CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

As a somewhat recent iPhone fanatic (I got mine last October as an early anniversary present), I’ve been having a lot of fun trying various applications (”apps,” for short). My new favorite, which I love and will rave about always, is an app called Balance.

Balance was created by Connor Wakamo and has a rating of 3-1/2 stars — pretty good for a free app. According to the app’s description, Balance is:

…an application designed to help you keep track of the balance of one of your accounts. Intended to replace a paper-based checkbook register, Balance maintains a list of credits and debits to your account. When you enter a new transaction, Balance automatically recalculates the account’s balance. You can protect your information with a password. Balance also allows you to export your transactions to your computer. With Balance, you’ll always know how much money you’ve got in your account so you can avoid overdraft fees.

An upgrade to Balance, Version 2.0, is also available if you’d like this app to keep track of multiple accounts. I may upgrade to that soon.

In the meantime, can you keep a secret? I don’t use Balance to keep track of my checking account. I should, considering I’ve been the queen of overdraft charges in the past (much to my husband’s chagrin), but I’ve found a use that works better for me. The way I use it gets to the root of what’s caused my previous overdraft charges: overspending.

Every single time I go to the store, I whip out my iPhone, open up Balance, and plug in the amount I’ve given myself permission to spend. I only go over if I know I’ve got the extra cash in my purse to cover the overage. Step by step, here’s how it’s done:

Open the app.

Tap the button in the top left that says, “Account.”

Name the account or just leave it as “Cash.”

Type in any notes or just tap “Done” in the upper right corner.

Back on the main page — it should say “Cash” at the top, or whatever name you’ve chosen — tap the plus sign at the bottom, to the left of the word “Balance.”

You’re now on the “New Transaction” page. Ignore the “name” field. Tap the line that says “amount,” and enter in how much you have to spend ($50, $100, etc.).

Tap the “type” field. Tap “Received,” then “Done.”

Back on the “New Transaction” page, tap “Done” once more. On the “Cash” page, you’ll see you now have the amount you designated on the top line. Everything you enter after that will be subtracted from that amount.

From your shopping list (you did bring a list, didn’t you?), find your first item. Let’s say it’s a gallon of milk at $2.49. Tap the plus sign at the bottom, then tap “name” on the next page. Use the keyboard to fill in the word “milk,” and tap “Done.” Tap “amount.” Use the number keypad that comes up to enter in your price (the decimal point is taken care of for you). Tap “Done.” Tap “Done” again.

At the bottom of the page, you’ll see that your new balance is now $47.51.

What I also love about this app is that I no longer buy things I don’t need. If it’s not in the budget, it’s not in the budget, period.

By the way, if you use coupons (and you should), remember to subtract those from the balance, as well.

You may feel a little silly using your iPhone this way in a grocery store, but I’ve yet to have a manager or other store employee ask me what I’m doing. Just try not to block the aisles when you’re typing in your purchases!

A few final tips for when using Balance:

Don’t forget to add the sales tax for your area for non-grocery items.

Use Balance when shopping for clothes, gifts, and other items.

When done with your shopping trip, just tap the box with an arrow in it at the bottom of the screen. On the half screen that comes up, tap “Delete all transactions.” This will clear Balance for the next time you need to use it.

Remember to use the iPhone calculator if you’re buying multiples of certain items.

Have a favorite app? Tell me about it. If I think it’s a good thing for crazybusy mamas, I’ll review it and give you an honorable mention!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

My three year-old is a puzzle freak. For Christmas this year, we bought her the Disney Princess: Pretty Puzzles and Sweet Stories book, and she will not let it out of her sight.

Her fascination with puzzles began when she discovered she could put together a wooden jungle animals puzzle all by herself, and then a wooden numbers puzzle. Each one of the puzzles in the Disney Princess book is just 24 pieces, so we gave it a go. There’s a puzzle on each thick cardboard “page,” along with the accompanying story.

Besides teaching my child valuable problem-solving skills and satisfying her fascination with the Disney princesses, there’s one really big reason why I love this puzzle book: The back of each and every puzzle piece is color-coded to make sorting the pieces a snap. Snow White is pink, Beauty and the Beast is yellow, etc.

(At this point in my post, please envision a video of me smacking myself in the forehead.) Now why didn’t I think of that?

I have thrown away many puzzles with missing pieces (left over from when my teens were small) because I never really knew how to organize them. Oh, I would try to — by putting them in zipped plastic bags once their boxes got crushed — but the kids would get into them and the pieces would be here, there, and everywhere. If the pieces were small and indistinguishable, I wouldn’t even know which puzzle they belonged to.

Which leads me to today’s CrazyBusy Tip:

Assign a different identifying mark to each puzzle in your home, putting those marks on the back of every single puzzle piece according to which puzzle it belongs to.

Yes, that sounds like work, but who said you had to do it? If your children are old enough, put them to work — they’ll probably think it’s fun. (Though you should do the same to your puzzles, if you have any.) Give each puzzle it’s own symbol, shape, number, or color. That identifying mark will go on the back of each puzzle piece AND on the box or zipped plastic bag.

Here are some suggestions for marks you can use:

Colors (use markers or crayons)
Numbers
Shapes, like squares, circles, or triangles
Symbols like asterisks, plus signs, check marks, or even smiley faces

It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it’s simple enough — and bold enough — to see clearly. A sharpie pen is probably the best tool to use to mark your puzzle pieces. Don’t make the symbols elaborate…this is supposed to lesson your workload and/or stress level.

I hope I just took one little load off your shoulders — I know that figuring out this method was a “Eureka!” moment for me. What can I say? Little things make me happy. Come back soon to read another CrazyBusy Tip!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

The start of a new year always gives me the urge to make changes around my house. I’m a redecorator at heart — my interior decor style has changed often over the years and though I may not always be financially able to change our furnishings and colors at will, the desire is there.

Oh, for a few thousand dollars to switch things up again! I can dream….

Getting back to reality, I wanted to share a great link with you that I found today. Martha Stewart’s team has put together a visual list of 100 ways to get organized around your home. I usually shy away from that type of article, as the ideas are usually boring and regurgitated. These, however, are just plain fun. You’ll find yourself saying, “I can do that!” or “That’s a fun idea!” Or maybe you won’t, but I sure was.

(I particularly liked the tea cup jewelry organizer — keep an eye out for it. As the owner of way too many tea cups, it looks like a fun and girly idea to try.)

The other tips are, for the most part, much more practical — but still fun. Enjoy!

100 Easy Organizers at MarthaStewart.com

©2010 Sally Dinius
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I’m feeling a little under the weather today (another cold), so I wanted to share a treat with you. If you’ve ever wanted to start your own blog, specifically a WordPress blog, guest blogger Kelly McCausey wants to help you learn how. Settle in and read on!
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WordPress is the website building tool of choice for many business owners these days. It’s a great option. No software needed on your computer, great functionality and flexibility – and you can update your site content from any computer, netbook or smart phone. It’s no wonder that it’s become so popular.

You’ve probably heard that Wordpress is incredibly user friendly – and it is! Still, most first time users find it overwhelming at first. If you ever tried to tackle Wordpress on your own and felt like giving up, you’re not at all alone. There’s a lot to take in at first.

I was lucky though. I had several patient friends available to help me over the learning curve. Still, I wouldn’t say that I felt truly comfortable for months after. The more I got to know it, the more I realized that WordPress is both simple and complex all at the same time.

If you only want to use WordPress to publish content, it’s pretty darned simple. The visual editor operates like any basic word processor. You enter content, press publish and you’re finished.

Think of WordPress as being three things at once.

1. It’s a Content Management Script that runs on your web server, letting you enter content as easily as writing an email.
2. Your content is stored in a Database on your web server.
3. Finally, it wears a Theme, a set of template files, that determines how the content is displayed online.

Entering content is easy. The database takes care of itself. Customization, want to alter your design and manipulate the database for special needs, you have to tap a whole other area of knowledge and that’s where many get stuck.

There’s good news and bad news for those who want to learn more about managing their WordPress site. The good news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users who are willing to answer your questions. The bad news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users…

The trouble for newcomers is usually that they don’t know how to ask the right questions to produce the answers they really need. The documents and forums seem to be written in a foreign language and newbie questions are often answered with links to more foreign explanations that just add to their feelings of overwhelm.

My advice? Don’t give up. Keep asking questions. To get the best answers, provide as much information about your problem as you can. If you’re persistent, you’ll find that things come easier over time.

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About the Author:

Kelly McCausey of Mom’s Talk Biz invites you to WordPress Orientation, your all access pass to exclusive WordPress learning. We demonstrate answers to your questions during our live web conference sessions. If you’re goal is to do it yourself, Wordpress Orientation is your pathway to learning how.

(Psst! You can also listen to some great podcasts Kelly has put together by going to WAHMTalk Radio. ~ Sally)

For those of us trying to watch our weight, the holidays can be tough. We find ourselves surrounded by snacks and sweets, and though we know we should eat only in moderation, emotions associated with the holiday season can blow all self-discipline out the window. If we’re sad, stressed, or frustrated, it’s easy to think, “I deserve this,” or simply, “Who cares?”

Jillian Michaels has written a great — and short — article on “4 Ways to Make Yourself Feel Better Other Than Eating. You’ll learn some ideas to help yourself soothe those emotions in ways that don’t involve food and won’t make you hate yourself the next time you look in the mirror
(you shouldn’t be hating yourself, anyway, but that’s another blog post). We all need a little TLC once in a while, and I think she’s got some ideas worth reading.

I will add one other outlet for your pent-up emotional energy that Jillian didn’t mention: exercise. I know — weird that Jillian Michaels didn’t mention exercise, but she’s so well-known now that perhaps that’s just a given.

Nonetheless — get out there and do something when those emotions have got you down (or ready to scream). I went for a run with my daughter yesterday, and boy, I felt good afterward. I felt like I’d given it my all, but actually had some energy post-running. A little while later, we drove to the mall, and the mellowness kicked in on the way there. Not a blah, depressed mellowness, but a good, peaceful feeling. It occurred to me later that it was from running. (My daughter even said, “What’s wrong with you?” I had to convince her I really was fine — just mellow!)

Read more about the benefits and basics of running here.

Yes, I know the holidays are almost over, but New Year’s Eve is still on the docket, as is New Year’s Day. If you have more get-togethers planned, take a look at Jillian’s article and remember there are other ways to soothe a sad or cranky soul than by eating.

Happy New Year!

©2009 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

As the mom of a three year-old, I would really love to have a treadmill. It would be much easier than trying to find someone to watch her when I want to go for a walk or run outside. My wish for this coming year is to get a gym membership so I’ll have access not only to a treadmill, but other equipment, too. And if I have to bring the munchkin along, she can hang out with the other kiddos in the play area.

If you think you’d like to start using a treadmill for some of your walks and runs, watch the following video for some good tips. They’ll get you started on the right foot (sorry, I know that was bad…)!

A great way to monitor your progress for any workout routine, but especially running, is to keep a log. It will also serve as encouragement later when you look back and see how far you’ve come, and to spur yourself on to do more. This video from New Balance will show you just how to do this.

(And check out my favorite New Balance shoe, the WX778.)

I hope you’re enjoying the videos from New Balance this week. Each one is designed to help you get the most from your running workout. These videos are good for walkers, too. If you’re not a walker or runner, perhaps you’ll be inspired to start.

This particular video will show you how to recover from a run. It’s great information!

Whether or not you’re a runner, learning the core exercises in the following video is very beneficial. These were exercises that I, at one time, thought I’d never be able to do. I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and scoliosis: If I can train myself do these exercises (and I have), so can you! Don’t give up on yourself! Give these a try.

I am a firm believer in stretching, especially for runners (walkers, too). Here’s a video from New Balance (maker of my favorite shoe — the same one shown in the video) showing several ways you must stretch before and after your run.