Visit the Underworld with Hades & More
My husband found this site and gave me the link. Somebody spent quite a bit of designing this site. It's pretty cool. It's called River Styx. Check it out here.
Read more...Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bestselling Kids Toys & Black Friday Specials
Here are the bestselling kids toys. You might want to check them out before your kids start handing you their Christmas lists.
Speaking of Christmas shopping, here are the Black Friday specials.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Man Arrested for Making Coffee Naked in His Own Home
Somebody cuts through his yard, sees him naked in his own home, and calls the cops? Ever heard of trespassing? Read more...
Friday, October 23, 2009
Grow Lights vs Heat Lamps: I'm a Dork
I was looking for some type of light for the top of our corn snake's cage to keep him warmer this winter. I want to keep the heat down a little to save money (via propane savings) but don't want Willy to get too cold. I wasn't sure what I was looking for and found grow lights first. I'm such a dork! He needs a heat lamp, not a grow light. Does it look like he needs to grow anymore? I think not! He's not oregano to stick under a horticulture light!
As you can tell, I know next to nothing about snakes. Willy is the pet of my ten-year-old son (and dad helps him care for him and feeds him). The feeding thing? Yeah, that's kind of gross.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Cold & Flu Season Hard on Asthmatics Like Me
Has any household escaped the cold and flu season so far this year? It sure does seem to be starting early. I just had one cold a couple weeks ago and now I have another. The same for my youngest daughter (who gave them both to me by the way).
With asthma being prevalent in my family (my oldest and I both have it), I'm wondering what I can do to reduce the amount of cold and flu occurrences in the house. Each cold seems to hit me harder than normal because of my damaged lungs.
We live near a grain elevator and you would not believe the daily dust in our house! (Kind of scary thinking about how much we are inhaling into our lungs now that I think about it.) It's crazy dusty in our house. I was telling my husband today about a central vacuum, wondering if it would help with the overload of dust we get in our house. Might just help my asthmatic lungs too!
You'd think with all the scientific knowledge in this world, there would be a cure for asthma by now. Do you ever wonder if there IS a cure for some of these life-threatening diseases and the government and Big Pharma just aren't letting us know because illness is a big money-maker for Big Pharma? I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories but I really wonder in the medical field if there isn't a little somewhere.
Monday, October 19, 2009
My Birthday Present
I was right. My husband bought me an acoustic amp for my birthday. He's being 100% supportive of my learning to play guitar. I knew he wouldn't listen to me when I told him not to buy me anything. I know people say that and they don't mean it, but I really do. We have bills piling up.
BUT, I love my amp. Now I need to trade in my electric guitar for an electric acoustic and I'll be good to go!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
When Guys Get in Trouble
I just found this VERY funny site that explains to men what jewelry to buy and when - engagement rings, earrings, 'I'm sorry' jewelry, anniversaries, birthdays, engagements, baby's birth, etc. Men need to know this stuff! It's a one-stop advice and shopping haven for men. It had me laughing several times!
My man is usually really good (I say "usually" because he had one bad jewelry choice early on in our relationship) at buying jewelry but I know a lot of guys get that glazed look in their eyes when it is brought up. Men just don't have any idea what kind of jewelry to give or when to give it. They don't want to give something that means more than it should (don't want a woman to get confused over a ring you thought she'd like versus a ring she thinks is an engagement ring when it's not...boy would that be uncomfortable to talk your way out of!). They also don't want to give a piece of jewelry that doesn't mean enough.
I'll give you an example of great gift-giving. After the birth of each of our kids, on the Mother's Day that followed the birth, my husband bought me a ring that had the baby's birthstone in it. It was a very sweet, sensitive gesture. Not only do I have many good pieces of jewelry to choose from now (in many colors), but the jewelry means the world to me to have and wear. It will be something I can pass down to my kids down the road. I would definitely recommend this for dads to do as a gift for mom after the birth of their child or for the Mother's Day immediately following the birth! It'll be THE most appreciated gift, besides your newborn, of course.
Another example of gift-giving, that didn't go that well, was in the beginning of our relationship, when my husband and I had only been dating a very short time. He bought me an expensive gold necklace for Valentine's Day. I thanked him and acted pleased but internally, it freaked me out a bit. It was a serious gift at that early point in our relationship and it made me nervous (I know, usually it's the guy that gets a case of the nerves). A pair of earrings would've been better (and the web site, Bella True, in the "Tips for Guys" section confirms my feelings.) It was too serious, too fast, and I stopped dating him for a couple months shortly after that. OK, I ran - fast. I admit it.
The web site not only has pretty jewelry, but useful advice for the guy who is unsure what he should do and when he should do it and it gives us women a chance to laugh out loud because we can see our guy, or past boyfriends, in these predicaments.
You seriously need to bookmark the Tips for Guys page at Bella True and forward the link onto the boyfriends, husbands, brothers, uncles, etc. They need a little direction!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me
Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to Me!
Usually I am looking at womens jewelry but this year, I told my husband not to spend any money on me. I'd rather it go towards our bills that seem to keep piling up. Otherwise, I'll just feel guilty. Knowing him, he won't listen because he thinks gifts are a necessity.
Since I'm learning to play guitar, maybe he'll surprise me with a guitar amp for my birthday. I know he's been looking at them. I'm learning to play on an electric guitar but I eventually want to switch over to a folk size acoustic (that I can still hook up into an amp of course!).
Juggling Your Boss and Swine Flu
I wrote about the swine flu scare the school had over my oldest daughter earlier in the week so I won't bore you with repeating the tiny details here. Quick summary, she has asthma, they panicked over her asthma cough because of swine flu panic and sent her home from school when they shouldn't have to wait to see if she got a fever. Waited 48 hours, no fever, so I got a doctor's note to take her back to school.
Anyhow, there are a lot of kids out of school with fevers and vomiting right now at the school. My son said half of his class has been missing this week. When I went to pick up my daughter (see first paragraph), there was a little girl on my other daughter's cheerleading squad that was in the office with the flu. Her mom was called from work at the hospital to pick her up, showing up in her lab coat. I'd imagine there have been a lot of parents everywhere getting those phone calls to leave work to come get a sick child. I'm glad I work from home and my schedule is my own. I don't miss having to juggle my boss's demands and a sick child at the same time. I don't miss those times at all! I'd imagine the workplace is suffering right along with the schools - not only do they have to deal with employee illnesses, they also have to adjust to parents having to leave to take care of their sick child.
Monday, October 12, 2009
H1N1, School Freaks Out Over Asthma Cough
Is the H1N1 bug as bad as the government is making it out to be? What's your opinion? Is it as dangerous as they say or is it a ploy from Big Pharma and the government to make money? Is it worse than the basic flu that hits the masses every year about this time?
My 12-year-old daughter has asthma. Every year about this time, she gets an asthmatic cough that lasts a few weeks. With the weather changes and all the corn being cut down right now, she has that barky cough right now (no fever). I remember during Halloween last year, she barked all through trick-or treat. It's that time of year for her. Unless or until she develops a fever, it's her asthma. She went to school today and they ended up calling me to come get her. She still doesn't have a fever but they're panicking over the cough. "OMG, H1N1. LET'S ALL PANIC."
Ugh.
Let's not all freak out people! If she had a fever, then I would have kept her home. If this is her asthma cough, it lasts about a month. Am I supposed to keep her home from school for a month for something that isn't contagious because people are panicking?
She missed pre-algebra today (as well as other classes but pre-algebra is an honors math class and she needs to be there to understand what they're learning). She has to be home for 24 hours to see if a fever develops. So she'll miss a second pre-algebra class tomorrow and probably not be able to cheer for her last football game because of the rules about having to be in school the day of the games.
Now if she develops a fever, then she'll stay home until she hasn't had a fever for 24 hours but I don't think it's right that they kicked her out of school when she's not showing symptoms of having the flu! I know a lot of kids have the flu right now (whether it is H1N1 or not remains to be seen) but she has no fever!!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
7 Pounds Gone So Far
Since switching my thyroid medication from a synthetic T4 to a natural T3/T4 combination, I've lost 7 pounds (so far). Hopefully, 20 more will fall off along with the other 7!
Thyroid Hell
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Driving Pet Peeves
I don't have road rage. I don't get THAT mad while driving. What would be the point? Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't get irritated enough to let slip a few bad words when other people's driving irritates me.
Last week, two cars coming in the opposite direction passed a garbage truck in front of them - and they didn't care that they almost caused a head-on collision (with us!). That elicited more than just a few bad words from me (think finger gestures). They deserved it!
Other things that irritate me:
- Tailgating.
- When people don't turn on their turn signal until right when they turn or not at all.
- When lights are out so braking is a big surprise to you when all of a sudden, the car in front of you is a lot closer than it should be.
- How about when the car in front of you passes illegally on the right hand side of the road because the person in front of them is stopped to turn, leaving you little notice that there is a car stopped right in front of you? That really gripes!
- Another irritation is about cars and not driving specifically. The heavy bass beat that kids seem to think is awesome to hear half a dozen cars away? It hurts my ears! My ears are sensitive - they can't take heavy bass like that (nor can they take the high-pitched dog trainers that aren't supposed to be heard by humans. Yes, those hurt my ears too). I can't imagine what that bass is doing to that car's passengers' ears.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Green Cleaners: Buying Instead of Making
If you'd rather buy your household cleaners than make them, here is some information you should look for when choosing to find products that are good for the earth:
- All-Purpose Cleaner: should be chlorine-free, ammonia free, solvent free
- Window & Mirror Spray: should be ammonia-free with no synthetic fragrances or dyes
- Liquid Dish Soap: should be plant-based, biodegradable, with no synthetic fragrances or dyes.
- Dishwashing Detergent: should be plant-based, biodegradable, phosphate free, chlorine-free, with no synthetic dyes or fragrances.
- Oxygen Bleach: should be chlorine-free.
- Stain Remover: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, and solvent free.
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, and ammonia-free.
- Surface Scrub: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, with no synthetic dyes or fragrances.
- Concentrated Cleaners: should be plant-based, biodegradable, with no synthetic fragrances or dyes.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Husband vs Wife Decorating
They make some awesome new tv stands for the HD flat-screen televisions, don't they? I'm being stubborn though.
For years, I wanted a big armoire that looked antiqued, with doors that closed the television inside. With so many kids, any help closing up clutter is a necessity!
About four years ago, I finally got it. Now I won't give it up for a flat screen television. So, we just slid it inside! It's not the ideal situation to get the full sound effects from an HD flat-screen but for now, it's all I'm willing to give up for my husband to have his flat-screen!
Take a Hike!
BRRR! Why does it feel SO cold? I usually love Autumn but it seems like it's been colder than usual (shouldn't be a surprise because the summer was definitely cooler than usual too). Winter depresses me so this cold is for the birds! It can take a hike!
We are adding to our vacation wish list. Our destination additions are Salem, Massachusetts and Asheville, North Carolina. Not that we have a vacation planned (who can afford it right now), but it's nice to have something to look forward to anyway.
Hopefully after winter graces us with its presence and then gets the heck out of here, we'll have family visiting again. My sister and sister-in-law plan to travel in their RV so hopefully they make a stop near us on their travels for a visit. Traveling by RV seems like it'd be fun (much better than putting 4 - 6 kids in an automobile and traveling). All we'd have to do is ensure our rv insurance is updated, stock up on food, and hit the road!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Green Cleaning: Non-Toxic Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Non-Toxic Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
Ingredients ~
- 1 cup borax
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Here's what you do with it ~
- Flush the toilet to wet the bowl.
- Sprinkle borax around the toilet, then liberally apply vinegar on tip.
- Let sit for 3-4 hours and then scrub.
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