Free Video Game Week: ourWorld

Miles next pick for Free Video Game Week was ourWorld. We started out playing it yesterday. The first thing that I noticed is that it's really addictive and fun. The second thing I noticed is that it's like you go through a time warp on there. One minute it's 4 p.m. and your playing games, the next minute it's 2 a.m (when your blog post should have been already posted). Oops.

So, today I logged in with a brand new account for BlogWriter to see what it's like to be a brand new ourWorld player. Thank goodness we got the homeschooling done first or we'd have nothing done for the day. We logged in at noon as a newbie and I signed off at 8 p.m. at level 15.

Getting started on ourWorld
Getting started on ourWorld is very easy. You go to ourWorld and click the huge pink circle to start playing. Pick your gender and it starts you off with three challenges to help you get started and learn the game.

Challenges on ourWorld
I started out by trying out some of the challenges that get you started. You can find them by finding any person with ! over their head and click on them. One thing I did notice is that the challenges are set up to show you how to play, show you around ourWorld and let you explore all that there is to do. By doing the challenges you can gain flow (which is how you level up), coins and gems. Sometimes you are awarded with clothes or other cool items for your inventory.

What are gems, coins and flow?
Gems are like real money. Actually, you can buy gems for real money but I am cheap and broke. You can also earn gems by watching ads and once it had me try a game to earn gems. You don't HAVE to... but it helps you earn gems if you do.

Coins are the ourWorld money. You can earn coins by completing challenges, selling you items in inventory, using flow, doing dance off's against other players and more. I used my coins to buy cool new clothes, shoes, a dorky elf/jester hat and a stocking. Yes, I am a dork!

Flow... there is a circle at the bottom left corner of the screen that shows how much flow you have. You can click the circle to play games at Prize central at anytime but when you have enough flow it will tell you that you can level up. When you go to Prize central, there are three games you can play to earn prizes. I, personally, absolutely LOVE The Bubbler. The bigger the bubble, the bigger the prize!

Your ourWorld condo
I forgot about the condo that you get for playing ourWorld. I found it in one of my challenges. You can be like my son, bakermiles, and decorate it with all your super rare and rare items to tease people with when they come to visit. Or you can be like me... go play everything else and forget you have a condo. LOL

Places you can go in ourWorld
You can go to different places in ourWorld. The higher your level, the more places you can go. Let's start with the main place...

• The Boardwalk is the main landing pad for the game and where you will find Zoe. It has
• Buzz: coffeehouse
• Starlight Skate: an ice rink
• Slideshow: where you can movies
• Starlight Store: where you can buy items
• Volla: buy threads and furniture
• Dance Planet: where you can bust a move... is that an outdated saying?
• The Beach (for residents only... I'll get into that in a bit)
• Otto: Furniture, clothing... vehicles? SWEET! I didn't know they had vehicles!
• The Pier is more fun and games-ish. It has:
• Skyscope, where you can view downerworld (earth). 
• Snaps: where you can take pictures of yourself.
• Splatterbox: where you can create a huge mess and call it art
• Poker Cabana: where you play... well, poker.
• Critter Derby: where you select a critter and hope like hell it runs faster than the rest.
• Soho is, uh... Soho. It has:
• Elevated Design: formal wear and fancy stuffs
• Bejeweled: where you buy jewelry and power ups (they increase your flow boost)
• Lady King: furniture and clothes shop
• Soho Salon: buy... hair?
• Catwalk: Where you vote on photo and fashion show contests
• Electric Avenue is the party place!
• Flo's Diner: where you can waitress or just enjoy virtually eating virtual food.
• Garage: where you can pretend to be in a band.
• Blue Cow: furniture and clothing shop
• Skin Deep: it says "get your ink on". Tattoo and all that cool stuff.
• Rock n Roll: you go shoot pool
• Crews Control is where you set up your "crew" (AKA gang lol, just kidding)
• Wonderland is a mystical land
• Cake Mania: you can make and eat cakes.
• Encahntments: buy fury friends to fly around you all day
• Sugar Star: buy furniture and clothing
• Nevermore is dark and scary, kind of like my basement.
• Midnight Cafe where you can buy spooky treats!
• Skeleton Key is a shop for clothes and furniture
• Skeleton Key Dungeon (for residents only... I have no idea what's in there)
• Beat Street is basketball themed and there is only one shop.
• Ani where you can buy clothes and furniture.

Games on ourWorld

If I tried to list all the games on ourWorld, I'd be here until the middle of January... so let's just say, there are TONS of games to play! Whatever you like to play; puzzle, arcade, matching, strategy or action, I am SURE you will find something you like.

Becoming a resident on ourWorld

I couldn't become a resident because I am broke, but if you want to skip the ads, you can become a resident. As a resident, you get extra gems each month (on the monthly plan), access to the residents only area (like the beach), a mondo condo (and exclusive items for your condo every month) and 2x more flow. If I ever get to be a resident, I'll update what it's like. Also, Miles just told me that the resident jackpot, in Prize Central, will win you gems instead of coins (awesome, since I didn't even know there was a jackpot!) I went and looked in Prize Central, YUP, there is a jackpot!

For rating ourWorld

10 out of 10 all the way across the board! This online game is the best of the best and my personal favorite! It has a little something for everyone and is totally kid friendly too!  It was designed for kids... I'm a kid at heart :) 

Miles agrees with my rating.

There is so much to do and it is so much fun that all I can say is GO PLAY! While you are at it, add me as a friend. I am BlogWriter... Shameless plug there.

Update: Question: Can you buy coins with real money?

Video Game Week: Some games take a little longer...

I am learning a lot this week about video games. One thing I learned yesterday, playing one game can be fast and fun, while playing another game can take all day long and be more time consuming, more involved and pull you into a time warp. WOW!

We are working on the review for OurWorld and I have to say, I am going to need a 12 step program. That game is FUN! and addictive. LOL

The review will be up by 2 a.m. tomorrow morning though. This is exciting to me :) And my avatar is just AWESOME!

FREE Video Game Week: Need for Speed World

For our first game, Miles picked Need for Speed World. You sign up (which is very easy) and download the game. Then log-in and pick your car and driver. You can practice driving first, which I highly suggest, and then join races or do an outlaw race where you run from the police and try not to get busted before the finish line.

Need for Speed World controls
I practiced driving around using the keyboard and then an xbox controller. I have to say, the xbox controller is MUCH easier for me to steer. It took me a couple hours to get comfortable driving around at full speed without crashing into every obstacle in my path (and to my sides).

There are a lot of keys on the keyboard that you use also. H is the safe house, E... uh, I forgot already, one of the keys looks behind you, another gives you a different view. It's pretty easy once you learn all this. There is a How to Play guide. I guess I could have started out by reading that, but where is the fun in that?

Need for Speed World Pros
Of course, being free is a huge bonus.

I also really enjoyed the different maps and routes. Huge blue blinking arrows point the way you need to go on your course rather than just guessing how you are supposed to find the finish line.

When you get busted in the police chase, you can respawn three times before you are out of the game, which is nice. If it weren't for the three respawns, I wouldn't have made it very far.

You can decorate your car, add power-ups, different colored paint and vinyl decals to your car for ultimate coolness.

If you are first to third in a race, you can pick from five different winning cards (gold, silver and bronze depending on your place) which gives you added bonuses for the game.

You can add friends that you meet on the game and teleport to them when they are online. That was a lot easier than spending 20 minutes going "What landmarks are you near? What do you mean the dinosaur? Where is the dinosaur? What building? What blinking lights building with the arch? Are we on the same map?"

Need for Speed World Cons
Police chases turn my language to rather colorful and offensive language.

Racing actually makes my blood pressure rise!

But seriously. the biggest down side to Need for Speed World that I found was, depending on your computers performance, the server you are on and the number of players online at a time, you can experience a lot of lag which throws the control of your car. I had a few issues with it when I was trying to turn. By the time the server/computer caught up with my controls, I was plowing through street signs, cars and into walls rather than smoothly sailing through the police barricade. Playing on Miles' computer I did MUCH better!

If you want a cool decal or a pricier paint, you need to level up first. The higher the level, the cooler pricier things you can buy. This isn't a huge con, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Need for Speed World Rating (out of 10 stars)

1. Overall rating: 9 out of 10 stars (the lag pissed me off)
2. Game play: 9 out of 10 stars (see comment above)
3. Controls: 9 out of 10 Once I knew what I was doing driving was easy. But there are a lot of keys to press for different things. I highly suggest reading "How to Play".
4. Fun factor: 100 out of 10... oh, darn, my rating system doesn't go that high!
5. Kid friendly? Well, I think so. I didn't see anything that would make me gasp in horror. Unless running from the police offends you, I think it could be a fun family game for... oh, maybe 10 and up... unless their sign up has an age (I didn't notice one)

Teenager Review of Need for Speed World


Dotchi: So Miles, what do you like best about Need for Speed World?

Miles: I would say the intense police chases and the wide variety of cars.

Dotchi: Cool. What do you suggest to new players who have never played before?

Miles: First, figure out if you are better at keyboard or xbox controller, that's if they have one, of course. And then, I would start driving around at a slow pace so you can get used to it and learn the map.

Dotchi: So, how did I do learning to play?

Miles: The first six hours? Or the last six hours?

Dotchi: *blush* uh, erm, uh... both...

Miles: In the beginning, you started out like most people, slamming into everything. After a few hours of driving around and getting used to the controls, you weren't bad. In the end, you were right on my tail, along with the cops. And holy cow, I didn't know there were that many cuss words!

Dotchi: ON TO the next topic! How would you rate Need for Speed World?

Miles: Overall rating, I would give it about an 8 out of 10. It's a free game but you can't expect too much from it because you didn't pay for it. If you do pay for it, you pay for it knowing the quality of the game.

Dotchi: How about game play?

Miles: Game play is good. I'd give it about a 7 out of 10 because you can't rotate all the way around your car. They took that out a few months back. It's just like any other Need for Speed if you are using a controller. If you are using the keyboard, it can be a little difficult.

Dotchi: That's an understatement.

Miles: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lando Kitten: Meow

Dotchi: Hush kitty. How about fun factor?

Miles: I'd give it a 10 out of 10. I personally like racing games so I find it to be very fun.

Dotchi: I like that answer. Do you think it's kid friendly?

Miles: Oh yea, very. That's assuming their parents don't mind them running from an automated police officer.

Dotchi: Cool, thanks. Anything else you want to add?

Miles: This game is actually a very demanding game for a computer. It's hard on your video card and CPU so you'll want to check on the gaming specs..

So there you have it. The teenagers point of view.

FREE Video Game Week

My 16 year old son gave me a wonderful idea for this coming up week! Free Video Game Week! No, we aren't giving away video games, I wish I could. We will be playing a free video game a day and reviewing it from mom's point of view and the teen's point of view. Here are the made up rules for the reviews.

1. Miles picks the games. (Oh boy, what did I just sign up for?)
2. The game to be free to play.
3. We both play the games on different computers, using different specs. 
4. We'll play each game for two hours each (or three... or four...)
5. We will both review the game play, the game itself and rate it using a 5 star system.
6. We will put down the novice gamer's view (that would be me) and the experienced gamer's view (that would be Miles).
7. We will put down how long it took us to get used to the controls (this should be entertaining on my end)
8. I will sign up for the new accounts and tell you how hard or easy that is also.

This should be fun! We have our list and we'll start on Monday.

Updates: Here are the reviews!

Need for Speed World

ourWorld

Combat Arms

Battlestar Galatica Online

Redundancies I Love to Hate

Sometimes we say something that is redundant without even thinking about what we said. I catch myself doing it and I cringe. Here are some the ones that really get under my skin.

Hot water heater... It's just a water heater. We wouldn't need to heat hot water... it's already hot!

Spoiled rotten... Well, I haven't heard of anything that is spoiled fresh.

Future Plans... Uh-huh, and when you're done making those you can help me make some past plans. Okay?

Unsolved Mysteries... If they were solved, they wouldn't be mysteries anymore, now would they?

On that line of thinking... A secret that no one knows... if someone knew it, it wouldn't be a freaking secret. The whole idea of secrets is that NO ONE KNOWS!

Hot Lava... I sure the heck hope so! If it were cold lava, it would be rocks... and wouldn't be lava anymore either.

Neutered Male... How many neutered females do you know?

Tuna Fish... as compared to tuna cats? You don't need to say fish. Tuna implies that it's fish. Never have I asked for a tuna sandwich and gotten the reply "the fish or the boat?" And why do we say that for tuna? We don't order mahi mahi fish, halibut fish or a bacon pig cheese dairy burger cow.

FAQ: Where is the share button?

From an anonymous comment:

 "...where can I find share btn? (P.S. Don't think I'm blind)"

No, anonymous reader, you are not blind. I had a share button and apparently blogger ate my code. I fixed it by adding a new share button. Just above the posts is a line of little icons. Click on those and you can share this blog (or the individual posts) on numerous social websites. I added all of them that were available.

If you don't see one that you use, shoot me an email  and let me know which one you would like added and I will try to find a button for it.

Also, at the end of each post are icons for blog this, twitter, facebook, email this post and Google+ for sharing each post. Just click on the icons to share.

If you run into any problems, just let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving to my USA Readers

Happy Thanksgiving to my USA readers! With all our food allergies, I decided today would be a good day to hang out with the kids and play video games rather than trying to concoct an allergy-friendly menu. 

I am making chicken in my new roaster oven, Making biscuits for the boys and throwing some veggies on the stove. Other than that, we aren't doing anything fabulous. Just hanging out and having fun.

Enjoy your meals, time with family and vacation pay (if you are working). 

Trip to the ER. I really think the doctor thought I am a dumb-arse.

Do doctors even listen? I go in there and I am like "I can't pee and my skin feels like someone is pouring acid on me." I told him I am allergic to everything under the sun, including the sun. I told him I was okie dokie before the epidural injection and now I am having issues of my skin burning and urine retention.

So he does an ultrasound of my bladder. Yup, it's full. They said it has an estimated 400 cc's in it. Okay... He says I probably has a UTI. I don't but trying to be nice I didn't argue.

They send in a female nurse to drain my bladder by catheter because by now, I am in agony. She holds up the bag and it's 700 cc's full. OUCH!

Mind you, my friend is standing right there. We are both CNAs. We know how to read and everything. So the nurse drains that into a measuring basin and into a cup for a urine sample for my UA. My friend leans over to read it and it's definitely over the 500 cc's line. She wasn't close enough for a definite read. Then turns to me and starts talking about my ginormous bladder.

The nurse looks at the basin, tilts it backwards slightly, says that there is about 400 something cc's plus the 50 in the cup for, we'll say 471. Uh-uh, whatever.

Then they take me for an MRI. During this time, I am so flushed and my skin is burning so bad that they had to stop the test and pull me out to cool me down. I finish that and go back to the ER.

Hey, guess what! I don't have a UTI. I already knew that though but any doctor would not take just my word for it. Also, the MRI came back fine as could be for me. No hematomas, infection or anything that would causing my symptoms.

Then he comes back in and says "You said you take Benadryl, right?" I was like "Yea, but I haven't taken it in a week and a half and before that a half a week." He says "Benadryl can cause urinary retention so it's probably the Benadryl causing your retention. You should stop taking it." I told him I haven't been taking it because I knew I was going to be getting the injection.  So I haven't had it in a week and a half. He totally didn't listen to me and I mentioned the burning sensation and all he would talk about was the urine retention and then walks out to get my papers.

I talked to my friend and we were both in agreement that this is an allergic reaction(and everyone I have talked to says the same thing. All my friends are medical professionals... I think we'd know) so I should take Benadryl since I haven't and see if it helps clear things up a little.

The nurse comes in and starts explaining the instructions. He gets to the part of "don't take Benadryl or other antihistamines" and I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I said "Oh I am taking it the second we walk out of this building." He was like "Really?" And I said YES, this is an allergic reaction. I haven't been on Benadryl for a week and a half. He was like Oh.

So we left and headed home. I waited until we were in Libby to take my Benadryl so I would be awake for the ride since the roads were bad. Got home, took Benadryl and 30 minutes later I was peeing a little easier and my skin wasn't burning as bad.

This morning I got up and was able to pee easier again. My skin wasn't burning as bad either. I waited to take the Benadryl to see what happens. When it wears off, I have extreme difficulty making myself go and my skin BURNS again. So I quickly took another Benadryl and I will be on it until I see MY doctor again. This is an ALLERGIC REACTION! And not to Benadryl!

Top 5 Sites I Love to Stalk... er, I mean, Visit

We all have sites we love to stalk or visit. Here is a list of my favorite 5 sites.

Favorite Site I Love to Visit #1
That Guy with the Glasses: This guy is seriously hilarious! Home of the Nostalgia Critic and 5 second movies, he reviews movies in a hilarious fashion. My absolute, you must watch these, favorite reviews are The Care Bears Movie and Drop Dead Fred. If you don't go to the site for anything else, you HAVE to watch these!

Favorite Site I Love to Visit #2
ProBlogger If you are a blogger, you will probably love this site as much as I do. Darren runs other blogs as well but Problogger is a great source for any blogger. He has resources for building a successful blog, Articles about making money while blogging and an impressive archive to browse.

Favorite Site I Love to Visit #3
The Incoherent Ramblings of a Single Parent What do I love so much about this one? It's not your typical "Mom blog" where mommy boasts about every wonderful detail of her sweet precious child. She is realistic and funny about parenting and life. From her blog description, you will enjoy reading about " tales of cannibalistic sheep, bullying spiders and the fact that my child is evil." and "All stories are true, slightly embellished and always exaggerated." I mean, how can you not love a blogger that posts a pic of a naked man with donuts? 


Favorite Sites I Love to Visit #4
iGoogle.com This is my brain. This is my brain on internet crack. I love my brain. iGoogle is my first place to go to in the morning. By "morning", I really mean "whenever I wake up". It has so many things I can add to it that my brain could go into overload. Not only can I read news, see google trends, play games, translate a website, check out a new recipe and get driving directions to the closest store (it's right outside my window btw) I can also check email, check out my google reader, get to my documents, see all my photos from the last ten years and everything else I drool over google for! I love Google!


Favorite Sites I Love to Visit #5
Youtube Yup, I am lame. Youtube is the place I want to go when i want to rot my brain. Oh sure, I can watch something that is educational... but I can also watch bloopers, see cute kittens attack a kid, watch a gang fight, see some guy hit his girlfriend and pretty much anything I want to watch when I am supposed to be blogging.

Now that I've shared my favorite sites, share some of yours with me!

Varolo: I'm just starting

Signed up Varolo. Ready to start reviewing
I am pretty bored right now and found Varolo through my friend. I did some research on it and it looks legit. I'll try it out for a month or two and let you know how it goes. I asked a few friends to join too so we can get together and discuss our experiences and give all of you a better review from different viewpoints.

Join me and help my Varolo reviews
If you aren't signed up and want to join me, I only ask a few things. Sign up under me (the link will open in a new window) and try it out. Then email me as you have an opinion or thought about Varolo, how it works, the ads or anything else for the site. If you don't want your name used in my review updates, don't worry! Unless you specifically say that I can use your name, I won't.

I'll help your Varolo village too
If you join and give me feedback to add to the reviews, I'll add your village link so people can sign up under you too.

What is Varolo?
So far, I know it's free (I won't pay for anything). It's a site where you watch ads and rate them. I've watched ads from Swiffer, Cherry Dr Pepper, The Ladder, AT&T (now that one was funny!) and Target. I rated them too. Each time you watch an ad and rate it, you are entered into a jackpot for the week. And when your friends watch videos, you get paid a little bit for them watching it...

It's the pyramid thing that makes me skeptical but so far I have heard all good things about Varolo. Including the fact that you can cancel your account at anytime and they don't spam you.

What I want to Review
So far I have no spam in my email. I've watched 6 ads and I've piddled around on the Varolo site. I want to update weekly on how it's going, whether or not I got spam, what the ads are like, what my cohorts think and their opinions and whether it's really worth it.

So who is with me?

I figured it'll give me something to do while I wait for my next appointment.

Epidural Steroid Injection... DONE!

My friend drove me to Kalispell through snow, ice and gusting winds in near whit out conditions to get me to my appointment for my epidural steroid injection (Aren't friends awesome!) on Monday.

I checked in at 10:15 a.m. and they took me to the back where they had comfy recliners for me and the other patients to chill in until it was time for poking and prodding. I sat there waiting and tried to doze off but my back was really hurting; which made that impossible.

When it was my turn to go back, I was expecting that it would be quick (15 minutes) and like the epidural I had with my kids, a little uncomfortable but okay. I was warned by a couple of people that it could hurt but that wasn't usual. So I was semi-prepared for whatever they were about to do to me.

I crawled up onto the table and laid on my stomach on a pillow (so my back would arch). I had my face down in a massage pillow looking thing. It was like a donut with a cover over it and I got to stare at the floor (and the nurses cool shoes!) for the rest of it. My arms were on these arm rests thingies and I was all ready to go. They hooked me up to a blood pressure cuff and an O2 monitor.

Next the nurse washed my back with iodine and then the doctor got all ready to go. They had an x-ray machine so they could exactly where they were placing the needle and tube and whatever else they wanted to check out with it.

Now, let me take a moment to remind you all, this is USUALLY painless. Uncomfortable, yes. Painful, not usually. Let me also remind you, I am not usual.

The doctor warned me that I would feel a sting. That was the numbing medicine going in. And the rest of it should have been just pressure... I wish. Instead, I was in such severe pain that I was sobbing and my blood pressure shot up to 160/113. It felt like the doctor was shoving a pick axe through my spine and pulling my leg muscles out the hole. It was the most horrendous pain I have ever felt. I would rather give birth to an elephant through my nostrils than do that again.

The part was quite interesting. While I was sobbing and dripping snot ropes on the floor, the doctor said he was injecting the meds (both the corticosteroid and the lidocaine). At that point... I have never been so aware of my left butt cheek and thigh. They felt like led appendages. I could sort of, kind of feel them but not really... and then the INTENSE burning! HOLY SHIT-BALLS! I thought I was in pain before... HA! This was horrible! I felt intense burning, sharp stabbing and I think I actually tasted my stomach that day. It subsided rather quickly once the tube was out.

The nurse then put pressure on my back to stop the bleeding (I had a tube shoved in there, it's gonna bleed!) and I finally begged her to quit touching my back. I couldn't take any more. I took a moment to calm down and then she helped me sit up and get into the wheel chair. they took me back to the recliner. I was so nauseous I thought I was going to redecorate the recovery room with a stomach acid rinse.

They gave me apple juice, applesauce and a cheese stick to eat and put a cool wet cloth on my forehead. The pain went back to about where it was when I first came in and my blood pressure went back to normal. My O2 was fine. My left butt cheek and leg were numb and I could barely move them. They said that was normal. Eventually they came back. My leg was heavy but I could feel it.

The doctors and nurses were so apologetic. They felt really bad because this reaction (the pain and all) is not normally how it goes. I was fine with it. I mean, if it helps, it'll be worth it. If not, then at least we tried... but dang! I am NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN! At least not without sedation first.

I am home now. The first day was awful. The best part was having all my help here. I wouldn't have survived without them. My legs kept going numb, I could barely walk at times and the pain meds they gave me knocked me out a lot. I projectile vomited that night and I felt like I was going die by the time I went to bed.

Yesterday was a little better. My legs started a new thing... they burn intensely, like they are on fire, for about a minute, then they go all tingly and numb-ish. Then it clears up. My crotch is numb as hell still and I have random moments of waves of "coolness" that starts in my back and runs down my entire bottom half of my body. Not that I mind that one, it's a nice change from Satan's inferno on my legs and crotch.

Today, my back still hurts but not as intensely. I didn't have to take any pain pills until about 11:00 a.m. I managed to do a little housework (I cleaned the kitchen table WOOHOO!) and that was about it. Now I am crocheting and blogging.

I'll keep updating as the week goes on. I figure this is supposed to be the turning point where it gets progressively better so I am excited. I am looking up! It better get better now! I didn't go through THAT for nothing!

Quick update for those of you asking

I did call about my bowel incontinence with my back pain. I updated my work comp blog (warning: foul language is used on that blog. I don't keep family friendly language over there... I use it to vent too.) You can read the post over there.

The short version: Doctor's office called. They made an appointment for me to see a GI doc. That will be a huge waste of money as it's not my poop factory going wrong. Work comp won't approve it anyway... so apparently, it's not an emergency to anyone else.

Sorry guys, I did listen. I tried. I don't know what else to do. Thanks for the concerns though... I feel so loved. Sometimes I sit and think about it and it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Usually there isn't much reply when I post. Lily always replies (HI LILY!) and I get comments from friends during phone calls, a few text messages and an email or two. Not all on one post. But at least I know someone is reading. Then I post about bowel incontinence, almost as an afterthought, near the end of a post... and DANG! I have more people emailing me with concern and links that I knew read my blog begging, asking and demanding that I go to the doctor and sending links and love. I felt so... loved, such compassion... I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. You guys are awesome!

Thanks guys... I love you all too :)

The Duggars are Pregnant Again?

Wow. So, I was reading the Google news and saw that the Duggars are expecting child #20. My thought is that if the world ever ends as we know it, their family alone could repopulate the earth. I say go for it. Sure, there is the whole overpopulation thing to worry about. But, I get so irritated when people don't celebrate a special life coming into the world just because

• The mom is a teen
• The mom is single
• The mom is disabled
• The mom has more than one child
• The mom and dad separated
• There isn't a lot of income
• The world is overpopulated
• The mom is 30, 40, 45, 50, 70, etc
• [Insert any other reason here]

 I can't say I agree with the Duggars life choices of no TV and no pets or their choice to live a Quiverfull lifestyle. I look at it this way though. I will may not want to live like them but I will fight for their right to live how they want. Otherwise someone can come take away my rights to live how I want. As a fellow homeschooler, I fully support the rights of anyone who doesn't want to live like the Jones.

I say CONGRATULATIONS to the Duggars... not that they'll ever see this blog because they don't have internet that they surf on... but still...

WAY TO GO!

Browser Compatability Concerns

While checking on my comments for today, I found this one from an anonymous reader:

"Hello, I believe your internet site may be getting browser compatibility concerns. When I search at your web site in Safari, it appears good but when opening in World wide web Explorer, it's some overlapping. I just desired to provide you with a fast heads up! Other then that, wonderful weblog!"

Thanks for the compliment! That made my day!

I googled for "world wide web explorer" to see if I could download it myself and see what they are talking about so I can fix it or adjust the blog to look right for that browser but I couldn't find anything on it.

If you are having trouble viewing the blog, could you please email me or comment on the post that is having issues and let me know:

• What browser you are using. Provide a link where I can see what it is. I use Firefox, Chrome and my android browser (on my phone) to view the site each week. If you are using something different, it would help me to know what you are using so I can see it for myself.
• If you were viewing a specific post, add the link. I have found that when I am going through the blog to look for typos, broken links and other issues that some older posts really mess with the layout. Sometimes I can fix it, sometimes I can't. But I will always try.
• If you can, send a screenshot of the page so I can see what you are seeing. You can do this by pressing ctrl + prntscr buttons at the same time. Then open the email, click on the writing area and press ctrl + V. It will copy a shot of your screen so I can fully see what you are talking about.

If you want an update, send me your email and when it is fixed, I will shoot a note and ask you to see how it looks on your end. Sometimes computers see pages differently. I have a Dell Ispiron with a 10" screen and I can tell you that it looks a tad different on my kid's HP 15" laptop screen and on my IBM desktop.

Thanks everyone for sending me notes with a heads up when my blog misbehaves! It really helps me to keep The Baker's Acres in good shape.

P.S. You can also email me about typos and pretty much anything else you want to!

Amazing Kitten Experience... on the Brink of Death

My friend's cat had a litter of five kittens. When the babies were two weeks old, the momma cat died. Since then, we have been caring for the kittens, bottle feeding them, making them poop (I hate that job!) and keeping them warm and loved. They have been doing very well until the last week. They all started getting sick. One of them passed away. Little Bino curled up next to my son and fell asleep. He never woke up. We were heartbroken.

Last night I went to Nikky's house to bathe and feed kittens. Our plan was that I would take the sickest kittens home with me, since I am up all night anyway, so that they can have round the clock care and take their medicine every hour like they need to. When I got there, three of the surviving kittens looked good. They were crawling around.

Gizmo wasn't looking so good though. He had his Colloidal Silver but was really taking a turn for the worst. When I tried to feed him, he gave a half-hearted swallow. He ended up going limp like a rag doll and his breathing was labored. I lipped to Nikky "I don't think he'll make it". We took turns holding him as went downhill. He started twitching occasionally and let out a sickly sad cry here and there. At times, he actually stopped breathing, then would jump, let out a cry and start breathing again.

Nikky really started crying and her girls noticed. They came over and once they realized what was going on, they started crying too. We hugged them and sent them to bed and I told them I would let them know when he passed. I went back to the living room and I could hear them crying. It was so sad, but we didn't think they really needed to see this and he was slipping away even more.

It was my turn to hold him again. He couldn't hold up his head anymore, he was completely limp... so limp I thought he was gone. I tucked him into my coat and hummed a tune "Go now in peace" and "I am opening up in sweet surrender to the luminous love light of the One." It was the only way I could keep myself from sobbing. He started moving around a little and I took my coat off before I died of heat stroke. He started having spurts of feisty fits .where he tried to crawl or walk but then his little head would slump down and he would flop over and just lay there.

After HOURS of going through this, he had curled up on my arm and was sleeping, his breathing was coming back to normal and he didn't really move very much for a good hour. While he was resting his brother, Curtis, crawled up my leg and onto my lap. He stared at Gizmo for a moment, looked at me, crawled forward slowly, sniffed him, looked at me... then tried to clobber the snot out of Gizmo. I quickly grabbed him and put him on the floor. He crawled back up a few minutes later and did the same thing. I put him back down on the floor again. This happened quite a few times.

The last time it happened, he crawled up, swatted at his tail and then looked at me. I told him to stop, Gizmo was sick. He immediately looked down at Gizmo and then pounced him. Gizmo, who was on the brink of death not too long before, sat up, looked at Curtis and then Curtis pounced him again. I was working on getting Curtis off him when Gizmo got up and crawled off looking really pissed. I was stunned. Here is the kitty that couldn't even hold his head up or move not too long before and he just crawls off!

Over the next 30 minutes or so, he really started coming back to life. He eventually got on the floor and wrestled with Curtis for a minute before he went under the desk and fell asleep. When he woke up again, I got him to eat and he ate like he was starving.

Today he has been very sleepy but he is doing well. I am still amazed at the whole experience. If I was someone who believed in miracles, I'd say this was one. But I think he's just too ornery to die!

Nanowrimo: Finding a Novel When You don't Have One

What is Nanowrimo?

This year I am participating in Nanowrimo, writing pandemonium at it's finest. It starts November 1 of each year and finishes off November 30. Your goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month. Create and account at Nanowrimo so you can track your word count. At the end of the month you can copy and paste your typed words into a verifying box and if you've reached 50,000 words, YOU WIN! Don't worry, they won't steal your story! It's all about getting that novel out of your head and onto paper (or word processor).

What if you don't have a story?

It's okay if you don't have a story to start with, it helps, but you don't have to have one. If you don't, here are a few steps to follow to get you started and help you find your story. Type it all down! It's part of your novel!

Create a character, item or place, the first 20 words

Think of a character or place and start writing about it in 20 words. This is your eye catching description to lure people into reading your story. I'll make one up real quick to show you how. We'll make a character named... hmmm, Cuppa Joe and he lived in Thermos with a... magical coffee bean. I know, it's silly. But whatever... Let's just roll with it! Here are my 20 words for each one.

20 words for Cuppa Joe:

A round and dark man. Warm and loved by many. Popularity makes him the best man for the morning show.

20 words on the magical coffee bean:

It was a deep roasted family secret. No one knows where how it got her. He must guard it or die!

20 words for Thermos:

A highly energetic land. No matter what the season, it is always warm, fragrant and sought out by many tourists.

 Going further! The next paragraph or so...

Next, write a paragraph about them. Expand a little on what we already know. Tell a little about him/her, the item or the place. What's the best thing about him/her? (Nice to look at, great person) What's the worst? (a bit of an addictive personality, Not a night person) What is the style of Thermos. Is it modern, victorian, primitive, kind of like Vegas or more like a mountain retreat?) Just go into some detail.

And now we start exploring

Start exploring your character with a biography of him/her or you can use these resources to help you develop your character further. Here is a form that really gets into the details of your character. Interview your character! Here are 100 questions to get you started. Here is another character development worksheet that I also like.

Start exploring your scene with a some history about the place. Here are some questions to get you started. answer them in any order you want. This also works for your item.

1. Where is this place (or where is it kept)? (City, town, country, mountains, beach, outer space, on the moon, in the town of Thermos etc)
2. Who lives there? (No one, 300 million people, a small family, a tribe, a crazy cat lady)
3. What is it close to? (Another town, a stream, the mountains, an elk herd, the highway)
4. What features are the best about it? (The beautiful waterfalls, the coffee shops, the satanic book store, the schools, the people)
5. What is the worst about it? (The crime rate, the vampires, the sharp jagged cliffs, the crazy cat lady, the constant humming on a full moon from the bean)
6. What is the history of the place or item? (How was it started, built, supported, etc. How was it found, created or bought. Who first had it?)
7. Are there any interesting dark secrets of the place or item? (The butler did it, the mountain that flattened a tribe, a murder no one dares talk about, the pot holes are portals once a year on June 28, The trees talk. The bean is mysterious and people disappear, the town blames the bean)
8. Take me on a tour of the place! Imagine that you are taking me on a tour of the place and write what you would tell me on the tour. (We are turning onto Main Street where you find most of the coffee shops. This old building was once a tea shop until the towns people burned it to the ground...)
9. Show and tell your item. Same concept. Imagine I came over to visit and you are showing all your stuff. We run across this fascinating item of yours... tell me all about it.

Start reading backwards

I don't mean to read the whole thing backwards, literally. Start at the bottom of what you wrote. read the last sentence first and highlight anything you can explain further or describe. Here is a sample to show you.

Cuppa Joe is a dark handsome man that lives in Thermos. When he was a young boy, his father gave him a magical bean to protect at all costs, even if it meant dying for this bean. His father disappears, never to be seen or heard from again, before he can explain why. Now, Cuppa has to discover the mystery of the bean on his own.

Go through and highlight some things you can explore further. Here, I highlighted some for you...

Cuppa Joe is a dark handsome man that lives in Thermos. When he was a young boy, his father gave him a magical bean to protect at all costs, even if it meant dying for this bean. His father disappears, never to be seen or heard from again, before he can explain why. Now, Cuppa has to discover the mystery of the bean on his own.

Here are some samples of what you can expand...

Cuppa Joe Fill out a character sheet on him.
dark handsome man Really?! Is he as good as he looks? What style clothes does he wear?
Thermos Read above and start telling about it.
young boy What was his childhood like? What school did he go to, if he went to school? etc
his father OH OH, character development time!
gave him How did that go? Was it a ceremony? Was he like "Here. Protect it or die. Night, son" or was there some huge hubbub about it where he took him on a camping trip far away so no one could hear anything he said? Was it on purpose? Or did Cuppa find it and ask a ton of questions?
magical bean What does it do? Why is it magical? tell me about it!
protect at all costs HOLY COW! for a coffee bean? WHY!? What is so special about it? 
His father disappears, never to be seen or heard from again Oh, how did that go? Was it huge media story time, was there a man hunt? Any ideas or suspicions? Does he come back at the end of the book (as a human or a ghost)?
discover the mystery of the bean Yea, what is the mystery anyway?
his own Why on his own? Can he tell someone? Like, his best friend? Or was that in Dad's pep talk about protect it or die? Or maybe no one wants to have anything to do with it?

Keep going! 

As you write, continue developing each character that comes along, each place we go to in the story and each item that means something. Then read backwards for each part you write. 

Eventually, you will start to form a story that you can work with and form into a novel. As you expand on each item, person and place you will start to see more ideas coming to mind. Keep it up! You can do it!

1667 words a day isn't hard when you are describing things for us!