I finally decided to let my daughter stay at my moms house overnight. She is almost 6 years old and doesn’t demand much so I figured my mom and step dad could handle it. I still don’t think she could handle any of the quads but it’s a start.

She has been asking to have my daughter over since they moved back up here. They have been able to handle my 4 and 6 year old nephews so my daughter should be ok. I will admit that I am very overprotective of my daughter and make sure everything is good before I let her go anywhere. One of the things I check is the sex offender regisrty to make sure there are no sex offenders in the area she is staying.

I was suprised to find that there actually was an offender that lived two houses away from my moms house. I don’t mean a minor offense like an 18 year old getting caught with his 16 year old girlfriend but something pretty major. They don’t get into details but you get a general idea of how severe the offense was and if they are current with parole. This man was not current and they are looking for him.
I am not one to confine someone to errors of the past but when it comes to my kids I will do just that. I am not comfortable having a sex offender that close to my kids or anyones kids for that matter. I do realize that maybe his crime was not against a child but he still sexually assaulted someone and that ranks up there with murder in my book and they should be put away for life, not out with our kids. This person has shown that they have the capacity to commit severe crimes against people and could do so again. Why risk letting them out of prison and rolling the dice on a possible recurrence? Being a husband and father I look at things differently than I used to and now have 6 reasons to care about topics like this, lock em’ up and don’t let em’ out.

Ok, didn’t see that coming..but I guess I should have since it IS a show called LOST and it WAS sent here to torture me, leave me confused, and basically unable to stop watching it out of some kind of fan loyalty version of stockholm syndrome.

When the new season starts up (in 2010! so we are talking at LEAST January until we see people from LOST again) I swear, if I see one flash of “30 years earlier” “30 years later” etc…I am just going to jump ship.

For a show that is supposedly only going to be on for one more season, it sure leaves a lot of things unexplained, creates more questions with each episode, and I didn’t appreciate the character “Jacob” being thrown in there at the last minute in the season finale episode.  Being that he has been not a real major focus in all the previous episodes, it’s hard to connect to him as a character.

I was also disappointed at the season finale because we are back to the same ole same ole of “here’s a dead guy that is now alive” and “is he dead, is this purgatory, is this something else?”…I don’t care anymore! …but I probably will by January 2010

What just happened? Kris won? Oh my goodness!

I am still in shock from last night’s AI season finale.  I have mixed feelings on it.  I *think* what happened is that people were SO convinced that Adam would win that the lazy bums didn’t call in and vote for him.  In all the history of AI, I don’t remember another person having a more perfect season than Adam.

I still believe Adam will come out of this smelling like roses as he will undoubtedly get a record deal and will not be as connected to AI as Kris; therefore, I believe he will be able to make the kind of album HE wants instead of being oppressed by AI people.

As for the season finale itself, I REALLY enjoyed it this year.  I told my husband that each year they are attracting bigger and bigger names to be involved with the show.  I thoroughly enjoyed the performances by the Black Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper, and even Idol’s own hilarious stunt of having Kara DioGuardi perform on stage and show herself in a bikini at the end (in retaliation to “bikini girl” with her new set of falsies) was fabulous.

For once, I didn’t find myself fast forwarding through lame performances of the “results show” – OK, I DID fast forward through Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah’s performance – Lil’s singing was, once again, predictable and lame, and Latifah (whom I am normally a HUGE fan of) had a hideous outfit on that was difficult to eat dinner and watch her dance around in at the same time.  At one point we thought she was wearing an inner-tube, but realized it was just her gut protruding from a too-tight one-piece plus sized catsuit!

The phrase “too-tight one-piece plus sized catsuit” alone should be enough to make you shudder.  Other than that, and the fact that the wrong person won, the night was awesome!

I know most people have heard of netflix, I have been using it for 5 years now and love it. I have tried Blockbuster online and going to the video store, nothing beats Netflix. I hated paying late fees and driving to the store so the video store made an early exit.  Blockbuster.com was ok and they were probably better at getting me new releases. The issue I had was they took longer mailing me movies and for some reason they would just stop sending them if the first few were unavailable, until they came available I wouldn’t get anything no matter how many movies were in Queue.

I started Using Netflix when my daughter was born because I love watching movies and my daughter was ill when she came home so I didn’t leave very often. I pay $19 a month(with tax) and get three movies at a time. They are very quick on the mailing, if you send a movie back on monday, the replacement will be at your house by wednesday 80% of the time. So if you send 1 out a day you will always have a movie at your house to watch.

This works great for me because I am usually playing with my kids in the living room and enjoy the background distraction. Right now I am watching old t.v. shows that I never got to see. If you don’t need to have access to 3 movies at a time they have smaller packages for less money and larger packages also. They also have a great feature that allows you to stream movies to you computer to watch for free if your a member. If your computer is hooked to your t.v. its like having instant access to over 10,000 movies and growing.

I think this is a great way to rent movies with no late fees, and you only have to walk to the mailbox.

It’s a pretty good chance that at one point or another you’ve forgotten an appointment, arrived at the wrong time, or even on the wrong day. You may have thought, right then and there, that you needed to organize your day by planning the night before.

One way to know what’s ahead is to have a large, central calendar that everyone in the family can put their appointments on. Color code the calendar by assigning each member a color and writing their appointments in that so they can easily see what they have coming up. When anyone in the family has something to add to the calendar, write it on there immediately with their color. This will also allow you to see what everyone in the family is scheduled for and lets you know if something has to be passed on because of a conflict.

Besides having a large, central calendar, you may also like to keep a smaller copy with you so you know when your family busy and when they are free. This will help you plan your day better, as well. Keep your small calendar up to date with any additions that are made.

Before you leave work, write down everything you can think of that needs to be done at work. What are your priorities for the day? Do you have work that must be completed in a certain period of time? Do you have any meetings or appointments that aren’t on your family calendar at home? Be sure to write everything down that you can think of so you can better plan your day, and maybe even your week, when you get home.

After your day is over, take a few minutes to look at your calendar and any notes you took while at work. If you can, do like activities at the same time in scheduled blocks. This will keep you focused and help you to not forget to do something important. Returning telephone calls, answering emails, and running office errands can all be done in blocks of time so you’re not jumping from one activity to another.

Don’t schedule every moment of your day. Leave room in your schedule for last minute interruptions, changes, or emergencies. If you have an appointment during the day, don’t forget to include the time it takes for you to travel to and from your appointment when scheduling your day. You also want to leave some time to spend on yourself each day or at least once a week.

Why do you want to organize your day by planning it the night before? There are several reasons for doing so: you’ll have a better idea of what to expect during the day, you can be proactive rather than reactive when something comes up, and knowing what to expect ahead of time will actually allow you to sleep better.

Finally, don’t kick yourself if you don’t accomplish everything you want to each day. Having your day planned makes it more likely you’ll be productive than if you hadn’t planned your day at all. You can organize your day by planning the night before in just a little bit of time, and the benefits will definitely be worth it.

It’s every parent’s nightmare –their teenager wants to start dating before you’re ready. You’re not sure they are ready, either, and things are so different than when you were teens that you may be concerned. Teen dating in a modern world doesn’t have to be a time of dread, however. Instead of being fearful, use communication to help you maneuver through this time.

Before you allow your teenager to start dating, sit down to discuss with them the rules you have for their dating. Explain to them what the consequences are if they don’t follow those rules, and compromise with them so they don’t think you’re totally out of touch. Discuss any questions they may have. If you haven’t had “the” talk with them yet, there’s no time like the present.

Be open and honest with them regarding sexual relationships. Let them know that they shouldn’t feel pressured into having sex and that if this should occur, they should call you right away to come pick them up. Tell them that anyone who is physically, mentally, or sexually abusive is not a good candidate for dating. The first time something like that happens, they should call you, no matter what time of the day or night.

There is no set age that is right for every teen to start dating. So much of whether or not a teen should be allowed to start dating is dependent upon their level of maturity. If they are obviously emotionally too young, you’ll want to give them another year or two to mature.

Decide as a family when you think dating should be allowed. Will boys and girls in the family be given the same age as a guideline? Since girls often mature earlier than boys, you may want to make concessions for a more mature child regardless of their sex.

One rule you’ll want to establish before your child is allowed to go out the first time, is that you want to meet their “date.” This rule should apply to both sexes regardless of whether they are 14 or 18. As long as they are living in your home, insist on meeting their prospective dates.

You may also want to limit their dating in their early teen years to being chaperoned or in group dating situations. You might want to tell them which places they can go, too, but do try to trust their judgment. You can also give them a cell phone and insist that they contact you if plans change, to let you know they’ve arrived safely, and in case of problems.

Allowing your teenager to date in this day and age can be scary. Teen dating in a modern world isn’t the same as when you were their age. Try to keep your relationship open, honest, and loving so they know they can come to you to discuss anything. Learn to trust your parenting, and they should be just fine.

Well I can’t dance, although if I have enough to drink, I THINK I can…and am all too willing.  But the rest of the year, I sit home sober and tune in to watch other talented, and not so talented, dancers perform in front of millions watching at home.

The season premier is on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 8:00.  I can’t hardly wait! The kids are definitely going to bed on time that night.  Mama’s gotta watch her show.  I have to admit that both my husband and I prefer this show over American Idol, maybe it’s because Idol has been on for longer and has become a beast all of its own whereas SYTYCD still seems young and innocent.

The judges on SYTYCD are also much less annoying than the AI judges who I only tolerate because one of them is WAY hot (Simon, duh).  I also LOVE Nigel from SYTYCD.  One of my  main complaints about the show is that the title is so god awful long.  I mean really, did they not think about people blogging about this stuff? My goodness, it takes me a half hour just to type the acronym out!

I am curious if some of the “bad” dancers will appear again this year to try out…that part doesn’t change no matter what reality show you are watching.  Just like certain singers come back year after year on AI to try out, knowing they will be booed away, the same dancers will show up and gross us out with images that will keep us awake at night.  Anything from an all too revealing pair of shorts, to getting a close up view of shaking cellulite, to sweaty leotards in all the WRONG spots…ewww.

Aside from all that, this is still a great and entertaining show to watch.  And heck, with Alex Da Silva’s recent arrest, this season is bound to get even more interesting.

I probably didn’t even need to type “Adam vs. Kris”  – let’s be real – Adam has this thing not just wrapped up, but it even has a pretty bow tied on top.  He deserves it, he is SO talented.

Friends of ours (and my spouse) are not even fans of Adam and yet even they cannot deny that he is talented.

For once, Paula’s endless zigzag yammering didn’t seem so crazy when she paused and said he is destined to be “iconic”…this was rewarded by an outright guffaw by my husband, who was rewarded with a glare from yours truly.  I actually have to agree with Paula, this guy is something special.  I do get tired of Randy telling people that they can “sing the phonebook”…while this may be just an expression, it provides an annoying mental image of someone singing while letting their fingers do the walking through the yellow pages.

I will be extremely upset if Kris wins the competition, I don’t think anyone actually believes that he’ll win, so I’m not sure what the fake back and forth between the judges was about, in particular – Simon and Randy awarding different winners per round, etc.  There is a clear cut winner here.  His name does not start with a K.

I also vastly enjoyed Carrie Underwood’s rendition of Home Sweet Home.  Yeah, we’ve heard it played all season, but it sounded good coming right from her and not being previously recorded, plus it was a nice reminder of the psychos we lost along the way (Tatiana and Nathan, ah, what a pair) as videos of previous idol castoffs were played.

While a part of me will always twinge with the loss of Alexis (yeah, I’m still not over that), I think Adam is well deserving of his soon-to-be new title.

I do not know what has changed in the past two weeks but my kids no longer like keeping on their clothes. It  started with socks and shoes, You put them on and before I got them on all four the first one had them off, Repeat 4 or 5 times and give up. I have since quit putting them in socks and shoes, it is summer and they are not needed right now.

Most recently they have been taking off their shirts and won’t leave them on, today the boys started taking off their pants. Now I have four kids with nothing on their feet, no shirts, and two boys with no pants. I am fast and very good at getting them dressed but I get tired of doing it 20-30 times a day. Usually by lunch they are half naked or back in pajamas they can’t get off, depending on what we are doing.

My oldest daughter never went thru a phase like this and I don’t know if it is weird or not. Today we went outside to play and by the time I brought them in all were down to diapers, one of my daughters had her diaper pulled down below her butt and one of my sons was streaking the whole outside. My neighbors thought it was hilarious.

Have you ever tried to keep clothes on four 20 month old toddlers that don’t want them on? I am tired of leaving the room and coming back to what looks like a redneck family reunion. I hope this phase doesn’t last long, at least I hope it’s a phase.

If you didn’t start teaching your teen to cook when they were younger, take heart. It’s not too late. The easiest way of teaching your teenager how to cook is by having them help you prepare meals. Let them watch some, then get them started cutting, peeling, slicing, and stirring. Before too long, they’ll be fixing dinner and you can relax.

Be sure to stress the importance of cleanliness and safety in the kitchen. Teach them to wash their hands any time they plan to handle food, even if it’s to pick up a piece of fruit to enjoy. Definitely they should wash with soap and water after handling raw meat. By getting them in the habit of washing their hands now, they’ll be less likely to spread germs around the kitchen when they begin cooking.

They also need to know that they can be burned if they pick something up that’s hot and that good knives are sharp. Teach them the proper way to hold a knife when cutting, chopping, and slicing, especially to keep their fingers tucked under to avoid injury. Handles for pots and pans need to be pushed to the side to avoid possibly knocking them off the stove. Teens also need to be aware of where they put items that are flammable.

Stress to them that if they clean as they go, it will make their job of cleaning up when they’re done so much easier. It will also be important to teach them how to properly thaw frozen foods, how to store leftovers, and how to reheat them. Teach them to write “use by” dates on everything they put in the freezer or refrigerator.

Grab a cookbook and find a simple recipe that uses several cooking preparation methods. Show your teen how to read and understand the recipe before beginning. Gather the ingredients and tools for the dish. Start with the basics and build upon those slowly until they are more comfortable cooking.

While you’re teaching them, you may want to stress the importance of a balanced meal. Teach them how to combine dishes to create a meal. You may also want to stress eating a variety of foods, both raw and cooked, to be sure they’re getting all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients they need.

An added benefit of teaching your teenager how to cook is that you’ll be able to spend quality time in a relaxed atmosphere. You may find that your teen is pretty interesting and that you’ve done a better job of parenting them that you thought.

Cooking is an important skill to learn before leaving home. By teaching your teenager how to cook before they leave home you can be confident that they will be able feed themselves once they are no longer in your care.