How much patience is required to be a parent? Seriously, I would say more than one could put into words on any given day. A while back I had blogged about shopping with kids, and different options for making it a painless experience. Sometimes I can follow my own advice, but other times I need to just roll with it, and this week was one of those situations.
I was in dire need of groceries, and doing an online order was not on option. So, I put both kids in the car, and thought, “Really, had bad could it be?” Apparently it had been quite some time since I did a major grocery shopping with both kids in tow, and must have clearly lost my head. We were in aisle 2, yes folks, I said 2, when it all when to crap, and I thought, “there is no way I am going to make it another 12 aisles without someone getting hurt, or losing their mind!” The bag of tricks didn’t work, the Dunkin’ Donuts “reward” was of no interest, and it was at that very moment that I saw it – Scrunchy’s Play Center. Oh Scrunchy, where have you been all of my shopping life?
In the past, I had seen the play center before but always walked right past it. In 5 years of being a parent, I have never left my children with anyone other than a family member, so the thought of putting my kids in a grocery store play center, WITHOUT ME, and WITH STRANGERS nonetheless, was never given a second thought. But I was desperate, and figured there was no time like the present to get over it. So, I walked up to the window and said, “How does this work and where do I sign?” All in all, it was a great concept. It was very secure, a clean environment with an array of activities for the kids, there was a camera where I could fully see my children, and I was never more than a few aisles away and could get to them in a mere 15 seconds if needed. Plus it was FREE, though I would have certainly paid top dollar for this convenience. As a result of my kids playing with “Scrunchy”, I was able to get my shopping done in record time, without stress, and we were all much happier.
Check out your local grocery store and see if they offer anything like this. I have heard certain Wegmans offer a similar service. If they do, this could be a Jem to you, too. Hmmm, now if only I could find Scrunchy when I need a pedicure!!!!
Do you have a plan? I don’t mean a plan for what you’re having for dinner this week, or a plan on how you are going to get everything on your to do list completed, though it’s good to have a plan for those things as well. I mean an emergency plan – do you have one?
The other day I was driving with my husband and we passed a pretty bad accident on the road. I asked him if he had emergency contacts in his phone and to my surprise, he did not. I then said to him, “If, God forbid, something were to happen to you, how would anyone know who to contact?”
I am sure they would eventually find the info, but how long would that take? I remember quite some time ago seeing something on Good Morning America about ICE, which stands for In Case of Emergency. Some cell phones may have an Emergency Contact option already in the phone, but for those that don’t, a great idea is to enter ICE into your contacts. Under that name, you enter the number of whom to call in the event of an emergency.
As a back up, I also keep a card in my wallet, and have my husband do the same, with emergency contacts. There is always that chance that your phone is dead, or you forget to grab it as you walk out the door, but you have less of a chance of forgetting your phone AND your wallet.
It just takes a few minutes, and then you won’t have to worry about who will be contacted or how you will be notified if you are needed in an emergency situation. Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but if it’s needed you can remain cool with ICE!
Have a great week!
Hey, did you miss me? I took a week off from my Jems to take a vacation with my family - road trip to Disney – more on this journey to come. It was this specific trip that prompted me to blog about this next Jem. Driving such a long distance with two kids under 5, we took several days to reach our destination. A real bonus to this was the fact that we did not pay for one hotel stay along the way. That’s right, not a one. How did we do it? It’s the point system, baby!
There are many credit cards out there today that offer great rewards for using them. My husband and I use two specific cards that totally allow us to cash in on some huge benefits. The first one is a Starwood American Express. The second is an Amazon Visa. We usually float between the two cards, and use them to pay for anything we can, that we would normally pay cash or write checks for, then pay off the balance at the end of each month. The points we rack up allow us to cash in for hotel stays, as well as fun “toys” for the family. Hey, we scored a Wii Fit from our Amazon card, back in December, for FREE. Another way to earn valuable points is to take advantage of any business related travel, if you or your spouse has any. My husband travels a lot for his job, so he always makes sure, when possible, he stays at the same hotel chain. Each stay earns points, which he pays for via credit card, earning him additional points, before his company reimburses him. It’s double the points, and costs nothing! A win – win situation, and you’d really be surprised how fast those points add up.
There are many reward programs out there, the key is to just find a card that works for you. There are many without annual fees as well, so it costs nothing to use, and you can reap many benefits just by using it for things you would already buy, anyway. It’s worth the time it takes to research, to find the right one for you. Work the point system, and then take a trip and enjoy!
Stay tuned for more details and tips from our East Coast Road trip, and exactly how I survived (barely) the 12 day adventure!
What in the world did I ever do before I discovered coffee? I can’t really remember when I started drinking it, but I think it was when I lived down the shore in college and worked in a coffee house. Then I drank it for fun, and because coffee was the latest fad. Now, I don’t just drink it for the taste – it’s a simple pleasure that gives me a little jump start. It’s been a busy week and when I sat down trying to figure out what this week’s Jem would be, I thought, “let me brew some coffee and maybe it will come to come me” – and it did.
I am a huge fan of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I actually prefer it to Starbucks, which is right down the street from me, and will go out of my way to get it. But I don’t have to anymore. I just recently discovered that Dunkin’ Donuts will deliver ground or whole bean coffee right to your door. Seriously!!! All you have to do is go to Dunkin Donuts and sign up for their “coffee subscription”. From there you can choose the frequency you’d like it delivered, anywhere from every week to every 10 weeks, where you’d like it delivered (home or office), and what kind of coffee you would like. AND get this, it’s cheaper than buying it in the store. Now if only they would be at my door each morning with a hot cup of my favorite coffee, paired with a fresh boston crème filled chocolate donut! Ahhh, a girl can dream!
The slogan says, “America runs on Dunkin’”. I sure do. Grab yourself a cup and have a great week!
I love photos! I really think digital photography is one of the greatest inventions – EVER! Especially since having children, I take a ton of pictures, often daily, definitely weekly. I have actually been referred to as the paparzzi on several occasions, and am quite proud of it! There are some people who never leave home without their blackberries – I never leave the house without my camera. Just this past week my camera broke on me, although it quite possibly may have had a little help from the little people in my house who resist paparazzi. This is tragic, especially with an upcoming vacation being planned. And with how expensive cameras are to fix, and how much the prices have come down over the years, it makes more sense to buy a new one, than have it fixed. But how do I pick a camera from the abundance of choices out there?
Enter CNET. It’s been a great source to help me make choices in my electronic purchases over the years, before I buy. From cell phones, to laptops, to GPSs and MP3 players (yes I have used this site for all of the above), it’s a great place to read reviews on all the products available. The feature that I love the most is that they have 2 ratings, a professional or “Editor’s” rating as well as the “User“ rating, which is the average rating by regular people who have bought the item and have submitted a review. It’s great to get both sides of the review, people who actually know what they are talking about, and a review from people like the rest of us, just everyday people buying the product.
There are many sites out there that give useful reviews, but for me, this Jem is the one I turn to first. Now it’s time to get back to reviewing my new camera purchase. And if the paparazzi visits your neighborhood, be sure to flash your best smile!
Have a great week!
Everyone has a wish list, right? Many days I am wishing for more sleep, and a clean house for more than 4 minutes, but there are certainly some tangible things on my list as well. This week’s “Jem” allows you to do just that ~ WISH! And share it with everyone!
The Things I Want is the prefect website for creating a wish list of any kind, for any reason, or quite frankly, no reason at all. It works in a similar way that a baby or bridal registry would, but the difference is, you are not restricted to one store, and it’s all conducted online. All you need to do is go to the site, The Things I Want, and download the application. Then you can add any item to your list, from any website. If it has a website, you can wish for it, and share it with anyone you choose. You can make your list private, even password protect it, or you can make it public for everyone to see. Hey, you never know if there’s a secret admirer out there that wants to give you little something special. You can also create multiple lists for multiple events, and sort them by date of occurance ~ how convenient!
Personally, I use it most for Christmas and birthday lists for my kids. How many times have family members asked what to get the kids? Not to sound ungrateful, but wouldn’t you much rather have something that will get used and not stay in a box or collect dust? If they ask, chances are they don’t have a clue and are looking for guidance, so why not make gift giving easy? Take the guess work out of shopping for gift givers, where they can even “reserve” the item anonymously. It’s a great site for bridal and baby registries too, and perfect for gift givers who shop online.
What’s on your Wish List? Check out The Things I Want and star wishing.
Happy Monday! Today’s “Jem” is something I use daily, without even thinking about it. It’s a time saver, helps me stay organized online, and you can try it out for free! Seriously, who doesn’t like that?
If you are anything like me, you spend a decent amount of time online. From banking, to shopping, to reading and writing blogs and just keeping up with what’s going on in the world, the information superhighway is a way of life. But the majority of the sites you visit, require you to create an account and establish a user name and password.
With dozens of websites in your possession, remembering all of those user names and passwords can become a challenge. Using the same password for every site is not a safe option, with the evil hackers of the world out there, and let’s keep it real, if you write it down somewhere you KNOW you are going to lose it!
Enter, Roboform! It’s a program you can download, that keeps all of your passwords on your desktop, and can automatically fill in the forms for you, with the click of a button. It auto saves information, can auto fill passwords to log in forms, generate passwords, and uses encryption to keep your information safe. As long as you remember your master password, you can access the information, on your computer. You can also keep all your information on a USB stick and when you pop it out, your information comes with you! Those of you on the go, you gotta love that!
There are limited features available to try for free, or for a one time price of $29.95, you can buy the license. In my unsolicited opinion, worth every penny and totally “Jem” worthy!!
Have a great week!
I love to shop! There, I said it! I would shop everyday if I could, even if I bought nothing, I’d still go just to peruse the aisles. But let’s face it, shopping with kids totally sucks the fun right out of it! There’s usually a small window of opportunity for shopping, and once you have exhausted every diversion to keep your children happy campers, that window closes, goldfish are dumped all over the cart, smashed into the floor by your cart wheels, and you dart for the door, before anyone realizes you are the cause of a less than pleasant shopping environment. As a result of the aforementioned, I have become more and more accustomed to shopping online, over the years. Christmas shopping is the best online, but I do admit to doing it year round, out of sheer convenience. If you, too, are an online shopper, have I got the site for you!
Ebates Do you know it? Do you use it? For me, it’s kind of like a no brainer. I have been using it for about 2 years now, and have received cash back (in the form of checks) totaling over several hundreds of dollars, just for going through their site. Here’s how it works. All you do is go to Ebates and create an account. From there they have a list of over 900 stores you can go to, anything from The Gap, to Target, to Home Depot and The Container Store. You name it, they probably have a store for it. Once you click on the store name, it directs you right to the store’s site, and you complete your transaction as you normally would. Depending on the store, they have a “percentage back” that you get, anywhere from 1 percent to 20 percent. Some of the percentages may not seem like a lot, but it adds up, especially if you do a lot of online shopping. My thought is, if you are going to shop online anyway, why not get something out of it, right? Everything 3 months they send you a “Big Fat Check” from all your transactions. It’s that simple. Also, if you refer a friend, you each get 5 bucks for signing up, with no limit to how many people you refer. Again, no brainer!!! So, log on to Ebates and start shopping!!!
Disclaimer: While I am a huge promoter of shopping any way you can, please be warned that too much shopping may result in unwanted clutter. Over zealous shoppers will be reported to D. Allison Lee immediately!!!
Happy Monday! As a way to try to pass on something useful to anyone taking the time to actually read my blogs, I am coining Mondays as the day to find “Jaime’s Jems”. What’s a “Jem” you ask? Anything out in cyberspace that I find particularly helpful (or just cool and interesting) in my day to day functions.
I was just asked today how I stay current in what’s new out in cyberspace, and to be honest, it’s a combination of having a husband who is very knowledgeable in all things technical (a geek, some may say), and spending way more time than I probably should on my computer!
My first “Jem” is a site called One True Media. I had used it quite some time ago, and had forgotten about it, until just this morning. I had a large grouping of photos of the kids that I wanted to share with my mother-in-law, and rather than upload the pictures and send them through Shutterfly or Snapfish (both sites I do use often), I thought I’d get a little more creative.
At One True Media, I can upload my pictures right from my computer, add effects and music, and make a video montage to share, for free. If you want to add additional effects and features, or have it transferred onto a CD, you can do so, for a fee. It’s a super user-friendly site, and it seriously took me about 15 minutes to create a cute, musical picture presentation of the grandkids to share with Nana, from a distance! Check it out!
I have been really busy the last few weeks, hence the lack of blog action on my part. We’ve had some illnesses hit our house and make the rounds again, which always takes a toll on everyone. In addition, just getting caught up in the day to day functions can get crazy, and before you know it, time has slipped away. But I’m back, and I’ve got something on my mind!
I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately. Maybe it’s because I am a parent now, with many more responsibilities, or maybe it’s just the change in our society in general, but it seems like people are so much busier now than they ever were before. Everyone is constantly multitasking, rushing their kids from one practice to another, scheduling meetings and playdates, attached to their pda’s and blackberries, causing accidents while driving and talking on their cell phones, or just looking like crazy people in general, as they walk down the street talking on invisible headsets – c’mon you know what I am talking about! How many times have you seen someone alone, talking out loud, and ask yourself, “Did that person just say something to me, or are they talking to themselves?” Or perhaps YOU are that crazy person. It’s okay, rest assured, you’re not alone. But at what point is all this business and multitasking necessary, and at what point can you just put it on hold? This is a question I ask myself often, as a parent, “How do I find the balance?”
I can admit that I am just as bad as the people I mentioned above, consumed with technology pulling me in one direction, household chores in another, and my family in another. Twisted like a pretzel, let me just say I have become very flexible over the years. Even without having a job outside the house, it seems finding the balance is something I struggle with daily. When I decided to stay home to raise my kids, that became my full time “job.” Though as with any other job, there are day to day responsibilities that also need to be tended to. I wish I could engage my kids every second of the day, and often feel guilty when I don’t, but that is just not realistic, or healthy. Trying to teach independence, without dismissing my children and without feeling guilty, is definitely a challenge. But it’s times when my son will say, “Can someone pleeeeeeeaaase play with me?,” that I have to stop and ask myself, is my little smartie hitting me hard with guilt, or can this load of laundry wait while we have a quick game of checkers? Or another way to ask it, “Do you want clean underwear, or do you want to play a game?” (no doubt my son would choose the latter if faced with that question!). The ideal solution to this dilemma is to say to him, “Okay, let’s play the game, then you can help me with the laundry!” Wow, now there’s a concept! Unfortunately, it’s not always this cut and dry.
It was just this weekend where I sat down with my husband, feeling somewhat defeated as a parent, and decided I needed to make some changes here. Before having children of my own, I worked in the child care industry, successfully managing several different programs for many years, so clearly I could do this! I think! Well, I brought myself back to all the experience I have gained over the years, and the light bulb went off…to find the balance, you have create one. I am a firm believer of setting realistic expectations, so that is what I am going to do! The first step is to sit down with my oldest son and create a daily schedule. We sort of had one at one time, but somewhere, for some reason, we lost it, and looking back, losing that structure was when we started to lose the balance, and me, part of my mind. We will re-establish the times and things we are going to do together, as well as the times for independent play, where Mommy can get stuff done, (and as an added bonus, helping Mommy with tasks earns more stickers on the sticker chart – woo hoo!). Knowing what is coming next, I hope will alleviate the “boredom” that can wander about the house, as well as keep myself on task. Knowing I have an allotted time to pay bills or clean the kitchen, for example, will help me use that time more efficiently, instead of checking in with Facebook, just for a minute! It should also add to the quality of the time spent with my kids. If I have certain times to get my “stuff” done, I won’t be constantly thinking about all the stuff I have to do in between turns at Monopoly Junior.
I can’t say for sure that this plan of mine will work, especially with 2 children at totally different stages, but it has worked for us in the past and I have high hopes this time around. At any rate, I am certainly willing to give it a try. Do you struggle with balance in your life, and if so, how do YOU manage it? Please share with the rest of the class, kids!
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