I firmly believe that there’s a reason God had calendar makers select February as the shortest month: it lasts forever! My dad and my b-i-l were both born in February, Valentine’s Day is in February, and I’m sure there are a few other great things about the month…I just can’t think of any! I like the winter months to last for about three days each, so maybe that’s the biggest part of it for me. By February, I’m ready for Spring!

Several years ago, I did a “Letter-Writing Month” in February, and many of my friends joined in the on the fun. The next year, I changed it up a bit, added some awesome prizes, called it “WRW Month,” and liked it even more. So, I am excited to announce the return of “WRW Month” during February of 2013! (Contest runs from 12:01 a.m., February 1, 2013 through 11:59 p.m., February 28, 2013.)

No matter what your hobbies, likes, or abilities, you can participate. There’s something for everyone! And the prizes are pretty awesome! (I get donations and gift cards from large stores or online companies, and I personally think they’re very worth it!) So, here’s how the new and improved version works:

W = Walk.

You get one (1) point for every minute that you walk and/or for every minute that you exercise! Walk or exercise five days in one week (week=Sunday through Saturday), and get a bonus 25 points! [Just as a motivator, I’ll tell you that my parents won this segment the first year—they are machines!]

R = Read.

You get five (5) points for every page that you read! (Obviously, page sizes vary, so I just call a page a page—please just be fair and don’t count “See Spot Run” books or photo albums in your reporting! ha ha!) Once you finish an entire book, you will get a bonus 50 points!

W = Write letters.

You get 10 (ten) points for every personal e-mail (no business content or no business reasons for writing) that you send. In addition, you can earn 25 points for every card or letter you send in the mail. I made these worth more points because you have to spend money to do this. However, I want you to think of how great it is to get a personalized card or letter in the mail! Besides, where else can you hand someone four dimes, a nickel, and a penny and ask them to take something to another state and deliver it right to your friend’s front door for you? (Remember that the rates just went up.)

NOTE: You can combine all three areas for lots of points!

It’s that simple.

Here’s how the “reporting” works:

You can send me your points via the following: email me, leave a comment on the blog posting for that day, post on the Petals from the Basket Facebook wall, or send a private Facebook message. I’ll keep an Excel spreadsheet with a running total! Participants’ full names are not posted unless you give me permission to do so. (First names and last initial might be used to give weekly updates unless you deny permission to do so.) You can send your points daily or weekly—just send them!

Oh wait—I forgot three exciting additions this year:

100 points: Subscribe to Petals from the Basket and/or “Like” the Petals from the Basket Page on Facebook, and you will receive a free 100 points! (Everyone has the option of one or the other!) For those who already fit into this category, I will automatically add in your points when you let me know which one you do (I don’t recognize everyone’s e-mail addresses)—you do not need to “re-subscribe” to the e-mails or “re-Like” the Facebook Page.

Twitter points:

10 points: For every day that you post one (1) tweet using the hashtag: #WarmWords

25 points: For every day that you post one (1) tweet using the hashtag: #PetalsfromtheBasket

UPDATE: If you do not have access to Twitter, you may receive 35 points for every day that you post a comment on that day’s blog post. You may not receive both Twitter and comment points on any given day!

Bonus days: I have pre-selected three “bonus days” throughout the month. On those days, I will post a one-day-only bonus option. The bonus points for these activities will be 100, 300, and 500 points! Stay tuned!

Please join in. Check back daily for fun ideas, quotations, verses, and thoughts about the three contest areas!

Start sending in those totals tomorrow!