Saturday is laundry day, ugh

I remember the days that I looked forward to sleeping in late on my Saturday mornings, those certainly were the days. Now it is all about getting up as early as I possible can handle and get started on all the chores that have been building up all week, done and out of the way. The main thing is all of the laundry, and it really sucks because I have both the washer and dryer downstairs in the basement and I have to trudge up and down those stairs all day long.

My legs and back are not as forgiving as they were years ago and I pay for it big time each and every Saturday, some say that climbing stairs in good for several health issues, such as your back, your butt, your knees and your lungs and heart, can’t say that I get anything good out of the deal what so ever. But you gotta do what you gotta do as they say, one day I’ll live in a house were the laundry center in on the main level of the house, that certainly would be great improvement in my life!

Memory Foam Pet Beds

It is never easy to see your pet(s) aging. There are so many health issues that come along with owning any type of pet throughout their whole life span, but when they get so old that you can see how they are suffering, it is a real bummer. Our 9 year old Pug is starting to show signs of aging and the pain that goes along with that. I have done all that I can for him, even purchased memory foam pet beds to make it more comfortable for him during his waking hours.

There are a bunch of great deals online for pet beds and I would encourage anyone who owns a pet that is in pain, for what ever reason to go ahead and purchase a memory foam pet bed for them as well.

memory foam pet beds
Solid Memory Foam Pet Bed – Suede Cover

Petting Zoo Adventure

I managed to corral the whole family into going to a wonderful Animal Park that is so much more than just a Petting Zoo, yesterday afternoon. The weather was perfect, the cost was minimal, was a nice long healty walk and a good time was had by all. It is located only 15 minutes down the road and I had been there 6 years ago or so and have been trying for all these years to get the family to go and enjoy all the interesting and entertaining animals that this place has to offer for the public to come and see.

We even purchased some of the feed that they sell by the bag, to feed to some of the animals that were allowed to be feed, many are on restricted diets and are discouraged from feeding them any type of food items at all. The sheep, goats, many varieties of deers, and the llama’s all feed greedily from our hands and it didn’t take long for the bags to become empty. Other animals that we enjoyed seeing were the several types of monkeys, bears, buffalo, a lion and his lioness, camels, exotic birds, a black panther and many more that I can’t even remember them all. I did however bring me camera and hopefully some of the many pictures will come out that we can put in our scrapbooks to remember the nice time we all had with the animals and nature.

 

Pool Heaters, A Great Idea

Last fall my hubby knew my birthday was coming up and he wanted to do something extreme that I have been wanting for the last 15 years we have been together. His plan was to make that it happen by installing an in-ground pool in our backyard with a hot tub. I unfortunately had a business trip I had to go to right before my birthday, but it ended up working out perfectly for my hubby’s surprise plans.

When I had left after taking our daughter to her grandparents house, he jumped on the opportunity to install an in-ground pool while I was on a business trip for 2 weeks. When I had arrived home, hubby wouldn’t let me even come close to the backside of the house so I couldn’t see what was back there. The next morning after we picked our daughter up he escorted us to the backyard with his hands covering my eyes and counted to three, when his hands dropped I couldn’t have been more surprised, impressed and so excited at the same time.

I have been so excited to finally go out to the back yard and take a dip in our own in-ground pool since last fall when my hubby installed it. We have been getting it ready for this upcoming summer and we just finished cleaning it last week and are now starting to talk about the possibility of a hot tub as well, but came to the conclusion that we simply couldn’t afford it.

Hubby had a clever idea for us to search on the net for pool heaters and we took an a beautiful spring evening to search for one for or pool. We came across a site that offers raypak pool heaters at an awesome price and it didn’t take log at all for us to find the perfect one for our pool. When it arrived, only 3 days later, hubby and a few of our friends had gathered in the backyard to install our new pool heater, and we now can enjoy our pool even on chilly days and/or evenings with no worries. Life is good.

Bed bugs, ugh

It is sad but true that the bed bug is making a come back in these past several years. My daughter has a friend whose mother called me very upset a few months ago. They were finding marks on their bodies that looked like insect bites and were driving themselves crazy with all the itching and scratching going on and wanted to know if our daughter was experiencing the same things. I’m glad to say that my daughter was doing just fine, but I urged the mother to take the kids to the doctor to find out for sure.

Well it appears that they were experiencing a case of the bed bugs and wanted me to be aware of what it was so as to keep my eyes open just in case my daughter started itching. Her daughter and my daughter spend a lot of nights at each others houses and it would really suck if my daughter had brought the little buggers home with her.

Between bed bugs and head lice we are all in trouble. These critters are becoming more and more tolerant of the chemicals that are being used to kill them and they really are causing havoc all over the country, as well as around the world.

An Ideal Birthday Idea For Hubby

Hubby has a birthday coming up in a few weeks and I was thinking of how is back is always giving him such trouble.  I seem to spend a good amount of time rubbing his back for him and I have to admit that it would be a relief not to spend so munch of my time on his aches and pains so that I can deal with my own issues, mainly menopause, ugh..

I’ve been told by several people of a company that sells the Human Touch Quality Massage Chairs, these chairs are said to replicate the proven techniques used by professional massage therapists and chiropractors and are great in providing back pain relief which Hubby desperately wants and needs on a daily and nightly basis.

This company uses the most advanced robotic massage technology and systems in their massage chairs and I like the fact that it is a whole chair, not just a pad that you put on top of your chair or couch to simulate the hands and techniques of full body massage like the expert massage professionals.

 Massage Chairs really looks like something Hubby would really enjoy and use, and maybe even share with me at times.

No Lobster For Me Tonight, Bummer

Hubby had to work later than he expected and came home tired and a bit under the weather, looks like I will have to wait another week for my much anticipated lobster dinner.  I hope he isn’t coming down with something and if so I hope it isn’t contagious, I don’t think this house/family can stand another bout of illness just yet.  We all get our flu shots each and every year, so we haven’t come down with the flu since getting these wonderful and affordable flu shots, but we have had our share of other nasty junk to nurse.

I was looking through my downstairs deep freezer and found a turkey from last year’s holiday season that never get cooked.  I’m letting it thaw out and I think we will have a nice turkey dinner on Sunday with all the trimmings, just like Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. It looks like it will be very cold on Sunday, so we will have the fireplace going and everything!  I love the way it makes the house smell so good.

Turkey Dinner
Turkey Dinner, Just Like On Christmas and Thanksgiving

 

Natural Latex and Organic Cotton Mattresses

It seems that more people in my immediate family are experiencing some type of sleep issues. My one sister was just diagnosed with Narcolepsy and is no longer able to drive for fear of falling asleep while being behind the wheel. This has made a huge impact on her and her family that they are trying to adjust to upon hearing the news. My other sister has never been able to sleep at night so she has always been a night person that has no problem sleeping during the day light hours. I haven’t had a good night sleep since the day that I became a mother!

Our mother has recently been experiencing problems sleeping and has decided to shop for an organic mattress boston style that she found online at an organic mattress store. I myself had never heard of an organic mattress but I’ve been reading up on the subject and I’m liking what I’m hearing.

When we finally get all of our paperwork together here at the house (hopefully by the end of the month) we are going to get our taxes done. I’m sure that we will be getting a good amount of money back again this year and on the top of my list is going to be an organic mattress. Check out what thecleanbedroom.com has to say about these Natural Latex and Organic Cotton Mattresses, you might just learn something.

From Flip Flogs to Hiking Boots

Summer means camping and fishing to me, so my wardrobe is going to need just a little boost from some more rugged outdoor wear. I need things with pockets and ventilated shirts so I don’t get too hot while I stay covered up against mosquitoes and biting flies. My usual flip flops and sandals are certainly not going to get me very far on the trail, so I’m looking for a new pair of hiking boots. I want good construction so they are not only comfortable but they should last for several years. Not something that I want to just pick up cheaply at our local Walmart.

Also, I want waterproof boots this time. There’s not much that can ruin a hiking trip like wet feet. When I think about work boots or hiking boots, the brand that first comes to mind is always going to be Wolverine. This is a brand that I have known and trusted for over 20 years. My very first pair of work boots for an outside and very intense summer job while in high school were Wolverine Boots and I’ve been a diehard fan ever since.

I really like the tread design so that these boots will grab the rocks and gravel on a hiking trail to prevent slipping and the high tops will protect my ankles from twisting or turning on the rocks. When I’m ready to order them, I plan on using the web site, metboots.com. They have my size in stock and a reasonable price, with a reputation for great customer service. That’s all I need to get my new boots shipped right to my house.

The “Aha Moment”

Sometimes a new concept comes up in conversation and it really strikes you as an “aha moment.” When your brain wakes up to something new and worthwhile. During the family Christmas dinner, one of the things that we talked about – and we talked about a lot of things and someone mentioned how much stress they are feeling in their everyday life. I was thinking that although I don’t feel a lot of stress, that I do have this unsettled feeling that gets bothersome and I could use a little re-assurance or motivation. Then someone else at the party mentioned a TV show about finding balance between work and your home life.

In fact, there is a new network dedicated to this subject and I read about it this morning on MindfulLivingTV.com. This website is my “aha moment” because their philosophy is to embrace the life you are living and experience it for the moments you have. They have full transformation episodes that can inspire you to face your fears, get advice from experts on medical and spiritual issues, and find your passion. I have sent the link to this wonderful website to everyone that was at the dinner table, most of them will delete it but maybe at least one of them will take a moment to check out what they have to say and have their own “aha moment.”