• I'm sick. Full blown miserable sick. Hanna had it last week. Keith was hit hard over the weekend, and now it is my turn. We took Hanna to the doctor and she said it was just a virus. Unfortunately, I think mine has turned into an infection. My entire face hurts and I have some pain in my ear. So excuse any moaning and groaning that might be included in this post.

• It looks like the tissue fairy took a dump in my bedroom. No matter how hard I try, my aim for the trash can sucks. Which is kind of embarrassing for my husband the baseball player. I don't even want to think about the amount of trees my nose is going through right now. Now that I think about it.... are tissues recyclable? And if they are... Eww. I don't even want to think about that.

• I think the groundhog was wrong. I know I live in Texas, but it's looking a lot more like Spring than Winter around here. Sadly I know that means a rough allergy season. Better treat the yard early for bugs too. I guess it won't be long before I can admire the blooming flowers now. Maybe I should get busy on planting some too.

• My Kindle Fire has been keeping me company the last few days. I've played so much Mahjong that I ran out of levels. It's addicting, but better than watching repeats on TV for the 36th time. If I keep ordering movies Keith is gonna kill me when our DirecTV bill gets here.

• Hanna has been sick so many times this school year that she requires a doctor's note on all absences for the rest of the school year. Nothing new. It seems to happen every year when the weather bounces from cold to warm. Anyway, she was home from school Friday and I was unable to get her in to see the doctor. So I figured we'd take her to the quick clinic at the pharmacy as we've been there in the past. They were packed Saturday and eventually stopped seeing patients. Thankfully Hanna was feeling a bit better, but we still needed a note for school. So we got up bright and early Sunday and had her there when they opened at 8am. There was already a line, Hanna was 4th. It was almost 11am before she got home. By the time she left, the clinic waiting area was packed and they had put up the sign that they weren't taking anymore patients. I was so glad we took her early. I love the convenience of the quick clinic as opposed to taking her to the ER. However, I started thinking... I it really the best idea to have a clinic full of sick people coughing and sneezing all their germs into the air right next to the pharmacy window where customers go to pick up their medications? Doesn't this just expose all of these customers to germs? Let' put the healthy folks who are there to pick up birth control or anxiety medication aside. Some of those customers are possibly elderly, young children, or even those with weakened immune systems. I don't care how often you spray the air or wipe down the chairs, I'm not sure this is the best location in the store. Another reason I continue to use the pharmacy drive thru window.

• I usually speak my mind. Often when I should just bite my tongue. I've tried to remember my mother taught me that if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all. This explains why we always had rolls of duct tape around the house as I was growing up.

• When Tim Burton originally conceived the idea for “Frankenweenie,” he envisioned it as a full-length, stop-motion animated film. Due to budget constraints, he instead directed it as a live-action short, released in 1984. 

• “Frankenweenie” follows in the footsteps of Tim Burton’s other stop-motion animated films “Corpse Bride” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”—both of which were nominated for Academy Awards®.

• Over 200 puppets and sets were created for the film.

• The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (“Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands”), Catherine O’Hara (“Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”), Martin Short (“Mars Attacks!”) and Martin Landau (“Ed Wood,” Sleepy Hollow”).

• Several of the character names—Victor, Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar “E” Gore and Mr. Burgemeister— were inspired by classic horror films.

• My mom has been in town for a visit the last two weeks. She left to go home this morning. It was nice spending some time with her. It was also nice to have a good reason to make the kids come out of their rooms. Seems like the older they become, the less we see them. Of course, I can still remember not being able to use the restroom without someone bugging me like it was yesterday.

• My mom got here just in time to make Hanna a skirt for her sock hop dance. We didn't want to buy a cheap Halloween costume poodle skirt. Hanna also wanted something different than all the other girls. Specifically, no pink. So we did some shopping and bought a great teal fabric and my mom made a beautiful skirt for her. I did the rhinestone music notes.  The rest was all Nanny. Well, except for the hair and makeup.

• I was glad my mom was in town. I needed her help to complete Keith's Valentine's present. She helped me trick Keith into taking a picture for me. A collage collection of photographs of some of the heart shaped items we've collected and come across over the years. In the center is the photo of us that we tricked him into doing along with a sweet phrase.

• I've done a lot of baking lately. I experimented with some tasty desserts and appetizers. I couldn't let Valentine's Day pass without making cupcakes though.

• We went shopping over the weekend to buy me a new computer. I need something with more memory and a faster processor. I had a basic idea of what I wanted, but we went to Best Buy to look around. Plus I like to see things as well as put my hands on them before I buy. Every employee we flagged down or asked for help was "busy". Needless to say after standing around waiting for about 45 minutes at Best Buy for some assistance, I finally got pissed off and left. I won't be making any purchases there. I am sure I can find somewhere else to spend our hard earned money.

• We did buy a home theater surround sound system over the weekend (not from Best Buy). I don't know why we waited so long. I am in love. I could watch movies all day long now. If you're going to have hi-def then you might as well make the investment in a good sound system. Now... what movie should I watch today?

We all want the best for our children. Especially when it comes to things they put in their bodies. My kids love fruit snacks. They're quick and easy, and great for when you are on the go. However, with many packaged foods you need to read the labels. You might find many of the ingredients difficult to pronounce. It's not always feasible to carry around a basket of fresh fruits and veggies just to have snacks available for the kids. Unless you have your own garden or farmer's market right outside your door it isn't always easy to keep fresh fruits and vegetables on hand either.

Kellogg's™ Fruit Flavored Snacks are formulated gluten and wheat-free and may be acceptable for consumers on restricted diets. However, these products are produced in facilities that also manufacture other products that contain wheat. Consumers have varying sensitivities to gluten, and although we follow approved standardized manufacturing practices, some consumers are so sensitive that even wheat dust that may be in the product can result in a reaction. Therefore, we do not have any products that are gluten-free.

Now let's talk taste and texture, because that is what is most important to me. If a food doesn't taste well or have a pleasing texture on my tongue, I won't eat it. The Gushers and H-E-B Fruit Twists are a bit sticky, but if you think about it... fruit and fruit juice can be a bit sticky due to the natural sugars. The Gushers actually came out of their pouch in one clump. All 10 snacks were stuck together. The Gushers and Kellogg's snacks have a very smooth texture. The H-E-B Fruit Twist have a more natural texture. The Welch's Fruit snacks were at the bottom of my list on texture. It was a bit dry and grainy. While the three leading national brands all had a nice fruity taste, they were a sugary. The Welch's and Gusher's have a little tartness to them too. The H-E-B Fruit Twist seem to have the most natural fruit taste.

Rated PG for “some adventure action and brief, mild language”