I have been contemplating on getting my husband car accessories for Christmas. Since his car is a lot smaller than our van and could not comfortably encompass the whole clan, it has been dubbed “his” vehicle. Of course, I would love to get him new speakers and such as well. Anything that would make his driving experience a lot better. If he had a truck, I would get him truck accessories for sure! I think there’s something a little sacred about a man and his vehicle!

You never know what is in a diet aid and how it will affect your body until you use it. That is why the biggest craze is to find diet aids that are ephedra free. This helps to know that your body and your heart will not be affected by the ever omnipotent ephedra.  So you can take heart in knowing that you are truly trying to help your body.

Like many parents, I find myself thinking twice before buying toys. After all, you never know if the toy is defective or filled with lead products, or just plain harmful to your child.   So, I frequent a website that features W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm).

They had a list of 10 most dangerous toys for 2008, but I cut the list down to the 6 that I thought could be potentially dangerous.

1. Animal Alley Purse Pet – Harmful because the hair on the toy is not secure. So it could cause aspiration/choking.

2.  TMNT Battle Gear (Michaelangelo Set) -  Harmful because of the potential to harm someone else with blunt force injuries.

3.  Walk’n Sound Digger the Dog – Potential for child to become entangled or strangled

4.  Inflatable Giga Ball -  This rather large ball is comprised of holes that children are able to climb into and tumble and roll all over the grass.  However, the product is not recommended to be used on hills and water as there is a danger for potential impact.

5.  Sportsman Shotgun – This is sold as a toy, but the W.A.T.C.H. group categorizes it as a weapon.  Remember that line in “The Christmas Story” when the child wants a gun and the mother says “No!  You’ll shoot your eye out.”  Same thing applies here.

6.  Extreme Spiral Copters – Another potential eye gouger.  This toy launches little plastic pieces in the air.  It is cautioned not to use other materials to launch (which you know kids will do this with relish) and to aim away from eyes, faces, etc. when launching.

So, there’s the list of potentially dangerous toys.  The question is, are they really dangerous?  What do you think?

How often do we take for granted that someone will always be there for us?  How often do we take for granted that the ones we love will live forever and are indestructible.

I lost my grandma today.  I am beyond devastated.

Rest in peace Grandma Margaret.  I will be forever thankful to have had you in my life for the last 28 years.  We will miss you sorely.  But at least you are with Grandpa now.

I am tackling everything and anything but the kitchen sinks, lately. Or so it seems. My list of articles to read have been tethered somewhere between keeping up with the latest web design trends to server management software and reliable dedicated servers and VPS.  Not to mention, my class on Environmental Science begins on Thursday of this week (more fun stuff to read)!

I am currently finishing up on a couple of web-related projects which I fully intend to post here once I am done!  All that and haircuts for husb and the kids tomorrow.  Like I said… all but the kitchen sinks.

Of course, i’m not called “mom” for nothing.  I’m starting to think “mom” is truly the equivalent of being a superhero.  It should be like a chant or something.  Don’t you think?  We moms handle everything from child rearing, home organization, chores, and meal planning.  We play at-home doctor as well as family chauffer for various reasons.  When we’re not working on home stuff, we tend to have to answer to bosses or professors or family and friends and God only knows who else.

I tend to think that we have a rewarding spot in life… we moms.  We’re a priceless lot, we are.

Anyway, so this week shall be a busy one.  Oh and Owiebear officially starts preschool on Monday.  I am so excited for him but I have to admit that it’s kind of bittersweet.  It is such a gift that I get to see him grow into such a good boy with a charming personality and a big heart but sometimes I miss the baby he used to be.  He’ll definitely always be my baby no matter how old he gets.

*yawn*  Well, y’all, i’m off to read an exciting article on CMS reviews.

Have a great night everyone!

So, I decided to add my Mozilla tools this morning after husb reconfigured my computer and decided to install ScribeFire which supposedly will let me blog on the fly so to speak without having to actually log in to my blog.  Pretty nifty, eh?

If you are reading this, then it worked!

Do you remember that song by Dave Matthews Band? Here is the opening stanza:

“Where are you going, with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away, like an ocean
That you can’t see but you can smell
And the sound of waves crash down”

I just love this song! In fact, I play it almost everytime I go anywhere. Miss Sophiekat started singing it now whenever we are going to go somewhere. It’s the cutest thing. She’ll look at me and say… “Where are you goin’?”

Speaking of where are you going…. I got lost the other day around town. I’m still kind of new around here and I actually got lost on my way to the farmer’s market! Looks like I need to beg husb to get me a GPS for the van!

It seems like just yesterday I was putting away my holiday gear and felt the relief of having a whole year to scrimp and save for presents. Now that it is coming near again… it’s time to think of what to get the family. I think I will get my dad some political novelty t-shirts. He’ll get a kick out of some of the more humorous ones! My mom would love a George Foreman! Those grills are the bomb!

I’m not sure what to get my brothers but it’s a good thing I have a couple of months yet!

Did you know that you can now trade online? I just discovered that today and am thoroughly impressed! online trading is the hottest thing right now! With the stock market plunge now is a great time to buy stocks. You can invest in big companies much easier. We all know that what goes down will eventually come back up! It is definitely worth your while to check into it!

I have been too inside my head lately. Too many thoughts going on up there and I seem to be having a bit of a problem separating myself from things. This has been stressing me out just slightly, so of course a major breakout has erupted! Oh how I wish I could find acne cures somewhere! Something tried and true, you know?

The past couple of days have been rather interesting.  First, I learned that adding a third child to the mix (although a blessing) is a pretty big deal!  Second, the faucet came on every 3 hours like clockwork. Meaning, Brodykins is eating and pooping every three hours consistently.

I will say this… all of the kids seemed to need things at the same time. There was one point during the day where all three were screaming and crying because they were hungry. It was dinner time for the baby as well as the rest of the kids. None could be consoled until they were eating. So, thankfully husb was home with me. He fed the bebe and I worked on dinner for the older two. Everyone was happy within 15 minutes.

I do wonder how i’ll manage when it’s just me. It’s going to be quite a challenge for sure!

One of the great things about cars now days is that you can customize them to your taste!  Lots of companies make aftermarket parts that really add a whole new dimension to the way your car looks and feels!  One of the most popular things to do is to look at rear spoilers and add the one that will fit your car the best!

My hubby was thinking of adding some aftermarket parts to our Vibe. I couldn’t believe all of the cool things he found!

I have to be honest and say that I have never thought of purchasing a children’s life insurance policy for my family. The reason is because I don’t see the immediate need for it. Of course, with all of the uncertainty surrounding life, I can see why it is available. Especially, if a child has a terminal illness. It could help take the burden of funeral costs and such off of the parent’s shoulders.

What is your opinion? Would you purchase something like this for your family?

The funniest thing happened to me recently.  I have a doctor’s appointment this week.  The physician powers that be have determined that I am ready for my 2-week check ups.  Time has gone by so fast!  Can you believe I only have 9 more weeks to go?

Anyway (getting back to the story), like a good little preggo I went to my appointment on Monday.  Because Monday was April 30th, right?  Wrong.  The poor receptionist looked so confused.  I was confused.  Hell, we were all confused.  It turns out, I had my days mixed up.  April 30th is tomorrow (duh) and that is when my doctor’s appointment is.

Instead of packing it in and going back home right away, I decided to take advantage of a little “me time” and lolly-gagged at Target for awhile.  I found the most delectable little gold chain!  Now, I know what to tell D that I want for Mother’s Day or alternatively, my birthday.

In any case, I go to the doctor’s for real tomorrow.  It is a good thing I have a great sense of humor and can laugh at myself.  Otherwise, I would probably want to stay in bed with the covers over my head! LOL!

It wasn’t so long ago that my husband and I were looking at different mortgage lenders. This time last year we were getting ready to look at a house. We had plans and schemes and dreams that are so different from those of today. Now, we have a house that we’re not completely sure we’re going to buy but we love it! I’m a stay-at-home mom (until all of the kids are in school full time) and am pregnant for the third and final time (something I wasn’t this time last year).

I have heard it said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In my situation, things have changed so drastically that I barely remember what happened last year. It’s as if the year flew by in the blink of an eye without warning. My husband and I had a great conversation the other night. He said to me, “Hon. At this point, we might as well say that things change on a daily basis.”

Today will be different than yesterday and the events of tomorrow could put us on another path altogether.

I can feel myself slowly going back into the uber tired stage of pregnancy. Whatever energy I had last week, seems to have disappeared. I am tired Kellie once again. It’s okay, everyone gets tired once in awhile. Even my laptop. Though I will say that I wish I could put more memory into myself. Just as laptop memory helps a laptop, I need more mom memory. Maybe it would speed up my processor a bit. LOL! Just a little tech humor to start the morning off.

I am keeping up with school with great zest but am slowing on the blogging lately.  My mind seems to turn to mush everytime I try to think of something to blog about.  Today, my brain turned on but my body is screaming at me to stay put.

Any second/third trimester mommas out there who are feeling the same way I am? How do you increase your energy? I need all the suggestions I can get at this point. Today, I have to mop the floor. ;o)

It’s March, it’s cold outside and while the sun peeked from behind the clouds for a moment, it discreetly tucked back in leaving a very murky feel to the weather. I want warm sun, dry grass, NO snow, and a chance to go outside with the kids! Yesterday, we were at a friends house and the kids were able to play on the deck outside but the rest of the yard was covered with snow or wet. Not a great combo, ya know?

I’m ready to pack my luggage and sign on to a sunny state. Maybe Colorado. I hear it’s sunny there 350 days out of the year!

How’s the weather where you are?

Winter Park real estate has to be the prettiest real estate i’ve seen in a long time. I just found this website and I have been looking at all of the awesome scenery this place has to offer! Who wouldn’t want to have a place that overlooks the mountain and a beautiful river/lake?  This is the perfect place for an outdoorsy person or someone looking to get away from it all.  Take my word for it folks, this IS serenity at its finest!

Well folks, it’s true. My very first car (one that I have owned for 9 years) has finally died. It blew a head gasket and quite frankly, the head gasket is worth more than the car itself. SOoo… the hubby and I have decided it’s time to buy a minivan. With the new baby coming, and the backseat of the Vibe being a little too small for three car seats, we have decided that this is truly the best way to go. So, we’re saving our pennies for a Toyota Sienna or a Honda Odyssey. I am also considering a Kia but am not really certain how reliable it is. Do any of you own a Kia Sedona? Do you likey?

When the time comes to pick out our new vehicle, I am seriously going to consider purchasing custom car mats for the floor. Perhaps something in black (to hide kid stains…lol).

Do you have a minivan? What kind of van do you have?

Can you imagine if you had to research different high risk life insurance policies? When life takes a turn for the worst, where do you go?

I have always found that insurance (mainly health insurance) companies are famous for inserting pre-existing clauses in their policy. Meaning, if you have a pre-existing condition they either wont cover it ever or will cover it after a certain amount of time (6 months to a year). The world of insurance is extremely confusing to me at times. I still get a headache when looking at our medical bills. Saying over and over again to myself…. “Isn’t our insurance supposed to cover this?” Then, I shake my head and realize that this is all a game that I do not understand. Even if I do read the little manual of coverages over and over again.