I Eat Carbs

I was talking to my grandpa long ago and asked him what types of things are strange to him today.  I wanted to know what new ideas there are now that he finds peculiar from his day and time.  The first thing he said was “dog food”.  He went on to explain how it was crazy that people actually bought special food for a dog.  Nobody ever used to spend their hard earned money on food for a dog.  Dogs at scraps.  It was a dog.

Then he went on about the crazy things people eat and pay money to eat.  Caviar is nothing but fish eggs.  Fish eggs.  People buy water in a bottle when they’ve got water right inside their house.  And then he got started on diets.  Cookie diets.  No carbs diets.  Cleansing diets.  In his day, if you wanted to lose weight, you ate less, worked more.  Simple, but true.  I completely agree.

I’m just going to say it, “I eat carbs.”  My whole life I have been taught that carbohydrates are your energy foods, so it stands to reason that if you are not eating any carbs, your energy level will be low.  And I can’t imagine what a diet of all protein must do to your heart.  I have a friend who is only eating meat.  And I’m not talking about low fat meat like fish and chicken.  Any meat.  He’s eating sausage, bologna, pork chops, hot dogs.  It’s disgusting.  His carbohydrate count may be low, but his cholesterol must be out of sight! 

I had another friend who was doing the “cleansing” diet.  He was drinking tea, with lemon, cayenne pepper, and molasses.  He threw it up everytime.  I think we just need to listen to our bodies.  There’s not a body out there craving this concoction.  Not my kind of weight loss diet.

And it’s not rocket science.  If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.  Simple.  We are a lazy people.  Just get up and move.

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was
compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

The Best Part of A Long Distance Move

I’ve asked a few friends on what they think is the best part of a long distance move.  All have agreed it is the use of a moving company.  Sure… it’s easy to do it yourself when you are only moving a short distance.  You don’t even need to rent a moving truck.  You get your friends together, naturally you need one with a truck, promise them pizza and the move begins and ends one very long Saturday.  But a long distance move is more complicated.  The use of a long distance moving company is wonderful and justified by the length of the move.  I agree that the use of a moving company is a luxury, however, it is not the best part of a long distance move. 

My family has moved across the country twice in my life. 

When I was in the 4^th grade, we moved from Annapolis, Maryland to San Diego, California.  Although I was devastated to leave my very best friend, and the very best climbing tree (located in my front yard), the adventure was thrilling.  My Dad got out the map of the United States to show us the distance.  We were going to drive from completely one side of the map all the way to the complete other side of the map!  I was dumbfounded.  Could a car go that far?  And does that mean we will be eating out every single day?  And staying in hotels?  Wow!  We listened to “It Never Rains in California” all the way.  Ironically, we crossed the California boarder in a down pour.  We still laugh about that to this day.

While in college, my brother and I helped my Mom and Dad move from San Diego to Newport, Rhode Island.  This time we got to pick the route.  I chose to see New Orleans and Mount Rushmore along the way.  Obviously, I had not paid attention in geography.  I learned to play the harmonica on this trip.  This second time was extra fun because both my brother and I got to take turns driving.  I’ll never forget my driving in Pennsylvania with all the narrow bridges, turnpikes, and tunnels.  Right as we were entering another tunnel, I casually said, “Again?  Narrow is my worst thing!”  My brother couldn’t decide which was worst;  the harmonica when I wasn’t driving, or having me behind the wheel in Pennsylvania where narrow was “my worst thing”?  Ultimately, I got some harmonica practice in throughout the east coast.

The best part of a long distance move?  Getting there.

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was
compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Winterize?

It’s that time of year where we “winterize” our homes.  I really had no idea what this meant.  Close the windows?  Get out the blankets?  Turn off the swamp cooler and turn on the heater?  This all seems pretty logical and certainly not noteworthy of a specific term such as “winterize”.  Unfortunately, I know better now.  To “winterize” your swamp cooler is a little more than just turning it off.

Last winter, I did just that.  I turned it off.  With my keen homeowner’s senses, I picked up the first problem right away.  When you walked through our hallway (where the swamp cooler is located) it was freaky cold!  Aaah!  That big, square, boxlike, canvas cover?  Where is that?  In no time, we found it, and shut off the cool draft coming straight through the ceiling.  All is well.  Winterize?  Just a bunch of men making something sound so much harder than it really is right?

Winter went fine.  No problems.  We stayed warm.  We baked.  We slept peacefully beneath all the down comforters.  And then we began to yearn for spring.  And spring came.  And summer.

Obviously, we remembered that we had covered the swamp cooler.  Piece of cake.  Just take the cover off and we are good to go!  I’m sitting at work when I get this frantic phone call.  My daughter is screaming, “The bathroom is full of water!”  I’m trying to understand.  “What?  What do you mean?  Which bathroom?  Where is the water coming from?”  She then explains, although still screaming, “There is water pouring out from the ceiling fan in the upstairs bathroom!  I don’t know when it started, but the bathroom is flooded with water!  And it keeps on coming!”  Naturally I jump in the car to rush home.  I get another call, “The water is coming through the ceiling lights in the kitchen!”  “What the?”

Those of you who “winterize” and know what it means to “winterize” understand that I never drained the water from the copper piping of the swamp cooler.  The copper pipes burst when the water inside froze during the winter.  Aaah... frozen pipes?  Summer came and my daughter turned on the pump of the swamp cooler and the water flowed from the broken pipes, filled our attic, flowed right through the ceiling fan in our bathroom, and then made its way to the kitchen ceiling lights.

Yeah… “winterize”… it means something.

I am participating in a blogger campaign for Bucks2Blog about plumbing
repair and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

The Stigma of Bankruptcy

Nearly everyone will experience financial difficulty at some point in their lives.  Whether or not you will have to file for bankruptcy is not an easy decision.  There is such a cultural stigma associated with bankruptcy that most hesitate from this desperate answer to their financial situation.  These misconceptions make the decision to file even more difficult, despite it possibly being the best solution for certain financial hardships.

We automatically assume that people filing for bankruptcy have credit card debt for frivolous unnecessary purchases, when in reality, this is rarely the case.  It all comes down to our placing judgment.  We place judgment on people who file for bankruptcy that they’re lazy and should work harder to pay off their debt. 

It is interesting to know that of all bankruptcies filed, more than two thirds of these are a result of medical debt.  With the rising costs of health care, it is no wonder.  Who can control this type of debt?  All it takes is a serious injury, a cancer diagnosis, or surgery… all beyond our control.  In fact, who can possibly prepare for such expense?  Health Savings Accounts are great, but when you receive a bill for over $200,000, I doubt anyone has planned for this type of a debt. 

Filing for bankruptcy is not a moral failure.  Filing for bankruptcy does not make you a bad person.  Over 15 years ago, we had to file for bankruptcy.  We had an overwhelming stack of medical bills.  We could have made payments for the rest of our lives and still never put a dent in the balance owed.  After talking with the many of the billing offices, the recommendation was always “file for bankruptcy”.  I admit it was strange to hear this solution from the very people we owed money.  It was difficult.  It was embarrassing.  In the end, it relieved us of the pressure of overwhelming debt.  We had a fresh start… debt free. 

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog for a Las VegasBankruptcy Lawyer and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are
my own.

To Avoid Hoarding

I just got done watching “Hoarders” for the first time.  My instinct was to go through the house throwing every piece of paper, regardless of its importance away.  I came across a box with copies of bills from 2008… 2009… another box from 2010.  Why do I have these?

There was a time when people were afraid to pay their bills online.  We didn’t trust internet security.  We didn’t trust giving out our banking information.  Writing a check was tangible, right there in your hand.  Proof that you paid your bills.

But not so much anymore.  We have come to realize that paying our bills online saves us both money and time.  We’ve also learned that we are much more vulnerable to theft if it’s on paper and floating through the postal system.  We are paying mortgages, utilities, credit cards, everything via the internet.

We can pay our bills through our bank, through the biller’s website, or with a third party billing system.

My bank’s system is quite easy to use and I figure everything is at one location.  Going to each biller’s website is time consuming, although you have the ability to use your credit card and rake up travel miles, cash rewards, etc…  If you tire of bouncing from one billers website to another, then a third party billing system will work.  All your bills are collected, emailed to you and posted to your account and they are automatically paid out of the accounts you select on the dates you designate.

The greatest advantage in my eyes is the elimination of paper.  All of the bills showing up in your mail and all of the payment stubs after you have sent the payment.  I hate all the clutter and after seeing an episode of “Hoarders”… I am glad to get any paper out of my house.

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was
compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

"FREE" is Great!

I was traveling this past week and came to realize a convenience I had otherwise not recognized. 

It started at the very beginning of our trip.  We were on our way to the airport and could not remember the exact time of our departure and also could not remember how many bags we were allowed to check.  Thanks to a very simple 800 number, we quickly contacted the airline and were able to find the answers to our questions. 

While in St. Louis, we were desperately in need of the nearest White Castle location.  Again, thank you for an easy to remember 800 number, 1-800-THE CRAVE, and we were eating sliders in less than 15 minutes!  The simple format of 1-800, and then spelling out something clever is a welcome feature to my forgetful brain.

The greatest feature of the 800 number is the fact that there is no charge for the call.  With the abundance of extra charges on my cell phone bill, I love knowing there will be no charge for the call, particularly since the majority of my 800 phone calls are frivolous and non emergency.  Case in point:  Shopping.  When a business has an 800 number for customer service, I buy more.  I automatically know that I can talk to someone and take my time in figuring out what I want, or discuss any problems with my order. 

And at a time where everything costs or has a fee attached, “FREE” is great!

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was
compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

When to Hire an Attorney? I'll Tell You When

When your husband decides to take your kids so you can’t see them.  When he throws all your stuff out on the front lawn.  When he wakes you up at night so you will be too tired to go to work the next morning.  When he threatens to call immigration to deport you.  When he harasses you at work in hopes of getting you fired.  When he takes your paycheck and decides how he will spend it.

A very good friend of mine went through all of this in the last few months.  We tried everything we could to help her.  We put her up in a hotel.  We called the police.  We really had no recourse to help her.  When he called Social Services to say she wasn’t a good mother and that they should come and get the kids… that was the final straw.  We hired a lawyer.

From the first day… her life was better since we had a lawyer on her side.  A restrainer order was put in place the very day we called the lawyer.  Her husband was no longer allowed near the house.  This came as quite a shock to him when the police came and ordered him off the property.  When he tried to harass her at work, we called the police and with the restraining order in place, he was told he would be sighted with trespassing if he came to her work again.

And the help didn’t stop there.  He was ordered to pay child support.  The house and custody of the kids was given to my friend.  As the lawyer took step after step, it became quite obvious that this was not going to turn out good for my friend’s husband.  He had a change of heart all too quickly.  He was helpful and kind.  He spoke nicely to my friend and spoke nicely about her to others.  It is hard to believe but their marriage was saved.  They both loved each other, but fell into a pattern of abuse.  He sees more clearly now and I firmly believe this would not have happened without hiring a lawyer.  After everything we tried, it was the lawyer that got his attention.

This post was sponsored by a company that can help you find an attorney in
Lousiana. However, the views and opinions are my own.