Weak battery

Woken up in the middle of the night by the trouble signal on our house alarm. Called the alarm company and it seems it was a weak battery indicator. So we need to do a maintenance call. My heart was beating so fast, you're never sure if it's a robbery in progress and deciding what to do when you're all fuzzy brained is no fun. M is even worse. Now I have to go find my copy of the emergency number and info that I'm always supposed to have handy. Oops. Not something you want to be fumbling for in the middle of the night. Mind you, they do call if the alarm goes off.

M had lunch yesterday with his friend that is going through a divorce. The friend has got over the initial shock I think, and will cope fine (whatever the outcome).

Made it to my step class today, forced myself to get through it. Some days are like that.

News

What Should You Do If A CFL Bulb Breaks In Your Home?

Drinking dulls the brain's response to threats

Got rice?

How to lie about your age

The Most Pointless Things You've Ever Purchased

Higher Food Prices

Skipped the gym today and went down to our safety deposit box to return some items.
I've never known what the point of having expensive jewellery is when it's just stored away in the safety deposit box. Luckily we don't have too much. I noticed my wedding rings don't fit anymore. Guess I was much thinner in those days.

It's time to start edging those garden beds, we have about 4 bags of yard waste to toss in the next garbage/recycle pickup.

News

Higher Food Prices To Hit Canada 'Soon': Report

Having A Dog Can Keep Kids From Developing Allergies

Food-buying panic hits Canadian stores

Chocolate may reduce pregnancy complication risk

Studies shed light on risks of commonly used drugs

Human Interest Story

I was at a store today returning an item. There was an elderly man in front of me in line. The cashier asked him how he was, he said 'Not good'. She said 'How come?' He said 'My wife passed away on the 10th of the month'. He went on to say that she had been sick for many years with a slow growing breast cancer tumour. And there was no pain ever. It seems she lived with this tumour until the breast had turned as hard as wood, and finally went to the doctor. He removed the breast, but it had spread by that time and so she finally died. Now he's living all alone in a big house and mentioned that it's lonely.

Well, we're back into our winter coats today, back to seasonal temperatures, I suppose. The past few days made us feel as if summer had started. So I noticed food prices are on the rise. I decided to have a chinese bbq lunch near my house and I usually pay $4.19 including tax and that is now $4.74! Must be due to the looming the rice shortage. I picked up a little black forest cake to celebrate L's birthday this evening.

So L has stopped piano lessons at least until the summer.

News

New doctors want better work-life balance: study

Critics concerned about BPA in dental fillings

Bloggers offer glimpse of uncensored Cuba

New light bulb standards may push up prices

Piano lessons

K and I were out for a walk last night, it was an absolutely beautiful evening, just the perfect temperature, no wind. The street lights casted a friendly glow, the roads seemed extra clean and the trees were showing off their spring beauty. We went to get froster drinks from the local convenience store. He took $5 of his own money and bought the usual junk.

I think today's the day we tell the piano teacher that L is going to stop lessons, it's getting harder and harder to schedule them as they are both busy people and I'm the one stuck in the middle. And it will coincide with her 16th birthday tomorrow. It will mark the end of an era, she's been taking lessons since she was 5 years old.

M is at the gym. It's lucky that he can discuss the sports things with L, mostly Raptors basketball and Tennis goings on. They get so into it, especially when their team is losing. L was showing us an amazing shot that Nadal executed in a tennis game yesterday. I think they are playing a tournament in Monte Carlo. It was an amazing shot, he ran clear across the court at lightning speed and hit a seemingly impossible ball. The joy and vigor of youth!

News

Gene therapy improves sight in near-blind patients

Skills shortage to worsen

Ten sneaky ways to save on fuel costs

Putting Your Home on an Energy Diet

Ruminating

I realize I'm addicted to the internet, it's actually a comfort feeling. Don't know if it's because of my organized personality, checking email, daily blogging and keeping up with the news provides structure and order. No matter how busy I am, I try to make time for this stuff. Hmm. It's different with the telephone, it seems to not be as time efficient so I would say I'm not at all a phone person. I also hate house cleaning, you just have to keep doing it over and over and the problem keeps coming back! Enough ruminating.

News

What would you do if you won a lottery?

A forensic path to self-knowledge

Sold

SOLD today via Craigslist! (we'll miss it)




Feeling tired, it's a bit cooler today, overcast and supposed to rain but I did manage to go for a walk. There's a lot of construction going on around town. Things are just going to get more crowded with all the growth. It's nice to see the grass getting green and the trees starting to blossom.

L went on a field trip to a university, they are attending some career seminars, great idea. I should find the energy to cook something.


News

No rice supply crisis in Canada, industry says

Lying? Your face will give you away: study

Hold the marbles: Abstract approach best for math

Internet milestone with millionth dot-ca domain name

Loose wire

News

Busy morning I had. Went to the crowded gym, then got K an emergency braces appointment (loose wire), picked him up part way through his math class for his thyroid doctor checkup, then went to fix his braces, then he did a blood test, and back at school in under 2 hours! (Just in time to catch his French class)

Don't know why all this running around makes me so tired. We're having such gorgeous weather though, it's great to be out and about.

I think I just made a deal on my Craigslist listing. It seems to work, and FAST.

News

Canadians Increasingly Going Online For Day-To-Day Tasks: Report

New Online Dating Site: Brainiacs Only

Stores Plant Mosquitos To Repel Youth

Praise just as exciting as money, study finds

Experts say turmoil takes a toll on diet

Spiralling rice price feeding food fears

Canadian phone habits changing: survey

An Offer

Well, the excitement of the day is that I got an email offer on my Craigslist listing. I had gotten 2 emails the first day of the listing, one of them dropped out and the other may still be interested. Then this morning I got this actual offer, so I'm debating what to do about it. Bargaining is a whole other ballgame, requiring some business sense I think! You have to be realistic and not greedy, at the same time weighing all your options. At the end of the day, we want to be rid of our clutter.

I asked K if both his parents were Presidents of the U.S.A., would he feel like he had to be president one day too? He said matter-of-factly 'No, that's quite an important job, isn't it?' It's good to know yourself, I might even agree with him!


News

World Vision needs urgent help as millions starve

Emotions are affected by hierarchy: study

Have scientists found a way to fix damaged hearts?

Police Uncover Newmarket ATM Fraud

Craigslist fires back, blasts eBay actions as unethical

Scientists offered $1M to produce lab-created meat

Happy Earth Day

I'd like to contribute to Earth Day by getting all my bills and banking statements delivered online. I'm just wary of having to keep track of all the passwords. I've been saving all my monthly paper receipts for years and they are piling up in a big garbage bag in the basement as I'm scared to recycle them as they may contain sensitive information. And it will be a big job to shred all those! I notice a lot of places don't put your full credit card number on the receipts anymore. M just got a new credit card that never has to leave your hands if the place you're paying at has the special machine where you can swipe it yourself.

I'm making Jamaican pumpkin soup this afternoon (without the dumplings). We've been barbecuing the past few days, so I thought this would be a nice change.

L got her very first paycheque today! A memorable moment.

News

10 Ways You Can Improve Earth's Health

World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger

Beekeepers worry over declining hive populations

Priest missing after carried away by party balloons

B.C. residents living longer, vital statistics show

Craigslist

Well, I put my first ever item up for sale on Craigslist online classifieds and have had a couple of responses already! I think I may get into this more depending how things go from here! Maybe I can even do some shopping from here, it's all good for recycling and conservation!

K went to the orthodontist today for a tightening of his braces, the teeth are straightening nicely, except he has to brush the lower front teeth better. The receptionist's son is finishing his first year of university in the skilled trades (carpentry, that sort o thing). It seems like a good profession as this occupation seems to be in demand these days, he shouldn't have trouble getting a job.

News

Hawking answers cosmic question: 'Are we alone?'

Boys naturally at greater risk for heart disease

"Glow Stick" Test Detects Oral Cancer Quickly And Easily

Many cancer survivors overweight, inactive: study

World map of metabolism finds blood pressure clues

Photo Day

This is a beautiful architectural condo being built in the area. Wish they would make more of these



Look at the nice details



Spring Frog






I think we will barbecue hamburgers today. Hopefully I can go for a walk in the evening. K did a horrible piano lesson last night, he promised to do better today and L says he's not that bad, so here we go again. M went to the gym.
L is off to her second day of inter-county tennis tryouts then she works in the afternoon. I have a couple of loads of laundry to take care of. Thank goodness for washing machines and dryers. I read that the city is going to lift the ban on hanging clothes out to dry on a line. It's better for the environment and had been banned for it's unsightly look.

I was just reading one of my favourite blogs, 'The Bold Soul' (http://theboldsoul.com) I've been following her story for the last 6 months, she's 46, a single American living in Paris. She met a Frenchman 6 months ago and recently moved in with him and his kids. She blogs very openly about her life and her thoughts and I must admit to being a bit skeptical when she met the love of her life. I thought they were having a passionate fling which would burn itself out in 2years or less. Well, it seems he just proposed in a most romantic manner, if you read today's post! It warms the heart that these things can still happen at mid-life! I'll be sure to stay posted to see what else happens.

News

Patrick becomes first woman to win IndyCar race

Dying prof sends 'message in a bottle' to children

A scheduling thing

Another glorious, sunny morning. The daffodils are smiling and the hyacinths look very purple. We might barbecue today. L has an Inter-County Junior League team tryout this morning, a tennis lesson in the afternoon, then she goes off to her job this evening. She says she has factored in time to do homework. K has to study Math, and some other subjects this weekend. Life with teenagers is busy in a different way, compared to when they were younger. It's more of a scheduling thing.

M's mother is out of the hospital, by the way. They lowered her aspirin medication as they think that would be the cause of her dizziness and chest pain. She was on the point of being scheduled for gall bladder surgery, and now they think this is all it is. It pays to know your body. Now I think she might outlive me!

We did our first barbecue of the season, the steaks were delicious, as were the McCain cajun potatoes, if a bit salty. Nothing I couldn't make myself.

So I went and threw out all my suspicious (BPA) plastic ware, which I have a lot of. Glassware always seems so fragile to me. Now I need new cookie cutters and measuring cups. I used to have metal cookie cutters and threw them out thinking I liked the plastic ones better.

This is for all the romantics out there, I found it on the 'all that & a' blog (http://allthatanda.com/) The perfect proposal:



News

Factbox: How can you tell if it's toxic?

Shoppers react to BPA concerns

Licence renewal

It's still 'summer', what a warm day! Went for a walk instead of going to the gym, and I renewed my driver's licence and our plates. K wants to eat fast food at the mall this evening, why not? Actually, he's on a Chicken Teriyaki craze. A friend told me her kids love cajun style frozen potatoes, so I got some of the McCain ones, they even had a 'health check' symbol on them. I also had a chance to prune the trees in the backyard a bit.

L decided at the last minute to see a movie with her friends, then they went to a local cafe to hang out and have dessert. They were bidding goodbye to some foreign students that were visiting her school this past month. M said the cafe is quite the teen hangout, a 'happening' place. K was able to use some of his gift cards at the mall this evening to get a game, video, and a cd. I like his choice of music, he got a Chris Brown CD. L has a few outstanding gift cards to use, who knows when we'll get that done, it's great that most of them don't have an expiry date.

News

Health Canada to declare bisphenol A dangerous

Summer walk

Went for a lovely summer walk around the pond with a friend. We browsed through an art show at a gallery then had a summery drink at a coffee shop. All of a sudden we're in shorts and tshirts. I took a picture of a little frog sitting on a path, then we witnessed a well-dressed woman take a dramatic a spill, she was walking her dog and was ok. Then in the coffee shop, a lady had left her dog outside tied to a chair, then we heard 'crash, bang', it seems he had taken off down the street dragging the chair, then we see the owner dashing outside after him. She caught him and brought him back! Summer at its best. It's supposed to become more seasonal next week.

Made a lovely baked trout today, the simplest dishes can be the best. I just put a bit of lemon pepper and some herbs and voila.

I just read about goodreads website, it's like Facebook for readers, as their website describes it:

'If you're a reader, you may want to check it out.Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing'

Complete Recipes has recipes for everything, there is even an ethnic category

Hassleme is a website that describes itself like this:

'Not eating enough fruit? Forgot to feed the fish again? Need a little help keeping your New Year's resolutions?
Tell us what to hassle you about, and we'll nag you via email at semi-unpredictable intervals.'



News

Abdominal fat may make you hungrier, fatter: study

It's a big leap to the halls of higher learning

Facing our past on Facebook

Downsizing proves to be very uplifting

Setting the stage for sales success

Twins

K did really well on his last Science test, we're tickled pink. He has to study for another one tonight. I'm thinking a lot of it is that some if these boys don't know how to study. I'm so tired today, didn't sleep well from aches and pains, must be the weather changing to warm and summery. Life goes on, however.

It's so funny, L discovered that one of her longtime girlfriends since preschool also got a similar job in her neighbourhood and started around the same time! They must be twins, they hadn't even seen each other in many months.

M's mother is in the hospital with dizziness and chest pains. It doesn't seem to be a heart attack but they are keeping her in for observation, it may even just be ulcers. She's in her late seventies.

A friend of mine just got this cute little havanese dog, looks like this Come to think of it, I have another friend with a dog like this.

They play this song at the gym during one of the exercise classes, I love it:



News

Yacht rescue gives boost to Sarkozy
French fighters free hostages, capture pirates

Canadian Tire, Forzani to remove products with chemical

Asthma rates up but attacks less common: StatsCan

100,000 kg of trash hauled from Canada's coasts

Grabbing the elliptical

Gorgeous, sunny day, great to be out and about. My daffodils and hycinth have started to bloom and I see the trees starting to bud. Wonderful time of year although the yard could use a good raking.

It was tough getting an elliptical machine at the gym this morning, I kept missing out...these ladies have it down to a science, they'll discreetly leave a water bottle on the machine as they come through the entrance, or ask someone to hold it for them. I eventually did a bit of that too. Actually, after 9.30am the rush cools down.

I had one of the new iced coffees at McDonald's restaurant this morning and it was delicious, no sugar added that I could detect. I got the Hazelnut flavour. I picked up a re-usable green bag that folds up to purse-size. (www.greenbag.info) Let's see if it's just one more thing to clutter my handbag! It only cost $1.50 at Walmart. L keeps me busy with her shopping lists, she's going to be in shock one day when she has to do her own shopping, not to mention laundry! Got K some new shorts, his waist grew by an inch this winter.

Bisphenol A is in the news again (see below). I've been hearing about this for about 5 years and Health Canada finally decides to label it dangerous.

News

Health Canada to label bisphenol A 'dangerous'

Global stock markets set to turn around

Improvement

The weather's supposed to get summery by the end of the week, time to get the barbecue and the summer shoes out!

The gym was really busy this morning, I was in line for the elliptical machine. This lady I talk to said she put her knee out somehow during one of the exercise classes, so she's back to the exercise machines. We're all trying to keep going as long as we can!

I had to give K a big hug this evening, the math teacher told him he was much improved and to keep it up, as he handed out the latest math test. Of course, the pressure's still on to 'keep it up'. I'll be happy when the year ends in another 8 weeks or so.

News

Forecast: Big quake likely in Calif.

High blood pressure means fewer migraines: study

First Day on the Job

L had a great time at the fabulous sweet sixteen party she went to last night. She had a friend over the hour before, they got dressed together and had fun doing the nails, hair and makeup. M dropped them off and said the Golf Club venue was stunning and had a wedding atmosphere, everyone all dressed up. The birthday girl wore red and the guests were told to wear black and white. She was totally surprised and very happy. The hall was tastefully decorated in black and white with hints of red here and there. There was a formal seating plan and there was a dinner dance with kid food (pizza, etc).

I just registered K for a piano exam this summer, setting goals! He had a classmate over to work on a project.

L loved her first day on the job today. She reports the time passing by so quickly and can't wait for her next session. I'm so proud of her. She managed to exchange some shifts and has her times arranged for next week at least. We filled in her first TD1 tax form! She wants to save at least a part of her money.

I went for a walk this evening, it was a bit cool but lovely and sunny. Lots of people out with their bikes and their dogs. It's pizza for dinner tonight.

News

How To Drive Safely Following A Flood

Forgotten pennies in piggy banks -- unclaimed savings accounts

Alcohol linked to increased risk for breast cancer

There may be several Mrs. Trumps, but there’s only one Ivana

24% of Canadians see bad side to Facebook: poll

Floral designer

K had a great day at school yesterday. He said someone decorated his locker, then they sang happy bday to him 6 or 7 times in all his different classes and he got lots of wishes. They enjoyed his nut free cookies also.

Then he gets this shiny invitation in the mail with a personalized stamp with the girl's picture. It's a batmitzvah. (oops more $$$) I thought it was a wedding invitation. It's dinner and dancing at a banquet hall, he says he's not dancing, of course, but he'll go as he thinks a lot of his friends will.

L has a busy weekend, she's going to give me a list of all she has to accomplish over these next 2 frantic weeks and I'm going to help her prioritize and get it done. She said I'll freak when I see the list, I told her I could likely help anyway.

Meanwhile, the house needs dusting and the bedsheets need washing etc. I'd like to see the movie 'Chaos Theory', the guy is super organized and everything comes falling apart when his wife accidentally sets his clock back by 10 minutes.

A friend of mine just got a great job as a floral designer. I'm so happy for her, she went through a year of training and found this timely opportunity. It sounds like she's really talented, she won a major prize at a flower design competition. It's inspiring that she found herself at mid-life, I think. She mentioned that there are so many opportunities out there nowadays, new careers that never existed 20years ago.


News

You must watch this: Randy Pausch's "last lecture"

Here's a shorter video of 'The Last Lecture'

Can we trust imaging scans?
High-levels of radiation could cause cancer


Rediscovering the joy of meat
The new carnivore is ethical, environmentally-friendly and will eat the whole animal

nodule

Well, I noticed this pimple/nodule on my right thumb about a month ago and decided to go see the doctor about it, thinking it's malignant. He said it's a touch of arthritis. I can deal with that. I also have to look forward to a colonoscopy in a few years, he thinks that's a good idea for people my age. Anyway, the arthritis would also explain why some days I feel so tired, and other days I'm just normal(stuff to live with in middle age).

L was up till 4am doing homework last night. She's never done that before, I'm a bit concerned about her schedule being overloaded. I'll have to speak with her once she gets some rest. She did mention that she's crazy busy for the next couple of weeks, but even so...

I'm trying to get K a follow-up doctor's appointment for his thyroid, but it looks like a busy day there, can't get through on the phone.

Well I guess I'll go have some lunch and deal with this rainy weekend.

News

Stitching And Bitching Downtown: Not Your Grandma's Bag

The Strangest 'Why I Was Late For Work' Excuses

Melting causes Chilean lake to swell and empty

Billionaire bachelors

Looks like it was 'Idol gives back' last night on America's Idol. Tonight is the regular Idol, hope to catch it.

Went for a nice nature walk and had vietnamese with a friend today, it was fun. We happened into a local art show at a gallery. I made pork chops for supper. I bought some cookies for K to take in to his class tomorrow as it's his birthday.

News

The billionaire bachelors

Aerobics can delay aging by 12 years: study

Anticipating laughter lowers stress levels

Japanese firm showcases smile-measuring technology

Frog without lungs found in Indonesia

Miraculous Escape: Baby Run Over By Train And Barely Gets A Scratch

The right handbag

I found a designer handbag at the store today that suited me in every respect, except it had some dust marks on it and it was the only one left. So I decided to ask if I could get a discount and I got 15% off! It pays to be assertive sometimes, I would've bought the bag anyway, it was the right size, shape, and had all the right compartments. I was almost late for my step class, but...

I'd like to watch American Idol tonight, I hear it's going to be a good show, they are narrowing down the finalists and some of them are really talented as usual although I don't keep up with much TV.

I'm roasting a large chicken in the oven and it smells so good.

News

Everything in its right place: Cook without clutter

How to identify the look of love -- or lust

Life Lesson

The following excerpt is from Hellen Buttigeig's April 2008 organizing newsletter. I really believe it's a life lesson.

'Quick Tips on Organizing Your Life:
Failure is part of the model

Are you afraid to try new things or take any risks because you might fail? Think about how many times you had to fall off your bike before you learned how to ride it. If you ever participated in sports, think about how many times you had to kick the ball before you got it in the net. I remember how many times I fell on my tush before I learned how to skate. All these examples illustrate that failure is part of the learning model; without it, there is no way to succeed. Don't be afraid of failure; welcome it as part of the process. Consider this: if you never fail, you probably don't take enough risks.'

© Copyright 2008 by Hellen Buttigieg, We Organize U. Reprinted with permission from the We Organize U Newsletter. Visit http://www.weorganizeu.com

Request your free subscription at http://www.weorganizeu.com


News

Fighting Cancer At Age 30: Toronto Woman Shares Her Story In Candid Blog

Hero Teachers Save Student From Certain Death

Apples may reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes

Two treatments better than one for liver cancer

Her first job

Feeling tired today, didn't go to the gym. I'll try for an afternoon walk instead. I'm going to force myself to make some meatballs, don't know where the day goes, it's already almost lunchtime.

L just landed her first paying job, and it starts this weekend, so it's not looking good for piano lessons. She'll likely at least take a break from it.

News

British pharmacists blur line with doctors

$300,000 Watch Sells Out - And Doesn't Even Tell The Time

Getting Married Doubles A Woman's Housework, While Men Reap The Benefits

Philly school effort cuts weight gain

To quit or not to quit

L has her grade 8 piano certificate at the RCM level, working on grade 9. (There are 10 levels then teaching stuff afterward). She's turning 16 soon and we thought it might be a good time to quit piano. She has so much else on the go, school, tennis, the possibility of getting a job in the near future. She's been doing piano since she was 5 years old.

The piano teacher talked me into having L stick with piano for now. She says in the long term it's one of the things that are very difficult to get back into once you quit and a lot of people have regrets, especially as she has gone all this way already. She thinks L has the ability to accomplish anything she wants and it would be a waste after all this time. She says school, getting a job, (lifeguard, whatever) driving lessons can all be prioritized and in fact a cheap job at this stage is not as worthwhile over the long term as achieving her piano goals. So we'll take it one day at a time and pace ourselves according to whatever crops up.

L thinks I'm vacillating and that we need to think about it more, but I'm sure she knows that I'm also making a bit of sense. (-:

Really, music is education.

On the other hand, she's not really passionate about it, and at the higher grades it can hardly be called fun, more like torture. So I'm back to square one! Actually, she will probably make the right decision when the time comes, as she's quite mature for her age. My role is to guide, not to dictate.

I walked to church today, hadn't been for awhile. It was a pleasant walk. The church was complaining about its finances today, it's that time of year. Everyone's feeling the pinch these days, bills bills bills. I feel bad for them as they do offer a lot of services to the community and people should give back accordingly.

M's hero Charlton Heston died.

News

Sexually-transmitted infections up among B.C. teens

Vehicle maintenance you don't want to skip

Juno awards tonight

I loved this photo I saw in a local Tim Horton's coffee shop, sorry for the glare.


Looking forward to a bright sunny spring day, it's supposed to get up to 12C today.

Had coffee with a friend this morning. It's always good to have a chat. It was busy out there in the parking lots early this morning, especially McDonalds, so crowded.

K is doing some volunteer work for a few hours and I'm taking L to her tennis lesson momentarily. We hope to watch Russell Peters host the Juno awards tonight (Canadian grammies). He's quite a popular international comedian these days, does ethnic jokes in a tasteful manner.

News

Sex and financial risk linked in brain

Black hole machine could destroy planet: lawsuit

More contraception choices for older women

Conflict management

Looking forward to a great spring weekend, despite today's rain. I was happy doing a bit of shopping all over the place today. A lady at the gym asked me how my trip to Jamaica was, I guess I hadn't talked to her for awhile. It's K's birthday next week, so we'll be doing a quiet restaurant dinner and then having a party somewhere for him with a bunch of his friends when the weather gets better. But I'm thinking it may even be a movie party, there's this movie called 'Speedracer' coming out soon that would be a good choice. He said he wants nice balloons at the restaurant that we've done for others before and we'll probably get him a cheesecake, his favourite.

L was having a rare conflict with a good friend at school yesterday. Even M and I were upset about it, but she handled it with the finesse and great communication skills that I have yet to develop. After much debate and consultation with some other close friends she decided to confront the issue and sent her friend an email on Facebook. It stated her feelings were hurt and exactly why. The friend responded with a 2 page apology and they are both happy again, the problem seems to be solved and within 24 hours. If more people did things this way, the world would be a happier place. Imagine all those people who don't speak to each other for years over the slightest misunderstanding.

This 'Female entrepreneurs with small children' website looks interesting (themompreneur.com). See the story below.

News

Mompreneurs boom

A whiff of the '30s in the air

Inactive kids show signs of heart disease as teens

Man Tells Boss 'I'm Out Of Here' After Lottery Win But Gives Amazing Farewell To Co-Workers

How To Get An Early Warning On Gas Price Changes

Haircut

Went for my usual haircut today, my hairdresser's been busy the past couple of months, so is the manicurist. The April 2008 WISH magazine had an article listing things you can do to go 'green', starting with replacing old appliances (would be nice in theory, but things usually have to break before we replace things around here).


News

Local Lottery Millionaire Fulfills Free Chicken Promise

The Stupidest Job Interview Mistakes In History

Jamaican Pumpkin soup recipe a la Christine:

1 butternut squash
1 medium sweet potato or purple sweet potato (peeled and cut into chunks)
2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
1 chayote squash (peeled and quartered, seed removed), or even a peeled carrot if that's all you have
beef shank bone-in (1 or 2 lbs)
sprigs of thyme (or can use dried thyme)
1 tbs scotch bonnet pepper sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs salt
6 whole pimento seeds
2 stalks green onion

dumplings (optional):

1 cup flour (can use whole wheat or white)
water to turn it to a dough, about 5 tbs)
1/2 tsp salt

Mix salt into the flour. Add water, and mould into a dough. Roll and shape the dough into little fingerlings.

Microwave whole butternut squash for 5 mins to soften, then cut into chunks. Add it to the beef shanks in the soup pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer for 2 hours on slightly less than medium heat, topping up with water to cover as required. Add the rest of the vegetables cut into chunks along with all the seasonings and simmer for another half hour. can add dumplings in the last 15 minutes. Remove the beef bones, thyme and green onions before serving and cut the beef into chunks.

enjoy!

Pumpkin soup

It's beginning to feel like spring, if cold. Thoughts are moving to the garden.

They're building a lovely condominium in my area, it's about 5 floors high and looks like an 18th century European apartment building with it's faux dormer windows at the top floor, arched lower floor windows and faux iron grillwork on the middle windows. It's all in the architecture. Such a change from the usual ugly modern stuff that's going up everywhere else.

Going to my step class today felt like a chore, but as soon as it started, it turned out to be fun and of course, good exercise. Finishing up the laundry and going to help K with his studying now. I made the perfect Jamaican style pumpkin soup this evening, just the right combination and amount of ingredients. I'll put the recipe on here later.

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April Fool's day

It's 14C and windy today, positively muggy, have to find my spring coat.

M and I submitted our passports for renewal this morning, it only took about half an hour. We used the simplified adult forms and the regular child forms. Technically, either parent could have been the children's guarantors if the other parent were the applicant, but we asked a friend to do it anyway, just to be sure. We paid for 5 hours parking just in case (that's me), so we gave our ticket to someone else as we were leaving and he asked if it was an April Fool's joke!

L and 3 classmates went on a field trip of sorts to a women's shelter on Monday. She actually chose that shelter and made all the arrangements, and one of the parents drove them to the place for a few hours of interviews. They are submitting a report into a contest sponsored by the founder of MACs cosmetics. The winner will have $5,000 donated to their charity. From what she tells me, it seems like most of these worthy charities could use a lot more money. They told her that a lot of women show up at the temporary shelter (referred by the police stations) with broken legs and bloody-faced children in tow. They try to make the place as homey as possible, relying on food bank donations. The women get to cook their own meals and do their own laundry, to feel as 'at home' as possible. This particular shelter was named after a woman that was murdered by her husband after he tracked her down. This is a major reason why the shelters remain as anonymous as possible.

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