While I was preparing for a trip, searching through my linen closet and medicine chest for small bottles to satisfy the TSA and their 3 oz. “liquid” in a ziplock baggie requirement, I noticed a number of prescription bottles that had been shoved to the back of the closet. I also found a few loose pills that I couldn’t identify as well a bottle of liquid medicine for Kendyll that I had no idea what it was meant to treat.

I suppose if I were the only person in the house it would be easy to remember what each pill was but with so many people of such a wide variety of ages all in one house, there’s no way I could figure out what is what. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to confuse an antibiotic with an OTC like Leptitrex or Excedrin. And yet, I don’t want to toss medications that are still usable, especially with drug prices so high.

While it’s easy to do an internet search on any drug name, either brand or generic, identifying a loose tablet or capsule isn’t so easy. That is, unless you check out RxList.

Just click on the advanced search link and fill out as much information as you can about the pill that you have. Choose shape, color and imprint, then search and look through the results. Both prescription and OTC meds are listed. If you’re not sure which listing is correct, click on one and then find the View Images link to the right of the listing. There, you can see pictures of how the tablet or capsule looks so you can match it up with the unknown pill that you have.

RxList also lets you search for drugs alphabetically and provides both a medical dictionary and a section on diseases. Its most useful feature, though, is the ability to identify loose pills.

Have you ever remodeled your home? If so, then you know that planning is probably the most important step in the process. Of course, you can always hire the best architect, list your desires and let the experts do their magic. That is, if you have the money to do that.

If you’re like the rest of us, you have to rely on your own research to make sure the project turns out the way you want. When we remodeled our home, I used a yardstick to measure everything in the house (like toilets, counters, wall widths) then drew out my remodeling plans on graph paper. If only I’d had some of the online tools that are available today.

Some of the nicest tools are those that are included in Bob Villa’s Home Renovator Suite. I started off with the Drywall estimator and even with my limited knowledge was able to fly through the questions and generate a report in pdf format.

I haven’t played with the other tools so I don’t know if there’s anything that allows you to layout your room with details like carpet placement, adding a wall sconce, or arranging kitchen applianaces. I’m going to look around the site a little more. If you find other interesting tools there, do let me know. I love designing rooms and this site is a treasure trove of cool tools for just that.

Now I’m off to design a deck!

Although I find many interesting sites by researching tech related terms, I’ve found just as many – maybe more – while researching things related to my kids. I’m not talking about kids’ TV shows or games but everything from health to law to psychology.

A few days ago I noticed that my 12 year old son had a spot on his cheek that could have been the first sign of adolescent acne. Something about it, though, made me think otherwise. It just seemed too big and too red to be a first pimple.

When in doubt, I turn to the internet. In this case, I did some research on this type of skin eruption which led to talk of irritants and bites and eventually spiders. That part of the search led to a very nice page detailing venomous spiders. (The eruption on my son’s cheek turned out to be a spider bite.)

The Spider Identification page has excellent graphics of each spider featured. Even more, the site offers free spider identification and First Aid charts to keep on hand for emergencies. I just love a site that provides great information as well as a freebie. Don’t you?

Now that I’m approaching the half century mark, I’m even more concerned with my health and fitness. I’ll soon be eligible for AARP membership so I’ve been looking over their site. What a wonderful resource for those interested in staying healthy and active!

AARP’s fitness section covers topics like staying hydrated, Diabetes and Exercise, and even mental attitude. Their tips for following a more active lifestyle are excellent.

I’ve debated whether I should join a fitness club that offers fancy machines like electronic treadmills and ellipticals, or if I should just keep up my daily walks. After reading a little at the AARP site, I’m thinking that I should probably add some weight training, at the very least.

I know that AARP is for those over 50 but the tips and information on the site will benefit any age group. Do check it out!

I’m a Baby Boomer. I’m at the late end of the era, but I’m there. Just a few more months and I’ll be eligible for AARP membership. I used to think of 50 as old but now it just seems like another year. I don’t feel as old as I perceived my mom to be at 50. Is that all perception? Or has 50 really changed over the years?

I’m sure perception plays a part but I also believe that the buying power of the Baby Boomer generation has influenced companies to develop products that appeal to our quest for a long and healthy life. There are new companies popping up every day but the tried and true companies that served my parents and grandparents so well are still in the game, making amazing advances.

I was looking around the Johnson & Johnson website, expecting to find those familiar items like Q-tips, baby shampoo, and Band-Aids. I found those but I also discovered that my favorite sweetner, Splenda, is a J&J product. In fact, I never even realized that my contact lenses come from J&J. No doubt Johnson & Johnson has been at the forefront of healthcare innovation over these past decades.

As with any successful company, J&J has focused on quality products and customer satisfaction. Caring about their community of employees and consumers means different things to each of us. I was especially moved by the personal stories of those whose lives have been improved by J&J products. I know about this first hand. As I type this post, I’m in my mom’s home caring for her as she recovers from knee replacement surgery. When I watched the video of Mark who was bicycling again after hip replacement, I fought back tears. It is this kind of innovation that is giving my mother another chance to live a pain-free life.

I know that the healthcare industry in general gets a lot of criticism in the US; I know it’s a hot topic during this election season. Nevertheless, no one can deny the great strides that private companies like Johnson & Johnson have made in providing treatments and products that improve our quality of life so much that 50 today is more like 30 was in the 1950s. I can’t wait to see and chronicle the advances that are yet to come.

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.