Tidbits Of Tammy

Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:35:00 +0000

How to teach kids about the importance of family

by Gool Bugwadia

There's nothing more nourishing to one's soul than one's family. Family is the "root" of all that is good in our lives. It is the backbone of our successes in the adult years. The role families play today, are challenged by the changing family patterns in the twenty-first century. However, when parents create the right environment and right combination of simple basics, the family continues to exert a powerful lifelong impact on the children.

Parent's have the unique opportunity to teach their kids the importance and immense value of being an integral part of strong families. Parents can light up and inspire their family with passion, motivation and shared goals. They can cultivate and nurture their family like a garden with tender, loving care. The combination of time, effort and involvement can all go into teaching kids the importance of keeping the family fires glowing.

Here are some of the ways parents can follow to stress the importance of the family to their kids:-

* Setting good examples:

Parents by their own good example can demonstrate to their kids how important the family is to them by putting their family first in all aspects of their lives. They need to demonstrate acts of love and kindness; of thinking fairly and selflessly at all times. They need to respect each child's individuality and give their kids freedom to develop his/her potential to the fullest extent without any undue pressure or suffocating supervision. They need to build up their child's self-esteem with large doses of encouragement.

* Creating a sense of belonging:

Family is the child's first experience at being a member of a social group. It is vital for every member in the family to feel and believe he/she is valuable and respected. This helps to create a sense of belonging. Every child needs to believe that he/she is a contributing member in the family and that others in the family likewise contribute to his/her welfare. By being closely involved in kid's lives, parents can influence their kids to building and maintaining closer family ties.

* Loving unconditionally:

Love is the vital ingredient; the strong foundation on which a child's character can be built. By manifesting unconditional love and trust, parents can infuse feelings of personal worth. Starting a child's day with bouts of encouragement and love and ending it likewise, helps in building the child's self-esteem. Hugs can do a great amount of good, especially in younger children.

This sets a positive chain reaction benefiting the entire family while helping kids to bind closer to each other.

* Spending time together:

Family togetherness in all areas and at every stage of development is beneficial to all its members. Family activities teach life-long lessons. Doing things together, like bowling, biking, hiking; planning family picnics and vacations create some of the most cherished memories. Taking kids camping or a visit to the zoo, museums and theatres, teach children the joys of sharing and giving. Family times spent together eating, reading, singing, dancing, or helping each other in homework and chores around the house, teaches kids the lasting benefits of helping each other in the spirit of true comradeship. By participating in these family activities, children quickly learn all aspects of social inter-action which will have a tremendous impact on how the siblings will behave with each other as adults in later years.

* Communicating family values:

Parents can incorporate the essential values of life into the family lifestyle based on precepts and examples. Character is built by having a good moral compass. By combining faith, hope and love, parents can communicate family values to their kids and raise respectful kids. By setting high standards of behavior, parents can help kids to be meaningful members of the family and the society.

* Family Traditions:

Meaningful family traditions help kids to enjoy a sense of connectivity especially on special Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most families make it a tradition to enjoy doing the same special thing each year like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Grandparents home or the entire family getting together for Christmas. The essence is in the celebration of family togetherness wherein a child learns the skill of developing a full range of unique individuality traits within the sanctity of the family unit. This is a good time to give opportunities to kids to relate to their extended family members like grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousinswhich helps kids to feel proud of their family traditions and cultural heritage.

* In closing

Active parenting is not a burden; it is a reward. What we teach our children is never wasted. Family, is where the diverse chapters of our children's lives, unfold. Ups and downs, crisis and jubilation, tears and laughter, success and failure, all go into the making of family history. The memories created, tie up together to create a lasting impression while teaching our kids the great importance of family.

Wordless Wednesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:38:00 +0000

Weird! Wednesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:20:00 +0000

Would you look at those cheeks!

Tidbit Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:07:00 +0000

Are you a 80's child? I am and I love 80's music while surfing I came across this site called 80's Music Vids

They have a huge selection of 80's videos to listen to. So go by and check it out and relive the ole' days!

Be sure and pop over to Melinda Zook to what exciting tidbit she has today!

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub Make It Yourself Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:57:00 +0000

It is time to start thinking fall so to it it off here is a yummy little sugar scrub!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub

1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of pumpkin seed oil (can use olive oil instead)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (see Pumpkin Puree recipe)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of ground ginger

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Apply generously to clean skin, massaging gently in a circular motion to work well into the skin. Leave on for 5-10 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water, gently pat dry.

Pumpkin Puree

You'll need:

a pie pumpkin* (see notes below)
large sharp serrated knife
ice cream scoop
stick blender

Directions:

Once you have selected your "pie pumpkin", you'll need to prepare it for use. Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water without using soap.

Cut the pumpkin in half with a serrated knife and a sawing motion. I suggest the use of a serrated knife because a smooth knife is more likely to slip and you could hurt yourself.

Scoop out the seends and scrape out the insides. You'll want to get out the stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I suggest the use of a heavy ice cream scoop. I find that an ice cream scoop works perfectly for this step.

Remove the stem and put the pumkin into a microwaveable container. You may need to cut the pumpkin further, to make it fit. However, the fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will be to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards. Add a couple of inches of water to the container, cover it, and place in the mircrowave.

Cook the pumpkin on high for 15 minutes then check to see if it is soft. If needed (depending on size and thickness of pumpkin), repeat in smaller increments of time until the pumpkin is soft enough to scoop out. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes overall. You can cook the pumpkin on the stovetop, but it will take almost twice as long to do.

Gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin with a tablespoon. The pumpkin should seperate easily and in fairly large sections.

To get pumpkin puree with a nice and smooth consistency, I suggest using a stick blender. The stick blender usually takes only 2 or 3 minutes. However, you can puree the pumpkin with a regular blender or a hand mixer and added patience.

Once done, you should have about 3 cups of pumpkin puree. Your pumpkin puree is now ready to use in your favorite recipes (pie included).

*NOTES: A "pie pumpkin" is smaller and sweeter than the jack-o'-lantern pumpkin. A pie pumpkin's texture is less grainy, as well. A pie pumpkin is only about 8 inches in diameter. When selecting a pie pumpkin, look for one that is firm and has a good orange color. Avoid pumpkins with bruises and soft spots.

Instant Protection Against Dangerous Influences - Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:29:00 +0000

Family time is a necessity for those wishing to build happy and healthy families. Parents that take time out to eat as a family, play, read, and talk together, teach children that they matter, that relationships are worth nurturing, and that strong family bonds breed success.

Setting aside blocks allocated for family time can be very difficult for busy families. By the time everyone is home from work, school, sports, and other outside activities people are tired, playing a board game seems like the least important item on the to-do list. However, playing a board game, metaphorically, is the most important item to cross off of the list.

Family time is valuable time when parents can take time out to observe their children, follow their children, hug and kiss them, encourage, guide, and laugh. Family time is when children feel comfortable opening up to their parents; this is a time when the mood is relaxed and children feel supported, valued and loved.

Eat together

Studies have shown that the family activity with the greatest positive impact on children, is sitting down together to dinner each evening. Benefits for children include learning patience, (family members should wait for everyone to be served before eating and remain at the table until everyone is through), sitting quietly and calmly to eat, and listening attentively and participating in the conversation. If an evening meal is impossible to schedule, families can find a different meal to gather, a fun idea is to set the table later in the evening when everyone is home, and have dessert together.

Children should be included in meal preparation, setting the table, and clean-up. Although table manners must be taught and reinforced, mealtime should be a pleasant experience with a focus on togetherness. Quick behavioral reminders will reinforce good manners and then conversation can be resumed. Parents should choose to be in a good mood and not let the day’s issues weigh down the meal. After all, this is family time!

Creative planning can make the evening meal easier to put on the table and clean up afterwards. Simple meals, and meals prepared in advance and frozen, are good ways to ease the evening scramble and help keep the focus on family time, not on cooking and cleanup. Instead of spending an hour cleaning the kitchen after the meal, simple meals free up some time in the evening for togetherness.

Shut off the television and the computer

Shutting off the television in the evening helps to place the focus on the people in the house instead of the strangers on the screen. The evening hours spent interacting as a family instead of staring at the television will benefit everyone greatly and will help create warm and lasting memories.

Shutting off the television and the computer eliminates the risk that children will be exposed to damaging levels of violence and sexual content. Experts claim that violence and sexual imagery negatively change the brain chemistry of children, resulting in permanent changes in the brain’s wiring.

Set a relaxed mood

Bathe young children and put them in their pajamas. Put on some light music that isn’t jarring or offensive, this often cues a little impromptu dancing from children, always good for a laugh. No arguing, bickering, or crabbiness. Family time should be warm, joyful and happy. Parents should be demonstrative and giving, snuggle, hug, and kiss the kids and each other. Family time like this is ideal for modeling loving, kind behavior.

Find fun games and activities

The nature of children is to be fun loving and flexible and open to many ideas. Coloring, board games, guessing games, acting, playing with dolls or cars, and reading are all fun things to do together. Allow children to help set the evening agenda. One idea based on the Montessori principal of learning suggests observing the child and leading by following the child.

There are other opportunities during the day for family time

The evening is not the only option for family time. Parents should seek out other times to be together. Take the kids on the morning and afternoon dog walk, invite them to join in on gardening, ask them to help wash the car or help with the laundry. It is probably true that activities will be completed slower with kids as helpers, but their happiness far outweighs the inconvenience.

Parents who zone out each evening in front of the television or computer for hours and hours rob children of the necessary family time that they need. It is stingy of parents to choose to channel or web surf over spending time with their kids. In a blink of an eye the kids will be up and out of the house and parents will have the rest of their lives to stare blankly at a screen, alone.

Making a conscious effort to spend quality family time together is vital to the health and welfare of children. Children do not thrive if parents don’t interact with them daily. When parents choose to have kids, they automatically choose to sacrifice their time to raise their kids. Family time is a parenting tool which helps to regulate the content that children are exposed to and introduce healthier activities. Developing strong relationships with children also will build bonds that last a lifetime.

by: Elena Neitlich

September 11th, 2001 Remembering

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:28:00 +0000

God Bless America!

Wordless Wednesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:19:00 +0000

So I decided to start Wordless Wednesday so just like every other mom I can post pictures of my boys.

Train Stuffing Weird! Wednesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:26:00 +0000

Thought this was pretty weird! It seem the most popular method of transit in Japan is the subway train and they have so many people riding they had to push and shove them for all of them to fit in. Check this out!

So if you happen to be going to visit I would not take the subway!

Be sure and pop over to It's Ok to be Weird! and see what weird stuff she has found this week!

Make Your Own Baby Wipes! Tidbit Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:24:00 +0000

For today's tidbit here is a recipe to make your own baby wipes

One roll of quality paper towels (like Bounty) cut in half
2 cups of warm water
2 tablespoons of baby shampoo
1 tablespoon of baby oil
1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol ( optional)

Mix water, shampoo, oil, alcohol in suitable container. Add 1/2 roll paper towels cut side down. Save the other half for later. Put lid on and let soak until all liquid is absorbed. Roughly about 5-10 minutes. Turn container upside down for about 30 minutes to make sure it is all absorbed. Then turn back over wait a few minutes and they are ready to go!

These are really great because they are bigger and last longer than the store bought ones.

Don't forget to stop over @ Melinda Zook for her great tidbit today!

Repurposing Napkins And Papers, Make It Yourself Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:58:00 +0000

I found this video on YouTube for a fantastic way to cover the Make It Yourself Monday project I showed you here about re purposing boxes and containers to make storage containers and such for your home office and around the home.

I don't know why this never came to me what a clever and very easy way to make your stuff pretty. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Toilet Paper 101

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:34:00 +0000

How do you put the toilet paper on?

I personally think it should go over but I know that some would beg to differ. I found this article while stumbling over @ Current Configuration and thought it was a great article explaining the theory.

Essential Life Lesson #1: Over is Right, Under is Wrong

As part of our ongoing effort here at Current Configuration to make your life not only better, but also 10% more crunchy, we’re offering you this first installment of what will be an ongoing series of Essential Life Lessons. Kicking off this series will be a critical but even-handed examination of a common misunderstanding that occurs in a realm of many misunderstandings: the bathroom.

Put simply, there is a right way to hang the toilet paper, and a wrong way. Read on to determine the status of your own roll.

Toilet paper has a natural curve, a way of being that lends itself to certain orientations on the toilet paper spool.* If handled with skill and knowledge, it can provide an abundance of both sanitation and comfort, quilted together in each square of pillowy ply. If handled with clumsy ignorance, or worse, carelessness, it will beset the user with pain, filth, and frustration. Don’t let it end this way, with you curled on the tile floor of the stall, weeping in frustration, covered in wasted papier de toilette. To convince you, we’ve created some diagrams, harnessing the power of SCIENCE, to demonstrate the natural benefits of the over hanging method. First, we examine the optimal viewing benefits of the over hanging method.

Below are examples of the helpful and fruitful over-hung method on the left and the annoying and detrimental under-hung method on the right.

Notice the dramatic difference in the amount of visible toilet paper. Ironically, it is the over-hung toilet paper that has both the most visible free sheetage and the least amount of sheetage free from the roll to do it. Now, this may not seem like a big deal on its own, but in these extra sheets lies your undoing. Observe.

We here at Current Configuration, for the purposes of ease and expediency, do the one-handed tear (okay, really, it’s just me, but bear with me, er, us). The one-handed tear is a quick maneuver that takes advantage of the perforated squares, allowing your bundle of toilet paper to be liberated with one quick swipe of the arm. This is the foundation of bathroom ease, the cottony bedrock on which enjoyment rests in the restrooms of many nations.

The one-handed tear relies on a quick and forceful motion directed either away from or towards the tear-er. The forces applied in this motion are great and, like the atom, are not to be trifled with. The natural curve of the over-hung method allows the roll to stand fast after a one-handed tear, but the under-hung method creates a calamitous tendency in the roll. This tendency can only lead to this:

Wasted paper, frustration, the destruction of our forests. While we realize that it is possible to execute a one-handed tear on an under-hung roll, this is a game of sanitary Russian roulette. You are bound to lose eventually, and there is no re-rolling an unwound toilet paper roll. The results will only cause you grief. Don’t let this happen to you. Restroom attendants, janitors, maids, facilities crews, and responsible toiletowners take note: Don’t use the under-hung method for your toilet paper rolls. It leads to the destruction of our precious resources and the pillars of civilization as we know it!

So didn't it make sense?

Award and a Tag

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:51:00 +0000

Tagged by a great blog! Lofty Matters tagged me…so here goes!

First, the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

5. Link the person who tagged you.

6. Leave a comment for each blogger.

Seven Facts About Me:

1. I’m a single mom, 38

2. I have 2 boys Caleb 5, Greyson 18 months

3. I was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo

4. I have blond and blue eyes

5. I hate having my picture taken

6. I love to decorate

7. I’m a night owl

Six Quirks About Me

1. I love to sleep but I don’t do much of it

2. I have a deep obsession for the color baby pink

3. I am a list person

4. I’m happiest when I’m reorganizing something

5. Driving relaxes me

6. I love bargain hunting, yard sales, thrift store , flea markets

I am tagging:

1. It's Ok to be Weird!

2. Mom Knows Everything

3. My Life as Mother and Single Parent

4. Mom with the Brownies

I know I am supposed to have 7 but I could only think of a few so if you would like to play please do.

I was also given a award by by Bloggy friend The Life of an Everyday BBW ,April Thank You so Much! I really appreciated you thinking of me.

I Love Your Blog Award

The rules for this award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs that you've nominated.

It's hard for me to select the blogs to nominate. There are so many wonderful blogs out there. My immediate choices are;

It's Ok to be Weird!

Mom Knows Everything

Mom with the Brownies

Melinda Zook

Points of View (Discussion Blog)

Keeping The Kingdom First

Happy To Be Called Mommy

Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Well better late than never! It has been one of those days.

Do We Value Our Family Time?

Family time is something we all say we value, but few of us actually experience.

Surveys suggest that most families rate time together as their number one priority. Those same surveys show that fathers spend only a few minutes a day with their children. In his book If I Were Starting My Family Again, John Drescher wrote about a study of 300 seventh and eighth-grade boys who kept detailed records of how much time their fathers spent with them over a two-week period. Most saw their father only at the dinner table. A number didn't see their fathers for days at a time. The average time father and son were alone together was seven and one-half minutes a week.

There are several excuses that we use to justify our lack of time together as families:

We excuse ourselves by saying, "We don't spend much time together, but our time is quality time." This makes me wonder what one minute of "quality time" per day might include. Perhaps you will agree with me that quality time cannot exist apart from quantities of time.

Another argument we use is: "My kids are young. If I'm not around that much for the first few years, it won't matter." This attitude fails to take into account the fact that many opportunities present themselves only once and only for a moment. A child is only two for one year. Toddlers do not remain toddlers for long. We must seize every opportunity to be together because none of us knows which moments are going to be locked forever into a child's memory. And none of us knows which experiences will mark turning points in a child's life.

A third excuse is: "I'll make it up to them later. There's plenty of time. I'll build my career now so that when they're older we'll have plenty of money to spend on activities we all enjoy." This argument is, in a word, foolishness. Who really believes that we'll have more time in a few years than we have now? Busy lifestyles don't change when we reach a certain age; they just become more deeply ingrained. We all have twenty-four hours in a day and what we do with those hours speaks volumes about what is important to us.

If we have no time for our children while they are young, they very likely will have no time for us when we are old. We ought to make the most of each opportunity (Ephesians 5:16). Be a part of your children's lives; make family time a priority. Schedule plenty of time together so quality experiences can happen. Your family is a gift to you from God. Don't say, "I'll make it up to you later." Spend time with your loved ones today.

If you'd like to participate in Family Friday with me:

Write your own post on your blog about anything to do with spending time with your family, it can be things your family does, tips on family time, ideas for family time, creating family memories for your kids etc.
include a link in your post, when the graphic is finished I will get that up and running.
come back and sign in with Mr. Linky, linking to your specific post (not just to your blog), so we know you're participating!

Weird! Wednesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:10:00 +0000

At the rate gas is going this might be us before long!

FIVE PEOPLE! The third one look like she could be with child so that is SIX! WOW!

To The Market We Go!

This Looks A Little Fishy!

This Will Look Great In My Yard!

A Pipefitters Work Is Never Done!

Just Out Doing A Little Deep Sea Fishin'!

The Finishing Touch To My Bathroom Remodel!

I Got Me Some Bigger Tires For Better Traction On this Thing!

Kentucky Fried Here I Come!

Were Having A Big Easter Egg Hunt!

Bacon I smell Bacon! I Am Sure He Did Look At The Poor Little Guy On The Bottom!:(

I going to Pimp My Ride!

I Love Chicken!

These Chairs Will Go Great With My Dining Room Table!

Got Milk!

The Will Never See Me In Here!

Here Is Me When I Trade My Car In !

I Love To Recycle!

Follow Me This Is A Short Cut!

Honey Get The Table Set I'm Comin' Home With Dinner!

Honey Look What I Got Free On Craigslist!

And This My Son Is How To You Walk A Tightrope!

Makes you appreciate!

Make sure you pop over to It's Ok to be WEIRD! and see what oddities Sweet Mummy found!

Tidbit Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday Everyone!
Here are some helpful tidbits that might come in handy.

Put three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the kitchen sink followed by a cup of white vinegar. Leave for a few minutes then run hot water. It cleans the pipes

Four tablets in the toilet will bring your bowl up sparkling clean. Leave for an hour and then brush

Spilled water all over a couple books my solution I put baby power in between each page while they dried worked like a charm

Knots in your kids shoelaces? Shake a little talcum powder or corn starch on knotted shoelaces and the knots will pull apart more easily

Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pages of a cookbook; this way it avoids spills and splatters right on the pages! When finished, you simply dispose of the plastic wrap

Got paint brushes crusted with dried acrylic paint? Dip them in Pine-Sol it dissolves the paint almost instantly

Vinegar heals bruises...
Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process

Be sure and pop over to see what Melinda Zook to see what she has for us today as well.

What Will Your Family Say After Your Gone?

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:54:00 +0000

When it is your time to go what do you think will be said about you? Were you kind, loving, giving or were you bitter and cold and nobody can stand? Do you care?

When my mom passed in 2000 it was such a devastating thing for me she was the absolute best friend a girl could have she was kind and loving the life of the party everyone wanted to be around her.

So many were touched by her life and she is still remembered and talked about to this day by everyone who knew her.

I have often wondered who’ll come to my funeral when my life here is over. Will those who do show up have good things to say or will their silence tell a different story?

I will have no chance to control what’s said when the time comes but I can do something about it while I’m still here by the way I choose to live my life.

Will I leave friends and family with good memories? I guess that’s up to me and the choices I make every day of my life.

I wonder if I’m making a enough contributions in the world to make even a small difference. Will anyone one other than those close to me miss me? Did I do anything worth remembering or being thankful that I was once alive? Am I making a difference through my work and through the the volunteer tasks I undertake?

I was saddened to read the following obituary for a lady who died earlier this month.

Dolores Aguilar
1929 - Aug. 7, 2008
Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.

She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.

There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

Is this sad or what to think someone could have been such a bitter sole that even her own children could write such a devastatingly horrible obituary about her.

It so horrible that I did check on snopes to make sure this was for real and not a joke.

So in keeping with yesterdays post here. Will you be remembered as bucket filler or a bucket dipper?

Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:55:00 +0000

Are a Bucket Filler Or A Bucket Dipper?

I just found this wonderful blog We are That Family and she was talking about a new program her kids school is using this year. She said they have deemed themselves a " Bucket Filling School".

It's based on this award-winning book: Have You Filled A Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, by Carol McCloud.

Basically, everyone has an invisible bucket. Our buckets are filled with words and actions.

It makes people happy to have their bucket filled with good things, like compliments, happy thoughts and kindness.

But if you are unkind in your actions or words, you are a bucket-dipper. Bucket dippers aren't exactly celebrated.

This is such a great program. I actually had heard of this idea in a book I had to read for work called Monday Morning Leadership, which is a excellent book BTW. It never dawned on me at the time I was reading the book what a wonderful lesson this would be for children.

I love that it has biblical concept and it can also impact your children as home as well as school. Kristen from We are That Family says it has been a wonderful impact on her children. She says every once in a while from the playroom she can hear "You just filled my bucket, thanks!" or "That hurt my feelings, you bucket-dipper!"

Everyone has a bucket. What are you filling it with?

If you'd like to participate in Family Friday with me:

Write your own post on your blog about anything to do with spending time with your family, it can be things your family does, tips on family time, ideas for family time, creating family memories for your kids etc.
include a link in your post, when the graphic is finished I will get that up and running.
come back and sign in with Mr. Linky, linking to your specific post (not just to your blog), so we know you're participating!

Also over @ Pippin Party's blog she is hosting a contest to win this ebook so head over a sign up!

Wanna Know How God Felt Giving Up His Only Son?

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:47:00 +0000

I am trying to decide whether I want to continue with Tantalizing Thursday or not. I am slowly going to make some subtle changes this maybe the first we will see.

But in the meantime when I was dropping last night @ This Side Of Eternity she had this video and she warned her visitors that she was quite a mess for a while after watching this video.

Well she was right. If you have children this will pull at your heartstrings! The first time I watched I really didn't get where it was leading till almost the end and then Bam! There it is! This is powerful!

Weird! Wednesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:33:00 +0000

Today is the first day for Weird! Wednesdays a weekly meme hosted by Sweet Mummy @ It's Ok To Be Weird!

I thought this picture would qualify!
You might be a redneck if....

Do you think this high rise is owned by Donald Trump's brother Ronald Slump? Just a thought!

Tidbit Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Well it is Kindergarten craze here on the homefront. He started yesterday and I almost missed the big day! I knew I was meeting with his teacher at 10 but was not aware that it was the first day until I was leaving for a prior appointment and I seen the streets were filled with kids and backpacks. I pulled to a mom and ask some question and went into full on panic!

You never seen a woman move so fast in your life. I got that car around the block and in the drive, jumped out ran to phone the school to become the first official nutcase mom of the new school year. So here is how the conversation went...

Me:
Hi my son is a Kindergartner this year and I for some reason I thought they did not start till Thursday. I just found out the first day is today ( school starts at 8:30 for Kindergarten and this is 9:40 at the time of this conversation) have I just ruined my son most memorable day of school that a mom can have?

The school secretary:
( Laughing hysterically) what is your child name and teacher? No you are fine just relax, we will see you in a bit.

She had to find out my childs name so now they can know I am the crazy loon! Thank goodness I had everything all ready to go so it was not a total disaster. But dear lord how could I have messed up such a important day!

So here is some pictures of his first day

If you can see well enough in picture 3 that his eyebrow is now scarred for life from showing his Karate moves to the sitters son and losing his balance and landing on the corner of the entertainment center. BTW he doesn't even take Karate!!!

So I know this is Tidbit Tuesday but I had to interrupt regularly scheduled programing for this important (to me anyway) service announcement.

Be sure and stop by Melinda Zook and see what she has going on for Tidbit Tuesday today.

Make It Yourself Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:08:00 +0000

Basic Melt and Pour Soap

Basic Materials

You can melt the base in a double boiler or the microwave. If you choose the microwave, make sure you cover the bowl you are melting the melt and pour (MP) with Saran Wrap to keep the excess moisture from evaporating out. Simply melt the base on high for one minute and stir the remaining, unmelted pieces in.

If you use a double-boiler, simply bring the water to boil, add your melt and pour, cover, turn the heat on low and walk away. Check on the base periodically to see it it's melted.

Add fragrance

2	If you add fragrance oil, add it after the base is fully melted. Stir until the fragrance is fully incorporated and the base doesn't look "cloudy." Start with .25 ounce per pound of base and work up or down from there. You can also use essential oils. Stir in colorant

If you wish to add colorant, add the color when the base is melting. Just throw in 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon mica with the melting base and stir it in really well. Spray any "mica bubbles" that form on the top with rubbing alcohol. To use food coloring, simply put in 1 drop at a time to your melted base and color to preference. Too much can stain hands and towels, so be careful!

Pour into mold

4	Pour into your molds - and spray the top with rubbing alcohol to get rid of any excess bubbles. Spray with rubbing alcohol

5	Use and enjoy once the soap is hard - which takes a few hours.

The finished product - a beautifully handcrafted bar of soap!

Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:56:00 +0000

I thought this video as short as it maybe totally embodies what Family Friday is all about. It is tearjerker though so have a tissue ready!

So I am officially making Family Friday a weekly theme thanks to Sweet Mummy @ Its OK to be WEIRD who set everything up with Mr. Linky. We are still working on the graphic so as soon as it is finished I will get the code up.

If you'd like to participate in Family Friday with me:

Write your own post on your blog about anything to do with spending time with your family, it can be things your family does, tips on family time, ideas for family time, creating family memories for your kids etc.
include a link in your post, when the graphic is finished I will get that up and running.
come back and sign in with Mr. Linky, linking to your specific post (not just to your blog), so we know you're participating!

Were You Aware Of A "Hidden Curriculum" At Your Childs School?

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:08:00 +0000

My son will be starting Kindergarten next Thursday so I have been reading up on different blogs about "The First Day" and so forth and I ran upon an article from White Trash Mom

I found it to be interesting. Now I would think this would be very easy to do anyway if you would an active parent in your child's school which is a real goal of mine. But I know sometimes that is not always possible. So now you got a heads up as to how thing work behind the scenes.

Letter to Kindergarten Moms from White Trash Mom

My friend Erin and Jenny both had children that started Kindergarten in the last few days. Kindergarten is big for parents because it's a milestone that officially says your child is no longer a "pre-schooler", you are the parent of a "school-age" kid from now on.

The Kindergarten milestone undid me because it made me realize just how much of my daughter's life I had been working full time+ and how I could not get that time back. My mother was ill at the same time my oldest daughter started Kindergarten so it was a very emotional year for me, mom passed away when Grace was in Kindergarten, so it was a year of me talking about motherhood and resolving to do it differently.

Anyway, I've been meaning to send my "Kindergarten" moms a note or email this week but naturally, since I am a WT mom, I haven't done it yet. But here are a few tips to help guide you through the early part of this transitional time. You'll live but it's pretty scary when you send your oldest one to Kindergarten for the first time. Here are some quick guidelines to read before the ice cream social or parent coffee meeting:

1.Once your kids are in "real" school, you need to bring a little more to the game of parenting.

It used to be that moms dropped off their kids and that was it. In today's world of high powered parenting, you need to have a healthy perspective BUT you also must realize that working with the school community is like a new part of your parenting job. Look at it as a new requirement for your degree as a "mom".

2.Do your homework on the teachers, school community----as you would a new job or class.
I was a C+ student. For example, I got better grades by doing "re-con" on various college classes and teachers to find out:

Who graded easy on tests?
Which classes had Friday's off?
Is it possible to sleep in class?

Once your kids are in school, you need to approach your new parenting requirements with the zeal of a C+ student. Finding out the "lay of the land" from other parents will help YOU help your CHILD.

3.Real science stuff, not just WT Mom proof in my advice=Hidden Curriculum

Richard Lavoie is a very smart educator who introduced me to the concept of the "Hidden Curriculum". It sounds very sinister but it's not. It's just a philosophy based on a very key research study about school communities. "Hidden Curriculum" is the idea that the UNWRITTEN RULES AND NORMS of a school community are even more powerful than the WRITTEN rules and norms for the school community. The biggest difference in your job as a parent with a school age child is to find out the "HC" and then help your child navigate the waters of the school community.

Part 2 of this post is later today. I must go up to the elementary school, taking my youngest daughter and friend to see who their teachers are for next year. Note: This is a perfect example of the "HC"----the school ice cream social is this evening, the event that is supposed to be when all the teachers are announced to kids. In reality, the school posts the class lists in the afternoon, hours before the ice cream event, so all the families go an peek at the list early. No one ever wrote this down, it's just what is done.

Let's be careful out there campers! Good LUCK!

Just a note I remember it is Tantalizing Thursday. I will post it later today I have a job interview at 2 will be back.

What's Your Opinion on Blog Commenting?

noreply@blogger.com (Tidbits Of Tammy) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:33:00 +0000

So one of my BFF bloggy friends Melinda Zook who is also the creator of Tidbit Tuesday has called upon a few of us to help her gather some info.

She is trying to find out what people really want when it comes to blog commenting.

So she has recruited few of us to answer these question as honestly as we can then see how many of you would be so kind as to leave a comment with your opinions on it as well.

So here are my answers.....

1. How many blogs do you comment on each week?
About 15-20.

2. Do you comment on the same blogs routinely?
I do have some that I do try to comment on regularly. Then as I do my Entrecard drops I read and if I feel I have something to say I leave a comment. I hate to be a drop and go, I only do that if I am behind.

3. Do you comment just to comment or do you comment with the expectations that the blog owner will visit your blog as well?
I comment just to comment. I never want anyone to think I am just trying to get a return comment or visit. Not to say I do not like people to come and visit my blog and leave comments. I LOVE comments. But I want people to be commenting because you found the post interesting not out of obligation.

4. How would you like the blog owner to respond to your comment, if at all?
Unless it is something that is just a light post or picture that you are just leaving a brief comment about I love to hear a response from the blog owner. I almost always go back on my next visit to see if they have responded. But I do not get upset if they do not, I know we all have busy lives and sometimes do not always have time to respond.

5. How many comments would you say you got (on average) in your last 5 posts? Only about 3-4.

6. Do you respond to your comments?
Yes it may not always be the same day because of time but I try to always go back and comment.

7. How do you respond, within that post or via email or some other way?
Within the post.

8. [If you don't respond to comments] N/A

So what is your response to these questions? Please comment and let me know.