What's Your Sign?

Do you believe in Astrology? Are you exactly like the description of your Zodiac Sign? For the most part, I'm a Virgo through and through. I"m analytical, critical, meticulous, practical, fairly intelligent, a worrier, and a perfectionist. To the detriment of my poor husband and children, I'm very critical, which drives them nuts. It's something I'm working on controlling.

But the one Virgoan trait that I do NOT have is the "clean house" one! I despise housekeeping and chores and manual labor. Don't get me wrong---I would kill to live in a perfectly clean and beautiful home. I just don't want to have to be the one to clean it. Some people might call me lazy, but that would not be true. I just feel like manual labor is, well, not so much "beneath" me...but I have far better things to do with my time. Give me a desk job where I can use my brain and I'll work my tushie off, but hand me a vacuum or a dishcloth, and I'll probably break down and cry. Luckily for me, I picked the right husband the second time around...and he understands this about me. I take care of the family, and he does the majority of the chores.

I'm curious---how are you different from your Zodiac sign...and how are you the exact description of it? Here's a great link to find out more.
http://www.astrology-online.com/

Three Year Olds Are The Best!

I have a wonderful, super smart, precious 3.5 year old daughter (in addition to my fabulous, beautiful and also highly intelligent 12 year old daughter, who hates for me to blog about her) and she keeps me in stitches, all the time! I'm very lucky that she's also, for the most part, very well-behaved---unlike so many horror stories I hear nowadays, or view with my own eyes.

So, as I was sitting here, pondering out loud on which topic I should blog, and she said "Mom, what about me, and how cute I am?" :)

Then, she said, "Here is the story you should blog up!"

"Once upon a time, there was a Mommy Allosaurus and a Daddy T-Rex and a baby Allosaurus and a baby T-Rex. Then, they went on a walk and found people. They were nice dinosaurs and they liked people. The End."

Yes, she is obsessed with dinosaurs. Every day, all I hear about are allosaurs, t-rex, long-necks, etc. Every day, she watches either "Jurassic Park" part 1 or 2 or both, "Ice Age 3," "The Land Before Time," or any other dinosaur thing she can find. When she's not watching those, she's bugging me to look up dino-related stuff on Ebay (one of her fave websites)! Just now, as she's typing in Notepad on the computer, she typed a bunch of numbers and said "Look Mom! Dino DNA!"

So, I guess I better get planning her 4th birthday in August, complete with everything DINO! Anyone know where I can get a dino bouncy house? :)

Need Something To Read?

Are you looking for a new series to read? Then, let me help! The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. You may have heard of this series, but been reluctant to read it, because you think that it's just a romance. Well, you would be wrong. It is so much more than just a simple romance story. It is everything---time travel, history, adventure, intrigue, complex characters, and yes, an EPIC romance.

The basic story follows Claire, a young nurse during World War II, who goes on a belated honeymoon with her husband to Scotland. She accidentally stumbles into a standing stones circle where she travels back in time 200 years. She meets Jamie and, after a series of adventures, must decide to stay with him or go back to her own time. I guarantee, you will fall in love with Jamie and Claire!

The series consists of the following books:

Outlander (also titled Cross Stitch)
Published: June 1, 1991

Dragonfly in Amber
Published: July 1, 1992

Voyager
Published: December 1, 1993

Drums of Autumn
Published: December 30, 1996

The Fiery Cross
Published: November 6, 2001

A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Published: September 27, 2005
Winner: Quill Award
Winner: Corinne International Book Prize

An Echo in the Bone
Published: September 22, 2009

Book eight, Outlander series
No Publication Date Yet

You can find all this information and much more at :

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/

Do things happen for a reason?

Sorry to be philosophical today, rather than cheery and humorous...but it is Monday after all! So, do you believe that things happen for a reason? When I look back on my life, there are many occasions where I can now say, "OHHH, that's why that happened that way!" But, there are also times when I can't find the reason at all, which is very frustrating for me, as a Virgo, to not find the answer.

For instance, right now, I am on the verge of losing a dream job that I started back in January, and have been in for a trial period. Why? Why would God, or fate, or life, or the universe, give me such a perfect job, finally after all these years....only to take it away again so soon? What would be the point? Especially when I need this job so desperately, to pull our family out of financial distress that we've suffered from for the last 6 years!

Anyway, what do you believe? Do things always happen for a reason...or do they just happen? And by the way, doesn't Daylight Savings Time bite?

MyPoints might benefit YOU!

Yes, another profitable internet website that I'd like to introduce you to! No, I'm not making this stuff up...it really does work! Mypoints.com is a site where you can build points to earn gift cards. Since October 2009, I've earned a $25 Outback Steakhouse gift card and a $25 Home Depot gift card, and I'm on my way towards earning a 3rd gift card. Although it does take longer to earn prizes on this website, it is so worth it! Once you sign up, you agree to receive about 4-5 emails a day (just create a spam email account for this website). You open these emails (NEVER ANY VIRUSES), click on the "get points" button in the email, and you get 5 points per email viewed. You can also earn points through surveys that they send you, and MAJOR points by shopping through their website. I am a huge Ebay shopper, so I do all my Ebay purchases through MyPoints. And, of course, there is always the option of getting your friends to sign up under you to earn even more points. And MyPoints has a great Daily Deal section, like Ebates, where they do all the work of finding the best shopping deals out there! Unfortunately, MyPoints does not have a referral button that you can click, so, if you are interested, let me know your full name and email, and I will send you a referral email. And as always, if you have questions, just ask and I will be happy to help you out!

"Modern Family" is ..... SO FUNNY!

Do you watch t.v.? Are you an addict, like me? If you haven't started watching "Modern Family" yet, you really should. It's on ABC on Wednesdays at 9 pm EST. There have been 17 episodes so far, but only 5 full episodes are available on ABC.com right now. Even though its a comedy, you really should watch them in order. The show is so well-written, it blows my mind! In my opinion, there hasn't been a comedy out like this in a very long time. My husband and I instantly identified with the middle-aged married couple in the family, which makes it even funnier to us. Here's a quoted convo between the husband and wife:

Claire: Getting everybody out of the house in the morning can be really tough. Especially the first day of school.
Phil: From the moment we get up at seven until we drop them off at school it is: go go go.
Claire: I get up at six.
Phil [mocking]: I get up at five.
Claire: Seriously, I get up at six.
Phil: That's you? I thought we had a racoon.

Seriously, this show just slays me! Try it out--it really has something for everyone, especially since everyone's family has their own bit of drama!

It doesn't feel like a fun Friday!

It's Friday, but it doesn't feel like one. I'm suffering from an allergy attack and I have the busiest day and night ever! Ok, who volunteered me to be the Middle School Dance Organizer? Oh yeah, that's right, I volunteered myself....musta been on drugs that day! So, needless to say, I will be running around like a chicken with its head cut off today---packing snacks into my car, getting last minute items from the school, and attempting to find 30 minutes for a nap.

On a positive note, its Mega Swagbucks Day over at Swagbucks.com, so don't forget to register through my referral link, and then WIN BIG!

That's it for today...pretty boring. I promise to have more interesting blog posts this weekend!