Smoothie's Place

Easter pics

2009-07-06T22:37:00.007-05:00

I am late, as usual adding pics of the kids from Easter, so Granny and all will be happy to see them.

Couldn't take too many of them hunting eggs because it was getting ready to storm, lol. But they had fun anyway.

Looking for Languages

2008-11-14T12:18:00.002-06:00

Has anyone else noticed the prices on learning language software? Wow! if you have the money to purchase them, they are a wonderful tool to help your child learn a second language (or yourself).

My oldest daughter has begun to her Japanese lessons and so far she really enjoys it. It is beginning to be harder the further she delves into it, lol. I tried to tell her that it would not be a walk in the park. She realizes this could open up her earning potential when she graduates from school.

I am in the process of teaching my two youngest a little Spanish. I am a firm believer that if you have the desire to learn a second language, you should. Learn Chinese, learn Spanish, learn, Russian, pick any language and start learning. Even those of you who think you are past your school years, you never stop learning, so why not take your education into your own hands.

Happy Educating!

Miss Crystal

New Sites To Check Out

2008-11-14T11:16:00.002-06:00

I was looking through some of the sites that my daughters have used and wanted to post some of them. I know from experience how long it takes to research and find quality education sites. I hope I have made some of your searches a little easier!

Internet4Classrooms

Sadlier-Oxford

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

iKnowthat.com

These sites deal with more than one subject. I found they were very helpful with my girls.

I am always on the hunt for fun sites for my kids to use. I have a tendancy to be more lenient with computer time if they are playing educational games.

Happy Educating!

Miss Crystal

Whew!

2008-11-12T20:50:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you guys, but the prices on cell services can get a tad ridiculous. I think I have looked at nearly every provider out there. I did find a very interesting company in my search for a lower cell phone bill. It is webtel.mobi. They provides customers with the ability to call out and send text messages from their own cell phones for up to 80% less. It also saves you on international calls and roaming as well. Holy Cow!

With the state of the economy, I am sure I am not the only one who would like to save money without having to give up your cell phone. These days it is absolutely necessary to have one, especially if you have little ones.

I can say that there are no other companies that I know of that offer the same thing. You can visit www.webtel.mobi/pc from your laptop or desktop to check it out. I do travel a lot and I also make international calls as well since I started working for a company that is overseas. I am going to have to give these guys a try and see just how good this really is.

Peace!

Miss Crystal

Time for more Zoo Photos

2008-11-08T14:44:00.003-06:00

Hi ya'll! I am adding some more animal photos from our trip to the zoo. I also have other type of photos at my other blogs, links to my other blogs are to the right of this page. I had to have a few days break from blogging so I could get grocery shopping and other things done. Here are the photos, and I hope you enjoy them! (THANKS for all the comments!)

Miss Crystal

Got Some Zoo Photos

2008-11-04T14:29:00.003-06:00

We went to the zoo Saturday and had a wonderful time with the kids. Hunter was more concerned with running around and not riding that I don't think he saw too many of the animals, lol. I rented a single stroller and of course he rode in it for all of 15 minutes, lol. Anyway, I will be posting a few pictures a day, as to not overwhelm you all with my awesome photo taking skills, lmao! Anyway, here they are, I hope you enjoy them!

Peace!

Miss Crystal

Almost Christmas

2008-10-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

I am sitting here amazed at how close it is to Christmas, lol. Once Halloween gets here, time is going fly by really fast. I have already started on Christmas shopping and I am trying to get a little bit done every payday. I went online to look for some jewelry my teenager (and myself) might would like. Since our tastes our pretty dang close, we can shop at a lot of the same stores.

I think I hit the jackpot when I found this one website, www.LusterForever.com. WooHoo! They have everything that my daughter likes, and I am loving their merchandise as well. My dear daughter has gotten into the leather bracelets that have gotten popular here in the last few years. They seem to have them in every shape and every color. I sat for so long looking at what they had available that my eyes were watering when I got done, lol. Now, I am going to show my young one what I found and see if she lets on to anything in particular.

For myself, lol, I happen to like the silver bracelets they have available. Some of them even had the cutest little charms. Now don't get me wrong, I so will not limit myself to just the bracelets they have. I did see some pretty awesome earrings and necklaces, too. I have a few new outfits that I bought right after losing about 100 pounds and I still need to purchase some jewelry that match. (or the hubby does, lol)

Anyway, anytime I find a place or a site that is in the awesome category I will always post it for my readers. If it is good enough for me, it is good enough for you!

Peace!

Miss Crystal

Pictures of Picos the Cat

2008-10-30T15:34:00.005-05:00

This is one of my daughter's kittens. She is a very unique colored cat. This was the first time I have caught her still in a while, lol. As you can tell, she is dead to the world. What a hard life being a cat, lol.

Peace!

Miss Crystal

She Wants a Laptop, Too

2008-10-29T17:56:00.002-05:00

My dear hubby and oldest daughter bought me an Acer Aspire laptop for Christmas. It is so nice and fast. I was so excited when I got it because as most of you know I work from home and I knew this would help me a great deal. After having one for ten months and being so impressed with mine, my mom has decided she wants to get a laptop, too. She could get a desktop, but since they live in a small single wide mobile home, a laptop will be the best thing for her.

I would like for her to find one with more memory than she will need. She will definitely need a mouse for it. The touchpads are super sensitive. That is the only downside with any laptop as far as I am concerned. You can mess up and type somewhere you don't want to or click on something you don't want to. A mouse will be the answer for that.

I took it upon myself to look around on the internet for cheap laptops. Whew! There are so many dang websites out there that it is not even funny. I have spent hours going from site to site trying to find an appropriate site. My eyes itch because I have stared at the screen so much. I tried to find several price comparison sites, as many reputable ones that I could.

I think it may take me a little while to dig through all of them, even though I did find a few that I really do like. I will update you guys when the search is done.

Peace out!

Miss Crystal

Looks Like a Skint Rat

2008-10-29T17:45:00.006-05:00

My lovely teenage daughter decided she wanted kittens for her birthday. She also took it upon herself to start giving them a bath. Oh my, what a funny sight! I got tickled at them and what they looked liked so I grabbed the camera and snapped a few for my readers. Enjoy!

Free Fax Number

2008-10-20T21:45:00.004-05:00

I was looking for a fax service to use since I started a job with a company that is based in the UK and found this, WorldFax, it provides free UK fax number. There are so many fax services out there, and I really like what this one has to say.
It redirects the faxes to your email within one minute. That is pretty fast if you ask me. I have dealt with other online fax services, and have not found any that are quite that fast, and free at that.
I wanted to be sure and post this and share with my friends. I originally thought it was for people inside of the UK, but I was mistaken, it is for everyone outside of the UK. There are more companies hiring here in the U.S. and this is something that will definitely help out.

Have a good one!

Miss Crystal

Art Sites for Kindergarten - 1st Grade

2008-10-19T21:22:00.005-05:00

Hi there everybody! I just wanted to share a few art websites I found while searching online for my kindergartener (at that time). She really enjoyed using them and had many hours of fun. I was also able to incorporate them into her home school art class.

DLTK's Crafts for Kids

Paper and Scissor Crafts for Kids

A. Pintura Art Detective

A Lifetime of Color

Coloring-Page.net

Printable Coloring Pages

Crayola.com

Free Coloring Pages

kidprintables.com

Here is one for the older kids:

BakaNeko.com

I hope you guys find these helpful. They really helped me when it came to coming up with easy art lessons.

Happy Homeschooling!

Miss Crystal

Reconstruction

2008-10-16T11:55:00.002-05:00

As you can all tell, I decided to do a little reconstruction on my blog. I plan on dedicating this one for the most part to home school and education. I do still plan on sharing my life and funny stories with you guys because home school and education are a big part of my life. I appreciate you all being patient while I re-work this bad-boy into the awesome blog I know it can be.

Culinary Schools

2008-10-14T19:39:00.007-05:00

I have a friend who is interested in going to culinary school so I decided to go online to see what kind of schools there are out there. After about an hour of searching, I lucked up and found a website that would be able to help anyone decide what culinary school to go to. It is called Culinary Schools USA. Since he lives in California, I believe I would suggest to him that he check out the san francisco culinary academy.

This website provides a long list of recommended school with a review of each school they do recommend. I had not seen another list as large in my searching. They also give you nice rundown of the type of positions in this field and their duties. Included in the site is a page that gives you details on the training required for the field of work.

Needless to say that I am waiting for my friend to call me back so I can give him the link and let him know what kind of culinary school website I found and the school he has to look at. This site would be his best bet when it comes to making his decision. I can't wait to see what kind of food he will cook for me the next time he visits because I found this for him!

Peace out!
Miss Crystal

I Got an Award!

2008-10-14T16:09:00.004-05:00

Oh what a special day! I just got my first blog award today! I am part of a wonderful blogging community that is very supportive when it comes to blogging and all that goes along with it. We also occasionally give awards to each other. I would like to give a big shout out and a thanks to Kim at Ms Frugal McDougal. She has the best blog I have seen on how to save money and make your money go further. I would suggest you take a look, everyone can use those types of tips.

And now for my favorite part, I get to pass on this award to 7 of my blogging buddies.

1. Nytrogirl

2. Magic & Moments at Dragonfly Cottage

3. Hue and Hysteria

4. My Absent Mind

5. Juliana's World

6. Mature Not Senile

7. Annie Spandex

Please take a moment to visit the blogs I have nominated and see why I did.

Here are the rules for the award:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you accepted your award from.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the persons you nominated.

Peace out!

Miss Crytsal

Have You Ever Thought About Going to School to be a Medical Assistant?

2008-10-08T17:10:00.004-05:00

Have you ever thought about attending a medical assistant school but you just don’t quite have the time to attend one in your town? If you have, St. Augustine's School for Medical Assistants may be for you. You can become a medical assistant in as little as 6 to 8 weeks. They have easy to access online classes that anyone can fit into their schedule and it does not matter where you live or what time of day you need to do your studies. This is especially helpful if you have a job (or two) and/or you have children at home. St Augustine’s has an outline on their website that gives you a description of your courses and textbooks so you can get some kind of idea what kind of studies you will have. I found the site very informative when it comes to giving you all the details you will need in order to make the appropriate decision regarding your education. Everything on the site is well laid out and easy to find. There will always be a need for medical assistants and this school provides an easier way to go about furthering your education or starting a new career. All you need to do is decide what you want to do in the future.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BROTHER!

2008-10-08T01:03:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my Big Brother Mark. He is a fireman, and a hero to us all. I love you very much! Here are some videos just for him!

Here's a little Hank Jr. (Oh yeah!)

a country boy can survive - hank williams jr.

And now for my very favorite band (and song) Charlie Daniels

LONG HAIRED COUNTRY BOY - THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND

Well, They Did It

2008-10-05T13:12:00.003-05:00

The finally passed the bailout. Now they need to get off their lazy butts and do something about this mess while they have the chance. This won't fix things forever, but it will keep our country afloat while they do something about the problems. All we can do is tell our politicians what we want them to do and then bug the holy h-e-double hockey sticks out of them until they finally bend to our will, lol. They will either do what we want them to or never hear the end of it. Now we see what they next....

Peace!

Miss Crystal

America is Broke

2008-09-30T22:26:00.002-05:00

That was the headline I saw on a paper an older gentleman was holding up by the side of the intersection yesterday as I was coming back home from running some errands. I could not believe my eyes. I had a feeling it was because the bailout was not passed in Washington. Lo and behold, when I got home and turned on the television, that was exactly what was all over the news. That and the fact that stocks took a serious nose dive on Wall Street. What on earth is our country coming to? I have been wondering for quite some time just what kind of mess were our lawmakers getting us into. Now I know. It is freakin' rediculous, we give these folks our vote and our confidence that they will do what we want them to, ain't that how it is supposed to go? Aren't they supposed to be representing us and not their damn wallets? All I know is that if Willie Nelson were president, none of this would be happening. Sorry for the vent, dear readers, but i could not hold it in any longer.

Peace! (and I mean that)

Miss Crystal

Hot, Hot, Hot

2008-09-24T22:26:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to upload a few pictures just to give you guys a taste of the hotness that is my husband. He was practicing in the back yard today with his bow and arrows, and damn! What a sexy man! After 10 years, he still makes my heart skip a beat.

Peace!

Miss Crystal

To My Readers, Droppers, and WPLH Blogging Buddies

2008-09-23T13:58:00.004-05:00

Right now, I would like to give a BIG THANKS to all of my regular readers and my regular entrecard droppers. You guys make this whole blogging thing fun and very worth my while. I enjoy helping others and I hope that everyone can take away at least a little something from my blog. Please feel free to comment or suggest tips to add to my site (I will give you credit for it), or to suggest a correction for a mistake you spot. I am new to blogging and appreciate all the support I have gotten so far.

To my WPLH blogging buddies, thank you for all the tips you have given, and a special thanks to Nytrogirl who got us our very own Blogging Folder to go to for support and help. You Rock!

Peace!

Miss Crystal

Took Kids to the Store Today

2008-09-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

I took my children to K-Mart today to get them some p.j.'s. Why on earth do my kids (the two younger ones) feel the need to act up? It's mostly my 7 yr old. She wants to aggravate her three year old brother and then complains when he tells her to get away, or that's enough. I think I told them that they had to be the worst kids in the store today. Just once it would be nice to take my kids with me and not spend my time concentrating on them instead of whats on my list. Kinda hard to look for the perfect pj's for my thin teenage daughter who is in Juniors and it is hard to find the right sizes for her and it be something she would be happy with. Oh well, that's my Bebe's Kids!

Spot Pest Control

2008-09-18T21:22:00.002-05:00

I have a wonderful way to spot control pests that are bothering your plants (like aphids, mealybugs and whiteflies). Take cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol and wipe it across the surface of the leaves, being sure to get the back of the leaves. If you want to take care of the whole plant or a number of plants, add one cup of rubbing alcohol to one quart of water and spray the heck out of those pesky little bugs. If you have plants that are tender to some chemicals, try it on a leaf that can easily be cut off if it does damage it. That's all for today folks!

Have a good one!

Miss Crystal

Rooting Bushes and Trees from Cuttings

2008-09-16T15:19:00.003-05:00

Rooting bushes and trees from cuttings is not an easy job. I have wondered for years how my Mother and Aunts could always get any cutting to root. All this time I thought they were using just dirt and fertilizer or water inside of a colored glass bottle (all of which are great ways to root the easier ones). So, I finally asked Mama how they did it, did they have to have a perfect green thumb or have the right mojo for it? She laughed and told me that they use a rooting compound, which is made up of hormones that promote new roots to develop. Needless to say, I ran right out and bought some. Now I am rooting everything that I can think of. I should wait until something breaks on its own or until someone asks for cuttings, but I am cutting pieces of every bush and tree we have just to see how fast i can get roots to develop.

Awesome Way to Generate Traffic to Your Blog

2008-09-11T18:59:00.009-05:00

This is an awesome site to go to and set up a profile for your blog and have your rss feed available for all to see. I have been searching for different ways to create more traffic for my new blogs, its just nice to know you will have readers. And looky what I stumbled upon! rss Hugger! I really like the really easy step by step instructions they have for getting it all going. This is most definitely a site I would recommend to all probloggers and newbies if you are interested in drawing in more readers!

Sick and Tired

2008-09-09T23:52:00.006-05:00

I am so sick and tired of our cable service. I have what they call Business Class Internet, and they said the whole reason I pay higher costs aside from having a larger bandwidth, I get next day service. OKAY! WTH EVER! It has been 5 days since my loving husband decided he would cut down a tree and the tip of it caught the cable line, and down it came. I called the cable office and of course I get told it could take up to SEVEN days for them to come fix it! What a bunch of hogwash! What is the use in telling me, when I am in the process of deciding if I want business class, that i get next-day service when that is a total LIE! In their eyes, I run a business out of my house, which, I do, I work from home, I have to have the daggum internet to work! Luckily my husband had a forty-foot extension ladder and he got up there and did a quick fix with electrical tape, but there are some channels that won't come in good. And God forbid my son can't sit and watch Spongebob in his undies! He starts to have Squarepants withdrawels, lol. Okay, I feel much better now. Thank you to those of you who read my blog (and I take that is very few at the moment) for letting me vent my frustrations. Who knew blogging could be so healing? (Apparently everybody in the world but me!)

Peace out my peeps!
Miss Crystal

Crazy Days of School

2008-09-09T02:15:00.005-05:00

I teach my kids at home, and my oldest is pretty much self taught. My youngest daughter is a handful when it comes to writing her spelling words. Most of the time I hear "I'm tired" or "I'm hungry", anything to wear me down, or so she thinks, lol. Most of the time I use computer time as an incentive, as well as "One day, you'll be as smart as your sister." Sometimes nothing works like telling her she's going to get an F.

My oldest daughter does really well in everything but Algebra II, so we have had to find websites that will help her with her work. I keep telling her that if she can learn Japanese, I think she can learn Algebra, we just have to find the right sites. We did manage to find a few of them and I will list them here just in case there is someone who may be needing the dame for their child.

AlgebraHelp.com

Algebra Help - Excellent algebra resource that provides free algebra help through tutorials, an online textbook, a glossary, software reviews, and much more!

Algebra.com

Purple Math

Welcome to Smoothie's Place

2008-09-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

This will be a place for you to come for advice on anything! I'll be updating this frequently. I will share tips on cooking, cleaning, making extra money, etc. I am a work-at-home, married, mother of three wonderful children. I have a variety of different job titles, more on that in days to come. For now, I will just leave you with my introductory post and hope and pray you will come back to read more!

Crystal