when you want a nice gift but aren’t sure what to give. And even better with their Black Friday sales (which are already underway). UPDATE: Use code REDFRIDAY to get an additional 10% off orders over $50 (ends 11/29).

UPDATE (FRIDAY MORNING):

Pottery Barn: Spend $100, get a $20 gift card. This weekend only.

OK, I’m thankful beyond words for the loves of my life: my husband, son, dad, sister, other family members and dear friends. I’m also thankful for goofy stuff like our favorite TV shows and the wonderful DVR that records them so we can watch after the munchkin is bed. I’m thankful I can get most of my holiday shopping done online, and that there are some wicked sales going on right now. (For a list, keep checking yesterday’s post, as I’m adding deals as I find them.)

I entered Hunter in the Parenting.com baby of the month contest. You may vote for him here if you like! I’d be oh so — what’s the word? — thankful!

Looking for more great photos? Grab a cup of tea or coffee and check out these sites that host more Wordless Wednesday entries: SevenClownCircus, 5MinutesforMom, and WordlessWednesday.

OK, so I have a little secret: I hate the mall. I loved it when I was a teenager but today, I think it’s loud, noisy, and crowded. (Or it used to be crowded before the Big Scary Recession.) So I do most of my shopping online. I’m an Amazon Prime member and I order just about everything I can — even diapers — on Amazon.

So I’m always scouring the web for good deals and there are some outstanding ones right now. Of course, there are also some great deals in the stores — and many more coming this weekend for Black Friday.

I’m going to start posting deals as I find them. I’ll also tweet about it so follow me on Twitter if you want the deals quick and dirty.

All right, let’s get started, shall we? As noted in the New York Times today, Amazon is in a price war with Wal-Mart. And when these two behemoths start fighting, you and I are the lucky winners. Are you familiar with Amazon’s Black Friday “lightning deals”? They post a new deal (or two or three) every hour. Limited quantities. Well, this year, they’ve started their lightning deals early. As in, they’re already up. I just got a Wall-E DVD for $4.99. Here’s the link that will take you directly to the deals. I’ll tweet out good ones as I see them, too.

Any Kohl’s fans out there? On Facebook, they’re promoting an extra 15% off EVERYTHING online starting tomorrow through Saturday.

Old Navy is getting a jump on Black Friday; their stores are open Thursday with great deals. On Thursday only, you get $10 off any purchase of $50 or more.

IKEA has one day only deals Friday – Sunday. Plus, free breakfast until 10:30 each of those days! Sample deal: 6-pk of wine glasses for $1.99 (reg. $6.99) – Friday only.

West Elm is offering an additional 10% off any in-store purchase of furniture, this Thursday – Monday (4 days).

I love photo gifts and I love them even more when they’re 50% off! Lots of great deals at Shutterfly through Dec. 2, including free shipping. Get your holiday photo cards (buy 50, get 25 more free) or get the grandparents a mug with your munchkin’s “mug” on it (I crack myself up); they’re buy one, get the next one half off.

UPDATE:

Toys ‘R Us is creating quite a buzz in the blogosphere for their special Black Friday preview that’s exclusively available to their Facebook fans. Mystery specials, too.

UPDATE (Wed. Nov. 24th additions):

Up to 50% off basic items and free shipping if you spend over $25 at Drugstore.com. Stock up on diapers, soap, lotion, shampoo!

ONE DAY ONLY — TODAY — IN STORE ONLY. Great deals at Border’s. That’s one store I don’t mind going to!

I’ll keep posting deals as I find them so check back here often and happy shopping!

Honestly, how many times can my baby get sick? He’s had a fever ever since he got his H1N1 vaccine the other day, which I’m told is a normal side effect. But he’s also coughing and sneezing and has a runny nose so I suppose he’s picked up a cold somewhere. Poor little guy keeps waking up at 4:00 a.m. and refusing to go back to sleep. It’s like having a newborn again only I’m NO LONGER ON MATERNITY LEAVE!

In my sleep-deprived, worried-mommy state, I’ve not done much web surfing but do have a few things to share with you:

Drugstore.com has a pretty good promotion on diapers right now. I usually buy diapers on Amazon, but needed some things that Amazon doesn’t carry and found the prices and shipping at Drugstore.com to be pretty good. (Free shipping over $49.)

Looking for a table runner for the holidays? Apartment Therapy has a nice roundup of hand made table runners from Etsy sellers.

Facebook has new guidelines for sweepstakes, contests and promotions. This affects me in my day job (marketing consultant) but also as a blogger who has run some Facebook contests. Just in case you do, too, make sure you read up on the new rules!

Last Sunday was my son’s 1st birthday bash. It was a small affair, but I did my best to decorate LIKE CRAZY and make it memorable. I’m working on posts and plan to have them up next week. I’m also working on some more contests to help you out with the holidays.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Wish us luck getting everyone healthy here!

GUEST POST FROM CARA:

Thanks to all of you who attended Amy McCready’s “The Art of Cosequences” free parenting Webinar last night. And thanks for being patient during the initial technical difficulties! I hope you found her instruction and tips to be of use (as I have found after using them with my two boys), and if you’re interested in learning more (and there is A LOT more to learn!), I encourage you to sign up for her online course at Positive Parenting Solutions.  

Thanks again!

Don’t forget to sign up for our free parenting webinar tonight with Amy McCready. Amy was recently featured in the New York Times. What’s she doing slumming on my blog, you ask? Why, she’s a friend of mine! I think you’ll find her advice spot on. Hope to “see” you tonight!

Looking for more great photos? Grab a cup of tea or coffee and check out these sites that host more Wordless Wednesday entries: SevenClownCircus, 5MinutesforMom, and WordlessWednesday.

GUEST POST FROM CARA:

Did you know that Amy McCready, presenter of tonight’s free parenting Webinar (at 9pm EST), was recently featured in a New York Times article, “Shouting is the New Spanking?”

Here’s a peak into what Amy has to say:

“I’ve worked with thousands of parents and I can tell you, without question, that screaming is the new spanking,” said Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which teaches parenting skills in classes, individual coaching sessions and an online course. “This is so the issue right now. As parents understand that it’s not socially acceptable to spank children, they are at a loss for what they can do. They resort to reminding, nagging, timeout, counting 1-2-3 and quickly realize that those strategies don’t work to change behavior. In the absence of tools that really work, they feel frustrated and angry and raise their voice. They feel guilty afterward, and the whole cycle begins again.” (Excerpted from the NY Times online)

Want to know what you should be doing instead of yelling? Come to our free Webinar tonight — hurry and RSVP while there are still spots left! Oh, and did I mention it’s free? And it’s not the kind of ”free advice” your (helpful) mother-in-law freely gives you… this is really, truly helpful, targeted, tested tips that will make life with your children so much more enjoyable!

GUEST POST FROM CARA:

It’s the day before our free parenting Webinar — are you registered? If you plan to attend, get thee registered! 

 To quickly recap, here are the real, put-into-action-right-now tools you’ll learn during the Webinar:

And remember — this is a live Webinar, which means that you get to ask questions and get real feedback!

If you haven’t already, RSVP for your seat now! The free Webinar takes place, tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18 at 9 p.m. EST.

Sorry I’ve been M.I.A. the past couple of weeks. I’ve written before about our moving mishaps, which definitely threw me off my game a bit. Not as much as it threw my husband, mind you.

To recap: we sold our house much faster than we expected. Before closing, Atlanta got hit with those floods so the buyer’s lender wanted us to prove our house was waterproof. Yeah, it’s as dumb as it sounds, and it meant a mad scramble to find a contractor who could “prove” such a thing. Our nanny didn’t want to drive as far as our new neighborhood, so I was interviewing nannies. Had a string of mishaps there, culminating with a story my Facebook friends dubbed “Nannygate.” Let’s not go into it, except to say I finally ended up with a WONDERFUL nanny and am now fighting to keep the other mommies away from her at the playground.

We moved into a rental house without heat during the 32 degree weird weather days we had a month ago. So we unpacked in the freezing house during the day while sleeping in a hotel each night. Finally got gas turned on, but had one, no – two, no – THREE gas leaks. And a saga with the cable company that was finally successfully resolved after I pulled out every single strand of that damn regrowth that comes after pregnancy. (Did you get those scraggly baby hairs sticking out all over the place?)

All right, somewhere in there we got settled in and my son FIGURED OUT HOW TO CRAWL and pull up, and started cutting molars. And for him, that meant, waking up ALL NIGHT LONG screaming and pounding his poor little fists. Then a week ago Saturday, he started vomiting. 10 times in 2 hours. Enough that our pediatrician’s office wanted us to take him to the hospital to make sure it wasn’t another bladder infection (he has had one before). Just a stomach flu. Oh, did I mention that the nanny was sick? We’d sent her home Friday because she had aches and a fever. (Flu?)

The baby got over his stomach bug pretty quickly but by Tuesday, my husband had a fever and aches and other odd symptoms that did not add up to a stomach flu or any kind of anything I’d ever heard of. The nanny was still not back at work so I was taking care of the baby and a sick husband and I don’t have to tell you which one was the bigger baby.

I was looking forward to Suzy’s return to work Wednesday when I woke up with a fever and aches and reflux and all the same weird stuff my husband had. Miraculously, I was all better by Thursday. Just in time, too, since my son’s 1 year birthday party was Sunday.

Friday was a blur of picking up last minute items, and getting ready for out-of-town relatives. Saturday, we took our niece to the American Girl Cafe which was a lot of fun and made me long for a little girl.

Then Sunday was the big party. It was a blast. The pinwheel theme worked out great and we had perfect 76 degrees and sunny weather. No major mishaps and no major illnesses.

In spite of all the insanity, my husband and I managed to laugh a lot and still feel very, very lucky we have a great relationship, a beautiful son, and wonderful family and friends. In other words, don’t let my grumbling fool ya’. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

So that’s what’s been going on here. What’s new in your world?

Alistair always brings the funny thoughts.

Cleopatra has the body of a roll-top desk and the mind of a duck. Discuss.

GUEST POST FROM CARA:

If you’re a regular reader, you know that Random Neural Firings is hosting a free parenting Webinar from Positive Parenting Solutions on Wednesday, November 18 (next week!). If you’re new here, check out the details and RSVP right now!

To quickly recap, here are the big things you’ll learn during the Webinar:

And remember — this is a live Webinar, which means that you get to ask questions and get real feedback!

If you haven’t already, RSVP for your seat now! The free Webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 18 at 9 p.m. EST.

From one of my husband’s co-workers (and my Facebook friend), Richard:

When I was a kid I dreamed of the biggest Slip ‘n Slide on Earth. GA400, thanks for making a kid’s dreams come true.

Hi there! I’m helping my Ob-Gyn group with a contest on their Facebook page. This is the fabulous group that delivered my baby. They hired my marketing company to redo their website (what do you think of the design?) and now we’re helping them with their Facebook page.

To kick off their Facebook page, we’re doing a series of contests all month. Right now, you can go to their page and register to win a personalized name book for your child (or any child) from I See Me. I’ve blogged about I See Me before because I think their custom name books are unique and make very special, sentimental gifts.

Anyhow, wanted to let you all know so you can hop on over there and register. And be sure and check back all month. We’ll have other great contests!

This day in history: the nation elected Barack Obama and my son was born. We like to joke that it was historic for two reasons!

I want to write how much I love my baby boy and how much he’s changed and improved our lives, but when I think about it, my eyes well up with tears and stupid cliches tumble forth. You know the ones. My heart burst open. A joy I never knew. More love than I could ever imagine. That sort of thing. Also, my son completes me. Not in a scary Tom Cruise kind of way (and Ladies, hasn’t Tommy seriously climbed aboard the Whacko Train?), but in a period-at-the-end-of-a-sentence completion kind of way.

At one year, he’s mostly smiles. He doesn’t tell us what he wants so much as he tells us what he doesn’t want. He’s cutting his molars so he’s shoving fingers in his mouth constantly (his fingers, not mine). We ask him to show us his happy face and he looks up (often at the camera I’m pointing in his face) and smiles. He still loves his Jumperoo but he’s getting too tall for it. His favorite books are the Karen Katz pop-up books and the finger puppet panda book. (He does try to eat my finger then.) He’s crazy about baths.

I’m trying to teach him the sign for “more” but he’s worked out his own sign: He opens his mouth as if to say, “Duh, I want more. Can’t you see?”. He knows what I mean when I ask if he wants “more” and he gives me this little half-smile when I show him how to do it. I know, Mom. I’ve got this. But I’m not going to do it just yet.

It’s the same smile he gives when I ask him for a kiss and he doesn’t want to give me one. Fortunately for me, he often does give me a kiss when I ask. His version of a kiss? Open mouth, tongue out, touching mommy’s lips with his tongue. Not a lick exactly – more of a tongue tap.

Occasionally, he gives me a kiss unprompted. He grabs my ears, pulls my face to his and kisses me. And beware: Cliche ahead! My heart melts. Every single time.

He has a great giggle. Don’t all babies have great giggles? And a great head of hair (taking after me on that one). He has his dad’s cleft chin and a hint of his dimples. Steel blue-gray eyes. Lots of teeth. Easy disposition.

HE’S ONE YEAR OLD TODAY! I look at him and I can’t stop smiling. Also, crying. How is it that love does that to you? We’re so happy for the love we have but so scared something will happen to it at the same time.

My friend, Bernadette, told me that at this age the days are long but the years are short. How true!

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy. As your dad says to you every night, “grow big dreams, Dude.” Speaking of your dad, he is a great guy, a wonderful father who ADORES you, and a terrific husband. We’re very happy together and we love you!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday series. (Only clearly today, I had a lot of words to go with my pics!) Check out more great pics at SevenClownCircus, 5MinutesforMom, and WordlessWednesday.