My Good Deed for Today

Today I did something that made me feel pretty good…well almost! I always feel good when I help people. It makes me feel like I made a difference. But on this particular day, I wanted to stick my foot in my mouth while I was doing a good deed.

See, there is a man in our town that walks daily and is almost totally blind. He walks with a cane and depends on others to stop and help him cross the street. I have helped him many times during some of my walks or runs, but today, after watching him stand there with his cane pointed outward for about 5 minutes while traffic just passed inconsiderately, I crossed the road and pulled over. I got out of the car to help him cross the street. This was an easy task that only took about 2 minutes of my time.

Now, I really wasn’t thinking, but what I said to this man was really NOT what I SHOULD have said! So, I approached him and said “Hey Mr. Robert. Let me help you across the street. It’s such a PRETTY day out here.” OH NO…I just said PRETTY. Not exactly what I should have said to a man that can’t see. So, in an attempt to rescue myself since he wasn’t responding, I said “It’s so nice and warm.” Then Mr. Robert replied, “Yes, it’s been so nice out here lately.” Whew! Note to self: NICE is the word to use when speaking to Mr. Robert about the weather. Not PRETTY.

Even though I did want to stick my foot in my big mouth, I still felt good about what I did. I helped Mr. Robert today, but he helped me as well!

So, have you done a good deed lately?

A great family weekend

This past weekend was dedicated to my family and friends. I finished all my baking and cleaning Friday night, so most of the house was clean when we woke up Saturday morning…well almost…the kids beat Mom and Dad up and the destruction had already began! It’s ok…..It’s family time so I’m not stressing, right!

So, Saturday, I went running while hubby worked on our garden. The kids went with their Grandma to a Farm Festival. Then, I went to a bridal shower for one of my best friends, Crystal.

Hubby and I haven’t been on a date in months…so Saturday night, we went to Myrtle Beach, SC and after riding around for almost an hour, we finally decided to eat at a place called Angelo’s. It’s an Italian restaurant and they have really good steaks! The service was also great!

Sunday was our day to spend with the children! After church, we went Chuck E. Cheese!! The kids had a great time and used their 100 tokens in about 5 minutes!

Then we went to Target and JcPenney to look for some clothes for the kids. We got some great deals! We picked up some spring clothes and a few cute church outfits, so now hopefully we can go to church on Sunday morning without stressing over what they are going to wear! Oh, we bought church shoes, too! YAY!!

We did see these two geese chilling outside in the mall parking lot. We acted like we’ve never seen one before! (Those are geese, right?)

Well, the house is already destroyed, the laundry is piled high, I didn't buy groceries, I didn't do homework, the kids went to bed late last night and they were tired this morning, BUT we spent good quality time together yesterday and that's ALL that matters!

Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

This movie is one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It was emotional from beginning to end, especially at the end! The Time Traveler, played by Eric Bana, travelled through time and visited his wife during several occasions, beginning when she was just six years of age. This movie was a bit confusing at first as he goes from one time period to another. I really started understanding the events of the movie when he met his wife, who was then a 20-year-old art student. He was 28 years old at the time. She immediately remembered him from his visits.

The wife, played by Rachel McAdams, had to deal with the fact that her husband could disappear at any moment. He even stayed gone for two weeks during one of his travels. This was very emotional for her and she blamed him, even though he couldn’t control his time travels. They tried to conceive a child, which created even more stress for the couple. They finally welcomed a baby girl into the world after several miscarriages. She took after her father and was also a time traveler.

As confusing as this movie may sound, it’s a really good movie!  I had a “Mom Moment” since my husband was at work and the kids were in bed, so I watched this alone. It’s rated PG-13. I don’t remember there being any bad language, but there was nudity since he didn’t carry his clothes with him when he time travelled. And there were sexual situations. I think thirteen is a good age to watch this…I wouldn’t let my 8-year-olds watch it.

My Review:

• This is a must-see, and I’d definitely watch it again!

Product Review: Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

Mixed reviews all over the Internet left me wondering if these Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets are actually as awesome as I thought they would be. I picked up a couple of packs recently when they were on sale at my local Walgreens. After the sale and my coupons, they ended up being about $1 each, so I figured I wasn’t losing much if they weren’t any good.

I’ve been using these to wash my towels and linens. We have some allergies in our household, so I stick to Tide Free for our clothing. These are super easy and convenient since you simply throw one or two in the washer and move them to the dryer when you move the clothes. They’d be perfect to carry along when going on a vacation. They also smell wonderful! Our towels and linens smelled and looked really clean. My daughter, who has eczema and severe allergies, has been using these towels with no allergic reactions at all.

I read many reviews about how these laundry sheets left spots on clothing. I decided to wash a load of white clothing with these to see if I noticed any spots. No spots on our white clothing. I haven’t tried them on colors, and this may be where others are seeing spots.

Would I purchase again? YES. I’ll continue using these for whites and linens.

What do I love about these?  The convenience and wonderful smell.

Satisfying day, I must say!

Have you ever just felt accomplished after a really busy day? That’s how I felt yesterday.

I went to work yesterday morning, running a little behind, as always. I had a homework assignment due last night, which I was able to finish while at work since students got out early. After work, I went to Walgreens to pick up a few good deals and to use my Reward Dollars. I purchased about 30 bucks worth of stuff for $2! And I still have $6 in rewards!

Then I went to the Post Office, picked up the kids from daycare, and took them to church to play on the playground before going to choir. After choir, we went out to eat at a local Mexican Restaurant for my cousin’s birthday! Then we stopped by Redbox to pick up a movie with my free code that I got for adding Redbox as a friend on Facebook!

At home, I got the kids to bed, washed 2 loads of laundry, submitted my homework assignment online, and did an upper body and ab workout while I started watching “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” I loved the movie and I cried at the end! I wish hubby wasn’t working so he could have watched it with me (but then I probably wouldn’t have accomplished as much…). While I finished watching the movie, I did research for a paper that I’m getting ready to start writing today. I didn’t make it to bed until midnight, but I still took a few minutes to read a devotion before falling asleep!

Whew! Busy day filled with love, happiness, and faith! So satisfying! I didn’t even take the time to grab my camera before I left home, but sometimes it’s nice to enjoy the moments without viewing them through a camera lens!

5k Run Anyone?

Motivation is the key ingredient to getting in shape.  Then you need time, space, proper workout gear, and sometimes equipment, maybe even a gym.  I recently purchased these new Adidas Boost running shoes from one of my favorite online shoe stores, Shoebacca.com.  The beautiful pre-spring weather is motivating me some.  Also, the fact that I can't fit into any of my clothes from last summer is a huge motivator.  I have a treadmill, several workout DVDs, and a few handheld weights.  I also have a gym nearby that I love to go to, but that's another 30 bucks a month.  My huge problem right now is TIME.  I've been fitting workouts into my schedule when I can, but that's only been about twice a week.

I decided that I needed something to work toward.  Something to really push me.  Something I'd MAKE time for.  So, I've decided to participate in a 5k run, maybe even a 10k by September.  I found a "Couch-to-5k" program online that I started yesterday.  It's available on the Cool Running website.  There are tons of them out there, but I really liked this one.  It only takes about 20 to 30 minutes, three days a week.

I started my 5k training yesterday.  It started with a 5 minute warmup walk, then 1 minute of running followed by 90 seconds of walking, which is repeated until the time reaches 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, I didn't want to stop, so I walked another 12 minutes for a total of 32 minutes and 2 miles of running/walking yesterday.  I felt great!  I plan to repeat this on Thursday and Saturday of this week.

Today I plan to do Power 90 Sculpt 3/4.  I need to add some weight training when I can.

Is anyone else training for their first 5k?  How are you fitting exercise into your schedule? 

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

After much anticipation, the movie that I’ve been waiting to see finally came out in theaters! This past weekend, our family took a little trip to the local movie theater to watch Alice in Wonderland! I personally feel an attachment here because I was always called “Alison Wonderland” in school. It drove me crazy to be called this! I would just say “It isn’t Alison Wonderland, it’s Alice IN Wonderland!”

In the movie, Alice has been having dreams of Wonderland since she was just a child. She’s 19 now, and is at a garden party turned into engagement party. Her boyfriend proposes and she decides she needs time to think. She spots the white rabbit and follows him to the hole. At this point, the excitement begins. Alice is in for much more than she ever dreamed of. All of the characters in Wonderland did an excellent job, as did Alice. My favorite character was the Mad Hatter, which was performed by Johnny Depp. Alice and the Mad Hatter really connected in the movie.

When Alice wakes up, she has to respond to her boyfriend’s proposal. Will she say yes or no? Watch it to find out!

Our family review:

• Mom LOVED it and can’t wait to purchase it when it comes out on DVD.

• Dad liked it and probably won’t watch it again. But, you know how dads are.

• 5-year-old said she was so happy that we watched it! But, she did get frightened during a few scenes and wanted to sit on Dad’s lap. Actually Mom felt frightened for Alice in a few scenes, too. I probably wouldn’t recommend this movie for anyone under 5, unless they are used to scary movies.

• 8-year-olds loved it!

First Post!

Welcome to our blog! I'm Alison, the mom and the wife, and I'll be writing this blog - well, at least until I can convince my husband that blog writing isn't girly! So, I'll go ahead and answer a couple of questions to start you off with!

Why did you create this blog?

I currently am the writer of a food blog. I find myself wanting to write about other topics, such as household things, health concerns, kid stuff, and marriage stuff. I also admit I’m addicted to using coupons and saving my family a ton of money. That’s what this blog is for. By the way, if you love food, check out my food blog, Just like Grandma’s.

Can you tell me a little more about your family?

Well, there’s my husband. He works in law enforcement and builds cabinets and lays tile on the side. If he isn’t doing that, he’s helping someone do something else. And then he comes home and eats and sleeps! Ok, he actually does find time to spend with his family!

Then there is me. I work full time in a local school system. I’m also in grad school part-time. I’m working on my MBA, and I really don’t know what I’m going to do once I get it. I also bake cakes on the side. (You can check out some of my cakes on my food blog.) More than anything, I’d love to stay at home, take care of the kids, clean the house, bake cakes, and blog.

Chase is the oldest child. He says he’s 9, but he actually won’t be 9 until April. He’s in Cub Scouts, Junior FFA, and the church choir.

Madison is next. She’ll be 9 in July, only five days after my birthday! She is in the school chorus, Junior FFA, and the church choir.

Macey is the youngest. She’s 5 and started kindergarten this year. For now, she’s only in the church choir. I think she’d be good in dance, but she says she doesn’t want to take it.

That’s us in a nutshell. More to come!!