Just...Happy.

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After spending so much time around teenagers, getting ready for the upcoming Spring Musical at the High School I have come to realize, even more than ever before, that MY teenager is awesome.

And that makes me HAPPY!!

We had a rough few months with her when she was feeling very torn between her parents and who she could love and not knowing if she could love both and all the crap that involves (crap placed on her by her other family and not us). Even through all of that garbage she was never disrespectful or rude, she was simply confused and distant.

But our sweet girl is BACK!

We love the way our relationship has evolved and grown through the years. J is a great kid, making great choices and she TALKS to us about the details of her life.

I really love that. I am so HAPPY that we have such open and honest communication, that she wants to spend time with us and that she is growing into a truly lovely young woman.

AND

Jordan is HAPPY that she got her braces off last week...


Here is a little before and after comparison. Do you remember that she got BOTH glasses and braces in the same month, just weeks before the first day of 8th grade? That is the stuff good character is made of!

Close up....


The difference is amazing, she needs a couple of veneers and is practicing smiling with "less gums" but the transformation is beautiful and she is HAPPY!!

We are in BIG trouble..Big Daddy put this on his Facebook,


J thought it was hilarious.

So, what is on YOUR Happy List this week? Grab a button, add it to your Happy List and link THAT post up!

I HEART Picnik, Do You?!

Hi,

Picnik, the ultimate photo editing site that is adored all over this globe is shutting down on April 19th. Unless we do something about it. Please, whether you've ever used it or not, or whether you're an avid photographer, or just stumbled onto this petition... PLEASE take the time to sign it. We WILL stop Picnik from shutting down.

Let's get #savingpicnik trending on Twitter!

Like "Saving Picnik" on Facebook: HERE

That's why I signed a petition to Jonathan Sposato, CEO of Picnik.com, which says:

"Don't shut down Picnik! It's the best photo editing site out there, especially for amateurs, and many will be lost without it! Picnik corporates, PLEASE don't shut down!"

Will you sign this petition? CLICK HERE

Thanks!

I Confess...I Might not Be as Cool as I Think I am

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I Confess...

I have been spending a lot of time around High School students lately. As you may already know I am doing the costuming for the local High School's Spring Musical...High School Musical. My sister Amy is the musical director and I was at her rehearsal the other day, with the full cast.

But before I get into that, let me tell you about my sister Amy...

Amy is a musical goddess. She has real talent that she WORKED hard for...singing, reading music etc did not come naturally to her, even though she loved it. She has studied and worked and trained her voice. So she really knows how to help others do the same thing.

OK back to the rehearsal. I was in the back of the room as she was teaching the kids the harmonies and working hard to get them to pay attention.

I Confess...

I was surprised by the lack of respect by some of these kids. Amy is not a hard ass. In fact she is pretty laid back and most of the teens really love her and enjoy working with her.

But

She spent so much time trying to get everyone to stay on task and learn the music that much of the rehearsal time was wasted.

This is a talented group of kids. I have been attending the Spring Musicals at this High School for a long time.

I Confess...

I found myself really wanting to jump in and lay down the law. I am not use to snarky teenagers. J is pretty respectful and has never been much of a discipline problem.

Not to say that these kids were acting like hoodlums or anything, but it made me sad to watch my sister work her butt of to teach them (so they would look and sound good on stage) and they were wasting time and energy goofing off.

I Confess...

I was probably a lot like that when I was their age. High School was all about social time for me. I wanted to be the center of attention and make people laugh and love me.

(I might still be a little like that...hello, I have a blog)

I Confess...

I got in my own fair share of trouble for not paying attention and being rude to my teachers.

I regret that. I have for a long time. But watching my sister be the teacher that everyone was exasperating kinda broke my heart a little.

It also reminded me that by doing this work for the kids I am in a small way trying to make it up to the teachers who gave there all and wasted a lot of time trying to get ME to stay on task.

Or at least I hope it makes it up a little...

I Confess...

It is not too late to enter my latest giveaway...come read the details HERE!

Big Daddy: Peanut Butter, Crunchy Versus Creamy

Big Daddy is currently working full time AND going to college. Yep, my husband goes to college. I love that about him. Sometimes he KILLS me with his assignments.{Sometimes because he waits for the last minute, knocks it out and gets an A for it. Annoying, but also awesome} Mostly because he makes choices on topics he finds funny, things that entertain him...as long as he is doing work, he may as well enjoy it, right?

The following is a Compare Contrast assignment he wrote for an English Composition class.

The ancient South Americans are believed to be the first humans to crush a peanut and create peanut butter.  The peanut travelled from South America to North America via early explorers who traded with Spain and the American Colonies.  Since then the creation of peanut butter has a long and interesting history.  This paper is going to focus on two very distinct aspects of this food.  The original introduction of peanut butter was of the smooth or creamy variety.  In the 1930’s the Skippy Company introduced a crunchy version that included the addition to chopped nuts to the creamy peanut butter.  Since that development there has been a quiet but intense debate on which variety is better.
               
The proponents of creamy peanut butter point to the original state of peanut butter.  While in its original incarnation there was grittiness to peanut butter, it was far from the chunky version available today.  The “creamers”, as they will be referred to in this paper, are the purists.  They like regular Coke, hold the cherry please.  They never see sequels or have enjoyed a twice baked potato.  They hold in the highest regard the belief that the original is always best and all others are substandard.  The “crunchers” relish in the texture and taste they believe is far superior to creamy peanut butter.  Crunchers point to the fact that in your typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich you have the flat texture of bread and the smooth texture of jelly, therefore, you need the contrasting texture that crunchy peanut butter delivers (Gleichman, 2006).  They enjoy the little bits of whole peanut and the pre-digesting process that happens in the mouth with crunchy peanut butter.
               
Creamers when faced with the texture argument will usually counter with the spreadability factor.  They believe that creamy peanut butter rates higher in the area of application.  Creamers claim that crunchy peanut butter tears bread and can result in an uneven application across the surface of the bread (Gokhale, 2006).  Crunchers feel that the presence of the peanut bits in the crunchy version actually assist in its application.  They argue that the bits of peanut help grab the bread and pull it from the applying utensil.  Their retort to the allegations of bread tearing is that of operator error rather than faulty materials.  They claim that nothing goes together smoother than fresh white bread and a healthy serving of crunchy peanut butter.
               
There may never be a truce called in this debate.  The volley of accusations and boasts back and forth seems to have no end.  In the end it really comes down to personal preference.  According to the Skippy Company website (www.peanutbutter.com) creamy beats out crunchy on a national scale.  This can vary by region or state.  This also varies based on how the peanut butter is to be consumed.  One thing is clear, America loves its peanut butter, and they will go to great lengths to protect and defend their freedom to consume their chosen kind of peanut butter.

Just out of curiosity...do you prefer Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter...vote in my poll on the sidebar.

Let's Talk About Looooove! WWTK wk44

Welcome to We Want to Know Wednesdays Q&A

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Yours truly, Mamarazzi, is asking the questions this week, and I want to talk about LOVE...


{1} How was your Valentine's Day?
{2} What is your favorite flower? Did your honey get them for you?
{3} Was Valentine's Day a big deal when you were a kid?
{4} Did you put up any Valentine's Day decorations? (bonus points for a picture)
{5} Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?

{1} How was your Valentine's Day?
Well...it ended well. I had this FABULOUS idea that Coco should deliver Valentine balloons to Mima. I thought it would be adorable. So I tied the balloons to Coco's sweater and let her loosem thinking she would run up the steps and into the house to Mima.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. Coco did not like the balloons that were chasing her and freaked out. She went running and all i could imagine was her getting hit by a car or disappearing forever. It was 3 minutes of total horror. But we finally got a hold of her, after she pooped all over the place, and calmed her down.

So it was far less fabulous and adorable than it was suppose to be.

She and Big Daddy stopped speaking to me for a few hours. Big Daddy eventually forgave me and Coco is thinking about it.

HAPPY Valentine's Day...notice the terrified look on Coco's face and the way Mima is protecting her from the big bad balloons? Yep, mother of the year here.



{2} What is your favorite flower? Did your honey get them for you?
A lot of women got red roses for Valentine's Day this year. Unless this is your favorite flower I think it is silly. Let me tell you why. Men, being the silly little creatures that they are, automatically think that red roses are the best way to show a woman that they care. Why? I will tell you, too much TV. Yep, commercials. My opinion, get a woman her favorite flower IF your REALLY want to show her you care. Right?

OK, tangent over. I LOVE Gerbera Daisies..all shades of PINK. They are sturdy and last forever and are just cheerful! And no. I did not get any for Valentine's Day. But that is because I told Big Daddy not to waste money on flowers, unless it is an out of the blue, "just because" moment.



{3} Was Valentine's Day a big deal when you were a kid?
It was HUGE...picking out the perfect Valentines to pass out at school. Making and decorating my little Valentine mailbox out of a shoe box. Going through all of my Valentines over and over again. LOVED Valentine's Day...loved it!

{4} Did you put up any Valentine's Day decorations? (bonus points for a picture)
YES I decorated my Mantel and put a few little bits of Valentine goodness throughout the house. Nothing too terribly over the top.



{5} Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?
Nope. We celebrated Valentine's Day in Feb 2010 it was awesome. In 2008 Big Daddy hijacked this here blog and wrote me a love letter it was awesome. As far as traditions go, we fly pretty fast and loose with Valentine's Day.

Here's the thing. We tell each other EVERYDAY how much we love each other. Big Daddy constantly reminds me of his love for me through the little things he does for me. Because the L-O-V-E is in the little details in life. The way he brings me a Tall Dark and Handsome when a Diet Pepsi from a fountain, over ice balls is exactly what I need. And how he places my pillows perfectly for me so that when I come to bed they are ready for me to snuggle down into. And how he opens doors for me, or tells me how pretty I am, how I can't walk past him without a kiss or a pat on the booty...it's all little but it all means so much. I never question how much he loves me, I KNOW he does...so if the occasional Valentine's Day is an epic fail I am totally cool with that.

Yep, really.

Looking forward to coming around and reading your answers!!

All posts for We Want to Know should include:
1. The darling WWTK button
2. A link to your co hosts Mamarazzi, Queso and Crazymama
Links must lead to WWTK posts that contain the WWTK button. Posts should lead to Family Friendly blogs. Blogs containing explicit language and/or sexually explicit content should contain an "adult content warning", or risk being removed from the link list. Kthanks!

Mama's Happy Helper

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I have had a bit of a funky virus and haven't been able to keep anything down for a few days. Coco really worries about me when I am sick. She has been in my face (literally) "taking care of mama". I am so happy and grateful for the love that she she shows me. Even when I am pushing her out of the bathroom as vomit...she has no concept of personal space.





The weather here has been so Springlike and gorgeous that even nature is confused. My mom's daffodils think it is time to bloom. Coco and I walked over for a visit the other day and she was HAPPY to explore the backyard while we visited.





Speaking of exploring the backyard. My nephews came over the other day and wanted to check out our backyard. We are seeding for grass so the majority of the backyard is dirt and seed. I told the boys to stay off the dirt, not wanting it tracked back into my new house and the new carpet. I was happy to see that my nephews found a creative way to get from one side of the yard to the other.





Happy Valentine's Day...




"I know I'm angry, but later I'll be fine. You're just a moron, but at least you're mine. And you can bet I'll never let you forget, when you forgot about Valentine's Day"

Sing it sistah!

I love you Boo boo...Happy Valentine's Day. One of these days we will actually get around to celebrating this holiday again. Or not, I love you either way. Lucky you.

I Confess...I Whine Sometimes

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I Confess...

I am STILL totally afraid to make a nail hole here in the new house. I have yet to hang a single picture. It's totally ridiculous. I need to just hang one picture and get the ball rolling and then I will be done in no time.

But

I am skeeeeeeerd. I know it is silly.

I Confess...

Living close to family is something I do not think will get old anytime soon. I really love it.

A. Lot.

I Confess...

I love my new house so much that I don't want to post pictures of it because I don't want other people not to love it as much as I do.

I Confess...

I have been eating a lot of pickles lately. I LOVE pickles, but I might be taking the love to a bit of an obsession.

I Confess...

This feels like a really kind of whiny and random post. Sorry about that. I will take the weekend to get over myself.

What are you confessing this week? Grab a button, add it to your confessional post and link THAT post up.

AT&T U-Verse For The Win!

This is NOT an ad.  I am NOT being compensated for this post and am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned.  This post is 100% the personal opinions and feelings of a consumer.

This is also a little wordy...so please bare with me here, I promise I do have a point.

   

When you move one of the decisions you need to make is what television service you will hook up.  Back when we first moved to the Monterey Bay Area we subscribed to DirecTV.  This was back in 2005 so my memory of dates is fuzzy, but for the first 6 or 8 months of service we were pretty satisfied with the quality of our satellite television service.  

In the summer of 2006 we moved from the Monterey Bay Area to the Central Valley.  Soon after we moved we started noticing some difficulties with our DirecTV service.  The DVR receiver would freeze and we spent countless hours on the phone trouble shooting and resetting the receiver.  DirecTV tried making things right by sending us replacement receivers.  Each one would work for a few weeks then we experienced the same issues.  All of this was carefully detailed and recorded in my account at my request so that the experience was easily explained to each subsequent customer service representative.  

Finally after I was sure our agreement with DirecTV had expired I decided we would switch service providers.  I contacted Dish Network and set up an installation date.  I then called DirecTV to cancel my service.  When they were going through the process the representative told me that my contract was not up yet.  I told her that had to be a mistake because I was sure it had been over a year since I set up with them.  I was told that each time they sent me a new receiver my contract was renewed.  I explained that was 1) never explained to me (read the fine print is what I was told) and 2) that was ridiculous because the equipment was faulty and not caused by anything I had done.  I was told there was nothing they could do and I would be responsible for the $200+ early cancellation fee.  I went up the chain trying to find a supervisor that would see how unfair this was for me to be charged to no avail.  

I was told that was the DirecTV policy and nothing could be done.  I had some choice words for DirecTV and vowed I would NEVER, EVER, EVER subscribe to DirecTV again. AND take every opportunity I could to let people know about them and their horrible and unethical services. I did not pay and that is evidenced by the negative entry on my credit report.  We were pretty satisfied with Dish Network and had no issues with them for the duration of our subscription. 

One day a nice young man was walking our neighborhood telling people about a new AT&T television service called U-verse.  He told us they would offer a 4 channel HD DVR, with Dish we had 2 channels, and the DVR service would be whole house, meaning every TV in the house could access the DVR recordings.  This was pretty new and exciting technology in 2009.  The service was cheaper, had more channels, and there was no contract! 

We signed up immediately!  

We fell in love with the 4 channel recording capabilities.  The U-verse internet was fast and reliable.  We never regretted the switch.  The few times we had technical issues AT&T had a service person at the house the next day, and when he showed up he actually left a business card with his cell number on it along with an invitation to call him directly if we needed any more help.

Now this brings us to today.  We have moved back to Monterey Bay Area and to our dismay, AT&T U-verse is not offered in our area.  I tried and tried but it just isn’t happening.  Our other choices were Charter cable, DishNetwork and DirecTV.  Well, obviously, DirecTV was out of the question, never even a consideration.  I have not heard good things about Charter and the services they offered didn’t seem as good as what Dish Network was offering.  We signed up with DishNetwork.

First of all, we are back to a 2 channel DVR.  This puts a serious cramp in our recording experience.  My work hours and the shows we like tend to conflict, this means we record a lot to watch together when I am off work, when two shows are recording we have no choice but to watch a previously recorded show, with AT&T U-verse you could record up to 4 shows at once or use any combination of live TV and recorded shows that utilized the 4 channels of the DVR.  Uverse also had an awesome In Demand service.  Great movies from each of the premium networks, HBO, Showtime, TMC, etc. and TV shows from all networks were available to watch at any time.  

Dish Network has a lame excuse for In Demand.  First of all, the shows and channels listed online as available are different from what can be viewed on the receiver.  I called Dish and was told that that is just the way it is, you can watch some shows online and different ones on your home TV.  

The movies available through DishNetwork need to be downloaded.  You can’t just watch a show, you have to download it through an internet connection and the HD versions can take up to 2 hours to download.  That is if you can keep the receiver connected to the internet.  I have tried for over a week to download a movie, each time it begins to download then stops with an error message saying the internet connection was lost and the movie could not be downloaded.  I call AT&T U-verse to check our DSL.  They verified our service and made sure it is connected correctly.  I contacted Dish Network and spent 30 minutes with tech support only to be told they couldn't help me but I would have to contact a higher level of support within the Dish Network support group.  I have yet to have the time to spend with them on the phone but I am not optimistic about the outcome of that call.

All in all Dish Network does not even begin to compare to AT&T U-verse.  Uverse has proven to provide the highest level of customer care and support.  They use far superior technology, and have for several years.  I am amazed that Dish has yet to catch up to what I see as a basic level of technology for the type of service they provide.

 
If you have AT&T U-verse available to you I HIGHLY recommend the change.  If you are suffering through Dish Network orDirecTV, I feel your pain.

 

Believe me, I am checking almost monthly to see if AT&T is offering U-verse in our area and will not rest until they do.

Again, this was not a compensated post.  The opinions expressed here are 100% mine and not paid for. If you happen to be reading from AT&T U-verse please, please, please make your service available in our area. 

I know several people who would sign up right now!

I Just Like EVERYTHING Organized..yes, everything.

 

OK y'all...I may have found a new obsession. I LOVE everything in my life to be organized.

EVERYTHING! Some might say I am a control freak, call it what you want I just live my life a certain way and it works for me.

Sooooo when I heard about clipix I may have squealed a little. And clapped my hands.

Clipix is a free, awesome, new and useful tool that is changing the way we organize our lives online.

It solves the problem we all have of seeing tons of things online each day and never having a good way to save and organize them, not everything can be pinned y'all.

You can use clipix to keep everything you find online that you want to save and come back to.

Clipix allows you to maintain customized privacy settings so you can organize your online life and share only with people you want to grant access to your clipboards.

How does it work? It's really easy actually...

You drag a bookmark called the "Clip" button to your bookmarks bar.

You then click it whenever you see anything online that you want to come back to.

It REALLY is just that easy!

Everything you clip will be stored in customized clipboards on clipix that you organize and control.

You can make clipboards for anything, whether it’s articles you want to read, gadgets you’re thinking of buying, gift ideas for family members, or recipes you can't wait to try.

The list is literally endless.

There is even an Phone app so you can take all of your clipix with you. RAD!!

There are also Syncboards. They allow you to clip collaboratively with your friends or family. YAY! I love sharing and seeing what my friends are sharing. When anyone adds a clip to the syncboard, everyone else you collaborate with will see it in real-time.

Another super awesome feature of clipix is the Multiboards. You can group multiple clipboards by category to stay better organized.

I could go on and on but once you start using it you’ll be as addicted as I am.

I have already found some FABULOUS recipes and fun crafts to do with kids and even Coco has her own clipboard.

Sign up and let's be clipix friends. What will you use your clipix for?

Check out the video...then get to clipix and sign up!!

Promoted Post

Ever Re-gift? WWTK wk43

Welcome to We Want to Know Wednesdays Q&A

Hosted by Mamarazzi, Queso and Crazymama<center><a href="http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g328/OurDandelionWishes/WWTKbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

Yours truly, Mamarazzi, is asking the questions this week, and I will admit it's a little random.

{1} What is for dinner tonight (bonus for sharing the recipe)?
{2} Share something you are currently looking forward to.
{3} What are your thoughts on re-gifting?
{4} How often do you rearrange your furniture?
{5} Share a picture from your cellphone or camera.

{1} What is for dinner tonight (bonus for sharing the recipe)?
It is cold and rainy here this week, so I am feeling like some Chicken and Dumpling Soup. Just click that for the recipe, and some adorable pictures of Jordan from 2008 in my old little bitty kitchen, good times.

{2} Share something you are currently looking forward to.
Big Daddy and I are going to Disneyland in May. We are even taking Coco with us and she will stay at the Disneyland Kennel where she will have her own magical Disney experience and we can stop in to play with her since she will be right there at the park, so fun!

MiMyMa 2012 where we will be spending a week at this lovely beach house MiMyMa 2011 was soooo much fun  MiMi and Myya  came to my house with their kids and we had such an amazing time that we decided it needed to happen every year! You can check out the VLOG we made HERE!! I added a little ticker to my sidebar. I can hardly wait!!

I am also hoping that  Crazymama  and her herd come and see us this Summer.

So yeah, lots to look forward to!

{3} What are your thoughts on re-gifting?
I have re-gifted. I have also been the recipient of a re-gift. I have no problem with it at all. In fact I even have a little gift closet that has stuff to "pass along" when I need a gift on the go. I think it is better to find a home for something adorable but not really "me" rather than let a gift sit unused.

{4} How often do you rearrange your furniture?
I use to move stuff around a lot. The LAST time I was in the middle of a major house transition, moving J to the old playroom and the playroom to the family room and the family room to the living room...you get the idea total chaos...when I had my "brush with death". Recovering for several months and seeing the mess that was waiting for me was depressing...I will NEVER do that to myself again. PLUS we just moved here so I am hoping I won't be moving furniture again for a VERY long time.

{5} Share a picture from your cellphone or camera.



Looking forward to coming around and reading your answers!!
All posts for We Want to Know should include:
1. The darling WWTK button
2. A link to your co hosts Mamarazzi, Queso and Crazymama
Links must lead to WWTK posts that contain the WWTK button. Posts should lead to Family Friendly blogs. Blogs containing explicit language and/or sexually explicit content should contain an "adult content warning", or risk being removed from the link list. Kthanks!