Saturday, July 31, 2010

Saturday, July 24, 2010

KINDERGARTEN!!

Well Little man started the big K this morning! He did so good waking up and didnt make a peep when it was time to go into classroom. He is in big school. Its bittersweet. My little baby boy isnt so little anymore. I am very proud of him though. I know this year will challenge him in different ways, as school should. I know he will get through it though. He is an amazing kid.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

If you Knew Me

     I just finished watching the premiere of If you Knew me, a new show on MTV. It was all about something called 'Challenge Day." Challenge day is a one day assembly in highschool, where the students are challenged to come out of thier shells. Cliques separate, and teens come open. Oh boy did it bring me back to highschool. Cliques are in ever school, small or large. If you are a parent of a teeneager or pre teen THIS SHOW IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO WATCh. I think it would give you and your child a good oppurtunity to be open and honest with each other.
     As you know my kids are still several years away from Junior High & Highschool years ,but as an adult who has two beautiful children it opened my eyes. We need to be advisorys for our children. No matter what age they are. You can't protect them from harm the way you can when they are toddlers, but you  can be in the shadows waiting for them to lean on you. We all want what is best for our kids and even though I am not going through the teens right now I know they are tough. Sorry mom:)
Expectations are going to be hard to set for our kids. My plan is to teach my children that RIGHT NOW and ALWAYS I am here. I plan to teach them right from wrong. I plan to teach them that the world is harsh, and everyone goes through tough times, but they dont have to copy what is seen around them.  Uniqueness is the way to be.
    Some of the students feelings and phrases that were said ,on the show,I could definiatlly relate to.  So be open with your child and show no judgement. I think that as Adults (even if you dont have kids) we can all learn from this as well. Judgment is not for us on earth to decide. Sadly though it comes all to easily. We are all about apperance. Ever heard of the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." Well I say when it comes to being out in the world "Don't Judge a person by his/her eye's, look at thier heart." The cliche "Beauty is on the inside," is so true and so overlooked. So as you are walking halls in school,becoming an adult out in the world, or raising a family remember that everyone around you has eyes too. Be the strong, fearless person that leads by example.
Talk to someone. Listen to someone. Learn about them.
Here is link to show if your curious http://www.mtv.com/shows/if_you_really_knew_me/series.jhtml

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Recycling Made Easy & How to Get Started By Mariette Mifflin, About.com Guide

Our landfills are accumulating waste at a rate of 2 to 5 lbs of trash per person per day. Over our lifetime, the total would be staggering. But we can help to reduce this waste by reusing and recycling certain items. It's a very small, virtually no-cost way of doing our part and helping our environment.




Take a day and really look at what you throw out. You will be amazed at what could be recycled or reused. A large plastic liquid detergent container can be quickly customized for a handy scoop for bird seed; a 2-litre/quart plastic soda bottle can be fashioned into a bird feeder; empty egg cartons can be given to a local farm to reuse; and the community food bank would probably love to take those plastic grocery bags off your hands.



Returnable bottles or tins can be redeemed, in fact many non-profit groups fund certain activities through bottling drives. Canning jars can be reused with new sealing lids. These are just a few ideas on how to reduce waste, I'm certain you'll come up with many of your own.



Getting Started - What to Recycle



Getting a household recycling program started is easy and it's a good family project. After all, we can start now to train the next generation to appreciate and care for their environment. First, you should inquire about recycling in your community:

•Should recycling be left at the curb or taken to a depot?

•What items are recycled?

•How should it be packaged. Do you need 'blue' boxes or can you use your own bins?

•In how much detail are items sorted.

Yup, I did say detail! I was amazed at how refined this process is in certain communities, and I did initially balk at the idea of spending time sorting. But I have since reconsidered - protecting my environment is well worth it. And a well organized bin system in your home or garage will make sorting quick and easy.



For instance, in some cities, plastics and glass must be sorted by the number size that is marked inside a triangle on the underside of the container. Of course, very old glass does not have any such markings and may be in a general glass category. Glass or plastic bottles may need to have the metal lids removed. Newspapers may need to be bundled in a certain way, and soda cans may need to be separate from food tins.



Understanding the details and sorting immediately, will enable you to recycle more efficiently and deliver your 'goods' to the depot or curb ready for processing. For now, we'll assume detail is limited to certain types of waste and we'll get started with a few basics.



Capacity & Convenience



Setting up an adequate bin system is key to managing your program in a time efficient manner. If you require blue boxes, these may be available through your depot, or can be purchased in varying sizes from many department stores. If blue is not a requirement, any size plastic bin, wastebasket or receptacle can be utilized. Here are some general tips to consider:

•For papers and newspapers - use a bin that is the correct size to lay papers flat, making it easier to bundle later.

•Bins that have hinged or flapstyle lids provide easy one-handed disposal of tins.

•Composting bins should have a secure lid to reduce the risk of unpleasant odors and prevent critter entry, and should be conveniently sized for locating close to your kitchen area.

•Bins should be adequately sized to handle your waste products according to how often you will be disposing of it. Containers that are uneccessarily large will require space that you could use for something else.

•Plastic is more durable than cardboard and you can wash them as required.

Organization



Delegate a bin to each class of waste with consideration given to sorting detail and capacity, and grouping them together (except for compost) will increase sorting efficiency. Keep them in a handy location. The following are a few general classes of recycling waste:

•Glass

•Tins/Cans

•Papers/Newspapers

•Compost

•Cardboard

•Plastics

General Recycling Tips



Composting is for your own benefit - to enrich your soil and provide a rich mulch for your gardens. You can compost most foods such as vegetable and fruit peelings, fish discards and other food scraps, with the exception of meat, poultry, gravy, grease or oils, unless you are using a specially formulated composting bin for all foods. Compost should be transfered daily to the outside composting pile or bin to reduce the presence of unpleasant odors in your home.



Tins and soda pop cans should be washed, flattened or crushed with an economical wall-mounted can crusher. Washing food or drink tins will reduce the risk of unwanted pests. Cardboard boxes and dry food boxes should also be flattened.



These are just the basics, you can build your recycling program to suit your lifestyle and needs. Recycling helps us look at what we consume, how to reduce the waste we generate and what we can reuse. A small 'back to the future' investment with considerable 'green' environmental benefits.
 
http://housewares.about.com/od/homeessentials/a/recycling.htm
 

Friday, July 9, 2010

Reality show

Kate Gosselin says "what mom wouldnt jump at working with thier kids by thier side?"

I do work from my home with my kiddos by my side. However I am not so sure I would love cameras around. Working from home is great but I think I will let Kate keep the Cameras for her and her kiddos. I will just enjoy what they catch. :) The West Reality show is NOT in the works :)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Rules to Live By When Working @ Home

I was blog jumping and found this great article on http://www.makingworkathomework.com/search/label/Balance


 Rules to Live By


From Mary: Following is a guest post from my friend Joy Duling:



Working from home can often turn into a balancing act. The duties of work and home begin to overlap, and often one can take over. Many moms decide to work at home to spend more time with their families, but end up dedicating even more time to work. Here are a few tips to help you juggle.
1. Get organized. Figure out what your goals and priorities are, in your business and in your personal life, then figure out how to achieve them. Then put your house, office, and life in general, together in a way that will help you achieve your goals.
2. Lists, lists, lists. One you have your plans and goals, make to-do lists. Try to organize your lists by priority. If something doesn’t get done, it probably wasn’t that important anyway.
3. Multitask. At some point, you’re probably going to get burned out doing things that seem tedious or that you just don’t want to do. Try mixing it up. If something is really stressing you out, go on to something else and come back. As a WAHM, there’s always something else that needs to get done. 4. Set work hours, and follow them. Set work hours for times when the kids aren’t around, or don’t require a lot of attention. When your work hours are done, stop working. If you can’t manage to get your work done, you may need to reset your work hours, but you most likely need to look at how much work you can actually take on.
5. Make a separate space for work and family. While it may be easy to work and play in the same area, it helps to have a dedicated office area when you work from home. This will help you focus on what you need to be doing, and even help protect you from getting your work disrupted by your family.
6. Get the family to help. Sure, if your kids are young, they aren’t going to be able to help with much, but even very small children can often help organize the house or dry dishes. Make sure everyone does their part.
7. Take time for you. When balancing work and family, you often forget an important part of the equation: you. When scheduling your work and family, always schedule some time to relax, socialize, and do what you like to do.

8. Make friends. Even if you don’t get to see them a lot, friends are an important part of maintaining your physical and mental health. Remember to take time to keep your friendships alive.
9. Stay positive. One of the biggest keys to success is keeping a positive attitude. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish as long as you believe you can do it. Plus, you’ll be setting a great life example for your kids at the same time.
10. Remember that you are unique. Trying to fit into someone else’s schedule and someone else’s plan that works for you.isn’t necessarily going to be successful. You need to tailor your plan into your family’s unique needs and find something
All great visionaries need someone behind the scenes who helps them create a solid plan to move from Point A to Point B. As a Business Strategist and Managing Director of the professional services firm, A 25 Hour Day LLC, Joy Duling plays that role, helping time-pressed professionals find the focus, systems and accountability they need to achieve their goals. You can learn more about Joy's work at http://www.a25hourday.com/




I work from home with a great company http://www.internetceomoms.com/westfamily and we focus on these things alot. If you are looking to start your own business, or just want to work part time from home check out my site! http://www.internetceomoms.com/westfamily I can help you start working TODAY!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hope for Autistic Kiddos

This video will make you cry if you have a heart. A Co-worker has a young boy who is autisic she sent me thiss link and I just wanted to share it with other moms. There is a reason for everything. keep standing strong for your kiddos. Letting Diagnoses define them is no way to live. HOPE IS OUT THERE!

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Broadcast/student-autism-class-salutatorian-delivers-high-school-graduation/story?id=10933858

Friday, July 2, 2010

WE GOT A DOG!

New Four legged Furry Member of the family


Well We have recently moved to a house with a yard. With that came the promise of a Dog!
We found a handsome brown eyed fellow and brought him home yesterday. His name is Buster and he is of the Daushaund Breed.

TWO YEAR OLD DIVA GAL

TODAY LIL PRINCESS WEST TURN 2! I CANT BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE THIS LITTLE ANGEL CAME INTO MY LIFE. HAVING A DAUGHTER HAS MADE ME LOOK AT MYSELF AND WANT TO BE A BETTER WOMAN. A WOMAN SHE CAN ADMIRE AND LOOK UPTO. (NOT THAT I AM A GODESS! LOL) THIS LITTLE GIRL HAS DONE AMAZING THINGS TO MY HEART. SHE IS PART OF THE LIGHT THAT I LONG FOR EVERYDAY. SHE IS NOW POTTY TRAINING AND BLESS HER HEART SHE TRIES SO HARD. SHE LOVES TO EAT ALMOST ANYTHING. SHE HAS ALWAYS HAD A THING FOR SHOES AND LOVES PLAYING OUTSIDE WITH HER BUBBA! SHE IS NOW GETTING INTRESTED IN PLAYING BABY DOLLS AND MELTS MY HEART WHEN SHE SAYS 'BABY BABY' LOL :)  SHE WAVES AT  EVERYBODY WHEN WE ARE OUT AND ABOUT. SAYS HI,  HEY AND BYE.  SHE CAN SAY NO, MAMA DADA BUBBA NINI, AND MEE MEE FOR HER AUNT MEGAN. (NOT SURE IF SHE SAYS POP POP YET) SHE CAN SAY A FEW OTHER THINGS BUT THOSE ARE HER MAIN PHRASES. SHE IS A LITTLE TEMPERMENTAUL WHEN SHE WANTS TO BE BUT ALSO HAD HER SWEET LOVABLE SIDE 

2 YEARS OLD

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