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Happy Birthday Extreme Couponing

As much as I would like to save money everyday like the extreme couponers we see on TLC, I am just not the one right now. However I do have a few things I am "anal "over and that is receiving my annual complimentary meal Benihana valued at $30 on your birthday for their Chef's Table Members. Its easy just sign up here and they will email you the coupon at the beginning of your birthday month. It is better to use it for lunch as you get more bang for your "free bucks".

http://pages.benihana-news.com/registration

Wearing Walmart Fashion Finds: Miss Tina

Yep I said it I now shop at Wally World. It came after like many of you I saw a new line of clothing featured in Essence Magazine where Tina Knowles launched her line in Walmart "Miss Tina" fall 2010.  I was initially very excited to see nothing was over $20. I was skeptical at first and never went into the store although I really was digging how model Tocarra rocked the threads. Around the end of winter, I went in to find things were picked over and left the section discontented thinking "that is why I never shopped here poor quality everything even inventory."


I am a frugal lady at heart so I tried again a few months ago.  I found just about every piece of clothing from the Spring 2011 line and fell in love. Luckily the stores close to me have a good inventory when the line for each season first drops. I never thought I would say this but these clothes fit my curves and bumps better than anything I have ever bought. Miss Tina is a big fan of ruched textures on the sides of her dresses (hits just below the lower hip) which as she says is very "forgiving" I say "ode to Miss Tina" because after a basket of chicken wings I have previously begged my clothes for mercy.

Check out the entire line at www.misstina.com

I encourage you to check out your local store and at least try on some of the items. If you do not find your size don't fret you can order from www.walmart.com for only $0.97 shipping! You will be surprised to find some very hidden treasures. One of my favorites is the Fold Over Skirt Dress that is a 3 way outfit 1) the top rolls down to a dress falling just below the knee to create a ruched texture around the middle 2) the top rolls up to a dress that falls ankle length 3) the top rolls down twice to create a third outfit of a shirt that falls right at the ankle and ruched at the tummy. If you are like me and need some styling advise on how to wear Walmart fashionably then check out this NYC Stylist turned blogger Penny Chic that exclusively styles her "muses" in nothing but Walmart from head to toe. Happy Chic Cheap Shopping!

Short Women = Short Birth Canals.....

Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom

The pre-conception meeting with the doctor was like  a freight train, I can't lie. Hehehe. I agree with hubs that our speed seemed to go from 0 to 100 during the course of the meeting. All and all everything is fine and we have our plan. Little did I know she would suggest taking pre-natal vitamins a year in advance! Ish is getting real.... hehehehe
On to a lighter note, she began to size me up a bit versus the hubs (I stand 4'11 strong and he is...... drum roll 6'2). Then mentioned C section maybe likely because looks like a baby might not "fit" esp if he or she gets the tall genes from daddy. Some women may get anxiety by hearing that but it didn't bother me much. Just glad to get my mind ready for that one day. Size up these celebrity women with their tall beaus. Its funny to see how "jolly green giant" our men look beside us. 

Christina Ricci & Owen Benjamin

Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian

Sacha B Cohen & Isla Fisher

Mother's Day Cookie Bouquet Giveaway: I Won!

I just wanted to announce that I won the Mother's Day Cookie bouquet for my mom from Talking With Tami. Just for those skeptics that think these giveaways are not real. They are! Doesn't it look yummy!?

Lady Blogger Social Online Conference for Blogging & Social Media Women

The Lady Blogger Social Online Conference virtually this summer. I am so excited as it is very cost effective for me as we are planning toward a family cruise in October. So my blogging conference budget has been severely decreased.

This conference brought to you by the fabulous Lady Blogger’s Society will have some of the same benefits of an actual live event. Attendees will receive swag bags, enter giveaways, listen to speakers and participate in networking rooms.

When? July 8 to 10th

Where? Online from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have Internet

What do you get with registration:

• 3 days of live events, sessions with speakers, networking, and building your social media confidence
• Lifetime Access to our Ning Conference Website
• Affiliate Marketing E-Book
• Creating Info Products E-Book
• Online Marketing E-Book
• Workbooks and Sheet for each panel discussion
• Online Events and “Table” Discussions
• Virtual SwagBag of learning materials and discounts!
• Access to all session recordings and speaker PowerPoint slides and handouts (great if you can’t make the live session).
• Access to all session transcripts – in case you prefer to read the information instead of listen or watch it.

Session topics they have planned:

• Branding Your Blog
• Growing Your Readership, And Why You’d Want To Anyway
• Graphic and Blog Design
• The Do’s and Don’ts for Brand Ambassadors
• Creative Writing For Ranting Writers
• Pushing Past the Blogging Burnout Phases
• Creating a Blogging Business for Blogging Mama’s
• Increasing Your Resume List for Social Media Jobs
• Parenting and The Computer Screen, Combining the Two Perfectly
• Vlogging For The Rest Of Us
• Turning Your Blog into a Community
• Mobile Blogging/Blogging on the Go
• Becoming a Travel Blogger
• Review Blogging: Making It Work for You

Cost? $55 Early Bird Price (until May 6th). After that it goes up to $65. Late Registration is $75.

I didn't make the early bird special by 4 days :( but $65 isn't bad considering you don't have to change out of your pajamas all weekend! Hurry get your ticket soon only 100 lucky ladies can attend!

Join me at The Lady Blogger Social Online Conference!

Pre-Conception Planning: The Doctor Visit

It just so happen I was on the search for a new gynecologist and it is not time for my annual exam. We decided to go visit one the doctor that I am strongly considering and thought why not get our pre-conception questions answered. So ladies I need help what questions should I make sure we get answers to?

NBC's The Event: Need Ratings!

Apparently just as our favorite show is getting juicy ratings have dropped :( TV Analysts have predicted that The Event will be cancelled and will not return for next season. This is a slightly desperate plea for you to watch the previous episodes on demand and join us fans next week as we try and savor the ratings. This is a really good show and in my opinion ratings have dropped because of the competing Monday night time slot with Dancing With The Stars and their fan base has really took a leap. The Event is one of the best night time series in my opinion since Fox's "24" & ABC's "Lost". Check it out!

Lawsuit? Match.Com Owes California Woman Nothing

This story that broke today hits close to home. As promised in a previous post, you get a review how I met my husband on E-Harmony.com. If you are interested in my online dating story that led to a healthy relationship & happy marriage see below. But first my opinion:


I strongly do not believe Match.com should be held liable in a civil suit to take responsibility for an assault the woman tragically faced. I think many of us watching the story unfold are very saddened that she had to experience this. However, that does not mean its someone else's fault such as the company Match.com. The gentleman that assaulted her is responsible and will reach his day in court to be prosecuted. If I meet a guy in church, college, or at a restaurant/bar and he assaults me it is not the institution of church, university or eating establishment's fault because they allowed him in. All of us who choose to date have a responsibility to know who we allow in our presence. From the news reports, allegedly after the assault the woman Googled him to then find out his criminal history. I do understand that many people feel that any dating agency has an underlying "responsibility" to its members but we are adults and must discern the people we date. What is reasonable is for Match.com to take the next steps in their business to implement processes/screenings to decrease the potential liability that could be determined in a court of law. 


I chose to date on E-Harmony.com for the "peace of mind" they provided: RelyID. RelyID is where members have the option to chose whether to link their profile to a third party site to "prove" identity which is similar to answering a few questions from your credit report. Members who chose this have their profile flagged as screened through RelyID. As a online dater I knew that did not exclude sexual predators, married men, or even he/she men from being on the site. It was ultimately my responsibility to perform my own screening on anyone I decided to date/meet from the site.

My On Line Dating Story

It was winter 2008 and I was a single woman finishing up 4 year career stint in Omaha, NE. I decided to return from an almost year long hiatus from relationships. My thoughts were dating online would force me to really get to know the person as opposed to rushing into something.  I filled out my profile and to my amazement learned about myself through their scenario based questions. A few weeks went by receiving matches, viewing profiles, closing out matches, getting closed out. Then one day I got a profile link from a gentleman that intrigued me. We began chatting through the 'secured' website. E-harmony has conversation starters and questions you can send back and forth to your match. Then we moved to emailing back and forth from our personal email addresses for about 2 weeks. After the conversations kept getting more interesting, we decided to speak on the phone. We opted out of E-harmony's optional secure phone line and used our cell phones. Then the phone conversations continued for 2 months. This "getting to know" period of time included adding each other on Facebook as it allows you to see you are talking to a real person & can validate the things they are saying about their life. We talked everyday about just about everything for the first 2 months.


Then during my drive to move from Omaha to Atlanta we had to go through a suburb of Nashville where my husband is from.  So with my "protection" BKA dad in tow I stopped at a McDonald's to meet my online date for the first time. We had a modest breakfast for about an hour. My father thought I was meeting an old friend. He later said that it seemed like we had known each other for a while. We go back on the road got to Atlanta and within a few days my husband was asking me to be his girlfriend. We had gotten to know each other so well it was just seeing each other in the physical made it know this is it. I now have a profound appreciation for the art of Compatibility.


I am well aware all online dating stories do not result in healthy relationships that lead to marriage. What I want you to remember from my story is TALK to, COMMUNICATE with & INVESTIGATE anyone you are dating.

Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand: East Atlanta

"Holy Mother Clucker" is a term that is often used these days as patrons of the new Chicken Sausage stand of East Atlanta take a bite of this messy but delicious meals. The owners are the same food geniuses that brought us The Flying Biscuit & The Porter. The stand makes handmade chicken sausage that is served embedded in a fresh hoagie roll topped with succulent toppings such as homemade beer cheese, sauerkraut, fire pepper mustard aka the The Sleezy Cheezy. They have great weekend hours (4AM Geesh!) so perfect for that late night after bar/club snack.


http://www.thesausagestand.com/

House Buyers Remorse

Yes, you heard it and it is very possible to make an over $100K big purchase mistake. Rewind to 2008 I had just moved to Atlanta and my lovely sister Social.Life.Style Blogger welcomed me to stay with her in Lawrenceville, a suburb of the city. Well this became challenging as I worked downtown on Peachtree in the heart of the city and the commute for me was nothing I wanted to handle even short term. So I start the first time homebuyer’s journey to the "American Dream". I thought of myself as a city girl so I decided to only look at condo properties no more than 10 miles from the city. Can you believe I never looked at a single family home? Never stepped foot inside of one? Ughfff (kicking myself). You might ask why? Well I settled on a 2 br/2.5 bath townhome in a growing gentrified East Atlanta condominium.

We all know what happen to the housing market late 2008 so me and another homeowner were the last 2 owners to purchase into our property. Little did we know this is our builder's first investment like this and they think of themselves as being well versed at rental property management? They have since tried to keep afloat financially by renting unsold units in a development that they have not event finished (skeleton units, no pool, fitness center). Imagine our property value with this plus the actual market tank. On top of that we have drug dealers, former or current male/female call girls or boys (yeahhh), people of want to film low budget movies, etc all currently or have lived in our condo community as renters. Gasssp..!

Now imagine this married women living with her husband in the home purchase property from hell. I find myself longing for the gingerbread house in the suburbs of Atlanta. It is sad that as a homeowner me and my husband would not feel comfortable procreating living in our home! I have to apologize for this rant but the market is picking up and people are buying homes. I want to make any unsuspecting buyer in the condo market beware on what is on the other side of the wall. If you must buy a condo I would highly suggest considering only the mature neighborhoods already filled with many homeowners.

A Tribute To Mr. Wonderful

I consider myself a modest person because I appreciate the blessings that I have receive and the things I have but often do not talk about them. I must confess that I can not hold this in. I am married to the most wonderful man I have ever met. We have been working so closely together on our business ventures, projects, fasting for lent that I have to stop and take moment to let this man know how grateful I am for him. His patience, sincerity, humbleness, strength, tenacity for things he believes in, creativity, uniqueness are among the many things that make him who he is & especially Mr. Wonderful to me. I feel so blessed that all the things I wanted in a man and more I have. I will have to do a full post one day for my readers but just to let know Mr. Wonderful and I met in e-harmony.com in 2008 and my life was enhanced from his presence from the first connection.

Bloggers First Speaking

I am so excited to announce I had my first speaking engagement as a blogger! We have partnered with the Pursuing Purpose Passionately Coaches Curtis & Meichelle Gibson on a 30 city tour to cities hit hard by the recession. The goal is to provide a focus to discover & pursue your purpose for individuals that may have been laid off from jobs, underemployed, etc who turn their situation into an opportunity to step out on faith. These are the times where we are most creative and answer the call to unemployment with our own businesses to employ us. Follow the PPP University Website for updates. First stop Cincinnati, OH on April 30th!

Comment Cocktail Hang Over

I just attended a Comment Cocktail Party turned twitter party and it was awesome! I love how total "strangers" to your blog are so willing to support. I so appreciate what the gals over there at SITS Girls are doing.  Its great because I find it amazing how it is so hard to get the people closest to you to support so having the virtual SisTahs is heart warming. Thanks for all the support and look forward to getting to know everyone's blogs. Thanks Pepper & Jenny.

Wordless Wednesdays: Feline UTI

Today is definitely a Wordless Wednesday. After we noticed our cat Fiona in her litter box, only to stay in there for 10 minute increments and nothing ever happened; we took her to the animal doctor. Surprisingly they returned the diagnosis of a Feline Urinary Tract Infection. Yes a female Feline UTI. Here is me and my fearless feline. She is laying on me while taking a nap after ingesting her antibiotic.

My Valentines Gift From The Hubby

Need I say more.....?

Love, Marriage & Business - Does it Mix?

The hubs and recently attended the 2011 Trumpet Awards at the Cobb Centre in Atlanta. It was a star studded event with performances and appearances from Eric Benet, Charlie Wilson, The NFL Choir, Kenya Moore, Kandi Buress, Ambassador Andrew Young, Attorney General Eric Holder, Judge Greg Mathis, Richard Roundtree, among many many more. The night was hosted by Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe, & Neicy Nash and will air on TV One April 24th.

Attending an awards show that is pre-recorded, often the hosts get tongue tied and have to repeat and t film segments over.  There were times when Boris would completely need to record a segment again and Nicole would as well. They would both playfully make a joke of messing up.  It was amazing to see the love, support, & humor Boris and Nicole shared while working this event together.  Many women have pondered does love and business mix well? Can I go into business and work with my spouse? Seeing Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas' drama unfold on RHOA on business deals really leaves a bad taste regarding working with your spouse.  Nicole & Boris reminded me of the patience that is required when you and your spouse work together.  My husband and I work very closely together on a lot of our business ventures & projects. It is not always peaches and cream because whether your household runs of traditional or non-traditional male/female roles, the business relationship is quite bit different. So here are my top 10 rules for women to successfully be in business with your husband. These are just a few things I have learned along the way so far.

10. Just because you are his wife you should not "win" disagreements about the business

9. New to entrepreneurship? Corporate success =  immediate success in your business

8. Schedule business meetings where you set time aside to discuss work
7. Make sure your business goals align with the household goals
6. Establish a plan for keeping business expenses separate from personal
5. Resolve & fight "fires" together
4. If both or either of you work a 9-5, establish an organized time management plan
3. Celebrate the successes when they come instead of being eager to make more happen
2. Don't feel the need to turn your affection on or off, its a good way to break up the monotony
1. Remind yourself in the tough times you are creating a wonderful legacy together

About Me: Who is Legal Grinding Wifey & What Does She Blog About?

Hi, I’m the Grinding Wifey and I started this blog in August 2010 when I married the man of my dreams. I look forward to being a mommy one day and for now I found my niche as Legal Grinding Wifey when I entered the blogosphere in my first post. This is not quite a Trying to Conceive (TTC) journey but is a Planning To Conceive (PTC).  There are so many things me and my husband want to get in order before starting a family. Everything from Traveling, Getting Fit, Changing the Generational "curse" of Bad Eating Habits, Moving to a More Enlightened (natural,organic, chemical free) lifestyle, last but not least....DRUM ROLL.. so we can feel comfortable with me leaving the workforce to raise our children at home. Needless to say we are on our grind everyday.


Since I am a Wifey/Entreprenuer/Organic Newbie I am open to company, product, service reviews, & giveaways from fellow women grinding building their Household Empires.


To contact me please email at legalgrindingwifey@gmail.com.

Legal grinding are those actions that create out of the box opportunities that provide the freedom to start, support, and raise a family on your own terms and not within anyone else’s limitations.

Sweating to the Oldies...Selena Style

You ever just went with the flow for just a day. No planning, no googling popular things to do in the city, or calling around checking which restaurant had the longest wait. Well this past Saturday while entertaining my mom, I had no idea how to show her a good time during her weekend stay in Atlanta. I get a text saying "Zumba-Thon 6-9 wanna go?" Briefly Zumba is a latin inspired dance fitness to music filled with exotic & international beats. I heard a lot about this (over a year ago..geesh...I know where have a been). So we decided to go blindly to this 6-9pm "Zumba-Thon". Get there in hour 2 of the 3 hour event to a room full women sweating but with energy hung so high I could barely find my place in the mix. We fill in with our flapping wings and legs joining in on the fun. Imagine mother & daughter dancing the night away. Just for one night only who could have knew we could feel like Selena, Ciara, & Beyonce. I am officially sold on Zumba as my #1 exercise of choice when I need a regime change no matter how late I am to tha partay!

I Woke Up Happy @ 6AM

I woke up at 6AM Sharp! I maybe a little too excited about this post but it is truly an accomplishment I coached myself into going to bed early at 9:30 (I know its a grandma bedtime but worked for me : ) Then I was able to promptly be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a commute to the gym for my 45 minute work out before work. I usually would have crashed with tired eyes by now but its early afternoon and I'm still moving. This was my morning work out for today:
Stretched (these old legs & arms arrrr...e STIFF)
Ran/Walked 1/2 Mile
50 Sit Ups
50 "girly" push ups

The Monday Blues...

Between week 1 start of 7AM workouts, crashing by 3PM because my body is not adjusted to waking up at 6AM, business planning, working my 9-5, traveling.... I am tired. Believe me yes indeed it is showing on my face.  My husband and I showed up in Tennessee Saturday morning and my mother in law said you guys look like you need some rest. We definitely get at least 7 hours of sleep a night but until our bodies are conditioned to the new schedule we have got to help our faces to not look like we are dragging rocks around everyday.  My favorite to help so far is Beauti Control's Nourishing Eye Pads. What are your pick me up suggestions?

Snow Day Thoughts: Am I Stay at Home Mom Material?

Day 2 snowed in today with lots of time to think. So these are my days in the life of a stay at home mom minus the baby :). As much as I desire and the hubs is working toward me not having to work outside the home full time, I have feelings of uncertainty. Our goal is to build our projects/business ventures to the point where they can be managed and overseen from our home office while I enjoy being a mother.  I have made clear it to the hubs that I don't ever want to have to choose between a job and my children. I have known several women treated differently at work having to stay home sick while pregnant or stay home with sick kids. However I can't help but to feel the day I step foot outside my corporate career to raise my first child ironically I have said I don't want to be seen or portray a traditional stay at home mom.  The traditional stay at home mom tome takes care of the baby, cooks, cleans, run errands, etc.  While these are very important tasks, can I really do this full time. My full time work days have been filled for so many years with conference calls, project status updates, training, occasional travel, etc the household duties seem like they will not fill up a full week... everyday

Actually being home for two days has me asking if being a stay at home mom going to be full filling enough for me? Can I really just have the household as my job?  Will this be full filling or will I resent our baby and my husband for depending on my for all their needs. So luckily now I have a full-time job that allows me to work from home on inclement weather days like this so I actually have not been sitting on my bum doing nothing.  I have been productive both for my job, businesses, & the household. The household has been happier & peaceful overall. We can both finish work and get dinner cooked by 5:30 and catch an in home work out session. I am glad I had this time to reflect but I am sure this is exactly what I want when we decide to start a family.  So in my mind, Legal Grinding Wifey post baby will be just fine working in the home. Other wives or moms that are leaving or have left the workforce to take care of the home front, what were your experiences and emotions approaching this decision? 

Meatless Mondays: Seitan "wheat meat"

We have joined the Meatless Monday Campaign to start healthier eating habits. 


Today's Lunch Wifey had baked red potatoes & caesar salad. Hubby was grinding so hard as usual he skipped lunch :( 


Tonight's Dinner: Still choosing from the dinner favorites.Very intrigued by Seitan- never heard of it but the description definitely beats tofu: gluten free "wheat meat". Looks pretty tasty as a BBQ sandwich, sweet & sour tofu, & vegetable stew. Wonder how much bite it has to it....

Happy New Year! Let the 2010 Grind Begin

One of the reasons I started this blog in August 2010 was to chronicle the life of newlyweds planning & executing out of the box opportunities to achieve our life goals. Official definition: Legal grinding are those actions that create out of the box opportunities that provide the freedom to start, support, and raise a family on your own terms and not within anyone else’s limitations.


After pondering on the things we accomplished in 2010 to support this, I realized there is much much more that goes into what we should be doing. Legal Grinding is not all about being entrepreneurs & having successful businesses.  Household Planning for 2010 uncovered we boast being the 1st generation to break the cycle of lifestyles we saw our parents & grandparents fall victim too.  The 2 things that often come to mind are 1st generation college graduates & eliminating poor financial choices.  Lack of money issues leads to a sound Mind.  We have lacked the motivation to unfold the Body & Soul a part of our daily grind. Naturally we want to be healthy & not depressed so we can feel & look better.  Honestly day in and day out this is not enough motivation we have realized.  Everything we need to be grinding towards is really overall to give our next generation an even better opportunity to succeed in all aspects of life. The future looks much brighter as we try and kick these fried chicken & cookie/cake fetishes :)