Gimme A Break

I wasn’t going to go out today seeing as how hot and hazy it is. But I really do want to do my groceries on weekdays instead of weekends. I’ve really gotten tired of the parking problems, bumping into shopping carts, the long lines at checkout, …

I have the luxury of shopping on weekdays because I work from home. But in recent weeks, I’ve been procrastinating over shopping till the weekends and it’s gotten into a nasty habit. When I get to the store on weekends, I stress myself out and end up wishing I’d done my shopping earlier.

When the store is less crowded, I can think better and stay more focussed on what I need to buy. When I’m in there during the weekends, I just want to get out as quickly as possible. So I end up forgetting to buy stuff I need, and then I beat myself up over having to run another errand to get what I’ve missed.

If it’s possible at all, try to get your shopping done on weekdays. Then when you go out during the weekends, your mind is freer and you’re in a better frame of mind to have a good time with your family.

• weekends are more tiring
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I must be one of the few dinosaurs left in the modern world who still pay my bills offline. Nope, I haven’t signed up for any online banking services that allow me to pay my bills comfortably from home. Maybe that’s why I’m rushing around more than your average busy bee, huh?

It’s not that I’m so technologically behind. It’s just that I happen to know too much about the technological loopholes that exist in seemingly secure connections. At the same time, I know it’ll save me a ton of hassle if I could do online auto insurance, online bill payments, online everything.

• buying home insurance the easy way
• insurance reminders
• I gotcha covered
• circling like a vulture
• full of initiative

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I’ve been a VP (Vacation Planner) in the family long enough to know that planning a holiday is not all it’s cracked up to be.

While everyone else in this family may think that all it takes is a couple of clicks here, a couple of calls there, and we’re on our way to the vacation of our lives.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work this way, not unless you find an online travel company that has the experience to help you plan everything down to the letter.

Isango! tours and activities are meant to be stress-free. You want to make informed decisions, secure unbeatable prices and ensure that everything goes as planned during your trip.

When you’re traveling with kids, you really want to be flexible and you are allowed flexibility when you book with Isango.

And you want to know upfront what the whole trip is going to cost you. No hidden costs, no surprises. Family travel is expensive enough without all the miscellaneous charges here and there.

There’s nothing worse than the sudden realization, OMG we’re like over-budget and we’ll all have to go hungry for a month after the trip kind of thing.

That, in a nutshell, is the job of the VP with some help from a trusted online travel specialist .

• her daughter’s graduation
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• finally a holiday we can afford
• VP of this family

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September is usually the month when I get a slew of wedding invites. Yep, I’m seeing lots of wedding shops popping up all over town in readiness for the big bucks that couples are prepared to spend these days.

Come to think of it, it may actually save the couple some time if they shop online instead of running from store to store. Knowing how long it takes to arrange for a wedding, any time saved is time for a little well-deserved rest, I think.

Advantage Bridal, for example, is well-stocked with all the bridal products and accessories you can think of. You can easily find Custom Crystal Attire at AdvantageBridal.com to add a little sparkle to your wedding.

In fact, many of the items are so pretty you’ll really be spoilt for choice. And not forgetting that very often, you have to shop for your family, bridesmaid, best man and ring bearer as well so that you can get everyone coordinated.

They stock an amazing range of items from the cake to apparel to flowers. The site is huge so be prepared to spend some time looking around. My suggestion is to purchase online if you can. It can really save you lots of unnecessary running around especially if you work fulltime.

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I’ve been procrastinating quite a bit lately. It’s really just a matter of dragging myself out of my chair away from blogging to just get out there and do what I’ve been putting off. Gah!

Sounds easy. So why then is it so hard? I needed to get to the bank, or rather I’ve been needing to get to the bank for days now. But there was always some other unscheduled event that got shoved ahead of it.

Finally today, I found the perfect excuse not to give any excuses for not going to the bank. There’s a shop just opposite the bank that sells yummy chicken rice.

Hard-pressed for a lunch idea, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and surprise the kids with their fave rice dish and get my banking done at the same time.

So the tip is to couple an unpleasant chore with a pleasant one to get it done, once and for all. Worked for me .

• a holy morning
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• no cheese please

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I’ve been using Windows Vista for a while now. I can’t say I’ve explored its features fully. I’m pretty much using it plain vanilla at this point. Exploring will have to wait.

One of the features I’ve recently discovered (silly me!) is the sticky yellow pad that you can put up on the sidebar. It’s a godsend for someone like me. Busy equals forgetful, so this is the best thing ever.

I’m relieved I don’t have to plaster my screen with the real thing. I was considering it because of how many times I’ve forgotten to do something I was supposed to have done!

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• crooked
• smelling like roses

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Golf is expensive enough as a game. I guess if you couldn’t afford it, you wouldn’t be playing it. Yet I’m sure it’d be nice to reduce the cost of the game.

I know for a fact that many golfers purchase used golf clubs and golf balls. Much of this equipment can be found in excellent condition at a fraction of the price.

Take ‘experienced’ golf balls, for instance. They’re great for practice because you lose so many anyways.

They either fly off into the twilight zone or land with a gigantic plop into the pond if you’re a textbook golfer like me .

So why would you pay so much more for new ones to practise with?

• meet mr golf
• come rain or shine or croc
• present from a buddy
• need a new sofa
• the mark of bravado

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With my busy schedule, I hardly find the time to read and yet I know I have to, if nothing else, to be a role model to my kids.

Yep, kids these days can hardly be called bookworms any more. Their obvious choice of the PC over books is not only bad for the eyes, there’s no way a PC screen can ever feel like a book, you know what I mean?

So where do I find the time and place to read?

In traffic jams. When you live in the city, you come to accept traffic jams as part of your daily routine. In fact, our national excuse for being late to any event is “I was caught in a jam”.

So what do you do when you’re a sitting duck? I’ve built a library in the front passenger seat of my minivan and that’s where I do what I call “my snatches of reading”.

In the gym. I get in, hop on the bike with a book and I’m off !!

In fact, you can catch up on your reading just about anywhere. Just throw a book in your bag and you can start reading while waiting for your turn at the bank, post office, beauty salon, on the train (if you don’t get motion sickness first LOL)…

So there…

• unsweet jam memories
• the bathroom question
• re-reading old books
• the stress of driving
• reading the news

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I think I’m getting into this rut where I just seem to be running around blindly following that same old schedule, same old pattern every day.

I don’t know if it’s complacency or just the fear of disturbing the smooth flow of things. I’m thinking sometimes all we need is maybe just a little upset to make our own lives a little easier and less stressed.

Like saying no, for instance. It’s a problem I have and the result is that I stress myself out too much over this inability to turn down someone’s request even if I don’t really have the time for it.

Maybe it’s time for a little change, eh? 

What Not To Do Every Day

by Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach

With time flying by faster and faster every day, you already know it’s important to decide what you’re going to do each day. However, it’s equally important to know what not to do. Add some Don’ts to your day, and see how it helps with all those Do’s.

Don’t over schedule your day.
It seems like scheduling every minute would be the logical way to get everything done, but it actually tends to work against you. Some things will take longer than you expected, some things will interfere that you can’t predict. If you’re scheduled to the max, you’ll have no room to absorb them. Aim for about 75% scheduled, 25% free, to give you flexibility with structure.

Don’t say Yes to everything.
Saying Yes to everything is like cholesterol – it clogs your day with stuff you don’t want there. Doing other people’s work, answering annoying phone calls, deleting junk emails. If you want to read a book, say No to TV and the internet. If you want to start a home business, say No to things that waste your time. If you want to lose weight say No to Frito-Lay and Sara Lee. Simple as that (I didn’t say easy, I said simple.)

Don’t trade what you want at the moment over what you want most.
That extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning might seem like the best thing since sliced peanut butter, but you know it will only make you late, and then playing catch up the rest of the day. That new pair of shoes may seem like the last pair you’ll ever need, but if it makes the rent money tight, it’s not worth it. Think about the long term effects of your actions today.

Don’t get duped with “I can have it all” ideas.
Having it all is certainly possible, either by having it at different times in your life, or by having a whole lot of help (think Kelly Ripa or Katie Couric). Their few spare minutes are certainly not spent grocery shopping or doing laundry. So please, lose the Super-Woman idea attached to it.

Don’t get trapped in microwave mentality.
Things take time. Appreciate the various stages of projects and goals as well as the outcome. Ever notice a rose in bud form? Its beauty is special – no need to wait until the rose is opened to enjoy it. A relationship can change, being just as beautiful and enjoyable at one stage as another. So it should also be with your goals, whether long-term or short. Learn from the mistakes, learn to enjoy the lessons, and make each day as special as the end result.

Don’t give up.
Never give up. When you mess up, or when the wind of life comes barreling in unannounced – and it will – being prepared as best you can will give you the strength to be able to move on. If you lose your job suddenly, having a reserve of money will ease the transition into a new job and give you the power to wait to find the right one. When it seems like there’s no answer, push on. The answer may be just around the next corner. Don’t let fear, or anger, or frustration, or your money, or your in-laws, stop you from living your life. Keep going. It’s your turn next.

Simplify your life with a few more Don’ts in your day. If you listen to your heart, it will readily and easily help you make up your own list of don’ts. Set your intention on filtering things out that don’t belong in your life. And then the Do’s will come much easier.

About the author:
Kathy Gates is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Life Coach and Freelance Writer living in Scottsdale AZ. She has published articles all over the world and is currently part of a new book, “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life”. You can learn more at her website, http://www.reallifecoach.com.

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The first week of school is usually the busiest. There’ll be lots of running around because “I can’t find my shoes, mom” or “How come I have one sock missing?” or “OMG, where’s my pencil case? It was here last semester, now it’s gone!”

So your best bet is to try and minimize the stress of having to look for things that should be there but aren’t. Get the kids to get their school bags packed, uniforms or clothes laid out, have all the things they’ll need laid out where they can see them. This opposed to having to dig around for stuff in the morning rush.

I try to keep meals simple the first week of school. Nothing fancy that will take me hours to cook. Just some very simple meals that can be whipped up quickly. I also keep lots of drinking water handy – running around can be thirsty business!

I usually fill up my gas tank the night before school starts. This way, even with all the running around, I won’t have to waste time stopping for gas.

In a word, whatever can be done ahead should be done ahead of time. That leaves you free to focus on getting through the hectic first week of school without worrying unduly about the little things. All it takes is a little planning ahead to minimize the stress on both you and the kids .

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