To be honest, I never really expected anyone to read it – and I’m pretty sure that, at the beginning, very few were.  But thanks to the prodding of my super-supportive husband and my ever-enthusiastic sister, Mindy, I kept posting.  Now, several years later, there are loads of you out there.  Some of you have been around for years and a bunch more pop in for the first time every day.  It’s that last group I’m trying to help out with today’s post.  I know it can be a bit difficult to know where to start when you first happen upon my blog.  So my goal is to create a ‘best of MeckMom’ post that can hang out at the top of my blog and give new readers a great introduction to the MeckMom way of doing things.

For today’s Talk To Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your help to find the best MeckMom posts of the past 3 and a half years.  Which MeckMom idea have you tried at your house?  Were there any posts that jumped out at you as a particularly helpful or creative?  If you were going to recommend MeckMom to a friend which post would you mention?  I know it seems like I’m begging for compliments here but I’m really not.  I’d just like to create a great little quick-reference list for new readers to enjoy.  Additionally, your feedback will really help me know which type of posts you guys would like to see more of in the future.

I know it’s a lot to ask, but your feedback is really important to me.  So even if you’ve never sent in a comment before, I hope you’ll add your vote to this post.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be your all-time favorite, just a quick note about a post that has helped you make your everyday life a little easier.  As a little incentive, I’m offering the winning commenter a MeckMom exclusive – a great new conversation game I’ve created called Chatterbox.  I’ll be posting more about Chatterbox later this week but trust me, you’ll want to get in on this giveaway.  How’s that for a teaser?

The giveaway will be open all week and the winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday (Oct 11th) at midnight CST. I’ll contact the winner via email and post the winner’s comment name here.  Good luck, everyone!  As always, to those of you who comment, thanks for passing it on.

*This giveaway is now closed (but please feel free to keep commenting).

And the winner (randomly chosen by the iPhone app, iChoose) is… #21– Mikelle! Thank you so much for all your feedback.  I loved reading all the comments this week!  It’s so fun for me to know that you guys are actually getting something helpful from all my ramblings.  I’ll be creating the Reader’s Favorites page with all the links soon.  Congrats on your big win, Mikelle.  I’ll be contacting you via email today.

If fact, I’m so anxious to get your feedback that I’ve decided to offer a little giveaway as well.  The winning commenter will get their own fabulous full set of Scripture Mastery stickers in the color of their choice.  You can check out the new color options by clicking here.  Commenting will be open until Sunday night at midnight.  At that point a commenter will be chosen at random and be contacted via email.  The shipping is on me, so if you’ve got an idea to share I hope you’ll enter the giveaway by adding it to the comments below.  Thanks, everyone.  I can’t wait so see what you pass on.

And the winner (randomly chosen by the iPhone app, iChoose) is… #3 – Untypically Jia! Thank you so much for all your feedback.  I loved reading all the comments this week.  I can’t wait to make the Enrichment plan for the year.  Congrats on your big win, Jia.  I’ll be contacting you via email today.

This giveaway in now closed.  However, if you’d like to share more Enrichment ideas please keep commenting!!!  Thanks for passing it on.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your help.  I need some fabulous Turkey Day Tips.  What tricks do you have up your sleeve that help you pull off a warm, family-friendly Thanksgiving?  What recipes do you love?  How do you organize your timing to pull everything off?  What traditions do you incorporate into your Thanksgiving celebration? How do you involve your kids in the preparations? Are there any cooking tools or tips that save you time and energy on the big day?

To get you started, I thought I’d share my new favorite turkey recipe.  Last year, I made a maple & sage roasted turkey and I can honestly say it was the most delicious turkey I’ve ever tasted – moist, tender and packed with flavor.  My house smelled fantastic for hours!  I found it on Food Network’s website.  You can find the link here.  The recipe includes a corn bread stuffing but I skipped it and used a box mix instead.  If any of you give it a shot, I hope you’ll let me know if it was worth it.

Now it’s your turn to pass on your favorite Turkey Day Tips.  As always, to those of you who comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

So for this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your FHE input.  What strategies do you use to keep your family on track?  What websites or resources do you use to plan fun and easy family home evenings?  What’s your family’s favorite way to spend a Monday night?  As always, tor those of you who comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

As a side note, although I’m not the best source for advice on staying on top of Family Home Evenings, I can show you how to make a quick and easy chart to keep track of everyone’s FHE jobs.  I made this one a few months ago with a small dry erase board and the leftovers from my Family Big Board project.   The entire project cost me about $10 and only took about 15 minutes to make.  If you’re in the market for a new FHE board, you might want to give this one a shot.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m hoping you’ll pass along your favorite summer reads.  What book have you read lately that you couldn’t put down?  Is there a particular author that you can’t resist?  Is there a book you loved so much that you immediately passed it on to a friend?  I hope you’ll share a few of your favorites as well as a word or two about why you loved them.  I’m heading out on a 20-hour road trip soon so any suggestions for a fabulous, make-the-time-fly-by book would be greatly appreciated.

While we’re on the topic of summer reading, I thought I’d pass along a few of my favorite book sites, in case you’re in the market for a great read yourself:

GoodReads.com
This clever site is like a literary version of allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe site).  It’s a place for you and your friends to get together and rate, share, and review books.  It’s also a perfect spot to set up a virtual book club or join in on a discussion about your latest read.  Simple, easy to use, and totally free.  I highly recommend it.

SwapTree.com
Wondering what to do with the pile of paperbacks from last summer?  Don’t store them on a shelf, swap them!  SwapTree lets you trade in your old books, movies, games and CDs and use your credit to request new ones.  Whether you use it with the general public or just as a way to exchange books between friends and family, it’s a convenient (and free) way to rotate your collection.

Audible.com
Let’s face it, when you’ve got little kids, finding time to curl up with a good book can be tough.  However, it’s amazing how much ‘reading’ you can squeeze in when you’re listening instead of looking.  Trust me, mundane tasks like laundry and mopping are far less tedious when you’ve got a great audio book to keep you company.  You can listen to the audio books on your laptop or download them to any mp3/iPod device.  It’s not free, but in my opinion, their vast selection, ease of use, and impeccable sound quality make Audible well worth the price.

In addition to your favorite summer reads, if you’ve got other literary sites you love, I hope you’ll share them with the rest of us.  As always, to those of you that comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

I’ve wrestled with my shower frustration for years now.  Then last week a simple solution to my years of shower hatred hit me right in the face…literally.  As I was scouring the scum-covered door, one of the glass panels popped out of its track and fell into the shower.  I thought about putting it back on and then realized that the door would be much easier to clean if I left it off the track.  Within ten minutes I had popped both panels off their track, cleaned both sides of the stubborn glass, and popped them back into place.  As a bonus, while the shower doors were off the track drying, I was able to step into the shower and scrub the walls and floor.  It was so much easier to get to all those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies now that the doors weren’t in the way.  At last, I’d found an easy and effective way to get my shower clean. 

Of course, immediately after figuring this out, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.  I bet most of you figured it years ago.  In fact, I bet you guys have tons of great tips for a lack-luster house-cleaner like me.  So for today’s ‘Talk To Me Tuesday’ post, I’m asking for you for your favorite cleaning tips.  Are there cleaning products or tools that you can’t live without?  Have you found any tips or tricks that make your cleaning process easier or faster?  If so, I hope you’ll share it with the rest of us.  I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.  As always, for those of you that comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

Part of my problem is that my kids are so young that most, if not all, of their homework requires adult supervision.  For example, my third grade daughter is supposed to doing multiplication flash cards each night in addition to all her other work.  I think we’ve done it three times since school started because I’m having a hard time squeezing it in amidst all my other nightly duties and I refuse to push back kid bedtime.  In addition, when we do manage to squeeze the time in, she seems thoroughly bored by the whole flash card process.  Frankly, I can’t say that I blame her.  I’m kind of bored by the process too…which is probably another reason we do it so rarely.  See?  I told you I was a slacker Mom.

I’m hoping that a few of you experienced parents can help me out.  Have you found any great ways to inject a little fun into the homework process?  Additionally, have you come across any games, websites, or other alternatives that help your elementary-age kids manage homework on their own?  Any suggestions you could offer on this topic would be fabulous.  For those of you that comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.