I was eight or ten when my grandmother sat me down and told me I should carefully moisturize my face and neck each day. She shared with me that her own mother had taught her how important it was to care for your skin from a early age. I suspect that my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother actually have excellent genes when it comes to lovely, young-looking skin – but I know they also cared for their skin their whole lives.

I actually look fairly young for my age, but I attribute that to moisturizing since I was quite young – and to good genes.

My daughter’s skin is very different from mine. It is much darker, for one. She is also prone to much drier skin and sensitivities. I want to learn all I can about teaching her to take care of her skin and its unique needs.

SkinHealthToday.com is a wonderful little website totally dedicated to the topic of healthy, lovely skin and its care. I’ve got it bookmarked (and you should think about bookmarking it, too). The site is paired with the weekly radio show “Skin Health TODAY” on WorldTalkRadio. You can catch the free streaming audio online live every Thursday at noon, but if you miss it you can find archived podcasts, too.

My current skin care obsession is adult acne. I was a teen with flawless skin. I kid you not. I did not have to deal with pimples at all in high school. It’s different now and I feel like a teenager who has to get used to my skin all over again. The site has several helpful articles on the topic (YAY!). Plus, they have a BeautyWorkout Club you can join for free that gives you lots of benefits, among which is free coaching by phone or email from a licensed professional. That’s my kind of freebie.

AT&T reached a settlement with Florida via our Attorney General Bill McCollum. They must repay Floridians for unauthorized third-party cell charges, such as ringtones and text messaging that were advertised as free.

The settlement could mean refunds totaling more than $10 million

McCollum said the main culprits are third-party companies. They often advertise ringtones and other services that are supposed to be free. When customers sign up, they ultimately find charges on their cell phone bill. Although it is the third-party companies who are using deceptive advertising, AT&T agreed in the settlement to begin policing agreements with third-party providers to make it more clear what the charges are for when they appear on the phone bills.

AT&T stressed that the problem is an industry-wide and that they did not actually sell their customers the ringtones and other services, but just provided the billing.

Check your bills for charges labeled things like “Other Charges” or “Usage”. If you call your provider’s customer service and ask what these charges are for, you may find you are being charged for text messaging or ringtones you id not authorize and you may be able to talk them into a refund.

I love my birthday. I am not one of those girls who try to hide it when my birthday rolls around. I savor every bit of attention I get. I even love it when the businesses I work with send me a personalized birthday card. It is one of those little things that makes me feel doubly good that I have picked the best businesses to partner with, that they care enough to send a little token of celebration out on a customer’s birthday.

I send out birthday cards to my customers as well. Even though I am doing a lot less freelancing lately, I still remember my current and past clients with a card. It’s not a lot of trouble and it ensures I am keeping all bridges healthy, happy and intact. I don’t use pre-printed, personalized cards right now, but it looks like an easy enough option – and quite cost effective. Plus, it’s a lot less tricky that Christmas cards, because Christmas cards are no longer appropriate for everyone. I am not fond of sending out a generic “holiday” card, but I understand that different people celebrate different holidays in December.

Did you see the birthday card I included in my post? I love sending out cards that adopt the local flavor of Florida! I try and make sure there is a palm tree in pretty much everything I send. Not that I’m gloating – but it IS awful pretty here right now

Well, it finally hit our home. We got the winter flu. So far, we have been SO lucky around here and the only thing that has made anyone in the house feel bad is the early onset of spring here in Florida and our allergies kicking in a bit early.

Last night, though, around 1 a.m. I heard my daughter trashing around. The ext thing I knew I heard her vomiting. She had it all over her bed, the floor, the shoes next to her bed, and herself before I knew it. Before the night was over, I had washed two sets of sheets and blankets, bathed my daughter, and accompanied her to the bathroom at least a dozen times.

In the midst of all this, I head my mother running to the bathroom. She was struck with the same flu at just about the same hour as my daughter woke up sick. It’s been an odd day so far. And, to top that off, my nephew had spent the night and he is sick as well. I ended up calling my sister at work so she could come help out. I will stay here with the kids while she takes our mom to the hospital.

When it rains, it pours.

I do not use a credit card on a daily basis. In fact, I pay for as much as I possibly can with cash or a check card. I do have a credit card, but I keep it for emergency use and travel. I have always been quite responsible with credit cards, but while I was married I had some problems with my ex allowing the credit cards to amass large balances.

A credit card is a handy thing to have in case of emergencies and as a backup. I think, though, we all need to do more in how we research which card is right for us. It is not good enough to just take the first credit application that we get in the mail. We need to look into what is out there.

Look at the interest rates and annual fees. Is there a good deal on an initial balance transfer? Do you want a card that offers rewards or just a basic card with a low rate? Are you looking for a card that gives back to charity? One way to begin your search is to take a look at a credit card comparison table. This way you get a good, big picture look at the options available to you. You can compare interest rates and rewards.

In any event, slow down and do your research. The right credit card is out there for you. It is just a matter of weighing your options.

When you become a parent, your first responsibility is to protect your child in whatever way possible. This does not include leaving your kid with a known sex offender as a babysitter.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, 20-year-old Vanessa Marie Laster has been charged with felony child neglect. She is currently in jail and is accused of leaving a 1-year-old girl in the care of a convicted sex offender.

As early as October 2006, Laster started leaving her child with the man, despite the fact that police had warned her in 2005 that he was a convicted sex offender.

The child is two-years-old now and is currently in the hospital for the treatment of genital warts. An exam indicated she had been sexually molested.

Laster has yet to accuse the man of abuse.

I do not know the back story, but I am assuming this man was her boyfriend. She is more than likely a certifiable idiot to have been in his company in the first place. Now she has a daughter on her hands that has presumably been raped. She set her child up for a hard life, a life of emotional issues that are possibly beyond repair. I would do ANYTHING to protect my daughter, so I an have little understanding for a mother like Laster.

My niece will be 16 next month and wants to get a job. She was telling me that it is hard to find a job in her neighborhood. Most of the kids end up working at Publix or waiting tables somewhere. When I was in college, I worked at JC Penney, but she says the mall jobs are harder to get for kids her age nowadays.

I love it when a company gives young people the opportunity to have a job. Around here, you can find a Publix at every major intersection. Most of them are crawling with employees that look to be in high school. Generally, they are enthusiastic and pleasant to be around. Today, though, as I was in the store to pick up milk and strawberries; I had to endure a lengthy conversation between my cashier and the bag boy about rear spoilers. It slowed down my transaction and I was bored nearly to tears. Aside from social blunder like jawing in front of the customers, I love seeing the young working responsible jobs.

Back to my niece. I think she said she is interested in working at Target. I’ve heard great things from everyone I have ever known who worked there. If I were 16 again and had it all to do over, I would get a job in a bookstore, but that’s just me.

Driving in Florida is easier said than done.

I love that we have such a large population of retired people. I do, honestly. I enjoy interacting with these people at the supermarkets, libraries and malls. There is a sort of peacefulness to being surrounded by people who like to live life at a slower pace.

On the roads, though, this is a usually a nightmare. There are a LOT of people who drive way under the speed limit, signal incorrectly, change lanes erratically and generally fail to see the cars around them. I’ve long been a proponent of doing eye exams more often in order to retain a driver’s license. Then, peppered in, you have young and frustrated drivers who are weaving in and out of the slow drivers.

When I moved to Florida, I found out that the Tampa Bay area has some of the highest priced car insurance in the nation. One agent told me it is second only to Manhattan. Our accident rate is amazingly high and this area is one of the most dangerous in the United States for pedestrians. There are a lot of elderly people crossing major roads, and more often than not they are hit by elderly drivers.

When I go back North to visit my dad, I feel a sense of relief on the roads. Overall, there seems to be more organization in the traffic patterns and I finally feel like I can relax behind the wheel a bit. Don’t get me wrong – I love living in Florida, I just wish driving here was equally as pleasurable.

Since I live in Florida, I take advantage of how often I can wear sandals. And, the sandals I wear most often are Birkenstocks, because they are simply the most comfortable things you will ever put on your feet. The show bed moulds itself to the shape of your foot and in the end your legs, back and feet all feel better.

It’s been cold this week, though, and I miss wearing my Birks. So, it looks like it is time for a new pair of Birkenstock clogs. I need to look around the net and find the best buy, because they can be quite expensive. Plus, I want to find one of the newer styles, like the Eaton suede clogs, so they will look good for the classroom as well.

We have several shoe stores in the area that specialize in comfy shoes, but I often find that as long I as I know the style I want and the size I need, I can find the best buy in the internet.

OK, so it’s not an official film festival, but I am having my own little Chick Flick Fest tonight. I checked three movies out of the library that I know will make me laugh, cry, and lament my single life.

Catch & Release – because a romantic comedy with Jennifer Garner and Kevin Smith is just too intriguing to pass up.

Miss Potter – because I am a Renee Zellweger fan as well as a fan of Peter Rabbit.

License to Wed – because John Krasinski is just so amazingly cute is an every-guy kind of way that I cannot help but harbor a small crush.

I have sweet tea all brewed and ready to pour over ice, popcorn ready to pop and well, the couch will have to do. Not everyone can watch movies on spiffy home theater furniture, like my friend Candice who has a home theater room.

Recognition is all about branding. When you see those golden arches from way down the highway, you know you are getting close to a McDonald’s restaurant. When you see someone running by with a Swoosh on their shoe, you know they are wearing Nike.

Children learn symbol recognition very early. They do not need to know how to read to know if they are looking at Coke or Pepsi. They just look for the branded symbol.

If you own a small business and do not have a logo that sums up your enterprise, you need to get on the ball. In fact, even a blogger will benefit from branding – the name of your site, a logo, even your colors. You want someone to be able to recognize your business simply by glancing at your logo. You want to find a logo design that is unique, simple, and speaks of what you represent.

I’ve worked as a graphic designer for years. I have worked with businesses to develop logos and full identities. It can be an expensive and time consuming process. That is why I was thrilled when I was asked to look at the LogoYes site, a DYI (do it yourself) logo design company.

I have nothing against people designing their own logos, but all too often I have seen people use low resolution clip art that will not print well when resized and looks unrecognizable if it is not printed in full color? Who has the money to print everything in full color? You need to have a scalable image that looks good even if it is stripped down to black and white.

All of the LogoYes elements are designed to look great no matter how large or small you resize your image. And, they print well in black and white. Plus, the design process is super fast and simple. You just need to choose how you want your logo to feel, as in bold or with flair. Then, you choose a logo, text, font, and colors. You can resize and move elements around on the page. It’s that simple.

I gave it a try and in about two minutes I had a logo for Suncoast Scribe that looks great.

Not so very long ago, a young college student at the University of South Florida in Tampa died of bacterial meningitis. Now, an 18-year-old female student at Daytona Beach Community College has been hospitalized for a possible case of bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is a potentially fatal infection transmitted by respiratory secretions and direct contact with an infected person. This new case makes it even more urgent that the recent proposal from the Board of Governors that would require all new students at Florida’s universities to be vaccinated against meningitis and hepatitis B be implemented as soon as possible.

 It often comes down to personal choice and circumstances. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

When I had my daughter, I already knew I wanted to breast feed. My sister and one of my other friends had both had trouble with breastfeeding, so I was thrilled when Gigi immediately took to it. In fact, she took to breast feeding so well that we had a dilemma on our hands when it came time to choose a bottle to use for when my husband wanted to feed her or we left her with family so we could have dinner out. I would pump, but Gigi would refuse the bottles. I loved breast feeding, but it was hard to get even a 2-hour break.

Make no mistake, when your child is switching from breast to bottle and back again, there can be nipple confusion, which can make for an irritable baby. You can’t just choose any baby feeding bottle you happen to pick up at the store. You have to make sure that the bottle’s nipple emulated the look, feel, and flow of the real breast. You may find that you need to try several brands and styles before you find one that your baby will accept.

Bottle feeding is sometimes a necessity, or even the choice a parent makes. In my case, bottle feeding was a supplemental issue, especially when Gigi went through growth spurts or when my milk was just coming in at the beginning. Tommee Tippee has a Closer to Nature line that is designed to mimic the natural flex and feel of breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding and want to find a good supplemental bottle and nipple, this is one of the brands you should try out in the beginning.

I am reading now that there is a massive blackout in large parts of the state. Our power went out when the storm line began to come through this morning, but it only stayed off for about 15 minutes. It’s been back on ever since, so I could us as very lucky.

Evidently, power is out from Miami to Jacksonville on the east coast and as far north as Tampa on the Gulf coast, according to police and utility officials.

I’m in the Tampa area, on the coast actually, so I feel blessed right now.

Buying a house is a huge investment. Most families set themselves up for at least 30 years of debt when they buy a home. You shop around; look at many options, and chooser the best home for your budget and lifestyle. Most of us do not stop to think that the dream home we sink our life savings into to secure a down payment may have legal issues that could put our ownership in jeopardy in the future.

That is where a title insurance company comes into play. A title company has the means and experience to research the property you are buying to make sure it does not have liens against it or even inheritance issues. Once they determine there is nothing that will challenge your ownership in the future, they issue a policy that covers possible future legal issues and lawsuits attacking your claim.

Title insurance companies are often chosen by your seller’s realtor or perhaps your mortgage company. There are sometimes complicated professional relationships involved. You should be aware, though, that the law says you do not have to go with a title company you do not want to work with and may choose your own. In fact, if anyone tells you that you must go with a particular title company, you can inform them that they are breaking federal laws by telling you.