Who Writes Letters Anymore?

So I went to the mailbox the other day and there was an envelope with my daughter's name handwritten on it. I gave it to her to open and it was a handwritten letter from one of her college friends. Who writes letters and uses snail mail anymore? My daughter and her friends. How refreshing that this generation of kids who is so computer savvy is using old-fashioned methods to communicate with one another.

The Lady Slipper

As we were walking through Sessions Woods this past weekend, I spotted a Lady Slipper plant. Something I hadn't seen since childhood. One lonely plant among all the dead leaves and green plants of the forest. Not something you see every day.

Thinking about a new way to make money. . .

So my sister and I have come up with the idea of making some money other than the traditional get a job with a paycheck way. She and I along with our daughters were sitting around realizing how many people have gone public with their lives and are now on TV every week with camera crews documenting their every move. We decided to live in her gladiator in the parking lot of WalMart in order to get attention at first. Our first episode will be called "Big Family. Little Car." and we'll be documenting how all 9 of us survive daily life living in the gladiator. We also decided that one of us (not me, please) will have to give birth to at least 9 children at once (in order to beat out and be more sensational than Octomom, of course!). So the second episode we'll be going into WalMart to purchase some extra living space – tents. This episode will be called "Two Tents and Counting." We still need to come up with a name for our show so any one that might have suggestions, please contact me and let me know your ideas.

Nature's Gym . . .

. . .No Membership Fees or Monthly Dues Necessary.
When my husband lost his job in December we had to cut our monthly budget in half and one of the first things to go was our monthly gym membership. After working out all winter with the Wii® Fit we were looking for a change of scenery and decided to take a three-mile hike at Sessions Woods – a nature preserve a couple of miles from our house. What a great workout. As you travel up and down the footpaths you get a good cardio workout. It also tones your gluteus maximus. Walk up and down the steep wooden steps to the waterfall and tone your thigh and leg muscles. And the best part of all – you don't need your earphones and iPod! As you walk you can listen to "nature's music" as you hear the birds chirping, the animals rustling through the woods all around you and the sweet sounds of the water running in the brooks and streams you pass by. Take a break at one of the many resting areas and soak up the beauty of nature. And if it's sunny out you can get a tan while you soak up some vitamin D. There's nothing like staying in shape for FREE!

There is hope. . .

As the economy continues to worsen there is hope. Yesterday on Oprah Suze Orman gave some really good advice for everyone – because, yes, we are all in this together! Click here to read/view all about Suze’s Recession Rescue Plan – it is truly uplifting!

New Technology Helps Us Connect with the Past . .

. . . But, be careful.
I became a Facebook user to check up on my two teenagers as well as to market my Pampered Chef business, but am finding that it has enabled me to find and connect with a lot of people from my past. It's amazing how much Facebook has grown from a tool for college people to keep in touch with one another to a social networking phenomenon for 175 million people (active Facebook users worldwide as of March 2009). As more and more of my high school and college classmates find me on Facebook I realize how useful it is to connect with the past and enjoy catching up with old friends to see how they are and what they have been up to since graduation.

At the same time, it's also a window into my current life and I am careful to only divulge certain information about what I'm doing on a daily basis as well as what photos I post. A recent incident here in the State of CT shows how Facebook could get some people in trouble with the law. Forty-three percent of users are between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. Facebook for them has always been a way to communicate with their peers. Part of this communication is posting photos of their every day lives. The lines that traditionally separate home life, social life and public life have been blurred for young people. As this incident illustrates. The parents stood at the front door and collected car keys from all the guests at an 18 birthday party they hosted for their daughter, thinking they were doing the right thing. Little did they realize that right after the party photos were posted to Facebook then seen by school officials who then alerted the police that they provided alcohol to minors. As a result five students were kicked off or sanctioned from school teams and the parents are now facing nine counts each of permitting minors to possess alcohol during an 18th birthday party for their daughter at their home.