Challenge #4 - Wednesday Photo Game

I am posting a challenge for Two Moms In A Blog November challenge. Those great women are offering 11 more challenges during the month to earn tickets to win a FREE Kodak Easy Share All-In-One Printer. Check and book mark their site for more information on the upcoming challenges!

Thanks for playing!

Challenge #4 - Wednesday Photo Game

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Our Wednesday Challenges for November will be some type of fun photo game. For our first game, we'll do a photo scavenger hunt. To earn this ticket, you will need to find 10 items: one for each of the ten descriptions listed below. This leaves lots of room for creativity and it will be fun to see what everyone comes up with:)

Scavenger Hunt List
- something cold
- something hot
- something soft
- something hard
- something heavy
- something light
- something dark
- something bright
- something crafty
- something tasty
- something sweet
- something cool

How to Participate
In order to participate, you need to collect the ten items above and take a photo of all ten. Then, post the photo on your blog or email it to twomomsinablog@hotmail.com. Once you have submitted your photo, leave a comment on this post so we know you participated. Your photo must be posted/emailed by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in order to enter.

THE PRIZES
As with all our challenges, by completing this challenge, you will earn another ticket into the draw at the end of the month for a Kodak Easy Share All-In-One Printer. One participant in THIS challenge will also receive a gourmet bar of soap from Mia Bella donated by Tina at Club Candles. Thanks Tina!

For more open challenges to earn more tickets for our grand prize, check out our contest page.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Thankful Tuesday's

My friend Betsy has started a series called Thankful Tuesday's on the 4fabmoms blog. What a wonderful idea to be mindful of those things we are thankful for each and every day.

Today, I would like to make a special thankful post for my husband. My husband has been going through chemotherapy for the past 6 weeks. It is not constant therapy, but is taking a toll. Along with illness each time from our preschoolers, he has not felt as well as he would like. He has been home for the past week and even though he is tired, he has been trying to keep things up around the house and help with the kids. I am thankful for the time he has at home to rest, for the things he accomplishes even though he does not feel well, and for the love he has for his family.

We know this is a short time in the span of life. We are thankful for our faith that God will get us through each and every day. We are thankful for the testimony He has given us to demonstrate our faith.

Thanks Betsy for the reminder!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

The Best Cleaning Steamer! Sanitize Without Chemicals!

Make this a Christmas gift to yourself! I bought the Shark Euro Steamer today and I cannot believe how clean my grout is! I bought this at a local hardware store because I heard how great steam cleaning is to sanitize your house without chemicals. I started just cleaning the tile. Then I noticed how the grout was coming cleaner, just going over it with the cleaner cloth. So I got down and got dirty! I scrubbed my grout with the metal scrubber brush and it turned back to the original color! Wow! I was quit warm, and gave myself a facial, but it was worth it! The 47 oz. of water kept going to clean the entire floor and to clean the majority of the kitchen grout. Now I am off again. I just could not pass up telling you about this. Buy yours today!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Pillsbury Bake Off $1 Million

I was just watching a repeat of last year's Pillsbury Bake Off. The winner, Anna, has her own cookie blog, Cookie Madness. She posts almost daily cookie recipes with pictures. What a find!

The next bake off has the 100 finalist. All of the recipes are available on Yahoo food.

And while I was motivated by the show to think of my own recipe, I will have to wait until 2009 to enter and 2010 to be one of the finalist for the million dollar prize- start thinking of your winning recipe and join me!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Fall in Florida Part 2

It finally stayed below 80 degrees for an entire day! We wore jeans on purpose for the first time. That also meant I discovered my two year old does not fit into the hand-me-downs from her cousin- a 4 year old- and we are out of hand me downs! She is now in a size 3T! At 2 1/2! So I happen to go to JC Penney's tonight and to my surprise, not only a sale, but an additional sale! Yeah- clothes for cheap! I love it! Getting clothes for a good price certainly makes it better to buy. Since she has now out grown the 4 year old, we are on our own- soon to be passing up I am sure.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Win a FREE Kodak Easy Share Printer

Two Moms In A Blog are offering a November give away. Join in for your chance to win a Kodak Easy Share Printer. There are issuing 14 challenges through the month of November and for each challenge you will earn a chance to win the printer, plus other small prizes. For this blog entry, I am entered to win $20 from Barnes and Noble. Who could not use that with the holidays approaching!

So visit the mom blog and join in the fun!


Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Google Page Rank

I am posting today since the much awaited Google Page Rank was released. While I do not worry about page rank, it would have been nice to see a higher number, if only so I could get better opportunities for paid posting! I have a few readers here, mostly friends and family, but I did have high hopes of better days. Maybe in the next go round!

For those that really obsessed, at least the wait is over and now we can move on!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Contests and Blogging

If you are a mommy blogger and trying to make some money with your blog, you know the importance of traffic. Traffic is the key to earning $$$ through one free available money maker, Google Adwords.

So how do you increase traffic? One way is by hosting contests. A great site for seeing how to use contest is Contest for Moms blog. She is giving away of Comfy Easy PC in this post. By linking to her blog or posting a comment, you can be eligible to win.

If you want more tips for making money with a website or a blog, a great resource is our Work at Home Professional Series. Episode 10 is with Pajama Mommy about her ideas for getting more money from your blog. It is well worth the 30 minutes of your time to get these valuable tips and resources! I will post the link soon, but you can go to the Itunes store and do a search for Smart Moms and download it from there.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Parent's Magazine Free Podcast

I just found this Parent's Magazine Free Podcast of the internet radio program. You can listen to it right from the site or download it from iTunes. iTunes is a free download and you do not need to have an iPod to use it. It is a great resource for organizing music and podcasts. There are MANY free podcasts on iTunes, including video Nick Jr. shows and Super Why from PBS Kids. The videos can be played right on your computer.

When you download iTunes, you will see the iTunes store on the left side bar. When it opens, go to podcasts. Click on Kids and Family. Make sure you check the Top Podcasts on the right side bar.

A great free resource!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

St. Augustine Events- Uptown Saturday Night

If you are going to visit Florida, you should visit part of our history instead of one of the large theme parks. One great place to visit is St. Augustine. If you decided to go, make sure you check out all the great events in St. Augustine, especially the upcoming Uptown Saturday Nights. On the last Saturday in October and November, October 27 and November 24, from 5:00 - 9:00 pm, the antique district along San Marco Avenue comes to life with loads of antiques, workshops on antiquing, book signings by local authors, and featured artist's works at local galleries. Close by, you can also enjoy galleries, stories, live music, food, and wine. The shops all have open house so you can enjoy the best of the district even in the evenings!

The best part, parking is free at Mission of Nobre de Dios!

St. Augustine is great to visit any time of the year, especially in the fall when the Florida weather is moderate. The history of the oldest city in the US is enough to keep you busy during the day, and the Uptown Saturday Night event is enough to keep you busy at night.

Don't miss out on these two special nights in St. Augustine! If you cannot make it this fall, other dates are available. I am going to plan my visit to St. Augustine to make sure I can go to Uptown Saturday Night!

Give Your Child Some Sidewalk Chalk

I have posted some of these pictures on my preschool blog, but they are worth mentioning again. A little sidewalk chalk and innovation, and you have an artist! Check out Julian Beever's collection of pavement art. Be sure to click on the 3-D images to really give your brain a work out!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

The Second Round of Chemo

Today begins the second round of chemo. My husband had last week without any treatments and now it is a full week of inpatient treatments. He tried to get out of the inpatient thing, but the doctor said he thought it would be best to keep the kidney good. Hopefully he will be out early Saturday since we celebrate Halloween on Saturday in our city. If not, no biggie, we will go visit the hospital in the cute costumes!

As I keep saying, this is a short time in the scope of our lives. Two more months, we are done! The healing has begun and all of this is just formalities!

Keep praying!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Superbug- Cleaning Your Home

I am sure most moms started a large cleaning campaign this week when news of the Superbug hit home. I completely washed down my kitchen and bathrooms, to me those seemed like the most likely culprits of germs. My husband has been in the hospital recently so that makes it even scarier!

And it is not just the kitchen and the bathroom of course. Shoes are one of the worse! Think about where your shoes go- the bathroom floors, the grocery store, the hospital floor (in our house). Leaving your shoes outside may be a good option!

One of the best ways to prevent any illness or germ in your house is to wash your hands carefully, for the entire song of Happy Birthday. Don''t share towels- each have your own towel to dry your hands- germs come off when you dry and they stay there. Or use paper towels and throw them away.

When you blow your nose, throw the tissue away immediately. Don't stick it in a pocket or your purse. How many times do you wash those tissues in your jeans and make a big mess anyway!

Use alcohol based hand sanitizers. While I have heard reports this has made some germs immune to the anti-bacterial properties, alcohol kills the Superbug.

And sanitize your house- with bleach especially. I hardly ever use bleach, but that and alcohol kill the it.

For more tips, read the Clean Living Newsletter. And wash your hands!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Smart Moms Professional Series

It has been a long busy week.

Smart Mom Kim has been working hard this week on the Smart Mom Professional Series. This is a free podcast download for moms that work at home to help them increase their skills, abilities, and to give them some good ideas to improve your business. If you are thinking about working from home, this is a good opportunity to start out on the right foot. You could not buy the experience these women have to offer. Millionaire Mommy gives some tips for becoming a millionaire young, PJ Mommy will teach you how to monetize your website, Suzanne (no Mommy name here) gives helpful tips for working ebay as your home based business.

You cannot go wrong listening to these 30 minutes episodes. Plus they are FREE!

So log on to our blog, 4fabmoms, and download your free work at home mom help.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Advanced Academics and Some Good Websites!

With my new job, I have created a website, of course! I am working with students in the advanced academic and gifted programs in our county. I created a website for the parents and the students to have access to the teacher sites all in one place and to give information for the various field trips and programs. But I could not make a website without some great links to some great sites.
Our advanced academics program is now working with students in elementary through middle, expanding to the upper grades. There are already AP and dual enrollment programs available in the high school, but hopefully there will be some type of program as these children increase in age.

One of the best sites is the virtual frog dissection. Everyone should check that out!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Make Money With Your Blog

I am very excited! I finally made $100 with Pay Per Post. I have been posting here and there on different advertising opportunities, making anywhere from $5 to $30 per posts. I finally past the $100 mark! It is easy to do and there is no requirement for what you post or when you post. You review the opportunities available to you and decide if you want to do it or not.

There are a view ways to make money:
1. Sign up to post. Click on the button and you can start your sign up (plus I get a commission for referring you if you post on your blog).
2. Review any of my posts on your blog. By reviewing my posts, we each get paid.
3. Sign up advertisers. If you have an need to get some links to your blog or website, this is a reasonably affordable way to do it. You can sign up and ask for people to post about you and link back to your site.

4. People can hire you to post for them. They sign up to pay what you ask. I have a pretty reasonable rate- $10 a post right now. You can get some links and some good press.


There are some limitations to signing up- age of your blog, how many posts, etc. You can sign up even if you don't meet them all and start when you are qualified.

So far, it has only been a good experience. They are fair reviewing posts and give you an opportunity to fix whatever may be wrong.

Sign up today and start making money on your blog!


Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Honey Has No Hair

We shaved my husbands hair yesterday. The chemo finally kicked in and his hair started falling out on Monday. By Saturday, it was looking pretty sad. So we shaved it. He actually looks really cute! His head is pretty white from the lack of sun. He still has some fuzz, but that will be gone soon. He already bought some caps and hats to cover it, but he went bald and beautiful to church today.

Let's hope it grows back the same as it left!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Those Terrible Two's!

I can see that my dear daughter has definitely hit those terrible two's. Although she is still lovable and cute, she is also opinionated and wants to control her own life. That is all well and good except when we are trying to get up and going in the morning. She does not want me to fix her hair, put on her clothes, or her shoes. She does not want to brush her teeth or turn off the TV. in fact, she only wants to watch Elmo Hair each and every morning! We have given her choices on the clothes and shoes, and that helps, but not always.

This morning, I wrestled her down to fix her hair (it is to her mid-back, so it is not like I can leave it!), she fussed all the way to school about a book that was on the floor, and then she goes into her classroom with a big smile and a kiss for her teacher!

At least she likes school!


Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Side Zip Pants

I understand the idea behind side zip pants- they give you a smoother front view without the bulky zipper where there is already bulk. But they are almost impossible to zip after two kids and a few extra pounds without getting some skin! (It may be chest size that causes some problems too!). I think I am going to be more careful about choosing pants from now on... back zip- that is a better idea- less bulk back there!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Ultralinking Revised

I deleted my previous post on Ultralinking and I am not listing the url. I was informed that Google can ban you if you participate... something I do not want. It really only brought me 5 hits or so anyways, so I am not concerned. I do not understand what it is, but somehow it got to my other blog so I checked it out. There are better ways to get hits!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

The Joys of the Park

Here in Florida, the park is just something you have to avoid during the summer time. Even in the evenings, the park is just too hot. But now as the weather is cooling to a wonderful 85 degrees in the evenings, the park is the perfect place to go. We have gone two nights in a row and have had a great time. Mostly, it is because they can almost both navigate all the equipment. Even my little 2 year old was scaling the disc climbing thing. I almost freaked... but I let her do it. My rule is if you can do it yourself, you are allowed to do it. So she did it... over and over and over again.
It is so much fun to enjoy the outdoors. Yes, in Florida, it is hot for most of June, all of July and August, and most of September. But the remainder of the year makes it soooooo worth it to me to tough out those hot months.

And there is always a pool, the hose, and air conditioning to get you through those tough months!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Gifts for the Men in Your Life

If you are like me, you are always trying to find that special gift for the men in your life... your husband, father, son, grandfather, father-in-law, boyfriend, or uncle. Some of the best gifts for him would be for his garage. And that is just what Car Guy Garage.com has available. They have everything you need to choose what will be perfect for that man in your life, no matter how big of a space you are working with. They have the work benches, the cabinets, the storage shelves, the peg boards, the car lifts, and even garage flooring. They are located in Chicago, but will ship to anywhere. It certainly is worth a look if you are stumped about what to buy for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or Christmas, check out CarGuyGarage.com before you buy them another tie or pair of socks!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

I Got My Breast Cancer Shirt!

I just got my breast cancer shirt and I LOVE IT! I just had to share it with you all.


Click here to support Breast Cancer Research by purchasing a breast cancer awareness t-shirt

Upromise- A College Savings Plan

Most people have heard of Upromise - Save money for college program through your credit card, grocery store, even McDonald's. Upromise is a great way to credit a savings plan for your child without changing anything you already are doing. With Upromise, families can automatically save money for college while making everyday purchases at grocery and drug stores, gas stations, restaurants, retail stores and online shopping sites. Upromise’s partners include Citi, ExxonMobil Corporation, McDonald’s, JCPenney.com, LandsEnd.com, Sears.com, and hundreds of others.

Join Upromise by registering your grocery store card or your credit card. You get a quarterly email statement telling you the money you have saved. With the rising costs of college, anything will help. Take advantage of Upromise and you are getting a savings account without any effort.

Your children will that you!

Click here to support Breast Cancer Research by purchasing a breast cancer awareness t-shirt

My Husband Got The VIrus

My children were sick last week, I was sick over the weekend (along with my daughter's reoccurence), and today, my husband has the "bug." He has had chemo the past week, but this seems like the same symptoms the rest of us had over the weekend.

It is amazing how these things can spread! We stayed in our room- quarantined!- and I changed every diaper. He either got it through the air, or one stray germ managed to get him. I checked out how viruses spread on How Stuff Works. Quite interesting. With flu season beginning, do your best to stay healthy, drink water, wash your hands, and take your vitamins. I do have to say, in one of the years I taught elementary, I made sure every child washed his hands when he left the bathroom and I sprayed Lysol everywhere every morning. I had almost no sickness that year! Something to think about...

And my thoughts on germs... wipe down the grocery carts, don't touch hand rails, and make sure you wash your hands any time you eat!

Keep healthy!

Click here to support Breast Cancer Research by purchasing a breast cancer awareness t-shirt

Cleft Palate and Lip Blog

I just finished reading Bauer's blog. He was born this summer with a cleft lip and palate. His parents are working diligently to get the information out that they so disparately needed when they found out their child was going to be born with this condition.
If you know anyone that has a child with cleft lip and palate, please send them to this blog. It is full of information, hope, and faith!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month T-Shirt- NO EXCUSES!

How many of you know someone with or that has had breast cancer? Raise you hands... I know, almost all of you. And that is the scary part.

My grandmother died of breast cancer almost 9 years ago. A healthy woman that walked daily, had a good weight, and loved life. She did not go in when she found a lump and it had spread before she knew it. She lived for a few years fighting and then went to be with our God in heaven.

We all know someone and we all know it needs to stop.

So I created this No Excuses shirt:

NO EXCUSES for not finding a cure!
NO EXCUSES for not doing a self exam!
NO EXCUSES for not going for your annual check-up.

There are just NO EXCUSES!

This is a lightweight cotton shirt with a rhinestone detail on the breast cancer ribbon. I am only offering this in white with black text and the pink and rhinestone ribbon, but you can special order organic cotton, maternity, long sleeve, or tanks. Just email me at rk@heartland-moms.com for more information and a price quote.

You can buy this shirt right here. And I am donating $3 for every shirt sold to support breast cancer research.

Help me lead the way to NO EXCUSES!

The cost of the shirt is $30 and that includes shipping. You will be brought back to this blog after you submit payment. Pay securely with Paypal! This is a picture of my breast cancer awareness shirt.

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Ramblings and Thoughts on War

This may be old news to some of you, but it is new to me. I received it in an email today. Since I don't forward, I am posting it here. If anyone has found untruths, please let me know. Not opinions, but facts.

This is straight facts about the wars the United States have been involved in past years in comparison to the was in Irag. Very republican... of course! I did verify the death counts on some wars... it does make you think and thankful for the small amount of lives lost in Iraq, although any life loss is too many lost.

None of us are for war- everyone should be anti-war. (Someone said that recently, but I cannot remember who!)


Just remember to take all things in perspective, have faith that our government is run by people that should have a clue, and pray daily for our country and the leaders that they will make Godly decisions.

Things that make you think a little:

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January.

In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq

When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following

a. FDR led us into World War II.

b. Germany never attacked us; Japan did.

From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ...
an average of 112,500 per year (9,375 per month)

c. Truman finished that war and started one in Korea North Korea never attacked us .

From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ...
an average of 18,334 per year (over 1,500 per month).

d John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us

e. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire.

From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost .
an average of 5,800 per year (483 per month).

f. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us

He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three
times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

g. In the years since terrorists attacked us , President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya , Iran , and, North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking.

But Wait

It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound.

That was a 51-day operation.

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida !!!!

Digital Cameras- A Lifesaver for Moms

I was at a birthday party the other day and one of my friends grandmother's said she took a whole lot of pictures the day before of her new great grand baby, and realized she forgot to put in the film!

Now, obviously, this is a grandmother- a great grandmother- I think she may be 80. But even grandparents today have cell phones and digital cameras!

Digital cameras have changed the way we do family memories. Instead of having one million prints (mostly 500,000 with doubles), we now have thousands of pictures saved on our computer. We can create scrapbooks online, have digital picture frames, and share our pictures in a single press of a button!


This picture was taken this past winter at my Grandmother's 80th birthday. It is all of the sister's- a rare moment when we are all together- and color coordinated!

My Kodak Easy Share is so simple to use! I even can do video of my children right in the spur of the moment! I don't have to go and search for the camcorder, which usually isn't even charged!

And the best thing is- 1 GB of a memory card. When my husband got his first digital camera 5 years ago, we were lucky to get a 16 MB. I am amazed at how many pictures I can get without uploading the pictures to my computer!

Digital cameras are a lifesaver for moms. They are one of the most requested holiday gifts these days. If you don't have one, maybe Santa will bring you one this year!

Fall In Florida

Reading my friend Kim's blog about fall, it made me think how happy I was this morning when I went to get the paper and the weather was actually COOL! Now cool for central Florida is in the 80'... the perfect temperature. And it still got up in the 90's later in the day. But to wake up and have some cool mornings- mostly with low humidity- makes me smile. We suffer through the heat of the summer to have almost perfect weather the majority of the year, with a few days in October nicer days November through March (with a few cold ones thrown in there)and beginning to warm up in April. This is why I live in Florida! Seven out of 12 months of great weather makes those 96 degrees days with 100% humidity worth it! :)

Working Moms and Sick Children

It has been a week. Since I am now a full time employee, I now have to worry about choosing if my children are well enough to go to school or miss work and keep them at home. It is a hard decision when you know one child wants to stay at home and may mislead a parent to get to stay home.

Since I am home with my children this week at night while my husband is in the hospital, I am the only one that can stay home.

First, I did not go to work Tuesday since my husband went into the hospital for his first chemo treatment.

Second, my daughter threw up Wednesday night so we stayed home Thursday.

Now, my son threw up on the way to school today, so we are home again.

Three days in one week. I have a great supervisor who knows our family situation. How can a parent stay home this much if they have an unreasonable supervisor or a job only one person can do? You see it portrayed on TV, the parent leaving the child with someone else because they HAVE to go to work. Or moms lying about having children so someone will actually give them a job.

My thought- if it is a problem, they will have to fire me.

I cannot leave a throwing up child with anyone else. It is just not worth it or fair to my child. I am fortunate that I can stay home, even though my sick days are almost depleted, after 45 days of work!

So continue to pray for our family. We need it!

Chemo, Chemo, Chemo

Chemo started yesterday. My husband is doing an inpatient treatment to keep him hydrated and protect his kidney. If I am lacking in my blog, you will know.

His treatments are for 5 days and out for 15. It will go over three or four courses. Keep praying!

Thank You Day!

September 24 is Thank You Day. And do we not say thank you enough? Not hardly! So I am taking the time today to thank some people in my life- some who may never read my blog... but the thanks is out there and hopefully they will see it.

Thank you to my husband for all that he does for me and our family. I could not do it without you! Thank you for your faithfulness and your bravery as the new journey begins.
Thank you to my children who teach me something new everyday and are a blessing each and every day.
Thank you to my mom and dad, who do not get enough thanks, for all that they have provided for us and the love they give us each and every day.
Thank you to my Sunday School class for the wonderful prayers of support and healing for my husband and I as he begins chemo this week.
Thank you to my brother and sisters, who is all the fun times and the annoying times, have always been there.
Thank you to Kim, Amber, and Betsy, who are my greatest friends and business partners. Thank you for the opportunity you have given me to grow and change these last months and thanks for the success we will have in the future.

And most of all, thanks be to God in heaven: without Him, I am nothing!

Post you comment about your thanks today too!

A Green Switch for your Home

I was listening to a program on going "green" in your household. While I used to be very good at recycling (I even started a school based recycling program in high school), I am not so good at it now. One of the biggest things I want to change is the amount of power we use in our house. We keep our air at 81 degrees most of the time, now going to 83 during the day while we are gone, and down to 79 when we are sleeping. That is pretty good compared to most Floridians who have their AC at a constant 73 degrees. Our thermostat is programmable, so that is very helpful, especially since I know how to program it! I try to turn off the lights as the children leave the rooms. And I even bought a counter top oven this summer so I would not be using the big huge oven each and every day and heating up the house. But our bill is still somewhat high and I would love for it to be lower.

One of the things I am most interested in is the Green Switch. It is a wireless switch that you can hook up all of your light switches and inessential electronics to turn off when you are gone. It just takes on switch. You have to purchase the outlets and the light switches, but the convenience and the power you will save look like a great benefit. It also is able to be used in any home at any time. They even say those with some electrical knowledge can install it themselves.

If you are looking to go GREEN, check out the Green Switch. Also check out the other green ideas.

Holiday Deals at Coupon Chief

I have mentioned Coupon Chief before, because who would not want to get coupons for things you are already going to buy online!?

Since Halloween is coming up and every mom wants a cute costume for their children, I have two recommendations... Old Navy and the Children's Place. Both stores have wonderful selections of all children's costumes. Coupon Chief offers Old Navy coupons and Children's Place coupons. These coupons may be reduced shipping or $$$ off your purchase.

And don't forget Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up soon. Why shop at the crazy stores after Thanksgiving when you can get almost everything from the comfort of your home with a discount included! Coupon Chief offers discounts at tons of stores, likeTarget coupons, Home Depot coupon codes, and Pet Smart deals, plus tons of other online stores. You have to check it out!

ABC Meme

Lara tagged me with a challenging one…

A-Z Meme

Rules: List ONE word for each letter of the alphabet that describes you. When you post yours please comment me so I can read them.

A - adventurous

B - blessed

C - courious

D - dynamic

E - entrepreneur

F - faithful

G - gatherer

H - hopeful

I - individual

J - justifying

K - kind

L - lovable

M - Mama

N - noteworthy

O - optimistic

P - personable

Q - quizzical

R - realistic

S - sociable

T - teacher

U - unbelievable

V - voluptuous

W - wonderful wife

X - eXciting (who can really come up with an X one!)

Y - youthful (hahaha)

Z - zany

Most of these are words that I could at least think of with the letter, not necessarily complete descriptions! :)

OK…I am tagging…
Amber's Homeschool Blog
Betsy's Make Money From Home Blog
And on Tuesday, Kim at 4fabmoms

First Born and A Higher IQ

I was reading Parenting magazine yesterday that had a story about higher IQ in the first born. This story was released earlier this summer. I did not pay much attention to the article and research this summer since I do not put much thought into IQ and how I am effecting my children.

First, many people believe your IQ is pretty much set from birth. While things can change and make an influence, your God given gifts are there the day you enter this world. The nature vs. nurture idea does have some clout and environment can definitely have an impact. But I do know do a lot of "extra" activities trying to make my children gifted. I do ask a lot of how and why questions to encourage thinking, which I think is a lot more important than a number from a test.

In the case of this study, there are many ideas that allow for some flawed logic First, the study was done in Norway. Those of us in the US may not have the same genetics or experiences to compare. Second, the study was only done on boys. What does that mean for the girls. Third, they used data from MANY DECADES- not current testing and statistics. The testing procedures and populations have changed over the years. And lastly, a three point difference between the oldest and youngest is not enough to be concerned with. Testing have a range of scores to take into consideration testing environment, learning environment, and cultural and economic difference.

So do not place a lot of weight in your child's birth order. Love your children, provide them with lots of learning activities, but most of all, let them play and discover what they love!