My parents are very frugal, but I think they have finally been convinced that they need a new computer. Their old computer has a floppy disk, which is not standard on most, if any, new computers. My Mom does some ebay selling and uses a Sony Mavica digital camera. It is 7 years old and takes floppy disks. So, not only will they need a new compter but a new digital camera as well.

Her old digital camera was a pain to operate. It didn’t take great pictures. In fact, they installed a fluorescent light in the computer room so that it would take better pictures for ebay stuff. It was also a hassle to transfer pictures from the camera to the computer. Needless to say, current technology is ten times better.

So I’m going to let Mom borrow my old digital camera. It’s a Kodak EasyShare. If she likes it, then she can have it. I think she’ll be amazed by how much she can fit on a small media card.

Most any new computers on the market should fit their needs. They are casual users who like to check email and ebay. I do recommend they get at least a 17 inch LCD monitor. Not only is it a nice screen size, it takes up less room than CRTs. In fact, when I bought my CRT monitor Best Buy was discontinuing selling CRTs.

It’ll be fun when they do get their computer as it is always fun to setup a new computer.

Mr. Stinky Feet is really Jim Cosgrove who performs silly songs for kids. He is coming to our town and will have a concert at a local school. My 15-month old has recently discovered the Wiggles and loves them. I’m hoping she will enjoy Mr. Stinky Feet as well.

I wanted to check out Mr. Stinky Feet on the web and went to his website. I had a brainfart and instead went to mrstinkypants.com and got a shock. Mrstinkypants.com goes to CNN.com. It was a a little odd to say the least. I may have to check another day to see if that is the case or if some hacker is having some fun.

My truck was a quart low on oil. I know that I really should have checked it before the low oil light started glowing brightly. I picked up a quart of oil especially for high mileage vehicles since I’m approaching 200,000 miles.

I use to always use a funnel to pour the oil in but lately I can never locate on when I need it. You can buy the small ones that screw onto the bottle that easily fit into a glove compartment or toolbox. I have one of those somewhere but couldn’t find it. So, I just poured the oil directly into the vehicle.

When you do this, if you turn the bottle to where the straight part of the bottle is the part you are holding it will not make the gulping reflex so bad. When it does that, oil tends to spill out and go all over the engine. While it may seem easier to pour with the straight edge next to the engine, you will have less mess if you hold it the other way.

My computer woes are over for now. My problem with my computer was indeed a loose part. I removed the CPU fan and put it back on. My computer is now working again.

I had suspected that something might have come loose with transporting the computer. Thank goodness this fix didn’t cost us any money.

Live with Regis and Kelly announced this week their Beautiful Baby Search. Ofcourse, I have to enter the little one. I have to decide on which picture to send in. You can easily enter the contest online.

Here is the picture I’m leaning towards:

Deadline is February 5th. The search begins February 19th.

My PC won’t boot up. My computer tech background tells me there are three possibilities:

bad video card
bad memory or
bad CPU

I learned in school that to boot, a computer needs video, memory, and a CPU. I’ve tested everything but the CPU. I have one theory. My computer worked fine until I transported it to my parents for them to use for a while. The CPU might have jarred loose(probably grasping at straws here), so I plan to check that a little later.

Since I have a laptop, right now it isn’t worth it to sink money into fixing it although it is a relatively new machine. Since I built it, it comes with only the Geeky Housewife warranty, which ran out when I purchased the laptop.

The Geeky Husband is thinking about getting him a new computer in a few months, so it’ll only be a few months that we will have one desktop. I guess we can live with that. The 15 month old isn’t doing that much computing yet.

After watching Oprah last week, I learned that the kitchen sponge is good to use to about a month, if it doesn’t competely become too gross to stop using by then. I hadn’t thought of washing a sponge in the washing machine to get a few more uses out of a sponge.

I seldom have a kitchen sponge. I use a brush to clean dishes. My husband usually picks up a sponge every onece in a while, and he is also the one who usually winds up throwing them away.

So, the tip for the kitchen sponge is that if it is older than a month old, toss it. They are cheap enough to afford new ones.

Apple’s big news for the Consumer Electronics Show is the new iPhone. It’s an iPod as well as a cell phone. Apparently Steve Jobs is really excited about this new product.

The iPhone combines a phone, a touch screen iPod, and an Internet communications device. I haven’t read about what services will offer the iPhone. The iPhone is pending FCC approval and is not for sale just yet.

If Apple comes out with their own phone service for the iPhone, then that may peak my interest in this. The iPhone looks to have some cool features, but plenty of other phones have just as many bells and whistles. Time will tell if this is a hit or miss with consumers.

When your little one becomes mobile, it is a whole new world. You will enter uncharted territory. Here is a little advice I can offer of something that I have learned recently. Seasoned parents will be nodding at the computer monitor to this tip.

Check your garbage before taking it to the curb. The garbage is now a big container that is so much fun to throw everything into. We have found the TV remote control, countless toys, and many refrigerator magnets. From now on, you might want to bag anything that makes a mess in the garbage like coffee grounds since you might be digging through it to look for that lost controller or phone. No garbage can is safe at our house. We may have to look into one with a lid and foot pedal.

I have lost several socks while doing the laundry. If I’m not losing socks, then one colored sock always get washed more frequently than the match. I’m not sure how I manage this but it always seems to happen. I have six red socks and none are the same shade of red.

A great way to make sure you don’t lose your socks is the buy safety pins. Pin your socks together when you take them off. You can buy a pack of safety pins for a few dollars. I would keep the safety pins in a trinket box close to the area where I take off my socks everyday. I have safety pins in the bathroom, bedroom, and living room. This way when I take off my socks, I know exactly where a safety pin is, ensuring that I keep up with pinning them together.

Another advantage of pinning your socks together is when you do laundry, the match for the sock is already there. Matching socks can be tedious and the worst part of doing laundry to me. Pinning your socks may be time consuming, but the time it’ll save you down the road makes it worth the effort.