Reading is one of those things that I can remember as a kid not liking to do at all. I am not 100% sure why but reading would literally throw me into a tail spin that would stop me dead in my tracks.  I can say that I don’t remember my mother ever reading to me so maybe that is why I hated reading so bad as a child and young adult.

I can remember how hard high school was due to my hatred for reading.  Any time I would get some sort of book report or anything that required in depth reading I would literally make myself sick worrying about how I was going to get it completed. Somehow I made it through high school and moved on to college but reading didn’t get easier for me but I did learn to get through it without getting myself sick.  It wasn’t until after college that I actually started to read for pleasure.  It took me a few years after I graduated college before I actually began reading just for the fun of it.  Now that I am an old man (LOL) I really do enjoy reading but now time is the reason I don’t read as much as I would like versus not liking it when I was younger.

Now that bad weather is here and snow will be here soon I have been on the hunt for the perfect books to read in winter.  I typically read non-fiction but lately I have been reading biographies as well as autobiographies.  Right now I am reading Goose: The Outrageous Life and Times of a Football Guy by Tony Siragusa who used to play in the NFL and so far I am really enjoying it.  I also like to read magazines which is a good thing because I have a stack of them that I need to read.

What I like most now about reading is that you can get books and magazine from many different sources such as the local library, Amazon, Kindle store, iTunes store and the list goes on a on.  I still like to read magazines and the newspaper the old fashion way which is in paper form but for books I like reading them in a digital format which I do on my iPad.  Not that I think books will ever go away like the VHS tape did but I can see it moving to a more digital format due to the ease of use and how simple getting content is.

I do still enjoy sitting down with my kids and reading a book in non-digital format.  Shaun is kind of past the reading to him stage but Shae loves being read to and I can remember when we use to read to Shaun and Sabreena when they were younger. Sabreena loves to read and Shaun doesn’t mind it and I think that is because we read to them as children which is what I lacked when I was young but I am glad that my kids don’t hate reading like I used to.  Reading can take you to places that you never thought possible.

Do you like to read books?  If so do you read books in digital or non-digital form?

With three children my life is full of surprises. From accomplishing baby development milestones to achieving honor roll in school to opening their wallets, toy boxes and closets to a family in need.

Last week I heard of a family that had lost every single thing they owned due to a home fire. The family of 6 were physically safe but were left with nothing. All of their memories were gone. All of their personal belongings were gone. The place they called home was gone. Our local community was rallying together to get them back on their feet. there were scheduled meeting places to make donations. I turned to my kids, told them what happened and within 20 minutes my minivan was loaded with clothing, toys, books and games. Sabreena appeared with a HUGE armload of clothing for the mother. The children affected ranged in ages 5-12 with the youngest being a girl. We were able to give each of them something very specific that they could call their own.

Leaving the donation spot Shaun turned to me and said, “I feel good”. He was proud that even though our contribution only made a small dent in everything that the family still needed he was proud that he was able to help.
We’ve raised three great children who surprise us all along the way.

Would you like up to $1000 deposited into your checking account within an hour?  If you are short on cash and answered yes then you may need a payday loan.

I can remember the horror stories of payday loans that people experienced in the past but I think some but not all have made a change and are now reputable places to turn to when you need a fast short term loan just to get you through until your next paycheck.

We all have been short on cash at one time or another for many different reasons like car repairs, medical bills and the list goes on and on.  Wouldn’t it be nice to actually have a place to turn to that would be able to get you through?  I know there have been numerous times where a payday loan would have been really convenient for me but I was just too worried about being ripped off but no more.

I am not saying that payday loans are for everyone so before you decide to apply for one make sure the conditions fit your financial needs.  Also, you want to make sure that you have the ability to pay back to loan once the period is over because there would be nothing worse than getting yourself into deeper financial hardship because of a short term payday loan.

Last year, my husband and I were searching for the perfect weekend getaway. We wanted to stay in California, but we had a hard time finding a location that would be both interesting and relaxing.

 My friend recommended the Benziger Family Winery, so I went to the website to investigate it. I was immediately impressed by what I saw. My husband and I both love tasting wine, so I booked us for a weekend stay. After our visit, we can confidently say that the Benziger Family Winery is the best winery in Sonoma. The best part of our weekend was the Wine Tour and Wine Tasting that we participating in at Benziger. We loved seeing how the grapes were grown and the wine was processed. After our tour, we were invited to an exclusive wine tasting. We purchased several bottles of wine from the Benziger Family Winery to bring back to our family and friends.

We are planning another trip to Sonoma this year, and we have already booked another visit to the Benziger Family Winery. I think that the winery is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. All of the staff members we encountered were friendly and personable and you really feel like you are a family friend when you visit the winery. I would recommend the Benziger Family Winery to any wine lovers who want an inside look at the wine-making process. Once you visit, I have no doubt that you will want to return again and again!

This post was written for and provide to Look What Mom Found…and Dad too!

While in high school, I dated one person who I decided to stop having contact with. I discovered MyLife.com through Hoovers, and I am thrilled I did. While I was looking through the website, I decided to try to find the person I dated about ten years ago. I was skeptical about the site finding that one person from long ago. How could a website find someone when I had no success finding him myself?

I checked my email one day and found a notice from MyLife.com. I thought that maybe the site was asking me about my profile, so I didn’t think anything of it. I went to the website, and there was the name of the person I was looking for. By using the website, I was able to find the person I was in love with at one point in my life. The phone number and address was displayed on the site, but I had to pay a small fee in order to view it. The basic information such as the name of the person and the city he lived in was shown. I will never forget my experience with the site, and I will continue to use it.

This post was written for and provide to Look What Mom Found…and Dad too!