my day at the "gym"

I recall experts saying that house work burns a lot of calories. I wonder how many I just burned doing housework with a 20+ lb baby attached to my hip.
today I learned that you don't need 2 hands to sweep- it's hard, but not impossible.
(grooving to Bonnie Raitt helps we changed the words to : "let's give em' something to sweep about baby, do do do do.. ")

they're not degrading... they're biodegrading!

we found biodegradable wipes and diapers today. they're about $1 more than the average pamper and nothing could excite me more that there is yet one more easy way to save the planet.
Personally the best part about them is the absence of sesame street characters smiling back at me from my child's bottom.


here's something to read:

Nature babycare, the award winning ECO diaper - A proven success in Europe and now available in North America!

Product features:

- Award Winning Premium Performance eco-friendly disposable diaper
- Awarded the Eco Label “Good Environmental Choice” of Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)
- NO oil-based plastics against baby’s skin
- Kinder and more gentle to your baby and the environment
- Breathable and chlorine-free with natural based material, for natural protection
- Ultra-thin construction gives a non-bulky fit, enabling your baby to move around freely
- Consumer packaging is based on 100% natural renewable material. No oil-based plastics!
- Winner of the 06-07 Silver Award for “Best Disposable Diaper,” featured in Mother & Baby Magazine, a leading UK baby magazine

Features and Benefits of Nature babycare:
-Chlorine-free absorbent materials – does not contribute to dioxin pollution
-100 % natural based back sheet – NO plastic - reduce the greenhouse effect
-100 % natural distribution layer – NO plastic - reduce the greenhouse effect
-100 % compostable consumer packaging – NO plastic - reduce the greenhouse effect
-No latex, fragrance, or TBT (tributyl tin)

The use of compostable natural materials based on renewable sources reduces the green house effect.

The story behind the first ECO-friendly high-performance baby diaper

It took a concerned Swedish mother to make it. Marlene Sandberg, former law firm partner and the mother of two boys:
“It all started with a newspaper article. It said that every year of a baby’s life resulted in a mountain of used diapers weighing half a ton, every year. Half a ton! Even more disturbing was the fact that the traditional diapers were mainly made of plastic made from oil!! An oil product that comes in contact with the child’s delicate skin. I got really upset. Couldn’t this be done better?”

Nature babycare is the result of many years of intense work and development:
-The first ECO-friendly high-performance diaper, based on new green technology, protected by a Swedish patent.
-Soft, thin, comfortable and with perfect sizing.
-With an exclusive chlorine free absorbent material.
-With natural based material against the baby’s skin, breathable and extremely kind for the baby.
-And performance as well as the best “traditional” diapers.

life's lemonade

you don't always have to make "lemonade" with the "lemons" that life throws you.
I read a very interesting part of a book today that simply stated. "you don't always have to catch the ball" Metaphorically speaking, they are saying -you don't always have to let people's harshness (words-actions-etc.) get under your skin. So I say: "when life throws you lemons, you don't have to catch them." granted there is fine print in this blurp of advice, I'm not saying that it is OK to just ignore people unsympathetically or disregard responsibilities. but let's face it people, we all know of at least 5 people who let to much unessary worry penetrate their skin and bubble up into what is similar to a life eating disease.
trust me-
I just recently rebouded from this disease, but it was a eye opener to me. I don't like Lemons, they burn. however sometimes you have to make the "ade" the ade is so much sweeter and easier to enjoy. I will catch them if need be and if my friends/ family ask me to help make some lemoande you bet you're bottom i'll be there with some sugar ;)

A good recipie for Lemonade :

• Pitcher (a solid frame of mind to contain the emotions.) If your ingredients are not contained, they spill and make a huge mess.
• Lemons ( harsh words-actions-etc.)- the unbearably tart fruit that makes your eyes squint, cheeks pucker and head shake.
• Water ( friends-family-quite time-etc.)- to dilute the tart, makes the taste more bearable.
  
• Sugar (friends-family-i personally like shopping) to compensate for the tart. this is the positive twist that every negative dilemma should have.
• Ice (positive outlook for future eandevors) helps to keep you cool and refreshed.
  
  
  Chris just made fun of me for writing this. He said "are you copying this from somewhere or making it up?" I said "making it up" he replied with "dork"
  -thanks for the Lemon Chris!
  
  
  
  
  
  

I say try, try, try, not to cry, cry cry

yesterday I learned that since Cameron I cry watching tv shows- movies- etc.

I cried twice during greys anatomy. To those who are also addicted to the show, I am talking about when the little boy was dying and they asked the mom to leave the room so they could "work on him" (omg!- I could never- ever-ever-ever leave) second, when they said "it's time to hold him" when he was "going" (omg omg!- how do you do that? how the heck do you hold your child knowing that it's going to be the last moment you get to do so.. ah!)
so yes- I was a wreck!

then to top off the evening, I was watching private practice. To be brief, a woman was having a baby and decided that she wanted to give him up for adoption upon birth and she chose not to see the baby. Well, the baby was born and needed surgery and the adoptive parents bailed on the deal... yada yada drama unfolds... after the surgery the mom who just gave birth decided she wants to see the baby because she doesn't want him to be alone and scared ( here's where i began to cry..) then once she see's the baby she ( after just having a c-section and is clearly hurting..) quickly rises from her wheel chair in awe of the baby ( and here's when I cried like one)

lastly, in recapping to my mother why i'm such a mess and just simply telling her essentially what I just wrote.. I cried again!

clean up!

Bills, credit-card receipts, ATM slips, investment records, bank statements— they pile up and multiply faster than dirty dishes after a holiday meal. It's easy to feel buried under an avalanche of paper and too stressed and guilty to deal with it.

Fortunately, there are solutions short of hiring a full-time financial manager. Getting clear of the paper chaos will save time (no more scrambling through drawers to find that overdue bill), -money (fewer late charges and no lost deductions), and psychic energy (no more feeling out of control of your own financial life).

The experts say you can organize your records in five simple steps. Here's what they recommend:

Step #1: Toss what you can.

Nearly all of your financial papers can be divided into three categories: records that you need to keep only for the calendar year or less, papers that you need to save for seven years (the typical window during which your tax return may be audited), and papers that you should hang onto indefinitely.

For instance, do you really need to save all those ATM-withdrawal receipts? No. Once you've recorded the amount you've withdrawn in your check register and reconciled the information as it appears on your monthly statement, you can throw away the ATM slip. The same holds true for deposit slips and credit-card receipts, once you've checked to make sure the items you bought appear correctly on your statement. Don't keep sales receipts for minor purchases after you've satisfactorily used the item a few times or the warranty has expired. Keep receipts for major purchases (any item whose replacement cost exceeds the deductible on your homeowners' or renters' insurance).

Shortly after the end of the calendar year, you will probably be able to throw out a slew of additional paper, including your paycheck stubs, monthly credit-card and mortgage statements, utility bills (if they are not needed for business deductions), and monthly or quarterly reports from brokerage and mutual-fund companies for the previous year.

"Typically the entire year's activity is listed in detail on your final, end-of-the-year statement, making every other statement redundant," says Ed Slott, a CPA in Rockville Center, New York. Your final pay stub and W-2 form, for instance, document all your earnings for the year if you work for someone else; if you're self-employed, your 1099 forms do the same for you. Similarly, most investment companies and some credit-card issuers send out comprehensive statements in January. "Keep the monthly updates until you reconcile them with the year-end summaries," says Slott.

Step #2: Hang onto what you must.

You will, however, need to hold onto those final credit-card statements, along with your W-2s and 1099s, for at least three years and, preferably, for seven. The Internal Revenue Service has up to three years from the date you file your tax return to examine it for errors and as long as six years to conduct an audit if there's reason to suspect you underreported your gross income by 25 percent or more. (There is no statute of limitations for anyone who has deliberately committed fraud.) Indeed, you'll need to keep any paperwork that supports your return until that audit window closes. Among the additional documents you should retain: canceled checks and receipts for all deductible business expenses (such as those for entertainment, home-office equipment, and professional dues), retirement-account contributions, charitable donations, child-care bills, out-of-pocket medical expenses, alimony, and mortgage-interest and property-tax payments.

Unless you've knowingly submitted a false return, you can toss these supporting documents after three to seven years, depending on how straightforward your tax situation is.

But don't throw out the actual tax returns or the year-end summaries of your investment accounts, even after the chances of an audit have all but vanished. These documents don't take up much space and can come in very handy for future financial planning.

For insurance purposes, you'll also want to keep receipts for major purchases and receipts that show how much you've paid for home improvements indefinitely, both to satisfy potential buyers and to reduce possible capital-gains taxes when you sell your home. True, these records are not as important as they once were because of recent changes in the law that exempt from taxation the first $500,000 in profits from the sale of a home ($250,000 for singles), but they may still come in handy. It is crucially important to keep the confirmation slips that show beneficiary designations and the purchase price of stocks, mutual funds, and any other investments you hold; hang onto these records indefinitely because some day, says Slott, "you or your heirs will have to know exactly how much you paid to determine the profit on your investment for tax purposes."

Step #3: Give your papers a home.

The number-one reason that people get overwhelmed by the paper in their lives, experts say, is that they have no set place to put it. As a result, piles grow and documents end up in a dozen different places, none of which you can ever remember when you need to lay your hands on them.

If you have a spare room or corner that you can designate as the place where you deal with paperwork, great; if not, a drawer, cabinet, or closet where you can store bills and current records, situated near a table on which you can write checks, will do. As for supplies, you'll find folders or manila envelopes will come in handy for filing the papers, as will a file cabinet or cardboard box to hold the records.

Keep your will, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, and other permanent records in a safe but accessible place near your other financial documents, so you and your heirs will always be able to get to them quickly, if they need to.

Step #4: Be systematic.

Have a plan for processing all paper. Pick a spot in your information area where you'll put the bills— say, a manila envelope, a drawer, or a plastic in-box or sorter— and toss in each envelope as it arrives in the mail. Then, when you sit down to write those checks each month, you'll have all the paperwork you need in one spot.

Now here's the key: Once you've paid the bill or checked the statement, file it immediately. "Your goal should be to touch a piece of paper as few times as possible, rather than shuffling it from pile to pile," says Paula Boyer Kennedy, a financial planner in the Minneapolis office of Ernst & Young. "If you stick the bill back in the drawer after you pay it, it will find friends, and they will mate and produce offspring. Pretty soon, you'll have a true litter."

Again, a very rudimentary filing system is all you need. The simplest method is to throw everything that is tax-related into a single receptacle as soon as you're done with it— a drawer, a file cabinet, a paper accordion file, or even a shoebox will do. That way, when you're ready to fill out your tax return, you'll have all the paperwork you need at your fingertips. Alternatively, you can set up a slightly more organized system at the outset, with separate file folders for the major categories of your life. You might, for example, label your folders by the type of account (credit-card statements, brokerage statements, utility bills, etc.) or by tax category (deductible business expenses, charitable contributions, and so on) or by financial goal (housing, retirement, college fund, etc.). This may take more time initially, but, in the long run, it will save time.

Step #5: Tackle the backlog.

Once you have a system in place, you still have to deal with all the piles you've already accumulated. Instead of launching a massive reorganization— a task so daunting that few people will take it on— start by sorting through a small stack at a time. You can allot half an hour a day to sift through old papers, perhaps while watching the news or listening to music.

You'll be amazed at the difference a little organization makes. "People don't realize how much they pay as a result of having their financial papers in disarray— a late credit-card charge here, a lost tax deduction there," says Stephanie Denton, a professional organizer in Cincinnati. Even greater, though, may be the long-term psychic and financial benefits. Once you're organized, "you can focus your mental energy on the really important stuff, like your investments and your financial goals," says Terry Savage, author of The Savage Truth On Money ($15, www.amazon.com). "Getting your financial papers in order pays big dividends in peace of mind."

home sweet home

well,

I just learned that there is no key to the white house. Makes sense though. What will Mr. & Mrs. Do with their key rings? and I'm sure they're not driving. On that note, where are their cars? what happened to their home? are they going to "vacation" back to Chicago, feed the fish, start the car, run the water so the pipes don't freeze..., and then head back to DC?

More importantly where are the girls going to play? it's not like they can run out into the backyard... Will the white house get a swing set??


I would love to know these answers. If you have them, please share!

Morton's toe

What is a "Morton Toe or Morton Foot"?

Morton's Toe is a common term used where the second toe is longer than the Big Toe. First identified by a famous foot doctor - Dr. Dudley Joy Morton. The 2nd toe of the foot, not the big toe, is longer than all the other toes. Although commonly described as a disorder, it is sufficiently common to be considered a normal variant of foot shape. its prevalence varies with different populations, but around 10% of feet worldwide have this form.

the Statue of Liberty has toes of this proportion- (she can't wear birkenstocks either)