List of Things I’ve already done today and it’s only 2pm

1-Had 1 pot of coffee
2-listed a fridge on craigslist
3-listed 30 books on craigslist
4-made 4 omeletts, 1 with cheese, 1 with ham and cheese, 1 with ham, cheese and onions and 1 with ham, cheese, onions and red peppers
5-ate 1 omelett with ham, cheese, onions and red peppers
6- put a load of towels in the dryer
7-took the load of towels out of the dryer
8- put a load of jeans in the washer
9- put a load of jeans in the dryer
10- took load of jeans out of the dryer
11- folded and put away load of jeans
12-folded and put away the load of towels
13- made another pot of coffee
14- drank a glass of toxic Brita filtered water
15- changed 3 diapers
16- changed baby’s clothes when 1 leaked
17- removed kid toys from yard because whoever picks up that fridge might think I”ll budge on the price if there are toys in the yard (what was I thinking?)
18- wrote a check to the electric man, who informed me that Thomas‘ electric bill was $1200. WTF? How do you get a $1200 electric bill in a duplex?
19- written 3 hotel reviews, but the site screwed up and when I submitted the last one it said “this assignment isn’t yours” and then “this assignment has already been submitted” and it didn’t show up on my list. SO I gave up and cursed them a little.
20- written 2 sponsored posts for this blog (guess which ones?)
21- added content to the other blogs (they’re like stepkids. Not that I have any, but I just don’t love them like I love this one, y’know. They’ll have higher page ranks, though so I can start using them instead of this one for commercial purposes.
22- made 3 bids for freelance writing jobs on one site and
23- made 1 bid on another
24- dropped 175 entrecards (with my evil new system, it took about 10 minutes
25- loaded the dishwasher
26- unloaded the dishwasher
27- nagged G1 about her math
28- went over the whole TJed thing with older kids & told them to write about whatever book they’re reading, knowing darn well they’re not classics but you’ve got to start somehwere
29- read “Grover goes potty” with G2
30- read A contar cheerios with a terrible spanish accent to G2
31- read Dora goes to the dentist with g2
32- had a deep discussion with m2 about how important it is to be nice to people
33- told everyone to hush several times while MrH slept off a long night editing
34- read hop on pop to G2 while she interrupted me the whole time to repeat everything I said and count things on the pages (Wun choo fee choo wun seven)
35- pondered the likeliness that her random order might be winning lottery numbers
36- thought about taking a shower
37- brushed my hair and teeth
38- listened to M1 vent about her friend that’s mad at her
39- discussed possible project fair projects, E1 is doing one on “how the world eats” and M1 hasn’t decided. G1 is doing “construction”
40- found my slippers (and I didn’t even mention losing them

Can I be done yet?
isn’t that enough?
and that’s just what I can remember.

Darned kids

Science has proven that kids are designed to outsmart us. Maybe it’s natures way of keeping us on our toes. Apparently in a memory test, the 5 yr olds remembered more details than an adult. I believe it, too. Don’t tell the kids or they’ll get all “Mom, you said we could have a cookie. Don’t you remember.” I have enough trouble as it is when one child says “But Mom, you said she was grounded for a week, remember?” And honestly, it all sounds vaguely familiar. or “But mom, you didn’t say I had to clean the freezer door, you just said I had to clean the fridge door and then I would get a turn.” And I have no idea really what I said. This is the secret of being an parent. We really have no idea what we’re talking about.
I sometimes want to record the things I say to them because I really think sometimes they make things up. “Mom, you said we could invite 50girls to the slumber party.” Did I? “You said only a third would show up.” I did? Maybe I did, it sounds logical.

Entrecard

So far it seems like a great way to drive traffic to the site. My numbers, from other entrecard users, have definitely gone up. Playing around dropping cards & campaigning is boredom completely. I am torn; do I forget about it all and just keep building quality blogs? Or do I pour myself into the marketing and increase my numbers as fast as I can, hopefully over-exposing myself to rack up subscribers and increase inbound links? I’m thinking both. I’ll still dedicate myself to posting in Mrs H every day, and updating my stats @ progress regularly here, and update the other ones 2-3 times a week, utilizing a minimum amount of cross posts. I will also…. find a graphic theme & stick to it, changing my entrecard regularly to stay visible. This week or next I will get rid of my “february” graphic headers and upload something more seasonal instead of monthly. Yeah- seasonal graphic overhaul. Good idea.
So the final vote on Entrecard is…. Thumbs up, just don’t get addicted.

chubbly wubbly bubbly baby

She’s just so sweet and chubby. Her little arm and leg rolls are so sweet, I want to gobble her up. She smiles and laughs and it just melts my heart. It’s bittersweet, sometimes. I’m trying to remember it all. I’m taking lots of pictures. She’s not a newborn anymore.

Planning a budget vacation for families

I thought this article had some really good ideas for inexpensive family travel. I hope you enjoy it. Eddy has some good ideas for saving money planning a family trip. And, he loves, using commas. Enjoy,,,

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How To Use 6 Simple Tip To Plan A Budget Family Vacation

This article reveals 6 simple tips on how to get the budget family vacation you always wanted. Read on.

The need for a budget family vacation is getting more and more important as the standard of living keep on rising.

Having the joy of a family get-together is often viewed as a time to bonding with the children. It is also a great opportunity to rest and relax after a hard day’s work or from school.

Your children will love to go on an adventure trip for the summer and you will enjoy spending some quality time with your family in a beautiful setting.

With the increasing cost of airfares and lodging, many people feel they can no longer afford to go on vacation . The good news is that with a bit of extra effort, you can plan a budget family vacation that everyone will enjoy.

I have some interesting ideas to share with you. In fact, there are 7 simple tips to explore.

#1 Prepare early is one of the keys to saving on your family vacation. You have to start planning in advance. If you start your search in advance, you have a better chance to find a special offer that provides you with a budget family vacation package to a dream location. You will get lots of fun planning together as a whole family.

#2 Choosing during the non-peak period is often the best bet. A holiday vacation during the non-peak period can be cheaper than peak periods. Travel agency have special offers in May and September. It is much easier to plan a budget family vacation during these 2 months. This period happens to be near the summer holidays.

#3 Location flexibility is also one of the factors to a budget family vacation. Some airline companies often have promotion for specific vacation spots. Although they don’t fly anywhere, if you happen to enjoy one of their vacation destinations, you will get cheaper airplane tickets for your budget family vacation.

Finding an attractive location within 300 miles from your home can be also another tip for a budget family vacation. Thus reading gas and traveling expense altogether.

#4 Rental vacation is quite popular among people seeking budget family vacation. There are researches that shown the average holidaymaker spends more on food than on accommodation during a family vacation.

If you find a vacation rental with a kitchen, you can cook some of your own meals. This way you will spend less money on dining out.

#5 Do you want you friends to join you?

The 5th tip is to invite your friends to join you for a budget family vacation. It is more of sharing the accommodation costs, traveling in a larger group has plenty of other advantages.

You kids will be able to play with your friend altogether if you are going to invite them to join you for a budget family vacation. They can turns babysitting so you can enjoy a romantic dinner in a fine restaurant.

#6 Another tip is a cheap vacation is to go camping. Your kids will love to go for a camping because it is fun and exciting not forgetting the safety aspect of it. As there are other campers, they will get to interact with them. This will also boost up their social skills.

This activity is one of the most affordable choice for the whole family. For a family of four, it is usually costing less than $1500, with new camping gears.

Campsites are usually located in wonderful settings and include plenty of planned activities and bathroom and shower facilities. Some even provide wireless Internet access and cable TV.

If you love outdoor adventures, going camping is a great option for a budget family vacation.

Are you ready for more fun?

A family vacation with a budget can be more fun and exciting than a expensive one. If you put some effort into the planning process, you can have a perfect vacation with your loved ones and share some unforgettable life experiences.

In conclusion

A well planned, budgeted holidays for the whole family is surely a good way to travel with current rising costs of living. Most of all, it instills family cooperation and planning to make it happen.

That’s why, Eddy believe he can help you find the most budgeted family holidays and to enjoy most of your vacations.

Source: articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eddy Kong is the owner of a website called all inclusive family vacation deals. This guide will be able to help more dads and moms find alternative solutions to their family vacations so as to start the bonding the process. Drop by at his site now.

From The Outer Edges of the Grocery Store

Someone recently pointed out that shopping at the edges of the grocery store is better. It made sense; the Produce section, the bakery, the Deli, the Dairy and the Wine is all located on the outer edges of my grocery store. I realized that I don’t buy crackers, cookies, canned goods, frozen goods, boxed goods, and bottled goods very often unless they’re staples (whole grain flour, sugar, cooking oil, chocolate chips…) I made a mental note that it was good wisdom and moved on. Today, though, I came across this article:

Grocery Shopping from the Perimeters

Using organizational skills and shopper savvy when you go grocery shopping can keep you healthier and wealthier!

Have you recognized that you and your husband shop differently for groceries? Yes, even the scientists at Yale and U C Santa Barbara have discovered that there are vital differences in how you shop.

Inside grocery store aisles, women are as adept as men at steering carts. Men proved to be less adept at cart navigation in the long aisles when they looked for items they’d bought before. Too bad – women were better at finding higher calorie things like pastries than men were.

There’s an art and profit motive to stocking grocery store shelves that can work against the shopper who is looking for healthier foods at competitive prices. For example, “island displays” in the middle of the store often promote higher-priced, usually higher-calorie foods. Ditto for end-of-the-aisle displays.

A handy rule of thumb is this: essentials like dairy products, produce and meat are generally along the side or at the very rear of the store. Junk foods and non-staples usually are in the middle. The moral is: shop from the perimeters.

10 Tips to Shop Smart at the Grocery Store

1. Do your homework. Check your supplies before you go to the store. Make a list of what you need, and stick to it.

2. Eat before you go. Hungry shoppers will be more inclined to stock up on fresh-baked breads and other items they might not need. Never shop hungry.

3. Buy locally grown foods. They’re fresher, usually less chemical-laden, and you’re doing your part to grow your local economy and save the environment.

4. Have a little fun. Have a pre-decided limit of impulse purchases and stick with it.

5. Comparison shop. Become an ingredients reader. If they’re the same, choose the generic product.

6. Use coupons. With the Internet, many companies now allow you to download coupons for some items. Go to www.coupons.com for a head start!

7. Avoid trips to the convenience store. Convenience stores charge a lot more for their products due to the convenience factor.

8. Shop alone. You’re on a mission, not a family cruise. Have your family help you unload; not load up while you shop.

9. Buy “on sale” staples. You’ll save money. If the price is cheaper per ounce, you can carefully wrap and store portions for use over time.

10. Avoid “eye-level” shopping. Manufacturers essentially pay for shelf space, and the most enviable is at eye-level. Look at the shelf at eye-level. Once you’re at eye level, look above it and below it because that’s where the deals are stacked. Now, when you go grocery shopping, you’ll do well to shop the perimeters first, fill your cart with the more nutritional items first, and save just a small amount of room for the higher-priced, lower-nutritional-value processed foods.

Source: free articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ruth Klein, America’s De-Stress Diva”, is owner of the award-winning firm The Marketing/Time Source. With a master’s degree in clinical psychology, Klein, is the author of the best-selling Time Management Secrets for Working Women and five other books on business and lifestyle topics. Sign up to receive Ruth’s 7 Part Mini-Course on Branding and Productivity.

Preventing and Treating Acne

When I was 9 or 10 my mother mentioned that my Aunt Donna (poet, mother, angel on earth) always had the most beautiful skin. Apparently, Aunt Donna never used soap on her face; she cleaned with warm water. Aunt Donna was no stranger to make up, so I’m not sure how it worked, but the idea made sense to me and when I stopped wearing makeup and using cleansers on my face, I stopped getting blemishes. There was an odd period of time about 18 months ago when the sides of my face broke out horribly for a few months and I still don’t know why. I haven’t had many acne issues as an adult and I attribute it to not using harsh soaps. I do exfoliate regularly, with baking soda. I once made a scrub with refined white sugar and olive oil, it worked just as well as the commercial ones (for a fraction of the price) but I think the sugar crystals are too harsh for facial use, and recommend baking soda and warm water.

Here’s an article about treating acne; enjoy.

Almost everyone has suffered from a little acne at one time or another. When you do have an outbreak there are certain ways to help you acne to diminish the effects.

You need to know how to treat acne if you are within the ages of 9 and 99 and your face has decided to bloom with a fresh outbreak of acne. What can you do to alleviate this issue? Is all acne treatable the same way? What causes acne? Does the amount of time you spend washing your face affect the severity of your acne? How about the food you eat?

Acne is generally caused by hormonal changes. These changes can cause a build-up of oil, extra skin cells being shed, and even an increase in bacteria. Any combination of these factors will result in acne. How severe a case you get varies from person to person and is based on the underlying factors for the outbreak.

Some people believe that if you have acne, then you must not be washing your face regularly. This is just not a true thought. Washing your face can help reduce the amount of extra oil that remains on your skin. The oil producing glands are locating under the skin; however, so washing your face will not keep you from getting acne, but it may be able to help with the severity. Be careful not to use an alcohol based cleanser and not to scrub too vigorously as these things can irritate the skin and actually worsen the condition. A mild soap and water is the best thing to use to wash your face.

Are you actively consuming “kid” foods or are you eating a balanced diet? Do you think that what you eat affects your acne? There are not any scientific studies that have proven that your diet has any affect on your acne. This could be considered good news if you do not eat properly, but a healthy diet does improve the overall appearance of your skin. So, while your diet does not directly affect your acne, it does affect your appearance.

Mild acne can be treated by washing with mild soap and water and a topical cream such as benzoyl peroxide, but moderate or moderately severe acne should seek the assistance of a dermatologist. Because a dermatologist has training in skin conditions, he/she would be able to determine the best course of action to treat acne as every case is different. Whatever regimen you decide on, the treatment will take from four to eight weeks to be effective. Be patient and whatever you do, do not pick or pop your pimples. This will lead to scarring which is even less attractive than the acne.

Acne is a very common problem that ranges from very mild to very severe. No matter the severity of the problem, acne results in everything from a diminished self esteem to an enhance degree of self consciousness. If your acne is mild, then try the over the counter topical creams containing benzoyl peroxide, but if your acne is moderate to severe, please seek the advice of a dermatologist. Remember that it takes at least 4 to 8 weeks to treat acne.

Source: Free articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on acne types of acne at http://www.solvingacne.com

Even the water is toxic now

Haven’t we seen it coming? Everything causes cancer. Now, the AP just released the results of an investigative study that reveals pharmaceutical drugs in the drinking water all over the place. Bottled water, big cities, small cities, personal wells, the entire watershed is contaminated with heart medicine, sex hormones, anti-seizure medicine, antibiotics, and tons of other things, too. Here’s the deal;

People swallow pills. People pee. Even though water is treated before it’s sent out to sea, they’re not removing the drugs. In many places, they’re not even checking to see if any are there.

The EPA is pi$$ed about it. The people who are profiting from water distribution and don’t want to invest in upgrades to their machines & processing facilities or be subject to investigation say that they don’t like to tell people about the drugs in the water because they might freak out because they don’t understand the reports. THEN explain it to me like I’m a kindergartener please, because I am freaking out.

I avoid medicine. I choose to stay healthy and strong in order to resist illness. My kids are getting over a flu- the first one they’ve had in years and it follows a few visits to a friend in the hospital. We avoid hospitals. And doctor’s offices. And we hardly ever get sick. The idea that our bodies are being subject to unnatural substances from the water itself is so repulsive. That water grows our vegetables (even the organic ones) and it goes into the bodies of the animals we eat, and the fish. How can the world ever be clean again? I think this is worse than any other pollution there is.

If someone invented a water purifier that promised to remove drugs from water, I would spend thousands of dollars having it installed in my house so that I could bathe, cook and drink the water nature intended for us to drink.

I am so glad I am not thirsty right now. I just have to convince myself that the acids in coffee magically remove the drugs. Yeah- the coffee beans filter out the drugs. yeah. coffee is safe. It’s all we have left.

And evidence to my oh so scientific theory is that I have been watering my plants with cold leftover coffee since we bought our house and they grow better here than they have ever grown anywhere else ever.

Yeah- coffee is safe. whew.