It’s been a week now since the 3-day Wedding of the Season took place. I’ve put away the (so I thought) sexy little black Red-Carpet Runway dress that I wore. You know how you look forward to special events, and then after they take place, it’s like such a letdown that the big event is now behind you?

My youngest daughter, the college student, looked stunning in her boutique Jessica McClintock dress, and got many compliments. She’s turned into a real stunner. But I have to mention that we spent many long hours in the waiting room of dermatologist offices when she was in High School. She had tried every over-the -counter acne products and prescription medicines to try to clear up her skin.

Are you planning a wedding soon?  Perhaps you’ll be a bridesmaid this summer.

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It’s hard to believe that we’re almost through the summer and Labor Day is right around the corner! My youngest daughter starts her Senior year of college soon, so I’m still in the parenting Back-To-School mode. My readers know that “Rosie the Riviter” decided to move back home for her Senior Year, so rather than being an Empty-Nestor for the upcoming school year, I’m still in Mama-mode.

No longer am I worrying about having to go out and buy apartment basics for Rosie, such as pots, pans, bedding and furniture. Most of it came back safely with her when she moved back in. Some of these items disappeared via roommates and probably would have returned home had they been labeled properly. That’s where Dymo label makers come in handy.

With the whiff of Autumn, New England fall foliage and and Back-To-School on my mind, I’m flashing back to the days when I used to take the obligatory first-day-of school picture, and waiving good-bye to the kiddos on the school bus. Flashback further, and I’m the one going off to school for the first time.

My first day of school would have been 51 years ago! I was a “walker,” even in Kindergarten. We only went half-days. When I was in first-grade, we were dismissed for lunch, walked home, and then back to school again. There was no such thing as a cafeteria, and I would say 99% of the moms didn’t work, and were at home to greet us with lunch! I still carried a lunch box for snacks, and we hand-wrote our names on masking tape in crayon to distinguish Betty-Lou’s from Suzie’s. That’s where the kids today are lucky, and have all the options such as color labels to mark not only their lunch boxes, but also their backpacks! We didn’t even have backpacks ~ I can remember carrying all my books in my arms, or once, in a rubberized green carrying sack!

If you’re a mom making a Back-To-School list, don’t forget to add a Dymo label maker to that list. Buying all those school supplies once certainly adds up! Having to replace them because they weren’t labeled is something none of us wants to do!

Whether you’ll be waiving goodbye to the school bus, or home school ~ don’t forget to charge the camera battery for those First-Day-of-School photos!

Today is Tuesday Toot Day!

What does that mean? Well, it means every Tuesday, you get to post an accomplishment that you have done. As moms sometimes, we are quick in praising our kids and others about their accomplishments but we are “shy” when it comes to our achievements so … here is our chance.

I’m so excited - I have a new boutique product line that’s been designed especially for my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes!

Just in time for those headed off to college ~ the perfect going away gift! ~ I now carry spectacularly designed, handcrafted bracelets that can be personalized with your favorite New England or other College!

Show your school spirit, or give a unique gift to your favorite graduate who’ll be traveling off to college shortly ~ perhaps out-of-state!  Hand-crafted bracelets depicting the name of a favorite Alma-Mater!

Do you have a daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece or favorite friend bound for higher education?  This gorgeous bracelet would be a perfect remembrance!

This adorable bracelet is cleverly handcrafted with durable beading wire, a silver clasp, colorful swarovski crystals, terling silver daisy & ball spacers, alphabet beads that say “UVM”, and features a dangle on the clasp!! You can request any color & name from selected options!

Examples of colleges: UCONN (University of Connecticut) UMASS (University of Massachusetts) Keene State (New Hampshire) Boston College, URI (University of Rhode Island), and UVM (University of Vermont)!

So stunning!!

I think I might be having a contest coming up!

In a previous post I mentioned how I’m an infamous list maker. I think it’s safe to assume that most women probably are. I have all kinds of lists ~ for my cubicle job, household lists, my eBay store, online boutique Shoppes site ~ even a Bucket List!

My next top priority is to make an effort to get my Virtual Assistant business off and running, so I can retire from that day job that I keep talking about.

I have yet to order business cards for my VA business, but when I do, I’m going to order from Visa Print. They always have some sort of Special Sale going on. I’ve ordered the Free Business Cards for my Shoppes site there, as well as my eBay store. I like to include a business card when shipping out items from my eBay store, thanking my customers for their purchase, and reminding them to leave Feedback for me if they are pleased with the transaction. In the past, I also had cards made up for the various Affiliate companies that I once was an independent consultant for.

What I like about Vista Print is the fact that I can order cards from either their templates, or upload my own, like I did here.

I can even get note pads, address labels and car magnets with my company’s name! I did opt for the cute little gold-finish business card holders which fit easily in my purse.

I’ve been reading on many blogs that those who attended BlogHer ‘08 were passing out business cards.

Many moms use them as “Mommy Cards” to give out to the moms of their childrens’ friends! What a cute idea!

When my own daughters were younger, I printed ‘babysitting’ business cards for them to hand out to put up on the refrigerator, and even passed out a few myself to co-workers who were in need of a sitter. Now you can have them made up for Free at Vista Print!

Check them out!

My youngest daughter, the College Student, just returned from a 10-day tour.  Actually, it was supposed to be a 3-day tour, and got extended.  Her boyfriend’s Grandfather has a yacht, and his extended family invited her along to got on a seafaring adventure.   My husband and I started referring to her as “Gilligan” whenever she called to tell us what port-of-call the SS Minnow was in on any given day.

Several years ago, my oldest daughter, then also a College Student, had the opportunity to travel to the Outer Banks with her friends and their extended families.  Arrangements had been made for Outer Banks rentals, and they all ended up staying in some fantastic beach-front houses in Nags Head, one of which had an elevator and pool!

Something is wrong with this picture.   I have travel-envy.  Why is it that my husband and I get to labor all summer long, and take National Lampoon-type vacations, while the kiddos are off doing Lewis & Clark expeditions?

To add insult to injury, while at the top of Hatteras Lighthouse, oldest darling daughter called me from her cell phone while I was sitting in my office cubicle, and then had the nerve to send me a cell phone picture as well!

I’m adding a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks to my ‘Bucket List.’ If you haven’t been yet, I think you should too.

Does it ever seem to you that when it rains, it pours?  This seems especially true when it comes to automobile expenses.

As a typical American multi-car family, we have our share of auto woes.  My youngest college-age daughter puts on more miles and wear and tear on her car than Magellan did circumnavigating the globe.   I basically just use mine for commuting back and forth to work.  While this isn’t a great distance, I do add miles doing my daily errands and chores.  My husband uses his vehicle for work and travels throughout the state.

When we take extended car trips, we use my car.  This past year, we have had to replace two of the vehicles.  My husband needs to replace his, but unfortunately, he’s on the waiting list.  To do otherwise would be a financial nightmare.

While up in Vermont this past weekend at a cookout, we spoke with several guests who indicated that layoffs were occurring at their companies. It seems like everyone is trying to pinch pennies and save on expenses.

One of the ways our family members were able to avoid adding additional Credit card debt over the weekend was by staying overnight with family, rather than booking a room at a hotel or motel. The birthday celebration was a backyard barbecue, rather than being hosted in a restaurant or being catered. It was tremendous fun, and everyone was able to dress casually, rather than spend extra money for formal or special occasion clothing.

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I’m a Mom of 2 now grown daughters. One is launched, married, and a mom herself, with another on the way. My youngest daughter is almost launched, with one year of college left to go.

Honestly, I’m surprised that I’ve made it this far and am still pretty sane. Although I insanely love my girls, I don’t think I gave my Mom half the headaches or worries that these two put me through.

Now, I’m sure we all have some sort of recollection of what kind of antics we think we were getting away with. When I was a teenager, there were no such things as cell phones. I’m sure my mom’s nerves were pretty jangled.

Fast forward to 2008. Now there’s AbsoluteCalm,  a stress relief benefit product for anyone who needs some sort of relief from the daily stress of trying to work either a part-time or full-time job, and trying to raise teenagers in these tumultuous times.

A natural herbal supplement, Absolute Calm™ has been scientifically formulated to quiet the anxious mind using the latest advances in the fields of psychology, nutrition and neuroscience. This product helps you to relax in as little as fifteen minutes and will continue working for up to eight hours.

Consult your doctor if you have any health concerns before using this product.

Now that should certainly help while you’re waiting up to hear the sound of your prodigy’s car pulling into the driveway late at night!

One of my duties at my cubicle job is to read about 20 major newspapers online each day. I scour the Internet for relevant newsworthy material pertaining to our industry.

Today I happened to notice an article in one of the “Entertainment” sections of the news discussing the virtues of dining at the perfect crab house. We New Englanders’ love our seafood ~ but the best crab dinner I’ve ever had was at a crab house on the Jersey Shore.

Several years ago my family vacationed at Cape May. While we all enjoyed the serenity and ambiance of the Cape May hotels, Victorian houses & mansions, the kiddos were itching for something a little more…teenager-ish. It was just a hop, skip & a jump over to Wildwood.

So if you’ll be traveling to the Jersey Shore, be sure to schedule your itinerary around all the Wildwood events that are coming up this summer! Morey’s Piers is a great place to check out for a New Jersey vacation.

The upcoming Radio Disney Summer Concert Series will be held in Wildwood, New Jersey at Morey’s Piers in the month of July. These are FREE concerts and many of the Top Radio Disney artists will be there.

Highlights of the event and the exciting Thing to do in New Jersey include:

-July 7th, 14th and 21st - Magic Mondays - Radio Disney’s hottest musical artists will appear live on Morey’s Piers. These FREE concerts will take place at the Radio Disney stage next to the Giant Ferris Wheel on Morey’s Mariner’s Landing pier. Show times are scheduled for 1 pm and 4 pm.

-The Radio Disney Summer Concert Series finale is scheduled for 2 pm Saturday, July 26, 2008 at the Wildwoods Convention Center Oceanfront Arena with Raven-Symone from Disney Channel’s “That’s so Raven” and the currently showing Walt Disney movie, “College Road Trip” starring Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symone. The July 26th concert will also feature Mitchell Musso from the “Hannah Montana Show”.

-July 26th Concert ticket holders may enjoy super savings at Morey’s Piers from the time of purchase through July 27, 2008. Simply show your official July 26 Radio Disney Summer Concert Series finale ticket at Guest Services on Mariner’s Landing and receive $10 off an all-day water park ticket for either Raging Waters or Ocean Oasis, or $10 off an amusement pier wristband valid for all three of Morey’s Piers, or $15 off a one-day splash and ride combination ticket.

I was tagged for a Meme earlier this week. In my full disclosure, I mentioned that I’ve lived in the same town virtually my entire life!

Such is not the case for my brother. Once he left for college out of state many moons ago, he never returned (to live in Connecticut.) My travels to visit him always involve flying, sometimes with my toddler DD when she was younger, and a 91-year-old grandmother in tow.

When my brother graduated from college, I made a mad dash to try to make it to the ceremonies – as it was a one day road trip, fly there and return home the same day and had to rent a car.

If flying to family weddings, reunions, graduations, vacation resorts or visiting Grandma and Grandpa are in your travel plans this summer, check out the special car rental offers at Advantage Rent A Car. What I like about this company is that they America’s first major rental car company to commit to going 100% Green!

Booking your reservation and choice of vehicle is easy, as Advantage is located in most major airports. And don’t forget ~ Advantage is committed to going Green!

The beat goes on, the beat goes on

 Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain 

La de da de dee, la de da de da

Sonny and Cher

You know, being a Baby Boomer has its advantages.  I’m so happy the Internet evolved.  It’s the perfect platform for Boomers to continue to protest and grandstand.  As I came of age in the early ’70s, I was in college during the Peace Rallies, Love-Ins and Protest Demonstrations.  So hang on to your Jimmy Choo’s, now that I have a Blog, I can fulfill my inner New England Curmudgeon, feminist, bra-burning, march-to-the-tune-of-a-different-drummer beat.  “And the Beat Goes On…”

So goes the continuing saga of my experiences as an Affiliate Rep.  I’m beginning to question whether this is something I really want to be associated with.  The products are great, but the methods and tactics some of you WAHMs use to promote and peddle your wares are definitely questionable.

Come’ on ladies, if you’re a WAHM signed up to be an Affiliate Marketer, you a) either have young kids or b) have grown kids.  Don’t you read the news, Blogs, whatever?  - there’s a whole generation of kids being raised  with a bad case of the “gimmies”  who think they should be living a life of entitlement and instant self-gratification.   I posted about this awhile ago during the holiday shopping season here.

This is an actual portion of a post from a WAHM (I’m led to believe) that appeared within the last day or so  on a Yahoo Group Affiliate Membership forum that I belong to:

….I don’t have any teen girls, How is the best way to find them with out seeming like the creeping lady on the corner outside of school? Most of my friends have small kids, (under 10) Thanks for any help.

This person was trying to infiltrate the ‘tween set to peddle products that might be of interest to ‘tweens.

And here was my posted response:

 Hi ~

There are many charitable organizations out and around that are really looking for volunteers to help with teen mentoring  programs or the disadvantaged.

I would suggest checking with your local social services agencies, church groups, school PTA’s, after school programs, YWCAs and the like.  I’m sure they’d be more than happy to assign you to work with and get to know some teens!

Sarcasm intended.  Get real.  Now I’m a mom of 2 grown daughters.  One’s a college grad ~ the other’s finishing her Junior year in college.  Ever hear about the credit card offers that come in daily targeting these kids?  Ever wonder why they’re graduating with a mountain of credit card debt (mine did Not and are Not) and student loans before they even get a chance to cash their first post-college paycheck?

Are you WAHMs that desperate that you have to go after the middle school set to push your products?  Shame on you.

While I believe in many of the products I offer, I’d like to think I’m not desperate.  If you click on my banners and like the products enough to make a purchase, fine.  But you won’t find me trying to be a pusher and sell to kids who should instead be learning about money-management.  They get enough of that in ‘tween magazines, radio, TV and peer pressure.

 Anyone out there have a conscience?