Stella's Blawg

Auto Insurance, the easy way

2009-07-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

If you have ever shopped for automobile insurance, you know what a headache it can be, and even worse, how time consuming it can be. Now, there is a one stop shopping for car insurance. The beauty of American Car Quotes is that you fill out only one form, one time, and they send that form to many insurance companies, who then get back to you with your quote.

This process works well for everyone from the busy working person who just does not have time to shop around for auto insurance, to the student who moves away and has to secure their own insurance now that they are no longer living at home and covered on their parent’s policy.

What I like the best is that the fear of rejection is diminished because you fill out a form and wait for the quotes to come to you. Even people with poor driving records don’t nave to fear the rejection or feel self conscious when shopping for auto insurance. American Car Quotes has made it fast and easy.

Ch ch ch changes

2009-07-06T21:31:00.002-07:00

I am bored with this template and I think it needs a face lift. Keep an eye out for changes in the coming days...

Rugs really do make a room

2009-07-06T21:27:00.002-07:00

I'm always saying how I love my house just the way it is, except for my kitchen sink and counter tops, the fact that I don't have an in-ground pool, and as my daughters age, they are slowly growing out of their bathroom. But, other than that, I really do like my house. I like decorating it and making each room individual while tying them together as a whole. One thing that helped in that regard was the variety of kitchen rugs and other rugs that I have purchased. They really bring my color scheme together, while allowing each room to maintain its own unique character and theme. Rugs really are wonderful accessory points, and if you get bored, it's easier to change a rug than paint an entire room. Just sayin.

Let's talk Rehab for a little minute

2009-07-04T21:36:00.004-07:00

I have in my family several members who have spent time in a drug rehab facility. Some made the decision on their own, others were forced to get therapy by the court system. Either way, they always did better when they emerged from the treatment facility. Right up until life happened and then, some of them would relapse for a short period, others would check back into a care facility and others would revert back to the way of life they had known before drug rehab without looking back. I get the link between family and support, but every person I’ve known who has battled drug abuse has had an existing support system in place that they then turn their backs on. It’s not that the addict does not love or want his/her family around, it’s that the drug takes over and the addict is no longer thinking clearly, they only think about getting their next fix. Sometimes I feel that it really is the family who suffers most. The abuser knows we’re there. He/she shuns us because we are the voice of reason. We have to sit in therapy and profess over and over the same thing we’ve been saying, “we love you. We’re here for you” and it is like punishment for some of us because we keep saying and reinforcing our love, and we keep being stepped on and pushed away because the addict is not learning how to live a sober life on the outside.

Moving Cross Country?

2009-07-04T21:13:00.002-07:00

I moved from Utah to Arizona and it was hard. A pain in the you know what to be honest. We packed the house, loaded the moving van, loaded the car and the truck and the dogs and the kids and the plants and headed out. Fifteen hours later, we arrived alive and just wanted to take a very long nap. I moved only one state away, if I had to move any further than that, I would pay for cross country movers to move my stuff because honestly, I moved almost 800 miles and it was very trying on me, my patients, my marriage and my anxiety level. I think there is a certain peace of mind that comes with knowing you only have to be responsible to get your family to the destination and you can leave the material goods to the professionals.

Take a small step toward peace of mind

2009-07-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

I was forty years old when I bought my first home. I was proud of myself on one hand, kicking myself in the butt on the other for having taken so long to get my life together and actually be able to buy a home. A home that my children could grow up in. A home we could call our own. The first thing we did when we closed was paint the house. The kids got to pick a color for their bedrooms and I got to paint my kitchen. We finally had the home we always wanted (well, except that I hate my kitchen sink and countertops and I wish we had an in ground pool - but other than that, it's all good) and the home my kids will spend the rest of their childhoods in. That was important to me. The second thing we did after closing was secure mortgage life insurance so that in the event of an accident, god forbid, the house would be paid off and the kids would not have to face the trauma of moving after losing a parent (or parents). This seemed like a very basic, natural step in the right direction for our family and it saddens me that other families to not take this one, simple step, to protect the thing they have worked the hardest for, and truth be told, something that will provide them some peace of mind in this crazy world we live in.

Happy 4th of July People!

2009-07-04T21:08:00.002-07:00

I am supposed to be working this holiday weekend. My kids are in California, I’m here, working and blogging and working. The upside is that I used today as an excuse NOT to go grocery shopping. Ha. That alone makes the working part acceptable to me. I’m still sitting here, in my tee-shirt and underwear, having not left the house. All. Day. Long. THAT is how you should spend a holiday weekend!

Vacation Destinations - Get a Great Deal

2009-07-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

Keeping in theme with my last post, it is summer time, and for many people, that means vacation time. I generally scour the internets looking for the best deals and websites that can offer the best deal. Not just because of the recession either, mostly because I don't see any reason to pay more just because I'm too lazy to find a deal. There are deals EVERYWHERE people. Westgate is one of those DEAL websites. If you want to go to Orlando (and not just because I said it’s only my list of places to visit) or if you have a need to visit Vegas or even Park City, Utah (which is beautiful and I know because I used to live in Salt Lake City and we went to Park City weekly), then you should check out Westgate for your travel arrangements.

Orlando Florida - Can I get a ride?

2009-07-04T20:53:00.001-07:00

I have a list of places that I want to visit, either myself, with my husband, with my children, or with all of us as a family. Florida is one of those places, high on my list. I don’t want to take Orlando vacations just to visit Disney World or Universal Studios, I want to visit the state. I want to hang out on the beaches. I want to feel the humidity and see a sunset from the beach. There is more to Orlando than theme parks, and that is why it is on my top ten list of places to visit before I die.

Apparently I'm thisclose to old, really, old

2009-06-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

12 called me this morning while I was driving to work. She said “mom, did Michael Jackson die yesterday from a heart attack?”

I said yes.

She said “oh, I feel a little sad.”

I said she wasn’t alone, lots of people were sad.

She said “wasn’t he only like, 30?”

I said no, he was 50.

She said “oh, well, 50. That makes more sense.”

*rolls eyes*

I said, “uh, sweetie, I’ll be 50 in like, 8 years.”

She said “oh, mom! I didn’t, well, I mean, um, yeah, okay, well love you mom. Bye!”

Thankfully, she doesn't have a brother

2009-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

My daughter is nine. She has asked for a skateboard for her birthday. While I’m not opposed to her having a skateboard, I am opposed to her request for, of all things, skaetboard ramps and a video camera. She is NINE people. This girl falls at the thought of putting one foot in front of the other! She built a ramp once out of cinder blocks and an old piece of wood for her bike. At the last minute, she was afraid to make the jump and ended up wiping out on the neighbors driveway. Two skinned knees and a cut chin later, she decided her bike was stupid and parked it for at least a month. Eventually she got back on it, however, in the meantime, she drove me nuts staying in the house and reminding me every fifteen minutes that she was bored. Sadly (or not so much), I do not see a skateboard in her future anytime soon.

I'm almost done...

2009-06-24T23:02:00.002-07:00

I have three days of class left. I'm not sure I can contain my excitement!

I'm dropping my kids off this weekend for a three week visit with their aunt in California.

I am taking a week off between classes. I'm so stoked for that small token gesture alone that I might become giddy with joy and blog every. single. day.

I said might.

Don't get me wrong. I like to blog. But I also like to nap and watch television.

Horses and riding and wind in my hair

2009-06-17T20:32:00.002-07:00

~~If I won~~ When I win the lottery, after I pay off my credit cards and house and cars and get a pedicure and manicure and get my hair done and the kids' hair, fingers and toes done, and after we travel a bit, I am going to buy some land. On that land, I will put up my dream house. On the land surrounding my dream house, I will have horses and a barn and stables and I will spend every day riding and looking the part of a very wealthy woman in very stylish equestrian apparel and when my kids come home from school, they will change and ride with me and at the end of a long hard day, we will go into the large dream home and a meal will have been prepared by my very good chef and we will dine in the luxury we have always deserved.

And when I wake up, I'll get the kids ready for school and then I'll go to my 9 to 5 job and think about the day we win the lottery...

U.S. Physician's Purchasing Group

2009-06-15T20:08:00.001-07:00

If you are a physician, work for a physician, or know someone who does, please pass this information along. U.S. Physician’s Purchasing Group (USPPG) serves medical offices and physicians nationwide by offering up membership in a program that allows the office or physician to receive discounted prices on vaccines, medical and surgical supplies and other medical services.

Thousands of practices comprise USPPG’s leveraged purchase power and these benefits are passed on to members for free! If you want to keep vaccine costs down, become a member by visiting USPPG and registering. Make sure you check the appropriate boxes and you should receive an email indicating your acceptance into the program within a couple days.

USPPG has partnered with GlaxoSmithKline which allows its members to purchase Glaxo vaccines at preferred pricing and rebates. Aligning a practice with other members ensures a decrease in overhead and increase in bottom line because the low prices obtained by USPPG are not based on any one individual purchasing product, but rather, the entire member base nationwide.

Buried

2009-06-15T19:54:00.002-07:00

I have been so buried in homework the past five weeks it is not even funny! Every week, a huge paper, a huge group project, hundreds of pages of reading and then there is the answering of the homework questions that come in multi-part so even though there are only two questions, I really have to answer eight of them.

Who new a Master's Degree would be so involved? LOL.

I guess I did. Anyway, that's where I've been. Working on the Master's so I can attempt the LSAT again next year. All this counseling has really cemented the thought process for me and law is my calling.

Now, I just need to get there...

BugZip - Finally something that works!

2009-06-15T19:37:00.003-07:00

If you have never had bed bugs, consider yourself lucky and be GLAD! About six years ago, we took in a foster child who was covered in what we thought were mosquito bites. They were all over his arms and legs and they itched. We applied cream and took him to the doctor and got a newer, different cream. The bites would disappear and then new ones would appear daily. Within a matter of days, our other foster boy was covered in the bites. I had never heard of bed bugs in the United States. I thought they were a foreign country problem. It was not until we moved the bunk beds from downstairs to the upstairs bedroom that my daughter came down one day covered in bites that I made the connection. The kids down stairs were no longer being bitten and the kids upstairs were. I did some internet research, went into her room at night to check the mattress and that is when we saw the culprits. About 10 or 15 little bugs were crawling about. They scattered like cockroaches when we shined the light on them. We took the mattresses out and encased them in airtight covers but the bunk beds were a loss, as were the beds we moved downstairs.

After that, I became well versed in bed bugs and how a person can get them. I am very careful now. I never set my luggage on the bed or floor in a hotel room. I use the bathroom counter. I also buy those really big ziplock bags for our clothes while we’re in the hotel and then when we get home, our luggage stays out in the garage (I live in Arizona where it gets in the triple digits easily) and they are sealed in large bags.

Until recently, this was the only way I knew that would protect our family from ever contracting bed bugs again. Everything I read says they can be in any motel or hotel chain, any reputable place could have them. Now, there is a product made for our protection that is affordable and in my opinion, worth the money.

The makers of BugZip have come up with an ingenious bed bug encasement which actually protects our luggage while we travel, and our clothes while we are staying at a hotel or motel! In my opinions, BugZip is an affordable manner of battling bed bugs because the cost of taking our bunk beds and other beds to the garbage dump, buying airtight mattress encasements and then buying new beds was a huge dent into our budget.

This is the clothing encasment that goes in the drawer of the hotel/motel/cruise cabin that protects our clothing:

This is the luggage encasement that protects our luggage while our clothes are safe in the drawers:

Bed bugs are nearly impossible to trace. They are impossible to see during the day unless you have a magnifying glass and know what you are looking for. They leave small, tiny specks of feces on the mattresses in the seams and on the bed frame where the mattress rests as well as any joint or place where two edges meet each other. Watch this video for a glimpse at the pesky little critters.

The beauty of BugZip is that you encase your luggage and/or clothes upon arrival and then leave the potentially infested BugZip behind for disposal. It is important to note that when you encase your luggage and/or clothes, make sure you go around the corners of the BugZip careful so as not to ruin the zipper and render your BugZip useless. Bed bugs attach themselves to the outside of luggage so it is important to only use the BugZip once. Additionally, the cost of the BugZip makes this a reasonable request and preventing the spread of bed bugs is something we all appreciate.

I was provided a BugZip in four different sizes to try in order to complete this paid review. This is an honest review and I would suggest this product to others.

I need I mean want new furniture.

2009-06-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

At my old job, we used to get bonuses twice a year. My bonuses were nothing to complain about. In fact, they were what I liked to call buy a nice piece of furniture events. I completed my bedroom one piece at a time working there. Then we moved to Arizona and my new job and bonuses aren’t something that go in the same sentence. It’s simply not that kind of job. Which really sucks because right now, I could use a new sofa. I’m debating, a new kitchen sink (which I really, really want) or a new sofa (which I don’t need, but I want one anyway). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, sometimes, it’s hard being the grownup.

Ever heard of Liporexall?

2009-06-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago to have my thyroid and other hormone levels checked again. I do this every year and every year they come back normal and the doctor tells me I am healthy. The problem I have encountered is that I turned forty last year and since then, I have packed on a whopping forty pounds. I didn’t realize how much weight I had gained until I was at the doctor. Apparently, I was in total denial as to the weight being broadcast across my bathroom scale. The fact that I stepped up and heard a heavy sigh from beneath my feet probably should have been some indication. When I got back from the doc I wrote down every time I had exercised in the past three weeks. That was disappointing to say the least. You see, I like to exercise. I feel good when I’m doing it (except the sweating part. That grosses me out). My problem is that I lack any motivation or desire to start exercising. I want to, I just don’t want to get off the couch to do it. That is when I decided to start looking for something that would give my metabolism a kick in the butt as well as help curb my appetite. Looks like Liporexall might be the thing I am looking for. I used to take a supplement containing ephedra until it was pulled off the market. I hoarded my last bottle until a few years ago and I haven’t found anything comparable yet. Hopefully, Liporexall will change that.

Is there a pill that will clear up my face?

2009-05-29T11:04:00.001-07:00

In the past two months my face has turned from that of a fortyish mother to that of a pubescent teenager. I have not had breakouts like this since I was pregnant. I’ve tried different face washes, exfoliating and astringents and deep cleaning masks. They either dry out my face or clear up one area only to bring new issues to another area. I am seriously considering looking into acne pills that work for these type of hormonal related breakouts. I don’t know what else to do. My only alternative is birth control pills and since my baby making days are over, if I have to take a pill, I’m not keen on taking one full of hormones.

Music Lessons Make Kids Smarter

2009-05-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is here I am considering putting the two youngest kinds into some kind of lesson type activity. I thought about a sport but we live in the scorching desert and the last thing they want to do in the middle is summer is be outside running and jumping and hooping it up. Then I considered dance lessons but they are expensive and time consuming. I think I have decided on music. Violin for Ms. Brainiac and piano lessons for Ms. Sarcastic. She has the perfect hands for piano and she has a pretty good ear for tone as well. I read an article that said kids who learn to play a musical instrument before they are twelve have a marked increase in learning capabilities and retention of information. That seals the deal for me.

Birth Announcements Are So Cute Now Days!

2009-05-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

My days of birthing children are over. I’m not complaining! I am now raising three daughters, 9, 12 and 17. If you were ever interested in party central, have a batch of children that are all girls. Girls with pink and bows and glitter and stickers and cute little miniature everythings. Three daughters of varying ages brings scrapbooking to a whole new art! However, this post is not about my daughters or scrapbooking. It is about when people (and NOT my daughters YET) have babies and want to send out birth announcements and how much different they are from when my kids were being born. If you go to peartreegreetings.com and look around, you’ll want to buy every design there is! Trust me. It almost makes me want to have another baby. Almost.

Best Diet Pill

2009-05-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

I went to the doctor last week. I had a full blood panel done and discussed with the doctor how much weight I have gained in the past two years, since I turned 40. We discussed how I am tired all the time, how I feel exhausted when I wake up, even after eight hours of sleep. We talked about stress and diet and exercise. I mentioned my disgust at the fact that I have gained on average two pounds per month for the past two years and how even after cutting out sugar, how eating five small meals each day, how stopping red meat and upping my protein intake and exercising at least three times a week I continue to gain weight. It is frustrating and irritating. The doctor called and said the blood work came back normal. There is no "medical reason" for my weight gain so I am now on a quest for the best diet pill and when I find it, I will let you know. Had someone warned me about this aging thing, I probably would have rethought it. *wink*

Allsup can help with Social Security Benefits

2009-05-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Recently my step-father had a heart attack. About fifteen years ago, he had a stroke. When he had the stroke, he applied for and received social security disability benefits until he could work again. The process went smoothly and within a matter of weeks he was receiving his benefit. This time around, not so much. He had a heart attack in mid-April, which resulted in open heart surgery. It is now the end of May and he is still in a nursing home rehabilitation facility. He is still on a ventilator that breaths for him and has a feeding tube in his stomach. The chances of him working again this year or even next year are nill. However, he is still being denied monetary and insurance benefits. I recently told my sister that she should find a company that can help with the process. Had I known about Allsup I would have advised her then. Instead, I will forward this post to her and tell her that Allsup’s success rate for getting people the SSDI benefits they deserve is 98%. I will also tell her that Allsup has helped over 100,000 people since 1984. Maybe they can help my step-dad also.

Memory Lane: When I was a cashier

2009-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I took a job as a cashier at our local grocery store. As a child, I was enthralled with the ease at which cashiers hit those buttons on the old fashioned cash registers, the ones with the hard buttons that remind you of the old handle crank adding machines. The ones that spit out the receipt with each press of the “ADD” button.

By the time I was old enough to work and got my job as a cashier, the machines were easier to use but barcode scanner technology was still a few years out. I had so many numbers memorized it was not even funny. I got to the point that I did not have to lift the heavy stuff out of the basket because I knew the number already. Now days it’s just lift, scan, bag. Rinse. Repeat. Doesn’t seem like it would be as fun as it was back then.

Feeling Neglected?

2009-05-22T12:04:00.002-07:00

I bet this blog does. I have five different blogs I maintain. Sometimes, it is a struggle to get to all of them in a single week, especially since I started taking the Master's classes. I had no idea just how involved I would be in class and reading and writing. I'm not complaining though. I will be better for it in the long run.

Someone remind me of that in about six weeks, okay?

In other, unrelated news, I read the first four chapters of text for the class I started Monday. Over 100 pages. I drafted my answer to the first homework question and was prolific I tell you!

Then, as I was citing my source (the 100+ pages I had read all week), I realized I read the wrong book!

DoH! I had a total Homer moment. I can laugh today. Last night, not so much.