Fixing Red Eye
Jan 20th
I can’t begin to explain how many times my favorite pictures have been ruined by red eye. New technologies make it really simple to fix most of the time, but sometimes these simple fixes leave a gray hollow look in the eye which isn’t much better. So today I decided to go in search of a tutorial that would completely eliminate the red eye and gray from a picture of my little one that was not fixed after two different red eye removers. As certain as I am that there are tutorials out there for this, I couldn’t find one for my version of Photoshop, so I created my own. By the way, this is only the second tutorial I have ever written and my first pdf so please let me know if I missed anything crucial in the process. Let me know what you think.
Anyone got a straight jacket I could borrow?
Jan 17th
This is how my day is starting out. I have been doing laundry while trying to read my ethics assignments. Mind you the disclaimer in the front of the syllabus says it is important to read in an environment that is “conducive to concentration”. Ha Ha Ha. This is a memo that the little ones missed. Here I am trying to read about the meaning of life as well as the first five chapters of Genesis with both girls staring at me wanting breakfast. So I get a bottle for one, cereal for another, two poops changed and try again.
Meanwhile I realize I have nothing in the house for dinner, and tonight is my dinner night at school as well where I am supposed to pick up fried chicken. Hence at some point today I will be making not one, but two trips to the store. It is only 9 am so I decide to give reading another shot. Mind you while reading through these materials my assignment calls for me to answer questions like “who are we?”, “where are we?”, and “where are we going?” Huh? I mean if I knew the meaning of life in the first week of the class what in the world am I doing here? Before I have a chance to answer any of the above, the girls are sounding off again. Then Dora takes away any opportunity to read in a “conducive environment”. So I decide I might as well continue working on the house with a 3 year olds birthday party in two days.
Once again the littlest one decides playing independently is beneath her so I put her on the counter where I am washing dishes so that she will be near mom. Umm, here is where some of you may be gasping thinking who puts a seven month old on a counter to play? Well, the answer is the idiot who looked away for a second only to barely miss catching said little one as she slips off. OUCH! The poor thing cried for almost ten minutes, but some walking, rocking, and comforting from mom finally calmed her down.
By the time my nerves calm down it is after 10am, and I have read only enough of my assignment to know it isn’t interesting nor simple, I have filled 1/2 a dishwasher full of dishes, and have washed two loads of laundry but folded none. My point being that I am sitting here blogging with 100 things still waiting for me and all of it needing to be done by 5pm. Luckily one of my favorite cd’s just happens to be in the radio. So here I go…off to conquer the world while listening to Eddie Rabbit (ha ha ha, you can flame me about this one later).
The difference between Mom & Dad
Jan 16th
I always hoped I would meet a man who really loved his kids. One who wanted to play with them, who read them stories and one who hugged them when they were sad. When I met my husband I KNEW I had hit the jackpot on all of these things. For that reason I snatched him up quickly. Sure enough I was right. He turned out to be all of the above and more.
Now, here comes the “and more” part. We happen to have a spoiled princess in our home and one in training. These girls have “daddy” wrapped so tightly around their tiny little fingers that if the eldest princess says jump, daddy literally jumps. Case in point. Last week the littlest one wanted a “red” from her dad (red being fruit punch that dad has made super sweet). After it was made, she changed her mind requesting soda instead. So being the responsive father he is, down the drain went the red to be traded in for Coke. Needless to say, the sight of the red being poured down the drain sent the princess into distress resulting in a rather loud shriek. I imagine most moms wouldn’t have made it this far, however our endearing dad calmly poured out the Coke to make another red which her highness now demanded, only to get yet another curdling screech for losing the last one. As mom is rolling her eyes and laughing at dad for the situation he has gotten himself into, she notices that he has now poured BOTH drinks into separate cups for her highness. Problem solved, right? Personally I would have stopped with the first drink and said if you don’t like it you can have nothing, but she didn’t become a princess because of mom, as I suspect is the case in many homes 
Note: the above mentioned scene is not a rare one. In fact just this morning the princess woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Of course mom can rarely fix the problem without a full intervention when daddy is requested, so she just sits back and giggles while observing the hoops he is jumping through. Within a five minute interval this morning dad prepared cereal, a banana, a book, and finally, wouldn’t you know it…cake icing to please the princess.
Once dad was off to work order was restored and the cake icing was replaced with a reading of Miss Spider’s Tea Party, but for the record, mom wouldn’t want it any other way then all of the kids flocking around for dads attention.
Simple way to make extra money
Jan 10th
Well skeptic Sarah has once again been proven wrong. See Damien signed up for a service called Pay Per Post at blog network thinking he could make a few extra bucks while blogging. Needless to say I wasn’t so certain it was a sure thing. When he was approved for his first post which was to pay him $20 I was impressed, but then he got a $15 referral credit from someone who signed up from his link, and another $5 for a second post. Within a week he had earned $40, so I decided I would try it out. It turns out you can take up to two opportunities per day deciding for yourself what type of post will fit your specific blog or writing style. You submit a link, and wait until the closing date of the topic signed up for, to get paid. Now it may not be a means to quitting your job, but this can certainly provide a few extra bucks for some sort of event. In fact when I was a kid we crushed aluminum cans to earn extra family money for trips or eating out. This is much easier than that. I figure if Damien can make $20-$30 per month by casually taking a post here and there, and I do the same, within a year we will have over $500 for a trip. Pretty darned sweet since we are sitting here blogging anyways. Now I won’t feel as bad about the laundry piling up all around since after all, I am earning vacation funds right?
Just wasting time
Jan 8th
Is there a rule that says whenever you have loads of stuff to do you should instead waste your time away on something else? I ask because my week is jam packed with an enormous “to do” list, yet here I sit, not doing any of it. Here is a glimpse at my week.
- Gather all necessary documents to apply for a substitute position (done)
- Get finger printed for above stated job
- Fill out and address birthday invitations for 3rd birthday party coming up
- Get homework done for class one (due Wednesday)
- Finish homework and study for final exam for class two (due Thursday)
- Get to the store for diapers as the littlest Riley has only 1 left
- Make dinner multiple times this week since I have yet to do any mass cooking for the freezer this month
- etc. etc. etc
Now that you have seen my rather boring list of things to do, I would like to share what I did instead this morning with toys piling up around me and Blues Clues chiming in the back ground.
Yep, I decided I would try to make my own flowers for my first decorated cake. Mind you the party isn’t for nearly two weeks yet, but I couldn’t shake the notion of conquering the darned flowers. Surely I had a back up plan to run to a bakery and buy a sheet of flowers if this flopped, but I am very excited to say that I successfully made two flowers on my first try and am fairly certain I will get them the way I want them on the day of the event.
Thursday Thirteen: Get rid of the stain
Jan 3rd
I’m not sure if bringing a third child into our home tripled the amount of stains we see, or if mom got tired of trying to prevent them when everything else got chaotic, either way stains have taken over the Riley home. As a result I am dedicating my Thursday Thirteen to a variety of methods for getting rid of different types of stains. Feel free to add to the list in your comments if you have any brilliant removal tips of your own as I can always use new ideas.
1. White Vinegar- Apparently this is the fix all cleaner. I knew that it removes laundry stains, carpet stains, and coffee stains from cups and pots. But after reading this article I’m thinking I need a few gallons of this stuff on hand.*
2. WD-40 & Dish soap for crayon marks- If you happen to be one of the many who have love magic erasers, skip this one over. For myself those crumbly sponges have really started to bug me, so for crayon marks on a painted wall simply spray them with a bit of WD-40, and wipe them away. Then of course you’ll need a hint of dish soap to clean off the WD-40, but then…Viola, your walls are clean.
3. If an obnoxious youngster paints on the wall with a rather obvious second color that won’t come off, paint over it.
4. Alka- Seltzer- Drop a couple of tabs in your toilet if you have a ring and the seltzer will magically make it disappear (or prevent the stain to begin with by using Clorox toilet bowl tablets).
5. For the kitchen and laundry I tend to count on good ol’ reliable bleach. Just make sure to wear your rags or you will inevitably lean against a counter and ruin an outfit.
6. Oxy Clean- If you get a carpet stain or stains or your clothes use a bit of this cleaner and it does a pretty good job of getting the stains out. Note: this stuff is far more effective on fresh stains, but I managed to severely fade out two rather large coffee stains left behind by dh on the carpet.
7. If the carpet stain resists peroxide, oxyclean, vinegar, and anything else you can think of, buy an area rug.
8. Soak your whites in Biz overnight. The next morning set them to wash as usual and they will look almost new without the dull look that some of your whites may have acquired over time. Now if you have a front loading machine like myself you may need to take over a bathtub, but it works just as well.
9. Peroxide- I am thinking this works on the same principles as oxyclean. Mix it up with a bit of baking soda making a paste and scrub stains away.
10. Bath Stains- Break out the soft scrub. I know you were probably hoping for something more convenient here, but I have yet to see a bathtub ring that could resist soft scrub. Also new products on the market for showers work great (that is if you remember to spray them after every single shower).
11. Windex- This is right up there with white vinegar removing ink stains, carpet stains, and of course hard water stains.
12. Oil stains? If you change your own oil or spring a leak, break out the kitty litter. Be generous when sprinkling this over your stain, let it absorb overnight and just sweep it up the next day.
13. When all else fails and you are completely inundated with stains, sale the house and buy a new wardrobe.
*For any of the above methods always try on a small inconspicuous spot first lest you goof up and destroy it all together
Another year ending
Dec 31st
Bored out of my mind, not wanting to do the dishes, and watching the Twilight Zone Marathon (even though I have almost every episode practically memorized), I decided to write my own meme to conclude 2007. I?m not going to pressure anyone into responding with a tag, but I?d love it if you felt like playing along. Without further ado, here it is.
1. What is your happiest memory of 2007?
Adding the youngest Riley to our family. She was unexpected, but made our family complete
2. What was your worst memory of 2007?
The dumb nurses who insisted I wasn?t in labor and made me go home only to end up almost having the baby in the ambulance on the way back and never getting any pain killers as a result, grrrr.
Finally reaching a point in my education where I no longer have to fall back on waitressing in times of need. Damn that feels good!
4. Did you take any memorable trips in 2007?
Two. An Anniversary Weekend away with hubby, that was everything I had hoped for, and a girls only day trip to
Don?t Blink- Kenny Chesney. A big reminder that life is short and the kids will be grown before we know it.
My Bachelors Degree. It has been many years in the making, so it?s hard to believe now that the goal line is right around the corner.
Not only did I not lose weight, but I gained, ugh
Dan in Real Life- Very Cute!
10. Did you pick up any new hobbies in 2007?
During my nesting phase of pregnancy I decided sewing was the solution to everything and bought my first machine. Included in my very few projects was this little dress for the toddler:
To all of my readers I wish you a safe a fun New Year’s Eve and A Happy New Year!!
"Here I go again"
Dec 30th
I wonder how many times these words have been uttered in regards to dieting or weight loss. Certainly this is the time of year when everyone gets revved up to shed that excess weight. Partly because holiday eating has forced us to squeeze so tightly into our jeans that we can hardly breath, and partly because new year resolutions make us feel inspired to set that goal and finally stick to it. So what precisely is the key to going the distance?
For some the answer may simply be setting a goal and sticking to it, where for others the time has just finally come and nothing is going to set them back. For me however, I have yet to find the one thing that keeps me going so that I can finally say I have succeeded. Therefore with payday around the corner and a pocketful of inspiration I plan on filling the cupboards with yummy, yet healthy, alternatives to the junk we have been eating. I also offer the following tips and websites collected from friends on this similar journey to anyone else out there hoping to unload some spare tires.
- Keep track of what you are eating: awareness alone in an amazing tool to consuming less or choosing low-cal alternatives. Whether you write it in a notebook, track it in a word doc., or visit an online journal do you best to put it down. Don’t trust yourself to keep a running log in your head as this often flops and you can’t easily reference it down the line.
- Do not go cold turkey: Where this can work for certain foods like sugar, or cheese, don’t cut everything fattening that you enjoy out in one step. This often leads to binge eating sabotaging everything you have done up to this point. Make baby steps like drinking at least eight glasses of water, a salad before your meal, or a bigger portion of vegetables than usual. Once you have learned new habits and begun enjoying healthier foods then cut out more of the junk you shouldn’t be eating.
- Continue to enjoy your favorites: You can still enjoy even the worst of foods if they are your favorite, just do it in moderation. Or if you are dying to have a chocolate bar make it a reward for a full workout you have done. Do remember however that the calories you are consuming are quite possibly more than you burned, so keep the portions small.
- Find a friend or support system to help you go the distance: There are many online sites which are intended just for this.
- Spark People- This is an amazing community recommended to me by a couple of friends. It is a source for anyone looking to shed lbs. It includes multiple tools like online journaling, a full calorie database, multiple community forums to meet your individual needs, and much more. Best yet it is 100% free!!
- Weight Watchers: I include this link not to endorse this company but to say that this is an incredible plan which helps to teach life habits to individuals who plan to lose weight and keep it off. Unlike many fad diets you do not need to eat their foods or even attend their meetings to lose. The main principles alone are worth knowing.
- Calorie Count Plus: An online database of common foods nutritional data, as well as low calorie/ low fat recipes.
Most importantly if you blow it, get back on track the next day or even the next week. Don’t just throw it all out because of a bump in the road. This is one I am so often guilty of and precisely the origin of the post to begin with.
"What the hell is that?"
Dec 28th
When I was growing up very little that was seen in movies or television was censored in my house. We watched scary movies, rowdy movies, and sometimes crude humor. Meanwhile hubby grew up in an almost opposite environment where certain shows were completely off limits and ratings were relevant. Somehow we both ended up with bad language that periodically peaks up. Now, to my point.
Tonight while watching tv our almost three year old out of nowhere exclaims “what the hell is that?” Try as we did not to laugh, it was difficult. After explaining that she shouldn’t say that and trying not to make a big deal out of it, (lest she add it to her permanent vocabulary) I began to wonder which one of us let this phrase out of the box. I suppose it isn’t really relevant where it came from, it just reminds me to add “watch your language” to the long list of resolutions I hope to keep in 2008 (topped only by losing weight). I wonder if this year I will actually stick to the list…hmmm, only time will tell.
And so the break begins
Dec 22nd
The beauty of a teachers schedule is that when the kids are on break, so are the parents. Well Damien and son started their vacation last week, while mine started at 10pm Thursday night when class ended. Two whole weeks where in theory I am not bound to a deadline and nearly three weeks until my next assignment is expected. Woo Hoo!!
To commemorate this exciting break I took the two oldest kids to the library yesterday. Thinking about how long it has been since I read a book by my favorite author I snuck over to the paperback section and checked out a newer title by Dean Koontz. After getting it home I read it from cover to cover stopping only to eat (btw, I left dinner up to the man and though it was merely hamburger helper it was an exceptional meal as I did not cook it, nor clean it up).
After spending five hours on a book then heading off to get some groceries the kids managed to convince the folks to put on a movie. This is when mom got it in her head to make this a better than average viewing since what-the-heck, we’re on vacation. So we drug out the projector, and speakers, and watched Shrek 3 theater style on the living room wall, while snacking on cheese-its and pb & banana sandwiches (menu decided by the midgets of the house). It was turning out to be a great day until about 1/2 way through it, with a nine year old and two year old glued to the screen, hubby chimes in to point out that it is 12:30am. Wow, where in the world did that day go?
Today has also already wasted away doing nothing much more than sitting on a computer. Pretty soon we are going to have to start digging ourselves out of the surrounding mess, but it sure has been relaxing.