Good Golly, It's Molly

Get Real - Spend Less

2009-02-24T16:52:30Z

Okay, let's be real. Most of the frugal ideas out there are pretty lame but I stumbled across a few that I actually like -- that might actually help you save. Here are a few - let me know if you like them or if they work for you:

Dust off the library card: Seriously, the library is free (unless you return stuff late). They have great things! Books, DVD's, books on tape, magazines, newspapers. Avoid those movie rental fees and trips to the theater. Brush up on the old clasics. Read a book that makes you smile, laugh -- feel good!

Measure your "dollops": You don't need that much product so take it easy with things like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer (especially if it's the expensive kind) and sunscreen.

Negotiate Fees with Health-Care Providers: Did you even know this is possible? For example, if you can - offer pay cash up front. Experts say you can save 10-30% off your bill. It's called "prompt-pay discount". Try it! You could inquire about financial assistance or an extended pay option.

Bag it: I know this is old advice, but a typical deli sandwich is about $8 on average -some are $12! Mix it up - one magazine suggests making a pound of pasta on the weekend, pouring a little olive oil over it, mixing and storing in the fridge for a week. During the week, you could take a different salad every day -- Mediterranean, Artichoke with Almond & Parmesan Cheese, Tune with red onion and olives and then Asian or Chicken and pesto.

Drink wine? Drink the cheap stuff - it even tastes good, some even better!: Trader Joe's has a great Merlot for $3; there's "2006 Recession White Chardonay" for $5 and "2007 The Little Penguin Shiraz" for $7.

Bra Size - is it Private Info?

2009-02-23T17:31:04Z

Today on the show Alison revealed that she's one of at least 50% of women in this country who are wearing the wrong bra size. Her mom took her out bra shopping over the weekend. A salesperson measured her and delivered the news -- yup, wrong size. On the show, she then went on to say she used to be a 34B - or something like that -- and now she's a 32D. Our producer was shocked that she told our audience her bra size. So I ask you - is that private information? Is that something women shouldn't reveal? How do you feel about it? And hey - it's not like she lifted up her shirt, okay?!

Give Up the Cape!

2009-01-28T18:10:42Z

The author of "The Chage Your Life Challenge" was on our show the other day and she encouraged women to give up the cape. I love that! She devoted an entire chapter to this analogy. She says she realized one day, while trying to run errands, take care of a sick child and finish a major advertising campaign for work that her life was out of control. Shortly after that day, she worked on giving up her Superwoman cape and tried to find what was most important to her. She knew there wasn't time for everything and traded the cape in for wings with the slogan of "Make Today Matter". Now she focuses on 3 things each day that will make her day matter. For example, returning a call from a friend, taking 20 minutes for a nap or reading a few pages from a positive daily devotional. After the author chatted with us on the couch, I tried to practice her tip. The following day, I decided to enjoy the lunch I packed for myself while listening to music (rather than opening mail and worrying about bills). I also returned an email to a friend and took time to fill her in on my life, since I hadn't talked with her in awhile. Lastly, I played Dora Dominoes with my 4-year old daughter -- for about 10 minutes before dinner.

Let's all try to shed the cape, find more realistic expectations from oursleves and the people around us we love and then fight to enjoy each day as much as we can -- find those moments. If we insist on trying to do it all, we'll end up feeling the way Brook Noel describes -- "I find it interesting that the very cape I tried to use to fly became so heavy it kept me on the ground."

Who has time for a cracked tooth?!

2008-12-16T18:45:02Z

Today I cracked a tooth after the show. I was so mad -- not just because I don't like getting detailed dental work, but because I feel like I just don't have time to sit in a dental chair for an hour! Christmas is 10 days away -- I have so much to do! I feel that way about getting my hair done, too. I like to have a fresh cut and I love to chat with the stylist who cuts my hair, but it's just so hard for me to justify two hours at the salon (that's with a color touch-up, of course - now that I'm sportin' my share of gray). Where will I find the time? How will I get it all done? Then I read a friend's blog - she's the executive producer of this show. She reminded me that something has to give when the stress of life gets to be too much. It's hard to work, raise 3 kids and get ready for the holidays. She says it'll all get done somehow and if it doesn't just enjoy the company you keep. She's right about something else -- you can't accomplish everything all the time and we'd all be much happier if we could just admit and accept that. I'm going to work on that. I like her advice and I hope I can practice what she's preaching. Good sermon, Kim!

It's Tough to be a Parent -- TODAY!

2008-11-18T18:17:03Z

I was shocked to hear today's Morning Blend guest say that kids today are making better decisions than their parents did when they were teenagers! Could it be true?! What does it say about me that a statement like that would come as such a big surprise? As an example, the author guest said drinking among college freshmen is down about 35% over the past 10 years. She gave other specifics, too. What isn't surprising is that our style of parenting has a lot to do with the choices our kids make -- bad and good. That's a lot of pressure on us parents!

The author wrote a book about parenting in the 21st century. In this age of overscheduling our kids and the internet it's more important than ever for parents to know what our kids our doing, especially when it comes to technology. This guest suggests that we understand text messaging, cell phone usage (her son logged 3,000 texts in just one month!!!) and social network sites like Facebook and My Space. It's a lot harder in today's world to be up on all that stuff.

When I was a kid - my parents would make a call to Susie's house, just to make sure her parents were home for the party and that I would be sleeping over there and not somewhere else. Today we've gotta be so techno-savvy to keep tabs on our kids. It's tough to be a kid in today's world -- but it's also tough to be a parent, wouldn't you agree?

Juicy Gossip

2008-11-04T17:23:14Z

November 4th, 2008

Today “Thunder” was on our show. You remember her - she was the wife part of the husband/wife singing duo, Lightning & Thunder. They sang Neil Diamond songs and hit every summer festival in Milwaukee back when they were popular. Lightning died a few years ago, but his story and the couple’s love story is now part of a documentary which will premiere in Milwaukee this Thursday. It’s called “Song Sung Blue”. It’s supposed to be a very bittersweet and sometimes brutal film detailing the couple’s true-life story. It even won a Sundance Film Festival award for best documentary in 2008. Anyway, Thunder was a great guest today, especially because she gave us some gossip at the end of the segment. She piped up and said she wanted to share some “election gossip” as she called it and went on to say that when she was much younger she kissed Sheldon Wasserman! Wasserman, as you know, is running for a state sentate seat. She said they “made out”!!! I would love to know what Wasserman thinks about her comment! I asked if he was a good kisser, but I don’t even remember what she said because I was so shocked by her revealing secret. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps our show FRESH!

Regular Gals Use the Stars' Secrets

2008-10-21T18:27:58Z

Have you ever heard of Hollywood Fashion Tape? A helpful person at Faye’s told me about this miracle and it has changed my life (well, almost)! It is the best seven dollars and fifty cents I’ve spent in ages. The most important thing it does for me is prevent gapping blouse fronts. But it does a lot more than that and after reading my blog today, you’ll probably suspect that I’m making a commission from this stuff but I promise you I am not!

As the ad says, “You don’t have to be a fashion diva to use Hollywood Fashion Tape”. Even regular girls like me use it — almost daily. Along with fixing blouses that constantly pop open, It can also prevent fashion disasters like slipping bra straps, falling hems and broken clasps.

So what is this miracle tape, you ask? It’s clear double-stick, “do everything” tape. It’s super easy to use and you don’t have to worry about damaging clothes. You can also use it right on bare skin to keep straps and open necklines in place. It’s way better than a safety pin! The website for this fashion miracle says, “It’s as easy as peel, stick and go”! That’s the truth, too.

I ordered it online by going to www.hollywoodfashiontape.com You can also find it at a few area upscale clothing/intimate apparel stores.

100 Marathons and Counting...

2008-10-03T18:16:48Z

Today we had an 85-year-old man on our show who’s going to be running in Milwaukee’s Lakefront Marathon this Sunday. I’m not sure what’s more impressive — that he’s 85 and running 26.2 miles, probably without stopping or that it’s the 100th time he’s run a marathon. He told me he started running when he was in his 60’s because his company made him. Apparently they started a health campaign in the workplace and they needed someone over the age of 50 to join their training team. Since he was 60, he decided to volunteer. However, no one made him run a marathon. And, no one told him he had to do it 100 times — and keep on doing it well into his 80’s! I ran a marathon about 10 years ago. That was before I had kids and I had time to do all the training involved in running the race. It’s grueling to train for a marathon. I was truly inspired today to meet someone who’s running marathons on such a routine basis. One year he ran something like 16 marathons! While he runs, he says he does a lot of thinking — and even works out problems in his mind. The best part of all is that he’s decided he’ll keep running marathons as long as he’s able. Now that’s perserverence!

Reasons behind rain barrels

2008-09-26T13:23:06Z

I have a confession to make. For at least two years I’ve been making fun of a good friend of mine who has a big rain barrel in his backyard. I always wonder what he does with the water he’s collected. Does he drink it? I also wondered how much rain would have to fall in order to make his conservation effort worth the price and hassle of the big ol’ barrel!

I changed my mind when Melinda Meyers, the Plant Doctor, made a house call to The Morning Blend. She’s a big fan of the rain barrel and she gave us lots of reasons — good reasons — to have one. What surprised me the most was that a single, modest rainfall can really add up inside one of these barrels. As one environmentalist put it, “Rain barrels help moderate both feast and famine”. The idea is that the collection of water inside a barrel slows runoff when it storms and it eases the demand we all place on city water during dry spells. I think that sounds good and right now I’m really into doing even small things that might help our environment.

Who knows? Maybe my neighbors will soon notice a big barrel in my backyard, too.

Tips for a sustainable lifestyle

2008-09-26T13:20:58Z

Since sustainability seems to be one of the hot words today, I decided to keep with our “Going Green” theme this week and give you a few (borrowed) tips on a sustainable lifestyle. In essence, these suggestions might just prolong your life. Sustainability is important for our environment, too, of course. But, these are for your life. I listed a few favorites below - enjoy!

Instructions for a Sustainable Lifestyle…

Eat a lot of brown rice.
Give more to people than they expect and do it because you want to and like to do it.
Learn your favorite poem - or a Bible verse — or inspiring quote – inside out.
When you say "I love you" really mean it.
When you say you’re sorry, look the person in the eyes.
Get engaged at least 6 months before you get married.
Don't judge anyone by their relatives.
Speak slowly but think fast.
Remember the biggest love and greatest successes involves the greatest risks.
Don’t let a small misunderstanding destroy a beautiful friendship.
Smile when you answer the telephone, whoever has called will be able to hear you smiling.
Get married to a man who like to converse — when you get older, your ability to converse becomes more important than anything else.
Spend a little time alone.
Believe in God but always lock your car.
Pray, there’s an incredible power in prayer.
Remember that to sometimes not getting what you want is sometimes a great blessing.
Learn all the Rules and break a few.
Be kind to our planet.

It's OK to be anxious

2008-09-05T20:26:48Z

Yesterday on the show we interviewed Dr Brad Riemann at Rogers Memorial Hospital about Anxiety and Panic Disorders.

I talked about my own personal experience with this particular problem and I’ve been so touched by the response I’ve received from people who saw the show.

I’ve always thought about discussing it on the show, but I was never sure how it might go over. I heard from a neighbor who was diagnosed with this disorder back in the ’90s and she had so many nice things to say — and helpful advice and encouragement. I also got a few emails from viewers and regular guests.

Dr Riemann even called to say that since the show he’s heard from people who are now hoping to use his expertise to help a loved one. Many commended me for my bravery. The thing is — I didn’t really feel courageous doing the segment; mostly, I felt relief. It’s kind of nice to have it “out there” for some reason. It doesn’t seem as bad or embarrassing.

If in any way I was able to reduce the stigma of disorders like this one, then I am so pleased. Like one mom said to me, “It’s so common - it shouldn’t be stigmatized at all!” She’s so right.

One last thing – I’ve learned something through my struggles and the stories I’ve heard from others. Living each moment, without anxiously worrying about the future (or things that “might” happen) is where we’re most likely to find happiness. It’s about taking just one day at a time. It’s also accepting that we’re not perfect — and getting help if we need it. Really, it’s okay to be anxious.

My doctor once told me I’d be anxiety free — when I’m dead! (I say that with a smile).