-
Yes! A Roomba CAN Vacuum Up Poop!
When initially thinking about getting an automatic vacuum (iRobot, Roomba or whatever you want to call it), I read the horror stories of vacuuming up shit. In my head, I thought, “Oh – that won’t be an issue.” Boy – was I wrong! -
Dorm Sweet Dorm
Picture from the Eau Claire newspaper My first dorm room was really something to see. During summer orientation, Janelle, our moms, and I went to Eau Claire to get the lay of the land and much to my delight, they gave us a floor plan of our dorm room. By the time we had driven the 3 hours home, I already had it all figured out where everything was going to go (complete with measurements).
-
Our Family Loves an Old Curmudgeon!
Me, Uncle Lloyd, & Little John We have many interesting family members, but I’m going to pick one of my favorites. Uncle Lloyd. I could write for days about Uncle Lloyd. He was like a grandpa to me. Many people thought he was just a crabby old man, but I knew different.
-
Sweet First Kiss
1st day of 1st & 6th grades My very first kiss would have to be in 1st grade. During recess, we would play tag with the girls catching the boys. Once you caught the boy, you would have to kiss them. Well – I decided to catch Eddy Wong 26 times in one recess because he was the slowest one in class.
-
To Do or Not To Do (A New Years Resolution Story)
Me – Then
Me – Now Every year I plan out New Years resolutions to follow and every year, like so many others, I fail to follow my plan after about 2 weeks. I don’t know what it is or why that happens, but it’s like clockwork.
-
A Summary of ‘Chelle
Watching my hero with her hamster Of all the Sidetracked Sisters, I’d consider myself to be the most logical or systematic one… That being said – I’ll start from the beginning and briefly tell my story. Additional details will come later. I’m the youngest of 2 daughters to Art & Sandy. For as long as I can remember, my older sister (Lisa) was my hero. I followed in her footsteps in everything (almost). She played flute, so did I. She was a cheerleader, so was I. She learned Spanish, so did I. She went to college in Eau Claire, so did I. You get the idea.
-
Time to Clean – Becoming a FlyLady
If you are anything like me, I have a hard time wanting to clean my house. I don’t enjoy cleaning at all. Growing up, my mom did it right. She had it set up that Lisa and I had jobs to do to clean the whole house by the time she came home from work. I dusted and Lisa vacuumed. On Saturdays, you didn’t do anything else until those jobs were done. -
Walking, Walking, Walking – Keep it Moving
For the past 3 months, my sister and I have been walking the dogs every morning. We are becoming known around the neighborhood as the crazy dog ladies (at least that’s what I think we must look like while walking 4-5 dogs).
-
How to Deal with Impatience and Not Go Crazy
Lately, I find that I have absolutely no patience with the people and things around me. I’m sure my family will say that I’m always like that, but I think it’s been getting worse. Yesterday, I found myself slamming my phone down on my desk simply because the screen would go into sleep mode too soon. Today, I feel like I’m just trying to pick a fight with anyone that crosses my path. Even as I sit here writing this, I can hear the person across the table from me crunching on food and it’s making me feel crazy. -
Be True To Yourself
While we are all trying to improve ourselves and make the most out of our lives, one thing that we must keep in mind is to be true to yourself. Following what society expects or desires you to be or to look like or to accomplish does nothing for you if you don’t agree with those expectations. All you end up doing is frustrating yourself. Here are 5 things to consider when trying to fit into society’s expectations and also be true to yourself. -
Helping Your College Student with Homesickness
When my youngest kid left for college this past fall, we went through some significant homesickness. She has always been my “velcro” kid and loves to be home and a part of things. There were a lot of tears and feelings of “I don’t want to go” happening. As a parent that likes to always see her kids happy – this broke my heart. I didn’t know how to help – so I resorted to the Internet to guide me in what to do. After reading a few posts – I decided on my own methods.
-
No Bras Required – Ever!
Age 18 – No Boobs!! Bras have always been a source of strife in my life – being one of those people that really doesn’t require one completely. (I’m the odd duck in my family in this regard)
Look at this picture!! I’m 18 in this picture and you can see – I have NO BOOBS!! Ha-ha!
-
17 Tech Tricks Everyone Should Know
I’ve been working with computers for 30+ years. I’ve found lots of keyboard shortcuts over the years to help me. Here are 17 keyboard shortcuts/tech tricks that are not commonly known to help you at both home and work!
-
How Do I Love Thee – Let Me Count The Ways…
What do I love about myself is the question of the day. It’s a challenging question to answer because people tend to focus more on the negative aspects of themselves. I’m choosing to try to be more positive, so I’m actually having a hard time picking just one thing. That will most likely sound conceited to some. Here are a few things that I’m proud of about myself. -
Changes are Coming – Time to Streamline My Life!
The women in my life are facing many changes and it’s brought to mind the idea that to have the kind of life you want, you need to let go of what you don’t want in your life. So it’s time to ask myself, what kind of life do I want and what do I need to let go of in order to obtain that kind of life? The first thing that comes to my mind is the clutter that I’ve accumulated since I moved out on my own. I tend to be a pack-rat and my basement contains so much clutter. The storage room contains toys and games from when the children were little, ceramics that Grandma Is never got around to painting, old prom dresses, etc. For whatever reason – I have a hard time letting go of the old stuff. By letting go of this clutter, I can make room for the new and simplify my home. I’ve currently been cleaning up some of the paperwork clutter. I’ve been shredded old documents that I’ve been holding onto dating back to 1986!!! (Don’t ask me why I’ve been saving documents for that long!!!)
-
50th Birthday – Setting Goals for the Year
OMG – this year will mark my 50th birthday. Thinking about this has brought to mind some things that need to change and some goals I need to achieve. I’m currently single, overweight, and will soon have no kids at home. It’ll be just me and the animals. Do I want to spend the next part of my life in the same way that I’ve been living? -
Friends – Both Old and New – I Love You All!
My BFFs Are you the type of person that has lots of friends around you or just one or two good ones? Throughout my life, I’ve had a few different people that I considered my good friends.
-
Damn! I’m FUNNY!!
“Rectum? Damn near killed him!” – “Liquor? I hardly know her!”These are my two favorite jokes – or rather punch lines to jokes. I don’t know where I first heard either of these or what the actual jokes are, but I find both so funny. I don’t care how often I say them – they always make me chuckle. After years of hearing these over and over, my kids just roll their eyes and tell me I’m not very funny.
-
To Use or Not to Use (cell phones)
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to cell phones. People simply don’t know the proper times to use and NOT to use them. For example – public restrooms… Does the person you called really want to listen to the sounds emanating from a public restroom?? I know I’d rather not hear those sounds when I’m actually IN the bathroom let alone when someone has called me. Can’t they just wait till they are done and then make their call? -
I AM ENOUGH!!
I’m trying to think of what my best compliment is. Is this an easy thing for other people to come up with? I’ve been thinking about this and I seem to only think of insults that I’ve received. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to come up with a lot of negative comments or insults, but not as easy to come up with the compliments. I think that’s a problem for a lot of people. The negative things are much easier to believe. What’s the quote from Pretty Woman… “People put you down enough, you start to believe it.” and “The bad stuff is easier to believe… ever notice that?”
-
Becoming a Mom
I have lots of happy parenting memories! There was no question in my mind growing up that I wanted to be a parent. I loved babies!! It was when they started getting a little older that I started to question the idea. I was never the greatest babysitter. I wanted the kids to cooperate and listen to me obediently, but as any parent knows, that’s not what kids do!! -
Lazy or Just Inadequate?
Am I lazy or just inadequate?? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Both in my personal life and my work life. In my work life, I’ve said for years that I want to get back to my computer programming/development skills. I have all the tools I need to refresh this information in my head, so why don’t I accomplish this? What is holding me back from accomplishing this goal?
-
I F**king Hate Cooking
I hate cooking. My kids have always been impossible to cook for. But before I get into that – maybe I should explain where I think my dislike of cooking came from.
-
Weird Favorite Drinks
When someone asks you “What is your favorite drink?” – do you automatically think they are referring to an alcoholic drink? Well – I do, and that’s where I take pause. I’m not a big drinker. Typically people talk about coming home from work and having a drink or a beer… I come home from work and grab a glass of milk. Is that weird?
-
Too Much Profanity!
I wish kids today (including my own) wouldn’t use profanity as much as they do. I really feel that there are so many more productive ways to express oneself other than swearing. This is something I strongly believe, BUT…. do I follow thru myself? Not so much.
-
Making Christmas Cookies
Making Christmas cookies has always been an important part of our holiday traditions. When Grandma Is was around – she would make all the cookies herself and gather the kids to decorate them (Lisa and I). -
What I’m Grateful For
Have you ever created a gratitude list? This seems like an appropriate time of the year to do this kind of thing. (Although – you shouldn’t save this idea for only this time of the year)There are so many things that I could put on my gratitude list. I’m sure I’ll miss a few, but here is my start to the list:
-
5 Love Languages – ‘Chelle
Have you ever heard of The 5 Love Languages? It is a book that I think EVERYONE should read!! I swear by the information in this book!!
Basically – there are 5 ways that people give and receive love.
1. Words of Affirmation – This language uses words to affirm other people.
2. Acts of Service – For these people, actions speak louder than words.
3. Quality Time – This language is all about giving the other person your undivided attention.
4. Physical Touch – To this person, nothing speaks more deeply than appropriate touch.
5. Gift Giving – For some people, what makes them feel most loved is to receive a gift.
-
What color are you?
What color are you? What colors look best on you? Back when I was a teen, my mom and my god-mother took my girlfriend and I to “have our colors done”. Some of you may ask “You had WHAT done?” Well – the process of getting your colors done involves determining what colors look best on you. (Color Me A Season)
-
Stupid Questions
I have lots of pet peeves, but I’d have to say my biggest one is stupid people. You know those ones that ask the dumbest questions? Or the ones that ask things that really don’t need to be asked?I can resonate so much with the comedian Bill Engvall when he does his skit stating “Here’s your sign!” With the implication that you need to hold a sign saying “I’M STUPID”
-
Bad High School Memories
High school. Do you have good memories or bad ones of that time in your life? Many of mine are good, but I always had the feeling that I wasn’t good enough, I felt excluded by people and I was always worried about what others thought of me.
There was the “cool” crowd and the only time I was a part of it, was when one of the crowd would invite me to join. When she didn’t invite me – then I wasn’t included.
-
Missing Child
Bradley was 1.5 years old and I had to go to the store to return a pair of pants. I figured while we were there, we would take his annual Christmas picture. All went fine during the picture, so it was time to return the pants.We went to JCPenney’s and I started the return process. I smiled down at Bradley and then looked at the clerk to tell her what I needed to do. I then looked down at Bradley and, to my horror, he was gone. I glanced around, thinking he had just started to wander. He was nowhere to be seen.
-
Gardening is Not My Favorite Thing
Everyone has decided to write about gardening. What do I have to write about gardening? I hate gardening!! Mom always tells me that as a kid, I loved to garden. No – I loved to plant a few flowers for her. That is what I liked to do. I don’t like the weeding, the soil preparation, the watering. Ugh. It’s a never-ending job!! Now, granted – I DO love the end result when someone else does it for me. (aka Mom – “Thanks Mom!!”) -
Procrastination – ‘Chelle
If mom is the queen of procrastination, then I’m the Princess of procrastination. There is only one thing in my life that I ever remember doing ahead of time and that was an assignment back in fifth grade! Since then, I’m the type that does everything last minute. Even getting ready to have kids – I didn’t even have my maternity bag packed before I went into labor. Someone always had to bring me stuff after the fact. For all three kids!!
-
Protected: Getting Used to Divorce
-
Taking Control of Your Body Image
“Come here girls – stand back to back and let’s see who’s butt is bigger?”
“Boy ‘Chelle – you’re built like a brick shit house”
“Your sister sure looks good in that size 4 – too bad you can’t wear something like that”
-
Come Hell or High Water – I Will Win!
I LOVE Technology!!! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!! I am the type of person that can’t wait to get the newest gadgets and gizmos. I am the one in the family that the kids come to in order to setup all the new equipment. I am the one that deals with technology on a daily basis. I absolutely LOVE it.
BUT…
-
Can You Meditate?
We are discussing meditation and all I can think about is sleeping. How do people meditate? Sitting still and focusing on … nothing. Really? I don’t think I could handle that. All I’d be thinking about is what I should be doing instead. -
Exercise Attempts
Every year I plan on jump-starting my exercise habit. Every year I fall short. I would love to be one of those people that loves to exercise, but I don’t know how to get there. I have a treadmill at home, but when I use it, I feel guilty for not taking the dogs for a walk. -
Doing Nothing
The question is how do you downshift at night? How do you relax?
Well for me – it’s very easy. I am not a big drinker, so it’s just a matter of sitting down and doing… NOTHING!!
-
Escape Artist Dogs
I have the greatest furry family members, but also the most obnoxious. I have two labradoodles. The black/grey one is 4, the other apricot/tan one is 2. I always say that they are the smartest dumb dogs I’ve ever met.Both girls are like Houdini. We have a fenced in backyard, but they can ALWAYS figure a way out. Every time I fix one hole, they make a new one. Lily (the baby) is the best at this. We’ve had up to 10 neighbors helping us locate her after she has “disappeared”. She’ll come close to us, but stay just out of reach.
-
Playing with Others
My family tells me I don’t play well with others. Well – here is an example of why. -
Childhood Camping Memories
When I think of my childhood vacations, I always come back to the visual of camping with our family and another family. When we would arrive at the campsite, the parents would throw the kids their swimsuits and then we would disappear while they set everything up. When we came back a few hours later – nirvana in the form of a campsite was arranged.We had a huge 14-man canvas tent with an orange and green striped top. The other family we were with had a camper. Everything had a particular place and was always organized the same from year to year.
-
I’ll Prove Them Wrong
I don’t remember ever being told that I needed to get a job, but when Lisa was 16, she had a job, therefore, because she was my hero, I had to also get a job at 16. It also followed, that because she worked at Larson’s Family Restaurant, that I had to work there as well. -
No Concept of Time
I swear I have no concept of time… But in my defense – neither does my family. My entire life – I’ve always been 5 minutes late. We even tease that we’ll be late to our own funerals! Well – that has always irritated me about myself (and my family) – so I’ve started to do something about it… -
Shopping Sucks
I think I may be the only person in the world that hates shopping. It totally stresses me out. I can never think of something wonderful to get for the person I’m shopping for. Or if I do think of something wonderful – by the time I actually need to get the present – I’ve forgotten what that wonderful thing is!!
-
Wonderful Grandma Memories
I have some wonderful memories of my Grandmas… They were two very different, yet very special ladies.
-
No Black Friday Please!
I love how our family does the holidays… Each of us gets a holiday to organize and coordinate – for example, Mom’s house for Christmas, my house for Easter, and Lisa’s house for Thanksgiving. We used to do Easter at Judy’s till she moved away and then I got that holiday… Now that she’s back, we’ll have to reorganize the holiday schedule somewhat.
-
Can I Decorate?
I’ve never considered myself very good at decorating… I especially got a complex when mom would come over and move things around after I’d arranged them… -
Always a Witch, Never a Princess
Always a witch, never a princess…
When I was little, I always wanted to be a princess for Halloween. I could picture the long flowing gown and tiara and I thought I would be soooo pretty. But, before I could get too excited, my mother would tell me, “You can’t be a princess for Halloween… Princesses aren’t scary.”
Thus began the story “Always a witch, never a princess…” So – every Halloween – I would be a witch even though it wasn’t what I wanted to be.
-
Not a Fan of Autumn
What are my thoughts about Autumn?
-
Flea Market Adventures
We have a bi-annual Girls’ weekend shopping trip that we go on, where all the women in my family (of all ages).
Twice a year, all the women in my family (of all ages) and our girlfriends, go shopping in St. Charles, IL. We started this tradition around the time that I started having kids, so in the beginning, I was either pregnant, nursing, or had a toddler with me. In our family, if you are a boy, you only get to come on the adventure if you are under the age of 3. Once you hit that age, you are banned from coming. Now… if you are lucky enough to be a girl, you get to come as long as you are fun to have around.
-
Can You Do It All In a Day?
What would you do if you found out that you were going to die today? -
Camping with OCD
As a kid, we always camped in a huge 12 person tent and it felt like the lap of luxury. -
I Think I’ll Just Sleep
I definitely don’t deal with stress well. I end up doing one of two things: I either get extremely crabby (“bitchy”) or I just lay down and go to sleep.There are so many things in my life that add to my stress: work, family, the house, the yard, worrying, and anything else that doesn’t quite go as I expect it to.
-
Surrounded by Clutter
I deal with clutter on a daily basis. At home, at work, in my car… everywhere. I can never seem to get ahead. At work – I deal with clutter for clients. Taking all the miscellaneous paperwork they have and trying to help offices go paper-less. Wow – do some of them have a lot of paper around!! -
Schneider Family Creation
I always knew I wanted to be a mom. From the time I was little – I loved kids. That feeling continued throughout my life.When I got married, I just knew that there would be kids in my life. When I was pregnant with my first son, my family was very nervous about it because my family had a history of miscarriages. I was 25 and very blasé about the whole thing. I felt like a teenager does – “It will all be fine – of course…. What could go wrong?” Luckily – things went fine and my oldest is now 19.
-
Who is ‘Chelle?
Who is ‘Chelle?
To start with, my most important accomplishment is being the mom to 3 amazing adult children. Soon it will be 4 as one of them is now engaged to be married! When I’m not spending time with my kids, I can probably be found working on the computers. In my 30-year career, I’ve done everything with computers from teaching, building, setting up networks, and programming. For the past 15 years, I’ve been at the same job as a Senior Solution Consultant. It’s the longest I’ve ever been at one job.
My other hobbies include crafts, my dogs, and spending time with my family. I’ve also become a cat person which totally shocks me! Recently, my oldest brought home 2 little black cats and they have stolen my heart! I LOVE to organize and plan and especially love it when I’m recognized for things I’ve done. If you ever want to discuss The Five Love Languages, I’m the one! It’s my favorite book. Lastly – when I’m not working on my computers, chances are I’ll be sleeping. I have to say, my favorite thing to do of all time is snuggling on the sofa, binge watching my latest favorite show and snuggling with the kitties!Sidetracked Sisters
You may ask, “What is Sidetracked Sisters?” Well – we are 2 sets of sisters that truly embody the word “Sidetracked”. When we get together, we have a very hard time staying on one topic. Frequently one topic will start and before that can be completed, someone has already moved onto the next topic. We love each other dearly, but also love to pick on each other just as much. One of us is a control freak, one of us is a little flighty, one of us is sensitive and the other is analytical. When I give these descriptions – I have certain sisters in mind. Now – tomorrow – if asked to classify the sisters again – it will be a different sister that is the control freak, a little flighty, sensitive and analytical. We are all very much alike but also very different.
Who are the Sidetracked Sisters?
