Got Plastic Bags?

WOW! I just read on Eco-Friendly WAHM's blog about a really cool project you can make with your stack of plastic bags to eliminate waste. Cool beans!

My family, including myself, will sometimes forget to use the reusable shopping bags I got (which, btw, holds more and holds up better than plastic bags, I must say!). I've been wondering what to do with those things for a minute.

If you're in that same boat, you should definitely check out this post!

$10 off diapers!

It recently dawned on me that I could order my son's diapers online, LOL...so thanks to an ad in BabyTalk (or was it American Baby?), I went to Diapers.com to check them out.

I'm glad I did because I found some really good deals on pretty much everything I was looking for. The only exception was some diaper rash ointment that I found at Kroger's for a buck or so less.

The site also runs an ongoing special where you can get $10 off any order that's at least $49, but only with your first order. Every order over $49 gets FREE shipping, and it's easy to hit this number with all the items you can buy in bulk.

So, if you or anyone you know is in need of baby/maternity stuff, check out Diapers.com and enter code 4yourbaby to get the $10 off your first order!

Weddings, babies...you know...the usual!...

I haven't been around as much lately. It's part burnout, part busy with other things, etc...etc...so on and so forth. My week has been picking up, too! I've even been neglecting dropping my EC's, though I hope to fix all that in the next day or so.

I think it started after I ordered my son's cloth diapers. I made a personal goal to finally get off it and do something about eliminating waste instead of just talking about it. That's right, I am going eco-nomically Eco, thanks to an article I decided to write a few weeks ago. I stopped using sponges and went back to dishrags, cloth diapers rather than disposables and shopping with cloth bags...little, inexpensive ways to make an impact! Next, I'm going to invest in a water filter for my kitchen faucet.

Anyway, back to my point...soon after, I get a call from one of my best friends about hosting her wedding reception. Of course I said yes! The whole week leading up to it and since, I've been constantly on the go, it seems.

The wedding was Monday and the ceremony was beautiful. I, the woman of stone, nearly cried. The groom and I have known each other, literally, all our lives and the bride has been one of my best friends for the last 7-8 years. I joked that it was like seeing my brother and my sister get married...only not the creepy incest way. Of course, I meant that they were my extended, adopted family. I wish them all the best; they're perfect together.

Work, I've toned down on a bit and it was nice to have the break, but I gotta jump back into it or I'll go nuts, lol. I've been having trouble finding a good web host that offers a website builder and domain name...rather, finding one that I can find info on at the BBB. I've run across one or two that stank of SCAM, so I wanna be sure I pick a good one at a good price.

I caught wind of one called 000webhost and it sounded great, but then I read somewhere that they offer free services where you wind up downloading a virus or something. I didn't like the sound of that, but I also read in various places from people who have never gotten a virus using their services and swear it's not only legit, but great once you figure out some of the techie tricks to the software they offer.

Do any of you know anything about this, or other well-priced, hosting services? I'm open to any and all suggestion...I just want to make sure I make a wise choice before I jump into business websites. Thanks in advance to those who respond.

My Kinda Valentine's Day

At first, I'd debated on even celebrating it (budget's tight right now, car broke down, etc.), but then I went ahead and bought my boyfriend a gift. He came in and gave me my gifts, very romantic.

Then, my mom got the boys for the night and, instead of going out, we stayed in (my idea), ordered Chinese and I ordered an old Vincent Price movie OnDemand. The original House on Haunted Hill...I highly recommend this and I didn't particularly like the new one at all.

Vincent Price doesn't sound romantic to most people...but I'm not like most people. Besides, it wasn't about the movie being romantic anyway. It was that we finally had a night to ourselves to kick back and cuddle up on the couch. That's a wonderful and rare treat for any couple that stay incredibly busy any other time. The movie was a treat for me from myself because I like old movies, horror movies, etc.

It was a nice, relaxing evening and I hope everyone else had the same!

The NEW Kindle 2!!

Amazon's infamous wireless reader just got an update...the Kindle 2! And guess what, guys? They've been made available, as of yesterday, for preorder at $359 to be shipped later this month. You can get yours today at Amazon.com!

To celebrate, Amazon is also featuring Kindle accessories, such as covers from Cole Haan, Belkin and more.

What makes the new Kindle different from the previous version, you ask? Quite a bit, actually...take a look:

New Features & Enhancements

Slim & Lightweight: Just over 1/3 inch and 10.2 ounces.

Books in under 60 seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required.

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for crisp images and text; even reads well in bright sunlight.

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging.

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books.

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns.

Read-to-Me: Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud.

No Wireless Bills: No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a monthly wireless bill.

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines and blogs available.

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

I, for one, was pretty impressed with the updates. I'm also an incorrigible bookworm, so no surprise there, lol. It's definitely worth a look if you're one also! Even if you're not, with thousands of books in so many catagories available to choose from, you're sure to find something in your favorite subject.

Weekend Off!

Just cause I said so! I've been running myself ragged for nearly a year now and I'm so due for a break! School's back in session come Monday, so until then, I'm only gonna do what I want to. After that, I'll decide if I can throw in more businesses (writing, homemade herbal products and consulting for adult issues).

I've sold my first article to Associated Content, but if you know their terms, you'll know it wasn't for much more than some exposure. Still, it was my first, so I'm still proud to have crossed that threshold.

I came across another site that lets the writer set their own price, Constant Content, and I put my next one up there. I'll know in a couple days if it needs edited or not...hopefully not, I reworked it a couple of times. It's nice that I could set my own price to it, instead of taking a few bucks for it, because it's over 1660 words.

I'm giving myself some time off, though, before I start writing my new articles (I have two still to get published anyway) or launching my new marketing campaign or working out the business plans for the next three.

Let's hear it for quality time with the family, another Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake installment and a couple home spa nights. WooHoo!!

The Stimulus Plan

I had heard the other day that the stimulus had gone through...or thought I had anyway. I haven't had a lot of time to keep up with news lately. However, I came across some news today that really irked me-it might not go through, due to conservatives on both sides of the political aisle pushing their agendas to favor corporations.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't the rich guys have their fun already? That's a big part of the reason we're in this mess now, isn't it? Why should they continue to get bigger tax cuts while the rest of us sit high and dry?

That's what's going to happen if this gets pushed aside, or if it gets blocked until 'changes are made'. These guys want to cut out the parts that create green jobs, affordable health insurance for families in need of it...even money for education, that's needed to keep hundreds of thousands of teachers from getting laid off!

I'm not gonna hate on these corporations for needing to stay in business. My question is this: Must they do it at our expense? Is a globally recognized business with plenty of money to blow going to fall off a cliff without a boost in capital that would barely put a dent in their bottom line...really?

Our schools need it more. The argument that raising taxes is going to hurt families makes me laugh. What's going to hurt us is if we have to pay those taxes and the corporations rather than our families are the ones to benefit from it. Either way, we're likely going to have to pay more in taxes. I, for one, don't mind paying a bit more...as long as it goes to benefit the people as a whole, not just those in a higher income bracket.