Back To School Shopping 3

CONCLUSION
I think next year will shop for our son's clothes on line. His sneakers at the store. School supplies at the stores.  I guess there is something to be said for doing things the old way and doing things the modern way. You just have to find what works for you. 

I can't believe Summer is over and another School year is getting ready to begin. Wow did summer go by fast.

Back To School Shopping Test Part II

This is the second part in a two part post about a back to school shopping test that I did.  Our son's school gives you the supply list for the next school year in June. After I hunt it down because I put it in a secure spot that I moved about ten times. After all I am "paper keeper" in our house. I am the keeper of lists, memos, newsletters, impotant paper to include mail, an any other piece of paper that comes into the home.(This also includes yellow post it shoved in ACU pockets that read bring home MILK which I get to promptly file in the circular file.)
List located I sit in front of the computer with my credit card, and my coffee in hand. I have high hopes of blissfully sipping coffee and getting everything on this list all in one place. As I really look at this this I am shock at what they now ask for! Ear buds for Ipads! Dry Erase Markers! What happened to the good old crayons and pencils. This list even tells you which name brand of pencil. Since when did teachers get so picky about Brand names of pencils!
To get the list complete I had to go to many stores on the computer which meant many shipping charges. I used a big superstore first which didn't have the prices that their store did.  They were out of many many many items. which was sad.
My Observation: You do not get the prices you do at the stores. The shipping charges can add up.  97 cent shipping is only on certain objects. Free shipping is on nothing  I need.  One stop shopping is not going to happen

Back to School Shopping Test Part 1

Every parent knows the dreaded task of sending your child back to school!  This year I am running a test.  Is it easier to shop at the mall or on line for school supplies? I split my list into two parts, clothes and sneakers, that I would shop for at the mall and School supply list that I wouls shop for on line.
The first day of the test was off to the Mall with our 6 year old and our Mother's helper to find clothes and sneakers for back to school. I was armed with coupons that had collected from online and various magazines.
Our first stop was Famous Footwear.  They still measure your child's foot and believe me give you great one on one customer service. Honestly I don't think I could get this kind of human service online.
We no sooner got into Abercombie when our son was hungry and becoming increasingly loud about the fact he was hungry.  Ugh the whole world has to stop and find My lovely son something to eat or you can't shop.
We continue our shopping spree at the Children's Place, JC Penny, Build a Bear,Bath and Body, and Target. 
After a long long day of shopping home was such a welcome sight!!!!!

My Observations:  I  did save the shipping charges.  Some of the online coupons didn't work and didn't get honored.  One lesson learned was the last place little boys want to be on a sunny day in August is the mall.

Who's Your Daddy ????

Only in New York City could you see this!An RV for testing DNA!! Who's Your Daddy is a Brown and White RV owned and driven by Jared Rosenthal which he operates for Health Street Clinics. The reason this RV is so shockingly special is a place where Father and Children can get their DNA tested.
I'm use to seeing the Ice cream truck,Fed Ex, and UPS come to my neighborhood but a DNA RV? I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Is this a sign of the times we live in? Do we really need a mobile DNA Unit to come to a neighborhood near you?

Before Summer Ends Why don't You...

Before Summer Slips away to Fall.  Why don't you do a few of these things before summer runs out of time!
1.  Catch a jar of Fireflies.
2.  Go to the Stadium and watch a baseball game.
3.  Eat at an open air cafe.
4.  Make a pitcher of homemade lemonade.
5.  Hike around a lake or a pond.
6.  Have a picnic.
7.  Take a long bike ride and soak in the sunshine.
8.  Build a campfire and make smores.
9.  Go swimming.
10  Play a good old fashion game outside like kickball, tag, kick the can or another childhood favorite.
11. Camp out with your kids in the backyard or the living room.

A Flavor Boost

Your supposed to drink water to stay healthy.  For me drinking plain water can get boring.  I like flavor in my water but I'm not a big fan of the additives some of the bottles and packets have.  I was browsing in Target the other day when I saw the coolest water pitcher. It is just called Pitcher sku #9200060238.It was 7.99.

It is made of plastic.  The middle cylinder comes out and you can load it with fruit of your choice to make fruit flavored water. The juices and water mix there the slats but the pulp and seeds never get out into the water.  When you are done you just empty the middle part. 

Some fruits we have used:
Lemon
Lime
Strawberries
Peaches
Oranges
Watermelon
Mangoes
Raspberries
Pineapple
Blackberries
Blueberries
Melons
A neat trick is to use frozen fruit as ice cubes in the water.

Spoil Yourself While he is gone

When your Favorite Soldier goes away whether it be for training or deployment, getting used to a new routine without him or her is difficult.  I  sneak in little presents in the coming days or weeks ( depending the length).  This way you are looking forward to something and not just counting the days until Your Favorite Soldier comes home again.

Some Suggestions for presents to add in to your day while your Favorite Soldier is a away

1.  Go to a nice Salon and get your hair cut.
2.  Start a workout routine.  Start doing that DVD ya bought with such good intentions but never took out of the clear wrapper.
3.  Have Spa night with your girlfriends.
4.  Have a chick flick night and invite a few girls over.
5.  Host dinner at your house and instead of you cooking have everyone bring a dish.  Have fun with this one.  You can pick countries, or best dish from childhood, there are so many ways to go with this.
6. Take a class you have been dying to take.
7.  Get a mani and or pedi
8.Take a hundred dollars to the mall and find little luxuries to spend it on, ie bubble bath, candles, makeup...
9.  Go for a hike.
10.  Have a slumber party with your girlfriends.  Let your hair down, have fun, play games, laugh!
 

While My Hubby was gone I Slept With Spiderman

While their Soldier hubbies are gone some women sleep alone, some women sleep with dogs, others sleep with a Jody.  Me, I'm more of the sleep alone in the center of the bed type of girl.  Until Sunday morning when the unthinkable happened!  Spider man had come into my room for a morning visit. As I lazily woke from dreamland because one of the dogs had to be let outside, I spotted him.  Spider man was big, I mean really big, big enough that I could tell he was fuzzy.  I screamed in horror at the sight of this creature. There was one problem with this situation at hand, hubby isn't home and isn't going to be home for a long while.  My husband is the big strong bug hunter in our house. I am scared of bugs!

I ran out of the room.  I figured I would regroup and make some coffee. With the coffee I could make a battle plan!  I used the time to call in a friend. When Janine came I showed her Spider man. We both went screaming out of the room.  That is one huge spider!  My husband does spider killing without all this fanfare.  I guess that is why I'm his princess and he is my knight in shining armour. 

Janine and I decided to get hubbies' extra combat boot and nail the spider. Spider man was bigger than a 50 cent piece. I threw the boot at him.  Spider man raised up his to front arms as if he was going to try and fright this big boot off.  Spider man was a little bit of a feisty one!  After a few attempts of boot throwing Spider man became bored with us and ran off with what was left with his legs.  I'm afraid he has taken up residency under my heater. I'm kind of creeped out by the thought of Spider man recovering and training and  doing P90x  or Insanity. Waiting for his next chance to come visit me to show me.
I live in the woods.  I like to keep the woods and the creatures where they belong outside, not in my bed.I only like one animal in there and he :) happens to be my hubby.

Honestly if this is the only time Murphy's Law will hit I'm ok with it.  I would like this time away from each other go smoothly, with no huge problems! As things have gone in the past car accidents, broken water pipes, moves and much, much, more, this is minor.
.

 

He Had Me At Hello!!!!

It was love at first sight. Except my love was being worn by another. I never forgot it  even though it belonged to another.Years later I caught a glimpse of my love again this time I was determined not to let it get away. From a picture I was able to track down the ring! I was so excited!!!! It is called Hidden Message, and the maker is yoonjunyun.  Link below.

The ring itself is a simple silver or gold band.  It is what is inside that makes it stand out from all the rest.  The inner part of the ring has hidden raised letters that leaves a message imprinted on the skin of your finger. The messages you can get are always, marry me, and a hear. The craftsmanship on the ring is commonly outstanding.I love my ring. I think the concept of it is fresh, new, and edgy. 

The making of the ring was inspired by a Korean song about a suntan mark a man found on his finger after he broke up with his girlfriend and took his ring off.  I can relate to this I only take my wedding ring off to shower and I have tan lines that at this point I think might be permanent.

I have to mention the box the ring comes in.  The box is truly a work of art. The ring comes tightly fitted in the center of a plexi box.  The attention to detail is shown threw every aspect of this product down to the box.

www.yoonjungyun.com

This is an independent review. I was in noway paid or gifted for my review.

Someone Asked For My Numbers !!!!

"Last 4.""No not your last four, his last four. ""Last 4!" This is something that is the same across all branches of the Military, know his  last four. It is like the key to the city.  It is something a new spouse learns quickly.  When I was first married just hearing those dreaded words last four made me start to sweat and shake with fear that I would not be able to recall those darn numbers.  Now years later I know his numbers probably better than I know any other numbers in my life.

Was anyone ever going to ask me for my numbers? Maybe just once? LOL I have thought about this over the years. FINALLY! Today was the day! It happened, it really finally happened! Someone asked for MY  numbers, my last four!  After all this time you would think I would be at the ready like a super hero. No that wasn't the case. I stood there with the phone looking like a deer in headlights, taking deep breaths, panicking because for the life of me in that instant I could not come up with MY last four.  After a second thought I had it. I guess I am a creature of habit.  Or maybe it just that my hubby is always on my mind  :).

It Happened One Summer....

It started a few summers ago while my husband was serving unaccompanied tour in Korea. LOL wouldn't that be the start of a very juicy tell all Army wife book!  But those are the facts it did happen a few summers ago and it was while my hubby was serving unaccompanied in Korea when it happen. 

The happening was I decided to take up the sport of Tennis.  My theory on playing this sport was I was going to burn calories while having fun.  Well it looked easy on TV and I had forgotten how hard all those hours of tennis lessons as a child it actually was.

So like any good tennis player my first stop was Dicks Sporting Goods for a racket, balls and the all important shirts and famous skorts. Isn't that what all good tennis players do shop first play later?  Looking the part I'm sure helps you improve your game at least ten percent LOL.  I even bought a book to improve the game I hadn't even played yet.  I got my hubby to start playing in Korea.

 I finally recruited my nieces to play with me and we hit the court. Oh was I BAD!  I think I might have returned only a few serves, but I was enjoying it and laughing.  I did reach the goal of burning calories while having fun.  I'm still playing tennis, my game has improved some. I will not  be making the US Tennis team in my lifetime but I will be playing at my less than amature status and having a blast while burning calories and looking good in my tshirt by Under Armour.

Rainy Day Play

Imagination Play is so important while growing up.  My little guy loves to play pretend.  His latest game is to pretend to try out jobs he see people do during the day. 

Playing Pizza Delievery Person actually provides fun on rainy days.

 To add a realistic twist to the game we give him:
1 pad of paper
1 pen
a few clean empty pizza boxes
a clean reuseable grocery bag
an old cell phone

He or she can pretend to take the calls and the orders and deliver them. 

I Never Leave Home Without It

The one thing I would never leave home without, I would love to type here my I.D. card. but I can’t. Yes, I have gotten to the dreaded gate more than a few times without that. The one thing I never leave home without is my mascara.I have tubes in my purse, my car, my desk,my makeup bag, and the junk draw in the kitchen.
Every woman has one item of makeup they simply couldn’t live without, the item you just don’t feel complete without. For me it is mascara.Mascara has always made me feel as if it finished my look and put it all together. For some women it is lipstick that makes them feel dressed and ready to face the world for me On my worst day I can put on a quick coat of mascara and it can change my whole mood.
I have been on the hunt for the perfect mascara for most of my life.Sometimes it felt like I was searching for Big Foot not a simple tube of mascara. I have at ten tubes of mascara from different companies, in both waterproof and regular, the only thing they have in common is that they are all black. I have been on a quest for long, thick,lashes. I get lured in by commercials and ads in magazines promising each one will be better than the next. I have never found one I can say I’m totally in love with for one reason or another.
Last month I was shopping and I found Too Faced LashGasm. LOVE it! This mascara has intense color, lengthens, defines and coats each lash,even the tiny ones! This mascara comes close to false lashes in a tube!
This blog is in no way affiliated with Sephora, Too Faced or any other company or has not been paid to give this review or statement.

Mount Beacon Climb

Since I moved to the area as a child I heard about climbing Mount Beacon.  It was something it seemed everyone in the area had done at one point in their life.  All I heard about was how beautiful the views were, the fire that burned and left the trolley and the casino abandon. Everyone left out exactly what it was like to get to the top of this mountain.  So I set out to climb this Mountain so I too could say, "ohh yes, I did that." 

Stairs just start the climb! Then you walk a well walked zig zaging trail, after which it starts to get a little confusing a VERY steep.There are points to stop and take great pictures.  I was told there are lots of snakes in the summer. The views are breath taking! It takes a few hours to hike.  Bring water, a lunch, and good hiking shoes!

 I can now say "ohh yes, I did that!" Ummm why don't  they sell I climbed Mount Beacon T-shirts! I Climbed all the way up and back and didn't get a t-shirt!

Out of the Computer Darkness

Somewhere in space and time is lost all of my work, words and pictures.  My computer gave me the dreaded blue screen and then the black screen! Each and every person I took it to or talk to made the same face, that screwed up wince of pain look.  Not only didn't I back up my work but I lost months of pictures that I never backed up and was to lazy to print out. So after I got out of this funk I had to get on the ball of getting another form of computer or laptop or notebook.  The possibilities are endless and the language all changed since I bought my trusty Dell 3 years ago. My mind whirled as I hunted for a new one. Am I getting a good deal, does it have enough memory, will it do what I want, will I have buyers remorse???? Whatever happened to buying something and having it last for at least ten years???

I did learn an important lesson BACK UP my work, my pictures and my world LOL. Life is back to normal, I made a purchase of a notebook.  I have no buyers remorse! Will this last the next ten years... hmmm I can hope can't I LOL!