Tag: "valmg"

Locked Out

I found a contest that has such a neat prize! Deb from Just A Mom’s Take On Things is giving away two Schlage Electronic Locks in a contest that ends on 07/05/08 at 11:59 est. To enter you need to leave your best “locked out” story on her blog, on the contest announcement. I will be leaving my story there, but I also thought I’d share it with you.

Way back when, from January 1987 until sometime around 1993, my hubby and I lived at my Mom and Dad’s house. Before my Grandma died we lived in a room off the back of the house. After Grandma died we lived in the downstairs apartment that had previously been Grandma’s. Because he wasn’t family and because it takes a long time to build trust with my family, hubby didn’t have a key to my parents house. It typically wasn’t an issue because we were almost always together. He didn’t even drive at that time, so whenever he came and went he was with me. One night he decided he wanted to go to the local bar for a few drinks. I was annoyed with him for one reason or another, so I went out on my own with a few friends. I came in a couple of hours later and he wasn’t home. Back then it wasn’t unheard of for him to wind up at a friends and stay out really late or even all night once in a while. After two more hours of wondering where he was and worrying I fell asleep. In the middle of the night I was awakened by the door. I made my way up the stairs to the foyer, arriving at about the same time as my parents did at the top of the stairs. It’s never good to wake them in the middle of the night. At that point it hadn’t dawned on me that hubby wasn’t home. My parents didn’t know hubby wasn’t home. Dad decided to answer the persistent person at the door. He undid the deadbolt and much to our surprise we saw two police officers and my hubby. It seems that hubby had arrived home a half hour or so before but saw the downstairs was dark. He’d tapped on our bedroom window but I hadn’t heard him. He did not want to wake up my parents or my baby brothers (toddlers at the time). So, he decided he’d climb into our apartment through the downstairs living room window. At that time a policecar happened to be doing a routine patrol of our neighborhood. One of the officers saw a man starting to climb into a window, so he called for backup and got out to apprehend the man he thought was a burglar. Hubby was surprised when the police officer pulled him down from the window by his ankles. He tried to explain that he lived there and the policeman asked why he wasn’t using his key. He told the policeman he didn’t have one. By now the second policecar arrived on the scene. They asked my hubby for id, but he didn’t have any because he didn’t have a driver’s license. He asked them to please let him finish going inside so he could get his wife who would vouch for him. They were suspicious, rightly so. They told him they were going to the door. He begged them not to do that, because he didn’t want my parents woken up and thinking badly of him. They told him it was that or jail. So they rang the bell, explained they’d found this man trying to break in and asked if we knew him. Dad said hubby lived there and all was ok. The policemen went on their way. My folks were good sports about it, although hubby was pretty miffed the police didn’t believe him. He got a key to the house not long after that.

If this had all happened these days there wouldn’t have been a problem. Hubby’s phone has a built in GPS so I could’ve found out where he was before I went to bed and just called him there.

Jul 05, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post

Let’s talk about Stilettos

I am finding myself at the beginning of a decision. I’ve subscribed to Sirius Satellite Radio for a long time. I have no complaint with them, I really love them. I have an Audiovox unit that can sit in a dock inside the house or in a different dock inside my truck. The dock in the truck died about two months ago, leaving me to listen to the radio, cds or my iPod when driving. About 6 weeks ago the fm transmitter/charger for my iPod broke. Then, last month my iPod mini reached the beginning of the end by not holding a charge for more then ten minutes. Some of the older iPods had battery issues. These events left me only with radio, tolerable for driving to work but not recommended for traveling more than a half hour or so. So I found myself considering buying a new iPod. But then, I’d like to listen to the satellite radio too. I thought it would be neat if there was an iPod that worked with Sirius. As it turns out, there is something close - the Stiletto 2. It’s a portable satellite radio player that also functions as an mp3 player. You can add your mp3s to it by putting them on memory cards. I’m not sure how it works, so I’ll be reading up on it for a while, as well as saving my pennies. Do any of you have a Stiletto 2? How does the unit interface with your mp3s? I love iTunes but since it’s not an iPod and it plays mp3s how do you do interface? Do you recommend it? How’s the sound? Let’s hear it! Also, if anyone has a Stiletto they’d like to send me as a review unit, I’d love to hear from you.

Jun 12, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post

Training wheels question

CJ is going to be nine in a month. He’s very small for his age, he’s only in size 6 clothes. He got a bike last year, a little two wheeler Thomas The Train bike with training wheels. He whips around on this thing like you wouldn’t believe. He’s gotten really good at riding it. As I watched him ride today I started wondering at what point we should take the training wheels off. He’s very steady on the bike, but my worry is one of those motherly ones. Being limited verbally, it isn’t as simple as asking him if he wants them off or not. So, how does one know when it’s a good time to take the training wheels off?

Jun 01, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post

On movie seating

Where do you like to sit when you go to the movies? Parents, where do your children like to sit when they go to the movies? My son TJ and I are going to spend some mother and son time together tonight and it looks like we’re going to the movies. My son likes to sit in the front row when he goes to the movies. I hate it there, I have to look up to see the screen and it’s really uncomfortable. It makes me wish that everyone in the theater had their own viewsonic monitor to watch the movie on. That way the picture would always be clear and at the angle you like it, and you could wear headphones and put the volume where you like it too. But for now moviegoers don’t have this ability. So. Where’s the best seat in the house?

May 16, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post

Vistaprint rubber stamp special

I’ve used Vistaprint to get free post cards, small magnets, business post cards and return address labels. The quality of everything I’ve gotten from them has been terrific. Other popular products that Vistaprint carries include stickies, invitations, stationery, pens, tshirts, car door magnets, letterhead, cards, checks and marketing brochures.

What people might not realize is that Vistaprint now offers business stamps. Like most Vistaprint products, the stamps are customizable so you can get them to look exactly the way you want. There are different styles to choose from, I promise they carry something for everyone there.

I ordered a cheapy stamp from another company last year that I never got to use, not even once, because it arrived dead in the box. I ordered a stamp from Vistaprint this morning and I know from experience the stamp I oprdered will work. As usual, while I was on their site I found four other things I wanted to order as well. I created some pens and notepads too. If you’ve never been to Vistaprint, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Vistaprint is offering my readers a nice discount if they order a rubber stamp. All you need to do is shop and upon checkout use coupon code “Stamp25” and you will receive 25% off your stamp order. Happy shopping!

Mar 23, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post

Review of Brain Foggles

This morning I reviewed Brain Foggles, which is the name of one of Connie’s blogs.

The first thing that gets my attention when the blog appears on my monitor is the header. I like the image, and wonder if it’s the author. The blog is currently viewed on a simple blue and white two column theme. It takes me seven clicks to get from the top of the home page to the bottom.

I would move the subscribe in a reader to the top, to make it easy for people to subscribe. If it’s the first thing they see they’re more likely to use it than if it’s further down the blog where they may not notice it. There’s not a lot of clutter on the blog. I would suggest taking a look at the bottom and realigning the recent posts with everything else in the sidebar, or rearranging so more is next to the recent posts going horizontally. I myself am not a fan of displaying the number of subscribers, because unless it’s displaying a big number it isn’t going to impress so ends up not serving a purpose. Blogrolls are managed at this time, but as they grow Connie could consider putting them in a dropdown box or on a page of their own.

Connie’s posts are of nice length, not too short and not so long that the reader loses attention and moves on. They contain original content. She writes in a number of categories, the main ones being health, family and life. She includes personal details of her own health issues and disability advocacy.

I would like to see a few more pictures if possible. I understand her hesitation to include personal photos so perhaps she could include photos more in line with a topic or idea. In her post on 12/04 she mentiones opening a door, she could use a photo of a door here. In her post on 11/23 she writes about New York, and a photo of something she mentions would work well there.

Connie’s blog is a little over six months old and is looking good. Please stop by and say hello to her and tell her that valmg sent you.

Dec 07, 2007 | 4 comments | View Post

Review of Thinking Outloud

Tonight I reviewed the blog called Thinking Outloud.

The description of this blog is “my thoughts have come alive”. The first thing I notice when this blog loads on my screen is the header. It’s soft and attractive, and the flowers in both shades of gray and pink seem to match up well with the come alive statement. It takes me nine clicks to get from the top of the home page to the bottom.

The blog is currently on a two column gray, white and subtle pink theme. The category list is up at the top. Kim might want to consider moving the archive page higher up in the sidebar if possible. I would suggest taking a look at the placement of the disclosure policy as it is taking up two lines, as well as the yahoo links which isn’t fully visible.

Kim’s posts are of a nice length and consist of original content. I don’t know any sort of background info about her as there is no about page, so I’m left a little in the dark. Kim writes about a variety of random topics, mainly family, crafts, the internet and life in general. I do recommend that Kim add some pictures to her posts. The page is a tad bland after reading a while and an occasional picture would really make posts pop and break up the space.

For a blog that is just a bit over six months old Kim is off to a great start and doing a nice job. Go check out Thinking Outloud, and when you do please tell Kim that valmg sent you.

Dec 03, 2007 | 6 comments | View Post

Review of A Cowboy’s Wife

Today I reviewed A Cowboy’s Wife, one of Lori’s blogs.

I’ve visited Lori’s blog before, but never really took the time to look at it or review it. Recently she changed the theme and I must say the new theme looks great! The first thing I notice when the page loads is the header. It fits with Lori’s writing style and blog name. And it looks really nice. The current theme consists of beiges and soft greens, and has three columns.

A Cowboy’s Wife has an About page. I love About pages! And hers tells us stuff, like who she is, why she’s blogging and what her interests are. The home pages takes me sixteen clicks to get from top to bottom. Now I know some people think that the front page should take more like 3-5 clicks, and I don’t entirely agree with that. There are certain posts a blogger needs to keep on the front page for a little while, either for a particular reason or a certain period of time. I prefer the 10-15 click range myself, which Lori is close to. Her sidebars are remarkable UNcluttered. I only have one suggestion for them, and that is to move the “vote at mini me” button underneath the “lucky stars” button. They’re completely different sizes and look a little odd next to each other.

Lori’s writing style is open and friendly. She frequently leaves opportunities to engage the reader in what I consider conversation. She also interacts with readers by responding to their comments. She frequently includes photos, which makes for such a nice read. Her posts are all original, and time and thought is put into them.

Go visit A Cowboy’s Wife. She’s even got a contest going on this week that you can enter. And please tell her that valmg sent you.

Nov 28, 2007 | 2 comments | View Post

Review of Winding Threads

This evening I decided to wander through Winding Threads, one of Karen’s blogs.

Winding Threads is displayed in a simple, all white, two column theme. Everything looks very neat and organized. The home page takes seven clicks to get from the very top to the very bottom. There is a short category list that everything seems to fit in. Karen does need to take a look at her about page, unless she’s really got a thing for the word tag.

Karen’s writing style is open and friendly. It looks like Karen puts thought into her posts, and she doesn’t rush them. The length of the posts is decent. The one thing I’d like to encourage Karen to do is use a few more pictures. Because the theme is all white the page is very bright and a couple of pictures would help break that up. She could just place one where she wants to draw attention to something she’s written in particular.

If you want a glimpse of some of Karen’s thoughts and opinions and get to know her, go visit her blog. Let her know that valmg sent you.

Nov 12, 2007 | 5 comments | View Post

Review of The Suzette

This afternoon I reviewed a blog called The Suzette.

Suzette blogs manily about her children, parenting and breastfeeding. The blog theme is an all white two column theme. The header has butterflies which, while pretty don’t really go with her blogs theme. She might consider looking into changing the header picture.

The sidebar is organized quite neatly. The home page takes seven clicks to get from top to bottom. Her archive list is just a bit longer than the screen on my 17 in monitor. I would recommend putting the archive list into a dropdown format. The pages and categories section is a little too far down for my taste. If Suzette can’t move them up because she needs to keep sponsors or ads above the fold, than I would consider a horizontal menu across the top. Or, since this theme has a lot of padding on both sides, she could even switch to a three column theme if she wanted.

Suzette writes posts of a decent length, and frequently includes pictures, which helps draw attention to the post as well as break up the all white page. There are some posts that you must click “read the rest of this entry” to complete. Since most of your blog doesn’t have those, I’d recommend removing that.

That’s about it for this review. If you go to Suzette’s blog, please let her know valmg sent you.

Nov 11, 2007 | 8 comments | View Post

Review of Warning: Life Under Construction

Tonight I reviewed one of Ron’s blogs, Warning: Life Under Construction.

he first thing when I see when I look at the site is Ron’s picture. And I thank you for that Ron. You’re a nice looking man, but more importantly that picture reminded me of a very dear friend I lost several years back and have been missing. The first time I saw the picture it took my breath away. Anyway. Onward with the review.

The blog is running on a simple, blue two column theme and it works for him. What Ron should consider altering is the number of posts on the front page. It took me 46 (yes, forty six) clicks to get from the top of the home page to the bottom. Holy moly batman! For a minute I thought maybe all his posts were there, but as it turns out the blog pages are set up to show fifty posts each. Closely tied in to the length of the page is the tags section of the sidebar. I’d consider investigating an alternate way to display your tags, maybe a drop down or a cloud. Eight of the clicks going down the page are just tags. That’s a lot!

The first post you see is dated in the year 2030. I reread it, and it didn’t change. I’m not quite sure what’s going on with that. With a shake of my head, I moved on, only to run right into a badge announcing he is available for hire to write a post for you. I will not tell you what the badge says because I want you to go see it. It really cracked me up.

Content. Ron does content. He offers much original content in decently sized posts. More than a few of Ron’s posts made me giggle. He works in humor nicely. He weaves in and out of random topics like a skilled obstacle course driver, all the while holding your interest just like a frightened passenger holding the jc strap. The only other suggestion I can make to Ron is to occasionally include a picture or two. It’d break up the writing space and brighten the page a bit. Place strategically to draw attention where you want it.

Readers, do yourself a favor and check out Warning: Life Under Construction. And please tell Ron that valmg sent you there.