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.