Little Voice in Your Head

We all have that little voice in our head, and I don't mean that schizophrenic person voice, but rather voice of our subconscious.  Do this, or don't do this.  But what if that voice is really God trying to talk to us.  Whether you believe or not, you have to admit that you sometimes hear that voice.  It is trying to tell you something, however trying to determine if it is telling you something or someone telling you something makes me stop and say "what?"  For example, if I can't see my oldest child and we are in a parking lot, there is a voice that says "Where is she?  Where are moving cars?" 

But what about that voice that says "Eat that chocolate, buy that candy bar."  I can't imagine THAT voice would be words from God.  I can't imagine that he cares whether my waistline is expanding.  Actually he would probably want me to say no to that candy bar.  So maybe it is the voice of the devil that I hear.  That makes me think of that old Tom and Jerry cartoon where the devil is on one shoulder and an angel is on the other.  Mmmm, just something that I thought about today as I was driving to a crowded parking lot where my oldest child went out of my sight and I heard that little voice............

Renew or New?

That is really the question.  My family is trying to save for a house.  The market is ripe for the picking to purchase a house, but don't consider it without at least a 5-10% down payment.  Insert gasp here, because we are one income household.  Not that I would trade being able to stay at home with my children for anything.  Although stretching a dollar has become more of a competetive sport for me these days.  Here is where the renew or new part comes in. 

I am a loyal AT&T customer and have been very happy with their service.  I currently own an iPhone 3 which my husband owned prior to me and it is really on its last leg.  The port that you plug in a headphone device works only intermitendely.  The phone itself has to be shut down manually every other day because it just can't seem to handle all of the apps that I would like to have on it.  I have had to take off 80% of my apps because of low memory space.  So I would really like to have another and my renewal date is coming up.  Since the delay of the new iPhone 5 has been put off until the falll, I can purchase the iPhone 4, for around $150.  Or might even be able to purchase an iPhone 3gs for $50.  Then you include in the data, which I have the smaller plan for $15 and then text messaging which I now pay $10 a month for that.  Just to recap, I am paying $30 with data and texting, and since I am on my husband's plan my minutes share with his are only an extra $10 a month.  So we are up to $40 a month for just me, in addition to the cost of purchasing a new phone. 

My dillema is, should I get another phone, or iPhone for that matter if I am trying to save for a house?  I cringe everytime our cell bill comes in because my husband also has an iPhone and a data plan.  There has got to be a better way.  I rarely ever even use my cell phone minutes.  I use my texting A LOT and I use my data basically, when I am at home and then can use my wireless.  So maybe I should just save my money and get a regular phone with texting from another company.   If I am missing my Words with Friends, or Hanging with Friends, I could always get an iPod.  Mmmm, decisions, decisions.

Ultimately, aren't we starting to use our phones for more than just making a phone call?  I use my phone to tell me where the cheapest gas prices are, check prices online, check mail, play games, play games, play games.  Hey - I think I am using my phone mostly to play game!  WHAT?!?

Any comments?

Diaper changing stations

So I just thought about this scenario and thought I should blog about it.  I recently (over Easter) traveled back to my home state of Indiana and spent A LOT of time in airports with an almost 4 year old and 3 month old baby.  So of course, while I was there we had to go and change diapers and use the bathroom.  In Indianapolis, there was this beautiful family bathroom, that even came equipped with a seat to trap a toddler into while you used the toilet.  LOVE it!  While I didn't actually use the seat, I can understand the need for it and am thankful that someone else thought to put it in there.

However, once in Baltimore, where I had a layover, I went into the restroom to change a diaper and the changing station was outside the stall.  So I change the diaper and go to throw it away, and the trash can is on the other side of the restroom.  Who thought of that?  Someone who doesn't have to change diapers, for sure!  While I applaud the airport for having the changing station outside of the restroom, because frankly what do handicapped people do when parents of young children are in their handicapped stalls changing a diaper, I still find it difficult to manuver with two small children.  The family bathroom is by far the best thought that someone in airports has ever had.  That along with family boarding.  I applaud that as well.

"Thank you for calling me back."

"Thank you for calling me back."  What?!?  "Thank you for calling me back," is what I said to someone this morning for returning my phone call.  Have we gotten to a place in our society where were have to thank someone for calling us back?  Granted I had called on Monday, and it is now Thursday.  Not only did I call on Monday, but called again on Wednesday and now it being Thursday, they finally called me back, and I thanked them?  Shouldn't they have been apologizing to me for not calling back sooner?

Granted, I am a self-described people pleaser.  I hate it when people are mad at me, I hate it when people might even possibly be made at me.  I sit there and stew and think to myself "are they mad?, should I call them or send them a note?, could I have done something differently?"  Even if I wasn't even in the wrong, I try to go out of my way to make people happy (although, I am sure my husband would strongly disagree).  So since I am this self-described people pleaser, I am saying "thank you" for calling me back. 

What do you think is the appropriate time for someone to call you back?  In this particular situation I was wanting some information which I believed to be time sensitive, therefore I called again two days later and left another message.  In today's day and age we are all busy, but how long does it take to make a return phone call.  Especially when it isn't someone that you know personally that isn't going to spend hours on the phone with you?  Are we so busy that we can't remember customer service skills?

My new diaper bag!

I LOVE my new diaper bag!  The best thing about it, is that is isn't even really a diaper bag!  It is actually a purse, but I would never carry a purse around that is this big, so it makes an excellent diaper bag!  It has the pockets on the sides for the bottles, it has the zippered part inside that I put my cell phone and wallet in.  It has small compartments inside for the hand sanitzier and other misc items.  It also has a little ring that I can attach my keys to so that I don't have to go searching in the bag for my keys.  I also love how the entire bags zips up, so I am not worried about someone stealing my wallet out of the bag!

WICKED

So hubby and I went to the see the show WICKED last night at the Murat and it was AWESOME!! The cast was amazing, the costumes were phenomenal, and the singing was inspiring! Galinda - the ga is silent was so hilarious! I really makes you think twice about the Wicked Witch of the West and if she was really misunderstood. If you get a chance, go and see it - you won't be disappointed!

One Step Ahead Catalog - LOVE IT!

I absoletly love my One Step Ahead Catalog. So much so that I wish it has its own store front so that I could have one stop shopping for anything I would need baby related. Recently I sent in a order to help with with my dd (now 2) potty training and some other essentials. See below my purchase and how much I love it!

This is the cushie traveler. I LOVE this little gadget. It folds up small enough so that it will fit in your purse and it is sturdy enough that the kiddos don't feel like they are going to tall through the toilet!

This is the dripstik - this is fantastic for when the kiddos have an ice cream cone or a popcicle. It doesn't drip all over them with this little gadget! Drips right onto the dripstik and clean up is a cinch!

Finally the juicepal. How many times have kids had a juice box only to figure out how to squeeze the life out of it? Not with this little device - the kids can squeeze, but the hard outside covering prevents that from happening. Plus it has handles on each side and give them someplace to hold onto. LOVE it!

Check out http://www.onestepahead.com/home.jsp?siteId=117 for other items that you could live without, but life is so much easier with these around!