MRSA...Again *sigh*

Something I hadn't thought about in awhile, but MRSA is in the news again since seven babies and four employees came down with it at a hospital in New York. After last year's scare where it seemed to be hitting many schools, ours included, I hadn't heard about it in quite a while and it dropped from my mind. Here's the story.

Guess getting a note home that a kid in my preschooler's class has lice isn't so bad after all (and her little blonde head is free of them - thankfully - so all is good:) So I don't have to whip out my mayonnaise treatment again.

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Al Qaeda for Barack Obama

Al Qaeda wants the Republican Party to fail on Tuesday in the presidential elections according to a video they released. Awww, what's the matter, did they help keep them from striking on U.S. soil again and killing us on our own land since 9/11? Boo hoo.

Given that I trust Barack Obama and his ties to hate-spewing reverands and terrorists very little (ok, none at all), this doesn't surprise me.

Here's the story.

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Men Arrested for Hanging Obama Effigy

Two men were arrested for hanging the likeness of Barack Obama from a tree at University of Kentucky and held on $7,600 bond.

The man who had a likeness of Palin hanging from a noose from his home for weeks faced no charges.

Here's the story.

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Cell Phone Dials Loved Ones After Owner Dies

Since I was already on the topic of cell phones, I just read an eerie story about that train crash in September where one of the deceased's (who died on impact) cell phone continuously called his loved ones (after he'd already died). When they would answer, all they would hear was static. Read this:

"Peck's body was recovered from the wreckage 12 hours after the accident. Yet for the first eleven of those hours, his cell phone placed call after call to his loved ones, calling his son, his brother, his stepmother, his sister, and his fianceé. In all, his various family members received 35 calls from his cell phone through that long night. When they answered, all they heard was static; when they called back, their calls went straight to voice mail. But the calls gave them hope that the man they loved was still alive, just trapped somewhere in the wreckage.

Charles Peck had died on impact. Yet long past his death, his cell phone had continued to reach out to many of those he cared most about, and ultimately led rescuers to his mortal remains. (As far as investigators revealed, they never found Peck's cell phone.) "

Remember, he died on impact.

Here's the whole story.

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DH ran his cell phone over

My husband ran his expensive cell phone over (on accident...seriously). Yeah, I know...I am not going to say anything more than that, lol.

I found him a free flip phone from somebody else that they weren't using. It was a bit beat up looking, it didn't have a QWERTY keyboard (which he now insists on having despite years of not having one of those until this year), and it could only be charged in the car. Yeah, guess it was a bit difficult but it worked and it was free. It's not like he's on it for hours every day...or even an hour everyday. Not good enough. He wanted a new phone.

It was more expensive to buy a new, replacement phone for him than to add another line to our family plan so that is what we did so he can get a new phone. DH gets a brand new phone (a "touch" phone similar to what "I" wanted...grumble, grumble) with a new phone number and we now have a 4th line on our plan. Maybe I should go run my phone over eh?

Actually, he was willing to swap phones with me so I could have that Touch but I decided not to. Why? Because I want the Instinct when the price comes down, that's why (and didn't want dh to martyr himself)!

Advantage: Now dh's old line is going to our son (though he doesn't know it yet...might save it as a xmas present...haven't decided yet). After deciding this, I was able to get our son a brand new phone for nothing after rebate so he'll now get a brand new phone since dh's old line was eligible for upgrading to a certain dollar amount. We should've just done that for dh right instead of getting a 4th line? Well, yeah, but he wouldn't get a QWERTY keyboard with that one... *sigh* Spoiled?

I still want to run my phone over so I can get an Instinct!!! Kidding. I'll wait patiently for the price to come down and for all of our bills to be paid to get this awesome new phone (think Apple's iPhone but not an Apple).

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Barack Arab-American and Not *gasp* African-American?

OK, I thought I was done with politics for today because it's getting old. However, I was thinking about something I'd heard recently about Barack Obama and since this issue was always an irritant to me (the fact that he claimed to be black without appropriate acknowledgement of his half white side from his mother). I came across some information today:

I am reading on blogs that Barack Obama is not legally "African-American" but Arab-American. I am reading that he is 6.25% African-American and you need to be 12.5% African American to claim being such. Is this true? I don't know. Nobody reports about it though everybody is quick to rave about the "first black president." Is he a liar? A lot of web sites online are claiming he is.

From this site, I've read this:

Mr. Obama is 50% Caucasian, that from his mother. What those who want Mr. Obama to write history by becoming "America's first African-American president" ignore is that his father was ethnically Arabic, with only 1 relative ethnically African Negro - a maternal great-grandparent (Sen. Obama's great-great grandparent, thus the 6.25% ethnic contribution to the senator's ethnic composition.).That means that Mr. Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side. He is 43.75% Arabic, and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side.Put another way, his father could honestly claim African-American ethnic classification. He was the last generation able to do so.Sen. Obama could honestly say, "My father was African-American." Racist presumptions led an Ivy League admissions committee, and lazy "newspapers of record" factcheckers, to presume that if his father is African-American, then Sen. Obama must be African-American also.

Other sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_L0MGwzqUk

http://mediamatters.org/items/200806260002

http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/barack-hussein-obama-will-be-if-elected-the-first-arab-american-president-not-black-american/

http://www.derekpgilbert.com/?p=2688

LOL, http://bumperstickers.cafepress.com/item/barack-obama-arab-american/272297199

I'd like to know if this is true. Ya know? How much is lie and how much is truth?

There is just SO MUCH that doesn't add up about this guy. His judgment on his friends and people he's given money to through his organizations is scary stuff.

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Wal-Mart Shying Away From Honest Review?

I wrote a post on my blog here about the problem we had with a Wal-Mart dog collar (our dog almost died). I also posted a review on Wal-Mart's web site (which they want consumers to do under their products). Apparently, my review wasn't what they were looking for (it wasn't a positive review) because they didn't post it. I thought maybe they just hadn't got to my review to approve it yet. However, they did post somebody else's review AFTER mine was posted so I know that is no longer true.

Doesn't Wal-Mart have the "you know whats" to post an honest review from one of their customers?

Hmm...I think I'll go ask them now and see if I get a response.

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Change Your Clocks This Weekend

Blah, I'm tired of politics. I can't stand to see where this country is headed...all it's doing is irritating me. So, onto other news:

For those of you living in an area where Daylight Savings Time is a consideration, don't forget that it is time to "fall back" this weekend!

The news this morning was reporting that this change in November is actually good for the heart. Statistics show a 5% decrease in heart attack deaths and hospital visits the day after clocks are reset (due to more sleep possibly?). Unfortunately, they also see an increase when the clocks go forward in the spring. Go figure.

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Barack Obama Sits With A Terrorist...where's the video?

Here's the article from the L.A. Times. Now where is the video, L.A. Times, or at least a transcript or audio from the video?

McCain's Response

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Journalists In Bed With Barack Obama?

How do you know what is true and what isn't? With the news this morning that the L.A. Times has VIDEO of Barack Obama with his terrorist buddy and others and won't release it has me searching the 'net this morning. I want to see this video. I'm not surprised the L.A. Times won't release it. L.A. where the stars hang out...the stars, who we all know are so in touch with reality, who seem to mostly support Barack Obama (at least the ones who will speak out).

Objective journalism is gone. I no longer trust the news sources to provide objective information to inform their readers and viewers...I expect slanted material. How is the public expected to gather the information they need to make informed decisions when most news sources are slanted as they are?

I did come across a few videos during my 'net search this morning. It'd be nice to know what was true or not. It's a sad day when YouTube becomes a source for anybody over a major newspaper.

I also found the article that started it all with this video the L.A. Times is withholding. I'll get that up soon!

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Illness Strikes Again

My three year old, who had the flu last month, now has something else. She's miserable with a high fever and some coughing. She is so out of it. She ran the fever through the night with fast breathing and fast heart rate. When she woke up this morning, she was trembling on top of everything else and just extremely "blah". Given how out of it she was, I decided to take her right into her pediatrician's walk-in clinic they have before normal hours. I carried her everywhere because she was woozy to walk. She fell asleep on the way there, in my arms at the doctor's office, and again on the way home. This is so unlike her (and she's sleeping now too). I hope her body is fixing these germs as she sleeps. We did get an antibiotic and I started her on that right away.

I hope she feels better tomorrow. I figure she'll miss her preschool Halloween party at school but trick-or-treat is tomorrow night here (instead of Friday, October 31st because that would make too much sense). She'll be devastated if her brother and sisters leave her behind to trick-or-treat. She picked out a beautiful little princess gown to be Barbie and with her long blonde hair, she'd make a great Barbie. The dress even lights up.

I hate seeing my kids this miserable:( I hope the others don't get this too. I probably will because when I was holding her and she had her head on my shoulder, she coughed and I was in the middle of talking - yup, germs right in my mouth. Yum! Eww!

I am supposed to get an ultrasound done tomorrow (no, I am not pregnant) looking for a reason for a lot of pain I've been in, but if she's still this sick, I guess I will be rescheduling it.

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Drug Testing

I received this in my email the other day...


THE JOB - URINE TEST

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work. Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

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Dog Collar Warning from Wal-Mart

This morning I am lying in bed. My husband was already up but I was trying to sleep in (it was about 7:00 a.m...not really sleeping in by much, lol). He'd let our three dogs out into the fenced yard when he got out of bed. So I am laying there hoping to fall back to sleep when I hear the dogs crying and going at it. I thought our oldest (arthritic grouchy husky) was going after our middle dog (Roxi). I go running to the back door and see Roxi and our littlest one (Trixie) going at it (or so I think). They're best buddies! Roxi looks like she has Trixie's throat in her mouth and they're crying/growling and flipping all over the place. I go running out and yell at Roxi to let her go.

Then as I look closer, it looks like Roxi's mouth is actually STUCK on Trixie's neck. So, the kids and hubby are out on the deck yelling at Roxi to let Trixie go (they think they're fighting too), I yell up to him on the deck that I think Roxi's tooth is stuck in the collar. He comes running down and is struggling to get the collar off Trixie before it kills her. It's still a bit dark and it's hard to see. By that time, I am talking quietly to Roxi to quiet her down so she stops struggling and hubby is frantically searching for the clasp on Trixie's collar. By that point, Roxi trusts us to fix it (or is just plain petrified as she knows something is wrong with her little dog friend) so Roxi's curled up as still as can be but Trixie has stopped struggling and is no longer crying. She's passed out and her collar is still twisted and stuck in our other dog's tooth. All her oxygen is cut off and she's dying. It was horrible. DH can't get to the clasp the way the dogs are twisted but gets Roxi's tooth out of the collar and he lays Trixie back on the ground, where she lies without movement. Trixie is totally still on the ground. I'm thinking to myself, OMG she's gone and all of our kids are here watching. DH says she's going into shock so I take off for a blanket while DH is trying to get her to move, telling her to breathe, rubbing her chest, moving her a bit trying to revive her. Then I hear him yell, "She's up. Her tail is wagging."

Talk about being so scared and then relieved to hear those words and see her up and breathing. My daughter is crying. She just lost her horse and Trixie is her dog. If she'd lost another pet...OMG. This all happened so quickly.

We bring the dogs in and Trixie immediately runs to her spot and lays down looking a little scared. We offer treats and she takes treats and then eats her breakfast with tail wagging. What a near death experience for our little dog. DH also checked Roxi's mouth to make sure her mouth is ok (she's ok).

The collar Trixie was wearing was one of those nylon collars from Wal-mart called SimplyDog Blue Bones Collar (see pic below). It is brown and blue nylon, but not just the basic nylon. It has a design covering on it (brown with blue bones on it) and there was a small separation where the stitches had come loose between that cloth covering part and the nylon collar - big enough for Roxi's tooth to get caught while they played as they usually do and as the dogs twisted to get away, it got wrapped around her tooth tightening on it, tying the dogs together and choking the life out of the puppy...literally. That collar won't be going on her again.

Of all the things I worry about with the dogs - getting deathly ill, getting out of the fence and getting hit by a car, I never would have thought that something like a another dog's tooth getting stuck in a collar could happen and kill a dog the way it almost did Trixie. She was just a couple seconds away from dying.


It was horrid. I don't know if I'll forget the way Trixie looked on the ground after hubby got her loose. There was no movement from her...she was literally almost dead. Another couple of seconds of her oxygen being cut-off and we would have been having a dog funeral today and consoling heartbroken kids.

I will never buy a collar like this again. Cute is cute but dead is dead. We almost lost a beloved child's pet. All it took was enough room for a tooth to slip into the brown/bones fabric covering of the nylon collar to get them caught and we almost had a tragedy.

SimplyDog Blue Bones Collar from Wal-Mart
Walmart No. 000893440Company Who Makes This Collar: SimplyShe.com/pets.html

Please send this post to all dog owners that you know. Stumble/Digg, etc. the post. It's important. It's not something I would have ever worried about before but one of those rare things that can happen.

UPDATED 11/8/08: I left two reviews at Wal-Mart's site for this product so other consumers would be aware of this. They have not posted either review as of this date. Funny how other people's reviews are there, including one posted AFTER my initial review, but neither of mine are there. It's a shame Wal-Mart would hide something like this.

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Knock at the Door - Inspiration

Watch and Listen

A Knock at the Door

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Spider Eating a Bird?

How's this for creepy? It's real too!

I am afraid of little spiders. If something like this lived around me, I sure as heck wouldn't live here anymore.

Here's the whole article if you're interested in this creepy thing. Nasty.

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Middle Aged Skin Care

I just turned 37. Does that make me middle aged yet? I guess if I plan on living to be 74 it does.

Since I am racing towards 40, I don't know how to care for my skin at this age. When I was younger, it was easy. Now, I have no clue. My skin is a mess - it's dry around my eyes, rough around my temples, and I need acne treatment around my nose. Any type of exfoliating treatment on my facial skin just turns it red and puffy. How do I care for this skin? Does anybody have any good hints for skin care at this age because I don't want to spend a ton on skin care that doesn't work? Please? Anybody?

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What's in Barack's Closet?

Interesting article from Jan. 2007. Sounds like a lot of what people are talking about today. Why aren't people paying attention?



Skeletons anyone?

Photography by Syn

I wondered briefly when I posted this picture if it was too much. I decided not and here is why:

• First, it is Halloween.
• Second and most importantly, it has to do with his voting record on partial birth abortions that left babies born alive - after attempting to abort them - and then being left to die!! He could have stopped it sooner and didn't. How sickening of Barack Obama! The man is scum. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
  

More Barack BS

If you want others to read about his skeletons, stumble this please.

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MSNBC and Acorn Buddy Up

MSNBC and ACORN (you know, the group being accused of rampant voter registration fraud...the group Barack Obama worked for as a community organizer and legal representative...the group that is FOR Barack Obama not surprisingly) have teamed up. What? Gosh, and I was silly and thought news outlets were supposed to be objective and non-partisan.

I've been reading online that 40% of ACORN's revenues come from our tax dollars. Our tax dollars are going to this group...a group that perpetuates fraud? Huh? Why are my tax dollars going to help a fraudulent group that is supporting Obama? I DON'T SUPPORT OBAMA AND OUR TAX DOLLARS SHOULDN'T BE GOING TO ANYTHING THAT HELPS HIM. Got that?

We seriously need better checks and balances on what the government spends our tax dollars on. This is ridiculous.

Here's some of what I am finding:

"Last July, ACORN settled the largest case of voter fraud in the history of Washington State. Seven ACORN workers had submitted nearly 2,000 bogus voter registration forms. According to case records, they flipped through phone books for names to use on the forms, including "Leon Spinks," "Frekkie Magoal" and "Fruto Boy Crispila." Three ACORN election hoaxers pleaded guilty in October. A King County prosecutor called ACORN's criminal sabotage "an act of vandalism upon the voter rolls."

The group's vandalism on electoral integrity is systemic. ACORN has been implicated in similar voter fraud schemes in Missouri, Ohio and at least 12 other states. The Wall Street Journal noted: "In Ohio in 2004, a worker for one affiliate was given crack cocaine in exchange for fraudulent registrations that included underage voters, dead voters and pillars of the community named Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy and Jive Turkey. During a congressional hearing in Ohio in the aftermath of the 2004 election, officials from several counties in the state explained ACORN's practice of dumping thousands of registration forms in their lap on the submission deadline, even though the forms had been collected months earlier." In March, Philadelphia elections officials accused the nonprofit advocacy group of filing fraudulent voter registrations in advance of the April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. The charges have been forwarded to the city district attorney's office.

Under the guise of "consumer advocacy," ACORN has received money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD funds hundreds, if not thousands, of left-wing "anti-poverty" groups across the country led by ACORN. Last October, HUD announced more than $44 million in new housing counseling grants to over 400 state and local efforts....and the ACORN Housing Corporation received more than $1.6 million.

As the Consumer Rights League points out in its new expose, the ACORN Housing Corporation has worked to obtain mortgages for illegal aliens in partnership with Citibank. It relies on undocumented income, "under the table" money, which may not be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Moreover, the group's "financial justice" operations attack lenders for "exotic" loans, while recommending 10-year interest-only loans (which deny equity to the buyer) and risky reverse mortgages. Whistleblower documents reveal internal discussions among the group that blur the lines between its tax-exempt housing work and its aggressive electioneering activities. The group appears to shake down corporate interests with relentless PR attacks, and then enters "no lobby" agreements with targeted corporations after receiving payment."

Voter registration fraud? Helping illegal immigrants because of "under the table" money? Welfare? Let me get this straight - our tax dollars (since we are tax paying citizens) are going to a group who not only operates unethically but helps enable people who don't/won't pay taxes? How the hell is that right?

MSNBC is stupid and obviously not objective. Silly me thought journalism was supposed to remain objective.

The more I read, the more amazed I get that people are so willing to overlook all these ties Barack Obama's history shows to get him elected. This guy has too many skeletons in his closet.

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Awww, sweet idea for troops

6,600 cookies made by a town in New York were sent to the troops overseas, along with disposable cameras and notes from kids and adults. What a great idea to let the troops know they are being thought of and to get kids involved in doing something good.

Here's the article.

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Barack Obama's Spread the Wealth BS

Barack Obama wants to spread the wealth around? Well, that's great for people who actually don't want to work hard to earn money (I'm sure they're waiting for Obama to spread a little of his $$ their way) but for those who worked their butts off to grow their business into something successful for themselves and their families, why should they have to share their wealth? Seriously! We have tax brackets which take care of that so what the heck is Obama talking about?!

Don't get me wrong...we struggle to pay our bills and live check to check. We have six children, two of which my husband pays child support for. We definitely struggle. The economy stinks right now and it's becoming more and more difficult to make ends meet. However, we are also taking steps to help ourselves (I am in process to getting state licensed to go back to work). I don't expect the mom and pop family businesses who are doing OK to hand over some of their money to me! They worked hard for their business. Why should I get a part of it? Tax brackets take care of the differences in income. If you start hurting these businesses to where they can't afford to stay in business any longer, they are going to close their doors resulting in job losses for everybody they employ. Hit the larger corporations too hard and they'll just go overseas where it's cheaper. HUGE job losses there. I don't know about you but I am damn tired of talking to somebody in India for customer service. Keep it up America and we'll be talking to the Chinese, Japanese, etc. for everything! We've seen it happen in the automotive market. Businesses can get their labor cheaper overseas than they can thru the UAW so they take their business elsewhere. What is going on with GM and Chrysler right now, and the HUGE job losses that are going to occur because of it, should open some people's eyes. You can't mess with businesses financially like that and expect them to keep their business here or keep their doors open. However, sure, let's vote for Barack anyway. Geez.

Now, here's the BIG JOKE showing Barack Obama as nothing but a pompous ass...here's how he spread his own wealth around (look at his AGI compared to his charitable contributions):

Look at his income from 2000 - 2006. How much of HIS wealth did he spread around to those in need in comparison with his income? Very little...until he decided to run for President. Got that? VERY LITTLE UNTIL HE DECIDED TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT! He's as fake as the rest of them.

This man is a joke. If he gets elected, I will probably puke. Seriously. Hmm, maybe I'll lose those 20 lbs I've been wanting to when I won't be able to eat over worry about what is going to happen to the U.S. and my children's futures. This man has no experience and talks a bunch of bull.

If I hear his wife talking about their struggles to pay off student loans or how they struggle to pay for their children's piano and dance lessons every year (and the $10,000 they pay for those lessons is easily a quarter of the "average joe" annual salaries), when you look at their annual adjusted gross income levels, give me a break. They're full of the worst BS I've ever heard.

Ref.

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Gross - what gelatin is made of

Do you know when you're eating jello, you are likely eating animal? It is extracted from bones, organs, intestines, and connective tissues of animals (cows, horses, pig). Rumor has it that it came from horse hooves but according to wikipedia, this isn't true (anybody know different?).

Some common examples of foods containing gelatin: Peeps, gummy candy, gelatin desserts, marshmallows. So when you "see it jiggle" on those commercials, it's animal by-product. I had no idea. It's sometimes used as a thickener in cream cheese, ice cream, jams, margarine. It's used in fat-reduced foods as well (to fake you out - creating volume without calories). It's also used in the shells of some pharmaceutical drugs.

If your cosmetics say "hydrolyzed collagen" it contains a variant of gelatin.

Here's more info. if you are interested. I'm just kind of grossed out right now. I'm not a vegetarian but all those childhood years of eating jello, I had no idea I was eating animal by-product from bones and such.

If you're vegan, did you know this?

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The Next Generation - a song to think about

Would you like to download this song? Click here.

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Household and U.S. Finances

I hear a lot about debt collection agencies but I don't really know much about them. With the market the way it is (we just lost $3500 in our 401K in the last couple months!) I would imagine a lot of people are trying to figure out how to manage their debt and keep a roof over their head. We are in the same boat as a lot of other families. It's a rough time.

Another stimulus package is rumored to be in the works in Washington. How are we going to pay down all this debt? $700 billion bailed out Wall Street (imagine if they'd divided that money up between U.S. tax payers instead...boy, we'd all be out of debt wouldn't we?).

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Gas Going Up Again - Soon

It may come sooner than I heard! I'm talking about the price of gas going up. I heard OPEC's meeting was in November but I just read it is October 24th. The plan is to announce the output reduction at that meeting. So what does that mean? Gas prices may go up.

That's not the last you'll hear from them though. They have another meeting in December and the expectation is that another cut in supply will be announced. Supply goes down, demand goes up and there ya go - higher gas prices. Again.

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I'm A Spoiled Brat

One of my presents for my birthday was an HP C7280 All-In-One printer. I actually thought this was my only present but dh surprised me last week with another present (see last week's posts for that one). So far, I really like the printer. Besides the fax, copy, scan, and photo capabilities, it also has slots for memory cards from your camera. There are slots for compact flash, SD-MMC, XD, and more. There are slots with initials that I don't know what they stand for.

The price was awesome because we bought it for less than half price plus we got a three-year warranty with it. Not bad for a great up-to-date printer with everything!

I'm spoiled!

It is going to help with scanning photos for the horse rescue web site I design and update plus when my new job starts, the fax and scan will be fantastic. Cool beans eh?

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Mommy Tears

My littlest one started at her new preschool today. I drove her (tomorrow she will ride the bus) because I wanted to make sure she knew how to get to her classroom ok. I helped her put away her stuff, gave her a hug good-bye and left her there...in the hands of basically a stranger...to care for her all morning...without me. Yup, I almost cried leaving and on the way home though she had no clue mom was struggling after I left her there.

If I can't leave her for three hours, how am I going to send my kids off to college (and they ARE going to college or I will kick their butts)? Oh yeah, that will be DURING/AFTER the teen years so I will probably be itching to kick them off to college...I mean enroll them in college.

Aw hell, who am I kidding? I'll cry then too.

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What's Your Life Worth?

Today I took a big step in changing our life insurance by signing up for a policy through another company rather than the one we've had for the last ten years through our automotive insurer. I haven't canceled our other policy yet but it was a term policy so I do have to look into either converting it or letting it go I believe since it's reached the end of its term.

With the economy so bad and financial worries seemingly hitting almost every home, making sure we would be okay if one or the other of us were to pass on is very important. So, I have made sure that the living spouse and our children would be covered should the unthinkable happen.

Have you thought about life insurance for your family? It doesn't hurt to get a term life insurance quote. I think you would be surprised at how little it costs a month for peace of mind.

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Happy Sweetest Day!!

Happy Sweetest Day Everybody!!

Hope your sweetie gave you something sweet. Mine bought me flowers and my favorite, dark chocolate, filled with all kinds of gooey treats. My first one out of the box, of course, was the one filled with cherry. Yum! I'll look for the other fruit filled ones next and then move onto the other ones remaining.

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Car Woes

I had car problems today. After the car died on me at the stable this morning, stranding me until I could get a jump from a friend, we thought that was all it was (well, hoped anyway). It was funny watching this. We didn't know how to jump a vehicle (it's been 15 years since I learned how and my memory must suck because I couldn't remember what went first with the positive and negatives and what not to touch, etc.). So, we have my friend's husband on cell phone speakerphone walking her through how to do it. It was funny. She got it started and home I went.

However, when I went out at lunch to check my car, all I hear was "click-click-click" again. So, hubby jumps me again (well, my car; not me) but it won't stay running now at all. Take your foot off the accelerator and the car dies. **picture me banging my head against my car here thinking about another bill we didn't need and can't afford right now** Hubby drove it up to the shop all the while keeping his foot on the accelerator, alternating between neutral and drive (kind of reminded me of my high school days when I used to take my parents' minivan and do brake torques until I burned their brakes up:)

Anyway, they tested it and it was the battery. The charge is good but the battery is bad so I get a new battery and homeward bound we go. I got 75,000 miles off that battery (it's the original...6-1/2 years old) so I guess it was time for a new one;)

Hopefully, this is all because if I get stranded tomorrow morning driving my daughter to school 20 minutes away, I am not going to be a happy camper.

Oh yeah, hubby's car is still sitting in the driveway with the exhaust hanging on it. His is going to cost $200 to fix so it is going to sit there for awhile. Cars are great...when they run right. I would like my car back to myself totally since hubby doesn't smell all purdy when he gets out of work and it lingers in my car but whatcha gonna do?

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Gas Prices Will Rise Again in Nov?

Enjoy the lower gas prices while you can because rumor has it that OPEC will vote in November to decrease production which will raise the rates again. I can't believe a country as great as ours is dependent on other countries (who hate us by the way) STILL for something so vital to us. It's total stupidity to continue to be! Americans aren't stupid so why the hell doesn't anything change?

The politicians and special interest groups who are in the way of our being independent need to get the hell out of the way! They may not care about bending over, but I sure as hell do.

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Trophies for Kids

Soccer season is winding down. My daughter has two more games and my son has a game and then tournaments start. At this level (peewee soccer, elementary age), all of the kids get trophies. I'm not sure what they do at the tournament level, like for my son, since this is the first time I've had a child in sports reach the age-level where they have tournaments. Some people have a problem with all the children receiving trophies and think only the winners should get trophies. At this age, I think it is great that the league does this for all of the kids. They certainly don't have to and for what we pay to have our children play, you know the price of these trophies are coming out of somebody's personal pocket. The kids try their best and put their little hearts into learning the game and having fun (even when you know by looking at some of the kids that they aren't very good, lol, but they're so adorable). I can see once kids get into junior high and high school why giving trophies to every player on all the teams wouldn't be right but when you have kids who are four years old, six years old, etc. playing, keeping it fun for them and letting them be proud of what they've learned is great.

So whether it is peewee soccer and soccer trophies or peewee football and football trophies, I say let the kids have fun and have that trophy to be proud of.

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Barack Obama & Radical Groups

We've all heard the rumors linking Barack Obama to radical groups. If you want to find out what this is about, check out Fox News, Hannity's America, tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST. I'm definitely interested in hearing all I can about this. November's vote is too important. There is supposed to be new information revealed so don't miss the exclusive and decide for yourself.

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Adults Ruin Halloween

Halloween is coming. I love Halloween. It's one of my favorites. Unfortunately, with it comes a HUGE peeve of mine. I do not like the way the schools, and even the towns, are changing Halloween. I swear that there are times when I feel like I could get into a good argument with some of the teachers over this (thought church and state were supposed to stay separate?). I wrote all about it here.

The village we live in won't even have trick-or-treat ON the actual day! Ooooooh, Halloween is just SO evil. Give me a break. Sometimes the adults need to shut their mouths and let the kids have a few hours of fun the way it used to be.

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Filling Up On Appetizers

Something I always do when we go out to eat (which isn't often given the price of everything and number of mouths we have to feed) is fill up on appetizers. I don't mean to but they taste so good! There are times when all I order are appetizers. One of my favorites is spinach artichoke dip. My daughter and I can finish these by ourselves without help from the rest of the family.


Since we can't to go out to eat all the time, I have found an online site, Myrecipes.com, that has appetizer recipes, including my favorite. With the upcoming holidays, these recipes are going to be needed. I'm not an imaginative cook but I can follow a recipe. This site is great!

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I Found the Hardcover Set - Twilight Saga

I found the whole Twilight saga set in hardcover:

Now I have to save my pennies! A lot of them.

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Twilight Saga - Finished with Book 2

I just finished reading the second book in the Twilight saga, New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2). I know these are books written for teenagers but I like them. It appears that I am not the only adult that does from what I'm hearing. These books are a huge hit!

I already have the third book, Eclipse, on the hold list at the library so I can read the third one. There is a waiting list.

My stepdaughter texted me this morning asked for me to mail her Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1), but I don't own any of them. I just check them out from the library since we are poor this year:) I'd like to own the whole set though. I better start saving my pennies because this is a set I want to have on my overfilled bookcases.

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Birthday Presents

About two weeks ago, I picked out an all-in-one printer that I've been wanting (for about a year now). We got it for about half price plus a three year warranty. It faxes, scans, copies, prints, photos. Too bad it can't cook meals. I thought when we picked this out that this was my birthday present (which is too fast approaching).

Turns out it isn't.

My husband informed me last night to take out a certain amount of money from our budget because he'd spent it. I thought the printer was my present. It was what I've been wanting for a long time. Hubby scowled and said that's not a birthday present.

So, I have something else coming. I know where it is coming from (since I do our online banking and it's right there on our online statement), but I don't know what it is. I can't figure it out either (and that drives me nuts, lol).

I feel guilty when money gets spent on me like this. I think it's the "mom" in me. The printer was just fine. He always does this though. His gifts are usually (always) on the "very spoiled" end. He is a really good gift-buyer, unlike a lot of men.

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European Cruises

My new job has a great incentive - annual trips to exotic places. My younger sister is on her way to getting that trip. I have to finish up my license requirements before I can even start working towards it.

If you are one who just loves to travel, Europecruises.com offers Alaskan, Hawaiian, Caribbean and European cruises. Plan now and have something to look forward to as winter creeps up on us.

I've heard that the U.S. dollar is worth more in other countries right now because of the economy so now is the time to book that trip and get your money's worth and more.

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Binoculars

My kids have asked for a pair of binoculars. I am not sure what they want them for since we don't do a lot of hiking or camping (ok, we've never gone camping). I think they want to run around our big backyard and check things out.

For those who do a bit more than we do and are looking for a great pair of binoculars, like the Nikon binoculars, Sportoptics.com has what you need. With hunting season underway, I would imagine these would come in handy when you are up in your blind. With free shipping on orders over $99, now is the time to get yourself a pair.

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Acne Cure Reviews

If you or yours struggle with acne, you might be interested in reading Acnecuresrevealed.net. There are reviews for the different treatments which, if you are like me, are appreciated. I always check out the reviews of products before I buy them. I like to know what other people's experiences have been with a product before I spend.

The top five on their home page right now are Zyporex, Orovo Acne, Acneticin, Oxycerin, and Asso Gold Cleansing Bar. The ratings for these five vary from 93% up to 99%.

If acne is a bother for you, check them out.

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Hit the Road Flu!

The flu germs aren't welcome here anymore. The last child sick with it went back to school today after four days off. There is a little residual dizziness with a couple of us but after so many days with the flu and trying to hold things down, it's not surprising. It's outta here! Done!

I am so relieved.

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Our Economy & Trick or Treat

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Women of The View

I wish they'd just shut up. Really! There is nothing fair or balanced about that show when you have a majority of the co-hosts ganging up on one co-host or when you are interviewing a presidential candidate and you have one co-host rolling her eyes and the other sitting like a petulant child. Their personal presidential choices aside, they should be able to conduct interviews fairly. Otherwise, it's just a skewed segment. If they were going to use their show as a forum to discuss politics, then their co-hosts should be more evenly matched instead of looking like a bully-fest. I guess, other than Barbara Walters, they aren't actual journalists so maybe I shouldn't expect better but because it is Barbara Walters' show, I do expect better after her long history.

If I want to see sniping women acting silly with their claws out, I'll go back to work in a building full of them backstabbing each other or hit a few of the more unfriendly online forums. I guess there is a reason I always got along better with men than women. I can't stand that crap.

They have lost me as a viewer. I would imagine as a 36 year old mother of four, stepmother of two, that I am in their target demographics. They should work more towards their demographics rather than using it to push ABC's political views. I am really beginning to hate mainstream media.

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Choosing How to Vote for a President

How do you choose how to vote for a President? Do you choose the person you want to vote for or do you just know the person you DON'T want to vote for, so the other guy gets your vote by default?

I know for a fact who I absolutely DO NOT want to be President. No doubts. Am I 100% for the other guy? No, but I agree with him on more issues than the other guy (but we all know they lie) so it's the lesser of the two evils for me.

What a sad way to pick. Seriously, out of approximately 305,186,613 people in the United States (well, 75.4% of those are adults), shouldn't there be more to choose from? I shouldn't have to cross my fingers at the poll and hope for the best!

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Thyroid Disease & Ashwagandha Treatment

I am always interested in finding other ways to treat my thyroid disease because I just can't stand the thought of taking medications for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, it's been over seven years since I was diagnosed so I highly doubt there is any way for me to "fix" my thyroid - the damage is probably done and permanent. However, if there is something that might "help", I am all for researching it.

I've noticed while reading magazines the past few months the same term that keeps cropping up that has shown success with some people with thyroid disease. The word is "ashwagandha." I am seriously interested in researching this more.

Has anybody heard anything about Ashwagandha and thyroid?

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They don't listen and they're big babies!!

If you read my post yesterday about the flu hitting our house, you'll know that I've been using lemon juice to settle my stomach and it's been working (unless it is mind over matter but I think it's the lemon juice). I tried telling my husband that yesterday evening when he woke up from sleeping all day with the flu (while he was whining on the couch about how sick he was) to drink lemon juice and water. His response was "I don't like it." Well, then lay there and whine on the couch like a baby. I asked him if he wanted me to call his mommy for him to take care of him.

Everytime I feel nauseous or stomach crampy, I take a drink of lemon juice water and it settles it down. Why is he being so stubborn that he won't even try it? He eats all those cardboard tasting exercise/protein bars all the time but he can't put a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in a bottle of water and drink it? Oy!

Then he eats two blueberry danishes last night (that I'd made for the kids while I had the flu!) and then he comes to bed complaining about how they feel in his stomach. Um, hello! You have the flu! Geez.

I refuse to baby him. I am now on my 4th kid with the flu in a week. I will baby them:)

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Best Auto Insurance Rates

How often do you get quotes for your insurance needs, to see if what you have is the best coverage at the least possible price for you? I just realized that I haven't looked into quotes from other companies for my auto insurance in a very long time. I would guess it to be over a decade, probably closer to 15 years. That is not a good financial move at all. Is there some "standard" somewhere that says you should get quotes every so many years? If there is, I didn't hear about it (obviously).

When I shop, I always check out all the best prices I can find online for every major purchase I want (you should see me at christmas time comparing prices on every single toy because even though an individual toy isn't that much, the whole of the christmas list does amount to a "major" purchase). How come I never thought to do this with my insurance over the years and instead just got comfortable making that payment to the same company year after year?

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My Flu Cure?

Well, out of my four kids, I still have three down with the flu. Two of them are on the tail end of it and should be good to go soon but my oldest has just started showing symptoms so I expect it'll be about four days out for her now too. My husband and I woke up with it yesterday. I thought a few days ago that I was coming down with it but I knew for sure yesterday morning. Hard to deny the evidence when you lose your breakfast. TMI eh?

I am experimenting with something. I don't like regular water. I usually drop 1-2 tbsp. of lemon juice into my water when I drink it. Well, I started doing that when the stomach pains started to hit and I found that it quieted them down. I wasn't rolling around in pain like my kids were. They won't drink it (we'll see if my daughter still feels that way tomorrow when it gets really bad for her). My husband doesn't believe me and he's miserable with the flu symptoms, sleeping and taking flu meds and still tossing his cookies. I haven't taken any flu meds and haven't tossed my cookies since I started my "thing" - just lemon juice in my water whenever I start to feel stomach pain or nausea. I had to hit the grocery store this morning because we were out of a lot of the basics since I've not been able to get out with the kids being so sick since last week. I did it but got real nauseous until I could get home and take my lemon juice/water - - then I wasn't so nauseous anymore. I made my kids lunch and filled the dishwasher. Now I am sitting here typing this. I don't feel 100% and I am still going to limit myself to what I do so I don't overdue it because the dizziness and nausea is still right around the corner (I can feel it), but "something" seems to be minimizing my symptoms for me.

I wonder if it's the lemon juice in water? Maybe it is just mind over matter. I don't know. I'd rather be feeling halfway human than at death's door like my husband looked this morning before he went to bed and not a peep from him since.

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Bar Faucets Are My Friend

We remodeled our kitchen earlier this year - new cabinets, sink, flooring. It needed it desperately. My husband didn't care about faucets so he wanted to find the cheapest one available. I, on the other hand, wanted something that looked nice with the rest of the kitchen and would function better than our last one. I wanted one in a brushed metal that came up high enough that my tall pots would easily slide underneath them to fill. Do you know what kind I am talking about? Look up bar faucets here and you'll get the idea (though I would imagine most women know what I'm talking about - the kind that you don't have to tip the pot all cockeyed to get it underneath to fill and then dump part of the water out when you tip it to get it back out from underneath the faucet again).

So, did I get my way? Of course I did. I have a brushed metal faucet that my tallest pot will fit under easily. Now I just have to work on getting that garbage disposal!

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The Flu Already!!

My house is one big flu infested structure, complete with three out of four kids with fevers and yakking. Last night, I had two of them who seemed like they were taking turns. My 3yo would wake up and start yakking. I would get her cleaned up and back to sleep only to hear my 7yo upstairs yakking. Off I run upstairs to help her (clean her up since apparently she can yak with her eyes open and still be standing up asleep). I send her back to bed and go back downstairs to find my 3yo sitting up in bed throwing up all over herself. *sigh* For the 3yo alone, we were up seven times last night. My laundry pile is just wonderful since she doesn't give any notice when she has to get sick!

Now my stomach is starting to hurt. It seems mom can't escape the flu germs with so many of them flying around this house right now. My son missed three days of school this week because of them. Poor kids.

I don't want to do anymore icky laundry, scrub carpets, linoleum, and couches anymore. The flu can just get the heck out of my house. Now! I didn't expect to see viruses like this for a couple more months.

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