Is It Too Early To Stress About Christmas?

 Today was a busy day at work.  I was going from the time I left the house this morning until I finished my afternoon mail drop.  I like days like this, though, because the time goes by fast.  The days I come home for a few hours always seem to drag on.  I am glad I have a job, though, because there are so many people who don't.  And even though I know it is a little early to be thinking about this, I am stressing getting the kids Christmas gifts this year.

They are getting old enough that they want things that cost more money, like electronics and such.  I was checking out a Geeky Gadgets Site, and there are so many things to choose from.  I like that they offer Apple Store coupon and Vistaprint coupons, so if I decide to spend some serious money, I can also save some serious money.  My girls are asking for laptops, and I am pretty sure that no matter how much money I am able to save up, it won't be enough to get them each one.  I am trying to talk them into things that are a little less expensive. 

Like maybe a deck of cards or a hula hoop...

Are You A Geek? I'm Not

 We don't have cable right now.  Since the move, I haven't had the funds to have it installed, and I am pretty sure I wouldn't be able to swing the monthly bill anyway.  The kids seem to be going through withdrawls, too.  I am thinking about setting up Netflix through the wii, but I am not technically savvy, so no matter how many times I try, I can not figure it out.  I have even had Ryan give it a go, and he can't do it either. 

I am not one of those people who read all the gadget news I can find online.  In fact, I don't think I'd understand much of it anyway.  I am lucky I can figure out how to turn on my laptop. It's funny, but when I first got this laptop, Ryan had to show me how it works.  I wish I had looked online for Apple Store coupons before I bought it.  I probably could have gotten a better deal.  I think I ended up paying close to six hundred dollars for this one.  It was worth every penny, but I wish I had found something cheaper.  I probably could have saved money using Newegg promo codes, too.  

It doesn't really matter now, though.  But for future purchases, I will remember to look for coupon codes online.

Rearranging

This week I am going to be cleaning like a madwoman and rearranging my living room.  Why, you ask?  It's all because of this Bank Of America thing.  You see, my house is tiny, and we have a lot of furniture.  The way my living room is set up, I have my desk facing the room, which means the unfinished side which is supposed to be against the wall is visible to everyone.  Normally, this doesn't bother me, but if they decide to take pictures here at the house, I want the desk turned the way it is supposed to be.


I also want to move the kids computer, and maybe the entertainment center that holds the television.  The problem with this is that there are a bunch of different cords for your television and I have no idea how they are all attached.  I don't know which are the DVI cables and which are the cable wires.  It also has the wii and DVD player connected, and I have no idea how to reattach all that.  I probably couldn't even figure out how to use the DVI to HDMI cable to be able to connect the computer to the television.  

Now that I wrote all this out, it's probably best if I leave the television alone, and just focus on moving my desk back to the way it should be.  Of course, that means I will no longer be able to watch television while I'm online, but that may end up being a good thing as well.  It may force me to actually be productive and get some work done.

Leaving It To The Professionals

 I do not know much about building websites.  In fact, you could probably safely say that I know nothing about building websites.  It's a good thing that blogger walks you though every step, or I wouldn't even have this blog.

If you are like me and don't know enough, or if you don't have the time to build your own website, you should let a site builder do it for you.   I was nosing around a website builder's site, and found a template I would love for a food site.  Check it out:

 I mean, what is more foodie than a burger and french fries?

You can see on the side of the picture all of the "benefits" you get by building your site through their site.  You can even try it out for 7 days to see how it works for you.  Simply put, first, you choose your design.  Then you pick a domain name, and provide them with your content.  Twenty four hours later, your business can be online.  Sounds easy enough, right?  I bet even I could do that.  I love the idea of leaving the hard stuff to the people who know how to do it.  To me, not having to suffer through figuring it all out myself is worth the monthly fee.

Four More Months And This Will Be Mine!

 I can not wait until February.  Not only is it my birthday month, it is also when we get our income tax refund every year.  Usually we spend that money on bills and car maintenance and underwear.  All the things we kind of put off during the year because we don't have the extra money.  This year, though, I am spending some money on myself.  I plan on buying this:

Isn't it beautiful?  I love it because it's purple, but also because it will allow me to be mobile.  I will no linger have to ask Ryan to borrow his laptop when we go to the library or McDonald's.  Yes, I love to play on Facebook while the kids play in the play land. 

I also plan on buying a new desk top computer, because mine is driving me crazy.  I can't tell you how many times I have been in the middle of a post and the whole thing shuts down on me.  Or I get booted offline.  And don't even get me started on how slow it can be sometimes when I have to restart it.  I yell at it several times a day.  The kids think I'm a little nuts.

Of course, just because I will have the money to buy new computers doesn't mean that I want to pay full price.  I plan on taking advantage of as many discounts as I can.  I found some really good Dell deals from Savings.com, and I am hoping that when the time comes, I can take advantage of them.   I wish I had the money now to at least buy the desk top, but I have learned that patience is a virtue.  I know that having to wait will make me appreciate them all the more when I can finally afford them.

Do you think I can find a purple monitor for my new desktop?

Trust

 Does your employer have the right to know exactly what you have been doing on your computer at work?  I know some companies do not allow internet access, while others simply limit the sites you can visit.  I would hate to work for a company that felt like they couldn't trust me, but I guess these policies are in place to make sure nothing illegal is going on.

I have the same conflicted thoughts when it comes to monitoring my kids online activity.  I have no problem checking their histories to make sure they aren't visiting porn sites, or places like that, but I don't think I need to know their every key stroke by using spy software.  When I was growing up, computers were fairly new, and the internet didn't exist.  Parents snooped on their kids by going through their rooms.  Now parents would have to check cell phones and computers, as well as bedrooms and dresser drawers.  I know some parents think it is their right to do this.  I don't agree with that.  Now, if my kids give me a reason not to trust them, then all bets are off.  You know I will be all up in their business, checking whatever I felt necessary.  But as far as searching their rooms, or computers, looking for who knows what, well, I don't think I could do that.  I want my kids to trust me, and know that they can come to me for anything.  I think that I have to show them that I trust them in order for that to happen.  Does that make sense?

Who knows.  In a few years, when my kids are a little older, I might change my mind.  I may need to monitor their online activity more closely, to make sure they are staying on the right path.  All I know is that for now, I am going to trust my kids to make the right choices.

How Much Online Time Is Too Much?

My mom and I were talking the other day about Ryan and his laptop.  School has been out for a week now, and he has been spending a lot of time online.  Usually, he goes into his room with his laptop, and shuts the doors.  I know that most of the time he is on facebook, but I have no idea what else he is looking at.  Sure, I check his history, but we all know that can be manipulated.  I have also walked into his room and he has never tried to hide what is on his screen.

But sometimes I just want to be sure that he is not doing anything, well, that a 14 year old boy would do.  I have thought about using a program to track computer activity, but do I really want to invade his privacy?  I know, he's 14.  How much privacy should he have?  I think quite a big, actually.  I always knock before entering his room, because that is what I expect from him, too.  If I ask what he has been doing, he has always told me the truth in the past.

Maybe I will wait until he gives me a reason not to trust him.  What would you do?

Netbus: Your resource for the world's best keylogger and child internet safety software available on the market today

I Am Ready To Put My Fist Through This Freakin' Computer!

Great title for a post, right?

I have been fighting with my computer all day (I am on Ryan's laptop right now) because it somehow got infected with a stupid virus. From what I can find out, it's called Digital Protection, and it is driving me crazy! It keeps putting porn icons on my desktop, and when I run Malwarebytes, it gets rid of them, but not the virus. I tried system restoe, and it won't even allow that either. I don't know what else to do! I googled it, and all the "fixes" say to run Malwarebytes, which I have done like a millin times today. That supposedly gets rid of it, but I haven't had any luck.

Have any of you dealt with this? Any brilliant ideas about what I can try now?

All Better!

Thanks to Stacey, my computer issue seems to be fixed. She ended up with the same thing, and is blaming entrecard. My problem also started last night while dropping, so I am led to believe the same thing. I wish I knew which site did this to me so I can avoid it in the future, but who knows.

I am just glad the pop ups have stopped, and I am no longer assaulted with images that I don't want my family seeing.

Virus

My computer is not cooperating with me. I called in the expert (my brother) and it seems I have picked up a nasty virus. That means probably no dropping or posting in the next few days. I am hoping he can fix it for me when I see him on Friday.

I am going to go through withdrawals if I can't get online...

Being Technologically Challenged

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bad Boy Media. All opinions are 100% mine.

I keep asking the kids what they want for Christmas, and so far, I haven't gotten too many ideas from them. Ryan said something the other day about wanting an iPod, but I refuse to get him one. He has an mp3 player that does the same exact things, and it doesn't require me to bog down my computer with iTunes. I have had an iPod in the past, so I speak from experience when I say that our mp3 players are better.

I asked him why he wants an iPod so badly, and he had no answer. I think it is just because it's what his friends have. He has a tendency to follow the crowd, but I mean, who didn't at that age. He especially likes going onto youtube and listening to all kinds of music, as well as watching all kinds of videos. With the YouTube Downloader, I can put all those things onto his mp3.

Using this software, we can Download YouTube videos and music, and do a lot of technical things to them that I don't understand. It's a good thing I have Ryan around, because he usually has to explain all this stuff to me. It's crazy how we have the same mp3's, and I can play music on mine, and that's it, but he can record from the radio and do a million other things. When it comes to recording, or downloading songs, Ryan has to do it for me.

I admit to being technologically challenged. It's a good thing their is software available to help me, and all the others out there like me.

Felix

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of GoViral. All opinions are 100% mine.

You all know that I am a cat person. If I had the money, and the room, I would be one of those crazy cat ladies who has hundreds of cats. No, seriously, I would be. So, when I learned about MyFelix, I just had to try it. See my cat right there? He (or she...I'm not really sure which yet...but I guess I should name it...lets make it a girl named Holly) is so cute! I haven't really had the chance to figure out all that she can do, but so far she has walked around my screen, jumped a few times, sat up nice and pretty, then walked back to the corner and went into her little cat house for a nap. When I have time later I am going to teach her how to do some tricks.

It was really easy to download the program. Three simple steps and there she was. I didn't have to give out any personal information either, which I like. You need to have Windows XP or higher, and it doesn't work on Apple Mac or Linux.

Even if you are a dog lover, you will still think this little kittie is adorable. Just think, there is no litter box to worry about, and no cat hair all over your furniture. Just a sweet little cat to bring a smile to your face whenever you need it.

What Do You Want To Know?

There are so many things about the computer that I just don't know. I am a learn as I go kind of girl, and I love finding sites that explain things in terms that even I can understand. I wanted to find file extension iso information, and found it at file-extension-library.com. This site has over one thousand file extension definitions, and the ones I read are easy to understand. I looked up widgets, and it was very interesting to read the information they have. I know the term from blogging, and thought I knew what it meant. I was pretty close. I am going to check out some more terms, and maybe learn a thing or two.

Computer Problems

I am ready to put my fist through my computer today! Seems I had acquired a virus, and it enjoyed booting me offline every time I tried to do something. I haven't even finished dropping my ecards yet, and it's almost 3! With the help of my dad I downloaded new anti-virus stuff and it seems to have found and done away with the virus, so maybe I can get some work done. I am so computer stupid that it took me about 2 hours to figure out how to download and install everything. I think I need to go to the library and find a book on how to figure this stuff out.

Protect Your Computer

A few months ago, my computer went crazy. Every time I got online, websites would pop up randomly. Porn websites. I'm not sure how it happened, but my filters were not working properly. Luckily, my brother helped me figure out the problem, and we were able to fix it. I wish I had known that there were internet filters available that can scan your computer and find what the filters miss. SurfRecon is a pornographic detection tool that can boost your filters performance. A recent U.S Government study found that even best filters can only block 91% of porn sites. I know I want more protection than that, especially since my kids are frequently online for school things. Detection is the key, and SurfRecon offers both detection and protection, keeping your computer, and family, doubly safe.