Rexanne's Web Review - Issue #20

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We've been awfully busy this week. Older daughter turned the big one two. ;-) Next year, the teen crazies apply. OMG ... thought they were already there and bad enough! LOL!

How's everyone's summer going? Those who are actually in a summer season, that is. I think all our winter readers should write in to tell us how cold it is for them. What do you think? Would sure make us either appreciate the warm weather or cool us off vicariously. Send in your winter stories!

Special thanks to Michelle at FunMail4Kids for sponsoring our newsletter! Please visit her terrific site. FunMail4Kids is an excellent gift idea for any child in your life. Beyond being a super and not-the-norm birthday or holiday gift, FunMail4Kids makes a great surprise or "Just-Because-I-Love-You" gift.

Also, DO check out our new advertiser, PocketCard. Simply brilliant idea for supplying your kids with a controlled amount of money, in the form of a secure cash card. Perfect for our college-bound children!

Pam wrote this in reference to last week's pacifier, bottle and thumb sucking topic:

"My daughter had a nap and bedtime bottle until she was almost six, too. It was such a comfort to her. Her teeth are fine. They don't protrude at all. They aren't rotten. I know her Grandparents would have had a fit if they'd know she had her bottle for so long! She is almost 9 now and we laugh together about the whole 'baba' deal!"

"I was always an 'old softy' as a mother and my kids all turned out to be fine adults, so I agree, let the kids have some say in what they want and for how long ..."

Thank you for your comments, Pam & Deanna. Nice to know all the little tragedies of childhood are really no big deal at all, huh? :-)

Jan wrote:

"Rexanne, when you say 'your kids are not going to start high school sucking on their thumbs' some do! And why not! Some want to and some need to. I know that adult thumb sucking is not that uncommon, I have two friends who admit to still sucking their thumbs or fingers as adults, indeed one, a close friend who is a qualified social worker also has a 'tickle,' a piece of velvet that she strokes to calm herself. None of these people have either deformed teeth or jaws and are for the most part happy, healthy, well adjusted and intelligent adults."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Very interesting point, Jan. I never considered that some adults still suck their thumbs or need that comfort. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

Quote of the Week: When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. - Lao Tzu

This Week's Web Review is Sponsored By: Bargainchildrensclothing.com
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A dear online friend is lamenting the fact that both her daughters are leaving the nest come September ... off to the big world of college and life on their own. My friend, bless her heart, is tearing her hair out over the potential for loneliness that comes with an empty house for the first time in 18 years. Oh dear ... I cringe thinking about the future without my daughters at home. It's so hard to imagine.

I think my friend will do very well living on her own. I truly believe she will come to fall in love with privacy, peace and quiet. Maybe I'm way off base but I'm hoping she will find time in her solitude to discover what swings her skirt and find lots of things she can do to keep her busy and happy as a lone woman at home. Goodness, think of the benefits!

Awwww, I make light of her pain. I am only trying to see some hope and good in a potentially depressing situation. When our children move out of the house, I think we should be ready for the loss with plenty to do and many interests that we've accumulated over the years to fulfill our needs. It's when we devote our entire lives to our children that we become lost souls when they take flight, which they absolutely must do to grow into the exceptional human beings we are raising them to be.

OK, let's go out into the big world of the Internet and find some great advice on college-bound kids. This first article has wonderful advice on parental coping and with helping our children settle into their new digs, economically: Off To College

Here is a great site with many diverse articles on preparing our kids for college: College Articles

~ My son Mark was only 5 feet, 8 inches tall when he left for college in the fall. He worked through the Christmas holidays and didn't return home again until the February break. When he got off the plane, I was stunned at how much taller he looked. Measuring him at home, I discovered he now stood at 5 feet, 10¹/² inches. My son was as surprised as I. "Couldn't you tell by your clothes that you'd grown?" I asked him.

"Since I've been doing my own laundry, he replied, "I just figured everything had shrunk." ~

Here's a link to pass on to your newly independent babies! Lots of real-life college students share their best and favorite recipes. I have most definitely found recipes here I will try. Nice and easy!

Some of these concoctions will cause the hair to stand up on your head. Some are almost gourmet, but all are edible to some degree ... LOL!

Here are a few samples of what you will find at College Recipes: Strawberry Pizza, Puppy Chow, Vegetarian Couscous, Pasta with Smoked Salmon Cream Sauce ... this one sounds fit for serious adult company. These kids are on to something!

Enjoy your foray into the dietary insanity and ingenuity of our college kids and remember to keep an open mind. ;-)

Jelly Bean Magazine is a darling site for teenage girls where they can read up on all the latest beauty regimes, trends and topics. Girls can send teen-inspired online cards to their buddies, find out what their dreams mean in the dream dictionary and even ask the Magic Eight Ball a question or two. There are traditional and Chinese horoscope pages, flirting advice and lots of very girlie-type fun at Jelly Bean Magazine. Set them loose. This is a good, safe site for girls from 12 to 18.

Found these super tips on cleaning those mangy gas grills in the SCC newsletter. SCC is a terrific daily e-zine catering to seniors but loaded with great reading for all. If you'd like to subscribe to SCC for a nominal yearly fee, contact editor Jim here: SCC Sample Week Jim will be a real gent and send you a sample of his newsletter! Tell him Rexanne sent you. :-)

Gas grills can get messy pretty quickly, but they're not too hard to clean. Materials needed:

Large plastic tub half filled with soapy water
Plastic spatula
Nylon pads
Plastic scouring pad
Grill brushes, made with soft metal such as brass
New lava rocks
Wet/dry shop vacuum cleaner

Before you start cleaning a gas grill, disconnect and remove the gas canister. This makes the cleaning job both easier and safer. Remove the main grills and place them in a large tub of soapy water. Allow them to soak for an hour or so. Remove the upper racks and soak them too. Remove and discard the lava rocks. They lose their effectiveness after a year or two as they're covered with grease drippings.

Take out the lava-rock rack and soak it with the grills. If the rack is rusty, you may need to replace it.

If the grill has a drip guard that prevents grease from getting onto the burners, it probably needs cleaning too. Lift it out and place it in the tub. Use a spatula to scrape burnt-on grease from the inner walls of the grill. Use a wet/dry shop vacuum cleaner to remove the rest of the rocks, food particles and other debris from inside the grill.

Now that you've removed everything from the grill cabinet, inspect the burner and the cabinet body. If the burner appears damaged, replace it. If you notice rust in the cabinet, don't paint it, spread vegetable oil over it. The heat from the grill will bake the oil into the rust and prevent it from spreading.

After the grills, rack and burner cover have soaked for an hour or so, remove them from the tub, and scrub them to remove baked-on grease. You can use a metal grill-cleaning brush on stainless-steel grills, but porcelain grills should be cleaned with plastic or nylon scouring pads: metal brushes could scratch the finish.

If the grills are rusty, replace them. Consider a stainless steel or porcelain-finish grill, which won't rust and is easy to clean.

When you're done cleaning, reassemble the grill. Protect the grill from the elements with a grill cover.

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

Purina wants to help you get started with your new kitten. They'll send you a FREE 'Essential Kitten Care Kit' to help make your new fluff ball feel at home and pampered. I sent for this one a few weeks ago. Our little JoJo loves the kitty music (LOL!) and I especially loved the coupons! You'll also get a cute little magnetic kitten frame.

This is a fun way to waste some time! Create your very own laser show, complete with mystical music from Vangelis. Make the lights dance and twirl, zig-zag and spin ... kinda brings back memories of the 60s! ;-)

The story on this page, about a man and a butterfly, is a beautiful and bittersweet reminder of what can happen when we hold our loved ones too closely. A gentle message for all parents ... we need to allow our "butterflies" their wings and rejoice in their flight ... smiling through our tears as we send them into the great big world.

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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.