Never to Busy to Post...

I have been in my home for over two years now.  My posts have slowed down because home-owning slowed down.  There have been no snake invasions, floods or other acts of God that have been worth writing about... so what do I do?

I have hesitated about writing a post like this, but why not...

My great-aunt Maggie died two weeks ago.  At any funeral, I end up thinking deep, and long term.  Hence, this post.

"How are you doing" or "How are you" is a standard American greeting that we all use daily.  I am going to guess that people traditionally answer, "Well" or "Good" and ask you the same in return.  How often do you ask it and mean it - and by mean it, expect an honest answer and are ready to listen?

I would speculate 2 things now:
1. You use it as a greeting, not expecting someone to unload their troubles on you.
2. The answer, either given by you or received, has more often been "busy" rather than anything else.

Can we stop saying we are busy?  Let me pause.  Let me admit.  I still use 'busy' as an answer but I am trying to quit.  Everyone is busy.  Acknowledged, and now let us try to move on - please, and thank you.  In our current age, we can do more, faster, and with less effort than anyone has ever done before - so we fit more in and and we still want more?  OR... do we maybe have our priorities out of line?

My personal battle - the gym.  If working out were really a priority for me, could I not cut out watching Big Bang Theory, surfing media sites, or doing other "activities" so that I could go to the gym?  Granted, some days, I really do work late, I need to wash clothes because clean underwear is a priority over any other... but most days, I just need to get honest with myself.

As a part of my battle of the "busy" - I am asking my friends to be honest with me.  I am okay if you turn down social plans if you need downtime or if you need to make them later so you can workout or work late or wash clothes... Missing dinner is not going to ruin our friendship or make us any less close.

In a society that expects us to be 100% engaged, 100% of the time - it can be overwhelming.  But if you were to step away and say what am I going to be remembered for... is it going to be your facebook/instgram/twitter posts, your blog views, the tv shows you loyally followed, or your overtime? I am going to guess no.

He who has been given much, much is expected.  Let's put on our big boy panties and get to 'work'.  Life has a lot to offer, lets enjoy it, take advantage of it, and be grateful for it... instead of seeing it as a burden.

I am not busy - my life is blessed and full!

#TBT

#TBT - (Throwback Thursday): This is another "holiday" Twitter and Instagram hashtag, which shows up every Thursday on both sites. The impetus behind this one is that it is an opportunity for people to share photos and info that is a "throwback" to an earlier time.

As my #TBT, I want to share about Dibora Getachew - or as I first knew her, Dotty.  Dotty was born on August 05, 1993 in Ethiopia.  Bethany Presbyterian Church's Youth Group started sponsoring her when I was in high school - so it has been over ten years that we have supporting Dibora.  At age 20, Dotty is still in school and is preforming above average.  Our $38 a month provides Dotty with Bible teaching, medical exams, hygiene supplies, recreational activities, tutoring, scholastic materials and nutritious meals. Dotty will be eligible for our continued sponsorship through August 2015 as long as she stays in the program. 

I am asking everyone that originally helped to sponsor Dibora to make a commitment to see her through the remainder of her sponsorship - 24 months.  If you can, please sign up with me to sponsor her for a month - if you cannot or do not want to sponsor a full month, any contribution will help.  So on #TBT, when you remember all that you have been blessed with in your past, pass the blessings forward and consider helping out Dotty!

Life Recently

It has been months since I have written.  I sometimes struggle of what to write - trying to separate what I find worthy of opening up to the world and I should keep to myself (or more likely what most people would find not noteworthy or just downright boring).

So what has been going on in my world between posts?  Well, life. 

Often I feel that media (facebook, television, etc) pushes us to believe that to lead a fulfilled life that every second as to be connected and maximized with fun and excitement. Well, life isn't facebook perfect.  Life is not always connected.  Life is filled with fails and downtime and time alone if you are lucky.

So what has been in my life recently?

Work - and lots of it.  I have been on project to Canada and most recently one closer to home.  I have learned that I don't like traveling to Canada - at least in the winter.  I drove through what I as a Southerner will call a blizzard, successfully.  I survived the cold.  They survived my accent.

Travel - I recently took at trip to Panama - and I mean the country - not Panama City Beach as many people first think.  The canal is amazing and the rainforest beautiful - it is a fun city to visit.  I think my favorite part was a rainforest hike to a waterfall/pool area where we could swim.  Don't tell my mother - but I did the walk barefoot as Toms plus mud equal a slip and slide - and me falling into mud repeatedly would not be cute.  I will have to post some pictures at some point.

Weddings - everyone is getting hitched, including my brother later this summer.  Two down and two to go so far this year.  This year, I was playing it thrifty and planning on wearing the same dress to at least 3 of the weddings.  I found it at TJMaxx and it just need a bit of altering.  The person who altered it, ruined it beyond wear or repair.  So, I went into panic mode as I got it back the day before I was headed out of town for the first wedding.  Luckily, I was able to run out and find two more options at TJMaxx that didn't require altering.  I have resolved never to get anything altered again or to learn how to do it myself.  We will see if I stick to that heated resolution.

Reading - I have been in a book reading frenzy. As I now commute nearly 2 hours a day to work, I am doing one book via audiobook and then reading others when I am not in the car.  What have I read so far last month and this month: Divergent, Insurgent, Life of Pi, several Jack Reacher books, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Beautiful Creatures, and currently In the Garden of Beasts.  I would recommend most of them.

Stuff - and this is the non-exciting stuff that really fills up life.  Taking pets to the vet, cleaning the house, weeding the front yard, laundry, more cleaning of the house, grocery shopping, cooking, and of course - more cleaning!  Mix that in with some TV, Front porch sitting, back porch lounging and long talks with friends and family  and you have my life this spring.

I am trying to appreciate the "in between" moments and enjoy the big moments.  Maybe do a little less posting on the internet and more connecting in real life.

Saving the Dough!

So there has been quite a bit of buzz on coupon-ing recently and I am late to join the coupon train.  But - I am on the wagon now and loving the savings.

I have considered couponing for a while, but could never justify it for several reasons.  For example, often you have to buy multiples for coupons and I don't have extra space for stuff as my house is very small (same issue for people who also live in apartments).

I am also fine with generic brands in most cases - and you rarely find coupons for generic brands.  I could not justify the time of seeking out coupons when it would not result in a lower price of the generic brand I could get a Wal-Mart or Kroger. Granted, when it comes to my Honey Nut Cheerios - I am going to need name brand - so there was some opportunity here - but it was not enough to really motivate me.

What was the tipping point for me? The Newspaper.  I wanted to keep up with more local events in Atlanta, so I decided to subscribe to the AJC.  They running a deal where the Thursday/Sunday print paper plus a full digital subscription was the same price as the digital subscription.  What is special about that?  The Sunday paper includes sales adds and LOTS of coupons.

So I decided that if I could coupon enough actual savings to pay for my AJC, I would do it.  Yesterday - I celebrated - I saved enough to pay for 2 months worth!  I saved over $20 at Target with coupons - a third of my total bill!  So how am I actually saving as I don't consider it saving to buy the more expensive item at the same cost as the generic.

I have 3 ways that I am really saving now.

Aldi.  I have one just as close to my house as the Kroger I normally shop at.  But I spend about a 1/3 to get random brands at the same quality.  I have actually started to prefer some of there stuff.  I got 3 bell peppers for the price of 1 at Kroger.  And 2 avocados for the price of 1 at Kroger.  No coupons - just go in and save. 

Drawbacks: you need to bring your own bags, you can only use cash or credit.  Limited selection.

Lessons Learned: Some stuff is great, but some not.  The milk I just bought from there - fail.  Overall, I like it and strive to do base shopping there every week and fill in the holes with other places.

Know your Sale/Store. I know that Wal-Mart and Target carry the Welch's Lite juice I like for a dollar cheaper than Kroger - without sales or coupons.  I have started looking at the prices of what I buy at Target, Wal-Mart, and Kroger.  This way, I know what the average price is for each of the regular items I buy so I recognize sales and deals.  Based on this weeks sales ad, I knew that Petco had my cat's dry food for $3 less than the normal price at Target - so I walked next door and saved $3 yesterday. 

Finally, Coupon! I had to learn not to "clip" a coupon because something looked cool or I may need it.  I look for what I really buy and cut out those coupons.  Then, I separate into store groups - if I know that something is consistently cheaper at a store or currently on sale at a store - I plan to buy it there to maximize savings.  I also try to use all of my coupons that are less than 50 cents at Kroger - as they will double the coupon. 

I recently had a friend over that saw my envelopes and baggies of coupons and asked me if this was as good as couponing got - and actually, no it is not.  Kroger now has electronic coupons that you can "load" onto your plus card.  No need to cut out any paper.  I just load them to my Kroger Plus Card, make my list, and shop.  The coupons are automatically used when I checkout.  These coupons don't double and you can't use other coupons - but there are usually more and a greater variety than what I find the the Sunday paper.

Like you may guess - it does take time and planning.  But with the cost of food going up and my salary not - you look for ways to maximize your budget.  I get excited to save and find that I am getting better at it over time.  I don't see myself ever being an extreme couponer - but I do see myself saving!

I am Suzy Homemaker - watch me save!

Screaming Reaction

I am still shaking from the adrenaline rush as I write this.

Currently working from home and with a teams across the globe, I have gotten in a habit of checking email as early as I can.  Afterwards I will do breakfast/getting ready stuff.

Today, today was different.  It is just after 7am.  I am reading through my first emails in my PJs - I haven't even brushed my teeth yet.  I hear tortured screams.  Horrible screams.  At first, I think maybe it is some wrong song choice my Pandora is kicking me off with.  So I mute my computer.  The screams keep coming.  I jump up and look out of my window to see what could be making the screams.

I see a boy laying face down on the ground by a crumpled bike, two houses down the hill from me.  And I ran.  No shoes.  In my PJs.  Hair everywhere.  I didn't think twice about it.  I was terrified of what I may find.  A lady was already stopping in her car on her way to work.

Luckily, the young boy was not seriously hurt.  No blood or broken bones.  There were scratches on his helmet.  He would not let us call his mom or take him back home - but he slowly started getting over the shock and pain of the crash so we just let him recover.  He and I talked about how lucky he was to have been wearing his helmet.

After a few more minutes, he got up and checked out his bike.  Finally, he got back on and rode the rest of the way to school.  I think he is going to be bruised up, but will be fine.

I am so relived that he is okay.  But what I am more excited about - people in my neighborhood all came out of their houses to check on the situation.  I am glad that I don't live in community that passes the buck, assuming someone else will help. 

When someone's car alarm goes off - we check.  When we see someone parked outside of a house, we ask or monitor the situation.  I love feeling safe beyond my house and into my community.  I am grateful for the good people who live near me.

"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."- Edmund Burke

Are you doing something or nothing? Is your community doing something or nothing?

I'm Ballin'

Suzy Homemaker is officially ballin'!

UrbanDictionary.com offers these definitions for 'ballin':

Ebonics.
1.) To play basketball. (b-ball)
2.) Living in affluence/wealth.

I am 6' tall and get asked if I play(ed) basketball all of the time... No, I have not nor do I actively play basketball.  Thanks for asking.  Do you pay mini-golf?

I definitely don't consider myself living in wealth or affluence, though I feel very blessed. So, how is Suzy Homemaker ballin'? I am sitting on a ball.  Yup, I am ballin' at work.

Let me explain.  I have recently be able to work from home everyday instead of traveling everyday.  Hello yoga pants!  But I digress...  Working from home, I have been spending hours upon hours in the same chair. 

The chair.  It is a beautiful parson's chair.  Straight back, straight seat.  Horridly uncomfortable for long term sitting.  I have noticed that my posture was suffering more than it usually does and my legs were going to sleep on a regular basis.  No bueno.

So, Suzy Homemaker bought a ball.  And yes, I am bouncing/balancing/sitting on it right now.  And no, I haven't fallen off it - yet (I am sure it is going to happen).  Some sources claim that you will burn calories by sitting on it - and I would have to agree.  Now, I am not talking I am going to start skipping my yoga classes burning calories - but I am moving throughout the day, even it is tiny movements without thinking.  I have also noticed that I am correcting my posture and my legs have not fallen asleep once since I started ballin'!

Now this is not some magical or special ball, it is the same ball that you would used in the gym and I got it for less than $20 at my favorite store, Amazon!  It has been a game changer at "work".  Best part, when I am done for the day, I just roll it under my desk!

I may look like a fool sitting on this ball, bouncing as I work on my laptop and lead conference calls - but I feel better, and that is what counts in my book.

Are you ballin'?

Help Me Understand...

I am driving to my yoga class yesterday evening and as I pass through an intersection a young man is walking in the cross walk.  Help me understand this about him and the hundreds of other males I see doing this...

Your pants are SO big that you have to walk with one hand holding them up.  I can see your underwear and all of your butt.  You have a belt on - but it does nothing to hold up your pants as you are still walking with one hand holding them up.  Why? Help me understand this.

...

I often host parties and when I do I typically allow friends to bring their friends.  We are adults and I would never classify my parties as wild.  On New Years, one of my girlfriends came to me and told me, "You have a man hanging in your shower" - I immediately jumped to someone is in my house that should not be there.  Only to come to find out, no, someone had drawn a man hanging from a rope on my shower curtain.  My shower curtain is a large tree, so the man was hanging from the tree.  It was in pen.  It was about at the level where you can tell someone grabbed a pen while they were on my toilet and proceeded to deface my house.  Help me understand why an adult would draw on something in my house? 

...

I look around and I see so many things that don't make sense.  Why would anyone steal?  Why are kids bullying each other? Why would someone kill a stranger?  Why do people claim to be on diets and them post all of the unhealthy meals or liquid calories they eat on Facebook?  Why do people say they are trying to save money or have no money - yet they have cell phones, fake nails, name brand clothing, or they smoke and drink on a regular basis?

Now, I know that I do not always act logically - but I try.  I try to act with compassion and kindness.  Help me understand why it appears that I am living in a world were so many people aren't?

Can you tell that I have started reading more news lately?  Maybe I just need to cut that out...

Cutting the Cord

I did it years ago.  I don't regret it - and I don't miss it or the expensive bills that come with it.

I don't have cable/satellite television.  I have a digital antennae which cost less than $8 to buy from Amazon.  I also have Hulu Plus and an Amazon Prime account which gives me access to free movies and television shows. So I pay approximately $8 a month to watch television. (I am not including my Amazon Prime costs as that pays for itself with all of my free shipping and book rentals!)

Here is my antenna from Amazon (it just plugs in where you would plug in your cable cord):

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B000HKGK8Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1359040609&sr=8-4&keywords=digital+antenna

What is the exception?  I absolutely love Walking Dead.  That is AMC and not available through Hulu Plus.  Now, if I was a patient person, I would wait and get Netflix for a month and watch it there a year from now.  But I am not.  So, I make dinner and go over to a friends house and we watch it together - which I prefer.  I get to see the show, but I also get to enjoy watching it with friends.
I have heard so many people talk about how they couldn't live without it - the biggest excuses typically being need for kids programming and need to see the game.  I can say that there loads of kids shows and movies on Prime and Hulu - and you will get them will no or fewer commercials (a big plus).  Now, regarding the games - you will get the local channel games - but if it is on ESPN or some special cable show - find a friend and go watch with them, aren't games better watched that way anyway?

See, even Clark Howard is telling people to do it:
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain-hunter/2013/01/24/clark-howard-its-not-so-easy-to-cut-cable-or-satellite-tv/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_bargain_hunter

More importantly, shouldn't we be detaching ourselves from the television and getting off of our couches? So, try it - cut your cord or ditch your dish - you will save money and maybe you will like a life less dependent on television.

Leaving a Legacy

Yesterday was MLK Day - it was also a day off of work for me.  So after I got done working for a few hours (isn't that how it sometimes goes?) - I started freaking out. 

Why? I had this day off and nothing to do.  You see, I am rarely satisfied with just sitting on the couch or taking a nap.  I feel like the world has so much to offer outside of my house and is spinning so quickly that if I don't move quickly, I will miss out.  And no one wants to miss out in today's world of over-connected, reading updates while talking to someone on blue-tooth while driving in rush hour traffic, right?

So I went to Fernbank - to see it's Ghensis Khan exhibit.  It was really well done.  I am sure I learned about the Mongol Empire in school, but sadly, I didn't retain it.

I (re)learned from this exhibit that the Mongol Empire was the largest empire in our recorded history - which is quite impressive to me - as I generally think of Alexander the Great's conquests or the expansion of the Roman Empire.

I learned that the Mongol expansion was known for its religious tolerance, development of the a postal and passport system, and that they were the first to make hamburgers (but they used horse not cow!) among other things. 

To walk around and see artifacts and effects from this empire that started back in the 12th Century - well, it took me a moment to absorb it all.  This man lived as a nomad with no permanent home base.  He had no modern way of communication or any modern conveniences or "necessities" as we see them, yet he ruled the largest empire in history.

This is a huge legacy to have created in his 65 years.  Dr. King lived less time than that yet made a huge impact on today's world also. 

I can pretty confidently say that I will not be making legacies that are even a breath of what these men did.  Maybe no one will know my name in 100 years.  I am okay with that.  But I do know one thing about my life - I want to live it to the fullest and make sure that I have a positive impact.

What will your legacy be?

My Practice, My Acceptance

I think we are still seeing all of the diets and workouts... for those of you in gyms, I hear we still have some New Year Resolutioners trying to stick with it.

Before I had my current job which requires travel, I kickboxed.  And I kickboxed a lot.  For nearly 2 years, I was crossing, upper cutting, side and forward kicking.  I was up and down and jumping and kicking.  I was faster and faster and then even faster.  I was in amazing shape.  Kickboxing was an amazing practice for reducing stress.

When I started traveling, I could not afford the expense of kickboxing and not being able to attend at least 4 classes a week.  So I stopped.  Over the past 2 years, I have tried traditional gyms, walking, running, Zumba, and at home DVDs (you can borrow anything from Tae Bo to the Brazilian Butt Lift, I have them all).

Nothing stuck.  I always felt like I was not getting a great workout because I was not pushing myself - or even worse - I just wasn't doing anything.  I didn't like anything that I found.

Then, I found Yoga.  I think I went onto my mat for the first time thinking, this will be easy.  It is basically sitting, breathing and holding some poses.  No problem, I used to kickbox.

Wrong. Very, very wrong.

As someone who has little balance, is out of shape, and has been leading a mostly sedentary life, my first yoga class rocked my world.  Sweat was pouring off of me like rain.  I felt like I was hit by a truck I was so sore the next day - and I never moved out of my 2'x6' mat!  There was no running or jumping jacks. 

Now, I am loving yoga at the moment because it is helping me gain my flexibility back (that is going to be long road) and it is helping me tone and strengthen my body.

But why is yoga working for me when nothing else did?  Yoga is more than toning the body - it is about working out your mind and it is about accepting whatever you may bring to your mat and practice that day.

Learning to accept me - what I can and cannot do, forgetting that the person next to me is not sweating and is doing something 3 levels more complex than me, letting go of what I cannot control in my life and at work, focusing on what is going on in my body and what is happening now... learning to accept and acknowledge all of this while making your body move and stay in poses is well, it is relaxing.

So when I fall out of a pose or can only do the beginner stage of a move - I don't get mad and quit.  I don't get frustrated and judge myself - and I don't feel judged by others.  Yoga is about me and my individual practice.

Now - sometimes this is harder than others.  I had a rough day earlier this week at work - it was crazy and I didn't want to go to yoga.  But I did.  I could tell I was not focused on my practice as I struggled through every pose, messed up flows.  Slowly, I forced myself to focus on the breathe of yoga.  Focusing on in and out, one with each move.  I stopped trying to keep up with the class.  I flowed to my own - and it was fine.  I let go - even if only for a moment.

And at the end of the session - I felt better - regardless of what comes and goes in our lives - the good times and bad - we have to keep moving forward.  We must continue to breathe - in and out. 

That is what I love about yoga.  I find something different in it every time I step onto the mat.  For me, in this part of my life - it is the exercise I need, physically and mentally.  No judging, just accepting what I have today, but pushing myself to make it the best that I can make it.  That is yoga.

A New Year Mix Up

Wow. It is 2013.  The holidays came and went. The New Year came and went.  I watched with bittersweetness as someone finally hauled off my Christmas tree yesterday. Now, it is diets and workout commercials. Everyone wants to lose weight that we gained last year, and the year before... and the year before.

Granted, I am definitely trying to eat better - but that is always a uphill battle.  And it always will be for me.

This year I will continue to work with my church's youth group - and we have planned out the first quarter for them over the past two weeks.  As I did this - it struck a cord with me... we always do the same thing the same way - and the kids are happy with this idea.  However, when we do something new, they love it and that becomes the new normal.

I feel like I am on the same ride now, on a repeat loop.  Why do we make the same resolutions every year?  Why do we do the same x y and z all the time?  Granted, the known is comfortable and usually easy.

As a child/teen/young adult - there was a striving to get better and push myself towards that next goal or milestone or to build up my resume or some new adult task (like buying a house!).  But once you are an adult - what is next?  Do we live from event to event, holiday to holiday, new years resolution to new years resolution? Do we look forward to the weekends when we don't have to do anything so we can sleep in?  Is this the "good life"?

I am content, which is perfectly acceptable (I guess).  How do we find new ways to push ourselves to be better than we were next year?  What real resolutions should we be making - or more importantly - should we be keeping?

Now, I am not sure of what I will do to make 2013 different.  I want to find a way to mix it up this year and push myself to be better.  I was to challenge myself and ensure that I make real goals that help me grow as a person.  Honestly, I think this may be more of a challenge than losing weight - maybe they are linked.

What are you doing this year?  How are you mixing it up for 2013?