Thursday, September 27, 2007

Forgotten

Cory forgot his saxophone. He ran off and left it in his band locker at school. He's missing a week of school for the Feast. Jeffrey and I drove over here today, and the kids came after school. They just got here, and Cory announced that he forgot his saxophone. He's supposed to practice while he's gone. He's not worried about that. He just hates that he can't play a song for Kait.

There's a football game Friday night when we get home. I told him he better bring that saxophone home and practice, practice, practice over the weekend before he has to go back to school. He can play the song for Kait at the Barn Party.

Credit Cards for All Needs

A friend mentioned today that she needs a credit card that will round her purchases up to the next dollar and put that amount into savings - because she's not good at saving on her own. I like my credit card that gives me at least 1% back on all my purchases, and, if I can wait to get my money back, I can get an extra $50. Whenever the cash back gets to $200, they'll add that $50. I can wait. Depending on what your needs are, there are credit cards for everyone. It's nice to be able to check them out online, like at the Cooperative Bank website, and see which one would best suit your needs. Whether you need a low interest rate for a balance transfer or you want to earn some frequent flier miles, chances are you'll find one.



Please use credit responsibly

Free Online Storage

Cory spends a lot of time on the Internet watching silly videos, playing on NeoPets or on some Lego site, or talking to his friends on MySpace. Occasionally he actually does something halfway constructive. He's very good at photo editing and creating videos. A while back he had a friend who wanted him to create a video, but then he had to figure out how to get this video to his friend. He wanted to email it, but it was too big for an email attachment. I kept trying to find him a place to upload the file so his friend could go download it. I found a few places that looked promising, but for some reason or other, they didn't work or he didn't want to try them. I don't know if the friend ever got his video or not.

Recently I read about MediaMax, a FREE online storage and file sharing site that I just had to check out. This site offers 25GB of online storage. I can store files online, share those files, host my own videos - whatever. Mostly I'm interested in backing up my data, because we've had some harddrive problems in the past. Beth ended up losing quite a few pictures and wasn't too happy about it. With 25GB of storage, I ought to be able to backup practically all of my data. Then, if I want to share it, I can do that, too. So, I signed up. I haven't actually uploaded or tried sharing anything yet, but I have high hopes for this site. I need to let Cory know, just in case he needs to share a large file with a friend again. This ought to make it easy.

Other people, who need to share files with me - I wish they'd try it, too. Jump drives are nice, but this sounds so much easier - or at least files can be shared without ever having to leave the house.
Note: Contrary to ppp popular opinion, no one is paying me to say this.

Law Discussion by Former Proscecutors

Whenever I read John Grisham books, I think I could have been a lawyer. He explains it so well. Of course, when I said that, someone said, "Even John Grisham doesn't want to be a lawyer. That's why he quit and started writing books." Well, maybe he doesn't still want to be a lawyer, but he does understand the law, and he does explain it in a way that even I can understand it.

Lawyers Mailing List - Lawyers Database - Law Firms List - Lawyers List
He's not the only former lawyer who writes about law and trials in a way that the rest of us can understand. The Los Angeles Criminal Attorney Blog | California Criminal Defense Lawyers Forum is written by some former Los Angeles prosecutors. They discuss California law and high profile celebrity trials. One of the posts that caught my eye is the one about what rights a passenger has when a vehicle is stopped by the police. Not that I'm planning to be in a vehicle in California that gets stopped by the police, but you never know. There was the time Jeffrey turned the car sideways on the freeway - but there were no police in sight.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

It's Not Too Late

World Alzheimer's Day was September 21. Memory Walks are going on all over the country this month, and, at least in my area, the early part of next month. Since I'm going to be out of town and wasn't sure I would be back in time, I didn't seriously consider walking. I would love to do the walking part. It's the fundraising that bothers me. Anyway, since I'm not walking, I figured I could still help in a small way - so I promised to donate the money I got paid for blogging about the Memory Walk and helping get the word out. When I got ready to donate, I read on the PPP blog that Harrah's Foundation has promised to match all donations in the month of September - up to 1 million dollars. So, in effect, my donation is doubled.

It's not too late. If you were planning to donate, be sure to donate to the Alzheimer's Association by the end of September, so your donation can be doubled, too. And, if your employer matches your donation, you could probably combine that, too.

Tattoos Again

I was just talking about tattoos yesterday, and now today Ellen is talking about them. People are showing off their tattoos, and it's really kind of fun. She's also going to have Kat VonD from L.A. Ink and formerly from Miami Ink on. I knew that girl was tattooed, but I didn't realize how much. I guess I never paid enough attention when I watched the show. I'm guilty of being on my computer and watching tv at the same time. Of course, I can just go watch the episodes on my computer. How convenient.

If I ever get another tattoo, I would love to have Kat do me. She is so talented. I think there's supposed to be a way to get on the show and go to L.A. to get some ink. I'll have to check that out.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Tammy Says I'm Nice!

Nice Matters Tammy from Mom Knows Everything gave me a Nice Matters award. Awards are always fun to get. It makes me think I'm doing something right. Thank you, Tammy!

This award is given to bloggers who inspire good feelings in others, who are caring and kind, good blog friends, who care and support others and are a positive influence in the blogging world. The award was created by Genevieve at Bella Enchanted.

Now, for the fun part. I get to pass this on to some bloggers who I think inspire those good feelings, who are caring, kind, nice and good blog friends.
  1. First, I'm following Tammy's example and passing this back to someone who gave it to me earlier - Elizabeth at Table for Five. She's always quick with an encouraging word, busy as she is.
  2. Susan at Susan's Scribbles. She's always there to help her friends and family, even when her own life may not be going the way she planned. I hope an award will make her smile and let her know she's special.
  3. Suzanne at Miss Kitty Fantastico. She's been a good blogging friend since she found me on Live Journal. I always look forward to her comments.
  4. David at authorblog. He encourages bloggers, points out posts he has enjoyed reading, and generally brings bloggers together. Yes, the award does at first appear girly, but there's a version for the guys, too.

Tattooed Love

Even before I got my first tattoo, I was interested in looking at people's tattoos. There are so many really amazing ones, and I kept thinking that one of these days I was going to get one. I kept looking for a lot of years. Once I got one, I realized that they are addictive, and it's hard to stop at just one. Jeffrey hasn't found the right design, so he doesn't have one yet, but now that he's got the motorcycle, it's only a matter of time, right?

Now, if I was single and looking for someone new - someone with a hot tattoo, I'd have to check out these tattoo personals. People with tattoos or people who love tattoos post their profiles on this site in hopes of meeting someone who shares their love of tattoos. They say you should date someone who shares a common interest, so tattoo dating for people who love tattoos makes sense. After joining for free, tattoo lovers can browse profiles, add interesting people to their 'little black book' and send and receive messages. Perhaps they'll find true love and get each other's names tattooed on their bodies.

Good Timing

It started raining this afternoon - hard enough that I thought I better go pick Cory up from the bus stop. He doesn't appreciate it when I make him walk in the rain. He comes in the front door all wet and glares at me. He's sweet, but it's not like he's going to melt. But I thought I'd be a nice mom and pick him up. It's true - once in a while, I'm actually a nice mom.

Then, right about the time I needed to leave, I noticed that it had stopped raining - so I went out to the mailbox just to be sure. It's sprinkling a little, but nothing major. I didn't melt. The boy can walk. Now we're all good, as long as it doesn't decided to start pouring on him halfway home.

Yep, he's home and he's not even wet!

Stay Home and Make Money, Too

Since I've had my kids, I've been a stay at home mom. We figured up the costs of daycare and transportation, subtracted that from the money I was making at my job, and figured we were better off if I stayed home. Since then I've done some occasional web site work, but it hasn't been anything serious. Jeffrey keeps telling me that I should actually start my own business, advertise my services, and do this on a regular basis. My problem is that I really don't know where to start. I even have a hard time figuring out how much to charge when I'm doing someone's web site, and I especially have a hard time keeping track of the time I spend working on it.

Of course, I do like the idea of having my own business and being able to work from home much better than the idea of going to work somewhere else. When the kids leave home, I'll probably have to do something. So I might as well do something for myself, right? At least I can try and see where it goes. I could sign up at DirectMatches and, it says, get paid to advertise my business. It also looks like a good place to network with other business people and access several FREE tools to build a business - free business profile, free classifieds, free advertsing. Also, DirectMatches itself seems to be a direct sales business opportunity that works by building networks and getting people to sign up. It kind of makes me think of MySpace with pay. It's free to sign up and try it, so it's worth a look.

Heads or Tails - Pets

Barb at Skittle's Place has started a weekly meme. Every Tuesday, she calls Heads or Tails, and we get to play along. HEADS this week is Pet(s)

Besides fish, which you can't actually pet, we've had three pets since Jeffrey and I have been married. A cat named Theo. He was pretty, but not a very loving cat. A dog named Nikki. She was half chocolate lab and half dalmatian. I liked her best when she lived outside and before she barked so much the neighbors called the police. It still bugs me that they couldn't just come over and say something like, "Did you realize your dog is barking and it's really bothering me?" No, they had to call the police. Theo, Nikki, and the fish are all long gone, and I never wanted another animal. I'm just not an animal person. The irritations and the negatives always seem to outweigh the positives when it comes to having pets. I think I could put up with some irritations, if only there were some positives to make it all worthwhile. With Theo - he started peeing on the floor and other things because we moved and his whole life changed. At our house in Illinois, he mostly lived outside because we got tired of trying to make him stay inside. When we moved to the apartment we had while we were building this house, he had to stay inside all the time, with the dog - and he was not happy about that. No way no how was I going to move him again, this time to a new house with brand new carpet. He wasn't even a loving lap kitty, but I don't think even that would have offset the negatives.

So, we got rid of the cat. We got rid of the dog. The fish died - well, some of them went to live in a horse trough to eat the flies and mosquitoes. We were never, ever going to have an animal in the house again. Then the kids begged and begged for a kitten, and I said yes. What was I thinking? So far Tillie has lived with us for two months. She's sweet and precious and loving. I don't have to take care of the litter box. I'm not supposed to have to clean up after her or feed her. All that is Beth's job. Still, the furniture is getting snagged by kitty claws. Beth has to be told to take care of the litter and to feed the kitten. Sometimes I do feed her, but I refuse to mess with the litter, and the messes that I would like cleaned up now are not taken care of until later. All the little things I knew were going to bug me about having an animal in the house - they're all there. Not so much the cat hair on everything, but that's coming. Is Tillie sweet, furry and purry enough to make up for all that? So far. But I'm still not changing the litter.

This post has been brought to you by Heads or Tails - read more

Monday, September 24, 2007

After the Book is Written, Then What?

I've never personally written a book, but I know at least one published author. Ok, not in person, but she's one of my online friends. I've never asked her what kind of publishing company or service she uses. I know she sells her books via her website, so she pretty much controls the book sales. The idea of self publishing is very intriguing, because it gives the author control over all publishing options. Outskirts Press offers 5 publishing packages, so that authors can choose, and pay for, only the options they want and need, and not any that they don't. Outskirts Press provides professional interior layouts and cover design - so the book doesn't look like someone threw it together on their home printer. It looks like an actual, real live book, something the author can be proud of. Authors can set their own pricing, and they even provide an online pricing calculator to help figure it out. There's even a whole page on Book Math to explain it all - setting the retail price and calculating the trade discount. It looks like they make it as easy as possible for authors to figure out how much they need to sell their books for in order to accomplish their goals. The author is in control of it, not the publisher.

I would think that, after spending all that time writing, it would be comforting not to have to hand your baby over to someone else and let them make all the decisions. On the other hand, having someone to help you along the way so you're not all on your own would be comforting, too. It sounds like Outskirts Press is really striving to achieve that balance - giving authors as much support and help as they need - first with the publishing and then marketing, too.

Now, if I could just write a book. Yeah, I'd need help with that, too.

Band Pictures

I went with Cory to band practice tonight so I could take pictures of the band members. The Band Boosters made up buttons with pictures of each band member in their uniform last year. Then we sold them to the parents. It seemed to go over really well, so we decided to do it again this year. The Band Booster Association even bought our own button making machine, so we won't have to borrow one and pay someone else for the use and the supplies. Yes, we'll have to recoup the cost of the button machine, but that shouldn't take too long. I also lined up some more business for our button machine. Really, I didn't work too hard at it. One of the moms was in there, and I told her what I was doing. She asked if I could do buttons for the cross country team. Since we're leaving at the end of the week, and we'll be gone, I won't be able to go and take pictures - but, she is going to take the pictures. Then she'll get them to me so I can prepare them to print so that they can be buttons. And we'll still sell the buttons for $2 each.

With the help of another mom, I took pictures of all the band members who were at practice. There were about 15 people missing, so we'll have to get them later. Really, the entire band should be there, but they're not. I was going to go in to school tomorrow and take those pictures, but there's too much actual band stuff that needs done. While pictures and buttons and fundraisers are important, they shouldn't get in the way of what they are really there for, and that's band. They have a competition on Saturday and must get ready for that. I won't be there to take pictures, but someone else will. Or is supposed to.

I better send a heads up to the lady who will need to pick up the cross country pictures and make the buttons. Just so she knows what is coming.

Friday, September 21, 2007

I Love My Dell Laptop

I have spent the whole day here on my couch with my Dell notebook, and I've had no time to blog - unless you count that post about being replaced by the kitty. I really do like my computer. I spend lots of time with it on my lap, and recently the kitty has been trying to replace my computer, too. When the kids aren't home, she wants to curl up on my lap, and that makes it very hard to use the laptop, too. As it is, I sometimes have to leave the computer on the coffee table and type with one hand. Oh, the things we give up for these animals! And I'm not even an animal person.

I do take my computer practically everywhere I go. I don't take the cat - though we did just take her to the library. Cory's idea. I have gone away from home a time or two and not taken the computer, and, of course, that's the precise time I really need it! Having a laptop makes my pc ultra portable so there's really no reason not to take it.

When we go places, we usually take both of our Dell laptops. Yes, this is my second one. When I got it about a year ago, my husband 'inherited' the old one. It still works, except that the touchpad stopped working. Now he uses a wireless mouse with it. He figured it wasn't worth replacing the whole top of the computer (it comes as one piece) when the cost of an entire computer really isn't that much any more. When we bought the new one, I was surprised that it cost about $500 less than the old one had cost 4 years earlier - and it was better. I think the touchpad part would cost $250 or so from Dell, and right now you can start building a new laptop for around $500.

I've Been Replaced by a Kitty

Cory used to walk in the door after school each day and holler out, "Mom, I'm home!"

Now he comes in the door and says, "Tillie! Kitty kitty kitty."

When I complained about how he loves her more than he does me, he said, "You don't come running when I walk in the door."

I don't purr either.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Military Uniforms at the Lowest Price

Until the sons of our friends joined the U.S. Marines, I didn't realize that they had to pay for their own uniforms. One, they don't really get paid that much in the military. Two, they are required to wear the uniforms. And then they have to pay for them? Do the people who work at McDonald's have to pay for their own uniforms?

I am going to have to mention BDU.COM - they carry a complete line of Propper military uniforms (Propper is the largest supplier of military uniforms to the U.S. Department of Defense) at the lowest possible prices. It would at least be worth a look to see if they can get a better deal on the uniforms than wherever else they've been getting them.

Nice Matters

Elizabeth at MomCooks gave me a Nice Matters award! Thank you so much, Elizabeth. That is so nice.

This award is given to bloggers who inspire good feelings in others, who are caring and kind, good blog friends, who care and support others and are a positive influence in the blogging world. The award was created by Genevieve at Bella Enchanted.

There really are a lot of nice people in the blogging world. I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone I've met so far who hasn't been nice. That ought to make it easy to pass this award, shouldn't it?

I'd like to give this award to the following nice people:
I know there are many many more nice people out there, and I'm reserving the option to pass the award on to them at a later date. The trick is finding those who haven't been given this award yet. I probably shouldn't worry about that...

Time to Talk to Our Insurance Agent

Our life insurance agent's office called yesterday. It's been a few years since we've gone over our policies, and he'd like to sit down with us and discuss everything. Things may have changed, and it's always good to make sure we've got the right coverage. I have a hard time understanding the difference between Whole Life Policies and Term Life Policies. Our agent is really good at explaining these things and helping us understand Insurance Plans Pros and Cons so we can make the right decisions for our family. Also, he's not real pushy so I don't feel pressured into anything. It's just a matter of finding making the time for him to come over and talk to us.

I don't ever want to have to use it, but I am really glad that we have Life Insurance. We've known a few people who died without any insurance, and it was really hard on the families. As if losing a loved one isn't hard enough, they also had to figure out how they were going to afford to continue with their lives. I wonder if they would have gotten the insurance if they could've gotten lower insurance premiums, or if they just thought they'd never need it?

If you don't have your own life insurance agent, you can get an idea of the cost for a life insurance policy online. Advantage Term Life lets you compare several different policies, but I'd still like to talk to someone who can explain how much insurance we should actually have. Probably because that's the way we've done it from the beginning, but I like the fact that he asked if I want to have to work if something happens to Jeffrey, and then told us how much insurance we would need so I wouldn't have to.

I need to call back and make an appointment.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Free Music Downloads

While I was searching for information about an accident somewhere close to home today, I found a video on the news channel website. It was about a new music download service I would like to check out when I get a chance. At first I was thinking I'd send the link to my kids because they're always listening to some kind of music. Beth can't even take a shower without having the music going. However, I don't think this site works with iPods, and that's what they have. I suppose they could listen on the computer - Beth does that a lot in her room. Also, my mp3 player isn't an iPod, so I could use it. It's just that I usually listen to books.

I'm still going to check it out, because it's FREE, and that's really high on my list for most everything. I can put up with some ads for free music.

I never did find any information about the accident, so I'm hoping that means it was nothing serious. I was just a little worried because my kids were on their way to school when I heard about it, and I thought it might affect them. It didn't. They didn't even see it.

I Only Have to Cook Once a Week?!

I like to cook, but there are days when I start out wondering what we are going to have for dinner. Then I get busy and don't think about it again until 5:00. We usually eat between 6 and 6:30, so that doesn't leave a whole lot of time to figure something out and get it ready. I admit, sometimes I just ask Cory to make frozen pizzas. He does a good job of that, but still I feel like we should have a 'real' dinner.

What if we could have a 'real' home-cooked dinner every night of the week and I only had to cook once? It's an interesting concept, one covered by Trish Berg in:

The Great American Supper Swap
Solving the Busy Woman’s Family Dinnertime Dilemma
By Trish Berg


To learn more about this, read an interview with Trish, and, enter for a chance to win the book, visit:

BECAUSE I SAID SO: I Only Have to Cook Once a Week?!

Yes, I know, I'm hurting my odds of winning, but I just had to share. You have until midnight eastern time on Friday, September 21.

I Signed Up for Blogsvertise

I've seen badges for Blogsvertise on various blogs, but I never actually clicked and checked them out until today. It sounds pretty easy. Advertisers want their products and sites mentioned. I have a blog, so I can, and do, talk about all kinds of things. Once I get this blog accepted into the Blogsvertise system, they will start assigning me writing tasks for what the advertisers want mentioned. I'll have 5 days to accept or decline the task. I don't have to endorse the advertiser's website, unless it's something I'm excited about, and then I will. If I don't like it, I can say that, too - as long as I mention the site and link to it. I'm looking forward to learning about some new products, sites, and services, writing about them, and, the big bonus - getting paid to do it. All you need is a blog and an active PayPal account, and you can do it too.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

My Scrabble Score

I stole this from Lady Banana. I couldn't resist. Yes, I do know that technically, proper nouns are not valid Scrabble words, but I didn't really have anything else to enter.

Pholph's Scrabble Generator

My Scrabble© Score is: 30.
What is your score? Get it here.


I needed this for that other post:

You can't spell

without

She's 17

Beth is 1717 years ago today, we had a brand-new baby girl. It doesn't seem like it's been 17 years, and then again... She's been a fun one - pretty and sweet, stubborn and opinionated. She's been her daddy's girl from day one, and doesn't she know it? She believes that all she has to do is look at him just right with her gorgeous brown eyes, and she can have anything she wants. Often enough, she's right.

All too quickly, she's growing up and determined to be out on her own - or at least out of this house. She started that early. One time when she was maybe 5, she got mad at me for some reason - probably because I wouldn't let her do something she wanted to do. (Dad gives her what she wants. Mom says no) So, Beth decided she was going to run away from home. She figured since life was so bad at home, that she ought to take her brother with her, so she asked him to run away too. Then she started pulling the sheets and blankets off the beds so she could take them with her. When I walked into the room and asked them what they were doing, Cory said, "We're running away. Want to come?" Beth set him straight really quick, "No, she can't come!" He had no clue what was going on. He just wanted to do whatever his sister asked him because he thought she was the best thing ever - next to mom, of course. :P

One more year, and Beth says she's out of here. She hasn't invited her brother this time. I'm just waiting to see what she really does, and trying to figure out how to spend more time with her - if all I've got is a year. We went running around yesterday evening, and it was nice having her to myself. She spends too much time in school and at work and 'hanging out' with her friends. Getting a minute of her time is practically impossible. I guess she figures we've had 17 years' worth and it's someone else's turn?

Heads or Tails - Keys

Barb at Skittle's Place has started a weekly meme. Every Tuesday, she calls Heads or Tails, and we get to play along. The theme this week is Key(s)

The first keys I ever had were my dorm keys in college. I'm sitting here trying to remember - there was the dorm key and a key for something else - mailbox maybe. It's been a few years. Before college, I had no need for keys in my life. We lived outside a small town, and I don't know if we ever locked the house. I know none of us kids had a key because there was no need. Mom was usually home when when we got home from school. I never had a car to drive, either, so there was no need for car keys.

Now, of course, I have all kinds of keys. I have keys for my van, keys for Jeffrey's old car,which Beth drives now, a key to the house, and some little keys I have no idea what they're for. Besides the keys, I have key rings to put them on - and because they're cute. I have an orange fish Cory bought me at the aquarium in Gatlinburg and the turtle he bought me in Boston, to replace the fish because it's beat up and broken. Yep, the fish is still hanging out on my key ring. I also have a Mickey Mouse key ring from Disney World. I have my library card and my grocery store savings cards, some of which are no longer needed and should be removed, but I haven't gotten around to that. All these keys and key rings are held together by a clip so I can remove sets of keys easily or clip the whole lot to my belt loop or my purse strap. If I forget to clip it to my purse strap and just toss them in, they have this way of falling to the bottom of the purse and getting lost. Why do keys do that?

Both my kids already have keys. They each have their own house key because, once in a while, I'm not home when they get home from school. Of course, those are the days they forget to take their keys with them! I've come home to find them sitting out on the driveway or over at the neighbors' house. Now Beth also has the keys to the car. She has her keys on a clip, too, and clips those keys to her belt - even when she goes somewhere without the car. I guess at least that means she has her house key if she needs it.

This post has been brought to you by Heads or Tails - read more

Monday, September 17, 2007

Have You Heard of Red Gac?

I haven't always taken care of my skin. Wait, cross that out. I still don't take care of my skin the way I should. I like the way it feels to lay in the sun, and I like to have a tan. One of these days I'm going to look in the mirror and wonder if there's anything I can do to fix the damage I have already done.

Tonight I've been reading about this R.G. Skin Revitalizer, and I'm wondering if this might be the stuff. R.G. stands for Red “Gâc” (Momordia Cochinchinemis Spreng), a native fruit of Vietnam. This fruit, which grows to the size of a cantaloupe, is very common all over Asia and has long been valued for its medicinal qualities. People grow it in their gardens and eat it with rice. It has an abundance of beta carotene, lycopene, and other antioxidants. The R.G. Skin Revitalizer, taken as a dietary supplement, is supposed to support healthy skin from the inside out. It's supposed to boost the immune system and help skin cells to rejuvenate. What makes it different from other exotic fruit supplements is the fat in the fruit pulp, which is essential for the absorption of the antioxidants.

I've heard a lot about the importance of antioxidants, and this sounds like a very concentrated and natural way to get some good ones. I still should probably stay out of the sun and find a good moisturizer.

Even if I Knew the Lyrics

While I was folding laundry tonight, Cory and I watched part of that NBC show The Singing Bee. I had never seen it before, but I had read somewhere that there were two similar shows coming out at about the same time - this one and the Fox show Don't Forget the Lyrics. That one we've watched a couple of times, and I have decided that I like the Wayne Brady show on Fox better. Why exactly? I'm not sure. Maybe it's because I like Wayne Brady better. Cory called him "the white man's black man," and I'm sure that's not politically correct. I'd never heard that before.

Whichever one of these shows I watch, and I know I will end up watching at least part of them from time to time, I know I could never do what these people do. For one, I can't sing, and for two, I don't know the lyrics. It's amazing how they can take a song you think you know - until the words stop and you have to come up with the next line. It's hard!

I did know the words to Eye of the Tiger, tonight. Repeat after me: "The last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and he's watching us all with the, eye - of the tiger." The girl was doing well until she got to that part. I really like Survivor. This is not my favorite song by them, but it seems to be the most known one.

I'm thinking maybe we should send Beth to be on one of these shows. She likes all kinds of music and sings along to all the songs. She knows the lyrics, or at least thinks she does.

Where Should I Go?

Beth and I went to Burger King tonight. We were out running errands, and she wanted food. I guess fast food is ok sometimes, but, if I am ever on vacation, I don't want to eat in some chain or fast food place. I want something unique, but I also want to know that it is good. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends in London should I decide to vacation there. How am I going to know which restaurants or London bars I want to visit? Simple - I visit Trusted Places ahead of time and read the reviews other people have left. I figure, if real people recommend something, then it's worth a try. It's certainly better than going in with no information ahead of time.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

BlogRush

Looking for more traffic? Or just to network with related blogs? You might want to try BlogRush. I just signed up and added the widget to my sidebar. We'll see how it works.

About BlogRush:
BlogRush is a free service that was created to help bloggers solve their #1 need:
More Readers For Their Blog.

By adding the BlogRush Widget to a blog, a blogger can get instant distribution for their latest blog post titles across a network of related blogs.

BlogRush users earn "syndication credits" (the right to have their blog post titles shown inside a widget on another related blog) based on their own traffic (loads of the widget) as well as the traffic of other users they refer to BlogRush. Users can automatically refer others to BlogRush via special links on the widget, as well as through the promotion of a special referral URL they are given.

BlogRush is a "Cooperative Syndication Network" that rewards its users for their contributions to the network -- from the impressions they provide of the BlogRush Widget to the referral of other users through 10 'generations' of activity and the impressions of the widget that they provide. BlogRush was designed to be incredibly viral and to provide its users with tremendous distribution leverage to receive exposure for their blog content (onto related content blogs) that they could never achieve on their own; at least without a massive advertising budget.

BlogRush is the brainchild of Internet entrepreneur, John Reese. Mr. Reese is the founder and CEO of Income.com, a soon to be launched social network and media company for entrepreneurs. BlogRush is the first Web property of the Income.com Network, a network of sites and services to help entrepreneurs and business owners succeed. Income.com is based in Orlando, Florida.

Her Gas?

Friday night we were busy, but Cory had to be at school by 5:45 for band. Since Beth wanted to go to the football game, too, we told her she needed to take him. The football game wasn't supposed to start until 7:00, but we usually just take Cory over and then stay around for the game. I just figured Beth would do that same thing, but, no - she didn't want to sit around and wait. So she was just going to take him over, drop him off, and come back. Then she wanted to go back for the game later. Of course, that meant that she was going to have to make two trips instead of one, and, since one of those trips was just to take her brother, she didn't think she should have to use her gas for that. Never mind all those times she went here, there or somewhere else in the past and used her dad's gas! (I told him he should be keeping track and give her a bill!)

No matter how many times I explained that to her, she still didn't get it. Actually, I'm sure she got it just fine. She just didn't want to admit it. All this being responsible for buying her own clothes, her own gas, her own health and beauty aids, etc., is very good for her. She finally has some kind of idea how much things cost and that you can't just run out and buy something because you think you want it, or go run to the store or some other place just because you feel like it. Things cost money, and now that it's her money, she's a little more discriminating as to how she spends it.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Take Junk Food Out of School

I found this on techfun.
From the Center for Science in the Public interest:
Congress is currently considering national legislation to improve the nutritional quality of foods and beverages in schools. Please sign the petition below to ask your members of Congress to take junk food out of schools by requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its nutrition standards for foods and beverages offered from vending machines, a la carte in the cafeteria, and in school stores on the whole campus throughout the school day.

USDA’s current school nutrition standards were developed in the 1970’s and are no longer consistent with nutrition science or current concerns regarding children’s nutrition. For example, USDA does not consider candy bars, snack cakes or French fries to be junk foods in schools.

Please sign the petition to let your members of Congress know:

Yes! I want soda and junk food out of our nation’s schools.
If you're worried about what our kids are eating, please go sign the petition. I did. I know our local school has imposed some new restrictions on junk food in the vending machines this year, but I don't know if it was a voluntary thing or a state directive or what. There have been studies showing that kids who eat better learn better, and with the obesity epidemic in this country, it would certainly be best for our kids not to have the temptation of junk food in a place they spend so much of their time.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

8 Random Things

I've been tagged by Mama Pajama and Two Write Hands for the 8 things meme. Yes, I've been tagged before, and I've done it before, but I thought I'd see if I couldn't do it better this time. Or should I have said more randomly? Whatever.
  1. I rarely ever follow a recipe. Instead I take it as more of a suggestion - kind of like the Pirate Code. For instance, tonight I'm sort of making this, but I decided to just dump everything in the pan and bake it - and serve it over angel hair. Too bad my sourdough bread is all gone.
  2. Someone once asked me, "What is one thing you have never run out of?" I'm the kind of person that stocks up on everything. I rarely run out of anything. Of course, the one very important thing this person mentioned would definitely be something I would never want to run out of - toilet paper!
  3. Speaking of running out of toilet paper, there were times we had to use the Sears and Roebuck catalog when I was growing up. I never want to do that again. Better not run out of toilet paper.
  4. I have run out of onions a time or two. Do you know that there is practically nothing I can make for dinner if I don't have any onions? Oh yeah, I added onions to my recipe tonight, and sprinkled Parmesan on the top.
  5. My breadmaker keeps beeping at me because the bread is done. I think some fresh whole wheat bread hot and fresh out of the breadmaker will be so so good with the chicken, zucchini, angel hair we're having for dinner.
  6. One of my favorite smells ever? The smell of fresh-baked bread. There's not much that beats that.
  7. It's taking quite a bit longer to bake this dinner than I was expecting. That's what I get for experimenting. It's a good thing, though, because Jeffrey and Cory ran to Walmart. Cory's band teacher told them today that they will not be wearing their uniforms for the football game tomorrow night. Instead they will be wearing jeans and their show shirt. They're supposed to wear a black long-sleeved shirt under the show shirt. All he has is white. A little more notice would have been nice. I don't like last-minute stuff, and I really don't like running to the store for just one thing.
  8. I get easily distracted. I went out to the kitchen to get the bread out of the breadmaker and, instead, I started to put the angel hair into the boiling water. Oops - the boys aren't home yet. I definitely do not want to cook the pasta yet. Oh, and I just remembered that I have clothes all over the bed that I'm supposed to put away. I was trying to see if I had a long-sleeved shirt that Cory could wear. Of course, all my winter clothes are still packed away in the cedar chest, so I started pulling them out. No, nothing he could wear, so now I need to put things away.
Was that random enough for you? Part of the point of this meme is that you're supposed to tag 8 people so they can do it too. Since we're being all random here, I'm going to tag 8 random people. How does that sound?
  1. Mom Knows Everything (I know you've done this before, and I don't care. You get to tag me all the time, so it's my turn.)
  2. Deb, Mom of 3 Girls - because she has so much time on her hands. I'm rolling my eyes here - I really don't know how she does it.
  3. Elizabeth at MomCooks - since a lot of this list had something to do with the kitchen and cooking, and I'd like to see what she comes up with.
  4. Barb at Skittles' Place - because she's got a lot of fun random things on her blog, but I didn't find a list of 8 of them all in one place
  5. The Redhead!
  6. and now I'm randomly going to stop tagging. If you want tagged, drop me a comment and let me know. I'm sure I'd love to read some random stuff about you!

Would You Be Ready?

We're always hearing about flooding in some areas of the country, drought and wildfires in others. In a split second, everything can be gone. I watch this kind of thing on tv, and this year read one of my online friend's personal account, and wonder how in the world those people will ever recover. I wonder what I would do if something like that happened to my house.

After Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita in 2006, a group of individuals who had been working in the insurance industry noticed that there were significant gaps in the resources available to help people recover from disaster. AxcessPoints was their answer. AxcessPoints is a secure online planning resource that can help families plan ahead and prepare for emergencies. They offer convenient online storage of important personal information, like medical, financial and insurance information. No more worrying about losing all your important papers if your house goes up in flames. Stored information is completely secure (very important) but can be shared with selected people.

I really like the idea of the online storage, and the sharing. If something happened to Jeffrey and me, there is no one who would know where to find all the important papers and be able to take care of everything. I know that's not good, and we really should do something about that. The articles AxcessPoints offers and the many online tools would be a big help in knowing what we really need to do to prepare - for practically anything.

I can try it out FREE for 30 days - read the articles, find out how to put together an emergency kit, and see if it works for me. See if you think it might be something your family can use.

Scattergories for Bloggers

I found this on Virtual Musotopianoforte and thought it sounded like fun. The game is called Scattergories. I wonder if it's the same thing as the board game? I haven't played it, so I wouldn't know.

Here are the rules:
*Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.
*They must be real places, names, things ... nothing made up!
*If you can't think of anything, skip it.
* You can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.
*If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!

My Name: Anna
1. Famous Singer/Band: Abba
2. 4 letter word: Aura
3. Street: Antique Lane
4. Colour: Aqua
5. Gifts/Presents: Ankle bracelets
6. Vehicle: Accord (Honda - so? it's Jeffrey's and not mine)
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Awful trinkets that cost too much
8. Boy Name: Andrew
9. Girl Name: Abigail
10. Movie Title: After the Sunset
11. Drink: Agua (water)
12. Occupation: Actor
13. Celebrity: Aidan Quinn
14. Magazine: AAA Living
15. U.S. City: Albuquerque
16. Pro Sports Teams: Anaheim Ducks
17. Fruit: Apple
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Accident on the freeway
19. Something You Throw Away: All the trash
20. Things You Shout: Act your age!
21. Cartoon Character: Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

I Love NY?

With all the talk and remembrance of the 9/11 anniversary, and the focus on New York City, I started thinking about how I've never even been to New York - state or city, either one. It's not really a place that I ever seriously considered going, but it won't be long until the kids are out of the house. Then Jeffrey and I can start having a real life! No, seriously, there are things we'd like to do, and visiting some places we've never been is one of them. Jeffrey wants to go to Las Vegas one of these days. I'm not all that excited about that, but I think I could enjoy a visit to New York City.

Of course I would have to plan ahead because I'm not all that good at being spontaneous. Just ask Jeffrey. He'll tell you. I'd like to look up NYC restaurants ahead of time so we'd know where to go to eat. I really hate to go somewhere and end up hating the food or the service or something. With so many places to choose from with this NYC dining guide, there's no excuse for that. At least I can get a good idea. Then, since we will have to prove that we're not old and still have lots of energy, we will have to hit a night club or two, right? I wonder if I check out the guide to NYC nightlife if I'll be able to find one that's fun but doesn't allow smoking? Do they allow smoking in buildings in NYC? I really would like to be able to go out and have a good time without worrying about that. I'm not sure whether I can find that out or not, but it looks like there is always something going on in New York City.

Then I want to get up early and go visit Good Morning America, since I watch them every morning.

Smile Award

Tammy at Mom Knows Everything gave me this award. It's nice to know I make her smile! This award was created by Bridget at .."And Miles To Go Before We Sleep.."

I'm passing this award on to fellow bloggers who have made me SMILE!
  • bojojoti my LiveJournal friend. She has a way of taking mishaps that would make most people cry and writing about them with such humor. And, she took us all on vacation with her and the family.
  • meeyauw - partially because of that Flickr photo in the sidebar (the one with the cat head-first in the toilet) and also because I enjoy reading her blog. It does make me smile.
  • Deb - Mom of 3 Girls. She makes me smile, too. All the running around and scheduling to keep up with three young girls - and the things she learned at 7-Eleven.
  • Mama Pajama. First off - the name makes me smile. I also really enjoyed reading that list of favorite movies from the 80's. That brought back memories.
  • Jim and Emma at GO! Smell the Flowers. How can you not smile when being encouraged to take time out and smell the flowers? and, of course, they are always offering the chance to win free flowers.
Enjoy your award, and please pass it on to other bloggers who have made you SMILE.