I absolutely hate to iron!  I only do so if it is unavoidable and usually only clothes for church on Saturday night.  Well, I think I have found just the thing.  Have you seen the Incrediball Steamer Dryer Balls?  They are supposed to be as good a wrinkle remover as the expensive steam dryers.  All you do is fill it with water and put it in the dryer.  The water heats up and steam comes out of tiny holes all over it. Sounds like it could really work. I can’t wait to try it out!

I usually welcome spring and all it’s beauty, but this year I have mixed feelings.  Along with the beautiful flowers, bunnies, and butterflies have come ants.  They are in our kitchen and bathroom.  They are everywhere outside. They are all over the yard, in the garage, the dog food, and even under the hot tub covers. We have put out traps and that didn’t work.  I even gave into spraying poison out of desparation.  We sprayed outside and in with two different chemicals.  The ants are finally dying outside after putting out Seven Dust, but are still inside.  I am sick of them.  Any ideas??

I am so excited!!  I love having a subscription to Netflix because it saves us so much on cable.  The kids can watch the Disney shows and movies that they like on the computer.  I had been wanting to buy the box that they sell that goes right on tv stands on top or beside your tv like a DVD player would that allows you to watch instantly right on your tv. Well, I am glad that I didn’t now.  They have just come out with the option to stream movies through your Wii.  How awesome is that!  Now, that is cheap entertainment:)

So… I was in charge of coming up with an end of the year program for the Home Instructors of Mebane which is the name of my homeschool co-op.  In the past, slide shows had been a big hit.  Well, I am technologically challenged when it comes to things like this.  I searched on the internet for ideas and found various choices.  The best one for me because it was the easiest to use and made your photos look incredible and would allow me to seem creative was Smile Box.

I created about a 12 min. presentation and chose three upbeat songs to accompany my photos.  It was awesome!  I was able to burn it to a DVD and now I will have it to treasure forever.

There are lots of different formats to choose from and I loved that you could put music with it.  It was very easy to use and with a free trial, you have nothing to lose!

Your choices when choosing a Pediatrician these days are normally limited to those Pediatricians that are accepted by your medical assistance program that you are enrolled in. Many employees are now members of Heath Maintenance Organizations (also known as HMOs). If you are part of an HMO then you’ll be given a list of Pediatricians that you need to select from. You then choose one Pediatrician as your child’s Primary Care Physician (also known as PCP).

No matter if you’re a member of an HMO or not there are several people you can turn to as you try to locate a Pediatrician who’s right for you and your children.

If you have medical insurance through your employer then your workplace is a great place to look for referrals. If you have trustworthy co-workers who have kids you can ask them if they’re happy with their Pediatrician and if they are then you can ask for referrals. Since you are co-workers, changes are you have the same insurance provider so the Pediatrician you’re referred to is sure to accept your insurance plan.

Another great way to get a quality referral is to call a medical school in your area and ask a member of the faculty for a Pediatrician referral. The medical school staff is certainly very qualified to give a recommendation and they are probably familiar with many of the Pediatricians in the community.

Once you find a Pediatrician that you think you might want to take your child to, there are several questions you may want to find out the answers to before you make your appointment. First, verify that they do accept your insurance and are accepting new patients, then find out the answers to any of the following questions that concern you:

What are the Pediatrician’s office hours?

Are weekend or evening appointments available?

What hospital is the Pediatrician affiliated with?

What is the Pediatrician’s availability in the case of an emergency?

Does the Pediatrician practice by himself/herself or is it a group practice?

Will the Pediatrician provide advice over the telephone?

Will the Pediatrician’s bill go right to your insurance company or will it come to you?

Another great place to find out information about a Pediatrician you’re considering taking your child to is by visiting the American Medical Association’s website and using their Doctor Finder tool to pull up the Pediatrician and read about their training, background and history.