Tooth Decay Rising

Reading the news can be very informative but yet so disturbing. That's why I tend to read fun and uplifting stories. Same goes for movies - comedy, action, happy ending-type movies are preferred. How does this tie in to tooth decay? It's because tooth decay is on the rise due to preschoolers (!) eating too much sugar in the form of processed snack foods, fruit snacks, juice boxes, candy, and soda!

Now don't get me wrong, there are many other news pieces that are waaay more disturbing but a rise in preschoolers with tooth decay?! That's important stuff! You only have one set of teeth that's supposed to last you to the grave. Yeah, there are alternatives but how gross is that.

"Parents should begin bringing their children to the dentist at age 1." Age 1 huh? Dentists must have some patience with their patients. =S
"Parents also must help their young children brush properly." Adults can barely brush properly. (Can we say electric toothbrushes?)

Addicted To Blogging?

In response to Gee Why's post about blog addict signs...

• Bloglines, Google Reader or some other RSS reader is constantly open on your computer's desktop. Trying out Google Reader...

• You tell customers that you missed a project deadline because "some things" came up but in reality, you were blogging. Missed project deadlines? Not yet...

• You periodically dream that you are blogging. Can't say I've done this but I did have a dream (or nightmare) about missing an exam. Major panic, and I'm not even going to school!

• You get inspiration for new blog posts at the strangest times - in the Jacuzzi, sitting on the toilet, during marital activities (cough, cough)... you get the picture. Guilty of being inspired during the "strangest times" and just in everyday life situations with baby, the dog, and MSO (not during THAT marital activity!).

• Before blogs, you used to tuck the kids into bed at night. Now you check for unapproved blog comments before heading to bed yourself. No time and no energy before our child's bedtime which could also be considered my bedtime.
  

• In order for your family to keep up with what's going on in your life, they have to read your blog. Furthermore, if they want to communicate with you, they have to comment on your blog. Guess my family doesn't have time to read my nonsense.
  

• You have actually considered setting up a blog for your pet of which you would post the entries pretending you are your pet (weirdo). Weirdo?!
  

• You can't remember dates for your wedding anniversary, kids birthdays, etc., but you know what your Technorati rank is. Can't remember a lot of things now (blame motherhood), and didn't know it before but looks like Baby Dog Days got a rank of 1,077,900. Whoo hoo!
  

• You blog about anything and everything including bad meals, your pets, getting your car stuck in snow, conversations you have in the bathroom, etc. Uh duh...Definition of 'blog' courtesy of Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
  Main Entry: blog
  Pronunciation: 'blog, 'bläg
  Function: noun
  Etymology: short for Weblog
  : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer

• Keeping a blog is no longer enough but you now have to record your every move on Twitter. Kind of like kittycaht (that doesn't know how to spell cat) recording her packing of a suitcase to go on her New York trip. Oooh myyy goodness.
  

...So am I a blog addict? Nah!

Island Life Tidbits

Do your part for environment: Don't wash clean clothes

Liberate yourself from the laundry, recommends Joanna Yarrow in "1001 Ways to Save the Earth." Yes, detergent ads push for washing clothes after every wearing, but sometimes, that's not necessary. "That's not to say you should wait until they can walk to the washing machine by themselves," she writes, "but don't launder them until they're actually dirty." That saves the environment and extends the life of your clothes. (A rule of thumb: Give them the sniff-and-stain test, checking for odor or spots. If they pass, separate them from the dirty clothes and hang them up immediately.)


Geezerhood creeping up on you? "1,003 Ways to Stay Young" offers these tips:

# Throw away your flowered bathing cap.

# Never use a three-way mirror again.

# Never admit you don't know how to use your iPod.


Final Word

"Once we cross 10 billion gallons (of cellulosic ethanol) there is no question in my mind we will be below $1 a gallon."

Vinod Khosla | co-founder of Sun Micro-systems who is building three factories to produce cellulosic ethanol fuel made from biomass, in Men's Journal.

Bring Back RHS Memories?

Lost $585!

Well, never really had it...None of my partners could manage a mere 198 with handicap...So sad.

Yay For The Institute of Medicine!

Reasons Celebrities Make Lousy Parents

According to Helen A.S. Popkin, MSNBC contributor, these are the top 10 reasons why celebrities shouldn't have kids. It's funny writing but at the same time it's sad 'cause you have to realize that these are actual parents and kids with actual feelings that get so magnified via the paparazzi and media.

1. Innate inability to distinguish between healthy parent-child communication and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” The verbal abuse received by most kids isn’t nearly as eloquent as that now infamous (and well-annunciated) rant Alec Baldwin deposited on his 11-year-old (or 12-year-old, he doesn't seem sure) daughter’s voice mail...

2. Amicable divorces even creepier than those that go DEFCON 1. Yes, yes, a decade-plus of well-publicized avarice among Baldwin and Basinger is shameful, ugly and undoubtedly damaging to their only child...

3. Inability to choose appropriate stepparents. Uncle Ashton indeed!...

4. Insistence on wrecking soccer games for everyone. Who’s going to pay attention to little Isabelle or Connor Kidman-Cruise kicking a goal, when you can gawk at the paparazzi gawking at...

5. Don’t allow biological children nearly as much press as those Third World kids Mommy and Daddy keep adopting. It’s bad enough when rich-and-famous moms, dads or both force real-world values by making their kids do chores and throwing away toys left out of the toy box...

6. Can’t find child-size Louis Vuitton dog carriers. Teacup Chihuahua breeders would do well to take note of People magazine’s popular “baby bump” issues...

7. Safety schmafety! Though it seems obvious to us regular folk, you don’t dangle babies from balconies (Michael Jackson) or...

8. The whole naming thing. This point is obvious and overplayed. Yet celebrities still don’t get it. Nobody’s getting a Golden Globe for...

9. Even more reality shows. If celebrities aren’t willing to put children first, at least they should consider their fans. Screwed-up celebrity children...

10. No wire hangers. Ever. We don’t want to read their tell-all memoirs either.

Hey, these reasons are not according to me. I think it is rather difficult for them to always be under the radar so to speak but at the same time it's not impossible to be a loving, sensible, and present parent too. They have such a tough life. (Sarcasm intended)

Pet Peeve Web Site

Saw this article today via The Honolulu Advertiser and it made me think what my pet peeves are. Alright, I know I've mentioned some here, here, here, and here in the past but could I possibly have more? Although I try not to sweat the small stuff, I indeed do have more. And you probably got at least one too. As the article and the Web site says, "just about everybody out there had a pet peeve." If you feel like sharing, what are some of yours?

Farewell...

Killjoy for Parents Kids

Much of my childhood memories are unfortunately suppressed so I can't say for sure whether I would tear open a toy when receiving it, but I gotta say, the way toys are packaged today is just downright brutal for parents kids.

For a child, all he/she sees is the toy in its nicely wrapped, marketing focused package, and he/she focuses on getting to that toy to start playing with no matter what. But all the parent sees are these damn tightly twisted wraps to hold the object of their child's current affection.

I had been untying these wraps nicely to save them for MSO who requested they be kept for "later use" (gets that from his father), but I'm fed up. Fed up with having my our child's enthusiasm muted by these evil things, and with having so many of them around to remind us what tribulations we went through. I will now resort to using our delicate but hefty scissors carefully crafted in one of the world's oldest civilizations.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

How Do SOs Feel?

With the NNO discussion, it got me thinking about how SOs, male SOs, feel about their female SOs going to a gentlemen's club or the like. Do they feel joyfully delighted that we're expanding our horizons to seek and experience the wondrous place that is a gentlemen's club or do they feel like we're invading their place of escape, fantasy, or utopia? Men, come on and share your opinions...

Sweet Treats

As usual I wanted to try and be creative (without realizing the total level of effort until I actually start the project), and this time it was for Easter. After cutting about 20 bunny heads and 20 chicks in addition to a lot of other cutting, this is the mediocre result. Wanted to add some pom pom tails and other things to their pasture, but as a mother of young'un that can be challenging.


And in spite of my level of effort to try and eat healthier, I tried this darn treat of goodness from Kamehameha Bakery. Not sure what it's called but it's like a taro malasada with a little too much glaze (and oil, fat, etc.)





Subsequent to some searching, found this information about the bakery. Look at those hours.

Kamehameha Bakery Inc
Telephone: 808.845.5831
1339 N School Street
Kalihi, HI 96817


Has anyone been there or tried their famous haupia doughnuts? Heard they can make "nasty" cakes too. But that's another topic altogether...

Lifehacker Lover

Does anyone else think this is a wondrous site? It's filled with all types of goodies that help you, well, "geek to live" as they say.

One of today's posts, Learn the finer points of puncuation, contained a link to this article about "10 flagrant grammar mistakes". I know I've been guilty of some of these but this is a big pet peeve that you probably see on a daily basis. So take note the correct ways 'cause you don't want to look stupid, do you? Go ahead and share others that you have encountered.

Another post that we just may have to try out in our cabinets involves 2x4s. Cheaper than purchsing those slide out types of baskets that we were looking to get. The clutter of cans can be overwhelming, especially when you keep buying something that you already have at the back of the cabinet. Makes you almost want to create a spreadsheet using Docs & Spreadsheets to keep track of the cabinet's contents. =)

I'll now get my overload of cuteness to help me through the week...

The End Of 2007?

Been waiting and waiting for OpenOffice Aqua but now it appears only a beta version may be available at the end of 2007. Really don't want to make someone richer by purchasing his well-known version. Not like a few hundred is anything significant for him...Damn change he'll probably find laying around. Guess I'll utilize Google's Docs & Spreadsheets or the like until then (or even beyond) perhaps. Apple's Mail program has been good enough and I don't have a pure urgency to utilize an office suite now that I'm out of school, validating the reason why I don't want to spend money on one.

Docs & Spreadsheets did come in handy though this past weekend. I was too lazy to set up my ancient Sony Vaio to modify a Word document that I needed to modify, print and mail so I decided to try the utility. Not the most sophisticated tool by far but it served its purpose. Of course there's always this and that that I've just found out about.

Maybe Down To Earth

Made my way to the Pearlridge Down To Earth store yesterday and as soon as I walked into the door I could just smell the healthiness. Or maybe it was all that aromatherapy crap by the door. It's a rather small store with rather small and short aisles. One small annoyance is that it felt as though I was constantly moving out of the way for their employees who were in numbers. Everywhere I turned there was an employee. Whether restocking, helping a customer, or just standing there, one was unfortunately where I wanted to be.

Another small annoyance was that one of the employees asked me if I needed help looking for something. I politely informed him that I didn't need help and that I was just looking. His reply of "Okaay." rubbed me the wrong way as it implied that I should be asking for his help and that I was missing out on his grandiose, exceptional knowledge of the health and beauty products we were surrounded by. Whatever.

Then, I finally head to the cashier with my basket full of organic and no-meat products only to be rung up by a multitasking employee, eating chips from a container right next to the register (Yuck, touching dirty $$$!), answering every call that comes in and transferring those calls, and looking closely at the products to see where the barcodes are in order to ring them up thus taking longer. (Maybe he's new or maybe he just can't remember where barcodes are on the products that he constantly rings up.)

Oh, and to finish off the transaction, he doesn't even hand me my receipt. It's left on the counter for me to pick up myself! Guess I should be appreciative that he wished me a nice evening. Not!

I just left there feeling like what the hell just happened. I also thought of another store that I could go to for the type of products that they sell and I came across a possible meaty alternative to Down To Earth. We'll see.

Goodie Bags Not So Good For You?

As a parent I often ponder what goes through the minds of other parents when they select items that they give away in the form of goodie bags to other students in their child's class or friends at day care. I've come across a lot of items in our child's goodie bags that aren't necessarily age appropriate or nutritional a lot of times. Of course being a parent it behooves you to monitor what you give your child and such but it does make you think.

Is it because it's cheap? Is it because it's easy? In my own experience as a boring and conservative parent, I rack my brains trying to figure out what would be age appropriate, useful, educational, and/or nutritional to put in goodie bags. I can just see it now, the child that opens such a bag, and then tosses it aside 'cause it's not filled with fun, bad treasures like noisemakers or candy.

So I ask you parents (and non-parents) out there, what have you seen in goodie bags (or not in goodie bags such as snacks, etc.) that you really thought were great things to give children in their toddler and older years?