Ten Excuses To Not ...

Listed below are some of the excuses I've found to not (drumroll please)... exercise.


1. I'm too tired


2. It's too hot outside


3. I'm too sore from the last time I exercised


4. Don't want to use any more gasoline to get there


5. I have "better" things to do today


6. Too crowded in the gym


7. Clothes not in fashion


8. Not coordinated enough


9. Did that class already this week


10. Rather watch t.v.


We all have excuses why we don't want to exercise. Even Oprah says she hates to exercise, but if you just DO IT, you will feel much better afterwards. What is your excuse?

Keepers of the Flame

I was sitting in church today listening to the various speakers about the topic of families. Now I don't know about you, but I've heard some of these comments hundreds of times. So I will make a list of a few things I heard today to share with you. Some of us may need a little reminding.

1. Make time for your family

2. Making time is verb. It's an action word.

3. Establish a pattern to put your family first.

How you make time is just schedule it. Schedule it on your calendars so nothing else can take you away from this important time. For instance, make 1 night a week a priority with your family. Go to a movie together, play board games, or just sit and talk with each other. These are of course just a few examples of what you can do as a family. The action word here is schedule. When you establish a certain night for family time, you have created a pattern. We as parents are responsible for this decision to put our families first. And just as the Olympic torch is touched by one person at a time, we also can touch the lives of each individual in our families by making time with them. We are the "keepers of the flame".

The Summer Calm Before the Storm

It all started with "Mom, what are you doing tomorrow?". I replied "well, not much, just the usual Saturday stuff". When she asks that question, I know that's my que for me to bolt down the house 'cause my 2 year old grandson will be coming over. Although he is as adorable as can be, he also can be quite a handful! So I proceed to take a deep breath and relax before my daughter and her son arrive. I have approximately 1 hour to do so as they live 1 hour away. The house is picked up and in order like a "calm before the storm". After they finally arrive, I do my usual grandmotherly stuff like hug him, kiss him, give more hugs and kisses, kiss, kiss, and kiss him some more. After our greetings, things start to unravel. DVD's are strewn about waiting to be watched, toys from the toy box seem to somehow crawl out and make their way around the room, and the cat, well, she nervously watches the whole thing from a distance. Then there are the computer programs that he likes to watch and interact with. After the boredom of all the visual viewing he does tends to wear down, there is also activities to be done outside on the backyard porch. These include water play with the hose, sliding down a slide, and a sandbox to build castles in. Then there are fun snacks to eat: Popsicles, summer fruits, and PB & J's. A game I came up with today is called "Fruit Punch". As crazy as this sounds, is has nothing to with a drink. I told my grandson to roll a ball on the floor to me and said to "punch the ball, like fruit punch". He could relate well to that type of drink. Well, he now thinks that is the most funnest game to play on the floor with a ball. It's one game he'll remember, the name that is. After spending all day with my grandson and his mom, it's sure a relief to hear my daughter announce that it's "time to go home now". Although I love having him over, the tornadic trail left behind means little in comparison to the love I have for that little boy.

Financial Friday: Cash Basis Only

I've learned over the years that in order to secure a stable checkbook scenario, I've had to put my husband on a "cash basis" only. That means that he has no access to the checkbook, nor does he have a debit card that he can use for that account. The reason behind this dual budget system is simple. I needed to know how much money is in the family account-exactly, to use for the bills without tracking miscellaneous expenditures. This creates two fixed budgets that are much easier to manage. Cash is king!!

Simplicity Summer Shake

Well, another day has gone by, busy at my computer screen, mind you, most the day! Living alone(for the last year-long story) has made me come up with some creative and simple solutions to dinner, especially since the hot weather is here. This is a fast, cold, and easy way to incorporate fresh fruits that are in abundance during the summer. So tonight I have found a recipe that I have "tweeked" just a bit (mostly due to lack of ingredients) so that I can have a healthy, quick "meal-in-a-glass". Ahhhhh!! This is very refreshing!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. of water (or juice of any kind)

2-3 c. fresh or frozen fruit(s)

1 banana (best if frozen ahead of time)

handful of raw almonds (if you like a "nutty" flavor)

1-2 scoops of protein power or any other milk power

1-2 c. ice (if fruit is fresh)

1 tsp. of any of the following:

sesame seeds (calcium)

flax seeds (use the ground kind-good for Omega 3)

bee pollen (high in minerals)

ginseng granules (nutritional balance)

In a blender, blend all the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Below are other fruit combinations that you can use for the 2-3 c. fruit that are called for in the recipe:

apricot and apple

strawberry and raspberry

blueberry and peach

cantaloupe and coconut

papaya and pineapple

pineapple and coconut

If these combinations don't sound good, create your own!

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This Makes Sense-Coupons That Is!

It's summer, it's hot and I don't know what to cook!! What is a girl to do? Well, the first solution to this heated debate is to go through my Wednesday paper and look for the grocery store ads. Therein lies the solution. Sale items listed for every store! First I look in each stores' paper to see if there is a coupon that I could use. Then I log on to CouponSense where as a member, I can look to see what's on sale at each store by browsing and taking advantage of those items and use them against my coupons, thereby reducing my grocery bill. This week Fry's has 1 gallon milk on sale for $1.99 I will take advantage of this sale and buy the limit and possibly freeze the rest. I do not have a coupon for this but this is a good deal nonetheless. Another good deal this week is to take advantage of the $5 off your grocery bill. Albertson's has a mix and match promotion, meaning you can buy 10 items from any of the price and the $5 will come off instantly! They are limiting this to 2 $5 rewards per transaction; thus, you can buy 20 items and get $10 off in a single transaction! A simple meal plan for a family of 4 would be:

1. Totino's Pizza
2. Suddenly Salad
3. Alberton's croutons
4. Gatorade
5. Snack Pudding for dessert

Final cost = $2.50

Next meal plan with this sale could be:

1. Spaghetti
2. Prego Spaghetti sauce
3. Seasoned summer vegetables
4. Water
5. Popsicles for dessert

Total cost = $5.00

Of course if you have other coupons you could use along with the sale items, that will drastically reduce the total cost. This is called stackable couponing. Coupons and I have gotten along rather well over the past. When you take the time to have your coupons organized, you really can take advantage of any sale items that may come along. It all makes perfect sense, CouponSense!

If it's Tuesday or Friday it must be...

Laundry day! Yes, the piles seem to creep up ever so slowly throughout the week. With white peaks of socks topping a giant mound looking like a snow-capped mountain, it's no wonder we as women hate laundry. Somebody has to do it. So I "climb" this dreaded mountain by always setting Tuesdays and Friday mornings for this particular job. Make it easy on yourself by having a central laundry basket in the laundry room. That way, all can contribute during the week so you don't have to go around looking for everyone's dirty clothes. Also let family members know when laundry days are so that they may gather their own clothes beforehand. My philosophy is if it's not in the laundry basket by Tuesday or Friday mornings, you are on your own! I start early in the morning sorting by like colors. Then after putting the first load in, I do other chores around the house. After the first load is done, start the next load right away. When the first load has dried you can hang up cotton shirts or anything that shouldn't be shrunk up on a hanger to dry naturally, and fold the clothes. Start the next load. Keep this routine up until all the clothes have been ran through the washer and dryer. After I've completed this chore, I've "Gain"ed cleaner smelling clothes, am full of "Cheer" for having clean clothes, and most of all, it will "Tide" me over until that next dreaded Tuesday and Friday.

Yoga Does a Body Good

Have you ever wondered why the commercials say that milk "does a body good"? While that may be the case nutritionally, our bodies also need to exercise and stretch. One way to do this is by taking a Yoga class. Yoga can strengthen our tight muscles making us feel good again and less sore. I've been taking a Yoga class for about 1 1/2 months now at a local gym and I can honestly say that each and every time I go, my back and sore muscles thank me for it. Today I went to class after 1 week off. I can tell you that I really needed to go because I was getting pains where there shouldn't be pains in my back and hips. After class I felt energized and relaxed. I try to go to class 2-3 times per week. One way to keep on track is to schedule this time on my calendar. That way it's written down so that I know it's one of the things I need to do for that day. Just like having a serving of milk daily, Yoga can also "do a body good".