Well, less an address than . . . a post. Or a disclaimer. Or announcements. Whatever you want to call it, I thought it was about time we talked about some bloggy issues.

If you visit my blog at all (rather than just catching up in a Feed Reader), you’ve probably noticed a few changes over the past couple of months.

I’ve placed ads in my left-hand column and spruced up my header and navigation bar. Nothing too fancy, but I like the look. Of the header and nav bar, that is. I’m hoping you like it better than my short-lived experiment with a gingham background.

The ads are through the BlogHer network. After learning about it at the Blissdom Conference, I applied back in March and just got approved over the summer. Believe me when I tell you that I’m not rolling in the dough. My small earnings do, however, cover some of the cost of shipping for giveaways, purchased graphics and other blog-related expenses.

Speaking of money, though – because speaking of money is oh-so-fun, right? – let’s talk about affiliate links and product reviews.

First, the links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn a small percentage – pennies – if you purchase items through the links I use to Amazon products. Based on the report I just got, my year’s worth of Amazon links might buy me lunch at Panera.

Second, product reviews. Specifically, I should say book reviews, since that’s all I’ve done. I participate in the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program and The Blog Tour Spot. That means I receive free books to review. Both programs want good reviews but do not in any way require it.

Maybe it goes without saying, but just in case it does not, I give you my word that I’ll never be dishonest with you. If something stinks, more than likely I just won’t talk about it. But if I say I liked something – or, even better, loved it – then you can rest assured that I truly do like it.

And now, on another, more comfortable bloggy topic: I would love to talk to you. And the best way to make that happen? Leave your e-mail address with your comment. That way I can e-mail you back! Hillary and Colleen have great posts on exactly how to do this. Check it out.

Okay, I think that’s all, folks. Other than – oh yeah – make sure you come back tomorrow for some news about a special Halloween feature coming up.

Now – it’s your turn. Do you have any bloggy questions for me? How do you feel about product reviews, affiliate links, blog ads and all that? Hit me with it.

Every Thursday night, my parents come over for dinner and to watch Annalyn while I go to choir practice. For the first few months year and a half, they brought dinner with them.

But this fall, I decided that I can probably manage to make dinner one night a week, rather than my parents planning and cooking ahead, packing the meal and bringing it from their house 30 minutes away. Seriously.

So last week, I decided to make meatloaf, cheesy potatoes and green beans. I’d made the potatoes over the weekend, so all I had to do was defrost them during the day and pop them in the oven as soon as I got home. And how hard is it to dump a can of green beans on the stove and put a meatloaf together?

Harder than you’d think.

As we pulled into the driveway that evening, I told Annalyn that when we got inside, I’d have to work in the kitchen. (Normally, I spend my precious two hours with her just playing, leaving the chores for later . . . whenever that may be.)

She was fine for a little while, but when I was standing at the counter dumping breadcrumbs and ketchup into the bowl for the meatloaf, Annalyn decided she’d had enough of being neglected.

My smarty pants little girl got into the pantry and pulled out a packet of muffin mix, brought it over to me and said, “Muffins!”

I said, “Sure, baby, we can make muffins. After I finish the meatloaf.”

Well, my goodness. You would have thought I said, “No, sweetheart, you cannot have muffins. As a matter of fact, you can never eat bread again. And actually, I don’t think you can have dinner, either.”

Because her reaction? Pure meltdown. “Noooo! Muffin! Muffin! No wait! Muffin!!!”

This went on for a good 10-15 minutes. I kept telling her, calmly, that we could make the muffins, but she needed to be patient. I let her keep howling, because a) I needed to get the meatloaf cooking and b) I was kind of hoping my parents would arrive and catch her mid-fit.

And, oh, they did. After informing us (because I’m quite sure Annalyn cared as much as I did) that they could hear her racket in their car on the street, they distracted her and cheered her up. And gave her a bath.

So all was well then. But the good part of an hour leading up to their arrival? Not. Fun. And all over a little less attention than normal and MUFFINS.

Really?

I mean, I like my carbs, but that’s a little crazy!

It should not have surprised me when she had a meltdown the following night over wanting to push her stroller in the crowd, rather than ride in it. Clearly, logic is not at work here.

Even more bizarre than the Muffin Meltdown is the Britches Blow-up.

We cannot figure out where Annalyn has learned to call her pants “britches,” but she is a little sponge these days. So “britches” it is.

Of course, she’s not yet two years old, so her pronunciation of the letter “r” leaves something to be desired.

Especially when she’s insisting on wearing a different pair of pants by screaming, “Britches! Britches! Britches me! Britches!!!!”

Yep. That’s right. Just read that sentence without the “r” in “britches.”

This all reminds me of the time Mark and I went to marriage counseling. Though the counselor wisely kindly noted that Mark’s actions were causing many of our problems, he also told me that my reactions were part of the issue, too. I’ll never forget the valuable advice he gave me:

Keep your reaction in check with the level of the offense.

I wonder if that therapist sees toddlers?

I have just spent the last 47 hours fixing the text on this blog. It involved spacing and fonts and HTML and I don’t even know what has happened.

Or, as Annalyn likes to say, “Hap. In?”

I had my first Weight Watchers weigh-in last Friday, and I was down 1.6 lbs. That’s not much, but it’s definitely a start.

And, umm, probably more than I’ve lost this last week. This week has not gone so well. I didn’t eat brownies at the family barbecue. And I had every intention of walking. And I used low-fat sour cream and mayo when I made up six dips for my party on Tuesday.

But this week may also have included pizza. And chips with that dip. And beer bread (oh, my goodness, the beer bread was sooo good!). And no walking, due to rain and crazy schedules. And did I mention the chips?

So. My second weigh-in may not be so hot. I know that. But I’m still looking forward and making goals and not quitting. My goal for next week is to write down everything I eat.

All of it.

Do you have a goal for next week?

I have a big weekend coming up. Tonight is Light the Night (and there’s still time to donate if you’d like to join my team in fighting cancer!). On Saturday, Chelleybutton is coming down for a visit. And on Sunday, we have nursery duty (yay.) and small group (yay!).

What are your weekend plans?