Household Management

Thanks for stopping by!
Today my multi-managing is about household management
This I have to admit is where I often drop the ball.
When I get home I just want to hang out, spend time with my son & relax. The problem is that means no one tending to the house.
Don't get me wrong, my house is not dirty (I do vaccum, sweep, do laundry, clean the bathroom, kitchen stuff etc), it's the fact that I need to get a lot done with very little time to do it. I'm also including the fact that I shovel in the winter, & mow the lawn in the summer. This doesn't leave any time for other household tasks like cleaning out cupboards, going through buckets of toys that are no longer played with etc. I'd like to say that I have it all together, but this is where my domestic abilities fail. I started to do little cheats like, doing laundry & leaving the clothes in the dryer, shoving papers & misc. items in rubbermaid bins, just leaving frequently used items out for easy access & even hired someone to take care of my lawn this summer.
Still these are not working for me. Even when I set time aside for decluttering & re-organizing, I procrastinate. I just don't enjoy doing it. I do enjoy the end result when it's finally done, but soon enough it happens all over again. I don't know why I have this resistance to doing housework, I just do. If I read something I tend to be more motivated, but that doesn't last long.
My question is what would you do if you were me? How would you find the time/motivation to keep the habit of an organized haven?
Thanks for any suggestions you might have
Lisa

Frugally Fun

Hi all my Blogtown Buddies

Welcome back to my WFMW

This week I've been talking about my money management. Due to last summer's gas prices a lot of you opted for the "stay-cation" instead of a vacation. Although I did go on vacation last summer, it had been a few years since I went on one, so I was already a pro at the "stay-cation concept".

I live in a fair size city. There is always lots to do, but I find everyone here thinks they have to spend, spend, spend just to have fun.

Sure I splurge on a few things, but really I find lots do without having to shell out the big bucks!

I'll start with SHOPPING which is a tough one for most. Truthfully I just try to stay out of the malls. There will always be something on sale, or a really good buy that just can't be beat. When I find myself wanting a household item (especially a decor piece) I start to think where will I put it? Is it truly useful & do I really want one more thing to dust? Sometimes the answer is yes, but most often it's no. Clothing is a somewhat of a similar system. My one job I wear a uniform 5 days & the other I dress casual. I occasionally go to a lunch networking group, so I need appropriate clothes for that as well. I base my wardrobe around whether I can wear the clothes to those places. I still have some dressy stuff for nights out with friends, & some lounge around the house clothes, but only a few items for each. That way the majority of my wardrobe is worn & not just sitting in the closet.

My next item for discussion is ENTERTAINMENT. I find lots of great things to do intown. The key to finding great cheap fun things is BE EASILY AMUSED!

If you go with the idea you are "going to have a hoot!" you will.

When my son was young I'd go to all the library kid programs with him. A lot of Moms just drop there kids in the room & go, but I'd always stay behind to sing the songs & do the dances with them. Those are the things my son remembers us doing together when he was young. Nowadays library programs just don't cut it for him, so we often search a lot of pages for our City, Region, Municipality, Community Newsletters, & Newspapers for upcoming events. Most that are advertised in those community listings are free or with very little cost. I also like the assortment of outdoor festivals my area puts on. Often local tourist attractions will have specials on certain days (ie opening day if it's seasonal, Mother's Day, Father's Day etc), just make sure you check their event calendars.

Even if you don't have kids, you can often find lots of art events or book clubs if you look. You don't always have to go to the Roller Coaster park, or vacation spot to have great memories. They can happen right in your own backyard!

Lastly I'd have to say just find out what you like or would like to try & GOOGLE it. Any interest you have or are thinking about learning more about will be somewhere on the internet. You can join Forum group, get newsletters & you know it.....find blogs about it!

Want to find some more blogs?

Well check out

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/

Let me know what you do to have some Good Cheap Fun! or are going to look into in your area.

Someone else might like it too!

Thanks again for stopping by

Lisa

Budget?

Welcome back Blogooligans!

Today my post is about handling money. I feel very fortunate that I own (still have a mortgage, but it's getting there) my home, have a fully paid vehicle, affordable bills, RRSP's & extra cash to play around with.

I may not have the $ that a lot of professionals make, but I'm happy just the same. Isn't that what's most important after all? Sure there's things I would like & that I think are worth saving for, but I've got to say I'm not a huge impulse buyer.

How do I get the things I need paid for & still have some money left over at the end of the month? I know that it can be tricky. Most people will tell you to put yourself on a strict budget. How's that working out for you? I know it wouldn't work for me. Does a budget leave room for things like sudden car repairs, gifts for bridal/baby showers, the need for emergency house repairs, the flip flopping of gas prices, school fundraisers, admission charges for school trips etc.

Those are just things off the top of my head.

I make my money work my way. I have the luxury of being paid bi-weekly at my full time job by direct deposit. I know every 2nd Friday my paycheque is in the bank at 12:01am, but you know what happens next? I have it arranged that my mortgage payment comes out the same bi-weekly Friday. This means I don't have to worry if I have enough in to pay my mortgage payment. I just know there is. That's peace of mind for me. Talk to your banker about setting up a bi-weekly instead of monthly mortgage payment. Being that you pay every 2nd week no matter how many weeks are in the month, you end up making an extra mortgage payment per year that you wouldn't have if you pay monthly. In the long run it makes a HUGE difference!

The cash left over from that paycheque is usually enough for a bill payment, groceries & gas. I have a part-time job as well. They pay me bi-weekly as well but on the opposite Fridays as my other job. I love the fact that every Friday I have earnings coming to me. I know most of you don't take on that, so here's my other advice... AUTOPAY the Biggies, I have automatic payment of my RRSP's (twice monthly, so I can split it up a bit), Life Insurance, & Auto Insurance

These are important & y0u don't want to worry about insurance being cancelled because you missed a payment. House insurance I pay once a year, but always know when it's coming & usually use part of my vacation pay for it. (I don't go away every year. I save up for big vacations). Try these tricks for your banking (a lot of it you can set up yourself with your online banking). See if it sets your mind at ease, knowing that money is going out when the money is there to be taken out, no one wants to be in OVERDRAFT

Tune in for my next post about how you can be Frugal & still have FUN!
Have a great weekend
Lisa

Hooray!

Hi Everyone!
I have some great news regarding my employment status! As you saw from my Blog Entry on Tuesday, I enjoy working & although I work a lot of hours I seem to keep most things in order. Well guess what???????
Today my boss at The Sign Depot offered me more hours! He said things like, you really are friendly, easy to work with, etc & I really think there is much more you can do for this company & I know you can do it! How awesome is that!?! In fact it was so awesome that I kept thanking him for all of things he said. I always do my best to be useful & take on any tasks that are given to me with a lot of "gusto" It's nice to see that it was noticed & appreciated. He still knows that I can't conflict with my hours at my full-time job, so that was a relief as I basically said where I could fit in a few hours here or there. Still I'm just smiling! What a great way to start off Friday!Want to see some of the awesome stuff made by The Sign Depot?
Go to
www.sign-depot.on.ca
Cool huh?
Well I am off to do a few things before job #2. Hopefully I can come home & post about great things going on there as well

Party Favours for Kids

It's that time again. Works for Me Wed. from the great site

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/

(check there for handy tips)

In keeping with my multi-managing theme, I've now moved on to Financial Managing. I am not an overspender nor am I the most frugal person you will meet, but I don't like to waste money that's for sure. I have had several birthday parties for my son in the past & I try not to put junk in the grab bags. Sure you can load up on dollarstore finds, but once the child plays with it once it ends up in some junk drawer somewhere. I say that's a waste of money. When I put my son's grab bags together we theme them so they are fun, but still make them to last.

The big item in all of the grab bags is a music CD. I download music for whatever theme we're going with (usually 5 or 6 songs) & fill the rest with Disney Tunes, Themes from TV shows he watches & fun songs (like Lollipop, Lollipop. oh lolly lolly pop etc). We then make enough copies for the whole party. Get dollar store CD cases & print off inserts with a pic of that years theme & the list of songs. All the kids look forward to that year's CD. We've done Bob the Builder, Scooby-Doo, Spider-Man, Sponge-Bob, Star Wars (can you see how it changes each year he gets older?). It's also a record of what he liked at that age.

The next thing we get is some sort of themed snack. Usually the Betty Crocker Fruit Snack (ie Scooby-Doo, Spider-Man), but one year we were able to get Sponge-Bob Dunkaroos

We then get a few fun things like temporary tattoos, punching balloons or stickers in that theme

& then finally we add something useful like a pencil in that theme.

Instead of tieing them up we just fold the top of the bag down & tape it shut. One year we just went with Dollarstore ziploc bags instead. The kids are just as happy & everything stayed sealed in.

Please feel free to post any birthday party tips you have or let me know what you thought of my party trick!

Have a great day

Lisa

Good afternoon Blogging Buddies
I'm here blogging in between my 2 jobs today.
Two jobs? You might say, but for me it works in a BIG way!
As you can tell from my previous posts I enjoy being busy. A lot of people are very glad to work 9-5 everyday, but I have a bit more variety in my schedule. I know a lot of women love to accomplish all of their household tasks when their kids are in school, but that`s not me. Basically when my son isn`t home, I`m bored. I know I should fold laundry or organize cupboards or do something else domestic like, but the truth is I HATE THAT STUFF! I would rather turn on some tunes & dance around, or read a magazine or go out. Yes I will never be Joan Cleaver, but that`s the way I like it. Don`t get me wrong. I do the basics, dishes, laundry, bathrooms, sweeping, vacuuming etc. My house is not dirty, but it is messy. Messy from toys, messy from junk mail, messy from piles of clean laundry that need to be put away. That`s the messy that I have trouble dealing with. I know where everything is. It`s just more like organized chaos for lack of a better term. When my son 1st started full days at school, I imagined have tons of time to get the house in order, but when push comes to shove I`d decide it was a good time to take a nap, because I work afternoons & evenings a lot. Eventually I came around to the decision that my house is my house. It will never be featured in Better Homes & Gardens, but I don`t know too many people who read that anyway. I knew that I could be doing something else with my time to learn some new skills, as curious & eager are big personality traits of mine. I decided that I should get a part time job. I was very determined to find something that wouldn`t conflict with my full time job & would be very flexible for me. Eventually I found it. It`s just 11 hours a week & it`s when my son is in school. I love being out of the house during the day. It makes me appreciate it more when I get home. I have new skills & get to meet a variety of new people. So yes it can be a little hectic for others, but my schedule is the same every week, so I know when I have time to do those extras.

• Mondays, I work 9am-5pm, usually come home, do dishes, relax or go out with friends
• Tuesdays, I work 9am:30-1:30pm, come home, do some laundry, relax, go to work from 4:00pm-11:00pm
• Wednesdays, I work 9am-5pm. This is usually Fast Food dinner day, then we get home, work on my son`s homework, play a board game or video game & hang out
• Thursdays, I work 9:30am-1:30pm, then I go grocery shopping, come home put it away, start dinner prep, pick up my son, come home cook dinner, help with homework, laundry, vacumming, & relax
• Friday-my busiest day of the week, I work 9:30am-12:30pm, come home, just relax`cause then I go in & work from 4:00pm-2am,
• Saturday, SLEEP IN!!!!, do whatever is left to be done, clean bathroom etc, relax, go to work from 3:00pm-2am
• Sunday SLEEP IN!!!! Hang out with friends in the afternoon, make dinner, hang out with my son while we watch CLONE WARS

See I get it all in! Notice that I don`t have things like cook dinner while doing dishes, while talking on the phone etc. I do each thing in it`s time & I do MANAGE to get it all in. Applying task on top of task is not a great system for me. I work a lot, but also have time with my child & time with friends & time for me. Plus having a little extra cash helps too! My next chapter on Multi-management will talk about my money management & why I will never put myself on a strict budget.

Have a great day all!
Lisa

Snowy but Shiny

Hello my blogalicious buddies
Here in Kitchener Ontario it's still snowing, but the sun is still shining. That is something that makes me smile. I'll take sun over overcast any day (even in the hot dog days of summer)
I have an hour before I'm off to spend the afternoon with my SYS pals, so I thought I'd tell you about them & how it works into my time management theme.
As I've stated before I work many hours, so keeping social connections is a bit difficult. In the past many of my friends just spoke on the phone with me. They were very much home bodies. Most outings involved me organizing & co-ordinating it with everyone. That was fine & I had fun doing it, but because of my "momhood" & work it was hard to organize times that worked with everyone, so friendships became more like acquaintances. Being that I was spending my Sunday afternoons watching tv & folding laundry, I knew I should be doing something much more social. I thought about joining a gym or taking a class, but wondered if you really form any friendships at those places. I also wasn't too keen on putting out all of that money & what would happen if I didn't like it? I figured I wasn't the only woman in my community feeling like this, so I put together a women's friendship group.
It's called SYS which stands for See You Sunday pronounced sis. Every Sunday we do something different. We go on tours of local businesses & attractions, have guest speakers & occasionally volunteer. Every week is something different. I organize all the events, because I love to do that. All of our activities are free or very low cost (ie if we go & make a craft it might be $5 to cover supplies etc). We get group rates for things like theatre shows, pampering etc.
We meet on Sundays at 12:45pm & are usually done around 3pm. It doesn't sound like very long, but it's enough time to learn something new & see how everyone's week has been. My favorite part about SYS? My new pals!!! I've mentioned before that my best buddy Diane from the "where do i get started" blog listed on the left side of the page, turned me into a mommy-blogger, well I met her through SYS. I am very thankful to have her in my life & know if we have a busy week, we'll still get to chat on Sunday. Sunday is my scheduled fun/social day. You need that or all you'll have to talk about is work/kids or whatever you just saw on YouTube.
So when you're done reading this, think about a friend you haven't saw in a while, facebook her & re-connect! Who know next Sunday you might be hanging out with her!
Have a shiny day!
Lisa

Works for Me Wed + Multi-Managing

Hello Blogland Pals! Thanks for stopping by. Welcome to my Works for Me Wednesday post, check out http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ for more posts.

For those who have been following along, this week I have been blogging about Multi-managing. I prefer to Multi-Manage instead of multi-task (see my other posts below to understand what I'm talking about).

Today's WFMW tip is part of my Multi-managing that I will speak more of in upcoming posts, TIME MANAGEMENT. I love to spend time with friends, but being that I work many hours I don't want to give up time with my son to see friends, but if I bring him along he gets bored very quickly (there's only so much to do in a coffee shop after you've had a treat). What's my solution? McDonald's PlayPlace. They are in most major cities. I tell my friends to meet me there. My son is happy to play on the structure for hours, with check-ins for refreshment. It gives me time to socialize, & not spend a fortune on babysitting. They are usually open the majority of the day, so we often go for breakfast. He has his pancakes & milk then it's off to play! It's not very busy in the morning, so he has free reign for a while, & as other kids come he asks them to be part of his club house. We both get to have social time & neither one of us is bored! That Works For Me!

Please let me know if you found this tip useful & come by often to see what's new

Thanks again for stopping by

Lisa

Give respect, get respect

Hi everyone

Welcome to day 2 of my "mini-series" blog about Multi-Managing! Like I said I learned a lot about the world by learning people skills early on. I've always been very social. Infact looking back at all my grade school report cards that my mother kept, they all say "Lisa would do much better in class if she could cut down on the chatter" or "Lisa loves to socialize with others at school, perhaps she could save it for more appropriate times like recess".

When hitting Highschool I came upon my first job. A job I might add that I still have (yes unbelievable, but true). Our main goal is to keep customers happy. I'd take note of the very picky/grumpy people. They'd always complain, but they'd always come back. Why? Because no matter what they complained about I was always kind & never got defensive. I'd do my best to make them happy & always have a kind word before they left. Soon they'd ask to only be served by me because I was the only one that did it right. Truthfully we all did it the same, but I took the time to be polite & take interest in what they were saying. Soon they were no longer complaining & would come in happy & cheery to see me. My trick is to "Kill them with kindness" I'm sure you've heard this statement before, but you need to be genuine. If someone brings you a problem, don't deny it or make excuses. The best thing to do is apologize & see what you can do to improve the situation. In the end you both win. Being that I have been with the same company so long, I'm sure you have guessed I have some seniority. I do to an extent. I have staff under me, but strive to never make them feel like I'm above them. My view is "we're all in this together" & it makes for a harmonious working enviroment. We have lots of fun, great attitudes & revell in our ability to joke around with one another. I love it that way. No one wants to get ordered around, or made to feel they are less than adequate at their job. If I see a problem I try to fix it along with others. I don't have a MY WAY or THE HIGHWAY attitude. No one respects that. If you want to get respect, you need to give respect. It's that simple. How does that fall into multi-managing, well work is a big part of my life & for many others I'm sure. Even if you are not in a managment position, just try being a little more respectful at work. Listen to what others are saying. Remember things people tell you & be sure to ask about them the next time you see them (IE if someone is going to visit relatives, ask them how their visit was, or if they were going to see a movie/show ask how they liked it). Everyone wants to know that they have been heard & it makes a real difference. This attitude works in your household as well. See what others like/dislike. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Listen to what they have to say & be interested. Give them respect. See how much easier life is when you have open communication in a friendly atmosphere. You'll soon see a difference in the attitudes of those around you. When you start off with a happy attitude you will see the beginning of Multi-Management.
I hope this post was informative to you & you'll join in tomorrow when I blog about Time Management.
Thanks again for stopping by
Lisa

Multi-Management for Modern Day

Welcome back friends. In my last post I mentioned that I choose to Mulit-manage rather than Mulit-task. I do my best work when I concentrate on one thing at a time, even when I have tons of stuff to accomplish in a day. Many women face these challenges They have a lot to do & not a lot of time to do it. Multi-managing is not just about managing your time, it's about managing to keep your life in order & making sure it's done right. Done right to me means enjoy what you are doing no matter what it is. I know this may seem far fetched to some, but believe me it's well worth making efforts to do enjoyable things. You don't need to be a Hollywood Superstar to have a great life (infact we see everyday how their lives aren't as great as they had hoped). You just need to be a Superstar in your home. Some of you may think I'm talking crazy talk, but my advice is the exact opposite of crazy. Mulit-managing helps me be a SANE, happy, well rounded individual. How you multi-manage will be different from household to household, but the underlying premise will be the same. Do it, do it well, & be proud of it.
I have lots of suggestions to offer, but again not too much time to get it all in. I'd like to DO IT RIGHT! So I've decided to break it down into several posts with examples & suggestions.
I'd also appreciate your comments & suggestions to me & others reading this blog. My next post will be about how I learned "people skills" & how they started me out on the road to Multi-managing. Until then, toodles!
Lisa

WOW did it ever Work for Me Wednesday!

Hello Blog Pals
Thanks again for stopping by. Once again I need to give props to my pal Diane who has turned me on to the Mommy Blogging Culture! If you read my post from yesterday you'll see a tip I gave for WORKS FOR ME WED. I got a lot of comments & really appreciated them! I got to see different cities & countries listed on my Feedjit (also courtesy of Diane) & I read lots of other blogs from the link list given & got lots of ideas, but this was my MOST FAVE.
As some readers know I just got a new computer & right now since I'm in decluttering mode, I don't want to fill this hard drive with lots of bookmarks & am trying to keep track of things better as well.
This idea came from
http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-online-organization-system.html
I am definately going to start a info blog for myself. I've also started using the Windows Calendar that came with my new system. This will help me keep better track of appointments, reminders & SYS events. This is my new way to Multi-Manage. I don't Multi-task, it's hard to do too many things at once & do a good job at all of them.
Instead I Multi-Manage!!! You've heard it hear first. I have coined this phrase! (yes I googled it to make sure it wasn't used already. The only context it seems to be applied to is mutual fund mangers, but not anymore!)
I find it difficult to multi-task. Most women can cook a meal, talk on the phone & do the dishes all at the same time. This process does not work for me. I'd get caught up in an enthralling conversation, end up burning the dinner & dropping the phone into the water filled dish sink (not that this has happened, but believe me it could).
I like to Multi-Manage. This system works well for me. For those who don't know me, I'm on the go a lot. I guess that's what happens when you're eager. My top priority is my son. He is first in my life. Everything else is in 2nd place. There are no 3rd place trophies or participant ribbons in my life. Everything in 2nd place is Full On! As listed in my description above I have a full time job, a part time job, I organize a women's friendship group & last year I co-hosted a women's show (see MeFest listed on the left side of this page) & am about to embark on an event planning business with Diane. Plus I take care of a home, pet, vehicle & all the tasks that come along wtih these things. All of this takes management skills. I Manage my time, tasks, finances, my household etc. Most say I'm crazy, but I love it. If I'm not busy, then something is up!
Tomorrow I'll give you some insight into Multi-Management.
Thanks again for reading
Lisa

Works for Me Wednesday

Feel free to follow this link

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/

My friend Diane who writes the WHERE DO I GET STARTED? blog (listed on the left side of this page) turned me on to this.

You put a link to a great tip you know.

Well since I have a 9 year old son, action figures are big in this house.

The action figures are easy enough to keep track of, it's all of the accessories that come with them that create some chaos....

"Where's Boba Fett's jetpack?' "That blaster belongs to Han Solo not a Stormtrooper" "My Ninja Turtles swords are mixed in with the GI JOE's"

Basically all the accessories look the same to me. Unfortunately they are assigned to specific characters & my son insists that action figures can't borrow from each other. My 2nd problem with these pieces are that they easily fall off the characters (& some times end up in my central vac-oops!)

What does this Mom do to CURB THE CHAOS?

Ziploc Bags. Yes I buy every size the Dollarama has to offer. Storm Troopers & their blasters in one. Turtles & their weapons in another etc. Just make sure that the figures & accessories get put in the baggie & zipped up after the battles are over, & you're off to the races! If a jet pack falls off of Boba Fett or Darth Vader's cape has gotten removed, it stays safely zipped in the bag (& not in the pit of a toy bin).

Please let me know if this tip was useful to you

Thanks

Lisa

The Power Of Nice

Good Day BlogPals!

Just letting you that I had a great day! I hooked my old speakers back up to my computer & downloaded some tunes that I had been missing. One of my fav's is BE YOURSELF by Chris Cornell. I love his voice & this song is really important to me. It gives you the reminders that no matter what life throws at you, just BE YOURSELF & soon enough circumstances will change.

Soon after that I received a great email from a forum that I am on. http://thepowerofnice.com/

It's for the book THE POWER OF NICE. I posted my "NICE" story & THE AUTHOR ROBIN KOVAL responded to it. She didn't comment on any other post in the forum.
That totally thrills me!!!!!!!!

I've copied & pasted my forum post below. This was a really great read & I'd recommend it others. Let me know if you like it!
--------------
Hello, I’m Lisa & I have just finished reading this wonderful book I have several NICE stories for you!

1st off I haven’t saw PAY IT FORWARD, but have hear it’s wonderful Last Christmas I had the opportunity to see a great movie called THE ULTIMATE GIFT & I’m sure many of you would agree it too teaches the POWER OF NICE.

2nd I had a point in my life where I needed to make some big changes (as I’m sure many have found themselves in a situation you need to change something to make life much more enjoyable) I knew I needed to get out & meet new people & form a new circle of friends I thought about joining a gym or taking a class, but wondered if I’d actually form friendships at those places, plus what if I put all that money out & didn’t like it? I figured I wasn’t the only one in my city like that, so I started a women’s friendship group called SYS which stands for See You Sunday pronounced sis. We get together Sunday afternoons for friendship & fun. We do something different every week. We go on tours of local businesses & attractions, have guest speakers, do volunteering etc. I always enjoy organizing & going to the events! The best part is I made lots of new friends. I even found a best pal out of all of this How lucky am I? Together we started organizing events around the community. Our 1st event was last September. We had a pampering/lifestyle show for women called “MeFest - A Celebreation of You ! “ It had 70 vendors & we had 400 people come to the show. Not bad for our first event! Our vendors loved how we put it on just ourselves without any big attitudes & that we are always upbeat & fun to be around & have asked us to put the show on twice a year!

If you’re kind enough to still be reading, my 3rd nice storie is… I am very greatful to have read this book, because I did not find it. It found me! I was at a gift exchange where you could pick a wrapped gift & it could be swapped again & again before we got to open it. I spotted the gift I wanted by just the way it was wrapped. Gold paper & bows in basket style clear wrapping. I wouldn’t have ever have know it was a book. People kept stealing each others gifts until every gift had changed hands. Every gift that is, except mine. No one took it out of my hands. When I opened my wrapping & found this book I knew that I have must have been destined to have it! What a great Christmas gift don’t you think?
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year Lisa
Profile


RobinK
Posted: 05 January 2009 09:55 PM

Newbie
Total Posts 1
Joined 2009-01-05
Hi Lisa - It’s Robin Koval here.
Thanks so much for sharing your stories. I loved them all—especially the story of how you came to discover The Power of Nice. I think you put it quite well and we’ve heard it from others too. The Power of Nice and its readers seem to find each other.
Please keep spreading the word and here’s to a happy, healthy and NICE 2009!
Robin ----

A Comedy of Errors

If only someone had been videoing me getting this new computer.

I'm sure it would be popular on You Tube

A long long time ago in a household far away......

(Que Star Wars theme)

Being that my jalopy of a computer is on it's last life (15 years old, upgraded & fixed several times, & now locking up almost daily) I've decided it's time has come for the "ETERNAL SLEEP" as Yoda might say.

After much consultation & consideration I decided that Best Buy had the right package for me. It was a Hewlett-Packard full package system w/ a Samsung monitor. If you ordered a desktop computer, you could also add Printer/Speaker package for $49.99. The sale started at 8pm Dec 24th (Christmas Eve). I called on the 23rd & spoke to customer service & asked the best way to make sure I get everything I need. The agent said "well you want to make sure you get the computer package so order that 1st, then go back & add you speaker/printer package & you'll still get the deal". So on Dec 24th at 8:00pm I ordered the computer. Then it said I was in the BEST BUY WAITING ROOM which was holding my place in line to check out my item.

It said DO NOT HIT THE BACK OR REFRESH BUTTON AS THIS WILL DELETE YOUR PLACE IN LINE. Then it had a status bar which read 0% complete. It stayed that way for a LONG time. I started to wonder if the computer had locked up, but I just trusted that I had done everything right & waited. Finally at 8:15pm it said I was 1% completed. Another ten minutes went by & finally it said 10% completed & then the status kept jumping at a much quicker pace, so at 8:45pm I was finally at the checkout. Thankfully it said that my computer was in stock & I could purchase it (they were nice enough on the website to say that if after waiting, if you found your item is out of stock you could go back & pick another item & not have to wait again-great thanks for that). Now the 2nd item the printer/speaker combo. Well they have it but it's coming up for an extra $100 then originally told. I called Best Buy (put on hold of course). The agent on the phone said that the 1st agent didn't tell me the right ordering process, but that he would put a note on my file that I get the sale pricing for the combo. He couldn't do it right then because of the high volume of calls & could I call back later in the evening to get it all straightened out. At 11:45pm I called back. Explained to now the 3rd agent what had happened & about the note on my file & the price adjustment. He didn't understand, but said since there's a note he'd honour it & adjust the price (great thanks for that). Christmas was great & I was getting excited for my gift I had bought myself to arrive. I checked my order status online & it said I needed to call & verify my order for the computer but the combo status was unavailable & still wrong pricing for it. Called Best Buy agent #4 (please remember that every time I call I am put on hold for long periods of time). He verified my computer & said yes that I'd get the right pricing for my combo. It would be coming as well & that it's saying that status is unavailable because of the pricing adjustment. A few days later my computer arrives YEAHHHHHHH, oh but wait, no printer/speaker combo. Called Best Buy agent #5 (holds....) she can't figure out why it hasn't come, she sees that it was to be shipped & will have head office contact me. I asked when they will call & she said they'd email in a few days. Well that means I'm not setting up the new computer & risk missing the email from Best Buy Head Office. You know the one that will say it's all straightened out...yeah, not so much. The email comes saying that the combo I ordered is now OUT OF STOCK. Yippeee off I go to call Best Buy agent #6. I must add that all the agents I spoke to were very nice & polite, up until agent #6. I called & explained the situation. She basically told me there's nothing she can do OUT OF STOCK MEANS OUT OF STOCK! I said I understand that, but over the course of all of this all the agents I spoke to said I should have gotten it when I received my computer. I order it within minutes of the sale starting & it was in stock then. I explained that I felt through the pricing errors that my combo got sold to someone else, but I have a confirmation # saying that it was in stock for me. Once again I was told that OUT OF STOCK MEANS OUT OF STOCK! We went around this a few times & I knew I was getting nowhere with her. Not even a timeline of when I could expect it back in stock. I told her that I'm glad Best Buy feels they have no fault in this & that she should have a nice day (click). Now we are up to Jan 2 (yesterday), my old jalopy is now locking up again. I figure I have a brand new computer sitting in my living room. I have read the directions & I know it's an easy set up. Easy set up yeah right! Not if you are 110 pounds trying to set a monitor on it's stand (here come the slapstick part). I can see how it all goes together, but I can't snap the monitor onto the stand. It shows to set it down on an angle, grasp on both sides of screen & pull forward & it will snap into place. Once again, not so much. Try after try it did not work (tiny wrists are not made to do this kind of work). I tried every way I could think of finally I decided to put my elbow on top of the screen & push down with all my upper body weight, while at the same time hoping that I don't break the screen. Thankfully it worked. Now the rest will be a breeze. Can you say NOT SO MUCH along with me? The hookups were fine. The problem was they sent me a wired mouse, but a wireless keyboard WITHOUT the gadget you put on the back of your hard drive to make the wireless keyboard work. After calling my "new pals" at Best Buy (agent #7, holds etc), they said they didn't have the part & to call HP. Yay, making new friends with different technical support people. It's now mid-afternoon. The customer service person at HP doesn't know what I need so she sends me to a department that does. Well I can't hear this guy. I turn the volume all the way up & still he's breaking up. I keep telling him this. Instead of asking for my phone # to call me back, he decides the best course of action is HANG UP ON ME. It's now 3pm & I have to get ready for work. I write down all the info I can listed on my hard drive & keyboard & bring it with me to work. It's slow so I call HP back at 4:30pm (in hopes that if I get the call in before 5pm I can get my piece shipped same day). Well this agent says I have my serial #'s wrong & I'm missing an "X" he thinks one of my "3's" should be an "X". (I know my handwriting is not the best, but I've never mistaken a 3 for an X before) & to call back when I can read them right off the computer. I explain that I don't get home until 2am, he said that's fine 'cause they're there 24/7. HOORAY I get to be on hold forever in the wee hours of the morning! Yes that's exactly what happened. Now when I read the serial #'s to this HP agent, he said yes they are right & no X was required (shocking, I know). Guess what? They can't believe that I got sent a wired mouse & wireless keyboard. So he decided the best course of action is to send me a wired keyboard. It should arrive around JANUARY 12th!!!! Boy was I pleased with that, only having to wait another week. So I decided to hook up my old keyboard so that I could log into my new computer & now I'm back online.
I'm now deciding if I should hook up my old speakers for the time being, as who know when my other items are scheduled to arrive. (Que ending Star Wars music)
I this may not be such a Sunny story for me, but I'm hoping it gives everyone else a chuckle.

2009 is starting out Sunny!

Remember these lyrics

So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win

Well it's a SUNNY day here it Kitchener! I had a great New Year's Eve.
Even though I didn't party, my son & I had a New Year's Party of our own. When we turned on YTV while eating dinner, they had movies of our fav shows we watch together.
Drake & Josh & I-Carly each had movies on.
These shows are entertaining for both of us. We watch them Thursdays when he is done school.
After that we watched JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH which was enjoyable as well, especially with popcorn added to the fun. That ended at 11:30pm. Just enough time to switch over to Dick Clark & see Times Square. We watched the ball drop & then we were both off to bed.
Best Buy emailed me today to say my printer & speaker combo I ordered a week ago is out of stock, so I'll call them today since it was ordered 1 min after the sale started!
This morning we decluttered a rubbermaid bin of his stuff, so we can actually see what was in it. We ended up with a grocery bag of garbage & a grocery bag of stuff for charity donation.
Feels good to free up some space, even if it's just a little spot
Next I made a "SUPERSIZED" bacon & egg brunch for us.
It's so bright & sunny outside that we are going to go play in the snow before I have to go to work. Yes I work New Year's Day. The demand for Hot N Ready Pizza never gets old.
Hope it's sunny where you & are too!
Lisa