Don't Make That Face...It May Freeze Like That Forever.

I'm going to make a list of things that I've been told as a child that I just can't seem to shake. I'm sure everyone has been warned that their face could freeze "like that forever" when making ugly, cross-eyed expressions. Here's a few things that I've been told that I just can't seem to forget!

1. Never wear your necklace to bed...you might choke to death. (Apparently, one of my friend's mom's friend died like this??) I was told this as a young teenager. As a result, I can't EVER sleep with a necklace on.

2. Never eat mayonnaise at Subway. I won't tell you WHY I was told this, because it is a rather gross story. Let's just say I don't even eat mayonnaise at all anymore.

3. Never run with scissors. (This is Joel's contribution to the list) This is actually good advice, although I rarely have the urge to run when I'm holding a pair of scissors.

4. Never ask someone if they are pregnant. I would think this would be an obvious social norm. Since I've started my nursing career, I've learned that "obvious social norms" aren't so obvious to some.

5. Never sleep with your bedroom door open. There might be a fire. I was told this as a child. None-the-less, it was a bit difficult for me to sleep when I first married my husband. He had to keep the door open because it was better for the "flow of the air conditioning." I decided my fear of fires every night was a bit irrational.

What are some "pearls of wisdom" you were told as a child, that you just can't seem to shake?

Sunburns and Good Food

Writers Block. That's the only explanation I have for the lack of new posts. I asked Joel what we should share about our lives and he replied "good question." Ha...that was NOT helpful. It is not like our life together isn't busy...but I'm pretty sure that no one wants to hear about the sunburn I got at the track meet on Saturday, or the yummy cupcakes that Mrs. P gave us last weekend. It's normal to be tired and overworked...so I won't complain about that either! As my brother-in-law, Mark, would say "LIFE IS GOOD." Unfortunately, even though my life is GOOD...I have nothing interesting to write about at this time! I almost WISH another bird would poop on one of us...just so I would have something out of the ordinary to report!!! Until then, just know that Joel and I are doing great! We'll write again soon!

Organizationally Challenged

I've been organizationally challenged my entire life. When I cleaned my room as a child, I would just throw everything under my bed, in my drawers, the hamper (even if my clothes were clean), and any nook and cranny I could find. As a CHILD, I didn't care if I was organized or not. Then I married Joel. Suddenly, my priorities changed. My mother-in-law is UBER organized and I suddenly saw how much I really wanted to change. I started having the motivation to change...but I didn't know where to start. I've been checking out books on this topic from the library like a crazy woman. I've found one that is ESPECIALLY helpful. It's called "Sink Reflections" It's written by Marla Cilley-The FlyLady. It is SOOO helpful. She doesn't just tell you to buy lots of different types of organizing bins and throw away everything you don't "need." She explains where to start in great detail! It's been very helpful! I love it. I REALLY need a step-by-step explanation on how to organize my home-and she's written them out...step-by-baby-step!

I'm Swaggin It!

So, I'm sure that many of my facebook friends have noticed that I've become a little Swagger Crazy. I can't help it! I want gift cards! It's sooo easy! I just used swagbucks as my search engine and I win points! I already have 654 points and I've only been Swaggin' it for about a week! You should ALL try swaggin' it...Heck, getting gift cards from Target, Barnes and Noble and Starbucks for searching on the Internet (which is something I already do) sounds fabulous to me!

How Do You Save/Make a Little Extra Money?

I think the topic of this post is something that is on everybody's minds these days. I see this question posted on people's status update on facebook. I'm sure there are about a million blogs dedicated to this topic alone. I also know that my husband and I talk about this ALL the time! Here's the ideas that what we've come up with so far.

1). We shop at Costco and Walmart. I know, I know...Wal-Mart makes me want to tear my hair out too, but we found a Wal-Mart that is ONLY a grocery store. It actually has great produce, a lot of selection and the lines aren't very long. I feel like I'm typing an oxy-moron when I say the lines at Wal-Mart aren't very long..but it seems to be true at this store. (I think it's called The Market?..it's just a branch of Wal-Mart.)

2). I iron ALL of Joel's shirts. I hate this job. I LOATHE this task...but I guess the extra one hundred bucks a month is worth it.

3). I sell items on Craigslist. We always seem to be accumulating stuff we don't actually need...this is a great way to make a few extra bucks.

4). We try not to eat out much. It's impossible to NEVER go out to eat. One might seem a bit anti-social if they NEVER went out...but we do pack our lunches every day with PB&J.

5). We work out at home. This not only saves money, but also time. No more trips to the gym! That cuts about 40 minutes of traveling time from our day.

6). We share a car. I'll admit that sometimes this can REALLY be a pain. It really saves money though...plus we get to spend a lot of time in the car together.

7). I make my own daily shower cleaner. It's easy and it's cheap!

How do you save/earn extra money? I'd love to hear your tips. I know some people make their own laundry soap any other creative ideas out there?

my first and probably only purchase from the TV

I purchased P90X. Chances are you've heard of this home exercise regimen; their marketing efforts have been significant. I actually didn't learn of it on TV; rather, I had a friend who followed the program and lost a good amount of weight. Caron and I were thinking what money we would ultimately save by building a home gym in our garage and we really needed a change of pace. So..

We purchased some dumbells, fitness bands, a yoga mat and block, a pull-up bar, and a tv/dvd.

As an exercise physiology major in college, I recommend P90x because it is real exercise. It's not a gimmick. Each routine is hard work and there is sufficient recovery time between routines to avoid overtraining. There's a nice balance of cardio, strength training, and stretching. All of the variety in the workouts has really allowed my muscles to respond and I've made significant strength gains (I started at 2 pull ups and now can do 12).

I have 1 week of the 90 day program left and have lost 7 lbs. I've probably lost more than this, considering the muscle I've put on. And, consider that I haven't done the plyometrics, abs, core, legs, or kenpo workouts as scheduled. Basically, I've done half of P90x, with a very healthy diet (no starches after lunch) and gotten great results. I hope to get my core injury rehabilitated soon so I can add the abs and leg workouts for even better results. It's been fun to work out together on occasion and to see visible results of exercise-joel

I'm Makin' My OWN Storage

Lately, I've been reading a lot about organization. Apparently, in order to have an orderly household, one needs numerous shapes and sizes of storage bins. Easy Sneezy, Right? I thought so too..until I saw the price tags on all these nifty "life-savers." So, I decided to make my own. Now, it's not as beautiful as the ones that you may see in the gleaming pages of your newest Pottery Barn magazine, but it is MUCH prettier than using plain old cardboard boxes. Here's what I did.
1) Found an old cereal box (it was a heavy duty one from Costco).
2) Ripped apart the material from my old hamper (it was ripping anyway)
3) Had my husband fetch his staple gun
4) Wrapped the box like a present
5) Put one staple on the bottom and one on the side
6) Hot glued the rest of the sides together.
The picture above is the end result. You could always use more exciting mat'l, but this is what I had on hand. I would have tried sewing the mat'l to the box...but I don't even a needle or thread. (My mom is probably astounded by this)
So, there you go folks. I just saved myself about $15.