Getting to know me post.

Every Friday Heather hosts Getting to Know You over at One Womans World . This Friday she wants us all to tell Why we like to write, what else we have written or are writing besides being a blogger. She wrote a wonderfully elequent post on the subject that you can read by clicking here . But please come back and read my post, or stay and check hers out after you read mine.

I have always loved to write. I used to write poetry. I used to write short stories. I used to write in a diary every day. When I was in college I was on the school newspaper staff. I really don't know what happened, I don't know why I stopped. I know that I have missed it. Alot. I have felt like a part of me has been missing for a long time.

But since I have started to Blog, I feel like that part me is coming back. I am being awakened from a long slumber. I am a little groggy, and my writing hasn't come back to par as it once was. In time I think it will be as good as it used to be. In time maybe I will be able to write that novel I have always dreamed of writing. In time maybe I will share my poetry with the world. But for now I am content with getting back into the flow of writing. I am also enjoying reading other inspiring writers in the blogosphere and watching their writing blossom.

Deskunking your pet!

This weeks works-for-me-wednesday tip. How to de-skunk your pet. I found this recipe after I typed "my dog got sprayed by a skunk" into the google search engine. If you want to read about that fiasco, here is that story. If you want more information on this subject go to Ehow . But here is the recipe to get rid of the skunk odor on your pet.
1. Mix 4 cups hydrogen peroxide with 4 tbsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. dish-washing soap.
2. Put cotton balls in your pet's ears to protect the inner-ear tissue from the cleaning mixture, which can easily drip in.
3. Don rubber gloves to protect your hands during this process.
4. Start with your pet's head, taking care not to get solution into his eyes, ears, or mouth. Aplly a drop of olive oil or baby oil to his eyes to prevent irritation.
5. Rub mixture evenly into your pet's coat. It will probably be more pleasant to do this outdoors.
6. Rinse the coat with clean water.
7. Repeat if the smell persists.

Good luck! It really does work! Go check out
shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for more great Works- For- Me- Wednesday tips!

I can not forget....

Maybe it is because Buddy keeps asking to go see the movie WORLD TRADE CENTER, maybe it is because of the terror plot foiled in London, maybe because so many of us bloggers are signing up to pay tribute to the victims of that fateful day, or maybe it is because it will be five years soon. Whatever the reason, I just can't forget. I can not forget the shock I felt. Was this really happening? I was over an hour away from home setting up a Mary Kay display table at one of the college campuses in the state.

I will never foget the students coming out of the student lounge saying a plane had crashed into the world trade center. And then minutes later coming back and saying a second plane had hit the other tower. That is when panic set in. This can't be an accident, I thought to myself. I immediately went into the lounge to catch the news. That is when it really hit. Seeing the thick black smoke pouring out of the buildings.

I will never forget my husband calling me on my cell phone asking me to come home and informing me of the pentagon and that they thought there were more hijacked planes in the air. I quickly packed my stuff and left for home.

I will never forget the eerie ride home, it seemed like there was no one on the road. When I passed a military base, I realized things were definately not normal. They had big trucks blocking the entrances.

I will never forget getting home and waiting for Buddy to get off the school bus and giving him the biggest hug I could without squishing him.

I will never forget the eerie silence that befell our neighborhood for days. The eerie plane free sky.

I will never forget dropping to my knees and sobbing uncontrollably in my kitchen. Sobbing for those helpless people who could not get out of the buildings, sobbing for the ones who felt their only escape was to jump, sobbing because I did not know wether any of my cousins who live in Long Island and work in Manhatten, had died, sobbing for the firefighters and rescuers who went into those buildings and never came out, and sobbing because I knew my world would never be the same.

I am sharing these thoughts, because I will never forget. If you would like to post what you were doing September 11, 2001 and what you will never forget please enter your information to your post below.

September 11 Tribute

This post is a plea for those of you reading this blog, if any ,to click on the tribute button on the left side bar and sign up for the tribute. I am the 1760th blogger to sign up for the Tribute project. Please go and sign up! Even if you didn't know someone who died that tragic day, all of our lives were touched forever and were forever changed by the events of that day. The people who died should never be forgotten!

Teeter, Totter, weeble, wobble.

Bubba is 10 1/2 months old. He is eating regular table food despite being toothless. He is on whole milk. He is loving drinking water. He continues to amaze me with his strength and intelligence on a daily basis. He took a total of five steps last night, in a row, before staggering like a drunken sailor and falling on his bum. I do predict he will be walking by the end of the week. He kept practicing over, and over last night. Providing us with endless entertainment.

Picasso, was running a low fever last night and went to bed quite early. I think he just got a little run down, we have been on the go for weeks now. He is feeling a little better this morning.

Buddy, is finding it hard to relate to some of his friends lately. He seems to be maturing quicker than them. He likes different things than they do now. He is definately entering those difficult Tween years filled with emotional changes along with hormonal changes.

Procrastination

Every Friday Heather hosts "Getting To Know You". This Friday she asked everyone to tell about something they have been procrastinating about. Obviously by the date on my post you can tell I have been procrastinating about posting, but not on purpose. I have been busy getting ready for our annual family picnic. And now that the picnic is over I am procrastinating about finishing picking up, because it means that the fun is over.

AWWWW Skunks!

This week has been filled with skunks! Yes, those stinky little obnoxious creatures, who are truly cute looking. We have been having the little critters over for dinner frequently over the summer, when we so graciously forget to bring in the cat food. Well, we were lucky to remember NOT to invite them last saturday night when we had company over and my cousins little boy was trying to catch my cats. I was so afraid our furry little "guests" would show up uninvited. But they were quite gracious not to crash the party.

We went on our camping trip with good friends of ours to a campground we had never been to before. They neglected to tell us that our furry little "guests" had family at the campground. Their "family" were quite friendly and cruised through the campsites in search of their midnight snacks on a nightly basis, violateing the campground rule of "cutting through sites". But since they were very quiet and didn't cause a "stink" we didn't complain about them passing through. However the campers next to us forgot to take their trash in which gave one of the little critters quite a feast for 45 minutes, while onlookers tried to scare him away by throwing rocks near it. The next day at the pool there was people talking about how they were held captive by some of these critters while they ate their garbage.

Well, while we were camping the neighbors were watching our dog for us and last night we received a phone call at 10pm. Our dog broke up a little moonlit stroll of one of our little guests and she got sprayed. She wasn't too happy and she decided to play with the little fellow and she accidently killed it. The neighbor bathed her for us and stuck her in the garage for the night. When we got home they were airing out our garage and the dog was airing out outside, she still had stink to her. So we bathed her again in a special solution, and now she is no longer a stinkly dog.

It was very skunk free tonight, I am sure they are in mourning for their fellow comrade, I just hope they aren't planning a major retaliation!

What Is a Plumbline?

I was just over at Everyday Mommy reading an interesting post . Which got me thinking about Faith and Religions.
It is very difficult to figure out the plumbline that everyday mommy is trying to find. Yes the Bible can be considered a very good plumbline for Christians. Just as the Torah can be considered a very good plumbline for Jewish believers. And the Koran can be a very good plumbline for Islam believers. Even Hinduism and Buddhism have plumblines for their believers.
How does one know they are using the "right plumbline"? For me I would have to say you rely on Faith. Faith by definition from the Scholastic childrens dictionary is 1. Trust and confidence in someone or something. 2. Belief in God. 3. A Religion.
As A Christian I base my Faith in having trust and confidence in the belief that God exists and in his word as written in the Bible. How do we know what is written is the truth? We have to have Faith. Faith is an ever evolving process also and no two people are ever at the same stage in their journey with their Faith. It is impossible to be, given how each person is different and has experienced different events in their lives. Even if they experienced the same event, how they dealt with or reacted to it is rarely identical.
How do we know which Religion is the "right" one? If you believe what is written in the Bible, you believe Christianity is "right". If you believe what is written in the Torah, you believe Judaism is "right". I am sure you get the picture of what I am trying to say here.
If you look at the history of these religions you will realize they are all interconnected and in some ways are evolutions of one another. Islam evolved from Christianity which evolved from Judaism. Buddhism evolved from Hinduism which has been around as long or longer than Judaism. All of these religions have commonalities in their belief systems.
So I guess what I am trying to say is "the plumbline" may not be a definitive concept when dealing with religious beliefs.
My "plumbline" is to believe in Gods word as written in the Bible and try to live my life as a Christian as best I can and come judgment day I will find out whether I did the "right" thing.

Come on in and see the new look to the place!

I did it! I did it! I changed the look of my blog and didn't lose any info. I just copied all my customized info and pasted into the new blog template. I am really getting the hang of this!
I really am not that computer illiterate after all. Anyways hope you like the new look. I think it is more inviting and easier on the eyes!

Hot!Hot!Hotter!Hottest!

I am taking a break from housework. Hey I did get a lot done already this morning. I am rewarding myself by letting myself post. Anyways, it has been unbeleivabley, unbearably, HOT here in New England. If you know anything about New England and its weather you know that if you wait five minutes the weather will change. WELL....not lately! It has been VERY HOT for over a week now. It is 96 degrees in the SHADE right now at 10:39 am! It was 90 degrees this morning at 8 am! I have lived in New England for most of my life and have NEVER expereinced this kind of Heat wave!!! You step outside and you feel like the life in you is being sucked out of you. It is awful. The kids have been inside playing in the air conditioning only going outside to go swimming in the pool. But even the pool water is getting too warm!

When I think of Hot Places I think Florida, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and the Bahamas! Not New England! It is 79 degrees in Honolulu HI right now! It is hotter here! 56 degrees in San Francisco CA! Hotter Here!San Diego CA 67 degrees! Hotter Here! Nassau, Bahamas 86 Degrees! Hotter Here! 85 Degrees in Miami FL! Still Hotter Here! Can you beleive it is Hotter here than most of the hot weather vacation spots???

I must get back to cleaning. But I can not beleive how hot it is here! Hell has not froze over instead it is thawing out New England!

Redecorating?

Now that I am feeling a little more comfortable with my writing, and with how to post things like links and stuff, I would love some tips on how to freshen and brighten up my Blog. I really don't like the black background . I don't even know why I chose this template. I am afraid of losing all my stuff on my blog if I change my template. If anyone has any suggestions and could help walk me through the changes I would greatly appreciate it!

The Naked Truth

Yes, I have come to realize that there is a gene that all boys seem to have. No I don't mean jeans. At least my boys seem to have it. It is the naked gene. WHY do they think it is okay to hang around the house in their underwear! Yes, my boys hang around in their underwear. Bubba even dislikes clothing and he is only 10 months old!
They will change their clothes in the middle of the living room, anywhere they feel like it. They do go in the bathroom or their bedroom if we have company, but if its just us, they drop their clothes where they stand! So how many of you moms of boys have realized the naked truth also?
Speaking of naked truth. Did any of you watch America's Got Talent with the burlesque Dancer? I was appalled and outraged that she was allowed to perform on TV. She took her Bra off! Even my kids agreed with me that it wasn't appropriate! And they are boys!
I am no fan of stripping or strippers! I think they promote disrespect of the human body among other things.
And That is the naked truth!

Cooler Tips

This weeks addition to works for me wednsday is quite simple. When we are going somewhere the next day that requires to pack food and beverages in coolers, I put water in the freezer the night before.

This serves two purposes. One it saves on cooler space by using them as ice packs and two if we run out of water we can drink ice cold water as they melt!

It works for me, Hope it works for you too! Go check out Shannon to see other Works for me Wednsday Ideas!

Discipline difficulties

I was just over at Daring Young Mom and she was asking for discipline tips sooooo here goes. First I would like to write a disclaimer. I am in no way shape or form and expert in this area, but I have learned from experience some shoulds while disciplining your kids and some should nots.
First and foremost if your child does something to make you extremely angry and you feel like your going to get violent, give yourself a time out. Tell your child you are very angry and you need some time to cool off before you discuss the situation. Go in another room and count to 100 if you have to and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly. When you are calm go back and sit your child down and explain to them what they did to upset you and why it is not okay to do that. If necessary give a consequence for their actions to match what they did wrong. For example, if my children don't look both ways before riding their bikes in the road they are told to get off their bikes for five minutes, if they repeat the offense in the same day, they lose their bike privileges for the day. ( This works best with older kids, but the earlier you introduce it the better it works.) For instance, Bubba is only 10 months old, but he is starting to stand in his high chair a lot. This is very unsafe, so his consequence is he is removed from the high chair and told "Your telling me your done by standing up so you are being removed." The key with any discipline is consitancy.
I have found with dealing with other peoples children the best way to discipline is by laying down rules before they start to play. When the neighborhood kids come over we lay down the "law" and what the consequences are if the "law" is broken(usually the child is told he/she must go home). I have found that most of the time if the children know the rules of the house they are playing at before hand it really helps alleviate any problems. It also helps that the parents know your expectations too, so they can discipline their children accordingly at your house.
When it comes to bullying, I have taught my children to use their words first and tell the child they do not like what is being said or done. If the child doesn't listen, I have taught my children to ask for some assistance from a trusted adult. IF there is no trusted adult and they are being physically hurt and the child will not listen, they have our permission to defend themselves. For example, Picasso was being choked by a fifth grader on the bus last year so he defended himself and punched the kid in the face. Picasso was 5 and this kid was 11!
When it comes to young children, infants and toddlers, you need to be consitant also and talk to them! Most Infant/ Toddler aggression is out of frustration with not knowing how to express their feelings, it is our responsibility as parents to teach them proper and safe outlets for dealing with their emotions and frustrations. Biting is the biggest fear of all parents. But it is a natural way for an Infant/Toddler to communicate their feelings. If your child is a biter, shadow him/her for a couple days especially when interacting with other kids. Really pay attention to the situations in which he/she bites. Did another child take a toy your child was playing with? Is your child tired? Is your child hungry? Paying close attention to when, where, how, and why your child is biting is the best way to alleviate the problem. If your child tends to bite because he/she is tired, don't schedule a playdate before naptime, make sure your child is well rested. Same goes for lunchtime, dinnertime, snacktime, if your child tends to bite because of hunger. If it is a socialization thing, help your child learn to communicate with their playmates. for example,
your child bites his/her friend because the friend took a toy.
You can say" I know (friend) took your toy and that made you sad. It isn't okay to bite your friend. You need to use your words and say" I was playing with that"."
I know this sounds crazy to be talking to an Infant/Toddler like that, but it does work. I worked in a daycare for 4 1/2 years with Infants and Toddlers mostly, and we dealt with a lot of biting! As soon as the child learned to use their words, the biting usually stopped.

I hope this information is helpful to someone. Again, I am no expert just stating what I have learned through experience dealing with my own children and the children I used to take care of. The most important thing is to be consistant, the next important thing is to understand what works for one child might not work for every child. You need to find what works for you and your children and stick with it.