Why won't men lead?...thanks Femina!

Once again I have to link to a terrific article over at Femina. This one is entitled Why Men Won't Lead. I think she hits the nail on the head! Look here to read it.

Wanna live long?

I just read a really interesting article about the cultures in the world where people live the longest. It takes less than 5 minutes to read and you can find it here.

This is an excerpt from a similar article found here.

The Power 9
In 2000 a team of scientists and I began studying cultures where people live longest. The residents of these "Blue Zones" don't diet or belong to health clubs, but they do share common healthy behaviors. We call them the Power 9:

1 Keep Moving
Find ways to move naturally, such as walking, gardening, using fewer labor-saving devices.

2 Find Purpose
And pursue it with passion.

3 Slow Down
Work less, rest, take vacations.

4 Stop Eating...
...when you're 80 percent full.

5 Dine on Plants
Eat more veggies, and less meat and processed foods.

6 Drink Red Wine
Do it consistently but in moderation.

7 Join a group
Create a healthy social network.

8 Feed your soul
Engage in spiritual activities.

9 Love your tribe
Make family a high priority. -D.B.

You can watch this 20 minute video on the subject.

Products I Love...take 2

I really love this. I shopped around in 2005, did some comparing and bought a PC because it was cheaper. After that experience I decided that my next computer would be a Mac. My PC crashed (as in fried) in 2008 and and I took the Mac plunge. It is terrific! And, although it can be a little more expensive at the beginning there is no antivirus software to buy and it comes with lots of terrific software already on it: iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, Photo Booth, Address Book, iTunes, and iCal. It has a screen, keyboard, and mouse. You plug in one power cord and you are ready to go. I have had any major problems with it since June 08. When I have had little things I could not figure out, this came in handy...



If you get a Mac, get this. It is amazing. For 3 years from my purchase date I can call and get a live person on the phone to help me with anything Mac...any of the programs and any of the settings and hardware on my computer. For a non-computer person, this is HUGE. I had a little trouble with my mouse last month and they mailed me a new one...OVERNIGHT...with a prepaid label to send the old one back.

So, if you have been on the fence, go ahead and cross over. You'll be glad that you did.

*If you call and ask about refurbished ones you can get an older model for much cheaper. We did and it has been great.

Products I Love...take 1

I love this stuff. My friend Leslie said she loved it a while back. When my dishwasher was not doing so hot (I had to rewash a lot) I gave this stuff a try. WOW! If you need a little extra help at the sink after dinner, pick some up and give it a try.

Haiti

If you want to see what has happened in Haiti, look here. Then pray for the people.

Sequential Spelling

I was using Spelling Workout for my first grader, but really wanted to try Sequential Spelling. I waited for 6 months and just kept doing what we were doing. Last week I bit the bullet and just switched in the middle of the year and gave SS a try. It is terrific! I love interacting with my son over his spelling instead of just handing him the work book. I know that he is really learning the words better this way, too. He would do fine on the workbook pages, but he was just filling in the blanks and moving on. With this system he has to think before each word and come up with the spelling himself, but it is in the context of words that have similar roots. The book says that on day 5 your child will be able to spell "beginning"...and he could! I have been amazed at the connections he has made and what big words he has been able to spell on his own because of this teaching method. You basically just give them the test (with no previous studying) and then if they misspell a word you tell them the correct spelling right then and they erase and rewrite it correctly. That is it! It's simple, but it has really worked for my 7 year old son. Give it a try!

Mint.com

Has anyone ever tried Mint.com? I was about to use a pencil and paper for our budget instead of trying to learn some new software, but I came across Mint and I think I like it! It is not as simple as Pear Budget. But, it imports all your transactions automatically and you can split 1 transaction between multiple categories. Pretty nice. There is a lot there that I won't be using, but so far I am liking the budgeting part of the site.

Amazing...and good

My friend Wendy put this on her Facebook. I've never seen anything like this in the news either.