19 year old Baylor student in search of summer babysitting job. Younger sibling, Camp Counselor, lots of experience with children. CPR certified. Available late May through August 15. No set hourly rate.

Assessing Heart Sounds (Video Skills Series: Nursing Video)
Assessing Heart Sounds (Video Skills Series: Nursing Video) Comes with 8-page booklet. - [...]

Retro Mom: Tennis anyone?
Filed under: Lifestyle, Moms, Working from home, Working moms, SportsThis is my children’s last week of school; on Friday at lunch time, they will both be out for the summer. I’m a little shocked at how fast it’s gone by, this first year of everyone in school all day every day. When the school year started, I was at a loss as to what to do all day; it took me a while to really get into a groove and start enjoying the time to myself.And then it took me a while to get over the guilt of enjoying this time to myself.When I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I talked about when I would go back to work. I was teaching part time, and we both assumed that I would take, say, six months off and then go back. But then we left our academic jobs and my husband took a fifty-hour-a-week administrative position, and we realized that the cost of childcare would be more than I would make teaching part time, and so we gave that plan up. Instead, we talked about how I would go back to work when the youngest child went to school full-time. It seemed like a reasonable plan; after all, if everyone was in school all day, why shouldn’t I work?Remember how I said that my sons are getting out of school on Friday? Am I working again? Well, yes and no; I’m freelancing, from home, and while I AM earning about what we pay in tuition each month, I am not working full-time, or even part-time, at least not in the way my husband and I were imagining when we talked about this seven years ago. I thought about it this year, but every time I would commit to anything, paid or unpaid, someone would get sick or the toilet would start to leak or something else would crop up that required immediate attention, and we would breathe a sigh of relief that I was home already and could take care of it. So I went back to work as a freelancer, working my own hours and earning what I earn, mostly just to keep myself from losing my mind during the long days when my sons were in school.My mom quit working two weeks before she and my dad got married; she had me eleven months after her wedding, and didn’t return to work until I was 21 years old. When I was in elementary school, she played in a tennis league, two mornings a week. She was a good tennis player and she enjoyed the other women in the league. It was something for her to do, something that wasn’t cleaning the house or running after the kids. I think, too, it was a little bit of a status symbol for my parents, that my mom had the time to play tennis. I don’t ever remember her acting like she felt guilty about taking that two or three hours a week to do something she loved.I think about my freelancing in the same way as my mother’s tennis league. It’s not essential to our lives, but it is something I love. Except for this: sometimes I feel guilty that I’m not really working, not really contributing to our finances. At other times, though, I feel guilty that I AM working, even in this small, easily managed way, because my work takes time away from my family. I feel like I should be doing something “useful” with this time, either cooking or cleaning or thinking up games to help my kids learn to read and write. And then I get irritated because my house is clean and there’s plenty to eat and my sons are learning to read and write, and I don’t spend that much time working, in the bigger scheme of things. I’m still always able to take the boys to school and pick them up and be at teacher conferences and field days and special events.I spent the first few months that my boys were both in school wondering what to do with myself. A friend–who was returning to work full-time, because she was also at a loss about what to do with herself with both kids in school–suggested that I play tennis. No, I said, I would feel guilty doing that. Yes, she said, she understood.I’m still trying to lose the guilt. I’m thinking of taking up tennis again this summer; maybe the act of serving 100 balls will quell my misgivings about working while my children are young. Maybe I will can beat the guilt out through sheer physical exertion.Maybe I will just improve my serve.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Was your wedding day the best day of your life?
Filed under: Media, InternetFor months, I’ve been receiving emails from old friends inviting me to join Facebook. I’d mostly ignored them, because I imagined Facebook as a sister to what I knew of MySpace: blinking smiley-faces, neon hyperlinks, and a whole lot of people born ten years later than me. But, procrastinating at my computer one day, I decided to follow the link from an invite and lo and behold, the site is ridiculously addictive. It’s like Google for Benign Stalkers, you can type in the name of anyone you’ve ever met and find out what they are doing, who they are friends with and whether they have a spouse, kids.I am 32 years old, high school was 15 years ago and I still have battle scars left from my awkward, pimply, angst-y days. I don’t know, necessarily, if I want to reconnect with a ton of people from high school, but I am morbidly curious to see what they’re all doing. One thing I noticed immediately: in the profile pictures of so many of the girls I went to high school with is a picture of themselves in their wedding dresses. I am not sure whether they put those there as a declaration (I am married!) or as a symbol of the best day of their lives. I am not married, and my picture is a small one of Nolan and I, I suppose because he represents my happiness and my greatest definition of self.But it made me wonder, is a woman’s wedding day really the best day of her life? Is it the one day that defines her future more than any other? Or is it just a day to display because of excellent makeup, good hair, and a really pretty wedding dress? Perhaps I need to spend more time writing and less time flicking around in my past. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

What does your child’s name say about their appearance?
Filed under: Pregnancy and BirthYou’ve undoubtedly heard somebody say, “Oh, that’s funny, he doesn’t look like someone named [whatever].” It may seem like nonsense, but a recent study finds that there’s actually a correlation between people’s names and their appearance. Subsequently, if a person’s face has features commonly associated with their name, others are more likely to remember it. A professor at Miami University in Ohio asked 150 students to create faces using facial construction software for 15 popular American names (like Bob, Bill, Brian, etc). She found that in all cases each face for a given named shared similar characteristics — no matter who was drawing it. Bobs, therefore, looked like Bobs; Jims looked like Jims, etc. So why does this happen? Are parents defining the fate of their children by the name they assign at birth? That’s what the professor aims to find out next. I agree with her speculation, that instead of the name causing the appearance, it’s most likely the other way around — with parents drawn to names that seem to “fit” their family’s most-common features. But that raises the question: do you name your child so that his or her name will be easily remembered, but run the risk of them being confused with every other Sarah, John, Will, Kate or Jen out there? Or do you go against type, and pick a name that doesn’t fit at all, in the hopes that your child will be more of an individual? When we picked our daughter’s name, we just settled on something that sounded nice. Who knew there was so much to think about? Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

DeLonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator
DeLonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator DELONGHI RADIATOR HEATER RETRO STYLE OIL FILLED Customer Review: Review of Delonghi TRR0715 Retro Oil-Filled Radiator I purchased this Oil-Filled Radiator Heater in mid-December 2000. I am very happy with its performance. It is a very handsome unit; so it compliments the other pieces in the Living [...]

parentDish Sleepover for Sunday, May 20, 2007
Filed under: Child Development, Potty training, SleepoverThere has been a fair bit of discussion lately around these parts about potty training. After a long and difficult start, we seem to be having a fair bit of success with training Sara. This got me wondering what other bloggers have to say on the subject.Karyn, of Miss Conception, is having mixed results. Her three-year-old seems to be on his way, but her five-year-old, who has Asperger Syndrome, is not doing so well. He’s got a great excuse, however, but still, it must be frustrating. Even the classic bribery method is not working out the way it’s supposed to. Now she’s taken drastic steps and is prepared for the, ahem, fallout. I wish her luck!Meanwhile, Kimberly of More Than Myself is having success, of sorts. Her son got the right idea, but his aim was a little off, I guess. It was confusing to him, but hopefully it means he’s on his way to a more complete — and more accurate — success in the near future. I wish her luck as well.While not strictly potty-related, a local mom has been pondering the wisdom of having two kids close together over at Mommy Daze. Of course, it’s all rhetorical since she’s already 22 weeks pregnant. She raises an interesting point, however — is it better to have kids close together and suffer more for a shorter time, or to spread them out over a longer period but with less pain all at once? I’m not sure; we had ours pretty close together, mostly because we felt it’s best for the kids. Still, it’s an interesting question. Oh, and just for the record, she says “let’s not even talk about the potty.”Finally, so as not to leave you to serious for a Sunday evening, take a look at a conversation between Teri of Perspective from my comfy chair and her son Sean on the mechanics of toileting.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

parentDish Feature: What are you watching? The season finales
Filed under: Lifestyle, Media, Television(May 21, 2007) Boy, did I choose the right time to start this feature, or what? The main networks are having their season finales last week and this week, so we are looking toward a long hot summer of re-runs. But have no fear! I know that I will still be watching things, so we will move on to talk about alternative network shows (The Closer! on TNT! and Big Love on HBO! And perhaps The 4400 and The Dead Zone on USA) and movies, re-runs, and shows on DVD that you didn’t catch when they were on the air (for me, that would be Heroes).But I think we should probably stick with the here and now for today, don’t you? I missed last week, so I may do a cornucopia here of what I’ve been watching (and what I’ve missed! Sob!). Can I just ask a quick question? How many of you use VCR, TiVo, or DVR to help you with your television viewing? How many of you actually get to watch your show when it is actually airing? We bought a used TiVo from a friend for $40, and so we TiVo everything. I even TiVo the shows that I am watching in real time to review for TVSquad, because if I miss something, a detail or a line of dialogue, I can go back to it immediately. I can also put my kids to bed without missing things. So, I have been wondering whether recording devices are what makes it possible for parents to watch TV. It certainly makes it possible for me– anyone else? Okay, without further ado, let’s get on with the show!I think I will primarily stick to season wrap-ups, or maybe combine two episodes into one in some cases, just for simplicity. Here’s what I’ve been watching in the last two weeks:HouseThe season finale is tomorrow. I have to say that I am not really feeling terribly compelled by any of the storylines as we head toward the end of the season. This was a good season in many ways, but it is always more interesting to me when they focus on the inner-drama between the doctors rather than external hassles like the cop who tried to bust House for drug use. That was completely useless and accomplished nothing. I seem to be in the minority of viewers (over at TV Squad at least) who think that House and Cuddy will get together. However, maybe it would be a disaster for the show for them to consummate a very fun, intense, flirtation. They have introduced a new potential love interest for House. Let’s see if this can make him happy. I am not too concerned about the Foreman storyline because I think he’ll stay. So, the real tension is whether or not Cameron and Chase will get back together (I say yes, what do you think?). LostWas I the only one SOBBING last week when Charlie was on the boat? Was I the only one who felt a teeny tiny bit ripped off when he was still alive at the end, after steeling myself for his death? Such lovely acting there. Just marvelous. I have started keeping Lost episodes on the TiVo just because I can’t bear to delete them. I don’t really know what will happen in the final episode, and I almost don’t want there to be a huge confrontation between the 815ers and the Others. What are they going to do next season if that happens? I think it might be interesting to get them all off the island and then have them all deal with the fact that they all actually want to live together in a commune. I am also a little disappointed because I feel like we know just about all of the secrets there are to know, now, and I like the mysteries. Well, we still don’t understand who or what Jacob is or what the island really is, but we know a lot more than we did. Do you think Locke is really dead? My Name is EarlI wonder whether they will cover Earl’s jail time next season or just start the season with his release? I love this show, but I didn’t find there to be much of a cliffhanger, and so I don’t really have much longing for next season two (outside of the fact that summer re-runs suck and I love the show). The OfficeThis was a GREAT season finale. Did you hear that Jenna Fischer (Pam) fell down some stairs last week at an Office wrap party and broke her back in four places???? Apparently, she will make a full recover, but poor Jenna! We loved and adored this episode, and the one before it where Pam walked across hot coals and declared herself to Jim. It was so great, the look on Jim’s face in the interview when he was asked where he sees himself in ten years, and we just have him looking at Pam’s note and then flashing back to the beach where she asks him to come back. The end of the show was simply marvelous– such outstanding writing here week after week– Jim popping his head in to ask her to dinner, Pam’s grin,and then Ryan telling Kelly they are done. Does it really get any better than this? Desperate Housewives (click one word for each review, to get both weeks)I spent a lot of this season hating this show and finding it ridiculous, but they really pulled off the season finale (click the above links for much longer reviews of the past two shows). Brothers and Sisters (click one word for each review, to get both weeks)On the other hand, I adore this show, but the season finale was just so bad that I am still a little angry about it. You can see my reviews for the past two weeks (last week, comparably, was marvelous) if you click on the words Brothers and then Sisters. Did anybody see the season finale of ER??? What happened??? What else did I miss? What have YOU been watching?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hercules Hooks. Set of 20 Hercules Drywall Hanging Hooks + Free Bonus Laser Marker
Hercules Hooks. Set of 20 Hercules Drywall Hanging Hooks + Free Bonus Laser Marker The Hercules Hook is the easiest way to hang pictures, mirrors, shelves just about anything. Easy to install just twist, push and turn! No more drilling or pounding to try to find a stud - No more damaged walls! The [...]

DeLonghi RFH9030 Retro Fan Heater, Stainless Steel
DeLonghi RFH9030 Retro Fan Heater, Stainless Steel UNIQUE RETRO STYLE The timeless retro design of this fan heater, with stainless steel finish, chrome accents and vintage-style controls, beautifully complements any home environment. TWO-POSITION TILT Tilting body allows for multi-directional airflow anywhere in the room. TWO HEAT FLOW SETTINGS Choose the HIGH (1500 Watts) or [...]