Mistakes in Motherhood

When the baby gets here we will need to do a transition of sorts. The seven of us will be living together in a four bedroom home and that means the baby will need to bunk up with someone when he/she is around 4-6 months old, before then, we have a co-sleeper in our room. By then we are hoping to have transitioned Sophia to a toddler bed, and then I can get the baby a lovely set of crib bedding to coordinate well enough in her room. However, I have never had a toddler sharing a room with a baby, so I am not sure if that will go over well. When we got Matthew’s bunk beds, which is kinda like a loft bed with a rolling shorter bed on wheels that can be moved, we toyed with the idea that they may eventually share the bed, with the “bottom bunk” in her room, and his loft bed in his room with a “play fort” of sorts underneath.

However, we may have to have Sophia and Matthew sharing a room for a year or so until the little one sleeps through a noisy sister in the room. I can imagine using so many different kinds of cute feminine kids beddingadorning the twin bed if she uses it, instead of transitioning to her toddler bed she inherited from Matthew. Excuse me while I hop up on this soap box, because I am about to sound like my mother.

Nothing grosses me out more than sleeping on a bed without a mattress pad. If you spend money on a mattress, get a quality mattress pad. Mattress pads are an inexpensive way to protect the bed from sweat, drool, and any other body fluids you encounter when you have kids (urine, vomit, etc). I don’t care how good you cleaned after Junior peed the bed, don’t expect that the next person is sleeping on a nasty mattress covered with only a thin layer of fabric, ewww. I will judge you if your beds lack mattress pads. And for kids, have several on hand. Matthew has three for his bunk beds, Sophia has two for her crib… both theirs are waterproof. I have one that I spent a fortune on, because it is waterproof and does not crinkle. We often have kids climbing into our bed at night, and that pad has paid for itself 20x over with how many times it has saved our bed. Austin and Christopher have one each, they were just cheapies, but they will tell you, I will get mad if I see a naked bed.

No Comments | In: This is how I roll | tags: A lot about nothing, Confessions, Domestic Diva, Family, House Stuff, Humor, Parenting, Silliness, Sponsored. | #

I never did update about what happened at the dealership and parts store. I bailed his car out of car jail on Tuesday morning with only a $46 bill, vs. the $90 I was told. I actually just left it there and they removed the dud battery for me, loaded it into my van and I went to the parts store. I showed him the bill and what they said and he took the dud battery, put a new one out in my car for me and apologized for the inconvenience. I decided not to press the issue with getting them to pay for the bill, more than anything I just wanted an apology. The dealership put in the new battery and washed his car up all pretty for me without charging me extra. My service coordinator was so pleasant that I decided to order some parts, and bring the car back for some other things it needs done before we move.

Because I have to arrange for them to shuttle me back and forth to the dealership, I decided tonight I would take it in, this time to fix a couple cosmetic things and repair his remote start & alarm. After the recent battery incident, it sure made me appreciate my dealership. I have always hated finding and trusting new mechanics, because you hear so many horror stories of shady mechanics. The disadvantage of moving so often, is you get to start over at a new city, and have to find all new services. This is why I love the Google Age so much, word of mouth has always been the way I find businesses, but if that is not available, I am all about the review sites. I have never been a fan of flipping through the phone book.

I found this new website today, called RepairPal that is pretty interesting. You can put in information about your car, repair needed, and zipcode and they will not only give you a range to expect the estimate to be, but shops nearby with peer reviews, which would look like this page showing some San Fransisco auto repair shops. Out of curiosity I put in his Civic and pretended it really had needed an alternator and it came up with a very comprehensive report. Not only did it tell me the range of costs I would be expecting for parts & labor, but then it also gives me recommendations of things I make sure are done (i.e. which other tests I make sure they do) and explanations of symptoms and other necessary repairs that may be necessary. Not just that, then maps out shops in my areas with reviews.

The other helpful part of the website is you can enter a specific make, model and year of a vehicle and get reviews, common problems, recalls, etc. So if you wanted to learn more about a 2001 Honda Accord, it would be easy to look up ratings, reviews, recalls, and common mechanical problems. Other neat features are a car encyclopedia, in case you wanted to look up what a timing belt replacement entails; and a section called My Car where you can keep track of your maintenance and repair records, plus get reminders, recall information and service reminders, and best of all it is all FREE!

When we move next month, it is nice knowing I will be able to find a place to take our cars that I can trust, I am extremely loyal to my service center and look forward to finding a place that can take care of all of our car needs, from oil changes, to mechanical repairs.

1 Comment | In: People, Places & Things | tags: Auto Stuff, Bobby, Me, Sponsored. | #

Now that we have dates for when Bobby will be heading to Iraq, we are really starting to plan about what sorts of items he needs to pack. Warm weather gear, body armor, and a quality Surefire flashlight, are just some of the items we are discussing. He of course is planning more on the entertainment side of what to bring, of course his Playstation and Xbox are going… but because he has already done one tour over there we are better able to plan on what to pack. Of course, anything that we don’t have on hand, will have to be ordered an shipped to him, thankfully, companies like LA Police Gear, will ship to APO/AP addresses. We will choose them for any of our specialty needs, they are the company my husband’s old Army Unit trusted.

This is a sponsored post.

No Comments | In: A lot about nothing | tags: Sponsored. | #

I just love beaded glass jewelry, and I have tried on several occasions to make it because it is so expensive in stores, but mine always looks like a child tried to put it together. The internet has really opened doors for those who are talented at bead craft to make it more affordable to the public.

When my babies are teeny tiny, I love a classy bracelet to remind me which side I nursed on last, especially when I am super sleep deprived. As they get older, a rugged necklace with a large circular bead or charm is ideal for the baby to play with and avoid distractions is exemplary.

Brought to you by our friends at http://www.abigailscreations.com

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Customer service in the US has changed, a lot. With outsourcing and the standard of quality being lowered, the bar has dropped. Some companies fail to meet the minimum standards and leave you angry and more frustrated, where some companies continue to maintain excellent service and you hang up feeling happy and satisfied. In both occasions I often wish I had someone to share these experiences with, so they can either be warned, or share in your delight in a quality service. Finally there is an outlet that will meet a wider option than just the blogosphere, because now there is MeasuredUp.

If you were to search in the archives of this blog, you will see a rant about my satellite tv provider, because that the time I did not know websites like MeasuredUp. existed. If I had, I feel like my post may have made more of a difference. Maybe if enough people share their negative and positive experiences on MeasuredUp., it will inspire a change in all the companies who leave a lot to be desired, or encourage companies with many positive reviews to keep up the good work.

Check it out, write your own reviews, and read about the companies you use before you have to call so you know what to expect. There is nothing worse than having high expectations of a company and then being let down by a nightmare experience. Hopefully, you will have a fantastic experience and you will want to shout it from the rooftops, but whatever the case may be, share you experience and inspire some change.

*This is a sponsored post.

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No, I did not trip and stub my toe, I just wanted to introduce you to a website called Thoof.com. What an interesting name you may say? Well I am not sure how this name came to be, but if I had to guess I think it is some weird merging of names which is so popular today… can anyone say Benifer? Brangelina? Tomkat?

So here is my theory, some creative geniuses named Thor and Ofira were working together on an on demand news, video, blog, and website program, kind of like TiVo for the PC. They realized after years of work that they both shared a passion for tarsiers (google it) and ended up having a wild torrid affair which ended in much heartbreak and a stronger desire to make their lovechild, thoof.com the leading website for personalized news and information retrieval.

So, playing around with Thoof, I decided to thoof myself (wow, sounds dirty eh?) to see how thoofable (watch for that word, soon to come to a dictionary near you) I am. Well, I guess I am famous! I saw an article about “Which came first, the stripper or the name” which mentioned that although my name is not that of a stripper, my name is that of a suburbanite soccer mom. It also went on to say that I may have been doomed to dance for dollars had my parents named me Candi or something similar. Interesting, too bad my parents were not able to thoof a name for me that would have landed me in a mansion somewhere, instead of driving a minivan with a gaggle of sons.

Don’t forget to submit your own articles to thoof, if you do, you can add a ThoofRank Badge to put on your blog or website to proudly display how popular you have become on thoof!

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When I was working for Goodwill as a CNA, one of the things I admired that the company did was accept unwanted vehicles as a donation, fixed them up and got them mechanically sound and then sold them at the auction with proceeds going to help fund programs for the developmentally disabled. Unfortunately, if you are in a different part of the country these auctions may be harder to find.

However, if you are looking for an auto auction, Chicago readers are in luck. With vehicles available for test drive on Fridays and auctions every 2 weeks, it is easy to see how you can find a great vehicle for a low price. They also have a consignment program if you have a used vehicle you need auctioned off to the highest bidder. Check it out, this would be a great way to obtain a project car, a student car, a second car, or a very low priced first car.

*This is a sponsored post.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | tags: Auto Stuff, Sponsored. | #

Bobby has always wanted to take a cruise, I just want a vacation at a decent price. I have heard from many people that cruises are a lot of fun, so I am sure someday I will give in and take a cruise. In order to save money, I have found this nifty little website that offers discount to many different cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Not only can you get discounts, but Direct Line Cruises also offers perks like free travel insurance. The website was extremely user friendly, responded very fast with my search parameters and showed multiple dates, rooms, ships, cruise lines, destination ports, as well as a page listing a ton of promotions.

They also have free brochures, a large section of resources and information, and a 1-800 number. I also like that they offer cancellation protection at no extra cost, because you never know when something will come up. Make sure you read the policy because canceling because you changed your mind is not a covered expense.

No Comments | In: A lot about nothing | tags: Finances, Sponsored. | #

There is a new program available from PayPerPost, called PayPerPost Direct which is a really neat addition for anyone interested in paid blogging. First, I will explain PPP and paid blogging; if you are a blogger with interesting material and have a blog older than 90 days old and you update it regularly you can sign up for PayPerPost to review websites, services, products, etc on your blog to receive compensation ranging between $4 and up per post. Unlike other blog advertising companies which tell you what to write about, PPP gives you the freedom to chose what content you want to put in your blog.

Now PayPerPost offers a new program called PayPerPost Direct. Basically, PPP Direct is a program you can install in your blogs to allow advertisers to directly approach you to offer you an opportunity to write about in your blog. This allows Posties and Advertisers to directly hash out a deal and set their own terms without involvement from PayPerPost.

Other pay for blog websites, such as ReviewMe, can charge as much as 50-100% markup, which is CRAZY! Why should I do all the work while someone else makes just as much as I do for being the middle man? With PayPerPost Direct you truly are your own boss! Now I don’t mind the 35% markup from PayPerPost, they do have a staff to pay, they do send me Tax Returns, and they do secure more advertisers than any other paid blogging website I have seen, however, the more money I can keep in my pocket the better… which is where PayPerPost Direct comes into play.

PayPerPost Direct will still offer marketing, they will still offer the security of me not having to put my email address out there and wait for advertisers to connect to me, they still make it super easy for me to get opportunities and for advertisers to find me. It is important that you claim the money you make to the IRS, and PayPerPost does that by sending you the forms you need for tax purposes, however even with PayPerPost Direct they will continue to track your earnings and send them out to you in your end of the year tax statement. Seems like a WIN-WIN situation to me!

2 Comments | In: A lot about nothing | tags: Blog/Blogging, Sponsored, Technology. | #

One of my favorite memories of childhood were the trips I took to Hawaii when I was a young girl. The first time I went, I imagine I must have been about 8 or 9 and we camped on the beach, for a week and then we got a Kauai vacation condo and stayed at Lawai Beach Resort. I saw so many neat attractions, like Spouting Horn, Mount Kilauea, and Fern Grotto.

The next time we went, we stayed in a hotel in Oahu, and then back to Lawai Beach Resort where my parents had previously purchased their time-share Condo. They offered classes on lei making, hula dancing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and many other neat classes. My parents took a helicopter tour through the canyon that I missed out on because I was sunburned and feeling queezy.

I hope someday to take my own family to Kauai, Hawaii, Maui, and Oahu. The cultural experience I gained from our trip will last me a lifetime. I loved the people, the sounds, the sights, the food, and most of all the memories my family shared.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | tags: Sponsored, Vacations. | #