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About a year ago, all of our friends started having babies, which means that it's time for the birthday parties to start. A month ago, we had Walker's first birthday, and earlier this week, I brought you some pictures from that celebration. This weekend it was Gracen's turn. The sweet Princess of this group of babies had her first birthday at a local fun jump place, and we enjoyed getting to catch up with such a sweet baby and all of our friends.
Of course, what we enjoy most about these parties is getting to spend time with our friends – even when we are tiny people. You never know what kind of shenanigans are going to go on – like perhaps a bit of kindergarten matching-making.
The other thing we go to kids' birthday parties we go to is to see little ones wind up with cake all over their faces. Our sweet Gracen is too much of a Princess to turn herself into a cake monster. She was dainty and lady-like the entire time.
Presents don't mean a whole lot for one-year olds, and come to think of it, until kids are about 5, they really don't care much about presents. We give little kids gifts because we are supposed to, and because we know that their parents could use the support – there are so many things that kids need, and if we can give kids something that is nice – rather than a need – then it frees up parental money for the things sweet Princesses and Princes actually need. Sweet Husband and I give books; we're teachers – it's kind of part and partial to who we are. With the statistics about how important it is to have books in the home, to read to and talk to our babies – we feel that all of these sweet babies are going to get enough toys and ya-yas from grandparents and friends who can't resist that terribly cute thing, but there can never be too many books. And we don't mind giving books; I might enjoy spending time at the book store poking around more than anything.
It's hard to not be happy at a baby's birthday party, and when you have a baby as cute as Princess Gracen, it's hard not to be overjoyed that she's celebrating another year of life. We loved getting to spend some time with our friends and these sweet little people this afternoon. How can you not love this face?
Happy Birthday Princess! You are deeply loved, and we hope that as you continue to grow, you experience only joy and happiness! Love, Uncle Matt and Aunt Jen


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I was really impressed by Johnny Delgado, it is a little longer than the other Barrington Stoke books I have read so far this year, but packs a lot in. The sentences, paragraphs and dialogue are short and snappy. This shows the influence of classic thriller writers; the introduction mentions Raymond Chandler, and I also recognise a bit of James Ellroy. But unlike these heavy American authors, here the characters and situations are very close-to-home on a South London estate.
I really like the central character, wannabe PI Johnny Delgado, he is deeply naive, but very endearing. All the brains, muscle and morals come from his friends on the estate. But his heart is very much in the right place.
It is a true thriller with a lot of action, and it was interesting to re-read with hindsight. The world of gangs and violence indicates an older audience, and there is a bit of bad language, but this is also what makes it an exciting read.
It also has a nice cliff-hanger ending, setting up a sequel, Like Father, Like Son, that I will definitely be checking out.
Johnny Delgado by Kevin Brooks - Barrington Stoke Book 8
Posted by Richard Hanks at 16:08
Labels: Barrington Stoke, Books, Reading
1 comment:
- y huynh said...
đàn ông thích gì ở phụ nữ khi yêu
khi yêu phụ nữ muốn đàn ông làm gì nhất
đàn ông yêu gì ở phụ nữ
đàn ông dễ yêu hơn phụ nữ
phụ nữ yêu đàn ông có vợ
những tính cách đàn ông phụ nữ yêu thích
đàn ông cần gì ở phụ nữ khi yêu
đàn ông cần tình yêu hơn phụ nữ
đàn ông có vợ yêu phụ nữ có chồng
đàn ông yêu bằng mắt phụ nữ yêu bằng tai
5 kiểu đàn ông phụ nữ không bao giờ yêu
- 18 May 2016 at 09:49
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Featured Blogger Linda
Linda Feng is currently a software architect at Unicon, Inc., a leading provider of education technology consulting services. Linda has deep experience in student information systems (SIS) integration, open standards, and big data/ learning analytics, most recently as Senior Product Manager for Canvas SIS Integrations and Canvas Data at Instructure. Prior to Instructure, Linda held the position of software architect for Oracle's Student Products Division. In the last several years, she served as co-chair of the IMS Global Learning Initiative Learning Information Services & Privacy Working Groups, helping to bring a new Enterprise interoperability standard to market.


text:
MINNEAPOLIS — The Latest on the Minneapolis Police Department's stricter body camera policy announced Wednesday (all times local):
12:55 p.m.
Minneapolis police officers who fail to comply with a stricter body camera policy will face discipline ranging from unpaid suspensions up to termination.
Mayor Jacob Frey says the policy has teeth for the first time.
Failure of an officer to activate the camera when required can now result in a 40-hour suspension for the first offense, and it can get the officer fired if there are aggravating factors.
The new rules require officers to activate their cameras at least two blocks away, or immediately if dispatched to a closer incident.
Chief Medaria Arradondo (meh-DAIR'-ee-uh air-ah-DON'-do) tightened the policy after last summer's fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911 by an officer who hadn't activated his body camera. But Arradondo acknowledged that no officers were disciplined despite lackluster compliance.
9 a.m.
Police in Minneapolis are announcing new steps to make sure officers use body cameras in the wake of last summer's fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911.
The new requirements will include stricter requirements for activation and progressive discipline for officers who don't do it. Chief Medaria Arradondo (meh-DAIR'-ee-uh air-ah-DON'-do) and Mayor Jacob Frey were unveiling the plan Wednesday.
The department was strongly criticized after last July's fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS'-chehk) Damond because the officers involved hadn't activated their cameras. Performance is still lackluster nine months after the department tried to address the issue.
The new rules require officers to activate their cameras at least two blocks away, or immediately if dispatched to a closer incident.
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text:
Fire & Light Performers for your next event - Hire us now!
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- Temple of Poi Home
Three time Best of The Bay winner Temple of Poi is the world's first poi fire dancing and flow arts school offering poi lessons to fire performers and students world wide. We offer structured classes, free workshops, free podcasts and also sell poi video lessons on DVD or download. Based in San Francisco, California, the community of fire dancers, spinners, artists twirlers and performers specialize in poi light and fire spinning classes as well as hoop, fan, flagging and staff lessons. Book our fire dancing performers, review the schedule for Bay Area based poi, hoop, fan, and staff fire dancing lessons or watch our performers at upcoming events.
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Featured Stories
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22 August 2012 2:49 AM | 1 Comment
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12 January 2012 1:45 PM | 2 Comments
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06 January 2012 12:01 PM | No Comments
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Free Video Lessons Archive
One Minute Lesson: Split Pinwheel ExtensionsPosted on May 23, 2010 | 1 CommentIf you've taken any time to study the 7 Layer Dip and look at how you can incorporate...
One Minute Lesson: Sweep Circle Turn Around Same DirectionPosted on May 12, 2010 | No CommentsHere's another 1 minute lesson — this time reviewing the sweep circle (low turn behind the back, high...
Flow Performer Lesson: Becoming a Performer 1 Minute Quick tipPosted on February 5, 2009 | No CommentsEnjoy this video giving �a brief tip on how to move from that dorky beginner stage ever closer...
Poi Lesson: Advanced Beginner Combo (20090122)Posted on February 4, 2009 | 2 CommentsThis is the second in a series of advanced beginner combinations. The attached video is a summary of...
Poi Lesson: Weave UTL 1 Minute Quick TipPosted on January 17, 2009 | 1 CommentEnjoy this video giving �a brief explanation of how to do the weave with an under the leg...
Poi Lesson: Weave Turn Around Tips from GlitterGirlPosted on January 16, 2009 | 4 CommentsThis 1 minute lesson offers some quick tips for flowing more with weaves as you turn around. The...
Poi Lesson: Poilates drills for side Plane Giants with GlitterGirlPosted on January 16, 2009 | 1 CommentEnjoy this 3.5 minute video influenced by the Pilates concepts of subtle muscle awareness and supportive posture. Regular...
Poi Lesson: Hip Reel UTL, Left Poi, with GlitterGirlPosted on January 16, 2009 | No CommentsThis 1 minute lesson offers some quick tips for flowing more with weaves as you turn around. The...
Poi Lesson: Advanced Beginner Combo I (20090115) with GlitterGirlPosted on January 16, 2009 | 2 CommentsNewer poi artists can often be at a loss for how to flow between moves. One answer to...
Poi Lesson: Basic Stall DrillPosted on January 16, 2009 | 1 CommentOne of the slickest ways to transition from same direction to split (opposite) direction is to use stalls....


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You all did it!! What a team effort
June 12, 2017
BENEFITING: Brigham and Women's Hospital
EVENT DATE: Jun 25, 2017
On Sunday, June 25, hundreds of teammates will join together to run the 2017 Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 10K road race to support Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).
BWH cares for patients from New England, throughout the United States, and from 120 countries around the world. Every day, BWH clinicians, researchers, and caregivers work to find new ways to predict, prevent, and treat the most challenging diseases of our time while delivering world-class care with a profoundly human touch. Our team is proud to run in support of this world-class hospital that is fueling quality patient care, innovative training, and life-changing discoveries that will benefit patients here in Boston and around the world.
Participants who sign up now can join teams, form teams, or run as individuals and receive a special, limited time offer of a $300 fundraising commitment. This will increase to $500 on March 15, so sign up today!


text:
Just listed this cutie here
The can is a large sized tomato sauce can that I had hubby primer for me and then I painted it and 'grubbied' it up some and added a pumpkin label.
There are 8 various sized pumpkins, the larger ones have leaves and they all have curly Q
tendrils. I inserted some preserved Sweet Annie as well as Spanish moss.
I did start on the fabric acorns with 'real' acorn caps. The pattern I had was really way too large for the caps I found in the park yesterday, luckily the designer gives permission to resize. This is all I have finished so far.
My fingers are too big for a project this small, lol.
Hubby drove me to a local park yesterday afternoon where I knew they had some Oak trees. Not a whole lot of acorns have fallen yet. Took me about 20 minutes to pick up the ones that weren't broken up and then I started to get really nauseous and a headache. I took what I had gathered back to our truck and Tom started up the engine. I told him to hang on, I still wanted to gather some sticks for some snowman projects. After 5 minutes, I was ready to leave. I felt so sick. Tom says he believed it was from all the bending over, standing up, bending over....blood rushing to head, not enough oxygen. I hoped he was right because I really felt bad. We headed home and I laid on the couch with the fan on for about a half an hour. I felt much better by then, so I guess he was right. I was worried that I got that bad virus that is going around. By dinner time I was feeling pretty good so we went out for hot wings & Yuenglings and then to Tom's sister's house for cake and ice cream, as it was her husband's 70th birthday.
Tomorrow, I plan to work on at least one more Autumn project and maybe some more acorns.


text:
Rogue Trader - The Koronus Expanse
Metal Staff
Found in a sealed alcove in the floor of the Carnius Mansion's vault. Used to weaken and defeat the beast that invaded the mansion during The Glittering Halls.
Normally looks like a basic polished metal staff that is slightly taller than a man. However when held by Mordechai the staff grows into a gleaming silver staff inlaid with small coloured gems. Colours seem to flow through the staff's metal work as it gracefully twists and spirals.
When transformed the staff is of clearly xenos origin as no human hands could have made such a delicate and elegant tool.
When used the staff draws power from the the psyker itself, almost having a mind of its own. Use of the staff leaves the pysker drained and even damaged if they fail to control and focus the reality twisting power of the staff.
It's powers seem to shift and change from moment to moment but it seems to be designed to bend reality in various ways around the user. In addition beasts that come from the warp seem to be damaged or weakened simply by it's presence.
Handed over to the Inquisition (specifically Vernetta and Violette Aversia) at the end of The Glittering Halls.


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What does the electronic announcement reflect?
This certificate includes the characteristics of your installation, the installed power, the maximum admissible and a schema as a map with the location of all the essential elements (wiring, fuses, box and light points, panel, etc.). Read more at electrican Sydney
And what happens when the technician arrives?
Obviously, carefully study your installation to certify that everything is correct. And do not feel it as an obligation, but as a responsibility and a relief: this should worry you more than any other entity.
Depending on the result of the inspection, you will have your bulletin in a brief period (less than a week) if everything went well, or you will need to make some repairs or changes if problems have been detected or requested by the distributor.
How much does this inspection cost?
Do you know that there are things in life that have a fixed, standard and universal price? Well, the electrical bulletin is not one of them. It depends a lot on the installer who is going to issue it, on whether he has to perform any maintenance task, on the difficulties he finds, on whether he only charges the service's rates or needs also to include labor or other variables.
Why? Well, because each electrical installation is a world.
And every professional, too.
That's why we recommend that you always have good electricians who offer you full guarantees and adjusted prices. It's about your electrical installation. Of the tranquility of your home.


text: Team Maddy is a father/daughter triathlon team with an amazing story. Maddy is 13 and suffers from cerebral palsy. Her father, Rick Van Beek, never thought he would never be able to do anything with Maddy that he knew she would enjoy. Rick and Maddy have competed in over 100 events and are still competing. I'll let Rick tell the full story, because he can tell it much better than I can. "Triathlon…three different sports that stand between you and crossing the finish line. What more of a challenge could we ask for? We get up in the morning and make sure that all our gear is in check. We double check that we have all the energy drinks and GU that we need. The tires are pumped and the chain is lubed. The body glide is packed with the wet suit, and the socks are tucked into our shoes. We are off to the races! For my daughter it is different. Maddy is 13 years old and functions like a three month old. She cannot walk or talk or feed herself, she is totally dependent on us for support. Yet she Tri's! Before I saw her being pushed in a race, I never thought there would be anything that Maddy and I could do together, that I knew she enjoyed. That day, watching her being pushed in the Grand Rapids Marathon by two total strangers changed our lives forever. I gave up two packs of cigarettes a day, and started to run, to do it with Maddy. It was a long road from smoking to running but Maddy got me through it. It is funny sometimes how you get to the next level in your training, for me the years I spent doing nothing, that made running hurt, and that got me on a bike to cross train. Then a challenge from a friend said 'your two thirds of the way there, why not swim', so I did. Every day since then I have dedicated to Tri'ing to make Maddy happy. Although Maddy cannot speak we feel her in many different ways. For me, I hold her hands and look deep in her eyes and I feel her heart, it tells me what I am doing is what she wants. Without saying a word, Maddy has saved my life. Maddy is the reason I 'tri'. She is my heart and determination, and I am her means to get there. TOGETHER, we make a great team. People ask me why I do it. I simply answer, "For Maddy!" She deserves it! Finding the one reason, the one thing that drives you to 'tri', that is what keeps you going. I hope that everyone who 'tri's' will find their own 'Maddy'. I have and I carry Maddy's heart in my hands, and bring it to the finish, and celebrate…HER! Having a daughter with special needs has affected my life, but having a daughter who pushes me to 'tri'…That has turned into a bond that will keep me "tri'ing" for her as long as I possibly can. We go by the name "Team Maddy", look for us at your next event. We are the ones with the biggest smiles on our faces. We may not ever finish first, but we sure do enjoy the journey."


text:
In the US, Ditropan (oxybutynin systemic) is a member of the drug class urinary antispasmodics and is used to treat Dysuria, Overactive Bladder and Urinary Incontinence.
US matches:
UK matches:
- DITROPAN 5MG TABLETS (Leaflet)
- DITROPAN ELIXIR 2.5MG/5ML (Leaflet)
- DITROPAN TABLETS 2.5MG (Leaflet)
- DITROPAN TABLETS 5MG (Leaflet)
Ingredient matches for Ditropan
Oxybutynin is reported as an ingredient of Ditropan in the following countries:
- Argentina
- Lebanon
- Tunisia
Oxybutynin hydrochloride (a derivative of Oxybutynin) is reported as an ingredient of Ditropan in the following countries:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- France
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
Important Notice: The Drugs.com international database is in BETA release. This means it is still under development and may contain inaccuracies. It is not intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgement of your physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional. It should not be construed to indicate that the use of any medication in any country is safe, appropriate or effective for you. Consult with your healthcare professional before taking any medication.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.


text:
After "Psycho," Alfred Hitchcock made "The Birds" & "Marnie" with Tippi Hedren, a beautiful former model with serious limitations as an actress, then "Torn Curtain," with the miscast and mismatched Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, then "Topaz," which is so boring that it hardly seems like a Hitchcock movie at all. When "Frenzy", his first British film since 1950s "Stage Fright", was released in June 1972, the advance word was that it was VINTAGE Hitchcock. That it was, and then some. "Frenzy" is murder most explicit AND murder most subtle. Jon Finch, not a star and therefore not someone in whom the audience has any emotional investment, is bartender Richard Blaney. After he gets fired from his job, only fruit stand owner Bob Rusk (Barry Foster) and cocktail waitress Babs Milligan (Anna Massey) seem to like him, so when his former wife Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) is strangled, he's the prime suspect. We know he didn't do it, because we saw the whole thing. But the police aren't grilling us. Babs tries to help him and Bob tries to help him. Another murder occurs in broad daylight. We don't see this one, but, even before we see the body, we can imagine every grisly detail as the camera retreats from both killer and victim back down the stairs and out onto the bustling street.
Alec McCowan and Vivien Merchant are wonderful as Inspector and Mrs. Oxford. They discuss every graphic aspect of the case as she tries to force inedible "gourmet" food down his throat and he tries to toss and/or spit it out behind her back. For some reason, Mrs. Oxford believes in Mr. Blaney, and while her husband dreams of humble cups of tea and coffee in truck stop diners, she lists the points of evidence that show how Richard Blaney couldn't possibly have committed ANY murders, let alone two. Although we never feel the same as Mrs. Oxford does about Blaney, that's hardly the point. A character doesn't have to be likeable to be innocent of murder. The reverse is true, too, of course. The most charming and appealing people can also be murderers. "Frenzy," a striking and disturbing film, may be the most personal of all Hitchcock's pictures. No one shoved a star down his throat this time, so there are none in sight, and thus no narrative compromises. The humor has never been darker, the sexual undercurrents have never been as obvious. Hitchcock doesn't show us what we EXPECT to see: He shows us what we DON'T want to see. Except with the Oxfords, we are always off balance and uneasy. We don't feel relief when the credits roll because Blaney's deliverance means nothing to us, two people we liked are dead and now we know what happens behind closed doors, even in the daytime. Based on the Arthur La Bern novel "Goodbye Piccadilly Farewell Leicester Square".
© 2009 - Monica Sullivan - Air Date: 12/16/09
Movie Magazine International
Movie Magazine International


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Entry Level - Healthcare Recruiter
Maxim Healthcare Services • Santa Rosa, CA
Posted 8 days ago
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Job Description
Maxim Healthcare Services is currently seeking a Recruiter. The Recruiter sources, screens, hires, and retains qualified healthcare professionals to meet the office's business needs. The Recruiter develops relationships with clients, patients and referral sources to determine open needs, successful placements, and identifies additional business opportunities.
Recruiters are responsible for building a network of qualified candidates, evaluating skills in relation to the position requirements, negotiating compensation, overseeing the completion of onboarding requirements, and managing active caregivers.
Recruiters are expected to be knowledgeable of industry trends globally and within their market segment to identify top accounts, forecast opportunities, and consult with candidates. They are also expected to share best practices and maintain and develop relationships within the industry to foster stronger business relations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develops and executes recruitment strategies to attract, screen, and hire quality healthcare professionals who meet the office's immediate and projected needs
- Utilizes various recruitment tools and methods to source and attract a pool of qualified and diverse candidates
- Matches and evaluates candidate skills to client and patient needs through screening and interviewing
- Completes necessary reference checks on candidate's background and work experience
- Ensures candidates meet required hiring standards for Maxim and applicable contracts
- Negotiates salary, terms and conditions of employment with candidates
- Schedules caregivers and field staff for initial placement and ongoing assignments
- Manages caregivers and field staff while on assignment (non-clinical functions); assesses and investigates caregiver and field staff concerns and issues, and provides performance coaching, counseling and disciplinary action when appropriate
- Maintains regular contact to and develops relationships with active clients, patients, and referral sources to identify current staffing needs and requirements, projected openings, and potential new business opportunities
- Ensures client, patient and referral source expectations are understood and met while addressing and resolving concerns relating to customer service, caregiver or field staff performance
- Documents candidate, caregiver, field staff, and client correspondence and activities within system of recor
- Takes on-call as scheduled
- Incorporates caregiver and field staff retention strategy into daily routine
- Builds and cultivates relationships with industry contacts to gain industry knowledge, referrals, and business development leads
- Performs other duties as assigned
The minimum requirements described in this document are universal for the listed positions unless otherwise required by law.
Maxim Healthcare Services is one of the leading providers of medical staffing, home health and wellness services in the United States. Founded in 1988, Maxim has rapidly expanded to include 12 divisions and over 400 branch offices in 44 states and the District of Columbia. We have earned a position as an innovative leader in the healthcare industry through our emphasis on quality patient care, compliance initiatives and customer service. Today, Maxim is one of the largest privately owned companies in our industry.
Maxim has committed itself to achieving exemplary corporate autonomy, best practices of effective corporate governance, the highest levels of integrity and professionalism, integrity in the operation of federal healthcare programs, and a culture of openness, accountability and compliance throughout Maxim
At Maxim Healthcare Services, we firmly believe that our employees are the heartbeat of our organization and we are happy to offer the following benefits:
- Competitive pay & weekly paychecks
- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
- 401(k) savings plan
- Awards and recognition programs
*Benefit eligibility is dependent on employment status.
Maxim Healthcare Services is a leading provider of home healthcare, medical-related staffing, travel nursing, and population health and wellness services across the United States. As an established community partner, we have been making a difference in the lives of our employees, caregivers, and patients for more than 30 years. Our commitment to customer service, improving patient care, and staffing experienced healthcare professionals has paved the way for many rewarding career opportunities in the healthcare industry.
Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc. is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Job ID: 384776
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text:
From the album: 2009-2015 (Ill Adrenaline Records), CD and Vinyl EPshipping.
Song produced by: Soulbrotha (12 Finger Dan & B-Base)
Tag: The Golden Era Isn't Finished
Ill Adrenaline has done it again! 12 Finger Dan & B-Base (aka Soulbrotha) have carved a niche for themselves as a dope boom-bap production and turntablist duo from Hamburg, Germany. Includes the rare "Collector's Item" album from 2009 (CD1) plus the previously released "Connexion" EP from 2013 and the brand new "The Golden Era Isn't Finished" EP (CD2). Features guest appearances from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Craig G, Kev Brown, Blaq Poet, and many more.
"The Golden Era Isn't Finished" Vinyl also available.


text:
Paparazzi Jamaica has just received a video clip of Popular local Dancehall artist Gully Bop explaining the fight between him and his fiance Shauna Chin.
Based on what we saw in the video Gully Bop has been beaten badly by the man who he caught Shauna Chin with in his HOUSE!
Watch the video below:
[huge_it_video_player id="9″]
What do you think??
Leave all comments below:


text:
Project: United Kingdom
Categories: United Kingdom | United Kingdom Project
|The United Kingdom Project is a "Top Level" project that encompasses sub-projects for England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and various Crown Dependencies. It serves a central directory of all that is going on in the sub-projects.
Welcome to the United Kingdom Project
- Leaders: Maria Maxwell (UK, Scotland, Wales and Irish Roots), Susie MacLeod (UK & England), and Wendy Sullivan (UK & England)
- Coordinators: Ros Haywood (England), Vivienne Caldwell (England), Martin Allen (England), Neil Perry (England), Joan Whitaker (England), Gilly Wood (England), & Stuart Awbrey (Wales) with Richard Devlin Irish Roots and Mark Rogers Isle of Man.
- Answer our G2G welcome post to join the United Kingdom project and get a badge.
- Add united_kingdom to your followed tags.
- We use g2g for communication.
- Add your name to the list on the United Kingdom Project Member Interests page, let us know what your UK |research interests are and how you would like to contribute to the project
This project is the effort of a group of WikiTree users interested in profiles related to the United Kingdom, including England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and various Crown Dependencies through history.
Project members can take primary responsibility for relevant profiles or family groups and work on merging duplicates, cleaning up profiles, adding sources, and removing incorrect information. Members can join various sub-projects of specific interest or seek support from the project Leadership if it is believed a research topic is not adequately covered.
For each Profile:
- All duplicates merged into lowest number
- All profiles containing appropriate source material
- Relevant Categories added where required
- Relevant Template added
- Biography cleaned up and written, using the WikiTree Style Guide (can work with Profile Improvement Project for help)
In some cases, where there is dispute or there are issues that are difficult to resolve, for example, it may be necessary to manage change through an interest group. In these cases it might require a Profile to be Project Protected. Please discuss with a Leader if this is thought necessary.
In some cases, such as pre-1500 profiles, it may be necessary to gain assistance from a Leader to help amend profiles. Please discuss the requirement with a Project Lead.
How do I help?
The project covers all aspects associated with the UK. The scope is vast and there is room for improvement in all periods and areas. So where should one begin?
- The best place to start is with your own ancestors. Run over the profiles of your own, and connected, profiles and see if you can improve them. Look to:
- Add dates if they are not there. If the dates are estimated please add the {{Estimated Date}} feature.
- Add sources if they are not on the profile. Otherwise add {{Unsourced}}
- Check the LNAB (Last Name at Birth). If it is not there, see if you can find it. If you know it then please send a message to the Profile manager, with a source, and they can change it. If you get no response, please message one of the Project Leads.
- Use on-line citations where there are facts that are essential for family research, birth, marriages and children are key.
- Build a bio that provides, as a minimum, enough information to ensure the profile does not get incorrectly merged.
- Add Categories where you can. These are a useful tool that collates profiles into like groups thus helping "cousins" find profiles.
- Remember, BMD registers are when the event was registered, not when it happened. This is particularly important when it comes to Birth Date. Wikitree does not recognise this when GEDCOMs are uploaded, see https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/GEDCOM_FAQ
There is no such thing as a perfect Profile but you may like to look at Samuel Plimsoll which was a Profile to which there were several contributors.
United Kingdom Project Google Community
See: Google Community for a location for project members and others to comment or raise issues regarding the project. Our G2G location is the best place to post queries regarding research.
United Kingdom Sub-Projects
- England
- Scotland
- Ireland includes all aspects of Ireland - see the Irish Roots Project page for additional information.
- Wales
- At this stage British Crown Dependencies is managed as an Interest Group and has a specific sub-project dealing with Bermuda.
- England Cemeteries Project
- Scots Irish and Ulster Scots A specific sub-project to consider the lives and the migration of Scots that settled in Ulster and then migrated overseas.
- British_Isles_Politicians
- British Indentured Servitude
- British Home Children Also Associated with the Canadian History Project.
- British Companies and Their Founders
- Who Do You Think You Are (UK)
A number of these projects also have sub-projects:
- Scots in Foreign Service deals with those Scots that served in Foreign Armies between the 12th Century and the Acts of Union in 1707.
- Scots Abroad deals with the Scottish migration that took place between the 12th Century and the Acts of Union in 1708. There are other projects on Wikitree that deal specifically with migration to Americas and migration to Australia and New Zealand.
The list of sub-projects will vary from time to time as some will be combined. See Projects currently under consideration for Scotland and Projects currently under consideration in Ireland.
There are two distinct Name Study projects managed separately to this project:
- The Scottish Clans project which deals with those families originating in Scotland; and
- The Irish Roots project which deals with those families of Irish descent.
- Name studies for England and Wales are managed under the national sub-project.
The UK project also coordinates closely with the European Aristocrats project for Aristocracy and Nobility.
- British Isles Royals and Aristocrats, a sub-project of the European Aristocrats Project. UK project contacts: Darlene or John
- Cymru_Welsh_Royals_and_Aristocrats_742-1535
- The Netherlands and United Kingdom
British Isles and British Crown Dependencies
Point of Contact for British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories is - To be advised.
- British Crown Dependency
- Channel Islands
- Bailiwick of Guernsey
- Bailiwick of Jersey
- Isle of Man Project Project leader - Mark Rogers
British Overseas Territories
Wikipedia British Overseas Territories
- British Overseas Territories
- Anguilla
- Bermuda project
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Gibraltar
- Montserrat
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Caribbean Interests
Commonwealth of Nations
- Australia Project
- Bahamas Project
- India Project
- New Zealand Project
- South African Roots Project
- United Kingdom Project
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Barbados
- Bangladesh
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
Emigration from UK and Ireland
BMD Records of the Church of England, the Presbyterian Church, the British Consulate on Madeira and the City Administration of Funchal.
- Template:United Kingdom - Used only for profiles managed by Project:United Kingdom This includes Wales, England & Scotland. Not for use on Scottish Clans, or Irish Roots due to them having their own template.
How to create new UK Place Categories
First of all double check a category for your new place does not already exist.
Any problems with these instructions please contact Maria Maxwell
Please note there are variations in locality structure by country.
For England use [[Category: <place>, <County> See Counties of England for counties.
- 1. Enter e.g [[Category:Burnham on Sea, Somerset ]] at the top of the bio box (normally just above the heading "Biography.") Click on Save.
- 2. The link to xxx, Somerset will be in red.
For Scotland: See Categorisation Guidance
For Wales: See Categorisation guidance
Fir Ireland: See Irish Counties
- 3 Click on Save.
- 4 Click on the red text - this will open up a page for Category:xxx,xxx - It says something like "this category does not exist yet" ----
- 5. Scroll down until a large box appears (something like the text box in a personal profile )
- 6. In that box type in a link to the County Category e.g. Category:Northumberland (make sure you use the [[ ]] brackets this time. You can type any text here e.g a link to Wikipedia page, history of the village, photos of the place etc
- It is very important that categories for cities,towns and villages are linked to their County category page. If this is not done then the new place category will not be listed on the County page.
- 7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Save Page." -
- You have now created the new place category. There will be a link to your ancestor's profile shown, also a link to the County category page e.g Category:Northumberland.
- 8. The County page will have a link to the new town/village category.
WikiTree United Kingdom Resources
Universities, Colleges and Schools in the United Kingdom
- England Universities
External United Kingdom Resources
BMD and Census sources
- General Register Office for England and Wales Use this link to obtain copies of BMD certificates for England and Wales.
Military and Civil Service Links
- Find a soldier's will. Search for the will of a soldier who died while serving in the British armed forces between 1850 and 1986.
Genealogy Resources
This page was last modified 11:36, 10 January 2019. This page has been accessed 27,277 times.


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Turning this project into a great show with professional production and a DVD recording is just impossible without your help. We truly hope that you will participate in the creation of this work and we will be more than happy to send you a gift after we accomplish this adventure! Below is the list of what is needed in order to bring this performance to life in the best possible way and requires funding, which we are now seeking :
* 3D projector to display the visuals – $1100
* 3D mapping, rendering & compositing – $600
* Visual projection, lighting & sound effects assistants – $750
* Props/decorations – $200
* Publicity, advertisement & marketing – $600
* Designing & printing posters, flyers & programs – $800
* Sound recording, post production & mastering – $1300
* Videography & photography (3-5 cameras) – $1600
* DVD production – $2000
* Piano tuning & services – $500
* Reception- $600
* Miscellaneous – $500
* GoFundMe fee – 8% of each donation
* Currency conversion fee (USD-EUR) – 3%
* Pays for artists – THE REST
We will be immensely grateful for any donation and we ask you to share this information with your friends. Of course, will make sure that your name is on the list of our supporters in the program of the performance !
[If for any reason you would not like your name to be printed in the program and would prefer to remain anonymous, please kindly indicate it as a note when making your donation.]
Please read the donation benefits on the GoFundMe campaign page, since we will make sure to thank every one who helps us ! (Please note that the last three levels include live performances, which are to be scheduled on mutually agreeable dates with travel/lodging expenses for artists covered by the donor.)


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The S Moda May 2014 cover shoot maintains British singer and songwriter Lily Allen's current signature hairdo, which happens to be a very long, very high ponytail. A fun look that not many people are embracing right now, it complements the edgy and feminine outfits featured throughout the photoshoot. Not to mention that it inspires women to have a little unexpected fun with their own tresses this summer season.
Shot by photographer Eric Guillemain of 2b Management, the S Moda May 2014 cover shoot is all about bringing a retro flair to the hotter months. In this specific case, it embraces a touch of the 90s courtesy of stylist Chabela Garci. Makeup artist Jo Frost finished the looks.
Long-Ponytailed Celeb Editorials
More Stats +/-
Glamorously Dark Editorials
Sultry Backyard Editorials
Vintage Beachwear Editorials
Pleasant Prairie Editorials
Cheeky Portrait Editorials
The S Moda May 2014 Cover Shoot Stars Singer Lily Allen
- By: Meghan YoungJun 3, 2014
References: smoda.elpais & fashiongonerogue
References: smoda.elpais & fashiongonerogue


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Luca Mentuccia is the senior managing director for Accenture Automotive, and is responsible for growing and developing the automotive industry practice. He joined Accenture in 1981 and has spent his entire career working in the automotive industry. During that time, he developed a deep and extensive knowledge of the automotive industry and of car manufacturers throughout the world.
Mentuccia works directly with OEM executives and understands the industrial processes and implementation for both Italian and multinational corporations.
He has been a board member of the European School of Management Italia since 2008, where he focuses on helping forge links to the automotive industry. He is also a member of the Rotary Club.
Mentuccia is based in Turin, Italy.
© 2019 Accenture All Rights Reserved
© 2019 Accenture All Rights Reserved
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- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Harford Streams
- Restoration Projects
- Farnandis Branch at Sunnyview Restoration Project
Harford Streams
Green Choices. Healthy Streams.
Farnandis Branch at Sunnyview Restoration Project
Expected construction start Spring 2020, completion Fall 2020 (as of October 2018)
Harford County is currently updating a previously completed design for stream restoration at this location. The purpose of the project is to improve stream health by stabilizing eroding stream banks and increasing tree buffers along the stream.
Pre-construction pictures (January 2018)
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ) - Design
1. When will crews begin collecting field data?
November 2018
2. Will crews need to use motorized vehicles to collect field data?
No, crews will not need motorized vehicles to collect field data. They will be walking by foot in groups of 2 or 3. Different crews will visit the site at different times depending on their area of expertise including tree identification, wetland identification, and stream characteristics. Survey crews will also be updating the survey as well as a full inventory of new areas added to the design.
3. How long will it take to update the design and permits?
The design and permits should be completed in approximately one year, or January 2020
4. Will the design be available for review?
Yes, the design will be available for review, digitally on this webpage or printed copies will be available in our offices at 212 South Bond Street. Each submittal from the design engineer will be available for review. Property owners will be notified by email, phone, or mail when the plans are available.
5. When will the easement documents be available for property owners to review?
Easements are based on the areas delineated in the design for construction and construction access. These areas are typically finalized when the design is approximately 75% complete. At that time property plats will be developed which show the limits of the proposed easements.
6. Will the easements be permanent?
No. Easements will be revertible; meaning after 10 years the easements will no longer be valid and the property within the easement reverts back to the owner without the restriction.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ) - Construction
1. What time of year can construction take place?
Construction will take place between May 1 and September 30. The timing for construction will be based on the stream designation assigned by Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This project is located in the Bynum Run watershed which is a designated trout stream with in-stream construction restrictions from October 1st through April 30th.
2. When will construction start?
Construction can start approximately 3 months after the design is completed. This allows for the project to be advertised for bids from pre-qualified contractors who specialize in stream restoration. If the design is completed and all permits have been issued by January 2020, construction can begin April 2020.
3. How long will it take to complete construction?
Approximately 6 months.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ) - Funding
1. Is there funding in place to pay for construction?
No. Funds for construction will be requested for the County Budget for fiscal year 2020, which begins on July 1, 2019. This budget will be presented to the County Council for consideration in spring 2019.
2. How has funding changed since the original design was completed?
Resolution 005-15 Recordation Tax Reallocation was adopted in March 2015 which established a dedicated fund for restoration projects. This dedicated fund allows the County to sell bonds to fund these projects. Prior to establishing the dedicated fund, funding for these projects competed with other agencies such as the Sheriffs Office and Schools for general funds.


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World of Tomorrow is only 16 minutes long. It's been nominated for an Oscar, won more than 40 film festival awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Short Film at Sundance Film Festival, and Best Animated Short at SXSW. I'd be surprised if it's not at least nominated for some of our genre awards (I put it on my Hugo list, for example). Created entirely by Don Hertzfeld, it takes science fiction staples – cloning, time travel, space travel, singularity, robots, and aliens – as fact, and then uses that backdrop to tell a dark but loving story focused entirely on humanity. The shiny scifi bits exist but don't matter nearly as much as one woman talking to one little girl about everything that gave her life meaning.
The animation has been called "avant-garde", but though I liked it, it didn't seem that far out of the realm of what's been done before. It suits the story, which matters; the voice actors are also perfect, and in fact, Hertzfeld recorded his four-year-old niece while she was playing, and then edited her into the film as the main character's younger self.
World of Tomorrow is excellent storytelling, and is a spot-on example of how I like my fiction: character-driven, a little bleak, a little frightening, fully aware of our own mortality, but hopeful, too. What is it to be alive? What makes you, you? Hope isn't granted without working for it, and love isn't free, but if you live every day the best that you can, at the end, you'll have had a full life.


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Salmonella can affect cattle in every stage of production, including pregnant cows, young calves and feedlot and adult cattle. The pattern and clinical appearance will vary with animal age, production setting and the Salmonella serotype.
There are three forms of disease caused by Salmonella - enteric, systemic and inapparent. It's the enteric form that is characterized by foul-smelling, brownish, watery diarrhea with shreds of mucous, fibrin and fresh blood.
Treatment of cattle with Salmonellosis is challenging and often only marginally successful. Successful control of a Salmonella outbreak can't be done through medication alone. It requires understanding of how the disease occurs and aggressive implementation of control strategies.
Your Veterinarian Is Key Working closely with your veterinarian is critical to controlling an outbreak as quickly as possible. Taking steps to prevent Salmonella is much more rewarding than fighting your way out of an outbreak.
Salmonella can be isolated in low percentages from a huge number of potential sources, including inapparent carrier animals (cattle, dogs, birds, people, etc.), feeds, water and other places in the environment. Salmonella is one of the few organisms that can live and multiply inside the cells of the immune system, making it especially difficult to treat or control through vaccination.
Salmonella is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route. This means that fecal contamination of anything that will go into the mouth - water troughs, feed bunks, hay, oral medication equipment, etc. - is a very effective means to spread Salmonella. Less frequently, aerosol transmission can also occur.
Since Salmonella is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, control and prevention strategies should center on this transmission route.
Salmonella carriers are more likely to shed the bacteria when they are stressed. Where do we congregate our stressed cattle? In calving pastures and hospital and receiving pens.
Thus, these are focal areas for our control and prevention measures. These measures will focus on three principles: reducing contamination, increasing sanitation and reducing stress.
A Hit List Of Control Strategies Here's a list of control strategies:
* Wash waterers twice daily using a dilute bleach solution, especially in high-risk areas.
* Feed hay in hayracks or bunks, not on the ground where it will become contaminated with feces. Make sure feeders aren't overfilled, resulting in spillage onto the ground.
* Fill in low spots and holes that can collect water.
* Scrape dry lot pens lightly multiple times a week to remove organic matter, promote drying and expose the bacteria to UV light from the sun.
* Do not overcrowd hospital and receiving pens.
* Segregate cattle with persistent diarrhea - do not send them back to the herd or home pen.
* Avoid using oral medications for treatment. But, if oral treatment is necessary, be very sanitary. For example, wash all treatment equipment in disinfectant between calves, change your disposable exam gloves between calves, store nose tongs and rectal thermometer probes in disinfectant between calves.
* Don't use the same loader bucket to clean pens and move feed.
* Don't step in the bunks when entering and leaving pens.
Human Risks Vaccines are available and may offer some degree of protection. But, vaccines will be insufficient if management strategies to reduce contamination, increase sanitation and reduce stress aren't implemented.
There are more than 2,300 serotypes - or servovars - of Salmonella. There's much confusion and disagreement on how these serotypes should be grouped and named. Several Salmonella have the ability to infect and cause disease in multiple species, including both cattle and man. This is a very important detail to know about Salmonella.
There are reports of people contracting Salmonella while caring for sick cattle. There are also reports of cattlemen carrying the infection home to their families.
The first step in preventing this is education of personnel about the risk of infection to themselves and their family. Advise them to consult their physician for further advice. Enforce good hygiene such as wearing disposable gloves and safety glasses, not allowing eating and drinking (or dipping) in cattle working areas, and hand washing.
A sound strategy to prevent catching Salmonellosis from cattle, along with other zoonotic diseases, is called "universal precautions." This means treating every calf as if it could potentially give you Salmonella (which is true).
One other note - are you familiar with Johne's Disease (pronounced yo-nees) in cattle? If you're a cow/calf producer, you should be. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has an informative booklet titled "Johne's Disease: Should You Be Concerned?" Contact them (303/694-0305 or www.beef.org) to obtain a copy.
In addition, "What Do I Need to Know About Johne's Disease in Beef Cattle?" is available on the National Animal Health Monitoring System Web site. Go to (www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ ceah/cahm, then click on Beef Cow-Calf).
Footnote: Thanks to Bob Smith, DVM, for sharing his Salmonella control strategy list.


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Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung's request over the weekend for summary judgement in all twelve of its patent infringement claims against Apple. The two companies have been fighting in court for months over mobile device patent infringement allegations, and recently Apple managed to win two U.S. preliminary injunctions blocking the sale of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and the Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
Samsung loses request for summary judgement in patent infringement case
"Samsung attacked the validity of each and every one of the intellectual property rights asserted by Apple at this stage as well as Apple's FRAND-related antitrust claims, and failed all the way," said Florian Muller of Foss Patents. "It is very unusual for such a multi-pronged motion by a major industry player to fail entirely."
Judge Koh's ruling helps underscore what appears to be a growing belief that Samsung is stepping on Apple's patents as do the preliminary injunctions she granted.
Mr. Muller added, "I think the litigation has reached a point at which Judge Koh realizes perfectly well that Samsung and its 'partner in crime' Google are infringers (whose counterclaims are dubious at least), and that the full force of the law must be brought to bear."
Apple won its first preliminary injunction against Samsung last week against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and promptly paid the US$2.6 million bond to enforce it. Only days later, Judge Koh granted Apple a second preliminary injunction, this time blocking sales of the Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
Even though Samsung has been hit hard by the court rulings it doesn't mean the electronics maker is down for the count, although its arguments may be hard to back up at trial. Samsung has been presenting patents considered standards essential in its case — a strategy that isn't sitting well with the Judges that have been overseeing the various parts of the case.
Samsung is appealing the injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Neither company has commented on Judge Koh's ruling on Samsung's summary judgement request.


text: I had brought up a similar question a few months back on this forum and my options were to say the least limited. However, with the new iPad2 I thought I would reentertain the question due to some of the improvements presented yesterday. OK, so with the onset of the coming Major League Baseball season, I anticipate getting a subscription to MLB.com. That way I can watch my beloved Red Sox on my iPad when I am not around the big TV (i.e cooking dinner, working in the lab). So now that the iPad2 will have the capabilities of video mirroring and TV/Video output capabilities up to 1080p (w/ an Apple Digital AV adaptor or Apple VGA Adapter) could I then stream the games to the iPad, but then hook it up to my TV and watch the games on a bigger screen with the iPad2 providing the feed? This would be near HD, I think. The main reason for this is that my cable company charges me about $185 for the baseball package, but MLB.com is only $99. MLB.com offers games in HD and the cable companies package is not. Unfortunately, I am not a videophyle so I'm not 100% sure if this would work. But I think it might be enough to push me over the edge into purchasing an iPad2. What do you guys think? MSax


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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
all in good fun
Friday, September 26, 2008
Little J was in the ER last night, because I made a mistake in medication. It's a long story, and it's not about me. He's fine, and I'm grateful. I hated myself for putting him through it, and have a really hard time forgiving myself when I make mistakes - especially ones that affect my children.
I'm grateful for having a family that cares so much, and that they're available to us when we need them - whether it be for hugs and comfort in the ER while we wait it out, or whether it be to sleep on our couch so that our oldest can come home and try to get some rest. I'm grateful for the ER nurses and doctor that worked as patiently as possible with me (and with little J). I'm grateful that my 9 year old can comfort me with saying 1 sentence when I'm a mess because I screwed up - "We've brought him to the best place possible, it was the right thing to do, bring him here, they can help him." I'm grateful that this morning, when my little man woke up from a long night, he snuggled up to me in bed and he reached his arms out to me and loved and trusted me just the same as he did yesterday before I made a mistake.
Simply put, I'm grateful.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
bits and pieces Wednesday
- Left for school this morning, already aware of projected gas shortages and on the hunt to get gas. During our school commute I pass appx. 7-12 gas stations, depending on which route I take (that depends on traffic). I passed each station and they were all empty. Just before I was going to turn around and go home, I saw one station with cars at the pumps. The price per gallon was taken off of the street marque and when I pulled in there were people standing everywhere. I found out that we'd be allowed $20 maximum per vehicle. I waited about 4 cars deep and this took about 30 min or so because they required you to pay inside the store, I was fortunate to arrive early and as I was leaving there were lines 6 and 7 cars deep waiting. Later, I found another station in a nearby town which is right down the street from our house, and I was able to top off my tank. Tonight when going to pick up my work, I noticed 2 gas stations near the Concord Mills area with police officers directing traffic.
- Frugal find - I posted a 'want' ad on craigslist.com for a gently used sandbox. I quickly received a reply from someone who had the exact one we hoped to find for little J - in brand new condition! There was no way we were paying 70.00 for a plastic sandbox!!! I'm not big on plastic anyway, but I can't see us building any cedar sandbox in the near future in our really crappy yard. So I got it for 25.00!!!! I've been selling off some books on amazon.com and so it didn't really cost a dime. I found play sand for 2.99 a bag for 50# bags! It's fall, and he still has time to enjoy this. We decided to look around for one after the beach, he really enjoyed the sand there!
- Addition to the frugal find.... during the time I was waiting to meet the lady to pick this up - I decided to adjust the passenger rear seat so that it fit flush against the wall. I drive a funky SUV and the back seats do tricks, you can take them out with a quick tug of a rip cord, or lay them perfectly flat then fold them up to the sides of the vehicle interior walls. This was nec. to load the sandbox. I stopped in an area where I wasn't really familiar, so I thought I'd be safe and lock the drivers door while the car was running and I was in the passenger door working on the seat...dumb me failed to remember that locking the driver door on my car locks all doors. I had locked little J in a running car!! Not funny! Thank heavens I left the passenger window about 2 inches down. I bent my arm, barely making it and reached in to unlock the door. The height of the car made this painful, and as a result I already have a black line running across my arm from a bad bruise. It hurts!! I'm just grateful that I didn't have to worry about him being in there alone and wondering what was going on!
- We most likely will invest in a book bag on rollers for big E. He comes home with a 10-15# book bag almost daily now..... Here's a photo of him hard at work. The homework assignments take less then 30 minutes total in most all cases, and they're a quick review. It's just that the books are just bulky and heavy. I don't remember that from 5th grade! He opted out of one on wheels this year because last year he never really needed it!
- Heard back from the lawn JERKS - that's another post all together.... stay tuned.
About Misty
Then someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone." There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"
Monday, September 22, 2008
sticks and stones
"I went to the teacher and told her those two boys weren't acting very mature. I mean, really, is that the best they can do? I have allergies, so what."
Sunday, September 21, 2008
people watching
I receive lots of quizzes by forwarded email and often a question will be "what was the last movie you saw?" and I think that this is most likely questioning what movie you last saw in a theatre. My answer it was "haven't seen one in 2 years" up until Wall-E came out and we took our youngest along for his very first theatre experience - and it went without a hitch. As for watching movies, we generally wait until the kids are in bed and on weekends we have movie nights together. I like it because I can veg out in my PJ's w/o having to hear some gross person chew on popcorn behind me without closing their mouths, not to mention pause option for bathroom breaks!
I don't have a plethora of friends. I have been fortunate to find a few really good, trustworthy friends. So I did a study of sorts on my friends, the ones w/ children. I will leave their names as their initials only, and anyone who knows me will figure out who they are. This is my general working hypothesis:
- Friends J and R have two children - both under 4 years old. J&R live about 20 min from me and we I see J on average 1-3 times a month, but we talk daily. J&R are a happy couple with happy kids, and until kid #1 began a 3 hour per day MMO program he'd never been left with anyone other then family, and that was a rarity as "family" lives in another state. So the "babysitting" was/is obsolete, and at this point with 2 kids, still is. J is a SAHM and to my knowledge, her youngest has only been "watched" by me and possibly one other really great friend (tooting my own horn there - HA) on an occasion in which she had to go to her "girl doctor". Otherwise, J&R are alot like us, planning adult gatherings at home and having grownups over for bbq's and fun while the kids are home! As for "movies" J&R have built themselves a quite nifty home theatre room - and I must say, I'm quite envious!! So my final take on J&R (same age group as us) - they do enjoy some time kidfree nights "out" but these are individual outings (possibly every other month), where the other parent stays home to give a girls night or guys night out (night being a few hours - and almost always AFTER the kids are in bed). Otherwise, their movie nights or "dates" are much like ours - at home and completely enjoyable just the same.
- Friends S&T have one child, under 3. Until recently, S was a SAH mom. There's a special circumstance that sent S back to work. In either case, S&T (to my knowledge) have gone out possibly 2 times w/o child for "dates" since their child was born (maybe only one, I can't remember exactly). Both of those times, to my knowledge, the keepers of the child were immediate family and the time away was for dinner and that's it. They, like us, plan their "grownup" time for AFTER their child goes to bed. They often enjoy a movie together, or just sitting outside and talking - sometimes they even play cards! We've had them over for a bbq at our house - all kids included.
- Friends J&D have 3 children one teenager and two under the age of 3, and often up to 5 children. There's a situation at J&D's house where their oldest child is friends with 2 kids whose parents are either drug abusers or are in general unavailable parents. So it turns out that J&D leave their house an open door to these kids. J&D have gone out 2 times in the past 2 years for dinner without kids. Both of these times, they only went 10 minutes away from home, and the keeper of their kids was grandma along with the older sibling of the younger children. J is a SAH mom, D works crazy shifts - and they see each other in passing for weeks on end sometimes. However, they still are capable of maintaining a terrific family life for these kids, making time for each other AFTER the kids go to bed as well as making sure that the kids spend time as a family unit when D's work schedule accommodates it. Movie night at J&D's house means piling up on one bed and hanging out together - and usually they end up falling asleep at that!
- Husband's close friend P is a SAH/WFH dad, I can't remember wifes name to save my life and I see P more then her. P's "guys night out" is ALWAYS after the kids are in bed, and from what I've observed almost always ends up being a guys night out at our house for a UFC fight night. This is the same for husband's close friends N, C and K. All dads who take the occasional 1 time every other month outing to our house for UFC fight night, all occurs after the kids are in bed - otherwise, they're quite family involved and seem to be very happy in their family/marriages.
This trend found in observing makes me feel a little normal. As we do the same as these parents and take individual time out for guys or girls nights while the other parent is at home w/ the kids. I haven't yet made friends with any of the parents who hire babysitters to go out on a regular basis. I have 3 sets of neighbors that I speak with often, all with 2 or more kids, and none of them go "out". 2 of the 3 are SAH/WFH parents, who homeschool. So what I conclude, in my tiny little observation deck at home, is that there is a widespread group of people out there who actually do enjoy the idea of having kids and raising them - themselves. I don't see it as a sacrifice, or even as a selfless act - I see it as parenting 101, and after talking to several of the women I mentioned above, so do they. Maybe it looks like I pick my friends based on similarities, but 3 out of 7 of these people mentioned were our (or my) friends before kids.
We've never felt like we should keep up with the Jones's. We are proud to be the parents of two wonderful boys, raising them "up as they should go", watching them grow every day. We don't feel like we've lost "who we are" because we don't go out at night, we feel like we've been enriched with this family of ours and have more to do because of it. WE wouldn't change a thing, we have never had a discussion of needing a break from our lives w/ kids. We have children, they have us, and that's how it is in this funky little place we call home.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
family time
**Update on the "lawn experts" - we received a nice little letter from our HOA today. Yep. We're on the bad yard list now. Our yard isn't within "code". I forwarded this to the
flunkies "company" that screwed our yard up did our recent aeration and seeding.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
lawn experts part 2
I sent the company (yes, an actual business did this) an email and made one phone call. My phone call preceded my email, and in that phone call I was belittled, and treated like an ignorant uneducated fool. It didn't go over well with me. I was told that 'in the future we'll make sure we notate your account of your sensitivity to the yard being aerated on such a soft(meaning just rained for an entire day)turf. Here's a snipit from the email I sent - I address how he commented on my past experiences w/ aeration, because every year since we've lived here it's been done by someone else, and evidentally we've never had the job done "right".
The remark that 'obviously we've not had it done right' came across quite snide and degrading as if I'm not aware that aeration is plugging and digging in my yard. If you google "what to expect after aeration" you'll get 67,900 answers. From the over 20 I read, each and every one says, "Immediately after aeration, your lawn will be dotted with small plugs pulled from the soil. Within a week or two, these plugs of thatch and soil break apart and disappear into the lawn." It does NOT say you'll see tire marks across your lawn, sidewalk and driveway and mud smeared all over your entire property.
I am expecting an immediate response from your company, apologizing for wasting my time and destroying my property. For your poor service and business practices, I also would expect a considerable credit toward this service, if not a full one. If this matter is not resolved professionally and in a timely manner, it will be reported to the Better Business Bureau. I do not want anyone from your company returning to my property to speak with me without calling first.
There's most of it, I left out the amount (hideous) I'm being requested to pay and how I can't get my head around how this is supposed to be 'high quality service'. I came home today after running errands and there was a solicitor in the n'hood, so I quickly posted my 'do not solicit here, Thanks!' sign on my door and started putting our groceries away and within 2 minutes I hear a knock at the door. My living room drapes were open, and little J was playing right there in front of the window... it was this company!! I thought I had asked for a courtesy call. I didn't answer the door, he walked around in my yard leisurely and left me a note that says "the aeration is a good job, however I would have preferred that they be more careful with the tractor, we'll work this out with you." THE TRACTOR!!!! In my less then .5 acre yard!!
I received a phone call within 10 minutes, and I was on the phone with Jonathon when they called so it went to v/mail. The man that came out wanted to 'see the yard for himself', I suppose the photos shocked him. It IS shocking. He said he understood my apprehension to answer the door, and only knocked as a courtesy to let me know he was there. His plans are to have the company reimburse us for having the drive way cleared of red smeared clay OR to have his employees come back to try to do it themselves. I'm thinking we'll likely handle it ourselves with a pressure washer. I'm still not happy with my yard, but it's not like they can come out here and wash the grass of the red mud streaks..... can they???
he shall have his cake...
About that cake..... I sent a short email that basically said we do not agree w/ using food as a disciplinary tool even though cake isn't on the food pyramid - our child is generally responsible in all of his food choices and he is going on a family agreement to buy a dessert only 1 time a week. With that said, and the fact that they served him icecream AFTER denying him the cake he bought with his money, we just don't see where the learning experience is for his mistake of not getting his homework sheet signed. (how does cake relate to homework - period?) Anyway, the teacher called, apologized and said its just "something we've always done when kids don't get their work done, we just tell them they can't get dessert".
I am disappointed in the school system, for several reasons, this time because they've taken control of food choices now - a basic need. Lunch is one of the very few parts of a childs day that they can't be 'wrong' about things... you can't pass/fail at lunch, and for some kids (like ours) this is important to have. A part of the day that is NOT pass/fail activity. If they don't want kids to have the privilege of having a dessert treat - then why serve it at all? There has to be a line in the sand. The teacher agreed that this would not be a problem again, and couldn't apologize more. SO - after a phone call from the teacher (that came appx 1 hour AFTER lunch that day) my child gets in the car to tell me that because he forgot to do 1 of his math assignments at night (he writes them down for himself, he failed to write it down at school) he couldn't order FRUIT. I wanted to ram my head into a brick wall. I had to say to myself, "I talked to her AFTER this happened..... this is no longer an issue."
crayon muffins
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
creative H20
You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762
Lawn Experts
We decided this year we wanted soft, pretty grass - or at least a little better then we have. Yes, there are bigger issues at hand and YES there are other things we could focus on, and YES this is about GRASS. But this is about US, our kids play in the yard. We've been driving toward being outdoors more then indoors - even giving the go ahead to our toddler to play as much as he wants in the rain as long as it's not freezing cold, or thundering and lightening. Do I care that he's muddy and wet? Nope! He's only a kid once!! We just make sure he's not in his best clothes or shoes.
So I researched, and hired a company who's motto should indicate that they do a spectacular job. Their online feedback comments were terrific and I even polled a local mom's web forum to ask other moms if they'd used them and received only positive feed back (though not alot of comments) and I went with that. I talked with the company, they assured me that the grass would be fuller, and healthier. They even explained to me that we currently had 3 different types of grass growing on our lawn, and the 3 we have aren't the 'best' we could have in this area... So I was sold (not an easy thing to do) on the promotional speech, I bought the package. It was a pricey aeration and seed/feed visit, and then 3 'treatments' for weed/feed and 'greening' the lawn. This included insect control and and fire ant treatment, which we desperately needed - at the time of their initial visit we had about 14 mounds in the yard. After losing my brother to anaphylaxis from a fire ant bite, I'm pretty sure about not having them in our yard if we can help it.
Long story short - these photos sum up what happened to my yard. I received a call on Tuesday to confirm my aerate and seed (Tuesday it rained ALOT here and I had water standing in the yard) and I asked "are you sure this is a good time to do this?".... I was assured it was the BEST possible conditions for this to be done...... anyone care to give me their opinion of our outcome?? I'll post more on this as it happens... right now we're disgusted.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
mud puddle bribery
boring chicken
Monday, September 15, 2008
I went blank
I had my first anaphalactic reaction about 5 years earlier then Mike, and I just knew that he had a severe allergic reaction and told him how similar his symptoms were to my own - but that particular occasion, the ER doctors diagnosed him w/ severe dehydration. It was reaction #2 that confirmed that he had anaphalaxis. Knowing the first episode was anaphalaxis wouldn't have saved him; it's a increasingly more dangerous situation with each reaction. Even feeling sure of myself in knowing that he was up against something bigger then him with this medical condition, and it's completely random onset, I sit and wonder about the 'what if's' way too often...
This phone call brought emotions to the surface, I even excused myself from company for a moment to catch my breath because I went blank, I couldn't think straight when I ran through the events that led up to my brother's death. I miss my brother so much, there are days that it hits me like a car slamming into a brick wall at full speed - and it hurts so deeply at times that I can't talk to him, it literally takes my breath away.
frugal on toys
The weekend was calm, as the gas stations around us all began to run out of gas on Friday mid-day. We spent most of the weekend at home and had Meme and Papaw over for dinner Saturday night. The only venturing out was locally for a bite to eat for lunch today and a few close errands; it's amazing how quickly the fuel supply was wiped out around here. Our last update on our family in Texas is that they're safe and sound. They lived outside of the major disaster area, thankfully.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
another check mark ....
Let me start by saying that we have circumstances w/ our child that prevent us from just saying 'ok' to any school, putting it gently and respectfully - our oldest fairs better in a smaller group setting. His IQ is in the 'well above average' range, he read on a 9th grade level (he is in 5th grade, and the is youngest in his peergroup), and is 1 grade ahead of his peers in many areas of math. However, when it comes to social maturity and social behaviors, he's a little behind the curve and performs at his grade level (socially) as long as he's in a smaller group. Because of this, we take into consideration how large the public school system classrooms have become. Most of the classrooms in our local AND private schools are 25+ students per class with one teacher, and a part time assistant. We hand picked the school he attends and it's an IB school that offers a classroom opportunity to him that many other schools in the system do not, he has a peer group of 10 on average in his classroom, the cultural mix is almost 50/50, the school scores are higher then our other school options, the school is in a community setting (literally in the center of a large neighborhood) and has the atmosphere of school when I went.... downside, it's 17 miles from our home and with the city traffic that's 30-45 min one way on any given day and 25 min at the very best.
The commute alone puts a check mark on the 'pros' of homeschooling, along with the rising gas prices! But we're not weighing our decision lightly, with the sensitive situation with our oldest in general, we are making a very thought out decision for his educational needs....today, I'm completely frustrated with what happened Friday and some force of nature held me back from turning my car around and possibly embarrassing myself and my children. If you've ever read Love and Logic Parenting then you're going to understand our decisions in homework recently. We have had major problems in the past with accountability and responsibility, even on the smallest levels, with our oldest and as a result we've had to re-train ourselves to make sure we're holding him accountable. The best concept in the LL books in my opinion is that when a child is small, the price tag for mistakes is much smaller then those of older children/teens/adults. Love allows children to grow through their mistakes, logic happens when we allow them to live with the consequences of their choices.
So... on to the choice he made. He's given a small homework assignment each day (30-45 min max) and with that, he's to write down in his agenda what assignment he did and then have us sign it to acknowledge that he did his work. The key in this is that he is supposed to remember to do this! School's been in for roughly 3 weeks now, and each day for the first two weeks I said the same thing over and over (Jonathon even got frustrated with hearing it) "each night before bed I expect your agenda to be on the counter for our review, along with any homework that needs signing". Each day for those two weeks, I caught myself using that quote as a way of reminding and rescuing him - old habits die hard. So this past week on Sunday I cut that off, as parents we agreed to stop it all together, because what was happening was we were being trained to remind him and the results are not that he becomes responsible, they're that he becomes co-dependant! Sunday we said to him "we've bought a special tray for things to be signed and it's on the bar, every night before you go to bed anything that needs signed needs to go there, otherwise it will not get signed." Sunday night went fine, he got us to sign (weekend reading assignment) because of that speech. Monday night, not so well. Tuesday morning in the car he frantically remembers that I haven't signed, and blames me. I asked him if he put it in the tray for signing? Once I asked this he became frustrated, but accountable. I did not sign the paper in the car, that wouldn't have helped him be responsible at night! I'm not being difficult, we made the decision of when papers were to be signed as a group - him included. We're holding him to that, with the exception of a true emergency - things are to be put on the bar for signing before bed. Tues night and Wed night he remembered just fine but Thurs night he slipped up again and didn't get it signed as well as didn't complete one of his writing assignments. We knew he didn't complete it, and it wasn't for a lack of time - he bolted out of the dining room insisting he was 'all done' and wanted to go play.... in checking that evening after he went to bed I discovered he didn't complete his assignments. We give him an opportunity (time) to do his work, if he chooses not to use that opportunity wisely, then he has natural consequences.
Fast forward to Friday (this could turn into the longest post I've ever written, sorry - I'm frustrated!), he gets to school w/o his signed agenda and with a half-done homework assignment. Fridays are special, because we give him and extra dollar to buy himself a sweet treat. He makes terrific food choices all week, eats things most teachers won't eat (spinach, greens, etc) at school, and as a weekly treat we let him buy cake or a cookie on Friday. He looks forward to this like I look forward to Starbucks. So he goes in the lunch line, buys his lunch and a slice of pound cake and sits to eat.... when his teacher comes over to tell him he 'cant have cake today' because of his not doing his homework. WHAT?????? We pay for lunch!!! We do not believe in using basic needs as a tool of discipline. Basic needs are a given. True, cake isn't a basic need - but the lunch process is, the choice making for lunch is his and we trust him with that responsibility. I wonder, had I packed his lunch and included a brownie or cookie, would he have been denied that? I pay, my choice - that's how I see it. Secondly, Fridays are 'fun Fridays' in the class for those kids who have accumulated enough 'points' to earn a 30 min break from the regular routine and enjoy a short educational film or activity outside the norm. What was Friday's activity?? MAKING ICECREAM SUNDAY'S!! He had enough points to earn it, and got himself an icecream Sunday. I wonder if the teacher realizes her cake removal process was redundant, as she says "you can't have cake right now, but you can have icecream later" - where's the learning opportunity??
I'm so frustrated right now. We've implemented a system of logical consequences at home, setting limits and allowing mistakes to become a learning opportunity in order to reinforce responsibility. He knows I'm frustrated with his teacher, he could tell by the 'OMG' look on my face when he told me.... further, he told me that he gave his cake to a teacher!! I hate to start cake wars, so I'm really soul searching on how to handle this with tons of tact and not come across like a 'you took my kids cake' type of parent. I do feel this one is worthy of my stepping in, and don't feel it's a helicopter rescue move (from the book)...I'm setting up an email and I'll probably re-type it 10 times over. I'm in 100% agreement that there should have been a consequence, and I'm not even going to give suggestions or opinion in what they should be, that's her job - I will address that we allow our child to chose his food as a responsibility and we aren't in agreement with using food as a discipline measure... even though cake isn't on the food pyramid - he buys it 1 time a week and that's our family agreement! He got to choose the day of the week he wanted a sweet treat, and he chose Friday! Anyone have suggestions???
Friday, September 12, 2008
quick post
- We have family in Texas, and because of that we're even more interested in watching how this storm plays out.... We're hoping for the best possible scenario in this catastrophic storm.
- I watched gas prices go up 50¢ during one round trip of commuting to school this morning. I drove past the station on my way out, and it was 3.69 - on my way back home, same station was 4.19. Lines are out to the roads, and many places are completely out of gas. Interestingly enough a friend sent me this link today.... great timing, eh?
- I'm not going to make a political speech here, or even promote my choice in this race... I will say that I'm a little done with the 'lipstick' wars and more interested in getting to know how the real issues would be handled by either party if they're elected to be president. Right now, it seems that there's a highschool feud going on - and it's disappointing that during a tragic, deadly storm - that we're still seeing highlights of the 'lipstick' crap on TV. Let's move on people... we're wasting precious airtime. Personally I think both parties should be smart enough at this point in the game to understand that some bullying, teasing, and off the cuff remarks are expected.
- I got my photo book in, I mentioned that here. I'm happy with the book itself, the photos printed nicely and the text/font is dark and a nice size to read. I'm NOT so happy with the delivery/carrier - it arrived in a bent, crushed and partially opened package. The book is a hardback w/ a linen blue cover and would be absolutely great if it weren't bent on the corner!! I do plan to order a few more, even though the software left a little to be desired, it was easy to use overall.
- One final thing to share.... as I was posting this, CNN was showing video footage of Ike coverage in Galveston TX - I couldn't help but giggle when I saw this photo. At least during all of this disaster, this person found a little humor still...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
a "lesson" in cleanliness
Do you ever wonder how some people are able to rise to certain positions of power . . . even though they clearly don't have the necessary skills for the job? Here's what I'm talking about . . .
On Monday, the principal of Peyton Elementary School in Peyton, Colorado. . . a guy named Michael Auclaire . . . made students handle a bag of human feces . . . in order to teach them a lesson on CLEANLINESS.
Apparently, the bathroom used by the fourth and fifth-grade girls was constantly a mess . . . and Michael and the janitorial staff were sick of cleaning up after the little brats.
So to teach them a lesson, Michael collected a bunch of feces and urine in a bag . . . and forced students to put on a glove and look inside the bag.
According to Michael, the intention was to get the kids to understand that it's inappropriate to defecate on the floor or toilet seat . . . but he now realizes that having students handle a bag of waste was "not the best thing to do." (Gazette)
not forgotten
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
green with frugalness
- I buy Luvs brand diapers for our toddler - we started with Pampers swaddlers when he was a newborn, then while I was buying Stage 1 Pampers another mom gave me the tip off that Luvs are made by the same company as Pampers and I should consider giving them a try. I did, and they worked out great for us, so we've just used them exclusively. I find coupons in the weekly paper for Luvs often - usually $1.00 off (this past week had them).... you can go online and print a coupon here once you register for the welcome pack. Target is selling the Family Pack of Luvs (box) for 15.00 ea AND you get a $5.00 gift card (until September 13th) for the purchase of two. So in my opinion, if I have to have them anyway, it's much better to have them cheaper and get a gift card to boot! Just for frugalness.....that comes to around .12¢ per diaper. Hey - while were buying them, we like to save on them ;)!
- I came across two green tips for household cleaning and I thought I'd share them. Green Daily posted a Borax article recently, and it included a link to 2 other helpful sources... This one for uses for Borax and this one for Safe Alternatives in household cleaning. I've been making alot of my own household cleaners lately, and this was a great little bit of info! After reading several articles recently about Fire Retardants - it has me thinking about things in general... things that are on my floor, things that my kids are exposed too. So, to hop back on my tree hugging freakbox - I am doing what I can to change our house. It gives ME peace of mind.
- Lastly - a frugal friend of mine sent me a nifty link to a Free 24 Page photobook - although, you do pay shipping - $5. The software is slow, and I did have to restart the program several times and even thought I'd lost my creation a few times. This isn't one for the impatient, unless you're ok with the 'autofill' on the photos. The freebie is still posted and not marked 'expired' - I'd say it's worth it for anyone who wants to make a photo book. I was able to cram about 80 pictures in mine, along with some text. I ended up making a vacation trip memory book! I have noticed by comments on the forum that the majority of those who've begun receiving theirs are very pleased. I received my confirmation email today that mine was shipped! I'm waiting patiently - I certainly can't print 80 pictures for $5!
green it up with frugal
green it up with frugal
Monday, September 8, 2008
curiosity and chemicals
Ezra's chore today was to empty all trash, and while emptying all trash he came across the small wrappers of my feminine hygiene products. Inevitable, this is bound to happen. Especially with the snazzy packaging designs. I mean, all mommies/women/girls run across the daunting monthly task of using and disposing of these creatively designed products. Right? I'm not going to make this an uncomfortable post(men would not like the ewww-gross factor if I elaborated), although it seems that I have no modesty, I threw that out the window during my pregnancy somewhere between pelvic exams and the 3rd trimester sneeze peeing... if you've been pregnant then chances are you've been there.
Anyway, back to the curiosity, Ezra comes up and asks 'what are these little green wrappers you keep throwing away?' in a very curious tone, almost as if he feels left out. I simply replied that it was not of his concern, and to please quit inspecting trash. I couldn't help but chuckle as he walked around the corner, because he seemed as if he thought I might be sneaking up to the bathroom to have snacks or chocolate. What gets me is that the branding, and the packaging has changed to become more 'trendy' looking - how is that any more pleasant? Does it make me feel better each month to say - whew, at least the wrapper is cute and green? No. And further, my 9 year old evidently thinks it's a candy wrapper, so I can't wait until my 2 yo grabs a hold of one from my bag and starts launching them like rockets.
I can't get my head around this, how it is that the makers of all of these chemicals didn't think past the main objective. Why isn't product testing more intense? Doesn't it make sense that if cancer, disease, and behavioral concerns could be directly related to chemical exposure that it should become top priority to eliminate it? The very laptop I'm writing this post from is likely emitting a PBDE. I blogged in the past about different chemicals in shampoos, toothpaste, etc., and how we're trying our best at home to change within our budget in order to buy organic, perfume free, and chemical free products. It's pretty insane how many baby products contain Quaternium at high rates, it's also pretty interesting how many products I found with triclosan in them. I know we're not saving the world in our house by making a few changes, I know alot of eyes roll when I say 'we buy 75% organic' and that is even evolving toward clothing, and other products outside of food... but what I know is that it makes me feel better about my children and their exposure to chemicals. I realize not everyone agrees, and that doesn't bother me - I'm ok with making choices like that and dealing with the eye rolling. I just read alot, probably too much, and what I read doesn't make me too happy lately when it comes to chemical exposure. I also realize that I have lived my life exposed to most of this, and that it's been good enough for me, but I just sleep better at night knowing I'm doing what I feel is right for me and my family. I can't change genetics, but I can check a label for a chemical - in most cases I've ran across there's a 10-20 cent difference in an alternative product, and many times no price difference at all. According to this article, there are some very simple steps to take in order to 'go green' in a simple way. This is all we've done, with the exception of #7 (hopefully at Christmas I can afford to change this too!) - we're doing what I like to call 'simple green' living as much as possible, and it doesn't really bother the budget. It definitely eases my mind just a bit. I'm off my 'tree hugger' freak rant now. Goodnight to all!!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
over the weekend...
How to create "trouble"....
- First - get a truck or rolling toy of some sort (train or car works)
- Second - find dirt... if no dirt is available, pile blocks, boxes, or objects in general
- Third - ram the truck/car/train through the dirt....
- Fourth - repeat - over and over and over
little J says to mommy: "Oh no, mommy, the truck has trouble!"
changing bits & pieces
Saturday, September 6, 2008
some changes coming this way soon
I haven't posted anything in a few days because this has been on my mind - we have a few really great reasons to make sure privacy is kept private :) - no offense to anyone, but we know that random people can read about our lives and there are a few minor tweaks I wanted to make in order to protect the little ones...
So, yes, I'll still be
Monday, September 1, 2008
all aboard!
Sidenote - I've been noticing a few interesting location hits on the blog and wondering who the readers are.... who's in Greenville NC? Who's in Walstenburg, NC?? I'm curious and have some family/friends in Eastern NC... I'm trying to keep up with you too!! I don't broadcast the blog to the world - so I know it's family/friends most likely ;). I'd love to hear from you!!!