Back to High School

I wasn't the most popular person in High School, I had a few really good friends and still connect with them today. High School wasn't horrible, I just know that I probably would not go to High School Reunion because no one would remember me. There were times in high school when certain people dismissed what I was saying or straight up laughed at me. They never took me seriously or deemed anything I said as important. I consider myself a fairly well spoken individual, so when I seemingly experience that same thing with adults today I get upset. Your standing in a room with a group of adults trying to provide them with information or requesting information and they stare at you as if you are speaking a foreign language.

I remember taking a class in college that talked about the biases that are place on a speaker by the listener, sometimes even before they begin to speak. The speaker is basically tuned out before the listener ever tuned in. Maybe its something they are wearing or how they did their hair. Maybe is who they are associated with or not associated with. How many of us listen this way? Possibly missing out on something truly important because of a pre-imposed bias.

Do we read blogs that way? Maybe the writer does not have a lot of followers or advertisers. No cute graphics or catchy introductions, do we miss out on connecting with someone that may have something really impactful to share because of this?

These are just my random thoughts provoked by recent encounter by a biased listening audience.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share!!!

Got hubby hooked on coupons

The other day my hubby and I went to the supermarket, even before we got there we prepared for a covert shopping mission. We stood at the kitchen counter he checked through the coupons I just clipped and I looked through the weekly supermarket flyer. We began by pairing sales with coupons, and best of all it was the doubler flyer, woohoo! About once a month they send out a flyer with doubler coupons that will double any $1.00 manufactures coupon.

We went down each aisle, carefully checking our grocery list, flyer and coupons. My hubby was skeptical about the doubler coupons but I knew how they worked and if you used them correctly you get a good bargain.

First up Dole juices, regular price $3.49, sale price 2 for $5.00. After $1.00 manufacturer coupon and one doubler, we got two Dole juices for $3.00. We did this at every stop and weighed in the bigger bargains.

At check out ( we like to do self-check out) I monitored the screen to make sure that all the prices in the flyer were ringing up properly. Well the customer service rep made a lot of trips to our register because of discrepancies. It was almost closing time so they didn't seem to upset. After everything was done I was given a loyal customer 5% discount.

The grand total of savings was $63.00 including supermaket sales, coupons and doublers. Not bad for novices, I know there many who save so much more, but I was proud of our united effort to save. I really enjoyed doing this with my husband, I know that I may make things deeper than they are however, I wish we were united in all things like this....imagine how much we could accomplish.

Great Birthday giveaway

I came across a blog that is having a fabulous giveaway and to enter all you have to do is say Happy Birthday. It doesn't get any easier than this. I simply love the cut glass Masterpiece in ruby, pink and green. I entered I found that I already have the matching ring, which happens to be my favorite ring. Giveaway ends on April 12, 2010.Visit Designers DNA to enter.



My ring

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The Sassy Sampler

I am a part of a great group call Sassy Sisters in Sales, we have collaborated and come up with a great box of samples. The Sassy Sampler was the brain child of Jenn Brockman owner of Painted Laydies Mineral Makeup. She has done a great job putting these boxes together. You will find samples representing a lot of the shops in the group. We plan to do this monthly. Our first sampler box went on sale April 6th.

Stop by and check it out. Sassy Sampler

This week I have 35 to 40 hours of Leisure time!!!!!!!!

My mother-in-law is in town and she loves Dr. Phil. Sometime last week when she was watching the show I sat down to watch when I heard the topic. Apparently there is a man by the name of Dr. John Robinson has done a study and concluded that busy moms actually have 35 - 40 hours of leisure time per week, read about it here. I was not sure if I should laugh uncontrollably or be outraged...if I laughed would that be considered leisure time?

Someone forgot to inform me of this. You mean at the end of the day when I just want to crash on the couch it is from all the leisure time I had that day? Who knew? According to Dr. Robinson a root canal is considered leisure time since you get to sit in a nice comfy chair while the dentist yanks and drills.

Well, I would like to share how I spent my leisure time this Saturday. I slept in until 10, I got up skipped breakfast and started my housework. I spent 4 1/2 hours braiding and beading my girls hair. I sat for another hour paying bills . I took a walk to my laundry room and started the 1st of the 3 loads of laundry for the day. I guess between washing, drying and folding all loads I spent 2 1/2 hours. I cleaned my bathroom spent 20 minutes being next to the bathtub that's just as leisurely as soaking in a tub right? I cooked dinner about 30 minutes. Oh but the wings were done in the oven so that was definitely leisure time. I sat while I waited for a cab to take us to the mall to go shoe shopping, yeeeah, (with three kids on a holiday weekend). When I returned home after sending the kids to bed, I cooked again for a potluck dinner I was attending the next day. This was indeed a day of leisure for me.




I have to be honest, my children are a little older (4,9,13) so I have a little more freedom than a mom with small ones. However, this is still random segments of time, not totalling 35 - 40 hours. I don't believe that this Dr. Robinson has a grip on reality....a busy moms reality. Wouldn't it be great if this was a movie like Freaky Friday ,that put in him in the shoes of a busy mom. Then and only then would he truly understand.

Derailed

Did you ever feel like you have derailed, you are going along on this train ride called life and boom your car goes off the track. Yes this is how I have been feeling for a couple of weeks. I am slowly getting back on track but boy is it hard. So what derailed me you may ask?

Well our one and only car died, not temporarily in coma, just dead. The engine went on our 12 year old baby, you might thing my baby was young, but it carried us to many places and 108,000 miles later it gave up the the spirit. My hubby who did most of the driving since I only have a permit, was the one to drop my daughter to school and pick her up before work, shop and any number of running that was required. Any place that I didn't walk to! Well we have had to take a cab with her to a fro. I walked once when the weather was cooperating but basically we were coughing up alot of cash. I feel bad when things happen to us as parents, whether due to a bad decision or in this case natural causes and the children suffer. Kayla so loves her social education at school (since she knows everything else that they are teaching). Did I mention that we go to church 30 miles away? We are blessed to have the railroad near by but it is costly to travel on Sunday, not to mention by the time I get there with three children I feel drained. Not a great place to be for worship. So that was speed bump number one.

Speed bump #2: A couple of weeks ago we had a storm, still not sure what to qualify it as. After seeing oaks literally uprooted I say mini tornado. Anyway, one of these fantastic trees landed on my roof, yep on the roof. Let me focus on the positives of this first. Somehow when it was falling the wind must have blown again and instead of landing on my daughter's bedroom it landed on the den. There is a whole, but we are not exposed to the elements.

Ok, so there is a dent along the side of the roof , gutters are gone, siding is gone, fence is gone ( boy do I miss that fence) and that is the damage that we could see. The adjuster has so many claims in this area, he wont get to me until April 8th. Oh yes and my neighbor has no insurance. Well through everything we go through there are lessons, the one I learnt is that if a neighbor's tree falls on your property is yours, yep (did I mentioned I have no trees on my property). We got our half of the tree removed, since the neighbor wanted to run over to home depot to buy a saw a do it himself. Yep that would be all I need more damage to my house and a potentially injured man on my property.

I did not have electricity for 2 days after the storm. We survived, the kids thought it was an adventure, and I got derailed. I couldn't get back to blogging, my work, my housework (did I mention that I get extra crazy when my house is),I just needed a good boost.

Thankfully, my very supportive online group gave me the encouragement I needed to just pick up and get back on track, so I am back on track trying to pick up speed.