I think education is in an odd spot right now.  I draw this conclusion based on my own experiences.

I left college in 1988 or 9 just shy of an associate's degree in something or other.  I wasn't on the right track to begin with then had some medical situations to deal with.  Up until this point I have never wished to go back.  I have taken a few literature classes just to stay sharp and have an excuse to write.  Other than that, I have been too lucky with employment and salary to regret it.  

Now I'm 40, working real estate when my mother of two children schedule allows it, and find myself pursuing the writing I wanted to do when I was nineteen but didn't have the proper guidance. I was pushed into psychology and sociology because that's what my profile recommended, and advised that the writing classes fill up too quickly and probably a waste of time.  I only have about 3 do over requests in my life time.  Accepting that advice is one of them. 

So now I'm selling a little and I'm writing.  And have also fallen into social media.  I LOVE it.  Feel passionate about it as in "change is in the air" excitement.  I wonder if I am in the middle of a technology revolution.  Historically speaking, I wonder at what point during revolutions past did folks actually realize that something big was really happening? 

Anyway, I want to learn more about it.  I am also suddenly craving that degree I never got now that I finally have this keen direction.  I can't afford it today, I don't think, but I'm researching my options.  I KNOW it will be challenging to juggle a school schedule with family.  I need to think about that too.  You might say, "I did it, you can too."  And I know you're right.  I am just thinking about how very needy  my family is and not necessarily helpful around the house.  I wonder if I want to bring on that extra stress right now.

Then I think... what about online courses?  We are living in an internet & technology age.  Surely there is education available out there.  But as I look I find that there really isn't that much available, accredited, that I feel good about.  I am still looking.  I did find this though.  A private Catholic school I never heard of called Gonzaga University offers an online masters degree in NURSING and in COMMUNICATIONS!  Two fields that will always be relevant.   

Now for you snooty toots who think that such offerings diminish a school's value... Gonzaga feels that it is accommodative to experienced professionals who want to continue their education but otherwise may not be able to due to commitments and obligations they already have with career and family. And if you wonder about Gonzaga's credibility, they've received high praise from the likes of US News, the Princeton Report, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance.  You can GOOGLE them if you don't believe me.  Ha!

This particular program is not for me, of course.  I'm still looking.  But thought I'd pass it on for anyone who might be looking for just such an opportunity.

And in case you still are not sold on the idea that technology and social media are changing our lives at home AND in the workplace, here's a video just for you!

I had a big long list of summer reading material.  It included...

THE GOD DELUSION

WRITING DOWN THE BONES

SWALLOW

THE ART OF SEDUCTION

UPSTREAM

BUNDLE OF TROUBLE

I only finished ONE can you believe it?  My NINE YEAR OLD daughter finished another one.  She didn't tell me about the "F bombs" until she was done.  I am actively reading two of them gave up on one and haven't touched the other.  

Now summer's almost over.  I am not proud of myself.  I'm being optimistic, though, that once the kids are back in school I'll have more time to read.  Right?

Do you prefer to check books out from the library or buy them?  I know they read just the same either way, but I like buying books.  I like owning them and putting them on the shelf and admiring them like works of art.  Each one tells a little story as I browse the covers and recall what I was doing at the time of reading each one.  Plus I don't like deadlines.  It seems like whenever I borrow a book from a friend or the library I suddenly have no time nor desire to read.  It's too much pressure!

In my opinion you simply can't beat the experience of browsing the book store.  But when I know exactly what I am looking for I like to hunt for it online at the best price.  Amazon books is a good source.  So is buy.com.  Both are priced well and reliable.  

Currently I am reading "Writing Down the Bones".  And by currently I mean AT THIS VERY MINUTE.  But I got distracted by the internet. Again.  Off i go!  What are you reading? What was on your summer reading list?

 

You know, the other day I was compared to a lawyer and I got a little offended by it.  Why?  I am not sure now.  I have not had much experience or done business with lawyers so I have no personal basis to have been bothered by the comment.  I guess at some level I have bought into the stereotype that lawyers are bad.  That's not fair because I, too, am in a profession that is often reflected upon negatively.

I am a real estate agent.  Prior to being involved in the business I never knew that many people had negative opinions of agents.  The comment made the other day was in response to my questioning the potential buyer (who called ME) about whether or not he is working with another Realtor.  I do this because I don't want to step on anyone's toes and often buyers don't understand that this is a 100% commission job, and that by working with more than one Realtor means someone is not going to get paid.  As an real estate agent, it is not just losing the sale and not getting that commission, but it means a total loss on all the time, gas, and resources spent showing houses and working with the buyer up to that point.  The potential buyer compared me to a lawyer (in a friendly conversational manner) saying that we are all so worried about getting paid.  Well HELLO?!  What does not make sense about that?

Anyway, the same holds true for the bankruptcy attorneys, the accident lawyer, the mesothelioma lawyers,  etc.  They have a job to do and we need them.  Like any other profession there are good guys and bad guys, and in such a competitive business they have to be aggressive, but that's your job to find the good guy for you.  

 

Loose diamonds in your wedding ring or other treasured jewelry often can go undetected.  I learned the hard way the consequences of not having my ring checked regularly.  I was at the lake and literally one minute there was a diamond in my ring and the next minute there was not.  During a time when everyone else was losing their sun glasses at the lake, I lost my diamond.  Ironically, when your "loose" diamonds fall out and get lost, what you need to shop for are "loose diamonds" from the jeweler.  This is just a quick post to share this loose diamond link for anyone seeking bauble replacement. :-)

 

 

Where did summer go?  I am not even talking about the weather necessarily, but the time and the days!  My kids go back to school in a couple weeks.  Some kids have already gone back.  And what do we have to show for this summer?  Nada. 

That's not exactly true I guess.  We did go to Cedar Point for a couple of days.  That was fun.  My Husband was laid off for more of the summer than he worked so we thought we would be able to go some place fun this year. He wanted to try and catch some Myrtle Beach golf or maybe even Vegas.  I don't golf but the kids and I would have enjoyed the sights and sounds of either of those locations.  There was one slight problem though.  NO MONEY!  LOL.  Being off work gave us the time for a nice big vacation, but the decreased income put a damper on things.  

So we stayed around the house a lot.  Interestingly, although we didn't actually DO much to enjoy the summer, it seems like we laughed A LOT!  All four of us being home together all day everyday was tough and we ended up poking fun at each other a lot.   We got resourceful and had elaborate movie and pizza nights at home, as well as played games and participated in crafts and activities. 

Poor hubby there was no golf for him this summer though. Can you relate to this?  I really can't, having never developed an interest in playing golf.  But I went out and found him this video to distract him from golf's beauty.  Afterall, what could be better than watching people beat themselves up and suffer falls and humiliation while doing what you couldn't? :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where has all the fun gone? Remember anticipating being a parent and raising your family? There were no thoughts of cleaning gutters or finding affordable life insurance on your mind, right? Somewhere along the way, our fun got buried by responsibilities. It doesn't have to be that way.

Before I was a parent, I was a good aunt and was sure I'd be a super fun Mom. I was always available for whatever came up, had lots of disposable income to buy the best presents, had never ending ideas of fun stuff to do and abundant energy to do it all. It was sure to be even better when I had my own kids. Does this sound familiar? The obvious difference in being an aunt and a mom is that it was not so much my job to teach, guide, or discipline nieces and nephews. Of course we want to be a good role model and good influence. But that is not the point of the relationship. The point is fun and love. Well sure that's the point of parenthood too, except you have to also make sure your kids behave and learn and grow and thrive. That's not all though.

The big challenge in parenting and fun is the pressure of everything going on around you. There is a mortgage to pay, a house to maintain, a job to do, cars & food & clothing & LIFE to pay for, people getting sick, losing loved ones, mowing the lawn, and so much more! Unfortunately our family bonding and fun time can easily take a back seat to all that. It doesn't have to, though. I bet if you sat back and analyzed the situation, there IS time to squeeze in a game of CONNECT FOUR with the family or go for a bike ride through the neighborhood after dinner. It isn't always the TIME that is missing, but the quiet of mind that allows you to REMEMBER to do it. Even if the kids say, "Hey, wanna go for a walk?" your reaction might be to think you don't have time. But I bet you do.

Sometimes just the idea of a game or an activity sounds too overwhelming to get started. It will just make another mess to clean up. It won't work out anyway. Have you ever had these thoughts yourself? Well I have found so many good and easy and fun activities on the internet. I have long planned an organized schedule here at Her-Family-Blog offering different themes for different days. It's funny how my schedule today is so different than the one I planned a year ago. Ideas for at home family activity and projects is a valuable resource right now especially. With our extra money on low, and stress & depression on high, what could be more important than finding as many ways as we can to have fun and bond as a family, without having to save up or even go out!? So my fantasy blogging schedule definitely has family activities on the roster. We'll see if it transpires :-)

For now, here is a super activity, perfect for this time between summer and fall. I searched out "bug catchers" specifically because my Sari loves catching and observing bugs. This is not only a great video, but the end product is cooler than I ever imagined! Can't wait to try it!

I am having a hard time getting anything done the last several months.  I can recall as far back as procrastinating as a teenager and I have just chalked my lack of productivity lately up to that.  But lately I am wondering.

As clearly as I remember putting my English paper off until the night before, I also remember adhering to a strict "to do" list religiously in my Franklin Planner.  My English papers ranged from A to A+ so my work didn't suffer.  Maybe I just wrote better in a time crunched situations.  When I think about it, even in my  writing today I tend to be more productive as my deadlines approach. LIGHTBULB! Maybe the tight schedule helps me stay focused better. Interesting.

So what about everything else?  Why isn't my armoire organized yet?  Why are these wall candle sconces from two Christmases ago still sitting here waiting to be hung?  And why haven't I sent this fax over yet?  I have sort of settled into "accepting" that I procrastinate.  Sure it results in last minute chaos, things being late, opportunities being lost, and stress on my mind and body, but what are you gonna do, right?

I think I might decide that I am not a procrastinator and pull out my old Franklin planner again to help me get back on track.  The more I think about this, the more it seems to boil down to me being overwhelmed,  not a hopeless slacker.  Even as I sit and work on this post I am burdened by a dozen other things floating around in my head that need to be done. Maybe should have been done already.  It makes it hard to focus.  It makes me want to go to Facebook and chill out.  When I do that all my obligations quiet themselves.  Why does that happen?  I can't figure that out right now, I've got my own behavior to diagnose. So what's the cure?

I wonder if maybe, sometime between taking that break to be a stay at home mom right after the kids were adopted to the present, I didn't organize properly.  5 years ago my only obligations were to feed and play with the kids. I didn't need a to-do list for that.  Fast forward to five years. I am juggling home buyers in my real estate career, searching for work and juggling deadlines in my freelance career, plus maintaining my family and home.  My obligations so gradually increased that I missed that point where there was too much to effectively manage in my memory.  I need to write stuff down.  

I have just decided that I am not a procastinator at all.  I am simply overwhelmed and unorganized.  THAT is much easier to fix.  What about you?  Can you take my revelation and apply it to your own vice?  Give it a try and see if you can conquer whatever it is that is holding you back from meeting your true potential.  

 

Zappos is cool. Not just because it has any and every shoe you will ever need or because of its hip laid back vibe.  I love Zappos because Zappos loves me.  And you.

I became a customer of Zappos after I adopted my kids.  School shopping was NUTS.  I had neither time nor money to waste building their wardrobes from scratch.  I had a little of each that had to go a long way.  I stumbled upon it while looking for the lowest priced best quality EVERYTHING I could find. I liked them right away because their policies were unique.  100% satisfaction guarantee with FREE SHIPPING both ways.  The biggest inconvenience of shopping online is dealing with the hassle and cost of returning. Problem solved with Zappos. 

Being an active internet user I have learned more about Zappos over the years though.  They were surely happy with the multi shoe order I made that day in 2004. But they are most proud of the random shoe orders I have placed here and there since then.  Zappos believes in long term.  In fact, if you cannot find what you need at Zappos, your associate will likely get on the phone and try to find one for you with a competitor before she special orders it for you.  Sure Zappos could lose that sale that day.  But more than the sale, they've hooked the buyer.  Who will come back many times.  And tell their friends and so on.

In fact, Zappos has taken the whole "customer is always right" a step or ten higher.  Zappos philosophy is "Obssess over the customer."  OBSSESS!  It is not just enough that they meet my shoe needs, they want to go crazy over me.  I like it! And it doesn't end there.  Zappos knows that an employee has to be treated right in order to deliver that caliber of service.  They actually offer paid training and at the end of the training give them their check as well as offer every employee $2000 to quit if s/he is not committed to the Zappos Culture.  $2000!  Noteworthy to mention is the fact that only about 3% of trainees opt to take the sizeable quitting bonus in lieu of employment with the company.  Now THAT is cool.

What else is cool is the Nike Shox Turbo +8 in white with black that I've been mooning over.  I'm sure just having them will assure my daily workouts.  Zappos Nike selection is ridiculous huge and does include my dream shoe.  I put it on my wishlist!