Fitbit Tip

As a writer, I spend a lot of time in a chair. Seriously, hours can pass without any movement.

That's an aweseome way to get books written, but it's also an awesome way to develop a broad butt and a heart attack.

To prod myself into movement, I got a Fitbit for Christmas.

Today's post was going to be about using the Fitbit to help shed holiday pounds, but yesterday, my Fitbit died. Less than a few weeks old, it wouldn't hold a charge at all. I tried the reset and several different chargers.

I called customer support and James, the tech, tried to help me jump start my fitness helper, but nothing worked.

He asked me if I was using a block wall charger. I said I had. He said that was my problem. Some of the chargers aren't UL approved and can surge, frying the tiny little battery inside the tracker.

He kindly told me the optimal way to charge the Fitbit is hooked up to the computer.

If I want to use a wall charger, look for this icon:



Avoid the cheap knock offs without the UL code. They might fry small electronics.

Now, I have a new Fitbit on its way, and I will take much better care of it and maybe become a bit fitter Liz.

Post Holiday Ideas

Of course you know now is the time to purchase the holiday wrapping paper, Christmas cards, paper ware, and decorations. I mean that's Really Real Cheap Housewife basics. I haven't paid full price for Christmas paraphernalia for over twenty years. I buy it now and pack it away with my holiday decorations.

So, that's the no-brainer holiday tip.

Here's another tip...

I love Christmas greeting cards. The old school, snail-mail card delivered by the US postal service. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but the cards just add a personal touch to the season.

The problem is, what do you do with them after the holidays are over? Tossing them seems like such a waste. Here are a few ideas:

Christmas Crafts The pictures on cards are durable and easy to use on anything from collages to decoupage- which is just a fancy glue that can be used to attach art to anything from wood to ornaments.

Christmas card boxes  Glue the the card fronts and sentiments on an old shoe box, seal with decoupage glue,  and viola- you have a decorative box for next year's gift giving or storage. Cookies in zip lock bags and placed in boxes actually stack better than cookie tins.

Christmas tags Another very simple use of the old cards is to recycle them into tags for the next season. It's as easy as cutting out and taping.

Christmas Count Down Cutting out the pretty pictures on a card and using them to tape to a count down calendar to mark the days left is a fun way for kids to strike off the days until Santa arrives.


Now, what to do with those holiday photos that come inside the cards?

I keep a special photo album just for holiday pictures. I've been doing it for years, so it's fun to look back on all the memories.

Warmest greetings from Frosty and fam!

Identify the Body Part game

Aloha,

Thanks again to Liz, Tara and Ashley for having me here this week! I’m not used to guest posting on a Really Real Housewives blog, so I’ve been a little outside my comfort zone, but I’ve enjoyed myself, and speaking of fun, here’s a quick story for this Free-for-all Friday.

I was recently hanging with my youngest boy, (he just turned 4 last week) and he was busy playing the “identify the body part” game as we relaxed on a chair. (He’d touch my ears or eyes, say the name and move on to the next item…)

All was well until he rubbed my “Dad bod” belly. He turned to look up at me and I could see he was a bit worried.
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Papa?” (Belly rubbing continues...)
“Yes, son?”
“Papa, are you going to have your baby soon?”

And, to make matters even funnier, he stares at me for a second and then adds, “Papa, why do you have so many hairs up in your nose?”
Out of the mouths of babes….
Sigh.

Mark Koopmans was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. In 1989, he spent the next several years working in Holland, Spain, France and England. In 1994, he won his U.S. "Green Card," and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career that same year with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he's worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book. He lives in Virginia, and is "Papa" to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at night.



A BIG ROUND of THANKS to Mark for starting our year off right! With great tips and laughter!

The Annual Commitment

Aloha,

It’s Wellness Wednesday, and thanks again to Ashley, Liz and Tara for letting me stop by this week.

With it being the New Year, I know a lot of readers have made, like me, the annual commitment to work out more and eat less.

As part of a recent life change, I started working out, and after two months of sweat, torture and binge watching daily episodes of HGTV’s Love It or List It on a 6-inch screen stuck to the elliptic machine, I’m happy to see my beer keg of a stomach is slowly returning to its former glory as a six-pack wannabe.

(Gotta say that the best thing of going to the gym isn’t the physical changes, because honestly, I’m not eating healthier… I mean come on people, I just worked out for like 14 and-a-half minutes… I need a beer!)

It’s the mental changes that I’m appreciating. I’m feeling so much better about myself, which translates into feeling better about my talents, so for that reason alone, working out means writing more.

Plus, haven’t you heard that chicks everywhere are digging the new “dad bod,” phenomenon!

Here’s to a happy, healthy 2016.

Cheers!

Mark Koopmans was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. In 1989, he spent the next several years working in Holland, Spain, France and England. In 1994, he won his U.S. "Green Card," and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career that same year with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he's worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book. He lives in Virginia, and is "Papa" to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at night.

#Tips for Managing Monday

You all are in for a real treat as we kick off 2016 with a GUEST POST from our favorite HouseHUSBAND! MARK KOOPMANS! He's an international man of mystery - and we snagged him in between his travels. Take it away, Mark!

Aloha,

Thanks to Tara, Liz and Ashley for guest posting this week with the Really Real Housewives. (Hey, after me, this blog can only go upwards and onwards for 2016.)

I was a stay-at-home dad for eight years and while things have changed, Mondays were always the most challenging day of the week. Here’s some tips that worked for me, especially when I had three kids out of school:

• Field Trip Day: Once the boys were playing at the playground, I used the time to make plans for the rest of the week (and avoid stares from other moms who wondered who this male interloper was!)
• Grocery Shopping: A necessary evil that often turned into, “An extra field trip, kids!” especially when I had to save time.
• Monday Movie Nights: With the boys staying up later, the threat of pulling Movie nights were a wonderful deterrent to earlier-in-the-day bad behavior.

Mainly though, I used Mondays to prepare for the new week, and here’s one more vitally important thing: Flexibility. This is much needed after discovering the just-cleaned living room is now the new, slimy base of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Without flexibility, rolling into the fetal position for a quick sob can be very bad for the back.)

Mark Koopmans was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. In 1989, he spent the next several years working in Holland, Spain, France and England. In 1994, he won his U.S. "Green Card," and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career that same year with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he's worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book. He lives in Virginia, and is "Papa" to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at night.