Living with a Ghost

I think I live with a ghost. Why do I think that? I sat down on the couch last night after bath time and bedtime and pulled a soup ladle out from under the cushion. I grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch and out fell a plastic shovel. As odd as those things were I went to the kitchen and found half of the drawers pulled out, some green beans in the fridge, still in the can, the UN opened can. I put those in the pantry and found shredded cheese, yes, from the cold section in the store. As you can see, I may live with a ghost!

On second thought, I went to the grocery and my daughter helped me unload the bags, then she helped me make supper and played in her room. Maybe I don't live with a ghost after all.

Going Green- Kroger Contest

I have a confession...I LOVE the reusable shopping bags that everyone seems to be selling and promoting. However, I also have to confess that I don't always carry them into the grocery with me. They are in the car and I always use them to minimize my trips in the house and I do use them when I go in the store for a non-weekly trip but having a cart full of groceries, a child, a purse and a teenage cashier than rolls her eyes when I pull out 15 bags to use for my groceries isn't my idea of a good time. Even though I am thinking, I bought these are your store and when you are an adult and wearing an oxygen mask due to the pollution I hope you remember all the times you rolled your eyes!

Anyways, my point is that I found a contest that Kroger is offering where you can design a reusable bag! If you submit an entry you get a free bag and if yours is selected you could win $1000! I didn't read all the rules yet but the link is here. I did see that you need to be over 13 years old to enter so moms who are teaching their children about the environment and recycling might be interested and with Earth Day on April 22nd it could be a fun family activity!

Back Off!

I believe in assertive driving, I really do. I think there are times in life and on the road that you don't need to "pushed around" but I have a real issue with aggressive driving. My complaint this morning is passing and tailgating.

We live in a rural county that neighbors a county that is very populated with a large city so our area has come to be known as a "bedroom community" meaning that people live there but make the drive to the next county for work. Because of that combination I am accustomed to passing slower traffic on the one 2-lane road out of our county. I drive to work each morning in the dark so when someone is driving much slower than myself I wait for clear section, put on my signal, pass them, then get back over and give them plenty of room. But every once in awhile I pass someone that was either half asleep or on the phone and then decide that they want to drive faster now so they speed up and tailgate. The morning was one of those times. I did what I always do and then it happened. They sped up, turned on their brights and followed too close all the way to the expressway, where the 2 lanes open up to 4. When this person got beside me I saw a young girl and judging by the stickers on her Jeep, was still in high school. I was furious!

I am not always a perfect driver but I am cautious and I take things into consideration. If someone is speeding, maybe their late or have an emergency but things like this are just rude and dangerous. What I don't understand is that if someone passes me with a grocery cart I don't walk faster or run up behind them. Or if someone walks around me in the mall I don't glare at them. Why does a car make someone feel entitled to act like that?

I don't think the girl this morning knew I had a child in the car, or thought she was doing anything dangerous but I hope one day when she's a mom and has a child in the car that she thinks long and hard about how she drives and how it effects others around her. Until then I hope she doesn't tailgate someone that slams on the brakes faster than she expects. Cars are not safety capsules and if you don't have at least two seconds between you and the car in front of you BACK OFF!

Need A Button

I'm looking for a blogger out there with their own button, my question is, how did you create it?

I'm pretty web and computer savvy but can't seem to figure this out on my own so any help is appreciated!

$mart and Involved Shopper

Are you an involved shopper? Let me explain what I mean by that question. I have always been the type shopper to call a product manufacturer if my package was supposed to have 5 items in the box and only had 4 and, without fail, they send me a coupon for a free item replacement and thank me for my call. I've not been rude, I just explain the case and see how they offer to help.

BUT a fellow new mom friend is much more involved than me. She bought two packages of diapers, got them hope, opened them, and noticed that one package was different. It was the same brand she's been buying, same packaging on the outside, but the closure and lining of the diapers in one pack were a little different. She sent them an email to ask if they were changing their product and her store and receipt information and in addition to a response saying they were testing some new ideas, she received $50 in coupons for free diapers! Again, she wasn't rude she just wanted to know if they were changing their product and being an involved shopper really paid off! I haven't had any luck that good but my experience so far has been that manufacturer's want to know what you think and if you love a product, tell them, it may really pay off!

No Sugar Added Easter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! We had a great time with our daughter's first egg hunt, coloring eggs and lots of fun with family. She also received her first TWO Easter baskets! Some people have asked about the type of baskets she got because my husband was raised in a NO SUGAR household and we are doing the same with our daughter. It's not for medical reasons, it's for general health reasons.

In the past week I've heard stories from other parents about the baskets their children have received that are full of chocolate bunnies, sugary peeps, and other treats that we all saw stocked on the shelves for the holiday. But her basket had a kite, a Bible stories book, several small outside play balls, a couple books, goldfish crackers, a daisy plant that she can assemble with help, and lots of other goodies but no candy. I wanted her to have a basket but I didn't want her to need a sugar detox after the weekend.

I can't say that it was always be easy, especially once she's older and can make her own decisions about the food she eats but I hope we raise her to choose healthier options and reserve sweets as treats!

Do you have healthy treat options for your kids? She loves fruit smoothies and they are her favorite treat but I'd love to have a couple other options!

Trash to Treasure Party- Spring Cleaning Idea

I'm so excited! Some of my friends and family are getting together in a couple weeks for a Trash to Treasure Party!

It was something we came up with after a couple conversations about spring cleaning and the fact that we always end up with boxes or bags of things that aren't really garbage but we aren't sure what to do with the stuff. For example, I love to try new hair products but my curly hair isn't always so excited so I end up with great products that have only been used a dozen times...not really trash but not useful to me anymore. Or purses that I carried a season or two, gently used. I wouldn't mind to GIVE it away but I don't really want to THROW it away! Sure, I could have a yard sale but it's not really THAT much stuff. Now as I start cleaning out closets, going through clothing and accessories, I have a mission in mind! The hard part will not be coming home with too much "trash" that I decide is a treasure.

I'll keep you posted about our party but this should be lots of fun and a good reason to get together and "shop for free"!