I got this as an email and thought it was worth sharing.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PLAN TO BE GREAT MOMS,
THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GREAT MOMS,
THOSE WHO HAVE GREAT MOMS,
AND THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD GREAT MOMS…

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn’t come out of shag carpets.
Real Mothers don’t want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask ‘Why me?’ and get their answer when a little
voice says, ‘Because I love you best.’

Real Mothers know that a child ’s growth is not measured by height or
years or grade… It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mom to
Mother…

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn’t really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn’t know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She’s hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She’s way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let’s get Mom ‘ s opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.  The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.  The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.  It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

I have been searching for months for a good facial highlighter to replace the kind I’ve been using for the last few years.  I was hoping to find one for less than $20 and one that was convenient for me to be able to go buy.  I was afraid that I had set out with an unrealistic goal for myself, but that turned out to not be true.  After searching online and in numerous stores, I finally found what I wanted at my local Walgreen’s.  Made by Maybelline for $8.50, it’s the Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector.

The Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector is a double-ended pen that has full coverage concealer on one end and the liquid highlighter on the other.  Not only will this product not cost you a ton of money, but you will actually get two great products in one. 

When I got this I was only interested in the highlighter end of it.  I wasn’t even looking for a new concealer.  I was happy to pay the $8.50 just for the highlighter.  That was cheaper than the highlighter I had been purchasing and more convenient for me to get.  Once I got it home I thought I might as well try out the concealer side, too.  I am so glad that I did.  I was almost out of the concealer I have been using and was getting ready to purchase more.  No need for that now.  Not only is it convenient for me to go pick up, but I’m now saving myself money.  I was spending over $30 for my concealer and highlighter and now I’ve got something I like better for less than $10.

This highlighter is ideal for brightening under eye darkness and it does it without making me look like a raccoon.  The concealer is great for covering imperfections.  I’ve found that as a concealer it hides better than any other kind I can ever remember using.  It doesn’t take much to hide a pimple with this stuff.  So I don’t end up having to cake it on making it look like a dried out scab.  Both ends are easy to use and blend very well into my skin.  I’ve applied them under and on top of my foundation to see which I liked better.  Both ways looked good.  I’ve also been happy with the results of using it on light make up days by itself. I really feel like this is one of those products you just can’t go wrong with.

I didn’t purchase this product with any expectations since I don’t recall ever using Maybelline before, but now I am interested in trying out more of their cosmetics.  I am so pleased with my purchase that I will only be buying this product for my highlighting and concealing needs.  I think that this stuff can definitely hold its own against the expensive brands and is worth trying out.  I would recommend giving it a try.  I don’t think you’ll be sorry.

Finally, Election Day has arrived.  I, for one, am thrilled to have another opportunity to vote.  I was at the polls at 8am, right after dropping my kiddos off to school.  The turnout was better than what it normally is for our local elections, but still not impressive.  I don’t normally enjoy waiting in lines, but waiting at the voting polls is different to me.  If I’m waiting for along time then I feel like a lot of people are voting.  So few people show up for local elections that I walk in and I’m able to walk right back out in less than five minutes.  Today I probably waited for 10 minutes before I could get my ballot.  My three year old was with me, as usual.  Interestingly, he’s probably seen the inside of a voters booth more times than many Americans who are actually old enough to vote.

I hope that you have either already voted today or at least have plans to.  Even if you don’t like a who’s running, remember you can write someone in.  I used my write in option today because I couldn’t in good consciousness vote for a certain politician.  Not liking your choices is no excuse not to make your voice heard.  It should give you more reason to research ALL parties, not just Republican and Democrat.  I just wonder how many people actually knew that there were more than just two gentleman running for President.

If you have cast your vote this morning, I want to say thank you.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you for voting.  No matter your political beliefs, you should be proud to stand for something.  If you’re not voting today, please keep your whining to yourself for the next four years about our elected officials. 

“Freedom unexercised may become freedom forfeited.” - Margaret Chase Smith

Logic Wear was a business concept developed during the Christmas season of 2007. A team was assembled in the first quarter of 2008. The distributed office model was developed, refined, and implemented in Q2 and Q3 of 2008. And on Saturday November 1st, 2008, Logic Wear, LLC will launch it’s fully functional website - www.logicwearclothing.com.

Please come by, visit, and look around. Logic Wear designs apparel for entrepreneurs who want to express their business ideas and beliefs in a creative way. Logic Wear, LLC was founded for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs with the goal of Empowering Entrepreneurial Expression.

This is an incident that happened to my best friend Jamie and her daughter.  It’s scary and could happen to anyone.  It is very important to Jamie for as many people as possible to read this and learn from her experience.  So here is their story. Please read it and share with as many people as possible.

This is something that happened to Audrey and I on Monday. I want as many people as possible to hear this story so that the worst doesn’t happen to someone else.

I was at work Monday when I received a phone call at 4:30, it was Audrey’s school. They were calling to tell me that Audrey was in after-school, OK that’s where she is suppose to be. Then the lady asked me if I had called and told the school that she needed to ride the bus. I said no, she will never be a bus rider. I didn’t think much about it until I got to her school. When I walked in to get her I was told that the principal was on her way down to talk to me. When I heard what had happened I was horrified.

Someone had called the school and told them that they were concerned because their daughter was not on the bus. When asked the child’s name, they gave Audrey’s name. The lady at school that answered the phone sees me everyday and didn’t recognize the voice, so she asked the name of the person on the phone and was given my name. The school then told this person that Audrey had science club after school and the person on the phone said oh yeah I forgot, well can you put her on the bus cause I’m at home. The lady from the school asked several more times who the child was and who was on the phone, always getting the same answer. They then put my child on the bus.

When the bus stopped in front of our house Audrey told the driver that her mom wasn’t home, so the driver made a few more stops and then came by again. Audrey once again told her that her mom wasn’t here and so the driver took her back to the school. Now if my child had gotten off of that bus anyone could have picked her up. I am so glad that she is so smart. I start to tear up just thinking about what could have happened to her.

The only good that came of this is that the school has now changed their policy. Changes to a child’s schedule can not be changed with just a phone call. I have also been stressing the importance of caution and being aware to Audrey. We have went through every scenario I can think of, and I have told her how she should handle them. I have never been more terrified or more proud in all my life.

Please pass this along to anyone you know who has children and make sure that you know your schools policy. I don’t want to hear of the same situation with a different outcome, and to anyone who has had a child abducted, you are in my prayers.

Thank You
Jamie

I also felt it important to mention that Audrey is only 7 years old and in the second grade.  She has been picked up from the after-school program by her mom since she was in kindergarten.  This is the third year that they have had the same routine.  She has NEVER been a bus rider.  The woman who answered the phone at the school claims she didn’t recognize the ladies voice on the other end which is why she asked her so many times her name and the child’s name.  My question, and Jamie’s questions as well, is why did this lady at the school go ahead and put Audrey on the bus.  She told Jamie when she got to the school that she just knew it wasn’t Jamie calling.  If there were suspicions, why not double check with the parent before you put a 7 year old in potential danger.  I feel that the school really dropped the ball with this and they should be very thankful that the outcome wasn’t what it could have been. 

 Jamie and Audrey are like family to me and this has been a very disturbing situation.  I encourage you all to what Jamie has done and go over scenarios with your kids.  Go over every kind of “what if” that you can come up with.  I don’t think you can ever give your kids too much information when it comes to their safety.  For extra safety measures for protecting your kids, refer back to my Sept 6 post about 25 ways to keep your kids safer.  It’s our job to protect them.  No one else is going to care the way you do about your kids.

I received this as an email from my husband and got a good laugh out of it.  I thought I would pass it along and share it with all of you.  Enjoy.

My Dear Wife,
You will surely understand that I have certain needs that you, being 54 years old, can no longer satisfy. I am very happy with you and I value you as a good wife. Therefore, after reading this letter, I hope that you will not wrongly interpret the fact that I will be spending the evening with my 18 year old secretary at the Comfort Inn Hotel. Please don’t be upset, I shall be home before midnight.

When the man came home late that night, he found the following letter on the dining room table:

My Dear Husband,
I received your letter and thank you for your honesty about my being 54 years old. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that you are also 54 years old. As you know, I am a math teacher at our local college. I would like to inform you that while you read this, I will be at the Hotel Fiesta with Michael, one of my students, who is also the assistant tennis coach. He is young, virile, and like your secretary, is 18 years old. As a successful businessman who has an excellent knowledge of math, you will understand that we are in the same situation, although with one small difference - 18 goes into 54 a lot more times than 54 goes into 18. Therefore, I will not be home until sometime tomorrow.

I’ve added four new main dishes to the recipe section today.  Go check them out and enjoy.

Here’s something interesting to ponder from Alfred E. Newman, “We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.” 

I’ve added a new category on More Than A Housewife called “Fun Stuff.”  You can find it at the top of the page by “Recipes.”  Fun Stuff will include arts and crafts, experiments and anything that can be fun and is kid friendly.  I’ve already added a couple in there and hope to get some more soon.  If you have anything you think could fall under this category that you would like to share just send me an email.  I look forward to having this page loaded with activities that kids can do by themselves and with adults too.

Have you heard the news?  Something that research has just discovered….smoking while pregnant can effect fetal development.  GASP!!  Say it isn’t so!  Now I know unless you’ve been living under a rock that this is not breaking news to you.  We’ve known for years how harmful smoking is during pregnancy.  So why is the National Institute of Health (NIH) funding nicotine experiments to study the effects of nicotine on infant monkeys and other animals?

The NIH have spent at least $16.5 million on nicotine experiments in pregnant and newborn animals just since 2002.  This is not the total cost of nicotine research on animals, just the part designated to pregnant and newborn animals.  The total amount would be much higher. 

At Oregon Health and Science University, Elliot Spindel conducts experiments on pregnant monkeys who have nicotine pumps surgically implanted in their bodies. Steady doses of nicotine are delivered to these mothers, and their babies are cut out of their wombs at various stages of development in order to dissect their lungs.  Spindel has received a whopping $7.6 million since 1992 and is scheduled for more funds to do his “research” through 2012 from the NIH.

Not only are these experiments a waste of our tax dollars, but they are terribly cruel.  To add insult to injury, animal data is so unreliable that the tobacco industry have used it for decades to prove tobacco is not harmful.  It was through human studies that the link between tobacco use and cancer, heart disease and other illnesses was found. 

I had no idea of these experiments being done and the millions of taxpayers dollars being spent on them until today.  (Thanks to my myspace friend Mary for posting the bulletin.)  I think it’s safe to say that there are several people who don’t know about this, but we all know the dangers of smoking.  Yet millions of people smoke anyway.  The government even estimates that about 12 percent of women still smoke while they are pregnant.  I have a hard time believing that in this day and age a pregnant woman doesn’t know the risk she is putting her baby in.  So why would she do it??  Maybe these researchers should be spending their time and money trying to learn why pregnant woman don’t quit. 

If you want the NIH to stop the testing of nicotine on animals, click below.  All you have to do is fill out your email address, first and last name.  It will take about 10 seconds and will help stop hundreds of animals from being harmed and killed in experiments to test the effects of nicotine and tobacco.  Help stop cruelty in the name of science.

http://ga0.org/campaign/NIH_Nicotine

Do you ever have those times where you find a great product and think “Where has this been all my life?”  or “How have I lived without this?”  I’ve had that happen to me just recently with a nifty little thing called Grippies.   I had to ask myself why didn’t they have these 10 years ago when my first kiddo was born.  These are a definite must if you have hardwood, tile or any other kind of floor that your kids can slip and take a nose dive on.

The main floor of my house has foyer, kitchen, dining room and living room.  All these room are connected and my boys love to run circles on this level.  They’re not suppose to and they get in trouble for it, but they still do it often.  More than once I’ve had one of the kids lose it in the kitchen and go sliding.  Sometimes into the wall or the furniture or even me.  It’s all fun and games until a chair gets knocked over and puts a hole in the wall. 

Then along comes the fabulousness of Grippies.  So great, so simple, so many uses.  You can iron them on or just stick them on.  They can be put on socks, tights or even the knees of your little crawlers pants.  My boys are all past the crawling stage, but these would have been great during that time.  Especially when they were pulling up and learning to walk. 

I love them, I use them and I would definitely recommend them.  You can access the Grippies page by clicking their link on my page.  On their page check out “Grippies in the press” and you’ll see how many people rave about these.

The below article comes from our friend Karen.  I so appreciate her sending me this wonderful information.  I am always trying to learn about my body and how to keept it healthy.  Thanks Karen!

Do You Love Your Liver?

Your Liver hopes you love it.

Apart from being the single largest organ and gland in your body, your liver has very important duties that you should be aware of because its functions are all for the good or our body.

1.  Manufactures proteins
2. Stores and processes fat
3.  Metabolizes and stores carbohydrates.
4.  Produces bile (a bitter, alkaline, yellow or greenish liquid, secreted by the liver that aids in absorption and digestion, especially of fats)
5.  Detoxify by metabolizing and secreting drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins.

Suggestions to keep your liver happy:

1. Dilute cranberry juice with water and drink three times a day.
2. Eat an egg a day - hard boiled is best. Egg creates good bile.
3. Limit fat intake - chances are your liver has plenty already stored up.
4. Limit carb intake - do double duty and eat more wheat or multi grain so that you can help scrub up your intestines too.
5. Limit sugar intake - especially soda. Want a slimmer stomach and waistline?  Take a month off of drinking anything sugary and carbonated.  You’d be surprised at the results.
6. Limit alcohol intake (notice I put “limit” for all who enjoy wine, beer…etc. rather than cut it out completely, even I don’t do that!)

As always, keep everything in smaller portions. You don’t need to diet to the extreme.  Your body can process anything you eat into energy.  Eat what you want proportionately.  And chew chew chew, eat slowly and savor.  Practice good mastication (fancy term for chewing).

What else can I say except couple the above info with a good, consistent exercise regiment (like swimming) and you’re on your way to a healthier body inside and out!

We were approached by Taylor Global, Inc, a national PR firm, on behalf of Kimberly-Clark and asked to help them promote breast cancer awareness. We do support breast cancer awareness (as evidenced by our donations via our apparel sales) so we gladly agreed. We have included the news release below:

Kimberly-Clark’s Viva Paper Towels and Huggies Baby Wipes Come Together to Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Donation and special packaging will support breast cancer research and awareness programs.

NEENAH, Wis. (Sept. 18, 2008) – Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s Viva Paper Towels and Huggies Baby Wipes have joined forces to help fight breast cancer during October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month — by donating as much as $450,000 to breast cancer research and education. 

“Having Viva Paper Towels and Huggies Baby Wipes simultaneously supporting unique breast cancer programs is a first for Kimberly-Clark,” said Laura Keely, director of Kimberly-Clark\’s consumer promotion marketing. “The massive impact of breast cancer, which affects more than 200,000 women and their families each year, inspired the brands to raise both funds and awareness.”

As part of the Viva Paper Towels program, the brand will donate $.10 for each package of paper towels purchased at select retailers across the country during the month of October. Additionally, the Viva brand will donate $5.00 for each new consumer who becomes a member of its online Viva Diva Café at www.vivadivacafe.com. Collectively, the Viva brand will donate a minimum of $125,000 up to a maximum of $200,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

Huggies Baby Wipes is conducting a two-part program. The brand will donate $.20 for each Huggies Baby Wipes Gentle Care Sensitive tub featuring the Komen graphics purchased between Sept. 15 and Dec. 31, 2008 at select retailers. Additionally, Huggies Baby Wipes will donate $1.00 for each specially marked Gentle Care Sensitive refill box purchased at Sam’s Club through the end of the year. Through the two programs, the Huggies brand will donate between $150,000 and $250,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The brands’ donation will support two of the nation’s premier breast cancer organizations: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. These organizations provide critical funding for medical research and offer education and awareness programs. 

In addition, beginning today and continuing throughout October, Kroger will display specially marked packaging of Viva Paper Towels and Huggies Diapers featuring the inspiring stories of two Kimberly-Clark employees and cancer survivors. Anita Banjak and Brenda Nelson will be featured on select Viva
Paper Towels and Huggies Diapers product packaging respectively. 

Keely added, “We hope these stories will inspire women to take an active role in the fight against breast cancer in their local communities and serve as a reminder to get screened.”

You can find the original news release and more details on Kimberly-Clark’s site.

We would also like to invite you to help us raise donations for Breast Cancer Research by purchasing official MTAH branded apparel.

I have some very exciting news to share with all of you.   More Than A Housewife apparel is ready for purchase.  I am starting out small with a few different shirts, but I hope to grow it to several options with all kinds of gear.  As you know, suggestions are always welcome and wanted. 

In recognition of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, $1 from the sale of each shirt will be donated to breast cancer research.  There are a few different causes that are near and dear to my heart that I will be donating to from the shirt sales. 

Shipping will be free for the United States.  So come and grab your More Than A Housewife apparel.  You will find the shirts located under the “MTAH Stuff” tab.

I don’t know how any of you are feeling on this one, but I’m pretty sick to my stomach about it.  This bailout plan is absolutely ridiculous.  I consider myself to be an intelligent person, but I simply cannot wrap my brain around this. 

In case you are not yet informed on this, let me break it down for you.  Our government is proposing to bailout some private companies with 740 billion dollars of tax payer money.  WHAT???  Is this a mistake that I made?  Did you make the financial mistakes for these companies?  I would assume that most, if not all, of you answered no on that just like I did.  The whole plan just makes me feel very uncomfortable.  Maybe it’s because I am constantly feeling screwed by our government so I don’t trust this plan.  I just keep feeling like so many politicians are trying to fatten up their pockets as much as they can.  While regular Joe Blow is working his ass off to get no where and then having to work even harder to pay for mistakes he had nothing to do with. 

I was not raised to take a lot of responsibility for my actions.  I’m an only child and my parents have always wanted to help me in any way that they could.  I was very spoiled growing up and never really had to pay for my mistakes.  I didn’t have to learn to be accountable for my actions.  I can appreciate that they were doing what they thought was right at the time, but now as an adult, I’m actually teaching myself to learn from my mistakes.  I am making myself learn accountability and responsibility as I teach my own children these valuable lessons.  You have to make mistakes to learn.  Hard pill to swallow?  Maybe, but it is an absolute must to grow and learn.

Maybe our country needs to learn this same valuable lesson that I’m teaching my kids.  You screw up, you pay the consequences.  You spend all of your money when we go to the book store then you won’t have any money left when we go to the video game store.  Do I want to give my kids the money at the video game store?  Of course I do.  I hate to see them sad or wanting for anything.  At the same time, how will they learn to be responsible for money if they spend all they have, but I give them more to spend anyway.  They just learn how to not be responsible with their cash because mom will go ahead and help them out.  Knowing how to budget and spend wisely is a very valuable lesson.  One that the CEO’s of these companies have obviously not been taught and looks like won’t be taught this time either.

My big question, how much money are the politicians, including our President, going to get from the CEO’s of these companies while they steal billions of dollars from us.  They force feed us this line of bologna that  we are in serious economic crisis, but I don’t think this is the solution to fix it.  While the Washington Mutual is failing and going under, they hire a new CEO and give him a 7.5 million dollar sign on bonus.  This guy is walking away with 20 million for less than 3 weeks of work.  Does it sound smart to be giving away million dollar bonuses when your company is failing?  I’m sure this isn’t the only CEO getting millions while his company is going under.  That’s why we are in financial crisis because so many are only out for number one.  My 3 year old understands that you don’t spend money you don’t have.  Maybe he could teach Wall Street a lesson.

I hope that I have informed some of you, maybe gotten you a little hot under the collar.  If so you are on the same page as me.  Yesterday I called my State Representative and told him I am against the bailout.  I encourage all of you to do the same thing as soon as possible.  Do what you can.  Get informed and teach others.  If any of you have any news to share on this subject, please comment.  We need to speak up for ourselves.  No matter what your political party might be, this really will affect us all and we need to stand together.

Would you like some breast milk with your ice cream?  Sound crazy?  Not to PETA who wrote a letter to the cofounders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream urging them to replace cows milk with breast milk in their ice cream products.

“The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn’t make sense,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Everyone knows that ‘the breast is best,’ so Ben & Jerry’s could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk.”

September 23, 2008

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Cofounders
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc.

Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,

On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I’d like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry’s. Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry’s replaced the cow’s milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers–and cows–would reap the benefits.

Using cow’s milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer’s health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America’s leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow’s milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease–America’s number one cause of death.

Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.

And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry. Because male calves can’t produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can’t even turn around.

The breast is best! Won’t you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow’s milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry’s ice cream? Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

I have to know what you guys think about this.  Would you buy ice cream or any food for that matter that has breast milk in it?  I have to say that I would probably be passing on this one.