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It’s time for another edition of Tuesday Troubles. I’ve said it before (like every week), but this should be named “things i’m annoyed / confused / want to complain about”, however I couldn’t figure out how to make any of those into a snappy title, so Tuesday Troubles it is. And yes, I do realize that these aren’t true “troubles”. I know that many of these for sure could be defined as first world problems!
~Can anyone recommend a good at home yoga dvd? I used to take a class and would do On Demand videos sometimes, but with no cable anymore, that’s not happening. So I am thinking maybe a dvd is my best bet? Or is there some Yoga channel on Hulu that might have something I’d be into? Nothing fancy. Just something simple to help me unwind and relax (which is so something I am working on).
~So L’s school has yet another fundraiser going on right now. First it was, hmm, what was first. Oh yeah, it was Entertainment Books, then Little Caesars Pizza Kits (which by the way I love) and now cookie dough. I almost fear asking if there is another one coming before the end of the year! And this is on top of the normal monthly Market Day orders and fundraising nights at local restaurants which happen here and there. Is this normal? It’s public school and I know they don’t get the funding they need in MI, but could we maybe just do one big one? Or maybe we are supposed to just pick one and focus on that? Not too sure, but it’s been constant since school started and I can’t keep up with it all!!
~We are in need (well my husband(*) is in want) of some new cookware. He wants stainless cookware and he wants it to be nice. And I want it NOT to cost a fortune because I want to surprise him with a set for his birthday next month. If you have stainless, do you like it? Where’d you get it? Would you recommend it?
~I don’t know that this is a fixable issue, but we had to turn down the humidifier we have attached to your furnace because water was accumulating on the windows and since it’s so flipping cold out this winter (and because our windows suck), it was freezing. Not good. Now? It’s not super dry like it used to be, but Baxter is so full of static. Just move your hand anywhere near his head and it will stick straight up. Is winter over yet? Enough already!
~Anyone looked at airfare lately? WTF? Is this for real? I had been waiting for prices to go down to book, but they are not going anywhere. At this point it’s possible that it may be cheaper to try and charter a flight to Florida for Spring Break. For real! I used to try and talk my work into this when there were no flights at the time I needed as well. Never worked. LOL. But really, these flight prices? Pure insanity.
That’s it from here for now! What’s troubling you today?
(*) If I type my husband instead of his initial he will skip right by this and not read it. I am 99.9% certain he only scans here for mentions of himself.
I use stainless and have a love/hate relationship with it. Pros: cooks really even, has lasted 8 years and still looks brand new. Cons: the bigger pieces are super heavy when full, hard to clean. I find I still have to use non stick skillets for like eggs etc. but all in all I like it and would recommend it. I use the Emril brand and I bought it at Dillard’s, but like I said 8 years ago. :).
Also, I’ve been wondering…up north do y’all have to make up your eleventy billion snow days that you miss school for like we do down south?
We have six build in snow days up here in Michigan. Anything after that we need to make up somehow. So far our district is at 7, so we need to make up a day. Not too bad.
I was actually just looking at yoga DVDs the other day and trying to find one to try. I found that Amazon Prime has a bunch for free instant watch. Also, my public library subscribes to a service called Hoopla that is like a Netflix for movies, music, and audiobooks and I found a ton of them to use there too. I use a lot of the library services at home since so many of them are available at home on my computer and the selection is pretty big.
Ohhh, I need to work on getting Amazon Prime through my tv. I think that could be a great idea!
i have a cuisinart stainless set that we got when we were married 10 years ago. It has held up super well. My parents have cuisinart stainless pans those are even nicer, but also have the price tag to go with it. My mom has had a lot of luck picking up some cuisinart pots at homegoods/marshalls with half the price tag of williams sonoma and bbb. They are usually ones from last year, gasp. 🙂
That sounds okay! I don’t mind having “old” style pots and pans!
My boyfriend bought me a Cuisinart set for my birthday and they’re really great. He bought them on amazon for $125 I think.
LOL i meant my parents have all-clad. My tea mus tnot have been kicked in yet
Omg, I am going to go on a little rant here about school fundraisers. I never buy that stuff, I don’t want to have to inflict it on other people, and I’m pretty sure kids don’t either. The schools get such a small percentage of it… if they would just email me or send me an envelope I would happily donate. I would donate to any school/club/ sports team that straight up asked me for donations. There was some baseball league (plus some less-than-excellent parenting) that always had ten year old kids running up to cars in a grocery parking lot with candy bars and a huge box of cash, unsupervised. Ugh! Okay, I’m done.
I have a yoga instructor I love at our local YMCA, but it would be awesome to have a good video for the nights it doesn’t work out to go.
I just buy it too and never ask anyone expect for my parents. But yes, I would be totally down for more of the walkathon type fundraisers where the school gets everything and the kids get some exercise!
Oh the fundraisers. We are on our second one but its a doozy. We do a Boosterthon fun run so the kids get pledges for the laps they will do and then based on the pledges they get prizes. I posted on FB and I sent my whole family an email and N is up to $7 a lap. They can do up to 35laps and they say most average 30laps. I still haven’t pledged yet and he really wants the headphones they get for $10 a lap but with everything else I’ve already sent into the school not sure I want to give $100 for one fundraiser. 🙁 According to my teacher friends this is a huge fundraiser for the schools since they get such a big chunk of the profits. We have another snow day today so hoping they get to do this run on Thursday. Its already been postponed once and the kids are really into it this week. I feel bad for the teachers since its already read across america week so they have those activities everday and now the boosterthon people everyday and of course today ended up being a snow day. 🙁 Craziness
OMG how many snow days do you need to make up these days????
We do all the things you mentioned above (our pizza/cookie dough is 1 fund raiser) along with a monthly soft pretzel purchase and a lot of random fund raising for causes (St. Jude’s, March of Dimes, etc.). Back at the beginning of the school year the president of the PTA got up to talk about them and she did say that we are not expected to participate in all or even any of the fund raisers. Pick and choose the ones that fit your family is what she said and I appreciated hearing that. I know I don’t HAVE to do anything but you do want to do your fair share as far as helping the school.
That is nice to hear! Maybe I missed that meeting!
I bought a new cookware set in January and LOVE it! Calphalon stainless set. If you’ve got a Kohl’s card, it’s usually hard to beat their sales when you use a coupon on cookware. I got the sale price, used a 30% off coupon code and got Kohl’s cash.
I need to look at Kohls! My aunt works there too.
I got a stainless steel set of Calphalon Classics from Kohls recently, they were already on sale and I was able to use a 20% coupon, plus I got Kohls cash! I like them so far!
Thanks!!!
I feel you on the school fundraisers. We are on I think our 3rd for the year plus our Market Day and Chuck E Cheese night fundraisers. Its never ending it seems.
Never ending. I expect to get a new flyer sent home for something today.
Shiva Rea has a great Yoga for Beginners DVD. She has a very soothing “yoga voice” however she can be a bit new-agey at times. If you’re looking to avoid the “spiritual” type lingo and want to get straight to Yoga for fitness and relaxation, Trudy Styler has a series that caters to that. Rodney Yee is also really good. Also go to http://www.collagevideo.com/?. They sell only Exercise DVDS and they have very VERY through reviews, clips, comments from users, etc. They have a fitness trainer break down the DVD and tell you exactly what to expect aside from review from regular folks. Hands down best resource for purchasing workout DVDs of any kind
Great recommendations!!! Thank you!
What’s troubling me today? Today is Mardi Gras, but it’s 37 degrees and raining in New Orleans! My kids already have coughs, so no parades for us!
Boo!!!
I love the 10 Minute Solutions yoga and Pilates DVDs! Each area of the body is separated into ten minute segments, and you can watch as many or as few segments as you want at one time, and you can even customize the order of the segments! It’s totally genius, because even if I just feel like doing one segment, it’s so quick, I usually opt to do another and another, and before I know it, I’ve been exercising for 30 or 40 minutes! Plus, I like the pace-they’re not too fast, but they’re not so slow that I feel like I want to fast forward, which is a problem with some yoga DVDs.
That sounds good! I like that idea!
I used to have stainless steel and I felt I was spending a ton of time cleaning them. So I went back to nonstick. I’m also not one who even likes to cook so having nice pans doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to spend less time cleaning.
I am the one that cleans them so I doubt he cares about how difficult it is.
Funny you mention flights today! This morning on the radio, they were discussing flights and found that the cheapest time to book your flights is exactly 42 days before your departure date (which I found interesting). They also said the best day to book a flight is Wednesday at 2 PM EST and that the best time to check flights otherwise is early in the morning. Apparently, the cheap flights get posted in the middle of the night. I signed up for alerts on airfarewatchdog.com and I’ve never been disappointed. They use actual people (as opposed to computers) to search for deals and they don’t notify you unless they’re certain they’ve found an awesome deal. Oh! And from my experience, just because sites that compare flights (like Expedia or Kayak) say they find the cheapest flights, doesn’t necessarily mean they do. Most airlines don’t advertise their cheap flights, meaning you have to do the research on your own…unless you use AirfareWatchdog.com, of course. Happy Mardi Gras!!
Allright, tomorrow at 2pm, I am on it!!! or maybe tonight at 3am!!! And I will sign up for that site!
Any luck on finding cheaper flights?!
They have fitness videos on demand?!?
Yes! They used to have a ton!!!
There is a set of BergHOFF Stainless Steel cookware on sale at Zullily.com today for only about $100.00 (They are usually super expensive). There are reviews on Amazon I think for em.
🙂
I will look! Thank you!
Oh man I hope your spring break doesn’t coincide with spring breaks here in FL, Disney will be CRAZY! We did the 4 day/4 park passes for $149 but I am steering clear until after spring break!
I am about to book flights to NY in Sept for $214 round trip!
OH we are so used to it! We used to do Disney at Easter for years!! I wouldn’t even know what a non-crowded Disney was like!
Our schools do quite a few fundraisers, the elementary school more so than the middle school.
This year they decided to add a big fundraiser. We had an adults only auction and dinner. Previously, there was a silent auction held during the school carnival. I think they made over 30k? It hadn’t been officially announced yet 😉
But over all they do a jogathon, sell see’s candy, sell giftcards, the auction, the school carnival. Then grades or certain classes do more. For instance the 5th graders will be selling something next month for their end of year trip (cookie dough, special bread etc).
It’s pretty much sell sell sell all the time. and it sucks.
Cookware–I don’t like our stainless steal for pans–it get SO HOT…could be that we didn’t spend a ton on it. But I do like the pots because they heat up so quickly, so water boils faster. The pans I like are the “green” pans, non-stick without having Teflon.
Ohh, wait, we did a Walkathon too! I like the silent auction idea. I think that could be a big thing!
OMG! That’s so funny… he scans for mentions of himself! I LOLed (usually I just say LOL as a filler and never really LOL… but this time I actually did!).
Oh totally. He even admits to it.
The absolute best stainless steel cookware in my opinion is from Walmart as crazy as that sounds. They carry a brand called tramontina and it’s similar to all clad in its performance. Cooks illustrated rated it very well and said there was not much difference between the two. I bought a skillet online bc that was all I need but I would buy a full set in an instant if I need it, its that good. I believe it’s listed as Tramontina stainless 18/10.
Ohhh, this is amazing to know! Thank you!
Morning! I have been using yoga videos from YouTube – Melissa West. She has hundreds to choose from. Enjoy!
Thanks! Do you watch through your tv?
iPad and a TV that is hooked up to a computer.
you should never ever ever wait to schedule flights to anywhere in florida from the period of… beginning of march through a week after easter. they do not go down.
oh they weren’t good months ago either.
that’s why i never visit home during that time.
Go with the good stainless steel with the thick bottoms, it will last the rest of your life and your kids too. You can buy pieces separate from the sets. Don’t have to worry about nonstick coating coming off in your food. Using mine since 1969 and it still is like new. Just did pizza fund raiser, kringle and St Judes for neice, nephew and grandson. I have a lot of plants and don’t have static or wet windows but it takes me a while to water them all.
What brand do you have?
I just got new cookware and I got it at Costco -the Kirkland brand! I’ve had it for about a month now and really like it.
Ohh, I will look next time I go.
I totally wanted a stainless cookware but they were pretty expensive at the store so I went to marshalls and found pretty good brands at a reasonable price :), I did not see any set but maybe you could find something you could like.
Oh that’s a good idea. I bet I could find anything there!
I’ve had a set of Emeril Ware (by All Clad) stainless set for a few years now. Got them at Macy’s with a coupon. If I remember correctly, the total set costs less than $300.
That’s not too bad!
So not sure if they are at Big Lots or not or if you have anything against Paula Deen but I got her pots and pans they are amazing. They are in the color easter egg blue with speckles on them. I am only 30 but I have lived on my own since 18 and these are by far the best i have owned. They are non stick semi heavy and they are nice looking. Not sure what route you are going with but thats my two cents.
I don’t know if B would be cool with Easter egg blue, but I like the idea! I think he has his heart set on stainless.
Have you ever heard of Blogilates on YouTube? I know she has Pilate’s stuff, but I think she also has yoga videos. 🙂
I will check her out!
Try wiping Baxter with a dryer sheet. Sounds silly, but it works on my static-ie hair, so should work on his fur. As for yoga, don’t they have tons of videos on youtube? I’m not patient enough for yoga. Good luck! 🙂
They probably do, but I want it on my tv. I might be able to get it on my tv though right?
I love Tara Stiles on You Tube–very simple and as short or as long as you need. I am also obsessed with Cassie Ho’s Blogilates–very very effective. She drives me crazy with her double wave and valley girl twang but she’s got incredible moves and updates them constantly.
Thank you!
I got a stainless steel set at Costco (of all places) that I LOVE – you really can’t ruin stainless steel (and trust me, Ryan is amazing at ruining cookware lol). It is a huge set and was pretty decently priced. My one complaint is that it does get heavy, but it’s an arm workout right? 🙂 Use Barkeeper’s Friend to clean it (works every time!). Also I use the Barre3 DVDs (cheapest set is on QVC online, but they were on LivingSocial for awhile). It is a mix between yoga, pilates, and dance…so more of a workout than a relaxation thing, but it definitely has the yoga aspects in it too!
I will look there next time I go!
I totally use YouTube for all of my workout needs now. I really like Anita Goa for yoga.
do you just watch on your iPad?
I live in the Orlando area. You may want to see if there are any flights through Allegiant airlines near you. They fly in/out of Sanford airport instead of MCO. It’s a really small airport and it’s about 30-45 minutes from Disney. BUT, I can fly in and out of there to other smaller airports for less than $40 each way. If you’re planning on renting a car anyway it may be worth looking into! 🙂
I am looking at Tampa right now. We are getting a car, so at this point, a bit of a drive will be okay if it saves some money!
You might like this Cuisinart set which will be on sale at Macy’s this Friday-Sunday (3/7-3/9) for $159.99.
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/cuisinart-chefs-classic-stainless-steel-11-piece-cookware-set?ID=590683&CategoryID=7552&cm_kws=590683#pdpTabs
Plus you also get this free bonus 5.75 qt stock pot.
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/cuisinart-stainless-steel-575-qt-covered-stockpot?ID=688071&CategoryID=7552&cm_kws=688071
And I think you can get an additional 15%-20% off on top of it too with Macy’s coupons. Would love to see a picture of Baxter with his fur sticking up.
I will try and snap one!!!
Hi!
I recently scored a 17 piece Cuisinart stainless steel cookware set on GILT.com, its amazing. I researched and def prefer stainless steel, copper if money was no object! Retailed at 650, was 249, and since it was my first purchase I was able to use WELCOME20 for another 20% off. I would recommend scanning the flash sites, gilt, hautelook, ruelala, and my habit all carry similar things at various times.
That’s a great deal! I will keep an eye out!
This is a fantastic set. Great price. Easy to clean by heating and adding some vinegar, it acts like deglazing and it is easy. You do not use high heat when cooking and it works out fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-77-17-Stainless-17-Piece-Cookware
Thank you!!!!
my girls transferred to a new school this year (from one public to the next) and at this new school the pta just collects one lump sum at the beginning of the year. it is so much better!! last year we had to sell all kinds of crap!
Love that idea!