Do you still own a desktop or laptop with a Cd/DVD player ? When my last computer met its' fate the replacement laptop did not have a CD/DVD player. At the time I wasn't concerned as through the years had pivoted away for media and store all documents and photos in the cloud.
Until ... I decided to tackle the media from years ago. In all forms saved on Cd's, DVD's, USB thumb drives and on and on. The library actually offers a digitize service free of charge; however, the wait list was long. Instead an external DVD drive was purchased for under $25 and it works like a charm.
The Amicool had over 11,000 online reviews with average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. A great affordable alternative for laptops and desktops without an internal drive.
Features
Slim, light and unobtrusive the Amicool is features packed:
DVD Drive
USB 3.0 C CD Burner
Cd/DVD Optical Drive Rewrite
Backward compatible
Compatible Windows 7-11
MacBook Mac Linux OS Apple
Recommendation
I highly recommend and this drive delivers as promised!
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All my life, I've said this sentence without thinking twice: my children save my life every day. It was never a slogan or something I tried to turn into meaning. It was simply the truth as it lived in me — steady, quiet, and constant. I realize that's a lot of pressure to put on our kids, but nevertheless, it's an honest feeling.
When I wrote the song My Children Save My Life, I realized I wasn't just writing about my children. I was writing to them. I was also finally giving words to something I later discovered so many parents, especially mothers, feel but rarely articulate.
Over time, I've seen versions of this same sentiment shared again and again on social media: my kids saved me, my children gave my life purpose, I wouldn't be here without them. Different words, same heartbeat.
That's when I knew this feeling deserved its own song.
As you read this article, you'll find some of the lyrics I wrote for this song filtered throughout.
Wanting to Hand Them an Easy World - Yah, I Know, It's Not Easy!
I want my children to have an easy life. Not a perfect one. Just an easier one.
When they were little, and even now, I want to hand them all the answers. I want to give them the map, the shortcuts, and the warnings written clearly so they can bypass that broken ground altogether.
I want to keep them close. I want to block the shadows. I want to win every battle for them so they can stay peaceful.
I know, logically, that children are supposed to struggle sometimes, that challenges shape them, that lessons learned firsthand matter more than anything I could explain.
But emotionally? Like many parents, I don't want my children to suffer. When they struggle, I don't watch from a distance (but sometimes I'm forced to), I dig deep alongside them.
Is that selfish? Maybe a little.
If their life is easy, mine feels easier too. But mostly it comes from love. From instinct. From that deep, almost unbearable desire to protect their spirit.
That's where the song begins — with that wanting. That hope that if I could just give them the book of life, filled with every secret to an easier road, they'd never have to stumble.
The truth is, that wouldn't work, because nine times out of ten, the likelihood they'd listen is slim to nil. But that's ok too, because it's evidence that, in the end, it's up to them.
Life, of course, doesn't follow the maps I draw.
Watching Them Become Who They Are
One of the hardest truths of parenting is realizing that no matter how much wisdom you carry, life still belongs to your children. They have to live it themselves. I've watched them stumble. I've watched them rise again. I've watched them make choices that require courage, quiet courage, the kind that doesn't announce itself.
There's a line in the song that holds a complicated truth for me: I'm grateful for their strength, yet at the very same time, I hope they never really need it.
That's the paradox of being a parent. You want your children to be capable and resilient, but you don't want life to demand too much of them.
What humbles me most is realizing they don't need my book of life after all. They don't need every secret written down. They find paths I don't see. They bypassed broken ground, which I thought was unavoidable. And in doing so, they teach me something I'm still learning.
Choosing Faith Over Fear
Parenting is a constant balancing act between faith and fear. Fear wants control. Faith asks for trust. Trust is not passive — it's an active choice, one I have to make again and again. Letting go doesn't mean loving less. It means loving differently.
I'm still practicing. I'll never be a pro at letting them go. But even in silence, I feel their hearts. I send them peace. I remind myself that I'm not their answer — I'm the road that helps them through. I'm the doorway into living, not the path they have to choose.
My children don't just shape my life.
They save my life.
Every single day.
And that truth deserved its own song. It was my Valentine's Day gift to them this year.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Toast Day is held each year on the 4th Thursday of February. It was begun in 2014 by The Tiptree World Bread Awards to celebrate toast and all the breads we make it with. (Tiptree is a brand of fruit preserves, conserves, and marmalade made in England by Wilkin & Sons Limited, so it makes sense they have an interest in toast.)
The organization is in the UK, but the popularity of this day has found a following in the United States.
The Shades of Toast
Some people like their toast barely toasted (my mother, for one. I used to tell her that her version of toast was more like ‘warm bread’, LOL).
Others like their toast almost burnt, which is a way I learned to eat it as a small child from my great-grandmother, Banny. At the time, the only toaster she had was a non-popup toaster used in the 1920s to 1930s. You lowered each side, inserted the bread, closed the doors and ‘watched’ it closely. Only one side was toasted at a time. One had to lower the doors, and flip the bread to toast the other side. And, yes, I do remember that toaster - it looked like the one pictured here. Banny, my GG, would wait until the smoke was coming out of the toaster (burnt), then toast the other side. Then she would lightly scrape the burnt part off.
It may sound weird to you today, but as a tiny child who adored her ‘Banny’, I thought it was great, and I loved the burnt flavor. The rest of the way we ate that toast was dipped in coffee (Banny) and cocoa (me). To this day, cocoa and toast is a favorite of mine. Although, I no longer eat my toast burnt! Most people prefer their toast toasted somewhere in between barely and burnt.
Toast Toppings
Now, the toppings for toast are endless, and depend on your preference. Butter is a standard topping, but favorites run anywhere from jam/jellies to peanut butter to avocados. Then there are standards like poached eggs on toast and toasted sandwiches.
Summary
So, if you like toast (and most of us do), mark the 4th Thursday of February on your calendar in order to celebrate this ‘toasty’ day!
Related Holidays:
National Cheese Toast Day - September 15
National Bread Day - November 17
For more Holiday Reviews, Click on ReviewThisReviews: Holidays
*A review of National Toast Day was written by Wednesday Elf
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I have recently started reading through the Change of Heart book
series by Ashtyn Newbold and I have not been disappointed.
This entire series is a very romantic, very entertaining series built around characters with charm
and wit.
Book 1 of the series is Mischief and Manors. The title
describes well what a reader should expect. The mischief element is
introduced by the two young brothers in the story. Manors is also
clear in reference to the homes. Changing the spelling to "manners"
would also have been appropriate since having the proper manners in society
definitely matters.
Romantics at heart always love books with gentlemen and heroes. This
series is based on women who need a real gentleman and hero in their
lives. All Regency Romance novels are written based on a time period
in the past when woman have little or no control over their own
lives. Happiness and romance are secondary to financial security and marriage arrangements may not include the woman's personal considerations.
Synopsis of Mischief and Manors
Annette Downing and her two young brothers are orphans who were taken in my
their uncle's widow when their parents died 5 years before the book's
beginning. Ruth Filbee is a cruel, selfish, and viscous woman who
didn't want the children, but also didn't want to be criticized publicly for
not taking them in.
Mischief and Manors: A Regency Romance (Change of Heart Book 1)Check PriceWhen Annette and her brothers were invited to spend the summer at Kellaway
Manor, Annette couldn't get away from her aunt and the town of Silton fast
enough. Even though she thought she had found a way out of Aunt Ruth's
house by accepting the vicar's marriage proposal, it would not be a love
match. Simply an escape from her aunt's abuse and guardianship.
She hoped to have time away from all of the stress by visiting her parent's
friends, the Kellaways.
Annette had visited the Kellaways in the past with her parents, but her
brothers had never been there. She knew their mischievous antics could
cause problems, but she hoped she would be able to instruct them. She
had done the best she could to raise her young brothers, but she knew she
needed help. The need for help was another reason why she was
considering the vicar's proposal.
Dr. Owen Kellaway remembered Annette, and she certainly remembered him and
his own mischievous ways when he was young. After all, when she was
previously there, he had led her into an "adventure" that ended up with her
being hurt.
Owen was immediately drawn to Annette and her dedication to her little
brothers. The more he learned about their lives, the more he wanted to
help them, but Annette wasn't interested in a relationship with Owen.
However, she did realize he could help her instruct and properly teach her
brothers to be gentlemen. She finally agreed to a proper
friendship. She had no desire to be taken in by his charm or
flirtation, but she thought she was safe to have him as a much needed
friend.
____________
It is pretty evident early on that Annette and Owen's friendship will
develop into a love relationship. However, Annette's aunt had accepted
the vicar's proposal for Annette and she has threatened to send her
brothers to an orphanage. No matter who Annette marries, her aunt is
still her brother's guardian and has total control over them.
As with any "Cinderella" story, you really want to see the wicked
guardian's plans thwarted.
Books by Ashtyn Newbold Previously Reviewed on ReviewThisReviews.com
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
We currently only have one cat, but we got her a jumbo litter box anyway. There are several pros to this choice.
First, it keeps more litter in the box. The cat only digs litter out onto the floor if she happens to be facing that particular way. So my floors stay cleaner.
Second, out cat likes the extra space to turn around in the box, and to text out multiple dig areas. She seems much happier with this litter box.
Third, with the larger litter box, scooping once a day for one cat is plenty.
I chose this particular box because it doesn't come with a lid. Years ago we had a high side one with a lid, and one of our cats at that time, peed just high enough to have it go in between the lower box and the lid. It was not fun trying various options to keep it contained and cleaned up.
This particular litter box is plenty high enough on the sides to keep any higher sprays contained in the box.
The entrance is midway through the front side, making it easy to enter and exit if need be. She also steps up onto the edge of the higher sides, and that works too. But with this, she has a choice.
I preferred the corner box as compared to the rectangle box. The corner box is still spacious, and takes up a little less room than the rectangle box. I also prefer the entrance/exit location on the corner box.
This box also is smooth on the inside and is easy to wipe down.
So Phresh Jumbo Litter Box. Check price on Amazon.
Please share with any other cat parents that you know. Thanks.
Cheryl Paton
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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