Review of Stories From A Lifetime

Stories From A Lifetime by Hugh Aaron is a collection of short stories the author wrote over a period of 30 years. All of the stories are based at least loosely on a real event in Hugh Aaron's life and is, in the authors own words, "a disguised autobiography spanning eight decades."

I often find it difficult to read a chapter of any book in one sitting due to the hectic schedule of balancing work, family, home and everything else life throws my way, but this book eliminated that problem. The stories are quite short, often only two pages long and very well written so as to grab your interest quickly. There is a hidden lesson in most of the stories, much like the morals in old fairy tales. Many of the stories taught such a clear lesson in dealing with life that I shared them with my older children so that they could learn from them.

All in all, this book is excellent, and I highly recommend you add it to your list of must read books!

Review of Johnny Eye-One

I recently read the book Johnny One-Eye by Jerome Charyn and could not wait to review it to share with everyone else. Historical fiction is not generally my preferred reading material, but this book had me hooked from the first chapter and would not release me until I read the last sentence.

The book is set in 1776 during the Revolutionary war where the main character, John Stocking, flits between the two sides of the war with both amusing and enticing antics. Believing himself to be the illegitimate son of George Washington himself and the madam of a local brothel, he spends his free time mooning over a prostitute.

This book is history like you have never read it before. The mixture of fact and fiction along with the authors knack for overly descriptive writing will leave you feeling like you are standing there in person rather than reading words on the page.

I highly recommend this book, and if historical reading isn't your thing either you may well change your mind after reading this!

Date Night! And Swagbucks :)

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to blog about today. And I finally figured out it was because in a few short hours, my mother in law is coming to get the little ones and it is date night for the parents! I am to happy about that to think about anything else. :)

Date night is rare around here. For one thing, the hubby is back at work and once again only home on weekends. For another, I like my kids with me, and don't really care to ship them off to Nana or anyone else over night. But, with my stress level sky high, and with his new job a perfect reason to celebrate, it's past due. He won't be home until around 8 tonight though, so our choices are limited. But I know that whether it's a late movie, or just sitting around talking, it will be a wonderful night!

One thing I did think about today was Swagbucks. If you aren't already familiar with Swagbucks, it is a search engine with a twist. When you search something on the site, you can win points. These points can then be used to buy all sorts of things. My favorites are the Amazon gift cards, they came in quite handy last Christmas! And when you sign up, you get 30 Swagbucks! And, today is Mega Swagbucks day, which means the prizes are even bigger!

Ok, off to get ready for date night! If anyone has any suggestions for a good date later in the evening in a small town with nothing in it, let me know! :)

Work at Home Resources

Whether you have been working from home for a while, or you are a newcomer to the scene, it is important to know what resources you can trust. Other people who work from home are your best resource and can be found on forums and communities that are dedicated to freelance work. By networking with other freelancers, you not only find out about new job leads quickly, but you can also hear about others experiences with a company you might be interested in. Some good forums dedicated to working at home include:


WAH Clubhouse

WAHM

Work Place Like Home

Other sites are also valuable resources, posting job leads and reviews of work at home companies. Some of these sites include:


Work at Home Adventures

Rat Race Rebellion

Bizy Moms

I hope the resources help you in your job search! I have been babysitting two children recently, and watching their moms pain as her three year cries for her to stay home each morning reminds me of how truly blessed we are to be able to be at home for our children while still making a living!

Pit Bulls as Nanny's?

I stumbles across this article this morning on a forum. Since the pit bull is hands down my favorite dog breed, it was heartwarming to read an article that wasn't focused on negativity.

I have a "nanny" pit bull who is a treasured member of our family. And before I get blasted by anyone, let me state that I never leave my children unsupervised with any animal. But our pit, Dixie, watches over the kids with as much care as I do. While they are playing, she is never more than a few feet away and she is super protective. She is no guard dog, preferring to greet any stranger with kisses and a wagging tail, but if she thinks you intend harm towards her babies you are in trouble. Visiting friends and relatives know that you must exercise caution when playing with the kids. My youngest is a rough and tumble little boy who loves to be picked up and thrown in the air, or to wrestle with anyone willing. Dixie will get right in the middle and push her baby away from the person who is playing with him. She isn't aggressive about it, she just wants your hands off her kid. :)

We are blessed to live in the country, outside of the city limits, since a nearby city has breed specific legislation. I don't understand these laws, since we have experienced bites from two different small breeds of dogs. No one has outlawed chihuahuas, and they bite too! To me, it's like saying that a certain race of people is evil. It just makes no sense! Our Dixie is an ambassador for her breed, we take her with us to many places and she has changed quite a few minds about pit bulls. With the exception of a serious case of separation anxiety, she is very well behaved, follows commands well, and loves everyone.

What are your feelings on pits and other breeds that are labeled as vicious? Feel free to debate, but do so nicely! :)