Already ‘Little Man’ is pulling up on everything and crawling full speed. It is a whole new world with surprises everyday! He is trying to take off and walk with no fear what so ever. It is so funny, I have to catch him about 20 times a day as he starts ‘walking’ before he hits the ground. It will not be long, get ready mommy!

We also like playing with all kinds of different musical instruments. He has his own bongos, a big drum, a shaker, and a little piano. No big surprise he loves music, right! When I play music he also likes to sing along. He makes this humming noise and shouts out loud to the beat. OMG It is sooooo cute. I never know what’s next because every day he does something new like making gurgling noises or saying ma-ma (not sure if he knows what that means). He’s really good at saying ‘ba-ba’ also. Up for debate, I’m not sure when to start giving him anything other than regular baby food. Some of my mommy friends have told me they have given their children ‘table food’ at 9 months. It just seems a little young to give him that yet. We have so many spices, salt, and preservatives in our food, I just think it’s too much for his system right now. I feed him Earth’s Best and Gerber Organic Baby food. Maybe for now, I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing. Anyway, it seems to satisfy him!

As always, make it a good one! Carmen Brown

Just wanted to take the time to thank everybody who came out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at M’Couls. It was a BLAST! As always, there was a great crowd and the staff was incredible. Got to give a big shout out to the owner Simonne, for being the hardest worker in Greensboro. She is the owner and just had a baby girl 2 weeks ago. Her little girl is sooooo precious. Congratulations!

Also, got to give a BIG shout out to the best bartenders in G-boro for holding it down – Ross and Mike! Moo-moo from the Globe-Trotters did a great job in kicking Skip’s butt – that was the highlight of the morning (ha-ha). Every year they do a great job, so thanks for having us out to crash the party!

As always, make it a good one! Carmen

I love march maddness. This is the best time of year! I like to root for the underdog. I love the upsets. This the day these teams have work there life for for this game and to send a giant home is what it played for. I would love to see a radford win it all. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see WAKE or UNC go to the final four, but I enjoy seeing the small teams work hard and play there best and go far!

If you caught the episode of Oprah last Wednesday, it really put America’s situation in perspective. If you have not been directly affected by the recession, we know someone who has. Lisa Ling went out and reported to cites around America, including her hometown in California. It was shocking to see what many Americans are going through. Families that once lived in comfortable middle class homes, living the American dream. Now that dream has turned upside down in a blink of an eye… loosing their homes, relying on food banks to eat, trying to find a warm place for their children and so on. It is shocking, unbelievable, and hard to wrap my mind around. I know and realize at any time I COULD BE in that situation. Nothing is for sure right now, it does not matter where and how hard you work. It made me look around at all the ‘things’ in my house that I am thankful for…it made me realize how much of a blessing it is to have running water and a roof over my head. Over the years I have been the preacher of ‘well, be grateful that you have running, clean water and clothes on your back’…but now it is not out of sight and out of mind. It is your next door neighbor, it is your coworker, it is your best friend, and it’s the family that you saw on Oprah. If you have a job right now, count your blessings and be happy to wake up every day. There is a silver lining to the situation at hand and it is that WE will prevail. Americans have always proved to be strong and help one another through hard times. If you have an extra can of food in your pantry, take it to your local food bank. Something that I have been able to do, is to recycle some of little man’s clothing items and other items to women in need. Let’s step up our game Triad and really get down and dirty. Every little bit counts, so don’t think the small stuff does not make a difference.

As always, make it a good one!

# Combine your cable, internet and telephone service. Companies now offer combined services that not only cost less, but offer the convenience of a single bill.
# Slow down your internet service. I went to the slower internet service option with my cable company and saved $15 per month. And I haven’t noticed a difference when surfing the Net.
# Send away for and follow up on rebates. After you buy a product with a rebate, send in the form that day. Then mark your calendar to remind yourself to follow up with the rebate company if the check hasn’t show up.
# Buy a refurbished Mac: I’ve written about this before because it is a great way to buy not only computers, but iPods and iPhones as well. You can check out the details on how to buy a refurbished iPhone here.
# Convert to a gas water heater. They are more efficient and will save you money in the long run.
# Request a reduction in the interest rate for your home equity line of credit. I did and my mortgage company agreed to reduce the rate by more than 0.50%. And if you are looking for a home equity loan, LendingTree Home Equity Loans is a great place to check out available options.
# Request a reduction in the interest rate on your credit cards. As with home equity loans, credit card companies sometimes are willing to reduce the interest rate. It can’t hurt to ask.
# Refinance you mortgage. If you can reduce your interest rate by one percent or more, it is often beneficial to refinance. This is particularly true for those with high rates due to less than stellar credit scores. If your score has improved, you may qualify for a better rate. I would start by asking your current mortgage lender about lower rates. Here’s a refinance calculator to help you determine if refinancing is right for you.
# Get rid of Private Mortgage Insurance. If your down payment was less than 20%, you are probably paying PMI. Once you have a 20% cushion through reducing your debt and home appreciation (yes, prices do go up from time to time), contact your mortgage company to start the process of removing the PMI.
# Get your books from the library. I love books and read every day. While I buy some of the books I read, most come from the library. Simply put, it’s hard to beat free.