This morning I was out of bed early to make the Toddler breakfast before I went back to bed, and got all shocky while standing at the counter. I had to go sit down several times, cold sweats, you name it... Scary. But I was so proud of myself for sitting down before I fell down, and that I had finished making breakfast. How's that for a twisted sense of priorities? Most women would have just stayed in bed and trusted their husbands to provide the child with breakfast.

I've seen a lot of event websites over the last couple of days. They have dealt with everything from fundraising walks to wedding planning- one of my favorite forums to read has lots of examples of what to do and what NOT to do when making an event website. Some of the things you want to avoid are lousy layouts and catastrophic color choices. If you're planning a wedding for attendees from all over the country, as so many people are these days, why not take advantage of RegOnline's services? It's nice to see a place that will provide the forms, templates, and even a Conference Registration Form so that your guests can rsvp, book their lodgings, and get every other little bit of needed information in a format that's both easy to navigate and a snap to use.

The same arguments could be made for professional conferences. Who will take your company seriously without a professional-looking website? In today's world we need to make it look just so- this is as vital as proofreading! You wouldn't send a formal letter to a customer without checking for spelling and grammar, right? So why not make your job easier by using whatever services you can access? This post has been brought to you today by RegOnline.com, a leader in online event registration and planning.

Like a lot of people, I obsess over my weight. Unlike a lot of people, I often obsess that I can't keep weight on to save my life. This, despite the doctor telling me that I'm overweight (um, yeah, but have you looked at the size of my boobs? Those extra twenty/thirty pounds you want me to lose- that's where it is. And how is making the rest of me skin and bones going to make it better?)

The last time I was pregnant I gained a total of three pounds- from first appt to the admitting weight the day before I gave birth. This time, the six pounds I gained in the first month was lost by the beginning of the third. I'm maintaining ever since, I think. I also think I should get a scale to help track this, but how will that keep the anxiety down?

In the meantime, Her Highness demands the full and undivided attention of the two adults in the house this morning. My 'Net work is going very slowly; usually I can get it all done by this point. But today? Noooo. I'm still not done all that I need to do- visit blogs to find new material, leave comments, increase the general Blog presence which will in turn fuel more traffic to this site which will mean more people clicking the Ads as well as more paid opps, more paid opps meaning more bills get paid and dry goods stockpiled for the new baby, more paid surveys to do the same, and etc so on so forth yadda yadda bing bong...

I guess this means I'm more of a self-employed WAHM than a SAHM. I'm taking what I can in a manner that lets me earn some money for the household while meeting my other responsibilities. This also puts me more into the Mommy Wars than I really want to be. Can we call off the war yet? More thoughts on that later...

One of the many ways to spruce up your home is to change your window treatments. Often they can set a whole new tone- bring out the background colors of your furniture, a few extra throw pillows... You don't have to change the carpet or paint the walls or hire a designer. Terry's Fabrics in the UK specializes in designer fabrics and window treatments (including curtain poles). They can afford to let you buy them at the deep discounts normally available only to professional decorators. Why not take advantage of ready made curtains, which save you both time and money while creating the room you want?

This has been a sponsored post.

It's not a usual occurance to get the Toddler up from her nap, feed her dinner, and then have her screaming and crying and running back into the nursery to try and climb back into her bed. This is seriously not usual for her. I'd give in and send her to bed except: she won't sleep, if she does sleep she will be awake and demanding Tubbies at midnight, and I'm just not willing to give her that.

And so we go, around and around on the great hamster wheel of motherhood. When did this get so complicated? When did my life start happening again to such a point that I resent being called away from a meal to tend/catch/prevent my toddler from destroying inanimate objects? My head hurts. It's been one of those days.

Did I mention the cardiologist? He says I'm not cleared to have the baby. Which makes me scratch my head and wonder what he was going to say otherwise- stock up on my sandwich making abilities and be prepared to shove them into my uterus for the next 40 years?

Alzheimer's is something I have strong feelings about. I will not personally be at risk for this as I have been at risk for other things. My grandmother's sister's husband, a man who worked in finance and accounting, who did his advanced crosswords in ink "for fun", was reduced by this disease. We saw him go from full mentality to none, and it was more heartbreaking than many of the physical diseases that have also come through our family. When I was offered the chance to blog about Memory Walk 2007 (so yes, this is a sponsored post) I took it because I feel so very strongly that nobody should have to watch their loved ones go through this. There are Memory Walks all over the country; if you don't have one near you why don't you consider starting a team? It's easy, and the Alzheimer's Association will help you reach your goals.

Alzheimer's Association


It is so important to get funds raised for research into this disease. 1 in 10 people in this country have a family member with Alzheimer's, and 1 in 3 know someone affected by it. We raise funds for leukemia, for AIDS, for cancer... why not walk for a cure for Alzheimer's? Please God we'll not know it's pain for ourselves. Let's do what we can in order to support those who are not given the choice of memory. Sign up early for local walks; encourage family and friends to sign up. If there are no walks local to you, start one of your own.

We will need a larger couch.

I realize that's not the first thing a lot of mothers think about as they're approaching 16wks; more common things are diapers, clothes (handmedowns if the new child shares the same sex as the older), nursery furniture... Do you move the toddler to a toddler-sized transitional bed and give the crib to the new baby? Do you just get a new crib? What about toys? What will change in my everyday housework routines in an attempt to make this go smoothly?

Generally not, in other words, that we need a larger couch.

Right now our couch is a two cushion stuffed loveseat. It sits two people if they're reasonably friendly. Two and a toddler for those wonderful family dinners or snuggles. Perhaps even two adults, a toddler, and an infant. But sooner rather than later we're going to run out of room. That's just all there is to it- we'll run out of room. When we go to upgrade... I don't know. What do you look for in a couch, besides cheap? I chose this one because it was affordable and would qualify for delivery to our second floor apartment. Now I don't necessarily have those restrictions on couch selection. Who knows? But one thing is certain.

We need a larger couch.

In bible study at church this month we've begun discussing the ways in which the American church is falling away from the original ideals of christianity. Through ends, means, and the endless commercialization of simply everything we are learning the chinese menu approach to spiritual fulfillment. Another book, The Way of the Christian Samurai, further explores how we can learn from the japanese traditions of samurai. This book draws on primary sources to explore the samurai tradition of service and obedience.


A great deal of personal satisfaction can be found when you live your life to what you know is right. As a not-very-religious person I do have my own personal beliefs and I try not to push them often on others. This book falls somewhere between what I have come personally to believe and what I would like to see more of in today's society. Find out more about 'The Way of the Christian Samurai' and order it directly from the website or through Amazon.com

this post has been sponsored by The Way of the Christian Samurai

Today has been heavy on the sponsored posts, I know. And while part of me wants to sit back and apologize to the readership for this, the part of me that has to balance the budget around here wants to jump up and down and then feel mildly sad that the fees for these are "only" five dollars or so a piece. But still... that's five dollars that wasn't there before. Usually the higher-priced opps get taken while I'm away from the screen tending to the family. Or sleeping.

Last night was a battle with the toddler who screams and likes to scream and does not stop with the screaming (not even to accept the item she's screaming for). Finally I sat here in the dark rocking her and rubbing her back and singing softly to her, secure in the knowledge that the Boy and my mom were sleeping through the whole thing. We sat in the dark for almost an hour until she exhausted herself. Upon tucking her back into bed I once again offered her the item she had wanted, and finally she took it. This is hard to accept. Harder to internalize. I have hope that tonight will be different, that she won't be quite so upset. I have all sorts of hopes and dreams. Someday one or two of them will come close to being true.

Every year thousands of people all over the country start a business. Among the many issues to consider when doing this are taxes. Nobody wants to be caught without the right paperwork or licenses when the IRS comes calling- a good portion of all small business can fail for these reasons. Either you didn't set up the business properly according to all the fine print the state demands, or you didn't withhold or estimate enough taxes to cover everything the state wants.

Why not save yourself the trouble of this headache? Check out the services provided by IncParadise. They offer a full business solution in the states of Nevada, Florida, Arizona, and Texas. If you set up a Nevada corporation, for instance, there is no sales tax to plan for and IncParadise will help to file all the paperwork you need. They'll even go over your filing to ensure that you're compliant with all the laws (none of those nasty surprises). It is not necessary to be a resident of the state of Nevada to use this service; as an added bonus you can use their conference rooms if you need to meet clients there! Why settle for meeting someone at a location offsite that may not be professional when you can reserve a fully equipped conference room with phones and internet?

Packages start at $45 a month, and they do accept Paypal for the convenience of those who like that service. If incorporating is the best solution for your business take advantage of this company -they make it as easy as possible to help reduce the small startup headache. This post has been sponsored by the people at IncParadise.com

Am I the only one who finds this disturbing? I know this is not typical for my family. I can't count how many books I've read in the past month, not counting re-reads. The Boy doesn't read as much; but he has a job to do during the day in addition to his work around the house and playing with the Toddler. Our families read; I know my mother-in-law reads lots of books and certainly has more than the average. My mother reads maybe a book every ten days (or at least she sure does when I'm in control of her reading list). My daughter loves her books and has started to try to read them herself, despite not knowing how to read beyond remembering the words. Books are such an integral part of our lives that it boggles my mind that there are people in the world who don't read to their kids, that don't have a stack of books next to the bed, under the bed, and mixed up hopelessly in the pile of clean laundry that's not really clean anymore, but it's not "dirty" enough to go into the wash again.

Books, people. Read something, if you don't read a book. Read a newspaper. Read blogs. Read the online news if you're too tech-cool to be seen with a paperback. Read in public, read behind closed doors. The more you do it the easier it will become, I promise! And there's enough out there that something, somewhere will relate to you. A book is the perfect date, the perfect friend. Yes, there are bad choices; there are bad choices in every aspect of living. There are good ones too.

I just want people to enjoy this like I do. Is that such a hard thing?

Waiting, waiting. Waiting for the Toddler to come home from her walk. Waiting for my sanity to return because it's obviously deserted me in the night. I can spend whole mornings or afternoons praying for the Toddler's attention to be taken somewhere else- for her to adopt the thrill that is independant play. For her, in other words, to stop hanging on Mommy so she can either find the time to blog or find some ppp-opportunity to bring in the gas money. And once this Toddler leaves I spend a whole twenty minutes running around trying to get all that stuff done. Leaving the rest of the hour or two to sit around staring morosely at the door and wondering if she'll come back soon.

It sucks, to have your self-esteem caught up in the chubby fingers of your two-year old. Used to be my heart was only twisted like this from the Boy. Or my best friends. Now they don't seem to have the power to twist me in knots. That power has been completely usurped by a small blond child who doesn't even know the power she has.

The cold that swept through here was not of the chilly-air variety, unfortunately. We've almost run out of cold medicine, we did run out of tissues at one point, and I'm pleased to report that for the most part the Toddler is up and into everything again. A good sign of recovery. I got a few projects off the knitting needles and have started more. Because it's a sin or something to let the needles lay around empty. Right? Let's keep looking forward. We've done the summer cold, the knocks and bumps and scrapes of childhood, the pricking of my fingers every few hours all day long. There can only be a calmness in our future.

I'm dreaming of vacations again. The temperatures here are starting to shoot up again; and the thoughts of taking flights to Toronto or Vancouver are seeming more and more attractive. DialAFlight is a great UK-based travel agency that specializes in holiday packages. You can create your own dream vacation by speaking to one of their customer service specialists- they want to help you make this a memory that will last.

I wonder how delightfully cool the weather is in Calgary, or Niagara... I don't care if it rains every day or if it's cloudy- I'm just about baked out in the desert. Flights to Canada are featured right now. Wouldn't it be lovely to go to Canada right now? A last summer flight before we're all pushed back to school, back to longer and harder office days. Holidays in Canada, where you feel the climate to be both cooler and full of less stress both politically and socially. Cause you're on vacation, right? So if you've got the ability, think about it. Get some cool air and some time by the pool for me- temporarily stuck in the desert where it's hot and dusty.

Toddler Misconception #2: If you dump a baggie's worth of Special K over your head, this will be enough to completely cover your body and thus enable mommy and daddy to think you're no longer sitting buckled into the car seat.

When obesity is such a large problem for so many people, it's only natural that they turn to the least invasive method (when surgery is the only option they feel they have left). One surgical procedure is the lap-band. Journey Lite is a fast-growing group of physicians who will work with you to determine the best route. Currently they have offices in Tampa, Houston, and LA; but are in the process of expanding to more states. The procedure is done through several smaller incisions rather than a large one, minimizing scarring and some of the risk- although risk is a fact of every surgical procedure and as always should be carefully considered before undertaking.

This post has been sponsored by JourneyLite.com, a network of surgicial facilities that specialize in the Lapband procedure.

I was wondering as I drove home this morning, how long has this been here? I mean, the roads, the power lines, the farms... the buildings. The touch of "civilization". When I got out of college I was able to visit Ireland for a short tour. It was wonderful; beautiful. I could really feel the landscape had been there for a very long time. Hundreds and thousands of years; there had been people living there, one people (and yes, I know that Ireland went through the same cultural and ethnic changes over a thousand years that every other geographical region has been through. That's not my point here.)

And the community where I grew up- my "people" had been there four hundred years. I always knew that the buildings had been there, the cultural footprint. I had been born to know that land, those hills, those sounds and smells. The corn in the summer. The chill in the winter. The crispness of early winter days that steals your breath and makes your nose burn. I grew up three or four streets over from the house where my grandmother was born. In the front bedroom, overlooking the street. She grew up there. Her brother lived in that house until the day he died, smoking smelly cigars and making wisecracks.

I live in a town where there is a sense of history, but that history seems overlaid on the landscape somehow. I sit in a church with old wood pews, with plain brickwork made beautiful from the masonry that curved it into all those glorious arches, all the way up to the open rafters. Old pictures, old buildings, those are familiar like the old buildings in my hometown. But I wonder... if I walked in the graveyards would I find the same sense of history and continuance? I am afraid to go and miss the red fieldstone markers, their carvings all but undetectable. Limestone worn away. 1600s. 1700s. The first Gehman ancestor to come to these shores and settle is buried within walking distance of the house I grew up in.

Those are just my morning musings. I don't know why it seems so meaningful today...

New fun around here. I finally took a nap. I didn't expect the napping to be this intense; I went down at 0930 and came up for air around 1300. We're all still sick; by "we" I mean, of course, "me", who never took the rest that everybody else was forced to take earlier this week. I just wanted the other adults to hurry up and get better so that I could have a turn at being sick- is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. At least I don't feel as guilty about sleeping today as I would have had I tried to nap earlier this week. I slept and slept and slept some more.

I did manage to score another sponsored post, as you can see. Bringing another few bucks to the budget, and myself feeling calmer about money. A calm me= a happier me. A me who does not burst into hormonal teary wrecks while driving the Boy to work this morning. I feel bad for the crying, but not bad enough to apoligize endlessly. I'm just feeling overwrought right now, right? Right? It'll get better when I'm fully rested. It's got to get better.

It's nice to see that British Gas is now making this available to the public. Using green energy is a great way to reduce our impact on the environment. Let's all try to reduce our eco-footprint by using more renewable resources, so that we continue to have resources down the line.


I think we can all agree at this point that whenever we can reduce our waste, reuse our resources currently available, or turn waste into a new resource, we should do it. Sometimes a company comes along to make it easier for us to do so.

Press Release:

BRITISH GAS LAUNCHES GREENEST ENERGY TARIFF

9 August 2007: British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs, in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.

Householders signing up to the Zero Carbon tariff will:
• reduce their household energy carbon emissions to zero through Kyoto compliant offset schemes which will meet the new Defra requirements
• help fund a direct increase in investment in renewable energy generated in the UK
• contribute to the new British Gas green fund which will:
o invest in developing new renewable technologies such as wave power
o oversee a programme to help schools in the UK reduce their CO2 emissions

Gearóid Lane, Managing Director British Gas New Energy said,”Our new tariff responds to consumer demand for truly green energy solutions. It is essential that customers have confidence in green energy tariffs and that their credibility is not damaged by tariffs that claim to be green but in reality do not deliver any incremental environmental benefits. Green tariffs are moving from niche to mainstream products and we’re leading the industry by offering a tariff that will do more for the environment than any other product currently available.”

Under the government’s Renewables Obligation (RO), electricity suppliers in the UK are already required to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity through methods such as wind farms which, unlike traditional power plants, produce zero carbon emissions. For 2007/2008 this figure is set at 7.9%.

In a recent report, the National Consumer Council (NCC) raised concerns that some energy suppliers are packaging electricity which is produced under the RO scheme as “green”, yet it delivers no additional environmental benefits. The NCC called on energy suppliers to take steps beyond their legal requirements and offer green energy tariffs that provide genuine additional environmental benefits, in particular CO2 emissions reduction.

British Gas worked with Global Action Plan and The Climate Group’s “We’re in this Together” campaign to develop Zero Carbon which goes further than any other green tariff in meeting these requirements offering consumers the only zero carbon option on the market.

The tariff carries a premium of £84 per year, reflecting the higher cost of producing energy through lower carbon emission schemes.

Virginia Graham, Chair of Global Action Plan, said, “The British Gas Zero Carbon tariff delivers on all three of the essential requirements of a green tariff which are: additionality, transparency and verifiability. As such it is a very welcome new offering in the market. Consumers signing up to the tariff can be confident that they are getting 12 per cent more renewable energy than they would otherwise have got. The carbon emissions from their electricity and gas will also be offset with emissions reductions from projects accredited by the United Nations.”

Zero Carbon is one of the first initiatives launched through the ‘We’re in this Together’ campaign, which was launched in April 07 as an alliance of some of the UK’s biggest brands who are all working to help their customers reduce their impact on the climate.

Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group and founder of ‘We’re in this Together’ said, “We’re committed to offering people ways to make a real impact on climate change through Together.com. We’ve worked with British Gas to ensure that Zero Carbon is a genuine step forward in delivering more environmental benefits than any other tariff currently available.”

British Gas’s second green energy tariff, Future Energy, offers an alternative green electricity tariff at a premium of just £20 per year. Customers signing up to this tariff will contribute to a green fund which will provide solar panels and other renewable energy technologies to UK schools. Money from the fund will also be invested in development of future renewable technologies and sources.

To sign up customers can call British Gas on 0845 604 0055 or visit www.britishgas.co.uk

Finally, a non-sponsored post. Aren't you getting tired of this? But it's putting some money back into the bank. I am counting on this money to get us caught up on summer bills. And maybe (cross my fingers and wish real, real, hard) put some money aside ahead of time for the new baby. I'd like to be able to take a few weeks off from focusing on the money side of things when the baby is born. I'd also like to buy Christmas presents for the family, and get the car paid off early, and my last student loan... and while the money so far has been there I start worrying about next July's electric bill. This summer was a nasty shock. Let's not do that again.

Today's paid posts, if approved and duly paid in the course of time, will pay thirteen dollars. If I get a few more this week, and if I can keep it up, there's my hundred a month in extra income. And every penny helps right now. And... I hate to keep going on and on about money. It sucks. I hate budgeting. I hate living like this, always running just short enough to pinch by payday. Check to check, nothing left. And yet? Unless something changes either in prices or my ability to get out and bring in some more money it will stay exactly the same. Hence, my whoring of the blog to whatever company will pay. Hence the ads that feed the extra pennies created by my readers clicking on them into the Goldfish Cracker Fund.

None of this, mind you, is made easier by the fact that today I'm now firmly in the middle of the cold, with my Boy tied for Most Miserable Family Member, and with the Toddler very snuffly and non-compliant about her naptime. Plus last night while I was out of the room she tripped on her own feet and fell hard on the floor, managing to catch her lip on a tooth (or something) and now she has a fat lip.

Today it's easier than ever to do online stock trading from the comfort of your fuzzy bunny slippers. The hard part is to find the information needed to turn a profit instead of becoming a stereotype. Wizetrade has the tools and information to help make dreams a reality. Community forums help to connect the users of this tool, so you no longer operate solely on your own. Other unique features include free customer support of the software products and free updates so your software remains current as long as your membership in the site and use of the product remains active.

Wizetrade software features the ability to conduct realtime simulations using actual data. They will help track the markets in realtime. They offer tutorials in how to determine a good deal, take advantage of it, and help you achieve your goals.

I posted about Hotel Reservations a couple of months back and since then have heard from a few of my friends who booked with them. (thanks, you know who you are!) And what I said before holds up even more these days. Gas prices are up, airplane tickets are up, hotels are up, leading me to wonder what if anything has gone down? Well, in the past week I've started to see gas come down a bit. I'm not holding my breath anymore. Right now at Hotel Reservations they are running a rebate special, the rebate runs from $20 off a 3 night booking to $100 off a 12 night booking. This is on top of the normal wonderful customer service available, by printing the rebate form, filling it out, and submitting it (through the normal method of rebate submissions) As always, when filling out rebate forms please make sure you read the fine print and follow the instructions. This not only speeds processing time, but if you double check the instructions you can often avoid having it kicked back for "insufficient backup". Which is a nice way to say that you forgot to send the upc or original receipt.

As before the prices remain competitive. It's hard to make sure you get the best bang for your buck these days- there are so many sites that feature flashing banners and lights and generally acting like my two year old. Buy me! Reserve with me! Me, Me, ME!!! It can get annoying. Most of the discount sites all vary- they'll have a few good deals, but I always have to check around just to make sure; and two out of three times I'll end up spending the money on someone else. And with Hotel Reservations? I don't have to check fifteen other places before I know I'm getting a good deal. That's worth a lot.

This post has been sponsored by:

A long weekend filled with blood sugar questions, concerns, and failed attempts to nap. There were several neat things, like seeing just how long noodles in chicken soup will hold up when simmered in a crockpot all day long. There was knitting. There was the inevitable battle over keeping the Naked Toddler clothed.

And then there was tea...

At the end of this weekend comes Monday. A monday morning, such as Garfield hates. A day when you want to pull the blankets back over your head and crawl under the pillow; devoutly wishing and praying that Tuesday will come soon and deliver us all from Monday. My throat hurts. The Boy is coming down with a cold. The Toddler has the sniffles. My mom isn't saying much, but I'm fairly certain that she's starting to get sick too.

It's too hot to be sick. It's too pretty outside to suffer inside. What's a girl to do? Sip on endless cups of hot lemon juice with honey, say a prayer that my sugars start behaving a bit better, and catch a nap before the day comes crashing in on all of us.

One thing that I learned by watching Good Eats, and which was seriously reinforced by the way in which I'd like to run this house, is that a unitasker really has no place in it. It goes for my appliances, my wardrobe (except for the fuzzy pink slippers), and my medicine cabinet -well, there are a few things in the cabinet that are serious unitaskers. Like the Nyquil. And all prescription drugs. But as far as antibiotic/topical salve/burn/bite/etc stuff? I do not want to deal with ten different creams and lotions. I hate having to guess at which I think is going to work. And what if it's a combination injury? One cream warns not to get it into an open wound. Another says do not apply to burns. What if I spent the day at the park, got a massive sunburn on my leg, and skinned my knee? My solution to this is melagel. A nifty little thing that has the tea tree oil, and the petroleum jelly stuff to keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out of the wound. Because another thing I really can't stand is having to apply a huge bandaid to a minor scrape/scratch/ anything non-seeping that does not require a bandaid as containment. I've found that exposure to air helps most of my wounds heal better. Also, I've got a toddler who immediately gravitates towards anything unusual sticking to me, and who tries to either put it in her mouth or yank it off. Cute when it's jewelry or a new barette. Not so cute when it involves pain and injury.

Going, going, gone! Sometimes I think I'm auctioning off my time to the highest bidder. That would be the one who screams the most. Writing those IOUs to myself for naps, downtime, playtime... It works all the way up until my body fights back. Maybe I should make it into a movie? I'd fill it with small fuzzy animals, handsome young men in uniform, and elephants. A lot of kids like elephants, right? It would sure be better than laying awake hours and hours, until the Boy sends me to bed early with orders to sleep. That's a little frustrating on both our parts. I understand his viewpoint; I really do. He can't just take a random day off work to help out and let me catch up on my personal shit... He can only do so much in the evening to lighten the load. It was one thing when I was pregnant, one thing when it was me and Tiff to worry about getting through another day. Now I'm pregnant again, and a mother to an active two-year-old, and I've got to stop writing those IOUs. For all our sakes.

Tonight's dinner is a vegetarian lasagna. When I get the recipe tailored to this family's abilities, I'll post the revisions over Here. Look for it tomorrow. And have a happy midweek, everyone!

Halloween the movie

Of scary movies, my favorite was a little known film called "the Nun". I'm always curious as the the backstory to series, to stories, I want to know what makes these characters do the things they do. On one level it makes it more accessible to me. On another level, it helps distract from the visual.

That's what the majority of horror movies are all about. There's a story, and there's the visual that makes girls jump into their boyfriend's laps. This is a well-accepted part and parcel of courtship... I remember quite a few films in which I turned to the Boy for my snuggles.

Halloween the movie by Rob Zombie is being released very soon. I've just started to see trailers on tv and the Net. This is one of them, in case you've somehow missed it:


What Rob Zombie is bringing to this movie is introducing you to the beginnings of the Halloween mindset. Where did it begin, where did Mike Myers start to terrorize people? And maybe on a more important side, why? Now, I've not seen the Halloween movies. I have only a passing familiarity with the premise; but this one intrigues me and makes me want to find out more. Plus the music will be cool, the visuals and choices of what parts to really emphasize; I'm not sure I can think of anyone else in the genre as able to do it as he is.

I'll be trying to talk the Boy into coming with me, to sit in the back row and hold me hand...

I was starting to get all depressed about thirty minutes ago; did some housework while the "girls" were out, took a shower, etc.; went to lay down across the bed and "rest" while feeling sad.

Then I started feeling the baby kick. Not a lot, but movement. I hadn't felt any for a couple of days, what with being stressed and dizzy and all, and had just started to worry again. And he kicked.

And I couldn't help remember what a miracle Tiff was, and is (duh), back when we would make a baby burrito out of her and nurse her to sleep. The thought that I get to do that again is just so.... much. So I'm not sad now.

Plus, I have chicken broth in a mug, and Tiff's covered in jello -despite the wipe-up after lunch, she's still got the red smears on her hands and on her shirt. And she's laying in bed trying to fight the Nap. So cute.

With the Boy so much into computer gaming, every now and again I have to peek my head into what else is available. Starcraft is one of the RPG's currently out there. With expansion packs, Starcraft 2 on the horizon, and several fan sites, it can be difficult to learn all the ropes without spending hours and hours playing the game. starcraft can be discovered at CreepColony.com, a fan site devoted to bringing together the players.

As far as RPG's go, I would give it a try if I had the time. With the Toddler, my time is at a premium, and I only wish I had more of it.


This post has been brought to you by the fine folks at CreepColony.com

Toddler Misapprehension #1: If you pull the blankie over your face, Mommy doesn't know you're still awake.

This is my daughter, not taking her nap.This is my daughter, caught at not taking said nap, and doing her best to say "Look, Ma, I'm not sleepy! I'm not sleepy! I should get up and play, right now, because I'm a big girl who does not need a nap!"
Unfortunately for her, I'm smarter than that.

Linoleum was clean but cracked. Dirt of the ages sunk into cracks between the tiles. Women in cape dresses of soft prints wore organza bonnets. Grocery shopping with my mama many years and miles ago. Times change. I'm in an area where prayer bonnets are non-existent, cape dresses likewise. If I want to see them I'd have to make and wear them myself; somehow I doubt my husband would accept me going that far back to my roots.

Pigheaded and stiff necked is what the court papers say of one ancestor in the palatine. The traits breed true down the generations with a certain body type and emotional sensitivity. Nobody will blink at those rare times when once someone stops mid-sentence to look straight in your eyes and deliver some short pronouncement. We don't speak of it. Maybe for fear that outsiders will misunderstand- maybe for distrust that someone will make too much of it. And the body type- as I get older my grandmother says I grow more and more like her mother. My daughter is my thirty-years-younger twin. I was my mother's. So goes a family. We are all parts of one puzzle no matter how many states or mountain ranges separate us. As the aunts and uncles and cousins begin to go their ways apart from one another, as our lives take us away and bind us to new families, it gives me a warm comfort. While we remember this family, while we remember holidays and early things, we're still together.

Traditions are good. Remembrance is good. Just be selective. Don't remember the harsh words, the tears, the family feuds over who did what to whom forty years ago. Remember the laughs. Watermelon at a picnic table while the sun sets and mosquitoes are competing for attention. Learning to spit the seeds at one another. The night you fell asleep talking with a cousin and watching movies. Youth can be a blessing- a going ahead with life.

Let it.

You know you live in a rural area when you're driving through the cul-de-sacs and see chickens roaming freely through the yards.

This makes up for the smell of hot cow in the morning. Although that particular odor has cut back a lot over the past couple of months. Either the cows got moved to a further off field or my nose has adjusted.

When we moved into this house, we had the movers stack everything into nice rows of cardboard boxes in the family room. While it meant we couldn't use the family room at all, it also kept the unpacking clutter away from Curious Toddler. That was more important to us; the unpacking fell mostly to me in the early days, as the Boy was busy reporting in at his new command . After a few weeks of dedicated unpacking, I fell behind. Way behind. So far behind that I stopped unpacking, and we were left with a family room full of half-empty boxes, assorted trash, and the odds and ends of stuff that we hadn't a clue what to do with yet. Those boxes have now achieved this state:Leaving the majority of all that fine space open, the carpet is visible, I have a sewing nook (out of camera shot) and the library has been moved into the family room to make space available in the third bedroom for both a guest bed and (eventually) a second nursery.
And here are the socks I have been working on for the past week. Plain, white, socks. They will be warm and soft and cuddle the feet of a warmhearted individual who has devoted most of her energy this past year in supporting me and my Boy, and loving the Toddler. Plus, it will encourage her to stop obsessing over the holes in the heels of the socks I made her at Christmas. Love you, Mom. Really. Now stop perseverating. We both need to set a good example for Tiff.

The way I see it, if I can find some sort of paid blogging post every few days, it's a consistent addition to the Goldfish Cracker Fund. Which is a totally great thing. It makes me feel better about the prospects of staying a housewife with two little kids, it lets me contribute something back to the household funds besides all my time and effort around the house. (What time and effort? Well, the Toddler doesn't tickle herself or play games alone, does she? And when I'm on my feet around here I can actually get a pretty decent rhythm going as a mom)

So that's my excuse for the sponsored stuff. This past 30 days worth of paid blogging has brought in $55 to the Goldfish Cracker Fund (GCF). Not shabby. The clicks everyone has been gracious enough to take on the sidebar has brought in $14 this month. As you can see, it adds to the overall budget and the amount is definitely worth the time it takes. And this is just starting out with one month of consistant work on my part.

Coming soon: pictures of socks. And other knitterly goodness. It's almost Toddler Naptime, which is something I'm not exactly looking forward to doing. Looking forward to the quiet, not so much to the struggle of getting her to bed. I'd let her give it up, except she really does need that nap. Not that she'll ever admit it...

Tomorrow or tonight there will be some pretty pictures. Until then, good luck and best wishes. Stay safe.

The world of sports is pretty much a blank for me. It is out there, but it doesn't have much of an impact on my household's life... unlike some others. My husband works with guys to whom this stuff is bread and beer. I think if they were forced to go without some sort of sports fix for all of twelve hours their minds would shrivel into a fetal ball, whimpering for like-minded individuals to talk to. Today's sponsored post is about the wonderful world of hockey. A good site to visit to read up on all current hockey-related stuff can be found at

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/nhl_entry_draft/ - hockey

. Draft picks, reviews, news on current teams/events/games, links to individual teams and the regional papers that would have the best coverage of their inner workings. And for those who want to delve a bit deeper than that there is a whole well-followed forum set up for further discussion.
nhl entry draft

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/nhl_entry_draft/ - hockey

I've not been making very good progress on my many projects this week. Reasons/Excuses for this include: playing with Toddler. Attempting to preempt the other adults in the house on housework. I realize this seems silly. Who in their right mind would argue at getting out of dishwashing, meal prepping, and laundry? Not to mention picking up, vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, and all the other fun things that go along with homemaking. But it does get on my nerves every now and then that I'm being trumped at every turn. I would have to get up before 0800 in order to do these things. Instead of dragging myself awake at 0800 I want to do these chores around 1000. By 1000, these chores are usually done.

So what do I do? Smile and be glad I'm getting off the hook on many of the undesirable chores. The Little Bit is behaving rather well... I'm so not-sick as compared to where I was with Tiff that I'm on the way to being convinced that this is a male child. A boy child. oooh. On our way to that white picket fence world, two children- one of each, a husband with a full time day job that supports our family (fairly well, all the basics, few if any frills), and I get to stay home and bake bread while wearing pearls and a frilly apron.

Another item for the project list- spa socks. I want to start making a few pairs of spa socks to list on the Virtual Craft Show. Would there be interest in this from the AltMamas? Or anyone else? Remember: handmade socks are a rare thing. They're comfy, show a high level of "snob appeal", and above all they're the most comfy things I've ever put on my feet. Me, who normally puts on and takes off socks in my sleep due to perpetually cold feet. Which habit may have led to the pair of socks recently discovered shoved into a tissue box. Why is this? What was I thinking when this happened? Exactly how asleep must I have been to accomplish this feet? This is the sort of behavior which can lead to accidental sex with the Boy. How does one have accidental sex? Well, we were both asleep, and it had been a chilly night so we snuggled up. And this was back when he still slept naked. And, well, things sort of happen by themselves without us being fully awake until it's really pointless to stop.

I will point out here that this was well before we were parents. Since the Toddler, the Boy sleeps clothed. Less to remember to do should he be required to leap from bed in the night to go comfort/clean/change/feed the Toddler. Or any of the other many crucial parenting acts. Do I miss those days? Yep. Then I see my Toddler smiling at me, or giggling on her Daddy's knee, or doing any of a hundred things to make me realize that I'm the luckiest woman on earth at this moment. I miss the childless days. But I wouldn't go back to them for anything.

Like shopping online? Like the convenience of getting stuff you need without leaving the house or having to take off the fluffy bunny slippers? Then you also might like to save money while shopping. Sales are great. There are some great deals to be found on the Net every day of the week. The only drawback is how do you offset the shipping costs? Some places offer free shipping with coupons. Some sites offer coupons to those who do the work to look for them, and that helps shave the price down even further. And what can you do with a few extra dollars? I know what I would do...

Another coupon site I visit is ecouponcodes. Updated daily with all the latest codes from vendors such as Fashion Bug (love their sleepwear), Overstock, the Gap... and many many more. Check out the current Old Navy coupons and don't forget that their maternity line has uber-comfy clothes in flattering styles. Personally, I am hooked on the infant/toddler socks. Ecouponcodes also offers an RSS feed for those of you who like to use such things. Among their offerings: amazon codes, dell, hp... stores added frequently, coupons updated daily. Be sure to bookmark and check this site when you're shopping online, because it will help save dollars and cents off your purchases. This site has been around for two years, not that long when compared to some other sites, but two years can be a long long time to offer good deals consistently.

free coupons

This has been a sponsored post

I wish that I didn't have to set limits on my Tiff right now. I wish I didn't have to have all the hard work that comes with toddler-wrangling, just the fun stuff. Like catering to her every whim and chasing her around until she runs out of breath from giggling.

But that's part of the parenting gig. You have to be tough on the tough stuff. And not just tough, but consistent. There are certain rules that have to be followed, and while I'm not so fond of dealing with the reluctance of my girl to follow the rules, I'm less fond of the prospect that comes with a childhood of no rules. She's stubborn like I'm stubborn, and if she gets away with not following the rules than it's going to be even louder and harder later on. I think I can deal with the thought that Mean Mommy is my everyday identity. Fun Mommy only comes out when the rules are obeyed and her behavior is good.

Consistency. It's all about consistency. This will lead to a moderately well behaved child that I can take out in public. It's not a popularity contest. And even though Mean Mommy seems to be the bane of this child's existence and the author of every unloved decision and insistence- who does she run to when she bumps her head? Whose lap does she crawl into when she's tired, or doesn't feel well, or just wants to sit in front of her beloved Tubbies and veg? We spent a good 30 minutes in the Big Comfy Chair this morning, my lap completely filled with a long-legged wild-haired child. She tucked her legs to her chin, curled her shoulders over so her head fit under my chin, and snuggled. For the hope of these times I'll be Mean Mommy for as long as it takes. These times are the ones I remember when she screams at my feet because I won't do her bidding without the use of words. These times are the ones I remember when she throws her body against the walls rather than sit down and play quietly. These golden moments when my baby is in my lap and she smiles at me...

Those are worth every sleepless night. Every tear she inspires in me. Every bruise that her fists land on my shins. Just give me a golden moment every few days.

I can eliminate most of the human interaction once required to order a pizza. Tonight I had a serious pizza attack; this meant that I got "the Big Order". double breadsticks, double pizzas. Ordering online means that no one will get impatient as I change my mind twenty times in the ordering process. I stuffed my face with it, and now I can't stand the smell.

Is this what it means to be pregnant? Or is this just another shining example of what it means to be me? I binge, then I feel bad about the binge, then I want to get rid of all evidence that I did the binge.

Oh, and the pizza was delicious. We all stuffed our faces. It wasn't just me. What it means for me to binge on it is two slices, two breadsticks, and two cups of juice. Most people do not consider that a binge. For me? This is all my stomach will hold and even that is a bit of a stretch. Now I'm getting hungry for pizza again. For thin crusted plain cheese, and not for the leftovers sitting in the corner of the kitchen. Geez.

I lost a day. Wait. How did it get to be past dinnertime, when the last moment I clearly remembered of the whole middle of the day was lunch?

Oh. Right. HP7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Contrary to what seems to be most of the rest of the people I know, I wasn't waiting with bated breath for it's release. I was all mellow. I still am. The Boy read it. It was set onto my pile to read. I picked it up and started reading. It won't take me long, even. But... I am finding it absorbing enough to hold my attention in a way that I did not experience with books 5 or 6.

I did, however, finish a white sock this weekend. And I went to the store today to get a gallon of milk and some bread. I also inherited a big bag of yarn, color coordinated, and enough of it to make one afghan/bedspread for Tiff. Pink, purple, and white. This is a good thing. Free yarn is always welcome. A new project to ensure my hands stay busy? Even better. Bring it on, I say! Bring it on!

Also, Tiff made Cake with her Grammy this weekend. I got the pictures downloaded this morning. I leave you with this thought.

Last week an article ran in the Chicago Tribune about BP's expansion of their refinery. It seems to me that this article was a bit over focused on the increase of the plant's discharge, while ignoring the complete facts- not an uncommon thing in journalism among those trying to prove a point. I'm more used to seeing single minded journalism on the editorial pages though, and while yes, this post is sponsored by BP it's a disparity that I actually agree with. (Hey! Here's a wonderful thing. Agreeing with what I'm being sponsored to write!)

So let's look at this on a slighter larger level. The refinery's production is expanding enough to create 80 full time jobs after construction is completed. Better for the economy. During construction at it's peak: 2000 jobs. I've worked construction. Those jobs will be there a while. More production equals more gas, more jet fuel for the airlines, more energy for the total environment. While this country has been losing refinery capacity for quite some time, do we really think cutting back expansion is a good plan? Are not your pockets hurting every time you see the gas tank flicker on empty?

The detractors say, oh, but they're increasing the amount of discharge of ammonia into Lake Michigan! And other stuff! And it'll kill the environment! To which I feel the need to point out that they're not exceeding federal limits, they're not asking for special consideration and exceptions to be made. They're just going to be increasing the discharge proportionately to the increased capacity. Will you put your eye out to spite the economy? What's ultimately more importantly to us- is it a better future for the people living and working, is it worth losing the "cushion" provided by BP operating well beneath the federal guidelines?

You can find out more here: BP Whiting Refinery Facts

About a million years ago we went to a fair. Was it last week? Only last week? It seems much longer and much shorter all at the same time. Hm. We saw many things- lions, quilts, and chickens. I liked the chickens but they weren't very photogenic.

Here's a quilt.


Take a minute and let those colors soak in. Kinda like watercolored crayons, with lots and lots of pretty pointed stars that took oodles of work. And handquilted in pretty threads that matched all the pretty colors of the quilt. If I could wrap myself in a rainbow I'd want that rainbow to look kinda like this.

And then there were lions. I don't think you can see them in this pic, but the Toddler sure liked them. Holding her is my wonderful mama. As you can see, she was the Voice of Reason, keeping the Toddler from wriggling her way into the enclosure. Not that she would have tried. Her knack for getting into tight spaces seems to be limited mostly to the oven, dishwasher, and the linen closet.

What can I say? She's my girl.

Today could have gone a bit better. From the early morning wakeup of a small child who brightly demanded (and didn't get) her "tubbies!" at 1 AM, to the somewhat later morning wakeup when my Boy came snuggling back under the blankets. To the interrupted nap I had this afternoon, leading me to believe in the sad truth that I may not sleep again until tonight when I'll lay in bed staring at the ceiling until my eyes dry out.

This is why I have a husband, folks. Because after the few months he's had shore duty I've become incapable of sleeping without him and I'm too hormonal at the moment to sleep with him. And yet he will still willingly let me wrap one twig-like arm around his waist in the middle of the night and count his breathing. I think I can almost go into a trance that way. It does calm the anxiety. It makes me feel warm and comforted.

It's been a day or two of making bizarre phonecalls unassisted by the hormonal storm raging through my body. I hear what people are telling me and I don't know whether or not it actually makes sense or if this is the first sign of my going off the deep end with Little Bit. Everybody remember what happened last time? Good. I don't want to rehash it. Let's not go there. Let's go... to the beach! That's right, everybody will make sand castles and watch the surf go in and out. Very relaxing. I'll sit under the cabana and let somebody bring me cold drinks. With fruit on sticks. And tiny paper umbrellas.

And while I'm doing that? Another day, another post, another addition to the Goldfish Cracker Fund. My payperpost habit has approved another couple of ad-posts. No matter whether I decide on cloth or disposable diapers for the Little Bit, it's still a bunch of money that I'd like to bring in and help the household. Cause I can't just sit on my ass eating pretzels and kosher hot dogs all day. Can I?

http://www.fitnessdates.com - "fitness dating"

When I was still single and looking for a match, I tried several dating sites. Match, singles, and I'll tell you what most of us have already found out. It's hard to find somebody who shares your interests. The dating world really is a sea full of fish; there are hundreds of species and colors and varieties and how do we ever find the time to sort it out?

It's hard enough so why make it harder? Instead of the club scenes scores of tired office professionals surf the web in the comfort of their homes and fuzzy bunny slippers. I loved the freedom it gave me. Instead of hundreds of blind dates with total strangers I could get a feel for the person and only went on three or four of them. I think sites like this one do a good job by gathering people of like interests so that it makes the weeding down of all the possibilities even easier for that tired person sitting on their couch.

On Fitnessdates.com you can search by your preferences- man seeking woman, age, zip code. Profiles are blurbs with photos and registration is free. Like most dating sites, for certain levels of contact (messaging through the site, premium services) you will become a paid member- I've actually done that in the past with a certain dating site and had very good results.

If I had to go back out there and find another man, this is a site I would consider using.
fitness singles

Brief Update: The Little Bit has decided to follow in Big Sister's Footsteps. The baby is kicking my ass today. In between being sick and being semi-vertical, I may not be posting actual content until tomorrow. In the meantime, don't forget to help out with the Goldfish Cracker Fund. Everybody has been just wonderful in the past week and I'm proud to report that of noon today the earnings report says that you've provided two cute outfits or one jumbo pack of diapers for the new one.

Happy Dance.
Thanks to all.

Aren't long summer days when you're not feeling up to par the best times to curl up with a book? This weekend has been marked by the following books:
Hide
The Spellman Files
The Family that couldn't sleep.

And you'd think that nobody could read all of these things in 24 hours. Especially when you factor in sleeping for at least 12 of those hours. But I read fast. Freakishly fast. And I retain enough of what I read to pass a content and detailed essay exam afterwards.

So far my hands down favorite of these is the Spellman Files, although that may change. I'm only two thirds of the way through Hide. So far it's good, worth the library hold and reserve fee, and I'll keep this author on my short list of guaranteed good reads in reasonable time without too much thought and intensive imagination on my part.

Not fluff, but not Tolstoy either. Is that even a category? Don't remember. I find my own categories mean more to me than the Library of Congress or the Sears Subject Headings classifications. Everybody has such different tastes.

Hence the popularity of American Idol and Nova.

Little red wire shopping cart? check.
Bag full of "new" library books? check.
A weekend afternoon spent with my mommy while apologizing for never giving her a moment's peace as a small child, after spending a weekend morning with two little eyes staring at me solomnly over my kneecap? That's one of the best comeupances I could ever have wanted.

Rule 1 of good behavior in a laboratory (the kind where you give samples of this and that): when showing up, wait politely and in turn to be seen.

Rule 2: When the procedure you're being asked to prepare for makes you ill, notify the technician in charge of your tests.

Rule 3: When notification has occurred, please try to direct the vomit away from other clients waiting to be seen. This is not something they need to see graphically. If possible, avoid hitting the technician. He will thank you later. Especially if your appointment falls in the early morning hours.

Psst! Want to help the Goldfish Cracker Fund without inconvenience or cost to yourself? Visit the sponsored links down on the sidebar. Click a link and it will drop a few virtual pennies into the jar.

Today I'm knitting in a super bulky chenille yarn. It's 98 degrees outside my front door. Does this mean that I'm out of my ever-freaking mind? You bet it does. You better believe I've also got the air conditioner working.

The family is down for a nap and I'm trying to hydrate. It involves many many cups of herbal teas. Many cups of cold water. Many trips to the bathroom in which I envy my non-potty trained offspring. The knitting is helping keep my mind off the fact that I have to take another drink every two minutes. It's intended home is the lucky lady who was assigned to be my Summer Secret Santee (the one who gets the gift from me). I've shopped for her at the five&dime and now I'm making a fuzzy blue shawl to help give her a hug when the winter comes again.

Still. Knitting chenille in this heat? Must be nuts.

I've been signed up with payperpost for a bit over a month now. And so far, I love it. It pays when they promise, to paypal- which lets me spend the funds over on ebay or request a check. Which is fairly instant and completely under my control. I like that over most of my other survey sites; although the payment comes through just as promised it takes a minimum of a month to process, then a couple of weeks for a check, and they only start processing at a certain day of the month- if I miss that day it takes up to another full 6 weeks to get the money.

And so I like the payperpost.

I've made about eleven dollars so far. With another 6 in the wings. For a month of work and a few blog posts I figure it's easy money. The only thing I would change is the availability of the higher paying opportunities. But since it's easy money- who am I to complain? So far I'm buying stuff to support my new pregnancy. Little Bit is growing outwards faster than Tiff did. This is a good sign, but it makes me want to scurry around to start getting nickels and dimes away for the new Goldfish Fund.

blog marketing

Is it possible to forget rain? On the way home this morning a few drops of water splashed on my windshield and I looked around for what might have splashed me. My first thought was that it was an irrigation system. Turns out it was a few sprinkles, just a handful of drops. Enough to wash the dust from the hood of my car, nothing more. And then it was over.

I've lived in a non-rain environment for three years now. In that time I've seen snow maybe three times. Only on trips back east. I see rain when I used to see snow- in the winter. In San Diego the sky always looks like rain in the morning. The mist burns off by noon and then it's drop-dead gorgeous. Out here it's hot and dry, dusty. I saw rain when we moved in. I saw it again once more but then it was over for the year. I miss standing in the rain, I miss hearing the raindrops on the roof when I'm sleeping. I don't know how I'll tell my daughter what it is when it comes around again this winter. "See that, Tiff? It's rain. Water, coming down from the clouds." Maybe I'll take a page from Terry Pratchett's version of Australia. It's the Wet. Water comes down, washes the streets clean. It washes the skin clean without the smell of sulfer. It cools the air and lets the smell of new growth fill the air. Green follows after.

The Wet will come back in the winter. Soon enough.

What weekend would be complete without the following conversation?

"Honey, why are there 4 cop cars parked outside?"
"?" me, having been blissfully unaware of any law enforcement presence outside of the "Rosemary and Thyme" dvd.

So I had to open the blind at that point, despite raising the bedroom temps about 5 degrees in the HOT summer sun. And then I frequently checked in on the drama unfolding. As drama goes this was kinda disappointing. I didn't see anyone led away in cuffs, I didn't see the ghetto booty babe mincing down the street in her stiletto sandals. I saw the cars ease off, one by one, and a tow truck arrive to cart away a white SUV. And a uniform came to the door to ask if we had seen anyone driving it.

When I consider that this is the most excitement seen on this block since the kid came to my door one morning trying to bum cigarettes, I have to admit that we picked a good area to move into. Quiet neighbors. No excess of crime or hostility. Despite the part about not being able to understand more than one word in five that anybody next door says to me, I like it here. It's a good place to raise a toddler, a place in which I'm not afraid to bring home an infant.

Small Town America strikes again. Be afraid, people, lest I start wearing an apron and heels to start taking out the trash. I might lose my marbles one day and paint the fence white. And buy a minivan.

Coupon Chief is one of the neatest collections of online coupons that I've seen. And I've seen a lot of coupon sites. They collect hundreds of different retailers and provide the coupon codes available; what I find makes this site stand out over others is that they include the store's corporate office information right there alongside the rest. You have the customer service numbers, emails, phone/fax info. And a new feature that is available for some of the larger sites (like Target, Amazon) is an instructional video. You may think that some of that is overkill, but I thought that the little 90 second clip of how to access the site and use the coupon is really nice. Especially when Pregnant Mommy Brain kicks in and starts overpowering the little gray cells that allow me to function with the rest of humanity.

This post has been brought to you courtesy of:
couponchief.com

This morning the Boy and I went to this guy's house for a moving out toss and dump. He was down to the few things he didn't want to take; a pair of matched table lamps and an end table. All really good stuff.

All in all, that was pretty much the extent of today's excitement. Probably have more fun stuff tomorrow. But I've got a hot date waiting for me, and he's getting impatient...

Squirrels Without Borders

It's official. The Squirrels have united and formed socio-political groupings. I'm going to go stock up on nuts for a squirrel feeder so I can placate our new overlords.

And if you don't know I'm kidding, I apologize for inserting levity into my depressed ramblings.

Between lapfuls of Cute Toddler, and trying to rest, I've been pretty quiet lately. And yes, I've been struggling a bit with the depression as well. So far I'm coming up a winner. This is the important thing.

Among the other things of vital importance is that yesterday morning I got the very first glimpse of my new Little Bit. I heard the heart beating under my own. I felt the reality of the wiggle wiggle Thump THUMP that keeps me awake at night. Now it all makes me feel calm. The thought that soon I'll be back in a brutal round of doctor appts and checkups doesn't faze me at all. Not even the part where this set of doctors will be at a 45minute drive from the house, as opposed to a 10 or 15 minute drive. I've got a baby on the way and an adorable little girl already here. Life does not get much better than this.

Also on the happy front? I got my first payout for payperpost. The ad copy I wrote last month has been paid out to my paypal account. This will buy goldfish crackers and something pretty for the Toddler. And a taco.

The heatwave of this week has been nearly beyond belief. If we were back on the east coast with the humidity they receive, I'd be unable to breathe outside the house. Yesterday it reached 109 degrees outside. Thank God for central air. And for the low humidity of the desert that makes all of this bearable for me while I'm feeling sick and tired.

Every now and again I start feeling like the suburban housewife gets thin and the neurotic young woman I used to be gets yanked into the spotlight. Not a place I like to be, unless it's completely under my control. These would be the same issues that lead me to snap at my husband, shrill at my daughter, and spend a lot of time staring at an empty computer screen.

How do you fight it? It's easy when everything happens on schedule as planned with few unexpected deviations to your day. When everything becomes dependent on the smooth transition from one activity to the next. One variation, one slip leads to another, the entire days plans fly out the window, and the next thing you know you're caught in the snowball slide from hell.

I still don't know the answers. I spent years in therapy, months in psychiatric hospitals. I've ignored it and dealt with it. I've sat awake at nights wrestling with the same questions that hit me in broad daylight. I don't know which is better.

Look at myself in the mirror in the morning. Who is going to win today? The housewife or the other one? Or will it be an even earlier version? A little girl still so scared she can't come out of her hidey hole?

Does more therapy help or does more chemical interference? Drug the problem and watch it go away? I wish it were that easy.

I was sifting through the Net again and idly wondering exactly what Hotelreservations.com was all about. I've seen them here and there, on tv ads and internet ads and never really got into it since I don't tend to book hotels that much. There are times, though, when even the most devoted stay at home person gets curious to see just how much money it would take to do stuff. To book a room on the other side of the country for a week. How easy is it these days, to make all your reservations with one click and to just get up and go?

Pretty easy, apparantly.

To make my standard trip East to Albany NY, there are more options than I would have thought. For a "good" flight out of Fresno and a B&B in a good area would run this family about 2300. One click brings up a variety of car rentals that I could add in. One click brings up the local theme parks and museums. Hey, I could handle this. If I had the money, this site actually makes traveling pretty damn easy. Also found on the site? Sale prices. For some of the hotels they can knock off an extra percentage, depending on the day of the week, the time of day, the phases of the moon on jupiter- alright, maybe that last one was a bit over the top. But hey, how do I know? I haven't a clue how the sale prices work out. All I know is that if I ever have that kind of money for a vacation trip, this is the site I want to use. Everything is laid out, photos are good, the hotels and vacation properties are what I would expect. Also, and this is a big extra also in my book, the site makes planning a trip with a toddler and an infant look less threatening than a lot of other options.

Cheap Hotels

Few things are better first thing in the morning than a lapful of Cute Toddler. She snuggled down, her Elmo phone clutched in two little chubby fists; we watched the Closer from last night. At least Mommy watched the Closer. Cute Toddler pressed the buttons.

We are all sitting around this morning, attempting to get our work done in a reasonable manner and within some boundaries of a reasonable time. This is still possible. Although Gram will need to stop popping up from her stuff and let Tiffany play on her own. Tiff does not care, as long as there remain animal crackers to eat, Cake once a week, and her Teletubbies remain On Demand. Toddlers have such simple requirements.

(short break to cuddle toddler on lap again)

Again, with the lapful of Cute Toddler. So cuddly. So adorable. No doubt this a major reason why I'm approaching parenthood again with a certain smug satisfaction. Two cute bundles of love on my lap. Twice the love, twice the cuddles. Twice the tantrums in the middle of the night- heck, I can deal with that.

The solution to half my ills today can be found in drinking water until I feel I'm going to float away. Seriously, I've drunk so much water, and I have to pee every twenty minutes, and even though I can't manage to take more than 5 bites of anything at a time I think I'm starting to get a handle on this pregnancy.

Today, at least.

Tomorrow is a whole new ball game. New rules, different deck of cards. Same fabulous prizes.

the wrist stick stings. It itches. Scratching it would be a bad idea.

5 sticks in my left elbow, one in the right, one in the wrist- finally got a little bit of blood to decide to leave my body and go into the tube for the nice techs. And what they got? Not my best. A second stick downstream of a vein previously hit, that got *some* blood and a lot of spatter in the tube. The tech drained out the needle into a second tube so as not to waste the precious itty bit he could get.

Let's all pray it's enough. They only needed one tube. I'm not drinking the glucose again unless I really REALLY have to. Nasty.

My Boy is off in Sonoma this weekend, working at something or other at Nascar. This, despite the fact he's not a Nascar fan, or a sport fan, or even close. What he is a fan of is escaping the office. He also, despite my failure to understand, a fan of camping. So the chance to sleep in a tent on the ground really made him fight to be allowed to go on this duty. Yep. It's official Navy business. Whatever he's doing there.

This morning as I sent him on his way with twelve bottles of beer and an airbed I reflected on the whole "away" concept. I've been getting incredibly spoiled lately, having him home every night. Every night except one (sleep study) he's been laying next to me. And now I'm not entirely sure I'm sorry to see him go off again. Sure, I love him. Perhaps it's that I'm completely secure in that as only a wife to someone who travels frequently can be. I know that I can handle anything that comes up here. I know that he trusts me to do that. I know that I can trust him no matter what situation comes up, whether he be lonely or tempted or drunk. I know that this trust is shared by many women who never have to wave their husbands off for a week. I think we're really lucky.

To celebrate the Girls' Weekend now upon us, the Toddler has given up all pretense at napping. She's exhausted. She knows it. We know it. She refuses to sleep. Well, it will happen soon now I think. She'll fall over on her side, naked butt in the air, and be fast asleep until morning.

I am truly sorry for the lack of humor this week. I have been growing the Little Bit. He demands much Toilet Time with mommy every day, and I've been spending large portions of the afternoon and evening trying to keep food down.

I thought I was getting off too lightly when I finished giving a yellow specimen at the lab and walked away. A few hours later my cell phone rang. "This is HM1. Um. Did you forget to get the rest of your bloodwork drawn?"

Damn. They found me. So back to the lab I went. 6 sticks of blood and a bottle of gatorade later I'm free again. Picked up the Boy, the family all went out to dinner, and fast forward to this morning.

So I know I have crappy veins. This has always made labwork "Interesting". In the multiple attempts to find a) a vein that works b) a vein that they can find and access and c) a vein that will not blow out the tube halfway through the procedure. I am very happy with HM1. Ecstatically happy. Not only did he find a winner first try, but there's not a mark on my arm this morning. Very cool. Cool enough to offset the crazy little blond-haired terror who's bringing me paper after paper after book after stuffed animal this morning. And how does one read a stuffed animal? Carefully. And with lots and lots of giggles.

pregnant mommy-brain strikes again.

I'm hungry, it's afternoon, and I figured I'll just make a double batch of Annie's Mac and Cheese. Good, right? Well, I made a double batch, and I'm looking down at it and it looks kinda puny for two whole boxes. But I clearly remembered using both cheese packets to make the sauce, and then I went to pick up the boxes as part of Tidying Up.

I only made one box of pasta.

So it's back to boiling and another 8 minutes before I can peacefully enjoy the creamy cheesy goodness. Wow. I had no idea that the mommy-brain would stealth-strike this early on.

I guess I really am going to be buying the Super-sized desk calendar for the next year.

I need to be putting the clean dishes away and the dirty ones in the dishwasher. Am I? No.

I need to be prepping dinner so that I can spend the rest of the afternoon comfortably with feet up, drinking water, and not losing my lunch. Am I? No.

Is my daughter still shrieking happily in her crib despite it being Well Past her naptime? Yes. Do those shrieks richochet through my aching head? Yes. Do I feel like I'm playing twenty questions with myself rather than posting anything meaningful today? You betcha.

Seriously though, our nap schedules are thrown off by the presence (welcome) of Grammy. She is a wonderful present for all of us. She is bright, and happy to be here, and a New Toy for Tiff to crawl over and giggle with. She gives me oodles of much-needed hugs on a daily basis. This makes it okay that naps are being thrown by the wayside.

Father's Day will have a present this year. It will even have a Father at home to enjoy it. This is a happy thing; it makes up for so much else that has seemed to go wrong this spring. And look, wow, there's going to be twice as much fun this time next year.

Dinner tonight: Shepherd's Pie. Without the alphabet soup.

"I have no pity for you"
"How can you stand there and say that?"
"Oh, I have sympathy for you. I don't love that you're sick and tired and all. But you were a willing participant in the events that led us to this point. Therefore you get no pity."

..."You are so cute when you're being overly-logical."...

and now I am 30. Tired, sleepy, feeling very much like crawling back into bed and sleeping for a few more hours. And I'm 30...

Parents have one thing that both makes them miserable and happier than they could ever have dreamed. Children. We put so much of ourselves into our children whether or not we intend to. Hopes, dreams. It's one of the harder truths, when someone puts so much of themselves into a project we can't stand to think of that effort as wasted. Maybe this is why "It's such a waste" is one of the more common phrases used in connection with untimely deaths.

The amount of effort any parent puts into their children is enormous. It is without price. It is something so innate to most of society that it's hard to conceive of anyone who would not think so. To use a semi-recent example, the amish schoolhouse shootings come immediately to mind. Any school shooting is horrific. This particular event was made more so because of the nature of the community and how they are perceived. Whether or not a given segment of society agrees with the choices the Amish make, we believe that they should be left alone to live their lives. Whether or not we personally believe in nonviolence, deep down most people believe that the Amish should be allowed to live out their believes. In a way it's similiar to the guiding principles of many other faiths: do as you would have done unto you...

How can we say that the effort we put into raising our children is not wasted? When we think of the sleepless nights, the vital and mostly disgusting personal care acts we must perform for our children- I can think of several Poop-a-looza diapers that fall into this category... we'd like to think that it is for something. If our children grow, if they are happy. I think happiness is the one thing that no one can ultimately control. You can take steps to make yourself happy, you can think for hours to find out what happiness means to you, and if you don't have it in your life all that work is wasted.

I thought I was happy before. Now I'm going to be a mother of two and a cherished wife. It terrifies me to think about my children, growing up, never being truly happy in their adult choices. It comforts me to know that my mother knows deep down that I am happy, growing happier every day.

the walls in the master bathroom shower are this odd sort of mottled brown. The cracks in it were grouted when we moved in; this makes the mottled brown plastic look even odder. And yet... when the light hits it in the right place in the afternoon, and I'm using the cinnamon bun scented body wash, and my glasses are off so that all I can see is fuzz- it's as though I'm encased in a giant cinnamon bun. Smeared with icing. And now I'm hungry for a cinnabon.

Damn these hormones! Damn this healthy eating kick I'm trying to instill!

Payperpost. I've now written two little blurbs for them. And for this, they will pay into the Goldfish Cracker Fund. With these two blurbs I will add to my household budget which now will be stretching to cover a second baby, toddler, eventually with luck help pay for some of their education.

Money, money, money. Everybody needs it, nobody thinks they have enough. With the economy of gas prices and other expenses it's hard to know where we can cut anything further out. I'm doing everything I can think of. Having another baby may not be up there on the list of things I've done to cut the expenses, but in the long run I don't view children as an expense. They are people, they are gifts, and yes it's a challenge to make things stretch to care for everyone but ultimately it's a worthy cause.

No more than two, though, because my body won't permit it and my husband is not willing to lose me over children. He says it's because he refuses to allow me to make him a single father. I suspect it's much more that I scared him to death the last time I had a baby and he can't quite bring himself to say that to me.

Teachers, special help, therapists, my life as a parent is starting to revolve around them all. This morning I found myself wondering when Tiff will be ready for preschool. Isn't that nuts? Another deeper part of me wants to start saying "enough already!" What happened to childhood? What happened to my baby's childhood, is she screwed now if she doesn't get special ed or can I mainstream her?

It's not like there aren't remedial services available. I saw an ad for the Score centers this morning. It combines fun with education. Sounds easy, right? Not always. Every person alive learns differently. The real challenge of teaching is to figure out how a child learns and teach to their strengths and learning styles. Repetition isn't enough, education can't be a one-size fits all experience.

This is the ad I saw, and I'm passing it on. Summer Program



This post brought to you by payperpost.com. Just because of that, don't discount the sentiments behind the post.

when I was a kid I loved looking up at the stars. I knew one constellation well enough to pick it out, and to this day I keep looking for it when I go out at night. Moving out to the country has gotten rid of most of the ambient light making it next to impossible to see stars.

Another thing I loved was looking through books of planets and stars. The pictures were always so colorful. Different from the normal daytime world around me. It was fun to think that these things were out there, and if only my eyes were better I could figure out how to use a telescope and see them too.

I just found out about Meade MySky. It's doing for stargazing what the digital camera did for the picture-taking-challenged. (Don't know about you, but I find it hard to take a good picture without having my thumb in the frame, or cutting off what I'm trying to take the picture of...) Digital cameras fix that. So the Meade MySky has the cool LCD screen to see the picture on, GPS to make it easier to identify what you're seeing, and they include a sky map.

It's a step further than the hand-held telescope. It's easier to use, the results are more amazing. I find it... worthy of a mention.
meade telescopes

Little Bit is going to be so happy here. Assuming that he/she can avoid the reflux and colic issues of his/her big sister. The Boy and I were talking things over, and starting to think up all the fun and cool things we'll be needing. And not so fun and cool- like furniture, a new crib, we have to get off our butts and finish cleaning out the family room (and save up for some furniture so we can use it) and such.

This is definately the time to keep up my survey sites, my blogging (the adbrite really does add up pretty quick when people visit the ads), and everything else.

Monday night, first Monday in June. The temp made it into the mid to high nineties today. Thank heavens for central air!

One line for one child, two lines for two children... the double pink line tells me that in 9 months or so we will be buying newborn diapers again. Wow, what a good time to be increasing my extra income, right?

Let's all take a moment and hope that this pregnancy goes a hell of a lot better than the last one.

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So I've just joined payperpost; it's a site that will pay you to write a review of a site or product and post that on your blog- then you get paid for it. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? I think so.

I can add this to my list of ways to make some extra money on the Net. It won't be thousands a month (though it would be nice) but it'll help out. Every little bit helps. More for the goldfish cracker fund! I found it through a series of unrelated clicks and searches that had nothing to do with looking for them and everything to do with just following my nose and browsing around this morning. It's remarkable what you can find while browsing the Net. As long as you make sure the anti-virus and firewall are properly configured!

Every now and then I start feeling pinched because we've got to watch our pennies. I feel broke, poor, like a bad wife because I can't make gold from straw. You know what? I'm coming to realize that those feelings are pretty damn consistant the world over. It's what you do with them that counts. Are you going to sit around bitching? Are you going to go out there and try to do something? Circumstances right now are against me going outside of the house to work. I wouldn't feel right doing an at-home freelance job; but this is something I can do. I can blog. I can get some cash back from Adbrite for my time. I can sell the crafts that I make in my free time and insomnia for some more cash. I can take online surveys and after a while the little stuff really does add up.

PayPerPost is the newest, the latest and greatest that I'm going to try out and believe in. Free to join; you're not going to lose anything at all. Who knows? I might end up with those thousands at the end of a year. I'm not greedy, I don't need thousands a week that's unsustainable. I just want a hundred or so a month.
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