Hit the Slopes...Or At Least the Hill

If you are anything like me then you are probably getting the winter blues already. The dreary skies, cold weather, and streets and yards filled with snow. It's hard to think warm, happy thoughts in this kind of weather, but stay positive! You may not be able to have warm weather, but you can always do something fun in the cold weather. So bust out that sled and head the family up to the highest hill you can find and have some fun!

That's what we did this weekend: went sledding. We took our three-year-old son to a really good sledding hill and let him have some fun. And boy did he ever! The two steeper slopes he had to go down with mom or dad because he's so light he would just fly down those sides. But one of the not as steep sides, he decided he wanted to go down by himself. My son has no fear and will do just about anything. When he seen other bigger kids going down there by themselves, lying down on their bellies, face first, he decided he had to do this also. He absolutely loved it! Dad was, of course, down at the bottom of the hill ready to catch him or save him if anything happened, he even got ran over by the sled once! Every time our son got to the bottom he had the biggest grin on his face and started trekking back up the hill to do it again!

So if you are looking for something fun and really inexpensive to do, grab the family and go sledding! You don't need the really expensive sleds, just the cheap $10 plastic sleds did the job just perfect! In fact, they usually went down the snow hill better than the more expensive ones other kids had!

Cell Phone Bill Sucking You Dry?

One thing I have been doing a lot lately is going through all of our expenses and seeing where we can start saving some money. My first stop was on our cell phone bill. We currently use Verizon Wireless, I have the enV Touch and my fiance has the the Droid Incredible. We both really like our phones but we are paying almost $200 a month for them. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! That's just ridiculous. So I have researched every known wireless carrier there is available to me and we have settled on Metro PCS. They don't have the biggest selection of phones, but they do have a Blackberry and an all touch phone that uses the Android system (just like the Droid Incredible uses) and the monthly bill will only be $100....FOR BOTH PHONES! That's a 50% savings! And to top it all off, we get unlimited talk, text, and web! That's just crazy! From what I've heard the service isn't bad, Metro PCS uses the Sprint Network so we will get service every where we go. We don't really travel much so I'm not worried about it. We will save $1200 in one year! Wooo Hooo! Let's see what's next on the list!

Nora Roberts Key Trilogy Book Series

As I have stated in the past, one of my favorite things to do is read. This weekend was great because I got a lot of reading in. It was very cold outside and I really didn't have any where to go anyways, so I stayed in and read. I have read books by Nora Roberts before so I knew I liked her writing and a friend recommended the Key Trilogy. I completed the first in the series yesterday and really enjoyed the book so I can't wait to start on the second book.  Here is the synopsis:

A seemingly innocent dinner invitation summons three different women to Warrior's Peak, a castle-like estate. Their hosts tell them a legend of three sisters, demigoddesses, whose souls are trapped by an immortal sorcerer, and they offer them a large cash prize to search for the keys that will unlock the sisters' prison. Each book follows the quest of one woman in her quest for a magical key.

I think that the book has a really good mixture of romance and magic. It's a nice to get away from reality of work, bills, and responsibilities!

Make It a Family Dinner Night

With everyone's hectic schedules sometimes you don't get to see your family as often as you'd like. Most of the time you only get together on special occasions such as birthdays or holidays. I notice this happens more than I like with our families so I try to have a little get together every now and then. I invite the family over for dinner to just spend some good quality time together and catch up. During the summer months we usually barbecue and during the winter months we might make a big pot of spaghetti or another favorite. Sometimes I get crazy and bust out the 'ol cookbook and make something new that looks and sounds delicious. Or you can have a potluck dinner and have everyone bring their favorite dish. I think it's very important to be around family and stay connected.

Here's one of my favorite grilling cookbooks it has a lot of really good recipes for all types of foods. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't use the grill!

When All Else Fails...Google It!

I can't count the number of times in a day when I resort to Google to help me with my unanswered questions and thoughts. Just today I used to find out how to get my iPod Touch to actually shuffle the songs when I tapped on shuffle. It just kept playing the same song over and over and over again. I was going crazy, I actually had to manually hit the next button..I know right MANUALLY! So I googled it and I found out that there was some little button that was selected to repeat the song, but when I looked on my iPod I couldn't find that feature...so I googled that! "Scrubber bar missing on iPod touch" (that's what the first website called it) and lo and behold I found a site that told how to get it to appear! Wallah! My iPod is now shuffling through the hundreds of songs and I am in a state of contentedness once again!

So I want to thank you Google for all of your help that you provide me on a daily basis. Without you I would never know the actual lyrics to that song I love, remember the name of the actor that played in that movie, know when to use a comma with the word "however", who keeps calling me from that 800 number, or how to correctly spell the word "contentedness" that I used in the first paragraph of this post!

So as I said in the title....When all else fails, Google it! You can always find an answer there.

Make a Mad Run

Everyone knows that exercising and working out is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Running on a treadmill looking at a TV or cycling your little heart out on a spin bike going absolutely no where just doesn't really sound appealing. Why not make it fun? Add a little adventure into your workout by participating in Warrior Dash. What is Warrior Dash you ask? Well, according to the website its "a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme run from hell." I mean, who wouldn't want to do that? It's a 3.3 mile run along rugged terrain with extreme obstacles along the way, ending in a pit of mud that you have to crawl through to get to the finish line!

Warrior Dash currently has 27 race locations across the United States, Canada, and Australia for 2011. So get a group of friends together and get ready to have some muddy fun! Don't see a location close to you scheduled...you can always try Muddy Buddy.

Be a Jack-Of-All-Trades

With the hundreds of thousands of videos uploaded each day on YouTube, that's 24 hours of video every minute, there is no reason why you can't learn a new skill, trade, craft, or hobby! Why pay to be taught new things when there are lots of resources right on the web that show you exactly how to do it? I have used YouTube on numerous occasions: how to decorate a cake with fondant, how to replace the motor on my washing machine, how to get a virus off my computer, and the list goes on. There is nothing you can't do with YouTube on your side. You can become a professional photographer, appliance repairman, five star chef, auto mechanic, and a yoga master all in one day! So when you are sitting there bored out of your mind, jump on the computer and learn how to do something new on YouTube, you never know when you'll need it!

Rock It Out!

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to Kid Rock's 40th Birthday Bash then you know what a good concert he puts on. I didn't get to go to this concert but I have seen him in the past and he does put on a rockin' concert!! Every year he comes to the "D" and every year he sells out, including Ford Field for his birthday. On his normal tour he usually adds one or two more concert dates because he sells out so fast in his home town of Detroit. Kid Rock is an original rocker and really knows how to put on a good show, so if he's coming to your town it's well worth it to get tickets and have an awesome time! Check out his newest CD "Born Free" for all his new songs. And if you are a true Detroiter check out his personal apparel label Made in Detroit.

Listen to a Book

Yes you read that correctly! If you don't have a lot of time to sit down and read your favorite book then try listening to one! At Audible.com you can download a digital audiobook to your iPod, iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry and many other devices. If you don't have a compatible mp3 player or phone you can download it directly to your computer or burn them on a CD. Audible.com has a vast selection of books including new best sellers like Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy or Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. They even have magazines, radio shows, stand-up comedy and speeches from famous icons. Get your reading in without the reading!

Apple iPod Touch

Family and Friends Game Night

It certainly gets expensive dining out, going to the movies, bowling, or other activities all the time. Something to try is a game night. Invite your family and friends over for a fun night of laughing, playing and a little competition. Here are a few games to try with a bunch of people:

• The Game of Things
• Apples to Apples
• Loaded Questions

Personally, my favorite is The Game of Things. Each person takes a turn and draws a topic card reading it out loud. The other players write down their own responses and then you have to figure out who said what. The more outrageous the answer the funnier it will be. For example, the topic card is "Things a chimp thinks about when he sees you at the zoo." Some responses can be "What are you looking at?" or "Oh no not you again".

You will learn a lot about your friends and family and can see who knows you the best!

$$$ Make Some Extra Cash $$$

The holidays are over and the bank accounts are empty! One easy way to earn some extra cash is by selling some of your stuff that has been sitting around collecting dust. I have bought and sold many, many things on ebay and have made a lot of cash doing it! And don't think that you don't have anything that is worth any value or that people wouldn't buy because you would be surprised! People sell coupons...yes coupons! Have a bunch of textbooks or fiction books you don't need anymore...list them on ebay! What about some old toys, video games, DVDs, CDs, jewelry...you can even list your house! (not that I'd recommend that unless you have another place to live!) So dust off those boxes you have in your basement or shoved away in the closet and see what you can sell to make some money from. Use the cash to pay some bills or take that special someone out on a date!

Lil Ice Fishing Aficionado

So if you are an avid outdoors man like my fiancée then you are probably sitting in an ice shanty on a frozen lake too. That's where my fiancée took our almost three-year-old son today...on his first trip ice fishing! He was so excited to go, he put on all his warm clothes this morning, including his snow pants, boots, coat, gloves and hat and was on his way. And not long after putting his pole in the water he caught his first perch!

So get your warm clothes on, pack up your fishing gear, and drag that ice shanty on a nice thick iced over lake and catch yourself some fish! Or if you are anything like my fiancée you have a heater in the shanty and it's so warm in there that you can fish in your t-shirt and jeans! Either way be safe, have fun, and spend some good quality family time with your little buddy!

Fly Like a Bird

What could compare to free falling over 14,000 feet in the air? Absolutely nothing! And trust me I know. I recommend to everyone to try skydiving at least once in their life. It's scary, nerve-racking, and the most awesome, serene experience you will ever encounter. First time jumpers are recommended to do a tandem skydive, which means you are attached by a harness to an experienced skydiver. Together you free fall out of an airplane that lasts about a minute long going at speeds over 100 mph. Once the parachute is opened you calmly float over the earth below you giving you the most beautiful scenery once can imagine. It is so peaceful and serene floating to the ground, it's amazing and truly indescribable. So if you have the guts I insist on trying it, only those that have skydived can understand the feeling you get and will never forget!

www.skydivetecumseh.com

Fooooouuuurrrrrr

So this past summer was the first time I tried to play golf and to my surprise I actually enjoyed it and I wasn't that bad at it either! I have my own set of pink golf clubs with a cute grey and pink golf bag to match! I love them. And for Christmas I got my own pair of golf shoes and a GPS. Now I can look like a professional golfer, just have to learn to golf like one! First, I went to the golfing range to work on my swing and to see if I could actually do it. Then once I mastered the golf range (LOL), we went headed to a par 3 golf course, which I would highly recommend. These courses are basically made for beginners, most of the holes are straight shots and not very far from the tee. So when the weather gets warm and the snow melts away I can't wait to head out to the green!

It's Never Too Late To Learn

I am a recent college graduate, finally received my bachelors degree by the age of 31. I can remember in many of my classes there was a very diverse group of students, ranging from fresh out of high school to headed to the retirement home! It just proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I encourage everyone to go (or go back) to school to earn their degree. It helps in their career and it helps with your own self esteem. I know there were plenty of times where I quit or didn't want to go to class, but when it finally came down to graduating, I was never more proud of myself.

My suggestion is to start out slow, take one or two classes and see what you can handle. Don't overwhelm yourself because then you are destined to fail or drop out. And if at all possible do not buy your books at the university bookstore! The prices are outrageous...do your homework, shop online! Check out Ebay, Half.com, or Amazon. Most of the time you will find a much better deal, unless it's a brand new book than you are screwed!

Search Amazon.com for textbooks

Work it Out!

It's the new year and one thing that is on a lot of people's list of resolutions is to exercise more or lose weight. For the past two years I have been working out with a trainer at work (yea I know it's awesome) and I plan to continue it through this year because honestly it makes me feel better. You don't have to go run to the gym and pay some crazy amount of money and sign up for a five year contract because you know that most of you will not follow through and then you are stuck paying dues for the next five years. My suggestion is to start small and work your way up. Try something fun and that you can do at home or can do inexpensively, this way there is no real big $$ loss. For instance, you can start jogging around the neighborhood, or if it's too cold outside go to your city's recreation center (it's usually only a minimal charge) they usually have an indoor track or even on your treadmill you purchased years ago that you haven't used! But make sure you have good running shoes because honestly they will make all the difference. Another fun idea is to try using a video game on the Wii, Playstation 3, or the XBox 360. They all have exercise games that are fun and make you sweat at the same time. Try these:

Wii Fit
Your Shape Fitness Evolved for Xbox 360
Zumba Fitness (availavle for all systems)
EA Sports Active 2 (available for all systems)
The Biggest Loser (available for all systems)

If you already have the video game system you are only really investing $50-60 which isn't that great of a loss considering the alternatives. Or just rent one from your local video store to try it and see which one you like best.

Just make some resolutions or goals that you know you can follow through with, otherwise you will just get discouraged and end up quiting. If you make it fun then it won't feel like work!

A Little Farming

www.Farmville.com

Yes I am one of those suckers that is addicted to Farmville on Facebook. Farmville is an online game created by Zynga Games where you manage a virtual farm by planting and harvesting crops, harvesting trees, constructing buildings, and raising livestock. I am currently a level 76 farmer and I manage my farm every day. It's my little indulgence that doesn't cost me a dime to do! What can I say, I guess I have an inner farmer in me!! Trust me once you start you can't stop!!