The Tupperware Party

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Heather

Well, everyone I’m going to do it.  I’m going to have a Tupperware Party.  And guess what!  You can come!  Or you can virtually come that is since the majority of the party is online!  Here is the link! 🙂  Sorry that you  have to copy/paste.

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/home

See I can practically sell Tupperware myself since I used to be a Tupperware Rep when I was a new mother in North Carolina.  And I know how well my favorites work.  They work amazing.   And I prefer to save money in the long run by NOT buying a lot of Ziplock bags and plastic wrap!  And I like this better than Rubbermaid or any of the other plastic storage items you can buy because of durability and design.  At least for my three favorite items.  These three Tupperware pieces have become a necessity in keeping me organized.   Because I buy bulk at Costco and making that last can either over-fill my freezer/fridge or end up rotting before I manage to eat it.

But when I buy meat or shredded cheese in bulk it is a huge time saver in addition to be a money saver.  So I’ll buy pork chops in bulk and get 9.  I’ll prep all of them, freeze 3 each in 2 medium shallow Freezer Mates and cook 3.  That’s two more meals all prepped and ready to cook.  And the medium size is all you really need & they sell that in a set! Its perfect.

That is for the freezer.  For the refrigerator I cannot live without my FridgeSmarts.  These items are brilliant for produce.  When I lived in Ft. Irwin Army base, we got pretty crappy produce.  After all we were 40 miles into the desert from Barstow which was already in the edges of nowhere.  While the commissary was cheap.. well, selection not so good.

My filled Tupperware

One time I bought some pretty sketchy looking yellow squash, put it in my FridgeSmart container meaning to cook it the next day.  I completely forgot and expected it rotted when I opened it a few days later but it was actually in better condition that when I bought it!  I am not lying!

Anyway, these are the container where I store all my produce that I bulk buy.  If its snack fruit I’ll wash and prep it into a container.  If its veggies I’m going to cook I’ll just load up the containers.  And when I do a salad up, I do it for the week in a large container and then portion out what I need for each day.

First Snack Tray

For example.  I’ve been using my Tupperware serving tray to load up fruits and veggie snacks for my two kids in summer school.  They’ll come home and snack on THAT instead of heading straight to the cereal.  And I do this easily cuz most of the stuff is already in containers, washed and ready to go.  This way my portion blind middle son will eat a portion of mixed food instead of the entire container of grapes!

Tray 2 gets celery with peanut butter

So my sons will get their servings of fruit & veggies every day.  And the kid who has pulled the chore stick “Mom’s General Assistant” is the one who helps me do the next day’s tray that night.

Cheese & crackers for this one but crackers got soft 🙁

 

 

 

 

 

 

But its the FridgeSmart’s make this pretty easy.  Of course so does the serving tray and I might be able to lay my hands on another one or two that are shallow like mine.  But the extra beauty of these FridgeSmarts is they fit perfectly in a refrigerator.  My entire bottom row in my fridge is lined with them.  They stack nicely.  And if I’m going to the beach I’ll just grab a container of grapes or fruit and pop it into a bag… snacks ready to go.

The last item I cannot live without is the Microwave squares.  The new type is called Vent N Serve but its just as great at my old Rock N Serve sets.  All the sizes are incredibly handy but the medium shallow & deep will become your favorites.  These are the best leftover containers out there.  Because they are safe microwave plastic.  The small is a perfect single serving and the medium is ideal in almost any other situation.  I’d do a giant pot of rice and put the leftovers into two medium deep and then when I need rice for a meal I’ll just throw it into the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes and “BAMM”  carbs for dinner.   And these stack and travel well and you can see what’s in them.  I adore mine.

Which is why I’m having the party.   I need more as the Ex got some of them in the divorce!

 

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How to create a hypchondriac

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Heather

If you take a 14 year old (and I don’t know if said child needs to BE male, I just know mine is) who happens to be BOTH Aspergers and High Anxiety and you ADD a Health class… well that equals Hypochondriac.

At the beginning of the year my oldest son, Luke, began health class.  If you’ve read the blog you know his struggles and mine.   You may even know his twists on normal teen rebellion which manifest into politics and religion.   But you may not know how he hit the trifecta of extreme when he took Health class.

sigh.

The first step down the slippery slope was when the teacher taught about drugs and mental disease.  Now, for a boy who is on daily medication this was troubling to him.  Lucky for me he has no problem talking to me about things that trouble him.  So we had lively discussions about drugs (and most people would agree or find shocking my opinion but since my addiction is books I suppose I’m less of an alarmist than others who may be addicted to food, alcohol or holier-than-thou religious precepts.)  And we had a matter of fact discussions of mental disease, how it’s sometimes NOT the fault of the individual but of genetics or environment.  So the medication is less like “drugs” and more like “vitamins” in its application.

I thought we’d weathered that without much problem until the teacher showed a movie in class called Forks Over Knives.  Sigh.  This film brings together ALL the negative consequences to a diet high in meat, processed foods.  “Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.”

So of course, he then demanded to become a Vegetarian and began to pepper me with questions whenever I shopped or cooked.  “Is this organic?  Why don’t you buy organic?  Do you WANT to give me cancer?”   [Yes, boy, I birthed you only to slowly kill you with cancer by feeding you… am I not devious!  Sheesh]

Then his teacher told him that dairy also causes cancer and now he refuses all dairy.  He begged for soy milk and tofu and more fruit.  My compromise was a small test pint of soy milk and one package of tofu he’d have to learn to cook himself.  Which he did, but now just eats it raw and loves the soy vanilla milk.  Personally, I’m not sure HOW he can eat straight tofu and his brothers won’t even carry the grocery bag it in cuz they see it as THAT gross.   But I’m a mother willing to let her teens do a bit of harmless exploration in their self discovery process.

Yet after a few months of this I noticed a change in his body that began to panic me.  Prior to all this he was developing a lean and muscled body and was taking pride in that.  Doing sit ups & push ups and he even had a nice 4 pack going!  After this diet change which was heavy on carbohydrates and soy as a substitute for EVERYTHING; calcium, protein, fiber.  I watched an unsightly layer of fat seem to appear overnight and cover him.  Now his stomach protruded as if he had no muscle tone there and were those early man-boobs?   My thoughts go to “isn’t soy a natural estrogen?  Isn’t that BAD for a growing MALE!”

Yet every time I expressed my concern he would get upset saying, “I’m trying to prevent heart disease!!”  I’d shoot back, “You’re 14!!!!  You do not HAVE heart disease!”  Lectures on moderation were met with deaf ears.  Parental orders of meat once or twice a week were met with sullen words of, “You don’t respect my choices.”  Cursing the health teacher whenever Luke would come home from school with ANOTHER bad thing he’d now had to take preventative measure for I began to joke about High Anxiety + Health Education = Hypochondria.

Finally I just stopped buying the soy & tofu.  I cited money reasons to Luke and bought Chocolate Almond Milk in hopes the OTHER children would like it.  My middle son stopped liking milk a while ago and I’m trying to get HIM to eat less carbs for breakfast and more protein AND variety.  That was a no go, but I know Luke will finish it off once he’s done with the soy milk (curse that Costco bulk!)

The good news is today I found an article to combat the movie Forks Over Knives.  Ironically to help write this blog.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/13/vegetarian-movie-forks-over-knives–critically-reviewed.aspx

Sorry, it won’t link in but you can copy paste I’m sure.  This article promotes non-processed food eating but advocates meat and points out the faults in the logic of the movie.  Thank Goodness is all I can mumble and cannot WAIT to show this to my 14 year old.

I don’t mind a health enthusiastic teen and I’ll admit I’m doing a bit more healthy eating than before but extremes are just no fun, right or left!   I kinda dread the next school year’s batch of learning!  What drama lies in wait for me!!!

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You Mad?

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Heather

The other morning at the gym the strangest thing happened.  I got the cold shoulder from one of my gym friends.  Now, gym friends, in case you don’t know, are acquaintances you see daily in the changing room at the gym. They’re like coffee shop friends with more nudity and no men.

We know each other by first name, never really socialize outside the gym (although we kinda would like to) and have accumulated little bits about each other.  We exchange pleasantries & ask how our weekends were & are generally nice to each other.  Most of us have known each other for a year or some even two and they know ALL about me as I tend to do my usual thing of “entertaining” with stories.

A couple months ago a new woman began coming in.  She had a fun ebullient personality so she fit right in with us social regulars.   We cheerfully welcomed her, asked her name over and over until we all could remember it on sight, lol.   I especially like her as she seemed to have a similar sense of herself & joy in life as I did.  Plus she was an extrovert like me.  I’d hoped she’d stay a regular for a long time and we’d get to see her every day.  (Schedules change, live changes, a gym opens closer to them… our group has grown and shrunk due to all this.)

Then the other day she gave me the cold shoulder.  Pointedly ignoring me and giving me looks that were juuuuust shy of being considered dirty.   When she first walked in I was in conversation with someone else so it wasn’t unexpected she’d not say hello.  And her hair looked different so I was wondering if I was mistaken & that wasn’t really her.  But as she passed me to go into the shower I said, “It IS you, you’re so quiet.”

I said it with a grin and she brushed past refusing to look at me, face as blank as she could make it.   I went to dry my hair and wondered at what the f*ck was going on.   I thought, “well all you have to do is ask if she’s mad and you can sort this out.”   And then I realized I didn’t have time for a long, drawn out conversation to figure out what I may have inadvertently said or done to piss this woman off.   She’s a grown up.  If she’s got a problem with me it is HER responsibility to tell me and clear the air.  I’m not her boyfriend to try and figure out telepathically WHY she’s pulling attitude!  This is adolescent behavior of “prove you value the friendship/relationship by ASKING what you did to make me mad.”

Pshaww…. NOT!

So instead of playing to that game I just styled my hair with my blow dryer.  And smirked.   I thought about all the possible reasons she could be mad at me.  I thought of the last thing I said to her and if it could have been misconstrued.  I thought of when I met her daughter if I said anything that might have offended her.   And true to Dr. Phil I made sure I thought of ANYTHING that might have suddenly led to her hating me so.   I wondered if there was anyone who hated me enough to tell her negative things about me. (Um… no to THAT one unless she’s suddenly become friends with my Ex husband and as much as HE hates me he’s not one to spread his opinion to strangers since he doesn’t like talking to strangers.)

I wondered if her youngest had an encounter with my middle son since, even though they are in different grades (hers older than mine by a year), they went to the same middle school.   I dismissed that one.  My Evan is much to shy and actively does whatever he can to NOT be noticed by his own peers much less the vaulted 8th graders above him in school.

Then I wondered if maybe I’d somehow accidentally slept with her boyfriend.  I mean, lets face it, if they TELL me they are single its not my fault if they are lying.  I do what I can test that by trying to go out on an official date night, etc.  But I don’t do background checks or stalk these guys.  And frankly, if he’s stepping out on you it is SOOOO not the fault of the woman he’s doing it with!

Lastly, I wondered if by any freaky quirk of coincidence she was the MOTHER of Tanesha and had found out (and I cannot imagine how THAT would have come about either! haha) that I was the woman Tanesha had found in her EX-boyfriends bed when she charged into his apartment and 2 in the morning.   Because, well, THAT was the only thing I could think of that would truly justify being THAT mad at me!   And, again, NOT my fault!  Not my problem Tanesha can’t seem to accept it when a relationship is over or that her boyfriend (if he’d not quite made that clear enough that he was done) had moved on.

So with all these possibilities wandering around my head as I styled my hair I could only smile as Ms. M came out of the shower, gathered her stuff and went to another section of the gym where she wouldn’t have to talk to me.   In ALL the possible reasons for her mad I’d come up with, not one of them couldn’t be cleared up with conversation.   So all that negativity she was swirling around herself was going no farther than her own sphere.  It didn’t affect me an iota.

Finished with my hair I gathered up all my stuff and  walked out of the gym bathroom.  As I passed where she was with my headphones in listening to my music all the while, I smiled and waived to her as I walked by.  Knowing full well she’d see me in the mirror she was using.   And I did it knowing it would really piss her off seeing that I was either missing all her signals of mad or just not giving a shit.  Cuz she’d earned that by NOT doing the adult thing and talking to me.

That was a Monday.  And Tuesday when I was at the gym Grace was there also.

(Love out to Grace who just lost her mother who’d been in the hospital for almost a month.. they took her off the respirator & told the family it would probably take her body an hour to pass… it took 12!!  Twelve hours of waiting and questioning your decision to pull the plug and all that comes with that torture!  horrible!   She came to the gym to give herself a little bit of normalcy in trying to deal with this death.)

Anyway, when I mentioned to Grace Ms. M’s strange behavior, Grace told me Ms. M had told HER why she was mad at me.  Apparently the Friday before Cold Shoulder Monday I’d made a comment TO Grace ABOUT Ms. M and Ms. M had been offended.  See, Ms. M likes to take exercise classes but our gym doesn’t do them at the early morning time she prefers… so she goes to another gym to take the classes and comes here to shower.  Our gym is a Super Sport in the 24 Hour Fitness group so its shower’s are pretty nice for the area.   I said to Grace, “Did you know M works out at one gym and comes here to shower!”  What I should have said AFTER that was my intention in the comment, “THAT is true dedication to fitness.”

Ironically, Grace answered that comment with , “I know!”  But I didn’t hear Ms. M being all mad at HER for that!  Because I guess after I left Ms. M told Grace that she didn’t like people talking about what she does before or after the gym.  Or people telling her what she should or shouldn’t do or how to do it.  How my comment pissed her off and she was going to have to have a talk with me.  Saying it loud enough that the gym employee working nearby heard it and asked what the problem was.

So all that happened on Friday and when I come in Monday, no one says a word.  Not Arpi the gym employee nor Ms. M.  And Grace wasn’t in since she was dealing with the death of her mother.  And none of the other regulars where there also (not uncommon on a Monday!! haha) to talk to me or Ms. M so there was this LITTLE part of me that wondered maybe she’d had a horrible weekend and didn’t want to talk to anyone and had no clue on how to fake morning pleasantries while privately dealing with strong emotions that didn’t  involve others.

On Tuesday, after Grace told me Ms. M’s issues, I saw Ms. M checking in as I was checking out.  There wasn’t even the opportunity to try and avoid eye contact but I did make it a point to waive and say goodbye to Arpi (as everyone does when they leave).  Headphones in, I blithely went on with my day, smirking all the while.

There will be other days to ask her what’s wrong and apologize for NOT being clear I wasn’t trying to mock or insult her in any way.  In the meantime this is HER life learning lesson on whether to hold onto anger or let a slight go.

After all… that’s why we call it a slight.   Such a little thing.

And its now been two weeks and with the kids out of school I try to leave a little early and she arrives late enough to miss me.  She’s also now just barely polite to everyone else in the gym, denying herself to us.  As if we are upset over that!  Haha… all she is really doing is deny herself OF us and I gotta tell ya.

Her loss, cuz we are a great bunch  of gals!

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Kaiser Insurance

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Heather

So after the divorce I find I have to find new insurance.  Including health insurance.

For many months I debated about whether I needed or could afford the monthly expense of health insurance.  Because lets face it, insurance is a gamble.  Yup!  As much as a trip to Vegas!  The insurance company is gambling that YOU will NOT crash your car and they’ll get to keep all the money you’ve given them over the years and YOU are gambling that you WILL crash your car and make the money which you poured into the insurance company worth it.  With health care you are gambling you’ll get hugely sick and they are gambling you won’t.

Judging from the high cost of my monthly premium, the insurance company is expecting me to get very sick, very soon!  But I really like the way Kaiser is set up.  Its incredibly efficient.  Which got me thinking…  WHY are the premiums are so high?   I can  understand the independent doctor trying to cover costs & med school loans & malpractice insurance & office staff to process the confusing medical billing.   But Kaiser is kinda an all-in-one place of Insurance/Doctor/Hospital.  So I would assume you need LESS staff to do all the managing.  It certainly seemed to be run better than an independent doctor’s office or a hospital.

Then 6 months into it I get a letter saying I’m up for my annual review & my rate will be going up 10%.  WHAT!!!!  I’m barely affording it as it is!

Turns out they review my policy annually and “based on your demographic (i.e. age group) costs” it has been assessed 10% increase is necessary.  I ask him, “Is this a regular thing?”  And he goes on and on about demographic blah, blah.  “No,” I interrupt him, “Is this an ANNUAL thing?  Is this going to happen every year?”   “Oh.   Well, yes,” is all he can say.

Shit, what’s going to happen when I turn 50 next year!!   Come on Obamacare!!!  I think even a band aid will help this broken system!

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Men Better at Loving Unconditionally

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Heather

This doesn't really have anything to do with this post... he's just Freakin Hot!

It’s TRUE!   Really, Ladies, let’s look at it logically.

To love someone UN-conditionally means you do not put conditions, hopes and dreams or any such nonsense projected onto your love when you love them.   You just LOVE them!    Men are easily capable of doing this.  Because its uncomplicated, its basic and can easily be expressed as affection, seduction & sex… all forms of love that man are usually pretty good at.

Ah but women, well, women have such self esteem issues wrapped up in who loves them, how he loves them and when he loves them so much that they cannot seem to love a man just for himself.  Noooooo they have to know he loves them and loves them in the right amount and the right way or it’s OFF!

Now I’m not saying that is completely a bad thing.  Because its good to make sure you are treated as you deserve.  I’m saying that, the concept can certainly go overboard and set a woman up with unrealistic expectations.  Especially if her self esteem is tied up into HOW this love, loves her.   There is a real difference between “knowing you deserve someone who truly loves you” and feeling “I’m worth something if he bends over backwards to be worthy of me” and uses it as a crutch for her own self esteem.  It may seem a fine line but a woman should look VERY closely at her motives when she meets a prospective man.  Cuz to be whole enough for an honest relationship is the final step to happiness in said relationship.

See, men are really too shallow for excessive complications in a relationship.   They either have feelings for you or they don’t.   And sometimes those feelings are very real, but they may not be as deep or as permanent as you think, or you imagine or you hope and plan and fantasize in your fairy tale child-like imagination.

But the reason men are better at loving unconditionally is a man doesn’t negate feelings just because they may be a little on the thin side.   He’s just enjoying your company or your body or his time with you.   If his feelings naturally deepened, then he’d know it was time to get serious.  But if they didn’t, well, usually a man will still enjoy them even if it feels to YOU that he’s leading you on.

A man will usually enjoy his feeling up until the point that SHE gets fed up with the stagnancy of the relationship and start pushing it.   And then he’ll either stop enjoying those feelings and walk away or do his own soul searching on the relationship.

So when I say men love unconditionally better than women its because men love without encumbrance and women do not.  Men are just enjoying the feeling of the feelings you bring out when he’s with you.   He’s not usually actively putting labels or stages or directions on these feelings.  He’s just enjoying them.

I think we women need to do more of this.   And I think the younger generation is a little better at that than women my age.   Enjoying their relationships, learning about themselves and life through it and spending less obsession about who they are dating and where its going and being devastated when their expectations don’t materialize.

Because the guys are onto something here.   It’s incredibly freeing to just ENJOY a man’s company without trying for the fairy tale romance insanity we have shoved down our throats all the time.  Instead of BEING in LOVE… just enjoying loving.

Let’s face it, MOST of those fairy tale heroines were a product of tragedy and did ANY of those “Prince Charming” relationships really worked out?!?

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Printer Chaos

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Heather

Last Tuesday I had big plans of much accomplishment to be achieved!  Yet fate seemed to have other plans.  First up  on my agenda; print the order receipts to have their credit cards processed and then the orders filled.  So I set up my laptop to the printer and get it going.  While that’s happening I’m getting my usual breakfast (1 whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter on it [although today I will admit I’m having a donut])) and checking messages on the work phones.   Get back to the work desktop and look at the printer.  It’s been printing juuuust fine, but its out of ink so all these papers are half blank.  Drat..

Anyone ‘whose worked in an office has experienced this.  But as I search for more ink I realize we are out.  Undaunted, I decide I’ll send my assistant (Patty) to the nearest Office store to buy ink when she get here and busy myself with other work chores.  Patty arrives early, good sign!  But while she’s gone to fetch more ink the printer makes an odd sound.  Bad me, I’ve left the printer case open and it tried to reset cartridges.   I close it up but when we put in the new ink the printer has problems with aligning.

Now shutting it down will correct THAT loop but will also put the printer into a restart loop we actively avoid if we can by NEVER shutting it off!   Although sometimes we get lucky and it just starts up normally.   Sometimes.   So I chance it… and do NOT get lucky.  Its in the scanner issue loop.  Sigh.     Waste 20 minutes hoping it will fix itself if I turn it off & on enough times.  Nope.  Waste another 10 minutes searching web for a reset fix.   I do find a fix, but need tools to open up printer to clean inner scanner head.  Grrrr… and I realize with all the time wasted its easier to just go home to get MY printer.

So off to home I go (5 minutes away).  Once back with my printer,  I re-print the morning work from my laptop.  Yay I finally feel like my day is progressing even though I am now 2 hrs behind my fantasy schedule!   I go to hook up work computer to my printer to charge the credit cards and it says it needs the disk.  The disk I left at home.  It also suggests I try the internet.  I do & find an install program on the HP site.  I try to download the install from HP home page.  It tells me my OS isn’t compatible.  And tells me my OS is a 64 bit.  So I hit the back button & try the Install for 64 bit.  STILL not compatible.   WHAT!!!   Wasted 30 minutes trying to find a way around it before giving up and processing these orders using my iPhone’s Square app & printing receipts off my laptop computer.

My assistant fills the orders and I try to do what non-printing work I can on the work computer.  Printing what I need off the laptop computer we make the day work the best we can.  We get the orders processed and out just barely!!  ALL the other work I’d planned on doing barely got touched.  Which means I take it home and try to see what I can accomplish at home.   Again, sigh.

Just when I’m about to leave for the day, during the tidy up the office part of leaving.  I plug the OLD printer to the work computer & turn it on so I can leave a note for the boss not to use it when she gets home.   And it fires up as if NOTHING had happened!!

The amount of cursing is only balanced by the heavy sense of amused irony.

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The Dentist in Mexico…. White Smile

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Heather

Yes, I did it.  I went to Tijuana to get my dental work done.  No, I’m not crazy…. I’m, well, rather desperately cheap.  Cuz I’m a single mother feeding 3 boys, 2 of which are teens!  With no help from my Ex husband.

See, a couple months ago I finally found & went to a dentist.  On my new Kaiser med/dental insurance I was taking care of the physical issues before I started work on my teeth.  And after a few months of doctor visits it was time for the dental visit.   And it had been a while.  Apparently, I’ll make sure the kids are set, but I’m not as diligent with myself.  Typical mother, I know.

Anyway, the new x-ray system at my new dentist is wonderfully smart.  Just a little pad hooked up with a wire and the digital x-rays pop right up on the computer.  Not a good enough picture?  Take it again!  Got to LOVE technology!  (Although I can imagine the cost of putting one in your office is expensive!)   Once the x-rays were done it was time for the dentist to let me know what’s up with my teeth.   Let me just say, its a bad sign when the first words the dentist says is, “Are you having any pain?”  And when I answer, “Nope.”  She seems surprised and says twice more, “Are you SURE you’re not having any pain?”

It’s lucky I find that so amusing cuz she tells me I have 3 deep cavities that are so close to the root I’ll need root canals, crowns and because they are also so close to the gum line I’ll need crown lengthening.   She says best to submit it to my dental insurance and let them tell us how much they are to pay before we do the work, so I’ll know the costs.  Couple weeks later I get the answer from the insurance company.  $1700.   For ONE TOOTH!!  And this dentist says I have THREE that need this treatment.

It is at THIS point I look for other options.  And one of those options is going to Mexico for my dental work.   So I Googled and read up on a few articles.  I contact my Latino friends and get their advice on who THEY go to and I make some calls.   One place didn’t speak English and was rather uncooperative.  Another place gave me a quote that wasn’t much less than the dentist!  I got discouraged.  But a phone call with my Sex God cheered me up enough to keep trying.  I went online and studied several websites listing dental offices.  And I came upon White Smile Center.   Their website… (pix of their office above) … www.WhiteSmileCenter.com  was wonderfully appealing.   It looked clean, it sounded almost too good to be true, prices listed right there and it claimed a fully bi-lingual staff.  AND they said to call a number with a San Diego area code.   So I gave it one more try.

And I will tell you I am THRILLED by my experience.  I spoke to a woman who took my information and asked how late could they call me back.  9pm being my limit, they called back by 8:30 and I spoke to Omar.  He understood my dilemma of needing to make sure this was an economical decision if I was going to drive 3 hours there & 3 hrs back.  I told him what my dentist told me what I needed and how much I’d be willing to pay and he met my price.  (Pricefinder for Dentists!  lol.. not.)   His next words were scary though.  “When do you want to set your appointment?”

See, it had taken several weeks and ever since the dentist TOLD me of my problems my mouth has been saying… “Yea… that DOES twinge a little… shouldn’t you fix this!?!”   So I knew I needed to do this soon.   And then a piece of a tooth broke off when I was eating.  Yup… so despite this amazingly scary step, White Smile made it really easy, so I bit the bullet, leapt off the cliff of trust and made the appointment.

Sex God was terrified for me so he insisted on going along.  He took a day off work and drove down with me, spent the entire day trying to occupy himself while I got the work done and then picked me up and drove me home to tuck me into bed and cuddle me asleep.  Love my sweet man.

Anyway.. one of the reasons I liked White Smile was the fact they pick you up from the border and drive you to the facility and back.  They made it really easy.  They had great directions on where to park on the US side.  And I just walked over the border and they would pick me up.  Sex God stayed on the US side of the border cuz he didn’t have a passport.  But I’m a very bold girl and I had no problem doing this myself.  There was absolutely NO type of border check to enter Tijuana and I only got confused and lost ONCE!  Which was rectified by a quick call to Laura who directed me to a landmark I could find (McDonalds! haha) where they promptly picked me up.

I dressed quite down, looking more like a mother than a MILF or a Cougar.   Just a precaution.  After all, even if a young cub tried to pick me up I wouldn’t speak the language!  All around me was only Spanish and I kinda felt a small desire to learn the language.  Then the compulsive reader in me said, I’d really have learn to READ the language not just understand or speak it! haha.   So I get to the dentist and I meet their staff.  Wonderful people.  They checked me in, did a bunch of x-rays and sat down to let me know what they’d found.  They found that one of the teeth my L.A. dentist said was a root canal was just a deep cavity, but would need a crown.  But they found ANOTHER root canal on a completely OTHER tooth.. a canine no less.   (all this work mostly on my molar teeth)  Plus they feel that a row of my old metal filings are not sealing anymore and need to come out and be replaced.

That was pretty demoralizing.  Then they told me how long it would take and I was REALLY faced with a tough decision.  We had a late start leaving L.A.  and I was at least an hour late for the noon appointment and even if we did 3 root canals like I’d planned and brought the cash for I wasn’t sure I’d be able to have the time!  Who’d pick up the kids?  Feed them dinner?  I was really undecided.  But I bit the bullet and had them pick 3 teeth that were the worst and we’d do them.  Frantically texting arrangements for watching kids.

So they numb me up and start working.    They tell me later that they had TWO root canal specialists working simultaneously on the two root canals which are almost side by side.   I had no idea that was happening.  I kinda thought the dentist had a really pushy assistant!  Cuz every time he’d leave my mouth to get a tool, she’d be in there digging and drilling as if the job he’d just done wasn’t up to her standard.  Just a little hilarious.  Which was needed since I ended up with my mouth open for 3 straight hours.  My jaw was just aching and it felt sore more from THAT than from any of the work done.     I got home by 10pm, tired, sore with temp caps on my teeth.

10 days later I go back to get the crowns put on.  I had to get a loan from my Dad to cover the expense of all this which was good cuz I decided to get ALL of it done that day.  See, on the way down to this appointment, what happens?  I crack off another tooth.  And not even one of the ones they said needed work!   (There is so much metal in my mouth the x-ray can’t always see around it to the decay.. another reason to remove the old fillings before bad gets root canal worse.)

I arrive at my morning appointment at 9:30 and we get to work on my teeth by 10 am.  I’m not outa there until 6 pm!  Because they had to give me little breaks in between  jobs (thank goodness I brought a good book! lmao)   I had one root canal done, two deep cavities filled and SIX (6!) crowns made & put on.

This time I was smart enough to take an Advil halfway thru the procedure and on the drive home.  So my jaw didn’t ache nearly as much as last time.  They sent out for soup around 3 ish since I didn’t bring anything and OMG it was delicious!  Although maybe I was just hungry, but I cannot wait to try the combo of broth, cilantro & onions with chicken recipe at home.

My conclusions?   Highly recommend this to anyone within driving distance.  I ended up spending the exact amount my USA dentist WITH insurance quoted me but I got 6 teeth done for the price of 3.   Will I go back?  Hell, yes!  I got a deep cleaning and the other fillings to remove.  Although I might try taking the train… see how THAT adds or detracts from the full experiment.

Top it all off, I think the receptionist is now a fan of my blog.  lol.. win/win! 🙂

 

 

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Playing Hard to Get

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Heather

In perusing the Yahoo news.. (yes, that’s where I get my news, bite me!) I come across an article of Things Men Wish Women Knew.  I’m, of course, very interested.  I have strong opinions about this subject, feeling that MOST women just don’t understand how men think.  And as a woman who does kinda think like men, I’m always interested in attempts to educate women.

The article hits with ones I know all about.  “Make the first move”,  yes, done.  “Men aren’t mind-readers, speak up when its on your mind,” yes, obviously.  “Men want to be wanted for more than JUST their provider status,” easily done if you see them first as path partners.  “Excessive drama pushes them away,”  duh!

The list goes on but as I read the paragraph about “Its ok to play hard to get but avoid old school tactics” I stop cold.  The description of how to do it wrong is plain… giving a man signals that you are NOT interested is going to be read as you are not interested!   But according to the article being a little unavailable AFTER you’ve shown some clear interest…. THAT is playing hard to get, the right way.  Going coy & being busy is the correct way to entice a man into the chase by playing hard to get.

And I realize I’ve been inadvertently doing this for the last 2.5 years!

See when I’d get an email from a man on AFF, if the attraction was mutual I’d try to set up a meet as soon as possible so I could move the contact OFF the website quickly.  This avoided those only interested in sexting.  And verified this new interest looked like his picture & the chemistry was really there in person.   It eliminated me spending a lot of time on someone that wasn’t going to end up in bed with me.

But after THAT… hahaha… my schedule was usually extremely tight for said bed play.   While going on a date was easy to do, taking the date to the bedroom became problematic.  Especially now that the Ex still refuses to take his court ordered custody of his oldest son.  So, often a new man would get lots of, I’m busy that night, but free THIS night (weeks or months later!)

So without meaning to in any way, I’ve somehow mastered the talent of Playing Hard to Get.

Which explains why so many were chasing me!  Of course, many that are still chasing/vying/begging for time with me have already played in bed with me.   They’re not chasing me as much as hooked, so to speak. heehee

 

 

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Church and State Seperation

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Heather

So in this year of politics, my Facebook page is filled with commentary.  As is the news.  And my 14 year old is just BRIMMING with it on a daily basis.

One of his constant questions is why the Democrats seem to stand for things that are good and the Republicans seem to stand for the opposite.   He’s read up on both (so he tells me) and doesn’t understand HOW a Republican can be so against helping the poor?  “Aren’t they Christians?”  (My Mother’s been taking him to church. lol)  And its been causing me to do a lot of thinking to try and answer him.

See I’m hoping to help him see the gray areas to most beliefs.  The middle of the road attitude we use to try and be tolerant of each other.   Perhaps its just the way I think, but I believe there is never a black/white choice.  There are ALWAYS mitigating circumstances to everything.  Seeing those circumstances help us to understand others and other opinions and other choices.  Understanding helps us to see those things as different but not necessary evil or wrong.

And I realized one thing about myself and my political beliefs.  I’m kinda glad America is a bit of a welfare state.  And in some areas I wish it was more of it.  It’s why I like Universal Healthcare Welfare & Unemployment.  And why do I feel this?  Ironically, due to my Christian upbringing!

Helping others was a big deal at church when I was growing up.  And I watched my mother do it for other breastfeeding mothers for all my life.  Being there for your fellow man was what Jesus was all about, according to what I was taught.  And it was only when those teachings started to have the words “but” and “only if” attached to the sentiment that I broke with the church.  You cannot offer a helping hand and then pull it back when  “undesirables” reach for it.

I got back with God when I used logic to decipher whether I believed in God or not.  I asked myself, “Is there a force in my life?”  *Glances around and sees way too many coincidental patterns.*  Okay.. don’t know what it is was there is SOMETHING in my life… we can call it God if you want to!  *wink wink*   So I then asked myself what I thought would be the purpose of God?  Help us strive to be the best people we can be?  Good!  But wait, is that even POSSIBLE in one lifetime?  How can one lifetime teach us anything, much less everything, there is about being human?   Ah… but several lifetimes, well, that is another story.  *grin*

So as with politics I looked at it with logic and a humanistic viewpoint and realized we SHOULD be proud that as a country we help our fellow man.  Yes, there are people who abuse that, there always will be.  After all, where there is a system there will be abuse of said system.    But that is their lesson and their karma.   And yes, perhaps it should be on the shoulders of the individual instead of the government, but in a way this kind of makes it easier for all of us to “be there” for others when they are down.  Like an insurance company spreading the burden of one man’s accident’s costs amongst those who didn’t have an accident.

Yet I see people believing this is a responsibility of religion and THAT is what their tithe money should go for.  (Although it also goes to church maintenance, salaries, overseas mission support, etc.)   I am sure much of the tithe money goes to help the “needy”, but it often comes with strings  and sometimes leaves out those who don’t go to a church to participate in the giving part.  And let’s face it, it rarely helps people above the homeless level.

So I LIKE to separate my Church and State without separating my humanity to my fellow man.  I understand people don’t like getting taxed so idiots can abuse a system, but there are so many more who are NOT abusing the system.   We pay taxes used to make our life better (roads, laws, etc.) and safer (police, jails, military) why deny the “help our fellow man” part?

Now I agree the system should do things to curb abuse.  I’m ok with drug tests.  But I think if you fail a drug test your check should go to a rehab clinic holding a place for you.  Cuz if you show up high to get an assistance check.. you got a serious problem.   And I love WIC, but think formula should NEVER be given out there.  Instead coupons for the local Farmers market & breastfeeding help would be more beneficial.  If a big business wants to “help” WIC give money instead of wonderful cheap pricing on their products.   How much peanut butter do you think I eat in a month!!!  (And that is a whole other blog.  The big companies getting profits by working the social government systems in place to help the poor.)

This is how I see our Welfare State.  Paying taxes which is used to help those less fortunate is actually a little bit like paying into social security or paying Insurance premiums.  The system is gambling that I will never need the money and I’m hedging my bets that they’ll be there if I do.

Because honestly, most of us who KNOW someone who is in need…. well…. we are too poor to help.

 

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SoundHound…. working it for me!

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Heather

I really do love this app Sound Hound.  I don’t spend a lot of time cruising iTunes for interesting apps nor the latest apps.   But sometimes people I know do and way before I hear about them!   Sex God introduced me to Sound Hound when he used it on my car radio to figure out who was singing a song we were both enjoying.

So every so often I use the app when my radio’s TEXT button gives me no information.  And its become incredibly handy.  Not only does it name that song but it, of course, gives you a direct link to iTunes to BUY that song if you love it so much.  When I was cruising some of the pop radio stations (which I do when my alt rock stations have commercials) I sometimes here a new song that resonates with me.  Like Snoop Dog’s Young Wild & Free.. heard it, loved it and bought it right there through my Sound Hound.  Which worked great cuz then I KNEW a song with Snoop Dog played Coachella with Dr. Dre.

And the other day I was wondering how did Sex God know that song I’d put on a disk for him was Hockey?  I didn’t think he was as familiar with the band as I.  And then my brain clicked it in, Sound Hound!  Duh.  He’d used his phone which had the app to find out what band was on the disk when it played.

So then when Sex God and I were out at The Detroit Club and the DJ in between bands was playing HIDEOUS music and we were bored, so I whipped out my iPhone and booted up Sound Hound.  Sex God told me it would never work, but not only did it WORK it gave us the lyrics!  It was hilarious just as something to do!  Didn’t change how much we disliked the song, but now we could laugh at the lyrics also!

Top it all off I recently found ANOTHER way to use Sound Hound.  Sex God and I are always joking about how undecipherable Radiohead’s lyrics are.  And I love their music and want to sing along.  Then I had a little light bulb go off.  Sound Hound!  So I used my music app to play Karma Police by Radiohead and then, with the music still playing, opened my Sound Hound app and told it to identify the song.  In less than a minute it had identified the song and there, playing on the little screen, were the lyrics!

I don’t know which is more cool.. using two apps at once, or enjoying singing full belt the words to my favorite songs!!!

Although, honestly, Radiohead’s lyrics are much better as indecipherable gibberish than meaningful words. lmao

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