When my dad was in school, he had to walk to school barefoot.  In the snow.  Uphill.  Both ways.  Uh-huh.  He told me so and I'm not going to argue with my dad.  Things sure were different when my dad was young than when I was. 

When I was in school, we used pencils and paper in math class.  Getting caught with a calculator was grounds for disciplinary action.  It was cheating.  I don't think we were allowed to use a calculator until I took trigonometry or pre-calculus. 

Actually, I specifically recall having to create a sin and cosine table on the back of my notebook that we were to reference prior to even thinking of touching the calculator.  THE calculator that was allowed was a Texas Instrument, TI-55III.  I think I still have it around here somewhere.  It's the one labeled "1984" in the picture.  For my accounting classes, there was a different financial calculator that helped figure out future values or assisted in determining payment, interest rate, number of payments or whatever depending on what information we had and what we were missing.

Kids these days are not only allowed to have calculators, but they have really cool ones.  Don't get me wrong, the TI that I used back in the 1980's was great for its day, but this new line of units is just amazing. Either technology has come a long way or someone figured out how to inject steroids into these things.  Calculators are miniature super computers and some, like the Texas Instruments TI-nspire CAS, have corresponding software for use on a regular computer.  With the nspire, the software isn't just for the student, there's a teacher's edition that allows the teacher to sync with the student's TI-nspire and download questions the student may have, then resync at a later time after reviewing and answering them.  To boot, this particular calculator is approved for use on SAT, PSAT and AP tests.  When I took my ACTs, I remember being allowed extra paper for calculations... but we had to destroy it before leaving the test room.

Let me say, the calculator itself is just phenomenal.  As a former accountant, I had to be careful not to short it out with all my drool.  The times of needing two different calculators are gone (IE scientific versus financial) with the TI nspire wrapping it into one - with interchangeable faceplates.

As fate would have it, about the same time I found out about the nspire, a family friend was notified that she needed to purchase a special calculator for her son, Steve, a high school freshman.  He is required to have one for his geometry class.  In lieu of testing it myself, I opted to give it to Steve, someone who could take full advantage of its features - something I was far from doing considering my days of geometry and calc classes are long gone.  (Not that I'm complaining, of course.) 

I talked to Steve after he had it for a few days and asked his initial reaction.  He said "It's just like the (abc) one that I've used before so I was able to use it right away."  When his mom forwarded his review to me, she confirmed that to be true.  "Steve picked it up and used it for his Geometry homework the first night that he received it without even looking at the instructions."  I was pleasantly surprised to hear that!  She went on to say "Steve found it to be very easy to use. He didn’t need to check out the instructions too much. It was mostly hands on to figure out how to use it. I would not be able to do that being the technically challenged person that I am but Steve picked it up as if it were a video game controller. The only bad thing is that he hadn’t had the chance to use the alternate keypad."

When he first saw it, he did comment about "Whoa, that's huge!" but after toting it around and using it for a few days, he realized it just appears large and really isn't that cumbersome.  Some of his highlights about the unit are (1) the screen is large making it easy to read, with excellent graphics like a handheld computer; (2) the keypad isn't too crowded minimizing 'fat finger' mistakes; and (3) "It’s cool that you can keep notes on it and transfer the information to the computer."  He had nothing negative to say about it.

Special thanks to Family Review Network and Texas Instruments for making this review possible!

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First of all, sorry for the delay in posting the winners. When I started this yesterday, I was having blogger problems and decided it was best to wait until it was cleared up.

As for the contest... Wow, am I surprised with so few entries for such a great prize pack! The cookbook from Country Bob's is awesome, but the additional two bottles are a bonus! It works out in the favor of those of you who did participate! With that in mind, hope to see all of you back for my next giveaway.

Okay, it's time to announce our winners! Random.org makes picking numbers so easy. There were 15 comments left but one of those earned bonus comments for blogging about the contest, adding my button to their sidebar or adding a link to Country Bob's to their page. So for Carolsue, her "one" comment is actually three comments. I want to spell that out ahead of time so people aren't confused by just counting from the top to see what number they were.

Special thanks to Country Bob's for providing not one but two awesome gift packs!

I'll soon be posting a giveaway of an I Spy Private Eye game by Briarpatch so stay tuned!

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When we lived in Los Angeles, our kitchen table was pretty much a place to stack the mail.  We had a formal dining room that was only used when company was in town.  In other words, only about 3-4 times per year.  The kids ate their food in their high chairs and we usually ate our food on the couch.  When we moved to Iowa, we looked for a house that didn't waste that formal dining space and we're happy with what we bought.  The table that used to be in the formal dining room in Los Angeles is now our everyday table.   While we eat on the couch occasionally; it is best used as a place to eat popcorn during family movie night.





The kids are both way beyond high chairs and their own special meals.  They eat what we eat and we all eat together almost every night.  With swim lessons once per week at 4:15 and soccer practice once per week starting at 5:30, our schedule gets a little hectic.  Factor in other normal family chaos and it makes it very difficult to plan for more than just picking up fast food.



When Mom Central introduced the Libby's Get Back to the Table blog tour, I thought we were a good fit.  Our kids eat foods that a lot of kids will not because we've exposed them to it early.  They eat salmon with us regularly along with other fish.  They enjoy various vegetables as well as salads.  We do make a conscious effort to eat together and I look forward to it every night.  I used to hate mealtime because of the battle to get the kids to focus on eating, but I'm to the point that I like hearing what they are doing at school.  I love sitting together with my family.  We are often all home together but doing different things in different rooms.  At least at dinner time, we're complete. 



"Get Back to the Table" provides meal planning ideas, grocery shopping and money saving advice, time saving tools, recipes and much more.  Including Sara Evans' rendition of the famous Libby's jingle:  “If it says Libby’s, Libby’s, Libby’s on the label, label, label you will like it, like it, like it on your table, table, table.”  Yeah, that will be running through your head for a while.  Mine too.  Be sure to take advantage of their coupon!



If your family needs a little help and inspiration with getting together for dinner, stop by the site.  You'll be glad you did and your family will reap the benefits in the long run.

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If my parents had ever taken me to the circus when I was a kid, I regret that I don't remember it. It was amazing to watch the elephants stack up, the motorcycles swirl around inside a tiny sphere without crashing into each other, acrobats flying through the air, tigers performing beautifully, horses prancing around the stage and clowns doing what clowns do.

I certainly hope that my kids remember this wonderful experience and strongly encourage anyone to take their kids. Babies can attend the circus for free through their Baby's First Circus promotion. Actually, take anyone. My grandma was in her 90s before attending her first circus, also Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and she even loved it! If you went last year, don't think you can't go again because they have different performances in alternating years.

If you're thinking of attending the circus, use code MCC to receive a 20% discount when buying tickets with the following ticket price brackets: $24, $19, and $13 for the following tour visits:

Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008

Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008

Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008

Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2

Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008

St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008

Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008

Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009

Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Enjoy the show!

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As much as I hate to admit this...



A while back, I was watching TV and what I saw made my eyes mist over.  I wish I could say that it was some tear-jerker movie or one of those medical miracle shows on Discovery channel.  Or even a reality show where someone that really needed that new house, new life, whatever got their wish.



Nope.



Instead, I have to confess that it was a commercial.  For an insurance company.  Yikes.  What has this world come to? Watch it for yourself, please.

I'll answer that.  What it's coming to is a sense of responsibility.  Not only with people becoming greener but also with people becoming socially mindful.  A few years ago, Liberty Mutual launched a commercial that swept people off their feet.  It demonstrated a non-monetary pay-it-forward concept of lending a hand where needed.  If you Google it, you'll find that there are random blog posts and marketing comments dating back to 2006.  It became viral and Liberty Mutual realized they were onto something big.  Something that touched people.  The Responsibility Project is the result of such a simple concept, "We believe the more people think and talk about responsibility, the more the world becomes a better place."



When Mom Central first announced a blog tour for The Responsibility Project, I immediately recalled the video that I embedded above.  Curious of other commercials with the same message - yeah, I like crying over commercials - I started watching them.  I kept getting swept away in watching the videos on The Responsibility Project website that I kept putting off working on my blog post for Mom Central! 



Don't think that the site is a mass of Liberty Mutual commercials because it isn't.  Actually, it's designed to encourage people like you and me to contribute thoughts and comments about what we believe being responsible means.  Watch the videos, share your opinions, read their blog.  If you do nothing else, watch one of their videos such as the Lighthouse.  It's awe inspiring.  Kudos to Liberty Mutual for the initiative!

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I love the new skin I have on my Razr so much that I don't think I'll ever get rid of my current phone. Just kidding.  The products at Unique Skins are so affordable that I wouldn't feel bad about ordering another one just because I felt my phone needed a pick-me-up. 

Okay, it's time to announce our winners!  Random.org makes picking numbers so easy.  There were 49 comments left but a few of those earned bonus comments for blogging about the contest, adding my button to their sidebar or adding a link to Unique Skins to their page.  So for Rebecca, Whimsical Creations and RobynsOnlineWorld, their "one" comment is actually three comment, where appropriate.  I want to spell that out ahead of time so people aren't confused by just counting from the top to see what number they were.

Special thanks to Family Review Network for coordinating the review and to Unique Skins for providing the prize for the giveaway... not to mention thanks for introducing me to a really cool site.

Be sure to check out my newest giveaway for a Country Bob's cookbook and two bottles of sauce!  Also keep an eye open for a future giveaway of an  I Spy Private Eye game by Briarpatch!

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If there's one thing I have a soft spot for, it's cookbooks.  While at the library book sale or at yard sales, I can't help but buy them - even if they aren't something I would normally cook.  What's funny about it is that I seldom reference them and I'm not that good of a cook.  As I explained in August when I reviewed Country Bob's Sauce, I'm a lazy cook.

Well, the folks at Country Bob's must have read my post about how I don't experiment with recipes very often.  They kindly shipped off one of their new cookbooks for me to check out. 

It has been my experience that cookbooks put out by food manufacturers mostly contain simple recipes that have their products as a focal point.  But the Country Bob's cookbook isn't like that.  It has unique recipes like "Olivia's Egg Drop Soup" "Country Bob's Venison Mexican Pizza" and "Poor Man's Fillet" which do contain Country Bob's products.  But it also has recipes that do not include any of their products.  They opted to add desserts (that don't contain their products) to ensure that their cookbook was well rounded.  Smart move - no cookbook is complete without desserts!

Here's the best part.  You can get one too!  Thanks to Country Bob's for offering not one, but two gift packages for this giveaway!

I want to say thank you to Country Bob's for feeding my cookbook addiction and helping me come up with some delicious new recipes!  And especially for providing the prizes for this giveaway!

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If I posted a picture of the inside of my mouth, you would clearly find not one sweet tooth, but many.  Doesn't matter what it is - from a dessert to a wine - my motto is "The sweeter, the better."  So I'm not sure how it is that my kids ended up with better eating habits than me.  Miss M (5 1/2) will occasionally eat a cookie or some candy but offer her a piece of cake or a cupcake and she politely turns it down.  Miss K (4) on the other hand, will gladly dive into any pastry but given the option of a happy meal or a salad, she'll pick a salad.  Even on days when they get a bedtime snack, they are excited to be treated to a Yoplait yogurt.

So for the past two years, when Miss M was snack helper at preschool, she usually chose one of two things to bring for the class.  Either cheese sticks or yogurt.  I kid you not, she hardly ever would take cookies - even on her birthday.

Our routine was pretty regular; I would take her to the store and allow her to pick a snack of choice.  As an example, I would ask if she wanted graham crackers, goldfish or yogurt and she would quickly say "Yogurt".  We would head to the dairy aisle where she would promptly select enough Yoplait Dora, Diego, Blues Clues or even Trix yogurt packages to serve all her classmates.   And from what the teachers told me, it was always a hit.

Well, Miss M is in Kindergarten now so being 'snack-helper' is no longer part of our routine but we do need to keep a supply of yogurt on hand to pack in her lunchbox.

We were at the store the other day and Miss K begged to get Yoplait yogurt.  I had just packed the last one in her sister's lunchbox, so she scoured the stack and said "This one is different."  Thankfully, I had a coupon in hand (compliments of the Family Review Network) to test out Yoplait Kids yogurts.  Normally I stick to tried and true flavors, but since the purpose of the coupon was to test their products, I figured now was the perfect time to let her explore.  Fortunately, we haven't run into any that they won't eat so I shouldn't be too concerned.  I've included a link to a $1.50 off coupon, so don't be shy about trying out something new.

We haven't tried any of the Yoplait yogurt drinks yet, but I'm certain they will be as much a hit as the regular yogurt.  Some people may scoff and say that kids just want it because of the character 'endorsement' on the package. I think my girls just recognize the Yoplait logo because when they run out of "their" yogurt, they are more than happy to request one of mine.  Regardless, if it takes flaunting a Nick character to get kids to try a healthy snack, then so be it.  Sometimes, just getting them to try something outside their comfort zone is the biggest challenge anyhow.

I'm proud that my girls are developing healthy eating habits.  I hope that even as they are exposed to unhealthy foods along the way, they will continue to gravitate toward healthy alternatives like Yoplait yogurt.

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Have you ever been someplace where you see a kid just totally misbehaving? Before I became a parent, it drove me crazy. I promised myself that once I had kids that I wouldn't be THAT parent that had THAT kid. I swore that I would take responsibility for teaching my kids proper behavior and encourage it while they are still young and impressionable.

For example, if I catch my child cutting someone off while walking at the mall, I have them stop and say "Excuse me." How hard is it to remind children to say "Please" and "Thank you"? Even though I've become a parent and have had mishaps with my own children, I still get frustrated when I see parents not trying to teach their kids these essential skills of life. Just the other day, we witnessed another child behaving inappropriately in public. I smiled silently as one of my daughters said to the other "He needs to turn on his listening skill."

It requires dedication to constantly reinforce good listening skills, behavior, manners and cooperative play. So when a company like Hasbro provides a tool to aid in this learning process, in this struggle, it's worth applauding.

Hasbro recently launched their line of Noodleboro games. We tested

The first few times, Miss M (5 1/2) and Miss K (4), were the pizza makers and I was the caller.  I quickly realized that since they are visual learners, seeing the cards as I said them was actually a crutch.  I wanted them to listen so every once in a while, I would just say the ingredients without showing them the cards.  Once they got the hang of the game, we rotated who got to be the caller.  For older kids or kids who are ready to increase the intensity, try calling more than three ingredients.

Both my girls enjoy playing this game, as do I.  It's a team effort so there are no hard feelings.  Not only does it help the girls with their listening skills, but it also helps me to focus on them - and the game - as opposed to letting my mind drift to dinner, school plans or heaven forbid, blogging.

We haven't tried out Noodleboro "Learning about Manners Picnic Basket Game" or "Learning to Share Fun Park Game" but if they are as fun and effective as Pizza Palace, then they are worth checking out.

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