I’m such a dunce.

When I ordered the new matching Disney outfits last week, I forgot to get a dress for myself! I opened up the order when it arrived this week and pulled out a shirt for my husband, a shirt for my son, a dress for each daughter…and that was it. I was so sure I had ordered my dress and Disney had forgotten to ship it that I logged into their website and double checked my order. Turns out I was the one who forgot it! What kills me is that the discount code I had used the first time wasn’t good anymore, and I couldn’t find one to get the cheap shipping. I paid almost as much to ship the dress as the dress cost!

When the kids saw the outfits, they asked if we were going on another Disney cruise. HA! I wish. They still don’t know about our Disney trip at the end of the month.

Each year, we mail out approximately 50 Christmas cards. My list will sometimes fluctuate a bit if I take part in a special card exchange, but the number of cards sent to family and friends in our address book is always right around 50. And I always do the photo cards, and it gets a little pricy. Add in birthday cards being mailed, at $3 or $4 a pop, and I probably spend $200 a year, just on cards! And sure, I love sending cards and getting cards, but there are times when e-cards are just as good as snail mail. Quicker, cheaper (uh, try free!) and they still let someone know that you’re thinking about them.

So I’ve been scoping out eBay the past few days, in hopes of replacing my old flat iron. No luck, so far. I really wish more people would include the model numbers in their auctions. It would make it SO much easier when looking for a specific item that isn’t manufactured anymore. And I have to say - I hate it when people don’t use the gallery picture option. I can’t be bothered to look at those 100 other auctions that only have the picture on the inside of the listing. Spend the 25 cents and put a gallery picture up!

I’ve just wrapped up my fundraising efforts for my sister and the 3-Day walk. She hit goal, and what we ended with over that amount, we donated to her cousin, who is also walking. We’ve got big thanks and much love for the following people who donated:

Alli
Carolyn
Mike from Sinus Infection
Robyn
Matthew from Blog About Your Blog
Funny Junk
Cybercelt from the Advertising for Success blog
Karen from My Road
and Sian Lun Lau

Thanks to all of you!

Thanks to donations from Greg Watson, Thinking Outloud, and Surviving NJ, my sister is only about $450 away from her goal! Thanks guys!

If you’re wondering what YOU can do to help, click here and read more about the special offer I’m making people who donate.

Just wanted to quickly interrupt and plug my walk for charity this October.

I’m walking in the 3-Day for breast cancer for the 2nd time, and so is my sister. I met my $2200 goal this week, but my sister is still raising funds, in fact, she’s $600 away right now. Read my post here, I’ve met my $2200 goal, and I’m helping my sister now. If you donate $50, you get 10 links in return, on 10 different sites. 9 of those links are permanent! It’s a great deal for you, so click the linky above and read more!

Thanks to Charles over at C.Whyte’s blog for donating to my sister today!

I need to take pictures of my souvenirs so that I can share them here, but for now, I’ll just tell you about my most favorite thing that we bought. We had just come off the Metro in Montreal by McGill and St. Catherine, and there was a lady on the corner selling art. (Just like in Paris!) She told us that her husband drew the pictures, and then she added color to them with watercolors. We fell in love with a picture of Notre Dame (the one in Montreal, not Paris) and thought it would be the perfect souvenir for us. Adding to that, the lady had on the SAME exact pair of Skechers that Catherine and I were wearing that day, so we knew it was meant to be. Not only did we compliment her on the art, but on her choice of footwear as well!

Someday this week, I’ll make it out to the store to get the picture framed, and then we’ll need to find a place in our house for it.

I’ve been in Canada a whole 18 hours now, and we haven’t been to a single tacky tourist shop. I’m slacking! We did see t-shirts for tourists tonight in Eaton Center (or is it Centre?) but the store only carried adult sizes. Maybe we’ll find the perfect souvenirs tomorrow at the Hockey Hall of Fame? No telling…

Summer makes me want to shop for things like paper lanterns and picnic blankets. Beach chairs and striped umbrellas. New grills and patio sets! Or even folding screen doors to keep the bugs outside while we’re inside enjoying the air conditioning. And whether you need a garden gnome (I do, I do) or a summer flag to fly outside your house, OnlineDiscountMart.com has got what you need to get ready for summer living. (I’m personally loving the “Hot, Hot, Hot! flag. That about sums up summer in Florida!)

We stopped in a little quickie mart by our hotel tonight, here in Toronto, to grab some milk and bagels for the morning. While we were perusing the milk, we found milk in a bag. What’s that all about? It’s a big bag, filled with milk! And yes, I took a picture. Jim made fun of me for being a tourist.

I shop quite a bit around town, and in Tampa. I have a favorite shoe store, a favorite furniture store, a favorite deli…but my far, my favorite place to eat (right now, anyway) is the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Tampa. The place is ALWAYS slamming, all day long. It’s the kind of place where you wait for a parking spot, and stand in line to order, but it’s worth it. I’ll probably be going there again this week! I found the business on MerchantCircle.com. They’ve got a nice little listing with a map, in case you don’t know where it is, as well as a way to “request a deal” from the merchant. MerchantCircle.com is a new way of listing businesses - think of it as Technorati for the business world. Just like you can claim your blog on Technorati, you can claim your business on MerchantCircle. Once you claim your business, you can customize your page with pictures, coupons, and newsletters.

For those of us who spend a LOT of time online, this is a neat way to find local business and get coupons for those businesses. For the merchant, it’s a way to get more visitors, and get yourself noticed by the community you’re in.

When my husband and I got married, his best man, who happened to be his best friend since middle school, gave us a lava lamp. He said it was either that, or a phone shaped like a pig. (When I heard that, I was immediately grateful for the lamp!) Obviously, he’s a guy who has a sense of humor, especially when it comes to giving gifts. And if you’re the same way, or going to a gag gift party anytime soon, consider taking along the abduction lamp:

This fine lamp features a scene that typically only rural farmers witness - the alien abduction. I love the extras - you can add aliens, a bovine (mooooooo!), a human (pickup truck not included) or an antenna that not only looks good, but functions as an on / off switch. Think how pleased your boss / great aunt / cousins getting married will be when they open this special gift!

How do companies get repeat customers? In my case, I’ll return to a restaurant or a store that gave me poor service to give them another chance, or if I have absolutely NO other options. The server could have been having a bad night, or the customer service rep you dealt with didn’t do a good job. That’s understandable. If you notice a trend though, and you’ve brought it to the attention of the store or business management, and they don’t change? Yeah, I’m out of there. There are plenty of other businesses that treat customers fairly! This Orlando locksmith company agrees with me - right there on the website, they state:

We want to know that our customers are 100% satisfied. We are not happy unless our customers are happy.

Our polite and friendly staff will be pleased to arrange a mutual convenient time to carry out your fee survey and you can be assured that with our experience you will receive the best possible locksmith service individually tailored to your own requirements.

That says to me that not only can I expect my business dealings with this company to be superior to other businesses, but if I’m not happy, they’ll fix the problem and do what it takes to make me another satisfied customer. That’s a big deal for me, and it’s just one way that a company earns my business.

What did you want to be when you grew up? My top 3 choices were actress, singer, or princess. Of the three, I am none. I am a mom, and a wife, and an employee at a big corporation. Funny how those dreams die! There was one day where I was dressed and treated like a princess though, and that was on my wedding day. Did you see the recent episode of “How I Met Your Mother” where if a statement was prefaced with, “It’s for the bride”, any wish was granted? That’s how I felt too When you get all dolled up in your fancy bridal wear and tiaras and veils and flowers - that’s how it darn well should be! My wish is your command, right? It’s enough to make a girl want to get married EVERY day.

Seeing all of those dreams come true is probably why I’m such a sucker for those wedding shows on TLC and Lifetime and A&E and all of those other networks with crappy daytime programming. Sappy love story? Check. Unique wedding? Check. Me crying? Check and check.

I’m turning into a weather junkie. We’ve been having a lot of odd weather - from hail to smoke in the air from fires and no rain…it’s enough to make me want to buy my own weather forecasting software so that I can get my updates faster than the Weather Channel can provide me with them. Things can change in an instant here. Yesterday for instance, the county north of me was having hail and severe thunderstorms, which were supposed to move south towards my house. We didn’t get a drop of rain!

I’ve often wondered why the newspaper classifieds don’t have more “wanted ads”. As in “wanted: room mate”. Or, “wanted: sewing machine”. Or, “wanted: pest control company to service my home”. If a business wants my business, they should earn it, right? Well, that’s the theory behind this new site from ATLInnovations.com called ThemBid.com, as in let “them” bid! Consumers can post a request (for example, need a cleaning lady, need a leaky roof fixed, need a tree trimming company) and let businesses bid for the work. For the consumers, it eliminates a lot of calling around and checking prices, and for the businesses, it gets you work and gets you noticed! Businesses get free advertising and the chance to reach out to consumers who otherwise may not know about their company or services.

ATL Innovations Prepares Launch of ThemBid.com
RIVERSIDE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Recognizing the growing demand to empower consumers over the web, Above The Limit Innovations, Inc. (ATL) is preparing its release of ThemBid.com for wide-scale use this month.

ThemBid.com gives consumer improved control in acquiring goods and services by requiring businesses to openly compete with each other. Simultaneously, it provides businesses the opportunity to locate customers with specific needs those businesses can fulfill while demonstrating the value they can provide the consumer without a large investment in time or capital.

With ThemBid.com, consumers choose a category and location before posting a product or service they seek. Business users identify a location and category they can serve after creating a free profile. Business users then receive automatic emails when a request matches the location and category it previously selected, allowing business users to then bid for those requests. Consumers can later choose a business using ThemBid.com’s rating system. After the service or product is provided, the consumer can rate the business to help future consumers. In addition, with an upgrade, businesses can provide special offers to all visitors of ThemBid.com.

Elmer Thomas, co-founder and chief executive officer of ATL Innovations, expects ThemBid.com to distinguish itself from competitors by allowing bidders, business advertisers and consumers to connect with their prospective parties without distractions or costly fees for optimal service.

“ThemBid.com allows frustrated consumers to make better and faster decisions on their purchases on the products and services they commonly use. By increasing the consumer’s decision making power, we are improving their quality of life and over time, increasing overall market efficiency,” Thomas said.

“The process to place a bid request or place a bid can occur under two minutes with a dial-up connection. Our sophisticated hardware optimization, server expertise and software engineering practices enable us to combine a wide array of state-of-the-art technology to make complicated tasks easy for the consumer,” he added.

ATL Innovations began development of ThemBid.com in November of 2006, but quickly generated industry-wide interest on blog web sites before ThemBid.com’s official public release. The company recently released its alpha version for testing at demo.thembid.com.

ATL Innovations will showcase ThemBid.com at the annual Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco April 15 through April 18, around the time of its official release. The event will feature keynote speakers such as Jeffrey Bezos, founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com and Jeff Weiner, vice president of the Network Division of Yahoo Inc.

“The fundamentals of software, computer and the internet are changing. Computing as we know it today may be gone in the coming decade. We are committed to leading that change. Our expertise in Open Source software, Web 2.0 web site development and virtual/online applications enable us to create innovations for our clients and ourselves that will push the envelope of modern computing,” Thomas said.

About Above The Limit Innovations, Inc.

Above The Limit Innovations Inc. was founded in 2003 by Elmer Thomas and several Alumni of the University of California, Riverside, including Isaac Saldana, chief technical officer and Jose Lopez, chief programmer.

ATL Innovations’ clients have included The Magic Johnson Foundation, Subway Development, and University of California Riverside College of Electrical Engineering.

ATL Innovations has received numerous awards and honors of distinction, including most recently a letter of congratulations from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Technology Firm of the Year Award from the Inland Empire Minority Business Development Center, and was a finalist for the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Award for Technology by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship.

To learn more about ATL Innovations, Inc. or ThemBid.com, visit Abovethelimit.com and demo.thembid.com.

Phew. A CPAP machine this morning, and purchasing homeowners insurance this afternoon. I must be living right, to have such a fun day of purchases to enjoy!

/end sarcasm.

(At least we did save 50% on our homeowners insurance renewal rate. A little legwork and calling around for quotes paid off in a big way! No such luck on the CPAP machine.)

Is it tacky to ask for gift cards for a child’s birthday party? With Matthew’s birthday coming up, friends and family have asked us what he wants. I know of a few things, but the trouble with saying “Legos” is that he already has several sets, and wants only specific sets. He’s got 2 movies he wants…and he wants Guitar Hero for the Playstation. I can’t tell everyone to get the movies, or we’ll end up with 10 copies of Night At The Museum, and cute as it was, I don’t need 10 copies. So, is it tacky to say, “giftcards, please!” It makes him happy because he can buy whatever he wants, and it makes me happy because I don’t end up with duplicate gifts to return.

I love backgammon. I started playing when I was younger - my parents had this really neat set on our coffee table in the living room when I was a kid, and it caught my attention early. The backgammon set my parents had would be considered retro now - the case was this weird rust colored corduroy, and when you opened it, the inside marks were 2 shades of brown suede. You can’t get any more 1970’s than that! Well, actually, you can - the new spokesperson (spokestiger?) for backgammon is a swinging cat named Jean-Claude who looks like a holdover from the 70’s with his open shirt and bell bottoms. His schtick is that he’s the #1 player at BackgammonMasters, and he’s part of a 5 part animated series called “Life According To Jean-Claude”. Original, yes? At BackgammonMasters.com visitors can play trivia games and can even give suggestions for future Jean-Claude scripts and plots - very ground-breaking!

If you’re new to the game of backgammon, you might be surprised at how fun and addictive it is. I’d be willing to be that a lot of people my age don’t know how to play the game, and learning online is a great way to try it out. And while you’re playing the game, don’t forget to check out Jean Claude - you can forward his clips to friends and invite them to a game with you!

This is a sponsored review.

I’m not a list maker. I don’t make a list and then cross things off as they get done. I don’t even make a grocery list - which probably explains why I’m always out of at least ONE thing in my house. No matter how many trips I make to the store, I always get home and remember one thing that we desperately needed, and that I forgot. I tried making a shopping list a few times, but I forgot it at home. I’m hopeless.