The Montauk Monster

When something washes ashore in Montauk, rumors ran rampant (and still are) about the Montauk Monster. Is it an experiment from Plum Island as some are saying? Is it a monster? Is it a joke? Is it some poor animal we would readily know if not made unrecognizable from the water?

I don't know what it is. I hope it isn't an experiment but nothing would surprise me about humanity. If it is a joke, then it's a stupid joke. Whatever it is, I just feel sorry for the poor thing (assuming this "poor thing" was once alive and wouldn't otherwise use all those teeth to rip me apart).

I am going back and forth about posting a picture. If this isn't a joke and was once a live animal, then posting this picture isn't very respectful and it should be left in peace. If this picture disappears, you will know why.

Picture Removed

I found the picture disgusting so I removed it. I figured it is in a million other places across the net if you google Montauk Monster and really want to see it. If this isn't a prank and was once a live animal, I don't want to post pictures of the poor thing dead. It appears as if there is something tied around one of its legs. If this was a case of experimentation or animal cruelty, I just wanted to have a little respect given to the animal in death. It just felt wrong to me to have it posted so I removed it.

Updated 5/13/09: It's back - supposedly. There are pictures of this alleged Montauk Monster surfacing again. Photoshop? Experiment gone wrong?

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Hey Harry Potter Fans! The Tales of Beedle the Bard

J. K. Rowling has done it again but this time, it is all for charity. She has written and illustrated a book of wizard fairy tales called The Tales of Beedle the Bard (standard edition) and signed all her royalties over to charity. If you remember references to fairy tales in the Harry Potter books and movies, these are them!

The publish date is December 4, 2008. In the United States, you will be able to find them through Scholastic and Amazon. In addition to the standard edition, there is also an impressive collector's edition.

With this last book, she leaves the world of wizardry behind her. It seems to be her last. We think.

*not a sponsored post.

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New Template

I have just switched Syn's Life over to a new template. Please be patient while I get it all set up again! It took me a few months but I finally found one that I like. Hopefully, I like this one longer than a week!

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Dog Gets Mauled and I Get Sick

Our dog, Sophie, is getting cranky in her old age. She has arthritis throughout her body so you can't really blame her. She is also hard of hearing now. It's sad.

Two days ago, she ripped into our one year old dog, Roxi, for either being near her food dish or trying to eat out of it (either will get her growling a warning to the dogs...not us). Roxi took one on the eye with Sophie's teeth. We thought it was just a scratch on the eyelid but it has started to get infected. I wanted to put neosporin on it but hubby said no. So I took her to the vet today instead. It is just a scratch and we have an ointment from the vet so she should be fine. It's a neo ointment. Gee, could've saved us a wad of cash if hubby had let me put neosporin on it huh?

Problem is...I am sick as a dog now. I am allergic to cats. I took our dog to a vet. A vet who sees cats. *sigh* I didn't think about it while I was there and sneezing constantly. I came home sneezing (and still am sneezing). I am a loud sneezer too (my kids actually yell to take cover before they run and hide when they hear a sneeze coming). I still didn't realize it until my husband put the vet and my sneezing and congestion together. I've never realized it in all these years (about 15 since I developed cat allergies) of taking our dogs to the vet, lol. Isn't that dense of me? (I know my sis will be VERY tempted to respond about just how dense I am but she can refrain:) Maybe I should've sent hubby with the dog to the vet since he was the one who didn't want me treating the scratch myself and saved myself all this misery...if I'd known.

So, my wallet is empty but the dog is fine. It's the human mom that is miserable now!

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Saving the housing market with the housing bill

Well, the housing bill is just awaiting President Bush's signature and I'm not sure I like this bill. Is it really helping the individuals who need the help (and are my tax dollars paying for it?) or is it helping the large corporations (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) more while our national debt just grows and grows?

My mortgage is going to be late this month. We don't have the money to pay it when it comes due on Friday after all the money we spent on gas getting my stepkids here and back from their state to ours two weeks ago and the extra food that two teenagers eat (wow!) when there hasn't been an hour of overtime in too long again. So, not only does our national debt go up but are our tax dollars paying to help pull somebody else's mortgage out of trouble while our own is late?

I don't want the government to bail us out. Our mortgage will be paid. It'll just be a few weeks late this month. However, I don't see the sense of bailing out huge corporations like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with my dang tax dollars when my own mortgage is late! Maybe letting some large corporations falter is what we need to happen. In any event, I'd rather MY tax dollars go to pay MY mortgage and not somebody else's!

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Custom Writing

What do you do when you are in an advanced degree program, have a dissertation to write, and a deadline looming with an already overbooked schedule? You contact Custom Writing for professional and high-quality assistance.

You have spent months researching for your thesis and have to submit your findings to get the degree you have worked years for. You don’t want to risk your future on a low quality company so what do you do? You contact Custom Writing who guarantees your complete satisfaction.

Custom Writing goes the extra mile to ensure you have professional quality material. They provide you with contact with your writer at all times. You can check on the status of your order at any time as well. You don’t submit your months of research and then wait for the finished product to show up, hoping it is correct. You maintain contact with your writer and can update them with new instructions as needed.

Plagiarism is a concern with many companies but with Custom Writing, you get a free plagiarism report. Your final product will be original and professional while your confidentiality is maintained. With each report proofread by an editor, you can be assured that to buy essay writers means you are buying original and superior material.

Custom Writing offers a discount program and accepts many forms of payment. Whether you are in high school or working towards your PhD, their pricing structure, high-quality work, and fantastic customer support will bring you back as a returning customer.

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Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Closing?

Rumors around the Internet say Bennigan's is closing several restaurants. I can't get on their site to see if it is true, how many or if it is all of them that are closing. I haven't been to a Bennigan's in over 15 years. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere when I was there but they didn't have them located convenient enough for me to dine at regularly. There were other restaurants that were similar (Applebee's and TGI Friday's come to mind) that were better located and more convenient.

I have seen reports of doors closing around Chicago and then others that they are closing their doors nation-wide. Employees don't even know if it is a temporary or permanent closure. I guess time will tell.

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Death Sentence for Army Private Ronald Gray

In 1988, an Army soldier was convicted of several charges of murder and rape for committing crimes while he was a private in North Carolina. The military requested the death sentence for Ronald Gray. President George W. Bush has approved the Army's request to sentence him to death for the crimes. A president has not approved a military execution in over 50 years.

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Do Over Parenting

My oldest is starting middle school in a few weeks. I have been watching all her baby and toddler videos the past few weeks and am amazed at how much she's grown and changed. If I could go back and do some things different...encouraged (pushed) her more when her fears stopped her from doing something she wanted to do and protected her from things (hindsight) that should never touch a child's life, I would. You don't get "do overs" in parenting though.

Now comes the stage of more firsts - dances, bras and best acne treatment as she maneuvers through puberty, group friend get togethers (no dating yet!), piles of homework, caring about how she dresses (now she wants to shop at Hot Topic while I can afford Wal-Mart, lol), and teenage mood swings. You know what, I think I am going to go hide in all those baby videos and ignore all of this until school starts and it hits me smack in the face that she's jumping over another milestone with starting junior high.

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ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition House in Foreclosure

How the heck do you get lucky enough to have ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition build you an awesome home like this and then do something stupid like use it as collateral for a risky loan for a new business that goes bust? That's what the Georgia couple did who owns this home.

I can see if they were losing it because taxes became too much or the utility bills became unbearably expensive like some of the other ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition houses became for some people (and the show really needs to do better when they do this for families), but the loss of this house was due to risk-taking after they were handed a small mansion!

If I had the opportunity to have my family live in a home like this (and we desperately need a larger home with six kids), I certainly wouldn't risk losing it.

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Mommy Vacation!!

Mommy vacation! Oops, what I meant to say was that school resumes in less than a month and the kids will be back in school. If our youngest qualifies for speech therapy through the schools, she will be going to pre-school for half a day as well. *imagine me leaning back across the arm of our love seat with my hand across my brow in my best southern accent* Whatever will I do with myself?

LOL.

Yeah, school will be back in session soon. OK, getting up that early doesn't thrill me but a few hours to myself does. I don't think that makes me a bad mom. I think it means I am still sane enough to want some time for myself. Perhaps take a bubble bath. Perhaps spend more time at the stable. Perhaps spend more time growing my home business. What I WON'T be doing is sitting around on my duff watching television and eating bon bons so y'all can get that idea out of your head right now. The possibilities are endless.

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Solar Eclipse August 1 2008

The first solar eclipse in over two years will appear to some of us on August 1, 2008. According to Yahoo News:

"A total solar eclipse — the first in nearly two and a half years — will be visible along a narrow track that will start over the Northwest Passage of Canada, gives a glancing blow to northern Greenland, then shifts southeast through Siberia and western Mongolia and before ending near the famed Silk Route of China.
The path of totality for this upcoming eclipse is never more than 157 miles (252 km) wide."

It looks like I will miss this one here in the midwest but that's ok. Maybe we'll catch it next time around. For now, I'll just watch the corn grow.

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Infant Twins With Different Skin Color

The one in a million genetic lottery has hit a couple in Germany. Their twin sons were born a few days ago - one infant is black and one infant is white. I wasn't able to embed the video but it can be seen here. It's happened a few other times in the news for British twins and these twin girls.

Twins run in our family (my mother, her father) but we didn't have them (none of my siblings have...yet). I expect one of them will eventually.

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Work Boot Feet Protection

My husband is required to wear a certain kind of work boot at his job. It is for his own protection that steel toe boots are a requirement. Better safe than losing toes.

One place we can find steel toe boots is at Work Boots USA. It's not the only style they carry though. They also carry, waterproof, slip-proof, tactical, postal approved, insulated, puncture resistant, soft toe, and military/uniform boots.

Brand names are many. They include 511, Bates, Belleville, Caterpillar, Converse, Corcoran, Danner, Hi-Tec, Magnum, Matterhorn, Rocky, Timberland, Thorogood, and Wolverine.

Whatever your job, and job boot requirement, Work Boots USA supplies working class America with the foot gear they need. They also offer free shipping to U.S. orders!

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Comments by "Anonymous"

Anonymous Commentors - do they not have an account with blogger and therefore have to be "anonymous" innocently enough or are they hiding behind "anonymous" because they don't have the nerve to give a name or be tracked back to an email or blog?

I don't mind anonymous comments left. I honestly don't. Not everybody has an account and do not spend a lot of time on blogger blogs to make getting one worth it. That's no biggie. 99.9% of comments are encouraged and welcomed!! (So, if you are reading this, leave me a comment, lol.)

There is one person who has left about a dozen comments on my blog under "anonymous" that I will not post. Why?

1. It has nothing to do with the post they are commenting on. Totally different topic.


2. They hide behind "anonymous" - - if they don't have the you know whats to stand behind what they say, then they shouldn't say it. Period. I think they are hiding behind it because after that many comments, you'd think if they were legit then they would have registered by now. Coward.


3. Finally, leaving a slew of comments saying the same thing is just plain stupid. If you have something to say, go say it on your own blog instead of bombarding mine.

For the rest of my anonymous commentors, feel free to keep posting. I am just trying to get one bozo in particular to leave me alone.

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Moving in Four Years and Ten Months

We are moving in four years and ten months. Why the timeline you may wonder? Because that is about when child support ends and we will hopefully be able to afford to get out of this too small house and into something large enough for our kids to grow into teenagers without crowding the rest of us out of it (or sending us screaming when their teenage hormones turn them into moody caricatures of a human being).

We want a ranch on five acres with storage. I have no storage in this house. The top of my dresser has become our linen closet, piled high with blankets and sheets. It's pathetic. We have so much stuff. I guess it is expected with the size of our family. Too much stuff but I have a hard time getting rid of things. I have every piece of clothing from all four of my kids from the time they were babies. That is driving my husband nuts right now because storage in this house is worth about a million bucks.

When we move, we are going to definitely have to look into moving trucks to get us moved. There is no way we are moving this household by ourselves. We used a moving company with a large moving truck the last time we moved and it was so much better than the times before when we did it ourselves. I hope to get rid of some stuff before that...if I can ever part with it.

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Google Buying Digg? How about calling it Diggle?

Rumors abound around the Internet that Google is in final negotiations to buy Digg for a couple hundred million (thereabouts). Will it go through? Will it fall apart before all the i's are dotted and t's crossed? Will Microsoft step in and buy it if it does? Hm....the suspense.

Not really suspense. Just interesting tidbits to bloggers, lol.

We can come up with all kinds of names for this if rumors become fact: Diggle, Giggle, Doogle, GooDigg, G'Digg, D'Goo. How about G'Dog?

Yeah, I have too much time on my hands right now and better get back to cleaning the house. Mommy bloggers still have kids to raise and houses to clean. :)

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Gardasil Information

Before reading about all of the adverse reactions to Gardasil, I was swaying more towards giving it to my daughters. I had some time to consider it though so I didn't allow the doctor to give it to my oldest a year ago when she had wanted to. I wanted to look into it more first. I am very glad I did.

The amount of adverse reactions and deaths is into the 8,000's now. To read more about it, check it out here.

Bottom line for me is that my daughters will not be receiving this vaccine. They are talking about giving it to boys as well. My son will not be receiving this vaccine either. If any state or school tries to make it mandatory, I will raise heck about it.

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Golden Girls' Estelle Getty Dies at Age 84

Sad but not surprising, Estelle Getty (Sophia) on Golden Girls passed away. Born Born Estelle Scher on July 25, 1923, she passed just a few days prior to her 85th birthday.

As the mother on Golden Girls with the sassy wise-cracking mouth, she was fun to watch. The show started in 1985 and ran for seven years. I would have been about 14 then.

I've seen some of her former Golden Girls cast members talking about her these last couple of years...saying she had dementia. It finally took her - Lewy Body Dementia (it mimics Parkinson's and Alzheimer's). Like I said, not surprising, but sad nonetheless.

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Criminal Searches

The Internet is an amazing tool with all of the searches. You have the sexual offender/predator search databases which can help you avoid sending your child to a party's home where a sexual predator lives or is related to (been there, done that...it works!). You can search people's backgrounds, employment history, financial information. Pretty much anything is available if you know how to look and have the means to do so. The newest search I just became aware of are criminal searches. At Criminalsearches.com, you can search people's criminal records. Might be a handy tool for the blind date, babysitter, teachers, perhaps a neighbor, or the ex, lol!

*this is not a sponsored post.

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Hurrican Dolly Coming to Texas

Texas' southern coast may meet Hurricane Dolly. It is a tropical storm right now but it could become a hurricane by tomorrow. I have family in Texas but my family is in eastern Texas where they are expected to be spared from Dolly. It is also not expected to affect U.S. oil and gas interests in the area for those who are interested. Hurricane conditions are expected in the Gulf coast area within 36 hours.

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Cooking Not My Thing

I am not a very good cook. It's not that I lack talent (I don't think), I lack the desire. Period. I do cook but I don't get all fancy like my little sister does. I am basics. She genuinely seems to love to cook. I guess I didn't get that gene. She is a fantastic cook. She can take a recipe and turn it into a feast for several families. At family gatherings, everybody looks forward to what she brings to the table because we all know it is going to be good. I am making myself hungry thinking about it, lol. I probably shouldn't be blogging about cooking at lunch time!

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Who is Spamming Google Trends?

An article today on Shoemoney which lead me to TechCrunch caught my attention regarding the use of Google Trends and spammers manipulating it to have the search terms they want appear on Google Trends. I thought it worth mentioning here.

The article mentions several search terms that I happened to see the day they were up. I steered clear of the ones with swear words which ended up being the spammed terms. Go figure. One term in the article they say was spammy actually brought a rush of traffic to one of my sites so I guess a one and only "thank you spammers" for that one. Now quit being dorks and manipulating the search terms!

Lame! Why would people waste time doing this?

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Give Up Medicine for Blogging?

I am not sure I could be like Arnold Kim, who gave up a career as a doctor to blog full-time. For eight years, he's dedicated a lot of time to his blog, Macrumors.com. His blog is all about facts, gossip and rumors about Apple which now boasts 4.4 million people and 40 million page views a month. A MONTH! Wow! The NY Times thought it fantastic enough to write about it.

I've seen rumors online that his blog is worth $85 million. I'd like a blog worth a few thousand.

He has another web site, Touch Arcade, for iPhone and iPod gamers. This one will be of interest to me as I recently won my choice of an iPhone or iPod which I am excited about.

He made six figures as a doctor. He makes six figures as a blogger. That's impressive and something most bloggers can only dream about.

I am not sure I could give up a career as a doctor, especially after years of schooling, to blog full-time. I have a hard time relating to that aspect. What this mommy blogger CAN relate to is one of his reasons for doing so - his daughter. It is my reason for leaving a successful career outside the home behind almost nine years ago.

So, I can hope one day to become more successful at blogging for a steady family income. Something that takes us out of this too small house for eight people and three dogs. Something that allows us to afford these high gas prices and to take our kids out more often than once in awhile. Something that allows those fun days of shopping with the kids rather than the nail biting ones as you see every dollar spent melting out of your budget.

Congrats Arnold Kim!

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John Kanzius and his Kanzius Machine for Cancer

John Kanzius has non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He is also an American inventor (among other things - radio and TV engineer, ham radio operator, station owner). He has invented something that may treat cancer in the future using his radio frequency transmitter (being referred to as Kanzius Machine). He built it himself in his home.

The details are technical so I will give you a link here. In short, it is hoped to destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. Preliminary research has been promising with a 100% success rate on rabbits causing them no harm in the process.

Some individuals with cancer of the blood have allowed samples of their blood be sent to a lab to see if this device works on their samples. Human trials aren't supposed to start for another 18 months.

It sounds promising.

Why am I hoping the pharmaceutical companies don't put a stop to it somehow? I don't know anything specifically about them but I don't trust them not to try to stop something that will help cure a disease that they make a lot of money off of. It's in trials on human blood by samples so hopefully there is nothing they can mess up at this point. I might be overly suspicious but pharmaceutical companies and government aren't big on my "trust" list right now. Call me cynical. Call me pessimistic.

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iPod or iPhone?

I did a three day paying survey which is great. The money is so needed right now, especially after having my stepkids here. I spent about $350 in groceries this last week! OMG!!!

Anyhow, onto the really good news...

I won the survey's drawing too so I get to pick from an iPod or an iPhone. How cool is that? My cell plan won't allow for an iPhone I don't think (though I will definitely check) but I'm not sure how much I'd use an iPod unless I get a docking station and can listen to it throughout the room so I can still hear the kids (hmmm...maybe ear plugs with all these kids would be a good thing). We will have to see. I haven't received the information in the mail yet so I don't have to make a decision right now. Either way, I am happy I won. I don't usually win things. Too bad it wasn't a few million in a lottery but I'll take this, lol.

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Orange Full Moon Tonight

If you haven't looked out your window tonight, go to the window now and check out the moon if you can see it where you are at. It appears orange tonight. It's beautiful.

My husband wanted to take a walk out into the back of our property to look at it better rather than thru our trees but with the kids all up and the mosquitos biting, I was happy to look at it through the trees.

Get up! Go to the window! Step outside and enjoy the full moon.

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Donate Hair for Children

Well, after talking about it for months, I did it. I had my hair chopped off. I have been wanting to do it for awhile now but have been waiting for the time and money to get my hair cut. I am donating 10" to Locks of Love. There are other organizations that do the same thing (Wigs for Kids and Beautiful Lengths). My hair will be made into a wig for a child who has lost their hair.

I went into the salon and told them that I wanted to donate my hair. She tied it off into four ponytails (my hair is very thick and couldn't be done in a single pony tail) and measured. Minimum was 8" for Locks of Love but I went with 10". Then, she snipped four times and I had four ponytails to donate.

My 11 year old daughter was upset after she hacked off the four tails. She said, "You don't look like mom anymore." After I let her pick the length of my bangs, she cheered up. The women at the salon said I looked ten years younger which prompted my stepdaughter to say, "not with all that gray she doesn't." Funny kid:) I like the length...it's not heavy or hot on my back anymore.

I cheered up even more when I got carded at the store afterward. It has been a long time since I have been asked for my ID, lol.

These are the "before" pictures:




These are the "after" pictures:

So, who is next? Chop! Chop!

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Complete List of Starbucks Closings

If you are a coffee lover and need to know if your favorite local Starbucks will be closing on you, the complete list according to Starbucks is here. Closings are supposed to start this month and go through the first half of the fiscal year for 2009.

I am not a coffee lover myself but my husband is. It doesn't affect me but for those die-hard Starbucks fans, better get your last cup of joe before the doors close.

To find out how coffee may extend your life, click here.

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Mom Corps - Work From Home Recruitment

When I took a severance package to leave my 40-hour work week in the corporate offices of an automotive company to stay at home with my (then) two babies almost nine years ago (we've since added two more), I left with a few tears for the people I was leaving behind but with the excitement of knowing I would be raising my kids - nobody else.

If you are a stay-at-home mom who wants to become a work-at-home mother, or are still in the workforce and wanting to leave, there are a few companies recently in the news that may help you.

They are:

Mom Corps
On-Ramps
Flexible Executives
Flexible Resources
FlexWork Connection

If you are looking for a recruiting company that can offer you the flexible schedule you and your family need, you might find what you need with one of them.

There are also other things you can do from home depending on just how much income you are looking for. I also blog for additional income, though I am currently looking for other ways to bring in more income to our family. Gas prices and the rise in groceries is just killing our budget. With school coming soon and the need to clothe three kids (possibly four if she qualifies), then school clothes for four children will take a healthy bite out of our finances.

*not a sponsored post.

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Peanuts During Pregnancy May Cause Asthma

In a study of 4,000 women out of Utrecht University, mothers who ate peanuts everyday, as little as one peanut butter sandwich a day, while pregnant increased their baby's risk of developing asthma as a child. Recommendations are to eat nuts in moderation (they don't want you to stop eating ALL peanut products because the baby may miss out on other nutrients normally found in them).

I have asthma and it has almost been fatal for me before. It causes coughing, wheezing, and labored breathing that can kill you or your child with asthma. It is not something to mess around with. You want to make sure you do everything you can to prevent your child from developing asthma.

They are hoping for more studies to be done on this to confirm their findings for nuts. I would also ensure you are not smoking or around anybody else who is smoking is not around you while pregnant. Once your child is born, please do not allow anybody to smoke in the house where the baby is - nowhere in the house. It's something you can help prevent - asthma due to second hand smoke.

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Susan Atkins, Charles Manson, and Sharon Tate

If you were the family member of one of Charles Manson and his occult's victims, would you agree to compassionate release of one of the murderers who was dying of a disease? That is exactly what is going on out in California right now. One of the individuals (Susan Atkins) convicted of killing Sharon Tate is dying of brain cancer and they are trying to get her released. It is called compassionate release. According to Susan Atkins' husband (who is also acting as her attorney), she only has a few months to live. She has been in jail for about 37 years.

I can see why the family would want her out - supposedly she is dying. However, she has been alive for 37 years longer than her victim, Sharon Tate. She just didn't kill Tate (who was 8-1/2 months pregnant at the time!), they were also tried for the murders of six other people. They killed an innocent child while their mother begged to spare her baby's life so let's make that seven others in my eyes! According to the Associated Press, after stabbing Tate, Atkins tasted her blood and then used it to write "pig" on her wall.

Their killing spree doesn't leave any room for compassion in my eyes. She is lucky that when she was sentenced to the death penalty, that it had then been temporarily ruled unconstitutional and her life was spared. That's more than she did for the victims she helped kill.

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U.S. in Switzerland Saturday to Listen to Iran, Not Negotiate

Is the U.S. gearing up for another war (with Iran now) or is the envoy meeting with Iranians in Switzerland for nuclear talks to stop uranium enrichment by Iran going to be successful? There will be no negotiations between the U.S. and Iran at this time. It is strictly to listen.

Here are articles on this subject:

BBC

MSNBC

Fox News

Onto the terror watch list (no fly list, terrorist watch list), did you know it is over one million names? The ACLU says this about it:

The American Civil Liberties Union says the list is an impediment for millions of travellers." America's new million-record watch list is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with this administration's approach to security: it's unfair, out-of-control, a waste of resources (and) treats the rights of the innocent as an afterthought," ACLU technology director Barry Steinhardt said in a release.

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Exercise Update

Well, I started exercising again. The last couple of days has seen me playing countless volleyball games. I have the sore forearm to prove it. Ouch! We play several games a day with all of the kids. Sometimes, it is girls against boys. Sometimes, it is hubby and me against five of the kids (we still win though they have fun making fun of the "old people").

Here is to hoping this jump starts the weight loss...AGAIN. I was doing good and then it kind of petered out with the daily rain almost everyday over the last few weeks.

Come on weight, go away.

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SpaScenes Set the Mood

Imagine the scene...

You are sitting in your spa in the most romantic setting you could hope to ever have or find. You are in a total state of relaxation after a long hard day.

It's blissful looking, isn't it?

Reality - your blissful setting is a SpaScene! No way right? It looked like you had a bubbling brook with small, tiered waterfalls behind your spa! This is what it looked like before you applied the SpaScene:

How did they do that? Let me show you a side by side:

The point of this product is to add to the environment in a positive way. Rather than looking at the boring, bland cover, you create an atmosphere with your spa and spa cover. This would give anybody who owns a spa a vacation-like setting.

It's an affordable and easy way to jazz up your space with hot tub accessories. Plus it is easy to trim and fit! You don't need any special tools to add romance and soothing ambience to your spa.

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Todd Doxey Dies

After jumping into a river from a bridge around 3:20 p.m. and swimming towards a boat ramp, Todd Doxey (University of Oregon football player) had trouble keeping his head above water. He was pulled out of the water and CPR performed on him. He later died at the hospital at 8:05 p.m.

I am sure University football plans are stunned to hear of this news - a strong young man dying. As a parent, I can't imagine the horror his family must feel and must endure in the coming days (weeks, months, years). I don't want to ever bury one of my kids. I don't ever want to have to think about everything they will never experience in life or never having them within arms reach again. Very sad for the family.

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Emotional Cheating - is it REALLY cheating?

Is cheating defined as when your partner looks elsewhere to fulfill his or her physical needs? What about if there is no sexual cheating? What if your significant other is sharing intimate details about his or her life with another person that he or she isn't sharing with you? What if he or she has an emotional, intimate connection with another person? Is that cheating too?

For me, the answer is YES. Most definitely, without a doubt, that is a betrayal on an entirely different level that in many ways would hurt more than physical cheating. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't be able to stay with my husband if he physically cheated on me either. I am not wired that way to forgive, work it out, etc. It's too deep of a betrayal to me. However, connecting with a woman on an emotional level that we should be sharing would be a huge loss in itself and again, not something I could work out or accept in my marriage.

If my husband were spending time with another woman, confiding private information to another woman about his life - his wants, his needs, his problems, his marriage - things he should be discussing with and confiding in me about but chose to confide in another woman instead, then that would be cheating to me. He wouldn't have to take off one article of clothing. It'd be cheating in my eyes.

What about you?

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Half Man Half Tree and HPV

I have been researching the Gardasil vaccine this last year in preparation for another round of pressure from my daughter's pediatrician to get it. She will not be getting this vaccine because of the reactions and fatalities associated with it.

Related to having HPV but due to a rare genetic condition along with it, there is a man that has been called Half Man Half Tree due to the growths on his body to the point that he looks like he has roots.

For more information, click here.

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Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Add to the Family

I am not real big on following celebrity news or even liking very many of them. However, I do have a few that I like. Two of my favorite of the celebrity crowd had their babies on July 12th! Angelina Jolie gave birth via c-section to a little boy named Knox Leon (great name) and Vivienne Marcheline (another great name). Baby Vivienne was named after Angelina's mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, who died in January of last year of ovarian cancer. She was 56 when she passed. Angelina was reported to have close to her mother.

What do you want to bet that Knox and Vivienne becomes the next great baby names? I can see the kindergartens in 5-6 years will probably have at least one of each in each class!

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Kid Needs a Stick!

My oldest starts junior high in six weeks. Another milestone for my oldest is another step away from her being a child anymore. In a couple years, she is going to be a teenager and likely hate me for a few years. I'm not looking forward to those years.

It's time to start thinking about school supplies again. They're already out all over the stores. One thing that I noticed on her supply list that is different than all her previous elementary school supplies list is that they require the kids to have a memory stick this year. We are also going to set up a computer we don't use anymore in her room, without Internet access for her own safety, so that she can type reports and such when she has to for homework.

I have a feeling the next year is going to see a lot of growth in my middle schooler - not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Looking at her baby videos yesterday didn't help me adjust to that fact any easier.

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Free Kibble for Cats and Dogs

I posted about this on my Cowgirl Up blog, but that is more a personal journal so I thought I'd better cross-post it here where there are more readers to see it.

It's about Freekibble.com. Here's a summary of that post:

Since April 1, 2008, as of the time I am typing this now, 1,213,290 pieces of kibble have been donated for dogs.

Go ahead and play it. It will only take 10 seconds at most of your time and you will help feed a dog in need. You can play this game once a day so remember to bookmark and go back everyday.


If you are a cat lover, don't forget Free Kibble Kat (http://www.freekibblekat.com/). Again, it is 20 free pieces of kibble for a kitty in need. Click below and take ten seconds to feed a cat in need.

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Beverly Hills Chihuahua

With the voice of George Lopez, these little dogs take on the likes of Paris Hilton and anybody else who dresses their dog in frou-frou and carries them around like they aren't capable of walking in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Do dogs want to be carried in purses? Not according to this video. They want all night taco bars!!

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Genie Francis back on General Hospital

For all of you General Hospital fans, Genie Francis (one half of the famous couple: Luke and Laura) is coming back to General Hospital for a short visit in August. It is supposed to be a mother - daughter visit with the character, Lulu.

I can never catch General Hospital during the day on ABC but I try to catch it at night on Soapnet. I am waiting for Jason & Liz to get back together!! Those are my two favorite character couples.

Look for Genie Francis starting August 26th.

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Fun With Dick and Jane

My husband wanted to watch Fun With Dick and Jane (with Tea Leoni and Jim Carrey) on television tonight. I have already seen it once and once was ok with me. I don't like watching movies over and over again unless they are just super fantastic movies. This one was ok to watch once - not twice.

So, I am upstairs playing around on my computer, waiting for my daughter to get home from the horse show while hubby is downstairs I am sure watching Fun With Dick and Jane. I guess I could clean house but who wants to clean at 11:00 p.m. at night? Not moi.

My daughter went to a horse show with our horse trainer and a lot of the girls that ride at the stable with her. This is the first time she's been out this late without being with a parent. She's not likely to be home for a couple more hours yet and I am SO sleepy...trying to stay awake.

Oh gosh, I just heard police sirens. I know it's not her as they are still at the show but my stomach clenched anyway. Silly mom.

Is this what I am destined to do until she turns 18 (wait up for her to make sure she gets in the door okay)?

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Free Slurpees at 7-Eleven

If you like slurpees (I love them), participating 7-Eleven stores are offering free slurpees in honor of their birthday today. If you have a 7-Eleven within driving distance, what are you waiting for? Go cool off with a slurpee. I'll be thinking of you as you do, as our temperatures inch towards 90 degrees, since we don't have one near us anymore since moving.

*not a sponsored post.

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Are we spoiled?

This was going around the Internet as something Jay Leno and David Letterman said. Neither said it. The true author is Craig R. Smith. I thought it was worth posting as it serves as a reminder to appreciate what we do have. Here is the correct article:

Made in the USA: Spoiled brats

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


We do have a lot to be grateful for and with the rise in gas, the housing slump, and seemingly never-ending war, I think we tend to forget everything we DO have. Now we have to make sure we stop letting special interest groups run our country through our elected officials and stop the government from getting any bigger. They're big enough and a HUGE group of liars is harder to manage than a smaller group of liars:)

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Phentermine Diet Pill Review

As I've said many times, I am on a mission to lose weight. Unfortunately, I got off track the last few weeks with that (ok, I got a little lazy).

I came across this diet pill review for Phentermine. It was approved by the FDA in 1959 so it's been around for a long time. When combined with diet and exercise, there is supposed to be 10-15% more weight loss than over a placebo. You take it once a day for 3-4 weeks. You can get Phentermine without a prescription so it is convenient as well.

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Exercise Update

I have been so lax the last few weeks on my exercising that I haven't lost anymore weight. With it raining six out of seven days a week for the last few weeks, my volleyball time has been cut down to nothing. Since I hate to exercise, it has to be something I enjoy doing (volleyball) or else I won't do it. I'm stubborn that way. I know many people who utilize the diet pill approach, but I am not there yet for myself. Yet.

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The Late Late Show

I am watching Craig Ferguson right now on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I always watch him on nights when I am up late. He is SO funny. I think it is that Scottish brogue of his that just makes his jokes and mannerisms funny.

I love the scottish accent. I guess it's a quirk of mine. I like to listen to Colin Farrell talk too (Irish). It's definitely the accent.

I thought he was in his late-50's or so but boy was I wrong. I believe he just turned 46. My bad. I don't think he'd appreciate my aging him 10-15 years, lol.

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Matter of Time

Iran tests a missile and oil prices climb. That is what happened yesterday. Like we can afford to have them climb any further!?! I will refrain from swearing right now.

While oil prices have me itching to yell quite loudly (not that anybody would listen to me), this just increases the tensions on the U.S. and Israel fronts. A U.S. official was quoted as saying it was "provocative" while the Israeli Minister was quoted as saying "Israel should prepare itself to do what is needed to do." Apparently, Iran is claiming they don't plan to attack Israel and that any attack by the U.S. or Israel would be a joke.

Obviously, the United Nations sanctions against Tehran for enriching uranium does squat. What good does the United Nations do anyway anymore? They sure don't seem to have a lot of clout when it comes to anything like this. Maybe slowed them down is all. It's only a matter of time before the you know what hits the fan.

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Christian the Lion

My sister sent me a link to a video on YouTube. So off I went to YouTube and was pleasantly surprised at the heartwarming video. You have to check out this video of Christian the Lion! Don't be surprised if you get a little teary watching it.

I did check this out at Snopes to make sure it is true and it is.

What a great video. I love lions and tigers and this is cool.

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U.S. News

I get a lot of my news online since my television always seems to be turned to Disney or Noggin for the kids. It is my preferred method anyway as I can pick and choose what interests me. Lately, I have been a little disgusted with the political lines that seem to run through most of our news too. I thought news was supposed to be objective? How am I supposed to trust what they say when they are obviously siding with one candidate over another and every other political news story gets slanted toward that political party?

The three online news web sites I use daily are the BBC (which I trust more than our U.S. stations), USA Today to see what the U.S. news is talking about, and E! Online for my daily dose of entertainment news. The one television news station I watch regularly is Glenn Beck.

It sure would be nice if the U.S. networks would go back to what journalism is supposed to be about - relaying the news objectively.

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Middle East Frustrations

I'm reading that Iraq now wants withdrawal dates for the U.S. combat troops from the United States government. Many U.S. citizens have been demanding the same thing of the U.S. government. With just more than half of the provinces under Iraqi control now, it doesn't seem like it is going to be done anytime soon. There's still another half of the country to ready to hand over control of according to reports. I guess hoping for a miracle that things would rapidly progress before my husband's nephew was sent to Iraq in a few months was just false hope.

I also read online today that some people are claiming a major war and massive destruction will occur between our November elections and when the new President takes office and that Iran is involved. Not only that, but that many terrorist cells will make their move in the Middle East and on U.S. soil at that time.

Nice bedtime thought eh?

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I'm Sick of Them!!!

I do laundry at night. I just went to grab a handful of laundry laying on my floor and a big, black spider went scurrying into a towel I left behind. After I about wet my pants, I grabbed my husband's boot (I'm not going to use mine!) and squished him where he sat. Unfortunately, he sat on my three year old daughter's Blues Clues towel and she was there to see him die there too. So, after she yelled about that, I told her that her daddy would take care of it tomorrow and her favorite towel would be ok. Thankfully, she was ok with her daddy taking care of the dead spider tomorrow laying on her favorite towel. I just wish he'd been in the room TONIGHT to kill the dang then when it gave me a heart attack.

So, my heart is still racing a little bit from the spider scare and now we have a bad storm brewing outside right now. I hate night time storms. I never feel like I can sleep without worry until I am sure the threat has passed. The strong part will be here soon and I am crossing my fingers that we don't lose power.

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Why am I up?

It's almost 2:00 a.m. and I am still up. This is getting to be a bad habit of mine -staying up too late. It wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to be up early in the morning but I have kids to take care of. When I hear, "mommy" early in the morning, mom knows stalling won't work for longer than a few minutes and I will have to drag myself out of bed (regretting the late night before).

What am I doing to do though when I can't sleep? I'm tired. My head feels all foggy with it, but I tossed and turned so I finally got up and came to my trusty laptop to hopefully put me to sleep.

Here's hoping for some zzzz's soon!!

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Plate Testing Separation of Church and State

Drivers in South Carolina might soon be able to have their christianity on their license plates. The plate above is a design that was shot down when Florida tried this and South Carolina's is based on this design.

Hmmm...let me think:

Religion & Christianity = Church

Department of Motor Vehicles = Government/State

Nope, no problem with the separation of church and state here. Not.

Apparently, the governor let the bill go through without his signature (guess that's the cowards way of letting it pass without taking a stand). The Lt. Governor has offered the $4000 deposit needed by the DMV to make the plates.

Hmmm...let me think:

Government Official's Money for Production of Plate = State

License plate that professes christianity = Church

Nope, no problem with the separation of church and state here. Not.

Getting the idea here?

Other religions can request a plate to profess their own plate for a $4000 fee, however, no words are allowed on the others - unlike the christian plate. Huh?

So, what's my opinion? I don't think it should be allowed as it does violate the separation of church and state. There are those personalized, non-government issued plates that you can buy for the other end of your vehicle that you can profess all you want, a bumper sticker, or a license plate frame that can do the same. I don't think it's right for the government to allow and then pay for this.

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What did you do with your stimulus payment?

Well, we finally received ours last week. It was a long wait. So, did y'all stimulate the economy with yours? Here's what we did:

• Paid off a rescue horse, and
• Made a house payment.

What we have left will be to fence in a small portion of our backyard off our family room doorwall for our three dogs to run and play safely without running into the road.

I didn't run out and shop at any malls or buy a car or anything so I'm not sure how much I stimulated the economy (perhaps the person we paid for the horse and for our fence will run out and stimulate it for us when they spend the money, lol). My priority was getting the house payment caught up before we started getting foreclosure threats after months of no overtime. It's hard to support our household plus help support another and make ends meet sometimes.

Did you stimulate the economy?

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Personalized Gifts

Before my stepdaughter became the hormonal teenager she is today, I bought her a personalized Pocahontas storybook. It told the story of Pocahontas but included her name, along with her siblings, in the book. She loved it!

Nowadays, you can still get personalized books, but you can also get personalized DVD's, personalized gifts such as stuffed animals who sing your child's name, personalized letters and poems, personalized sport broadcasts, and for the teen/adult, personalized keepsakes for mom, dad, graduates, weddings, retirement and more.

I like the idea of personalized gifts because it gives you the feeling that somebody cared to put time into your gift and made it really personal for you. For kids, what kid wouldn't get a kick out of seeing their name in a story or their name sung in a DVD? I like this idea.

At Kids Personally, you can get all of what I mentioned above and more to really give your kids or other loved ones something personal they will remember and enjoy.

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Nokia N82 Silver Cell Phone

I love my cell phone but I wish it had a better camera. The pictures, no matter how advanced I thought my phone was when I bought it, are very low quality. Then I run across this cell phone that has up to a 5 mega pixel camera! Five! That's better than a lot of cameras on the market! It's called the Nokia N82 Silver.

I am a photography nut so I wish I had a better camera on my cell phone for those moments when lugging my digital camera around isn't possible. I miss a lot (like seeing two loose cows go down the road in front of my house last week when I live in the village, not out in the country). I really would've liked to have had a camera in my hand then!

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Kids Break the Darndest Things

I had to get a new computer last Fall after our toddler broke my other one (kids are expensive eh?). Since I work at home, not getting a replacement wasn't a remote possibility. I had no choice. So we bought another laptop to replace the broken one, but now my husband is trying to scam it out from under me. He told me the other day that he wanted my laptop. I told him no way, of course, unless I could get a new one. So who is scamming who now, lol? I'm a tricky wife. Seriously, we can't afford to buy another computer right now (so our toddler better not get any funny ideas about breaking this one too) but I love my laptop. I'm not sure I could ever go back to a desktop model. I like that I can take this up and down the stairs...it goes where I go. When we went to my in-laws' house, it went with me six hours away from our home. I can work from anywhere, within my house or around the world, with a laptop.

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Drive-Ins are a great family time together

Last night, we took our kids to a drive-in. We haven't been to the movies in a couple of years and I haven't been to a drive-in since I was a teenager. Usually, drive-ins show movies that are already out on DVD or just about to be. Not the one we found. We saw Kung Fu Panda and Get Smart last night. The kids enjoyed Kung Fu Panda before three out of four of them fell asleep while we watched Get Smart.

I packed our cooler full of snacks and drinks (to avoid the expense of buying there) and the kids really had a great time. We didn't get home until after 2:00 a.m. which is very rare for us to ever be out that late (like never) so we all slept in today.

Next time, we'll bring chairs so we can sit outside like a lot of people were doing (my kids wanted to sit on top of my car but that is a big NO from mom) and watch a movie under the stars. They were out last night - clear and bright too.

If you've not tried this with your family before, you should. It's better than an indoor theatre because you can chat or whatever (not worry about how loud your food is crunching or the sound level of your kids bothering other people). Plus, it is usually much cheaper. Taking our family of six out would've cost us normally at least $40 in tickets for one movie. Our drive-in was $7.50 per adult and children are free and we saw two movies. Not bad eh?

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Safe & Happy 4th!

I just wanted to offer wishes for a safe and happy 4th of July for everybody here in the U.S. today.

For our troops, we should all send a prayer to whatever god or goddess you believe in for their safety and thank these men and women for their bravery. No matter what your opinion of this war, they are serving their country bravely and deserve respect and honor.

A special hello and love to our nephew who will be going to Iraq soon. Stay safe and strong. We're thinking about you!

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Give Your Man What He Wants

Between the music sets with my husband playing guitar and singing, the dart games that I sometimes won, and under the pool table light of the pool games I always lost to him, my husband and I fell in love. It didn't take long for either one of us for it to happen.

Now that I have probably grossed out everybody reading this here with mush, it does bring back good memories. We could bring back those memories in the comfort of our own home with a game room. We could put the kids to bed, get ourselves a cold drink, and I could lose to my husband in a game of billiards again.

If you want to create a game room in your home, Border Billiards has everything you need from cues to racks to pool table lights. With free shipping on orders over $25 to the lower 48 states, you get it fast and you get it free. Check out the specials and stock up on accessories for your game room. My husband would love a game room. I would imagine your husbands would too!

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Parenting Failures

Some places do school year round right? There are places where children are in school year-round with a few weeks of breaks between each marking period and around certain holidays instead of nine months of school and three months of summer vacation. I tell you what, that actually sounds really good right now.

My kids have been home from school for almost a month now. As it always happens, the first few weeks are ok but then the limit gets reached and I'm ready for them to go back to school. Now. I think I could function well on a year-round type of schedule since I am ready for them to go back to school after a few weeks and a year-round schedule would do that.

So where do I need to move to get that schedule? lol

I think part of it is having them home for this large of a block of time, I am noticing my parenting failures, i.e. the things that are getting on my nerves the most that they should know better not to do.

I am beginning to see that my kids need clearer boundaries. Interrupting adult conversations rudely is not acceptable. They've been told countless times but obviously not taught well or learned yet or something. Asking questions of adults like they have the right to know (how much somebody makes, what something costs, who did what, etc.) is another one. Sometimes, I just want to have a conversation with my husband without a child interjecting with who/what questions that don't concern them. Ya know? There have been a few times where their questioning me or their dad just dropped my mouth wide open. We've failed in teaching them about manners and boundaries in this area despite our efforts, obviously not successful efforts.

Growing up, I felt like we were supposed to be seen and not heard when company came over (which wasn't often given the anti-social nature of our household but it did happen). We were more like the AKC papered dog that got trotted out to show off (take the kids out, see what we reproduced, now shut up and go away kids). I don't want my kids feeling like that but I also want them to know that certain behaviors are unacceptable and manners are expected.

Out in public, we get complimented often on the good manners of our children. At home, I guess it is the comfort level they have at home that makes them think that anything and everything that is said or done in our home involves them or they have the right to question and that's ok in their mind. It's not ok.

Heck, maybe I'm just tired and need to make more time for myself, especially during the summer months when there is no break for me unless I make it myself. Otherwise, I get wore down, impatient, and frustrated.

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RIP Bozo

Some children are afraid of clowns. I wasn't one of those children. Bozo was my favorite clown of all time and I adored him as a young child. I don't remember a whole lot from my young childhood days but that I do remember.

Larry Harmon, aka Bozo - RIP

Larry Harmon has passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 83. He wasn't the original bozo but he was the bozo who gave the clown the trademark look I adored. He played Bozo for over five decades.

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Grapes Kill Dogs

How many times has a grape or raisin fallen out of your hand or off your child's plate and your dog snatched it away for his own? How many have you offered one of these food items to our dog for a treat? Did you know that grapes/raisins are poison to dogs?

Grapes and raisins cause renal (kidney) failure in dogs. Whether it is a couple grapes/raisins or a pound of them, they can make your dog very ill. Some signs you might notice after the ingestion of one or more grapes/raisins are:

• vomiting within a few hours of ingestion,


• dog may stop eating,


• diarrhea,


• quiet and lethargic,


• abdominal pain.

These signs can last for days or weeks. Timely veterinary care is necessary to help prevent fatality. In some cases, that isn't even enough and some dogs are still euthanized.

If you're wondering what other human food can harm your dog - chocolate, cocoa, onions, and macadamia nuts.

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Is Gardasil Killing Kids?

I still haven't had our oldest daughter vaccinated against Gardasil despite her pediatrician encouraging it last year. She was ten years old then and I knew we had time to consider all the information before making the decision. Tonight, I found several articles (here is one at worldnetdaily) claiming that Gardasil caused the deaths of several people. Here's another article by the same place.

Here is the CDC's response, which I find irresponsible personally.

More CDC information.

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Hazardous CFL Light Bulbs?

In response to the post on my other blog about these bulbs, I received a comment pointing me towards more information. I invite you to read this information.

Check out this information here.

If you missed my blog posts, they are here and here.

I checked with snopes and they say some info. is true and some is false. Of course, their sources are government agencies who I have little faith in right now.

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Another Child, Another Stutterer

My three year old daughter has started stuttering. It is even more noticeable now than it was a few days ago when it started. I was hoping she wouldn't, but the genetic cards seem to be stacked against her.

My husband was a stutterer. My stepson was a stutterer. My son was a stutterer. My middle daughter was a stutterer. Now, my youngest daughter is a stutterer. My husband's genetic trait for stuttering sure did hit the kids hard in this family.

*sigh*

On the up side, even though she doesn't look anything like her dad, she did get his stuttering to prove she's his, lol. Just kidding!! Have to make a joke so I don't get upset for her:(

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What some people consider beyond weird

Just found another interesting site! Using Stumbleupon brings me all kinds of interesting reading. Anyway, this site I found is called Beyond Weird. They have articles on a whole variety of different topics - paganism, astral workings, Egyptian magic, witchcraft, Wicca database, crystal gazing, scrying, Aleister Crowley, dreams, out of body experiences, and more.

I don't really care for the name of the site. I don't think some of those topics are beyond weird at all. However, there is a slew of reading if you're interested.

*not a sponsored post.

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Interesting Site I Stumbled Across Today

I was using Stumbleupon today and visiting different web sites. I find all kinds of interesting things when I do this. Today, I found this web site called One Sentence. They are true stories in one sentence and some of them are quite funny!

I like the one from "loving mother" about unconditional love and batteries. Why would this one strike a chord in me over the others? Because I've been there, done that. You'll have to read it to see what I'm talking about. I can't post it here (hmmm...maybe I should've posted it on my adult blog, lol). I CAN post it there.

*not a sponsored post.

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Ugh...I need to wake up

I stayed up too late last night and now I am paying for it today. I have lots of work to do this morning and I am so dead tired. I hate that foggy feeling. I need to jump in the shower and wake myself up; perhaps have some tea too. I don't know what else to do to wake myself up. Any ideas?

Entertainment news is pretty slim this morning. Angelina Jolie is in the hospital waiting for the time to deliver her twins, which was all over the news yesterday. There is the Emmy information on who didn't get nominated (don't care).

World news is about the same too unfortunately. There are people dying on the other side of the world, just like on this of the ocean. A Palestinian construction worker killed three and a bulldozer was rammed into a bus, killing three. What a depressing day. Perhaps I should go back to bed and wake up to try the day over again. It's not starting out very well just yet.

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Non-Custodial Parents Rights at School

If you are a non-custodial parent looking for information on how to be involved in and have access to your child's school records, report cards, etc., read School & the Non-Custodial Parent. There are tips and advice as well as information to the law that entitles you to access and involvement.

So, with the upcoming school year coming up, get prepared now. Get letters drafted to your child's teacher and the principal indicating your legal custody status and let them know of your desire for involvement. Request copies of each report card and progress report be mailed to you directly. Request copies of the school and teacher's newsletters as well as appointments at each parent-teacher conference. If possible, see if you can request your own picture order form if getting pictures of your child is a problem. Sign up as a helper for a holiday party or field trip (teachers are always looking for those sign-ups at the start of the year).

There are things you can do to stay involved in your child's education if the other parent isn't keeping you updated. Take matters into your own hands and approach the school yourself rather than waiting, and hoping, your ex will keep you informed if past history shows different. The law is on your side to do this.

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