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.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sorry and Thank You

My last post was more inspired by an attack on a friend than on my self. I appreciate all the kind words and the support. I'm not sure what this blogging adventure has done to me. I witnessed a friend being attacked and something in me just snapped. Not snapped really, more like something got fired up in me. I don't like to see people, any people, get picked on. While we are all entitled to our opinions, to outwardly attack one's character and then get others to follow is just wrong. I set myself out on a mission to bring awareness to the individual I was fighting for and help increase his "army" for future battle. I don't think I'm explaining that right, but that's how it felt. As for the immature, negative talking individuals...I can only hope that they get a good colon cleanse to remove whatever it is they have stuck-up-their-butts. In the end, their views and wishes were ignored and the person they were "fighting for" opted to join our side.

Has this happened to you before? I've witnessed a few of these public battles in the past year and this was my first. It was just something I felt like I had to do. Does that even make sense?

Friday, June 26, 2009

Why Drink Wine?

I drink wine because I enjoy the flavor, the complexities of all the different varietals and because I think sharing a bottle of wine with someone is more personal than just sitting down and ordering "drinks". I've been fortunate, through blogging, to meet other like-minded enthusiasts who help further my enjoyment by teaching me more about wine, offering suggestions, and just being fun, nice people who I can enjoy a "virtual" bottle of wine with. I consider myself lucky to be able to call them friends.

As the new (temporary) header suggests, I recently had my first taste of wine snobbery. I had heard that these people exist, but they are so off my radar that I hadn't seen them in action...until now. I am very disappointed in their childish antics and bashing of others they have never met. Wine, to me, is for enjoyment. To be so obsessed that it reflects negatively on one's self totally contradicts my reason for drinking and sharing MY opinions.

These individuals have made me want to drink Margaritas! Are there Marg snobs too? Gosh I hope not.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

High PSA Levels in Men

I mentioned earlier that my FIL hasn't been feeling all that well. He's had several doctors check him out and they all say he's fine. His last appointment was on Tuesday and he was told that everything was fine (again) and his mood immediately changed. He's been extremely worried about what could be wrong. As a precaution, the doctor ran some blood work. Yesterday, the day after he was told everything was fine, he received a call informing him that the blood work showed elevated PSA levels. He's been told that his should run between 4 and 5. His current level is 8.6. He , my MIL and Hubster are frantic with fear so I did my part to research the results. I will also admit that I had no idea what a PSA level even was. Here is what I found out.

PSA (prostate specific antigen) tests began in 1986 as a way to detect prostate cancer before it spread beyond the prostate. Prior to the PSA test, more than half of the cases had already attacked more than the prostate. Since testing, 70% of cancer cases are caught while still localized.

The American Urological Society suggests that men start getting regular testing at age 50, and at-risk men start getting tested between 40-45. The breakdown on the levels and their indicated percentage of risk are as follows:

Under 4 ng/mL - normal
4-10 ng/mL - 20-30% risk
10-20 ng/mL- 50-75% risk
above 20 ng/mL - 90% risk

For more information on PSA testing and results, Click here.

Furthermore, it is suggested that a high result be retested after 4-6 weeks (not sooner). One study showed that out of 1000 men, only 50% still had a high PSA level after the recommended waiting period, and out of the other 50% that remained high, only 25% were actually found to have cancer. The reason for waiting is to avoid a potentially painful, non-necessary biopsy. To find out more about this study click here.

I've forwarded this information to Hubster and MIL and hope is does a little help to calm their fears until the next Dr.'s Appointment on July 7th.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

How to Get Over a Fear of Spiders


1.Wine
2. Kids

Just saying...

I think I may have instilled my dislike for spiders onto my children. I don't like them. When I see one I call for back up or leave the room. I can, however, step up to the plate when needed. I had a friend in High School who was more terrified than I, when she called from atop her bed and insisted I come right over to get the spider in her room I did. She had already trapped it under a jar and we removed it from her bedroom.

Today as the kids were playing in the yard and cruisin' in their Power wheel, I was enjoying a glass of wine and checking in on Facebook. They parked right at the bottom of the porch steps and carried on a conversation. Then it happened. My son jumped out of the power wheel with shear terror on his face, watery eyes, and screamed to his sister "Get Out! There's a spider coming right for you." She, of course, breaks out into tears, scared to death, wailing. I was impressed by his apparent fear for his sister and laughing at the terror they both possessed...due to me.


I ran down, scooped her out of the power wheel, and immediately went after the spider. I would have loved to whack it with a Kettlebell, but a screwdriver was the only thing handy. My dislike for them never had a chance to enter my mind. I was saving my children (from the fear I caused them). It may have been the liquid courage from the couple sips of wine, it may have been my maternal I'll-do-anything-to protect-my children, but I'll never look at a spider the same again. Bring it on.

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms ~ Book Review


I recently had the opportunity to read and review Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms. I'll openly admit that I had no idea who Dr. Laura was (no gasping, please), but an opportunity to read any book on parenting is a good idea, in my opinion.

I spoke with a couple friends while waiting for the book to arrive and the fact became clear that you either LOVE Dr. Laura...or you don't. People had very strong opinions, just as Dr. Laura does. I'm sure she runs into this often. I'm not going to debate her views or beliefs, I'm merely going to tell you my feeling about this book and why I think it would be beneficial to anyone who has decided, or is trying to decide to stay at home with their child(ren).

I knew my whole life that I would have children. I also came from a home where my mother NEVER worked. She was home and doing her own thing. She made sure dinner was on the table every night at 6:00 pm, but other than that I do not remember any great bonding moments. We were not close. She was NOT the mother every little girl dreams of and I imagine, as a tomboy, that I fell short of her expectations as well. I spent more time in trouble than not, and I wasn't a bad kid, I was just a kid. There were 3 of us, and at times (a lot of them) I feel that was too much for her to handle, or more than she wanted to...but that is a whole different post.

I became, at a very young age, more independent than I needed to be. It was my survival tool. I started babysitting at 9 and made regular income from that age forward. I had a "real" job as soon as I was old enough (16). I made the determination that I would never rely on anyone to "take care of me". I knew when the day came for me to have children, I would not make the same mistakes. I would love my children unconditionally. I would also make sure (as a child of divorce) that I could provide for myself and my family on my own...just in case. I never intended or planned to be a Stay-at-Home Mom...but then I had my son.

One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was to leave my little boy in the care of his grandmother, so I could go back to work. I wanted to spend every minute with him. I had a career, and I was good at it, but it became so unfulfilling in comparison to the time spent with my baby. Shortly after my son turned one, my FIL had a heart attack and grandma was no longer available to watch Boog. I took a week off and found the best day care/learning center in our area and he started a week later. He was miserable. He was no longer my sweet little boy. He was sick the entire 9 weeks he was there. He cried at drop off and was zombie-like when we wold pick him up. That was all I needed to get my priorities in check. I submitted my 2 weeks notice, told Hubster our income was going to be cut by more than half, I didn't care if we had to live in a shoe box, I could not leave my child in the care of others for one more minute. Thus began my journey as a SAHM. I wouldn't have it any other way.


Dr. Laura's book is written to honor SAHM's. She explains how valuable this role is and defines the purpose. It is written to motivate those struggling with the decision. She explains insightful ways to fend of feminists who believe woman could/should be more than just Mom. While I never looked back after making my decision, I think there are plenty of women who view this job as unappreciated and a waste of their intelligence. Dr. Laura will make you think twice. She will also tell you how to cleverly get your husband's/mate's buy in if they are already not already on board.

The highlight of the book, for me, were the chapters and reminders about making your house a home by instilling confidence and security in all it's members. I think I do a pretty good job where the children are concerned but fall drastically short where my husband is involved. I think it's that independent streak that doesn't readily allow me to "need" my husband or make him feel needed. I've been trying to work on this since reading Dr. Laura's book, as I know it will make our family stronger and happier. I've been less quick to judge and put down, and tried to focus on the positives. I've bitten my tongue when harsh words would normally come out, I've tried to give praise to my partner, who relies on it. I'm not perfect, but reading Dr. Laura's views on how to strengthen the Motherly roll, has inspired me to be a better wife, so the family unit can be more confident as a whole.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Barefoot Beach Giveaway~ Winner!!!



Beth W. said...
My favorite beach trip is the coast of Maine - York Harbor. Love it! And, I'm a loyal drinker of Barefoot Merlot!
Congratulations! I need your e-mail to get your address info. You can reach me at Rachelebennett(at)hotmail(dot)com. You'll have until midnight Wednesday (6/24). If I can't get in touch with you I'll have to pick another winner.
Thanks to everyone who signed up for this Awesome Prize. We'll hopefully have more fun giveaways to post about soon.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Enter to Win A Trip to the Winter Olympics in Aspen

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know we've recently dusted off the guitar and started a "friendly" battle of Guitar Hero III between the Hubster and I. We had discussed playing and my competitive side took over and I had to start practicing. I couldn't even remember what I was supposed to be doing until half way through the first song. I know, push a button and strum, it was the strumming part I was neglecting...go ahead and laugh. I tried to get Boog to try it but like most games, he prefers to watch (although he's really getting into the logo games). So I finished my first song and the ending message was "YOU ROCK!" The kids agreed, ha ha, silly little people. I continued to play the same song until I achieved 5 stars at which point I exclaimed "I ROCK!"

Hubster and I were discussing getting Rock Band for the family. We (he and I) will handle the guitars, we'll put Boog on drums and Puddin Pop will love being on the mic, once she learns the words. We already love playing Wii Sports together so we figure another game we can play together on rainy Sundays would be fun.

I've entered a contest through BluFrog . It's simple to enter, comment (1 entry), blog about the contest (2nd entry) and twitter about it (3rd entry). One of the prizes is an ultimate gamer package with an XBox 360 and a copy of Rock Band (that's the one I want), they also have a trip to New York for New Years, Lalapalooza in Chicago, A Richard Petty driving experience in Orlando, OR...the prize I really want but my family would not enjoy as much, tickets to the Winter Olympics in Aspen. If any of these sound good to you (go for the XBox so I can get the Olympics) sign up now.


Post?slot_id=

The Domain Renewal Hassle and How to Avoid It.

Oh my. I've been sitting on a renewal notice for this blog for far too long. I think I was down to 3 days, yikes. I originally registered this domain through bravenet and received a letter more than a month back reminding me to renew. I got an e-mail at 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days. I went into my bravenet account, selected manage domains, clicked on renew, and renewed for 2 more years (so you're stuck with me). That is NOT the hassle I'm referring to. It was simple as pie.

I then decided to renew my other blog (which comes up for renewal in early August). That domain was registered with GoDaddy, through Google (blogger). To find where to renew is like pulling teeth, except it took longer. I searched all through my google account with no luck. Used google search to search google for info typing in "renew google domain" I got a message that no queries matched my search. I knew it was registered with GoDaddy so I called them and they looked it up and told me it had to be renewed through google. I jokingly asked if she had a number...she didn't. I continued with a web search and found several posts in forums and on blogs of people who have had the same problem, hmmm. One poor woman was sent a link to renew 3 days before expiration and the link was wrong. When she finally got an answer and a corrected link to renew, her domain had already expired and she was told to contact GoDaddy directly, I'm not sure what happened after that, she never posted to that particular forum again. What I did get from that post was a link for her renewal. On a hunch, I copied the link, substituted my domain where hers was and was taken directly to google checkout and a 1 year renewal of my blog. I was hoping to renew for 2 but after all the time I had spent, I was just happy to renew. Period. Here's the link

https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/renew-domain/REPLACE_THIS_WITH_YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME .

It's the only thing I found to renew and if anyone knows how I can renew for more than one year, I'd appreciate it. My renewal date was 8/8 and is now 6/19, so I figure by being proactive I list 2 months? I love the blogger platform but really? I'm now set up to auto renew but if google penalizes for short term blogs, they should make it easier to elongate the subscription, right? Maybe I'm just missing something.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Family Member You Never See


This is Ashley. She is 7 years old (8 on July 2nd) and is a miniature pincher. We've had Ash since she was 9 weeks old and she was my 1st "baby". She is wonderful with the kids (no jealousy), they can pet her when she eats, try to pick her up, snuggle and lay on her and she just licks them. When Boog was born, Ash was very protective and wherever we laid the baby, she was right there. She was exactly the same with Puddin Pop and will now sleep in PP's bed when she is there. If PP is at a sleep over or in bed with us, Ashley then seeps under my bed.

Lately Ashley has been rubbing her backside against the furniture. I know some dogs rub their bums on the floor, Ashley doesn't, she just rubs it against the back of the couch. She stands on all fours and wiggles her little butt against whatever she can. Hubster thinks it's anal glands, but I think it may be dry skin on the end and side of her stubby little tail. I pay a little more attention to her rubbing. I googled it. I then came across Dinovite . They offer a comprehensive guide to figure out what is ailing your dog and offer supplements, shampoos and treats to ward of dry itchy skin, shedding, and odor problems. Just visit their solutions center , put in your dog's (or cat's)name, answer a series of questions and BAM, they have a suggested solution for you. They also offer advice over the phone for anyone with more questions or for those that like to speak with a real person when ordering stuff.

I do believe that Ashley is in need of some dietary supplements. We usually give her kibbles and bits and I know that's lacking the extras we could be giving her...but she LOVES it. We'll get her to the vet to find out what is causing her itching for sure, and treat it accordingly.

Post?slot_id=

Some More Awards

I know I just posted some lovely awards, and I sat on those (some of them) for over a month. I'm not good at the receiving awards thing but want the presenters to know that they are appreciated more than anything. even if I have a difficult time receiving them. So, before I get way behind again, I would like to give a big hug and thank you to Matthias over at The Matthias Chronicles . He decided that my blog deserved these lovely awards. He is also the one responsible for the AFTR button over on my sidebar. This is an individual that gives back to the blogging community without a lot of "rules" to participate. To get these awards from him makes my heart melt a little. So, Thank You.


Now for these rules for these beautiful awards:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This is where I have the difficulty. Choosing ONLY 15 would be hard and I always feel guilty for leaving people out. If you would like to have these awards for your collection then please, by all means take one or both. You can even get some link love with Mr. Linky. If you are here visiting me and reading this, then you deserve an award.


Enjoy.



Wednesday, June 17, 2009

My Overindulgent Wine Wednesday

Oh me oh my. In case you're not a regular here, Wednesday's are my night to chill out on my own. My MIL picks the kids up at 4:45 and takes them off to choir practice at church. Daddy meets them after work and the house is mine until 8:30. Go ahead and call Solo Slim now. See if they can overnight me a supply because I'm pretty sure my pants wont fit in the morning. The sweats I have on now feel just fine.

Earlier this week I received my VIP card from Domino's and it was for a FREE medium American Legends pizza. I read the descriptions and knew that only I would enjoy any of them so I waited. I ordered the Fiery Hawaiian.


Topped with ham, pineapple, red pepper, bacon, jalapenos and drizzled with Tabasco (which I think they forgot) it was very enjoyable. My standard toppings are ham, pineapple and banana peppers (jalapenos if banana peppers aren't available) so this was right up my alley and a nice change to our usual Friday night pizza (pepperoni) and movie night. There were just slightly too many toppings for me, but it didn't stop me from eating half of it. It was good.

To accompany my pizza, I finished last nights bottle of Barefoot Shiraz.

Barefoot never disappoints and can always be counted on when you want a sure thing.

I decided to watch some recorded TV. I do not normally watch Oprah, but happened to see the trailer for today's show yesterday and it looked good. It was all about miracle children and was as good as expected and a nice break from Sponge Bob. But then they showed this



Which turned me into a bawling mess. I'm now going to compose myself and rejoin my winewednesday friends on twitter. Have a great WineWednesday!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Backyard Rainbow





Monday, June 15, 2009

More Stem Cell Information

I find the whole aspect of stem cell research fascinating. While cord blood and menstrual blood are the most highly publicized and known means of collecting stem cells, further research (on my part) has uncovered several other sources of stem cells. Skin, teeth, bone marrow and blood round out the avenues of collecting what are considered adult stem cells.

We've often heard about the benefits of cord blood banking and the impact it can make on immediate family members in the event of a life threatening diseases. This technology is remarkable to me and I wanted to know more about the current research and the lives that have been saved as well as the different studies that have been done to prove that stem cells are a viable solution to treat diseases that have otherwise been untreatable.

Here are a few enlightening facts that I came across:

Texas legislature is currently working on a bill that could put them at the top of the field in adult stem cell research. The bill will promote and enhance adult stem cell treatments and cures that have already proven effective in that state.

In China, Children are being treated with stem cells to give them vision they were born without. The process takes several stem cell injections over a four week period and three such "rounds" of treatments per child has produced an 80% success rate among the 20 children who have had the procedure done.

The American Heart Association estimates that the 58 million sufferers of cardiovascular disease may someday be treated or cured from the adult stem cells ability to replace damaged heart muscles, heart tissue and valves and establish new blood vessels to supply them.


source: Stemcellresearchnews.net

Barefoot Beach Rescue Projects

There is no better feeling than finding a company you already enjoy doing business with and then realizing that they not only make a great product but are doing their part to help make the world a better place as well.

I recently had the opportunity to giveaway some really neat gifts from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly. You can still sign up to win here. The ONLY requirement is to sign up with Barefoot Republic .

While signing up and checking out Barefoot Republic for myself, I noticed that they have several (25) Beach Rescue projects scheduled for this summer. I was a little disappointed that they are not coming anywhere near me (our beaches could use a little help) because I thought it would be a GREAT way to help our community and get the kids involved in helping out. Barefoot is working with Surfrider and is dedicated to getting our beaches back to "barefoot- friendly" and dispatches teams who, along with local volunteers, help clean our beaches of debris and make them safer to enjoy. Check out the listings and offer support to one in your area. You'll be doing something good for the community and (I'm sure) having a blast along the way.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

It's Not Supposed to Look Like This


I can not believe a week has gone by and I almost totally forgot to tell you the big news. That'll teach me to go days without wine. I obviously think better when I have my daily dose. Last weekend we were graced by the Tooth Fairy, not once, but two nights in a row!
If you saw my earlier post for WW (a couple weeks ago, and the picture was from March) you'll know that my darling baby boy was growing his permanent teeth right smack dab behind those little baby buggers. We had been to the dentist who just told him to wiggle them. He wouldn't touch them or let anyone else. We would convince him that we needed to help him brush to make sure we got everything out from between the four teeth, but really we just wanted to put some force on them to make them come out. No luck.
Saturday night he was laying on the couch and decided it would be a good idea to chew on, of all things, a super ball. Now, you can say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but when I heard the popping noise a super ball makes when being split it two (yes, I know) I never even thought of the teeth. I immediately looked at him and whispered (so his sister wouldn't hear) "You broke it, didn't you?" He just nodded his head yes. I didn't want her to hear because it was actually her ball (we have several) and she is having some attachment issues (she's attached to whatever someone else has, especially if it's pink which the ball was)and I didn't want her to freak out. I got down in front of him with the intention of taking the ball slyly away to the trash without her seeing when I saw the blood. Not a lot, but enough that I knew. I said "Open your mouth." Sure enough the tooth (just one) was gone. I started looking around for it but couldn't find it. I told Boog he had lost his tooth and he just had this scared look on his face. I asked if he knew where it was and he opened his fist to show it to me. He thought he had broken it. His sister had to have some teeth pulled before she turned two and of course the roots were all still intact. When he saw how small his tooth was in comparison, he thought he had just broken it and therefor was afraid to show me. Poor thing. Once he realized it was the whole tooth he was pretty excited. I gave him a box I had gotten when he was 6 months old (he's a first child) and he quickly put his tooth in it. We went upstairs and laid it under his pillow. He didn't want the TF to take the box too so he wrote a note asking her to leave it.
The poor kid went to bed gripping the box under his pillow and as soon as he fell asleep I made the switch, tooth for cash. I sprinkled some fairy dust (glitter) under his pillow and around his head and in various spots across his bed and then went to do the same for his sister. When she lost (had extracted) her teeth, she was too young to know what the Tooth Fairy was, so we decided to keep her teeth until her brother lost his first tooth. Same thing there, swapped teeth for cash and sprinkled my Fairy dust.
They were so excited in the morning, except Boog thought the TF took his tooth and the box and left NOTHING! Since he was clutching the box when he fell asleep and I had to get it out of his grip to make the switch, his hand was still under the pillow. I put the box back and he must have swiped it right off the bed in his sleep. We found it on the floor under his bed.
The next day we were wrestling around and tooth number two came out, (YAY). Same thing as the night before, but he swiped it onto the floor before I made the swap so I had to crawl under the bed and get it.
Now the only thing I'm missing is the toothless photo. The other ones are already moving forward and I'm missing out on seeing my kid without his bottom front teeth:(. He's been put on notice...If I even see a speck of tooth popping through on the top before he loses one of those...I am so going to knock them out!

Sunday Social ~ Random Thoughts

Had a nice surprise this morning. A blogger friend sent me a nice little e-mail to congratulate me on breaking 100,000 in the Alexa rankings. As I told him, just after I broke 150,000 for the first time, I shot back up to almost 200,000 so we'll see if this sticks. it was nice to know that someone else was paying attentions. Thanks Joe.

My FIL has been feeling "under the weather" for several months now. It started with some irregularity issues and has developed into something else...we just don't know what. He doesn't want to go anywhere because he "may have to go". He hasn't even been to church in weeks. Hubby called him this morning and told him to get ready and get to church. When the problem started he took some laxatives to "get regular" and now, 2 months and 20 pounds lighter, we're not sure if it's the weight he's trying to keep off or if it's a bathroom issue. I think if it's the weight he should switch to a diet pill instead of the laxative. The laxative is doing nothing for his bathroom issues and is causing him to be tired all the time. He's been checked out by all his doctors and no one can find anything wrong. We'll just have to wait and see...I guess.

Changed my header. What do you think? I'm still playing around with it so let me know your thoughts.

Look for more wine reviews in the near future and my cork craft project should be coming soon.

Don't forget to click the button above to get in on the Barefoot Beach Giveaway. You have one week left to enter.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hackers are Everywhere

Why do hackers hack? I understand the monetary component of hacking someone's system and gaining banking and credit card info, but why hack into e-mail and send out e-mails supposedly from someone else? Do the hackers feel that if they use my (yes, it happened to me a couple months back) e-mail that they are more likely to get a sale on the electronics then if they send their own e-mails? What about hacking Facebook accounts? I received a message in my inbox a while back from an old schoolmate that, although we are friends on FB, I have yet to have a single conversation with or even leave a comment for. It turns out it was a scam and someone had hacked his account. Yesterday another friend got hacked on FB and a video was posted, supposedly by her, by someone else. So why?

Companies actually hire hackers to investigate their systems to determine where they need more security. How fun would that be? With EC-Council you can enroll in classes to become an Ethical Hacker. Course subjects include

*Security Fundamentals
*Ethical hacking
*Penetration Testing
*Computer Forensics
*Disaster Recovery
*Secure Coding

Landing a job with a company and being responsible for the integrity of their IT Security would surely be an exciting and challenging career, not to mention that it is one of the professions that has actually seen an increase in salaries in these troubled times.


So, to all you hackers that are hacking for no apparent reason other than enjoyment, maybe you could put your skills to good use and get a great paying job with a rewarding future?





Post?slot_id=

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Brothers and Me





Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Keeping Kids in Check

There's a lot of controversy on how we raise our kids these days. Are we really teaching them about life when we reward their every action? Are we teaching them to do their best if every sport they participate in rewards them just for participating? At what age should they realize that some kids are going to be better and trying their best is important but will not get them an award? We are warned about over complimenting them, this is a hard one. Should we be realistic in our expectations of their abilities and comfort them when they fall short or should we always tell them they are the best no matter what? If you're worried about over praising your child, just make sure there is a sibling close by to put them in check. Here was a conversation we had this afternoon. Hubby and I were on our laptops and the kids were playing with playdoh...

Puddin Pop: Mommy, am I pretty?
Me: You're the prettiest Princess in the world.
Puddin Pop: Daddy, am I pretty?
Daddy: You're the prettiest girl I know.
Puddin Pop: Boogie, am I pretty?
Boogie: You look like mud.
...and it starts over
Puddin Pop: Mommy, am I pretty?
Me: Yes baby, you are a very pretty little girl.
Puddin Pop: Daddy, am I pretty.
Daddy: Yes, you're my pretty girl.
Puddin Pop: Boogie, am I pretty?
(silence)
Puddin Pop: Am I pretty?
(silence)
Daddy: Boog, you're sister is talking to you.
Boogie: No. You look like a big pile of mud.
Puddin Pop: Okay then. I'm not pretty.

and just like that she goes back to playing with her playdoh with no emotion at all. She's not upset. She's not mad at her brother. Makes you wonder who she believes.

Triple Threat and Some Link Love and an Award

I've been sitting on these (some of them) for a while. Call it laziness, call it whatever you want, I just haven't gotten around to it and I'M SORRY. Trust me, I'm as good at this as I was at sending out baby announcements for my 2 kids (suckish) .

I have been given the lovely blog award from several people and to all 3 of my blogs. Since I so cherish this award and the individuals who gave them to me. I am going to post this on all 3 blogs and give credit to each of my senders 3 times. That's how much they mean, even if it took me a while to say thanks. I do appreciate the award and the givers.

So, to More Fun Than Allowed...With Kids, this award was received from Dawn @ Two Pretty Little Skirts and from Chris @ The Mommy Journey. To Wine at Five?, this award was given to me from Stacy @ Married With Boys. To Because Someone Cares the award was received from mee mOe @ When Life Becomes a Book. Thank you so much, I will display this award proudly. (There was one more sender but her post and comment on my blog were deleted so I'm assuming she no longer wanted to play in the blog award fun. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll add you too.)

Oh yeah. Here is my wonderful award



Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Normally I find it hard to select such a small group of bloggers to give awards to, but I'm going to make an exception. I've recently been blessed with many new friends and would like to recognize them now. Congrats to my chosen 15. Grab and Enjoy your award. FYI: It was hard to pick just 15 and even harder to find 15 that had not already received the award. If you have already received it, here's another anyway, 'cuz your good like that. If you don't do awards, that's cool, just know I appreciate you and your blog!

Sue @ Stay At Home Mom
Sarah @ God's Not Finished With Us Yet
Sandy @ Traveling Suitcase
Russ @ Grampy and You
Evie & Chris' Mommy @ Raising Irish Twins
Kelley @ 30 Something And Searching
Erica @ Parenthood for Me
Sandi @ Nothing Off Limits
Kristen @ All In A Mom's Life
Stephanie @ A Pocket Full Of Buttons
Tracy @ The Crazy Suburban Mom
Carolee @ Working in my jammies and lovin' it
Sherdenise @ A Blog With No Name
Joeshico @ Why Wine Blog
Randy @ The Wine Whore

Triple Threat and Some Link Love and an Award

I've been sitting on these (some of them) for a while. Call it laziness, call it whatever you want, I just haven't gotten around to it and I'M SORRY. I have been given the lovely blog award from several people and to all 3 of my blogs. Since I so cherish this award and the individuals who gave them to me. I am going to post this on all 3 blogs and give credit to each of my senders 3 times. That's how much they mean, even if it took me a while to say thanks. I do appreciate the award and the givers. So, to More Fun Than Allowed...With Kids, this award was received from Dawn @ Two Pretty Little Skirts and from Chris @ The Mommy Journey. To Wine at Five?, this award was given to me from Stacy @ Married With Boys. To Because Someone Cares the award was received from mee mOe @ When Life Becomes a Book. Thank you so much, I will display this award proudly. (There was one more sender but her post and comment on my blog were deleted so I'm assuming she no longer wanted to play in the blog award fun. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll add you too.)





Oh yeah. Here is my wonderful award











Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Normally I find it hard to select such a small group of bloggers to give awards to, but I'm going to make an exception. I've recently been blessed with many new friends and would like to recognize them now. Congrats to my chosen 15. Grab and Enjoy your award. FYI: It was hard to pick just 15 and even harder to find 15 that had not already received the award. If you have already received it, here's another anyway, 'cuz your good like that. If you don't do awards, that's cool, just know I appreciate you and your blog!

Sue @ Stay At Home Mom
Sarah @ God's Not Finished With Us Yet
Sandy @ Traveling Suitcase
Russ @ Grampy and You
Evie & Chris' Mommy @ Raising Irish Twins
Kelley @ 30 Something And Searching
Erica @ Parenthood for Me
Sandi @ Nothing Off Limits
Kristen @ All In A Mom's Life
Stephanie @ A Pocket Full Of Buttons
Tracy @ The Crazy Suburban Mom
Carolee @ Working in my jammies and lovin' it
Sherdenise @ A Blog With No Name
Joeshico @ Why Wine Blog
Randy @ The Wine Whore

I'm A Triple Threat

I've been sitting on these (some of them) for a while. Call it laziness, call it whatever you want, I just haven't gotten around to it and I'M SORRY. I have been given the lovely blog award from several people and to all 3 of my blogs. Since I so cherish this award and the individuals who gave them to me. I am going to post this on all 3 blogs and give credit to each of my senders 3 times. That's how much they mean, even if it took me a while to say thanks. I do appreciate the award and the givers. So, to More Fun Than Allowed...With Kids, this award was received from Dawn @ Two Pretty Little Skirts, mapsgirl @ funny things are everywhere and from Chris @ The Mommy Journey. To Wine at Five?, this award was given to me from Stacy @ Married With Boys. To Because Someone Cares the award was received from mee mOe @ When Life Becomes a Book. Thank you so much, I will display this award proudly. (There was one more sender but her post and comment on my blog were deleted so I'm assuming she no longer wanted to play in the blog award fun. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll add you too.)





Oh yeah. Here is my wonderful award











Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Normally I find it hard to select such a small group of bloggers to give awards to, but I'm going to make an exception. I've recently been blessed with many new friends and would like to recognize them now. Congrats to my chosen 15. Grab and Enjoy your award. FYI: It was hard to pick just 15 and even harder to find 15 that had not already received the award. If you have already received it, here's another anyway, 'cuz your good like that. If you don't do awards, that's cool, just know I appreciate you and your blog!

Sue @ Stay At Home Mom
Sarah @ God's Not Finished With Us Yet
Sandy @ Traveling Suitcase
Russ @ Grampy and You
Evie & Chris' Mommy @ Raising Irish Twins
Kelley @ 30 Something And Searching
Erica @ Parenthood for Me
Sandi @ Nothing Off Limits
Kristen @ All In A Mom's Life
Stephanie @ A Pocket Full Of Buttons
Tracy @ The Crazy Suburban Mom
Carolee @ Working in my jammies and lovin' it
Sherdenise @ A Blog With No Name
Joeshico @ Why Wine Blog
Randy @ The Wine Whore

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Great Site For Nurses

My Step-Mom and a close friend are nurses. This is currently one of the most in-demand jobs in the country. Every hospital in my area is offering accelerated class loads to meet the demand of this rewarding career in the shortest time possible. I've considered it. That's as far as I get. I know my friend makes AWESOME money and only works 3 shifts a month. She isn't specialized in any specific area and is covered under her husbands insurance so she works per diem and enjoys being able to make extra money while mainly focussing on her family. My step mom, for ability reasons, is currently working on the insurance end of nursing, but the benefits pay for her MS meds which would otherwise be over $1000 per month.
While "considering" this field as something to do when PP goes to school in two years. I came across a site that is all for nurses and would definitely be a resource for those coming through these 18-22 month courses, as I'm sure the social aspect would get lost to all the medical terms and procedure practice.
Scrubs (in beta) is an online magazine that discusses everything from"how to look your best in scrubs" to "How to wake up looking younger." With tips and advice for nurses from Nurses, the material is relevant, interesting, and a great tool for new and veteran nurses to share, learn, and trade tips and stories. They have a News and Entertainment tab, a blog, love, money, style, and so much more. I snooped around. The site covers everything and has checklists to keep you on track. It is inspiring, motivational, and a site I would recommend to any nurse with questions that need answering or knowledge to share.
As for me, I just don't have it in me. I do not think I possess the patience (no pun intended) it takes to do this job well and I would come home a mess every time I had to be near a child who was ill, or one saddened by a sick parent. I imagine it makes one hug their children and loved ones a little closer every night and I can do that without the sad images in my head.



Post?slot_id=

Trader's Hub Review Contest

I'm taking part in another great contest. All the information is below. Head on over to Big Daddy Richard's place and get signed up to win. More than 25,000 EC's up for grabs. This is a contest you won't want to miss. Put away the diet pills , you don't have to look good for this one, your writing is all were looking at. Go have a Jumbo Marg or a big glass of wine, whatever gives you courage. Get the laptop fired up and get ready to REVIEW.
Have an opinion? Here's your chance to share it. You could atually WIN just for sharing.
Glitter Text Generator



Glitter Text Generator



BannerFans.com




Traders' Hub's "review me" Entrecard contest has grown bigger and better. The top prize now stands at 23,500 EC's and still growing. But much more than the giveaway prizes, the value of participating in this contest is worth your time and effort as a blogger. Inspired by the success of our Entrecard Droplist, we have decided to turn this contest into another link building/networking activity. Participation in this activity allows you to link to quality sites with higher page ranks and therefore improve your chances of getting a higher page rank yourself. You may participate in three ways now!
  • (1) As a contest advertiser (new)
  • Just post the Contest Badge by copying and pasting the code below anywhere in the sidebar of your blog for the duration of the contest. By posting the contest badge in your blog you will receive 500 EC's plus you get 10 entries to win 10,000 EC's in a raffle to be held at the end of the contest period for all the contest advertisers.( Please do not forget to inform me via a comment on this post once you have posted the badge in your blog to make your entry official.)
    MORE ICING FOR THE CAKE!!! BE THE TOP COMMENTATOR OF ANY ONE OF THE CONTEST SPONSORS FROM JUNE 1 TO JUNE 30 AND YOU WILL GET ANOTHER 10 ENTRIES FOR THE 10,000 EC's TO BE RAFFLED OFF!
    BannerFans.com
      • (2) As a contest participant
      • All you need to do is make an honest to goodness review of Traders' Hub and post it in your site. The review must at least be 150 words long and must contain a link to this site (paste the required code link below) plus another link to any of the contest sponsors. Once you have posted your review go over to Trader's Hub and post a comment via the comment link below the blog contest post. Please include the exact URL of your post in your comment. Every entry wins you 500 EC's automatically. The best five reviews will be chosen by bigdaddy in consensus with the other sponsors, and the top prize will be awarded to the winner who will be chosen using random.org. The four other non-winning qualifiers will get an additional 1,000 ECs each. The contest will run until June 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on the same day.
            Blog Review
          • (3) contest sponsor You just need to add up at least 500 EC's to the top prize. As contest sponsor you get your badge posted in in my site as well as in the sites of the other sponsors. On top of that, a participant will be required to link to any one or all of the contest sponsors of his/her choice. To be a sponsor, simply send me an email via entrecard stating the amount of EC's you wish to sponsor.
          CONTEST ADVERTISERS
          (Sites Where you find the contest badge.)
              BannerFans.comBannerFans.comBannerFans.comBannerFans.comBannerFans.com








              Reblog this post [with Zemanta]


              She Vlogs

              It's official. Puddin Pop is a vlogger. This is her first installment and we'll be getting her her own site soon.

              The truth is, I set up my laptop for her to have a little fun. I had told the kids I was going to do a vlog post from Relay For Life, but it got canceled due to lightning. PP decided she wanted to do a vlog post after I got home. It was really just for kicks and giggles, but it turned out so hilariously funny (at least to me) that I had to share. I edited it to spare you the 20 minutes she rambled, I must also warn you that at times she talks really soft and at other times she starts belting out a song...so have your finger on the volume control. Oh, and the lighting is awful, so she resembles Patrick Swayze's character in Ghost, with a glow.

              First thing this morning she climbed up to the bar and said, "I'm ready to blog." We'll post that on her new site when it's up.

              Friday, June 5, 2009

              I'll be MIA...for a Cause

              I'll apologize in advance for my disappearing act over the next 48 hours. Not that I post daily, but I do religiously return drops and I will NOT be able to do this over the weekend. Hopefully by Sunday I will, so bare with me.

              Tonight I will participate in Relay for Life. The event starts at 7pm and we will walk until 7 am tomorrow. Our team has dwindled to 4 so we will be walking all night. I may try and do a couple vlog posts from the event, it will just depend on the weather, right now it is raining and they are calling for a 50% chance of rain over night so we'll just have to wait and see. You can still get a last minute donation in here, anything is appreciated as it helps find cures for this awful disease.

              On another note, if you are interested in a super fun giveaway sponsored by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, check out my post here and be sure to enter.

              Barefoot Beach Giveaway

              I've mentioned on several occasions that I am a HUGE fan of Barefoot Wines. I also did a review on their Bubbly here, which, not being champagne drinker other than special occasions, changed my mind about drinking champagne...just because. Their wines have won several awards at the California Wine Festival and deserve each one. I'm a SAHM with a limited budget. Barefoot allows me to drink great wines without feeling guilty about what I spend.


              Thanks to Lauren and the other Great people over at Barefoot Wines, one of my lucky readers will receive this fun beach tote. Included are a fluffy beach towel, a wine opener, a stemless Barefoot Wine glass, and a tote to carry it all in. How Fun!





              With every contest there are rules, I want to make this as easy as possible, so here there are:


              Mandatory: You must sign up at Barefoot Republic (it'll take 20 seconds) and leave me a comment with your Barefooter name. You can use my barefooter name as your referral (but don't have to) I'm MommyMerlot. (1 entry)



              Extra Entries:

              1) Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite beach trip, or one you would like to take. Not a fan of the beach...tell me your favorite Barefoot wine (1 entry)


              2) Follow me on twitter. If you already are, even better. Just leave me your twitter name in a comment (1 entry)


              3) Tweet about this contest and copy and paste tweet here in a comment (1 entry each tweet)Come back each time you tweet about it.


              4) Blog about this contest and put the url to post in a comment (3 entries)



              Contest entry deadline : June 21, midnight EST

              Drawing will be done by random integer on June 22



              Now go sign up at Barefoot Republic and check out all the other cool stuff they have going on over there.

              Tuesday, June 2, 2009

              Great Things I Love About Blogging

              It's been a year.
              Yep, a year ago I decided to start myself a little blog and I never looked back. I have currently have 3 that are regularly updated but they have been all over the blogosphere. Domain changes, fleeing today.com, self hosted, it's mind numbing all the information I've gained and yet I know that I still have a long way to go.
              So I sit here reflecting on the past year, all the friends I've made, the laughs I've had and the sorrows I've witnessed others go through. It's a world all it's own and one I am grateful to be a part of. It doesn't take an office with fancy office furniture , it only requires some way to connect to the Internet and a willingness to give of yourself and share with others.

              Enough about me. It's time to thank the individuals who think enough about me (and/or this blog) to regularly stop by and to the really special people who take the time to sit around and chat.

              The EntreCarders who stopped to drop the most

              Family Health Avenue
              Jean sQuared
              Symphony of Love
              Silver Sachet
              Split Rock Ranch
              Grampy and You!
              Frugal Healthy Choices
              First Time
              The Matthias Chronicles
              Photograph by KML

              And the people who were kind enough to engage in conversation

              The Wine Whore (aka Randy Watson)
              joeshico from Why Wine Blog
              Sandi from Nothing Off Limits
              Sandy from Traveling Suitcase
              Grampy from Grampy and You
              Kelly from 30 Something And Searching
              Lynne from The Sewing Mom
              Michele Cameron Drew from By Any Other Name

              I appreciate everyone who visits and just wanted to say Thank You. Blogging Rocks!

              Say an Extra Prayer

              When you go to bed tonight, Hug your kids a little closer and say an extra prayer for Ezra. If you don't have children, or they are already grown, say an extra prayer for Ezra and his family anyway.

              Manic Mother

              Ezra is a sweet 2 year old little boy who was recently bitten by a spider or some other bug, I'm not sure they ever found out. He wasn't feeling well or acting "himself" and had started to limp. His parents assumed he was having a reaction to the bites and took him to the doctor. What happened as a result is mind-boggling and heart-breaking. X-rays showed abnormalities in the leg bone and cancer was the suspected reason. A trip to the pediatric oncologist confirmed the families worst nightmare and Ezra is currently undergoing chemotherapy and will be for a minimum of 3 years. It breaks my heart to think of this small child and all he will have to endure. I can not imagine what the parents are going through. The family is in my prayers.

              You can read more about Ezra's condition as well as how the rest of the family is coping over at Manic Mother. You can purchase bracelets in support of Ezra, donate directly to the family through paypal or just offer some kind words of encouragement and some prayers.

              This is one of those things that no child or parent should have to go through and I know that showing support in any form is appreciated more than we will ever know. Go on over now.