Twice: Helping you UNDERSTAND how to buy top quality SECONDHAND

             If you know me at all, you know I like quality things.  But if you know me really well, you know I cannot stomach the thought of turning over my hard earned cash for these things.  

          Because I don't have the cookies turned off on my laptop (something that has caused more than a few impulse buys…those darn things track every move you make, so they know just how to seduce you), an ad for LikeTwice.com popped up on my Facebook feed this week.  The little ad said that the online company had name brand merchandise that was like new for rock bottom prices.  (Okay, that's not exactly what it said.  The marketing people from Twice are probably rolling their eyes at how much I just butchered their advertising brain-child...anyways...)  I was intrigued.  I like name brand quality clothing.  I like low prices.  The next line on the ad really caught my attention: A coupon code for an additional 40% off the total on my first purchase.  (The coupon code is: 3MVTFXF2…in case you want to try it, too!)

          Alright, that sealed the deal.  I click on the ad, went past go, and collected $200.  Okay, not really, but I was pumped.  The website was so easy to navigate.  I could search by type of clothing, size, brand, color, or countless other criteria.  One word really caught my attention: CLEARANCE! 

            I spent about an hour setting the filter for various searches in the clearance section.  In the end my cart had:

-         A casual black Ann Taylor Outlet knit dress with a gathered embellishment

-         A patterned strapless J. Crew dress

-         Another black Ann Taylor Loft knit dress with a frilly collar

-    A tan J. Crew collared shirt

-         A turquoise floral Ann Taylor Loft silk skirt (with pockets)

      

Black Ann Taylor Outlet Dress

Strapless J. Crew Dress

Black Ann Taylor Loft Dress

Tan J. Crew Dress Shirt

Turquoise Ann Taylor Loft Silk Shirt

  

Twice.com Receipt 

I purchased all of these with shipping to my doorstep for $42.60—a savings of $347.39 on the original store prices.

            Within three business days, the box showed up on my doorstep.  I rushed to my nearest pen (yes, that’s how I open boxes) and sliced the tape in two.  Everything was neatly packaged, but I wondered how the quality of the items would be.  As I carefully cut through the plastic each item was bundled in, I was surprised to find that every item was flawless and looked completely brand new.  I rushed to my full length mirror.  Wonder of wonders—everything fit!  (And, don’t worry if your items don’t work out for you, LikeTwice.com has a 30 return policy—except on final sale clearance items.  You can print prepaid return shipping labels from their website at www.liketwice.com/returns)

          Living in “God’s country” (Northwest Iowa for those of you who are not from here) has its perks.  We have wonderful communities within which to raise our families and low, I mean really low, crime rates.  My husband always jokes that the big news stories of the evening are who caught the biggest fish and which viewer is celebrating his or her 100^th birthday.  (I know I joke a lot, but this is no joke.  These are regularly stories on our local nightly news.)  However, living out in the “boondocks” has the extreme disadvantage of being 75 – 90 minutes (it depends whose driving…sorry Kole, but you don’t have to drive 54 mph) from the closest Target.  Sites like Twice.com can meet the needs of everyone but have a special place in the hearts of those us who miss the cosmopolitan shopping experience.  (Speaking of which, my church is literally driving a group of ladies to the booming city of Des Moines, a mere three and a half hour drive, to go shopping at the end of the month.)  I would encourage you to try LikeTwice.com if you haven’t already.  It’s super user friendly and can help you get great merchandise for minimal amounts of money.  A total win-win if you ask me!

From the Mouths of Babes

                So my blog is called Diary of a Part-Time Homemaker.  This is because I truly enjoy pretending to be a stay at home wife every once in a while.  But during my days, I am usually quite busy with this other thing I do.  I’m a teacher.  And, not just any kind of teacher, but a special education teacher.  And, not just any kind of special education teacher, but a middle school special education teacher.  I am one of those weird adults who truly loves this wonderful, horrifying time in a child’s life.  Some days they are still little kids and other days my students are trying to desperately to be mature young adults. 

As a seventh grade special education teacher, I see a lot of students who lack confidence in their abilities.  Frankly, they have been labeled disabled, so I see where the idea comes from.  However, I feel that the most important lessons I teach are not about reading or math but about life—goal setting, perseverance, self-talk, failure as a stepping stone to success.  Yes, my lesson plans are standard based with the Iowa Core Curriculum, but whenever I can squeeze a little extra out of the class period, I certainly do.

                Well, today in my math group one girl had all 10 problems right.  Maybe that doesn't sound too challenging but really the task was complex.  She had to read the story problems, write the correct algebraic equation, solve for her variable, and then prove her answer.  Believe me I took some time to praise her efforts.  This same student has a test in two days over the exact same thing, and she usually fails tests miserably.  So, we had a little chat—more like a come Jesus meeting—about what was going on.  She said she failed tests because she tells herself she’s stupid (which I can vouch—she does say this very thing quite frequently).  I pointed back to the homework and said that I had proof that she will earn an A+ on the upcoming test.  I also explained that more than half of the seventh graders earned a C or below on the homework.  A slight smile crept onto the corner of her mouth.  Then, in my stern teacher voice, I asked her how she was going to do on this test.  With a full on grin, she stuttered and I quote, “I’m gonna…I’m gonna kick the test in the butt.”  All I could do was nod and smile.  (Sorry, parents and principals out there.  Yes, I say this very phrase to my students before every test.)

                Hours later I was reading the questions of an essay test over a book the students had just finished reading for their Language Arts class.  (The female student from earlier in the day is not in this class as she has grade level reading skills and does not need special education support services to be successful.)  I got to the fourth question, and one of the boys shoved his test across the table, threw down his pencil, crossed his arms, and angrily said, “I don’t know.”  Honestly, I had to gather myself.  What was I going to say?  How was I going to approach this child in a way that made him feel heard yet empowered him to decide to finish the test on his own?

                Another boy in the testing group looked up from his test and without missing a beat said, “If you tell yourself you don’t know, you won’t know.  You need to say, ‘I can do this,” and then just do it.”  This motivational speaker in the making, then resumed recording his own answer to the pesky fourth problem.  Holding my breath, I waited.  (Wait time is important, right teachers?)  Within a minute the student who had been at his wits end, stretched across the table for his test and slowly started crafting his essay.

                I sat in silent awe as I tried to take in all that had happened.  This boy listened to the pep talk I was giving one of my female students this morning (granted—he’s heard these messages all year from many other adults and peers), transferred this message to another situation, and took the time to inspire his classmate.  It’s moments like these that we, as educators, need to soak in, celebrate, and store up, so that when we go through the difficult seasons we remember why we do what we do.  I know I am not the best teacher.  I know I can’t help every student in my school.  But for these three children I hope I have helped them on their journey.  Maybe they will continue to share these positive messages with others in their lives.  Maybe, just maybe, we have started something small that can become something big.

Delayed in Dallas: the 10 Lessons I Learned that can Help you Make the Most of your Next Vacation

So, last weekend my husband, Kole, and I were supposed to go to McAllen, Texas.  My aunt and uncle live there, and a few years ago my grandparents decided that spending their winters in Texas seemed like a great alternative to the harsh winters they weathered for years in Iowa.  Being a teacher, I only have 2 personal days for leisure during the school year.  In order to visit my grandparents and get a glimpse into this other place that has become so much a part of their lives, Kole and I planned a long weekend.  We left Thursday right after school, intended to fly to McAllen early Friday, and then back to Omaha by Monday evening.

We arrived in Dallas on Friday excited to start our little holiday.  We found a happening TGI Fridays in the terminal and proceeded to treat ourselves--drinks, appetizers, and entrees--we were on vacation after all.  During the course of our meal, we overheard several people around us announce that their flights had been canceled (Lesson 1: Be in the Know. Sign up on your airline's website for notifications about your flight...read the fine print. Data rates do apply, but we found it was totally worth the nominal fee since the airline kept changing our gates and even our terminal.) After hearing all of the members of yet another booth complain that their flight was canceled, I couldn't sit another minute.  I left my husband in the corner booth sipping his Long Island while I raced to the nearest row of TVs displaying flight information.  To my dismay, our flight was canceled too.  In slight shock I walked back to the TGI Friday's and tried to convince my husband that our flight was canceled.  He didn't believe me for two reasons.  First, we do play jokes like that on each other as often as we can.  And second, there was less than an inch of snow (in Iowa and a lot of other places that's nothing, but in Dallas that can bring the entire international airport to a halt).  We slowly finished our main course dishes and drinks.  (Rookie mistake!)

We weren't sure what to do next as our vacations are more likely to involve a tent and a tackle box than a boarding pass and baggage with wheels.  We decided to head to the other terminal that had a flight to McAllen.  Maybe we could fly standby?  After racing through the crowded airport like the family on Home Alone, we arrived at the gate and spotted the plane still nestled up to the walkway.  We were hoping our "winded-ness" would help us garner some pity from the people working the gate, but we lost our dramatic effect as we took our place at the end of a line of 10 or so people.  After a few minutes, one of the gate workers announced that she had to go work another flight, but that we should proceed to customer service for rebooking.  (Lesson 2: Long Lines are for Dummies.  Your time is valuable.  Never, ever stand in the customer service line.  We should have found another gate where the gate agents could rebook us.  Better yet we should have followed that agent to whichever gate she was headed to as typically lines don't form at gates with no agents.)

Like sheep to the slaughter we got in the customer service line.  With approximately 200 people in front of us we moved only inches in the hour we waited.  In that time all the hotels with free airport shuttles were snatched up.  (Lesson 3: Do your Research.  Make a list of hotels with their phone numbers that have all the amenities you want. By the second night, I had a list of places that had high customer ratings, free airport shuttle, free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.)

As there weren't any free shuttles we knew we needed some wheels, so I began calling the car rental places.  My husband, who is an excellent driver, wanted to drive the 8 hours from Dallas to McAllen and be done with it.  That thought made me stomach queasy as I thought about all the inexperienced drivers who would be sharing the road with us.  We found a place that had 1 car (or so they said) left.  So, we raced to the car rental center.  We still hadn't determined if we were driving all the way to the border or just across town to hotel that still had vacancy.  On the phone we were quoted $34 for the day and $0.43 per mile.  We should have locked in that rate.  (Lesson 4: Book it.  Book it Real Good.  Book your car rental online or on the phone.  Get a confirmation number and a confirmation email.  Get your rate in writing.)

We picked up a brand new black Chevy Impala from the rental lot.  As professionals who still drive their college vehicles, this was quite the upgrade.  Kole carefully drove us 20 miles away from the airport to a hotel with a room reserved just for us.  We chatted with the woman behind the desk, Cindy a mother of 2, and then asked if she had any toiletries as we didn't even have a toothbrush between the two of us.  (Not that we would have shared...after eight years of marriage we are close, but not that close.)  My carry on bag had all my clothes including twice as many pairs of socks and underwear as I anticipated needed for my trip.  However, there were many things I was wishing would have been in that bag.  (Lesson 5: Pack (your Carry On) Like a Pro.  Have a variety of clothes and shoe styles that can be mixed and matched to create cute and comfy outfits.  Be sure to have your little bag of liquids with all the essentials--toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and don't forget mascara, a tinted moisturizer, and a bottle of hairspray.  Your swim suit and flip flops are essential during an extended stay in a hotel.  You'll also want a good book or two.  If you're a runner be sure you have a few days worth of clothes, your running shoes, and your headphones.  I got quite a few miles in on the treadmills in our hotels.  The things that I missed the most were a hair tie and floss.  I can no longer say I haven't used a real rubber band on my hair since my elementary dance teacher yanked my hair back into a proper ballet bun.  I'll be paying for that for months with split ends.)

We set our alarm for a time that started with a 4...yuck...and went to bed.  The next morning we cleaned up using each of the little bottles we had been given by Cindy.  After dropping off the room keys and grabbing breakfast to go, we loaded back into the car.  There were two men in the lobby pacing because they couldn't get a taxi back to the airport at 5 AM.  We offered these men, who had also just met, the backseat of the Impala.  (Lesson 6: You Reap what you Sow.  Be nice to the people around you--fellow travelers and service people alike--more to come on that later.)

Day 2 in Dallas yielded another canceled flight to McAllen.  This time we got right in line to rebook at a gate.  As we waited, we booked a hotel from my handy dandy list that had free cancellation just in case the stars aligned, and we could get out of Dallas.  When it was our turn with the gate agent, she informed me in the sweetest way possible that there were no more flight to McAllen on Saturday and that Sundays two flights were already plagued with standby passengers.  What did we want to do she asked...we had no idea.  Do we wait until Monday and just fly home--never seeing my aging grandparents in their retirement community--or rent a car and drive to McAllen?  That idea seemed expensive--at least $350--and dangerous with all the inexperienced winter-drivers out there.  The agent asked us if we considered flying to Corpus Christi, an airport 2 hours from McAllen.  I dialed my grandparents and asked what they thought.  My grandfather, a former over-the-road trucker, had no problem making the trip to Corpus.  So we got tickets for yet another flight this time with a different destination.  That flight, too, was canceled.  We rebooked to Corpus for Sunday morning, and called my grandparents.  My grandfather, being the stubborn man that he is, was so determined to see us that he wanted to drive the 8 hours up to Dallas and then bring us back to McAllen---making it a 16 hour day for an 83 year old man and his 76 year old wife.  However, two tickets to Corpus and a 100 car pile helped me convince him not to make the trek.  We headed for the ground transportation area and called the hotel--thank goodness we decided not to cancel until we were actually boarding the plane. (Lesson 7: Take a Free Ride. Get a hotel with free airport shuttling service.  The number to your hotel will be especially helpful when you are trying to contact the shuttle to pick you up.  Be sure to schedule your shuttle back to the airport the night before with the front desk employees.) 

Sunday was our third day in Dallas.  We got up early and headed to the airport on the first shuttle run of the day.  We thought an early flight was better since it meant we had all day to be delayed and hopefully a better chance of getting a plane to fly out on that had already been deiced.  We called my grandparents and told them that our flight was on time, but there was no plane at the gate even 20 minutes before boarding was set to begin.  Finally, a plane arrived, and the gate personnel began boarding by groups.  I quickly called my grandparents with glee and told them we were headed for Corpus.  Our flight was an hour and their drive was two, so they took off to meet us.  After going over the safety precautions, the pilot got on the loudspeaker and said the weather in Corpus had been foggy earlier and that he had scouted two alternative airports to land at, but that he fully intended to get us to Corpus.  Again, I called my grandparents.  I didn't want them to waste the day on a four hour round trip for nothing, but they could not be deterred.  

We had a great flight all the way to Corpus.  As the final descent began, a feeling of relief washed over me.  We were going to see my grandparents, the ocean, and get to catch up with our checked bag that was already in McAllen later that evening.  Suddenly, I felt the plane climbing higher.  I turned to Kole and asked him why this might be happening.  He shrugged his shoulders and went back to playing his DS.  I commenced reading the book I had downloaded on my phone (The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, a great book on personal development if you are looking for something like that).  About 15 minutes later, the captain came over the loudspeaker yet again.  This time he said, "Uh folks, if you haven't noticed we are not landing in Corpus Christi.  The visibility was less than an 1/8 of a mile, and I don't feel like I could have landed this plane safely. The good news is that we have enough fuel to get us all the way back to Dallas."  Groans filled the cabin.  We all just wanted to get out of a city that held us captive for the the last few days. I attempted to contact my grandparents at this point but was unable to reach them due to our altitude.   

Before we even began taxiing back to the gate, I whipped out my phone and called my grandparents.  Then, I reached for my hotel list and began dialing.  I had a room with a King sized bed reserved at our number one choice hotel (with free cancellation until 6:00 PM) before I took my seat belt off.  We headed straight for the row of TVs displaying flight information and located the next flight to McAllen.  We rode the Sky Link to another terminal.  At this point we got in a line with a particularly sarcastic gate agent.  She was emitting this grumpiness like I hadn't seen yet in the airport.  Like always, I asked her how she was doing.  I expressed how terrible I felt that her job had gotten a lot more complicated in the last couple of days.  Slowly, she let her guard down.  She helped us get our trip in cue as a "Trip in Vain", explained how we could file a claim for our missing luggage when we got to Omaha, and shared that Booking.com was her favorite site for discounted hotel rooms. (Remember Lesson 6?)

We headed to our third hotel in Dallas on the free shuttle.  I ran on the treadmill while Kole took a nap.  Then, we rented a movie on Vudu and slept in on Monday but only just until we could still get a free hot breakfast.  I made a Texas shaped waffle and then smeared peanut butter all over it.  We headed back the to our room and got ready for our last flight.  This time I was prepared--leggings, layered tops, and comfortable shoes.  (Lesson 8: Dress the Part.  After days of people watching in the airport, I decided exactly what I would be wearing the next time I darkened the doorway of any airport.  The key seems to be layering with comfortable yet stylish clothing.  No one wants to look like a slob even if they are stuck in the airport for 4 days and 3 nights.  Next time I will definitely bring a cute baseball hat, hoodie, and a scarf.  I saw so many people napping with their hood pulled down over their eyes and their scarves as blankets.  I recommend having everything--clothes and shoes--work with black.  Then, you can create a few different looks by changing some key pieces.  Also, a couple of hair ties on my wrist would have helped my hair a lot as the hotel shampoo and conditioner are not salon quality by any means.)

All in all, it wasn't the trip we had envisioned, but we were thankful for the time away.  I hardly ever spend that much time reading, watching movies, and napping.  (Lesson 9: Be Grateful.  When something "bad" happens, Kole and I have a habit of saying, "That's good. Now, what's good about it?"  We definitely learned a lot about traveling during the trip, and most of all we had some great conversations about our hopes and goals for the future.  We know that the money we unexpectantly spent on  hotels, a rental car, and food are all tuition for lessons we had to learn.)  We are anxiously awaiting my grandparents return to Iowa in just 30 days, and also hoping our lost bag will make it back to us somehow.  (Lesson 10: Show and Tell. We truly believe that we are supposed to share the things we have learned and help others who may be able to avoid some of the trouble we seemed to find when we weren't prepared for it.  If you have gleaned wisdom from your adventures, we'd love to hear about it.  Maybe our trip could have been different if we would have reached out for information before we thought we needed it.  Thanks for reading.  I hope this post will help you and yours to make some great memories on your next vacation.  And, hey, if things turn out a lot differently than you hoped, know you're not alone.  Sometimes life it like that, but we are on this journey together.  Let's make the most of it.