Sending as a PDF is ideal for forms (so if you’re planning a PTO function or need to create an enrollment form, the extra half-step will save your formatting, meaning you won’t have to worry about page breaks, line breaks and margins flustering when your file is re-opened on someone else’s computer.

Teachers should PDF every classroom worksheet and paper they create. Again, your margins, line breaks and page breaks will stay the same, no matter what computer opens it. And there’s no chance your copy center will accidentally delete something from your worksheet.

Bloggers, marketers, business people should use PDFs for documents as well. Not only can they not be doctored, but the presentation is much more professional.

Creating a PDF is simple.

• On a PC, go to the CutePDF website and install the freeware (its free and takes just a few seconds.)
• Select and open the file that you want to PDF (this works with every printable software I’ve tried it with, including webpages)
• Select Print (not the auto-print, but Print so that the print control box opens. Its best to open on your toolbar but clicking File, Print or on your keyboard by hitting Ctrl+P.)
• Under Printer: Name, use the drop-down menu to select CutePDF Writer.
• This will open a Save As file. Name and save as you would a regular file. Make sure you also do a Save As so that you are able to edit the original when you need to. Remember, a PDF is uneditable.
• When you open the PDF to view it, open directly through the document folder where it is saved, not as a file in the original software. For example, if you originally created the file in Microsoft Word, do not open the PDF in Word, as it will not read correctly and you’ll see coding instead of your file.

And you’re done!

Sidenote: I was shocked to hear that a friend who was looking for a job was recently informed that many companies do not accept PDFs and request the resumes only in Word. I really am not understanding this. PDFs freeze your formatting and make it so that you can send any version of a file to be read, even if the receiver does not have the same software on his computer. Anyone have any insight on why a company wouldn’t accept a PDF resume?

Now that you’re back, I’m going to share my intended drive. Should I ever hire a driver to take me around one last time, I’d like to slow down and quietly look at the following (though, really, I hope to have my kids and the Huz with me):

• the home of my youth. I may even get out and walk around
• the home of my preschool years. I don’t have all the memories of this home that I do of my youth, but its a place that touched me
• Where the Huz and I met
• Our breakfast spot that morning (we ate breakfast after the bar closed because we wanted to keep talking. It was a 24 hour diner. Get your head out of the gutter. I didn’t shack-up with him that night first!)
• Our first date location
• My elementary school
• The school where I taught and he proposed
• The hospital where my kids were born
• The hospital where I visited 2 grandparents before they died
• Their houses
• My wedding location
• My best friend in elementary school’s house

Where would you go?

Image via Wikipedia

Guess where I’m heading this week? Preschool. Yes. Wegmans. Yes. The gym. Yes.

And this week, even though I try really, really hard to swear-off the mall, I’m [gulp] going. And I’m bringing my old jeans.

Through March 14, the Gap is is accepting old jeans, any condition, any brand. Bring your old denim to any Gap store to receive 30% off a new pair. Get this, you can do it multiple times. For every pair you bring to them, you’ll get 30% off a new pair. Its a one for one deal. (Gap card users get 35% off).

Gap is giving all used pairs to Bonded Logic, a company that uses cotton to create its Ultra Touch Natural Cotton Batt Insulation, an insulation that uses 85% post-industrial recycled natural fibers, like jeans, creating healthier and environmentally safer home  and industrial insulation.

This post was posted out of the goodness of my heart. Just wanted to share the discount, and the positive Gap vibe.

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• Recycle Old Jeans Into Insulation at the Gap, this Weekend! (treehugger.com)

Because I want to get to know you better, I installed the CommentLuv plugin this morning. If you’re a blogger, please check it (its below the submit button.) You’ll see your last blog post as a link so that its easier to click through to your site and read all about you!

WP users who want to install CommentLuv, here’s the install page and there’s more information on their webpage.

So comment, comment, comment. And share, share, share. Let’s get to know each other, ‘kay?

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Mommy! I see her p-e-n-i-s.* –Middle

She doesn’t have a p-e-n-i-s. –me

What’s that called again that she does have? –Middle

Its called her v-a-g-i-n-a. –me

Oh. And what’s that called in Spanish? –Middle.

I really don’t remember that, buddy. –me. (They don’t teach those body parts in high school Spanish. I don’t even think I learned it in my university class at Villanova.)

Oh. Well, what’s it called in my school’s language? –Middle.

You mean Hebrew? –me.

Oh, yeah, Hebrew. –Middle.

You know, I have no idea. You should ask Marci. –me.

That’s a great idea, Mom. Marci knows everything. –Middle.

*No, we don’t typically spell out words in our house. We call them what they’re called. I just included the dashes to keep the pervs at bay.

So, my next thought was just Too Little. As in too little dot com. Because I’m little. And Little’s little. Even Big and Middle are little. But we’re not too little. And, besides, that’s taken, too. By one of those stupid add sites that just picks up a name and puts some links on there, asking you to buy the site. Just Precious (no dash) is taken by one of those, too. They should be illegal. Just Sayin’.

Ahhh. But I digress. This post wasn’t supposed to be about URLs. I wasn’t going to change my URL. The dash is annoying as hell and I don’t recommend it to anyone else (ooh! Maybe I can be original and be the only dash. Then people can call me DashMom or DashMama or The Dash Dot). Whoa. That’s a whole lot of other URLs to explore.

And that’s where this post ends. I’ll get back to having too little time later.

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1)  We’re reading a few pages as a family. The boys love cuddling with me as I read the story aloud. I’m amazed with the vocabulary words we’re learning and Middle’s comprehension is continuing to grow. I wouldn’t have noticed that had I not selected this book. After the first book, we’re going to take a L-O-N-G break from Harry, though. I think book 1 is enough dark story-telling for a 6 and 4 year old. Not sure what chapter book we’ll select next. They do love the action, the mystery, and the magic of this one. Suggestions?
• Magic Tree House Series I started reading this series to Big about 2 years ago, but he quickly grabbed a book from me and started reading on his own. Actually, at first I didn’t know it. But I found that I’d be reading aloud to him and he was predicting a little too well. It dawned on me that, perhaps, he was reading ahead. He’s currently on book #29.
• Little Quack Its pretty rare we leave the library without at least one of the Little Quack series. To say that Middle is obsessed puts it mildly. Of course, I adore these books, they’re so sing-songy-sweet and the illustrations are worth of a Julie-Award for cuteness.
• The Buffalo Soldier: A Novel I decided to sample Amazon’s Kindle on my ipod and I’m loving it, especially because I read on the Eliptical and Treadmill. It certainly helps that I downloaded this fantastic book by one of my all-time favorite authors, Chris Bohjalian.
• The Very Lonely Firefly board book This is a favorite among Little’s bedtime books. She reaches out and touches the “bright” part of every page. And then she turns the page (page-turning is new this week!). When we get to the “surprise” ending each night, I turn off the lights and look at the blinking lights. Such fun for her and I love how it embraces the senses.

The Yahoo! Mother Board is discussing how we celebrate reading this month. Link to more of the ideas at the group website.

Its part of the reason I became a teacher. When asked why I wanted to teach, I would respond: I want to teach kids how to take the words they know to make beautiful pictures and stories. I want to teach them to use what they’ve learned to enter new worlds and experiences.

When I met the Huz, he didn’t read. Much. Unless it was related to financial matters or studying for the CPA exam. I knew I couldn’t change him, but I knew I could encourage him to enjoy life through books like I did. It took a while: studying for the CPA exam takes up a lot of reading time. But he saw me reading each night before I went to sleep, he experienced me getting lost in a book at the beach and pool,  and, before a vacation several years ago, finally asked me to suggest some books for him. Since then, every time he has a book to read, I’ve noticed he’s more relaxed. Books do that.

Of course I wanted to help my children embrace reading as much as I do and, luckily, its been easy. The kids went through the usual steps: gnawing and drooling on books, reaching out and feeling the pictures, pushing pages, turning pages (Little is at this point now), making up stories and words to go with pictures, and listening. Listening. Listening. Listening.

There has never been a time the kids have pushed away books–primarily because we’ve been role models. They know we read. They know we love to. Every room in our house has a table with a book on it. And we welcome times to sit quietly and read. We read in bed, on couches, while breastfeeding (okay, only I do that), in the car, on the toilet. We even read during potty training to make the process easier and more calm.

Actually, the only time we’ve noticed hesitation toward books and reading is when its pushed. I’m a big believer in letting the kids read when they’re ready. There’s absolutely no reason for a child to read first in his class. If he does, great. But if he doesn’t he’s not going to be any further behind in the end. Everyone will learn to read on his own time.

I see parents pushing reading with flashcards and software programs. While its fine to present them to kids and let the kids know they’re available, its not okay to make them learn until they want to.

Reading is supposed to be fun. As the NBA says, its “FUNdamental”. Reading is fun.  But only if you suggest it as so. When parents make reading a job, its reflected as such in their children’s attitudes.

But I digress. Around here we each have our own books. We read series. We read novels. We read board books. We read as a group and we read on our own. We are always welcome to grab a book, and if we’re caught reading we’re offered quiet time. (In other words, when Big or Middle grabs a book and settles in to read, everyone is reminded that he is focusing on the book and to please leave him alone.) Reading happens everywhere. And in my home, that’s how it should be.

This post was written in response to the Yahoo! Mother Board’s topic for March 2010: Celebrating Reading. Check out all my Y! Motherboard’s friends responses to this topic.

For more information on ways you can introduce and celebrate reading in your home, check out

• Mrs. P Reads Across America During March
• For the Love of Books and Reading
• Reading resources
• National Reading Day/Week – Read Across America – Dr. Seuss Activities
• March is Reading Month

After an incredibly busy day of fundraising, shopping and selling with the PTO, the kids and I dined with Whitney and the gang and headed home where they were dressed and ready for bed, saving time to read the next part of Harry Potter.

Midway through Chapter 8, the Huz came home and sat quietly with us. We put the bookmark in, and began discussing our days. Somewhere along the way, Big mentioned that I’m about to become 18 + 18. (Makes it sound really old, right?)

At which point, the Huz says: Wait, tomorrow’s your birthday?

Yes, Daddy.  -Middle

It’s March 4.  -Big

Yep. Do I look 35 or 36?  -Me

Wait. I thought your birthday is Thursday?  -The Huz

Tomorrow is Thursday.  -Big

Tomorrow is Thursday? How did that happen?  -The Huz

I smirk. (We all know what’s coming, right?)

Can we celebrate Mommy’s birthday on Saturday?  -The Huz

Nope, we have plans with friends. -Me

Sunday?  -The Huz

Big has a birthday party. -Me

Huh. Tomorrow’s really Thursday?  -The Huz

Its fine. It’s 18 + 18.  A really, really busy day, anyway. I’d love to just kick my feet up and relax. So, Huz, if you read this, please note that tomorrow is Thursday and I would really, really appreciate it if you come home early and help get the kids to bed. ‘kay? Oh, and honey? Maybe you should set your Outlook calendar alert system to alert you about 2 days ahead of birthdays.

Those of you who have been reading me at Mommies with Style may recall that I have been referred to as “the shoe guru.” I’ll admit, I know exactly where it came from. You see, Whitney and I went up to NYC for our first children’s trade show and I had only one goal in mind: to find toddler shoes for my, then, little guy, aka Middle.

Anyone who’s been to, or can even imagine, a children’s trade show will realize just how many toddler and baby shoes I came across. The market isn’t just full of them, its saturated. I spent the better part of the day learning the ins, outs, bottoms, tops, cuffs, closures… of toddler shoes. Toddler -odiatry was explained to me, time and again. As were breathability and, of course, how unique each shoe was.

I recall getting on the train that afternoon, excited, exhausted and with so much shoe knowledge I couldn’t think of much else. I might have dreamed shoes.

I can’t help but walk into our local shoe boutique to snobbily eye-up all the shoes they have in stock. I love it when my kids are wearing shoes they don’t carry and that I get to introduce them. Admittedly, the fact that I know more than most of their employees and that the manager and I have an ongoing conversation about proper fit and flexibility may be a little much. And just the fact that he knows me so well, that when my husband went over recently to return a pair of socks, he asked how I was doing and where I was, by first name.

The Huz wasn’t sure what to make of that. I mean, he knows Charlie’s not my type, but when Charlie shared the newest brand of baby shoes with him, the Huz was a bit concerned. Was he supposed to just buy them? Charlie was pretty excited to share that See Kai Run had switched to a better leather that won’t scratch. And then he showed the Huz how their Penguin Sneaker Cleaner cleaned his shoes just as well as Middle’s.

Okay. So Charlie may know me pretty well. And my kids, too (okay, just their feet). But he’s a nice guy who gives me leads on sale prices about a week before the sale starts. Of course he’s my friend!

Did I mention that my feet are small enough to fit in the store? Did I mention they’re a kids boutique, but sell brands like UGG and Northface? Suddenly, my little shoe store friendship isn’t so strange, now, is it?