Search Results for: blog turning blue

Affordable Ways to Combat the Winter Blues

So much for my New Year’s resolution. I’ve been consuming carbs at a frightening pace while battling severe allergies. Truthfully, I doubt the two are correlated.  Rather, I am blaming the wicked winter weather.   I’d bet a hundred bucks I wouldn’t be tempted to gorge on donuts, French toast and cinnamon buns if I were basking on a beach right now… in a bikini. Winter is brutal here in the Upper Midwest, which is why so many people suffer with seasonal doldrums.  The winter blues can strike family members of all ages, including children.  Consequently, it’s a good idea to … Continue reading →

Blue Shield of California Pays Back Customers – Again!

Once again, Blue Shield of California will be paying back some money to its customers. This is the result of the insurers compliance with a rule that requires them give credits to their customers whenever the insurer’s income exceeds 2% of revenue. This is good news for consumers. Earlier this year, in June of 2011, Blue Shield of California paid back around $167 million to its customers. This time, the insurer will be returning $283 million to customers who have health insurance policies with Blue Shield of California. The reason for the refund goes back to a pledge that Blue … Continue reading →

Is It Post-Partum or Just Baby Blues?

After the births of my first two children, I had typical emotional responses. I felt overwhelmed, sleep deprived, stressed, but relatively normal, in the whole scope of things. But with the birth of Johnny, in November, things were a little different. First, I left the hospital too early. Johnny was born at 6:45 AM on a Friday, and they gave me the option of leaving on Saturday, after all, this wasn’t my first baby and I knew how to take care of a new baby and myself after delivery. I missed my girls, so I went home. I was not … Continue reading →

Turning Blue

Other blue plants for your garden might include Wandering Jew, which is a brilliant royal blue flower. Mick insists it is a weed because of the way this ground cover takes over, but I just love it because of the color. If you’re going to plant it be careful where you plant it though. The same goes for forget me nots. A sweet old fashioned ground cover flower in sky blue, but they can ruin rampant if left unchecked. Wandering Jew however has been known to cause allergies in dogs. So if you have a canine friend it might be … Continue reading →

Turning Your Garden Blue

Here are some other ideas to turn your garden blue. I’ve included some of those that are mauve and purple as well, as they just look so great in a blue garden. One of my absolute favorites when it comes to trees is the jacaranda. They are a picture when they are in flower. The jacaranda is a deciduous tree and so it ends up looking like a dead stick in winter before it regains its leaves and then flowers. But there is nothing prettier than that jacaranda blue. I once wrote a poem called exactly that, about the small … Continue reading →

Breech Baby Blues

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1) This is how my baby is: 2) This is how my baby should be: Amazing how quickly pregnancy can “turn around.” Just this week my wife and I visited the midwives for a 34 1/2 week checkup. Our son had been happily in the correct position for months and we were quite surprised to find out that he had, at this late stage, moved into a less than desirable position for birth: Breech. You see, in an effort to avoid many of the pains associated with childbirth we decided to avoid hospitals all together. There is a high rate … Continue reading →

Simple Ways to Make Back-to-School Fun

In my home, nothing sparks a chorus of groans louder than hearing the following three words: Back to school. Of course, returning to class doesn’t have to be wrought with tears, fears and jeers. With a little creativity you can turn the worst part of the year into one of the best. Here are some ideas on how to make it happen: Movie Night: This is a great way to motivate your child to study hard in school without constantly being nagged. A few days before the new school year gets underway, clean a large empty jar and place it … Continue reading →

Beach Theme Background Paper

With much of the nation baking under record high temperatures, it’s no surprise that area beaches are packed to the gills. After all, who doesn’t enjoy soaking up the sun, sand and surf? Whether you are visiting the sea solo, or you are there with your entire clan, a trip to the beach is a memorable occasion. In fact, beach-themed layouts are extremely popular with summer scrapbooking fans who want to preserve the season’s highlights. Photos of family members burying each other in the sand, surfing, frolicking in white wash, collecting shells or watching the sunset make great additions to … Continue reading →

Time For A New Bedtime?

The other day, it took an inordinate amount of time to get Dylan to bed. Yesterday, I noticed that a repeat performance was underway. After we had read our books, it was eight thirty. Dylan was not at all sleepy. It was 8:30 and he had not napped. He had also only gotten nine hours of sleep the previous night when he had been regularly sleeping for twelve hours. I did not know what to do to avoid another late night, so I asked him what he thought he needed to have or do in order to fall asleep. Dylan … Continue reading →

Interesting Statistics About the 1940 Census

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The data from the 1940 United States Census was released on April 2, 2012. It is the most exciting, most anticipated, resource that genealogists are going to be able to dig into this year. Here are some interesting statistics about the 1940 U.S. Census. The release of the 1940 census was so popular that thousands of genealogists flocked to The National Archives website to check it out. This caused a virtual traffic jam that resulted in the website being temporarily shut down. It was getting more hits than the server could process. Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for The National Archives, … Continue reading →