Bean Pot Taco Soup

Because it's one of my newer stoneware pieces,  I search the web frequently for Bean Pot recipes.  I have been trying a variety of recipes and so far all of them have been greaat.

If you have a hard time cooking meat until is is tender and juicy, you might want to try cooking in a bean pot.

Here's a recipe that I just found and would like to try next.


Bean Pot Taco Soup

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Pinto Beans
1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
1 packet of Taco Seasoning

Mix together in beanpot. Microwave for 25 min or until hot – stirring occasionally. Top with sour cream & cheese before serving then add corn chips!

Should a toddler be allowed to play with a Nintendo DS?

When my son was just under two years old, I was playing Super Mario Brothers on MY Nintendo DS.  It was never intended for him.  After watching me play the game once, he wanted to give it a try.  I figured that he would get bored with it pretty quickly, so I let him have a try.  My to my amazement, he played the game well from the very start!  I thought it was amusing and amazing!!  So that Christmas, I got him the Leapster.  I figured that it would be a good alternative for him.  Well, the downside is that because he was only two years old, he doesn't know Math or how to read, which is somewhat required for all Leapster games.  Drat!  The Nintendo DS is so much easier because there are plenty of E rated games that do not require reading.  So after my husband got me a new DS for Christmas, I decided to give my old one to our son.

Well, it has snowballed since then.  He is still only three years old now, but he can play Nintendo DS games like a champ.  He plays much better than I do.  (No, I am not jealous.)  But sometimes I wonder if this can be a bad thing.  It certainly has it's ups and downs.

I have noticed that with certain games he can become a bit more aggressive, so I do try to steer clear of those games.  I have tried to steer him toward the Leapster games, but that attempt has failed most of the times.  Sure, he plays his Leapster sometimes, but not as much as that Nintendo DS.  It's good for long car rides and getting him to sit still in a restaurant for longer than five minutes.

I don't allow him to take it to social gatherings, such as a family get-together for the holidays.  But that really doesn't help when most of the bigger kids have brought their DS with them.  I feel like a family gathering is for socializing with people, not for burying your head in a video game, which is what he would do.  But when he sees the other kids with their game systems, the only thing he wants to do is have a turn with it.  And when that kid doesn't want to share their DS (which is totally their call), then all heck breaks loose.  My three year old is being taught to share and now this older kid is not sharing.  Oy-vey!  Now what?

I am not about to give in and let him bring his DS with him.  There is just too much that can go wrong in that scenario.  And I am trying to get him interested in other things so that he doesn't become a video game junkie. 

But I do have to admit that sometimes it is nice to have a long stretch of time to do laundry or something while he's playing a round of Kirby.

I entered a contest to win a copy of the "Your Baby Can Read" Program

I just entered a contest at J. leigh designz for a Your Baby Can Read Starter Kit.  It looks like it is primarily marketed for babies, although their ads claim  that it can be used for kids up to age 5.  Since my son is three years old, I don't really want to spend a ton of money on this if it really is not meant for his age range.  We have been working on learning our letter names this week.  He seems to be able to catch on to what we are doing, but after today's review, I am not sure how much it is sticking.  This week we learned letters A thru D.  Today, when played games to review the four letters we have done so far, he seemed to be guessing.  He also used to know the alphabet song pretty well, but he seems to have forgotten the end of it now.  It would be interesting to see how this program would add to what we have been doing.

Links:

J. leigh designz

Your Baby Can Read

My Review of Poingo Story Reader 2 Pack Set: Toy Story and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Venture into the story with Poingo! Move Poingo around the page to interact and play with two Disney favorites, Mickey Mouse and Toy Story. Connect Poingo to your PC or Mac to receive bonus content, free music and more!

Poingo Story Reader 2 Pack Set: Toy Story and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

This shows improvements!

By Mattsmum from Parma, OH on 1/1/2010

4out of 5

Pros: Page-Turner, Well Written, Engaging characters, Easy To Read, Informative
Best Uses: Younger Readers
Describe Yourself: Everyday Reader

My son got the Mickey Mouse book for Christmas this year. This book is a wonderful improvement over the books that came with the Poingo Pen. In the other books, no matter where you touch in the story section, it would begin from the beginning. This makes it hard to follow along, or even pause between paragraphs to discuss the pictures or anything. In this new version, you can touch the pen at the beginning of any paragraph on the page. So at least you can plan to pick up close to where you may have left off if your child goes astray. The additional activites are fun too. My son loved doing the Hot Dog Dance along with the book. Yes, it had the actual song and broke it down to teah how each character does the dance. My son three year old had a blast with that part. I hope to see mre improvements to this system.

(legalese)

The most suprising Christmas gift I ever Received

When I was in 5th grade, the most popular toy for girls was the Cabbage Patch Kids.  Everyone had one or wanted one.  I was no different.  My mom sat me down one day to tell me that she had been to every store in town and there wasn't a Cabbage Patch Kid to be found anywhere.   She told me that she really wanted to get one for me, but she just wasn't going to be able to find one.  She asked me if I would want a Flower Kid instead, (those were the sort of generic knock offs of the Cabbage Patch Kid).  I told her that I did understand and that it was okay.  I was sad, but it wasn't the end of the world.  

In our house, we always got to open one gift on Christmas Eve.  My mom would pick which gift I would open.  So on Christmas Eve, I got to open my one gift.  Guess what it was... no, not a Cabbage Patch Kid.  :-)  It was a handmade nightgown that my mom had made herself.  She was not even close to being a seamstress, so it wasn't the best nightgown in the world, but it was nice.  Before I went to bed, she apologized again for not being able to find a Cabbage Patch Kid and said that she hoped I would not be disappointed with my gifts on Christmas.

The next morning when I woke up, I rolled over right on to the most peculiar thing...  a Cabbage Patch Kid who had on the exact same nightgown as me!  I was surprised and nervous.  I wasn't sure if this was a dream or some sort of trick or mistake.  I tiptoed down the stairs to find my mom with my new doll.  I just had a smile on my face and was like...  "is this for me?"  I thought, if this is some sort of dream, I don't want to wake up!

Sure enough, my mom had the doll the whole time.  (But I am sure you knew that, right?)  But she hadn't completely lied to me.  She did go to every store in town, (this was long before we had the internet in every home and online shopping).  Finally, she went in to a store called "Toy World".  they told her they were all sold out, like everyone else.  She asked them if they could just take one more look in the back room.  The guy working there decided to go ahead and check, and would you believe he found ONE doll.  And it was the perfect doll for me.  Similar hair color, similar eye color.  She couldn't have chosen a better doll herself.  I even loved the dress she came with.  Her given name was Ginger Eugenia, but I renamed her Allison Marie.

Twenty-four years later, I do still have the doll.  I took her everywhere with me for about a year.  She's a bit beaten up, but I would never get rid of her.  I appreciate the planning that my mom put in to making it a big surprise for me.

Twitter Moms & Target

This post answers the question: What was the most surprising gift you’ve ever received? Share your most surprising gift and you could win a Target $100 gift card. The sweepstakes ends December 27, 2009, so you have plenty of time to enter. Then be sure to come back and put your link in the comments below so I can read all about it.

My Review of Vtech V.Smile V-Motion TV Learning System - Blue

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

The V-Smile V-Motion Active Learning System by Vtech is a brilliant breakthrough gaming console that combines wireless motion-activated play, web connectivity, and educational gaming into a system that plugs directly into your TV. Your children will love the wireless action-packed play that guides ...

Vtech V.Smile V-Motion TV Learning System - Blue

Good when it works

By Vicki from Parma, OH on 12/15/2009

3out of 5

Pros: Educational, Engaging, Interactive
Cons: Works inconsistently
Best Uses: Entertainment, Young Children
Describe Yourself: Education Oriented, First Time Parent, Working Parent

I bought this in May 2009 for our son. It worked great for the first few months, then it started having problems. I called Vtech and they told me how to re-set the thing. (unplug everything, hold in the power button for 30 seconds, plug it all back in). I found myself constantly calling Vtech. It would work for one game and then I'd have to do the whole re-set thing every time he swapped games. After about 6 or 7 different calls to Vtech, they finally had me send the system to them and replaced it with a new one. I got the new one yesterday, so we'll see how long it lasts. My son likes the games and we probably have about a dozen different games. I don't expect much for graphics on this, so that's not a big deal. I just shouldn't have to disconnect everything and re-set it every time he wants to switch games (and hope it powers back on)

(legalese)

Primerica is calling

Being listed on the monstrously monstrous job sites can be dangerous to your financial health.  While there are a few legitimate employers that use monster.com and other similar sites, there are plenty of scams out there too.

Today I got a call from a guy with Primerica.  He invited me to a business meeting this evening.  Because I am polite, I didn't tell him to bug off.  I told him that I would consider it.  That was probably a mistake.  But I guess if he calls again, I will try to be a little more honest with him.  I am not looking for a pyrimid scheme scam to get mixed up with.

The multi-level marketing plans are frought with problems.  And the ones that focus more on recruiting and less on the business are the worst of the bunch and Primerica is right up there at the top of the list of problems.

Here are some links about Primerica that should be considered before getting involved.


http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/fraud-and-scam-c98332.html

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/primamerica.php


http://www.pinktruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=617&Itemid=123

Faith Freaks

http://www.faithfreaks.com/

My review:

I have definitely found a personal home on this site. The people that I have found here are very friendly and welcoming. Within the first few days, I had made over 20 friends who actually sent me personal messages, commented on my blogs, and truly seemed to care about me as an individual and not just another number on their “friend list”. After using the site on a regular basis for a few days, what I have noticed is that the people comment on each other’s blogs with a great deal of love and encouragement. Even differing opinions are treated with respect.


As you will read below, the target audience is teens, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great place for people of all ages. You will also find people like me – a 34 year old, married, working mother. But browsing through the profiles, it is definitely a predominately teen site. I would certainly reccommend this site to any Christian parents of teen age kids who want to use MySpace.
Nick, the founder that I spoke with is very personable and approachable, as you will notice in the interview below. I think he has a great deal of committment to the site and making it a positive force for teens and Christians in general.
Interview with Nick:

1. What is your name and your role on the site?

My Name is Nick and I am one of the co-founders

2. When was the website founded?

We started last summer (2007)

3. Why did you start the website?

Having been in youth ministry for 15 years, I started to use myspace to keep in touch with kids. It was a great tool but there was lots of filth all over myspace (language, advertising ..etc) and I said to myself these kids are immersed in this culture there has to be a better way, a place that they can connect and not have to wade through all that stuff. Myspace is a great idea but it’s NOT a good place for teens.

4. How many members are on the site?

Currently over 80 thousand And we grow at a rate of over 5 thousand a month!

5. How many members are regular users?

I don’t have exact numbers but enough that we have to continually upgrade our servers..lol

6. Are there age restrictions on your site?
Yes, You need to be at least 13 years of age

7. Do you have a target audience, such as a certain age group, region, or denomination?

Teenagers =)
8. What are the basic features of the site?
Prayer Boards, Moderated Chat & profiles, music, pictures and lots Prizes (we gave away a brand new laptop a few months ago).
9. Do you have official fan pages for any Christian artists or leaders?

Yes, we actually have a bunch of those

10. What are some features that set you apart from other Christian social networks?

We are youth oriented. Moreover, ministry focused. We try to create an environment for teens to get find resources for help. (so many teens are suicidal, depressed, cutting) 3 million teens in America cut themselves! But we also try to create an environment for teens to grow closer in their walk with God too. In addition, a place for those who don’t know Jesus can find hope and life through a loving non judgmental environment (but we do have guidelines that members MUST adhere too).

11. What is your level of commitment to future success of this site?
If God is for us who can be against us? I have and will continue to work tirelessly to make this site where God can be glorified and people saved and commit to until God says stop. I have mortgaged my home and sold my motorcyle.

12. What can you tell me about your admin team?

We have a staff of committed youth pastors, senior pastosr, Parents , counselors to law enforcement. Who give and give to this ministry.
13. What are your goals for your website?
To continue to be a place for Teens and Gods people
14. Would you consider a merger with other Christian social networking sites if you are unable to get the membership or funding that you hope to attain?

I would consider it, As long as the other site visions and goals line up with ours

ebay stuff

Free auction counter options:
Digits Web Auditing and Counting services Free counters if you get under 1,000 hits a day. Commercial counters for those who get more than 1,000 hits a day
Dave's book store Auction counters Free counters providing hourly statistics

Free auction template options:
KDwebpagedesign Easy custom auction template creator.
Zoicks A list of free auction templates. Some are interactive and dynamicly generate a template based on your preferences.

Free image hosting options:
photobucket.com Offers free image and premium hosting.
free-webhosts.com Unlimited free image hosting.
www.auctionpix.co.uk Free image hosting.
walagata.com Free image hosting.
miamihost.net Free image hosting.
villagephotos.com Free image hosting.

Free image editing software Simple image editing aimed at auctions. Sharpen and size images, create thumnails.
Generate clicable thumbnail images This tool takes auction numbers and generates clickable thumbnail images. Great for cross-promotion!

Free tools to test the speed of loading your auction:
Speed of loading your auction for various internet connection How long does it take to load your page
Speed of your connection How fast is your connection to internet

Feedback tools:
Negative feedback tool Examine just negative and neutral feedback
Mutual feedback Examine feedback exhanged by two users

Free html tutorials:
HTML how-to for beginners A few simple commands with examples for beginners
Complete HTML cheetsheet Quick html reference - html cheaptsheet with a large set of commands
Webmonkey Webmonkey has everyting: both beginners and experts will find somethign useful. Tutorial, cheat sheets, tables, forms, javascript, stylesheets, and much more.
HTML syntax checker! Find mis-matched tags and other html mistakes

What is selling on Ebay:
Ever wondered who is making it on Ebay? What is selling well? Top Ebay sellers

How well things are selling on Ebay:
Ever wondered how your sales compare to the other sellers? Ebay Sell-through percentage

How buyers use Ebay:
Ebay research on buyers behavior - when and how they are finding items to buy? View Ebay buyer behavior report

Tools for international selling:
Currency converter Easy and up to date conversions from any currency to any other currency
World clock Need to know what time a free listing day starts in another country? Look here!
Translation translation from one language to another

Abbreviations and Acronyms in eBay Auctions
Here is a table of common Abbreviations and Acronyms.
>Here is a table Ebay symbols and icons.

iGive.com - support your favorite charities

I'm supporting a charity located in Erie just by shopping online for brand-name stuff at over 664 well-known online stores. And I'm getting free deals and coupons just by being an iGive.com member. If you join iGive.com and make a purchase within 45 days from one of 664 or so participating stores, iGive.com will donate $5 FREE to your favorite worthy cause!

HOW IT WORKS

1. Join to Support your favorite charity. It's FREE, private, & easy. http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid=64439&causeid=21530

2. Shop the Mall at iGive.comYou'll see familiar stores like Lands' End,Office Depot, JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, Expedia, Barnes & Noble, Staples, Best Buy and eBay to mention just a few!

3. Watch the $$ roll in for your favorite charity! Up to 26% of EACH purchase gets donated!
Remember, shop within 45 days of joining, and get an extra $5 donation, FREE. (This is a limited time offer!)

MORE INCENTIVES

-->1ST TIME BUYER DEALS worth hundreds of dollars

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I hope to see you at iGive.com soon!
Vicki

P.S. - iGive.com would like you to know that all the causes at iGive.com have been listed by members for their own and others' benefit. They don't endorse the causes, and the causes don't endorse them. But I DO! So, c'mon, click on that link above.

Discovering Smallville

Smallville has been on the WB for 5 seasons now. I just started watching it a few months ago. I never really had an interest in the show, but it suddenly caught my attention. I just happened to have it on and thought it was actually pretty good. That led me to get the first season on DVD. Dave bought it for me. We started watching it and were both hooked! After watching the first season, we went to Best Buy and he bought seasons two through four. I think we spent about two weeks of watching nothing but Smallville. LOL! Now I can't wait for season five to come to DVD in a few months! :-) I'm "Superman crazy"!!!!

Best place I ever lost my keys

I was a manager of a retail store. One morning I happened to park right by a huge storm drain. As I grabbed my keys, they fell from my hands and right into the storm drain. This drain had rushing water going through it, so they were gone in an instant. I think it was like my second week, so I was terrified that I would get fired. But it worked out fine. The District manager just laughed at me and sent me new keys.