Confirmation Retreat

I don't know what I was thinking when a few weeks back I agreed to help chaperone my daughter's Confirmation Retreat, but I agreed so I went.  Now I know what everyone complains about when they have a sleep over!  I got NO SLEEP!!!  Usually when Darly has a sleep over I get sleep...cuz I don't have to worry about how late the kids stay up...if they sleep, good, if the don't, oh well they're not my kids and they'll go home soon enough.

Not so at a Retreat.  See the first problem with this is I had to sleep in the same room with the kids girls.  Second, we had no beds...so sleeping on the floor.  I'm not such a good sleeper on the floor, even with an air mattress.  Then I had to get up several times for bathroom breaks because I had consumed a bunch of water because where we were staying was pretty dry.  ugh!  AND I had to get up at 6am.

The food was good, the kids were pretty good and the lesson was good too.  Just the lack of sleep.  When we got home on Saturday I went to sleep really quickly after our dinner...which I'm so thankful was left-overs.  If I had to start dinner from scratch we would still be hungry.  lol

So, will I do another retreat?  ummm Maybe I'll let someone else have that pleasure. ;o)

Sneak Preview

I posted last week about getting to see Life As We Know It and I really wanted to share the sneak preview experience with you.  Here's my post about the movie...you should go see it!

First I received an email asking if I wanted to go see the movie and post a review on it.  And seriously I did want to see it.  I had seen previews and was excited to see the movie.  So I said yes right away as if you snooze you loose on these kind of things.
I also asked my friend to come with me, cuz I had two seats...why not use them?

So the day comes and we go to the theater.  I had some choice seats reserved...sweet!  But first we had to go through security.  I hadn't been to a movie in a while so at first I assumed this security was just normal, it wasn't until later that I realized what was up.  We were asked to turn off our cell phones before going in too.  I was thinking "SWEET! no cells going off during the movie!"  Turns out that was part of the same security.  Also our bags were checked.  All of this was to make sure that no one was sneaking in a video camera to make a copy of the movie because we were seeing the movie before it's release date.

The movie theater that we were going into had another movie title on the sign that tells you what theater to go into for your movie.  There were no ads and only one preview for another movie.  And then during the movie the security guys who scanned us with metal detecting wants as we went in had special binoculars to use to watch us with to make sure no one was filming the movie.

I thought it was all very interesting.  I don't know if anyone was upset by it or not...they shouldn't have been...we were all there to see the movie for free.  There were other folks there who weren't with the same group that I was...I asked who they were with and they were very friendly about it.  They also got to see the movie in exchange for a review.

All in all it was a great experience and if I ever get the chance again I will do it.

It's about time!

for a new look!

I finally decided to change my blog template...aren't you glad? I had been using that template for I don't even know how many years...but I noticed (yeah, just now...duh) that the header said I was still a LLL Leader and I quit that about 4 or 5 years ago. So it was time to go!

Also it helped a lot that blogger has some free, easy to make more me-ish templates that are free...oh yeah, I said that. lol

I don't know if this will make me blog more. But I'm liking it so far. What do you think?

"Hello My Name is Hope" campaign

I think most of you know how addicted to Facebook I am. My poor blog here often gets neglected because of it. Well now I have a good excuse to be on Facebook and you do too.

Way back in the 80's my grandparents were going through a very rough time. My grandfather was in the late stages of Parkinson's disease and my grandmother was struggling to take care of him all on her own. I can't imagine her horror in learning that there was a lump in her breast. I don't know all the specifics as I was just a teenager and unfortunately such matters were not discussed in our family. However, I do know that my grandmother decided that since she didn't have the time for additional treatment that she would just get a double mastectomy and be done with it all so that she could put her focus back on my grandfather. Well it's 25 years later and my grandmother is still alive and kicking.

As you know, October is Breast Cancer awareness month. I am excited to learn about the "Hello My Name is Hope" campaign presented by www.Quill.com, a leading business-to-business online and direct marketer of office products. To boost breast cancer awareness, Quill.com is inviting all Facebook users to post and personalize virtual "Hello My Name is Hope" stickers on their profiles to honor both survivors and victims of the disease. The familiar "Hello My Name Is" stickers take on new meaning with personalized messages of hope and support shared across the Facebook community. For every sticker shared, Quill.com will donate $1 - up to $20,000 - to City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center dedicated to research, treatment and education.



Here's my sticker. Isaiah 43:2 says When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. And I feel that this scripture is perfect for all of us but especially breast cancer victims as they need the strength and encouragement. The picture on there is from my Women's Group at Church. I know that at least one of these lovely ladies that I'm proud to be a member of has gone through breast cancer treatment and I pray that she stays in remission.

So what can you do? If you're on Facebook, click on the link http://www.facebook.com/quill and allow the app. Spread the word and spread the Hope! Let's provide all the funds we can.

I learned about this campaign through MomSelect.com and received an entry into a contest for a gift card for my blog post. However, I would have posted this anyway as it's a cause I believe in.

"Life As We Know It" – Review

2 Moms – kids – hubbies + Fun Movie = GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!

About a week ago I got the most awesome opportunity in my email box. This is something that I never in my wildest dreams ever thought would happen. I got asked to go to a pre-screening of “Live as We Know It” a new Warner Bros. movie. Little ol’ me! Who wudda thunk??? So of course I asked my buddy Marsi to come with…we both needed a girls’ night out.

As luck would have it, I had saw previews for this movie and it was something I really wanted to see. Here, you watch this http://lifeasweknowitmovie.warnerbros.com/ and tell me you aren’t interested…go ahead, I’ll wait…

Let me just say THE ENTIRE MOVIE IS THIS FUNNY! (okay, there are sad parts, the baby’s parents die) but the rest of it was FUNNY! Oh and to make the movie even more fun, there are plenty of EYE CANDY shots of Josh thrown in!

Movie Synopsis:
In the romantic comedy “Live as We Know It,” Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming caterer and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, the only thing they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter, Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in the world, Holly and Messer are forced to put their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they’ll have to find some common ground while living under one roof.

I can’t really tell you much more about the movie without telling you the entire story…cuz I love to blab, but this is a really good movie to go see with your friends. I think that all parents would get a kick out of this movie because Holly & Messer are really good at making a mess of things. The movie is rated PG-13 (note: she didn’t call that stuff on Holly’s face poo).

If you're still not convinced that you should see this movie, check out the link again http://lifeasweknowitmovie.warnerbros.com/ and check out the other stuff they have there. I need to go back and check out the sweepstakes!

I attended a complimentary screening of this movie to facilitate my review and received a gift card from Mom Central as a thank you for my time.

Don't Fret the Sweat - Review

Darly and her friends are now reaching the age where they aren't just sweet little girls anymore. They're starting to become young women. Unfortunately that sometimes means funky smells when we're all trapped in the car. UGH!

I feel blessed in that I can talk with Darly about this kind of stuff. Darly has known this was coming for about 4 years now and she's been excited to grow up. I got her a book about growing up back when she was about 9 or so and she read through it and couldn't wait for her body to start changing. Darly asked for and started using deodorant a while back. But we are having shower issues and sometimes her friends need a hint.

Need some help talking to your tween/teens about funky smells and telling them it's deodorant time? Check out DontFretTheSweat.com Your glorious guide to sweat, kids and confidence for tips, confidence-building tools and more information about the Tween Confidence Index.

DontFretTheSweat.com has some really cool stuff on there like a game for parents to see how much they know about teens today. I admit that my score could use some improvement, I had no idea how many kids today have cell phones and use them to access the internet. I really appreciated the coupon section...cuz who doesn't want to save money, right? I'll have Darly take a look at the product finder so she can choose which type of deodorant she wants to use...I sure hope she doesn't choose the most expensive one. LOL!

So far Darly seems to be loving the new Suave Wild Cherry Blossom Antiperspirant/Deodorant that we got to try out. I hope she picks that one cuz it smells really nice.

I'll be sharing this post with my daughter's friends' moms in hopes that I don't get trapped in the car with Mr Funky again. I really hope this post saves you from being trapped with Mr Funky too. :D

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Unilever and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Still frustrated by the doctor!

a while back I posted this lovely post. well the saga continues... @@ <-that's me rolling my eyes.

DH went back to the hematologist yesterday and came home still frustrated by this man. It seems to us that he doesn't even read DH's chart. DH asked about the repeated blood testes that have been ordered and the guy couldn't even give DH a straight answer about the results. He quickly flipped through the chart and said that the white blood cell count levels did seem to be improving a bit (funny with all the blood they've been drawing!)

The doc wanted to do another bone marrow biopsy. The last time DH had this procedure it A) costs us nearly $300. B) ended up cracking DH's pelvis and left him in pain since...and C) showed nothing wrong with him!

When DH said that he did NOT want to do another biopsy because he thinks his pelvis was cracked by the previous one the doctor tried to tell him that his symptoms were NOT from a cracked pelvis but from a pinched nerve and that he should go see a chiropractor. (yet when we checked the symptoms on line they all together point to the cracked pelvis and not a pinched nerve!) The doctor tried really hard to convince DH to take another test. DH refused.

The reason the doctor wants to run the test is to find the cause for his low white blood cell count. The doctor refuses to believe that this is just genetic. Every other doctor that DH has been to has looked at MIL & SIL's records and believed, but apparently in this day and age there MUST be a reason other than genetics.

I suggested that DH speak with his primary care doc about the results and see if she might suggest a second opinion or believe him and his charts so he can discontinue seeing a doctor who seems bent on draining our checking account. Hopefully he'll do that as he really would like to stop seeing this doctor. fingers crossed.

Dinner?

Tonight's weird IM convo because getting up and walking to the other room is just too much work!

sorry for the LOLKitteh talk...we do that frequently here. I doubt it helps with spelling though.

Darly says: FEED MEH MOMMIE

RENEE says: U no how the oben works

Darly says: But i don't know how to makes chickens

RENEE says: read the package...duh!

Darly says: but packages can lie

RENEE says: but this one doesn't
preheat oven to 400.

Darly says: isn't u hungrie?

RENEE says: put chickie on foil covered cookie sheet
place in oben
set timer for 1/2 the time it says
when that goes off, flip the chickie
then set timer for other half (I did 20 last night)
20 total min

Darly says: Should I make something else?

RENEE says: then heat the potatoes, veggies & graby

Darly says: But I don't want gaby

RENEE says: you could make biscuits too.
I want graby!!!

Darly says: ZE U MAKE GRABY!

RENEE says: u no this goes on de blog...right?

Darly says: u no, at my house when i grow up, graby will be unheard of

RENEE says: rotflol! yeah right!

note: the child has NOT got up to make my chicken & gravy! It's frozen breaded chicken strips.

Flying Dog!!!

We just returned from our camping trip. We had a great time. The cabin we stayed in was very nice. Here's a link to the cabin we stayed in last year http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/GoldenGateCanyon/CabinsandYurts/Pages/GoldenGateCanyonCabinsYurts.aspx This year we were in a similar cabin.

We went up with some friends... Darly's BFF and BFF's Mom. BFF is rather a cranky person in the mornings and didn't like being woken up...but then she didn't like it if we let her sleep either. LOL, no pleasing that kid. So to be funny we put Lilly up in BFF's bed on the top bunk. Lilly of course knows how to make folks wake up...she's very good at it.

But she isn't very good at posing for pictures. I was trying to get a picture of Lilly up in the bunk and called her...so Lilly being a good girl came to me. YUP! Flying dog!

She scared me to death! I had the camera in my hands and didn't have enough time to try to catch her...which probably would have hurt both of us pretty badly anyway. So she hit the floor. She didn't seem at all hurt by it and now two days later doesn't seem any worse for wear.

We took Lilly on a hike and other than pulling me down on some loose gravel she did really well. Lilly likes to be in the lead so she kept pulling on the leash. Finally I had to "put the girdle" on her...that's where you take the leash and wrap it around the dog's belly and through the leash again, so it's like a choke collar but around the belly. It is really effective at keeping your dog from pulling...so much so that Lilly will do anything to try to get out of having to wear the leash that way.

The Food Report for Lilly: Well Saturday night she didn't get anything special as the people went to a cookout at another campsite. bummer. Sunday night the people had stew (that smelled up the cabin all day and made us all extra hungry!) and Lilly got to eat some of that...YUMMMY! Monday night the people had hamburgers & mac n cheese and Lilly had one bite of hamburger and some mac n cheese. no smores for Lilly though. oh and she got to clean up breakfast dishes of oatmeal and grits each day.

There were lots of squirrels running around and laughing at Lilly...she got to chase a few. There were also a few dogs to try to bark at, but mom was mean and wouldn't let her. Sunday morning there was a lot of activity in the camp as most folks were packing up to leave...Lilly had to woof at them all...waking Mom and getting her really angry! Monday morning Lilly slept in the crate and Mom got to sleep in until 9:30...much better!

Now we're home, Lilly got a bath and doesn't smell like a camp dog anymore.

more suckage

as many of you know, my dear hubby spent a good part of last year over in the sandbox. He came home all safe & sound only to come down with a nasty case of pneumonia that landed him in the hospital for 10 days. ugh! and things just got even more crazy after that.

well this year his boss went over to the sandbox to do the exact same tour that DH did, but here's the twist. Due to our president deciding to pull the troops out, there is nothing for boss to do while he's there. Boss is sitting in the hot sand twiddling his thumbs! when DH was there he was so busy working that he had no time off at all, working weekends and holidays! AND

since boss is gone, DH has to do both his job and his boss' job. DH is gone at the office so much that he might as well be deployed again! He goes into work before 7 and only comes home at 8:30 because the south gate on the base closes at that time and DH hates having to drive to the north gate. In fact DH went into work on Labor day as if it were a regular work day. UGH!

and to make things even more fun...that stupid recovery & reinvestment act is stealing money from projects that DH is working on and giving it to states to tear up perfectly good roads and repave them...meaning traffic delays and decreased productivity. So DH gets to figure out what they can live without or delay to cover paying for what they need. Course it doesn't help that they have stupid contractors who get fired off of jobs for cutting through major communications lines (while operating heavy equipment & talking on their cell phones!) come begging for their contract back with their crying wife. Frankly I'm very miffed at the person who agreed to that meeting...what a waste of time!

k, I think I'm done now. LOL

the latest...

well Darly tried out for the play but didn't make it. :( we were both really bummed as we thought she did awesome in the audition. I thought she nailed the part. I couldn't be sure but it could have been that they picked kids that they knew from previous plays. Oh well...she isn't giving up. But right now there aren't any plays to try out for.

But Darly doesn't want to return to gymnastics. I thought that perhaps she might want to do tumbling, but nope...not that either. Okie Dokie! No idea what I'm going to do to make sure she is getting PE but I'm sure something will come up. Her bff's mom mentioned dance (bff does dance) but Darly is pretty sure she doesn't want to dance. She says it's boring.

in other news: while I was researching tumbling options I came across a review for the gym Darly was most recently at...
by parkerfan
01/12/2010

This program has really gone down hill since that review was written. In 2010 Parker School of Gymnastics is the best gym in Parker. With a new owner PSG is amazing!!

replies:
MomBaker - 09/07/10
Really, I've been to both and there's no comparison. Alpha is by far a better and more caring place to send your kids.
jenmom - 09/09/10
I've been to both and we prefer Alpha!


I'm pretty sure that the review was written by the new owner of the old gym (he was the manager...the guy we hated!)
Course I can't be 100% sure that the review was written by the owner, but the avatar he used looked pretty much like him and the attitude was all him.

funny if his gym is so great, then why did half of his USAG team leave to come to our new gym???

Kellogg’s FiberPlus™ Antioxidants Cereals

We all live busy lives and trying to keep up with the latest nutritional advice is pretty tough…especially if what we should eat doesn’t taste all that great. But the folks at Kellogg’s has done it again and come up with a very tasty way for us to get our fiber. Recently I was asked if I might like to try FiberPlus cereals. Since Darly has been consuming huge quantities of cereal lately, I jumped on the chance to get free samples. (anything to help with the food budget, right?)

The day the samples arrived Darly's bff was visiting and they decided it was time for a snack (this was at about 5pm…almost dinner time!) so they each poured themselves a full bowl, and chowed down. I reached into each of their bowls and got my hand back with all my fingers! The girls continued scarfing down the Kellogg’s FiberPlus™ Antioxidants Cereals in Berry Yogurt Crunch and Cinnamon Oat Crunch. Needless to say both flavors were a huge hit. I sent home a zip lock bag of each flavor with Darly’s friend.

Here’s what Kellogg’s has to say…
Berry Yogurt Crunch
With 40% of your daily fiber and antioxidant vitamins C and E, this healthy high-fiber cereal also tastes great. Kellogg's FiberPlus™ Berry Yogurt Crunch cereal mixes whole-grain wheat and rice flakes with crunchy berry- and yogurt-flavored clusters. Many Americans don't get the fiber, whole grains, vitamins and minerals1 important to a healthy diet, but delicious Kellogg's FiberPlus™ cereal helps supply 25 grams of whole grains per serving.

Cinnamon Oat Crunch
With 3X more fiber than Honey Nut Cheerios®*
and more than 2X the fiber of MultiGrain Cheerios®1
Delightful cinnamon flavor and crunchy oats make this healthy high-fiber cereal sweetly satisfying. While many Americans don't get enough fiber and antioxidant vitamin E daily2, Kellogg's FiberPlus™ cereals deliver nutrition and great taste. With 35% of your daily fiber and antioxidant vitamins C and E, this delicious cereal is a great way to jump-start the day

Me again…
We received the full sized boxes of both flavors on the 25th. Last night when I went to get myself a bowl both boxes were almost empty! Someone (Darly) has been scarfing down this stuff for dessert and breakfast and afternoon snacks! I think I’m going to have to go stock up on this.

I wrote this review on behalf of Kellogg’s FiberPlus Cereal. Kellogg’s sent me a box of each cereal to try.

I was going to put some lovely clip art of the logo and cereal boxes but I couldn't figure out how to make them post here. Sorry! :(

Craptacular update

well like I mentioned before Darly decided that she would like to try out for a play instead of doing gymnastics.

So that meant that last night was her last night at the gym for a while. I decided that I would send an email to the gym's owner letting him know that Darly wouldn't be in gymnastics for a while. (they ask that you do this so they can fill the spot from the wait list)

So I emailed the following:
I just wanted to let you know that Darly won’t be able to come to gymnastics for the next session. Since we were expecting that she would make Eagles she signed up to do another activity on Tuesdays & Thursday nights. It’s an awesome educational opportunity for her.

Luckily this is a short engagement and we’ll be back at the gym soon

I was really torn about what I should send in the email because I really wanted to tell them all my grievances about the situation. However in the end I felt it best to not burn that bridge until I was sure we were coming back. So I'll let them "have it!" when we go back or if we decide to quit.

Here's the email I got back:
Hi Renee....
Thank You for the heads up ....and when you return, we'll have a place for Darly......

HAPPY HANDSTANDS!!!

So I'm guessing that the owner wasn't really given a head's up on the situation. LOL But since he says she'll have a place we're going with it.

Now for the audition for the play. :D

May I sit at the Grown up's table please?

UGH this is so upsetting.

When we go out to dinner as a family of course we have Darly with us. But Darly is no ordinary child... she behaves in restaurants. But unfortunately every time we go out and ask for a table for 3 we get seated in the "families with kids" section of the restaurants.

I should have asked for a different table tonight. It was our Anniversary dinner. @@ I don't know why I didn't ask if we could move...I think it was partly because I really needed to use the restroom and didn't pay attention to the table right next to us and partly because I assumed that due to the mess on the table that they were about finished and ready to leave...ummm nope, they had just ordered.

I didn't want to stare and give you a better idea of the other party... they were in a booth with an extra two top table pulled over. Seated at the two top were two toddlers in booster chairs. Thankfully there were adults seated next to them, but a lot of good that did as the toddlers have the parents trained to give in to their demands.

The one child went right into the whiney cry and the mother yells "WHAT?" The child doesn't ever tell her what he wants, but the mother is trying every trick in the book to get him to be quiet. lovely

sigh!

Well if this place was looking to turn the table quickly, they did that very well. We were out of there before the table next to us...even after I had to run to the car and get my purse so we could leave a cash tip and dash!

I am desperate to find a nice quite place to go for dinner that doesn't cost $30 or more per plate. But alas it seems that I need to just eat at home instead.

Oh Craptacular! @@

Some may call me paranoid, but they are usually wrong more frequently than I am.

So here's what has me feeling that something is going on now...

Darly has been taking gymnastics at the new gym for over a year now. Since we joined she has been evaluated 3 times to see if she might be competition material. They gym offers USAG and EAGLES programs. USAG is what you see on the olympics...well one day these girls might grow up to be in the olympics. EAGLES is closer to a recreational program...not quite so strict.

All 3 times that Darly has been evaluated it was determined that she could be on a team. The first two times we turned the gym down due to other commitments. The third time the teams had no room for Darly (they were both full).

Now it is after season for the EAGLES team and time for the level 4 girls to move up...making room for new level 4 girls. So the gym offered a try out for girls. It looked as if Darly was finally going to be able to get on a team because the teams had room and Darly had the time.

So she tried out. She did very well. Not as well as some of the girls but better than others. However this time she was not chosen for the team.

The reason we were given was that she didn't have the strength and form required for the team. (what about before???) The coach said he would rather have girls who had strength and form over "tricks" because he could teach the tricks. He did not mention the other 3 times she was deemed team material.

I really feel that she was not chosen for team because she turned it down before. I think that because I chose to not put gymnastics above our other commitments that they are punishing us (or believe that if something else came up we would dump the gym).

and unfortunately the latter might be the case. Darly really wants to get into acting and that takes place on the same night as her current gymnastics class. If she had made it on the EAGLES team she could have done both acting and gymnastics. However, she didn't make the team...so she is going to try out for the play. I really hope that she gets a part in the play.

Killing me softly?

I recently decided that enough is enough and joined a gym to try and get rid of my "baby fat" that I've been carrying around about 13 years now. ugh!

So my friend and I have been frequenting the gym on a semi regular basis. I came up with what I thought was a pretty good routine of working out.

Normally I would do 45-60 min in the treadmill to get things going. I was doing random or hill, which would change the incline at random times...but then I just switched to doing the entire walk at a 4.5 incline and my speed ranges between 3.5 to 3.8 (I think that's mph but I don't know).

Then it was time to hit the machines for 30-45 min. I rarely keep track of how many reps I do...usually it is just as many as I can at my highest weight then I knock the weight back and do as many as I can, and then knock it down again. My philosophy is it is better to do as many reps as I can than to lift a ton of weight.

And finally if I'm up to it I finish off with 15-30 min on the elliptical trainer. I set it for one of the glute settings, but I don't think there's really any difference.

However, when I signed up for this gym they offered me two 30 min sessions with a trainer. And this week I finally got my work outs with her.

Let me tell ya folks...this lady is BRUTAL!!!

After she takes a look at me and learns that my back is crooked (I knew this!), my hips aren't even (caused by the crooked spine) AND that my left knee turns inward...also caused by the spine. sigh! She starts with the torture.

First she had me leaning against an exercise ball and doing squats with 10 lbs of weight. (I'm not sure if that's 5lbs or 10lbs in each hand) By about 7 reps of this my left leg is begging for mercy and I think she let me quit at only 10 reps instead of doing the full 12...my brain is foggy with pain.

Then she had me lifting only 7.5 lbs of weight as if I were on my back on a weight bench...only I was balancing on the exercise ball. It was really tough to lift the weight, not smash myself in the head and remember to keep my back straight while doing this.

Finally she had me on the floor with my legs straight up in the air and using just my abs trying to lift my legs straight up.

My thighs were KILLING ME!!! (honestly they still are!)

For my second session she seemed overly pleased that I was still in pain. (folks told me that she would be! Trainers are mean!)

She started off showing me how to stretch my muscles out with foam rollers. While this was very painful she assured me that eventually my muscles knots would release...I still haven't seen that happen yet. I'm looking to get a foam roller for home use to see if it ever happens.

then she had me work on my triceps and finally some squat lunge walking (oops I nearly forgot the part that hurt the worst! the touch squat thing!) I could only feel this in my thighs yesterday, but a friend warned me I would feel it in my glutes today...and she was right.

I'm a mess. I'm trying to get myself to a hot tub today. I sure hope that I can!

The HPV Test

We’ve all heard all the news about the HPV vaccine for our girls. I’m not going to debate this here. However, there is something that all women can do for the early detection and fight against Cervical Cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide, yet is easily preventable because we know its cause, HPV.

There is a test for HPV. HPV testing can identify if you have one of the "high-risk" infections on your cervix that can cause cervical cancer. The HPV test can be performed at the same time as the Pap test to help doctors identify which women are at greatest risk. However not all doctors automatically use both tests.

That is why it is essential that women act as their own health advocates.

Learn about what you can do to protect yourself against cervical cancer:

• THE PAP TEST looks at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix for any cell changes or abnormalities. Pap testing should begin at age 21.
• THE HPV TEST is conducted from the same sample as the Pap and identifies women with high-risk HPV infections that can cause cervical cancer. When used with a Pap in women 30 and older, the HPV test increases the ability to identify who is at risk of developing cervical cancer.
• If you are age 30 or older, ask your doctor for the digene HPV Test together with your Pap test.
• If both tests come back normal, then the tests don’t need to be repeated for 3 years. But remember to return each year for your annual health exam.
• If one or both tests come back abnormal, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have cervical cancer. It simply enables your health care provider to monitor you more closely or treat pre-cancerous cells before cervical cancer develops.
• HPV testing isn’t necessary for women younger than 30, because HPV infections in young women usually go away on their own without causing problems. Women under 30 will only have HPV testing if their Pap test is inconclusive.

Please check out http://www.thehpvtest.com for more info about the HPV test and remember to ask your doctor at your next yearly exam to run the test.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the QIAGEN digene HPV test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Nature Made SAM-e

I think we’ve all had times in our life where we didn’t feel quite ourselves. There just doesn’t seem to be any reason for us feeling down…we just do. What I was surprised to learn was that this is normal.

As we get older our bodies start making less SAM-e, a naturally occurring compound, which ultimately works to maintain a balanced mood.

You know, I hadn’t even heard of SAM-e before. So I checked out www.sam-e.com to see what I was missing out on.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete helps replenish your body's natural levels of SAM-e and when taken daily it can begin to help naturally restore a healthy mood in as little as 7 to 14 days. For more information, please visit www.sam-e.com.

On the website you can see all the benefits of SAM-e and decide for yourself if taking SAM-e is right for you.

Nature Made SAM-e Complete recently launched called “Give a Smile,” http://www.sam-e.com/give-a-smile. They are working with Dream Factory, the second largest children’s wish-granting organization in the U.S., to grant the wishes of three children suffering from a critical or chronic illness. Through this campaign SAM-e will donate to a child’s wish for every social action you or your readers complete (like uploading an image to their mosaic). The more actions, the more SAM-e will donate. You can find out more about the program using the link above and learn how your actions lead to SAM-e donations!

One of my readers will get the chance to try Nature Made SAM-e with a 3-month supply as well as a reusable water bottle and journal.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.”

ARGGH!

To top things off from my last post...I discovered on Monday that someone keyed my car!

It was no accident...they went from the back fender panel all the way to the front fender panel...and into the fiberglass trim.

UGH! Now I have to find someplace to fix this before the damage gets worse.

GEEZE! Learn how to shop already!

I know better...really I do, but sometimes life just gets in the way and doesn't allow me time to go to the grocery store until the weekend comes. And every time that I am forced to go to the grocery store on the weekend I am a frustrated as ever at the lack of common sense and pure stupidity of the others in the store!

First the parking lot: Folks they have these very nice things called cart corrals for holding the shopping carts. The reason they have these is to prevent shopping carts from hitting, scratching or otherwise being the the way of the cars. Please use the cart corral to return your cart or push the cart all the way back up to the store. Do not park your cart anywhere you want. Especially NOT BEHIND MY CAR!

Second: If you are going to have a reunion with someone you haven't seen in a while in the store and catch up on old times...believe it or not they provide a location for this too! It's called the coffee shop up front and it even has tables and chairs for you to take a load off your feet while you catch up on old times with your friend. This of course means that the middle of a shopping aisle is NOT the place for this reunion. Blocking of the aisles is frowned upon by everyone and is also a fire hazard.

Third: Parking your cart in front of a shelf full of food for you to go and decide what you would like over on the other side of the aisle is Not allowed (shoot, I'm writing the rules here!) Unless you don't mind someone moving your cart to say the loading dock of the store...don't leave your cart unattended.

Fourth: Speaking of carts... underage driving of carts is not allowed either. Children have NO business driving the shopping carts...especially on a busy weekend day. And while we're at it...Is is really necessary for you to bring the entire family with you on the weekend??? Having extra people with you crowds the store more, and just frustrates everyone. Make your list at home and go solo...trust me, it is much easier!

Fifth: Please do not talk on your cell phone and drive (your cart). Trust me...you can't really do it no matter who you think you are. And your conversations with those not in the store really bugs those of us who are in the store.

Sixth: Look around you before you rush up to that open register. There might be a line for it behind you that you just cut into...especially on a busy weekend.

And finally, please know how you intend to pay for your purchase before entering the store. Trying to figure that out after all your items rung up is really annoying to those of us who are waiting behind you...not to mention embarrassing!

(believe it or not I had 4 out of the six infractions listed above happen to me today. I've got to plan my week better!)