Tuesday Toot

It's Tootin' Tuesday again! So to toot my own horn I must say I am still excited about my store. Grand Opening is tomorrow! So although I finally got my slate board up, shelves in place and most products unpacked and priced on display I am not quite finished. I worked all day today and plan to go back in the morning to finish up a few more things. I will take a few photos of how the booth looks so far tomorrow and post for you to see. Right now I am focusing more on Christmas until the end of the year. While I am tooting my own horn I want to share with my readers that I am giving away a gift certificate to my store which you can redeem online for $20! Stay tuned and watch for the details on how to enter for a chance to win for FREE! I am so excited I wanted to give something away.

L is for....

Since I am new to blogosphere I have been recently surfing other blogs to get acquainted with other mother/women bloggers. I ran across a blog that I just loved, Crumbs in the Minivan. Cynthia had published a cute little meme which consisted of a top 10 list of favorites that begin with an assigned letter. So I commented her and asked for my letter.

The rules:

Comment on this post and I’ll give you a letter. List ten things you LOVE which begin with that letter, then post this in your journal and give out some letters of your own.

So my letter was.... L

1. Love... Okay, I know it's cheesy but to me love is so important. Loving your children, loving yourself and being loved.

2. Laughter - I love to hear my kids laugh and I love to laugh. Laughter just feels good.

3. Laziness - I love to be lazy, curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

4. Leisure - I love to use my leisure time to blog... What can I say I didn't get assigned a B so I had to make L include my favorite new obsession.

5. Lettuce - Lately I can't get enough Caesar Salad.

6. Learning - I love to learn new things, whether it is college work or a bunch of useless tidbits. I also love to see the accomplishment of my kiddos learning something new.

7. Letters - I love to get hand written letters in the mail and love to send them in return.

8. Loot - Come on, who doesn't love money?!

9. Listen - I love to listen to music...

10. Life - Finally last but not least. I love life! Need I say more?

Now let me tell you. I thought this meme would be a lot of fun but it was actually pretty hard. I had to really do some thinking in order to come up with ten favorites that all started with L. Who is with me on the challenge? If you want a letter of your own for your top ten then leave me a comment and I will send you one. I am interested in reading others top ten favorites.

Friday Fragment

Welcome to Friday Fragments, a great way to unclutter your mind with the gems you've thought of all week that were too short for a post, but too good to discard!

I found this Meme on Mrs. 4444's blog, Half-Past Kissin' Time and thought I would give it a try.

To start I want to mention the news story that has been going on for a while. Sure you've heard about it, the Casey Anthony case? I was following this case nightly on the show called On The Record with Greta until the political race took over the media. Between the presidential race and the hurricane news (which are not light subjects by any matter) I have not seen much coverage on the baby Caylee case. This case really bothered me. It is so sad, if you haven’t heard about it you should check it out online. So I know there has been much controversy about rather or not Casey killed her little girl, I want to believe she didn’t. I have such a hard time believing anyone could do such a thing. However this little girl has been missing since June. If Casey did do it, my God just admit it by now. Do murderers never feel remorse? I will never understand this but I would believe if she ever loved her daughter she would want a proper burial for her by now. If she didn’t do it, I pray that the little girl is safe and found soon.

Our family got a Wii. I have never been one of those parents who just let their kids sit in front of a video game and play nonstop. I love games but I love interaction too. My kids have owned other video games, don’t get me wrong. Matter of fact Gab still has a PS2. However I always felt the need to put limits on the amount of play that was allowed. We decided to branch out and get a Wii system. When these first came out and I saw people playing them, I thought it was so funny. All I could think is how embarrassing it would be to pretend to play tennis or jump around in front of the TV. Who would do that? LOL I do! I love it! I can honestly say I would recommend a Wii to any family. You can play games with your children and interact together. I also got the Wii Fitness program for me. I do step aerobics, yoga and other fun yet fitness related games. Maybe I should do a product review in more detail about the Wii and all the games we have tried so far…. One day.

I joined Coupon Mom. I want to be more resourceful and actually planning out our meals. I joined, I looked over it and that’s it. There is a lot of information on there and I am sure it is all very useful but right now I think I need something even more detailed and step by step for me. I have heard of several wonderful meal planning sites and other coupon sites. Maybe, Dine Without Whine? Readers, do you have any suggestions? Also is anyone interested in guest blogging about motivation?

I read about Chi Walking in a magazine the other day. What is Chi Walking? It’s a technique based on tai chi, a Chinese martial art that uses flowing movements and breathing to direct chi, or energy, through the body. So the photos in the magazine and what I read about it looks pretty cool. The headline says: “Walk off the weight in 4 weeks!” I am not wanting to go on a diet per say but I do want to become more fit and healthy. Anyone else do this Chi Walking? Again this is another great opportunity for a motivational speaker.

Banish wrinkles… Not from your skin but from your clothes. Does anyone own Esteam handheld steamer, by Jiffy Steamer Co.? I found this in a magazine as well and it looks really neat. Just curious to hear product reviews on the item from a reader. The manufacture claims once you plug it in it is ready to rid your clothes of wrinkles in about three minutes.

The last thing I want to discuss is another very sad story. Of course everyone knows about the Hurricane Ike causing destruction. Well I live in Fort Worth, TX where many residents of Houston came to find shelter nearby. There was a story on the news the other night about a family who left Houston in order to find safety in Dallas yet once here their little one year old son got hit by a car and died. I hate to say the dreaded comment of “how much worse could it get” because I am always a strong believer that it could get worse, but come on! Being ran out of their home due to a life threatening storm to only find shelter where their son is ran over? This kind of devastation makes me very thankful for my children, no matter how much they act out.

Gold Card Award - Very First One!

So I was blessed with a blog award recently! Sweet Petra from The Wise (*Young*) Mommy sent me this award. It is a Gold Card award titled BFF, Blogging Friends Forever. Not only is this an awesome award but it is my very FIRST award.

The deal is when receiving this award I have a duty to pass it on. I was given a set of rules...

Here are the rules:

-Only five people allowed
-Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog
-One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world -You must link back to whoever gave you the award

I am usually more of a rule breaker maker than a rule follower. But I am going to give this my best shot. First I have to admit, I am new to the blog world, so not many followers yet (that I am aware of). Second, I don't have followers in another part of the world, unless you count a different state.

Here it goes:

Loyal followers (or someone who has commented more than once):
Mrs. 4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' Time
Michelle from Home, Sweet Natural, Home
Barbara found at Out of the Attic
(not sure if she follows mine but I follow hers) Michelle with Mommy Confessions

My new follower:
My good friend and business partner Sabrae - new to blogosphere on Humdrum of Life

Well I think that about wraps it up. I believe I followed all the rules to the best of my ability. Now I am off to share the love and news with my award recipients!

Tuesday Toot

Okay so I have decided to join Mommy Community Tuesday Toot for the first time tonight.

I am not one to toot my own horn usually which I believe is the whole point of this meme, as they call it. But there is one accomplishment that I am working on. I have decided to open my own store, well booth actually.



This is where my booth will be located. It will contain items from my online store, Unique Diva Boutique At first I will focus on Christmas then branching out to other items. I am excited and nervous. My booth/store will be open for business come October 1st. I will keep you updated as I finish it, maybe I can toot my own horn next Tuesday to say it is up and running! Until then my toot is the fact I decided to do it and am working towards it! GO ME...

Vegas Trip - Over...

So the short and sweet trip to Las Vegas is over now. It was an extremely fast yet fun two day/two night trip. Since this wasn't my first trip we didn't do much sightseeing, therefore not many photos. However! I did manage to take a few pics of the things I was doing over the two days to share with my readers. Here is a recap!
Monday afternoon we arrived to Vegas after the dreadful smooth flight. I got to watch the Dallas Cowboys Monday night Football game at one of the casinos and watch all the fans hoot and holler. Half of the fans were there rooting on the other team. BTW did I mention at the end of the game a fight almost broke out? Crazy fans... LOL Here is a pic of the football game from my view:

So after winning a little money on the game, I got to eat my favorite: PF Changs! YUM, doesn't my food look good? :)






So on Tuesday I gambled a little. Some blackjack, some slots. Not much b/c I can't handle the thought of losing money. I played blackjack for a while and broke even, then played some games on the slots and won $200! YAY, Go Me! LOL
Here is a photo of the casino New York New York which is where I stayed.




Once the day came to an end I got ready for the night. Night life in Vegas is wild crazy bright and alive! The restaurant was so good. Have you heard of Emeril? The famous chef on television? I was blessed to eat at one of his restaurants. It was yummy!




Then after the food was the show. Since this was my third trip to Vegas I have seen most of the shows. This time I got to see David Copperfield. I used to love watching his yearly magic show on TV when I was a kid. His act was pretty good in some parts but I have to admit it was predictable in others. I hate to sound like a bad critic. :(
Here is the last photo of me in the night lights of Las Vegas.




The trip was fun and now I am home. Back to work and motherhood!

Another Guest Blogger Post

I found this guest blogger through Mom Pack which I am a member of to promote my wahm businesses. Rebecca posted this in our yahoo group and I asked if I could share with my readers her post. So here it goes:

I think the term "stay at home mom" is offensive. As a previous poster
stated, it implies that we stay at home and do nothing.

When our parents were in school they had an organization called Future
Homemakers of America. They taught young women how to make a house
into a home; how to cook; how to sew; basically how to take care of
your family. I can definitely see where we need this in today's
society. Just look at our children. They can't even dress themselves,
walking around with their pants around their knees.

I am not a SAHM. I am a mother, a wife, a homemaker, nurse, chauffeur,
psychiatrist, referee, chef, volunteer, business owner,I can go on and
on. I AM NOT a SAHM.

By: Rebecca Marshall
Jordan Essentials I.R.

Well I hope you enjoyed Rebecca's post about SAHMs. I had never thought of this point of view before but she made a good point! Check out her Jordan Essentials site!

First Guest Blogger Post

Back to School - Homeschool, That Is

by Vicki Arnold
www.SimplyVicki.com

The back to school season can be hectic for any student, whether homeschooled or traditionally schooled. Here are some tips to smooth the transition in your homeschool.

1. Look back and make notes on what worked. Most homeschool parents take some reflection time at the end of the school year, now is the time to pull out those notes and give your mind a refresher on the things you saw. The benefit of looking at this as the school year begins is that you will be able to immediately take action on your observations.

If this is your first year of homeschooling, take a look at how your child plays. Especially in the early years, your child learns through play. By noting his or her favorite games, you can gain insight into the way your child processes information.

If this is your first year of homeschooling after traditional schooling, talk to your child. Ask them what they liked best about school. One of the perks of homeschooling is the ability to build on these strengths.

2. Acknowledge what didn't work. As important as working with techniques and books that grow your child is stopping things that aren't working. Forcing you and your child to work through a workbook simply because you paid for it and don't want to waste it, will get you nowhere. Sometimes the approach is wrong for one child, but right for another and sometimes the timing is simply wrong.

It is especially important to look at what is working for your child, not what you feel most comfortable teaching. The goal of homeschooling is your child's success in his or her educational journey, not you.

3. Try something new for the new year. If your child participates in a library program, take your school work with you on those days. Or take your reading and writing to a quiet park. Sometimes a simple change in scenery is all you need to fuel the learning.

4. Find a year-long or semester-long project, something you can incorporate across the subject lines. Take advantage of that summer vacation you are planning and study about the local area, find things to do and interesting history facts. Or have your child journal weekly or daily about the things they are learning about.

Back to school doesn't have to be stressful. Take all that energy and infuse your school year with it. Study something your child finds fascinating, find a way to work it into all subjects for a period of time. And above all, relax. You will find your routine.

I hope you enjoyed our guest blogger for today. You can find Vicki on her link listed above.

Update on Glogster

So this post is a follow-up from the School Promotes Glogster post. If you haven't read that post, you might want to first.

I received several comments about this post and one specially that I wanted to share. The comment below is from Glogster themselves.

Hi DJane

Glogster here – we saw this post voicing your concerns over your daughters use of Glogster for school projects and thought we would be able to share some helpful information with you. The same tools that allow Glogster users to express themselves also provide educators with a great opportunity to provide their students with interactive tools for projects. In order to help schools, educators and parents leverage these opportunities further; Glogster will be launching an education version of Glogster. This special section of the site will be launching soon and will have many new capabilities, including the ability to keep students separated from the social network part on Glogster. We will continuously work to perfect use in this new education segment.

If you would like, we can keep you updated on the education version of Glogster. I hope this information helps you and your readers and that the new education version will afford your daughter the opportunity to use Glogster for school in a manner you feel is appropriate.

Kind regards,
Glogster

Well I have to admit that I was a little impressed when I first read their comment. I mean Glogster is apparently growing large and they took time out to place a comment on my little blog. WOW! I am also excited about the upcoming education version of Glogster to protect kids. As soon as they inform me about more news I will make sure to share with my readers. So KUDOS to Glogster for trying to clear their name!

Now..... Below is what I found on their website under the FAQ section.

What is an inappropriate content?
Inappropriate content is any content that contains racial hate, nudity, pornography or anything unsuitable for an audience of 18 years and younger. If 5 users click the inappropriate tag on your Glog, the Glog will be hidden. Then, only our administrators can change the state of your Glog. If the Glogster Team finds any Glog inappropriate, it will be erased immediately.

Readers, did you read the last sentence? Did ya? Oh go ahead and read it again, LOL. As we all know the Glogster team read my blog, they saw the links, they heard our disgust frustrations and concerns. However if you click on the link in the original blog post, the one titled Not Intended for Eyes Under 18 the glog is still listed. So did Glogster really want to clear their name? Are the FAQs just listed to make you feel secure with joining Glogster? Did they really not intend to hold their word?

Hey... Some sites are made for kids and some aren't... Who am I to judge?

BTW those who wanted to know what the Principal at the elementary school said, well let's just say she about had a heart attack!

Headed to Las Vegas

I am headed to Las Vegas. Most would be jumping for joy sitting in their airplane seats impatiently awaiting thrilled with excitement to arrive to the city of lights, where secrets are kept and the fun never ends. Not me… Well okay I take that back, I am excited and I do look forward to my two night mini-vacation, however at the moment I am scared senseless. I hate flying! I am literally sitting in my seat on the airplane trying not to believe I am on a plane. LOL That’s not working out too well for me. So I have decided to blog in order to keep myself busy. Of course this post is beginning in a MS Word document considering I do not have internet on the airplane. Oh there I go ahead thinking about flying… :( I will post this blog entry if when we land. The irony behind this whole fear of flying really stinks because I absolutely LOVE to travel. I fly all the time. It never gets easier either. I take pretty quick trips mostly so driving is just brutal and waste most of your time that could be spent sight-seeing. I love short road trips, cruises and traveling in general. Just hate flying. I guess it is something about the whole fear of plummeting to the ground in a steel object that weighs (well I don’t know how much it weighs) but a lot and the end result being death. Hell even if I was one of the lucky ones in an airplane crash that ended up with a few minor bruises, I would die of high anxiety causing a heart attack on the way down. Okay well this blog post is starting on such a wonderful light subject, LOL. Hey at least a little humor about my fear helps lighten me up.

So… onto a better note. I will have about two guest blogger posts for you this week. Since I am going to be gone and trying really hard to provide my readers with words I thought it would be a great time to branch out. So watch for the new posts coming over the next couple of days. Also I thought I might do a following post while I am in Vegas for the readers out there that might be interested in a few photos and hear how the trip is going. I will also be posting an update about the School Promotes Glogster post as soon as I get a few extra minutes.

BTW here is a photo of me sitting in my airplane seat blogging on the computer. Do I look nervous? LOL Sorry it is make-up free too, too nervous to finish getting ready this morning, will do that at the casino/hotel.

School Promotes Glogster

T comes home from school today all excited about this new site her librarian tells the fifth grade class all about. I do not allow her on MySpace so when her librarian is telling the class how she found a site that is perfect for children and so neat to create their own page, well let's just say T was sold! The librarian even tells the kids how she doesn't allow her own children to have a MySpace page but allows them to use Glogster b/c it is aimed towards children. HA HA!! At first I had never heard of Glogster, so of course when she came home I said I had to research it to decide if she was allowed to create an account. T brought home a paper that was printed out with Quick Guide Online Resources listing links and such from school today and one of the links is the schools Glogster page where they can read books and go online to take the tests. They even use this website while at school in the library. So with all this info, the paper promoting it, T telling me all she heard and finally the initial opening of the web site was... okay for the moment. Until of course I started browsing around and found trashy non-appropriate glogs for my 11 year old to view. I am in total shock! I can't believe the elementary school is promoting this. On top of that now all of T's friends were going to go home to create a site and all of them planned to network together over the weekend. Mom, once again, is the bad guy in all of this b/c I am the one who had no choice but say no. So let's link share for a moment...
The school's link for their Glog: Click Here
To view Glogster's main initial web page: Click Here
Now whatever you do, don't accidentally type in glogspot dot com b/c let's just say you will NOT end up at the right location, lol
Now here are a few glogs that I was able to browse around through within a few seconds...
Sex Education ~ All youngsters need to know this, right?!...
Not Intended for Eyes Under 18 ~ I mean come on!

Now that is just two, RIGHT AWAY that were found. Now remember... A piece of paper came home promoting this web site from my 11 year old daughter's school. Her fifth grade peers all get on this web site while at school. I just can't believe it. Yes, of course there are some really cute, innocent ones out there but is that enough? Not for me. I have decided to add a poll out there and would love for everyone to answer it. The poll is to help give me some insight as to how other parents feel about this topic. Some questions to think on....
1. Do you allow your children to get on MySpace, Glogster or other networking websites? What age is old enough?
2. Is telling your children not to look at bad things, enough but still allowing the access to be there?
3. Would you say it was okay to have their own site as long as it was kept appropriate and just tell them to not look at inappropriate things?
I would love honest comments. I know I can't control what everyone puts on the internet but I can control where my daughter goes. Or I guess I should say I will try my hardest to control where she goes. Just wonder when is the right time to trust her to make good decisions on her own. I think for now we will stick with Webkinz World, Toon Town and other Disney sites. LOL I am sure I would keep her young for ever but either way 11 is just not old enough for me.

I think all of us wahm and/or sahm should get together and create a Kid ONLY networking website for children to be safe on. Literally delete every profile or page that has one inappropriate thing (language, photo, etc.). It is so sad that kids can't do something fun/innocent without other people ruining it. If you know of a place like this, please send me the link.

Back to School

So a quick post with thoughts for the night...
Although I have a few blog posts coming soon, it is getting late tonight and I am tired. However, I do have a few thoughts I would like to post. School has been back in now since August 25th and the kids seem to be getting back on track. Things are good and we love their teachers.

Today something happened to make me feel old, LOL. No I'm not old! But I felt like one of 'those' older people who always say things like "we never had that when we were kids" or "consider yourself blessed b/c that is not a necessity". It is funny to think about it now... When T came home from school telling me she had a project due that consisted of creating a PowerPoint presentation and saving it to her flash drive (that was on the school supply list) and she needed me to teach her how to do it, well let's just say I was in shock. Now don't get me wrong, I am a total PowerPoint guru and have put together many presentations when I was part of the corporate world back in the J.O.B. days. I guess I just can't believe that computers, internet and flash drives have become a necessity even for children. I mean does every home to a 5th grader have these items? The part that was the best is when I asked T if she was learning P.P. in school and she said no. I looked at her and said what if the parents don't know how to use it?.... Her reply was, well the teacher said we could do one in MS Word if we don't have PowerPoint. LOL How convenient. I can't say that I complain because I think it is fun to work with my daughter and teach her how to use the program. I just love P.P. and have fun designing presentations. I really made her do the work though and she is learning to use a new program which is great. Although with having a sick two year old at home, I am sure glad we have a week.

Love and Logic

So as you may or may not know after my middle child, Gab had major brain surgery she changed quite a bit. Her surgery was in November 2007 so not yet a year ago. She woke up from that surgery, angry... She gained aggression, strong impulsiveness and actually in many cases has been violent. Due to all these changes and just the fact that she isn't exactly the same child she used to be for five years I have sought out changes in my parenting. After having three children who each are very different I have come to learn you can't parent them all the same. What works for one doesn't work for the other. In Gab's case what used to work on her doesn't work anymore. She almost came out of surgery with this careless attitude. Grounded from toys? Who cares... Sit in time out? Who cares... Go to bed early? Who cares... There have even been the times where we can't finish a movie at the theatre, we can't go to the theme parks for fun, she has even preferred to stay home in her room and is ready to stand up and fight like she is a grown man. Many say; well she had brain surgery, think of what she has been through, I would be mad at the world myself... But it's hard for everyone. Her, her siblings and I suffer from her new found demeanor. Although on a positive note, I will admit that today, September 1st it is a LOT better then what it was last November.
Well we do play therapy, Gab sees a psychiatrist, I have watched several doctor recommended videos and finally the most recent class I took was Love and Logic. This course was a two day class that I took the past two Saturdays. First I want to say that it is great. Honestly... I loved it. I plan to take it again, and again and again. One reason is like the old saying "hard to teach an old dog new tricks" there was so much info to take in. Becoming a love and logic parent is pretty picture perfect to tell you the truth. Something I am not, YET, okay I know, I'll never be the perfect parent (if one exists). But either way I am really wanting to try the whole: don't stress, don't raise your voice, don't argue with the kids thing. LOL Okay it is still kind of funny to think I can accomplish that but hey I said I want to TRY... There were a lot of really good ideas and points made in this class. I really do encourage mothers of all types to take it. One part that was my favorite is when we discussed the three different types of parents. There are the Helicopters, the Drill Sergeants and the Consultants. Of course learning the Love and Logic process makes you want to become a consultant parent. I think consultant parents must have low anxiety levels, which I do not. LOL I hope once everything returns to normal around my house (if there is such a thing) or maybe just calms down from the surgeries and chaos that I can become a consultant. Until then I will continue to try the new strategies and work at becoming a love and logic parent.

Contact DJane

To contact DJane:

For all questions, comments or topics related to this blog...
email - djanep05@sbcglobal.net

To get in touch to discuss questions related to Unique Diva Boutique
email - uniquedivaboutique@sbcglobal.net
web site - www.UniqueDivaBoutique.com

Interested in scheduling a party, workshop or joining Noah's Ark Animal Workshop?
email - care2beethere@sbcglobal.net
web site - www.Care2BeeThere.com

Contests & Giveaways

Click the links below to view contests and giveaways.

Seal's New Album - Soul ~ 12/2/2008

Autographed Copy of Problem with Women is Men ~ 12/1/2008 ~ CLOSED as of 12/8/08

Tiny Prints Holiday Card Contest ~ 11/2/08 ~ CLOSED as of 11/7/08

Klean Kanteen ~ My Precious Kid ~ 10/28/08 ~ CLOSED as of 11/2/08

Product Reviews

Click the links below to view each product review. Check back often as I add more.

Seal ~ Soul New Album Released November 11 ~ 12/2/2008

Klean Kanteen Product Review ~ 10/28/08