Real Estate in Tampa

It just amazes me that with all the Baby Boomers aging and starting to retire, that the price of real estate has gone through the roof in some of the strangest places but places like Tampa Florida, the market is still pretty much geared to the buyer. Tampa real estate has changed a lot in previous years as it became a grand place for the retired snow birds to light, but with this new boost of retirees I would have expected the market to change again and even more drastically. It is really a great time to buy in Tampa.

I Love My New Sandwich Maker

I love my new sandwich maker by Cuisinart! It is wonderful for making quick grilled sandwiches or french toast on busy days. The kids love it because they can use it too. It fun and easy and relativly safe. I would not fathom to allow my 5 year old or 3 year old use it unaccompanied but my 8 year olds and my 11 year old are pros at it already.

On days that all I can do is manage to dress myself and the kids, let alone feed everyone, it is a huge help to be able to just throw a couple pieces of bread and what ever filling into the little sandwich maker and within 60 seconds we have a hot lunch. Ever had a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich? It's actually really pretty good!

Computer Woes

I have been having a hard time with the kids computer lately. It seems that the harder I try to fix it the more messed up it becomes. I think I have decided to get a new computer all together. Since I get a great discount on Dell Computers through my work, I think I will pick me up a new dell with a ton of Dell Memory and then the kids can have my computer and I will take the new one! I guess I could even get me a new laptop while I am at it!

Mineral Make-ups

Mineral Make-ups are the new rave. I was watching a television program dedicated to one specific "mineral make-up" that claimed to be 100% pure minerals and great for your skin. Coming from one that does not usually wear any make-up for fear of clogging pores, because of the time consumption and because I just plain hate the way they feel, I am actually interested in trying some of this mineral make-up just to see how it works and feels.

Have you ever tried it? Do you have any experiences with mineral make-ups, good or bad that you can share with me? Any tips or tricks? I'd love to hear about it. I will also do an update after I have tried it, and let you all know what I think of it.

Do You Own A Home Based Business?

Do you own a home based business? How do you network? Does it include word of mouth? How about fliers? How do you get the word out to people that you have a product or service to sell? Marketing is deffinatly not cheap and word of mouth is not the most reliable, albeit once the business is established, word of mouth with sink or swim ya.

But there is another option. Networking. Business to business and business to consumer networking is a great way to get your business off the ground and help you succeed. Take a minute to check out Direct Matches and register your home-based business. With over 65,000 members, Direct Match can provide you with a great business networking opportunity. You can grow your network and your business through a professional organization with an eight-year success record. They help you spread the word. Direct Matches also offers a free membership that provides you with a business profile, free advertising, free classifieds, free networking? This is a great opportunity to get your business going and growing. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Networking is a very important part of any business stratgy and now you can get that for free!

Non-Professional, I Have To Boast!

WELCOME HOME DON!!!

I am so excited that I just had to share the news with everyone. My brother is coming home from Iraq tomorrow. He has been gone for just over 2 years. He left for his initial training in May of 2006 and then by the 20th of September he was on his way to Iraq. He has been injured many times, twice badly enough to receive a Purple Heart.

But now he is completely out of danger and on his way home to stay. At least for the 6 months until he can manage to weasel his way back over there. He loves what he does and we are all so very, very proud of him!

WELCOME HOME DON!!!

Be Very Aware!

I went to see my doctor the other day and when she looked at my chart she realized that she, or in fact her receptionist had mis-recorded my illness in my paperwork and ultimately in the computer. She was explaining to me that she had entered it into her laptop correctly but their healthcare management software does not currently allow them to transfer their information from their in-room laptops to their main computer system because it would have to go over an insecure server and could possibly be viewed by someone other than the Doctor and staff and that would be in violation of the HIPA Privacy act. So, I guess when the nurse had entered the information into the main computer, my chronic illness became, chronic swollen toe! Oh, my swollen toe!

InsaneScouter, Helping Today's Youth, One Click At A Time

I found this site in my various ramblings through the world wide web and I have spent a lot of time on it since. I love it! Insane Scouter is a great resource for any person involved in scouts. There are some of the best Arrow of Light ceremonies, Ideas for Weblos Advancements, clip art, resources, skit, the list goes on and on! If you are a scout leader then you absolutely have to check this site out!

I Need A Receptionist

I decided that with five kids in 7 different activities, a husband that is constantly recruited to help other people and me working two jobs, sometimes three, I need a receptionist. Can you imagine it? I would have a cute little reception desk set up in my entryway, next to a little sidebar with a potted plant and a coffeemaker. There would sit a nice little old lady (no bouncy little blonde's allowed in this house!) and she would gently remind us when it was time to leave for our various activities, answer the myriad of phone calls that come in throughout the day. Help the kids with their homework and check to make sure they have no missing assignments, pay the bills and gather sort and file all mail and file all other important papers that enter my home. How happy my home would be!

One Of My Favorite Quotes

One of my favorite quotes of all times came from the mouth of non-other than the amazing Erma Bombeck. She has always held a spot in my heart with her humorous wit and wisdom. She has captivated me and always made me laugh. I do not remember if this quote came from a book or somewhere else, but I have always loved it as I am not a huge fan of housework myself, as evidenced from my own house.

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
-Erma Bombeck-

Time For You

One thing that 99% of women are missing is time for themselves. We spend so much time working for other people, our bosses, our kids, our husbands and anyone else that asks us. But we spend no time on ourselves. That is really something that needs to be changed as evidenced by the growing number of women falling victim to various different illnesses. We are pushing ourselves to hard and wearing our body down to the point that illnesses and diseases are becoming more and more prominent among women. It is time to pick up you Callaway golf clubs and get out on the green, or put on your hiking shoes and go spend some time looking at the changing leaves, but take the time! Do it now! It's time for YOU!

Do You Know The Fly Lady?

Have you been introduced yet to the wonderful world of the FlyLady? No? Well, you are in for a fantastic treat! The FlyLady can help you organize your home, get into a normal housecleaning routine and even take care of some of that "junk in your trunk"!

Take a look at FlyLady and see what she can do for you. You might also want to pick up one of her wonderful timers. Like she says: "You can do anything for 15 minutes"

Get In The Know and In The Dough

Have you ever been interested in "playing" the stock market? Well here is a great opportunity to try your hand or strut your stuff. MyWallSt.net's rookie challenge, is a great educational tool for both novice investors looking to test the waters, and for veterans who want to evaluate new trading strategies. It allows members to trade stocks from real companies using virtual money so you can get a feel for how your instincts are and how you would do.

What you do is sign up as a new rookie, it free to register and free to play, you will start off with $100,000.00 to invest. You are free to invest it however you wish. just to keep it simple, the only transactions available are buying and selling. Data for the simulator is based on a 15-20min delay on market data. They operate the same times as the real markets so orders will be processed Mondays through Fridays, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. There are different ranking systems, but the most important part is that winners are determined at the end of the market week, every Friday evening after 5pm. The ROOKIE member with the highest percent gain in portfolio equity for the week will be calculated and declared the week’s winner. Only members with $100,000 or more in total equity are eligible to receive weekly cash or prizes.

So get out there, strut your stuff and see how you do? Can you grab this weeks prize for the best investor?

Take a Vacation

I just want to share the current experience I am having. I have had the wonderful opportunity to come across a Continental Airlines employment opportunity that is going to allow me to work the reservations desk from the comfort of my home. Now, I am very, very cautious when it comes to work at home deals and I have found very few that are legit and worth the time and effort. Continental Airlines is one of those companies. They pay you $6.89 per hour to start and all through your training. Then once you start on the phones, they guarantee you an extra $1.55 per hour for your first year. Not only that, they offer you all of the regular in-house benefits. Medical and Full Flight Benefits. Just my flight benefits are well worth it! Myself, my husband, my children and my parents can fly anywhere in the continental United States for as little as $30 round trip! I can't wait. I will be taking a vacation very soon! How about you?

Continental Airlines should be starting a new round of hiring within the next month or two. Keep an eye out for it.

Finding Funding

My favorite subject, starting your own business. Being your own boss. Ruling your own roost for a change. But with all the glitz and glamour thoughts of owning your own business comes the overwhelming fears and questions associated with taking such a huge step, making such a monumental decision. Where do I start? Who can I turn to for help? Where will the start up money come from? Well you can find answers to those and all the other questions you have not even thought about yet on the wonderful would of the web. There are so many resources available out there to help you secure funding, start and prepare your business model and everything else you can imagine.

One of the first things you will need to think about is where are your start up funds going to come from? Are you willing to wager your home on your business idea? If not you need to start looking into Venture Capital Funding, finding investors that are as excited about your product or service as you are. You need to start working toward securing your funds as soon as you have made the decision to start up a business. But before you start working with any company that will be handling money, make sure you are aware of the company's background, history and track record. Do not go blind, make sure you are doing your homework. The last thing any up and coming entrepreneur needs is to be swindled. Know your facts!

The Story Of Mulan: Fact or Fiction?

My children asked me last night if Mulan, the Disney version, was a true story. I love questions like this as it gives us an opportunity, as a family, to discuss a topic, theorize on the different possibilities and formulate an opinion and then go to the wonderful world of the web and find the factual answer. This is a great learning opportunity for children as well as myself. I learn wonderful new things and my children begin to learn the art of formulating an opinion but then being open minded when the actual facts are presented.

The facts in this case are that while Mulan is a based on a true story, as typically as Disney does, it is very loosely based on that true story from Chinese Folklore. However, the great thing about Disney s they take common fairytales and bring them to life. Fairytales that most children and adults alike would never have heard of other wise. It is then our job to go and find out "the real story". Have you ever read the real Cinderella Story?

Help your Kids Sparkle

Getting your kids and yourself back into the daily routine of school can be challenging. But keeping yourself and your children healthy and eating right can be nearly impossible! All the early morning fights to get dressed, hair combed and finding the lost shoe and then after school the homework, sports and activities, it can get overwhelming. But if you have the time to check out the Whole Foods Market Back To School Podcast you can get some great tips and tricks on overcoming the challenges and temptations of sugary sweet cereals and greasy quick and easy dinners. It's well worth your time. They have plenty of great ideas and tips for keeping not only your children, but also yourself healthy, happy and sparkling. So get back to school in real style, get back in healthy style.

The In's And Out's Of Bowling

Bowling is a great game. Not a game I am particularlay good at, but a good game all the same. Why do I play? I get the chance, once a week to spend time with my husband and other adults. The kids stay home and I go out and enjoy myself.

Ambient Lighting

One of the greatest ways to add color, distinction and individuality to any room in your home is to use different forms of ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is not meant to light the entire room, but instead to create a warm glow that will change the look and feel of the room. Rather than the glaring and overpowering lights that you would normally see in homes, ambient lights are calmer, usually colored and often from very decorative fixtures.

Next time you look at a room and are trying to decide how to best decorate it, picture it with a soft yellow glow. How about a soft deep red? What color will bring out the best in your furniture? In your choice of paint colors? What will relax and calm you? What will invite you into this room? Spend some time looking for ways to incorporate ambient lighting into your overall decoration scheme and see everything you have been working for come to life.

Opportunity to Attend Pow Wow for Free

I am still looking for a few good men or women who are registered with the BSA as Adult Leaders to help me out with Registration for November's Pow Wow. So if you are interested in attending Pow Wow for free in exchange for working the registration table for one or two sessions, then please let me know as soon as possible and I can get you on our list of helpers.

If you are not interested in helping but would love the opportunity to advance your Scout knowledge and idea databases then be sure to get registered as soon as possible. Early Bird Registration goes until 15th of October and is only $15 which includes your lunch. After October 15th registration will be $20 which also includes your lunch.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave your comment here or e-mail me for further information.