A Quest for Cell Phone Heaven

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

King Arthur is famous for pulling the sword out of the stone and for his quest for the Holy Grail. Falling Down House is famous for it's lack of cell phone reception and I am famous for my quest for a cell phone company I like.  C and I had T-mobile for 6 years and in that time we have spent approximately $9000 on service alone. Who knows how much we have spent on phones. Of course we had heard of those no contract companies but they seemed too good to be true and I was certain they'd have crappy phones and service.

 

 After a few years C talked me into dropping T-Mobile and going over to Simple Mobile. Well, I was right they are too good to be true. My phone sucks! The service sucks, and half the time my calls get dropped. My phone is always in emergency mode and searching for Network.

 

 I am done with them.

 I have been looking around  for something different. I thought I'd try Cricket.

 

I went into the Cricket store and after all their hoops to jump through I walked right out.

 

I was starting to give up when I decided to give Straight Talk a look-see... I started out with a few questions.

 

 

 

1. How much are plans? the unlimited plan is $45 a month and includes text, calls, picture messaging, and web!
2. Do they have crappy phones? Straight Talk only sells phones from reputable companies like Samsung and LG.
3. Can you afford the phones? Reconditioned phones start out at $10!
4. Can I keep my number? YES! Straight Talk will port over your cell number and even some house numbers.
5. Do you have to sign a contract or have a credit check? NO and NO!
6. Will I have coverage or will it be spotty? Straight Talk have a great nationwide network of coverage!
7. Are there fees for activation, reactivation or termination? NO!
8. What about International Calls? Yes, Straight Talk has plans that include International calls for low rates!

 

 

So if you think about it C and I could have spent only $6000 over the course of 6 years.

 

 That's a savings of $3000!

 

Do you know what I would do with that amount of money if I had it right now? Well, I'd use it to pay off some bills and then I would quit and stay home with my kids!

 

 

 

If you don't believe me how great this company is then check out these videos  made by customers just like you and me!

everything you need

mom knows best 

call a friend

hook, line and sinker

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPihLfELWo&feature=related 

Child Birth Educator Classes

 

Last week I began my studies to become a Childbirth Educator. When I became pregnant with Goo I was so amazed by everything that was going on with me that I read everything about pregnancy I could get my hands on. I took a CB class and it scared the crud right out of me with giant needles and crochet hooks from hell. When I went into labor a month early I panicked and ended up having an emergency caesarian birth. I had a placenta abruption and was literally a few minutes from bleeding to death. Thanks to a wonderful doctor Goo and I are both here and we even have little Gouda as well. Soon after I had Goo my sister became pregnant with twins. She would call me and ask me all kinds of questions and I was excited to talk babies and share what I had learned. Then someone on C’s side got pregnant and again I was excited to help. Mandy and I were pregnant together and it was nice to share once again the things I had learned and what I was going through with someone. I went through training to be a Doula and I love it but I love the Childbirth and Pregnancy education parts the most. So I looked around and I found a great school. Childbirth International and I am already half way through the first of three sections. I have decided that I will hold classes in our new home and I have even began to formulate ideas.

 

I would like to hold the regular CBE classes without the agendas you get from the other places out there such as the Hospitals, birthing centers, Lamaze, Bradley, or Birthing from Within. I want a class that is designed around what the mother wants to know and how she wants to give birth, not how I want her to or some guidebook.

 

I would also like to offer Preconception classes as I find there is a lot of bad information out there. It would also be nice to share all the stuff I learned over the 3 years it took for us to have Goo.

 

I think I would like to offer Infertility classes that discuss the tests, treatments, and the emotional roller coaster that you go on with those experiences. Something good and useful has to come out of that experience.

 

What do you think I should teach?

 

Goo in the Bed

Goo has slept with me since the ceiling collapsed in his room. C sleeps in there now. There is just only so much room in a King size bed. But the other day C took the kids to his sister's wedding while I was in Idaho at another wedding. While there Goo slept in one of these beds. The Buzz Lightyear one. He loved it so much Grandma sent it home with it and he slept in it last night at the foot of my bed. It was so nice to have @ least one person out of the bed. All these people KICK! I don't and it was like heaven to sleep in my own bed and not get kicked even once! Tonight we are gonna try it again and C is gonna sleep in with me. Something that hasn't happened in over a year! Oh yeah he kicks too! : (

Maudlin and Morose

In the last 4 days I have attended a wedding and a funeral. It has left me feeling sad and gloomy. I am in a funk and when I am in a funk only a few things can pull me out of it. One of those things is Oscar Wilde.

So, I pulled out my favorite quotes from him a read them. I am starting to feel better and I thought I would share them with you.

 

If you like them then I suggest that you should check out his plays. The Best one is “The Importance of Being Ernest”.

 

A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.

Oscar Wilde

A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.

Oscar Wilde

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

Oscar Wilde

America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.

Oscar Wilde

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.

At twilight, nature is not without loveliness, though perhaps its chief use is to illustrate quotations from the poets.

Oscar Wilde

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Oscar Wilde

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

Oscar Wilde

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

Oscar Wilde

Genius is born--not paid.

Oscar Wilde

I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones.

Oscar Wilde

I am not young enough to know everything.

Oscar Wilde

I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.

Oscar Wilde

If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

Oscar Wilde

Illusion is the first of all pleasures.

Oscar Wilde

It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.

Oscar Wilde

It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is fatal.

Oscar Wilde

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

Oscar Wilde

Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace.

Oscar Wilde

Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event.

Oscar Wilde

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.

Oscar Wilde

Music makes one feel so romantic - at least it always gets on one's nerves - which is the same thing nowadays.

Oscar Wilde

One can survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a good reputation.

Oscar Wilde

One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.

Oscar Wilde

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.

Oscar Wilde

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Plum

I love to read! It's an amazing past time. My favorite Author is Janet Evanovich! She writes this wonderful series about a female bounty hunter named Stephanie Plum. Stephanie isn't your typical bounty hunter. She isn't very good at it but she always seems to get her man.

I am flying to my best friends wedding this week and I am so looking forward to kicking back in the airport and just reading this book.

My Friend E

Anyone that knows me well will tell you I am a little OCD. It’s true and I can admit it with pride. I label my shelves in the pantry, towels must be folded a certain way or I will re-do them even if I’m at someone else’s house. Chances are if I use the restroom in your house when I walk out it will be with very clean hands and your towels, hand towels, and washcloths will be refolded and left perfect. I have been known to refold towels at hotels as well.

 

I like to think of myself as Super nice and orderly. Everything in its place and a place for everything. I thought I was on top of my game until I meet my co-worker. Her paperclips are perfect, her binder clips leave me in awe. I secretly desire for her to come to my house and show me how she does it but I'd die of embarrassment if she saw the Chateau in its present state! Maybe back when it was nice and pretty as it was in 2006 before roof collapse and children.

 

We have 3 months before the move but I have already begun to pack and to organize the house. I dream and desire to be as organized with the move and my new home as my co-worker (I’ll call her E).

 

I started some excel sheets detailing the big and little object that need to be moved. I have them separated on days by importance and these are then tied to a color coded calendar with notes as to which trip of the day the items will be on.

 

Big Items to Move	Date to Move
King Bed	10/6/2011
Queen Bed	10/6/2011
Flat TV	10/6/2011
Big Screen TV	10/6/2011
Crib	10/6/2011
Computer	10/6/2011
dresser for Goo	10/8/2011
Dresser for Gouda	10/8/2011
Blu-ray	10/8/2011
dvd players	10/8/2011
Couch	10/9/2011
Grandpas table	10/9/2011
chairs	10/9/2011
toy cubby	10/9/2011
Washer	10/9/2011
Dryer	10/9/2011
Bookcase	10/16/2011
Alice Closet	10/16/2011
pack n play	10/16/2011
dish washer	10/23/2011
BBQ Grill	10/23/2011

 

Little Items	Date to Move
clothes in closet master	10/8/2011
clothes in closet kids	10/8/2011
toys	10/8/2011
hampers	10/9/2011
bedroom lamps	10/6/2011
front room lamps	10/6/2011
end tables
computer chair
books	10/16/2011
blanket chest
high chair
decorative shelf	10/16/2011
breakables	10/16/2011
dishes
utensils
pot n pan
baking dishes
extra cabinet	10/23/2011

 

 

 

I didn’t include the calendar as I thought it would make the post too long.

 Later on I will set up more excel sheets detailing where the item needs to go and which day it gets unpacked. I’m hoping that I am channeling a little bit of my friend E!

 

 

The Signing of the Lease

C and I sign our new house lease August 6^th, 2011. The new house is 1000 sq. ft. bigger and $300 a month cheaper than the Chateau Ghetto! We are getting a bit excited for it. I am trying to focus on only the positive!

 

 

A World Of Possibilities

My kids have never had a backyard. In the Chateau we have a concrete slab and a small dangerous balcony. There is no place for them to play outside. The new house has a backyard! The Landlord has agreed to remodel it so we can put in a swing set or a playhouse.

Goo picked out this one. He won’t be getting it because it’s $7000! The kid has good taste though.

 

How to Clean Mold out of a Mattress and Other Cleaning Tips

How To Clean A Mattress

 

It’s said that we spend 30% or more of our lives sleeping.

 

If this is true, you want one-third of your life to be spent somewhere that’s clean and comfortable! It’s important to do some maintenance cleaning to your mattress to keep it fresh for a long time to come.

 

In addition, any accidents that happen need to be cleaned properly to ensure that your mattress is as long-lasting as you would like.

 

Vacuum Away Dust Mites

 

One of the largest causes of a stale-smelling and allergy unfriendly mattress is dust mites.

 

They are simple to control, though. When you go to flip your mattress (as you should every 6-8 weeks), take a few moments to vacuum each face and the sides. Use the hose on your vacuum with its non-brush, hard surface attachment.

 

This regular upkeep will go a long way towards keeping your mattress clean and comfortable.

 

Dryer Sheets Keep Your Mattress Fresh

 

For a general fresh-smelling tip, be sure to place a few dryer sheets on the mattress before covering it with any bedding.

 

This will help the mattress smell as fresh as it did  from the store.

 

However, make sure that the dryer sheets that you choose have a scent that you don’t mind sleeping on every night; and if you find yourself developing a headache, it’s time to change scents.

 

Remove Urine from your Mattress

 

Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen. Whether it’s your young child or pet stains can be extremely frustrating to figure out just how to save the mattress.

 

The first step is to blot up as much of the wetness as possible with a dry towel. We recommend having the heaviest person in your house stand on the towel on the mattress to try to get as much urine as possible from as deep in the mattress as possible.

 

Next, spray (don’t pour) on a enzymatic cleaner designed especially for urine – these can be found at just about any grocery or home care store.

 

Repeat the blotting process over the enzymatic cleaner until the towels comes up dry and white (this may take several repetitions).

 

Finally, sprinkle baking soda over the entire area. The baking soda will help to eliminate any lingering orders and absorb remaining moisture. Leave the baking soda at least overnight, sometimes longer if the stain is larger. Then vacuum the baking soda from the mattress and use as normal.

 

Remove Mattress Mold and Mildew

 

A mattress that has had mold or mildew on it can seem impossible. If the mold and/or mildew covers more than 50% of the mattress and/or appears to be extremely deep in nature, we recommend a new mattress for your overall health. However, if there’s just a small area that has mildewed, you may be able to salvage the mattress.

 

Take the mattress outside on a dry, sunny day. Be sure you’re wearing a protective mask, and then vacuum the mattress with a garage vacuum (Shop Vac). Allow the mattress to sit in the sun for the rest of the day. If you want to leave the mattress for more than one day of sunning, be sure to bring it in before the dew settles for the night.

 

Remove Cigarette Odors

 

Cigarette smoking in bed is never recommended for obvious safety reasons.

 

However, if a mattress has been in a room with lots of smoke, it’s likely to have absorbed some of the cigarette odors. To remove these less-than-pleasant odors from your mattress, we recommend starting with taking the mattress outside on a sunny, dry day.

 

Spray the mattress with a fabric odor remover such as Febreeze, and let the sun naturally bake the mattress until it’s fresh. Then, bring the mattress inside and sprinkle baking soda on it. Allow the baking soda to sit overnight, and vacuum in the morning.

 

Removing Vomit

 

Recovering from an illness can seem to zap all of your strength, and then you’re left with the less-than-charming task of clean-up. If your mattress was the unfortunate recipient of vomit, it can be cleaned in much the same way as urine listed above.

 

Use an enzymatic cleaner as described above to remove the vomit stain from the mattress. Then, allow the mattress to sit in the sun and use the sun’s antibiotic properties to kill any remaining germs.

 

After all, this isn’t a cycle that you want to repeat any time soon!

 

By keeping your mattress fresh and clean, you’re not only helping yourself sleep well but you’re also helping to keep yourself healthy.

 

A mattress that is stale and filled with foreign substances such as mold, germs, and dust mite can cause long-reaching health problems. Keep your mattress clean with these simple tips, and you’ll breathe more cleanly each night as you sleep.

 

 

I'm Vinyl Obsessed

Goo is having a really hard time with the thought of leaving the only home he has ever known. When we talk about it he gets really upset, cries hysterically until he coughs and then pukes. (He’s a sensitive boy) C and I thought one of the ways we could ease the pain of the move was to promise him that he could decorate his new room  (he and Gouda get separate rooms now) anyway he wants.

He promptly decided he wants his room painted with Black and White stripes! Since we are going from a house we owned to a house we rent painting isn’t an option. I’m determined to make Goo as happy about this as possible. I poked around the Internet and I found this website called www.wallsneedlove.com

That is where the picture comes in. Those stripes are vinyl! No painting required. No damage to the walls. I can get 17 – 1 inch stripes (8ft length) in black for only $44.95 plus shipping and handling. How great is that! This site/store is by far the best vinyl decorating site I have found so far. It is monstrously cheaper than all the others and well.

Goo is almost 4 years old and I know he will change his mind a dozen times over the years on how he wants his room decorated and it will be so nice just to peel the stripes off the wall and not have to paint! I hate painting!

I can’t wait to get them and show Goo that everything will be alright he can have his white and black stripes! Momma has come through for him.

A Cleaning Tip

 

 

If you have kids like I do then it’s just a matter of time before your precious little one finds a permanent marker and draws on something they shouldn’t. My little guy found  red, blue, and black sharpies and proceeded to draw me a wonderful mural of scribbles all over my living room floor (this is when the  Chateau had a floor in that room). It was amazingly artisitc and showed real talent. However, talented it was it had to go!

 

My friend told me to use sunscreen to get rid of it. I thought she was smoking cherry flavored crack (didn’t you know it comes in flavors? No ,well maybe it doesn’t but I always say it does). So I tried it and guess what !

 

 

IT WORKED!!!!

 

So try it you might like it!

We Won't be Homeless!!!

 

 

C and I have secured a new home. It’s a rental but it’s a house. A real house. The Landlord asked that I not mention too many details on the blog, and because I really want to kiss up here I will only share what She has agreed to.

 

 

It is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath 2 story house. It is just slightly under 2000 sq feet (which sounds giant to us the Chateau is 1080!)

 

 

When I asked the Landlord if the property had ceilings, floors, and sinks she looked at me a bit funny but you all out there in blogland know why I’d ask.

 

 

It is turnkey! There isn’t a thing wrong with it right now.

She has some tenets in there right now( they don’t know she isn’t renewing their lease so that’s why its hush hush) so we couldn’t really see a whole lot but I felt peace when I walked in and now that it’s secure I feel so much better. The stress of everything was causing me to have non-stop paniac attacks.

 

 

We move in October 1^st! C and I even started packing already. We can’t take our couch or beds with us because of the possibilities of mold spoors so they will be hauled away and tossed in the dump. I wouldn’t dare donate the couch and anyone that buys a used mattress needs to be slapped!

 

 

Call me Pollyanna

 

 

But make sure it’s the Hailey Mills version and not the weird one from the 90’s with that kid from the Cosby show.

 

I am determined to make the move from Chateau Ghetto to where ever as fun and exciting as I can. In the spirit of that and Pollyanna I am making a list of all the things that will make me glad about moving to a new place.

 

 

·       Big bathtubs that are fatfriendly with plenty of room for flopover factor. I am afterall a plump woman that has always hated the skinny minnie bathtub the Chateau offered

·       Mulitple bath tubs – it’s not that I need them but doesn’t it sound grand?

·       Ceilings in all rooms

·       Floors that don’t have avoid spots – there are now 6 spots in my bedroom that if carpet wasn’t there you’d step clean through to the downstairs.

·       Sinks in bathrooms and heck let’s be crazy I bet there are places out there to rent that have sinks in bathrooms, kitchens, and maybe even laundry rooms

·       Inside laundry rooms – when we bought the chateau I thought how nice it was that the laundry was outside and not taking up living space. At least until I forgot I was doing laundry the first time and got really stinky moldy smelling laundry

·       Storage space – right now we have the closet under the stairs. I’ve gotten rid of most of the furniture so we could breath a bit but still don’t have a place to put anything.

·       Parking your car without the threat of towing if you don’t have your sticker in place

·       No HOA! Do I really need to explain that further?

 

 

~Sher~

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