This & That

3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church - This is something I think about a lot, since I was one of those kids who walked away from the church when I went to college. I appreciate any insight into what keeps kids grounded in their faith when they leave home.

10 Things I Want to Tell Teenage Girls - All very true and funny!

Multiple Forms of ADHD? - "Investigators believe ADHD symptoms may actually represent an entire family of disorders, similar to the classification of various subtypes of cancer."  I don't want to sound rude, but the words, "WELL DUH" came out of my mouth upon reading that. Sorry science guys, no offense meant, but it's just nice to hear that research supports what moms & dads of ADHD kids have already known for years.

This & That

ADHD and ODD: Parenting Your Defiant Child - This is interesting to me, because I occasionally see the ODD behavior in E. It's usually in the evening, when meds are out of his system and he gets really wound up. He isn't hugely defiant, but he will be obnoxious and annoy his siblings on purpose. I don't know that this is real ODD behavior though, because it also seems like normal 10 year old boy stuff.



A Potential Natural Treatment  for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder:  Evidence From a National  Study - I'm printing this to go in the notebook I keep of E's records and stuff. Tom and I say all the time that we wish we could be raising E in the country. It's an out-of-reach dream, but this piece is encouraging me to find ways to fit it into our suburban life somehow.

Bunny Chow - This stuff is evil. Do not make it. You have been warned.

This & That

Whitney Houston - Everyone's talking about the recent death of Whitney Houston. I can't add much to what's already been said across the web. I'm just so sad to see another person succumb to their addiction. I liked what this writer had to say about celebrities having a harder time staying clean because they don't have to worry about the same things that an Average Joe has to think about.


Alcoholic.org - "Alcoholic.org, a newly re-launched website devoted to providing help and information on alcohol addiction and alcoholic rehab programs, offers easy-to-use support and assistance to people who are concerned about their alcohol use. Visiting the website enables people to determine whether they have a problem, and it also connects them with alcoholism treatment centers."  {Quote from PRweb.com}

This & That

Pen removed from woman's stomach still works after 25 years. How is this not the lead story on the 6 o'clock news?! I would watch more of the news with stories like this.

I found this great video while searching for info on Weight Watchers. My thanks to Heather at Leading the Weigh, it's an excellent video and worth watching. I especially liked what he said about reducing hypertension (after minute 6) since Tom was put on medication for high blood pressure a few months ago.

Certainly there was nothing Tom could have done to prevent getting appendicitis, but it was a big reminder of how important it is to take care of our bodies. He works too much, sleeps too little and knows that he needs to lose a few pounds. But that's all easier said than done, as we all know. He needs to have a sleep study done because the ENT thinks he has sleep apnea. Add that to the list of fun things we can do while he's off from work for a few weeks, haha!

Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll be making Tom a to-do list very soon that includes taking charge of his health. I do so love a project. :)

This & That

An Apology From Your Child's Former Teacher - This was written for parents of autistic children, but I can really appreciate it from our perspective as well. The 'Binder of Epic Proportions' statement caused me to literally laugh and cry at the same time. We have one of those binders. ♥  Thanks to my friend Julie for sending this my way.

Social Thinking - I just came across this site the other day and have found it incredibly helpful already. It's for parents of kids with autism as well as those with ADHD. I'm trying out the chart that Michelle blogged about, where you have the child list their strengths and weaknesses.

This & That

Back to School with ADHD: Article about what it's like for this woman's ADHD child to go back to school. Our experience is something like this, although ADHD has a broad spectrum of behavior & reactions. E tends to get wound up the day before, as he did last year where he didn't sleep the night before and subsequently missed the first day of school.

Meet the Dubiens: This gal has some really cute ideas for presenting food to kids. LOVE the apple smiles!

I have a meeting on Monday with our senior pastor to discuss the logistics of coordinating the Facebook page with the office staff. I presented Facebook pages to the co-leaders of women's ministry who are totally on board. And I got the meeting with our pastor with no problem. I'm telling you, either they are messing with me or taking pity on me because they know how stressed I've been lately. Either way, score!

This & That

New Sunscreen Rules: The FDA has new rules for sunscreen that will go into effect by next summer. Please remember to use sunscreen! Protect your health AND your looks! I don't want to look like a leather handbag when I'm 70. ;)  The new continuous spray bottles work so well, covering & drying quickly. We use them for pool time with the kids because it dries quickly, preventing the wet seal effect once they're in the water.  (Click the pic if you want a coupon.)(No they're not paying me to post this, lol, I just feel strongly about protecting our skin!)






Remember rotary phones?

This & That

John Cheever's Daughter Recalls his Sober Last Act - "John Cheever was a great American writer—and an alcoholic. But the hard-won sobriety of his final years showed his daughter a side of her father she’d never seen—and a model for her own recovery."

So it's not news, but I am easily amused by juvenile humor. The history section on the LOL Cats site is my new favorite. (As always, if you are the Pope or my mother, do not click this link, as you will be offended at some point.)

This & That

Get the Facts or Shut Up - I could not agree more with this blogger's post about misconceptions about kids with ADHD.  I loved reading this! It really touched my heart. E is an amazing and brilliant child, and I wish everyone could see that.

Corey Haim's Mother tells GMA about his life and death - Corey Haim died a year ago from pneumonia, most likely related to his drug addiction that compromised his immune system. Another Hollywood star lost to addiction.

This & That

Catalog Living - Hilarious captions on catalog photos.

Thinking every other Christian has it together - I really ♥ Jon Acuff. He's truly funny and points out the common flaws we Christians all have without being mean. This post touched me, because it addresses all the fears that I have about being a writer. He also talks about that dangerous Christian comparison game, where we think others have it all together and we're the only dorks not getting it.

This & That

OneWord - Hit the Go button and you're given a one word prompt.  You have sixty seconds to write about it. Oddly motivating.

Writing Prompts from Writer's Digest - Some very creative & fun prompts here.

Unphotographable - Word pictures.  Truly fascinating & enjoyable.

This & That

Why I Don't Want an iPad - This guy echoes a lot of thoughts that I've had about our technology & more-more-more driven society.  I'm just way too cheap to buy things when they first come out, and everything is outdated five minutes later anyway.

Why my church rebelled against the American Dream - A very convicting piece on how comfortable we are in America. Are we living out the life of sacrifice that Jesus called us to?

This & That

The Year In Disturbing Celebrity Book Deals - There is maybe one book on this list that I would be slightly interested in reading (Susan Boyle).  The rest completely disgust me.

I started using StumbleUpon recently and have been enjoying it a lot.  I had signed up for Digg ages ago but just didn't get into it, and then lost my password, so that's that.  The Nonbloggingfriend uses Stumble, so I thought I'd try it out. Lots of interesting and inspiring and crafty things out there with which to waste my time.

Speaking of time wasting, one site I found on Stumble was NotMartha. Lots of goodies to check out there as well.

This & That

100 Best First Lines From Novels - This list practically made me delirious.  So many amazing writers that I deeply admire.

Eminem's Sober Interview - A fellow sober blogger wrote about Marshall Mathers' recent interview in Rolling Stone, where he talks candidly about getting clean and sober. The language is rough and raw and beautiful, and I give him credit for his honesty. I'm thankful when celebrities can put humanity onto the face of addiction. Thanks for posting this Guinevere.

This & That

Homemade Pop Tarts - How good do these look?! I'm thinking of a whole grain flour with pumpkin butter.... mmmmmm.

Halloween Decorating Ideas - I love the idea of putting moustaches on my family pictures. I don't even need it to be Halloween, I just think it would be hilarious any time.

Somoas Bars - This is also that same Crepes of Wrath blogger I linked to above, but really, her recipes look so amazing that I'm double-dipping. And really just indulge me because I've been reading blog recipes all night. I've run out of couch activities while recuperating and I'm bored as Jello and simply need to amuse myself. Anyhoo, if you've ever had a Somoa cookie from the Girl Scouts (formerly Caramel Delights), then I don't need to tell you how good these bars are going to be. I can't wait to try my hand at these!

This & That

The Farm Chicks - This gal Serena works for Country Living Magazine and I so love her. She embodies all things country & farmy & good to me, and I'm devouring her blog.

Country Living - The Princess is selling magazine subscriptions and I gave in and ordered one. I've been well-behaved with our finances lately (see next link) and I'm working to cut out any expenses that we don't need. So this goes against that, being that I certainly don't need a magazine. But I gave in & made my daughter very happy, so that's that. Anyhoo, I am excited about this magazine. I'm looking forward to reading every bit of it, and then cutting out pictures to go in my journal. Christin inspired me recently with some fresh ideas on journaling, and I'm excited to try. I don't do much handwritten journaling anymore because carpal tunnel makes my hand cramp terribly. But I love that kind of expression so I'm going to try it.

Steven Curtis Chapman - The Man surprised me with tickets to go see SCC! It'll be a road trip too, since the venue is a few hours away. I'm already researching hiking & flea markets for the area in case we can get there early & have time for other things.

Surgery Update: I'm still recovering, and the ENT was not exaggerating when he said I would need a week to recover. This has been much harder than I could have imagined. I forgot to mention earlier that he did not send me home 'packed'. He said that he doesn't do that unless the bleeding is really excessive. So that's good, but the bad news is that I did come home with those splints that are holding my new septum in place, and they feel about as good as you're imagining right now. My post-op appointment is Wednesday afternoon, where they'll take those out. They warned me to take pain relievers ahead of time and have someone drive me home. So I have that to look forward to.

This & That

Ten Important Things I've Learned About Blogging, by Ree Drummond. You may know her as the Pioneer Woman. I've posted the recipe to her Sleepin In Omelette before. She has a cookbook out right now that I very much want to buy, but alas, I own too many cookbooks already and really can't justify it.

Bucks County Folk Art - This is my sister-in-law's blog, and she is amazingly talented. Go check her out! She has an Etsy shop in the works, and I'll be sure to post the link to it when she has it ready to open.

Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young Singing Pants on the Ground - Truly hilarious! (Note: Cursing in the comments underneath, don't scroll down.)

This & That

New Dress A Day - This clever gal is making old dresses into new ones every day for a year. She is ridiculously cute, and even though I hate wearing dresses, her blog is fun to read.

Things you shouldn't be spending money on.... Nice article, self-explanatory. I was quite pleased to see that we're complying with most of these suggestions. The one we're not is our gym membership, but at 20 bucks a month for both the Man and I, I think we're getting a good deal.

Johnny Cash & Billy Graham - I love this video! Some good old gospel music performed by Johnny, with some scripture narration by Billy. Two American icons, who only wanted to tell about the love of their life - Jesus.

This & That

EvanTell -  Last night at church we had an evangelism training seminar. I love my Jesus, and really do want to share Him with others, but like every garden-variety Christian, I feel very inept in doing so.  How do you express in simple terms how much the Creator of the universe loves and wants you?  It's overwhelming from every angle. Two of our pastors led the seminar based on material from EvanTell.  I found it very helpful and insightful. The specific worksheet that we used, How to tell the Bad News Good News, is found here.

That Will Buff Out - One of the many sites in my 'Funny & Bizarre' bookmark folder. (A bit of language here & there, not for the kids.)

This & That

How long have I neglected this category? I do so love to share my favorite web sites. :)

Food In Real Life - Very interesting look at what we're really buying & eating. It reminds me much of the Mouse Print site, which is one I posted ages ago. Both are helpful in raising the consumer's awareness of how advertisers think and promote their products. Even if you don't see specific products or foods that you buy, it really helps you think about your overall buying habits.

SwagBucks - I've been doing this for a few months and it's easy enough. You win Bucks by random searches, finding Swag Codes, referrals and so forth. You can then trade in your Bucks for prizes or Amazon cards etc. I haven't cashed mine in yet, just figured I would build up a big pile of them and see what I find that delights me. My friend Liz is racking up tons and planning to use them for Christmas shopping. Smarty! I have a Widget for this on the blog (bottom right), so if you're interested please click on it so I can greedily snatch up your referral bucks. ;)

Sally Stuart - This gal is the author of the Christian Writer's Market Guide that I bought recently. If you want to be a Christian writer, you should be reading this.