August 25, 2008
You’ve only got 2 months to prepare for Halloween!
I’m jumping the gun a bit, right? I can’t help it - a coworker and I were looking at pictures of Halloween parties she’s attended in years last week, and it inspired me. Some of the people she parties with really got into their halloween costumes. I saw everything from Playboy bunnies to Oompa-Loompas. My son decided several months ago (when we saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) that he was going to be Indiana Jones. Huge sigh of relief for me, since the clothes for Indy are pretty basic, and we’d only need a hat, whip, and a 5 o’clock shadow. However, having just seen The Dark Knight this weekend, I except my son to show a huge interest in Batman and other Superhero costumes any day now!
I need to dress up too…and I need a costume that’s “safe” for work. Yeah, most of my previous costumes need not apply for the position. We’re going to have a costume contest and do some Halloween treats and such, and I want to show my Halloween spirit. I love historical costumes like flappers and such, and Halloween Adventure has a huge selection of costumes like that. You want to be Ben Franklin? Adam and Eve? Marie Antoinette? No problemo because this site has hundreds and HUNDREDS of costumes to fit all sizes and budgets. Shop early (until October 10th, 2008) and get 5% off your order with coupon code PPP05BLOG2008. Or, just get inspired at their costume related blog, found at blog.halloweenadventure.com - maybe you’ll something to give you lots of treats on October 31st!
8:01 pm
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August 24, 2008
I use a label maker quite a bit at work when organizing files and such. We’ve had one at home for the longest time, and I sort of forgot it existed! We used it when Jim first brought it home to label Matthew’s dresser drawers so he could organize his clothes and keep them neat. With school starting this past week, I pulled the label maker back out of the cabinet and fired it up. At first the girls, who are both in middle school, were a bit worried that I’d go overboard. Visions of their mom labeling each pencil and pen flashed before their eyes…HA! I used the label marker to label their new calculators and flash drives. (Side note: Remember when you went back to school with a notebook and a pencil? Those days are long gone!) I was especially worried about Catherine’s calculator going missing if it didn’t have a label on it. She’s in Algebra I this year, and her teacher required one of those pricey scientific calculators. There’s no chance it will get mixed up with another student’s since it’s got her name on the bottom!
You can take labels one step further with Dymo Color labels - use a different color label for each kid, or each day of the week. Lunch boxes, gym uniforms, school folders - they can all be labeled so your kids can stay organized. Or try to stay organized!
5:17 pm
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August 23, 2008
My sister blogged about a great deal at Old Navy today, and she texted me about it too. I took that as a sign that we were meant to buy new jeans. When I got to the store I was bummed to learn it there was a 3 limit pair per customer, so if I bought a paid for me and one for each of the kids, I’d be one over my limit. (You can get around this by walking your first 3 pairs to your car and coming back in again.) My oldest daughter found a pair for herself in the women’s section (only $12) and the younger kids snagged a $7 pair each.
I ended up not going over the 3 pair limit because Old Navy doesn’t stock size 1’s in the long length in the stores. Sheesh! They have EVERY other size in short, regular, and long, but not the size 1’s. It’s a conspiracy! The good news is that you can also get the deal online at OldNavy.com (today only) and pay just $7 in shipping. (Didn’t it used to be $5?) Not too bad for jeans that are normally $24.50 each.
(Just wash them before you wear them, in case someone has left you an Old Navy snail trail surprise in your new jeans.)
4:34 pm
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July 27, 2008
My time is valuable. With heading into my office more often, taking a full course load in college, AND the cost of gas, I’ve started planning what I do, and where I go in my free time very carefully. My Saturday afternoons in the past would be filled with dropping off the dog at the groomer, followed by a trip to Target or a few other stores to spend time and money. Now, I’ve got better things I’d rather be doing, like studying for starters! Plus, a trip to Target costs me $8 in just GAS!
So all of this prompted me thinking about how I can not only use my time better, but also save money and gas. I came across ServeMeHere.com, a site where you can make an online appointment with mobile professional services like pet groomers or massage therapists! How cool would it be to have the pet groomer come right to us, instead of driving to the pet store, dropping off to the dog, and then driving back to get her 4 hours later? The whole thing would save me time and gas, and it would be a lot less traumatic for my dog, too. The neat thing about ServeMeHere.com is that you can rate the person you end up doing business with to save other people headaches and hassles, or take advantage of ratings previously left by other members. For instance, what if the dog groomer was late and rude? Well, I’d be able to leave feedback on the ServeMeHere.com website to warn other members.
No time at home to have a professional come to you? How about having someone come to your office? I can pop online and have a massage therapist come right to my workplace to give me a quick neck massage on my lunch break…resulting in a more relaxed me and jealous coworkers to boot! You can find personal trainers, pet groomers, professional organizers, cooking instructors, foreign language teachers, babysitters, travel agents, financial planners, and a host of other professionals offering their services. The whole thing is 100% free to people who clients AND advertisers, and you don’t make payment until services are rendered!
6:38 pm
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June 20, 2008
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology says that drivers of cars with window decals, bumper stickers, personalized license plates and the like are more likely to get a little road rage when someone cuts them off or is driving slow. Now, I’ve got two personalized items on my car. I’ve got a license plate frame on the back that advertises the fact that I walked in the 3-Day. It says “0-60 in 3 Days”. I’ve also got a college license plate in the bracket on the front of my car. I can assure you, I was JUST as prone to road rage before I put those items on my car as I am now 
I don’t know that I agree with the study, having had the drivers of very nice sports cars with no bumper stickers or “bling” go a little crazy behind the wheel, but it makes for interesting reading, right? So go ahead, get your window decals and bumper stickers and decorate your car to your heart’s content - it won’t change who YOU are. And if you’re looking for a custom window decal (perhaps to advertise a certain breast cancer charity walk?), be sure to check out VistaPrint. They offer customizable templates and lots of tools to make the design process easy. I ordered my business cards from VisitaPrint last year and I am SO pleased with how they came out! They look more professional than the business cards for my real job!
7:18 pm
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May 27, 2008
In these trying economic times, everyone is looking for a way to make some money. People are carpooling and using public transit to cut commuting costs, and shopping sales and using coupons to cut down on food costs. I live in a more rural area, and I’ve seen using their land to grow their own veggies and their own meat. Some are even trying to raise animals like alpacas - there’s even an ostrich farm in the next county!
Now, if you’re a city girl like me, you don’t know much about the ostrich. I know they lay huge eggs, and the kids in the Swiss Family Robinson movie raced them like horses. Maybe you’ve got a couple of acres to spare, and you want to find out about one of the world’s fastest growing agricultural industries. Or maybe you just want to be able to buy real ostrich feathers. Either way, Ostrich.com is the place. They’ve got information on a variety of different programs for anyone who’d like to find out more about becoming an Ostrich farmer. You can find out how to set up a budget, how to select your birds, and all about the care and feeding of your new money making crop.
Or just shop online and buy that pink ostrich feather boa you’ve been dying for.
12:05 pm
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May 14, 2008
Ever since Jim and I returned to college in January, our free time has been a bit fleeting. We haven’t gone away for weekend trips (ok, ok, we did spend a week in Amsterdam in January, but that doesn’t count!) or planned big events and nights out with friends. Aside from taking Matthew to his baseball games, we don’t get out much! Jim has even cut back on the amount of time he spends at the ice rink playing hockey. Oh, he hasn’t given UP hockey entirely, he’s just not playing on the ice. He bought a pair of skates, similar to these K2 inline skates, and he plays street hockey! Matthew has a pair too, and they make quite the team, whacking balls left and right out in the middle of the street.
I knew it was only a matter of time before Jim wanted ME to get inline skates and join them, and I’ve resisted so far, based on a bad inline skating experience I had in the 90’s. Actually, I’ve had two bad skating experiences. When I was 6, I broke my arm roller skating at a friend’s birthday party. When I was 17 something, I had a pair of cheap inline skates and got myself all geared up with pads…the result was an inline skating dork with crappy skates and sore calves. The gear and the skates have improved quite a bit in the last 15 years, and Jim’s skates are fantastic. I checked out the selection of inline skates for women at ModernSkate.com and was impressed by features like aluminum framing (lightweight!), easy entry and breathability (avoid sweaty feet!) and high end wheels and bearings.
Is it possible? Can exercise be…fun and effortless?
3:52 pm
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May 12, 2008
I have a weakness for shoes. I don’t go overboard, a la Imelda Marcos, but I do have more shoes than most women I know, and I never turn down a new pair, either. Now that my oldest daughter is a pre-teen, she’s falling in shoes like I did at that age, and we’re having shopping together! We don’t normally agree on styles (she likes trendy shoes, I like classic or retro styles) but it doesn’t keep us from drooling over shoes and shoe sales together. Typically, we don’t go for same brands either, but the selection at InfinityShoes.com has something for each of us! Catherine would love the Sinas sneakers from Tsubo shoes or these cute flats from Seychelles shoes. Both are stylish, trendy, and cool enough for any middle school girl.
Me? Give me a nice pair of heels with a little ankle strap anyday! I even took a look at the Minnetonka boots they’ve got - those knee high fringed boots are a blast from MY past. When I was in high school, all of the cool kids were wearing them…are they coming back? (Note: I was not a cool kid in high school, hence, I did not own boots like these. HA!)
I’m definitely keeping this site in mind for shopping for Catherine (and myself!) in the future!
7:14 pm
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May 2, 2008
When we moved into our house (gosh, 2 years ago already?) I decided to have photo cards made up to let people know about our move and our new address. Of course, we had gone through a 9 month process from signing the contract to moving in, so I daresay not a single person DIDN’T know about our plans - but still! They all needed to know our new address, right? Using photo cards was a neat way to show off the new place as well, so that even friends and family who don’t live in the area could see our new digs!
I was thinking about other ways to use photo cards as well and a great thought came to me. 
Each year when I finish one of my breast cancer charity walks, I always end up with some sort of picture showing me exhausted and limping to the finish line. Wouldn’t that be a great image to send to the people that donated money to my fundraising efforts? All of the cards I found at CardsDirect.com can be customized, so if they say Merry Christmas on the inside, you can remove that and add your own message. That means I can easily turn the Valentine’s Day card (pictured here) into an Avon Walk victory card!
3:36 pm
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April 29, 2008
If your kids love yogurt like mine do, you won’t want to miss this coupon for a free sample of Yoplait Kids yogurt. Yogurt is a great way to get your kids to eat healthy - mine think it’s a great snack in between meals! (Yoplait in particular contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and has 25% less sugar than other yogurt brands marketed to kids.)
1:13 pm
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