First of all, I’d like to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you who submitted an article for the June 1st installment of Root & Sprout. I realize you all have busy schedules of your own to keep, and the fact that you would take the time to help me realize a dream humbles me in a BIG way. It’s still NOT TOO LATE to submit an article. As long as I have it by the stroke of midnight in whatever time zone you live on the 15th, I’ll take it!!

I’ve debated posting what I’m about to admit to you all, dear readers. It’s an admission I’ve had to both my husband and a friend whose opinion I respect greatly. To say that I am anxious about Root & Sprout’s success would be an understatement. You know that knot you get in the pit of your stomach as you’re waiting to find out if your bid on the house of your dreams has been accepted? You know the nervous anticipation you feel as you’re waiting to see how many lines will develop on that home pregnancy test? You know that rush of adrenaline as you slam on the breaks of your car for that darn flock of turkeys in the road that has materialized out of nowhere? You know how every nerve in your body tingles as you’re waiting for Ryan Seacrest to announce the winner of American Idol? Well, add all those feeling together and multiply by 100. That’s exactly how I feel about Root & Sprout and how badly I want it to succeed. 

I realize not many people (myself included most of the time) are willing to write for free. Personally, I think “guest post” sounds better, but it still means the same thing: you’re taking time away from your own site to write something for mine. While I would like to reward each and every person who submits an article with more than just recognition and a link back to his or her site, I simply cannot do that. At this point. I have every intention of hiring a group of writers, as well as accept guest posts, but that might not happen for another 6-12 months. In the meantime, I am prepared to offer an alternative that I hope will be acceptable to the majority.

For those of you who submit an article between May 15th and June 1st, you will be eligible to win $25 in the form of a direct deposit into your PayPal account or in the form of a Barnes & Noble or Borders gift card. Likewise, anyone who submits an article between June 1st and June 15th will be eligible for the next drawing (and so on).

Don’t think of it as bribery; think of it as an incentive. :-)

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Remember to sign up for the Root & Sprout newsletter by May 31st, and you will be entered in the drawing to win a Root & Sprout Tote Bag. I received mine today, along with a few Root & Sprout shirts from the official Root & Sprout store, and they are pretty C-O-O-L!

You can subscribe to the newsletter by sending an email to newsletter@rootandsprout.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject field. Get a friend to sign up, and your name will be entered twice. Just have that friend write, “My friend [insert your name here] told me what an awesome site Root & Sprout is.” (or something along those lines)

You’ll definitely want to sign up for the newsletter. Why? Well, aside from general announcements, there will be news and offerings and opportunities exclusive to the people on the mailing list. So sign up today!!

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I’m taking a few days off to start getting everything ready for the June 1st installment. There are articles to edit, articles to write, articles to move to the archives, pages to format (And I have ONE LAST school newsletter to complete. After two years of that, it’s time for me to move on from that project!!).

I’ll be back in a few days time. Until then, enjoy the rest of your week!!