Heebie Jeebies, Craigs List and an Alternative

Me? I am a fan of Craigs List. It beats the hell out of holding a yard sale. Negotiating via text message or email is so much more comfortable than face to face with a pushy yard sale professional.

We have had great luck (so far) with our dealings on Craigs List, yet every single time it comes down to actually meeting with the person and the exchange of money, I have to admit that I get the heebie jeebies. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way... we've all heard the horror stories (the Craigs List Killer ring a bell?)

And then there's eBay, which I've been over since 2004 I think.

What to do when you have something you want to sell off? Or are looking for a gently used item at a much better price than retail?

Here's your alternative: Ubokia

 If you are a Craigs Lister, Ubokia might seem a little backwards at first, but trust me, it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. You see, Ubokia is buyer-centric. People post things they need to sell AND post things they want to buy. In fact, you can't start negotiations with a seller until you post a want on the site.

PLUS, it's safer! With uTrust, Ubokia is the safest way to buy online. You can even use your PayPal account for exchange of funds. (Who carries cash around these days, anyways?)

Also:

• Buying through a blog marketplace means you are connecting with other like-minded people - making it easier to find what you want and in general your interactions are more pleasant than something like Craigslist.
• Ubokia is easier for buyers because all they have to do is post a want and let sellers come to them. No more searching!
• Ubokia is easier for sellers because they don't have to wait to potential buyers to view their products. They can immediately connect with buyers.

Have something you want to sell? Click here.

Have something in mind you are dying to get your hands on? Click here.

Try it out. What do you have to lose?

<3, Tabi :D

I was compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

An Extraordinarily Unordinary Day

Yesterday, on the precipice of the RNC and Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac, we decided to take advantage of the calm before the storm and head to Clearwater Beach. It had been a week since I had my toes in the sand and I was having withdrawals.

So, as our trip began, many unusual sights and unordinary things abounded.

To get to Clearwater Beach, we have to drive through downtown Tampa. With the RNC gearing up, our cops are out in full force. We spotted them in their military-like uniforms with their guns strapped to their thighs like Lara Croft looking under every rock, in every garbage can, in every hole. For what? Bombs is what I'm told.

Seeing them crossing the streets in groups of 10 or more was a bit disconcerting to me.

As we were going over the bridge on Courtney Campbell Causeway, Christopher points out the police boat below searching for explosive devices. I didn't know people made threats on our bridges?!? I'm starting to wonder if every political convention has this many threats attached to it. I know politicians aren't very popular, but... wow!

So, we get to the beach and Roxy and Riley start pointing out all the contrasts our beach has to the beach we stayed at a week ago in the Outer Banks (hereafter referred to as OBX).

• The smell: it's not a fresh, clean seabreezy smell here, it's more like... hint of seafood.
• The sand: it's much more soft, white and sugary here, not as rocky and fluffy as it is in OBX.
• The water: is MUCH warmer here.
• The waves: Riley referred to the waves in OBX as having a tantrum. Clearwater waves are much more relaxed. He liked that.

There was a bit of a pool built up about a foot to a foot and a half deep that the kids waded around in. In it we saw two different schools of teeny fish. Well one school had teeny fish and the other had teenier fish. It was pretty awesome watching the two swim around and, sometimes chase/run away from each other.

Christopher saw a sting ray jump out of the water.

Roxy laughed at a guy in a Speedo. (She thought he was swimming in his underwear.)

Then, the clouds started rolling in. It started sideways raining, so we packed up and trekked back to the van. We changed out of our soaking wet beach clothes and into our dry clothes and then... it stopped raining.

So, we decided to walk over and take a peek at the dolphin exhibit (which is amazing. I recommend stopping by if you are in the vicinity).

We almost got around to examining all of the dolphins when the rain decided it wasn't done. So, we hid under a roof while Daddy took the umbrella and pulled our chariot around to pick us up.

Heading home, we picked up some Thai takeout (YUM!) and I tried Thai Tea for the first time. Have you ever tried Thai Tea? (1) it's fun to say, and (2) it's pretty yummy. Kind of orangey and a big hint of Chai. Also something I recommend trying.

What sorts of unordinary things did you get around to this weekend?

<3, Tabi :D

BFF's

Isn't it funny how we only ever remember to snap pictures of our kids...
even when visiting a far away friend?

This post is about friendship. Those true friends with whom you form a bond so strong, it doesn't matter how far away you move, how long it goes between conversations, how heated the fights get... well, this seems to sum it up:

"True friends are the ones who never leave your heart, even if they leave your life for awhile. Even after years apart, you pick up with them right where you left off."

- the Internet (Seriously, I have no clue... do you?)

I have 3 friends up north, who I am talking about in particular. These are the chicks I had on my Must See list when "planning" our Summer Adventure. 

I first met and bonded with all three of these girls in my high school years. Since then, over a decade has passed. All of us have experienced falling in love, heartache, pregnancy and childbirth, and many many other rites of passage into adulthood. Yet when we get together, we are the same people we were back then.

People don't change, I know this. Who you are inside was decided in your genetic code, long before birth... it's in your soul. This part of people never changes. Only the superficial stuff changes.

What's super fun about meeting up these days is (among other things) seeing our children play together. It's a huge reminder and beautiful portrayal of the whole circle of life.

It also reminds me how mean it is that we all live so far apart. Luckily, we have Facebook and texting and those few, precious times when we happen to be in the same state and are able to rearrange our hectic schedules to meet up to physically check in with those pieces of our heart.

In direct contrast with yesterday's post... all the craziness of traveling around was definitely worth it and I feel like one lucky lady I was able to pull it off.

<3, Tabi :D

For posterity: other pictures of BFF playdates here and here.

The Day We Visited the National Zoo

(1) The Deneweth kids + cousin Logan posing on the Bear statue. (2) My caged wild animals.
(3) ZoBo behind bars, "I'm innocent, I swear. Look at my innocent blue eyes!"
(4) A bee trap was the winner of Zoie's attention. (5) Cute tortoise column to the reptile house. (6) The Zoie and the Frog.
(7) Panda Bear! (8) The kids playing prairie dogs. (9) The elusive giant pizza at the zoo.

The day we visited the National Zoo it was H-O-T. And that means a lot coming from a Florida girl.

The day we visited the National Zoo, we were 1 week plus 1 day into our Summer Adventure. We had traveled from our house in Brandon, FL to a friend's place in Charleston, SC to my parents' in LaPlata, MD to my sister's house in Fredericksburg, VA to my dear friend Butha's in Winchester, VA and then down to our nations capital to visit the zoo. All while living out of a minivan and suitcases and all while 4 children being under the supervision of one (ahem) adult (me).

If that sounds overwhelming, well... you are right. And the stress of it all seemed to culminate on that scorcher of a day at the zoo amongst the caged animals.

The five of us traveled down the mountains of VA to the zoo and met up with my parents, my sister and Sunshine. Also, my other sister and her two boys and my friend Tabitha with her four kids. I'll do the math for you: that makes 17 of us.

It started out well enough (except we were about an hour late meeting my folks... but that's almost a given with me) until I almost peed my pants, so I rushed my clan in as soon as we found our parking spot and made a beeline to the nearest bathroom. After I emptied my bladder, I thought, "The worst is over, the rest of the day is fun fun fun."

Ha! Until 20 minutes later when at least 2 kids were complaining about the heat and how thirsty they were and then how stinky the mammal house was and then there was the meltdown over the lemonade machine not working and water just would not do!

Luckily, we did have a few happy and memorable moments. And I got some cute shots of the kids and one measly shot of the star of the National Zoo, the Panda Bear.

We did leave the zoo with souvenirs and Roxy's little stuffed Panda is her favorite friend at the moment. She loves her Pandy. :)

That day, I decided I was actually crazy thinking I could pull this trip off. I decided for the rest of my DC Metropolitan area tour I would camp out at my Mom's place and not move my suitcases until it was time to head down to OBX. <-- That was the best decision I could've made. I probably would be writing posts from the insane asylum if I didn't make that decision.
I'm so happy my Mom didn't mind ( Thanks, Mom! <3 ).

This was also the same day we learned that Dylan should not have red jello. 

<3, Tabi :D