Income From Blogging

Blogging has been extra income for our family since I started doing it last summer. It pays for my horse, and when I did it more so than I do currently, it paid for two horses and lessons. It's a great way to make a little extra money.

I have several blogs, but only two that I use as part of our income. I've been kicking around topics for other blogs. There are the celebrity blogs, how-to blogs, or you might find an electronics blog. There are so many different areas that you can hit, but I think the key, for me, is to find something that I am very interested in. Otherwise, I can see blogs that don't hold my interest dying out before they barely get started because I get bored easily.

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Anybody Else Overspend?

We did. We overspent on xmas this year. We told ourselves we wouldn't do it and we did it anyway on our kids. They will love Santa xmas morning but our bank account...not so much.

We also have two of our kids' birthdays coming up in the next few weeks so the shopping isn't over with yet.

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My Kids Don't Look Related

You can't tell from looking at my kids that they are related to each other. My husband jokes about one or the other of them being the postal worker's kids. Other than one of my girl's eyes, they don't look like their dad at all. If he were a less secure man, he'd probably think I was out stomping on my marriage vows with some other man (or men). I know better because I take my vows seriously (and he better too, lol).

There isn't much of me in their features either. Whose kids are these? We are missing 1/4 of the genetic information for dad's half of their genes so that could account for it I guess, but geez...I wouldn't doubt people look at them and wonder, "whose their daddy?"

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Lip Balm Dries Out Lips

The dental assistant to my daughter's orthodontist told us this past week that there is actually an ingredient in chapstick that dries out your lips and not to use it (my daughter had been using it since her last orthodontic appointment when they added new hardware in her mouth). My daughter's lips were really dry and she cracked one corner of her mouth. She recommended NEUTROGENA LIP MOISTURIZER or Vaseline.

I looked it up online and I've found different articles claiming chapstick 1) dries out lips, and 2) that people become addicted to it. Are you one of those people who use it frequently throughout the day and have sticks of it with you at all times and laying around the house and car? I've been using it regularly for about two weeks now and my lips are actually dryer than they were before I started using it. You'd think they'd be better, not worse, if that stuff really worked the way we are supposed to think it does.

So my daughter has been using Vaseline now for several days throughout the day and before going to bed and looking at her lips this morning, they don't look any better. They seem very dry. Vaseline contains petroleum which I also read online is drying which would explain why my daughter's lips aren't better. I think I better pick up some Neutrogena Lip Balm for her and try that.

Another thing to be aware of for women especially, one of the symptoms of anemia is a sore mouth with cracks at the corners. What you think is just dry lips may be an iron deficiency.

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Special Moments to Remember

My three year old will reach up to touch my face and say, "I love you mommy." It melts my heart every time she does it. It comes out of nowhere to catch me by surprise and is the sweeting thing. She did this today and choked me up.

Of course, she also called me "stupid" today too. Gotta love this age!

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New Template

I've changed the template here. I get bored easily so it was time for the other one to go. I think I'd kept that one the longest - several months. This one looks a lot cleaner (unless I do something silly like jack it all up with a lot of stuff in the sidebar). It's the first time I've used one with a black background because a lot of people don't like those I guess. It was my only major decision of the day - black background or no black background (hey, gimme a break here...it was a snow day today).

Hope you like it. I think the candles are pretty! I love candles.

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Thyroid Woes

I was talking to one of my sisters last night and she mentioned some thyroid supplements her husband is taking that has to do with "whole foods" (anybody else familiar with the whole foods concept?). I seriously want some of this stuff along with the cleanse supplements. I dream of 20 pounds just melting off of me...good dream huh?

Many people take a diet pill with good results. I can't take them because of the medication I am on for my thyroid disease. I react oddly to medications since starting thyroid hormones seven years ago so I don't risk it. It'd be nice to find a cure and have my thyroid fully functioning again. The problem is I don't know if it is completely dead by now so it may be too late.

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Shoes Thrown at President Bush in Iraq

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Did Wall Street Bailout Help?

So, did the $700 million Wall Street Bailout help the regular citizens in the U.S? I haven't heard anything positive yet so I thought I'd ask and see if anybody else has. Did anybody who was struggling with their mortgage see any light from this?

I still see job losses left and right (with my husband's possible reduction to part-time a good possibility in the near future). Are our tax dollars that helped fund this $700 billion bail out going to help us pay our mortgage when my husband loses most his hours? I think not.

So, what's the answer? How do we get the economy going again? Goddess knows we've done more than our fair share of stimulating the economy with xmas presents this year (boy did it hurt too). We went overboard as usual, but if I'd known a month ago what I do now about the possibility of losing these hours, I'd have kept to the budget better...I think. Perhaps, I'd have gone overboard on our kids anyway because it's going to get rough after the New Year. Who knows.

So, let me figure this out:

If dh loses his hours, we've still funded the Wall Street bail out, might give a loan to the auto industry to bail them out, plus the new bankruptcy laws make it harder for the regular person to file to get help. So, where is our relief? Our tax dollars bail out big industry and I haven't seen any improvement yet...what about the little guy?

Depending on the government to fix this is just putting us into a bigger hole. What can WE do to turn the economy around? Any economists out there with answers?

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Managing with income loss

My husband told me yesterday that his employer is cutting the automotive plant where he works down to three days a week. This is the first time this company has ever had to do anything like this (they've never had lay-offs either). So far, it doesn't affect him because his department has work but I worry it is just a matter of time until it does affect him. It has to trickle down to his area in the plant eventually I'd think.

So, I can't sleep because now I am worried about keeping a roof over my kids' head, transportation, and paying all the other bills we have. Merry Christmas eh?

I would imagine bankruptcy is becoming a very real option for a lot of people right now in this economy. I've heard the new laws make it harder to file now though.

So, I am working out in my head what bills would have to be eliminated "just in case" (I'd have to sell my horse which would tear my heart out...my eyes tear up just thinking about it now and it's not a reality yet). I can pay her bills now with what I make but if my husband's work situation changes, having a horse and riding lessons for my daughter would have to move to the back burner because shelter, food, utilities, etc. have to take precedence.

Where does credit card debt fall in line? We have plenty of it and if my husband's job hours get reduced to part-time, we can't pay any of that because the necessary bills have to come first. *sigh* This economy crap stinks.

So, all these thoughts are whirling around in my noggin - thoughts of bankruptcy, food stamps, creditors coming after us, losing my girl, etc. I am "hoping" that reducing hours to part-time doesn't mean a loss in medical insurance. We shall see.

My husband's child support bill would stay the same. That bill gets paid regardless of what our household loses, what my own kids lose, unless hubby actually gets laid off. In that case (lay-off), then it'd be reduced per court order. Reducing hours isn't being laid off so we can forget about that expense being reduced. My kids' needs will take the hit on that one, like it always has, before the "first kids" needs do. First kids (two) are more important than the second ones (four) in the family court's eyes...unless I were to divorce their dad which would get the state government kick backs from the federal government so my kids would then become important to them. Stupid eh? Did I ever say how much I dislike Michigan's family court? Well, I do. We could lose our home and they wouldn't care. It'd probably give the ex a big laugh too.

Anyway, just some upbeat thoughts in my head to bring into the holiday season. Cripes!

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Golfers On Your Xmas List?

If you have a golfer on your shopping list this year, you aren't going to want to miss theworldofgolf.com. They carry all the great name brands of golf balls and they are offering free shipping on ground orders over $50 right now.

If you are a golfer yourself, look them up. There is nothing wrong with including a little "something something" for yourself while holiday shopping. Get yourself a nice gift too!

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Hard to Shop For People - Inlaws & Stepkids

Every year, there is at least one person who is hard to shop for. This year, it is several.

We don't have a single clue what to get my husband's parents this year. Usually by now, we know. This year, we've run out of ideas. No clue and we're three weeks away from Christmas and even less for shipping gifts to them. In the past, we've bought them digital picture frames, computers, digital cameras, etc. We've done all of it already. There's nothing left. We better figure out something soon. What do you get for a couple who have everything they need?

My stepdaughter was also a hard one to figure out this year. First it was all CD's. Then, she told us the other day that she wanted that Biscuit the Fun Lovin Pup. What does an almost 16-year-old want with a toy meant for 5 - 8 year olds? If it wasn't $149.99, I'd get it for her but I'm not spending that much money on a gift that isn't appropriate. She'd probably end up giving it away to one of her cousins. Good thing we decided not to rather easily because she just sent us another email saying she was joking about that. Nice joke. Just for that, I'm going to get her some luggage so she has something nice to pack her clothes into when she comes to visit. Seriously, we did figure out some good ideas for her and I have them on order.

That leaves my husband's parents. Any ideas?

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I Saw The Wagon Teamster Today!

While out shopping this morning, I wasn't too suprised to see, going in the opposite direction, four horses pulling a wagon. Where we live, we see a lot of horses pulling buggies, however, unlike those, this one had a name and web site on it and it looked more like a small trailer. On the way back from shopping, I passed the four horses and wagon. Hmm...so I thought I'd look them up online.

It turns out this team of horses is pulling a man cross country. His "wagon" is actually his home that he built himself. For pictures and more information about this team, check them out here.

How cool is that? I actually saw them today!!

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Company Promotional Products

Do you use them? Do they work?

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Great Gift for Three Year Old

I found this great new toy for my three year old for Christmas that she is going to love. It hooks up to the television like the video game systems the bigger kids use, but it's designed for younger kids with educational games plus has the regular (but kid friendly) keyboard and mouse like the "big kids" use so she'll learn computer skills. The cost isn't outrageous either! This is the one I got (it also comes in green for the kids who prefer):

Santa's got it going on this year!

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Mouse Escapades...The End?

After weeks of being too smart for our traps, I figured out what to bait them with so they couldn't resist. Instead of the cheese or peanut butter, which rarely works, I have been nagging my husband to put Baklava in each trap. What rodent can't resist the sugary, nutty, honey, gooey dessert? Obviously, not our two mice because hubby baited the traps last night with it, scratched off one more item on his "honey do" list from me, and within an hour of going to bed, "snap" and then "snap" again...no more mice.

I actually felt a little bad thinking about it this morning. It was hard to eat my breakfast. I ate lunch just fine though so I guess I'm over it.

I bought two new traps today, hoping that there are no more mice but if two got in, maybe more did. We shall see. I have more Baklava left so a piece will be used to bait the traps again.

If you don't know where to get Baklava (and don't want to make it yourself), Walmart is selling it right now on trays over in their bakery section for the holidays. We've eaten most of it but we have plenty left to bait a few more rodents if needed. Buy some for a family get together and swipe a piece for the pests in your house, lol.

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Twilight Sequel Production Begins Soon

New Moon, the sequel to the hit book and movie, Twilight, is supposed to begin production in early 2009. Yeah! I hope it is as good as the first movie.

I did order the second book for my daughter. I promised her that if she read the first book (400-something pages), which was my way to encourage her to read more, I would buy her the second book. She's hooked now! She doesn't know I've ordered it already but she's going to get a happy surprise in a few days and I get my oldest reading more.

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Deer Gets Back at Human

Now for some odd news...

Did you hear the recent story of a deer in Missouri who got his revenge on the man who shot him? The guy shot the nine-point buck twice and thought he was dead. When the deer got up and attacked the guy with his antlers, the guy realized his "oops" - the deer wasn't dead yet. The deer took off running after giving what the man described as "15 seconds of hell" but after firing two more shots, the deer dropped. Bambi's daddy is one tough deer!

The man ended up with seven staples in his head, bruises, and a slight concussion.

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Diet Supplement Results - Hydroxycut

I see all kinds of diet products on the television, in magazines, and on the Internet. They all claim to do wonders for your body (though some of the side effects leave me a bit on the grossed out side). So, I would like to know who has tried some of these, side effects, and your weight results.

In particular, I am looking for information on Hydroxycut hardcore. If you've used it, let me know what you thought of it.

If you've used others, let me know about those too. I would really like to know which ones do what they claim without a lot of negative side effects.

Maybe if I hadn't just shoveled two pieces of Baklava into my face, I wouldn't be worrying about weight loss right now. I really need more willpower.

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Mouse Escapades Part II

They're winning. They're both still alive. For now.

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Husband Spoils Me Too Much

My husband gave me an early Christmas/Anniversary present this morning (he even wrapped it which is a first)...after telling him already not to buy me anything because: 1) we need to get xmas gifts for all the kids, and 2) there is just too much that needs to be done to the house to spend money like this. I'm not a kid anymore and don't need anything. Obviously, he didn't listen (he never does). Seriously, I might as well not even talk.


He bought me a new camera - a digital SLR camera. Damn! I've wanted one of these cameras for a long time now and I figured maybe next year as prices continued to come down on them, then we'd pick one up...eventually. We just talked about this the other day - waiting until next spring/summer. My husband isn't about waiting I guess.

Now he'll joke about getting extra attention every day for a month. *cough cough*

*sigh* This means spending more money because now I need to buy a flash (soon) and one more lense (55-200 I think?...eventually). Oy. I better start reading up on how to work this thing.

I'm excited about the camera...a bit worried about the money he spent...and excited about the camera. Such a conundrum, lol.

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