Using Time Wisely

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Archives for August 2011

Junk E-mail Account – Part 2 of 2

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Keri J.)

Setting up a junk e-mail account keeps my personal items separate from coupons, deals, and newsletters. Last week, I explained why I have this account and how to setup a junk e-mail account in Yahoo!. In Part 2, I walk you through setting up a junk e-mail account in Gmail, another favorite free e-mailing provider.

To setup a junk e-mail account in Gmail:

1. Type www.gmail.com into your Internet browser

2. On the right side, click “Create an Account.”

3. Register for your new account

4. Fill in your name

5. Choose an e-mail name for this account – Remember your Desired Login Name. You will need this information to log back into your account.

6. Select a password and security question and answer

7. For the recovery e-mail address, I use my personal e-mail account. If I should forget the password to this account, I can reset it from my personal e-mail account.

8. Add your personal information

9. Complete the word verification

10. Read the Terms of Service

11. Click “I accept. Create my account”

12. Gmail will then congratulate you and send you a confirmation e-mail to your recovery e-mail account.

To go to your account:

1. Click on “Show me my account”

2. The site will redirect you to your new account

3. Your 3 welcome e-mails will be in your account

To log back in to your Gmail account:

1. Type www.gmail.com into your Internet browser

2. On the right sidebar, type your username and password, and click “Sign in”

3. The site will direct you to your account

Task completed! When you need to supply an e-mail address, you can now use this account to keep your personal e-mail account clutter-free. 🙂

In using time wisely, I save lots of time by having a junk e-mail account. Keeping a clutter-free inbox is an on-going task made a little easier when the important information comes to my personal account and the other items sit in a junk account. If you prefer separate accounts, then creating a Gmail junk account might assist you in using your time wisely.

Question: What is your favorite e-mail account provider? Please add your answer by clicking the “Leave your Comment” button.

Birthday Party: 2011 Strawberry Shortcake Results

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In preparing for a birthday party in my house, my children are very helpful. They enjoy helping set the itinerary, practicing the games, and assisting with setup. However, at the party, my children do not enjoy being the center of attention. Thus far, both my son and older daughter get embarrassed and shy.

Since I now know this behavior is likely to occur, I decided to keep my daughter with her friends throughout the party. She did much better this year and seemed to enjoy it. Whew!

Greeting Guests

On the day of the event, we were ready a little early to receive our guests. My daughter greeted each girl at the door and brought her friends to the living room to play.

Playing Games

One friend did not care to participate in the games, so this friend continued to play with some toys while the other girls played.

Pass the Orange:  The girls did a great job keeping the orange moving and cheering each other along.

Strawberry Spoon Race: Though my daughter practiced this game and said it was her favorite, she wanted to quit in the middle of her turn. Not sure if she got frustrated, tired, or embarrassed, but the girls who started the game finished. Of course, there were prizes for all.

Strawberry Strawberry Shortcake: My daughter ended up loving this game. Some of the girls forgot to sit back down, so they kept running around the circle. Others were really fast back to their seats. This game received the most giggles and laughter of all the games.

Musical Strawberries: This game was a good idea, but the girls kept stepping on the strawberries and sliding across the carpet. Since I did not want them to get hurt, we revised this game a little and had the girls walk on the outside of the circle. When the music stopped, they needed to be standing next to a strawberry. With this adjustment, the game worked perfectly.

Eating Food

Having my mom help in the kitchen was a blessing. As the girls won the Musical Strawberries cake walk, they went to the kitchen where my mom scooped their choice ice cream and then sat them at the table with their chosen cupcake.

If my mom needed more time, then we kept the music playing. Once my mom seated one child, then we stopped the music and the winner went to the kitchen. Working with one child at a time kept the party calm without chaos.

Once all the girls were served, we sang and let my daughter blow out her candles. Then the girls chatted and enjoyed their food together.

Opening gifts

All the girls came to the living room, sat in a semicircle with their gift, and waited their turn. We started with the winner of the first game giving her gift to my daughter first. Having her friend sit with her, my daughter did not feel embarrassed or the center of attention. This arrangement worked well.

Expressing Gratitude

While Daddy was removing the gifts from their packages for the girls to play, my daughter thanked her friends for attending her party and for all her gifts. I stood with her and encouraged her to thank her friends. I was very proud of her announcement.

Delivering goody bags

With all the goody bags previously packaged with the attendees’ names on the bags, I read the name and allowed my daughter to deliver the bags to each of her friends. She enjoyed giving to her friends.

Playing until pickup

The girls enjoyed sorting through their goody bags, playing, and talking until their parents arrived for pickup.

The party was a success! My daughter enjoyed the party, the girls stayed busy, each activity flowed into the next one without interruptions, and no one got hurt.

By preparing in advance, weighing the cost, and keeping event notes, I followed the itinerary, made adjustments, and enjoyed the process. Birthday parties can be lots of work, but the results are worth all the money, energy, and time. Hope your planned events are running smoothly as well!

Question: What adjustments have you made at an event when the original plan did not work? Please add your answer by clicking the Leave your Comment button.

My Alarm Clock Mission

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In college, I had a roommate who never used an alarm clock. She always awoke at the same time each morning without anyone or anything waking her up. It was amazing to me because I would sleep until noon each day without an alarm clock rudely interrupting my beauty rest.

Since I cannot sleep until noon each day, I must use an alarm clock to jar me awake in the mornings. For me, an alarm clock is a necessity!

My Status Quo Change

When my 18-month-old daughter decided to pound my alarm clock with a toy and jammed the “set alarm” button, I tossed my broken alarm clock and used a backup. I quickly found that the backup clock works, but the snooze button sticks.

Upon hearing the alarm, I pressed the snooze button only to find that the alarm did not go back off. I ended up sleeping in until my daughter began calling me from her crib. Though I was not late in any of my responsibilities, my day was off schedule.

My Search Options

Battery-operated

Realizing that I needed a new alarm clock, I checked at Wal-mart on my next shopping trip. I found a battery-operated clock for $5.97 and purchased it.

(This clock is a similar battery-operated clock since I failed to take a picture of the one I purchased.) I brought it home, set the time, and scheduled the alarm for the next morning.

When the alarm awakened me, I pressed the snooze button. Then 3-minutes later the alarm sounded again. As I repeated this scenario looking for 10 more minutes of rest, I finally got up frustrated with the 3-minute snooze interval.

Corded with battery-backup from Wal-mart

Deciding that this clock did not meet my alarm clock requirements (which I did not know I had), I returned the clock on my next visit to Wal-mart. With a little better understanding of the type of alarm clock I needed, I continued my alarm clock mission searching for a clock with 9-minute snooze intervals.

Having found one that fit the bill, I added this $5.97 corded with battery-backup clock to my purchases. I again came home, set the time, and scheduled the alarm for the next morning.

At the appointment time, I was startled awake by a very loud, high-pitched beeping sound. Thankfully, I had 9 minutes to recover before that noise repeated itself.  Though the snooze worked perfectly, the volume and pitch level could not continue. I didn’t like it, so I needed to shape it up!

Corded with battery-backup from Target

Since neither Paul nor I could stand the sound of the new alarm clock, Paul graciously offered to purchase another one on his trip to Target. The $6.95 clock he brought home had the 9-minute snooze interval with multi-colored neon numbers.

I was not sure if I liked it, but I was willing to try. This time I set the clock and then set the alarm for a minute later. My waiting ended with a normal beeping sound that was not high-pitched or loud. Mission complete!

My Learned Lessons

My thinking that “choosing an alarm clock involved just picking one” has changed. Since I have not purchased an alarm clock in years, I needed to read the options more carefully. Through this process, I have discovered my favorite options for an alarm clock.

      • 9-minute snooze
      • Snooze button on top of the alarm clock
      • Tolerable pitch level
      • Volume control (which none of these clocks had), but a minimum expectation of a medium range alarm sound
      • Numbers stay lit, so a corded with battery-backup option

When my status quo changed, I searched my options and learned some lessons. Though I still need to return a clock to Wal-mart, I will keep the alarm clock Paul chose from Target. It has all the options I deem necessary to my morning jolt without irritating me in the process. Completing my alarm clock mission took time (and help from hubby :-)), but in using time wisely, I discovered my favorite options resulting in a pleasant interruption of my beauty rest.

Question: What preferences do you have with regards to an alarm clock (assuming you use one)? Please share your answer in the comments.

Home Ownership: Article Appraisals

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Today, we will complete the ninth file slot in our accordion filing system as well as the home ownership category. (Insert excitable utterance here. 🙂 )

I began the ninth file opening last week with the personal articles insurance policy documents. The last item in this file slot is the set of appraisals for my bridal and engagement rings.

With our personal articles policy, the receipts for our point-and-shoot camera and our video camera suffices our insurance company’s requirements for replacement should I need to file a claim for one of these two items. The receipt for my rings, purchased 13 years ago, would not cover the replacement cost should I lose the entire set. Therefore, I have my ring set appraised approximately every 5 years.

Looking at the date of my last appraisal, I am now overdue for another appraisal. (Guess I have another item to add to my To Do List.)

When I get the new appraisal, I will request a second official document to submit to my insurance company. With the new appraisal, the replacement cost will be updated, the premium adjusted (if needed), and the insurance company will have pictures and measurements in their file.

My appraisal will be filed in this ninth file slot. I currently have 2 other appraisals from years 2000 and 2005. The new 2011 appraisal will be added to these paper clipped appraisals and housed behind the personal articles insurance policy documents which concludes the items in my ninth file slot.

If I had other valuable items covered through my personal articles policy, I would put additional appraisals here (i.e., collection: stamps, coins, baseball cards; other jewelry items; electronic equipment; etc.).

Project complete! All my credit reports/cards, personal, and home ownership documents have a home. Keeping these documents together in an organized system helps me in using time wisely. Retrieving these documents is direct, quick, and easy. Keep working on your filing system to save you money (replacing lost documents), energy (sorting through piles of paper), and time (searching for needed items).

Question: How is your document organizing going? I would love to hear about your progress, even if you are just beginning. You need to start somewhere. 🙂 Please leave a comment with your answer.