Monday, August 22, 2011

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Back To School Blues

To others this may not be funny, but those of us who have gone through it, will definitely find the humor among the chaos. Between my own and Step Kids, I have raised a total of 9 Children. That is a lot of "Back to School Moments" of Craziness!!
 Especially, when just a few days before the start of school, that is when they hold their Orientations. Not only would we NOT get a supply list until that time, every School in the County is pretty much on the same schedule.  This result is everyone in the county is making a mad dash at the same time for school supplies. To deal with this, you had to almost be a Magician yielding a Magic Wand, or have the ability to twitch your nose so that you could be in multiple places at once. You know this best when you have more than one Child in School at a time. Even more so if they are in different Schools, such as Elementary, Middle and High School. Sure as years went on, schools tried to compensate by creating so-called Orientation Day Schedules. This would mean, the Elementary School's time slot would be, 8-11, Middle, 10-12, and High School, 12-2.
Ok, now, each Child wants to, first, look their very best because their sole purpose is to see who they are sharing Classes with. But also to seek out that cute Guy or Gal they have had a crush on for weeks, even Months (Yes, to a degree this does even happen in Elementary School). Ok, so now each Child wants to be at their School the exact time it starts, and stay till the very end. They might miss something or someone. These thoughts are shared along with the rest of the entire world, so it seems by the Parking lot outside.
School Parking goes something like this: Wait, sigh, and wait in line to get in. You move at a slow roll, if you're lucky. As you inch in, you see some poor Parent going against that invisible track that all vehicles are supposed to be traveling on. So, you stop and wave her to proceed in front of you. She smiles, waves and you, return the same. You finally make it on to School grounds searching to find an empty spot. Again, you see another wayward Parent wanting to cut in front of you, "Not this time, Sister! You're on a Mission to find a parking spot. At this point, Your Child is now in panic mode because she heard the Bell ring 15 minutes ago. You say to heck with it, because by now, you are just looking for any opening to park in. You find a small space beside the Garbage Dumpster. It has some fencing around it, no one will even see you're parked there, you hope. Because of how you had to park, you hope like heck that it isn't garbage day? Oh well, you don't have time for that now.
Ok time to regroup, take a deep breath and, the hunt begins. First, you must find the office, then; find the paper containing the Class List, on the wall. Next, find the Grade of Your Child. Now read through 200 plus names. You have to inch inward as close to it as possible because you cannot read that fine print, because, of course, you forgot your glasses.
 Ok, got it! Now you have to find where THOSE particular groups of Buildings are located. They could be inside, outside, or Portables. Thank goodness there is no upstairs or downstairs, at this School anyways. Finally, you find it, and Your Child's name is not only posted on the door, but it is also listed in the teacher's book. Luckily, you dodged a bullet this time and didn't have to go to the Guidance office to find out why Your Child was switched?  OK, so now you wait for your turn. Do you try and sit in one of those very tiny desks next to where your Child found theirs? No, you decide standing would have its benefits in the long run. You finally meet the Teacher, go through all the niceties and get that so important School Supply list. You glance at it, do a double take. Every year that list gets longer and more complicated. You try to think what things you had already picked up. Of course, there are at least 10 more things on here you had no idea you would need. Especially, those 5 boxes of Kleenex and 5 bottles of unscented Hand Sanitizer, why do they need so many?  Oh well you shrug it off saying they'll get what they get.
Almost done, now, you do fly-by lookie loos in the directions of last year's Ms. So n So's Class, the Music Room, Library and, finally, the Cafeteria. You open its door, and let out a large Gasp, followed by a deep sigh. More lines! Lines for Locker Locks, PTA Memberships, before & After School Care, & the extremely long Bus Schedule Line... Oh my goodness, you feel your Face getting flushed. Red Bus, Blue Bus, 701 & 702 Bus!? What is happening? your Brain is being Dr. Seuss-ified... Time to go!
You find your way to the secret dumpster spot. Now you're partially blocked in and you realize you have to do it all over again in reverse just to get out of here. Can you go home now? Nope, you have the next School to go to, Middle School.
 Same routine as before except this time Your Child will walk 5 steps ahead of you at a pace you know does not exist once School starts when they are going from Class to Class. When Your Child finally locates each of their Classes and hugged a thousand people, they inform you "THEY" are ready to leave. Repeat the Parking Lot pandemonium.
Now, you get somewhat lucky at the next stop. Not only is this the High School, IT is the last School. This time, they don't really care if you even leave your car or if you find a Bench somewhere to sit. Preferably you do this in the shade because while they are looking for Homeroom, they visit with every Guy, Girl, Teacher, Safety Officer, Coach, Office Worker, Custodian, and Lunch Room lady they have ever met. You continue to sit until that time comes when you are extremely important. That is IF, the Checkbook needs to make an appearance, or if some sort of Permission Slip needs to be signed.
Finally, the day is over and you can go home. That is if you can talk your Child into postponing that trip to the Store to get those damn additional School Supplies!
 OK, now, here comes the "Funny" part of this "Back to School Story". Time has passed about 20 years from THOSE days.  Now I can sit Home and grin from ear to ear as I write this article. Why, because now it is My Kids that are doing these Contortionist Routines with THEIR own Children. A feeling of contentment rises up inside. 
I Love being a Grandma!

Red Bottom Shoes: Sneak peak Katie and Chris


Groupon: Get the Best Deal in Your City Today!


My Daughter In Law Katie who is expecting any day had some beautiful maternity pics taken. Here is a sneak peak of just a few of My Son, and Granddaughters, and of course, Katie with their first Son Christian in tow.

Red Bottom Shoes: Sneak peak Katie and Chris: This shoot was so fun for me because Katie is so easy to shoot. Her family is perfect and I am glad I got to share this special time with t...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Product Reviews

I Wasn't Kidding When I Said We Loved Our Coffee



I was not kidding when I said My Husband and I were coffee fanatics. I just decided for kicks n grins to bring down all the coffee containers out of the cabinet and there were 15 different ones.  From Boca Java, Javatime, Seattle's Best, (We LOVE Seattles Best, reminds us of our one and only Cruise), a few varieties of  Senseo, various Pods to some good ole Cuban Coffee Cafe Noir. 
Of course, you need a variety of  Brewing Systems.  We have a few different coffee making systems. We have the regular drip Pot, The Senseo, The Keurig, a couple of different Espresso Machines, and a little pink Cuban or Italian kind that you cook with on the stove. There are quite a few others out there we want to try. One is a French Press style. I have no idea how they work, but like I said, We are always looking for that perfect cup of coffee.
We are Members of Boca Villa. We use their mail delivery service and have been for quite a while now.  Especially since we are very picky about our coffees. But, pricing has now gone up to around $7.50 a bag, plus shipping.  Now this Coffee is amazing and an extra perk they give their customers, You can choose between two flavor offerings of what they call their Baby Bocas. You never know what they are offering until you log in to your account. This is how we discovered we loved the Bananas Foster flavored coffee. It is so much better than We thought it would be. In fact, have purchased quite a few bags since we first tried it.
I have been wondering about trying some other options though as far as Coffee Services go. The only other one I am familiar with is Gevalia. I may give them a try as well? Do any of you use a Coffee Delivery Service? Please leave me a comment and let me know.  With the quality Coffees We have tried lately, it probably is much cheaper just to cancel all together. I guess that is considered a Perk. Kind of like going to get a Pedicure or Manicure.  These are things you like, but only treat yourself every so often.
CBS1031 Cafejo Columbian Coffee Pods 72-Pack With Sweet Caramel OvertonesI recently found these Pods. You get 72 of them for $27.99, and as far as Pods go, that is a pretty good deal. The Cafejo CBS1031 Colombian coffee pod 72-pack contains 72 servings of perfectly portioned medium roasted coffee! Unlike lesser brands, Cafejo uses only fresh ground coffee beans, and certainly nothing instant, freeze-dried, or spray dried. Each pod is individually wrapped in a nitrogen environment to guarantee freshness. These executive-class gourmet coffees are a fantastic way to begin the day or as a friendly pick-up during the afternoon hours!Medium RoastThis special Colombian blend has a lightly sweet caramel flavor that is balanced and full-bodied. You'll love the clean, mellow finish and be back for more!Quality CoffeeEach Cafejo CBS1031 Colombian coffee pod contains over 9 grams of genuine Arabica coffee, not the lower-grade Robusta blends other companies use. Experience quality you can taste!Versatility Enjoy a versatile selection of coffees and teas with Cafejo's pods! These little coffee pads work with most brand named coffee pod brewers, such as Krups, Bunn, De Longhi, and many others! Great ValueIt only takes a single pod to produce a perfectly solid 8-ounce cup of coffee! Compare the cost of a single coffee house cup and Cafejo CBS1031 Colombian coffee pod 72-pack

Friday, August 12, 2011

ARE YOU A COFFEE FANATIC?


Coffee Blog Button

Coffee, Coffee, Everywhere Which One Do You Drink?

Coffee dot com please
Coffee dot com please

Do you have a favorite brand of coffee?  Is it Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbuck’s, Seattle’s best, Gevalia, Boca Java, or McDonalds?? The list goes on and on. For some reason, everywhere  I look today, I am reminded of things to do with Coffee. I’m not sure why, but Ive seen contests,polls, lots of references to coffee. So why should I be any different? Well, I can’t help but be different, just because I am, but I suppose I am alike as well.  Wow, in just the few minutes of sitting here and writing this, I have seen two references on Tv for coffee. One is the new McDonalds McMocha, Mc Cafe or something or other.  I will say , I have tried one of these new coffee drinks and it was very good. It had had that nice strong taste that my Husband and I prefer. It was a little higher than I expected to pay, but in comparison to the Coffee  Geru, Starbucks, it was about .50 cents cheaper. Being it was at Mcdonalds, I just assumed it was going to be a lower price, but it seems that they are being the marketing genius they are by making these coffee drinks the reason people go there, rather than just a “side” item. I guess you could say a destination coffee run. As long as they stay consistent with the strong flavors and good quality, and good service, they will have a shot at doing it, in my opinion. For instance, how many of us have gone to say 5 different McDonalds and gotten 5 different experiences? For someone who is supposed to be so focused on their Cookie Cutter type of franchise training, there is  a great deal of differences involved. I’m sure many of you feel like we do by saying, “Oh that McDonalds, on so n so street, I never go to that one! I will drive over to the one on Main street before I will go there!” You know what I mean. Either they never get your order right, or have rude workers, or the food is cold. So if they can keep their new Premium Coffees consistent, I think they will do pretty good because they are so easily accessible.

Why do you suppose there is this big Coffee frenzy going on? I think it is all stemming around from the economy once again. Last year we heard Starbucks was going to close approximately 600 stores. This was right around the time when gas prices were close to $4.00 a gallon.  People felt guilty for spending the same amount on a cup of coffee that they would on a gallon of gas.  As gas prices are creeping up again, for some reason, we Americans don’t feel so guilty getting our coffee fix at McDonald’s rather than the stereo-typed Starbucks.

Send Sweets Free To Your Soldier Overseas!

Having a Son that was over in Iraq for the War, I know how expensive those shipping charges are! My Daughter-In-Law was always trying to send out little care packages to My Son and His Platoon. She hated to have to skip on the goodies just so She would have enough money left over to afford the Shipping. WWW.OldtimeCandy.com, The Candy you ate when your were young.!
         Also, Sugar Free, Organic & American Made Candy
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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Check out some cool places I found

Largest Online Candy Store, OMG They have some Yummy stuff I hadn't seen in years!
           

                                            WhiteSmoke FREE Trial
                                                                                          Electronic Cigarette USA WebSite
Take A  Guess What IS in here?

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Tips& Treasuures

A "SITUATION" Between 2 Jersey Shore Stars In Italy


Jersey Shore' star, Mike "The Situation" seen returning home at 12pm from a night out, with cuts and bruises on his face. He arrived in a crew van and had no shoes on. 




Ronnie returned an hour later and was seen removing a bandage from his hand before stepping out of the car, showing cuts on his right hand.

The Real Casey Anthony Or Not?

First hearing the news of the surfacing of  the Infamous MOMster Casey Marie Anthony,  I searched out the photos from TMZ's website very quickly. First glance, yes it's Her, then another look and No, it didn't really look like Her. Then I heard various rumors, one that just made Me fume. That one being that She supposedly sat it up in order to get some money. 

I do believe this is actually Casey Anthony and She is in Ohio. Not just because She is wearing an Ohio Baseball Cap. 
Casey has some very prominent moles on either side of Her neck. In comparing  previous Photos along with the "Ohio Sighting" Photos, you can in fact see them.
I also believe that She indeed is in Ohio because of the license Plates of some cars She is walking in front of.

 Yes She is a little thicker now, but so was She when She was first arrested.

                            The mole is just over the H.

How could we forget THOSE Eyes?




or SD?






























So What Do YOU think?