A Plan

Although I love this time where my children are adults and there is the wonderful bonus of being a grandma, it's hard to have some of them so far away.

My oldest, her husband, and my oldest granddaughter live in NYC.  A perfectly fabulous place to visit, but simply too far for "Baba", which is what my grandchildren lovingly call me.  She needs to have sleep overs at Baba's and bake cookies with Baba.

And then there is my daughter, pregnant with her first, and her husband, living in Arkansas.  As he finishes up his bachelors, he then will have dental school, and then orthodontic school, all in the south, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to spend some serious time in Arkansas too.  They have a colorado mba program and that's not too far away.  Surely they have a dental school, right?

And lastly, I have a daughter and her husband down in St. George.  My son is also down there with them.  It doesn't seem incredibly far I know, but it might as well be.  We don't go down nearly as often as I want to, and I know they would come up more if they could, but with school, work, and life in general, it is hard to schedule.

But then I think... isn't that what parents want for their children?  For them to grow up, be happy and healthy, find what they love, be independent, have a family of their own, and all that good stuff.  I am blessed.  My children are wonderful.  I just need to quit my job and travel from one area to the next.

Yes.  That's a plan.

This is a sponsored post for the University of Denver, however, all the points and views are my own.

Preparation

I don't know how many of you out there do this..... but the girls in our family "prep" for certain times or events where we know we are going to participate in a full fledged food fest.  Although we thoroughly, and I mean completely, totally, without reservation enjoy sweets, desserts, and all things with sugar and butter, when it comes to our meals, we have a healthy diet.  We eat lots and lots of fruits and vegetables, lean chicken and fish, pasta, hummus, whole wheat breads and yogurt.  Our philosophy is that the one balances out the other.  Eat an orange, have a cookie type of balance.  And before a trip where we know we will indulge beyond the norm, we actually cleanse and "prepare" our bodies for the onslaught.

My daughter in NYC did a total body cleanse before our trip to Disney World.  Each day she would call and share the strange and interesting things happening to her body, and leaving her body?  The details were some what disturbing, but she juiced her way through the week.  She researched and determined if she was going to strictly drink juice for a couple of days, it better well be a good and nutritious one.  She came across a juice with mangosteen, which, surprisingly, has no mango in it.  The mangosteen health benefits were plentiful.  It helps your immune system, and neutralizes free radicals, and helps with cartilage and joint function.  We were going to do a lot of walking so cartilage and joint health would certainly be beneficial... but the most beneficial was the promise of maintaining intestinal health.  She was pretty confident that her intestines were going to need to be in their top condition to handle the onslaught of butter, sugar, and down right goodness.  And she was right.  We ate our way through out the entire trip without a single problem.

Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.  And Disney World was a complete success.

This is a sponsored post for Xango, however, all the points and views are my own.

Another Difficult Decision

With the economy at a low, and so many people dealing with unemployment, the option of bankruptcy has become even more necessary.  I truly do not know what I would do without my job.  It is my sole source of income, as it is with most, and without it, it is only a matter of time until you lose your balance and need some serious help.

If you are suffering such financial hardship that drives you toward the need to file for bankruptcy, I know it is a decision that has not been made lightly.  There is another decision that warrants a great deal of thought:  Do you need a bankruptcy attorney?  The complexities of the filing process can be as daunting as the stressful situation that brought you to bankruptcy in the first place.

There are countless questions, when filing for bankruptcy, that are incredibly difficult to answer without the guidance of a bankruptcy attorney.  Do you file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?  Or is there even more options for your particular situation?  Are you current with bankruptcy laws?  These laws change frequently and can be very complex.

Your decision to file bankruptcy was a difficult one... but don't make the process difficult.  Find an experienced bankruptcy attorney.  There are several available such as Kirkpatrick & Associates bankruptcy attorneys.  Make another good decision toward your fresh start.

This is a sponsored post for Kirkpatrick and Associates, however, all the points and views are my own.

If You Buy It, Pay For It

I do a lot of collections for my work and for the most part the reason an invoice is not paid is because of simple human error.  The invoice was lost.  The proof of delivery is missing.  Our invoice doesn't match what they have in to pay.  Or it just simply go overlooked.  And then there is just unusual circumstance.  We had one customer who hadn't paid an invoice because they were caught up in the hurricane back east and were trying to get everything out of their flooded office space.  We were patient and understanding in their delay of getting payment to us.  And then there are those who make a purchase with absolutely no intention of paying the bill.  This is annoying.

I am naive, but I would never dream that a person would go through all the trouble to be set up as a customer, and place not just an order, but usually a rather large order, and have no intention of paying for it.  How do you received $10,000 worth of product and then just ignore the invoice and countless calls for payment?  And it further astounds me that they thing stalling will help.  "We will send some money soon."  Really?  "We put the check in the mail yesterday."  Really?  "Oh... I mean next week."  Really?

This is when a company such as ABC Legal comes in handy.  They file and serve legal process and they do it extremely quickly.  They also protect you from compliance issues.  They know what they're doing and know how to do it.

And usually, this gets the attention of the customer.

This is a sponsored post for ABC Legal, however, all the points and views are my own.

Let The Sun Shine

In a time where we are all looking to save money, the idea of living green can seem even more appealing, even if you don't categorize yourself as a tree hugger.  Every single person has something that requires electricity.  It's just a fact.  And when using electricity by means of a plug or outlet in your home, chances are you are paying for it.  And when away from home, you are most likely using batteries and batteries are expensive.  So it stands to reason, if you could avoid using either of these means to use your gadgest that require power, you would save money.

You can pick up a portable solar panel for around $20 and oh the things it can do!  It will come with a built in battery that the sun will recharge.  Just set it out in the sun and you can charge up your MP3 player, speakers, your digital camera, your cell phone, and so much more!  And the best part... tapping into the sun's incredible energy doesn't cost you a dime!  Take this to the next level and add a $50 solar panel and you can power up your laptop and have all your audio visual and computer devices running on renewable energy, which makes you feel good about your contribution to the environment, and you save money!

Let the sun shine!

This is a sponsored post for Goal Zero, however, all the points and views are my own.

Reaping What You Sow

The familiar phrase, "you reap what you sow" comes from the Bible gives you an idea at how long it has been around.  It continues to ring true in every circumstance.  I recently thought of the statement while just hanging out with my son, and we came across the topic of how girls dress.

It never ceases to amaze me when I go to the high school to talk to a teacher, pick up my daughter, anything really, and look around at what some of these girls are wearing.  First of all, my daughter and I both signed a statement at the beginning of the year to abide by a "Dress Code".  I'm thinking these did not get mailed to all students?  My second thought is "Did you parents see you leave for school today?"  I don't know a mother or father anywhere who would let their daughter out in some of these outfits.  See through blace lace tops with a fluorescent bra underneath?  I always thought underwear was supposed to be hidden.  You certainly didn't draw this kind of attention to it.

And then my son said he had a friend who tended to dress this way and she always has a jerk boyfriend who only wants one thing.  And this friend of hers wonders why she attracts the wrong guys.  My son simply pointed out the way she dresses.  What kind of a guy do you think you attract?  He's totally right.  My son in laws, all four of them, if they saw a girl dressed in a skirt so short the slightest movement would be disastrous, they would turn away.  The wouldn't even think of approaching this type of girl, let alone ask them out on a date!

Wear modest christian clothing and you will attract a modest christian boy.  It's very simple isn't it?  You reap what you sow.

This is a sponsored post for Downeast, however, all the points and views are my own.

Enjoy the Ride

I've decided I don't like to drive anymore.  Well... honestly... I was only a huge fan when I was a teenager... but it seems as time goes on I'd rather be the passenger.  I'm tired of paying attention.  I'm tired of making decisions.  I'm tired of parking.  This feeling is multiplied a thousand times when I am traveling.  Sure you can rent a car, but I don't want to.  I don't want to try and figure out where I'm going.

I want to sit back and relax and enjoy the sights, hopefully, while eating some incredible local food from the place I am visiting.  I was in Washington DC with two of my daughters and we were making our way to each of the monuments, the museums, places to eat that we were told by locals that we had to try.  I immediately thought Washington DC Limo baby!  They drive by DC Cupcakes and someone runs in to grab a half dozen  with some milk, and we eat them while driving to each monument.  We can get out right in front, walk around and then when we are done... low and behold... our driver is waiting!  And what does he do?  He takes us to another foodie haven, and then to a monument and so forth.  You understand what I'm saying here.

My kids have had it good.  I drove them to soccer games, dance practices, choir concerts, sleepovers, the movies, to school... and they just enjoyed the ride.  I think it's my turn.  I have seven kids.  One driver per day.  I like it.

This is a sponsored post for Skyhawk Limousine, however, all the points and views are my own.