Need for prayer

I just got an email from my ex-husband stating that he lost his job as part of a mass layoff from his employer. My ex stated that he may need to leave the state to find work. We have joint custody of our children, and there is no way I want them to move anywhere, but I doubt that my ex would agree to giving me custody and having him retain visitation. I don't like the idea of the kids being here for weeks or months and then with their dad for weeks or months, either.

Please pray for local job opportunities for my ex, for wisdom for me in dealing with potential legal battles, for my children as any change will be a big deal for them, and for God's peace in my heart as I try to do the very best for my children.

Thanks.

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is totally one of the cutest outfits I have EVER seen. Click the link, check it out, and (if you're lucky enough to have a little girl) make your own link for a chance to win this outfit!!!

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

It's the little things

That annoy the living daylights out of me.

Like today, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things on my way home. There was a bell ringer from the Salvation Army there. Now, I understand that it must get a little monotonous standing there for several hours ringing a bell. I get that.

HOWEVER, it makes it REALLY difficult for me to want to drop any money into a bucket when the bell ringer is standing there with her cell phone attached to her ear (NO, SERIOUSLY, IT WAS HANGING ON HER EAR VIA SOME SORT OF CLIP OR SOMETHING. I don't even know how it was attached). I tried to look past the fact that she was talking on her phone, and dropped some money into the bucket.

It was at that moment that I began to feel VERY MUCH LIKE THE "GRINCH".

Not only was this girl on her phone, but she did not even bother to look at me (not even in my general direction), NOR did she say "Have a nice day" or "Thank you" or even "Thanks". She didn't even smile.

Briefly, for just a split second, I was tempted to grab the $5 that was sticking out of the hole in the bucket, just to see if the bell ringer would even notice.

Inexpensive, easy, and accessible

When Ande started his amp business, he was looking to start a website to feature his product. There are lots of websites out there that offer domain names and website hosting, but many of them only offered options that were just out of our price range.

Then my brother in law suggested GoDaddy.com. I went there, and I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was to purchase our domain name and get our site up and running. Seriously, it was SUPER simple and cost effective.

You can do just about anything from just purchasing a domain name, all the way to full-out web hosting through GoDaddy's services. You can even transfer your domain name! With the Christmas shopping season upon us, NOW is the perfect time to build your website, or make it better.

Right now on GoDaddy.com, there are several "specials" being run, from websites starting at $1.99/year (conditions apply, see website for details) to upgrades and renewals from $6.99. It's really worth it to check this site out.

Visit GoDaddy.com to see what you can do to build or improve your own website. As a special bonus, right now GoDaddy is offering $5 off your order of $30 or more. Check it out!




If you can't use this information yourself, make sure you pass it on to someone who can!

I dropped the ball

I totally forgot to post my Tuesday Tip O' the Day yesterday. Between writing "Dear Army Family" Christmas cards, doing a little online Christmas shopping, and anticipating my "Girl's Night Out" with my MOPS crew...well, it just slipped my mind.

I apologize profusely, as I know all (5) of my readers wait with baited breath each Tuesday for me to bestow upon them a tip that will make them run faster, jump higher, and look better than they did before. Oh wait, isn't that some sort of tennis shoe motto?? LOL

Without further adieu-

Your Tuesday Wednesday Tip O' the Day:

When stealing err, I mean "sharing" your toddler's Halloween candy, make sure not to crumple the paper so as to attract the attention of the aforementioned tyke. This will cause said child to quickly scamper into the kitchen to inquire, "What are you eating, Mama? Can I have some? I want some of that! I need a bite!"
This will soon turn into, "HEY, THAT'S MY CANDY!" These statements are generally followed by some major whining and pouting, unless you give in and give her a bite.

My advice? Eat their candy while they nap. Then they'll never know.

While on the topic of Halloween candy - yesterday during the whole "sharing" of the candy, I got a total DOUBLE BONUS. I was eating Starburst (the little 2 packs people give out for Halloween) and look what I got:

I scored not ONE, but TWO double reds. Which totally happen to be my favorite!! SUH-WEET!

Be fruitful and multiply....

The girls are watching Schoolhouse Rock (which is one of the best things ever invented, IMHO), and I was reminded of this fun, easy math fact...

When I was a kid (okay, admittedly even now) I was never good with multiplication. Nowadays, students are encouraged to use calculators, but I still think it's important to know how to do math in your head (even if it's only basic math). The "nines" times table was always particularly hard for me. If only I'd known about these two magic little words:

Digit Sum

In the "nines" times table, one easy way to know if you're doing your math correctly is that the numbers of the digit sum (meaning the answer) of a product of nine, when added together, will ALWAYS equal 9.

Example:

9 X 2 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9)
9 X 3 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9)
9 X 4 = 36 (3 + 6 = 9)

It even works with larger numbers (obviously it gets a little more complicated, you need to be able to do somewhat more abstract math, but it does still work):

43 X 9 = 387 (3 + 8 + 7 = 18; 1 + 8 = 9)
72 X 9 = 648 (6 + 4 + 8 = 18; 1 + 8 = 9)

Even really large numbers:

94256 X 9 = 848304 (8 + 4 + 8 + 3 + 0 + 4 = 27; 2 + 7 = 9)

Obviously you're not going to normally be multiplying numbers quite that large in your head...but it's nice to know how to check your math easily.

Okay, so God was referring to a different kind of "multiplying". I came up with the title, liked it, and stuck with it. So sue me.

Why yes, I AM a dork. Thanks for noticing!