Who Knows?

It has come to this Michigan Gypsy's attention that there is an epidemic running rampant through our society these days. This persistent unpleasantness of this infection is so wide-spread that is had become almost impossible to ignore:

No one really knows what the hell they are talking about.

Now I mean no offense, and acknowledge that I myself occasionally suffer the symptoms of this sad affliction. This state of affairs is so extensive that we can no longer afford to sit idly by (I believe there is a Facts R Your Friends Celebrity Concert in the works). When attempting to diagnose this disease, one must look to the main culprit of this contagion......laziness. 

I'm looking at you, Furious Facebook Sharer & Enthusiastic E-Mail Forwarder! In today's culture of over-sharing that allows us to seed ignorance as one would sow handfuls of wheat in a hungry field, we no longer take the time to think before we act. Being able to broadcast a scrap of information to hundreds of our nearest and dearest with a click of a finger has resulted in the formation of a toxic cloud of falsehood that can engulf even the levelest head.

Take for example, the case of the dreaded E-Mail Influenza: 

This illness starts off innocently enough, perhaps there is an email containing important information about a school or organization that you send on to those you know will need it. Next you forward a hilarious video of a cat playing the piano or a baby dancing (remember that one?). Then before you know it you are forwarding several emails every single day to your entire contact list. Forget that these emails almost always end up in the recipient's junk or trash file, but this condition is know to be very hard to self-diagnose ~ "MY emails are actually informative," "I'm sure that if people have this persuasive information they will agree with me,""I'm doing a good thing by supporting my cause."
Sound familiar?
The only cure for this affliction? The Hard Question
Just because you know someone enough to have their email address does not mean that you know them enough to predict their opinions and beliefs. Forwarding emails that contain polarizing views, un-verified propaganda, or possibly insulting images or statements can be perceived at the very least as annoying, and at the very worse as pompous, unpleasant and invasive. So ask yourself the following questions before you hit that Forward button: "Why am I forwarding this email? Is my motivation worth the risk of alienating my contacts, friends and family?" And if you choose to continue your forced influx of information, then please don't blame the rest of us for hitting "delete all."

Now we move on to the Manic Media Mumps:

This is perhaps the most shocking ignorance affliction since it strikes at the heart of our information steam, the news media. Since the invention of the idiot box, our entire nation has gathered around our beloved glowing screens to listen to the nightly news. The level of trust gifted to the media is staggering in it's ability to sway the way we see the world. Regardless of your opinions on which network provides the most accurate depiction of the facts, the reality of news is that if we see a story reported at 6 o'clock we accept it as fact. If your trusted anchor tells you that there is a fire in the next town over, you feel comfortable passing that information along to others. But what happens when the Media gets it wrong?
these mistakes run the gauntlet from a local Fox affiliate in Dallas, Texas misidentifying one of the Boston Marathon suspects as television star Zooey Deschanel, to CNN and Fox News wrongly interpreting the Supreme Court's decisions on the Affordable Care Act. More humorous mistakes include Vogue Magazine mis-identifying Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dan Baer as an interior designer and the Miami Herald claiming that the National Science Foundation "funded a study on Jell-P wrestling at the South Pole." The suggested treatment for the Manic Media Mumps is the tried and true Grain of Salt Treatment. Stay tuned to stay in the loop, but please remember, everyone makes mistakes, even Anderson Cooper. 

The last, and perhaps grimiest, of information germs is the Facebook Fuzzy Falsehood.

This icky little fellow likes to pop up on Facebook feeds on an almost daily basis. Warnings of an alarming disposition, cautions of a dubious nature, doctored and photo shopped images that "prove" something or another and "facts" that has no substantiation, are all early warning signs of this persnickety affliction. Once infected, sufferers re-post information without bothering to find out if it is actually factual. For example, there is not a set of coordinates on Google Earth that show the disposal of a murdered individual, Paul Ryan did not refuse to tip an elderly waiter, the vague warning about bad guys using small children to trick and assault women has been a circulating urban legend since 1985, writing "Frank" or "Frankie" in place of a stamp will not get your letter mailed for free, and posting a notice on your Facebook wall will not actually protect your copyright and privacy rights....sorry. Unfortunately, there seems to be no shortage of individuals that love to share and re-post these germs and others like it, setting off a chain reaction of falsehood.

Happily, there are ways to counteract this tidal wave of ignorance. In order to inoculate yourself, please fill the following prescription~

2 heaping tsp. of Common Sense
1 leveled cup of Healthy Skepticism
A dash of Actually Reading Something Once in a While
1 lb. of Do Your Own Damn Research

Mix thoroughly and administer with occasional doses of snoops.com accompanied by long pauses of thinking before clicking. Reapply as necessary











p.s bonus Gypsy points will be awarded to those who checked my examples to make sure they were actually true :)

Does It Have To Be All or Nothing?

As my family returns from a weekend trip to a Detroit Area sports tournament, I find myself pondering the various conversations that I overheard in our travels. Not surprisingly, a great deal of them had to do with gun control and the recent stories in the news.

As I read, listen and surf the current information and opinions that are out there, I can't help but wonder where the voice of the everyman (and every woman) is. I am a bit fed up with the opinions of individuals that most would consider extreme being plastered across the airwaves.

How do we cope with evil?
Who do we blame?

Since my husband works in the news industry, I understand that the nuttiest folks with the most unmovable stances make the best news. As a country, we feed on the crazy, we like to see the bizarre and love to fight about the all or nothing point of views on hot button issues. "If it bleeds, it leads" is a very true statement. I wonder however, why more folks like me are not up in arms demanding a more logical and hopefully, country-wide voice.

Do we only want to hear facts that
support what we already believe?

Guns and gun control have been a hotly debated topic for some time now, but I can't fail to see that the majority of people I talk to and interact with on a daily basis adhere to a calmer attitude when discussing whether or not guns are good, bad, or somewhere in between.

I call this the "mind you own business" attitude. This attitude is deeply bedding in the giving and receiving of respect. I have my own believes on the subject and act accordingly in my own home, with my own family. I ask those around me to respect that. In return, I respect the decision of those around me in regards to what they believe and how they live their lives. That is called good manners.

Is selectively banning certain guns
the answer?

Somewhere along the way, we started mixing up "manners" with "morals." Morals are highly personal opinions and beliefs that are between you, those you love most and your Maker, whomever you believe him (or her) to be. Manners are things that we do to show respect, good will and friendliness to those around us in every day life. It is bad manners to verbally attack someone because they happen to think differently than those around you. You are not the end-all, be-all decision maker for your fellow man, and attempting to pass judgement on others beliefs and decisions will most likely end badly for you. Going around telling everyone and anyone that you can trap into a conversation that you are right and they are wrong and that laws and policies sold be changed or created to enforce your specific point of view is the very height of arrogance. It's rude...stop it right now! Miss Manners would be horrified, and I myself feel faint at the thought.

Are we conditioned by the
media to react a certain way?

For example, I believe that owning guns is a very important right in the United States. I grew up around guns and currently own several. My entire extended family hunts various animals and we use the meat from hunting to help put food on the table, because it is healthier, more economical and we believe that it is required to be a responsible part of the food chain. We do not hide our weapons from our children (as they were not hidden from me and my siblings) and education our youth from a very early age on the reality of weapons, death and the grave responsibility that comes with handling fire arms. It is a fact that I could set a loading gun down on the table in front of me and it would rust away to nothing before it jumped up and ran off to hurt someone. I believe that evil resides in the twisted individual that chooses to kill and maim, not in my inanimate object. No one in my family has ever "found" a gun and played with it, accidentally shot a loved one, or any other of the horrible and gruesome things you hear about in the news in regards to having guns in the home....never, not once, ever. There is no fear, just responsibility and respect. I feel this is healthy, normal, and feel safer knowing that I have the training necessary to defend my family.

Can we learn from other Countries
or do we make our own way?

But here is the kicker~ I would never, ever, ever consider attempting to tell one of my friends that does not care for guns and will not have them in their home, that they are wrong. I will not argue with them in the attempt to make them see my point of view. I will not scream and swear and call names and show pages full of facts that defend my stance. I find such behavior to be the height of arrogance and rudeness. How can I, being so confident in my beliefs, presume to tell others that their beliefs are somehow wrong, simply because they do not align with my own?

Are of feelings causing us to
ignore evidence?

Instead of debating on weather guns should be legal or not, we should be focusing instead on the breakdown of common decency, respect and privacy that is a frightening glimpse of what is to come. There will always be guns in America, period. Even if tomorrow the government outlawed them, they would still be here, in our closets, our gun safes and in our basements. The idea that every individual would turn in their weapons is ludicrous and laughable, it goes against the spirit and history of our nation, simple as that. The criminals of the world would defiantly hold on to theirs. So instead of getting weighed down with fighting over who is "right" and who is "wrong" perhaps we can instead work towards the idea that even though we will not always agree on issues, those issues need not define us. At our jobs, in our neighborhoods, at our kid's soccer practices, we stand shoulder to shoulder with folks that have very different ideas about everything from guns to religion. Does that change anything? Do you have to be "with us" or "against us?" If I can respect your choices and decisions about your life, is it too much to ask that you respect mine? Can't we all just mind our own business and not let the whack-jobs try to box us in and label us?

Will there always be people
that will hurt others not matter what
they use to do it?

 Drawing lines in the sand is a dangerous pastime, and some lines can not be erased after they are scratched on the ground. Are you motivated by the need to be "right," the lure of convincing others that they are "wrong," the desire to make decisions for homes and households that you are not a part of? Isn't be allowed to live the way you see fit and allowing that same dignity to others enough?
 Does it have to be all or nothing?

Calvary or Catastrophe

After being asked yet again to ride to the rescue on a project for a group I belong to, I began to think about all the ways we torture ourselves and why we do it.

Today's scenario: A project that has been in the works for months now is fast approaching its deadline. Until this week, I have had minimal involvement and others that stepped forward to spearhead the project have been uncommunicative up until now. "Now" is of course the moment when you realize that the entire project is going to hell in a hand basket. So what do you do? Do you step in and help? Hope others will take care of the problems? Let it all fall apart knowing that it is not your fault, hopeful that a lesson is learned?

I am a firm believer that in this word there are doers and hiders. Neither is ultimately good or bad, just different. The doers are the folks that are always on the board of an organization, the ones that show up to re-paint playgrounds, collect fundraising money, write grants and coach teams. The hiders show up, help if they are directly asked and happily go about their business. I happen to be a doer who is currently looking for a transfusion of hider. And here is why ~ doers are never really sure why they are the way they are. We do not want rose petals thrown at our feet, but we do get frustrated when the same 5 people volunteer to do all of the work time after time. Another big secret: a big part of being a doer is the inability to have an idiot trying to tell me what to do. Some times it is better to be in charge and lead a project then restrain yourself from stabbing some twit, with no organizational skills or concept of time, in order to stop them from making everyone else's life harder. It's a double edged sword really....

And before I get a lot of hate mail for the hiders out there......I already know what you are going to say, so lets just get the truth out there right now.....YOU ARE NOT TOO BUSY TO HELP! You're not, sorry. You can use that as your beard and try to convince the poor woman that had sunk 3 months of her life into creating a paper mache float for your daughter's class, but she won't buy it and neither will I.
This is why~ every doer that asks for your help is just as busy, if not busier than you are.
 Take me for example: I have a husband, 2 kids under the age of 12 and a large dog. My husband works 10 hour days, I own my own business and also substitute teach (grades pre-k to 12 plus special needs) I am active in church, help my dad with his business, am on the PTA, handle the spartan label redemption program for the local elementary school, my kids have swim lessons, play hockey and soccer and I am the VP of the board of CAHA, along with being a team manager and my husband coaches (as have I in the past) I have participated in every bake sale, fundraiser, hockey tournament, and many other things that involve a truck load of glitter and the kind of nightmares only Tim Burton could dream up. I am sure you are as busy as I am, but the point here is: I do all this and I still help out, you are NOT too busy unless you are an on-call brain surgeon. At least tell the truth, You just don't want to. At least that I can respect. Then I would leave you to enjoy your committee-free smirk served up with a side order of shame.

This all leads to the crux of my issue. Do I ride to the rescue each and every time because it's the right thing to do or because I like the feeling of riding to the rescue? Do I like to stock-pile favors or is it just about trying to be a good person? And if I, as my husband suggests, step back instead of stepping in, will I have just earned some free time for myself, or will I be teaching others an important lesson about following through on their own commitments? We preach over and over again that we need to let our kids fail if they are going to learn anything and grow as individuals, does this still apply to adults that consistently bite off more than they can chew? Do I let them fail a couple time so they quite asking me to ride to the rescue? Do I really want them to?

If the doers stopped doing, would that force the hiders' hand, or would things just not get done? Would our clubs, organizations, groups and teams be worse off if we all became hiders? Or would it just be less complicated? Would we appreciate each other more, judge each other less?

In the world of parenting, is it better to be the stress-out calvary or the damsel in distress?

So What Do I Do With All This Junk?!

Hello MIG Fans!
Today's Spring Cleaning Tip is all about where to stick it....your extra junk that is.
Here is a list and links to some wonderful sites and business that will gladly take the extra stuff your spring cleaning flurry leaves you with. Who knows, you might get a clean house and some extra cash out of it  ~

Gazelle
http://www.gazelle.com
Gazelle will buy most Apple products (iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macbooks, Macs, and a select group of other smartphones. (Make sure the model number on your items matches the one they buy exactly!) You find you gadget on their site, answer some questions about your item and ship for free (for items worth more than $1) then get paid. This is a great way to get paid for your Apple products if you upgraded at Christmas or have just bought a new model.
http://www.buymytronics.com is another website with a similar format


Dress for Success Michigan
http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?sisid=41&pageid=1
The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. They need contemporary, interview-appropriate, skirt and pant suits, crisp blouses, blazers and jackets, professional shoes handbags and briefcases, along with coats for all season (they particularly need larger sized suits and apparel). Here is the contact information for the Michigan affiliate:  michigan@dressforsuccess.org, (734) 712-0517

Gamestop
http://www.gamestop.com
Do you have a kid or a husband? Then you probably have a pile of videogames that they tried once and hated, or simple are played-out on (I mean, how many times can you save that princess?). If you have never been in your local gamestop, take a look, in addition to games for all the major gaming consoles and hand-held games, most accept and sell things like iPods (I have been eye-balling a re-furbished iPod that I want for my birthday that is a fraction of the price of a new one) And they guarentee all of their pre-used items, so no worries that you are buying a piece of crap. If you have a stack of games or a gaming console (wii, gameboy, etc) that you no longer want, take them into your nearest Gamestop and tell them you want to trade them in. They will give you a value, you decide if you want the offer (they do not negotiate, it's a take the offer or walk situation) and if you do, they will give you a gift card with that value on it ( I love to take games in and use the gift cards as gifts to my son and nephew for birthdays, etc).


Consignment Stores
Everyone knows how much I love selling stuff on consignment, and I still think it is the best way to make extra cash or "trade in" items and clothes that your family no longer needs or wants. Do an online search for consignment store in your area or look in the phone book. Make sure the store "matches" you. If you have mostly dressy women's things to consign, don't take them to a shop that has mostly kids clothes in the window. If you have a mountain of baby stuff, look for a shop that deals mostly with children's apparel and gear. Know what sells: don't drop off your power suit with should pads that has been in the closet for 15 years, they will just throw it away. Also, no fading, stains, tears, etc. If you want it to sell, it needs to be sellable. Call ahead and ask about their policies, then it's full steam ahead!


The Salvation Army & Goodwill
http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_usn20.nsf
With more than 2,300 donation droop-off locations in North America, this is a wonderful charity to donate gently used clothing, furniture and household items to. You can even call 1-800-728-7825 to discuss a free pick up of your items (or just call your nearest location) 

http://m.goodwill.org
Not only is Goodwill a tried and true place to donate your no-longer needed items, you can also check out their auction website at http://www.shopgoodwill.com for those of you in a hurry to replace the stuff you just off-loaded.

Craigslist
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites
One of the best places to sell you stuff. I have lost track of the stuff I have sold on craigslist, from treadmills to hunting gear to snowboards. It is great for those folks that are nervous about shipping something or waiting for payment. Someone in your area can show up, check out your stuff, then hand over cold hard cash (I always recommend cash or money order only, do NOT take checks from strangers) Make sure to meet people at a nearby gas station or grocery store parking lot so you don't have to worry about strangers in your home. Setting up an account is easy and free, posting is a simple set by step process they walk you though, here is an example of a simple ad~
http://nmi.craigslist.org/atq/3615202720.html
p.s. if your stuff does not sell right away, make sure you have a realistic price on it (do a search to see what compaible items are going for) and re-fresh your ad so it does not expire.

Freecycle
http://www.freecycle.org
I am a happy member of Freecycle and it is another great way to make sure your spring cleaning leftovers don't end up in a landfill. The Freecycle network is made up of 5,086 groups with 9,340,043 members around the word. It's a grassroots, nonprofit movement of people giving and getting stuff for free in their own towns. Membership is free and each local group is moderated by local volunteers. Search for your community on their website today to get started. You can post you items (I have even seen where the person "giving" lets the person "getting" know the day to get stuff and leaves it on the porch or in the front yard, no muss, no fuss) and if someone wants them, they can pick up or you can drop off. You can even sign up for emails that let you know each week what the items available in your area or what folks are currently looking for.

Don't forget the old standbys~ Your local newspaper & Facebook
I have sold several things in our local newspaper. This is a great option if you are getting rid of items like lawnmowers or you son's set of rims. Check out the fees and terms online or by calling your local paper. For example, my local paper will let you post an item for free that you are charging $300 or less for. Since I can fill out the form online, that is a whole lotta reach for my items for zero $ and a few minutes of my time.
It takes about 5 seconds to make a post for Facebook if you have something really nice that you think folks you know might be interested in. Keep it low-key! A simple photo and a "Hey everyone, we are selling the kitchen table and chairs for $200, let me know if you want first crack at it" and see if anyone bites. I have seen everything from televisions to couches being sold this way between friends, but BEWARE, you are selling to people you will deal with everyday, make sure you are confident that your items are worth what you are selling them for so the buyer doesn't end up disappointed and comes back looking for you (and they will).

Free Range Ian

As I sit here contemplating my computer screen, I can hear my children in the next room. Our oldest, Ian, is doing his homework, our youngest, Katie, is thundering around the room with the dog. I love both of my children more than life itself, but my first born has been occupying my thoughts heavily these last couple days.

Ian Helping to Fly Plane on Vacation

As Ian grows, both in height and experience, I often have other mothers compliment him on his maturity and resourcefulness. "What are you doing?" they ask, "How do you get him to behave so well?" I figured that it is about time that I let the cat out of the bag in regards to my unusual parenting approach.

Drum-roll please.............I leave him the heck alone.

That's it, it's that simple.

Ian preforming in front of entire school

I know that many of you, especially those with younger chicks at home (Ian is 11) will feel an immediate knee-jerk reaction to such advice. "But wait!" you cry, "I have been reading baby books, surfing the Internet for behavior tips and subscribing to parenting magazines since little Junior was born!" "I have to nurture his every moment, I need to make sure he is self-actualized and is playing with the approved nuro-science organic toys and expressing his valid emotions in healthy, non-confrontational ways!" I understand why those of you, that resemble loafer-wearing hovercraft more than grounded beings with your own interests, would find this advice hard to swallow. It's like spending a ton of money on new beautiful shoes. You waffle on the purchase, you shop online for the best price, you think about how often you will wear them with what is already in your closet. But then when you finally get them home and they make your feet feel like you have been walking on alcohol-covered coral, you don't want to give up on your conviction since you have so much time and energy already put forth towards your choice.

So those of you that have been directing your kid's every moment for the last decade, pre-chewing their food, choosing their friends and riding to the rescue whenever life does not go their way, will be understandingly hesitant with the following advice: Back Off!

Mr. Hockey

That's right, back off. Your kids will never be able to successfully navigate adult life if you do not let them develop the tools to successfully navigate middle school. My son is a prime example of what this type of parenting can look like. My husband and I are affectionate, playful, understanding parents. We make sure our children know what values we uphold and impart our wisdom, on everything from bullies to homework, enthusiastically and often. Ian has plenty of good friends (there always seems to be a herd of hungry kids at my house), is at the top of his class (all A's & B's), is a great athlete (M.V.P of his hockey team this year) and is polite and respectful 78.3% of the time (which, if you don't have an 11 year old boy, is pretty amazing).

Here is where the different comes in~ we have faith in Ian's choices, judgements and abilities. As a parent, coach and educator, I see people underestimating their children everyday. From the folks that think their 6 year old is incapable of putting their snow pants on, to the dad confronting one of his daughter's friends for hurting her feelings. You are not helping your kids! In actuality, you are hurting them. I know this is a hard one to believe, but if you take a hard look into yourself you will see the nugget of truth lurking at the bottom of this statement. If you yourself are a responsible, hardworking, problem solving adult, it is not because your parents followed you around wiping your nose for you when your were 12. Here are some facts that may shock you (if you have a delicate disposition, you may want to leave the room):

1. My son uses the lawn mover and the snow blower. 
You read that right, my 11 year old son uses power equipment. After you get up from your fainting couch, please realize that it is always under direct supervision with an adult outside with him, but he is out there cutting grass and blowing snow. At my father-in-laws, he even uses the riding lawn mover (one of the big ones with duel lap bars.) I admit the first time I saw my boy come around the corner of the house on the big mover with grandpa and dad walking calmly behind him, I almost stroked out. I felt that "danger!, danger!" mom urge that we all feel, and since I am sure it showed on my face, my husband calmly explained that he had prepped Ian on the danger, safety measures and consequences of using in the mower and then turned him loose in the back acres to practice. He did amazing, calming and coolly navigating around trees and bushes, not a nerve to be seen. Many of you would cry "reckless!" "dangerous!" "absurd!" and to them I would ask, why? I am fully aware of my son's temperament and his level of maturity. I also trust my husband's judgment and that his desire to keep our kids safe is as strong as my own. It also begs the bigger question, if I can't trust my 11 year old with a lawn mower under directly supervision, how in the hell will I be able to trust him with a car when he is 16? Trust and responsibility are not things you can turn on in your kid at 13 with a flip of the switch. Confidence in their abilities and the awesome power of an adult's trust must be planted at a young age and fed throughout adolescence if you don't want to be spending the Disney travel fund on bail.

2. I do not check my son's homework.
Nope, I don't. He just finished it in the other room and put it in his backpack before disappearing downstairs. How is that possible you ask? What if it is incorrect, or he did not understand it, or if his handwriting is awful or his math is off? My answer~ Then he will get a bad grade on it. Ian is 11, not 5. His only job in life right now is school. That is his main responsibility, and pretty soon when hormones start zipping around in that scrawny body of his, the only thing keeping him from flunking out will be the habits and routines that he is developing right now. Ian's homework is Ian's responsibility. It's that simple. I have already passed the 5th grade, so has his father. I am not going to check his backpack for papers, permission slips or homework. I am not going to make sure his library books and tennis shoes get put in there every week. That is not my job as a mother. My job as a mother is to raise a son that is responsible enough to remember to do those things. How do I do that? I let him suffer the consequences of his failures. If he does not do his homework, he will have to deal with the punishment that accompanies bad grades. If he does not understand a concept, a math problem or directions, it is his responsibility to let me know and to ask for help. I will move heaven and earth to make sure Ian understands his work and had the tools he needs to succeed in school, but not by stalking behind him like a bird of prey in a turtleneck. They need to be responsible for things in their lives if you expect them to be responsible kids!

Turkey for Thanksgiving

3. My son knows how to use a deadly weapon.

Practicing with Dad

He hunts, he fishes, he knows that animals must be killed (responsibly) in order for us to have meat to eat and takes great pride on helping to put food on the table for the family. The amount of pride in my son's face after he harvested his first deer set him up to believe in his skills, his ability to practice a craft, and to work hard to successfully gain the trust and admiration of the adults in his life (which is waaaay better than having a mommy that won't let you sleep over at a friend's house because she read an article online about separation anxiety).

1st deer ever

Let me bottom-line it for you~ If you want to grown a mature, responsible man that has the ability to lead others with intelligence and confidence, you need to climb out of your son's pocket, bite your tongue and have some faith in your kid.

Fun at the Re-Store

 Never, Never, Never Underestimate what awesome things await the brave at the Re-Store. While intimidating at first, once you dive headfirst into the dusty rooms, you will be amazed what kinds of things await the trash to treasure lover in all of us. Here are a couple of examples of items that are currently in my home thanks to the re-store, some paint and a little ingenuity.

I collect antique levels since I find their patina heartwarming (nothing is more gratifying than hard work, even someone else's). My largest set has been hung in a corner with L brackets. They now serve as shelves for my antique aluminum platters and other assorted knickknacks. Levels have a natural lip and groove on them which lends them to this purpose quite nicely.

This is a set of wooden full-sized lockers that were torn out of our local Middle School. They were filthy and had the ugliest paint on them imaginable. But for $30, I bundled them home, where they got a good scrub, new paint (robins egg blue on the inside and turquoise and black crackle paint on the outside) and some new handles. Now I have to sleep in front of them every night to keep my friends from stealing them ninja-style when I am not looking.


This charming addition to my daughter's room was an old beat up library cart/chair thing. I loved the wheels and the little wooden seat, so I brought it home for $5. After giving the seat and good sand and stain, I only had to spray-paint the frame a nice spicy pumpkin orange and taa-daa, an unexpected pop of color that you cannot find anywhere else.

Cheap Frame-2-Chalkboard

One of my favorite crafts: take one large ugly frame ( I found my at our local re-store for less than $1), distress and stain the BACK of the frame. Add thin wood coated with chalkboard paint (bought my presses chipboard at our local Home Depot and cut it to size with a saw, chalkboard paint in spray paint form) and antique hardware picked up for pennies ( also at the local re-store). This large beauty hangs in my dining room where I can write quote that I hope will make the kids smarter by osmosis or just holiday messages. Have had so many requests for these from family and friends I am always keeping my eyes peeled for parts, so if you see some crazy dark haired lady obsessed with the backs of picture frames at the store, say hi.

It's For The Birds

 As I continue with my spring cleaning struggles, here are a couple of outside spring cleaning tips from The Family Handyman about cleaning leaves and general gunk out of your gutters this spring and for cleaning out those bird baths that we are dragging out of the shed as the weather warms up. I will defiantly be handing these tips over to my husband while I watch, filled with pride, from the window.



http://www.familyhandyman.com/diy-projects/cleaning/interior-cleaning/clever-cleaning-tips#step4

My Shelf Ah-Ha Moment

File this under "Why Didn't I Think of That?!" ideas. 

If you are like me, you need shelving in your life, for everything from clothes closets to the linen cupboard. I inherited wire shelving with my home, which, while functional, is less than aesthetically pleasing. As I clean out my shelves for spring cleaning this year, paring down what will go back onto the shelves is the easy part. Keeping what I put back looking nice and neat is the kicker. Check out this link, which has one of the best solutions that I have seen so far. As I replace the wire shelving in my home, I will be hanging my new shelves upside down. This results in the brackets of the shelves turning themselves into built in dividers, and attractive ones at that......

Pure (and pretty) genius!



http://www.simplifiedbee.com/2010/03/spring-cleaning-tips-making-your-closet-functional-beautiful.html

Get Thee Behind Me Carpet Dents!

Hello Gypsy Fans, Today's Spring Cleaning Tip Involves Cleaning the Carpets In My House.

Now we all know that the correct way (as apposed to the way I usually do it) to get our carpets clean is to move all of the furniture in a room (hello treasure trove of lost legos!), give the carpet a good vacuum, them steam clean with a carpet cleaner (make sure not to over soap! Left over soap attracts dirt like glue). I always find it deeply satisfying, and a little gross, to see what my carpet has been hiding over the long, cold winter. What you might not know about is my favorite tip for getting dents left by furniture out of the nap in your carpet. Since I love to move stuff around in my house, these dents are a common occurrence. Check out this link that shows step-by-step how to get rid of these dents using ice cubes, it's so easy, even this chick can do it.......


http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Furniture-Dents-from-Carpet

Today's Spring Cleaning Task~Kid's Clothes

Today to Kick Off My Spring Cleaning, I am starting with my kid's closets. 

If your kids are anything like mine, they spent their entire winter eating and growing. This makes them healthy and happy, and unfortunately for mothers everywhere, it also makes their clothes too small!

My sons recently grew about 2 inches in the span of 38 seconds and is now walking around looking like he is preparing for a flood of Noah-like proportions. Since Spring and Summer is on it's way (and I am a big cheapskate when it comes to everyday kid's clothes) I have already picked him up some jeans that fit on clearance at a local store, along with 3 or four pairs from the consignment shop I use and the kid's 2nd hand store in town. You can't beat name-brand jeans for your kids when they are less than $2 with the tags still on!

All of the clothes that no longer fit my little angels will be passed on to smaller cousins or dropped of on consignment. (Make a small tote of what you know friends/relatives kids will like and will fit them within the next year, don't just throw all of it at your families heads and laugh because you successfully moved clutter from your house to theirs) Nothing is more annoying than getting bags full of clothes from someone who says "these are for your kids, aren't I helpful" only to find they contain items so stained, faded, and humongous (I'm looking at you person who gives a 6 year old size 12 items) that it turns a favor into another thing on my to-do list (I am not a Goodwill drop off site to my knowledge).

Everything not claimed and in great shape will go to the consignment store I use. Clothes that I no longer want from my closet will join them as well as all the jewelry from the bottom of my jewelry box that I don't ever wear. The 10 minutes it takes to drop the stuff off will pay off big time when I need to get a spring concert dress for my daughter to wear once, or I need some extra cash. (Remember, Consignment Shops will pay you cash when your stuff sells or will give you store credit, and I have never met a woman who did not want easy money or free clothes).

Good luck with your kid's closets~
Remember, you need to be ruthless on junk to be easy on your self!

Let The Spring Cleaning Marathon Begin!

Hi Gypsy Fans! As we cruise into March, a little worse for the wear after winter's wrath, we turn our attention and time to a task that has brought many a contender to their knees.........SPRING CLEANING!!!!

Spring Cleaning is kind of like tattoos....some folks do it, some folks don't. Some folks get it, some folks won't. If you are like me, you tackle spring (and fall) cleaning as a way to turn over the seasons and get a fresh start after half a year of cabin fever (Northern MI winters are not for the faint of heart!). It usually takes me a couple weeks to be done with all of my tasks (if I tried to do it all at once, my home would be thrown into chaos, thus negating the purpose of creating a calm, spring cleaned house).

Spring Cleaning falls under the umbrella of "war on clutter" described in previous posts in regards to stress. Make a list, get through it, no whining or complaining or procrastinating please! You are NOT the busiest person in the world, if millions of folks with jobs, kids, pets, volunteer posts, etc. can spring clean their house, what is your excuse exactly?

So to help you along, I will be posting tips and tricks from the keepers of the wisdom about Spring Cleaning, and talking about the tasks that I attempt to tackle. I hear-by declare the 2013 Spring Cleaning to be officially open!

Discounts for Well Behaved Kids?

From out friends at 9&10 News, a local news station in Northern Michigan, which this Gypsy calls home, a question that is bond to stir up the best kind of parenting drama:

Our Fox Topix question today...Do you think restaurants should give a discount for well behaved children? One restaurant in Seattle, Wash. thinks so, they've been giving it to a few patrons who had well behaved kids.
Here is the link to their Facebook page where you can chime in on the discussion:
https://www.facebook.com/9and10News

This MG's opinion would be "Depends on the Day!" Most of the time my children are well behaved but we have had meltdowns in public just like everyone else. The difference may be in how little they occur. And my husband and I firmly believe that zero tolerance, even if it results in inconvenience to us, the adults, is the best way to deal with a situation like this. I have left cart fulls of grocery sitting in the middle of the store because I told a child that unless they straitened up, we were going to leave. My husband has stood outside a car in the parking lot while a 6 year old threw a tantrum on the inside. We have left restaurants before the food has hit the table, with one parent putting the bratty-acting kids in the car while the other asks for everything to be boxed up. Does this suck? Yes! Is it very frustrating and inconvenient and feel like the grown ups are getting punished for the kids behavior? Of course!
But let me tell you, each kid did not want to go home and the lesson that you must behave a certain way to be able to be out with the rest of humanity was made crystal clear. We only had to leave one restaurant, one grocery store, with each kid before they were "cured" of this kind of mis-behavior. Now I get compliments on how well behaved my kids are.
Hopefully this will shine a light on the under-lying issue: No one wants to listen to your screaming, fit-throwing kids! Not even other mothers that have been there before. I expect kids to melt down, what I don't expect is for you to sit there letting them destroy other people's experiences. If your child is incapable of behaving in public at that moment, you need to remove them, end of story....

Gypsy's Top 5 Tips for De-Stressing Your House

Hello Ladies & Gents,
It's getting to be that time of year again.......(wait for it).......SPRING CLEANING! Spring Cleaning is something near and dear to my heart that I have come to love and loath. Nothing perks up my mood more than a sparkling clean and organized house, but the road to get there can be bumpy and winding. And since folks are always complementing me on my organized dwelling, here are some certified Michigan Gypsy Tips to de-stress your daily adventures~

#1: If you can do it in under 60 seconds, it needs to be done immediately! 
This is a way of life you should adopt and something you should hammer into your spouse and kids, it will change your life. If you look at small tasks as either "can be done in under 60 sec." or "needs more time" and act accordingly, you house will be much neater and your brain less frantic. It takes some getting used to but pays off big time, especially if you can look at is as a game that you are winning, a way you are helping yourself etc. The way it works is this, any task, no matter what it is, if you can do it in under 60 sec. you do it immediately, right then and there, no excuses. Throwing out the junk mail after checking the mail: takes less than 60 sec. Taking dishes back to the kitchen: takes less than 60 sec. straitening shoes at front door: takes less than 60 sec. Jotting down a reminder on a sticky note: takes less than 60 sec. When you see something that hits you with a "Crap! I need to take care of that/clean that up/put that away" you would be amazed what really only takes a few seconds out of our lives but pays off big time for our sanity. No excuses~ unless you are an on-call surgeon, you can do this!

#2: Teach them~ They Will Surprise You!
It always shocks me how much parents under-estimate their children. If you want your home to produce mature, responsible adults, then you need to be growing mature, responsible kids, end of story! Baby them with your love, not by waiting on them hand and foot. If you turn yourself into a maid for your family, they will treat you like one. Now don't get me wrong, I shoulder the brunt of the housekeeping and cleaning in our diggs (and I have 2 jobs) and I do so happily, after all, I chose to get married and to have these children, their messes come with the territory. However, after your kids get out of the toddler stage it is time to have them step up their acts around the house. And no, I don't just mean keeping their rooms clean, that's a given, but other things as well. If you take the time to teach them, they will surprise you with their ability to handle it. Perfect example, as soon as my son was able to safely reach the knobs on the washer  and dryer ( he was around 9 or 10), he started helping with the laundry. He does not use the bleach for obvious reasons, but I put star stickers on the "regular" settings on both machines, showed him how to use the detergent and fabric softener, cautioned about using too much soap, and away he went. No muss, no fuss! We approached it as something that all the mature, responsible members of the family learn and help out with, and trust me, having another set of hands to turn over the laundry is amazing!

#3: Throw it Away Already!!!!!!
Yes I am looking at you compulsive plastic bag hoarder! That's right, advert your eyes Mr. Drawer Full of Holy Socks. This year should be the year that you finally give yourself permission to let go of some stuff you are holding onto "just in case." It might irk you when it first leaves your life, but do what I do: visualize a clean, fresh, neatly organized home, with yourself standing in it, and know that it will never happen if you have more scrapbook paper than Michael's stored away even though you haven't crafted since your 13 year old was in diapers....It's reality check time! Trust me, nothing feels more liberating that getting rid of an entire drawer (that's right, they all go) of crappy, yucky socks and replacing it with all nice new ones.


#4: Consignment Shop, Consignment Shop, Consignment Shop:
I have always given all of our old stuff to Goodwill in the past, and still do donate certain things to charity. But when I got laid off at my last job, we had to face some lifestyle changes. One of those changes what no more new clothes. My solution? I started taking the kids and adult clothes that we grow out of/no longer wear to a local consignment shop. You will get the biggest bang for your buck from the ones that specialize in kids/women's clothes. Check the Internet and phone book for ones in your town and stop by to check it out before taking your stuff there, you want to make sure it is a good "fit." The one I use is nice and clean and half is kids and half is women's with a small men's section. I take our NICE (no crap!) gently used clothes whenever I have a full bin (I have a plastic bin in the basement where I throw stuff destined for the consignment shop). They put them up for sale and after an item sells, I get about 1/2 the money put on my account. I can either have them write me a check or I can use that money to shop the store. I always shop the store, (and I have run into folks from the most expensive neighborhoods in town browsing there) since my kids always, always, need something, either jeans or a holiday dress, or even a sweater for me. And let me tell you, when I walk out of that store with a bag full of clothes for FREE (Hollister hoodies for my husband!), it more than makes up for shopping at the mall. Less clutter in my home and free clothes that my family actually wants? That's called a score where I come from.

#5: Own Less:
This is the hardest one, which is why I saved it for last. The reason that my house is open and airy and nice and neat is basically because I hate clutter. It mentally and emotionally effects me to the point that I have challenged clutter to a duel at dawn with pistols in the park by the river bend. You will not see piles of random paper in my house. You will not see every surface covered with random chotchkies gathering dust. No resin moose or misc. paperweights. I have grouping of things I love and collect, but they are carefully edited to only feature that which I love, love, love, with an over-all eye to maintaining open space and airiness. My home is still warm and cozy without being cluttered. Be brave, put some collectibles in your bookcase to feature the very best and get rid of the rest. Sell them on craigslist, give them to charity, pawn them off on your sisters, whatever it takes. When I find something I have to have at an antique store or flea market, either I have a specific spot in mind or something else in the house has to go to make room. Your happiness needs room to grow in your home, use a harsh and critical eye to make sure it gets the legroom it needs.......

From The Birdhouse Workshop~

Today's Birdhouse Workshop Idea:
Using unusual items in extraordinary ways! I thought of this handsome group of fellas when I came across some old weathered spindle legs at my local Re-Store. I figured they would make great birdhouse bases, and I was right! The shape is perfect for small birdhouses and the legs can be pushed into the ground wherever you want. I dry-brushed pallet wood white to match the legs and used old end pieces of barn wood I had lying around from other projects. A handful of rusty hardware and some moss from the dollar store and I was in business. The deer antlers give it an unexpected touch that even the menfolk can appreciate, and you can usually scrounge up some smaller single antlers that are not big enough to display if you ask enough guys sweetly enough. Remember to use a drill bit to drill holes in the antlers first (slowly!) then mount using screws. Happy Hunting.......

The Life of a Hockey Mom

I came across this article written by John Buccigross and laughed out loud! As a hockey mom that is not only the team manager for my son's teams and the Vice President of our Hockey Association, I deal with hockey and hockey parents nearly every day. The decision by my husband Nick to also help coach our son's team this season has made my home the hockey center of Northern Michigan. And while I love that my son loves this sport so much, I am looking forward to spring so my 3 season porch no longer reeks of the gear that is spread out on it air out, spending a weekend at home for once, and having a week go by where the only screaming, nutty, slap-fighting that I have to endure is the result of people I am related to or am getting paid to interact with. With that I share with you John Buccigross's 13 simple rules for hockey parents, may they put a smile on your face as well~

http://espn.go.com/nhl/notebook/_/page/buccigross_091215/my-13-simple-rules-hockey-parents-everywhere