Kendel

Savings Addict Part 1

by Kendel

Jennifer is a stay at home mom to 3 kids, under 5 years of age. She is also addicted to savings. AND she’s willing to tell you how you can be too!

Do you like getting a raise? A bump in the bank account? I do. That can be a hard thing to do especially when it isn’t the time of year where your paycheck might actually be increasing. But did you know that there is money in the Sunday paper and on websites that you’re probably leaving on the table? I’m not a crazy coupon lady or an extreme couponer, but I do know that I cut my grocery budget by 35% a month by doing a few simple things. I’ll focus on the first two today. Consider it the observation phase.

Knowing my buying habits and paying attention to the supply and demand of the household
Learning to shop the sales and knowing when certain items were at their lowest prices of the year.
Learning the stores you shop at most, the lowest prices they sell the things you buy, and their coupon policies
Finding the coupons and finding a way that worked for me to keep track and actually use them
Using my smart phone to download a few apps that worked in a rebate sort of function

I know what my family goes through. I know that we go through on average 2-3 boxes of cereal a week. Cereal has a long shelf life and so this is something I have a lot of on stock in my pantry (notice the 30+ boxes in the picture). You have to know what those things are because you’re not saving if you’re throwing away a lot of food. Waste not, want not. On the other hand you are wasting money if you are waiting to buy something when you run out of it and it is not on sale and there is no coupon for it. Maybe you’re luckier than I am, but that never happens for me. Make a list of the top 20 things you buy and start there.

Secondly, there are sale patterns based on holidays and harvest

January- Vitamins, Health & Diet foods

February- Steak, Lobster, and Junk food

March- Frozen food

April- Candy, Cleaning products, Baking Products and Organic and eco-friendly products

May- Condiments, charcoal, pickles, and chips

June- Salad dressing, condiments, chips, and hot dogs

July- School supplies and Ice cream

August- Lunch supplies and snack foods

September- Meat

October- Candy

November- Turkey and Thanksgiving fixings (stuffing, gravy, and canned veggies, baking products)

December- Baking products, Turkey, and Ham

As for produce, if you buy it when it is in season then you will save money. It is also good nutritionally for you to have variety. You can see this usually on the front pages of the ads and by what is featured for the sales each week.

Happy Observing!

The Chef's Hat The Mommy Hat(s) The Thinking Cap

Leave a comment »

What Your Dental Hygienist Wishes You Knew

by Kendel

This is the first in a new series titled “I Wish You Knew”. We plan to cover many subjects and would love some suggestions from those of you that read this blog. This is also our first post from a guest blogger! My friend Andrea wrote this and it’s something that should affect everyone. We may write a couple of these posts, but most will be from guest bloggers. It’s funny and insightful. Enjoy….

Hey there, my name is Andrea. I’m a wife to a studly man named Dustin and a mother to the 2 most beautiful, unique children in the world (totally not biased). I also have the privilege to call myself a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH).
My job is both difficult and fulfilling, interesting and entertaining; and you either love or hate coming to see me.
However, I’m going to let you in on a few secrets to make your future hygiene appointments a better experience for both you and your hygienist with these 5 simple things your hygienist wishes you knew!
1) PLEASE be on time to your appointments! I know your hygienist might be running behind and you may not ALWAYS get brought back right on the money. Trust me, it’s probably because her first patient of the day was late and it messed up her whole days schedule! (Grrrr)We adore our patients who are on time!
2)Please don’t cry and wine during x-rays. I know they aren’t comfortable and you think we’re radiating you enough to make you grow a tail or a 3rd arm, but ya know what? We have to get them too and we know they aren’t the most enjoyable part of your day. They are a NECESSARY EVIL! (Gag reflex gets a free pass)
3)”My gums never bleed until you poke them!” Look, rule number 1 of oral health (pay attention) HEALTHY TISSUE DOESN’T BLEED. Ever had a hang nail that bleeds after you’ve pulled it off then you accidentally scrape it and it bleeds again? This is basically what is going on under your poor gum tissue when we measure your pockets. Believe it or not, your RDH doesn’t get a high on making gums bleed. (Floss more)
4) Please do not try to tell me your life story at our first appointment. I know your ex husband is a womanizing pig or your wife eats chocolate bon bons and watches soaps all day while you work your hiney off. We can cover all of this at some point, but if you want me to clean your teeth, then that requires my hands in your mouth to which I prefer your teeth not be moving! I LOVE chatting with my patients. That’s how I develop a relationship with you, but I still need to do my job in a timely fashion so my next patient isn’t pacing in the lobby while I get the latest gossip about your mother’s uncle’s sister’s friend’s cat. I want to get to know you, but we have to do it in puzzle pieces. Mmmkay?
5)I LOVE my job! When a patient comes back to see me and their oral health has improved because they took my recommendations into action at home I get the BIGGEST feeling of satisfaction! Patient compliancy goes a loooong way! When my super anxious patient who is terrified of the dentist comes to me after a few appointments and says she actually enjoys coming back, I have accomplished something! Listen to your hygienist, work at home to improve your oral health. Your appointments will be easier on both you and your RDH thus giving you more time to chat and get to know each other! Or your appointments won’t take as long and you can get the heck out of there and go back to your exciting life, job, nap. ..whatever!
I hope you’ll find these to be helpful, insightful and enlightening. If not, then I hope you at least read this in it’s entirety and it motivates you to schedule a cleaning with your hygienist so you can show off your mad flossing skills.
HAPPY FLOSSING EVERYBODY!

The Nurse's Cap The Thinking Cap

Leave a comment »

Spider! or Put Your Glasses on First

by Kendel

I’m terrified of spiders. Not just, I don’t like them, they creep me out. T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D. That is how the following paragraph came about.

I’m not just terrified, I’m paranoid. Every single morning, before my shower, I check the bathroom for spiders. I look up along the walls and across the ceiling. Then it’s a check on the floor, then on to the sink. I’ve gotten lulled into a sense of security and slacked on this before, but I will not fall for that again. Whenever I decide that I don’t need to check anymore, they know it. And they show up. One morning I was doing my usual spider check. I finished up, feeling satisfied that those little creepy creatures had stayed away. So, I pull back the shower curtain to start the water. THERE. IT. WAS. Now, I’m not going to exaggerate and say that it was the biggest spider I’d ever seen. Although, it might as well have been, considering the fear in my heart. I would have been paralyzed if my ‘fight or flight’ instinct hadn’t kicked in. I did freeze for a moment though. Then IT MOVED! That was it. Forget fight. It was flight. And scream. Yes, that’s right. Flight and scream. I went running to the bedroom. My poor husband was ripped from a sound sleep by me screaming through the house. Spider, spider, SPIDER!! We have a strict rule in our house that he is the spider slayer. So, he sat up in bed, put his feet on the cold floor and headed for the bathroom. I might add that he was entirely too calm. “Poor man. He doesn’t understand the gravity of this situation”, I thought to myself. As I was walking behind him several steps he reached the bathroom door. “Where is it?” he asked, with his very first words of the day voice. “In the tub” I said, feeling another rush of adrenaline. He walked in and I heard him pull the shower curtain back. I peeked around the corner and he looked up at me, with the “spider” in his hand and said, “New rule. If you want me to kill spiders, you have to put your glasses on first.” I grabbed my glasses and put them on my face. Yep, it was lent. I took my shower and he went back to bed.

Spider!

The Dunce Cap

Leave a comment »

We Gather Together for Thanksgiving in April

by Kendel

This past weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving in April. This is how it all started:

Every year for several years Ali, her husband, her sister Rachel and her husband, me and my husband have Thanksgiving in April. It all started because of Rachel. One year over Thanksgiving season, Rachel was very sick. She ended up needing her tonsils removed. So, over Thanksgiving she couldn’t eat the food. It was very sad and she was very vocal about the fact that she missed out on Thanksgiving food. Now, I’m not judging. I would have complained a lot too. Plus, it started our new awesome tradition. She wouldn’t let it go. So, sorta to be funny and sorta cause we love Thanksgiving food, we had Thanksgiving in April. It was delicious and it was fun! It didn’t have all the pressure of Christmas being right around the corner. We all contributed food. We burned a fall smelling candle, we ate, and we laughed. We know a great, new tradition when we see one, so it began. Now we take turns hosting. We all sign up for what to bring. We set a date. And we are thankful. It’s always in season to be with friends, to eat delicious food together, to laugh and to be thankful to our Provider for His great gifts.

Ali hosted this year and did a great job on the decorating.

A very festive table.

A verse about Thanksgiving at each place setting.

This time happened to be on the same weekend at Easter. We didn’t plan it that way on purpose, it just worked out with everyone’s schedule.

Some fun for the kids.

Here are the some of the yummy side dishes.

I don’t think there was one bite of Rachel’s sinful potatoes left!

My hubby’s famous deviled eggs.

Now for the main attraction!

Ali’s turkey was delicious!

Of course, we had to finish off with dessert.

We left happy and miserably full! It was a good day.

The Party Hat The Pilgrims Hat

Leave a comment »

Upset Tummy Tip for Dogs

by Kendel

This is one of the best tips I’ve ever received from a Veterinarian for a dog with upset stomach (she said it would work on cats as well). Before I tell you though, always check with your vet before giving anything to your pet.

Canned pumpkin. That’s it. Just give them a couple of spoonfuls of canned pumpkin. I’m lucky, all of my dogs LOVE it. In fact, when I give it to the pup that’s not feeling so well, I give it to the other two as a treat. I don’t know if you could convince a cat to take it. Maybe if they have no hint that they are cooperating with you in any way, shape, or form.

It works like a charm. It works quickly. It’s cheap. They think it’s a treat. I have used it on a regular basis since I’ve gotten this tip. I even use it proactively sometimes. There has been more than once when a dog came in chewing on something or licking her chops. I don’t ask because I don’t want to know. I just go get the pumpkin.