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toys, toys toys!

I don't know how much of this you ended up buying
already, but here it is from the beginning:

We already had this little tikes baby swing:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2330640

And then we went to Lowe's and bought eye bolts,
carabiners, this swing
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=128532-452-NE%204911L&lpage=none

and this trapeze bar
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=75696-452-NE%204887L&lpage=none

I paid more for the extra duty versions because I
wanted to be able to use them too. When you buy the
eye bolts and carabiners, make sure the load limits
are appropriate for who you want to be able to use
them.

I wish I would have spaced things out evenly from the
beginning. Initially, I only thought I was going to
hang a swing for Adam. And I think if I were to do it
over again, I would buy two big swings and skip the
trapeze bar. Swings are just so much better. I
spaced the bolts on the big swing out far enough so we
can also use them for Paul's pull up bar. I need to
try out the hammock from Brazil he gave me too. Just
think about all the different uses you are going to
use the bolts for the space them appropriately.

Okay, and as far as other things go...

This is my favorite booster seat:
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Smart-Cooshie-Booster-Black/dp/B0010NSVUC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1210034927&sr=8-2

We bought ours on amazon, but not from that same
seller, so you'll want to look around. They just came
out with a high back version, but they cost more $$.

After looking online I will go with the bigger Baby
Bjorn Potty when we get one. I might get a smaller
one to keep in a separate bathroom?

Hmmm...what else did you ask about? Slides are great
toys. I want to get one for Adam this summer. This
ride on is great too:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2333030

I think we ordered ours from Target; nobody carries
them in-store, so don't bother looking. There is
another toy Adam plays with every single day, that we
would buy for Talmage's birthday if I didn't have to
ship it. You can see it here:
http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?ID=17146&BR=485
but we bought it at Walmart for $10 because Fred had
it too.

You will soon be an expert in kid toys too. Toys
really are important, and I don't want a whole house
full of them, so I am picky with what I get. Oh, and
when your kids are coordinated enough (age 3 or so)
get Razor scooters for them. They are the cheapest,
most durable, most portable, outside toy around. You
can take them with you anywhere and they have the same
make-your-kid tired effect as the trampoline. Height
isn't as much of an issue because you can actually
slide the handle down low enough that someone Adam's
size can ride. (He loves to be scooted around on them
too.)

Photoshop for Real People

I am glad that so many of you are interested in Photoshop! I do not know much/anything about Photoshop Elements so I would be interested in hearing from those of you who do have it to see how much of this applies. Photoshop Elements is the simplified version of Photoshop. For those of you who may be interested in buying Photoshop be sure to get the educational version if you are eligible for that. It's the same thing and more affordable. Also, I believe that you can get older versions of Photoshop on ebay. Really the only reason I have the most current version is because I have a client (my brother) who needs my files to be from a current version of Photoshop in order for the print shops he works with to be able to manipulate the file if needed. You can try out Photoshop or Elements for 30 days for free by going to adobe.com.

Here is the video of me making adjustments on the fountain photo. I am quite sure you will not be able to read the screen or see exactly what is going on, but hopefully it will give you the gist and make following the written instructions a bit easier and demonstrate that once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take long. I was really trying to hurry because my memory card is small and I got cut off at the end. Here is the rest.... "After you flatten the image you save it as a jpg for printing and posting online."

I have 3 folders and 3 versions for each photo: working files (saved as tifs or psd with layers in case I want to edit it later), print files (saved as jpgs, full size), and web files (saved as jpgs as a smaller size...under 2MB...for easy uploading).




Here are the written instructions:

Save as a Tiff (to preserve quality)

Duplicate layer and put the duplicate layer on 25% opacity in screen mode

Adjust levels: move middle slider to left and left slider to the right until you like it

Adjust curves: just a teeny tiny bit...pull up the tiniest bit just below the mid section and down the tiniest bit just below the bottom thing

Adjust contrast up a bit

If going to black and white do that by using gradient map NOT by converting the document to black and white (gives more depth)

Save (as Tiff)

Flatten

Save as jpg

Ok, now here's what I need from YOU! I want to see your photos! So post a link or shoot me an email:)

Some resources I use when needing to learn about Photoshop are: twopeasinabucket or the Photoshop Creative Collection magazine which usually comes with a disk of plug-ins and you can get it at Barnes & Noble. I absolutely hate reading boring manuals and I forget how to do things that I don't do very often. Don't get discouraged though! Find a photoshop friend and call each other when you get stuck. I need one!

Supplemental Insurance 101

I get lots of questions from friends and family and friends of family or family of friends...well, you get the point, about Supplemental Insurance. I thought I would just post this so that all y'all can know have this information handy when the moment is right:)

How do I know all this you might ask? I am licensed in the state of Virginia and Utah to sell Insurance. (and I even used to have my Series 6 license, but that's another story for another day:) AND mainly because I have experienced this all myself. It all started with Emily (as most good deals do:) Thanks Em!)

So here's the main point, if you purchase supplemental insurance policies at least a month before getting pregnant you can get a payout from the supplemental insurance companies (like Aflac and Allstate) after you have your baby and thus get back more than you paid. The chart above demonstrates how it works.

For example, with Sydney (our first baby) we paid a few thousand dollars in premiums between our Aflac and Allstate policies. After she was born we got checks from the insurance companies for over $6,000, so we ended up getting back a few thousand more than we paid in. This money you get is sent straight to you from the insurance company and you can use it for anything you want, to cover your deductibles, co-pays, diapers, new bedroom furniture, maid service ... whatever.

One thing I want to emphasize is that this sort of insurance DOES NOT replace major medical. You still need "regular" insurance. Supplemental insurance pays out based on what happens to the policy holder not based on a percentage of the total cost. So, with Sydney, everything was totally normal and followed the chart below. With Talmage (our second baby) as most of you know, things were very far from normal. Since he was in the NICU for 5 weeks and had 2 surgeries he was assigned a benefit amount for each thing that was not "normal". In the end we received over $47,000 from the insurance companies. I know what some of you are thinking, "You must be rich!" Errr, unfortunately not.... we are very grateful for that money as it has really helped out with all our added expenses (which is exactly what it is designed to do)...remember the $2200 shots that Talmage had to get every month and that we had a mortgage in Virginia, rent (albeit small) in Philadelphia and Camden and rent (not so small) in New York City...all at the same time, plus transportation to and from NYC and Philly for Tyler almost daily, plus the nanny, I think you get the picture:) Oh ya, and plus all the co-pays and deductibles, etc.... Just a few minor details. I haven't added it all up penny for penny, but the hospital bill came in over $300,000 and then when you add in all the separate doctors bills I am pretty sure Talmage was a Million Dollar baby! (and worth every penny of it I might add:) Thank goodness for maximum out-of-pocket!

Ok, so moving on, a question I get frequently is how does it work if you move. Each state has it's own insurance laws and regulations so depending on the state you live in the policy you get will be different. (for example, insurance policies in New York State are not as good as in other states) However, once you purchase the policy, it is effective wherever you are. I bought my policies in Utah and Syd was born in Virginia and Talmage was born in Pennsylvania.

One thing to keep in mind is that this does not work if you are on Medicaid.

I can already imagine the conversations....you are going to tell your husband about this and he is going to react with disbelief and skepticism...is this legal, is this a scam, does it really work? Yes, no, and yes. If he's really skeptical I can put him in touch with other formerly skeptical fathers who now have more money in their bank accounts, or IRA's, or more cool stuff, or less bills, or whatever:)

So how do you sign up. First, check with your (or your spouses) employer (the HR person) to see if they offer Aflac, Allstate, or Time/Fortis. It's cheaper if you get it that way AND it's portable so you get to keep the good rates even if you leave the company. If not then contact a sales rep in your area. That link is for Aflac. This one is for Allstate. However, to qualify for the Allstate policy you have to work at least 25 hours a week when you purchase the policy. And then there is a Time/Fortis policy available in some states that has better ratios than the other two, but I don't know much about it.

So why am I posting this? Am I making money from this? I know you were thinking that! Just admit it:) If you live in Virginia or Utah (and maybe soon to be Texas if I decide to get licensed there) and I help you I will get a commission, but for the rest of you I figure that more money in your pocket is more money into the economy which will help the real estate market which will help us sell our house! So really, it's mainly just for selfish reasons:)

And just to finish it all off, if you are a stay-at-home mom and want to earn a little extra money on the side you may want to consider getting licensed. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Your friends get money, you get money. What could be better! You do have to take a pesky little test and some other unpleasantness, but what a small price to pay to help your friends and family save some cash! Am I a sucker for a good deal or what?

Well, I hope this helps!

Restaurant Reviews from Phoebe!

Here are some of my suggestions. I'm linking the TripAdvisor reviews below each one, so you can read what other people have to say:

-I love Bizou on the Downtown Mall, if you haven't ever been there. They don't typically take reservations and it's not a large place, but I think they take reservations for larger parties. They serve a kind of mix of American Continental food. I love their meatloaf!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g57592-d416533-Reviews-Bizou-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

-I also love a place called Continental Divide that is on West Main Street more or less across from the Amtrak train station/Wild Wing Cafe. It doesn't have a sign, but it does have a neon sign in the window that says "Eat Here Now" and it's delicious! If you've never been here, this would be my top suggestion, as long as you like Mexican food. It's kind of an American/Mexican combo menu. They have a blue corn tortilla chip and goat cheese nachos that are really great! Again, I'm not sure whether they take reservations, but they have big booths than can definitely fit 6 people.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g57592-d416528-Reviews-Continental_Divide-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

-I had a delicious French bistro meal at Zinc, which is also on West Main but further down the road. It opened earlier this year and their french onion soup is possibly the best I've ever had - It has the gruyere cheese stretched over it and french bread in the broth. Really yummy! One problem: We went there right after it opened and got pretty slow service. I don't know if this has improved or not, but I wanted to let you know!

-The Shabeen is a restaurant in a little shopping center by the Staples and Federal Courthouse (almost at the downtown mall, but not quite) and this is definitely something different! The interior is really warren-like and cozy (doesn't feel weird at all) but the food all has a South African flavor. You should definitely look up the restaurant menu and see if it looks interesting to you. When I've gone, I've always gone for a tagine or stew with raisins, lamb, tomatoes, etc and it has been delicious!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g57592-d665934-Reviews-The_Shabeen-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

Here's the actual restaurant website:
http://www.shebeenpub.com/home.htm

And then if you want to get fancier, I have three suggestions:

- The Clifton Inn - it's a small inn a ways out of Charlottesville, close to Keswick. They have an award-winning restaurant where I got to eat brunch the other day with an old friend whose firm was in town to take 2Ls out to a dinner. It was AMAZING. I can only imagine how amazing their dinner must be. Check out their website and I'm sure you can tell more. It looks like they have dinners that are priced whether you get a 3, 4, or 5 course option.

www.cliftoninn.net

-Aberdeen Barn & Steakhouse is off of Rte 29 more in the direction of Best Buy or Kmart. It's like a blast from the past...in a good way! Every now and then Matt and I like to go there for really good steak. It was clearly opened in the 1950s and 1960s and hasn't changed much since. This is a real steakhouse. They have all the different cuts of steak, the iceberg lettuce salad, and that cheese that comes in a little spreadable crock when you sit down at your table. My one problem with the place: Since it's kind of a "guys' joint" it tends to be smokier than a lot of other C'ville restaurants. All in all, I hate that A LOT of restaurants in C'ville allow smoking, but Aberdeen Barn definitely allows smoking! They have a non-smoking section, but I've still had the smoke carry into our area. It depends how much this bothers you. It's still definitely the best steak in C'ville!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g57592-d416539-Reviews-Aberdeen_Barn-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

And here's the restaurant website:

www.aberdeenbarn.com

-Finally, my favorite restaurant in all of Charlottesville: The Ivy Inn. It's pretty pricey but the food is unbelievable. The menu changes daily depending on what they got at market, and the service is the perfect mix of nice but not overly attentive. They definitely have room for parties of all size, but this would definitely be a "big night out." It's right across from the entrance to Ivy Gardens (where all the 1Ls live) on Old Ivy Road (so closer to you in Crozet than all the other places!) inside this cute old farmhouse. If I recall correctly, they also decorate it really well around the holidays so it would be so pretty.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g57592-d416577-Reviews-Ivy_Inn_Catering_Co-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

Ivy Inn website:

http://www.ivyinnrestaurant.com/