So, I actually blogged last weekend, but I didn't like the final result so I didn't post it. Actually, I am always blogging. From the time I wake up, til the time I go to bed, I am constantly blogging. You just can't see it. And that would be because I am too lazy to open the lid on my laptop and put my thoughts into type. But tonight I have some free time because the little one has gone to bed early, and well, I am fired up.
Today's topic: When did Facebook become a runner's forum?
Oh, come on. If you are reading this blog, you more than likely got here through Facebook. And that means you probably have at least a handful of friends on Facebook who are the run posters. You know, the ones who log on daily to tell you how far they ran that day...
"Suzy Snodgrass: 'I just ran 8.5 miles uphill both ways with a pack of wild dogs chasing me and one shoe with a broken shoelace. I feel amazing!'..."
Now you know who I am talking about, right?
When did it become so en vogue to post about running? What's so great about running? Everybody can run. It's like walking, only faster. And it kills your knees. But apparently, if you're not doing it, you're not cool.
In the late 80s, my mom was really into aerobics. She went on to become a certified instructor and taught classes a few nights a week. My dad was into athletic clubs and the latest stationary exercise equipment. I try to imagine if there had been Facebook back then. Back in the day when women wore the silky neon tights under leotards with really high leg holes. The days of leg warmers and sweatbands. Could you imagine people taking their cameras into their aerobics studios? Snapping selfies in that ridiculous garb? "Hey, I'm at the club doing my aerobics!"
But here we are, 3 decades later, where the exercise of choice has turned into local 5K or half marathons every single weekend with the obligatory Facebook pictures pre and post run "Here I go!" and "I did it!"...
Today there are runs for everything. Festival runs, charity runs, zombie runs, color runs, mud runs, obstacle runs, marathons, biathlons, triathlons... Pick one. You're a rock star. They give you a medal just for showing up. Just like youth soccer! Everybody gets a trophy!
Look, I am not a runner. I hate it. It's boring. I was a cheerleader all through high school and have the knees of a 95 year old. Every step I take up a staircase is fraught with snaps and crackles from my kneecaps. So I'm not going to pound the pavement. And what I really don't need is the proverbial finger wag from all the people who do run. I'm not talking about people who have decided to make a change in their lives and have started running to meet a goal. I'm talking about the people who eat, breathe, and live to run, and to tell you about it.
The weird thing about it is, I have a very diverse group of Facebook friends. I have some very talented, amazing athletes in that mix. And the people who are the Iron Man-level athletes are the ones who rarely post about their training/running. They don't come on every day and say, "Well, I ate a 4 oz grilled chicken breast with 2 oz of steamed broccoli and washed it all down with a glorious 6 oz of lukewarm water". Because that would be obnoxious. And humble athletes are not obnoxious.
Obnoxious. That's a good word. I don't need to hear every day how far you ran, if that is the only thing in your life that gives you joy. Please work on finding other things in your life to make you a more rounded person. Could you carry on a conversation with anyone who doesn't run? It's an interesting question.
Why not spend that time talking about Jesus? How much time you spent in prayer this week? Oh I don't like to talk about religion on Facebook. What are your thoughts about gay marriage? Oh, I really don't like to talk about that stuff on Facebook. What about teen sex and abstinence or safer sex? Oh I don't like to use Facebook to talk about personal issues. How about politics and where you stand and would like for our country? Oh, I don't like to talk about politics on Facebook. How about what you do for a living? Oh I hate my job, and my boss wouldn't like me talking about work on Facebook.
Hmmm... Well that's too bad. I guess we'll just keep reading how many miles you made it today. And you'll keep waiting for us to hit the "Like" button.
All things Olive:
WEN haircare
Botox (!)
Fall weather
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
I'm Back!-- and talkin' about kid shows....
Hello there! It feels good to be back. I haven't posted since our beloved LabbyDog passed away and I wrote his tribute. I've tried to come back a few times, but I just wasn't ready. But here I am! Done with school and ready to roll, so thank you for stopping by to read!
My baby boy has grown up in the time since I last posted. He is 2. I know, "terrible two's". Terrible two's is a true story. Living with a 2 year old is like living with a grizzly bear. Or what I imagine living with a grizzly bear to be. I don't know any grizzly bears. I don't know anybody who owns a grizzly bear either. But I would think if you owned a grizzly bear, you would try to keep him as calm and happy as possible at all times. Feed him honey, give him a big lake full of fish to play in, and just generally try to avoid bothering him in any way. That's how it is right now in our house with our 2 year old. I try to keep him as happy as can be, keep his bones all in one piece and keep his skin closed. Feed him when he seems to be grumpy and for goodness sake never, EVER wake him up in the precious hours of the day he retreats to his den to hibernate.
One way I've figured out to keep my grizzly cub subdued is to turn on the TV. Yes, my electronic babysitter tuned into Nick Jr is sure to give me an hour of uninterrupted peace to get things done like laundry, dinner, shower, and 22 rounds of Candy Crush. Don't judge. Recently, Papa Grizzly and I discovered NetFlix, which opened up a whole new world of bear cub entertainment. So for the past 2 years my TV has regressed from Mad Men and Real Housewives to Blues Clues and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends.
Now, most of these shows for kids must have had limited runs. It seems that way anyhow. I am pretty sure I've seen every episode of all of them at least 3 times. I've only seen every episode of Friends 6 times. Friends never gets old. Dora the Explorer- well, yeah. She gets old in about 5 minutes. It doesn't matter if I'm in the laundry room, kitchen, or upstairs scrubbing the toilets-- Dora's voice finds me and my ears start to twitch deep inside next to my brain and then I can feel my face get all frowny and I am ready to turn the TV off again and take the grizzly cub outside.
So I thought I would rate my top 5 worst kids shows and why I find them so irritating. Just for you, in case you're thinking of being a Mama Bear someday. I chose these based on their irritability inducing factor and the bad things they teach kids. Like monsters. And bad acting. And whining.
#5 Fresh Beat Band
This little gem of a show is not a cartoon. It's 4 grown adults trying very badly to act like high school students. I think. There are two girls and two boys and they play every instrument ever known to man and sing goofy songs while miniature kid versions of them dance along beside them. The 'gee golly gosh' ness of the whole show pretty much makes me ill. I mean, how much money are those adults getting paid to act so goofy? It can't be enough. they remind of the kids on Barney and how they acted SUPER-DEE-DUPER EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING. I wonder if it's the same kids, just grown up now? Like Justin and Britney from Mickey Mouse Club?
But anyway, back to the Fresh Beats. That's what they call themselves. The Fresh Beats.
They are neither fresh nor beating anything, so what gives? And what does the future hold for them? Are they ever going to land an Oscar worthy movie role after wearing neon outfits and singing "Reach for the Sky"??? I hate it.
Minutes until I change the channel: 17
Redeeming Factor: the song at the end of every episode has a cute dance that I have almost mastered.
#4 Jake and the Never Land Pirates
Jake and his friends are on Disney Jr. There's a ship, a Tinker Bell-like character whose name I forget, and Captain Hook who is always trying to steal whatever Jake and his friends have. This show is annoying because they try to awkwardly work in phrases like "yo ho!" and "yay hey!" and it just doesn't work. The most irritating thing is that Jake always feels sorry for Captain Hook.
Every time the good guys (Jake et al) win, Jake's like, "well heck, Captain Hook, come on over to my ship for dinner or something. Where you going?" Which completely goes against everything we've grown to love about Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow for the past 10 years..... Jake is too nice. And he practically wants to give his gold doubloons away.
Minutes until I change the channel: 9
Redeeming Factor: Sharky and Bones - real people who sing some kind of cute Pirate Rock song each episode.
#3 Mike the Knight
As far as I can tell, Mike the Knight hasn't been on for too long. I liked this show when I first watched it. It's about a young knight (Mike, duh) and his misadventures with his horse Galahad, and dragon friends Sparkie and Squirt. Mike has a sister, Evie, and at first I thought Evie was Mike's girlfriend. Whoops. Anyway, Mike is always getting into some sort of situation because he isn't using good listening skills or whatever and then he decides it is "time to be a knight and do it right!" and then he saves the day. I decided I didn't like this show anymore for 2 reasons. First, Mike and Evie can't speak unless they are whining. They have this sing songy "but Miiiiii----kkkkeee" kind of way of talking and I'm pretty sure that's why my dog gets up to go outside when this show is on. I think it makes her ears burn. Second, as if the whining wasn't bad enough, each episode has something to do with some kind of monster. Guess who is now afraid of monsters? Guess who had never heard of monsters until Mike the Knight? You guessed it-- my 2 year old grizzly. So now I have to say "No, monsters aren't real. No, there's no monsters" as I secretly wish a monster would rip Mike the Knight's head off mid whine: "But EEEEE-VVVVIIIIEEEE- ack!" Chomp.
Minutes until I change the channel: 2 seconds after monster talk
Redeeming Factor: the Troll family is kind of cute. And my grizzly bear learned the word "trebuchet" from this show.
#2- Tie. Dora the Explorer and Diego the... (what is Diego?)
Ok, I know you feel me on this one. Dora the Explorer is the just about unbearable for any parent who has ever suffered through it. And if she wasn't bad enough and wildly popular enough with children, they went and created her cousin and his very own show, Diego.
Dora and Diego have been around for a while. I know they are educational and I do think it's great to incorporate Spanish into our kids' vocabularies. Spanglish!
But I will never ever understand what kind of person is the mastermind behind Dora's demanding, bitchy voice and her big creepy eyes watching and waiting for you to answer her. I've caught myself doing whatever she says just so she'll blink.
"We need your help! Sing with us! Sing!"
"Can you say abuelo? Say it! Say it LOUDER! LOUDER!"
I can't take the pressure!!!
And Diego, well he manages to save any animal in the entire universe and never get bitten or stung or maimed. He's got a sister named Alicia (a-LEE-see-uh) and a camera named Click who really do all the work but Diego gets all the glory. Him and his Animal Rescue Center.
But somehow both of these shows lure my kid front and center where he parks his butt and follows every comand until the very end. Maybe I'll start saying "Dinner! We need your help! Wash your hands! FASTER! DO IT!" in my best Dora voice.
Minutes until I change the channel: until Map sings on Dora or Click takes a pic on Diego.
Redeeming factor: the "We Did It" song at the end that always makes my kid dance.
#1 Worst Kids Show on TV: Caillou
Did I spell that right? I'm not sure. Because who names their kid Caillou? What is that, French? Can you imagine?
"What's your name?"
"My name's Caillou!"
"I'm sorry, what's that again?"
"Caillou. Like 'kai-YOO' "
"Ok, Caribou, follow me".
You know how a popular character can spur a baby name boom; like Ariel, Dory, or Doug? Well, I am pretty sure nobody has EVER named their kid after Caillou, for fear somebody would say "After that TV show?!" because it would never be "Oh! I love that TV show!" Nope, it would always be "ohafterthatTVshow".
And do you know what his sister's name is? Well, with Caillou you'd think her name would be, oh I dunno, Monique or Yvette or JeanMarie or even something odd like Versailles. But it's not. His sister's name----> Rosie. I guess his parents lost their creativity after Caillou was born. Or they just got so tired of everybody saying "come again?" when they presented Caillou. They stuck with something nice and simple on Baby #2.
And why is Caillou bald? And why does he sound like a know it all girl?
I hate this show. Hate it. But guess what- my kid loves it. He loves to watch Caillou go find something grown up to do and ask his perfect mother and father for help. His perfect mother and father always patiently respond with "well, no Caillou, this is for grown ups" as they fix the sink or drive the car. Any real parent would be like "I have told you a hundred times NO, now go and watch Dora".
Minutes until I change the channel: I have to leave the room.
Redeeming factor: I got nuthin'.
So there you go. There's my take on the stuff kids watch these days. You might wonder if there are any shows I do like. There are. My number 1 favorite show on Nick Jr: Bubble Guppies. On Disney Jr: Doc McStuffins. So there. I'm not a total curmudgeon.
Until next time!
Meanie
All things Olive:
Marriage Equality wins in Minnesota! Yay
Graduation Yesterday!
Pinnacle Blackberry Vodka
My baby boy has grown up in the time since I last posted. He is 2. I know, "terrible two's". Terrible two's is a true story. Living with a 2 year old is like living with a grizzly bear. Or what I imagine living with a grizzly bear to be. I don't know any grizzly bears. I don't know anybody who owns a grizzly bear either. But I would think if you owned a grizzly bear, you would try to keep him as calm and happy as possible at all times. Feed him honey, give him a big lake full of fish to play in, and just generally try to avoid bothering him in any way. That's how it is right now in our house with our 2 year old. I try to keep him as happy as can be, keep his bones all in one piece and keep his skin closed. Feed him when he seems to be grumpy and for goodness sake never, EVER wake him up in the precious hours of the day he retreats to his den to hibernate.
One way I've figured out to keep my grizzly cub subdued is to turn on the TV. Yes, my electronic babysitter tuned into Nick Jr is sure to give me an hour of uninterrupted peace to get things done like laundry, dinner, shower, and 22 rounds of Candy Crush. Don't judge. Recently, Papa Grizzly and I discovered NetFlix, which opened up a whole new world of bear cub entertainment. So for the past 2 years my TV has regressed from Mad Men and Real Housewives to Blues Clues and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends.
Now, most of these shows for kids must have had limited runs. It seems that way anyhow. I am pretty sure I've seen every episode of all of them at least 3 times. I've only seen every episode of Friends 6 times. Friends never gets old. Dora the Explorer- well, yeah. She gets old in about 5 minutes. It doesn't matter if I'm in the laundry room, kitchen, or upstairs scrubbing the toilets-- Dora's voice finds me and my ears start to twitch deep inside next to my brain and then I can feel my face get all frowny and I am ready to turn the TV off again and take the grizzly cub outside.
So I thought I would rate my top 5 worst kids shows and why I find them so irritating. Just for you, in case you're thinking of being a Mama Bear someday. I chose these based on their irritability inducing factor and the bad things they teach kids. Like monsters. And bad acting. And whining.
#5 Fresh Beat Band
This little gem of a show is not a cartoon. It's 4 grown adults trying very badly to act like high school students. I think. There are two girls and two boys and they play every instrument ever known to man and sing goofy songs while miniature kid versions of them dance along beside them. The 'gee golly gosh' ness of the whole show pretty much makes me ill. I mean, how much money are those adults getting paid to act so goofy? It can't be enough. they remind of the kids on Barney and how they acted SUPER-DEE-DUPER EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING. I wonder if it's the same kids, just grown up now? Like Justin and Britney from Mickey Mouse Club?
But anyway, back to the Fresh Beats. That's what they call themselves. The Fresh Beats.
They are neither fresh nor beating anything, so what gives? And what does the future hold for them? Are they ever going to land an Oscar worthy movie role after wearing neon outfits and singing "Reach for the Sky"??? I hate it.
Minutes until I change the channel: 17
Redeeming Factor: the song at the end of every episode has a cute dance that I have almost mastered.
#4 Jake and the Never Land Pirates
Jake and his friends are on Disney Jr. There's a ship, a Tinker Bell-like character whose name I forget, and Captain Hook who is always trying to steal whatever Jake and his friends have. This show is annoying because they try to awkwardly work in phrases like "yo ho!" and "yay hey!" and it just doesn't work. The most irritating thing is that Jake always feels sorry for Captain Hook.
Every time the good guys (Jake et al) win, Jake's like, "well heck, Captain Hook, come on over to my ship for dinner or something. Where you going?" Which completely goes against everything we've grown to love about Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow for the past 10 years..... Jake is too nice. And he practically wants to give his gold doubloons away.
Minutes until I change the channel: 9
Redeeming Factor: Sharky and Bones - real people who sing some kind of cute Pirate Rock song each episode.
#3 Mike the Knight
As far as I can tell, Mike the Knight hasn't been on for too long. I liked this show when I first watched it. It's about a young knight (Mike, duh) and his misadventures with his horse Galahad, and dragon friends Sparkie and Squirt. Mike has a sister, Evie, and at first I thought Evie was Mike's girlfriend. Whoops. Anyway, Mike is always getting into some sort of situation because he isn't using good listening skills or whatever and then he decides it is "time to be a knight and do it right!" and then he saves the day. I decided I didn't like this show anymore for 2 reasons. First, Mike and Evie can't speak unless they are whining. They have this sing songy "but Miiiiii----kkkkeee" kind of way of talking and I'm pretty sure that's why my dog gets up to go outside when this show is on. I think it makes her ears burn. Second, as if the whining wasn't bad enough, each episode has something to do with some kind of monster. Guess who is now afraid of monsters? Guess who had never heard of monsters until Mike the Knight? You guessed it-- my 2 year old grizzly. So now I have to say "No, monsters aren't real. No, there's no monsters" as I secretly wish a monster would rip Mike the Knight's head off mid whine: "But EEEEE-VVVVIIIIEEEE- ack!" Chomp.
Minutes until I change the channel: 2 seconds after monster talk
Redeeming Factor: the Troll family is kind of cute. And my grizzly bear learned the word "trebuchet" from this show.
#2- Tie. Dora the Explorer and Diego the... (what is Diego?)
Ok, I know you feel me on this one. Dora the Explorer is the just about unbearable for any parent who has ever suffered through it. And if she wasn't bad enough and wildly popular enough with children, they went and created her cousin and his very own show, Diego.
Dora and Diego have been around for a while. I know they are educational and I do think it's great to incorporate Spanish into our kids' vocabularies. Spanglish!
But I will never ever understand what kind of person is the mastermind behind Dora's demanding, bitchy voice and her big creepy eyes watching and waiting for you to answer her. I've caught myself doing whatever she says just so she'll blink.
"We need your help! Sing with us! Sing!"
"Can you say abuelo? Say it! Say it LOUDER! LOUDER!"
I can't take the pressure!!!
And Diego, well he manages to save any animal in the entire universe and never get bitten or stung or maimed. He's got a sister named Alicia (a-LEE-see-uh) and a camera named Click who really do all the work but Diego gets all the glory. Him and his Animal Rescue Center.
But somehow both of these shows lure my kid front and center where he parks his butt and follows every comand until the very end. Maybe I'll start saying "Dinner! We need your help! Wash your hands! FASTER! DO IT!" in my best Dora voice.
Minutes until I change the channel: until Map sings on Dora or Click takes a pic on Diego.
Redeeming factor: the "We Did It" song at the end that always makes my kid dance.
#1 Worst Kids Show on TV: Caillou
Did I spell that right? I'm not sure. Because who names their kid Caillou? What is that, French? Can you imagine?
"What's your name?"
"My name's Caillou!"
"I'm sorry, what's that again?"
"Caillou. Like 'kai-YOO' "
"Ok, Caribou, follow me".
You know how a popular character can spur a baby name boom; like Ariel, Dory, or Doug? Well, I am pretty sure nobody has EVER named their kid after Caillou, for fear somebody would say "After that TV show?!" because it would never be "Oh! I love that TV show!" Nope, it would always be "ohafterthatTVshow".
And do you know what his sister's name is? Well, with Caillou you'd think her name would be, oh I dunno, Monique or Yvette or JeanMarie or even something odd like Versailles. But it's not. His sister's name----> Rosie. I guess his parents lost their creativity after Caillou was born. Or they just got so tired of everybody saying "come again?" when they presented Caillou. They stuck with something nice and simple on Baby #2.
And why is Caillou bald? And why does he sound like a know it all girl?
I hate this show. Hate it. But guess what- my kid loves it. He loves to watch Caillou go find something grown up to do and ask his perfect mother and father for help. His perfect mother and father always patiently respond with "well, no Caillou, this is for grown ups" as they fix the sink or drive the car. Any real parent would be like "I have told you a hundred times NO, now go and watch Dora".
Minutes until I change the channel: I have to leave the room.
Redeeming factor: I got nuthin'.
So there you go. There's my take on the stuff kids watch these days. You might wonder if there are any shows I do like. There are. My number 1 favorite show on Nick Jr: Bubble Guppies. On Disney Jr: Doc McStuffins. So there. I'm not a total curmudgeon.
Until next time!
Meanie
All things Olive:
Marriage Equality wins in Minnesota! Yay
Graduation Yesterday!
Pinnacle Blackberry Vodka
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Tribute- Part II
Our beautiful Copper was with us for over 12 years, so he deserves a proper eulogy.
Copper
"We are just going to look, we are not going to buy one today".
Back in 1999, I was working the night shift and talking about life as a newlywed when a coworker said "You guys need a dog. There's a posting in the break room for some chocolate Labs for sale". I thanked her for the info and planned on mentioning it to my husband soon. The next day I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to go see the pups, so we called and got directions to the home. He reminded me as we left the house: "We are just going to look, we are not going to buy one today".
Two hours later we were on our way home, with me in the driver's seat of my husband's truck, and he in the passenger seat cuddling an 8 week old, fuzzy brown puppy wrapped up in a towel. My husband was all smiles. The pup was terrified. The puppy peed all over him, and my husband just cooed and giggled at how cute he was. He chose the perfect name: Copper.
Life with a puppy was scary! My husband ran out that night for food, a bowl, a kennel, a collar, a leash, and a stuffed toy while the puppy and I stayed home and sized each other up. I didn't take my eyes off of him, watching for him to pee in the house. He couldn't stop looking around, trying to figure out where his litter mates were. By the time my husband returned with all the doggy fare, I had just about decided we'd made a bad decision. We both worked night shift-- how would we sleep in the day? Wouldn't the puppy be scared while we were gone? What if he hates his kennel? What does he eat?
And that first night didn't do much to calm my worries. Copper cried all night. We had him in his new kennel with some blankets and a toy, but he wanted his mama. We took turns getting up to soothe him but it was one long night.
I took him to the vet the next day. She told me everything I needed to know about puppyhood. Feeding, chewing, grooming, obedience training, boarding-- all things I hadn't thought about, and I was very thankful. The vet that day would later be the same vet who took care of us all on the day of Copper's passing. I take so much comfort in that.
Copper was an awesome puppy. Anything we tried- he learned right away. Sit? No problem! Potty? Where's the door?! Swim? Sure, let's go! Car ride? Hmmm, that one took a while. He was car sick in the early days, and jumped out of a moving car (once and only once) but after that he was always up for going somewhere.
Copper also learned our vocabulary, and there were certain words we couldn't say around him without getting a response. We had to stop asking each other "Honey, are you hungry?" because we always got a 4 legged friend at our side in response, tail wagging, YES! as an answer. We also couldn't say "Go, treat, bye, swim, park, or walk" unless we were directly speaking to Copper. If anybody accidentally said "walk", you'd might as well grab a leash and put your shoes on, because he wasn't going to let you forget it.
Over the years Copper also became a top notch food thief. He could sniff food out anywhere and he wouldn't stop until he got it. We had to put all food either in the pantry or up high on top of the refrigerator so he wouldn't press his big nose in it. One year I hosted a holiday dinner which featured turkey as the main course. Halfway through dinner I heard a crash in the kitchen, and turned just in time to see Copper running through the house with one large, greasy turkey carcass locked in those jaws. He also made off with a whole box of candy corn, a loaf of bread, uncooked sweet potatoes, a whole tray of ham roll ups, and a peanut butter pie in his day. He loved any kind of party, because he knew he had a good chance of patrolling the tables for food while the attendees were otherwise occupied. But I think the funniest food episode for me was the morning I came downstairs to find plastic on the living room floor. I couldn't figure out what it was, and the more I looked, the more I saw. They were candy wrappers. I had bought individually wrapped peppermints for Christmas and put them out in a holiday bowl. Sometime during the night, Copper had eaten every single one, but left every single wrapper.
Copper also ate plenty of non-food items. He ate my husband's wedding ring. My husband's wallet. A pack of pencils. A tray of CD's. Q tips. Toilet paper off the roll. Our dining room table leg. Every blanket that ever went into his kennel. On and on I could go. Thankfully we never had to rush him to the vet for any blockages in that solid steel gut of his.
When he wasn't eating, he was working. He was always on patrol. Copper alerted us to any bump or knock that could be potential danger to our house. One night he growled softly, just enough to wake us up, in the middle of the night. We shushed him and went back to sleep. The next morning we found that our truck had been broken into right in our driveway. We learned from then on to take him seriously. I can safely say that in the past 12 years, Copper never let one doorbell ring or door knock go by without alerting us with a string of howling barks followed by a floor shaking trample to the door. As much as it drove us crazy, I miss it now, and I feel a little less safe without him here.
But above everything else, Copper was a teacher. He taught me to loosen up a little. He showed me that no matter what happened out in the world, I always had unconditional love at home. He showed me that dogs have more senses than we humans could imagine or even understand. They just know things. Copper knew when we were packing up to go on a trip, and he was the most excited one of us. He knew when we were sad, and he would lay his head on our knee in sympathy. He knew when people around him needed extra care- he never pushed a baby down, never jumped on an elderly person, and never complained if someone wasn't quite as aware of him. My dad called him the smartest dog in the world, and I have to agree.
About 3 years ago, Copper started showing signs of old age. He couldn't jump up in the truck as quickly, he hesitated before heading up the stairs, and he couldn't swim in the lake for as lng as he once could. I worried. I panicked, actually. What on earth were we going to do? Copper wasn't supposed to get old. I'd say my worries played a big part in my decision to bring home a stray in 2009 (Cami). She is a terrier mix, a completely different personality from Copper, but something about her stole my heart. Turns out she was really good for Copper. She kept him young, she made him play even when he didn't want to. She teased him and barked at him and got him moving when he might have just laid around all day.
Having her here now is helpful, but Copper's presence is definitely missed. No one barks when the doorbell rings. Nobody woke us up when it stormed the other night (Copper HATED storms). Nobody barks at the back door to remind us to let them in. And nobody wakes us up in the morning to tell us to get up and put food in the dog bowl. Cami is just a different personality than Copper altogether. She's special in her own way. But Copper's absence is definitely felt.
Someday when Cami starts to show signs of aging, I'll probably be compelled to rescue another dog. Call it what you will, I can understand how that seems cruel- looking for a new dog when the primary dog starts to get old. But I don't see it that way. I just keep thinking back to that day in November, 1999, when my husband said "We are just going to look, we are not buying one today". Because that is the last day I went without having a dog in my life. And even with the raw pain of losing Copper and the tremendous ache in my chest right now that just won't seem to go away, Copper taught me that my house is not a home without the love of a dog. And so we will carry on and honor him by always opening our hearts and home to dogs that find us, and I will always be thankful for the chance to love a dog like Copper.
Until I see you again, rest in Heaven buddy.
Copper
"We are just going to look, we are not going to buy one today".
Back in 1999, I was working the night shift and talking about life as a newlywed when a coworker said "You guys need a dog. There's a posting in the break room for some chocolate Labs for sale". I thanked her for the info and planned on mentioning it to my husband soon. The next day I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to go see the pups, so we called and got directions to the home. He reminded me as we left the house: "We are just going to look, we are not going to buy one today".
Two hours later we were on our way home, with me in the driver's seat of my husband's truck, and he in the passenger seat cuddling an 8 week old, fuzzy brown puppy wrapped up in a towel. My husband was all smiles. The pup was terrified. The puppy peed all over him, and my husband just cooed and giggled at how cute he was. He chose the perfect name: Copper.
Life with a puppy was scary! My husband ran out that night for food, a bowl, a kennel, a collar, a leash, and a stuffed toy while the puppy and I stayed home and sized each other up. I didn't take my eyes off of him, watching for him to pee in the house. He couldn't stop looking around, trying to figure out where his litter mates were. By the time my husband returned with all the doggy fare, I had just about decided we'd made a bad decision. We both worked night shift-- how would we sleep in the day? Wouldn't the puppy be scared while we were gone? What if he hates his kennel? What does he eat?
And that first night didn't do much to calm my worries. Copper cried all night. We had him in his new kennel with some blankets and a toy, but he wanted his mama. We took turns getting up to soothe him but it was one long night.
I took him to the vet the next day. She told me everything I needed to know about puppyhood. Feeding, chewing, grooming, obedience training, boarding-- all things I hadn't thought about, and I was very thankful. The vet that day would later be the same vet who took care of us all on the day of Copper's passing. I take so much comfort in that.
Copper was an awesome puppy. Anything we tried- he learned right away. Sit? No problem! Potty? Where's the door?! Swim? Sure, let's go! Car ride? Hmmm, that one took a while. He was car sick in the early days, and jumped out of a moving car (once and only once) but after that he was always up for going somewhere.
Copper also learned our vocabulary, and there were certain words we couldn't say around him without getting a response. We had to stop asking each other "Honey, are you hungry?" because we always got a 4 legged friend at our side in response, tail wagging, YES! as an answer. We also couldn't say "Go, treat, bye, swim, park, or walk" unless we were directly speaking to Copper. If anybody accidentally said "walk", you'd might as well grab a leash and put your shoes on, because he wasn't going to let you forget it.
Over the years Copper also became a top notch food thief. He could sniff food out anywhere and he wouldn't stop until he got it. We had to put all food either in the pantry or up high on top of the refrigerator so he wouldn't press his big nose in it. One year I hosted a holiday dinner which featured turkey as the main course. Halfway through dinner I heard a crash in the kitchen, and turned just in time to see Copper running through the house with one large, greasy turkey carcass locked in those jaws. He also made off with a whole box of candy corn, a loaf of bread, uncooked sweet potatoes, a whole tray of ham roll ups, and a peanut butter pie in his day. He loved any kind of party, because he knew he had a good chance of patrolling the tables for food while the attendees were otherwise occupied. But I think the funniest food episode for me was the morning I came downstairs to find plastic on the living room floor. I couldn't figure out what it was, and the more I looked, the more I saw. They were candy wrappers. I had bought individually wrapped peppermints for Christmas and put them out in a holiday bowl. Sometime during the night, Copper had eaten every single one, but left every single wrapper.
Copper also ate plenty of non-food items. He ate my husband's wedding ring. My husband's wallet. A pack of pencils. A tray of CD's. Q tips. Toilet paper off the roll. Our dining room table leg. Every blanket that ever went into his kennel. On and on I could go. Thankfully we never had to rush him to the vet for any blockages in that solid steel gut of his.
When he wasn't eating, he was working. He was always on patrol. Copper alerted us to any bump or knock that could be potential danger to our house. One night he growled softly, just enough to wake us up, in the middle of the night. We shushed him and went back to sleep. The next morning we found that our truck had been broken into right in our driveway. We learned from then on to take him seriously. I can safely say that in the past 12 years, Copper never let one doorbell ring or door knock go by without alerting us with a string of howling barks followed by a floor shaking trample to the door. As much as it drove us crazy, I miss it now, and I feel a little less safe without him here.
But above everything else, Copper was a teacher. He taught me to loosen up a little. He showed me that no matter what happened out in the world, I always had unconditional love at home. He showed me that dogs have more senses than we humans could imagine or even understand. They just know things. Copper knew when we were packing up to go on a trip, and he was the most excited one of us. He knew when we were sad, and he would lay his head on our knee in sympathy. He knew when people around him needed extra care- he never pushed a baby down, never jumped on an elderly person, and never complained if someone wasn't quite as aware of him. My dad called him the smartest dog in the world, and I have to agree.
About 3 years ago, Copper started showing signs of old age. He couldn't jump up in the truck as quickly, he hesitated before heading up the stairs, and he couldn't swim in the lake for as lng as he once could. I worried. I panicked, actually. What on earth were we going to do? Copper wasn't supposed to get old. I'd say my worries played a big part in my decision to bring home a stray in 2009 (Cami). She is a terrier mix, a completely different personality from Copper, but something about her stole my heart. Turns out she was really good for Copper. She kept him young, she made him play even when he didn't want to. She teased him and barked at him and got him moving when he might have just laid around all day.
Having her here now is helpful, but Copper's presence is definitely missed. No one barks when the doorbell rings. Nobody woke us up when it stormed the other night (Copper HATED storms). Nobody barks at the back door to remind us to let them in. And nobody wakes us up in the morning to tell us to get up and put food in the dog bowl. Cami is just a different personality than Copper altogether. She's special in her own way. But Copper's absence is definitely felt.
Someday when Cami starts to show signs of aging, I'll probably be compelled to rescue another dog. Call it what you will, I can understand how that seems cruel- looking for a new dog when the primary dog starts to get old. But I don't see it that way. I just keep thinking back to that day in November, 1999, when my husband said "We are just going to look, we are not buying one today". Because that is the last day I went without having a dog in my life. And even with the raw pain of losing Copper and the tremendous ache in my chest right now that just won't seem to go away, Copper taught me that my house is not a home without the love of a dog. And so we will carry on and honor him by always opening our hearts and home to dogs that find us, and I will always be thankful for the chance to love a dog like Copper.
Until I see you again, rest in Heaven buddy.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A Tribute, Part I
He was such a beautiful part of my life, he deserves a fitting obituary. A eulogy will follow, but this is all I can manage right now.
Copper
Our beloved Chocolate Lab, Copper, passed away on Monday, January 16, 2012. He was 12 years, 3 months old.
Copper was born September 25, 1999 in Mooresville, Indiana. We brought him into our lives in November 1999, one month after we married. Since his canine parents were AKC registered, we named him "Miller's Bright Copper Penny" for fun, to make his name regal and important. But he was really named Copper after Disney's "Fox and the Hound".
Copper loved swimming, riding on the boat, barking when the doorbell rang, road trips, long walks, and trolling the kitchen for food.
Copper never knew he was a dog. We didn't treat him like one. He was a family member to us. He was smart, funny, kind, and gentle. He was a constant source of love and comfort to all who knew him.
He spent his last months resting and passing on his duties as family guardian to his little sister, Cami. He welcomed our son into our family with us, and was forever patient and kind as little infant hands and feet climbed on him and pulled his ears or nose.
His passing was peaceful but heartbreaking. We thank everyone for the calls, texts, messages, and thoughts.
Olive You Copper
Copper
Our beloved Chocolate Lab, Copper, passed away on Monday, January 16, 2012. He was 12 years, 3 months old.
Copper was born September 25, 1999 in Mooresville, Indiana. We brought him into our lives in November 1999, one month after we married. Since his canine parents were AKC registered, we named him "Miller's Bright Copper Penny" for fun, to make his name regal and important. But he was really named Copper after Disney's "Fox and the Hound".
Copper loved swimming, riding on the boat, barking when the doorbell rang, road trips, long walks, and trolling the kitchen for food.
Copper never knew he was a dog. We didn't treat him like one. He was a family member to us. He was smart, funny, kind, and gentle. He was a constant source of love and comfort to all who knew him.
He spent his last months resting and passing on his duties as family guardian to his little sister, Cami. He welcomed our son into our family with us, and was forever patient and kind as little infant hands and feet climbed on him and pulled his ears or nose.
His passing was peaceful but heartbreaking. We thank everyone for the calls, texts, messages, and thoughts.
Olive You Copper
Friday, December 9, 2011
Who Gets It--- and who don't
Ok, so if we are Facebook friends you probably have already seen random posts from me either singing someone's praises or ranting about crappy treatment. So I decided to take to my blog to list who really "gets it" when it comes to one thing Olive- Customer Service. Also, I decided to list who really has dropped the ball lately for me.
WHO GETS IT:
Aden & Anais- this little company makes the most beautiful muslin blankets for infants. They are perfect for swaddling, sunshades, snuggle blankets- everything. I received 2 as shower gifts and LOVE them! Aden and Anais also manufactures a wearable sleep blanket in that same, lovely muslin. I bought one for my son. Within 3 washings the zipper pulled apart after being zipped and there was a small tear under the arm hole. I called the customer service line, and within 4 days I received a brand new wearable sleep blanket- just that simple. I will continue to buy their products for anyone I know who is having a baby (you know who you are!!! Yes, you are getting Aden and Anais!) because they Get It.
Sushi Club- on the West side of Indianapolis, there is an old Pizza Hut building that has been inhabited by several failed restaurants in its day. Blame it on the location, blame it on the demographic, blame it on the menus or prices -- maybe the place is cursed. And along comes a beautiful young lady named Anna who hosts and waitresses the latest venture and single handedly destroys the curse. Sushi Club is an all you can eat sushi restaurant. Yep, sounds cheesy doesn't it? But the food is beautifully presented, priced exceptionally well, and tastes perfect each and every time. Anna is energetic, smiling, and she takes the time to explain everything on the menu. She has even gotten to know us and our family, and for that we say She Gets It.
The Buckle- ok, when I was in high school, The Buckle was a place that sold average looking jeans and lots of flannel shirts and sweaters. They've quietly changed over the years, selling higher end brands in a wide range of cuts and sizes. I've been in and out a few times, but today I went in again because, quite frankly, I needed help finding the perfect jean. Yep, they're a little pricey, but I surrendered when I walked in and said "Help Me. I am 9 months post baby and I. need. jeans." and they swept me away like Cinderella's mice and, well, took the time to help me find what worked. Oh, and guess what? The jeans that fit were too long, so they do ALTERATIONS FOR FREE. And for that, I say, The Buckle Gets It.
Creation Cafe Waitress named Lauren- Downtown Indianapolis has a jewel in "The Canal". It's a 3 mile loop that is popular for joggers, runners, bikers, and those of us lucky enough to work near enough to spend lunch hours there. Creation Cafe is a restaurant located in a renovated church at one end of the canal. It's a favorite of my work team, and we were particularly happy to meet Lauren recently at our holiday party. She was fun, courteous, helpful, and well, She Gets It.
Athleta- I discovered my love for Athleta after my decidedly more athletic mother directed me to their swimsuits this past summer If you like yoga pants, workout wear, sporty jackets, comfy sweaters, and stretchy dresses that you can dress up or down- go here now. Athleta was originally an online and catalog only company. They are now opening stores in large cities. They're owned by Gap, Inc. which explains why I like them because I've always been a Gap/Old Navy style girl. The best thing about Athleta is that their loyal fans take the time to post reviews on every item, so you can see if you should "size up" or if that skirt really doesn't do well on "pear shapes", etc. If you don't like an item- simply put it back in the bag that it came in (YEP!) and send it right back to 'em. Just that simple. Athleta Gets It.
So.....
There have been a few of you out there that haven't fared so well lately. I will keep it brief, because maybe you were just having an off day.
The Pharmacy at which my company forces me to buy my prescriptions- Not once, but TWICE this week there have been communication issues between The Pharmacy and two separate physician offices concerning two separate prescriptions for my family. In both instances, further investigation showed that The Pharmacy failed to do one simple thing to fix the problem- pick up the phone. Not good.
Qdoba- in their quest for maximum efficiency, Qdoba never fails to aggravate me. Slow Down! I haven't decided yet if I want salsa, much less which of YOUR FOUR kinds I want! And don't reach for the black beans only to give me a frowny face when I say, No, I don't want beans. Stop, look, listen. Geez.
Amazon- this week Amazon dropped the ball when they decided to pass the buck on a missing package to my parents house. After some persistence on my father's part, they decided to take the path of least resistance and re-send the product, but didn't really seem to care much other than that. And their customer service department is -- you guessed it -- overseas. Meh.
So there ya go. I will post more if you guys like this post. Share your comments of Who Gets It below so I can visit and give them props next time.
xoxo,
Carmeanie
All things Olive this week:
My beautiful, loyal, noble, geriatric-child Copperdog. You have my heart.
Hot and Sour soup
Pinterest
WHO GETS IT:
Aden & Anais- this little company makes the most beautiful muslin blankets for infants. They are perfect for swaddling, sunshades, snuggle blankets- everything. I received 2 as shower gifts and LOVE them! Aden and Anais also manufactures a wearable sleep blanket in that same, lovely muslin. I bought one for my son. Within 3 washings the zipper pulled apart after being zipped and there was a small tear under the arm hole. I called the customer service line, and within 4 days I received a brand new wearable sleep blanket- just that simple. I will continue to buy their products for anyone I know who is having a baby (you know who you are!!! Yes, you are getting Aden and Anais!) because they Get It.
Sushi Club- on the West side of Indianapolis, there is an old Pizza Hut building that has been inhabited by several failed restaurants in its day. Blame it on the location, blame it on the demographic, blame it on the menus or prices -- maybe the place is cursed. And along comes a beautiful young lady named Anna who hosts and waitresses the latest venture and single handedly destroys the curse. Sushi Club is an all you can eat sushi restaurant. Yep, sounds cheesy doesn't it? But the food is beautifully presented, priced exceptionally well, and tastes perfect each and every time. Anna is energetic, smiling, and she takes the time to explain everything on the menu. She has even gotten to know us and our family, and for that we say She Gets It.
The Buckle- ok, when I was in high school, The Buckle was a place that sold average looking jeans and lots of flannel shirts and sweaters. They've quietly changed over the years, selling higher end brands in a wide range of cuts and sizes. I've been in and out a few times, but today I went in again because, quite frankly, I needed help finding the perfect jean. Yep, they're a little pricey, but I surrendered when I walked in and said "Help Me. I am 9 months post baby and I. need. jeans." and they swept me away like Cinderella's mice and, well, took the time to help me find what worked. Oh, and guess what? The jeans that fit were too long, so they do ALTERATIONS FOR FREE. And for that, I say, The Buckle Gets It.
Creation Cafe Waitress named Lauren- Downtown Indianapolis has a jewel in "The Canal". It's a 3 mile loop that is popular for joggers, runners, bikers, and those of us lucky enough to work near enough to spend lunch hours there. Creation Cafe is a restaurant located in a renovated church at one end of the canal. It's a favorite of my work team, and we were particularly happy to meet Lauren recently at our holiday party. She was fun, courteous, helpful, and well, She Gets It.
Athleta- I discovered my love for Athleta after my decidedly more athletic mother directed me to their swimsuits this past summer If you like yoga pants, workout wear, sporty jackets, comfy sweaters, and stretchy dresses that you can dress up or down- go here now. Athleta was originally an online and catalog only company. They are now opening stores in large cities. They're owned by Gap, Inc. which explains why I like them because I've always been a Gap/Old Navy style girl. The best thing about Athleta is that their loyal fans take the time to post reviews on every item, so you can see if you should "size up" or if that skirt really doesn't do well on "pear shapes", etc. If you don't like an item- simply put it back in the bag that it came in (YEP!) and send it right back to 'em. Just that simple. Athleta Gets It.
So.....
There have been a few of you out there that haven't fared so well lately. I will keep it brief, because maybe you were just having an off day.
The Pharmacy at which my company forces me to buy my prescriptions- Not once, but TWICE this week there have been communication issues between The Pharmacy and two separate physician offices concerning two separate prescriptions for my family. In both instances, further investigation showed that The Pharmacy failed to do one simple thing to fix the problem- pick up the phone. Not good.
Qdoba- in their quest for maximum efficiency, Qdoba never fails to aggravate me. Slow Down! I haven't decided yet if I want salsa, much less which of YOUR FOUR kinds I want! And don't reach for the black beans only to give me a frowny face when I say, No, I don't want beans. Stop, look, listen. Geez.
Amazon- this week Amazon dropped the ball when they decided to pass the buck on a missing package to my parents house. After some persistence on my father's part, they decided to take the path of least resistance and re-send the product, but didn't really seem to care much other than that. And their customer service department is -- you guessed it -- overseas. Meh.
So there ya go. I will post more if you guys like this post. Share your comments of Who Gets It below so I can visit and give them props next time.
xoxo,
Carmeanie
All things Olive this week:
My beautiful, loyal, noble, geriatric-child Copperdog. You have my heart.
Hot and Sour soup
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
New verbs and nouns
Today, as I was leaving the cash register at Walgreen's, I said "thank you" as the check out guy handed me my bag. He said "No problem" in return. No problem? Ok, um, "yes, I agree"? I was perplexed. No problem is what you say when someone does you a favor.
"Thanks for changing my tire".
"Thanks for spotting me $5 at lunch today".
"Thanks for taking 5 minutes to read this blog".
All of these are cases in which "No problem" is perfectly acceptable. But not when you ring up 2 items and throw them in a plastic bag. Heck, I did all the work! I had to swipe my card, approve it, and sign for the receipt. What exactly did you do again, that could have put you out in any way whatsoever in which you felt it was appropriate again to say "No problem"? Should I correct him? Should I say something random back, like "Merry Christmas!" But I suspect then I would be a problem and certainly not doing myself any favors.
Hrmpf.
Anyway, I was at Walgreen's to buy some tylenol and my beloved Sunday paper. I only want the Sunday paper for one thing: the coupons. I officially addicted to couponing, folks. No, no, no, not in the way that those people on "Extreme Couponing" are- I have never walked out of the store with hundreds of dollars in merchandise having spent only pennies. But I am getting better at it, and thought I'd share how it all got started.
I can remember taking a class my freshman year of high school that was called General Business. I think it was supposed to be a course designed to teach you basic skills about managing your money when you got to be all grown up but I could be way off. I can't remember what we did for an entire year, but I very clearly remember two topics in the curriculum: how to balance a checkbook, and how to use coupons.
Balancing a checkbook was something I was darn good at. When I graduated college and got my grown up job and my grown up apartment and my grown up bills- I loved to get my monthly bank statement. I would sit down with the checkbook register and a big calculator, and spend the next hour or so making sure it balanced perfectly, right down to the penny. I did this every month, diligently putting check marks in the column in the register for cleared checks, logging the ones that were still outstanding, etc. I was a freak about it. I couldn't put down my pencil until everything came out right. I once closed an account and started all over with a new one because I couldn't get the checkbook to balance.
Needless to say, balancing a checkbook is a lost art. Who writes checks anymore??? And who gets paper statements anymore, for that matter? (My parents are reading this and saying out loud "ME!") But for the rest of us, it's so easy to get online and check your account activity in real time that I doubt there are anymore students sitting in General Business class learning to balance a register.
And as for the coupon lesson- we were told to gather coupons out of the Sunday papers and categorize them in some sort of shoe box or other organizational method to show us how frugal we could be. The lesson was: organize all your coupons and when you run out of an item, just go to your trusty shoe box and pull out the coupon you stored away just for that occasion, take it to your grocer, and save money just like that. Well, I think after that class I never touched a coupon again for 20 more years.
Because 20 years later I had a baby. And 20 years later coupons have made a huge comeback.
There's even a new word; Couponing. Couponing is now a verb! And a new noun- couponer. Are you a couponer?
In the months before I had my son, we started getting all kinds of coupons in the mail for diapers and formula. And, well, when you start out as a new mom, you have no idea which formula or diapers your baby is gonna like. So there is potential for a lot of wasted money. So I took my coupons with me to try different brands to ease the pain of wasting money if he didn't like one. And I was hooked. There is no reason to ever buy diapers, wipes, baby food, or baby wash items without coupons-- they are everywhere! Companies are throwing them at me right and left!
Also, TLC began airing a show called Extreme Couponing. This is 30 minutes of TV that leaves you asking a lot of questions- the editing has got to be outrageous, but basically they profile men and women who have mastered the art of walking out of the grocery store with carts full of products without paying much over what one item alone would cost. I can't say I am a fan of this show, because I don't think it's 100% real~ I don't have time to list all my doubts here, but I watch the show because it's kind of like watching That's Incredible back in the 80's and it's mildly entertaining.
So, here's what I've learned in the good 6 months I have been couponing that I didn't learn in General Business.
Couponing is all about stockpiling. Most coupons or deals are "Buy 2 get ___ ", so you often bring home multiples of the same item. Before you begin to seriously start using coupons, dedicate some space in your house for all your "investments". I've got my "pharmacy" stock pile in our guest bedroom. I figure, if anybody comes to stay with us and they discover upon unpacking that they forgot their toothbrush/deodorant/razor like I tend to do, they are all set, because I have plenty of each in our stockpile!
"Investments" are items that you don't need at that moment, but you have a coupon, plus a store sale, which makes the deal too good to pass up. I have lots of these items. This is why the General Business class failed me and why most people don't use coupons. Most of us grocery shop on auto-pilot--> walking up and down the aisles only half paying attention, swinging out an arm at the appropriate time to snag the item off the shelf and into the cart without a second glance. Couponing changes ALL that.
Couponing takes lots of time. But not as much as you think. There are people out there who operate websites that do all the work for you. A Google search will get you started, but basically these kind folks tell you that the coupon in last Sunday's paper for cottage cheese, plus the buy-one-get-one-free sale at Kroger makes for one heck of a price on cottage cheese and you should go. The time factor comes into play when you have to sort through your coupons, reading fine print, checking expirations dates on the coupons, and just basically making a fool of yourself standing in the aisle blocking cart traffic as you try to find that dang cottage cheese coupon.
Couponing will not make you any friends in the checkout line. People behind you just LOVE it when you have a massive haul of items, then when the cashier gets all done ringing everything up, you hand over a huge stack of coupons that beep every time he/she scans one and they have to go back and verify that you did indeed buy the 16 ounce cottage cheese that qualifies you for the coupon. You can feel their eyes burning holes into the back of you head.
But, couponing can win you friends in the aisles. If you have a coupon that you know you are not going to use, and you leave it behind for me- you are my friend. I love these little treasures! This just happened to me yesterday, and I snagged 4 cans of soup instead of just the 2 I had planned to buy, thanks to the friend who left behind their coupon.
Catalina coupons are not trash. Catalinas are the check out coupons that print out before or after your receipt does. These are store deals and they're usually good for some type of item that is similar to whatever you just purchased, on your next visit. Target has awesome catalina coupons, especially for baby items. I was able to use 2 of these on baby food that was on clearance. I ended up getting 4 jars of baby food for less than the price of 1, thanks to my catalinas.
Some products are so easy to buy with coupons- others aren't. You can expect to have a whole pile of health and beauty coupons, pet product coupons, and coupons for cleaning and laundry products. Think of the money you save on these items as the buffer for the fact that produce and meat coupons are virtually non-existent. You just have to watch sale bills for those things.
I haven't adopted any of the habits like garbage surfing for discarded Sunday papers or scouring the internet for printable store coupons that the pro's do, and I don't plan to. I am having fun with it. Nothing's better than getting your receipt and seeing the total percentage saved at the bottom.
Since I've started using coupons, our pantry is better stocked, and we have cut down on how much we eat out for dinner. I am not keeping a running total of savings or anything like that, but I know I have saved a fair amount of money and I have changed how I think about shopping now. I have gone from buying what I need to buying what I can get a deal on and saving it. What am I gonna do with all that deodorant or all that toothpaste? Dunno. Stocking stuffers? Maybe someday I'll be so good at it I can donate boxes and boxes of stuff to charity, like I saw on one of those episodes of Extreme Couponing.
Today is Sunday and I couldn't wait to get my coupons out of the paper and see what may be in my purchasing future. Imagine my disappointment when I opened it and there were no coupons. Seems the trend has gotten so popular that my coupon friends aren't above taking coupons from other papers. Either that or there were none in the paper this Sunday. I hope it's the latter.
All things Olive today:
Chocolate/vanilla swirled marshmallows
Season premieres on TV
My son's laugh
"Thanks for changing my tire".
"Thanks for spotting me $5 at lunch today".
"Thanks for taking 5 minutes to read this blog".
All of these are cases in which "No problem" is perfectly acceptable. But not when you ring up 2 items and throw them in a plastic bag. Heck, I did all the work! I had to swipe my card, approve it, and sign for the receipt. What exactly did you do again, that could have put you out in any way whatsoever in which you felt it was appropriate again to say "No problem"? Should I correct him? Should I say something random back, like "Merry Christmas!" But I suspect then I would be a problem and certainly not doing myself any favors.
Hrmpf.
Anyway, I was at Walgreen's to buy some tylenol and my beloved Sunday paper. I only want the Sunday paper for one thing: the coupons. I officially addicted to couponing, folks. No, no, no, not in the way that those people on "Extreme Couponing" are- I have never walked out of the store with hundreds of dollars in merchandise having spent only pennies. But I am getting better at it, and thought I'd share how it all got started.
I can remember taking a class my freshman year of high school that was called General Business. I think it was supposed to be a course designed to teach you basic skills about managing your money when you got to be all grown up but I could be way off. I can't remember what we did for an entire year, but I very clearly remember two topics in the curriculum: how to balance a checkbook, and how to use coupons.
Balancing a checkbook was something I was darn good at. When I graduated college and got my grown up job and my grown up apartment and my grown up bills- I loved to get my monthly bank statement. I would sit down with the checkbook register and a big calculator, and spend the next hour or so making sure it balanced perfectly, right down to the penny. I did this every month, diligently putting check marks in the column in the register for cleared checks, logging the ones that were still outstanding, etc. I was a freak about it. I couldn't put down my pencil until everything came out right. I once closed an account and started all over with a new one because I couldn't get the checkbook to balance.
Needless to say, balancing a checkbook is a lost art. Who writes checks anymore??? And who gets paper statements anymore, for that matter? (My parents are reading this and saying out loud "ME!") But for the rest of us, it's so easy to get online and check your account activity in real time that I doubt there are anymore students sitting in General Business class learning to balance a register.
And as for the coupon lesson- we were told to gather coupons out of the Sunday papers and categorize them in some sort of shoe box or other organizational method to show us how frugal we could be. The lesson was: organize all your coupons and when you run out of an item, just go to your trusty shoe box and pull out the coupon you stored away just for that occasion, take it to your grocer, and save money just like that. Well, I think after that class I never touched a coupon again for 20 more years.
Because 20 years later I had a baby. And 20 years later coupons have made a huge comeback.
There's even a new word; Couponing. Couponing is now a verb! And a new noun- couponer. Are you a couponer?
In the months before I had my son, we started getting all kinds of coupons in the mail for diapers and formula. And, well, when you start out as a new mom, you have no idea which formula or diapers your baby is gonna like. So there is potential for a lot of wasted money. So I took my coupons with me to try different brands to ease the pain of wasting money if he didn't like one. And I was hooked. There is no reason to ever buy diapers, wipes, baby food, or baby wash items without coupons-- they are everywhere! Companies are throwing them at me right and left!
Also, TLC began airing a show called Extreme Couponing. This is 30 minutes of TV that leaves you asking a lot of questions- the editing has got to be outrageous, but basically they profile men and women who have mastered the art of walking out of the grocery store with carts full of products without paying much over what one item alone would cost. I can't say I am a fan of this show, because I don't think it's 100% real~ I don't have time to list all my doubts here, but I watch the show because it's kind of like watching That's Incredible back in the 80's and it's mildly entertaining.
So, here's what I've learned in the good 6 months I have been couponing that I didn't learn in General Business.
Couponing is all about stockpiling. Most coupons or deals are "Buy 2 get ___ ", so you often bring home multiples of the same item. Before you begin to seriously start using coupons, dedicate some space in your house for all your "investments". I've got my "pharmacy" stock pile in our guest bedroom. I figure, if anybody comes to stay with us and they discover upon unpacking that they forgot their toothbrush/deodorant/razor like I tend to do, they are all set, because I have plenty of each in our stockpile!
"Investments" are items that you don't need at that moment, but you have a coupon, plus a store sale, which makes the deal too good to pass up. I have lots of these items. This is why the General Business class failed me and why most people don't use coupons. Most of us grocery shop on auto-pilot--> walking up and down the aisles only half paying attention, swinging out an arm at the appropriate time to snag the item off the shelf and into the cart without a second glance. Couponing changes ALL that.
Couponing takes lots of time. But not as much as you think. There are people out there who operate websites that do all the work for you. A Google search will get you started, but basically these kind folks tell you that the coupon in last Sunday's paper for cottage cheese, plus the buy-one-get-one-free sale at Kroger makes for one heck of a price on cottage cheese and you should go. The time factor comes into play when you have to sort through your coupons, reading fine print, checking expirations dates on the coupons, and just basically making a fool of yourself standing in the aisle blocking cart traffic as you try to find that dang cottage cheese coupon.
Couponing will not make you any friends in the checkout line. People behind you just LOVE it when you have a massive haul of items, then when the cashier gets all done ringing everything up, you hand over a huge stack of coupons that beep every time he/she scans one and they have to go back and verify that you did indeed buy the 16 ounce cottage cheese that qualifies you for the coupon. You can feel their eyes burning holes into the back of you head.
But, couponing can win you friends in the aisles. If you have a coupon that you know you are not going to use, and you leave it behind for me- you are my friend. I love these little treasures! This just happened to me yesterday, and I snagged 4 cans of soup instead of just the 2 I had planned to buy, thanks to the friend who left behind their coupon.
Catalina coupons are not trash. Catalinas are the check out coupons that print out before or after your receipt does. These are store deals and they're usually good for some type of item that is similar to whatever you just purchased, on your next visit. Target has awesome catalina coupons, especially for baby items. I was able to use 2 of these on baby food that was on clearance. I ended up getting 4 jars of baby food for less than the price of 1, thanks to my catalinas.
Some products are so easy to buy with coupons- others aren't. You can expect to have a whole pile of health and beauty coupons, pet product coupons, and coupons for cleaning and laundry products. Think of the money you save on these items as the buffer for the fact that produce and meat coupons are virtually non-existent. You just have to watch sale bills for those things.
I haven't adopted any of the habits like garbage surfing for discarded Sunday papers or scouring the internet for printable store coupons that the pro's do, and I don't plan to. I am having fun with it. Nothing's better than getting your receipt and seeing the total percentage saved at the bottom.
Since I've started using coupons, our pantry is better stocked, and we have cut down on how much we eat out for dinner. I am not keeping a running total of savings or anything like that, but I know I have saved a fair amount of money and I have changed how I think about shopping now. I have gone from buying what I need to buying what I can get a deal on and saving it. What am I gonna do with all that deodorant or all that toothpaste? Dunno. Stocking stuffers? Maybe someday I'll be so good at it I can donate boxes and boxes of stuff to charity, like I saw on one of those episodes of Extreme Couponing.
Today is Sunday and I couldn't wait to get my coupons out of the paper and see what may be in my purchasing future. Imagine my disappointment when I opened it and there were no coupons. Seems the trend has gotten so popular that my coupon friends aren't above taking coupons from other papers. Either that or there were none in the paper this Sunday. I hope it's the latter.
All things Olive today:
Chocolate/vanilla swirled marshmallows
Season premieres on TV
My son's laugh
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Giving Thanks
Helllooooo? Anybody in here? Is this thing on? *blows dust off the keyboard*
Well, I am just appalled. One of my NY's resolutions was to blog more. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. Last post was in April. April! Avril! And it wasn't even a very long one! If you're reading this and still have interest in my mundane posts, thank you. I had lunch with a very good friend today and she said "why aren't you blogging?" and, uh, um... Good question. So here I am!
Let's see....
I am back to work full time. Our baby is almost 5 months old now- more on that in a minute. And I just signed up to resume my long, drawn out journey toward finishing my Master's degree-- one.class.at.a.time. Sigh. Hey, it doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you enjoy the journey, right Mom?
Being a working mom works for me. I would be lying if I said I never dream of days of packing up my boy and heading to the coffee shop to read the paper and lounge around every day with him. But I like being at work. I like being around people, learning. (that whole paycheck thing is nice, too). But I couldn't do it without, and I am so very, very, (one more time with a nod to the big man above) VERY grateful that I have it, a job that has flexible hours. And flexible locations. Oh heck, let's just throw in flexible dress code, too, because some days I am too tired to worry about ironing slacks or even matching, for that matter. We're also lucky that my husband has a schedule that puts him home more than not, so our baby is only in day care a couple of days a week. Did I mention how thankful I am?
Ok, so that's a good segue into babyland. Being my son's mommy is awesome. 4-5 months is a really fun age. He's smiling and giggling and well, just being a baby. We just got professional pics done last weekend (I know, I know, it only took me 4 months) and I was one proud Mama. I wanted to buy every single picture they snapped. He didn't smile one single time, hahahaha.
I can't remember what life was like without him. He is part of my every thought and every move. My favorite part of the day is the hour before his bedtime. Uninterrupted baby coos, giggles, hugs, snuggles- what is better than that? I have been reading him bedtime stories since the beginning and am pleasantly surprised at how philosophical some of them are. (uh, what is she talking about?) My current favorite is the Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton. There's a line in there: "We don't do much thoughout the day. That's how we like it best. We nibble grapes, we watch the waves. We take a little rest". I read this page over and over. Take a little rest. Maybe if we all read children's books every day we'd all be a little nicer and a lot wiser. But I digress.
Back to mommyhood: I recently went on my first overnight business trip since he was born, and I did very well. That's another thing I'm thankful for-- my parents are excellent babysitters. I was able to miss him, but not worry about him, because I knew he was just fine. I didn't mind two whole nights of uninterrupted sleep since March either.......
Sleep. Too much to say about that-- it's a whole 'nother blog.I........so.....tir- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
*snore*
w-huh? What? I'm awake!
Where was I?
Oh yes. So I'm getting by. I remember Dr Phil a long time ago (back when his show was good-- a lonnnnng time ago) said something like "you bring a child into your life, you don't change your life around a child" and it stuck with me. My husband and I wondered it aloud many times while I was pregnant-- "are we gonna change completely after this baby comes until we don't recognize ourselves? Because we kinda like who we are and how life is and that would just be weird." Maybe not those exact words but I think we both try very hard to balance parenthood and stay true to who we were as a family for the first 11 years before we had a baby. (If you're reading this and thinking "uh, yeah, I haven't seen you since that baby came along" it's me, not you. Call me, write, send a homing pigeon, I will be there.
I'm rambling.
So, to summarize: I'm loving every second of being with my baby, I'm working, I signed back up for classes, and I really need to blog more so my posts aren't as unorganized as this one.
All things Olive today:
My teams (work and home)
Coupons (a future post!)
Cranberry Cherry Malibu Rum (I told ya I didn't change too much)
Well, I am just appalled. One of my NY's resolutions was to blog more. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. Last post was in April. April! Avril! And it wasn't even a very long one! If you're reading this and still have interest in my mundane posts, thank you. I had lunch with a very good friend today and she said "why aren't you blogging?" and, uh, um... Good question. So here I am!
Let's see....
I am back to work full time. Our baby is almost 5 months old now- more on that in a minute. And I just signed up to resume my long, drawn out journey toward finishing my Master's degree-- one.class.at.a.time. Sigh. Hey, it doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you enjoy the journey, right Mom?
Being a working mom works for me. I would be lying if I said I never dream of days of packing up my boy and heading to the coffee shop to read the paper and lounge around every day with him. But I like being at work. I like being around people, learning. (that whole paycheck thing is nice, too). But I couldn't do it without, and I am so very, very, (one more time with a nod to the big man above) VERY grateful that I have it, a job that has flexible hours. And flexible locations. Oh heck, let's just throw in flexible dress code, too, because some days I am too tired to worry about ironing slacks or even matching, for that matter. We're also lucky that my husband has a schedule that puts him home more than not, so our baby is only in day care a couple of days a week. Did I mention how thankful I am?
Ok, so that's a good segue into babyland. Being my son's mommy is awesome. 4-5 months is a really fun age. He's smiling and giggling and well, just being a baby. We just got professional pics done last weekend (I know, I know, it only took me 4 months) and I was one proud Mama. I wanted to buy every single picture they snapped. He didn't smile one single time, hahahaha.
I can't remember what life was like without him. He is part of my every thought and every move. My favorite part of the day is the hour before his bedtime. Uninterrupted baby coos, giggles, hugs, snuggles- what is better than that? I have been reading him bedtime stories since the beginning and am pleasantly surprised at how philosophical some of them are. (uh, what is she talking about?) My current favorite is the Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton. There's a line in there: "We don't do much thoughout the day. That's how we like it best. We nibble grapes, we watch the waves. We take a little rest". I read this page over and over. Take a little rest. Maybe if we all read children's books every day we'd all be a little nicer and a lot wiser. But I digress.
Back to mommyhood: I recently went on my first overnight business trip since he was born, and I did very well. That's another thing I'm thankful for-- my parents are excellent babysitters. I was able to miss him, but not worry about him, because I knew he was just fine. I didn't mind two whole nights of uninterrupted sleep since March either.......
Sleep. Too much to say about that-- it's a whole 'nother blog.I........so.....tir- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
*snore*
w-huh? What? I'm awake!
Where was I?
Oh yes. So I'm getting by. I remember Dr Phil a long time ago (back when his show was good-- a lonnnnng time ago) said something like "you bring a child into your life, you don't change your life around a child" and it stuck with me. My husband and I wondered it aloud many times while I was pregnant-- "are we gonna change completely after this baby comes until we don't recognize ourselves? Because we kinda like who we are and how life is and that would just be weird." Maybe not those exact words but I think we both try very hard to balance parenthood and stay true to who we were as a family for the first 11 years before we had a baby. (If you're reading this and thinking "uh, yeah, I haven't seen you since that baby came along" it's me, not you. Call me, write, send a homing pigeon, I will be there.
I'm rambling.
So, to summarize: I'm loving every second of being with my baby, I'm working, I signed back up for classes, and I really need to blog more so my posts aren't as unorganized as this one.
All things Olive today:
My teams (work and home)
Coupons (a future post!)
Cranberry Cherry Malibu Rum (I told ya I didn't change too much)
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