I can’t speak for everyone in this state but as a lifelong resident, I do have an opinion about why this state is backing Hillary. It isn’t about race. It’s about politics. While West Virginia is a “blue state” we’re also more moderate than many other Blue states. The hard working men and women of this state have depended on the coal and steel industries, both of which have been hurt tremendously by environmental issues, which traditionally has been associated with the far left. This isn’t to say that Hillary is not far left, only that she is presenting herself as more moderate than Obama.

It will be interesting to see how my own northern panhandle’s numbers compare to the rest of this state. Many residents in this valley stood outside on a hot July day waiting to shake hands with presidential nominees Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992 and heard them promise that they would protect our steel industry and enforce fair trade laws.

They lied. They did nothing about illegal foreign steel dumping.

Now I wonder if this northern panhandle will remember that and hold Hillary responsible for her husband’s betrayal or if we’ll follow the rest of the state. As a side note, neither Hillary nor Bill have dropped by the northern panhandle this past week. Just sayin’.

I’m sure there are racists in this state, just as there are all over this country. There are uneducated people here, just as there are all over this country. Blaming race or lack of education for Hillary’s popularity here, though, sounds like the kind of excuse I’d expect from a whining eight year old, not opposing members of the same political party.

If the Democrats don’t stop calling each other names, they’ll have no one but themselves to blame when they lose the White House. Again.

No, I don’t believe them.

I’m guessing that most parents are just like me. Most parents expect their kids to do basic things like make their beds, put their clothes in the hamper, pick up their things. I hope that most parents also assign other chores like taking out the garbage, loading the dishwasher and cutting the grass. And if you have more than one child, keeping track of those chores, who does them when and who neglected their chores can get confusing. That’s why I like to use a chart to keep track of everyone’s chores. Except that too often I just don’t have time to make a weekly or monthly chart.

Now I can download free chore charts online with some really great designs. Each kid can pick out the design that he or she likes, too. Not only do these charts allow me to see at a glance how well each child is carrying through with chores, but it also helps the kids to feel a sense of accomplishment every time they mark another day that they’ve completed their chores.

I let my kids pick out their own favorite designs but in another month, a new feature will allow you to design your own chore charts. I can’t wait to try it out! My kids are actually excited about it, too, thinking about how they’re going to personalize their own charts. I admit, I was thinking about color coordinating the charts to match my kitchen but I think I’ll just let the kids have a free hand at it. Anything that gets the kids interested in doing their chores is a winner for me.

Now the question is, do I dare design a chart with a rugged macho look for my husband? Or is that pushing a good thing too far?

The worst thing about Kroger having virtually no competition around here is that when a customer complains or makes a suggestion, no one pays attention. Case in point: the bathroom at Kroger.

The store in Wellsburg was remodeled a few years ago. It’s bigger and very nice. The bathroom is clean and much nicer than the employee bathroom that customers used prior to the remodeling. Nevertheless, it’s lacking two important features.

First, there are no toilet seat covers available. Wal-Mart is one of the only stores in the area that does provide these sanitary covers and I love them for it. I’ve mentioned this to the manager at Kroger but I’m pretty sure there was no follow up since there are still no covers.

The other suggestion I made was that they remove the little table holding the vase of flowers and install a baby changing table. Let’s face it, moms with babies buy groceries. As much as we’d all prefer to not shop with the kids, we don’t always get what we prefer. I mentioned this to management over two years ago, when the remodeled store had it grand re-opening. There is still no changing station for babies. It’s mind boggling that a grocery store would neglect to provide for mothers and children!

I can’t help but think that Kroger would be more responsive to these and other suggestions if they had a little competition around here. What a shame.

I’ve seen most of the sights on Kauai, loved Spouting Horn and Kipu Falls, and visited beaches from Polihale State Beach Park to Ke’e Beach. This time, I really want to do some Island hopping to get an idea of the differences between the islands. I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the smaller islands, although Lanai and Molokai seem to call my name every time I’m on Kauai. I do want to finally visit Maui, though. And I want to do some underwater exploration, too, beyond the little we do on our own near Hanalei Bay.

In my search for information on Maui Snorkel I found some great packages. I know you learn a lot by exploring on your own but mostly you learn what not to do the next time. Opting for one of these great packages ensures a much more pleasurable trip. Not only are meals included but all equipment you need, including underwater cameras, is available, too.

The package I like best is the morning excursion. That one includes both breakfast and lunch as well as an open bar. While snorkeling gear is included, they also offer scuba and snuba gear for an additional rental fee. I really want to try Snuba since scuba diving with the Pride of Maui requires diving certification. All this takes place on a 65-foot Catamaran with stops at both Molokini Crater, an ancient submerged volcanic caldera, and Turtle Town where you’ll be able to get up close to the amazing Green Sea Turtles.

My second choice, maybe in addition to the first, would be the sunset cruise, which just seems so romantic. In all our trips to Hawaii, we’ve never really done anything truly romantic. I think it’s time and the dinner cruise with the colorful Maui sunset sky as a backdrop would be perfect.

I know we can carve out a 4 day mini-holiday from my 16 days in Hawaii for some snorkeling in Maui and a romantic cruise. The Pride of Maui makes it all so easy and convenient, and the prices are a real bargain. Even better, I noticed that by making reservations online, they offer even more savings. In fact, the prices are so reasonable that I might be able to afford that quick jump to the Lanai and Molokai, too.

Keep your fingers crossed that I make it to Hawaii this summer. This is going to be my best trip yet!

If I’ve learned anything from raising 6 kids, it’s that kids love to play in the water. They also love soap and foamy stuff. They love animals. So if you want your kid to clean up, make it fun and make them think they’re playing. Someone at Huggies must be a mother because their new Cleanteam line combines gentle cleaning with fun packaging for a sure-fire hit.

When Kendyll took her bath she insisted on bringing her new hand soap with her. Henry is the purple Hippo who helps keep kids clean. Granny had to hold Henry and help a little since Kendyll was a little slippery in the tub but the bottle is designed so that when placed on the side of the sink, it pumps easily.

Kendyll could have played all day with Henry, until it foamed no more. Huggies, though, must have thought of that because they included a locking mechanism for the pump. A simple turn of Henry’s head and the foamy pump was locked. Kendyll tried to push the pump but all Henry would do is flash his light at her. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Henry’s head has a flashing light that helps your child to keep washing for a full 20 seconds. That really helps when you’re teaching kids about good hygiene.

Kendyll has been blessed (or is it cursed) with curls just like Granny. Most tear-free shampoos are very mild but not very conditioning. Huggies Cleanteam shampoo is the exception. Sammy Snake is an extra conditioning shampoo that kept Kendyll’s curls under control.

Kendyll was especially mesmerized by Sammy because her dad had just caught a snake while fishing that day. He brought it home for all to see and of course, Kendyll was fascinated. (Don’t worry, it isn’t venomous and it’s just a wee baby.) Sammy Snake shampoo obviously has a special place in Kendyll’s heart. Sammy has a partner, Daphne Dolphin, who helps to detangle hair. I’m going to be searching for Daphne when I go to the store this week. Curly hair gets very tangled very easily.

I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of Kendyll using her flushable wipes. Potty time comes and goes quickly and we’re still at that hit and miss stage. I can tell you that the best thing about the Freddy Flamingo flushable wipes is that I don’t have to worry about clogging my toilet when Kendyll drops them in. We found out several weeks ago that other wipes are NOT flushable! These are perfect for the transition from diapers to potty.

I don’t know if this is normal (or if I should even admit it) but I’m enjoying these adorable characters as much as Kendyll is. I’ve actually used Henry Hippo foaming Hand Soap a few times when I’ve gone into the bathroom. The 20 second flashing light reminds me to slow down and wash my hands completely, too. I guess Grandmothers are just little girls at heart, huh?

Before leaving for work today, Tammie stopped by with her laptop and the FedEx package so I could get to work on the upgrade. Tammie had been running on 256MB RAM, if you can believe it. Yes, it was slow.

I had a lot of running around to do today but as soon as I came home and settled in, I got to work on Tammie’s laptop. It took about 5 minutes, mostly because I couldn’t find the right screwdriver. The computer booted and recognized the new memory. I can’t wait for Tammie to try it out!

I’ve suffered through Verizon’s hideous DSL for way too long. I’ve gotten headaches trying to maneuver through their phone system to get to tech support people who barely speak English. I know my cable company because they’re located right here, just a few miles from my home. I know the people who work in the office. I know I can understand them.

Now I have to prepare for the switch. I’ve been pricing HDTVs, blue-ray devices and HDMI cables. I’m looking around my living room for the perfect place for my new gear. Mostly, though, I’ll just be so happy to get rid of this awful DSL.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that one house, a stately white brick, now had black vinyl shutters instead of the previous kelly green ones. I never did understand how anyone could choose that shade of green to put on such a beautiful home.

If I take Maggie and her friend to the mall this weekend, I think we may take a detour to see some of the homes that Brian did in Ohio in the early 90s. I know Maggie never saw them and I’d love to take a look again. It’s been a very long time.

I’ve never had really good skin but since switching to mineral makeup, I’ve remained relatively clear. This past week, though, has turned my face into one huge eruption. I never thought I’d be searching for an acne treatment at this age.

I think I’m going to steam my face tonight to get out all the impurities and then I’ll massage extra virgin olive oil into my skin for healing. Hopefully, that will take care of it. I think I have a little Galbanum Essential Oil left so I might mix a drop of that in the olive oil, too.

I think this acne might be some kind of message that I’m behaving like a child about something. Or is my skin just going haywire, rebelling against getting old?

Naturally, there was a diamond phase, too, but I could neve afford as many diamonds as I would have liked. For a little while I was really into crosses and other religious jewelry but that didn’t last long. Not enough variety, maybe.

Right now, I wear almost no jewelry. I wear my wedding ring set and my birthstone ring and that’s it. No necklace, no bracelets. I don’t even wear my Mother’s ring because Levi’s stone, a tiny pearl, fell out. I used to feel naked without several pounds of jewelry hanging on me. When did all that change?