Monday, June 30, 2008

Children

My grandmother sent this to me from her Irish Jesuit prayer site.

* * * * *
Children are deprived not because we do not give them things, but because we do not sufficiently value what they give us. We need to be alert to welcome what children have to offer.

You remember how Kahlil Gibran wrote about children,
You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

Our children are flying forward into areas we have not charted ourselves. What is asked of us is in Kahlil's last phrase, ‘Even as the Archer loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.' We are expected to be calm, reliable, showing a steady love in our own lives, and to offer our children what Jesus offered: time, love, stability, and a readiness to bless.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

I am not sure if this recipe works but I figured - what the hey ...

* * * * *
I love it when the little guy strikes back!

A little background: Neiman-Marcus, if you don't know already, is a very expensive store; i.e., they sell your typical $8.00 T-shirt for $50.00.

Let's let them have it! THIS IS A TRUE STORY!

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas , and we decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus cookie." It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe, and the waitress said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not, but you can buy the recipe."

Well, I asked how much, and she responded, "Only two fifty. It's a great deal!" I agreed to that, and told her to just add it to my tab.

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement, and the Neiman-Marcus charge was $285.00! I looked again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe-$250.00". That was outrageous!

I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them the waitress said it was "two fifty", which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund my money because, according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem.You have already seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money at this point."

I explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes which govern fraud in the state of Texas . I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General's office for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want. Don't bother thinking of how you can get even, and don't bother trying to get any of your money back."

I just said, Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus..for free. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this..... ."I said, "Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you ripped me off!" and slammed down the phone.

So here it is!

Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250 for this, and I don't want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny off of this recipe!

* * * * *
NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES
2 cups butter
24 oz. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. soda1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

PLEASE READ THE RECIPE AND SEND IT TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS! THIS IS REALLY TERRIFIC!!

Even if the people on your e-mail list don't eat sweets, send it to them and ask them to pass it on. Let's make sure we get these ladies $250.00 worth. Enjoy the cookies, they are good..

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Listerine as a Mosquito Spray

I got this email forwarded to me and I cannot wait to try it out - especially with young kids it seems less harmful than the other products on the market (if it works!).

"I was at a deck party a while back and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don't leave home without it."

An interesting note ... "I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact,it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me$1.89. It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn't last30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames and even inside the dog house."

If you try it, let me know if/how it works for you. I'd be very interested in hearing testimonials.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Heartwarming Moments

My son (5 months old) adores his older sister. She walks into the room and his face lights up. When they are in their car seats (his backward and hers forward) I can see through the "spy mirror" that he lovingly gazes at her and generously laughs at her crazy screaming his name to get his attention. He even tolerates it when she sits on him and of course when she gives his tummy raspberries he heartily responds with a guttural laugh.

I just hope this adoration, love, affection and closeness lasts ...

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Cute Kid Stories

I wanted to put this cute story in before I forgot about it completely. A while ago, my husband bought Raisin Bran cereal and my daughter pulled it out. I said - "Oh, that makes you poop." She promptly took the box and locked herself in the bathroom!

Later that day she insisted she go to bed with her boots on. Oh the wonders of a two-year old mind!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Summer Programs & Activities

Egad! Our regular programming is ending this week! I thrive on our daily and weekly routines as do the children. If I do not have plans for the day then it never ends and the kids don't like it either. I like to be up, dressed with make-up, breakfasted and out the door on our way to a set activity or play date by 8:00AM (maybe 8:30AM at the latest).

I have been fairly pro-active in getting a variety of free or low-cost programs that will be offered in the summer at several locations. I'm also part of a home childcare providers network and there are a few outings planned through them that are low cost due to my kids all being under 2 years old. We are going to the African Lion Safari on June 24th and I am really looking forward to it! My husband will also be joining the kids and I as I'm not completely crazy to take four kids under two all alone!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Potty Training A 2 Year Old Girl

The joys of potty training a 2-year old little girl. Last Monday (June 9th) I officially unofficially decided to train my daughter. Officially because whenever I changed her diaper I asked her if she wanted to go on the potty. Unofficially because if she said "no" I didn't mind. I think with my approach being more laid-back this will inevitably pay off for all involved and be far less stressful. After all, I do home child care and with two children who are 2 years old, a 1 year old and an infant of 5 months, do I really need a potty training child who may take up to thirty minutes just for a pee or a bowel movement?

I rented from our local library "The Potty and the Princess" and "Once Upon a Potty" and watched it with the kids. It was really cute and that started our talking about potty training (I didn't really do much with it until a few weeks later).

I have noticed that I am generally far more laid-back about developmental milestones than I thought I would have been. With my daughter being a "spirited" child it makes it easier for me to shrug potentially stressful situations off - to a point. I also like Barbara Coloroso's belief that if it wasn't life threatening, morally threatening, or illegal and feel that this is a good basis for guiding me on what is a "mountain to die on" issue with the kids.

I really feel this approach is working as yesterday, June 20th, my daughter asked the teachers in her play group to take her potty AND when we got home, before nap, she asked to go on the potty. I thought she had done nothing but when she jumped off and flushed I saw a #2. What a big girl she is becoming!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Technorati Experiment Meme

I subscribe to "It's a woman's world!" blog and she posted about this experiment by Bradblogging.com which gives your site backlinks to increase your ranking. I thought I would give it a try.

Just follow these steps:
1. Copy the list below into a blog post of yours.
2. Add Your Link To The List
3. Comment on this post and leave your links. Also, do not forget to leave your comment and links to the ORIGINAL POST so your blog will be included on the master list (this is very important)
4. Watch Your Authority Sky-Rocket

*–Copy Here - Technorati Authority–*
1. Brad Blogging.com - Daily Blog Tips For The Masses
2. Daily Blogging Tips At The Daily Rambler
3. Blog Chews - Blog About Anything
4. Steve v4.6 - Big Made Small
5. GIVEAWAY CITY
6. Indo Contest.com - Find the Latest Contest Here
7. POTPOLITICS-We Smoke the Competition
8. ATA - AskTheAdmin.com
9. Dolly’s Daily Diary
10. The Tech Juice - Tech Tips And More
11. Wendy’s OBA, Blog Tips & Tricks
12. Wendy’s Reel - Fact And Fancy
13. A Grateful Heart
14. 50+Whatever..Just some Ramblings in Life
16. The Blog for DesignCreatology
17. Contest Whiz - The Blog Contest Expert
18. About Blog Contests
19. Esmeraldasblog - Como aumentar la Authority de Technorati
20. Best Widgets for free - Blog Widgets
21. New life by Pitonizza
22. Todo Seiya - Como aumentar la Authority de Technorati
23. Blog for Spanish Readers
24. The Blogger And The Blog
25. Hero Help
26. Makmalcyber
27. Forex Study
28. Techyplus
29. 8
30. Darn Good Reviews
31. Blogger Tips - DotBlogger
32. Lilyruths This and That
33. That Blog 4 Me
34. Pinoytek - Make Money Online and SEO Blog
35. Snigit(blogspot)
36. Snigit(.com)
37. Best Of The Web
38. Swat the Fly
39. Area3000
40. Shut Up And Eat
41. Find Torrent Blog
42. Cebu in the World
43. Web Design
44. Trestin Adventures
45. Ask Trestin
46. Trestin Autobiography
47. Trestin Ideas
48. Trestin Gallery
49. Trestin Games
50.(Impressive Results!) Trestin Hall Of Fame
51. Trestin History
52. Parnell Forever
53. Trestin Political
54. Trestin Spiritual
55. Trestin Sports
56. Trestin Store - Yep, Each One Of These Are Different Blogs.
57. The Ordinary Agung
58. Il blog di Luca Marchi
59. What About Brazil?
60. Shri Rada Blog
61. Hawaiian Travel Blog
62. Hawaii Cruise Superstore
63. GadgetHeat!
64. Over The Sky
65. Yavinator log
66. I Travel to Work do you?
67. The Home Page of Tony Smith, Writer of Comic Books, Articles & Screenplays
68. Ultimate Credit Online
69. The Rhythm of Write
70. A Hoosier Family
71. Analyzed Marketing Solutions
72. O2S Media
73. Project Swole - Fitness and Nutrition
74. Life is simple, Don’t make it complicated
75. Yet Another Blog from Marco Ciacci
76. Freebies, Making money and More
77. Babysitter On Board
78.Vhiel’s Corner
79. Anything and Everything in Between
80. Designs By Vhiel
81. Can of Thoughts
82. Only in Silence
83. Everything Nice!
84.Reference Notes
85. It’s a woman’s world!
86. Ramki’s Blog
87. THE MOM WITH BROWNIES
88. Picture Clusters
89. Maiylah’s Snippets
90. My Wanderings
91. Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe
92. Tiklaton: We are the Witness!
93. http://morethana-mom.blogspot.com/

KEEP IT GOING! JOIN TODAY!!
http://bradblogging.com/ - We Update The List Daily

Allergies

Being pregnant (last summer) and now nursing I am unable to take a regular anti-histamine. I have found at the health store a homeopathic option called Lufeel (I take only the tablet but they also have the nasal spray to go with it) that I am very pleased with. From what I understand, because it is homeopathic it goes to the source of the problem rather than mask the symptoms. I can take it as I need it too instead of one dose in a 12 hour or 24 hour period and there is no drowsiness. I am very pleased that I am discovering the world of natural and effective remedies.

Here is some information I found ...

Lufeel Allergy Tablets
Itchy eyes? Runny nose? Sneezing? A homeopathic formula for all your allergy symptoms. Safe for all ages – children, pregnant, or nursing women.Safe for heart patients.No interference with other medications.

http://www.backtowellness.ca/productstore.htm

Friday, June 13, 2008

Our Daughter's First Year

We got the creative idea (from where I don't recall) to take photos of our daughter every month the first year of her life with the same teddy bear to "chart" her growth. I thought the photos would be fun to see all together. She was born on March 17, 2006 (yep - St. Patrick's Day!) but I seem to only find June 2006 as our first photo ... oops!











Thursday, June 12, 2008

Chief Home Executive Job Description

I am the Chief Home Executive of our household. I have two apprenti (2 years and 4.5 months old). In my Executive role I have quite a variety within my portfolio that include but are not limited to Vice President Finance (budgeting), Property Manager (house cleaning), Soul Mate, Friend, Lover, Mother, Wife (these within our household - many other relationships outside not listed), Paramedic, Psychologist, Comedian, Laundress, and Dish Washer. When I give myself important title designations it makes me feel more special in my 24-hour role. Creative ... yes. Crazy ... I would be more so without the titles!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Baby Proofing and Potty Training

My daughter (2 years old) has figured out almost all of the baby proofing we've done in the house. She can take out the socket plastic plugs, undo several of the kitchen cabinet external latches, open the fridge and slyly convince us to open the pantry (that she has yet to figure out).

Most recently she has mastered opening the toilet lid ... with her teeth no less! I am starting to "unofficially/officially" potty train her (as in when it takes it takes, no rush) and when she agrees to go on the potty (her little seat sits on our regular toilet seat) she rushes ahead of me and opens the big lid with her teeth while I get her potty. I'm thinking kids are way too smart these days. Next year when we install parenting controls on the computer and television I'm expecting to have her set it up and explain to us how to use it!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Women & Money

Last Wednesday, June 4, 2008 I got to use my brain. It was in the form of an oral presentation of a book summary for Suze Orman's "Women & Money". Great advice that goes way beyond budgeting. She really wants women to get their financial life (now and for the future) under control and organized. Basically she has a five month plan that breaks things down into manageable chunks to organize yourself that include: bank accounts and savings, credit score and credit cards, insurance (life, home), retirement investing, and important documents (will, power of attorney for health and for finance).

Her website (www.suzeorman.com) also has a place to sign in and she customizes/prioritizes your own action list based on how you answer a series of questions. I was/am very impressed. I've had some positive feedback from my summary to the audience also which makes me pleased that they share my interest.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Sleep - or Lack Thereof

I've finally come to the realisation that my daughter (2 years old) will only be little once so why force her to scream herself to sleep and cause me heartache while trying to be firm? I have decided that it is worth the snuggle time (which takes one quarter of the time and is far more enjoyable for all involved). It is making for a happier household and it is working for us at this point - at least she is in her own bed all night!

Monday, June 02, 2008

Tea Tree Oil

I was at the Ontario Early Years Centre this week (a play place for children ages 0-6) and after changing a diaper I went to use a no-water hand sanitizer. Instead of the traditional alcohol-based one they had tea tree oil with hand lotion in a pump. When I inquired they told me it was as good or better than the "Purell" they had previously used and because there were small children, if they ingested it the product was non-toxic. I was most interested. I was further informed that if you put a few drops (that is all you need!) in a spray bottle filled with water that it is a natural antiseptic. Apparently there are a ton of other uses for it too which I am just finding out. Of course on the way home I popped into our local health food store and purchased some. I really like the scent too.

I did some quick research on Wikipedia and found the following information ....

Tea tree oil has been recognized as a potent antiseptic in Australia anecdotally for much longer than there has been scientific evidence. However, recent studies support a role for tea tree oil in skin care and treatment of various ailments.

Tea tree oil is a known antifungal agent used to treat dandruff, acne topical application of 5% tea tree oil has shown an effect comparable to 5% benzoyl peroxide).

Tea tree oil is also effective for treating insect bites, boils and minor wounds. It has also been known to help soothe sunburn, poison ivy, ear infections, and bee stings

Toothpastes and mouthwashes containing tea tree oil are shown to be effective for a number of oral problems. Some of these include bad breath, gum disease, and canker sores.

There is some limited research that has shown that tea tree oil may have anti-viral activity, especially with the Herpes virus (cold sores, chicken pox and shingles blisters, warts, etc.).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil

Sunday, June 01, 2008

She's Ba-aack!




After a few days away from each other my daughter, husband and myself appear refreshed from the distance - the baby remains unplussed. It was wonderful to come in from a night out with the hubby at a wedding and see our angel sleeping. And then came the morning (and the whining). My parents swear there was no whining when we were gone but that it miraculously appeared with us. Isn't it great to be a parent some days?! But we love her. And she was so busy! Here are some photos of her being with her grandparents.


The little girl was busy helping her grandpa shave - she had to ensure he did it correctly! And of course she needed to feed the horsies their carrots ... what a big job.