I am still here. I have been going through a lot since the beginning of September. My husband decided to leave me and take everything with him out of our house. I was a stay at home mom left with the rent and utilities due. I had to go and look for a job which is really hard now due to the economy. I did find a part-time job that will hopefully become full-time after my 90 day probationary period.

Fortunately I have a very understanding landlord and he is trying to help me stay in my home. Did I mention I have two young kids to raise?

So, I am here but unable to really work on my blog as I used to. My apologies. Please hang in there with me and hopefully I will be back full-time once I get back on my feet.

Thank you for missing me. Thank you for reading.

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can cost around $2 unless you buy the ones with extra cleaner in it or Febreese scented ones. You really don’t need all of the extras because the original works just great.

My husband went to the dollar store the other day a brought home a different brand of magic eraser called the Quick Eraser by Scrub It. I worked just as well as the Magic Eraser but it was only a $1 for two erasers.

I just wanted to pass the saving along to you.

Below are some tips I found on using the Magic Eraser or Quick Eraser

Tip #1: removing build-up from the bottom of my iron, which has a non-stick finish.
I have one of those old white formica counter tops in my kitchen, and I noticed that the facings looked pretty grungy, so I took my magic eraser to them and they came out looking white and bright! Magic Eraser is also great for removing hairspray build-up from brass doorknobs.

Tip #2: I used to clean my bathtub/shower with cleaning solutions that would make me sick from smelling the fumes. I used the Magic Eraser on my bathtub/shower with ONLY water.

Tip #3: When we got ready to sell our five-year old house, I took a
Magic Eraser and spot cleaned the walls in the entire house (which were all
white). Everyone who looked at the house were amazed when we told them we had
never painted.

Tip #4: It can take off crayon marks, ink. I have used it in place of dusting. Makes your things looks sharp. I even used it on my monitor. It really cleaned that up well. I used it on my file cabinet. It is metal and did a great job cleaning it up. I used it once to wash my windows, esp. the crayons that were colored on it.

Tip #5: I have used the Magic Erasers to remove black scuff marks off
my WHITE cowboy boots! Worked great!!!

Tip #6: Cigarette burns in formica type desktop! They took some time
some rubbing, that’s it. No cleaners, no grinding sanding, scuffing, scraping.

Tip #7: I have 3-year-old twins who seem to find pens, crayons,
markers, etc., and color on the walls and doors. This eraser takes it all off
easily. It even removed black permanent marker from my bathroom counter top. I
also use it to clean the doors (they are white) baseboard, and anything else I
can.

Tip #8:  The most amazing thing I’ve used it on is the antique mahogany bed and dresser in my daughter’s room. She had gotten craft paint and marker on both and the Magic eraser took both off of both pieces and didn’t damage the antique finish at all.

Tip #9: Magic Eraser is the best thing that I have come across. I had
an old wedding cake knife that I needed to use for my stepdaughter’s wedding
this past weekend, and I had tried to get the tarnish off with Tarn-X and that
got most of it off, but there was one stubborn area on the knife that just
wouldn’t come clean, so I decided to try the Magic Eraser. Much to my surprise
it not only took the tarnish off, but it also shined it. It is by far the best
all around cleaning tool that I have come across.

Tip #10: We live in a VERY old house and the tub is an original cast
iron one. The finish is mostly gone off of it and it is a pill to clean. I have
discovered if I take Magic Eraser and run around the water line when my bath is
over, I can postpone the multi-hours of cleaning that it takes to get it clean.
This alone has been almost a lifesaver for me – and definitely a back saver.

Tip #11: I’ve used the Magic Erasers just about everywhere you can
imagine. I was most impressed when I used it on our boat. Inside and out, it
worked great and took stuff off that I just knew would never come off. The boat
is snow-white, so it’s pretty hard to keep clean, but they work wonders. Also,
they work wonderful on leather seats too. We used them on my husband’s pickup
(which he uses for work out in the field) and it looked brand new. It takes
coffee stains out of white countertops, grease and grime off of the stove,
cleans up shoes, takes bugs and tar off of cars, the list goes on and on.
Something that I’ve found that helps them last longer for me: I cut them in
half. Since I only use one end of them when I clean, I started cutting them in
half before I use them. They seem to last longer for me. I can clean something
really grimy with half of one instead of dirtying up the whole thing.

Tip #12: We have hard water in our area, and the Magic Eraser has been
the only cleaner that can get the residue off of our glass shower door. We
squeegee it every time we use the shower, but the residue still collects. The
eraser takes the residue right off.

Tip #13: I am a custodian for a large church and use Magic Erasers for
everything. At home, I have found that they are great for cleaning wood,
especially around door handles and frames, and the top wooden step of my stairs.

Tip #14:  I found that I can use these sponges to clean off my stainless steel finish
appliances.

The game warden asked the man, “May I see
your fishing license please?”

“Naw, sir,” replied the redneck. “I
don’t need none of them there papers.
These here are my pet fish.”

“Pet fish??”

“Yep. Once a week, I bring these here fish o’mine
down to the lake and let  ‘em
Swim ’round for a while.  Then when I whistle,
they swim right back  into  my
Net and I take ‘em home.”

“What a
line of horse sh-t….you’re under arrest.”

The redneck said, “It’s the
truth, Mr. Gov’ment Man.  I’ll show ya!  We do this all the time!!”

“WE do, now, do WE?” smirked the warden.
“PROVE it!”

The redneck released the fish into the lake and stood and
waited.  After a  few minutes, the warden said, “Well?”

“Well, WHUT?”
said the redneck.

The warden asked, “When are you going to call them
back?”

“Call who back?”

“The FISH,” replied the warden!

“Whut fish?” asked the redneck.

I am a stay at home mom and I some times feel depressed. It doesn’t last long but it is definitely bothersome. I get depressed when my kids are bad or when my husband treats me like I am stupid. I can actually feel pain when I am depressed. I get headaches, body aches and I want to sleep. I feel lethargic and I cry when no one is around. I have a lot going on in my life right now and no one to talk to about it so I can really feel the stress. I don’t think of suicide or any thing like that but a lot of people do when depression comes on.

Depressive disorders can make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and  hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving  up.

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the energy drink and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but
drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes the photochemical in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!

Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!

Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

Out of WD-40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Cucumbers are good for minimizing wrinkles and puffiness around the eyes.

A turtle was walking down an alley in New York when he was mugged by a gang of snails. A police detective came to investigate and asked the turtle if he could explain what happened.

The turtle looked at the detective with a confused look on his face and replied “I don’t know, it all happened so fast.”

BTW…my son’s underarm hair does not look gross – he is still young so he has a few years before he looks like this. Ha ha ha ha ha

I just got off of Skype with my 17 yr old son. He was not wearing a shirt (he is always shirtless) and he raised his arms and I got a nice camera shot of his hairy underarms. I told him that he needed to shave his pits. He laughed and put his underarm up to the camera so I could get grossed out some more. I love my kid!!!

I told him that there was nothing grosser than a shirtless, sweaty guy putting his nasty, hairy underarms on your shoulders. He laughed again. I told him that men should man-scape! He laughed again and told me that girls think that hairy is sexy. I told him that I was going to blog about our conversation and I would make a poll to see who was right  – me or him! Ha ha

I like a clean-shaven man! I like a baby face – not a scratchy, hairy face. I also do not like back hair or a chest that is too hairy. I do not like underarm hair either. I think all men should man-scape everywhere except their arms and legs.

Let’s talk about ear hair! Gross! Why do older men let their ear hair and eyebrow hair grow out of control? I don’t get it.

Let’s talk about back hair - I know some men can’t help it but that is why they invented wax. Come on guys, do us ladies a favor and man-scape. Hope you enjoy the pics.

I have two kids in elementary school, one in first grade and one in fourth grade and I definitely worry about my kids being bullied because they were both bullied before. My son was bullied by a boy in his class who actually punched him once. My son never complained about being bullied until we had a parent/teacher meeting and the teacher asked us if our son had ever mentioned this boy picking on him. We asked our son about it and he told us all of the things the boy was doing to him. We wrote a letter to the teacher asking her to keep this boy away from our son and she did.

Our daughter was bullied in the second grade by some girls in her class and by a girl in another class. My daughter would cry about the way she was treated. She didn’t want us saying anything about it because she felt it would make it worse. We went to her teacher and told her teacher what was happening in class and her teacher took care of it without making it worse for our daughter. There was really no getting away from the other girl who was not in her class and this girl said some really bad things to our daughter. We ended up putting her in another school for the next school year. Our daughter was bullied in the third grade by an older girl who picked on her for little things and called her four-eyes. Our daughter didn’t put up with it and stood her ground. She ended up befriending the girl later in the year.

We encourage our kids to stand up for other kids who are being bullied.

It breaks my heart when my kids get hurt and I’m sure you feel the same way about your kids. It is so important to talk to your kids and find out what is going on with them at school. Talk to your kids about bullying and standing up to bullies.

I just wanted to share this information with you because I feel as though it is very important. I know it is a lot to read but try to take the time. Thanks

In schools, bullying occurs in all areas. It can occur in nearly any part in or around the school building, though it more often occurs in PE, recess, hallways, bathrooms, on school buses and waiting for buses, classes that require group work and/or after school activities. Bullying in school sometimes consists of a group of students taking advantage of or isolating one student in particular and gaining the loyalty of bystanders who want to avoid becoming the next victim. These bullies taunt and tease their target before physically bullying the target. Bystanders may participate or watch, sometimes out of fear of becoming the next victim.

Bullying can also be perpetrated by teachers and the school system itself: There is an inherent power differential in the system that can easily predispose to subtle or covert abuse (relational aggression or passive aggression), humiliation, or exclusion — even while maintaining overt commitments to anti-bullying policies.

Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.

Bullying is abusive treatment, the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when habitual and involving an imbalance of power. It may involve verbal harassment, physical assault or coercion and may be directed persistently towards particular victims, perhaps on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality or ability. The “imbalance of power” may be social power and/or physical power. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a “target.”

Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse – emotional, verbal and physical. It typically involves subtle methods of coercion such as intimidation. Bullying can be defined in many different ways. Although the United Kingdom currently has no legal definition of bullying, some U.S. states have laws against it.

Bullying ranges from simple one-on-one bullying to more complex bullying in which the bully may have one or more ‘lieutenants’ who may seem to be willing to assist the primary bully in his bullying activities. Bullying in school and the workplace is also referred to as peer abuse.

The effects of bullying can be serious and even fatal.

The link between bullying and school violence has attracted increasing attention since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. That year, two shotgun-wielding students, both of whom had been identified as gifted and who had been bullied for years, killed 13 people, wounded 24 and then committed suicide. A year later an analysis by officials at the U.S. Secret Service of 37 premeditated school shootings found that bullying, which some of the shooters described “in terms that approached torment,” played a major role in more than two-thirds of the attacks. It is estimated that about 60-80% of children are bullied at school. Since bullying is mostly ignored; it may provide an important clue in crowd behaviour and passer-by behaviour. Numerous psychologists have been puzzled by the inactivity of crowds in urban centres when crimes occur in crowded places. Many have suggested bullying as one of the reason of this decline in emotional sensitivity and acceptance of violence as normal. When someone is bullied, it is not only the bully and victim who are becoming less sensitive to violence. In most cases, the friends and classmates of the bully and the victim accept the violence as normal.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said:

“In 2002, a report released by the U.S. Secret Service concluded that bullying played a significant role in many school shootings and that efforts should be made to eliminate bullying behavior.”

There is a strong link between bullying and suicide. Bullying leads to several suicides every year. It is estimated that between 15 and 25 children commit suicide every year in the UK alone, because they are being bullied.

Characteristics of bullies and bully accomplices

Studies have shown that envy and resentment may be motives for bullying. Research on the self-esteem of bullies has produced equivocal results. While some bullies are arrogant and narcissistic, others can use bullying as a tool to conceal shame or anxiety or to boost self-esteem: by demeaning others, the abuser him/herself feels empowered.

Researchers have identified other risk factors such as depression and personality disorders, as well as quickness to anger and use of force, addiction to aggressive behaviors, mistaking others’ actions as hostile, concern with preserving self-image, and engaging in obsessive or rigid actions. A combination of these factors may also be cause of this behavior.

It is often suggested that bullying behavior has its origin in childhood. As a child who is inclined to act as a bully ages, his or her related behavior patterns will often also become more sophisticated. Schoolyard pranks and ‘rough-housing’ may develop into more subtle, yet equally effective adult level activities such as administrative end-runs, well-planned and orchestrated attempts at character assassination, or other less obvious, yet equally forceful forms of coercion.

“If aggressive behaviour is not challenged in childhood, there is a danger that it may become habitual. Indeed, there is research evidence, to indicate that bullying during childhood puts children at risk of criminal behaviour and domestic violence in adulthood.”

Bullies may bully because they themselves have been the victim of bullying. There is also evidence that bullies have a much higher likelihood to be incarcerated in the future.

Often bullying takes place in the presence of a large group of relatively uninvolved bystanders. In many cases, it is the bully’s ability to create the illusion that he or she has the support of the majority present, that instills the fear of ‘speaking out’ in protestation of the bullying activities being observed by the group. Unless the ‘bully mentality’ is effectively challenged in any given group in its earlier stages, often the ‘bully mentality’ becomes an accepted norm within the group. In such groups where the ‘bully mentality’ has been allowed to become a dominant factor in the group environment, a steady stream of injustices and abuses often becomes a regular and predictable group experience. Such a toxic environment often remains as the status-quo of the group for an extended period of time, until somehow the bullying-cycle should eventually come to an end. Bystanders to bullying activities are often unable to recognize the true cost that silence regarding the bullying activities has to both the individual and to the group. A certain inability to fully empathize is also usually present in the typical bystander, but to a lesser degree than in the bully. The reversal of a ‘bully mentality’ within a group is usually an effort which requires much time, energy, careful planning, coordination with others, and usually the undertaking of a certain ‘risk’.

It is the general unwillingness of bystanders to expand these types of energies and to undertake these types of risks that bullies often rely upon in order to maintain their monopolies of power. Until or unless at least one individual who has at least some abilities to work with others, opts to expand whatever energies may be needed to reverse the ‘bully mentality’ of the group, the ‘bully mentality’ is often perpetuated within a group for months, years or even decades. Bystanders who have been able to establish their own ‘friendship group’ or ‘support group’ have been found to be far more likely to opt to speak out against bullying behavior than those who have not.

Intervention

Despite the large number of individuals that do not agree with bullying practices, there a very few that will intervene on behalf of the victim. These individuals are labeled bystanders and unfortunately usually tend to lean toward the bully’s side. In 85% of bullying incidents, bystanders are involved in teasing the victim or egging on the bully.

However, in most bullying incidents, bystanders usually do nothing. If the bully faces no obstruction from the people around, it gives permission to continue behaving badly. There are a wide variety of reasons why children choose not to intervene. Typically they worry that they will make the situation worse or risk becoming the next victim, due to the fear that children experience as the bystanders, which is a direct cause of the decline of anti-bullying attitudes. This points to the urgency for a better understanding of children’s attitudes to bullying and the factors that seem to predict these attitudes.

Researchers have been analyzing the just-world belief theory to help understand the decline of anti-bullying attitudes. “This is the idea that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.” The study determined that children do seek to understand, justify, and rectify the different injustices they come across in everyday life. However further research is needed to link the two together.

How to make home-made weed killer without harmful chemicals that really works.

You will need a spray bottle, water, vinegar and dishwashing liquid (Dawn is the best).

Fill the spray bottle with equal parts of vinegar and water then squeeze in some dishwashing liquid. Mix it up and spray on weeds.

The vinegar kills weeds and the dishwashing liquid makes the vinegar and water mixture stick to the weeds.

This really works – I use it all the time.