alphabetical posting

I have come to a conclusion...  I need to blog more!  I've tried to do it.  I want to do it but I keep letting life and my many minions get in my way.  being a homeschooling mom to four does somewhat hamper my concentration skills a tad.  so here's what I'm going to do!  each day this month (well, I hope each day), I will do a post relating to the letters of the alphabet.  I will start tomorrow if I can't crank one out later on today.  that will still leave me enough days to complete the alphabet.  then hopefully I will be in the habit of posting so I won't have to give myself a challenge to get it done.  I really want to do this.  I want to grow as a blogger but things have been so crazy here with the mystery illness that will not leave and whatnot.  so now starts my renewed vigor!  I will do this!  are you with me?  (don't everyone comment all at once now :-P)

save with this idea

with spring on it's way and summer right on it's tail, the electric bill will soon be showing the effects of the s/c running again.  I live in FL so it's been running here for weeks.  but here's an idea to save a little electricity and money as well.

clean your filter!  no, I don't mean change it like you're supposed to.  I mean clean it.  I don't currently have one of the reusable ones for my a/c.  we keep saying we'll get one but yeah, it doesn't happen.  anyways, we use those regular, cheap a/c filters.  they claim they last 30 days.  pppffftttt!  yeah, right!  maybe in some house up north in the middle of a city.  not in a mobile home in FL on a dirt road with poultry and a pine farm next door.  so, once or twice a week, I vacuum that little baby off.  yes, really.  I get the filter out and vacuum it off.  it extends the life of the filter to the actual 30 days it claims and it saves electricity cause the a/c doesn't have to work so hard to pull the air!  when you're saving electricity, you're saving money (and the planet).

here's a random picture of one of my hens.  she likes the mimosa.  I guess it offers pretty good cover from the hawks.  she is one of the many reasons I have so much dust!

popularity pays!

we all know that I like to make money while being online, right?  well, I have decided to share a bit about one of those sites that brings in extra money for me.  that site is Calyp. 
now to explain the blog title.  they used to pay you per click on your ads.  due to abusive practices, they have changed it to now they pay you to endorse the ads.  how much you get paid depends on your "reach" or how popular you are.  wow, I think I just lost an IQ point there and went back to high school.  anyways, that's how they pay you.  if you have less than 500 friends/followers/connections then you get a piddly 20cents per share.  if you have 501 to 2000 then you get 40cents.  next level is 80cents and then there's another level where you get $2 per share!  you get paid once a month on a visa card, around the middle of the month.
you may be asking if it's worth it.  well, I tend to think it is.  I am in the second tier right now where I make 40cents per share.  since I can share 4 ads per day, I can conceivably make about $48 a month for just a few minutes a day.  that is not too bad!  I am pretty close to the third tier.  yep, you just did the math right.  I could make around $96 a month.  this of course depends on ads being available each day.  some days you may not have four new ads to post, so of course there's no money that day or only money for the new ones you post.
now for the realistic cons of the site.  the customer service is pretty lacking.  also they apparently have a rather pathetic knowledge of a calendar.  cause they will tell you that the card load date is the 10th.  that's not the day it's actually loaded onto your card, it's several days later.  but all that aside, I still recommend it for a pretty little chunk of money each month for very little work.
if you don't have the reach, why not get the reach?  get yourself a twitter account and get yourself some followers.  it's easy as pie!  need some help?  just ask and I will do what I can to help you out.  don't miss out on this easy money just for endorsing products.

Baby Shower Celebration Swaddle Designs Giveaway

I am joining in with Tots and Me to celebrate the birth of her baby boy.  Her baby shower celebration has been extended into April due to unforeseen circumstances. The review that follows is written by Tots and Me

A few weeks ago I shared a little bit about Swaddle Designs

We were sent an Angry Birds Body Suit and a Angry Birds Marquisette Blanket to try out. I have to tell you I was a little leery at first with it being Angry Birds. I had hardly ever heard of them. I was not sure if this was a show or a video game or what. And the name doesn't sound very babyish. (What can I say, I don't pay attention to popular culture, never have).  Little did I know that, 

"Angry Birds by Rovio is a phenomenally popular game.  Angry Birds is the

fastest growing brand in the world with over 600 million downloads.  Little

boys and girls, teens, men, women, grandmas and grandpas - all love playing

Angry Birds.  The game is entertaining to people of all ages, genders and

geographies, and is fun for family members to play together during snuggle

time"

After receiving the blanket and bodysuit I decided the Angry Birds were quite cute and suddenly my hubby was obsessed with the game on his phone. 

The blanket has become one of my favorites to wrap baby Harold up in. I have to say I have another Swaddle Designs receiving blanket. Right about the same time I was contacted with an affirmative from Swaddle Designs to help sponsor my Baby Shower Celebration, I also won an Ultimate Receiving Blanket. While I like the Ultimate Receiving Blanket I still struggle to swaddle with the material of this blanket being thicker. It is a lovely blanket and I use it for multiple things. However, the marquisette blanket is a thinner material and easier for me to swaddle with. Here is a description from their site:

" SwaddleDesigns Marquisette Swaddling Blanket is made from premium cotton in a lightweight open weave design. Marquisette is similar to gauze, however marquisette has a softer hand because of the finer threads and higher thread count. SwaddleDesigns offers the finest, highest quality lightweight swaddling cloths on the market."

I love the large size of these blankets. At first I struggled with them being so big. But after some practice, using the instructions sewn onto the blanket, I have been able to swaddle the baby successfully. 

Ta-da:

Sometimes he will calm down as soon as he realizes he is being wrapped up. 

The only problem I am having now is that he prefers his arms out.

By the way, the rolled up blanket that is helping to prop him up is an Ultimate Receiving Blanket. I have to practice some more with the thicker material to get it to swaddle nicely. But it makes a nice support or regular blanket. Plus I am sure it would make a great cover up for nursing or maybe a floor blanket for play when he gets older. 

The quality of both is remarkable, very highly recommended.

You may have noticed in the above pictures that he is wearing his Angry Birds bodysuit. I just love it. Swaddle Designs carries both long sleeve and short sleeve body suits. They sent us a short sleeve one to review. Which is perfect seeing as the weather is getting warmer. In the picture below it was a chillier day and he was wearing a long sleeve onesie underneath it. 

The quality of the body suit is wonderful. It is made of soft 100% cotton knit and has just the right amount of stretch to it. The neck opening expands perfectly, no snaps to worry about there. Speaking of snaps, the ones in the crotch area are great. Having had many baby outfits over the years, I have had snaps that are too hard to open, some that are too hard to close, some that are both. I also have dealt with snaps that won't stay closed. These snaps stay closed wonderfully and they are not too hard to snap or undo. Just right.

Once again, very highly recommended.

Okay, so I have to share two more pictures. I have tried the body suit with two different outfits and would love to know which you think is cuter. This will be in the Rafflecopter for some easy extra entries.

A) Over the top of a long sleeve onesie with red pants.

B) No extra onesie with denim pants.

The one concern I did have with the body suit is that the red rim cuff is a little tighter than some of the other body suits we have and it was a bit of a struggle to get the long sleeves pulled through without bunching up.  Other than that, the bodysuit is perfect.

You can purchase your own Angry Birds Bodysuits and marquisette receiving blankets, as well as many other designs from Swaddle Design.  The body suits come with your choice of bird in a small image or large image (as shown above).  The blankets come with your choice of bird or with the multi bird print (as shown above). Personally I like the multi-bird print. They also carry Ultimate Receiving Blankets, Swaddle Duos, Baby Lovies, Baby Burpies, zzZipMe Sacks and plush toys in the Angry Birds Collection. 

Don't forget to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

To help celebrate Baby Harold's birth, Swaddle Designs is offering one lucky reader their choice of Angry Bird body suit (in your choice of bird and size) or an Angry Birds Marquisette Receiving Blanket.

 Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. I have to mention that I know I do not usually have so many entries on my Rafflecopter forms. However, these wonderful ladies are helping to share my Baby Shower Celebration and I offered them a spot or two on said form. Remember, you don't have to fill in every entry (there are only 2 mandatory entries) but each entry you complete increases your chances for winning and I would love for you to follow these great ladies who are helping me.

Disclosure: I received  an Angry Birds Bodysuit and Marqisette Blanket for free as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and will be good for my readers.

baby shower celebration giveaway!

I am joining in with Tots and Me to celebrate the birth of her baby boy. Her Baby Shower Celebration has been extended into April due to unforeseen circumstances. The review that follows is written by Tots and Me.

A few weeks ago I shared a little bit about Picky Sticky

These milestone monthly onesie stickers are great! I have so far used 3 of the stickers. The pack I chose had a "0" month for newborn, and while I didn't get to use it on the day of baby Harold's birth (because I hadn't received them yet) I used them as soon as I could. 

Don't you just love the cute little dinosaur.

Each month the dinosaur is different.

These hand designed stickers are super cute and so easy to use. They come packaged in a cellophane package and each month's sticker is on it's own backing. 

They come off very easily and are a cinch to apply to your baby's onesie. As they are transparent you can choose whatever color plain onesie you think will complement your design. When you are done taking your pictures the sticker comes off easily and can even be reused. I decided to put mine on a sheet of computer paper onto which I will then write any special memories as they happen in the coming month. I plan to keep the papers in baby Harold's baby book. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with to reuse your stickers. (It is almost Earth Day after all). There are so many designs to choose from. Check out the Picky Sticky site. There are choices for boys and girls and even neutral stickers for those who prefer NOT to know the gender of their baby beforehand. In addition there are First Milestone Stickers and Belly Stickers for pregnant mommies. I think these would make a wonderful baby shower gifts and right now they are on sale (the sets that are usually $19.95 are currently $12.95).  They also offer free shipping for orders over $20.00 Don't forget to check Picky Sticky out on Facebook and on their blog. Of course, as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration you have a chance to win a set of your very own Picky Sticky Monthly Milestone Onesie Stickers. Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. I have to mention that I know I do not usually have so many entries on my Rafflecopter forms. However, these wonderful ladies are helping to share my Baby Shower Celebration and I offered them a spot or two on said form. Remember, you don't have to fill in every entry (there are only 2 mandatory entries) but each entry you complete increases your chances for winning and I would love for you to follow these great ladies who are helping me. Disclosure: I received  a set of Picky Sticker Monthly Stickers for free as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and will be good for my readers.

dangerous foot fashion mistake

did you know that not only is wearing socks with your knock-off crocs a fashion don't, it's also a safety hazard? well, it is!

yep, that is me in my knock-off crocs and socks. that's how I do yard work. the shoes are cheap and light. the socks keep my feet from getting filthy, well mostly. they're also my husbands so too big for me. I LOVE them!!! anyways, about them being a safety hazard... 

we had a small fire in the yard. the poultry yard to be exact. grass was pretty dry. okay, we're talking drought conditions and it was really overgrown. not good at all! so, it caught fire just out of reach of the hose. so me being the brave one that I am decided to help stomp out the parts that were heading into the pasture. yes, I did this while wearing my ever so fashionable knock-off crocs and socks! so, there I am stomping out little fires with my oversized foam shoes on. 

it was going great! the flames were being smothered! I was doing a great job! then my foot got to feeling hot. so I started to use the other foot. what a stroke of pure genius! yes, the other foot! so there I go again, stomping out the little fires. they're all dying beneath my feet. it's awesome. I'm saving the pasture! I'm saving the cow farm behind us! I'm saving the pine farm next door! I am woman hear me ROAR! 

oh wait, now that foot is getting hot. ouch, real hot! I pull my foot out of the shoe. wow, my sock is singed. I check the other foot. yup, that one is singed too. yeah, you know those holes in the sides of the shoes. the flames, angry at me for stomping on them decided to climb in and burn my feet! can you believe that? totally rude. burned my feet. and of course cause I am just that cool, it was in fact both feet. but at least I had my socks on so it was only the fuzz from the socks that got burned. but yeah, learn from me... it's a fashion don't and also a safety hazard! those holes mean fire can crawl right on in there and bite ya!

it's Raining CASH!!!! giveaway :-)

  Welcome to the $550 It's Raining Cash Giveaway hosted by Giveaway Promote.   We've joined a fantastic group of bloggers to give away $550 in cash via PayPal to one lucky person. Just complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.   Bloggers, join us in an upcoming giveaway event! Sign up and we'll keep you posted about future group events, like this one, hosted by Giveaway Promote. If you'd also like to hear about all other events currently open for blogger sign-ups, subscribe to Giveaway Promote's weekly group giveaway events and hops newsletter.  

This giveaway is open worldwide. It will end at 11:59pm EST on April 29th, 2012.

smells like a BBQ

it smells like a BBQ in here thanks to some wildfires.

this is the view from the front of my house.  that road is a mile long almost exactly.  usually I can see most of the way down it.  today I can barely see the crossroad one block up.

this is the view from the back of my house.  our property goes to the other side of those big trees.  of course these pictures don't really do it justice.

this morning would have been perfect for open windows.  it was cool with a light breeze.  it was that breeze that blew all this smoke in though.  I can't wait til the fire is out.

my random thoughts on the hunger games trilogy

yes, I am sure you've seen many reviews on this trilogy.  but I'm throwing my pennies into the mix.

pros - it was really well written.  the characters were well developed and it was easy to relate to most of them.  most of the time it was a real page turner and hard to put down.

cons - the ending was really a let down.  in my humble opinion it was as if they were just tired of writing the books and quickly ended it with a minimum of fuss and resolution.  yes, the two that I was pulling for did end up together but it was just so sudden an end.

would I recommend the books?  sure.  they were a good read.  I had all three done in less than two weeks.  I can generally read a book in less than two days but things have been nuts here with spring cleaning and a sickness that is moving in cycles through the house.  I did enjoy the books and may one day read them again.  I'm not convinced I will see the movies for them though.  I am often very let down when books go big screen. 


so there are my pennies.  one of them is shiny and the other a little tarnished but they're mine and I am tossing them in the barrel!




I started reading Stealing Jenny last night...  I'll let ya know what happens.  as in if I finish it or it goes to unfinished bookland like Mayhem did (I started it but stopped probably 1/3 of the way through due to being irked that none of it made sense to me).

Passover Rhapsody

to you and yours....  have a great weekend!

the book samaritan

 have you ever heard of the book samaritan?  if you're a homeschooling family, you can't afford not to have heard of them!  they are a group that gives out free homeschooling books and supplies to families that need some help.  most home school families are one income families and can use a little help in getting all the books needed to school their child or children. 

this picture shows most of what I was sent last year for my three older children (the toddler is not old enough for this yet).  do you see those Bob books!?!  yeah, all those were just given to us!  it's been such a huge blessing to us the past couple years.  we do buy items ourselves so it's not like they're covering everything for us.  this shipment was in response to me asking for mainly math and reading materials.  we don't live terribly close to a library so I prefer to own lots of books for the children.  I could not believe how much we got. 

if you're a homeschooling family with things you no longer need, you can donate them to the book samaritan as well.  that is how they have this much to give out to families who are struggling.  I have a box ready to go out to them myself when I can afford the shipping.  even with media mail shipping it still costs and honestly, money is tight!  but I plan to have it sent out by summer so it can be sent out to families for the next school year.

so, seriously, check them out.  the website is being redone right now but still, what they do is so awesome!

trying to read a series

as has been stated many times in my life, I am not normal.  I finally decided to tackle reading the hunger games books.  not because I want to see the movie but because I had a bunch of friends say how awesome it is.  well, it took me several chapters into the first book to get hooked.  now I am at part II of book two.  I have hit a point where in all honesty I could walk away from it.  I will finish it just out of my need to finish things (unless they are horrid).  I mean I even finished reading a stupid book I got for free off amazon for my kindle.  it has nearly 5 stars but was dumb in my opinion.  it lacked any real endings!  but finish it I did!  so I will endure to the end of the hunger games.

oh on a totally off note - I left my first book review on amazon!  wanna check it out?  it's here :-)

clicking for pennies

are you a member of superpoints network yet?  if not, you are missing out on free money for the simple act of clicking a button each day.  this is what I did last night...

yep, I cashed out for another $10 in paypal cash!  you're wondering what you have to do to be able to do that, right?  well, it's simple really.  you just click the button and hope you get points from it.  you can earn from no points all the way up to the hundreds (those are rare though).

here's the button...

and here's why I refer to it as the psychedelic button cause this is what it looks like when you spin it...

another cool thing that you can get from superpoints is points in your email!  how cool is that?  yeah baby!  free points just for checking your email...

so, are you ready to join and click that button?  what are you waiting for?  stop missing out and start earning pennies just from clicking a button.  could it get any easier?

any port in a storm

I like that motto.  I say it a lot.  I don't always mean it as serious as it is meant to be.  but I like the thought on a whole.  be accepting of that which you are offered, given or have.  apparently I am instilling that in my children....

this is my little man.  he's a thumb sucker as you can see.  he also likes to have a tag while he sucks said thumb.  usually he has a pair of his old jammie pants that he uses for the tag.  apparently he couldn't find it and wanted his tag and thumb right that minute.  so, any port in a storm!  he pulled his shirt up so he could get to the side seam tag on it.  tell me you didn't just go " awwww "

where's the volume control?

the sounds of right now...  how do I turn it down!?!

• small plastic blocks spill across the building table.  some spatter across the foam tiled carpet under the table.
• the playpen creaking as toddle settles down for his nap.
• glow worm (need I say more?)
• children barking (don't ask)
• a chicken clucking and scratching outside (maybe that's the turkey)
• the fan in my computer
• the fan on the fridge
• the fan on the ceiling (wow, that's a lot of air movement in this house!)
•  my stomach growling (eating should be in order)
• toddler humming to himself
• general chatter from three talkers
• socked feet sliding over foam tiles
• MORE barking (they bark more than the dog o.O)

there is never silence.  never real quiet.  never true "ahhhhh, peace" moments.  but we're happy and we're never bored....

now, where's the remote so I can turn it down a notch?  I wanna hear some tunes!

face first off the side of the planet

the title is exactly how I feel about now.  like I've fallen off the planet.  I had/have so many things I want to do here (home and the blog) but we have a nasty stomach bug making rounds and rounds and rounds and rounds in my house.  it's not fun!  if it doesn't clear up for the man of the house it's ER time for him... so, I will return when I have a healthier house.  don't give up on me yet!

how I made cookies

I made cookies this afternoon!  I am a brave woman.  here's how cookies get made in my house...  at least today how they got made.

step one - clean up the stove top and find a bowl big enough for the dough.  while looking for the bowl, find that four year old who fights sleep like a pro has passed out on the couch in a rather awkward position.  go find camera.  grumble cause the battery is low and first attempt at a pic doesn't work.  try again.  it's blurry.  try one more time.  this pic is also blurry but you have cookies that need making!  put camera away while mentally updating your FB status with the pic.  I don't have a cool phone that takes the pic and will let me post it.  and I would have to drag out the cord and then open my photo program and I'm trying to make cookies here!  back to the kitchen.

step two - find an unopened jar of peanut butter.  my recipe uses a whole jar and I am making a double batch so I need one of the big jars.  once that is found, it's time to look for a measuring cup.  oh good!  it's clean and in the cabinet.  I place that on the stove top with the bowl, spoon and jar of peanut butter.  get sugar down and measure out the amount needed.  then go to fridge and get eggs.  start cracking eggs into the measuring cup, checking them for blood (hey now, it's not uncommon in home-raised birds that are younger).  get those into the sugar.  start mixing.  realize you need a bigger spoon or a better hand.  opt for the first option and head off to find the spoon in question.

step three - save toddler.  toddler has managed to wedge his 40 pound self into an opening roughly 8 inches high by 12 inches wide (under the arm of a chair).  well, only half of him.  the back half.  I try to work him out of there but chunk is stuck!  I consider my options.  option one - leave him there and go wake up my sick hubby.  I realize that since he's sick that it's probably gonna be harder to get toddler out, probably resulting in him wanting a saw to get him out so I toss that option.  option two - attempt to break the chair.  yes, this is a good option!  no, wait, nevermind.. that is my toddler in there!  option three - shove him really hard til he goes thru.  this one fails, I tried it.  I would shove, he shoved back *sigh* so I went with option four - take off his sweat pants and diaper, protect his boy bits and slide him back thru.  SUCCESS!!

step four - go rediaper the toddler.  return to kitchen and wash hands.  finish mixing the cookie dough.  pull out pan to be used and turn on oven.  start spooning dough onto pan and mess up, several times resulting in "two-by" cookies as my children refer to them.  get so distracted by shiny things, small children and FB that you burn at least two of the six batches you make.  wait, did I say six?  oh no!  make that burn at least three of the seven batches you make.  thankfully none of them were burned to the point they couldn't be eaten, just darker than the family prefers and a little less chew to them.

step five - sample the cookies, many times.  have your helper minion sample them many times.  uh-oh!  hubby is up...  wait, he's sampling them too.  at this rate I may not need to make dinner.  oh well, there's the voice of reason.  no more cookies right now children.  off with you!

so, cookies were made and eaten.  a life was saved in the mix as well.  yes, it was life or death!  we thrive on dramatics here.  I do have two little girls after all.

are you ready for a party?

Big News!  Swag Bucks is having a party tomorrow!  they're celebrating being around for four whole years!

in addition to codes galore (rumored at being 130sb worth) there is a team challenge where you can earn bonus bucks!

there should be lots of fun and even more insanity on their Facebook page and on Twitter!

the huge part of it is that FOUR people will win $1000 each!  how awesome would that be?  so, break out the bubbly and let's celebrate!  get there early and plan to stay late.  it's gonna be awesome!!!

not already a member?  well then sign up and join in the fun with me and nearly 1 million other users! 

upgrade for momma!

for quite some time now, this is how I have been computing.

yes, my little computer sitting right next to the big gaming computer used by my beloved (side note - see that massive monitor, the one on the right?  yeah, I payed for it with money earned from SwagBucks).  no storage space or anything.  it was hard!  now, thank to a neighbor moving, I have been upgraded!  this is my new computing home....

do you see all those shelves?  the door?  the file drawers?  okay, those are pretty much hidden behind my chair.  but they are there.  it's a lot messy right now and, no, I don't plan on keeping my bread up there.  it was a quick move for me.  I had to relocate the piece of furniture that previously held my bread so until I am done organizing it, there's bread on it.  I am dedicating the door to homeschooling.  much better than the diaper box I was using.  yes, I kept all currently being used books and things in a diaper box that I carried around and stuck in odd places cause I had nowhere else to put it.  now, thanks to uber awesome neighbor (who moved away now), I have a place for it all!  my children were quite excited to be able to see the current books we are using and asked for an extra reading from one of them since they could now see it.  now blogging, GPT sites and everything else will be so much more relaxing for me.  I have a real computer home.

where's the computer for hubby you may be wondering...  well, it's still on that table.  he's happy there.  he's just a gamer afterall lol

making crayons

so, my children tend to break crayons, a lot.  I'd always heard you could melt them down and make your own so I decided to give it a whirl!  I took this mini muffin pan I have and sorted out the broken crayons into the different cups.  I tried to keep similar colors together...

I also let my daughter do some.  those would be the totally randomly colored ones.  we had a lot of fun doing it.  even better is I have crayons for Shem to use without buying those expensive toddler crayons.  this is a total win/win.

basics on how to do it.  peel all paper from crayons, sort crayons into metal nonstick pan.  put in the oven at lowest setting til they are melted.  pull out and let cool then pop them out and enjoy!  this works best with the big name brand of crayon but other brands will work too.