Wandering around pinterest and this post about "Tricky People are the New Strangers" popped out at me. So I followed the bunny trail and read the article. It is pretty good, you should read it. The comments following will drive you batty though, so I will warn you about that.

Basically it is an article explaining to parents why teaching your child "not to talk to strangers" just doesn't work. I completely agree. We never have given that advise to AJ as he needs to talk to strangers all the time and often it is us as parents encouraging him to do so.

As he is getting older he needs to gain the confidence to speak up when needed. We encourage him to ask questions, be assertive - that means speaking to strangers often. We have stopped ordering for him in restaurants, he is the one who needs to ask if he can make substitutions or ask for a refill. When travelling last summer we went through a drive-thru and our order was wrong. I gave him the receipt and sent him back in to get it fixed. It's a little scary for him at times, but he gets better each time and is proud of himself afterwards.

We also use times when we are out to teach manners. Not just please and thank you, but things like looking people in the eye, speaking up and not mumbling, asking others questions about themselves and really listening, holding the door and looking for ways to help someone else. The Boy Scouts call it "do a good turn daily".

These things don't just occur naturally for everyone, some need more practice than others for it to feel natural. So, look for opportunities everywhere and let your child feel a little uncomfortable every now and then. It's the stretching of their wings before they fly!

Back-to-School Supplies

Photo credit:  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I love back-to-school time, mostly because my favorite things in the world are now on sale! Paper, pens, art supplies!! Oh, the smell of a fresh box of crayons (the big crayola box with the built in sharpener, obviously!). 

I belong to a fabulous yahoo group where we discuss almost everything and every Tuesday one of the gals posts a Tuesday Ten to get us thinking, writing and discussing. This week it was back to school supplies and so I thought I would also include my list here for you all. I know I am not alone in this obsession, so please - comment below and let me know what your favorite back-to-school supplies would be! 

If you were starting back to school now (as an adult or as the child in your mind), what 10 things would you need  to feel ready for success.  

1. I'd have to start with a cool messenger bag with room enough to hold everything I needed, everything would be easily found and not get lost at the bottom and it would be virtually weightless despite the 20lbs of stuff I put into it.

2. My new wardrobe with be fairly monochromatic, ultra stylish and comfortable. It would make me look thinner and younger and I would always have quirky jewelry and accessories, such as scarves and a hat. A really great hat.

3. I would have wonderfully new transition glasses with a gorgeous frame and the right Rx.

4. A new netbook with all the bells and whistles and a gigaload of memory and never runs out of battery life. Purple or blue.

5. My iPhone would be loaded up with tons of great music, lots of helpful apps, and emergency numbers (kinda like phone a friend on that Millionaire game) people would be categorized by their expertise. Shakespeare, call Cheryl. Math, call Dave. Science, call Rick or Maria.

6. New art journal with pages already mostly prepped so I can pull it out and write down thoughts and quotes at random. 

7. This lunchbox: In the larger size with customizable magnets to spiff it up and the cool carrier.

8. A mo-ped or something similar. Easy to get around, great on gas and can park anywhere.

9. Lots of new pens in every imaginable color - the all write beautifully on any surface, never smear and never bleed through. Oh, and never ever would run out of ink!

10. New notebooks, binders - all with unique tabs, dividers and colors, every type of paper imaginable (graphs of every size, lined and unlined, parchment, etc.) 

11. 50 more IQ points :0)

I discovered after posting this to the group that I am not the only one who considers a crayon completely useless once it has broken or the wrapper has come off. A box with a color missing is also no longer good and needs to be replaced! (okay, as an adult I am now better and will use pretty much anything and even recycle broken crayons  - but the child in me cringes and cries.) My brother would purposely make me cry by breaking his own crayons. He was never allowed near mine! Yes, my poor mom had to buy us our own boxes.

I moved on from my crayon obsession (kinda) and moved onto pens. Oh, how I love pens. Trying to find that perfect pen. The color just right, how it glides across the paper, the weight of it in your hand, the ink that doesn't smear, bleed through or feather out. It is a lifelong pursuit. I love stationary stores that have isles and isles of pens in all various rainbow colors out on display and little pads of paper to try them out. I knew my friend Toni and I were soul sisters when we wandered into a wonderful such place in Iceland and spent what felt like hours trying out each and every pen they had. Such a satisfying way to spend an afternoon!

I'd love to continue this post, I could go on for hours - if you are still reading - Thank You!! Instead I think I'm going to head out to our local Hallmark store and see if they got any new pens in that I can try out. :0) You wanna come with me, I'll only be a quick minute... ha ha ha ha ha

Secret for a Happy Marriage

Brian and I will hit our 20th anniversary next year. I am going to give you one of the secrets to our happy marriage. Not the biggest secret, or the flashiest, but an important one, none the less.

Multiple Clocks

"How can having multiple clocks lead to 20 years of wedded bliss?" is what you are currently asking yourself. I'll try to explain.

Brian and my view on telling time is very different. Fundamentally different. I grew up in a house that was stuffed with clocks. My parents collect them. Friends from my childhood could tell you stories of my ticking house. There were clocks everywhere, each wall usually had at least one, if not five. The coo coo clocks and the Grandfather clock were the loudest, but they all ticked and chimed. (I could never get away with making prank calls to my friends, even before the age of caller ID). I like clocks that tick, clocks that chime, and clocks with hands.

My husband likes digital clocks. Now you are wondering how this constitutes a fundamentally different view on telling time. Well, here it is: Brian likes to know what time it is. Period. He will ask someone what time it is and what they tell him is good enough. He can look at the numbers on a digital clock and they give him all the information he needs.

I need more. I also need to know what time it isn't. I need to know within the framework of a clocks face, where my point in time lives. I don't need to know exactly what time it is so much as I just need to know where in time it is.

If someone tells me that it is 10:07am, my brain draws it's own clock so that I can envision that I'm mostly through the morning, but still a good bit of time away from Noon. I'm at the top of the hour, the hand not sitting stoutly on a thick line, but has just passed it and is lounging between the :05 and the :10 lines. I like the movements of a pendulum or a second hand, I like to see time as it passes. A digital clock going from 10:07 to 10:08 is so abrupt, almost jarring. I think I would have been good with sun dials and sand-filled hour glasses.

So, here is our secret. In the dining room there is a baker's rack where our microwave lives. It also has on it a digital clock, good for telling time while in the dining room. Sitting right next to it, is another clock, one with hands.

In our living room, we have a big unit around our TV. The shelf on top of the TV is also a good place to have a clock, or two:

(I'm guessing you are figuring out our secret.) 

In our bathroom there wasn't a whole lot of room. So this is just outside the door:

And this is inside the bathroom:

And although the clock on the stove and the coffee pot both work:

I also have this prominently situated so I can see it from where ever I'm standing in the kitchen:

I do miss not having a second hand on this one though...

There you go. That's our secret. "His and Hers" isn't just for towels. It makes a lot of sense in multiple areas of relationships. From our vehicles, choice of cheese, types of shampoo, and I've even heard of bank accounts - sometimes it is better to have a "his and hers". I'm all for compromising, overlooking the quirks of the one you love, sacrifice if need be - but if you can... why not just buy another clock?

She's Cussing up a storm!

Ha - that got your attention didn't it!


I'm not trying to push the blogging envelope here, and I'm not going to be typing anything vulgar so you can uncover your eyes. This is simply and observational post, something I've been thinking about for awhile and thought I'd share.


I consider cussing and cursing to be two different things. Although some sources I found say that cussing is just a euphemism for cursing, I don't agree. For myself, cussing is an expression or a profanity and cursing is just that "to curse" asking for something evil or bad to befall that of another. Cussing is used to make a point stronger, make a feeling known or to express excessive amounts of frustration. Cursing usually involves invoking the name of our Lord, is mean/insulting and usually vulgar.


I grew up in a household where there was mild cussing. I knew not to do it, I wasn't an adult and didn't have that privilege yet. I say mild cussing because although it was frequent, it wasn't very vulgar. I rarely heard the f-word or anything outrageous. My parents cussing was often quite amusing. (I love listening to older generations cuss!) My Dad was really good at it. I grew up thinking that a rat-fink was the worst thing you could call someone or something that wasn't doing what you wanted. And if my dad didn't believe something, it was a load of Bullshaviki. I didn't realize until recently what he was actually saying was related to the Bolshevik party in Russia, what was the beginning of their communist party. Of course, growing up I heard all the other more standard four-letter words and the third commandment broken often in plenty of places.


I think most people cuss at some point. It has actually been shown that it creates bonds among people and it really does ease pain when you get hurt, as long as it isn't overused. Of course, most of us with kids try to be creative so that our darlings aren't repeating what they hear at inopportune moments (out in public). I read something about how replacing a similar word for a cuss word (also called a minced oath) is "just the same" as saying the original word. I don't tend to agree with that, especially when it comes to kids. If they are watching a movie and hear "oh, Snap" (Chicken Little, Disney 2005) and repeat it to their friends. I don't think they actually know what they are saying is "Oh, Shit" like the rest of us who grew up before "Oh, Snap" was created. I think the same holds true for "Shut the front door". I have no problem with my child repeating it although others might, as it sounds very close to "shut the f-up" and is used in the same way.


As a pre-teen I learned to cuss in other languages, or make up words, or use words that were already out there. There were tons of TV shows growing up that taught us how to cuss without really cussing. Mork from Mork and Mindy said "Shazbot", Flo telling Mel to "Kiss my grits" (yea, we all knew what "grits" meant), the cute kid from Different Strokes "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?", Wilma was always ready with a Jeenkies or Shaggy with a Zoiks! (Scooby-doo), and Battlestar Galactica is probably the worst offender of all with using the word frek in every freking sentence.


So what creative ways do you have to cuss that won't land a dollar in the swear jar? Here are a few of my favorites gathered from all over the place. Feel free to add them to your repertoire as needed. 


Gee Wilikers
Jumpin' Johosephat
Shazam (I don't think anyone says this anymore)
Shazbot
Wholie Crow (and any variation of the Batman/Robin explicitives)
Goodness Gravy (a favorite of mine)
Son of a Mother (one of my hubby's favorites)
Jimminy Cricket (one of those minced oaths that some people don't take a cotton to)
What in the Dickens
What the freak (one my son would say constantly if I allowed it)
Shut the front door
Oh, Snap
Dagnabit (another of my personal favorites)
Bullsheviki (thanks Dad, for the BS alternative)
Rat-Fink
Pissant (another of my Dad's highly offensive insults)


Well, I hope I didn't offend anyone with this post or the *gasp* list of cusses. Remember, occasionally it might be necessary to cuss - but it is never alright to curse. And save the Lord's name for praises!!

The Summer Catch-Phrase

I have found my catch-phrase for the summer. 


I read a cool blog the other day talking about having a theme for your summer to focus your family so that you get more out of summer instead of ending it and not really having much to show for it. (Please don't ask me, I've tried to find it and have no idea what I was reading. If you know, please leave a comment with the link!) 


I could imagine doing something like, "Our Adventurous Summer", "The Summer of Color", "Flying through Summer" or "A Summer in Bloom" and basing our activities around our theme. We could check out library books, plan day trips, and do crafts all in relation to our theme. Sounds like fun!... Sounds like a lot of work... Sounds like a plan for next year....


This year, instead of a fun theme, I found the catch-phrase that is going to carry me through summer! I'm calling it a catch-phrase because I haven't just said it once. I haven't even just said it once a day. I have caught myself saying it, as if it were a mantra, over and over.


After saying it this morning for the 20th time (it was kind of an A-Ha moment) I decided this would be the catch-phrase of our summer:

Figure It Out

Strange you may think, but it really works on so many levels. If you had a 9 year old son, you'd totally understand. If you had an only child, you would totally understand. Okay -  If you have a kid (or a spouse).... you will totally understand. 


"Mom, I can't get the computer to work."
"Mom, there isn't anything on TV"
"Mom, what day is it today?"
"Mom, why can't I have candy at 8:30am?"
"Mom, I can't find a clean pair of socks."
"Mom, I need a clean spoon."
"Mom, I'm hungry."
"Mom, I'm bored."

"Figure it out."

Now, sometimes it's said sympathetically: "Aw, that's too bad. Guess you'll just have to figure it out." However as we get further into the summer the sympathy has begun to wane and my catch-phrase is all that is left.... I have tried really hard to refrain from screaming it though (I mean, other than in my head). 


So, have you figured out what your summer theme or phrase is yet? Feel free to use mine, it really does work on so many levels! :0)

Honestly, not LOL

Okay, it's almost the New Year and I have decided to try and be more honest and transparent this year. What that means to you is that I will no longer be typing LOL if I'm not really Laughing Out Loud,

Instead, I am submitting a few new acronyms that I will be using from now on. Please learn them so that I do not have to continually explain myself and therefor, defeat the entire purpose of using an acronym.

CTMS - This is Chuckling To Myself, which I guess I could even shorten to CTM since Myself is one word and not two.

GIMH - Grinning In My Head. I mean really, how often do you actually LOL? Most times I am grinning in my head and if I find it really funny, I may even have a smirk on my face.....

SOMF - Smirk On My Face.

JSCOMC! - Just Spewed Coffee On My Computer! Now, that was funny!

Happy New Year!

It's that time of year again!

I love Autumn! I love everything about it, even though here in AZ we really don't get that whole "leaves changing colors" thing. Mostly, the weather finally cools down to a more reasonable daytime temperature. I love this time because it highlights some of my favorite things - the colors of fall, soups and fresh bread, pumpkin in anything!, and everyone getting excited for the holidays. One of my favorite things is when I start to plan our family traditions of giving.

There are so many ways to give and show our appreciation for all that God has blessed us with. I always end the season feeling good about what we did, but wishing it could have been more. So, I am hoping to find even more ways this year to bring that Thankful giving spirit into our family. Please let me know what you all do with your families in the spirit of giving. Below are the things we typically do each year, I hope one or two of them are new to you and things you can begin to incorporate into your traditions!

• Starting now, when the sales start up for cooking and baking, I try to buy extra of any staples that go on sale to donate to the food banks. There are tons of opportunities to donate these items and we try to make sure to do any we come across: our school, cub scouts, as admission to events, at church, etc. Look around, there is a box somewhere you go that is waiting to be filled up!

• Pay your kids their allowance in change or $1 bills and have them keep it in the car, then they always are able to put something in the buckets for the Salvation Army. We like to listen for the bell and see how many we can find in a single day running errands, let them put the money in and remind them to say "Merry Christmas"! 

• Compassion International. We have a sponsor son in Bolivia who is only one month older than AJ. We have been sponsoring him since the boys were 4 years old and we always try to do a little extra around Christmas and his Birthday.

• Kiva.org is a wonderful site where you can loan a little money which is combined with others to make a larger interest free loan to someone who is trying to improve their life. I've just made my forth loan and love to get the updates on repayments so I can pray for the person/organization. It's amazing, check it out!

• Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse. If you have never filled a shoe box for this organization then you are missing a great opportunity! Each year we fill two shoe boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl of AJ's age. He loves shopping for the boy, but I think it's great for him to also have to consider what would make a little girl happy. (Never too early to get guys thinking about making us happy!!) Now, it's even more fun because you can print tracking labels for your boxes and find out what country they are being sent to. We have also received precious thank you letters back from kids that have received our boxes. Collections are going on now, so get on this one quick!

• Our church has an Angel Tree ministry and we pick an ornament to buy a present for a child who has a parent that is currently incarcerated.

• AJ's school also has gives us an opportunity to purchase presents for struggling families in our community. We love looking over the wish lists and then finding kids that have the same likes and interests as AJ. Although, last year he surprised me by wanting to chose ornaments for kids that were much younger than he was, he had a great time shopping for them and remembering what he used to like to play with when he was little. :0)

• Santa's Sack is a favorite tradition started when AJ was 3 years old. That was the first Christmas in our house and Santa left his beautiful velvet bag behind with a note. Santa explained that when he comes back next year he would be happy to collect any toys that AJ no longer plays with or that are a little broken. He would take them with him and fix everything up brand new to have even more toys for those children who might not have as many toys as AJ. So now a few weeks before Christmas we start cleaning in AJ's room and he go through his toys, books and puzzles to fill up Santa's Sack. Once it is filled it is placed right next to the milk, cookies and carrots. The next morning the cookies are just crumbs and the sack is empty and ready to be packed away for next year. (Be sure to have a black trash bag available to move the toys to until they can be donated!)

I'm sure there are many more things that I just can't think of at the moment, I may add comments as more things come to me. Please let me know what are your favorite ways to donate time/money/talents!  I just feel that to avoid the post holiday let-downs I need to remember to do four things: stick to my budget and don't overspend, spend as much time with my loved ones (friends and family) as I can, give from my heart as generously as I can, and honor the meaning of the season and my Savior in all that I do. 

Nearly Vacation!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, life sped up all of a sudden and I'm lagging behind. It's the heat, I'm blaming it all on the heat.

This week AJ has been at his Grandparents house and so during the day it's been quiet around here, you'd think I'd get a lot done - but my inner procrastinator refused to let me do much besides read during the day and stay out of the heat. My 18th Anniversary is coming up on Saturday and so Brian and I took the opportunity to have an entire week celebration rather than trying to squish it all into one night. Dinner out one night, movie out another, a trip to Bookmans one evening and staying in another. It was nice to catch up with each other and figure out where we are headed next. (Figuratively not literally, we DO NOT have orders and have no intentions of seeking any!)

We are going separate ways soon as AJ and myself are leaving soon for a vacation in CA. Brian has too many work commitments right now to be able to take that amount of time off so he's staying home and working while we bask in the coastal 60 degree weather. (I know, don't hate me.)

It always amazes me the amount of stuff that needs to be done before one can leave for anything longer than a weekend. Leaving Brian behind also makes it so that I feel responsible to make sure he is taken care of while I'm gone. To him that means food.  So I've spent a part of this week making meals to stock up the freezer so I know he will have no chance to starve while I'm gone. I usually do everything in a protein group to make it easier on myself and this time I chose ground beef. Everything started from that and so he knows that when he goes out to eat or whatever, order chicken. Sometimes I choose chicken as my protein, especially if I know he's been wanting Taco Bell - making sure he gets a variety.

This time I cooked up 2 lbs of ground beef and 1 lb of pork sausage and from that made a batch of chili, a batch of taco meat for tacos and burritos, and a couple of trays of baked spaghetti. I make them into smaller portions to freeze so that he's only eating it for one or two days instead of one big batch that would last a week. I use foil pans so there isn't much to clean up and write the instructions right on top of the foil so he knows exactly how to heat it up.

When I do chicken I usually make chicken fajitas, a white chicken chili, chicken Doritos casserole and something like chicken and rice. These types of meals are great to make if you know you are going to be busy soon or to put away for a friend who's sick or having a baby.

Off to foggy and cool northern CA to hang with my brother, parents and grandma and hopefully eat my weight in crab and seafood. :0)

What do you think?

Poor Brian. My hubby has to work with young kids all day long. Not young like in grade school, young like early 20's but often with the maturity of grade school kids. When did it become okay for everything to be handed over to people and you not have to work for anything?? The entitlement mentality is rampant and doesn't seem to be getting better, but worse. It isn't about just things anymore either (wanting more than you can afford, expecting people to support you, etc.), it's an attitude that's permeating every part of their lives. Since when did it become acceptable for people to stop "doing for themselves" and relying on others to take care of them completely?

Part of Hubby's job is to inform people of appointments needed, training required, testing dates, etc. He sends out emails requesting that people come into his office to sign for things to show accountability. The most frustrating part of his day is repeating himself over and over to people who refuse to think for themselves and take personal accountability for themselves. They want to be told verbally what do to and when, they do not want to have to read it for themselves. They want reminders sent out, because they don't feel they need to be responsible. If they have a question, they want the answer to be given to them without putting forth any effort to figure it out.  And if they miss an appointment, don't listen to instructions, or don't find the answer to the question they had - It's NOT their Fault!! It's always someone else's fault, always.

So why the rant you may ask? Because I see it in my own son, every day. That entitlement mentality rears it's ugly head. My job, is to beat it out of him, often. When it comes to homework, he wants me to tell him how to do it instead of reading the directions himself. Playing a video game, he wants help as soon as he is stuck before attempting to try. He wants to be told what his chores are everyday! So my new phrase is "What do you think?" I use it often and for everything. I refuse to play into this mentality when I know he is capable of doing it himself. (I used to ask him "Where's your brain?" but that seemed a bit harsh :0)

Just the other day we are out at lunch, invited by friends, and there are balloons everywhere. He of course asks me for one. The answer I give is NO. It's not his birthday, he has balloons at home, he is not entitled to one.  He asks why he can't have one and I respond "Why do you think?" he thinks about it for awhile and comes up with the same reasons I have. We get in the car to leave and he tries to tell me that his friends got balloons even though he didn't. I told him that if it was that important he should have taken care of it himself.

 "How could you have gotten a balloon?" I ask.

"I asked you but you said no." sulky voice included.

"Wasn't my balloon to give you" I reply.

"I could have asked our waitress?" He asks timidly.

"What do you think?"

I will get rid of this ugly entitlement monster yet!! Please, get rid of any living in your house and do the world a favor. Maybe we can have a generation of kids who think for themselves, take responsibility for that which is given to them and show accountability for themselves. Crazy, I know!!

Me and my Mayo

I've slowly been coming to the realization that I have an unhealthy relationship with my Mayo. First, it's not just any mayo - it's gotta be Best Food's (or Hellman's when we are East of ol' Miss) Real Mayonnaise. I've tried other brands, I've tried light and the one made with olive oil - nope, gotta have the real stuff!! And if you mention Miracle Whip, you are dead to me. (except for my best friend, she's weird and allowed). It's not a substitute for mayo, it's nothing like mayo and it's disgusting!!

I began to realize my mayo habit was different from others when I got married. The first time I made dinner for my hubby and served it with a slice of bread smothered with mayo and saw the look on his face, I realized this might not be considered normal to everyone. He was expecting something like bread with butter on it! I don't make these for him anymore and rarely for myself, although there are certain dishes (mostly tomato based) where I just need to have my bread and mayo!

I learned very young that I like ranch dressing on my french fries... although mayo works just great as well. I got lots of strange looks until I went overseas and discovered that I am not the only one!! Lots of people eat their french fries with mayo! And on hot dogs as well - so there!!! Not as weird as I was once told.

I make breakfast burritos and put mayo on the tortilla (eggs and mayo go soooo good together!), I use mayo on the outside of my grilled cheese sandwiches (cooks up to a crispy yummy goodness), and my fruit salads are made with a mayo dressing (yes, mayo and bananas work well together).

In our house we don't use cheese to make veggies more palatable - I make a mayo/mustard/garlic salt dip for them just like my mom did. It is especially good for artichokes, asparagus, cauliflower, mixed frozen veggies, squash... okay, just about everything! Fish is especially yummy when baked under mayo, and coating sticks to chicken much better with mayo instead of an egg wash.

Every time I see pictures of jell-o, it's always topped with cool whip. Blech. Doesn't anyone else eat their jell-o desserts with mayonnaise??

My latest find is peanut butter and mayo sandwiches or crackers. Don't judge!! Give it a try. I also just found out that in Japan they like their margarita glasses rimmed with mayo instead of salt. Anyone up to trying a mayogaria with me?

Eating out

Have you noticed the blogs lately about staying in and not eating out? I think I've read three different blog posts in just the last couple of days, one even issuing a challenge to not eat out for 30 days. This is a great idea, especially if 1) you are trying to lose weight 2) you are trying to save money or 3) it's become a bad habit to "just go out" or "pick up something" because you haven't planned ahead. Personally though, I would never accept this type of challenge!!

I cook most nights and we go out to eat occasionally - more than some - less than others. Sometimes fast food, sometimes a nice sit down place. For us, going out is a treat - something we plan for and something we enjoy doing as a family. It is worked into our budget and we try to save money by looking for those places with free kids meals, coupons, gift certificates, etc.

I always know when Brian comes home from a deployment that he is going to want certain home cooked meals as well as eating out at some favorite spots.  I bought certificates from restaurants.com right before he came home $2 for a $25 certificate. Your bill has to be $35 to use it, but for the three of us at dinner - that's hardly a problem.

Sometimes I like to go out just because it's nice to have choices and have someone else be the chef, waitress, dishwasher besides yours truly. So, as long as you're not struggling with the one or all of the three reasons for not going out above, don't let someone look down on you because you like a nice night out. Plan it out, budget it, and enjoy it guilt free!!

Because no matter what recipe you try - they will never taste exactly like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits!!

Is that a deadline I hear approaching?

I've recently discovered that I am NOT good without a project in mind and a deadline to meet. I seem to just wander aimlessly through my life and not really accomplishing anything. I think that may also be why I can't live without my lists. It's a way of recording several small projects with a deadline. Usually a few things on my list don't get done and get moved to the next list, but that's okay - at least they are out there and identified. I'm a deadline junkie, I need that rush to get something done!

I walked into my craft room the other day. I have a project I need to work on for a friend, but with family visiting right now it's too much to get into. I just kind of stood there, glancing around and had really no idea what to do. I can always think of a million things I want to do, but without a specific need or project in mind, it seems like an indulgent waste of time. I don't have a swap lined up, I don't have a card that needs to get made, I'm not ready to plan AJ's birthday yet although I really need to. I had nothing to motivate me to get it done NOW. I need a deadline! Something I'm working to beat. I want to win.

So I find a cleaning challenge (31 days to clean) and friends to keep me accountable, or invite friends and family over - that's always motivating! I join a book club to keep me on track. I'll go online and find a swap to join or class to take. Soon I'll have deadlines to meet and once again all will be right in my world.

Happy New Year!!

Well, here I go, starting again. It's like New Years... again.

Do you make resolutions? Do you keep them? For how long? I do every year and I don't think I've ever made it out of January. Now, I never go about it the "right way" with a clear and defined resolution. One I can easily define, the steps broken down into manageable and realistic goals and obstacles envisioned and solutions planned. Nope, my resolutions are "lose weight" and "get healthy".

The trouble is, I know what I need to do. I just don't like to do it. I have a condition called Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). One of the symptoms is that I am "pre-diabetic" and it is nearly impossible for me to lose weight without very specific factors being in place. It's what I like to call the perfect triad. I have to have all three things in place and if one of them is not working or non-existent, then I feel like I'm just wasting my time.

The first of the three in the perfect triad is my diet. I should avoid carbs for the most part. I love carbs. No, I LOVE love love love carbs. Anything with sugar is my friend and I would rather have fresh baked bread than pretty much anything else. Beyond Bread is like a crack house for an recovering addict - I just don't go. I fantasize of going. I don't overeat, I just don't eat the right foods. I can get all my calories for a day in carbs quite easily. So, I need to watch those, eat breakfast and stay away from my trigger foods.

The second part is exercise. I hate it. I have never gotten the "endorphin high" I hear about and I think it's a big fat lie. The only reason I see for running is if there is a man with a chain saw and a hockey mask behind me - even then, how fast can he be? He's gotta carry that big heavy chain saw! I am also hot by nature and don't see any reason to make myself any hotter, I live in Tucson. and sweating sucks.

The third and final part of the trifecta is the medicine. I need to take metformin which is a drug for people with type 2 diabetes and has been shown to reduce the symptoms of people with PCOS. Metformin is an evil, vile drug that my body hates with all of it's being. It makes me nauseous, and gives my gastrointestinal tract a workout that, in itself, should cause me to lose weight. Lots and lots of weight. It isn't at all particular about when or where it decides to take it's fiendishness out on my body. I've started and stopped this drug so many times in the last 15 years I couldn't even begin to tally it.

All of that said.....

Once again, I am making a resolution to start to "get healthy" and "lose weight". This time I will be writing down my goal, breaking it into smaller steps and working the plan. The perfect triad is in place. That and the strength of prayer are all I have. Pray for me or wish me luck, I'll let you know periodically how it's going!

Basic Idea?

Why I Hate “New, Unique” Money Tips

I read this article (click above) off of a FB post from The Happy Housewife. At first reading I completely agreed - stick to the basics, they are basics for a reason, no need to re-invent good financial advise. Then I read through it again and realized.... he got the basic premise wrong! How can you write an article about sticking with the basics and then not get the basics right?

The basic idea is this article is:

"Spend less than you earn — invest the difference. That’s all you need to know. The rest is developing the mindset and skills to make these things happen."

It sounded great when you read it right? Here's why it's wrong - the correct mindset: Earn, save, spend what you have to and then invest the difference. Did you catch that extra little bit? Do you know why those four little letters are the most important part?

Most everyone has the same nature. We get money, we spend money and then if there is money left over we think great!! and save it, invest it, or treat ourselves. Then the next month comes along and back in that little part of your mind you remember you had money leftover last month. So this month you earn, you spend and maybe you splurge a bit more and there is a little less money left over at the end of the month. If you are waiting until after the spending part of the formula before you are saving/investing your money you are doing it all wrong!

If you want to get out of debt, if you want to save money for an emergency fund or vacation, if you want to invest in your future - you do it first, NOT LAST. It is too easy to not have money leftover at the end of the month, especially if an emergency or such comes up. Instead, when those earnings come in, you first take out a set amount for giving, an amount to save, an amount to invest - whatever is left is what you get to spend.

And yes, then the equation is really simple and basic - spend less than what you have. If after that there is money leftover... call me and let me know how you did it, and then save it for a rainy day.

Child Labor

I love that AJ is getting old enough to be my minion. Sounds horrible doesn't it - but what is the point of having a child if not for some free labor? Well, scratch that. The labor is no where even close to being free! It's actually the most expensive labor ever if you factor in that to get it we are completely responsible for clothing, feeding, schooling and raising said little minion. There is also the fact that he has learned that for a little extra effort, Mom is willing to pay!

I am working on the 31 day cleaning challenge and skipped day three because Brian was having surgery and I knew I would not be doing much. I carried it over into day four and got AJ to help me complete both tasks. As he's wiping down the lower cabinets for me, he reminds me of a project he helped me with last year that I paid him to do and of course, the money that he earns working for Nonni when we visit.

Thankfully, I remembered that he is able to take money for a general store at the camp he is leaving for on Monday. I was going to give him an envelope with $5 anyway - but he doesn't know that! So I explained that for his help this weekend doing chores and helping with Dad he'd get $5 to take with him to camp. Most Excited Kid Ever! :0) I guess it's time to start doing an allowance for him instead of just handing over our loose change.

Why did I do it???

I'm crazy. I know this. My family all knows this. My friends know this (most are too kind to actually say it).

I was loitering around FB and saw a post by a friend from high school about a new book club that is starting up. It's for the Classics and they are starting with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I think that last year they released a movie based on the book, I haven't seen it - but it put the book on my radar screen as something I was interested in. I don't know if I've actually read the book, or if I just know a lot about it from pieces of info picked up here and there. I know several people who are in the group and I don't want to miss out - So I joined.

I know. I know! I wasn't going to! I mean, it's not like I have the book sitting on my shelf. Oh, wait - I have a kindle ... and most of the classics are free downloads..... Yep, got it.

Now, I'm also reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and have another book in that series still. Then a friend lent me The Hunger Games and I really want to get into that series. I'm also currently doing 31 days to clean which is kind of like a bible study mixed into a cleaning guide for your house. Oh, and I'm reading the Prairie Girl's Guide to life, a book on art journaling, countless blogs and fanfiction. My head is soon to explode. I don't have any problems skipping from book to book and am able to pick right up where I left off - so it doesn't bother me to have more than a few books going at a time. But even I must admit - this is getting a little crazy.

So, what are you reading?

Is it any good? Can I borrow it?  ..... help me, I can't stop......

Addicted to Chocolate!

I saw this posted on FB the other day and laughed. Then I started thinking - that person is crazy! What is chocolate if not that first wonderful bite, the silky smoothness as it melts over your tongue and coats all your taste buds in heavenly velvet. I would be skinny if I could chose whether or not to let food pass beyond my mouth and into my throat - because once it's there I really don't care about it anymore other than wondering where it's going to eventually land (my hips, stomach, thighs, .....). Once it's left my mouth I'm looking for that next hit to my taste buds again, regardless of if I'm hungry still. Maybe this person isn't injecting it in, but sucking it out? Don't get me started on coffee......

Remember on Memorial Day

Remember them.....

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France... A total of 2289

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium... A total of 5329

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France... A total of 4410 

4. Brookwood, England - American Cemetery... A total of 468

5. Cambridge, England... A total of 3812 

 

6. Epinal, France - American Cemetery... A total of 5525 

7. Flanders Field, Belgium... A total of 368

8. Florence, Italy... A total of 4402 

9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium... A total of 7992

10. Lorraine , France... A total of 10,489 

11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg... A total of 5076 

12. Meuse-Argonne... A total of 14246

13. Netherlands, Netherlands... A total of 8301

 

14.  Normandy, France... A total of 9387

 

15. Oise-Aisne, France... A total of 6012 

 

16. Rhone, France... A total of 861

 

17. Sicily, Italy... A total of 7861

 

18. Somme, France... A total of 1844 

 

19. St. Mihiel, France... A total of 4153 

 

20.  Suresnes, France... A total of 1541 

 Apologize to no one.
Remind those of our sacrifice and don't 
confuse arrogance with leadership.
The count is 104,366
dead, brave Americans. 

And we have to watch an
American elected leader who
apologizes to Europe and the
Middle East that our country is "arrogant"!

HOW MANY FRENCH, DUTCH, ITALIANS,
BELGIANS AND BRITS ARE BURIED ON
OUR SOIL... AFTER DEFENDING US 
AGAINST OUR ENEMIES? 

WE DON'T ASK FOR PRAISE...

BUT WE HAVE ABSOULUTELY NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE!

Has Facebook changed your life?

No, seriously. I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how my life is better because of Facebook. (No, this is not a paid advertisement :0)

Now, I'm talking Facebook and not just the internet/www. We started with AOL and email back in 1994 and it was amazing, but it didn't really change my life much other than making it more instantaneous to connect with people. My letters to Brian overseas went much much faster! Basically though, I emailed pretty much the same people I would have called or sent handwritten letters, and so many people didn't have email that I continued to do that for most of our family anyway.

After the 1990's we were in Iceland (2000-2003) and email became a much bigger deal then. Letters took way too long and phone calls were expensive. Plus, to have a taste of home we began using the web more. We googled a lot  for information, tv shows, and even ventured into Myspace briefly. My email list got larger and I had quite a few people following my emails about our adventures on The Rock.

Facebook, however, has blown all that out of the water. I love it. I couldn't imagine my life without it. I am a voyeur by nature; I love to read journals and letters written by other people and I love going through other people's photo albums and medicine cabinets. Now I can do it all from the comfort of my little netbook!

I find I am 'friends' with many more people than I would normally have the energy to maintain contact with. Now, I say 'friends' because they're mostly acquaintances - people who I know and who have a general knowledge of me mostly based on a past vague relationship of circumstances or geography. I may not know much about them, but I truly do care and find their lives almost as fascinating as my own. :0) I enjoy knowing what is going on in their lives and don't mind giving them a peek into mine. I may not have the energy or want to go out of my way to meet up with them in person, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy our brief time together online.

I love that I can keep up with so many people from my school days. There are quite a few I even wish that I lived closer to so we could have a real relationship that was more than a few lines of type and pictures posted.

I love that I can keep up with the friends we've made while in the military. We have all moved on from the places we may have originally met, I think without Facebook I would have lost the energy long ago to keep track of the additional moves and addresses of each one.

I love that I have reconnected with some of my family. I have relationships with cousins now that would probably never have surfaced without Facebook. We were not in contact sometimes because of age differences, but mostly distance from each other and opportunity to get together. I love that I can seen into what their lives are like and have found we have much more in common than just our blood lines.

I love that I feel more connected to our families. I love seeing pictures, reading their random thoughts and knowing what's going on in their lives. I like that I can respond to something said in just a few short sentences and then I know that they know that I was right there with them at that brief moment.

I love that I can now learn more about the people in my life who matter to me. I can read what my nieces and nephews are thinking and going through, teenagers who normally would not want me eavesdropping! :0)

I love that we can connect over things both silly and serious. A post about a tragedy, a rib about a football score, a joke, music videos/lyrics, a request for prayer. It all means so much in my day to day life now, I can't imagine life without it.

My nephew posted on his Facebook page awhile back that he had walked away and couldn't believe he left his computer window open with Facebook still logged on. I responded back.....

                                                                  "You can log off of Facebook??"

It couldn't last

It's finally happened. I knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time. I held it off for as long as I could, but I can't anymore, it was inevitable.

My husband has introduced my son  to wrestling! AAARRRGGGHHHH! I can't stand wrestling. The whole thing is ridiculous. The fake fighting, the outrageous posturing, and the "commentary" makes me vomit in my mouth. When we got married it was understood that I was to be nowhere in the same zip code if he was going to watch wrestling. I had watched soap operas (very briefly during middle school) and so we made a deal. I wouldn't watch those and he wouldn't watch WWE, WWF, or whatever acronym they were using at the time. I felt they were pretty much the same. Lame!!

It started with a new video game for the PS3, it has the old guys my hubby grew up with as well as some of the newer ones. AJ thought it was hilarious but hadn't ever seen in performed by live people on TV. I resisted for as long as I could. Brian loves football which is fine with me, AJ however, doesn't find it very entertaining and only lasts for a couple of downs before heading off to do his own thing. I knew that wrestling would be something they could enjoy together, bond over - and so I caved and suggested it. Yep, I did it to myself.

All I ask is that I'm not in the same zip code while the male bonding commences!!