Whit's Wisdom

I have had the best week last week!  I tried something new, SOMEHOW got my family to buy into it, and was on easy street all week.  Are you ready for this?  FROZEN FOODS.  Yes, I brought the joy of the 70's into my home!!

Remember all of those fun nights when your Mom tossed an aluminum tray of chicken or fish sticks on a tv tray and you all sat and watched The Brady Bunch or, in our house, Wild, Wild West?  Well, eating and watching tv is nothing new to most households, but eating frozen dinners for a solid week is pretty unusual for this crew.  At least since I became a stay-at-home-everything.  (this nomenclature "Mom"  seems too limiting on all that I do, but I digress...)  My oldest Daughter, who is also my official grocery shopper, picked out seven days of frozen foods for each of us, doubling the quantity for my Husband.  We paired it with a salad and voila!  Instant dinner!  Nice and healthy, no one seemed to be scrounging around looking for food two hours later and clean-up was a breeze!

The best part of all of this was that it removed tons of aggravation ---when Daughter #1 had to unexpectedly go to work - no big deal; when Daughter #2 napped through dinner, I wasn't mad; when Husband worked late 5 out of 5 nights, I wasn't up doing his dinner dishes at 10 pm.  Obviously we don't do normal anything anymore, so in this household it was a perfect solution to give ME a break!  Another plus is that we saved energy by not using the oven - no need for the AC to work extra hard either!

I suppose I'll go  back to cooking a few times a week just to remind everyone how much they should appreciate me, but the Magic Eight Ball shows lots of frozen foods in our future too!!

Whit's Wit

Good Morning, 10:00 a.m.!  What happened to your buddies 7, 8 and 9?  Oh yeah - SUMMER VACATION!!!  Filling in for them are 12, 1 and 2 am!!  

Whit's Wit

FAMILY FRIDAY!! (viewer discretion advised)

The tree limbs in my back yard are leaning over my deck due to the strong storms we had last night.  I told my Husband that perhaps the wind was blowing so hard it just pounded them down.  "The wind was crazy here!" I said, "Daddy said it was blowing a gale!"  

His reply? "I don't know this Gayle of which you speak...but I think I'd like to meet her!".

Whit's Wit

My friend was lamenting to me one night that she had no eyelashes - that no matter what she used, her lashes just did not look long and full.  I emailed her one night to tell her that my daughter had tried some new mascara and that it was amazing, worked fantastic and well worth trying.  She seemed a bit hesitant until I told her this:  "It makes her eyes look like Bambi's!  And I'm talking the Stripper....not the deer!"

Whit's Wit

My Husband thinks it's 'cute' to make little wise-cracks when he's too busy to talk, instead of just saying he is busy.

I think it's 'cute' when I put ExLax in his special chocolate chip "you work too hard, honey" muffins.

We are just the CUTEST couple, aren't we???

Whit's Wisdom

Writer's block?  I think so.  Here's some oldies but goodies:

Whit's Wisdom: Your children are more likely to eat food that they help prepare. If you want them to try something new, find a new recipe and prepare it together as a family. It is a good idea to let them do as much of the preparation as possible....the more they do - the more Pride they feel! It's a definite win/win!

Whit's Wisdom: Did you know that it is not the shaving that dulls the razor blade, but the moisture that collects on the blade once you are done? If you will simply shake the water out of your razor (or better yet - blast it with a blow dryer) and store in a dry place, you can use the same razor for months and months! I've been using the same one since August, 2010 and it's as sharp as ever!

Whit's Wisdom: Do you ever feel like you aren't accomplishing anything? It can really put a damper on your spirits. Try making a list of the things you have to do for the day and marking them off as you complete the task. By the end of the week you can look back and see all that you have truly done! It's quite the morale booster!

Whit's Wisdom: Don't let one more month go by in 2011 without having a WILL! Especially if you have children! None of us like to think about it the 'end', but would you rather think about the government deciding who gets your children and your money? There are plenty of easy to use Will kits online now and are very inexpensive. You do not have an excuse - be responsible!

Whit's Wisdom: Facebook is a fantastic way to catch up with old friends, but I've found it to be an incredibly useful tool for finding bargains! Subscribe to some of the pages like Couponing To Disney;SouthernSavers.com; SwagGrabber to get updates on super deals. Or 'like' some of your favorite stores FB pages - they have giveaways and coupons all the time!

Whit's Wisdom: Readers Request - You should stop 100 ft. from a school bus - as a matter of fact, you should keep a 100 ft. distance between you and the school bus at all time. This isn't a 'suggested distance' - the sign does not say "we suggest you stay back 100 ft.". Common sense people....common sense!

Whit's Wisdom: With so many of us now handling most of our banking online, have you thought about how hard it would be on your family should you pass away unexpectedly? It's a good idea to have that account information and passwords listed so your loved ones can find it if necessary. Don't just leave it laying around though - make sure you store it in a safe or safety deposit box!

Whit's Wisdom: Do you drink Coca-Cola? If so, you should really visit My Coke Rewards (.com) Every coke cap, 12 pack or case has a Coke Rewards Code. Create an account and add those codes in once a week. (then recycle the lids!) Your codes can be cashed in for prizes, sweepstakes or coke products! You are buying them anyway - why not reap and extra benefit?!  I've been playing for over three years. I have cashed mine in for movie tickets, Subway and Best Buy gift cards, a food processor, numerous 12 packs of cokes, magazines, Nascar memorabilia....it's

Whit's Wisdom

 Not feeling so very wise today - so I figured I would shoot you some tidbits of former wise things I had said before I started the blog.  Enjoy!

 Whit's Wisdom: Make sure that you are putting away something for a rainy day. Easiest way to do this is to have a portion - no matter how small - of your paycheck direct deposited into a savings account each pay period....and pretend it doesn't exist. I found that using an online bank (HSBC, ING, etc.) makes it a bit inconvenient to access, therefore making me really think before I use that money.

 Whit's Wisdom: It takes more time for your coffee to brew than it takes to clean out a junk drawer, wipe down the kitchen cabinets, make your bed, take out the garbage, etc. Don't just stand around waiting - fill that time with some productive activity!

Whit's Wisdom: GA Law states that drivers between the age of 16-18 can only drive immediate family members for the first 6 months after getting their license. Parents - don't rely on you children to follow this rule - it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to your child, their friends, and your community. Don't let your child carry around the burden for a death of a friend due to your inability to JUST SAY NO.

Whit's Wisdom: Like with dieting, if you find something you think you just HAVE TO BUY, walk around in the store with it for 20 minutes before purchasing. With a diet if you wait 20 minutes you usually don't want any more food; with purchases - within 20 minutes you will usually find you CAN live without it. Especially if it's heavy and you've been carrying it around for 20 minutes!!!!

Whit's Wisdom: Taking your recycling to the center is a wonderful workout/therapy session. Be sure to park far away from the bins so you have to walk (exercise) and throw the stuff in individually - more effort - more results. Also, throwing the glass in the metal container is fantastic therapy! Make sure you tag a name or event onto every throw!!

Whit's Wisdom: "Oh, those blasted toys all over the place and they don't even play with all of them!" If your child shows no interest in a toy, hide it away. Bring it out again several months later once he tires of some of the current toys. If he still doesn't like it, sell it or donate it. No sense cluttering your limited space with unwanted toys.

Whit's Wisdom: Submit those REBATES! There are so many products sold with a rebate (especially large ticket items like tires, computers, televisions) and so few are ever redeemed. That's free money people! These Companies dangle the rebate as bait - and bank on your forgetfulness or laziness. Don't let them be right!

Whit's Wisdom: Brush and Floss Your Teeth!! An ounce of prevention is worth - oh - about $10,000 in cure. Without dental insurance, bi-yearly checkups will cost you somewhere between $100-$200 maximum. If you are afraid of Dentists, try Sedation Dentistry.

Whit's Wisdom: Whatever your goal - Weight Loss, Saving Money, Paying off Credit Cards, Cleaning out a Basement - all takes commitment, sacrifice and TIME. We didn't get fat, in debt and messy in one day and we aren't going to get lean, rich and organized in one day either. Slow and Steady, Friends!