Day 2 - Computer Desk (21 Day Organizing)

This one isn't too bad since I did it last week.  But there are some things that could be done.  I got a bag of garbage and plus found a couple items I was looking for the other day!
Before:



After:

This is feeling good getting some junk out of my way! 

Meet Me On Monday

Came across this last night at http://nevergrowingold.blogspot.com/   I'm going to give it shot- why not!  Here are the questions she gave us  to answer:

Questions:

1. I really need to clean my _________?
2. What food makes you think of Christmas?
3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?
4. What was your first paying job?
5. Have you read the Twilight series?
---------------------------------------------------------------

My Answers:

1. I really need to clean my _________?

My son's room.  It's SCARY in there!  Now when you look in there is doesn't seem so bad but....lil dude has a habit of hiding crap he knows shouldn't be in his room- like food wrappers.  On the side of his bed by the wall- dirty clothes, toys, and garbage.  I've been very stubborn on doing this because HE DID IT and HE SHOULD clean it! 

2. What food makes you think of Christmas?

Ham!  I love ham and the only time we have it Christmas time. 

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

Wow what a question...maybe 30 that's when it really hit me that I need to do adult stuff and get my life in order!  However, I would love to do 21 over again but only that birthday!

4. What was your first paying job?

Does babysitting count?  LOL!  My first paying REAL job was a waitress at my uncles cafe. Can you guess what I'm still doing almost 30 years later...yep I'm a waitress!  I've had other jobs in between but I always go back to that. 

5. Have you read the Twilight series?

HECK YEAH!  Big fan.  I've read and watched the movies plus can't wait for the next movie to come out in November 2012.  ( I wasn't that impressed with Breaking Dawn Part 1 but it was good)

 

Day 1- Junk Drawer (Completed)

Day 1 DONE...woohoo- off to a great start! Junk drawers- I have 3 so I cleaned them ALL!

Drawer 1- misc JUNK so as you can see I got rid of or put away majority of what was in there.
Drawer 2- magazines/cookbooks and more JUNK.  Now nice an organized.
Drawer 3- kid stuff and of course just crap!  Now its pens, pencils and other kid items.

It felt GREAT dumping all the CRAP and the drawers look awesome now!  Plus it only took me 20 minutes.  Love it!  Whats Day 2????

Before:                                                                      After:

21 DAY ORGANIZING CHALLENGE

I came across this cool CHALLENGE on Pinterest (my new addiction- sorry Facebook!) and here is the post : http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/2011/04/21-day-challenge-revisited.html

She did her challenge awhile back so I'm on my own here (unless you want to join).  I look at my house everyday and wish I had more storage or why do I feel the clutter (clean of course) is going to attack me someday.  I do daily clean up but you know everyone has those "AREA'S" that you just cringe or cover up when guests arrive.  Well I have several, LOL!  So let's DO IT!

21 DAY ORGANIZING CHALLENGE

• Day 1 - Junk Drawer
• Day 2 - Computer Desk
• Day 3 - Tupperware Cabinet
• Day 4 - Linen Closet
• Day 5 - Under kitchen sink
• Day 6 - Dresser Drawers
• Day 7 - The Pantry
• Day 8 - Coat/Shoe area 
• Day 9 - Toy organization
• Day 10 - Laundry Room
• Day 11 - The Freezer
• Day 12 - Spice Cabinet
• Day 13 - Kitchen Desk
• Day 14 - Under bathroom sink /medicine cabinet
• Day 15 - Kids Room #1
• Day 16 - The Fridge
• Day 17 - Computer Clean up
• Day 18 - Keepsakes/Photos
• Day 19 - Kids Room #2
• Day 20 - Storage Area
• Day 21 - Craft Area

I tweaked a couple days on the list to reflect what I need to do around here.  Now some are small projects and some are all day projects.  I'm going to blog everyday too, so I'm going de-clutter and get in the HABIT of daily blogging!  I love when I can multitask! 

Anyone up to following my lead and doing this challenge?  If so let me know and we can keep each other in line!  I might really need that..BTW! 

I will begin Sunday November 27th!

Thanksgiving 2011

Now I might not have all my kids in one location but I can do a scrapbook page as if they were all here together.  I miss you Nick!

I'm full and tired now so I will write more about this day tomorrow!

X-Factor Top 9 Performance

Last night was all about THANKS!  Everyone did a great job and some brought tears to my eyes.  My hubby enjoyed Rachel Crow, even said "she puts on a show and I'm sure her life is changed from now on"  Awwww- wasn't her story just so uplifting too- I want to say THANKS to her parents too! 

Well I picked top 2 and bottom 2 but tonight we will see who goes home- you never know and BTW 2 go home tonight- boohoo!

My Top 2:

LOVED: http://www.thexfactorusa.com/videos/rachel-crow-top-9

LOVED: http://www.thexfactorusa.com/videos/marcus-canty-top-9

My Bottom 2:

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/videos/drew-top-9

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/videos/lakoda-rayne-top-9

Win It Wednesday~ My Memories Suite Software- CLOSED

I'm going to admit I have scrapbooking material, books, paper, special pens, and stickers sitting in a drawer just WAITING for me to do something with them...umm they have been there for a couple years!  Now look at what I did in an hour with the help from www.MyMemories.com! Oh my gosh it was so easy and so much fun.  I have ideas just coming out of my head!  I even made a Thanksgiving Card that I will be sharing with everyone TOMORROW!  Also working on a XMAS CARD.  The things you can do are endless! 

These are just the FRONT pages of my kids digital scrapbooks. 

My Memories Suite is the #1 rated scrapbooking software and I totally agree they should be!  This software can be used by beginners and experienced scrapbookers. There are ready made templates and embellishments or you can custom design your own templates/layouts.  When I opened my software it already had pre-loaded design templates, embellishments, word art, and much more.  WOW!  You can also purchase additional scrapbooking kits plus they offer FREE ones too!

I was very impressed how simple it was to SHARE my new found hobby~ digital scrapbooking software!  I was able to print from home, save it to JPEG, send it to have printed on all kinds of products (xmas gifts people!), you can even send it to your iPod!  I saved as a JPEG and put in on Facebook and got so many LIKES. 

My Memories are giving ALL my readers a special deal : $10  discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software ($39.97 reg) and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!) Please use my code: STMMMS73670 HERE to get this AWESOME SOFTWARE for $29.97. 
ALSO I'm GIVING AWAY a full version of the MY MEMORIES SUITE software please use the Rafflecopter form below. Thank you MyMemories!





My Memories Suite Blog
      
My Memories Suite Facebook
       
My Memories SuiteTwitter

I was provided with a free download of the My Memories Suite Software so that I could provide a honest review.


MY MEMORIES SUITE DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK SOFTWARE WINNER: Kristin Wheeler!!!

The X Factor- Top 10 Performances

Rock was the THEME this week and oh boy did some of them fail.  They did awesome performances but not ROCK PERFORMANCES and some of the songs they were stretching it.  Really the only one who ROCKED it last night was Josh Krajcik and he should have!  I'm not a Josh Fan but I voted for him last night because he deserved it. 

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/videos/josh-krajcik-top-10

My opinion on the other contestants:

• Drew~ well she has a different kind of voice but its the same every week.  Kind of boring.
• Melanie Amaro~ has a beautiful signing voice for sure- but not my favorite last night.
• Stacy Francis~ Oh my what happen last night to her- she didn't take the criticism very well either. 
• Lakoda Rayne~ They are good but last night wrong song choice!
• Rachel Crow~LOVE LOVE everything about her!
• Marcus Canty~ He is my favorite right now- he is an ENTERTAINER and I didn't care what song he sang, he did his thing!
• LeRoy Bell~ I love him but I do agree with the judges- he needs to connect with the audience and do something different next week.
• Chris Rene ~ WRONG SONG DUDE!  But hey he is so cute I hope he stays! 
• Astro~  what can you say- he did his thing too!  But more ROCK would have been nice. 

Wonder who will go tonight:  My prediction in Drew, Lakoda Rayne or Stacy Francis but you never know! 

Tip Tuesday~ Uses for Peppermint Oil

I've always loved smelly stuff and lately been using aromatherapy (thanks Mom). I like to use oils to help with different ailments and love the way peppermint makes me feel.

Anyways, I was checking out what different oils can do besides just smell good and I found a whole list of what Peppermint can be used for:

• For morning pick up~ place drops on shower floor
• Add a pep to your step by placing 2 drops on bottoms of socks
• Place a diffuser at your desk and first thing in the morning put 2 drops in
• Later in the afternoon inhale for a cooling boost
• Put a couple drops in the car while you are driving- keeps you alert
• To energize at YOGA: mix 6 drops per 1 oz water and spritz your yoga mat
• Freshen the bathroom (or any room): mix 6 drops per 1 oz water and spritz in room
• Inhale prior to workout routine to amp up the energy
• Sore Muscles: add 12 drops per 1 oz of skin care oil and massage muscles- good as new!
• Even helps with nausea on boat~ inhale and sail on.
• Dilute and rub on temples when feeling the effects of a long day
• Transporting Dog~ place 1-2 drops on floor of pet carrier- calming!

What do you use Peppermint Oil for or on?

BTW~ I got this info from www.auracacia.com

Also here are some Health Benefits of Peppermint Oil: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-peppermint-oil.html

I Suck at Cooking!

So this is one of the wifey/mommy duties that I just can't get right.  I pretty much got everything else down but COOKING well is not my forte.  There is a couple dishes I can make that everyone loves but this day to day cooking thing is something I stress about every morning- what can I ruin tonight!

I go through cookbooks, websites, and even been getting recipes from Pinterest but do they come out like they should...nope!  I just don't have the cooking gene.  They kids even say "Daddy is a better cook, mommy"  "Thanks kids...I know!"  Now I just wish my hubby would cook but I can't ask him too because he works hard and shouldn't have to come home to cook. Plus I stay home M-F.  It's not his fault his wife sucks at cooking.  I even watch cooking shows to get inspired but it just doesn't work. 

Is my family doomed with crappy dinners for the rest of their at home lives (oh boy I feel sorry for hubby)?  I guess I can only hold on to the hope when he retires he will cook. Or maybe I will win a lot of money and hire one of these cool chefs and my family will eat like kings...I know wishful thinking plus I don't even play the lottery so winning money won't be happening either.  Sorry family! 

Lil Man Rolling His Eyes- Hate It!

My son is really into the ROLLING OF THE EYES lately and I just want to scream STOP IT- oh I think I have expressed my feelings on this matter to him.  This isn't really his fault since I am QUEEN of the Eye Rolling (ask anyone).  But now that it is done to me OMFG I hate it!  I am sorry to everyone I ever rolled my eyes at...oh wait never mind they all deserved it!  LOL!  Just Kidden Mom!

Yesterday I got a text from one of my son's teachers letting me know he rolled his eyes at her and they had a talk (I know the talk very well).  As mom I don't like that he has picked up this habit but as a person it's a lot better than flipping them off behind their back or talking back- they are all bad habits and shouldn't be done.  I had the "RESPECT your teachers, parents, anyone older than you" talk with him last night and DON'T ROLL YOUR EYES anymore.  As I was walking away found myself rolling my eyes...need to stop that, lol! I'm not being a very good example but at least he didn't see it. 

So what to do...not sure since this is my bad habit too.  Sometimes parenting sucks but it has to be done! 

Somedays I wish we were the Jetson's

Today trying to get my kids dressed and out the door was totally trying and with no coffee in my system I was having a hard time keeping it together.  I pick out the kids clothes at night, I let them see what I have for them and I get a nod or OK Mom.  When they get up in the morning its SUPPOSE to be stress free RIGHT???  Not with my kids!

This morning Lil Mama didn't like how the school pants fit her and then we couldn't find any other school pants (that she likes) to wear so she picks a dark pair of jeans (not school uniform).  She informs me that a lot of kids wear jeans.  Now I'm active parent that KNOWS you are NOT to wear jeans but I guess my kids know best because I turn around and Lil Man has on jeans too!  Ugh..its too damn early to fight and in my head I'm thinking well I hope you get in trouble at school so we don't have to go through this again. 

Then they are tired of cereal...yes I'm not the best morning person so making a big breakfast in the morning is not realistic in my world.  But they don't want toast or eggs they want a smoothie!  Really...fine guess that's not hard but still upset they are messing with me.  Okay so whipped up some strawberry, banana, OJ thingy and they drank it up!  They hugs made me feel better. 

I try to pack their backpacks but they are always emptying them and rearranging or whatever they do to their backpacks in the morning.  When we are walking out the door I ask...lunch, homework, paperwork all in bags...I get "YES mom" with of course the eye rolling and then off to the car.  I drop them off and head back home and walk inside and starting picking up and in my son's room I find his lunch and on the kitchen table I find paperwork that needed to go to school.  I had all that packed in their backpacks plus asked.  Ugh! 

I would love to be able to put them on a converter belt where they get dressed, backpacks packed, lunches made and OUT THE DOOR YOU GO- with no issues! 

Plus I would LOVE LOVE the Jetson's Maid!! Pretty Please!

Halloween 2011

Wow yesterday was fun packed full day!  The kids had to dress up as a book character and later in the day did a neighborhood parade. 

My Thing 1 and Harry Potter:

Then they turned into Zombie things for the nighttime Trick N Treat.



I'm just HAPPY it's over.  We stayed busy all weekend- going to parties, festivals, and events.  So after all that running around and doing this and that can you believe they gave me such a hard time when I asked for some candy.  Geez can I get a piece of candy for all the hard work I put in.  Guess I asked for too much. 

Bullied into going to the Pumpkin Patch

When I got home from working HARD on my feet for 8 hrs dealing with cafe customers on a Sunday the last thing I wanted to do is go anywhere.  But Lil Mama had other plans!

I came home and started to take off my shoes but Lil Mama says "Umm what are you doing?" I responded back " going to relax" she informed me "No you are not- we are going to the Pumpkin Patch- NO EXCUSES" and looked at me like I was the child and she was the mom.  I felt like I needed to give her the puppy dog look she always gives me and I got back from her "NOT GOING TO WORK"  wow did this little 7 yr old just used my words/actions against me?  She bullied us into going I swear!

Now this Pumpkin Patch is SAD:  where are all the pumpkins???












Also cost me $10 for 15 minutes of FUN for the kids to go on the slide.  Plus $10 for a small a** pumpkin.  They had pony rides ($7 per kid), face painting ($7 per kid), Jumper ($5 for 10 minutes) but who can afford all that??? 

But in the long run Lil Mama had a blast and that's what it is all about.  Next time though I'm finding a REAL pumpkin patch and it will be FUN for everyone. 

Kid's Homework Is HARD!

Yes, it's been about 30 odd years since I've been in elementary school but dang the MATH homework is hard (for me).  I read the problem over and over and still can't get it.  Of course I have lil man looking at me like "WTF you don't know this MOM?"  I stare back and shrug my shoulders and than we both roll our eyes.  If I'm having this issue now just imagine what I'm going to go through in the years to come.  I need to go back to elementary school I guess.  My kids do math different too...I learned last year they don't CARRY anymore but TRANSFER. 

My son's class is doing their math homework online this year and the program is wonderful.  I had a get a couple problems wrong so I could have the site walk me through the process and my son got mad at me because I was ruining his quota...whatever dude!  I needed to know how to do it so I could help if needed.  Geez! 

My daughter is a whiz at math but younger than my son so when she tries to get in the middle of his homework I ask her to back up and do something else.  I can see my son getting upset that his little sister is telling him how to do his homework.  Someday he might want her help! 

What I do like about homework is we get to sit around the kitchen table and I cook all at the same time- wonderful family time!

What is like in your house with homework???  Or am I the only one who doesn't remember what I learned in 4th grade...LOL!

Our Earthquake Aftermath

Okay so last week the Bay Area had an earthquake around 4.2 and several aftershocks. I've lived in Cali for almost 15 yrs and every time a earthquake has hit I've been in a car or just didn't feel it. I felt this one and I'm still kind of shook up about it! It was the oddest feeling to have everything under you MOVE. My hubby and I were at home so we jumped up and ran outside along with the rest of our neighbors who were home at 2:30pm. The kids were at school and they were evacuated to their safe place.

  Later that night after 8pm another one hit and WOW those kids ran to our room so fast and the rest of the night was HARD. The kids wanted to sleep with us and that wasn't going to happen. We talked lil mama onto the couch (right outside our room) and lil man well he ended up all curled up in our chair in our room. I don't think we slept well that night because the next day we were all grumpy.

Now the next night I guess there were a couple small aftershocks that happened but we didn't feel them except for my son. He came in the room about 12:30 am waking us up talking about another earthquake. I snapped at him to go back to bed because there was no earthquake and he needed to go to BED! Wow, did I feel like a bad mom the next day when the news informed us YES there were a couple small shakes last night. Ugh! Gave him big hugs apologized for my behavior and told him I will believe him next time.

Lil Mama hasn't slept in her room since and I'm not sure when she will be going back. She has her pillows/blankets/stuffed animal friends all over the couch now! Keeping fingers crossed that we won't feel another earthquake for a LONG LONG TIME because that wasn't cool!

No Cable....Blank Stare

That is what I got and more from my 9 yr old son last night when I explained that the cable is OUT. He looked at me like... WTF am I suppose to do now mom, I felt like I failed PARENT 101! Yep my 9 yr old is addicted to TV/Games. Do I take all the credit for that...nope but we won't get into that rant right now. Our cable is out because remember back when I wrote about switching to Comcast- oh my what a nightmare that was!!!! First, pretty much what they offered was a joke and we got charged anyways. When I brought up the agreement (on paper) what our DEAL was, they were like oh ...but pay the $265 (yes you see that correctly) now and next month we will give you the credit. No MF's...I want my $89 (plus taxes) deal NOW~! Let's just talk about their service...SUCKS! I hated it from day one but thought well for the price I can live with it but as the days/week went by...NO can't live with the old ass menu that is confusing plus just old! Oh yeah, how about only able to record 1 show on DVR while you watch 1 show. Nope..not happening for me on nights I have 2 shows I need to record and then watch something hubby wants to watch. Hubby has had to watch X-factor and Survivor the past couple weeks because I can't record them. I know..I know very selfish of me thinking about how horrible the DVR function is from our cable company when there is bigger issues in the world but hey in my world I'm the DVR QUEEN. So we called Comcast to tell them we no longer want their service and was told we had to pay $50 for them to disconnect the service but can't reinstall our original cable company's equipment. Ok...we will do that and save $50. HAHAHA! Now we have NO CABLE. As much as my hubby says he is techy...he really isn't but its hard to break that news to him. He was on the phone with the cable guy and getting no where! So the cable guy says we will send someone over tomorrow to reinstall our boxes and NO CHARGE. What...see that's why I love AT&T they appreciate their customers- even when we went behind their back and tried a new company. OUR BAD! Now back to last night. 8pm is the magical time we get to turn the TV on for the night. Usually we all go to our separate rooms and watch TV. Last night we were ALL looking at each other and wondering what we should do. Now no cable also means no Internet. We all went to bed early and everyone said they had the best sleep. I feel bad my kids associate so much to TV that we almost had a meltdown but we got it together and enjoyed each other. We are still without Cable (I have laptop connected to my sprint 4g card so I didn't have to go without Facebook and Pinterest) but no one knows that yet! We might have to reevaluate our night time but doubt it!

I Heart My iPad!

If you know anything about me you know I don't always think of myself first! Kids and Hubby always come first...I know i know, I've heard it over and over before. Anyways, back to ME...see I do think of myself, lol! This year with the TAX REFUND I bought a refurbished iPad from the Apple store online. Let me tell you, that was the BEST PURCHASE EVER! Granted when I bought it I used "OUR IPAD" a lot to make sure hubby was OK with me buying something like that. Even though, he just bought a PS3 it wasn't as expensive as the iPad but guess what gets used EVERYDAY...yep the iPad! Over the months "OUR" really turned into "MY" but still anytime he wanted it he can have it. I do all kinds of stuff on the iPad. My favorite APP's are ZITE and FLIPBOARD. I also have Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Kindle, Hootsuite, and many more that I enjoy daily. The kids have a couple games on there and hubby does too! My son and hubby plays a DJ Mixer Pro app all the time. I really like have Evernote on there because when I come across sites I want to bookmark to read later I bookmark them in Evernote. I have a couple apps I don't use that much but tend to down the road. I stalk FREE Apps all the time. When I first got it, the kids weren't allowed on it for months but these days I have to fight them to even get on at night. Lil Man does homework on there and Lil Mama she has a farm going on Farmville. At night when they are all done with homework they turn on the Pandora App and sing/dance to their favorite artist. They each have their own Pandora account and they get 15 minutes each to do their music thing. I'm very happy we (me) bought the iPad and maybe one day I might upgrade to iPad2 and they can have the old one LOL! What are your favorite Apps and what do you use it for?

My New Addiction- Pinterest

O..M..G! I spent some time on there today, making my pin lists and looking at this and that, LOVE THAT LOVE THIS! Someone invited me to this site awhile back but I was totally confused and left in a hurry. Well the other day I came across it again and I was WTH I've been missing a whole new world of WONDERFUL!

Here is a cute idea I found today.

You ask what is PINTEREST? http://pinterest.com/ Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests

How to sign up for Pinterest Pinterest is currently invite-only. You can request an invite from us or you can be invited by someone who is already a part of Pinterest. When you receive an invite, you can register via Facebook Connect or connect through Twitter.

If you want an invite~ email me at pamallen68@gmail.com and I'll send you one! If your on it already~ check out my pins http://pinterest.com/pamallen68/pins/

Do you have Spotify? You need it!

I'm LOVING Spotify! Every morning this week I grab my coffee, get on Facebook, turn on Spotify and ENJOY! I'm having fun making playlists and enjoying a wide range of music. I can let my family/friends know what I'm listening to on Facebook- even saw that my mom LIKED Bruno Mars after I posted it. Got my hubby hooked too, maybe he will stop buying music and just enjoy SPOTIFY, lol!

Here is more info: https://www.spotify.com/us/about/what/

Create a playlist -Click on ‘New playlist’ in the left column, give your playlist a name and then drag and drop the tracks you want included.  You can right-click a track or album and select ‘Save to’ and then ‘New playlist’. A single playlist can store up to 10,000 tracks, if you have the time or inclination

Have fun! 

Now I can listen to whatever I want when I'm cleaning house!!!



.

My Lil CowGirl

Look at my lil COWGIRL!  I wasn't able to go to her very 1st Parade but Daddy went and so that's all good.  Lucky for him he took some pics.  Her Brownie Troop/Girl Scouts were in the Black Cowboy Parade that Oakland has every year.  Lil Man didn't want to go at first but when he got there and saw all the cool cars, horses, fun stuff to do his frown turned into a smile (daddy said that).  My babies are growing up and enjoying LIFE~ got to love that!

This reminds me I need to get her a sash. 

Couponing is Cool, Right?

WOW...I watched a program (Extreme Couponing) the other day about a lady who took her whole family into a grocery store and bought $2700 worth of stuff for $189.00.  If  I was in the store while she was doing that I would have been there with my mouth wide open, my eyes hecka big with a big goofy smile and just watching it happen.  They had enough sport drinks to last them for YEARS! 

Where would you store all this stuff?   People have separate bedrooms for all their stuff.  Couple people had store-like aisles set up.  It was amazing.  If I ever got that big into couponing you know my family and friends would be benefiting as well.  I would be bringing bags of crap over to them weekly- or just an invite saying "Wine, Snacks, and Shopping", I'm sure I would get a party started with that.  My family would kill me if I became a HOARDER though so I would have to share the wealth of goodies. 

Is this something I want to do?  I'm thinking HECK YA!  But on such a smaller scope.  I started this Sunday by clipping coupons and filing them away in a coupon binder (I had one handy).  I saw so many products that I use so I'm getting excited to use them soon. 

Do you clip coupons and what are your tips for beginners?

BTW~ while looking for images I came across a very cool site that gives some tips and coupons http://www.couponing101.com/

Spell Check doesn't like: couponing

Comcast vs. AT&T

We have been a AT&T customers for a long time and they have been OK.  Over the years we have had a love hate relationship but it never got to the point (ok maybe a couple times) that I just wanted to QUIT their service.  However, last week we got notice that our bill is going up to $200- for Internet and Cable ONLY!  WTF!

Very odd thing happened the day we got THAT notice a Comcast door to door salesman came knocking letting us know he will give us a deal- $89 a month for Cable, Internet and Phone.  We haven't had a phone here for the whole 2years- we did have it set up but AT&T couldn't figure out why we couldn't get phone service and never came back to fix it.  We had cell phones so no big deal.  Well the kids are getting bigger and it would be nice to have a phone for them to use. 

We said YES we would give it shot- 30 days to try it.  Comcast came and did the install but I found out they are NOT wireless and we had to go buy a wireless router but that was okay because I think we should have done that awhile back for the video game players anyways.  Then when he set up the phone he said the phone line was cut...shame on you AT&Tfor not figuring that out!

Do I like Comcast better?  It has its pro's and con's!
Pros:

• Picture is far better
• a lot more channels
• loving On Demand
• have HD now
• my hubby has more sports to watch

Cons:

• I can only DVR 2 programs at a time
• TV/Internet gets stuck sometimes
• The channel guide and menu sucks
• Very confusing sometimes (but that could just be me lol)

We have only had a couple days so not sure if I can say we LOVE or HATE it yet.  Who do you go thru and what is your opinion.

X-Factor Show

My TOP 3...each performance made me cry plus give me goose bumps!    Can't wait for tonight to see who else will win my heart.

Simon wasn't mean....YET!  There were some bizarre acts though but overall enjoyed the show.  It's like American Idol (of course) but I like that it is open to wider age range and groups. 

Netflix- WTH Did You Do??

Sticking my tongue out at Netflix for making me change my plan. When I saw my bank statement and how much I was being charged I was WTF!  I almost cancelled my membership all together but I'm going to give them another chance.  My kids love watching Netflix on the iPad and I love watching old TV shows so I don't want to give up so quickly..we've had a great relationship up to this point.

I changed my plan to 1 DVD at a time and unlimited streaming for almost $16 a month.  I figure this plan will work with us and it's almost $10 cheaper a month.  I thought it was quite strange they separated the DVD's and the Streaming but whatever, I guess they had a reason- just weird!

What did you do: change, cancel or just stayed the same? 

Our 5yr Wedding Anniversary

Wow made it 5 yrs..hot damn.  I've been with my hubby for 12 years-been  married 5 of them.  I must have grown up because this is my longest relationship EVER! 

I'm not saying we have the perfect marriage (far from it) but hey we make it work.  I've learned to choose my battles. I'm not a fighter but a lover so I tend not to fight too much.  Don't you think fighting takes up way too much time plus energy.  Yes, I mumble under my breath when I walk into the kitchen and he has left every cupboard open but I close them since its ME who it bothers not HIM.  Or when I look at his side of the bedroom and I just want to scream "CLEAN YOUR AREA MF"  Why don't I just clean his area up..you ask?  Because he is grown and can clean up after himself!  I cook his food, clean the other parts of the house and fold his laundry so throwing away his nightly beer bottles and putting away his clothes is NOT asking much in my world.  We all have our own way and this way works for us for now..lol! 

He deals with my monthly painful monthly attacks, my bitchiness, and all the other crap I put him through. Plus he makes me laugh daily.  I'm good and the grass isn't always greener on the other side.  Sometimes we think it is but its not. 

So on with the next 5 years...lets see what we can accomplish and how much we grow.  Because I have GROWN a lot with my hubby and with that said I'm looking forward to the years ahead, I think LOL! 

Laughter- Love - Life !!!

I have FAT Calves!

Now don't laugh at the title because it's the TRUTH!  I don't mind having a fat butt and boobs but why was I blessed with fat calves too!  I can't wear all these cute boots I keep seeing.  Couple months ago I went boot shopping and nothing fit!  I went home and bought a pair online.  Guess what ...they didn't fit either.  I know I should have known but in my head I kept telling myself ... it will fit no worries.  Not sure who I was trying to fool, hehe!

I know I can exercise and get better looking calves and maybe someday that will happen.  But for now I have fat calves and it sucks.  So I was searching for places to buy plus size boots for my little feet and and came across a cool site~http://www.torrid.com  they even have a SALE going on with some cool promo codes. 

I haven't shopped there YET but I'm going to soon.  Mama needs some new shoes (or boots heck why not a whole outfit)!  I'm just SHARING info and hopefully someone can use these codes.

Back to Work!

Well I did it....I went back to the Cafe.  I know I bitched and moaned when I quit but I'm happy to be back.  I really missed my customers, making people smile is very important to me.  I like to make peoples day when they come in to enjoy food/coffee.  When you go out and spend money don't you want it to be a good experience- I know I do so I like to give that to others. 

Will things be different, no idea but for me I'm just not going to let the craziness effect me.  I can't change people and if customer service is not their main reason for working at the cafe- not my problem...I can only do ME! 
It feels SOOOOO GOOD having some money in my pocket too.  I was getting very depressed.  Having to ask someone else for money was not fun (even though it was my hubby).  He was okay about it but I could tell it was stressing him out. 
We got a bit behind on bills and we will be playing catch for a couple months but we did SURVIVE.  I feel very blessed to be able to go back to work.  So Waitress Pam is BACK!  Now I just have to convince my body it will be OK, I was so sore after working but I just have to get used to it again. 

I'm NOT a Gardener

I don't like dirt, ants, spiders, and bees so how in the world did I think I could be a gardener.  I tried and let me tell you I suck at it.  I suck at gardening- I said it loud and clear.  After about 20 minutes of weeding this and pulling that my throat starts feeling like it wants to close and an overwhelming feeling of  nausea overcomes me so inside I go. 
I admit I don't like being outside unless I have to, mainly because I'm a redhead and the sun isn't necessary my friend.  I burn even when I have sunscreen on.  I know ...whine whine but I'm being honest.  It's no wonder I didn't make it in Fresno with all the HOT weather.  Give me blue sky and a breeze anyday.

So what am I going to do with the beautiful backyard full of weeds and an organic garden that needs some TLC.  We did okay planting some items and did enjoy our homegrown veggies.  I told my hubby that the inside of the house is my domain and the outside is his but he is a busy man so it doesn't get done as much as I would like it to.  Maybe I should hire someone!!  Oh that's right can't afford it right now.

I want to enjoy our yard I really do!  I need ideas on how to overcome my dislike of bugs and dirt.  Plus it's rubbing off on Lil Mama, we were all out in the yard working the other day and all she wanted to do was water the garden and yard then lets us know she was going to go ride her bike because she didn't want to get dirty.  You should have seen the look on my hubby's face and he pointed at me then shook his head. 
What is good for winter gardens?  Do you have any gardening tips that might help me stop being such a wimp outside?

Klout.com and Sharpie

I got this big orange box from the mailman yesterday and when I opened it I was in AWE!  I can't believe all the awesome sharpie products I get to use now.  I told the kids and hubby STAY AWAY until I have time to use myself! 

Look at all the cool stuff:

The box is cool too!  I was able to receive this wonderful product from Klout~ Klout is a San Francisco based company that provides social media analytics that measures a user's influence across their social network.  My Klout Score is 40!!

I really enjoy Klout.com because their PERKS are awesome.  Next week I'll be getting Axe products, I have a 21 yr old son who loves Axe.  I can't wait to make some cool hats with my Lil Mama with our new Stained by Sharpie- we are already brainstorming.  My hubby was eyeing all the cool stuff too and I know he wants to use some of the Fine Sharpie pens for his airbrush designs.  The creativity is just swarming us this weekend.

Check out all the COOL stuff on Sharpie~ http://www.sharpie.com/

If you want to connect on Klout.com~ http://klout.com/#/PinkMama68/

You have to look at this YouTube video on this guy who draws on coffee cups:

I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

http://klout.com/perks/disclosure

 

Do you have cool ideas on what you would use with SHARPIE PRODUCTS?

Back To School 2011

My little buggers are enjoying their first week of the school year.  Hearing them talk about what they are learning and going to learn is exciting for all us.  Dinner time is full of conversation now. 

I enjoyed the 1st day way too much I think because 3pm came very quick and I almost forgot to get them.  I was about 10 minutes late.  Last year school ended at 3:15 and this year it's 3pm so I blame it on the time change, not that I was enjoying the quiet so much.  The past 3 days have been very nice!  I get up early and do the housework while I'm juiced up on coffee then I have the day to do work online and other projects. 
My Lil Mama is in a split 1st/2nd grade class and at first I was WTF....no that's not going to work.  She is way too smart to do 1st grade over again.  She was top of her class in 1st grade and I just don't want her to be bored.  Lil Mama and boredom doesn't mix at all!   Her teacher and principal reassured me that it will be fine and she will be challenged.  Okay, I hope so! 

Lil Man well he feels all grown now...4th grade and all!  He asked the teacher if he could sit up in front because he wants to LEARN a lot this year.  Let's see how long that will last.  Lil Man is also in a split 4th/5 class but with 2 teachers.  I wasn't as worried because I want him to learn UP.  I know double standard. LOL! He is very excited to have 2 teachers and new school subjects.  He said today..it feels like I'm in Middle School- not sure I how he knows how that feels but I'll give it to him.

So Cheers to 2011-2012 School Year! 

Trying to be Organized this School Year!

I know in my world organizing and kids don't mix but I'm going to give it a try.  Can't hurt right! 

I've always packed their lunches, made sure their backpacks are by the front door, they have jackets, and made sure they brought what they needed to school.  This year I'm feeling they need to be a bit more responsible for themselves.  They are 7 and 9...LOL!  My 9 yr old wants a phone really bad but if I don't make sure he has his lunch box/backpack he will leave it behind and call me an hour later asking for me to bring it (BTW I don't-unless it is an emergency).  Teaching them to be responsible plus organized, let's see how that goes. 

Here is MY PLAN:

• I'm going to make CHECKLISTS for before and after school duties.  I have a door in our kitchen that I plan to hang up everything on it- ONE PLACE!  What a concept!  I will remind them to check it daily.
• Along with the checklist there will be a SCHEDULE. Morning, After-School, Before Bed. Mainly something to keep me on schedule and prepared!  Pack lunches and pick clothes the night before will be on there of course.
• Set up a FAMILY CALENDAR.  Each of us will have our own color (guess what my color will be..LOL) and we will write down stuff like school events, dad's big airbrush jobs, mom's meetings and other FAMILY stuff.  My son just started football so of course that will be going on there too!  This will help with time conflicts too.
• We will have a SCHOOL BINDER that I can put all stuff related to school in so we are not digging around for it the day it is due. 
• I want one place to hold all homework items (crayons, pens, pencils, papers) and NOT in their room.  I'm going to assign each kid a shelf in the cupboard in the kitchen.  We do homework at the kitchen table and then everything is easy to get.  I don't want them to share anything because my kids tend to FIGHT over who has what so each will have their own supplies. 
• I made YEAR BOXES out of Costco cereal boxes for each kid.  They will be able to put in whatever they want to keep from school, bday cards, invites, pictures, and special papers.  At the end of the year we go through it and pick out what really needs to be saved and we put the box up for them look thru later in life.  This will be the 3rd year doing this. 

Well the PLAN sounds good, right?  What are you doing to get ORGANIZED for school?  Let's share our ideas.

Wacky Wednesday~ Commercial Time

Watching TV at night while everyone is sleeping is what I love to do but the commercials are off the hook and crazy but sometimes there is a gem thrown in. Last night I saw this one that made me giggle! 

What is your FAVORITE commercial??

JumpStart/MathBlaster Review and GIVEAWAY!

Our family has been given such an awesome opportunity to review JumpStart/MathBlaster online educational website.  We have been playing with JumpStart for a year now and enjoyed the Free Version but wow having the membership has opened new learning games and excitement for the kids. 
You can play Jumpstart and Mathblaster for FREE but the membership is AWESOME (well that is what my kids keep telling me).

With the membership you get:

• Unlock new levels based on 1st - 6th Grade curriculum
• Play member-only games and unlock bonus levels
• Access more challenging HyperBlast and Zapper levels
• Practice over 100 essential skills for school
• and much more! 

Guess What.... a  PinkMama's Place Reader will be getting a 3 month subscription for FREE.  How EXCITING is that!  See at bottom of this post on how to enter the giveaway.  You will be able to play on JumpStart and MathBlaster both!

Lil Mama's Review: 
I enjoy JumpStart because you get to have pets and cool rides.  My favorite place to play is the JumpStart Academy.

MathBlaster is such a COOL game!  The math games are so much fun and I'm learning new stuff and understanding more on the math we worked on last year.  Plus I like playing with the pets in space.  I also like the Red Alert.

Lil Man's Review:
I think a lot of kids will enjoy JumpStart because it teaches you a lot and it's FUN.  My favorite place is the Downtown Fun Zone.
MathBlaster has a lot of math games for kids like me (I guess he is saying is age) and it's really cool!  My favorite place is the Main Hall.  I give 2 thumbs up and it's an AWESOME game and every kid should go there plus you learn a lot!

Mom's Review: 
Well there you have it Cool, Fun , Learn, and Awesome are the words my kids used!  It's funny in a way but now because that's all my kids want to play on computer and I can barley get on the laptop these days.  Also I have it attached to my Facebook page so I can see the different levels my kids have mastered on Jumpstart.  Lil Mama is 7 (going on 17) and JumpStart is her favorite and Lil Man is 9 and loves MathBlaster.  I enjoyed reading the Math Blaster Blog at http://blog.mathblaster.com and got a feel on what and where they are going.  I'm all for a game that teaches kids!  Now can I get my laptop back I have work to do....that's what I have to say everyday now! 

Now for the GIVEAWAY:  One Reader will get a 3 month Membership to Jumpstart/MathBlaster.

Required Entry: Leave comment letting me know who you would like to win this for, please leave email address so I can contact you!

Extra Entries: Please leave an extra comment for each

•  Like PinkMama's Place on Facebook
•  Google Friend Connect (right hand side of this blog)
•  Follow PinkMama68 on Twitter
•  Like Jumpstart on Facebook
• Tweet about Giveaway and use hashtags #pinkmamasplace #giveaway
• Share on Facebook or Blog

Giveaway ENDS 9/10/11  9pm Pacific Time. 

Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for MathBlaster and JumpStart at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Are You Ready For School To Start?

Heck YEAH!  I know I sound super duper excited and guess what... I am! Now don't get me wrong I LOVE MY KIDS and have enjoyed the summer with them but if I hear "I AM BORED" one more time I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs.

We have done so many activities, friend play dates, camping but they still need something special to do everyday.  First thing out of one of their mouths in the morning is "What are we doing today?".  If I say "CLEANING" or "NOTHING" I have to hear them run their mouths until I agree to something.  They know how to work me I know, LOL!  Luckily we live close to a park and the swimming pool but what about what I want to do?

My house needs a  major cleaning and I can't do it with them around.  They make too many messes throughout the day. I know that is what kids do so I give them the summer to relax and enjoy but just wait until school starts because we are back on our checklists.  I'm making one for the morning, after school, and evening plus an allowance/reward will be involved again.  We had to stop the reward system after I quit my job.  BTW I'm really enjoying COZI- family calendar!

I'm exhausted! When they go back to school I think I'm going to sleep a week straight...hehehe RIGHT!   After the kids are in school then it's time for me to get a JOB! 

Moms Just Want to Have Fun!

A girlfriend of mine took me to a concert Friday night and it was so much FUN!  It was a grown up concert so it was calm and I had a blast. I danced, sang, and smiled the whole 4 hours we were there.  It was FUN!  I know I said FUN a couple times already but damn I haven't had FUN like that it a long time.

Moms are allowed to have FUN...right?  Well my family (actually I should say KIDS) has a hard time letting me go do that.  Before going out I had lil mama crying and grabbing onto my leg and screaming "Don't go MOMMY, Don't GO!".  During the concert I had 2 missed calls, 2 texts messages, and 1 gmail chat message....all saying "Where are you Mom" and that was all between 8-10pm, those were from lil man. REALLY DUDE! I get home at 12:30 am and guess who is waiting for me at the door...Lil Man!  All worried about his mommy.

I don't go out much at all...maybe 1 or 2 times a YEAR!  I'm a homebody for sure.  As you can see my family don't do well when I go out- SILLY PEOPLE.  Well, I really need to get out more just to show my family it is OK that I actually can have a LIFE and they will be okay without me for a few hours.

Next step is Daddy and I going out...wouldn't that be NICE! 

Lawon... Really? Big Brother played YOU!

"I have a 99 percent chance of coming back into the game with superpowers," is what Lawon said and guess what he was....TOTALLY wrong! 

He volunteered to go up on the block against Rachel (why he did that in the first place is STUPID) but he didn't mind being voted out because he really thought he would be right back in.  I want to live in his world of bubble gum and rainbows for sure.  Really Lawon! 

Through out the weeks Lawon hasn't done much but make everyone laugh. I forgot he was playing until he volunteered to go up on the block. 

Now the best part of last nights show was when he realized what happened...he is OUT for good!  His look was priceless. 

The house MESSED up last night by voting Lawon out though because America voted to bring back Brendon.  Then the game that they had to play was so not fair for Lawon and was way too EASY for Brendon-especially with his crazy girlfriend Rachel telling him what balls to get. 

Yep Brendon WON...of course.  Poor Lawon, you know this is going down in the books for one of the dumbest moves in Big Brother. 

Now Brenchel is BACK and watch out house!  Karma just came back and bit you in the ASS!  I'm not a Brenchel fan but they are making this season interesting.

I need a J*O*B*!

As much as I have enjoyed my family the past 3 months it's time that I go back to work.  The kids will be in school soon and that's my time to find a job.  Having NO money SUCKS.  I'm used to having money to go get a latte, take the kids to the newest movie, or buying something online that is a GREAT DEAL but the last 3 months haven't been like that at all!  I've learned my spending habits were out of control and I didn't even try to save my money.  So lesson learned.  I know what I can go without and what I can't these days.  The kids had some major eye openers too.  Hopefully we all have learned a lesson since I've been out of work.

What's been hard is how much stress this has brought into our family.  My hubby and I argue over money now- or lack of and how much he is paying and how much I'm not.  All bills fall in to his lap now and he is totally stressed out and in a bad mood a lot.  He is stepping up and doing it so I can't be mad at that at all- and really appreciate the fact he has been paying for everything.  But it is straining our relationship.  We have been together for 12 years and we pretty much was a DUTCH kind of family- we each payed half of everything.  Now he pays 100% of everything except rent which I still pay my half.  The only good thing that has come out of this is he now realizes I was doing my part in fiances and took care of the whole house too. 

The kids are stressed too... they aren't able to go get the "game" or "toy" they want when we go to Target.  We only buy food when we go to Target now.  They got a lesson in their spending habits too.  They are way too spoiled.  They don't need everything they ask for and I can say NO and it's not the end of the world when I do!  We have been doing a lot of FREE stuff and having fun doing it so another eye opener- we don't have to spend money to enjoy each other.

I'm happy I had this time with my family but I need to go back to WORK!