Socially Conscious Investing

 

Would you invest $25 if you knew the money was: a) an investment which you would receive a return and b) an in investment in the Rebuilding of America?

I would!

ROA Corporation is currently looking for investors to do just that.  For a mere investment of $20 (plus a $5 processing fee) you can invest in the rebuilding of America.  Where else can you make a true investment for so little?  Your $20 will be put into Jumbo CDs and the CDs are then leveraged to purchase, rehabilitate, modernize and finish foreclosed projects believed to be income producing.  The income accrued in the sale or lease of these properties is returned to the investors.

For a more detailed explanation, check out this letter from the CEO of Rebuilding of America, Jim Jameson.  He is passionate about his cause and creating change for the US.

Think about it.  For $25, you can help out the banks and mortgage companies who are being drained from all the foreclosures.  You will be providing jobs to workers who will be rebuilding these properties and you will be receiving a monetary return on your investment.

This is a one of a kind investment opportunity.  Not only will profits from this endeavor be paid out yearly, after only 5 years, you will have the option of getting your $20 returned or reinvested.  What are you waiting for?

Ebay Selling and Donating

I mentioned earlier that I will be giving monthly money to different charities.  I already support several causes such as the MS Society, St. Jude, and the Alzheimer's Foundation.  I also support less known foundations monetarily and through other means.

I'm going to try to focus on these endeavors, and a little less on what the kids are doing, from here on out on this blog.  If you're interested in my kids, check here.  I would also like to spotlight other bloggers and blogs that are doing their best to help others.

So I was EC dropping the other day and came across  a blog with some beautiful crafts.  Tara, over at Success Bound has put some of her items up on Ebay, with 25% of the proceeds going to St. Jude.

I of course bid on the lovely angel ornaments and hope to be the winner,  My MIL will get the angels as a Christmas present and I'll be giving more to one of my top Charities.

Thanks Tara, for your beautiful creations, and for thinking of others to share your talent with.

 

More great deals from Kmart

For people like me, who refuse to shop at the stores after Thanksgiving, Kmart is offering some great online specials.  They have womens Kimono Wrap Sweaters on sale with an extra 10% discount when you order online.  They also have Abbey Hill bedding from the Medallion Dream bedding collection for an additional 30% off.  Both these items are reduced for online purchases only, and you must order by November 26th (tomorrow).

Throughout December, Kmart will also be offering different (online only) discounts on other items in the following categories:  Women's Plus sleepwear, Women's atention brand, Girls tops, All junior wear, Boys tops, Men's shirts and bottoms, Big Men's shirts and bottoms, and Infant and toddler bedding.

To make it even more fun and get us in the Holiday Spirit, Kmart.com has ornaments hidden throughout the site that offer a coupon code for extra savings on select products.  These ornaments change weekly so check back often (or weekly) for extra savings.

The specials will not show up on product page but instead, once you have put them in your cart.  Why not go to kmart.com now and start saving, from inside your house, where it's warm, and there are no crowds, no lines at the check out, extra savings available, and free shipping on orders over $49.00.

Worry Much?

I've been worried for days. My face has completely broken out, I've gained 6 pounds and I've been up since 3:30 this morning, unable to sleep, due to worrying about Puddin' Pop's denist appointment today.

She had her front two teeth pulled 10 months ago and today they were doing a filling on a back molar and a filling or possibly removing another front tooth. It ended up getting  In order to avoid her any more undue stress, the dentist decided to give her an oral sedative, versed, to relax her and have her not remember the ordeal.  I did not get the same consideration.  I had to sit in the waiting room and hope for the best.

When it was all over, we came home.  She slept for 2 hours.  This is her now.

 

Forgive the spaghetti sauce around her mouth.  The purple box she's shaking has the extracted tooth inside.

My how things have changed

I remember when I was a kid in grade school.  We would have practice fire and tornado drills.  For Fires we evacuated the building and for Tornados we would line up in the hall, legs crossed, facing the wall, far away from any glass. 

I remember a tornado threat (apparently with ample warning) that instead of lining us up in the halls, we were sent home. We all enjoyed a beautiful sunny day.  In fifth grade a fire broke out in the paper room, again there were no bells, we were just evacuated and sent home. I guess neither were sufficient enough for panic.

So far this year, Boogie has practiced fire drills, and tornado drills.  They have also lined up against the walls in the classroom, with the door locked for Intruder Drills and  had a Mass Evacuation Drill that is similar to a fire drill except the whole school meets together. 

This last drill was to take place last Friday.  Notes were sent home onThursday as a reminder to dress the kids warm (the weather had dropped) and since it was "Funny Feet Friday" where the kids can wear anythng on their feet, it was requested that they bring their funny feet in their backpacks to put on after the drill.  Apparently cold weather will not stop a mass evacuation drill but wetness will?  It had snowed for 10 minutes early in the morning (before the bus even came to get Boog), there was no accumulation, and yet the drill was rescheduled due to "wetness". 

I wash we didn't have to have these drills at all, but am sure that wet ground will not stop someone, who intends on doing harm, from doing so.

Naked Brothers Band

 

The Naked Brothers are at it again.  This time Nat has lost his Mojo.  In a new movie, Operation Mojo, that premiers this Saturday at 8pm EST on Nickelodeon, the band will head off to the woods for some Dudification.

I remember, not so long ago, when the first movie came out and all the hype had Boogie super excited. We are avid Nick fans and while the first movie was a little over his head at the time, we are looking forward to this second one.  Boog is now a huge fan of iCarly and Drake and Josh and really enjoys the music in both shows so The Naked Brothers will be a hit. I'm sure

I was also excited to see that they will be doing an online chat at 7pm EST, right before the movie, on NatnAlex.com.  I think it will be fun to sit with Boog and let him ask any questions he may have to the two young musicians.

Boog has a love of music and "performing", however, he is only comfortable in front of family and close friends.  Both kids participate in the youth choir at church and have a blast every Wednesday night, but when performance time comes along (which is right around the corner), Boog refuses to get on stage.  He did fine at 2 and 3, but now is terrified to perform in front of strangers.

I hope that by watching these youths as a family, Boog will get to see them perform and possibly become a little less inhibited when it comes time for his Christmas performance.  I think I might even urge him to ask if they are scared to perform during the live chat.

 

 

 

Gonna have a Fun Day

I 'm so excited!  I found a recipe for easy bake Christmas ornaments yesterday and made up a batch last night after the kids went to bed.  They could have helped, if I had been better prepared.  I actually didn't find the recipe until after they went to sleep and wanted the decorations ready for our playdate at 9am.

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cup warm water

Mix it all together, roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness, use your favorite holiday cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.  Make a hole in the top (I used a straw and it worked perfectly) They are now ready to cook, and this is the best part, this recipe is for microwave ornaments (for baking in the oven, reduce flour to 2 cups and bake at 250 for 2-3 hours) Put 4-6 on a plate depending on size and bake for 3-5 minutes. (I started mine at 3, flipped them over, and baked for another 2)

I have a "little girl" (2-3 year olds) playdate this morning and have 24 ornaments ready to be painted.  Plus an assortment of paint, glitter glue, and sequins for them to use.  I'll make sure to take pictures and post later.  If your looking for some fun, try this recipe out.

I think we'll use our ornaments for gift tags this year.  Grandma is going to be thrilled.

 

The US Post Office, Barack Obama, and Sears

 

What do they all have in common?  They've taken away our excuses!

For years after I moved away from home, I was awful at getting Birthday, Father's Day, and Christmas presents home in time for the special occasions.  I dreaded going to the post office and would often hand deliver the gifts when I saw the appropriate recipients, several months later, when they came to visit or I made a trip home.  Now the postal carrier will pick up the packages  right from my front door (or wherever I choose to leave it).  My packages are always on time now.  I also have been known to order gifts online and have them sent directly to the recipient.  Either way, no more excuses.

While I haven't found a way to express my views on Barack Obama becoming President without offending, I will say that He has taken away a lot of the excuses we hear from people who have chosen not to better themselves.  No more excuses People.

Now, for the person in your life, who is just to busy to buy Christmas (or whatever Holiday you celebrate) gifts, Sears has launched a revolutionary excuse buster called Sears2Go .  Text SHOP to 73277 or go to Sears.com from your mobile phone and you can get most all the benefits of shopping online.  You can browse categories, get product reviews, make purchases and much more.  If you decide to pick up your purchase from a local store, they will even text you when your order is ready.  How cool is that?

So if you know this "I'm too busy" person, tell them Sears just took away their excuse.

 

Win a tub full of Ted and your favorite cereal...without Ted

What better way to support Families in need than by joining in on this fun contest.  Ted Murphy (from Izea) is giving one lucky winner a lifetime tub full of their favorite cereal . 52 boxes to be exact.

You have until midnight on the 23rd of November to enter.  Either blog about it or tweet it on twitter (or both for 2 entries).  If Ted receives 500 (or more) comments on this contest (2 per person, max), he will not only give the winner 52 boxes of cereal, he will also donate 52 boxes to his local food bank.

I would like 52 boxes of Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch, please.  I will donate 45 boxes to my local food bank (if I'm the lucky winner).

 

 

Elliot Yamin, My Kind of Holiday

I LOVE American Idol.  Something about watching these kids grow (or try to) their talent as well as their confidence in performing, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  While I do not run out and buy their CD's, I do enjoy hearing their songs on the radio and often buy individual tracks on-line to listen to while I'm blogging or cooking dinner.

I also enjoy Holiday music, when it's appropriate.  My favorite (well, not right now) radio station started playing Christmas music 24/7 the day after Halloween.  What?  That's a little early in my book so the station is banned from my listening.  They were also playing all the "old" stuff, which made it even more annoying.

While searching for "new" holiday music, I came across Shop.com's Music Shop.  You can purchase your favorite CD's at the best prices, as wel las listen to full tracks of newly released songs.  I've been listening to Elliot Yamin's Warm Me Up, from his My Kind of Holiday CD all morning and am getting in the Holiday spirit.  They also currently have tracks from George Strait, Josh Groban, Seal and many others.  While their play list is small, they swap it up all the time to spotlight different artists and songs.  I'll be checking back to see what songs I can add to my Holiday playlist.  Check it out!

"I'm tired"..."I don't care"

For years Darling Hubby would always call me at work in this monotone whiny voice, talking all slow, about whatever.  I worked in a restaurant, I didn't have time for "slow".  I understand he may have been tired from work, but the tone in his voice was down right annoying and I quickly (after several years of patience) told him to at least sound upbeat when calling as the "blah, blah, woe is me, blah blah" was totally getting on my nerves.  As any loving husband would do, he stopped.  It's been several years and two children since this awakening and our conversations (although I now work from home and am not so rushed) are much more enjoyable. 

The other day Hubby had a sleep deprived EEG test done and could not sleep after midnight on Wednesday for his test Thursday morning. He felt wide awake after the test and decided to go into work.  By 2:30 he was feeling the effects of being up all night and called us to come and get him.  We got home and I convinced him to stay awake for another 4 hours and go to bed with the kids rather than take a 4 hour nap and be up all night thus continuing the cycle. 

Imagine my pleasure surprise when our 2 year old, sitting next to him on the couch, said "Daddy, why you talk like that?"  He said "How am I talking?"  She, with a long face, says "Blaaah, Blaaah, blaaah."  I completely fell out. He said (trying not to laugh) "Daddy is just tired."  She said "Don't do it anymore."

 Out of the mouths of babes. 

 My little sweetie is just like me!

Layaway options for the holidays

 

Wow.  I didn't even know stores still did layaways.  What a great plan to get the things you want need for the holidays without breaking the bank.

Sears launched their holiday layaway program 2 days ago and it applies to most items in the store, including sale items.  With  Sears Layaway, you can pick your items out now, Put a cash down payment of 20% or $15, whichever is greater, you can then make regular payments until the item(s) are paid off (up until December 23rd) and then take them home.

I was looking at their sale items and found some stuff for my layaway.  I think the most inviting thing about layaway is the fact that someone else can "hold on to your stuff", so sneaky little kids can't find their gifts ahead of time.  Here's what I've picked out so far:

Boogie is in desparate need of jeans.  He went from size 3t to 5t last school year, so I'll have to get a couple different sizes this year to last the rest of the year.

Puddin' Pop LOVES her Princess nightgowns, but it's getting a little cold (since I really haven't turned the heat on yet) for those and I know she will love this.  At 50% off, Mommy loves it too.

For Hubby (okay, maybe for both of us) I picked out this microwave.  Our built in one stopped working months ago (it smelled like an electric fire, with no flames, thank goodness) and we pulled a counter top one out of the attic.  I would really like my counter top space back and am sure Hubby agrees that I should have more space.

I'll save $80 on this microwave.  By putting it on layaway, I'm giving Hubby notice, and time, to get the other one out of the wall so I don't lose even more space by the new one "sitting" on the counter waiting for it's spot.

 

Relaxed and Well Rested

Today is Hubby's Birthday.  He's 40! (felt I had to add that) and we both had a wonderful nights sleep.

I planned ahead and got Mima and Papa (the In-Laws) to take the kids for the night.  Can you hear the smile on my face?  We had a lovely dinner at the Outback.  A medium filet with a 1/2 pound side of Alaskan King Crablegs, a baked potato for each of us, and I had a salad.  I honestly believe that this is the first time in the 15 years (okay, 14.5, I'm rounding up) we've been together that we have ever split a meal.  Is that a sign of something?  Anyway, it worked out perfect. Neither of us was over stuffed, which is what usually happens when we go out without the kids, we are so happy to be eating without interuptions that we EAT.

We came home.  I made some chocolate chunk brownies, and as soon as they were done we (hubby) made up a big bowl of brownies topped with Ice cream and chocolate syrup.  We sat on the couch, sharing the big bowl of dessert, watching all the adult programs we tape and never get to watch with the kids around.

It was a fabulous night.  Reminded us of what it was like before kids.  We hope the kids behaved for Mima and papa and get invited back for a sleep over soon.

Freshfunds. A New Way to Give.

 

Did that catch your attention? 

In my endless search for ways to "give back".  I came across freshfunds, a site that rewards you for living a healthy lifestyle (or trying to be healthier), and allows you to accumulate points for your purchases of certain items.  You can use those points to bid on auction items (right now they have an elliptical machine up for auction, and a macbook coming soon).  You can also use your points to donate money (theirs) to Relay for Life, or directly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The Sproutwells are your everyday fruit and veggie family.  They love to participate in auctions with Freshfunds and encourage you to do the same.  It's probably stuff you already buy, I know it was for me, and is even simpler than cutting off all those boxtops for the kids school.

I just joined.  I will commit to donating all my points to  Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  I will keep you updated on amounts. 

Don't tell Hubby.  He got really excited when I told him about the Macbook Air.  I don't think he'll appreciate my "not even trying" to get it for him.

What are you going to do to help others?  Are you already helping yourself and your family lead a healthy lifestyle (or trying to)?

Share your stories.

2008 Thanks and Giving Campaign

November kicks off the Thanks and Giving Campaign for St. Jude.  St. Jude's doctors and staff are commited to finding cures for life threatening childhood ailments and will treat all patients, regardless of the ability to pay.

What would you do if you were told your child may die?  By donating now, you can save another parent from hearing this news.  I give to St. Jude's every year and it is one of the causes I feel strongly about.  I can not imagine what these patients and their parents are going through and want to do my part to prevent another parent from getting that bad news.

The doctors at St. Jude's never give up, even when others would and do.  They are on a mission to ensure every child has a chance at a fulfilling life. You can read about patients and other things going on at St Jude here

 

Who wants a free Xbox?

 

If you haven't already looked into it, a great way save some money is to bundle the services you already receive in your home.  We bundled our cable, phone and internet a couple years ago, when I stopped working, and are saving over $50 a month while adding a DVR (which I could no longer live without).

If you enjoy gaming, either on a gaming system or online, Charter offers the HD experience (a picture 6 times sharper than standard TV) as well as  the fastest and most reliable internet connections available.  They are also giving away 45 Xbox 360 consoles. That's one a day from now until December 15th. 

To be elgible to win an Xbox 360,you must live in an area that Charter services, and log on to their website to purchase services or just register to win at Charter Communications Xbox Sweepstakes. 

You can try out Charter's services risk-free for 30 days.  So why not see what HD TV looks like (if you haven't already).  I know my Hubby refuses to let me watch or record on regular channels when HD channels are available.

The Xbox prize pack includes the console,  LIVE headset, wireless controller, HD AV cable, and a 20 Gb detachable hard drive.  A very nice Christmas present for any Man Child in your life.