Had to Return a Dog Crate for the Third Time

Always the bargain shopper am I. My 105 lb German Shepherd hasn't needed a crate for four years...he's such a good doggie. I knew I couldn't buy him a seat on the plane to Germany, so I started hunting for a good, solid crate. Dumb me started looking at price first. Do you know there are crates all over the internet? My first purchase was a Furrari pet crate, in their Giant size. It's the biggest that brand comes in...he'll fit then. You should've seen him in there after I closed the door....once I finally did get the door closed. His feet were hanging over the end when he was lying down and when he did sit up, he was hunched over and made a face like he does when he gets into something he maybe shouldn't. It's a good thing I ordered that one from Petco.

At least the return process was easy. I had originally done some googling and found a coupon code for 20% off, so I wasn't worried at all that shipping was non-refundable. I printed off the return form and took it to my local Petco, no questions asked. Now for Round 2.

I decided to stick with Petco. Petsmart didn't have the really big crates at all. I ended up calling Petco's 1-800 number and actually talked to someone knowledgeable about crates who just happened to have a big dog herself. The next purchase was a run-of-the-mill Varikennel. Their Giant size was really giant, not like that European-sounding crate I had just returned...why can't all this be standardized? Crate #2 arrives, and it was truly Giant. It's a good thing I have a minivan...you can forget getting that thing in a car. Everyone fit and everyone was happy.

Then my dad visited, an ex-airline employee. He said, let's check what the airline says on its site. I said I had already been there. Well, somehow he found a page I hadn't found. We went down the list...yep, yep, got all that, good to go...uh oh...international flights, that's us. The kennel must have ventilation on four sides. I ran to the crate and counted, then re-counted again...and then one more time, because I didn't want to believe it....only three sides...no airholes in the back. God da**....I screwed up again! My dad called a friend to verify, and yep, that's right. So now what? Petco didn't have any other choices, and neither did Petsmart.

We trolled around the internet and found Dog.com...wow, lots of crates. There was a 700 series Sky Kennel ...it looks just like the Varikennel...wait, it is the Varikennel with extra airholes in the back. It's a new upgraded kennel that meets international requirements. We called the airline back and asked if this would even fit on our particular plane, a Boeing 767? After being on hold, the guy came back and said is this a series 700 kennel? Yes! Yes! He said when he checked the configuration for the aircraft, this particular kennel was actually listed as the largest size crate they will take...and oh, it's called an extra-extra large by the airlines. Again, no standardation. I had friend of a friend email me that day from Germany, lamenting how their friend had to send their two Great Danes via airfreight, cause no airline would take them, at the tune of $1500....ouch. So, I dutifully had the airline rep note it in the record that we had a Series 700 and to expect it on the plane. I don't know if that will help, but we felt we had to do something to ensure our big doggie some kind of spot. I also asked my dad if he was prepared to keep Argos, should some baggage snafu happen at the airport. They are new best friends as of now.

What do we do now along with the usual worrying when you have all these moving parts during a move?....we keep our fingers crossed til hit time...we assume that the cat will be okay in a smaller version of the crate. I'll let you know how it goes from the other side. If you have any lessons learned you can share about traveling with pets, please do post a note. Read more on this article...

My Last Daily Post - the Moving Train is About Ready to Leave the Station

Ahhh the routine. I love getting on the internet, early in the morning with my cup of morning tea, while everyone else is still asleep. It is my time for me alone. I even love that I have a signal to get off the internet and my blog, should I be inclined to linger too long...my kids' alarm clock. Well, my house is finally turning into a shambles of piles and packed-up items and things not where they belong. The time has finally arrived, and we are off to moving overseas...to Germany to be exact. This will be my last daily weekday post until about August, when I will hopefully, be set-up in our new home on-post....stairwell living, here I come! I will try to post when I can...either from hubby's laptop or wherever I can snag some internet time. We all know this is more wishful thinking than reality...I'm going to miss my time on here, but I am surely going to try to stop by and at least say hello...you can bet there will be some snafus and not-so-normal-behavior on this trip. But we do what we gotta do..in this case, move our household and drag along two rambunctious boys, a cat terrified of his own shadow and a dog who, on any given day is attached to me like a piece of Velcro...what a menagerie! See you all soon! If you have any good tips to share for someone in my shoes, I'd love to hear them! Please also be sure to stop by Army Wife Talk Radio next Monday. I have been asked to be a guest on the show, along with a moving expert I believe...hopefully, we can share some good tips on moving and PCSing. Be sure to call in and give us some of your insight. See you all on the other side! Read more on this article...

Honda and Michelin Both Win the "Nightmare of the Year" Award

Just when I thought my tire saga was over...it isn't. I've blogged before about my issues with the Michelin Pax tires and my Honda Odyssey. I thought I was going to be smart this time around and save a few hundred dollars by buying the Pax tires - the only ones that fit the 2005 (and 2006 and 2007) Odyssey Touring Model - from our local Sears. Not only were they cheaper than Honda's price by a little but by a lot 'cause they were on sale. My happy dance turned into a nightmare episode yesterday.

I dutifully brought my Honda to Sears after my two tires came in...at just under $400, that is actually a bargain believe it or not. I was told it would be a few hours...standard answer and just fine by me. Since Sears was at the mall, what a perfect excuse to go shopping. While shopping into my third hour I thought...ooops, why haven't they called me? So I made a quick call and was confronted with a diarrhea of words from the Sears tech...all I heard was "broken", "sorry" a half dozen times and "gash".

After I gained my composure, I realized one of my old tires had been damaged...come to find out, they did not have the equipment nor training to handle these tires...so then why do they sell them? Why did no one tell me this when I made the appointment? I told him this would not stand. I needed those old tires as back-up while we were over in Germany..they still had 1/3 of their life left, which is why I told Sears to keep them....those idiots! I told him that they would have to make this whole fiasco right, that I was on my way and that a manager better be there to greet me.

It's a good thing I had to walk from one end of the mall to the other....I had to settle myself down. After getting there, not only was the tech and the manager there, but also a half dozen other Sears people....Lord knows who they all were. Without me demanding it ('cause I had it in my mind that I would ask for at least half off the price of the new tires), they gave me the new tires at a 50% discount and made arrangements for me to take it to the local Honda dealer. I figured that would be acceptable and went on my way. I was happily surprised that my old tires were still serviceable. The gash was very minor and did not cause any air to leak out. At this point, I thought, what a roundabout way to get something deeply discounted.

Off to Honda, where I had gotten my front tires replaced at $200 more than the Sears quote a few months ago. You see, these Pax tires only last 15,000 to 30,000 miles on average. They took the vehicle right in. I had a long talk with the service rep. He said he absolutely hates these tires! In the years he has worked there, he has dealt with 200 blowouts on these stupid tires versus TWO blowouts on the Odysseys that don't have them. He acknowledged Honda made a big mistake in offering these tires as the ONLY choice for THREE years of Touring Models. He did say that Honda can retrofit your Honda at a cost of $1900. What does that involve? A NEW AXLE for your Honda Odyssey!!!!! As I have blogged before, yes you can change your rims and tires to another type of tire on your own, but it will void your ENTIRE vehicle warranty and will affect vehicle performance and handling...now isn't that special...a whole vehicle design that is dependent on the tire design. I ended up leaving Honda feeling dirty and used..it took three hours to change those tires at a cost of $200 labor...the tires are that labor intensive to change...shame on Michelin for making such an inferior product. I have had just about enough of Honda. This is enough to make me shop elsewhere for my next vehicle. I feel they were dishonest and now won't make it right for the thousands of us who have this vehicle. What about when I'd like to sell it (which will be before my tires run out the next time I am hoping)? So I'm supposed to be dishonest as well to my next potential customer? If I'm honest, I'll never be able to sell it...what dummy would buy something like this? If anyone from Honda is reading this....make it right. Anyone have any other vehicle nightmare stories to share? Read more on this article...

The Wild West: Siphoning Gas Out of Your Car's Tank

I guess it has finally gotten to that point. People are getting desperate with the high gas prices. My neighbor's boss filled up his truck with gas yesterday, went to work, came out for lunch....and no gas. Someone had siphoned off his freshly-bought gas. I don't know how rampant this is or if this is just an isolated incident, but I just wanted to pass that on so everyone was aware of what could happen. Check your gas cap today. If it doesn't lock, get with your car's manufacturer and see if you can get it replaced with a cap that does lock. If anyone has any other tips, please do pass them on. I read an article yesterday on easy ways to save gas. You can find it here. Read more on this article...

Give so they can do anything but not nothing

Warren Buffet once said, "Give enough to your kids so they can do anything, but do not give them too much so they can do nothing." Love the quote! So the great billionaire Warren Buffet, instead of just throwing money at his kids, he's giving them just enough to learn how to deal with money and to make a difference in the world...kudos to him. We are no Warren Buffets.....so how do the rest of us get our kids in the right mindset when it comes to money?

• Kids need to learn early on that working for money builds character. This is why many parents are moving towards the commission based system rather than the allowance system.

• Lead by example. It does no good to preach to your kids about living within your means and delaying gratification if you can't do it yourself. Kids will copy what you do. Do what I do and not as I say, right?

• I blogged once before that our kids do not just get things from the store on a whim...if it's not a birthday or a major holiday, they ain't gettin' it (and now they don't even ask). If they see something they like, they save up for it or use some of their own money from their piggy bank. I let them exchange the money for the item at the checkout counter themselves. Make sure you tell them about sales tax and how that figures in. My kids understood that concept as early as when they were seven years old.

• Don't always bail your kids out. My kids have done without when they didn't plan ahead. How often does this happen? Almost never now. This isn't quite as effective when they are smaller, but it sure is when they are teens and older. You have to sit back and think...am I helping them or enabling them? If I give them this money, will it get them out of a bind and on the road to being independent or am I making them be more dependent by doing this? For example, let's say your child is constantly letting the gas run low on their car and is always asking for a handout. They don't plan ahead. So, let's say you don't give them the money next time...and they just can't go out or they do without. It's not going to kill them. As soon as they figure out they need to be more responsible and you won't bail them out every time...they will forced to be more responsible. It's almost magical.
  

• Teach them about money and limits and delaying gratification. Talk to them about money coming in and money going out, living on credit, what an interest rate is and how it affects them. I am always shocked our schools don't teach basic money management. It's up to you, the parents, to send your kids down the right path. Don't rely on anyone else. A child as young as eight can understand these concepts..that's when our kids "got it".
  

• When your child is 13, open up a checking account for them. Have them deposit their babysitting or lawnmowing money in there. Show them how to do a checkbook ledger. Show them what happens when you don't keep track and get overdrawn. How will they ever do this stuff as an adult if you don't teach them now?

• If they absolutely want to have that next big ticket item, get them to cut out a picture with the price, and put it on their wall as an incentive to save. It may even be cheaper by the time they actually get out there and buy it.

• It's okay for your child to make mistakes. Better to make them now then when they are totally on their own. My motto has always been to learn from others' mistakes, but for kids, screwing up themselves tends to make the concepts stick more.
  

Continue to set a good example for them. They learn by watching you. Set them up for success early in life and spare them the mistakes later...when they are more costly.

How do you teach your kids about money? Read more on this article...

Disney's Magic Kingdom on less than $200 for a Family of Five

After living nearly three years in Florida, we figured we couldn't leave without at least one trip to Disney. Nope, none of us had been to Disney before this trip. What really bothered me though, was the high cost of the tickets...and this year in particular, with our foreign exchange student, we have a family of five wanting to go. In the past, we have taken advantage of Busch Gardens Here's to the Heroes, where once a year, a military family of four can get in free to any of the Anheiser Busch theme parks, to include Sea World. We would alternate the parks every year, and it was just enough excitement not to get boring. It's not that we can't afford it, we just have a hard time shelling out that much money for what may or may not be a few hours of fun, considering the heat, the lines for rides and the general push of humanity all around. I guess you can tell, at least, that I'm not a big fan of events with crowds of people. Well, we can finally say we did Disney and to make my frugal self happy, we spent less than $200...that includes park entry for five, lunch, drinks, souveniers, parking and everything in between. So how did we do it? With just a little bit of advance planning.

My planning started weeks ago. Some of you may remember me blogging about our timeshare experience. My husband and I had such a nice time and got two adult tickets for the Magic Kingdom out of that. I then sent my husband to the ITT office on Macdill AFB, where he bought another adult ticket for our student and two children's tickets for our two boys. The adult tickets cost $67.50 each and for children 9 and under, it's $57 each. We were able to take advantage of the Florida resident rate as well as the military discount rate, which is basically not paying sales tax. So there were our five tickets for just over $181.

We did have to pay about $15 for parking, but I must say, the Disney folks are very efficient with their parking system and trams and getting you to the park entrance in a timely mannner, and I thought that was a reasonable amount for that service. We arrived around 9:30 am, and it was perfect timing. No big crowds and getting onto the ferry to get into the park was a breeze. If you do happen to get a Florida resident ticket, remember you will have to turn in your voucher for the actual ticket at one of the ticket kiosks at the entrance. Only my husband had to show his Florida driver's license. The lady was also initially mortified, because she thought we were trying to pass off our 17 year old exchange student as a 9 year old on the child ticket. She didn't see the other two boys playing in the dirt. At the park entrance, they also have a monorail you can take to get in. My suggestion, take the ferry on the way over and the monorail on the way back to your parking lot and your car at the end of the day. That way, you get to try both, and it seems to be less crowded taking the ferry in the morning versus in the evening from what we could see.

Once in the park, don't waste your time on Main Street or the rides near the front. Make your way to the back of the park and to the rides that have the Fast Pass option. These are the rides that will have long lines later on in the day, and the Fast Pass system allows you to skip the lines in a nutshell. Ride these popular rides before the crowds get there, or grab a Fast Pass if there is already a line longer than 40 minutes. For example, we did catch Snow White's Scary Adventures ride first, even though it is geared mainly to little kids (like most of the rides in Fantasy Land), but hey, it was our first time at Disney and this is what it's all about, right? It was a cheesy ride, but it did get us in the spirit. Disney does seem to put a lot of money and effort into their animatrons and rides on "conveyer belts" taking you by a variety of scenes in the dark. When we passed by this ride later in the day, it always had at least a 30 minute wait. Since the other rides in FantasyLand were just like the run-of-the-mill rides you see at every two-bit carnival, we skipped them completely...they also always had the longest lines, most times in the hot sun as well. Unless you have a particular favorite...remember the Octopus or Scrambler?....don't waste your time.

After getting reoriented...it seems we were mesmerized by the Cinderella castle at first and walked all around the thing before deciding to go on some "real" rides...we headed to the back of the park and Frontier Land. We had only 10 minutes of waiting at both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Splash Mountain was your typical water flume ride, with a nice big drop off into Briar Rabbit's thorn thickets....lots of splashing and some getting wet. Our boys thought the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a very mild roller coaster pseudo "runaway train", was especially lame and only went on it once. We did enjoy the view of the real paddle steamer that makes its rounds around Tom Sawyer's Island, but we wasted time waiting in line to get over to the island, which again, is geared towards little kids. There is only one way over, jammed with other visitors on a makeshift raft. There are some things to climb on and over and a dark cave with an optical illusion walkway that makes you feel like you are walking sideways, but really, I've had more fun in our own backyard. I would recommend though, if you do decide to visit the island, bring your own lunch (bring a backpack with lunch, water and snacks). There are some nice picnic tables up on a hill there, perfect for having a picnic lunch. Otherwise, skip the island.

Adventureland, right door was our next stop. The Swiss Family Treehouse is a nice visual...but that's about it. If there is a long line, skip it, cause it's not worth it. Get in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean. This was probably our longest line, at 30 minutes. The line nagivates through dark mood-lighted tunnels before you ever get to the ride itself. Take photos at some of the treasure chests and skeleton props along the way and peep through the barred windows. This ride is another one of those conveyer belt rides where you hop onto a car and go by animatron scenery...pirates, pirates everywhere...I saw millions of dollars worth of animatrons, all singing, and not just pirates and people, but also dogs, donkeys and other animals. It was very well done and about as realistic as it could get, and we enjoyed the little boats we rode in. At one point, we went down a little dip in the "underground river" and came upon the sight of the Black Pearl pirate ship inside the cave, just like the movie. Speaking of movies, I felt like I was in The Goonies...remember that scene with the pirate ship? That was it. The Jungle Cruise, what looked like a fun cruise down a jungle river, was closed for renovation. Unfortunately, there were no signs anywhere at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom nor anywhere else, telling us it was out of commission...how disappointing.

We decided to head over to Tomorrowland before it got too late. I had heard of ungodly long lines at Space Mountain from some of my friends who were Disney regulars, so off we went. On the way, we did stop by Liberty Square and do the Haunted Mansion...only a 10 minute wait. It was again a conveyer belt ride going by animatrons and also holographic images of ghosts, but not before walking into the mansion and riding down on a giant optical illusion elevator. Our little cars not only went forward but also turned all around, leaned back and went backwards at one point. We even saw a hologram being projected onto some fog, as well as a 3-D holographic image that you could see from all angles. Again, nicely done. One theme that seemed to stand out for me on all the rides...when you thought it was going to end, it didn't. Disney seems to make the extra effort to make the rides a little longer and a little more extravagant than your typical theme park...I guess that's why it's Disney.

Off to Tomorrowland. Now we started seeing more crowds. We did stop and eat our lunch before getting over there. Plenty of benches, shade trees and places to eat. If you want to buy your lunch, if you don't get a hotdog or snacks from a vendor (we saw some of these in Tomorrowland), expect to pay $50-60 for lunch for a family of five. We did bring our own water and refilled our bottles as needed at the plentiful water fountains. Restrooms were also plentiful and well-marked on the map, and we never had to wait in line for those either. Since I knew souveniers would be pricey, we found a Mickey Fantasia hat for $1 at our local Goodwill store (hey, we live in Florida), and my younger son wore it the entire time. I was shocked to see the exact same hat priced at $35 at the Magic Kingdom. My advice, buy some Disney souveniers at home and bring them along in your backpack and dole them out when you get there. Even if you buy licensed items at your local Disney store, they'll still end up being cheaper. We saw kids running around with all kinds of cheap junk their parents probably spent a fortune on....don't get lured in by it. You can have plenty of fun without getting souveniers at the park. We also saw our share of princesses...little girls dressed up in itchy princess costumes with bouffant hair extensions. I must say they looked so pretty, and I bet they did have fun at their little character meals...which can get pricey...but alas, it is every little girl's dream to be a princess...isn't it? So, if I had a little girl, I bet I would splurge on that too. I'm not sure what they do for the little boys?

Our next stop was Space Mountain, but since it had a 40 minute wait, we grabbed some Fast Passes (you can get one at a time per person, so plan out what you want to do next). We then went on to the interactive experiences of Stitches Great Escape and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor Comedy Club. At one point, I thought Stitches was a ride, especially when this bar came down across our shoulders...but I guess it was there to keep us from jumping up and running around...it could be unsafe I'm assuming, plus it did add some drama to the "show". Lots of fog, strobe light, sound, water squirting and even smell jets (to pipe out smells to go with the storyline of Stitch escaping). The younger kids thought this was just fantastic...kind of like being an extra in a movie. The Monsters Inc Laugh Floor even got me laughing. While you wait in the short line, you can text in your jokes, which they say they will use in the show along with your first name and hometown. Once you get in there, it's like a theater with the characters of the movie acting as hosts and stand-up comics, some using the texted jokes. They also incorporate people in the audience, beaming their images up on the screen, getting them to do a few silly things and getting the rest of us to laugh at them and their antics. The kids really enjoyed it.

By the time we were done, it was time to walk right onto Space Mountain with our Fast Passes. Our eight year old was a bit hesitant, but we talked him into it and told him there was no other way to get out, other than getting on the ride. It ended up being a fun ride, and my eight year old's favorite, so I didn't feel too guilty about almost forcing him on there...it's an indoor roller coaster with flashing lights, whirring noises and periods of darkness. Our exchange student said what made it fun was not knowing which way the coaster would go next in the dark....lots of up and downs and curving left and right...watch your neck! Also, if you are really tall or overweight, you may not be able to squeeze yourself into the tiny little cars. I had trouble situating my long legs under the bar myself, and it's a good thing my skort had some shorts under there or else it would've been peekaboo. This ride was easily everyone's favorite.

Our last big ride of the day was up next. All kids and boys, even my adult husband, enjoyed the Indy Speedway. Even though the little racecars sputter along at a snail's pace around the "track", and if you can stand the gas fumes, everyone there was laughing, smiling and giggling. I ended up having to sit in the stands and watch them go around a few times after my one ride (note to self, no driver's license anytime soon for our eight year old)...at that point in the day, the fumes and noise were not my idea of fun. Even the really little ones are allowed to drive, and I saw toddlers steering who could barely see over the dashboard.

We rounded out our day, just strolling around and stood in a short line for Mickey's PhilharMagic. By that time, we were so tired, and it was nice to sit in an air conditioned theater and watch the 3D show and get squirted with water and air in time with the little show. The younger kids were just fascinated by it. Donald Duck and Mickey were adorable in their usual antics.

All in all, we had a fantastic and fun-filled day. Be sure to read my amusement park tips and come with your best walking shoes. If you haven't read enough about Disney, read about our stay at Disney's Ft Wilderness. At the Magic Kingdom, we saw parents with older children who rented the park strollers, just so they would have a place to rest their feet and carry their gear...the parents and not the kids (I saw a 240 pound man sitting in a stroller...guess they are sturdy). There were designated parking areas for strollers all over the park. In one area, I actually saw Disney employees whose main job seemed to be shooing the birds away to keep them from dirtying up strollers and pecking through peoples' snacks...what a job! Disney can be fun, and it can be affordable as you can see. If you do decide to bargain hunt for tickets, stay away from eBay and some of the sellers you may not know much about. I read tons online about people getting hosed out of their money. Disney is very serious about tracking who buys their tickets and who uses them...they are all non-transferable. So please do be careful. Now, our tickets did not have our names on them, but like I said, my husband did have to show his military ID and Florida driver's license, so better to get them from a reputable source than to be potentially disappointed. Do you have any tips for Disney? Please do share them! Read more on this article...

How Do You Help a New Widow?

As much as I hate this topic, I feel I have to at least touch upon it. At one point or another, as a military wife, you will know someone who has just lost their spouse. It helps to have an idea beforehand, how you can help and assist to make that widow's life just a little bit easier.

After the official military notification, you should think about becoming a part of the group of ladies who will help this widow. It is important that you not make any calls, visit or do anything until you know the unit has officially notified her. I know a wife who found out the roundabout way by phone gossip, that her husband was mortally injured. Please, please don't be a part of something like that. Play it safe and wait until you know they've been notified.

Your first call should be to your unit's family readiness group. Many units also have casualty assistance teams already in place. Know who your point of contact is...before the trouble starts..another good reason to attend an FRG meeting. In our previous units, our FRG would run sign-up lists to run errands, babysit, cook meals, or stand in as chauffeur. We would sign up to take meals, just go over and sit with the widow, do laundry, clean house, run errands, answer the phone and that kind of thing. Typically, the company commander or battalion commander's wife will take the lead on this.

If you know her well, just show up at her door with food that can be frozen or coordinate with other wives who will bring over dinner on whatever days and just let the wife know dinner is coming. We also made sure the refrigerator and pantry were full of snacks and drinks, especially if there were little ones. Most widows I know just wanted to sleep. We watched the kids and answered the phone...they absolutely didn't want to talk to anyone. We picked up relatives from the airport. We also had the chaplain with us when we first went over (after the commander and his team did the official notification...it's important that no one say anything or go over til this is done). The chaplain would also make regular visits. Take your cues from the wife and her state of being...she may need more or less company. You'll know if she wants to be hugged or just sat with or just left alone to sleep, knowing her children are safe and being watched. Sometimes this can go on for weeks. I once rotated with other wives, cooking, babysitting and cleaning for almost three months...we were worn out, but we felt it was our duty and knew that this would be something that would make our life easier if it was us instead of her, so we just did it!

What has been your own experience? How do you try to help out? Read more on this article...

Your Flower Planter Can Burn Your House Down

Here's something you don't think about every day. Do you have a planter sitting on your front porch or back deck somewhere that has potting soil in it? Have you been meaning to plant something in there but just haven't gotten around to it. Did you know this little set-up could cause your house to burn down?

Yes, it can. It's called spontaneous combustion and it happens more often than you think. Just ask your local fire department and look around on the internet. The gases and build-up from the fertilizer create heat...heat hot enough to spontaneously start smoking or burst into flames. I just heard a caller on a radio show say they smelled smoke for a few days. They just thought the neighbors were doing some barbecuing. When they started to smell it more often, the husband looked out his back window to see huge flames leaping up the side of his house. The firemen said if he hadn't been home to catch that and alert them, his whole house would've burned down. The fire inspector said the fire began in that planter on the back deck. His wife had been meaning to plant something in there....for the last year it sat like that.

Keep that in mind and go check your planters. It could save your house! Do you have any other nutty advice to share from around the house? Read more on this article...

Moving to Germany? Yes, You'll Take a Driving Test

If you're going to be stationed in Germany, you're gonna have to pass the driver's test. Piece of cake you say? Not so my friend. Many people fail it the first time around thinking they can just look over the notes and take the test the same day. Nay nay...doesn't work that way. Look, you're going to be stressed out enough as it is, just going through the motions of moving and going to a foreign country...nevermind the test. How about an easy way to just breeze through the test then? No worries...

Why do you even need a new driver's license over there? The last time you took a vacation overseas, you just flashed your American driver's license, got in your rental car and sped off. Because of a lovely set of lawyer documents called the SOFA agreement. If you are stationed overseas, you MUST have a USAREUR driver's license in order to drive there...no exceptions..and in order to get this license, you have to take the written German driving test. No, it's not in German, but it might as well be after you see some of the questions. You'll have to do some memorizing and signage recognition to pass with flying colors.

Some nice person has come up with a nifty little program you can download to your computer. It's not like the old days, where you had to wait until you got over there....check out a grease-stained dog-eared manual, cram...errr....I mean study and take the test. Now you can sit at your computer or laptop if you are traveling...at your leisure...look over the materials, take practice tests and generally have an easier time of studying the stuff well beforehand. Check it out here.

Anyone have any USAREUR driving stories to share? Did your vehicle make it over in one piece? Did you make it over in one piece? Read more on this article...

Make Money from Your Own Purchases at Amazon

I've had a little bit of cash coming in from my little Amazon Associates Store. I typically link my favorite items from this blog and elsewhere into my store. You do get a percentage of the profits...better than nothing...for doing nothing. But, here's one more catch.

Put items on your Amazon wishlist....which puts them in your store. Next time you want to order something from Amazon, purchase it through your store. You'll get part of the profit, which translates into a little discount for you on your purchase...nifty, huh?

Do you have any nifty tricks to share? Read more on this article...

Quizzle - No Straight A's for Me!

If you haven't heard already, Quicken Loans has a new site out there called Quizzle. It's a site that will give you your entire financial snapshot, to include a free credit score by Experian. You don't give out your your social security number, just your name, birthday and your address. Here's how it panned out for me.

After inputting the data, verifying your email and answering a few questions about things only you would know from your credit record (at least hopefully), you are presented with a snapshot of your finances. They give you a number and letter grade for your credit, home value, budget, mortgage and rainy day fund. I got an A in credit but a big fat D for our home value...go figure in today's market....especially here in Florida.

You can read more about other bloggers thoughts on Quizzle below.

Quizzle Blog

EquiDash Blog

What's the Diff?

Banker Girl

Net Banker


I went ahead and used a disposable email address...just in case they decide to bombard me with offers. They keep saying there is no catch on the site. Quizzle has even been featured in the Wall Street Journal twice to supposedly high reviews. I'm assuming that they will send you mortgage offers, if you have good credit and if you have some equity or wiggle room in your mortgage...of course my equity was as low as you can get....zero, null, nada...guess I'm not going to be getting any offers. I'm crying over it already.

I did check out the budget tool. Nice little gadget where you can go in and add your expenses and debt. It's worth a look. The home valuation tool uses the automated valuation model (AVM), which a lot of people aren't very thrilled over. I think I've gotten a more accurate valuation over at Zillow. For example, here on Quizzle, they aren't taking into account home sales of homes with pools or no pools (we purchased our home without a pool and added it later). We are just being compared by square footage and number of bedrooms it seems (none of the other homes had large lots or pools). So I'll take Quizzle's value with a little grain of salt.

All in all, a neat site to get a quick fix of your situation and worth a visit. Have you tried Quizzle yet? Your thoughts and opinions? Read more on this article...

Motherhood Condensed to Two Minutes and Fifty-Five Seconds

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! In case you haven't seen it, I wanted to share this hilarious video. It's basically everything a mom would say to her kids in a 24 hour period...and I think she does it without breathing. Listen in and Happy Mother's Day!

Read more on this article...

Free Mother's Day Breakfast

I've heard that some McDonald's are offering a free "Mother's Day Breakfast" for moms if they come in and order inside and have a child with them. I'm not sure if it's all McDonalds or just local ones. Not sure what the free breakfast is either, but hey, if you've got nothing else going on in the AM on Sunday morning, drag your kid down to Mickey D's for a little treat!

McDonald's is also having a promotion and giving away their new Southern Style Chicken Biscuit and Sandwich with a drink purchase on 15 May. I'm not that big of a McDonald's fan, but what the hey...here it is

What Came First? Read more on this article...

NikkiFitness is Kickin' My Butt Workout DVD

Don't tell anyone, but I haven't gone to the YMCA in a week...my excuse is that I haven't been feeling well, and I've been just so busy getting ready to move...at least that sounds legitimate...but who am I fooling? I am sorely out of shape...could probably stand to lose 10...no, even 15 pounds around here. I'm also going to use the excuse that I'm a military wife and most times, we have to run the household by ourselves...we can't count on anyone else because of our husband's schedules...not to mention if we have little ones either crying or crawling around, getting the breakfast dishes cleaned up can be a feat. I admit, I absolutely love our YMCA when I get the chance to go...but what about those times I don't feel like being around people or I just can't squeeze in the time to get there...what if I want to get moving in a skimpy workout outfit...as motivation I say...but not enough to stand in front of a crowd in that get-up.....or what about when we move and there is no YMCA? What options are out there? I recently did a workout video from my library...boy, was it boring...I don't believe how people can stomach that stuff for longer than a few minutes. Obviously, I can say I was prejudiced before popping in the Military Wife Workout, but since I like to say I have an open mind....I was pleasantly surprised.


After literally dripping in sweat after the 30 minutes..which actually breezed by faster than I thought...I reflected on what makes this video different...the good and the bad...

• Since the info is at the bottom of the screen, once you get familiar with the types of exercises, you can do this workout to any kind of music...that's different.

• I wanted to rest between sets...no rest...this is interval training at its purest...the only way you are going to melt that fat off as quickly as possibly the experts say. I'm sure once I get the hang of it and get in better shape, it won't be such a daunting task, and I'll be able to follow along better to boot.

• You do need a set of weights if you're not a beginner, so you have to plan for that. On the flipside, that is how you can make this DVD more challenging...add more weight.
  

• Speaking of beginners, it's easy to get behind and confused because the DVD does move quickly along from one exercise to the next exercise, but that is the nature of interval training.

• When I first started the DVD, I thought there was a thunderstorm brewing...turns out it was just the wind...it was a bit distracting at first, but once I got into it, I didn't hear it anymore. Note to technical staff...get that wind sound out of there...it would sound more professional and less "home video-ish" without it..the birds chirping are okay.

All in all, this is a good workout and not another rehash of what's already out there. It is priced a bit high when you look at the competition though of different workout videos. I think the creator would make more overall in the long run if she lowered the price to $12.99. But that is just nitpicking and my opinion. If the $19.99 is the difference between you sitting around on your duff and working out, then by all means, it's worth it to you. The creator also has a website at Nikki Fitness and is also a fitness commentator on Military.com, so this is not just a fleeting project for her. She seems to be genuinely interested in helping military wives get a workout that truly works.

Has anyone here tried this particular workout? Any other DVDs out there that are worth doing? Your thoughts on getting in shape and working out in general? Read more on this article...

Don't Buy Another Tire Til You Read This

I recently blogged about my troubles with my 2005 Honda Odyssey here and here. I was talking to a friend the other day about tires, and she thought that when your tire goes bad, you just go to your nearest tire shop or car dealer....bad idea.

You'd think that with all the surfing we do online, that we'd all know better. I'll admit, I used to think along those lines too before my own saga. But these days, in the interest of saving money and making wise decisions, you do have some options, provided you have some time.

• When you are looking to buy a tire, call around locally and compare the cost of the tire installed...not just the price of the tire itself. Give them the make, model and year of your car. Or you can look at the inside of your car door. The tire size is listed there. Some shops inflate the price of the tire and others the cost of installation, so you need to compare the whole shebang...apples to apples.

• Look on the internet. There are many discount tire shops out there..the most reputable I hear highly recommended is Tire Rack. You can save quite a bit, even when you factor in shipping.

• If you order online, have the tires shipped either to you directly or the repair facility you will use (check with them first). Most will comply with that, because they can still make money off the mounting.

• Don't belive the brand name hype..most tires are about the same. Don't get roped into thinking one brand name is better than another one. If you're going to compare, compare price and warranty.
  

• With that being said, do check Consumer Reports. Get a short lived subscription and research those tires.

• Double check the right size and speed rating for your car. Look inside your car door again. Many cars' tires wear unevenly or prematurely because they are the wrong fit. You'd be surprised how many are sized wrong to begin with.

• Learn how to read tire markings, so you understand what you are getting and why.
  

• Be sure you know how to check your tire air pressure. Before I got my Odyssey with the automatic tire pressure sensing system, I used to check with my handheld tire gauge at every other fill up. Or how about putting this nifty gadget on your tires? Be aware that very cold weather will make your tire pressure look low, so don't go filling in more air thinking you need it. You could suffer a blow out. When first starting out in the morning in the cold, it's okay to leave the pressure a little low. You want to allow for expansion as the tires heat up.

• Don't forget to check the warehouse clubs such as Sam's or Costco's. They have tire shops. We once got a nice deal too on a set of tires at our local AAFES.

• Lastly, get an idea now of what new tires for your car cost...before you actually need them. When it's an emergency and you are more vulnerable to getting hosed...you will get hosed. Be informed and proactive...before the trouble starts!

Do you have a tire story to share? How do you buy new tires? Read more on this article...

My Odyssey with the Honda Odyssey Minivan and Michelin

The love affair with my 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring Minivan is now officially over...and why? Over a set of $1000 tires. Yes, you read that right. Whoever heard of a car or van that only takes one type of tires from one company that has now decided not to sell these tires anymore. Before you buy your next car, or if you have a vehicle with PAX no run flat tires, you absolutely have to read on.

I still remember the day I drove my van off the lot. I thought I was special that I was even able to get one....the Odyssey was that hot back then. I was even more tickled that we had saved up our money and could pay cash for our brand new top-of-the-line minivan. That lasted for a few years..until my run-in at the 30,000 mile mark. Boy, was I under informed and not well read! One of the tires had a puncture, but being that these were PAX tires, I could take my own sweet time taking it in to get replaced. No spare tire was needed, no stress in driving on a flat...these tires don't get flat. What a novel ideal. Michelin's website says these puppies could revolutionize the tire world! After digging deeper, the truth comes out...and it is bad....

• The 2005 Odyssey (and the 2006 and 2007) touring models could ONLY be purchased with these PAX system tires. These tires are ONLY manufactured by Michelin. Another red flag...these type of tire can be found on only a few other luxury vehicles to include the Rolls Royce. Note to self...never buy such an item again.
  

• These tires typically only last until about 30,000 miles. They wear out their treads MUCH quicker than your traditional tire. I have read post after post online where these tires have been wearing out from 15,000 to 30,000 miles...and at a cost of anywhere from $200-500 per tire mounted...well, you do the math over the life of the vehicle.

• If you decide to be smart and change out to another type of tire, you'll have to pay thousands of dollars to put on new tires, rims and another air pressure sensing system...and void your Honda warranty, as Honda says the Odyssey Touring model is designed to run at its optimum performance with these PAX tires. According to them, running anything else could be dicey and possibly detrimental to your vehicle....awww isn't that just the icing on the cake.
  

• Okay, so money is no object and you start calling around for a shop that sells and can mount these Michelin PAX tires...well, first you have to find a shop that buys Michelin, then you have to find a shop that has the $10,000 special machine that can work on these tires plus a technician that is trained to use the thing. That's a lot of "ifs".
  

It's no wonder with this goatscrew that Michelin has decided to stop production of this tire and is moving on to something else. Of course, they do say that they are committed to their current customers who have these tires...I bet. What repair shop is going to continue to maintain that stupid machine? Or send their tech to some expensive training they'll never use? Michelin obviously won't research why these tires are running down prematurely and Honda Odyssey owners will continue to run the risk of losing their warranty by putting other tires on there if they don't want to be raped with these high priced PAX tires. What a crock!

So...because of all this, I will never look at my Odyssey quite the same. I am already looking at the day when I can move on. I just paid $400 for two tires cause now the rears are wearing down (after paying just over $600 for my front two), and with no repair possibilities in Germany, I just thought it would be prudent to change them out before we go. It was recommended that I keep my old ones...just in case I might need them over there. It's no wonder that a group of Honda Odyssey owners have filed a class action lawsuit over this whole mess. I wish them well and hope they can sue the pants off Michelin and Honda. Shame on these two companies for leaving customers out in the cold like this and shame for Honda, a company I used to recommend and trusted, for not painting the entire picture for potential new Honda owners...and of course, shame on me for not researching this stuff BEFORE I bought...expensive lesson learned.

Are you in the market for a new tire? Even if you aren't, please read tomorrow's post. Save yourself hundreds of dollars and get with the program before you need a tire....yesterday. Know how to shop for one and where to go before you actually need it.

Please be sure to read my follow-up article, Honda and Michelin Both Win "the Nightmare of the Year" Award.
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Life Lessons of a Military Wife Carnival #9

Welcome everyone to this month's Life Lessons of a Military Wife Carnival! It looks like we have quite a few entries this month...something for everyone! I am going to be taking a break the next few months of carnivals, so any new submissions won't show up til August. I have finally decided to get ready for our upcoming move to Germany and since I don't have a laptop to post on the fly...well, my time online will just have to be sporadic and limited! Thanks again for sending your entries this month!

Daily Life

Hopeless Romantic presents Dealing With Distance- Building A Solid Long-Distance Relationship posted at Quest For The One, saying, "Long distance relationships can be difficult, but they are possible when done correctly."

Nicole presents Defining Deployment posted at A Day in the Life of an Army Wife in the Making.

Linda W. presents Recognizing Verbal Abuse in Relationships posted at The Eclectic Female, saying, "Words can hurt, and it is important to recognize when verbal abuse occurs."

Talk Prom Dresses presents What's Hot - Prom Dress Trends 2008 posted at Prom Dresses, saying, "Updates on the latest fashion trends in 2008 prom dresses."

Financial

Wenchypoo presents A Fine Lesson in Shame posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Barb A. Ryan presents 1 - Your Personal Financial Planning Skills posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.

Helen Anderson presents 5 Tips for Buying a Home in a Down Market at Best CD (Certificate of Deposit) Rates, Money Market Rates, High Interest Accounts posted at Bankaholic.

General

Life. Money. Development. presents The 7 Attributes of Leadership posted at Life. Money. Development., saying, "An excellent presentation of the attributes every leader should have."

Travel

Heather Johnson presents Guest Post: 8 Tips for Traveling Abroad on a Budget posted at Sense To Dollars.

Sarah presents Tips To Save Money On Vacations posted at Tips To Save Money. Learn To Be Frugal, saying, "The Sexy Secretary presents her top tips for planning a great, cheap vacation."

Toni presents Mexico FAQ - Tropical Adventures In Mexico posted at Tropical Islands, saying, "Here are some answers to common questions asked about traveling in Mexico."

Niharika presents The Broke Vacationer: 100 Ways to Get Free Stuff When Traveling posted at Travelhacker.

Global Traveler presents Packing For Your Budget Vacation posted at Traveling Around The World.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Life Lessons of a Military Wife which comes out in August 2008, using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: life lessons of a military wife, blog ca Read more on this article...

Teachers Having to Dig Deep to Buy Classroom Supplies...or Not

Teachers just don't get paid enough. Many teachers I know also dig deep into their pockets to buy the things they need for their classroom. What if there was another way to get things...just for you and your students. There apparently is...

Get a request up today on Donors Choose. Be proactive and ask...you won't get if you don't ask.

If anyone tries it and it works, please let me know. Thanks.

Read more on this article...

No More Dirty or Burnt Up Grills

Spring is synonymous with barbecuing. I envy people who can barbecue just about any cut of meat. My repertoire is limited to burgers and ribs...I haven't learned yet to do anything else, but something that all of us grillers have to deal with is cleaning the grill. Who likes to do that? Yes, I know, you keep the flame going and burn the stuff off, but eventually, you're going to have a grease and gunk build-up that you need to get rid of. Tell that to my husband who actually MELTED DOWN our grill, thinking he could just turn off the flame, close the hood and "let it burn itself out" while he and his buddies jack-jawed about their latest military exploits...well, while they were otherwise distracted, the grill burned itself out alright, after melting down most of the grill and the knobs. God must've been watching over us that day by not allowing the propane tank to explode and do some serious damage to the house, not to mention us! But, I digress...here's the easiest way to clean your grill.

• Remove grate and put it in a large heavy-duty plastic bag. Spray it down with oven cleaner. Close bag with twist tie and let it sit overnight.
  

• Put on rubber gloves, open bag, remove grate, rub down grate, and hose it down.

• The next time you use your grill, spray it with oil before turning on the heating element or heating coals.

• Get rid of burnt up charcoal ashes by dumping BBQ over a spread-out newspaper. Roll up paper and throw away. Make sure coals are burned out or you'll start a fire.

• If you've got a propane grill, be sure to empty the grease catcher every so often.

• Keep a cover on your grill to keep out dirt and pollen and to keep it looking new as long as you can.

What do you do to keep your grill clean? Read more on this article...

Like Coldplay? Free Download Now!

I hate to admit it...don't tell my kids. I love Coldplay, especially their song, Speed of Sound. Unfortunately, I'm too cheap to pay for music online just yet, so most times, I use this little method..yes, it's legal..to get free music. I also keep an eye out for artists who give music listeners like me a quick and free fix now and then. Here's one from Coldplay.

Coldplay's brand new album Viva la Vida has a great new single called Violet Hill. Download it here for only the next week...after that, pay up.


If anyone else knows of any good music out there that's free at the moment, please let us know!
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