A New Box of Crayons - A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God

At the beginning of my kindergarten school year, the teacher handed out boxes of crayons. Old boxes were issued to my morning class while new boxes were given to the afternoon class. Because the supply of old boxes was about five students short, a handful of morning students was given new boxes. I was one such lucky child. After writing our names on the boxes, the crayons were stacked in the cupboards lining one side of the classroom.

One day at drawing time, my box was nowhere to be found. Kneeling on the floor, I continued to dig around in the cupboard long after the other students had returned to their seats to begin the assigned task. My teacher was nice at first, helping me to search for the box with my name on it; nice, that is, until she noticed me looking through the boxes of new crayons.

"No point in looking at those," she said a bit too sharply for the sensitive child that I was. "Your box will be one of the older ones like the rest of the morning class." Authority had always made me nervous. My voice quivered as I explained that I'd been given a new box. I continued to look at the new boxes through watery eyes.

"Stop it! Look for your name on the old boxes." Every face in the room turned toward us. Some faces look worried, some were slightly distorted by attempts to suppress nervous giggling.
Okay, here I was at a crossroads. Do I walk the path of authority and look at the old Box of Crayons for my name knowing it wouldn't be there or do I continue on the path I knew to be true and look at only the new boxes? Hey, I was only six. I would undoubtedly walk the path of authority, which, in this case, was my teacher. Reluctantly, I pretended to look for my name on old boxes of crayons. It all seemed hopeless. Tears rolled down my face.

That's when I heard a wee, small voice. "Let go and let God," it said.
So I did. I sat back and totally relaxed. I waited for God to help me. My tears dried up and my sense of well-being returned.

I have no recollection of this teacher, of her face, her build, her age. But how well I remember her hand with its stubby fingers as it accidentally knocked a new box of crayons on the floor, a box with my name on it. With a slight vocalization that bore no resemblance to an apology, she pushed the box into my hands, stood up, and returned to the front of the room.

This was a lesson that repeated itself many times in the decades that followed, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways: Do what you can under the circumstances but then let go and let God. The most seemingly impossible of conditions, no matter how big or small, have a way of righting themselves for the good of the whole when you give it all over to the One who can when you can't.
Now someone out there is bound to say, "Yes, but, when I gave it over to God, my dog still died." The results of letting go and letting God are not always to our liking. That's where trust and looking for the bigger picture come into play.

Bottom line? Live life with God at your back, or not. Your life, your choice.

Kleenex Tissue Pocket 3 ply Tissues

The tissues are like table napkins. They have a rough border of almost an inch and the texture is more like something you'd use to wipe your hands. From the packaging, they seem to be mad either for or in Poland but if you are in the U.S. they are not what you expect. They're a bit too rough for a nose with a cold or allergy.

I thought these simply had different packaging than the Kleenex pocket tissues I find at the grocery store or drugstore. I was wrong. These are stiffer. Makes for a rude awakening in cold season. Better than being without Kleenex altogether, but not by much.

I'm a tissue snob. Only use name brands, most often Kleenex, because I like quality and softness. These are rough, tough and scratchy and almost look like small napkins. Ugh. I'm giving them to my brother because he drives a school bus and at least it's better than a sleeve. Marginally better.

I got a bunch of these for my family, especially since we were all getting stuffy/runny noses and coughs. They are great and so easy to carry since you can throw them into a bag, clutch/purse or your jacket pocket. The tissue is sturdier than some others I've tried and the bright packaging makes it easy to spot in a large bag.

These Kleenex Tissue Pocket 3 ply Tissues are impossible to find in our stores out here. There are cheaper packs in the stores but their wrappers don't hold up like the Kleenex brand does. The Kleenex tissues seem to be slightly thicker than the copies found in the stores, as well. I'm glad I could find them here. They arrived a day early, too. Thank you, Amazon.com!

Art Smocks For Children

An Art Smock is a fantastic way to allow kids more freedom when they are being creative. You certainly don't want to squash their creative instincts by fretting over whether they are going to get a little bit of creativity on their clothing. Whether painting, clay modeling, or using markers, you can help keep their creativity on the art project with an art smock.
In order to ensure a good fit, don't go for the child sized plastic versions that come in paint sets. They usually don't lay flat and they often aren't large enough to cover the area. While an old shirt of yours might seem like the perfect art smock, often this backfires as the sleeves and wildly oversized fabric runs amuck.

Using an art smock that is appropriately sized but reasonably tight can be tricky unless you buy one made for serious coverage for a child. You can use adult smocks on children provided that the material doesn't stray too far from their body and they won't trip on it. Nothing says mess like falling into your creativity.

Make the art smock fun for them. Dress it up or add artistic designs to personalize it just for them. This will not only encourage them to use it, but it will also encourage them to be proud of it and feel just like a real artist.

Children love to paint and create and giving them ample space to do that is healthy for their needs. Adding an art area that has floor coverage can be helpful to containing messes. You don't want the floor covered with creative footprints.

Washable products are a near must and of course, your art smock project will be a big hit when they realize that they can stay neat and clean to adult standards while having lots of great fun.

Reinforced Filler Paper College 17102

I am a grad student in engineering so I take a lot of notes including math and things that don't alway fit in the lines. This paper is great for all uses. The lines aren't too dark and it scans well. I honestly do not care about the reinforcement aspect as much as the fact that it is pretty heavy weight paper, at least for filler paper.

Every note I take (both sided if it matters) I put through a feed scanner at the end of the week and this always hold up well.

Reinforced Filler Paper College 17102 can be a bit expensive, especially compared to plain white paper, but you can find it at good (enough) prices and if you write on both sides, 100 sheets lasts a while.

My only real complaint is that I wish the reinforcement strip didn't say "Five Star" everywhere. It should just be clear! That is why I docked it a star (Ironically, I therefore rate "five Star" paper as only four stars)

I don't know what the deal is with teenage boys, but binders look like war zones with crumpled, half torn and tattered pages. This is the answer!!! The reinforcement is like plastic tape along the edge, through which the holes are punched. Genius!!! And there are 100 sheets, not 75 as the reviewer below mistakenly reports. The wide ruled has 110 sheets. Both qualify as 75 points in the Mead promotion.

Paper quality and reinforcement is great... however, not all of the holes are punched all the way through. Some you can poke and the paper pops out but others you have to re-punch and my hole punch doesn't line up properly. Really slows you down when you're trying to fill binders quickly. If they fix this slight glitch it would be a five star rating... I would have returned the item but at this point I'm in a time crunch.

Avery Nonstick Heavy Duty Reference 79693

In my yellow one, I keep my binder full of under-age chinese sweatshop workers. As more and more of my corporate interests move over there, you have NO idea how handy it makes it for me to get a competitive edge by having this binder at my fingertips.

In my brown one I am able to keep my binder full of illegal immigrants so that when one of my properties needs yard work done - boom! There's my answer.

When it arrived the women immediately scattered. They ran everywhere, it took me hours to catch them all. They beat me so badly I had to go to the hospital. I suspect women do not like being in binders because they were quite adamant to escape. Some of them can really fight. Instead of opening up a can of worms, I totally opened a binder of women, just like Mittens.

This Avery Nonstick Heavy Duty Reference 79693 is used in a small business where it takes lots of abuse. The women employed by our small hedge fund are quite unruly, and I'm used to our binders splitting and cracking, but this one is holding all of these women quite well. I like the non-stick feature, as it keeps the women from grouping together, and allows me to single them out for individual handling. Many of my other binders have been ruined by makeup transferring to the plastic liner, but this binder has been proven effective against the majority of feminine products on the market.

Using a binder of this quality beats having to replace the cheap ones regularly, which allows me to send the binder buying women home in time to make dinner for their husbands. This is easy to open and an all-around good binder full of women.

Sharpie Water Based Medium Markers Colored

I have recently began coloring as a stress reliever and to keep my hands busy. (Nervous nail biting habit otherwise) I found Sharpie Water Based Medium Markers Colored at Michael's for 20, but then of course researched here and found them for less. I have posted a few pictures, hopefully to help interested buyers get an idea of the colors included. There is an excellent variety in this set. The markers so far have proven bold and well inked. Highly recommend cardstock or better. :)

My only complaint would be the packaging, but I am the kind of person who is willing to put in a little effort to customize my 'setup.' The markers come in a little plastic caddy that is somewhat flimsy. I have not had a problem with it falling apart or anything like that; it just sometimes tilts to one side and makes sliding the marker back into the two slots a little difficult. (When shifted, the bottom holes so not align with the top.)

Again, with regards to the packaging, the markers are not labeled by color, but rather by number. The set I purchased, the #s are gold and on a white background. This makes them a bit difficult to see. If you want your colors in a prismatic order, and are willing to invest a little time, You can label the lids by #, as I did, and make a corresponding chart. A little overboard I know, but I try to color symmetrically and so want the colors to 'flow'.

The #s that are listed on the markers correspond to a tiny, barely legible chart on the front of the plastic box it comes in. The colors shown are not at all true to the actual markers; they are shown against a black background and are very dark and dull. I have barely looked at the names, making a color chart made it irrelevant.

Still, aside from the original effort in organizing the markers, and a warning to move the caddy with a little care, I do recommend these markers as a really good deal with a decent variety and quality for the price.

The Evolution of a Young Entrepreneur

Do you know how long you have been an entrepreneur? Do you think of a young girl with a small pink purse as an entrepreneur? I was that little bright-eyed girl with a small pink purse and did not realize I was an entrepreneur. However, I liked to make money. Who does not want to make money? As an entrepreneur, I began at a young age and continued to evolve.

In fourth and fifth grade, I carried a petite pink purse full of an assortment of pencil erasers. Yes. My mom and teacher knew that I was carrying these erasers, and they were not upset. Because I sold my erasers, my mom told me she was no longer going to purchase them. My teacher told me I just could not sell them during lesson time. I had to sell the erasers before school, during morning and afternoon break or after school.

I bought pencil erasers in bulk for around $.05 each. Then, I would resell the pencil erasers for $.10. Because my erasers were cheaper and fancier, students purchased erasers from me before they would buy them from the school cart. When the eraser was the same price at $.10, they bought from me because I had an array of colors and designs. The school sold the small dark pink erasers for $.10 and Large Pink Eraser for $.15. Therefore, students wanted my erasers. I suppose you could say I knew a little about customer satisfaction because I would give a student another eraser if his/her eraser broke. However, none of them ever complained about not liking the eraser. Moreover, my prices never went up. Okay. I know I was not going to get rich, but I ran this business for two years until I entered Middle School.

When I entered seventh grade, I liked bubble gum and bought a variety pack. When a classmate saw the gum in my book bag, I sold the first piece of bubble gum. That day, I began my gum business. My mom bought the first pack, and I bought the rest. My mom and teachers knew I sold gum, but they told me not to chew or sell it during class. Therefore, the gum was never banned.

I bought a four pack of variety gum for around $1.50. Then, I would resell a single piece of gum for $.25. However, I noticed students began to buy the whole pack, so I gave a bargain to these students. Because each pack of gum contained five pieces, I could have sold the whole pack for $1. I gave them a bargain and sold the pack for $1.00. Moreover, I liked to chew gum, earned money from gum sales and reinvested the money on different flavors of bubble gum until I reached high school.

In high school, my intention was not to begin another business adventure. Nonetheless, it happened anyway. One day, I brought extra pencils to class. Then, it happened. I was introduced to "Pencil Wars". If you have seen boys and girls try to break pencils by flipping them with another pencil, you have witnessed "Pencil Wars."

I carried a pack of pencils in my book bag for personal use. One day, a student asked me if he could buy the whole pack. I sold the pack, but I added $.05 to each pencil. I bought another pack, and it sold quickly. The same group of students played "Pencil Wars", but I sold my pencils to any student that needed an extra one.

At a young age, I believe children can be entrepreneurs. I evolved from selling erasers to owning a construction company. Moreover, I will continue to evolve and strive to become a more successful entrepreneur. Nevertheless, I will always remember that little girl with a small pink purse.

Swimming Pool Solar Covers Review

There are many different types of Swimming Pool Covers available on the market. They each have their own purpose. Basically the thicker the material the warmer your pool water is going to be. Solar covers are made up of tiny air pockets which hold the suns heat and are slowly released. These pockets will heat your pool to it's greatest depths, this free heating will reduce pool heating costs by up to 40%. Not only this, by using a pool cover, maintenance costs will be reduced as there will be a reduction of water evaporation by a staggering 97%.
Pool covers will reduce maintenance as it will stop any leaves, debris or dust entering the pool which can get into the skimmer basket and quite often get into the filter which can lead to poor function and even not working altogether and the whole unit needing to be replaced. Therefore, pool covers pay for themselves very quickly through reduction in evaporation, reduction in chemical costs, if paying someone to clean the pool-it will take a lot less time and therefore again saving money.
Swimming pool solar covers come in many great colours and sizes, the colour of the cover is associated with the effect it will have, the thickness of the material will also have a different effect. Also the air pockets on some covers are different shapes as these shapes will also have a different effect. For instance, a cover with diamond shapes will hold more heat as the air pockets are closer together therefore, having more pockets on the cover whereas a cover with circle shapes won't have as many air pockets because they are further apart.
The cover that is needed usually depends on the elements for that area. An area that is very warm during the day may not need a thick cover or one with diamond air pockets as the water will heat up quickly alone with the day temperature. An area that is cooler during the day would need a cover that is thicker and with diamond shaped air pockets so that it heats up the water during the day and holds the warmth. There are many things to consider before buying a swimming pool solar cover(or blanket as it is sometimes referred to), but mostly consider the thickness and air pocket shapes to get the most out of your cover.
Many retailers offer all varieties of swimming pool solar covers and many accessories to accompany them. One particular accessory is a pool cover roller. This can stretch out the life of the pool cover and make covering the pool easy.

Intex 54945EG Metal 15 Feet 48 Inch

I've read all the criticism of the Intex pool covers. Most cite the small holes on the pool cover as a big, big problem. Others cite the inability to pull the cover tautly over the pool. Neither criticism is warranted.
Having a few small holes on the pool cover does permit some water to seep into the pool after a rain -- but the holes are small and leaves still won't get into your pool. Having those handy little holes, however, makes removing the cover easy to do EVEN AFTER A RAIN. Without the holes, a potentially large amount of water would rest on top of the pool cover and you'd have to be Superman to lift the water-filled cover from off the pool. Intex wisely added the holes to their pool cover for a good reason.
As for the rope ties -- who needs them? I live less than two miles away from the ocean and we get a strong ocean breeze even at my house, but the pool cover is large enough to easily fit over the pool and stay put, even without making the rope ties taut. I suppose in a gale storm, the cover might come off -- but in a gale storm, you've got bigger problems to worry over. The pool cover stays on the pool just by draping it over the surface of the pool water.
The pool cover keeps debris out of your pool water and helps liquid chlorine to stay in the water longer. If you're worried about evaporating pool water because of those little holes, don't; any evaporation is undetectable.

This Intex 54945EG Metal 15 Feet 48 Inch is a good swimming pool cover for my 8 foot round swimming pool. It actually stays on the swimming pool. We have had some big Thunder/Wind storms here and it has stayed on the pool. It's easy to install and has a rope string to keep it tight on the pool.

It does have some holes on the top, that's to let the rain water go through so it doesn't stress the cover or pool. Works pretty good and doesn't let much dirt or bugs in the pool when covered. Very pleased with the pool cover.

Side Note: Intex isn't a very good customer service oriented company. I bought the pool at the end of last fall to use this summer, and put it up a week ago for the first time. To my dismay, it came with a hole in the air pocket at the top from the get-go. They said since 90 days had gone by, I'm out of luck. They don't stand behind their products. Why would I have put up the pool last fall just to take it down the same day? Intex gets a failing grade, customer service wise from me, but the pool cover passes. 

Goby Suction Pool Cleaner Hayward

In the past 20 years we have had 2 homes each with an in ground pool. The Goby Suction Pool Cleaner Hayward are about 120 perimeter with a pebble tech surface. Until recently we have used Hayward/Arnison Navigator pool vacs. Living in Arizona our pools and pool cleaners get a lot of year round use. This review compares the MX8 to the Navigator.

* Both the MX8 and Navigator are very good pool cleaners. They both do what they are intended to do well.
* Suction - Both require similar amount of suction to operate.
* Cleaning path and cleaning time - The MX8 cleans a wider path as it travels and may travel slightly faster. However the wider path does negatively effect the wall climbing of the MX8 (see next bullet). The MX8 appears to follow a totally random path, whereas the navigator has a more programmed path going in ever widening circles then moving on to another area. The net out of the two approaches is that both will clean about 80% of the pool in 2 hours. To cover 95% of the pool takes 3 or 4 hours. Due to the randomness, curves in the pool and such after 4 hours there are still a few spots missed, but both cleaners will generally get these areas next time.
* Wall climbing - Both will climb the sides of the pool when there is sufficient suction, but the MX8 will climb with less suction. Our pool is a lagoon form with curved walls. Where the walls curve in the MX8 climbs, where the wall curves away the MX8 will not climb. The Navigator with its narrower path is not effected as much by the curved walls and will climb anywhere. But MX8 will often climb the wall then turn and run along the wall covering a lot of wall area in this one pass. It has even ended up on the steps after running along the wall near the water line. The navigator on the other hand tends to just go straight up the wall to the water surface then fall back down to the bottom of the pool. Bottom line is the MX8 does a much better job of climbing the walls, even with lower suction.
* Getting stuck - The MX8 is more sensitive to small rocks and large vegetation debris. Pebbles larger than 1/4 inch often get stuck where the paddles rotate into the MX8. This stops the MX8 from operating. Large vegetation sometimes gets wound around the paddles stopping the MX8. The navigator can also get stuck on larger pebbles, but will generally suck up the 1/4 inch size. The navigator can also get vegetation caught but not as often as the MX8. On the other hand the MX8 is quick and easy to open with no tools to clear any object, where as the Navigator may require a screwdriver to open it up to get to the problem. Bottom line, the MX8 gets stuck more easily, but it is easier to get going again. I prefer the MX8 because I do not need to take it apart to clear out debris.
* Durability - It is too soon to say how durable the MX8 is since I have only had it for 1 month. Pebble Tec surface is very rough and hard on everything that rubs on it. The navigator feet run so the Navigator waddles, the feet wear down after a few years and need to be replaced, The navigator also has "wings" which wear on the end where they rub and need to be replaced after a few years. Other parts on the Navigator wear, but more slowly. The most annoying piece on the navigator with appears to last 5 or 6 years (maybe longer) is the gear box setup which controls the path the navigator takes. Although it does not show wear eventually the navigator looses its ability to follow a programmed path and tends to go in circles in the same area. Its possible the MX8 will suffer from similar problem in the future only time will tell.
* Cool factor - The MX8 looks cooler and kind of dances around the pool, going forward, backward, spinning ... I think Fiberglass Swimming Pools is having more fun than the navigator.
*Overall both the MX8 and Navigator are excellent pool cleaners, but at this time the MX8 appears to do a slightly better job, with slightly less suction and although it gets stuck more frequently, it is easier to clear from debris.

Intex 54907EG Easy 15 Feet 42 Inch

The size is a bit deceiving. The Intex 54907EG Easy 15 Feet 42 Inch measures just over 14.5 feet, not 15 as advertised. Somewhere it's mentioned that water level is 42" so don't think that your getting 48". I knew about the water level but the diameter was a surprise. I ordered a 15' solar cover and wondered why it was too big. I got took the tape measure to the pool and found out why. These size issues don't really bother my but it should be noted more clearly on box.

Yes the ladder is flimsy but usable. I cut a couple of boards and put them at the top for a platform, it's a good place for the kids to sit and ladder is sturdier. I'm 280 lbs. and have not problem as long as I'm careful.

One thing that did make me frown a bit was the pinhole leak that I discovered after filling the pool. Brand new and a leak? Ohhh well that's Chinese quality I guess. They include a repair kit that has some vinyl but NO Glue! I fixed it by taking a small amount of bathroom caulk and putting on the inside of the pool, this stopped the leak so I could work on the outside. I used JB Weld..lol to attach piece of the supplied vinyl to the outside. It's held up fine. Not the recommended fix, but it's what I had laying around and didn't have to run to the store to purchase glue.

The pump of Above Ground Swimming Pools is working fine, where I see others have had problems with the pumps wearing out. I actually put a valve in and run a separate hose off it for solar heating. I run the pump 6-10 hours a day. I purchased two additional filters but have yet to use them. I have been reusing the same filter that came with pool by spraying it off with the hose. It comes out nice and clean for me.

As far as chemicals, I have spent $9 on bleach and $6 on borax in 2.5 months. I found out how to take care of the water here [...]. I then use this calculator to add bleach and raise my PH [...] It's worked like a charm, I actually keep the chlorine pretty low and the water is crystal clear with no algae. My well water is acidic so borax helps raise PH on that. The rain has lowered the PH too, so more borax helped there as well.

As far as setup, it was pretty easy. I'm satisfied with pool. I paid $249 for the pool at Walmart so the price here is a bit high, I can see where free delivery and the lack of a Walmart could justify the additional price.