Don't Take It With You

I know I am going to sound like an old fart... but I don't really like cell phones.  They are intrusive, a constant annoyance, and yet handy in an emergency.  A good phone system is a must... but do we have to have it with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

I enjoy talking to my friends and family face to face.  I enjoy conversation over dessert.  But it is so intrusive when you are enjoying personal contact conversation and one of your phones go off.  And it just doesn't ring once.  You can silence the ring for the moment, but always, always, the caller will dial up immediately right after.  Even when the phone is silenced, you can hear the vibration.  And worse, is when you are trying to talk to someone and they text.  Texting should be outlawed... but then I do love it in an emergency.  If I have to get a hold of my children while they are at school.  If my car breaks down, it is great to not have to walk to the nearest phone booth.  Phone booths?  They used to be a thing.

Please don't misunderstand.  I love the phone.  But I miss the good old days where you had a phone in your home.  A good phone system at your work.  And I'm all about the improvements.  With software, power media, Dialogic data technology we definitely have improved our communications.  I want all of it at home or at my work.  It is crucial for businesses.

I just don't want to take it with me everywhere.  And I don't want others to either.  Is that so much to ask?

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

Cooking, Shopping, and Chick Flicks

I had my daughters in town and this brings lots of cooking, shopping, and the inevitable chick flick.  This time it was My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  A great show where I bring something different from it each and every time it's played.  And I've watched this show a lot.

One of my favorite parts is when the Mom makes it very clear to her daughter that although the man thinks he is making the decisions, it is really all manipulated by the woman.  I think she says something like "the man may be the head of the family, but the woman is the neck and turns his head whichever way she wants".

I also love how her life is changed by her attending college and doing something she has always wanted to do.  She is independent and free thinking.  She makes her own decisions.  She is kind and loving to her family, but yet she knows what she wants and is not afraid to go out and try it.  She inspires her brother to take art classes which is a great scene too.  He creates Menu Covers for their restaurant and shows it to his Dad, who barely makes any kind of comment, but then he shows it to his sister and she makes him feel talented and successful.  The Dad is crazy because everyone loves a great picture on the cover of a book, a calendar, or a Menu Cover.

All in all it is just a great movie.

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

Shaving Today

Shaving has gotten tricky.  Years ago, and I realize I am in my fifties, men and women shaved.  Just shaved.  It was very simply.  Lather up, shave it off, rinse, and dry.  Simple.  Just look around and you will notice that today it is quite different.

Shaving has become an art form.  Seriously.  Look around and you will notice that we have got some serious designers in our midst.  A beard was once just that... a beard.  Now a beard is geometric, jagged, shaped, and designed.  And goatees are incredibly detailed.  It's as though we have created a new art form.  And a mustache can be a million different designs.  Combine the two... the beard and the mustache and the skies the limit.

We even have what is called a shaving store where you can purchase the tools to this trade.  I have to admit there are some wonderful brushes, kits, razors, shaving sets, etc...  I especially love the focus on skin care.  There are even special products for those areas where the skin may be more tender.  In the past, shaving my legs was a pain.  A hygiene regimen that was a hassle and time consuming. Shaving my legs has become more fun, more soothing, and nice.  And if I can avoid that razor burn in my arm pits, well then, I am thankful for the progress of shaving and the artistic endeavors it brings.

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

Amply Rewarded

There's no question that the more education you receive, the better the career, and income.  When I was young, a bachelor's degree was considered an incredible feat.  It assured you an excellent job, a significant and comfortable income, as well as, respect in your field.  Now, it seems everyone is going to college and achieving this goal and we constantly push and push for more.

A master's degree is becoming more and more common and it doesn't take much reasoning to understand why.  If you have received four years of study, where two of them were focused on general education, and two on your major, for example, business... this would be worthy of praise.  But consider if you were to spend two additional years acquiring a masters in business administration from University of Denver.  This would show that you have studied in great depth and you have focused all of your learning in business for the past four years.  The majority of your secondary education would be in business.

And the PhD extends you even farther into your area of study.  A PhD requires four to six more years of education.  It seems daunting and incredibly time consuming, but look at the careers and income levels for those jobs with a PhD requirement.  You will be amply rewarded for your time and effort.

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

Missouri

One of my daughters has a husband in college, who will soon graduate and then will begin dental school.  After that, he will have orthodontic school.  I am so proud of him, but it deeply saddens me that all of this is taking place in Arkansas... much too far away.

He is from Arkansas, and has gone to school there for quite some time.  He gets a significant discount by attending dental school in the area.  There is a tiny silver lining in that Arkansas does not have a dental school, but the surrounding states who do, will offer the discount as part of a good neighbor program.

I have a lot of family in the Missouri and Kansas City area.  If they were to pursue kansas city homes for sale, then they would be near family.  I admit they are near family in Arkansas.  Her husband's family is wonderful and extremely good to them.  It is pure selfishness on my part to want them near my family.  When I go to visit, I would not only get to visit with them, but my extended family as well.  I have been thinking long and hard about going to Missouri for next Christmas, and if my daughter and her husband were there, it would be wonderful.  And to say nothing of the fact that their first child would be born by then and I could snuggle and cuddle her for hours... days.

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

My Pregnant Daughters

Two of my daughters are pregnant and I was able to spend a great deal of time with them over the holidays. They are both around six months along and so it was interesting to listen to their various issues with their growing size.  The oldest is on her second child, so she is all to familiar with the aches and pains with carrying around a growing baby in your belly.  The younger daughter, this is her first, so it is all new ground she is crossing.

They both pee all the time.  And there are of course, those times where they run for the bathroom, sure they are going to pee their pants.  And there is the shock of when the baby kicks directly to their bladder and the resulting "Oh my gosh!  I think I peed a little."

Back Pain is common for both of them.  I tried to explain that their bodies are not used to protruding a good foot straight out from their belly button.  They are both normally very trim, so their back I know are wondering about this added weight which is not distributed well.

We talked and rested and laughed at all the trouble their little growing babies are causing them and I smiled... the smile of experience.  Sleep is difficult while getting larger in your pregnancy..... but just wait until they see how hard it is to sleep when their little ones are out and unwilling to go back to bed at 2AM.

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

Too Much Sitting

It's the new year and naturally we all have resolutions, goals, ideas that we hope to implement in the future.  As I look back, I feel as though I have spent too much of my time relaxed.

I know this sounds weird, but I work at a computer all day long.  We spend 8 hours or more per day at work.  I am conscious of trying to get up as often as possible to stretch but at the same time, I realize my job requires focus where getting up and down continually would not be beneficial.

The type of chair I use truly does make a difference.  When I first started, they office was filled with gigantic pillowy type chairs.  In my eyes, these were chairs fit to sleep in, not to multi task.  A change was necessary.

My first thought was the Pilates ball.  I had heard that it helps you strengthen your core and legs due to the instability.  I'm sure it does, but the inner child in me took far more advantage of its ability to bounce... and bounce I did... a lot.

Ergonomic, user centered chairs such as Haworth Chairs provided me with a good posture, an alert position and mobility to move around my work station.  Now I am focused, alert, and feel like I am at work.

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