My friend’s car broke down last week. She was waiting on several of her friend’s to call her as she knows people that have mechanic husbands. It all ended up falling through and she needs the car for work tomorrow. She decided to call me and see what I thought. I told her that my mechanic is a pretty honest guy and he works with my husband at the paper mill. He works on cars and does mechanic work at a small shop he owns with his uncle. He’s a good guy. I got them in touch yesterday, connected them and he was supposed to pick her car up sometime yesterday. It never happened. Of course, my husband defended him saying this is is his business, but he also works at the mill and he has been working for 8 days straight (they typically don’t work more then 4 without time off). While I DO understand that, I explained that this IS his business and this was the first time he had presented himself to this potential customer. Standing her up wasn’t the best first impression. My friend is upset, with both the mechanic and me. I told her he was trust worthy, because he’s never been anything but to me or anyone I’ve referred to him. Now he wants to get the vehicle today and she is refusing to answer his calls and has probably found someone else. I will still use the mechanic, because my past experiences with him have been positive, but I have to say, I’m not sure I will refer anyone anymore. Sure, we get busy.. things come up.. but he should have called and explained and said he’d be there right away in the morning and apologized. He had no contact at all.

This is his business. It doesn’t matter if your business is big or small, you have a responsibility to your customers. The small business association works hard to help small business owners with things like loans, strategy and marketing. There is no excuse. You treat your customers good and they will come back, you treat them bad and they won’t return and they WILL share their story. Whether it is a simple chore, expenses, tax audits, marketing, etc you are responsible for your business and your actions. I truly believe that people look past this, do what they want and then don’t understand why their business has taken a back burner and is at a dead standstill. I also hate to say it, but in business it’s still true.. Treat others how you’d like to be treated.. What I want to know from everyone else is.. How do you feel about this? Do you think it’s right that my friend is upset and justified in being upset? Is my husband right? Or is the way I am seeing things right?

I  also have to admit, sitting next to them and enjoying the games with them is a guilty pleasure! Yes, they are kids games, but they are amusing to watch. Both kids have been on the site playing. There are so many things to do, all in the games online, but something for everyone. There are math games, coloring things and more. I don’t mind the kids playing. There are quite a few things to do for a wide age range, including preschool games and projects.

I know a lot of kids are into online games and really looking forward to being on the computer, but as parents we do have to safe guard them. Parental controls, pre-screening of the sites, even sitting with them are all things that we do to protect them from sites that are less then kid or family friendly. Saving links like Cookie.com to the desktop helps me when I have them playing while I’m making dinner. The site is ad-free so the kids aren’t going to click off on something that is not family friendly.

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Online Bingo!

I love the world of online games and I have picked up playing so many of them. My children are also very found of the computer and online games. I like them because many of them are free and many of them are strictly online, which means nothing is being downloaded to the computer and I am not spending money on expensive game cartridges that they lose or don’t end up playing with them much. Down the road from us is the veteran’s hall and they frequently (1 night a week) have bingo playing. The age ranges from young teens to grandmothers. It’s fun, but often by the time I can sit down and enjoy my game, I’ve done homework, made dinner, cleaned up dinner and the dishes, got the kids bathed and ready for bed, and I am plain exhausted! Playing from home while relaxing in my recliner or my bed is the best way for me! AND I can play in my pajamas! Double win for mom!!

What is your guilty pleasure? Do you play any online games? How about games in general? Maybe your choice of games is an old card game or an app on your phone. I know the list is growing for me, but online bingo definitely is the one I am playing when I am on the computer!

Merck, the makers of non-drowsy Claritin products, has teamed up with Dancing with the Stars host Brooke Burke-Charvet this spring to create a new short film titled “The Difference is Clear”. The film is a crazy, over-the-top look at two versions of one busy woman’s day who is juggling work, life and family while also dealing with allergies. I have a little sneak peek for you:

FTC Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Burst Media on behalf of Claritin and have been compensated for my time commitment to the program. All views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

My husband suggested that we contact some IRS Tax Lawyers and see if they have a better format and system. Fried & Rosefelt are located in Washington DC, right near the IRS. They are going to be a great resource. There are many computer programs and even apps for your phone that allow you to scan receipts and organize things. It’s not so much the fear of the IRS or even taxes that bother me (of course we’ve never had to pay in), its more the worry that I will do something incomplete or worse mess up numbers and get audited years later. I am really happy that I have an accountant to help me with the process and if we aren’t sure, we just don’t include it. I am sure that is playing it safe, but better that then an audit.

For us, we don’t plan on our taxes every year. We never know what the tax refund will be from year to year, so we really just don’t plan too much on this extra money. It usually comes to us and we use it for a fun weekend with the kids, dinner, maybe a new toy for each of them and a gadget or something hubby and I want and then we put the rest in the bank and through the next 6 months it magically disappears. I’ve been saying for YEARS that I want to take the taxes and take a family vacation with the kids. With the price of airline tickets and all the other expenses of a vacation, we haven’t been able to do that yet. We are planning to do it soon though. My other problem was I didn’t want to take them when they were too young and wouldn’t remember. At the age of 8 and 11, I think they will remember everything well. Since my trip to Florida and Disney 2 years ago, the kids really want to get to Disney. We are currently working on that plan.

How do you work on your taxes? Are you organized through the year or a rush at the last minute person? Do you save your taxes for something special or do you use it to catch up on bills from the year?

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This shouldn’t be a huge problem, except for the fact that I have an 8 year old son who thinks it’s hilarious to flush things down the toilet. I have no idea why he does it. But it’s hilarious to him and he continues to do it. I’ve gotten to the point where disciplining him seems to make him do it even more, so I try to not put any attention on the matter. I think the TRUE reason he likes to flush things is because he likes to PLUNGE things. Makes sense, right? He’s very smart when it comes to thinking his process through.

My daughter recently attended an indoor football game here (we have an NFL team and an indoor football team, as well as a hockey team all in our city). They did a 1/2 time show in which you could sign up to play games. There was a plumbing company that sponsored one of the games. They had you throw the U shaped seat like horseshoes. It was a good time and in the end my daughter walked away with a t-shirt. She was happy. The t-shirt is hilarious to me. Of course.. think of this from a plumbers stand point and you will get the little inside joke with the saying.

American Custom Contractors is a great place to look for contractors for all types of services, including roofing, siding, windows and more. If you have a child in your home that likes to plunge toilets, or even play with the tub drain in an effort to take a shower & bath at the same time, you don’t have to worry, help is not far away. I am really glad that we are able to get a plumber out to our home without much of a hassle. You never know when things are going to happen. Recently the bathroom toilet cracked and we tried to do a small repair on it to get us through, but it didn’t work and we ended up having to replace that toilet. I was hoping it would hold out until summer. In summer we plan to completely remodel that master bathroom and the toilet is one thing that was (and still is) going to be changed. We want to change the layout some and the shower unit has to come completely out. It’s going to have more of a walk in effect, but will need to be all custom because the size of the shower/tub in there now is larger then anything they sell. Of course that’s fine because we were actually thinking of going with tile, a double shower head and some other ideas we have. Spartan Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning is a woman owned and managed company and they have given us some amazing ideas that we are hoping will work. There really is so much to think about. We had planned to do this over the winter months, but I couldn’t decide on everything in time. We moved the deadline to summer in the end because as I know from the past, having contractors in and out is much easier when it’s not freezing cold outside. I am excited to get this project started within the next few months though!

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There were times when nothing would soothe me like my mom. To this day, there are nights I call my mom just to talk. I need to hear her voice and even if she can’t change my situation, there is something about hearing your mom say “It will be okay. You are stronger then you think.” that makes things not quite as bad as they are.

This Mother’s day I want to celebrate the relationship that I’ve had with my mom over the last 30+ years. I may not have agreed with her when I was younger and we always had our differences (what child and mother don’t), but she’s my mother and I love her! Finding unique Mother’s Day gifts really was easier then I thought. I am big on personalization, so just about anything personal I know she will love. My mom recently told me that she has cards and things I made her at school that she kept. I thought that was so sweet. I know the kids bring home SO much stuff that it’s difficult to keep track of everything. I hate to throw things away, but I literally have 10 galloon totes from each year of school that the kids bring home. I just can’t bear to part with it. At least not yet. I believe that I will be like my mom and when my children are in their 30′s reveal the same thing to them that she revealed to me.

Every year we take a family vacation. It’s my brother (or brothers when the other feels like coming), my dad, my mom, my children, my husband and myself. It’s always a good time. I love to disconnect from the computer and technology and spend a week with my family. It’s a tradition we’ve done for years. This year however, we aren’t doing the vacation. With rising prices of things and everything my family has been through this year, it’s just not possible. My mom and I are taking a vacation though. We are flying to South Carolina to spend time with family. I am looking forward to the trip so much. My mom really needs this vacation, as do I and this is truly the first time that I can think that we’ve ever taken a trip or vacation (not even something overnight) without the rest of the family. My mom has been my rock for the last few months. I am so excited to get to spend this time with her. It will also be the first time she is flying, so I am excited to be a part of that milestone with her!

This Mother’s Day, share a photo of you and your mother (or you and your child) and enter to win a $100 Gift Certificate! This contest is random and will not require any judging or votes! Head over to Facebook and enter to win! I’m sure mom would LOVE a $100 Gift Certificate to treat her to something extra special! The contest is sponsored by YesVideo (which is an amazing service that will help you keep all your precious memories on a DVD). You can find them on Facebook as well and Twitter for updates, other contest information and so much more!

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We hosted a halloween party here before and it was a blast. The kids love the games and apple bobbing. That was really fun and the kids had a great time. Halloween treats are so fun to make too. The kids really enjoy trick or treating, costume and candy but as a parent I love seeing the costumes. I think a halloween party is the perfect way to do that. I wish it wouldn’t have to be in the summertime, but unless we move, the cold weather makes that a little more difficult.

Have you held a costume or themed party before? Would you attend a costume party?

Interflora flowers are amazingly beautiful, with a wide assortment of flowers that aren’t easily found locally for me. Recently with my accident, I received a wide range of flowers and a beautiful assortment of flowers. Many of them were ordered. I LOVE lilies and there are just not in season around me. I was so excited to see them and have a lovely assortment of other flowers that complimented them. The bright colors and smells of flowers really can brighten up a day!

I personally send about 5-6 floral arrangements a year. I send the most of them for holidays, Mother’s Day and new babies. I do also send them when other occasions call for flowers. I am getting ready to dig up my floral garden path in front of my house and plant some new flowers. Some of them are seasonal and come back each year, but most of them die off and I have to buy new ones. I don’t mind because this is really a project I LOVE doing each and every year. The kids even get into it. They are always willing to help. Flowers really make a difference! The yard looks nicer and it gets us prepared for the summer and all the fun and festive things we can do in the summertime! Not to mention.. SUMMER VACATION!!