Allen Birthing Center, Dallas Midwife Birthing Options, American Association Birth Centers

Allen Birthing CenterThe Allen Birthing Center, located in historic downtown Allen Texas, is the birthing center my daughter chose to deliver her baby in May 2009. Allen Birthing Center is a free-standing birth center, staffed by 3 experienced and highly-educated certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), offering prenatal care, labor support, delivery and exam of the newborn, postpartum care, well-woman exams, family planning, and primary care.

As soon as my daughter learned about her pregnancy, she had what seemed like a million questions and fears for a first-time mother, which is understandable. We discussed birthing options, the average cost of delivering a baby in a hospital vs. a birthing center or homebirth, pros and cons of each option etc, so she could make an informed choice for herself and her baby.

I was very careful to just explain the facts of each option because I didn’t want her to feel any pressure or influence from me about how or where to have her baby. Just because I chose the home birth option to deliver her and her older brother, and hospital births for my first four children, doesn’t mean she should make the same choice I did.

My daughter asked me, “If you could do it all over again, which option would you choose now?” I had to be honest and tell her that if I had known years ago about certified midwives, birthing centers and homebirth options, I would have chosen to give birth to each of my children at home. The differences between laboring and delivering a baby in a hospital vs. delivering at home or at a birthing center for low-risk pregnancies are huge.

I suggested she check out Ricki Lake’s Business of Being Born documentary, and explained that she needed to create a birth plan where she would list her personal preferences for labor and delivery, including how and where she would decide to give birth. I also explained that she needed to decided whether or not she wanted pain medication or an epidural for pain relief during labor, because that would have everything to do with where she would labor and deliver her baby.
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Mother Of The Bride Dresses, Special Occasion Dresses, Cheap Bridesmaids Dresses

After Six Bridesmaids DressesAre you shopping for Mother-of-the-Bride dresses, special occasion dresses, affordable Bridesmaid Dresses or Wedding Dresses for an upcoming wedding? Although I’m not the mother of the bride, but am the step-mother of the bride who is getting married soon, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find a special occasion dress to wear to the wedding.

Until now, it hadn’t occurred to me how time-consuming it would be going from one special occasion dress shop to the next in hopes of finding the perfect dress, in the right color, style and size to wear. The price of some modern, unique, beautiful Mother of the Bride Dresses that were also age-appropriate nearly caused me to keel over and faint.

Special Occasion Dresses

In some local dress shops I visited, the cost of special occasion dresses for a wedding was almost the same as a designer wedding dress for an expensive and extravagant Cinderella wedding! Fortunately, there are Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses that come in every color, style, length and size that won’t break the bank.

I did spend a few days checking out the local special occasion dress shop sections in stores like JCPenney, Dillards, Nordstrom, as well as local discount bridal consignment shops, but I didn’t find anything I liked. When I was looking for a prom dress for my daughter, I went to a bridal/prom store in Dallas called “Whatchamacallit” that has thousands of dresses, but if you’re not a professional seamstress who can fix the fraying threads, missing buttons, broken zippers and other problems, you’d be wasting your time there.

I do almost all of my shopping online, and buying a special occasion dress online is no different. I always check the sizing charts and usually buy a dress one size larger than my normal size to leave room for alterations that are almost always necessary. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all dress, unless you don’t mind your dress looking like a tent or potato sack with rhinestones or sequins sewn on.
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Free Slurpee Day 2009 at 7-11 on July 11, 2009

FREE Slurpee Day 2009FREE Slurpee Day 2009 is tomorrow, Saturday, July 11th. Grab your free slurpee at your local 7-eleven and enjoy one of the yummy slushy slurpee treats in flavors like cola, pina colada, blue respberry, root beer and green apple. I hear 7-11 has a new slurpee flavor I must try out called “Liquid Artillery”, which is a combination of strawberry/pineapple and lime flavors.

Free Slurpee Day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. (while supplies last) at all participating 7-11 locations, in celebration of 7-Eleven’s annual birthday. This year marks the 82nd birthday for 7-11 convenience stores, so what could be better than to celebrate with a delicious, and don’t forget FREE, brain-freeze induced Slurpee?!

At 7-11, you will receive a free 7.11 ounce Slurpee in the flavor or your choice, or mixed flavors if that’s your thing.

7-Eleven typically runs a free Slurpee promotion in coordination with other summer promotions. This year’s Slurpee promotions ties into the G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra movie coming out this summer, which is where the new Slurpee flavor “Liquid Artillery” comes from.

Keep in mind that the Slurpee drink flavors will be different at each 7-11 location, since the convenience store themselves decide on the flavors based on what is hot in each sector. Enjoy your FREE Slurpee at 7-11 tomorrow while enjoying the other fun things to do this summer!

Today Is My Birthday and I’m Taking The Day Off

wildflowers

Another year has rolled around and today is my Birthday once again. Happy Birthday to Me! Is it just me or does it seem that Birthdays seem to come a lot faster the older we get? Hmm

Anyway, since I’ll be out of the office and not spending much time online today, but basking in the sun of doing absolutely nothing but fun things with my husband and family, I want to share some articles from other blogs for your reading pleasure.

I also want to welcome new subscribed readers from the DFW area, especially those living in and around Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney TX and surrounding suburbs. Thank you and welcome to Telling It Like It Is!

How to Take Fireworks Pictures – by my friend Todd Morris. I’m not much of a photographer myself, so I appreciate the tips and advice offered on taking good fireworks pictures. Now, if I could just manage to keep my thumb from appearing in photos I take with my digital camera, I’d be a happy camper.

How to Get More Time to Blog – by another friend Michael Martine. Finding the time to blog and post articles used to stress me out, but I’ve come to the personal decision that I write as often as I possibly can and when I have something to say. If I don’t post an article for a week or two, so be it. Readers that are truly interested in what I have to say are very understanding and patient, and don’t mind a brief lull in postings.

Living Your Passion: What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur – by Jeff Nickles. I thoroughly enjoyed Jeff’s article on being an entrepreneur and the “grit” and determination needed to achieve our goals, ignoring the self-doubt or fear of success and just going for it! We really are our own worst enemies when it comes to creating and building our own success stories.

Enjoy your day! I know I will! See you soon!

Kaboom Town 2009 Addison TX July 4th Fireworks Show – DFW Goes Kaboom!

Kaboom Town Addison TX

Kaboom Town in Addison TX, just north of Dallas, is having their annual Kaboom Town fireworks show in celebration of the July 4th Independence Day today, Friday, July 3, 2009 starting at 5:00 p.m. until midnight tonight. Are you going to Kaboom Town in Addison today?

Kaboom Town Addison TX fireworks show is the biggest and best fireworks show around DFW, and Kaboom Town is always a spectacular fireworks show. Since Garland and Carrollton have canceled their fireworks shows due to budget cuts, we’re trying to decide which July fourth fireworks show we’ll be attending this year.

Since we live in Plano Texas, we may attend the Frisco fireworks show because it’s closer than Addison, or we may have our own cookout in the backyard and just watch nearby fireworks go Kaboom and light up the sky. Fellow Plano resident, Stephanie Cleveland, shares her own thoughts about Kaboom Town and it’s enormous appeal to Texas residents living in surrounding towns and cities.

Kaboom Town in Addison always occurs on July 3rd every year, and with thousands upon thousands of people attending Kaboom Town, visitors would be wise to arrive very early in order to get the best spot to watch the 30-minute fireworks show, and to find a decent parking space that doesn’t require walking from Plano TX. Yes, there are THAT many people expected to attend Kaboom Town this year.
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Barbie Alternative: Only Hearts Club Dolls the Best Bratz, Barbie Alternative Doll Review

Only Hearts Club Dolls

Barbie alternative? Appropriate dolls? Parents are looking for an age-appropriate alternative doll for their little girls to enjoy, especially since Barbie dolls and Bratz dolls, Dora the Explorer (amongst others), have been “updating” the clothes these dolls are now wearing to include inappropriate, racy, “sexy” outfits on dolls for young kids. Meet the Only Hearts Girls by Only Hearts Club, a great alternative to Barbie dolls and Bratz girls. Not only are the Only Hearts Club girls baby dolls that look real, but the Only Hearts girls are appropriate toys for young kids to play with.

What is Only Hearts Club? Only Hearts Club (OHC) is a family owned and operated company dedicated to creating a positive message to children through its line of realistic baby dolls and toys, and have been making dolls for 5+ years. Only Hearts Club Dolls are 9-inch dolls that look and dress like real little girls from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Realistic Baby Dolls That Look Real

Len Simonian, toy and lifestyle expert and president of Only Hearts Club said, “Dolls influence the image and behavior of young girls. From Bratz to Barbie, to Hannah Montana these companies each portray vastly different images through the marketing and ‘lifestyles’ of their dolls.” Simonian added, “Parents and grandparents can play a big hand in determining what dolls their kids buy. It’s up to us as parents of young girls to do our own due diligence about each brand’s messaging.”
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Mom Songs, Wedding Dance Songs, Songs For Moms and Dads

Mom songs are very popular for Weddings, Receptions, Birthdays, Mother’s Day and throughout the year as a “just because” gift for moms. The ability to download songs for mom and dad to make into a CD, or listen to on an MP3 player or iPod, is a creative and unique gift to the mom or dad in your life.

If you are getting married and looking for wedding dance songs, perhaps for a special father/daughter or mother/daughter dance at your wedding reception, review this list of 101 songs for ideas with some of the best mother songs and songs for dads. You will notice there are songs from various genres including pop, rock, country etc.

Some of these songs are a bit sappy for a father/daughter dance or mother/daughter dance, so you might want to consider mixing things up like in this father/daughter dance, where the typical traditional dance quickly turned into a funny White Wedding spin. Enjoy!

101 Songs For Mom and Dad
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Parents Television Council Says American Idol Finale Crossed the Line

american-idol-season-8

Parents’ Television Council is angry about the American Idol Season 8 Finale results show, aired on May 20, saying American Idol crossed the line of decency and cautioned FOX that the popular “family-friendly”, “family-hour”, prime-time show may alienate viewers. Parents Television Council (PTC) is a self-proclaimed, non-partisan Watch Dog group, founded by Brett Bozell in 1995 as an “education organization advocating responsible entertainment, to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media”.

PTC President, Tim Winter, says the “finale of American Idol demonstrated all the aspects that make television great — a months-long competition coming down to two finalists with a Cinderella story ending. Unfortunately, it also demonstrated what’s wrong with television when Fox decided that gratuitous shock value in front of a huge family audience is a good thing, rather than a bad thing. If Fox isn’t careful, they will alienate the family audience foundation upon which the success of Idol has been built.”

PTC voted American Idol on Fox the worst TV show of the week, followed by Family Guy in the number 2 spot. Vote For The Worst, probably the bane of American Idol’s existence, flippantly reported: “PTC is angry that Kara DioGaurdi took her dress off, Bikini Girl made an appearance, and the Black Eyed Peas performed a song with swear words in it.” VFTW concludes that PTC’s concerns about Katrina Darrell’s return as the Bikini Girl showing off her “new enhancements”, and the Black Eyed Peas performance of “Boom Boom Pow” with sexual lyrics and profanity means “they’re just homely old shrews who need to get a life”.
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American Idol Season 9 Auditions at Dallas Cowboys Stadium 2010

american-idol-auditions American Idol season 9 auditions and tryouts are coming to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium for American Idol 2010 hopefuls and wannabes. Whoohoo! American Idol announced the confirmed cites, venues and locations of where auditions will be held, after Wednesday’s American Idol 2009 Finale show where Kris Allen was crowned the winner of American Idol.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has a strong American Idol connection to Dallas-area season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson who was raised in Burleson, and season 7 finalist Jason Castro who was raised in Rowlett TX, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that auditions for American Idol Season 9 are coming to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

DFW area Idol auditions were previously held at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX. Arlington City Council member Robert Riviera spoke with FOX4’s reporter Brandon Todd outside the Cowboys Stadium Wednesday night, immediately following Kris Allen’s not-so-surprising win over Adam Lambert, before confirmation came in that American Idol auditions for season 9 will be at Cowboys Stadium.

Rivieria said, “This is something that would be very exciting for not only Arlington but for the greater North Texas area. It’s something we would warmly embrace and we would welcome visitors to our city to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our retail centers.”

Yeah, I bet.

Arlington’s part of building the HUGE, $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboys new stadium is a whopping $325 million, so having Idol auditions held locally may help put a dent in the costs.

American Idol audition hopefuls would do well to learn how to audition for American Idol in order to not find themselves on the list of Idol ‘freaks’ and wannabes that couldn’t sing to save their lives. Who tells these people they can sing anyway? Audition performances end up on video sites like YouTube, where people around the world can laugh and poke fun at the worst singers and performers ever seen on American Idol. Pssst, they’re not laughing WITH you, they’re laughing AT you.

One of my favorite parts of Idol are the American Idol Spoilers, where lists of songs to be performed are leaked and plastered across the net even before American Idol goes live on Fox.

I, for one, am very anxious for the American Idol Season 9 auditions coming to Dallas sometime over the summer. I’ll be watching closely for updates on the dates, times, rules and additional information for the upcoming auditions for Idol hopefuls that I know.

This summer is going to be a lot of fun for me since I bought American Idol tickets for the Idols LIVE summer concert tour at the American Airlines Center in July, and of course watching the Idol audition videos online.

Are you going to see the Top 10 during the American Idol LIVE summer concert tour? Are you going to audition for American Idol at the Cowboys Stadium? I wish you all the luck in the world!

Study Ball: Study Ball and Chain Makes Kids Study and Do Homework

study-ball-make-kids-study

Heard about the new Study Ball? The Study Ball and Chain contraption is an electronic device intended to make your kids study and do their homework. I heard about this study ball prison-style thingy on the radio this morning and couldn’t help but laugh outloud. Seriously? Parents really need the Study Ball to get kids to study and do homework?

The Study Ball’s red digital display counts down the “study time left”, then the electronic ball beeps and unlocks when study time is up to release your child from “jail”. The Study Ball weighs 21 lbs, making it difficult for kids to stop studying and doing their homework, so they can of course go play video games and watch television.

The Study Ball cannot be locked for more than 4 hours at a time, and comes with a safety key to allow unlocking the device when desired. The Study Ball and Chain is sold online at Curiosite (www.curiosite.com) and costs about $115.00.

The website says: “Quite often, students who are having problems concentrating tend to get up every ten minutes to watch TV, talk on the phone, take something out of the fridge, and a long list of other distractions.

“Were they to dedicate all this wasted time to studying, they would optimise their performance and have more free time available.

“Study Ball helps you study more and more efficiently.”

Study Ball Designer Emilio Alarcon came up with the idea after a friend likened revision to being in jail.

He said: “Studying can be fun and enriching if you do it once in a while, but no one likes to study for days on end, especially not with an exam date looming overhead.

“The project was born of a conversation I had with a friend who was studying for a civil service exam.

“He said ‘I haven’t left the house in a week, this is like being in jail’.”

Wow. I bet kids won’t be adding this to their BillMyParents want list anytime soon. The old-fashioned “ball and chain” goes techie! What do you think about the Study Ball? Would you buy it?