Here is some information about glucosamine sulphate that I was asked to post on my blog. I think it’s helpful information and agreed to share!

From WebMD:

Glucosamine sulfate is a naturally occurring chemical found in the human body. It is in the fluid that is around joints. Glucosamine is also found in other places in nature. For example, the glucosamine sulfate that is put into dietary supplements is often harvested from the shells of shellfish. Glucosamine sulfate used in dietary supplements does not always come from natural sources. It can also be made in a laboratory.

Glucosamine sulfate is commonly used for arthritis. Scientists have studied it extensively for this use. It is most often used for a type of arthritis called osteoarthritis. This is the most common type of arthritis.

A few online friends of mine suffer from chronic pain – I wonder if they take glucosamine sulphate and if it does anything to help keep their pain in line. I also wonder if glucosamine is safe to take during pregnancy. I for one know of all the aches and pains that arise during this time. Maybe glucosamine would be a simple and safe “answer” to getting some relief.

I think I might do some “googling” and ask my OB if this is something that could be of help to pregnant women suffering from aches and pains – maybe a “safer” alternative to actual pain medicine?

Finding the glucosamine sulphate might not be too hard – but finding the cheap supplements might be a little more difficult.

Tell me – what do you think of glucosamine sulphate? Do you use it?

I keep seeing advertisements for Kidz Bop 18 on the television … I got to review the new CD via Parent Reviewers and actually didn’t “mind” it too much. Aside from outrageously “bad” music (which typically I don’t listen to) I don’t really edit the music my five year old hears. That and I can’t really stand the sound of kids singing, lol …

My son and his friend (who is six) loved the CD – but his friend has heard all of the songs on the CD in their “normal” form and kept singing the “correct” words to the songs.

If you are into Kidz Bop and want a copy of your very own you can either buy a copy of Kidz Bop 18 from Amazon or you can leave a comment about what song is your favorite on the CD and why you would rather your kid hear the “edited” (Kidz Bop) version!

One entry per person – I’ll close the contest on 8/29/2010!

Winner will receive one Kidz Bop 18 CD for their listening pleasure!

My son – bless his little five year old heart – has made most of my pregnancy pretty tolerable. I have exactly three months left until “Little Sister” makes her appearance and “Big Brother” has let me nap extensively, brought me snacks, helped me with laundry and pretty much allowed me to be the lazy oaf that I’ve needed to be this past six months.

That said – I think he’s done with this pregnancy before I am – by a long shot! All the “niceness” has pretty much gone out the window this past couple weeks. I’m not sure if he’s just ready for school to begin (he starts Kindergarten in a couple weeks) or he’s just completely “over” the fact that in three short months he won’t be the “only” anymore.

Suffice to say – with this new and “improved” attitude – I’m ready to forgo local public school and send this kid to boarding school in England!

My sweet little boy has turned into a whining, complaining, unhelpful little snot and I feel like I am constantly giving him time outs or spankings! He refuses to take “no” for an answer (or even “not now”) which causes a lot of fights in our house. He wakes up some mornings in a bad mood and we haven’t changed anything about his daily life. Like I mentioned I’m not sure if this is caused by his boredom during the day, excitement and anticipation about school or his anticipation of being the “Big Brother” – I don’t know for sure.

But if this kid doesn’t chill out I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I need a total “time out” at this point.

We’ve all made lists – plain lists, checklists, detailed outlines, etc. Sometimes, these lists just aren’t enough to get the full picture. This is especially true with business and education concepts. That’s where ExploraTree comes in. It is a free online program that allows you to create or fill in ready-made “thinking guides” or mindmaps.

With ExploraTree you can:

• Use their ready-made thinking guides
• Make a new thinking guide from scratch
• Use it to set class projects
• Print them out (they can go as big as A0)
• Change and customize thinking guides, you can add or change text, shapes, images etc.
• As a teacher, trainer, or coach, you can set up the sequence that you want the thinking guide to be revealed in, so that you can stage the thinking activity
• You can fill in a thinking guide and complete your project on the website
• You can present your project
• You can send your thinking guide to a whole group of people
• You can submit a thinking guide for comments, so it can’t be edited but just reviewed
• Work in groups on the same thinking guide

Check out the ready-made guides and get more info here.

Ziploc bags and containers are used for so many things, especially when it comes storing items for the kids. Teachers often request them to help with storage problems in the classroom. Moms use them when packing lunches and snacks. The list just goes on. If you think you’ll need some extra zip bags or storage containers, you may want to dash on over to sign up for the Ziploc® Back-to-School Gift Pack. They are limiting it to the first 10,000 responders so…act fast if you’d like to get some free goodies in the mail.

And while we’re talking about back to school containers for lunches, you may want to grab this back to school menu plan. You just need to add the UPC codes from any 2 Ziploc products.