Today on The Oprah Winfrey Show, they were showing people who had taken a challenge to simplify their lives by going for a week without certain things like tv, internet, excessive toys, clothes, shoes, going out to eat, etc. I thought it was a great idea, except for one thing: one woman's "problem" was that she had a whole year's supply of food and other products (like shampoo and other householdy things) for her family that she had gotten by looking for good deals! And I don't think it ever mentioned whether she was in debt or couldn't afford to do it; it just made it sound like it was excessive.
Yeah, all the Mormons reading this are going, "?!?!!" :)
Since we LDS folks believe that this is not a bad thing at all as long as you do it wisely, I wrote to her, and I just wanted to suggest that anyone who would like to do the same. If you need ideas on what to say, read what I wrote. (Please don't copy any of it, though, because I want her to take it seriously if she ever does read it.)
I tried to be all cool and attach my letter as a file so it wouldn’t have to take up space on the post, but I’m not sure there’s a way to do it, so here it is.
Dear Oprah,
I'm writing about today's show, the "What Could You Live Without?" experiments, which my husband and I enjoyed. However, we did take issue with one thing, and we wanted to run it by you to see if you might agree with us.
Our religion teaches us that it is a good idea to be prepared, and one of the things our leaders have counseled us to do is to collect a year’s supply of food and other things we use every day. This is in case of loss of income, natural disaster that might limit food availability, or any other unforeseen circumstance. We agree with these teachings, and many of our members can testify that following them has been a true blessing when adversity struck.
My husband and I can’t afford to buy a house yet, and we look forward to the day when are in a situation where we can start building our year’s supply. As I looked at the shelves of foods, shampoos, and other things in that woman’s house, I was practically drooling, because that is exactly what I want to have someday. It made me sad when being so prepared was described as a problem.
Maybe this woman is in debt for all those things, which of course would not be wise and is not at all encouraged in our church. (And I do agree that having four vacuums isn’t necessary.) Otherwise, isn’t it smart to be prepared, and self-reliant?
If this seems like sound logic to you, maybe you could mention it to your viewers.
Thanks for your time, and thanks for making a show with relevant and interesting topics, which we enjoy very much.
Yours Sincerely,
Kristina Noall
All ready to go swimming for the first time! (7/3/09)
At first, that water was too cold, but he got used to it and seemed to like it.
Swimming makes you so good and tired.
Jamie and Cheryl, Jason's mom, on our trip to their place in the Palm Springs area. I think this picture is SO DARLING.
Cheryl, Robert, Jamie (7/14/09)Jamie turned six months yesterday. I remember looking at the 6-9 mo size clothes and thinking how big they were, and how far into the future he would wear them. Sheesh. :) Now I feel that way about 12-18 mo, and I'm sure that will be here before I know it, too!
I regretted not doing this when he turned 5 months, because when I went back to do the baby book, I had to kind of guess at some stuff. So, again, lots of detail. :)
So I was talking about all the Enfamil and Similac and getting coupons and whatnot and yeah. Forget all that. Get a CostCo membership, or mooch off someone who has one, and buy the two-pack of Kirkland brand infant formula, which is pretty much if not exactly the same thing.
Enfamil: 15.9 (I think) oz for $13, or $8 with $5-off coupon
Kirkland: two 25.9 oz cans (over 50 oz) for $20, or 25.9 oz for $10
At the original prices, it’s something like 83 cents per ounce versus 40 cents per ounce.
HECK. YEAH.
Pics and report of our Palm Springs trip to come!
I love Elder Oaks. He has such a way of describing things, and tells them like they are without timidity or apology.
This one is from May, and I am SO psyched that I could finally post (part of) it! I know the videos are almost always of him babbling, but, well, he doesn’t do much else yet. :) Oh, but he HAS started rolling over from tummy to back again! I guess he’s off his rolling over strike.
We finally got Jamie a crib! We got a chest of drawers that can double as a changing table, too, but it won’t be here for awhile. Coincidence or not, Jamie has been sleeping SO much better and longer since we got it. I snuck into his room just now to take these pictures. Is he precious or what? Thank you SO, SO much, Robert and Cheryl! Your grandbaby is so much more well-rested!
This was a week or two ago, so late June 2009. I cut off the first minute of the video to make it shorter and therefore possible to upload.
Look at me, my mommy made this picture look like it’s from my daddy’s time!
Yeah, I think I like Windows Live Writer so far. Thanks for the tip, Jacquie! (If you have any tips on how to use it better, that would be awesome, too!)
From: kristina noall
Sent: 6/29/2009 01:04:53 AM
To: minutemaid.support@na.ko.com
Subject: Minute Maid Contact Form
To Whom It May Concern,
I've just seen your new commercial for your Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry juice, where a man mistakenly thinks a nun who teaches his daughter is a woman he had recreational sex with in Cancun.
I wonder, have you thought about it in those terms? Just summarized it so simply?
Needless to say, I was disgusted. Really, do you have to use such sleaze to sell JUICE? Aren't you supposed to be something of a family company? Is that what you want to teach the kids who drink your juice, that it's funny to have sex with multiple people with no commitment? Please, don't lower your company's standards to fit in with every other who uses sex to sell products. Yes, it's common now. But isn't that all the more reason to think of something different?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kristina Noall
**************************
from: Minute Maid Support <minutemaid.support@na.ko.com>
to: kristina noall
date: Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Thank you for contacting The Minute Maid Company, Ms. Noall. We sincerely appreciated receiving your comments regarding our advertising.
It is a challenge to appeal to as many consumers as possible. Your constructive criticism helps us know when we are not successful in accomplishing this difficult task. Please be assured that your comments have been shared appropriately.
We do not want to lose your patronage. Your feedback is important to us, so please feel free to contact us again whenever you have comments to share.
Chicquilla
Industry and Consumer Affairs
The Minute Maid Company
***************
I know their reply wasn’t ultra-personal, but still, someone did read my letter. I don’t do this that often, write to every company who airs a sleazy commercial or ad (I doubt I’d have time for anything else if I did), I was just so appalled when I saw it that I just sat down at the nearby computer then and there. But what if we all took the time to tell them what we usually just think to ourselves?
It wasn’t hard. I looked up the company’s website (two seconds on Google), clicked Contact Us, and left a comment.
I’m resolving to act rather than be acted upon a lot more often.
Well, if it does, this will be very cool.
Not sure about how the pictures will work, though. Had some confusion about the provider of something or other.
I tend to like fonts that look like handwriting.
In case you're wondering, I'm using Word for Vista Business edition on our laptop. I noticed that when you select that you want to make a new document, it also gives you the option of "new blog post," and I finally tried it.
Well, here goes.
(By the way, we're watching "Iron Man," and Tony Stark is a rich jerk who is totally not even as cool as Peter Parker, who is a nerd.) ***** Ooh, the asterisk looks like a star…
