Syn's Life

Notebook Computers

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Have you noticed the prices come down on a notebook computer lately? I noticed last week when we were at an electronics store. A pink one caught the eye of my four-year-old daughter so I stopped to see what she was raving about. They are becoming so affordable now.

When my stepdaughter graduates from high school, I'm hoping we'll be able to afford to get her a nice laptop computer as a present. It would be a graduation present she could take with her to college and get some good use out of.

They'd make great Christmas gifts for somebody on your list this season too!

The Flu Hits Home

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:14:00 +0000

I don't think it was the H1N1, but it hasn't been fun around here. It started Saturday with my oldest vomiting. Then she was fine. I thought maybe she'd eaten something bad (we'd gone out to eat that day).

Monday morning comes and my son is vomiting at 5:00 a.m. I send him back to bed. I guess my daughter getting sick wasn't something she ate because she passed it to her brother. No school for him. Poor thing.

About two hours later, I'm worshipping the porcelain gods on my knees! Not fun.

My son spends the morning laying around and then he is better. He's up and doing things. Meanwhile, I am on the couch. Any time I move, bad cramps go through my abdomen. By the time the afternoon rolls around, the cramps are moving lower and I have chills. By bedtime, I am pretty miserable with chills (I could not get warm) and inhaling hurts my chest a lot. Since I have asthma, THAT worried me the most. I usually use my Advair inhaler once a day but at that point, I hit it again and then went to bed hoping I wasn't going to have to track down hubby at work or make a hospital visit. Going to the ER is a last resort to me (that attitude almost killed me once, waiting too long during an asthma attack) but I had every intention of getting over it and putting up with the people in lab coats to avoid almost dying this time.

Tuesday morning, my son is back in school. I'm still crampy if I move and my lungs are a little heavy but not like last night. The worst of it was last night. I hope anyway. I have too many things to do to be sick!

It's weird the way a bug goes through the house and affects family members differently. My kids bounced right back. It's taking me longer to even think about bouncing. Like I said, I don't believe it was H1N1 but it was definitely some type of bug.

Neverending Sickness

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Does it seem like illnesses are on a loop in your house? Cold on top of colds. I've had two respiratory infections already this Fall with the last one knocking me on my backside for a couple days. All of my kids have had colds already with my youngest seeming to have one continuous one since school started!

Last night, my oldest child vomited. Just once. No fever. No aches. She had cramps, got sick, and then was fine. Must've been something she ate? Today my stomach is so cramped, it is making me nauseous. This is my second bout with some type of stomach virus (or food irritant) this Fall too. What's the deal?

I do not like the summer months but boy would I like them back about right now just to get these germs away from us!

High-Def Hotties

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:15:00 +0000

We bought a new HD television a few months ago. At the time we bought it, I had no idea you actually had to pay to add HD service to your television plan in order to reap the benefits the television offers. I thought it was just there - like the television signal you get when you have an antennae. Duh! Leave it to us to do something that ends up costing us more money in the long run. So we have this HD television that we haven't been using for the HD capabilities. Other priorities for our finances I guess.

I'm comparing different equipment and plans so that hubby can get his HD with his television viewing. So many options to choose from - bell tv and others. I'm sure my husband would like to see Kate Beckinsale in full high-def! I wouldn't mind seeing a certain Pirate in the same hi-def so we're even.

Three Total Weight Milestones: One Met

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:00 +0000

I have broken up my weight loss into three milestones so that meeting each one is quicker which gives me encouragement to move onto and finish the next milestone. I'm managing my thyroid medication by symptoms and it's been working so much better.

I've lost some of the weight I've gained since getting thyroid disease. I'm right at the start of the second milestone (ten pounds to lose in this milestone) but I'm at a standstill. The weight isn't coming off again. I'm also losing more hair than I should be and am always cold. Rather than give in and find best weight loss pills, it's time to increase my thyroid medication a very little bit to help take care of these symptoms. As hypothyroid symptoms decrease, so will my need to increase medication.

Optimizing my hormone levels is what is working for me right now. I'm not ready to give that up yet!

Big Bird is 40

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:06:00 +0000

Big Bird (and the rest of Sesame Street) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Can you believe that big, yellow bird is 40 years old? Does that make you feel old too? It sure makes me feel old. They're only two years older than I am.

What do you get a 40-year-old for this birthday/anniversary? Perhaps a little eye wrinkle cream? Ha! If anybody gives me eye wrinkle cream for my 40th birthday, I'll smack 'em.

Happy Anniversary to Sesame Street!

We have a dog named after one of the show's characters - Cookie Monster. The puppy started out as just 'Cookie' but it quickly turned to 'Cookie Monster' after seeing what her personality was like.

Still Looking for Madeleine McCann

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Madeleine McCann disappeared two years ago at the age of four. She would now be six. They did an age progression to show what they think she'd look like now in the hopes that somebody would recognize her. It's really hard to look at her big, beautiful eyes in this video and realize she's just gone. My youngest is now four and I can't imagine the anguish of losing her and not knowing what happened. I don't understand how people can be so sick. Our society is full of disgusting excuses for human beings and it's scary.

My only concern is that it seems like they aged her too much in the picture. She looks more like she'd be 8-9 years old in the video instead of the six she'd be.

To see the full video because I know my columns are cutting off part of it, click here.

It feels good to kick the sickness

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:56:00 +0000

I am finally on the back end of this respiratory infection I had. I don't think it was the flu, though I never did take my temperature. Between the head and chest pressure and the sore throat, it was a miserable past few days! My asthma doesn't do well when I get a cold and this was definitely not an exception. My chest felt very heavy for a couple days. I'm glad it's over!

Kitchen Islands and Character

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Yesterday I saw a GORGEOUS kitchen. It had exposed brick on one wall and a huge island in the middle with this great copper/brown colored finish. I love islands and wish our kitchen was big enough to have one too. What a great country kitchen. I didn't notice the sink but I can imagine how copper sinks would look great in this kitchen!

We just redid our kitchen a year ago. I tried to figure out how to get an island installed but there was just not enough room. If I'd had a separate dining room, I could have but we have an eat-in kitchen so space is very limited. My next house will have a big kitchen!

Bang! Bang! Down the Expressway

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:54:00 +0000

So we are driving down the expressway the other day and something starts hitting the passenger door of my SUV. It's hitting so loudly that I'm afraid there is going to be paint damage and dings in my door. It turns out that the rubber mat that is supposed to be adhered to the running boards has come up, leaving half of it flapping in the wind! We ended up having to pull it off completely so we could get home without any damage. Now I am on the search for Mopar parts to replace the rubber mat without having to replace the running board.

They were too expensive to have installed. I can't believe the mat came up! It's been too long to get it covered under any type of warranty so it'll be our expense. There always seems to be some expense ready and waiting for us.

Visit the Underworld with Hades & More

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:56:00 +0000

My husband found this site and gave me the link. Somebody spent quite a bit of designing this site. It's pretty cool. It's called River Styx. Check it out here.

Bestselling Kids Toys & Black Friday Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Here are the bestselling kids toys. You might want to check them out before your kids start handing you their Christmas lists.

Speaking of Christmas shopping, here are the Black Friday specials.

Man Arrested for Making Coffee Naked in His Own Home

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Somebody cuts through his yard, sees him naked in his own home, and calls the cops? Ever heard of trespassing?

Grow Lights vs Heat Lamps: I'm a Dork

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:06:00 +0000

I was looking for some type of light for the top of our corn snake's cage to keep him warmer this winter. I want to keep the heat down a little to save money (via propane savings) but don't want Willy to get too cold. I wasn't sure what I was looking for and found grow lights first. I'm such a dork! He needs a heat lamp, not a grow light. Does it look like he needs to grow anymore? I think not! He's not oregano to stick under a horticulture light!

As you can tell, I know next to nothing about snakes. Willy is the pet of my ten-year-old son (and dad helps him care for him and feeds him). The feeding thing? Yeah, that's kind of gross.

Cold & Flu Season Hard on Asthmatics Like Me

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Has any household escaped the cold and flu season so far this year? It sure does seem to be starting early. I just had one cold a couple weeks ago and now I have another. The same for my youngest daughter (who gave them both to me by the way).

With asthma being prevalent in my family (my oldest and I both have it), I'm wondering what I can do to reduce the amount of cold and flu occurrences in the house. Each cold seems to hit me harder than normal because of my damaged lungs.

We live near a grain elevator and you would not believe the daily dust in our house! (Kind of scary thinking about how much we are inhaling into our lungs now that I think about it.) It's crazy dusty in our house. I was telling my husband today about a central vacuum, wondering if it would help with the overload of dust we get in our house. Might just help my asthmatic lungs too!

You'd think with all the scientific knowledge in this world, there would be a cure for asthma by now. Do you ever wonder if there IS a cure for some of these life-threatening diseases and the government and Big Pharma just aren't letting us know because illness is a big money-maker for Big Pharma? I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories but I really wonder in the medical field if there isn't a little somewhere.

My Birthday Present

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I was right. My husband bought me an acoustic amp for my birthday. He's being 100% supportive of my learning to play guitar. I knew he wouldn't listen to me when I told him not to buy me anything. I know people say that and they don't mean it, but I really do. We have bills piling up.

BUT, I love my amp. Now I need to trade in my electric guitar for an electric acoustic and I'll be good to go!

Funny Video - Free Photo Booth

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Funny video!

Universal Studios Free Photo Booth

When Guys Get in Trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:53:00 +0000

I just found this VERY funny site that explains to men what jewelry to buy and when - engagement rings, earrings, 'I'm sorry' jewelry, anniversaries, birthdays, engagements, baby's birth, etc. Men need to know this stuff! It's a one-stop advice and shopping haven for men. It had me laughing several times!

My man is usually really good (I say "usually" because he had one bad jewelry choice early on in our relationship) at buying jewelry but I know a lot of guys get that glazed look in their eyes when it is brought up. Men just don't have any idea what kind of jewelry to give or when to give it. They don't want to give something that means more than it should (don't want a woman to get confused over a ring you thought she'd like versus a ring she thinks is an engagement ring when it's not...boy would that be uncomfortable to talk your way out of!). They also don't want to give a piece of jewelry that doesn't mean enough.

I'll give you an example of great gift-giving. After the birth of each of our kids, on the Mother's Day that followed the birth, my husband bought me a ring that had the baby's birthstone in it. It was a very sweet, sensitive gesture. Not only do I have many good pieces of jewelry to choose from now (in many colors), but the jewelry means the world to me to have and wear. It will be something I can pass down to my kids down the road. I would definitely recommend this for dads to do as a gift for mom after the birth of their child or for the Mother's Day immediately following the birth! It'll be THE most appreciated gift, besides your newborn, of course.

Another example of gift-giving, that didn't go that well, was in the beginning of our relationship, when my husband and I had only been dating a very short time. He bought me an expensive gold necklace for Valentine's Day. I thanked him and acted pleased but internally, it freaked me out a bit. It was a serious gift at that early point in our relationship and it made me nervous (I know, usually it's the guy that gets a case of the nerves). A pair of earrings would've been better (and the web site, Bella True, in the "Tips for Guys" section confirms my feelings.) It was too serious, too fast, and I stopped dating him for a couple months shortly after that. OK, I ran - fast. I admit it.

The web site not only has pretty jewelry, but useful advice for the guy who is unsure what he should do and when he should do it and it gives us women a chance to laugh out loud because we can see our guy, or past boyfriends, in these predicaments.

You seriously need to bookmark the Tips for Guys page at Bella True and forward the link onto the boyfriends, husbands, brothers, uncles, etc. They need a little direction!

Happy Birthday to Me

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to Me!

Usually I am looking at womens jewelry but this year, I told my husband not to spend any money on me. I'd rather it go towards our bills that seem to keep piling up. Otherwise, I'll just feel guilty. Knowing him, he won't listen because he thinks gifts are a necessity.

Since I'm learning to play guitar, maybe he'll surprise me with a guitar amp for my birthday. I know he's been looking at them. I'm learning to play on an electric guitar but I eventually want to switch over to a folk size acoustic (that I can still hook up into an amp of course!).

Juggling Your Boss and Swine Flu

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:20:00 +0000

I wrote about the swine flu scare the school had over my oldest daughter earlier in the week so I won't bore you with repeating the tiny details here. Quick summary, she has asthma, they panicked over her asthma cough because of swine flu panic and sent her home from school when they shouldn't have to wait to see if she got a fever. Waited 48 hours, no fever, so I got a doctor's note to take her back to school.

Anyhow, there are a lot of kids out of school with fevers and vomiting right now at the school. My son said half of his class has been missing this week. When I went to pick up my daughter (see first paragraph), there was a little girl on my other daughter's cheerleading squad that was in the office with the flu. Her mom was called from work at the hospital to pick her up, showing up in her lab coat. I'd imagine there have been a lot of parents everywhere getting those phone calls to leave work to come get a sick child. I'm glad I work from home and my schedule is my own. I don't miss having to juggle my boss's demands and a sick child at the same time. I don't miss those times at all! I'd imagine the workplace is suffering right along with the schools - not only do they have to deal with employee illnesses, they also have to adjust to parents having to leave to take care of their sick child.

H1N1, School Freaks Out Over Asthma Cough

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Is the H1N1 bug as bad as the government is making it out to be? What's your opinion? Is it as dangerous as they say or is it a ploy from Big Pharma and the government to make money? Is it worse than the basic flu that hits the masses every year about this time?

My 12-year-old daughter has asthma. Every year about this time, she gets an asthmatic cough that lasts a few weeks. With the weather changes and all the corn being cut down right now, she has that barky cough right now (no fever). I remember during Halloween last year, she barked all through trick-or treat. It's that time of year for her. Unless or until she develops a fever, it's her asthma. She went to school today and they ended up calling me to come get her. She still doesn't have a fever but they're panicking over the cough. "OMG, H1N1. LET'S ALL PANIC."

Ugh.

Let's not all freak out people! If she had a fever, then I would have kept her home. If this is her asthma cough, it lasts about a month. Am I supposed to keep her home from school for a month for something that isn't contagious because people are panicking?

She missed pre-algebra today (as well as other classes but pre-algebra is an honors math class and she needs to be there to understand what they're learning). She has to be home for 24 hours to see if a fever develops. So she'll miss a second pre-algebra class tomorrow and probably not be able to cheer for her last football game because of the rules about having to be in school the day of the games.

Now if she develops a fever, then she'll stay home until she hasn't had a fever for 24 hours but I don't think it's right that they kicked her out of school when she's not showing symptoms of having the flu! I know a lot of kids have the flu right now (whether it is H1N1 or not remains to be seen) but she has no fever!!

7 Pounds Gone So Far

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Since switching my thyroid medication from a synthetic T4 to a natural T3/T4 combination, I've lost 7 pounds (so far). Hopefully, 20 more will fall off along with the other 7!

Thyroid Hell

Driving Pet Peeves

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:15:00 +0000

I don't have road rage. I don't get THAT mad while driving. What would be the point? Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't get irritated enough to let slip a few bad words when other people's driving irritates me.

Last week, two cars coming in the opposite direction passed a garbage truck in front of them - and they didn't care that they almost caused a head-on collision (with us!). That elicited more than just a few bad words from me (think finger gestures). They deserved it!

Other things that irritate me:

Tailgating. Whether it is the car behind me on my back end or my husband tailgating the car in front of him - same response. It fills me full of anxiety.
When people don't turn on their turn signal until right when they turn. How about a little notice people?
When lights are out so braking is a big surprise to you when all of a sudden, the car in front of you is a lot closer than it should be. How about getting some led tail lights that work?
How about when the car in front of you passes illegally on the right hand side of the road because the person in front of them is stopped to turn, leaving you NO notice that there is a car stopped right in front of you? That really gripes!
Another irritation is about cars and not driving specifically. The heavy bass beat that kids seem to think is awesome to hear half a dozen cars away? It hurts my ears! My ears are sensitive - they can't take heavy bass like that (nor can they take the high-pitched dog trainers that aren't supposed to be heard by humans. Yes, those hurt my ears too). I can't imagine what that bass is doing to that car's passengers' ears.

Green Cleaners: Buying Instead of Making

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:54:00 +0000

If you'd rather buy your household cleaners than make them, here is some information you should look for when choosing to find products that are good for the earth:

All-Purpose Cleaner: should be chlorine-free, ammonia free, solvent free
Window & Mirror Spray: should be ammonia-free with no synthetic fragrances or dyes
Liquid Dish Soap: should be plant-based, biodegradable, with no synthetic fragrances or dyes.
Dishwashing Detergent: should be plant-based, biodegradable, phosphate free, chlorine-free, with no synthetic dyes or fragrances.
Oxygen Bleach: should be chlorine-free.
Stain Remover: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, and solvent free.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, and ammonia-free.
Surface Scrub: should be plant-based, biodegradable, chlorine-free, with no synthetic dyes or fragrances.
Concentrated Cleaners: should be plant-based, biodegradable, with no synthetic fragrances or dyes.

Husband vs Wife Decorating

noreply@blogger.com (Syn) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:06:00 +0000

They make some awesome new tv stands for the HD flat-screen televisions, don't they? I'm being stubborn though.

For years, I wanted a big armoire that looked antiqued, with doors that closed the television inside. With so many kids, any help closing up clutter is a necessity!

About four years ago, I finally got it. Now I won't give it up for a flat screen television. So, we just slid it inside! It's not the ideal situation to get the full sound effects from an HD flat-screen but for now, it's all I'm willing to give up for my husband to have his flat-screen!