If you have kids heading back to school, check out: The Happiest Mom Back-To-School Survival Guide: Twitter Moms’ Tips!

Winner is: Justine

Do you remember way back in December, I held a Happy Book Day Giveaway on my birthday? Well I enjoyed it so much (because books are my favorite thing), I thought I’d make it a weekly occasional occurrence. For the next several weeks you can count on a ‘Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series’ giveaway every Tuesday {maybe not, it’s summer}.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner – I LOVED this book. It was touching and funny and a wee bit Judy Blume’ish.

Here’s the publisher’s synopsis of ‘Best Friends Forever‘

Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That’s what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they’re both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school’s scapegoat.

Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents’ house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She’s just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. “Something horrible has happened,” Val tells Addie, “and you’re the only one who can help.”

Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It’s about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.

Some simple rules and things to remember:

1. This book is second hand. I’ve read it, I liked it and I am giving it to you. It may possibly have coffee rings or warped pages from sitting on my night stand. Call me cheap, or call me environmentally friendly, I’m not bothered either way.

2. Consider passing it forward when you are done, you could even have a giveaway! Remember, what goes around comes around.

3. You must come back here to see if you are the winner. I won’t track you down, if you wait to long … I might lend it to a friend or a neighbor and then YOU are out of luck. You need to email me with your address, once I receive it I will pop it in the mail to you at my convenience.

4. To be eligible to win, you need to leave a comment on this post. I’ll pick a winner sometime on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009.

5. Tell a friend—> this isn’t really a rule, but it would be really nice. wink –> think twitter, facebook, email.

MK xo
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**NOTE: this is not a paid advertisement — they’re my books and I am giving one of them away — because I am nice like that — just saying!**

Winner is: Amy from Texas – Amy please email me: kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com

I have a new camera. Maybe, I should call it a new obsession. All I’ve been doing is taking photos, then editing/processing photos.

Now that I have ‘retired’ I have decided to further pursue my photography hobby. I packed away my old Nikon D70 and treated myself to a Nikon D300. It’s way, way, way too much camera for this mommy. Nevertheless, I am determined to figure out how this one works.

I took several pictures of the kids yesterday. This is my favourite of Sam:

Here is the same photo in black and white:

It’s amazing really the how different they seem. In this version of black and white you see his freckles better; and it’s seems to have been taken in another time and place. I can’t decide, which I prefer. How about you, black and white or colour?

If you have the time, give it a try. I would love to see your efforts (make sure to leave a link in the comments section).

All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card (includes shipping and handling). If you comment and blog about the contest you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I have a whole ’schwack’ of Gift Cards to give away, so make sure and come back often for a chance to ‘have a coffee on me’.

MK xo
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Encourage comments on your blog!

Do you have your own blog or website? If so, it’s pretty much a given that you want to increase your incoming links, right? Wouldn’t it be great, if the comments we left on other sites ‘counted’ with the search engines? THEY CAN!

Find out how to make the comments on your site ‘count’ below.

If you scroll about 1/2 way down my sidebar you’ll notice a graphic that looks like this:

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Would somebody, anybody (besides me), PLEASE put some of this bloody junk away?

Please … ?

It just can’t live here any more …

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