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Showing posts from March, 2012

Virtual Girls Night Out - I Need A Break!

Is it really Friday?  My girls have been on "Spring" Break and our days have been filled with finding things to do on rainy days.  Actually, my time has been devoted to finding things for them/us to do other than sitting in front of the computer and t.v.  I feel like I have the laziest kids sometimes!  (There, I said it.)  I'm trying hard not to compare family activities and achievements with everything I see our friends doing, but it takes so much coercing to get my girls to DO something.   ugh.  I need my own little break.  Time for a Virtual Girls Night Out! *The VGNO is for those who want to party "virtually" with other bloggers. Get on your fuzzy slippers, make yourself a cocktail, and have fun!  Leave a comment, along with your blog link, to let us know you've stopped by and visit the blogs of those that have visited as well.  Happy VGNO!* Time For Some Tunes! Guster "Barrel of a Gun" Time For A Cocktail! Sparkling

That's What She Said

*Thank you Stacie Haight Connerty :->

Today Begins The Fat Burning Food Diet

Today I began tracking my new eating plan on my review site Ann Again... and again Reviews .  This eating plan was a focus for the latest edition of Reader's Digest and it sounded like just the thing I need.  I know how I want to feel and I haven't felt that way in a lo-o-ong time.  Hopefully these "fat burning foods" will help.  We'll see. Tomorrow's going to be interesting - just how will an avocado taste in my smoothie? Have you ever tried a "super food" diet?  Or an eating plan of "fat burning" foods?  If so, how did it go?

Insane? Perhaps

I've always liked this guy

With A Little Help

I have ideas of places I would like my family to go, of ways I would like to improve our house and how we could be more organized.  A friend of ours used debt help services and that set their household on a very positive path.  I’m ready for things to go upward.  The season of Spring has that effect on me. We do pretty well at keeping things under control but it seems just when things are going along at a nice, smooth pace a surprise pops up like the car acting up or an appliance decides not to work and that throws all our financial plans out the window.   Does our transmission know when we have a little left over at the end of the month?  I am beginning to believe it does! I’ve asked friends what they’ve done to help their financial situations (I’m not shy) and they’ve been thrilled with receiving guidance in the area of credit card debt help .  It seems that every time you turn on the news there is no clear idea on when things will get more secure financially.  We can’t wa

Where Are My 40-Somethings?

It's the first day of Spring Break for us and I have been absolutely horrible at getting things organized for this time off of school.  In the past we've either been able to get out-of-town for a few days or I have outings with my girls scheduled along with a couple of their buddies.  I always try to do something but this year it just kind of snuck up on me and I've got nuthin'. My head has been so fuzzy lately and my energy is low.  Ah, mid-40's.  fun fun FUN!  (You did pick-up on the sarcasm, didn't you?)  My body hurts more than usual, my sleep isn't that great and it seems to take a lot to get me going.  I started taking B-100's.  We'll see if that helps. Anyone else in the same boat?

Thought Of The Day

Some mornings, it's the most important ;->

Changing Tastes

As the seasons change my taste buds change too.  A staple to begin my day is a cup of coffee however, I've found that my basic black cup of coffee isn't what I want every morning.  It's interesting how what was once a daily routine becomes an 'I remember that' thought.  (Recently I surprised my husband with my shopping selection of Devil's Food Spread.  I hadn't eaten that in years but I saw it at the store and remembered how much I loved it when I was a child -  I just had to have it.) Now that my coffee tastes seem to be changing on a daily basis I'm getting crafty with my offerings.  It seems that Keurig Coffee Makers are just about everywhere so I had to try one.  I absolutely love having a single serve coffee maker which makes my cravings so much easier to follow.  (It's the little things ;-> ) Having choices is truly a luxury when you think about it, and with the Keurig you have so many taste options.  I'm partial to the Green

Glasses For My Lily

Lily's life during fifth grade has brought all kinds of changes - haircut about the shoulders, pierced ears, and now the need for glasses.  Ah. So much change is so little time. *sniff*

It's Always Something

If I hadn't known sleep deprivation before with having babies I'm getting it now due to snoring. Yup. It's not fun. OH! Was that a dancing monkey in my living room? No.  Um, what was I saying? My brain feels like mush.  We've tried many things.  We'll keep trying. What was I sa--yy-- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thought of the Day

If so, my kids are the most creative people I know.

What Is Up?

How is it that I'm at this stage of my life (mid-40's) and my skin is acting like I'm a teenager?  A wrinkled teenager.   Doesn't that sound odd?  Is there ever a time in your life when your skin gives you a "free pass"?  Probably in your 20's, that was a good time for my skin.  After that I was on the search for lotions and potions that would stop the signs of time showing on my face. So now, here I am looking for a product that will reduce fine lines and get rid of acne .  Am I the only one looking for a product like this? Murad has a wonderful line of lotions called Resurgence that sound intriguing.  Within a 3 step process the cleanser will infuse your skin with moisture, which is what I need at my age.  I'm drying up!  Step two claims to increase firmness and fight wrinkles.  Ooh.  So aggressive!  Step three says it maximizes hydration and increases suppleness.  Sounds good to me! There are Murad coupon codes available, which is right up m

Bully Situation Update

We left things in our bullying situation (Part 1 here ) with my husband becoming a chaperone for my daughters field trip.  He said things went fine, just your typical disrespectful, annoying behavior from a few kids.  My husband and I keep saying, 'I NEVER talked to adults this way when I was that age.'  And it's true!  I couldn't imagine being a smart-ass to an adult.  I was too scared.  But it seems most kids have no fear these days, I just don't get it.  Rob said he didn't smart mouth an adult because he knew that the adult would smack him up-side the head.  Ah, the '70's. Not as many lawsuits back then. On Friday I went to school with my daughter at her request.  This was the day the bully was returning from his suspension.  First period went well, but the kid wasn't there.  I thought that his parents kept him home however, when class was over, Katie was called to the office.  The day before Rob and I spoke with the Principal and requested a

What Color Are You Wearing Today?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Make It Simple

There is a product that I love so much that I just had to sell it.   I'm pretty burnt out on the "direct sales" game but I couldn't help myself with regards to Scentsy.   I was just going to keep it small however, I did step it up in my sales game and take part in a Bazaar.   With the help of my daughters I can truly say it went well, and wasn't painful at all.   (For my feet, that is ;-> ) Something I didn't enjoy in my previous sales life was carting all the products around to create a more noticeable display, but now I've found using trade show exhibits with my products design, helps gain attention without having to bring so many products.   With my last bazaar I used handy table covers and a quick table top display that was easy to assemble and still caught people’s eye. I've learned from a previous bazaar that chairs are not always available, and oh my that was a long day.   I decided to bring my own directors chairs with my prod

Virtual Girls Night Out - What A Week!

What a week.  We've had 2 field trips, along with the honor of being chaperones for both (sarcasm? slightly), an intense bully situation and a notification regarding the delay in mailing of admission letters for our chosen high school.  (We were supposed to be notified 'yea' or 'nea' by today.  Geez!  Do I want to be distracted with a virtual Girls Night Out! *The VGNO is for those who want to party "virtually" with other bloggers. Get on your fuzzy slippers, make yourself a cocktail, and have fun!  Leave a comment, along with your blog link, to let us know you've stopped by and visit the blogs of those that have visited as well.  Happy VGNO!* Time For Some Tunes! Death Cab For Cutie " Stay Young, Go Dancing " Time For A Cocktail! Shamrocker   Ingredients: - 1 Part Tequila - 1 Melon Liqueur - 1/2 part Triple Sec - Splash Orange Juice Preparation: Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake well

Staying Close

Today my husband is a chaperone for our eighth grade daughters field trip down town to the Oregon Historical Society.  What a brave man ;-> Dealing with this situation of retaliation for calling out a bully is stressful.  I can't wait to hear how things went today.

It's Mama Bear Time!

My eighth grade daughter was tired of her friend being continually bullied by another classmate and by other unacceptable behavior by this kid, so she and another buddy went to the Vice Principal yesterday to share how they felt.  Well, big surprise, this kid wasn't too happy with that.  His parents were called to the school and he has been suspended for two days.  He has now threatened on Facebook with that oh-so-typical 13 year old phrase, to "kick their butt". I've spoken with the Principal and spent the morning talking with their teachers.  The teachers are incredibly supportive and rallying around my daughter and her friend, reminding them that they did the right thing and that this little jerk needs to back down.  (Well, they didn't say that last part, that's my interpretation.) Bullies will never go away.  The programs that try to change bullies behavior will never work.  That's honestly how I feel.  The only thing that we can do is build up o

Laugh For The Day

Tee Hee

Looking The Part

I participated in my daughter's 5th grade class field trip today, it was enlightening and encouraging.  This field trip wasn't to a Zoo or Museum, instead it was held at Junior Achievement with a model of city government and business.  Kind of like a business school for 10 year olds.  It was wonderful. My daughter’s class had been working toward this field trip for weeks.  They were learning about organization, inventory, money management/checking accounts/credits and debits.  They were not only learning about what it takes to run a business, these children were being asked to "dress for the part".  I learned a while ago that you dress for the position you want, not the position you have.  And the children's fashions I saw today were terrific.  I had to ask, 'Who are you wearing?’  Did they know?  No, but luckily their parents were volunteering as well so I got the low-down. I've been into various shades of grey lately and our very capable Mayor

With This Ring

Our family will be gathering to celebrate a wedding very soon.  I love weddings.  I don’t know what it is about the sight of the bride-to-be walking down the aisle that gets me every time.  Is it the hope of a positive life together?  Is it the joy I see on her face?  Is it that I just love looking at wedding dresses??  I don’t know, but I always get teary. I remember our wedding and I loved it.  I didn’t get over-whelmed with the wedding plans because my fiancé (now husband ;-> ) and I weren’t living in the same state that it was being performed.  It was such a crazy time.  Rob and I were to be married back home – Oregon - and he was attending college in Connecticut.  We flew home the previous summer, made some plans, then left.  My poor mom was left with everything.  One of my favorite parts of the planning had to do with choosing the wedding rings.  I completely surprised myself and didn’t choose a ring style that I had always thought I wanted.  Every time I tried on so

Do You Have It In Pink

It's funny how the re-purposing/redecorating of the upstairs space is kind of taking over my life.   Here I was in a meeting yesterday and all I could think about was finding the right pink lamp for the top of the book case and deciding on what style of area rug near the bed.   It’s a good thing there was paper work from the meeting or I wouldn’t know what the heck was going on. For years the upstairs has been my little craft space.   It has potential to be an amazing master bedroom but we just don’t have the funds to make that happen.   So, in the meantime, this space has turned into a scrapbook room/holding-room-for-my-husband’s-difficulty-in-not-wanting-to-let-things-go.   When I hear the words “You’re not going to get rid of that, are you?” come from his mouth I know that the item will end up in our space upstairs. Right now we have a very weird looking carpet up there, a strange 1970’s looking red and black shaggy thing.   Red and black???   I’m sure my daughter wi

Transformation

So the transformation of the upstairs (unfinished attic) becoming my 11 y/o daughters new bedroom is coming along nicely.  I have to remind myself, however, that this isn't my dream bedroom for my 11 year old self, this room is for my daughter. I am so into finding lamps, bedding and all the sweet room accessories for a pink lovin' girl.  I'm holding myself back from putting up posters of The Osmonds, The Bee Gees and The Monkees though, she just wouldn't understand.

Cleaning Tip

Perhaps I'll add a flickering candle, even a mess looks better with "mood" lighting.

Quote Of The Day

Traveling Heart-Shaped Rock Project Slide Show

We are currently in our 3rd go-around with a blog photo project called the Traveling Heart-Shaped Rock Project .  The history of this project is this: 'While on the Oregon Coast I found this little "gem" and decided I didn't want its journey to end. 'Why not', I thought, 'share this heart rock with my blog pals?' So, here we are!  We've had some wonderful participants and seen some great photos with our previous 2 attempts before the rock was lost along the way.  Let's see how far we can go this time.' Here is a little slide-show from it's recent visits.  Enjoy! Make a video - it's fun, easy and free! www.onetruemedia.com If you would like to take part in our blog photo project please click here for the information.  We'd be so happy to have you join us! (*Thank you my dears!  :  Patti " The Whimsical Fig ", Kyooty " Kyooty Center ", Traci " From Tracie ", Nicki &quo

Need Inspiration

Lily is ready to make the move from sharing a bedroom with her 14 y/o sister to having the upstairs space all to herself.  I don't blame her for wanting to have space to herself it's just our upstairs is pretty much an unfinished attic and if she wants it to be a real bedroom it's going to take a lot of work.  Am I up to this? I wish I was a better "Do-It-Yourself"-er.  I'm more of a "Let me take what we have and re-organize to make it work better" person.  I mean, I've been planning on painting for months yet I haven't picked up colors or even a paint brush.  If you want a room, or a kitchen, reorganized?  I'm your girl.  Does this job entail a hammer and/or sheet rock.  Um... I think I need to do some laundry. We knew this day would come however our vision was to turn the upstairs into a lovely master bedroom for the grown-up's.  (Our next door neighbors have the same style house and have created a great 2nd floor so we've

Being The Chaperone

***Thanks for the guest post by Bradly Watkins*** I have officially gotten old. Not only do I stay home on Friday nights and watch expertsatellite , but am perfectly content doing so. This Friday, I actually do have something to do. Something that is making me really feel old. I graduated from college four years ago now—wow! This weekend, I will be chaperoning my first sorority date night. I remember going to date nights and never really noticed the chaperones. Now, I am old enough to be the chaperone and will be this weekend! The date night (which I will not have a date too because my husband has to work) is a Western themed date night. They have hired someone to come and teach line dancing. All I have to do is show up and wear my Western gear. I am really hoping that no one tries anything foolish. I hope that this will go really smoothly. If I have to get onto a bunch of kids about acting a fool, then I am really going to feel old!