Harajuku at Target

I was raving with excitement when I saw that Harajuku by Gwen Stefani was now at Target. I ran to the store with my RedCard in hand with the intention of spending that month's entertainment budget. My eyes were met with a technicolor rainbow. There were neon greens and pinks, color I haven't seen since the eighties. There were those loveable Harajuku girls, some with mermaid fins and some without. My personal favorite was the one with the afro. This is perhaps the first disappointment for me. I bought a makeup bag with the same Harajuku girls on it from Sephora. Those girls were all shades of brown, from dark to light. There were no brown Harajuku girls in the Target version. 

The styles were adorable. There was military styled jacket, reminiscent of a jacket Michael Jackson once wore. There "scants", a word I use to describe those pants that have a skirt attached. They look like skorts only they have pants instead of shorts. You'd have to be a woman to understand. There was plaid and overalls, something I was sad to see leave in the nineties. There were shoes, barrettes, headbands, sunglasses and knee-high socks. The universal theme was nautical. It was evident in the navy blue and stripes, along with the anchors and military jackets. 

My problem was with the style and the price. See I like the real Harajuku style. I was expecting the line to be a little more eclectic and interchangeable and a little less Garanamals meets Macy's fashion. Each piece in the line was at least $12.00. That was for a pair of barrettes. I wouldn't have minded if the afro Harajuku was at least brown. Most of the main clothing pieces were $20 a piece. My husband took a stab at the Harajuku line while I was at work. He didn't know that there was such a thing as matching too much. He bought the light blue hoodie with the mermaids on it, the matching light blue onesie with the pink haired mermaid on the chest and the light blue skirt. Too much blue for me. I added a two pair pack of knee-high socks and a pair of barrettes. The barrettes, socks, hoodie, shirt and skirt cost him almost $80. The same outfit in a Circo version was $30. So you really pay for the name. The items constantly sell out and do not get replaced. I'm assuming either they aren't selling as well as expected or there is another line, spring perhaps, that is on it's way in. 

Although there are no brown Harajukus and each piece is slightly overpriced, I will purchase more when or if there is more to buy. The reason, I can't resist the urge too make my daughter look like the Harajuku version of Rainbow Brite as I once did when I was a child.

The Holidays Are Over. Now what?

Swag without Christmas elements can hang all winter.

If you're anything like me you are crashing hard from your holiday high. If you need to drag out the season until the end of winter here are a few tips to help that happen. 

Gingerbread withdrawal- Everyday in December I drank a non-fat Gingerbread Latte with whipped cream. I'm still wired from the caffeine. Now that Starbucks is no longer selling the 260 calorie treat I had to find a way to do it myself with less calories. Step one, brew your own espresso coffee at home, 6 calories per cup. Step two, sprinkle allspice in your coffee instead of the discounted gingerbread latte creamers at the grocery stores. You add zero calories to your coffee but get that gingerbread taste. Add the Cool Whip instead of creamer and stir. There are 25 calories in 2 tablespoons. Total calories, 56. Your sugar adds about 10 calories per teaspoon but if you use the regular Cool Whip, you won't need as much. 

Gift Card shuffle- So now you have a full deck of gift cards from your Secret Santas and that relative that can't stand you but doesn't want to be mean. What are you supposed to do with them, go the mall and be mauled by the post season shoppers? No, absolutely not. Although, that may be what that nemesis of a relative may have planned to have happen to you in the first place. Studies show that people spend as much as 150% more at a store from which they have a gift card. Here's how to beat that gimmick. Shop online. You know that $50 card to Best Buy isn't enough for much more than a DVD or CD nowadays. But shopping online gives you more control. Did you know that the shelves closest to the checkout lines are called "impulse buys"? Stores rearrange their shelves every season to force you to walk through the entire building before you buy what you need. This is done by monitoring what is most frequently purchased at the store and placing it in the middle or in the back of the store. If you're shopping online, you can use preferences to your advantage. Click the boxes that limit your shopping to the value of your card or less. If you still have too many items to choose from, limit your search to item that you need, then look for things that you want. You are guaranteed to spend less money online than if you redeem your card in person. Of course there is always the option to sell the gift card altogether. 

Donation central- Now its time to face the fact that you will not wear those jeans or those boots you bought this fall. Help someone less fortunate by donating the warm clothes you haven't worn. It's only the beginning of winter, so there will still be time for someone else to enjoy your clothes, even if you are re-gifting them.

Leave 'em hangin'- Did you know that the Christmas tree is a pagan ritual? So is the wreath and the mistletoe. If you believe it is bad luck to have these things up but you can't stand the thought of chucking such expensive pine in the dumpster just yet the solution is simple. Wreaths were originally an expression of wealth or your occupation. Redesign the wreath and leave it hanging as a symbol of winter or your occupation. Mine is called "swag". It's not circular but hang vertically like the leaves of a tree. I decorated mine with gold, flocking, acorns and pine cones. I tied it with a ribbon and now I have a winter decoration and not a Christmas one. The pine needles in my tree are sitting in jars of almond oil. Pine oil brings money and good fortune when you anoint a candle with it. It also smells nice in the house throughout winter. Add it to your ammonia when you mop the floor and you have Pine-Sol.

Bissell Cleanview Helix Review

I bought this vacuum to replace a Eureka upright that I had for more than 10 years. I hated to let that thing go because it never lost suction. But the cost of giving it a tune up became more than it was worth. So I stiffened my upper lip and bought a new vacuum. Let me be upfront and say that I don't trust the new vacuums on the market. They are either grossly overpriced or they turn to crap in a matter of months. Most people seem to simply tolerate them not working as well until they can stomach the idea of replacing the vacuum again. In all fairness the problem is that people don't take the time to maintain their vacuums. Vacuums have to be cleaned and tuned up just like everything else in this world that has a motor. 

When I went shopping I was looking at prices more than anything else. I was pretty much convinced that the quality of the newer vacuums isn't as great as it used to be. I found the Bissell Cleanview Helix for $78 at Target. It was normally about $150. It is a "bagless system" with more filters. It has a filter at the top of the vacuum where the attachment hose is linked. It has a filter in the main canister where the waste comes in. It has another filter under the main canister above the motor and one that cannot be washed outside the machine in the side. This is both a benefit and a flaw. 

I like being able to wash the filters. If I do so regularly and properly, the filters will last 12 months. That's a benefit because of convenience and the price. The flaw of the filters is that you have to wait until they are dry before you can use them again. It takes a very long time for the filters to dry. It took my filters a full 24 hours to dry. If you know anything about children and real Christmas trees, you know that in 24 hours you may not be able to see your carpeting by the time the filters dry. 

After about one month of using the vacuum, I found it was already losing suction. I was beyond irritated with this fact. I cleaned the brushes and the filters. I lived with the poor suction because I no longer had the receipt or the box. Then, this Christmas I found the vacuum spitting out the pine needles I just picked up back onto the carpet. I did what most of us never do, I read the owners manual. There I found that There is a tube that runs from under the hose tool to under the machine. It leads to the same opening that serves the brushes. I was told to use a broom handle to push the clog through. There was such a large clog in this hose I had to pull it it out with my hands first before the broomstick could work. I had two months worth of lint, hair, and pine needles in a large pile on my floor. Lesson learned, check for clogs regularly. The suction of the vacuum returned immediately. I was pleased. 

The vacuum is smaller than the Bissell carpet cleaners so it does make it easy on me to use as a short housewife. If you are taller than 5'7" you may have a back issue. It is very lightweight. It almost propels itself. There is a very bright light on the front which would be more useful if the vacuum laid flatter to reach under the bed or the coffee table with ease. It has an edge suction feature that leaves something to be desired. You know how you run the vacuum along the edge of the wall and it sucks up the debris by the base boards? It doesn't do that too well. I was spoiled with my Eureka. The cord is positioned on the right side of the unit. This makes for a great look but not for convenient use. I am right handed so the cord is always in my way. But there is a spot on the back where the cord should have been to secure the excess cord so it won't drag on the floor. 

Despite my irritations with the cord and the edge cleaner, I would recommend this vacuum to anyone looking to use a bagless vacuum.

How To Beat Housewife Fatigue

Being a housewife is not all soap operas and bonbons. This job takes patience, concentration, and organization. It's easy to become overwhelmed or fatigued. Your family comes home and messes up what you just cleaned. Or they forget that you like to go out and take a break from time to time. Here are some tips to keep from burning out. 

One Room Rule

Only commit to cleaning one room a day. Everything else should be maintenance. So on Monday's I clean the kitchen from top to bottom. The rest of the day is the usual vaccuming, bathroom sink touch up, coffee table rangling and baby toy round up. That leaves plenty of time for me to do other things, preferably outside of the house. 

Delegation

The easiest way to tackle your work load is to delegate it to others. You don't need a chore wheel. You just need people to do what you say. If I tell my husband to take the trash out when it's full, it will never be taken out. He will simply shove the trash down further and further despite the smell, and tell me there's still room. Instead, I pull a Peggy Hill from King of the Hill. I hand him the smelly bag of trash and he takes it out. With my son, I take all of the toys off of the floor in his room and put them in a trash bag. I then set that bag at his bedroom door. I tell him, "These are the toys that are going to the trash if you don't put them away withing the next hour." It's amazing how fast his room gets clean. 

Time Limits

Sometimes it's hard not to feel pressured to clean the whole house all in one swoop. If you can't fight the urge to behave like the Tazmanian Devil, set a time limit to it. Set a timer for 1 hour. Then, like a hurricane, clean as much as you can in the house. Start with the most important things like the dishes or the toilets. This will train you to clean quickly and to start with what's important. This leaves the entire day. If you find that your house is messy again by the end of the day, give yourself another 1 hour time limit and go for it. When the timer dings, stop. No exceptions.

Schedule It

I actually have my housework on a schedule. For example. Tomorrow, I have a meeting from 9:30 am to 12:30pm. So from  7:15am to 7:30am I will be in the kitchen cleaning up that morning's dishes. From 1:30pm to 2:30pm is my hurricane hour. I will be vaccuming, straightening up the living room and putting away the laundry. I keep to this schedule. I still feel busy but not overwhelmed. 

Skip It

Yes, being a housewife is a job. Especially if your spouse is out working for pay. You have a responsibility to keep the other half of your lives as worry free as your financial life is. But sometimes you just can't do it. Everyone is entitled to a vacation or sick day. My son goes on Thanksgiving vacation next week. I will be on vacation as well. That means, everyone will clean up after themselves. My husband however, will be working overtime so we made a compromise. I will take my vacation the week after Thanksgiving in exchange for working the week of Thanksgiving. This means my husband is taking over at home and giving me time to get my hair done, get some sleep, get my nails done, have some wine etc. In the end he is grateful since he benefits from my happiness. Husbands will do anything to keep you in the mood.  

Get Rid of It

Maybe you're overwhelmed with housework because you have too much to begin with. Just last week I realized I was ALWAYS doing dishes. There were always so many dishes. Then I realized something when I was reorganizing my cupboards. I had too many dishes. There are only 4 of us in the home. I have a complete set of dishes for a family of four. I didn't need the other three sets. The fact is, no one will wash out their dishes if there is another bowl in the cupboard. They will simply pile the dishes higher in the sink and keep grabbing new ones. But if there are no bowls after breakfast and lunch has come around, your family will actually have to wash out their dishes, thus making less work for you. Even if the chore falls on you, it's one set of dishes or pans to clean rather than four. The same goes for laundry. You don't need five little black dresses. You only need the one that makes your husband drool and your friends jealous. Get rid of clothes you never wear no matter how cute they are. You shouldn't have more than two complete towel sets per person in your home. You'll save time and money on laundry.

3 Reasons Why Bank Transfer Day Will Succeed and Fail

 










3 Reasons For Failure

1. The 99% are still paying their rent on the 3rd of the 5th of the month. That means that their rent checks will not clear until about Tuesday, November 8th.

2. The 99% are also typically overdrawn already when their social security, child support, and unemployment direct deposits come in. Bank of America does not allow you to close an overdrawn account. 

3. The 99% are frequently on Chexsystems due to non-payment of loans, financial hardship, or bad divorces. Chexsystems prevents account holders from switching banks. 

3 Reasons for Success

1. The 1% don't want to be at a bank that does not give them maximum concessions for minimal effort on their part.

2. The 1% are tired of being in line at the bank behind people complaining about their account fees. It reminds them that they have money when everyone around them is struggling to stay afloat. They want to distance themselves from the rest of us. 

3. The 1% are not emotionally attached to the major banks nor are they held hostage by Chexsystems. Part of the reason they are the 1% is they move their money regularly to the bank that pays them the most in returns. It's not an issue for them to switch banks. The 99% are tied due to direct deposit and auto pay.

Dos and Don'ts of Donating

It's that time of year when people get rid of their old stuff to make room for the new stuff they probably don't need. As a frequent community volunteer nothing irritates me more than sorting through people's filthy junk to salvage something that can be sold or donated through the Salvation Army or the Goodwill. Here are some basic rules when it comes to donating. 

DON'T

• donate anything for which you wouldn't pay money
• donate used lingerie or under garments
• donate incomplete dish sets games or puzzles
• donate dirty items
• donate shoes if you have a history of athlete's foot

DO

• wash items before donating
• repair minor rips or tears or missing buttons on clothing 
• fold or bind outfits together so pieces aren't accidentally separated
• donate new packages of undergarments
• donate trendy clothes that are still in fashion

What To Do With Pumpkin Guts

The Seeds

Toast 'em

Take dried seeds and roll over them with a rolling pin. Be sure that you are cracking the shells. Place them in a bowl of water. The shells will float and the seeds will sink. Let the seeds dry again for 3 to 4 hours then season as you like and toss in a frying pan with a touch of oil or toast them in the oven.

Wear 'em

Let the seeds dry for 6-8 hours. Then take a needle and thread and get creative with it. Your kids will love this one.

Bake 'em

Add the seeds to your pumpkin bread, muffin or granola recipe. You can also add them to a salad, although this requires no baking.

The Guts

First separate the seeds from the guts (the stringy part). Then puree it in a food processor until it is liquid smooth. You don't want any strings in your baking. Now you have the same stuff they sell in a can without all of the processing, cost, and preservatives. Use the puree in this recipe:

Pumpkin Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

2 cups of fresh pumpkin guts

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

3 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Use your fingers or a beater to separate the pumpkin guts, making sure they’ll be able to mix well into the batter.

Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Add nuts. Mix well. Pour into two 9×5″ loaf pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool slightly and take out of pans to let cool on a rack.