Mariannes Motifs

Have you seen these men?

Here are some funny pictures from the Pumpkin patch last Saturday.  I cannot believe how tall these kids have gotten!  When I think of bringing each of them home from the hospital as just teeny little critters, I am shocked to see them so tall. And to see Adam almost as tall as Ben is.  

Still, these shots look like a police lineup to me.  Is this the person who committed the crime?  LOL!

Ways we are saving money

Let me come clean with you right up front  - I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old and my daycare bill is enormous.  Like bigger than my mortgage enormous.  So even though my hubby and I both work, we still have some pay periods when after all the bills are paid, there isn't a lot left over.

I have gotten pretty creative in ways to save money and also make extra money.  You see, I really enjoy shopping, getting my nails done, and going out to dinner.  That means that if I want to live in the "lifestyle to which I have become accustomed" as they say, I need to figure out how to live good on the cheap.  Remember that book back in the 80's about how to live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget?  That is my goal.

1.  Shop thrift stores.  I enjoy getting good deals.  I buy books at Goodwell, kids clothes and have even found myself a few things.

2.  Shop consignment sales and garage sales.  My favorite thing to do is buy books for $1 at a garage sale and then sell them on half.com for a tasty bit of extra cash.

3.  Cook at home instead of eat out.  I am trying my darndest to cook low cost nutritious dinners.

4.  I never dry clean anything except rare occasions.  I don't buy stuff that needs dry cleaning.

5.  I use coupons when I am organized enough.

6. I use sites like fatwallet.com and slickdeals.net to find good deals.

7.  I've found so many online shopping deals.  Did you know that at zenniopital.com you can buy prescription eyeglasses starting at $8.00?  Wow, I had no idea!  They even will add tint to any lens for $4.95.  So if you wear glasses you could buy yourself a pair of prescription sunglasses for like $13 bucks.  These would be great for a spare pair or backup glasses for contact wearers too.  As well as for kids, who lets face it really need a spare pair for when they sit on them.

Check out this pair which would be perfect for making into Rx sunglasses.  They sell for $19.00  plus cost of lens, etc.  This could have been super handy for us before Jin got lasik.

Acetate Full-Rim Frame  

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Over the weekend we visited the local pumpkin patch.  Here are just a couple of shots from that extravaganza!  It was a really fun day.  We got a new washing machine, went to the Pumpkin patch, Sonic Drive in for tater tots and slushies, and then the kids got to go to Toys R Us.  Ben has racked up points for a reward, so he got to go to the toys store.

Halloween 2008 (Click for bigger)

Lopsided?

Cheap Jeans Alert!

Cheap Jeans Alert!

With the economy the way it is retailers are worried about the holiday shopping season.  I saw a lot of deep discounts already when I was at the mall on Saturday.  Everyone is looking for a bargain, but still wants to look good.  Discount clothes are one way to get the fashion look without paying the fashion price.

Heavenly Couture is a website that sells stylish teen trendy clothes at a great price.  They are having a really great deal on denim right now with most of the jeans on the site marked at $13.80.

Now lord only knows that I am not a teen, and this site doesn't carry plus sizes, but if you are in the market for teen clothes for a a junior they have some super cute stuff!

Check out this adorable pink fuzzy coat - what do you think it would cost?  How about $17.95!  Yeah - its super cute and that is a wow price.  And below is a picture of the jeans they are selling for $13.80.  So basically you could put it with a cute top and get this outfit for less than $32.00. 



                   

Socially Conservative America - Are they Selfish or Just Fearful

Socially Conservative America - Are they Selfish or Just Fearful

I came across a very interesting discussion where people were wondering why the American Conservative movement comes across as looking selfish.  (Not wanting to pay for social programs, extend rights to gays and lesbians, speak English or go home,  I didn't get a handout, why should anyone else, etc)

The truth is that Americans as a group are an incredibly giving and loyal people.  No, socially and fiscally conservative people cannot be painted as a group as being selfish.

I think a lot of the apparent selfishness of very conservative people  stems from fear. They fear that if someone else gets more rights, their rights will be diminished. An example would be people who say that the concept of gay marriage undermines heterosexual marriages. There is a pervasive fear that if we lift up the poor, then the person who worked hard to get where they are might have less of what there is to go around.

A progressive person thinks more along the lines of increasing the rights and freedoms to more people. Its in fact more of an optimistic viewpoint. If I give a right or opportunity to someone who does not have that right or opportunity, I don’t immediately assume that I lose anything. To go back to the marriage example, I don’t think anyone else s marriage has any impact on mine.

Now, that is not to say that there are not progressive thinking Republican people.   There are also Democrats who are not in fact progressive at all.  ( Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman come to mind)  Unfortunately, the Republican party seems to have become derailed by the religious right. They know very well how to play on people’s fears and work to their socially conservative base. While they are no longer fiscally conservative, they still pretend that they are socially conservative. Thus the emphasis on “small town values,” being against woman’s right to chose, etc.

There is a phrase called FUD - stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. The McCain campaign likes to play upon people’s fears to rally people against Obama. That is what they have chosen as the main strategy in their campaign, and I think it is actually backfiring against them. Because when all they have to say is negative, one begins to wonder what their positives are.

Lost my temper at Best Buy

I had a wretched experience at Best Buy yesterday.  My son's DS stopped recognizing the cartridges so I took it back.  I have a service plan on the thing but it was still under manufacturers warranty.

The staff at the service desk kept screwing up the return over and over gain and printing more little pieces of register tape out.  The one who seemed to know what she was doing would not help the one who admittedly did not.  After 30 minutes  and the snotty attitude of the service desk staff I lost my temper.  And the folks at the service desk graced us with some more snotty attitude.

Melissa kicked me out of the store and sent me over to Joann's next store where she "channeled her inner Bruce" (her Dad who is the world's best person at getting what he wants) and came out of there with my new DS.  Later she got a call from the manager with an apology and a gift card.  Nice.

I've bought a lot of electronics at Bast Buy.  I didn't enjoy being treated rudely by a trio of incompetent staff.

Quote of the Day

When asked if Gov. Sarah Palin has become a drag on his ticket, McCain said:

"She is a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America."

I cannot agree more.  End of message.

Musings on Being a Parent

As a working mom, I feel like I just have too much to do.  Recently when my 5 year old started kindergarten the feeling got stronger.  Now I have homework to supervise every night on top of dinner, baths, laundry, straightening up the house.

Moms and Dads have multiple job descriptions that define us.   Parent, spouse, housekeeper, employee...  "Self" comes last for most parents. Our very definition of "parent" indicates quite rightly that the children come first.  And this is how it should be.  But sometimes we also just need to be our own human being.  (I call it "me time")

Its also important to teach your children that you are a person, and like all people deserve to be treated with respect.  Young kids think that Mom and Dad just exist for them.  Part of the socialization process that our kids have to go through is to realize that Mom and Dad are people in their own right with feelings and needs just like the kids have themselves.  Yes, this might take Mom and Dad a step off of the "perfect" pedestal, but it needs to be done.  Believe me your kids are going to figure out that you are not perfect. At least teach them kindness and respect while you are doing it.

In conclusion: to be a good parent, spouse, and employee its important to schedule in enough "me time" to ensure that you are a happy individual.  It is also very important to teach the kids that parents are people too and we don't just exist to do things for the kids.  We also have needs and feelings!

The Morning Banana Diet

Here's the scoop on the biggest diet fad to hit Japan recently - the Morning Banana Diet.

This is a quote from the Time Magazine article on the phenomena where supermarkets in Japan are running out of Bananas, and banana imports have skyrocketed in that country.

The Morning Banana Diet regime is simple: A banana (or as many as you want) and room temperature water for breakfast; eat anything you like for lunch and dinner (by 8 p.m.). A three o'clock snack is okay, but no desserts after meals, and you have to go to bed before midnight. Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist in Osaka designed this stress-free diet to help increase the metabolism of her husband Hitoshi Watanabe, who had been rather overweight.

Of course Americans have been in love with the banana for years, and it is in fact the #1 most popular fruit in this country.  Considering it contains potassium and other nutrients, and is easy to digest, a banana does make a wonderful breakfast.

According to Wikipedia's Banana Article one average banana contains 28% of your daily recommended vitimin B6, 15% of RDA for Vitimin C, 5% of RDA B5, and 8% of your daily potassium requirement.  With 2.6 grams of fiber, and 1.09 grams of protein, and 22.84 grams of Carbs.  Sounds like a great little tasty package of goodness.

Banana, raw, edible parts Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 90 kcal   370 kJ
Carbohydrates     22.84 g - Sugars  12.23 g - Dietary fiber  2.6 g   Fat 0.33 g Protein 1.09 g Vitamin A equiv.  3 μg  0% Thiamin (Vit. B1)  0.031 mg   2% Riboflavin (Vit. B2)  0.073 mg   5% Niacin (Vit. B3)  0.665 mg   4% Pantothenic acid (B5)  0.334 mg  7% Vitamin B6  0.367 mg 28% Folate (Vit. B9)  20 μg  5% Vitamin C  8.7 mg 15% Calcium  5 mg 1% Iron  0.26 mg 2% Magnesium  27 mg 7%  Phosphorus  22 mg 3% Potassium  358 mg   8% Zinc  0.15 mg 1%

Analysis of Third Presidential Debate

The third and final debate of this election was the best debate of the three.  The moderator, Bob Schieffer, did a great job.  I felt that the first two debates were not moderated as well.  Jim Leher in the first was annoying when he tried to get the candidates to look at each other.  In the second debate moderator Tom Brokow seemed to be chiding the candidates as if they were children when the went over time or strayed from the topic.  Both the first two debates seemed to lob "softball" questions at the candidates. 

This third debate had much better questions.  Bob Schieffer let the candidates and the topics of converstation flow naturally, but did manage to keep the candidates on track if they strayed from the topic.  He did not spend so much energy "managing time" that he stilted the flow of the debate.

Both candidates did a very good job stating their postitions in this debate.  I do not think there was "loser" although I am personally swayed by Obama's arguments over those of McCain.  On the question of reproductive rights in particular I think Obama did a wonderful job of stating his position.  McCain did as well - and I feel that that may have cost him votes among the undecided who do not vote based on this issue.  Abortion is such a divisive issue and the candidates usually step around it or try not to take too strong of a stand.  We did not see that from either man last night.

Another area where McCain did not show himself well was when he complained about the comments of Rep. John Lewis who earlier in the week made some over-sweeping comments about the crowd anger seen in McCain and Palin rallys.  I think McCain asking for Obama to apoligise for something someone else said just came off as a whiney person whose feelings were hurt by a personal attack.  Obama on the other had was cool as a cucumber whenever personally attacked and said "I don't mind being attacked for the next three weeks. What the American people can't afford, though, is four more years of failed economic policies."

A great McCain quote, was when he said emphatically "Senator Obama, I'm not President Bush. If you want to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago."

One place where Obama let an opportunity slide, was when he said nothing critical of Sarah Palin.  I am sure this was a calculated move.  He knows that many Americans have expressed grave concerns about Palin's fitness to be President.  He did not take the risk of attacking her and appearing to be sexist.  He just touted Biden's fine qualities and said it is up to the American people to decide if Sarah Palin is qualified to be president.

McCain looks like a fool to have chosen her as his running mate.  I think if he loses the election it will be attributed 100% to his choice of Palin as a running mate.

I do appreciate from a totally non-political standpoint how she has balanced career and family and accomplished so much in her career. However, in terms of ideas and ideology she is the direct opposite of what I believe in.

Abstinence only education in conjunction with wanting to take away reproductive freedoms is my personal hot button.  It shows her as a religious extremist who is out of touch with reality. Her winking flirtatious manner combined with her obvious lack of knowledge of foreign affairs and in fact almost anthing outside the realm of energy policy make her especially frightening to consider in the role of backup to the President of the United States.

McCain also mentioned in the debate that he does support stem cell research.  However, his position varies radically from that of Palin and in fact of the "offical" Republican Party platform which is against all forms of embryonic stem cell research.  Yes, this is another hot button issue for me personally.  I happen to suffer from a non-curable chronic disease for which stem cell researchers are targeting specically for promising new treatments using various types of stem cells.