Pop Up TV: Luxury or Necessity?

Sometimes there is a fine line between what we need and what we want, right? And sometimes even the most elaborate and frivolous sounding gadgets can even have purpose. Case in point - A pop up TV.

I like television. I find value in it for many reasons. I will admit right up front that I have used it as “childcare”. Week days from 9 to 2:30 is all I’ve got to work on my growing freelance writing business. If one of my kids is home sick or there is a snow day, I do not have the ability to not work that day. It’s a great day for a Star Wars marathon. There are a few shows that I enjoy watching with my kids because they stir up questions in them about how people treat one another, life choices, etc. Ellen is my dose of sunshine in any weather, as you know, and my kids are free to share in that with me, as well. You get it, right? I like TV.

What I don’t like is for it to be on all the time. I don’t like it as “background noise” and I don’t like the assumption that one gets to watch it. As much as I like it, I still consider it to be a privelage to anyone that must be earned, whether through good grades, completed chores, be it Me, Hubby or Kids.

I removed my Son’s TV from his room a couple of years ago because he didn’t respect the TV rules. It wasn’t just that he watched when he wasn’t supposed to, but because it RULED him. He saw it there, eyeballing him, and was a major distraction. Once it was gone, he didn’t even miss it. He reads in his room, builds things, uses his other resources. Out of sight out of mind.

Until they come into the living room. My kids come home from school and head straight toward the remote control. Which is odd because it was never a routine. It is off when they get home. They turn it on. I turn it back off and they move on. But they just HAD to do it to see if THIS DAY is the day they get away with it.

This is where the pop up TV comes in handy. You know, where the TV very gently is elevated up out of a cabinet or some type of furniture? That is what I need I think. It would make the room look more clean and streamlined, which I like, and would not be a constant antagonizer unto my kids. I know I know I am on a budget today. But since I was just a minute ago talking about the sacrifices we are making in this economy I got thinking about what I would like to splurge on if circumstances were different. Pop up TV would be my splurge. How about you?

I would put a timer on my pop up TV so that it would automatically come on and start playing my favorite workout Turbo Jam. Here is a clip of a couple of little ones all suited up and doing Turbo Jam. Too cute!

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Are you fancy?  Is this economy putting a damper on your bling?  Well you are not alone.  We are all making sacrifices today.

It is Friday and I am tired and feeling silly.  Work this week was demanding, while I was preparing for Halloween on Friday and Sari’s 9th birthday on Saturday.  Wednesday Drew informed me that he was playing Joe Biden in a skit for the entire school on Friday and mock election on Monday and needed help writing his speeches.  Okay.  We can make time for that.  Thursday he informed me that he needed a suit to wear to school on Friday.  I had houses to show and shopping to do but okay I would somehow find a suit to go with the white hair spray already requested to create his Biden ‘do for the play.

Meanwhile, the GM-Chrysler talks are getting more doom, gloomy, and real, so the worry of Hubby getting the ax from Chrysler soon is poisoning the focus of everything I have to do. So Halloween is over, birthday was fun, I have a house to show this afternoon and at this moment I am wondering about what kind of sacrifices people are making across the country.  Without Hubby’s income we would have to sell our house before we become another foreclosure statistic.  I heard about a big company a couple of weeks ago that said they were tightening their belts by enforcing that all their executives had to fly coach from now on.  Hm.  For some folks the worsening economy will mean no eating out, stricter grocery shopping lists, and a less elaborate Christmas.  For others, they may have to downsize and sell their Rolexes and replace them with replica watches to make it through the hard times.  Others will have to get second or even third jobs.  Still others are not affected at all as they sit high up on their hill, in their multi million dollar mansions, pointing fingers and making lists of whose jobs to cut so that the “company” can continue to “turn a profit”.

I sure didn’t see any sacrifices being made from the Bush Family when they splashed their daughter’s wedding all over the media.  I found that to be in poor taste while others said it was supposed to help our morale.  It didn’t work that way for me, how about you?

Ellen Degenerous helps my morale every day and she doesn’t do it by flashing material.  When she talks about the economy and people suffering, it is obvious she means it.  It is her goal to make us smile for an hour and give us a break from all the worry.  So in my own melancholy today I turned to YouTube for some Ellen fixes.  What I found that brought me some peace of mind was this clip of Barack Obama on David Letterman that I had not seen.  It’s a good interview, digging into politics a bit, while maintaining the spirit of the show.  Watch it if you haven’t seen it.  And if you are still among the few who actually think that Senator Obama called Sarah Palin a pig (lipstick on the pig), you must push play!

When I was a kid water was treated as an unlimited resource.  We watered our lawn constantly and didn’t think twice about leaving the hose running when we were washing our cars in the front yard.  The water ran all through tooth brushing, we took big baths and had no big water bills to deal with.  Things have changed!

I do remember being in elementary school when I started to learn about water conservation.  But it wasn’t really practiced in the real world yet.  Not like today.  I know it is important, but like maybe I am like an old dog learning a trick.  Sometimes I just don’t remember.  My  daughter always reminds me.  She was born into a world that is more concerned about water and the environment than my day and these issues burn in her.  I bet by the time she and her generation have kids we will no longer have a need for conservation “tips”.  It will be second nature to everyone.  We will simply be “efficient”.

Today we still need tips, though, so here are some easy things you can do in your household that you may not have considered.  We all know to turn off the water when brushing teeth, washing, shaving, etc.  But what if there are leaks?

Did you know that a small drip from leaky pipes or faucets can add up to 20 gallons of wasted water per day?  Checking for leaks is easier than you might think.

One way to check for hidden water leaks is to read your meter.  Do not run any water for 2 hours then read your meter again.  If the number is not exactly the same, you have a leak somewhere.

You can check the efficiency of the toilet by dropping some food coloring in the tank.  Within thirty minutes if the food coloring is escaping to the bowl you have a leak.

In addition to eliminating leaks you can manage your water usage by installing low flow faucets and water saving shower heads.

Any big project is difficult to commit to because there is so much work and change involved to get the job done.  But we don’t have to get the job done TODAY.  A change in attitude today and one small change in habit tomorrow will move you speedily toward conservation goals.  In fact, here’s a tip I ran across the other day that is such a no brainer I can’t believe it never hit me.  I let the water run until it gets really cold for a drink of water.  If you are like me and like cold water to drink, keep a pitcher of water cooling in the fridge at all times.  Duh!  Take it a step further by making it a Brita water pitcher and you never have to buy another bottled water again!

What is your favorite water conserving tip?

You know what I loved best about this summer?  Sitting on the back deck, sipping Starbucks or mojito, chit chatting with Hubby while the kids jumped on the trampoline and chased lightning bugs into the night.

My kids don’t really get to enjoy a lazy summer.  They still have to get up in the morning to go to work with me and show houses.  Not as early, of course because my appointments don’t start as early as school and there isn’t as much to accomplish before we leave.  But while other kids are out swimming or riding bikes, mine are riding around in a car and if they’re lucky, they get to explore some cool houses.

I feel bad a lot about how hard they work with me which is why when evening comes, dinner has been cleaned up and loose ends of the day tied up, we turn off our phones and head out to the backyard just to relax and be together.  The only thing that could have made it any better was some outdoor lighting. I keep saying I am going to get some festive hanging lights or one of those patio fireplaces, but other things just keep coming up, you know?

I guess things always will come up and there will always be things that need to be done and threaten to eat up all of our fun time.  That’s why this summer’s evenings were so important.  Now I need to find a winter time replacement.  Any ideas?

Isn’t that a cool name for a nutritional supplement store?  I sort of expect to walk into a big old warehouse and find workers in overalls putting together body parts.  But NO! The Body Building Factory helps you build your own body.  Pump it up and make it strong and healthy.

What gives?

Well Hubby accused me of not including FATHERS in “her family blog”.  I said, “You go to work and bring home the bacon.  You come home and eat dinner, then go to the gym or for a mountain bike climb.  You mow the lawn then you go to bed. Seriously Muffin, what are you giving me to work with?”  He told me I was not very creative for a creative type and pointed out several topics there.  “the pressure on men to provide for the family”, “changing meal menus to accommodate the high cholesterol fella”, (he said”stud”, I changed it to “fella”), “gym locker room etiquette: put that thing away before you poke somebody’s eye out” “protein powder”, “body building supplements” and “mountain bike training”.

Sure.  Now I have topics but still no content.  Except for protein powder.  I’m a consumer of that, too. I can work with it.  So here’s my protein powder tip.  When preparing your protein meal replacement shake, along with your protein powder and fruit, add a tablespoon of olive oil.  That satisfies your MUFA serving for that meal, as recommended in The Flat Belly Diet.  If you are familiar with Prevention’s The Flat Belly Diet, you know that it is not only the Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid that is important with each meal but the portion size as well.  One tablespoon is the proper MUFA portion.

There.  A post inspired by Big Daddy.  Do you think he will feel justified?

We know we want to be home with our kids.  We know we want to make money.  There are opportunities out there but it is difficult to make the commitment to a home based business or follow that dream of writing, dancing, painting, etc.  You can come up with your own reasons and motivation for going for it, you don’t need me for that.  I’m no expert anyway, I am still putting it all together myself.  Plus, you can find work at home strategies all over the internet.  Instead, I am starting a new segment called “Dangers of Working Outside the Home.”  Instead of citing all the reasons and opportunities for working at home, I am going to give you dangers of working outside the home and some ways to avoid potential disasters. Sound fun?

The first culprit of working outside the home that I am going to discuss is carrying too much stuff. My Mother warned me about this just about my entire life.  I never took the time to organize my bags.  I carried a gigantic purse with money, necessities, and two days worth of supplies to keep me glamorized.  As a healthy eater I would often have a can of Slim Fast, veggies, water bottles, or the like in a lunch type bag.  Then I would have a tote type bag filled with my “stuff”.  In college it was filled with books, binders, and supplies.  For work it was files, trade books, office equipment to work at home, etc.  Three bags, draped over my shoulders in one way or another.  This is dangerous.

It wasn’t until later that I related the pain in my shoulder, neck, and arm to the heavy loads I carried.

At some point in college in the late 80s I started wearing high heels.  It really made no sense running through parking ramps, up and down stairs, and across halls wearing these ridiculous heels, but I did it.  Bags in tact.  This was a whole new point of worry for Mom. She’d say, “You’re gonna break your ankle if you don’t slow down!”  “That’s too much to carry at one time, Cindy!  Take two trips!”

I didn’t listen.

She didn’t see it in her lifetime, but Mom was eventually right.  Headed out the door one day in 2003, double bagged, high in heels, running late for my new job… I went down.

You see there is a step leading from the house into the garage.  It is your typical garage step, a little bit steep.  In the doorway leading out to the garage there is a lip of trim.  My toe hit the lip and I bent forward.  Ordinarily I would have been able to save myself from falling with the strength of the other leg.  But guess what!  My bags were so heavy I couldn’t lift myself with one leg and therefore couldn’t recover.  All my body weight plus the weight of my bags landed on the top of my foot.  I’ll say it again.  The TOP of my foot.  The foot was bent completely under my leg.  Imagine walking on the top of your foot instead of the bottom.  That was the position I landed.  As I crawled across the garage floor to where my cell phone had been flung, my foot limply flopped behind me like a dead fish.  Ankle shattered on both the inside and outside of the foot.  Nasty.  Am a little queasy, actually, reliving it.

The trip itself was so minor, that’s the point I want to get across.  A teeny tiny trip of the toes.  But the weight of my bags pulled me straight to the ground before I had a chance to recover.

I can’t advise against running late, of course.  You don’t always have control of that.  I don’t advise against heels as long as you wear them responsibly and know your limits.  What would have saved me is an organized bag.  A bag like the Kenneth Cole double gusset one I have now.  This bag was a Christmas gift and I love it.  I am so much better organized and it encourages me to get rid of what I don’t need so that it is never heavier than it needs to be.  I have had it for almost 6 years now and it is as nice as it was when I first flung it over my shoulder.  I found some good prices on it, as well as some other brief and bag options, at this site called Delsey luggage.

If you are carrying an unorganized load of stuff, take a minute to get your things in order.  And if you don’t have a good bag to carry your things in, I recommend you make the investment.  It might have saved me months of surgery, wheel chair & crutch use, and lost wages.  I spent Christmas that year hopped on vicadin and didn’t even get to pass presents out to my kids.  Don’t let that happen to you. 

In the meantime, enjoy this footage of a model falling down on the runway.  You will notice that her heels are very high and she is carrying a heavy bucket.  Without the bucket she would have probably recovered!  If you have a policy of not laughing when people fall, focus your attention on the giggling newscasters who cannot stop laughing.

This is a post for all you Entrecard Droppers, Bloggers and Mommies Making Money.  I have an opportunity for you to be featured on the Entrecard Blog.

First of all, if you have a blog and you don’t know what Entrecard is, I urge you to go there right now.  It is the simplest and most enjoyable way to generate traffic to your blog.  You sign up and put the widget in your side bar.  Other Entrecard droppers drop their “card” off at your site on the widget. Then you return the favor by visiting their site and dropping your card on them.  And so on.  You literally get back what you put into it.  A “drop” is quicker than a comment so you can generate more traffic in less time.  *Don’t abandon your comment campaigns though!  You still need to establish those relationships.

Back to the featured blog.  Every Thursday on the Entrecard Blog I will be featuring a blog of high quality and “it” factor.  Do you have “it”?  Would you like to nominate another blog that you think has “it”?

Leave me a comment here, or for extra exposure of your blog, send it to me on Twitter!

And for everyone not participating in Entrecard I have a little something for you, too. The SNL Palin rap. It never gets old. Having received over 2 MILLION hits already just since Saturday it is hard to believe there is anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, but it you haven’t, PLEASE PLEASE click play.

For

Well November is right around the corner which means it is time to start seriously thinking about those Christmas lists.  One of my favorite things in the world is watches.  It’s a “like” that Hubby and I both share, however he tends to only be a fan of the more high end time pieces, whereas I love the all.  Silver, platinum, gold, or rubber!  It can’t be too blingy OR too funky for me.

Anyway, I was browsing  Movado Watches as a potential Christmas present for Hubby and I found this website that is offering 10% off selected watches.  Movado isn’t one of them, bummer for me, but the prices were reasonable anyway.

So click the link and check it out if you’re in the market for a new watch or thinking about giving one as a gift for the holidays.  They’re coming up quick!

This video is not really related to parenting and would probably be better served at a wedding blog but it is so delicious I just have to serve it up here.

We need comedy more than ever, don’t you think?  I, for one, currently find more value in laughter and encouragement, than tips and advice.  With all the rumors flying around about GM buying Chrysler and tens of thousands of Chrysler employees being let go, (Hubby is Chrysler employee) there is nothing more important to me than the power to stay positive and the motivation to keep going.  Whether you are stopping in to actually read the blog or just to drop your entrecard and generate traffic, I know you are feeling it too, to one degree or another.  I can tell by the comments I receive at my various blogs and the emails you send me that everyone has a story.  I think about you all when I write.

There are blogs I visit frequently that just make my day.  Sometimes for the humor and sometimes just because it seems like the author is speaking directly to me.  WooHoo!  Somebody “gets” me!  I don’t know what I can do to create that sense of “feel good” for my readers but I am thinking about it.  In the meantime I’m making a priority out of making you smile with the funny stuff I run across.

This particular video made me laugh so hard I cried.  My Son didn’t think it was that funny, and honestly, it shouldn’t be.  Wedding day mishaps suck.  The Bride has planned and primped and organized and spent money and prayed for perfection.  In a twisted way it is EXACTLY all that stuff that makes it so funny.  You KNOW the Bride and Groom laughed about it… eventually.  Why shouldn’t we?

3,4,5,6,7,8 have all been difficult ages for my daughter.  For every level, quiet moment she has, there will be at least five uneven, emotional outbursts.  But lately I notice something happening…

Blame it on turning nine in a couple weeks, or the affects of third grade, my daughter is becoming rational and in control.  Call it whatever you want to call it, I call it a miracle.  For years Sari’s reaction to anything not of her preference is an outburst.  Maybe crying, maybe yelling.  Usually stomping, body tightening, and sometimes throwing things.  Always tears.  Not weepy tears either, bawling baby tears.  I have been thinking it is never going to stop.

Now here is the thing though, as bad as she is, she’s twice as sweet.  She is thoughtful and caring and full of ideas and wonder for the world.  She dotes on me constantly making sure I have what I need, that my cough isn’t something serious, and makes me gorgeous, elaborate (un-edible–ssshhhhh) snacks.  When I call her my precious angel I mean it! She just happens to also have an evil devil alter ego.

So when Hubs, Bubs, and I were at dinner Saturday night and I saw Taco Salad’s number ringing in on my phone, I just knew something had happened.  Sari was having a sleepover there and before I answered I was quickly trying to convince myself that whatever news I was about to receive was no going to require me to abandon our dinner and drive an hour to Saginaw to get her.  Shame on me.

My Sis In Law, Taco Salad, said, “Dude what have you done with your daughter?”  (Damnit.  Started feeling around for the car keys in my purse).  But when I asked why, she told me how SUPER she had been.  Even cleaned up the whole play area and then some without being prompted.  (Sari doesn’t pick up ANYthing without some type of protest).  Just as an added bonus I was told that she was discussing the election and sharing her plans and reasons for running for office with the adults.

I was laughing and crying so that it was hard to tell what was going on with me.   I had noticed over the last month and a half that something was changing with here.  She walks a little differently, talks about different kinds of things, takes more pride in things, and tolerates direction better.  I guess it’s good.

Only here’s the problem.  She used to have this really silly innocent little girl grin.  Over night it was gone a couple weeks ago, I swear to God.  She went to bed a baby and woke up holding her upper lip differently and smiling differently.  I thought she had a sore mouth or something.  “What’s wrong with your face?” I squawked at her.  But it’s JUST her face.  Evolving.  Growing Up. Less giggling.  More worrying about all the new houses being built and trees being chopped down when there are already so many empty houses that need owners.  Did I mention that she doesn’t try and sneak in bed with me anymore?  Yessir.  She prefers her own bed now.

Sigh.

Maybe I’m deciding that 9’s not all it’s cracked up to be, after all.