This Side of Perfect

Resolutions are great, but...

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everybody! For many of us, we're probably home, enjoying the long holiday weekend.

Here it is the third week of January; how are you doing with your resolutions? Are you eating healthy? Exercising everyday? How's your household budget looking?

While I plan on shooting some free resources your way to help you with your health - both in diet and exercise - I want to focus on your financial health first. (Quick note: When I say "diet", I don't mean starve-yourself-so-the-scale-reads-the-numbers-you-want-to-see. I mean Healthy Lifestyle Change. But we will get back to that.)

I am most focused on financial health because this is where my family is at present. I'm not going to pretend that on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm a 10; not even close. However, I really like how David and his wife, Andrea over at The Coupon Wizards approach helping people get out of debt. Instead of trying to push product (either theirs or an affiliates), they present their readers with a use-what-you-have strategy. In other words, the help they provide both at the Coupon Wizards website and their sister website, Learning 2 Coupon - a financial blog for couples, for free.

And they are inspiring others to provide freebies to help people get out of debt.

I am one of those people. But really, I'm just sharing some linky love.

And passing on freebies.

The Budget of Your Life: Breaking the Chains of Debt by Kenneth B. Soward is offered as a free Kindle download. As a reminder to those who do not know, you can download the free Kindle app to your phone, PC or Tablet. Simply do a Amazon search for "Kindle App for _____" (whichever device you want to place the app).

I just downloaded it myself. I will be reading the book this week and will post a review. However, I wasn't sure how long this ebook would be available for free. The hardbound book is available for $9.99 - but going back to the original idea of this post - getting out of debt without spending money - I figure buying the book is kind of defeating the purpose. Especially when I can take the electronic version with me where ever I go.

So, I'm passing on the freebie.

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

Okay, real quick...

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:45:00 +0000

I know I said awhile back TMB was going to redo my blog. Well, life kind of got in the way. He got my button (over to the right) and my banner (it won't fit on this template) finished, but then he kind of went kaput.

Well, life has a funny way of working out. Out of the ashes of life comes something new and exciting. Just call my blog (and my life) a phoenix!

The phoenix grows old, disappears in a ball of fire, and out of the ashes, is born again.

Anyway, TMB bribed me to complete my homework early this week. He said if I did, he would help me get my blog up and running completely a la me, as opposed to borrowing wonderful templates on the web.

So...stay tuned!

Until next time...

All of life's lessons can be explained (and solved) with Yoda

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:35:00 +0000

For an early Christmas present, the Man Beast received Star Wars: The Complete Saga box set. It is his favorite epic movie of all time and he's having a good time showing the Kiddos a timeless classic. It has taken us awhile to get through it, but tonight, we watched Return of the Jedi. While I was watching it, particularly the scene when Luke Skywalker meets Yoda for the first time, it dawned on me that much of life can be explained with Yoda:

“Do or do not... there is no try.”

If you're going to do something, do it. If you approach something saying you'll try, it means that you will accept failure. Whatever we do in life, we should not accept failure. Instead, we should persevere.

“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”

Regardless of your size (your age, your education, or how much money you make), you can accomplish great things.

“[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.”

Success begins in the mind.

“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.”

Ultimately, we fear the unknown. Once it is known, we can begin to deal with it.

“The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is.”

While the dark side is primarily anger and fear in the movies, the dark side in our lives can be anything negative that clouds our judgement.

“Happens to every guy sometimes this does”

Stuff happens. To everyone. You are not alone. But it's also not the end of the world.

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:51:00 +0000

Everyday People

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:37:00 +0000

This past Saturday, I made a one-hour trek out of town in order to take one (of many!) teacher examinations. For those not familiar, thanks to No Child Left Behind (and good, ol' common sense), teachers actually have to prove they can teach your children. (I will let you know in a month if I qualify.)

When you're driving by yourself, attempting to keep yourself awake after waking up and getting out of the door before the sun even rises (and most people are enjoying their Saturday sleep-ins), you tend to find things to do to keep yourself entertained. Considering my Droid Incredible 2 was busy making sure I didn't get lost (Google maps. Greatest. Invention. Ever.) and texting and driving is a tad on the illegal (not to mention, stupid) side, I listened to music.

Traveling through towns, radio stations are a tad sketchy. If I find one I like, chances are, in a couple of minutes it's going to be nothing but static. And static is stressful! As luck would have it, I had cleaned out my car a couple of days prior, so I found a CD I complete forgot I had!

It was Reba's Duets album. It's a great album. It really is. But I had forgotten how great until I heard "Everyday People". The song outlines the lives of three groups of everyday people. College seniors build Habitat for Humanity houses during their Spring Break. A young mother is diagnosed with cancer and her friends and community pitch in to ensure her bills get paid. Another family moves into the Habitat house. (I'm getting chills just thinking about it.) The essence of the song is everyday people performing huge miracles by doing nothing more than just being there. Showing up. Doing the small odds-and-ends to help someone else in need.

In these past few weeks, I've encountered everyday people in my own life - family, friends, co-workers, and even complete strangers. I am in absolute awe (and gratitude) of people who reach out a hand to you during your time of need. The cynic in me thinks that reality TV shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is complete produced and artificial. But the woman who has been completely slapped up on the head by the beauty of humanity knows that while much of TV is produced, humanity is not. People are real. And I thank God they're there.

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

Real Quick

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:25:00 +0000

Seems like I'm getting these blog posts later and later. Once again, I'm procrastinating, however. I have a very large teacher test tomorrow morning. The testing site in an hour away, so I will have to leave my house at 6:30 am. This means I will probably have to wake up around 5:30 am. I know that I am not going to sleep well tonight, so I might as well spend my time doing a homework assignment that I've had eight weeks to do but will do in a day. Oh, and this blog post.

So, with money tight, everyone is looking for a way to make an extra buck, right? Unfortunately, many ways to make "easy money" are extremely time consuming, too "gimmicky" or just plain bunk.

Luckily, this isn't the case with Swag Bucks. I don't even remember how I found Swagbucks. It's just one of those things that I stumbled upon and have been using ever since.

Swagbucks is primarily a search engine where you can earn "bucks" for your searches. You can trade these bucks in for different prizes - both digital and real. My favorite item to cash in are Amazon and Pay Pal gift cards. Unlike other programs, Swagbucks doesn't take forever to accumulate points (if you use it on a regular basis - which if you look at the picture below, you will see I have not in the past - but times, they are a changin'!).

Fridays are the days to search because they are called Mega Swagbucks Day and you can earn up to 100 Swagbucks for one search! I didn't think it was possible as I've never gotten anything above 12 Swag Bucks, but today, I earned 25 Swag Bucks!

I have spent most of my Swag Bucks on Amazon gift cards (see the above picture), but I've also bought entries in a raffle (I didn't win) and a desktop background.

There are tons of other ways you can earn Swag Bucks, including watching videos or taking surveys. I don't do this since I'm a full time wife, mother, and student, but if *you* decide to do it, please give me a shout and let me know it how works - TurtleMom23ATgmailDOTcom. I have included the Swagbucks widget in this post. (You can also find it aaaaall the way at the bottom of my blog.) Simply click on the button that says SC (Swagcodes) and check to see if there are any listed. A lot of times, you can get Swagcodes delivered right to your Swagbucks homepage. Many of these emails include hints on where to find swagcodes (Swagbucks blog, etc) or by simply completing offers (they offer in difficulty and price. For example, some are completely free - likes games - while some are just trials - like Netflix).

Now, to go do homework!

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

Perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:23:00 +0000

Today was the first day back at work for me. Considering I'm still recovering from surgery, I'm absolutely exhausted.

However, one of my New Year's Resolutions (and the only one I plan on NEVER breaking) was to blog 366 days this year. So, since I don't have a lot of energy or brain juice left (and haven't quite gotten the time to schedule blog posts), I will make it short and sweet.

Priorities change. What was important to me 20 years ago is no longer important. What mattered then, doesn't matter now. My priorities now are different than my priorities then. Does it mean that my priorities then are less important than my priorities now? Absolutely not. Priorities change just as people change. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that we get older and we get wiser. Wisdom comes with age; it cannot be taught. I've said it before: I am much more comfortable with who I am as a 35 year old woman than I was as a 20 year old woman. I'm not any healthier (in fact, I'm less healthy). I'm not any richer (at least where material possessions are concerned).

I'm just in a better place.

Do you want to see my better place?


It's the simple things

The one person who knows me better than myself (scary!)

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

It's gonna cost ya...

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:16:00 +0000

I am a huge procrastinator. I can find something, anything to distract me from the task at hand.

Such was the case with my coupons. Between work, school, surgery and yes, procrastination, my coupon inserts piled up and up and up. A couple of months ago, I went through them. All of them were expired. In essence, money down the drain.

I vowed that I wouldn't let my couponing get the best of me. Well, you know what they say about good intentions...

I was looking for a way to procrastinate from doing homework the other day, so I decided to tackle my coupons. (At least it's a productive procrastination.) After several hours, I ended up with this:

This is several months worth of expired coupons. *hangs head in shame* While going through all these coupons, I found coupons that I would actually use adding salt to an already-opened wound. As I'm going through them, the following conversation transpires between TMB and myself:

Me: "I found a Hormel Chili coupon! Expired! *defeated*
TMB: ...
Me: "I found an eye solution coupon! Expired! *ashamed*
TMB: ...
Me: "I found a Tetely tea coupon! Expired...*disgusted*
TMB: "Have you learned your lesson?"
Me: ...

Yes, Mr. Man, I have indeed learned my lesson! When I was finished, I had a nice (albeit, smaller) pile of coupons:

Which I will file-whole inserts-here:

Why would I publicly bare my shame and procrastination? Why, to help you, of course. I know everyone is knee deep in resolutions. (It's everywhere! I saw a couple of nurses walking during their lunch break, for crying out loud!) Since I certainly can't teach you what to do, I can teach you what not to do.

The truth of the matter is: not being organized can cost ya - big time. The proof is in the pudding (well, pictures). I outlined three coupons that I found that were expired. These are brands/products that my family uses every month; these aren't obscure brands of the oh-I-don't-use-that-brand-so-it-doesn't-matter land. No, these were high-end coupons that could have saved me $3. What's $3?, you might say. $3 is a pound of ground beef when it's not on sale. It's a pound and a half when it is! $3 is a gallon of gas! $3 is a gallon of milk! You get my drift. I threw away $3. Trust me, it's a big deal.

Why am I rambling on about coupons when most of you don't use them for a variety of reasons (too much time, too much hassle, not enough money saved, etc)? Because if you have them and don't use them (especially if you have them for items you normally buy), you are wasting money. Still not connecting with you?

Okay, let me put this little spin on it - if you have bills due and you don't keep track of them (or their due dates!), you will incur late fees (which is pretty much free money to the companies because you aren't paying them for a service). Or, you lose that service (cable or internet isn't such a big deal, but electric, water and housing is a whole other story!)

And, since a lot of you are wanting to save money this year, getting organized with the stuff that matters is a very good way to do it. Is it common sense? Of course it is. Most of the things that we have to do to "fix" the things that are wrong in our lives is - simple common sense.

So, how do you get organized? Well, it largely depends on who you are. Taking coupons for example, there are several ways that people choose to organize them. Some people cut them out and file them individually in notebooks (been there, done that - it took too much time). Other people file whole coupon inserts (like me, it saves time - when you don't let them pile up). The same is true for bills. Some people choose to have their money automatically withdrawn from their accounts; others use online bill pay or other online bill paying system. Some people budget using Excel spreadsheets; others use simple pencil and paper. The point is: a system that works for you is the system you should work.

Steph over at Debt Free Through Spending is working with her husband to create a webinar series to help people help themselves get out of debt. It is completely free - their theory is that you shouldn't have to pay money to get out of debt. She and her husband have included free printable forms that go along with the webinars. By the way, in case you're wondering, I plan on undertaking the task of getting (more) debt-free in 2012. (Disclosure: Just sharing some linky love - I am not compensated in anyway other than helping you help you get out of debt.)

Until next time...

Catch a Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

With the right curve, you can avoid wipe outs.

Here in GA, school has been out since the 15th. The Boy had been doing K12 and was "in" school up to the 21st (we have decided to put him back into a brick and mortar middle school). I had surgery early in December and have been on medical leave since then. Basically, life has been one, long veg-fest. We've been staying up late, sleeping in late, eating late...basically, everything we've been doing has been bumped up a couple of hours. But this time is over.

Tonight is the first, official Girl Scout meeting of the year. Tonight, we also kick off Girl Scout Cookie Season. That's right; in just a few weeks, you'll be seeing rosy-cheeked cherubs help you break your New Year's Resolutions. (Tip: We take donations and we use those donations to send cookies overseas - our soldiers need the little comforts of home. You can help. Your waistline will thank you.)

Tonight also means that baths get taken on time and bedtimes are adhered to because tomorrow, bright and early, the Turtle Clan will be wide awake and ready to start a "new" year. Parents know that after Christmas break, the school year seems to fly by. As a parapro, I can say that the rest of the school year will be one deadline after another. It will be May 21st before I know it and Baby Girl will be "graduating" to sixth grade and The Boy will be heading to the high school. This will also be my last year working as a para before I quit to student teach next fall. Yikes! Stop this crazy roller coaster; I want to get off!

Okay, not really. Change is good. (Have you seen the new Lion King in 3D? You should). Change is also inevitable. We can't grow without change and we can't take all the good things that life has to offer without change. Sometimes change is painful. Sometimes change is emotional. But change is coming, like it or not. It is better to accept it for what it is and ride with it. But, are you a roller coaster enthusiast or a surfer? When you ride life like a roller coaster, you have no choice but to go where the ride takes you. This is life living you instead of you living life. But a wave is different. While you still can't control the wave (and if you're not careful, it can drowned you), you can control your moves. So, that instead of the wave wiping out, you ride the wave through. And what a wave it can be!

Cowabunga, dude!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Family Game Night with a Slightly Sick and Twisted Spin

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Whether by chance or choice, every year, the Turtle Clan has a themed Christmas. Where most people choose to decorate their Christmas tree to fit a yearly theme, we gift themed gifts. This year was the Game Year.

The Boy and Baby Girl got a wide variety of games this year, many not even electronic. The Boy wanted (and received) a chess set. Baby Girl wanted (and received) three Angry Birds board games. A game that was on The Boy's Amazon wish list (which I highly recommend, especially if you're a frequent Amazon shopper - we are) was a game called Munchkin.

Anyone familiar with Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic might easily merge into this Dungeons & Dragons-like card game "with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff".

The game is full of potty-humored styled cards. The game is played with the simply goal leveling to Level 10 as quickly as possible. Who cares if you stomp on friends and family along the way?

We played New Year's Eve for four hours. The first two hours were spent with the four of us playing; the last two hours were "the guys" against "the lone girl" (me) after Baby Girl went to bed. As customary of our game play, even though I pulled a pretty impressive kick-em-while-they're-down move, The Man Beast pulled an impressive I-always-win move and the game was over.

Munchkin has dozens of expansion packs which can be used with the basic game. The Munchkin website has videos, downloadables, and links to apps that can be used with the game. (The Man Beast downloaded the free Munchkin app in order to keep track of our levels/strength, but the paid app boasts a few tips and tricks for the game.)

The game can be played by 3-6 players and is geared toward the over 10 crowd. A note about some of the language/content of the game. It is filled with potty humor and contains a slight magic element (Boots of Butt-Kicking, Drooling Slime, etc). If your family has an aversion to potty humor or games like Magic, this game is not for you. However, if you're cool with Magic, there's a good chance you'll be triple cool with this game.

This post may contain affiliate links.

One of a Million New Year's post

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:33:00 +0000

Look around and you'll see that most everyone is posting some type of New Year's blog post this week. Check your blog rolls (or mine) for proof. I've looked at A Year in Review blogs, the best of the best blogs, most read posts blogs and my favorite: the new year resolutions (solutions, challenges, etc). Call me crazy, but I love these type of blog posts the best. Why? Because while most of us never keep our resolutions longer than a few ~~hours~~ ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ months, there is something magical about the New Year. It is a chance to change whatever it is that was messed up for you during the previous year. Common resolutions include:

1. Stop smoking
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Save more
5. Spend less
6. Get to the project that is sitting in the basket, closet, or garage
7. Spend more time with family

Did I hit them all? These are on most people's lists. (By the way, stay tuned for the end of this post for links to sites that can actually attempt to accomplish some of these solutions - Merry Christmas) Looking over the list, I see the stop to a lot of excess (smoking, eating, laziness, spending, procrastination). Amazingly enough, I don't think I've ever seen the following on a New Year's Resolution List:

You know, I really spend too much time with family. I really need to knock that off.

So, if our lists are made with good intentions, why do they fail? Too much, too soon, too fast? Perhaps. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Could it be that we forget the key component of these resolutions: ourselves? If someone wants to quit smoking (or do any of the aforementioned things), they must change long, ingrained habits. They literally have to change their way of thinking, acting, and maybe even their self talk. That's a lot of changin' goin' on!

So, what about doing one thing every day for a month. Just a month? Is it a doable? I think so. Fitarella has posed the challenge to her readers: Simply pick one thing to do every day for a month. When that month is finished, quit doing it. If you choose. Or continue doing it, but add a new "thing" that you will do every day for the next month. At the end of 12 months, you will have accomplished 12 mini goals. Even if you didn't stick with it, you did something. And that's saying something, right?

With all of this talk about resolutions, you might be asking: Do you have one? Yes. No. Like many of you, I never stick with resolutions. However, I have a feeling that this year is going to be different. You see, the same thing that convinced The Man Beast to quit smoking a year ago is the same thing that will motivate me to accomplish my resolutions: necessity. A year ago, TMB was so sick, he was hospitalized. Have you ever felt like you couldn't breathe and there wasn't a thing you could do about it? We are talking worse than the worst panic attack. This is what TMB felt. So, despite being on Chantix (which was causing all of the bad side effects listed on the side of the box), it was that stint in the hospital that scared him enough to allow him to quit cold turkey. No amount of nagging or guilt from the doctors or myself could do that. While I would never wish this scare on anyone, I am glad that The Man Beast was given a glimpse of what could be without having to go the whole nine yards. He was saved and for this, I am thankful.

My New Year's ~~resolutions~~ to-do list includes several things, many of which I will reveal throughout the months to come. If you haven't guessed, one of my items on my to-do list is to blog more often. I enjoy writing and just haven't done it as often as I should. Writing brings me joy and it gives me an outlet. It also allows me to connect with people who might be feeling/experiencing similar things. Ultimately, writing for me is just fun. Besides, when you've spent the past three years writing term papers, you need a fun outlet.

And now for those links I promised (all of them free to help you with Resolutions #4 & #5):

1. Quit smoking: Quit Net
2. Lose weight: Spark People Look me up: Surfette729
3. Get organized: FlyLady
4. Save more:Coupon Wizards
5. Spend less:Credit Karma Check your credit for free (100% and forever)
6. Spend more time with family: See the little red "x" at the top right corner of your computer screen? Click that. Then press your computer's power button to turn off your machine. Move away from your desk. Go find your family!

Until next time...

Old Souls

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Mkay, so it's been awhile since I've posted. But I was recently assured by Little Brother that there are actually people in cyberland who read me! In fact, when I logged on today, I noticed I had gained 15 more readers! How exciting!

Today, I added a cryptic status update on Facebook:

Somebody called {The Man Beast} and I old souls. I've recently grown to accept the fact. It's terribly alienating, though.

As a Christian, I certainly don't believe in a reincarnated soul - a classic definition of the term commonly found in any search engine. However, there is an undeniable characteristic that is shared by the Man Beast and myself. In fact, as she gets older, I even recognize the same characteristics in Baby Girl.

The Man Beast and I have been called The Old Married Couple. In fact we feel like an old married couple. A lot of this has to do with the fact that despite getting married at a very early age, there were certain attitudes we brought into our marriage - one of them being that divorce wasn't an option. It's funny when you take out this simple part of a very complex equation what it does to a person. Evidently, it makes you an old soul.
I think Old Souls are created, not born. I believe that circumstances, behaviors, and attitudes shape our overall being. For example, as a child, I communicated with adults far more than children my own age. I believe Baby Girl's old soul is the result of her anxiety. The Man Beast and I are both the oldest siblings of our families, each being considerably older than our brothers and sisters. Certainly this all attributes to something!

Regardless of how we came to be what we are, however, the result is the same. It is terribly lonely not being able to make any "real" connections with those around you. It causes others to perceive you as quiet, standoffish, shy (or worse), rude - none of which could be further from the truth.

To all the gamers out there, I can compare it to playing a role playing game (RPG) and having gone through all the levels before, despite it just being released to the public. Maybe it's because you've played a million games like it or maybe you're so familiar with the outline of how the game is played, you just know what to do. To your other gamer friends, you ruin all the surprises of the game - or you look like a show off. But in actuality, you're just tired of the game that everyone else seems to be so obsessed with.

And as I mentioned on Facebook, it can be terribly alienating.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Going to the ends of the earth

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:56:00 +0000

I snagged a free pair of Old Navy jeans from Crowtap!

If you are a friend of mine via Facebook or a follower via Twitter, then you might remember me briefly mentioning that I won a free pair of Old Navy Jeans through Crowdtap. They sent me a coupon for a free pair of ladies jeans and a second coupon to give to a friend!

I have had this coupon in my possession for over two weeks, however, I only got to Old Navy yesterday - THE LAST DAY UNTIL THE COUPON EXPIRED.

First, let me say that the closest Old Navy to my house is over an hour away. I had originally intended on getting the coupon over the summer and going then, but it didn't work out that way. Instead, I received the coupon as soon as school started and these past three weeks have been very hectic between work, school, and plain, ol' Murphey's Law.

I knew the coupon was expiring soon, so I quickly got the Friend Coupon to a friend and then had all intentions of going to Old Navy last weekend. Well, that didn't happen because I had so much homework to do.

THEN, I had made plans to have The Man Beast take me on Wednesday. Well, that didn't happen either.

So, I hopped in the car after work and drove an hour (ONE WAY) to snag my favorite brand of jeans. I actually ran into a few snags along the way and ended up getting back into town two hours late for Baby Gurl's Girl Scout pool party!

The cashier who run up my order was amazed. She asked me tons of questions about where I got the coupon and how I heard about the coupon. I told her about Crowdtap, where I can give my opinons and occassionally, they offer up free merchandise. Old Navy is a pretty big promotion right now and while I applied for both the tanks and the flip flops, it was the jeans for which I was chosen.

So, one might wonder, "Was it worth the almost-three-hour-trip just to snag a free pair of jeans?"

In a word - YES. But it wasn't just about the free jeans (although that is a nice perk). It was also the fact that they were Old Navy jeans. These are jeans that don't give you Mom Butt. When you wear Old Navy jeans you look your age, but you look like a good version of your age. Old Navy jeans are just an awesome jean. True story: I bought The Man Beast a pair of jeans almost 10 years ago and it was only THIS YEAR that they started showing wear and tear!

Oh! I forgot to say for the naysayers who might think that Old Navy is super expensive. Had I bought these jeans OOP (out of pocket), I would have paid $15. THEY WERE ON SALE! Like most higher end stores, if you shop the sales, you can get quality clothes at super discount prices. Go check em out!

This post may contain affiliate links. I received a coupon for a free pair of Old Navy jeans in exchange for giving my opinion. While the jeans rock, my opinion is honest and my own.

Summer is Officially Over

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:35:00 +0000

Hello dear friends,

This is just a small note to let you all know that summer has officially ended for us in GA. Baby Gurl has completed almost a week of 5th grade and seems to like it okay. The Boy will do K-12 this year and starts his classes on Monday. Work, while incredibly busy, is going well, too.

I have a few reviews to write. I will try really hard to work on them over the weekend, but I'm not making any promises.

I do promise to check in before next Friday, though!

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

A slight stall in plans

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Hello, friends.

I hope this blog post finds you well. No, my new design isn't quite finished yet. It's a longer process than what I would have ever imagined - really! I'll be doing a post on the process so you can share in TMB's ~~pain~~ joy in making his wife a blog template.

In the meantime, would you like to see my blog posts in a picture? Check this bad boy out:

Adjust shapes, colors, and layout; all with the touch of a button!

This was made with Tagxedo and you can use any of your words: blog posts, homework assignments (such as the one I'm supposed to be working on right now), Tweets...anything! You can even make totes and t-shirts and the like. Pretty neat, huh?

Okay, so it's not Piccasso...but it is a great time waster! Enjoy...

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate links.

Soon, very soon

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:02:00 +0000

My blog is in the middle of a transition. A few more tweaks, but I want to give you a preview. Would you like to see?

This is my button that will be up for grabs as soon as my new blog template goes live. Don't you just love it? I am completely in love with it!

Until next time...

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Book Review: The Chocolate Diaries

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Sometimes, life is less than sweet; sometimes, it down right bitter. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. Bad things happen. Sometimes, horrible things happen and we wonder how can this be if we have a Creator who loves us? Have we done something to anger God? How can we possibly have a relationship with Someone who seems absent during the times when we need Him most?

These questions plague us all at one time or another. Perhaps you are questioning God right now because of things going on with your life. I know I am. I have spent the better part of this year questioning Him. I'm not worried that God can't take it; He's much bigger than anything we can throw at Him. Believe me, He can take it. But what do you in the meantime - when you're trying to figure it all out?

Karen Scalf Linamen addresses these questions in her book The Chocolate Diaries: Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life. Don't let the title fool you - this is anything but spiritual chick-lit filled with regurgitated pablum. Instead, Linamen equates life as a messy recipe with paradoxical ingredients. Her prescription for all that ails is chocolate. Of course, after reading a few pages, one realizes that Linamen is using chocolate as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for fixing the bigger problems in life. (She does however, offer scientific proof that chocolate is good for us. Good to know since most of partake in it on at least a weekly basis!)

Linamen tackles a list of bitter sweet recipes that plague many women today. She offers solutions without being syrupy sweet or brow-beating. Intermingled between chapters are poignant discussion questions and chocolatey recipes. The chocolate theme used throughout the book is meant to bring common ground to women who are tackling tough situations in their lives.

The book offers up plenty of scripture on which the reader can study on her own time. Linamen does not attempt to regurgitate scripture which is something that most readers can really appreciate. After all, Scripture is meant to be digested on an individual basis, not consumed second-handed.

If you are looking for a small-group Bible study or just a personal Bible study, I would suggest The Chocolate Diaries. Don't let the chocolatey exterior fool you; there are some great nuggets of wisdom in Linamen's book.

This post may contain affiliate links. I received a hard copy of this book from Water Brook Press, however, my views are my own.

I have a secret weapon

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:14:00 +0000

I'm going to share something with you. This information is privy to only a select few. Even my closest friends and family don't know this little tidbit of juicy gossip. Are you ready?

My husband, The Man Beast himself, is a genius!

Okay, so I'm sure every woman says that about her husband, but in my case, it happens to be true. I'm not making grandiose claims simply because I love my man. What I say happens to be true and there is proof!

Proof #1 - He is a fabulous cook. Remember the birthday dinner he cooked for me?

Proof #2 - He is a fabulous husband. (See Proof #1)

Proof #3 - He is an excellent father. Oh the stories I could tell! The pictures I can post! (Perhaps I should create a series?)

Proof #4 - He is artistic. Very artistic. When we were dating, he drew a picture of a rose with an inscription. The inscription is private (sorry), but the meaning of the rose was to represent a love for me that would never die. (Awww)

TMB has recently taken his artistic abilities to a new level. Doing research on his own and playing around with very ~~expensive~~ impressive computer programs, he has put his talent into a digital realm.

Furthermore, he has agreed to develop a design for my blog! I gave him very little to go on and because he knows me so well, he has pounded out detail after detail of what this little blog means to me and what I want it to mean to the world. (Talk about grandiose!)

There is some tweaking to be done, but I'm very excited about the new design. Suffice it to say, it is well on it's way to being...perfect.

I cannot wait for you to see it.

Until next time...

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Sensational Haiku Wednesday: July 6, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:18:00 +0000

This week's haiku is free style. I only wish the following haiku was a work of fiction.

Summer is passing

Only four weeks left, really?

Where did the days go?

Quick! Get in the car

Pack your swim suit, towel, sunscreen

It’s time for the beach

In the car for hours

No beach in sight. Mercy me!

Mom, did you get lost?

It is getting dark

Time to head home now, children

But mom, where’s the beach?

Sigh. I can’t find it

GPS I do not have

Let’s try next summer.

Until next time...

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Did you notice?

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Look up on your browser bar and notice the URL. If you look, you'll notice that my blog no longer has the .blogspot.com extention. That's right! I am officially a domain owner! I have some ideas for my blog for the future and wanted to make sure that my perfect name isn't taken, so I decided to take the plunge! I also added a Feedburner button so you can follow myb blog in your reader. I will be adding a way to follow my blog via email as well. This way, my readers are kept abreast of new blog posts.

Until next time...

This post may contain affiliate linksOrder a schadenfreude movie on DVD now! .

It was a good day

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:21:00 +0000

Today was a good day. TMB had an extra day off from work and we chose to grill out for the third night in a row. To me, it was the epitome of Summer Vacation. I haven't really felt like the kids and I have been on Summer Break because we haven't really done anything as a family. TMB still has to work during the summer which means Sundays are the only Family Days. Here lately, I've been entirely unmotivated and have waited until the very last minute to get my homework done, which pretty much kills family time on Sunday.

But today was different. Today was lovely.

Left over newspaper from the chimney starter

TBM learned real quick that the Turtle household needed not one, but two chimney starters!

Char-Broil Smoker/Grill Combo - a Father's Day gift for TMB

After doing some research, TMB realized that natural charcoal was better than briquets - and cheaper, too!

A man and his knife: a deadly combination (Okay, not really...but it sounded good)

Wicket, the purebred Shitzhu and NuNu, the husky/lab/beagle mut. Notice who is begging.

Oh the deliciousness of it all

Not a homemade BBQ sauce, but tasty nonetheless

Coming along oh so nicely

I might be This Side of Perfect, but TMB is spot on!

Until next time...

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Home of the Free

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:54:00 +0000

As I sit here listening to The Boy and Baby Gurl wash dishes in the kitchen and TMB play his latest video game, I realize that I am blessed and it is today, in which we celebrate our nation's independence, that I understand that freedom is not free.

I have family in the military and a brother who came back to the states not too long ago. He hasn't talked a lot of about his tour in Afghanistan, but Jillian Micheals wrote a first-hand account of what she saw. The next time you complain that it is too hot (which let's face it, down here in the south, it is a daily topic of conversation), please keep in mind that our brothers and sisters in the military are dealing with 120+ degree temperatures. Whether you support the war efforts or not, it cannot be denied that we should support our troops in their efforts. Their tour of duties are anything but glamorous and pleasant and every part heroic despite being in the pits of hell.

Those same freedoms that you express every day: freedom of religion, freedom of press (thank you, bloggers), and freedom of speech, are thanks largely in part to the men and women who are fighting in the war that you may/may not oppose.

I urge you to take a moment to send a prayer/word of thanks for people who make our lives what it is today; especially if you're a woman, a person of color, or follow any faith. Our county has it's faults, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else and be what I am today.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Until next time...

Staying together, no matter what

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:21:00 +0000

So The Man Beast rolls over to face me the other morning and says, "Do you know that otters hold hands when they sleep to keep from floating away?"

"Really?", I said, "How do you know?"

TMB shrugs. "I read it online, somewhere."

I did some research and TMB is indeed correct. Otters are some pretty cool creatures. Not only do they have the thickest fur of all mammals (1 million hairs per square inch compared to our 100,000 follicles on our whole head) but they are also the only other mammals beside primates to use tools. They will lie on their backs and beat a clam against a rock until it breaks open. Industrious little creatures, no?

I think it's amazing that they are wise enough to know that they need to "band together" while they sleep lest they float away and fall prey to other animals.

After having this morning conversation with TMB, I have started thinking about my own relationship with my husband.

The Man Beast and I have been living like otters for the past 14 years. Every night, I will wrap my foot around TMB's. I do not remember a time in our marriage that I have not done this. This is our way of connecting to one another regardless of anything that might be keeping us apart (fatigue, sickness, etc). It is our way of holding hands so that we don't float away.

Life gets hectic. If you're not careful, you will drift away from those you care about unless you consciously make the effort to connect. The connection doesn't have to be extravagant; it just has to be meaningful to you.

Until next time...

Sensational Haiku Wednesday: June 29, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Is it really almost the end of June? Where has the month gone? School resumes in just four, short weeks!

This week's theme to Jenn's Sensational Haiku Wednesday, over at You Know...That Blog? is living.

Since I've always considered life somewhat of a rollercoaster, this is the bend I chose to take on this week's theme. It reminds me of the internet joke floating around about arriving in Heaven, not clean, pristine and neat, but all used up and saying, "Man! What a ride!"

Hold on for the ride

Rollercoaster lifts and drops

Get out your barf bag

After it all stops

After the world stops spinning

It was almost fun

You have survived it

Stronger; In one piece even

It wasn’t that bad

The Merry-Go-Round

Just goes round, and round, and round

What’s the fun in that?

In the moment; life!

Live it long, strong, loud and proud

You only get one

Until next time...

PSA for all New Moms: Do NOT Use Black Frosting - Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Iva Floyd) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:41:00 +0000

Okay, so first, I'd like to apologize for the quality of this picture. For starters, it is 13 years old. Second, it's a picture of a picture, courtesy of my wonderful MIL who keeps everything (good thing, too, because it's obvious that up until recently I sucked at keeping anything!) TMB took this picture while he was helping his mother move into her new place...which reminds me, I need to get over there and help her!

Anyway, about this picture: This is The Boy during his first birthday. His favorite *thing* at the time was the WalMart smiley face. You remember, right? Well, anyway, as a new mother, I got the ~~stupid~~ bright idea to make the cake and use black icing for the eyes and mouth.

This is a bad idea for so many reasons:

The picture. First birthdays are notorious for being messy; why add to your clean up misery?
Black frosting stains - a lot! (See Point #1).
Black frosting tastes disgusting! It is bitter and not the least bit palatable. I think The Boy's birthday guests were secretly glad he demolished it so that they'd be spared eating something that is supposed to be edible, but clearly is not.
Is there anything less joyous than black frosting? Black frosting is reserved for unpleasant things, not first birthdays.
Using black frosting for your eldest first birthday gives your extended family ammunition for years to come. Every birthday, every time a cake is served, my wonderful family is very quick to point out my baking faux pas.

I have since learned my lesson. I have made 21 cakes since that dreadful day and none of them have had black frosting on it. My cakes now have a lot of white on them.

So, please let this be a word of caution to all over zealous moms (and dads - no sexism here): USE BLACK FROSTING WITH CAUTION. You have been warned.

Until next time...