Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

I was into self-help books for a while in my twenties. I believe my early twenties which was in the mid 90's. This was also the time that there was a huge surge of infomercials. I used to love watching the infomercials. So many different products and ideas.  Some seemed useful and others seemed down right idiotic.

Infomercials also gave me a great perspective regarding dating, but that's another post. There were a few infomercials that I absolutely loved in the self-help arena. One of them was relationship related called "Light the Fire Within" by Ellen Kreidman.  There were a set specifically directed to women and one for men.

I was not in a financial position to purchase them at the retail, opps I mean discounted infomercial AMAZING price so I checked my local library.  Sure enough the library had both cassette tapes in stock. No, I did not have a typo there I did write cassette tapes. Where does the time go, seems like I've not thought of cassette tapes in years, or seen one, or touched one. I digress, sorry.

I don't know why I was attracted to them since I wasn't in a relationship at the time and didn't really care if I was in one. I listened to them over and over. I think I may have even made a copy of them with my dual cassette tape player and recorder boom box. Loved those things. I did not ever make a copy for the purpose of making a profit off of them, in the event anyone needs to know.

I think my brain was thirsty for knowledge and since I enjoyed social and personal relationships this seemed to give me a lot information I could tuck it in the back of my brain for later use. One of the things that I remember quite vividly was the phrase Ellen used to describe a specific situation which was "feel the fear and do it anyway". She was telling about a situation with one of her neighbors.  The neighbor wanted Ellen to deal with the situation because they didn't have the confidence to deal with it.  Dr. Kreidman explained how she herself felt the same fear and anxiety over doing things like that but she did it anyway because it had to be done.

Now to the point of my post. Sorry I felt the background was necessary to get the whole picture. I was in Target last week doing my regular grocery shopping when I happen to realize that shopping in the exact same department is someone I knew from my childhood.  I had actually known this person since I was 5 years old. I have known this person longer than anyone else in my life, other than family members. 

I'm was torn as to if I should say anything to her or not? Last year we re-connected via facebook and it was internet only.  We had not arranged to meet in person or talked on the phone. At the time I was very perplexed as to why this person would want to connect with me again anyway.  About 15 years ago, the last word I heard about her was if she ever saw me again she was going to "kick my ass" - her words.

This whole "kick my ass" business had to do with her not wanting me to tell another friend of ours something that she needed to know. I didn't think this person was going to really come clean and confess her dealings to our friend.  I realized that I had an obligation to tell our friend and so I did.  I know this person was not proud of but we all have those situations that we've been through. Once our friend told this person that she knew that's when the "you tell her if I ever see her again I'm going to kick her ass" statement came out. 

Back to the present.  We had reconciled a bit via the internet and she didn't know why I was so standoffish to meet and I told her why and funny enough, she says she didn't even remember all of that happening.  So I'm faced with a do I say something to her or not dilemma. My immediate reaction was to just duck and cover so she doesn't notice me. I would think that most would do the same thing after 15 years of keeping an eye out for this person who's last words were ones that might result in bodily harm if you ever meet up in person. 

So I ducked and covered and took myself to another part of the store to hit a different part of my shopping list. From 20 years ago I hear "feel the fear and do it anyway". So I threw the idea back and forth and then I thought, hey why not. What do you have to lose. Might be interesting like those infomercials to see what the outcome might be. So I tried to find her in the store. Sure as you know what... couldn't find her. Of course Murphy and his Laws had to laugh at me there. No problem, on with the list. I made a note of this to be a lesson to myself to "do it now" another infomrercial lesson for a later date.

I was wrapping up my shopping when I spotted her. Aha.. I got my cart into NASCAR mode and raced on over to where she was. She had her back turned to me at the time, I said her name. She turned around and seemed surprised but happy to see me. I suspect that she did the same duck and cover since she was in the original area I saw her in at first but when I went back to that area she was gone... Hmmm...

It went a LOT better than I had suspected. We still have a lot in common, some children the same age, and we live fairly close to one another. Life has obviously had time to soften her and myself and it was a pleasant reconnection.  All those years and even the last year semi-reconnecting that I've held onto this what if I see her anxiety. Not really an issue in the end. I felt the fear/anxiety of what might happen and did it anyway.  Thank you "Light the Fire Within" author. You never know what will come back one day and be a useful tool to help you with your life. 

Is there anything your putting off because you fear it or have anxiety about it? In the end it might not be the big monster you imagine it to be.  One way to find out.....

Bacon

I was recently buying some bacon from the meat counter at my supermarket. It was one of the rare weeks that they had it for less than the prepackaged pounds. The butcher that was helping me was particularly friendly and asked me what I was going to be making with my delicious thick cut bacon. I told him I was just going to bake it for breakfast. He said oh yeah baked bacon like he knew what I was talking about. I said oh you bake your bacon too, he said hu what are you talking about.

I told him that instead of frying the bacon in a skillet on the top of a stove I have found I can save a lot of time by putting it in the oven. He wanted more information so here is what I told him. I bake it at 350 F on a cookie sheet, the larger kind that have the rolled edges.  I believe the official name is jelly roll pan but any vessel would work as long as you are not over lapping them and there is enough of an edge to catch the grease drippings.

If your oven is anything like mine you want to rotate the sheet half way through baking or every 15 minutes. Most ovens have different temperatures in different areas so not everything cooks evenly unless you rotate your pans threwought baking. Usually just half way one time is all that is necessary.  If you have a convect option this helps to speed things up.  We like ours very crispy but not burned. If you like your still a bit chewey you can always take it out whenever you so desire. 

Big time saver in my opinion and if your not sure about your pan sticking or don't want the clean up you can line your trays with some tinfoil and a quick cooking oil spray. This is a good way to render that fat so you can freeze it and save it for other delicious dishes but that is another post.

For VERY detailed step-by-step instructions including pictures you can go HERE.

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way Late Poster

Great news if you were still wanting a chance to win some Disney On Ice tickets for next week.  Katie at chaseandkatie.blogspot.com is giving away 3 of her family 4-packs this week.  Hurry and get your entry posted it looks like you have until Wednesday midnight to enter.  Good luck!!!

Clear Nail Polish

Recently a co-worker got a pretty good paper cut. Working with files and paper all day it can happen at any moment and its usually right when you are in the zone and getting a lot done and blam, flesh sliced by paper. Well paper if your lucky.  Every now and then I've had the miss-opprotunity to catch flesh on a file folder and those are not pretty. Thick cardboard, major slice-age which means major pain.

I happen to remember something that I use when I get a paper cut, which is clear nail polish. It doesn't stay on for days and days but depending on how much you use your hands and how much you wash them you can get a pretty good half or almost all day out of an application.  If your proficient with super glue this works good too but I end up somehow getting too much or some in the cap and my superglue ends up being a one time application and that can get expensive. I'll stick with the clear nail polish.

What I love about the nail polish is that it protects those little bits of exposed nerves that seem to be right on the edge of your cut and even the wind blowing sometimes can irritate it and remind you of your recent encounter. Funny how something so seemily small and weak can inflict such pain.

Another use that you're probably well aware of is for taming runs in your panty hose. I don't know many people that still wear them but I still see it them being sold in stores so someone must still be wearing them at times.

::Winner:: 4th and FINAL Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

Winner is..... janer.hansen.

Congratulations janer.hansen, send me an email with your mailing address and I will get your tickets in the mail asap!

Thank you for entering my drawings. Hope to have something like this again soon.

Sticky Door

In the last year I have had one door in our house that has given me and my DH (dear husband) daily challenges. The door to my DS's (dear son's) room has always been a little noisy with the door handle but combine that with new paint and a swamp cooler and we had all kinds of sticking. Trying to escape his room with minimal noise was not really an option.

My DH had tried several things to try and minimize my escape theatrics. The things he tried were WD-40, shaving down some of the door to knock off paint and minimize thickness, and baby powder. I tried a bar of soap, cooking spray, and cooking oil on a paper towel. Out of these the bar of soap was the best but it  failed as well over a short period of time. I thought I was doomed to a little routine of put my hand on the nob, grip tightly, turn the nob, before opening the door pull it towards the nob side of the frame, then slowly open and wait for the pop, look at DS and see if he wakes up from the noise and then if no try to escape. And don't forget to do this all hunched over behind his crib and with the blanket draped over one end so he can see less. If this was what I had to do fine, at least I knew what to do. 

One day I was putting things back in the rooms and places they should be. Stuff, objects seem to grow legs and walk all on their own, unassisted from all areas of the house at times. I was putting some vaseline back to the bathroom it belonged and I had a tiny hint of an idea... I wonder if that would work on DS's sticky door. I figured why not, can't hurt right? That was the ticket. I rubbed that stuff all over the door and the door jam. I was careful to go sparingly on the side of the door where the nob was since you sometimes grab the door and not just the handle.

So if you ever have a sticky something, vaseline might be just what you need.

4th and FINAL Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

For your 4th and FINAL chance to win Disney on Ice family 4-pack of tickets, leave me a comment on this post or the original post that you can find HERE.  If you have already left a comment you will still be included in the 4th and FINAL drawing.

Good luck and don't forget to check the other blogs to the right that have chances to win as well.

::Winner:: 3rd of 4 Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

Winner is..... Willards.

Congratulations Willards, send me an email with your mailing address and I will get your tickets in the mail asap!

Don't forget to check out the other blogs on the right at the top that are also doing ticket give aways for more chances to will.

More info on the 4th and FINAL drawings to come.

Big thanks to all the posts and all my readers. I plan to have a lot more posts soon, life has proven to be very busy lately which I'm sure you all can relate to. Happens to the best of us from time to time.

3rd of 4 Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

For your 3rd chance to win Disney on Ice family 4-pack of tickets, leave me a comment on this post or the original post that you can find HERE.  If you have already left a comment you will still be included in the 3rd drawing.

Good luck and don't forget to check the other blogs to the right that have chances to win as well. I will be updating their links to direct you straight to their current post for drawing. 

Disney On Ice - Halloween Comes Early @ The Gateway Mall

HALLOWEEN COMES EARLY @ THE GATEWAY MALL WITH

Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey
Costume Party &
BUY ONE TICKET GET ONE TICKET FREE EVENT
Saturday, October 23rd 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Gateway Mall Olympic Legacy Fountain

Kids, Moms & Dads; Come dressed up as your favorite Disney Character and go trick or treating at KUDD Radio Canopy, the KYLZ Radio Canopy and the Disney On Ice Canopy.  Enter to win one of 10 VIP Family four Packs of tickets & a VIP Disney Meet & Greet with Mickey & Minnie Mouse at the opening night engagement of the Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey playing at the Energy Solutions Arena November 11 – 14, 2010.  Play games and win Disney On Ice prizes, while supplies last.

Come to the Gateway Mall Olympic Legacy Fountain at 11:00 a.m. and receive a coupon offer good for: 

Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey

Playing at the Energy Solutions Arena November 11-14, 2010 

Buy One Get One Free
 

(coupon valid for up to 3 free tickets;  buy 1 get 1 free, buy 2 get 2 free, buy 3 get 3 free – limited to 3 per coupon)
Tickets must be purchased between Saturday, October 23rd and Saturday, October 30th & can only be purchased at the Energy Solutions Arena Box Office & must accompany a valid coupon.  Coupon can only be obtained at the Disney On Ice Canopy at the Gateway Mall on Saturday, October 23rd between 11:00 am & 1:00 p.m. while supplies last, only 1000 will be distributed.
  Offer is valid for the $13, $16 & $23 price levels and is valid for the Friday, Nov. 12th 4:00 p.m. performance, the Saturday, Nov. 13th 6:30 p.m. performance and the Sunday, Nov. 14th 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. performances.  Offer is not valid with any other offer, VIP tickets, Free tickets or Kid Tickets.
Please note:  Only 1000 coupons will be distributed on a first come basis.

Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey takes audiences on a fun-filled tour to four exciting destinations filled with favorite Disney friends.  With Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as tour guides, guests will visit the enchanting worlds of Disney’s the Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch and Peter Pan.  Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey performs at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, November 11-14.

Ticket Information-  Prices: $13, $23, $35 (VIP), $65 (Front Row) **Does not include service charges, handling or facility fees
-  Order Online:  www.disneyonice.com or at www.energysolutionsarena.com 
-  Order tickets by phone: (801) 355-SEAT or (800) 888-TIXX

Location & ShowtimesEnergy Solutions Arena
-  Thursday, November 11 -  7:00 pm
-  Friday, November 12      -  4:00 pm; 7:60 pm
-  Saturday, November 13  -  11:00am; 2:30pm; 6:30pm
-  Sunday, November 14    -  1:30pm; 5:30pm

::Winner:: 2nd of 4 Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

Winner is..... copperbliss.

Congratulations copperbliss, send me an email with your mailing address and I will get your tickets in the mail asap!

Don't forget to check out the other blogs on the right at the top that are also doing ticket give aways for more chances to will.

More info on the future drawings to come.

Staying on top of Mt. WashMore

Do you have one day a week where all you do is babysit the washing machine and dryer? As if you don't have enough to do as it is right... One way to stay on top of Mt. WashMore is to do a load of laundry a day. If you do more than 6 or 7 loads a week you will have to step that up and do more one day or more every day. I know my readers are smart and can do the math. This is a tip that I picked up from The FlyLady. She is a great resource for lots of house tips and getting your life out of the weeds when it comes to cluttered spaces in your home and your brain. If you've never heard of her and want more information click HERE to get to her welcome page.  (Mt. WashMore is a FlyLady coined term)

In my house we tend to do a couple of loads of laundry a few days a week. More to the end of the week. We don't have many clothes as it is due to a lot of reasons but we also don't need many clothes since we wash them about once a week. We have just what we need. 

I know it might sound silly but as for the loads here is how I break mine out they are:

Kids
Adult whites
Adult colors
Towels and rags
Sheets

Now, lets say you are WAY behind and you have about 10 THOUSAND loads to do.... Laundry Mat.  If you take it all to the laundry mat, yes it costs money but my sanity is worth however much it might cost, and you get it all done in about the time it takes to do ONE load. That is if the facility can accommodate all 10 THOUSAND loads. ::wink wink::

2nd of 4 Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

For your 2nd chance to win Disney on Ice family 4-pack of tickets, leave me a comment on this post or the original post that you can find HERE.  If you have already left a comment you will still be included in the 2nd drawing. Good luck and don't forget to check the other blogs to the right that have chances to win as well. I will be updating their links to direct you straight to their current post for drawing.  Exciting news coming up this weekend for future events related to Disney On Ice. Good luck!


*Only eligible to win once per contest.

::Winner:: 1st of 4 Disney on Ice Give-A-Way

Winner is..... Tiffany D.

Congratulations Tiffany, send me an email with your mailing address and I will get your tickets in the mail asap!

Don't forget to check out the other blogs on the right at the top that are also doing ticket give aways for more chances to will.

More info on the future drawings to come.

Disney On Ice Give-A-Way

I am so excited to announce that I have 4 family 4-packs of tickets to Disney On Ice! Keep reading for more information as to the specifics of the show and times. Their first performance will be Thursday, November 11th, so get it on your calendar and get to planning it NOW... It will be here before you know it.

Leave me a comment on this post to WIN... future posts will be up for future prize drawings. And don't miss out on the other blogs and sites that have tickets to give away as well. You can see that list on the right hand side, top of this blog.

Give-A-Way Schedule

I will be giving away 1 family 4-pack of tickets on:

Tuesday, October 12

Friday October 15th

Friday October 22nd

Friday October 29th

Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they travel to four magical destinations all in one fun-filled ice production! Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey will take audiences on a sightseeing tour of the imagination. This ice spectacular visits Salt Lake City from Thursday, November 11th  through Sunday, November 14th  with eight performances at the Energy Solutions Arena.  Tickets go on sale Monday, September 27th.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy have their bags all packed for a journey that will transport audiences straight from their seats into the magical worlds of best friends Lilo and Stitch as they hula in Hawaii; Simba and Nala as they explore the African Pride Lands; Ariel and Sebastian as they experience an aquatic adventure in their undersea kingdom; and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell as they soar through the starry skies.

Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey features an international team of award-winning figure skaters, high-energy choreography and a colorful set that captures all four unique worlds. Audiences will be entranced as they experience this exciting excursion — one that will fill the arena with magic, music, and best of all, Mickey and Minnie!


Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnies Magical Journey go on sale on Monday, September 27th  and will be available at the Energy Solutions Arena Box Office, all SmithTix locations or by calling 801-355-SEAT or 800-888-TIXX, and online at www.energysolutionsarena.com or www.disneyonice.com.

Performance Schedule:
Thursday, November 11th, 7:00 PM
Friday, November 12th, 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Saturday, November 13th, 11:00 AM, 2:30 PM & 6:30 PM
Sunday, November 14th, 1:30 PM & 5:30 PM

Tickets are priced at $13 - $23, $35 (VIP), $50 (Rinkside). Service charges and handling fees may apply. All seats are reserved.

You can enter the coupon code: BLOG to get kids tickets for just $10.00!
(every 4 kids tickets purchased, 1 adult ticket needs to be purchased.)

To learn more about Disney On Ice, visit www.disneyonice.com.

Don't be afraid to try something New

I color my hair out of a box at home and it saves me a lot of money rather than going to the salon. My hair color comes with a conditioner that is to be used once a week to hold the color in and make your hair feel soft and silky. This conditioner does a fairly good job except for when its close or past due for another color treatment.  In the past I have had good success with V05 Hot Oil Treatment. In looking for this product in a number of stores in my area with the limited time that I have I was not able to find it.  In a last ditch effort I was looking at the alternative products they have out there and since I like and use Pantene's shampoo and conditioner I thought I would see if they had something that might, just might do the trick or at least put a bandaid on my hair situation until I could find my V05 Hot Oil some other place. I'm sure Walgreens would probably have it or Amazon for SURE would (doesn't Amazon have everything?).  I came across Pantene's Color Nourishing Treatment that claims it will Nourish colored hair to enhance color and shine. 

 

I was very skeptical at first but after the first application was very impressed. It might not be the long term solution but for the first try it is helping my hair a ton. So don't always be closed off to trying something new is my latest advice.  For those curious as to the price it was in the $5 range.

Clip coupons

I try to save money by clipping coupons. I take the Sunday newspaper for this reason and this reason ALONE. Yep, you got it. I pick up the paper sort through the contents until I get to the coupons and then I put it with the recycle.  It pays for itself pretty quick.  Especially if you get just the Sunday subscription and not the whole week subscription.  Unless you really like to recycle or compost, which is another post for a later date.  Weekly I go to websites like www.coolsavings.com and www.coupons.com for other coupons than what come in the paper or sometimes in your mail.  Most grocery stores and places take these web coupons, there are a few that don't that I have run across in my neighborhoods like REAMS and Dan's. I have had intermittent success with Dan's but REAMS has never taken my web coupons. If you do a search for printable grocery coupons you are going to get a ton of websites. I have found that they are both basically these same coupons that the sites I mention above have and some make you sign into them. That means they want to solicit you in some way shape or form, even if its by email. I personally have enough email even with email I want and like let alone the junk and then add some more junk into it.. no thanks.  There is one other site that I almost forgot that I sometimes find some coupons on www.redplum.com has some every now and then that I use.

Some people claim to not have time for these or they are too hard to organize. The amount of time I spend on a weekly average to clip and organize is seriously 15 to 20 minutes total.Weekly savings varies but I would average that I at least save $2-$5 a week. I figure any savings is savings. Over time it adds up. If you save even just $2 a week in a years time you will have saved $104. Imagine if you saved more per week and you usually do. It ebbs and flows.

Organizing the coupons: for me the best thing that works is a cash/bill organizer that expands as needed. I put all the coupons in order of date. Each pocket has a month and within that month the coupons that will expire the soonest are in the very front. Every time I put new coupons in I put them into piles per month and then incorporate them into where they belong by date. You can get all fancy and sort them by type of product like the supermarkets but this requires monitoring multiple sections for the expiration dates and even though there have been a few times that they have not noticed the expiration date and they have worked for the most part the checker is on their toes and they will not accept the coupon beyond the expiration date. I do go through all my coupons every week before I do my shopping. It takes probably 3 whole minutes to pull out each month and see if there are any coupons that will aid in saving you money on your pending shopping trip.
The exceptions to the organizing rule.  Printed web coupons go to the very back of my organizer. They are all the same size and its easier than mixing them in with the slick paper that the others are printed on. Store coupons, the ones that are specific to that store and can only be used at that store I put in their own store section near the back with the printed ones. This way you can look at just that store and they all usually expire at the same time. Makes for easy clean up.

If you have any tips or tricks regarding coupons feel free to leave me a post. Would love to hear more ideas and what works for you.

Write it down

My brain is continually failing to remember all the many things that I want to keep tabs on in my day. Recently I had a birthday and my dear husband (DH) asked me a few days before the day what I would like or could use for my birthday. I usually keep a running wish list for myself and other lists for DH and the dear kids (DK) of things that I think they would like or they have mentioned throughout the year.  So I thought it would be simple to pull up my wish list and let DH know what I have been wanting, he could run out with his limited time before the actual day of my birth, get something that he was sure I wanted/could use, and all would be great. I get to my list and .... UGGG.... nothing there. So I was left with little time to think of something to help the guy out. He is so good to get me what I want instead of what he thinks I should want I felt bad. When in doubt... write it down. You can even write it at the back of a calendar at your house, a post-it on your bathroom mirror, send yourself a perpetual email forwarding it to your self every time you think of something new and deleting the old. Many creative ways that you can accomplish the same thing.  Write it down.

Excercise

When your day starts at 4:30 a.m. and doesn't end until 10:30 p.m. when would you find time to exercise? I have found for me the best time is at lunch. It doesn't happen every day but most days it happens. There is always room for a lunch with a friend but getting away from the office and getting outside or even walking the stairs in the building I work in can really help get the legs stretched and clear the cobwebs from the head.

Overnight Diaper Leakage

My youngest child, who is a boy and currently 1&1/2 years old  has had a problem with being wet in the morning. I have tried a few tricks and have ended up with the best things that work for us.  You are welcome to try or not them.  Here they are in order of how I have tried them:

larger diaper - go to the next size of diaper.
double diaper - put on on top of the other. Position the 1st diaper as far in the front as possible and then fold down when you put the 2nd one on top. This will allow the wetness to go into the 2nd diaper.
nightime diaper - nighttime diapers worked good for a little while.
nightime diaper and regular diaper on top - use the double diapering technique.
diaper and double diaper (any combination) with plastic pants covering - found a package of 4 plastic pants in the newborn section of my local Wal-Mart. These have been the best component of the solution so far.
feminine maxi pad insert - yes you read correctly I have used a maxi pad as an insert to the diaper. I tried the thin kind first and my son developed a rash. I switched to the cheapest store brand and no further problems.

The current diaper situation that I use is a nighttime diaper, a maxi pad, and a plastic cover.

Getting Out Throw Up Smell

My son decided to choke on a cracker the other morning. I had just turned onto my sitters street. Bright minded me thought that I could catch his throw up in my one free hand. What is it about moms that we think this is EVER a good idea? I don't see my DH (dear husband) ever do something as self punishing as this. So I end up having 1 hand covered in vomit, trying to drive with the other hand and trying to verbally soothe the crying 1&1/2 year old while listening to his older sister 3&1/2 tell me how gross that was and how bad it smells... Really? Okay thank you DD (dear daughter) because I'm not sitting right here with some of the gross bad smelling juice all over my hand. I would not have known that without you telling me.

Thank you modern technology for BABY WIPES. Ended up getting most everything cleaned up with baby wipes as best I could. Let my DS (dear son) actually walk for once to the sitters door because I don't want to try and carry him and get gross bad smelling juice all over my clothes too. My DS tends to be new to being walk free so being let free was fun until I had to catch him and manage him inside. Glad I remembered to update the extra set of clothes for him when the last were used. DS didn't have to run in tennis shoes and a diaper all day.

Now for the smelling car. UG.. I had one of the busiest day's at work than I've had in a long time.. and Murphy's Laws of course had to play into this one... I was in my car more yesterday than any work day in the past 2 years. With no way to clean the gross bad smelling juice up until I got home I got to take my vehicle here and there and park it in the hot Utah sun to bake that smell in as best I could. I call one of my dear sisters that has 6 kids... no your eyes are not needing to be examined, I really did type 6. Certainly someone with that much child rearing experience has got to know the BEST possible way, to get gross bad smell out of my vehicle, and hopefully the fastest.  In talking with her, she says soapy water and elbow grease. Okay, not so much help there. I had kind of sort of already done that with the baby wipes right?

Most of the gross bad smelling juice ended up on the car seat cover. So pulled that to be washed. I also took an old toothbrush, some Lysol and a rag and commenced seeking and destroying any remaining bits of gross bad smelling particles that had once had juice infused into them. I was hopeful that the Lysol would be the end of the story and I wouldn't have to go to a more involved process requiring more steps.

This morning I am VERY happy to report. 1% possible gross bad smelling juice smell and 99% Lysol smell. I'm going to buy one for every vehicle. Thank you Lysol.

Jump Start Your Morning The Night Before

Do you have a launch pad for first thing in the morning? A launch pad is a place you put all of your items that you will need as you are walking out the door. This doesn't include of course anything like a lunch that needs to be refrigerated. A great way to jump start your morning is to start The Night Before. It really doesn't take very long to gather the items needed for yourself or for others in your house if they are too small to do it for themselves like my children are.  Older kids can do this for themselves.

If I'm having an off night and I don't do this there is a good chance that I will just push my being out of sync until the morning. I have a much smoother morning if I set up the bags on my launch pad that is my kitchen table right now, and pack how many diapers, pull ups, snacks, double check the change of clothes and put in anything else that is needed for the next day.

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog. First post is always the hardest right? Well for me trying to come up with a blog site name and title was something that kept me perplexed for days and weeks.  What I am hoping for on this blog is to share how I keep things together one day at a time. Occasionally I will have an 'ideal' day and that is ideal. I don't have an expectation of things ever being 'perfect' and I'm okay with that too. Progress is my mantra. Progress in becoming a better wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, friend or employee.  

I am a full-time wife, mother and worker at a professional corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am 37 and turn 38 in less than 30 days. I continually have new ideas from all sorts of sources on being a better person that ends up effecting me being a better in all those other hats that I have to rotate between.  Hopefully you may find some of my finds helpful to you. 

Thank you for reading. I am excited for this journey.