Right From Wrong

I enjoy talking to children, more then I do, most grown up people.
Somehow, little ones seem to be born knowing right from wrong. They seem to have morals and dignity, immediately, and I am trying to pinpoint where it is, that this starts to change in some children?
I like to start conversations about all kinds of things with my kids, and a lot of the time, they end up coming up with some of the most fascinating ideas and stories all by themselves.
I am amazed at their imaginations, the things they come up with and they always seem to shock us, with what comes out of their little mouths. Most of which is basic, common sense.
The other night, our 10 year old son, Aaron, came into the kitchen, with a notebook and a pencil, and asked, "Mom, how much is an average monthly rent payment for a house or an apartment for one person, until I get married and have somebody else to help pay the bills?" Of course I laughed, and he just sat here at the table, with his pencil in hand, staring at me with his sweet, big, curious, blue eyes.
So, I figured we would do this from an average for our area, and for what the prices are now, and replied with, "I think $600 a month is a fair price, Aaron." and he started writing this down, and asked about monthly bills, utilities, car payments, groceries, spending money for video games and cell phone bills. This was getting to much in depth for me to continue with dinner, so I sat down next to him and helped him with his list. I went by averages, again, for our area, and for present time:
Phone $50
Internet $50
Heat $350 a month for oil/$400 3 times a year for coal
Cell $100
Car payment $400
Car insurance $100
Groceries avg $300 (for 1)
Video games.....ZERO
Electric $150 (for 1)
Cable or satellite $100
Repairs/Upkeep $0 (so far)
And so, he added these up, and started freaking out, and said, "How am I supposed to make enough money to pay for all these bills? OMG"
$2200 est monthly bills....
So, he said, "well, I'm crossing out the car. I can't afford that yet.....and the insurance"
So now we are down to $1700 and he said, "well, I'm going to cut out coupons, how much will my groceries cost?"
I underestimated those, as I hope my kids would shop frugally, like we do now...but I said, "we can cut $50", so, $1650....not good enough yet....
So we cut the tv out, the cell phone, now we were down to $1450......and he said, "how much will I earn to start?"
So, we went into that a bit, and we did an average of $10/hr to start, @40 hrs per wk, $400 a week, or $20,800 a yr or $1730 a month...
So he said, "oh cool! Ill have $280 a month leftover after I pay my bills! I'll use that for video games!"
And I said, "NOT SO FAST! You owe $300 in taxes, per month, for local, state, federal, SSI, Medicare, occupation, per capita, etc etc"
And now you're at -$20 a month and you don't have a car, a tv, a cell phone, video games, what would you do, Aaron?"
My 10 yr old said, "Well, i'll be getting a second job, or a better paying job, that's for sure!"
Oh, the crazy things that children come up with!

Reliable, Safe, and Cool Vehicles for Busy Moms

I love when all the ads come out each year for the new vehicles!
I usually look at the ad from a mom kind of angle, and I am a sucker for clever advertising. (The Superbowl ads are great, of course!) But there are witty ads out there.
I also love paging through magazines, like, Car and Driver. I was a subscriber for many years! The same with, Motor Trend.
I know the "dads" are usually the ones who seem to be targeted, and they are the "decision makers" for vehicle purchases, according to some, "old fashioned" people, but that isn't the way it is so much anymore.
Moms like cool cars too! Even soccer moms seem to want something cooler then just the typical, minivan, that we are all associated with. I know I do!
I end up falling in love with a lot of new vehicles each year, I love my pick up the best though. (Although, a newer one would be nice!)
One in particular that I have been paying attention to, a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Big and bulky is what I need for our family! Daytrips, vacations, errands, groceries, (especially groceries!) and just to go shopping with! Lots of room is always important to me.
I have read a lot of reviews of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I am loving the interior and all of the room inside! (Especially with my kids, constantly bickering!) Oh, and the most annoying of all, "MOM!! Deegan is touching me!" 
With this extra, roomy interior, there is plenty of room for them to move around and NOT touch their brother's or sister's arms, or breathing air from their space. It does seat 5, so the "space" for the 3 little ones to breath air from in the back seat should be enough... and there is more legroom in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, then in other SUV's in it's class.
One of the sweetest things I noticed about this SUV, are all of the mommy friendly options! A heated steering wheel?? Now, I have never had that luxury, but I'm thinking a heated steering wheel would be a blessing, while running in and out of stores all day, in the middle of a cold, windy day.
There is also a power adjustable driver seat, which is always helpful!
Leather seats would be gorgeous, but maybe not as "mommy friendly" or I guess I should say, "kid friendly" , but it's still a nice option.
Heated front AND rear seats! Now that is another I have never had the opportunity to try, but I would love too!! The kiddos would be grateful too!
Oh, and did I mention, the front seats are roughly the size of living room recliners?? (as per Motor Trend)
So far, this sounds pretty nice!!
The Jeep Grand Cherokee, also is rated #2 in it's class for affordable, midsize SUV's. That brings me to price...
Price range for the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is between: $29,107-$62,728. Of course it would be nice to opt for everything they have to offer, but base price is nice and you are still getting the super spacious interior to fit all of your kids, bags, diapers, groceries, and anything else you can fit inside!
Miles per gallon are going to be a little lower, since it is an SUV, but for somebody like me, I am mostly highway miles, so it isn't so bad.
City 17mpg/highway 25mpg. Which is kind of where I am now, so, that is fine by me! Besides, I love using my shopper cards for gas points, and if I do it right, I can manage a full tank every month or 2 at $30! (This is attainable for our family, especially with all the room inside for groceries!) Less grocery trips per month! What more could you ask for?
Warranty information:
The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee comes with a three-year/36,000-mile basic limited warranty and a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
I would be curious to know what types of vehicles you are interested in?
What is catching your eye?
I have been driving a Ford F150 for about 6 years now, and love it! But, I could definitely go for one of the Jeep Grand Cherokees!
Just in case my husband is reading this, I would like the Maximum Steel Metallic Clear Coat for the exterior, and the heated steering wheel and heated front and rear seats! 

Don't Believe Everything on the Internet

It never fails, everyday I log onto Facebook, or Twitter, I am blasted with information, links, memes, ads, politics, the end of the world, Hollywood, sports, it just never, never ends, a constant spiral of information, wrong information, opinions, blogs, websites, books, Youtube videos, it just doesn't stop.
What are we supposed to believe? What is real? How do we know what is true and what is not true?What are websites and bloggers, gaining, by throwing so much disinformation out there??
Are there hidden agendas surrounding every tiny thing in this world?
OR, are there maybe just some things that are just the way they are, the way they seem to be?
I miss books and newspapers I think the most. At least it is printed and can not be changed...
But have you ever noticed that it is real simple for a website or a blog, to make page changes? It really is a bit weird if you think about it. I mean, sure, it is a useful tool when you need to edit something, but some sites tend to make page changes, just a bit to often, and not for good things either.
On the internet, everybody and anybody can be a superstar! We can all start a blog, have a network, own a few sites, we all have influence over somebody, whether it's your Facebook friends, your Twitter followers, your blog readers, your fans, or just some random person who just so happened to Google search a keyword, and landed on your post.
I don't know about you, but this disturbs me, just a little bit.
Giving credit to those who distort the truth, exaggerate, make false accusations and make them viral, makes me a bit sick in the stomach. Especially when, they have ulterior motives...
Ulterior motives, such as: hits, ads, getting to the top of Google, sponsors, page rank, Alexa ratings, paid advertisers, and on and on and on! All of that, just for making up a story and posting it online, and linking it as many places as they can get it.
Why are these people so successful?
Is it because people tend to just glance at something and say, "OMG! I can't believe this!!" ?? It is so easy and quick to hit the share button, and then the fabricated story is shared amongst your friends, and then 3 of your friends share it, and then 2 of each of their friends, and 2 of each of their friends, and BOOM! This to crazy to be true, story, is now viral.
You just helped the creep behind the "fibs", grab a few hundred, or even a few thousand, hits. Well played, Mr or Mrs Creep behind the exaggerated, ok, just plain old, LIE.
What can we do, as internet users, to make sure to not allow such garbage to spread across the universe?
Well, we could double and triple check some sources, before scaring people, or being involved in slander.
A good idea would be to see where else such a story was published, are there links? Click those links once.....where do they go?
For example:
The US Government has now called for Martial Law.
(Really??) WOW!  WHEN????
Well, so and so on this website says it happened yesterday... and he has a link... CLICK IT BEFORE YOU RUN AROUND LIKE A NUT, GRABBING ALL THE CANNED FOOD AND JUMPING IN YOUR BOMB SHELTER!
OHHHHHH, hang on a second! The link goes, RIGHT BACK TO THE SAME WEBSITE, DIFFERENT POST...HMMMMMMMM
So, here is where Google can be your friend. THINK! (your brain is also a very important part of the process!)
If this would have happened.... wouldn't there be something somewhere? Even just maybe, CNN, FOX, NBC, (contrary to what some think, yes, mainstream media may not tell the whole story all the time.... but with something as big as this, they will be on it!!)
So, you don't see anything? Nope?
Ok, well, next thing is, open up your door.... anybody running around? Nope..OK WHEW!!! It's probably NOT happening.
You used your BRAIN, you RESEARCHED, and you LOOKED AROUND YOU, and nothing.
What does that tell you? IT DID NOT HAPPEN!
Cool beans! Because, that would be a mess, eh?
Let's discuss the next example:
(insert your favorite singer here)... said, during a TV interview, (insert something shocking here)
Ok, well, BEFORE you scream and yelp and hit that "SHARE" button, relax, breathe, and remember, you have a BRAIN!!!!
Now, it said, it was an interview, right? So, that should tell you that it has been recorded, somewhere, so use Google, and RESEARCH!
Once you find a video that has (insert superstar), OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOUR EARS AND LISTEN!!
What did he really say? Was it taken out of context?
Once you unravel all of the rumors, the exaggerations, the nonsense, you may find that what was said, wasn't even bad at all. Or maybe, just maybe, was not ever said!
So many people nowadays, only read the headlines, or read a comment, or a memes, and they shriek and squeal and believe every word of it. 
Please, try and stay calm, and think. Commom sense is our friend!
There are many ways to check, and double check everything you see online. Just make sure to do it, before you get yourself in a frazzled mess! (or somebody else)
There are those sites that check for you, you can always visit some of those sites..(even though, some may say, "Well, I don't trust what they say..") and that is fine too. (I don't always either).. but, it will clarify some things for you and maybe send you off on more leads.
Page checking sites are also a plus! Not necessarily needed for everybody, but if you blog, post a lot, share a lot, you may want to sign up for an account and set up specific sites.
Page checker sites, allow you to set up any pages from the internet, to be checked, and they will email you of any and all changes.
This is a very important tool for any website owner, blogger, or anybody who spreads news of any kind.
I have a few sites I check on, 24?7, just to see what they are adding or deleting on specific stories. That way, I know to be very cautious of anything I ead on those sites, or on shared links.
There aren't really any excuses for sharing false information, especially when all you need to do is think and research for yourself.
Be particularly careful with "satire sites". These sites will make up the most elaborate, nuttiest stories, and people, and even newspaper sites and news sites, will sometimes fall for these satire sites and share across the web as well.
If you remember these rules, you should be in good shape to start sharing videos, and stories, and be known as somebody who tries their best to stick with the facts :)
THINK for yourself. DON'T trust everything you see online.
GOOGLE search! RESEARCH! (I often like to check local affiliate news sites and newspaper sites for the location/person/event mentioned)
READ and LISTEN!
Use your COMMON SENSE and your BRAIN and you will be AOK!!

Can Our Little Ones Really Have Low Self Esteem?

Deegan, is my youngest son, he's 3 years old.
He was born with club foot and cleft lip...so, after a few years of surgery, castings, braces, etc, he is pretty much all "repaired"...walks fine, acts fine, just a regular kiddo. (Well, he's exceptionally nutty lol a crazy daredevil actually)
But so, this summer, Deegan started noticing his nose is slightly different then mine or his siblings noses, and he asks why....
He also refuses to look at all his baby pictures, from before his lip surgery, (even though, we love them! The extra giant smile is adorable!)
And now, he's been picking at his scar above his lip, and asking why there is a bump there, and he also asks why his teeth are "messed up"..they're not bad at all, although he may require surgery, depending on what his adult teeth are going to come in as....
The cleft palate clinic mentioned another surgery for his nose, although it doesn't have to be done for anything that would benefit his health..
My decision is that we aren't going to be scheduling this surgery, he can make this decision on his own.
I don't want him to think that he wasn't good enough, and so we "fixed" his nose that he was born with...
When he's bigger, if he wants more surgery to fix his nose, and maybe to make his scar less noticeable, he can if he chooses. Id think he'd keep it the way it is, since its a part of who he is.
My question is, does anybody have any advice on how to get a 3 yr old, to be happy when he sees his baby pictures, or how to help him realize that his nose, teeth and lip are fine?

Password Safety!!!

Sorry, I'm a nerd. I read and study certain things like a madwoman lol, and I have 3 notebooks of notes on hacking.. NO I'm not a hacker, not claiming to be one, not in the least, but hack to learn is my motto. Sure, if you want, I could possibly hack your computer for you, to let ya know what you're doing wrong, but, that's illegal.
So, anyway, after studying John the Ripper, and Cain and Abel, ( password hacking programs), I have come to these, common lil tidbits of advice for a regular internet user....
#1 DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD TWICE
#2 DO NOT USE DICTIONARY WORDS!
#3 KEEP YOUR PASSWORDS AT 14 CHARACTERS, (this will take a hacker 24 hrs to hack), better yet, make it 24 +!
#4 ALWAYS, ALWAYS, USE A MIX! Caps, symbols, lowercase and numbers!
#5 BE VERY CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE YOUR EMAIL TOO!
#6 NEVER ANSWER SECURITY QUESTIONS! THESE THINGS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.... FOR INSTANCE; "where did u go to high school?" "What was ur high school mascot?" What is ur favorite color?" And so on... if u must answer them, answer them w obscure answers, oh, idk, like, all the same, lyrics to a song, etc....
#7 KEEP YOUR PASSWORDS WRITTEN DOWN AND WITH YOU! DO NOT LET THESE ON YOUR COMPUTER, EVER!
#8 A GOOD TIP, I THINK, IS TO USE DIFFERENT BROWSERS.....for instance, if you choose to use Windows for your os, (YUCKKKKKKKKKKK! LOL!) USE INTERNET EXPLORER AS YOUR MAIN BROWSER (ANOTHER YUCK!)
And do NOT ever pay your bills, check banks, etc, thru that browser! Instead, grab Chrome or Firefox, and use 1 of those for password related things. Emails, banks, bills.
A good example of a password would be, for instance, maybe all of your children's first words with their birthdates in the middle! Or, maybe a couple lines from 2 favorite songs.
Just be sure to write them somewhere and keep them with you, in a lock box, your wallet, anywhere you think is safe.
I like to hide things in books :D

Abby's Sight Words and Flash Cards Android App Review

 I am a big fanatic about anything that will help my children learn, or help me learn a better, or easier way to teach my kids or help them with anything they might be having issues with at school. Of course, the free part makes this app a must try as well!
The app worked well for us, no freezing, no issues like that, and not a lot of weird permissions were needed for this one like I have seen with many others.
 I have 4 children, 1 just started !st grade, and my youngest is 3, so the app was intended for them to use. Genevive, our 1st grader, loves it. Especially since she can fell like a "big girl", while using mommy's phone, lol. Besides that, she caught on fairly quick! She loves the characters and the games that are available with the free part of this app.
I understand you have to pay to unlock the rest of the app and have the other games, which is fine with me. The free part was plenty fun and allowed her to practice her sight words, and memorization. ( 1st grade just started last week, so this was a big plus to help in refreshing her skills)
Our youngest loves this app as well! He thinks the app is "funny", and that always makes learning all the more fun. So, I intend on keeping this app in my Android, and using it as often as needed for both children.
We use flash cards and workbooks and things of that nature at home, so this is a neat way to keep learning when we are at the doctor's office, or going on a long ride.
It's easy to tell the creator of this app has children. Everything you need to keep little ones interested, and happy and learning, is included here. I really hope to see more apps real soon!

NAAT Brazilian Keratin Review

Even as "frugal" as I am. there are just some things I will spend money on, and that is cleaning and beauty products. (That includes the whole family too, not just me!) Of course I hope for the deals and sales, and free shipping, and I usually will not buy online unless it is on sale in some way, shape or form. I shop online a LOT, and of course I do use the coupons and deals at grocery and drug stores, I am crazy over the rewards programs they offer!! Especially CVS! So far, I have no real preference with hair products.
I use only a few specific brands, but I am not partial to any of them. I guess it's fair to say that I had an open slot that could be filled;) (I do however have only 1 brand and type of hair styling product, but as for shampoo, conditioner, and masks, kind of, anything goes in that department!)
I am pretty picky about cleaning products, and skin care, same goes for make up, but I am always on the lookout for something else to try, I love samples and if I love the product, I will buy it again and again and again..
 I received some hair care products from nuNAAT to try out for a review here, NAAT Brazilian Keratin, to be exact, and I don't know what to do without the hair mask, shampoo, and conditioner once it's all!
 I have super dry hair, I rarely have the time to bother with it, (I have short hair and the back is razor cut, so I just have to wash it, and stick paste in the back to stick it up all over the place and that's that!) That has been my hair and style for a bit over 15 years now. It's simple and quick to take care of, but it is always dry and breaks apart. I think most of this is due to my medications, maybe also my lack of conditioner use, since it always tends to weigh down my stick straight hair, I very rarely use it.
I have yet to find any form of conditioner that doesn't weigh down my hair, and the same goes for hair masks. (Even though I love hair masks!! ) I usually use those when I don't have to be anywhere or do anything, I can just let my "hair down" so to speak:)
 I have been using the NAAT Brazilian Keratin shampoo, hair mask and conditioners now for a couple weeks.
 I have come to these conclusions:
First off, the light, clean scents layer perfectly with each other! They are not overbearing, and they even smell AFTER a few hours, and even a day! This is very important to me, I have used some products that smell just lovely in the shower, but it doesn't last much after that. I'm also not a huge perfume fan, I do like some, but I rely on long lasting hair and body products, scented lotions are my favorites too! So, the long lasting scents that simply just smell, pretty, were enough for me to think these products rock!!
 Next, the hair mask is absolutely wonderful!! It is not to heavy and it works very well! My hair stayed soft all week from the very first use, and normally for me, it doesn't last much more then a day. (and no, I don't blow dry my hair ever!)
 The conditioner I tried, is the Deep Conditioner, along with the Deep Moisturizing Shampoo, they fit perfectly together and no, the conditioner did not weigh my hair down!! I am so happy with the shampoo because while it is deep moisturizing, it makes your hair feel and look clean, and it is enough by itself a few days a week for adding moisture in your hair.
 The Liquid Keratin Leave In Reconstructor, I did use only twice, but I was very pleased with the amount of actual reconstrucing that this product really did! I have split ends, and it seemed to actually help with repairing those. I am planning on having our princess Genevive try this product out because she has super long hair and it is so hard to keep that in order lol! Some days I just want to shave it all off!
 There is also the Serum Ultra Shine, this is mainly for people who do blow dry, or use curling irons, straighten their hair, etc. It forms a barrier between your hair and the heat. I have not tried this, but since Genevive is 6 and has this crazy long hair of hers, I am hanging onto this to use with her hair as soon as we get her a hair dryer. (no, we don't even have 1 in the house since our oldest daughter moved out and took half the bathroom with her lol! But, we do need to find a good one for the next little lady in line!)
All in all, I would say I have found quite the product with the NAAT Brazilian Keratin products, and I am honestly amazed with the fact that I haven't lost volume, and my stick straight, razor cut hair in the back, isn't weighed down and actually looks and feels much better then it has before, and in a very long time!! You can find out more about their products, on their website here!
and you can find them on Facebook!
 and Twitter!! 

  I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.