If you give a mom an iPad...

You know that book, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? This is my afternoon like that...

If you give a mom an iPad that goes to school that is to old to run the updated communication program she will have to choose a different, newer iPad to take it's place.

When she goes to update the new iPad she will see that it doesn't have the Facebook app on it so no one can update Max's Facebook page from it.

If it doesn't have the app she will download it and then she will see that she needs to log in with Max's email and password.

When she realizes she doesn't know the email or password she will swear, (j/k! well not j/k) and she will go back to the old iPad to see what it says about his account.

When she looks at his account she will see a very old email address associated with it that she does not remember.

When she tries to remember the email and password she will realize that she has no recollection of that email ever and no passwords that she tries will work and then she swears again.

While she is swearing she will start to think about where she might have written down either the FB info or the email info.

When she thinks about where to look she will go to the file folder for Max and find a sticky note with an email and a password (EUREKA! EUREKA? Maybe?).

When she tries the email and password on Facebook it won't work, when it won't work on FB she will try it on gmail.

When she tries it on gmail it will WORK!!! The angels sing and there is a small glimmer of hope in her heart that she might be able to solve this problem until she realizes that the email she just cracked was completely unrelated to Facebook so while she has successfully gotten into the email she is no closer to logging on to FB.

While being sad that she is still locked out of FB she will think of his school email address and wonder if that might be of any help.

When thinking about the school email she realizes she doesn't know how to log into that.

While thinking about how to log on to that she remembers that she has another smart child who does know how to log on to school email and she will ask for her help.

While getting help from child #2 she will remember that the log in for his email is written on a sticker in his communication notebook.

In looking for the communication notebook she feels smart and is able to log into the school email.

In her victory over the school email she will again realize she has again cracked AN email but not THE email.

More swearing, and sweating because hot flashes...

While cursing menopause and mulling over the problem, she will try to reset the password for FB but won't be able to because the email that is associated with the account is still the one that she can't get into and the phone number associated with it also no longer exists.

When she realizes she can't get into it she will feel sad and defeated.

While feeling sad and defeated she will remember that she might have written down the email and password for Facebook in one of Max's older communication notebooks.

While trying to remember if she wrote it down she realizes she must first find the old notebook.

While looking for the notebook she will marvel that it is right where she remembered it was which is great for the current adventure but also a result of having shoved it on a shelf.

While thinking about the shelf she will feel bad about her disorganized ways.

After feeling disorganized for a minute she feels happy that she found the notebook but sad that no passwords are inside.

When she finds no passwords she will go in search of the notebook from the year before.

When she goes looking she will feel afraid that it is lost forever before gathering her courage to search the awful and disorganized scrapbooking room.

While searching the scraproom she will find the notebook quickly and feel happy again.

While feeling happy she found it she will feel badly again about her disorganized ways.

After feeling badly, she will soon start feeling happy because she has found THE email and THE password for Max's Facebook account!!!!

The angels will trumpet as she types it into the site and it works!!!

While reveling in her victory she will quickly write down all that she has learned that afternoon and then put the paper in the folder where it belongs but not before she takes a picture of the info because the only place things are truly safe and easy to find is by putting them in her phone!

While being grateful for her phone she will remember that now the newer iPad has Facebook again but it still needs the communication program updated.

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Oh hi there...

Remember those 18 times I wrote on my blog?  You don't?  Well don't feel bad, I hardly do either.  In perusing those old posts I have learned that sometimes I am boring and sometimes I am hilarious.  Or rather the things that happen to me are hilarious.  I am going to give this blog thing a try again and I will aim for more hilarious and less boring.

Since I do not have a reality television show (yet), I will use this space to regale you with the wackiness that is my life.

The latest episode would show the evening that my sister and I tried to book our tickets for Disneyland Paris in January.  Julianna, my sister and I are all headed on a grand adventure at the end of December to meet up with my niece Lexi who is studying abroad in Italy this semester.  We decided that we would make a stop in Paris while we are there and were excited to realize that Disneyland Paris would be nearby.  We love that Mouse so of course we must visit him.  In booking this visit we learned three things: 1. We do not know how to call an international phone number that has weirdly arranged sets of numbers, 2. Citibank is very serious about fraud detection and 3. Tami has a limit to her patience and niceness.

The night before I got a fraud alert on my Citicard because Lexi had booked us a few things from Italy, using my card (with my permission).  That made sense, I called and it was authorized and life went on.  Fast forward to the next afternoon.

We decide we want to book the hotel and park tickets for Disneyland Paris (DLP from now on) and searched around for any deals.  Melissa found a great one on her phone but we couldn't get the same one to be an option on my laptop.  So after messing around for awhile we thought we would just use her phone.  So we began the tedious job of entering in everyone's information on her iPhone.  We click payment, I put in my cc info and submit.  There is an error, try again.  We try again.  And again.  Then I get a fraud alert on my phone from Citicard.  Oh that explains it, thanks Citicard for looking out for me. I call and speak to a very nice man with a pretty significant accent.  I do not have the best hearing and I am terrible with accents but I did my best.  I spent at least 15 minutes on the phone with him, verifying Lexi's purchases AGAIN, explaining what I am trying to do, giving him my travel plans, he says he's removed the bock and entered my trip info and I should be good.  We go back to the phone and try again.  NOPE!  GRRRRR.  So I called again and went through the automated system by yelling (well loudly stating in an aggravated voice) CUSTOMER SERVICE!  CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!  NO...NO...CUSTOMER SERVICE  until I got a live but different lady.  I explained everything I had just done with the last guy and the guy from the night before, answer a million of the same questions, she supposedly does the SAME thing that the last two people did and after another 15 minutes I should be good but she will remove the large purchase limit and that involves transferring me to a different lady. By this time I am really losing patience, I'm holding my head and muttering.  This lady proceeds to make me do it ALLLLLL again,  ALLL of it, that I've done 3 times now.  I say to her, "I appreciate that you are protecting me from fraud and I know it's not your fault but I have gone through this 3 times and it's making things VERY DIFFICULT!" Of course she's sorry, blah blah blah, fast forward another 1000 years and she says it's set.  I tell her to stay on the line with me until it is finished and it finally works.  We did get a good deal and I better get some gold plated Mickey ears or a lap dance from Tinkerbell after all that work.

Well that went fast...

My last post was in January talking about focusing on a resolution each month.  Yeah, I forgot about that.  BUT it's back to school (almost) so that always gets me thinking about organizing, setting up routines etc.  This August I have a LOT of things I'm hoping to accomplish.  The biggest thing on the list is Julianna's room makeover. 

I had been putting her off for ages every time she asked about redoing her room, repainting etc.  It all sounded so overwhelming.  But for her 12th Birthday last month we decided a room makeover would be a good present.  She has picked out her paint and bedding and is now safely ensconced at sleepaway camp for two weeks.  I am using this as my motivation to get it DONE before she gets back.  When I set that goal I don't think I quite knew what I was up against.  I think I was secretly hoping that Peter Walsh or someone from HGTV would show up and just do it all for me but that is looking more and more unlikely :-( so I guess it's up to me.


I think she has inherited our hoarder genes because good gravy does that child have a lot of stuff.  She did a great job sorting through her toys and gave away 5 HUGE bags of toys that she has outgrown.  This is awesome but she still has so much stuff!.  I'm trying to break it into manageable tasks so I don't get overwhelmed.  I thought this blog would be a good place to post pictures and updates along the way.

So my mission for today, (which I have to accept), is to finish pulling everything out of the room, except her bed which is to heavy but will get pushed to the middle of the room.  If I am still standing after that I will tackle vacuuming and maybe start taping. Pictures below are the "before" shots.  The last view of her very pink room.

Week one

The first week of January is behind me and I'm pretty happy with myself.  The pantry challenge is going well although I don't think $200 will last the whole month.  I have done well sticking to my small list when going into the store and have not bought anything that wasn't on the list and "needed".  I did buy items for my practice meal swap meal (that was good but too complicated to be the mealswap meal) and I didn't use the $200 for that.  When I shop for my actual meal swap ingredients I won't use that money for that either.  The only unexpected purchases that couldn't wait were the $14.70 to Netflix when Murray ate the DVD, and $72 for repairing two flat tractor tires and then $13 today for Julianna's next Violin book for her lessons.  All in all I feel good about our money progress and it has really emphasized how much mindless spending was going on.

I still haven't found a meal planning app that I love so the monthly menu is probably going to be old school with pen and paper.

My other resolutions are going pretty well too.  I have been taking my makeup off every night even though I always think, "ugh it's so much work, I don't want to" and then I tell myself, "Self, it's your resolution and you have to report back on your blog and it will take 20 seconds so just do it!" and I do.  This accountability stuff really works.  My going to sleep by midnight 5 out of 7 nights is slightly less successful.  I only had one night when I was up really late (2am) and went to bed by 11ish some nights, was up to midnight a couple times and after midnight a couple times.  So not a total success but much better than it had been.  I'll keep working on that.

It wasn't a resolution but I am working hard to get back to yoga.  I went this morning and it was great.  I was pleased to find that I wasn't as rusty (literally or figuratively) as I expected and it felt great to have done it.  I am signing up for the adult ed yoga and am going to make an effort to do 2-3 classes a week and try to do something daily at home  Maybe that will be my February resolution.

How are you doing with your resolutions?

A brand new year

So it's 2012 already and time for some New Years Resolutions.  I find it interesting that my last post (a long time ago) was about the exact same thing I'm about to post.  The Great Pantry Challenge of 2012.  I gave it a snazzier name so that I would be more successful with it than I was with the Pantry Challenge I did last year.  So January 1st a time of new beginnings.  I have decided that for this year's resolutions rather than having a bunch for January that I don't achieve because there are too many, I will focus on one a month for 12 months and hopefully be more successful.  The theme for 2012 should be focus I think.  But before I get to my first resolution I need to talk about what else will happen in January.

1. The Great Pantry Challenge of 2012 - I am again going to try to use up what I have in my cupboards and my two freezers in an effort to be able to see what I have, use up things that will expire an save money.  The downside of trying to extreme coupon is that you need a place to put your great buys and my cupboards were already groaning so now they are downright dangerous!  My plan for January is to take $200 cash and put it in an envelope and use that for all the groceries we will buy in January.  We will only buy the staples of our people.  You know, important things like bread, milk, bananas and diet coke.  I will only extreme coupon for things that are free, nearly free or a staple that I need that is at a stock up price.  This doesn't count the things I need to buy for my meal swap meal.  My first activity for this will be to use my new app on my new iPad to make a monthly menu.

2  The second thing happening is that it is "No Buy January".  December is always a month when (pardon my language) "money pours out my ass" so January is a time to stop spending.  This means no buying things that weren't already planned to buy.  No new books, no new music, no kitchen gadgets, no clothes etc.  I'm curious to see the bottom line at the end of January.

So now on to my first resolution, it's pretty easy since I'll be busy with the no buying and using up my pantry in creative ways.


January - Take off my makeup before bed and moisturize.  I am 42 years old and this seems like something a 42 year old mom should be doing.  My face says thank you.

Part two of the January resolution is getting more sleep.  I am a terrible night owl and NOT a morning person at all but I know that more sleep will only benefit me.  So I'm going to make it my resolution to be in bed, ready for sleep by midnight or earlier at least 5 nights a week.

So here we go, hope to have some good reports to give over the next few weeks.  My job for today is to investigate my pantry and freezer and make that menu. 

What are your resolutions?

Tami

The Great Pantry Challenge

My big goal these days is to cut my grocery bill.  In plotting out our budget I realized that our grocery bill was embarrassingly high.  There are a lot of lines in the budget that aren't negotiable but food costs seemed like a logical place to tackle.  If you have spent any time in my house you will know that my refrigerator and cupboards are full.  Like way too, jump out of the way when you open the door, full.  I have been working on becoming an extreme couponer to save money but the other angle I really need to address is why I want/need to have so much food in the house.  My justification has been that I don't have the kind of life where I can drop everything and run to the store if I am out of something, because Max and stores are not fun.  I also have a great fear of wanting to make something and not having an ingredient.  Why this is so important to me is a mystery.  I know that I like having choices and options.  When I go to a restaurant and they have some kind of sampler or combo meal I am all about that because I like options.  Maybe my food hoarding is like that.  I did not come from a home where we were underfed, we had plenty of food.  The only thing I can remotely link (read, blame) on my parents was that my Dad had a stockpile of food in the cellar.  It was stuff from Caswells (you know that liquidation center in Waterville with the questionable perishables and the cereal with foreign writing) like canned goods, staples etc.  I don't remember us eating much of it but we sure had a lot.

The problem with my largesse is the storage and the waste.  If you have so much food that you can't see what you have you end up buying multiples and food goes to waste if you exceed sell by dates or it gets gross before you uncover it.  So that is a long way of saying that I'm working on a "Pantry Challenge".  If I called it "Eat what you have on hand" I would not be into it but by calling it a "challenge" I can pretend it's a cool Food Network Show that I'm participating in.

Over the past few weeks as I've been extreme couponing (sort of) and doing the pantry challenge it has really changed the way I grocery shop.  In the past I paid no attention to what the total would be, I would see something and think, "oh I should get that because I might want to make ______ soon."  This is how I ended up with 7 cans of bread crumbs (seasoned, unseasoned and panko...you know, options).  So now I have a menu planned and I only buy things that are:

1. Needed for the menu THIS WEEK
2. A super good buy and/or something I have a coupon for that we regularly eat (cereal, yogurt etc)

It has been hard to go by things that I normally would throw in the cart and I find myself talking to myself (in my head, not out loud) and telling myself the "rules".  I do think I've spent less and there may actually be a few cupboards that aren't dangerous to open.  I think I need to do the pantry challenge for at least another month to see real progress.

Another thing that helped was that our refrigerator died and we lost a bunch of stuff and had to start over.  It's weird to only have one kind of mustard (which I don't even like), one of each thing, we had way too many condiments, sauces etc.but I'm learning to embrace it.

I'm proud of myself for paying attention to this and really think it will make a difference in both the organization of the kitchen, my ability to find things (and not buy duplicates) and save money.

Anyone who wants to join me on the Great Pantry Challenge come aboard!  Maybe you have hoarded something I can mix with all those bread crumbs.

Leave me a comment on your pantry issues or any tips that might help me.

What is my time worth?

Amidst the fun of trying to be an extreme couponer I have also increased my involvement in other online things such as bzzagent, survey sites and signing up for freebies.  Right now that is all fun and there is the thrill of the chase but I'm wondering in the long run if my time is worth the freebie I get in the mail or the points I earn on a site that will eventually be redeemable.  I'm still trying to weigh it all out.  One site I do enjoy is bzzagent.  You get products to try and review and you bzz about it to get others interested in the program or product.  I have four going right now, one for old cat catfood which my old cat seems to LOVE, one for monitoring your child's online activity (good idea), one for creating one site to manage all your social networking which would probably be very advantageous to someone doing self marketing rather than just being actively online.  The final one is for werthers caramels which have not arrived yet but I'm already excited about them!

I'd love to hear what other folks do to save or make money online that is LEGITIMATE and not a pain in the butt.