When Summer Staycation time rolls around each July, it means that Lin is on Staycation and everything here at Telling It Like It Is is put on hold. The term “Staycation” is defined in the Urban Dictionary as meaning “a vacation that is spent at or close to one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer”, and with rising gas prices, baggage fees when flying, rising costs of flying etc, taking a Staycation this summer was the best thing we could have done.
So, do you want to know what I did on my Summer Staycation?
It’s very helpful that my husband is able to choose his own staycation/vacation time according to my work schedule, so when Lin is on Staycation, we are able to plan in advance some fun things to do as a couple.
You may recall my mentioning before that I’ve been shopping for a sports car, so the first order of business of being on Staycation was to finalize the deal and drive away with my shiny, red convertible Corvette! It’s kind of funny since a corvette wasn’t even on my list of sports cars I was looking at, but after test driving it and finding that my husband could actually fit into it as well as drive it being 6’9” in height, we knew the vette was a keeper.
We also spent quite a bit of time hanging out at the community pool relaxing and trying without success to get a tan, since swimming and tanning is a typical summer staycation/vacation activity for most people, but I’ll just have to accept the fact that burning and peeling is about all I can muster.
We also went to the movie theater and saw Will Smith’s movie “Hancock”, which was just okay in our opinion. Special effects are fine in movies, and we both really enjoy Will Smith’s other movies, but Hancock is not one of the movies we would go and see a second or third time. Sorry Will, but Hancock was sort of a Staycation downer.
Another fun thing we did while on Staycation was go cruising in the vette, with the top down of course, spending some time hanging out at beautiful Lake Texoma, which is an 89,000 acre lake on the Red River and is shared by Texas and Oklahoma. Lake Texoma is widely recognized as a top fishing lake (my husband agrees), and is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Southwest for summer fun and relaxation. Maybe next summer we’ll actually rent one of the cabins on Lake Texoma, since many cabins are located in scenic and secluded areas surrounding the lake, allowing for quiet relaxation.
The “icing on the cake” of our Staycation was when we saw Martina McBride in concert at Dallas’ own Superpages.com Center. I don’t understand why the “powers that be” changed the name from Starplex to such an idiotic sounding name, but seeing Martina McBride in concert was one of the best and most fun things my husband and I did on my/our summer staycation.
I’ve also discovered that I can make legitimate money, even while on Staycation in the privacy of my own home, doing online surveys with CashCrate.com. Being someone who is highly suspicious of the legitimacy of online surveys and similar offers, I can attest to the fact that CashCrate.com is a legitimate way of making money online. I personally select only the “100% Free” offers from the menu shown, and I’ve been able to see immediate results in making real money doing online surveys.
I’ve also been having fun playing with ClipArt that I’ve begun using within some of my most recent articles, and with the variety of images, fonts, sounds, photographs, web graphics and animations offered, I now have a much larger selection of images to use for coming articles. While there are many sites, including Flickr.com, to find images to use within articles, I’ve been finding that the ClipArt site has many images that work very well for the articles I write.
I even managed to spend some time on Twitter, periodically chatting throughout my staycation with those I follow on Twitter. Well, staycation time is over and it’s time to get back to work and bringing you more informative and interesting articles to ponder, but at least you now know what I did on my summer staycation and we had a great time!
Do you know what your kids are doing online? Do you really know? If you feel you need to know what your children or teens are doing online, you will need a computer monitoring program, also referred to as computer filtering programs.
Maybe you want to help keep your kids safe from sexual predators online due to advances in technology for children, or perhaps you want to know what your spouse or employees are doing online when they are on the computer. Whatever the case may be, computer and Internet Monitoring Programs run invisibly in the background of your computer while your kids, spouse or employees are using the computer.
With computer monitoring software, you can know what your kids are doing online, on MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites, as well as instant messaging and email conversations that may be causing you concern. The Online Safety Site has a chat example of what your kids may be doing online without your knowledge, and parents need to know what their kids are doing online in order to protect their children.
The computer monitor and filter programs listed below offers a variety of features, so be sure to carefully review the information to help you in deciding which internet monitor program is right for your situation with your kids, spouse or employees.
Spector Pro 6.0 is the best spy software that money can buy. Spector PRO was awarded the coveted Editor’s Choice by PC Magazine, also offering Spector for Mac OS 3.0. Records emails, chats, IM, web sites visited, keystrokes typed and ALL MYSPACE. PLUS includes Internet time Blocking and danger alerts! Web Site Recording tool monitors every page accessed and saves a record of the URLs chronologically - Last Visit, Duration on Site, Active Time on Site, Total Number of Visits and more. Record every program (or application) and program window run on the computer being monitored.
eBlaster 5.0 is the ONLY software in the world that will capture their incoming and outgoing email and then immediately forward that email to you. eBlaster also captures BOTH sides of chat, instant messages, all keystrokes, websites and screenshots. Dependable, full-featured remote surveillance software; Records Internet and PC activity; comprehensive email reports sent right to your inbox. Easy for computer novices to install and use effectively.
Net Nanny 5.5 will allow you to manage your family’s Internet policy and from anywhere you have access to an Internet connection-even from work or on vacation! Review detailed interactive charts and graphs that provide information about where, how long and how often your family members are spending on certain web site. Manage access to Instant Messaging applications and see the full text of all Instant Message conversations.
Kidswatch Internet Security Parental Control V5 is a 2008 Award Winning Internet Safety and Parental Control software package that can meet the challenges facing parents on how to protect children from the negative aspects of computer use. Help your kids stay away from trouble and take the next step in parental supervision and computer supervision! Limit Internet surfing, chatting & game play. Receive email notifications when suspect words or phrases are encountered in chat conversations. Monitor chat, websites visited, programs used and computer use.
Telling It Like It Is fully endorses WiredSafety.org as a leader in Internet safety and help group on issues including social networking, cyber bullying and protecting kids from online predators of all kinds.
Country singer Martina McBride’s “Waking Up Laughing” concert tour included a visit to Dallas’ Superpages.com Center on July 18th along with opening acts by country music singers Chris Young and Jack Ingram, and what an amazing show it was. For someone so small and petite, standing only 5′4″ in height without heels, the Kansas native has soaring pipes that kept the audience on their feet begging for more.
Christopher Alan Young, the handsome hometown country boy (born June 12, 1985 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee) opened the concert with his stunning baritone voice, wowing the audience with his singles hit “Voices” which will be included on Young’s second cd scheduled to be released late this summer. Young, who won Nashville Star two years ago, is gaining attention as a singer/song writer artist and rightly so.
With a great band backing him, Chris Young delivered a set that quickly warmed up the audience, including songs like “I Wish I Was Lying”, “Drinking Me Lonely” and “Beer or Gasoline”. Fans of Young should check out Chris Young on MySpace and Chris Young on Reverbnation, being sure to also follow Chris Young on Twitter for updates about upcoming events and music releases.
Jack Ingram, the Houston Texas native (born Jack Owen Ingram on November 15, 1970) put on a typically raucous performance that was a real crowd-pleaser. Ingram first made a living singing country music while touring between Dallas and Houston, releasing several independent albums and scoring his first hit on US Country music charts with the song “Flutter”. Ingram has toured with superstar country music duo Brooks & Dunn as well as country-rock artist Sheryl Crow, and recently won the ACM for top new male vocalist on May 19th 2008.
Songs Ingram sang at Superpages.com Center included “Wherever You Are”, “This Is It”, “Love You”, “Lips of an Angel”, “Measure of a Man” and my personal favorite, “Barbie Doll”. Fans of Ingram can keep up with updates by visiting Jack Ingram on MySpace, but unfortunately there is currently no Jack Ingram on Twitter to follow and it’s a shame since Twitter is a phenomenal tool that would help bring greater awareness to his musical talents and surely increase record sales.
The moment Martina McBride took the stage at Superpages.com Center to begin her Waking Up Laughing concert set, the audience erupted in well-deserved applause to express their excitement, appreciation and gratitude for a woman with such tremendous musical talent and vocal range that is truly awe-inspiring.
McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas) likes singing songs about strong women who take chances, feel proud of themselves, correct their mistakes and walk away standing tall. Hit songs like “Happy Girl,” “My Baby Loves Me,” “If I Had Your Name”, “Independence Day”, “A Broken Wing”, “Whatever You Say”, “Concrete Angel”, “This One’s For The Girls”, “Blessed” and of course “When God Fearing Women Get the Blues” says it all.
Martina McBride makes it seem so easy and effortless to nail every song she sings, including that of my personal favorite “Where Would You Be” that played like pure fire, bringing about a standing ovation and applause from the audience lasting several minutes.
Tickets are currently on sale for the Martina McBride Waking Up Laughing Concert Tour, and whether you are a current country music fan or not, this is a must-see concert that will bring you to your feet and make you a life-long fan of Martina McBride.
Here is Martina McBride singing Where Would You Be and tell me this doesn’t knock your socks off!
As you’re reading this, we are now on a much needed Staycation. The hubby and I are getting some R&R and enjoying some wonderful sights and scenery in our local area. I’ll periodically be checking emails, moderate and respond to comments left, but it may take a little longer than usual to do so.
If you’re new here, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy some of my favorite articles on this site. If you haven’t yet, you may want to subscribe to Telling It Like It Is by email or RSS feed, whichever you prefer. I’ll be back to regularly scheduled postings next week.
Parents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July of each year and is similar to a combination of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. This year in 2008, Parents’ Day falls on Sunday, July 27th and future celebration dates include July 26, 2009 and July 25, 2010.
The Parents’ Day observance is growing in recognition and is designed to increase awareness of parental responsibilities as teachers, mentors and guardians to their children. Parents’ Day celebrates the efforts of parents and encourages all Americans to show appreciation for their own parents, whether biological, adoptive, foster, or stepparents, as parents play a vital role in a child’s development and socialization.
Parents’ Day in the United States was created in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed into law the Presidential Resolution unanimously adopted by the U. S. Congress. According to the resolution, Parents’ Day was established as an annual holiday for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.”
President Lyndon Johnson once said, “The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assistance, and private concern — will never be enough.”
The creation of Parents’ Day offers many opportunities for communities, organizations and churches to honor exemplary parents and to encourage families everywhere to invest in our children as our most precious resource, including participating in fun family activities that encourage happy and wholesome families.
According to the original National Parents’ Day legislation, “All private citizens, organizations, and governmental and legislative bodies at the local, State, and Federal level are encouraged to recognize Parents’ Day through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts in furtherance of recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children” (H.J. Res. 398).
On National Parents’ Day, children of all ages, race and religious denominations are reminded to say thank you to their parents, stepparents, grandparents, godparents and adoptive parents for all their love, hard work and commitment made on your behalf.
Studies have shown that children with parents who are highly involved in their lives attain higher levels of academic and economic achievement, making it critical for parents to recognize the benefits of purposeful parenting and do all they can to sustain good relationships with their children.
This year, as National Parents Day nears, take time to gift your parents with a card and plan some special family activities to honor your parents and show your gratitude and appreciation for all they have done for you throughout your life.
When Summer Staycation time rolls around each July, it means that Lin is on Staycation and everything here at Telling It Like It Is is put on hold. The term “Staycation” is defined in the Urban Dictionary as meaning “a vacation that is spent at or close to one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer”, and with rising gas prices, baggage fees when flying, rising costs of flying etc, taking a Staycation this summer was the best thing we could have done.
You may recall my mentioning before that I’ve been shopping for a sports car, so the first order of business of being on Staycation was to finalize the deal and drive away with my shiny, red convertible Corvette! It’s kind of funny since a corvette wasn’t even on my list of sports cars I was looking at, but after test driving it and finding that my husband could actually fit into it as well as drive it being 6’9” in height, we knew the vette was a keeper.
Another fun thing we did while on Staycation was go cruising in the vette, with the top down of course, spending some time hanging out at beautiful Lake Texoma, which is an 89,000 acre lake on the Red River and is shared by Texas and Oklahoma. Lake Texoma is widely recognized as a top fishing lake (my husband agrees), and is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Southwest for summer fun and relaxation. Maybe next summer we’ll actually rent one of the cabins on Lake Texoma, since many cabins are located in scenic and secluded areas surrounding the lake, allowing for quiet relaxation.
Spector Pro 6.0
is the best spy software that money can buy. Spector PRO was awarded the coveted Editor’s Choice by PC Magazine, also offering 
eBlaster 5.0
Net Nanny 5.5
Kidswatch Internet Security Parental Control V5
Country singer Martina McBride’s “Waking Up Laughing” concert tour included a visit to Dallas’ Superpages.com Center on July 18th along with opening acts by country music singers Chris Young and Jack Ingram, and what an amazing show it was. For someone so small and petite, standing only 5′4″ in height without heels, the Kansas native has soaring pipes that kept the audience on their feet begging for more.
With a great band backing him, 
Songs Ingram sang at Superpages.com Center included “Wherever You Are”, “This Is It”, “Love You”, “Lips of an Angel”, “Measure of a Man” and my personal favorite, “Barbie Doll”. Fans of Ingram can keep up with updates by visiting 
McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas) likes singing songs about strong women who take chances, feel proud of themselves, correct their mistakes and walk away standing tall. Hit songs like “Happy Girl,” “My Baby Loves Me,” “If I Had Your Name”, “Independence Day”, “A Broken Wing”, “Whatever You Say”, “Concrete Angel”, “This One’s For The Girls”, “Blessed” and of course “When God Fearing Women Get the Blues” says it all.
As you’re reading this, we are now on a much needed Staycation. The hubby and I are getting some R&R and enjoying some wonderful sights and scenery in our local area. I’ll periodically be checking emails, moderate and respond to comments left, but it may take a little longer than usual to do so.
Parents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July of each year and is similar to a combination of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. This year in 2008, Parents’ Day falls on Sunday, July 27th and future celebration dates include July 26, 2009 and July 25, 2010.
According to the original