More layouts for my CT plus a freebie

Well I've been busy, busy, busy with getting ready for Christmas. But, I've gotten all my shopping done beside gifts from "You know who." I'm so excited. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and has been since I was little. I would always try to wake my parents up well before 5 am! Well, getting presents from Santa is a BIG deal! I'm even looking forward to the 4 am Christmas wake up calls when my son gets just a little older.

I've also been working on several layouts for my CT. Here's some that I've done.
Using Snap Scrap Create's "Kiss Me" Kit.
Using "Let it Snow" by Snap Scrap Create.

And here's a free quick page freebie also using the "Let it Snow" kit. You can buy the full kit here.
**Link Expired**

I am so excited!!!!

My hobby of digital scrapbooking is really progressing along. I'm still working on learning more about designing and I just got accepted to my first CT!!!! I am now part of the creative team for Snap Scrap Create. Here are some layouts I've done so far.

"Gingerbread"


"Love Song"
"Kiss Me"
"Spooky Halloween"
"Leather"

Icee Alpha

Remember those yummy cherry or coke slushies? I use to love them. I guess that's why I just had to create this alpha. Two full alphas - uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and punctuation. Comes in two flavors - Cherri and Cola. Here's the preview:


Click here to download. Enjoy! **Link Expired**

My Very First Scrapbooking Freebie!

Ok, so I've really been getting into the whole scrapbooking thing. Making layouts and entering challenges and contests and all. Well, I decided to try out designing my own stuff. I just created my very first kit. I named it "Tough Guy." I'm going to post it here as a freebie and I hope you all enjoy it! Here's a preview:

**LINK EXPIRED**, and don't forget to leave some love either here or on 4shared.

Trick-or-Treat

So who's geared up for trick-or-treat day? I'm excited about it. Halloween is doubly fun for us because it's my son's birthday. This year, he's going to have his first trick-or-treat party. We've invited the girls that I babysit for to come and go out begging for candy with us and then we'll come back and have cupcakes. (Like the 10 lbs of candy per kid isn't enough sugar!)

Who Needs a Computer Tech?

Have you ever had to call a tech support help line to have someone talk you through fixing your computer, only to end up figuring out how to correct the problem on your own? I have - several times. Generally, I sarcastically tell them "Thanks for the expert help! I just fixed it myself." Yes, I know it's not very nice but shouldn't these people know a little bit about computers in order to have a job in a tech support call center? Well, next time I have a computer problem, I'm calling this guy!

Pop Quiz for Monday

Ok, so maybe I chose this quiz for today because of nostalgia but doesn't anyone else remember Nintendo? I remember wanting one forever and finally get one for christmas. I loved it! Heck, I'd want to play a plain old Nintendo over of these big fancy game systems that are out now. So for all of you who remember this now ancient game console...

Which Nintendo Character Are You





You are :


Peach


The beautiful Princess with not a bad bone in your body. Somehow awful things happen to you but someone who loves you always bails you out.


Which Nintendo Character Are You Find out at Quizopolis.com

Here's Another Monday Pop Quiz!

I haven't been doing the Monday Pop Quiz lately and I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. So I found this one for you. What's your theme song? Bad thing is AC/DC is slightly before me. Or at least before I started getting into music really. So I'm not sure that I've even heard this one before, but I'm off to go download it to see if my results can be considered accurate. Ha Ha! Have fun taking this one.

**Ok, I downloaded it and heard the first few notes of the song and remembered it. I do at least like the song so that's good, right?

Your Theme Song is Back in Black by AC/DC

"Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long, I'm glad to be back" Things tend to get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos. But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!

What's Your Theme Song?

Scrappin' Away the Days

So I know I haven’t really been writing much lately, but here’s why. I’ve been rediscovering how much I love, love, love this little program called Paint Shop Pro. I have the X2 version and it’s so much fun to play with. I’ve had this project in mind to do a digital scrapbook of my son’s first year and after several days of setting out one or more layouts a day, I am nearly done. YAY! I should get done just in time for Christmas. So to any of my family that reads my blog – the cat’s out of the bag! You know what you’re getting. :)

To get some inspiration, I joined a couple of digital scrap booking groups on Café Mom. I’ve mentioned CM before. It’s an amazing group where moms can get together to discuss anything and everything. You should check it out.

So one of the digi scrap groups I joined does layout challenges. They pick a theme and you make a scrapbook page using that theme and then submit it to be voted on. I’ve had a lot of doing participating already and I’ve only entered 3 challenges so far. The deadline for the ones I’ve entered isn’t up yet so they haven’t been voted on, but there are definitely some good scrappers in this group.

The one I just submitted a layout for is a Halloween layout. This one was really fun for me because I have always loved Halloween and now I have even more reason to love it because my son was born on Halloween. J Anyhow, for the challenge we were told to make an empty layout (so we could add the pictures in later) using a great Halloween kit from Bluedreams Designs that you can find here. This is the layout I made. What do you think?

Do any of you do digital scrap booking? Had fun entering contests or challenges? Share your stories with me.

Too cute!

Christmas is Quickly Approaching

Yes, I know that we are only just about to enter September but Christmas still has a way of sneaking up on us doesn't it? I for one always get caught a week, sometimes a few days, before realizing that I have forgotten something or someone on my list.

I love the Christmas season. The whole process of shopping for just the right gift for each person on my "nice list" is really fun to me. The one thing I hate (and most of you do to, I'm sure) is fighting the crowds during a big sale. It's so horrible how people will forget all about the Christmas spirit and gauge you in the eye just to get to that last video game or action figure on the shelf.

Well, last year I avoided the wonderful hospitality of my fellow shoppers (sarcasm intended) and simply shopped the biggest sale of the year online. Yes, that sale would be Black Friday. I found Wal-Mart's black friday sale items and planned my shopping accordingly. I did get up early, just not at 5 am to stand in line and fight a mob of people to get what I wanted. I leisurely sorted through online, selected my gifts, and completed my purchases all while sitting in my pj's drinking a cup of coffee. Jealous??

I plan to do the same this year too. Only this year I'm starting my planning now. Did you know that even though it's not quite September yet, many of your favorite stores already have at least partial lists available of the items they will have on their black friday sale?

I just signed up at blackfriday.biz to get email alerts of all the new ads as they come out. Everything from your circuit city ad to your wal-mart ad will be listed. I've already started making lists of what to get for my son and for other family members, and I'm going to keep an eye out for more things to be added on to the sale. Now it's just a matter of saving up the $$ for everything. HA HA!

The Kindness of Strangers

Ever since I was six years old, whenever someone said "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I always said that I wanted to own my own day care. All through high school, I geared my elective classes towards ones that would help prepare me for this. Once out of high school, I quickly enrolled in jr. college for early childhood education. While waiting for classes to start, I volunteered in a local day care center to gain experience. Well that was a huge mistake! I hated working in this place. It was nothing like what I had thought a day care would be. My childhood dream was crushed and abandoned.

Looking back on it, I think more than anything I just hated the way this particular center was run. There was little one-on-one interaction, kids were mostly plopped in front of the television to watch the same two or three videos repeatedly, or put outside with only 1-2 adults supervising 15-20 kids. I even saw one child fall and get his knees skinned up pretty badly, but was told not to take him inside to get cleaned up because I'd have to fill out an accident report. Appalling!!

It's amazing how you can come full circle in life, because now I am caring for 2 kids part time in my home. I am also not contemplating getting a license to have my very own home day care thanks to a complete stranger.

If any of you have heard of craigslist, you know it's a site post advertisements for items/services you are selling. One of the categories is childcare. This week someone had been posting information trying to warn parents about the dangers of choosing unlicensed caregivers for their kids. Now, the way this started out was not pretty. This person pretty much implied that anyone that cares for a child and does not have a license would harm or even kill that child. Are you kidding me??!! I took that very offensively. I don't see where a license matters. If you're a bad person, you're just a bad person - license or no license. This person and I had words and a few others told her what they thought of her accusations as well. She quickly changed her wording of things and said that she only wanted to encourage more home day cares to get licensed because she feels that they are better for children since they offer more one-on-one care. She said she wanted to change the way things worked in child care.

After she posted her new and improved view, I spoke with her further about her change of tune. I told her that I had looked into getting licensed but at this point could not afford the cost of certification classes, cpr training, and whatever fee is charged for the actual license. I also mentioned that I have, in fact, passed a DCF background check while trying to foster a child. I wanted her to know that I was serious and wasn't just making up excuses not to move forward.

To my amazement, this perfect stranger offered to pay 1/2 the cost of my classes. I told her that I was very grateful for her offer and would contact the
proper people to get the ball rolling and try to work out finances for
the remaining 1/2.

In a world where people will walk the other way if they see someone in serious trouble, are there really people out there who are still willing to help another human being?

Bathroom Story - Too Funny

I found this story and had to share it with all of you. This is just too cute! What's the most embarrassing moment you've had with your little talker?

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall.

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and
does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in
the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window.

People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-
year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's
always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that
I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-
so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week
at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade
with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the
restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from
the second to the last stall:

"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper
on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now?
Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the
potty?"

At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in
the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5?
Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my
debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats
a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies
on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ... Mommy! I'm
trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl,
Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side
of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief.
This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a
long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't
you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll
both have some!"

"No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to
gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy,
doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags
became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly
flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to
reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count
four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard
this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done
going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me
off. Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the
feet outside my door.

"Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?"
More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess
the situation.

"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now,
Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to
wash your hands? I want to go out!!"

I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. As I sheepishly
opened the door, and found an open sink, I thought, Where's the fine
print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of
my privacy?

But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed
bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it
all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.

(Written by Shannon Popkin, who is a freelance writer, and mother of
three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids , Michigan , where
she no longer uses public restrooms.

Alzheimer's Memory Walk - Help Raise Awareness

Raising awareness about Alzheimer's disease is something that is very important to me. Many of us have been heartbroken by a loved one suffering from this disease. I know I have. To see someone we love have their personality stolen away, through no fault of their own, is difficult to say the least.

But advancements are being made in Alzheimer's research, and the Alzheimer's Memory Walk can help to do more. One weekend morning in the fall a 2-3 mile walk is held in more than 600 communities. This is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and money for Alzheimer's care, support, and research.



Have you signed up for the Memory walk in your community? We all need to get more active - exercise more. Why not walk with a purpose? Working together we can move closer to a cure for Alzheimer's disease. So go sign up today. "Together. we can MOVE a nation."

Potty Training Update

Last week I posted about the 3 day method and said I was going to try it out. Well, my son is still fighting off a cold so we decided to hold off on any heavy duty potty training for now. But, we have been taking him regularly and he's been doing so well with that that we may not have to use the 3 day. We may end up just continuing what we're doing and just add in some of their techniques. Who knows I might just come up with my very own method of potty training, write an e-book, and sell it just like Lora Jensen did.

Monday's Pop Quiz!

I just had to go with this one for the quiz today. Sesame Street is my son's favorite show. It's so fun to watch him dance and try to sing along with Elmo (he's almost 2). If only life were as simple as it seems to be on Sesame Street.

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Now There's One Way to Get a Prize.

Kitchen Upgrade

I really love to cook and so does my boyfriend. We have constant arguments over who is the better cook. Well since we both love to cook we want to upgrade our kitchen, both with new foods/ingredients to work with and cookware/appliances to make everything easier.

Now I am a HUGE Rachael Ray fan so I have already started on the cookware by getting a set of her non-stick pots and pans( thanks for the Christmas gift mom and dad). These are amazing! It's the first time I've ever had non-stick cookware that really was non-stick. Next on my R.R. shopping list will be her set of knives.

On occasion I like to bake so I've been looking into getting some fun shaped pans to keep things interesting. I even found this really cute silicone heart muffin pan. How cute is that?!

I've been working on some gadgets too like slicers and choppers, etc. We want to add some small appliances to our collection. A food processor would be nice, but they can get kind of pricey. I'm thinking that since it's just us and our son, we can just get a cheaper small capacity food processor. And in an attempt to be healthier, I want to get a juicer too.

We plan to go slow, building up our cook's kitchen just the way we want it. Once we get all the cookware, small appliances, and what not we'll move on to the bigger stuff like the larger appliances and new decor. One thing that I'm dreaming of is a huge pantry, fully stocked, and with good clean organization.

Any other cooks out there have any suggestions? I want some more ideas of what to get for my dream kitchen. What's the one thing in your kitchen that you just can not live without?

The Hardest Challenge a Mom Will Face

When you bring your little bundle of joy home from the hospital, you think of all the wonderful things ahead. Their first words, their first steps, and their first day of school. All these major accomplishments and you get to teach it all to them. Now the first two are the easiest. To teach them to talk, you simply talk to them. To teach them to walk, you show them how it's done. Preparing them for their first day of school is easy and fun as well. Who among us hasn't sung the alphabet song and 1, 2, buckle my shoe about a hundred times a day.

What no one tells you, is that somewhere between the first steps and the first day of school comes the hardest lesson of all to teach your sweet child - How to use the potty.

Now, no matter how many books you read, training guides you buy, or advice you get you will not be prepared for this. Even when we tell ourselves that we know this will not be done overnight, we still think that our child is going to be a child prodigy. We are going to sit them down on that potty and they're going to just know what to do, when to do it, and no more diapers ever.

WRONG!!!!

What you are most likely to have on your hands is a child who is confused as to why on earth you want them to stop playing to go sit on a potty to pee/poop when they've got a perfectly good diaper for that without even having to get up. Are you crazy!!

So what do you do to get them through this milestone? The truth is, I don't know. I don't think anyone has the right answer. Everyone gives advice about what worked for them and their kids. No one is right, no one is wrong, and no one's child is exactly the same.


That said I can tell you a couple of things that are working for us. First off, In my opinion pull ups are a waste of money. They're too much like a diaper and even the cool alert didn't phase my son a bit. We started using cloth training pants and taking him to the potty every 15-30 minutes depending on when the last time was that he had peed. That has worked ok, but we're still lucky if he pees in the potty more than twice a day. Yesterday was a miracle when he went 4 times and stayed dry for 8 hours or so. They will go back and forth between using the potty and not using it as my son has gone through 4 pairs of training pants so far today.

What I plan to try now to help him learn this whole potty thing easier(and quicker hopefully) is the 3 day potty training method. You can learn more about it here. We are planning to get everything we need over the weekend and start on Monday. Provided we are able start( My son has a cold so we may postpone for a couple of days), I will post our progress each day. I will be your guinea pig and test out the method in this e-book by Lora Jenson.

Wish me luck!

Monday's Pop Quiz!

Better late than never, right? It's been a really hectic day so this is my first chance to actually sit down and relax. So without further ado....

What Kind of Cake Are You?

You Are an Ice Cream Cake

Surprising, unique, and high maintenance. You're one of a kind, and you don't want anyone to forget it. You're fun in small doses, but it's easy for people to overdose on you!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Cafe Mom

I joined cafe mom this week. It has been a great help to me, especially the group "potty training just for boys." My son is now 21 months old and we have begun potty training. If you've already been there or are working on it now, you know how frustrating it can be. It's so good to talk to other moms who know exactly what I'm going through. For every problem I have with my son, several other moms are dealing with, or have dealt with, the same issue. Plus you have an even bigger cheering section for successes and people to listen if you need to vent. I'm really having fun on cafe mom.

Seafood is Definitly "Good Eats"

You can probably tell by this title that I really like Alton Brown from the food network. I love how he give you new ideas for all different types of food. This morning I watched his show on frozen crab (I had tivo'd it) where he changed the traditional crab cakes recipe into crab fritters. Boy did these look good. Here's the recipe:

Crab Fritters
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown


1 cup lump or backfin crabmeat

1 cup special crabmeat (small pieces white crabmeat)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil, for frying

If using a deep fryer, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl combine the crabmeat, mayonnaise, and pepper. Form into
either 1-ounce balls for fritters or into 3-ounce cakes. Roll in the
panko to evenly coat. Deep-fry the fritters in until golden brown,
about 5 to 7 minutes or pan-fry the cakes in 1 to 2 inches of 375
degree F vegetable oil until golden brown and flip to brown on the
other side about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain both on a tray lined
with paper towels. Serve immediately.

Now as good as this sounds, I think I would change it up a bit. Put my own touches to it, you know?

For starters, I would make my own bread crumbs by just slowly baking sliced bread until it's golden brown all over then using my mini food processor to grind it up along with some grill seasoning. I think the seasoned bread crumbs would be great on these fritters.

For me, I would have to add little bit of veggies into the mix. Not too much, I don't want to over power the crab meat. I'm thinking just a little finely chopped broccoli and carrots would do just nicely.

Of course, I'd want to use domestic seafood. With so many recalls on foods lately I think it's pretty important to know where your foods come from and that the foods you eat, especially seafood, are local and fresh.

I think that this dish and my additions would make a great contender for a cook off. The Great American Seafood cook off is coming up on August 2-3 in New Orleans. I can hardly wait to see what these 14 chefs can do. One of their challenges is to create a dish that would be easy for an everyday person to recreate at home. They also stress the importance about knowing the source of your seafood.

Quote: “We want people to really think about their seafood,” said
Louisiana Chef John Besh, “about where it comes from. Events like this
raise their awareness.”

So tell me your suggestions and recipes for seafood dishes. I'd love to hear them.

*This post is sponsored by the great American cook off.

It's Monday - Pop Quiz!

I am such a coffee person, I had to take this quiz. They definitely pegged me - "
You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it." Yep! I sure am. I even had to get my own espresso/cappuccino maker so I can save some money - Sorry Starbucks. So if your morning latte keeps you going during the day, take this quiz to see what your latte says about you.

What Your Latte Says About You

You are very decadent in all aspects of your life. You never scale back, and you always live large. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are deep and thoughtful, but you are never withdrawn.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

Cheeseburger Pizza

Here’s a quick dinner for any night of the week. Now, I
don’t measure out seasonings very often so all that are mentioned here are to
be added to your taste.

Here’s What You Need:

• Approx. 1 pound Ground Beef (you may have some left over)
• Approx. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese- maybe ¼
• Garlic salt
• Montreal Steak seasoning
• Dried Basil
• Pillsbury roll out pizza dough – thin crust
• 1 jar pizza sauce

Here’s What to Do:

Brown
your ground beef, drain, and cool. (to cut down the fat - rinse the
meat) Lightly grease a baking sheet for your pizza dough. Roll out your
dough onto the pan. Grate the Parmesan cheese over the dough. Grate
just enough to lightly cover the pizza. Next, add garlic salt and basil
evenly over the dough. Now that your ground beef is cool enough to
handle, crumble that over the whole pizza. Now you’ll add the Montreal
steak seasoning evenly over the crumbled meat. Top with the shredded
cheddar cheese and cook according to the pizza crust directions.

Allow
your pizza to cool and cut into squares. Heat your pizza sauce in the
microwave and serve in individual dipping bowls. As you eat, dip your
pizza in the sauce.

This was a great and quick meal. It also
goes over really well with kids/picky eaters. Everything tastes better
when you get to dip it!

Safety First for Your Hubby.

Does your hubby work in construction? Or maybe you? More women are beginning to go to work in this predominately male industry.
Well, either way you need to think about safety first. One way of staying safe on the job site is by wearing steel toe boots. I know you're thinking that they'd be so uncomfortable - but they won't be. Steel toe boots are being made more sturdy than ever, and more comfortable than ever before.
At Work Boots USA, you can find a large variety of name brand steel toe boots all at great prices. Timberland, Wolverine, and many others. Plus, you can get free shipping on orders over $50. Now how's that for saving some money?


*This post sponsored by: Work Boots USA

Cooking Experiment Gone GOOD!

I was cooking dinner a couple of nights ago and had decided to cook green beans as my side dish. I had some canned mushrooms leftover in the fridge from the night before that I needed to use soon, so I figured I’d make kind of a make-shift green bean casserole on the stove. My wheels were turning as I got out butter and flour to make a roux. I used about a tablespoon of each and then added some milk to make the sauce. I was trying to make my own cream of mushroom soup.

Once the sauce had thickened and reduced a little, I stirred in some frozen green beans. * Keep in mind that I don’t usually measure anything out. I just go with an amount that looks right for what I’m trying to accomplish – in this case just 2 servings.

I let my concoction bubble away on medium low heat for a few minutes – to cook the green beans. Next, I added some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and stirred that in until the cheese had melted. At that point my cream of mushroom soup seemed a little more like an Alfredo sauce, but I liked where this was headed so I kept going. I figured, as long as I like all the ingredients I’m putting in here then I’ll be happy with the end result.

Boy was I! I added salt and pepper to taste and served up my creation with a healthy sized topping of more grated Parmesan cheese. It was a success! This stove top casserole was really great, and I am definitely making again very soon.

Monday- Pop Quiz!

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Butterfinger

They call you sticky fingers for a reason!

What Kind of Candy Are You?

What Won't They Do To Get Attention?

So I've been babysitting lately to earn some extra money, and this has been such an enlightening experience. It has shown me that kids will do anything for attention! It's actually comical when you think about it(most of the time at least).

Tonight one of the girls that I keep (she's 3) says that she is throwing up. Now I'm looking right at her and of course there's no puke in sight, she has perfect color in her cheeks, and doesn't look the slightest bit sick.

"You're throwing up?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm throwing up." she answers.

"Where?" I ask her and she points to her belly.

So I say," Oh! Your tummy feels bad. You feel sick!?"

She says,"Yes. Yes. I'm sick." So I tell her that if she's sick, she needs to lie down to sleep. Boy that did it! She jumped up (she had been sitting in a chair) and said she wasn't sick and didn't want to go to sleep.

Amazing! Fake being sick to get attention. The problem was, that when she's here she shares my attention with two others that are younger than her(my son and her sister). Isn't that always the way? If they think someone else is getting attention that they want, they do something - anything - to get the focus back on them. It's just too cute! I guess it normal though. Every child goes through this egocentric stage around this age where they think they're the only person on the planet. They almost always grow out of it by adulthood, and we get some good laughs out of it from their attention getting tactics.

What has you're child done just to get attention?

The Healing Powers of Honey and Cinnamon

Besides being really yummy when added to almost anything, would you have ever thought that honey and cinnamon could be used to cure a lot of different ailments? This is pretty neat. I'm going to be trying a few of these out.

1. Bladder Infections: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of luke warm water and drink it. It destroys the germs of the bladder.
2. Cholesterol: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, if given to a cholesterol patient, it reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. If taken 3 times a day any chronic cholesterol is cured.
   
3. Cold and Cough: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.
4. Heart Diseases: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon, apply on bread instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat.
5. Acne: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples completely.
6. Weight Loss: Daily in the morning, 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink 2 tablespoons of honey with 1teaspoon of cinnamon boiled in one cup water. If taken regularly it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. The honey and cinnamon aids in digestion and rids body of stomach related disorders. Take care that you also eat sensibly a balance nutritional diet. % small meals are better than 3 large ones and soups are a great substitute.
7. Bad Breath: People of South America, first thing in the morning gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon mixed in hot water. So their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
8. Toothache: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be done 3 times a day daily till such time that the tooth has stopped aching.
9. Arthritis: Take one part honey to two parts of lukewarm water and add a small teaspoon of cinnamon, make a paste and massage it on the itching part of the body slowly. It is noticed that the pain recedes within a minute or two. Or arthritis patients may daily, morning and night take one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon. If drunk regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.
10. Hair Loss: Those suffering from hair loss or baldness, may apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon before bath and keep it for approx. 15 min. and then wash the hair. It was found to be very effective.

Rainy Day Reading

Looking for something to read on a rainy day, but haven't made it to the library this week? Me too. I have this problem quite a bit. It rains almost everyday during July and August here and with gas prices going up, up,up, I don't make those extra outings -like going to the library- as much. What I do is just make my own book.

There are so many sites with free e-books out there that I can make any kind of book I want. I can put a few short stories together to print out or even print out a full length novel. I can also just read the stories/books right from my computer. That sure does save on my paper and ink. I've got a whole folder on my internet favorites for free e-book websites. They're great! Now all I have to do on a rainy day is just log on to the internet and there they are - all the books I could possibly want. Kids, fiction, non-fiction, self help, education - I can read anything I want. The kid's stories keep my son very well occupied for a while. If you want to find some of these sites too, just type "free e-books" in the search bar and take your pick. Or, you can try one of the ones listed below.


Kids:

Fables & Fairy Tales
Story Book Castle
International Children's Digital Library
Children's Books Online

Other:

Digital Book Index
Free Online Novels
Free-eBooks.net
Full Books.com

Happy reading everyone!

For my California Friends

Need to find cheap car, home, or renter's insurance? Check out Cost-U-Less. You can get a quick quote online by filling out their web form with your basic info or you can chat with an agent online to answer all your questions.

They're located in Northern California and are expanding across the state quickly. Any money saved is a good thing these days, so check out this Fresno car insurance company.



*Sponsored by: Cost U Less insurance*

Two Dollar Bill

I am STILL laughing!! I think we need to quit saving our $2 bills and bring them out in public. The younger generation doesn't know they exist.

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. In my billfold are a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure that with a $2 bill, I can get something
to eat and not have to worry about anyone getting irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill.

Me: "Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to go."

Server: "That'll be $1.04. Eat in?"

Me: "No, it's to go." At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.

Server: "Uh, hang on a sec, I'll be right back."

He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot. The following conversation occurs between the two of them:

Server: "Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?"

Manager: "No. A what?"

Server: "A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me."

Manager: "Ask for something else. There's no such thing as a $2 bill."

Server: "Yeah, thought so."

He comes back to me and says, "We don't take these Do you have anything else?"

Me: "Just this fifty. You don't take $2 bills? Why?"

Server: "I don't know."

Me: "See here where it says legal tender?"

Server: "Yeah."

Me: "So, why won't you take it?"

Server: "Well, hang on a sec."

He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I'm a shoplifter, and says to him, "He says I have to take it."

Manager: "Doesn't he have anything else?"

Server: "Yeah, a fifty. I'll get it and you can open the safe and get change "

Manager: "I'm not opening the safe with him in here."
Server: "What should I do?"

Manager: "Tell him to come back later when he has real money."

Server: "I can't tell him that! You tell him."

Manager: "Just tell him."

Server: "No way! This is weird. I'm going in back."

The manager approaches me and says, "I'm sorry, but we don't take big bills this time of night."

Me: "It's only seven o'clock! Well then, here's a two dollar bill."

Manager: "We don't take those, either."

Me: "Why not?"

Manager: "I think you know why."

Me: "No really, tell me why."

Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "Excuse me?"

Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "What on earth for?"

Manager: "Please, sir."

Me: "Uh, go ahead, call them."

Manager: "Would you please just leave?"

Me: "No."

Manager: "Fine -- have it your way
then."

Me: "Hey, that's Burger King, isn't it?"

At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area, and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy Comes in.

Guard: "Yeah, Mike, what's up?"

Manager (whispering): "This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money."


Guard: "No kidding! What?"

Manager: "Get this .. A two dollar bill."

Guard (incredulous): "Why would a guy fake a two dollar bill?"

Manager: "I don't know. He's kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty."

Guard: "Oh, so the fifty's fake!"

Manager: "No, the two dollar bill is."

Guard: "Why would he fake a two dollar bill?"

Manager: "I don't know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?"

Guard: "Yeah."

Security Guard walks over to me and......

Guard: "Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you're trying to use."

Me: "Uh, no."

Guard: "Lemme see 'em."

Me: "Why?"

Guard: "Do you want me to get the cops in here?"

At this point I am ready to say, "Sure, please!" but I want to eat, so I say "I'm just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill.

I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I'm taking a swing at him. He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands, and says, "Hey, Mike, what's wrong with this bill?"

Manager: "It's fake."

Guard: "It doesn't look fake to me."

Manager: "But it's a two dollar bill."

Guard: "Yeah?"

Manager: "Well, there's no such thing, is there?"

The security guard and I both look at him like he's an idiot, and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue.

So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too.

Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff. If I got the right group of people, I could probably end up in jail. You get free food there,too.

The Answers We Give to Our Kid's Questions

It's amazing the things we will tell our kids when we don't know the answers to their questions.

Haven't We All Done This

If you find that the photos are piling up, try visiting my online store Remember ME where you can have a custom made digital scrapbook CD or DVD. All unique designs and amazing prices.

Something For My Fellow Bloggers

Times are getting hard folks, and money stays tight. I have found a way to make a little extra cash while doing something I love - Blogging! I signed up for Pay per Post, a great site that hooks advertisers up with bloggers. We lend out our writing talents for a short write up about various products and services and get paid for our time. What could be better? You also get the freedom to choose which companies you want to post for. There is no compromising your morals or backing a product that you don't believe in.

There is also a network of other "postees" to connect with, form online friendships, and get tips and ideas from. It certainly doesn't hurt to have others who are not bias to bounce ideas off of.

My favorite thing about Pay per Post, would have to be the learning experience that I am getting. There are products and services out there that I was not aware of before signing up with Pay per Post. I think this is great - I like getting to familiarize myself with new companies. You never know what new product you might benefit from knowing about. I have found several products that I will be purchasing in the very near future thanks to Pay per Post.

So for my fellow bloggers, if you'd like to earn a little extra cash while blogging, please do. It will surely be worth your time.

What Really Matters

Cost of Glasses Emptying Your Wallet?

It doesn't have to. Zenni Optical offers a wide range of frames for half, or less, than the prices you'd pay buying them right from your doctor's office. They keep their prices low because they cut out the middle man. You ask your eye doctor for your prescription, and then pick your frames from Zenni Optical and plug in your prescription information.

After my next eye exam, I'm definately ordering my glasses from Zenni Optical. If you have kids, you may not find this to be a good option for the younger kids. This is mostly because of the younger ones not being able to tell you if the glasses fit properly. You can take a look at the Fox News: Deal or Dud story to find out more.

*Post sponsored by: Zenni Optical*

How's This for Teaching Kids the Alphabet

Words of Wisdom

Listen to the MUSTN'Ts, child,
Listen to the DON'Ts
Listen to the SHOULDN'Ts
The IMPOSSIBLEs, the WON'Ts
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

--Shel Silverstein

Take Control of Your Health

I know stem cell research is really controversial but I wanted to take a minute to share what I found on this website for C'elle. On this website, you can get a kit to collect vital stem cells painlessly during that "special" time of month. These stem cells could be used sometime in the future as they key to treating a very serious disease that you, a parent, a sibling, or even a child may face. Osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease could be treated because you used this kit from C'elle to harvest stem cells from your own menstrual blood.

Yes the thought may just seem icky and no one really wants to think about what may happen if they, or a loved one, were diagnosed with a life threatening illness. However, we really should take control of our futures. Even the busiest woman can benefit from the technology of C'elle.

It's simple, you just go to their website and order your kit. They'll instruct you on exactly how to harvest the cells and it can be done on your own time and in the privacy of your own home. Who would have thought something that most of us curse once a month could actually be used to save our lives. I guess that's just another wonderful gift of being a woman.



Here's the press release so you can get more info:

Press Release:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

Shopwiki Sports

Ok, so I know other moms are up against this too - My boyfriend is completely set on our son playing football (never mind the fact that he's not even two yet). So we look online for different things to peak our son's interest in football and found team sports on SHOPwiki. Anybody else seen this? SHOPwiki shows you online stores from everywhere, even the small privately owned stores not just big stores that pay for advertising.

So, they have sections for all different sports: Baseball, Basketball, etc. and of course, Football.
They had some great stuff! There was even a short description of the sport and the players. All the sub-categories also had a buying guide with it to give you tip what to buy based on age, league, etc. For our son we searched the buying guide for footballs and opted for a 7" foam football and some foam football theme stickers for his room. Best thing is, we don't have to pay some outrageous amount for this stuff. Since SHOPwiki team sports lets you shop from a wide range of stores both big and small, you can comparison shop much easier and get the best price.

These things will do for now, but when the time comes, we'll use this site again for good deals on sports equipment. For now it's just fun watching them play together and my boyfriend trying to teach our son how to throw and catch the football.

True Random Facts

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% ( now get this...) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

The youngest pope was 11 years old.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs -Alexander theGreat, Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in The air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in The air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the Horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on
August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go
until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers,
and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.

Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight,
sleep tight".

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in- law with All the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey
beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the Rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet yourwhistle" is the phrase Inspired by this practice.

AND FINALLY At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick
their elbow!

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to

understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will

tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom,and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours

while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger,

disappointment, and tears in my eyes.

Children must

learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the

responsibility for your actions even when the

penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say

NO when I knew you would hate me for it.



Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm

glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to

understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.



Was your Mom mean?

I know mine was.

We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

While other kids

ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was

different from what other kids had, too.



Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all

times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She

had to know who our friends were, and what we were

doing with them. She insisted that if we said we

would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.



We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve

to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work.

We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,

empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.

I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.



She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read
our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really
tough!



Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn

when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet
them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to
wait until we were 16.



Because of our mother we missed out on lots of

things other kids experienced. None of us have ever

been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime.

It was all her fault. Now that we have left home, we are all educated,

honest adults.We are doing our best to be mean

parents just like Mom was.



I think that is what's wrong with the world today.

It just doesn't have enough mean moms!