Product Testing

So I am am a member of an online community and some times they let you try items for free and then give them feedback on how you like the item.  I recently got such an opportunity.   I was asked to try Bic Gel-Ocity for free to keep as long as I gave a review after.  It is their latest gel pen for which they claim has the quickest drying time so there is no smudging.👍👍

I received my pens and liked the colors already.  It came with teal, pink, and purple. I decided to use the purple one as that is my favorite color.  The writing was very smooth and it dried quickly.  I did not notice any smudging either which was important because I used it to write my to do list.  I would recommend this pen.  I love office supplies and this would be at the top of my list for buying a pen.  More information can be found by going to http://h5.sml360.com/-/33q3f  💌

Thank you for visiting me again.  Until next time.

 #Gel-Ocity  #BIC

Getting Going

So I am trying to start the new year by getting my life and home in order.  The hard part is doing it with chronic pain and chronic fatigue.  The problem is you get motivated to get things done but have no energy to do it.  Your body and mind are exhausted but you attempt things any way and that only leads to more pain and exhaustion.

I really do try to keep going and get stuff done. I do not want my daughter to think I am lazy and that it is ok not to get stuff done but then I suffer later and can not do stuff that I want to do with her, further complicated by her seizures and chronic issues we are stuck in a cycle.  I want her to know that it is ok to live but showing her is a little harder than that.

This year I am claiming it is going to be a better year.  I am believing it.  I am going to attempt the gym more and go to church more often.  I want my daughter to know it is ok to be tired but you can not give up.  I am pushing through this year to show her there is more to life than the computer and couch.

I hope you are having a blessed day and enjoying the first day of 2016.

Need a Nap

I am soooo exhausted lately.  I have no energy and I just want to sleep all the time.  I know I should go work out or something so I would have more energy but I just want to sleep.  It is horrible because no mater how much or little I sleep I have no energy.

I have asked the doctors and they have no answer.  Now that I am not pregnant that is not a reason but they can not give me a better one.  I just want to be able to make my to do list and then actually be able to do it.  I have basically sat on my couch all day today wishing it was bed time.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have the energy to be able to get some stuff done.  I have a ton of stuff that I need to get done at my house and my other house too.  My daughter will be at her dad's house so there will be no distraction as far as making sure she doesn't have a seizure and that sort of thing I can just get to work and do my stuff so hopefully I can make it.

I have been avoiding going to my dr. because he doesn't know I am not pregnant anymore and I really do not want to have to talk about it, but I really need to get some answers.  I do not want to be the person who is trapped in their home because they can no longer function properly or because I have to be on so many medications that I feel like a zombie any way.

Here is to having a good day tomorrow.  I am going to think positive and just plan on a good day so hopefully I will pump myself up a little and make it happen.

Lazy Cold Day

It is turning into fall here.  It is cold outside and I officially have the heat on.  Plus it is raining so it i even colder.  Today I basically lazy.  The girl and I did do some cleaning but not enough to really count.  I ordered another blanket so the animals can stop stealing mine.  It is a #victoriasecret sherpa so it is very warm.

I really have no plans for this weekend.  She goes with her dad tomorrow so I have no idea what I want to do.  Probably going to be lazy again until it is time to go get her.  I really should be more productive but I really do not feel like it.  I have so much work to do around here.  Does the cold weather do this to anyone else?

It is like it just drains a person of all life.  I need to find a way to get going because my daughter has made a huge mess of my house and it is not going to clean itself.  The desire to sleep is so strong though.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be more motivated or at least fake it enough to get some stuff done.  I have a ton of clothes to go through and some already bagged up to donate.  I just need to get it done.

Well wish me luck hopefully I can get going.

So Yeah

Uh so usually I would come on here with a real purpose and some advice.  Today I am just here to chat.  I am exhausted.  Like in every area of my life I am just tired.  Physically, mentally, emotionally, I am for real tired.  Like keeping my eyes open is a real chore.  Everything is very draining.

Normally most people would say well then chill, relax, take some time to yourself.   That in perspective sounds great but what if you are the only adult in the home and everything around you is like massively needing attention?  At what point do you just say screw it and take the needed rest.  I mean the laundry needs to be done, the house needs cleaning and repairs.  My car doesn't work so I am using my parents and now it is not working so now I am borrowing a friends car.  This is the real struggle that I am going through.

My daughter has many medical issues and that means she needs extra attention.  She needs constant attention through out each day.  It is something that I do because I love my child, she is my world.  The problem becomes, if I am spending all my time taking care of her then who is taking care of me.  I don't mean in the sense of please come pay my bills and do all my house work, which I mean really at some point we have all wished would magically happen but we live in reality,   What I am talking about it ok so today I am running behind so lets do a ponytail and no make up and grab McDonald's for breakfast and the gym can wait until tomorrow.

Next thing you know the only time you wear anything "nice" is when you go to work.  Sweat pants are your best friend and  doing your hair means you brushed it out after the shower.  Makeup?!? What is make up?  Going out means I made it to the store and got the food my daughter needs for school and stuff.

I am not here for a pitty party that is not what this is.  It is just an out loud moment of trying to figure out at what point a person gets so far behind that everything else in the world comes before them self. Why is it, especially women in general, seem to forget that thy are people to and they need the same care and attention that everyone else gets.  Like pure normal stuff that humans do everyday.

Ok so that is that.  A little food for thought today.  I just seem to not really have it together today.  I do have a home and friends and just like everything else I will get through this.  You will too. So today go put on your fancy jeans and straighten your hair.  Then turn on your favorite show and relax.  It sounds crazy but why not one day is ok.

Just Because

So this weekend has been very relaxing.  My daughter and I decided to visit my parents for the holiday weekend.  My mom's birthday is Monday and it is not often we get to just come up here for the weekend.  So we decided to use our free time this time to see family.  My parents moved two hours away so it can be challenging to see them some times.  We all have different schedules and then this time of year with the weather it makes it more challenging.

It is crazy how fast time goes and then you realize it has been more than a month since you have visited some one.  I realized it has been over a month since I last saw one of my friends and I actually drive by their house every week for other stuff.  It is crazy how time goes by so fast and we are so worried about getting things done all the time, we don't actually have time to enjoy life.

It seems more as the time goes by I get more used to not seeing people.  It is sad that we put more value on what we are getting done than the people in our lives.  It seems that being with the people we care about the most should be our bigger priority.  We get so caught up in getting a pay check or what we have to do around the house that we push the rest to the side.  I mean really, if you don't do the dishes today what is the harm they will still be there tomorrow and most people now have a dishwasher so it isn't like it is an all day chore like before.

It amazes that with ll this stuff we have to make our lives easier, we have actually complicated it more.  We are jam packing more things to do each day.  We make it almost impossible to just sit and enjoy life as it is.  Just spend time with our family.  Enjoy our time with the people we care about the most.  When you think about it when those people are gone are the dishes going to be that important?  The day of their funeral are you going to not go because there are dishes to do, or are you just going say heck with the dishes I am going.  So why wait until their life is over to see them.  Why not have today be the day that the dishes can wait and you go spend time with important people now.

Lets Do A Recap

   Ok so now that I am back online we are going to recap my original posts to make sure we are either still on track or get back on track.  No matter where you are the important thing is that you keep working. I have had times where I have either pulled from my savings or just stopped doing what I needed to do to keep it going.  What matters is that you get back to what you were doing.  The important thing is to get out of debt and be free of the trouble it brings.

  So first you have to have a goal.  A real reason that this is so important to you.  Whether it be to buy something, have a big nest egg, or you are just tired of struggling.  You have to have a real reason or it will not be as important to you and you will not try as hard.  Everyone needs to be on board with this if you have others in your household.  If you are single then you are going to have to work hard to keep yourself committed to the final goal.  This is not going to be easy but when you are able to achieve your goal because you worked so hard it will be totally worth it.

   Now that you have decided why, you have to do.  Set up a plan.  Pick a credit card you want to tackle first or maybe it is your car loan that you want to eliminate.  What ever it is that is going to be your main priority until it is paid.  Even if in the beginning you only round the payment up to the next dollar.  Say your payment is $50.51 then you pay $52.00.  Even if you did only that for a year you would pay an extra $5.88. This is $5.88 less you will be charged interest on.  If you get a raise then you need to decide what extra you can put toward that bill.  You will do all that you can to pay off that extra bill.

    Next this part is something you will have to decide on your own.  Some people swear by it, I myself have never been able to follow one.  I am talking about a budget.  Some people really like them and use them religiously.  It is a blue print of how you will spend your money each month.  It only works if you actually do it every month and stick to it.  That is my down fall,  I really have a hard time redoing every month.  If you are the type of person who needs structure this may be the right choice for you.  If you think you can handle it month after month and stick with your plan then you may not need one.  This part is totally a personal choice.  You can always try it and if it is not for you then do it your way.  As I have said before the most important thing is that you do it.

That is all for the recap.  I hope you will come back so that we can finally do our next piece,  Ditch The Debit Card.  I will be talking about why I have learned it is better to go all cash while trying to eliminate debt. I hope to see you back soon.  As Always feel free to share your thoughts and ideas.  We are all in this together.

Great News

Thanks to the wonderful people at Rent-A-Center I have a laptop again.  I will be picking up where we left off on my debt help series.  I am very excited to get back to this so that I can share how I am getting my life turned around and back on track.  I hope you come back and learn some steps that have helped me so much.  I will do a re-cap of what I talked about before and then we will get into Ditch the debit card.  I know it sounds crazy but i have been without one for 2 months now and doing great.  See you soon!!!!!!

Saving Money and Getting Out of Debt: Have an End Goal

So you have made the commitment to save money and get rid of your debt, now what.  Your next step is to have a final result for why you are going to make this commitment.  You have to decide why saving is important to you.  What is in it for you?

What is it you are saving for?  Do you want a new car, or maybe a house.  Maybe you have kids and want to be able to pay for their education.  Maybe you are just tired of giving your money away to fees every month.   What ever it is you have to know what your working for.

This is important because if you are not working toward a goal you are more likely to go off track.  You will use excuses about why you will do it later.  You just tell yourself you will do it later.  Or just give up because it is not worth it.  With no goal you have no purpose and that can lead to failure.

For me it is being able to provide better for my daughter.  I want to be able to be able to send my daughter to school without taking out a bunch of loans.  I want to be able to not worry about my future when I am older.  I want to know that I will always be able to take care of myself and not burden my daughter when I am older.

What ever you reason is use it as your motivation for this journey.  It will help you when you fell like giving in to extra spending.  It will be the center of your change.  Make it something good to, something that will really keep you going when you want to give in.  Believe me, there will be times when you will say all this is too much and I just want to give up and do what everyone else is doing.

I am happy to have you on this journey.  I hope you will continue to follow me and find your freedom. 

Saving Money and Getting Out of Debt: The Beginning

So You want to save money and get out of debt?  This is actually the first step.  Admitting that you need to get out of debt is how you get going.  A lot of people don't like to admit there is a problem.  If you can not do that then you will not be able to go any farther.

You have to start by admitting that you got yourself into a bad spot and now you need to get out.  Many people spend their years spending and digging the whole and then when they retire they have no way to take care of themselves.  They end up creating debt and then when they are gone their family has to take care of the problem.  This is not the position you want to leave your children in.

You have to commit today, right this minute that even if you do not want to take the steps I have used that you will do something to improve your finances.  You have to get the whole family on board and make sure they know what you are working toward.  If you are saving and your spouse is still over spending it will get you nowhere.  Have a family meeting immediately and put down  your foot.  Make it known that the family needs to make some changes for a better future.  If you are single then you need to make this commitment to yourself and hold yourself  accountable.  Your future depends on you doing your part.

If you are ready to improve your finances then stick with me.  I am going to walk you through different ways that will help you get things under control.  It is not going to always be easy but you are going to be happy you did it in the end.

Follow up

So this week was supposed to start a series on saving money and slowly getting ahead.  Unfortunately I was not able to start this week due to some personal issues.  I will be starting the series on Monday.  I really hope to have you here so we can go through this journey together.  I really am excited to help you all succeed in your financial future.  Please come back Monday and bring your positive attitude because we are going to make some changes.  This will be the beginning of financial freedom.  I hope to see you here.

Spring Cleaning Not Really Happening

So it is that time of year where everyone starts deep cleaning their homes.  Getting rid of stuff that is no longer needed.  The organization plans are under way and the idea of the perfectly decorated home is in place.  It is a magic time of refreshing our space.

This is what we intend to do.  The reality of the situation is not so magical.  There is the hours of sorting, moving things around, and the cleaning of everything.  It seems like a never ending task that will consume are nice days.  Who wants to be inside cleaning now that the grass is green and you can go outside for more than 1minute with out being a popsicle.

So here is a nicer way to get it all done.  Each night clean for 10 minutes.  Set a timer for this 10 minutes.  Get going on your one space for that 10 minutes.  Say you want to do the kitchen counter.  For 10 minutes you concentrate on only that one thing.  When the timer goes off it is over.  You are done with it for that day.  It makes it seem less overwhelming than just setting out to clean a whole house with no real end in sight.

You can adjust the time or times per day but the idea is to make it less over whelming.  Have the kids help too.  If they have a playroom have them sort old toys from the ones they want to keep.  This way the toys won't get out of hand and you won't feel like you are going crazy by not getting it done.  Older kids can do other jobs like the bathroom, or laundry area.  Have them do the same thing in their room.  While you work on a room in the house they can be doing their room too.

Older kids can be a big help.  They can do their own clothes for example.  So for 10 minutes they go through their closet and decide what they no longer want or what they have grown out of.  They can vacuum and dust so once the rest of their room has been organized they can do that as well.  It will help them learn the rewards of cleaning but not get overwhelmed with the whole thing.

The whole idea here is to get the house clean and organized with out everyone freaking out or getting so overwhelmed that nothing really gets done.  If we get too stressed we will never finish it because we look at it as more of a punishment.  Small step make it rewarding.  Once you get one done it will make you feel good about the accomplishment and be ready to do more

Time To Find My Purpose

So it is going on two years since I came back from down south.  Two years since I found out my husband was cheating on me and wanted to end our marriage.  It has been a long all most two years and nothing has really changed.  I am still alone and broke.  I have so many ideas all the time but never act on any of them so that is not good.

I was not born to just get by.  No one is.  We all have a purpose here and we are destined to do great things really.  We all have that one thing we are meant to do, and we are meant to do it in a way no one else can.  The problem is life starts happening and we lose sight of these things.  We start to doubt our abilities in life.  It is tragic how many people go through life and never meet there potential.  Well no more.

Before I die I will find my purpose and I will be great at whatever it is that I was destined to do.  I need to start by getting my self organized.  You can not have a productive purposed life with clutter every where.  This will be hard at first.  I have gotten very disorganized over the years.  I guess it is due to the drama in my life.  You start to show signs outward when you are conflicted outside.

I need to get back into a routine.  I need to get my physical self back under control as well.  I lost weight and was very happy, then all hell broke loose and I have gained almost 10 pounds back.   It is more like I am just getting by in life waiting for things to happen.  It is time to start making things happen and do my best each and every day.

So first on the agenda is to get organized and get moving.  Having disorder and no movement at all is useless.  I can't get forward if I am not moving in the first place.

So Many Decisions But Not Enough Time

So I have a lot of things I need to make decisions on right now and the deadlines are quickly approaching.  I have no idea what I want to do about them either.  I have been praying over each of them but still I am not sure what the best decision for each situation is. 

They are all very important decisions that will impact my future so I do not want to make the wrong choice for any of them.  If I make the wrong decision it impacts other things and I really don't want to mess those things up.

I have to decide whether or not to keep my house or just let it go.  I would love to keep it and rent it out again it was something I bought on my own and I am very proud of that but at the same time I do not want it to eat all my money.  I am working on paying off bills and saving up some money and this could affect that.  I am not sure that I can keep the house and be able to save money at the same time.  I really want to get back on my feet and stop having to ask for help all the time.  On the other hand I don't want to give up my home either.  It is a really hard choice to make at this point.

I also have to make the decision of if I really want to switch branches.  After today I am back to wanting to leave the branch I am at.  I already have the new position but I can change my mind at any time before I actually start there.  I struggled over the weekend about what to do and have continued to pray.  Somethings that happened that might seem petty to some really made me feel like leaving is the right thing.  Then I wait on some of the customers and realize I like them and I would love to stay and continue to work for them.  It is really hard to make these choices.

Then there is whether or not I should get a lawyer to help me finalize my divorce.  I have done most of it myself so this is to just get it done and help with the custody concerns.  I am having a lot of problems with my about to be ex doing what he should be as a parent but I do what I am supposed to and it is ridiculous that he can just lie and do what ever he wants and my daughter continues to suffer because his selfishness.  I am very much over the situation but at the same time it will be very costly to pay for this lawyer which goes back to the trying to save money part.

It is a lot to figure out and basically I have to decide by the end of this week so that puts even more pressure on me since it is half way over.  I need to figure it out quick though or all the decisions will be made for me and I will just have to live with whatever happens.

Busy Times in the Castle

So here we are only about 3 weeks into January and the fun is already starting.  I should start taking random courses in repair of all kinds.  I keep having things break and stuff is wearing out so fast me and my finances cant keep up. The power was out for about 2 hours and I spent all day at a car repair shop but my car is still not fixed. Plus having my Mom go to the hospital didn't make things any better.

So my had something happen and ended up in the ICU which was very scary.  She is home now but I do not know exactly how she is doing.  They keep changing her medications but that only helps for a bit so that was weighing on me a lot. 

We had a really bad snow storm so I missed 2 days of work.  Then after I was able to get there the power steering that I just had fixed stopped working again.  I will not be able to get it fixed for about 3 more days.  After shoveling from the storm for 3 days, it makes it very hard to steer with out power steering.  My fingers keep going numb even when I am not doing anything.

Of course with all the things I am trying to do around the house there is not a lot of time spent doing nothing.  Due to the weather and the fact that my house is so old mice are coming in like crazy to find shelter.  With 4 dogs it is not very peaceful with them searching for every noise they hear.  I know this type of things happens this time of year in old houses but it is driving me crazy and my dogs are over it too.

Then my dryer died.  No clean towels and the thing just went down.  I currently have towels hanging in random places around my house so I can at least shower for work next week.  I took the other one apart but it is really old and I don't want to get hurt taking apart something I shouldn't.  My cousin said I could take hers but first I need to find some one to go get it with since my vehicle is going crazy.

I think maybe it is time to start taking some classes and then maybe I can repair this stuff myself.  I hate not being able to get things done when I want them done.  I do plan on getting some foam calk though and filling in as many spaces as I can in hopes that keeps the mouse problem to a minimum.  If you out there have any suggestions for these situations I am all ears.

Getting Ready For The New Year

So it is almost here and I am getting my lists and such together.  I have a big list and so I have a lot of things to do to make those things happen.  There are many small things I will have to do to get to my goals.  With out a plan I am not going to make my goals so  I am putting in the hard work and this year I am going to make these goals happen.

So here are a couple of goals I will be working on this year.  I am going to get my house cleaned and organized.  If you don't already know when I moved back to MI I had to move into my parents house which they left all of their stuff here when they moved.  I am left with cleaning it up and repairing anything wrong with it.  Unfortunately I am part time so I do not have a lot of money so it has been hard.  I plan on making it happen in 2014.

I also plan on losing 30 pounds at least.  If you saw my previous post you know that I am  going to be sharing my weight loss journey over the next year.  It will not be easy and I must admit I am not off to a good start but I have some things in place to get going so I plan to make this year the year I get back to a healthy weight.

I also have a goal to save $5,000 by the end of the year.  I think of all my goals this will be the hardest.  Being part time I do not make a ton.  I will however be getting child support so that will help with my daughters expenses so I can put that money aside once I start receiving support plus I am selling items on Ebay and I am doing surveys.  I have also gotten back into couponing so that save me money.  I also have some other things to make extra money so I am working on it being enough to put stuff away toward this goal. 

So plans are in place but the real challenge will be doing them.  I am the only one that can be held accountable so I have to work hard or it will not get done.   What are your goals for this year and how do you plan to accomplish them?  Are they small or is this the year you go for the big one?  Whatever your goal do it.  Make this the year you make it happen and we can do it together.  We can cheer eachother on along the way.  Lets make this year count. 

Time for Goal Planning

So with a new year coming it is time to assess what it is that we want to accomplish.  We start planning out what we will make out of the new year.  What kind of amazing things will we do this year that we have never done before?  It is a time to get creative and dream big.

Although if you have not had the best year you may just be trying to plan how to survive the next year too.  Sometimes it is just the hope that the new year will be better than the one before that gets people through this time of year.  It is the dream of great things to come that helps one hold on.

Then there are people like me.  I am going with both.  I have hope that with this difficult year ending I am headed for a great year ahead.  I have changed the way I think about things, I am practicing better actions and trying to look past peoples flaws to really feel compassion for them.  I have big goals for this up coming year.  I want to save enough money to redo the house I am living in, start my own business, and pay off my bills.

How do you achieve big goals?  First you have to have some.  Sometime people get so down that they just give up working toward anything.  when you stop dreaming you are really just coasting through.  Start thinking of things you have wanted to do.  What is something that has always been an interest to you but you just never did it?  Is there something you wanted to do but as you got older and started a career or family you set it aside?  Well it is time to get back to those things.

Next put it in writing.  You have to make yourself see it.  Make a to-do list so to speak.  Just like you have a list to check off each day you can make a list for the year.  Put down everything you would like to accomplish this year and put it somewhere you can see it on a regular basis.  If you can see it you can do it.  It will help you stay on track if you can see what it is you want to do.

Then prioritize.  Put the items in order of which you want to get them done.  What is most important to you should go on top of the list.  Then continue down the list and whatever you can handle doing last should be last on the list.  Don't just go random in listing.  really make this list important.  Make it so it is something you will check in on regularly to accomplish.

So now that you are thinking about it get going.   Start the yearly to-do list.  Make it fun too.  You can even make it a family thing to have even more fun.  What ever you decide just make sure you do it.  Then remember like any list, if you don't finish it this year it can roll over to the next.  So lets get listing and see what we can accomplish this year!