Flat Screen T.V. Contest! Do Not Enter.

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a 37 inch flat screen LCD T.V. from Best Buy.

If you are really mean and do not want me to win Go Enter Now!

Interesting Experiment for Those Interested in Page Rank

Thanks to the hat tip of Homeschooling Diva, I found an interesting experiment called “Say No To Page-Rank”.

For those of you more interested in reading blogs than promoting one- this language seems foreign. But for those trying to get their blog off the ground… click the link. Google will soon be updating their page-ranks so SEO (search engine optimization) fanatics will be paying close attention to see if their attempts to master their trade have paid off. People will once again be trying to crack the mysterious google code that can send a site past the tipping point.

Dean Hunt, marketing blogger, decided that instead of talking SEO let’s do it and has started what he calls a “web master list”. Basically you go read this post and then follow his directions. Copy the list, put it somewhere on your page, and email him with your link. Then your blog will be added to the link and as more add your link to their site your ratings will go up (AND YOUR TECHNORATI AUTHORITY!). So blogging nerds, venture on.

You will find my web-master list on my blogroll tab.

Also note: I moved my reading list to a tab of its own.

EDIT 8/1/07: Links being fixed on blogroll and links in this post now fixed.

Help! Mom! Hollywood’s In My Hamper.

Help! Mom! Hollywood’s In My Hamper failed to meet my expectations. The other two books in the 3 part series left me excited to read this one, but it lacked the minimal ability to retain my attention span. Granted, I’m not known for an incredible ability to stay focused for long periods of time, but a childrens’ book based on political satire shouldn’t have a problem.

Overall, the message rang true. In fact, had I not read Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed, and Help! Mom! The 9th Circuit Court Nabbed the Nativity, beforehand I would probably place more value on the message than the lack of creativity I perceived in the writing. The plot felt contrived. As the follow-up to Help! Mom There are Liberals Under My Bed, perhaps they rushed to create the same level of story?

The moral of the story centered on the danger of the spend-when-you-have-it view of money prevalent in our culture. Two young girls, excited to save money from babysitting to buy new bikes, find themselves wasting money every time they earn it. Their desire to follow outlandish Hollywood trends and look cool cause their spending goals to remain unachieved. While this message should be taught to our children, this book just didn’t hit it home to me in the fun way I wanted it to. The satire actually annoyed me rather than making me laugh. It seemed over-the-top in contrast to the effortless humor in the other two books.

Mama Bloggas July Group Writing Project Links.

The July Mama Blogga Group Writing Project has ended with 28 entries and many of the entries are exceptional! Feel free to click on the links below to read other bloggers giving shout-outs to their mothers.

• No Market For Used Teenagers by Robin
• Thank you Mom! by Michelle Buck
• July MamaBlogga Writing Group - Thanks Mom! by Jennifer Hitchcock
• Thanks Mom! by Mama Zen
• To my mom by Deb
• If She Were Alive Today by Mommy Zabs
• Danke Rot Koph by Kymberlyn
• Will she ever say it? by Lisa
• Thanks, Mom. by Kulia
• Thanks, Mom! by Laura Spencer
• Thanks Mom - Group Writing Project by Amber
• Dear Mother…Thanks Mother! by Corey
• Thank you, mom by Lynnae
• My Mother, My Mentor, My Friend by Jill
• GWP - Thanks mum. by Amanda Regan
• Thank you Mother by Donetta
• I wanted to say thanks by Summer
• Thanks to my Mommy by Southerngirlmusings
• Group Writing Project - July by Jenn
• Blue Denim by bellevelma
• Thanks, Mommy! by Stacey @ Look, Mom, Look!
• Naming the Mother by Daisy
• I’m turning into my mother… by Summer
• I learned by example by Heather Erbe
• Making Memories with Your Kids—Be Crazy, Unpredictable by Karen (Pediascribe)
• There’s Loving and Then There’s Liking by Dawn
• Thank You Mom in Law by Julie
• Right from wrong by Jordan (MamaBlogga)

Menu Plan Monday- July 30,2007

This week will be sort of low key for various reasons. I may possibly take a trip for part of the week which would obviously mean this Menu wouldn’t matter

For the record. The Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs I finally made last week, turned out completely bland. I definitely will not be making those again! Now for this week:

Monday: Left-over Spaghetti and Garlic Bread.

Tuesday: BBQ Beef Muffins (these are actually super yummy!)
1 12 oz can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 c. ketchup
1 1/2 TBSP. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Separate biscuits; pat or roll intow 5″ circles on a lighlyy floured surface, and press into lightly greased muffin pans.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe skillet clean. Return beef to skillet; stir in ketchup and next 3 ingredients. Spoon into muffins.

Bake 375 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.

Wednesday: EAT AT CULVER’S! Bible Study Night.

Thursday: Taco Night

Friday: Lasagna

Digg & Mother Approves!

How many of you are familiar with Digg?

If you are blog-savvy you have probably heard of this site and a few others like it. Digg contains reader submitted content from their favorite blogs. To be a blogger and have a post submitted to Digg is great flattery! It allows the blogger a larger platform to get their stories out.

I have never been ‘dugg’ until this week.

Thanks to JoAnne at Geni.com, I received my first round of digg’s! Take a look at the bottom of my Geni.com Review, 14 DIGGS! I’m not going to lie. I’m absolutely thrilled. Of course, the incredible Geni.com staff accounted for these diggs, but I’ll take it!

How do you Digg?

To digg a post you can either copy the posts URL and head on over to digg.com and submit it, or some bloggers have buttons on their pages and the bottom of their posts in several different forms.

Some bloggers simply have hyper-link text that says, ‘digg this!’. Others have a badge that has a number and says ‘digg this!’. Mommyzabs.com only shows a little picture of a guy digging (the first little icon under ’share and enjoy’) UNLESS I’m actually submitted, at that point a number will be shown. I may change that eventually.

When setting up my fathers’ blog I asked him if he wanted me to add the plugin. He’s humble, so he thought it sounded self-flattering and said “no”. I understand why he feels that way. I mean asking people to ‘digg’ your post may seem arrogant. However if you changed the name to ‘approved’ it sounds much better, right?

Guess what!?

Mother Approves has created a parent-centered digg-type site! Mother Approves is just like digg.com, except parents are the intended users. (Yes John, moms AND dads!) If you are interested in having this badge on your posts so that your readers can submit it to Mother Approves (and dad too) you can grab the plugin here.

If you would like more information about this fledgling site read it in the creators own words.

There is one main reason I started MotherApproves.net and that reason is right here. I’m the proud father of a four week old little girl and I couldn’t be happier. She’s been an amazing blessing to my life and a joy to have around.

I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous about the parenting thing, nervous about holding a fragile baby in my arms, and knowing what to do with her when she cried. What I found out just hours after she entered the world, is that there is a lot that just comes naturally. When I was sitting there face to face with my own child I had confidence that I would do the right thing, and I’d seek out answers if I didn’t know what to do. The seeking out answers part is what gave me the idea of Mother Approves.” Continue Reading…

I believe Mother Approves could become an excellent tool for parent bloggers because it is not only a site you can submit your favorite stories to, but also a site you will be able to reference to find answers to your parenting questions. The more quality material submitted to this site, the more information will be available to the general parenting public.

For instance, let’s say you have a toddler that has started biting. You feel you have tried everything and have no ideas left to get the bad behavior to stop. As this site grows you will be able to look up stories where others have posted on the topic and see if other’s found solutions that may work for you! Sounds good doesn’t it?

I will be adding the mother approves button to my post to try it out. So by all means Submit me whenever you feel my content is worthy I also don’t mind being submitted to digg! The best ways to keep me going here are submitting me and linking to me! And as always, I heart your comments and emails.

Please Pray for My Extended Family.

Bad news today to add to other bombs that have been going off. My uncle had a heart attack at his lake house while out on the lake. My 13 year old cousin had to get him out of the water. They were unable to revive him.

Gayle is (I just can’t say was yet) an incredible father, husband, and uncle. Him and his wife, my aunt Susie, have 6 children both adopted and blended and biological, between the ages of 13 and 25. This will be a tough season. My heart breaks both for our loss, and knowing how difficult this will be for Susie and his children.

When things like this happen, so unexpected, it is just so hard. But I know the Lord is with us and we will all be leaning heavily upon Him.

My uncle and 2 of his children in 1997

Gayle helping Owen drive the boat at the lake last summer.

Gayle Driving

My beautiful aunt Susie (his wife)

 

Help! Mom! The 9th Circuit Nabbed the Nativity!

Last week I reviewed the first in a series of three books from the Help! Mom! collection by Katherine DeBrecht and Kid’s Ahead Publishing, Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed!.

The second in this children’s series, Help! Mom! The 9th Circuit Nabbed the Nativity festively tells the story a Politically Correct Christmas Winter Holiday!

Don’t be fooled by this book’s less offensive title. It possesses the same sting of reality, only this time the activist judges, the ACLU, and all other agendas dedicated to banishing God from society are the target. Through the story of two boys who lose their Christmas program at the hand of these organizations, your children will learn that the constitution grants us freedom of religion, not from religion.

Caricatures of “Al Snore” and “Hillary Clunkton” will have you laughing your right-wing off. Katherine DeBrecht nails it! She reduces important issues down to a simple yet entertaining way that your child will grasp. This should be a must-read during the holiday CHRISTMAS season.

To find our more about Help! Mom! The 9th Circuit Nabbed the Nativity! Go Here. “

If She Were Alive Today.

Group Writing Project time again! This month’s theme is “Thanks mom”.

If She were alive today I would say:

Mom you raised me in the church, you taught me about how much Jesus loved me and had a purpose for my life. You always cherished the way God made me, the personality he formed in me, not just by your words, but in your actions. You always reminded me to measure what I learned from church and school against the Word of God. That tool has kept me from many deceptive doctrines.

You sacrificed your life for me on a daily basis yet were still able to forgive me when I would scream “I HATE YOU” in a fit of teenage rage. You put up with a snotty girl and told me my attitudes made me ugly. Thank you for telling me that I look worse with a frown when I’m bemoaning my appearance than I ever did before. That a girl looking so unhappy was never pretty.

You were brave enough to confront me when I started dating a guy that did not meet the criteria I considered important. I did eventually listen. I wish you could have lived to see that, and could know the amazing man I married.

You always told me that even though I could out-debate you, did not make me right and you wrong. I will always be sorry I pushed you knowing I could “win” any argument. Those difficult teen years! I wish you could have seen me beyond them.

Thank you for the way you disciplined my bad attitudes and my rebellion. I am learning just how tiring being consistent can be. How did you make it?

Thank you most for the constant demonstration of your LOVE, whether at each moment it came with a heavy hand, or a warm hug.

The only thing that I can not thank you for that I wish I could, would be for staying around to watch me grow into an adult and have my own children. I miss you daily, and will always hate the cancer that took you from us.

Sometimes tears strike me sitting in traffic, or when the kids are playing in the park. Other times I just want to pick up the phone and call you to ask how you made it. I’m not sure I’ll ever “get used to” the concept that I don’t have you in my life. That cancer took you from us 13 years ago.

It comforts me to know that I will see you again. I have no idea what it is like to expect anything less. How much I wish you never left. There is an empty space in my heart, in my life, that will remain until I see you again. God has brought amazing people into my life, like my mother-in-law and step-mother. But despite how great they are, the place in my heart that belongs to you will always ache. I will always miss you. And I know that my gratefulness will grow as long as I’m alive. I never realized enough how much you gave.

Love you Always,

Your Sweet Pea

Geni.com

When my friend Noah had responded to my Am I Thinking Straight? post by saying I should check out Geni.com, I thought, “another networking site?”. After all, how many more networking sites can I be a part of in addition to the time-consuming nature of mommyzabs.com? He had told me it was family related and I thought “that’s nice, but I feel over-committed already”, and put it on my to-do list to check it out.

Currently I’m on (and I won’t even bother linking here!) Myspace, Facebook, Skort, Linked in, a mother’s networking site, and I’m pretty sure I still have an account somewhere on Friendster. So I put in my mind that yes, I would check out Geni.com with the unlikely chance of joining.

I had no clue what genius it is! I also had no clue Noah worked there! I really believe that they hit on an idea that is potentially a “next big thing”. In addition to being a networking site for your family, it compiles information in the cyberworld that will be useful for generations to come.

What is it?, One giant online family tree! With the capability of creating your own profile; adding your relatives and their relation to you; emailing them invites; posting events, birthdays, and holidays on the family calender; sharing pictures; and that is just at the tip of the iceberg on the possibilities.

Think online reference for Christmas list address that are up-to-date for your dad’s cousin’s son, or never forgetting another family birthday. How about eventually being able to figure out that you and your friend are related 5 generations back, or learning you are a distant relative of the Pope? If Geni.com blows up the geneology research possibilities will be amazing!

This is a small screen shot of a portion of my try.

Thanks to my uncle Erston our tree on my mother’s side goes back 10 generations! I had no clue that I had a man named Ephraim in my family history

I encourage you to try it out. It will cost you nothing. The more people participate the better tool this site will become. Join and invite your whole family. Have the relative that has the best record keeping knowledge of your family tree take it back as far as possible. Enjoy!

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