:( Sad Face :( No internet for a while :(

I haven't had internet for several weeks now and won't for several more.  Boo-Hoo!  What did we ever do before we had internet???  I feel like I'm on a deserted island!

It's Amazing the Things I Can Get Done When I Don't Have A Computer!

No internet, no DVR, NO distractions.  I'm getting quite a bit done and actually enjoying it.  I must admit I do miss the computer, but the time I spend on it is ridiculas and so it has been nice to take a break.  Gotta go so I can get home and clean some more, make dinner and babysit Anthony and Owen.  Have a great couple of days!

An Expensive Lesson

Most of us learn that mom's have eyes in the back of their heads at an early age. As children we can usually not quite figure out how moms know so much. As we get older our moms get incredibly stupid, but that's another story.

Anyway, my cutie pie, newly turned 10 year old son decided to get curious Wed. and check out sites he isn't allowed to check out. Guess what? Mom found out because all kinds of "System Security" stuff started appearing all over the computer, the computer that we just got connected to the Internet the day before. We questioned the kids to see who had been on the computer and a very guilty and scared little boy admitted to it. Slowly over about a 10 minute time period my cutie pie confessed to pulling up sites he shouldn't have been on. We talked to him and I said I would fix it but next time he would be grounded from the computer if he went on sites he knew he wasn't allowed to go on. We reminded him that mom has ways of finding out where they've been on the computer.

Quite confident in my computer knowledge I thought something bad had entered the computer so I ran a virus scan and was going to get rid of whatever it was. Wow! Was I ever wrong! The problem just kept getting worse. The "System Security" turned out to be a virus that my cutie pie authorized to enter our computer by simply clicking "YES" to a pop up and by telling our real security system that it was okay for it to enter. To make a long story short, we lost all connection to the Internet and my virus scanner couldn't pick up the virus. It cost us $9.75 to talk to a person from McAfee to get the number to priority technical support. It cost us another $89.95 to talk to and turn complete control of our computer over to a very nice lady from McAfee who fixed our computer in about a 1/2 hours time. I can't believe how expensive it was to fix the computer and with money that we didn't have! There is no way I could have fixed it myself though and so we paid the price.


Lessons Learned:

1. Inform kids NOT to push yes to anything on the computer without asking mom first.


2. Check into parental controls for the computer.


3. and the hardest lesson for me is to NOT think my baby is as Innocent as I thought he was. I'm not ready for prepuberity to start. I've gone through it with 4 boys and 1 girl already and I AM NOT READY FOR IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN, not yet anyway!!!!


4. and the lesson for the kids is to NEVER, EVER forget that mom does have eyes in the back of her head and you will get caught at what you do. Maybe not right away, but eventually, you will get caught!

Computer Time Competition

As many of you have probably noticed I haven't been on the computer nearly as much lately. I've been busy with my over indulgence with swaps, but now that it's colder outside I'm in Computer Time Competition. The kids are in the house more and between a 17 year old being on MySpace and IMing her friends and my 8 & 9 year old with computer games I have to wait in line to use the computer. Well, last night the competition increased.

Ezie was playing a Reader rabbit game and Jace wanted to sit on his lap. Ezie got the Toddler Reader Rabbit game out and put it in for Jace. That was it. The fascination was on!! Jace loved playing the different games and was on for almost a half an hour. Then after the other kids went to bed last night he wanted to play more games. I set the game up for him and he was able to play a game and then go to the main menu and switch games all by himself. I was so amazed and impressed.........but at the same time realized that I had one more person to compete with, a 2 1/2 year old. Oh well, he had a blast!!

If you haven't heard about Reader Rabbit games they are really great computer games. I bought several of them a few years ago because I found them at The Christmas Tree Shoppe for $1.00 a piece. Yes, $1.00 a game. I bought everyone of them I could find in the bin. I have to say that was one of my better finds. Most of the games keep track of your child's progress and reward them at the end of each game. They are really educational and fun!