Can You Do Two Hundred Squats?

I've apparently lost my mind! I Stumbled Upon the site TwoHundredSquats.com last week. The site has a six-week program for working up to being able to do 200 squats. Because I know that muscle burns more calories than fat, and I love to be able to eat fat, I decided that building my leg muscles would be a good thing and this might be just the program to get me there.

Now I'm afraid I may not be able to walk tomorrow! I did the initial test yesterday and, to my surprise, was in the excellent range. In fact, I was able to do so many it suggested I move on to week 3. So I did. And, going with the program I did a total of 103 squats today. They didn't seem that difficult at the time, but now my legs feel like jello!

My biggest concern is for tomorrow. I've started my own cleaning business and have a house to clean. I'm afraid getting up and down to clean the tub and to mop the floors might be comical -- who knows, maybe I should video it to put on YouTube. It might just be funny enough!

(Of course if you have mesothelioma or any other health concern consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.)

How Much Is Too Much To Give A Teen?

Our insurance rates are just killer now that we have a teen boy on our policy. We ask that our son pay half his insurance premiums, since his part alone is as much as mine and my husbands together.

Now his old car needs about $400 in repairs. We just put $700 in it in January. How much do you provide for an 18 year old? My husband says he has to pay for it this time. DS works with DH one day a week, and plans to add one more in the summer. DH says he also needs to get something a couple more days a week. I think because this is his last summer before college, work, and real life, the two days should be enough.

Where do you draw the line? I want him to learn to be a responsible adult, but I also want to let him be a child for a little longer - which I'm sure is more the mom in me than anything. I look at the "kids" on American Idol and other shows and don't see them as children, but when it comes to my own child I want to protect him, and let him be a child. It's hard to find a balance. I guess that's why it's good that he has his dad - otherwise there's no telling how long he'd let me take care of him.

How To Get Polish Out Of Carpet

Last weekend I was actually going to be on time for something - a miracle in and of itself, but then tragedy struck. I had decided that since I had a few minutes to spare I would remove the old polish from my toenails and repaint them. I had chosen a lovely shade of hot pink and was done with the first foot, and had moved onto the second, when I knocked the bottle off the hope chest I was sitting on and my pretty hot pink polish spewed across my not hot pink tan carpet.

Needless to say, I uttered a few choice words screamed for my son to Google, 'what takes nail polish out of carpet'. He came back with the response that polish removers might but they might damage the carpet. The other option was, of all things, shaving cream. So shaving cream it was. I really didn't think it would work, but had nothing to lose - except my lovely (favorite) carpet.

I started working it into a couple spots and gradually noticed the spots were getting smaller and smaller... but I panicked because I didn't have cream, only gel, which was blue and the spots I was working it into seemed to have a bluish cast. So I ran and got a cup of water and poured that on it and began dabbing it with a towel... and when I looked at it again, the blue was gone and most of the pink. I then put more shaving gel on it and continued to work it into the strands with the polish until I was satisfied that the majority was gone. Finally, I poured a little water on it all, toweled it up and then went over the entire area with my Bissell carpet cleaner.

The result? You can't even tell it now! The shaving cream (gel in my case) worked!

I'm thrilled! But it all leaves me to wonder -- how did anyone survive before the Internet?

The Day The Music Died

I've let my son write my post for today. Here's his story - I think you'll enjoy it. He has a warped sense of humor!

I enjoy playing video games. I also like to eat ham. They are about equally fun. Sometimes I play video games WHILE eating ham. One time an angry squirrel came in while I was playing video games, and he stole all of my appetite suppressants. I ate way too much ham that day. I went outside chased down the squirrel, took everything back and stole his lunch money.

Calla Lily, Iris And Lettuce Is Sprouting - The Weekend Gardener

I'm excited about this meme, because I love to garden. You may have seen some of my better flower photos at my photo blog, but these posts will center around what I actually did, and the pics won't be as high quality. Just me with my little point and shoot telling a story with pictures...

The meme is called the Weekend Gardener and is hosted by I Am Harriet. Feel free to visit her site and join in every Friday!

This week I dug up a huge bunch of iris's and moved most of them down by our little creek ditch.

The finished project:

I'm moving this weeping mulberry pictured below to the spot the iris's were in previously. The tree isn't happy where it's at because it, the hydrangea, and the spirea are all fighting for water and light. As long as moving it doesn't prove too difficult, (I'll let you know next week) I think they will all be happier in the end.


I purchased a calla lily. I love the look of them but didn't think they would thrive in this area but have a friend that says her grandmother has them and they do well and spread. So, I guess we shall see...

The lettuce I planted about 10 days ago has started sprouting... won't be long before I can have fresh, organic salads!

That's about it for this week. I haven't planted anything else in the garden because in this area the rule-of-thumb is to wait until after Derby Day, which is the first weekend in May, to be safe from frost. I've done it a week or two earlier on occasion, but this has been a cool spring, so I'm playing it safe.

Hot Dogs With Spaghetti - Yum, Yum?

I've done some Stumbling the past few days. If you're not familiar with StumbleUpon, you tell it what subjects you like and it takes you to random sites in that category. You can then rate the sites with a thumbs up or thumbs down and Stumble uses that information to bring you more sites that are closer to your likes.

Anyway, I used to Stumble a lot but then I forgot about it for some reason and recently stumbled upon it again (Stumbled upon it - no pun intended! I crack myself up!)

So, apparently, according to StumbleUpon, this is something I like:


Now I'm not sure why I'd like that. Is it in the food or photography category? It is somewhat interesting. They took spaghetti stuck it in hot dogs and cooked it. But it's not appetizing in the least, quite the opposite actually. I think I could actually use this as a appetite suppressant - no more need for nuphedra reviews for me!

It rates right up there with the wasabi gumballs and garlic mints I found at mcphee.com -- although those would at least make funny gag gifts.

Well, let me know if you try this. Maybe your kids will like it. Mine just said he didn't see the big deal in it.

Need Moving, Cleaning, or Yard Work Help - Find It In Your Area

We live on family property and I always say joke that we are stuck here forever. However, in the past couple of years when I've had to help both my mom and my sister with moves, I've not been too sad that I've not had to endure that stress. And boy does it look stressful! Unless you have plenty of warning, very few belongings, and are extremely organized it's not a fun and easy process.

My sister was fortunate enough that she had a ton of people show up to help which made it go very quickly. But what if you don't have an army of help, or if you are unable to do much of the work yourself?

There's a place I just found out about that is so smart. It's called Hire A Helper, and that's exactly what you can do here. Just enter your zip code, select the type of help you need, and enter the date you want them to arrive.

Professional Moving Companies charge hundreds of dollars an hour. By hiring local help through HireAHelper.com your cost may be as low as $20-$25 an hour! And the control is in your hands - before choosing a mover helper you can compare movers reviews, availability, and pricing.

Additionally, if you need other labor help, Hire A Helper also has day laborers, yard work laborers, and cleaning laborers.

What a great concept. And it doesn't matter where you are, they have everything from Los Angeles Movers to New York Movers. So, even though I don't plan on moving, I now know where to look the next time I need help re-painting the house... the one I'll be in till I die! lol!

What I Love About Sunday On Music Monday

I think Sunday is my favorite day of the week, and especially one's like yesterday. It was a lazy, rainy kind of Sunday. Hubby said it was boring and he got nothing accomplished, but I thought it was wonderful!! We went to church in the morning then came home and took a two-hour nap -- it's not often that we get a chance to do that, and after being up until after 2 a.m. (we went to Thunder Over Louisville, which I'll post about in the future) it felt good to catch up on some missed ZZZ's! Then we just relaxed, read the paper, and watched a few TV shows together.

Long story short, yesterday reminded me of the song I picked for Music Monday. See if you relate to the lyrics. (I bet if you live in the Southern U.S. you will!)

That's What I Love About Sunday @ Yahoo! Video

Lyrics | Craig Morgan lyrics - That's What I Love About Sunday lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Give A Group Gift - Without The Hassle

I love the gift registry concept, it's nice to know the gift you are giving someone is actually something they like and will use. However, have you ever looked at someones registry list and couldn't find anything that was within your budget that seemed nice enough? One way I found to save a few dollars and still get a great gift is to look at the registry and then go and find a comparable item on sale, even if it's at another store, or another great money saver is to get a group of friends to go in on a gift. I love to do this! Not long ago I pitched in with a few friends and we were able to purchase a stroller for our friend who was expecting.

The only problem with purchasing a group gift is that one person has to contact multiple people, figure out what to purchase, round up the money, then go purchase the gift. So, when I heard about edivvy.com I thought, "what a great idea!" Edivvy.com takes all the hassle out of the group giving concept, and makes it easy.

It's so easy! Just enter details about the event and the recipient, choose a gift from the website, and create an email to invite people to participate. That's all the organizer has to the do, the rest is taken care of by edivvy. In the email you created there will be a link for the participants to go to where they can decide how much they want to contribute and sign the gift card. The gift is then shipped directly from the merchant to the destination.

This service will be great to use for just about any occasion - baby showers, weddings, graduations, mother's day gifts, and more. And, edivvy will even give you gift suggestions. For instance, some of the gift ideas for parents range from a GPS navigator to a digital picture frame.

So, the next time you receive an invitation to an event, make it easier on everyone involved and try edivvy for the gift. I think I'll try it for our cousin's wedding this August!

Burger King Square Butts Commercial Makes Me Laugh - But Is It For Kids?

I laugh every time I see the new Burger King Square Butts commercial. So I looked it up on YouTube, wanting to share it here, and was surprised to find there is an entire 2 minute video of it.

As funny as I think it is, I wonder though if I'd be as happy about a square butts commercial if my kids were little. I forgot how I used to censor what my son watched until a friend said something about my son telling her younger boys about a show she doesn't generally allow them to watch. I felt awful, (although I don't think this particular show will scar them for life, but I respect a parent's decision on how to raise their child.) and reminded him that they were quite a bit younger than him.

All that said, I'm not sure cute square butts are what I'd want Sponge Bob associated with. It just seems a little wrong to me, kind of like using sex to sell cars, car parts,
automotive lifts, etc.

What are your thoughts? And just for a giggle, here is the video in question:

Frosted Mini-Wheats Coupon

Yesterday, in the mail, I received a free sample of Frosted Mini Wheats Bite Sized cereal. Along with the sample they sent me a stack of coupons for $1.00 off a 14.5 oz, or larger, box. I have 4 more coupons than I will use by the expiration date of July 31.

If your family enjoys Frosted Mini Wheats and you'd like a coupon, just leave me a comment with your email address and how many of the four you'd like. I'll email you to get your mailing address and get them out to you. I only have the 4 and it's a first-come, first-served basis.

Beach Time Memories

I'm glad some of the visitors to my blog talked me into making a video slideshow for my son's graduation. I'm having a blast going through my old pictures and trying to sort out the best ones to use. The only problem is, I have WAY too many pictures! I've already selected 78 pictures and have a stack of at least that many that I need to scan, and additionally I haven't even gone through a third of my photo albums yet!

A lot of my photos were taken while we on vacation. I guess it's not only because the scenery is usually great, but also because you're relaxed and happy, and it's a feeling you want to remember. While my dad and sister enjoy taking Orlando vacations, I'm a beach girl. I actually get very irritable if I don't get to see the ocean at least once a year.

Here's one of the pictures I'm definitely going to use on the slideshow. I love it - but then it has all my favorite elements, my son, the beach, and vacation! It's hard to believe this was taken at least 13 years ago!

I'm Starting My Core4 Review Today

I've been given the chance to review Cal Nutrasciences, Inc., Core4 system. The claim is that their patent pending products may be ablet to help you lose 8 - 16 pounds in 30 days without a change in eating habits!

I started today and will stick to it for the next seven days and will post my review next week. It's really very simple. All I have to do is:

• take 2 two ACCELERATE tablets
• take two FLUSH tablets before bed
  
• replace one snack or meal with the LEAN vanilla smoothie
• restrict myself to 2000 calories (not hard to do)
• drink 6-8 glasses of water per day
  
• and sprinkle CHEAT, a 100% natural fiber that allows a portion of the food to pass through the digestive tract unabsorbed, reducing your calories by up to 25%, on each of my meals

It sounds oh-so-simple, and hopefully I'll see some great results from it! I'd love to lose 10 - 15 pounds before swimsuit season starts and be sleek, svelt, and Solo Slim! And, if I lose, you win! Along with my review I get to host a giveaway for a Core4 one-week system, just like the one I'm trying out. If you're wanting to lose weight, be sure to check back next week and enter!

Get Your Free Recycled Aluminum Reynolds Wrap®

Would you like a free roll of Reynolds Wrap®? In honor of Earth Day 2009 Reynolds is giving rebates for a free roll of their new 100% recycled aluminum wrap. All you have to do is visit www.reynoldsrecycled.com on Earth Day, April 22 and register. Of course supplies are limited, so you'll have to visit early, the downloads will become available starting at 4:22 am EDT.

To help you remember, you can go now to www.reynoldsrecycled.com/rebate, and if enter your email address, they will send you a link with a reminder when it goes live. (Good idea if you're like me and won't be up at 4:22 am!)

100 Years by Five For Fighting For Music Monday

I'm working on a video slide show for my son's graduation (which I have WAY too many photos for... the guests may be watching it through the night at this rate!) and haven't figured out what music I am going to use yet. In my experimental phase I have chosen this song by Five For Fighting and I will probably use at least a snippet of it somewhere in it.

The song came out not long after DS was 15 and so every time I heard it I would think of him. Plus it seems relevant for a graduation. Time just seems to fly and 100 years go by in the blink of an eye...

Music Video Code by Video Code Zone

Lyrics | Five For Fighting lyrics - 100 Years lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

I Tried The Grocery Game!

A while back I joined The Grocery Game but I didn't take the time to figure it out. Then a friend said she had joined and was saving between $15 - $40 a week on her groceries. So I reinstated my membership and have tried to follow it for a few weeks now. I'm not saving as much as my friend, however, I have had savings of $7 and $15 on my past two grocery trips.

So, what is The Grocery Game? Well, you keep the coupons you receive in your paper every week, then weekly you get a list of the sale items at your local grocery store - matched with the coupons to get you the absolute lowest prices on products you shop for.

Could you do this on your own? Maybe. But, they have access to information you don't. For instance, just because something is on sale that doesn't necessarily mean it's time to use your coupon. Why? Because they may know that it will be discounted even further in the next few weeks.

Which leads us to another facet of The Grocery Game. This is what I didn't understand in the beginning. The list is color coded. If it's in black it means it's a decent deal, but only get it if you need it. If it's in blue then you're getting a great price and should stock up on the item. And, if it's in green, then it's FREE!

Something else my friend showed me is that you don't clip your coupons when they come in the paper. Instead, just paperclip them together, write the date on them and keep them in a file until you're ready to print your list for the week. Oh, and when your coupons come they have the advertiser on the front, (i.e. Smart Value, Red Plum, Proctor & Gamble) when you print your list it will have a code for each advertiser so you can quickly find the coupons you're looking for.

So, would I recommend The Grocery Game? If you have the time for it, yes. It takes me at least a half hour, maybe 45 minutes, to get everything ready to go shopping. But, if I save $7.00+ each week, it's worth my time. It's paid for itself in just two trips to the store. (By-the-way, it's $10 for the first store you add and $5 each subsequent store, but, if I remember correctly that's for 8 or 12 weeks of membership.)

You can try it basically risk free ~ the first 4 weeks are only $1 for new members. Then just cancel if you don't like it. If you do give it a whirl, be sure to say that Angela Hurst referred you. (If you refer 3 people you get 12 free weeks!)

Celly Smellys Product Review - Keep The Nasties Off Your Phone

Do you know where your cell phone has been lately? Think about all the places you take your phone, (come on, you know you took it in the stall with you when you just couldn't hold it any longer while you were shopping the other day) and then think about where you laid it. (you put it down on the restroom sink while you washed your hands, didn't you?) Did you then, turn around and put it up to your mouth to talk or worse yet, give it to your two-year-old to play with?

If you've ever wondered if your cell phone is sanitary, let me tell you, it's not! In fact one study reveals that your cell phone carries more grime on it than the bottom of your shoe, and is even dirtier than a toilet seat. Your best line of defense? Celly Smellys!

I have to say, this is one of those products that once I used it I thought, 'why didn't I think of that?' Fortunately, Jessica Pohlkamp is a little quicker than me and she realized the dilemma of how to keep personal electronics clean and so Celly Smellys were created as the solution.

When I first received them, instead of heading straight for my cell phone, I decided to try them on my laptop. I had noticed a day or two earlier that my screen was filthy, it looked like someone had sneezed on it, I was afraid Celly Smellys would streak my screen because I could see where I had wiped it, but as soon as the screen dried it was left clean and completely streak free.

Since then I used them on my cell phone, my son tried them on his touch screen phone, I even used them on my sunglasses and then used the same wipe to clean off the glass panel covering the instruments on my car dash.

So why are Celly Smellys better than glass cleaning or antibacterial wipes?

• Celly Smellys are proven safe for your phone! They have been tested by an Independent Laboratory and are LCD safe for all devices.
  
• They are infused with fresh, clean fragrances. My favorite was the Colada, but the Melon and Berry were great too!
  
• They come in a small zipper-front, resealable packet that you can slip in your purse or diaper bag or keep in the console or glove box of your car. Each packet contains 15 of the scented, pre-moistened wipes.
• They're non-toxic. (So no worries about the kids getting a hold of them!)
• They're made in the USA.

I know I'll be using Celly Smellys a lot this summer. I love summer and being outside and when I garden, cut grass, fish and lather on the sunscreen I get everything from sweat to dirt and more on my phone... Celly Smellys to the rescue!

Visit www.CellySmellys.com to purchase your own!

Like A Rock - Music Monday

My dad used to love this song, but when I heard it last night I sadly realized it now applies to me!! Ugh! I remember feeling so in control and sure of everything at 18. Now, at 40, I worry about everything and like Bob says,
"Twenty years now, Where'd they go?
Twenty years, I don't know,
I sit and I wonder sometimes,
Where they've gone."



Like A Rock Lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Do Teal And Orange Go Together? Take Interior Design Courses And Find Out!

I was recently asked to help someone do some interior redesign. They just wanted to add an accent chair and some drapes, but the problem was the only colors in the room were teal and grey. The fabrics that I found to go with those colors weren't many - in my opinion - but the other person working with me said browns, yellows and oranges would be fine. I couldn't understand that, but she said that teal and orange were across from each other on the color wheel. That's when I realized... I know very little about interior decorating.

If you've ever wanted to learn how to create beautiful rooms, the Sheffield School offers three great courses in interior design and, you can study them from the comfort of your home!

Choose from (or take all three) The Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design, the Complete Course in Wedding & Event Planning, or the Feng Shui Interior Design Course.

Sheffield was founded in 1985, has offices located in the heart of Manhattan, between Grand Central Station and the United Nations, and their faculty members are among the top professionals in their field.

It's always been a dream of my mom's to become an interior decorator. I'm definitely going to recommend that she take a look at the Sheffield School, if that's your dream too, see what they have to offer.

Top Entrecard Droppers For March

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and dropped their card this past month, and especially to my top 10 droppers. Be sure to visit my friends listed below and I'm sure they will show the love in return!

Alteredevents
My gypsygoods
Rants, Thoughts, and Other Things
I am Harriet
How to make money on the internet
The Coupon Coup
Sited and Blogged
impNERD
Momspective Reviews
Triple A

My Son, The Superhero!

I'm wanting to make a slide show set to music for my son's graduation. Do you think that's a good idea or not? I ask because my friend was going to do one for her son and he told her not to. He said she could do one for his wedding, but it seemed too sappy for a graduation.

The problem is, I love pictures and traveling down memory lane. I've been going through some of my old ones and pulling out the ones I think would be good to use and laughing my head off! I'm not sure where the years went!

I'll give you a sneak peak. He and his cousin had a vivid imagination! Here they are in a couple different 'costumes.' I especially love the second one - what great superhero wouldn't want to wear goggles and his underwear on the outside?


I found another one that has always been one of my favorite photos, but I decided I won't embarrass him by using it. We were on vacation, staying in a cabin in Gatlinburg, and he was just under two. We were getting him ready for his bath, had taken all his clothes off and he ran away. We followed him down the hall to find him on top the pool table, buck naked on his hands and knees, pool cue in hand, Desitin on his bottom - making it glowing white - rolling the balls around! I had to capture the moment, you don't get many of those in your life!

And speaking of billiards, if you are looking for billiard supplies, such as tables, cues, cases, etc., Pool Dawg has over 3,000 products and some of the best deals on the web. With more than 700 cues and pool cue cases with brand names like Instroke, Giuseppe, and Scorpion, superior service, and free shipping on orders over $75, Pool Dawg is your source for anything billiard related.