With or Without

Growing up, I never wore make-up.  I’m not sure if it was because I was a tomboy, and consequently, my focus was on sports, or because my mother never wore make-up.  I only have one sibling, a brother, so make-up was just not in our house.  Then I had children… and five of them were girls.

From the very beginning, the oldest held a fascination for make-up.  I never understood it, because she did not grow up seeing her mother use it.  I don’t even own any.  Never the less, she begged and begged to be able to wear make-up.  With four younger sisters, the family rules of make-up began.

There was positively no make-up use, with the exception of nail polish, in elementary school.  Let me just say, that sixth grade without make-up is apparently a travesty and my rule bordered on child abuse.  The rule was enforced despite my helping out at the school and seeing 12 year old girls with foundation and some with fake nails!  Some had even began to pluck their pre-pubescent thicker eyebrows.  Years from now I knew they would be wishing they hadn't.

Upon entering junior high you were presented with a clear mascara.  A wonderful invention.  It was like putting a little Vaseline on your lashes to make them shine.  It satisfied my girls need to feel like they were really applying something.

In the ninth grade you were allowed a real mascara, but nothing heavy.  Upon entering high school, the eyeshadow, in neutral shades was allowed and a faint touch of blush.  Fortunately, these three items, mascara, eye shadow, and blush was perfectly fine with them.  Sure there was the occasional “go get me a Kleenex” so I could “soften” their application, but all in all, the rules worked out nicely.

My message was always that they were beautiful with or without make-up and I stand by this still today.

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

I Want A Tank

It’s always a right of passage in a teenager’s life when they turn 16 and can drive.  For a parent, it’s a passage into stress like we’ve never known.  There is the stress over the cost of a vehicle that ultimately will be ruined through multiple fast food drive thru opportunities and other normal teenager uses.  And, what type of vehicle, short of a tank, will safely surround our beloved offspring that we have worked so hard for sixteen years to protect from harm?

When the first of my children was close to turning the magical age, she was very well aware of the minimal financial resources she had at her disposal.  She was the oldest of seven children.  There is the expression that “you either have kids or money… but you can’t have both.”  Well, she knew we were a part of the first group.  This is what jumped her into the purchase of a red Ford Fiesta for $500.  True, the cost of the vehicle was manageable and the insurance on this piece of junk was next to nothing despite her being in the high risk group.  The problem was the match book size and cracker box construction.  I planned a Buick Lucerne type car where a large amount of mass and substantial sheet metal would keep crash forces from my priceless cargo.  She loved it, and thankfully, it died within a year.  I jumped the minute it looked weary so that I could make the next selection.

An Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was just the ticket.  It had over a 100,000 miles on it.  It was perfect.  It was the tank I was looking for in everyway.  No CD player.  Definitely no iPod capabilities.  Solid.  This car lasted through many a driver in our household and withstood the pressure.  A daughter hit a pole and I couldn’t have been more pleased.  The pole was dented at a good 45 degree angle, but the Oldsmobile… didn’t have a scratch.  Next, a daughter rear ended someone.  Again, damage to their puny vehicle was substantial and required we contact our insurance carrier.  The Oldsmobile didn’t even look like it was involved.  Then the car reached the point where the DMV issued a “Selvage Title” which again, dropped our insurance.  In explaining to my children what this meant I said, “It means the car is worthless”.  You could total the thing and insurance won’t pay us a dime for it.”  Again, thankfully, no one ever did.

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

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Just like anything else in life, filing for bankruptcy has it’s the positives, the negatives, and the oh crap!

If you have ever been in the situation where you can not pay all your bills, you have lived with the fear of answering your own phone.  You have experienced the stress of going through your mail.  And heaven forbid… the knock at the door.  A huge positive with filing for bankruptcy is that once your petition is filed by the court, a “stay” goes into effect, which stops all of the annoying credit collection attempts previously mentioned.  Another positive includes getting a fresh start financially.  There are times when the bills are just too unmanageable and starting new feels good.

Negatives include the obvious black mark to your credit report, but chances are if you are in this kind of financial trouble, your credit report has already been damaged.  There is also a feeling of guilt that you have bailed on paying back your debts.  And then the stigma the general population has toward people who file for bankruptcy, to which my standard reply is the cliché “Never judge until you’ve walked a mile in that person’s shoes” and even then, “Never judge.”

And I personally, and very recently, just came across the ugly of filing bankruptcy in Utah.  Yes, there was a time, many, many years ago, where I had to file for bankruptcy.  I won’t go into why, but suffice it to say, that the debt was out of my hands.  The bankruptcy is not on my credit report.  It has been that long.  I have learned from the experience and now maintain an excellent credit score, but no matter.  I applied for a credit card, and despite my credit report with no negatives, I was turned down.  The reason?  I had once long ago, held a credit card with this institution which was included… you guessed it… in my bankruptcy.  This is the ugly.  I will never be a good risk in the eyes of this particular establishment.

So when considering bankruptcy, please take all of this into consideration.  All of it.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

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

Websites and Why You Need One... A Good One

You have a business.  Do you need a website?  There really is no debate.  Yes.  Of course you do.

Just look a the statistics.  There are more than 20 million shoppers online, right now!  They are purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes!  In the U.S. alone, there are more than 250 million internet users, and nearly double the users in China!  People are online.  There is no way you can reach that many people by opening a store or office without creating a website.

And think of the exclusive nature of a website.  When you go to the mall, there is store after store after store doing all they can to drag you in to purchase their merchandise.  Once someone is on your website, it’s you, all you. 

There is no better way to communicate with the public.  Websites provide a wide range of media flexibility.  Besides text and pictures, you have video.  And just the other day, when looking for a hotel, I went on several virtual tours of the properties.  You can even create interactive charges to engage your online guest.

It doesn’t matter whether your business is a big operation, or small family operated.  If you don't have a website, you're losing business to other companies that do.  There is one exception to this rule.  If you have a poorly created website that only frustrates your customers.  You website needs to look professional and be user friendly.  This sends the message that you take your business seriously and value your customers.

Your website is important to your business.  Make sure you see it as an asset, because it most surely will be.

I am participating in a blog campaign from Bucks2Blog for an online website builder company and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Losing a Tooth... Literally

According to pediatricians, you can expect your child to lose their first tooth around five or six years of age.  This is considered the “norm”, however, my children have never fit into this category.

My first child managed to lose her tooth less than a year after she got it!  We never found the tooth, but she was so young that The Tooth Fairy could hardly be summoned because she would have swallowed the tooth and any coins that would be under her pillow.  She didn’t even have a pillow at this time!  She went so long without a front tooth, that the skin got calloused and tough… so tough that the permanent tooth could not break through.  It was decided that they would cut the gum to give the tooth a chance to make an appearance.  When it did come make its way to the service, the tooth was covered with a splotch of what looked like white paint.  The dentist explained that this was a type of bruise to the tooth from when she hit it so many years ago.  I am happy to say, she has a beautiful smile today, thanks to cosmetic dentistry and the use of veneers.

My youngest daughter lost both of her front teeth at the age of two, and within a couple of weeks of each other.  The first was lost while tickling her brother… he kicked it right out.  The second was lost when she fell on the driveway.  This particular daughter doesn’t normally scream,  (I mean, when she got her ears pierced, she simply said “thank you” and was on her way.)  but she would not stop screaming.  Finally, I got from her warbled cries “I lost my tooth!”  Yes.  Yes.  We know.  Then we understood the reason for her cries.  She LOST her tooth!  She was having a fit because she didn’t know where the tooth was and needed it for the tooth fairy!  We all made our way to the driveway and didn’t come in until we found it.  And we did.

And we have the time where we tried to pull our daughter’s loose tooth, but gave her little brother a black eye instead?  We wanted to do the old trick of when you tie one end of a string to the tooth and the other end to a doorknob.  Just slam the door and the tooth will pop out.  Just as the door slammed, my daughter stepped forward, and her little brother came through the doorway.  She saved her tooth, but the door knob hit him straight in the eye.  We did have a successful do over, but the tooth went flying and was never found.  We had to write a note to The Tooth Fairy.  She brought a little extra this time… to her brother… for pain and suffering.

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

A Shaving Memory

One of my favorite pictures of me as a little girl is one where I am sitting on the side of the tub, shaving my legs.  I was maybe six years old.  I truly look like I am having the time of my life.  And I was.  I still remember everything about it.  I got to use my Mom’s razor.  She took the blade out of course, but I didn’t care because I got to shave all by myself.  She let me use her shaving cream too.  Next to driving a car, I can’t think of anything that made me feel more grown up.  As I sat on one side of the tub and stretched my leg as far as it would go, so I could get my foot on the other side of the tub, I was just like Mom.  I was glamorous and beautiful, getting ready for an exciting date with my husband.  I wanted to shave my legs everyday. 

Boy, how time changes everything.

Now, at 50 years of age, I will do just about anything to avoid having to shave my legs.  Summer is a little tricky because there are times where you just plain have to do it.  Swimming is a big one.  You can wear capris or clam diggers to help hide a hairy leg, but swimming?  Shaving is your only option.  Although, I have gone to the pool, stayed in the pool the entire time, and then jumped out and drove straight home.  But all in all, swimming, you have to shave. 

Now when fall comes around, this makes going shave free very easy.  Pants, long skirts, and tights and you can kiss that razor good bye.  I’ll even wear panty hose if it means I can get away without shaving.  I guess I should be glad I’m not a guy.  They have to shave everyday and there is no hiding their faces with pants, long skirts, and tights. 

I think at the age of six, feeling grown up can be fun.  I’m 50 years old now, and I prefer to feel like a kid.

I am participating in a Bucks2Blog campaign about shaving soap and was compensated.  However, the views and opinions are my own. 

It's All About The Dress

Formal dances at the high school are always a big deal.  When you have a daughter, it’s all about the dress.  And believe it or not, with a son, it’s all about the dress too.  Let me explain.

Naturally, the first thing that crosses a girl’s mind when asked to a dance is they get to shop for a dress.  We all can remember what excitement there is to trying on formal dresses.  What color?  Long or short?  Straight or ball gown?  So yes, it is all about the dress.  And with daughters, you can guide them to a modest dress.  Fortunately, my daughters were more comfortable with a modest formal.  Sometimes it was next to impossible to find a dress with sleeves, but we improvised with jackets, and our own sewing techniques.   Quite often, their date’s mother would thank my daughters for wearing a modest dress, or even thank me.  We never fully appreciated this until we had our sons start to go to formal dances.

With sons, it is definitely all about the dress.  You have no idea what their date is going to wear, and worse yet, you have absolutely no control of it whatsoever.  This may seem like not that big of a deal, but when you send a hormonally charged, teenage boy, to spend the entire evening with a girl dressed in next to nothing, it becomes a very real concern.  When the dress is very low, or strapless, or even both, it’s just not the ideal situation you want your son to be in.  And when the dress is extremely short, this can be equally disconcerting.  I understand the mothers of sons thanking the girls for wearing a modest dress now.  It certainly makes it a little easier sending your son out the door.

So it is all about the dress… the modest dress.

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