We're always telling our kids how proud we are of them, and focusing on their strengths. Why don't we do the same for ourselves? Here's your chance each week to say something nice about yourself.

What have you done this week that you can be proud of? Or do you have a story that made you smile this week? Share it with us and start your weekend off right!

This was a long and busy week for some reason. Lots to do, places to go, etc. I'm glad that the weekend is here and I'm going to have some time to relax and spend with my family.
As I reflect on my week, more than once I have been shown examples of how much I have to be grateful for. We have our health, the safety and warmth of our home, and the love that we share. All of this makes me feel good!

It's apple picking season - one of my favorite times of year. Fresh juicy apples smell so great it's hard to resist bringing bushels home from the orchard. Here are some things you can do with apples if you find you have too many (is there such a thing?):

1. apple pie
   
2. apple strudel
   
3. apple crumb
   
4. bobbing for apples
   
5. apple sauce
   
6. waldorf salad
   
7. apple turnovers
   
8. dried apple head voodoo dolls
   
9. apple butter
   
10. apple muffins
    
11. apple cider
    
12. apple pancakes
    
13. baked apples
    

QI made a conscious choice not to put family photos on the Internet, then I saw that a friend has posted some of my child's photos on -her- website. How can I ask her to remove them and not offend her?

This is a tough one because everyone has their own opinion on what is right. Since she's a friend, I suggest you call her and simply say, "I notice you have some photos of {name} on your website. We have decided to share our photos only with family members and close friends, so I would consider it a personal favor if you would take them down." I'm sure she didn't realize you had made that choice in the first place and will be more than happy to help you out.

I would be upset if someone put up pictures of my kids without my permission. In this day and age people should be more sensitive to this.
I would ask nicely for her to take the photos down. Good Luck.

QMy children seem to have a personality shift between 4:00pm and bedtime. Normally good mannered kids, they become extremely difficult to please, ill-tempered, and it is a struggle to get to bedtime without multiple time outs. I know it's because they're tired from their day etc., but I need ideas or suggestions to help me cope (without resorting to 3 hours of TV)!

The "witching hour" for us is dinner time - you are just coming in the door from picking up the kids at daycare and getting home - the last thing i honestly want to do is cook anything - but I must feed the kids- what I do is give them a drink and a small snack to hold them till I can get dinner rolling. Usually a piece of cheese or small portion of goldfish crackers helps them. If all else fails - grab some meals on wheels on the way home!

This a completely new and frightening time frame for us also. We had managed to avoid it until Little P was in school by allowing him to take a short nap during the day. Now I am slowly accepting the fact that after 4:00 it is going to be "his" time. I love this excerpt from The Childrens Hour by Henry Wadworth Longfellow:

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.

Recently I learned about a new product I want to share with you - the AMBER stick. It is the world's first first fully portable child identification device. These days, you hope (and pray) nothing will ever happen to your children.

But in the event that a child is lost, an Amber alert is activated and local and national authorities are alerted to begin looking for the missing child. The AMBER stick works with this system, giving you the security to know that your child's personal information is being send out quickly to help find in the fastest way possible.

You use software provided with the AMBER stick and update your child's information on a regular basis. For example, your child's information (age, height, weight, etc.) change, you can change the information and update the stick.

Once the information is entered it is secured with a password you set and it works like a portable USB stick. When you need to share the information with the police, they connect it to a USB port in their cruiser and the information is instantly uploaded.

The AMBER stick also holds information for multiple children so you only need one stick to hold all your family's information.

Having the security of knowing the search for your missing child can start in minutes makes this a great investment for all parents.

Click here to order an AMBER stick.

We're always telling our kids how proud we are of them, and focusing on their strengths. Why don't we do the same for ourselves? Here's your chance each week to say something nice about yourself.

What have you done this week that you can be proud of? Or do you have a story that made you smile this week? Share it with us and start your weekend off right!

Happiness comes from all places ... and some may say this is shallow trite silly but I don't mind. I'm happy because at long last most of my favorte TV shows are back on! I can watch Dr. Phil again and rest easy knowing that as bad as some days are ... some people -do- have it worse. I can try solve mysteries on Vanished and with the CSI team - and that's making me feel good this week!

What's on your desk? My desk is my control center and there are so many things there that I rely on. When something's missing the day doesn't seem quite right!:

1. Pictures of the kids
   
2. The computer of course - actually my jumbo 19 inch monitor and keyboard
   
3. My mickey mouse mouse pad
   
4. My mickey mouse cup - to hold my pens -
   
5. My radio- to drown out my fellow cube mates
   
6. My phone wireless headset - that is a God send!
   
7. The dreaded "in " bin
   
8. My water bottle
   
9. My adding machine - circa 1970
   
10. Notebook - I keep all my notes -
    
11. A Longaberger button basket - it's a great catch all
    
12. A tube of vaseline intensive deep moisture creamy - for dry hands
    
13. A pencil sharpener
    

I love to display all of Little P's artwork. He works so hard on it and I'm always so proud of him! The problem was that in no time at all my refrigerator surface became covered! Art was being put on top of other art, some was sliding off the fridge ... it was not a pretty sight. So we created a "wall of wonder" in our playroom.

With Little P's help, we went through all the existing artwork on the fridge and using tacky putty, moved the artwork to the new Wall of Wonder location. When he brings new artwork home we put it right up! The location is great because it greets us on the way into our home and makes a nice time line to show his artistic progress.

Remember to check out Rocks In My Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday tips.

Q What are some good snacks to pack in my son's lunchbox?

Fruit snacks, (all natural), go-gurt, raisins, nuts(be careful of peanut allergies at your school or daycare), cheese sticks, apple wedges and peanut butter, some air popped popcorn. MMMM I am getting hungry!

I like to concoct create mixes from different things to give Little P a variety in his snack bag. He likes it better too. Sometimes the mixes are from what's left in our pantry ... sometimes they are more planned. Here are some we like:

Mix I
Cheese-Its
Doritos
Asian Rice Snack Mix from the bulk food aisle

Mix II
Teddie Grahams
Mini Marshmellows
Dried Fruit like apricots

This week we also tried out the Curveball Crunch from Family Fun -- just enough sweetness without being too much. Great for popcorn lovers!

QMy daughter has started biting. What can I do to stop her?

We've found a lot of Little P's undesirable behavior has come from imitating other children. Either he's seen the behavior at playgroup, school, or out in the world. Other kids are doing it -- so shouldn't I? He tried biting during active play a few times and we told him not to, explaining it hurt. To prove our point, we had him bite himself. He didn't bite anymore after that.

My oldest bit me once and that was it - he was about 1.5 - 2 yrs old and I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder then for some unknown reason bit the back of my shoulder. YEOWZA - I calmly put him down and took his arm and bit - (gently - leaving no marks) but for emphasis and told him no biting. That was the last time he bit.

Have these arrived in your freezer section yet? If they haven't ... or you've missed them, I'll fill you in. They're cup-size portions of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

There's a small circle on the package on the lower left - it says "Spoon Included." How perfect is that?

Have you given yourself a treat this week? Here's a perfect way to do it. All the goodness with only half of the guilt! The cups are available in Vanilla, Cookie Dough, Cherry Garcia, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

Visits to the grocery store can be tempting for me - especially on an empty stomach! I try to resist the goodie aisle so that we don't end up with a pantry full of junk food in the house. However, there are some things that I really don't have to resist at all. I have no interest at all in buying them ... not even to sample them:

1. Tripe
2. Tofu
3. Pulled pork
4. Swordfish (I like most kinds of fish - just not this one)
5. Pickled eggs
6. Carob - there can not be an alternative to chocolate in my book. Period.
7. Liverwurst
8. Okra
9. Pork rinds
10. Radicchio - I find it very bitter.
11. Spam
12. Okay ... all types of potted meat (Vienna sausages, pigs feet, deviled ham spread, etc.)
13. Soy ice cream - If I couldn't eat real Ben and Jerry's I'd just go without.

It's Wednesday and time for another works for me - if you have been reading our blog lately you know that I am a busy mom of two boys. I find it difficult to remember schedules/practices and just various other assorted appointments (dentist, hair, doctor) So I have a calendar like this one:

This one's from Staples - trust me you can find them a lot cheaper if you look! I keep the boys schedules on the calendar. I use a different color for each boy and one for myself. I know you are thinking - is she Type A or what? - but hey it's working for me - we all get to where we need to be and on time.

Remember to check out Rocks In My Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday tips.

QMy 4-year old daughter has picked up some inappropriate language/name calling like "diaper head" and "stupid" and is using it all the time now. I've given her time outs, but they aren't making an impact - do you have any suggestions?

I can't stand those "potty words" that's what we call them. Try some soap in the mouth. I know it sounds awful but it worked on my oldest - he stopped. And remember what works with one kid may not work with the other - where is she hearing these potty words - make sure that you watch your own language as well.

If time outs aren't working, a dash of something she doesn't like on her tongue may do the trick. For example, vinegar or mild hot sauce. A little bit goes a long way! Always follow up with a talk about why the words are inappropriate. I believe strongly in setting expectations and consequences with children rather than just punishing. Good luck!

Q9/11 made such an impact on our consciousness as a country, most people can remember where they were when the towers were hit. 5 years later ... what change(s) do you see in your life today that you can connect to 9/11 ?

Little P was 2 months old on 9/11 and I've been conscious about not having the news on when he's around since then -- reality is scary stuff these days. I remember with the news on every night growing up. It's just not the same any more. I can't imagine having a 5 year old witnessing the war footage.

I am so grateful to our soldiers who are still in the Middle East fighting. They didn't chosen the battle they are fighting but they are doing with honor. We send our prayers to them and to their families who are home without them. I hope they all come home soon and safely!

I can remember where I was when it happened - my youngest was at daycare, my oldest in school and me at work - scary times. I think I have more of an awareness of what is going on around me - it's so important to protect your family and loved ones. I can't believe it has been 5 years.

It's Friday ... time to think of some accomplishment or success from your week to take pride in and share it!

I'm feeling good because my kids have had a really good week of school (not a full week yet) but they are settling in and so far enjoying school. Let's see how long this feeling lasts.

I always feel good when it's a short work (or school) week! Bring on the weekend - fall is in the air - apples are ready to be picked - county fairs are starting up - good times all around.

Sometimes I sit and scratch my head at the e-mails I receive. Doesn't everyone from time to time? What was that person thinking before they sent that message? Here are some common sense tips for e-mailers:

1. All attachments (such as photos) to a e-mail should be small. No one likes to have their e-mail program halted waiting for a large attachment to download.
2. If you're upset with a person, calm down before writing (and worse sending!) a flame mail you will regret later
3. There is no new car-jacking scheme involving a piece of paper stuck to a car window
4. Don't write your e-mail IN ALL UPPER CASE.
5. Applebees is not giving out free gift certificates
7. Johns Hopkins did not issue a warning about microwave cooking
8. Respect the privacy of e-mail addresses. If you are sending to a list of people, don't publish all their e-mails to the entire list. Use a mailing list alias or "bcc" so your friend's e-mails don't get published.
9. PayPal does not need you to verify your security information
10. Microsoft is not giving away $$ to people who forward e-mail messages
11. Spelling counts - spell check your e-mail before you send it
12. Be careful when you reply to an e-mail. Check that you are sending your response to the person you intend it to go to and not an entire group of people.
13. Create two e-mail accounts. Give one address to your family and friends for personal messages. Use the other one when you need to supply an e-mail online (for example, when ordering things). The second e-mail will act like a SPAM filter.

Now that school is back in session and fall sports are as well - I must say I have dug out the trusty old crock pot -
don't laugh - just throw the meat in some veggies and voila when you come home after 7:00 pm from practice you have a healthy meal to feed your family. If anyone has any good recipes to share - let me know - I am always on the lookout for new ones. My favorite is roast beef - it tastes great and the recipe is sooo easy:


Crock Pot Roast Beef

1. Take a roast
   
2. 1/2 a package of Lipton soup mix
   
3. 1 tablespoon of ketchup
   
4. 1 beer (any variety)
   
5. Throw it all in the crock pot - cook for 6-8 hours and yummy!!!
   

Remember to check out Rocks In My Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday tips.

QWhy does Mickey Mouse wear gloves all the time? (via Question of the Day)

I dont have a clue why he wears the gloves all the time - but I think he looks cute - he is my favorite all time character!!

Have you checked out Minnie lately? Chic made-to-fit dresses -- always with matching accessories. That mouse is high maintenance! In order to keep his girl happy Mickey has to moonlight as a waiter at a fancy restaurant. All that work and he's still smiling and singing. No wonder he's our favorite mouse!

It's Friday ... do you have an accomplishment or success from your week? Take pride in yourself and share it with us! Or just tell us what's making you smile today!

This week our family started a new daily routine in order to get ready for the school schedule starting next week. That meant getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, and no naps! I'm happy that everyone is doing well with the schedule and aside from being a little tired there were no major problems adjusting to it.

I feel good because it is Friday of a long holiday weekend. Some rest and relaxation are on our list this weekend. I am also feeling good because school is back in session and I am hoping that our schedules will sort out now.