A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Groupon. They feature daily deals from businesses in cities across the country that often save you 50% or more. That’s great for those who live in those cities, but what about us country folk?

Good thing DealPulp came along. They work similarly to Groupon, but instead of local deals, they feature deals from online retailers that anyone, anywhere in the United States can take advantage of. I got an Amazon gift certificate for half price there as my first deal. Not bad!

You can sign up for email alerts about their featured deals, so you don’t have to worry about missing something awesome. And if you sign up today, you get a $3 credit that you can use on your next purchase. You’ll also get other opportunities to earn credits – I think I’ve got something like $8 in credits sitting in my account right now, just waiting for the right deal. And in case you’re wondering, that amount will actually totally cover some deals!

If you’re not signed up for DealPulp, take this opportunity to do so and get some free money to spend there. You’ll be glad you did.

Sometimes I can concentrate on my writing. Unfortunately, those times are now few and far between. I often end up surfing the web, and the subjects that I read about are as scattered as my brain. Sometime last week, between seeing how much I could get by selling my hair and learning about hydroponic systems, I ran across a video that I’ve been meaning to share since then. It’s by a band called the Zimmers, which is made up of a group of senior citizens from the U.K. And they’re doing a cover of none other than The Prodigy’s “Firestarter.” Watch and be amazed:

I showed it to Pumpkin, and she was rather freaked out by it. But I love it! If you’re interested, you can learn more about the Zimmers at their website, and you can download this and more of their songs at Amazon.com.

When I was growing up, I recall more than one person telling me that I should be a doctor. But although I liked the thought of helping others, I never was fond of the idea. I’m not really sure why. It wasn’t because medical stuff grossed me out, because I’ve always had a pretty strong stomach. And it wasn’t because I wouldn’t make enough money, because doctors make plenty. Maybe it was the thought of going to school for so many years, I dunno.

But yesterday at my follow-up appointment I realized another reason why I shouldn’t bother looking at medical job listings. I asked my doctor about some bumps I’d been getting around my underarms, and he told me that basically they were caused by excessive sweating. And then he rattled off a whole list of things I could do to help prevent it from happening in the future. By the time I left, I had forgotten pretty much all of it except to quit using antibacterial soap.

There’s no way I could keep all that information stored in my head for one condition, never mind all of the ones that a doctor deals with on a day-to-day basis! As a matter of fact, I’m thinking about taking notes on future doctor visits so I can just remember the stuff that applies to me.

I mean, I know that every doctor has to go and look something up from time to time. But I’d probably have to look everything up all the time. And by the time I did that, I wouldn’t be able to see enough patients per day to turn a profit. Not that it matters, because like I said, I just don’t think I’m doctor material anyway. I’ll stick to writing.

I have never, ever liked grocery shopping. I even hated it when I was a kid. Sure, I would beg for toys and sugary cereals and all that stuff when my mom took me along. But I also ended up on the verge of tearing my hair out by the time the trip was over. Because it was not at all unusual for it to take dear Mom an hour or two to get through the store. Not because she was such a cost-conscious shopper, but because she always ran into at least 4 or 5 people she knew, and would stand and talk to each of them for what seemed like an eternity.

When I got my driver’s license, she would often send me to get the groceries in her place. That I didn’t mind so much. She always gave me a detailed list, organized in the order in which I would find the items in the store. So I could zip through there in, like, ten minutes tops, and after that it was simply a matter of finding the shortest line, having each thing passed over the barcode scanner, grabbing the bags and going.

In fact, I got so fast at getting groceries, I would often ride around a bit and talk to a friend or two before I even went to the store. It came in handy for keeping some small semblance of a social life while grounded, because no one would ever be the wiser. Oh, and my high school sweetheart also happened to work at our preferred grocery store, so I’d often call ahead and see if he could schedule his break around the time I would be there.

Now, I’m back to hating grocery shopping. I still zip through the store pretty quickly, provided that it’s not crammed full of looky-loos that can’t decide which variety of pinto beans would best suit their needs. But if I happen to have Hubby with me, he incessantly rushes me through the store. Every few minutes, it’s “Is that all?” or “We don’t need anything else, do we?” or “Hurry up, I don’t want to miss wrestling!” Not fun, and it often results in me leaving without several of the things I needed most.

I’ll be glad when they start offering grocery delivery services around here. If that ever happens, that is. As far out in podonk as I live, I don’t think I should hold my breath.

When it comes to snacking lately, I’ve been a good girl for the most part. I still don’t have much of a taste for sweets, and when I have craved them I’ve been going for fresh fruits and yogurt (either regular or frozen) most of the time. I’ve been trying to buy stuff that’s not too greasy or salty for Hubby to snack on, so I’ve been covered when I start craving non-sweet stuff, too.

But yesterday I gave in to one of my biggest weaknesses. I went to the store to pick up a few things, and as I was headed for the sliced cheese, a brick of pepper jack caught my eye. I could swear I heard it calling my name, even after I forced myself to look away and keep walking. Finally, I caved and went back and got it. And then I trekked all the way back to the other side of the store to get some Ritz crackers to go with it.

I should have left that stuff at the store. Because now it keeps calling to me from the refrigerator. I know it’s not in my head, either. With my short attention span, surely I would forget about it quickly if I were just imagining it. It looks like I’m going to have to go eat some of it so it will shut up already.

Lately, I haven’t been as active a blogger as I once was. Life has been happening way too fast, and I just haven’t been inclined to make the time for it that I did when I first started out. So I was trying to think of ways to get more content on my blog without sending my brain into overload. Then I thought, why not use my short attention span and quirkiness to my advantage?

As you’ve probably figured out if you’ve read my blog for any length of time, I’m a very noncommital person. (Hubby had to be a pretty special guy to get a commitment as big as marriage out of me!) So I’m not going to do a Photo of the Day or Issue of the Week or anything like that. But how about a Whatever of the Moment? That’s something that I can do as the urge strikes!

So here’s my first “Whatever of the Moment”: A little gem that I found on YouTube. It’s a video tribute to my favorite wrestler and sexy boy (who sadly just left wrestling), Shawn Michaels!

Random thoughts on this vid:

• Isn’t he a hottie?
• I think he looks better now than ever.
• Maybe that’s because that 80s hairdo from his younger years just didn’t do him justice.
• That’s his theme song that’s playing, and it’s also the ringtone on my cell when Hubby calls me.
• That’s Shawn himself singing it. He should really stick to wrestling, but I can’t help but smile when I hear it.
• That photo of him with the strategically placed championship belt was once my desktop wallpaper. It will be again if I can find a better quality version of it for my new monitor.

Okay, I’m done waxing poetic now. Look for more Whatevers of the Moment, complete with thoughts from my ADD-afflicted brain, whenever I get around to posting them.