Would You Donate YourEggs?

Guest post contributed by Melissa

Lately I've been thinking about something that I've never given much thought to in the past- becoming an egg donor. I must admit, this thought first crossed my mind when thinking of some ways in which to make a quick buck. I ended up realizing that there are, of course, plenty of great reasons to become an egg donor (as well as risks), the most important reason being that you're helping out a family who otherwise would not be able to have a baby on their own. The risks, unfortunately, did outweigh the benefits for me personally in the end. Not only are there certain medical risks involved in the procedure, but there are certain social issues involved in egg donation as well that I wasn't able to get past. For example, how would you really feel knowing you had a child out there that wasn't legally yours? For me, this felt entirely too, for lack of a better word, strange. Even stranger is the unlikely scenario that this child may one day meet, fall in love with, and decide to have children with someone that they do not realize is part of their family. These, again, are social/psychological issues that I am not comfortable with. However, I still firmly believe that, for those that can get past these things, becoming an egg donor is certainly an option.

For those that have preliminarily decided they may be a good candidate to become an egg donor, it is, of course, extremely important to learn more about the process. There are restrictions that must be adhered to while going through the process. For some, these restrictions may be very easily adhered to. Others may want to know the answer to the question “How long is the egg donation process?” before determining whether or not they're able to adhere to the restrictions. A nice, unbiased, general source to get you started is Wikipedia's page on egg donation. From there, it is always helpful to seek out other women's testimonials, but in the end it is a choice you have to make yourself.

Captain Scam Buster

Guest Post written by Cor

Watch out used car scammers, Captain Scam Buster is coming to getcha! Tehehe, I know, I know, it's kind of corny, but honestly, I found it to be pretty reassuring that Trusted Car Dealers UK has a whole section of its site dedicated to myth busting and educating buyers against potential scams. 

The group, which is owned and run by the dealers who advertise on it (something like 1300 trusted dealers) has come up with its own hokey cartoon character to represent its goal to put an end to the bamboozling of innocent car shoppers.  They even offer a guide to buying a used car that exposes common scams as completely free download.  I am firm believer that knowledge is power, and the best weapon a buyer can have is to know the warning signs, and be informed about what smart shopping should look like. 

One thing I have dealt with for as long as I have been driving (perhaps because I am woman) is car dealers who are looking for any sign of weakness, any hint that you might not really know what you are looking at, (assuming you are not dealing with a reputable dealership) and they will be all over it before you even have a chance to blink.  I knew about certain scams, like the turning back of the speedometer, or even the selling of cars that were actually stolen, but I was pretty shocked an appalled when I started reading about shoppers who were set up to be mugged and robbed (sometimes even beaten) when going to meet supposed “sellers” with cash in hand to buy a car. 

I knew that buying a used car came with financial risks, but I had no idea that it might come with physical risks!  Everyone looking to buy a car new or used (especially used), should arm themselves with the knowledge and power to protect themselves and get the best deal possible!

Mom's Idea

This guest post from Werner Rogers

Mom has been trying to get me to go to get.wildblue.com to look into internet for the lake house but she doesn’t seem to understand that I don’t want it there! I really love that I can go up there and that I don’t have cell service and I can really just zone out and be off the gridfor a few days at a time.

I really get where she’s coming from – what about when she needs to email me or when I’ve got work to do – I get it. But that doesn’t mean what she wants is best for me and hey, it’s my house so I can do with it whatever I want to do!

I think it’s more important for me to have the privacy and the seclusion than it is to be connected to work so I can catch up. I really enjoy my time up there where no one can reach me and I think I’m going to keep it that way for a little while longer.

Problem Child

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

Our oldest daughter has been a real problem lately. She is only 16, and started dating a 25-year-old man. I don’t know where or how she met him, but I was in shock. My husband and I obviously opposed this coupling, and forbade her from seeing him. I don’t know what else we could have done. I couldn’t just sit back and watch my baby’s childhood get stolen. After we forbade her from seeing this creep, things got worse. She started sneaking around with him, and our house has been vandalized a couple of times after big fights with her.

We feel like we have no other option but to look into home security augusta and get an alarm system. I don’t want our daughter to end up in jail, but I have a hunch that she is involved in all of this. We have decided we aren’t going to give her the code to the alarm, and she’ll have to go through us as she comes and goes. I know it sounds extreme, but we feel like we have to do everything possible to save our daughter.

Going to see a classic New York play, RENT

Guest post written by Jessica Griffith

There are all kinds of things that my daughter and I had on our list to do while we were in New York over Labor Day. There were so many great ideas but there is only so much that you can do in a New York minute! But I had to put my foot down and say that we had to make going and seeing a play a top priority becuase it's such a great place to go and see a play! She agreed and left all of the research for it up to me.

While I was online looking up soem stuff about seeing some plays, I ran across some stuff on miracle ear. I've thought about getting hearing aids some and after I read about that I got a hearing test and got fitted with a pair of them.

I was really glad that I went and got them before my trip because I think they definitely helped me enjoy the play a whole lot more. Our seats were near the back but I think that almost any seat in the house when it comes to stuff like that is really great.

Making the best candy cupcakes ever!

Guest post written by Kendra Cartman

One of the things that I try to do every year after Halloween is use up all of that extra Halloween candy to make some really good baked goods. It never fails that my husband thinks that we don't have enough candy at our home for our trick or treaters even though I've bought plenty. Then on his way home from work on Halloween evening, he'll stop at the grocery store along with everyone else to pick up those last few bags of candy. I tell him not to do that every year. But he still does. At least all that extra candy is really good for making some delicious baked goods after Halloween is over and done with!

I started doing that years ago when I got sick of seeing all this candy laying around the house for too long. Now each year I use my wireless internet Winston Salem to look up all kinds of great recipes for it. Now I'm certain that my husband goes and buys the extra candy just because he knows that I'll be forced to use it.

But I'm okay with this routine too. It really gives me the chance to experiment with candy as ingredients, like when I used some snickers chunks in cupcakes!

Multi-tasking and Driving

Guest post written by Derick Burks

Multi-tasking has always been my strong suit. I found out the hard way that multi-taskingin the car is NOT my strong suit. I have never been guilty of texting and driving, but have been guilty of gabbing and driving, writing while driving, playing with the GPS while driving, and eating and driving.

After having a fender bender that was my fault (costing me five hundred dollars the other day), I have decided to give up any multi-tasking and driving. I was on my way to work and running late. I was playing with radio at a light, trying to find good tunes while I was stuck in traffic. While I was stopped, my sister called talking about going to www.TvbyDirect.com and the color that she had painted her nails--- nothing terribly important.

In retrospect, I should have never answered her call. I glanced up and saw the turning lane light change to green. My autopilot registered “go” because I was distracted. I was stopped in my tracks by a car that still had its dealer tag on the back. What luck! I have learned my lesson, I will not be distracted on the road again.