Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Date: 11/09/2009
Stress Level: Mild
New Grey hairs added: 2

Here we are on a typical Monday. What did I accomplish on this mild weathered day you ask? Not
a darn thing. I woke up with good intentions and did manage to get some housework done as well as some
real work but I had a list of "To Do" items sitting by my computer that sit still undone.
My sons school called around 11 AM and said he was sick and needed to come home. Funny how a 16
year old boy is always sick on Mondays after he is fine all weekend long. I miss the days when you put them
in bed and he stayed there until the next morning. After he took a long nap he was remarkably restored and
that was the moment I picked to discuss the merits of his being grounded until his room was cleaned. He swears
I never mentioned it before, I swear I did over and over again all the while trying to not Swear. Did I win that
battle? PFT, well lets just say half his room is clean and I only took 4 Tylenol before I caved and let him watch
TV.
My daughter who does stay where you put her was in a great mood all morning that quickly faded into
" I hate I am stuck where you put me, when will I be able to walk? When will I have some teeth to
bite you with? Peas belong in my ears and nose not in my mouth!" I also have to handle all this with a
smile because unlike my son who was born happy and now 16 years later became moody and sensitive
she was born that way and if you approach her without a smile she thinks the world is over and will
promptly cry like there is no tomorrow.
Sadistic I know but my son and I had to experiment with my philosophy that Rowan reacts to
other peoples facial expressions and spent the better part of an hour a few days ago taking turns
frowning and smiling at her to prove my theory. You frown, she screams. You smile she laughs.
You keep a straight face she gets confused and smacks you in the face until you cry then she
joins you.
Tomorrow I have her pictures scheduled and I will let you know how Miss Emotion does with that!

Moral of the Day: No two kids are alike

I decided it is about time I started a blog! The overwhelming desire
to share my vast amounts of knowledge, or lack of on any given subject has
came to a head and I feel the need to scream from the nearest mountain top
(There is a few in the UP but nothing like those out west) and share my life experiences.
I have spent 40 years on this planet and though I have been told I am opinionated and
stubborn at times I feel I do have a tidbit or two of useful knowledge here and there that might
help another person down the line. I have seen a lot of lows and even felt a few highs and have
came to the conclusion that you need to take each day as it comes and be thankful for every
night you get to lay your head on a soft pillow and drift off with a clean conscious.
A person might consider me a "Jack of all Trades" and though I am not an expert of
any I do know just enough on a vast array of topics to ease the growing pains of another.
I am a little crafty, a little sporty and a little head in the clouds and have been told more then
once I am a good listener. I feel this makes me just well rounded enough to be some use.
My goal for this blog is to have a place to vent, brag, wallow, laugh at my own situation and
if I can get my feelings down on paper ( well, virtual) I might be able to cleanse them from my
always overfull plate. If I can help a person as I grow it is just all the better.

I am a 40 year young woman with loads of dreams and only a 50
percent follow-through rate. I grew up in Royal Oak Michigan and currantly live
in te Detroit suburb of Eastpointe Michigan. A mid-sized, cultrially diverse town
that borders Detroit.
I am the only daughter of an only daughter and spent the first 12 years of
my life living with my Grandparents on my mothers side. I went to Catholic School through
5th grade where my Grandmother was a school teacher and my Grandfather worked for
Ford Moter Company. I was well traveled as a child and have been just about everywhere since
at a young age I had the advantage of living with two retired caregivers who loved to travel.
We also had a summer house on Black Lake in Northern Michigan where I have some of my
best memories.
When I was 12 I went to live with my mother who worked for the Huntington Woods Police
Department and ended up going through quiet a few years of turmoil. In hindsight I realize she
never fully grew up herself and it was the immature leading the immature and by the time I was 15
I was in Foster care after spending a few years in various youth programs. By 17 I was living on my
own and working fulltime and have to give a lot of props to my Foster Parents for helping me
find my way and put me on a path to becomming whole. They even helped my with the setback of loosing my Grandfather.
I spent a few years as a crazy independant youth who enjoyed my friends, social life and job. I loved
working in Resturaunts and decided that was what I wanted to do with my life. I worked my way through
school and just about when I was about to take a giant step on the corporate ladder I met my sons father
and found myself pregnate at 24. Determined to not repeat the mistake my parents made I choose not
to get married against my Grandmothers loud advice and on October 28th in 1993 I became a mother
of a healthy 7 pound nine ounce boy I named Andrew.
I went back to work when he was 3 months old and within a month knew I missed him so much I could not stand
being away from him and decided to open a home based daycare where I could be with my son and still be able
to pay my bills. I took all the state classes and turned my basement into a daycare and spent the next two years
being a part of my sons life every day. I also became single again. This happened about the same time
one of my best friends became single so she moved in with me and we did our Kate and Alley take on
the world for the next year or so. I miss that time period for I truely had it all right then, my son, my friend,
a nice place to live and lots of hope for the future.
After two years I went back into my field of choice and loved my job as much as I loved my son though
the hours could have been a lot better. I also bought my first house and found out I had champainge tastes on
a beer budget and learned the ins and outs of being frugal. In the next few years I learned home matiance, car repairs,
coupon, dopuble coupon, thrif stores and all about sales. Though I had to work I also made sure my
son got to experiance some of the travel experiances I did and we managed to take two really great vacations
a year. Things could not have been better and even though I was without a man in my life I did
have my son and looked forward to each new day!
For the next five years or so everything was awesome and even though my son was diagnosed with
ADHD I chose not to medicate him he kept me going with his antics and I realized what a clever child I had.
My carreer was also going strong.
In 1999 the bottom fell out of my world with the death of my Grandmother for she truely was
the glue that held our family together. My mother and my strained relationship grew even worse and
I was tired of not finding my Prince Charming and dropped out of the world so to speak for a while.
I was also diagnosed with Arthritus in my spine and just when I found my carreer at its strongest
I found my body at its weakest and needed to refocus my life. I did some free-lance writing and
had a few childrens works published and knew I needed to go back to school to find a new carrer path
that would see me through the future.
A few years ago I ran across a man I have known for many years and he had also been single for a while
and we started spending time together. Last year I found out I needed a hysterectomy and even though
I did not plan on more children I was still saddened over this. A month or so before it was scheduled I went to
my doctor for I was feeling ill and found out I was pregnate. WOW!! I was 39 with a 15 year old son and
just about passed out on the floor in the doctors office. All he could do was laugh for he also got to
inform me that not only would a pregnacy fix what was wrong with me I would be extra fertile after the
childs birth.
John and I had a baby girl last July after a very ruff pregnacy. She was induced a week early and spent
the first week of her life in NICU but has now made up for lost time and keeps us very busy. She is also
the apple of her 16 year old brothers eye who always wanted a brother or sister. She is my pride and joy right now.
Even though I do not have the energy I had with my son I now have more patiance and feel
I am more savey. I enjoy everything she does on a whole differant level than I did my son and take
pride in everything she does. I feel after all these years I have learned what is important and what is
not and how to let the trivial slide off my back and hole onto the good points. I am also amazed at the
strides they have made in child rearing aids since my son was little all those years ago and can reflect on
what was good for him and what is good for her with wonder and amazement. I feel blessed that I
can compair the two and have been given a rare first hand glimpse at progress in motion.
Every day from now on will be an adventure for all of us and baby Rowan is at the center of it!

   Review for Crap
by Erin Elisabeth Conley, Karen Macklin, and Jake Miller


Product Details
* Paperback: 96 pages
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0979017351
* ISBN-13: 9780979017353

Mom says:
I was surprised when I read "Crap" that it
didn't stink! ( Booo Boooo, I know I know) Okay, for real now.
I was impressed. it was a good book. It was packed full of
lots of useful information jammed with cute little jokes
and quirky definitions tossed in between segments to break
up the monotony. There quips were even funny unlike my own.
It taught them how to deal with out ignoring a problem all together.
It also taught them how to tell the difference from an issue that
matters and should be taken to heart and one they might
be blowing out of proportion. I really liked the fact in encouraged
them to think their feelings were right and justified without
using another person as a crutch or excuse to shoulder the
blame. There were not right or wrong answers in the book
and not a clear cut map on how to handle things but more
like a general theory and easy to understand strategy's that
can be manipulated to fit any problem. Even an adults.
The only thing I did not like is that I feel it is meant more for
pre-teen and not full fledged I have my wings now 14 and up.
The tone is too airy and the subjects to light for a 16 year old
who believes the World is out to get them to relate to. My 16
year old is reading it now but after I read it I think I would have
been better off letting the 12 year old. That would have been a
perfect fit and we might have avoided her having the
attitude the 16 year old now has. I do believe the theory's will
work if the person ready is not already so tainted they will give
them a chance.


Teen says:
Okay, it took me a few weeks to read it but it
wasn't because I didn't like the book it was because Mom
told me it was like a self help job and Pleaseeeeeee, what
a pain. I was hoping for some thrillers or even a classic to
review and she tossed this at me. She rode my butt to I
opened it and I wish I had before she started driving me nuts
for I might have dealt with it better. The book was good, it
had a lot of tips that really worked. Some I already knew but
it was cool to see them on Paper to be reminded. Other's I
had never thought of and it did help me to pick and choose
what I got all worked up about. Sometimes people are stupid
and you have to deal ya know? I am glad she made me read
it for I am not as annoyed at her now as I was a week ago. I
suggest though that you just leave it in the car or something
for your kid to read when they are bored to find out they like
it for if I hadn't agreed to help my Mom do reviews in the
first place I never would have looked at it for it was her
idea but if we were driving somewhere or another place
where my options were to talk to my Parents or read I
would have picked it up on my own. Good Book is
my say so!

The reviews are here


All books that are reviewed are published free of charge from various publishers


Hold on to your hats guys, the book reviews are
already rolling. 3 books are on the slate for this month and
I hope to start getting the reviews posted as soon as I
can. The First review is complete and posted.
The order of the reviews will be Fiction, Non-Fiction and Family Choice.
Please scroll down to the review you are looking for!

The first book up is my choice and provided by LitFuse
who has offered to host a contest as well. It is a thriller,
detective story and those are always a blast for me.
The book they have provided is...................


Double Trouble
By-Susan May Warren




With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI's assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ's seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case-house-sitting for a witness in protective custody-Jeremy assures her there's no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they're after PJ, too.


John's pick is not really my thing but since he has to read and give and
honest review of my choices it is only fair I do the same for him. He is all
gung ho on this one for it is right up his alley, sports and non-fiction.
I can pretty much promise you he will read this watching a football or
hockey game. His choice is.............


From Peanuts to the Pressbox
Insider Sport Stories From A Life Behind The Mic
By Eli Gold



In this behind-the-scenes look at sports broadcasting Eli Gold
tells how a kid from Brooklyn, New York, went from selling peanuts
at Madison Square Garden to being one of the most recognizable
voices in all of radio sports broadcasting.
From Peanuts to the Pressbox is an intimate walk down memory
lane, reliving some of the greatest moments in Alabama sports
(basketball and football) and NASCAR. Gold also shares
stories from his early days with Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen
and Red Barber and other broadcasting greats, such as Bob Costas,
Tom Hammond, Verne Lundquist, Kevin Harlan, Ron Franklin,
and Mike Tirico.


Our last book this month is our family choice. We try to keep up
on trends, currant events and advancements in child rearing and in the
medical field. Also we are both educational nuts and try to keep that
in mind when picking books for our children or how to books to help
or inspire them. This choice we thought we be good to help them
with moral and values and just plain old faith.The last pick is............






Family Choice Review




Product Description
___________________



A collection of 365 daily devotions that
that center on topics that pertain to toddlers
up to pre-school aged children. Each day has
a verse, story and prayer. Illustrated with
child friendly graphics and full of charm.


Product information
_______________________


Hard covered
for ages 3-5
385 pages
Tyndale Kids
ISBN 978-1-4143-3445-5
Suggested retail price $14.99 USA
________________________



Publisher's Description
Watch your young children grow
in their understanding of God as you
meet with him together using this One
Year devotional. Each reading pairs a
Little Blessings illustration with a short
Bible verse and devotional thought that
gets you and your child talking about the
simple truths of Scripture. A fun, rhyming
prayer completes each devotional. A great
way to get young children interacting with
Scripture daily
__________________________________


Michelle Says


I grew up in a deeply religious house
and this took me home but with more
softness. My family was much more
strict. The book is chalk filled with
Nano Stories that bring about good
feelings and happy thoughts.

I loved that it was written in an
easy to read format that though
it is meant to be read to kids
can easily become an early reader
for them to tackle on their own a
few years later. The verse is
prevalent for each little story
and inspiring. The story is
perfect for young attention spans
and the prayer is so simple
any child can repeat it and
take something away from
the experience.

_______________________________


John Say's

I did not grow up in a religious
household and do not know any
of the verses of prayers but I
though it was cute and taught
good values and is great for
teaching kids what is right
and what is wrong. It is quick
to read too so even when I am
busy I can get in a story or two
and the story's are broken up
enough and vary just the right
amount where I can read as
long as or as little as I want
to my kids without them feeling
like we are stopping at a point
where they are left hanging.
The little prayers are cool
and to the point of be nice,
be good and other little
morals parents struggle
with teaching their kids
now a days.
__________________________


Andrew says


It reminds me of the story's
Grandma Great used to read.
I liked it!





* John and I will each post our reviews as we finish them so check back
often to see if they are up yet. I tend to read a little bit faster then he does so mine are posted a little faster. All reviews are honest opinions and
the only thing we are compensated for the review is a copy of the book itself.
       Having both John and I review the books and post both our opinions
gives you the unique insight of a "He say-She say" scenario. I feel this is
a great benefit to you when it comes to picking books as gifts for people
and taking that dreaded jump into another genre.
        In the future I am working on getting more children's books since
I am a published children's short story writer they hold a special place
in my heart. When we do get children's story's to review I plan on letting
my 16 year old son and hopefully my 12 year old step daughter post their
reviews as well. That was you will get the honest to goodnessopinion of the intended market and a parents point of view as well. My son also reads adult literature and when books are appropriate he will offer his opinion on those as well.
     I hope our reviews help you with your reading pleasure and if you have
any questions or need advice on a book or a gift please feel free to ask. Every member of my household is an avid reader and between us we have read thousands of titles in every category from Comic books, Sci Fi, History, Mystery, Thrillers, True Crime, Romance and on and on.

Double Trouble
Susan May Warren
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
(January 11, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414313136
ISBN-13: 978-1414313139



Double Trouble by Susan May Warren

Double Trouble is the Second book in a Series
featuring PJ Sugar, a struggling apprentice to a
Private Detective with as much luck in the love and
family department as she has in her budgeting skills.
I didn't get a chance to read the first installment but
found the second a light hearted quirky ride leaving
one think the life of of Private Detective though
dangerous, could end up being a load of fun.

The Book starts with PJ returning to her home
town and back into the mix with an old boyfriend and
new family members. The hard time she is having
understanding her new brother in law and his family is
surpassed by her doubts and inability to decipher her own
heart. Instead of coping she immerses herself in her work
and takes an undercover job that is supposed to advance
her career to find time to put her personal life in perspective.
It isn't long before she finds she is over her head and the
little job turns into a big caper with danger at every turn.
The Chemistry between her boss and her is unmistakable
and the woman they are protecting deceitful and all end
up taking you on a delightful journey where you won't know
your destination to you arrive. Though it would have been
nice to read the first book for a few times I struggled, my
overall impression of the book was a good one and I
enjoyed the ride. Susan May Warren is two books into a great
career and I can't wait to see what sort of trouble is next!

From Peanuts to the Pressbox

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401604366
ISBN-13: 978-1401604363
by Eli Gold

Summery: A behind the scenes look at the life of
a person who worked their way up from a nobody in
the Biz to someone who rubs elbows with everyone
famous in sports. Eli started out as a kid in Brooklyn
selling Peanuts at the Garden to one of the most
notable voices in radio.



John says: I was a little hesitant to read the book at
first for the intro said this was a really famous person
and I had never heard of him. It made me think for I
thought I knew a lot about sports and to not recognize
the name gave me the impression he was just trying
to cash in on who he knew.
After reading it however, I was impressed. I learned
a lot and understand how it is just about as hard for
a person like him to make it in the field as it is a kid
who slams a good ball at our local High School. I liked
the fact the story was told from the heart and was light
and even funny and was very easy to relate to. Better
yet I loved all the inside details of what they really do
and I realized it isn't just something every guy would like
to do but a real job. He also rubbed elbows with a lot of
who's who in the sports world and though I thought that
would be a reason I didn't like the book the way he told
it made it a reason I liked it even more!
I say home-run!


Michelle says; Well I didn't know anything about sports
going into the book and now that I read the book I still
don't like sports but I did like the story. It is one of
those touching heart felt jobs that have you rooting
for the little guy and if that is how sports fans feel when
routing for their team I can relate a little better! I loved
the struggle to the top and it makes me nostalgic for a
time in American history when hard work paid off!
I don't know any cute sport cliche's to add like John
did but I say it was a good read for even people who
don't follow the game. It would also make a great gift!

_______________________________________________________________________________


Teen Reads!



Dude-The Book of Crazy, Immature Stuff

Written & Designed by Mickey and Cheryl Gill
ISBN 978-1-892951-46-5
Pages are not numbered

Summery: A book jammed packed full of
ideas, jokes, ways to pass the time and
loads of useless information to pass the
time!

Mom Says: When I saw the book I knew my son
would love it. Not because I thought it was his
taste in books but because of the name alone.
Crazy Immature Stuff, why that smacks of teenage
boys and what would amuse them. When I went
through it I realized it has some pretty darn useful
information and they phrase it in a smart alecky
teenage way and I can really see the attraction. Now
relax Mom and Dad the book is harmless and does
nothing to instill bad manors and you will still recognize
your angel once he has read this. Nothing in the book
is rude or will encourage trouble it is more of a busy
book filled with loads of harmless things to do and
loads of trivia. They might even learn something
without realizing it! The part I really liked is they
highlight things kids don't like and give you funny
ways to deal with them like the chore avoidance
checklist but it also give them a feeling of the other
side of the coin by asking them what they would do
if they were in charge. A kind of make you think, shoe
on the other foot deal.
My final word-I really loved it and think it would be
great for boys aged 8-18.


Teen says: I really liked this book a lot more then the
last book I reviewed. That book was like a self help
this is like looking at your self in the mirror and some
of the crazy thoughts that go through my head. It is a
boredom buster and I keep mine in the living room for
when I am once again forever waiting for my mother to
be ready to leave instead of twiddling my thumbs I just
flip through this. Some parts are pretty darn funny and
some of the things they have in here I write down any
ways and this just gives me a cool place to put it so
I don't have to bust my hand with too much writing. I can
see some of my younger cousins ready it and I got into
it but I am not sure how many guys older them me would
admit to reading it. I am also a sucker for books like
this!
Mom says I need to add a final word so mine is -Pretty
Cool, but if you have a sister hide it for she could use
some of the stuff against you!

_______________________________________________________________


Dude Dairy


Written & Designed by Mickey and Cheryl Gill
ISBN 978-1-89295145-8
2009
No page count

Summery: Aguided Dairy that has pages
to jot down ideas and thoughts with
suggestions on how to fill it!


Mom Says: This is like the other Dude book in the
sense it is filled with lots of fun facts and things
to do! The thing I found cute is the lock on the
cover but I am not sure what Andrew will think of it.
This would make a great busy book for the car or any
place where they might be bored other wise or if you
have a child that is artsy or just likes to read. I thought
it would make a great gift for a boy who you really have
no idea what their tastes are for I don't think you could
go wrong with this. It has something for everyone. I really
liked that it promotes creativity and I could really see
this being a huge hit for a child aged 7-12 and would
keep them busy for a long time.
My final word- Loved it, perfect gift and perfect to buy
yourself a little peace and slow down a busy boy!

Teen Says: Dude! it says Dairy on the cover! That
is a hard thing to get past. I got to give them props
though for if you have the guts to open it the book
was pretty book and a lot like the other one if you
forget the lock. This one gives you more space to
write things and more activities and not as many
bits of trivia but you can tell they are by the same
guy, or Dude! I liked it but would never have bought
it if I had seen the title first. The other book is more
appealing when you look at the cover this one gave
me the Heebie Jeebies at the word Dude. Okay, I
will fess up, I had some fun messing with the lock
but if my friends ever knew I would not hear the end
of it. My Cousins would really like the whole deal
though, name and all. For me if the cover wasn't there
I would take it to school with me for something to do
when I was bored for the front off all my folders are
all filled up and this is great for the kinds of stuff I
draw and write there. Cool Designs though.
My Final Word- Love the content, hate the name.
Wish it were more notebook sized so it was more easy
to write in but I will use it.