Pleasant surprise

I was surprised and pleased when I discovered the award that DeeBee (Rain or Shine) gave me, and I just had to play along because I enjoyed her post so much. The rules are: Share seven things about yourself and then pass it on to seven people.

As you know my memory is often sketchy so I am not even going to waste time looking for a post that I already did about seven things about me. However, I do believe I did one. You should be a dear and search my blog to see if you can find it. Why? Because then you can randomly read other posts that I wrote without me just giving you a link. And because I am feeling a little lazy.

Let's see... Here are my seven things:

1. I adore flowers, dolphins, heart-shaped items and, of course, chocolate.
2. Not only do all of my children's names start with the letter A, but all of the girls have similar middle names. All of the children's birthdays are the 20 something of their birth month and my birthday is the 20th as well.
3. I had my gall bladder removed when I was only about 24 years old and almost died. (They discovered it was gangrened. I know, Ewwww, right?)
4. I almost drowned three times. (Hey! There's a bad theme going on here. LOL)
5. Surprisingly, I really love the ocean and most water stuff, but - not surprising: I get scared being in the water. Even still I've been banana boating in Jamaica, parasailing in Florida, I love swimming under the water in a pool and I want to go jet skiing.
6. For four years I was called Airman Lloyd (my maiden name). Yup, I was in the Air Force.
7. While in Panama City Beach, Florida, (in 2002) I had the wonderful opportunity of swimming with dolphins. I don't swim that well so I didn't do that part, but a dolphin kissed me at the Gulf World Marine Park and I keep the postcard pic of it on a bulletin board on my desk.



I am pressed for time tonight so I am going to be lazy (AGAIN!) and pass this on to the first seven bloggers on my list. I say bloggers because my #1 reader is my BFF Frankie and he doesn't have a blog. He does, however, have to IM me or email me his seven things AND they have to be things I don't know about him.

Lin
Toni
Jo
Tina
Sandra Carvalho
Syari
Tammy

A first for my teen

My teenage daughter, Amber, received her first W-2 in the mail yesterday. I didn't think about it much, but when she came home from school and opened it she had a few questions about it.

Today, she asked about it again and we talked about filing taxes, why she had three copies of the same thing and what everything meant. I remembered that I saw a television commercial about filing for free at TurboTax.com so I went there to check it out.

Since she is filing using a 1040EZ she was able to file the federal for free and we'll do the state one another day. To me, filing using the TurboTax.com seemed to take longer (although it was very easy). We joked about how I preferred using the paper version and the words "old fashioned" floated around a little.

Once we were finished and she was about to walk away it dawned on me that my mother taught me how to do my taxes more than 25 years ago. It seemed so difficult and foreign to me then, but with her guidance I eventually started filing my taxes on my own.

It's like I passed the baton... another milestone has been reached. As each day passes I realize more and more that my little baby is a young adult who will be managing her own life very soon. I am proud that I am able to teach her like my mom taught me.

TV for teen girls

As the parent of a teenage daughter it has always been a dilemma with finding appropriate, fun and interesting television programming for her. Now that she is 17, I don't have as many of the same concerns, but I still wish the Cosmo TV Network had been around when she was in her early teens. Luckily, it is here now because I still have two more girls to raise.

Amy Poehler, Meredith Walker and Amy Miles celebrate girls who are changing the world by just being themselves. There are different segments of each show that feature young ladies doing what they love to do. For instance, there is Ruby who is a feminist, Kenaudra a dancer as well as Cameron who's a writer. What a great way to inspire other girls by featuring girls like them.

The best part about it?

Anyone can get the Cosmo TV widget "Smart Girls at the Party" and put it on their social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Talk about spreading the word.

The widget is fun and positive... If you want to get the widget to share with your teenager or post it to share with everyone else all you have to do is click to get your own widget here.



Watch it for yourself, click around and share it with someone in your life. It's a fun, relaxing way to bond.

College tour #3

In just a few short months my teenager will be graduating from high school. This is a time that most people would say came quickly. It's not that time moved quickly; it's that I can still remember when she was born, her first day of school and, for that matter, I can remember her first day of daycare. The years have passed slowly, but her childhood has passed quickly and she's ready to move on to the next chapter in her life.

During the end of this chapter we are preparing for college. One of the biggest things is deciding where she wants to go. She's set on going to a college in state, which is good, and we have travelled to three campuses thus far. The first one we really like and she's already applied there. (Keep your fingers crossed that she gets in!)

The second one we liked okay, but where disappointed by the tour. How in the world can one make a good decision about a college when you don't go inside of any of the buildings? Hmmm... we still haven't figured that one out.

The third one, which we visited this pass Sunday, we didn't like at all. We really weren't in the mood for college touring, but the college is only an hour away from the house and we looked at it as a girl's day out. We enjoyed our ride there (well, I really enjoyed it because Amber drove!).

I tried to be sneaky and get a picture... Doesn't Amber looked thrilled by my need to record the moment for blogging history. Oh, I mean for her scrapbook!

When we arrived we liked how friendly the ambassadors were and were sort of impressed with their new building, the coliseum, which still smelled like paint. There was a large crowd of us sitting in the back-less bleachers. We were surprised by the crowd because the other tours we'd been on were smaller groups. We found out later that it was mostly a self-guided tour.

Their ensemble of xylophones entertained us while we waited and the music was awesome. The ambassadors led games before the presentation, but when the college's president got up to speak it was downhill from there.

It wasn't that his speech was bad, but it was more geared toward students who had already decided that the particular college was where they want to go. He spoke for at least 25 minutes about the college's achievements, the professors' achievements and so forth, but it was information I would have preferred to learn about once I am leaning toward the college. His speech did not give us an idea of if it was an institution that my daughter wants to spend four years attending.

Once we were released from the coliseum, there were different sessions to attend such as financial aid and campus housing as well as some others. We went to the financial aid session and I was hoping to learn some information I didn't know, but that wasn't the case. We also went to the campus housing session and then walked through the campus to a dorm, which was really, uh, not to our liking.

Amber was really ready to go by this time. Although I know everyone gets bored by their college class at some point, I figured this is what she would like like all the time if she attended this college.

Near the end of the tour we decided to use my $25 Applebee's gift card and stopped to eat at one near our home. We were pleased at the end of our meal when the bill totalled about $23 so we left the rest for the waitress. Not a great tip, but better than nothing. Then we stopped at Barnes and Noble to chat, peruse magazines and enjoy a beverage.

Even though I really enjoyed that time; the best part of the trip was this:

We saw that beautiful horse standing in the woods over a black colt. I don't know if you can see the baby. It looked like she was just standing in the middle of nowhere, but as we looked closer there were two other horses nearby so there must have been a fence separating her/them from the road. And, as we were pulling away, we saw a man lugging hay toward the horses.

That was so worth the outing.

It's cold out there!

I am not even going to complain about the weather here. Although it's colder than I'd like I heard that the North Texas area had snow the other day, and my best friend said his home state of Mississippi had snow that shut down everything. They didn't know what to do! Then there's my home in Maryland where my BFF said they had ice, rain and snow. ... So a little chilly Georgia weather shouldn't get to me, right?

Well, uh, I don't know. Wherever you are you want to be sure to stay warm. Stock up on blankets; fill your pantry with soup, tea, coffee and hot chocolate; and make sure to layer those clothes. One of my dilemmas is to make sure the tossing and turning pre-schoolers and toddler stay covered and warm during the middle of the night. My teenager is always wrapped up like she's camping outside, but the little ones kick off their covers, remove their socks before they go to sleep and in general cause me night-time worries.

If that happens to you too then you want to make sure you get a contractor HVAC to help you stay warm. Didn't see that coming, did you? LOL

Uninvited guest

My home office used to be a garage, but the previous owners made it into a room. So, in the winter time it's drafty and I can feel the cold cement floor under the carpet, which has no carpet pad. In the summer, it's a bit toasty -- that's much better than being cold -- and critters often get in. Like those gigantic water bugs that I absolutely hate, crickets, the occasional spider, and, of course, mosquitoes.

During the cold months I don't have to worry about those giant water bugs, which look like mutated roaches and I stroll in and out of the office without a care in the world. In the summer, I usually enter warily glancing from ceiling to floor before I even put my big toe in the room. And, if I'm in here alone late at night I am jumpy because I thinkt one will creep over my foot or drop on my head.

Yesterday when I came into the office I was carefree as usual. Then I saw something on the floor. I have to go all the way into the room to turn on the lights so I kept my eye on the thing on the floor while I went in.

And this is what I saw...





I finally got down on the floor to get that last shot and watched the critter move across the floor. It is rather amazing how all of those legs work to propel the thing forward and it moves faster than one would expect. But sitting down to watch it move gave me the willies. (Just looking at the photos gives me the willies!)

Instead of destroying it because it violated my sanctuary. My personal space. The human world. I let it crawl onto a piece of paper so I could deposit it outside... I had the thought that maybe I was sealing its fate because a bird would probably swoop down to consume it, but that's the way of the world. And better for it to be outside then milling about on my carpet.

I took the paper to the backdoor trying to move swiftly before it fell off or decided to crawl onto my hand. I carefully opened the door, held the paper out and the thing slid into my hand.

Eeekk! I screamed and threw the thing to the deck.

The feel of its legs was on my hand and I tried to wipe the feeling off on my jeans.

Yuck! I exclaimed.

Then I felt bad because it was curled up on the deck. I watched while it uncurled itself and sauntered off. My face still had the yuck look, but all was right with the inside world.

Maybe he'll spread the word to the critter world and the rest of them will stay outside where they belong!

Rack 'em up

It never fails that when you can't have something you want it even more. I have not been a big drinker over the past 10 years or so (we're not going to talk about the time before that), but I have enjoyed a nice glass of wine on occasion. However, since I started taking so many medications I am not supposed to drink alcohol.

Now, for some reason, I keep seeing wine that I like in the store or wine accessories like those little cute wine gems (wine charms), fancy and colored wine glasses and some really nice Wine Racks. I don't really have the type of house that looks like I would have a nice wine rack, but I have noticed that there are all sorts of interesting ones available these days.

Instead of just the standard wooden box, wine racks are a lot more stylish and creative nowadays. They have wrought iron racks that look like artwork instead of a place to store spirits. There are vertical wine racks, wine rack furniture, hanging ones and even shelves. Maybe you knew about the plethora of wine whatchamacallits, but I was a little ignorant in that area.

Since I really do not need one for myself, I am going to keep them in mind to give someone as a present for their wedding, anniversary or even a birthday. What do you think? Do you own a wine rack and, if so, what kind?

Enter here to win MONEY GAMES

I have been a little behind this week (okay, who am I kidding, this month), but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to participate in this month's Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. The author of "Money Games" - Randy Petrick - has been so kind as to offer a couple of his books to giveaway. So I have two of "Money Games: 85 Fun Ways to Save Money and Attract Abundance."

Recently, I included Money Games in my second Book Round-Up and Petrick contacted me after it was posted. He's passionate about helping people especially in times like this. Here's a quick thought from him that came from the 10-10-10 game in the book:

Question: "What's the biggest difference between poor people and rich people?"

Answer: "Poor people spend first and save what's left. Rich people save first and spend what's left. ... True wealth builders rarely live on more than 70 percent of their take-home pay."

To win your copy of "Money Games: 85 Fun Ways to Save Money and Attract Abundance," leave comment on this post. The giveaway will close on JANUARY 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Contest is open to US only (sorry!).

THE RULES
1. Leave a comment on this post. (It's that easy!)
2. If you're not a blogger be sure to leave an email address.
3. Two winners will be randomly drawn on February 2nd.
4. Winners will be sent an email before Friday of next week.
5. Contest is open to those with US addresses only (sorry again!).

Good luck!

Can't wait to see if you're a winner or want a copy for a friend, click here to purchase MONEY GAMES: 85 Fun Ways To Save Money And Attract Abundance.

Wordless Wednesday - Knocked out!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Coping with curls

It's been quite a long time (years in fact) since I've looked in the mirror and been pleased with my hair and/or hairstyle. After three babies within five years, the hormones of the late 30s and early 40s along with medications, weather and pollution, my hair has taken a beating.

So it's not surprising that I am always looking for a hair product to test. That's why I am excited to enter A Wrestling Addicted Mommy's giveaway for Curl-Gel-les’c (pronounced Curl Jealousy). I checked out their products and I really hope I win this one: She's giving away "a full size bottle of Curl-Gel-Les'C packaged in a limited edition bottle as well as a T-Shirt that says on the front "Are You Envious?" and on the back "...of my CURLS?"

If you're interested in entering then you better get over there now because the giveaway ends on February 5th. Good luck.

I see it all

When I pull into my driveway I always wish that I had a flood light and an outdoor security camera on the left side of my house next to the garage. There is a spot there that gets pretty dark and being the big chicken that I am I always take an extra hard look in that area when I pull up. I can't even say that I do that only at night because for some reason I don't like that side of the house. It just seems a little scary.

When I first moved into the house I used to keep the brush and weeds cut back pretty nicely. Now the next door neighbor's bushes and stuff grow over the fence right there and there are some vines that I just don't like. And, to make matters worse, my neighbor erected a solid white fence on that side of the house so it's blocking whatever light used to come from the street on that side.

Luckily I have a street light in front of my house on the other side and the porch light is working right now, but it sure would be cool to have a Home Security Camera. I know that's an extreme expensive right now and even somewhat of an extravagance, but sometimes you can never be too safe.

When I think about getting a setup like that it reminds me of movies where they have security cameras, but are scared half to death by people lurking about or the electricity suddenly going out.

In reality I would not mind having a security camera right now to spy on my next door neighbors because they are always up to something, people are always coming and going, and there is always some type of noise coming from over there. It would have really come in handy not too long after I first moved in here when their teenager at the time was throwing soda cans onto my roof from an upstairs window. We were never able to get any proof or catch him in the act so getting something on a security camera would have been perfect.

How would you like to upgrade your home security system?

Monday's Muse - Can it happen to me?

I am not feeling particularly positive today, but I love to participate in Monday's Muse so I am going with an idea that I had a couple of weeks ago. The original title of the post was supposed to be "It could happen to me," but because I am in a mood I am being a little pessimistic. (Forgive me!) The good thing is: that doesn't necessarily change the possibility of the muse or creative moment.

Below my vision board, which I told you about a little while ago, is a bookcase. On top of that bookcase are, of course, some books. What's special about these books is the fact that I've been trying to begin some type of organization with them and it started with this shelf. I placed a group of books on this shelf that are by people who I know.

The picture above is of all the books (minus one all the way on the right) on that top shelf. (I've also begun putting all the books by the same author together, which is why you see books by Eric Jerome Dickey and Carl Weber - two of my favorite authors.)

The picture below more closely shows the books by individuals that I know. On the far left are two books by the bishop of the church I used to attend... Dale C. Bronner. Next to his books are two books by Brian Egeston who I originally met through an old friend, Brandon Massey, who's books are next to his. I also know Brian from Atlanta Good Life magazine, which we both used to write for.

Brandon originally self-published the book Thunderland, which was later picked up by a publisher and he has since written... I think five books in that series, edit some anthologies and some other highly acclaimed literary stuff. The next two books - one poetry and one motivational - are self-published ones that I edit for the authors. Actions Speak Louder, a novel, was written by Shandra Hill who I worked with at another publication when I first moved to Atlanta. And there's a small book called Simply Ridiculous by Millicent St. Claire who I met through a speaker's organization I used to write and edit for.

I put all of those books there where I can see them so I can remember that regular people wrote them. People who I actually know. If they can do it then I can do it, right? Well, I hope so.

This is not necessarily what is inspiring me this week (the week has already been rough) but it is one of the things I am trying to do to visually keep more positive things in front of me. And, right now, I could use all the positive I can get.

Want more Monday's Muse? Click here for more of mine and here for Maternal Spark, the originator of Monday's Muse.

Remember when...

On Thursday I had some errands to run, but put them off because the baby wasn't feeling well. Then on Friday, even though she was still under the weather, I had to at least get to the post office. Having to go to the post office at the last minute, with no time to order them off the Internet, I remembered that when I was growing up you could put your mail in your mailbox, put the money in their for stamps, raise the flag and the postman would take care of it for you.

So sweet to be recognized

Jo at Life's Perfect Pictures thought to pass this award to me after she received it. She's such a sweetie and even though she has a lot going on she is always so thoughtful.

Thanks Jo!

I am passing this on to my top commenters. Check them out:

Frankie (53)
Toni (41)
Lin (40)
Jo (33)
Tina (31)
Sandra Carvalho (31)
Syari (22)
Tammy (21)
Liss (15)
H.E.Eigler (11)

I know Jo is on my list, but just goes to show you how wonderful of a blogging friend she is.

Frantic Friday

Remember what I told you yesterday about the toddler being home sick and my plans being a little thrown off? Well, today was the same thing, which is why you haven't seen me around.

It's almost five o'clock and I am exhausted from entertaining and taking care of my youngest daughter. I took her to the pediatrician this morning because she woke up with a low-grade fever and besides the same symptoms she exhibited yesterday she was tugging on one of her ears.

I knew what that probably meant and since the weekend is coming I wanted to make sure. Not only does she have an ear infection, but she has one in both ears. Poor little thing. That on top of her cold.

She was a bit out of sorts this morning and she didn't want to eat anything I gave her so she fussed at me quite a bit like she's doing here. However that didn't stop her from "forcing" me to color, play toss, play babies and all kinds of other games she came up with. This included a game of "backpack," which involves her putting on her siblings' backpacks and walking around like she's about to go somewhere.
I tried to pretend I didn't know what she was saying here, but it was pretty clear: "Batpat. Batpat." Since I didn't want her to get upset I obliged and helped her into the backpack, but not before she inspected it to make sure she had everything:

Since her siblings are a bit bigger than her, she enjoyed letting the backpack slide off of her arms and pulling it back up.

She walked across the living room with her brother's backpack on (the one shown in the above pictures is her sister's) and promptly let it fall to the floor along with his vest she was wearing.

When I finally put her down for a nap I fell to the couch trying to remember what I was actually supposed to do. The only thing that dawned on me was that the younger kids are supposed to go with their father this weekend, and I wasn't finished packing. That made me remember that I didn't finish doing laundry so you can imagine what I'm doing right now. Uh, besides writing this post.

What I'm also doing is typing with one hand because Anna insists that I color with her, which is why I brought my laptop into the living room. I guess what we're doing is coloring because she doesn't want to use crayons - we have to use pens and pencils. Well, at least she's creative.

As soon as Amber's Calculus tutor leaves I will get Amber to take care of the kids (get their dinner and keep Anna from around my leg for a minute) so I can get their things ready for the weekend. I hate their things going back and forth, but they don't have enough stuff to leave in one place or the other so this is the way it is for now.

It's now almost eight o'clock and I'm just getting a chance to finish this post so that will give you an idea of what my day has been like. The house is empty and I have my feet propped up (on a rocking horse!) as I watch television, IM my BFF and enjoy a little surfing.

Although I have a lot to do this weekend, I am looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow and getting some things accomplished. What are your plans for the weekend?

Mom guilt

I recently wrote a post about the guilt parents of multigenerational children have, and I know every parent can relate to it so I want you to check it out. Please. Then let me know what you think. 'kay?

Click here: Stop the mind chatter.

Plans blowing in the wind

Yesterday started off pretty much as everyday has this week. I woke up (late), I had my breakfast (lazily), I took the kids to school (late), dropped the baby at daycare (she cried) and I came home to get some work done. After my second cup of coffee and my mid-morning snack, when I sat at my desk I realized there was a task that I'd been avoiding: organizing bills and debt paperwork and opening mail.

It wasn't a terrible task because at the end of the summer my best friend and I had sat down and put a basic organizational plan in order. But, as you know, one must keep on top of the financial stuff. During opening the mail, annotating when bills are due, writing a letter to a creditor (gasp!) and getting creditor information together I started breathing a little heavy, my head and chest started to hurt and the beginnings of a panic attack tried to overcome me.

I started taking deep breathes as I lost my focus... I knew I had to get through the task so I could move on, but that mere event changed the course of the rest of the day. Sad to say I didn't get much accomplished and made the decision to begin anew today.

(I'll skip the part about how I was grumpy in the afternoon and I'll tell you later about my 4-year-old daughter's trip to purchase her birthday cake.)

When I arose today I thought about all I needed to get accomplished and proceeded with the day, but before I could get going good I discover the baby coughing, sneezing and stuffy with "snot" running out of her nose. And there went my plans -- poof!

Not only am I exhausted, but I've been caring for little Miss Anna today. She finally went down for a nap at about noon and, thankfully, her dad will pick up the middle children from school so I can let her take a nice long nap. Although I need a nap I am going to try to get as much finished as possible because once the children arrive home at around 2:45 and she gets up for her nap, I'll be back on full-time mommy duty.

For now, and for once, I am not going to fret about my to-do list. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up this weekend and get everything finished that's important. This will be one of those times I realize that being a parent can be an unpredictable life.


Despite Anna's cold she was in good spirits today!

Historic day

Today, like a good portion of the world, I watched the 2009 Inauguration. Unless you've been secluded on your own personal island without any access to what's going on in the world, then you know the 44th president, our first black (say African America here, if you prefer) president was sworn in.

President Barack Obama.

It was an amazing moment to witness. I was awe struck, proud, thrilled and encouraged, and I have renewed hope for my children's future.

Besides the actual ceremony and accompanying activities, one of my favorite parts of the day was sharing it with my children. Particularly my 3-year-old daughter Amareah. I already knew the two middle children's school was going to be watching the inauguration during the day so I was prepared to hear about it when I picked them up this afternoon.

I asked my son, Andre who's 5, if he watched the inauguration. He said yes and was none too enthused. When I walked into Amareah's room she rushed toward me and said, "Mommy come look!" She pointed to the television where they were still watching the coverage and I asked her if she enjoyed watching it. She said yes.

I've been waiting for this day. Not just for a black president, but to be able to share something like this with my children. She began talking about "Present Obama," which is how she normally says his name, since she found out he was running for president.

She recognizes his voice on the radio, knows his face on television and magazines and shows true interest in this man who most of us are all looking to to change our country. She's excited by what's happening in the world around us, and I can't help but pick up on her excitement.

She's learning about First Lady Michelle Obama too. Today, when I asked her if she knew who that was - pointing to the lovely lady clad in gold on the television - she said that's "the Present Obama's girl."

"His wife?"
"Yes."
"She's the first lady," I explain.
"First Lady?"
"Yes!"

And she smiled.

She has so much awareness for a child her age (she'll be 4 years old tomorrow!) and I hope she rubs off on her older brother and her younger sister. For now, her older sister and myself smile proudly as Amareah watches what's happening and we talk about the more specific details over her head.

I look at two of my daughters - at all of my children - and try to remember that this is not a dream. That we finally see a person who looks like us in the Oval Office. That we've reached a time of true change. I can look at my children and realistically say, "Amber, Andre, Amareah, Anna: You can be whatever you want - even President of the United States."

*AP Photo/Rob Carr

Searching for photos

There is one thing that I really dislike doing and that's searching for blog photos. It's especially frustrating when I write an impromptu post and I find the perfect image, but it's copyrighted so I don't have time (or want to take the time) to wait to get permission.

I wish I were a better photographer so I could have a library of my own shots to add to each blog. I think I am doing pretty well with shots of my children, but you wouldn't believe how many times I've tried to get the ideal landscape or a creature in nature.

It makes me tired just looking at my keyboard every time I search for photos.

Monday's Muse: crazy thoughts = masterpiece

Are you one of those creative people who can take a scenario that's irritating you, making you mad or even one that's enjoyable and come up with an entirely different "story?" For instance, I was telling a friend about someone I wanted to have a little talk with. I don't really like that person too much so I was "joking around" about how I could administer a noxious substance and in essence... well, you know.

Then I got to thinking about the mind of Dean Koontz (I'm reading Brother Odd right now) and how he has one out-of-this-world imagination. And as a writer I am amazed and impressed. As a reader I am a little freaked out. LOL. My imagination is pretty wacky, but I normally take real-world stuff and turn it into something amazingly crazy. Koontz makes up the crazy!

He writes about things that I've never heard of and I wonder how he does it. Do the thoughts just pop into this head? Does he take a random thought and do the thought bubble exercise thingy to develop it? Or is he tapped into the outer galaxies digital television and writes about what is broadcast?

I don't know, but I am having fun thinking about it.

Regardless of how thoughts and ideas are developed, I realize that a creative mind - especially that of a writer - is always working. I sat down to write this Monday's Muse with nothing to say. I stared out the window (I put the laptop in my kitchen for the weekend), I sent a couple of IMs, did a little blog hopping and then came back to stare at the blank compose page.

Although I don't think this is my muse for the week, this did remind me that my creative mind is busy. If I just take a moment to sit back and think for a moment I most likely will come up with something. It may be a little kooky, humorous or hard to understand, but it's a creative thought nonetheless.

I think I'm going to go write down some of my creative thoughts because I am sure there's a novel brewing inside of my head somewhere. Let me know if you decide to take some thought that you think is "crazy" and turn it into a masterpiece.

For more Monday's Muse, please click the link.

Pee pee update, boo boo bottoms

I have finally gotten pass the pee pee problem with my middle daughter. (Knock on wood ... hope I am not speaking too quickly.) As you'll remember from POed about pee pee little Miss Amareah was having accidents on a regular basis. Now, all of a sudden, the accidents have stopped.

And I heaved a sigh of release.

Seems as if I heaved too soon: Over the past week my second and my fourth children started boo booing all day long. They don't have diarrhea, but their stools are loose and almost everything that goes in comes back out.

I have inquired in all kinds of ways of my 5-year-old son Andre about what is going on in his stomach. One of our conversations went like this:

M: Does your stomach hurt?
A: No.
M: Does it hurt right before you have to boo boo?
A: Yes.
M: But it doesn't hurt all the time?
A: No.

Hmmm? That didn't tell me anything, did it?

Today alone, beginning at midnight (Yes! Midnight! And no, I haven't had much sleep.) and ending around noon today (they're napping now!) they've boo booed about 10 times.

I must admit if I have to look at one more butt and one more pile of (brace yourself it's about to get gross) pile of mucusy, smelly defecation, I will turn in my mother card. Okay, I'm being a little dramatic.

This has gone so far that Andre has had a couple of accidents in his clothes because he's waiting until the last minute to go and ... well, you know the rest. Luckily, it was just a little bit, but I would prefer not to have to hand wash any little drawers with any little yucky stuff in it.

So, I've progressed from pee pee problems to boo boo episodes. Actually I wouldn't call that progress, but you know what I mean. Hopefully my next post about bathroom habits will include a success story about potty training my youngest.

Hey, I can hope,can't I?

What was I going to say?

In this Woman's World

I opened up the Blogger window so that I can write a post and I promptly forgot what I was going to write. Unfortunately for you that didn't stop me from writing this random post. I am hoping that some time between now and... uh... when I get tired of typing that I will remember what I was going to say or think of something brilliant and entertaining to write about. Something that includes photos would be ideal.

Maybe you can listen to some music while you read. Or get a cup of your favorite drink so that you're happy while you're reading and won't realize that you're reading a post about absolutely nothing.

If you've been keeping up with me then you know I've been having memory problems lately. I would include a link of the last time I wrote about it, but I can't remember what it was called. LOL. I'm just kidding. I did a search and discovered two things: 1) I use the word remember a lot. 2) I don't remember a lot.

Actually, and I am being so serious here, I forgot what I was going to write for number two so I just put that instead. I think it was pretty funny. What do you think?

Oh yea, the link: I last wrote about the memory thing in one of my Health and Weight Loss journals ironically titled Where's my mind? Well, before you stop reading I better go ahead and end this. I hope you have a good weekend and remember to come back soon.

Take a moment to read my last In this Woman's world post, Friendship vs. Oneship, it's way more interesting. I promise.

Just for writers...

These are two of my favorite quotes... Forever ago I came across this one and I have no idea who said it:

"You must write the book, else there is no book. It will not finish itself."

If you know who said that then please let me know. I've kept that posted on my desk for years... maybe one day it'll inspire me to finish one of my adult books (I've finished my children's book manuscript).

The next one I found recently, and for the life of me I can't remember where, (I really must do something about my memory) and I find it to be so true:

"If you start to revise before you've reached the end, you're likely to begin dawdling with the revisions and putting off the difficult task of writing."

Charles Caleb Colton

Put your money to work

Among all of the advice, there is one thing that most financial experts are telling us to do in these turbulent financial times: Continue to still save money. Since leaving your money sitting in a savings account may not be the best choice and you're looking for away to make your money work for you then you may want to consider using an online broker like Firstrade.

Firstrade.com is an online brokerage firm that allows its customers to work with options, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, fixed income and stock trading at competitive costs. They also offer extended trading hours so that if you hear something on the news that you want to act on then they're available for you.

What could be easier than doing online trading? And, if you're looking transfer your funds, you can do so for free with Firstrade.com.

Book Round-Up #2

On the Woman's Bookshelf

It's been a little while since I've written a book review because I've been in the midst of reading books. Now that may not sound like a reason not to do a book review, but since they are books everyone knows about I prefer to write reviews of ones you may not have heard of.

I told you about my reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer with my BFF for our Across the Miles book club. Since then we've read New Moon by the same author, and I must tell you that I enjoyed that just as much if not more than the first book. I can't wait to read the next one in the series and I'm equally excited to see the next movie.

We've also been reading Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series. We're on the third book, Brother Odd. If you're a fan of Koontz then you'll want to check this series out. It's been quite a few years since I've read a Koontz book and I still enjoy them like I did in the past.

Now let's get down to the business of what else is on my bookshelf. You know there are two things that are always on my mind: losing weight and money.

That's why I was interested in taking a look at these three books:

1. Snack Yourself Slim by Richard J. Warburg and Tessa Lorant
2. How to Salvage More Millions from your Small Business by Ron Sturgeon
3. Money Games: 85 Fun Ways to Save Money and Attract Abundance by Randy Petrick

Snack Yourself Slim presents the EATALL™ way, which was developed by Warburg in 2006 when he lost weight and was unable to keep it off. He tried eating one meal a day or not eating at all, but neither worked because his metabolism slowed down. He began frequently eating smaller snacks and he never got hungry. The result was he kept the weight off. Snack Yourself Slim is touted as being the "nation's solution to expensive, futile and, often, unhealthy methods of losing weight."

I took a peek inside, of course, and I found the book to be well written, easy to follow and interesting. In actually, the authors offer tips that are given by most who talk about healthy eating; however, the formula for doing so is a little different. And, for a lot of folks it may be easier to follow. The best thing: the EATALL™ way is free. Well, after you buy the book. :)

While reading the press material for Money Games, I saw the word "fun" and wondered how a book about finances could be fun. Intrigued I began reading the table of contents and saw the section titles Adventure Games and Bored Games with chapters named Restaurant Roulette and Makin' Whoopee.

I have to admit that I flipped right to Makin' Whoopee (hey, couldn't help it) and found an interesting read about retirement. Petrick presents the information in an easy-to-understand manner with humor and obvious insight. Reading this book you'll think you've sat down for a chat with your fun best friend who just happens to be a Chartered Financial Consultant (that's what Petrick is).

Although I normally shy away from financial books because of the boring, technical writing, Money Games is the next read on my list.

If there ever were a person to listen to when it comes to making millions with their business, Sturgeon - the author of How to Salvage More Millions From Your Small Business - is just that person. At 17, Sturgeon was homeless and just had a high school education, but he managed to build and sell several multimillion dollar business to Fortune 500 companies.

During his time in business, which spanned 40 years, he gained knowledge of successful business-building principles and the steps entrepreneurs can take to grow a profitable business. In his books, he shares that knowledge. What I like most about his book are the tips pulled out to the margins in the form of tools and action steps.

I think this is a great book for you mompreneurs - get a copy and let me know what you think. And, for that matter, if you pick up any of the books I mention in my reviews of round-ups please come back and let me know what you think of them.

For my first Book Round-Up, please click the link and for my most recent book review, "Murder, madness, money, mayhem...," click here.

Quick search shopping

If there's something I have to buy then I want to be able to find a good deal on whatever it is I am looking for. And, I know in today's economy you are probably doing the same thing I am: searching for deals, comparing prices and looking for information on the items that you need.

When it comes to big items that is more important than ever. I have noticed that there are two eyelets on my stove that I have trouble getting to work. A lot of times I just don't even try because they seem to have a shortage. It may be something that can be repaired, but if I need to buy a new stove or cooktop then I am definitely going to need a good deal. That's where ShopWiki comes in.

This site is a must visit when it comes to online shopping because it searches every store on the Internet, unlike other shopping sites that only list stores that have paid placements. As a consumer, I want my shopping research to be easy and not take up a lot of my time. So having everything on one site is convenient for me.

If you do a search on ShopWiki, say for instance you just need pots and pans, then you will find everything that is for sale on the web brought right to you. Then you can quickly compare stores that means you can get better deals and savings.

When I searched for cooktops I was able to hoover my cursor on the link and see which stores had what I was looking for and the price each was selling it for.

Now that's what I call shopping ease.

Playing along

My BFF Frankie, who doesn't have a blog, participated in the 6th picture meme and IMed me a picture of him when he was on a month-long vacation in Japan.



Unfortunately, I don't remember all the details of the picture, but he told me that he was at someplace where you pray to Buddha and before you go in you're supposed to wash your hands at the well thingy. His 7th picture shows him pouring the water on his hands, but I thought it would be cheating to post that. :) An-t-way, that stick thingy has a little cup on it.

Frankie said that he didn't pray to Buddha, but he observed the rituals. Cool, huh?

Blogging friends

One of the best things about blogging are the friends I have "met." It is amazing the camaraderie, love and support that my blogging friends give me. One of those friends, Jo (an amazing photographer, loving mom and loyal friend), gave me a cute friendship award.



Check out Jo at Life's Perfect Pictures. If you're in my top 10 commenter's list then I'm passing this award on to you - thank you for your friendship.

Giving up?

I am so distraught over recent (very bad) developments in my financial situation that I'm forgetting things around me. For instance, I am so busy focusing on making contacts, applying for jobs (I even applied to Six Flags) and following up on stuff that I forgot about the water I put on so I can have some tea.

I think the water was boiling for more than 30 minutes... I never did remember it. I happened to go out to the living room to look for my purse and I smelled something "cooking." When I looked in the kitchen it dawned on me that I wanted tea more than 30 minutes ago.

(On the way back into the office to get this all off of my chest, I forgot to bring my purse with me.)

The green tea is serving two functions: Providing me with whatever antioxidants, good-for-you ingredients that it contains (my throat is trying to hurt) and warming me up. My electric bill went up more than $100 so even though it's less than 20 degrees outside I've turned the heat down.

I know that "everyone is going through tough times right now," but it's all relative. Yes, each person has their own set of worries and situations, but sometimes it's not the right time to tell someone that everyone is having problems. How exactly does that help?

You'll have to forgive this long, negative ramble because I don't think I'll be able to focus the rest of the day if I don't at least express this. I am shaking with nervousness. Besides the electric bill, I have an escrow shortage to the tune of almost $900. If I don't pay that in full (yea, right!) then it will be prorated to my monthly mortgage for the next 12 months (I am already three months behind so you know what that means... foreclosure is threatening.) Add on top of that the bills that there are due everyday, the repairs that I had to get on the van (thank God for my BFF) and the teenager's senior dues, application fees and a variety other expenses and I am more in the red than I've ever been in life.

Now does not seem like a good time to work on my vision board. It seems ridiculous and something I shouldn't even waste time with. And, I hate to say it, but now doesn't seem like the time to be blogging. GASP!

I absolutely love blogging. I do make a little money with it, but not nearly enough to sustain us (my soon-to-be ex only gives me about 1/4 of what he was giving me more than six months ago because of his financial issues). So I am considering giving it up or greatly reducing the amount of time I spend on it. I have been working hard at it hoping that my page rank will continue to go up so I can get better paid post offers. Although they have gotten a little better since I got to PR 3, it isn't enough right now.

Even though I just started a new blog, I may have to neglect that as well. Over the past year or more I've applied for and inquired about 35 to 40 opportunities. (I guess that's not enough.) That includes full-time jobs, part-time jobs and contract/freelance assignments. Everything I do including managing my health care appointments and my oldest daughter's medical appointments has to be done between the hours of 8:30 and 2:15 everyday.

If you count in lunch, although I sometimes eat at my desk, that's about five hours a day (without the children) to accomplish everything. I even feel guilty about taking the time to write this.

Although my sinuses are bothering me and I am extremely drowsy I have to get back to looking for a delivery confirmation slip, sending out inquiry emails, making cold calls, looking for a job and checking for paid posts. And concentrate on not crying or worrying.

6th picture meme

Tammy tagged me with this meme recently so I decided to go ahead and get it done before I forget.

***Rules***
1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture.
3. Post it on your bloggy and tell the story that goes with the picture.
4. Tag 5 other glorious peoples to do the same thing and leave a comment on their bloggy tellin’ them ’bout it.

Well, I'm assuming they mean the sixth picture from the beginning not the sixth picture from the end (most recent)...

This is Anna when she first started getting interested in that toy, which - by the way - she hardly pays attention to now. Someone told me about a photo contest for her age group, but the catch was you had to capture the child discovering something and I never did get a shot that I thought was suitable.



Let's see... who to tag? I think I am going to tag the first five people to comment on this post. Now don't cheat and not comment! :) Frankie, if you are one of the first five you can show me your 6th picture via IM and if you let me I can post about it. Of course, I wouldn't do it without your permission. :D

Wordless Wednesday - All clean

Working it out

My health and weight loss journal

It is about 23 degrees here! Okay, I know that has nothing to do with my health or my weight loss, but I just had to say that. Well, if you think about it that could affect my health by making me sick and it's helping my weight loss because I definitely move very quickly while I am outside.

I digress. The fibromyalgia situation hasn't changed too much. The medications that I am on are working fairly well and we're still working on my sleep issue. I must admit they have me on sleeping pills, which at least help me to fall asleep even though I am moving a lot in the night I don't wake up completely.

Hey, I just had a thought: What if I have restless leg syndrome? Hmmm? I just saw something about that on television. An-t-way... that's a subject for another day. I'll inquire about it, but I am not going to get to worrying about something that may not be the issue. Although it sounds plausible because they're kind of baffled as to why I still wake up so much during the night when I am taking sleeping pills.

I do have good news: I've lost two pounds! I don't think I told you I had gained a pound sometime last week. Now I am down to 164. Hip Hip Hooray! Yesterday I did yoga and the day before I rode my exercise bike. Today I only have 10 minutes available to exercise so I'll ride the bike for that time - I guess something is better than nothing.

I hope your New Year resolutions and commitments are going well. I've noticed that working out is helping me to feel stronger and tighter so I hope to continue doing it and hopefully it will begin to show even more.

In about 40 minutes I have to leave the house to pickup the teenager from school for a doctor's appointment so I hope this isn't too rambly or incoherent.

If you'd like to read more of my health and weight loss journals, please click the link.

Rock it

Although I am not one to covet designer threads and accessories, I am finally discovering which designers I like the most based on overall design, appeal and wear-ability. One of the brands I like the best is Rocawear.

I know that you would typically see Rocawear on the street savvy, hip hop wearer because that’s the customer that was primarily targeted in the beginning, but the brand now has appeal beyond that core urban customer. You'll even see women and men in my age group (yes, I'm 40) sporting Rocawear's stylish gear.

Even though I love the Rocawear jeans, shoes and belts, I am partial to the Roca Wear Purse because not only is it stylish and current, but a lot of the purses also have the sophistication and design elements I look for in a handbag. Rocawear also has hobos, wallets, satchets, wristlets, totes, clutches and more so whatever you're looking for is there.

And don't worry about the price: You can also find excellent deals on Rocawear. What designer gear do you like the best? If you haven't found one you like then you should check out Rocawear. They have an assortment of products that I think will meet your needs. Happy shopping.

Stretched thin

I told you about the other blog that I started called From Toddlers2Teens. That's where I post my issues with having children of multiple generations or what I call multigenerational. But I had to tell you - my "It's a woman's world" friends - what is going on today.

It's just one of those days... I am filling out one of Amber's college applications while she is in the kitchen being tutored in Calculus. My son is laying on the floor watching a movie with all kinds of little trucks and cars scattered about and my 3-year-old daughter is outside playing with bubbles.

My son didn't want to go outside with her so since she's out there by herself I keep getting up and down to check on her. That makes for a stressful time trying to concentrate on the application, which should have been filled out weeks ago. After Amber is finished with the tutor (an adult has to be home during the session) I'll rush out of the house to pick up the baby before the cutoff time.

(Maybe if I'm lucky the teenager will offer to pick up the baby for me. Keep your fingers crossed.)

Then I'll rush back home to get dinner together, answer emails, pay some bills and anything else on my to-do list I can get completed before I turn in tonight. Unfortunately this is one of those days when I am just exhausted thus the feeling of being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d too thin.

This doesn't count having to stop by the car place to get the van checked, attending the Parent Committee meeting at the middle children's school or taking them to the store after school like I promised yesterday.

My only hope for the day is that I am able to go to bed early because I think I am almost out of steam. Maybe if I can get a good night's rest then I'll be energized to tackle everything I need to do tomorrow.

Meet My Friends Monday - Sweet, creative Liss

I can't recall how and when I met Liss, but I am so glad that I did. She is a sweet and creative person who is blogging to improve her photography on A Memory Forever. Honestly, I am not sure why she needs to improve because she is already an amazing photographer.

Her photographs speak volumes of her creativity and sensitivity. She captures beauty in everyday things as well as in the children and subjects she photographs. Liss is also mom to two children Mikaela and Callum, and - just like us - she experiences the challenges of everyday parenting with the addition of Callum's developmental issues. Despite that she portrays a love, commitment and endurance in her posts even during the most trying times.

I love stopping by A Memory Forever because her posts and photos always cheer me or make me feel closer to her. I am so glad she decided to share her photography on her blog. To experience the sweet loveliness, visit A Memory Forever.

Monday's Muse - my vision board

My BFF has been working so hard with me to keep me upbeat, positive and believing in a successful and productive future. It can be quite difficult given my current circumstances, but I do make an effort (as much as I can). He knows that quite some time ago I began constructing a vision board that I never complete. What he doesn't know (at least I don't think I told him) is that I've been trying to finish/update it so that it reflects my current goals and dreams.

I think the first time I heard about a vision board was in the book The Secret. I don't think that's what they called it, but the premise is the same. Then on Oprah's talk show there was a segment about the vision board that featured someone whose "visions" had came to fruition. So since I didn't have the money to buy a bulletin board or anything I raided our crafts/projects box and found a green border that I pasted to the wall next time my desk. Thus creating a bulletin board.


When I first put it up it was during the most stressful and emotional time of my separation so I only added a few things from some other little projects I had started: 1) a collage of ideas on how I wanted my life to be, which included tranquility, ease, success, happiness, love, organization, travel, publication of my books. You know, cutout images that represented those things. 2) a smaller collage of destinations and nature. 3) a picture of Oprah because when I publish my book I want to be on her show and I simply just want to meet her. 4) and the words "make a fresh start," which came from a letter that was included with the fresh start journal that I got (for free!) from The Oprah Magazine.

Since then I've added the words joy, dreams and purpose. I plan on adding the word love; not because I am looking for love from a man, but because I want my life to be filled with love that I give and love in every relationship whether it's with my children, my parents, my siblings or my friends. There's also an image of a book with my byline on it that I'll create to symbolize the books I will publish.

There are other ideas floating around in the my head, but they have yet to form a definite thought. If we all create vision boards - whether something large on a wall or a dedicated page in your favorite journal - we can keep images in our heads that will help to evict the negative thoughts. The images will help to override the crappy stuff that happens in everyday life.

My vision board also reminds me that although I feel down, depressed and even hopeless about my future that it's possible there's more out there. It's possible that I may not live in poverty forever; it's possible that my dreams will come true and it's possible that everything my best friend is telling me is true.

You don't have to create your vision board in one day. Take the time to think about what you want for your future. Mule over the projects you're working on and visualize the end result. Paste pictures, words, drawings and whatever images represent the dreams that you want even if you think they're near impossible. Your vision can include goals and, most importantly, your vision board can change.

Think about it: If the vision board can change then it means we can have control over our future - our destinies. We can write our own ending.

Good luck with your vision ... and enjoy your week.

For more Monday's Muse, check out Maternal Spark.

Friendship vs. Oneship

In this Woman's World

I don't know if you've had the "friendship conversation" with anyone who you consider to be a real friend. You talk to them because you know they'll understand and offer their point of view. You share with them about how you don't understand the way some people are and how they don't give to the friendship.

You give an example of a situation with another person so they can get an idea of what you're talking about. (Because if you talked to the person you have a oneship with most likely they won't get your point.) And, if you're like me, then you say, "Well, that's not what I consider a friendship."

Today, something dawned on me. Friendship is when both people get what they want from the relationship. Oneship is a one-sided relationship where one person dictates what they want from the relationship without giving anything back or contributing anything that the other person wants, and - this is the worse part - they don't even care what the other person wants.

A oneship isn't a friendship because none of the other person's needs are met.

You may be wondering why I don't just call that an acquaintance. I don't call it that because when you have an acquaintance it's someone who you basically treat like they treat you, and you don't want anymore from the relationship. You may call to say hello, see each other out and about, but don't put any extra care and concern into the relationship. That type of relationship takes little energy and you may not even think about the person unless you see them.

Well, what do you do when you want something more from the person who you're in a oneship with? For instance, you have a girlfriend who you're always inviting places, but she doesn't recipocate. Or you're a single mother of three who continues to check up on and offer assitance to another single mother, but she never returns the favor. I could give more examples, but you get the point.

I was in a similar situation and I tried to explain to the person that I wanted more from the relationship, but they gave all of their reasons why they liked it the way it was. So I made a choice to stop "putting myself out there." I mean if I'm dissatisfied why should I be the one to sacrifice? A relationship - almost any relationship - is a give and take/a compromise.

They insisted that we are friends, but I disagree. I think that if you truly care about someone and you consider them a friend then their needs in the relationship are important. What do you think?

If you'd like to read more of my In this Woman's World posts then please click the link.

Blogroll

I thought it would be better to do a post of my blogroll instead of a long list in my sidebar, but if you'll notice you can still click through to this post from my sidebar. As it moves down you'll still be able to access it.

Happy surfing...

5 Minutes for Mom
A Little Girl Talk

All About Womenz
Apples of the Eyes
At the Starting Gate
A Woman Remembers
A Woman's Perspective
Banana Blondie
Beautifully Blessed
Bloggrrl.com
BusinessMom.net
Celebrating Life
Crafts by Katie
CrAzY Working Mom
Duck and Wheel with String
Fabulouza
Family Affair

Gather -- a great community of friends
GPT Online Source
Hip Mama Blog
Interesting Stuff Blog
Jokes for Everyone
Just A Mom
Leaves of Grace
Life and Me

Little Miss Hannah
Live Love Life
Lola's Diner
Loser
Me on MySpace
Melinda Zook
Mom 2 Mom Central
Mom Knows Everything
Mom Stars Rock
Mrs. Soup
Mummy Diaries
My Absent Mind
My Lil Guyz
Open the Door
Pajama Mommy
Posh Mama
Raising Daniel
Rantings of a Woman
Snow Trapped Southern Girl
Super Amazing Savings
Sweet Happenings
Tasha's Takes
The Art and Science of Parenting
The Bentley Bunch
The Big Picture - a novel
The Egel's Nest
The Life of an Unbalanced Libra

Living Life to the Fullest
Urban Paper Loft

If there's an outdated link on the list or an update that needs to be done, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!

POed about pee pee

Photo by Jim Franco

I don't know if PO is the right phrase or not. I guess I should say that I am at my wit's end with my middle daughter.

Amareah has been potty trained since she was about 2 years old. She regressed at about 3 years old and hasn't really had any ongoing or major accidents after we got past that phase... until more than three weeks ago. It started with a couple of times of a little dampness in her panties then she had an accident overnight.

Then she started having accidents at night at her dad's place and now it's frequently at night and during the day. She's even started wetting herself at school/Headstart where she's never (since she started in September) had an accident until this past Monday.

I've tried different techniques of discipline and nothing has seemed to make a difference. I've tried sitting down and talking to her when it hasn't happened, I've tried giving her more positive attention (I'm still doing this), I try asking her questions and I've taken her to the doctor.

After I took her to the doctor about three weeks ago for holding her urine and her complaining about it, the doctor said that she had yeast build up. When she showed me I said, "Hmmm? She's always been like that ever since she was an infant. I thought it was just normal for her."

I thought it especially weird because she's never missed a well-baby visit or any checkups and, if you have girls you know this, they normally check their "girl" area to ensure that they're developing correctly when they're very small. I thought the pediatrician would have noticed something amiss and assumed since every female is different tat this was normal. Well, I was wrong. The doctor gave me some cream to use on her and Amareah said she felt much better so I thought that was the end of the problem. I was wrong - again. The situation has gotten worse.

I'm sure everyone has theories as to why children digress when already trained. I remember when my oldest daughter was a toddler her dad would call, say he'd call her in a couple of days and then not call for more than a month. For a toddler that was an eternity. When he did finally call again she would digress, then get better and the cycle would start all over again. I ended up having to tell him not to call unless he called consistently and that fixed the problem. (He's a much better dad now... and that's all I'm going to say about that! :])

Nothing I've done with Amareah has worked. Maybe you have some suggestions because I don't have any other tricks up my sleeve right now.

Cute baby clothing

Besides the miracle of birth itself, one of the best things about having a brand new baby is all of the adorable, tiny Baby Clothing. Even though I do not have infants any longer I still glance at the tiny socks, shoes, accessories and clothing that are being sold for babies.

And, I must admit, Baby Girl Clothes are my absolute favorite clothes to buy as compared to Baby Boy Clothes, which I know are adorable too. But baby girl clothes - and all the accessories - are colorful and plentiful making it seem so easy to shop for a little girl.

One of my favorite things that I have recently found is the Baby Lulu Polka dots and Mums baby doll pants set. It is a colorful little pants set adorned with flowers and with slightly flared legs that will look absolutely fabulous on any little girl. I like it because it is unique and sort of has the style that I like my daughters to wear.

Whether you are having a girl or a boy you can find a wide variety of baby clothes and must-have products that will suit your needs, your style and your baby. So have fun shopping.

Toddlers, teens & everyone in between

Do you have multigenerational children? It's when you have children in all or a lot of different generations. For instance, do you have a toddler and a teenager or an infant and a middle schooler? What about some of each? If you do then you know the challenges for parents of multigenerational children.

That's why I started the blog Toddlers2Teens. It's where we can talk about the special circumstances, funny occurrences, tips for coping and the everyday hassles and blessings of living the multigenerational life.

The blog is still a work in progress, but I hope you will visit me anyway. Even if you don't live the multigenerational life; you can still stop by, leave me a comment or suggestion and show so bloggy love.

I'll still be updating this blog regularly because this is my baby and I don't want to leave all of my blogging buddies, but I really hope to see you there as well.

Have a terrific Thursday.

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from September 05, 2007 and was last updated on April 22, 2011.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Petula Wright. For questions about this blog, please send correspondence to petulawrites@comcast.net. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation and abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog with the exception of personal opinions expressed by the writer and editor. That content, advertising space or post may or may not be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The posts where this is relevant may be annotated as such. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for some of the posts or advertisements, there will always be honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. Should any reader, consumer or individual purchase, test, try or use any product or service recommended or written about by the writer/editor, guest writers, sponsors, advertisers or commentors within this blog the content providers (listed above herein) shall not be held liable for any problems, injuries, fatalities or conditions as a result.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own with the exception of completely pasted and copied guest blog posts, press releases or sponsored content. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

All works posted -- including poetry, prose and creative ideas -- are under copyright and should not be redistributed, copied or utilized without express permission from the blog owner/writer.

To get your own policy, go to DisclosurePolicy.org.