Auto-Insights - Keeping you on the road to better living

607 E. Los Angeles Ave Simi Valley, CA 93065 805-581-2340 December 2011

December 2011 Holidays and Events

Bingos Birthday Month National Tie Month 1-7 Cookie Cutter Week 6-12 Hand washing Awareness Week 18-24 Gluten-Free Baking Week 25-31 It's About Time Week 4 National Dice Day 7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 9 National Salespersons Day 10 Human Rights Day 10 National Day of the Horse 15 Cat Herders Day 16 Underdog Day 17 Wright Brothers Day 21 Humbug Day 22 National Haiku Poetry Day 22 First Day of Winter 24 Christmas Eve 25 Christmas 26 Boxing Day 26 National Thank You Note Day 26 National Whiners Day 26 National Candy Cane Day 28-29 National Chocolate Day 29 Tick Tock Day 30 Bacon Day 30 No Interruptions Day 31 Make Up Your Mind Day 31 New Years Eve

Strategies for Coping with Holiday Stress

The holiday season can be stressful for everyone. There often doesnt seem to be a minute to stop and relax! Besides having all the extra chores to do, baking to finish, and family to visit with, there are also heightened expectations. Finances can also weigh heavily on your mind. But there are some strategies for coping during this busy season, making this a time to enjoy. Look at Things a Bit Differently Try to let go of some of the expectations you may have this holiday season. Trying to have a perfect holiday will only lead to frustration for you and those around you. Delegate tasks and chores to family members. Use some convenience foods for your holiday dinner. Cut back on some decorating. Shop on the Internet to avoid the crowds. In other words, dont try to do it all. Only do those things that you enjoy and that bring pleasure to you and your family. And dont be afraid to say no! Be Kind to Yourself Dont neglect the things that make you happy during this busy time. Take time to exercise and keep up with your interests and hobbies. Take a walk, soak in a warm bath, or read a good book. Dont overindulge in food, alcohol, or caffeine. Find a balance between your everyday schedule and your holiday activities. Most importantly, get enough sleep. Divide and Conquer
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Ho Ho Hum:

Heres something to help you celebrate

December 31, Make Up Your Mind Day.

Make up your mind to come in between now and noon on Dec 31 and get a $10 discount with this Mitch Bucks coupon.
Expires 12/31/11 Please dont combine with other offers

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Holiday Crunch
Maybe You Need a Quick, Simple Gift?

Ho Ho HoContinued from page 1

2 cups Cheerios 2 cups Wheat Chex 2 cups Rice Chex 2 cups Golden Grahams 2 cups pretzel sticks 1 cup peanuts 1 1/2 lb. white chocolate bars Melt chocolate in microwave and mix with above-makes a lot, but youll want to share this one its so good! Be careful! This is addicting!

Try to get as organized as possible. Careful planning can save many last-minute headaches. Consider buying the same gift for several people on your list. Shop by catalog or on the Internet and have the gift sent directly to the recipient. Send gift certificates instead of presents. Make a gift budget and stick to it. You will avoid those afterholiday headaches and worry! Enjoy Yourself Take time to share memories with your loved ones. Start a new family holiday tradition of taking time together to relax and enjoy the season. To avoid some of those post-holiday blues, plan some activities for when the festivities are over. Take a trip, start a household project, or plan on visiting old friends. Happy Holidays

Banish Smells the Nature-Friendly Way

An opened box of baking soda in your refrigerator will absorb odors for three months. To help eliminate odors in your kitchen sink, pour old baking soda down the drain while running warm water. Open boxes can also freshen closets, or sprinkle in laundry baskets, sneakers and garbage cans. For pet bedding and carpets, sprinkle on, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum. Baking soda can also be used as a non-toxic cleaner for walls, painted furniture, refrigerator shelves, microwave, high chairs, cribs, strollers and playpens. Just sprinkle some powder on a wet sponge, wipe down surface, then rinse and let dry. Minor grease and electrical kitchen fires: turn off gas or electricity (safely), stand back and toss baking soda on base of fire. To freshen sponges: soak stale-smelling sponges in a strong solution of baking soda (4 Tbsp baking soda 1 quart water). Also, keep a separate box of baking soda for cooking needs, and be sure to mark the date on every box you open to help you remember when its time to buy a new box.

A Quick Food Tip

If you are making a soup, one way to save on preparation time is to use frozen vegetables instead of fresh. Frozen vegetables are a great addition to a soup or stew because they are picked when they are at their peak, giving them maximum flavor and color. Many vegetables come in flavor varieties, letting you easily impart this flavor to your soup or stew. When adding frozen veggies, reduce the amount of water or broth you are using, as the vegetables will give off some liquid when thawing.

Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs. I pray for a new bicycle. I pray for a new Playstation. I pray for a new microscope. His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, Why are you shouting your prayers? God isnt deaf. To which the little brother replied, No, but Grandma is!

Schneiders Automotive 805-581-2340 www.SchneidersAuto.net

Party Conversation: From Dull to Dazzling

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If social gatherings make your stomach knot and your heart race, it might help to know you arent alone. In fact, its safe to say that the majority of people attending a party are feeling some level of trepidation. Am I dressed appropriately? Will I know anyone there? Will I embarrass myself? And the biggest fear of all, what if I dont know anyone and no one talks to me? Here are a few dos and donts to help you improve your conversational skills, ease your anxiety and just let yourself have a good time. DO: Leave your nerves at the door and walk into the room as if you own it. Smile, meet other peoples eyes. Its all about confidenceeven if you dont feel it, then fake it. DONT: Head for a corner or chair away from the crowd. DO: Greet your host or hostess if they arent busy and thank them for inviting you. DONT: Attach yourself to their hip. They have a party to run and other guests to greet. After youve said hello, move on. DO: Look for someone standing alone, then approach them and introduce yourself. Its not easy to step out of your comfort zone, but you actually put the other person at ease when you take the first step. Just remember to smile, offer your hand or a warm hello, and when the person responds, listen and repeat their name. DONT: Interrupt an existing conversation. If there is something personal being discussed, you might not be welcomed. Its awkward for everyone. DO: If the conversation in a group is light and casual, just move closer, make eye contact, and wait for a signal to be
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To Pop or Not To Pop:

You see it in the movies--someone opens a champagne bottle by flamboyantly popping the cork into the air and across the room. But this is not the proper way to open champagne. Not only do you lose much of the wine as it spills out of the bottle, but the remaining liquid has lost its effervescence. To properly open a champagne bottle, untwist and remove the wire cage over the cork. Cover the cork with your hand in case it pops prematurely. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle with the fingers of one hand over the cork. Gently rotate the bottle, not the cork, with your other hand. When the cork begins to loosen and lift, use your thumb to ease it gently from the bottle. You will have opened your bottle of champagne with little loss of bubbles or wine. And remember, never shake the bottle before opening to avoid a big mess. Share your issue with a friend or call us at 805-581-2340 for extra copies

How to Open Champagne

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What's Up With Mitch?

Jingle Bells...

It's 12:55 A.M. Sunday night and the phone rings... two things go through your mind instantly. First, there is no such thing as a "good" middle-of-the-night ring-tone. Not unless someone close to you is in labor and the call is to let you know a new family member has just arrived. Once you realize that isn't the case and you have a "senior" parent or two, the next thing running through your mind is: "This Can't Be Good..." followed by a general sense of dread. Even if you've deluded yourself into believing you're prepared for such a call... you aren't. I wasn't, even though I knew I would be. It isn't as if I hadn't prepared. I had the opportunity, means and the motive. My mother is ninety-two, requires an extraordinary amount of care and resides in a skilled nursing facility. And, yet, there was no avoiding that hollow, pit-of-the-stomach feeling that accompanies the, "Hello, is this Mitchell..." when the calls started late Sunday afternoon and continued throughout the evening. The 12:55 call was to let me know that Mom had been taken to the hospital. As I got dressed I distinctly remember thinking to myself, "Why aren't you angry! You should be upset and you arent... What's going on?" I wasn't upset. Nor, was I angry. I was surprisingly calm. I was calm because all I could think of was the sixty plus years I enjoyed being both her son and her business partner. All I could think of was the sixty plus years I depended on her wisdom, strength and guidance. All I could think of was how my wife was her first daughter and never a daughter-in-law. All I could think of was my kids and how her influence will live on through their children. My mother had already been taken to the hospital, which at ninety-two is never a "good thing," and I was calm... at peace because of what I was fortunate enough to have: not angry about what I might lose. It would be easy to go the other way, I suppose... to rage against fate and fortune for threatening to take her away from me: from all of us. But, I can't. All I can think about is how fortunate I've been to have what I've had. If nothing else, it's certainly more productive than focusing on the bitterness of what might be lost. I'm the luckiest guy in the world when you think about it. I was privileged to work with my father for thirtyeight years and my mother for over forty. I got to know them in ways few people ever get to know their parents. It's December... a time when most of us traditionally look back at the year that managed to slip by so quickly and assess its worth: taking an inventory of sorts. If you're anything like most of us, it is far too easy to concentrate on what's missing: what hasn't happened, what didn't work out, whats been taken from you. I think we may have it backwards. Perhaps, we should begin by inventorying what we have: what we've managed to enjoy or acquire. Let's look at everything on the "Plus" side of the ledger. Let's recognize and remember how lucky we are: lucky to have people in our lives that make us smile, that make us want to be better than we are, that force us to go on despite ourselves. That's what I'm doing as I write this. That's what I'll be doing as I drive back and forth to the hospital. That, and thinking about something Albert Einstein once said. He said, Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. I'm a lucky guy... Oh, I may not have felt all that lucky when the phone rang. But, I am lucky to be my mother's son, lucky to be my wife's husband and lucky to have all of you in my life. What makes you feel lucky? Mitch Schneiders Automotive 805-581-2340 www.SchneidersAuto.net

Thank You for Making Us One of Your Trusted Resources

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Shannon Nash sent an edible arrangement to Schneiders Automotive Repair with the following note: "To the Schneiders Gang, I call this a Reverse Consumer Appreciation gift for my favorite auto repair shop in the whole world! Happy Fall 2011 I would have taken a picture, but the guys got to it before I could take the picture. Ann "Just wanted you to know that I received the "thank you" note and telephone message from Ann. I have never before had such a great followup by any repair shop!! You can be sure that I will recommend you even though I live near Seattle. We made it home from Simi Valley with no problems, and we really appreciate the work Bob did to find the trouble." Dave Baldwin "Schneider's took the whine away from my car and they can keep the 'whole case' of it!" Bryan Swopes

We See Some Really Cute Kids!

Two year old Israella, one of our newest Schneiders Kids, with her dad Jeremy DeLaittrema

To All of the Many...

I've never been a fan of the "conventional." That means coloring outside the lines from time to time and this is one of those times. We've always reserved this space to highlight a specific client or a specific family and we are blessed with many. However, this time I'd like to do something a little different. This time I'd like to say, Thank You! to all of you; especially, those of you who became so much a part of my mother's life here at the shop: those of you who would 'scoot' behind Jerry's desk - and, later, Frank's - or, mine, and thread your way into the "Inner Sanctum," Mom's private domain, to visit and catch up; those of you who would stand at the counter and carry on a conversation with Mom over my bald head! You enriched her life by sharing your family stories, your friendship and your lives and gave her a reason to get up before six o'clock every morning and come to work every day even when she was well into her eighties. I'm not going to list all the names here. There are enough to almost ensure I'd leave someone out. But, I did want you to know how much she treasured the relationship she had with each and every one of you. While she helped define who we are and what we're all about here at Schneider's Automotive - all of you helped her define who she was and what she was all about! Thank You! You are what makes this place special... Mitch Schneider and all of us here at Schneider's

Mothers Day 2008. L-R: Lesley, Mitch, my mom Sylvia, Dana, and Ryan

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100 Things That Only Happen in the Movies

11 - 20

Conversationcontinued from page 3

Last month we started with the first 10. Now , to continue: 11. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when theyre going to go off. 12. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty. 13. If you decide to start dancing in the street everyone around you will automatically be able to mirror all the steps you come up with and hear the music in your head. 14. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite. 15. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other. 16. Any bullet from a handgun has enough force to throw a full-grown man ten feet back. 17. Characters will always find a parking space right in front of the building theyre going to even in a large metropolitan city where parking is basically impossible. 18. Characters at a bar or at a restaurant table will always get the attention of a server at the exact moment they need to order. 19. When a gift/present is given, the top is wrapped separately from the rest of the box and it lifts straight off so that there is never any ripping or fumbling with wrapping paper. 20. A chase scene on foot in a city always has a shot of one of the characters running into the street, nearly being hit by a car screeching to a halt at which point the driver flails his arm out the window and yells an expletive. Next month: 21-30
Source: NedHardy.com

invited into the group. Remember to introduce yourself. DONT: Dominate a conversation, or bring up a negative or tragic topic you heard on the news. Remember, this is a party. Think FUN. DO: Learn a few conversation starters. How do you know (host or hostess?) Whatever their answerfrom work, neighbor, or their kids are on the same baseball team, this is your trigger that will lead to your next question. The most important thing to remember is to just relax, listen when someone is talking to you and always maintain eye contact. Gazing around the room while someone else is talking is just plain rude. When its time to move on, politely excuse yourself and let the person know you enjoyed meeting them. Note, this article first appeared in the December 2009 issue of Auto-Insights.
This article was submitted by Barbara McCauley, an awardwinning author whose novels have appeared on USA Today and Borders Best Seller Lists.

Christmas Quiz
Q: How many Christmas trees are sold each year? A: Thirty-seven million fresh Christmas trees are sold each year. Q: How many candy canes are made each year? A: More than 1.76 billion candy canes are made annually for the Christmas season.. Q: What are sugarplums? A: Sugarplums are chocolate candies with cream, fruit preserves, or other sweet fillings inside. Q: What is wassail? A: Wassail is a beverage dating back to the Middle Ages. The word is derived from the Old Norse ves heill, meaning "in good health." This evolved into visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.Traditional wassail contained ale, wine, or hard cider topped with beaten eggs or stale bread. Modern recipes for wassail use hot apple cider simmered with spices and sweetened with honey. Q: Why are candy canes bent? A: In 1670, a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, bent the ends to resemble a shepherd's staff and handed them out to children during church services to keep them quiet. In the early 1900s, candy canes acquired their famous stripes. The first candy canes were straight, white sticks of sugar candy used as Christmas tree decorations.

As a little girl climbed up onto Santa's lap, he asked the usual question, "What would you like for Christmas?" The girl gasped open mouthed and exclaimed, "Didn't you get my e-mail?"

Making a List

Schneiders Automotive 805-581-2340 www.SchneidersAuto.net

You Can Never Have too Much Poinsettia

or so they say!
The Legend of the Poinsettia In Mexico, poinsettia plants grow wild. There is a charming legend dating back several centuries that explains the presence of this red and green plant and why it blossoms each year during the Christmas season. One Christmas Eve, a small girl named Pepita traveled to church empty-handed, as she had no gift to give the Christ Child. Her cousin Pedro, who was walking with her, told her that the best gift she could give was a humble one, as long as it was given in love. So, as she walked, Pepita gathered some weeds she found along the roadside and fashioned them into a small bouquet. Although she finally had a gift, she still felt saddened by the shabbiness of it. When she finally entered the church and approached the altar, she was surprised by a miracle. The weeds had blossomed into brilliant red flowers! From that day on, these bright red flowers were called Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night. Today, we call this plant the poinsettia. Poisonous or just a Bad Rap? Despite its popularity, the poinsettia plant has a reputation as a poisonous plant. In actuality, the poinsettia is the most widely tested consumer plant on the market today, which has allowed experts to dispel common myths about the plant. - Ohio State University conducted tests on all parts of the plant, including the leaves and sap. Researchers there concluded that the poinsettia is non-toxic to both humans and pets. - POISINDEX, the national information center for poison control centers, has issued guidelines indicating that a child would have to ingest over 500 leaves, or 1.25 pounds, in order to exceed any previously measured toxic doses. Although it hasnt been shown to be toxic, poinsettia plants still should not be eaten. And for some people, the milky white sap of this plant is also irritating to the skin, so be sure to wash your hands if there is any exposure to this liquid.

Gift Wrapping 101

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If it isnt enough that holiday shopping drains your pocketbook, your time and your energy, now you have to wrap everything youve purchased. But if you follow these simple tips to reduce the hassle of gift wrapping, you can save precious time, eliminate the ache in your back from bending over to wrap all those gifts and--best of all--you can keep your holiday spirit, too! 1. Organize. Gather up all your supplies before you start wrapping: lots of tape, an assortment of paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper, tags and an extra pair of scissors to keep with your supplies. Also, a big time saver is to make sure you have the right number and the right size boxes. 2. Keep supplies together. Purchase a long rectangular plastic container to hold all your supplies. (One that will fit under your bed is best.) 3. Measure. Avoid errors in cutting your paper too short by wrapping paper around gift and allow a couple of extra inches. You can also use a string as a measuring tape. 4. Gift bags. When a gift is an odd shape, gift bags come in all sizes. For those gifts that are too big for a gift bag, be creative. Plastic storage boxes, new trash cans, a basket are just a few ideas. If your gift is particularly large, like a bicycle, you can often get an oversized refrigerator, oven, or dishwasher box from an appliance store. Remove one end of the box, gift wrap the box, and then simply place the box over the gift. Rather than unwrapping the gift, your recipient will lift the box to reveal the present. 5. Enjoy the experience. Wrapping gifts should be fun, but the stress of the holidays can make it seem like a chore. Find a quiet place with a table where you can work without bending over. Increase your enjoyment by listening to holiday music and singing along, think about the enjoyment your gift with give someone. Use your imagination with ribbons and bows and other decorative items, maybe a kitchen utensil, a bag of cookies, a package of flower seeds. Take an extra few minutes to go that extra mile, and have a good time, too!

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Auto Insights

is a free monthly newsletter from Mitch & the Team at:

607 E. Los Angeles Ave Simi Valley, CA 93065 805-581-2340 or: mitchs@SchneidersAuto.net

the needed work, done right, finished on time, and at a fair price

Party Conversation: Dos & Donts Got Smells? Gift Wrapping 101 Only in the Movies. #s 11 - 20 Poinsettia Primer

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