I had the perfect “ME Time” date planned out. My kids all had plans and I was going to be alone with my magazines, a little DVR catch-up and an awesome (easy to prepare) meal.

Then, I got sick! Boooo!

To prepare the soup, I opened the bag, poured it into a microwave-safe dish and put it in the microwave for 12 minutes (stirring halfway through.) While my soup was in the microwave, I brought my magazines and a wheat roll up to my bedroom. I was going to be sure there were no interruptions so I was hiding away.

Twelve minutes later I had this awesome soup…

This meal tasted so good. When I was a kid, I remember my mom making chicken noodle soup in the winter and this is the first soup that brought back those memories. It had a lot of flavor and I could see the spices in every spoonful. The noodles and veggies were crisp and not soggy at all.

You can see the spices in the soup. Yummy!

I added a warm wheat roll and dipped that into the chicken broth. YUMMY! I was feeling pretty miserable that evening, but the Bertolli Chicken & Rotini Meal Soup definitely hit the spot. Even though I was sick, within 30 minutes I had a hot soup and was snuggled in my bed with my favorite magazines and relaxing so I can get better.

My 3 Me Time Tips:

1. Make it simple.
2. Be ready at any time.
3. Be sure to get some “me” time at least every week.

Follow Bertolli on Twitter & Facebook.

Disclosure:  I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Bertolli Premium Meal Soup Perfect For Me Time! originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Not that it’s good or bad, but I need to find a balance between the two. Both are very important to me and part of what keeps me sane.

And once again I am sick with pneumonia so my body is telling me that I need to rest now.  So that is what I’m doing.

I will have a better recap and plans for February later this week. February I will focus on relationships, all relationships…with my hubby, family, friends and even with me!

Stay tuned!

Project Balance Update – January 31, 2012 – Month 1 originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Being A TWIN

Being a TWIN gives me the opportunity to share my personal experiences with the Toyota brand with you and with Toyota. The TWIN consists of 25 women and we take part weekly in a discussion forum with Toyota employees and executives. We have opportunities to ask questions and to learn more about the brand. 

Why Toyota?

So, why did I choose Toyota? In my lifetime, I have had 10 – 12 Toyotas. I remember some time in the late 70s, my parents bought 2 brand new Toyotas. One was a Toyota Tercel and the other was a small station wagon type of vehicle and I don’t remember the model. It may have been a Tercel too. But those cars are the first cars that I remember my parents buying.

See the Toyota in the background!!

When I went into high school the Toyota Tercel became the car I drove to school every day. That car was passed down to my sister and she drove it until it died and wouldn’t go anymore which was sometime in the late 80s.

My First Car

When I bought my first car while in college it was a Toyota Corolla. My Dad went with me to the dealer and he did the negotiating. I was so proud of that car. I made the monthly payment and took care of all the maintenance.

1997 Toyota Camry and 1998 Toyota Corolla. Our first 2 cars we bought together after we were married.

Whenever I think of Toyotas, it brings back a lot of great memories of my family. When Jason and I met, we both owned small Toyota trucks. We knew it was meant to be. We have continued that Toyota tradition after we started our own family.

Disclosure: This post is written as part of my involvement in TWIN and the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are 100% my own.

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So Excited To Be A TWIN! originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who? Comics on Twitter for updates!

who?Comics On The iPad

The who?Comics is an iPhone & iPad app which takes the biographies of currently popular figures and turns them into comics for your children 8 and up to read.

I have found comics a great way to get kids to read books that they normally would not find interesting. My 8-year-old never liked to read books because he gets overwhelmed by all the words and would tell himself he can’t read it before he even started reading. With comics, the words are not overwhelming and he just digs right in and starts reading.

Biography Comics for Kids

My 15-year-old son read the J.K. Rowling and Bill Gates biography comics. He had a difficult time getting into the biography comics. He loves comics, but he said they were very difficult to read and he didn’t find them interesting. He said he didn’t really remember much of what he read because they were a difficult read. He did love the timeline feature at the end of each comic.

The biography comics are from a Korean company and they are working on making the translations to english much smoother. I think that now, the comics feel very choppy and we ran into a passages in each comic where we really were not sure what they were trying to say. This is definitely still a work-in-progress.

My 12-year-old daughter started to read the J.K. Rowlings and Warren Buffet comics and after about 10 minutes she said she could not read anymore. In her defense, she generally does not like comics as much as her brothers do. She said she found the comics very difficult to read

J.K. Rowlings Biography Comics

My 8-year-old son loved the who?Comics. We read the J.K. Rowlings biography comic. I did have to sit with him and explain a lot of it to him. There were some topics that I had to explain further, such as, when J.K. Rowlings mother was sick, my son wanted to know a lot more about that. We completed the comic and he did like it a lot.

My Thoughts On who?Comics

Overall, I think the who?Comics biography comics are a good tool for kids to read about their heroes, but they need a lot of work before they are completely ready for kids.

Each one of my kids felt the comics were too long and told parts of the person’s life that they didn’t think was necessary. I would also read each comic before you let your child read them to be sure it’s appropriate for your child.

Thank you again to who? Comics for sponsoring my post. Please click here to learn more about the app. Visit who? Comics for updates. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own. #CleverWhoComics #spon

Related articles

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who?Comics; An Interesting Biography Comics Read For Your Kids originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

You all know I’m working on Project Balance in 2012. During the year, I will focus each month on a different life area and spend the year working on goals that I’m setting now. The biggest resolution for 2012 is to get my body back in shape. Due to my health issues, I’ve let it all slide and I’m ready to get back in shape.

Trop50 True Resolutions

Here are my plans:

• Lose 40 lbs by focusing on losing 5 lbs each month. That is a very reasonable goal and I will look at each month as a separate goal. 40 sounds like such a big number. 5 is so much better!
• Run 2 half marathons. I did accomplish my goal last year of completing a half marathon. This year I am going to finish the first one is less than 3 hours and the second one in less than 2:45. My daughter has also decided she wants to run with me, but that is another post.

About Trop50

Tropicana Trop50 is a juice beverage with 50% less sugar and calories (with no artificial sweeteners.) In our house, my kids drink a lot of OJ, so I love that Trop50 has less sugar and calories. Every bit helps. They love the test, so that is ultimately what counts. Trop50 comes in many other flavors too. I want to try the Raspberry Lemonade.

Share Your Resolution

Tropicana Trop50 is giving you the opportunity to win a $1,000 gift card by sharing your True Resolutions (anonymously if you wish.) Go to the Trop50 Facebook Page and share your 2012 resolution. You will receive a $1.00 coupon for you and $.50 for up to 50 of your friends just for sharing.

So, now you have my first 2 goals for 2012 #ProjectBalance

What are your 2012 True Resolutions?

Be sure to follow #Trop50 and @TropicanaOJ on Twitter.

Disclosure: I was compensated in exchange for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Images are screen prints.

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Trop50 True Resolutions for 2012 originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Are you working on a Project 365 or 52 this year?

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Project 365 Week 3 originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

SOPA

Back to the issue at hand….SOPA. I am against it. I’m not going to give you all my reasons why because you need to decide for yourself whether you believe it is good or bad. Do the research. As with everything, there are two sides. I don’t take anything at face value. I’m not against SOPA because Wiki went black yesterday and says I should be against it. I’m against it because I have done my research and I don’t like what I see.

Do The Research

I’m not even going to give you links. Go to Google, Bing, Yahoo and any other search engine and put in “SOPA.” You will get enough information to read for the next few weeks. The biggest problem with our country is that some people just believe everything they see or hear. Just because someone said or wrote it doesn’t make it true. It’s not even true JUST because someone studies it and says the statistics say it is so. Research and gather information and then make a decision based on what you know and what you feel.

Making Decisions

I’m a passionate person. When I need to make a decision, I research it thoroughly. I read about every side and everyone’s opinion and the “facts.” Then, I sit with it for a while (if I have the time.) At the end, I go with my gut and most of the time, my gut is right.

Your Thoughts?

My SOPA Thoughts And Some Ramblings originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

PBS LearningMedia has created a place for educators, homeschoolers and parents to find resources to help teach hundreds of different concepts from Preschool through High School.

PBS LearningMedia Twitter Party

I am participating in a Twitter party with PBS LearningMedia. Here is all the information:

When: January, 24, 2012, 7:00 – 8:00 pm ET

Where: Twitter #PBSLearningMedia, Follow @PBSlrnMedia Tweet Grid: http://tinyurl.com/6oewps3

RSVP: http://eepurl.com/h_NdI

Look forward to seeing you there!

Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign with PBS LearningMedia where I was paid for my time in sharing information about PBS LearningMedia and for being a Twitter Event Panelist.  All opinions are my own.

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PBS LearningMedia Twitter Party on January 24 originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

I thought that being quiet meant you were not social. And that was bad. I didn’t want to be a loner. I never admitted that I preferred to be alone. As I got older, I still didn’t admit it, but it was easier to hide

Introverts And Social Media

It wasn’t until I started blogging and getting more involved in social media that I discovered there is a whole world of people out there who are just like me. I truly believe that is why I love social media. I can be alone at home and shut my computer off when I’ve had enough. I can still be very introspective, yet share that with others who understand. When I need to be social, I can get on Twitter or Skype and there is always someone there. It’s like the best of both worlds.

I now know that being an Introvert is different from being a loner. I have 4 kids and only 1 of my kids is more of an introvert. He prefers (and craves) that time  with his own thoughts.

I only wish our society would be more understanding of the Introverts. Not everyone is an Extrovert. If I’m at a party and surveying the situation and figuring out where I fit in, you don’t need to ask me why I’m being quiet. Just let me be. When I am ready to mingle, I will!

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

This post was prompted by the book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts. Author Susan Cain explores how introverts can be powerful in a world where being an extrovert is highly valued. Join From Left to Write on January 19 as we discuss Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain. We’ll also be chatting live with Susan Cain at 9PM Eastern on January 26.

Disclosure: As a member of From Left to Write, I received a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon Affiliate Links:

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Quiet; Took Me 40 Years To Be A Proud Introvert originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

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