Affiliate Rave - Meijer vs. Walmart

Post sponsored by Meijer, however the opinions and statements are completely my own.

I'm excited for the acceptance of my latest affiliate! Mostly because I shop at Meijer all the time! Since it's right near work, I can't count how many days a week I run over there really quick to pick something up on my lunch break. The fact that they carry literally everything: groceries, home goods, clothes, cards, toiletries, DVD's, books, you name it... Is a big deal to me. I work full-time, raise kids full-time, and have to make the most of any precious "me time" seconds that I can snatch. Meijer helps me do this! 

I don't have to spend hours running around to different places to accommodate the million different things my family needs at any given point in time, to me, that is worth it's weight in gold! I also have to say that I love their mobile app. I'm a big coupon person. With 3 kids, you kind of have to be. I can simply click the coupon and it's waiting for me when I go to check out. No fuss instant savings. It's just beautiful!

Biggest bonus of Meijer though... It's always clean! No matter what one I walk into, it's clean. Even better, they actually have employees working there! I can't count the number of times I've "run into Walmart" (if there is such a thing) and stood in line 30 minutes longer than it actually took me to get what I need because there's only 2 lanes open and about 500 people standing in line! I hate that with a passion. I know that I make a terrible girl because I really find no joy in shopping. I want to get what I need, get in, and get the hell out... That's not even an option, even with self-checkout at Walmart.

So, thank you Meijer for taking me on. Thank you Meijer for making my life a little easier (almost daily). Now, if I could just convince them to allow me to click on my own link, that would great...

Family Filled Weekend

I had originally started this post last night, but decided I just didn't have the energy. By the time our house quieted down, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch, watch a little TV, and then head off to bed.

Saturday we went to James' parents' house for his brother's birthday dinner. Since his dad has crones, we do it earlier in the day because he doesn't typically last more than a few hours with all the excitement that having 13 people over brings. I was incredibly surprised at how late we were there. We didn't end up leaving until after 8pm and we'd arrived around 2pm. Anne and Lena ended up going home with his brother and sister-in-law because they wanted to spend the night with the cousins. You can tell you're a parent when the fact that we got to go to the grocery store with no kids was exciting for us!

Saturday before we left my dad had called the house to talk to James about the upcoming Bear's game. My parents moved recently so they haven't bothered having cable put in just yet. What originally was supposed to be him coming over to watch the game turned into a house full of people. Now, I'm certainly not a football fan, but it ended up being a fun day anyhow. My mom and my brother came with him and then because the girls had spent the night we had his brother's family over too. We set out a bunch of snacks, cooked out on the grill, and let the girls bike ride all over the neighborhood.

I was really pleased with the way everything turned out. By the time it was done I was exhausted... I love busy weekends though, especially when they're filled with family.

Yesterday I Was "Nowhere Near It"

It's not even 7:30 and our house is already in full swing. James was off to work at 4am and the girls are getting showered and ready to head to the "Back to School Party" at our little POA. There are things I both love and hate about living in a little town. The little events our neighborhood hosts for the kids around here is one of those things that I love. It's never anything fancy, but it gives the kids a chance to feel independent. They get to hop on their bikes and leave the parental units behind as they had off for a couple of authority free hours (save the community volunteers) and just hang out with their friends. Best of all... Mommy gets a break on Saturday morning.

I didn't bother posting yesterday because I was down right crabby. James has been taking Nyquil to try and smoother the cold he caught from the kids last weekend and it makes sleeping in the same bed as him rather unpleasant. For starters, it makes him sweat like a leaking faucet. For the past few nights I've been waking up moist. My skin feels like I just ran through the mist of a sprinkler and not in a good way. I've also been kicked, elbowed, had the covers stolen, and my side of the bed has constantly been invaded by his wayward legs. He's also started talking in his sleep. I've always loved that he's hardworking and dedicated to his job. But this man is literally dreaming of work.

My serious lack of sleep set the stage for a "I'm not taking your sh*t today!" attitude at work. I'd posted before about a co-worker of mine and her tendency to get, shall we say, sassy with me. In all truth, personally speaking, I like her. I think that we could be great friends outside of work. Professionally speaking however, it can be a little like oil and water. If you shake the bottle, we'll mix. It's the perfect cocktail for cooking up some really productive ideas and actions for our marketing. But, after a little while goes by, we settle and separate. It was really rocky a couple months ago when our manager made the decision to put me in charge of the marketing department. I never wanted her job, but I got it. Even through all of the resistance I got, I think we make a damn good team. Last month was the first month since I've been with the company that all 7 of our stores beat last year's number at the same time. We've always had one or two each month, but never all of them. We really over hauled all of our traditional marketing. I won't take all the credit for it though. We did it together. We got side by side in the trenches and poured our hearts into it full speed ahead. Yesterday however, she pulled a 180 on me and it just wasn't the right day to throw a tantrum. I simply didn't have the patience. At the end of the day, it's my butt on the line and her withholding important information about the projects we have in the works just isn't going to fly.

By the time I left work I was completely in defense mode. We have a birthday lunch today for Jame's brother at his parents' house and we were put in charge of making the homemade bread. I told him Tuesday when he mentioned it that we only have one bread pan, to which he responded "Okay." Then as I'm driving home last night he tells me that I need to get two more bread pans because we need three loaves for today. Poor guy, I chomped his head off. I work right near Bed Bath & Beyond (and I'm my sister's shopping buddy so I get to use the 20% employee discount) and was fuming that he didn't tell me this while I was actually near the store so I didn't have to make an extra trip. This leads back around to one of things I hate about living in a little town. We're a good half hour away from everything. There's no quick trips to the store. It's a big part of the reason we'll be moving next summer. But I'm getting off topic here... All I wanted to do yesterday was go home, put on my jammie pants, be lazy, and decompress. Nope, no such luck. However, on a normal day, I would just have said "no problem hunnie, you get the girls and Lena and I will handle the bread pans." Instead I chastised him for it because he "should have mentioned this Tuesday when I brought it up!"

I did get the bread pans. I did "accidentally" stop at the mall for some retail therapy and get a new pair of jeans that I was desperate need of. Most importantly though... I did end up apologizing for being a GIANT Sebastian. Thank goodness that man loves me through thick and thin. I'm grateful for him every day and I don't know what I'd do without him. He's my rock in all the chaos that comes with the everyday life of a working mom.