Rexanne's Web Review - Issue #17

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Happy 4th of July everyone! Wow, get to send out the newsletter on a holiday! Hope Christmas doesn't fall on a Tuesday ... might be hard- pressed to get one out on Christmas Eve! ;-) For our readers in other countries, today is our Independence Day. Lots of red, white and blue everywhere you look, picnics, barbecues, parties, fireworks and pride in our country. What holiday traditions are unique in your country? Send your stories!

Well, turned yet another year older yesterday ... Oy, Ugh, Mama Mia and BOO HOO! LOL! I am NOT equipped to deal with middle age. Something in my genetic make up wants me to remain the age I think I am, not the age I really am! Might work for a few more years. ;-) OK, consider yourselves as having wished me a collective Happy Birthday. Having you all as subscribers is good wishes enough. You are all a very fine greeting indeed! :-)

Have some reader's comments to share and 4th of July goodies so a surfin' we will go ...

Sharon has a super idea for the Baby Sitter's Check List from last week's Freebie:

"I like your baby sitter's check list idea, and wanted to pass on this thought: As my son is grown and gone from the house, I no longer need a kid sitter, but since we have 3 dogs and 2 cats and frequently leave them with a live in pet sitter I wanted to point out that most of the same rules apply to your pets! We made sure that we took over a signed release form to our vet with the names of the people who sit our animal 'babies.' I also leave a list posted on the refrigerator about who gets how much food and when, etc."

Excellent idea, Sharon. Thank you! I will be doing a newsletter centered on pets one week soon. Stay tuned! And just in case you missed the Baby Sitter's Check List last week, here's the link again: Baby Sitter's Check List

"That was an awesome one. Loved the Master Mind game and the Party Corner. Love the variety of things you put in your web reviews ... Great thinking. Thanks for sharing your web pages and taking the time to do it. You brighten up our days."

Well, I'll be a flattered woman! Thank you Lorraine! Your words are salve to my blistered fingers! ;-)

"I know not what course others may take ... but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" (Patrick Henry)

Who loves to travel with kids? You don't?! Gee ... surprising! ;-) It is one of life's greater hassles, isn't it? From babies with the diaper bags, bottles, ointments and blankets to adolescents and teenagers who grow bored within five minutes and fight amongst themselves, it's never easy. We're not leaving home without 'em, so let's figure out ways to make it easier.

I don't have too many tricks or much advice to pass on. It was always torture for me to drive across the country to visit the in-laws. I would much rather have taken a plane than seen the gorgeous scenery between Los Angeles and Denver but we made the road trip several times. First time when my older daughter was just 3 months old. She loved it ... slept most of the two torturous days while I fretted over her getting cramps in the car seat. She didn't. She woke up, I fed her. She fussed, we stopped to walk around and explore the world.

When the kids were older and there were two of them, we packed a surprise bag for the car. New toys, books, story cassettes and a small tape recorder, coloring books, markers (crayons tend to melt) and a Polly Pocket or two. It helps but it never quite frees us from cries of: "How much longer?" or the dreaded: "Are we there yet?"

If you're traveling by any means other than car, the time does tend to move a lot quicker. Still, there are issues to think about pre-trip, such as packing for each child, prescriptions to renew before leaving, cherished blankets not to forget and a variety of other necessary details. I've scoured the 'net for good articles and tips for traveling with the munchkins so we have help!

This first link offers everything you ever wanted to know about family travel from airports to water safety tips. Articles, tips, tricks, ideas, hotel accommodations, family friendly vacation destinations, the works. Awesome amount of information but you will have to register with the site, Family Travel Forum, to gain access to these archives. Family Travel

This next link is About.com's traveling with kid's page. Another super resource for all you need to know. No need to register: Traveling With Kids

Also found a goodie on camping with kids for those with the fortitude and patience of saints: Camping With Kids

There are red recipes, blue recipes, white recipes and a combination of all three at this super holiday food site, filled with scrumptious 4th of July fare. Party On America, from HolidayRecipes.com, takes the idea of Pot Luck and runs with it this month. Lots of great to-share foods are featured and a kid's idea page to make you the queen or king of toddler town. They even encourage you to host a pie contest, complete with recipes for yummy summer pie fillings. Why does this bring visions of a food fight to my mind? LOL! Also be sure to check out their snacks and treats pages for late night fireworks munching.

The main site is a keeper, too. Lots of great recipes for everyday, tips, ideas and more.

This is Kid's Domain's awesome 4th of July site, filled with top notch pages of activities and information about America's Independence Day holiday. Children can send an online greeting card, learn the history of this holiday, play super online games, do word search puzzles or print out a picture to color. There's also lots of kiddie clip art for on or off line projects, a link to the Declaration of Independence online and links to other 4th of July kid sites.

Kid's Domain is one of the all-time great kid sites. Be sure to book mark their home page for future holiday events and wonderful content year round.

"When I worked at a convenience store, I had to, on occasion, clean up unpleasant messes. I found that the use of a dust pan, a broom, and a plastic bag made the job quick and less disgusting. This worked for any task from spilled drinks with ice to vomit. My daughter now works as a waitress. I mentioned this to her, and it has already benefited her several times."

I can think of countless times I could have used this tip. Thank you, Linda, for taking the time to share a super trick with us!

Got a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it here for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

Martha, AKA Queen Can-ivore, is offering a free cookbook, "Lifestyles of the Culinarily Inept," to anyone who sends in a tip or trick she hasn't already heard of. Whoo Hoo! She'll be the sole judge, and fair warning, she's a certified hint junkie. Coming up with something new (or as she calls them, NOOMs - new ones on me) might be tough. Check her site for millions already published: The Real Martha Send tips to: Martha

Many readers will remember a few weeks back we talked about kids, chores and my miserable failure at implementing them! There was a link on that week's newsletter to an article on chore charts. While scavenging the 'net for interesting fodder for this week's review, I shrieked with joy at finding these nifty, free chore charts.

Isn't it always the way? Looking for something one week and so little resources ... a few weeks later, boom! All manner of resources pop up at ya! OK, enough complaining about my timing ...

There are so many terrific choices on this site, from the Main Chore Chart to other, less complicated ones. They are all lovely and can be printed in batches or just book mark the page and return for future needs.

As I mentioned with the baby sitter's check list last week, you could always copy/paste these charts into a Word document and modify them to fit your needs.

Weekly Time Waster: Fun Words to Say
(Because life is supposed to be fun!)

Anything and everything online ... this week's Time Waster is a classic example of anything goes! But it's amusing and actually an educational event in itself.

"Dave's List of Words that are Fun to Say" is sometimes silly, always interesting and I guarantee you'll learn at least 5 new words each time you visit this wacky site. Dave doesn't leave you wondering ... there are definitions for each word and proper pronunciation of the more challenging ones.

Quick ... what does 'obstreperous' mean? Don't feel bad ... I didn't have a clue either! LOL! Here's the definition from Dave's site, straight from Merriam-Webster's dictionary: "Latin obstreperus, from obstrepere to clamor against, from ob- against + strepere to make a noise."

This site is a gem. Enjoy your wasted time in here knowing you are learning something! :-)

Wilstar has been creating web pages since the beginning of time ... well, Internet time anyway. His site is a shining example of family friendly excellence. His tribute to our country is an inspiration to all of us web masters who haven't yet gotten around to creating our own! There are links to all the important historical documents, speeches and issues that are the true meaning of this American holiday, lots of red, white and blue song midi files to download and a fun Java-based word search. Wilstar also has his own greeting card page for July 4th online well-wishing.

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No more "Are we there yet?!" ;-)

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The fine print: This newsletter is copyright - 2000 - in its entirety. Please pass it on, but also please leave it intact. :-) You are receiving this email because you sent a specific message asking to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter. If you wish to be removed from this list, see the unsubscribe notice above. This is NOT SPAM, nor will you ever see a recipe featuring SPAM in this newsletter! ;-)

I have personally checked out the links provided here but they could possibly lead you to any number of bizarre and/or offensive sites. Surf at your own risk. The DIRECT links on this page are all family friendly unless stated otherwise. While this newsletter is family friendly, it is not necessarily intended to be read by children. Parents should always monitor their children while they are on the Internet.