A Little Birdie Told Me...

• left eye hurts - it's trying to form a sty - annoying as all get out #fb #
  


• @jennybeanses thanks for the tip! @marcand says it doesn't look any better after I did it :( I'll probably do it again later in reply to jennybeanses #
  


• Telling some friends I love them on facebook just because... #fb #
  


• Let's play Words With Friends on the iPhone! My username is '3stairs'. #
  


• off to finish making a marble bag for brandon #fb #
  


• Brandon's marble bag - that basketweave effect at the top is a "built-in" drawstring #crochet #
  


• Closer view of the "built-in" drawstring on Brandon's marble bag - #crochet #
  


• well, crap - listening to @jennybeanses, @melzer, @acadia, and @marcand on podcaturday just resurges my urges to podcast... #
  


• it's amazing what people choose to believe... #fb #
  


• and for my next trick, i shall go to bed... #fb #
  


• @Acadia @jennybeanses i was a dj in college and always wanted a morning show - you people are just cruel... in reply to Acadia #
  


• Awesomeness >> RT @Percival iPad + Velcro = ? #
  


• @jennybeanses cruel because you podcast *and* say whatever you want! in reply to jennybeanses #
  


• ...and now i #crochet .. #fb #
  


• thank you heroes #memorialday #fb #
  


• Celebrities Hair Behaving Badly #
  


• first order of the day: order the Bodaciously Bigger Box from @SamplerBoxes - i got one this month - yay! #
  


• second order of the day: take Sarah to basketball camp, then Meme to work; where's my tea??? #
  


• Dropping Sarah off for basketball camp — at Mineola Elementary #
  


• morning taxi run completed; enjoying the quiet since @marcand and bethy are still asleep and brandon is at my mom's #fb #
  


• I'm at Wal-Mart in Mineola, TX #
  


• Mint mocha washcloth #
  


• @IT_Scooter not with the family - i went by myself this time :D in reply to IT_Scooter #
  


• @KCWComm so sorry to hear of your loss :( in reply to KCWComm #
  


• @mamastephf i'll ask my mom for hers tomorrow - she makes awesome pickles and pickle relish! in reply to mamastephf #
  


• @IT_Scooter So. Much. Easier. :D in reply to IT_Scooter #
  


• Memorial Day Movie Debuts That Could Grow On You #
  


• want to take a shower and go to bed, but i have to wait for the littlest holdout - argh! #fb #
  


• Shower Dear - I'm coming.... eventually... #fb #
  


• Awesomeness: #etsy #fb #
  


• dare i dream it? i think she's gone to sleep! now for a shower - here's hoping! #fb #
  


• @cksample Happy birthday, CK's mom! in reply to cksample #
  


• @marcand boing boing is reporting 20 meters in reply to marcand #
  


• today is the craziest day yet - driving all over the place and going pretty much nonstop until 3 or later; i hope i hold out! #fb #
  


• Stop 1 - basketball camp; now taxi to Lindale — at Mineola Elementary #
  


• Drink stop after dropping Meme off at work; now for a backroad drive and music — at Sonic #
  


• note to self: get sweet peach tea at mineola sonic - this stuff from lindale is nasty *blech* #fb #
  


• @antiup Happy birthday! (from a friend of @cksample) #
  


• Creme de menthe washcloth #
  


• done with dr's appt for brandon; now a quick lunch before headstart application for bethy then library summer kick-off party #fb #
  


• @LionBrandYarn how sad that the civic ARTS coordinator doesn't get ART... *sigh* in reply to LionBrandYarn #
  


• @loudmouthman #thisismysky from the swing in my yard #
  


• i am So Stinking Tired... #fb #
  


• worship committee, praise practice, store, BED! #willtodayeverend #fb #
  


• covering everything i know & then some >> RT @wisekaren What would the BP oil spill look like where you live? #
  


• taking my headache to bed and hoping it doesn't wake up... #fb #
  


• headache woke up with me, but it's not as bad today; also, today is not so crazy as yesterday #fb #
  


• Crazy hair day at basketball camp #
  


• @jennybeanses hehe! we had "big bang days" when i was in middle school where the band kids would see how could get their hair the highest in reply to jennybeanses #
  


• @mamastephf got the pickle recipes from my mom - will try to get them to you today #
  


• @mamastephf no - that sounds cool, tho ;) in reply to mamastephf #
  


• @mamastephf got it! you ain't kiddin' sister! i try to hibernate in summer, too! in reply to mamastephf #
  


• @lauriepercival organic nursing covers for a steal at today - thought you might be interested #
  


• @jennybeanses you are such a tease - i'm still waaaaiiiittttttiiiinnnngggg! in reply to jennybeanses #
  


• really rue that Rue has passed... :( #fb #
  


• @GermainLussier what happened? in reply to GermainLussier #
  


• Little Boy Blue newborn beanie #
  


• @MineolaTXLib Bethy is sad that there wasn't a picture of Chessie in reply to MineolaTXLib #
  


• @NuttysPB oh my, i think i *need* that! i sense a drive to grand saline coming... in reply to NuttysPB #
  


• i just love it when people say "I'm not trying to be a dick" - so that means being a dick comes naturally? cc: @cksample #
  


• @LionBrandYarn got my yarn today; still haven't decided on a project; i think i'm just gonna stitch a bit to just enjoy it, lol! in reply to LionBrandYarn #
  


• @cksample LOL! i haven't heard that one before! in reply to cksample #
  


• ugh, had to clean my desk - it was driving me crazy; it's still a disaster, but the spot right in front of me is clean #relief #fb #
  


• started w/ pandora while writing my goddess post, but decided to listen to bellydance instead cuz it makes me feel all goddess-like #fb #
  


• new at @3stairs I’m a Goddess #giveaway #
  


• @SheilaWalsh I saw this and immediately thought of Christian! 120 New Silly Shaped Rubber Bands #
  


• ?? #
  


• @IT_Scooter thanks for the info! in reply to IT_Scooter #
  


• Crap! I didn't realize the time! *headdesk* #fb #
  


• just spent way too long enjoying a blog dedicated to crappy ampersands; life is good... & i'm a total geek, i know #
  


• Famous Hats and Hat-Wearers #
  


• hey, did you know there's a giveaway going on? #
  


• Have you heard about Deal Moon, amazing deals and coupons for ladies #
  


• want a nap something fierce... #fb #
  


• ooh, look - @squeenager has returned! ;P #
  


• @mamastephf i haven't forgotten you, dear - i'm just running severely behind :( #
  


• @895kvne this Irish girl uses shamrocks! in reply to 895kvne #
  


• Headache, you naughty thing! Go back where you came from! #fb #
  


• @jennybeanses just read your comment at 3stairs.com - thank you so much - you're a dear! #
  

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Get Dad to the Doc!

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National Men’s Health Week is June 14-20. That's right - the week before Father's Day. This Father’s Day give the men you love the best gift of all - the gift of a healthy future. Did you know that new research has found that men are 31 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year?  In fact, men report making fewer routine health care appointments compared with women (56.5 percent vs. 73.8 percent).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council are launching a new movement on behalf of their national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage middle-age men to learn which preventive medical tests they need to get and when to get them.

Help your Dad (and the other men in your life that you love) live longer. Here's how:

• Send him an e-card for Father's Day from http://www.dadtothedoc.org
  

• Ask him to take this quiz: http://www.ahrq.gov/healthymen/quiz.htm
  

• Encourage him to visit ahrq.gov/healthymen - he'll find ton of information including:
  
  
  
  • recommended ages for preventive medical tests
  
  
  • a health care quiz designed to test knowledge of preventive health care
  
  
  • tips for talking with doctors
  
  
  • a glossary of consumer health terms
  
  
  • links to online resources to find more medical information
  
  
  
  

• Share the campaign on Twitter with links to www.ahrq.gov/healthymen and www.dadtothedoc.org and the hashtag #dadtothedoc

• Share the campaign on Facebook by linking to facebook.com/healthymen
  

If your dad is anything like my dad, it'll take some serious work to get him to listen. Start now!

I'm a Goddess {Closed}

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Ok, so not really, unless I'm a Willendorf Venus, but a goddess is a goddess, right? Sadly, the idea of goddess-like beauty, by and large, is that of a slender woman.

Slender, I ain't.

We've all dieted. We've all failed. We've all felt "fat." But what's fat? Yeah, yeah, yeah, there are scientific charts and all that, but culturally, what is fat? In America, fat seems to be a body fat ratio over 15% (healthy ratios are between 21-31%, by the way). In Polynesian and other tropical cultures, that's considered sickly.

Even history has blurred the lines of the definition. Look at the art of Titian and classical/baroque artists and compare it to today's models. Even Botticelli's Venus - the epitome of beauty - would be considered "fat" by the standards of today's western culture. Dare she have the rounded belly of a human with a uterus? Ladies, did it ever occur to you that a flat stomach is well nigh impossible for us because we have additional organs there that men don't have? We have an amazing uterus that can cradle and sustain life, yet we want to hide its existence.

It's all very aggravating and disgusting to me - not because I am a "large woman" (I held the same views when I was very thin), but because it impedes women's confidence. And - believe it or not - her sensuality.

Okay, okay, I'll get off my soapbox now...

Thankfully, I've begun to see a trend arising in which women are encouraged not to diet, but to eat intelligently. Among those intelligent eating decisions is increasing protein intake. What if you don't want to eat more meat, though? What if you've had all the beans you can stand?

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Yoplait to the rescue! Their new Yoplait Greek yogurt line has 12-14 grams of protein, depending on which of the four flavors you're enjoying. That's on average twice the amount of protein in other leading-brand yogurts. I got the chance to review the noms from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark recently.

Opa!

Yoplait Greek has four flavors currently available: plain, strawberry, blueberry, and honey vanilla. I received two coupons for free Yoplait Greek yogurt to try for my review, so I chose strawberry and honey vanilla. Before I could try them, my daughter Sarah decided to eat the strawberry. I asked her what she thought and she said, "It was really good!" I ate the honey vanilla before she could get her little hands on it, then went to the store to get some strawberry for myself.

If you like the sharpness of traditional Greek cuisine, you'll love these yogurts. I'm a mellow flavor girl myself, so I wasn't overly fond of the flavor. My husband who likes food that "bites back" liked both the strawberry and the honey vanilla flavors I shared with him. Okay, he finished them off.

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I also got a box of  "Nourish Your Inner Goddess" goodies from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark in appreciation of my review. Tell me what woman doesn't like a little pampering? Heck, seven-year-old Sarah has carried off my massager, and I have no doubt she's used both the nail brush and the scrubbing sponge in the shower. I'm tellin' ya, though - that scrubbing sponge? Well, to borrow from the Greeks again:

Opa!

You want it, don't you? I know you do. That's okay, because I can hook you up. Yoplait and MyBlogSpark also gave me the opportunity to give one of you a "Nourish Your Inner Goddess" prize pack including two VIP coupons* for your own Yoplait Greek yogurt and pampering goodies you see in the picture.

You totally love me now, don't you?

*Mandatory Entry*: Tell us what kind of goddess you are. Are you more like Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home, or Aphrodite? Are you a warrior Athena or an agricultural Demeter?

Extra Entries:

• 
  Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet. This can be done once each day. Neato trick: just click that link and it will open a new window with the status filled in for you - all you have to do is click update!
  
  visit @3stairs to win a pampering prize from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark! http://bit.ly/aJuDf6
  
  


• 
  Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.


• Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.


• 
  
  
  
  By RSS:

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.


• Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

I'll let Random.org choose a winner on June 21, so get your entries in by 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 20!

Disclosure:

I received two coupons for a free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt and a pampering prize pack as a thank-you for this review and hosting this giveaway. I did not receive any other compensation for this giveaway.

*This coupon offer for a free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee.