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April 28, 2009

Communication Skills For Dummies.

That could be a book I might want to pen one day...Or maybe not.
The Coach and I seem to have a fairly good communication system going on here.
I mean, we have been working on it for nearly 24 years. But like most people, day to day life can get hectic and sometimes it seems you don't even have time to SPEAK about little things, much less the big things in life. So we leave each other little notes around for some of the small things.

For instance, If I find this on the the vanity top:I know he needs more deodorant. Sometimes it will be the empty cartridge for his razor, empty shampoo or q-tip container.

Easy. No words have to be spoken.


Some days, a bit more explanation will be added: Here, he needs more tea bags.
Green please. Hold the honey.
Good communication. Right?


Remember when I was communicating this to the whole world family?

The girls know that if they want something from the grocery store, they have to add it to my ongoing list.

If you can't find the list...well, then you have to make it obvious to the grocery go getter what you need.


Here, Linds is asking for tomato soup:
Both kinds means, the regular cans and some of the "soup to go" cans for when we are running from school to dance class.
(PLS is please for those not in the know...but you knew that.)




So imagine my dismay when I go into the girls bathroom and I find this:

Yes, that is an overly organized persons worst nighmare.

::running out, covering my eyes, screaming::

But does this possibly mean they need, mascara, Clearasil, ribbons, eyeliner, retainers, body spray, makeup bags, powder, nail polish, hair gel, an old screw, lotion, zyrtec and soda tabs?


Makes me wonder why they even have drawers in there....



Me?
I just leave very discreet and subliminal messages around: Ok, not so subliminal, nor discreet.
This is the lid to the garbage can in the garage. Pretty straightforward.

Below: The chalkboard in the playroom. I spent about 2 hours cleaning the playroom when the girls were visiting Grandma for Spring break. Clearly, I wanted it to stay clean.Not sure why, but I use the OR ELSE threat quite a bit.

Even though I have to use idle threats, I still need to feel the love.....

I was so tempted to put OR ELSE on this too....


Anyone else have any clever communication skills???

30 comments:

  1. this is hilarious! It is cool you guys have figured out your own ways to communicate. We need more communication at our house - maybe we should start writing notes...

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  2. This is so funny...I love the tea bag...that is great!
    sandy toe

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  3. Now that's what I call knowing each other. Are you close to being able to read each others minds yet?? LOL

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  4. You are so funny. The or else is a little scary, but then again, I think it adds to your tough girl image : ).

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  5. No, but now I want some!

    My mom sends me emails in all caps. I think she thinks I won't read it if she doesn't.

    I live alone, so I am a bad communicator. I always know what is going in my little world. :)

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  6. Such a cute post!

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  7. Hubby gets his "Honey Do" list sent to him via blackberry. I have learned just to send 1 or 2 requests at a time or I will overwhelm him. LOL I think I will adopt your "or else" idea for our playroom. Love it!

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  8. He he - dat's cool :-D

    We have a dry erase board on the fridge, when something needs to be purchased it needs to go on there... although the past few months that board has been overrun with x-rated stick men courtesy of my husband. He thinks it's clever and me, well it just makes me laugh.. the more I erase them the more they come back!

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  9. You and Coach can almost read each others minds! That teabag is a hoot.

    But, you are going to give yourself a coronary! Stay out of the girls' bathroom. Twenty years from now you will look back and wish they would come over and leave your bathroom in disarray. Believe me!
    Now, I'm going to Starbucks because I'm out of coffee, and running on empty mentally, can't you tell? :)

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  10. Our communication relies on the fact that I can read minds.

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  11. I've never doubted your communications skills. This post is just the proof of the pudding!

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  12. Cute post, Suz... Communication is SO important--and yet most of us don't do a good job of it. Do you ever read someone' blog --and have no clue what they are trying to say???? (Don't tell me if it was mine!!! ha)... Some people are just so good at communicating and others are not. That's just life.

    George and I communicate the old-fashioned way (or at least try to).. We use an ongoing list in the kitchen. It seems to work for us---most of the time. Sometimes he thinks I've put it on the list and I thought he had put it on the list.. When it doesn't get there, we usually forget to get it that week... Oh Well!!!! It's not fool-proof--but it works most of the time!!! ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  13. you're so funny, i love it! we have terrible communication around my house :)

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  14. So "that's" what my husband is doing when he leaves stuff all over the house - he's communicating! ohhhhhhh Thanks Suz

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  15. We communicated in this house with a lot of "huh?" and "what did you say?" because FCB is losing his hearing as well as his voice with this last cold and the Punk has a very whispery voice that only I can hear.

    According to everyone else I am too loud and obnoxious and hear things I not supposed to too often.

    So much for communication.

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  16. I totally get your communication method. If I leave the Costco list next to my husband's keys he knows he needs to make the trip because I'm swamped.

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  17. Hey we have the same super secret code for needing new deodorant too! LOL!

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  18. LOL!
    No I'm just expected to know...and so is he!!!
    ha!

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  19. We are texters. He has texted me while I sat five feet away. Odd but strangely workable.

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  20. You'd need therapy if you ever saw how much crap MY family leaves lying around the house!!!!

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  21. I knew you were a great communicator!! now I want to know what "or else" is! I hope one of the kids takes you up on your offer....

    Tee hee!! :-)

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  22. You are a scream. I totally understand your system. No, the girls are not signaling that they need anything. If that were the case, David would need a new wardrobe, bedroom, schoolbooks, etc. Wouldn't it be fun one day to take the furniture out the their rooms and just leave the STUFF? Ah, the scintillating fantasies of a homemaker...
    When I was young, my dad thought a drawer was too messy, so he dumped the contents AND the drawer on the floor of the room. Message clear, but a bit on the aggressive side. We don't do it that way around here! Glad you don't, either.
    Does "OR ELSE" involve a shank? XO

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  23. I keep sending slushy emails to husband when sending him work stuff and requests -lots of kisses on the end and such. I then send them to the wrong person and get teased about it
    X

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  24. OMG! I HATE it when the kids run out of soda tabs!

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  25. That tea bag is something else! Ron likes to just call it out to me so that I have to take the action of writing it down. I totally dislike this method so I'm going to find one of those Piglets!

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  26. Ha ha! This totaly cracked me up! I just posted a blog about my organized bathroom.. :) lol So when I seen a picture of your daughters bathroom I had to chuckle! My bathroom has looked like that on far too many occassions.. LUCKILY i'm starting to get the hang of this "clean" epidemic that my moms talked about all these years. What a fad :)! I may have to email you for more organizational pointers :)

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  27. You're house sounds like a fun place to live--except for all the threats and all :)

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  28. that is so me. I am such a clean freaky deaky. Not neat necessarily but clean and frankly I think it is very moving that you and your hubs have been together so long that you have this kind of communication. no joke. It's great

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  29. Love this!

    The "or else" won't work anymore on my kids though (they're all grown now) because they'd just call me on it and say, "or else what???" :)

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  30. i love your communication skill lesons :) coach's "tea: no honey" was hysterical!!!

    i suppose your "or else" threat is not a bad one at your house... they probably all know what the "or else" is, right? the shank?

    love you! thanks for the laughs today... all of them!

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