I need your help

Please, if anyone knows how to back-up your blog on your computer will you kindly let me know? My very good friend lost her blogs (we don't know why) and I am feeling really paranoid. I couldn't imagine all the years of memories being lost. Has anyone heard about blogs on Blogger disappearing? I am sick for my poor friend. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Please share your suggestions!

Hey guys, it's close to that time of year again...the time I dread. Back-to-school means lunch ideas. I start off great and then I get to the point that it feels like the girls take the same thing week after week. I am in search of some good (and frugal) lunchbox ideas. Please share your suggestions in the comments. Thanks in advance!

WTH? Wednesday

Hey friends! I am really having a WTH kind of week. I need to ask something and I am really embarrassed and don't know how to ask it. Here it goes.... Is it normal for little boys to umm....well.... hump people? I am so grossed out by how my little William presses his little boy parts all up on people!!! Please, I have never seen this. I want your input on any experience you have had with this. I really need to know that other parents have seen this kind of ickyness.

Are you having a WTH moment? Please share it with me!!

What to do, what to do?

Most of my regular readers know that I have been trying to decide between twin beds, toddler beds, futons and whatever else for my little tot. I am not sure why I am putting this much pressure on myself since the little guy is still pretty content with his crib and loves to play in it each day. My mother-in-law said that I was dragging out the last bits of baby that is left of him. She said she thought that was a good thing! Maybe I should formulate a poll for readers to vote on what I should do. Potty train begins next month so I have to hurry and make a decision!

What happens after you cook?

I have been married for a little over 16 years now and for the entire time I get made fun of for what I do after I cook a meal. I allow the food to cool slightly (maybe 20-30 minutes) and then I pack it all up in containers and put it up in the refrigerator. I am not one of those people that leaves food out ALL day long. Sorry, the idea of getting viciously sick to my stomach is not appealing! This most especially applies to poultry. So what do you do after you cook?

Cooking question

Please don't judge me for asking this question...
Do you reuse cooking oil that you fried food with? I don't know what it is and I get talked about all the time but I am repulsed at the idea of reusing oil! This is the reason I only fry maybe 3-5 times total per year. There is just no way you can get me to use the oil that I fried 3 pounds of fish in next time for chicken. Nope, not happening. I know that when you order something friend in a restaurant that they are using the same oil over and over. I guess as long as I don't see it then I'm okay. I usually let my oil cool all the way down when I finish frying and I fill it in a bottle and throw it in the trash. What about you? What do you do with your used oil?

Diaper points programs

I just wanted to know if any of you collect the rewards points for Huggies or Pampers brand diapers? I am not exclusive to any particular brand but I do collect the points and finally made it to over 1000 with Pampers. I had my eye and a Go Diego Go! soft potty seat. I was at TJ Maxx yesterday and saw the same seat for $6.99. So you mean to tell me I have been saving like a fool for 2 years all for an item that is under $10?? Oh, plus I have to pay for the shipping!? Pure nonsense. Does anyone else save the points and have you redeemed them for "gifts"? I want to know what the shipping cost was. They are real slick by making you surrender your points before they give you that information. What the hell is the point of the whole rewards program when it truly is not in your favor?

Bath time question

Okay y'all better not laugh at me acting like a new mom....Just wondering, if you have a slippery tub is it better to use a bath mat or grippy things for the tub floor? We had textured tub floors where we lived with the girls so we never encountered slipping. In our house we live in now, the boy's tub is a bit slippery. I am not a fan of anything that can get mildew and I don't even allow him to have very many toys in the tub. Please tell me what you did with bath time and your toddler. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

He asked, I told

Here is a conversation Dwayne and I had while I was cleaning the kitchen and he was finishing up his dinner.

Dwayne: How are you Shelly, what's going on in your mind right now. What are you thinking about?
Me: I looked over at him as I turned on the kitchen faucet and asked "Are you sure you want to know?"
Dwayne: Of course I want to know
Me: I start telling him that I came across I blueberry brunch cake that I would love to make but realized that I did not have a bundt pan.
Dwayne: You mean the kind that has a hole in the middle and you can make pound cake in it?
Me: Yes, I need one. I cook and bake all the time and have been dubbed everything from Martha Stewart to Rachael Ray yet I don't even have a bundt pan.
Dwayne: Okay well then you need to find one that you will be happy with.
Me: I also really need a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Dwayne: You mean that high dollar thing? Why do you need one that expensive?
Me: Don't worry, our oldest daughter said that since she will be so successful in her career she will buy it for me.
Dwayne: He has this look of relief on his face.
Me: I also think about William getting older. He will be 2 on Friday. Before you know it I will be going into his classroom with cupcakes for his classmates and attending field trips. I think about William telling his big sisters that they are not the boss of him. I think about William sleeping in a big boy's bed. I think about Brie going to high school in less than 2 years. I think about Chardie graduating high school in a few years. I think about what I want to cook and the list sort of went on. I think a lot.
Dwayne: *Looking at me with a blank stare*
Me: Well dang, you asked what I was thinking!

Toddler question

So Dwayne and I have been discussing getting a toddler bed for the boy. He does just fine in the crib and surprisingly has not attempted to climb out of it. The problem is that he is so tall I fear that sooner or later he will make his way out of it and that scares me. I was wondering (since it has been forever since we had a toddler) what age a toddler should be to start sleeping in a toddler bed? Are there any specific signs I should look for to know if he is ready? I think the reason we never had problems with the girls in toddler beds was because they slept in the same room that we did. We were so young when we were first married so we lived with family for the first few years. I wonder if this is why sleep time is so different to us with William. He still goes through his phases where he will sleep through the night for 8-10 hours for weeks and then for 4 days he will wake up 3 times a night. We are almost considering setting his bed up in our room to see how he does and then send him packing back to his own room.

Please share your thoughts on this matter.

Smokey eyes

Can anyone recommend a good website that offers directions on how to accomplish the "smokey eye" look? I also prefer not to have to spend a load of money on the make-up because y'all know my husband is broke! LOL! Also does anyone know a site I can shop hairstyles that allows me to upload a photo to see what the styles look like? If you would please leave me a link or two I would so very much appreciate it! Oh yeah and they have to be for FREE. Once again, y'all know who my husband is!!! Thanks :-)

Need some toddler advice

The subject I need some advice on is speaking. I don't know what it is but it seems as if William has quit talking for now. He was saying very simple words before and now he just won't. We don't know what to do about this since it's never happened to us before. Will is 16 months old now and is very active and intelligent. He responds to most commands and shows that he does know what you are saying most times. He just won't speak. Please please please friends, tell me I am not the only one here. He does not go see the pediatrician for another month and a half and I know this is not an emergency situation. I am sure his doctor will assure us that it is perfectly normal like she does for everything else. Usually she is right but this not speaking thing is starting to get to us. Does anyone have any advice for us on what we can do? I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks in advance :)

Questions for my parent friends

From time to time I come across things that are child related that I draw a blank on. I always resort to my blog parents to help me out. Here goes my first question. Have you experienced teeth grinding with your toddler? William has been doing that recently and it's not all the time but periodically throughout the day. It think he is mesmerized at the fact that he has teeth! Is there anything you can do about it? We usually take our hand and put it on his mouth and say "No! Don't do that" I'm not sure how well that's working. Any advice on this one?

My next one is that I suspect my kid has nasal allergies. He tends to sneeze a lot in the morning and evening hours. Do you have a toddler with allergies? If so how was it determined that they are in fact allergies? Does it require medication?

I know some of you wonder why I am asking you these questions and not the doctor. Well, his doctor thinks I need to fatten him up, others would swear he is two and quite big for his age. I just don't always trust everything the doc says. Thanks for taking the time to help me here!

Diapers

I want to know if anyone else has experienced this or if I am just plain crazy. I use a certain brand of diapers and have purchased them at 3 different stores in different quantities. I have noticed that when I purchase them from my usual store they work extremely well and we never have leaks or disasters. Now when I purchase the same brand in another store, they seem different, a bit thinner and the design on the front is not the same. Also, they don't work as well. Has this ever happened to anyone before?? I know that the diaper companies package their product in different quantities for particular stores but shouldn't they be the same thing? Just wondering. Hope I don't find out that I'm crazy. Please share with me if you have encountered this same problem. Thanks in advance :)

Could you live off of fast food?

This week has been a very hectic week for me. I have had several events that I have had to attend or drop off/pick up children to and from. This has lead to us eating out for 2 days. Now this is very unusual for my family since I cook daily and take the occasional Friday night off. Yesterday Chardie looked at me as she placed the last bite of her chicken sandwich in her mouth and said "Bawbi, I think I am done with fast food for a good while now". I agreed with her. We discussed how we don't think we would ever be able to live off of fast food for more than a couple days (in extreme circumstances). We know a lot of working families that eat out every day of the week and I don't know how they do it! It is amazing the things you can make at home with minimal ingredients, very economically at that. One sad thing is our nation will continue to develop heart disease and high blood pressure because of how enticing fast food dollar menus look on folks' pocketbooks.

Do you eat out a lot? Could you and your family live off of fast food?

boy parts

I know this post is going to seem strange but understand I know nothing about baby boys. Will has his 6 month appointment tomorrow with the pediatrician and I have made a list of questions/ concerns for the doctor. My questions are very simple things like skin dryness and teething. Now Dwayne has the manly man question (what a surprise huh?) He wants to know if it is normal for his boy's little winkie to go inward. He is greatly concerned for his son's penis. I think it is the most important concern he has. Does anyone know if this is normal? I just don't want to look like a complete idiot to the doctor. If Dwayne was able to go then I would let him handle that one. If anyone with little boys can advise me on this one I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks...

Question

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they listen to what you have to say for a minute and then say "anyway" and proceed to speak? Do you ever feel as if they are dismissing you? Do you think it is rude when that person seems to keep using the word 'anyway' throughout the conversation?