Fairy Tale Treasures

Did you watch John McCain’s speech tonight?  He certainly tried to relate to the everyday person … but didn’t come close to the energy generated by Sarah Palin on Wednesday.  I really like her and I’m glad the media is beginning to stay away from family issues and concentrating more on the political issues at hand.  I think this pair will bring change to Washington.  And hopefully our economy will begin to improve.

I liked some of the ideas McCain suggested for change in economy — especially the part about lower taxes and more tax credits for families.  Yea.  Maybe families will finally be able to get out of debt and begin saving money for the future.  That would be real change.   If you would like some ideas about how to begin saving money and how to consolidate debt be sure to visit Bills.com.  Their website contains some great ideas and helpful information on how to go about debt consolidation.  For instance, if you have good credit but find yourself in a mountain of debt due to a recent job loss or some other extraordinary circumstances a debt consolidation loan may be for you.  If you own a home and have some equity then a home equity loan might work best.  Each family’s situation is different and therefore a different solution might work for you.   Be sure to visit their site for more details.  They have a great many helpful articles and financial calculators to help families find what may work for their particular circumstances.

Shades of Green, located within walking distance to Disney’s Polynesian Resort, provides very attractive room rates for military (and DoD) personnel.  Several years ago, they underwent an expansion and remodeling project — and therefore it’s a little easier to get reservations than it was a while ago.  However, it is usually hard to obtain reservations at short notice — therefore, it’s always best to plan as well in advance as possible.   Reservations are accepted up to one year in advance by calling:  1-888-593-2242 or visit their website.

One tidbit many do not know is that if Shades of Green is completely booked for your chosen dates they do offer overflow rates at many of Disney Resorts.  Overflow rates vary in the percentage of discount and are generally 20% to 40% off regular room rates — it really depends on the time of year.  Overflow rates are limited and based on availability at the Disney resorts.  Not all resorts are available at all times and in my own personal experience I have been able to book an overflow rate for the Contemporary, Caribbean, Port Orleans, Polynesian, and Boardwalk resorts.

I spend a great deal of time at the computer  — my online business requires me to do so — our homeschooling day requires me to do so.  I also spend a lot of time doing repetitive hand movements throughout the day maintaining the household.  When my three youngest children were all in diapers I spent even more time with laundry and other tasks than I do now — along with the computer work.  At that time I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome.  Thankfully, I had a doctor who recommended conservative treatment options rather than surgery.  I had to wear a wrist brace throughout the day — and was told it was even more important to wear a night brace while sleeping to prevent my wrist from clenching and causing more problems.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?  It’s when the median nerve (which runs down your forearm into your hand) becomes pinched or pressed — and your wrist hurts — usually, alot!  Now, that may not be a very good scientific definition — but the majority of people know what it is when they experience it.  If you have pain in your wrist that occurs even if you are not moving it may be carpal tunnel syndrome — especially if you are one of the 180 million Americans who work at a job which requires repetitive movements regularly.

Studies show that nearly 10% of adults suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  For many people a conservative approach to carpal tunnel relief is a good choice.  Many doctors will prescribe a wrist brace and anti-inflammatory medication to help relieve the pain.  A night splint is also best for nighttime relief — and to keep your hand, wrist and fingers in a neutral position while sleeping.

Since my children are a little older now I haven’t been suffering as much from wrist pain — and haven’t been wearing the brace.  Occasionally, I do have a flare up and will wear a brace like the SmartGlove at IMAK.  One thing I like about them is their one year comfort guarantee.  Having a comfortable brace is important — because if you are like me you will stop wearing anything that is not comfortable.  If you believe you may be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome be sure to visit their website for more details about carpal tunnel relief.

I’m looking forward to watching the convention tonight. I was so thrilled when McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. However, it seems now all the focus is on her family life and not the campaign or the things that really matter.

And, the entire ‘family’ issue seems to have put a damper on the excitement of the past weekend. And, if I’m honest, I’ve lost a little of my excitement too — and it’s not because her teenage daughter is pregnant. I’ve been through the teenage years twice already — and have three more coming right up. I hold no allusions that kids will be perfect if they are parented correctly. Kids are kids — and they do things to make us grow gray way before our time. Sarah Palin’s ability to mother is not what I’m questioning. Nor, am I questioning her ability to be VP.

However, any politician knows issues like this create controversy and all types of negativity. Why in the world did McCain choose Sarah Palin in light of all these potential issues that would draw so much attention. I’m not saying ‘they should’ draw attention — but politics is what it is — and issues like this will draw attention.

It will certainly be an interesting convention — and I’m looking forward to seeing how they go about getting that excitement rolling again.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Another video segment of The Sproutwells has been released and down below for your viewing pleasure!  I know, these episodes are pretty silly … but you’ve got to admit FreshFunds has a unique way of getting attention.

This week the nosy neighbors are wondering why the Sproutwells are getting so many packages — of course, they are members of FreshFunds and bidding on the many prizes available.   I’m sure glad I don’t have any neighbors that nosy — although when I was doing ebay my mail carrier wondered what in the world was in all those packages I received and mailed.

I recently joined FreshFunds — and I think the Wii Fit sure looks enticing … but if I were to win anything at freshfunds I think I would like an iPod — maybe even a video one.

Last week I made a reservation for our 2009 trip to Disney World.  I received the following notice in my ‘confirmation email’ from Disney this week.  Apparently, Disney is closing Pleasure Island in the next few months.

It looks like Disney is closing down Pleasure Island — and will be making more restaurant and shops at the Downtown Disney area.  I kinda like this idea.  In all the times I’ve been to Disney we have never visited Pleasure Island — just haven’t had the opportunity to be alone at that time of night without kids … LOL.  We always thought we’d do it someday.  Oh well!  I do agree Downtown Disney could use a few more restaurants.

We recently received our quarterly term life insurance bill — and I was shocked to see how much it had gone up — just because I had turned 50 years old this summer.  Way back when we were first had children we were told it was financially wise to purchase a basic whole life insurance policy and then to purchase a ‘term’ life insurance policy to ‘hold us’ over while the children were young — because raising young children is costly with daycare costs, etc.  The idea was that by 50 years old the kids would be gone and we wouldn’t need so much life insurance — just the basic whole life and we could cancel the ‘term’ life insurance.

Little did we know then that we would have 5 children over a span of 18 years — and be 50 years old with young children still at home.  Financial planning doesn’t always take into account these things of life — and it makes sense to occasionally get a life insurance quote to be sure your company is competitive.  And, if possible … don’t grow old and turn 50 — LOL.

When we lived in Jacksonville, Florida we had annual passes to the Disney World theme parks and would often go down for the weekend and stay just one or two nights at one of the inexpensive hotels in Kissimmee.   This is a great way for anyone to save money on Orlando vacations — especially if you plan to visit other attractions like Sea World and Universal Studios.

In fact, if your plan is to get up early each day and hit the parks and stay until near closing then a hotel in Kissimmee or Lake Buena Vista would be a great choice.  There are plenty of hotels to choose from in this area and all are very reasonably price.  You will also find that larger families can often book a family suite at a good price.

McCain has chosen his running mate — a woman!

John McCain has chosen Alaska Govenor Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

While I think this is wonderful news my first thoughts are what if she ‘does’ become president. I mean, McCain isn’t young — and she SURE is — only 44 years old.

Quick info I found so far: she is 44 years old, has five children — the youngest was just born this past April and has Downs Syndrome.

Sounds like the VP mansion will be alive with children if McCain wins the election!

Very interesting news — and should make the next few months extremely interesting.

So…. what do you think of McCain’s choice?

Have you met The Sproutwells yet?  I’ve been seeing their videos all around the internet on friends’ blogs and thought they are pretty interesting.  Let me give you a brief rundown on the previous videos and introduction to the Sproutwell family.  You see, they are a typical fruit and veggie family living among humans — just trying to fit into the world.  As you watch the series of videos you see them sprout up.  In the video below we finally meet the ‘dad’ of the family.  Quite interesting … take a look….

Ok … now, you are saying … what is all this about?  It’s all a way to promote a new site called freshfunds their goal is to promote healthy eating by offering items on their site that can be bid on with earned Fresh Fund Points — which can be found on the back of specially marked packages of Chiquita and Fresh Express products.  Just another way to earn nice things!