Healthful Halloween

It is almost Halloween and I am sure everyone is gearing up for the big night. I remember when my kids were little and they would go out and collect more candy then they needed in a year. They would come home and after inspecting the loot my next move would be to try and get control of the candy intake. I am sure most moms can relate to this. I could not just let them haul the candy bag off to their bedrooms. Oh no. This would surely result in stomach aches, candy wrapper trash everywhere but the worst would be the sugar high. All parents have experienced the horror of kids on sugar. So, needless to say I would fight to the end to gain control of the candy bag. This way I could limit the amount of candy they could eat at any given time. This would avoid the sugar high and all that comes along with eating too much sugar. For example, kids bouncing off the walls, kids screaming uncontrollably and the worst, kids that will not go to sleep.

I have given this much thought over the years and after giving out raisin packs, carrot sticks and other dried fruit, much to the dismay of trick or treaters, I decided to look into something healthful but a bit more appetizing. So I found a website that not only appeals to the little ghost and goblins, but meet my requirements for a healthful treat. I found Trick or Treat Me blog and they offer Hershey’s and Organic Valley Chocolate Milk in shelf-stable cartons. Most kids love chocolate milk! The chocolate milk comes in recyclable cartons and the Trick or Treat me offers some great information about milk and how it aids in recovery after exercise.

So this year I will be handing out these chocolate milk boxes along with a little bit of candy in hopes that I will not only make the kids happy but contribute to their overall health. I wish I had known about Hershey’s and Organic Valley’s Chocolate Milk in recyclable cartons before.

They even offer coupons toward the purchase price, so everybody wins. Check it out because after Halloween is over the chocolate milk is still a great afternoon snack or a before bedtime treat.

The Booklet

Wordless Wednesday – Halloween Cuties

Heatwave or Snowstorm?

I know I have talked about the weather here in the Desert Southwest a time or two. Last week we were still hovering around the ninety’s. Nothing new for October since we only have two seasons here. Ungodly hot and normal hot. Ninety degree temperatures in October are not unusual.

Normally it cools down a little around Halloween just in time for parents to start looking for jackets so the little ghost and goblins will be warm for a night of treats. I remember my kids would want to pick a costume like a fairy princess or some other outfit that I knew they would end up getting cold by wearing.

So I turned on the news last night and wouldn’t you know it. The weather person says there is a cold front coming. Now we are not talking any cold front. Oh no. We are talking near freezing temperatures by Wednesday morning with a high somewhere in the fifties and a possibility of mountain snow. The high temperature for today is supposed to be 86 degrees. I am wondering does this happen anywhere else in the country? Then on Halloween the temperature should be back up to seventy degrees.

So, today is shorts tomorrow may be heavy sweaters and back to shorts by the weekend.

Ahh, so is life in the Desert Southwest.

Ten Things You Don’t Know About Me

1. I cannot stand when people say Achoo loudly when they sneeze. Not necessary. Why? Did you ever hear a newborn say Achoo?

2. I like reality shows. Current favorite, The Househusbands of Hollywood. I know but sometimes I just need mindless TV.

3. I was a stay-at-home mom in the eighties when it was not very popular to do so. So many people would ask, “What do you do for a career?” When I told them, I was raising my children at home I would usually get a raised eyebrow along with a cool “Oh.”

4. I love living in the Desert Southwest but quite honestly, I am getting really tired of the extreme heat in the summer. Sometimes I would like to run away to an area with grass, big trees and find a house with a wrap-around porch. Then I would sit in a rocking chair on the porch and sip lemonade. However, places with snow or freezing temperatures with just not do. Is that asking too much?

5. I really do not care to watch movies repeatedly. Unless it is ‘From Dusk to Dawn’, ‘School of Rock’, or ‘Walk the Line’, don’t even ask. I know, quite a diverse group of pictures. What can I say? I am diverse and hate repetition.

6. I can easily pass on candy, cookies, cake and sweets in general. If people kept jars of pizza or bagels on their desks, I would be in big trouble.

7. I used to read books all the time when I was younger. Now, since I read newspapers and magazines for a living I have not picked up a good book in a long time. I do however read numerous blogs, internet news and entertainment sites. I have so many bookmarked sites in my favorites I sometimes forget what each site is about.

8. When I was a child, I wanted to be a comedienne when I grew up. Really. I thought I was funny. Still do. But then again I also wanted to be an Indian and live on the land. I actually tried it once in the backyard.

9. I love animals. Sometimes more than people.

10. I try to live like a decent person, although I am not perfect. I had made many mistakes. At the end of the day, I believe if everyone got up in the morning and thought what they could do to make the people in their live’s day a little better, the world would be better off for it. Something to think about.

momfuse

As a mom and grandmother I am always on the look out for good sites concerning parenting and products for parents. I ran across momfuse a couple of days ago and let me say this site is filled with information for today’s mom. Even though my kids are grown they have kids of their own who come and stay with me so I like to keep up with parenting world.

On momfuse you can find information on food, beauty, parenting and they also have giveaways! Who does not like a giveaway? I think my favorite part is the momprenuers. I wish I had opportunities like this when I was a stay-at-home mom.

So if you are mom checkout this site you will not be sorry.

My Son, Deployed

Visit my son’s deployment site:

http://jacksdeployment.shutterfly.com/

Planting Our Fall Garden

After a scorching summer, our garden has finally rebounded and we were able to harvest a few peppers, one lone cucumber, and a giant radish. Corvette and I have concluded that planting early spring and late fall is probably our best bet for having a more productive garden.

I decided to do a little research to see what vegetables do the best in the fall months. I came up with a list for fall planting. Snap peas and snow peas, broccoli, cabbage, collards, carrots, parships, beets, onions, lettuce, mesclun, spinach, turnips & chard to name a few. Now some of these need to be planted no later than August in order to get a good harvest. However, since I live in the Desert Southwest we do not get many hard freezes and I am hoping that if we do get cooler temperatures I can just cover the garden. Just as this summer was a learning experience with the garden, winter will be too.

I hope that by next year I will have a real good idea what to plant during warm weather and cooler weather. Now if I can just get Corvette to stop picking the vegetables before they are mature I might actually have eatable veggies! Seriously, we had green leaf lettuce that even though it was taking a bit of a beating from the heat he thought if he picked it early he would save it. Wrong. I tasted it and it had a horrible sour taste. Please Vette baby, let the garden grow!

On Getting Paid to Blog

Blogging has definitely exploded over the last few years. I started reading blogs a little over a year ago. I probably read close to fifty blogs on a regular basis and communicate with many of the authors. A soldier deployed to Iraq wrote the first blog I started reading. I must admit I was hooked almost immediately. The soldier is a very talented writer and he was able to describe events taking place with such eloquence. He had a remarkable way of comparing and contrasting his military service, deployment and personal life. He eventually had to cease and desist. The military thought he might be revealing a little too much concerning his deployment. He now has a book coming out soon.

I started blogging not long after I started reading blogs. I do love to read and write and over the past year, I have learned quite a bit about blogging and advertising on blogs. Although, I digress, I still have a lot to learn. I do however find it very satisfying to write a review for a product, website or company. Making extra money is a plus too.

Companies have found that blog advertising can and does reach many potential customers. A well-written, popular blog with a regular readership is a lucrative way for companies to attract new customers. Writing blog posts for advertising is easy. After signing up, the blogger can write about the subjects they choose. This is nice because the bloggers can write about what is interesting to them.

Therefore, blogging for money is good deal for both bloggers and advertisers. I expect this form of advertising will continue for a long time. I am sure the internet is not going anywhere soon. My ultimate dream would be to get paid to blog full time. Hint, anybody want to hire me? But seriously, I will definitely keep writing and loving it at the same time

Just a Couple Pics of Fuzzy and Wuzzy

I haven’t seen the Twins, Fuzzy and Wuzzy for a couple of weeks but I have been assured they are growing and interacting even more. They are both around 10lbs now and will be two months old next week. Where does the time go? I am going to turn around and they will be starting school.

Sometimes it feels like my kids where just born yesterday and my youngest, Hippie Guy just turned twentyfive last month. Time seems to go by so quickly. That’s ok. I like where I am at now. I do not think I want to go back to when my kids were small. Too much work. hah! But then Buddy might as well be an infant as he feels the need to wake me up at night. Sometimes two or three times!

Well here is a couple of pictures Flower Child’s dad sent me. I believe the first one in Fuzzy but I do not know for sure.