YIKES! I’ve been getting emails from some helpful friends that this site has been intermittently unavailable! Some people cannot get in to the site. :(

I need help! I don’t know what’s going on and I need to figure this out. Obviously, if you are reading this post, then you’re in. Would you be willing to leave a very short comment telling me that you can see this blog? It would help me so very much.

THANKS!

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SECOND UPDATE: People are IN!!! Someone at the Wordpress forum suggested that when Lux was “caught in the crossfire” of my web host’s DNS collapse, Lux’s ISP cached the old/bad DNS address for this blog. He said it sometimes takes a few days for the ISP to reset and clear the old cache. That is probably what happened. I tell ya, I have the WEIRDEST problems, ever! I’m hoping that some of the other folks who had these problems are soon able to access this site now.

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UPDATE: I can’t tell you guys how moved I am by your help. Thank you thank you thank you for your comments. For those of you who asked for more information, here’s the nitty-gritty of what’s happening.

It’s a long story, but the problem began when I tried to update the Akismet plugin. There was a bug in that plugin (2.1.7 version). At that same time, my web host had a DNS failure, and my blog went down for a few hours. And at that same time, Luxor the White Cat was trying to post a comment. When he hit “submit,” all he got was a blank screen. I do not know if these three things are related, or if everything is one big coincidence, and that’s half the problem!

So… the DNS problem was resolved. Akismet fixed their bug and I updated again (to 2.1.8), but poor Luxor has been completely barred from the blog. All he gets is a white blank screen. This has been going on for days. He has cleared his cache, tried different browsers on different computers, etc. Nothing. The only thing I can think of is that my web host blocks his ISP or his ISP blocks my site, or Akismet is blocking him. I have NO IDEA and it’s getting frustrating after a few days. If you are a geek and you have any suggestions, I’d appreciate it. I threw this all out at the Wordpress.org forums, but no one has touched it.

Remember that Cascade dishwashing detergent I blogged about? Someone gave me some free Cascade, but I don’t have a dishwasher. That didn’t stop me from graciously accepting the Cascade, of course. :D So my daughters and I have been testing it out on other things. It is very versatile stuff.

For one, we found out that, if used as a laundry pre-treatment liquid, it removes stains from clothing. Then, I read that if you burn your cooking pan, just pour in a little Cascade gel with some baking soda and hot water and let it sit for a while. And then there was the day that we bought a new ceramic cooking pan (for lasagna) from WalMart– and I HATE it when the stores put all those nasty stickers and gorilla glue on the cookware, all to hold a sticker or paper?? We poured a little Cascade with water and let the pan sit– and voila! The gummy stuff came right off!

Yesterday, we ran out of Ajax scouring powder for our tub. I have to buy the gentle powder, because the tub is fiberglass and easily scratched. However, the tub is very old, and collects soap scum like molasses collects flies. It is a real chore to scrub that tub out, ugh. Well, we ran out of Ajax, right? My daughter got the bright idea to squirt a little Cascade gel in the tub. Amazing! It took the soap scum off! On the tough spots, she let it sit for a few minutes, and was able to buff it off. The tub is sparkling clean!

So I am loving the Cascade. Maybe someday we’ll get a dishwasher and try it out on actual dishes, lol! But for now, we’re experimenting with all sorts of things and trying to be as creative as possible (skipping things like horse supplies and animal shampoo, of course!). If you have any other ideas or requests about what else we should test it on, let us know.

Well, here’s a very unusual cognitive test I just took! I found it here; it’s done by the Cognitive Drug Research group. From what I could see, the quiz has nothing to do with drugs, unless they are testing my coffee-induced, caffeine-cognitivity, lol. I took three brief tests, and every one of them was basically testing my ability to click a button when I recognized an image or concept. It says that speed and accuracy are tested. Well, here’s my score, which surprised me:

Woohoo! An 18-year old brain! :-p Big deal. I’d rather have a 40-year old brain and an 18-year old body. Well, I can take comfort in that I can still cart around my own Briggs and Riley without a cane, at any rate. :-p

I tried out a cute new quiz, but couldn’t decide on the final question. Quite the quandary! The last question is “Are you a geek?”

I don’t know if I am a geek! I can do html coding (Blogger and Wordpress) but I can’t build an entire website. I understand some things, probably more than the “average” gal, but I have no idea if I am a geek or not. I could probably install a plasma stand, but don’t ask me to install a plasma TV!

Here’s the first result. I answered “no” to geekdom.

You Are Impact

You are very unique and quite striking. You are forceful and aggressive. You never go unnoticed, and people recognize your power instantly. While you make your presence known, your message is a bit fuzzy. You are not the easiest person to understand, and you’re not one for details.

And now I answered “yes” to geekdom.

You Are Comic Sans

You are a nothing but a big goofball. You’re quite playful and fun! You’re widely known for your zany personality and your vivacious attitude. To say that you stand out in a crowd would be a definite understatement. Remember that you are overwhelming at times and that people appreciate you best in small doses.

I am more inclined to be a geek than not.

Golly, life’s questions are sure tough.

What is it with me?! Why do I attract the weirdest problems known to modern man? Last night, some of you people sent me emails (THANK YOU for that) informing me that my blog was acting “screwy.” Some folks tried to leave comments, but the blog imploded on them while doing so. I found out that my web host went bonkers, and lost my DNS information for a while, but they said they fixed it. Well, don’t go on any European cruises yet, guys; looks like something is still screwy!

Tonight at about the same time as last night, I get an email saying the same thing. Wha?! Why me, why me, why me?? :(

My blog is back up– I haven’t seen any problems– but the errors seem intermittent. I appreciate you guys giving me heads up on this. I wish I knew what to do!

is DO NOT DANCE IN NYLON AT THE GAS STATION. Whooaaaaa! rofl!!

I am ALMOST done school shopping. Ugh, I hate this time of year. The stores are absolutely stuffed with mothers and their screaming little banshees adorable little children. Sales at the stores are OK, as far as sales go, but I need a few extra things and I’m not finding sales on them! Wristwatches are a mandatory accessory for when the children take their tests. They are getting a little too old for the Little Mermaid and Buzz Lightyear plastic WalMart specials. Hubs and I decided to buy them things that will endure for a while. So I was elated to see some very cool selections at Movado.com. I love love love this TAG Heuer men’s watch. It looks like the dashboard of a BMV or an airplane! At $795, it’s, um, a little pricey for me. OK, on to more browsing, lol.

Movado watches are very classy. All watches are guaranteed authentic, and there’s a GREAT special right now — buy one watch get another free on specially marked ads. It is a great deal. Hmm, this is a Timberland ladies watch, very attractive. Guess how much it costs?

Come on, guess!

Try $38!!!! :-O Nice! And it comes with a free watch!!

Watches are actually as low as $32, and if they come with a free watch– that’s cheaper than Walmart prices for such quality, absolutely. All watches are brand-new– no refurbished watches here. The selection is outstanding; I’m very impressed at the prices and the free watch offer. You’ll have to check out the website to see, but if you need new watches, Movado is the place to go.

Yeehaw! I’m attracting awards like flies to molasses! Actually, I’m just so elated that people read the blog! The Natural State Hawg (known as Boss Hawg in my vocabulary) has bestowed on me one of the sweetest awards ever: The I {Heart} Your Blog Award. I’ve been admiring this award for a while. You can guess how happy I am that Boss Hawg passed it on. He’s a radio man (I had a career in radio before raising my kids), and we radio people need to hang together.

Oh, I do ramble on! Here’s my loot!

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;
2. Link the person you received your award from;
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and
5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated.

Thank you, Mr. Hawg!!

*curtsies*

So now I pass it on. This is a tough one. I cannot fathom limiting this award to only 7 recipients. Therefore I’m going to randomly choose blogs from my bookmarks. Ready?? This is so exciting!

*drum roll*
*tears open envelope*

1. Backcounter Buffet! Yay, Julia! All those creepy scorpion posts won you a spot in my bookmarks (and kept me up at night)!

2. Chica & Pumuckl!! Oh this is a wonderful blog! Two Egyptian cats in Germany, and their owner, Ana, has this amazing ability to know what they are thinking! A great cat blog!

3. The Big Hannah Montana Fan!! I like Hanna Fanna, she’s got a great sense of humor! Plus, she has a very cool Pet Rock named FuFu. That’s a kickin’ cool name for a rock.

4. Carole’s Thoughtful Spot! I was hoping Carole would make it! This is one of my most most favorite blogs, ever. She plays some great games, like “When the Phone Rings At Our House, It’s Game Time!” Hey, we play that, too! What a coincidence!

*throws confetti*

This is fun! Can’t I have more than 7 blogs?!

5. Luxor and his family at A White Cat. I have a lot of cat blogs marked as my favorites, hee. I think Luxor may even have anticipated this award- he’s all dressed up for a fancy night out.

6. Chilly at On the Bricks! Chilly is always giving me awards, so it’s a treat to give it back this time! His posts always make me laugh out loud.

7. The Quiverfull Family Blog!! This is new favorite to my bookmarks. I was won over because I finally found someone whose house is in worse shape than my house! Although, they are building their house out of straw on purpose– mine is just disintegrating by accident.

Congratulations you winners! Spend your award money wisely, buahahahahah!

One of the best things about homeschooling is that there are no limits to your creativity. Moms are especially creative creatures. We are always looking for ideas and ways to encourage learning, no matter what the activity.

With that said– here’s a really cool podcast series about Health for kids! There’s audio and video, and the site is very, very classy! It’s the blog by WholeFoodsMarket.com. I am very, very impressed. This is a great site to have your kids– especially your teens– sit down and peruse. The podcasts emphasize healthy eating and thrifty living. Even if you don’t homeschool, this is a great site to visit! It has links to recipes, articles on genetically engineered foods, seafood sustainability, and even has a little grocery store where you can purchase foods and spices!

It’s like Home Ec all in one. Plus, it encourages healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. I like the pdf files– there are some good ones on substitutes (like what to use in place of store-bought toothpaste) and a great post about oral health care.

I can’t rave about the site enough! Quit reading now! Go and see it, and get those kids healthier!

Uhhhhh. I updated my Akismet plugin today, and *poof* it’s gone! Wha?? I did the same to one of my other blogs, and now I can’t “Delete All.” Holy cow, why do I have all these problems?! I’ve heard it may be a bug… *sigh*

So I’m going to have to put blog comments on “moderate.” The last thing I want is for you to be as shocked as I have been at all the lascivious spam I get on this blog!

My apologies in advance. I hope they get Akismet running again.