Ah high school. The good ol’ years for some and for others… eh not so much. I remember high school like it was yesterday. For me, it those memories are a scant few years ago (more like 10). Still, the essays and tests are not far from my memory. Nor are the good times and the parties for that matter.

One thing I remember worrying about in high school (as my cousins now worry about), were sat prep courses. I felt like the SATs were the. biggest. test. of. achievement. ever. People I knew would take the prep courses and study hard. It was a big thing back then. Because having good SAT scores meant that good colleges would be easy to get into.

Back then, I thought the test was all by chance. Now however, I feel that if I would have “studied” for the SATs or taken a prep test, then perhaps I would have done better.

Did you study for your SATs?

I am so excited because a new family member will be added soon! My brother has announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child!

I have three children and sort of feel like I can be a help to her in this area. I’m not an expert by any means, but I definitely know what to expect when expecting! So, I have been giving her advice on things pregnancy related thus far. It has been fun!

One of her questions has been on where to order the baby announcements. I have relayed to her that she can find dozens of cute and affordable options online. I have also mentioned that she can make her own.

When you had your children, did you do baby announcements? If so, did you make them or buy them?

Goodness gracious, I wish we could find cheap insurance. Not just cheap insurance as in you-get-what-you-pay for insurance that isn’t that great, but cheap as in affordable.

When I priced up insurance for my family of five, I was told that we would pay $500 monthly.  It wasn’t a creme-de-la-creme sort of plan, just a basic one that covered basic expenses like well-child visits and sick visits.  Stuff like that.

Insurance is so expensive right now.  I have tried to pay as I go, and the price is almost outrageous for a doctor’s visit!  My doctor charges $120 per visit.  So, I feel like i’m stuck up a creek without a paddle.

What do you do for health insurance?  Is it affordable or not-so-much?

Many new moms ask themselves the question of whether they want to work or to stay at home.

The most important factor in all of this is deciding what will work best for you and your family.  This is not a decision that has a definitive answer each time.  Every family, every mom has a unique situation at home and at work.

Speaking for myself, I had initially chosen to go back to work.  My husband and I simply could not afford to have me stay at home.

As time went on, and I added another child to the mix, I found that I had a hard time leaving my heart at home while I went to work.  I really missed my children and felt that I wanted to stay at home.  It was hard trying to balance a job and as well as being a mom, wife and college student.

I got stressed out and frustrated many times.  During that year, my children got sick quite often.  The daycare wouldn’t take them when they were sick, so I had to stay home and of course miss work.  My job unfortunately was not the kind that one could take home.

I was often accused of playing the *kid card*, even though that couldn’t have been further from the truth.  I was an hourly employee, so any time that I missed at work made my paychecks smaller.  So during those times, my husband and I struggled to make ends meet.

My reasoning for staying there was because they had a decent life insurance rate and we needed two incomes at the time. If I hadn’t needed the income or the insurance, I would have quit a short time into the job.

I ended up losing my job because I missed too many days.  I have always said that family comes first.  I was not surprised when I was fired.  The company I worked for was not very family-friendly.

After that, I found myself unexpectedly pregnant for a third time.  It was then that I decided to stay at home.  Having to pay for daycare for three children all under the age of 4, was super expensive.  And, I felt “once-bit-twice-shy” with the job situation that had just ended.

Thankfully, I had found a passion in web development and switched my major early on in my degree.

Now, I am a stay at home mom and I own my own business all while going to school.  It is a tall order.  Some days, I wish there were two of me.  However, for the most part I enjoy staying at home with the kids.  The downside is that it can be a little isolating at times (because they are so young).

I believe that my children benefit from having me home, but I also firmly believe that they benefited from daycare as well.

One of the stressors new moms have to deal with is listening to other moms who feel very strongly about staying home or feel very strongly about going to work.  There is a lot of mommy hate and judgment to go around.

My advice to new moms is to make the decision that works best for YOU.  Even if you choose to work full time, you are still the parent to your child and no daycare provider or babysitter will ever replace your role as the parent.  And remember, your paycheck all goes into the pot that helps to support the family!

If you find that you want to stay at home but need to make money while doing it; do your research.  There are many legit work-from-home opportunities that you can partake in.  However, you have to do your research.  Because for as many legit opportunities there are out there, there are an equal number of frauds.  A good rule of thumb:  If you have to pay-to-play then it’s probably a fraud.

In conclusion, whether you decide to stay at home with your child or work out of the home, the decision is yours to make.  Just know that whatever route you take, you are doing the best you can for your family.  And please never doubt that.

The hardest, most challenging and also rewarding thing that I am embarking on right now (aside from parenting and college), is the journey to lose weight.

I have been heavy most of my life. I have had a few spots here and there where I haven’t been heavy and also one successful stint in Onederland (165 baby!).

However, after becoming a parent, it seemed that the minute I thought about losing weight, I would get pregnant again. Or, I would still have a newborn at home. And believe me, it’s really hard to even think about losing weight when you are getting up for middle-of-the-night feedings!

When you are a mom, your life just isn’t your own. Especially when your children are younger. While I cherish my babies, sometimes at the end of the day, I feel physically and emotionally exhausted. Raising children is hard work — although very rewarding!

At one point I had thought about taking herbal diet pills or some sort of supplement to lose weight. Because I felt that I needed something to give me an edge.

Now, I make time for myself. I joined a gym that has daycare. And having a gym membership (especially one that offers childcare), is so important! I don’t feel guilty for taking an hour to myself and the kids have a change of pace!

If you are a mom, what do you think the most challenging thing about losing weight is?

In our society today, we are plagued with new illness and ailments. New kinds of cancers pop up everyday. Besides eating and exercising, one of the ways that we can help prevent cancer is to get our colon cleansed. They have devices called colon cleansing pills that can help cleanse the colon safely and naturally. But make sure you do your homework and talk to your doctor before taking any kind of medicine (over the counter or prescription).

Sometimes, when you are losing weight or in the process of a weight loss journey, you need a little help — a little pick me up if you will. There are times, when losing weight can involve a lot of different elements; mood level, hormones, eating habits, exercising habits and sleep habits. It encompasses everything including your environment and the people you surround yourself with.

Sometimes, people need help and for that help they turn to some kind of a diet supplement. These “helpers” can boost your metabolism or give you the vitamins you may be missing in your current diet.

I don’t know if it’s partly due to the big move, or the caffeine that I sometimes consume in the evening hours, but really… I feel so tired lately. This is largely due to some sleepless nights. For some reason, I wake up between 1 and 3 in the morning almost EVERY morning. It is annoying. Especially, if I wake up on my own (as in no help from the kids). I have started looking for the best sleep aids. I keep thinking that having a good sleeping pill on hand for when I am especially anxious is a good idea.

Do you use sleep aids? If so, do you like them?

What you may or may not know, is that I am currently getting my degree. But how does a busy entrepreneur mom to three little ones have time to get her degree? Well, i’ll tell you…. I am getting my degree online. Getting an online degree is pretty much the same as getting a degree at a brick and mortar school. The only difference is that instead of driving to school, College is literally at your fingertips!

Western Governors University is a college that offers online degree programs. They have an extensive list of programs for the busy adult who wants to earn their college degree! You can go into anything from nursing, to business and also teaching and technology! In addition, they offer financial aid and are more affordable than most online schools!

You can also choose how far you want to go. So whether you aim to get your Bachelors Degree or masters degree online, one thing is for sure… getting your education can help give you a better tomorrow. Let Western Governors University work for you. They offer the right resources to help you get your degree!

Not sure if you guys heard about the Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines debacle, but apparently, Mr. Smith was taken off an airplane because he was “a safety hazard” and the fact that he didn’t buy up two seats is a “health issue”. The thing is, he had both arms down on the seat, which by Southwest standards is supposed to mean that *You fit into the seat and so therefore do not have to buy two tickets*. I don’t know about you, but i’m with Kevin Smith on this one.

Speaking of health issues, I was looking at eczema pictures the other day. I have researched photos and cures for eczema. It looks like a very painful skin disease.

What do you think about the Kevin Smith thing…or eczema for that matter?

I don’t know about you, but my cell phone loses signal in a rural area.  When I visit my parents, I find that their area only caters to certain cell phone plans.  However, they live so deep in the boonies that they don’t have much of a signal at their disposal.  I want to visit them but feel very strongly that I need to invest in a cell phone signal booster so that I can work from their home.

Do you have a cell phone signal booster? Does it work?

Things are moving rather rapidly over here. I have just started packing. All of my web design books are separate from my school books. I am trying my very best to keep it all organized and tidy. My husband suggested that we look into buying an ls4278. It is a wireless scanner.  I think it would help very much to have one of these for my business.  The less cords we have hanging around, the better.

Do you have a wireless scanner?  Do you like it?

There’s been so much going on. I don’t even know where to start. In a few weeks we will be moving. And though nothing is as good as written in stone yet, something inside tells me this will happen.

Recently, I found out that I will be an aunt for the first time! I am so excited! I am patiently waiting to find out whether or not it is a girl or boy.

Speaking of aunts, awhile back, one of my aunts thought that she might have arthritis. She looked over every shred of rheumatoid arthritis information that she could find. She is a hairdresser and her hands are vital to her work. She takes joint supplements to help counteract the effects of the arthritis. She just had a flare up the other day. Poor thing.

So that’s what has been going on in a nutshell!

Over the years, we have recorded video of our time as a family.  We try to capture the cute songs our children sing, or anything they did as a baby and basically Easter, Halloween, Christmas and any other holiday.  Kodak moments.  Our photo library is filled with almost 10,000 photos from 2004 to now.  Our aim is that we don’t want to miss a thing.  I have often thought of buying a camcorder. It would be nice to have something official to capture our moments on.

I am thinking that I would like to try something of digital nature.

Do you have a camcorder to capture all of your family moments? What do you think of it?

My 18 month old loves the broom.  He loves it so much that I have had to in fact find creative places to hide it.  It fascinates him.  It allures him.  It must call to him or something because whenever I grab it out of the closet, he immediately runs toward me and tries to take it from my hands.

I have actually had to *wait* to sweep the floor until he is down for a nap.  He’s also crazy about our floor shark.  But that doesn’t surprise me.  After all, it does make a cool noise and it rolls on the floor like a car.  But I still can’t figure the broom thing out.

What do you guys think?  Do your kids play with unusual things around the house?

Way before this past holiday season, I had decided that now would be the time to get fit and trim! And I aim to do this the healthy way. However, I find myself intrigued with thermogenic fat burners. I understand that some of these contain organic ingredients found in places like Africa and such (i’m thinking of Hoodia).

What do you think? Do you use fat burners? Do you thin they help?

My poor little man has had a rough week. First, he sprained his ankle by doing an awkward Michael Jackson spin move in our living room (he was playing with the older kids at the time), and then he gets pink eye, and now he has some weird rash. I’m a little afraid that it is eczema. So back to the doctor’s office we go. I have seen the inside of his office so many times this week, I feel like we’re in danger of becoming best friends.

Some of my favorite movies have been Bollywood films. Mission Kasmir? I’ve seen it. Dil Se? I’ve seen it. Asoka? I’ve seen it. I have seen many many others as well. I really enjoy Bollywood films. So much emotion, dancing, great music and interesting plot lines!

Useless trivia for today:

Apparently, murad was an Indian character actor who appeared in more than 100 Bollywood films from the 1940s on up.

Pretty neat!

I was shopping in Walgreen’s the other night and came across the diet food/supplements/etc. area. I noticed some fast weight loss pills being promoted with Jillian Michael’s picture on them. The were fat-burners and promoted to be all natural. The jury is still out as to whether a diet pill could truly be all natural. I personally, would love to have a pill that could take away all of the weight and replace with optimum health. But i’m not sure that will happen anytime soon.

What do you think?

I have been getting healthy and changing many of my unhealthy habits. In addition to that I am revisiting weight loss supplements. I am determined to find the best weight loss supplement that promotes optimum health. I realize that supplements can help give me a leg up. They can especially help manage joint pain and such.

Have you tried supplements for weight loss? What do you think?