Gimme Gimme

Im not quite sure what all Im supposed to list, but I have tons of really cool treats . I mean I think the things I own are pretty interesting and Im sure you would think so too. I have tshirts, toys, books, magazines, rocks, jewelry, and really neat kids stuff. Im open to questions and request. I guess thats how this works :)
BTW I know this is an old blog. One I started and never finished. But thats okay, right?

ADVENTURES IN WALLYLAND

This morning while lazily walking through Wal-Mart I found a few discoveries. One I was actually impressed with, the other not so impressed. As everyone knows, it is the new trend of going green that has suddenly hit the shelves everywhere as marketers try desperately to get your money. Wal-Mart has unsurprisingly followed suit. Where I live is pretty rural so in order to get organic, all natural items I have to unwillingly drag my behind to this mass-brainwashing-super-giant. However, as much as I hate to admit it, sometimes they do surprise me with their selections. Other times though, I could scream at the person who runs the joint for being so ignorant. Then again, Wal-Mart doesn't care about the consumer, only about what sells. One week they will have a really great tasting organic treat, but if it doesn't sell too quickly or enough then its out the door the next week. Move it over, we gotta make more money boys! At any rate, beggars cannot be choosers. So, I greedily take whatever organic, all natural goodies I can get and go about my merry little way. (But the guilt keeps brewing inside as I hand over our hard earned cash.)

During my adventures of WallyLand this morning, I spied a little surprise. BPA free baby bottles! I have no business in on that isle as my son is well past that stage, but I was curious and thought I would see if people even have the option of buying BPA free bottles here. And I guess they do! Though, they are slim pickin'. Only two choices out of about 20 different bottles. Although, they were available at great prices, as this is Wal-Mart's motto. Why cant Wal-Mart go totally BPA free so that Moms who aren't informed of the dangers don't accidentally buy the BPA laced bottles? Again, if Mr. Wally is making his dough, that is all that matters.

As I left the Baby Section and headed to my actual destination of the Cereal Isle, I was disappointed yet again with the likes of Wal-Mart. In a sea of sugary puffs and chocolate dreams, I found only a handful of healthy cereals. And I'm talking the REALLY healthy cereals, not the claim-to-be-healthy kinds that are chalked full of sugar and enriched crap. Did you know that Cheerios, which claims to reduce cholesterol, is loaded full of unhealthy ingredients. I want more options, Wal-Mart! I love my Kashi cereal, dont get me wrong but come on guys, Im getting sick of eating the same old, same old. And by the way ladies and gents, General Mills new advertising campaign saying that you need more grains and their cereal is a great source, is WRONG! Just read the labels people. Companies will say and do anything to get your money, this is no new concept. All Im saying is be informed so you don't get the wool pulled over your eyes in the end.

These were just a couple of the items I felt compelled to discuss today, however I feel the need to get the word out there about these sleazy companies stealing your money and feeding you lies. I do believe I will be writing more on this subject in time to come. So, stay updated by checking back often. I am determined to inform the uninformed, as I was an uninformed person myself once.

KEEPIN' YOUR COOL

It is now August and the dog days of summer are upon us. That means for most of us, the heat is rising and the thermometers are mostly red. I know if its as hot in your area of the world as it is in mine then your poor little air conditioner is doing all it can to keep up. And probably failing. So, I'm here to share a few money saving, sanity saving, cool 'em down tricks I've picked up over the years.

Tip #1-Power up those fans! Setting up a fan in your room will help drastically. But to save energy only use a fan in the room you are occupying. And unless you are in a big room, you will probably only need a small fan to do the trick. It also matters where you place the fan. Hot air rises so stick that baby on a shelf if you can so the cool air falls to the floor, cooling the whole room instead of just the bottom half.

Tip #2-Use dark curtains during the hot months. Putting up dark window covers will help absorb the heat and keep it from coming in your house. Its okay to open the curtains at night or first thing in the morning before it gets too hot, but as the temperature climbs start pulling those drapes shut.

Tip #3-Take advantage of the cool hours. If you happen to live in a place where it cools down at night, then use that as your time to give you AC a break. At night before you go to bed, open up all the windows and stick a fan in them if you want. This will save a lot of money on your Electric bill. Just remember to turn your AC back on before it gets too hot so that it doesn't have a lot of catching up to do. I would not suggest doing this though if you live in a high crime area.

Tip #4-If you have a cellar, use it. Spend the hot part of the day underground and turn up the thermostat so your AC will run less. I personally have never utilized this tip, as I have never lived in a house will a cellar or basement. But I would if I could.

I hope this article finds all of you cool and dry. And just think, in another month or so it will start cooling off. In 5 months, we will all be in sweaters, complaining how cold it is! Go figure! :)

ITS A DAY OF ALL DAYS

It's THURSDAY, which means this week is almost over! WooHoo! This has been one sleepless, stressful week for our family. We are currently trying to get Jade to sleep through the night without the need to nurse quite so often. This means lots of Baby-Daddy rocking sessions through out the night. But hey, less nursing for me! :) Poor Daddy! I have faith it will be for the best in the end. I do believe our nursing days are numbered. I am trying to be patient and go slow though, I know this will be tough on Jade as it is almost his favorite thing to do.

Also, new in my world, I found out today we will be getting DSL in my area within two weeks! I know for most of the population this is nothing to get excited about, but to me it is. Up until now, my only options were Dial-Up or Satellite! Do you know how expensive satellite internet is? Try $70 a month, at least. No way, Hose! On two incomes I might pay that, but on one not going to happen. So, soon I will be able to do everything a lot faster. And I will be able to watch YouTube! I feel an addiction coming on. Good thing I have great self control, sometimes. (Ha!)

My website of the day recommendation is 5MinutesforBooks.com. This is a great blog which I read quite frequently. Weekly, they review a choice book and then offer it in their giveaways. Each week they give out copies of books they choose, sometimes two or three at a time. And they are always good books. So, if you are a book lover, check out this blog. There just might be something in it for you.

Right now, I'm going to check on Jade to see how his first ever nap in a crib is going. Maybe soon I will get my bed back! Oh, it is bittersweet when a child grows up.

GREENERY EVERYWHERE

Today is Monday and every last minute of it has felt exactly like a Monday. But, at least I had a wonderful weekend. Alexia's birthday party on Friday went beautifully, smooshed cake and all! She had a blast and was super excited to receive her brand new bike. In fact, she was so happy that on Saturday she rode a little over a mile with only one itty bitty spill! Man, that girl is one tough cookie. Sunday, we all just sat back and took it easy. Steven and I were able to steal a couple of hours to ourselves as well, which was much needed!

And that brings us up to speed with Monday, now well underway. In the midst of my weekly house cleaning, I have been able to find you some exciting websites and useful tips to try out. These are all green, baby! I love searching and finding new ways to help me be a better friend to Miss Mother Earth.

Today, through a weekly email I receive, I was directed to one of the most eco-friendly blogs I have ever read. Its entitled No Impact Man, after a father in NYC who has chosen to live impact-free for one year in the city and take his wife and daughter along for the ride. He has a ton a great tips and I will continue to scan through them and let you know when I find something notable.

Also, I found Preserve Toothbrushes. I have used these toothbrushes before and they are great! You can get them at Wal-Mart and I think they run around $2.50 a pop. But the great thing about them? They are made from recycled products AND when you are done with the toothbrush, just print out one of their labels from the website and ship it back to them for free! They use them to make things like park benches and decks and more! What a great idea! And I found out today they make other products too, like a line of personal care products and tableware and kitchen items! All recyclable!!! I really love this idea!

Lastly, I found a great all-natural way to get rid of lice! I know, I know...its a yucky subject. But, when you have kids, you are bound to deal with head lice at some point or another. Wouldn't you feel better about lathering them up with something natural and enviro-friendly than soaking their little brains in a chemical bath?? I know I would. The website is a little cheesy looking, but I've heard it really does the trick and with NO CHEMICALS!!!

Ok, ladies and gents, I'm off to try to quickly clean up the house before Jade wakes from his afternoon nap. I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of the day and take it easy, its Monday for crying out loud! :)

MOON BABIES

Good evening everybody! I'm getting ready to head to bed and thought I'd type a quick post to let you know what I've been up to lately. The past couple of days have been pretty laid back and very beautifully weathered here. So that means Jade and I have been spending a lot of time outside. During his naps though, I've been letting my fingers do a lot of walking around the web again. I found some really cool sites too that you may or may not want to check out. If you do then good, if not...whatever.

SwapTree.com which is this really neat site that is a cross between Amazon and Freecycle. They let you trade books, music, DVDs, and more. I tried it out today and I'm hooked. First I took some of my old DVDs that I haven't watched in ages and typed in the UPC code on them. It looks it up automatically! Then enter the condition of the item and voila! they hook you up with items that you can trade for. They take into consideration the condition of the item and the popularity so no one gets gypped. I traded my first item today: Family Guy DVD for old school White Zombie album! I will let you know when I get the item and how well it really went down.

TheYeastDiet.com will not interest everybody. But here lately I have been seriously thinking about going Yeast Free. Did you know that when yeast gets out of control in your body it can cause things such as migraines, sinus problems, infections, fatigue, and much more. I suffer from a lot of these symptoms. I'm not diagnosing myself yet, but I figure it wont hurt me. If you have any of these problems like me, maybe you should check out the information they have to offer.

Well, I guess that's all I have for now. I thought I had a lot more but I guess I'm just too tired. Its only 9:30pm and I'm already exhausted. What happened to late night partying til the sun came up? Now I get up with the sun (son)! Oh how the tables have turned.

Real quick, tomorrow is Alexia's birthday and I will be super busy baking her cake and fixing decorations for the party. I'm really excited! Please send her all the mental birthday wishes you can muster, she's going to be 5!!!

A PECULIAR PEA

I've been meaning to add a certain special link to my page to help out my greatest gal pal, Ashley. Well, since I am a procrastinator and have taken so long to do it I figured I would just go ahead and write a whole post about it. Nothing fancy, cause I'm not a fancy kinda girl. Just to let you know that it is one of the coolest, easiest to read, down to earth personal websites I keep up with. She has a great section dedicated to Freebies. Now who doesn't love free stuff?? I know I do, and I check it daily because she updates it very often. And its good stuff too, nothing cheesy. Such as free shirts, samples, granola, and first aid kits...just to name a few. There is also a place to find great work at home sites. I think we all would work from home if we could. She has personal writings and HTML tutorials and LOLcatz (because that woman is crazy for those cats!) Its chalked full of information to fill your mind with so why don't you stroll on over to A Peculiar Pea and check it out. Tell her Melissa sent you. No, you wont get a discount but I'm sure it will be much appreciated!

Have a wonderful night everybody!