Advantage Term Life

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You can quickly get an Insurance Quote from their website and compare the quote between several different insurance companies to find the best rate for you. With money being a big concern to family caregivers it is nice to be able to get comparisons to help find the best rate.

If you are shopping for insurance be sure that you look into the Insurance Plans Pros and Cons for each of the kinds of plans you are considering. The last thing you want to have happen is find out something about the kind of plan you are thinking about getting when it is too late to change your mind on what you will do. Explore all options and if possible discuss those options with a friend or family member before you decide which plan is best for you.

This post was sponsored by Advantage Term Life
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Alaska State Fair

Me and my sister took our dad and one of her granddaughters went over to the Alaska State Fair yesterday. I did some entries on the Alphasmart during the trip, they are below here...

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We're off to go to the Alaska State Fair. Beautiful sunny day out today, I love it. Just enough clouds around the edges to keep it cool, but not enough to pose a serious threat of rain yet. We may just make it through the fair without being rained on.

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As I write this I am working on my little Alphasmart sitting at the state fair waiting for my sister and her granddaughter to rejoin me and dad. Dad and I are taking a break sitting in the cover of a food place while my sister and her granddaughter go through the aisle to get us food.

It is still an absolutely gorgeous day today with the sun shining down beautifully. I'm very pleased with my little Alphasmart, as the thing is in direct sunlight and I can see the screen perfectly. I do think, however, that I should have worn a sleeved shirt instead of the t-shirt I am wearing. Even as thin as it is it is hot in it and I am going to have pale white shoulders and upper arms and be brown below the elbows.

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Sitting at the fair waiting for everyone else to finish eating I am watching the people on the fair rides. I recall going to the fair with my sister (not the one I am here with) years ago and we would always take the kids and go on the Tilt-A-Whirl ride.

It was sort of a tradition that we go on that and squish her children. The kids loved that ride almost as much as me and my sister. ::snicker:: Of course, the ride would shift and we would be the ones smooshed into the side by the kids. It was particularly fun because the ride was one of the older ones at the fair and the newer fancier ones attracted all the other thrill seekers leaving us nearly alone to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl, which meant that unless there got to be a line waiting the ride operator would just let us keep on going for as long as we wanted. He explained at one time that we had so much fun laughing and carrying on that with me and my sister and three kids we were attracting other riders to what had to have been the best ride at the fair. And in my opinion it is. I soooo miss riding that ride after dark with my sister and her kids.


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And that ends the entries from the fair trip. We had a great time, meandering around checking things out. When we first got there I helped my dad into his wheelchair and asked where the foot rests were. ::pounds head on desk:: They was left home! People wonder why me and mom need lots of time to get things together to go somewhere, it's because it takes a LOT of preparing to make sure nothing like the wheelchair footrests are left behind. (We were going to go to the lower 48 once and about 250 miles down the road went to get food only to realize we had left my dad's dentures at home on the bathroom vanity!)

Anyway... dad used his right leg to hold his left leg up for a little while and we went slow. There was a wheelchair and stroller rental just inside the gates and we rented one of their wheelchairs with foot rests and the gal kept my dad's wheelchair there. Worked out good.

We went off exploring the fair after that. Checked out the animal barn then meandered down by the fair rides where I got pictures of the carousel - will share more of those later when I get the pictures edited in GIMP. I looked for the Tilt-A-Whirl, finally asked one of the ride operators (he had no idea what I was talking about, said "You mean kind of like the Octopus?" when I described it and I said "Yeah, sortta." He said it was set up on the other end of things, but I'm not sure if he meant the Octopus or actually did mean the Tilt-A-Whirl.

We had a lot of fun though, watched the Alaskan Native Dancers perform for a little while, then went off to meander through the Imaginarium building
and see what they had in there, then we went and checked out the crafts building.

I could have spent all day in there watching the gals sewing up quilts, studying the quilts that hung in there, and listening to the demonstration on quilts that they had describing some of the quilts and the work that was done on them. Had I been alone I know I would have, but, alas, I was not alone and was riding with someone else, so I had to be good and not get too lost in the quilts.

We went and found my little wyvern figure that I had made (a wyvern is a dragon with two legs rather than four). The little fellow did good (particularly considering I only had a week to build him and was still working on finishing touches on paint in car on way to drop him off during the last hour they were taking submissions. lol). Here is a collage I made for him from pictures taken.

Those are
Division Champion Rosette
and

First Premium Ribbon

I can reclaim him after the fair is finished, fair ends the 3rd, I think I can pick him up the 4th, 5th or 8th if I remember right. After I have him I'll get better pictures of him with his ribbons.

Online Therapy Journal

Journaling is one of the most therapeutic things that a person can do when they are facing a stressful time in their life. I have worked through every stressed moment I have ever had by writing in one way or another. The process allows you to channel your feelings into thought form and once you can think on what it is you are feeling you can better understand and deal with those feelings.

Now there is a website that can help you with your therapy journaling. MyTherapyJournal.com allows its members to keep an online journal that is kept in a secure location from which the journal writer can chose to share pages via a direct link in e-mails, or they can print specified journal entries.

The intention for use of MyTherapyJournal.com is for those experiencing anxiety or depression, or similar problems that can be worked through with the aid of a therapy journal. The online journal is designed to allow for the private and secure entry and storage of your most personal thoughts and feelings during a stressful period, whilc still allowing you to share them with those you desire and to print a copy for your personal journal.

I had cause once to be in the parent housing for the hospital here in Alaska. I still remember the small journal that was set on the nightstand of the room, a place for worried parents to write about the experience of having a child in the hospital. It was not so much to leave a word of comfort for parents that would come after as it was to offer comfort to the parent that wrote the entry. A soothing salve for the soul that was found through writing their thoughts and feeling, their fears and the hopes that their child would be helped by the doctors.

That is what therapeutic journaling is. It is a cooling cloth brushed against the feverish thoughts of fear and anxiety. When the words are gently caught by the soul and touched to the page with a hand that may not be steady it opens the way for healing and peace. For understanding and, if the writer so chooses, the reaching out to touch the fringes of another who may be in a similar moment of difficulty and seeking the reassurance that they are not alone.

If you would like to learn more about Therapy Journaling you can find out by visiting the MyTherapyJournal.com website. To visit MyTherapyJournal.com, please click here > You can try the site free for 14 days, no credit card required, and then subscribe by the month, for three months or purchase an annual subscription.

This post was sponsored by MyTherapyJournal.com

Fair in a rainy afternoon?

Today is starting to look like a decent day. There is a low cloud cover, but it does not look at the moment like it is threatening rain. I wish it was clear like yesterday had been, but as long as it's not raining I'll be happy.

I am not sure yet if we will be going over to the fair today or not, if it starts looking like rain we will definitely postpone it until tomorrow or the next day. The weather forecast is calling for cloudy skies, a chance of evening showers and thunderstorms along the mountains. Not something I like to hear. Sounds like the fair is going to close out under a cloud cover with chance of showers all weekend.

Blood Pressure Explained

Okay, I did some research while I was at the doctor's office. Them charts they have up in there are great things to help you figure things out. Such as what those numbers mean when you take your blood pressure.

The basic ranges for blood pressure are:

high BP = >140/90
healthy = <120/80

It is important to note that the reason these numbers are important is because Your risk of a heart attack doubles for every 20 points the systolic (top) number increases, and for every 10 point increase in the diastolic (bottom) number.

A blood pressure reading commonly looks like this:

120/80 mm Hg

The first number, systolic, is the pressure as your heart beats.
The second number, diastolic, is the pressure as your heart rests.
'mm Hg' refers to millimeters of mercury, which is the unit of measure for blood pressure readings.

Normal less than 120/80
prehypertension 120-139/80-89
hypertension 140 or higher / 90 or higher

Ever try finding the clock in an exam room?

As I sat this afternoon and waited for the doctor to see my dad, I found myself thinking of an important thing to be sure you take along when visiting a doctor. A watch.

I don't know what it is about doctor's offices, but I have yet to be in a doctor's office, or exam room, that has a clock anywhere in it. I suspect it is so that patients loose track of time and do not realize that have been waiting half an hour to see the doctor.

So, when packing things up to go see a doctor, take a medications sheet showing what medicine the patient is taking, a page with your questions on it, a page with any concerns that need to be addressed on it, something good to read/or work to do, and a watch.

Film stock footage at AlwaysHD

Looking to create videos to help get the word out about the role that family caregivers assume in the care of those in medical need of assistance? I have always wanted to create a series of videos to help highlight what a family caregiver does and what they go through, but I have never had the time. One source that I found that can help in cutting down the time on making something like a film, commercial or project video filmed in HD format is AlwaysHD.

AlwaysHD offers film stock footage in professional quality High Definition footage. The prices are very reasonable and the ones I have seen average in price range from $50 to $150. The footage at AlwaysHD includes not only live action, but also computer animations, including ones for various medical subjects.


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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

What does it take to get ready?

Getting ready to go somewhere takes a special talent, one that I think only parents share in common with caregivers. You need to be able to get not one, but two people ready. When I got my dad ready to go to his doctor's appointment this afternoon I had to get clothes picked out for both me and him, get myself cleaned up and dressed, help my dad shave, help my mom with getting my dad cleaned up and dressed, make sure my dad's dentures for him and make sure they were clean, get him a refill on coffee to take along (forgot my coffee dang-it), get his dentures, get his wheelchair (my sister took care of that for me), get my things for working gathered (Alphasmart, notebook, pen, etc), get my purse, get my dad's wallet, print out a current medications list and double check that it was up to date. Then I had to help my dad out to the car. Take everything I had gathered up out to the car. (denture cup, dad's coffee, forgot the Kleenex, ashtray with snuffer, dad's cigarettes and lighter, my purse and briefcase and dads wallet, forgot dad's hat). I also forgot to brush my hair after I had washed it so my hair as I sit in the doctor's office is a total mess. Forgot to put brush in my bag, gah!

And that is what I can think of as I sit here in the doctor's office waiting to see her. It is compete insanity and that is for a fast run to town and back with only one stop.

How late do doctors work? As late as they need to sometimes

Went to the doctor's office with my dad and lo and behold it happened again. ::snerk:: The nurse handed me a sheet of paper on a clip board and said "Here, you can go over this with him," and she left leaving me to do the "You having any..." Q&A session for her. I swear, as often as I have been left to do the work for nurses from here to Washington, I really do need to go for my nurses degree one of these days.

I love my dad's doctor and her nurses. I know of no other doctor that would schedule you for 4p.m. and have you call at 3:30 to see how late she's running. They finally had us come in at 6 p.m. (the office closes at 5:30 p.m.) and as I write this on my Alphasmart it is 6:25 p.m. and I just finished asking my dad all sorts of things like "any shortness of breath?", "any heart pains?", "any blurry vision?" etc etc. and we are waiting for the doctor to come in to see him now.

* * *

The doctor finally got to us just before 7, around 6:50, and got out of doctor's office at 7:35 p.m.

Cosmetology school

The Regency Beauty Institute began with two schools in Minnesota back in 2002 and today they have grown through careful expansion to almost 30 campuses in nine states. They are viewed as one of the nation’s leading beauty education providers and the graduates of their cosmetology schools are sought by salons throughout the United States.

This makes Regency an excellent option for anyone that has an interest in learning about cosmetology as a career or part time job. I have known people that ran beauty salons out of their home, which would be the perfect option for a caregiver as it would allow them to remain at home and have someone provide care for the care recipient during business hours with the caregiver nearby if there was an emergency.

For more information, visit www.regencybeauty.com.



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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

What do you mean you can't be ready in an hour?

I have decided that I am going to examine just what is involved in getting a care recipient ready to go somewhere. Given the response from my siblings on why we don't go places more often, and why we want more than an hour's warning on when they want to get us and go somewhere, I have a suspicion that there are others out there that have similar problems.

It seems to be easy for friends and family to make arrangements for things to do, so easy that they get irritable when the caregiver says that there is no way they can be ready and do the activity in that timeframe. So, I will start looking at what it takes to get ready - and mind you my dad is not as difficult to get ready as a lot of other care recipients, while there will be some that will match this timeframe, there will be care recipients that will require less time and some who will require significantly longer to get ready.

I hope that this will at least give a basic idea on what it would take, on an average scale, for a caregiver to get everything ready when they want to go somewhere with their care recipient.

Sometimes the caregiver is the bad guy

I think I annoyed my sister by pointing out that it would make more sense to go to the fair tomorrow than today. I had thought we had made arrangements last night to go tomorrow since my dad had an appointment today, but apparently I was wrong and we was supposed to go today. By the time I found out about going today it was after 11:30 a.m., so we would not have got out of here today before around 1 or 1:30 p.m. and my dad has a doctor appointment at 4:00 p.m. today. It is a hour drive from our house to Palmer (where the fair is), add in fair traffic and it would have been at least an hour and a half. So that means that we would have left here at say 1 p.m., got to the fair around 2 or 2:30 p.m. and had to be headed out from the fair back to my dad's doctor's office by 3:00 p.m.

That would leave only half an hour to an hour to get into the fair and see things and get back out. That's not very much time so we'd have been pushing my dad's wheel chair at top speed - which would have made his arm hurt where it bumped against the chair. Then he would still need to go to his doctor's office and we always have about a 2 hour wait to see her.

Not a good plan for the day, when I was thinking a few days ago that today would be an okay day to go I thought get to fair and go in by 10:00 a.m. and spend the morning and afternoon slowly exploring then go to doctor's appointment. So, this morning, when I found that I had misunderstood that the decision was last night, I made an executive decision based on being dad's primary caregiver and said we're not going today. We still have five days of the fair if he wants to go, it makes sense to me to let him relax and enjoy the visit rather than rush through things in an hour max. And he said it sounded like a better plan to him too.

I annoyed my sister with the change, but I am more worried about my dad's ability to hold up to the stress of all day in a car and wheelchair, then having to sit and wait for a doctor for hours, than I am with how my sister feels about how my schedule fits hers. Besides, when I told her I could not have him and me ready in time to go before noon at the earliest I heard no offers to come help with getting things ready, so I can hardly feel bad about not being able to make it today when I had thought we was going tomorrow anyway.

Coastal Carolina Properties

Considering a move to North Carolina? Perhaps to the Wilmington area? Why browse through real estate ads looking for the right home and hoping you can get a good deal? Caregivers have little enough time as it is, let the Realtors at Coastal Carolina Properties help you find wilmington nc real estate that fits you.

A quick visit to their site can help you to find out what others have to say about them, as well as contact them to learn about their relocation services and the custom information packets that are tailored to your needs. They can help you with your purchase of waterfront property, gated communities, golf communities, and beach properties in North Carolina.

This post was paid for by coastalcarolinaproperties.com

Fair trip postponed for a day or two

Okay, we're not going to the fair tonight, instead we'll be talking over what to do and maybe go tomorrow instead. I don't know about that though since tomorrow my dad has a doctor appointment at 4 p.m., I will be hoping to put the fair trip off to Thursday instead.

I really want to get over to the fair, if nothing else than to see what sort of things were entered in the category I entered this year and the ones I want to enter next year, but finding the time is seemingly impossible.

Radiator.com

We got my dad's old truck pulled out front and are going to go over it to see what it needs on it. I think that all it needs is the rear hub, but I have my bookmarks all ready for any unexpected needs right down to the radiator. And knowing how hard it can be to find a radiator for that truck my radiator resource is Radiator.com. Their easy to navigate site can help in finding anything from a Civic Radiator to a pickup radiator, so I know that whatever my needs (whether for my dads truck or one of the old Mustangs my brother restores), Radiator.com will be able to help find what we need.



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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

Might be going to fair tonight

It sounds like me and dad will be headed for the fair after while, my sister called and asked if we wanted to go over there so I guess we'll go over and see the fair for a little while and see how the polymer clay wyvern I entered in the fair did. As much as my back hurts I really am not thrilled about it, but I guess I should go because I may not get another chance to go over there before it ends.

Back hurts

I'm not sure what in the heck I did to my back, but it hurts all across the back of my ribcage and down to my hips. Just a deep muscle ache that leaves me wanting to curl up on the bed and go back to sleep until it quits hurting. I think it is that my desk is at the wrong height here and it's starting to get to me on a muscular level. I need to take a good long hot bath to fix it, but don't have the time to do that until later tonight.

Allegro Medical - search for medical needs based on condition

Shopping online is something that can save you time and money. As a full-time caregiver working as a freelance writer, I know that both time and money are invaluable. In the half an hour it can take me to run up to the corner store after something I could have got so much accomplished. Because of that, I have taken more and more to shopping online.

Sites like Allegro Medical (AllegroMedical.com) that sell medical supplies online can be invaluable to the caregiver. Allegro Medical sells a wide variety of medical supplies from eggcrate mattress pads to light therapy pain relief systems to help relieve pain from sore muscles and joints (something I should look into given the way my knees act up all the time). Something I do want to find and had not yet seen anywhere else is Kinesio Tape. Kinesio Tape is designed to be worn for several days and withstand showering while still allowing the skin underneath to breathe. Five yards of it is only $12, so it is a really good thing to tuck into the medical kit for emergency needs (and if you're like me you have a medical kit - mine is a Red Cross backpack that I got second hand and have been restocking for any emergency need. LOL)

Something I REALLY like about Allegro Medical is their tab at the top that lets you "shop by condition". I can shop for my mom's diabetic needs, things for my dad who had a stroke and has a heart condition and for me in my effort to loose weight all from the same site but in specific categories for each of our needs. That is a feature that I think makes Allegro Medical a must visit site for anyone that has multiple needs like I do or that does not want to see unrelated things when shopping for medical products.



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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

Quilted pillow case

I made my mom a new quilted pillow case, had been going to make it for my bed, but I liked how it turned out so much I decided to give it to my mom, anyway, I went to take a picture of it a few minutes ago and found that it apparently had to pass inspection first.

Pillow inspector

This is the first pillow case I have ever tried to make, so I am really happy with how it turned out. I made the center area a while back to make a small quilt with a checkerboard of the crazy pattern and solid prints, then never made the quilt out of it.

Here is the cat-free view of the pillow:

I should have spliced the crazy sectioned middle and pieced it rather than sew the square sections together like I did, but I didn't think about that until I was half through with the pillow case. Ah well, something to remember for the next pillow case, huh?

The edge is a hand made ruffle that I made myself. It was the hardest part since on one side of the ruffle the thread kept breaking and forcing me to start all over again.

And no patterns here, I just sewed things where it seemed like it'd work and made the ruffle based on how I make the top edges of skirts and pull in fabric on dress shoulders.

Shed floor painted

Me and mom went out yesterday and got the floor of the shed painted. We had been going to put Thompson's Water Seal on it, but then decided that stuff took too long to dry so we instead went for normal paint that only took 3 hours to dry and was ready for a second coat in 2 hours. Much better than the several days that it took the water sealant to dry.

Check out Black-Friday.net for Black Friday sales information now

Oh man, I can't wait for Thanksgiving now! You know that good sale that they always have after it, the Black Friday sales? Well, I have found a website that gives you the inside scoop on all of the 2007 thanksgiving specials to be found out there and lets you start building your shopping lists now rather than at the last second.

For example: Yesterday my mom and I got a serger sewing machine for my brother's fiancee, picked it up at JoAnn for about $250, that's $50 off the normal price. I was saying how I been needing one of them things too and would buy one around Christmas time. Well, I just checked out Black-Friday.net and they have information on what JoAnn's sales will be this year and there is a White 1600CB Speedylock Serger for $209.99! Around $100 off on Black Friday! I need to get my serger on Black Friday, apparently this site lets me shop online at JoAnn that day rather than go into the store. That is how you deal with that day.

I've never gone shopping on Black Friday because of the insanity of it, but if I could sit here and shop from my computer, using Black-Friday.net to show me where the deals I want to get are at. hehehe Now that is the way to go shopping! Go find all the great JoAnn deals at Black-Friday.net and shop for my dream quiting and crafting stuff.

This post brought to you by Black-Friday.net

Was out running a 580L backhoe today

Slow start to today I started out by oversleeping, then when I did wake up I was out in the yard a lot watching my brother work with the backhoe he had out there, running the front end loader part of it to clear a section of land and level out an area near where he's building his house.

I even got hop up in the thing and run it for a while, but he knew what he was up to with the area he was clearing, so after he'd had his cigarette break I told him to take it back over.

We moved my dad's old truck outta where it was and out by the new shed too, want to get the old Ford prettied up and looking good. Need to get a new wheel hub for the back of it, then he's ready to go. Dang hub flew off going down the road a few years ago and he's been parked since.

I could be a morning person

At least I could be a morning person if I could swing waking up in the mornings.

I love to get up early in the mornings because it means that my parents are not up yet and I can work in relative quiet (just a little noise from my dad's radio that is usually easy to tune out). It also means I can watch the sun rise and enjoy the tranquil peace of an Alaskan morning.

I want to build myself a nice room with large plate-glass windows along it so that I can sit out on the porch and watch the sun rise with a mug of coffee and a comfy quilt over my legs. That is the perfect way to start the day. - maybe my cat perched on my shoulder too. lol

Most caregivers know about drugs - but what do you know about drug addiction?

As caregivers we deal with prescription drugs all the time. Maybe our own, usually those of our care recipient. As such we tend to get to know the effects and side effects of those drugs fairly intimately and to know how dangerous some of them can be.

I cringe at prescription pain medications and how easy it can be to get prescriptions for them. The local walk-in clinic and local dentists have both given me prescriptions for heavy dose hydrocodone, a drug that I know is very easy to build an addiction to.

The CBS series Without A Trace had a plot line going a while back where one of the lead characters, Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald (played by actor Eric Close), was wounded in the line of duty and during the course of his recovery developed an addiction to his prescription pain medications. The writers, and particularly Mr. Close, did an amazing job of showing just what it can be like to be suffering from an addiction to prescription medications, and in showing that you can not fight something like that alone. You need to get help.

Convincing someone to seek help is only half of the struggle, there is also a need to find the right kind of help. That is where services such as those provided by 1-800-NoDrugs come in. 1-800-NoDrugs is a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation referral service that can help you to locate the kind of drug rehab assistance that you, your friend, or your loved one needs. If you or someone you know has developed a dependence on prescription medication, get help. You don't have to let the drugs get out of control, you can take back your life and find help.

Visit the 1-800-NoDrugs website to find out more about their goals and how they can help. The website has information on a variety of addiction subjects and addictive drugs to help you better understand what caused the addiction and how it can be treated.

This post was kindly sponsored by 1-800-NoDrugs

Strange Spider - Arachnophobics don't look at this!!!

I found this fellow in the yard one day a couple weeks ago. He had made himself at home on my mom's yard cart. I have no idea what he is, I'm guessing he's a member of what I am seeing called redback spiders? I'd really love to know what he is if anyone knows anything about him, since he's a new addition to the Alaska spiders as far as I know (I've never seen one before) and I want to know if the sucker is poisonous or not.

There never used to be poisonous spiders in Alaska, but then there also never used to be huge thunderstorms and I know we have had black widows found in the stage in recent years.

Anyone know what this guy is?

The red mark was sort of arrow shaped from what I can recall of how he looked, this is the best picture of him I have.

Building a pill safe

I have decided that I want to build a pill storage safe into the bathroom when I build the shelving in there. Something that will blend into the shelves but have a locking door that will allow me to lock the pills away from little fingers to prevent accidents when little great-grand-kids visit mom and dad.

I want to make a series of shelves along behind the door, so that the door opens up toward the shelves and they are in the narrow area behind it, so since that area is also the perfect width for a large sized pill bottle to go in I will install a cabinet door in the shelves and create a built-in pill cabinet with a decorative lock and everything. It should look really good when I get it built and I will take pictures as I work on it so I can share the design in an article for my Family Caregiver Info website.

Computers and stuff at TechPalooza

Have you seen them little tablet computers that all the nurses carry around now? As a writer I have envied them slim little notebook computers that I keep seeing in the doctor's offices. How nice that would be for writing or graphics design or or or... Shoot, even just for keeping track of everything I need to with my parents around here and my own health needs.

Well, I have found one now, and I want it as soon as my finances allow me to upgrade my laptop. TechPalooza has them for under $1,500.00. Yup, TechPalooza, if you have not been there before it is really worth checking out. They have some great prices on computer stuff, such as a Palm TX on their top sellers list - $253.00! Memory cards as low as $7 for 256MB. This month (what's left of it) you can get free shipping on your order. I wish I had seen that back at the end of July, I'd have been a lot more tempted to make a fast purchase when I had the money to put into stuff.

For those that are looking for computer products, but not very computer savvy, the TechPalooza site is very easy to navigate and seems to have most anything you could be looking for at some of the best prices I have seen anywhere. Having sworn off second hand electronics stuff after my last camera purchase, I was elated to see Canon digital cameras for almost as low for a brand new camera as I had paid for the broken one I bought used.

You definitely need to check the site out before you shop other sites, I think you'll like what you see.


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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

New Shed Is Done

The shed is finished. Yay! It looks really good and my brother and nephew even built a ramp up into it to make getting the hand cart into it easy. Now to start tomorrow and get it ready for holding assorted stuffs. We have some metal shelves in the basement that I am going to take apart and move out there to use for shelves in the new shed. Should work good and help in getting junk outta the basement since those shelves look awful down there but will fit in perfectly with the inside looks of the shed.

Shed looking good out there

My nephews are supposed to come up today and help get the roof on the shed they have been helping us put together. It is all assembled other than the roof, which they determined they were not going to get finished yesterday so did not even get started on yesterday.

I think it looks good out where it is, the tan color fading in nicely behind the cover of the trees in the yard so that we can see the shed, but it's not really noticeable. I want to put up tool storage racks and maybe move the hose reels out to hang along the back side of it. That will require some reinforcing from inside, but I think the things would look good out there so I'll have to remember to ask my mom about that plan later on this afternoon when we're out there working on it. Easier to add that reinforcing now than after the shed's filled with things.

Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk

Alzheimer's is something that affects so many older adults, and research has recently shown that it is not only the elderly that are at risk. I heard on the radio the other day where a man cared for his 30-something wife that was suffering from Alzheimer's. I am not sure if its effect on the younger generations is a new development in the disease, since I myself am not personally affected by Alzheimer's in my family, but I know people who read this blog that are personally affected by it and the wife of one of my nephew's is a caregiver at a nursing home, so I am sure that she knows patients that are affected by Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's is for the large part one of the unknowns. It is something that few people stop to consider until it touches their life. That is one of the reasons why things such as the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk is so important. The Memory Walk is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of Alzheimer's through charity walks that help to raise awareness and funds that can help fight Alzheimer's.

I went out to the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk website, but there are no memory walks in Alaska. I find that to be a real bummer, maybe someone from Alaska would like to sign-up as a Team Captain? It would be a great way to raise awareness for Alzheimer's and the Alzheimer's Association in the state. I am a lousy organizer, but if anyone is interested in getting a walk going let me know and we'll see what we can do to help organize a Memory Walk in Alaska, okay? You can leave a comment here or e-mail me if you would be interested in talking about it. Signing up early is the way to go for anyone thinking about getting involved, since it takes time not only to get things in order for walking, but to train yourself for the walk and to arrange for someone that can help you out with your caregiver duties if you are a caregiver that will be walking.

Even if you are not affected by Alzheimer's, I encourage you to get out there and help with the Memory Walk in any way that you can. Sponsor a walker if you can, or walk as a Team Captain, team member or even an independent walker. Even just get out there and cheer the walkers on if that is all you can do. Show your support for this important cause and please, help spread the word about the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk.

Thank you.

Computer stuff for my dad

My mom picked my dad up one of them large (19") flat panel computer screens the other day to go with his computer so he can see the screen better. Now I want to get him one of those large key keyboards - think they're called Googol or something like that. Has larger sized keys for people that have a hard time hitting the small standard keys or for anyone that works in low light.

Right now the cheapest ones I can find are in the $50 and up range, but I am watching for one I can afford to get for him. They have to have been around long enough that they'll start coming down in price to the same range as a standard keyboard - right?

Sheds for storage and trailers for camping

Got the nephews out there today building a shed for us to store stuff in, open up a lot of room in the house and make it easier to work on painting and other projects we want to get done before winter. Then after we're done with that we can use the shed (a 10'x14' shed, to store tools and my ATV and whatever else we need to store around the yard.

They're out there now with dad in his wheelchair playing supervisor as they build the deck and get ready to build the shed - which is one of them metal sided kit's from Lowes. It should work out really really good when we get it all finished and usable.

One of my brothers is out there too, he's working on putting the lights on the trailer that my mom got for having a place that dad can sleep when we go camping. If it was not for his being half paralyzed a tent would work, but we got a small trailer that will work a LOT better for him and my brother is getting the lights and wiring all fixed on it for us.

"You can't park there, you're handicapped!"

I can't believe this. I was listening to Rick Rydell this morning, it's his open lines day, and some guy called in and said that he had overheard someone yelling at a handicapped person, in a wheelchair, because they had parked in a non-handicapped space. Say what?

Yup, thats what the guy said, he said the person had been yelling at the handicapped person that they have their own spaces and don't need to be parking in non-handicapped spaces.

It is just one of those things that struck me and makes me want to go whack someone up the backside of the head.

I put curio shelves in the end of my dad's desk

I got my dad's computer desk all put together and in the end of it, where there is a recessed area, I routered in some grooves and used some 5 gallon can sized paint stir sticks from our local Lowes to create shelves. The shelves were all stained with old oak colored stain and then put into the cabinet.

It makes a really great cabinet for displaying my mom's collection of Wade figures and looks really nice in the front room.

I inset the shelves just enough to allow me to get some glass now and build a door to go over the shelf area. That way once the figures are in place on the shelves the door can be closed and dust will not collect on the figures and add to the amount of housecleaning needed to be done.

The desk has more shelves down low on the side, on the end of the desk area, where even more of the Wade figures can be put on display.

Investing in Gold

It can be difficult to save for the future. When you are a full-time family caregiver it seems like every penny you earn is spent twofold. When you can manage to put something aside, however, how do you invest it?

If your thoughts turn to gold, as mine do, then the Monex Deposit Company has hard asset professionals that can help you make precious metals investments such as the purchase of gold bars or gold coins.

Then they can arrange for either immediate personal delivery or, if you prefer, for your investment to be safely and conveniently stored in an independent bank or depository. Check it out today and remember Monex when you are ready to invest in your future. They have been trusted by investors for over 30 years now.


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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

So tired

One problem with being a caregiver is you are always tired. I am exhausted right now, but there is a lot to do so I can't go to bed yet. I want to, oh boy do I want to go to bed. But I can't quite yet.

This stuff, staying up night after night when you would rather be sleeping, wears on your soul. Tiredness just seeps in and you feel like you'll fall over sideways. I have before, it's no fun. Actually my legs buckled and I just flat passed out. Woke up as I hit the floor. No fun.

Family caregiver is the highest stress unpaid job in the world.

Got my dad a computer desk

We got my dad a desk for his computer, putting it together later is my job. It's a nice big Sauder computer desk with a hutch over it. There are openings on the end of it, little recessed areas, so I am going to install shelves for me and mom to put knick knacks on the end of it. Should work really good and look real sharp.

Martin Worldwide mailing lists

Being a full-time family caregiver, I know that it is hard to find something that can be fit in around the chaos of being a full-time caregiver. When you can find something that you can do to earn money while providing the same level of care that you need to for your care recipient, it is a dream come true. It is therefore important when you reach the stage where you are ready to begin a marketing campaign you have access to potential customers that have an active, responsive, and impulsive buying history. That is what Martin Worldwide offers.

Martin Worldwide is a leader in direct marketing mailing lists, and their mailing list database, ResponseCom™, a proprietary blend of U.S. Response and U.S Consumer databases. It can help you find Business Sales Leads that are most likely to buy your product or service when you approach them with the right marketing plan.

If you are ready to take the next step and look into direct marketing then you should find out more about Martin Worldwide and the direct marketing products and services they have to offer you. Call them at (888)- 267-3545, or visit their website at the link above.


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This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

Cosmic hint?

Okay, mom and I headed for town yesterday, stopping in Big Lake as our first destination and I tried to use an ATM at the service station. Tried. The thing was not working because it had apparently got too low on money. Okay, we went to Big Lake's little mall. The ATM in the grocery store was not working. Had something wrong with the phone lines or somesuch. No problem, there are three ATM's in town. Down to the Credit Union.... two guys were busy replacing the ATM machine.

Am I paranoid, or is there something cosmic hint-like in the fact that out of three ATMs that I know of in Big Lake, not a single one of them was working yesterday.

Need more time to get things done

Aaarrrrhhhhgh I just realized it has been a very long time since I was able to work on my stop motion films I wanted to work on for assorted things, including a few films for my caregiver site. I need more time in the day to get everything done in.

I have got some work done on the site, but it's not ready for relaunch yet. I hope to get that finished up soon. You know how life goes though, I'm not about to hold my breath on that.