Cup Cake Papers

I found a useful little tip to use up all those left over cup cake papers. Whenever, I make cup cakes for my children's classes, they always want to pick out their own cup cake papers. I had stacks of cup cake papers in the cupboard. I ran out of paper plates to put the cat's can food on one day. So, I put a couple of cup cake holders in her dish to put her can food in. One of the chores I absolutely hate is cleaning out the cat dish after can food. Using cup cake papers in the dish makes for easy clean up. Just pick it up and throw it away and the dish is still clean. No more soaking and scrubbing dried on cat food from the dish.

Little Boys

What is it with little boys now a days? When I was growing up boys didn't pick on girls or they were called sissies.  My son and his friends thinks it's funny to pick on his little sister whenever his friends are around. They are driving me nuts. Regardless of how many times he has gotten in trouble for it, him and his friends still gang up on her. They are 11 years old, not 5 or 6 years old, 11 years old. Yesterday, they thought it would be funny to repeatedly poke her and tell her they were going to beat her with num chucks. He gets in trouble for it every time they do it. How am I going to get it through his head that him and his friends are not allowed to pick on her and bully her? I have tried teaching him boys who pick on girls are sissies, but he just doesn't seem to get it. I hate not allowing him to play with certain kids, but it just seems like he doesn't know how to use his own head and think for himself when he is around certain friends. You would think getting in trouble for joining in on some of the things his friends do, he would get tired of getting in trouble for his friends and tell them not to do it. How do I get him to stick up for his sister and not join in on the shenanigans? I am to the point where I am about ready to go knocking on doors and telling their parents about how their son doesn't seem to know how to behave when they go to someones house.

Direct TV's Call Center Is In The Philippines

This is exactly what I am talking about when I say all of our jobs are being sent overseas.  We have called Direct TV three times to change the address on our account. We cancelled our Direct TV and because someone doesn't seem to speak English enough to actually change the address. Direct TV charged our bank account $132.50 for an equipment charge because they didn't get the boxes back.  Well, they didn't get the boxes back because their employees at the their call center which is located in the PHILIPPINES didn't change the address when we called. I called again today because we haven't received the money back in our bank account or the boxes to send the equipment back. Why did we not received the boxes yet? Because they still didn't change the address to the correct address. She proceeds to read back our correct address with an apartment number. WE DON'T LIVE IN A APARTMENT. So, of course we still haven't received the boxes to ship back the equipment to Direct TV. The frustrating thing about this whole thing is they are blaming us for not calling them and making sure they had the correct address for the boxes to be shipped to. Well, dammit, we did! But, maybe they would know that if they could actually understand us when we are speaking to them!!! Try it sometime, when you get a customer service representative who has an accent, ask them "Where is your call center located?" and see what they tell you. This is frustrating as hell and it seems that there is nothing we can do about. But, you know what? It makes me think twice about returning back to Direct TV when our financial situation changes.

Christmas 2010

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mrs. E & her family had a wonderful Christmas, including Sasha Kitty and Mr. Max.

More Jobs Sent Overseas

Unemployment in the United States are edging up near 9.8% regardless of the top 500 companies showing the highest increase in sales since 2008. Where are the jobs going? The companies are hiring overseas. The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says "American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist." China has become the world's second largest economy, thanks to the American companies. Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria worries that the trend could be dangerous. In an article in the November issue of the Harvard Business Review, he says that if U.S. businesses keep prospering while Americans are struggling, business leaders will lose legitimacy in society. He exhorted business leaders to find a way to link growth with job creation at home. Other economists, like Columbia University's Sachs, say multinational corporations have no choice, especially now that the quality of the global work force has improved. Sachs points out that the U.S. is falling in most global rankings for higher education while others are rising. Our jobs are being ripped from right under our feet and the products from overseas are being shoved down our throats.  Many 3rd world countries have set out to set to achieve the "American Dream". Now, the "American Dream" is no longer attainable by our own Americans. Countries like China and India are prospering while America is quickly spiraling downwards. The quality of life has been changed for many Americans and the future is looking dangerously scary.

Is Christmas Break Over Yet?

I love my children dearly, but I am so ready for them to go back to school. They are at each other's throats every opportunity they get. It's always an argument over who gets what and how much. Everything is a competition for them. When are they going to stop fighting with each other so much? You would think they were each other's worst enemy. We all love our children, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy time away from them. It all makes you enjoy the time you have with them even more.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I will be taking a little short break. Christmas is just around the corner & I will be busy playing Santa and cooking. I hope everyone was a joyous and wonderful Christmas.