Wordless Wednesday

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Betty Crocker Cookbook ~ New Edition “Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today”

My most recent product review:

Always the domestic type, I’ve been baking and cooking since I was a teenager. When I first became engaged in 1972 I bought a copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1970). A spiral bound big red cookbook, it had a picture of a pie circle, desserts, fondue and chili on the cover.Dec 2008

You should read the whole article.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Highlights and Achievements In a Nutshell ~ Farewell 2008

Winter Solstice

#####

What you don’t have you don’t need it now
What you don’t know you can feel it somehow
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
Don’t need it now
Was a beautiful day

U2

The end of a year is always bittersweet.  It makes me give pause to think of all the wonderful things that I have accomplished and that have happened during the year.

At the same time, it is always a time for reflection to see which goals I succeed in attaining and which ones I didn’t.

I’ve decided to set some pretty lofty goals for myself in the New Year 2009.

Although 2008 was pretty successful.  I did manage to generate some income from my blogs through affiliate marketing and advertising revenue, although not enough to retire on (which many of you know is my goal.)  I’ll be covering more on this topic in the New Year.

Connecticut has been affected by the economy, and it’s not that far a fetch to say I might be among those laid off in the new year.  Hopefully I’ll be offered an early retirement.  I would seriously enjoy babysitting for my grandchildren, but wouldn’t be able to do it full-time.  I established my Virtual Assistant website, CAM Virtual Assistant Services; created a professional Twitter ID and joined many forums and professional organizations  in order to have it up and running when the wind changes direction.

I’m winding down my eBay store as I believe that eBay has tanked this year.  Several changes have been implemented this past year that negatively affected the small seller as well as turned off buyers.   Seeing the writing on the wall, I began liquidating my inventory early this past summer.  I’ll be discussing my thoughts in greater detail in January.

Although my eBay Store where I maintained Power Seller status will be winding down, my interest still remains in Vintage Collectibles, which I offer along with hand-crafted artisan baby clothing, home decor and jewelry items directly at my boutique store, Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes.  I still stay pretty busy!

Due to the success of the Product Reviews that I’ve been asked to do, I branched out and recently launched a separate  product review blog, Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews.  I’m really pleased with the direction that portion of my blogging career has taken, and will be working on tweaking the design of my new blog.

Additionally,  I’d been invited to become a Contributing Editor at Frugal WAHMs Product Reviews and Roxy’s Best of…Hartford.

My Moomette’s Mama Mentor blog continues to give me an outlet to express my lighter side.  I enjoy discussing the ups and downs of family life, cooking, women’s health issues and general topics.  Although not political by nature, I actively took part in this year’s election process, reaching back to my college protest days and found my Feminist voice again.

Many new, interesting  Web 2.0 networking sites were created this year, and I have quickly joined several.  Through these sites and Twitter,  I’ve made some new valuable contacts, became fast friends with many like-minded people and exchanged some wonderful ideas that I hope to implement in 2009.

Lastly, with those changes now in place and my ducks all in a row, I can now concentrate on providing the work at home tips and commentary that I set out to achieve on this blog.

This gram doesn’t sit back in her rocking chair….yet!

I look forward to a very productive 2009!

Happy New Year everyone!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Why You Feel You Need More Sleep in Winter

Health


I hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays surrounded by family and friends. We’re not quite through the Holiday Season yet ~ at least in my family! Although we enjoyed Christmas Eve with family, Christmas Day was celebrated leisurely and quietly with just my husband and youngest daughter.

My oldest daughter, charming son-in-law and the grandkiddos were up visiting his family in Vermont. They’ll be over for another full-course dinner and to open gifts tomorrow night. We’ve been taking care of the Grand Dog “Muttley” while they were away, so I’ll be a little sad to see her go home. Although my 11-year old Fat House Cat will be able to reclaim his territory!

Needless to say, with all the various parties I’ve been happily attending, this Baby Boomer is a tad exhausted. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m usually a night-owl and up until the wee hours of the morning!

On a good day, I don’t want to rise with the chickens. My feet just don’t hit the ground running like they used to. In the winter months, it gets even trickier. Sleeping all morning can become a habit really fast. But, it’s not because we’re lazy.

Do you want to know why we want to sleep more when the weather turns cold?

This has less to do with being tired and more to do with our bodily rhythms and inner workings. It sounds ominous, but it’s actually quite simple. Our bodies know what’s good for it most of the time. There are automatic “cues” it follows to perform certain functions.

Here’s an example: When the sun streams through the window in the morning, it wakes us up. Even if we decide to cover our heads and go back to sleep, the initial reaction to the sun was to wake. Our circadian rhythms tell us that we wake with the light of the sun.

In the evening, as the sun goes down, we begin to prepare for a time of rest. Well, our bodies do. When darkness falls, everything shuts down for the night so the cells can recharge. We think it is our conscious self that is tired so we go to sleep. But, in fact, our internal clock says that the city called “us” is closing its borders for the night.

There is a set pattern to these things. Now, factor in the location in which we live. I live in New England, and it can get pretty dreary here, especially when snowed in. In winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer. We see less sunlight. When the sky is darkening, the body prepares for rest. In the morning, the sun rises a little later and we want to also.

The body continues to sleep because it sees no light streaming through the window. Unfortunately we still have to rise at six o’clock in the morning for work. So, something has to get us up and out.

The science behind all of this involves serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters in the brain. Melatonin is produced when we sleep. Sleeping too much produces abnormal levels of melatonin. The more we sleep, the more we want to sleep because of the increase in this neurotransmitter.

During the summer, we experience higher serotonin levels. Serotonin is responsible for our mood. One thing that increases serotonin levels is vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced by skin cells due to sunlight.

When sunlight is in short supply, our serotonin levels fall and we don’t have so much energy or so many good feelings. Some people use devices called dawn simulators to get moving in the morning. They go off on a timed schedule and increase the intensity of their light until it is time for you to wake. The light triggers the body to wake up even though it is still dark outside.

As you see being extra tired during the winter months is actually quite normal. We desire to sleep more in winter because we get less light and serotonin and more melatonin.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading up on the benefits of taking serotonin. If you or someone you know takes it ~ let me know what your experience has been. Of course, always consult your physician with any questions you may have.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Stride Rite Natural Motion System Early Walker

My feet have a birthday coming up in January. They’ll be over 50 years old!

As a child, it was a special occasion when my parents took me to get a new pair of shoes. There was only one shoe store in downtown Hartford, CT that sold Stride Rite shoes. As my mom didn’t work outside the home and our family only had one source of income, Stride Rite shoes were the only shoes that my parents would let my brother and I wear.

My younger brother and I would dress up in our Sunday finest, and get fitted by a shoe salesperson that would measure our feet, go into the back room and  show us some selections that he felt were appropriate and within my parent’s price range.   In those days, you couldn’t find shoes on a rack. I had only a few pair of shoes ~ a dress pair, a play pair and one pair of shoes for school. When I outgrew those, they would get handed down to my cousins. Times, however, have changed.

My husband also grew up wearing Stride Rites, and my mother-in-law was adamant that her grandchildren wear Stride Rites also. In fact, my mother-in-law would always be the one to treat my daughters to new shoes as they grew up.

For over eighty-five years, Stride Rite has been designing and engineering footwear specifically to meet the needs of growing children. We all know how tempting it is to re-purpose your first baby’s shoes for your second child. However, it is so important to have your baby professionally fitted and buy quality shoes for their first steps. Stride Rite has created a new line of Natural Motion System Early Walker shoes for babies learning to take their first steps. The shoes have easy on/stay on, plus great comfort, traction, and protection.

Now that I have grandchildren, I’m much like my mother-in-law. When I purchase shoes for ‘Lil Moomette and Slugger, they’re always Stride Rites.

Slugger will be blazing new trails in this Cavy Sandstone/Brown Early Walker. Contrasting light and dark browns with orange, cream, and blue stitching detail make this the perfect pair of shoes for fall. With Natural Motion System®(NMS) technology, the blue natural leather linings and insole will cushion and mold to fit his foot as he learns to walk! Details include:

* Soft and velvety nubuck upper
* Natural Motion System® (NMS) technology
* Oversized opening and slide-in back tab for easy on and easy off
* Deep flex grooves for maximum flexibility
* Natural leather linings for comfort and breathability
* Smooth outsole to upper transition
* Eco-friendly materials include recycled rubber outsole, natural stitching, and water-based inks for details and logo.

To see the whole selection, ensure that your little one, or grandchild gets started on the ‘right foot’, visit http://www.striderite.com

Brought to you by Twittermoms

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews ~ Grand Launch!

I’d like to invite all my readers of Moomettesgram’s Musings to the launch of my new Review Blog ~ Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews.

Since I began my online career in 2007, I’ve taken my twists and turns and finally settled (for now) on a path I’d like to take as my retirement goals.

When I first started writing Moomettesgram’s Musings in November, 2007, my intent was

… to encourage other Boomers and SAHMs how to go about opening up a store, create support networks and overcome any obstacles you’ll encounter along the way.

I felt that I accomplished many of those goals, plus more. Recently Moomettesgram’s Musings was awarded the honor of being among the Top 10 WAHM Blogs Award for 2008 by Sparkplugging.

Along the way I became involved in doing Product Reviews from the perspective of a Baby Boomer who’s “been around the block.”

My family and I have used many childrens’ products, toys and household products over the course of my 34+ years of marriage, so doing product reviews was a “natural choice” for me to pursue.

In order for me to maintain the original intent of that blog and devote ‘quality time’ to each individual niche, I decided to break off the Review aspect from the main portion of Moomettesgram’s Musings. By doing so, it will allow me to focus on and prioritize each blog individually.

My goals for Moomettesgram’s Musings in 2009 are to continue to bring great work-at-home content, Networking, Web 2.0, eBay and eCommerce tips as well as suggestions that will help you make informed decisions.  I’ve learned many things the hard way, and as always, will let you know what I think!

I hope you’ll visit me at my new Product Review site, Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews.  I’ll be offering quality reviews for the whole family, covering Baby, Infants, Toddler and childrens’ items, Toys, Educational Toys, Clothing, Health, Beauty, Cosmetics, Food, Homegoods and more.  As always, the reviews will be covered from the perspective of a Baby Boomer “Who’s Been Around the Block.” If you like what you see, add my new blog to your List of Favorite sites!

Check out:  http://moomettesmagnificentsreviews.com

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Merry Christmas from Moomettesgram’s Musings

We finally are having an old-fashioned White Christmas here in New England.  From my home in Connecticut to yours, I’d like to wish everyone a Joyous, Merry Christmas.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Peace on Earth ~ Merry Christmas ~ Happy Hanukkah ~ Kwanzaa from My Family to Yours

Tonight my family celebrates Christmas Eve with our many Brothers and Sisters-in-Law, Nieces, Nephews & their extended families. It’s a tradition that we’ve been celebrating ever since I first married 34 years ago.

Now that my oldest daughter is married, she and her husband alternate every Christmas with his family in Vermont. I will miss them both, along with ‘Lil Moomette and her new brother Slugger, dearly.

My husband and I have custody of the Black Lab Granddog until they return.

From my family to yours ~ Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

You Are a Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie

You are a social, friendly, caring person. You are good at helping people. You have a very giving heart. You are a natural teacher or counselor. You get value from making someone’s life better. You are trustworthy, and a natural problem solver.

What Holiday Cookie Are You?

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Penny Piano ~ Music Learning Pal

My two grandchildren are 2 years apart. My own grown daughters are 4 years apart. When they were toddlers, 4 years, in my mind, was a huge difference. Although DD25 did keep a watchful eye on her sister and (occasionally) entertained her.

It’s different watching ‘Lil Moomette who’s 2, interact with Slugger, who’s 4 months old. Still in the exploration stage of toddler-hood herself, ‘Lil Moomette will try to ‘share’ some of her toys with her brother. It’s cute, because she’ll take something colorful, or musical, and place it near her brother when he’s on a blanket. Slugger is just learning to roll over and will focus his attention on where the music is coming from.

I had the fantastic opportunity to review Penny Piano from Little First Act Discovery.   Penny Piano is one in a collection of  new Music Learning Pals.

Recommended for children ages 6 months and up, Penny Piano is a toy that both ‘Lil Moomette and her brother Slugger can both enjoy for the reasons I mentioned above.

Penny Piano encourages early music learning. Press one paw, and Penny Piano plays sign-along songs; ABC’s; 123s; and musical activities.

Press another paw, and Penny sings to your little one:

• Twinkle, Twinkle

• Are You Sleeping?

• The Alphabet Song

• Itsy Bitsy Spider

• Mary Had a Little Lamb

• And More!

Penny Piano fosters developmental milestones, which include an introduction to pitch, harmony and rhythm, as well as early language, counting skills and cause and effect.

When the piano keys are pressed on the arms, your little ones will hear notes and songs.

What a wonderful gift for your own child, a grandchild or someone you know who’ll be having a Birthday! If you’re a Daycare Provider or Pre-School teacher, Penny Piano and the collection of Music Learning Pals would make an excellent addition to your daily routine.

For more information, visit: http://www.littlefirstactdiscovery.com/

Brought to you by Twittermoms.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Safeway Power Pump Rewards ~ Earn at the Pump

As my family gets older it’s harder to shop for my grown daughters and try to please everyone. The grandchildren are growing so fast it’s difficult to buy clothing sizes ahead, not knowing if they’ll fit when the next season comes along.

Rather than spend what little precious time I do have, I like to give gift cards. Although the price of gas has dropped recently, it saves me time and money by not having to drive to pick out a gift, or return it it if it’s the wrong size or color.

Fortunately, Safeway and its large family of stores can help you save money! Shop at Vons, Dominicks, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi’s, Pavilions or Carrs to start earning Gas Rewards. Earn at the Pump!

Double your PowerPump Rewards through December 25, 2008 with the purchase of gift cards this holiday season. Your rewards add up automatically. Earn an additional reward for every $100 you spend on gift cards, including clothing, home improvement, electronics & more.  Exclusively with your Safeway Club Card.

Visit http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/PowerPump-Locator to easily find participating stores in your area.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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