Taking care of your PC is like taking care of your house. You ignore it and soon you won’t be able to do anything because of all the junk in your way. This is what I’m experiencing with both my computer and home. I’m beginning to think that it would be easier to buy a new PC rather than fix our old one and to move into a new place instead of de-cluttering. Both efforts seem futile some days.

Lifehacker had an article about a free PC scanning program. There used to be a great one I knew about years ago. This one I used yesterday had some suggestions but nothing too earth-shattering like you have a trojan virus and that is the reason your computer is so slow.

One issue is our Internet. We have satellite Internet which is currently our only option for high speed. But when two computers are on the Internet at the same time, one computer gets the shaft while the other one is not affected. My husband used to complain about this all the time since it was the desktop PC that got the shaft. My laptop would be surfing fine. That issue is hard to find an answer for as Google has been no help.

We have decided to buy a new desktop PC at the end of August – maybe even a new router. Ours is working fine but maybe something newer would be better? I will have to turn to Google and maybe it will be more helpful this time -or maybe you have a suggestion. We have been out of the electronic tech loop for about three years – so yeah it is like we know nothing at all. Everything has changed.

Busy moms don’t have much time to spare, so anything that can help to improve that scenario is always going to be a great idea. Mobile broadband is one solution for busy moms that work as well as if you’re a mom who loves to spend time online, browsing the web, checking emails and posting social networking updates.

All you need to do is work out which device is going to best for your needs, as there are a wealth of different gadgets and gizmos that’ll allow you to get the best from your new found mobile connectivity.

Laptops have traditionally been favoured by people who want computing power but portability on the move, but take a look at the netbook marketplace too as these are smaller, often cheaper, but pack a decent computing punch into the bargain.

Time for change

However, if you’re looking for an even more portable device that you can pick up easily even if your hands are full, then the Apple iPad, or a tablet style computer like it, will more than fit the bill. These are compact and lightweight computers that offer lots of functionality and a great all round mobile broadband user experience. Get a Wi-Fi model that’ll allow you to use free wireless hotspots when you’re out and about as this is cheaper than using your mobile quota all the time.

Of course, it’s difficult to ignore the huge range of smartphones that are also on the market. The great thing about this is that, much like the rest of the computing world, it’s a very competitive area and all that points to great deals and offers. Admittedly smartphones have smaller screens and keyboards, but these can be great little devices for posting social networking updates, emailing and also browsing the web. They’re pretty handy for making calls too.

Best of both

Better still, shop around for some of the deals that combine both a tablet and a smartphone into one handy high-tech combination. You’ll doubtless have to sign up for a contract, but this can be a great way to go if you’re looking for the ultimate in connectivity and convenience.

Mobile broadband does have its limitations, and it isn’t really a replacement to home based broadband services – it’s more of a supplement. Nevertheless, if you enjoy staying connected and use a phone, email, the web and social networking, not just at home but all over the place, then any one of these great gadgets should fit the bill.

This post was contributed by Rob Clymo, who writes on behalf of www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, helping you find the best free laptop deals and options for the latest in netbooks, tablets and smartphones.

Most of my plants have burnt to death because of the extreme heat. Today I was surveying the damage because in a few weeks I plan on doing some more planting. In one pot, the flower may be gone, but there is a new tenant.

This is a much cuter mushroom than the others that have popped up in the yard. It reminds me of Plants vs. Zombies – it is just very pristine and refine. That makes it stick out in the wasteland that is my flower garden. I love it, so maybe I should just ignore it and it will do fine. If I try to take care of it, the mushroom will be dead in three days.

Our life happens in our living room. It is where we watch television, play board games, do computer work, eat, and sometimes sleep. The living room is our gathering place that has many functions and is in desperate need of lighting.

Our current lighting structure consists of an overhead light and a lamp. We really need more, indirect lighting. Some wall sconces like these Kichler bath lighting would be a good choice. Even though these are for a bath, it would give off soft lighting in certain areas of the living room. This would be a nice choice for lighting around the computer desk since it is in a dark corner.

Our living room is also connected to our kitchen/dining room area – so replacing our kitchen lighting just seems to make sense, too. This will make the rooms flow better. Kichler Lighting is a style I really like and would work well with our home decor. It would be nice to have a uniform look instead of what we have now.

Since we are daydreaming about lighting, since I planted a flower garden in the spring, I have been wanting to add lighting to it. The Kichler Outdoor Lighting gives me a lot of good ideas. We have a path that needs to be well lit since we use it a lot at night. I would love lighting there and a couple of spotlights on plants that are not dying. Unfortunately, there are only a few of those as the blistering summer heat has claimed a lot of my beautiful flowers.

It will probably be a few months before we do anything with our lighting. There are just too many other small projects before we take care of it – but it is never too early to start window – or in this case web – shopping.

My daughter loves to cook in the kitchen. Too bad she has a Mommy who seldom cooks – but I’m trying to do better and cook dishes that she can help cook.

A few weeks ago, we made homemade pizza. Rae enjoyed mixing the dough and wanted to toss it up in the air like she had seen on some television show. Luckily her Daddy used to work as a manager of a pizza restaurant and knows a thing or two about tossing dough. Unfortunately our dough was too soft to throw in the air. We will have to try again soon – maybe find a nice pizza dough recipe online that would be better for tossing.

Rae loves flour. I had bought some all-purpose flour for some recipe a while back and have nearly all of it left since I prefer self-rising flour. This works perfect since Rae can ‘play’ in her flour when she is done with her cooking part. I read a suggestion that when cooking with kids have their workspace a baking sheet or other small area to confine the mess. I’m going to use her plastic place mat next time we cook pizza – hopefully that will make cleanup a little easier.

Pizza night will now be Saturday night – that way I have plenty of time to get ready for cooking and cleaning up the mess afterwards.

While thumbing through the August 2011 Rachel Ray Magazine, I came across an article that grabbed my attention. The article listed ten uses of beer – and not one of them was to drink or to cook.

I love finding home remedies and uses for products that are not their intended purpose. I do plan to try all of these out and report my findings. First I must buy beer and decide where to start.

The one that most interests me right now is the claim that washing your pillow cases with water-downed beer will help you get a better night’s sleep. This is very important to us – especially with school right around the corner. We need to get our daughter in bed earlier and she needs to get a good night’s sleep. When I told my husband this claim, we joked that maybe the smell of beer makes you remember all the times your drank too much and slept it off soundly.

The beer has to be a hops variety – whatever that means. I am beer illerate. I will have to read up on hops beer. This weekend will test out the pillow case claim and see if that makes any difference in our sleep.

It seems all of our friends are moving this summer. Some friends bought a house while others are relocating for new jobs. I do not envy them as I loathe moving. In fact, I’ve told my husband that the next time we move, we should just start with a clean slate and leave everything behind.

HGTV’s Lisa Laporta offers moving tips for those unfortunate folks who are planning a move. There are so many things to take into account when moving. The packing may be the most laborious part. There are a million little details that must be done when moving into a new place. Lisa will help sort out all those tiny details. She also gives tips that will help you keep on task to take care of all of those little details. Lisa also has advice on how to incorporate all the latest home entertainment technology into your new home.

CableMover

Our friends started packing this week for their move in two weeks. They have already filled about 20 boxes. You can never have too many boxes when moving. A small amount of stuff will take up four or five boxes. When we have moved, packing always takes way too long and way too many boxes. They are also moving during one of the hottest months of the year. I do not envy them. They have asked for help from their friends, and to make it worth their while are throwing in a free meal and drinks. That’s the real key to getting help when you move: offer your friends something free like a meal.

I will have to pass along these tips from Lisa Laporta. Maybe her advice will make their move a little easier.

83 years ago today, sliced bread was introduced, and the world has never been the same. That fateful improvement on a delicious product gave us the phrase ‘best thing since sliced bread.’ Where would we be without that phrase much less sliced bread?

Without sliced bread, we wouldn’t have toast and sandwiches. I can’t imagine not having sandwiches. Sliced bread is also one of those products that shows you don’t have to have an original idea to be successful; you can just improve a product already on the market.

Now to go fix me a sandwich on toasted bread. Yummy.

What I miss most from my day’s of being a housewife is my daily nap. Today I was complaining to my husband about how tired I feel when I get home from work. His suggestion? Take a nap. He’s right. A quick 20 minute nap when I get home from work would do me wonders. I feel so guilty for taking a nap but there is no denying that I do feel better those days I get a little extra shut-eye.

A nap helps me get to move household tasks. Those days I don’t take a nap – I take three times as long to do simple things like doing the dishes or sweeping the floor. It takes me so long because I have to mentally motivate myself to do it. When I’m rested, I can jump on those household chores without a huge pep talk. I still need to motivate myself – but I can do it in less time if I’m not dog tired.

So even though working is putting quite the damper on my household activities, it looks like I will be able to get in my daily nap once more. That should make my time at home more productive.