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	<title>Musings from Me on Kids, Preteens, and Teens &#187; family strife</title>
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	<description>Seizing family time one dinner at a time.</description>
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		<title>Getting the Most Out of Your Disneyland and Walt Disney World Vacation #seizingfamilytime</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/getting-the-most-out-of-your-disneyland-and-walt-disney-world-vacation-seizingfamilytime/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/getting-the-most-out-of-your-disneyland-and-walt-disney-world-vacation-seizingfamilytime/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:54:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Routine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[family fun]]></category>
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										</div>Some tips for getting the most out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. FASTPASS FASTPASS is the key to getting the most out of your Disney experience. My husband is somewhat of a pro about the FASTPASS. FASTPASS can be used on the following attractions at Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit&#8217;s Car Too Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours. Use FASTPASS on these California Adventure rides: California Screamin&#8217; (well worth it even though I was terrified!), Goofy&#8217;s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Soarin&#8217; Over California (our family&#8217;s favorite ride at both EPCOT and California Adventure), The Twilight Zone of Terror (I couldn&#8217;t get anyone to ride this ride with me!), and World of Color. When you enter a Disney park, check the bulletin board at the park entrance. The board shows wait time for rides and which rides are FASTPASS. You will also see which rides are closed for the day. Look for FASTPASS distribution kiosks near the entrance to each ride. Check the FASTPASS return time to know when you can ride the attraction. Don&#8217;t use a FASTPASS if you will not be available to ride the ride. Save your FASTPASS [...]]]></description>
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<p><a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/soarin-and-screamin-at-california-adventure-seizingfamilytime/"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5524" title="CIMG1142" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CIMG1142-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>Some tips for getting the most out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.</p>
<p><strong>FASTPASS</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/plan/guest-services/fastpass/">FASTPASS</a> is the key to getting the most out of your Disney experience. My husband is somewhat of a pro about the FASTPASS.</li>
<li>FASTPASS can be used on the<a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/plan/guest-services/fastpass/"> following attractions</a> at Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit&#8217;s Car Too Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours.</li>
<li>Use FASTPASS on these California Adventure rides: California Screamin&#8217; (well worth it even though I was terrified!), Goofy&#8217;s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/soarin-and-screamin-at-california-adventure-seizingfamilytime/">Soarin&#8217; Over California</a> (our family&#8217;s favorite ride at both EPCOT and California Adventure), The Twilight Zone of Terror (I couldn&#8217;t get anyone to ride this ride with me!), and World of Color.</li>
<li>When you enter a <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/disneyland-fun-for-all-ages/">Disney park</a>, check the bulletin board at the park entrance. The board shows wait time for rides and <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/plan/guest-services/fastpass/">which rides are FASTPASS</a>. You will also see which rides are closed for the day.</li>
<li>Look for FASTPASS distribution kiosks near the entrance to each ride.</li>
<li>Check the FASTPASS return time to know when you can ride the attraction. Don&#8217;t use a FASTPASS if you will not be available to ride the ride. Save your FASTPASS for another ride.</li>
<li>A tip about World of Color at California Adventure&#8230; World of Color is a spectacular light, water, color, and movie show. You will want to use your FASTPASS to get a good viewing spot. Go early to the Grizzly River Run to get your FASTPASS for World of Color. You can hold a World of Color FASTPASS and a FASTPASS for a ride, so go get one as soon as you arrive in California Adventure.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Season</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We have visited Walt Disney World twice in the fall. While the parks have shorter hours in the fall than in the peak seasons, we loved walking on rides and waiting for just a few minutes to get on a ride.</li>
<li>In addition, to short wait times, you&#8217;ll also find that flights in off-peak season are cheaper as well as hotels.</li>
<li>On this trip we visited in August. Because it was the height of a peak season, we planned our days with FASTPASS, wait times, and our stamina in mind. If we were all up for waiting in a long line, we did.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Technology</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Our two-day stay at Disneyland Resort would have been far less fun had my husband not had an app on his phone. He kept us apprised of wait times. With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, we had the flexibility to race from one ride to another. Families with younger kids will want to pace themselves due to weather, crowds, and wait times.</li>
<li>Here&#8217;s an app for <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disney-world-wait-times/id329364241?mt=8">Disney World Wait Times</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disneyland-wait-times-free/id329686864?mt=8">Visiting Disneyland</a>? Here&#8217;s an app for wait times.</li>
<li>And of course, charge those batteries. Bring all chargers on your trip. Charge digital, video, and phones at the hotel each night.</li>
<li>We had a couple of Flip Video Cameras which we let our kids carry.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Safety</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/are-you-in-control-of-your-kids-cellphone/">Stay connected</a> with cell phones.</li>
<li>Our Teen and Preteen-now-Teen did not carry their phones as they were worried about losing them or getting them wet. Because of this we stayed in a group of 5 or we split in to a group of 2 and a group of 3. My husband and I coordinated a meeting spot if we split up to ride different attractions.</li>
<li>Let each family member carry his Disney ticket in a lanyard. You can bring a lanyard from home or buy a colorful lanyard from any of the Disney stores. Each lanyard comes with a clear plastic case for holding the Disney ticket and money. We found it helpful for each child to carry his own lanyard and ticket so that it was easier to get FASTPASS.</li>
<li>My older two know their name, address, home and all our cell phones, but I wrote down all our details on a piece of paper for my youngest child to carry with him. If he got separated from us, I wanted him to know how to reach us.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com/">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Reminiscing About a Tartan Holdall</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/reminiscing-about-a-tartan-holdall/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/reminiscing-about-a-tartan-holdall/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:48:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[English Memories]]></category>
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										</div>As a little kid, we traveled five or more times a year. Some trips were short to moderate car rides. Other trips were transatlantic flights. There was one constant on all our family trips. My mother&#8217;s tartan holdall. The bag was dark blue with a green and black checkered pattern. Tartan. Does anyone use the word tartan? Except when describing a kilt. The holdall was probably two feet long and one foot deep. No carrying strap just two short handles. The bag must have weighed a ton. Think about it&#8230;it was the 70s&#8230;way before little kids carried all their stuff in backpacks. My mother was the designated hauler of all items needed on the trip. She dragged that tartan holdall across the Atlantic close to 15 times. On a transatlantic, my mother&#8217;s tartan holdall contained: my dad&#8217;s book my mother&#8217;s book coloring books for my sister and I and of course, crayons&#8230;n0t the 64-pack, not even the 24-pack, but probably a pack of 8 crayons that we shared. a sleeping bag&#8230;invariably during a long flight one or both of us would lie across a row of seats&#8230;it was the days where flights were never full&#8230;especially transatlantic flights. a change of clothes for my [...]]]></description>
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<p>As a little kid, we traveled five or more times a year. Some trips were short to moderate car rides. Other trips were transatlantic flights. There was one constant on all our family trips. My mother&#8217;s tartan holdall.</p>
<p>The bag was dark blue with a green and black checkered pattern. Tartan. Does anyone use the word tartan? Except when describing a kilt. The holdall was probably two feet long and one foot deep. No carrying strap just two short handles.</p>
<div id="attachment_5419" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 460px"><a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tartan-Holdall-Bag.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-5419" title="Tartan Holdall Bag" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tartan-Holdall-Bag.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">My mother&#39;s bag was not nearly so stylish as this bag</p></div>
<p>The bag must have weighed a ton. Think about it&#8230;it was the 70s&#8230;way before little kids carried all their stuff in backpacks. My mother was the designated hauler of all items needed on the trip. She dragged that tartan holdall across the Atlantic close to 15 times.</p>
<p>On a transatlantic, my mother&#8217;s tartan holdall contained:</p>
<ul>
<li>my dad&#8217;s book</li>
<li>my mother&#8217;s book</li>
<li>coloring books for my sister and I and of course, crayons&#8230;n0t the 64-pack, not even the 24-pack, but probably a pack of 8 crayons that we shared.</li>
<li>a sleeping bag&#8230;invariably during a long flight one or both of us would lie across a row of seats&#8230;it was the days where flights were never full&#8230;especially transatlantic flights.</li>
<li>a change of clothes for my sister and I&#8230;it was also the days of rough flights, rocky landings, hair-raising take offs. You know the air sickness bags? We always filled a bag or two on take and landing.</li>
<li>and probably a bunch of other things.</li>
</ul>
<p>I have no idea what happened to the tartan holdall. My kids have always carried their own backpacks. We never flew with any child under the age of three, but we did fly to Disney twice with a three-year-old. I let my kids carry anything they wanted in their backpacks as long as they could carry it. For the three-year-old&#8217;s, I packed a couple of board books, a sticker book, coloring book/crayons, and a stuffed animal or two.</p>
<p>I&#8217;d like to thank aerospace engineers everywhere for making passenger airline travel blissfully air-sickness bag free.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>I&#8217;m a Hot Mess</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/im-a-hot-mess/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/im-a-hot-mess/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:35:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
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										</div>&#8230;or at least I was last week and the beginning of this week. Let&#8217;s see what happened to me: I had chills leading to mild flu-like symptoms. Developed a hacking, deep in my chest, yucky cough. Had a case of constipation that was so painful. Add in hacking coughs and you can get a feel for the pain I was in. Sorry for the TMI. Actually, had to beg off taking kids to a birthday party this weekend due to my general state of malaise. Had to get my ask my husband to stay home from work to do the morning breakfast, get kids off to school, bus and car drop off. Same day I had my husband play me in the morning, I completely forgot to pick my son up from school after sleeping all day. I had drugs in my system from the previous night&#8217;s impromptu visit to the doctor. Still can&#8217;t believe I forgot to pick up a child from school. Dinner and practically every other meal since I got sick has been a thrown-together sort of mess. Christmas? We&#8217;re not ready for Christmas at all. Sickness and schoolwork and general family scheduling mayhem means that Christmas [...]]]></description>
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<p>&#8230;or at least I was last week and the beginning of this week.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CIMG0262.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-large wp-image-5351" title="CIMG0262" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CIMG0262-765x1024.jpg" alt="" width="456" height="610" /></a>Let&#8217;s see what happened to me:</p>
<ul>
<li>I had chills leading to mild flu-like symptoms.</li>
<li>Developed a hacking, deep in my chest, yucky cough.</li>
<li>Had a case of constipation that was so painful. Add in hacking coughs and you can get a feel for the pain I was in. Sorry for the TMI.</li>
<li>Actually, had to beg off taking kids to a birthday party this weekend due to my general state of malaise.</li>
<li>Had to get my ask my husband to stay home from work to do the morning breakfast, get kids off to school, bus and car drop off.</li>
<li>Same day I had my husband play me in the morning, I completely forgot to pick my son up from school after sleeping all day. I had drugs in my system from the previous night&#8217;s impromptu visit to the doctor. Still can&#8217;t believe I forgot to pick up a child from school.</li>
<li>Dinner and practically every other meal since I got sick has been a thrown-together sort of mess.</li>
</ul>
<p>Christmas? We&#8217;re not ready for Christmas at all. Sickness and schoolwork and general family scheduling mayhem means that Christmas is not done.</p>
<ul>
<li>Put the Advent calendars out on December 8 after I realized both should have been out December 1!</li>
<li>Ordered photo albums for the grandparents&#8217; gifts. One will arrive by Christmas and one just after. I&#8217;m sick about missing the shipping/ordering deadline.</li>
<li>Haven&#8217;t ordered Christmas cards but I&#8217;m giving myself tonight as the deadline to order. Will mail cards Saturday or Monday.</li>
<li>Christmas #1 is practically decorated. Thanks in large part to the helping hands of the Tween-now-Teen and the Kid.</li>
<li>The Kid assembled the trainset all by himself. Demanded the Dad buy batteries from Costco. Added the batteries to the Christmas train. Here&#8217;s a kid who is not about to let mom&#8217;s illness, dad&#8217;s illness, and his family&#8217;s frantic-ness get in the way of celebrating Christmas. Sometimes we need to look at a holiday or situation from a kid&#8217;s perspective, don&#8217;t we?</li>
<li>Christmas #2 is another story. Not assembled. We abandoned the real tree a few years ago. Too many needles for our poor vacuum to handle. Christmas #2 is a vision in silver, which complements all the Star Trek ornaments. [Personally, I'm glad to get the ST ornaments off the tree. There's some a little un-Christmassy about having the Borg Cube and various Star Trek ships on the tree. Is it just me?]</li>
<li>Cushions, tree skirt, and table runners are in two large bags waiting to be hurled in the general direction of the couches, etc.</li>
<li>And finally the Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Nutcracker ornaments that I display on shelves, mantle, and other surfaces&#8230;with a dust rag, a can of Pledge, and a bottle of Windex I should be able to tackle the layers and layers of dust after my daughter&#8217;s concert this evening.</li>
</ul>
<p>Still hacking a little today, but definitely in the land of the living. How are you today? And most importantly, are you ready for Christmas?</p>
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		<title>Getting Someone Else To Do Your Stuff</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/getting-someone-else-to-do-your-stuff/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/getting-someone-else-to-do-your-stuff/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:37:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deals]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[housekeeping]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family schedule and calendar]]></category>
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											<iframe
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										</div>You know how it is. You find a notepad. Select a working pen. Gather your thoughts. Put pen to paper. Take a breath. Get totally overwhelmed. Take another deeper breath. Decide what needs to go first. Make the first notation on your to do list. Make a second entry. Third entry. Fourth. Fifth. Tenth entry. Eleventh. Seventeenth. Twentieth entry. Start hyperventilating for realz. If you are like me, just writing the to do list is overwhelming and satisfying at the same time. By penning the lengthy to dos, you get a sense of the enormity of the work ahead of you. You can be upset by the sheer magnitude of the list and invigorated by having a written record of what you need to do. A week and a half ago I penned my to do list AKA &#8220;the novel.&#8221; I sat on the list for a moment or two or three or maybe even four before attacking the list full force. With only a few weeks to go til Christmas, I was leaving nothing to chance. Item #1: Buy gifts for local family&#8230;delegated to my husband since each day he drives past the store I planned to shop at. [...]]]></description>
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				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musingsfromme.com%2Fgetting-someone-else-to-do-your-stuff%2F&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" /><br />
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<p><a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5312" title="Zaarly Logo" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Zaarly-Logo1.png" alt="" width="230" height="346" /></a>You know how it is. You find a notepad. Select a working pen. Gather your thoughts. Put pen to paper. Take a breath. Get totally overwhelmed. Take another deeper breath. Decide what needs to go first. Make the first notation on your to do list. Make a second entry. Third entry. Fourth. Fifth. Tenth entry. Eleventh. Seventeenth. Twentieth entry. Start hyperventilating for realz.</p>
<p>If you are like me, just writing the to do list is overwhelming and satisfying at the same time. By penning the lengthy to dos, you get a sense of the enormity of the work ahead of you. You can be upset by the sheer magnitude of the list and invigorated by having a written record of what <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">you need to do</a>.</p>
<p>A week and a half ago I penned my to do list AKA &#8220;the novel.&#8221; I sat on the list for a moment or two or three or maybe even four before attacking the list full force. With only a few weeks to go til Christmas, I was leaving nothing to chance.</p>
<p>Item #1: Buy gifts for local family&#8230;delegated to my husband since each day he drives past the store I planned to shop at. Item #1 = Done.</p>
<p>Item #2 through #8: Work tasks that only I could attend to. Items #2-#8 = some done, some partially done, some to be done. Same old, same old. But, I have it under control.</p>
<p>Item #9: Blog header. Hmmm. A graphic designer I am not. A good, very good blogging friend created a header for me <strong>and</strong> transferred my blog from Blogger to WP. This friend? She&#8217;s a keeper. I splurged on a new domain name a few weeks ago. I probably need a new blog header like a hole in the head, but what can I say? I caught the &#8220;I need a new blog to express all the thoughts that are floating in my head&#8221; bug.</p>
<p>So, Item #9 had me wondering. Who would I hire to do the blog header? I don&#8217;t know many graphic designers. Recently I reviewed <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">Zaarly</a>. Zaarly is a cool, new site where you can post what you need. Post your to do list one item at a time. You can also post items you have for sale. I gave Zaarly a <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/crossing-stuff-off-the-holiday-list-is-so-much-fun-with-zaarly/">whirl</a>.</p>
<p>My first Zaarly item was a <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/crossing-stuff-off-the-holiday-list-is-so-much-fun-with-zaarly/">call for someone </a>to haul away a broken bedframe, old paint cans a plenty, and a coule of old monitors. No takers at $25. Raised the price on Zaarly to $50. Still not takers.  The problem could be that I live off the beaten path&#8230;probably too far away for someone who hauls stuff for a living.</p>
<p>My next idea was to post about the blog header. I guessed correctly that I would get a number of hits from graphic designer-types willing to help me. Over the course of a few days, the hits have come thick and fast. Started conversations with 3 of the graphic designers. Got a sense that one of the designers was a little too green about the gills. I have minimal graphic experience. I need a serious amount of hand holding. </p>
<p>After talking back and forth with three of the designers, I drafted a detailed list of what I am looking for with my blog header. I&#8217;m ready to see what the designer creates for me. Thanks to Zaarly I was able to find someone who could do a to-do item for me. And with the schedule that I have going right now both at work and at home, any <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">help I can find is golden</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Signing up for Zaarly is easy.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Use <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">my link to sign up</a>.</li>
<li>For everyone who signs up for a Zaarly account, Zaarly will donate $1 to Feeding America.</li>
<li>Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zaarly">@Zaarly on Twitter</a>.</li>
<li>Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zaarly?ref=ts&amp;sk=app_137228456344009#!/zaarly?sk=wall">Zaarly on Facebook</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>I was compensated with a gift card for using Zaarly to get tasks done. The opinions expressed in the post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Retirement Is a Long Way Off&#8230;Or Is It?</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/retirement-is-a-long-way-off-or-is-it/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/retirement-is-a-long-way-off-or-is-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:11:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[family fun]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[life-changing moment]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.musingsfromme.com/?p=5273</guid>
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											</iframe>
										</div>As a 40-something, retirement seems far off. I&#8217;m not ready to retire. Heck. I&#8217;m barely back to work after some years off as a stay-at-home mom. Now that I have been back in the workforce for a couple of years, I suppose I should give retirement more thought and consideration. But isn&#8217;t planning for retirement for older people? Financial planners recommend planning for your retirement when you first enter the job market. I set up a 401(k) as soon as I was able. My first job was one of those minimum-wage-jobs-but-you-could-qualifiy-for-food-stamps-but-we&#8217;re-calling-it-a-professional type of job. After enduring sitting opposite someone who smoked to the point where her smokeless ashtray was overflowing with ashes, I had enough and mounted a job search. This was the late 80s&#8230;to this day I have no idea why one person was allowed to pollute the office with her smoke when the rest of the office was smoke free. I enjoyed coming to work, but within a hour I was choking on the smoke and ready to go home. The 401(k) dovetails with the financial planning my  husband and I did after we got married. But, are we ready? Is anyone ready for retirement? My &#8220;Day One&#8221; [...]]]></description>
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<p>As a 40-something, retirement seems far off. I&#8217;m not ready to retire. Heck. I&#8217;m barely back to work after some years off as a stay-at-home mom. Now that I have been back in the workforce for a couple of years, I suppose I should give retirement more thought and consideration. But isn&#8217;t planning for retirement for older people?</p>
<p>Financial planners recommend planning for your retirement when you first enter the job market. I set up a 401(k) as soon as I was able. My first job was one of those minimum-wage-jobs-but-you-could-qualifiy-for-food-stamps-but-we&#8217;re-calling-it-a-professional type of job. After enduring sitting opposite someone who smoked to the point where her smokeless ashtray was overflowing with ashes, I had enough and mounted a job search. This was the late 80s&#8230;to this day I have no idea why one person was allowed to pollute the office with her smoke when the rest of the office was smoke free. I enjoyed coming to work, but within a hour I was choking on the smoke and ready to go home.</p>
<p>The 401(k) dovetails with the financial planning my  husband and I did after we got married. But, are we ready? Is anyone ready for retirement?</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FJ4kHlRMino" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>My <a href="http://www.dayonestories.com/">&#8220;Day One&#8221; of retirement</a> is blurry to me at best. What will I do? Where will I be living? Hopefully, in the house I am in as I write this post. After a nomadic childhood of moving from England to America to England to America to England to America to England to Italy and finally to America, I am done with moving. I don&#8217;t want to move to another house much less move to another state!</p>
<p>When a friend talks about <a href="http://www.dayonestories.com/">retirement</a>, he always mentions the &#8220;for the first year I&#8217;ll sit on my porch in my rocking chair, the second year I&#8217;ll rock back in the rocking chair&#8221; scenario. I can relate to the need to <a href="http://www.dayonestories.com/">relax and recuperate during retirement</a>. As the mom of 3, it is nothing for me to drive 15 minutes to drop one off at swim practice, another 50 minutes to drop another off at volleyball practice, and another 30 minutes to pick up a long-forgotten-and-now-absolutely-needed item for a project. Love where I live even if I wish there were times I was closer to civilization.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m sure we&#8217;ll be ready for retirement, but for now I&#8217;m enjoying life, family, and the knowledge that we have prepared.</p>
<p><em>I was compensated by the Day One Campaign. The views expressed in the post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Crossing Stuff Off the Holiday List Is So Much Fun with @Zaarly</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/crossing-stuff-off-the-holiday-list-is-so-much-fun-with-zaarly/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/crossing-stuff-off-the-holiday-list-is-so-much-fun-with-zaarly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:15:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Routine]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home improvements]]></category>
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										</div>I&#8217;m the worst person to buy for. I buy few clothes for myself as my tastes and specifications are very limited. I can search racks and racks at a clothing store and find only one or maybe two items that I can tolerate. I don&#8217;t play video games. I don&#8217;t listen to music on my iTouch. I read, but again I can be picky about what I want to read. I love watching movies, but often purchase any movies I want. In short, I&#8217;m hard to buy for. I recently heard about a site that is not a site where you can buy gifts, but it is a site where you can post a job that needs to be done, or an item that needs to be found. As a hard-to-buy for person, what I would really like is for someone to do something on the household &#8220;Honey Do&#8221; list. Now that would a gift come true! You know the list of tasks around your house that are not urgent, but need to be done? The timeframe for these tasks is not specified. In my home, it is &#8220;needs to be done sometime after all the important and crisis tasks&#8221; [...]]]></description>
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<p>I&#8217;m the worst person to buy for. I buy few clothes for myself as my tastes and specifications are very limited. I can search racks and racks at a clothing store and find only one or maybe two items that I can tolerate. I don&#8217;t play video games. I don&#8217;t listen to music on my iTouch. I read, but again I can be picky about what I want to read. I love watching movies, but often purchase any movies I want. In short, I&#8217;m hard to buy for.</p>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5263" title="Zaarly Logo" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Zaarly-Logo.png" alt="" width="640" height="960" /></a>I recently heard about a site that is not a site where you can buy gifts, but it is a site where you <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">can post a job that needs to be done</a>, or an item that needs to be found. As a hard-to-buy for person, what I would really like is for someone to do something on the household &#8220;Honey Do&#8221; list. Now that would a gift come true!</p>
<p>You know the list of tasks around your house that are not urgent, but need to be done? The <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">timeframe for these tasks</a> is not specified. In my home, it is &#8220;needs to be done sometime after all the important and crisis tasks&#8221; are done. So the tasks remain not done&#8230;forever.</p>
<p>I have had 2 computers with monitors stored in my garage since 2010. Maybe earlier. Neither computer works. Both hard drives have been scrubbed. But, there the computers sit. Why? well, one of these days I will have a free moment to load up the computers and take both to the local dump. While I am at it, I&#8217;ll take the broken bedframe, old cans of paint, etc. My local trash service will not pick up computers, paint, or other toxic items.</p>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5264" title="Zaarly map" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Zaarly-map.png" alt="" width="640" height="960" /></a>So, in the name of &#8220;let&#8217;s get something crossed off my to do task list&#8221; I want to tell you about <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">Zaarly.com</a>. Zaarly is a site where you can post about a task you need to get done. You post what the task is &#8212; I posted asking for someone to haul my computers, bedframe, and paint to the dump. All I need to do is wait until someone is willing <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">to do my task</a>. A few weeks ago I posted about wanting to find a price on a camera&#8230;within hours I received an answer to my question. Stop back to hear more.</p>
<p>While you get ready for the holidays, think about those tasks around the house that you need to do, but would rather have someone else do them. Post to Zaarly and sit back and wait for <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">someone else to do the job on your to do list</a>!</p>
<p><strong>Use Zaarly to find DJs, moving help, personal trainers, pet services, and so much more.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Sign up for <a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">Zaarly using my link</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/musingsfromme">With every signup</a>, Zaarly will with every sign up donate $1 to Feeding America.</li>
<li>Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zaarly?sk=wall">Zaarly on Facebook</a>.</li>
<li>Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/zaarly">@Zaarly on Twitter</a>.</li>
<li>Use the <a href="https://apps.facebook.com/zaarlyapp/?ref=ts">Zaarly app on Facebook</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>I was compensated for writing this post by Zaarly and Blogger Connection. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Aren&#8217;t You Glad This Is Not Your Mother-in-Law??</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/arent-you-glad-this-is-not-your-mother-in-law/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/arent-you-glad-this-is-not-your-mother-in-law/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:38:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV]]></category>

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										</div>Is it me? I know it is not me. Could anyone &#8212; woman or man &#8212; watch this clip and not feel absolutely contempt for this woman? I&#8217;m sure you have heard of Khalood? She&#8217;s the mother-in-law of all mothers in law. I saw on Monster-in-Law and Dr. Phil. Yeah, not so much watching high brow shows lately. Ahem, but at least I am honest about watching these shows. Counts for something right?!? I did some digging about Khalood. Turns out she was on another reality show where guys had to have their mothers vet their girlfriends. I don&#8217;t recall the name of the show. Khalood was vicious to her son&#8217;s prospective dates.]]></description>
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<p>Is it me? I know it is not me. Could anyone &#8212; woman or man &#8212; watch this clip and not feel absolutely contempt for this woman? I&#8217;m sure you have heard of Khalood? She&#8217;s the mother-in-law of all mothers in law.</p>
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<p>I saw on <em>Monster-in-Law</em> and <em>Dr. Phil</em>. Yeah, not so much watching high brow shows lately. Ahem, but at least I am honest about watching these shows. Counts for something right?!? </p>
<p>I did some digging about Khalood. Turns out she was on another reality show where guys had to have their mothers vet their girlfriends. I don&#8217;t recall the name of the show. Khalood was vicious to her son&#8217;s prospective dates. </p>
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		<title>Making the Best of It</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/making-the-best-of-it/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/making-the-best-of-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:03:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cooking/Eating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family fun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mealtimes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family fun activities]]></category>

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										</div>You never know what the day will bring. You know what they say about the best laid plans. You can plan, plot, map out your day, but invariably a spanner will get in the works. Yesterday was a case in point. I woke relatively early for me&#8230;considering it was Thanksgiving Break and a Saturday. My husband made breakfast for all of us. I trailed down after a few moments&#8230;minutes&#8230;hours&#8230;uh not hours but I didn&#8217;t exactly bound out of bed. My husband had prepared a delicious breakfast of waffles, eggs, and fruit. We all ate breakfast together. The Teen surfaced shortly after I did. She appeared for breakfast after much prodding. I read a magazine. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to get down to my office to finish a blog post and prepare a package for shipping. The two assignments were intrinsically connected. I put the magazine aside and marched myself to the office. After some time the blogpost was done. I did a bunch of other projects. Packaged the item I needed to send. Checked on pickup schedules. Calculated what time I needed to leave the house in order to mail the package. Once I [...]]]></description>
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<p>You never know what the day will bring. You know what they say about the best laid plans. You can plan, plot, map out your day, but invariably a spanner will get in the works. Yesterday was a case in point.</p>
<p>I woke relatively early for me&#8230;considering it was Thanksgiving Break and a Saturday. My husband made breakfast for all of us. I trailed down after a few moments&#8230;minutes&#8230;hours&#8230;uh not hours but I didn&#8217;t exactly bound out of bed. My husband had prepared a delicious breakfast of waffles, eggs, and fruit. We all ate breakfast together. The Teen surfaced shortly after I did. She appeared for breakfast after much prodding. I read a magazine. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to get down to my office to finish a blog post and prepare a package for shipping. The two assignments were intrinsically connected.</p>
<p>I put the magazine aside and marched myself to the office. After some time the blogpost was done. I did a bunch of other projects. Packaged the item I needed to send. Checked on pickup schedules. Calculated what time I needed to leave the house in order to mail the package. Once I knew the time needed I mobilized the troops. Easier said than done.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re not early risers. Except for the kid. We&#8217;re a group of people who dilly dally. A shower for me. A change out of pajamas for everyone else. I gathered the package and my purse. Instructed the kids to find a book for the journey. We&#8217;ve all played way too many games for the kids and too much TV for me. With the kids all set for the journey, I waited for my oldest to be ready. Did I mention dilly dallying? Yep, that&#8217;s us.</p>
<p>Once on the road, we headed to drop off the package. After the dropoff, it was off to Target. While at Target, I would have to say that we didn&#8217;t have the best time. Not to get in to details, but it wasn&#8217;t the most fun I have ever had. The item we were looking for wasn&#8217;t there, but that wasn&#8217;t the issue for our Target trip of discontent. Suffice it to say that we left Target and headed to our next stop in virtual silence, Once at our next stop&#8230;the mall&#8230;it was all about regrouping. Getting those ducks back in a row.</p>
<p>My method for getting back on track was a request that everyone make a commitment to not do or to do something during our restaurant meal. I won&#8217;t go in to details, but I was proud of everyone for making a commitment to get back on track. The &#8220;almost derailed day&#8221; was close to being back on track. Now all we had to do was successfully enjoy our meal out.</p>
<p>And enjoy it we did. Call it a reset. A reboot. Once settled in to our booth at the restaurant I breathed a sigh of relief. Our meal was back on track after a little conversation.</p>
<p>We had wanted to take the family to P.F. Chang&#8217;s for dinner. Tonight turned out to be the perfect night. We eat Chinese food all the time, but I knew that I wanted to kids to branch out of their comfort zones. One kid only eats kids&#8217; meals. Another kid only likes Wonton Soup when we are at a Chinese restaurant. Another kid is a very adventurous eater. As we perused the menu, suggestions popped up from everyone at the table. Dumplings. Crab wonton. Honey shrimp. Kung Pao. Lo mein. And green beans.</p>
<p>Our meal was a success. I splurged and ordered a final dish. I have always wanted to try lettuce wraps. The vegetarian wraps were super tasty. My son liked the lettuce without the filling. My daughters tried the filling. My husband was a little too full. I&#8217;m proud of my kids for showing me that they could get back on track. I needed a bit of a reboot too!</p>
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		<title>Holiday Gift Guide: Keeping Up with Kids, Work, Home with HTC Rhyme</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/holiday-gift-guide-keeping-up-with-kids-work-home-with-htc-rhyme/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/holiday-gift-guide-keeping-up-with-kids-work-home-with-htc-rhyme/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:59:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging/blogosphere]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BlogHer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family fun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[work-at-home mom]]></category>

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										</div>My workday is unpredictable. Some days my mornings start bang on time. I put all three kids on three buses with everything that each could possibly need for the day &#8212; backpacks, books, lunchboxes, etc. &#8212; and head down to my office to work without a problem. Oh, how I love those days! Other mornings, my day just seems doomed from the beginning. We oversleep. There is no clean laundry&#8230;or more precisely the outfit that one of my girls needs is still in the laundry. I spill milk on the floor&#8230;and yes it is possible that I shed a tear at cleaning the floor at such an early hour. One of the kids dawdles and dithers and dallies and misses the bus. I realize that I have practically nothing to make lunches. Another kid calls from school about a missing notebook or homework assignment. Basically, my day does not get off to a good start. You know how it is? On days where everything is off track and I find myself on the road to school with a missing lunchbox or folder or P.E. uniform, I am grateful to have the next best thing to my desk in my pocket. [...]]]></description>
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<p>My  workday is unpredictable. Some days my mornings start bang on time. I put all three kids on three buses with everything that each could possibly need for the day &#8212; backpacks, books, lunchboxes, etc. &#8212; and head down to my office to work without a problem. Oh, how I love those days!</p>
<p>Other mornings, my day just seems doomed from the beginning. We oversleep. There is no clean laundry&#8230;or more precisely the outfit that one of my girls needs is still in the laundry. I spill milk on the floor&#8230;and yes it is possible that I shed a tear at cleaning the floor at such an early hour. One of the kids dawdles and dithers and dallies and misses the bus. I realize that I have practically nothing to make lunches. Another kid calls from school about a missing notebook or homework assignment. Basically, my day does not get off to a good start. You know how it is?</p>
<p>On days where everything is off track and I find myself on the road to school with a missing lunchbox or folder or P.E. uniform, I am grateful to have the next best thing to my desk in my pocket. I like to call it my &#8220;office away home.&#8221; What am I talking about? My smartphone.</p>
<p>Almost two years ago, I did not have a smartphone. If I was away from my home office, I had no way to check email or tweet or post to Facebook. As a social media marketer and blogger, without a smartphone my hands are literally tied behind my back.</p>
<p>I was asked to test drive the HTC Rhyme phone. The Rhyme is an <a href="http://www.htc.com/us/products/rhyme-verizon">HTC smartphone available through Verizon Wireless</a>. The Rhyme may seem like just another phone in the Android market, but it is the suite of accessories that make the phone a hit with anyone on the go.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5193" title="HTC Rhyme and Docking Station" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/HTC-Rhyme-and-Docking-Station-300x298.png" alt="" width="300" height="298" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Comes with a docking station for charging.</li>
<li>The phone rests on the dock to charge.</li>
<li>I moved the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q">charging dock from the kitchen to my office</a> to my bedroom &#8212; very easy to move from room to room</li>
<li>Unlike regular charging cards you don&#8217;t need to fumble in the dark as you try to locate the charging cord hole. Instead, just place the phone on the docking holder to charge. I never had a problem aligning the 3 pins on the back of the Rhyme with the corresponding 3 pins on the cradle part of the charging dock as the dock is contoured to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q">cradle the Rhyme</a>.</li>
<li>While the HTC Rhyme rests in the dock, you can use the phone as an alarm clock or a music player. We listened to music while I prepared dinner and the kids did their homework.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5196" title="HTC Rhyme" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/HTC-Rhyme-212x300.png" alt="" width="212" height="300" /></a>Ever hear your phone ring, know that the phone is in your purse, but not be able to find the phone no matter how much digging you do? Just me? The HTC Rhyme comes with the Charm. You attach the Charm to your phone  using the headphone jack. The Charm will light up to let you know about calls, messages, and more. No more digging around in your purse&#8230;just pull on the cord attached to the HTC Rhyme to find the phone! Although I didn&#8217;t use the headphones, the flat wires would lead to few to no tangles.</p>
<p>The setup of the phone is very similar to the HTC Thunderbolt I currently use. I found all my favorite apps in the Android Market. I set up the Rhyme to mirror as much as possible my Thunderbolt. I use the extended battery with the Thunderbolt, so I missed the battery power. The Rhyme screen at <a href="http://www.htc.com/us/products/rhyme-verizon#tech-specs">3.7&#8243; WVGA super LCD</a> is smaller than the Thunderbolt&#8217;s 4.3&#8243; screen. I found both screens <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q">easy to use and read</a>.</p>
<p>The only downside to the phone was that the opening on the side of for inserting the charging cord is covered by a flap. When I tried to insert the charging cord in to the phone, I fumbled quite a bit. Most of the time you can simply place the phone on the docking station. However, if you need to transfer data from phone to laptop/PC you need to connect the phone to the computer via the charging cord. I was able to insert the charging cord in to the phone, but the little flap was awkward to use.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that both phones are great for moms, dads, and even teens on the go. My two teens both found the Rhyme fun to use. One has a cell phone and the other has a multimedia phone, so both enjoyed exploring all the capabilities of the HTC Rhyme and its platform, HTC Sense.</p>
<p>You can purchase both phones in time for the holidays:</p>
<ul>
<li>HTC Rhyme is $199.99 at Verizon with a <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&amp;action=viewPhoneDetail&amp;selectedPhoneId=5758">2-year contract</a> or check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PT550Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005PT550Q">amazon</a>.</li>
<li>Find a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XT38X4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B005XT38X4">cute purple gel skin</a> to fit the HTC Rhyme at amazon.</li>
<li>HTC Thunderbolt is $149.99 at <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&amp;action=viewPhoneDetail&amp;selectedPhoneId=5605">Verizon</a> with a 2-year contract or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M5HB6U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004M5HB6U">find it on amazon</a>.</li>
<li>I bought an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TEYPMM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwritingmyl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=B004TEYPMM">extended battery with door</a> for my HTC Thunderbolt.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>I was sent an HTC Rhyme to facilitate my review. I returned the Rhyme at the end of the review period. Earlier in the summer &#8212; during BlogHer 11 &#8212; I participated in a focus group with other bloggers where I was given an HTC Thunderbolt phone. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Phototaking without Tears</title>
		<link>http://www.musingsfromme.com/phototaking-without-tears/</link>
		<comments>http://www.musingsfromme.com/phototaking-without-tears/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:13:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family fun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family strife]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[parenting tips]]></category>
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												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=Musings+from+Me+on+Kids%2C+Preteens%2C+and+Teens&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musingsfromme.com%2Fphototaking-without-tears%2F&title=Phototaking+without+Tears&desc=Look+at+the+wall.%C2%A0Locate+a+photo.+Evaluate+the+frame.+Do+I+like+it%3F+Does+the+frame+match+the+photo+and+vice+versa%3F+Would+this+photo+look+better+in+the+living+room%3F+Take+the+frame+of+the+wall.+Switch+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=1&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=&twrelated1=&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
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										</div>Look at the wall. Locate a photo. Evaluate the frame. Do I like it? Does the frame match the photo and vice versa? Would this photo look better in the living room? Take the frame of the wall. Switch out the photo. Insert the photo in a different frame. Hang on wall. Admire. Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. Photos. Portraits. Frames. Mattes. This past month all I have done is frame, reframe, and rearrange all the family portraits on my walls. My goal was to place a framed photo on the wall of every family portrait session, every school photo, and every significant family event. Over the years we have taken many family portraits. Whether the grouping was one adult and one child, or two adults and two children, or two adults and three children. In a studio. In a fire station. In a church basement. At home. At Grandma&#8217;s house. At Williamsburg. At LegoLand. At a First Holy Communion. All family photos have one thing in common &#8212; all are completely precious and priceless to me. With a kid, a preteen, and a teen, I have gleaned knowledge through trial and error, smiles and tears on how to stage a family portrait. [...]]]></description>
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<p>Look at the wall. Locate a photo. Evaluate the frame. Do I like it? Does the frame match the photo and vice versa? Would this photo look better in the living room? Take the frame of the wall. Switch out the photo. Insert the photo in a different frame. Hang on wall. Admire. Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat.</p>
<p>Photos. Portraits. Frames. Mattes. This past month all I have done is frame, reframe, and rearrange all the family portraits on my walls. My goal was to place a framed photo on the wall of every family portrait session, every school photo, and every significant family event.</p>
<p>Over the years we have taken many <a href="http://www.shutterflyfamilyphotos.com/">family portraits</a>. Whether the grouping was one adult and one child, or two adults and two children, or two adults and three children. In a studio. In a fire station. In a church basement. At home. At Grandma&#8217;s house. At Williamsburg. At <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/nationalbuildingmuseum/">LegoLand</a>. At a First Holy Communion. All family photos have one thing in common &#8212; all are completely precious and priceless to me.</p>
<div id="attachment_5077" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 234px"><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards96.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5077" title="CIMG0996" src="http://www.musingsfromme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/CIMG0996-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Yes, the focus is offcenter. And yes, I look like I am photobombing this adorable family. But, it&#39;s a photo of all us at this summer&#39;s Manchester United v. Barcelona game. Good times!</p></div>
<p>With a kid, a preteen, and a teen, I have gleaned knowledge through trial and error, smiles and tears on how to stage a family portrait. I may not always &#8220;get&#8221; the best pic, but I never give up.</p>
<p>I&#8217;d like to share my knowledge with you. Let&#8217;s call it the Musings from Me Guide to <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards">Family Portaits</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Make a commitment to take the family photo.</strong> I know this sounds silly. How could you not take the pic of you, dad, and the newborn? Or you and the kids at the preschool Mother&#8217;s Day Tea? But, as your children move from the toddler years to the elementary school years, your lives will get exponentially busy. Trust me, I know of what I speak. Take time to take that photo. Are all of you &#8212; mom, dad, big sister, little brother, and the baby gathered at soccer? Toss your camera to a friend and capture the grins, the mud-stained knees, and yes the baby covered in goldfish, cheerios, and juice!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Choose outfits&#8230;wisely.</strong> For my son&#8217;s first 3 photos at elementary school and even one of his preschool pics, he was wearing a blue shirt&#8230;with a blue photo background. On one of the pics he almost fades in to the background. Whether you go matchy matchy with all of you in denim shirts and jeans or try your hand at the complementary style with mom and dad in black and the kids in red, choose outfits that c0ntrast, but in a good way! If you are all at church for a Baptism, ask a friend to take your family photo. Chances are good that both you and your spouse are wearing formal attire and the kids are wearing dresses or skirts for girls, and polo shirts or buttoned down shirts for boys. Just stepped out of the Shamu Show at Sea World drenched, bedraggled, and oh so wet? Grab a camera to take a <a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/day-one-musings-from-me-trip-to-southern-california-blogher11-and-seaworld/">memorable family pic</a>!</li>
<li><strong>Be prepared&#8230;for everything!</strong> The saying goes that you can never predict the behavior of kids, animals, and of course the same is true of tweens and teens. So be ready. Arrive at the portrait studio with a change of clothes for the baby and to be safe have a change of clothes for any child under the age of 5. Don&#8217;t eat or drink anything before the family photo. Make sure the<a href="http://www.musingsfromme.com/photographing-toddlers/"> babies/toddlers</a> in your group have napped. Bring a favorite stuffed toy for the toddler to hold. Grab a crazy toy from the photographers&#8217;s bag of toys and ask him to wave it to get the best smile.</li>
</ul>
<p>Did you know about <a href="http://www.shutterflyfamilyphotos.com/">Family Photo Days</a>? Check out Shutterfly&#8217;s new site for tips on taking the best pic or <a href="http://www.shutterflyfamilyphotos.com/">download the digital toolkit</a>. Shutterfly wants to make it easy for you to take that amazing family photo to share with family and friends this holiday season.</p>
<p><em>I was compensated for this post. I will be receiving a 50 free Shutterfly cards. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of <a href="http://blogwithintegrity.com">Blog With Integrity</a>.</em></p>
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