Tantalizing tidbits in BusinessWeek

My magazine reading pile is starting to grow again. When that happens there are some magazines that I just skim through instead of reading them cover to cover. One of the ones I barely look at is BusinessWeek. I hate to admit that because of the up-to-date and newsworthy information it contains, but ... well, it's the truth.

Today, I was trying to skim through the February 16th edition of BusinessWeek when I came across a few articles that I found very interesting. I'm not going to give you all of the details, but just a little bit to pique your interest.

- Celebrity endorsers are being asked to do more by marketers than just stand next to the products. Alicia Keys endorses Yamaha piano brand and, among other endorsements, you can see their company logo in her music videos. Do a little research on a celebrity you like and see what their endorsement deals are.
- Is the postal service going to cut mail from six days to five? I totally missed this in the news. A cutback like this could hurt companies that solely rely on the postal service. If you find more information on this one, drop a comment and let me know.
- The jury is still out on whether a Massachusetts-based mobile system that turns trash into energy will be worth its price tag - a whopping $850,000. BusinessWeek reports that compressed trash pellets can be turned into gas. What does that mean? Three tons of trash = enough power and heat to run a 200,000 square foot building. (You'll definitely have to do a search on this one to better understand it.) All I want to know is when can I turn my trash into cash for my electric bill.

I can't promise that I'm going to read BusinessWeek word for word each time, but you can be sure I'll pay it more attention than I have been in the past. If you'd like to learn more then do a little web surfing to see what you discover or grab a subscription to BusinessWeek and we can chat about what we read.

What's your favorite magazine?

Friends...

It's been quite some time since I added a badge to the "Check it Out" part of my sidebar and I was reminded of that today. I was scrolling around Jo's blog and realized I didn't have her badge on my site. What an awful blogging friend I am. So I am adding it to my "Check it Out" and I am showing it to you here. Why? Because I think she is an extremely talented photographer and creative blogger. Check her out when you get the chance.

You're not going to believe it...

... or maybe you will.

Anna has another ear infection! It's only been about four weeks since the last one, which was in both ears. The doctor also said she may have an upper respiratory infection (fancy term for cold) because of her cough. I asked if she could have sinus problems and allergies that's causing the problems. She said yes and that after we clear up this infection, which is just in one ear, then we'll monitor her closely. If it's nasal related then mucus draining would cause the cough and could be pooling in her ears causing ear infections.

Her dad, who the younger children were with this weekend, said she was fussy and grumpy all weekend. She's been like that most of today too, which is really tiring. Not only is she fussy because of not feeling well, but she wouldn't stay asleep during her nap so she's nice and sleep deprived.

Out in public she's almost a perfect angel. While we waited in the pediatrician's office today, she was all smiles. Back at home, she whined, cried and screamed. I took out the camera to catch her in action, but each time I did she stopped immediately and said, "Cheese."

I even tried to be sneaky and turn the camera on when she wasn't paying attention, but as soon as I pointed it at her she stopped her antics. I gave up trying...

I did capture a few tears in her eyes in these two photos. You can see them, right?



I am amazed how she can pull out an immediate smile. Who taught her how to say cheese anyway?

I did not put those butterflies in her hair... her siblings were nice enough to do that and she refused to let anyone take them out. Well, normally I wouldn't care if she refused because I would just take them anyway because there are my second daughter's, BUT I didn't want any extra screaming during Amber's Calculus tutoring.

This may be the closest I ever get to catching her crying. See how her eyebrows are wrinkled? That was her frowning during a screaming session and this picture is the result of my sneak attack.

I think she decided not to get caught again after the last time I showed her a picture of her crying. I have decided that I will have to stalk her - sneak around behind her and catch her in action. Are you ready to see the real Anna? Muhahahaha!

I'm flattered

Tina of Gossip Avenue thinks my blog is fabulous! :D Thanks, Tina, you're sweet.

The view from relaxation

This weekend the teenager and I went on another college tour. The institution is about three hours away from our home so we chose to spend the weekend at her godfather's house - which is almost two hours away from the college - so we wouldn't have to get up so early.

It was more travel time, but we like hanging out at his house so we incorporated that into our weekend. After a busy Saturday of travelling, touring and talking, we chose to relax most of today. Amber and I ate breakfast while we watched the movie Taking Lives and were so into chilling that we decided to watch Descent - both of which I had seen before.

There were times today when I wandered outside. I love the backyard at Michael's house. Each time we vist I open the backdoor and let the breeze come in. While outside, I took these pictures:





I thought about those pictures a little after I snapped them and about an article I read that said to think about different angles. So, I went back outside, laid on the cold ground and took these pictures:







I know I'm not a very good photographer (yet!), but I love taking pictures. The last three make me think of the serenity of the sky, the way tree limbs look blowing in the wind and the feel of the breeze on my skin. For me, any pictures of nature soothes my nerves.

What did you do this weekend?

What have you done for your heart?

February has almost come to an end, but I can't let the month pass without talking about Heart Awareness Month. One way that I recognize the cause is by wearing red because it's a lighthearted way to acknowledgement the month, but heart disease is anything but lighthearted. (I also wear my Red Dress pin!)

Though the emphasis has been put on men's hearts, we are starting to realize that a woman's heart health is equally at risk. It's especially scary to think of how the disease affects women and how it is often misdiagnosed. A woman's symptoms can include: Unusual pain in the chest, stomach or abdomen; nausea or dizziness; shortness of breath and breathing difficulties; unusual anxiety, loss of strength or fatigue;
heart palpitations, cold sweat or a pale appearance.

Symptoms most talked about are:
-Pressure, fullness or squeezing pain in the center of your chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and then returns
-Pain that extends to the shoulders, neck or arms
-Chest discomfort accompanied by dizziness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

If you experience any of these symptoms you should see your physician or go to the doctor immediately because prompt treatment can increase your chance of survival.

There are ways to reduce your heart attack risk. Do your research like checking out the American Heart Association website to find out what applies to you. You are the best advocate for your heart health - and your overall health, for that matter - so do something for your heart.

What have you done for your heart health lately?

Time to come clean

I have a secret. I guess it could be considered a secret addiction. It's something I've been hiding, but I think I'm going to come clean:

"Hi, my name is Petula and I'm a sugarholic."

You're laughing, aren't you?

It's something that's kind of snuck up on me. I mean, me - the health and weight loss journal person - has been getting sugar fixes throughout the day.

The addiction has grown from a small fix or two of dark chocolate during the day and maybe one large cup of coffee to a minimum of four large cups of coffee (16 ounces each, two caffeinated and two decaf) and possibly a cup of regular tea. Yup, a large cup.

I'll even have an extra slice of raisin bread with honey. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but the serving size is two and I normally have less than the serving size or no more than that. How do you think I've been losing weight? I've been obsessed with counting calories. Now, I'm obsessed with hoping that the extra sugar doesn't cause weight gain... and more GASP! fat.

Even with all of the worrying, I still can't stop.

It's getting so bad that when I rushed into CVS yesterday to grab some Blistex lip ointment I also came out with bubblegum, which I scored for 88 cents. I never buy gum unless it is to keep my breath fresh. (Another obsession albeit a very good one.) Bubblegum is only good for about 10 minutes nowadays so once the sugary flavor is gone then I spit it out. Well, only after some public attempts to blow bubbles and appear to be actually enjoying the gum.

I mean, what if people found out? I actually have two fixes while I am driving the children from school. Maybe two pieces of gum or a cup of coffee on the way. I don't know... Maybe I should call Dr. Phil. He sends addicts to great rehab centers so I am sure he'll have a plan for me.

Okay, I can't keep this up any longer. If you're reading this seriously then I think you should call Dr. Phil. I am just kidding around. Well, I have been eating too much sugar, but the silliness of this post has made it funny to me.

Wish me luck in cutting back. Oh, and don't tell Amber or my BFF (Hi, Frankie! BIG GRIN) 'cause I'll get in trouble.

Good & bad quickies

Good news: The baby doesn't have strep throat.
Bad news: She's still naughty.

Good news: The two middle children are no longer contagious.
Bad news: They were fighting at 7:30 this morning.

Good news: I don't think I have strep throat.
Bad news: I have a sinus infection.

Good news: I covered another shoebox with construction paper.
Bad news: I accidentally spilled a large amount of Elmer's glue on the carpet and didn't notice it 'til 20 minutes later.

:)

R u kidding me?

I seem to recall last Monday being a little hectic and tiring, and I started off the week trying to catch up. That's the reason why you haven't seen me around a lot. The kids and myself had a great weekend except when my son got sick on Saturday night. It started Friday night with coughing, but I didn't think much of it until he threw up on Saturday evening.

A fever has come and gone and come and gone (etc.!) ever since. I decided to take him to the pediatrician today (especially since his fever kept returning when the meds wore off) because I looked at tomorrow's schedule and saw a morning GI appointment for my teenager as well as her Calculus tutoring in the early afternoon.

I took Amber and Amareah with me. While there the doctor noticed his throat was red and all of his symptoms fit a strep throat diagnosis. Ut oh, I thought, but consoled myself that none of the kids have ever had strep throat. (Uh... well, maybe Amber has but I don't recall.) She had Amber and Amareah swabbed too.

The results: Andre and Amareah have strep throat - Amareah even has the red marks on her throat). Oh no! Amber was happy to know she was strep free and made plans to go out with her friends. (Lots of sympathy, huh? LOL)

The pediatrician said that although it's unlikely that Anna has it I should still bring her in. When? Yup, tomorrow. So I will be running and ripping to make it to appointments, take care of two sick children, get them fed and keep them warm and get everything done.

Can you say: Are you getting behind again? I don't even have to answer that, do I? Especially since I spent about two hours at the pediatrician's office this afternoon.

I guess no amount of sanitizing, hand washing and disinfectant spraying can always keep your kids from getting sick. Somehow Andre got the little bugger and generously passed it onto his sister. Hopefully just one sister. And, in case you are wondering: My throat hurts too. BIG SIGH! :(

Monday's Muse - order

Today, I clicked to Dictionary.com to look up the word order. It
seems like that's all I've been trying to do lately. I got a good chuckle out of the fifth definition of order as a noun and the sentence that was used as an example:

a condition in which each thing is properly disposed
with reference to other things and to its purpose; methodical or harmonious arrangement: You must try to give order to your life.

I find that trying to work (blog, write, follow-up on emails, process paperwork, pay bills...) are all delayed or unfulfilled if the area surrounding me is without order. Well, for that matter, if any area in my home is without out. As I sit here, about three rooms and one closet away from my bedroom, I can picture the disorder that awaits me. The too small/too big/too-not-gonna wear clothes of my four children that need to be organized, passed down and/or given away.

I think I've spoke of this before, but I think it becomes even more important to me as I age. My mother once told me that her mother kept everything, but I would hesitate to call my grandmother a hoarder since that seems so negative. My mother, on the other hand, is a complete clean and organizational freak. (Oops, did I just call her a freak?)

I'll just have to apologize (but you better not tell her I said that!) and continue by explaining what I mean. I love the fact that our home was always clean and orderly when I was growing up. There was no clutter and nothing was ever out of place. Sometimes to an obsessive degree, but I can appreciate it.

What bothers me about it is that I believe she threw away stuff that to most people is important, i.e., the clothes that my paternal grandmother made for me when I was an infant. Everyone keeps mementos like that, right? I know it's important and something to cherish because the few things I have from my childhood hold special memories to me and my oldest daughter who I passed stuff down to.

Those things are even more important since that grandmother passed away in 2001. She was the last tie that I had to my father's family, which makes any of those possessions extra special.

Okay, back to what I was saying... I find maintaining order is like fuel to my muse. I have been putting construction paper on shoe boxes to hold crayons, markers and chalk that my children often have all over the place.

I still have to find a box large enough for the paint and paint supplies because right now everything is divided between two boxes and I don't like it like that.

I designated a clear storage box for my teenager's memories (like movie tickets, playbooks, etc.) that I often find laying on her desk, her dresser or in a random book.

I've even designated a box for magazines ready for recycling (now we can just pick up the box when it's full and dump it into the recycling thingy up the street) and a large storage container for arts, crafts, projects and scrapbooking supplies.

Now what I've done may not be all matchy-matchy or perfect like I would want it, but instead of waiting until I have money to buy all matching paper or perfectly matched storage boxes, I have been proactive in causing order. The very act of finding a home for all of these things is exciting and it lifts my spirits. I am hoping I can maintain this order so that I don't get behind on the things that are important like working and processing paperwork like bills. But, on the up side, I have found the key to not bogging my mind down and causing heaviness in my aura. Or cloudiness among my zen. Is it static in my brain? Oh no, I got it: Fuzziness of my muse.

That, my friends, is my muse for the moment. Wanna read my previous musey moments? Click here and here for the Monday's Muse home.

Valentine's Day with the kids

I must admit that Valentine's Day isn't really my favorite holiday. My favorite color is red, my favorite symbol is the heart and I am absolutely a flower and chocolate freak. All of the signs of Valentine's Day.

It all started when I was a teenager in high school and we gave each other candy grams or flowers or whatever. I hardly ever received anything. Girls would come to school empty handed and leave with giant stuffed animals, candy or dozens of flowers. I always felt crappy that no boy ever thought enough of me to give me something. Well, there was my junior year when my boyfriend bought me the cutest, biggest bear... that was nice.

As I got a little older Valentine's Day came and went with little excitement for me. I would be such a scrooge when I'd walk into a store and see all the red and hearts everywhere. Yuck, I'd think.

While married, my husband always made Valentine's Day special and I came to appreciate the holiday. I'm glad I finally do because my children have made this Valentine's Day one to remember and they didn't have to deal with the Valentine scrooge that I used to be.

The day started yesterday (Friday) when Andre and Amareah came home from school and Andre said that he had a gift for me. I didn't want to ruin it for him and tell him it wasn't Valentine's Day yet because he was so excited. When he gave me my gift, which is the first Valentine's Day gift I've received from my son, I was so happy. It is one of the best gifts I've ever received. One, because he was so proud of it. Two, because he is my only son. Three, because it was given from a pure heart.

It's a milk-carton basket covered with red tissue paper hearts and a sheer red ribbon as the handle. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. His card was wrapped in pink tissue paper.

He signed his name and everything. Just looking at it makes me smile and the fact that it means so much to him. Today, he even asked me where I was keeping it. I think I am going to ask him where he wants me to keep it so he knows how extremely special I think it is.

A week or more ago my teen aged daughter asked me to be her Valentine. She actually chose to spend the day with me (and her younger siblings) instead of going out with her friends and hanging with her boyfriend.

She gave me this cute little bag and balloon. What's in the bag? Heart-shaped Dove chocolates, and boy are they yummy.

I enjoyed shopping for the kids. My idea to give them flowers started with the fact that I wanted to get my 4-year-old daughter (my sunflower) flower(s). She is always asking to buy flowers, but I don't always have the money or want to spend it on that. So instead of buying her some that would die, I found the perfect solution.

This is the Valentine stash:
Each of their bags had a little gift in it along with the flowers, which are different because if they aren't they'd argue about which one belongs to whom. I would have gotten the teenager one, but there were only three different kinds.



It's funny how I always start talking about something and don't expect to write a lot, but I guess I get a little excited. I have to say that this was a very pleasant Valentine's Day. Even though my children can be naughty, it's nice to be surrounded by their pure and unconditional love... Hmmm?? Pure and unconditional, that's the true meaning, huh?

It can be yours

Have you ever dreamed of having your own business but did not want to take on the challenges of your own store? That entrepreneurial bug just will not be squelched until you do something about it.

Maybe you should consider a rent to own franchise. You would be surprised at how many rent to own business opportunities there are, but taking into consideration that the industry is thriving and growing it is definitely something to look into.

It isn't as hard as you may think especially when you align yourself with a knowledgeable rent to own group like the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations or APRO, which is the industry's professional organization. Feed your entrepreneurial bug and give rent to own a try.

Put the money somewhere else

There's something that has been bugging me for quite some time. I don't think about it much until I read something in a magazine, hear it on the radio or see a commercial on television. What is the deal with organizations putting funds into - what I consider - unnecessary research studies?

For instance, I'll see a magazine blurb that reads something like, 'In a recent research study of 200 participants, researchers discovered that the color blue calmed 98 percent of the group.' Are you kidding me? We're still searching for cures for cancers and fatal diseases and we're putting money into that.

Please tell me that I am clueless and that these studies actually don't use any money so nothing is going to waste. If they use the money that I think they are - including paying research participants, purchasing supplies and compensating study monitors - then I think the funds can be put to something of more importance. Like a cure for breast cancer or better heart disease monitoring for women ... a cure for AIDS. I mean, I could go on.

Like one of my favorite people (Tammy) often says: "I'm just saying!"

On a high note

So far this week hasn't been the best and, yes, I realize today is only Tuesday. I am stopping in my to-do list to post my little surprise. Angelika honored me with an award. It's especially wonderful because of what the Three in One award is for:

“Blogs of attitude and gratitude, a member of a proud sisterhood, and a best friend of all blogs.”

Angelika, you made my day!

Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let winners know they have received award.
5. Link to this post and the person from whom you received the award.

Shaunalynn at The Art and Science of Parenting
Tammy at Mom Knows Everything
Tina at Mummy Diaries
Sandra at Super Mae
Tina F at Family Affair
Toni at It Is Nap Time
Lin at Duck and Wheel with String
Carrie at Little Miss Hannah
Heidi at Maternal Spark
ArtSnark at ArtSnark's Artifacts

I will do my best to pop by and let you know I've got an award for you. I chose these bloggers because they are some of the sweetest, most supportive women that I know, and they are the epoteme of what the award represents. There are others of you that I love too so please don't think I forgot you. Thank you all for your sisterhood.

Unexpected showers

Today started off pretty much like any other Monday. The younger children were with their dad this past weekend so he took them to daycare and school this morning. The teenager went off to high school. When I woke up I ate breakfast, dressed and went to my 11 o'clock appointment.

The appointment went well. I left in a relatively timely manner, planned on stopping at the bank on the way home and eating my lunch once I arrived here. It's about a 45 minutes drive and I had time to think about what I was going to do once I arrived home, and how much time I would have left before it was time to get the two middle children from school.

I drove onto the highway that leads to my house and was stopped at a light when I suddenly heard an incessant beeping sound. I glanced at the control panel and a red thermometer light was glowing. I looked at the gauge and it was on the H.

What the heck? I was in the far left lane and immediately put on my signal to get over. Most of the time, in this area, people aren't the most courteous drivers so I just kept thinking that I hope I can get over before the van starts to overheat.

I considered trying to get to the mechanic that had been working on my van lately, but he was at least 10 minutes away. I was about to pull into a restaurant parking lot when I saw a small shop on my right. I pulled in and popped the hood. While sitting in the van, I called my BFF to let him know what was going on and stared at the hood to see if any steam was coming from the van.

I didn't see anything. I got out and while standing on the driver's side peeped under and in front. Easing around I looking for steam and when I didn't see any I quickly touched the edge of the hood as if it was a hot iron. It wasn't hot. Lifting the hood up I saw the coolant boiling. It was a little amazing because I have never seen that... glancing to the passenger side I saw coolant running across the pavement.

Putting the hood down quickly, I returned to my seat and called the mechanic. He said he could take care of it if I had it towed to him since I could "blow up" my engine by driving it.

"You gonna pay for the tow," I asked.

"Wish I could."

"Guess I'll just go into this random place then."

Let's fast forward about 20 minutes...

"It's going to be $500," said the new mechanic, who I don't think I like.

"Are you serious," I almost started to laugh.

"I wish I was."

What is with the wishing stuff today?

More than three hours later the van was fixed.

My soon-to-be ex had given me the money from his tax return that he promised me and I had planned on making another mortgage payment since I am three months behind and catching up on all the other bills. So, needless to say, I was not happy.

I walked away from the shop, sat down on a curb and cried.

Just a mini breakdown and then I was fine. Well, after I talked to my BFF and sat there for a bit feeling sorry for myself and wondering how I can ever get out from under so many bills when I have to keep putting money into this vehicle that's falling apart. I just got the money into my hands, for goodness sake.

SIGH!

Okay, I wrote all of that to say that if you don't see me around much today it's because I am exhausted and extremely behind on my to-do list. I am going to opt not to do a weekly meme that I normally do: Monday's Muse from Maternal Spark. I guess instead of writing this post I could have did my Monday's Muse.




And I had wanted to do Meet My Friends from It Is Nap time since I so often neglect that one, but I don't feel like doing that either.

Please forgive me while I try to regroup, follow up on some things I committed to and try to do some stuff that I just can't delay any longer. Thanks for your patience, prayers and friendships. Hopefully, I'll be back to commenting and visiting regularly before the end of the week.

Photo credit: Storm over the Mississippi River near Hannibal, Missouri by Hannibal photographer William Richmond, PO Box 1139, Hannibal, MO 63401

Did you win?

On the Woman's Bookshelf

I am excited to announce that everyone who entered the giveaway to win a copy of Money Games: 85 Fun Ways to Save Money and Attract Abundance by Randy Petrick, is getting a copy.

Can't remember if you entered? Click here to find out.

We do have one request of the winners: Once you receive a copy of your book, please write a post on your blog about the book. It can be a review or a mention. If you don't maintain a blog, leave me a comment or send me an email with your feedback of the book and I'll feature you here at It's a woman's world!

Interested in knowing how this happened? Keep reading...
After I wrote one of my Bookshelf Round-Ups where I mentioned Money Games, Randy contacted me to express his thanks. We corresponded back and forth about his desire to help people when things are so tough financially. I asked him if he would be interested in contributing a couple of books for the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. He agreed.

We decided on giving away two books, but then he had the idea of giving everyone who entered a book because he really wants to help people.

"I'm more concerned with getting the book out to people who can really profit from its wisdom than I am in generating personal profit," Randy said. "Right from the start I just asked God to help get it to those who could really use it."

Click below to purchase a copy of Money Games.

Cleanse for your health

More than 14 years ago, one of my cousins was a strict vegetarian who only ate whole grains and made everything from scratch. When I saw her about five years after that she confessed that she had fell off the wagon and had been eating hamburgers, processed foods and refined sugars. The result, she said, was serious backup and distress in the gastrointestinal area.

She convinced me to do a cleanse with her. By that time I was consuming healthy foods and had eliminated pork and beef from my diet. I told her I didn't need to cleanse (since I felt great), but I would do it anyway to support her.

I'll spare you the results because it wasn't pretty. However, the theory behind colon cleansing is to eliminate the toxins that have built up in the digestive system. Many doctors believe that a colon cleanse treatment like Dual Action Cleanse is the key to personal wellness and maintaining a healthy balance in the body.

Before and after (before the entire after)

My health and weight loss journal

"To resist the frigidity of old age one must combine the body, the mind and the heart - and to keep them in parallel vigor one must exercise, study and love."
Karl von Bonstetten

Too much of anything is not good and so I will use that as my excuse for not having lost anymore weight. However, I am happy to say that my weight has remained about the same - fluctuating between 163.5 and 165. Although I haven't been consistent with sprinkling Sensa on my food, I think the times I have remembered have contributed to my maintaining this weight. (Go to TrySensa.com for more information about the weight-loss system.)

I have been working out more by riding my exercise bike and I began using hand weights a little to tone up. (My arms are nice and sore as proof.) I'd like to lose about 15 more pounds, but I would settle for another five to 10. The most important thing is I am way healthier than I was about 13 months ago when I started my weight-loss journey, and I've lost 35 pounds in that time.

If you've been using Sensa you can enter their contest to win a six-month supply of Sensa as well as Intelligent Beauty products. All you have to do is post your before and after pictures before tomorrow and email a link to amanda@rocketxl.com. (Contest rules.)

Let's take a look at my before and after pictures... Here I am early last year:

Here I am the day I started using Sensa:



And this is me today:

I don't see much difference in the second and third pictures (as I try not to pay attention to how much I dislike the pictures. LOL), but I do think I lost a few pounds since the first one was taken. No, I haven't been keeping track. Well, honestly, I forgot what the weight loss has been since then.

How's your weight-loss journey going?

Interested in more of my health and weight loss journals? (Be nice and just nod.) If so, please click here.

Lusting after cell phones

There will always be a new one. I know you know what I mean: When you get a computer a new model comes out the next month. When you get a new television, one with better features shows up at your favorite electronics store. And, as soon as you learn all the functions of the cell phone you just had to have, there's a newer and better one calling your name from the store.

I didn't just get my cell phone, but I sure wouldn't mind getting a new one right now. If I can find a free one that'll make it even better. Have you seen those at&t cell phones? I'm going to search for free cell phones as soon as I get a chance because there are free deals out there. In these economic times free is oftentimes the best choice.

Wordless Wednesday - Shiver, shiver

Want more Wordless Wednesday? Check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Dig me out!

If you don't see me around much today it's because I am buried under tax forms. I normally use an accountant, but in an effort to save the mullah I am doing them myself for the first time in more than 10 years.

Wish me luck... I'm going to need it what with earned income credit, child tax credits, business income and whatnot it's going to be a long night.

Let's celebrate!

Shaunalynn, the brilliant lady behind The Art and Science of Parenting and two other blogs (see below), is celebrating her 35th birthday today. Being the terrible blogging friend that I am I almost missed it, but lucky for me I able to offer her well wishes.

Shaunalynn, or Mom as she's fondly known, is a sweet, creative person who I am so blessed to know. She's often busy, but takes time to be loving and helpful to her friends. Be sure to visit her to tell her Happy Birthday!

Visit her other blogs here: The Trivia Cafe and Meandering Through the Forest.

Whatever I can do to help

I believe I "met" Carrie (of Little Miss Hannah) through some one's blog (please forgive me that I don't remember who). Every since I read about Carrie's daughter Hannah, who was recently diagnosed with Gaucher's Disease, I think about them quite often. In fact, I featured her for Meet Your Friends Monday, which is hosted by Toni at It Is Nap Time.

I try to stop by as much as I can to check up on them and to offer what little encouragement I can. So when I clicked over recently and saw that Carrie was asking for help I didn't think twice about contributing a small amount of time to write this post. This is what she wrote on her post about a project she's working on:

"I’m on a mission to find and compile all blogs and up-to-date websites of children with rare diseases (or adults who were diagnosed as children). There are over 6000 rare diseases affecting children in the world, and I can’t do this by myself. I’ve been looking, and I’ve only found less than a dozen blogs (see my special kids links on my sidebar), and I know there are more parents like me out there. Basically, I want to create a directory/blogroll (or whatever you want to call it) that links all these special children together to be unveiled on February 28th, the 2nd annual World Rare Disease Day. You can either leave them in the comments below or send me an email."

If you think you can help or know someone who can then just follow the links above.

And the winners are...

Through the sophisticated technology of "guess two numbers from 1 to 39," we have arrived at the winners of the book Money Games: 85 Fun Ways to Save Money and Attract Abundance.

# 14 - Pat who said, "Fun ways to save money? Now that sounds really interesting!"

and

# 22 - Audra Marie said, "This looks like a good read. :)"

I will be contacting both of these ladies soon to obtain their mailing addresses. Congratulations!

STAY TUNED...
Check back sometime next week for a possible surprise from the author of Money Games, Randy Petrick. He has something up his sleeve that I think some of you will really like.

Monday's Muse - An original

"What do you think about your creativity? How does it feel. What does it do?
Think about what your creativity would be like as a person. What attributes does that person have?"

Those are the questions that Heather - over at Maternal Spark (the home of Monday's Muse) - posed today. My brain has been churning around my Monday's Muse post all day and I was a little uncertain concerning what I was going to write today, but when she asked these questions I thought I would use them to fuel me.

I looked up creativity in the thesaurus... (Okay, technically, I went to Dictionary.com)... and this is a part of what it said:

"cleverness, genius, imagination, imaginativeness, ingenuity, inspiration, inventiveness, originality, resourcefulness, talent, vision"

Hmm? ... What do I think about my creativity? Firstly, I thought about previous Monday's Muse posts that I've written, but that didn't give me an idea of what I think about my creativity. So that meant I had to think. (Oh drat! LOL)

I think my creativity is varied and vast. I have ideas for inventions, books, companies and crafts. I can come up with a magnificent poem, draw an interesting picture or fumble through a craft, but I'm smart enough to know where my talent/gifts are and that marks the true nature of my creativity.

When I'm creating it pulls from me, drains out of me, flows through me and when it is complete then I am free. It's a release that often leaves me satisfied and proud. If it were a person, say my alter ego, her name would be Renee. She's brash, sophisticated, confident, beautiful, rich (in spirit and thought), sensitive and sexy. There's a quickness about her and an internal editor who keeps her on track. With all of that, she's still humble and hard on herself behind closed doors because realistically creativity can never, ever always be the same. So that makes her ever changing... evolving... into the exact person she needs to be at the time.

Turn on your creativity today!

Purring like a cat

The feelings that often overcome me when I see my children sleeping are normally amazement and love. I touch their little sleeping faces and relish at the sweet expressions that they have while I try not to remember the last naughty thing that they did.

Then there are times when I see my children sleeping and I get a good laugh. One of those times happened this past weekend.

My three youngest children share a room and they often get in trouble at bedtime for talking, playing or getting out of bed. They had got into trouble and, as is custom, I put my 4-year-old daughter Amareah on the couch.

She hummed and tried to fight sleep for a bit, but eventually gave into the call for slumber. When I came out of the office and glanced her on the couch this is what I saw:



I don't think I've ever seen her spread out like that and I found it really funny. She's one of those children who likes to curl up when they sleep - either on her side or face down with her knees drawn into her tummy.

This time she was totally relaxed and didn't even wince when the camera flash went off. What made this even funnier was the fact that she was snoring... actually it was more like a purr. Almost exactly like a purring kitten. I wish I could have recorded it because it was the sweetest little sound coming from a little person who had just been reprimanded for being naughty.

Who can be mad at her now?