Book Review: Reasons to Smile (Celebrating People Living With Down Syndrome)

A good book will reach out and grab you and not let you go.

Reasons to Smile (Celebrating People Living With Down Syndrome, by Andrea Knauss & Elizabeth Martins, reaches out and grabs you over and over again, and even after you have finished the book, you can't help but pick it back up and peek at your favorite stories again.


The book is a collection of not ten, not twenty, but over 50 enlightening and uplifting personal (short) stories written by various authors that will certainly make your heart smile. Each story is accompanied with a photograph of the person featured in the story and a perfect quote for every story, as well.

What Happened? Reality TV Vs. the "Old School" Lifetime and LMN

So...this is way off the beaten track, but I have been longing for some good, ol' fashioned Lifetime or Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) movies. If you are missing them like I was, follow with me here.

There is a certain longing that I feel when I have a Saturday or a Sunday that I can sit and relax. I want those movies that get your mind spinning. The movies that make you want to laugh and cry with the characters, similar to how Tyler Perry's movies make me feel. Lifetime and LMN always hit the spot. Sadly, it's been a long time since those two channels have delivered what we really want, hasn't it?

I remember afternoons, sipping coffee, and basking in back-to-back, thriller-type movies, most of them based on true stories. It has been years since I have enjoyed and afternoon like that, not because I have not found the time, but because they do not play the movies anymore.

Something happened....

Make Shamrock Shakes for St. Patrick's Day! (EASY RECIPE)

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, for all of you who don't carry those Irish genes. While you and the kids are trying to catch leprechauns with your leprechaun traps and searching for that pot o' gold, you can also be enjoying some Irish green Shamrock Shakes. (You don't even need to be Irish to enjoy these, either!)

There are plenty of shake recipes out there, but I have taken our family's favorite, quick 'n' easy Shamrock Shake recipe and reduced the amount of the ingredients to make 2 good-sized shakes. (After all, we have to mix up an entire 5 pound tub of ice cream and gallon of milk for our 9 kids! Especially if they want seconds - and they always do!)

Google For Kids, Called Kiddle

I just made a discovery and it is something I think is wonderful, considering everything our children can be exposed to on the internet. If you are anything like me, you try to shelter your children from certain aspects of this world, but on the Internet, pretty much anything goes! If there is something your child doesn't know about, surely, they will quickly and easily find out about it on the Wild World Web.

Kiddle is Google for kids.

Cracking the Text Code - 112 Acronyms Teens Are Using - Do You Know Them All?

Our teens are speaking an entirely different language.

Certainly, you know many of the acronyms that teens are using today, because we use them, too! But, I would bet that there are quite a few that you would have to Google to figure out.

Which brings up a good question: Do you check your teens' texts? 

As a mom of three teens, I feel strongly that if they would be embarrassed for me to read a specific text, then they should not be texting it in the first place. Do I check my children's texting and other social media messaging regularly?

I do not. BUT. If I noticed a change in behavior or something different about one of my kids and they would not talk to me about it, I would definitely start to peek around. If that makes me a bad parent, then so be it.

In the meantime, for those of you who want to keep up with the teens of today, here are 112 texting acronyms to help you crack the text code:

1. 143 - I love you

2. 2DAY - Today

3. 4EAE - For ever and ever

4. ADN - Any day now

5. AFAIK - As far as I know

6. AFK - Away from keyboard

7. ASL- Age/sex/location

8. ATM - At the moment

9.  BFN - Bye for now

10. BOL - Be on later

11. BRB - Be right back

12.  BTW - By the way

13. CTN- Can't talk now

14. DWBH - Don't worry, be happy

15.  F2F or FTF - Face to face

16.  FWB - Friends with benefits

17.  FYEO - For your eyes only

18. GAL – Get a life

19. GB - Goodbye

20. GLHF - Good luck, have fun

21. GTG- Got to go

22. GYPO- Get your pants off

23. HAK - Hugs and kisses

24. HAND - Have a nice day

25. HTH - Hope this helps / Happy to help

26. HW- Homework

27. IDK - I don't know

28. IIRC - If I remember correctly

29. IKR - I know, right?

30. ILY / ILU - I love you

31. IM- Instant message

32. IMHO - In my honest opinion / In my humble opinion

33. IMO - In my opinion

34. IRL - In real life

35. IWSN - I want sex now

36. IU2U - It's up to you

37. IYKWIM - If you know what I mean

38. J/K - Just kidding

39. J4F - Just for fun

40. JIC - Just in case

41. JSYK - Just so you know

42. KFY - Kiss for you

43. KPC- Keeping parents clueless

44. L8- Late

45. LMBO - Laughing my butt off

46. LMIRL – Let's meet in real life

47. LMK - Let me know

48. LOL - Laugh out loud

49. LSR- Loser

50. MIRL - Meet in real life

51. MOS- Mom over shoulder

52. NAGI - Not a good idea

53. NIFOC- Nude in front of computer

54. NM - Never mind

55. NMU - Not much, you?

56. NP - No problem

57. NTS - Note to self

58. OIC- Oh I see

59.  OMG - Oh my God

60. ORLY - Oh, really?

61. OT- Off topic

62. OTP- On the phone

63. P911- Parent alert

64. PAW - Parents are watching

65. PCM- Please call me

66. PIR - Parent in room

67. PLS or PLZ - Please

68. PPL - People

69. POS - Parents over shoulder

70. PTB - Please text back

71. QQ - Crying. This abbreviation produces an emoticon in text. It's often used sarcastically.

72. RAK - Random act of kindness

73. RL - Real life

74. ROFL - Rolling on the floor laughing

75.  RT - Retweet

76. RUOK - Are you okay?

77. SMH - Shaking my head

78. SOS - Someone over shoulder

79. SRSLY - Seriously

80. SSDD - Same stuff, different day

81.  SWAK - Sealed with a kiss

82. SWYP - So, what's your problem?

83. SYS- See you soon

84. TBC- To be continued

85. TDTM-Talk dirty to me

86. TIME - Tears in my eyes

87. WYCM- Will you call me?

88. TMI - Too much information

89. TMRW - Tomorrow

90.  TTYL - Talk to you later

91.  TY or TU - Thank you

92. VSF - Very sad face

93. WB - Welcome back

94. WTH - What the heck?

95.  WTPA - Where the party at?

96.  WYCM - Will you call me?

97. YGM - You've got mail

98. YOLO- You only live once

99. YW - You're welcome

100. ZOMG- Oh my God (sarcastic)

101. 182 - I hate you

102. 420 - Marijuana

103. ADR - Address

104. CD9 - Code 9 - it means parents are around

105. ILU - I Love You

106. KOTL - Kiss On The Lips

107. LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life

108. NIFOC - Nude In Front Of The Computer

109. P999 - Parent Alert

110. PAL - Parents Are Listening -or- Peace And Love

111. RU/18 - Are You Over 18?

112. WYRN - What's Your Real Name?

How many did you know? 

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