Is She Really A Mom?

My dear cousin, Desha Rodriquez, is not only an amazing body builder but a teacher and a mom of 2 amazing little girls. Click on her name and check out her amazing pictures.

She just won a competition this past week that puts her in Pro status- she just turned 26!

I am so proud of her and wish her well... and along with the rest of us moms, so jealous of her physique!

A First Day

Today was the first day for many things in our household...

1. The first day my husband was officially the "dean" of his new school. He moved from being a teacher to the discipline dean at his school. He is 6 feet 4 inches... his students are kindergarteners! :)

2. The first day I went back to work since having children (out side the home). I am a "teacher" that does not have to teach students. I am a resource teacher, working from our district office (not school based which is a first too). I am kind of "creating" my job since it is a fairly new position. I love it!

3. The first day of school for my children. Actually, this week is day care and next week is the official school. It is at my church, so they were so comfortable, even with different people, they walked right in without a fuss. They even want to go back!

I found this poem on DLTK Kids:

School Poem
Author Unknown

Today I hurry off to school,
To work and learn and play
I'm in a brand new grade this year.
What a happy day!!!!!

A happy first day for us all!

The Great American Bake Sale

The 4fabmoms are joining in the Great American Bake Sale is a national campaign to raise money for child that live in the United States that are hungry. The money raised will help end childhood hunger. On any given day, 12 million children in this country face hunger.

To help us reach our goal of $150, donate to end childhood hunger . The campaign continues through the end of August. Please help us reach our goal and donate even a small amount. As we know, each dollar will help to pay it forward.

Watch this ABC video with Rachel Ray for more information.

Cleaning Out the Children's Clothes

With school days just around the corner and the need to be efficient in the mornings, I tackled the children's dresser tonight- it is mostly filled with my daughter's clothes. My sister has a daughter older than mine, but smaller. She gave me a whole bunch of winter clothes, but my daughter (2 years younger than hers) will grow out of them before the winter comes (he daughter wore them this past winter). I have also held on to some things that looked like they were big, but really are not going to work.

So I am purging the clothes.

I have taken out anything I do not like or do not want or do not fit. There are now four possibilities for them:
1. Donate them to the Salvation Army.
2. Give them away to a friend.
3. Take them to the consignment store.
4. Sell them on ebay. (Since the 4fabmoms are doing an ebay challenge to clean out their houses, I could sell them on ebay with tips from the ebay selling coach.)

There are no longer younger girls in the family to pass them down to (soon I will be passing up!), so a close family friend will get some. But since I am trying get together some cash to pay off credit cards, I need to sell the better name brand items. And sadly, this time, the ones I don't want to do anything with will go to the Salvation Army. I know someone can use them, even though I see them as unfit (they are still in wearable condition).

It feels good to clean out and be organized. I may have to go back to my house cleaning challenge again!

Man of the Year

I saw this post on Bye Baby Bunting and was inspired, so I went to the hosting blog, Sarah at Real Life, for Man of the Year and got even more inspired!

So I am nominating my man for the man of the year!


As I have listed in other posts about my husband, he has been doing so much around the house this summer while he has been on summer vacation. He has cleaned, done laundry, fixed the water filter, and most of all sold over $800 of junk from the garage! He is now planning a family vacation to Disney in September with the proceeds!

But what has also made him the Man of the Year is that on June 21, he found out he probably had testicular cancer. After many tests and surgery, we were told that it was most definitely cancer. However, since the very first day, he was positive, faithful, and optimistic, never showing fear or anger. His back was killing him and he was on pain medicine, but he never had a bad attitude. He had the surgery and was as good as new, even though we did not know the results yet. When he was told it was cancer, he was still positive. When he was told he had to do two rounds of chemo, he was okay too. When they told us he did not have to do chemo, he was ecstatic!

He has already gone back to work at his new job as a dean. He is excited about his new position and is working hard to get a new school going. Since I am going back to work, he is even working his hours so he can pick the children up after the work day (of course the dropping off is the bad part!).

So my man should be the Man of The Year! He deserves it if not from anyone else, from his family!

GodTube

I found this post on Adventures of a Suburban WAHM about GodTube, it is YouTube for Christian content.

How great is that! When I clicked over there today, there was a Max Lucado and a group from Liberty University asking for your life's purpose. Plus there was this cute little girl saying Psalms 23.



Their concept is Broadcast Him! What a wonderful idea...

Financial Whoops!

Online banking is a great thing- except when you make an error- like transfer money out of an account into another instead of transferring money in!

WHOOPS!

I was wondering what was happening to our bank account... I was sure someone had used my debit card or something, but no. It was me. A transfer the wrong direction!

A lesson learned once- and will never happen again.

And for moms that want to make money- not excuses, read more from Jean Chatzky- I just love her. She has helpful tips for women in money. Learn the eight simple things you need to know to get rich- besides paying fees for transferring out instead of in!

GPS for the Directionally Challenged

I am famous... famous for taking the wrong turn and knowing it! I am always thinking a road will go one way it is does not... mostly, because in Florida, we have these things called BODY OF WATER.

It is not just the big bodies of water- the Gulf and the Atlantic usually help me in my direction- the Atlantic is on the east- so I can figure out the rest of the directions from there.

It is the lakes, rivers, and other water ways that get in my way. There are not always bridges where I need them to be~

And it is not the around town directions- I know every short cut there is to get around my city- even where the water is.

It is the longer trips, when I make a turn because I think it is correct- and it usually is not.

Today, for the first time, I saw the east side of Lake Okeechobee- that is the big lake in the center of the state. I made one turn and went the wrong way north. I ended up where I knew (and at least I knew I was going north), but I again was calling my husband telling him about the new adventure I was on. I asked him for a GPS for Christmas- one that leads me like a lamb to the location.

So ends my two days with my grandmother- the long way home!

All Women Blogging Carnival

I am participating in the All Women Blogging Carnival hosted by the 4fabmoms.

Our post is to be about something humorous that happened as a mom or a humorous story about a child.

My post is about my oven catching on fire. While it does not seem funny, it was, even if you cannot read it in my not so humorous writing. My husband finally purchased the damaged part and we now have the full sized oven repaired, but I still love my little counter top oven.

As a mom, you never know when you will be called to be a nurse, a fireman, an electrician, or a chef. There are so many hats, I cannot list them all!

Back to School Tips for Preschoolers

As our summer vacation comes to an end, we are finishing up our last days of freedom. With having been home for 4 years, the biggest change in August was my husband going back to work. Now it will be back to work for both of us and to school for the other two.

As a newbie to this school thing (I usually am on the teacher side of the occasion)- I found this great article on Back to School Tips for Preschoolers. There are great ideas for what to include in your child's backpack and tips for first timers.

So off to Grandma's for a few days of "vacation"- two children and stairs are probably not the most relaxing ways to spend the last few days! Counting the days down...

Unbecoming a Stay at Home Mom

After four years at home, I am becoming a WOHM- a work outside the home mom. As a mom, I have only been a stay at home mom recently adding the work at home mom part. Now, as my friend Amber says, I am a work at home mom with a moonlighting gig.

I am going back to teaching in one week. I got a great job- a consultant teacher to teachers that teach the gifted and advance middle school students. I travel to four schools and help teachers teach the really smart kids.

A far cry from my last teaching- teaching children with learning and behavioral problems.

I am excited about the job since it is what I always wanted to be as a teacher. I am not excited about getting up each morning and getting my children out of the house. My children have never been forced to get up- or for that matter- have a bed time. All of that will change now. :)

So continue with me on this journey... see how I am a WAHM WOHM! A work at home mom (still with Smart Moms and my preschool site) and a work outside the home mom. What a adventure- what a story!

Multiple streams of income... right?

Bad Hair Day

This was too good not to publish today-

Hair after a day at the beach (having been up in a pony tail)!

Two Girls Dancing!

Two two years old get together + "Who Let The Dogs Out"= FUN! FUN!FUN!

Bloggtipping for August

I am joining in with other work at home mom blogs to blogtip other blogs.
I learned about this from Bev's Easy Craft Site and I participating with the 4fabmoms.

Blogtipping Definition: Blogtipping is where you publish a blog post in which you link to three unsuspecting blogs and offer three compliments and/or one helpful tip to each blogger. (Or adapt those numbers to your own preferences; the principle of selflessness is what matters most here.) Blogtipping is a refreshing and useful surprise that can start a blogger’s month with a huge smile!

It is great to find other blogs that have wonderful information and to encourage others to view your blog.

This month's tips:
Lilly Grace- the youngest of the tipped!
Life on the Road- Home Business, Homeschool, & Cats
The Mommy Blog and her adventures at Blogher

Glamour Magazine Wants to Know About Prayer

I received this email from Rachel Hamman about a survey Glamour magazine sent about prayer.

If you would like to participate, answer the following questions and email the answers. Or just comment on this post so we can see your answers.

1. What's the craziest thing you've ever prayed for?
(or most unique or silliest thing)

2. What's the last thing you prayed about?

Send me your responses--a couple of sentences for each--and your:

full name:
age:
city/state:
phone:
email:
PLUS, a high-res JPG photo of your smiling face (if someone else is in
the photo, we can crop it).

A True Summertime Experience- Home Made Ice Cream

I made ice cream yesterday. I make home made no cook ice cream at least one time per year for our church annual ice cream social. It was soooo good to me, but no one at church hardly ate it. That is okay though, since I brought home the rest and saved it for myself!

I always use a no cook coconut ice cream recipe- this time was Almond Joy. If you like coconut, this is for you. It was quite rich so you can only eat a little at a time.

To read more about the recipe, you can see my Preschool Activities Everyday blog with the whole kitchen fun recipe. Make some ice cream with your family!

ChipIn for a Single Mom Scholarship

Helping Hearts and Hands is a local social service organization of women in our community. We are giving one scholarship away Sept 1 to a single mom attending vocational school or college that is a resident of our county. With your help, we can give away 2! Chip In to donate. All money will go directly to Helping Hearts and Hands (less paypal fees I will have to pay!).
Thank you for your help.

Blogging for Beginners

As I reach my 100th post on my very first independent mom blog, I have began to research on ways to make money from a blog.

Smart Moms is always looking for ways to make money from home. A blog is a simple way with little monetary investment to make money, if done correctly.

Do I know what correctly is?

Not completely or much at all as I begin to research.

However, believe it or not, this blog, without effort except posting quite a few days per week, has made me around $50 in the past 4 months.

Not much, but not too bad for not much work.

Over time, it will be enough to buy a new pair of shoes without guilt, or eventually pay for a family vacation (my trick is that the money will all go into an online bank account I do not access on a regular basis!).

And the only cost I have in this blog is my new domain- www.the-day-of-a-mom.com (no more blogspot.com!) and that is costing me $5.99 a year from 1&1. And that is even with a free email address!

I am going to be forging ahead with learning about blogging and I hope you will join me. Here is a place to start, a 6 figure income earner blogger with some beginning blogging tips.

One more star for hubby!

I have already bragged about my husband about how great it has been having him home. Last night, he cleaned out the pantry! I got the nice pantry shelf organizers about 9 months - 1 year ago and cleaned it out pretty good. But I did not look at any expiration dates. Well, here in the hurricane state, you tend to stock up on canned goods and non-perishables. Who knows how long those things last? Well he found some pretty old ones. Have you ever heard of a can of artichokes exploding???? ...that is what started all of this off.

So now the pantry is free and clear of old food- now I don't have guilt over not using it.

And you know what they problem was... recipes. I would gather up ingredients to cook a recipe and go back to the plain old food I always cook! Gourmet cooking is never a quick option!

Thanks to my hubby and his wonderful eagerness to clean our house during his vacation!

P.S. He wanted me to add that we have more pasta per capita than any other house in the US. I never use up a whole box and always try to work it in. It would help if I only bought one type of pasta and then that would solve the problem!

Children's Place Back to School Savings

If you are getting ready for back-to-school shopping, it could not help to have some discounted savings at some of your favorite stores. I just found the Coupon Chief coupon codes that offer a ton of coupons for online shopping. There are a large variety of stores to choose from with discounts on large purchases and small purchases. You can actually sign up for their email newsletter to get coupons delivered right to your mailbox!

The coupon I found that most interest me today was for The Children's Place- $5 flat shipping (you cannot beat that!), 20% off backpacks, or 15% off your entire order. There are many to choose from so you can get the best deal.

And I love The Children's Place because they are a good price on some cute clothes and accessories.

What mom does not want to save some money with your online shopping? The Coupon Chief is another great find for online shoppers.

This post is sponsored post through PayPerPost.

Bragging on my husband!

My husband is a school teacher, so he is home for the summer. It is wonderful because he is helping out all around the house. He has done laundry, begun to clean out the garage, sell thing on ebay, and even cleaned the porch. I am also able to sleep in with our youngest even though the oldest gets up before 7:00 am.

It is also nice to have some family time with either the kids separate with one adult or all of us together. This summer has been great (except of course the cancer and the surgery- but those are over and done with!).

It has been so nice to have him home. Teachers do not have the highest paid jobs but the benefit of being off during the summer and holidays is worth it... plus, he just loves to teach!

I am a Postie! for Pay Per Post

As a work a home mom, I am constantly looking for ways to bring in money from different sources- that is the basis of Smart Moms.

Over the past few months, I have been amazed at the things I have found on the internet. One of these is payperpost. I found it a few months ago, but my blog did not qualify- you have to be over 3 months old with more than 20 posts. I had the 20+ posts, but was not three months old. My friend Betsy reminded me today to go back and reapply- so here I am. I can earn $20 for this post, $5 or more here and there for other posts. You select the opportunity and write about it on your blog.

In my opinion, this is perfect for mom blogs. Why not make some money why you are doing what you will do anyway- posting!? Plus you can get more money for referring others to Pay Per Post and earn more as your ranking improves and as you post more! See my badge in the side panel- if you are interested click through and join me.

If you have a blog or looking to earn some extra money, think about payperpost. If you have not started a blog, start one and in three months, come back and join. There are always times when you are looking for something interesting to post about so why not get some ideas and make some money. Multiple Streams of Income is the ultimate goal!

Suave Tips for Busy Moms

The folks at Suave recently conducted a survey of women asking can motherhood and womanhood co-exist? The results went through what moms miss out on and want more of in their motherhood lives. They found that 95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves.

With that in mind, here are some Blogger Tips for Busy Moms from Suave...

Beauty:
And while most moms are doing the basics everyday - brushing their teeth (93%) and taking a shower (77%) -- some find it challenging to fit them into their daily routines. Half say they have forgotten to brush their teeth in the morning (53%), and most have had days when they didn't have enough time to shower or bathe (66%).With our beauty tips, you just might be able to sneak this little necessity back in.
I use a foundation that is also a moisturizer and sunscreen all-in-one; much easier to apply one item to my face! -Michelle

Exercise:
Although 67 percent of moms would rather get their pre-baby body back than their pre-baby sex life, exercise opportunities are tough to come by. After shopping for themselves, exercise is the second most desired activity to pursue during coveted “me” time- here's some advice on how to fit in fitness.
In order to get any guilt-free exercise, you have to find ways to incorporate your little ones. I invested in a chariot attachment for my bike. It allows me to load up the kids in the trailer and go. The best part is that they usually end up dozing off and you get to breathe some fresh air, take in the scenery and work towards getting your old body back. Not to mention what it does for your peace of mind. It has truly become my zen moment. - Liz

Child Care:
95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves. The average mom spends about 3½ hours a day helping her children with activities and hobbies . And, while it's no surprise that moms often put their children and families first, Suave wants to remind moms that beauty can have a place amongst the dirty dishes and piles of laundry that are an inevitable part of motherhood.
Time for mom does not have to be away from the kids, it is sometimes difficult to get away. Take those moments when playing outside with the kids or taking a walk and listen to a mom podcast (an internet radio show that can be downloaded to a computer), just load up your mp3 player or iPod and enjoy some mom entertainment on the go. - Barbara

It's taken me a while to realize it, but, in order to care for yourself, you sometimes have to just do it, even when it feels like there are other, more important tasks at hand. You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family, and, you are the only one that can make it happen. Sure, there are clothes that need folding, but, there's always clothes that need folding, they'll wait. - Elizabeth

Thanks to Suave for these great tips!

Diagnosis: Cancer

In some past posts, I mentioned my husband has been in the hospital and has had some surgery. He had a mass removed from his testicle that was cancerous. he went to the oncologist today who first told him to do two courses of chemo. He later called back (after consulting with Lance Armstrong's cancer doctor!) and said that no treatment, but consistent scans throughout the years is another option. We had to think carefully, but he is going with the observation plan. The likelihood of the cancer returning is possible with either option, of course lower if we treat it now. If it does return without treatment now, he will have to have 4 courses of chemo then. What is the right answer? Only time will tell. Please pray for us in the coming months, years, as we continue to deal with a variety of medical situations.

The Brands Club

Here is something new for me, The Brands Club. It is a free membership club that you shop online through at major stores: Sears, Target, Macy's, ITunes, and tons more. You get cash back from your sales! You get it, not me (although I get a referral commission if you go through my link). You also get major deals too and referral bonuses yourself for referring friends. Check this one out- easy money to earn- easy money to save!

Tuesday Efficiency Tip

Reading my sister work at home mom blog, 4fabmoms, I found Betsy's post on Tuesday's Efficiency Tip. I was also listening to Real Simple on Good Morning American Radio on XM and that gave me the idea for the efficiency tip for unusual uses or different uses for common things around your house.

Straightening Iron to Iron:
One of the ones this morning from Real Simple was for a straightening iron to iron your clothes in a pinch or the space between buttons the iron does not reach.

Toothpaste for acne: This is one I read years ago, use toothpaste on a pimple. It has to be paste. Put it on before bed and it dries the blemish out.

Baking Soda and Vinegar to clean out your clogged tub: Remember the school days with the exploding volcano... the same action will clean out your pipes. Put in some baking soda and get as much down the drain as possible. Then pour in the vinegar and what the explosion. Your kids will love this one!

Scrapers to clean out between the stove/cabinet: If you have a drop in stove, you know it gets gross in between the cabinet and the stove top. If you have a scrapper for stones or other non-stick pans, slide it through the sides and clean out the mess. It is the perfect size.

Do you have tips you want to share? Comment on this blog and I will link you in this post. We would love to share, plus increase traffic to your blog!

Children's Annual Checkup Questions

Don't you love when you go for your children's annual checkups and they ask you all sorts of developmental questions? You really have to think.... does my child describe things? Do they walk backwards?

The one I loved the most today was do they have any behavior, eating, or sleeping problems? Not if eating junk most of the time, whining, and sleeping in your parents bed don't count as problems! It is all how you think of things as problems. My children certainly would not classify those as problems... actually, those would be solutions to their problems! So how do you answer? My doctor is one of those that thinks most children act like children anyways... so I tend to keep my mouth shut. I taught children with behavioral problems, you think I would be able to get a 4 year old to get into bed at night!

Until next year--- maybe I will be better prepared!

Rushing to Church

How is it that even when you get up early, you still end up rushing to church! I remember Sunday mornings with my mom, a single mom or the only parent attending church, screaming at us to get our clothes on, eat breakfast, and get in the car. Then of course there was the argument of three children of who got to sit up front. A never ending saga that ended when we walked in the church doors. You wonder how we learned anything when we got there after the rush and chaos of getting there.

With that in mind, I try real hard not to rush my kids. I read somewhere that "hurry" should never be said to your children. You should plan ahead for enough time so that you not throwing them out the door and into the car seats.

And we were not that late to day. We were technically on time- just not as early as I wanted to be there... I have a bit of a thing for being on time... from the above story, do you wonder why? :)

I did not say "hurry" but I did say "come on guys, get to the car." Of course, we started getting ready too soon, which was part of the problem. We thought we had more time that we ended up with. I will make an effort to make my children not feel rushed, but still get there on time. You try too!

I saw Hairspray!

My husband "let" me go see Hairspray today. I very rarely go to a movie, a very rarely on opening night/day (I went to the matinée). It was quite cute. I thought I knew more of the story than I did. The audience was laughing throughout the whole thing. I know this will end up being the Grease of this generation (not to mention, John Travolta was amazing in this too!).

I thought it was a Broadway hit turned movie in the 70's turned remake in 2007. I was wrong. It was a movie, turned Broadway, turned movie again!

Take the time to go see it- it will make you laugh and be in a great mood when you leave. Here are more facts and tips about Hairspray.

Simple Successful Habits

I was tagged long ago by Wendy of Adventures of a Suburban WAHM Success In Weight Loss. The meme was on Simple Successful Habits.

What has made me successful? I am guessing it what you mean by success. In determining what you do well in life, you really have to look at everything you have accomplished in relation to what you wanted to accomplish.

• I am a success as a mother. That has been my goal in life, to be a mom. I am now the mom to two sweet children. I may not be be the best in all I do, but I am doing the best I can! :)

• I am a success in finishing my education as a teacher. From a young age, all I wanted to do is teach! I love teaching and always have. I love going to school, and still continue to do that now and then! Even though I stay at home, I still tutor, teach Sunday school, and some kids activities. It is in my blood.

• I am a successful entrepreneur. I am judging my success on accomplishing my goals I have set so far. When we started Smart Moms, I did not know what we were getting into. As we have come along, I am amazed at what we have accomplished. Now I am so proud of us!

To be successful, there are some habits you have to have.
1. Setting goals. What is it you want to accomplish? How are you going to accomplish it? What do you want as the end result?

2. Make a plan. When do you want your goal accomplished by? What steps do you need to get to the goal? What education or information do you need to gather in order to accomplish it?

3. Work the plan. Schedule time each day to work towards your goal. Jack Canfield of the Success Principles says to do 5 thing each day towards your goal. I at least do that many! But make them things you can accomplish and that will move towards your goal. Don't get too involved with busy work.

4. Reward your accomplishments. No one wants to work towards a goal and not receive praise when you complete it. Praise yourself if there is no one else to praise you! Reward yourself, even if it is just a day off work (although you know that will probably not happen!). Enjoy the fact that you have reached your goal!

In all things, measure your success by judging yourself, not others. Success is about what you see as accomplishments, not what others are accomplishing. Thanks Wendy for encouraging me to think about success today!

Tagged!
Anita gets a log of tags in her work at home mom blog
Suzy on her Core Insight Coaching blog
And Fine Tune Your Business Ethics! at MomsNetwork.com

One Word Meme

This is from Lara's Place blog. A fun idea. I will tag some people soon to play along.

You can only answer each question with ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Car
2. Relationship? Married
3. Your hair? Blond
4. Work? Home
5. Your sister? Three
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Forgot
8. Your favorite drink? Coffee
9. Your dream car? BMW
10. The room you’re in? Family
11. Your shoes? None
12. Your fears? Thunder
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Vacation
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Braswell's
15. What are you not good at? Cleaning
16. Muffin? Banana-Nut
17. One of your wish list items? Freedom
18. Where you grew up? Florida
19. Last thing you did? Post
20. What are you wearing? T-shirt
21. What aren’t you wearing? Pants
22. Your pet? Dogs
23. Your computer? Gateway
24. Your life? Faithful
25. Your mood? Upbeat
26. Missing? Keys
27. What are you thinking about right now? Pro-Series
28. Your car? Vibe
29. Your kitchen? Cluttered
30. Your summer? HOT
31. Your favorite color? Green
32. Last time you laughed? Morning
33. Last time you cried? Yesterday
34. School? UCF
35. Love? Family

Tagged!

4fabmoms Work at Home Moms Blog

When My Mom Visits

My mom is coming over in the morning to watch my children while we go to the follow up visit for my husband. My mom is not the typical grandmother, since she has two children of her own still in her home- ages 14 and 18. She does occasionally watch the children, but not very often. And she does visit, but not very often. She claims she does not care what our house looks like, but there is always some motherly comment later. Last week, my friend stopped by at the same time and talked about being a germophobe. And my mother said after she left, "I can see why she did not sit down in here!" So I have desperately tried sprucing up my house. When she is here alone, it is even worse, even though she "does not care." I do have to point out, I am not the best housekeeper, but I am not the worst! And she actually employs a house cleaner... 4 days a week! But still, you cannot help but worry when comes to visit!

Multiple Streams of Income on the Internet

Why do I work from home? I work at home so I can be at home to my children. I work at home so I can be here instead having to send them to day care. I work at home so I don't have to go to work! I work at home so I can go to lunch with my mom when I want to. I work at home so I can go to the bathroom when I want to (if you are not a teacher, you would not understand this)!

My other Smart Moms and I had been working at home. We were working a home based business that required us to find others to use our products. Many people do well with that. The Smart Moms were doing well with that! But we wanted to expand our influence. What we learned was so much more! We, four women that thought they were very up-to-date on technology, were missing what we could do for multiple streams of income using the internet.

We still sell products! We have actually found a few more companies we like. But we have also found a new business... helping other moms in home based businesses or those that want to be in a home based business be successful at whatever they choose.

If you are interested in learning more about what the internet has to offer, you have got to read this book, Multiple Streams of Income on the Internet by Robert G Allen. It is quick and easy to understand. I just gave my copy to my friend on Sunday. This is the book to begin with. Then visit our Smart Moms Work at Home Moms Site and see what we can do to help you succeed.

Free Kids Music

I was completing my preschool math activities for measurement page today and heard this song called Tall by Milkshake. I thought the song was appropriate and looked it up on google on found the video on YouTube. I posted it on my site and my preschool activity blog. Then I got an email from the group from my YouTube post that sent me to their website. They have an entire set of kids music for free. You cannot beat that! Check them out. I am sure you will love them! Moms love great music for kids, especially when it is free. Plus they have a whole bunch of videos too!

Friends are great!

Since Rick's surgery this week, our friends from church have been wonderful in bringing up dinner the past few nights. Not only is it nice to not have to worry about cooking, it has been wonderful to not have to go the grocery store. It is nice so we concentrate on the other things. I so appreciate my friends (and my sister in law, Angie) that have provided us dinners. Words cannot express how wonderful it is to not have to worry with that!

Thanks everyone!

Pointless babbling by Mason and Terri's Mom!: Word Verification

Pointless babbling by Mason and Terri's Mom!: Word Verification-
A woman after my own heart! I hate verifications! For some reason I can not do it!

How To Help Your Dry Cracked Feet

If you are like me, your feet are always a mess! Living in Florida and always wearing sandals does not do much to help. Here are some tips from my friends Suzy to help you out.

How to Improve Dry, Cracked Feet Easily
By Suzy Strempke

"How do I get rid of my dry, cracked feet?" is a question that has been asked many times in my 5 years in the skin care industry. Here are a couple of things you should know:

Effective Remedies Require 2 Steps:

Exfoliate THEN moisturize. Repeat daily until condition improved and then cut down to exfoliating 2-3 times per week (you still need to moisturize daily).

Exfoliating alone will not be effective because the skin that is under the dead, dry skin needs moisture to prevent future cracking.

Moisturizing alone will not be effective because there is a barrier from the dead, dry skin.

When you have cracks in your skin from being dry, exfoliating should become your way of life. Not only will you need to exfoliate initially quite a bit to remedy, but you will need to maintain a regular exfoliation routine otherwise the cracks will come back.

Great Exfoliants:

Foot Scrubs
Scrubs can contain a number of ingredients that are great exfoliants such as: pumice, nut shell powders, salt and sugar.

Foot Files or Pumice Stones
Using one of these tools with your scrub gives you extra exfoliating power.

Ingredients to Avoid in Moisturizers:

Never use a moisturizer that has mineral oil in it – EVER. Mineral oil creates an un-penetrable barrier, so even if you have excellent hydrating ingredients in your moisturizer they will not benefit your skin.

Ingredients to Look for in Moisturizers for Extremely Dry Skin:

Jojoba oil is similar to your skin’s natural oil and is easily absorbed. It makes a great moisturizer and never goes rancid.

Azulene (heart of chamomile flower) is one of the most moisturizing ingredients for human skin while being very soothing and calming at the same time.

Implementing these steps and choosing products with healthy ingredients are the key to fabulous feet!

Suzy Strempke, certified core energy coach™, is the owner of Growth In Action - Empowerment Coaching and Training. She is passionate about empowering women to build successful businesses while maintaining healthy and fulfilling personal lives. She helps her clients get "in action" for what they want most for themselves and leads them to bust through internal blocks that are holding them back. A successful entrepreneur for more than five years with Sensaria Natural Bodycare, Suzy enjoys educating women about the value of self-care, nurturing rituals, good skin care and ingredient awareness. For more information please visit http://www.growthinaction.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzy_Strempke

Tagged

I have been tagged by Amber at her homeschooling blog.

Here are the rules:

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Here we go:

1. I was born in Arizona but have lived all over FL since I was 1 1/2.

2. I am the second of five children, who at this moment all live in my city, including my parents. Family get togethers are crazy since there are a total of 17 of us if you just add in my parents, siblings, spouses, and kids.

3. I am a certified special education teacher and taught for 6 years before staying home with my first born.

4. I love serving at my church and in the community.

5. I have been married for 11 years. We were set up as a blind date.

6. I love roller coasters and have never passed one up!

7. I love being the tourist and going to Orlando theme parks. I have passes to all the Disney parks and Sea World.

8. I am a partner with Smart Moms - Smart Business, LLC, which is changing my life each and every day!

Now I shall tag!
Amanda has a great Pajama Mama community. Lots of info and fun facts.
Val at the Busy Momma
Michelle's Weight Loss Journey
Anne at The Tall Poppy
I cannot believe it, but a dog's blog, Bailey, Suzanne's Mini Doxie
Crystol's Collection of Back to School Items
Super Moms Health and Wellness on customer service
And Sun Safety Tips from Skimbaco (and some cute clothes)

Read about some other great mom blogs at the Smart Moms forum.

Surgery Update

The surgery went well on Tuesday- it took less than 1 hour. They kept him overnight to make sure the kidney was okay and then we came home. We will wait on the biopsy results until next week.

While we were there, friends from our church were also at the hospital. The wife has been in the hospital for weeks, on a ventilator for the past 12 days. They made the decision to let her go this morning and she died peacefully at 10:21 am. Both taught 1st grade Sunday school and taught many children the books of the Bible and Bible passages. She was loved and will be missed.

They did decide to take her off all machines because of her direction in her living will. If you do not have a living will, research the information you need for your state and make your wishes known. It makes it a little easier on your family if the decision has to be made.

The Next Surgery

My husband's surgery is Tuesday morning, so we will be going towards the hospital tomorrow and staying the night since we have to be there at 5:30 am! We are faithful that God is in control! We know it will work out according to His plan. Please be in prayer for Rick and the surgeons and his family. I will let you know how it all turns out as soon as I can.

Work at Home Office Hours

On our Smart Moms Forum, we have had a discussion about working office hours when you are working from home. It is so difficult to stay off the computer and do things like clean the house, play with the kids, do the laundry, etc...

So I am challenging myself. I am going to blast out the last few pages of my new preschool activities site (under construction!) and start with office hours next week. Mostly, that will be 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm with maybe an hour in the daytime to check email. Otherwise, I will spend 2 hours checking email!

Working from home is a great opportunity if you take the opportunity to do the other fun parts that go along with working from home and keeping your kids at home.

If you are interested in working from home, I can help. The Smart Moms team is dedicated to helping mothers work from home and achieve their dreams and goals. Interested? Check out our work from home resource site!

Cleaning Out the Car

I do not understand how some moms have cars that are clean and spotless. My car looks like someone lives in it- literally. The kids bring in toys and leave them. We have every paper that comes from Sunday school on the floor. Not to mention, my seats have all sorts of stains, even though they are BLACK fabric! And I will not even bring up the french fries that appear under the car seats!

So today, my goal is to clean it out. It may only last a few days before it gets cluttered up again, but it is a start.

If I got my windows tinted, maybe no one but me would notice. Except when the papers go flying out as I put the kids in their car seats!

Florida Weather on the 4th

Today we had a wonderful day with our good friends, trying to be around the pool. But in Florida, even in a drought, it rains on the 4th.

Every year, it is a wait and see if the fireworks in our town get to go off on time. Some years, they haven't even made it on the 4th, but had to go off the next night.

Today was rain as usual for Florida, for about 1-2 hours. But luckily the fireworks started right on time. They had to... we had lightning during the fireworks! Rain looked like it was coming.

My son, who was very excited as the neighbors were sending some small fireworks off, was playing in the sand on the beach during the big show. My daughter, who would not come out at first, squealed with excitement the whole time! It was a lot of fun and worth the drizzle! For once, it was not 90 degrees and humid... maybe 87 degrees which is cool to a Floridian!

Hubby Has More Surgery to Come

Well my dear hubby has more surgery to come next Tuesday. This time a tumor. They will remove it, then biopsy it. We are thankful the tumor is localized and may or may not be cancer, may or may not need chemo or radiation. We just have to wait and see. Be praying!

Back From Vacation

We had a great week with the cousins at the beach for the week. We went to the beach, played in the pool, and went to a great Children's Museum. There are three cousins born within 8 months, so they had great fun together! Now... back to work!

You too can be an INFOPRENEUR

I am a partner in Smart Moms -Smart Business, LLC. We just recently became official but we began our work at home journey back in March 2007 after coming across a work at home mom website. We knew we could provide high quality training for moms that work at home, plus try to gather some names of women that wanted to join with us.

Since then, we have learned so much more than we ever thought we could have known about doing business on the internet. We have divided into two paths: working from home in direct sales and working from home by becoming an INFOPRENEUR: an information entrepreneur.

We are building businesses from information we already have. I was a school teacher so I am building a site with preschool resources. You can see the beginnings at Preschool-Activities-Everyday Blog. We have also created an eBook that is a guide to lose weight. You can see the site at 30 Days To A Healthier You!

And the point being here is that 3 months ago, I would not have believed I own and operate 5 different websites and have written 2 1/2 eBooks! And you can do it too. The internet is an amazing place to build and sell information. Everyone wants it, no one wants to take the time to look for it. So build a site with one location for all the top information, and you can make money!

If you want more information and a free report with the links of all the resources we have used to build our business, visit Smart Moms - Smart Business and subscribe to our newsletter. It is free to join and free to get the report. And click on some of the links on the sidebar to see more about what we have done over the past 4 months. We are impressed and hope you are too!

I am on vacation for a few days! No cable, no phone, no internet! Gotta love it!

What A Find For Dinner Ideas!

I have previously used a meal planner for dinner ideas, and then I get out of the habit. it really does save you time if you plan your whole week before you go to the grocery store.

Yesterday, I was looking for party food ideas and I found Everyday Dinners on Yahoo! Food. It has four different categories- gourmet, classic, quick, and healthy meals- all for free. It provides the recipe for the main dish and then you fill it in.

The whole section of Yahoo! Food is great!

Make sure you check this one out!

My baby's birthday

Today my first born turns 4. I am thinking back to the 18 hours of labor, ending in a c-section, baby in NICU for 20 hours, and 5 days in the hospital for me! What a day! And I would do it again...

I am so thankful for my children and thank God for the gift of having them. Neither birth went smoothly- although I am great a being pregnant! I am thankful for the days I spend with them, even when I am on the computer and they are playing around the house.

Children are a blessing. Be thankful for them everyday!

You know it's been a while...

You know it's been a while since you have cleaned the bathroom counter when your 4 year old says, "Where did all the stuff go?"

Thank goodness I cleaned today!

Picture Day

We went to get pictures done today for my son's birthday. He will be 4 this week. We always get their pictures around their birthday. He did great, for the first three pictures and then it was all over. He did not want to pose any longer. And I wanted a picture of them together- not happening! One day, when they are older, we will be able to do that, but for now, I will have to be happy with my candid shots I take on my own. They truly look like themselves in those pictures anyway!

Nap Time Dilemma

We are again in a nap time dilemma. Now our little girl is the one... she is only two! Just two! She doesn't need to nap until late in the afternoon, then she will not wake up within a hour or so, and then she wants to stay up till late in the evening! Some times, she is waking up just before our son goes to sleep for the night (he goes to bed early!). But if we keep her up, she can't make it... tonight she feel asleep even though we were trying our best to keep her up- bribing, "bubbles" (Sprite), talking to her, etc. So now we will wait and see- will she get up or will she stay asleep....

More tomorrow!

Preschool Activiites

I have started a new blog, hoping to be a daily blog: Preschool Activities Everyday. I am excited to be posting a new activity to do with your toddler and preschooler each day. It is so easy to incorporate small activities that are fun. Not to mention, all of it is learning and all of it is bonding. The time you spend with your preschooler is invaluable! Take the time each day to do one activity. I will supply the information, you just have to schedule the time!

YAHOO verification

I cannot figure our why, but five to ten times a day, yahoo wants me to verify that it is me sending an email. It would not be so bad but for some reason I can't ever get the letters/characters right! I am an educated woman! Why shouldn't I be able to type in a few letters and numbers? I am not visually impaired (although places like Earthlink now offer that option- maybe I should take it!) and I know my ABC's and 123's. I get it wrong at least 2 times a day...

For now, I guess it is proving I am not spamming- since I send a gazillion emails per day. I need to get better at figuring out those codes!

And speaking of ABC's- my little girl (just 2) and I were at Walmart last night, waiting in the very long line to buy diapers, and she started pointing at the letters on my shirt. I said "ABC" and she said "DEF" and repeated the letters all the way to the end! It was so funny, especially LMNOP (children's favorite section)- she pretty much said "BLLLBLLBLLL", but in the right syllables!

Our ebook and site are finished!

I am so excited... The Smart Moms finally completed our ebook, 30 Days To a Healthier You!, site and all and we are ready to launch! You should really check out our free fitness 7 day boot camp. In addition, we completed a second site and book strictly on metabolism... it is a $7 report you don't want to miss out on- as I was working on it, it made me want to go get a big glass of water and start exercising (see the yoga booty ballet post).

Overall, we are working together to build some internet sites to monetize our knowledge (which is far greater than it was 3 months ago!). If you want more information about starting a home based business, go to the Smart Mom site and subscribe to our newsletter to get a free report giving you lots of options for working from home.

A Play Doh Party

My son's birthday is coming up next week. We had been debating over what type of party to have for him. His two best friends are his two cousins. So we thought we would take the three of them to a water park for the day and have a great time, just the three of them.

He climbed into bed with me yesterday morning and told me he wanted a play doh party. I thought that was a great idea. He is a little obsessed with play doh these days. We ran out a while back (a lot gets thrown away since it does not make it back into the container) and I have not had all the ingredients to make it. He went to a party the other day and he and his sister got a small 1 oz container in his party favor bag. He treated it like gold- until we did not put it away and it ended up in the garbage.

And then he thought of this idea... so we are going with it! His party is in less than two weeks, so I went to the play doh site, and they have these great "snow globe" type containers to save your creations. We are going to use those for party favors. We also got a bunch of colors of play doh and cutters to play with during the party. There are some listings for these types of parties, some actually make the dough. Not me- I go for the real thing! But I have not idea how he came up with the idea... sounds like fun to me!

TV Encouraging Exercising!

I do let my kids watch TV, but the are limited to what they watch, more than when they watch. When it is 100 degrees outside, I do feel we can stay inside and do some t.v. time.

One of my favorite channels is Noggin. No commercials, preschool on t.v., etc. And the shows are really educational, or at least without violence. They even have music in between shows and show "field trips" and cooking demonstrations. It is really a great channel from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Our favorites of course are Diego and Dora, The Wonder Pets, and Oobi.

Diego and Dora are also on Nick Jr. I don't like that channel as much because there are commercials for toys and things which give my children too much to ask for!

What I find funny is that for the summer, they encourage exercise! It started a few years ago with Lazy Town, a show about kids that only play video games and watch t.v. During the commercials they would encourage some moving around. I just heard it again today on Nick when we were watching Dora- "get up and run in place." I just find it funny because they really don't want children to leave, but they are getting them to move while they stay! If the children actually did go play, who would watch the shows!?

But exercise is important, even if it is for a few minutes between shows. What if adults did a few minutes each commercial break? We would probably lose a few pounds a year!

Yoga Booty Ballet

For two mornings in a row, I have gotten up and exercised! I have used my DVD, Yoga Booty Ballet and did the fat burning and the hip hop abs. It is so much fun! If you are a former dancer this is definitely for you! If you have no dancing experience, it is for you too! It is too much fun... you don't even feel like you are exercising!

I do have to say, I bought it a few months ago (for much higher than you can get it for on the link to Amazon), and I only did it twice. But after writing an article on metabolism and how great exercise (and water) are good for your metabolism, I can only think of drinking water and doing exercise to burn those last 10 pounds I want to lose. More on the metabolism article later- and another great book on losing weight... soon to come!

A Long Week

This is Vacation Bible School week at our church. We have VBS each night for five nights from 5:45 - 8:30 pm, preschool through adults. And I am the director! So it has been a long week.

Not to mention, last night my son feel asleep on the way to Dairy Queen, so I did not get him any ice cream of course. And he woke up when he got home and wanted it, started crying, and then stayed up for another hour and a half! While my daughter fell asleep coloring the first night (she has been on a nap protest, but did take one today!). So tonight, my son fell asleep during crafts, right on the craft table. Rick went to go get him and got him in the car and he asked for his ice cream! His daddy went to take him to get his ice cream and he stayed awake for another hour at home and finally fell asleep!

It will be nice when things get back to normal, but then I will have to make dinner again. Right now, we get dinner at church each night- which is so nice!

A Late Night!

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to be able to get a babysitter and go out with our friends without kids! We went bowling (I won one round) and to dinner. Our son is infamous for taking "naps" at 7:00 in the evening. We forgot to tell the babysitter that, so he fell asleep and woke up before we got home. And our daughter went to sleep, but needed a diaper change when we got home, so she woke up too! So one was up until 12:30 am and the other until 2:00 am! We slept in until 9:00 am/ 9:30 am, but I did not recover yesterday until I went to bed at 10:00 pm! I was able to work on my website and such, but still, I could not believe how late we were up!

So does that mean we should not have a babysitter and should just live with having our children with us all the time!? I guess it is worth the late night to go out a few times a year! :)

Love those 90's!

I was listening to XM 54- Lucy- in the car tonight. I love this station because it plays the music- they call "alternative rock" that was popular during my college years (90's). My husband, a bit older than me, listens to the 80's station. There is also a 90's station, but it is actually a lot of pop type songs that I did not get into. I just love having the satellite radio!

One of my latest favorite promo lines is "For the generation that did not understand Twin Peaks, to the generation that does not understand Lost." So true!

Tonight there was a song from Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chile Peppers--- it was great!

Blogtipping Day

I am joining in with other work at home mom blogs to blogtip other blogs.
I learned about this from Bev's Easy Craft Site.

Blogtipping Definition: Blogtipping is where you publish a blog post in which you link to three unsuspecting blogs and offer three compliments and/or one helpful tip to each blogger. (Or adapt those numbers to your own preferences; the principle of selflessness is what matters most here.) Blogtipping is a refreshing and useful surprise that can start a blogger’s month with a huge smile!

It is great to find other blogs that have wonderful information and to encourage others to view your blog. If you would like to participate July 1, visit our Smart Mom forum for more information. I will post the blogs I tip from this blog here, but check out the other two blogs, Smart Moms Biz and 4fabmoms to see who I tipped too!

My blogtipping for this blog... These are members of the Smart Mom Forum.
1. Core Insight Blog- read this great article on stress. Suzy has great information and support!
2.My Friend Amber's New Blog- HomeSchoolDiva- it is new, but already full of information.
3. The DollyMama- a great site to view and fun things to read.

A Day At The Beach

June 1 is truly summer in Florida. It is normally the beginning of the hot days, only getting hotter.

It will only get hotter from today!

My husband decided earlier this week that we should go to the beach today. Now we are in the middle of a drought, and they said rain was coming, but who thought it actually would!

We did get to the beach on the west coast around 10:30 am. It was a little hazy and windy, but not bad. The water was unusually cool, I thought, but since I live near lakes that are very warm, I thought maybe I was confused.

So it starts to sprinkle about 1 and a half hours after we get there. We stayed and let the kids play. Then it gets a little harder, but still not too much. But we did leave to go home.

One the way home... it was 68 degrees in Florida on June 1! I tried to research the lowest temp for this area, and all I found were averages for Tampa- high of 89, low of 75!

So who knew, the day I finally get my husband to go to the beach, we have a cold snap! In JUNE!

P.S. After I wrote this blog, I found out that we actually have a tropical storm in the Gulf. It would have helped if I had checked the weather... but we are thankful for the rain. It is suppose to rain all day tomorrow too. At least we got in a few hours!
P.S.S. The low today got down to 66 degrees- in JUNE!

We have had a success in potty training.... well almost!

My daughter is just over two and we have been working towards potty-training, but not forcing the issue. But since she has wanted to be naked the past few days, it has actually helped, because she will "hold it" when she does not have a diaper on. Well tonight, she started crying and I put her on the potty chair and SUCCESS! But only a little bit. She stopped. And then she started crying again, so I tried again, but she would not go. So I put her on the actual toilet with a potty seat on it and she started screaming like a crazy person! BUT she did finish up! BUT she kept screaming. So although this is a success, I think it could be trauma too, so we will just let it go and see what happens. I am not in any rush... well, yes I am- to be without diapers would great!

My Dear Friend Amber is Homeschooling

My children are young, but I am often asked if I will homeschool them. The same goes for my friend Amber, who is beginning her homeschool journey.

I am a pro-home school certified teacher. I do almost all the homeschool evaluations for my county, since most teachers either don't think parents should be home schooling and/or they tell the parents they don't think homeschooling is a good choice. Most parents that I encounter do actually do a very good job at teaching their children. The curricula that is available for parents to use that has everything they need, with full details and explanations of how to teach to their child. There is even DVD driven curriculum that parents can use at home so they are not the teacher, just the facilitator. There are now two programs, available in some states, to have public school at home. These companies, Connections Academy and Florida Virtual Academy (obviously Florida only), give all the materials and guidance, but the child does not have to go to school each day. I think that some children and parents do not even need a curriculum since there are so many resources on the internet. I also think that there are so many ways to homeschool that parents should not limit themselves to the way they were taught. Books and worksheets are not the only way to teach a child content and facts. Parents have the choice to be creative. And just like when I was a teacher, many things can be called learning... games, discussions, art, explorations, field trips. As a homeschool parent, aren't you homeschooling every day and every minute? As parents, aren't we constantly teaching our children?

I think homeschooling is a wonderful thing. I think that if the parent has the desire to keep their child at home to learn, they should. I think some children should not be homeschooled and parents who should not teach their children. I believe each parent has the right to choose how to school their child. I am thankful that there are so many options and we have the freedom to choose.

Will I homeschool? I have a least one year to decide. My son is not attending K-4, he will stay home with me. He has a summer birthday, so he may not even start when he is 5. My husband and I will decide that when the time is right.

Until then, I hope I can be a resource to my friend Amber in the coming year and to other parents that choose to school their children at home.

Rick is Home

After another chest x-ray yesterday, they let Rick come home. He has to blow into this tube a few times per day to keep his lungs working and he has to go back to get a CT in 4-6 weeks. Other that that- it is an answered prayer! On Saturday, they actually moved him to the transplant floor- I guess because they want any transplant patients on the floor, no matter how long it has been. The funny thing, it was like going from the Super 8 hotel to a Ritz. His first room was small, old, nothing on the walls, and a view of the former courtyard that is now enclosed by buildings. He moved to a view of the bay and Raymond James Stadium, a room with a couch, a chair, pictures and a clock on the wall, and one nurse to every 3-5 patients! Too bad he only got that room for the last 24 hours! I told him to request that earlier if he has to go in again... which he won't... but just in case. :)

We do have to change our summer plans, we were going to go camping (which Rick did not want to really do anyway) and the doctor told him that was out- we can go to the beach, but not to camp! That sounds good to me!

A Cool Mom Site

Yesterday on my way to Tampa, I was listening to XM. My favorite stations on XM are Take 5, 155, and Oprah and Friends, I think it is 156. I love the fact that I can listen to talk radio for women all day long if I want to. If you love to have a variety of music and talk with limited commercials, you should check out XM. It is affordable and convenient, especially when traveling. You never lose the station while you change cities, plus they have every kind of music- kids, country, 30's - 90's stations, and TALK!

I digressed from my original thought- it is late and I am sleepy!

So I was listening to Jean Chatsky in the car. Since I did not have my kids with me, I got to listen to whatever I wanted!! I love Jean Chatsky because she offers great financial advice. Yesterday, she was speaking to two women that started their own business for moms called Mom Space. It is a mom resource for all types of businesses and has a great mom chat group I joined tonight with lots of groups to join. I highly recommend you check it out. It is new, so it is not huge, and if you live in one of the 50+ cities they offer a lists of resources for, you may find it saves you tons of time!

Of course if you are a work at home mom, the GREATEST chat/forum is the Smart Moms forum. I am biased on this one, since I am a co-owner of it! Check them both out and join both!

The Real Problem

I was able to drive over to see Rick today. My dear sister kept my kids all day! Finally, we saw the pulmonary doctor. Luckily I was there to ask the right questions and hear the answers! The first thing is that the chest x-ray did not really show the pneumonia but did show something. The CT scan they did showed the pneumonia, so if that had not been done, they would not have known he even had it! It is in his lower right lung and probably in the left. The main problem is that transplant patients sometimes get different strands of illnesses that cannot be treated the same way. So he is in the hospital for three more days, waiting to see if he has the common form of pneumonia and if these antibiotics work. If they do not work (if his symptoms do not go away by Sunday), he will have to have a procedure to get a sample of what is in his lungs on Monday. So keep praying that his lungs will clear and he can come home Monday.

So He Had to be Admitted

Rick was admitted to the hospital at 3:00 am and the ER dr. said he thought it looked like he had bronchitis. So we were hopeful he would come home today. They did a CT and it turns out he has pneumonia. He has to stay tonight to get IV antibiotics. The nurse told him it would be once a day for four days! He saw a doctor this morning, but no since, so he told them he wanted the doctor to come see him tonight... and he still has not, even though it is 9:00 pm. It is very frustrating because the nurse tells you answers that may not be the correct answer and the doctor cannot be found to give the correct answer. Also, Rick did not want me to drive over there since I had the kids, so now he is lonely since he has not seen us for a day! So tomorrow we will make the drive and visit for a little while. Hopefully this won't be a long stay!

Just to vent about Emergency Rooms

My dear husband had to go to the emergency room tonight- not what we would consider and emergency, but his doctor told him to go straight there. Although "there" was two hours away in another city. With his kidney transplant, he has a doctor here, but the transplant hospital is in Tampa. He may have an infection in his lungs, his medicine has been making him feel funny, and he has lost some weight since they changed his meds. All signs of concern, but this has been going on for two weeks or so, he has been going to work, and is functioning. So of course he has to go because the doctor said so. SO here it is 1:23 am, 8 hours after the doctor told him to go, and he has STILL NOT SEEN THE DOCTOR! First, he had to drive (and stop to get something to eat thank goodness!), then he had to be admitted and seen by triage, then he had to wait. Since he was not critical (and could have waited until tomorrow when the doctors were working!) he was pushed back from getting an ER room. Finally at 11:30 pm he got a room. He had to give some blood, get the second x-ray of the day, and wait. I just called and he still has not seen a doctor. How is it possible that this was an emergency!!!!!! I am going to try to go to sleep now and wait for his call to tell me if they are keeping him or releasing him or if anything is even wrong. He will not drive back tonight, but do you think anyone there is offering him a place to stay! No hotel rooms at the hospital. Fortunately my parents have a home 30-45 minutes from there, but still- what time will it be when he has to drive?????

Okay now, I am done venting. I will update later this morning on his condition... if I am not over there.

Gas Price Increase

I have a little Pontiac Vibe. It is a great small car with reasonably good gas millage. Yesterday, I had to fill up for the first time in a few weeks. I live in a small town, and don't drive terribly far, especially over the last few weeks with sick kids... so I was shocked that the price here in town was $3.20. According the AAA fuel gauge report, our gas is at the top of the scale. We have added gas taxes in this town, supposedly some of the highest gas taxes in the state, but still... a little town in Florida with the highest gas prices? I was on my way on a 140 mile round trip to visit my friend and her children and I felt GUILTY! How could I go anywhere with gas prices so high?
This report that showed up on Yahoo this morning gives some great ways to increase you gas mileage. Some seem like they would not make much of a difference, but any difference can save you money and more than that, save the gas. So do your part! Save some gasoline, save some money!

Qualities of a Wealthy Woman

My friend Amber is posting a series about the qualities of a wealthy woman. On my car, I have "Smart Moms Finish Rich" as my advertisement for my business (see a picture here). As a church going woman, I get some remarks about what does it mean to "finish rich" (at least they are not questioning the smart part...). All people want to "be rich" but no one wants to admit it! Being rich means to be successful in all areas of life, your family, your church, your work, not just the amount of money you have (or don't have) in the bank. I am rich because I have a wonderful husband that loves and supports me with two wonderful children that keep me on my toes. I am rich because I have three wonderful business partners that are working to improve our lives and the lives of other women. I am rich because I attend a wonderful Bible believing church. I am rich because I have 4 loving siblings and parents that happen to all live in the same town. I could continue to list my "rich" areas of life... but there would not be enough room to continue on. If you are feeling "poor", reevaluate your life and what you do have. As Sheryl Crow stated, "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got." If your job is what is holding you back from being rich, visit our Smart Mom site and see if we have something to help you out. Don't go through life thinking you are poor, be RICH!

Smart Mom Tips for Saving Energy

One of the largest expenses in a household is the power bill. It does not matter where you live, whether you have a mild winter or a mild summer- most places have one extreme or the other- a hot summer or a cold winter, each being able to strain a families household budget. Without being an electrician, there are some ways to lowering you electricity bill. These are simple steps you family can take to lower your bill each month and throughout the year.

1. Turn off the lights. It seems simple, but it is a hard habit to make. How many times do you walk out of a room without flipping the switch? Many times you do not even notice until the next time you come into the room, which could be hours later. Turning off the lights is the easiest no-cost way to reducing your energy bill. Also, replace your five most used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs to save $60 each year in energy costs. These light bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer.
2. Unplug appliances your are not using. Not only are you lowering the possibility of starting a fire, but by unplugging the appliances that are not is use, you will lower your bill. If it is plugged in, it is using electricity. Unplug the coffee pot, toaster, and the blender. If you keep these appliances on your counter, they do not have to be plugged in if you are not using them.
3. Unplug cell phone chargers and turn off power strips. Again, if is plugged in, it uses electricity. If you plug your computer, cell phone, printer, and fax all into one power strip, you can turn the power strip off when it is not in use with one click.
4. Turn the computer off: do not let it hibernate. Hibernating computers or computers on stand by are still using electricity. Again, turn them off or turn off the power strip when not in use. However, hibernation is better than being on. Set your computer to turn off if not in use, but make sure to turn it off if you will not be using it for a long period.
5. Use the microwave, crock pot, or counter top oven in the summer. Unless you want your house to heat up, do not use your oven in the summer time. By cooking meals in smaller appliances, you will decrease the amount of work your air conditioner has to do to cool the house back down. A small counter top oven (similar to a toaster oven, but better) can cook almost everything a large oven can, but it takes less time to preheat and does not heat up the entire kitchen. In the winter, you may want your house to heat up, so use the oven! Also, do not self-clean the oven in the summer time. The 500 degree temperatures really heat up the house.
6. Turn off ceiling fans if no one is in the room. Ceiling fans are great to cool a room while increasing the thermostat temperature. But if no one is in the room, it is not helping anyone. Ceiling fans are "instant gratification" appliances. They cool immediately and do not provide for a build up of cool air. Also, reverse the fan in the winter to help move the warm air around. All fans have a small switch to reverse the blade direction. That will help to move the warm air that has risen to warm the house.
7. Get window treatments. Blinds and curtains are more than a designer statement. They help keep the sun out in the summer and keep the cool air out in the winter. Even insulated windows can use the extra boost. Close the curtains and blinds at night to regulate the temperature, especially in the winter. Close the curtains during the day in the summer to keep the cool air in. Open the curtains in the winter to let the sunlight in.
8. Wash clothes in cold water. With the new cold water detergents, almost all clothes can be washed in cold water. That can lower an electricity bill by $63 in a year. Do full loads instead of partial loads. Do not do laundry during peak energy use times- when people are getting ready to go to work and when people are making dinner.
9. Do a few loads of laundry in a row. The dryer will remain warm and will not need to reheat from being cold. Do not overload your dryer since it will take more time to dry. Also be sure your the warm air is venting out of your house. If you have a utility room, close the door to keep the house from heating. Unless it is winter and then use the heat to your advantage!
10. Get a water heater blanket. This is an easy way to decrease your bill by keeping the water heater insulated. During the winter, the water heater is trying to keep up with the cool air. A blanket will keep the temperature regulated. It is so easy to install, you can do it yourself.

As a smart mom, you want to teach your children to make good choices and form good habits that will last forever. And of course, the benefit to the environment is another great reward. If needed, provide an incentive to your children for following the energy rules. The money you will save in the long room will be worth the time and effort to get your family into good habits. A little consistency and work up front will help your household over the long term.

My friends got me a fire extinguisher!

Today my dear friends Ali and Stephen called and told us they had bought us a present... so they came over with a fire extinguisher! In case my oven catches on fire, they want me to be ready.... LOL!

I did buy a great counter top oven- I love it! First, it does not heat up the house. Second, it takes minutes to preheat. Third, it came with a rotisserie! I have cooked frozen food like cheese sticks, those tear away cookies (just enough to eat right then), toasted bagels and waffles, and made french bread pizza. I do usually cook more, but with the family sick, not so much this week! I am hoping it will lower my power bill some this summer by not using the oven.

Crazy Kid Sleeping Positions

In this great blog I found, Crazy Hip Blog Mamas they have a posting for crazy kid sleeping positions. So I went and found one... sleeping sideways on Daddy!

Crafts That Are TOO Hard

My son did not want to go to Wednesday night church recently. He likes to stay home with Daddy, even though he used to call it "his school." So I asked him why he did not want to go. He answered, "Because the crafts are too hard. Crafts should not be that hard." He is almost 4, but there are kids in there that are almost 6. So it is probably too hard. But does that make him a perfectionist? Oh no!

My two year old needs to speak English!

My little girl is just 2 and 1 week. She was born when my son was 22 months old, and I believe I remember him talking so we could understand him. She is getting so frustrated because she knows what she is saying, but I have no idea! She takes me around the house, saying the same thing over and over and I have no idea what it is. I feel terrible that I cannot translate. My sister told me to ask my son what she is saying since he may understand her... ha ha ha! When I asked him, he repeated her sounds and added in some baby sounds for good measure! He has no clue either. So I need her to speak English, not 2 year old. She is getting angrier and angrier that we cannot understand her and I feel terrible! Any translators available?

VBS Game Day Central Cookies

A wonderful woman at our church made these cookies for our Game Day Central kick off event for our Team KID group. They are too cute and yummy too! She used cookie dough refrigerator batter on these big plates she got that you cook on (like Gladware, I think). Then she did the icing. I cannot give you all the details, but you can improvise from what you see.

A Real Mom's Mother's Day

What would a Mother's Day be if you got to sit back and relax? For a mom of a preschooler and toddler, it is just a dream. Today I am nursing back to health a 2 year old... she is throwing up! I always try to track down where we get the viruses from, but it was a busy week- the grocery store (and no wipes available to wipe down the cart), the library for story time, church on Wednesday night, MOPS on Thursday, the pet store and children's museum on Friday. Too many opportunities out there, huh? I usually am really good at wiping things down before they touch them and their hands after we leave, but I was not so good this week. Someone told me I needed to build up their immunity. Now my son has a slight fever, which is amazing, because he hardly ever gets sick! So my Mother's day lunch at my moms house is not going to happen, although I made some of the food this morning. We were also going to have birthday cake for Sophia's birthday last week. It is already ordered, so someone is going to eat it! Maybe I will have Rick record them singing Happy Birthday to her! LOL
I know the "sit back and relax" days may come some day, but so is the day of a mom... taking care of your children that cannot help it they are sick, making food for a party you were attending but can't make it to, and cleaning the house. Does that mean I get a rain check for next Sunday?

Naps or no naps?

My almost 4 year old son really stopped taking naps months ago- he could use a nap, but I am not in to him staying awake until 11:00 pm. If he does not take a nap, he is usually in bed at 8:00 pm, if not earlier. While I was in Las Vegas for a week, he got used to getting up when his daddy got up, at 6:00 am! Not my usual wake up time... so it has been killing me for the last few weeks, and him, since he is exhausted by 5:30 pm, too early for bed. So two nights ago, he went to sleep at 7:00 pm and woke up at 8:45 pm ready to go. He actually took a nap at 7:00 in the evening! And of course, who stayed up with him... ME! The next day, he got up early again, but this time I made him nap at 1:00 pm. He and his sister played for 1 hour before they both fell asleep. I let him sleep an hour (waking him up is a whole other story) and got him up. So he went to bed at 9:30 pm last night. It is such a hard choice to nap or not nap... peace in the evening because he is rested or an early bed time. I guess we will see how this continues to play out, and if I am the one that has to change and get up early!

The Oven Exploded!

My oven is only 7 years old and is not gunky on the bottom or anything... the other day I saw a red spot (not a flame) on the bottom element when I was cooking. I figured something got on it and was burning off. The next night, I preheated the oven. I had to go outside to get my daughter off the swing and I came back in, walked around the kitchen, and back towards the oven to put some garlic butter on my bread sticks. Then I heard a sound like the dishwasher starting, but it was from my OVEN! It was like "zizzizizizi!" and the whole oven lit up! I stepped back to look at it, saw the light, and turned off the oven and the stove top. There was a bit of smoke, not enough to set off the smoke detector, but the flame would not go out- it was inching around the element. So I ran out and turned off the breaker, which did make the flame go out. So I turned the breaker back on (I was brave) and turned the over back on. It did not burn down the house, but it never heated all the way either. My bread sticks were sort of cooked and then I broiled them to finish them. That element still works.
So this week at the grocery store, I bought things that can be grilled or cooked on the stove top. I thought this may save some energy and money on my power bill, but I guess I have to get it fixed! At least the house did not burn down! :)

Cleaning Tip

My sister told me about a tip for cleaning your jacuzzi tub- you dissolve two dishwasher tablets in really hot water and add them to your tub and turn it on. One thing I did not think of was that I rinse my cleaning rag (that had some type of orange cleaner on it) in the tub while it was filling up. So when I ran the jets, the bubbles blew up! It ended up making a bigger mess since then I had to clean up bubble residue! I am sure the tip works, but make sure your tub is CLEAN water without cleaners!

My little girl is 2!

My little girl's birthday is today. She had a somewhat uneventful day with church, nap, then her birthday cupcakes and presents with McDonald's for dinner. The best part was when she cried when we sang Happy Birthday!