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I'm participating in this week's Sunday Social at spilledmilkshake.com.  It's all about the Facebook like!

Please stop by and "like" my facebook page!  Also, please join in the fun by adding your page to Spilled Milkshake's linky and supporting the others that have linked up as well.  

Don't have a fan page yet for your blog?  Have one but your posts won't automatically import?  Check out this how-to guide!  

Thank you for supporting me and other bloggers.  :)

Hippies Over Cell Phones

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Secret Sunday is now a linky!

Please check out the linky info below & join me! :)

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When I saw this Post Secret submission, I knew it was the one I just had to write about!  I catch myself thinking about how differently my mother grew up than I did, and in return, about how differently my son is growing up than I did.  

My six-year old can't comprehend a world without cell phones.  (Mom, what's a phone booth?)  In fact, he can't comprehend a world without smart phones.  Off the top of my head, he is exposed (in some way or another) daily to three smart phones, two laptops, two iPods, an iPad, a Nintendo DS, and a Nintendo Wii.  

Technology is great.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  But you have to wonder just how big of an impact it's having on your child's life when he asks you if he can bring the DS with him for a car ride to the store.  

I want his passions to be about politics and current events, not a video game.  And when I think of hippies--true hippies--I think of the reasons for their passions and reasons behind their "rebellion" from the norm.  

So, although technology is a blessing in many ways, it can also be a very powerful force in our lives that we need to stay conscious of.  As many other parents probably know, it can be hard to combat the prevalence of electronics in a child's life, but we're trying to do our part.  

In fact, just two weeks ago I announced that one of my resolutions is to designate at least a one our period per day where no one is allowed to use electronics.  This "rule" applies to all of us, not just my son.  I want to make sure we all stay conscious of how much we're plugged in.  

Although I can't bring back the 60s and the 70s for my son (or me for that matter), I can make sure that he realizes that he can survive without electronics, and I know I have to start now.  I have to start now while electronics aren't a "must" but are just something we do to have fun.  So, continue to wish me luck with my resolution!  

Secret Sunday is a series of posts inspired by the weekly submissions to Post Secret.

Click here to visit postsecret.com OR click here to visit other posts by this author in this series.

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Now for the Linky info!

I am a huge fan of www.postsecret.com.  In case you're unaware, Post Secret is a blog that is comprised of anonymous secrets that are mailed to the blog owners address each week in the form of post cards.  New submissions are posted each Sunday.  

I started Secret Sunday four weeks ago, after realizing that I should be writing about how much I'm inspired by the submissions.  There's not a single week that I am not inspired or touched in some way.  On many occasions, I can also relate to some of the submissions on a personal level.  

So, each Sunday I post the secret that stood out to me the most, and I use it as a writing prompt.  Now, you can join me!  

How to Link up:

1. Go to http://www.postsecret.com and check out this week's secrets.  [Optional:  Save the image of the submission you choose to write on, and include it in your post.]
2. Write your amazing blog post.  Please be sure to mention that it's for Secret Sunday.  :)
3. Link up below!
4. Visit the link of someone else to see what he/she wrote about and share some bloggy love!

Share your secret below!

One iPhone App That You Just HAVE to Have

The other night I stumbled across an app that is probably one of the best iPhone apps of all time and best of all, it's free!

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It's called Apps Gone Free.  Basically, the geniuses behind this app list about 5 new apps everyday that have temporarily (usually one day only) made their app free.

I love this app for so many reasons!  This obvious one is that I'm saving 99¢ to $1.99 per download.  But, I also love that it lists free apps for the iPhone and the iPad!  Not to mention that it's a great way to download new apps and not feel guilty when you never use them.

Of course you won't be interested in every app posted on AGF, but in just two days of having it I've downloaded three apps for my son: Fish Fury, Cover Orange, and Doodle Fit.

I purchased Cover Orange and Doodle Fit for the iPad about six months ago and we all love them both, so I know when the time comes to whip out the iPhone to entertain the kid, he'll be excited to see they're on there!

Although I don't let the kiddo make a habit of playing on my iPhone, it's nice to have apps that I know will bide me time when it's needed.  And of course, since this app also lists temporarily free apps for the iPad, maybe we'll discover some new favorites as well.

Celebrity Crushes: Warning--May Cause Hot Flashes

This week's Post Secret submission made me think about how everyone has a celebrity crush (or two or three.)

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Usually for women, they're typical.  You know who I'm talking about.

Brad Pitt

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Matthew McConaughey

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Jared Leto

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Tyson Beckford

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But I've never really had a celebrity crush on any of the typical actors.  Okay, wait... maybe one.

Leonardo Dicaprio

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But that crush started back in his Basketball Diary days and has stayed with me.  Other than Leo (I like to pretend we're on a first-name basis) my celebrity crushes include:

Colin Firth

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Edward Norton

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Alec Baldwin

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Although I find these men attractive, I believe that one of the main reasons these men would qualify as my celebrity "crushes" is because of their talent.  I admire each one of these men for attributes that go beyond their handsome looks.

On a somewhat-related note:  I've come to discover that if you can dream it up someone out there has either tried it or would LOVE to try it--no matter how crazy an idea it may seem.  (Side Note:  Have you ever seen the show Taboo?  It reinforces my point.)

So, when I ask myself whether anyone out there currently has a celebrity crush on the following famous men, I'm forced to answer with a resounding yes.  Yes, there has to be at least one person on this planet who would LOVE to get a piece of the action below.

Steve Buscemi

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Gary Busey

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Who are your celebrity crushes?  Maybe one of the two gentlemen directly above?  *wink. wink. nudge. nudge.*

Secret Sunday is a series of posts inspired by the weekly submissions to Post Secret.

Click here to visit postsecret.com OR click here to visit other posts by this author in this series.

YAY for Kroger Deals: Spent $4 Total on $30 Worth of Tide, Axe, Dawn, and More!

Kroger has a few great deals this week.  

These deals are good until Tuesday, January 17th.

Buy 4 participating P&G products get $4 off your total

     1:  Buy (1) Tide liquid, 50 ounce

• Priced at $5.99
• Use $2 off Manufacturer Coupon (MC)
• Use $2 off Kroger Coupon (SC) (found here & loaded onto your Kroger card)
• -$1 for purchasing 4 products from promotion
• Total = 99¢

     2:  Buy (1) Tide in-wash stain release, 10 pack

• Priced at $5.99
• Use $2 off MC 
• Use $2 off SC
• -$1 from promotion
• Total = 99¢

     3:  Buy (1) Crest 3D White, 4 ounce

• Priced at $2.69
• Use 75¢ off MC
• Use 75¢ off SC
• -$1 from promotion
• Total = 19¢

     4:  Buy (1) Dawn Hand Renewal, 19 ounce

• Priced at $2.99
• Use 50¢ off MC
• Use 50¢ off SC
• -$1 from promotion
• Total = 99¢

Total before promotion and coupons = $17.66

Total for (4) products listed above = $3.19 

Savings of $14.47 or 82%

I also purchased Axe and Tampax Pearl because the deals were too good to pass up.

Buy (2) Axe Shower Gel

• Priced at $3.89 each ($7.78 total)
• Use Buy One Get One Free MC
• Use $2 off MC
• Use $2 off SC
• = 11¢ overage (Kroger paid me 11¢ to purchase these)

Buy (1) Tampax Pearl, 18 count

• Priced at $4.59
• Use $2 off MC
• Use $2 off SC
• Total = 59¢

Total for entire purchase (all 7 items) before coupons = $30.03

Total for entire purchase after coupons = $3.67

Total Savings of $26.36 or 88%

YAY for Kroger Deals!!

It's 20 Freakin' 12 Y'all!

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It's 20 freakin' 12 y'all.  That just sounds so futuristic.  I feel like I should be teleporting the cookies I'm craving right now from the fridge directly into my mouth.  But instead, I guess I'll have to get up and get them myself.  LAME!

Honestly I don't even KNOW what all of my New Year Resolutions were last year.  But, if I had to guess I'm sure one of them was to lose weight.  #fail

One awesome thing that DID came into my life in 2011 and stick around to ring in the new year with me was this blog.  I started it in March of 2011 with a post entitled 'I Feel Nakie'.  And, although this blog wasn't part of a New Year's Resolution, as busy and chaotic as 2011 was at times, I'm thankful to be celebrating my one-year bloggy birthday in just two and a half months!

This year, my New Year's Resolutions are pretty normal, which is pretty strange for me.  After all, you're reading the chick's blog whose past resolutions have included things like 'to open all of my chip bags upside' or 'to find a way to work the word echelon into a sentence at every opportunity possible.'

So, back to 2012:

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Not yet, but it could be if I don't get it together....

One of my main focuses will be to make organization a priority.  I'll be *cough* starting my own business this year and running it from home so organization will play a big part in my sanity during all of this.

To help me get organized I'm taking part in the 52 week organizational challenge at Home Storage Solutions 101.  I've already done about 80% of week one (holla).  Did I mention how extremely thankful I am that someone took the time to break household organization into 52 easy steps so that it might actually have a chance of getting done?  Because I am.

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I want to purposefully turn off ALL electronic forms of entertainment for one hour per night on weekdays--not just my electronics--all of them.  Honestly, I'd love to get that number to two hours a night, but I'm planning on starting it with 30 minutes beginning next Monday, after the kiddo has been back in school from the break and we have more of a routine.  (Note--No, electronics are not always on at my home.  That's not what I'm saying.  I'm talking about designating a specific time that they are not allowed so as to facilitate more talking, family time, and togetherness.)

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Another obvious resolution is weight loss.  *yawn*  I love My Fitness Pal and have been using it off and on for quite a while.  I hope to use it a little more religiously throughout the year and to shed some excess poundage.  {Oh, and if you're using MFP email me and I'll give you my SN so we can like, totally be MFPBFFs!}

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What else?  What else?  Oh, I'm also (of course) hoping to knock out some more of my 30 before 30 list.  I also want to live more in the moment (which is very hard for me and I hate that.)

So, yea... 2012's goals are pretty calm but they'll be challenging in many respects.  Above all, so long as my my family, friends, and our health greet me as I welcome in 2013 in a year I can't say I'll have too many complaints about what happens with much else.  It's the little things people.

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

Will You Marry Me?

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This Post Secret submission made me smile.  I know, that doesn't seem like the normal response, I'm sure.  But, I smiled because it reminded me of my husband.  ;)

I can't count the number of times I've been asked the same common questions.

So, how long have you been married?

Where did you meet?

How did he propose?

Well, while it's easy to give answers to the first two questions, the third one is a little difficult to answer.  

How did he propose?  Ya know, I'm not sure that he did.  

I remember sitting in a small area with other parents during my son's gymnastics class a few months before my husband boyfriend deployed.  We were chatting--about what I don't know--and all I remember is him leaning over to me and saying well, why don't we just get married then.

PUT ON THE BREAKS!

Did I just hear him correctly?  I have him repeat himself.

Well, why don't we just get married then? 

Okay, so at least I'm not hearing things.  That's good.  I think.  

But is he serious?  

Are you serious?

Yea, I'm serious.  I mean, sure.  Why don't we just get married?

I start to laugh.  I laugh uncontrollably.  

At this time I become uncomfortably aware that I'm sitting within earshot of at least six other strangers women.  For some reason, this only makes me laugh more.

Through my own raging giggles I manage to cough out--Did you just propose?  I mean, did you REALLY just basically ask me to marry you?  At my son's gymnastics class?  Is that what's happening?  I think I've lost my mind.  

This entire interrogation is continuously cut short by my own laughter.  And it's not a mean laughter.  It's more of a shocked, happy, what the hell is going on, kinda laughter.  

Yea.  I mean, I obviously didn't mean to go into this here, but I want to marry you.  So, let's get married.  

Robert, I want to marry you too but we can't have this talk here.  Can we?  Wait, ARE we?  

I laugh some more.  We hold hands and smile, knowing that we've just given the other nosey parents something to go home and talk about.  

Later on that evening we finalized our decision in a private post-gymnastics discussion.  It was official.  We were engaged!

The next day, I nervously told my mother.  I didn't know how well it'd go over with her considering Robert and I had only been together a little over three months when we got engaged.

About two weeks later his mother and father made the drive from his home state to mine to meet me.  They brought a few rings with them for me to pick from that she thought I'd be interested in from her jewelry store.  I picked the biggest one (duh!) and Robert placed it on my finger.  

So, I guess that's the story of my proposal.  :)  

Although I sometimes look back and think that I wish he'd have proposed in some really romantic way and had planned it, I honestly don't think I'd change a thing.  Sure my proposal (if you can even call it that) wasn't romantic.  But it's ours. And honestly, I love that story.  It's us.  And I love us and everything that makes us 'us.'  

I think society puts way too much pressure on men with regard to proposals and making everything super romantic and perfect.  My favorite kinds of romance come at times where none is expected.  I think the best example of this is receiving flowers.  

I love flowers.  But don't you dare give me flowers on Valentine's Day from some expensive florist.  Instead, while you're out at the store on a random day--pick me up a small bouquet for $5 of daisies or sunflowers and surprise me with them.  That means so much more.  

So if I could tell the sender of that postcard anything, it'd be to let up on the guy.  If you love him and if you want to marry him for the right reasons, you'll look past those moments that didn't quite come in the perfect little package you'd always planned for them to.  Instead, try to appreciate how non-generic your proposal was and laugh about it.  For better or worse--it's now a part of your story.  

And ya know, I'd much rather stick with my funny, awkward proposal story and tell it until the day that I die because my husband and I have had a happy, long marriage than to trade that in for a spectacular proposal that ended in a broken engagement or divorce.  

Secret Sunday is a series of posts inspired by the weekly submissions to Post Secret.

Click here to visit postsecret.com OR click here to visit other posts by this author in this series.