#SOCSunday: Roughing It

The purpose of Stream of Consciousness writing is to do just that - write. Whatever comes to mind on a particular topic or what's in your thoughts and perhaps needs to just get out of of you.

Today's (optional) Prompt: Roughing It

I'm so not a roughing it kind of girl. I prefer comfort and peace.  However, it seems that for some time now I've been in a "roughing it" kind of stage in life.  Wow - that is not even where I thought this prompt was going to take me. I had visions of my family's infamous camping trip while I was 8 months pregnant (definitely not a good idea, in my opinion!) but as I started typing all these other thoughts and feelings came flowing through.  One of the reasons I truly love Stream of Consciousness writing. It's a chance to get all the stuff (well, some of the stuff) that I often filter in my writing and my speech.

Right now, my family is in a rough place.  There's lots of stress and short-tempers and just wariness.  Do I get discouraged? YES Do I get frustrated? Oh yes.  This seems like a never-ending cycle, but I know in actuality that's the stress and frustration taking over.

As I was typing, I was reminded of the process of mining diamonds. Hopefully, that's the right term since I only have 5 minutes and can't waste a moment googling it :)  However, coal goes through this torturous process and comes out as a beautiful, shiny gem. I have to remind myself of that when I get frustrated and want to throw in the towel.  This process is refining me. This season of "roughing it" is preparing me to shine and let others know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. This process is helping me to truly enjoy the small, seemingly insignificant, things in life and celebrate each day and what it brings.

I still don't like roughing it, but I will embrace the reasoning and rationale behind it and continue pressing forward.

Whew!

 ~~~~

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post hosted by jana's thinking place 

It is 5 minutes of your time and a brain dump. If you'd like to try it...here are the rules:

~Set a timer and write for 5 minutes

~Write an intro if you'd like but don't edit the post. No spellchecking. No proofreading. Just raw writing.

~Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. Your back door to your blog, if you'd like, but make it accessible.

~Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post

~Link up your post at jana's thinking place

~Visit your fellow bloggers and show them some love

#DecorateItForward with K-Mart

Happy December! Today my kiddos and I officially kicked off our holiday decorating season.

One tradition I started when my oldest son was about 3 or 4 years old is our annual trek to choose an ornament for our tree.  Each year it's interesting to see which type of ornament my kiddos choose. They usually end up picking ornaments for one another because it's so difficult for them to narrow down their choices to just one.

The 4 of us headed out to our local K-Mart. I must admit that it's been awhile since I've shopped in K-Mart, but as soon as I got to their holiday section I remembered that I've always loved their selection of ornaments and holiday apparel. With the affordable prices and wide variety of prices - it's hard not to get into the holiday decorating spirit! The boys were wary of my purple choices and I am determined to get a smaller version of this tree as a Diva Tree one year:

My oldest son was disappointed that we couldn't find the St. Jude Holiday Bear Collectible Ornament. I went online and it looks like it's sold out there, too.  K-Mart has partnered with St. Jude Hospital to offer this adorable ornament for only $5. K-Mart will donate $1 from every bear sold back to St. Jude. Decorations with a purpose - Love it!!!

 

Since the bear was not an option, now came the hardest part - choosing which ornament would be "the" ornament for each of them this year.  Believe me when I say this is an excursion that takes tons of patience and negotiating skills! Some of our choices were:

 

 

They even contemplated combining their funds and getting this for our front entrance:

In the end, they chose these ornaments. It was great watching my boys work together to make a decision and then choose ornaments that rightly fit my feelings towards them:

 This year K-Mart is encouraging everyone to join in the  "Decorate it Forward" Movement by sharing holiday cheer with the gift of decorating and entertaining with family, friends and those in need. Connect with them on Twitter at (@kmart and by using the #DecorateItForward hashtag. You can even create a virtual ornament to share with your family and friends:

 

While you're at K-Mart, don't forget to join the Shop Your Way Rewards Program to earn points to redeem for discounts.

Congratulations to the winner of the $15 K-Mart Gift Card - Cindy B!

~Disclaimer:  I received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 and the post may contain affiliate links.
Read my full disclosure statement here~

Eyeglasses: My Love/Hate Story

Glasses have been a part of my life since forever, it seems. I got my first pair in 1st grade and the rest, as they, is history.  Glasses and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years. I hated wearing them because they loved to get thicker by the year.  This was during a time when the option to have lenses thinned down was not an option. Over the years, as I've gotten more self-confidence I can chuckle at some of the frames I went through - mainly because I've gotten rid of almost all the pictures that were floating around.

As soon as I turned 16 and received my first paycheck, I made a beeline to get contacts and wore them religiously for almost 15 years. About 4 years ago, I got a dreaded eye infection and developed an allergy which made wearing contacts unbearable.  As soon as I looked at the walls of glasses that I could barely see without my coveted contacts, I wanted to cry (seriously, I believe I teared up, but I'm going to blame it on the glaucoma test I'd just gotten).  I've been wearing prescription glasses religiously ever since.  My biggest struggle is finding a pair that look stylish but that can, also, handle my lenses. Yes, even shaved or thinned down they have weight to them.  Wire and rimless frames are definitely out.

Enter GlassesUSA.com - a site recently brought to my attention.  Affordable glasses AND stylish frames that I can peruse from the comfort of my own home. I enjoyed "trying on" frames with their Virtual Mirror Feature.

For me, choosing the right pair of affordable glasses frames is critical since I already know my lenses are going to set me back a pretty penny (yes, my vision is THAT bad).  Having the chance to browse the different pair of glasses without feeling pressured to make a choice immediately in a traditional store helps tremendously - also, I can actually "see" what I look like with the different frames.

GlassesUSA.com is offering Divas With A Purpose readers discounts on your next pair of eyeglasses:

• Take 15% and get free shipping on your entire order over $50 using discount code FS15
• Take 10% off any prescription glasses order using discount code Blog10

Check them out, try the Virtual Mirror Feature and let me know what you think.  Would love to hear your love/hate stories with eyeglasses down in the comments section.


 

 ~~Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but all experiences, scenarios and opinions are mine.You can view my full disclaimer policy here~~

2012 Holiday Savings Tips

Good Morning Divas :) I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. I took a much needed break from all things technological and enjoyed time spent with family and friends.  And...refrained from the Black Friday shopping madness.  The highlight of my shopping weekend was stumbling upon a teapot with flowering tea balls for $5 - well, that was the ONLY purchase I made.  I've made a commitment this year to shop local and support small businesses and direct sale consultants for my holiday gifts.

The holiday rush is definitely upon us! There are so many deals running rampant and it is so easy to overspend even while attempting to be thrifty.

Those that shop online know that a good deal comes up quick and you have to jump on the bandwagon to ensure you don't miss out.  However, make sure you're not spending money just to save money - hopefully you caught that :)

I did a post similar to this last year and decided it was information well worth sharing and adding on to.

My suggestions:

• Create a master budget.  I have separate bank accounts for different spending. Make all your purchases out of a "gift account" that is separate from other budget items.  Do not transfer more than you have pre-planned into the account.  If the deal exceeds what's in your account, then it is not a good deal for you.  Pass on it, but be a good friend and "gift" the information to others by passing the deal on to other family and friends.
  
  
• Keep a list of people you have decided to shop for somewhere handy - next to your computer, on your smart phone, etc - and refer to it whenever a great deal comes up.  If it's an awesome deal - see who you can check off your list by purchasing it.  If you can't match it up to someone, then pass on it.
  
• Make your own wrapping paper - reuse newspaper, sales ads, store bags, etc.
  
• Do a family name exchange. Rather than buy for everyone, exchange names and buy for just one person.  This is especially helpful if you have a large extended family.
  
• Homemade, sentimental gifts are great! You can do gifts in a jar, photo collages...Pinterest has tons of great ideas to implement within your holiday gift giving.

Source: mnn.com via Michelle on Pinterest

 
Ok, Divas, sharing time....what are your tips for staying frugal during the holidays? Do you have any divalicious homemade gift ideas to share? Post your comments below. It's the holiday season and I love to give, so two commenters will be chosen to receive a $5 Amazon gift card or Pay Pal cash. Comments must be posted by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, December 7, 2012. The winners will be announced the following Monday and chosen by Random.org

Be Blessed Divas and remember to be a blessing to others!!!

Michelle

Giveaway - WiiU and $200 Game Stop Gift Card

 Just in time for the HOLIDAYS :-)

Hosted By:

Mom Blog Society | Geeky Gamer Mom | Jackie's Reviews | Mom Does Reviews | Twinkle Monkey | Route 249 | Swank Savings | S.O.S Mom | Funny Pregnant Lady | Divas With A Purpose | Life Simply Fabulous

Prizes: Wii U and $200 Game Stop Gift Card

The event dates: 11/22 12:01 am - 12/10 12:59 pm EST

Open: World Wide

If the winner is outside the USA they will receive the cash value in their choice of Paypal cash or Amazon Gift card - NO EXCEPTIONS!

The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analog Circle Pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. The rechargeable controller includes a Power button, Home button, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. It includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.

Game Stop Gift Card where you can purchase all your Wii u games!

Once lucky person will win it all. For your chance simply enter via the Rafflecoper below.

GOOD LUCK DIVAS!