and the winner is.......katie!

First, thanks for playing, it was fun to read the different questions and ponder over the answers.....and Ill tell you that it was much harder than I imagined, to pick a winner. I thought about it all last night, and couldnt decide.

They all had me going back and forth having discussions with myself, trying to choose my own answers;

grandma j's (and yes, relatives are allowed to play) was easy...I go for laces, usually. It's good practice for the kids, although annoying for me to see straggling strings, getting all worn and dirty trailing my kidlets, but overall, It's important for the kids to practice tying. However, if after an hour at the store the shoe that fits is velcro, fine, but I prefer the kids in laces. Thankfully, Beauty, although only 4, is one heck of a shoelace tier. Pooper, nearly 7, will probably never learn to tie them (fine motor damage) but with his little sister to help him out, that takes the pressure off of me to be his only tier. So, that one was settled quickly in my mind. (disclaimer, I dont know how to conjugate the word "tie", but you all know what I mean.)

m, ms. r., mom, auntie m. marey really got me thinking.....Im not opposed to homework that they can do independently, and the family projects actually sound fun, but in the end, Id say to give the kids a break. I believe unstructured free play allows for some of the best learning, and want to make sure that kids have time to let their imaginations run wild. Obviously the homework that requires parental assistance is out, because Im already stretched thin, and Im lazy.

josiek and the mrs. both had my mind going down the same path....how would I spend my free time once the kids were in school....

Well, josie, once the kids are in school, I would like to get my toes done, mostly because I am currently way past due, walking around with those scratchy, cracked heals, and the tips of my toenails have had the polish scraped off and the little white edges are screaming, "Paint me!", so that would be my gut instinct. Although, truthfully, between the 3 kids and 2 schools, life will be even more hectic than it is now, being the family taxi. So if I do get some time, Ill probably be too pooped out to actually get my toes done, and will probably cuddle up on the coach with some bon bons (or, Ben and Jerry's coffee heath bar crunch) and watch tv (Im a news junkie, so instead of soaps, Nancy Grace or FOX.)

the mrs. had some fabulous ideas, and I think I actually went into a mini-funk realizing as much as I want to, Ill never get to do all of her relaxing options. Shopping is out, because Im plus-sized, and hate plus-size clothes, so I choose to just continue to wear old, stained maternity t-shirts rather than buy new plus sized clothes (Im nothing if not practical.) The day of beauty sounds so wonderful, and would beat out the nap, mostly because the day of beauty includes a massage, which is like a nap with perks. Lunch with friends would be marvelous, and it made me wonder when the last time was that I had lunch with good friends and no kids, and my mind went blank, because, yes, it's really been that long.

As my brain melted contemplating josiek and the mrs's ideas, it led me to some clarity, and finally it hit me, which one to choose;

You see, I have gotten some feedback about my last polls, from readers that said the polls didnt pertain to them, because they didnt have young children, or they were working moms, and my polls have thus far been about staying at home or kidlets.

So, that narrowed the entries down, to Katie's and the mrs.'s. And it was tough. Now, I know that the mrs.'s poll could be answered by anyone, but there was the "no housework" phrase, and I could just hear the working moms sighing, "we dont do housework, we have jobs." and excising themselves from the pack.

So, Katie became the natural, inclusive winner..not to mention that her options had me contemplating bringing my chocolate fountain (Christmas 2005 gift from the kids) into my bed. I wonder if my mattress would provide enough stability, maybe if I placed the fountain on a big, thick book...I could manage to prop up in bed, with a tray of goodies; marshmallows, pretzels, maybe even some fruit, just to make me think Im being healthy, and relax in my bed while enjoying the delights of the cascading chocolate.......yeah, who say's Im thinking.

Congratulations Katie! Email me @ kim.sprague@cox.net I cant actually email you, because when I click on your email it takes me to yahoo (problem with my computer settings that I need My Honey to fix)...because I dont have yahoo...so, please email me with your address and Ill send you your Starbucks gift card.

Ok, not that anyone wanted to hear my choices, but there you go, and now Id love to hear yours....