SittersSearch Helps Parents Find Babysitters and Nannies

Logo courtesy of SittersSearch

Is your maternity leave almost over and it’s time to find a nanny for your precious new baby? Or even if you’re not going back to work, you need to find a babysitter for those times when you just can’t take baby along, want one-on-one time with a significant other, or maybe just some time on your own.  Maybe you have a toddler who is moving to kindergarten so you’re going back to work and you need to find a babysitter or nanny  for afterschool care.  No matter which scenario fits you, what you need is SittersSearch, the web site that solves all your babysitter and nanny  search problems

SittersSearch, an online search engine where babysitters and nannies can register, is THE place you want to go on the net, because they can help find that perfect match between parents and potential childcare providers.  And best of all, SittersSearch is 100% free to both babysitters looking for work and parents searching for babysitters.  SittersSearch reviews sitter profiles to keep the site safe and avoid any misuse of the site.

SittersSearch helps you locate a babysitter or a nanny in your geographic area who will meet your growing family’s needs.  Whether you’re trying to find a babysitter for a night out for dinner and the movies or you are looking for a nanny for when you go back to work, SitterSearch can help you in your quest.

SittersSearch has babysitters and nannies looking for jobs who have an assortment of childcare skills to fit every need.  Their babysitters and nannies have skills that run the gamut from basic babysitting to more complex childcare skill sets. 

Just go to their web site, SittersSearch, there you’ll perform a search to find a babysitter based on the desired zip codes and the distance from your home.  You can also perform more advanced searches based on language spoken, duties, living arrangements and more.  Then, voila!  SittersSearch has found you a list of potential qualified registered babysitters and nannies.  Just sort through the list of babysitters, choose the most qualified, then touch base with them,  interview them, and do a background check.  Then choose your sitter or sitters.  Let SittersSearch make your quest for the perfect nanny or babysitter a piece of cake.

*** The author received compensation for writing this post. Any opinion is the author’s own and has not been influenced by the compensation.

Brain Injury and You (Yes I Mean You!)

Brain injuries...they're common and preventable.  So why are we still suffering such a high rate of brain injuries when they are so easily preventable? March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so read and learn all you can about TBIs, and how to protect yourself and the ones you love from TBIs. 

What happens when you go flying off a bike and hit your head, take a hard hit during sports, injure your head in a car accident or a variety of other serious and not so serious looking head injuries? You can have a traumatic brain injury (also known as a TBI.) These injuries range from 'mild' (resulting in a short change in consciousness or mental status) to 'severe' (an extended length of unconsciousness or amnesia post injury.) 

What are the changes in your brain after a TBI cause? Changes in your brain after TBI (traumatic brain injury) include: short and long term changes that affect emotions, language, sensation and thinking. TBI an also cause epilepsy and an increased risk for conditions like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders that are more prevalent with age. 

Unfortunately mild TBIs occur frequently and have different results depending on whether or not there are multiple small TBIs over a period of time. Statistics on TBI tell us that approximately 75% of TBIs are concussions or other MILD forms of TBI.  However repeated mild TBIs that continue to occur over long periods of time can result in neurological and cognitive deficits.  TBIs occurring over a short period of time (like hours, days or weeks) can be catastrophic and possibly fatal.  For more information visit the CDC web site and search under TBI for additional information and statistics on TBI.

Your brain is a delicate organ. After it takes a hit you may not even realize the extent of the injury until later. Do you know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of TBI? The CDC has provided a handy chart to help you understand and recognize TBIs.

According to the CDC, all traumatic brain injuries should me treated as a serious and all efforts should be made to prevent even the slightest TBI. 

The severity of a TBI may range from “mild,” i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to “severe,” i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. Even the mildest TBI can have lifelong consequences.

At age 10 I took a header over the handlebars of my bike onto the sidewalk. Nothing serious(or so I thought, what did I know at 10?), just a typical bike accident due to my tire hitting a stone the wrong way. I went flying over my handlebars. It knocked me out for a few seconds but my head didn't hurt, I wasn't bleeding, so I just went back to playing. The short black out meant nothing to me. Turned out it did mean something to my brain.

Later that summer we were down at the shore. The rest of my family were all at breakfast but I wasn't downstairs yet. My mom asked my sister why I wasn't up yet. My sister told her I was having 'another one of those funny dreams again.'  By the time my mom got upstairs I was just sleeping so no one thought anything of it.  Until it happened again a few months later.  Then it was clear I was having gran mal seizures--what my sister called 'funny dreams.' 

Today the state laws require bike helmets that would probably have prevented the concussion that caused my seizure disorder, gran mal epilepsy. That simple precaution would have saved me years of problems.  Seat belts are another simple and easy everyday way to prevent TBIs.  Simple safety precautions can prevent many TBIs. Things like railings on steps, appropriate lighting and keeping stairs and curbs in good repair.

I was one of the lucky ones.  My seizures eventually were totally under control. But I still have to take drugs to control them. Drugs with side effects. I'd rather have worn a helmet.  But we just didn't know about the problems then.  As I said, I'm lucky, my seizures are controlled.  Regrettably many other people who suffer a TBI have results that can't be controlled or in the worst case scenario, they die from a TBI. 

The month of March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Make this the month you educate yourself about ways to prevent brain injury as well as way to tell if someone has a brain injury.  Visit the CDCs website under TBI or their Facebook page.


***This post was sponsored by www.henricipromotions.com.  The author received compensation for writing this article.  The sponsoring entity is also having a giveaway to promote Brain Injury Awareness Month.  All opinions posted within this post are the authors own and were not influenced by compensation.

Light Saber Ice Pops

Courtesy of YouTube and ThinkGeek

The last few days of warming weather trends have me thinking of summer. And with thoughts of summer comes the challenge of keep cool. Well if you want to keep cool and be a cool Star Wars fan this is just what the doctor ordered! Are you a Star Wars fan? Know someone who is? Do you need a gift for a friend who 'lives' Star Wars? ThinkGeek has these Star Wars Light Saber Ice Pops that a true Star Wars fan cannot be without!

Photo from ThinkGeek

Oh yes, you know you want them. I can see that look in your eye. I see you reaching for your Visa or Mastercard to make that purchase. Who could resist? These Star War Light Saber Pops are to die for! They even light up! While not suitable for saber fights they are a cool treat for all the kids (or the adults who still think like kids) that you know. Who can resist a freeze pop that lights up? Perfect for a Star Wars Party at your house. Yes, I know, you're buying them for your kids...RIGHT.  And if I believe that you'll sell me that bridge you just happen to have for sale right?

Photo from ThinkGeek

And even if you aren't buying them, watching this YouTube video is a kick!

How Long Has It Been Since Your Last "Date Night"

 Banner from AC Convention and Visitors Authority

All of us who have been married for 'ages' (or at least it seems that way after a few years) know that one of the great things for your relationship is to have some 'we time' or 'date night.'  No kids. No family. No pets. No worries. NO PHONES, NO COMPUTERS, NO BLOGS! I know, it's like going through withdrawal for some of us, which is why it's so important to get away.

Photo courtesy of The Sheraton

It doesn't have to be fancy, and you don't have to go far.  You just need that time to concentrate on each other--like you used to be able to do in the good ole' days.  

Photo from Atlantic City Tun Tavern

I know, we all complain we don't have the money for it, well here's your answer. Jersey Family Fun, a great local blog site, is offering a an overnight stay at the Sheraton in Atlantic City during restaurant week complete with a dinner for two at the Tun Tavern. (There's a special restaurant week menu to choose from, all the best things to eat!) There's a link to the special menu on Jersey Family Fun's page.  Be sure to read their blog for all the details about restaurant week in Atlantic City.

Also take the time to read through their blog, it's one you'll want to bookmark to go back to over and over again.

Head on over to Jersey Family Fun to find out how to enter! And tell them Nancy Ross Vecchione from Defeating The Squirrels or WDW Wedding Day Weekly sent you! (it won't get you an extra entry but hey, be nice to the bearer of the possibility of gifts! I love seeing my name in print!)

Smelling The Roses

Source: thebeeskneesbaby.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

OK, I know I spend a lot of time on Pinterest these days, but sometimes there are 'words of wisdom' for all of us to be found there and not just a lot of pretty pictures of food or clothes. For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest it's a virtural bulletin board where you can categorize and 'pin up' things you like. It's fun. It's ADDICTIVE. 

Sometimes we all get so busy we forget to stop and 'smelll the roses.'  This reminded me.  And yes, we all need a reminder sometimes, so here's you reminder...it's up to you to implement it.

Whether you frame the words, post them on your bulletin board, or just tuck the reminder away, here you go, your 'words of wisdom' for the day.

Pinterest Says The Damnedest Things!

For those of you not familiar with the new big social media site, it's Pinterest.

Pinterest is a like a big cyber bulletin board where you can post anything and everything you ever wanted to save from your email or from the web and share it with others.  I found this the other day when I was 'time wastin' ' on Pinterest.



My favorite? Freddie's take on the right age to get married!

(Posted by Betsy Fullmer Hilton; pinned 3 days ago from dailydawdle.com)

Save Money Remodeling

We all moan and groan about the cost of materials when we remodel. Whether it's the cost of new cabinets for our kitchen, new appliances, a new heater or light fixtures none of it comes cheap.  And if you're like me you really want QUALITY products. It's hard to watch HGTV and not lust after those picture perfect kitchens or gorgeous newly remodeled bathrooms.  So how can you do it on a budget? Visit Pre-Demolition Sales' web site. 

Who and what are Pre-Demolition Sales? They are a team of recyclers who go in prior to the demolition of a home and sell pieces of the home to any interested parties. They sell it all.  Pipes, stone, garden statues, heaters, air conditioners, tubs and sinks, appliances, sometimes even the shrubbery is for sale.

What does this mean to you?  A chance to own that Sub-Zero Frig you've been dying to own but can't quite afford. Stone for that wall you want to build out back that isn't nearly as expensive when you go to a demo sale and haul it away yourself compared to going out and buying it. Redoing a garden? Need shrubs (have you priced those lately?) Garden statues? Bird baths, no matter what it is visit the Pre-Demo Sale recyclers and buy it at a huge discount.  Looking for that sweeping staircase? Keep your eye on Pre-Demolition Sales' website and wait for one to come up.

Recently they disposed of all the stone, 250 TONS of stone at a single home in Merion, Pennsylvania. (you can see the photos at the prior link) They also sold all the exterior doors, most of the windows, the whole library, two kitchens, a huge staircase, 5 HVAC systems, bathrooms, a variety of interior doors, floors and miles of flagstone and shrubbery and more all found new homes. WOW! That's what I call a successful day recycling! I can't imagine what the cost would have been to haul it all away to the dump.  And this way it's being reused by a very happy customer!

Interested in seeing what else they've sold at a variety of sales? This list is from their web site: Air conditioners, appliances, architectural antiques, awnings, bars, bathroom accessories, bidets, bookcases, brackets, bricks, carpet, chandeliers, chimney pots, church bells, circuit breakers, cobblestones, wood or marble columns, copper gutters, Corian, corner cupboards, cupolas, decks, dishwashers, doors, fencing, firebacks, flagstone, flooring, fountains, garage doors, garden sheds, gargoyles, gates, granite, gym equipment, hardware, heaters, invisible fencing, ironwork, kitchen cabinets, lighting fixtures, mantels, marble, paneled rooms, pews, planters, plantings, playground equipment, pocket doors, pumps, radiators, radiator covers, railings, refrigerators, restaurant equipment, roofs(tile and slate), sconces, shelving, shrubbery, shutters, sinks, skylights, stage curtains, stage lighting, stages, stained glass, staircases, statuary, steps, storm doors, stoves, tiles, toilets, trees, trellises, tubs, urns, water heaters, weather vanes, window treatments, windows and much much more!

I don't know about you but I have no problem buying upscale kitchen cabinets from a mansion on the Main Line that's still in like new condition.  Or even picking up that circuit breaker box at a great price.  If you live in an older home these recycling sales are a huge bonus! Need tiles to replace that broken subway tile in your bathroom? Just wait for the perfect sale and you'll find some.  So visit their web site.  If you live in the suburban Philadelphia area or are willing to drive a distance on a 'treasure hunt' recycling is for you! Look in your area for the recycling teams in your area.  Oh, and by the way, I have dibs on the next Sub-Zero that comes up!

On The Road to Cape May

The great race to lose some weight before you hit the Expressway on the road to Cape May this year for bikini season is on! How will you do it? Will you choose Weight Watchers? Calorie Counting? High Carb? High Protein? Medifast? Slimfast? Jennie Craig? Optifast? or any of the other gazillion weight loss programs out there? No matter what you choose the web is here to help you.

Photo from Hungry Girl

My favorite? A web site called Hungry Girl. Hungry Girl gives you tips on ways you may be shooting yourself in the foot while dieting as well as some great recipes that have been re-written to make them great for the calorie conscious. You can sign up to have them email you daily updates. They help you plan meals and keep you on track toward your goal of a slimmer and sleeker you.

Photo from 3 Fat Chicks on a diet

Another favorite slimming site? 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet. Not to be confused with Fatchicks.com (YOU SO DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE, especially if you are at work!) But 3 Fat Chicks On A Diet is a great web site. They offer you all sorts of tips, tricks and recipes to help you lose weight. My daughters both used this site very successfully in conjunction with Weight Watchers a few years ago. We all still use their recipes and tips.

So no matter what weight loss program you decide to embrace, stick with it and don't forget, add some exercise to the mix, it's the only way to keep it off. If you live in the Delaware County area in the Springfield area hit the Springfield Healthplex.  A deluxe gym that has everything you could possibly want to get you in the groove to lose (weight that is).  Pools, fancy equipment, weights, basketball courts, tennis courts, racquet ball, a swimming pool, and every kind of fitness class you can imagine.  Don't want to spend quite that much $$$?  Try the economy Planet Fitness, last I checked it was a basic $10/month, a price a girl on a budget can't resist.

Courtesy of Nike 

(The Shoes/Sneakers/Workout Shoes You WANT to OWN!)

So NO EXCUSES! As the Nike ads say "JUST DO IT!"

Summer Camp Deluxe!

My soon to be step-grandson (he's still insisting on the step part)would love this chance to travel to California to go to Catalina Island Camps. I'm entering him to win a session of summer camp for a child at Catalina Island Camps from the SITS Girls! Some kids are just that special.

Do you have a special child in your life who deserves a great summer camping experience? Something that is a major step up from day camp or even sleep-away camp with the Scouts? Catalina Island Camps is certainly that! Take the time to browse their web site and learn more about them.

Catalina Island Camps offers campers the opportunity to try skin diving, kayaking, sailing, power boat activities, stand up paddle boards, target sports, climbing, ropes course, challenge, gardening & composting, nature, outdoor cooking, photo journalism, arts & crafts, day trips, overnights, and Thursday Morning Adventure Trips.  Wow! When do they sleep? And can I come along? (kidding)

My soon to be step-grandson would love the photo journalism, paddle boards and kayaking.  The boy lives in the water and likes nothing better than a week at the east coast shore.  The west coast would be a new experience for him. The skin diving would also be a new experience.  Better yet the chance to travel and meet new people would increase his socialization skills.  He'd love Catalina Island Camp and he'd grow so much in just that short time away from home.  It's one of those things that are definitely a luxury for him but a real learning experience!

Want to see what this Catalina Island Camp looks like? Go visit their web site to get all the details as well as see what a great summer experience this camp offers kids.  But Catalina Island Camp doesn't just offer fancy experiences to each child, they offer the opportunity to develop friendships, become independent, and develop into better students, children, young adults and adults.  They are closely supervised by the camp's staff, many of whom return year after year.  They all have specialized certifications to help make your child's camp stay safe.  To learn more about how Catalina Island Camp chooses it's camp counselors follow this link.  Better yet, the camp is run by a husband and wife team not an huge corporation whose only concern is the bottom line.  THEY CARE! I don't know about you but anytime I choose a place for a child that's the first thing I look for.  Activities can easily be duplicated, and if they don't do them at camp you can do them with them, but a camping experience where everyone cares? It just can't be beat!

So if you're thinking about sending your child or grandchild to camp for the summer, take a look at Catalina Island Camp.  Consider the difference the experiences offered by a sleep-away camp give a child, then add the extras that Catalina Island Camp gives your child/grandchild.. I think you'll find that Catalina Camp offers a deluxe camping experience for any child or tween. or teen.  In fact I bet it ends up on the top of your list.

Starbucks Means Love

Video courtesy of YouTube

There are some times in your life when a hot drink from Starbucks means love. And sometimes there is someone whose efforts to help others strikes a chord in my heart. Dan's story shown here on YouTube is one of those people who are making their life better by helping others.  


Who is Dan? Dan Dewey is a volunteer. He brings the people coffee or tea (and a smile) to patients as they wait for their chemo treatments. 


Yes, the video is by Starbucks, but Dan Dewey is real. And he has real heart. He makes me think 'what have I done for someone else lately?'  How about you? How does Dan make you feel? Starbucks wants you to share your 'everylove' story with them by sending them stories of people who care at this link.  


What is Everylove all about? According to Starbucks "Everylove is for all the relationships in your life worth celebrating. It appears differently to each of us, but we all recognize it the same – by the flutter in our hearts and the smiles on our faces. It appears as a laughing friend, a helping hand, a familiar face. We’d love to hear what this special feeling means to you. Tell us about the simple joys people create in your life – tell us about your everylove."

Valentine's Day Gifts

Shopping for a Valentine's gift for your girl squirrel? Yes, squirrel merchandising has gone over the top. You can buy your girl squirrel some squirrel lingerie. Make her 'pretty in pink' as she raids your feeder and grabs those acorns and buries them in your yard. 

Sometimes I have serious concerns about people who market things like this in the United States (or anywhere else). I mean, hey, I'm all for fashion...but for squirrels? What's next? Stilettos for squirrels? Some red lipstick maybe? Or maybe something as simple as a bright red thong? Yes, this is a real product.  But no, I didn't buy one.  Nor am I planning to. But it's one of those things that make you go hmmmm....

YouTube video courtesy of Archie McPhee and YouTube

Want to shop for the squirrel in your yard? You can buy this pink lingerie for lady squirrels at this site.  Oh, and they have some underpants for the male squirrels too, don't want to discriminate!  Shop early, shop often, oh, and they're coming to take you away...

The Beast of Bodim Moor and Black Squirrels

While the Beast of Bodim Moor and the black squirrel may seem to have little in common other than their color, their origin may be the same. Who is to blame for the sightings of the black beast called the Beast of Bodim Moor? Or for the black squirrel infestation? Well if you live in England there's a good chance you should be blaming your ancestors for their arrival on the shores of England.  

The English aristocracy in Edwardian times were big travelers and liked nothing better than to bring home exotic animals to show off.  Some they brought home stuffed (yuck!) but yet others they shipped home alive to show off to their friends and keep in their private menageries.  

"After dinner, we'll have port and cigars and then look at the striped horse they call a Zebra." Yes, the Edwardians loved menageries of all types--which is when this squirrel arrived.  Regretfully they did not stop at simply stuffing them to bring them home, they brought them home like Noah, in pairs, two by two, which meant they reproduced...and reproduced...and reproduced. Until today they are no longer unique at all, but rather have taken over!

The black squirrel at one time was believed to be genetic mutation of grey squirrels, however genetic testing revealed it is exactly the same as the black squirrel found in the United States. 

How did the black squirrels go from private zoos to your back yard? It seems these critters periodically ...uh...escaped. 

Photo courtesy of Parascientifica

It was not unusual for animals imported for the entertainment of the aristocracy to escape. The Beast of Bodim Moor is said to possibly be an escaped black panther from a private menagerie of this time. Since it was illegal to own and import these animals obviously it was tricky reporting that you had one that had escaped. 

The first wild black squirrel was seen in 1912 near Letchworth in Hertfordshire.  It is believed to have escaped from the private collection of the Duke of Bedford who owned Woburn in Bedfordshire.  These black squirrels (the same species as the gray squirrels) are taking over and may soon outnumber the native red squirrels.  

Another escaped critter causing problems in England is the edible dormouse (Glis glis). In 1902 a handful of these escaped. Today? Their numbers are estimated to be 20,000, all in a 25 mile radius of Tring. Cute? Yes. Problematic? Definitely. Not only are they noisy but the local homeowners complain edible dormice gnaw through electrical cables, strip bark from trees and produce huge amounts of waste.  

So the next time you're on vacation and find a cute critter and think it would be fun to bring it home and sneak it through customs... don't do it! You could be a modern day Duke of Bedford (and we don't mean you'll receive a title from the Crown!). You could be permanently altering the environment.  

Saber Tooth Squirrels?

Photo courtesy of Beyond The Rhetoroic by Michael Kwan and the movie Ice Age

Scientists have reported the discovery of a saber tooth squirrel. It seems squirrels have managed to survive a VERY long time. In the journal Nature, lead researcher Guillermo Rougier, a professor from the University of Louisville, reported that the study team believes they have found the fossilized remains of a creature known as Cronopio dentiacutus. Drawings of Cronopio dentiacutus resemble some of the animals seen in the movie "Ice Age."

Photo courtesy of CNN blog "Lightyears"

Previously there has been a large gap in the fossil record of mammals in South America from about 60 million to 120 million years ago.  Cronopio dentiacutus was a mouse-size squirrel whose teeth were very long in proportion to the rest of his body, and technically wasn't really saber toothed or a squirrel.  This mouse-sized squirrel with proportionally long teeth, was technically speaking neither a squirrel nor saber-toothed. The extinct mammal, who lived approximately 94 million years ago was the forerunner of today's marsupials and placental animals. It has been extinct for about 60 million years. 

When Rougier and his colleagues examined the unique skull of this animal they report "It was a lot more primitive than we are with regard to the way in which the skull was put together; the teeth were very primitive," and "The skull is about an inch long." 

They believe the animal was an insectivore which is common for small mammals today. They had teeth that appeared to be specialized for crushing and cutting; Cronopio dentiacutus could puncture right through small insects. Rougier said if you want to imagine what they looked like think what you would look like if your teeth came down below your chin. (Now that's an attractive picture!)

These primitive animals lived during the same time period as snakes with legs, small carnivorous dinosaurs and terrestrial crocodiles. They lived in the flood plains of Argentina that today is a desert area in Patagonia. At the time they existed most mammals were very small. It was not until later when big dinosaurs were extinct that mammals grew to be the size of large cats and dogs. Rougier says "These were the tiny little guys that would squirrel in between the toes of the dinosaurs trying not to get stepped on." 

I guess the next time I'm complaining about the squirrels eating the birdseed it could be worse, they could be tryin to hide between my toes!

Big Miracle - A Whale Of A Tale

Today my husband and I had some free advance screening tickets for the new movie, Big Miracle, starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski.**

Photo courtesy of moviefone

The preview of Big Miracle was held at the UA Theater in King of Prussia (A Regal Entertainment Group Theater), 300 Goddard Blvd., King of Prussia PA. This is possibly one of the most luxe movie theaters in the area. It has multiple screens as well as an IMAX theater, The UA King Of Prussia is also possibly the most comfortable theater in the area.  And it was the perfect place to see this miracle of a movie.
When we arrived the B101 car was right out in front of the theater, and their mascot was inside. Prizes were being given for trivia answers about the movie and the radio station. Hint: If you have kids who want to win prizes, sit down near the front, you have a better chance of getting noticed! And know what the movie is about... you need the right answers to win.

After the Bee and B101 staffers handed out all the prizes and left, the lights went down and the movie Big Miracle began. This is when everyone in the audience became a winner.


Trailer courtesy of YouTube

The story transports the viewer to Barrow, Alaska where Krasinski's character is filming local color for an Alaskan television station.  While filming he spots the trapped whale family.  The rest of the story is history, real history.


Video of James interviewing Drew Barrymore
courtesy of Greenpeace International on YouTube

The movie is a tear jerker at times, all about love, family, life and death. You meet the natives of Barrow, the 'rabid' press, the government politicos and the environmentalists. See how the story played out around the world.  And how nations as well as different cultures worked together to solve a problem bigger than just one nation, one state, one culture, or one special interest group.

My recommendation? This is a five star "GO SEE!" Take your kids, your friends, your teens, this movie has something for almost everyone.  Oh, and take some tissues... if you aren't crying the lady sitting next to you might be!

Read more about Greenpeace International and the story behind the Big Miracle here. 

"There's Always Something You Can Do," is the catch phrase of the Greenpeace activist played by Drew Barrymore. This phrase is the essence of this movie and it's message.  It's the reason to take your children as well as your friends to see this movie.  It's why you'll want a copy of Big Miracle in your home theater library. It's not just a "Save the Whales" movie, it's a "Get Involved" message. Big Miracle is a movie about working together for the common good.


**The blogger received free movie passes for this advance screening without the expectation of a positive movie review and/or commentary.  All opinions about the movie are her own and were not influenced by the company providing the tickets, the theater, the distributor or the filmmakers.  Comments are the blogger's own opinion, your experience may differ.

Race To The Finish

The current Republican primaries are a race to the finish, the next Presidential election.  After the Florida Republican primary it looks like Mitt Romney has the nomination sewn up.  Quite why the rest of the group (primarily Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) are still hanging in there, wasting vast sums of money, trying to defeat Mitt Romney is beyond me.

It looks like the remaining Republican primaries are men running for the glory...or should I say running to jockey for the position of Vice President or Secretary of State? (Or whichever cabinet position each one wants.)

You'd think they would have learned that it doesn't pay to take a cabinet position.  Look at poor Hillary Clinton, sucked into being Secretary of State when Obama took office, and she hasn't had time to breathe since. Why anyone wants that job in the world today I don't know.

Anyone who takes the job as VP might as well spend a lot of time writing essays called "How I Wasted Eight Years of My Life". Yes, there's the possibility of a presidential run after Romney, but there's no guarantee.  Being VP doesn't even get you a great book deal. And face it, the VP doesn't get any respect! Yes, he's discussed on television, but usually as the butt of jokes by Jay Leno, Dave Letterman and Saturday Night Live. Some make it to the presidency but more don't.

Gingrich may have torpedoed any hopes he had of the VP position by the barbs he threw at Mitt during the primaries, especially in Florida. The VP is supposed to have your back, not stab you in it. Floridians sent Gingrich a clear message in the primary: you're OK as a support system but REALLY, we don't want you as president. Romney would be looking over his shoulder the whole time he was in office if he put Newt on the ticket.

Secretary of State for Newt? It's a  possibility. Newt has some experience in foreign affairs and it would get him out of Romney's hair (at least if the amount of traveling Hillary's been doing during Obama's presidency is any indication.)

What's Santorum looking for? Given his relatively young age I'd say he's looking for a run eight or twelve years down the road. Possibly a cabinet post, but more likely a future presidential bid all his own. Personally, I doubt he has a chance, but then there were people who said Kennedy would never get elected, that Obama couldn't make the cut, so you just never know what will happen in the future to catapult a long shot into the White House.

Romney's biggest problem is can he beat Obama in the Presidential bid? Is he too rich? Too conceited? Too Mormon? Too full of himself? Can his wife be as charismatic as Michelle Obama? I guess we'll all just wait and see.

Just remember, if you don't vote whoever gets elected or doesn't get elected is on you. Don't complain down the road if you can't be bothered to take a few minutes out of your day to vote.