All About Kimberly

Sailing Along the Life of Single Parenthood

Online Commercials

As I was looking for a Hannah Montana video for Cameron today, I realized that there are lots of commercials on YouTube now such as this one for Buy.com:

This got me to thinking – how many people actually watch these commercials? Are people actually watching these? Or are the companies just uploading to YouTube and then embedding them elsewhere?  I mean at the time I’m writing this, this particular video says it has nearly 400,000 views.  Wow!

As a parent, I thought it was a really cute commercial – I can see this being my daughters – informing me of how they found something on sale and be so proud to only find out that I paid for it.

But I’m still left wondering – do you watch commercials on YouTube?  Am I the only one that finds that slightly odd?

A New CD I Love

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Ok..I should start this by saying that I’m a country music fan and that tends to be about all, but I’ve recently been sent 3 new CD’s to try out and tell you about, and I’ve been surprised that I actually liked each one.  One that you’ll hear about in a couple days quickly became a favorite to Cameron, and the one that I’m going to share with you today has become one of my favorites (and I really expected it to be my least favorite to be honest) – Corneille: The Birth of Cornelius.

Obviously being a country music fan, I’d never even heard of Corneille.  I popped it into my computer to listen to whiel blogging one day and have kept it in there every day since.  It’s such a nice light almost jazzy music that I find it very relaxing as I sit here and blog.

While Corneille is new to us in the United States, he’s not new to the music scene. He has sold out arenas in other parts of the world.   He was born in Germany but moved to Rwanda.  He lived there until the assasination of Rwandan President Habyarimana.  At this time Rwanda was chaotic and his entire family was killed. He was the only member of his family to survive as he was able to escape back to Germany.

When asked how surviving such an incomprehensible tragedy has shaped his outlook, and his music, Corneille is strikingly calm. “For a good ten years after the genocide,” he says, “I lived in a great deal of denial. But I managed not to get too bitter because I had parents who always made me feel special. It’s a sort of pain that you can have closure with. I know I’m not going to be able to talk to my family ever again, but they left me with memories filled with such love that I don’t have that much anger.”


When asked about beginning musical interests, he names Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and Prince.  When listening to his music, you can definitly hear the emotion of his life and the influence of these great artists. It also helps that he wrote every song on the album.

My favorite songs are Liberation and Foolish Heart. Below you’ll hear a video of one of the other songs, Too Much of Everything:

Sunday Smile #20

Sunday Smile

Sunday Smile is a meme to share something about your week that brought a smile to your face (and will bring one to your readers). For me this is usually a forwarded message I got….the best one I received that week – the one that made me laugh out loud. So check out my Sunday Smile today and then go back to your blog and post something to make your reader’s smile – a forwarded like message, a story about something that happened to you, or even a photo of a funny moment….Then come back and sign Mr. Linky below so that we can all enjoy each other’s smiles as the week progresses and we get busy.

Kitchen Wisdom
Maxine Vs. Martha

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Martha:  Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Maxine:  Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete’s sake!  You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway!

Martha: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine: Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha: When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Maxine: Go to the bakery! Heck, they’ll even decorate it for you!

Martha: If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant ‘fix-me-up.’
Maxine: If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that’s too bad. Please recite with me the real woman’s motto: ‘I made it, you will eat it and I don’t care how bad it tastes!’

Martha: Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine: Celery? Never heard of it!

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Martha: Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine: The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I don’t.

Martha: Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Maxine: Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! All your pains go away!

Martha: If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves.They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Maxine: Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you..

Martha: Don’t throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Maxine: Leftover wine??????????? HELLO!!!!!!!

Increase Your Odds In Several Contests

Would you like to increase your odds in several blog contests going on right now?  If so, I have great news!   A friend of mine – Trisha (otherwise known as Red Trisha) is a finalist to win an Electrolux Washer and Dryer and needs our help to win this amazing prize!  I am here asking that you PLEASE go vote for her…Scratch that – I’m not simply asking, I’m begging, I’m pleading, and I’m not the only one.  Several of us are offering extra entries in our contests right now if you’ll go over to Mom Central (join if you are not already a member) and then cast your vote for #8 strawberryred.

So where can you win?

Trisha, herself, has a contest for a super cute apron for everyone that votes for her.

I’m offering 20 extra entries in all contests so far (and the one that will post tomorrow) at my Grand Opening party at A Novel Mind.

Kim at What’s that Smell is also offering 20 extra entries to all of her ongoing contests right now and she’s got some great prizes right now.

Momdot is offering unlimited entries on if you vote for for a girls pettiskirt and matching shirt for voting for  Trisha. 

Tara at Through Hazel Eyes is also offering 20 extra entries into her MOP organic pear baby/toddler shampoo and detangler contest.

You see…all it takes is one (or two if you have to join) actions from you to increase your chances to win a ton of different prizes!  So GO …. VOTE …. NOW!!!!  PLEASE!!!

 

 

Small Talk Six: Spring Has Sprung!

It’s Saturday again and that means it’s time for Small Talk Six hosted each week at MomDot. This meme is hosted each and every Saturday, and it’s super easy. MomDot published topics for every week for the entire year already. You check out the topic of the week and then list 6 answers. This is a great way to have something to post on the weekends that is fun and a great bonding experience for us mom bloggers.

Today’s topic is “6 things you love or hate about springtime.”You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . . 

LOVE

#1 SUNSHINE

 

#2 SOFTBALL SEASON

 

#3 COOKING ON THE GRILL

 

HATE

#4 MOWING THE GRASS

 

#5 RAIN

 

#6 THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR (the end of the year is filled with unmotivated students who just want spring to end and summer to arrive)

There you go….3 things I love about Spring and 3 things I could do without.  What do you love/hate about Spring?  Go blog about it and sign Mr. Linky at MomDot.