Geeky Housewife

We have too much stuff. Why? Because we are terrible at letting go of stuff. We keep it because we may need it or it has sentimental value. Well no more. I am tired of shuffling stuff and tripping over things. Also with so much stuff you can never find what you need anyway.

It’s going to be tough as I feel I may have hoarder tendencies. I do let trash go and broken items but do hang on to more than I should. We have a lot of cool things that we never touch simply because it’s in a box, so we forget we have it. Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking more about just letting go of stuff. So right now we need a plan – so here is my rough plan of attack -

Go through the house first – one room at a time. Each weekend I plan to tackle a different room. This way I don’t get overwhelmed with trying to do everything at once.

Make quick decisions. I expect some items to make it through round one – or as I call it the lightning round. Clothes that I do not wear are being donated. Purses I do not use are getting donated. So there are some easy things to put in a donation box. Some items will make it past this round but then I plan to come back and really evaluate the value of an item.

A simple plan but hopefully will be very effective. Already I have another three bags full of stuff to donate – that’s all from one make-shift closet. This weekend I will tackle our bedroom. My goal is to get rid of half what is in there this first round.

Guest post written by my buddy Lavern Small

I love the Food Network and pretty much every show on it. I’m not a professional chef or anything but it’s been great learning some new tips and tricks every time I turn on the TV! My favorite is Bobby Flay and that’s a good thing because he’s on just about every show on the network like Throwdown and Boy Meets Grill and those types of series. I got cable comparison and chose satellite specifically so I could watch the Food Channel and the second I got it turned on they introduced their newest channel, the Cooking Network! It’s almost even better because there’s not as much time spent on things like competitions or reality shows and it’s just a lot more about the chefs doing what they’re good at which is cooking and teaching viewers how to do it too. I love learning new things and if you asked my family or friends I think they’d tell you they think I’m becoming quite the home chef! My husband would definitely say paying the satellite bill is worth it!

This year I plan to start my spring cleaning way early. My mom gave me the idea when she was talking about doing her spring cleaning this winter. I thought what a great idea. Here’s why. We live in the south where spring temperatures last for two weeks if you are lucky – that’s not two consecutive weeks – more like 14 days over two months. So it is very hard to really have a good run of spring days to get any real cleaning done.

This January has been very pleasant. We slept with the air conditioner on two nights ago. When it’s bitterly cold, I don’t want to do anything but most days it is not extremely cold. So why wait for that crazy spring weather? Also when spring finally rolls around, we all have cabin fever. The last thing I want to do is spend time inside my house. I want to be in the sun even if it is just standing around – I don’t care. I want out of the house.

So since I’m trapped in the house for winter and the temperatures are still pleasant, why not clean? We are taking it room by room. I cleaned one of the bathrooms – removing all items from the sink that are not being used. It is very bare now with just a razor and toothbrushes but now you can actually use the space.

This weekend I plan to tackle the living room. Oy Vey. We will be rearranging our living space to hopefully make more room. By spring I should have a clean and organized house. What a wonderful feeling that will be.

More than 100 million Americans don’t have dental insurance, and according to a new study by the WK Kellogg Foundation, more than 4 in 10 households have at least one person who has delayed receiving dental care due to cost. With these statistics, it’s not hard to predict a wave of dental decay. Fortunately there are some bad habits you can eliminate to help protect your teeth, whether or not you have access to regular dental care.

Quit Smoking

It’s easy to say and hard to do, but if you’re one of the nearly 50 million American adults who smoke, dental damage provides yet another reason to consider putting the cigarettes down for good. Smoking can cause permanent discoloration of your teeth and can lead to gum disease. Aside from increasing the plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth, smoking can cause inflammation in your salivary glands, delayed healing, an increased risk of tooth loss and dental implant failure, and an increased risk of developing potentially precancerous conditions like leukoplakia and oral cancer.

By leaving the cigarettes behind, you’ll not only reduce your need to spend a lot of time with the dental assisting professionals at the dentist’s office, and improve the appearance of your teeth and gums, but you’ll also decrease your chances of developing other forms of cancer associated with smoking.

Avoid Illicit Drugs

Illicit drug use, especially methamphetamine, has given rise to a relatively new phenomenon known as “meth mouth.” Methamphetamine use is associated with rapid, significant tooth decay. Although the cause of this kind of dental decay is unclear, the American Dental Association says that the problem most likely stems from long periods of “dry mouth”, combined with poor oral hygiene, increased consumption of sugary foods and drinks, and increased grinding and clenching of the teeth, which damages tooth enamel. Contrary to popular belief, meth mouth isn’t caused by using poor-grade methamphetamine. Persons who abuse pharmaceutical-grade methamphetamine also suffer from meth mouth.

Saliva plays an important role in the long-term health of teeth and gums. Reduced salivation occurs when a person uses methamphetamine. This long-term drought causes gum tissues to shrink, which opens the door to some serious tooth decay, periodontal disease and oral infections. Despite the colloquial name of this condition, methamphetamine isn’t the only bad actor here. The same symptoms can occur with the abuse of other stimulants like cocaine, amphetamines and Ritalin (methylphenidate).

If you use methamphetamine, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. Medical intervention will include help managing the physical after-effects of methamphetamine abuse, including the dental damage that may have occurred. If you don’t use drugs but know someone who has experienced rapid tooth decay, it might be a sign that significant medical intervention is in order.

Grinding

Grinding your teeth, known as bruxism, is actually classified as a sleep disorder. Most humans grind their teeth at one time or another in their lifetimes, but the repeated grinding of the teeth and clenching of the jaws that characterize bruxism can cause significant damage to teeth over time. A number of different factors can cause people to grind their teeth, but most people who engage in this habit don’t even know they’re doing it. That’s because most of the heavy-duty damage to the teeth occurs during sleep – even during short naps!

Bruxism is habitual, and once the habit is formed, it’s very difficult to break. Stress is though to play a role in habitual grinding, as are allergic reactions, some medical conditions like Parkinson’s Disease, and chronic magnesium deficiency (a rare condition in the United States). High caffeine consumption, drinking, smoking, and drug use are also associated with bruxism.

Signs that you may be grinding your teeth include headaches, earaches, migraines, loose teeth, and jaw pain, and telltale damage to your teeth, which your dentist will discover during an oral examination. Treatments for bruxism may include the nightly use of a dental bite splint, biofeedback treatments, dietary changes, dietary supplements, electrical stimulation and botox injections. Damage caused by grinding can be repaired using caps, crowns or dental veneers, however veneers can be dislodged if the grinding persists.

How did you spend New Year’s Eve? We spent some time spending the last of our flexible spending account – we got our flu shots. Last year we both got a flu shot and stayed really healthy all winter. This year we kept pushing it back until finally we were in a situation of “use it or lose it.”

We made it just in time. Did you know that the pharmacy closes at 6pm on Saturday night? I’m not sure if that is regular hours or if that was special for New Year’s Eve hours. I guess I had always assumed that if a drug store stays open 24 hours that they have a pharmacists there all the time. As we were getting our shots, my husband was relaying to the pharmacists how well we had been last year after we had gotten our flu shot. The pharmacists then told us next year to get the shot earlier – like in September.

Last year, they filled many prescriptions for Tamiflu but this year they had filled only three. What is different? That people are getting their flu shot earlier – which apparently is the recommendation. The pharmacist said what happened last year was the people got the flu early and it spread but also mutated. Then by the time people did get flu shots, it wasn’t very effective on this different strand of the flu. Apparently what makes up the flu vaccine each year is an educated guess (probably more to it than that) of what flu strands will be making the rounds. Once you get the flu shot, it takes two weeks to for it to take full effect.

Not that of an exciting New Year’s Eve but very educational. Next year we will get our flu shot earlier and hopefully avoid being sick.

How did you welcome in the New Year? I started the New Year cleaning – which is a good thing since so many of my resolutions depend upon a clean, organized house. Since our house needs a lot of TLC, I decided to take it room by room. Up first was the girl’s room that had gotten way out of hand.

I would have taken before/after pictures but the before pictures would be way too embarrassing. Imagine a room where you can’t see the floor because of clothes, stuffed animals, and other toys. I spent two days in her room cleaning and organizing. We are still not done yet but it is so much better than before.

We bought some moving boxes for temporary storage of items that we just don’t want to deal with right now. Our idea is that it goes into a box and doesn’t come out in six months, it leaves our house. The stuff is already packed and ready, too.

When my daughter walked into her room and noticed the cleaniness, she was excited and said that this was the best room ever. There are still a lot of toys to be organized but at least we have a room that she can easily walk into and manuever around. It also feels great to start the new year by working towards one of our goals.

Now that I’m older, it seems time just flies by. And just like that, 2011 is almost over. It has been a really good year for us and looking forward to 2012. I thought it might be fun to share some of my 2011 accomplishments – those things that I am most proud of that I did this year.

Got my first blog/domain back. The first domain I ever registered was Rompez.com way back in 2005. My plan was to make a website about video games. The more I tinkered with it, the more I was drawn to blogging. I finally just installed WordPress on it sometime in 2006-2007. After adding Geeky Housewife, I blogged less at Romperz and let the domain go in 2010. In 2011, I wanted it back but at first I couldn’t register it. Then I waited a few more months and then was able to once it had been a year since I let it go. So now I have it back and am really happy about it.

Whistling. On a trip to visit relatives sometime earlier this year, my daughter decided to learn to whistle. She practiced and practiced – finally mastering it. I have never been able to whistle but gave it a try when she was learning. I finally can make some whistling noises and hope to hone this skill in 2012.

Got a job. I returned to work full-time. It is bittersweet since I really love the money but hate the change to my schedule. There is no time for doing all of my side projects – not like I was blazing through them before. I do plan on quitting at some point in 2012 – hopefully when I am making decent money freelancing. So, 2012 will have many challenges for me when it comes to time management.

I lost 30 pounds! I did some dieting this year and was successful. There is still more to lose though.

I ran my first 5K. I miss running. I haven’t been running the past three months and really miss it. Looking forward to running many miles in 2012.

I’m sure there’s more stuff I’ve done this year but this is what sticks out most. How was 2011 for your?

One of our goals for 2012 is to bring up our credit score number. When we bought our Jeep three years ago, my husband’s credit score was good. Two years later it was poor. That is what late payments will get you – a bad credit score. So, lesson learned – again. Pay those bills on time. We will also keep closer watch on our credit report so we can fix any mistakes that may happen in error or through identity theft.

Identity theft could really hurt our score and will take a while to sort through all the damage. Since we are planning to buy a house in the near future, we definitely do not want any surprises showing up on our credit report. A high credit score is very important for getting a good interest rate. You cannot just figure out your credit score by studying your credit report. Different agencies use slightly different formulas.

Every six months, I plan to check our credit score. There are several ways to obtain a free credit score. From what I’ve seen on the Internet, most are given as part of a free trial for a service that you can cancel at anytime. It’s important to read the fine print.

Since it is almost the new year, I will check our credit score in January and then again in June. We are paying down our debt and paying all of our bills on time. It will be fun to see just how much our credit score may change.

It is the perfect time of the year to make financial goals for the new year. Let’s hope 2012 brings prosperity and a higher credit score!

A few weeks back, I posted about my dilemma on whether to buy a Kinect or PlayStation 3 for Christmas. At the time, there was still Black Friday ahead of us and some fantastic deals out there. I held off on both since I just couldn’t make up my mind.

Fast forward to Saturday when my husband mentions his desire for a PlayStation 3 for his birthday. His birthday is December 27th – so it looks like the PS3 wins. Now to find the right PS3 bundle. It just seems a huge letdown just to buy the console. We definitely would like a little something extra with it. It does appear that you can build your own bundle at several places online – but then we have to wait for it to be shipped. Waiting – we’re not very good at it.

So it looks like soon we will have all three current console gaming systems – that is until the next big thing is released.