Coolest Spider in my Garden

It looks sooooooo neat... it's called a Black and Yellow Garden Spider. (surprise surprise)

If my nosy neighbor reads this entry... I will be home most of the day and she can come over with the kids to see the spider. It's been there for several days.


Which is good, because I prefer to have it where I can see it! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA









I know I know... don't you LOVE my Camera!

My Rant about Aspartame Continues...

Oh woe is me.... My beloved Diet Pepsi is sweetened by Aspartame.... I know, I know... what did I expect.....Pixie Dust?

Well, I just couldn't let the whole aspartame thing go... (you know me and my conspiracy theories) I just.... couldn't .... let it go.

So, today I located the mythical 92 symptoms attributed to Aspartame. It was a scary scary list. But I'm not going to provide you with that list... because, although it said the Department of Health on the pdf... it was just a single page chart, without any other identifying marks.. and honestly, I couldn't find any documentation in the FDA archives.

However, in my effort to find the chart on a government website I wadded through hundreds of documents and dockets regarding the dangers of aspartame. Some people actually used the Aspartame studies as precedents for .... if you can believe this..... discarding case studies or petitions ... So, without further adieu.... Here is what I found interesting today.... AND I have included the links to the documents I found at the government sites.

Four interesting facts:

1) According to the FDA, you would need to drink 21 cans of Diet Soda sweetened with Aspartame a day to get cancer. (doesn't that imply a cancer risk... ok ok, so the average person would have to drink a lot of soda... but still)

2) Singulair has aspartame

3) augmentin has aspartame

4) There are literally hundreds of FDA articles about how to label the risks of aspartame on ingredient labels, mostly due to PKU (or something like that which is an allergy to a specific amino acid or something)

OK... here are three intersting snippets and their link to the original document.

The amino acid risk ... this is just one of hundreds of documents regarding this particular sensitivity.

A recent report on amino acids prepared by the Federation of American Societies
for Experimental Biology concluded that even healthy men who take single or
incomplete mixtures of amino acids as dietary supplements are engaging in a potentially
harmful practice. According to the report, other groups taking these supplements are at
an even greater risk of possible adverse effects and should not use them without
responsible medical supervision.
In large doses, phenylalanine may make some people irritable or cause insomnia.
In addition, this amino acid should be avoided by people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a
birth defect caused by the body's inability to metabolize phenylalanine. (Diet products
made with aspartame [NutraSweet] contain phenylalanine at low, safe levels for people
who don't have PKU and must bear labels warning people with PKU of the presence of
this amino acid.)

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00207.htm



When you read this one... you will understand and just say... what? It looks like the fact that aspartame has not been labeled dangerous even in view of the evidence... is being used as a precedent to get a different drug approved.

In 1986, the Community Nutrition Institute (“CNI’) filed a petition with the HHS seeking an
immediate ban of aspartame, pursuant to an “imminent hazard” provision, which claimed that
aspartame causes neurological damage (e.g., seizures) or eye damage in a significant portion of
consumers. 15’ To support that claim, CNI relied primarily on anecdotal data concerning epileptic seizures and eye damage, including over 3,000 reports allegedly associated with aspartame collected by FDA over a two year period, a review of a portion of the FDA AERs conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), letters and case reports collected by several physicians, and even an animal study.

However, HHS concluded that this information was insufficient to establish that an “imminent
hazard” was present, explaining that “[the evidence submitted [by the petitioners] is not of the
type that, standing in and of itself, establishes a link between aspartame consumption and
possible harm to public health.“152 HHS further explained that the type of information presenter was insufficient to “materially affect the scientific determination that aspartame has been shown to be safe for its approved uses, “Is3 because the information was not “reliable or concrete.“‘54
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Apr03/040803/95n-0304-c003907-01-vol338.pdf

And Finally....Here's the one I wasn't even looking for... that really really gets me.... It supports my conspiracy leanings... and frankly, although doesn't shock me... does sadden me.

This is an excerpt from
United States Food Safety System
PRECAUTION IN U.S. FOOD SAFETY DECISIONMAKING:
Annex II to the United States' National Food Safety System Paper

E. Economic Factors
As a general rule, U.S. law requires cost-benefit analysis of regulations (Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Flexibility Act). This general rule does not apply where cost-benefit analysis is prohibited by law. Cost-benefit analysis is not applicable to most food safety decisions. Rather, these food safety decisions are based solely upon science and risk analysis. For example, FDA is not permitted to consider economic factors in determining whether a food additive, color additive, or animal drug is safe, and therefore allowed to be approved. In these determinations, economic factors are forbidden at the risk management step as well as, of course, the risk assessment step. Likewise, EPA is generally not permitted to consider economic factors in determining whether, with respect to human dietary risks, a pesticide is "safe."
There are some situations in which consideration of economic factors in food safety decisions is required or permitted. For example, a 1994 statute created the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis in USDA (Pub. L.103-354). This office's primary role is to review drafts of USDA's "major regulations" to provide an added assurance that they are based upon sound scientific, technical, and economic analysis. A "major rule" is one that concerns human health, safety, or the environment and that has an annual economic impact of at least $100 million. For major USDA food safety regulations, this statute requires USDA to conduct a thorough analysis that makes clear the nature of the risk, alternative ways of reducing it, the reasoning that justifies the proposed rule, and a comparison of the likely costs and benefits of reducing the risk. The consideration of costs and benefits is for the purpose of identifying efficient ways of mitigating risk. This thorough analysis should describe the uncertainty and variability inherent in these analyses along with an evaluation of how these factors affect the outcome of the analyses. (Because few food safety regulations have exceeded the $100 million threshold for treatment as a major rule, the main contribution in the food safety area of the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis, since its creation in 1995, has been its review of the Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points proposed and final regulation.)
Further discussion of consideration of economic factors is found in paragraphs 209-213.
http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fssyst4.html

And so, it would seem... that although the paper is saying that no economic factor should be considered at the risk of health factors... it is also saying... if it's big business... we will really really really need to weight the health factors.

And so in closing.

So... there is a huge controversy over the long term effects of aspartame.

Since I am NOT a scientist... I can't tell you one way or another which is the correct path to take.

I do know that ... The FDA approved cigarettes... and has not banned them ... even though they have been proved to cause cancer.

hhmmmmmmm.... could that fall under the: Economic Factors thingy again?

Well, thanks for listening. Have a great day!

Aspartame - Good or Evil

Last night while I waited for all the kids to fall asleep, I happened across a "documentary" channel.

The current documentary was about aspartame... and most of the documentary was centered around the fact that it causes holes in the brains of rats.

I didn't understand much of the chemical scientific mumbo jumbo but got the gist. Basically they were saying that several of the molecules of aspartame are actually poison and when the stuff is dissolved in our bodies those poisons go to work.

Today, I'm going to see what's going on......

First to Snopes:
I was interested to learn that snopes was "debunking" a chain letter and email campaign which was linking aspartame with Alzheimer's. According to Snopes, there was no truth to the allegations.

Well, I was so convinced by the documentary... that I continued to research... then I read something that Snopes wrote: "Just because something is beyond your comprehension doesn't mean it's scientific." I felt the fool. Because I believed the documentary without understanding.

AND yet, still not convinced that there isn't something to worry about, I went to the web.

Here's the Snopes Link: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Second the FDA
I found the FDA paper very easily, and it basically details that there were some concerns that aspartame would cause brain tumors in humans. The final analysis is that they don't believe it causes harm to humans... however it says: "there was not sufficient scientific evidence presented to the PBOI that aspartame did not cause brain tumors in rats."

This paper concluded:
"In 1981 after extensive review of the record by FDA scientists, then Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes approved aspartame as a food additive. In his decision Hayes noted that additional scientific data from a Japanese study about the brain tumor issue corroborated his decision. The PBOI chairman later wrote in a letter to Hayes that the Japanese data would have caused that panel to give aspartame an "unqualified approval."

"As data stood, we were unable to reach a communal feeling of confidence in aspartame's innocuousness on this score and expressed this unease in our report to you. By the same token, we wish to express our endorsement of your final decision in this matter," wrote Walle J. H. Nauta, M.D., Ph.D., of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

That worries me a little... Walle J.H. Nauta, M.D. Ph. D of MIT is basically saying, we support your decision even if we don't agree. right? Am I reading that wrong?

So, now I'm confused, Snopes seemed to indicate that there wasn't anything to worry about with aspartame, and the FDA although saying that there was nothing to worry about is kind of saying that we approved it for human use... but it seems to be a problem for rats.

Third Source: Wiki-pedia
Well well well..... I gotta tell you, it may not be scientific... but any wiki-pedia entry to has Donald Rumsfeld listed as a driving force for approval... makes me nervous and itchy..

Honestly, my hole ridden brain may have a problem wrapping itself around all that chemical compound analysis... but when I read something like:

"At that point in time, there was no requirement in place in FDA regulations to include brain research in the approval process, only cancer research. Searle's Chief Operating Officer, Donald Rumsfeld, reapplied for FDA certification immediately after U.S. President Ronald Reagan took office.[8] In 1981, Reagan appointed Arthur Hull Hayes as FDA commissioner. Citing data from a Japanese study that had not been available to the members of the PBOI[citation needed], Hayes approved aspartame for use in dry goods.[9] "

So now I don't really know what to believe.

An unfortunate quirk of my personality is to want to believe that government and big business conspiracies do exist at the expense of the general population and are propagated by the corporations ability to weigh their earnings against the % of fatalities... or chance of getting caught.

So, I have read the "Japanese Data/Study" referred to in all three of the places that I have so far searched for answers... and yet, I haven't actually FOUND the Japanese Data/Study...

on with the quest

I can't write much more this morning... So I will leave you with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

The above link is the wikipedia outline of the Aspartame Controversy... (Please keep in mind, that I don't believe wikipedia is governed by any omniscient judge of truth and facts... but rather it is frequently used as a vehicle to further forward causes and press releases...)

I can only say this....

What if only a little bit is true.

Even the FDA papers hint at a controversy and discrepancy in opinions.

Surprise Surprise, whenever I Google or search for Japanese Data regarding Aspartame, although no specific study is found, I found many pages stating that Japan since listed aspartame as a hazard and has moved to stevia for it's sugar replacements...

Now... that may or may not be true. What is true... is that there is a controversy over aspartame that is not so easily debunked by a common person like myself.

There seem to be many studies stating that the use of aspartame is safe for most people... and many studies that say... it is killing rats, and that there is an increase in brain tumors and all kinds of maladies that are directly related to aspartame.

I wonder, where is the truth....

Perhaps... sugar isn't all that bad.

What do you think?

Making a Phone Call... Can Save Money

The last several days has been a fantastic lesson in how to save money by asking questions. I have saved literally $500.00! Just by making phone calls and asking questions.

#1) My Phone, TV and Internet. VERIZON FIOS
Current Bundled Package: $126.00 a month
Phone: $26.00 - no savings
-Here's the thing, my phone is actually only $14.00/mo., but there is an additional $12.00 in subscriber fees and taxes. So, I can't really do much better with the phone, however this is the bundled price. In order to keep this price, I will have to switch to Basic Local Service and drop the long distance carrier. I won't be able to make phone calls out of my local area... but I do have a cell phone... and I can just program calling cards into the home phones for those times when I'm charging the cell.
Internet: $49.99 - switching will save $34.00/mo
-I will happily go back to DSL for $15.99/mo. The FIOS isn't any faster then the low end DSL. When you call FIOS they say, oh it's your computer, oh it's the websites you are accessing... whatever, it's all about how it's NOT the FIOS lines. The bottom line is... the lines may be fiber optic coming to the house... but once it gets to the house it runs on regular cable lines. AND if it's not any faster than DSL... why am I paying almost $35.00 a month more? no reason.
TV: $50.00 - switching will save from 10.00 - 37.00
-If I switch to satelite I can get "basic" for about $39.99, which will save me about $10.00, and won't really change the channels available. If I stay with FIOS and switch to basic local channels... I go from $50.00/mo to $12.99/mo. I will not have anything, but local channels. Which means, I will have mostly inappropriate shows for children except for what they put on PBS. I think the impending new school year will be a good time to switch, because they will be busy at school, and doing homework. I personally only have time or the inclination to watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report... and although Stephen Colbert may disagree, it's just not worth the $37.00 a month to keep that love affair going.
Savings: $71.00 a month!

#2) Calling to return or replace defective products
-I recently purchased a dog collar to train my dog NOT to jump the fence. It was pretty expensive, about $130.00. It worked great, until the last time I had to replace the batteries and the battery housing broke. I called the mfg. support line thinking I would have to purchase a new housing if I ever got the batteries out of the main unit... and surprise surprise, they offered to send me a new unit, in exchange for the one that I have. They are sending me the unit FREE and I am returning the broken one. That's a HUGE savings! HUGE... because like I said, the collar was about $130.00... and I didn't see any parts available online.
Savings: $130.00 replacement cost

-I also purchased a iRobot last year... this is an old savings occurance, but along the same lines. A couple of weeks after I purchased my little vacuuming robot, one of the sweeper brooms broke, I called and they sent me 4 new sweeper brooms... which as it turns out is a consumable. That means, that they expect me to have to replace them occassionally, I guess they didn't expect me to have to replace them so soon. I checked online, and the sweeper replacement pack they sent is worth about $30.00
Savings: $30.00

#3)Miscellaneous Savings
-Some of you may know, most not... that I'm a software trainer. I have been working on getting into the Office 2007 tests to recertify my instructor status. I was set to take the tests a few weeks ago, but the exam location called to tell me that their testing computer is down. I haven't taken it. I went online to research what I needed to take to recertify... and the short story is... I was provided with 5 exam vouchers! The exams are about $100.00 each. That's $500.00 in savings... unless the testing center has an independant fee... I will now be able to take the tests for free!
Savings $500.00

I just can't seem to do.....Coupons
This is a much more traditional way of saving money then... asking. But I can never remember to bring coupons when I go somewhere and I usually don't find coupons for items that I am interested in purchasing.

So, I decided to take a look at my monthly bills to see if I could lighten the load.

The savings I realized from the exam vouchers is unusual, however, the savings for the dog training collar and the vacuum only took about 15 minutes each.

How many times have you purchased something... anything and it either broke quickly or suddenly... Coffee pots, that stop working. Chairs that don't last more than a month. Anything that is no longer useful and will have to be replaced... is worth calling about.

I once bought a kitchen set at ... Crazy Al's (or something like that) a small chain of discount furniture stores in Central Jersey. The furniture came with a 1 year warranty.. I suppose they weren't expecting my big fat pregnant 275lb body to be constantly plopping down on those chairs because one by one they went ... kaput. yes, they were cheap... but you bet your bottom dollar (no pun intended) that I called up and they had to send someone out to fix them!

I did learn my lesson about cheap furniture.. it's not worth it. Because after the warranty period, and even after I lost 100lbs... the chairs still continued to break. I would have actually saved money if I had purchased a better set. In the long run, I ended up purchasing a new kitchen set at a garage sale, which I then had to lug home. The combined purchases were probably the cost of a well built reputable brand new set.

Live and Learn

I'm writing this entry for those of you that think... well, I'll just go buy a new coffee pot, or vacuum or dust buster. Don't do it, without first calling the company. Many of our small household appliances come with life time gauranty's. Take advantage of it. Make the phone call, you will be pleasantly surprised that the mfg. will probably either offer to replace or repair your item.

I hope this helps!

EASY FOR YOU TO SAY.... TIPS FOR GETTING THE JOB

First let's get this straight, I'm not talking about getting a job at White Castle or your local 7-Eleven... I could be wrong, but I don't think they even interview for those positions... I think you fill out an application and get the job when a position is open.

So, I'm talking about the job you really want. The receptionist job that fits perfectly with your kids school schedule. I'm talking about the customer service job that is the first rung on a ladder in a company that has great benefits... I'm talking about the job where there is some competition for the position.

I'm also assuming that you have an excellent resume. It's doesn't have to be cramed with lots of stuff... by excellent, I mean that it is well written and professional looking. You know, it's not typed on a typewriter with typo's and white-out...

Here's the list of the 6 verbal blunders that could cost you the job:

1) Yeah - instead of yes
2) Axe - instead of ask
3) Youse - instead of you
4) Ain't - instead of isn't
5) Don't - instead of doesn't
6) Mines - instead of mine

Here's the thing. I have met some very smart young ladies that prefer to speak "cool" or "street" rather than properly. AND although I know that they are smart, as soon as they open their mouth they sound shockingly illiterate.

My mother used to tell me: You can talk like that when you are around your friends, not when you are around me.

While we are on the topic of Job Interviews... Here's some more advice:
During an interview you need to BE the person that you think the company wants to hire. The very least .... the absolute least you can do is, sound like a grown-up professional adult.

So during the interview, when the employer asks:

Do you own your own transportation?
Bad Answer:
"Well, ya see, my baby daddy has da car that's mines. He in the parking lot now waiting, see dat Lexus, ah huh. So, he drive me"
Good Answer:
"I don't own my own car, but I've made arrangements to get to work and I have several backup plans."

Why do you want to work for this company?
Bad Answer:
"I see here in the newspaper ad that you will pay up to $15/hr, I be needing that kind of money to go back to work, if you know what I mean"
Good Answer:
"I've looking for more than a job, I'm looking for a career. I've read some great things about this company and based on the job description believe that my skills and experience will be a good fit.

Why did you leave your last job?
Bad Answer:
"My last boss didn't like me"
Good Answer:
"There wasn't any potential for advancement in my last position"

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Bad Answer:
"Well, I would say I have a tendency to drink too much.... HA HA HA HA HA OK, seriously
Strengths; I am very strong and my weaknesses? Well, most people always complain because I am late for everything"
Good Answer:
"Funny you should ask, I guess my weakness could also be considered my strength. I've been accused of being too organized. I like to have everything in it's place, I like to complete a task, you know, follow it through to make sure it's completed, then file all of the paperwork appropriately before I leave for the day"

FINALLY.... THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE INTERVIEW... and the part that most people don't take advantage of..... the part where they ask: Do you have any questions for me?

This is where you can shine and stand out above the rest. All you need to do is check out the company online, to get a little information and figure out some questions to ask. Here are some samples:

#1) Is this a new position or has someone recently left leaving this position available. (if they left, and the interviewer doesn't say why... then say: May I ask why they left?)

#2) How many employees work at this location?

#3) Who would I be working with?

#4) I noticed online that your company has several locations, is the position for this location?

IMPORTANT-- don't ask about salary or vacation or holidays. These questions can be asked when you are offered the job. AND if they ask you what you are expecting to earn... give them a range. something like, between 15 - 18/hr or 33 - 38K. There is no reason to bid against yourself. Unless you already know exactly how high they are willing to go... give them a range... and when you are offered the job, you can discuss the specifics.

SO... remember... speak proper english.
Sit up straight
BE A GROWN UP... Confident, Educated... and perfect for the job.

Good Luck

The Innocent by Harlan Coben - A Book Review

Yesterday I read "The Innocent" by Harlan Coben. It was an enjoyably fast read with a satisfying ending.

The main characters are likeable, smart and could be based on real people. The descriptions and actions are lively and the author seemed to assume that I was smart too, as he didn't frequently ask me to suspend my disbelief, for the stories sake.

The part I liked the most about this book is what the author didn't write. This story includes murder, strippers, prison and blackmail and although the author certainly wrote about these things, his detail was only enough to convey the sadness and desperation required to believe the actions of the characters. Yes, there are bad people who do bad things, but the details provided were just enough to understand the situation, because honestly, this isn't a story about murder, strippers, prison and blackmail, this is a story about people.

Like I said, I like the characters because they are smart. I didn't spend the whole book groaning over their poor choices. The author wouldn't let me. Just when I thought the character was making a mistake, the author gave me a glimpse into the characters thought process... I saw the doubt, the confusion, the guesses and finally I understood the WHY of each choice.
Sometimes sadly, sometimes righteously, sometimes shockingly... always believably.

The only thing I found slightly hard to swallow was brought to light at the very end of the book. --I won't go into it, at the risk of giving away the ending.

I would suggest this book to anyone from Morris, Essex, Bergen County, New Jersey, (you'll see why when you read it) and anyone that enjoys a satisfying read with a well developed plot and thinking characters.

The Whole -- Whole Foods Experience

Today, I woke up bright and early.

I arranged for my brother to watch my children

I was at The Whole Foods in Madison, NJ 2 minutes before the automatic door opened.



First Impression:

Whole Foods was tidy and great pains were taken to lay out the fresh produce in an appealing and easy to access manner. The aisles were divided down the middle by an Aisle that cut most of the store in half, this was handy, since it turns out that the aisles nearest the front of the store didn't have anything I would ever purchase. (well, not at Whole Foods anyway)



The Prices:

While I didn't think the prices were extravagant... they were higher than Trader Joes, but Much less than The Health Food Shoppe. Like I said, I didn't see any outrageous prices for the items I purchase regularly and there were a number of 2/5.00 price discounts. I was very very very pleasantly surprised that they were WELL STOCKED in all manner of gluten and wheat free products. From Cheese crackers (actually rice) to Frozen Pizza (as you know, a good frozen pizza is worth it's weight in gold!) And still.... I walked out with 8 bags of groceries and paid $300.00. AND I didn't purchase any meat. yup... that's right... Thankfully I live near Costco (smile)



I have to say this. I think The Whole Foods has gotten a bad rep... and the rep I heard... was bad.



Do you want to know what I heard?



I heard Whole Foods was over-priced and pretentious and that only the hoity toity or those aspiring to hoity toity-ness shopped at The Whole Foods.



Here's the low down.



#1) I got there when they opened on Saturday... The Real Hoity Toity... aren't up at 8:00am The people that were shopping that early (and there were about 3 people shopping that early) were busy shopping.



#2) 3 different whole foods employees asked if I need help finding something, it was pleasantly refreshing... These employees weren't "assigned" to me... or standing at a courtesy counter waiting for me to come up with a question... they were just walking by and saw me studying the shelves... and ... guess what... they thought they could help.



#3) The manager, I am guessing a manager because he opened the door at 8:00 and knew a bunch about some of the other locations... took the time to mention to me that the wine I was purchasing couldnt' be "bought" until 9:00, because in Madison on Saturday, that's the law. No liquor earlier than 9:00am... he went on to mention that some of the other Whole Foods are governed by the town in which they reside.



So you see... the rep... which had kept me from going to Whole Foods was decidedly undeserved... again, I must say... that I was grocery shopping at the "crack of dawn" for for most people.

My Love Affair with Office 2007 is OVER

Nothing
Nothing
NOTHING will end a love affair with a software package quicker then that application "Doin you wrong." And Office 2007 - the whole kit and kaboodle- done done me wrong friends.

One day I'm loving life, foot loose and fancy free.... Training clients on the new Office 2007 features, my excitement barely concealed as I display Outlook, Word, Excel and Powerpoint on the big screen... Mousing over the Fluent User Interface (the ribbon) activating the Contextual Tabs, warning against common pitfalls and chiding users for not taking advantage of some of the features from previous versions.

and then

and then

it happened

my .docx imploded

I'm not sure how, but I left for work with 5 perfectly good documents saved to my harddrive, and returned that evening to find 4 of 5 corrupt and unopenable.

OH yes friends, I used the "open and repair" function... which caused me pause as it is so conveniently located on the "open" drop down in the Open Dialog box. (almost as if they knew that you would be needing this feature... and needing it often)

OH yes friends, I attempted to convert the file from .docx to .doc using an online conversion provider... sob..... it didn't work, I got a blank page

OH OH OH Friends... it is sad sad sad.... especially since the documents that I can not open.................................. are ........................................ the training handouts I use for the office 2007 training sessions that I am currently running.

Oh woe is me.... to be lulled into a false sense of security by this vagabond software, this willy nilly corrupting set of productivity applications.... NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will NOT go quietly into the night!

...sigh....

So..... sniff sniff........ first I'm going to recreate the training material.... sob... hiccup ... then I will write Bill Gates. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Finding A New Pediatrician - It Ain't Easy

Seven years ago, I had my first daughter.

I asked my Ob-Gyn for suggests for a pediatrician, I asked my friends, neighbors and local relatives. It all seemed very simple. I met the Dr., in the hospital (as he was the head of pediatrics) and he checked in on me and my children after they were born..(and following two daughters) and life was great and easy.

Here's what I liked:
1) I knew if I called because a child was sick, the office would call back and fit me in that day.
2) I knew if I called to speak to the Dr., he would call me back
3) He had Saturday hours
4) If he was on vacation, he arranged for another Dr. to cover and his answering machine referred calls to the other on-call Dr.
5) He was friendly and the kids liked him.
6) He really knew the kids. He recognized them, he remembered things about them.

Here's what I didn't like:
1) He was constantly scheduling followup calls... I was in the Dr' s office... A LOT

Then we moved.
I spoke to several people and got several referrals, only one of the Dr.'s actually took our insurance. This particular Dr. was a referral from a nurse friend of mine, and I trusted her opinion and made the switch.

Here's what I like:
1) The kids like him
2) He takes the time to explain everything and speaks directly to the kids

Here's what I don't like:
1) If I call the office and leave a message on the voice mail, I have a 50/50 chance of getting a return call
2) They can not always fit my sick child in, on the day I call... on one occasion I waited 2 days
3) They are "on call" on Saturday, but do not have weekend office hours

So, I went a looking for a new Dr.

The Gauntlet.... My Three Questions - in the order they were asked.

#1) Do you take my insurance.
#2) Do you have weekend hours
#3) Can I set up an appointment to meet the Dr's before I have all of the information sent over.

First, I called the Dr's that I got from my new friends and neighbors... Not one took my insurance. (Which was interesting, because it's the insurance provided by the State of NJ to state employees... )

So, off I went to the Insurance Website.
Since the offices were right off the website, I was able to just confirm question number one. Now here is the shocker.

ALL of the offices I called (except 1) had no weekend hours. ALL. When I asked what we were supposed to do if our children get sick on the weekend, the receptionists said... "take them to the emergency room". what?

NOT ONE of the offices I called would set up a "meet and greet" appointment. Every single one said, since my girls had had their yearly physical and vaccinations, I could just collect their records, and wait until they get sick. ALL OF THEM! Not a single pediatricians office was willing to let to meet us before someone was sick.

Can you imagine?

These are children not cats. I mean... I practically got better service at the Vet when we got a new Dog.

Oh, I am frustrated

Dear Dr. Pediatrician whom I have never met.

Your office staff is rude and uncaring, which makes me think you are too.

I understand, how answering the phone; speaking to people with sick kids all day can be draining and tiring... and maybe not everyone is as much of an emergency as they think.... So, I can understand why your office staff may have bad days, but your staff treats me like I'm bothering them.
Your staff gives me the impression that you are too important and busy to worry about whether my kids and I will like you for a new Dr. AND have conveyed in no uncertain terms that you do not need us for patients and therefore we should just be glad you take our insurance.

I mean... HONESTLY, I can't tell you how many times in my quest for a new pediatrician I felt like I was inconveniencing the office staff. They definitely made me fell that they were very busy and more pressing matters to address... AND the physicians apparently are too busy to meet with me... AND on at least one occasion I was actually told, "We don't solicit new patients"

Solicit new patients? Again, I say.... THESE ARE NOT STRAY CATS. THESE ARE MY CHILDREN. One of which has a potentially life threatening illness (asthma) and you can't find 30 minutes where the Dr. can meet me, my kids take a look at them healthy so that he/she has a idea of what they look like, sound like when they are healthy?

Well, back to my search.

There was one pediatricians office that takes my insurance, that has Saturday hours and several Dr's so someone is always available. However, since my kids have all had their yearly physical... I have to wait until someone gets sick, then call for an appointment.

Can you believe that?

Look. I'm not asking for a Dr. or office staff that loves my children. All I would hope for is a group of people dedicated to helping me raise them healthy. It seems like common sense, that A) It would be nice if the kids were comfortable with the Dr. and staff .... and B) the Dr. had some idea of what they looked like and sounded like when they were healthy.

And so... I say... If you are moving to a new city, new town... Finding a brace yourself for the search for a new Pediatrician.

A Quest for Legitimate Home Business

Good Morning Everyone!

This morning I renewed my search (my ever on-going search) for profitable and affordable home businesses.

Not long ago, I posted a list of 10 businesses that were affordable and pretty good niche markets for the stay at home parent.

After about 5 hours of research I come up with the big one.

This is based on the number of successful franchises available... and my own personal experience.

This opportunity isn't for everyone... because basically, the world is split into three categories when it comes to this opportunity:

Those that can and like it
Those that can and hate it
Those that can't

That's why it's such a lucrative business.... conceivably 2/3rd's of the population will pay 1/3 of the population.... to do it!

It is clean.

That's right. While I sit and blog, in the back of my head I am thinking about the laundry, the unvacuumed floors, the untidy kitchen, the unmade beds, the NEVER SEEN A DUST RAG table tops, the cluttered kitchen table and coffee table, the messy toy area, the refrigerator, the counter tops... You name it... I need to address it.

But alas.... I fall into the second category. Those that can, but hate it. In fact, I would gladly work an extra 10 hours a week to afford to pay someone $100.00 every 2 weeks to come into my home for several hours and clean it up.

Years ago I knew a Slovakian woman who would come to my home and clean it. Here are the tips I learned from her to make it a lucrative business:

#1) Pricing:
Client commits to every 2 weeks - Figure about 4 hours for average house @ $25.00/hr
Client requests, 1 time clean up - Figure at least twice as much

-Here's what my Slovakian friend told me, if she comes every 2 weeks, the house remains cleaner and cleaner and eventually she spends only 3 - 4 hours in the house, but still makes the same amount of money.

If the house is a one time clean-up, it is probably very messy, and with no ongoing maintenance, she doesn't want to be called back once a month to spend a lot of time without getting paid for her time. She values her time at a minimum of $25.00.

She also explained that she always tries to convert one-time clean ups into bi-monthly clients.
She didn't advertise, she got ALL of her clients by word of mouth and towards that end, she ALWAYS did an exceptional job cleaning.

She NEVER brought her own supplies. She would use the home owners supplies and leave a list of items that needed to be replenished before the next visit.

She would leave a list of cleaning tools that needed to be purchased or replenished before the next visit

AND for her bi-monthly clients, once she gets the cleaning and clutter under control she always picks an extra project, like the refrigerator, the kids toy bin, the hall closet or office.

AND it's primarily a cash business.

Let's do the math together:

If you want to work part-time, while the kids are in school, you have approximately 6 hours available. That's easily 1 regular customer a day, and a random new or one time clean up customer.
5 Regular customers a week @ $100.00 a day is a weekly income of $500.00, for perhaps 20 hours of work.

If you could possibly eeek out another client on any given day, that's ... an additional $100.00

---------------------
How to start

The best way to get reliable consist work is... Word of Mouth.

Start with a neighbor or friend and let them know that you are starting a home cleaning business and tell them to let their neighbors know that if they want someone reliable, affordable and trustworthy to come in and clean... they can give you a call. I think you will be surprised at how many people... would like someone to come and help them out with the cleaning.

let me know what you think.

Office 2007 - Love It or Hate It

Today I am preparing for an Office 2007 presentation I will be giving tomorrow. In preparation I usually spend a couple of day surfing the net for pros and cons, to get a feel for what other people think. I noticed a lot of mixed feelings about Office 2007.

I love new techy things and I LOVE office 2007....now. Like most "power users" I didn't like how the change in format slowed down my productivity. However, now that I have used the 2007 version for over a year, I have learned to love it. It's pretty, it's effecient and quite frankly Microsoft Outlook and MS Word are business standards.

....sigh.... Do you remember Wordperfect 5.0.... Do you remember the little template for the top of your keyboard with the three levels of keyboard short cuts... Do you remember how good you were, you could "reveal codes", setup the document and print without pausing in your keystrokes.... and then came windows! Do you remember Word 3.0? Do you remember it on your resume? (chuckle chuckle)

Well, we've come a long way baby!

So, in my effort to try to understand the struggles with this newest version, I'd like your specific struggles with the latest version of Microsoft Productivity Software

Thanks

4 Things My Neighbors Do... that Irk me

I live in a nice little lake community. Not a Up-In-The-Mountains-Hot-Tube-Touting-Log-Cabin community... more of a Man-Made-Lake-with-summer-homes-converted-into-year-round-houses-next-to-a-major-highway-in-New-Jersey kind of Lake Community. So, I guess, besides having a lake, it's like any other neighborhood. The houses are pretty close together, and the kids can still play out in the street (with proper supervision and a smattering of "children at play" road signs thrown out there.

Living this close to your neighbors requires a certain amount of patience and .... what's the word I'm looking for.... hhhmmmm..... forbearance. Yes, that's the word I am looking for.

Forbearance: 1 : a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due

I am uniquely qualified to spy... I mean see, my neighbors. My house is on a corner lot with my house positioned on the side. Out my back deck I face 3 neighbors backyards and see 2 neighbors front yards (across the street). Here's my list:

#1) Neighbor across the street, built a dog run with dog house for his dog to reside in during the day while he is at work. It's a beagle and she's a barker. A constant, non stop barker. (I spoke to the neighbor and he explained that she keeps having "accidents" in the house so she has to stay outside while he is at work)

#2) Old lady across the street who can barely stand, shuffles herself and her decrepid dreadlocked maltese thingy-ma-bob over to my lawn for relief. The first couple of times I thought "well, she probably can't bend over to pick it up because she's just too old" after the seventh or eighth time she did it right in front of me... without even a "Hello Deary" I considered bagging the poop and leaving it on her front stoop. Yeah Yeah she is old... but here's the kicker, she has her own yard!

#3) Neighbor behind me rarely mows their lawn. By "rarely" I mean, they mowed their lawn 2 times last year. TWICE. AND I think one of those times they did it with a weed wacker... the whole lawn! They didn't mow the backyard once last year. This year, they hired someone to come in and do something and the outcome was that the yard was mowed... but that was months ago!

#4) There are a couple of houses across from each other that have kids that all play. These kids range from 2nd grade to 5th. They are like a swarm of mosquitos, hovering and flitting about, in the middle of the street. They aren't too bad when you walk by, they are actually quite nice... it's driving by that they turn into evil spawn. First of all, they stay in the middle of the road and ignore the fact that you are driving towards them. They don't move. They wait until you stop. They look at you... act surprised that a car is trying to drive down the road... then saunter... not walk, they actually reluctantly saunter out of the middle of the road and only provide JUST enough room for a car to go through. Next time... Next time... I'm getting out and I'm going to talk to their parents. (although the kids did come to my kids lemonade stand and spend all their quarters... so I might let them off with a warning)

The Health Shoppes - A Gluten Free Shopping Review

My avid readers are aware that my family is now on Day 6 of a gluten free diet. The elimination diet was prompted by my review of the long list of symptoms of gluten intolerance… matched against my 7 year olds, long list of complaints. AND so, the quest for palatable gluten free food commenced.

I’ve picked up many things at the Super Stop ‘n Shop, nothing at Pathmark and I haven’t tried Shoprite yet. Trader Joes, while an excellent experience, was a gluten free disappointment. Yesterday my kids and I went to a tiny whole in the wall The Health Shoppe, in my town and it was a veritable Gluten Free Bonanza!

However, I walked out of the store with three small grocery bags, and a bill of over $100.00!

But I go too fast…. Here’s the run down:

The Appearance: The store was in a strip mall, next to a Large Petco and Pathmark. I have been to this strip mall literally hundreds of times, there is a McDonalds, a Dollar Store, and a Stone Cold Creamery place… but I never noticed The Health Shoppe. In fact, I had to call and ask where they were located and was pleasantly surprised they were so close and convenient.

The inside of the store resembled a standard vitamin shop. Nothing fancy. Again, it was small, and I thought I would be disappointed… again.

The Products This small store was laid out in theory like a large store. Everything in its own place and similar items together. Here’s where this store excelled. In each product group there was one or more items specifically labeled “Gluten Free”. I picked up pasta sauce and very light brown rice spaghetti noodles. I picked up some chicklet like candies. I found… frozen pizza with whole milk mozzarella, I found fudgesicles, I found cookies, more pretzels, chocolate bars with rice crispies, and chocolate bar with almonds. I found a frozen Mac N Cheese dinner.

Honestly, this tiny store was packed with great food, but the amazing and more monumental discovery, was the frozen pizza. TINY 6 inch pie… that tasted GREAT! The kids loved it. AND I was hoping they would since it was $8.00 a pie!

The Employee There was a single waif like 30 something man behind the counter. He offered no help. He offered no comment. In fact, he was less than helpful when my 4 year old announced she had to go potty and I asked about facilities, he sent me over to Pathmark. OH yeah, I forgot…. When I was checking out, he actually “harrumphed” his disapproval of my purchase of the soy chocolate pudding treats and candy bars (at first I thought he had Tourette’s, but I checked him out… no twitching). Fortunately the store is small enough to never have to ask the attendant to step down from his elevated cashiers position.

The Patron Just us. One 43 year old mom, with a 4, 5, and 7 year old in tow. We spent a bit of time there, (as we had to walk to pathmark for the potty) and not even any walk by traffic.

The Prices This store was HUGELY expensive. It seemed like nothing was under $5.00! It was the only place, so far, that I have found the frozen pizza, so I may just use this store for Pizza Fridays! Everything else, I have found in a combination of all the other stores I visit. Trader Joes has a great gluten free spaghetti sauce, and Super Stop N Shop has everything else.

Overall Impression I was originally overjoyed to find so many gluten free items in one spot, until I got to the register and had to pay. The Store, The Employee, The Prices all make me feel like I don’t want to go back. But go back I will… because they are the only ones that carry the frozen pizza. I can’t help but think that a little makeover might bring some more customers… From the outside it looks like a 5 and Dime or a vitamin shop, not a little mini grocery store.

I’ve been informed that there is a larger The Health Shoppe in a neighboring town. I may stop in to see if there is a huge difference, or… if they have a larger variety of gluten free pizza.

I hope you are enjoying my quest for the perfect gluten free shopping experience!

Me and Trader Joes - A Gluten Free Shopping Review

Recently I started my family on a Gluten Free Diet. My 7 year old has several health issues that may be attributed to an intolerance to gluten, so to determine whether that is the case, I have implemented a 3 week elimination diet. That's 3 weeks gluten free.

But I digress, ... so, my usual grocery stomping grounds consist of ShopRite, Pathmark & Super Stop N Shop. I suppose I should say this right up front. I'm not a lover of food... I'm an eater of food. I enjoy a good meal, but I could eat pizza every day of the week and be happy. My kids have a couple of favorites and only the older 2 are even willing to eat something new... and only the oldest will eat a new green item without a battle. (My kids are 4, 5, & 7)

In my quest for easy to prepare clearly labeled Gluten Free items.... I headed over to our local Trader Joes.

Now, most of you know... if I don't have to go into the office... I'm not getting into the shower. On a good day, that's nothing a clean pair of cut-offs and NY Yankees cap can't fix. Today was no different. I was sans children as I picked the day their father had visitation for my first foray, to aisles of TJ's (as it is known to the locals).

The Appearance: My first impression was good. It was clean and well laid out. It had a wood floor, while I don't know it if was recycled wood, it certainly looks like it was salvaged from an old barn or ship. The products appeared to ALL have hand drawn labels. Like a high school art major gone wild with markers! Circling, swirling, lots of colors... big handwritten easy to read letters. (My 43 year old lazy brain thought, "I wonder if I can get that font for my computer")

The Products: At a glance, EVERYTHING appears to be organic. I only found the following items specifically labeled gluten free: 5 cheese spaghetti sauce, brown rice spaghetti noodles, 1 loaf of really hard bread, (this I didn't buy), granola, Many Many Chips and Snacky things.

The one thing I wanted. pizza. not there.

The Employees: Very very nice. The check out counter is also wood. The check out person is nice and chatty. AND when I say chatty, I don't mean chatting with the person bagging about the party they went to, or about getting their 4 inch long nails done... they chatted with me. They looked me in the eye. They smiled. The check out was a real human experience. nice.

The Patrons: Now, first let me say, I looked like I totally fit in. I supposed if someone had looked closer they would have noticed that I was wearing the Walmart version of crocs and that I had cut-off my own jeans and the distressed look was authentic, in that I had distressed my jeans over the course of the 10 years I had owned them! AND, I got the impression that the people with children were on a game show called, "Look what a good parent I am" Each contestant was challenged to elevate their preschoolers vocabulary to college level in 10 minutes. (ok, that was a little harsh, but you know what I mean) for all that, the people were
nice.

The Prices: I purchased about 4 bags of chips, spaghetti sauce and noodles, 3 boxes of frozen waffles, granola, (I think that's it) and it came to $28.00. Not too bad. All of the items were organic and gluten-free. I later found that the pricing for the items is around the same as the Super Stop N Shop (although I couldn't find gluten free spaghetti sauce at the stop n shop)

Overall Impression: I like the store, but I didn't find much I needed. I was disappointed by the lack of gluten free items. There were a few... but not many. (I later found that almost all of the items I found at Trader Joe's were also available at my Super Stop N Shop)

AND, Although the employees certainly didn't make me feel strange, the other patrons all seemed to be in the same "club". Perhaps it was my insecurities... my own love for the prepackaged meal... but I felt like an impostor.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a great selection of wholesome, organic food and intelligent and friendly service... Trader Joe's is an great and pretty inexpensive solution.

If you are looking for gluten free, not so much.