Mome reads Mommy, My daughter's way to spell it when she was younger... It stuck. My son calls me Mome... just like it looks. I now sign all my notes to them "Love, Mome". It's our inside secret and makes them smile. I always want them to smile.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Where's The Snow?

Puddin Pop and i ended up leaving for Michigan at 2:15 am Thursday morning. We were both excited and looking forward to seeing and playing in the snow. Just after the sun came up and we were in the hills of West Virginia, I happened to catch a glimpse of a rainbow out my window...and then it hit me...I left my camera at home! I pulled out my cell phone and knew it would have to do. So as I'm driving all these winding roads, I'm also trying to get a good shot of the rainbow (I wouldn't suggest this). After awhile it disappeared and I thought I had missed my chance, but just a few moments later it showed up again and this time we pulled over to the side of the road and I got PP out to witness this amazing site. We could see the entire rainbow from end to end. Of course my cell couldn't capture the whole thing, but it's something I won't soon forget and hopefully either will PP.

We had a good time travelling and PP was an absolute angel. She didn't complain, she slept. looked out the window and we chatted. I couldn't have expected more. We made decent time, avoided all traffic, and reached out destination just before 5pm...with one problem...There's NO SNOW! It's Michigan, they've had tons of snow this year, but not when we show up. It's more like "pull out the patio furniture and fire up the grill." I even had a friend comment on the winter jacket I brought. I haven't had the opportunity to wear it since we went tubing at Massenhutten in 2006. She said "Look at you in your ski coat, this is Spring weather for us."
It's officially been determined that I have been cursed and shall never see snow again. I just can't get a break.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Outta Here and Other Stuff

I'll be absent for a while. I'm leaving at 3 am, with PP and driving 862 miles to Michigan. A long weekend with the Rents and some girls from HS and before. The weekend is packed with reunions and thanks to Facebook, I have more people who want to meet up than time. I'll try to work it out.
I'm looking forward to getting in tomorrow and relaxing before the craziness begins. Dad will make something fab for dinner and then the usual crowd will show up to watch Survivor on their 54" LCD TV in the theatre room. Puddin Pop is going to love watching Dora on the big screen, they'll be the same size.
I may or may not post. It depends on time. I thought I'd get some video of us girls at our Saturday Night Dinner the Rents are nice enough to host...after adult beverages. That should be pretty good viewing. Maybe I'll set up the laptop and not tell them...Hmm, I'll have to think of how to work that out.
Everyone be safe and I'll be back next week...or sooner...depending on how my blogging addiction affects me while I'm gone.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Is it Possible to Worry Yourself to Death?

I'm beginning to think it is!

My Mother-in-law is a constant worrier, her son (hubster) is quite bad too. I wonder what these people could do with all the extra time they'd have if they didn't worry so much. I don't mean to sound callous, I love my MIL, but when you are 67 years old and constantly worrying about your 85 year old neighbor's health, and every other friend and family member that may be or may become ill, what happens to you? I'll tell you what happens. You, yourself become ill.

MIL has had some chronic anal complications over the last 2 years. She's seen several Docs and has gotten various opinions. Recently she was told that she has an anal cyst, caused by stress and worrying. It hasn't enlarged in the last 6 months they've been monitoring it, they can not get to it to remove it without major surgery. It is not cancerous, it is filled with a water-like substance and just causes her uncomfortableness. This is what I refer to as "worrying your a$$ off". She needs to be supportive to her elderly friends, but not spend all her time worrying about their situations. What does worrying get you? Especially when your coming to the age where it is expected for friends to start passing of natural causes.

I have a good friend who's father suffers from Mesothelioma. After years of working in the asbestos filled ships at the shipyard he often has bouts with his condition. His wife is a worrier too. Last year after my friends father was hospitalized for a couple days, her mother worried herself to the point of losing 30 pounds and letting her health go just due to worrying and taking care of her husband. She was hospitalized 6 months later and spent more time recovering than the husband did. Does that make sense?

I guess I am just NOT a worrier by nature. I take care of what needs to be taken care of and realize that some things are just out of my hands.

When Boog had a fever the other day I kept him home from school and snuggled him up on the couch. My MIL stopped by to bring the kids frosty's and inquired as to whether or not Boog needed to be seen by the Doctor. For a fever? I politely explained that the fever was his only symptom and promised that if I thought he needed medical attention I would take him right away. Now he has a cough and my FIL swears it sounds like Croup and Hubster wants to take him to the doc first thing tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing I wouldn't do to prevent further illness and harm to my child, but a cough is a cough. He doesn't have croup and I refuse to let these worry warts turn my son into a hypochondriac like their son borders on being.

Can I get some back-up here?
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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Diet Results

First off, I really only did the 2 week diet for one week. I mentioned that if followed to the letter I was supposed to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks. I cheated (a little) with things like adding 1 teaspoon of lite dressing to what should have been a dry salad. I had an afternoon snack (a couple days) of celery and peanut butter, and then skipped the celery I was supposed to have for dinner (peanut butter was not on the diet). I was also supposed to have lamb chops for dinner on Wednesday but I've never cooked lamb chops and didn't want to start just for this in case I screwed them up, I wanted to EAT and had a steak instead.
So, how did I do? Well I only changed my eating habits. I did NOT use any diet pills or other dietary aides, and I did not increase my level of exercise.

I lost 6 1/2 pounds in one week.

I personally think just focusing on the diet and therefore NOT eating the kids last 3 bites each meal and staying away from the 5 dozen Valentine's cookies we made (I hear they were good) made the biggest impact. I had a GNI this week and knew I wouldn't be even close to following the diet, so I didn't even try. I am, however, still not finishing the kids meals and I am eating breakfast (which I never do). I'm also staying away from the cookies, cupcakes, and m&m's my MIL brought over and have continued to lose another 3 pounds this week. I will start the diet back up today and continue through Wednesday to see if I can lose another 5 before heading to Michigan on Thursday.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Payback?

We had another Girls Night In last night. It's now just 3 of us since our 4th has another commitment on Wednesday Nights. The kids got upset as I was leaving, you'd have thought I was leaving for some Argentina travel. Boog wouldn't stop crying and wanted to know why I ALWAYS have to go. It's once a month. I kissed him and left him crying, I really needed a night with the girls, I was 3 houses away.
Becky thought it would be a good idea to start the night off with a shot of Patron, it was yummy, but feeling it today. I Would really like a couple hours of sleep, but know it will never happen. Boog claimed to not feel well this morning, I got him dressed for school anyway. He's said he was sick before and then runs around like a crazy person all day long causing me to reconsider my choice of letting him stay home. As a precaution I took his temp...102. Okay, no school today. I think this is my payback for the tequila and wine I consumed last night...but it was so much fun

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Got some Love


Love Ya Award
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who can choose eight more and include this text into the body of their award.
Thank you to Research makes life Colorful for bestowing upon me this lovely award. There are so many wonderful blogs that I could pass this to, but I won't. I will allow any blogger who feels worthy or just needs a little love to take it to display on their own site. I think we all want to make a little (or a lot) difference when we set out to blog, and any attempt at bettering ourselves and others is worth some love. Take it and Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

American Idol Recap

Everything keeps changing. Season 8 has 36 contestants battling it out for the top 12 spots in 4 installments. Tonight the first 12 took the stage and the top male and top female vote getter will find themselves in the top 12, as will the next top vote getter. The judges, after the first 9 are chosen, will select their favorites for a wild card sing-off, and the top 3 will round out our final 12.

It has also been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible and will be replaced by Felicia Barton.

Now, here's my opinion on tonight's performers:
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Jackie Tohn~ I liked the song, I thought she had fun, looked very comfortable and did a good job. I did NOT enjoy the spandex.

Ricky Braddy~ Wow. Where have they been hiding this guy? Incredible voice. I hope to see more of him and am sorry we haven't seen more before now.

Alexis Grace~ Big voice for such a little girl. Great Job. She'll be in the top 12.
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Brent Keith~ Adorable dimples, decent voice. Nothing Spectacular but sure is nice to look at.

Stevie Wright~ Cute girl but her nerves got the best of her. I think she has seen her last performance in this years competition.
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Anoop Desai~ I really like this guys voice but have heard much better from him, I think he'll make the top 12.
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Casey Carlson~ Cute girl, bizarre facial expressions. Voice didn't do it for me, not so hot.
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Michael Sarver~ Big 'Ol Teddy Bear. Adorable smile, didn't stand out as a GREAT performance, but there's something I like about him.
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Ann Marie Boskovich~ Beautiful girl, okay vocal, too theatrical for me.
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Stephen Fowler~ Aw Man. I had such hopes for this guy and he just didn't come through. I wonder if he picked a song he KNEW to make sure there was no possibility of forgetting the words. Disappointing.
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Tatiana Del Toro~ I think that's the first time I've actually heard her sing, unfortunately she wasn't that bad. Her only hope is a wild card spot.
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Danny Gokey~ Still my Favorite. Awesome Job!
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Who do I think should get the 3 spots? Alexis, Ricky and Danny


Sunday, February 15, 2009

Autism Support - Need Action Now

I'm always looking for ways to support good causes and I fully support others doing the same. Autism affects many families in our blog community as well as those in our daily lives. If you could do something to help Right Now, would you?

Yes, I thought you would.


Elizabeth at Party Planning Professor has taken on a challenge from Rawtism.com. She has done her homework to find out more about Autism and has posted about it. You can read her post here and make sure to leave a comment. Rawtism.com had generously promised to donate .25, for every comment left on this post, to AutismSpeaks. Elizabeth has set a personal goal of 400 comments ($100) and I believe she is planning on dying her hair if this goal is achieved. Either way, it's a couple minutes of your time to help a fellow blogger and a great cause. Please do it now as a deadline of Monday @ 12am EST has been set.

Thanks for doing the right thing.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Cheap Airfare?

My original plan was/is to drive to Michigan. It's really not that bad of a drive (12.5 hours) as long as weather isn't bad. Michigan has had so much snow this Winter that I'm getting a little nervous. It's been a long time since I've driven in snow...and I didn't really like it back then. Plus I'll have Puddin' Pop with me which makes me even more safety conscious...precious cargo and all. My plan is to leave at 3am so in case we do hit bad weather, it will be mid afternoon when it will be the warmest and it will be daylight.

A friend of mine suggested flying. She is under the belief that I can find inexpensive airfare. $481 per person is not within my budget OR cheap. Every once in a while I luck out and get a great deal through orbitz.com. I once flew home for my dad's birthday, which just happened to be Memorial Day weekend, and got a round trip flight at the last minute for $150. That was an awesome deal.

While I haven't found a great deal like that, yet, I will keep looking. I've even seen some Orbitz coupons to reduce the prices as well as rental car discounts, which I will need if I fly instead of drive.

I'll keep you posted. If you have any free tickets or frequent flyer miles you are trying to get rid of...let me know.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Overstock

I think I mentioned before my lack of organization. I really want to be organized, but when I start to organize a room I lose focus and move onto something else causing more damage than good as the piles of stuff I've pulled out to organize get left for forever (really). So my initial thought in minimizing the overstock of stuff we have is to stop buying crap, but how do I get my MIL to stop bringing crap over? I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but does Hubster really need all his clothes she found in the attic from High School? He's 40 for Pete's sake. Most don't fit and the rest are way out of style...but she keeps bringing them over.

She has also found a new love for wholesale clothing and shopping at the thrift stores. But these clothes are only purchased for the children. I have nothing against thrift store shopping, I've seen some pretty good deals, but she also gets each kid a full new wardrobe, shoes included, two times a year from Penney's (her favorite store). So the extra bags of clothes every couple months from her thrift store visits...we just don't have room for.

To make things even worse, She has a friend who does tailoring and if anyone doesn't pick something up after 6 months...it somehow ends up at my house...just in case I need it. I've asked her before to stop bringing all the leftovers and hand-me-downs over, but I think she may have selective listening. Hubster is an only child and this is one of her many ways to "help us out". I appreciate the thought, it's just overwhelming the amount of crap we have accumulated without buying a thing. Any Ideas?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Results Are In

American Idol is doing things a little different this year and has put through 36 contestants to start airing the live shows. The first 3 weeks will be comprised of groups of 12 and this time the girls will NOT be separated from the boys. The talent is large and the Boys are going to dominate the show (in my opinion). Here's who made the Final Cut:



For the Boys/Men

Anoop Desai

Danny Gokey

Von Smith

Michael Sarver

Matt Breitzke

Kris Allen

Ricky Braddy

Alex Wagner-Trugman

Kai Kalama

Nathaniel Marshall

Adam Lambert

Scott MacIntyre

Matt Giraud

Nick-Norman Mitchell-Gentle

Stephen Fowler

Brent Keith

Jorge Nunez

Ju'Not Joyner



For the Girls/Women

Taylor Vaifanua

Anne Marie Boskovich

Jasmine Murray

Jeanine Vailes

Arianna Afsar

Tatiana DelToro

Jackie Tohn

Casey Carlson

Megan Corkrey

Allison Iraheta

Jesse Langseth

Mishavonna Henson

Stevie Wright

Joanna Pacitti

Lil Rounds

Alexis Grace

Kristen McNamara

Kendall Beard



Surprises: Jamar Rogers NOT making the cut. Tatiana, Nathaniel, and Alex getting through. I also have to wonder what the outcome of Joanna Pacitti will be. There is no doubt the girl can sing, she's already put out an album and has had contracts with Geffen Records and A&M Records putting her and AI under scrutiny with viewers who think the performers should all be amateurs. For such a seasoned veteran, you would think she would be able to remember the words.



My Favs (in no particular order)

Taylor Vaifanua

Arianna Afsar

Stevie Wright

Alexis Grace

Lil Rounds

Jackie Tohn

Michael Sarver

Kai Kalama

Jorge Nunez

Matt Giraud

Danny Gokey

Anoop Desai

Adam Lambert



My Early Favorite to Win: Danny Gokey

My Vote for First to go Home: Tatiana Del Toro



Stay tuned for more updates and my thoughts on who should stay and who should go.





Yay, I'm Back

Finally. Everything is moved. EC was gracious enough to let me (this blog) back in. All my social networking pages have been changed and I am free to write with abandon and no worry about all that other crap.
I'm also getting ready to set up a site for my little brother and another for my Dad. They have both requested sites for their businesses and apparently I'm the only person they know who can help them with this. Help us all.
I will probably never move any of my blogs again, although if I do, at least they are now on the specified domain, which was where I was having all the difficulties.
Thanks for stopping by. Come back often. Feel free to comment often.

Going to Michigan

So my trip to Michigan is a little over 2 weeks away. While last year I had the opportunity to go by myself, this year I thought (remind me not to do that while drinking) it would be fun to take a "girls" trip. The trip in itself is a reunion with girlfriends I don't get to see that often, but the girl riding with me 12.5 hours in the car (each way) will be my darling PP. This sounded like a good idea when I first proposed it to the Hubster, however now that the trip is getting closer...

My parents don't always have patience for little ones. They haven't had little ones around in a very long time and like it that way. They're dog people. While they love their grandchildren, they fully expect children to behave properly at all times. See my problem? I have no intention of leaving PP alone with them, it's a Mommy/Daughter trip after all, but recently she's been exhibiting the ever-so-lovely 3 year old stage (she'll be 3 in April) and I'm not sure I can relax while she throws tantrums and my parents look at me like I'm crazy for "letting" her.

I'll get over it. They'll just have to understand that sometimes doing nothing is the best response, it's only a couple days. But from here on out, when I look for things to do with the girls (the adult ladies in my life), I'm going to look at Caribbean cruises or trips to Hawaii.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

20 Pounds in 2 Weeks

I'm a firm believer in eating healthy and staying active to maintain ones weight. I also think traditional methods of losing weight (reduce calorie intake and work out MORE) are definitely the way to go, however...

Drastic times call for drastic measures (rather procrastination means quick fix is necessary) and I find myself just weeks away from visiting old friends and seeing a lot of old classmates that I haven't seen in years. While my weight does not to be adjusted to please the close friends I am going to visit, the fact that I will be seeing people I haven't seen since HS is a little motivating. Even worse, I saw a lot of these people 3 months after the birth of my daughter and weighed 20 pounds LESS, so I have NO excuse.

Celebrities do these crash diets all the time. They slip away to some spa , and show back up skinny and toned. So why not ME? I do not plan on making it a regular habit, but if it works...maybe every 6-12 months?

I have a neighbor who's husband received this diet from a Cardiologist while he was helping build a local hospital. I'm not sure how the conversation went, but the cardiologist was nice enough to give him the diet that they give heart patients that need to lose a quick 20 before surgery. I'm skeptical about it actually removing a full 20 pounds, it seems as though it would be relative to the amount you actually need to lose. I really need to lose 6 pounds to bring my BMI to within acceptable levels, but 20 would be even better.

I don't know what the diet is called, but I ate a crap load of eggs and grapefruit yesterday and continue today. I'll keep you posted and see if this miracle diet works, at least short term. My neighbor swears by it.



And apparently so does the guy who uploaded this picture (I found on Google images) titled: My Lunch

Because that is EXACTLY what is on the menu for MY lunch today.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Bare With Me

Please bare wiwth me while I manually, post-by-post, move everything over here. I'm sure there's an easier way but...I don't know what it is and can't get an answer in the forums. It's kinda fun looking through old posts though. I may or may have not deleted some crap.

Halleluyah and a BIG Thank You

So I have been trying forever to get this domain moved from Bravenet to here. Bravenet wouldn't help and I must have missed some info from google, because it just wasn't working.
Yesterday I posted the problem on the google boards (which I haven't been successful in getting responses to in the past) and HERE I AM! I owe all the credit to Chuck over at The Real Blogger Status. He took the time to point me in the right direction and give me the new IP addresses I needed. Thank You, Thank You! You are my new Blogger Hero.

If you are ever in need of info pertaining to blogger's platform, coding, or any other fancy techy stuff, head on over to Chuck's place for the answers. What I had attempted to fix for more than a week, Chuck helped me fix in a matter of minutes. I can't say enough about this man.

What a Wonderful Day

Yesterday we saw temperatures in the 70's. Tomorrow and Wednesday promise to be the same, although a little cloudy. So what if the kitchen sinks full of dishes from last nights dinner, we had a fabulous day. I awoke and got my needed chores done by noon. We all got dressed and headed out to play. We had the bikes, tricycles, plasma cars, Sponge Bob bouncy, and scooters all out to ride on. When the neighbors returned from church, all the kids enjoyed hours of running, biking, playing tag and hide-and-seek. The adults lounged with snacks and margs and caught up on what's been going on in our lives. The kids had picnic lunches on blankets in the yard and everyone had a wonderful impromptu play day. It was hard t see it end. Alas, it was Sunday, and school awaited the kiddies this morning. Time for weekend routines to turn back to week-day routines.

I don't know what it is about warm weather break-throughs in Winter months that just screams beer, margs, and patio lunches...but I like it!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Some Bloggy Love and Awards



I love getting awards, as I've stated before, but I'm really bad when it comes to giving them away, as there are so many great bloggers that just don't have the time or care to participate. So I'll humbly accept my awards and allow anyone who would like, to take one (or both) for themselves. if your reading this, you're already GREAT in my book, so have at 'em.

First, Tahtimbo, at Everyday Living presented me with this award and meme:



The rules say I must link to the person who gave it to me. Admit to 5 addictions. Send to 5 other deserving bloggers(blogs).


My 5 addictions (that I'm willing to admit) are


1. Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream


2. Chicken taquitos. Really it's just the one's they have at Sam's, hence the problem. I can't just get a little box, it's a box of 40. If purchased, this box disappears within a week, and I'm the only one who eats them. I haven't been to Sam's in a while, I just don't trust myself.


3. American Idol. What do you want me to say?


4. Reading. If I'm half way through a book and don't have another to start when I'm done...I panic. I love to read at night before going to sleep. It takes my mind off of all the things I need to do.


5. My laptop. It's my #1 accessory and if I have down time, it's on my lap and I'm checking out blogs, posting, dropping EC's or playing a game. I point out to Hubby that I've used it to make $ and it's paid for itself several times over, but he would like to see me with it less.


Take this award if you'd like to tell the world about 5 of your addictions.


Next, I received an award from Melissa over at Life with Two. She bestowed upon me this fancy award



I have to tell the world 5 things that make my life grand.

Life is Grand for me because:

I have 2 smart, witty, adorable children who make me laugh every day.

I have a Husband who loves me no matter how much of a bi%$h I am, sometimes.

I have great friends and family who think I am fantastic (or lie really well)

I found a Great brand of wine that I love for just $2.99 a bottle.

I have found that I age well (got carded last week while buying said $2.99 wine) and gain weight proportionately.

If you'd like to share what makes your life grand, take the award and leave a comment so I can come check it out.

Thank You again to Tahtimbo and Melissa for thinking of me and my blog when handing out these fantastic awards!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Mega Kids Zone

I had the opportunity to try out a couple games from MEGA Brands Kids Zone and came away with mixed opinions. The set up is easy, which is always nice, the games are interactive and kids can play online with other friends in a safe virtual environment which, as a parent, gives me peace of mind. The games, at least from my perspective, are a little combative, but then it seems like a good percentage of video games are these days. I'm not one of those mothers who prohibits her kids from playing with anything resembling a gun (and I have nothing against those who do), but does EVERYTHING have to result in battle? Even cute little Mario can't drive a car in a race without punching, knocking, or otherwise doing harm to his opponents.

One feature I think makes the site attractive to parents is the safe online environment. While mine are still a little young for online chatting (2 and 5), it won't be long and as a parent we can not be safe enough when it comes to the virtual world. I also think the quest games provide a thinking and reading environment that 8-12 year olds can really benefit from. If it is something they are "into" they are more likely to continue to pursue reading the different clues and using problem solving skills to figure out what to do next.

My favorite feature (because it's not really a game) is the drawing game (I don't know why they call it a game, unless I'm missing something). When my son was little (er) and wasn't really into coloring due to not being able to stay in the lines (he's a little perfectionist) I would create a paint document with abstract pictures so he could just click and make different sections different colors. He loved to do this and it gave me time to make dinner. the Mega Kid Zone version is more like the fuzzy posters you can buy and it gives you color and supply options. It does NOT auto fill like paint though, and I found it hard to stay in the lines on this one. My 2 year old, however, loved to click on the different colors and scribble on the pages (not a perfectionist like her brother, she doesn't care if she's outside the lines). They also have blank pages so she can create her very own masterpiece, and I don't have to keep checking to make sure she isn't coloring HERSELF!

If you're looking for a new interactive community that doesn't involve furry stuffed animals, this might be right for your family. Check it out!


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Poor Baby!

My darling 5 year old has been complaining of a tooth ache. We took him to the dentist last week only to find out that his filling had fallen out. The dentist thought this was very rare and put in a temporary filling in until they can squeeze us in for a permanent replacement.

Monday night Boogie was complaining again that it hurt but wasn't sure if it was the tooth or the gum. I assumed (we all know what happens to those that assume) that he was getting his 6 year molars and they were pushing on the other teeth. The dentist said to treat with ambasol and Tylenol. check. Tuesday I get a call from his teacher stating that he is in class crying, from the pain, she thought he'd calm down and would call me with any other problems. She called back at 1:00, said he didn't feel like going outside for recess (his favorite part of the day) and instead rested his head on the table (napped for 30 minutes). I went to pick him up and he stayed on the couch napping the rest of the day.

Wednesday, he awoke with a fever (102+) and still complained of mouth pain. He stayed home, took Tylenol and rested. By Tuesday night he had developed an abscess on the inside of his gum (as opposed to the outer, cheek side). We called the dentist first thing yesterday and they scrunched us in. It is infected, they are surprised (since he was there a week ago) and say it's rare for an abscess to develop on the inner gum? We are now on antibiotics, they are doing a partial root repair (that's their words) and will put the permanent filling back in.

Sounds like a whole lot of work for a baby tooth that will fall out anyway. Hopefully it will eliminate the pain, and I can get my happy-go-lucky son back!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Monthly "Curse" May Save Lives

I am always amazed when I hear of new technology. I used to be up to date on all the new electronics, not because I had to have them, but because Hubster did. Now with kids, the money goes elsewhere, which is fine with me. I am still amazed at medical technology and would go to any lengths to do what I could to prevent something awful from taking the life of one of my children prematurely.

C'elle is continuing to lead the way in stem cell research and has patented technology to collect a woman's menstrual blood each month with an easy at-home kit. In reading through the
C'Elle Testimonials , it is apparent that current users feel peace of mind with their decision to collect. Research is currently being done to use these cells in the treatment of such diseases as heart disease, breast cancer and strokes, additional therapeutic developments may lead to to new treatments for MS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Currently these cells are known to be an exact match for the donor, and further preliminary tests have suggested that these cells will be useful in treating relatives that are genetically linked as well.

You can Order C'elle Now for your own peace of mind. My Step Mom suffers from MS and my mother passed away from it 10 years ago. If there was some way that I could (have) take away any of their pain, I would do it.

I know that some find this topic controversial. Some of the uses, like anti-aging, I don't necessarily feel is a good use of time or technology, but if we can use these cells to treat these horrific diseases that afflict our loved ones...I'm all for it. I look forward to the day when these types of procedures are made readily available for all who want to participate.


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Monday, February 2, 2009

Eating Green

I LOVE a good salad. One of my favorite things about our Girls Nights In, is the great food we usually (we did chinese take out this month) make and share. I must admit that Beth and I have come up with some pretty FABULOUS salads. Mixing things you would never think of and dressings made from scratch. It's been great fun and tasty too. She's big on fruit in salds so I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to WOW her with. I've found a few at phytolife.com, including one with watermelon, Yummy.
While others are fortunate to create fun salads for their familes, I must eat my salads alone during family meals. The kids eat veggies, just not of the salad variety, but I won't give up. I continue to make new salads and add stuff that I know they like to tempt them. It hasn't worked yet, but I'll keep trying.
In the mean time, I'm a huge fan of bagged salad mixes, or at least the green part. Fresh Express recently came out with 2 new varieties, Tender Ruby™ Reds and Sweet Tender Greens™, these make a great base for a scrumptious salad and by buying the bagged mixes, I avoid wasting precious lettuce that no one else in my house will eat.

How 'bout that Superbowl?

Wow, what a game. Hubby and I usually watch the superbowl ...for the commercials. We're not big sports fans, but occassionally will watch a game if one of our colleges are playing in some sort of playoff capacity. We never watch Pro Football, and we don't have a favorite team.

We started recording the Superbowl from the beginning. Got the kids their baths,, read some stories, and put them to bed. We met back up around 7:30 to start watching the super-commercials. What we didn't anticipate was an excellent, on the edge of your seat, game. It was fabulous! From the 100 yard intercepted touchdown, we were hooked. The game more than made up for the not-so-spectacular commercials.

So how 'bout those commercials? Did you have a favorite? Were you disappointed at the lack of creativity? There were a couple good ones, the Doritos ones stand out the most, but I think the whole getting hit by a bus was a little much, just didn't find that funny. The most creative, in my opinion, was the coke commercial where all the bugs stole the coke. Your favorite?

I'm going to start planning my Superbowl party for next year. That game would have been great fun with a group of enthusiasts. We didn't care who won, but enjoyed the never-quitting spirit of both teams.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

More on the Malicious Content Dilemma

I mentioned earlier that I had contacted a virus, or that my blog had. Actually I think I was contagious and I was accused of adware/spyware and/or malicious content. Where to begin to try and track that down is overwhelming but I contacted google (or rather followed their link to their info on the warning) and will see what info they come up with on their next pass through of my site.
My initial thought was to just bannish this blog altogether and start new somewhere else. I've started reading different web hosting articles in the hope that I will be able to figure out which host is best for what I need (which is a lot). I joined hostgator, but I don't think that is going to work for me, because I know nothing about coding and need something a little, okay a LOT easier.
I was trying to switch a domain name over to them, which I completed successfully, then was trying to move the blog onto (into?) the domain, but even in looking through the web hosting tutorials, I couldn't find info about bravenet, or anything similar. I'm on hold right now. My brain needs a rest and will hopefully think a little clearer if I let it rest for a day or twenty.
Now, what I find interesting is that I was only having the warning pop up through Firefox and my EC dropping. If I went to my site through IE I never got the message. EC has since deleted my account (and who can blame them) but since I've been deleted (or my blog has) from EC, the warning message on my blog has also disapperaed. Does that sound right? I'll have a heck of a time getting it all worked out, but feel free to add your 2 cents. I'll be searching for next to nothing hosting with blogging for dummies features.

Reflecting

I have found myself reflecting lately about life. My life specifically. Am I where I want to be? Where I thought I'd be at this age? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Sounds like a mid-life crisis doesn't it?
I'm not sure where the sudden urge to reflect. Maybe it's a birthday, but I don't think that's it. Maybe it's the economy and the fact that for the first time since college (or shortly after) that I don't have all the money I want to make all the purchases I want. I'm not a big shopper, but sometimes it's nice to spend money on stuff we don't really need, and right now that just isn't an option. I'm not sure why I feel this way.
I'm not super depressed, though I am a little sad lately. I'm a very upbeat, always see the positive, type person and lately just haven't felt myself, or had the energy to put up the front, or...I just can't put my finger on it.
I'll keep reflecting and get back to you when I have it all figured out. Thanks for listening.