Smells Like Teen Spirit

Getting ready to hit the road

Everybody is worrying about gas prices these days. We're going on vacation in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to figure out the most cost-effective way of going. I'm thinking about renting a car. No worrying about my older car making it there. Maybe it would have a flip down DVD player? Has anyone else done this? What are the pros and cons?

Posted 4 mon. ago.

Who wants a Clean House?

Because the holidays are coming, we decided we were going to do a big clean this weekend. Sunday we got up and, as a team, cleaned two rooms of windows with mini blinds. How do they get so nasty? Between our living room and TV room, we have 10 windows. I am telling you, cleaning begets cleaning. Because then we did the 12 panes on the front door - oh, and then the two windows on each side of the …

Posted 4 days ago.

Shred Day!

I am forever trying to get rid of clutter from my household, but it keeps rearing its ugly head. I look forward to Shred Day every year as I know I can dispose of all the credit card offers (not as many this year!) and bills and receipts from years ago that I no longer need. You can't take everything with you, but the following link offers suggestions about how long you should keep personal fin…

Posted 1 week ago.

World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King

Â OK, so the second expansion for World of Warcraft â The Wrath of the Lich King - comes out Thursday, Nov. 13. http://www.worldofwarcraft.com There are midnight openings all over the Metroplex.

Posted 1 week ago.

Gratitude or I am so happy when my husband brings …

The other night, I came home from work tired and frazzled. Who hasn't felt that way on a Friday evening? The nightly question came up: "What should we have for dinner?" I threw out, "Well, we could have chili." Then we all retreated to different rooms, no consensus. I had just turned on the TV, taken my shoes off when my husband came in the room, carrying a bowl of chili all decked out with fri…

Posted 1 week ago.

Keeping up with your student online

At the beginning of the school year, I blogged about the new Fort Worth ISD website, http://www.fwisd.org. It certainly is an upgrade from what we've had before, however, I still don't feel completely informed as far as my child's education. I talked with a friend whose son attends school in the Arlington school district. They haveÂ a service called InTouch. You can log on and view how your …

Posted 2 weeks ago.

Halloween and braces: Not a great duet

Halloween is going to be a little different this year for my middle-schooler. He has braces this year. So all those caramels, Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie rolls - adios. (Actually, they're not so great for my crowns either!) Â There are sweets we can make for them and chef MichaelÂ Ciarello has joined with theÂ American Association of Orthodontics and put together some great recipes …

Posted 3 weeks ago.

We've got a driver in the house!

My son turned 16 a month ago. We went to the DMV on his birthday and he got his license. (He had gone through Sears Driving School, http://www.searsdrivingschools.com/locations.html?texas, which gives the lessons and behind-the-wheel experience - all worth the $329, in my opinion!)

Posted 3 weeks ago.

Reuse those giveaway bags!

I went to two different events Saturday where the giveaway was a reusable grocery bag. You know, the neat foldable bags that hold just a ton of stuff from the grocery? I started bringing my own bags to the grocers several months back and, now, it's just a habit. I still get one, maybe two, plastic bags each time, but I use those to either line my trash cans or I recycle them at my nearby grocer…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

A day off from work: Let's get organized

I took the day off yesterday. From work, from family. Â It's been a stressful couple of months. My car's engine blew up in the middle of New Mexico in August. My workplace has endured two rounds of layoffs and two rounds of buyouts in the last five months. So when I get stressed, I get organized.