Shock Notes

I have three kids, ages 9, 7, and 4.  With the third child, we appreciate how we still use for our third child some of the things we were using for our first child. Here are some of the things that we used for all three kids. Car Seat/Stroller The car seat is a requirement. […]

We live in exciting times.  For $199, you can get genetic testing done by just spitting into a cup and mailing it to the lab.  I know $199 is still out of range for a large number of people, but it will only get more affordable from here.  Most Americans can afford $199, though whether or […]

  One of the au pairs who took care of my kids was from Germany, and one of the things she missed most was the schnitzel and spätzle back home.  I enjoy learning to cook new things, so I took it as a challenge. Schnitzel is a flattened, breaded and fried meat.  Spätzle is a type […]

Dungeons & Dragons initially popularized role-playing games (RPGs) in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Even today, after a decline in the popularity of RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons remains the best-selling and most well-known RPG.  RPGs have traditionally been played with dice on a tabletop like a board game.  However, modern RPGs are often played over the internet […]

Here’s a family favorite soup I’ve been making for many years now.  I started making it for myself as a single college student in my apartment, and now I make it for my family of five! #recipe: Pnot Noir Bf Stw: 1# bf, 3 leek, 2 garlc, 1T oil, 2C broth, 1C wine, 1t thym, […]

Toys ‘R Us is out of business. It was fun while it lasted. Did you go to the liquidation sales they held? Everything 50% off. Then next week, everything 60% off. Then 70% off. Like standard practice in these retail liquidation events, they kept having bigger and bigger discounts until everything was gone. Everything has […]

  Like millions of other Americans, I am a homeowner with a mortgage and a family.  I work to support my family and pay my mortgage.  In fact, my two biggest expenses are in maintaining my home (mortgage, utilities, maintenance, etc.) and childcare for my three kids (preschool, babysitters, activities, etc.).  With all these expenses, […]

Pills aren’t always the best solution for getting nutrition.  When in doubt, get your nutrition through whole foods instead of supplement pills.  Supplement pills are for those times when you need to increase the amount of a particular nutrient, fast.  For example, if you have severe vitamin D deficiency, you should take vitamin D supplements. […]

I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I do love my coffee. I also like to explore a little more than the average coffee lover. These days most of my coffee is brewed on a Keurig Vue V700 machine, with a Solofill refillable Vue cup for my self-ground coffee.  I grind my whole-bean coffees with a Breville […]

If you’re a less-established author like me, it isn’t always worth the cost to hire a professional editor. I know this statement is considered blasphemy in most writers circles. It’s like advising someone not to hire a lawyer. But hear me out. If you write a standard 60,000-word book and hire a good editor, the […]