My 10 year old son is small. Since kindergarten, he has been the oldest and the smallest in his class.

One of the reasons that we chose a small, private school is because, for the most part, everyone knows each other. The parents understand that my son is not a typical child and many of them have discussed his differences with their own children. It has created an atmosphere where my son is comfortable and where the kids are, mostly, kind to him. (Note to the three boys who make fun of my child: You’re going to want to knock that off, m’kay?)

Each year we have an influx of families who have never met my son and some of them are surprised when they find out he is 10 years old. Of course, adults do a much better job of hiding their shock than kids do and it isn’t uncommon for a new student to ask my boy how old he is and upon hearing the answer to say, “Wow. You’re little for 10!”

Just two ten year old friends, kickin’ it.

I recently overheard a boy say this to him, so the other night I casually mentioned it while making dinner. I picked up his 48 pound frame, placed him on the kitchen counter and said, “I know kids sometimes tell you how small you are. What do you say to them?”

He replied, “Well sometimes I say, ‘I know I’m small. People come in all different shapes and sizes.'”

I went on with my cucumber cutting and nodded. “Good answer.”

He continued, “And, sometimes I tell them that I really like being short because when I walk along the creek with Daddy, I don’t have to duck when we go under the little bridges.”

For that, my boy got a high-five. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in logic.

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I had a random post planned for today and then I got a weekly email from one of my daughter’s teachers where she keeps parents in the loop with assignments, test dates and discussions. This is much appreciated, as pulling such info from a 13 year old is quite a chore. I can barely get her to say, “Good morning.”

This sentence of the teacher’s email stopped my post-writing in its tracks: I will also use some religion and social studies time…to talk about 9/11. I am entering those years where none of the students have any memory of something that was so lifechanging for all of us.

It’s hard to believe that a day so crisp in my memory, is not even a glimmer in the child’s with whom I spent that fateful day. I’ve told my daughter the story over and over; how she was watching Barney, my husband called, we went to the library, they sent everyone home, I watched the south tower fall and fell to my knees, then watched both towers fall over and over and over until it was all I could dream about that night. I’ve told her about the beautiful blue sky and the quiet. It was so quiet. It’s odd that among the terror and chaos, what stands out to me is the silence and stillness of that day.

But, she doesn’t remember because she wasn’t even three years old and part of me is very glad about that.

I will keep remembering for both of us.

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As you may recall, my husband and I make our own wine. Well, he mostly makes it and I mostly drink it. I can’t act like I do much of the work.

The problem with wine making is that it takes time. You want a glass of sweet blackberry in June? Tough. You’re going to have to wait until fall.

This means in order to fill in the gaps, we also buy a lot of wine. We both like sweet whites, and I throw in a red now and then to keep things interesting. Once or twice a year, we attend wine tastings to expand our palates and find new wines we might not have tried otherwise.

Our palates like to stay informed. Just sayin’.

This is why I jumped at the chance to sample Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet and Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling, both from the Columbia Valley wine region. BlogHer gave me money to buy two bottles. I bought four. My palate? It approves.

I bought four bottles, because I was trying to figure out what I would define as my “chateau” which was part of the assignment. It was for research!

Believe it or not, it took me awhile to decide. Sure, a beach in Hawaii would be ideal, but it’s not realistic. If I’m going to have a chateau, I want to be able to get to it once in a while. Nothing makes wine taste better than sipping it in a relaxing place.

If I had a nice bathtub, that would be a good sanctuary, but our tub is little and when I put my head back I see the paint peeling off the ceiling. My bed and a really good book are nice too, though there are always clothes lying around and dust on my nightstand.

That’s why there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting on my patio with friends and enjoying a glass of wine. It’s outside; dirt is to be expected, toys are meant to be strewn, kids are free to roughhouse and yell at each other. I don’t even mind if the dog poops!

Me + A Glass Of Wine + Friends and Family + My Patio – My To Do List = My Chateau Where is yours?

Share what makes up YOUR Chateau in the comments, for example: Me + A glass of wine + _______ – _______ = My Chateau, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

Also visit the Chateau Ste. Michelle Facebook app where you can make a visual which represents your Chateau.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

“b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the

following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry””; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents (except residents of California, Colorado, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Utah )age 21 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/5/12 – 9/30/12

Be sure to visit the sponsor’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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Who couldn’t use a $1000 SpaFinder gift certificate? Yes, I said $1000. Read on, my friends, read on.

When I used to work in a school kitchen I had to wear a baseball hat every day. There is nothing worse than hair in your chicken and noodles and keeping a cap on my head, along with a tight rubber-band around my ponytail, prevented the students from walking away with a tray full of hair. You’re welcome, kids. You know you miss me.

The only problem with this hair-do was that when I took my hair down each afternoon, quite a few strands would come right out of my head; and those that were left behind starting tearing and became short, frizzy stubs. I have super fine hair and the slightest breeze causes my hair to rip away from my scalp.

Since my job change I have been using a lot of different products in an attempt to repair my hair. I’ve tried expensive (Note to self: When the pharmacist tells you not to try a conditioner because it will leave your hair a tangled mess, listen to her) and I’ve tried stuff that sounded fancy. What I didn’t try is my tried and true bath and shower product; Dove.

Maybe it’s because I never thought of Dove for hair before, but if it’s all I use to take care of my skin then why shouldn’t I try it on my hair?

So, try it I did. And, you know what? Dove Damage Therapy Conditioner works really well. The bottle says lots of important stuff like patented Micro Moisture Serum and Fiber Actives, but what stood out to me were Intensive Repair and Prevents Split Ends and Breakage. See that? Prevents breakage. Now we’re talking.

What is your biggest hair care concern? Is it too dry, too oily, do you have split-ends or heat-damaged hair, or like me, fine and prone to breakage?

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 – 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

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