My Rays of Sunshine

Most Bizarre Political Ads of 2011–So Far

“We minorities should stick together!” I don’t know if he is serious or not, but Dan Adler (D-CA) has some of the most bizarre, actually strange political ads of 2011. He is running for to replace the seat departed Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) in California’s 36th district. Do you know what a “mensch” is? And no one will forget Patty Duke dropping the s-bomb in this ad for Adler. Caution, foul language. Or the ever so classy, have your young son drop the s-bomb. Again, foul language. Maybe his strategy is working after all. Now, we all know Dan Adler!

If you’re like me and enjoy free things, head to your local Target on April 17 and receive a free reusable bag. But hurry, I know from experience they run out fast and it’s only available for the first one million Target guests. While you’re there don’t forget to buy some yummy treats for someone special’s Easter basket. At our house the Cadbury Mini Eggs are the first to go. Happy Shopping!

I read an article on The Huffington Post by Michelle Madden at The Sweet Beet. In her article Madden believes food is too cheap. Her proof, recently her parents were visiting from Canada and she was preparing dinner for them when she went to the store and couldn’t purchase just three chicken breasts. I rang the bell at the butcher counter. “I’m looking for just enough chicken for three people, but I only see big sizes.” He came around the counter. “We actually don’t carry small sizes, but we have a special on where you can get two two-pound packs of chicken breasts for the price of one.” (Buying just one was not an option — the second one was bound with cellophane to the first.) “So I can’t buy just one of the packs and I can’t request a smaller amount from you?” “No, but this is an...

Avoid April’s Shower’s with a Free Umbrella–And Support a Great Cause

This is what my street looks like. There are three houses in a row for sale, including ours. For almost three years I have been cleaning the home I’m living for a realtor to show. First it was for our house that we owned. The realtor was horrible. She would call an hour before she wanted to show our house (if we were lucky she gave me that much notice) and then would never show up. At the time I was pregnant, had a three-year-old and dog to clean-up after and drag out of the house. After all the inconvenience of no shows and short notice cleanings, she never sold the house. She was followed by the second realtor. This time I had a newborn, four-year-old and dog to rush out the door. Realtor number two never sold the house either. Lucky for Bank of America, they now own...

For some reason gambling is a touchy subject. I had the radio on while getting ready for my morning errands when Bud Hedinger, the Orlando morning talk show host quickly shot down the proposed legislation for five mega Las Vegas style casinos to be built throughout Florida. Gambling On Casinos – Don’t Do It, Florida! As I told you this morning, there’s legislation on the table in Tallahassee that calls for 5 Las Vegas style mega-casino complexes to be built at various locations throughout Florida. This all about raising money for the state, but I’ll never support expanded gambling in Florida, because I believe it is fundamentally incompatible with the family-friendly image we market to the whole world. Here’s a look at what’s proposed, and I think you’ll agree, it’s the boldest pro-gambling measure we’ve ever seen. We’ll watch it closely as the legislative session unfolds. Whoa, wait a...

Have you noticed everyone is an “expert” on how you should live your life? They tell you what to eat, what to think, how to behave, and my biggest pet peeve, how to parent. I’m pretty sure parenting is a natural instinct. If wild animals naturally know how to take care of the babies, human mothers know what is best for their little ones. I’m guilty. Maybe I should state we’re guilty. My family bed-shares, co-sleeps whatever it may be called. My little ones sometimes sneak their way into bed with me and my husband. Okay, quite often. Even though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agree, I choose to parent the way that best suits the...

Recently I had an unpleasant trip to Ulta. I was in need of a new shampoo and conditioner. When I asked a question regarding Rusk Sensories Brilliance Grapefruit & Honey Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner, the store manager muttered "Um, yeah" and rushed me out the door. Needless to say, Rusk Sensories Brilliance shampoo and conditioner didn’t meet my needs. I’ve used Rusk products in the past and have been pleased with the results so I thought brilliance would be great. Nope. My hair is long, but I do not put a lot of styling products in it so it is rather easy to clean. I wanted a product that would cleanse my hair without stripping my color. Brilliance claims to maintain color, promote shine and strengthen your hair. The shampoo may or may not clean your hair. I can’t tell. I can say the conditioner leaves your hair...

I finished my first seven days of P90X. Two days last week I didn’t participate in P90X. Super Bowl Sunday was a day off and my poor little man had a terrible sinus infection and earache. I spent Monday at the doctor’s office and pharmacy getting his prescription. But I did complete all seven days. Let me start off by saying I take a yoga class once to twice a week. The P90X yoga day was torture for me. It wasn’t because it was difficult, I found Yoga X to be so slow and boring. Yoga X is about ninety minutes long and I kept watching the time on the bottom half of the screen. It felt like three hours of unnecessary description of each and every move of the other people in the video. My husband said I could skip it, but I’m not a quitter. I caught...

Visit our friends at Shocolatte for custom chocolates for your honey, family or friends this Valentine’s Day. My personal recommendation, The Colombian Collection. What are you waiting for?

She Turned Off the Television

That was my one-year-old daughter’s reaction to the Super Bowl XLV half-time show. She simply walked over and turned the television off. I guess she couldn’t handle it anymore. You know your performance is terrible when a one-year-old can’t stand to listen or watch it anymore. Last night the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The game was great, what was disappointing were almost all of the Super Bowl performers. Maroon 5 screeched and squealed through their pre-game performance. Christina Aguilera sang the wrong lyrics heard around the world as she screwed-up the words to the National Anthem. In a statement announcing she would be performing the National Anthem on January 24th, Aguilera said, "I have been performing the anthem since I was seven years old and I must say the Super Bowl is a dream come true." She does deserve credit for attempting...

On New Year’s Day everyone makes New Year’s Resolutions. I’m going to loose weight. I’m going to start a business. I’m going to take my dream vacation. You can’t wait to share resolutions. Derek Siver’s says it’s better to keep your goals a secret. So, maybe I’m not taking Mr. Siver’s advice. I didn’t make it my New Year’s resolution to loose weight but hey, who couldn’t loose a few pounds? My brother-in-law has been praising P90x since Thanksgiving and at the beginning of the year he gave us and his parents P90X. (So you know, I’m not trying to become your coach or sell any Beach Body Fitness products.) Anyway, I completed the majority of my business taxes (that’s another story) so I am officially giving P90X a try. I do workout on a regular basis and go to the gym three to five days a week. My...

Hair care products are a dime a dozen. Each and every product promises to make your hair stronger, healthier and stop a man dead in his tracks. What many women sadly discover is the hair care products they use are adding product build-up and leaving them with lifeless, limp hair. Martin (Mar-teen) Rodriguez saw a need in the hair care industry to create better hair care products everyone would love to use and in return love their hair. Rodriquez is the creator of Kalea Rose Hair Care. Rodriguez began working in the beauty industry at 17. Looking at him, you’d never know he’s been giving women the hair of their dreams for 31 years. What is the most common way women damage their hair? According to Rodriguez, “women do a lot of damage to their hair when they use flat irons, blow dryers and other hot styling tools without...

Do you know why your skin needs a great hydrating moisturizer? An excellent moisturizer will hydrate your skin leaving it supple, firm, plump, smooth and wrinkle-free. Finding the perfect moisturizer for you skin type can be a daunting task. I know, I’ve been there. Growing-up I had combination skin. Now, I live in Florida and the humidity leaves my skin oily. Finding the perfect balance of hydration without being oily and oil-free without having my skin feel cheated has proven to be a difficult task. Recently, I discovered d’vine Chablis Cream. d’vine Chablis Cream is a light-weight moisturizer infused with hyaluronic acid. My skin quickly absorbs d’vine Chablis Cream, leaving it hydrated and healthy, not weighed down and greasy. Did you know your body’s production of hyaluronic acid diminishes with age? If you participate in poor lifestyle habits like eating an unhealthy diet and smoking, you accelerate the diminishing...

My husband follows a strict diet so I am constantly searching for recipes the whole family will enjoy. Last night I created crab, artichoke and spinach dip. Hubby really enjoys artichoke spinach dip, but often we are searching for dip that is created without mayonnaise. My husband will not eat it because of the eggs and mayo makes my tummy ill. He enjoyed the dip and I hope you will too! I tried to add a lot of different veggies to make it somewhat healthy. Now, for my crab, artichoke and spinach dip recipe: 1 can crab claw meat 1 large can artichoke hearts, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1/2 red/yellow/orange bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/3 cup sour cream 1 cup frozen spinach 1 cup parmesan cheese 1 cup Monterey cheese 8 ounces whipped cream cheese 1 teaspoon lime juice 5 dashes Tabasco sauce Salt and...

Normally I wouldn’t say anything about poor customer service. I realize every business has its share of awful employees, but the manager at the Ulta I recently shopped at should hold her head in shame. On Christmas Eve, I stopped at the Ulta down the street from my parents house. I needed to purchase astringent and other various items, including make-up for my Grandmother. It was the last day to redeem my 20% off total purchase coupon. We arrived at the store at 4:30. As soon as we opened the door the manager said, “we are closing in 30 minutes.” Okay, that’s more than enough time to get in and get out. Of course we were not the only customers in the store. There were other shoppers as well as other customers "trying" to get in the door. Upset that shoppers were coming into her store on Christmas Eve...

Christmas Vacation–My Favorite Christmas Movie

To kick off Christmas Week I’d like to share with you my family’s favorite Christmas movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I cannot believe this movie is 21-years-old! Where does time go? I’ve watched this movie every year since I was a little girl. I can’t imagine a year without watching it at least five times. Two fun facts about Christmas Vacation. First, the assistant director of Christmas Vacation, Frank Capra III, is the grandson of the legendary Frank Capra, who directed It’s a Wonderful Life. The part where Clark “fixes” the newel post by sawing it off with a chainsaw is an homage to It’s a Wonderful Life. The newel post at the Bailey’s house was also loose. Also, Russ is watching It’s a Wonderful Life on TV when his grandparents arrive. Second, in the scene where the two grandfathers are asleep in the armchairs while the Christmas parade...