Happy National Chip & Dip Day and National Puppy Day!

As if we needed another reason to celebrate the end of the week. Time to kick back with a cute puppy and some snacks! Happy Friday!

It’s National Chip and Dip Day!

Chips and dip are the iconic American party snack. Whether you prefer tortilla chips, potato chips, or corn chips, there are dozens of dips to complement your snack of choice.

Humans have been dipping their food into sweet and savory sauces for centuries. Some of the earliest dips were hummus and olive oil, which originated in the Mediterranean region and are still very popular today. Salsas and dips made with sour cream became popular in the United States in the 1940s. After the Great Depression, many middle class families found themselves without a maid for the first time. Chips and dip became the go-to party dish because it was so simple to prepare.

To celebrate National Chip and Dip Day, invite some friends over for a potluck-style chip and dip party!

Today is also National Puppy Day!

A woman named Colleen Paige declared the first National Puppy Day in 2006. The purpose of the occasion is to celebrate the unconditional love and joy that puppies bring to our lives, and to raise awareness about the horrors of puppy mills.

There are more than 8,000 puppy mills and “backyard breeders” in America that supply our nation’s pet stores. The dogs at these puppy mills are kept in terrible conditions and are often killed when they are no longer fertile. How can you make a difference? The official motto of National Puppy Day is, “Adopt instead of shop!”

To celebrate National Puppy Day, give a puppy a hug, learn more about this important issue, or adopt a dog from your local shelter!

Keep up-to-date on all your strange holidays at www.punchbowl.com.

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Around the Office Happenings With a Guide to March Madness @ The Topes Tattler

Check out the happenings in the Isotopes office!

Here in the ‘Topes front office there’s a lot of action going on as our 10th season rapidly approaches. From the Pro Shop to the fields of Belen Little League, everyone has their glove-hands full (see what I did there?). Let’s check in with some of the big happenings over the next month:

• Fans can begin to redeem their season ticket plans starting on Monday, March 26 at 10:30 AM through March 28. With a great schedule ahead, you definitely don’t want to miss a game.
• Club Read just kicked off with some great incentives for kids to crack open a few books this season. Dion’s Pizza and your ‘Topes will be giving away some awesome prizes to participants.
• With the Lobos beginning play, our stadium operations crew has been hard at work sprucing up the stadium in preparation for our home opener. The field is starting to look great and it kind of feels like baseball season around here again.
• Speaking of that, the home opener is less than a month away when the ‘Topes take on the Omaha Storm Chasers on Friday, April 13 at 7:05 PM.
• Minor League Makeover starts on March 20 when the ‘Topes grounds crew will begin touching up Belen’s field. Home Depot has also joined the action and donated supplies for the project.
• The Pro Shop is fully stocked with great gear for the 2012 season. Take a look at our own Assistant Director of Retail Operations, Patrick Westrick, as he shows off what’s become his new home over the past few days:

(BELOW: Assistant Director of Retail Operations, Patrick Westrick shows off some 'Topes gear)

And also in the office, we’re all dialed in for some NCAA basketball, which means ’round the clock “expert” talk about basketball.

Even when you haven’t been watching any of the season.

So as the water cooler becomes the most crowded place in the office and the big wigs lock their doors because of a sudden “important meeting” (everyone knows you’re watching the games in there), please make sure to avoid the following mishaps for the madness that is the NCAA Tourney:

1. The “No That’s Not Going To Happen” Card: Don’t be THAT guy that reads over other people’s bracket and quickly points out that “No! That pick will never happen!” I don’t care how many hours of “Bracketology” you watched, you’re not the Schwab for a reason.

2. Bringing Up Others’ Brackets Just To Talk About Your Own: It’s the same rules as Fantasy Football; everyone wants to talk about their team, but no one cares, AT ALL, about anyone else’s team. Please don’t come strike up a thrilling conversation to hear the winner of my bracket when you have a 15-minute speech-of-the-century planned about that INTENSE 8/9 matchup.

3. Not Paying An Entrance Fee: I’m not condoning gambling, but if, by some far-shot chance, you’re involved in some exchange of money, goods or services for an NCAA pool, please, please, please pay the entrance fee ON TIME. Everyone knows that one person who keeps “forgetting” to ante up just in time for their bracket champion to lose in the third round. This, of course, is followed by “Well, I’m not paying now,” and 365 days to remember why you’ll never let that person join the brackets again.

4. Claiming You Knew That Upset Was Coming, And Not Putting It In Your Bracket:The list is long and frustrating; all those no-names that conveniently remind you of your bracket being destroyed. And then there are the teams that actually destroy your brackets. If you think Long Beach State is going to tear through the first few rounds and show up in the Final Four, then by-goodness, PUT IT in your brackets. I’ll entertain your “I knew Butler would win” rant as long as you have it in ink. If not, the next upset will be coming from you as you’re not allowed to watch the games with the rest of the group.

5. Picking UNC/Duke: ‘Nuff said.

6. Putting All 1-Seeds In The Final Four: This is self explanatory. Sure, they’re one seeds for a reason. And sure, they have the easiest path to the championship. But no, you aren’t allowed to pick all four in the Final Four. I’ll give you two teams…heck, I’ll  even give you three of the one seeds because I’m in a good mood from wearing jeans to the office today, but not all four. This just ruins any madness from this tournament when you pick the “best” teams to beat everyone else. I vote you let your hair down, live a little, and put that double-digit seed in the Final Four. Plus, you’ll have legitimate bragging rights about it (see number 4).

7. Informing Everyone That Your School Will Win It All: I’m sure your die-hard dedication to the alma mater will propel the team to an amazing run, blowing out every opponent along the way. My own Norfolk State is playing the two seed Missouri? Laughable. Just don’t. We all know you have insider news into your school you once went to for a few years and might have said “hi” to the basketball coach once while you were there, but don’t try to convince other people a 14 seed with an 18-16 record is a sure bet to win it all.

8. Pretending Not To Care: This is by far the worst move in the history of NCAA March Madness. No matter how little you know about basketball, or even sports in general, you DO care about this thing. Don’t be the killjoy that is “above” buzzer beaters and upsets. I’m not saying you’ll lose friends for pretending not to care, but you might find your weekend schedule quickly opening up.

All that being said, opening day can’t come soon enough. With great happenings around the office and a little Madness on the side, we’re finding ways to keep ourselves entertained until the first crack of the bat.

And hopefully it won’t come from me when someone violates a March Madness mishap.

Read more at http://mlblogstopesblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/around-the-office-happenings-with-a-guide-to-march-madness/

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How to Save Money on Kids Clothes

We need more articles like these…clear, simple, and packed full with great money-saving tips!

The marketing world may convince us that clothing must be replaced and updated each season, even kids clothes. But personally I’d rather put more money into a college account than try to keep up with the Joneses. That doesn’t mean kids shouldn’t look nice. But there are lots of ways to extend the life of kids clothes without sending them out the door looking sloppy or unkempt.

Buy Classic and Neutral

The basic tenant of any wardrobe is to invest in classic and neutral. You hear it all the time in reference to a woman’s wardrobe. If you want to have more options, buy classic pieces that will stand the test of time and then add a couple of trendy pieces for fun. Kids clothes are no different, especially if you have your eyes set on handing down the clothes or reselling them. While it’s true that kids clothes rarely trend as quickly as woman’s fashions, there ARE colors, characters and girls’ dress styles that can become dated. So to maximize your budget, populate the kids wardrobe with classic pants, skirts and tops that can be mixed and matched, then add two or three fun pieces each season.

Consider the Uniform

Before you say, ‘I would never stifle my child’s creativity and individuality like that,’ consider this: a uniform doesn’t have to be khaki pants and a white button-down shirt every day.

As a nanny, I cared for an athletic little boy who wore sweatpants each day (please note that these were well-fitting, clean, and free of holes) with a tidy t-shirt (in the winter we added on a sweatshirt). His mom discovered a style that her son loved to wear and was comfortable in and turned that into his “uniform.” At the beginning of each school year, she purchased 5 pairs of the sweatpants with matching sweatshirts, a stack of t-shirts and one or two “nice” outfits. We would just rotate the sweats+t-shirt combos during the week. There was no morning battle over what to wear and she maintained a conservative clothing budget. Let me also just add that it made laundry a breeze. He was even able to easily put his clothes away on his own because his dresser was not stuffed full with too many clothing options.

Maybe your child’s uniform would be jeans and a t-shirt or button-down, or a skirt and top. Use their favorite daily style to simplify dressing and reduce costs.

Layer for the Seasons

Instead of running out at the beginning of each season to replace warm-weather clothes with cold-weather ones, try extending the life of warm weather clothes with layering techniques. Here are some ideas:

• Layer a long-sleeved t-shirt under a short-sleeved shirt
• Put a t-shirt under a light-weight button-down shirt
• Add leggings under a summery dress or skirt
• Pull a sweater over a light dress or add a t-shirt under a sleeveless dress

Cut ‘Em Off or Patch ‘Em Up

When I was little most of our school clothes evolved into summer grubbies (this was my mom’s term for clothes we could make a mess in). Jeans that were too short got cut off about mid-thigh for summer shorts. Stretched out, faded t-shirts became bathing suit cover-ups or more often, the softest pajamas you could dream in. We were run-around, get-messy, play-hard kids so my parents got every dime out of our clothes. We were also on a tight budget so my mother would mend or patch anything that still had some good life in it.

Remember the little boy for whom I was a nanny? In the spring his mother would cut off those sweatpants and put a tidy (and very simple) hem around the bottom to make them into shorts. Then he was able to wear them just about anywhere without looking grungy.

End of the Line

At the end of their wearable lives, most of our clothes ended up cut into rags. But I have seem some beautiful crafts made with clothing scraps as well, such as memory quilts and rag rugs. What ideas do you have for clothes at the end of their wearability? We’d love to hear your ideas!

How do you extend the life of your kids clothes?

Read more at ColoradoParent.wordpress.com.

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New Mexico man registers dog to vote using fake name, social security number

This owner said he was trying to draw attention to some serious problems with the voting registration system. Do you think he succeeded?

A dog is man's best friend — and now he can even accompany him to the voting booth.


An Albuquerque, N.M., resident has successfully registered his dog to vote in Bernalillo County, he told KOB-TV.


The dog’s owner said he used fake information to sign Buddy up at a voter registration booth at the University of New Mexico.


“I made up a birthdate and I made up a Social Security number, and I had a voter registration card in my hand for Buddy two weeks later,” he told the TV station after receiving the card in the mail on Wednesday.


The man, who doesn't actually plan to vote using Buddy’s name, said he was only trying to prove that there are problems with the registration system.


“They should verify,” he told KOB-TV. “Somebody should have verified this information and somebody should have come out and took a look at exactly who it was.


“We’re going to have a lot of people that are registered to vote that shouldn’t be able to vote,” he added.


Bernalillo County Clerk's Office told the station the office followed state law, which doesn't require proof of a voter’s Social Security number, date of birth or name when registering.


According to Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Buddy's owner committed voter fraud.


“I would warn those individuals who think this type of activity is a joke or a ‘gotcha’ that, regardless of their intentions, they have broken the law and will therefore have to be subject to due process of law,” she told KOB-TV.


Toulouse Oliver added that it was “disheartening that someone would attempt to present fraudulent information to test a system that the state legislature has intended to foster participation in the voting process.”

Read more at NYDailyNews.com.

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