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Spring Has Arrived!!
2008-05-06 04:56:00
It finally feels like spring! This past weekend we planted a few flowers at the front of our house. The kids are old pros now and loosened the soil around the roots and helped plant the flowers in the ground. We also planted a few tomato and strawberry plants in our backyard. The kids were so excited. One of their favorite things to do is eat cherry tomatoes and strawberries right off the vine.With the warm weather many of our shrubs and trees are blossoming. It has been interesting for us, as we really had no idea what types of greenery the previous owners planted. I was excited to learn we have one of my favorite trees in our back yard. When the pink flowers fall off purple leaves take it place. It is really a beautiful tree.We do not know a lot about shrubbery. We are joking that we will have to make a few uneducated guesses in our backyard. Is this a small shrub? or is it a huge weed?? Seriously we have a few ?plants? out there that we are unsure of. I?m hoping they will bloom i...
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Multnomah Falls
2008-05-05 06:30:00
Today we drove to the Multnomah Falls . This has always been one of our favorite places to go for an afternoon. We hadn?t been back since we moved to California 2 years ago so the kids were pretty excited. Either they love the beauty of the falls or they remembered we always have ice-cream there. :o)

Making Appointments
2008-05-04 06:38:00
I need to make a dentist appointment. I?m over due for a cleaning. I have been putting it off though. I truly hate visiting the dentist. I just don?t trust them. I had a bad experience a few years back and since then I have to force myself to go. I want to be pro-active and my goal has always been to have a cleaning every 6 months. It isn?t fun, but I like to think it is better then say? going for a colon cleanse. Then we moved in November. So I was understandably busy unpacking and getting the kids settled in. Okay, that really isn?t a fair excuse. I found time for the kids to see the dentist in December, but not myself. I just don?t want to go. However if I?m going to be a good role model for my kids and be my own advocate in taking care of my health I need to just pick up the phone. It?s just a phone call. It?s just a cleaning. It better be just a cleaning. So this will be my goal for the upcoming week. I will make a phone call to the dentist and set up an appoint...
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Remembering His Favorite Park
2008-05-04 02:09:00
My son has an incredible memory. Even when I was his age, I do not think my memory was as good. If you follow my blog you know that 2 years ago we left the Pacific Northwest and moved to California. We were there for a year before we found ourselves moving back. My son was 4 when we left and just a month from his 6 Birthday when we moved back.Today the kids asked if we could go to the park. However my son didn?t want to ride his bike to our neighborhood one. He asked me if I remembered the park with the bridge. He wanted to go to that one. I thought he was talking about the park we went to last summer in California. I started to explain that it was too far away. He looked at me like I was crazy. He wasn?t talking about THAT one. My little man then went on to describe a park that we used to go to a lot before we moved. We met up with our MOMS Club there often and it was just a short drive away. On our way there today I was listening to the kids talk in the back seat. My...
More About: Park , Favorite , Remembering

Is it old age or bad posture?
2008-05-03 00:55:00
I?ve been thinking about my sore neck and tight shoulders lately. Basically because they have been really bothering me. I?m not sure what causes this or if it is combination of things.My neck stiffens when I?m stressed out. Lately however it has been bothering me all the time. I?m wondering if it is from how I type on my laptop. I just have it propped on my lap as I sit on the couch. I tend to lean forward when I type. Maybe I would feel better if I had a nice desk and owned one of those fancy leather office chairs. This week I have been really trying to improve the way I sit when I am typing. I?m hoping this will help because it can be so painful that I have problems sleeping at night.I am also wondering if this is just a sign of old age. Does anyone know how I feel? Gosh, there are days when I wish I had the energy, flexibility and strength that I did 20 years ago. It scares me a little. I fear I?m going to be one of ?those people?. What I mean by this is I fear I wi...

The Prize
2008-05-03 00:43:00
Today my son came home from Kindergarten with his prize for not watching any television during National No TV week. He proudly pulled out a pencil and a pencil sharpener. I was a little disappointed. It is not that I expected diamond rings or anything extravagant like that. However I expected a certificate for his keepsake book. Or maybe a book to help promote watching less television and do more reading. I won?t really complain though, because he was thrilled and very, very proud. I realize that is all that matters. Besides schools are on such a shoestring budget now a days. I do recognize that they do not have the money for larger awards. My son said there was a little ceremony. He and his other classmates who participated were acknowledged. He was very excited to tell me that he was called to the front of his class and everyone clapped for him. Then he gave me a very detailed list of which of his friends received their pencil and who decided to watch television that ...

No TV Update
2008-05-01 17:13:00
My son and daughter went all of last week without watching television, playing video games or surfing the Internet. I am really proud of them...and well...of me too. It was tempting at times to put on the TV when they would get restless. The weather was terrible all last week. With the constant rain we were stuck in doors every day. There was one afternoon that I knew if they could just veg in front of the TV for an hour they'd stop fighting with each other. The art of distraction.Sunday we had gone to the tulip festival. We were there for most of the day. After dinner and their bath we had 2 hours before bedtime. We were all tired from the day of fresh air. At that moment I really just wanted to put in a movie that would allow us all to wind down for the day and cuddle on the couch. I didn't. I mean we went a whole week without television. I knew we could last the final 2 hours before their bedtime.Monday morning my son brought in his signed form stating he kept the ...
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My Music Loving Husband
2008-05-01 04:36:00
My husband and I both share a constant struggle. Money vs. renovating/decorating our new house. We put some money aside to help us with our bigger projects, which are now for the most part complete. However there are always more things we?d like to do. Now with our unexpected trip back home to attend my hubby?s high school reunion, money is even tighter.The one item we planned for was a sofa bed couch for our upstairs bonus room. The idea is we?d use this room as a second family room or TV room. As well it holds all the kid?s toys. The bonus room was the last rooms I painted. Now 4 months later we still do not have a couch. This leaves me a little frustrated as I killed myself patching and painting that room. I also painted the ceiling (which trust me wasn?t fun). Tonight my husband came home and shared an exciting new idea. Why not instead of a couch we purchase a new stereo system to hook up to our downstairs TV. He wants to go all out as he mentioned purchasing a spe...
More About: Music , Loving , Husband , My Music

Planning Our Summer Trip
2008-04-30 23:29:00
My husband and I were going over our finances last night. I know, I know? I lead such an exciting life. Ha, ha. Sometimes this stuff just has to be done. We have been putting away money for our upcoming trip home at the end of June. My husband has his 25th High School Reunion. It is scary how much a simple trip back home can cost. No wonder we haven?t been on any luxury vacations since the kids were born! We can barely afford this trip. Of course we weren?t expecting this expense. It was only two months ago that we found out about the reunion.I didn?t know my husband when he went to his 10th year reunion. So I will be meeting most of his old classmates for the very first time. I am a little nervous about it as I am not the most outgoing or talkative person. I suppose I will need to go shopping for a dress soon too. This means another expense! It is always something isn?t? You get one bill paid off and you think you can breath a little easier. Then suddenly somethin...
More About: Summer , Planning , Trip

MOMS Club
2008-04-30 04:11:00
I belong to a local MOMS Club . If you are a mom and have never heard of this organization I suggest you go Goggle them. When my son was a year old the two of us joined. We didn't know anyone out here (having just moved). I think I would of been lost without the people I met and eventually became great friends with.Our MOMS Club meets every Tuesday morning. They also run smaller specialized groups like a book club, cooking club and exercise club. If you do decide to join my biggest suggestion would be to join a play group. A playgroup consists of 4 to 5 moms with children near or at the same age as yours. You meet weekly at a neighbor park or at one an other's homes. The club events can be a little overwhelming for a new mom to the group. For me it was uncomfortable because I didn't know anyone. A playgroup helps you get to know other moms quicker and more intimately. The club is run 100% by volunteer members. I was on the board twice. It was fun planning activities an...
More About: Moms

A Unique Gift Idea
2008-04-29 21:59:00
Mother?s Day is quickly approaching and I need to start seriously looking for a gift for my Mother-in-law. She is not an easy woman to buy for. I think when you get to a certain age you pretty much already own everything you need. I tend to search out unique gift ideas for her. Something she would enjoy, but not necessarily buy for herself. Every once and a while I will come across the perfect present. Today, I stumbled on something very unique and I am pretty excited about it.If you have a minute, check out this link for a French Butter Bell. I have never heard of anything like this and I really like the idea. It is a centuries-old French method for keeping butter fresh and spreadable safely on your counter top for up to 30 days. It is made from durable stoneware that holds one stick up butter.My mother-in-law keeps her butter on an every day plate on top of her kitchen counter. She does not cover it, which always makes me question how contaminated it gets. So the French Butter ...
More About: Gift , Idea , Unique

Rookie Cook
2008-04-29 02:27:00
Here is a very clear (and unfortunate) fact about me. I hate to cook. I really do not enjoy it. The irony is I wish I felt differently. I?ve always wished I could cook. In the past I?ve talked the talk about getting serious and trying new recipes on a regular basis.Here is the thing (the thing being my family). I will try a new recipe and spend the afternoon putting it together and cooking it ONLY to have them not eat it. My husband?s usual response when asked if he likes it is, ?it?s okay?. When I try to press further asking if I should make it again in the future he won?t clearly give me a yes. Which I suppose in his own little way means ?no?.Then (since I am not comfortable in the kitchen) makes me think to myself, ?why bother?. I will go back to the convenience of shake-n-bake and canned spaghetti sauce because they will eat it and it is easy.Yet, I?m really getting sick of eating the same meals on such a regular basis. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy. So each week we will...
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Networking Forums
2008-04-29 01:40:00
I?m really excited! I came across the Diva Networking Forum at Yahoo. It is a place for bloggers and small business women to connect. It seems like a popular and helpful forum where women get together to share the latest news, tips, advise and strategies for success. What I also found very interesting is their adjoining group for members who wish to work together to help promote their blogs, websites and services. It is a place where new bloggers (such as myself) can work together. I?ve been blogging for less then a year so this forum really does excite me. I am just learning how to promote my blog and meet other stay-at-home moms who are trying to do the same. I am joining this site and I wanted to share their link with you. I think a majority of my visitors are moms like me who are either newbies or veterans of the blogging community. I think having a place to share ideas and help one another is a great idea. Maybe I'll see you there!
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Emmy Rose
2008-04-28 06:56:00
One thing I really love about the internet is the people you get to meet and even know online. We may never meet in person, talk on the phone, or even share emails. Yet thanks to the invention of the blog we can follow the lives of one another. We leave comments on postings and as silly as it may seem, we connect. I recently got to ?know? Emmy Rose . She describes herself as a hopeless romantic in search for true love. Yet, that hardly describes the girl I got to know on her site. She is a young women and an engineer by profession. She loves to write, which is why she started her blog. Life struck her a curve when she was diagnosed with Lupus. She is a very bright person with such an amazing outlook on life. For example here is a few sentences she recently wrote on her blog:?Your life deserves better than a half-hearted effort. Meet your goals with a weak handshake and they?ll soon be waving you goodbye. Since you probably don?t want to look back on a life full of ?almost ...

Tulips
2008-04-28 06:12:00
Today we took the kids to a popular tulip festival. The very first time we went my daughter was a baby who slept through the afternoon. My son was 2 1/2 and loved every minute of it.They have a lot of fun activities for young kids. Like bouncy houses, pony rides, rubber duck races, tractor rides and more.We spent well over 4 hours there today. We enjoyed a lunch of hot dogs and fries. My kids didn't want to leave. It wasn't surprising when they easily went to bed tonight. All that fresh air wore them out. I think it might have worn out their parents more! The joys of getting older!Anyway, I'm glad we made it there this weekend. Now that we are back in the Pacific Northwest I hope we go each year.
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Bad Credit
2008-04-27 17:18:00
Lately I have been having problems watching the news. Actually, I have been avoiding it for the past couple of weeks. The state our economy is in scares and depresses me. I know more then one person who has lost their home. A couple of others are treading water trying to hold on.It seems bad credit loans are effecting so many people. Then there are the bad credit credit cards that we probably all have. It makes it impossible to get a head. I feel all we do is try to stay a float each month.I went online and checked out BadCredit Offers.com. It is a leading comparison website for people with bad credit. They can help people with credit cards, home loans, auto loans, personal loans and more. What I really like about this site is the options they provide. Consumers can apply for the offer that suits them the best.It is good to know people have some options. Lets hope our economy turns around soon.

Second Notice
2008-04-27 02:45:00
Oh, if only this email (posted below) were true! Alas it is just another email scam. This is one of the more creative ones I have received lately... They speak of my surname matching and therefore I am eligible to receive this huge inheritance. They withheld the name of the deceased since this is their "second letter" to me.1. I never received their first email, as I am sure there wasn't one2. My surname is not a part of my email address.I wonder how many of these emails they send out and what the percentage of replies they actually get are. The Internet has been around for a while now. Most of us know the threats of identity theft and such that is out there. Obviously they are still finding victims to scam, as the number of emails I receive haven't gotten smaller!!THIS IS FOR YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE.We wish to notify you again that you were listed as a beneficiary to the total sum of £10,600,000.00GBP (Ten Million Six Hundred Thousand British Pounds) in the codicil and last testame...
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Basement Flooding
2008-04-27 00:45:00
I was thinking about my sister?s house today. I think it has to do with the never-ending rain here in the Pacific Northwest. It was about 5 years ago when Michelle and her husband purchased their first house. It was a ranch style with a full functional basement. The house was over 25 years old and they purchased it from the original homeowners. It was (and is) a really cute house, except that in all the 25 years it had not been updated at all. Michelle and her husband quickly tore down the 60?s wallpaper and put up fresh paint. Then they change some of the funky light fixtures. For the first 3 years they enjoyed their house and had no needed repairs.Then came the spring with above average rainfall. Little did the know they?d be calling for sump pump repair. Michelle really down played the amount of water and damage that occurred when their basement flooded. Since I live out of State, I didn?t see it again until it was fully repaired. However they lost a lot of priceless ...
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Grays Anatomy
2008-04-26 22:26:00
Did anyone else catch the new episode of Grays Anatomy ? How long had it been since we lost our shows to the strike? I do enjoy Reality TV, although I'm not proud of it. Besides even I can only stomach so much of the Bachelor and Big Brother. So I was really excited to watch one of my all time favorite shows.What is with all the gore? OMG! I really do not need to see that. Seriously! A friend of mine said it is turning into ER with all the blood, intestines and such being shown. I do not remember Grays being this way at all. Feel free to call me a wimp as I just can't stomach that kind of thing. I also do not enjoy watching a television show from between my fingers. So I really hope this isn't a new trend for the writers.One thing I have learnt about how each Grays Anatomy episode will go is this... You are guaranteed that one patient will die. It is often not the person you'd consider the obvious. It is the one who is going in for what should be minor surgery. Or the person who ...

Visiting Family
2008-04-25 20:03:00
I miss my family. They live where I grew up, several States away from where I live now. I love the Pacific Northwest and I call it my second home. However my true home (in my heart) is where my family is. The only part of living where I do is being away from my sister who is like my best friend. We see each other once a year, which is not enough. Our kids would be close and best of friends if we lived near one another. So this tugs at my heart.This June we?ll be heading home for 2 weeks. I am really excited. It is my husband?s 25th High School Reunion. Just a few days after my son finishes Kindergarten we will be boarding a plane. I am really excited.The downfall is the cost. We have to put our dog in a kennel. We will have to rent a car while we are there to give us the freedom to visit all family and friends too. My husband grew up in a small town so we will need to make a hotel reservation for the 3 days we'll be there.For the past few years we have booked everything online. We ...
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Is your spouse like this?
2008-04-25 19:38:00
I need to put a little vent out in the universe. I?ve been with my husband for almost 10 years. To this day the man cannot open the dishwasher door and load dirty dishes. He will rinse them (usually) and then place them on the counter on top of the dishwasher. He gets annoyed when I drop hints like ?Oh? so close?. He knows what I am talking about.One day I asked him why. A simple question. Is he acting out his inner child and he is defying my requests to act his age? Okay, I didn?t actually say that to him. I just said, ?Why didn?t you put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher??. His reply sounded reasonable, ?I didn?t know if the dishes in the dishwasher were clean or dirty?. Yeah, he was feeling pretty darn confident until I opened the dishwasher door revealing it was EMPTY. He suddenly didn?t have much to say.So 10 years later I have basically given up. I get a little immature myself at times. I often look at them and consider leaving them there until he gets the hint. However afte...
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For Her Son
2008-04-25 01:20:00
I came across a fellow mom blogger. Her blog has inspired and touched me. We are different in many of the basic ways, but I feel a connection to her non-the-less.Blank Mind of Treizie is written by a single mother living in the Philippines. She works as a home based call center agent and a full time Online Marketer. She has dedicated any and all profits made on her blog to her son Treizie. She states in her dedication that any money raised is going into his savings account for school next year.Her son is so adorable. He looks like a complete sweetheart. I always have to give single parents credit. It is hard to raise a child when there is another adult involved 100% of the time. Let a lone trying to do it all by yourself. Add in a full-time job and you are left without a spare moment.My husband was raised by a single mother. She worked full-time and when he was old enough he helped out with a paper route and part-time jobs. Money was extremely tight. He and his two older siblings ha...

I spoke too soon
2008-04-25 00:11:00
I spoke too soonI was far too smug in yesterday's post. Yesterday at this time I thought we would breeze through the week without missing having the television on at all. Obviously karma has arrived to teach me a lesson. We were doing really well without TV... until this afternoon. Things have taken a dramatic turn.The TV has remained off, however the kids are going a little stir crazy. My son is still resolved to win a prize. Yet they are getting restless and bored. It doesn?t help that it has been raining all week. It is too cold, damp and wet to go outside to play. So we are stuck in-doors. They are beyond tired of their toys and of each other. "What can we do mom?" is starting to sound like a chant. They are not likely my suggestions either... of course my last idea was for them to clean their rooms... :o)I think if we make it through Friday alive we will be okay. We have a busy schedule planned for the weekend. Tomorrow afternoon on the other hand will be a struggle...
More About: Spoke

Curtains Anyone?
2008-04-24 20:48:00
In my quest to decorate of our new house my windows have taunted me. The previous owners took their drapes with them. This left our windows bare. I have a girlfriend who doesn?t like curtains and drapes. She thinks they look heavy and close in a room. I have the opposite belief. I think they add warmth to a room and can complete the look and feel.We do have blinds on all the windows except for the kitchen. I don?t know why the previous owners never bothered to put some up. We live in the suburbs and are surrounded by other houses. Strategically placed trees only give you so much privacy. During the winter months when they have shed their leaves, they provide zero privacy. Trust me as I speak from experience!Right now I have a basic department store valiance on my kitchen window. It is more decorative then functional. It provides zero privacy when I?m standing at the kitchen sink doing my dishes. My neighbors who back onto us can see me perfectly when they stand by their sliding glas...

No TV Week
2008-04-24 17:00:00
Is your family participating in the National No TV Week ?My son's Kindergarten class has been given an incentive... prizes!!! Each student who goes the entire 7 days will receive a prize and special recognition. My son wants that mystery prize, and he wants it BAD! :o)So our TV has remained off since Monday. Well...when the kids are in bed my husband and I will turn it on. After all, no one promised us prizes!!!I anticipated some long days. However the kids (so far) don't seem to miss it. In general I try not to let them watch a lot TV. I guess I'm learning that I can cut back on their viewing even more.The only negative side effect that I've noticed (so far) is their bickering has increased! :o) Maybe they are grouchy due to TV withdrawal. Something similar to when I first gave up caffeine. :o) I'm curious to know if anyone else is participating. If you are, leave a comment and let me know how it is going in your household.

Grandfather Clocks
2008-04-24 00:28:00
If you?ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that we recently moved from California to the Pacific Northwest. I spent much of the first 2 months painting. I?m now slowly trying to work on the interior home decor. It is fun and I am finding myself looking through magazines and surfing online for ideas.My grandparents had a grandfather clock. I thought it was the coolest thing as a kid. Not only did this eight foot clock make a beautiful chime each hour, it also had a built in record player. No lie! They were sure proud of it at the time.With this thought in mind I decided to look on the internet to see what styles of grandfather clocks are available today. I came across grandfatherclockblog.com and their post about how grandfather clocks can add sophistication to a room.Our front living room and dining room is an open concept. I would love the interior design to be more elegant and I?m trying to tie the colors and décor together so they flow better together.I found a link to ...
More About: Clocks , Grandfather

Wednesday's Whine
2008-04-23 23:34:00
I think I might just start a weekly rant. After all, I do like to complain. It is great therapy. Ha, ha.I am presently annoyed with the Washington State law the keeps allergy medicine behind the pharmacy counter. I understand there is a meth problem. However, how many boxes of Clariton would a person have to buy to create it? Would it even be worth it with the cost of allergy medicine these days? I am not very informed on meth and what it takes to create it. All I know is they passed this law making me stand in line weekly for a 5 pill box of Clariton 24. When you have a child waiting with you every minute feels like an hour. All for some allergy relief! Then I have to provide my drivers license and sign my life away on a piece of paper. For allergy medication! They keep it on file and track how often you buy it. Allergy medication! They don?t do that when you purchase a bottle of wine or case of beer, yet they do for my allergy medication. It just annoys me to no end...
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Medical ID Bracelets
2008-04-23 05:57:00
I need to look into purchasing a Medical ID Bracelet for myself. I should be wearing one. I am extremely allergic to several kinds of medicine (like penicillin) and if I were ever injured and unable to communicate a medical ID would be able to speak for me. I think it is important to have information on medical conditions readily available. Whether it is drug or food allergies or a list of your prescribed medicines or even emergency contacts. I am a stay-at-home mom and I should be taking these precautions. I need to take care of myself to help guarantee I?ll be around for my kids as they grow up. It is irresponsible not to wear a medical ID. I know once I get one, it will give me some piece of mind.A high school friend of mine has been wearing one for as long as I?ve known her. She has severe food allergies. Having her medical facts listed has given her appropriate and timely care during a couple of scary allergy reactions when an ambulance had to be called. She is proo...
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Telephone Conversations
2008-04-23 04:08:00
I very rarely talk to my kids on the phone. Since I am a stay at home, I?m always home and with them. So it was quite a treat this past weekend when I called the house and spoke to my kids on the phone. Their voices sounded so different to me. So young and sweet. My little girl just turned 4 and she is a true Momma?s girl. She broke my heart when she said in one jumbled sentence:?Hi Mom, I miss you, is your Mommies party almost over?? When I told her I would be home the next day she let out a big long sigh and said, ?aaawww, it takes soooo long?. She just melted my heart right there.My son talked my ear off. He wasn?t missing me as much. He is 6 and lately everything he sees on TV he wants. So I listened to an in-depth description of some hot wheels toy he saw on TV. That?s my guy.I really missed them this past weekend. Yet I will treasure the conversations we had while I was away. Yeah? this post ended up being on the mushy sentimental side. Sorry! :o)
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Online Shopping
2008-04-23 02:46:00
When the internet was new and I was tip toeing around it, I never once considered purchasing items online. I question the safety of my personal information. We have all heard about identity theft. I didn?t want to become a victim because I purchased a new pair of shoes or something silly like that.However over the years online business have grown and so has the security to shop on line safely. I purchase a lot of gifts online now. So many places offer free shipping, which is a added bonus when most of my family lives in another State. Not only that, if you spend the time you can find great deals and unique gift ideas on the internet. A popular shopping cart software is Ashop Commerce. It is a leading US provider of hosted shopping cart software. My girlfriend who runs a candle store online raves about this ecommerce software. She likes how easy it is for her customers to use the shopping cart features. If you own a online business you might want to check Ashop out. You c...
More About: Shopping , Online , Online shopping