I'm not the best cook but, of course, I love food. And I love looking at cookbooks.

Blurb.com is a web site that allows you to create all kinds of books: photo books, biographies, memoirs, and cookbooks.  You simply download the free software, choose a template you want, design your book, and purchase it (between $14 to $25). I have not used this web site to create a cookbook.  However, I have used the site to create photo albums. Both the web site and the software is fairly easy to use and most importantly, the final product is wonderful.

I have a few friends who are wonderful cooks and have large recipe collections.  I would love to get one of their cookbooks in my Christmas stocking!

Can you tell me how to get - how to get to Sesame Street?

Well - just go to:

YouTube.com - Sesame Street

Hulu.com - Sesame Street

Fans of Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Oscar and gang can now watch new and old Sesame Street clips from these sites.  It's very fun and brings back so much memories!

I recently asked my kids about Kermit the Frog and they said "Huh - who's that?"  When I asked them if they knew the Count to 12 Pinball/Disco Song, they looked at me - glassy eyed and confused - and said "Huh?" again.

At work, I spend most of my time at my desk.  With the exception of occasional trips to a vending machine, cafeteria, or bathroom, I pretty much sit at my desk, stare at a computer, chat with coworkers close by, and then leave at the end of the day.

So it baffles me to look at my phone and suddenly see my voice mail indicator light up - when clearly my phone does not ring.  Confused, I realize that - instead of talking to me - the caller has selected the option to go straight to my voice mail.

Why?  Should I take it personally?  Don't they like my voice?  Or are they just too busy to talk to a real person?  Why someone would call and choose to go straight to my voice mail baffles me and honestly I'm not sure if I want to know the reason.

Well, I just learned about a free phone service that makes me think of this feature of my work voice mail - Sly Dial.  This is a free service where you can call and leave a message to any mobile phone voice mail without causing the mobile phone to ring.

You simply dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) from your cell phone or landline. You then need to listen to an ad (how they make their money, I presume), enter the mobile phone number you want, and Sly Dial immediately directs you to the recipients voice mail. The recipients phone does not ring.

So, if you're nervous about confrontation, if you want to leave a voice mail without disturbing someone, or if you simply don't want to get sucked into a long conversation with Aunt Bertha, then this service could be useful.  It's still sneaky, I think - hence the name, Sly Dial.  I tried Sly Dial on with my husband's cell phone and it worked well - not only did I succeed in leaving him a voice mail without causing his phone to ring, but of course, I confused him. 

Well - maybe I could have fun with this service.

Here's a new web site created by YouTube. Totlol
 
This site is devoted only for kids - kid videos only.  My youngest son likes to sit on my lap while we play song after song. Even my older son will stop and watch the videos (when he thinks no one is noticing).

Totlol is still new and it looks like YouTube is still working through usability problems.  However, this site is great for parents who don't want to spend a lot of time searching through YouTube's enormous and sometimes not so kid-friendly collection.

Here's one of the more popular songs on this site.  My kids love this song.  I love this song!  The rock group Barenaked Ladies recently came out with a children's CD - Snack Time.  Yes, it's a weird name for a group who creates children CDs. However, the CD is great and so is this song, 7-8-9.

What happens if I do nothing but let the kids play and dream their summer away -

• They sit in the house, stare at the TV, and become good, personal friends with Ben 10.

• Monkey bars become permanently attached to their feet.
  

• My worst enemy becomes the distant sound of an ice cream truck.
  

• Guitar Hero fills my days ... and enters my dreams ... and, in the end, makes me hum the words to Barracuda while I work.
  

Of course, I'm all for relaxing summers.  And I'm all for vacations and fun and teaching my son how to download Kiss songs from iTunes or hiding under blankets "camping" with my four year old.  However, I still want to encourage my kids to read and write and use their imagination, even during these warm, relaxing months.  I heard that children lose about 2 months of knowledge over the summer.  This is very believable, considering that, through association, I'm starting to laugh like Spongebob.

This site looks like fun and encourages kids to really use their imagination. Tikatok 

Here kids write, illustrate, and publish their own books.  Once you sign up, you just go to the studio and either use the tools provided to spark ideas or let your child start the book from scratch.  Images for the book are created by your child, scanned, and uploaded to the web site. You can also mail your child's pictures to an address and staff will scan the pictures for you. When the book is finished, you can buy it, bound in either hardcover or a paperback. The final book is less than $20, a great project for the kids, and a wonderful, wonderful addition to a bookshelf. 

Make sure to check out the video on the home page. It explains the site very well.

Check out this web site. Safety Tat.

Here you can buy kids temporary tattoos that can be customized with your cell phone number. This is a great way to ensure that if your kids get lost in place like a festival or a museum, someone can easily reach you.

This idea initially came from a mom who - to calm her fears at a crowded amusement park - wrote her cell phone number on her kids' arms with a ballpoint pen. However, throughout the day, the mom had to rewrite the number because it either smeared or washed off. Shortly after this day - she thought of the temporary tattoo.

So far, my kids are too young to care about chat rooms or text messaging or MySpace or Facebook or any other type of social networking sites.  However, since I enjoy learning new words, I do find this list of words very interesting and important.

These are the 28 most common acronyms and slang words used when chatting - the 28 Internet Teen Chat Acronyms Parents Should Know. Even though I hope to trust my kids when they do become interested in text messaging or chatting, I also think it's important to be aware of what they do online and to stay current with their language.

Top 15 Terms To Watch For:

1. AITR = Adult In The Room
2. P911 = Parent Emergency
3. PAW = Parents Are Watching
4. PIR = Parent In Room
5. POS = Parent Over Shoulder
6. PLOS = Parents Looking Over shoulder
7. PRW = Parents Are Watching
8. MOS = Mom Over Shoulder
9. MIRL = Meet In Real Life
10. S2R = Send To Receive (pictures)
11. LMIRL = (Lets) Meet In Real Life
12. CD9 = Code 9 - (means parents are around)
13. E or X = Ecstasy (the drug)
14. ASL(R P) = Age Sex Location (Race / Picture)
15. TDTM = Talk Dirty To Me

General Chat Terms Commonly Used:

1. BF / GF = Boyfriend / Girlfriend
2. BRB = Be Right Back
3. GNOC = Get Naked on Cam (web cam)
4. GTG = Got to Go
5. IDK = I Don't Know
6. LOL = Laugh Out Loud
7. MorF = Male or Female
8. NIFOC = Naked in Front of Computer
9. Noob/ Newbie = Somebody who doesn't know much about something
10. NMU = Not much, you?
11. Warez = Pirated Software
12. W/E = Whatever
13. WTF = What the Fu*k?

Here a link to a more thorough acronym dictionary. It is another language! 

There are times when I want to send a large image, or a video, or a program to a friend AND I don't want to make my friend sign up for anything.  For example, I want to quickly send a home movie to my brother.  However, I don't want to ask my brother to sign up for a photo or video web site just to see a movie meant just for him (for example, YouTube or Flickr).  

Here's a web site where you don't have to sign up and you don't have to make your friends sign up: www.drop.io.  

At Drop.Io, simply upload the file you want (picture, video, program, etc.) and then supply the recipient with the web site address you specify on the site.  If necessary, you can even set up a password.

Very cool, very fast, and very easy.

I can't help it. I frustrate my husband, I enjoy it, and thankfully, he's gotten used to it.

Every year, about a week before Mother's Day, when I'm convinced my husband has ideas for a present, I question my kids.  I know that he as sworn them to secrecy.  But I also know that both kids love gifts, they love holidays, and they love to talk about both gifts and holidays.  So with my husband at a close distance, I ask my kids what they got me for Mother's Day.  And of course, they proudly answer my question.    

(... As my husband RUNS across the house yelling "No!  Don't tell. It's a secret!")

So, this year, as usual, I attempt to get Mother's Day information from my kids.  And again, with an amazing amount of confidence and with my husband at a close distance, I ask the them what they got me.

This year, for the first time ever, both kids look at me, grin, and say, "It's a SECRET mommy!"  This year, for the first time ever, they are not giving in.

My husband is still smiling.  

---

Here are a few Mother's Day ideas. These ideas are inexpensive or free and, in my opinion, mean more than most pricey things from the store.

• Clean the house and give mom the day off of all chores.
  
  
• Make a CD for mom with her favorite songs.
  
  
• Clean the car. This includes taking it to the car wash, vacuuming the inside, and buying air freshener.
  
  
• Make a scrapbook with mom's favorite pictures. Here's a web site called Digital Scrapbook. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks cool.
  
  
• Make a gift basket (for example: a basket of baking supplies or movie ticket with popcorn)  Here's a link to some gift basket ideas Mother's Day Gift Basket Ideas.
  
  
• Of course, anything homemade.  My son once wrote me a letter.  My little guy once painted a flower pot.
  

Last week, my oldest son spent the night at my mom's house.

With the TV on, a bowls of chips, and the realization that he was cold, my son (as he thought of more pleasant times) looked at the thermostat.  He then proudly and slowly turned grandma's thermostat to 88 degrees.

During the next two hours, the following events occurred:

*  My mom, in her 70s, fanned her face. Was this a hot flash?

*  My son refilled his bowl of chips.

*  My mom, wondering what was wrong with her, took off her sweater. Was this the first signs of the flu?

*  My son reenacted Spider-Man II with his action figures.

*  My mom paced her house, put on a lighter shirt, and thought curiously about the constant blow of the furnace. Was it broken? 

*  My son galloped to the kitchen, grabbed a Popsicle from the freezer, and chatted about the new Indiana Jones movie to his grandma - who for some reason - was sweating.

*  My mom glanced at the thermostat.  Where were her glasses?

*  My son calmly smiled and exclaimed that all houses should be 88 degrees.

*  My mom returned the smile, turned down the thermostat, hugged my son, told him to never turn the temperature higher than 70 degrees, and praised him for his intelligence.

OK. These events proved two things.  

At some time, after the birth of my first son, an alien invaded my mom's house and planted a wonderful, forgiving grandma chip somewhere close to her heart. (When I was a kid, the thermostat remained OFF limits all the time.) 

The ability to remain calm and educate a child when your house is 88 degrees is an amazing skill.

--- 

Here's a web site that hopefully makes you think of warmer weather.

The Parks Directory at MilwaukeeMoms.com. This wonderful resource rates area parks according to the quality of the park and the facilities provided. Our very own Pulaski Park in Cudahy is rated 5 starts - best of the parks!   And, of course, Grant Park is one of the best too!
 

This week, for the first time in about a year, I overslept.  On Sunday night, I set my alarm clock to 6:00 a.m. and went to bed. On Monday morning, my eyes flew open to 7:30 a.m. with my alarm clock shut off!  My week has been like this - about an hour and a half off - not quite there - and fueled entirely by peanut butter cups and Diet Coke.

Maybe I need one of these alarm clocks.  Or ... then again ... maybe not.

Clocky

Clocky - If you hit Snooze, the clock rolls off your dresser, beeping the entire time. To turn off the clock, you need to get out of your bed and find it!  (Youtube video of Clocky in action.)

Sonic Bomb

Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock - Imagine. A jackhammer is about 100 decibels. This clock goes to 113 decibels!  You can even put a device under your pillow to shake you awake. This clock is insane! (Youtube video of this clock in action.)

Flying Alarm Clock

Flying Alarm Clock -  First you hear a loud shrieking alarm. Then the propeller flies straight up and falls. To turn off the alarm, you need to find the propeller somewhere in your room and place it back on the clock.  I wonder ... for the people brave enough to buy this clock ... how long do they own it before it's destroyed?  (Youtube video of this clock in action.  Ha!)

One of the countless things I've learned since being on my own (and more so since having kids) is that most doctors are very smart, work hard, mean well, are sometimes fun to talk to, and are definitely, definitely, definitely not perfect.

Other than my pet peeve of waiting forever with a small child in a waiting room, there have been a few times when I sat in our house after a doctor's appointment - my head in my hands - frustrated by a lack of answers or a feeling of being taken.

Poison ivy is confused with cold sores.  Teething is confused with influenza.  And of course, expensive drugs are prescribed instead of cheaper drugs (something I suspect but never know for sure).

I'm not saying that doctors never get it right; of course, they do.  (I recall the wonderful urgent care doctor who, within five minutes, diagnosed my sinus infection and provided some glorious, much needed medication.)  However, I get much better results from a doctor when I do a little homework before the appointment.  I research symptoms and arrive with possible reasons for my symptoms. The doctor then agrees with me or says that I'm crazy!  We then have a more direct and usually a more successful appointment.  

FamilyDoctor.org - (Click the Search by Symptom on left).  Here's a web site where you can search by symptom.  My own doctor recommended this site.  You select the symptom and work your way down the tree until you reach a possible condition.

DrugPriceInfo.com  - A real pharmacist created this site for doctors and patients.  I just found this site and it looks fabulous! You enter a drug and the site provides less expensive equivalent drugs. You then can print the list and show it to your doctor.  Again, your doctor can agree with you or say that you're crazy!

RateMDs - Rate your doctor and view ratings of other doctors in the area.  Of course, I love this site.

Yesterday, the driver's side door of my car froze shut. So I climbed through the passenger door and pushed the driver's side door open with my feet. At this point, my fingers were cold - so cold, I removed my gloves and took turns sitting on each hand as I drove to work. 

Here are some things you can do, at home, without leaving the house.

* Order a pizza online.

* Sign up for a Pilates class right from your computer.  Cudahy Recreation Department

* Play some Curious George computer games with the kids (or, if you want, without the kids).

* Using Google Maps, look at a satellite image of your house!  Make sure to play around with the zoom feature. I was able to go right down Lake Drive as if I were a car on the street.

* Catch up on old episodes on Lost! (For free)

* Buy advanced tickets to Body Worlds at the museum. The weekend crowds are amazing.

* Clip coupons online!

Stay warm!  Happy Election Day!

About Two Weeks Ago

6-year old: I know who's going to win the football game.

Me: Who?

6-year old: The Giants.  The Packers are not going to win.

A very annoyed me: Why, why, WHY do you think the Giants are going to win?  My husband stands at a distance.  His face is red.

6-year old:  It's easy.  The Cowboys beat the Packers and the Giants beat the Cowboys.  So, it's obvious.  Don't you see? The Giants will beat the Packers.  My son then rolls his eyes, leaves the room, and looks for his Darth Vader action figure.


Today

Me: So, who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl today?

6-year old: It's so easy!  The Patriots won every game of the year.  The Giants have not won every game.  The Patriots *duh* will win.  Why even watch the game?

I stand there - amused and almost speechless.  I try to teach my son about the term "underdog" and that sometimes underdogs do win.  My son gives me an odd look, rolls his eyes again, and ask about my favorite villain in Batman.  I'm obviously not going to convince him of anything today.

So, tonight - as my know-it-all son plays with his friend or toys, his parents will be in front of the TV - rooting for the underdog.

(Yes, even if the underdog painfully beat the Packers last week.)

---
Here's a site just for my 6-year old.
Toondo.com.  With this site, kids create their own short comic strips and either publish them to the world or keep them private. This has been a wonderful motivator to teach my son how to write!  He's still somewhat young to do everything on this site; however, he loves it anyway and the site "duh" does not include watching football.

Sometimes, after the kids go to bed, my husband and I play the PlayStation 2 game Jeopardy.  My husband sits at the couch, controller in hand, ready to select the answer to the question.  I sit at the computer, keyboard in hand, ready to search for and yell the answer from across the room.

We are masters at this game!  Playing the game this way has:

1. Caused us to win and WIN WELL every time.
2. Taught me to type at the speed of light.
3. Turned us into the future champions of the real Jeopardy game show (with, of course, my husband at the controls and me in a Bluetooth headset in his ear).

Here's a link to find out how fast you can type. 10 Fast Fingers Speedtest

Below are some Google search tip examples. You can limit search information by typing a specific word before the item your want to search on.

birthplace kevin spacey
population milwaukee
mayor new orleans
music:santana (note the colon)
movies:star wars (note the colon)



 

Every Sunday, I get an e-mail from Walgreens about current sales.  Normally, I ignore e-mails from stores concerning sales because:

1. Outside of grocery shopping, I rarely have time to shop at a real store.
2. Unless I see the word "free" or "half price", I don't pay attention.
3. I have way too much junk e-mail to ever, ever, ever read them all.

However, since there are several Walgreens stores within a few miles from our house, I do read their e-mails.  And I regularly use their web site.

The Walgreens web site is so nice!  Like the Pick-n-Save site, you can create and print a shopping list. You can also print coupons, view all sales, print rebate forms, and even check the status of your rebates. This is a very useful site.

Here are some links to the local Walgreens sites in this area (each store has its own weekly ad web site):

Walgreens on 3201 E. Layton

Walgreens on 6241 S. Packard

Walgreens on 2985 S. Chicago

Walgreens on 3901 S. Kinnickinnic

The snow outside makes me crazy. Snow always makes me crazy.

Maybe this is because I was born in the south and am genetically predisposed to touch snow and run.  Maybe this is because I do more shoveling than anyone in my family.  Maybe this is because I spent a lot of my teenage and college years without a car, walking in snow, and wearing bad shoes.  Or maybe it's because I can't, for the life of me, squeeze our big van out of our alley without spinning the wheels, swearing like crazy, waving off concerned neighbors, and hitting at least one snow bank.

Is Spring here yet?

Here's a video that shows some of the finer aspects of winter (our kids and the neighborhood).  I created this video with a new web site called Animoto.  You upload your photos, select the music you want, and wait.  In about 10-minutes, the web site sends you a link to a music video of your pictures.  This service is free for all 30-second videos and the videos are great.

(Happy New Year!) 

Here's a list of some unique gift web sites - this time - gifts for grownups.  Homer gifts!

Hammacher Schlemmer (gadgets!)
The Onion Store (for the fans of the paper)
Discovery Channel Store (gadgets and science)
Illuminations (candles)
Fathead (for sports or superhero fans)
Pier 1 Imports (need I say more?)
Sharper Image (more gadgets!)
Bits and Pieces (all kinds of puzzles)
Wacky Planet (funny gifts)

As expected, my youngest son has an extensive Christmas list this year. He wants Moon Sand. He wants toy yard tools. He wants puzzles and Legos and Play Dough and race cars and a new toy camera. However, there is one item close to the top of my son’s list that stands out. There is one item different than all the other toys. It's an extension cord. Yes, my 4-year old son wants his own extension cord for Christmas!

I ask my son (who loves electronics but is not allowed near an outlet) why he wants an extension cord. He says he just wants to “pretend” to plug things in. He then looks at me and asks if – when he is a grownup – I will allow him to play with outlets. I smile and say no.

Here’s a list of cute and unique toy web sites. (As I try to convince my son into taking extension cords off his Christmas list.)

Oompa Toys (Toys for Younger Children)	Leaps and Bounds

Little Wonderland	Learning Resources

Hearth Song	Science Kit (for the Science Kids)

Today, I came home from work, through our back door, to see three things:

1. My oldest son lying on the floor in our living room, oblivious to the world, holding a loud, intense conversation with a Spider-man action figure.

2. My youngest son behind the couch, upside-down, singing "We will Rock You" by Queen (the Radio Disney version).

3. My husband, stretched on the couch, laughing at Spongebob Squarepants, listening to his weather radio, and clueless to the insanity I see.

OKAY - maybe we should get out and do something! Here's the Milwaukee Mom's calendar of events in the area. (I LOVE the Milwaukee Moms web site!)  Milwaukee Moms.com Calendar