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Mar. 5, 2008
Simplifying the simple
A few worthless observations I've made lately...
If you take something that is already very easy and make it even easier, it will sell.
Two acquisitions we've made recently illustrate this point. For a few years I have considered purchasing new toilet paper holders. Our old holders were still very functional but John had long complained that people would tend set the new roll on the counter rather than load it into the dispenser. Our holders were the pressure bar, spring loaded type - it takes about 2 seconds to take off the bar, drop the empty roll in the trash and replace it with a new roll.
Now I've found an even simpler way. I purchased new hook style fixtures last summer. They don't require removing the bar. You just slide the empty tube off and slide on the new roll. This has completely solved the problem. We've taken a two second job down to a 1.5 second job but somehow that half second made all the difference.
Similarly, a few years ago I changed dishwasher detergent. I found that the little Electrasol tablets were actually cheaper by the load than the old Costco powder I had previously purchased so I switched. I liked the tablets better - you just unwrap, drop and close rather than pouring the powder which often tended to overfill the trough.
Now I have discovered an even easier way. The new Cascade tablets have no wrapper to remove but instead the coating dissolves releasing the detergent. By just eliminating that little step of removing the wrapper, Cascade has me hooked. I don't even want to use the half a box of Electrasol I have left in the cupboard.
From powder, to wrapped tablets, to unwrapped tablets the difference in time and energy required is ever so slight and yet that slight difference makes all the difference.
I still buy coffee in a tin as opposed to the pods. I still buy old fashioned laundry detergent rather than the more expensive all-in-one premeasured packets. But when price isn't an obstacle, appealing to folks lazy nature by making a task even slightly easier is a sure ticket to success. |
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My Blog
A few years ago, when our oldest was 4 and her two brothers were both in diapers, my in-laws were a few days into a visit from their home 3000 miles away when my father-in-law noticed that the rug under the dining room table was in serious need of vacuuming. He is not prone to domestic duties (his wife is a great housekeeper) but seeing the need, he decided to try his hand with the Hoover. As soon as 'Grandpa' declared his intention to get out the vacuum, four little feet ran for the toy box to get vacuums of their own. We had one toy vacuum and we improvised a second from a 'popper' push toy. The baby, who was not yet walking, was right in the thick of things on all fours, never one to be left out. Grandpa, trying to maneuver the self-propelled 'Wind-tunnel' around the 10 foot rug while avoiding the table legs and dodging his three little helpers, remarked in exasperation, "I just wanted to clean the rug, I wasn't looking to start a three ring circus." Welcome to my life!
About Me
My name is Tiffany. I am a 40 year old mother of 4. My husband, John, and I planned to homeschool even before we married 18 years ago but it would be several years before our oldest would be ready to start on this journey. We had our children in alphabetical order, quite by accident at first, but once we got started, we figured we had to keep it going. They are Alyssa 10, Brendan 9, Chase 6, and Emily 4. Our 4th baby, D, miscarried at 13 weeks. We have no intention of making it to Z.
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Curriculum/Activities
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K4
Sing, Spell, Read & Write K
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Beautiful Feet History
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3rd Grade
Pathway Readers 3
Saxon Math 54
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Spelling Power
Beautiful Feet History
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K4
100 Easy Lessons Reading
Saxon Math K
AWANA Cubbies
Floor Gymnastics
T-ball
K5
Sing, Spell, Read & Write K
Alpha Omega Math K
AWANA Sparks
AWANA Grand Prix
Soccer
T-ball
1st Grade
Sing, Spell, Read & Write 1
Pathway Readers 1
Bob Jones Math 1
ACE English/Word Building
Beautiful Feet History
Apologia Astronomy
AWANA Sparks
AWANA Grand Prix
Sparks-A-Rama
Soccer
Baseball - Silver Medal Team
2nd Grade
Pathway Readers 2
Bob Jones Math 2
Abeka Language 2
Spelling Power
Beautiful Feet History
Apologia Astronomy/Botany
AWANA Sparks
Soccer
Baseball
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K4
100 Easy Lessons Reading
Sing, Spell, Read & Write K
Saxon Math K
Beautiful Feet History
Apologia Astronomy/Botany
AWANA Cubbies
Soccer
T-ball
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No music at the moment
Enjoy the silence.
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Mar. 5, 2008 - cheer