Life and Reviews

For the serious hunter, bright, clear images from a quality pair of Nikon All Terrain Binoculars is a crucial piece of equipment for every hunt.  These binoculars are simply amazing.  They are precision aligned optics for extended viewing.

Nikon’s name and reputation are known far and wide for the superior products they make.  Some of the amazing features of Nikon’s All Terrain Binoculars include:  being 100% waterproof, fog-proof, and shockproof.  These binoculars are also ultra-rugged.  The Nikon All Terrain Binoculars are also very lightweight compared to other binoculars which makes them unique. 

These would make wonderful Christmas gifts for the hunters or outdoors-men you know.  Something to make your gift-giving even better, you will receive a FREE Nikon Pro Gear Promotional Gift Card ($25 or $50) when you purchase an eligible Nikon ATB Binocular from an authorized dealer from now until December 31, 2008. 

Click here to learn more about the Nikon Free ATB Pro Gear just in time for the Christmas shopping season.  You cannot go wrong with these great All Terrain Binoculars Promotion from Nikon. 

Today was report card day at our house.  Both of my children as I have talked about earlier started a new school this year which we have been very impressed with.  Ding – ding -ding! We have GREAT report cards!!!! Hooray!!

I am so proud!  My oldest, Cameron who is in 7th grade made Honor Roll! He also had a 100 average in science! Go Cameron!!!

My youngest, Kennady who is in 2nd grade did excellent as well.  She had Excellent in many areas as well as significant improvement in the others.  Her reading level jumped from first grade 2nd month to second grade 6th month now.  I am very proud of her accomplishments!

We have a very happy household tonight!!

Because of the poor economy, many are not seeking medical treatment that normally would.  People just cannot afford to run to the doctor when they feel poorly.  I know that is how we are doing it in our family and I have insurance.  I even work for the hospital where we would be treated. We have to pay $1,000 for each diagnostic test such as a CT, Cardiac Testing, or an MRI.  Who has that kind of money? I certainly do not.  We also have to pay $1,000 for in-patient or out-patient surgery too.

Our insurance is so pitiful and expensive now, I cannot afford to go when I normally would have.  That is because not only do we have a bad economy to deal with, as an insured person, I am paying for those who are not insured, but run to the ER like it is their primary physician 2-3 times per week.  I kid you not.  Sad but true.

“The health care system was not in a good state really any time in the last five to 10 years. This has simply stressed it to a very severe degree,” said Dr. Eric Schackow, a family physician in Chicago. “It does become very disheartening and discouraging because we find ourselves with our fingers in the dike.”  It is not going to get any better in the near future. 

Hilary Clinton was the only candidate who knew and understood the problems with the health care system in the U.S..  Since she is no longer a candidate, we are back to square one on the hopes of any positive changes anytime soon.

 U.S. hospitals are reporting an uptick in emergency room patients, according to the American Hospital Association. Clarke said that includes a rise in uninsured patients with conditions that could have been treated elsewhere, and he expects that to increase.  This is already a bad situation.  Many give false addresses, names, and social security numbers making it impossible for hospitals to collect payment.   They also come in with bogus ailments seeking narcotics above all else.  This further increases the health care costs because of unnecessary tests ordered by doctors to cover themselves.  That is why insured people pay so much in premiums, out of pocket percentages,  and co-payments.

I have a friend with a baby who swears by Colic Calm.  I just wish it had been available when I had my first child.  He was colicky all of the time.  We rarely slept.  It was a very bad first year for all of us.  We were told to switch formula numerous times trying to see if that was the problem.  Nothing worked.

Colic calm was originally designed to treat colic in babies and gas but, many parents have also had great success in helping with baby reflux. Colic Calm does not alter the balance of babies’ delicate digestive systems. The best part is that the homeopathics in Colic Calm stimulate the body’s self-healing properties.  

Another great thing that Colic Calm does is to help a baby’s digestive system adjust to new foods, relieves hiccups and soothes stomach upset that often results from increased saliva production during teething.  Colic Calm is a 100% natural remedy and is an allergen-free formula.  My first child had hiccups in the womb and nearly every day for his first year.  It would have been a blessing to have Colic Calm!

The parent reviews on the website speak volumes about how wonderful this product is. 

Monterrey Chicken
Weight Watcher Friendly Recipe!

Points: 6 Servings: 4

4 (5 oz.) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Barbecue Sauce
1/4 Cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 Cup 2% Colby and Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese*
1 (14 oz.) Can Rotel (Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies), drained
Sliced Green Onions
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out the chicken breasts to flatten. Season each with a little pepper.
Cook the chicken in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium-low heat until no longer pink. Place each breast onto a baking sheet and top each breast with 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, green onions and 1 tablespoon of bacon bits.
Place into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).

No matter the season, this is one of our all-time family favorite desserts!! Yum!!

Pina Colada Bread Pudding

• 1 1-lb unsliced loaf French or sourdough bread
• 1 10 oz can frozen Pina Colada drink mix
• 1 (6-oz) can pineapple juice
• 1 12-oz can evaporated skimmed milk
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut
• 2 (7-8-oz each) bananas, sliced crosswise
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup Irish cream or 1/4 cup light-rum, optional
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 8-oz can crushed pineapple and juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
• 8 or 10 fresh mint sprigs
  

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• With sharp knife, trim crust from bread; discard crust or make into breadcrumbs for use in another recipe.
• Cut bread in 1″ cubes; set aside.
• In blender or food processor fitted with metal blade, combine 1/2 of following ingredients: drink mix, pineapple juice, milk, cream of coconut and banana slices
• Process until pureed. Pour puree into 6-cup bowl
• Puree remaining 1/2 of liquid ingredients and banana slices as well as eggs and liquer (if using)
• Combine both purees
• Combine raisins and crushed pineapple with juice; set aside
• Place about 2/3 of bread cubes in slow cooker
• Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Spread 1 cup raisin-pineapple mixture over bread in slow cooker
• Top with remaining bread cubes
• Then top with remaining lemon peel and raisin-pineapple mixture
• Pour pureed ingredients into slow cooker
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours
• Spoon pudding into 8 or 10 dessert dishes and serve hot

This dessert is also delicious cold. Spoon into serving dish, cover and refrigerate; eat later.
8-10 servings

This link to sign the petition to release Ratchet from Iraq now worked!!

In case you haven’t heard Ratchet’s story…

In May, Army Spc. Gwen Beberg and another soldier saved the puppy from a pile of burning rubbish. Ratchet soon gained international celebrity when it was revealed military personnel are not permitted to care for pets in Iraq, according to the AP.

Beberg, who claims she wouldn’t have been able to pull through her 13-month deployment without the companionship of the dog, had all sorts of issues in her attempts to send the 6-month-old mutt home to Minneapolis.

But an online petition signed by 65,000 people urging the Army to let Ratchet go to America helps to illustrate the emotional cause, and last night Operation Baghdad Pups succeeded in loading the dog onto a charter flight to Minnesota, the AP reports.

The military had earlier permitted Ratchet to leave Iraq, but not on its dime or by it means. The rescue work came at a cost of about $5,000, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International, the parent group to Baghdad Pups.

Sure sounds like a lot of cash and effort, but it goes to show the extent to which dog fanciers will go.

Patricia Beberg, the adoptive soldier’s mother, earns honors for quote of the week, as reported by the AP:

“He has been her emotional support, confidante, sanity-saver and a connection with something other than a war zone,” she said of Ratchet’s relationship to her daughter.

to read more about Rachet’s trip and arrival in the U.S. …click here

Did you know your favorite moisturizer or multivitamin has a markup of 700 – 1000%???? That is sad isn’t it?

OROVO was created to combat the supplement industry’s trend of concerning itself more with profit margins than with people. By cutting corners in the type and quality of their ingredients, these companies are able to create cheap products, market them under false pretenses, and ensure they see the largest, quickest profits they can manage.

OROVO is a ground-breaking company designed with a simple idea in mind: to provide top of the line health supplements and beauty products to consumers from all reaches of life. It all started with the release of our widely acclaimed Top 10 SuperFoods supplement called Orovo. With the success of this first product we have since expanded into creating a variety of health and beauty lines at the industry’s most affordable prices.

Interested in earning some extra income? Orvo has a great opportunity. Forget everything you think you know about home based businesses. OROVO has exploded the possibilities of what a home based business can be. Not only are we revolutionizing the health industry, but we are completely revamping the very model of what a home-based entrepreneur can accomplish.

Why are we seeing so much animal cruelty lately? I know in my small town it is becoming a weekly occurrence in the news and this is only what is actually found out.  I can only imagine how much there really is.

We have a new animal shelter that opened a few months back that is really cracking down on this thank goodness.  We have had several arrested on sight and taken straight to jail.

Why would anyone mistreat an animal? 

Animal cruelty is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, and under the control of others. The motive may be to shock, threaten, intimidate, or offend others or to demonstrate rejection of society’s rules. Some who are cruel to animals copy things they have seen or that have been done to them. Others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge on someone who cares about that animal.

What it animal cruelty?

Animal cruelty encompasses a range of behaviors harmful to animals, from neglect to malicious killing. Some cruelty investigated by humane officers is unintentional neglect that can be resolved through education. Intentional cruelty, or abuse, is knowingly depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, socialization, or veterinary care or maliciously torturing, maiming, mutilating, or killing an animal. More importantly, why would anyone want to harm an animal?

Why the concern?

Intentional cruelty is a particular concern because it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates that an individual either has already experienced violence or may be predisposed to committing acts of violence.  More importantly, is there a connection between animal cruelty and and human violence?  The answer is YES.  Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty.

Can reports be made anonymously?

Thankfully, yes, but while many jurisdictions will respond to an anonymous complaint, successful prosecutions often depend on an identifiable witness who can authenticate evidence.

 Whether you have a new car or an old one, if you have wheels you have to have them insured.  Car insurance is not only mandatory by law but also common sense.  If only we could make all people understand this fact.  Auto insurance is getting to be an expense that is always increasing, it may be too costly to afford but we can certainly not afford not having it.  Insurance costs go up because we have to pay for those who are not insured just like medical insurance.  So the only option left is to try and get the best deal for your dollar. Of course getting good vehicle insurance is not a straight forward job. You have to shop around and you have to be smart to get your money’s worth in coverage.

Car insurance companies these days have websites as well as offline presence. For those of us with time constraints, I recommend shopping online and looking for the best deals. The best way is to read their policies, look for the fine print as well. Remember that these companies exist in the real world and are bound by what they print online. This means they have to honor their word on what they say online; to be certain you can always pick up the phone and call them when in doubt.