B-I-N-G-O is not only a really fun nursery rhyme for kids it’s also a game that is enjoyed by people of all ages. We have a Nickelodeon DVD bingo games that the kids LOVE playing and I recently found a really cool place where I can play bingo online (sign up now).

Bingo is a game that has been around since 1929 and has evolved into many different variations and is primary staged by churches or charity organization. Bingo is a game that draws a large crowd due to the ease of play as well as the size of the payouts if won. I can remember playing bingo at a local church and the place being filled with hundreds of people of all ages. People tend to associate bingo with older or senior people but I don’t think that is the case anymore because I see a lot of games geared for children and like I mentioned we own a DVD version of the game. The kids love playing and are super excited when they get the opportunity to yell “BINGO”. Unfortunately in our house there are no monetary payouts but bragging rights are worth just as much.

Bingo is a game that passes the time and in my opinion is a social event for some. I remember when I use to play at the local church people meeting up every Friday or Saturday night and catching up and just hanging out while playing bingo trying to win that jackpot. Out of all of the time that I ever played bingo I think I won maybe one time and it wasn’t even the big jackpot that took place at the end of the night. I do enjoy bingo myself and like playing the DVD version with the kids because it a great family time game.

Do you play Bingo? Have you ever won the BIG jackpot?

The one thing in life that scares me to death is something happening to my children. I worry everyday when Sabreena and Shaun leave for school and I can’t really relax until they get home from school. What stinks is come September I will have to add Shae to the list of people to worry about since she will be starting kindergarten.

The world is a different place then when I grew up and there are some many things that children and parents have to worry about. The one thing that I really get worried about because I am seeing it more and more in the news is bullying and cyber bullying. For some reason kids love to pick on each other and I worry because Shaun and Sabreena are so friendly and easy going that someone may take their kindness for weakness and try to make them a target which really scares me.

Another thing that is very disturbing is that there are more cases of adults bullying children in school and even adults bullying children with disabilities. The one thing that I don’t understand is why children and especially grown adults think that it is ok to pick on someone else. Every time I see a report of an adult bullying a child it instantly saddens me then pisses me off because it takes a real coward and weak person to bully a child. Who cares if they are different for whatever reason because that is what makes the world go around and doesn’t give people the right to take advantage of them because of it.

I wish people accepted other for who they are and left it at that.

Fitness concious folks recognize that to stay fit and healthy is a lifestyle choice not just a 4-6 week program. It takes proper diet choices, daily exercise and an all around attitude towards staying active each and every day. Sure there are pieces of fitness gear you could own that will help you lead a healthier lifestyle such as treadmills, stair climbers and resistance training machines, but how do these abdominal belt fitness gadgets fit into the mix.

At first glance, especially if you’ve seen an infomercial for one of the popular brands such as The Flex Belt or Contour Abs, these products appear too good to be true to say the least. There are toned fitness models wearing the devices and talking about how great they work, but lets face it, those models looked that way before they ever put on an ab toning device.

So do these products have a place in your home fitness routine? Lets dig a bit deeper to find out.

It turns out that the technology these devices use, known as electornic muscle sitmulation (EMS), has been around for over 50 years. It’s been used in the training of elite athletes and also the rehabilitation of injured individuals and those suffering from muscle atrophy.

In a home fitness situation the same technology (EMS) is used to emit slight electronic impulses through the nerve endings surrounding your core and abominal muscles. These pulses cause your abs and obliques to contract and relax. Sessions last anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes and are done 5 times a week.

Wearing an abdominal exercise belt has been proven to strengthen your mid section and improve your abdominal endurance. Several popular brands have even been cleared by the FDA as OTC (over the counter) EMS devices. This tells us that they meet this departments strict guidelines for medical grade electronic muscle stimulators.

So if the technology is solid and the FDA has cleared these devices maybe we’re onto something?

Well not so fast.

The issue is that we, as consumers, get the wrong idea about what these devices can do for us. When we see slim and toned individuals on an informercial we connect the dots in our mind thinking “If I use this device, then I’ll look like that”. While the reality is more like “If you follow a weekly exercise routine and eat a healthy diet then this device can help you look like that”.

Ab belts are not a weight loss device. To lose weight you still need to follow the old fashioned process of cutting out junk food, drinking more water, watching your portion size and eating more fruits and vegetables. Combine that with a weekly exercise routine and you’ve got a recipe for weight loss success.

Even popular industry websites like the Ab Belt Report will say that “Ab belts primarily work as adjuncts to physical exercise such as swimming, running and jogging. To help in muscle development, the ab belt should be combined with a healthy diet.”

So do ab belts have a place in a regular fitness routine?

It’s unfortnuately not a black and white answer. Recreational atheletes such as runners, swimmers, tri-atheletes and bikers will probably find some success using abdominal belts. Why? Because stronger abdominals and core muscles will improve their performance at their given sports.

Individuals who are already following a healthy diet and exercise regularly will likely also achieve some good results. I wouldn’t count on looking like a fitness model after six weeks, but you will likely notice your abs feel harder and there is more definition.

The person who doesn’t exercise now, isn’t willing to make any lifestyle changes but wants a push button solution to look and feel better should probably keep their credit card in their wallet because these devices just aren’t going to produce the results you’re expecting.

**This post was provided to Look What Mom Found…and Dad too!**

Buying a new car is one of those things in life we need to do but dread doing.  Most people these days do their research online so that when they get to the dealership they know exactly what they want to test drive and buy.

I have recently been thinking about trading in either my car or Melinda’s van for a new vehicle but I am not really sure what I want to get.  I was looking to see what kind of vans are out there and what the costs are and to me I really like the Toyota Sienna plus I saw a really nice Sienna special offer.

Our van is a 2005 and has done us well with no problems at all and the only reason I want a new van is just for that reason, NEW.  I like new things and I know vehicle technology has come a long way since 2005.  The one HUGE reason that the Sienna sticks out to me is because it advertises gas mileage of 19 city and 25 highway.  Our current van averages 14-15 miles per gallon so at $4 gallon it tends to be expensive when it comes times to fill up.  The only saving grace is Melinda doesn’t drive as much as she used to so a tank of gas will last a week to a week and a half.

Will we buy a new van?  Who knows but I do like the Toyota Sienna and all of its features.

There is nothing better to me than houses that have fireplaces.  To me a fireplace is not only functional but romantic and nice to look at plus it would be awesome to relax by the fire with Melinda after a long day.

When we lived in North Wilmington about 4 years ago our house had a real working fireplace but we never used it once and I think the reason was intimidation.  I had no clue how to start or maintain a fire with wood and was totally afraid of burning the house down.  Looking back I really wish I would have taken the time to learn how to work the fireplace.  

I like when Melinda and I take a trip and rent a hotel room and the room has a nice gas fireplace.  In my opinion I prefer gas or electric because they are easy which is essential because I don’t have any knowledge when it comes to fireplaces. 

You think I would have some knowledge in wood burning fireplaces since my grandfather has had one all of my life.  I remember growing up and watching my grandfather chop wood and stack it all in preparation for the winter.  My grandparents have a wood stove which they still use to this day but to me that looks like a lot of work.  You need to chop wood and store it before you can ever start a fire.  Then you need to start the fire and maintain it throughout the day as well as overnight if you looking to use it as a heating source which my grandparents do.  I remember my grandfather maintaining the fire throughout the day with two knobs on the from that controlled the amount of airflow into the stove so that allowed him to control the temperature of the fire as well as how much wood he burned.  It is crazy because I can remember him messing with the fire what seemed like every other minute.  Who the heck has time to do that? LOL.

I do like the idea of a fireplace or woodstove for heating purposed but I need something that is easy to work as well as maintain.  I also need something that is somewhat safe since we have three kids and two dogs.  There would be nothing worse than one of them getting burnt because of a fireplace. 

Do you have a fireplace in your house?  Do you use it often? As a heating source?

I received an email from Jordan last week, an old friend who now lives in San Francisco. Jordan and I were buddies in high school . We’ve maintained intermittent contact throughout the years as I got married and became a dad while he built up his career in the Bay area.

Jordan never mentioned a desire to marry or start a family and I just assumed that he was a confirmed, and happy bachelor. About a year ago, he confided that he was ready –even anxious — to settle down. He admitted that he had always assumed that as soon as he was ready, the right girl would somehow pop into view, but that didn’t happen. All of a sudden, just when he was looking for a real partner for life, there was no one suitable anywhere around.

I was really pleased for him when he wrote last week, full of excitement, about a unique program that he had joined called Table for Six. The program organizes dinner parties in cities throughout California. Their matchmakers invite six compatible people to each dinner so that the participants can chat and get to know each other over dinner in a natural environment. Jordan said that it was a great setting in which to get to know someone. The Table for Six staff is very careful to coordinate the dinner engagements so that the participants are in the same age bracket with similar backgrounds, interests and life goals.

Jordan wrote that he has already met someone and is dating her seriously. Since I have
other friends in the same situation in California, I checked out the reviews on their own website as well as some Table for Six reviews on some third-party sites. All indications are that it’s a great program and I’m going to recommend it to my other California friends.

**This post was provided to Look What Mom Found…and Dad too!**

Melinda and I have recently discussed the possibility of getting a new refrigerator because we really aren’t a fan of our current old ugly white one.  The one thing I am debating if we do decide to make this HUGE purchase is if I should get home delivery or borrow my friends’ truck and pick it up.

My ultimate fridge would be stainless steel and maybe have a TV on the front as well but I will settle for one that holds milk and other snack items on the outside of the door.  See how I went from a man fridge to a family fridge, LOL.  The reason I want this is so the kids don’t have to open up the refrigerator a hundred times throughout the day.

In additional to a new fridge another household item we really want is a new washer and dryer.  The one we currently have is not water or energy efficient and sometimes a simple load of laundry will cause it to almost fly out of the laundry room.  We actually looked at a few sets a few months back but kind of backed off due to the expense.  The one thing I did notice is that a lot of places these days do offer FREE appliance delivery which is a good thing.  The only problem is a lot of places sub out the work to a furniture delivery company and I find it takes a few days before it is delivered.  Not that a few days is a long time but If you know anything about me I am an instant gratification type of guy and once I pull the trigger to buy something I don’t want to wait for it to be delivered but I will admit getting it delivered is no hassle which is a huge bonus.

When you buy a large item do you prefer to take it yourself or have it delivered?

Our current house has a garage and thank goodness for that because when we were living in Maryland our house had no garage which totally stunk because we had ZERO storage space.

Our garage for the most part is used for storage but I keep it extremely neat and clean because I do use it as a work area and it’s a place where I store all of my tools but is also serves as a place to store the kids’ games, bikes and excess toys.

Last summer Melinda and I total revamped our garage and lines both walls with shelving so that we could utilize every inch of space which was a good thing. Like I mentioned before the kids have a TON of toys so the shelving allowed us to store things like puzzles, board games and toys that the kids like to use outdoors. We also have about 5 bikes so I utilize hooks in the ceiling which works out really nice so that they aren’t taking up a lot of floors space. I do need to be careful and unfortunately I am not able to use the entire ceiling for bike storage due to the overhead door of the garage but otherwise I use most of the ceiling as bike storage.

I do wish at times that I was able to park my car in the garage but with only having a single car garage that isn’t going to happen. Maybe if we had a two car garage I would be able to but I have a feeling I would just use it for more storage anyways and then I would have twice as much space to keep neat and clean but on the other hand I would have twice and much space for tools, toys and bikes. LOL. I am not sure that is the right way to think about it but that is how my mind works.

Do you have a garage? Do you actually use it to park your car or do you use it for storage?

About six months ago we purchased a 30 gallon fish tank and I must admit I love fish.  I feel that they are so peaceful and calming to look at and that is probably why I have had a fish tank off and on ever since I was about twenty years old. 

The one part of owning a fish tank that is a little bit of a bummer is the maintenance but more specifically the water changes.  You are supposed to change about 20% of the water on a weekly basis so in our case that would be about six gallons.  I am pretty good with the water changes but the one thing I tend to slack off on is the water testing.  I try to test the water every 2-3 days to be sure none of the chemicals have spiked and this is where the fun begins or in my case difficulties. 

When you test the water you need to fill a test tube up with 5ml of fish tank water, add the desired chemical for the test then read the output.  The problem is I have such a hard time determining what color on the test card corresponds to the color in the test tube.  Just two days ago Sabreena asked if I had an issue with colorblindness, LOL. I know that isn’t funny because a lot of people struggle with being colorblind and I can only imagine how difficult that must be.  Everyday things people take for granted like matching a shirt with pants is a struggle for some so I am thankful that mine only pertains to when I have to test the fish tank water.  Now I am not saying I am colorblind but I do have a difficult time sometimes determining shades of certain colors and it is obvious every time I test the fish tank water and have to ask Sabreena or Melinda what result more closely matches just as a double check for my own piece of mind.

Are you or someone you know colorblind?  How does it affect you or them on a daily basis?