I’ve got 6 kids, a grandkid, a soon-to-be “step” grandkid (”Step” is just to be technically correct. He’s already my real grandkid in my heart) and a brand new grandbaby on the way. The family just keeps growing.

We try to make each kid feel special on birthdays and Christmas but sometimes a kid wants to be special on non-special days. I used to keep little gifts around, things I’d pick up on sale like a little race car or a family of babydolls, just to give to a child who might be needing a little extra love. I still do that for the grandkids.

Sometimes I want something special, too. Being a mom with kids, I don’t usually spend money on myself. I just found a way to get a special treat for no money at all. And what is that special thing? A free t-shirt!

Now, I’ve just discovered this site so I can’t verify that you’ll actually get the shirt you request. I’ll definitely let you know if the shirt comes in or not. If it does, then this is a site that I’ll be checking at least once each week.

Apparently, these t-shirts have printing imperfections. The one I ordered stated the logo was the wrong shade of blue. Ordering requires just your mailing info, no payment information at all. They didn’t even ask for an email address.

The site states that stock changes often so it’s a good idea to keep checking. There is a limit of one t-shirt per person. If you order and receive the shirt, please let me know.

I grew up in a quiet, middle class neighborhood. We didn’t lock our doors. We borrowed milk and butter from each other. We kids called the grown ups “Mr.” or “Mrs.” but we all felt more like family than many families today. It was (and still is) a great place to live.

And yet. (You knew that was coming, right?) There is always a neighbor - sometimes more than one neighbor - who transforms a wonderful neighborhood into a nightmare. Some neighbors are unpleasant and others are just downright rotten. When you’re dreaming of luxury vacations but would settle for a hospital stay just to get away from an obnoxious neighbor, you know you have a problem!

Now, thanks to the internet, anyone can report rotten neighbors in order to warn others. That means that if you’re thinking of buying a new house, you can check out the neighborhood for any problem people. Pretty cool, huh?

The site is the brainchild of Brant Walker and is owned by @ttenunit.com. They’re not real estate agents or brokers; the site is simply there as a service to those who are considering a move to a new area.

I entered my own zip code and found no reports of bad neighbors so I guess I’m in the clear. (Or my neighbors don’t know about the site yet.) I entered my mom’s zip code and found 4 reports: 2 bad, 2 good. Knowing the area as I do, I admit that I agree with the reports I found.

Whether you’re looking into a new neighborhood or you just want to give your opinion on your own neighbors, this is an excellent resource. Give it a look.

I hate this time of year. I love summer and would gladly never look at another snowflake again. I know, it’s still technically summer. But it’s also the end of summer for my kids.

School begins for my youngest son on August 20. Can you believe that? It’s just too early. I’m not ready to send him back yet. Doesn’t matter, though. Levi waved his school list in front of me every day this past week and I finally relented. We went School Shopping.

After we piled the cart with loose leaf paper, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils and a couple hundred other things that the teachers want the kids to have, we headed over to the electronics section. We walked past the digital cameras, lingered at the Lenovo Thinkpad display, checked out the release date for Madden 09 and finally stood in front of the jump drives.

This is significant because I can remember when kids (in other words, me) did not need electronics. I remember when I thought it was quite a leap the first time one of my kids was required to pay a school fee for a 3 1/4 inch floppy.

(For the record, it irked me that I couldn’t just send one of my own since I bought them in bulk. The teacher thought she had to buy them from their supplier or they wouldn’t work in the school’s computers!)

Anyway, our kids are now required to come to school prepared with a jump drive. The paper said that 1GB is a minimum requirement but the 2GB was marked down so I got that one. I wonder how long it will be before kids are required to have laptops at school.

I need some advice. Or instruction.

My cell phone has been misbehaving lately. Sometimes when I flip the phone open to answer a call, it just keeps ringing, as if I didn’t flip it open at all. If I then hit the Send button to answser it that way, it still keeps ringing. The only solution is to then shut the phone and wait for the person to call back. Or I can just call the person back myself.

It doesn’t happen every day or even every week. It’s random. Sometimes, it happens several times in a row, then it won’t happen again for days or weeks. Having had cell phones for over a decade, I know that when these things start, they just keep getting worse. They never get better.

Every time my phone has needed to be replaced, the Alltel salesperson tells me they can download my address book. When they try, they say it can’t be done. I never know why. They don’t know why. It’s happened at least three times and it’s very annoying. It’s going to be even more annoying this time because my daughter added oodles of phone numbers to my phone for me a few weeks ago.

I do not want to have to add all those numbers back into another phone.

My current phone is an LG AX8600 . It has a micro sd card. What I want to know is how to put my phone book on the card so I can transfer to a new phone later. I need simple instructions using little words.

Don’t laugh at me. I can do all kinds of things with a computer. I can fix them and tweak them and even build them. Cell phones frustrated me. They’re too small for one thing. I’m old and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. And my phone does not have a keyboard. I get annoyed with the keypad.

So, how do I do this? Anyone?

I know most people would rather just walk into a store and buy a cosmetic or toiletry that works for them. And many people simply enjoy the whole buying experience when it comes to beauty products.

And then there are those of us who would rather formulate their own beauty products.

I initially became interested in formulating because everything I used seem to make my face break out. I discovered some really wonderful mineral makeup that helped my skin tremendously. At the same time, I began to experiment with skin care that utilized Essential Oils and a few other simple ingredients. One of my favorite resources for Essential Oil information is the Index of Essential Oils

If you’re looking for information on hair care, sore muscles, acne treatment or even how to mix up a “sensual” blend for romantic evenings, you’ll find just what you want here. The site offers many of these oils for sale but provides information even for those oils they don’t sell.

Please be sure to read all the precautions as well as the benefits of each oil. Yes, they are considered “natural” but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful with them. Some are quite potent.

If you’re wondering, my very favorite Essential Oil is Helichrysum. Feel free to send some my way.

Anyone who writes for the public, whether as a traditional journalist or as a blogger, knows the importance of an attention-grabbing title. The headline grabs the readers and draws them in. It doesn’t matter if the headline is misinterpreted, as long as it entices the reader to read.

I mention this because when I read a headline about curtains for Desktops, my first thought was something that would cover a computer monitor. If not an actual curtain, then perhaps the article was about some type of software, like a screen saver.

In reality, the article is a prediction that desktop computers will soon be replaced by laptops. Ha! I sure did read that wrong. But the article is thought-provoking and even more interesting than I’d initially thought.

I admit that I know many people who are buying laptops as their primary computer today. Kids want laptops so they can take them when they visit friends or travel from school to home. Business people want laptops so they can work from home on weekends or in the evening. Even older people are looking at laptops, possibly because they’ve downsized their homes and space is limited.

On the other hand, I don’t see laptops completely replacing desktop computers. Dollar for dollar, a desktop is a much better deal. With identical configuration, the desktop will always been less expensive than the laptop. Although I’ve upgraded my laptop a few times, I’m still more comfortable working on the inside of my desktop than on a laptop. Replacing a desktop is even more of a bargain since the monitor doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced at the same time as the tower.

I’m blogging right now on my laptop because I’m at my mom’s instead of at my house. When I’m home, I’m almost always on my desktop simply because it’s faster and I like the keyboard better. I see laptops taking more of the market, especially among those who use their computer mostly for the internet. But laptops will never totally replace desktops. That’s my prediction.

One of my favorite things about the internet is the free stuff. I love that people share their creations with others. I love that people share their knowledge.

I learned to build web pages by looking at other people’s code. I’ve also tried very hard to learn about graphic design. For some reason, I just don’t get that. No talent, I guess. Not to worry, though. There are people who offer free graphics that are really good.

One of my favorite sites for free graphics is vecteezy. Vecteezy is a collection of free vector graphics for everything from web sites to Halloween invitations to school projects. Naturally, you’ll want to read the license information for anything you’d like to use since some of the free graphics are for personal use only. Still, free is good.

Go ahead and take a look around Vecteezy. And tell me what you think of it.

Since I hinted at this previously, I’ll go ahead and just make the announcement. My oldest son, Chris, is getting married in 9 days. We learned recently that he’s going to be a daddy. Chris is 29 and has been with Leah for several years. This is all good news.

We’re still trying to tie up lose ends for the wedding while thinking about preparations for the new baby, too. I can’t wait to know whether we’re buying blue or pink. I can pick up some non-gender specific stuff but there isn’t much of that. Everything from Onesies to crib bedding is gender specific these days. Right now I’m making lists. Soon, we’ll be buying!

And you know I can’t wait.

You would think that knowing what I do about computers, and considering how many I fix, I’d surely know to check to see how bloated my hard drive is. You’d think. You’d be wrong.

I’ve been growing more and more frustrated with this laptop and now I realize it’s because I’ve neglected to clean up my hard drive. I know it’s filled with junk that I don’t need but going through my files and streamlining my drive takes time. I don’t have time right now. I want to be able to push a button or click an icon and have my hard drive lean and mean. I guess I’m looking for a software Leptovox solution, to burn the fat from my hard drive and get it running like new. Or close to new.

Okay, so there’s no easy solution. Looks like I’ll be doing some digital cleaning this week.

In just a few months I’ll be an official senior citizen, at least according to AARP. That’s right, I’ll be eligible for the most famous senior citizen’s association this November. How did that happen?

My husband has been eligible for the past two years but hasn’t joined yet. I think I’ll sign up both of us, though. After doing some research into life insurance quotes, I’ve decided that I should just join AARP and find out what they offer those of us who have crested that proverbial hill.

This could work out well for travel purposes, too. I wonder if my husband joins now, if I’m also covered. Or must I wait for that half century mark?