Tag: "rb"

The Toolman Strikes Again

tim toolman taylor

A few years back we decided to get TJ a stereo for his room. Being the man he is, RB went out and found a great deal on one and picked it up. What I didn’t know until after it had been brought home and installed was that it was a powerful unit. Powerful as in loud. I told RB that TJ didn’t need anything quite that powerful in his tiny room in our small house but he wasn’t hearing any of that. See, when it comes to music RB is like Tim Taylor. More Power! RB connected the system so that TJ could hear everything through it, from television to Xbox 360 games. After that we had about two years where we could hear every sound coming from our sons room. The first time TJ was talking online while playing a video game was very strange for me because I heard more than one voice but only saw my son. Anyway. About a month ago we were informed that something wasn’t working correctly. RB checked it out and said that the system was working but that one component had broken.

Money’s tight so I figured we wouldn’t be replacing anything soon. After all, it was working. For my husband that wasn’t enough. He announced he had an idea and disappeared elsewhere in the house. He reappeared ten minutes later with a component from the system that he used in his last band. He swapped that for the broken component. Now everything is working again. Working and louder. The Toolman strikes again!

May 18, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Growing Up Faster Than An Eyebrow

moustache trimmer

Here’s something that I don’t think I’ve never mentioned. RB has a unibrow. Not only that, directly out of the middle of it grows a long hair, which we call his feeler because it waves around like a tentacle. It’s nothing a few hair removal wax strips wouldn’t take care of. But, it doesn’t bother him much so he usually leaves it alone, despite the fact that we tease him about it.

Recently TJ noticed that his eyebrows were looking a bit like his fathers. Finally proof that the boy who can’t see things in front of him isn’t blind! Anyway. I asked him if he wanted to come with me to the nail salon because they do eyebrows and facial hair removal. He said that he didn’t want to do that – I’m guessing because he’s heard me say that I hate the plucking. I asked him if he wanted me to check into hair removal cream. He said he didn’t think so and that he’d think about what he wanted to do. Two days later he’d decided on a solution to his problem. Rather than spend money he decided to use one of the moustache trimmers in the bathroom. He said he chose to do that because it was quick and easy and it wouldn’t cost anything because we already had it. How practical! I offered to do it for him but he wanted to do it himself. He did a nice even job and didn’t take off anything he wasn’t supposed to. I’m thinking I’m going to get him a smaller eyebrow trimmer of his own just to be safe. He’s growing up so fast, faster than the speed eyebrows grow it would seem.

Feb 01, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Deal Alert For Gamers - PS3 Racer Steering Wheel

buycom ps3 racer wheel

We’re big on video games in my house. One of RB’s favorite types of video game is racing games. One of the first things he got way back when he first got into racing games was a steering wheel. If you or someone in your home is into racing games and has a PS3 then this sale on the PS3 Racer from MadCatz is for you.

The MadCatz P3 Racer steering wheel only works on the PS3. The measurement of the full size wheel is 10.30” high x 11.30” wide x 14” long. The wheel turns a span of 270 degrees. It looks like the unit comes with a system to keep it in place while playing, through the use of detachable lap and table mounts. The product has two analog pedals – gas and brake. There is a built in PS3 home button, 10 action buttons and 4 contoller port LED indicators built in.

The MadCatz P3 Racer Steering Wheel regularly sells for $99.99 and is currently on sale for $23.99. It’s also eligible for free shipping. Go grab one before they’re gone and put it away as a Valentine’s Day gift for your favorite gamer!

Jan 26, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Paint? Check.

bedroom windows

I am very excited. My bedroom hasn’t been complete in a while. Over a year ago we had to replace one whole wall, including replacement windows, which have remained uncovered sincebeing put in. See, if the walls weren’t finished I didn’t want to put curtains over anything for fear the work would never get done. I have hated not having curtains in there.

It looks now like the bedroom may finally be finished, or at least closer to it. A friend of mine offered to give us a bedroom set. I told RB that before we put new furniture in there we need to finish and paint the walls. he agreed. Yesterday I stopped at Home Depot and picked up the paint. We’re actually going to use a little color for the first time ever. My brother has offered to help us pick up the furniture on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed with me!

Jan 12, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

My House Is A Little Warmer

My parents and LB3 were over this morning. My Dad is the go to man in my life. My husband is not exceptionally handy so there are some things I wouldn’t even want him to try. I mentioned to Dad that there was no heat in TJ’s room. I knew what the problem was there - the bed blocked the only vent. I’d bought a diffuser attachment and Dad and LB3 connected it. Then I mentioned the house had been a bit cold. Dad asked when the last time the furnace filter was changed. I told him it had easily been at least a year. He rolled his eyes and took a look.

I know where our furnace is but I have a bit of a fear when it comes to things that can cause fire. If my house had explosionproof hvac I’d go right in there. But it doesn’t. RB knows where it is also but had a hard time putting it back together. Dad took the filter out and we washed it in the tub. How disgusting it was. It’ll hold for a day or so until I get to Home Depot to get a new one.

Just another reminder that women do not always marry men like their father.

Jan 10, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Do You Think It’s Ok to Change Wedding Rings?

titanium wedding ring

As I’ve been losing weight more than my clothes are getting loose - my rings are too. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been dreading the day that I have to take them off because they’re too loose. I’m planning on trying a ring guard. It’s funny that I’ve grown so attached - I think it’s more because I’ve worn it since I got married than because it was from my Mom’s first set. See, RB and my wedding rings were my Mom’s.

A while back I was offered a tungsten ring from a potential advertiser. I turned it down, feeling it wouldn’t be right to just change wedding rings. Now not only is my ring loose, it’s also misshapen and banged up. I tend to accidentally bump into things. Now I’m wondering if I should have accepted the offer for a tungsten or titanium wedding ring.

Do you think it would be wrong for me to change wedding rings?

Jan 09, 2010 | 7 comments | View Post

Val’s And RB’s Night Of Fun - Dinner And Bowling

christmas party bowling score

RB and I recently went on a date, for a little holiday get together for the women in my office. We had a casual dinner at Charlie Browns. It was only the second time I’ve gone out to a restaurant since surgery. I had some tasty chicken that I was eating for five days. Then some of us went bowling. When we got to the lanes while everybody was at the counter with the Chief Shoe Giver I went and got my old bowling ball out of a locker I keep there with my Dad. See I used to be in a league and have bowled with my Dad, RB and LB2. I have never been a phenomenal bowler but I did all right. Anyway.

Onto the lanes we went. Now it’s been a few years since I bowled - 4-5 of them. So I knew I’d be a little rusty. Little did I know I’d do more than be rusty - I’d stink. One for one, for the first three frames I got nothing but gutters. Things improved a little after that but not much. I ended my first game with a 26. I know. That stinks! But we had fun.

Feel free to leave a comment - I’d love to hear if you’ve ever bowled a really great or really bad game.

Jan 05, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post

Deal Alert On Infrared Wireless Headphones

buy.com able planet sound clarity wireless headphones

My husband loves music. Actually, we all love music in my house. Many nights he can be found sitting tethered to a piece of the stereo listening to music. I found some wireless headphones on sale at Buy.com and wondered how well they’d work and if he’d like them. I wear headphones on the computer all of the time and can only imagine how nice it would be to go cordless. I’m hoping to find a good deal on Bluetooth computer headphones for myself, since the cord for my headphones now keeps getting tangled and in my way. Anyway. The wireless headphones I found are infrared, check them out.

The Able Planet IR200T Sound Clarity IR Wireless Headphones use a patented LINX Audio technology that is designed to increase clarity without increasing volume. I like that the ear pieces cover the whole ear. I don’t know how the battery life is but did see that the headphones turn themselves off if they don’t get an audio signal for 3.5 minutes. What sounds great is that ability for the headphones to fold into a flat package for easy storage. Ever notice how awkward headphones are? The ability to be folded flat would be awesome for when you’re not using them.

The Able Planet IR200T Sound Clarity IR Wireless Headphones come with a lifetime warranty. The box includes the AblePlanet IR200T Sound Clarity™ Wireless Headphones, a transmitter, an AC adapter and a 1/8″ to stereo RCA cable. Two AA batteries are required for operation. They have a list price of $129.99 and are currently on sale for $49.99. They’re also eligible for free shipping, making it an even bigger savings! If you’re looking for wireless stereo headphones it might be beneficial to check these out.

Dec 07, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

Online Higher Education

RB’s still looking for work. As much as I love him I can’t help but wonder if things would be different if he had some higher education. It would be great if he could receive some specialized training or education when he finds a job so he could get into a career that there’s demand for. Take the IT field for example. I do see jobs in the field out there but he doesn’t have the know how. How can people get the know how if they’re busy working? One way is to go to school for it.

Lewis University offers an online MS in Information Security. The program offers a choice of two concentrations - managerial and technical. The managerial concentration gives the knowledge on why information security is important and the technical concentration gives the knowledge on how to make it happen. Lewis University is Regionally Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). I think with schools offering more online education options it will me more viable for people with busy schedules to further their education or get started.

What are your thoughts on online higher education?

Oct 03, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

Wordless Wednesday - Dad, I’d Rather Run Than Walk The Line

wordless wed rather run than walk the line

Thanks for stopping by! If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below on Mr. Linky! Then head on over to Here And There, What’s That Smell, Wordless Wednesday, Go Graham Go, 5 Minutes for Mom and The Not-So-Blog Blog for more wordless fun!

Sep 23, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

The Games Wii Play

We play the Wii frequently. Like most other families, we all have our Wii Mii characters. this is what mine looks like.

val wii mii

We’ve been going through some stuff here and things have been a bit tense. I turned on Wii Sports to play golf and bowling with CJ this afternoon. I figured it would be a good way to spend time with him and try and relax. As soon as we started playing CJ knew there was something different. He kept pointing at the screen saying “Mom, no”. I was sort of on auto pilot so I needed a few more moments than he did to register what the difference was.

val mad wii mii

RB gave my Wii Mii a mad face with angry eyes. Nice. He thought it was very funny. (Shhh. I do too but won’t tell him.)

I sort of understand the mad face. But cutting my hair off? And giving me a goatee? What’s up with that?

Sep 21, 2009 | 6 comments | View Post

My Ring Is Not Flawless But I Love It

diamond ring with missing stones

Going back a number of years RB gifted me with a ring called an anniversary band. It had three rows, each containing eleven small diamonds, making a total of thirty three diamonds. (That’s it in the blurry picture above. It’s hard to get a good picture of jewelry.) Over the last couple of years three of the stones have fallen out when I was unaware. I don’t know how each one happened. I don’t even know exactly when each one happened. The ring is still beautiful but I wish it looked more complete. Someone suggested that I look into loose diamonds. Are these worth it? Or should I leave well enough alone. Maybe the setting is flawed, meaning eventually replacement stones might also fall out. Thoughts?

Sep 18, 2009 | 4 comments | View Post

Preview of CBS New Series Accidentally On Purpose

Accidentally On Purpose group picture

I was recently treated to a preview a new comedy coming to CBS called Accidentally On Purpose.

The series premiere of Accidentally On Purpose has the character of single film critic Billie (Jenna Elfman) not over the fact that her boss James (Grant Show) broke up with her. She’d wanted to be serious and he hadn’t. She goes out for a night with her best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen), and her younger sister Abby (Lennon Parham), and when she sees her boss with someone else she decides to hook up with another guy. She has a one night stand with a young chef named Zack (Jon Foster) and finds herself pregnant. She comes to realize she wants the baby and decides to include Zack in both her and the baby’s life. She invites Zack to move in but makes it clear she only wants to be friends.

I watched this show with RB. We both thought the show was funny, although not hysterical. It will be interesting to watch Billie and Zack’s relationship evolve as the pregnancy continues. With her boss having expressed interest in getting back together and being serious it will be interesting to see if this turns into a love triangle or if all parties find other people to date. Will Zack grow up? Will Zack’s friends totally trash Billie’s house every time they’re over?

Accidentally on Purpose premieres on CBS, Monday, Sept. 21 8:30pm ET/PT.

Sep 06, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

Gift Idea For The Music Lover - An Audio Mixer For Your iPod

We’re all into music in our house. RB has been in one band or another for years and is always looking for ways to record his music. I found just the thing for him on the Buy.com sale page.

That right there is the Belkin TuneStudio 4 Channel Audio Mixer. It’s an iPod Audio Mixer. Isn’t that the coolest looking gadget! RB would go nuts if he got this as a gift. That little gadget is actually a four channel mixer that allows you to record and mix music on your iPod. It’s compatible with both Mac and Windows and connects to the USB port. You can also use it for input and output with external devices. It seems that all you need to to is attach your instruments or microphone and you’re ready to record your own uncompressed WAV files right onto your iPod. Each of the four channels has it’s own 3-band EQ, pan and level control and can be mixed simultaneously.

The box contains the TuneStudio, power supply, owner’s manual, Cakewalk Music Creator LE Software, 3.5mm to 1/4-inch headphone adapter and an iPod adapter insert.

The Belkin TuneStudio usually sells for $399.99 and is on sale right now for an unbelievable $149.99! And yes, it’s eligible for free shipping.

I’m thinking I need to consult the checkbook as this looks like the perfect Christmas gift for RB.

Aug 26, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

Battle The Bug With Kleenex At The Philadelphia Zoo

Right before we went on vacation we got a real treat. We were invited to go to the Philadelphia Zoo to attend an event sponsored by Kleenex called “Battle the Bug“. What fun! I hadn’t been there since I chaperoned a school trip for one of my brothers, and RB and the boys had never been. Going to the zoo is something my parents did with me so I was excited to have the chance to go with my family.

On our way into the zoo we met Meghan from Mom Central, who was very sweet. Then we set off to see the zoo.

On our zoo safari we saw lots of animals. We saw giant turtles that were almost the size of a small car. Well, maybe not quite.

And the giraffes, which always fascinate me.

My favorites were the lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! The big cats and the polar bear are so beautiful.

The sea otters looked like they were having a good time. They were moving around so much I couldn’t even get a picture.

TJ’s favorite exhibit was the reptile house, probably because he knows it really freaks me out. Look at this nasty snake skin.

CJ’s favorite part of the trip was feeding the animals in the petting zoo.

And the ride on the zoo train.

In the early afternoon we had some lunch. I think the birds enjoyed it more than my children.

We then found the Kleenex “Battle The Bug” display.

philly zoo kleenex battle the bug car

The mission of the “Battle The Bug” program is to teach the importance of cleanliness and reducing germs in order to help prevent colds and the flu. Kleenex recently introduced Anti-Viral Tissues as another way to “battle the bug”. The tissues are just like regular Kleenex but the blue dotted middle layer contains active ingredients that kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses. Great idea! Who doesn’t want a little extra help battling and preventing colds and the flu. Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues are available at leading grocery, drug, club and mass merchandising stores .

We had a fun day together at the zoo. A big thanks to Kleenex and Mom Central for inviting us out!

Disclosure: Kleenex and Mom Central provided my family with tickets to visit the zoo and the information for this post.