Tax Blues

I am reeling this morning, the brutal result of revised tax returns, in the final hour, from owing a couple of hundred dollars to owing almost four thousand — due Monday — because of a paperwork ‘bonus.’ We expected to pay 18% on the bonus, not 40%. I could almost slide into depression over all of this. Instead, the morning’s focus will move from work & writing to figuring something out. So much for the hope of a family vacation in the next year…

Today’s Non-Techie Adventure

It’s after 11am already, but I’ve moved through most of my To Do List (The Five Things), cruising along on a Tuesday, another Good Day.

I published this week’s Rebel Review on www.RebelHousewife.com:
The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
“Thoroughly readable and engaging…”

Now, I’m fixin’ to jump into something kinda scary, but exciting, too: I’m moving! Domain hosts and Blog Platforms, that is. I’ve had RebelHousewife.com on p4host, using Squarespace.com as the blog platform, for almost three years. And it’s been great: I was able, as a non-techie, to build and maintain my own website with Squarespace.com, which is truly remarkable. I even learned a little html! (I’ve also relied heavily on my html Bible: Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4 from IDG Books (1998 – an oldie, but a goodie)).

With the new blogging platform, WordPress, I don’t have to do the html. There are little buttons for everything, but I still have a lot to learn, like how to change the colors, how to manage my sidebars over there, widgets and plug-ins, how to get Feedburner up and running. One step at a time, and it all starts with a call to BlueHost.com, to move the domain hosting, hopefully without completely screwing everything up or losing anything.

Top 5 Reasons for Change:
1) Stay as current as I can for an “old lady” who’s been online since 1995.
2) Changing blog platforms for Commenting ability to make it easier for my readers to interact with me and other readers.
3) WordPress offers a larger blogger community, very dynamic and supportive.
4) Monetization, Baby–
5) SEO, which means great exposure and opportunities for
The Rebel Housewife/Rebel Reviews.

So here we go. I am clearly procrastinating…

DentalPlans.com Discount Code

Here it is, if you’re looking — you win, I win (add’l months on my plan, thank you!)

DentalPlans.com
DISCOUNT CODE:
39C73R64

For my experience with DentalPlans.com, see: Dentists & Dental Plans

More info below:

DentalPlans.com is the leader in online discount dental care and has been helping thousands of Americans save money on their dental needs for over 5 years. Our selection of over 30 discount dental plans gives you the power to choose the best dental plan available in your area.

Our plans are very affordable, starting at just $79.95 per year for an individual or $129.95 per year for an entire family. They offer savings on most common dental procedures from routine cleanings to braces and more.

When you join any discount dental plan online, use Rewards Code 39C73R64 to recieve 3 additional months added to your 12 month plan for free.

If you have any questions regarding any of the discount dental plans or participating dentists in your area, please call toll free 1-888-632-5353 or visit us online at www.DentalPlans.com.

Visit our website today and find out why thousands of individuals and families have chosen DentalPlans.com to serve their dental care needs!

Please note: DentalPlans.com Reward Points have no cash value.

Thank you and have a great day!
The DentalPlans.com Family
1-888-632-5353
www.DentalPlans.com

Dentists & Dental Plans

Along the lines of one of the World’s Worst To Do Items that has languished on my TD List for months, even years…

I’ve been trying to find a new dentist in Midtown Atlanta.
We have no dental insurance, 2 adults and 3 children.
It’s been at least a year for the kids; could be two, possibly even three years since the adults have opened wide and had to bite down on those horrid little pieces of cardboard…

1) I’ve discovered DentalPlans.com, which offers dozens of different group programs for discounted dental services, as long as you go to a participating dentist.

Benefit: I like the Dental Plans because you at least know up front how much it will cost, from the Discounted Fee Schedules.

Problem: Finding a reputable dentist near you who participates in one of the plans (GE Wellness, Aetna Dental Access, DenteMax, etc.), and then finding reliable information or recommendations for that dentist.

2) I emailed my Neighborhood Parent’s Group to ask for recommendations, and received tremendous response from people I know and trust in my immediate neighborhood.

Benefit: Personal referrals.

Problem: None of the recommended dentists participate in any of the Dental Plans.

3) Through exhaustive research and several drive-bys (if the office is located in a dirty, scary building, I’m not even going to call), I found a dentist who participates in a good plan (Aetna Dental Access), just up the street from my building (in a really nice building, right on Peachtree Street).

Benefit: I even found positive reviews for the dentist on Kudzu.com — but who are these people, really?! Are they just friends or employees who put up good reviews to help the dentist? Is it the dentist, using a bunch of alias email accounts? I don’t know. There are ten great reviews and two not-good reviews, but the dentist actually responded, thoughtfully and reassuringly, to the not-good reviews, which I think is good.

Problem: Still, this is all frightening.

4) I did it. I called the office and arranged an appointment for myself. I’ll be the Scout for the family and check it out before I subject DH and kids…scary, scary, scary, but the receptionist was very nice (very reassuring) on the phone. I couldn’t get in until May 22. I’ll let you know how it goes…

Monday Motivation

My new efriend, Wendy P. at eMomsathome.com truly astonishes me with her knowledge, always upbeat attitude, inspiration, networking, connections and, above all, her ability to get things done!

I’ve got to mention her eMoms Birthday Party Contest — you should check it out!

Also on her inspiration, I’m posting today on Monday Motivation in response to her challenge:

If I can accomplish Just Five Things each day, above & beyond the daily family management (getting kids to & from school, homework, meals, etc.), it’s a Good Day, so here’s Monday:

1. Blog(2): a Wendy blog & the blog I’ve been working on all morning.
2. Back up website & prep move to new host!
3. Make the bed & finish the laundry (same sexy life, Wendy!).
4. Make a dental appt (this is Huge, and is the result of #1, Part 2).
5. (This will be the reward, too, as I totally agree with Roberto on positive motivation and I am not touching the car in any way, except to gas up or drive it into the line at Cactus Car Wash!)
Read THE TENDER BAR for Weds night Book Group, which I also need to prep for, since I’m the new coordinator for the Midtown (Atlanta) Book Group — yay!

OMG, it’s already 11:22! (Make that 12:30 – but I’m making progress here!)
Have a great day,
Sherri

Gotta Get Goals

I was TAGGED recently, by my Blog-friend, Wendy P. at emomsathome.com in Get Your Goals On – Only Big Dreamers Need Apply.

Wendy’s Blog-friend, Alex Shalman at Practical Personal Development began this interactive blog discussion, or MEME, by throwing out the challenge of sharing your Gotta Get Goals, meaning goals that you already have, that you gotta get (achieve); not that you gotta get you some goals. This is the way we generate discussion and networking in the Blog Universe, which is fabulous — for the “rules” of this game, see Alex’s post: click here.

Feel free to join in, in Comments below, or link-back on your own Blog!

Gotta Get Goals

I have been thinking about all of this, and my past, present, and future goals, for several days. I will be 40 this year (in October, mark your calendars, thank you very much! . I have been married almost 19 years, and I have 3 children: son, Z, age 12; daughter, HK, age 9; and son, T, age 6.

I have always been extremely goal-oriented and self-motivated to try new things, achieve and succeed, and although I have suffered great challenges and setbacks (play big, win big/lose big sometimes), I have accomplished a lot in my almost-40 years, especially the last 20, with my hubby and family. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, because we’re always looking forward, always reaching, always adding to the To Do List.

It’s also interesting, at almost-40 (old to some, young to others, I know), with the hubby and the 3 kids…I’m tired and so busy! I’m not where I thought I would be, but I’m really, really happy where I am, with the things (people and relationships) that are most important to me. I’ve been bumped off the course I had set many, many times. I’m not even sure I’m the eternal optimist anymore, or that “everything happens for a reason.” Does it? I don’t know. Sometimes I think, stuff happens and it is what it is…

Old people like me are supposed to have this all figured out, yet in some ways, I feel like I’m constantly starting over, off on some new adventure, or a refinement of the journey due to obstacles, current conditions, or certain circumstances. I also keep coming upon the realization that I’m halfway there, almost in the 2nd Quarter of the Big Game, and I have a lot of responsibilities and commitments. I no longer have the luxury of messing around or catering to my own narrow focus. (Maybe in another 12 years when the youngest goes off to college?!)

And this is turning into a way-longer post than I like, but here goes (again):

Gotta Get Goals
by Sherri, age 39, 3/30/2007

#1 – Family
My goal is to raise and release to the world, 3 happy, healthy, self-confident, compassionate, responsible, independent adults to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be, and make the world a better place.

#2 – Marriage
So far, so good — great, even, 19 years in. (I think he would say the same!) My goal is to continue the strength of this marriage and partnership into the future, celebrating our almost-20 years together (unbelievable!) each day; to continue to be mindful of each other; and always work on the most important aspects: Love, Passion, Communication, Adventure, Partnership.

#3 – Best-Selling Author
Ah, now we’re into it! My first book, The Rebel Housewife Rules (women’s humor), which I co-authored with my best friend/former Atlanta neighbor, was published in 2004 (Conari Press), and I am so proud of The Rebel (huge goal accomplised!). The book did well, earning out our advance and launching my career as The Rebel Housewife(TM) – Author, Writer, Reviewer, Online BlogMom Extraordinaire. But it was not a best-seller, and no, I never got on Oprah. I am, alas, not yet the financially self-sufficient, independent writer I aspire to be, but I’m working on it:

a) I am working on my second book, a novel, making the fiction/non-fiction leap;

b) I freelance and write book reviews (see Rebel Reviews), which I would love to develop as a career offline in print media;

c) www.RebelHousewife.com & The Random Rebel Coffee Blog

#4 – Basically, I want to make money — a lot of money! — doing what I love the most: Reading & Writing. That’s The Big Goal.

#5 – Financial Freedom & Independence
To live where we want;
To live life as we want;
To travel, experience great adventure, and take our children around the world.

That’s all.
Live, Love & Laugh,
Sherri

Do You Digg?

Befriend me on Digg: rebelhousewife (User Name)

I’ve been hearing about it for months from my techie hubby, who reads it daily, and I finally landed there accidentally, on a link in a post by my eMomsatHome.com friend, Wendy P., who was writing about her fantastic experiences at Elite Retreat in San Francisco recently:

I have to say that I’m already seeing results from the experience – less than 36 hours after getting home, I took Neil Patel’s tips on writing to get to the front page of Digg last night! It was quite a ride, with the inevitable server crash as well (thank God Blue Host got me up and running in less than a few minutes! They ROCK!).

(More about Blue Host in the future — I’m looking into it (on Wendy’s recommendation), in this big transition to WordPress!)

Anyway, I followed the link, and landed on Digg for the very first time. It’s hard to describe, but it’s kind of like a news service, where regular people submit articles and items of interest and the Digg community rates them (Digg or Bury), so that only the most popular, widely-read news and information is presented on the main page — kind of like a very customized online newspaper that is constantly updating.

I registered so that I could Digg Wendy’s article. I am probably the only Digg user ever to turn off all the Tech News (the site is highly geared toward technology, which is why my hubby loves it so — probably his biggest source of news and information over the last several months), also Sports and Gaming, but I still have World News, Science and Entertainment.

The Digg site is non-techie friendly, from what I could tell. I was in an area to find Digg Friends to share & compare info with other Diggers, to search out my hubby and Wendy, when it all went blank with the message:

We’ll be back shortly.
Digg will be down for a brief period, while we make some changes.
While not digging, the digg crew recommends:[list of blogs]

Unless it’s because I turned off the Tech News???
Hmmm…

I’ll do some more research and let you know, but if you are already on Digg, or if you go check it out, Friend me! (username: rebelhousewife)

Random Rebel Blog Basics

My intent here, with The Random Rebel Coffee Blog, is to post daily, at about the same time everyday, for Mom’s Coffee Break. We all need to take one everyday, whether we are working outside the home or at home (like me).

I invite anyone and everyone to join me anytime to take a few minutes, to chat about whatever is on our minds, just as we would if we were next-door neighbors or friends who talk on the phone everyday.

I welcome Comments and interaction, and the reason I am moving my blog platform (from Squarespace.com to WordPress) is to make it easier for Readers to Comment and get involved in the conversation. (Please bear with me, while I make my way through this transformation. I am essentially a non-techie, working my way through new stuff, step by step.)

Today’s post, since I have been distracted cleaning bathrooms and what-not:

Random Rebel Blog Basics:

#1 – Posts should be short (100 – 200 words), interesting, not completely self-absorbed or self-serving.

#2 – Ideally, there should be more tips, quick lists, pictures and images than long, rambling paragraphs. (I have to work on pics & images — the technical mechanics of that.)

#3 – Content is Queen, and advertising should be subtle, but provide revenue to support the Community (which is good). Any advertising should be directly relevant to the content, useful to the Reader if he/she is looking for more information on the topic.

#4 – The Blog should be INTERACTIVE — coffee break/water cooler interaction. Please join in with your comments and links!

#5 – There will be NO SPAM or verbal abuse — Zero Tolerance, at my discretion. Because I am The Queen, dammit! (Profanity, on occasion, may be acceptable, perhaps even necessary for emphasis or effect. As I tell my kids when they catch me spicing it up once in a while: Those are 18-year-old words, never to be used in the presence of your Mother. So, as long as you are over the age of 18, and you are not in the presence on your Mother…I will not bitch about it.)

Housewife Wisdom: #1 All-Around Best Ever Kitchen Tip

Okay, so my day today is a bit domestic, what with grocery shopping (trying to stretch to the end of the month & payday), cleaning house, and transmogrifying the icky, brown bananas into something yummy.
(See Best Banana Muffin Recipe – Quick & Easy Snack!)

I’m off to work on this week’s Rebel Review, which eventually I will have to update and move everything over to WordPress, I know. Not today.

Being in the domestic mode today, I want to share with you the #1 All-Around Best Ever Cooking/Baking Tip I have come across in my 30+ years of life in the kitchen: The wonders and many, many uses of the handy-dandy Ice Cream Scoop. This is a Betty Crocker tip I recently discovered on the back of a box of Betty Crocker Premium Muffin & Quick Bread Mix, which is a mighty tasty quick box mix. It’s changed my life!

Betty’s Tip:
Use an ice cream scoop to fill muffin cups with batter.

That is Housewife Wisdom for The Ages right there. Elegant in its simplicity, you can truly appreciate this tip if you have been cooking/baking for years, as I have, trying to fill those little cupcake or muffin papers, or drop uniform cookies or biscuits onto a pan with a minimum of mess & hassle (nearly impossible)…so there you go.

Please Comment below and share your Housewife Wisdom: #1 All-Around Best Ever Kitchen Tip! (No, you don’t have to be a housewife to participate.)

Best Banana Muffin Recipe – Quick & Easy Snack

Best use for those over-ripe, brown bananas nobody will eat –
My kids love these!

Best Banana Muffin Recipe – Quick & Easy Snack

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

1) Heat oven to 350°
2) Mix sugar and butter in large bowl.
3) Stir in eggs until blended.
4) Add bananas and water; beat 30 seconds.
5) Stir in remaining ingredients, just until moistened.
6) Scoop into cupcake papers†.
7) Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; 20 – 25 min.

† Use an ice cream scoop to pour muffin mix into cupcake papers — perfect portions, no mess!

Please feel free to Comment below, or Leave a Link to your favorite
Quick & Easy Family Recipe!