Winky was a foster child and was having a hard time adjusting.  Her foster mom began writing notes on her lunch napkins and putting them in her lunchbox.  Winky remembers how good the notes made her feel so she created “Happy Napkins”. 

Happy Napkins are a cross between a napkin and a greeting card.  Each napkin has a special message printed on the inside, such as “I believe in you” and “I love you just the way you are.” 

Happy Napkins are perfect for lunch boxes.  A three-pack bundle is available online for $8.97.

$2 Luvs Coupon for Target - This one expires today, but you still have time to print it off and take advantage of the savings.

$2 Coupon on a $10 CVS brand purchase - Use this for diapers, wipes, vitamins, soap, etc.  Expires 9/9/07.

$1 off Horizon Organic Milk

50 cent off Stonyfield Farm Organic Milk

Thanks to BabyCheapskate for the milk coupons.

Parents trying to feed their children healthy foods are in trouble. 

According to researchers at Stanford’s University, children between the ages of 3 and 5 prefer food wrapped in McDonald’s packaging over identical food presented in plain paper bags. French fries were the big winner, with 77 percent of preschoolers preferring McDonald’s-brand fries to the very same fries found in a plain white bag.  Kids even said carrots tasted better when the veggies came in McDonald’s wrappers.

How should parents try to compete with McDonald’s?  Do you have any suggestions?

Just when you think you’ve seen it all . . .

Round watermelons are difficult to cut and they sit awkwardly on refrigerator shelves.  Japanese farmers have forced their watermelons to grow in a square shape by inserting the melons in glass boxes while the fruit is still growing on the vine. 

But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan’s two major cities.  Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83.

There is no way I would pay $83 for a watermelon.  I won’t even pay $8 for a round one.

My friend sent me these in an email.  The men may not find these funny, but I’m sure the women will be ROFL!!!

I know, let’s take you shoe shopping!

Is that the baby?  I’ll get her.

I like to get to these things before I have to be asked.

As long as I have legs to walk on, you’ll never have to take out the garbage.

I don’t have to have a reason to bring you flowers.

Ooh, look, the NFL playoffs are today.  I bet we’ll have no trouble parking at the crafts fair.

Don’t want anyone “falling in” in the middle of the night.

I made some Niman Ranch lamb tenderloin with garlic, black pepper, and Indonesian soy sauce for dinner.  Hope that sounds OK.

Hold that thought a second, I want to pull over to ask for directions.

My husband sent me a link for this cool game, Statetris.  It’s kind of like Tetris, but the states fall from the top and you have to put them in the correct spot.  You can also play the game with Africa, Europe, France, and more.

By Robyn Tippins

I just got this in my email. I’m a shoes.com affiliate, via my duzins.com store, and they let me know when sales are coming. Thought it might be of interest to those of you getting ready for school to start back

Shop Shoes.com for an Additional 20% off Clearance items!

Here’s the fine print:

Get an Additional 20% off clearance items (marked “clearance” not “sale”)
No brand exclusions - can be used on all brands.
Valid from 08/20/07 to 08/27/07

Need to say “congratulations”, “thank you”, or “hi”?  Dayspring offers free ecards to help you do just that.  Today I sent two ecards to friends.  I really enjoy sending cards through Dayspring.  There are no hidden stipulations and no membership is required.

I’m back and I’m exhausted. Monday the kids and I headed out to see my parents. It takes about 4 1/2 to 5 hours to get there. It’s no fun traveling with the kids and no other adult. Oh well.

I’ll just warn you . . . Mapquest is not the most reliable source for directions. I have gotten incorrect directions several times this year. I wanted to stop along the way to see my aunts and cousins. It adds another hour to our trip, but we haven’t been there in a while and it would give the kids a break to get out of the car. The directions from Mapquest took me an hour out of the way. I was so mad! As if traveling with kids wasn’t hard enough.

While I was visiting my parents, we went to the aquarium and the beach. The kids had a really good time. My parents and I enjoyed watching the kid’s reactions to seeing and experiencing new things.

Unfortunately, this morning we had some troubles with a burgular. You can read about it here.

Sorry for the sporadic posting last week.  It’s hard to travel, visit, and find time to write articles.  The blog carnival pretty much wore me out anyway.  If you haven’t yet, stop by and check out the carnival.  It has some great ideas.

Have a great week!

About 3 years ago, I had PRK surgery on my eyes. I could not have Lasik surgery because of my large pupils and thin corneas. PRK surgery has more risk of infection and trouble, so they would only operate on one eye at a time. I think I went back 1-2 weeks later for the other eye.

Most people that have Lasik say that there is little to no pain. I was in a lot of pain with the PRK surgery. I remember that my eyes were shedding tears on their own, like I was crying hard. I remember putting in the drops and how badly they burned. Thank goodness for the sleep medicine!

Last time I had my vision checked, it was 20/15. I am thankful that my headaches are gone and that I am seeing well.

Have you had PRK or Lasik surgery?

This video is of someone having Lasik surgery.

This video is of PRK surgery.