Camera help

I am enlisting anyone's help who knows anything about digital still cameras and video cameras. I've been researching them both for the past couple months and I don't feel like I've come very far in my knowledge or know what I want. I also don't know where to get one or what's a good price.

I know I want a camera that can take picture after picture. Mine drive me crazy because I can't catch things very fast. I also look at peoples pictures and they are so pretty compared to mine. I know it has to do with the editing program too, but I want better pictures.

For my video camera, I think I want a flash drive. At least I know I don't want a mini dv. Ryan wants as much optical zoom as possible. We don't want to spend a whole bunch on either, but we want something good. Anyone out there camera savvy?

On a lighter note

These are the many faces of my children. Ok, mostly the baby, but she's just so darn cute and much more cooperative than her brothers.

Presidential Election

Has anyone noticed there are only 2 people running for president? Oh wait, there are more? Gee, I wouldn't have realized that had I not checked for myself on the internet. What is up with the news outlets and not even showing there are other choices out there. I'm so sick and tired of all the election things going on. At one point I was gung ho about it and really had my pick, but the closer it gets the more I want to crawl under a rock, or write myself in. I mean I could do the job, couldn't I? All I have to do it bomb everyone if they give me a funny look. Oh and spend money I don't have. This job can't be that hard.

Ryan sends me all sorts of articles to read and he has just decided they are both hypocrites. My friend says they're cocky. What got us to this point? We can't have an election where we feel comfortable with the people who are going to run this country.

In my search for all the candidates web sites, I came across a web site with everyone running listed. We certainly have more than just 2 candidates. http://www.politics1.com/p2008.htm

Here are a few of the web sites I was able to find. I've started, now its your turn. These links will take you directly to what they say about the issues and some other sites who all have their opinions about what they believe.

John McCain Republican
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/
Barack Obama Democrat
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
Bob Barr Libertarian
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/issues/
Ralph Nader
http://www.votenader.org/issues/

Pennies

It doesn't seem to matter how many times I tell the boys to make sure the small things are off the floor. On Sunday Frog was crying. It was a new cry I'd never heard. She was looking sort of frantic. I figured she had put something in her mouth off the boys floor. I kept telling her to just throw it up. I knew she could do it. It was the first time I have thought of calling 911 for one of my kids. She kept working on it and after about 30 seconds she was able to throw it up. Thank goodness for her awesome gag reflex.

I kept asking the boys what she swallowed but they said there wasn't anything on the floor. Yea, if you count a penny as being nothing. I guess we're going to have to be better at watching where those pennies go.

How many of me

I got this web site from a friend http://howmanyofme.com/search/ and you can find out how many people there are with your name.
There are fewer than 1,526 people in the U.S. with the first name Marly. I guess my name still isn't very popular. I've noticed more have it, but they're are few and far between. Although there are 509,679 people in the U.S. with the first name Ryan.

Pink eye

Owl woke up sometime this morning. I wouldn't know what time because I am a horrible night time parent. I'm already up half the night with the baby, I really could care less what goes on. So I get up at 6:30am to get ready to take Owl to school and Ryan informs me that Owl's eye was swollen and stuck together when he got him. Owl said he was kicked in the face at school. We figured he was just upset about it all and was making things up. He did inform me later that he was kicked in the face but I really doubt that's how he got the pink eye. He also started crying when I woke him up. When I asked what was wrong he said "I'm scared of my eye falling out" Ugh, I don't know where he came up with that.

So I call my friend and cancel my walking and I try the doctor. Of course they aren't in at 7:00am, so I wait until 8:00 to try again. Luckily the after hour people are there and I find out they open at 8:30. I call again at 8:30, still no answer. I figured I would call the after hours people again to tell them the clinic needs to start taking phone calls. This time the clinic answered and I was able to get an appointment for 9:15. We go in and find out, he has pink eye. I asked if this would be a reason for him to stay home from school. The doctor told me he was probably not feeling well. Oh, I guess that is a reason to stay home. I just figured if they aren't contagious, they could go :) I think I just don't remember what its like to be a kid.

We took a trip to the grocery store to get his prescription and somehow walked out with orange juice, one string cheese, donuts, ice cream and cheetos. I don't know how it happened. I think they jumped into the cart.

I thought I would include a picture of Frog with my first attempt at doing her hair. I was told by my sister-in-law that her hair could go in pig tails. Someone forgot to tell Frog this because she doesn't seem to agree. This was my first and only time to get her to keep them in.

Ryan says she looks like a bunny.

Fundraising

You know how when school starts its also that time where you get to buy things that you really don't need? Yes, you need to help your kids school, but do you really need cookie dough, wrapping paper, or whatever else they decide to sell? OK, so some of us need cookie dough, but I'm not talking about that kind of 'need'.

For Owls school this year they are trying something new. They are having a walk-a-thon and people can sponsor them. For $10 they get a t-shirt and for $25 they get their actual signature on that t-shirt (along with everyone elses). This is one of the things I volunteered to help for but when they were asking us what we want to do, I kept my mouth shut. I mean I'm counting box tops now. Thats a great help too! Really all I want to do is walk the half mile with my kids and come back :) I do want to help him get his shirt, but I don't want to be the person with the big paper to start the race and be on the news or in the paper. Oh yea, did I fail to mention the lady in charge of all this has links to the media? Yea, they will get to be there too. Like I've said before, I'm a behind the scenes kind of gal. I don't really need any more recognition than my own :) (right, which is why I'm telling you all about it)

Anyway, the time has come to start getting ready for this. I told Owl he should see if some of our neighbors want to sponser him so he can get his shirt. I will probably be the one to talk to them, so I better start working on getting Owl to look like they really want to help him get his cool t-shirt.

Projects

I've been trying to keep myself busy with different projects. My first was relabeling, deleting copies and putting my pictures, for the past 8 years, on DVDs. Yes, DVDs. I am not watching them, they just hold more pictures. I really hate to see fires and everyone loses their pictures. I got all my pictures relabeled and it only took a month. I think I've gotten a bit distracted with things like, life. I'm not sure when I'll actually get to putting them on DVDs. Maybe before the year ends.

My second project was counting those box tops. I really didn't think it would be that hard. I started 2 nights ago at 11:30pm. Yes, like I said, I didn't think it would be too difficult. I had to pull all the expired ones out. How sad is that? I mean its like "we'll help schools, but only if you send them to us fast enough". I quit and went to bed at 12:30am. I finished last night during the Republican convention and Super Nanny. I thought that was a good combination. When I divided them into bundles, twice, It was yet again 11:30 and I didn't get to bed until midnight. For a total of 4 hours work, I had 1200 box tops. To think this is only the second week of school. What did I get myself into?