Does your car need a little tune up?  Mine needed a tune up recently and fortunately my husband can take care of all of that kind of stuff for me.  It sure saves us a lot of money that he is so knowledgeable about cars.  He recently put all new brakes on my car, in the front and the back, which would have cost quite a bit to have done at the dealership.  He can do pretty much any job that needs to be done our cars, even auto air conditioning work as he has been certified to complete those kinds of jobs.

I don’t have many birds in my backyard and that makes me sad.  We do have the occasional robin and sometimes a cardinal.  But for the most part the birds don’t really visit us.  Watch my video to see that we don’t have any birds.

Now did you know that ornithologist technically means bird watcher?  I had no idea.  But, according to Wikipedia “Ornithology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of birds.”  Honestly, I just thought bird watching was called bird watching.  And apparently there is a very long history of ornithologists with information about the topic dating all the way back to 1500 BC.

I love bird watching and would love to look into getting some bird feeders for my back yard so that I can learn more about these interesting and beautiful creatures.

There are a few things you can do to ensure your child’s brain is getting what it needs to develop.  Of course there are the obvious things like making your child has a healthy diet and gets vaccinations when needed.  But what else can you do?

1. Read to your child.  A lot.  Many young children naturally love books- develop this love of books.
2. Talk to your child.  A lot.  All day long.  Whatever you are doing- talk to your child, include him or her in your conversations.
3. Follow your child’s lead.  I do a lot of teaching with my young toddler, but I follow her lead.  If it’s fun or something she is interested I come up with fun learning activities for her to do.  She thinks we’re just playing, but I know better.  If it isn’t fun anymore- we stop.

Did you know that Christmas will be here in less than 4 months?  It’s almost fall and once fall arrives things just seem to fly by.  It’ll be Halloween and then Thanksgiving.  Then we’ll all be rushing to get things done for Christmas.

This year, rather than waiting until the last minute why not get started now?  One thing that is really easy to do ahead of time is to order some Christmas Photo Cards.  I love the idea of using cards with a personal photo on them, rather than just your standard card that will probably get thrown away after the Christmas season is over. 

Stop by and check out ChristmasCardsDirect where you can get Digital Photo Cards or Photo Card Holdershow.  Not only can you get Photo Christmas Cards from ChristmasCardsDirect but you can also get some great photo card taking tips.

Don’t let the Christmas season sneak up on you.  Get started today!

Toddlers are busy little people.  I know because I have one of those busy little people at my house.  I worked in day care and as a teacher before I had my own children.  I thought I knew a lot about kids.  And I did- but you know what I found?  It’s a lot harder to be with those busy little people for 24 hours a day 7 days a week than it is to be with them for 8 hours a day before sending them home.  I have found a few things that seem to keep my toddler happy:

1. Plan several activities to do with her each day.  She loves doing art activities and crafts as most toddlers do.  We don’t have to do several each day but I have several ready to go in case she wants to do them.
2. Get outside- let them run and play and get some of that energy out.
3. Have play-dates.  I know it’s hard at this age because toddlers don’t like to share.  But, they have to start to learn about being with others, so we go to occasional play-dates.
4. Give toddlers your time.  Most of the time when my toddler starts acting up it’s because she wants my attention.  Even if it is negative attention.
5. Take breaks- have someone else watch your toddler once in a while so you can relax and spend some time alone.  If you’re happy and rested you will be a better parent.

I was looking at a site today with a lot of information about pet care that I just wanted to share with you.  PetWave is full of advice and tips about taking care of your pets. 

Since I have a dog I decided to check out some dog grooming information.  There was an interesting article about how grooming your dog can promote good health.  There was also a good article about how shedding is related to seasons.  While I did know that there was a lot of good information in the article that I did not know before.

If you need some advice and tips about your pets be sure to check out PetWave.

So you’re trying to lose some weight, right?  The problem I have when I’m dieting, which is just about all of the time, is that I am so hungry.  So, here are a few tips that work for me:

1. Eat more fiber- but don’t add too much all at once or you’ll end up feeling bloated.  Add it to your diet slowly.
2. Drink more water- many times you are thirsty, not hungry.  Make sure you drink plenty of water and you’ll eat less.
3. Eat slowly- chew your food.  It’s not a race.

So, what works for you?

The last time we moved I had very specific things I wanted in our new home.  I had a list of things I said were absolutely necessary.  The problem was that the house I wanted did not exist.  So, I had to compromise what I wanted to have and only get some things.  The next time we move I am really hoping that we can have our own home built.  If we use custom home builders then I can actually get everything that I want.  Not only will I be able to have the layout the way I want but all of the interior colors will be just what I want.

I saw an interesting article on Yahoo today that I thought I would share.  I am always looking for ideas to save some money on the amount of gas we have to use.  Hybrid cars are expensive and not an option for us.  So, this article 6 Sippin’ Hybrid Alternatives gives some good alternatives that get good gas mileage and are relatively inexpensive for a car.

Okay, so this isn’t a tip- but it’s a funny story anyways.  Enjoy!

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, “A hamburger, fries and a coke,” and turns to the ostrich, “What’s yours?”

“I’ll have the same,” says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order “That will be $9.40 please,” and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, “A hamburger, fries and a coke.”

The ostrich says, “I’ll have the same.”

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. “The usual?” asks the waitress.

“No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad,” says the man.

“Same,” says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, “That will be $32.62.”

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. “Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?”

“Well,” says the man, “several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.”

“That’s brilliant!” says the waitress. “Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you’ll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!”

“That’s right. Whether it’s a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,” says the man.

The waitress asks, “What’s with the ostrich?”

The man sighs, pauses and answers, “My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say.”