http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=8kVHNAN2atA8gam9TbHylw%3D%3D
 

Ebates.com is a website that I discovered while doing my Christmas shopping last year. Ebates will send you a rebate check for every purchase you make through the website. The site has agreements with over 1600 online stores. After doing much of my Christmas shopping through Ebates.com last year, I received a rebate check for almost $60. I loved getting money in time to pay off my credit card!

Here's what you do: Once you have registered on the Ebates website, all the work is done. Now, when you are ready to buy something online, you first go to Ebates.com.  Check to see if the online store you wish to use is listed. If it is, just click on the company name. Ebates will link you directly with that company. You don't need to do anything else to be eligible for the rebate, because Ebates takes care of it all. No need to enter a promo code or anything in your shopping cart.

Each online store has a different agreement with Ebates. I have earned 2% of some purchases and 10% of other purchases. At Christmastime this can really add up. Click on the link above and kick start your own rebate this season.

 

The Princess Machine

This is a great commercial by GoldieBlox, a toy company that makes construction sets and other products geared toward girls, with the hope of inspiring a love of engineering. The ad depicts 3 little girls who are bored with their pink, girly toys. They build a complex Rube Goldberg-inspired contraption out of all those toys.

 

Rube Goldberg - a comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation (Webster's New World Dictionary)

 

I like this ad so much, I want to go out and buy their products, "toys for future engineers." It is so inspiring! It encourages girls to focus their early skills on math, science and engineering. The company recognizes that girls need more choices than the pink aisle has to offer. They have developed GoldieBlox, an interactive book series + construction set starring Goldie, the kid inventor who loves to build. Three cheers for GoldieBlox!

 

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LYRICS
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Girls.
You think you know what we want, girls.
Pink and pretty it's girls.
Just like the 50's it's girls.

You like to buy us pink toys
and everything else is for boys
and you can always get us dolls
and we'll grow up like them... false.

It's time to change.
We deserve to see a range.
'Cause all our toys look just the same
and we would like to use our brains.

We are all more than princess maids.

Girls to build the spaceship,
Girls to code the new app,
Girls to grow up knowing
they can engineer that.

Girls.
That's all we really need is Girls.
To bring us up to speed it's Girls.
Our opportunity is Girls.
Don't underestimate Girls.

 

 

 

 

WWII 10th Mountain Division

Today's "greatest thing in the world" is in honor of the recently celebrated Veteran's Day. This is a photo from WWII. The 10th Mountain Division served in the United States military on skis. This photo depicts the training  camp at Camp Hale in Colorado. Originally constituted as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only unit of its size in the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting in mountainous and arctic conditions. After this photo was taken, they were deployed to Italy. The division was equipped with winter weather gear such as white camouflage and skis, specifically designed for the division. This select and impressive group of soldiers played a unique role in WWII. Earlier soldiers with skis and rifles influenced the sport of biathlon, which I consider a fascinating Olympic sport.

Decadent Pumpkin Cake

Each year, during the months of October and November I crave pumpkin-flavored everything.  I love the combination of pumpkin and spices in things like bread, lattes, and french toast... and don't get me started on pumpkin seeds! I love the seeds roasted with salt and worcestershire sauce.  Pumpkin seeds are rich in antioxidants, so my family will always make good use of them after carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.

This is a yummy recipe for pumpkin cake. I think the original recipe is a bit too sweet, so I cut down on the amount of condensed milk and caramel. I also use non-fat condensed milk, and it is still delicious. It's super easy to prepare. Yum pumpkin!

Decadent Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (fat free ok)
1 (8oz) tub of Cool Whip
1/2 bag Heath bits
      caramel sundae sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree until a smooth batter forms
2. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish, and bake at 350º, according to the directions on the cake mix box (approx. 23-28 mins)
3. Remove cake from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes after baking
4. Using the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top of the cake
5. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake. This should fill in the holes and soak into the cake
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
7. Remove cake from refrigerator and spread cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top. (note: if you want it less sweet you can use less of the jar)
8. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight                                      

Lake Towanda, Wisconsin

This lovely photo from Lake Towanda, Wisconsin appears as though it is capturing a forest fire in the distance. In actuality, this is the sunrise of a partly-cloudy morning. I think the trees silhouetted in the foreground are the key to the success of this photograph. The fireball in the background adds drama and brightness, making this a perfect capture of a  picturesque morning.

I love this photo. It was taken at my local elementary school yesterday. A spike bull elk got his antlers stuck in the net of a soccer goal. This happened on the Rock Creek Elementary School playground just before school started. The state Fish and Wildlife officer in the photo must have drawn the short straw, because getting that close to those sharp antlers is a risky activity, indeed. The officer successfully cut the net, which in turn, freed the exhausted young elk. I love my hometown of Maple Valley, WA. You just never know what will happen here.

Dawn Platinum is the greatest introduction to the kitchen since the microwave oven. This is a product after my own heart. I detest having dishes soak in the sink overnight. I hate having to deal with the cold, icky water when the soaking process has finished.

After seeing a TV ad for Dawn Platinum, I wasted no time buying my own bottle. The statement on the label says, " Gives you overnight soaking power on glass dishes and bakeware in only 3 minutes."

I'm telling you this product works just as advertised. I put a small squirt of the dishwashing liquid with warm water in a glass casserole dish with baked-on egg and cheese. I checked on it after about 4 or 5 minutes (3 minutes was such a short period of time, I failed to get there quickly enough.) Dawn had done it's job. All the baked-on food wiped right off! As a bonus, the water was still warm, which dramatically reduced the "ick" factor. I can't wait to try this on future stubbornly dirty dishes.

I love, love this rendition of Alleluia. Such beautiful voices and keyboards. I could listen to this all day, with the speakers turned WAY up.

Valley Girls & Guys is a Seattle 3 Day Team that in under six years has raised almost ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars ($1,500,000.00 +) to find a cure for breast cancer. For the last four years, they have been the top team in the state of Washington and the nation! This team raises funds, trains and plays together with ONE common goal, to find a cure for breast cancer.

Three cheers for these hard workers, tirelessly raising funds in the hopes of curing this awful disease. Having recently lost someone I loved to breast cancer, I know of the pain it causes. I am honored to call some of these team members my friends and grateful for their efforts.

I have selected this Rise and Shine Nike motivation video as The Greatest Thing in the World Today. I like to watch this video in the morning to get me motivated for the day. It is highly inspiring for athletes of any sport, but is also loved by anyone who works hard at anything. It begins with an alarm clock and a dramatic voiceover, "Welcome to the grind." It is filled with dramatically motivating phrases, such as, "The easy way out will always be there, ready to wash you away." And, "The laws of physics are merely a suggestion." If you're looking for a way to get your day started on the right foot, this is guaranteed to get even the laziest of couch potatoes up and going. "Is that all you got? Are you sure?"

 

 Masterminds & Wingmen, written by Rosalind Wiseman, is a masterful nonfiction book written to guide readers through the treacherous minefields of parenting boys. Wiseman's insight into "Boy World" can be helpful to not only parents, but teachers and coaches, as well.

As a mother of a thirteen-year-old boy, I am always in need of guidance when it comes to understanding the thoughts and actions of my son and his friends. This book covers topics such as lying, social networking, video games, girls and more. My favorite aspect of this book is that tools are given to help the reader have a productive conversation with a boy. For instance, Wiseman gives dialogue starters to guide a parent through difficult discussions. Also helpful are the "Landmines" offered in each chapter, which are comments and actions that adults should avoid.

I suspect that I will be using this book as a reference for the next five or six years. After having read this manual, I feel much better about addressing some of the more difficult topics of parenting. This is a must-read for anyone dealing with pre-teen and teenage boys.