When I have something on my mind that's too long for a facebook post, that's when I know I've been bit by my blogging bug. Apparently it hasn't bitten me since the middle of last year. Writing is an outlet for me, and since I no longer keep a handwritten journal, sometimes it feels like a craving to get some thoughts down in a written form. Aahhh...
Last year I declared 2011 "the year of my house" in a very joking way. I wanted to get my whole house clean and organized, room by room, you know, every woman's dream. It took me almost an entire month to get my kitchen painted and that's about as far as I got. Until July. One night I decided to look at houses online for fun. And I found my dream home. Uh-oh. The short version of the story is: I declutted my house in a week, (which translates to: cluttering an entire bedroom at my in-laws.), put a sign in our yard, spent a Saturday staging my house for pictures so I could create a flier, showed our house about a dozen times, sold it six weeks later, and in October I was living in a different house-one I think I will be content in for the rest of my life. How's that for "the year of my house"?
This year I decided to work on "me". Mind, body, spirit. Matt and I like to do a 3 week eating better challenge at the beginning of the year. We make up our own guidelines, basicly no animal products, no sugar, no processed stuff, and we eat good food. I'm not one to focus on everything I can't have. I truly felt like I was feasting for 3 weeks! Lots of fruit and vegetables and we also ate things like oatmeal, quinoa, some rice, rice pasta, brown lentils, red lentils, garbanzo beans, and a LOT of fruit and vegetables: kiwi, pears, grapes, strawberries, bananas, clementines, apples, dates, frozen mango, pineapple, and blueberries in smoothies. What I think of as veggies: garlic, onion, tomatoes, carrots, celery, brocoli, kale, swiss chard, zuchini, avacado, fresh spinach, arugula, mixed baby kale, cilantro, parsley. Some of the random items I used: almond milk, rice milk, coconut oil, almond butter, nuts, herbal tea. I gave up lattes (with one exception) and made coffee at home instead. *My one exception was a small latte I had with a dear friend who came to town who I had not seen in about 16 years-we are both coffee lovers, and by all means, I was going to celebrate getting to see her! And take her to Aspen!
My "results" after 3 weeks.
I feel better and my stomach is not bloated at the end of everyday.
I eat more fresh fruit daily. In 3 short weeks, I replaced chips, crackers, pretzels, holiday sweets, chocolate bars, etc, with pretty much just fruit. If I craved chocolate, I ate fresh dates instead and was satisfied.
I drink more water and feel hydrated. A great feeling after about a month of ALWAYS feeling thirsty.
I don't wake up feeling sick and nauseaus.
It sets a good example for my boys. I have found that no matter what I am eating, they will want some! I would rather share apple slices and almond butter with them than a bag of chips or box of crackers.
I found a new love of cooked greens-like swiss chard and kale- and they have become my "winter salad".
I don't remember the last time I made so many good meals in 3 weeks time.
I love soup when it's cold outside.
I try to eat an apple everyday.
I never get tired of grilled vegetables.
I have finally written out a few of my recipes for some people who have been asking me for a long time.
I want to do this 3 week thing more than once a year.
My current challenge is nourishing my spirit. I wanted to get more involved at church and meet some new women, so I'm in a small weekly group and we are reading the Bible in 90 days. I am a Christian. I have read a lot of books in my life. Whole books. Cover to cover. Some I have read more than once. But I have never read the entire Bible cover to cover, which is pretty sad since it is THE book my faith is based on and basically my guidebook for life. I've started it, but never finished. This time I have a plan, accountability, and it's short term. 90 days is more appealing to me than 1 year, even if it means a little more reading time each day. I am excited about this journey and it's going to feel incredible when I read the words, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."! If you hear someone shout "Amen!" around May 1, it's probably me.
(A little background-the man who came up with this 90 day plan was happily agnostic for more than 2 decades. He said he was a business man, and a good, moral person. He thougth his Christian friends were just wasting their time. But he decided to read through the Bible, and he did so secretly. During his reading, he realized he believed what he was reading and accepted it as Truth, and this changed his life. That's the power of the Bible. It is not "just a book".)
The newest thing I'm learning about in the health arena is essential oils. Have you ever noticed that things seem to happen at just the right time? For the last few months, it's been a recurring theme of people asking me about them, mentioning them, and Matt coming home one day saying "I think you'd enjoy learning about essential oils." Um, ok. Then a friend invited me to a class over the weekend and now I'm fascinated. I've got some essential oils ordered that should be here any day and I am so excited to start using them for me, my family, around my house and to help others that ask me, " what do you do for......?" I will finally have an answer. Essential oils have been researched and used for hundreds (thousands?) of years. It's about time I start using them! I picture myself becoming "the crazy, oil lady." But it's better than cats, right!?
The last thought on my current yearly plan is.......exercise! I've never done it regularly. Ever. There are a million other things I'd rather be doing. Like cleaning our bathrooms. Seriously. I'm going to put it off for 88 more days and when I've read through the Bible, I can either keep making excuses or try to find something I enjoy. The weather will be nice then, so maybe I can walk (I hate running) or get brave and workout with Shelley Gray or try her classes. I've got a stash of Pilates videos if I'm feel super motivated and disciplined to do them on my own at home, while both boys are jumping on top of me, wrestling, and knocking me down.
I only felt brave enough to mention exercise because I doubt that Matt will read my blog. But if I hear him laughing hysterically, I'll know that he did. He would be proud of the rest of my changes because I'm heeding the advice he gives me for any complaint I've had in the last 8 1/2 years,
"If you don't like something, why don't you change it?!"
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Saturday, June 4, 2011
A Life Remembered
I hope I never forget
the smell of her perfume
her red hair
stories about the beaches in Florida
her homemade pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and macaroni and cheese
her glasses on a chain around her neck
her laugh
her smile
her love of the color pink
what a giver she was
how onery she was and how my brother teased her
comparing dyed eggs at Easter with my Granny to see whose turned out best
cracking Easter eggs on her head
tennis balls she gave my brother and I that bounced out of the court into her yard
her bright floral couch
the orange tree by her back door
the box of old jewelry she let me have
the little blue bear she gave Baden the last time he visited her
I saw my Great Aunt Ocie for the last time on Memorial Day when I went to the nursing home to visit my Grandma. My Aunt Ocie was a special lady. She was a widow ever since I was a baby. She had been married to an Italian named Gambini and made some of the best Italian food in her younger days and I am fortunate to have her recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. She had no kids of her own, and celebrated all of the holidays with our extended family. There's no way my mom could prepare me for the sight of my Aunt. She told me I wouldn't recognize her, but I wanted to visit her anyway. It was something I HAD to do. When we walked into her room, I instantly recognized her little bruised arms and crooked fingers. Only by God's grace did I not choke up and bawl in that room. I tried to talk to her but could barely understand her weak little voice. I offered to rub some lotion on her arms and told her she smelled good-that's the best way I could show her that day that I loved her. It was the hardest thing I've done in my life and I felt like I instantly matured by about 10 years. She asked me to get some money out of a red pouch in her drawer so she could leave a tip for her nurse. Inside the drawer, I saw a stack of old papers tied with a rubber band, and on the top was a picture of Baden. I told her I loved her and left the room and cried. I knew she was about to die. All week I could not get the image of her out of my mind, an image of a frail old lady who barely resembled my Aunt Ocie. Fortunately I had an appointment with a professional this week who helped me work though the trauma of seeing her like that.
My dad called me this morning and told me she had passed yesterday. I am so thankful I got to see her on Monday. I hope she knew she was loved.
the smell of her perfume
her red hair
stories about the beaches in Florida
her homemade pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and macaroni and cheese
her glasses on a chain around her neck
her laugh
her smile
her love of the color pink
what a giver she was
how onery she was and how my brother teased her
comparing dyed eggs at Easter with my Granny to see whose turned out best
cracking Easter eggs on her head
tennis balls she gave my brother and I that bounced out of the court into her yard
her bright floral couch
the orange tree by her back door
the box of old jewelry she let me have
the little blue bear she gave Baden the last time he visited her
I saw my Great Aunt Ocie for the last time on Memorial Day when I went to the nursing home to visit my Grandma. My Aunt Ocie was a special lady. She was a widow ever since I was a baby. She had been married to an Italian named Gambini and made some of the best Italian food in her younger days and I am fortunate to have her recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. She had no kids of her own, and celebrated all of the holidays with our extended family. There's no way my mom could prepare me for the sight of my Aunt. She told me I wouldn't recognize her, but I wanted to visit her anyway. It was something I HAD to do. When we walked into her room, I instantly recognized her little bruised arms and crooked fingers. Only by God's grace did I not choke up and bawl in that room. I tried to talk to her but could barely understand her weak little voice. I offered to rub some lotion on her arms and told her she smelled good-that's the best way I could show her that day that I loved her. It was the hardest thing I've done in my life and I felt like I instantly matured by about 10 years. She asked me to get some money out of a red pouch in her drawer so she could leave a tip for her nurse. Inside the drawer, I saw a stack of old papers tied with a rubber band, and on the top was a picture of Baden. I told her I loved her and left the room and cried. I knew she was about to die. All week I could not get the image of her out of my mind, an image of a frail old lady who barely resembled my Aunt Ocie. Fortunately I had an appointment with a professional this week who helped me work though the trauma of seeing her like that.
My dad called me this morning and told me she had passed yesterday. I am so thankful I got to see her on Monday. I hope she knew she was loved.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Grandma
She looked beautiful when I walked into the lobby. Her hair was fixed, makeup done, and she had a big smile on her face. Today was the first time I went to visit my dear Grandma in her new "home", a nursing home.
No one knew I had driven past the nursing home minutes earlier, and was parked in an empty church parking lot, crying and trying to pull myself together before I went in.
We ate lunch together and I got to see her new room, which reminded me of my college dorm room, but she had even less space. We sat in the "sunroom" for a couple hours and visited.
After our visit, my mom took me to my Grandma's house, for what may be the last time before it goes up for sale. I wanted one last chance to get a few of my Grandma's belongings that are special to me-her broken mirror that I used to watch her use when she painted on her eyebrows, two spools of thread-my Grandma used to make some of the most beautiful quilts, and a glass out of her cupboard that I remember drinking out of ever since I was a little girl.
My Grandma is a special part of my life. For the past 33 years, I have gone to her house for nearly every major holiday. Some of my fondest childhood memories are visiting her in the summer and getting to spend days at her house.
Today I wish I could have just been a child again,
to have my mom and dad drop me off at Grandma and Grandpa's for the week (at their old house when Grandpa was still living)
to work a jigsaw puzzle on the floor
to sit on their porch and listen to the birds
to have my own cup of coffee that they let me drink
to play in the gravel driveway
to pick seeds from her 4 o'clock plants
to go to the grocery store where Grandma would buy me ritz crackers and tang
to take a bath in the old claw foot tub with her pink bubble bath
to sleep by the window with the attic fan blowing
to go down to the basement and watch my grandma do laundry then hang it on the line to dry
I am thankful to still have my Grandma.
But today I am sad. Sad because I will never get to go to Grandma's "house" to visit her again.
No one knew I had driven past the nursing home minutes earlier, and was parked in an empty church parking lot, crying and trying to pull myself together before I went in.
We ate lunch together and I got to see her new room, which reminded me of my college dorm room, but she had even less space. We sat in the "sunroom" for a couple hours and visited.
After our visit, my mom took me to my Grandma's house, for what may be the last time before it goes up for sale. I wanted one last chance to get a few of my Grandma's belongings that are special to me-her broken mirror that I used to watch her use when she painted on her eyebrows, two spools of thread-my Grandma used to make some of the most beautiful quilts, and a glass out of her cupboard that I remember drinking out of ever since I was a little girl.
My Grandma is a special part of my life. For the past 33 years, I have gone to her house for nearly every major holiday. Some of my fondest childhood memories are visiting her in the summer and getting to spend days at her house.
Today I wish I could have just been a child again,
to have my mom and dad drop me off at Grandma and Grandpa's for the week (at their old house when Grandpa was still living)
to work a jigsaw puzzle on the floor
to sit on their porch and listen to the birds
to have my own cup of coffee that they let me drink
to play in the gravel driveway
to pick seeds from her 4 o'clock plants
to go to the grocery store where Grandma would buy me ritz crackers and tang
to take a bath in the old claw foot tub with her pink bubble bath
to sleep by the window with the attic fan blowing
to go down to the basement and watch my grandma do laundry then hang it on the line to dry
I am thankful to still have my Grandma.
But today I am sad. Sad because I will never get to go to Grandma's "house" to visit her again.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Small Rewards
I think I am a perfectionist but like to pretend that I am not. The mere fact that my house is never clean enough, I am not organized enough, and I never get enough done on any given day pretty much confirms that I am indeed a perfectionist. I think it is perceived as a bad thing and that is why I deny that I am.
Any mom, or woman for that matter, knows that housework has no end. When the dishes are done, I walk into the living room, pick up the dirty ones I forgot, carry them into the kitchen, and start the vicious cycle over again. The same is true for laundry, toys, getting groceries, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, recycling, emptying trash cans, clearing my desk, or cleaning off any flat surface in my home.
In the midst of what feels like one big neverending, unorganized, dirty, somewhat chaotic mess that I call home, these are some of the small things I find rewarding as a perfectionist mom in denial.
*clean burners on the top of the stove
*empty hampers
*fridge stocked with food-drawers and shelves full of colorful, washed produce and everything lined up on the drink shelf-supplements on the left, white milk in the center (rice or almond), chocolate milk on the right (soy or almond)
*getting a washcloth at bathtime and the cabinet is full of clean towels neatly stacked-tan & brown in one stack, green in the other
*waking up to a clean kitchen
*the few minutes after I mop the kitchen when there are no spills and sticky spots
*the dining table with only a centerpiece and placemats
*getting the boys dressed and getting the clothes out of their closet full of clean clothes neatly hung in some sort of order-color coded shirts on the left, pants on the right, possibly a few already put together outfits
*having enough room on my desk to set my purse down
*walking through the house barefoot without having stuff stick to my feet
*retrieving a toy from under anything ang not pulling out a huge dust bunny with it
*empty recycling bins
*being able to locate my cell phone
You get the idea. I like things clean and in order. However, there is a positive twist on all this. All of these "messes" are reminders that I have a wonderful family, an amazing husband and two precious boys who keep me busy and do more than their fair share of contributing to the messes. I'm thankful that I am able to stay home with my boys and therefore have even more time to be annoyed by the mess. I wouldn't trade my husband or either of my boys for a perfectly clean, neatly organized house. Well, maybe just for one day.
Any mom, or woman for that matter, knows that housework has no end. When the dishes are done, I walk into the living room, pick up the dirty ones I forgot, carry them into the kitchen, and start the vicious cycle over again. The same is true for laundry, toys, getting groceries, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, recycling, emptying trash cans, clearing my desk, or cleaning off any flat surface in my home.
In the midst of what feels like one big neverending, unorganized, dirty, somewhat chaotic mess that I call home, these are some of the small things I find rewarding as a perfectionist mom in denial.
*clean burners on the top of the stove
*empty hampers
*fridge stocked with food-drawers and shelves full of colorful, washed produce and everything lined up on the drink shelf-supplements on the left, white milk in the center (rice or almond), chocolate milk on the right (soy or almond)
*getting a washcloth at bathtime and the cabinet is full of clean towels neatly stacked-tan & brown in one stack, green in the other
*waking up to a clean kitchen
*the few minutes after I mop the kitchen when there are no spills and sticky spots
*the dining table with only a centerpiece and placemats
*getting the boys dressed and getting the clothes out of their closet full of clean clothes neatly hung in some sort of order-color coded shirts on the left, pants on the right, possibly a few already put together outfits
*having enough room on my desk to set my purse down
*walking through the house barefoot without having stuff stick to my feet
*retrieving a toy from under anything ang not pulling out a huge dust bunny with it
*empty recycling bins
*being able to locate my cell phone
You get the idea. I like things clean and in order. However, there is a positive twist on all this. All of these "messes" are reminders that I have a wonderful family, an amazing husband and two precious boys who keep me busy and do more than their fair share of contributing to the messes. I'm thankful that I am able to stay home with my boys and therefore have even more time to be annoyed by the mess. I wouldn't trade my husband or either of my boys for a perfectly clean, neatly organized house. Well, maybe just for one day.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Christmas Gift Ideas
Christmas is coming. On December 25, to be exact. I believe it was the same day last year as well. I feel prepared and will not be stressing about gifts in the days leading up to Christmas. My goal is to have all presents bought before Thanksgiving and I will be done before others have even started. Thankfully, I got the difficult ones out of the way first and only have a few left to buy. To keep it simple this year, and also fun for me, I picked a theme for gift buying. I chose one type of gift and everyone is getting that gift, but specific to their interests. If all goes well, I will do something similar next year
In my opinion, gift buying is getting out of hand. Most, if not all, of the people we are buying for don't NEED anything. It becomes a dreaded chore to buy gifts. The other chore is coming up with a list of what "I" want for everyone who will be buying "me" a present. "Don't get me anything" seldom works, so you're pressured to come up with something. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE to buy gifts, wrap gifts, and give gifts! For any occasion and for no occasion. Christmas just tends to get stressful because there are so many at once.
So here are 10 ideas if you need a place to start with your gift buying this year.
1. Color
Pick a color and everyone gets a gift that color. Blue socks, blue craft paper, blue hot wheels, blue legos, blue baby doll outfit. That would cover gifts for my brother and his family. Pretty simple, huh? By the way, this is NOT what they are getting this year. Maybe next year...
2. Alphabet
Buy each person a gift that begins with the first letter of their name.
Bobby gets blocks, Nadine gets notecards, Frankie gets a fishing lure, Patty gets pajamas.....
3. Grateful
Buy/make each person some type of journal or notebook as simple or elaborate as you want. There are MANY types of notebooks/journals from a basic spiral on the school suppy aisle or a nice leather one. Decorate a child's with their name, stickers, etc or let them decorate their own. Throughout the year, everyone will keep track of what they are thankful for. Daily would be optimal, but if they do it weekly or every few days, that is fine too. For young kids, it would be good family time to do this together. For babies, just make it up-thankful for clean diapers, milk, big brother making me laugh, kisses from my dog, my new sophie the giraffe toy, etc. Then next year, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas, everyone can bring their notebook and share a few things they were grateful for in the previous year.
4. Same Thing
Pick an item that pretty much anyone can use. Everyone gets the same thing, but specific to them-different color, size, fragrance, etc.
Game, crazy socks, pajamas, movie, hat, candle or necklace for gals/something manly for guys, ....
5. Gently Used
Got this idea from a friend. In her extended family, all their gifts must come from a thrift store/second hand/resale shop, etc. I know in Stillwater, the proceeds of these stores go to good causes like the humane society, domestic violence center, and habitat for humanity. If I did this idea, I would make a tag to add to each present saying something like "your gift was bought from a store that will give money to help animals who need a home" (if it's for a kid) or "your gift was purchased from a store whose proceeds support our homeless shelter, hospice, habitat for humanity, etc"
6. Donate to Charity
Instead of buying a present, make a donation to a charity. I have actually done this for my brother in the past. I think I simply told him, "instead of buying you a gift, I made a donation to your ministry that helps the homeless." If you wanted, you could wrap a note or give them a note in an envelope. This could definitely work with adults. For kids, I think it would depend on age and the family.
7. Small Christmas
Everyone gets a very small present, not necessarily cheap, but it has to be small enough to fit in a shoebox or even smaller box. You could also do a very BIG Christmas, but depending on how many gifts you're taking to one location and traveling, it could be a challenge fitting everything into your car, or luggage if you are flying.
8. Make It
Make everyone's gift. Not sure why all my examples are my brother, but he loves my homemade granola and would rather have that than most things I could buy. This option may take more time, but in some cases in may actually save you time. You could sew, bake, make a photo book/album, wood items, paper items... I really should just stop because the possibilities are endless. If you don't want to make it yourself, you could buy items hand-made by someone else.
9. One Store
Pick one store. Buy everyone's gift at that one store.
10. Buy Yourself a Gift!
This idea came from a recent conversation I had with Matt. Instead of telling everyone what you want, what your kids want, what your dog wants, and what your neighbor's dog wants. Just buy yourself a present. Wrap it. Take it to your family get together. (each person buys their own gift). Then you all open presents. It's a surprise to everyone else. When you open it you say, "this is something I've really been wanting!" Everyone can admire each others gifts, everyone got what they wanted and everyone is happy. :)
In my opinion, gift buying is getting out of hand. Most, if not all, of the people we are buying for don't NEED anything. It becomes a dreaded chore to buy gifts. The other chore is coming up with a list of what "I" want for everyone who will be buying "me" a present. "Don't get me anything" seldom works, so you're pressured to come up with something. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE to buy gifts, wrap gifts, and give gifts! For any occasion and for no occasion. Christmas just tends to get stressful because there are so many at once.
So here are 10 ideas if you need a place to start with your gift buying this year.
1. Color
Pick a color and everyone gets a gift that color. Blue socks, blue craft paper, blue hot wheels, blue legos, blue baby doll outfit. That would cover gifts for my brother and his family. Pretty simple, huh? By the way, this is NOT what they are getting this year. Maybe next year...
2. Alphabet
Buy each person a gift that begins with the first letter of their name.
Bobby gets blocks, Nadine gets notecards, Frankie gets a fishing lure, Patty gets pajamas.....
3. Grateful
Buy/make each person some type of journal or notebook as simple or elaborate as you want. There are MANY types of notebooks/journals from a basic spiral on the school suppy aisle or a nice leather one. Decorate a child's with their name, stickers, etc or let them decorate their own. Throughout the year, everyone will keep track of what they are thankful for. Daily would be optimal, but if they do it weekly or every few days, that is fine too. For young kids, it would be good family time to do this together. For babies, just make it up-thankful for clean diapers, milk, big brother making me laugh, kisses from my dog, my new sophie the giraffe toy, etc. Then next year, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas, everyone can bring their notebook and share a few things they were grateful for in the previous year.
4. Same Thing
Pick an item that pretty much anyone can use. Everyone gets the same thing, but specific to them-different color, size, fragrance, etc.
Game, crazy socks, pajamas, movie, hat, candle or necklace for gals/something manly for guys, ....
5. Gently Used
Got this idea from a friend. In her extended family, all their gifts must come from a thrift store/second hand/resale shop, etc. I know in Stillwater, the proceeds of these stores go to good causes like the humane society, domestic violence center, and habitat for humanity. If I did this idea, I would make a tag to add to each present saying something like "your gift was bought from a store that will give money to help animals who need a home" (if it's for a kid) or "your gift was purchased from a store whose proceeds support our homeless shelter, hospice, habitat for humanity, etc"
6. Donate to Charity
Instead of buying a present, make a donation to a charity. I have actually done this for my brother in the past. I think I simply told him, "instead of buying you a gift, I made a donation to your ministry that helps the homeless." If you wanted, you could wrap a note or give them a note in an envelope. This could definitely work with adults. For kids, I think it would depend on age and the family.
7. Small Christmas
Everyone gets a very small present, not necessarily cheap, but it has to be small enough to fit in a shoebox or even smaller box. You could also do a very BIG Christmas, but depending on how many gifts you're taking to one location and traveling, it could be a challenge fitting everything into your car, or luggage if you are flying.
8. Make It
Make everyone's gift. Not sure why all my examples are my brother, but he loves my homemade granola and would rather have that than most things I could buy. This option may take more time, but in some cases in may actually save you time. You could sew, bake, make a photo book/album, wood items, paper items... I really should just stop because the possibilities are endless. If you don't want to make it yourself, you could buy items hand-made by someone else.
9. One Store
Pick one store. Buy everyone's gift at that one store.
10. Buy Yourself a Gift!
This idea came from a recent conversation I had with Matt. Instead of telling everyone what you want, what your kids want, what your dog wants, and what your neighbor's dog wants. Just buy yourself a present. Wrap it. Take it to your family get together. (each person buys their own gift). Then you all open presents. It's a surprise to everyone else. When you open it you say, "this is something I've really been wanting!" Everyone can admire each others gifts, everyone got what they wanted and everyone is happy. :)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
FatWallet
Do you ever buy anything online? Do you like to save money?
Today I thought I'd share a tip with you that a friend told me about last summer. I like to make sure something is legitimate and not some type of scam before I tell others about it. I feel like this is for real.
The website is http://www.fatwallet.com/. I'm not going to take the time to explain all the details of how it works because you can go to the site and read about it there. To summarize it, you just set up and account, log in there FIRST when you shop online, then select the link on their site before you shop online at the stores you wer already going to shop at.
For example, I buy things from Vitacost (more to come on this later) online. First, I go to fatwallet.com and sign in. Then I find the link to vitacost on their site. I then do my shopping on vitacost.com. Pretty simple.
So what is the great thing about fatwallet? I get 5% cashback from all my purchases I make from vitacost. I have been a fatwallet member since August 2009. So far, I have "saved" $76.35. I have $18.78 availabe right now. All I need to do is go to my fatwallet account and have them send me a check.
From what I have found, there really is no catch. There are tons of special offers and cash back awards. I haven't looked into all of them. There are really just 2 stores that I shop from on a monthly basis and I always go through fatwallet first and it saves me a little money. It's kind of exciting to get a small check in the mail a couple times a year as well.
Check it out. Save some money. I don't know if there is a place for you to put a referral when you set up an account, but if there is, please put my email address: kemberswan@hotmail.com
Happy shopping and saving!
Today I thought I'd share a tip with you that a friend told me about last summer. I like to make sure something is legitimate and not some type of scam before I tell others about it. I feel like this is for real.
The website is http://www.fatwallet.com/. I'm not going to take the time to explain all the details of how it works because you can go to the site and read about it there. To summarize it, you just set up and account, log in there FIRST when you shop online, then select the link on their site before you shop online at the stores you wer already going to shop at.
For example, I buy things from Vitacost (more to come on this later) online. First, I go to fatwallet.com and sign in. Then I find the link to vitacost on their site. I then do my shopping on vitacost.com. Pretty simple.
So what is the great thing about fatwallet? I get 5% cashback from all my purchases I make from vitacost. I have been a fatwallet member since August 2009. So far, I have "saved" $76.35. I have $18.78 availabe right now. All I need to do is go to my fatwallet account and have them send me a check.
From what I have found, there really is no catch. There are tons of special offers and cash back awards. I haven't looked into all of them. There are really just 2 stores that I shop from on a monthly basis and I always go through fatwallet first and it saves me a little money. It's kind of exciting to get a small check in the mail a couple times a year as well.
Check it out. Save some money. I don't know if there is a place for you to put a referral when you set up an account, but if there is, please put my email address: kemberswan@hotmail.com
Happy shopping and saving!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Time Change
I dislike time change Sunday for many reasons. For starters, just ask my husband how I do when we travel and cross time zones. It would have been helplful for me to have had some math problems on time zones during my school years. And maybe be did. I just don't remember.
You know the saying, "spring forward, fall backward"? Pretty much everyone hates the spring because you lose and hour and everyone LOVES the fall because you get to sleep an extra hour. That's not the case when you have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 5 month old. There's no extra hour. They don't know how to tell time. They don't understand the clocks have changed so we can "sleep in". Ain't happenin. Not around here!
Last week, both boys started waking early, which traslates to anywhere from 4:30-6:30am instead of their usual 7:00-7:30am. I knew the time change was coming and I dreaded it. Lucky for us, we got to "sleep in" until around 5:30am today which is 6:30am old time. Never in my life did I think I would have cooked, had a sit down breakfast, and be done well before 6:30 am. And then to be thankful that "that" was sleeping in. We went to some friends' church today because their son was being dedicated and the service was at 11:00. It was the longest morning ever before it was finally time to leave for church.
Time changes confuse me immensely. For weeks, I will look at the clock, see what time it is, and try to figure out what time it used to me. I know it's only one hour difference. It should be simple. Not for me. Maybe it's so simple that I make it complicated.
If it were just me, or just Matt and I, the time change wouldn't be as big of a deal. (and I really would have had an extra hour today!) I don't know that I'd go so far as to say life at our house revolves around the two little munchkins, but if it doesn't, it comes real close to that. Wake up time, naps, lunch, naps, playtime, bathtime, bedtime, church, mom's day out, going anywhere-it's all affected by the clock.
It's not even 9:00pm. I'm already tired. I usually feel ready for bed around 8:00 which means I should have been tired around......ok, I'm already stumped. Time to go do my night chores and be ready to wake up earlier than I would like. I will be greeted by a big dimpled smile, a tired but pleasant husband, and an unpredictable toddler-sometimes pleasant like daddy, but usually grumpy like his mommy.
You know the saying, "spring forward, fall backward"? Pretty much everyone hates the spring because you lose and hour and everyone LOVES the fall because you get to sleep an extra hour. That's not the case when you have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 5 month old. There's no extra hour. They don't know how to tell time. They don't understand the clocks have changed so we can "sleep in". Ain't happenin. Not around here!
Last week, both boys started waking early, which traslates to anywhere from 4:30-6:30am instead of their usual 7:00-7:30am. I knew the time change was coming and I dreaded it. Lucky for us, we got to "sleep in" until around 5:30am today which is 6:30am old time. Never in my life did I think I would have cooked, had a sit down breakfast, and be done well before 6:30 am. And then to be thankful that "that" was sleeping in. We went to some friends' church today because their son was being dedicated and the service was at 11:00. It was the longest morning ever before it was finally time to leave for church.
Time changes confuse me immensely. For weeks, I will look at the clock, see what time it is, and try to figure out what time it used to me. I know it's only one hour difference. It should be simple. Not for me. Maybe it's so simple that I make it complicated.
If it were just me, or just Matt and I, the time change wouldn't be as big of a deal. (and I really would have had an extra hour today!) I don't know that I'd go so far as to say life at our house revolves around the two little munchkins, but if it doesn't, it comes real close to that. Wake up time, naps, lunch, naps, playtime, bathtime, bedtime, church, mom's day out, going anywhere-it's all affected by the clock.
It's not even 9:00pm. I'm already tired. I usually feel ready for bed around 8:00 which means I should have been tired around......ok, I'm already stumped. Time to go do my night chores and be ready to wake up earlier than I would like. I will be greeted by a big dimpled smile, a tired but pleasant husband, and an unpredictable toddler-sometimes pleasant like daddy, but usually grumpy like his mommy.
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