TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Patience.
This is a hard one for a lot of people, in some areas I find it hard too. This isn't going to be one of regular tips where I share advice though, this will be a direct experience. I have an 11 year old son and he has Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's syndrome falls in the Autism spectrum and is not obvious when you look at him. Many people can tell something is a little off with him when they try to have a normal question/answer conversation with him, but other than that he is a happy and well behaved boy. He may be 11 in age, but emotionally he is only about 7 and I love him so much and I have to be very patient with him. He tends to be repetitive in his actions/likes and in his language too. He is currently obsessed with Pokemon and Legos, along with video games (about Pokemon and Legos). He doesn't like change and gets upset if I don't warn him first that we're going to be doing something else. He is going to Intermediate School in the fall and I have had to talk to him, visit the school, drive the route home many, many times already and school doesn't start again until August! Many things that parents take advantage of, I still have to help him with. I have to help comb his hair, help blow his nose, help brush his teeth good enough. I have to help him remember to talk to people when they talk to him and to wave at his friends. I have to remind him daily that other people have feelings and that he should try to be mindful of them too.
Patience pays off though, I watched it with my own eyes. My son and his younger brother were talking about pooling their allowance money together and were going to get a Lego set. Before we left the store we stopped by the video game section and my son decided it would be a good idea to save up his allowance money to get a video game he really wanted. His younger brother was upset because he didn't have enough money for the Lego set alone. His younger brother was pouting and my son was picking at him because he doesn't read facial expressions well, nor does he understand social cues. I asked him to leave his brother alone and grabbed something off the shelf. I turned around after and he was hugging his brother (who was still pouting), I was about to ask him again to leave his brother alone when I heard him say, "I'm sorry...I know you really wanted the Lego." He recognized that he hurt his brother's feelings and felt bad enough to apologize to him! He has never done that on his own, ever! I made sure to praise him for doing the right thing in hopes he can do it again.
Being patient pays off, especially when it comes to your children. I'm still not patient in all areas of my life and I know I need to work on those areas too. Being patient with my kids is a priority in my life and you should try it too, it might just work for you! That's your Tip for Tuesday!=0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LikE

Hello Monday and hello people of blog land! As you can read I have survived my experience watching my sister's kids and I am currently sitting in my own chair, tapping away on my regular computer! Yippee! Yes, I am somewhat easily amused if you must know... It's time for my this is what I like segment, so let's hit it! =0)

I love the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! In fact I love it so much, I went and bought my sister a couple more and happily wandered her house vanquishing finger prints and scuff marks for several days. Actually, if you must know, I spent part of my morning this morning wandering my own house and doing the same thing!
Why I love it:
With a little rinse and wring I can wipe over the top of scuff marks on the floors and walls and POOF! They're gone! I give it a quick rinse and wipe over my cupboard doors and magically the scum and sticky food particles are history! I give it another rinse and a wring and I can easily clean the rubber on my sneakers to a gleaming white as well! It removes finger prints on walls and doors and zaps clean baseboards in a snap! Take it outside and easily clean your plastic lawn furniture and your kid's plastic playthings as well. I used it to wipe down booster seats at my sister's house and light switches and the handle to the patio door and the railing to the basement!
$1.97 for two at your local Wal-Mart and I love them! Got little kids with chronically grubby fingers? Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I'll bet you love it too! ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

At the end of my life, I want to be able to look back and reflect on the people whose lives I've touched. At the end of my life, I want my children to know I loved them with every fiber of my being. At the end of my life, I want to know that I've made a difference in the life of someone.
He with the most toys doesn't win, I would be far more upset if I didn't have my family by my side. Did you yell loudest when a cause you supported made a difference to you? Did you trample on the people around you just for the support of that cause? Do you often overlook the feelings of others to make your voice heard? Are you proud to say that you did? I would be upset if I wasn't viewed as genuine, would you?
Love your family deeply, try your hardest in all that you do, be genuine. At the end of my life, I'll be satisfied with my accomplishments, will you?

I don't envy you...

If you happened to notice my absence in the land of blog, my apologies for it really can't be helped! I have been summoned to the home of my sister to look over 3/4ths of her ankle biter crew. I love my nieces and nephew to death and beyond, but the experience is making me appreciate the fact that none of my kids are so young anymore!
My nephew was nice enough to wake me up promptly at a quarter to 6 this morning and this after not receiving the most restful night's sleep. He was also nice enough to sleep for only about an hour and a half this afternoon, thankfully I was able to nap for about 50 minutes too!
I've prepared meals and cut plenty of food into minuscule pieces. I've wiped more faces and butts than I have in years! I have listened to countless arguments and screeches and manned two tantrums so far...I'm tired already and I have 2 1/2 days to go!
Any of my loyal blog readers who have children 4 and under, I don't envy you! I some how had 3 children in 4 years and had an entire house full of ankle biters for several years, I wondering now how I have maintained my sanity! Hmmm...perhaps I didn't! ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Tip-a-palooza!!

I've spent a good deal of my morning this morning trying to think of a blog-worthy tip for my segment. I've got a bunch of smaller tips and I'm going to smash them all into this post...so watch out! =0)

Baby-wipes. Everyone is familiar with these, especially if you have babies/toddlers in your house. Did you know you can do a lot more with these than wipe butts? They are great for wiping noses and sticky fingers, for wiping unidentified crust from your little one's hair. You can wipe spills and puke from the carpet as well. Got a smelly dog who hates baths or who is smelly in between baths? That's right, wipe him down with a few baby-wipes, he'll be powder fresh in no time!

Stained counters. Have a laminate counter top? Does it have few stains? Now do you own a dishwasher? If your answer was yes to all of these you are in luck! Dry dishwasher detergent is awesome for getting out counter stains! No lie! Get the spot a little wet with some water and add some detergent, enough to form a paste. Give it a light scrub and voila! Stain's gone!

Puking kids. I have one child who tends to throw up, no matter what he is sick with...yep, your jealous, I can tell! Ha! First of all find out the source of the puking, ie; stomach flu, too much junk, food poisoning, just because... If you suspect stomach flu, immediately strip all beds of the offenders, Lysol all door knobs, mattresses, head boards, hard surfaces. Launder all the bedding. Bleach the bathroom. Why, you ask? Stomach flu is easily spreadable and can be stopped fairly quickly in this manner. If you suspect it's food poisoning, clean all dishes left in the kitchen and Lysol/bleach all other surfaces. Be sure to follow the steps above as well. It's also a good idea to keep some activated charcoal on hand (available at health food/ vitamin stores), this helps to absorb whatever is left in the stomach and is what is used for poisoning in the hospital. If you suspect it's too much junk/just because (I'm kidding of course!) be sure to clean and launder anywhere that got puked on and give your child clear liquids and yogurt when he is feeling a little better. My chronic puker can usually be stopped cold by an offering of yogurt. Acidophilus can help as well, if you can get them to swallow pills that is!

Use Oxyclean to clean! Scrub your grout, scrub stained concrete, scrub your carpet, scrub your porcelain sink. I add this versatile stuff to all my loads of laundry, it helps catch stains I miss and freshens/whitens all my laundry too. It is also great for preventing bleeding colors.

So here's your TiP(s) fOr TuEsDaY! all these things make my life a little easier and I'll bet they can work for you too! =0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Converse sneakers!

Bliss would be the day that I literally owned every color in the rainbow! I know that the "this is what I like" segment is supposed to be a product that I feature that makes my life a little easier, well I don't know about easier! I do know that my feet are happy when I wear them, so that's close enough right? I want to say that I own about 45 pairs of these (I've lost track!) not all Chucks, but 2/3 of them are. When I say chucks I mean like the pair that is pictured above, they come in both oxford and high top styles and the range of colors is endless! These are great shoes for expressing yourself for sure! If you click on the link there is actually a place on the official site where you can design your own cons, how cool!
In my mind they go with everything and I am known for wearing them with everything from jeans, to business casual looks, or even my sundresses! If you've got a full range of colors it makes it easy to match them up with everything. They are by far my trademark and got my first pair when I was 13?, I believe and have owned at least one pair ever since. I know my collection has gotten a bit out of hand these days...unfortunately I discovered that they have them at Ross and TJ Maxx. The popularity of cons has skyrocketed these days and it makes finding them for 20 bucks super easy! =0)
If you haven't guessed, tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe! You should try them! I'll bet you like them too! =0)
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ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Don't be afraid to be yourself. Be original, be fresh, be you. Don't allow yourself to blindly follow the lead of someone else. Question authority. Question ideas. Question yourself. Does this truly make me happy and fulfilled in my life? Should I be doing something else? Could I be someone else? It's hard to love others when you don't love yourself, so love yourself. Be confident in who you are, be realistic and know that we all make mistakes, be here and present in the moment and learn to do better. Teach your children that it's okay NOT to be like everyone else, I mean how on earth would you stand out in a crowd? Teach them to be confident in their abilities and push them to live to their fullest potential and love them for being themselves. Be genuine in your thoughts and actions and relationships and be honest. Be honest with yourself, be honest with others, be honest with the fact that only one of you exists. Be true to the one and only you and take pride that you are the very best version of you and love being yourself. Just a thought. ;0)

It's Thursday already?

I honestly meant to blog yesterday, I really and truly did! I actually just looked at the kids school calender this morning and realized...wait, where'd Wednesday go?! Busy is normal for Moms...if you are such, you know full well what I mean! I'm not always so busy, but for some reason all the busy things I need to accomplish happen in clumps!
I'm still looking for a job and do spend at least a couple of hours a day grazing the electronic job board for Workforce Services. I apply to jobs that fit my skill level and copy and paste my resume frequently. I spend far too much time on Facebook, but only because I seem to have amassed close to 400 friends (somehow!) and it takes a while to read through updates and view pictures. Since I spend a good portion of my day in silence, with the exception of the crybaby dog, I love to read about people I know and people I grew up with it makes me feel like I actually interacted with someone during the day! I am well aware of how dysfunctional this really is...don't judge me! ;0)
In between hours spent in front of the screen, I pick up and drop off kids, I do laundry, I clean house, I attempt to complete enormous sewing projects that I some how get talked into doing...I make dinner, I write 3 different blogs...Okay, I've just figured out why it's Thursday already! ;0)
As I read this post, I realize I have no point or moral for it...so, if you were reading it for such, I'm sorry to disappoint you! Just the ramblings of a busy and not so average Mom! Ha! ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Vacuum everything!
As I've confessed before, I'm not the world's best house cleaner. I know, I know...I wipe bathrooms down weekly, my dishes are usually done and the laundry piles make it impossible for me to open the laundry room door by the time I get to them. This is why I love this tip, I mean it! Vacuum everything!
I have mostly hard surface floors in my house and three of the bedrooms have carpet. I don't get a broom for the hard surfaces, I vacuum it all! I vacuum bathrooms, I vacuum the kitchen, I use the hose attachment and vacuum counters and the table and all the dust off of surfaces as well. When I'm forced to clean, I like to do it all in one fell-swoop...just so I can get back to the important things...you know blogging, reading, music, sewing! ;0) Don't be afraid to vacuum the crumbs off the stove or hair off the bathroom floor! After you vacuum the carpet in the bedroom...heck, vacuum the dog! It'll save you from vacuuming up hairs off the furniture later!
Wield the vacuum and threaten toes and Lego men and just vacuum it all! Here's your tip for Tuesday! Try it, it might just work for you too! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

My Nikon Coolpix!
I love to take pictures! Until a couple of years ago, I just pointed and shot my way around with my Cannon 35mm camera I've had since my 19th birthday. That's when my man decided to bring me up to speed with a digital camera and this is what I got!
What I love:
It takes regular batteries, 2 AA to be exact. I do have to get the titanium kind but, it's a lot easier to find them as opposed to a fussy "camera battery". I have 9 different modes to choose from, whether I'm taking pics of my kids or scenery I can select the right mode and get that perfect shot! 8.1 megapixel provides crisp, clear images and is great for blur control. Large screen on the back and the ability to clear out the bad shots quickly, makes getting the right shot a breeze! Uploading is a snap, I just plug in my USB cable and voila! My pictures are captured quickly into my folder, for easy access for sharing and my editing program. It's not bulky and fits easily into my purse for easy transportation.
If you need a good and easy to use camera, try the Nikon Coolpix, I know I like it! I'll bet you do too! =0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Take a moment.

Life's crazy. There's no denying it and the harder you try to get everything in order and in it's place, the crazier things get. Or at least this is the way it feels in my life. So, what can you do to try to smooth out the frays? I've found over the years that it extremely helpful to take a moment, essentially a time-out for Moms. When one of my kids is having a rough time and is whiny or disobedient, I send them to their rooms for a time-out. At my house, that involves lying in your bed until you've calmed down enough to be reasonable again. The same thing works in my case as well. If the kids are driving me batty or I've just got way more on my plate than is possible to accomplish, I take a moment to myself.
I'll admit, this isn't always easy when your kids are young, but a few tricks I learned when my kids were young could help. Pop in their favorite movie. Most kids have something that they'll watch, unmoving, for a few minutes so you can get yourself back together. Lock yourself in the bathroom. I take a shower, fix my hair, read a magazine sitting in the toilet for a few minutes! Do your grocery shopping after the kids go to bed. I always did my grocery shopping in the evenings while my husband stayed at home with the kids after bed. I got to get my stuff done and enjoy being able to hear my own thoughts for a while.
I'm pretty lucky, my kids are old enough to watch themselves now and if I need a moment I can take one. If I'm trying to read something or just trying to hear my own thoughts I can say, "Mommy loves you, but shoo for a few minutes." It actually works well! I look them in the eye and kiss tops of heads and they realize that I'm not ignoring them, I'm just busy for a minute.
You know the adage, "When Momma's not happy, no one is happy?", then take a moment to make sure Momma is happy. Just a thought! =0)

Mini-vans + Moms = love!

As you can see I have a pic of my mini-van that died a couple of weeks ago in an accident. Tragic that being parked in front of the kid's school, minding my own business, could result in such a huge mess! dealing with our insurance company, dealing with the other driver's insurance company, waiting for them to decide whether to fix or total, it's enough to 'bout drive ya insane!! =0) We found out earlier this week that they were indeed going to total my van and what the settlement amount was going to be. As it always goes, it wasn't as much as we paid for it a few months ago and it took my man many a long night (scouring the internet) to find anything close to the low miles and condition as my old van. The result?

A new (to me) Dodge Caravan, a year newer, a few thousand more miles, but in great condition! I had to give up my DVD player and one extra seat, but it looks comfy and the kids can watch the portable DVD player. It should be great for all the traveling northward I do and kid hauling to activities, school, appointments, parks, splash-pads, play-dates, performances...=0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Hire help! (The kids ma'am..use the kids!)

Chores for today: clean the house, do a mountain of laundry, do dishes, wipe toilets, pick up/ drop off kids, pick up after kids, clean up kid's mess...Does this list look a tad familiar? It looks like my list most days and notice that most of it involves cleaning up after the kids. Ah..the key word, the kids! Ever wish you had a little help cleaning up after the kids? Ah, but you do! The kids! The kids? Why not hire the kids? This is what I do, I pay the kids to clean up after themselves. It's not much, so I'm not going broke any time soon, but enough for them to understand what it takes to earn. Two valuable lessons in one here: learning responsibility and appreciating the value of a dollar.
Learning Responsibility:
Does your boss follow YOU around asking you to put your socks in the hamper? Of course not, he pays YOU to remember to do it! I pay my kids two dollars a week to do things like: clean their bathroom, pick up their rooms daily, unload/load the dishwasher. For my one with Asperger's Syndrome he is required to put the cereal and milk away in the morning without forgetting, as well as, get his homework done with out me asking. Trust me I know, it's much easier to do it yourself...but, you are not doing your kids any favors by doing it for them. Period. If they don't do their chores, I don't pay them either. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Value of a dollar: I don't buy my kids toys. Unless it's Christmas or your birthday, don't bother asking me for a toy, cuz it ain't happening! They are aware of this policy, but know if they want something bad enough all they have to do is save their allowance. I'm not totally mean, I will occasionally buy things like video games for everyone to enjoy...but, I expect good behavior for it to happen! If they want something really badly, my man and I will pay them for extra chores...such as weeding or what not. I know I'll have to increase allowance as they get older, but trust me I will increase chores as well.
Drowning in housework? Pay your kids to help! That's your Tip for Tuesday! =0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

SoBe Green tea!

I'll admit it, I'm addicted to caffeine. I know, know...I can hardly get out of bed without my cup of coffee and heaven forbid my kids try to tell me something beyond, "Mom...where's the cereal?" It will not compute! Ha!
For those of you who know me, you all know I can drink gallons of Dr. Pepper...mmm! ;0) I can only handle about one a day anymore without ice melted into it (you know, helping my kidney function). I still need a caffeine fix come mid afternoon and was looking for a substitute for old my friend DR. P. My Mom likes SoBe green tea and I gave it a try, Wow! This stuff is great! Clean, crisp, refreshing and lovely for all the blisteringly hot afternoons we have here in Dixie. Full of antioxidants, guarana, ginseng, and vitamin c it is a great alternative to my Dr. P addiction. I love that the first ingredient is filtered water, I never get enough no matter how hard I try. It has a smooth, not bitter taste, not too sweet either! Yum!
Does you afternoon need a kick? Try an ice cold SoBe Green Tea! You should try it, I know I like it! =0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Enjoy the simple things.

Far too often it seems that I get weighed down by things rushing around me. Appointments, errands, running the kids around, and the never ending giant laundry piles can get the better of me too. If you ever feel this way, try this: enjoy something simple. A sniff of a pretty flower, baking home-made cookies just because, a hug, a smile, the laughter of my children these are all things that are so simple, but bring me so much joy. Take a drive in the countryside, take a stroll with your sweetheart, eat ice cream for dinner sometimes...when life's hectic fury gets the better of you. Simple things can help put the whole pile of life's mess into perspective and make it easier to tackle it all again tomorrow. Just a thought! =0)

"You've lost your muchness..."

This week my family and I watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, I suppose this is Disney's way of trying to make up for butchering the 1951 version so badly. I spent a good deal of my growing up years reading classics, including Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carrol. If you are familiar with this book and with the 1951 Disney cartoon version of "Alice", you know that there are very few similarities. Some of the characters remain the same such as the March Hair, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, but the cartoon version is very tame in comparison.
Now Tim Burton, in true Tim Burton fashion weaves a glorious and colorful tale of Alice, returning to Wonderland to be enlisted, albeit a bit unwillingly, to help defeat the Red Queen and her minion the Jabberwockey. This movie is as beautiful to look at, as it is enthralling to watch.
Now why (you are asking yourself) am I reviewing "Alice in Wonderland?" Actually I just wanted to give a little background to a quote from the movie I am going to apply to myself, ha! The Mad Hatter rescues Alice toward the beginning of the movie and hides her from the minions of the Red Queen. He whisks her off to safety and confesses that she isn't the same Alice as she was as a little girl. When Alice questions him as to why? He tells her that she has "lost her muchness". I too feel that I have lost my "muchness", my identity in a way. It's amazing how we can associate the way we feel about ourselves based upon our occupations. Since losing my job in April (although trust me, it was long overdue), I have had a hard time adjusting to the full time domestic life. Of course, I've always had to do the house keeping thing, it was just more of squeezing it in to lulls in life and not an everyday, "you're kidding the only time I left the house was to drop off/pick up kids from school?" daily routine. "So, I've lost my muchness, eh?", says Alice as she bravely storms the Red Queen's castle. Perhaps, I should apply the same gumption to my inner domestic diva...ha!

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

I got it at Ross!

I'm aware that I missed my "this is what i like" segment on Monday, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do it now!
Ross! If you have never shopped in this "name brand goods at bargain basement prices" mecca, then you my friend are missing out! I love Ross! I make sure to visit it about every couple of weeks (it takes that amount of time for them to replenish their stock and for the "markdown team" to make it's way through the store). I have had a lot of less patient people ask me, "How do you find so much stuff there?" Well, I for one, am not your average Ross shopper. Having had the opportunity to work in management (and every other dept in the store) a few years ago, I know many secrets that make my shopping trips successful! Here's a quick rundown on my secrets to Ross.
1. During the Holidays they receive a shipment up to 5 days a week. This means the opportunity to find something great is doubled. I tend to shop at Ross for Christmas presents every week from the beginning of November through Christmas.
2. The "markdown team" runs all the way through the store about every 2 weeks. This means new stuff is on clearance (especially in Women's and Housewares) every couple of weeks. A few of the departments (like Men's or Shoes) get run through about once a month. The departments of course get scanned heavily at the end of seasons as well, so keep that in mind when clearance shopping!
3. Look through all the racks, not just in your size. Also, look at the tags of the clothing not just the hanger tags. It's amazing how little staff the company is willing to pay for, especially for the amount of items they carry. This means the racks don't get organized very often and things are put out on a rush. I just make sure take the time to look everywhere for exactly what I want.
4. Like sneakers? Look for them in all of the shoe departments. The backroom staff unboxes all the shoes, clips them together, and sizes them before putting them on the racks. So if the staff isn't very good at decoding their bar-code system (a lot of he staff isn't) then the shoes will just get sized by # and put out. Not necessarily noticing if they are in fact a Womens shoe and they are putting it in the Mens section. This is true, especially if you love Cons like I do! Cons are unisex sneakers that are sized in Mens sizes. If you wear a woman's eight, then you would wear a 6 in Cons. I look for them in the Kids size 6 shoe section, in the Mens size 6 shoe section, and in the Womens size 6 section and occasionally they actually get put in the Womens size 8 section (that's rare though!).
5. Do you shop at TJ Maxx too? I do of course, but I have found that with their clothes especially, you can usually get the exact same item at Ross for about 2 dollars cheaper! So keep that in mind!
How does Ross get their great stuff for so cheap? It's all seconds right? Nope. All though up to a third of their items can be seconds (not quite good enough for the label like a thread flaw or bad seam) most of the inventory is bought from large shipping containers for a discount. Leftovers from a past season, overstock from department stores or manufacturers. Ross buys these containers and warehouses them and divides them up among it's stores according to climate, dynamics and store sales. That's why you tend to get great stuff at newer Ross stores and busy stores.

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe, try it! I'll bet you like it too! ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

The power of "No".

First off I hope everyone was able to fully enjoy their 3 day weekend this weekend! I hope everyone enjoyed their barbecues, their dips in the lake, and I hope that everyone took a moment to remember those who served to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Now that has been said and I have been able to shuttle my kids off to school for the next 4 weeks (year round), I'll get to my blog!;0)

As a parent, I have found that I am well aqcauinted with the word no. "Mom, can I play my video game?" No. "Mom, can we have dessert first?" No. "Mom, are you REALLY sleeping?" No. You see? I find that I use the word all day long.
Now here's a question, have you ever found yourself saying it too much? Too much? Hear me out...If that word is about every other word out of your mouth, you're probably saying it a tad too often. I know how it goes, I just cleaned my house and the kids want to start an art project. Before I automatically say no, I stop and ask myself, "Is anyone coming over this second? Have I let the kids do anything fun today? Will I die if I have to clean up again?" I can't let myself be the Mom that only expected her kids to clean all the time or to never make a mess or to not be kids! I honestly had a friend once that was so obsessed with being clean, that is all she and her kids did together and then she wondered why they went to their Dad's and didn't want to come back! Wow.
Saying no all the time doesn't help with disciplinary issues either. If you have a child who is chronically disobedient, step back and think about it first. I tell her no all the time, "Are my expectations too high? Do I spend any time with her individually? Is there something I'm doing and not realizing it?" Saying no constantly and having no result is frustrating for you and your child. Set clear boundaries and be upfront with your child about consequences and watch your "No's". My daughter and I clash occasionally and she can be fairly defiant when she wants to be. A lot of times I find, it's because she has asked me to do something with her several times and I have been busy. I stop saying no and paint her toenails or draw with her or play a game for a while. I get my always helpful, good-natured little girl back and all it took was to not say, "NO". Here's your TiP fOr TuEsDay! =0)