I Hate DirectTV

A couple years back I decided to switch from cable to satellite. The initial offer was pretty good and I was told that since there were a lot of trees in my neighborhood, if the signal wasn't great after trying to reposition the dish a couple times that I would be released from my contract without penalty. 

Yeah, that didn't happen. Well, the problems getting a decent signal happened. They just refused to honor their promise to let me out of the contract. Yes, I suppose could have just stopped paying the bill, however it would be a black mark on my credit, which after some of the shady things my ex pulled, I really want to avoid. Also, in the fine print they explain that once you pay with a credit card or bank account, if you fail to complete your contract they will simply charge your card or account with the amount they feel you owe. 

So I was stuck with awful service that went out each time it rained, snowed or the sky got a little cloudy. Basically, the times when you really want to kick back and watch some TV it was impossible. Now I could use my DVR and watch shows I had already recorded when the weather was bad, but if there was something scheduled to record when the conditions outside weren't perfect? Forget about it. 

Now today I woke up to find th main receiver in th living room won't turn on. I tried turning it off and turning it back on. I tried hitting the reset button. I keep getting the same error. I'm not certain how the receiver broke while it was shut off and we were all sleeping, it was working last night before I went to bed, but I'm taking this as a sign. My contract is finally up and I've been putting off changing providers because, well I don't know why, it just seemed like a hassle and any changes give me a little anxiety. 

So now I just have to decide between XFinity with Comcast or UVerse with AT&T. Decisions, decisions...

Ipsy Glam Bag September

This month my Ipsy glam bag has some great shades for Fall. The lotion is really great, it's my favorite item so far. I love getting these surprise bags every month. They use the profile I filled out to pick great samples to try. Sometimes there are delux sample size products and sometimes they're full size. I've gotten makeup brushes, nail polish, all kinds of cool beauty items. Usually the products are rather expensive brands so it's a nice way to try them before committing to spending a lot on something you may not love. It costs $10 per month and each set comes with a makeup bag. I really like that about Ipsy. Click here to check it out!  

Ibotta

One way to get a little money back from shopping trips is by downloading the Ibotta app. There are lots of rebates for each store. Once you reach $10 you can cash out via PayPal or choose a gift card option. I always just go for the cash. Since downloading the app I've earned almost $195 back. Below is a pic of my total cash back earnings. 

If you sign up its nice to join a team so you can earn the teamwork bonuses each month. The bigger the team, the more money everyone earns. If you'd like to join my team the code is: munnw 

Ugly Fridge No More...I Hope

I admit it. I'm a Pinterest junkie. I love that app more than I probably should. Recently I've been really into DIY home improvement. My ex really messed some things up. He would start a project and never finish it. Over the 8 years we were married, these projects really began to mount up. I was trying to put into words my reason for feeling like I needed to make some changes around my house after the divorce and my best friend really put it best. He said, " Instead of looking at everything your ex did wrong, now you get to look around at all the things you did right." He couldn't have possibly said it any better. So my latest project is the fridge. It's ugly. The water / ice maker hasn't worked since my ex brought it home. So today I decided to do something about it. First I started by turning off the valve to the water so it won't drip at all. Then I plugged up the hole completely so that no air escapes. I bought s primer that I read about on Pinterest, Glidden Gripper. I covered the entire fridge in this primer. Tomorrow, I'll be painting it with black chalkboard paint. It's a project I've seen online a few times and funny enough, on the Disney Channel show, Good Luck Charlie, their refrigerator is painted completely in chalkboard paint too. So here are the pics of the first step in the process, so far so good. Hopefully the end results will come out just as well. 

The primer dried pretty quickly, but as I was going, I painted part of the handles, leaving a space unpainted so I could still open the fridge. Once the rest of the primer dried I primed the empty section of the door handle. The last pic is of the fridge completely primed. 

 

Ulta, beauty steals

This month Ulta has different products on sale every day. This isn't your average sale, these are significant discounts on some really great products. I'm a beauty product junkie. I love makeup and I firmly believe that you don't get the same quality with drugstore brands as you do with the higher end brands. Today they have one of my favorite mascaras on sale. Normally $21 each, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara is 50% off making it $10.50! There is also a sale on Pur Minerals Mineral Mist, regularly priced at $19, for $10 today. I've never tried this so I can't recommend it one way or the other though.

Back to School

I know my daughter is getting older. I'm not totally in denial...not totally. I admit, I still refer to her as "the baby" when I'm talking to the dogs (don't judge me). I say things like "Awww give the baby kisses." or "Don't jump on the baby!" or "Be good, I'll be right back, I just have to pick up the baby." She started kindergarten this week. Now, it's in the same building as her preschool, but it's still a big change. The preschool, while held in the same building as the elementary school, is run through the district but is not free like the rest of the public school. The preschool has its own separate entrance and the kids didn't attend all day or even every day. When she was 3, she went 2 days a week, 3 hours per day. When she was 4, she went 3 days a week, 3 hours per day. Now, she's in real elementary school, attending 5 full days every week. The first 3 days were half days to help get the kids (and probably the parents) acclimated. It really hit me this week. She's on this school journey for, at the very least, the next 13 years. Add in college, and this is really a long process that is starting right now. I'm having commitment issues for her. It's just such a long time. She's still my baby and I'm not sure I'm ready for her to go out into the world without me. But life doesn't slow down and wait for me to be ready. We're both jumping in feet first, and I have to admit it's going well. She's ready for this. She is incredibly bright and consciences. She cares about her friends and cares about always following the rules. Her preschool teachers told me she was the kind of kid kindergarten teachers fight over. She loves school and se loves learning. These things make it a little easier for me to let go, but it's still a little crushing. Given my current status as a recently divorced mom, chances are this is my last baby. And she's not a baby anymore.

Time Management

One of the biggest changes I've faced becoming a single parent vs. having a partner is that I've had to figure out better time management. When I had my husband here, I had at the very least a second set of adult hands. I had a second person in the household with a driver's license.
If my infrequent blog posts over the past 2 months are any indication, I'm definitely lacking super mom time management skills. So while I definitely don't miss all the lying and cheating, I do feel the loss of a partner. I guess I never really had a true life partner, but that ability to drive a car and lift heavy objects is definitely something of which I feel the loss.