Sproose up Your Life

With most search engines, it's difficult to determine the formulas they utilize to rank websites. When you enter a keyword, the results may not be relevant to your needs, which is often frustrating. There are new social search engines arising that will help customize Internet research to the users. This is accomplished by having members rank websites from 1 to 5, which in turn will immediately raise or lower a website's standing. Each website will have a group ranking and a personalized ranking. When you visit the Sproose home page, the directions and a more detailed explanation. To me, it just makes sense. Let the people decide rather than the computers!

---

This post is sponsored.

Bewitched

Last night I dreamt that a few friends (looking at you T, and H was there too) and I were witches. Not the scary ones with warts and pointy hats, but more normal looking people with super powers. Like the girls in Charmed, but without Shannon Daughtery's attitude. If we were facing a crowd of people and needed to get through, no problem, we would just make them fall asleep, and the way was cleared. We tried to do this in one room though, and lo and behold, there was another witch there too. She was trying to make my arms levitate, but I held her off, and then she knew we were witches too. Apparently, this wasn't good, because I prepared the other girls for a fight. We all scattered, but then managed to round the bad witch up. Suddenly, a chiropractor appeared and he had her on the ground ready to snap her neck (and not in a good way). He went into detail about it, then crack, it was done and she was dead. That's when I woke up.

It was pretty cool. Well, the super powers part, not necessarily the killing of other witches part.

Make me a Happy Person

Due to Larry's recent kidney scare, Christmas really snuck up on me. Since Peyton was born, I always send out photo holiday cards, so that everyone can see how much they have grown, and I didn't want this year to be any different. I picked a night to take the boys photos and just went with it. Apparently, my camera does not know what to do with a set of crazy boys.

Example A:

Beware! The blurs will get you!

Example B:

Apparently, my youngest became a ghost while I wasn't looking!

What is a mother to do?!? Finally, I set the timer, threatened the oldest with his life to sit still, and held the youngest in place until the timer flickered, then tickled them both before the camera went off. The end result was two photos, photoshopped together.



While the kids look cute, the photos are oh, so red. What I wouldn't give for a new digital camera!! When I ordered the photos, they arrived even redder. With a new camera and printer, who knows, I could be the next, um, well, some famous photographer! Being bestowed with a new HP camera and printer would make me one Happy Person!

---

This post is sponsored by HP.

Lend me Your Ear

Since Peyton was about, oh, nine weeks old, he has been an ear baby. Not necessarily his own ear either, but whomever was around and he could reach. At 6 months, this was adorable and made the lucky ear feel loved. At 18 months, it was still cute, and grandparents happily lend their ear for the taking. At 30 months, the ear holding was still ok, most of the time. At 42 months, it was getting a little old, but we figured it would end any day now. Now, at 55 months, that's roughly 4.5 years, I am tired of the ear holding. It has diminished a great deal, and now the quick ear check generally occurs as a means of affection, or when Peyton climbs in our bed at 2:30 in the morning. A brief, hey, your ear is still there. However slight, it's still annoying. A four year old's hands are generally dirty no matter how much you clean them, and Peyton's are always hot.

The mommy part of me feels bad for wanting the ear holding to be vanquished forever. It's probably the last remaining attributes Peyton has carried over from babyhood (except for his loathing of bedtime), and I know when it ends, a part of me will be sad. I think that sad part will miss the babiness the most. The fact that my first born is really growing up will sink in and hit bottom, anchored to my heart.

The adult part of me just wants to say, "keep your grubby hands to yourself!"

Gearing up for a New Year

Now that the holidays are finally over, I have to get myself back on track and start exercising again. I'm planning on starting my Master Cleanse fast next Wednesday or Thursday, and then cutting out refined sugars. I'm going to try and look at this more from a health and fitness aspect rather than just losing weight, although that will be nice too. I think if I can work to incorporate some ways to squeeze exercise into my schedule, I will be successful. I enjoyed walking and training for the 5k, I just need to get back into that mindset again. It's so funny, how when you regularly exercise, you can't imagine not doing it, and now that it's been a couple of months, it's hard to get back in to it. Hopefully, some of these trends will help me in my endevour.

I can tell such a difference in my overall attitude when I'm not taking care of myself. I feel so blah and tired. Also, my clothes are getting tight. EEK! I think Larry's going to jump on the bandwagon with me too. He's talking about getting a watch that will help monitor our heartrates and mileage, so we can train more effeciently.

Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year!

---

This post was sponsored.

Only 11 and a Half Years to Go

Even though I have a while before my boys start driving, I still worry about how my car insurance rates will soar when they do hit that golden age. I'm sure at that time, I will conduct a lot of searches on cheap auto insurance. Geico advertisements are all over the place, and while browsing on their site, I saw they offer guides for drivers. One of their new ones is titled "Teens and Trucks" which was developed with the American Moving and Storage Association. The brochure offers guidelines for dealing with large trucks while driving, such as staying out of their blind spots and being careful of their wide turns. Ideas that are common sense to seasoned drivers, aren't as clear to those with newfound freedom in their hands.

If I'd Only Known

Peyton was home sick a couple of weeks before Christmas, so that afternoon, we ran to Target to look at toys. He pointed out a few things and helped me pick toys out for Shey. Later, when he wasn't with me, I went back to buy some toys for him from Santa. If only I had known about coupon codes from Couponchief.com, I could have shopped at Target online and saved myself some time and money.

Sometimes it's better to receive

I feel so much better today. It's amazing what giving in to your husband and having an orgasm will do for you. (I can write this now, my mom is on the road here. ha)

Apathetic be my Name

Oh Apathy,
Oh Apathy,
Why hast thou over-
Taken me?

With all the holiday parties and goodies, I am just flat out exhausted. I'm not ready for Christmas to be over yet, but I am ready for the junk food to be gone! I haven't worked out or eaten right in over a month and I can really tell. I just feel blah. Back in July, I completed an 8 day fast using the Master Cleanse and I'm planning on doing another beginning the first week of January. I'm actually looking forward to not eating for a while.

I need a nap.

Finding Love Online

When Larry and I met online almost 10 years ago, we did it the old fashioned way. We started chatting in a chat room, appropriately named Friends First, we met in private chat rooms and sent e-mails after that, then we eventually spoke on the telephone and started visiting each other. Today, though, there are so many options for people who want to try online dating.

One free option available on the web is iamfreetonight.com. They offer a wide variety of unique tools, including a special wingman feature that allows the user to set up double and group dates to keep the pressure of meeting someone new for the first time down.

Meeting someone on the Internet was a great experience for me. Larry and I were able to truly get to know one another and would talk for hours online and on the phone. As with any online dating experience, please use caution and make smart choices when meeting people for the first time.

---

This post is sponsored.

Final Diagnosis

Hi Everyone, just wanted to let you know that Larry spoke with his doctor yesterday and they have determined that the cyst on Larry's kidney, while complex, is benign. This means that he needs to touch base with the Urologist in 6 months to make sure he still feels good and then get yearly scans for a few years to monitor this cyst. We are so very blessed that we sought a second opinion and were given this awesome news. Our best Christmas present yet! Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I know they were the miracle that pulled us through this ordeal.

---

A word about my sponsored posts. Most of them are through Pay Per Post, a company that offers businesses the opportunity to pay bloggers to advertise on their blogs. The bloggers post their opinions with links to the sites within the post. The pay from $5.00 a post and up. With everything that has been going on, and the medical bills that are starting to come in, I thought I would use this to bring in some extra money. I don't want to bombard the blog with them, so I am trying to post a personal post for each sponsored post. Thanks for reading and if it sounds like something you would be interested in, the link is on my sidebar. :)

Are Credit Cards for You?

If you spend any amount of time on a college campus, sooner or later you will run into a credit card company offering a free gift in exchange for signing up for one of their credit cards. But should you? It seems that so many young adults, especially those from the ages of 18-23, are piling on the credit card debt. Imagine being out of the house for the first time and having someone offer what appears to be free money. "Buy now, and take years to pay it back!" What sounds too good to be true, most often is.

However, should you choose to carry a credit card and use it responsibly, they can come in handy. If you do your research, and remember some credit card advice, you can use credit cards to help you. A professor of mine was also a financial planner and he paid with a credit card for all of his purchases. BUT, he made sure to pay it off at the end of the month, every month, and for the full amount. By doing so, his money stayed in an interest yielding account, while he used the credit card company's money for items during the month. You must be very diligent to do this though.

It also helps to stay abreast of credit card news by using sites specifically dealing with credit cards UK.

My suggestions is that if you apply for a credit card, only get one, and keep your limit low.

Becoming a Soldier

Larry's parents lived in the same house for about 20 years before buying their current residence. Their best friends lived next door and they had a son,Brian, who is 7 years younger than Larry. I met Brian when he was 13. He was thin and wirey, a bit awkward, but sweet. Every time the families get together, they recount the story of how his mother had to chase him around the yard holding beans and rice trying to get him to eat. I've heard this story so many times, I feel as though I was there.

Four years ago, Brian moved up to Orlando to attend school. We would see him when he was home on breaks. It's crazy watching someone grow up while missing months in between. He would leave for a few months, and return 3 inches taller. The wireyness turned into tall and lean. The curly hair was kept short now and dare I say, a six pack had developed that Brian loved to show off. The politeness of his childhood remained though, and he is a dear friend to us, and especially Larry's younger brother.

As Brian neared graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force. He's opting to go through boot camp even though he's not required as he has a degree. He learned that fellow soldiers respect you more for doing so. This is the man he has become.

Brian leaves today for Texas for basic training. He called Larry Sunday night to talk for a few minutes and ask him to watch over Marc (Larry's brother). That's when it really hit home for Larry. We're so very proud of Brian, and for me it's one more reason this nonsensical war should end sooner than later.

If four years of college matured him to this point, I can only imagine what a tour of duty will do for him. I pray without ceasing that he will not be sent away, but if he is, for his safe return. Having two boys, I can't even imagine what his mother is going through now. We love you, Brian.

Getting more for your Money

A couple of years ago, Larry and I had ran up quite a bit of credit card debit, and were spending an incredible amount on monthly payments without the balance going down. Fortunately, the equity of our house had gone up and after making some calculations, we realized that if we took out a home equity loan, we could pay off our credit cards and renovate the kitchen. Our overall monthly payment didn't increase much at all, and we love the new kitchen. With interest rates still being pretty low, if you need the extra money, a home equity loan may be worth checking in to.

---

Opinions are mine; however, the post is sponsored.

New Blog to Read

Since I do have a full time job outside of the home, (which is where I do most of my Internet surfing(at work, not home)), I try to restrict myself from searching for new blogs to read as I goof off enough already. However, thanks to Bonnie Wren's "Super Sabado", I find myself skimming through the presented blogs for new finds and gems.

A couple of weeks ago, I found Mental Tesserae and now I am hooked. Thankfully, she only began blogging back in August or so, and as such, catching up on her archives isn't taking me as long as it normally does. Julie has a great way of relating art to her life and a piece of art accompanies most of her entries. Her entries are heartfelt and her way of looking at life is truly extraordinary. I say, check her out! (Wow, I have such a way with words!)

Tired of Acid Reflux?

When I was pregnant, I suffered from horrible acid reflux all the time. I popped Tums like they were going out of style. If only I had known about AcidCalm, a hearburn and acid reflux remedy that is all natural, I would have enjoyed those nine and a half months so much more. I like the idea that there are no harsh chemicals and that they guarantee their product. Even more so, the damage to your body is projected to be reversed within 2 to 5 months. The website is very nicely presented and information is easy to find.

---

This post sponsered.

Play Away

Last night, I went with a friend to a surpise women's party* and much fun was had by all. I also discovered pomegranite martinis which are delish!

*For those slow ones out there, think of the phrase, "The only difference between men and boys are the size of their toys." Now replace men and boys with women and girls and throw in a battery operated somewhere.

We had such a grand time that I signed up to host my own. I'm hoping for the end of January, enough time past Christmas, but just in time for Valentine's Day.

There is one thing though that can kill a good time rather quickly, when I arrived home at about 10:00, both boys were still awake, watching TV with their father. Seriously! I very quickly read them a book and spanked them soundly and put them to bed. (ok, I didn't spank them soundly, I saved that for Larry (ok, I didn't even do that.))

Bedtime is really just crappy time at our house. Peyton has NEVER gone to bed easy and Shey, who used to be my dream sleeper, has learned the ways of the older stubborn brother. Last night, though, I was not having it and they both threw fits from their bedrooms. Oh well. I told Larry, if we can't control these children at 2 and 4, what are we going to do later.

I feel a smackdown coming in the K household.

For the Person Who Has Everything

With the Holiday season fast approaching, many of us are left scratching our heads trying to come up with gifts for everyone on our list. What do you get the person who has everything?

What about silver? Monex Deposit Company (MDC) offers silver and other precious metals for sale. There are a couple of different ways you can purchase the silver, which are coin form or a more natural state called ingot (which reminds me of the money in Harry Potter). Monex Deposit Company has been in business for more than 30 years and will shop the metals directly to you or arrange for storage in a safe place, such as a bank.

I know I spend several hours thinking of the perfect gift for my friends and family. With this, I can give a gift that no one already has!

Are you there, God?

A few days ago, Mrs. Kennedy posted an entry about a conversation she had with her son. The gist was Jackson was telling kids at school that he didn’t believe in God and how the kids at school reacted. There were several comments made regarding the post, some from fellow atheists with hearty “right ons” and some from those who believe in God, mostly well meaning and trying to explain their views. I felt compelled to leave a brief comment, but really, what can you say to an aetheist to convince them to believe in a being you can’t see?

The more I’ve thought about the topic, and read Mrs. Kennedy’s reply post, the more I wanted to write my own thoughts down, not so much as an argument, or an explanation, but a “here it is post.”

I’ve always had a strong believe in God that was instilled in me by a mother who faithfully went to church when the doors were open throughout my formative years. I never really felt the need to rebel against the church, even when I didn’t go for all those years. It was still there in my head and I knew I would make my way back when I found a place I felt I belonged. I attended a small private Christian school that imbedded the knowledge of the Bible in my head, but without much historical background to substantiate it like my adult self would have liked.

It wasn’t until Larry took me to church for Mother’s Day that I found that. The pastor was conducting a series on The DiVinci Code, like I’m sure most churches were doing with the movie release. He offered intellectually sound evidence to prove the validity of the Bible and the events that are within it. I only remember a couple off the top of my head. One being the meticulous way the scribes would transcribe the ancient texts passed from generation to generation. That even if one comma was out of place, the parchment was burned. Another being the sheer amounts of pieces that remain from these ancient texts. Just for example (and these aren’t accurate numbers) if there was one copy of a Homer text, there were 100 copies of a biblical text. A third proof contained within the Bible itself are the amount of prophecies (over 300) that were given and fullfilled. Not just broad sweeping statements either, but places, people and events. This valid, not just here it is, believe it, was what I needed as an adult and had been craving. Finally, something to go on besides just faith alone.

Aside from the information I’ve gleaned from my pastor since then, there are my other, more personal reasons for believing in God. These are the thoughts that have been going through my mind since reading Fussy’s post. From what I understand, I guess atheists believe we should be good just for the sake of mankind. That to be kind to others is just how we should act. I have a problem with this. Why? Why, if there are no checks and balances other than those on earth, should we be nice to others? Why should we follow the laws?

Let’s see, I guess one could go to jail. But so what? If when you die, there is nothing, what does it matter? You’ll be gone. If there are no spiritual consequences, does it really make that big of an impact on one’s decision making? I guess people could say that those who treat others poorly will lead a life of solitude and misery, but why should that person care? They are doing what they want to do. Why do we feel this need, this inherent need, to treat others with respect?

There’s also the theory of evolution. If we really evolved from an animal, would this moral issue be within us? What would have given us the ability to feel this way? And why aren’t animals still evolving? Why don’t we see a half ape half man? What is the spark within us that makes us different? How could all of this, all that man has accomplished, just happened?

I think it is the Godliness in us that is the difference. The spirit, the soul, the conscience, whatever you want to call it. There is something inside of mankind that makes us different. Don’t you feel it?

Sure we have our shortcomings, that’s called choice, and we do have one. But there is a driving force that separates us from any other species on the planet. If you sit still and are honest with yourself, in that place deep within you, there is something there. Something that you have to admit is bigger than we are.

I don’t really know what else to say without rambling on, but I just needed to get this out. So there it is. I welcome any comments.

Shout Out

I'm always on the look out for new blogs to read, and I've found a new friend, Colleen. She's fun, because most of her posts are quick blurbs into her life, which is nice when you're browsing 20 or more blogs a day. She also introduced me to Pay Per Post, which explains some of my recent posts. ;)

Colleen also has recently started a Shopping Blog. Her entries showcase deals found on the web, good and bad. Here's a great post on Disney Deals for those of us looking for vacation ideas. This looks pretty cool too for gifts for your spouse, which I will definitely be checking out as Larry is so hard to shop for. She even has a Thumbs Down section, which is nice.

And there we go, another friend made on this World Wide Web.

Riding the River

One of my fondest memories growing up is sitting around me grandmother's kitchen table watching my dad, uncles and grandfather playing poker. The game varied from stud, 21, 7-card, you name it, they played it. Occassionally, I would get to sit in too. It was all in good fun, and we rarely went about a dolloar bet. As I got older and Texas Hold'em became popular, of course I was intriqued. Larry and I play sometimes online. It's always for fun, and always with fake money.

For those a little more serious about their Online Poker, you can go to websites to learn more about the game, the rules and tips. This particular site, which gives a step by step tutorial for Online Poker games, including Texas Hold'em, offers reviews for casinos, free gifts and a myriad of other helpful information. Have fun and play safe!

Behold, The Boy!

For the past several weeks whenever Shey poops, he comes to us, points to his butt and says, "pee pee." So, he's a little backwards, but we understand what he means. I took this as a sign that he may be ready to begin the uphill battle we call potty training. I bought one of the little pottys and put it in the bathroom. He doesn't care to sit on it really, but he will put the top part on the big toilet and sit on it. We've been doing that for a couple nights before their bath.

Last night, he opened the lid, put the toilet ring on there and motioned for me to put him on top. He pointed his little pee pee down, and by God, he peed in the toilet! Much celebration ensued! After his bath, I put him in the diaper like normal and he went to bed.

This morning . . . the diaper was dry. My little man, who will be 2 tomorrow, went to the bathroom, repeated the toilet process and PEED AGAIN! Oh, that would be so, so awesome if he potty trained himself!

By the way, for some reason .blogspot.com has now become denied on my work server, so I can't read any of your blogger blogs. Hell, I can't even read my own! I'm friends with IT, so I'm going to try and get this resolved.

Bring in the Blogs

I've been conducting a lot of research lately on how to make money on the web. From everything I've read, the main key to success is traffic and to get traffic, you have to have linkage love. I found an interesting article on link popularity and how to achieve it. It appears that blogs hold a crucial key to a website's popularity. The more blogs link to a website, the better ratings it receives through the search engines, such as Google. There's a fairly new website, Blogitive, that offers businesses the opportunity to have 1,000's of bloggers spotlight their products, in essence growing their business for them. If you own a business, or a website, and are looking for a way to increase your link popularity, I'd check out this article.

And Justice for All

Last night, Peyton surveyed the Christmas tree, piled with newly wrapped presents and said with great slowness and exaggeration, "Why do I only have two presents, and Shey has a lot of presents?" In the defense of the "Thou Shalt be Fair when Giving Christmas Presents to Siblings Gods," I explained, "well, two of Shey's gifts are for his birthday, and one is actually from Grandmommy, I just bought it for her." He thought this over for a bit and seemed to agree, then he looked at me and said conspiracyly, "Why don't you just tell me what's in my presents?" Not gonna happen buddy, although if he were older and a bit wiser, he would realize the two gifts under the tree are probably the two toys he had pointed out to me in Target earlier. But yah! We are still before the age of guessing gifts.

On the kidney note, Larry finally has his CT scan scheduled for next Wednesday and hopefully this will put an end to the worrying and they can reach a clear decision regarding the structure of this mass on his kidney. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Be Careful or the Monkey Will Get You

Apparently, when I don't have to post, I want to post more. Thanks, or not so much, to Bonnie for the following game. Attempt to beat my score, if you DARE. . .

Monkey Game