Reusable Shopping Bags

A bag isn't always just a bag! I discovered over the holidays that every store has their own reusable shopping bag--no this isn't the revelation. The revelation is that every bag is different in some way and it isn't always a good way.

Wal-Mart started carrying the bags a year ago. I bought two at the time. They quickly wore out. I was disappointed that I couldn't get more but that is no longer a problem. Today Wal-Mart carries the bags again. This time they are sturdier, wider, and hold quite a bit. I was told by a Wal-Mart cashier that they have a new blue bag that isn't as sturdy and won't hold as much. Their bag is 99 cents.

Albertson's has bags in bright colors: green, yellow, and red. And then their is pink--yes pink. Want to support breast cancer research, buy a pink bag for $2, and $1 goes to cancer research. All the bags are about as sturdy as the Wal-Mart bag, but I like them better simply because I prefer bright colors over black. It also makes them easier to locate should they slip under the car seat! Their bags are also 99 cents.

Tom Thumb has two different types of bags, both are a dark green. The second has become my absolute favorite. The first bag is like all the other but has reinforced sides as well as a rubber pad for the bottom, making it easier to clean. It seems to hold more than the aforementioned Wal-Mart and Albertson's bags. I filled it till I had to lift it with two hands. The second Tom Thumb bag is insulated for hot and cold items. Yes, I said insulated. The top zips up as well sealing in the cold or warmth. Now, I haven't taken my groceries on a long drive but from the store home (about 15 minutes), my groceries were still refrigerator cold. The best part is both bags were 99 cents. An insulated bag for 99 cents!!

Which brings me to Kroger, they too have two bags--one regular and one insulated. The regular is nothing to write home about. Like Wal-Mart's they are black and lack any reinforcement. But their second bag, also black, is insulated. The insulated bag doesn't differ in style from Tom Thumb's, except in price! Kroger's insulated bag costs $3. Their regular bag is the normal 99 cents.

Target and Home Depot also have bags, but I haven't purchased or used those bags, so they will be reviewed another day.

If you don't want a store logo plastered on your groceries or feel a bit embarrassed using a Wal-Mart bag in Tom Thumb, then you can order your own online. They cost a bit more but you can find them made of recycled materials as well as 100% cotton and everything in between. I simple typed reusable shopping bags into a search and over 4 million sites popped up.

This is my second week to shop with reusable bags. And I have to say other than remembering to take them into the store, they are a lot easier than all those plastic bags. The only downside is I now have to find another way to dispose of diapers and other sundry items, like cat poop.

Taking Positive Thinking to the Next Level

So, I finished Dr. Cury's book and am totally blown away with the concept of training your mind to think correctly. I have always thought it possible to train your mind but never really knew how. And then to think you can think correctly and be happier.

Dr. Cury's theory is that we must "think correctly" in order to live a happy and productive life. What does he mean? That was a bit difficult to decipher, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that it is not allowing ourselves to dwell on the negative aspects of our lives, to not allow our emotions to rule our tongues, and to not allow our minds to convince us that we cannot accomplish something.

He lists 12 principles that if incorporated will help you to think correctly. Those princples are:
1. Be the author of your own story.
2. Direct your thoughts
3. Manage your emotions
4. Protect your memory
5. Learn to listen and dialogue
6. Learn the art of self-dialogue
7. Contemplate beauty
8. Unleash creativity
9. Be restored in your sleep
10. Live an enterprising lifestyle
11. Think Existentially
12. Turn life into a celebration

In the introduction, Dr. Cury recommends taking a week per chapter and incorporating that principle into your thinking throughout the entire week. Each prinicple builds on the previous principle and must be performed in order (according to him.) I found that standing alone each has a certain value. Thus far, I can say that I see the beauty in each moment so much easier than before and am finding more joy in each day. I am finding it easier to forgive and yes, forget.

So, I am anxious to take his message of "thinking correctly" to the next level. I am going to spend the next 12 weeks learning each principle and incorporating them into my daily thinking.

In April, I will post my progess on learning how to "think correctly." If anyone else out there has read or is reading his book and would like to take up the same challenge, leave a comment.

Think and Make It Happen

Think and Make It Happen. Cury, Augusto. Thomas Nelson: 2008

Dr. Cury takes positive thinking to the next level. In his book, he not only persuades the reader to think positively but argues that it is possible to train your brain to do so. He lays out 12 principles for training your brain to think positively and to focus more on the present. Dr. Cury has a doctorate in psychology, but writes for the everyday person. I have read a lot of books authored by doctors and most are written on a much higher level than the average person can read. They are full of technical jargon that requires a dictionary to be close at hand. Dr. Cury's book is easy read with very little technical jargon.

Each principle is designed to help the reader to “think correctly.” By thinking correctly, Dr. Cury means focusing on the positive and the beautiful things in life and not allowing your mind to focus on the negative things that cause us to miss the truly wonderful moments that crowd each hour of each day.

I enjoyed Dr. Cury's principles, but found myself wishing he had explained each prinicple more fully. For example, in the second chapter, he talks about the D-C-D technique (Doubt-Criticize-Determine), but he doesn't give enough examples to fully explain the principle. He also gives an example of a patient who used that technique, but again stops short in explaining the mental processes the patient used. While I realize space is always a concern, I believe he could have left out the first page or two of each chapter as he spent the first pages persuading the reader that the principle is important. I was convinced that all 12 principles were important after reading the introduction. Further persuasion was not needed.

As a whole, I believe the book is well written and the principles well grounded. I have been using the DCD technique and found it works beautifully. I am working to incorporate all 12 principles into my thinking on a daily basis. I am anxious to see how they work altogether, but I have to say I can see a difference already. I am thinking more clearly, more positively, and seeing the beauty in the little things.

Operation Actually Read the Bible

Becky and I have been friends since our first or second year of college at Texas Woman's University. During that time, we have shared our faith with one another, discussed Bible studies, and talked about different Bible translations. Now, she is on a mission to actually read through the Bible. This had never been a goal of mine, but at her prodding and encouragement, I am taking up the mission as well. I am actually going to read through the entire Bible.

This is an ongoing challenge with many participants, so it should be a lot of fun along the way. I haven't set a deadline for myself but will say that rather than just reading the Bible I am actually studying it. This will take a lot longer, but I want to take it all in. I have read the stories hundreds of times, but I want to dig a lot deeper this time around.

I have been working through the Bible study series by Max Lucado titled Life Lessons. I highly reccomend this series. He adds excerpts from his books to each study that gives the study practicality to today's life. Thus far I have studied: Ephesians and James and am currently working on Genesis.

I am also including the books our pastor teaches because while he is teaching the series on Sunday, I will be endeavoring to read those chapters during the week. If I find that too encumbersome a task, then I will not count those books as read. I won't fudge my numbers in other words.

The next part of this adventure includes a weekly "Question of the Week" from our brave leader, Becky. Each week she will post a discussion question on her blog and at some point during the week, I will discuss it on my blog.

If you wish to participate in Becky's challenge, click the logo above, and it will take you to her site to sign up.

Arm & Hammer Carpet & Room Pet Fresh

I have no idea how long Arm & Hammer have been making their aerosol pet fresh cleaner but I just discovered it. The can advertises a "Pet Hair Release" so I had to give it a try on my sofa. We had been out of town for several days at Christmas and prior to that I hadn't had time to vacuum. So, needless to say, the cat hair from three cats had accumulated. I have spent the last week trying to clean it off the sofa. I have vacuumed and vacuumed but just couldn't get it all.

Today, I tried the Carpet & Room Pet Fresh spray. It sprays a foam cleaner over the entire area. As advertised it dries quickly, but I am not sure it was exactly 5 minutes but it was definitely less than 10. Once dry, I vacuumed again and all the remaining cat hair came up leaving the sofa looking like new (or as close as our old sofa can).

I was impressed that the pet hair release really did work. The static that was holding the hair was no longer there and neither was the hair.

The only downside is that being an aerosol it left a nasty chemical smell in the air. If you are chemical sensitive, this is one product to stay away from. Next time I clean the sofa, I will probably open the windows to air out the house afterward.

Goals

In the comments to my previous post, Becky wrote: "I don't make "new year" resolutions, but I do ever-so-often make goals for myself."

Becky is so right. We cannot go through life without goals. If we don't have goals, we have no purpose to fulfill. Once we reach a goal, we should always set new ones. Goals are different from resolutions. Yesterday, while writing about resolutions I actually looked up the definition to resolution. It is defined as "a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something." Goal is defined as "the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end; the terminal point in a race."

It is one thing to resolve to run a race; it is another to show up and actually run the race. A resolution is your decision to run the race, and the goal is actually running toward the finish line. When setting a goal, we set steps to take to reach that goal and with each step we get closer to that finish line.

Setting goals is something that I have not done since Snugglebug was born 10 1/2 months ago. But I am determined to return to my goal-setting mind-set. I am still working on my introspection for 2009, but have a few goals already for this year.

Goals for 2009:
1. Read more for myself and my son (I already signed up for one challenge at Young Readers)
2. Eat Healthy (I did before Snugglebug was born and fell off the wagon after)
3. Participate in Oprah's Clean-up Your Messy House and get my house clean again
4. Continue Becky's Actually Read Through the Bible Challenge

Thanks for the comment Becky!

New Year's Resolutions

I don't really do resolutions. I feel they are meant to be forgotten. Instead, I look at the new year more as a time to refocus my energies, to redefine myself, and to reshape my future.

I believe we should stop ever so often and take a deep introspective look at ourselves. We shouldn't use that time to chastise or demean ourselves for being who we have become, but honestly take note of that being. If we don't take the time to look at ourselves honestly, we lose track of who we are. We become lost in the vast chasm of humanity. That is to say we don't know who we are anymore than we know a total stranger.

So, in January I focus on prayer, Bible study, and my heart and soul. I take a deep look and examine the person I have become over the last year. Is it someone I like? Would I be friends with the person I have become? Am I happy on the inside or do I feel lost? What makes me happiest? What makes me depressed?

The last two questions seem rather pointless, but are very telling. One year, I discovered that making other people happy made me happiest only to realize that I wasn't happy at all. I had spent so much time the previous year making other people happy that I was completely lost and depressed. I had lost myself in the crowd. I realized that being a "yes" person wasn't exactly the best way to live life.

Another year, after reading a book whose title I have since forgotten, I made a list of "danger zones." These were things that reminded me that I needed to stop, slow down, and take a moment to appreciate life. I had raced through the year without acknowledging the blooming roses, the falling leaves, or the beauty that had passed me by.

This year as I reflect, I am reading Traveling Light by Max Lucado, and Think and Make It Happen by Dr. Augusto Cury. I will share about both books when I am finished reading them. I am also completing a complete introspection. Asking those tough questions that I mentioned above. This has been a great year of change for me. I went from working to staying at home, from free to come and go to being a full-time mom. It has been quite a year and will be quite a year next year.