Who do you know who has 6,400 rollover minutes on their cell phone? That would be my husband. Obviously, he is paying for a plan that has WAY more minutes than he uses. And if you don't use your rollover minutes in 12 months, you lose them. So I called ATT yesterday, changed his plan to one with significantly reduced number of minutes and argued with the sales associate when he told me that changing the plan would lose those 6,400 minutes. Wait just a MINUTE I told him. Those are minutes we have already paid for and I would not leave this phone conversation without them!! That's money, people!! Well, long story short, 18 minutes later -- after he had spoken with his manager -- I hung up the phone with all the minutes intact and a phone plan that was $40/mos. cheaper. Better still, my husband now has a plan that better reflects his talking patterns and will allow him to use up those extra minutes before they expire. WIN, WIN, WIN. Additionally, I removed $5/month worth of extraneous internet charges from bill for a grand savings of $540/year.
Next, I will tackle the home insurance.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Free House Alarm
I got this idea from a crimewatch friend and it works for anybody with a car alarm and keys with automatic door locks installed in them. The next time you come home for the night, don't toss your keys in the basket or leave them in your pocket. Instead, put them on your bedside table. If you hear a noise outside your home or think someone is trying to get into your house, all you have to do is now press the panic button on your keys. This will set off your car alarm!! As you know, if you are like me and set your car off occasionally, the horn will blare until you turn it off or the car battery dies.
Voila! Security alarm system! Multitasking car! Peace of mind at night with no additional installation! Hey, don't just believe me, take it for a test drive yourself. Your car alarm should go off from anywhere inside your house. It works if you park in your driveway or garage, too. Practice turning it on and off from inside your house. Now, think about it. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, don't you think the burglar/rapist will leave??
In my neighborhood, after a few seconds of beeping, the neighbors should be looking out their windows. What bad guy wants that? I think this is a great, cost-effective way to protect yourself and your home.
Voila! Security alarm system! Multitasking car! Peace of mind at night with no additional installation! Hey, don't just believe me, take it for a test drive yourself. Your car alarm should go off from anywhere inside your house. It works if you park in your driveway or garage, too. Practice turning it on and off from inside your house. Now, think about it. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, don't you think the burglar/rapist will leave??
In my neighborhood, after a few seconds of beeping, the neighbors should be looking out their windows. What bad guy wants that? I think this is a great, cost-effective way to protect yourself and your home.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Camp Rock
You have to watch this movie, even if you do not have kids. We chose this for Friday's family movie night simply because I found it for free on the On Demand Channel and Amanda had been asking to see it. This Disney musical is about a music camp and I just loved the message -- be yourself, be proud of who you are, and don't be a liar -- especially to impress someone. The music was great, the plot was strong, and the message was a good one. We liked it so much, we did a repeat on Sunday afternoon... and the whole family watched it again.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I'm so handy!
OK...quite excited. Today I not only climbed a ladder and cleaned out the dryer vent from the outside, I saved $160 by doing it. Of course, I had to tape a brush to end of a telescoping mop handle to create a tool to do this work. and I had to climb up and down the ladder a dozen times to actually do the deed properly ...but I did it! and collected a plastic grocery bag full of lint in the process. Where does all that lint come from? And if there is so much, why aren't my clothes thinner??
I followed this outdoor job with an inside one - I fixed the upstairs toilet. It kept flushing on its own...randomly...when no one was even near the bathroom. I went to the hardware store, explained the situation in my best plumber terminology and picked up a flapper thing for $2.50. I did have to put my hands into the water of the tank to take the old, yucky one off. That was a bit gross, though my husband assures me that water is clean. Then the hands plunged back in to put the new one. It took like five minutes and basically cost nothing. $2.50. I saved a plumbers house call of like $100.
Total savings today ...$260.
I followed this outdoor job with an inside one - I fixed the upstairs toilet. It kept flushing on its own...randomly...when no one was even near the bathroom. I went to the hardware store, explained the situation in my best plumber terminology and picked up a flapper thing for $2.50. I did have to put my hands into the water of the tank to take the old, yucky one off. That was a bit gross, though my husband assures me that water is clean. Then the hands plunged back in to put the new one. It took like five minutes and basically cost nothing. $2.50. I saved a plumbers house call of like $100.
Total savings today ...$260.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The perfect Valentine's Day
What a lovely day! My husband made me a beautiful card from our craft supplies and put it with flowers he and the kids picked up at the grocery store. I had told him to please not buy the bountiful bouquet of roses he normally gifts me with on Valentines. I told him I knew he loved me. No need for petal proof. And besides, I was not buying anything new this month so why should he? Anyhow,off to the grocery he went, kid in tow. After picking out the posies, he headed to the card wall. At which point our son declared..."Dad, why waste your money? We have plenty of stuff at home we can make cards out of!" Chastened, he put down the card and came home to the craft table. A few minutes later, the perfect card (which I will keep forever!) was next to the colorful bouquet. When I returned home from some morning errands, we dipped strawberries in chocolate sauce I had hanging around in the cupboard (who knew?!) and ate them watching a movie (Valentine gift from Grandma!) while opening all the cards from family and friends that had accrued in the toy mailbox we placed in the kitchen two weeks ago to collect such treasurers. What fun!! and so cost effective!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Important words
If I Had My Life To Live Over
by Erma Bombeck
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's."
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it...live it and never give it back.
by Erma Bombeck
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's."
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it...live it and never give it back.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Robert's Birthday
Fortunately, my sweet husband never wants a big fuss for his birthday. So the stack of cards (mine came from a collection of cards I have picked up over the year on sale), hugs, and homemade three-tiered Banana cake with Mocha Icing was right up his alley. As was the seafood feast I rustled up in the kitchen and the early-release from cleanup/bedtime kid duties that allowed him to slip into bed at the decadent hour of 7:30 p.m.
Great birthday. Low cost. High on fun for the birthday boy. I am so lucky!!!
Great birthday. Low cost. High on fun for the birthday boy. I am so lucky!!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Staycation
Today, after dropping the kids off at school, I came back home, got a cup of coffee and the paper and climbed back into bed. There I stayed with Robert for one hour. The laundry was already going, the dishwasher and oven were self-cleaning. We watched CNBC Squawk on the Street, shared headlines and economy comments and sipped coffee. We were loud. No kids heard us. We spread out in bed. No kids to jump in between us! The paper was neatly folded. No kids to tear it apart in search of the comics!! At 9:45, Robert got up to shave and dress. At 10, I got up, got dressed and started my day. It was lovely. It was civilized. It was adult. It was free! I love the one-hour staycation!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Consignment Stores...more money!
Whomever coined the term "investment dressing" certainly didn't understand fiscal fashion. You don't make your money going into the dressing room -- you make it emptying out the closet.So that is why this week, I am combing through my closet with a fiscal -- as opposed to fashionable -- eye.
In the past, I have taken my gently worn clothes to Goodwill and or Hope's Closet and gotten a tax receipt for my clearing-out efforts. But this past fall, my friend Kristi introduced me to consignment stores -- not as a buyer, you see, but as a seller. In November, I trundled 25 fall and winter wearables --from slacks and skirts to dresses and sweaters -- up to her favorite consigment store. In exchange for my wearable goods, I was given a receipt and phone number in which to call two months in the future to see how much money I made by having them sell my clothes! Well, of course, I now no longer need to be altruistic with my designer and designer-like duds! I will find out tomorrow how much cash my clothes garnered...and I already have several savvy spring ensembles ready to head north to find new fashion friends.
I used to take the kids' clothes to a local consignment shop, but I didn't feel like the clothes got the proper respect. So I stopped. Sounds funny, I know. But some of these dresses had smocking or lace detailing and I decided I would rather pass them along to neighbord friends who would wear them and then pass them on again than get $3-$4 for what was once a $40 holiday dress. It is much more fun for me to see a wonderful dress worn by two of her daughters my girlfriend handed down to my daughter be worn in turn by Katie, then her sister, Claire, then passed on to Faith, then her sister, Emma, then on to Meredith's daughter. That is better amoritization.
Besides, adult consignment shops pay a better percentage!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Found money!!!
In the spirit of the month, I gathered up two video-tv-type cables my husband had purchased at Radio Shack to fix something on our tv/dvd/cable connection. After stepping over the two boxes for two weeks, I asked Robert if he didn't need them anymore, could I return them? Sure!
Well, in the past, I would have just taken them to his garage workshop and left them on the shelf. Instead, I schlepped up to Radio Shack (sans receipt, of course) and asked for my money back. After some hemming and hawing, the sales manager acknowledged the boxes indeed said Radio Shack on them and had obviously not been opened. So, he took them back and gave me a gift card for $48.05. Found money. Wahoo....that's me doing the happy dance all the way back to my car.
There is so much cash laying around our homes that we don't even notice. I am not including change jars and coin piles in this, though our family has, on occasion, rolled up its fair share of coins into a bank deposit worth a couple hundred bucks. I'm talking about all those things we don't return (like video cables) or the on-sale shorts we buy for the kids that don't fit and instead of taking them back, we give them away to a friend with a child smaller than ours. I'm talking about all those frequent buyer points we never redeem.
A department store I occasionally shop at offers Incircle points. They "last" for a year and if you don't redeem them, you lose them. Well, yesterday I decided to check my balance and see what I could get for points I normally ignore. Good thing I checked! They expire in the next 30 days and if I had simply ignored the situation as normal, I would have missed out on the chance to change those points into a $250 gift card...
Add that to the Radio Shack bonanza and it adds up to almost $300 in FOUND MONEY just this week...Tack that onto the money saved from all my bill trimming this week and I saved/earned almost $1,200. Not bad for a week's work.
Oh, and don't forget the CVS Extra Care Bucks program. Now that I finally figured that out, I will never throw another CVS receipt away without checking how much money the company wants to give me on my next purchase. ECB will be a whole column on itself later because I am having such a blast saving money with ECB and coupons. Not to brag, but yesterday a smart coupon/ECB combo allowed me to save $25 on a $42 purchase of OTC medicine and toiletries...including three items that I actually got for free!
Why didn't I learn any of this type information in my Economics class at Cornell??
Well, in the past, I would have just taken them to his garage workshop and left them on the shelf. Instead, I schlepped up to Radio Shack (sans receipt, of course) and asked for my money back. After some hemming and hawing, the sales manager acknowledged the boxes indeed said Radio Shack on them and had obviously not been opened. So, he took them back and gave me a gift card for $48.05. Found money. Wahoo....that's me doing the happy dance all the way back to my car.
There is so much cash laying around our homes that we don't even notice. I am not including change jars and coin piles in this, though our family has, on occasion, rolled up its fair share of coins into a bank deposit worth a couple hundred bucks. I'm talking about all those things we don't return (like video cables) or the on-sale shorts we buy for the kids that don't fit and instead of taking them back, we give them away to a friend with a child smaller than ours. I'm talking about all those frequent buyer points we never redeem.
A department store I occasionally shop at offers Incircle points. They "last" for a year and if you don't redeem them, you lose them. Well, yesterday I decided to check my balance and see what I could get for points I normally ignore. Good thing I checked! They expire in the next 30 days and if I had simply ignored the situation as normal, I would have missed out on the chance to change those points into a $250 gift card...
Add that to the Radio Shack bonanza and it adds up to almost $300 in FOUND MONEY just this week...Tack that onto the money saved from all my bill trimming this week and I saved/earned almost $1,200. Not bad for a week's work.
Oh, and don't forget the CVS Extra Care Bucks program. Now that I finally figured that out, I will never throw another CVS receipt away without checking how much money the company wants to give me on my next purchase. ECB will be a whole column on itself later because I am having such a blast saving money with ECB and coupons. Not to brag, but yesterday a smart coupon/ECB combo allowed me to save $25 on a $42 purchase of OTC medicine and toiletries...including three items that I actually got for free!
Why didn't I learn any of this type information in my Economics class at Cornell??
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Feb. Fun continues
Making the decision to not buy anything new this month has been incredibly liberating. The JJill catalog comes and gets immediately recycled. Ditto LLBean, Land's End, Title 9, whatever. Not buying, not reading. Frees up a lot of time.
The kids were home sick the other day. Perfect movie time. But because it is February, instead of cruising the On Demand movie line-up at $5.99 a pop, we perused the home DVD library and watched five hours of Liberty Kids for FREE. Not only that, but we uncovered two new movies courtesy of Grandma still wrapped in plastic!
The kids also spent time looking in our own library for books to read. With the new Borders so close to our house now, we have been frequent shoppers. Now, I have told my two, we will become frequent readers of what we have on hand. Amazing how much we have that has not been read.
So, this mindset got me thinking -- where else can I find "leakage"... money just leaking out the door unnoticed. The cable bill -- called up TWC and got rid of $23/month of movie channels we never watch. SAVINGS...$276/year. Changed the unlimited phone line to one with 500 free minutes ...SAVINGS $48/year. Reduced the NYT delivery from daily (which, with three other papers tossed on our door daily, we never got around to reading) to just Sat and Sunday. SAVINGS $360/year. Tomorrow, I am getting rid of cable on another TV we NEVER TURN ON. $252/year.
GRAND TOTAL SAVED TO DATE...$937/year. And I haven't even looked at the insurance yet!
The kids were home sick the other day. Perfect movie time. But because it is February, instead of cruising the On Demand movie line-up at $5.99 a pop, we perused the home DVD library and watched five hours of Liberty Kids for FREE. Not only that, but we uncovered two new movies courtesy of Grandma still wrapped in plastic!
The kids also spent time looking in our own library for books to read. With the new Borders so close to our house now, we have been frequent shoppers. Now, I have told my two, we will become frequent readers of what we have on hand. Amazing how much we have that has not been read.
So, this mindset got me thinking -- where else can I find "leakage"... money just leaking out the door unnoticed. The cable bill -- called up TWC and got rid of $23/month of movie channels we never watch. SAVINGS...$276/year. Changed the unlimited phone line to one with 500 free minutes ...SAVINGS $48/year. Reduced the NYT delivery from daily (which, with three other papers tossed on our door daily, we never got around to reading) to just Sat and Sunday. SAVINGS $360/year. Tomorrow, I am getting rid of cable on another TV we NEVER TURN ON. $252/year.
GRAND TOTAL SAVED TO DATE...$937/year. And I haven't even looked at the insurance yet!
Monday, February 2, 2009
February Idea
In the spirit of the Valentine's Holiday Season this month, I am posting a picture of our lake house. I love how it is just the right color for this month! Even with the snow, I wish we were there -- but of course, there's no heat and the temp. is currently in the teens. Well, we'll just enjoy the picture.Now, for the month's theme: A few of my girlfriends and I have committed to not buying anything new in February. Nothing...except for groceries and gas for the car. We were inspired to do this by an article in the Dallas Morning News. There is a reporter there who is trying all these cost-saving measures -- a buy nothing new month, eat only what you have in the pantry month, drive on one tank of gas per car month. The nothing-new month intrigued us most. So, in the spirit of this, I have dug out all the old valentines left over from seven years worth of taking cards to preschool and elementary -- as well as all the old valentine craft supplies so the kids can make new cards this year. Not only am I being thrifty, I am decluttering as well! Best of all, in the search to round up errant valentine supplies, I stumbled on to a cache of cards and gifts I bought last year and never gave out!!! Sooooo...I am already ahead here!!
I will report in on each nothing-new fantastic idea I have as the month progresses. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
My newest love!!!
OK, I will probably not live this down, but I am now addicted to (drumroll.....) coupons! Yes, you read that right. Coupons. I now have a plastic filofax thingy in my purse that has a bunch of coupons in it ... divided out by grocery, department store, specialty store, and separate files for gift cards I have gathered for free based on purchases made recently...with coupons.
For you non-believers, the mom of my daughter's school chum told me about this website that drills down on all the supermarket sales ads, as well as consolidates the coupons in the Sunday papers, and posts a weekly "list" for your store on how to best maximize your coupons. It's www.thegrocergame.com and I went on as a lark. Read all the fine print. Scoured it. Found the deal...first month for a buck.
Well, surely I could save a dollar in the month to make up for the fee. I signed up. I scrolled through the lists. I compared to the coupons I always clip (just for the things we NORMALLY buy...I'm not one to feed my family what's on coupon sale, I will just take advantage of coupons for what we normally consume). Since the list is color-coded to hightlight best buys and freebies, it really caught my attention. Turns out I had some coupons and there were some sales that coincided to create a tsunami of savings.
Off to the store I went, where I saved almost 30% on things I was going to buy anyhow. To top it off, I got triple coupon savings I didn't know about without The List, as well as MONEY BACK! Now, who doesn't love money back.
The month doesn't end for two more weeks, but I will tell you right now that I have probably saved almost $100 on groceries by following this list and shopping at a couple stores instead of my regular haunts. I will report back on Dec. 8... the end of the $1 trial period.
I'd love to write more, but I have a coupon for $1 off Mrs. Smith's pies and I need to head up to the store and get a couple for Thankgiving. Saving money...that's living!
For you non-believers, the mom of my daughter's school chum told me about this website that drills down on all the supermarket sales ads, as well as consolidates the coupons in the Sunday papers, and posts a weekly "list" for your store on how to best maximize your coupons. It's www.thegrocergame.com and I went on as a lark. Read all the fine print. Scoured it. Found the deal...first month for a buck.
Well, surely I could save a dollar in the month to make up for the fee. I signed up. I scrolled through the lists. I compared to the coupons I always clip (just for the things we NORMALLY buy...I'm not one to feed my family what's on coupon sale, I will just take advantage of coupons for what we normally consume). Since the list is color-coded to hightlight best buys and freebies, it really caught my attention. Turns out I had some coupons and there were some sales that coincided to create a tsunami of savings.
Off to the store I went, where I saved almost 30% on things I was going to buy anyhow. To top it off, I got triple coupon savings I didn't know about without The List, as well as MONEY BACK! Now, who doesn't love money back.
The month doesn't end for two more weeks, but I will tell you right now that I have probably saved almost $100 on groceries by following this list and shopping at a couple stores instead of my regular haunts. I will report back on Dec. 8... the end of the $1 trial period.
I'd love to write more, but I have a coupon for $1 off Mrs. Smith's pies and I need to head up to the store and get a couple for Thankgiving. Saving money...that's living!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Change in the Weather
Wow. The Dow is not the only thing falling rapidly around here. The mercury plummeted mid-evening as a front of frosty wind blew in from the north. The bright blue sky and ton of sun we had this afternoon made me think it was warmer than it really turned out to be...When I left the warmth of my kitchen to head up the hill to pick up the kids, the wind hit me like a cold slap. I had to go back in and grab a sweater. Tonight it is suppose to freeze. As Robert reminded me, "It is November." Time to pull out the winter jammies, make some tea and make a fire in the den.
Just looked at my email. My editor of almost 20 years (!) informed me that as of Nov. 25, DNR (Daily News Record) will cease to publish. Women's Wear Daily will pick up and incorporate the men's news. Another Wow. DNR has been a mainstay of Seventh Avenue for a century. I have loved talking with the menswear designers and retailers over the years. What does all this mean for the dissemination of information? Jean told me she would call in the a.m. to discuss. Sad day for such a venerable paper. And I wonder aobut my friends who have worked there forever. More info tomorrow. Change is hard. Whether it is change in publishing or change in the weather.
Just looked at my email. My editor of almost 20 years (!) informed me that as of Nov. 25, DNR (Daily News Record) will cease to publish. Women's Wear Daily will pick up and incorporate the men's news. Another Wow. DNR has been a mainstay of Seventh Avenue for a century. I have loved talking with the menswear designers and retailers over the years. What does all this mean for the dissemination of information? Jean told me she would call in the a.m. to discuss. Sad day for such a venerable paper. And I wonder aobut my friends who have worked there forever. More info tomorrow. Change is hard. Whether it is change in publishing or change in the weather.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
THIS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
In these trying times, when you can't count on your bank, your air quality, or your food sources, it nice to know there are a few things that still are dependable. Here's what I've found to be true...
1. Mom will always feed and water the dog, no matter how much someone else in the family wanted the pet.
2. Kids grow faster than you want them to.
3. Laundry never ends. Ever.
4. A clean sink does make facing the morning easier.
5. No one can decide on a Halloween costume a month in advance.
6. If you don't bring an umbrella, it will rain.
7. If you wash your car ... finally!... it will rain.
8. If you mow the yard and fertilize, it won't rain.
9. Dust bunnies multiply as fast as the furry kind.
10. Mom does know best.
1. Mom will always feed and water the dog, no matter how much someone else in the family wanted the pet.
2. Kids grow faster than you want them to.
3. Laundry never ends. Ever.
4. A clean sink does make facing the morning easier.
5. No one can decide on a Halloween costume a month in advance.
6. If you don't bring an umbrella, it will rain.
7. If you wash your car ... finally!... it will rain.
8. If you mow the yard and fertilize, it won't rain.
9. Dust bunnies multiply as fast as the furry kind.
10. Mom does know best.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
HALLOWEEN!
It's that most tremulous time of the year...and not just because the financial markets are cratering and the planet (and political scene) is overheating and there is poison in products coming out of China. No, around here the quaking and shaking has more to do with Halloween than it current events.
The kids are shivering because they try to out-scare each other with spooky tales and by jumping at each other from dark corners (lots of them in a big, old, historic house) at every possible opportunity. Robert and I have the shakes because it is time, once again, to plan our annual Halloween hayride. This has morphed from a small, one-bale high hay maze in the front yard designed with toddlers in mind to a BIG DEAL in our neighborhood -- complete with jack-o-lanterns, blow-up pumpkins, massively decorated hay lug with flashing halloween lights, costumed kids and now --thanks to the past droughts and subsequent high, high price of hay-- no hay maze...but always a few bales for jumping on and hiding behind.
The first annual soiree took place around Graham's 3rd birthday. For two hours, toddlers and preschoolers scampered over the hay dressed as mostly Bob the Builders and princesses. Three-month-old Amanda, dressed as a pumpkin, watched the festivities from her stroller up in the back of Robert's truck. Right next to her, dressed as I-can't-remember-what, was her friend Luca. Each year, the party has grown, the costumes evolving with whatever trendy movie or TV show...When Amanda was four, we had a passel of princesses...almost every little girl came as a Disney diva and we had everyone represented...from Snow White and Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Jasmine. The big boy costume? Spiderman and Batman. Lots of super heroes.
Now, we invite everyone in each of the kids' classes, as well as the neighbor kids and the kids of parents we like to hang out with. Every child must be accompanied by their parents...this is not a drop-off center! I only serve two things -- apple cider and donuts. Cake donuts, no breakfasty glazed donuts. Just cinnamon-sugar, plain, and powdered sugar cake donuts. Those two things -- donuts and cider -- just say "Fall" to my Northeastern sensibilities.
For the past two years, Robert and I have said, "Enough?" Can we stop now? Then we look at our daughter, three years younger and thus, three less Halloween Hayrides under her belt than her brother and we say, "Not yet." Not until this event is cemented in Amanda's brain as much as it is in our son's...Not until we have done it enough that the kids will look back fondly on this tradition that their parents "miraculously" pulled off each year. When we are sure we have secured a place in the scrapbook of their memories, then maybe we will stop and go to someone else's party. Until then, October makes us shiver...
The kids are shivering because they try to out-scare each other with spooky tales and by jumping at each other from dark corners (lots of them in a big, old, historic house) at every possible opportunity. Robert and I have the shakes because it is time, once again, to plan our annual Halloween hayride. This has morphed from a small, one-bale high hay maze in the front yard designed with toddlers in mind to a BIG DEAL in our neighborhood -- complete with jack-o-lanterns, blow-up pumpkins, massively decorated hay lug with flashing halloween lights, costumed kids and now --thanks to the past droughts and subsequent high, high price of hay-- no hay maze...but always a few bales for jumping on and hiding behind.
The first annual soiree took place around Graham's 3rd birthday. For two hours, toddlers and preschoolers scampered over the hay dressed as mostly Bob the Builders and princesses. Three-month-old Amanda, dressed as a pumpkin, watched the festivities from her stroller up in the back of Robert's truck. Right next to her, dressed as I-can't-remember-what, was her friend Luca. Each year, the party has grown, the costumes evolving with whatever trendy movie or TV show...When Amanda was four, we had a passel of princesses...almost every little girl came as a Disney diva and we had everyone represented...from Snow White and Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Jasmine. The big boy costume? Spiderman and Batman. Lots of super heroes.
Now, we invite everyone in each of the kids' classes, as well as the neighbor kids and the kids of parents we like to hang out with. Every child must be accompanied by their parents...this is not a drop-off center! I only serve two things -- apple cider and donuts. Cake donuts, no breakfasty glazed donuts. Just cinnamon-sugar, plain, and powdered sugar cake donuts. Those two things -- donuts and cider -- just say "Fall" to my Northeastern sensibilities.
For the past two years, Robert and I have said, "Enough?" Can we stop now? Then we look at our daughter, three years younger and thus, three less Halloween Hayrides under her belt than her brother and we say, "Not yet." Not until this event is cemented in Amanda's brain as much as it is in our son's...Not until we have done it enough that the kids will look back fondly on this tradition that their parents "miraculously" pulled off each year. When we are sure we have secured a place in the scrapbook of their memories, then maybe we will stop and go to someone else's party. Until then, October makes us shiver...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Plastic Panic
They are gone. Every one of them...Every piece of poisonous plastic in the house as determined by Nat Geo's Green magazine. If you are a plastic cup or plate or bottle numbered with something other than 1, 2, 4, or 5 in a little triangle on the bottom, you have been removed and recycled. Polycarbonate plastic is usually that hard, clear plastic, which has been shown to accellerate puberty and a rash of other terrible things.
Sadly, that means every princess or spiderman or dora or bob the builder plastic cup my tykes grew up with will not be around to be handed down to potential grandchildren. Not sad because I want them to drink liquid with leached-out plastic poisons like my poor kids, but because they were so cute. If you missed all the studies that have come out recently on specifically bisphenol A (aka #7 ) plastics and how they are causing hormone upheavals and cancer, well I couldn't really blame you. I found the info BURIED on like page 65 of a Tuesday Dallas Morning News. The article really couldn't have been smaller or it would have been considered a classified ad. But there it was -- studies conclude plastics are not good. Specifically the plastics used in BABY BOTTLES!!!!!! Thank goodness I nursed my kids, but they did drink plenty of beverages out of the aforementioned cute little #7 glasses.
Oh and by the way, all those Ozarka bottles on top of the water coolers all around us -- the ones I ordered because I thought bottled water was better than our highly chlorinated municipal tap water...well, they are #7, too, and as clear and hard as any plastic could be. I guess I don't need to tell you we cancelled our Ozarka account...even though the customer service rep promised me their studies showed that #7 is just fine. I put a filter on the tap and we carry our own stainless steel or SIGG bottles of Mommy-filtered H2O.
I have always fed my kids so carefully...mostly organic, ONLY organic milk and mostly from cardboard containers, local eggs and meat, no sugar. So it really irritates me that I missed the plastic connection. Anyhow, for all of you who missed it, too, you can no longer plead ignorant. You have been warned. Check it out for yourself by googling bisphenol A or polycarbonate plastic.
Sadly, that means every princess or spiderman or dora or bob the builder plastic cup my tykes grew up with will not be around to be handed down to potential grandchildren. Not sad because I want them to drink liquid with leached-out plastic poisons like my poor kids, but because they were so cute. If you missed all the studies that have come out recently on specifically bisphenol A (aka #7 ) plastics and how they are causing hormone upheavals and cancer, well I couldn't really blame you. I found the info BURIED on like page 65 of a Tuesday Dallas Morning News. The article really couldn't have been smaller or it would have been considered a classified ad. But there it was -- studies conclude plastics are not good. Specifically the plastics used in BABY BOTTLES!!!!!! Thank goodness I nursed my kids, but they did drink plenty of beverages out of the aforementioned cute little #7 glasses.
Oh and by the way, all those Ozarka bottles on top of the water coolers all around us -- the ones I ordered because I thought bottled water was better than our highly chlorinated municipal tap water...well, they are #7, too, and as clear and hard as any plastic could be. I guess I don't need to tell you we cancelled our Ozarka account...even though the customer service rep promised me their studies showed that #7 is just fine. I put a filter on the tap and we carry our own stainless steel or SIGG bottles of Mommy-filtered H2O.
I have always fed my kids so carefully...mostly organic, ONLY organic milk and mostly from cardboard containers, local eggs and meat, no sugar. So it really irritates me that I missed the plastic connection. Anyhow, for all of you who missed it, too, you can no longer plead ignorant. You have been warned. Check it out for yourself by googling bisphenol A or polycarbonate plastic.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Time flies
Standing at the sink window looking out over the dusky backyard...washing out a hot wheels thermos so g can have chili tomorrow for his school lunch and suddenly it washes over me once again just how fast kids grow up.
One minute, you are bleary-eyed, stumbling through a nightlit hallway to the nursery to comfort or feed a mewing newborn in the wee hours of the night. You are hauling half the nursery with you every time you leave the house. Your diaper bag replaces the purse you used to carry in pre-kid days. Driving in the car means latching and attaching and tucking and chucking toys and goldfish into tiny hands. Do you have hand sanitizer and baby wipes and play dough and snacks and water and a blanket for the park and a ball and a change of clothes and an extra shirt for you in case someone loves on you with icky, sticky hands or barfs or worse.
And then, one day, you walk out to the car and realize everyone has latched their own seatbelts after letting themselves in and are sitting there with books or toys THEY brought and sipping water from their SIGGS and wondering what took YOU so long to get there. And you feel proud and sad and happy and nostalgic and free all at once. That snuggy baby head smell is now replaced with equally good in its own way sweaty boy hair smell and lavender shampoo girl hair smell.
You want and need your kids to grow up. You want them to have independence and wings and self-sufficiency. But you still want them to want you. My mom was right -- kids are your little kids no matter how big they get. I just don't want to miss any of it. Sappy. Maybe. Who cares.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
To Gray or Not To Gray
That is the question. I can't decide if it's nobler to go au natural with silvery streaks or keep up the facade of faux color. Do I really look younger with no gray? Could I look young and hip with gray? And what the heck is my natural color anyway???
I have been streaking, tinting, highlighting and plain old coloring my hair since college. Honestly, I am not sure what my "natural" color really is anymore. Chestnut? Black? Basic brown? Tawny? Taupe? I'll bet even my hairdresser doesn't know for sure! All I do for sure is that there sure is a lot of silver (which sounds better than gray).
Those women I see who look great gray are the ones with a cute cut and updated clothes. Face it, you cannot be shlumpy and have gray hair. Especially if you have young kids like I do. Shlumpy with fleece mom clothes and gray hair = being mistaken for you kid's grammy. However, chic clothes, tres chic hairstyle, and a trim, toned body = Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep looked fabulous in that movie. That's the right hair right there.
I don't know but women of a certain age who tint their tresses and get the color too even or too dark...well, it doesn't look right. No one's hair is totally monotone. Gotta have highlights and low lights to look right. And too brassy ... also not so good. It's a fine line to walk when you start pushing the half century mark.
And what about all that maintenance? Can't swim in chlorine because it will mess up the color. Can't use any old shampoo because it will mess up the color. Can't go to long without touching up the color or you look like a reverse skunk with a streak of white down the middle. I don't want to think about my hair that much any more...which isn't to say that I don't want to think about how I look. With the financial meltdown and global warming and the plastics poisoning and everything else, I guess obsessing about hair seems minor. Thank God my husband thinks I look good either way.
I have been streaking, tinting, highlighting and plain old coloring my hair since college. Honestly, I am not sure what my "natural" color really is anymore. Chestnut? Black? Basic brown? Tawny? Taupe? I'll bet even my hairdresser doesn't know for sure! All I do for sure is that there sure is a lot of silver (which sounds better than gray).
Those women I see who look great gray are the ones with a cute cut and updated clothes. Face it, you cannot be shlumpy and have gray hair. Especially if you have young kids like I do. Shlumpy with fleece mom clothes and gray hair = being mistaken for you kid's grammy. However, chic clothes, tres chic hairstyle, and a trim, toned body = Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep looked fabulous in that movie. That's the right hair right there.
I don't know but women of a certain age who tint their tresses and get the color too even or too dark...well, it doesn't look right. No one's hair is totally monotone. Gotta have highlights and low lights to look right. And too brassy ... also not so good. It's a fine line to walk when you start pushing the half century mark.
And what about all that maintenance? Can't swim in chlorine because it will mess up the color. Can't use any old shampoo because it will mess up the color. Can't go to long without touching up the color or you look like a reverse skunk with a streak of white down the middle. I don't want to think about my hair that much any more...which isn't to say that I don't want to think about how I look. With the financial meltdown and global warming and the plastics poisoning and everything else, I guess obsessing about hair seems minor. Thank God my husband thinks I look good either way.
Fall is Here.
It's October. Fall. Temperatures no longer tickling the triple digits. YAY! The kids want pumpkins and festive fall yard art that I will have to haul from the attic and dust off before stabbing the stakes of scarecrows, ghosts and witches into the front yard and garden. I'm making crockpot chili for dinner because it's finally cool enough to enjoy it. I tried to wear a long sleeve shirt on the morning mom marathon dash to school this a.m. but it is still too warm for running in long sleeves. And on Tuesdays, I have to RUN twice up the hill because Graham has GT at 8:15 and can't miss the bus and then Amanda has class at regular time so it's grab a kid and go up the hill, literally RUN back down, grab another kid and dash back up to school. By the time the late bell rings, I have already done at least a mile ... outside the house. And you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
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