Wicca: A Guide For The Beginner

Wicca is a very old religion based on love for all living creatures and for the earth. Wicca is also know as Witchcraft and to those who don't understand what being Wiccan means, they may see it as being Dark and Mysterious. Wicca actually has nothing at all to do with Satanic Rituals or Devil Worship, but there are still those out there that fear what they do not understand and give Witchcraft a bad name.

The Wiccan rede is held in high regard as one of the governing rules of all Wiccan followers and practitioners. The Wiccan Rede simply states, "An ye harm none, do as ye will." In other words, do what you want as long as it harms no one. Another principal of Wicca is the three fold law, much like Karma, it tells us that whatever you put out will come back to you. All the good a person does will come back three fold in life, as well as all the bad.

The use of Charms and Spells in Wiccan practice is quite normal. A charm is an amulet believed to have magical powers that will ward off evil influences over the wearer, or bring them good luck. A spell is considered to be a spoken incantation intended to either help one self or others. Wiccans are prohibited from doing harm to others. Spells that seek to harm, dominate, manipulate, or control another person are prohibited. Before casting a spell the caster should think about the repercussions, what they do during their magical casting's are not to be dealt with lightly.

Most Wiccan's will keep their spells in a personal Journal, or Book Of Shadows. Spells are usually copied by hand into a Book Of Shadows and may be passed down to family members. Spells may also be copied by people the original owner is teaching the craft to. A Book Of Shadows may also contain feelings, experiences and thoughts on Wicca.

There are indeed many paths and many ways newcomers to Wicca can learn about Witchcraft. By reading books on the subject a person can find different thoughts and views as well as many paths. It doesn't take very long to discover that each author has a different slant on the subject. Many differing views may confuse a newcomer and make them stop looking all together. What you need to know is there are many paths and many ways of Wicca and it's up to you to find the right path for you. The first and most important thing to remember is to read. Read as many books on the subject as you can, in this way you will find you may like one path more than another or you may want to be a Solitary Witch instead of joining a coven. Doing as much research on your own is a very good way to approach learning Wicca.

As you read many different books, with many differing thoughts on the subject, some things may appeal to you right away and some things may not. That is fine, but keep an open mind and keep reading. Acting as if this is a research paper and gathering all the information you can will help to form the path that is right for you. A solid foundation is needed to build upon and the more you read the stronger your foundation will be.

There will never be one way of practicing witchcraft, no one has the one true answer and any good teacher of the craft will tell you that. Being a Solitary Witch means practicing Wicca by yourself. Often times Solitary Witches get together and exchange information or just talk about the craft and then go back to their solitary practice. So you can do a little bit of both, you don't have to join a coven or stay alone 100% of the time.

A few of the different Wiccan paths are:

Alexandrian Wicca- which is similar to Gardnerian wicca but tends to be more eclectic and liberal.

Celtic- this path is extremely earth based and sometimes uses runes. They get most of their practices from pre-Christian Celtic traditiions as well from Ireland, Scotland Wales, as well as Druid practices.

Ceremonial- emphasis on the art and science of magic. Ceremonies are generally complex and meant to be done with a coven.

Dianic-know as the feminist Wicca. It's a mix of many different traditions but focuses on the Goddess, especially Diana.

Eclectic- An eclectic Wiccan does not follow ant strict guidelines, instead practices the beliefs that suit them best. An eclectic Wiccan will mix traditions to find their own path, using the magic that fits with their beliefs and studying the parts of the religion that they are most interested in.

Faerie Wicca- is also referred to as Fae, Fey, Faery, Fairy or Faerie, this tradition is based around Faery Lore and beliefs.

Gardnerian- is the tradition founded by Gerald Gardner. He was one of the first to go public with information about the craft. Most modern Wicca has been derived from his books and teachings. This is an extremely tradional path that requires nudity during ceremonies and has a hierarchy structure.

Hereditary- this is a where a person can trace the craft back on their family tree and was also taught the craft by a relative.

Kitchen Witch- is a type of Wicca one may practice in the home for the home and work place. This form of Wicca focuses on practicality, convenient ritual writings, and spells that include ingredients that are readily available in the home or workplace. This is ideal for someone short on time and having a tight budget.

Pictish- Scottish Witchcraft with a very strong connection to nature in all it's forms. A mostly magical practice with little emphasis on religious aspects. This is practiced by Solitary Witches.

Shamanism- this path is generally connected with contact with the spirit world and all it has to offer. Through communication with Spirits the shaman can practice healing, divination, magic and talk with spirits to see the deeper meanings of life.

Solitary- are individuals preferring to work in private rather than with a Coven or other Wiccans. Solitary Wiccans can pick any number of traditions that fit well into their life and their path.

Cyber Wicca- uses the Internet to learn from and communicate with other Witch's.

While this is not a full list of the different paths there are, with this list you can see there is much information out there.

Weekly Rat Facts: Animal Domestic Abuse

To most of us with pets, they're part of the family and we treat them as such. But in homes where there is violence, the family pet may become just another object to threaten or harm in order to keep the family members who are being abused from leaving.

Most shelters will not allow you to bring your pets with you when you leave an abusive partner, that is until now.

In Las Vegas, Nevada there is a place called Noah's Animal House. A place where people who need to go to domestic violence shelters can also bring the family pet if they feel the pet will come to harm if they leave. The Shade Tree Shelter is adding a place where resident's who stay at the shelter can temporarily house their family pets as well.

There will be veterinary services available and foster parents willing to take special pets such as farm animals that need more space.

Children who live in abusive families and also see pet abuse suffer even more trauma as a result of seeing their pets injured, or threatened with the possibility of injury.

Many times the abuser will threaten, harm or even kill a family pet in order to punish or control a child. A child of abuse is twice as likely to grow up to become an abuser him or herself.

Many pets who are abused will be very timid when the abuser gets near them, sometimes urinating on themselves out of fear, which will make the abuser angry and start the pattern of abuse all over again. Some animals will get aggressive after being abused.

From the HSUS - Family Violence and Animal Cruelty:

"My first client came in very apologetic and said, 'I have to go back home.' I tried to tell her she didn't,... she said, 'no, you don't understand.' She pulled out a picture that her mother forwarded her that her husband had sent...They were pictures of him chopping off the ears of her dog with gardening shears.

'I have to go home...If I want to save my dog's life and the lives of the other animals...I have to go home...' We never heard from her again."

-Wisconsin Domestic Violence Center Safe Haven For Pets - HSUS

Many abused people put off leaving their abuser because they are afraid of what will happen to their pets, and many times pets are harmed when the abused partner leaves.

85% of battered women who go to domestic violence shelters report that their is animal abuse in their home. Being that only a small number of women actually seek help from domestic violence shelters, the number of animals actually being abused is very high.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

This week I received:

A $5 Amazon gift card from Club Skinny Cow

I haven't been a member of Club Skinny for very long and wanted to show my readers that they really do pay out and it was really easy to get enough points *2500* to get a $5 gift card. So I redeemed my points a few days ago and received an email telling me how to redeem my gift card. So I clicked on the link, put in my info...

And was able to get my Amazon gift card right away. 

Hamster Cages

Hamster cages come in different sizes, colors, materials and with many different attachments. You may feel overwhelmed when you see how many different types of cages there are to buy. Here is a small list of cages that you can readily find in places like Petsmart, Petco and places online that specialize in cages.

Crittertrail has several cages that are great for the beginner or someone buying a hamster for the first time. The Crittertrail one- is a nice small size just right for Dwarf hamsters. You really don't want to put teddy bear (Syrian) hamsters in this one as they won't have a lot of space to move around. The cages are made of hard plastic and coated wires to make sure your pet has enough ventilation.

This cage uses the bubble tubes to get from one level to the other, making it easier for your pet to move around than having to climb stairs or jump to the next level. These cages also already come with an exercise wheel and water bottle, making it easier to get everything you need all at once. This cage also has what they call a petting zone on the top of the cage that easily opens so you can pet your hamster or give him a little treat.

The Crittertrail X- is basically the same design as the Crittertrail one, but with some fun extras. This cage has a spiral slide, and wheel that sits on the top of the cage. This model also comes with the petting zone, water bottle and bubble tube to reach the petting zone, I like to call the petting zone "The Pet Apartment", as it's upstairs and they tend to sleep up there. This cage is best for dwarf hamsters or smaller hamsters.

The Crittertrail Two- has two levels for double the fun. This cage is good for any size hamster or even gerbils. There is plenty of room for your pet to move around, lots of places to sit and look out at the world around the and comes with a wheel, water bottle and petting zone. Inside are two hard plastic shelves that fit onto the inside of the cage for your hamster to sit on. Bubble tubes make it easy for your pet to get from the bottom of the cage to the petting zone in a snap, you won't believe how fast they can scramble up those tubes. This is ideal for two Dwarf Hamsters, your pets will love this cage.

The Crittertrail Three- is essentially the Crittertrail Two, just bigger. It has all the features of the Crittertrail Two plus it has three comfortable shelves for your pet to enjoy and is taller, adding more room for your pets to climb around on the coated wires, and believe me they will climb on the wires. This is a great cage for Teddy Bear (Syrian) hamsters.

The Habitrail Mini- is great for Dwarf hamsters but shouldn't be used for larger hamsters like teddy bears because they need more room. The wire cage sides and plastic floor fit together to make a great home for your pet. This cage come with a wheel, and water bottle that is neatly hidden inside a plastic mushroom.

Rotastak Tunnel Of Fun- is a two story brightly colored cage that not only is fun for your Dwarf hamster but fun for you to look at. This cage looks more like a toy your children would play with than a hamster cage. It comes with plastic tubes, food bowl, water bottle, removable plugs that allow you to attach more things to the cage if you want and a separate compartment on top of the cage that they call the "Attic Bedroom". This cage is ideal for dwarf hamsters.

Feberplast Abi Hamster Cage- is a large cage ideal for Teddy Bear (Syrian) hamsters. It gives your hamster the space it needs to move around and be comfortable. Complete with four different levels the only draw back to this one is it has ladders that your hamster has to climb in order to get to the next level. To make sure your hamster doesn't get hurt if it falls, make sure to fill the bottom with at least 4 inches of bedding. Your hamster will have a blast climbing up and down the platforms in this cage. There are two doors on the front side of the cage that open easily to give you access to your little pet.

The Crittertrail: My First Home- cages come in three sizes. One story for small hamsters, two stories for all hamsters and gerbils and three stories for all hamsters and your mutant-ly large hamsters. You laugh, I had a hamster a few years ago that wouldn't fit into any of the tubes that were meant for hamsters, he was mutant-ly large but that might be because I live by the Nellis Air Force Test Site and his ancestors probably got irradiated. These cages are ideal for all hamsters and the ease of taking apart for cleaning make them my favorite. They come with a wheel and two bowls. The 2 and 3 story models also come with plastic shelves.

Now when you get home and open the box, be warned you will not find a cage already put together. You will have to assemble these cages yourself. But if I can do it anyone can. They come with instructions and if you have problems there's always the toll free 800 number on the box. If you have a teenager around to help you, you might find you can really use their help. Or at least they will be there to laugh with you when neither of you can figure out how the parts fit together.

I would advise putting the cage together before buying a hamster and bringing him home, that way you enough time to figure out how the cage goes together and how to take it apart to clean it. Make sure you have all the bedding and food before you bring your little friend home. Have fun with your new pet and enjoy playing with them and watching them explore their new surroundings.

Be sure to buy some toys for your new Pets, they like to have little cubby holes to climb into, snuggle up and sleep. I found that the little plastic Television, Bed and Log Cabin House are real winner's with hamsters.

One note to hamster owners or people thinking of getting a hamster. Do not under any circumstances buy a cage that has wire flooring. These are not comfortable for your pet and they can break their feet if they get stuck in between the wires. Avoid these types of cages.

How To Tell If Your Hamster Is Sick

The most common hamster ailments are tumors, wet tail, runny eyes, and broken bones. Most times when your hamster gets ill you will need to take them to the Veterinarian's office and have them looked at. Your Vet can give you antibiotics, medicated baths, schedule surgery to remove tumors and give you advice on how to care for a sick animal. It's best to call local Veterinarian's offices before you bring your hamster home and find one that specializes in small animals, or what they call (Exotics). That way if your hamster does become sick you will already have the telephone number and address of a animal hospital to take him too.

Tumors
If you are handling your hamster and feel small or large lumps on your hamster, that may be a sign of a cancerous tumor. You should take your hamster to the Veterinarian right away to see if they can remove the tumor. There's no need for your hamster to suffer with a tumor that won't kill it but may make his life harder. If your hamster is old or sick and might not make it through a surgery the Vet will tell you to bring your pet back in when he looks like he's in pain, ie..stops eating, drinking water, playing or has a hard time walking. Your Vet can then put your hamster to sleep humanely.

Wet Tail
This extremely contagious and most times fatal bacteria disease is most prevalent in young hamsters but can occur to any hamster at any time. Unsanitary cages, sudden drastic changes in your hamster's diet, and stress can all bring on wet tail as well. If your hamsters gets wet tail, do not let him around or near any of your other hamsters because it can spread very fast. Clean and disinfect the hamsters cage and wash your hands after handling your hamster. You should not allow the hamster with wet tail to go anywhere other hamster might go, like on the couch where you might bring other hamster later on.

Stress lowers your hamster's immune system and may cause your hamster to get sick. To avoid this do not disturb your hamster during the day while he's sleeping. Hamster's are nocturnal and will be more than happy to come out and play after they wake up. Rudely waking your hamster up in the middle of the day, by blowing on him, shaking him, or just grabbing him will stress him out and may cause him to get sick.

Do not handle your hamster if you are sick with a cold or flu. If you hamster's cage is in the bedroom with you, you should move the cage to another room while you are sick. Hamster's can catch your cold and this may lead to wet tail. You vet can give you medicine to get your hamster healthy again.

Runny Eyes
This usually occurs when food has gotten stuck inside the pouches. The best thing to do is to take the hamster to the veterinarian and have them flush the hamster's pouches out with warm water. You could do this at home but trying to hold a hamster and stick an eye dropper inside the mouth and pouch of a squirming hamster may prove to be harder than you think.

Broken Bones
Broken bones are mainly caused by the hamster being dropped while you're holding them. To make sure this doesn't occur make sure you are holding your hamster over something soft, like a couch or chair and the height they would drop if they accidentally jump from your hands isn't more than a couple of inches. Close supervision is a requirement when young children are handling a hamster. They are fragile small creatures and will get hurt easily. If a broken bone does happen you should take your hamster immediately to the Vet's office. Sometimes the Vet can amputate the broken limb and your pet will get along just fine with three legs. If the fracture occurs someplace like in the back though, you may need to have your hamster put to sleep.

Steps you can take to keep your hamster healthy

Clean your hamster's cage at least once a week. Cleaning more may be necessary if the bedding gets wet or your hamster has diarrhea. Give your hamster small amount of fresh greens at least three times a week. Make sure you remove any uneaten fresh foods from your hamster's cage before it spoils. Always make sure the water is clean and the easily accessible. Feed your hamster a hamster food that is well balanced and meets your hamsters daily requirements. Your hamster will snack throughout the day so keeping the food bowl filled is essential.

There are treats you can give your hamster that they will love, but remember everything in moderation. Some treats are, fresh broccoli, small dog biscuits, boiled eggs, corn on the cob, apples, carrots, dry cereals, cheese, and lettuce. Giving your hamster small bits of these treats while you play with him will show him you can be trusted.

I've read several times that you should not feed your hamster meat as it may encourage them to eat their young, but if you're not breeding your hamster I see nothing wrong with little bits of meat now and again. Keep your hamster's cage in a dimly lit, draft free, quiet area of the home. Make sure your hamster's cage is big enough for your hamster to run around and have an exercise wheel as well as some other toys and a place to make a bed.

The bedding you use is very important because some things may make your hamster sick. Avoid using newspapers as the ink is harmful to your hamster. Do not use Cedar or Pine bedding as they cause skin irritations and some hamsters may get lung infections. My personal favorite is Carefresh pet bedding. I haven't seen any adverse side effects from using this bedding.

How To Make An Easter Wreath

Want to decorate your home with Easter crafts but don't want to pay the high prices the stores are charging? Well why not make them yourself, there are several Easter crafts that are easy to make and will cheer up your home.

An Easter Wreath

There are many different wreath's you can make and after you've made a few it'll be easier to make different kinds. Grapevine wreath's are the easiest in my opinion to work with and that's what I used for this Easter wreath.

What you will need:

14 inch Grapevine wreath
6 large flowers such as Lillies, wildflowers, Calla Lillies or Orchids
7 Dark blue floral bushes with stems
7 Purple floral bushes with stems
3 -10 inch twigs
20 Eucalyptus stems
15 Purple Daisy's
15 Pink Daisy's
6 Iris bushes with stems
Spanish Moss
Small birds nest
2 Small Plastic Easter eggs
2 Small colorful birds
Hot Glue gun and sticks

Begin by tearing off hand fulls of Moss and hot gluing it to the Grapevine wreath, you don't need to cover the entire thing, some bare spots are fine.Start with the outside top of your wreath and hot glue the Eucalyptus stems to the wreath, making the stems fit inside the wreath and poke out. Make sure all the decorations point in the same direction as you go around the wreath.

Now you can start adding the smaller flowers where you like around the wreath, space them around the wreath. Make the wreath look the way you want. After the smaller flowers are used up insert the large flowers, spacing them evenly apart on the front of the wreath.

Fill in any empty spaces with more moss and flowers.

Next hot glue the birds nest to the bottom inside of your wreath and hot glue the small birds and eggs into the nest.

Last insert the twigs into the center of the wreath in a diagonal manner.
Hang on your wall.


Straw Easter Wreath

You will need:

12 inch Straw wreath
8 Pink Daisy's
8 Purple Daisy's
6 Eucalyptus stems
2 Wild flower bushes
10 inch length of thin Purple ribbon
Craft Pins
Stuffed Rabbit.

Straw Wreath's are wrapped in plastic and you need to remove this plastic before you begin. Cut the Eucalyptus stems to about 5 inches long and hot glue three pointing up and three pointing down on the bottom left side of the wreath.

Hot glue the Wild flowers to the Eucalyptus stems and on the wreath just around the stems. Hot glue the Daisy's to fill in any empty spots and to make it look the way you want. All the decorations should be on the bottom left hand side of the wreath. Wrap the ribbon loosely around the wreath and tie off in the back where you can't see the knot.

Secure small stuffed rabbit to the inside center of the wreath with the craft pins.

The more wreaths you make the easier it becomes. But if you need inspiration, you can always look online for pictures of wreaths and just copy the ones you like.

Junk Mail

This flyer was in the junk mail I received in my mail box the other day. A fast food restaurant is selling a Ramen Burger. Yes, you read that right and this is totally for real. They use ramen noodles instead of buns. Nope, not gonna be eating there. lol 

Hamsters As Pets

*My hamster, Cinnamon*

Hamsters make great pets for the right people. I don't think families with children under the age of 11 should let their children take responsibility for the little creatures though. They are small and fragile and will be easily hurt if a small toddler squeezes the hamster too tightly, so I would recommend not getting one until children are a little older and can play with their hamsters nicely.

Currently there are a lot of hamsters providing enjoyment and companionship for their owners. Their gentleness, ease of care, cuteness and amusing behavior make them very good pets. Hamsters like to cuddle, eat out of your hands, sit by you, and play. They like to play with whatever is within their reach, grasping with their little claws and hind feet as well. They will climb upside down, jump off the toys in their cages and climb all over you. The love to explore so if you sit on the couch and let them run around they will be quite happy to smell every inch of the couch and you as they explore their surroundings.

Watching hamsters as they eat can be quite amusing as well. Especially for the first time observer or small child seeing their hamster stuff mounds of food into their pouches and then hide it in their cages for later. It is wise not to disturb the hamsters food pile, it makes them feel comfortable and safe to have it.

But as easily as they might seem to like to come out, they do not like their cages messed with. Their food pile should be left alone until it's time to clean their cages. Which should be done weekly. It's better to train your hamster to walk out of their cage on their own then it is to reach inside their cage and take them out. I've found that your less likely to get bitten if you don't invade their space. Most hamsters won't bite you, but some will.

Hamsters are nocturnal animals, which means they do most of their sleeping during the day and most of their playing at night. If you provide your hamster with an exercise wheel and other toys they will be quite happy to be left alone at night when you are asleep. You can however play with your hamster during the day if you wake it gently and give it time to wake up. They will be more than happy to come out and play.

Hamsters unlike other animals never need a bath. They groom themselves all the time. Most of the time when they wake up and start their nights, you will find them inside their beds grooming themselves for a while before they are ready to come out and play. Most times my hamsters will groom themselves for an hour, come get something to eat, use their toilet corner and get some water from their water bottle.

Their are different types of hamsters, a few are the Teddy Bear hamster or Syrian, The Chinese Dwarf hamster, Roborovski hamster are just a few.

I've found that the Teddy Bear hamsters are the best for pets. But they need to be kept by themselves. The are solitary animals and will fight if you put two or more together. Hamsters do make great pets for people living in apartments and have minimal room for a bigger animal. They don't require a lot of space.

Ten Games To Play With Your Pet Rat

*My first rat, Romi*

If you have a pet Rat then you already know how much fun they can be and how much attention they need. I have had several rat's and have found quite a few games you can play with them. Things to keep in mind though, if at anytime your rat seems to not like a game your playing with them, Stop!

You want to have a trusting relationship with your rat and if you do things she doesn't like she may not trust you enough next time you want to play a new game. Keep in mind these are games my rat liked to play, your rat may not like the same games mine did so not all of these may work for you.

1. Some rats love to swim and you can give them a safe place to do this. Fill your tub with about five inches of warm water. You want to make sure the water is warm, not too hot and not too cold. Your rat will swim around in the water and chase your hand in the water if you stick it in there with her. You can put in a bird ladder so they can get out if they want to.

2. Play a game of peek a boo. Just like with little kids, rats will chase you around the corner of the couch and then get excited and run the other way only to run right back when you poke your head up on the side or back of the couch.

3. My rat loved a game I call tickle my belly. What you do is hold your rat in your hand and turn them upside down and put them on the couch or bed and tickle their belly for a second. Then let them go and watch as they come back for you to do it again and again.

4. Did you know you can take your rat for a walk just like taking a dog for a walk? Buy a small animal harness at Petsmart or Petco. They are inexpensive and you'll get a lot of fun out of them. You have to let your rat get used to the harness before trying to put it on her. Put the harness down next to your rat and let her play with it, then slowly try putting part of it over her head and when you can do this you might try holding your rat and slipping the harness on her. Once she's able to go outside and walk around she'll love to get her harness on. This may take some time and patience, don't squeeze your rat while trying to put the harness on her as you may hurt her. Only take them outside when the weather is cooler, you don't want them to burn their feet on the sidewalk.

5. A pet rat loves to come out and be nosy, it's their favorite thing to do. What better way to see what's going on than to be on your shoulder as you walk outside to your mailbox or as you walk around your house. Make sure if you take your rat outdoors that it's not too hot or too cold.

6. A toilet paper tube can be a lot of fun for a rat if you hide a food treat inside it. Take some cut vegetables and put them in the middle of the cardboard tube, then fold the ends inward. Your rat will tear the tube apart to get at the treat and she will have fun doing it.

7. Get a long piece of rope and tie a knot in one end and get your rats attention and have her chase it on the floor. Your rat will grab it, flip upside down trying to hold on to it and play tug of war with you.

8. A game I loved to play was what I called Grab and Gather. I would take about ten tissues and lay them all over the couch, then put my rat on the couch and watch her go and get each piece and bring it to the corner of the couch. I would spread them out again and she would gather them all up again.

9. An exercise wheel is a must have for the rat owner, but you must make sure you don't get a metal wire wheel, instead get a solid plastic wheel or a solid wood wheel. Be aware if you get the wooden wheel your rat may chew it up, rats need wooden toys in their cage to gnaw on in order to keep their teeth at manageable lengths. If you make the mistake and get a wire wheel your rat's tail may get stuck between the wires and hurt. They may also damage their feet on the wire wheel when their feet get stuck between the wires. You don't have to keep the wheel in the cage all the time, take the wheel out and put it on the floor if you let your rat run around and watch her run in the wheel and then dash around the floor. Sit with your rat on the floor and she'll climb all over you then run in her wheel some more.

10. Rats need a lot of attention and playtime every single day. I found the best way to do this is to let them run around on the floor in a room you can 'rat proof'. Start off by making sure there are no wires, cables or anything hanging from a higher shelf that your rat could climb onto or bite into and shock herself. Make sure all exits are sealed, you can do this by tearing apart the sides of large cardboard boxes and places them where your rat might try to get out of the room. Tape them in place. Now you can put down the toys, wheel, treat filled toilet paper tubes, and large books, phone books placed like steps for your rat to run up and down on work really well. She will have fun and you will have fun sitting on the floor with her. If you can't rat proof an entire room you can give them free time on the couch or bed with you.

Have fun with your new friend and she'll reward you with little ratty kisses.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received all of this from Costco.
4 newborn diapers
2 packs of baby wipes
Baby shampoo
Baby Formula
and a $5 check to spend on Similac formula at Costco.

My next door neighbor just had a baby so she was very happy to get all of these freebies.

Did you receive anything free this week?

What To Do If You Accidentally Buy A Pregnant Hamster From A Petstore

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Why would a reputable pet store sell you a pregnant hamster and not tell you? Well maybe the pet store wasn't a good one. I had one such adventure a few years ago when I walked into a pet store located in my local mall and decided to buy a Chinese Dwarf hamster.

She was sitting there against the front of the glass cage just looking at me with her little black eyes, how could I resist? I also bought everything I needed to go along with a new pet, the bedding, wheel, food and hamster toys.

Little did I know that this store was one of the bad ones for selling pregnant and/or sick hamsters and other animals. I soon found out this store had been shut down after I brought my hamster home and few days later heard little squeaking noises coming from her cage. Sure enough there were little pink baby hamsters laying beside the hamster I had just bought. I went back to the pet store, not to give back the hamster but to ask them why they sold me a pregnant hamster and found they had been shut down.

The books I read said to feed the mother scrambled egg and milk soaked bread in addition to her normal seeds. It also said to sprinkle Wheat germ next to the opening where the babies were and they would eat that very easily. Also provide bits of cooked chicken and cheese to give the mother hamster the nutritional boost she needs. Make sure the water bottle is down low enough so the babies can get at it when they start drinking from it.

Also don't disturb the mother or babies too much for the first few days because the mother might eat her young if she feels threatened. That means don't clean the cage for at least two weeks, but you can spot clean wet spots if necessary. The mother hamster may act more aggressive at this time until the babies are weaned, don't be discouraged by this.

Hamsters can have up to eighteen babies at once, but mine was a Dwarf hamster so I figured there was no way there were that many in the little house with her. Later on I was able to count them as they started crawling about and she had five babies.

When their eyes are open and they are crawling around you can then handle the babies, this will happen when they are about 2 weeks old. You can then remove all the hamsters from the cage, place them in a box with some of the old bedding and clean the cage. It's best to keep a handful of old bedding and place it in the cleaned cage so they come back to a cleaned cage that has some familiar smells. It will be less stressful for the family. The babies will be weaned by three weeks and it's best to separate them by sex at this time so you don't end up with more babies.

I decided to keep all the hamsters, they were too cute to give away. I ended up having to buy another cage though, there were two female babies and three male babies. For some reason the females didn't get along and kept fighting. They were drawing blood when they fought so I thought it best to separate them and I gave them each their own cage. The mother had her own cage because she didn't like being around the babies after they were weaned, she would bite them if they came close to her and she kept running away from them. She would climb in the top bubble and make her bed and sleep alone. After the females were separated all was better.

If you have Syrian hamsters you will want to give each one it's own cage as they are not social animals and will fight terribly. Dwarf hamsters are social animals and can stay together as long as you have females in one cage and males in another.

Sometimes you have to plan for unforeseen things to happen when you have hamsters. Most times though the unexpected can be good.

Product Warning Labels

Product Warning labels which are meant to protect you from dangers are being put on products after people try things and they get hurt. These people then sue the company for not having a warning label telling them they shouldn't have done the stupid thing they did in the first place.

That's why manufacturers have to be liberal with their warning labels now a days because they are afraid of getting sued. Some warnings on labels seem so obvious to most of us and we laugh at them as we read them, but the sad fact is the warnings are there because someone, somewhere did it and now we have to be warned not to do it again.

Take these warnings for instance:

"For external use only!" --which was on a curling iron.

"This product not intended for use as a dental drill."-- Which was on a rotary tool.

"Do not eat toner."-- Which was on a toner cartridge for laser printers.

"Do not use orally"--Which was found on a toilet cleaning brush.

"Do not use for drying pets."--Which was found in the manual for a microwave oven.

"Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted." --Which was
found on a sign at a railroad station.

"Do not orally after using rectally."--Which is in the instructions for an electric thermometer.

Now is it just me or do these seem obvious? But Americans are too eager to sue when something goes wrong so Manufacturers put these warning labels on products to save themselves from viscous lawsuits from the not so smart among us. Lawsuits brought on by people who have used the product in such a way that even a first grader would know not to do it. These lawsuits are leading to labels so strange that most people laugh at them or ignore the warning labels all together.

Is that what we really want? As the labels get longer and more laughable people are going to get hurt because they aren't going to take the time to read the warning labels. While most of us are thinking, "Duh!" when we read these labels the fact is that they have been deemed necessary because of the actions of some who weren't smart enough to know better.

I guess Americans are the dumbest people on earth or at least it seems that way from the amount of warning labels we have now and will have in the future.

People think these warning labels are so laughable that there was even a Wacky Warning Label Contest. The first place winner won $500.00 and a copy of "The Death of Common Sense," By Phillip K. Howard. His winning entry was a label on the toilet brush.

Judges need to be tougher on these frivolous lawsuits so our warning labels don't get longer than they already are.

A Plus Sized Guide To Buying Women's Clothing

No longer are we second class citizens without a place to shop for nice clothing. It used to be that Modern, Stylish and Sexy full figured clothing wasn't readily available to us, but things have changed and now we can find Lingerie as well as everyday and work clothes that don't look like moo-moo's.

The very first thing I would suggest getting is a Bra that fits. Full Figured women like myself have a hard time finding the right Bra that doesn't pinch, poke or bind up on the sides. But if you don't want to end up looking like your 80 year old Great Aunt Ethel who decided twenty years ago she didn't need to wear a Bra anymore and now has what men like to call "The Tube Sock Breasts" then I would suggest finding a Bra that fits and buying new one's every three months, because they do stretch out and won't hold you in place the way you might want after they become stretched.

I don't know why they have 'Minimizer Bra's on the market. If you have an asset show it off I say. Do you have 44DD's and think you need to 'Minimize' them to look better? I say get a pretty lacy under wire Bra that lifts and supports you, then find a sexy shirt of the same color that's either partly see through or low cut and have fun. You have cleavage, show it off.

I may not be able to do anything about gravity, but I don't want to be like Great Aunt Ethel who would knock herself out with her own breast if she were to jump up and down for some reason. Now if you don't know what I'm talking about take a tube sock and put a small apple in it and let it fall to the bottom. Now take a look at that. That's what gravity will do to your breasts if you don't wear a Bra that keeps you lifted. We Full Figured women have heavy breasts and if you don't wear your Bra, they will fall down to your knee's.

Do you think you have to wear 'Granny Panties' just because your full figured? Well think again, you can find sexy silky and lacy under things at most department stores that cater to Full-Figured women. One such store is Lane Bryant. Every time I shop in their store I find myself looking at the silky nighties and lacy panties. What better way to feel good about yourself than to be wearing something sexy under your clothes. You can even wear them under your work clothes and feel a little naughty.

Now let's talk about dresses. Manufacturers have made dresses that accentuate your lovely curvy figure. Don't buy big baggy dresses that droop down to your ankles, they won't make you feel like the sexy woman you are. Instead show off your figure, show off you curves, buy a dress that will show off what that new Bra is accentuating. A low cut dress if the perfect thing to show off one of your assets, cleavage! If you have long beautiful legs, buy a dress that's cut just above the knee and show them off and be sure to wear a pair of sheer stockings with your sexy dress.

Now you have your under things and the dress, what about shoes? Heels will make you look sexy and you don't have to get 4" spiked heels to pull this look off. Get a pedicure or paint your toenails a pretty dark pink or reddish color and they will show through the sheer stockings you bought. An open toed shoe or heeled sandal is your best bet. It will accentuate your stocking feet, show off your pretty toes and the heel will make you look sexy. Make sure to get a color that goes good with your new dress. If you're buying a black dress buy black shoes. If you're buying a white dress buy white shoes. Don't pair green shoes with a pink dress unless your trying out for the Circus College.

Now that you're all dressed up, it's time to go out. Get some friends together and go out to dinner, go to a club, go have some fun.

Top Ten Reasons To Buy A Bread Machine

Have you ever stopped and inhaled deeply when you step inside a store that bakes it's own bread daily? That warm inviting aroma of fresh baked bread is unlike any other you will ever smell.
Here are my top ten reasons for buying a bread machine.

1. Everyone loves fresh, warm baked bread. Consider how much praise you would get from friends and family when you pull a hot loaf of bread out of the machine and slice it up to serve with dinner. Why buy store bought rolls, or canned biscuits when you can make a whole loaf of soft mouth watering bread.

2. Not only can you make bread but most bread machines come with a recipe book so that you can make homemade pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, raisin bread and all kinds of other specialty breads. My families favorite is Raisin bread but my favorite is sourdough bread.

3. If you buy your bread making supplies in bulk, you will end up saving money making bread in your machine instead of buying pre-baked loaves from the store. Now who doesn't love to save money?

4. Making bread in the bread machine is a lot easier than you might think. In my machine I just add all the ingredients, set the machine for the appropriate time for what bread I'm making and the machine does the rest. It even shuts off automatically after it's done baking, so if you need to run out for a while you can do so without worrying the bread will burn.

5. Making fresh bread is something you can do with your kids. It's so easy to make fresh bread and your kids will have fun getting the ingredients and adding them to the machine so they can tell their friends that they made homemade bread.

6. The bread machine will make cinnamon roll dough for you. No more rolling, pounding, waiting for the dough to rise and rolling again. Now you just add the ingredients, and let the machine do the rest. The buzzer will go off when the dough is ready and you can immediately use it to roll out dough for cinnamon rolls.

7. You can also make whole wheat bread using most machines. Do you like to have whole wheat bread instead of regular white bread? Well you can make it yourself and it's easy.

8. Have fresh warm bread waiting for you when you get up in the morning or when you get home from work. Most Bread Machines have timers you can set to start at a certain time so the bread is done when you want.

9. You can buy an assortment of mixes for very little money right from your grocery store. Store them for months in your cabinet and make a different bread everyday. You can have homemade warm Rye, Sourdough, wheat, white, honey cinnamon, French, and Italian all in the same week.

10. Easy to clean. Most Bread machines are non stick. All you have to do is pull the bucket out and wipe it down. Put the bucket back inside the machine and your done.

Now is all of this doesn't change your mind, why not by a Bread Machine for you Mother or daughter or even your brother or father and watch how excited they get after they've tried the different breads they've made. Don't let your misconceptions prevent you from enjoying and experiencing the joys of freshly baked bread. It's so affordable, delicious and convenient.

Things To Consider Before Buying A Hamster

After having had several dozen hamsters over the past several years there comes a time when they get old or sick and all the attention and care you give them won't help them from dying. I do believe with my whole heart that when you decide to adopt a pet, no matter what kind of pet it is, you are responsible for the health and welfare of that pet. That means when your pet becomes sick you should take it to a veterinarian instead of letting it suffer.

I've had to take several of my Hamsters to the Vet's office and have them humanely put to sleep. Some of my family and friends can't understand why I would spend money on a rodent in that way. But they became part of the family and I loved them, so I could do nothing else.

I've heard and read that people think the humane thing to do for rodents is to gas them using your car's tailpipe and letting them slowly suffocate from carbon Monoxide. But this not a humane thing to do to any animal. My next door neighbor told me he would chop off my hamsters head and put him out of his misery and it wouldn't cost me a thing.

I just thought that was the most disgusting thing I had ever heard. Most people unless they have hamsters as pets don't understand how attached we get to them and I think if you are going to take care of a hamster, then you have a responsibility to make sure they don't suffer when they get sick. It doesn't cost all that much to take them to the vet's office and have them put to sleep and it's the most humane thing you can do.

So before you think about getting a pet, consider whether or not you are willing to take care of it if it gets sick, or if your going to let it suffer.

Another thing to consider is who is the Hamster or other animal for? If you are buying the animal for a relative as a gift, they may not want it after a while and the animal may get taken to a shelter or given away.

I personally have rescued many hamsters from my neighbors and daughters friends after they were given the hamsters by their parents or relatives and the kids got tired or bored with them. The parents didn't want to be bothered with the animal since it was supposed to be the child's animal and they end up giving it away. Thankfully these animals were given to a good home.

Most times people just don't consider all that goes into owning a pet. For instance they think they can buy a hamster and leave it in it's cage and everything will be fine. But hamsters just like other pets need and thrive on stimulation and love.

One of my neighbors was going to just throw away her sick and dying hamster, just put it in the dumpster and go buy and new one. I took the sick hamster and tried feeding it canned dog food. Sometimes they get old and weak and can't chew the seeds anymore. The hamster perked up and lived for five more months. Probably more happy than it had ever been.

Then when he started having trouble walking I made the appointment and asked the Vet if I should have him put to sleep. I told her how I got him and we both cried as I put him in the box I brought with me to the Vet's office after he had been put to sleep using the small gas chamber. It only took seconds and he felt no pain. I took him to a spot in the mountains that I take all my hamsters to and dug a hole and buried him next to all the other hamsters I'd had.

Even though I had only had this hamster for five months I grieved for him, just as I had for all my other hamsters. But thankfully I know that he was happy for a little while and died knowing he was loved.

So before you buy a pet think about what you would do if it gets sick. If the answer is nothing, then reconsider getting a pet at all.

Frankencage

When we adopted Flower she was tiny, about the size of an adult teddy bear hamster and she hasn't grown much at all. She's still a dainty little girl but we wanted to give her more room to run around. So Ken decided to wire together two cages and give her twice as much room. We already had both cages. 

So Ken cute some of the wires off the top of the cage to make a hole for her to get to the second story and used a metal file to file the edges so they wouldn't cut her.

Then he wired both top and bottom together and she started exploring immediately.

I think she approves. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Several samples of diapers and wipes from Huggies.
An autographed picture of Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel.
2 Nexcare bandages.

What freebies did you receive this week?

Double Post!: Yahoo Contributor Network Has Shut Down and How To Make A Dreamcatcher

The site that I have been publishing my articles since 2006 has shut down and is no longer online which means all of my articles are no longer online. Therefore I'll be posting most of them here on my blog over the next few months.

Because I have so many articles to post I may not be posting the Freebie Friday, Happy Raturday and Weekly Rat Facts posts each week but I will try to post them at least once during the month. I had over 200 articles published between December of 2006 and June of 2014 and had almost made it to 1 Million page views on my articles. I'm happy to have had the experience of Associated Content when it first began and then YCN when it was bought by Yahoo and they changed the name. But I'm bummed that my source of extra income has now been squashed.

But this is a wake up call for people who write for sites such as this one. Always back up your articles in a file in case the website disappears over night. Not only writing sites but other sites as well, you have to make sure you do things like cash out as soon as possible if you are making money on them or points that can be turned into money or gift cards. This is the 4th website that I was making money on that has closed down in a relatively short amount of time and some sites will disappear over night and not let you have time to cash out the points you have accumulated.

Like with the survey sites I get points on, I always make sure to cash out as soon as possible in case they decide to close up shop overnight and my points could be lost. It's happened before.

Anyway, I'll be posting a lot of rat and hamster related articles as well as a few other subjects here over the next few months.

Hope you enjoy them. Here's the first one...

How To Make A Dreamcatcher

To make a dream catcher is a lot easier than you might think.

Here's what you'll need:

About 7 feet of thin suede 

glue 

6 inch metal or wooden ring 

waxed nylon string (I've used dental floss and it works great) 

12-16 pony beads in the colors you want 

12-16 feather in the colors you want 

scissors 

clothes pin

First glue one side of the thin suede to the ring and affix the clothes pin to hold it in place until it dries. When it's dry take the clothes pin off and wrap the suede around the ring tightly until you reach where you started. Cut off any remaining suede and glue it in place. Again place the clothes pin over it to hold it until it dries.

After it has thoroughly dried your ready to make the webbing on the inside. Tie one end of the waxed nylon sting or dental floss to the ring, make 8-9 half hitch knots around the ring spacing them about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart, keeping the thread pulled snug between the knots. (If you don't know how to make a Half hitch knot, go here and look at the diagrams. That website is where I learned how to make them. It's easier to learn by pictures than by someone trying to explain to you what a Half hitch knot is, I think.

Begin the next row of the web in the middle of the string that you just weaved. You should begin to see a spider web forming. As your weaving you can add small buttons or pony beads to the string that will hang in the spider web after it's done. Continue weaving the same way until you have a small hole left in the center of your dreamcatcher. Then tie a double knot and add a small drop of glue so it holds and let dry. You now have a beautiful dreamcatcher.

Now cut three 7" pieces of the thin suede and tie two of them on either side of your ring about half way up using a double knot, then tie the remaining one to the bottom in the center. You can now add whatever color pony beads you wish. Add 2-4 beads to each piece of suede and tie a small knot, push 2-3 feathers up inside the beads, securing them with a small amount of glue.

To make the loop to hang your Dream Catcher, use a 8" piece of suede. Fold it in half and tie a knot in the open end. At the top of the ring, attach the lacing slipping the loop end through the ring and then around the ring and over the knot. Pull the lacing tight to secure it in place.

After you've gotten good at it you can make themed dream catchers. I've made one for Halloween using black suede and black and white feathers and attached a skull button to the webbing. I also made a Valentines one using red and white feathers, maroon suede and heart shaped buttons in the webbing. Have fun with it.

If you don't know where to get the supplies I would suggest any craft or hobby store. I personally use Joannes.

I realize there are people out there that think it's rude and disrespectful to make 'themed' dreamcatchers for holidays like Halloween and quite frankly, I don't care. This is a craft and being such, it can be made to fit any theme or holiday that someone wants to make it fit for. 

The Birthday Menace

Oh dear gawd nooo. What is this creepy little elf doing at birthday parties now? It's not bad enough that I see pictures and hear stories about this weirdo little elf around Christmas time but now he's creeping into birthday's as well?

He's supposed to be one of Santa's elves so what is he doing at a birthday party, ya know other than being a total creeper?

To me this shows just how damned greedy the company that makes this little treasure really is. It's not good enough that families all over are getting little Tommy an Elf on The Shelf to hang around and spy on the family all Christmas long and report back to the fat man, noooo now the little bastard has to invade other aspects of our childs life and be around for their birthday parties too? Next we'll be seeing the High School Graduation Elf. Nope, retailers and product companies can just calm the hell down and wait their turn or until their holiday comes around. No cheating!

Sorry but that Elf is a creepy little bastard.

Stop Throwing A Party For Every Event In Your Life!

If you know a lot of people and have a lot of friends, you've probably received some interesting party invitations for parties like the one above. It's a Gender Reveal Party. Yes, that's where the proud parents throw a party to reveal the sex of their baby. 

WTF?

No one but you, the grandparents and maybe your closest friends are going to give a flying *&^% as long as it's a baby and not a dinosaur or half alien from another planet. There's really no need for all these weird ass parties. 

How about a "My First Menstruation" party? No? Too much? I bet someone out there had had one. 

Hey, I'm going through menopause..let's have a party for that! I'll serve ice water and give out fans and some xanax for the mood swings. 

Oh and there's the "Divorce Party" You get divorced and throw yourself and reverse wedding reception. Yes, this is a real thing.

Oh and maybe the best one yet..."The Potty Parties" Yes, the parents want everyone and their uncle to know their little pride and joy has learned how to use the toilet. O.o

When did we start having parties for every event in our lives? When did this become a thing?

Happy Raturday!

Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've gotten permission from Rat Logic's fb page to share their pictures on my blog. So get ready to smile because these are cute. 

*click pictures to enlarge*

Dealing With Menopause- Signs, Symptoms and Relief

So a few months ago I noticed the beginning signs of menopause and I thought to myself, ok no biggie I'll just let nature take it's course and be done with it. 

That is until the hot flashes, headaches, mood swings, itching and nausea started. I'd already decided not to take a prescription hormone therapy drug because most of those drugs like Premarin are made by keeping horses pregnant all the time and collecting their urine to make the pills. Most of the foals are fattened and sent to slaughter houses or sent to meat auctions. I don't condone the abuse and horrendous conditions these horses are kept in therefore I would never take the medicine made from it.

What I have been taking are herbal supplements, herbal tea and eating crackers. 

The two herbal supplements I've been taking are Black Cohosh which gets rid of the hot flashes and St Johns Wart which helps with fatigue, mood swings and depression often caused by menopause. 

After doing some research I also found that some women experience nausea during menopause. This is actually my biggest problem right now. After reading more about it, I found that drinking less coffee and more herbal teas as well as eating crackers will help settle the stomach. I had some herbal tea in the back on one of my cabinets and went ahead and tried it along with some crackers and I was amazed the difference it made. I really didn't expect it to make any difference but I've since bought a lot more herbal teas and don't drink coffee hardly at all now which has helped to settle my stomach so much. 

It's also been 30 days since I've eaten beef. 

That may not sound like a big deal to you but I read that meats high in protein like beef can trigger hot flashes and they were very right, so can caffeine and a lot of extra sugar.  I hardly ate meat before this but I'm eating a lot less now. Hubby eats meat so we still get some just not as much and he's ok with not eating beef  anymore at least for a while. 

So more vegetables and fruits, less caffeine and sugar and more herbal supplements and herbal teas for me. I never would have thought that I would be doing any of this but it's helping and that's what matters. Plus I'm having fun trying out all the herbal teas I had no idea about.

I had been drinking around 12 cups of coffee a day and I've never taken a vitamin or herbal supplement in my life other than the flintstone's vitamins my mom gave me as a kid. So you can see that this is a huge change for me. Hope the info helps out someone else who is going through this. 

Weekly Rat Facts: They Learn To Ignore You

Usually when I go to the cages in the morning to do a spot cleaning and clean out the potty areas, they all come running to play and see what treat I've brought. But sometimes they will ignore me, play hard to get and stay in their beds to see if I will come to them. Flower did that to me the other day. She stuck her head out of the cube to see what I was doing... and when I didn't give her a treat...

She laid back down inside the cube but kept peeking at me until she heard the crackle of the food bags and then she came running over. I found it quite amusing.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A notebook and pen set from Chatabout
Diapers and Wipes
Tums chewables
Tums Refreshers

Las Vegas Sky

Last week we had rain clouds right as the sun was setting and I thought they would make good pictures. I was right.

This was taken from the alley behind my apartment complex.

The clouds let out a little rain and a few bolts of lightning but then went away.

I live really close to a few stores, that's why there are so many signs. Plus on the far left is the off ramp to the freeway.

I thought the sky looked pretty cool though.

And I got a pretty good shot of the moon.