Is It Monday Already?

Starving student well not litterally but who doesn't appreciate a discount

2012-01-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

So this new year will all that is going on I have been on more of a quest to save money thank usual. I mean I have always been frugal, but now with an impending move I have been trying to save every penny possible! It dawned on me a while back " I have a student I.D. and a .edu email address" I wonder if there are any good student discounts I cant get in on? Well I am still on the hunt ,but two great ones I came across were both from Amazon.com.

A few months ago I was able to get a free years worth of their Prime service just because I have a .edu email address as a student. If you are not familiar with Prime basically you get FREE two day shipping on any order that is sold or fulfilled by Amazon! Usually without Prime you can get free super saver shipping, BUT you have to order over $25.00 in order to qualify and its not as fast. Now I get what I need super quick and I do not need a minimum. In reality the shipping is always overnight for me as I have a warehouse in my state so I get things in less than 24 hours! It looks likes the offer has changed to six months of membership at a discount, but if you use Amazon as much as I do I would take that too!

Next is a deal I just got on Friday. As you know, I am taking a digital photography class this semester and possibly even another next semester, and we are working with Adobe Photoshop Cs5 at my school. Now I had been using paint shop pro X2, but I have always wanted PS but didn't have an extra oh $1000.00 sitting around for it. So I thought I would look around to see if there were student discounts. Sure enough there are. Now here is the kicker. Adobe offers it online for $299.00 for students. I thought OK If I save for a while I can get it. For the hell of it I looked at Amazon which I always do for price comparison and I was shocked and stoked to find the same Adobe Photoshop Extended CS5 Student and Teacher Edition for $149.99!!!
Now I know that Amazon rocks, its my favorite online retailer, but I didn't think they would beat the products own website order by that much money!!So yeah I ordered it!! I cant wait until we start to use it next week in class as its partnered with a digital darkroom class. Woo hoo great software great student discounts!

I know that Microsoft offers discounts as well because two semesters ago I ordered office 2010 as my computer (as with most) only came with a trial. While I had a decent free program I used for a while my school used word and it was hard for me to save my files in a format that was easily opened by my teachers so I had to get it.

I have heard that Apple give a $100.00 discount but I cant confirm this myself. I will be on the hunt for more deals that help us students and will update this post as I find them. If you know of any please share so we can help each other save!

I am on day 8

2012-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

Of not smoking! As you know if you have read my blog for some time that I had quit for about 18-mos and stupidly picked it back up again in a moment of severe stress. I had been smoking again for about a year a knew I had to quit again, but the medication I used before had new cardiovascular warnings and with a heart condition I knew it would not be wise to even suggest to my Dr. that I take it again. I had an electronic cigarette that I had bought when I was not smoking that I planned on using to keep the urge at bay with non-nicotine cartridges, but even the cartridges that contained nicotine and this brand did not do it for me. So in about August I bought another kit and messed around with it and different juices until I found a combination of hardware and juice that I could deal with for more than a couple drags. So I am now on day eight without a real cigarette! I cant tell you how proud I am of myself especially doing this in the midst of what has got to be the most stressful time I have ever experienced! I have a long term goal to get of this too completely, but one day at a time. It is certainly better than the alternative!

Not much going on here in the way of the walk

2012-01-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Not too much to report. I got my first call from the mortgage company way earlier than I was expecting though. The payment was not even considered late until the 15th of the month so imagine my surprise to receive a call on the evening of January 5th! It was quick, yet it seemed to go on forever. I was asked if I had forgotten to make my payment and my reply was no I hadn't forgotten, but had hired an attorney in this matter. There was a long pause at which time I offered the caller the contact information and stated all communication needed to go through the attorney. The caller took the information and that was that. I am rather surprised at how calm I was being that I was not expecting them to call before the payment was even late! I still wonder why they did call so early on. My husband thinks I set off some radar as we always paid earlier than the due date, but hey they also started charging $5.00 to make a payment online about two months ago, so they need to expect that there will be more people who chose to drop a check in the mail now and we cannot control the speed of delivery. I mean really online payments and the fees that are charged are the cost of business, so pass that on to customers and expect a backlash.

Anyway we are coming up on month two without a payment. I feel so weird living here without paying but I look at it as trying to recover some of the cost of things we did to our home out of pocket that we cannot take with us. New A/C unit (this house never had one so it was the cost to actually wire it and the unit) new heat pump, all new electrical and new line drop after a botched roof job send a piece of our aluminum porch into the power drop (that we paid for all of pocket again because our insurance claimed we didn't have a code addendum (something that was never offered by nor even know they had by our policy selling agent) new gas line for a dryer as the previous owners never owned a dryer. All new lighting fixtures every one in this home replaced, landscaping......etc all things that we cannot take with us that have benefited this house and the next owner. I figure the cost is about $25,000 or more out of pocket so if I can get get even 6 months of payments which will not even cover a bit of what we paid then so be it. I already lost my butt on this house badly, I need to get something back after losing it all and taking the massive credit hit that is to come.

I still continue to take it one day at a time and expect a letter of default soon. I just keep trucking along and try to keep my emotions in check, as that is what the banks want us to do to fold in on ourselves. I refuse. I will continue to look at this as a business choice until the day comes where it is all said and done and then I will allow myself to grieve for the loss of my house and the dreams I had for us/it. Ill say it again as kind of an affirmation to myself that we will survive, and we are definitely not the only ones who have made this choice or who will make this choice. I will not gauge my worth by useless numbers, nor will I allow myself to feel guilty. Sure I bought this house but I did not cause the mess this country is in. All I can do is make the choices that I need to be able to get back on my feet and live, not just survive.

Happy New Year lets all make 2012 a great one

2012-01-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

This coming year will be one of many changes. Some good some bad as with all years, but I vow to make the most of all the blessings I am given, and to learn the most from all my mistakes. I will not let anyone define my worth with useless numbers nor with my material possessions or lack there of. I vow to make this a great year and to live the best I possibly can and to be grateful for all I have and don't have.

The next couple of week will be filled with stress as the date of our first missed house payment becomes a reality. I know that in the long run this is the best possible choice I can make for my family. I long to move and know that would not be a reality if we are stuck here with a home that yet again has dropped more in value, now to the tune of 85,000 under water. I can't wait to get to where ever we end up and to be able to start to rebuild my life and put this nightmare behind me. I am scared, very scared to miss this payment though I will not lie I just have never not paid a bill. I know this is going to be extremely stressful, but I also know that watching the homes in my neighborhood go into foreclosure and thus further drop my value further and further would be far more stressful to endure. I really could care less if I rent forever. Home ownership has not been the American Dream that it is touted to be. This has been a nightmare and I cannot wait to awake from it.

I wish all my readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. Remember we always have a choice in life and even doing nothing is a choice. We only have one life to live so make it the best you can no matter what!

Festive Christmas cake ball bon-bons

2011-12-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

I love making homemade treats to share around Christmas! With all the rage on Cake Pops I thought I would give them this year with a twist. You see, I love the ease of cake pops and the fact that one box of cake mix and a tub of frosting go along way, but I didn't really want to do them with actual lollipop sticks for gift giving because then I would have to buy huge tubs to put them in. So I thought why not make them the same way but instead of using the sticks freeze them with toothpicks for easier coating then take the toothpick out and cover the little hole with a little more chocolate bark and add a special touch!

Now if you have never made cake pops let me tell you how easy they are in steps.

1. Bake any boxed cake mix that you love.

2. Let the cake cool from the oven completely and demolish it into cake crumbs. You can do this by hand which is how I do it, or you can easily throw it in the food processor.

3. Mix in frosting (any brand or flavor will do) until you get all of it moistened, I find that takes about 3/4 of a tub of frosting.

4. Put the mix into the fridge until it is chilled/firm enough to work with.

5. Roll into balls. You can make them as big or as small as you like. You may have to return the mix to the fridge if it gets too sticky and warm to work with. I also flour my hands a bit to aid in the rolling.

6. Lay the balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

7. Put the tray into the freezer until balls are firm enough to dunk into melted chocolate, I chose to leave them in the freezer overnight to be solid enough to dunk them all without having to return them to the freezer, also so that I do not have to worry about the toothpicks coming out mid dunk.

8. Dunk into your favorite flavor/color of chocolate bark.

Once the balls have set (literally seconds because of their chilled temp) you can remove the tooth pick and cover the missing area on top with a bit more bark and add whatever decoration you chose. For this year I found the most festive holly berries and leave sprinkles at the dollar store, so couple that with the white chocolate bark I used and they turned out so cool. This is an inexpensive way to give those on your list for goodies an inexpensive yet totally posh looking treat.

A new chapter in my life is soon to begin

2011-12-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

I cant tell you how excited I am that this semester at school is almost over or of the fact that this is my last math class(knock on wood). This math thing has taken over my life for an entire year, and with all that I have dealt with in regular life it has been very hard this semester to get it all to stick in my brain. I literally have three classes left woot woot. I have to take my last quiz tomorrow, then last regular test on Friday and my final next Wednesday. I can taste the end it is that close. I am so looking forward to next semester as well because I made the choice to take only one class that is going to teach me more about a passion of mine rather than a class that I am told I have to take. I will be taking a digital photography class! I love photography and enjoyed it so much in High School so I am looking forward to learning how to use my digital camera! I specifically got a nice Sony A230 last year so that I could have more flexibility with my photos, however I totally forgot all I knew about apertures and the like to really take advantage of all my cameras features. I love that I can use it in a ton of auto modes don't get me wrong but I want to learn (again) how to be in control of my shots. I have already added a nice yet inexpensive telephoto zoom lens and I am excited to try it out. I also know for a fact that I will be getting a set of filters and a fish eye lens for Christmas. Wee I feel like a little kid again so excited to play with my new toys! I am also excited to have the luxury of taking a semester all to myself. I wish I could say what I want to be when I grow up, but frankly I change my mind like the wind changes direction. I am determined not to be part of a problem, and seeing it first hand have totally sworn of Social Services now. There are actually a ton of options available to me even though I refuse to take anymore math, so I have time to think. This next semester is about me getting excited for school again and not dreading it. I cant want to be able to share all my shots here when they happen.

Well the tough choice has been made. We will be walking away from our home

2011-12-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed by many of my posts we are like many who bought homes right before the bubble burst. We literally closed on our home months before all hell broke loose and the housing market just imploded. I have been struggling for well over a year and a half with what it is that should be done. One day I said I would stay that it was my choice to buy so if I lost my ass it was my own fault. Well that is still true it is my own fault, however I do not have to stay and keep watching the negative equity in my home grow by the hour as more homes in my state, city, and neighborhood continue to be foreclosed upon. No! We will be walking away. While banks try to make homeowners feel like they are scum for doing this I refuse to feel this way. At first the morality issue bothered me and bothered me a lot, however the more I thought about how the "man" does business and the way they chose to cut their loses and walk away from bad business choices the more I realized we the "regular" people have the same right. It is not an issue of morals to me, I am still losing all the money I sunk into this house, I am loosing my outstanding credit rating. The bank will take a loss that can in turn be written off as a loss at the end of the year. I refuse to feel badly about my choice. I will not lose sleep over my situation any longer. I do not care if I have to rent for the rest of my life! I was supposed to be buying a piece of the American dream of home ownership, but instead it turned into a nightmare.

So now the hard part comes. That is deciding when to stop paying. This is the one thing that will be the hardest for me as I have never just not paid a bill, this is reflected in an credit score of over 800 that will more than likely drop to a low 600 when this is all said and done, but even that will not deter me. No, credit can be rebuilt and it will go back up as I have many other bills that will continue to be paid as scheduled. However, this mortgage is not one of them. I consulted a Lawyer last week to get all the questions I had answered. I knew everything except the fact that even though we are in a non-recourse state ( meaning the lender cannot come back at you with a judgment once they foreclose as they just take the loss) we still have to think about the tax liability. Because of this we need to make sure the process is completed by 12/31/12.With the average time line of foreclosure in Arizona being a minimum of 6-months, that means we have to start this soon just in case it takes longer. The last thing I want is to owe the IRS for ghost income that I have never seen, I have lost enough money with all this, and the way I see it when someone files for bankruptcy protection they do not have to pay back that money in taxes so why should homeowners who are foreclosed on?

The choice was made over a long time, as a matter of fact it took a long time to get my husband to see where I was coming from. However the home is only in my name so that makes it easier in the long run as we still have his credit to fall back on until mine clears. The choice was made when we realized just how bad this state is in terms of everything from education to mental health and both of those are in play with my daughter. So with his job we can transfer to another state that has more available to help her. We didn't want to be stuck here for no other reason than a house, so the choice was made.

I will be kind of chronicling my story on my blog as it happens. I know there are a ton of people in my situation and I want to help. If that means airing my dirty laundry than so be it. We do not have to lie down and take it. We do not have to feel like second class citizens! We will all pay in one sense or another for our choices in life, so I made a bad one I will not allow it or any other choice I have made in my past to dictate my future. I will survive. Now if you have read all the way to the end of this and you are in the same spot feel free to leave me a comment. Also if you need support trust me it is out there a great site to start at is Loansafe I have found so much information there and it will help ease your mind.

New housing plan meassures huh Mr. President?

2011-10-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well color me skeptical! This is a subject that is really near to my heart as you can tell by posts on the subject before on my blog. So now President Obama is pushing for measures to make help available to more than the original plan did. Well let me tell you the first housing plan was a failure and these "new measures" will be as well. Why? Well folks it doesn't matter what is put on paper as long as the banks who hold the notes are the ones who make the CHOICE to participate those who need help will not get it! How many people do you know that actually were approved for loan modifications or refinance under the previous guidelines? Me umm two maybe and they both lied to be approved, how that is possible I have no clue but it is fact. Me on the other hand couldn't qualify even though I had given up my entire salary to stay home (it was a wash with childcare for two) because our household income was still too high, and forget refi when you are over 125% LTV ratio. That was about two years ago lord knows how up-side-down we are now! We want nothing more than to be able to get in on low interest rates! We are not looking to be bailed out, just refinancing would make us feet better about the hole we are in. So now these new measures will allow us to do this with no cap on the loan to value ratio,and we have a Fannie Mae loan BUT, and here is the big but that has stopped everyone I know from getting help....the servicer. Yeah you know the banks that want endless paperwork then lose it, then say you never got it to them on time. So you re-submit and the same thing happens, or you get it in and never hear back or are turned down for what ever reason and that's only if you are lucky enough to have a servicer who is participating because you know they all aren't as they are not mandated to participate.

JOKE! you know what you need to extend Mr. Obama, The Mortgage Forgiveness Act of 2007. Yep that's right sir that needs to be extended. Because this housing plan is helping so few the fact of the matter is most who are underwater will still need to walk away before they can get out. I myself may have to go there. I have a husband who can be transferred to another state at any time for his employment. The simple math means that because my house is so severely underwater (not by any fault of my own) that I would have to walk away in foreclosure. I could not even rent my home for enough to cover the mortgage and I nor anyone I know can afford to maintain two homes in two different states on even a decent income. So Mr. President you want to help? Please extend the above so that when/if I am faced with the heartbreaking finality of losing my home to foreclosure after making payments every month on time for years and not because I bought too much house for my income then, I can sleep at night and try to put my life back on track without owing the IRS on "ghost income" for the difference in what I owed on my home and what it eventually sells for which would be a fraction of its purchase price by myself. If you want to help make that happen sir because ton of shit can happen in a matter of a few years that can/will cause us down and out buyers into leaving our homes and with the rate of decline and non-growth in the housing market even if that were to happen five years from now I can guarantee you we will still be underwater and what a shame to have to be committed to the IRS' debtors prison for years because we had no choice but to leave our homes and not only didn't see a dime, but lost our ass on years or payments, down payments, updates that we had to make on our homes to be livable. This sir is only scheduled to run until the end of 2012. I can tell you sir that this problem will far outlast that date.

So the Mojo is sort of coming back

2011-10-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

I hate to jinx myself but I am feeling just a bit better now. I had parent teacher conference on Friday, and if you have a child that has behavioral issues like I do then you know the anxiety I was feeling before that not to mention the kid had left me with a discovery that morning that was going to cause an argument when she got home. Oh and did I mention that math test that had to me taken that morning as well?

Anyway the conference went GREAT my daughter even made the honor roll. Talk about a proud mama. It was so needed hearing how well she is doing in school. Especially considering all the drama at school until recently. We have the report card up on the fridge and she now how big incentives to keep her grades up at the tune of $5.00 for each B and $10.00 for each A from this point on when report cards come out. She has never made honor roll before this so it was a proud moment for her as well. I know she can do it she is very smart she just needs to make better choice and that comes with age and maturity so I am hoping the trend continues.

We had a great time in Vegas! I zip lined down Freemont Street, saw a Legend in concert Mr. Barry Mailow, and even learned how to play and made money on Craps. It was a great trip and the hubby and I so desperately needed the brain break. The only down side was the plane ride home. It was fine but left me with the worst flu. Dang I always get sick from plane rides, but it was a small price to pay for the great time.

I am still struggling at times to cope with LIFE, but I know that I have been dealt the hand and have to play it as I can and that means good times and bad. If I can just get a few good ones here and there I will persevere as I always do. I am still looking at things in the long term and not knowing where it will lead me. I need to concentrate more on enjoying the ride and not worrying about the destination. I will get there where ever that is and when the time is right. I am still conflicted about school though. While I want to continue on and get a degree I am stuck now on what I really want to be when I grow up. I thought I knew it, but lately I seem to find more and more flaws with the idea I had. I want to be part of a solution not part of a problem and this is putting a kink in my plan. I still have many classes to take before I am even done with pre-reqs but I am really thinking I will change what I ultimately go onto do. I wish this were my last semester in math I really do. I have never been good at it, even in high school when that was all I had to do let alone now that I have a family and a job. I mean in reality I can stop here, BUT I will screw myself if I want to ever transfer to a university so I am torn. I wish it came easily for me but I do not have a math brain. Not to mention that I know you will never use 90% of it for fact.

I am also kinda conflicted on my blog. I love having it here for me and I have the best intentions and really want to get back to using it to reach the outside word at least weekly again. I miss the friendships I had with some of you folks! I think I have outgrown blogger though. Wow that is something I never thought I would say. I want more freedom, more reign to play with the big boys ya know. Hell I'd even like to make a buck or two and I think that once I get back into my grove, me holding me back is gone so then I need to work on my platform holding me back ya know. So I am seriously thinking of moving to a self hosted wordpress blog. What?? I know right It has been over three years here at blogger. I never wanted to give up blogger because it was comfortable and I was feeling like I would be giving my hard work up and starting over with PR and such, but umm hello Lisa it will all come back and you love to learn new things so what is your reason now? Well nothing I suppose! I guess paying for hosting bothered me too, but ya know who cares will it make me happy in the long run? Hmm only time will tell on that but I do know if I never try it I will have nothing to compare it to so I cant answer that honestly until then.

I want my normal back

2011-10-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what that actually means, but I want my normal back.I am still looking daily for the peace and the joy in life and most days I do fairly well, but I want my life back . I want to have the desire to work out, to shop, to enjoy my family, to read blogs, enter sweepstakes, etc.. I am truly struggling with my inability to juggle it all. I have been THE one doing it all for so long that I am on autopilot.

Up until about a year and a half or so ago I always made sure to have me time. Granted it took me years to get back there after my son was born and I was in a new role, but I did do it and kept at it for a good two years. Then everything changed. Just when I got a routine and a schedule down I took on a job, school, and all of the issues that escalated with my daughter, not to mention all the constant running from appointment to appointment and all my usual household/mom duties. It was like fight or flight ya know? I just did it all and continue to do it because no one else can or will. I need me to be important too. I know this, but I am having a hard time making it a priority again. I am so hoping that after my kid/life vacation to Vegas in a week that I can start making me important again. It will probably have to wait as yet another issues has arose with my daughter that involves court and probation officers, and who knows maybe even lawyers now, however I need to do this before I crack. So I know some of you may know what I am going through and I would love any words of advice you can give me. Nothing can really be put on the back burner but I need to move me up in check, so how exactly do I find my mojo again?

Yay I get to plan another trip to Vegas this year

2011-09-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

I cant tell you how excited I am! I so need a few days away with just the hubby. I am very fortunate to have a mom who is willing to watch my children once a year so I can have a mental health break! I will be going the second week of October, the only thing left to decide is where to stay! I love down town so more than likely we will stay down there again, but which hotel? We LOVED the Golden Nugget's new Rush Tower suites, but the Plaza has also revamped their rooms so I don't know. I love seeing new places so I think we may try the plaza. I am not a big room snob but I don't want to stay in a place where I am even afraid to put my luggage down ya know! The thing that is so great about Fremont street/Downtown is being able to walk out of you hotel into the action. I have stayed in the strip but the amount of walking is not my idea of fun in the heat.

Now time to plan entertainment. Last year I was so excited to be able to attend Viva Elvis by Cirque and that was such and awesome show, but this year I think I will spring for tickets to see one of my old time loves, Barry Manilow. Woot Woot love me Copacabana.

Betcha didn't know I have another blog

2011-09-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yep I do. I originally started Happy Pills And Coffee as a place for others to get things off their chest in a safe anonymous way. But I have had enough negativity. From myself mostly. We all have stuff that we deal with and I am tired of dwelling on it. I NEED to find the positive in every day. I have lost myself for far too long and its time I put on my big girl panties and get out of this hole called depression. It will be hard I mean life itself is not easy, but I will use this place to share ways to be happy everyday. Whether I take a picture to share of the beauty in life or post ways to help you and me destress. This blog will be my happy place and I hope it can become one for my readers as well.

For some parents 18 can't come soon enough

2011-09-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sad to say I am one of them. I did not always feel this way, but the last I would say six years of life with my daughter have been so difficult that now I look forward to the day when I can send her on her way. Birth through year one was difficult with colic, but once that was over we were good with only minor issues only until about age seven. Then the issues really took off and have gotten progressively worse, so that I sit here months shy of her thirteenth birthday and count the years until I can finally breathe.

First of all let me preface this by saying that until you walk in a parents shoes you never know the whole story, so please hold back judgment of me and others that struggle with this feeling daily. You have no clue what they may have gone through or continue to go through on a daily basis with their child. Not everything is the fault of the parent contrary to popular belief. If you are a parent of a child with behavioral, mental health issues, or anything else that causes you daily stress I sympathize with you as I am right there with you. The jealousy you feel when you hear other parents speak of their well behaved children and the relationships they have with them. The anger and frustration you feel when you think of what you struggle with daily with your children. The embarrassment you feel when you KNOW those who have no clue look at you and must be thinking " why cant you control your child" "what kind of parent is this person" I am right there my friend. Parents of seemingly "normal " children just don't get it. They may act sympathetic but they just don't get it.
They have no clue what its like to worry everyday whether you will get a phone call from school, law enforcement or anyone else because of something their child does. They have no clue the kind of stress it puts on everyone in the family because of one member of the household. They have no idea what its like to walk on eggshells daily and to never be able to calm down EVER because the next issue is right around the corner, and every time you have ever let your guard down and its quiet for too long your peace is shattered. They have no clue what it is like being perpetually "grounded" yourself because that is what happens when your problem child is grounded. You as the parent are punished for their actions and there is not much you can do about it. They have no clue the shame we feel when we are told of the things our kids do. No they do not they also do not know of the constant struggle to get them the help they need. The weekly appointments with counselors, and Psychiatrists, the med changes, the constant trial and errors that may work for a week or two at best. They have no clue that we are trying all we can to help our kids with little to no support. That we as the parents want to have a "good child" more than anything in the world. We want to have "normal" childhood issues to over come not what we do have ,which is daily stress, panic, fear, pain, feelings of inadequacy and helplessness that we have to deal with on a daily basis.

~~Parents~~ people can only deal so much before they just go onto autopilot and try to cope with life the best we can, but this is not a solution.. This has caused me personally to shut down and become a shell of a person. A person who has had to put the needs of the rest of her family and herself on the back burner and it kills me. I haven't blogged regularly because I just am numb. I am so mentally and physically tired. I have a job, school, a son, and a husband to take care of in addition to my daughter. My husband is gone 90% of the time with work so it almost all falls on my shoulders. I want to get myself some time to talk to a counselor but in absolute fact I have no time. Between all that I have on my plate for everyone else I am lucky I have time to do what I already am. I feel such shame that my life is the way that it is. I feel such anger that I feel the way I do but they are my feelings after years of problems. I feel scared too that what is happening now will negatively impact my son and his behavior. He is already becoming a defiant kid and this scars me. I don't want to have to go through this with him as well. The point of my post is to say, you cant possibly know everything about those around you.

Those with problems may be doing all they can to help themselves and the ones that need help. We may look like we are coping well but we are probably dieing inside. The guilt is the worst of it. No parent wants to admit that they have a less than perfect child, but some of us do and it may be of little fault of our own. Please you don't have to know what we struggle with daily but we are hard enough on ourselves without the judgment of others who haven't a clue what we are dealing with.

Well I scrached the itch and got a new car. Sort of

2011-08-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

I mean its a new car to me but was part of a rental fleet, so while its a 2011 I didn't take the hit in loss of value. It was an easy deal to put together, that is until I made the almost 2 hours trek north to Tempe. I did every thing right. I had the deal all worked our prior to leaving including the trade in, financing, and the price all down to the penny done. I worked with a great salesman via email and was ready to buy if I liked the vehicle.

So hubby took the day off work to go with me because the financing was in both our names so going alone was not an option. We headed to the dealer on a Sunday and sadly the guy I was working with was off for the day. Took the vehicle for a test drive, and really liked it minus the back seat looking like someone had gotten sick in it, I am still baffled as to why it wasn't detailed before putting it up for sale. Anyway I told the salesman that was helping us that I would take it if they were able to clean it up. I mean I don't expect a used car to be perfect and there were some small things that I was willing to look past, I mean it was a rental previously and you know how people treat rentals, but having a back seat that looked like it had seen a bad night of partying was not one of them. He said they would see what could be done. Then this is where the problems began. They started asking us info about our income and such. Hubby not putting two and two together starts answering and I stop him and say hey dude we have a pre-approved loan all ready to go we don't need to give you this info. Enter the jackass finance manager. This guys walks over with a huge chip on his shoulder and starts spewing crap about we are contracted and can get you the same rate as you are promised yada yada. I tell him I am not interested in using in-house financing we already have a loan in hand and just need to provided the vehicle info and the deal will be done. We were approved for much more than we need so no thanks. He started coping attitude. I get the bank on the phone (yeah US Bank) is open on Sundays, and have the loan officer talk to him. I think everything is kosher. We sit around and wait some more while the vehicle is being detailed and hubby decides to check with the Dick Head and see what the story is with the promissory note from the bank on the financing. Well he tells him sorry I will not release the vehicle without a check!!! WTH he got the same info from our bank that he would get if they did it in-house but refused because they didn't get the "extra" bit of profit from servicing our loan. Hubby grabbed my keys and we left promptly.

On the way home after being so pissy I decided to let the original salesman know what happened and how this ass blew a guaranteed sale. He was not happy and asked permission to share the info with his general manager, because it was not the first time this finance manager had pulled this before. I agreed. I also text him back and said the only way we would buy now is if you take an additional $200.00 and deliver it to me as we are not coming back to your lot period. To my surprise they agreed. So while it was a bad experience I felt the need to let them make it good. It was not the guys fault who I had been working with why should he lose a sale thanks to someone else mistake. I mean people aren't buying like they used to and if you have someone who has a loan in hand why would you blow a sale because you are being an ass. As I said to all of them from the beginning I want a new car but I do not need one. That makes it so much easier to get what you want how you want it period. I knew what he was trying to pull and I wasn't falling for it! That is why I did everything before I even went up there.

In the end it worked out. We went to the bank on Monday filled out paper work and got the check for the dealer, as well as a cashiers check for my down payment, and Tuesday my car was delivered. I admit to being stubborn, but in this case I liked the vehicle and paid less than what I would have on Sunday, had it delivered, and the good guy got his sale. I just hope that ass of a finance manager gets a clue! So what did I get? Well I narrowed it down to the Kia Soretno. Mine is AWD, V6 and lovely. Its black which was certainly not my first choice of colors, but they are very popular and the lighter colored ones go quick. Its a 2011 and since it was a rental has 15,000 miles (ok with me as my car that I traded only had 52,000 and was a 2004. it was also bought with almost 20,000 miles) I don't drive very much so that is ok with me. Other vehicles that were more expensive with less options were pricier. Kia would never have been a manufacture that I would consider, but man has Kia come a long way!

Right about now four years ago

2011-08-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

I was heading to the hospital to have my son. The morning started off like any other towards the end of my pregnancy. I was sitting at the computer with a cup of coffee while my husband got ready to go out for a day of golf. As I sat quietly and read I got the biggest contraction out of no where. Ouch that hurt I though hmm better tell hubby to wait a few minutes to see if another comes. Well Sure enough 8 minutes later another, then from that point on they jumped to every 5 minutes and stayed there.He called and canceled his spot for golf while I sat in the shower sobbing in pain. Ha this labor took off fast and furious unlike my daughter who made me wait from 10:30 the night before her birth until 4:30 P.M. the next afternoon until she arrived.

I got dressed and my husband and daughter and I took off for the hospital. As we were driving a song I was in love with at the time was on the radio so I was concentrating on it to get me through my contractions which were being announced the whole way by my husband hahah. We got to the hospital and checked in and once in my room I was offered the magic epidural. Ahh I never got to have one with my daughter only a botched spinal that worked for about 10 minutes and left me needing a blood patch because my cerebral fluid had drained from my brain. Ahh so you bet I took the Dr. up on that. I was one of only a few ladies there so I had it in no time! What a pleasure having an epi! I was reading the paper and watching the news just waiting for the boy to come while my husband, mom and daughter went to eat.

When it was time to push though ouch the epi stopped working for a while on one side and I had a hard time getting him out. I couldn't figure out why with all my pushing he hadnt arrived yet. Well my child decided to arrive sunny side up, a very difficult birth to have. After all was said and done at 12:30 PM 6ish hours total of labor my son was born. I didnt see him right away because of his difficult entry into the wold he had to be checked by a neonatologists as he passed meconium from the stress. He was so quiet unlike my daughter who arrived screaming and never stopped!So Buddy Happy birthday! Here are some pics from your big day and the song that reminds me of your birthday.

Before the magic Epi!

Fist pic with mom

first pic with dad

so peaceful

Dear Credit Card Companies and Banks for whom I have outstanding debts with

2011-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

I can't pay the large amounts of debt that I have incurred over the years; however I have a plan that I think would benefit us both. How about you raise my credit limits I will then in turn promise that to cut my spending by about 1/10 of what I am now immediately and then I will look at my budget to make sure that from now on it is balanced. This is of course while I continue to spend the increase in credit that you extend me. Albeit slower but spending it nonetheless, I hope to have you paid off before my demise but if not I guess that I can leave the debt to my children and grandchildren.

I don't know how you can possibly pass up such a gonga offer from me. I will await to hear your response. If you are asking yourselves where I came up with such a great plan of action, my reply to you sir's and madame's would be my elected officials in Washington. I mean what's good for the goose is good for the gander right? Sincerely yours, The American People.

HTC Thunderbolt OTA update failed error

2011-07-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a minute to post this for you because I was having this problem and searches did not lead me to any answers. Supposedly all HTC Thunderbolt phones are to receive the second OTA update by tonight. This was created to fix some of the big issues that plague the Thunderbolt such as random reboots and inaccurate GPS both of which were exacerbated by the first OTC update in May. I was able to find the update available on Friday night by doing the usual of looking under *software update* *check new*. I accepted the download but after a minute or so noticed that the download icon had disappeared from my status bar and the update froze. I turned the phone off to clear it and repeated the above steps, only to start getting the network error message again not the update. I left the phone alone all night and tried again in the AM. Same error, so I then pulled the battery for a few minutes and when I looked the update was available and downloaded completely without a hitch. I have heard some complaining about battery life with the update but have yet to see this. Also, this will not completely resolve the issue of reboots per say, but it is supposed to slow them down. I received a brand new phone after my son decided to make mine swim and that phone in all seriousness rebooted within 15 minutes of setting up, the reboots were not as bad as my old one but would have a couple a day. I am now at 25 hours of up time without a reboot so I am holding out hope. I have no idea about the GPS as that is a feature I do not use much, but if this update enables me to use my phone efficiently as it is supposed to work I will be happy. I hope you find this info helpful if you run into the same issue with your update.

So what do you think of the Netflix rate hike?

2011-07-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

I as well as most subscribers received a notice last week that Netflix has decided to increase their rates effective September 1, 2011. As part of this price increase they have chosen to spit their packages into two parts; one part is just streaming and the next is for actual DVD's via mail. While this didn't bother me at first, I am now thinking when the time comes for the increase that I will keep the streaming at $7.99 per month, but drop the DVD option all together. My reason for this thinking is while we have the unlimited 2 at a time DVD option, sometimes I just get really ~~lazy~~ busy and have movies here for weeks before I watch them. I do occasionally get on a roll and watch movies constantly, but this is not often enough to justify the price increase of $5.00 more per month. We do however use the streaming service a ton. My son and daughter are always putting something on from them via the Wii. I have never understood the appeal of Redbox, that is until I tried it out this past week. I mean sure you have to go get the movie and return it rather than just receiving them in the mail, and then returning them in the mail, but you can return them to any kiosk not just the one you rented from. Why did I try them out you ask? Well one major downfall with Netflix is the delay in them receiving new titles as well as the delay that can be lengthy for these new releases to be sent to you because of demand. I really wanted to watch Insidious and I wanted to see it while I had the time. I found it available at a Walgreens Redbox kiosk less than a mile from my home, and even found a free code to rent from a Walgreens location. WOOT. I always see free coupons available so if I wait and rent when they are available then I score free movies.

I do understand why they are doing it, costs rise for them and they must pass it on but they just raised them not too long ago. I was ok with $14.99 a month for it, but I am not ok with $19.98. I just do not feel that their service warrants it when there is a viable and cheaper alternative. I have also heard rumors that part of their reasoning is to go to streaming only in the future and if this is the case I will gladly pay a premium to be able to stream unlimited movies then, however right now their selection of movies to stream is pretty limited. So if and when that time comes Netflix can have a premium cost from me for a premium service but until that time comes they will lose $12.00 a month from me and apparently many others as well as losing subscribers all together.

Being happy with what you have is not the same as not wanting better

2011-07-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking recently that being happy with what you have is so important in life. I don't mean day dreaming about winning the lottery, but truly finding happiness in what you have. If you get out of bed in the morning that is the first of your blessings however, being happy with what you have should not be an excuse to give up dreams of something better. One must always strive to do better, be better ya know what I mean.We as humans have so much potential. We have so many opportunities to love what we have, but we also have the the choice in life to actively work to change what we don't love in our lives. Take me for example; I was/am happy with how my life turned from being a single parent of one who struggled to now being a wife, a mother of two, and being financially able to stay home for my kids. This is great and has brought me much joy, but I never gave up the need to be an active participant financially for my family or myself. I have been very blessed to be able to work part time from home doing transcription.Nor did I give up on going back to school.

The point I am trying to make is be happy with what you have EVERYDAY, but if there is more that you want, goals that you have, dreams you want to achieve then you must go after them. Do not be passive! The best things in life do not just fall from the sky into your lap you must actively search them out. Put yourself out there to get them. Being content with life is great, but do not let it stop you from seeking more.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

2011-07-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

OK so this post is not about Newton's law of Motion more like Murphy's law but the statement fits! I had a great Thursday. Won a $100.00 on a five dollar scratcher woo hoo! The most I ever won was maybe $20.00.

Woot how awesome, but as usual the good fortune does not last because yesterday my son decided to make my phone take a swim! Perfect just when it resurrects and starts working....cost of replacement through insurance $99.00. Great! So I take it apart and dry it out and all is functioning but the camera. I am holding out until Tuesday to make a claim. Next my the toilet in the main bathroom will not go down very well. Hmm strange so I plunge and plunge nothing. Ask my son if he put anything down there and he tells me the "pink present" Super a fancy wrapped soap bar. So you see equal and opposite. Even if I wait on the phone the plumber will be over the $100.00 I won, dang so much for my happy dance.

I am getting the new car itch bad

2011-06-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

I cant say when I will buy a new vehicle for sure but lawd knows I am getting the itch bad. I have my heard and head set on a crossover SUV with third row seating. As my kids get older their stuff gets bigger and I am sure I will be dragging their friends around soon as well and I just refuse to buy a minivan. I just cant make up my stinking mind on which one! There are so many to chose from and it is spinning my brain around. I do know however that I will not buy brand new as there is no point in loosing cash the second you drive off the lot! I will not spend more than $23,000 PERIOD but I am to only finance $15,000 between my trade in and a down payment. So this will take me a while to ~~save~~ part with the cash. It hard for me to let go of money, and there is nothing wrong with my care, but I need more space. I paid the car off I have now over a year early and it has been nice not having a car payment for sure!I think I will wait until 2012 when the new models come out so the 2010 models will be cheaper, maybe even a 2011 then. So do you own a crossover? If so which model and do you or don't you like it?

The what ifs in life

2011-06-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever stop and think about the what ifs in your life? I have a lot lately and I wonder am I having some sort of crisis LOL. I wonder about so many things that have occurred in my life and the "what if I did things differently" what would the outcomes have been?

Now I cant say there is much about my life that I regret but I do often wonder where I would be in life had a made different choice. I mean everything leads into another with life ya know. Like for example if you were late to work one day and were fired your life path would be different than if you made it to work on time KWIM? So thinking about that it make me wonder if one little choice I made could and would have lead me to another life entirely.I really wish there was some way to see what may have been like a chose you own adventure book of you life. Would I change it if I could? I really don't know.

Safeway re-launching their Mom to Mom line of diapers and training pants. How do thier training pants stack up?

2011-06-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

I was excited to get to work with Safeway again on a review this time with the re-launch of their in-house brand of diapers and training pants called Mom to Mom. If you remember I was asked to give their delivery service a try back last year which I thought was pretty cool.

I though sure why not try their training pants out on G. He is what I would call potty trained, except that this mom is a bit neurotic with his brand new big boy bed so I still use them at night to be on the "safe side".Now I will be the first to admit that once both of my kids got to this point I would try to use store brands for a savings because brand name pants are rather pricey and since they are just being worn and tossed what would it matter? Well let me tell you that didn't work out so well with other store brands because I prefer to use them at least twice each when they are not soiled and what I found is almost all store brand pants would bunch and get like rocks in the part that is close to their skin. That can't be comfortable at all! I would say that the Kiddie-Ups pack that I received from Safeway didn't do that at all. The "pant" stayed just as flexible and soft as when they were first put on thanks to aloe and vitamin E in the liner, so I sure was able to get that second use out of each one. They have the same easy open sides that the national brands have as well. I can see that these would be great in absorbency too because of the lack of bunch and crunch that happens with some other store brands. These pants come in not only different sizes but specific for genders which is a huge thing. Padding in the right areas certainly helps them do their job effectively! So if you want to save a couple bucks per pack of training pants or even diapers why not give Mom to Mom line a try?

I was sent a pack of Kiddie-Ups to review as well as gift cards as a thank you for taking the time to share this info with my readers. This in no way swayed my honest opinion, my results may vary from yours as with any and all products.

FAIL FAIL FAIL htc thunderbolt

2011-06-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

Does my title say it all? So when hubby and I decided to head back to Verizon for reliability I chose to get the HTC Thunderbolt over the iPhone. It just felt good and it was the newest baddest kid on the block......so I thought.

Problems with random reboots were few and far between but they were existent none the less not to mention lost data connections. However, once I did a software update that was pushed to my phone the reboots were pretty regular. I did not lose hope, and the data part I could always get to come back. Fast forward to last night. I lost data again. It was stuck on 3g but only the up arrow was lit and connection was non-existent. I tried all I knew and gave up and went to bed. Thinking it would come back on overnight as had happened before. NOT!!

So I placed a call to Verizon support who had me do everything over again , as well as a factory reset as a last resort. The latter being a pain in my ass because it wiped all my data, but what ever if it worked small price to pay to actually be able to use the service I pay for right? Well that did not work so even though my phone (which I paid full price for 3 months ago) is now having issues through no fault of my own.. I have to accept a craptastic refurbished phone! WTH I mean really this is not like I caused this problem it is a flaw with the thunderbolt that is apparently in with a long list of others, so then why do I need to pay the price by being sent a phone that was previously someones problem!!! I am pissed can you tell? Verizon and HTC have totally dropped the ball with this phone. Luring us in with promises of greatness only to be left with a $300.00 paper weight. I mean head over to twitter and search the hashtag #thunderbolt #tbolt etc and see all the issues. This is ridiculous! Well Verizon and HTC this is my plan, I will wait for the craptastic refurb to be delivered tomorrow. If it contains even one scratch its going back on your dime, I will continue to be a thorn in your side until I get what I paid for.I will do this repeatedly until I get a phone that is the same as what I purchased, or until I get offered a different phone. I will not be a push over! Both Verizon and HTC need to be held accountable. You put out crap and now you cant backtrack and have many many unhappy customers. Be prepared for major lash back. We all work hard for our money and deserve to get what we pay for and nothing less!

Way back Wednesday

2011-06-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

This makes me think of parting in Mexico and my wedding with all the rail roaders hahahah

Three more days until I head for the beach

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

We or should I say I chose to spend more money and stay someplace that had beach access so we did not have to drive as much. Rather than stay in the middle of San Diego as we did last year, this year we will be staying at Carlsbad Inn. I cant wait it has it's own private beach and is is so close to places that we can walk. With the price of gas this will be a big help. We are renting a condo unit with a full kitchen as well so that I can fix breakfast and lunch for us. That way we can still eat out for dinner, but do not have to do so three times a day. That will also be a huge savings. So the way I figure it I will save enough in food and gas to pay for the difference in a plane Jane hotel and this much nicer place. I still need to get the house all cleaned up and laundry done, so I can come home and relax. Packing needs to be done as well but I think I will wait to do it all until Saturday as the tornado's I call the kids will have it undone before we leave.

Once we get there I don't have a huge amount planned. We will be heading to the outlets on Sunday when we get in because YAY Coach you finally have an outlet coupon out when I want one. It will be the last day to use it and I can't let 30% additional off a purchase go down the drain! That is blasphemy as a purse lover! We will relax and take the kids to Disney Land and I will catch up at lunch with an old friend, but the rest of the time will be for vegging.

way Back Wednesday Expose

2011-06-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there..

2011-06-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

So not only is that a lyric from my favorite Barry Manilow song, but is a trend that seems to be going pretty strong and one that I want to try. Feather hair extensions. I would love to go wild with my hair and have regular blond and gold highlights, but I would also love to be bold enough to have super vibrant colors as well. It seems that celebs and normal peeps alike are using these Feather Extensions to get spectacular color without the commitment. I really think once I narrow down my favorite I will try them out. They seem to be pretty easy to install yourself and the cost is pretty reasonable with the DIY kits. I know salons can charge you any where from $25-$45.00 per feather and that's kinda crazy.

Way back Wednesday Michael Jackson

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pampers Little Miracle Mission a great way to get involved and I help you with the cash-Giveaway

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

OMG Lisa a giveaway?It's been so long since you ran one! I know I know. I have really slowed down on reviews and giveaways but this one is such a great cause how could I not participate! Let me tell you about a new campaign that is being sponsored by Pampers. Its called Little Miracles Mission and they have offered one of my readers a $50.00 American Express card to get you involved in helping out your community. I get that same card but I have yet to decide the best use for mine! Pampers kicked off this program as part of their 50th birthday and have committed to a program that will deliver a years worth of random acts of kindness. Now is your chance to pay it forward, that is to do something that helps someone or some organization in you community with money that Pampers puts up! How fab!!! You get that warm fuzzy feeling when you help someone and it will not even cost you one cent. So in order to be eligible to win this card I want you to comment with what you would do with the money to help out your community. It takes a second and the pay off for your heart is huge, not to mention the karma points on this one! Check out the commercial and see if it helps you get an idea.

OK then in the comments below tell me what you would do to benefit your community with this money. This must be the first comment you leave in order to earn the extra entries should you wish to take advantage of them. This giveaway is open to the US only and will be open until 6/8/11 @ 8AM MT. Winner will have 48 hours to reply to my winning email with full name, address, and phone number (for shipping purposes only). If winner does not reply in the given time frame another will be chose. Winner will be picked by random.org. PLEASE make sure your profile is public or leave an email in your comment, if I cant reach you then you cant win!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER:

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 174 -- Unsorted

Set #1: 145

Erin E you will have 48 hours from receipt of my email to claim your prize or a new winner will be selected.

Extra entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Follow my blog publicly- If you already follow it counts! 1extra entry

Follow my blog on Networked blogs -1 extra entry

Follow me on twitter @gumby007 and tweet about this giveaway(leave your twitter ID and the link to your tweet in your comment) 2 extra entries

Blog about this giveaway on your with a link back 3 extra entries

Grab my button and put it on your blog 2 extra entries

I found a new babysitter.

2011-05-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

So I asked my daughter to watch my son for a few minute as I had a headache in my eyes and just needed to shut them. Well that few minutes turned into a few hours. When I woke up my daughter was a sleeping on the couch and my son was watching Gumby on the Wii. Wow parent of the year award here hahaha. He loves the Wii and Netflix! While it was nice to see him watching something other than his latest flavor of the month "Strawberry Shortcake" I felt bad because it was 10:15 and he was up all alone. Ahh the joys of parenting.

Bath & Body Works is launching a new contest. MyPocketBac Design Contest

2011-05-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever used or heard of Bath & Body Works brand of antibacterial hand sanitizer called PocketBac? They come in a ton of yummy scents just like all the other B&BW products! Well they are hosting a contest were you can design your own PocketBac which is why the contest is called myPackBac...get it.

So why not head over and make your own label design? A winner will be selected by fan votes and if your design is chosen you will win $500.00 and your design will be put on store shelves. What a cool way to show your love for B&BW, not to mention have a shot a cold hard cash and your original design associated with such an awesome company! You only have until June 9th to enter so head over and give it your best shot!

Way back wednesday Bell Biv Devo

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Anonymous are you scared?

2011-05-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking today after approving a comment on a controversial old post of mine and it got me to thinking? Why the anonymity? Or even worse a profile that is blocked? Are you scared to stand up for what you believe in? I just do not see the point in hiding yourself. If you have something to say fabulous have at it, I may not always agree, but one should not be afraid to voice their opinion in a public way. I have always published all comments unless they are spam but it certainly would be nice to put a face to them. This is American peeps we do not all have to agree. What we do need to do is be civilized and moreover, to stand up for our convictions with pride. So are you scared? Don't be I don't bite I just argue my points. I am not afraid to speak up when I see something as wrong, nor am I afraid to agree with someone when they are right. So come out of hiding and lets chat.

R.I.P. Macho Man Randy Savage

2011-05-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

So I was out golfing today and heard that Randy Macho Man Savage passed away. I have to say it saddened me. I used to absolutely love wrestling when it was the WWF. As a matter of fact I met Macho Man when my I was about 11years old. My brother and I were flying back to AZ from spending the summer with my dad in NY. We were on the plane at a lay over and people were boarding the plane. I thought some of the boarding passengers looked familiar then, it dawned on me it was a bunch of the wrestlers, and Macho Man was one of them! They were all so gracious to the two start struck kids who went crazy getting autographs! I have no clue what I did with them but the memory will stay with me always.

So to you Macho Man, R.I.P. Oohhhh yeeeeaaaahhh.

Im gonna start my own Wednesday tradition.....Way back Wednesday

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a bit nestalgic for my younger days and I thought it would be fun to share some music that I loved back in the day. This is dedicated to my husband who I recently found out never heard of Zapp and Roger.What???? The man is almost a decade my senior and has never heard of Zapp???

ouch is all I can say

2011-05-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

So I started having bad pain in my belly on Friday. I thought it was one issue but turned out to be Gastritis per the ER early this am. I swear to god it is like I have a bear in my upper gut just gnawing at my insides. I knew something had to be going on when it didn't go away. OUCH seriously. The doctor gave me some magic concoction to drink and within 10 minutes I had relief, that is for about an hour. I picked up some Prilosec as instructed and I wait for relief. Still waiting.....

Stress , who's got it? I do I do

2011-05-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about my stress levels today. Its true that all people have stress of some sort, but some of us have dealt with more than our fair share. I am a relatively private person online, however sometimes one just needs to get it out so to speak. This year has been a very difficult one for me. I have been dealing with a ton of issues with my Pre-teen daughter and more than just the sole searching, moody kind of stuff that go's on. I mean serious issues with the law, school suspensions, etc. I will not get to much into to detail but lets say between all that, school, and my loving yet always absent husband I have met my match with stress. I have had issues with dd for a few years now but seriously this year I have had enough for her entire lifetime. I have tried to find a happy balance but it just is not there. Now I am not down on myself (for the most part) but I am tired. Especially when I see people on facebook or other blogs that are always happy and their kids are angels. Where did I go wrong? Did I go wrong? Hmm this is my question of the day. Can someone always truly be that happy or is it all a big show? I really do not know,but what I do know is I am not. This brings me to the flight or fight response of our bodies. Now I am no doctor, although I did stay in a Holiday Inn a few times, in all seriousness this cant be good for your health. I mean you get all worked up with stress and this send your body into fight mode. Talk about adrenaline confusion. Again, thinking about this what can you REALLY do to calm down? A few beers, a joint ya know that things we did in our youth to tune out reality just cant really be the cure all's anymore can they? I mean I will partake in a drink or two maybe once per month, but I could never let myself rely on it. Medication umm yeah been there done that and in reality if you never get a break then the meds just don't help.Meditation? Hmm not likely with a three year old who will not let you even pee in peace. Therapy hmm OK yeah cause I have a ton of extra time between everyone elses appointment. I guess what I am saying is I need an escape. I need to find peace. I love my life but sometimes when all the negative is thrown at you at once you cant put anything on the back burner thus, putting you one step closer to sitting in a padded room playing with your own poop ya know. So what do you do? What has brought you peace? Are you one of those obnoxious err I mean shiny happy people all the time. If so why, how, umm show me the way?

extreme couponing show is so not reality

2011-05-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ok I am sure if you are landing here you are searching for info on TLC's Extreme Couponing. Well let me be the first to burst your bubble. That is not reality! Sure you can score some really great deals will coupons, but what you see on TV is not the reality of couponing. First all how many people do you know go into a store and fill up three or more charts? I do not know of one single person. Second, what store do you know of that would let you clear the shelves of entire product lines? Hell some times I have a hard enough time even finding a few products when there is a really good sale! Third, does your store let you use (and double) an unlimited amount of identical coupons:? Geeze mine sure don't. Fourth, some people cough umm *jaime* are thieves who continues to play the martyr and blame everyone for her coupon fraud rather than take responsibility for her own actions.

This show does not portray an accurate look into the world of couponing. Oh and by the way there is a huge difference between stockpiling and hoarding! I don't care if you are a family of 20 or if you donate to your church,;if you have a room specifically for your 1000 tubes or toothpaste you my friend are a hoarder. I love stockpiling; this is a great way to get what you need when it is on sale to have enough to get you between sales, but come on how much food can one family use, donate, give away before it expires?

The reality is that there are plenty of deals to be had with legitimate use of coupons. There is no reason to go around clearing shelves, nor is there any reason to chase after every deal another one is just around the corner. Do not take short cuts with couponing. Learn the ins and the outs and plan your trips wisely. It is no deal if you will not or cannot use a product. Above all have some consideration we are all in the savings boat together and with shows like this that are all spliced, planned and publicized there are more people than ever who are looking to take home butt loads of stuff for nothing. If you stick with it you will be successful, but please do not watch these shows and think that is reality of coupon shopping.

yay its time for a brain break

2011-05-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

well another semester has come and gone! I have decided to take the summer off this year. I have been through so much personally and this was a tough semester so this pea brain needs a break. I am so glad that it is over. I took my math final today and I blanked in some of it hopefully not as much as my last test. That was awful! So much going on then helped a gentleman who was having a seizure right before I went in, so needless to say I got an F first one ever. I was just so distracted that I made a ton of really stupid errors. Thank god we get one test score to drop, and after dropping it I had an A so this final will determine my final grade as it is 30% of my total grade.

I have to say I am looking forward to a rest. I have been in school now for a year straight. I thought that it would be OK to give myself the summer off because I am working whereas this time last year I was not. This would make taking an accelerated summer class more difficult. I am signed up for fall already. I will be taking my final math class( dear sweet 7lbs 4oz baby Jesus let me pass it) and a music class. I took one of my writing classes this past semester with my math and that was a tough combo. So many rules of grammar have changed and this had me crazy all semester. So I figured I would take an enjoyable class along with math this next time around.

Oxy Clinical review

2011-05-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

So at some point this year my daughter became very concerned with her skin. I would not say she has "acne" per say, but she does get breakouts. I have tried a couple of other products and they are seem to work about the same, OXY Clinical included. But one great thing about OXY is that you can find coupons which always helps! Actually there is a $1.50 coupon on their page right now!

Ok so the good and the bad of this particular product are:

Good:

Reasonable Price
Trusted name
Does clear up minor skin blemishes effectively

Bad:

Small size of product compared to other OTC brands
Drying to skin

Overall, the product works well and you are able to buy it for a reasonable price. It did dry my daughters skin but that was nothing that could not be combated with a buff puff and some extra moisturizer. I would like to see there be more product for the money though as the amount of product is significantly less than other OTC acne solutions available. You have nothing to lose by giving this product a shot!

The Semester is almost over!

2011-04-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

It certainly cannot get here quick enough. It has been a challenge for sure and I have decided to take the summer accelerated semester of this year. My brain needs to heal as well as my spirit as I was getting starting to self-doubt for a while there. I have to realize that I am not a freshly graduate high school student and juggling work, school and kids with little help is tough!

So in the next few weeks I will begin posting all my nonsense again for your reading enjoyment!

Have you ever wanted to like a product but it was dissapointing?

2011-04-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

That is how I felt with the latest products that I received to review from BzzAgent. I was sent L'Oreal one sweep eye shadow and Double Extend Eye Illuminating Mascara.

So here is the low-down. The eye Shadow while a great idea (having an applicator the shape of your lid so that you should be able to apply all of the complementary colors in one sweep) it just is awkward and the colors do not look as vibrant as they would if applied separately Then if you try to go over it again the colors blend even more as its hard to line back up with what you already did.

Next the mascara, again great idea (to have reflecting pigments in them to brighten eyes) the extra "sparkle" flakes off lashes and gets in the eyes. You cant look to pretty with red irritated eyes huh?

So In summary while I think the ideas are great they were not executed very well in these products. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. I was not compensated in any way, I was simply supplied with these two products in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is already getting hot so time to think about the garden!

2011-03-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today as I was dirt fishing what I would be planting this season. I have a dilemma though. There are only so many varieties that I ever see for sale here, I do not do seeds so I am limited to what I can get. I love tomatoes but the heat has just been way too hard on them the past couple of years. I would love to do pepper plants but I refuse to deal with those dang leaf cutter Beatles that love my peppers and get them before I do. My cantaloupe did OK but it was very slow growing and only gave up one very small Mellon!

I guess I will have to think on the plants and concentrate on my garden decorations! I love me some gnomes but sadly my little man was broken in a freak soccer ball accident, so he will have to be replaced. I was also thinking of something different this year as well. I love the way sundials add a certain old world charm to your garden! Maybe I could invest in a nice one, or maybe a soothing fountain? God too many choice ugh. OK Ill have to think about this all some more I guess.

Just call me the trash collector

2011-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

Because that is what I do when I am out metal detecting! Ha I have found about 10.00 in change but the trash certainly out weights that, however you have to dig the junk to find the gold literally. I am having such a blast, this is so what I needed to take up. I go out and get away from the kids, and have plenty of time to clear my mind and relax!

I tell you though the best money I invested was on my Garrett Pro-Pointer It has been the biggest help when digging and not being able to really get your find when it blends into the dirt. It also helps in areas that are just to load to use my machine like around playground equipment.

I just cannot wait until or beach vaca so I can just sweep and scoop rather than all the digging!

Hmm have you ever wondered what it would be like to have ultra modern furniture?

2011-03-22T02:28:00.000-07:00

There are so many awesome stores that sell such unique pieces of modern furniture. I often think how would my home look with a few of those pieces? I think if my home was larger this may actually be a look I would like to have, but it is just too small to look good in my opinion. If I were to ever say win the lottery (yes more of my daydreaming) and was able to buyer the home of my choosing I would have a blast decorating and furnishing it!

What I mean by modern is the sleek sometimes abstract looking pieces I know you have seen. You know like the glass tables, all leather couches, and don't forget the Chaise lounge chairs.

Have you ever been to Ikea? If so then you know exactly the type of furniture that I am referring to. Its is all so gorgeous, but I think you need to have to appropriate space to put it in, as well as the lifestyle. I can see myself (you know after I win the lottery) having friends, family, and my team of financial advisers(LOL) over for cocktails and lavish catered dinners. In a time and space like that I feel that the opulence of this type of furniture is just perfect. Until then I will settle for the comfortable, inviting stuff I won now.

Tired of soggy sandwhiches. Had enough with bulky ice packs?

2011-03-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well if so you need to give some thought to PackIt personal coolers. Keeping lunches cold has been a long time issue at my house. My husband commutes with his job and really needs to keep his food chilled for up to 14 hours some times. It has been an ongoing mission of mine to find a solution that worked without having to carry around a personal igloo.

We have tried regular lunch bags packed with cold packs, ice cubes, frozen drink bottles you name it. The issues are always the same if the food is even cold when we need it to be we have puddles of water from condensation, or even worse gel leaks from broken cold packs.

I wanted to be able to find a way for my husband to pack a lunch that was actually in an edible condition once he arrive at his destination. Thanks to Packit we have found our solution. What makes this bag different than those you have already tried? Well my friends you fold it up and stick the entire bag in the freezer. The entire gel filled liner freezes! It is advertised to keep your yummies cold for up to 10 hours but in fact it kept hubby's cool for a lot longer. We were very impressed with its cooling capabilities! I love the fact that when you are done you just fold it up and store it in the freezer until you need it again. I do wish that there was a slightly larger version as that would be awesome for long car rides. So for under $20.00 you can now get rid of those leaky, sticky and gross cold packs. Save money and bring your own food now that you can keep it cold with no effort!

Slipping bra straps are a problem of the past

2011-03-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

I seem to have always have issues with slipping straps, and creeping bands in my bras. I have tried so hard to find a brand that lives up to its claims and Barely There really does. I own a good 10 of their bras. They are always comfortable, durable, and flattering.

I was lucky enough to be chosen for another Barely There campaign via BzzAgent and was sent an under-wire No Slip Fit bra from Barely There to review. I have worn the bra several times as well as washed it. It has proven to be one of my new favorites. This bra really does stay put as advertised, I had no need to stop an adjust it period! I would suggest that you get a band up from your regular size though as I found because of the no slip feature that there is less give than other bras, However the coverage is perfect!

There are two styles available in the No Slip Fit bra, under-wire and wire free and they come in 3 nice neutral colors.

If you want a truly stay-put bra give this one a try, as with all other Barely There products you will be pleased!

I was sent a No Slip Fit bra free of charge from BzzAgent on behalf of Barely There. My opinions are my own and are honest, as with any product your opinion my differ from mine.

So I have given up on mypoints, and switched to Ebates

2011-02-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

I was such a loyal user of mypoints, that is until I remembered that I singed up for Ebates, So in 3 purchases I am up to more in actual CASH back than I would have been in points to use towards a gift card! From now on I will be using Ebates as long as the store is listed there as a participant. It is so much easier then waiting for points to credit (and I actually had some issues with mypoints not crediting me).

There is a huge list of stores that you can use with Ebates as well, Lets take for example the other day I finished my taxes and used Turbotax as I have for the past few years. I checked and turbo tax was listed as a participant so I just clicked the link in Ebates, finished and submitted my taxes and within a day I had an email that my purchase was confirmed for 7.5% cash back!

If you are going to shop, and you miss Bing give Ebates a try. Why not make some money back on the what you are going to buy anyway!

So I am taking up a hobby that I have always wanted since I was a kid

2011-02-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

Yep I bought a metal detector! I am one that has always dreamed about being a treasure hunter. I have even thought of taking one of those treasure hunting vacations, but that will have to wait until my son is older! Can you imagine panning for gold, or digging for opals? LOVE IT.

Anyway I purchased the Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector and I am super excited to try it out! I have only had the chance to walk around my back yard a bit. I am hoping the sick little boy at home can get a bit better so we can try it out at a park latter today or tomorrow!

I also cannot wait to try it at the beach this summer on out vacation, yeah I'm a nerd hahahah

Do you ever feel BLAHHHHH

2011-01-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Because I do. I know it shows too in my blog and for that I am sorry. I am just in the biggest funk right now. You read my post on my daughter I'm sure, that coupled with hubby working all the time, me with school and work too. I just need a good few days for mental health and me, but as a mom we rarely get that.

So welcome to my little pity party. It will all pass and I will put my big girl panties on and deal like I always do, but for now I want to sulk for a little bit.

Well today I head back to cram my head full

2011-01-19T06:33:00.001-08:00

Of knowledge as yes it is my first day back at school after my winter break. This semesters classes are Algebra and writing. I seriously feel as though I have already forgotten all that I learned in last semesters math class. UGH I wish I had more than a few weeks worth of retention when it came to math! My goals are simple really, just get through this semester and next and be done with math classes! I will be doing a little celebration when that happens for sure!

Listen no one ever said that being a parent would be easy

2011-01-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

I never thought it would be easy, but I never thought that I would have to deal with as much as I have in the 12 years that my daughter has been alive.

Now I am not one to just go willy nilley and just throw all my dirty laundry out for the world to see, but sometimes things happen that I just feel compelled to share for the simple reason that it may help some one. I have always been an open book when there is good reason.

Today something happened that I sort of hoped would in the back of my mind, something that is not cool, but that needed to be done. Let me give you a little background first. My daughter has been acting out for some time. The sense of entitlement and disregard that she has for any rules, or authority has been getting progressively worse. I have tried all I can including extensive counseling but nothing has halted, or changed her behavior.I have called on so many occasions asking for help from anyone and everyone only to be told that there are no longer "diversion" type programs and unless she is in the system there is no place that I can be referred to. She does anything and everything that she is not supposed to including the most troubling stealing. There is never a good reason for stealing, but its hard to get anyone else involved when its your own possessions.

Today things changed. While at a store she was only gone from my site for 2 minutes tops. When she showed back up I noticed her hands in her jacket pocket. I reached in and pulled out mascara and a eye pencil sharpener.(I just took a ton of makeup from her on Thursday, now I have to think she has stolen all of it as I keep finding it and throwing it away as it is my rule of no makeup at her age) I asked her if she stole them and she said she was going to. That is when I made a tough but necessary choice. I went to the front of the store and asked for a manager. I told the manager the story and said I would ask that they make the choice as to what to do. The manager stated if it were her mother she would raise Cain and she would never do it again. Sadly, I knew this was not the case with my daughter. I asked her to involve the police. After a long wait for phone calls to the store owner and the police, the officer arrived. The entire time she sat in the office with no emotion on her face at all. The manager ever gave her a very long speech and told her to apologize, which she did with a roll of her eyes and contempt. The manager told her to think more and tell me again when she meant it.

The office showed up and arrested her. Unfortunately there was no taking her then or even a trip to the car in handcuffs, which I feel would have broken her and is something she needs.

I will be receiving a call from a juvenile probation officer in the next couple of weeks. Whether or not she will be seen by a judge I don't know but I really hope so. I want them to hear the desperation from me, I want them to know I have tried to help this kid but was always turned away, I want them to hear me say now that she is IN the system maybe I can get help. I want the crap scarred out of her, I want my child back before she is so bad that there is no going back. I made the choice I did because one has to be accountable for their actions in life, you can't commit crimes and expect to be let off Scott free. I wrote this so other parents who may have heavy hearts can read this and know that if you make the same choice you are not failing your child or failing at being a parent, you are teaching your children that bad choices have consequences.

I truly hope that something sinks into her brain, that we get someone one will listen and give a punishment that will make her think twice about going down the road she is on.

Red Rover Game from Mattel learn while they play

2011-01-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

OK now that Christmas is over, I wanted to post my review of a pretty neat and inexpensive toy that I received for review from Mattel.

Red Rover is a cute little dogs that talks to your children and encourages learning with a memory matching game. Rover instruct the children to insert bones in his mouth by color,numbers or shapes. What a fun little way for kids to really learn the basics in a game setting. The recommended age is 5+ but I could see it being a little lower, but not much. My 3 year old has some difficulty as he knows his colors for the most part, but numbers and letters are something that he is still working on.

One thing I really like is that Rover gives players more than one shot at a correct answer!

So if you would like a different type of interactive memory game check out Red Rover Game at under
$20.00 its a great deal.

What a truley sad day to be an American and a Tucsonan

2011-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

A few hours ago a deranged gunman shot and killed multiple people at a local Safeway grocery store in my town. There are continued conflicting reports as to whether Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has passed away or in surgery at the moment.

No ones political stance gives anyone the right to take a persons life NEVER. Thoughts are with all the families of those injury, and killed in such a cowardly act of violence!

So I thought it was because we were getting some really cold weather

2011-01-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Snow in fact last week, but I think I will be taking my pup Bitsy to the vet. She has been house trained since we got her, well shortly after and that has been going on a year and a half ago.

So we discovered last week that she had peed on my daughters rug a few times, and I thought it was because she was so stinking cold and would not go outside. Fast forward to last night. She climbs up on the couch and gets under the blankets as usual and then it happened. My leg got really warm, yep she peed on my leg and the couch.

What the hell? Yeah this is not a matter of being cold, so I will be calling in a a bit to see if I can have her seen. I love her but this one thing I will not deal with for very long unless there is a medical reason.

So Its my Birthday

2011-01-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

But as we become adults the anticipation of a birthday is no longer there, at least for me. Its great when you are waiting on a birthday like, 13,16,21. But really after that what is there to look forward to hahaha.

I love when someone asks you if you feel any different. No should I?

I plan on just relaxing as much as possible and doing some organizing. Yesterday was my day with hubby to have lunch and bum around town. Maybe I will try my Zumba Fitness that I was able to find last week! No matter what I do it is my day.

So my New Years resolution hmmm I think

2010-12-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

It will be to cut out more things that cost money, and that I do not use regularly! I started already by canceling my gym membership. I used to love going, but now I am short on time with school, and my transcription work, and when I do have time I am playing catch up at home. I will not be cutting out exercises all together, but I just cant see spending about $36.00 a month anymore for something that I do not use as much as I used to.

I was a member of La Fitness, and am still active until 2/17/11 so I may use it a few more times until it goes inactive. I have read some huge horror stories about this company not canceling memberships when requested, so I was very thorough in my request. I printed out my billing info which showed dates, as well as copied my contract and enclosed it, stating that I was upholding my contract terms and as such I was giving more than 20 days notice prior to the next billing cycle and to cease billing and cancel my accounts. I think this helped as well as mailing them certified return receipt. Cant say you didn't receive it when someone signs for it! So they will not bill for January and take it from the payment I made towards my last months dues that were paid at enrollment. I have copied it all including their confirmation email just to be safe, but you can bet I will call someone on it if they bill me any more!

I am already on the hunt for its cheaper replacement. I have been drooling over this new wii game! I loved taking Zumba classes at the gym, what total body super intense cardio workout that was! Now I can do it at home on my own time. The only think is every where I have checked is sold out for weeks! I have about 5 different places on email alert for them when it comes back in stock!

So what is your New Years resolution?

Have you ever been broken up with by a friend?

2010-12-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well I must say this is a first for me. I am a pretty loyal person, just ask my best friend of 21 years! But I hadn't heard from a friend for about a week, I mean no answer when I called, and no texts back to me.

So I facebooked her and asked if she no longer wanted to be friends just let me know, because I refuse to make a pest of myself if someone wants nothing to do with me, but at the least let me know. So she wrote back and said I just don't see this being a lasting friendship I tried but it doesn't feel right. Really?

I mean if you don't want to be my friend, its cool but to come out of no where then just say you don't see it as a lasting thing. Hmm. well I will not let it bother me! Best wishes to you in your future.

Merry Christmas to you all

2010-12-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish you all and yours a very merry Christmas! I am taking it easy while I am off from school, but work and kids are keeping me busy as well. I will get back to regular posting after the holidays. Be safe and Merry!

Woot Woot yay me!

2010-12-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Grades are final and I got an A in both of my classes! Yay now I can relax for the rest of the Christmas break!

I am gonna pull the trigger....right about now

2010-12-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have been drooling over KitchenAid stand mixers for a while now, but it you couldn't tell this about me already I am cheap hahaha. It is so hard for me to part with my money, however I know that this will be a machine that I use on a regular basis.

I have been waiting and biding my time until I could find a deal that my pocketbook was comfortable with. Well gee Amazon my hero has come to my rescue again!

Look at this beauty and the even prettier price tag attached

I am seriously two seconds away from hitting order, I pine, I stew, I research just to make sure that I am getting a gonga of a deal. I just can't find any reason not to order this sweet lady, I will use it, I will get my monies worth. I am worth it right? OK nuff said I am ordering it.

In addition to school I am gainfully employed again

2010-12-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Yep, you heard me right I am now working again. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work for a couple of great Ophthalmologists that split from the practice that I used to work at, they started their own practice and I am now doing transcription at home for them.

I have been doing it for about a month now, and while it is challenging I love the fact that I am now bringing in a paycheck again. It may be small but it is free to save, and pay my tuition with. Woot I feel a bit more independent again. Now that my son is in day care three days per week I have one free day away from school and him so that gives me a chance to actually go in the office and work there.

I miss being around others in a work environment. One thing though I think I need to get some new nursing scrubs, as they all wear their matching uniforms and I feel left hahaha. Maybe I can get one outfit to wear on the days I go in?

There is certainly something to be said when you are back in an office with all the people you enjoyed working with and with the doctors in their spiffy white lab coats. I never realized how much I would miss it. I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to work again. I love that I am still an at home mom/ student but I am also able to make a little money on my own again.

Today I am skeered

2010-12-15T04:52:00.000-08:00

It is my my math final! Eeek. I have done pretty well this semester and currently have an A or a B the instructor was not sure which as she hadn't finished entering some stuff.

On one hand I feel like I am ready, I mean I studied yesterday for about 4 hours. I went over all my in class quiz's and tests, concentrating on the ones I got wrong, then working some that I got right to familiarize myself with different types of problems.

My issue though is I have ZERO retention when it comes to math hahah and I am expected to remember all the lessons from the whole semester. I will sit there at some point with a glazed look in my eye I am sure of it.

Maybe I will meditate before I go in there? Eh I will do the best I can that is all I can do, and more then likely look over more stuff right before class. Wish me luck.

You can help the environment when it comes time to wrap gifts this year

2010-12-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have a little tradition that I like to do every year at Christmas. My grandmother used to make what she called "junk bags" at Christmas, basically she used large burlap bags and then wrapped tons of little individual gift inside for us all. It was like the idea of the stocking. When my grandmother passed away I kept up the tradition but used baskets instead.

This year ECOBAGS asked me if I wanted to review their new product just in time for my wrapping.I received a set of three embroidered bags that are embroidered with the word "Celebrate!" these are 100% recycled cotton and can be used, and reused for a long time to come.

So this year rather then having gift baskets the ladies in my family will receive an ECOBAG stuffed with little goodies. How perfect, now they can even put the packaging to great use after the holiday!

Now you can give gifts in attractive reusable bags and save some trees. I love baskets, but really there is only so much one can use them for when you get them yearly, but reusable bags have endless uses!

You can see just how great a presentation these make, look at the bags I made up, wouldn't you like to receive one?

The three bag set is available on their website for the price of $19.99, while you are checking that out why not see all the other great eco friendly products they offer.

How about an heirloom from Lenox this year for the holidays?

2010-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows the name Lenox, but what comes to you mind when you hear it? Undoubtedly fine china, and Crystal comes to mind right? Well yes the Lenox name to me is synonymous with fine china,and crystal. I even made it a point to buy our wedding cake topper, and our wedding photo frame from Lenox because I knew I wanted something to look at and love...besides my husband once our wedding was over!

However Lenox has so much more to offer. Did you know they make jewelry? I didn't! Thanks to Lenox I was sent a lovely piece from their jewelry collection to review. I received the Good Luck Koi Pendant. Sadly it is out of stock now due to popular demand or I would link you to it. Lovely! this is a very substantial pendant on a generous chain that you can actually adjust the length on. Set in solid sterling silver with a large Jade "coin" is encircled in sterling silver, with a sliver carved overlay on top that shows the Koi. There are also two small jade beads on the chain to give it a little something more!. The best thing about this design in my opinion is that the pendant is attached in two places by the chain. No more sliding around and having to adjust your necklace Perfect.

Your jewelry comes in the familiar gold and cream box bearing the Lenox logo, inside the box your jewelry is carefully wrapped and placed inside a velvet Lenox jewelry pouch, and comes with a certificate of authenticity, care card, and polishing cloth.

With the lovely presentation you are good to go when it comes time to give it to the one you love.

The quality is nothing less then you would expect from a company like Lenox, and the prices are incredibly reasonable, you can even purchase personalized jewelry as well. Why not head over and have a look around, you may just be quite surprised to see all they have to offer in addition to their fine china!

You have seen the FURminator advertised, but does it really work?

2010-12-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Heck yeah it does!I know I have talked about my pets before, how could I not I have a ton. I have two cats, two dogs, and a guinea pig.

Because of this hair and shedding is a constant issue in my home. I love my pets but their hair gets on my last nerve!

I was asked if I wanted to give the FURminator a try and you bet my answer was yes. I was sent the model for long haired cats, for my big boy Herman. Luckily he loves love of any type and he thinks that being brushed is the same as being pet, so I had no issues trying it on him. I have only had the time to use it once so far but OMG when I was done the pile of hair that it had removed looked like a little kitten had come from Herman.

I am not exaggerating at all, when you see the advertisements for this product and you see the piles of hair around the animals that is exactly what you will get. I have never seen a product live up to the hype like I have the FURminator. I did save the hair in a bag to show you, but for once in his life my husband actually picked up after ME and threw it out err. Before this product I was actually thinking of shaving my pretty boy, now he can keep his soft coat!

Even thought the model I received was for long haired cats I did use it on my dogs and it worked pretty well, I would assume that a model for shorter hair would work fabulous as the blade side would be shorter to reach shorter hair, and yes I am planning on getting one for them too now that I have seen it in action! I really can't say anything but positive of this product. If you need help with all your shedding pets and want a product that will not let you down you really need to give the FURminator a place in your home.

What would your ultimate Christmas gift be?

2010-12-08T06:27:00.000-08:00

I don't mean like world peace, or deliverance from a deadly disease because that would be above ultimate. I mean like if someone could buy one thing for you what would it be?

I am a very practical person, I am one of those rare ladies that actually likes receiving a useful and practical gift. The only thing that I think is hard is we as adults get ourselves what we need when we need it, or in my case when it goes on sale enough for me to part with the money. Because of this it is hard to let others know what we could use when that time comes. I try hard to hold off on purchasing things at least a month before the holidays so I have some ideas for Christmas presents to give my loved ones.

If you had no limit on the cash you could spend for the holidays what would you get those you love? Do they have everything they already need? If they did have all they needed in the way of necessities would you splurge on something fun, maybe a V8 Race experience for the race loving man in your life, or Skydiving for the adventure lover in your world?

I often wonder what gift time would be like if you had unlimited funds. This is sort of another one of my "if you won the lottery" type posts. I can't be the only one who thinks about this. For me I think I would have each person give me like 4-5 ideas, then put them in a hat a draw one. That way I know they would get something they want or need and they will still be surprised because they wouldn't know which they would be receiving from me.

The Children's Place, great clothes at a great price

2010-12-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

The children's place has been one of those stores that I always wind up heading to when I need something. The quality of clothes is great, and their prices are pretty reasonable, especially when they have sales then you can score big!

I had been planning on getting some outfits for the kids so I could have pictures taken for our Christmas cards, but I was delayed. It all worked out though as we had a planned trip to the San Antonio area a couple of weeks ago and I found myself needing some warmer clothing for the kids.

I tried so hard to find a cute outfit for the girl child, but alas she is in full bloom picky pre-teen years and NOTHING will make her happy. No joke we went through her closet before we left because she was wearing the same stuff over and over. Well when it was said and done she had less then a weeks worth of outfits, because she refused to use anything else. It's cool though because now thanks to her wasteful ways she will have to spend her own money on clothes, this mommy is on strike! I was sent her a cool matching Hat, Scarf, and gloves.....And wait for it, yeah she wore them while we were out of town! I thought I had snapped a pic, but I cant seem to find it.

Luckily my son is a toddler, I have no worries with him. If its his size he will wear it. So I can relish in dressing him the way I see fit and I love it. The Children's Place allows me to get him many pieces that can be mixed and matched as well, I love that! I want my clothing purchases to be money well spent. There is nothing worse then a cute patooty outfit that cant be separated!

I was sent a super cute and WARM outfit for my buddy to review while we were in colder weather from The Children's Place. Here you can see him in the Striped Thermal Shirt and his Cords. He was as happy as a clam in his outfit, and I was cool with him running around and exploring outside without his jacket for a while, as the outfit was just cozy enough to keep him comfortable.

Too cute right? Head over there now where they have a fabulous Fleece sale going on. $7.00 and up, get the kids all cozy and warm without breaking the bank.

Give the gift of a healthy head of hair this year

2010-12-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

I want to take a few minutes to introduce you to CREO CARE. I have heard over the years that shampoos and conditioners that were Sulfate free were better for your hair. I never really paid too much attention to it. I didn't swear the idea off, but never went out of my way to find such a product. This is just one ingredient that CREO CARE will not use, actually they have it in their pledge, along with other nasty chemicals.

CREO CARE is dedicated to providing products that unlock and support one’s natural beauty in a healthy and environmentally responsible way.
We accomplish this by maintaining the highest standards with regard to the quality, origin and efficacy of the ingredients we use. In other words, if it is not good for you, not good for the environment and/or fails to comply with the standards set forth below, we will not use it.
We pledge that 100% of our ingredients are and will always be:
Sulfate Free Silicone Free
Free of synthetic fragrances Animal Cruelty Free
TEA Free DEA Free
Oxide Free Paraben Free

CREO CARE contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying their products for review. I opted to receive Shampoo and conditioner, but they make body wash, baby wash, and even skin care too. I do prefer to use natural products when possible so I was eager to give this brand a try.

I had the perfect opportunity to really test it out this past weekend. I had been staying at my In-laws ranch for the past four days and if you aren't familiar with what your hair can go through using silty well water, let me tell you my hair was a huge greasy, ratty, straw like mess by the time we got home. The first thing I did was head for the shower!

I grabbed the CREO Hair Cleanser, and the CREO Hair Conditioner that I was send along with the Therapeutic Hair Masque that was in my box too. I figured this was a great test for the products. If I could get my hair clean, manageable. and looking good with one shower then the products were good.

Well did they ever take care of me! My hair was rescued. It was like it had never been in the state it was just 30 minutes prior. It was soft, manageable, and looked really healthy and shiny.Normally I would have done two lathers because of how bad my hair was, but I really scrutinized these products by only using the smallest amount! The smell was great to boot, I don't know about you but I do not care how well something works, if it stinks or has an unpleasant smell at all I will not use it period.

I was really impressed with these products. Sure they cost more then stuff you buy in retail, but no more then you would expect to pay for salon products! That's OK by me. So do you have a special someone in your life that could use the gift of Healthy Hair this year? How about someone who loves body care? Well I think if they were to open a care package made up of CREO Products they would not be disappointed!

I received samples of products for review, this in no way swayed my views. My opinions are my own.

Its the months end don't forget to get your coupons before new ones come available

2010-11-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Coupons.com should be resetting in a few days, so don't forget to print the ones that are available now. Here are some that are currently available to print.

- NoMoreRack - Free $10 Gift Card!
- Gas-X Prevention - $4.00 off 1
- Gas-X - $3.00 off 1
- Glade Scented Oil Candle Refills - $1.00 off 1
- Dry Idea - $1.00 off 1
- Coast Body Wash or Bars - $1.00 off 1
- Hellman's Mayonnaise - $1.00 off 1
- Crisco Olive Oil - $1.00 off 1
- Pine-Sol - $1.00 off 1
- Crisco No-stick Cooking Spray - $0.75 off 1
- Lifesavers & Wrigley's Heritage Tins - $2.00 off 2
- Lifesavers & Starburst Storybooks - $2.50 off 3
- Hershey Kisses - $1.00 off 2
- L'Oreal Revitalift - $2.00 off 1
- GladeÂ® PlugInsÂ® Scented Oil Lasting Impressionsâ¢ holder - $3.00 off 1
- VEETÂ® Suprem'Essenceâ¢ product - $3.00 off 1

Back from our trip and Murphy got us coming and going

2010-11-30T07:13:00.001-08:00

Yeah a 12 hour drive with two kids is just too much! We headed out to my husbands parent's ranch out by San Antonio on Wednesday.

Gaige was sick the entire time, and then passed it onto me yuck! This was my first taste of hunting, and as I suspected I cried on our last night there when hubby took out a buck. We now have a freezer full of venison that will not eat!

Came home and turned on the computer only to have it continually shut off. Err dang I shut it off to avoid issues and it still happened. It is in the shop and I hope it is a small issue because I depend on my computer for work and school waaaaa.

So thank you Murphy for coming along on my trip, and following me home.

How to Pickle Jalapenos

2010-11-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yep thought I would show off my latest canning attempt. Hubby loves pickled Jalapenos, so when I saw them at the dollar store I thought I would use up the last of my canning jars and attempt to pickle them.

Now then this is not an exact recipe because I didn't have enough Jalapenos to accommodate that but I kinda winged it. Now I cant tell you how they taste yet but they look good hahah.

About 4 Cups of Vinegar

about 1 cup of water

1 Tbs Agave Nectar

4 Tbs Pickling Salt

1 Tsp Celery Seeds

1Tbs Coriander seeds

About 2 Lbs Jalapenos

1/4 lb carrots roughly sliced

1 large onion roughly sliced

Boil your water, vinegar, nectar and spices. Add your Jalapenos, onions and carrots to your clean, sterilized, and hot jars. Cover with the boiling mixture an leave about a 1/2 " of head room at the to of your jars. Put the lid on and screw top tight but not over tight. When ready process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Place on a towel in a place where they will not be disturbed. Voila done!

Go o Natural this holiday season with Natural Ways

2010-11-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

I have chosen to highlight some great products and companies this holiday season. Reason being is we can all use help when trying to decide the right gifts for friends and family members! Now I am not taking about the usual brick and mortar type gifts, no I am talking about gifts that are truly unique and of great quality without the large price tags.

We all want to give gifts that are memorable, useful, and a great bargain while standing out from the seas of socks,gift cards, and weird little odds and ends.

I had the wonderful opportunity to receive and review the coolest thing, an Aloha Bay Palm Wax Candles Salt Lamp! Yes you have seen them and I know you are curious because I was too. These things are the ultimate "cool" gift item. Let me give you a bit of info from the website:

Aloha Bay Salt Crystal Lamps are made from salt crystal rocks formed by nature hundreds of millions of years ago and mined over 500 yards underground from the foothills of the Himalayas. When mining the salt crystals, explosives are strictly prohibited to preserve the structures of the crystals. Lamps are carefully crafted by hand to retain the unique, beautiful and natural shape of the rock. The result is a rare crystal with such beautiful colors ranging from off-white to apricot and warm pink. As the lit bulb or a tea light warms up the lamp, healthful negative ions lift off from the surface and help to cleanse and improve the quality and freshness of the air you breathe.

This is the coolest! It adds such a cool mood thanks to the ambient light, what a conversation piece as well. For under $30.00 you can have the exact same model I received!! Umm Hero at the Holiday gift exchange right? I think so. I mean not only do you get to give a super cool piece of modern eye candy, but it may actual help your heath BONUS!

OK yes this is real salt, umm yeah I licked it hahahah. I had to do it my husband cracked up and said " I knew you would do that" Well you have to make sure you are getting what is advertised right? HA I have been using this nightly on my computer hutch as I do my transcription, it has certainly enhanced my mood and just makes me feel warm and fuzzy!

You can get larger Salt Lamps, as well other some other really cool Aromatherapy items, Candles, Supplements, Medicinal teas and sooo much more at Natural Ways Consulting. The site is run by John a very helpful fellow indeed. He is a Holistic Health and Nutrition Consultant, soon to be a Master Herbalist. He consults via personal analysis to each of his clients. Clients were always interested in natural items that he used and suggested, so Shop Natural Ways was born!

I can almost certainly bet that when people see my lamp that they will be badgering me for information on the benefits, cost, and where they too can get one. Ahh but that is why I am writing this post, so that you my readers can get the scoop first, and in time to beat the holiday rush! Check out Shop Natural Ways and their incredible selection of goodies today.

Old El Paso Taco night, have one tonight with a giveaway!

2010-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

taco night anyone? Why not change up your dinner routine and have some dinner time fun with the Old El Paso El Tacodor game?

I love shaking up dinner routines, I am always trying to stay away from the "same old" dinners, so when MyBlogSpark asked if I wanted to try some Old El Paso taco seasoning and give it a whirl I said sure! Now our dinner was a bit different because if the eating we do on South Beach Diet, but we still made our way through with "taco salad" Tuesday.

I made ground turkey and seasoned it with Old El Paso taco seasoning and piled it on top of salad greens! The kids had tortillas chips, while I made baked whole wheat tortilla baskets for hubby and I. Yumm, what a nice change from the usual dinners I make!

No be sure to head over and get a coupon for .60/2 Old El Paso products to make your taco night less expensive!

I received an Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" prize pack from Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark, which included a packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase my taco fixingins, and thanks to MyBlogSpark one of my readers will get the same prize pack!

WINNER WINNER

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 173 -- Unsorted

Set #1: 153

This giveaway will run until Monday 11/22/10 at 8 AM MT. You do not need to be a blog owner to win, but you must leave a way for me to contact you. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another will be chosen. This giveaway is open to the US only.

All you need to do to win is let me know in a comment if taco night is something you already do or not. Easy! All off topic comments will be deleted.

If you would like additional entries you may do any/all of the following, please be sure to leave a separate comment for each that you do.

Follow my blog publicly- If you already follow it counts! 1extra entry

Follow me blog on facebook 2 extra entries

Follow me on twitter @gumby007 and tweet about this giveaway(leave your twitter ID and the link to your tweet in your comment) 2 extra entries

Blog about this giveaway on your with a link back 3 extra entries

Grab my button and put it on your blog 2 extra entries

Please consider helping out with a meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas

2010-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

It is so easy to get caught up in life, but I can guarantee if you have Internet access and are reading this post you are better off then so many!

It does not need to cost you a ton! I was able to get a 15lb Turkey, two pouches of instant Potatoes, 3 jars of Turkey Gravy, 4 cans of Cranberry Sauce, and two boxes of Stove top stuffing to donate to the Salvation Army kitchen yesterday at the grocery store for under $10.00 with the use of coupons.

I always preach the frugal way of using coupons to help you save money, but please try to help others with your savings too. It does not need to cost a ton to help a ton.

Since being married my husband and I have donated a dinner to the Salvation Army for Thanks Giving and Christmas. Times are so tough for people, and even the simple act of feeding someone can help take a bit of stress off them. I cant imagine going hungry, even as poor as I was when I was a single parent, I was able to eat because of family and thanks to left overs that I brought home from office lunches for my daughter and I.

No one in THIS COUNTRY should EVER have to go without food especially at the Holidays!

Scooby-Doo And The Spooky Swamp video game review

2010-11-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that we own a Wii among other video game platforms in my house as you can see by lots of other posts. I am always interested in reviewing games, because it really stinks when you spend good money on a game and are disappointed in it.

In Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp players can play alone or with another players to help solve the mystery of a swamp girl. In the process of playing the game your brain is challenged with puzzles that keep you on your toes and help you with your solving skills. Now the downer is before you can move onto new parts in the game you must complete a task, this can get kind of frustrating for kids who like to just explore games and different areas of their games. The plus you can change characters at any time my daughter liked this, it kind of gave her something to do when she was working on completing tasks to move forward in the game, also being the typical girl she is she found it fun to buy costumes and change the look of the characters.

Would I recommend this game yes and no. If your child enjoys games that require them to do a sequence of events to proceed to the next levels I think they would enjoy this game. However if they prefer to kind of lallygag in their games and have lots of different things to do, then you may want to pass. My daughter played it but I don't think its one of those games that will get played with very often. She likes games that require thinking and completing tasks, but in a competition type setting, or a building setting.

If you want to try this game and don't own a Wii don't worry this game is available for the Nintendo DS, as well as PlayStation 2.

TicTac to donate to CancerCare via Facebook

2010-11-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

For every Facebook user that shares/posts their acts of caring Tic Tac® will donate $5 to CancerCare®!

Tic Tac® recently launched its official USA Facebook page to encourage fans to Shake, Share & Care by posting their acts of caring (anything they have done for someone affected by cancer, i.e. cooked dinner, bought groceries, etc.) in an effort to help the brand reach its goal of an additional $100,000 donationto CancerCare®, a national organization focused on providing support for people affected by cancer, including caregivers, loved ones and the bereaved. Tic Tac will donate $5 per act of caring shared per person, up to $100,000 (minimum of $25,000).

We all know someone who has struggled with Cancer, it was my pleasure to post this as a PSA

SeaPak has a cool new offering Popcorn Fish

2010-11-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a hard time getting kids to eat fish, even with fish sticks? I have, while I love fish my kids tend to turn their noses up at it. However SeaPak has come out with a new product Popcorn Fish. This new product is made of fresh whole Pollock fillets, not that nasty minced mystery fish like some brands. I think the allure is the small bite size pieces, I think kids are much more open to smaller bite size finger foods!

Another great things is since they are small there is less waste even if a few are left over as apposed to big fish fillets or even fish sticks. I just hate wasting food, and with a resealable bag there are less worries about waste, or freezer burned fish.

My kids actually enjoyed these, there was absolutely no struggle to get them to eat them, and my husband and I enjoyed them as well! I can enjoy them without worry as well because they are low in fat, have ZERO MSG and ZERO high fructose corn syrup, two major No No's on South Beach Diet!

You can find this new SeaPak goody at Walmart stores nationwide.

Save $8.00 on Toy Story 3 Blue-ray/DVD combo

2010-11-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to pass this info on because there are tons of deals out there when new Disney movies hit, and this just makes it that much sweeter!

If you aren't a member of Disney movie rewards you will need to sign up first. If you are a member sign in and print your $8.00 coupon.

Happy Shopping!

Hey mom do you have eyes in the back of your head?

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dearest Children,

Why yes, yes I do. If I tell you not to do something and you do it I will find out. Why? well child let me tell you I was a kids once, yes many years ago. I have either been there or done that.

Besides that fact, you are not smart enough YET to cover your tracks o kid of mine. So next time you beg for a myspace page, or facebook and I say no, please listen to me. I will find it and delete it once again.

Love Mom, the person who's job it is to protect you.

P.S. That's another two weeks extended onto your sentence err punishment.

Save some money on your treats this Halloween, no tricks!

2010-10-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah I have procrastinated this year on buying my candy. I mean its not really a procrastination so much as the fact that there haven't been any good sales! I do not mind giving out candy because we go trick or treating, but I like to give out the stuff kids really like and that can be pricey. So here is some great savings from coupons.com to help you save some green on your candy!

You can get:

- $2.00 off ONE (1) Nestle Candy Variety Bag
- $1.50 off ONE (1) Wonka Mixups
- $2.00 off ONE (1) WonkaÂ® Best on the Block
- $2.50 off TWO (2) Nestle Candy Variety Bags
- $1.50 off any THREE (3) bags Skittles, Starburst, Lifesavers

Similac Liquid ready to feed formula for under a buck at target

2010-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted some deals, but this one is a ganga! Babies are expensive so I try to help you save with them when ever possible.

Target has ready to feed Similac for 3.86 right now, AND there is an awesome 3.00 printable coupon for this exact product. Have your friends and family help you out by printing out this coupon to use before they are all gone.

Click the box above and use zip 90210 to find this coupon, be sure to look around because there are some other great coupons up now as well!

Kidz Bop Dance Party The Video Game Review

2010-10-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

OK let me start off by saying this was not a game I had any intention of reviewing. I was sent it quite by accident. I am not a fan of the Kidz Bop music, my daughter was when she was younger, but now she prefers the music by the original artists. Because of this fact this game was never something that I felt would be appreciated by my daughter who is a month shy of 12.

However it turns out that she loves it. Not necessarily the singing by the Kidz Bop kids, but the game itself. She loves games that are interactive in her movements, until recently she was infatuated with Wii Cheer, so this one is a huge hit to her.

Kidz Bop Dance Party game includes 24 of the most popular Kids Bop dance hits to dance your hearts out to. In the game you have free play, challenge, dance off, and even shop and dress-up. Your child can not only play alone but can also dance with a partner in two player mode

Here are a few shots of the game and of my daughter enjoying it.

Dance games are HUGE this year and I think the ones that have been out tend to leave out the younger kids, so this is the perfect game to bridge this gap. Parents can let their children enjoy a dance game with popular music hits without worry because Kidz Bop Makes the songs more KID FRIENDLY.

Bottom line if a picky pre-teen can appreciate it then it must good. This game is available exclusively for the Wii platform.

I am lost

2010-10-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

In math that is! I was all cool until yesterday. I hate fractions but can get by with them, or at least I could get by with them. Yesterdays homework took me 4 hours, yeah 4. I normally am able to complete my home work in a hour or so, but yesterday I couldn't get it. Why?

Well as if fractions alone weren't stinky enough throw them into complex word problems, and they will get me every time! I struggled even with examples and such I couldn't get it right. I even gave up entirely on one problem because after about 30 minutes and 6 attempts I was just over it.

Good lord and I still have two more courses of math after this to be done. I will either be a bald chick from pulling my hair out, or a raging drunk by the time it is all over. Maybe I will even be sitting in a corner playing with my own poop? Who know, OK I really think that last one is a stretch but I cant guarantee it!

Netgear your customer service sucks!

2010-10-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Now I fully understand when a products warranty is up that replacement is not going to happen, nor would I expect it, but to have to pay to get support to confirm if the unit dead is ridiculous!

So apparently if your warranty is up you get another number to call for PAID support. Really? I am not asking for anything that wouldn't take more then a few minutes, I just wanted to know if the router was indeed causing my intermittent Internet issues since once I hard wired back to my modem as instructed by my service provider I haven't had issue for about 20 minutes. Now my reasoning behind this is my provider likes to lay blame anywhere but themselves even when others in the area are having the same problems.

If it were indeed the router no issue I would have just chalked it up to heavy use and purchased another NETGEAR router. Now though since encountering this I will spend my money on another brand! Geeze for the cost of paying a support person I can just get another router, and for the cost of a few minutes of phone help Netgear could have received more of my money. Silly Silly companies that treat past customers this way. That is not what it takes to have repeat customers or words of praise told to the tons of potential customers that one has.

Christmas shopping gets harder every year

2010-10-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I think it gets harder as the people you buy for age. I still have a few easy years with my son, but my daughter on the other hand is incredibly picky. We have finally got her to understand when we are buying things do not say you like it and want it unless you really do. I cant tell you the clothes in her closet that she wanted then refused to wear. With her this year and the rest to come I'm sure will be a morning opening gifts that you have already seen.

I hate that but not as much as wasting money! Christmas and back to school is the only time my kids get new clothes. I mean unless a special occasion pops up where something is needed. So I buy throughout the year when I find sales so I can maximize my money, however thanks to miss Pris she will be getting far less oh well.

Kids aren't the only ones I have problems shopping for. The adult are more difficult in my opinion. As adults we buy what we need when we need it. I don't say oh I need new dishes or shoes, but I'll wait for Christmas. Same thing with those I buy for. It is always is a struggle so this year I thought I would use my favorite place to shop and make it easier on those that buy for me.

Starting today I will be doing some Amazon window shopping. Not that I don't already do that, but I usually place things in my basket for later. This time I will create a wish list that people can refer to. Woot no longer do I have to deal with the what can you use/need questions. I will just point to my wish list!

Maybe I should put gifts ideas for the kids on there too? I think I will since my mom is rolling in the Swagbucks and hasn't yet cashed any in yet! Then she can use the Amazon GC's she wins to pay for gifts! If you havent heard of Swagbucks you really need to check them out. It is a search site that rewards you for your searches. Not only that but you get Swagbucks for doing simple daily polls, and for taking surveys if you want. I personally have cashed out for ten 5.00 amazon gift cards. Free money for searching the Internet which you do anyway! Gonga.

I really hope this year is easier. I love shopping early. I cant deal with last minute hopping and the crowds.

Scotch Blue Painter's Tape wants you to win a Room makeover

2010-10-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape and Amy Matthews, host of DIY Network’s Sweat Equity, have launched a nationwide contest – ScotchBlue™ Brand & You: The Sweat Equity Crew – asking homeowners across America to submit a photo or video of a room in their home that’s in dire need of a face lift. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a room makeover valued up to $15,000 as well as an appearance on Sweat Equity with Amy Matthews. Twenty finalists will each receive a $250 Visa Gift Card.

Enter the ScotchBlue™ Brand & You: The Sweat Equity Crew. Submissions will be accepted through December 29, 2010.

ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tapes are perfect for just about every project. When it’s time to paint, DIYers and pros alike reach for this versatile, reliable line of tapes that yield professional-looking results. ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tapes come in several different varieties so you can choose the tape that’s best for your personal project.

Trust, a little word with huge consequences once lost

2010-10-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Trust

Definition:

1. [n] the trait of trusting; of believing in the honesty and reliability of others; "the experience destroyed his trust and personal dignity"

Trust is such a little word, but when gone what do you do? Sure it can be rebuilt with time, patience, and a ton of effort; but if it never comes back to 100% before it is broken again then what?

I am such a huge believer in truth, and accountability. We are all human and make mistakes, but we should learn from those mistakes. Life and the choices we make in the one life we are given are not easy. No one ever said they would be, however it is my belief that if you have something good going for you that you hold on like hell because nothing is certain in life except death.

I HATE those who lie I also HATE those who refuse to take responsibilities for their own actions. Man/Woman up! The consequences of your actions are yours. All actions have a reaction, good or bad. Which ever action you choose, you also choose the consequences that go along with them. To constantly try to pass the blame on to others, or make excuses just makes my blood boil.

The TRUTH is if you tell me something that you know will upset me, oh well YOU CANNOT control how someone reacts to what YOU SAY, however my reaction even though it may be unpleasant is NOTHING compared to my reaction when I catch you in a lie! I have found this is not only MY tendency but a human tendency is general. Can you blame us? To lie is to disrespect, to lie is kill trust, to lie is to say I don't care enough to be honest.

So if you don't care enough to be honest then what the hell are you in my life for? I am one that always wants to forgive, but I hold a grudge for a long time. I don't want to be this way but it is a coping mechanism because sadly I am usually always right. It will happen over and over again, so if I don't forgive then I don't get blindsided. I long for absolute trust because with out it doubts that are usually well founded creep into my world. I want to know what it is like to be trust the ones I love. So much has been built on lies from the start that I just cant get past it, and when I try I am proved dumb yet again.

Strategic Default in the housing market what are your thoughts?

2010-10-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

So what are your thoughts on this? Mine well its hard to put into words how I feel at any given moment. I feel extremely bleak about the future of housing where I live, Arizona. I feel like I did everything I was supposed to do when buying our home in 2007.

This was right before the crash started. We never had an amount that we were approved for. It was our choice and we bought what we could afford, not what the lenders said we could afford. We bought because prices had gone so high that we felt it was now or never. We knew prices couldn't get too much higher, but we thought they would stay up or level off to a reasonable rate soon, we never thought the crash would occur, but then again I'm sure no one did.

We did get an interest only OPTION loan because that is what we could get on stated income. My husband had terrible credit while mine was A+. This was the only option to be able to use his income as well but my credit only. We weren't/aren't stupid and have never just paid the payment only we always add more so we are paying towards principal as well. We treat it as though the OPTION doesn't exist, if we didn't once that option is gone after 10 years we would never have paid off a cent. We knew what we got but at the same time we figured that at some point within that 10 years we would be able to refinance into a regular loan at a lower interest rate once his credit improved.

Yeah right! His credit has almost surpassed mine and we are stuck. The President's plan to help those underwater has not helped. We are upside more then 20 percent so we cant refi under his plan, nor could we do a modification because he makes too much money! Now come on really? Who are these plans rewarding? Those who play the game and stop making payments! I am all for helping those who have lost their jobs that is unenforceable, and they should be helped. But I know for a fact there are people who played the game right and were able to get hundreds of dollars in reductions in payments. Yet we as responsible home owners who make our payments on time every month cant even get a bone thrown to us. We aren't looking for debt forgiveness, we only want a good interest rate. Hell lowering it even by 1.5% would knock off a bit of money every month. Sure it wouldn't take away our debt but I know we would feel better having a lower payment.

It's hard to make a payment every month knowing for the same payment we could have a house that is double the size we have now. There is nothing to motivate people to stay in their homes! Every day you have financial planners telling homeowners who are underwater to walk away! This is making the situation even worse, yet I see the temptation! How hard would it be with A+ credit to get approved for another home, saying you are renting your current house out and then just default on the first one? You already have the home loan so no need for the credit at that point. Besides that today there are so many foreclosures I think that lenders will not be surprised to see them on someones credit in the near future. Sure it will drop your score tremendously but if you already have a new house and you are paying less then you can save money for what you need.

There is also the fact that foreclosures are so abundant that banks are taking forever to even kick people out, and now with foreclosure freezes who knows when they will start back up. Those people can potentially live rent free for a year and bank that cash, then turn around and rent until their credit clears up then buy again. If that isn't a slap enough, I have now heard that banks are actually paying people to leave their foreclosed homes sooner! Crazy right you stop paying, then someone offers your $4000.00 to leave by months end without causing damage. Wow just one more reward for leaving your debt.

So walk away or short sale? Well walk away of course. If you do a short sale the IRS will send you a handy dandy 1099 for the difference in what you owed and sold your house for. The banks claim it as a loss and you absorb it as income, but walk away and you are in the clear. So short sale who does it help? Certainly not you. Your credit still takes a hit and you get stuck with a bill for income you never saw, but the big bank gets to right off the loss and still has the home to re-sell.

Please tell me where the motivation is to stay in your home that is under water? I have yet to walk away I still make my payments every month on time, but why? Is it because I know it the RIGHT thing to do? Is it because I am afraid of the black mark on my credit? Is it because I am stupid? I have no idea, but I do think about what happens if we get to the point where we are say 50% under water. Will I stay? I really cant answer that. We are at least $60,000 in the hole. So how much is too much?

I can't fault some who walks away, I really can't homes are supposed to be an investment. But what kind of investment is it if you owe double what it's worth? How long will it take to stabilize? I have no clue but I don't see it happening any time in the near future.

I want to know your thoughts. If you have walked tell me when and why you finally made that choice. If you haven't but have considered it why, and what do you think will be the last straw.

Viva Elvis by Cirque Du Soliel a review

2010-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to catch a show while in Vegas this past week. I received a pair of complimentary tickets to see the Cirque Du Soliel production titled Viva Elvis. This spectacular show is exclusive to the equally a spectacular Aria Resort & Casino.

Let me start of this review by giving you some information about the show before I go into my personal take on the production.

Information from the official press release:

The show
Viva ELVIS, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Nostalgia, modernity and raw emotion provide the backdrop for his immortal voice and the exhilaration and beauty of his music.
Created in the image of The King of Rock ’n’ Roll – powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life – the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music and whose image embodies the freedom, excitement and turbulence of his era.

Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley. Significant moments in his life – intimate, playful and grandiose – blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts.

Viva ELVIS ticket prices are $175, $150, $125 and $99.

2 Shows Nightly at 7:00pm & 9:30pm, DARK Sunday & Monday

OK onto my personal review. First things first the ushers were incredibly helpful, and well organized; for such a large auditorium seating was very very easy! I would suggest opting for a higher priced ticket as the seating down by the stage is so comfortable, it is set up in rows of what I would call folding love seats! Sure there are regular seats that are just fine don't get me wrong, but it made it that much more enjoyable to be able to sit close to my husband. We were in section 104, if you look at the seating chart we were just to the right of the stage.

Now the actual performance outstanding, really!

I was unsure of what to expect from this show. I hear the Cirque Du Soliel name and images of aerial acrobatics, and contortion come to mind, but this is not a typical Cirque show. Yes there are scenes where you have the graceful aerial acts, and they are truly beautiful and mind boggling.I mean how bodies can bend in such a way and still look so natural and unrestrained!

However in addition to those acts, there is dancing, live singing, live musicians, and huge vibrant sets all centering around the musical hits and life of Elvis. This is not just a show thrown together with music, the sets and scenes are all sequences of actual life events of the king.

My husband and I were in awe of the act where the voice of Elvis talks about being a super hero in his dreams at night. This prompted a number of performers to engage in the most awesome act centered around multiple trampolines titled "Got A lot Of Livin' To Do". The flips, walking on walls, swinging all in perfect synchronization was amazing!

Viva Elvis is a show that encompasses the life and events of a true American Icon. Elvis was way more then just a musician, he was a huge part of history. This performance was able to capture not only that history but the emotions that came along with those events! I felt as though I was actually able to ride along this journey right from my seat. From the sets, to the singing, to the acrobatic acts this show is a treat for the senses!

I do not want to spoil the show by giving away too many details, because I believe that people of any age group who sees this performance would be pleased! My husband and I were so happy to have had the opportunity to see it, we have already discussed what show we will see on our next trip to Vegas and I am sure that it will be a Cirque show!

If you are curious which I have no doubt you are, you can see actual performance clip scenes , Costumes, and get information on the music used in the show right on their web page.

Thank you to Viva Elvis for a very memorable night in Las Vegas.

School update

2010-10-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

Well I got my first math test back and I got ........ 89% a good solid B. I'll take it! I already have another coming up and I do not feel confident at all. I need to ask what is the point? I am more then capable of handling every day math, I just never have, nor will I ever need more then that in my life.

So why do I need it for a degree? I am not planning on a degree in math or engineering so to me its a waste, just one more way for the school to milk money out of me. Heck I don't even get college credit for this class or next because they aren't college level.

Ah well if I can just get through the math I will survive the rest of my classes I am sure of that!

PlayStation Move are you curious?

2010-10-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

I Don't know about you but every time a commercial comes on for the new PlayStation Move I actually pay attention. I'm not one that really gets caught up in advertising but the latest commercial with the old man on a pogo stick cracks me up and made me take notice.

I was thinking about it and really PlayStation is pretty smart. Why do I say this? Well they have created a way to bring motion to your PlayStation 3 without having to buy an entirely new game system. If you already own a PlayStation 3 you can buy the Move bundle package for only $99.00! Pretty sweet huh? What a way to bring new life into a game system that you already own.

This looks like a great new way to get some exercise, or enjoy some family time together. I was checking out the games and Get Fit with Mel B looks like it could be spot on for those that want to enjoy a work out at home!

I know for me personally I was over Wii Fit in about a months time. It got to be so boring and repetitive! Sure you COULD break a sweat with it, but I want a trainer that looks like a trainer, not a bad monochromatic computer generated model. The moves and activities became so boring that I actually joined a gym. That defeated the purpose. Now it sits under a chair collecting dust, not a very good use of my money!

There are a number of games currently available for use with the PlayStation Move, and more on the way. If you want to put your PlayStation 3 to use, and breathe new life into your gaming why not pop for the PlayStation Move?

Poor Buddy

2010-10-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

In about 30 minutes I am taking my son to have one of his top front teeth pulled. Poor Dude I swear in his three years of life this kid has had a broken leg, had to have surgery to remove a battery from his tummy, and now this.

This is thanks to dad showing him how to stand while peeing and slipping and hitting his mouth on the toilet. The pediatric dentist watched it for 6 months but then the last X- ray showed the root shrinking. We could have opted for a baby root canal but they are not very successful in front teeth and because of this the chance of damage to his permanent tooth was large, so I opted for extraction. Poor little man will be toothless until he is like 7 because it actually slows down eruption.

Dunkin Doughnuts Coffee a treat to enjoy at home

2010-10-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can enjoy Dunkin Doughnuts coffee at home now? Yes you can! It is available for purchase nationwide where ever you buy groceries. You can visit Dunkinathome and even locate a store to make it easier to find.

I have had their unflavored varieties and enjoyed them very much, I am a coffee fan and always looking for new flavors and brands to try. I was given the opportunity to try the new seasonal flavor of Mocha Mint and give my opinions on it. Well It is delish! I enjoy flavored varieties to shake up my morning routines, and I love flavors that go with the seasons.

To me Mint means Winter and Candy Canes, and Mocha well who doesn't love Chocolate? The flavor of this coffee is very well balanced. You have subtle hints of Mint over a Delicious Mocha base. The aroma is awesome, and unlike some other flavored coffees you can taste what is advertised not just smell them. The coffee is smooth and not bitter in the least! There are also two other flavors that are out now that you may like as well Vanilla Nut, and Pumpkin Spice.

I also received a sample of the Turbo Charged variety as well and I was equally happy with it. It has an extra boost of coffee flavor yet it is smooth, creamy and not bitter at all.

If you want a great cup of coffee without the Coffee shop trips and the pricey cups of Joe give this a shot, the prices are very comparable to better brands that you can find at retail along side Dunkin Doughnuts!

I am back from Vegas

2010-10-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

I had a blast! Sure I didn't come home a millionaire but I did come home with a bit of cash, and in my experience coming home with any money is a win! I would have had more but hubby ran out so I had to share some of my winnings with him.

I never did get to try Craps, but I did try my hand at three card poker and did VERY well made about $150.00 in a hour! Played my favorite roulette and one night shared the table with the PlayStation 3 guy "Kevin Butler" as played by Jerry Lambert pretty cool.

We learned a valuable lesson, take the bus! Cheapest transportation option when you are staying down town! $20.00 for a three day pass what a GONGA. Sadly we learned this after almost 100.00 in cabs and shuttles, which by the way just take a cab to your hotel the shuttle ride was a joke, an hour and 10 minutes to get to our hotel the first night from the airport.

We hit up two outlet malls, the first one we tried to walk to and that was a huge mistake! I had a blister on the bottom of my foot the size of a half dollar! I was able to visit the wax museum which was SO cool.

On Thursday night we headed to the Aria and caught the Viva Elvis Cirque Du Soliel show, Fabulous be sure to look for my review later this week.

At the Luxor

Shark tank in the swimming pool at the Golden Nugget

Strip shot

Hubby on the bridge by Excaliber

Shot of the Hard Rock

Strip view 2

Luxor Pillar

The Dress I wore to Viva Elvis

Hubby Overlooking the Gondola At the Venitian

Gondola at the Venitian

Me and Brad Pitt

Me and The Rock

Me and Hugh

Hubby and Jenna Jamison

Me and the Depp man

Me and Tim Mcgraw Yumm

Prince Baby!

Snoop D.O. Double G

Hahahah Hubby Insisted I naw on Siegfried's leg

Tom Jones even his wax double makes me wanna strip

The King Baby

Obama and I

Hubby Getting Inked

Me getting Inked never mind my tummy heheh

Back View Getting inked by Dano

On our final night we went out with a bang and both hubby and I got Inked at Vince Neil Ink. It is a Tattoo shop right on the strip owned by Vince Neil of Motley Crue! Yeah 800.00 later YIKES. Great work, but really I'm sure we paid for the name.The atmosphere there is so cool, we had our work done in the strip room where everyone walking by can see!

I got a "tramp stamp" hahah hate that term but it is what it is. I had the artist modify two dragons by shrinking the size, removing a lotus flower and adding the Chinese symbols for Perseverance in the middle of them. I have picture of getting it done with a regular camera but the one of it done is from my cell phone so sorry for the quality. All in all it was a great trip and I cant wait to go back!

Jell-O Give it a Giggle auditions

2010-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Beginning September 20th, the public has the opportunity to vote on their favorite giggle from JELL-O’s “Give it a Giggle” nationwide audition. The finalists will be featured online, and consumer voting will pare down the giggles to the top three. Beloved JELL-O spokesperson, Bill Cosby will choose the winning giggle.

This summer, JELL-O went in search of America’s best giggles with the Hello JELL-O “Give it a Giggle” Tour. Featuring a mobile recording studio, the Tour traveled to 23 cities across the country, and collected more than a thousand giggles. Consumers also had the opportunity to audition online.

The winning giggler will re-record their giggle in a professional recording studio, with guidance from Mr. Cosby. Their giggle will be featured in a national JELL-O TV spot later this year.

To vote for your favorite giggle, visit Give it a Giggle from now until October 1st.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

2010-09-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yay I made it! The wait was looong but I am off to Vegas today woot woot! I really hope I can keep my head on straight in school this morning haha.

I'm sure I will be cool, but man that time is going to drag butt. Oh well by now though I already have our bags packed, have gathered up cash and card for hotel, checked in our plane reservations (learned a lesson last trip, check in 24 hours in advance online! That way you get seats together and a better boarding spot)

I never knew about this when we flew on our honey moon, we didn't check in early and we didn't get seats together!

Now I would love to win some money, but if I don't its OK because I am just looking forward to the time alone with hubby. NO KIDS ahhhhh so nice. Well Ill be back on next week with some pictures and a REVIEW of a Vegas show!

Well Here's hoping I come back from Vegas rich but in case I don't

2010-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

I always have the millions of dollars that I find are mine to claim sitting in my email box! I mean really how can one person be this lucky?

Crazy but check this one out, it could be a bit of work but for 20% of THAT kind of money well jeeze that seems more then fair

Goodday Ma/Sir, 
 
With all due respect Sir/Ma, I want you to read my letter with one mind and help 
me.I am Mariam Abdullah,the only child of late Mr and Mrs Abdullah.My Late 
father was a very wealthy cocoa dealer in Abidjan,the economic capital of Cote 
D'Ivoire before he was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of 
their outing to discuss on a business deal.My mother died when i was a baby 
since then my father took me so special because i am motherless.Before the death 
of my father on 24th December, 2009 in a private hospital here in Abidjan. He 
secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of  Ten million 
five hundred thousand united states dollars(US$10,500,000.00) left in a suspense 
account in a local bank here in abidjan, that he used my name as his only 
daughter for the Next of Kin in deposit of the funds. 
 
He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned 
by his business associates, that i should seek for a foreign partner in a 
country of my choice where i will transfer this funds to him/her and use it for 
investment purpose such as real estate agent and so on.Am only 19years old.Dear 
Sir/Ma, I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways . 
1) To provide any bank account where this money would be transfered. 
2) To serve as the guardian of this funds. 
3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my 
education and to secure a residential permit for me in your country. 
 
 
Moreover, Sir/Ma, i am willing to offer you 20 percent of the total sum as 
compensation for your effort input after the successful transfer of this fund to 
your nominated account in your country.I want you to help me not because of the 
20 percent of my inheritance of USD10,500,000.00 but because of my life to live 
a better life in your country. 
 
I will be waiting urgently for more details to proceed to receive my 
inheritance.Hope to hear from you soonest,thanks And GOD Blessing. 
 
Best regards, 
Mariam Abdullah

Oh and I have a huge check waiting at Fedex too!

I am sorry to encroach into your privacy through this manner; we have a 
certified cheque of $300,000.00.00Usd in our custody that belongs to you. This 
cheque was brought to my desk last week by a lady who gave us your e-mail 
address to contact you on the delivery. We wait your response soonest. 
 
FedEx

So I guess if I don't strike it rich I have more then enough to fall back on because well these are only two of the bunches of emails I get per day. WOW I never knew I could be rich so easily!

*Insert Dumb look if you could actually fall for this*

Carrot Cake Pancakes

2010-09-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

Who says when you are watching what you eat that you have to stick to the same old thing? Not me that is for sure. I have strayed a bit from South Beach but fully intend on getting back onto plan when I return From Vegas in about a week.

So with that in mind the creative juices have begun to flow again with recipes that fit into the healthy category!

This one literally hit me one night as I was thinking about my favorite treat Carrot Cake. Now I'm sure I could come up with a sugar free cake recipe pretty easily but I wanted to incorporate this craving into an actual meal not just a dessert. Thus Carrot Cake Pancakes were born. This recipe would be appropriate for those on South Beach Phase 2 and 3, and even a Diabetic in your world. They are also low fat!! Way to get veggies into your kids!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

2 Cups Whole Wheat flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1/4 C. Granulated Splenda

1/2 C. Raisins (or chopped dates)

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 slightly beaten Eggs

2 C. Skim Milk

2 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 C. Chopped Pecans

1/2 C. Grated Carrot

Mix all ingredients together and cook on a hot skillet like regular pancakes

Cream Cheese Topping

8oz Package low fat Cream Cheese

1/2 scant C Splenda

1/2 tsp vanilla

Spread the Cream Cheese topping over the warm pancakes and enjoy.

Sulfate Free	Silicone Free
Free of synthetic fragrances	Animal Cruelty Free
TEA Free	DEA Free
Oxide Free	Paraben Free