A New Direction

Arizona

2008-02-28T21:51:00.002-06:00

We have been in Arizona all week on vacation, and it has been awesome here. Even with some of the crappy weather we have had, it has been awesome. Honestly, I'd love to stay here, but our kids need us to come home. Chicago snow . . . here we come!

Sales

2008-02-21T09:53:00.002-06:00

Having been a salesperson myself in the past, I hate it when people come into my home to give me estimates and they have obviously not had any Sales Training. I can tell a rehearsed speal when I hear one. It is how well they can make it sound natural that impresses me since everyone is usually work of some sort. Even when I sold lia sophia, you had some basically talking points you tried to work into your presentation. You can get Sales Training to make you a better salesman and more people really need take advantage of it. I have had so many companies in my house the last couple of weeks to give me estimates and most of sales people were only okay. They were not great. However, if you want to earn my business, you need to give me a good price and be a good salesman. Actually, the less you act like a "typical used car salesman", the better it is for you. Lastly, do not get an attitude with me when I tell you no and that we need to think about it. That attitude does not make me want to do business with you. Instead, it makes me want to run far far away and not use your service.

Arizona, here we come!

2008-02-21T09:47:00.002-06:00

After all the excitement this week (Will's got impetigo and Madison had influenza), we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go on our vacation. However, Madison seems to be doing fine. We have no fever anymore. Will's impetigo looks good, so we are going!!! Yeah!! I am excited and feeling guilty that we are leaving at the same time, but I will have fun. :)

Diner Dash

2008-02-18T23:17:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love Diner Dash. I don't normally ever buy a game after trying a trial version. However, I bought the first version of this game. That is how awesome Diner Dash is. The story is that Flo needs to run a restaurant and make a certain amount in tips to make it to each level. Of course, there are things that stand in your way to make it harder. The first version of the game was so awesome that Bill even played it. I have tried a few of the newer versions of Diner Dash. However, I was extremely excited to find out about the newest version. It is called Diner Dash: Hometown Hero – Gourmet Edition. Why is the gourmet version so special?

There are so many reasons why you need to get this game. First, it is fun to play. You can easily play it for hours and hours. The levels are very engaging yet they aren't so hard that you can't get paste them. You get to create your own avatars and create your own diners. How cool is that? However, my most favorite new option is that you can now make Diner Dash multiplayer! I have a very competitive streak in me, and I would love to kick Bill's butt playing this game.

If you have never downloaded this game yet, what you are waiting for? It is one of the best games out there. It is fun and competitive, and I need the competition. :)

Mother's Day Present

2008-02-18T22:56:00.003-06:00

My mom keeps telling me she wants ceiling fans in the bedrooms in her house. I keep telling her to buy them so Bill can put them up, and she keeps on not doing it. I think this year I might just buy them myself. I think most of the modern ceiling fans are a little too modern for her. However, I do know that she would definitely like the Hunter ceiling fans. I have one in my bedroom, so I know it is just her style. I wonder how much 3 ceilings fans are going to set me back for Mother's Day. Actually, it doesn't matter since she's worth it.

Get Down With The Sickness

2008-02-18T22:43:00.002-06:00

I have pretty healthy kids overall. However, since we leave for vacation Friday (maybe), both my kids got sick this week. Will has impetigo and Madison is running a high fever for no reason. I swear -- this is how things always go for me. Maybe I will be lucky, and Madison will wake up all better tomorrow.

Got Lawyer?

2008-02-17T12:22:00.004-06:00

I am glad that I have never ever needed a lawyer (knocking on wood right now). However, a pretty cool place to check is Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog | California Criminal Law Forum. It is written by a lawyer by the name of Dmitry Gorin. He is a partner in criminal defense law firm Kestenabum Eisner & Gorin LLP and is also a professor at UCLA and Pepperdine Law School. Basically, this guy knows his stuff. His blog is definitely an interesting read, and I recommend that you go check it out.

The blogs

2008-02-17T12:18:00.002-06:00

I now have quite a list of blogs that I am working on besides the consulting work I do. Here is the short list if you would like to check them out. My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings is my mommy blog. It is about my life and kids and pretty much whatever is on my mind. Lisa Reviews is reviews on products. My Road Less Traveled By is my travel blog. Lisa Cooking is my cooking blog that I just started. I hope you enjoy them.

Baby Slings

2008-02-17T11:57:00.004-06:00

Having two kids, I definitely know the benefits of being able to have your hands free. That is where baby slings come in extremely handy. I am able to deal with my daughter and yet be able to carry my son in the sling while we are out in public. Baby slings, like those made by Slinglings, distribute the baby's weight, so you don't have to worry about your back. As my children liked, the baby sling kept them close, and they knew I was there. I would definitely look into getting baby sling if you are having a baby. They can be a lifesaver.

Sedona, here we come

2008-02-17T11:53:00.003-06:00

We will be going to Sedona in less than a week! It is hard to believe that this trip came up so fast! This time next week we will be in Sedona probably sightseeing. Since it is noon right now, I know we won't be sleeping. lol Well, I think we won't be. We still need to go through the books and decide what we want to do, so wish me luck this week in finding the books and deciding.

Las Vegas

2008-02-17T11:41:00.003-06:00

My mom loves Las Vegas. She has gone there every year for at least the last ten years. I can definitely see her one day buying some Las Vegas condos after she retires. She has a bad back, so not having to maintenance and yard work would be heaven sent for her. Plus, she loves gambling there. I am not sure if she would enjoy the heat of the summer though. However, she would love that the temperatures stay above zero there in the winter (unlike here in the Midwest!) Either way, I wouldn't mind a condo there either. Look at that picture. I could definitely imagine myself there.

Pedometer Woes

2008-02-17T11:39:00.002-06:00

Ok, there is definitely something wrong with it. We went to see my niece the other night at the hospital (she was just born) and ended up having to park like a block away. I only got 1,000 steps that day!!!! Umm, I get more steps doing laundry at home. I cannot wait to see my sister, so she can fix this thing!!!

Coupons, Coupons, Everywhere

2008-02-14T11:33:00.004-06:00

As you may know from reading my other blogs, I love to save money. I even tell my husband all the time that I am saving us money by shopping. When I come across coupons that allow me to save at online discount stores like Target, Walmart, Overstock.com and Smart Bargains I get extremely excited. I spend a ton of time at Target, so every time I can a couple of bucks, it definitely helps! I know I need some things like a headset for my phone at Best Buy, so there is another place I can save. I always need office supplies from Office Depot. Those little savings can easily add up quickly. Coupons like these are especially helpful around holidays like Valentine's Day where you have to be out looking for a gift. Happy shopping!

Step, step, step some more

2008-02-13T18:50:00.002-06:00

The pedometer is going better than expected for Bill. My pedometer isn't working as well as I thought it was going to for me. Bill easily gets a ton of steps at work. He got 17,000 one day last week. I am lucky if I hit 3,000 a day. I know, I know -- You are thinking well walk more. Not so easy though. Its winter here so walking outside is not going to happen. When Bill comes home from work at night, I go to work till I go to bed. There isn't time for me to work out and still be able to sleep. I already am not getting enough sleep. I know it sounds like I am making excuses. I am hoping that when we go to Arizona in a couple of weeks that we will be able to kick butt with steps.

Bread Machine

2008-02-05T10:03:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I rearranged our attic, so we could actually find things up there. For too long, we had just been putting stuff where ever. That was find at the time. However, when I wanted something, it was a royal pain to find it.

While rearranging, I found our bread machine. We actually got the bread machine as a wedding present. In our old house, we had a ton of counter space, so we use to make bread all the time with the bread machine. Here, I have no counter space so it has been stuck upstairs in a tote. Finding it made me realize how much I miss homemade bread. I am thinking we may have to get it down just to use it a couple more times.

What's Up?

2008-02-04T18:11:00.000-06:00

I thought I would do a lot more walking than I did while in Miami. I ended up averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 steps a day while I was there. Then again, I sat in a ton of seminars. I also did not do much walking while I was behind our booth. I guess I should be thankful the steps I did get. Surprisingly, I ended up with over 7,000 yesterday, and I really don't think I did all that much. Today, I think I did the same amount of activity and I am at 1500. Obviously, I am wrong. LOL

Keep On Walking

2008-01-28T11:34:00.000-06:00

I ended up with a little over 4,000 steps yesterday. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. However, it isn't the 7,000 I was hoping to get. Then again, since I am not all that active, I should really wean myself into this instead of going full steam ahead. I am at 330 for today and it is 11:30 right now. Hopefully, I can get a few more steps throughout the day.

Real Estate

2008-01-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

My sister's best friend is going to be moving back out to California this summer. She probably is going to need to look at some California real estate. Her new boyfriend is out there and I am not sure if she needs a real estate agent or if he already has some real estate already. I wish she was planning on staying here, but what can you do? I think this is a terrible move for her. Then again, I am selfish and would like her to stay here.

The pedometer is here!

2008-01-26T19:51:00.000-06:00

I think I am going to use this blog to talk about different things going on in my life. However, I am definitely going to record our progress with the pedometers. We just got them tonight and I already logged 1,000 step without really trying. If I can find our scale, I'll record our weights and such. However, I have no idea where it went, so this will be interesting.

Miami?

2008-01-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

Ok, I have no new news on Miami. I have gotten babysitting arranged, but I am not sure if anything has been booked yet. Once that happens, I can let everyone know a tad more information. I do hope I get a chance to go. It'll probably be ten degrees here and 60 or 70 degrees in Florida. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Miami?

2008-01-16T09:12:00.000-06:00

Shhhh. I have a secret. I may be going to Miami at the end of the month. Seriously . . . more details to follow . . . .

Tripods

2008-01-16T08:59:00.000-06:00

With having a camera and camcorder, we really need to look into investing in some bogen tripods. I am not the greatest videographer (which is evident if you see the video I took of Madison's Christmas concert). Some bogen tripods would have been very handy to steady my hand. Bogen tripods also come in handy when you are trying to take a picture. We are able to set up our digital camera to a timer. However, we have nothing to hold the camera itself. A tripod would be very handy.

Welcome Back!

2008-01-14T21:25:00.000-06:00

I have decided to resurrect this blog since, for some reason, I regained my pagerank on it. I am not quite sure what direction I am going to take it in, but it will be an interesting journey for us all. I hope you enjoy the journey we should be taking together.

I've moved

2007-02-25T11:22:00.000-06:00

Come check out my new blog. I have been moving all of my posts over there and that will be the new home for this blog.

Linky Love

2007-02-23T19:38:00.000-06:00

You have to love any blog called Mustard and Catsup. You just do. I wish I was that creative.

I also wish I was in Arizona right now. Its all of 30 degrees here and in the 70's there. I am so jealous.

Disclosure Policy

2007-02-17T12:07:00.000-06:00

Party

2007-01-03T10:57:00.000-06:00

I wish this company was closer to me. They do customized parties for you. The part I like the most is that they do the hard work. I checked their locations out and the nearest one is in Indiana. Hopefully, someone franchises them to Chicago. I think they would do great here.

Madison is still pretty little for this. She'll be 3 on Sunday. Maybe next year she will be ready for a kids party. I am not sure. However, if I don't have to entertain several little kids it would make it quite a bit easier.

Disclosure Policy

2006-10-29T17:54:00.000-06:00

This policy is valid from 29 October 2006 and was updated on 7 November 2006.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do receive compensation for some of my posts. However, I will always give my honest opinion, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics and/or products. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.