I've Moved

Come check me out at my new address:

Businesstocasual.com

See you there!

Things I Said When I Was....

As I am getting ready for our upcoming move I came across this...

This is the Diary of an dramatic 11/12 year old girl. I have to admit I may have fit the stereotype of every hormonal pre-teen. So in the theme of dramatic, boy crushes and school dances. Please let me share with you...

What I Said When I Was 12:

Favorite Workouts: Kettlebells

                                 

Kettlebell workouts are quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I can generally knock out a 30 minute workout while the kids are napping and still feel good enough to go for a run later in the day.

I am currently working with a 25lb bell, but for beginners (women) I would suggest a 15.

My Favorite Kettlebell Workouts:

Women's Health

Muscle & Fitness

More Difficult Workout:

T-Nation: 10,000 Swings

If you haven't worked with kettlebells I definitely suggest trying them. Come back and tell me how you did!

Lindsay

Post Wide Yard Sale: Do's & Don'ts

                                         

Each time we PCS we try to do a Yard Sale to get rid of the excess stuff that we have acquired. It rids us of the junk we don't need to take with us and also provides us with some moving/travel cash.  We had a yard sale this past Saturday (which happened to be the Post Wide Yard Sale) here are some tips I have learned along the way:

Do: Try to plan your sale for a busy weekend. Most posts have the Post Wide Yard Sale on the 1st weekend of October and April. You will get the most traffic.

Do: Check the weather the week you plan to have a sale.

Do: Use advertising.  Local post sale sites like Facebook Sales and Bookoo (for your specific area) allow for Yard Sale Advertising.

Don't: Use small paper road signs. The bigger the better to read as folks drive by. Write clearly and don't try to include too much info (basically you don't need to write everything you are selling).

Don't: Use markers that run. Nothing worse than a bleeding yard sign.

Do: Stick to the basics on your signs - Address, Time and Day.

Don't: Price too high.  Be realistic about what you expect for an item. If you have an item that you think is worth something,  you are better off selling it online.

Do: Price in .25 cent increments. This has always been easier for me for change, etc.

Do: Include free items. I always have a few items with Free written on them. People love to see the word and they tend to look at everything else a little longer.

Do: Be kind to everyone. Smile, say good morning or ask if they are looking for anything in particular. Believe me, it helps.

Do: Market your stuff.  Let people know that 30 minutes before your end time you plan to do a "bag sale," anything they can get into a plastic bag they can take for $5.00. It will help get rid of those lingering items.

Don't: Be stuck on a price.  I pre-price all of my items but I am always willing to negotiate to get rid of it.

Do: Try to link up with folks on your street who will also have sales that day. It means more traffic and if you are aware of what each of you is selling you can refer when some one is looking for something specific.

Do: Have plenty of change.  I usually start with $35.00 in ones and $5.00 in quarters.

Do: Separate clothes (men, women, children). I would also suggest buying a hanging rack for dresses, jackets, pants, etc. Walmart has them for as little as $9.00.

Do you have any tips for yard sales? Please comment and add below!

Lindsay 

On Post Living: To Lock or Not

Living in and working with Military Housing I was really surprised to find that a good amount of folks do not lock their doors when they leave the house.  I grew up in a nice neighborhood, but there was still no question as to whether or not the door was locked when you left...or even when you where home.

I do admit that now that I live in Post, I have a habit of leaving my entrance door open and the storm door closed. I suppose there is a feeling of being more secure living on post.  MP's constantly drive around and there is constant neighborhood activity but I am still I not comfortable with leaving my doors open. I learned my lesson with my car, when I left my doors unlocked overnight and was missing an Ipod and a car jack in the morning (I have lived on 3 different Army Posts and Polk was the only one I have ever had anything taken).

It is good to have a level of trust in your neighborhood and post, but you should also have an equal amount of distrust.  If someone is determined to steal from you I suppose they will get in one way or another I just figure I can make it as difficult as possible. 

The Art of PCS' ing: Before Orders

           
In my first PCS article I spoke about an upcoming PCS and what you can do in preparation (even before Orders have been received). My second article was originally going to detail the items that should be completed once orders are received but since we are in the process ourselves, I thought blogging in real time about our current experiences would be more helpful.

Here are two things that will need to happen BEFORE you will even receive orders. 

1. Sponsorship: The Army has recently implemented a new standard that requires the SM (Service Member) to have a named Sponsor at the incoming duty station before Orders are issued. This means that there must be a named individual (SM) that will act as a Sponsor for you/your spouse once you arrive. Until this person is designated you won't receive Orders.

2. EFMP: If you are assigned to an overseas assignment (including Hawaii and Alaska) and you have children, all of your children must be checked for the EFMP Program (Exceptional Family Member Program). Regardless of whether or not your child is or is not in the program they must be seen by the EFMP Liason. Generally they will have an office at the local hospital. Here at Ft.Polk our kids have a scheduled appointment with the EFMP provider at Baynes Jones. Until the kids have been seen and cleared you will not receive orders.

If you are like us and you are coming up on 30 days before early reporting or leave time prior to your report date then I would strongly suggest providing proper notice to your current leasing office. Most places (whether you live on or off post) will require at least a 30 Day Notice before you plan to move out. Despite not receiving Orders you can still provide notice so that you are not penalized for short notice. I worked with military housing here at Ft.Polk so I can tell you that the process is quite simple, and as long as you come in with proper notice, they can easily work with you on any necessary change of dates once Orders are actually received.

The Art of PCS'ing: Article I

Marriage: Simple Conversations

I have found that the longer I am married the more difficult it is to have conversations that involve more than the kids, household issues or work. It is sometimes hard to have significant conversations with each other without trying to figure out where to start. After seven years or marriage my hubs and I found ourselves in the "conversation tunnel," (which often included his ridiculously elaborate work stories with different voices for everyone in the office and me responding with blank stares). To get out of this downward spiral we started asking each other the same three questions each day.

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the worst part of your day?
3. What was the best decision you made today?

These same questions often lead to good conversation and it gives me a reason to reflect on the day itself. We hope to keep the tradition up with the kids when they are older (hopefully it will lead to them consciously making good decisions).  At the very least, at least they will know their parents are interested in their day.