Mondays and Money... A Double Whammy!

I've been talking to a couple of friends lately and MONEY seems to be hot topic around most households. Well, the lack thereof would be a more fitting topic it seems. I'm so sick of hearing about the economy and how the country is getting deeper and deeper into debt. What do we expect from our government when any one of us on any given pay period has to "steal from Peter to pay Paul?"

Most everyone I know lives paycheck to paycheck and none of us ACT like we do. We are all out buying new cars, traipsing all over town while paying out the wazoo for gas, and indulging our every whim with a little retail therapy. And that's just the grown-ups. We run out the first chance we get to buy little Johnny and Jane whatever their hearts desire, or worse: make sure they have whatever the brat down the street has so our little sweets won't be "left out." Pathetic. To coin a Dave Ramsey phrase, we are going broke trying to keep up with other broke people. Well, I'm DONE.

Last week I sat down and made out a budget (I know... it's such an ugly word) and frankly, I was SHOCKED to find how much of our hard earned money gets put into the "miscellaneous" category, and even MORE SHOCKED to tally up the balances on ALL of my credit cards. I had not done this in a while and it was sobering. I suggest you do it too and then we can both look around together and compare what we actually have to show for all that spending. Here's a hint: A BIG FAT BUNCH OF NOTHING, THAT'S WHAT!!!

I'm mad, can ya tell? And it's at myself, mostly. I KNOW what to do, WHY don't I do it?!?! I mean, I have already taken Dave Ramsey's seminar on Financial Peace SIX years ago. Sometimes you just have to get sick and tired of being sick and tired (another one from Dave) and I guess I reached it today when after carefully budgeting our moolah for the next two weeks, I find a lonely little bill that somehow slipped into obscurity and did not get paid. UGHHH!!! Don't you HATE it when that happens?! I know I'm not the only one. ;)

So after ranting on and on (sorry, I can get wordy) I'm on the wagon again. Yep. I'm on a budget ((wince)) and I have calculated that it is going to take approximately FIVE years ((gasp, gasp)) to become totally debt free (excluding the house). I'll dedicate my Mondays to blog about my Fiscal Fitness (did you see what I did there?? :D) and other money matters I may be facing. C'mon, let's get out of debt together!!! Who's with me??? To print out a sample budget to get started, head on over to www.DaveRamsey.com. It's an amazing website.

I Have Decided....

As I begin to address the ever-growing laundry pile in my laundry room, I am going to thank God that my family has clothes to wear on chilly mornings like today.

When I move to the kitchen to load and unload the dishwasher (again), wipe down the counters (again), and clean off the table and sweep (AGAIN), I'm going to thank God that our refrigerator is full and for the delicious supper that we had last night.

When I start to pick up the kids' toys and games and books that are strewn about the house, I'm going to thank God that my husband has a job and can buy us not only the things we need, but also the things we want.

When I change the sheets on the beds today, I'm going to think about the people who don't have a home to come home to or a soft bed to sleep on at night. I will pray for them and thank God for mine.

As I begin to grumble about the hardships of caring for a child with special needs, I'm going to thank God for the progress that science has made through medicine, surgery, and equipment, making any semblance of a normal life for us possible.

Thank you, God. You have blessed me with more than I deserve. Help me to continue to see you and your blessings in the details of my daily life. Amen....

Music Therapy Thursday

As I was picking Anna up from school this afternoon, I heard this song on the radio. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky. The weather was perfect for Autumn. I passed the Fire Department where the American flag was whipping in the breeze. It made me thankful that I live in the southeast United States. I haven't always wanted to live here, but I'm loving my little "small town." Enjoy today's version of "Music Therapy Thursday," wherever you are!

Dear Ol' Dad... He Ain't What He Used To Be

Every time I attempt to get on my soapbox about something, I think to myself, "Surely I'm not the ONLY person that feels like this." Most of the time I'm not, but something has caught my attention as of late and it's rampant, the "norm," if you will. And I don't like it.

If you know me, you know I'm a HUGE fan of the children's channels. I can guarantee that NOBODY was a bigger fan of "High School Musical" ( 1, 2, OR 3) than moi. "ICarly" is one of my favorite shows (true) and I think "Phineas and Ferb" is pure genius. Compared to what is on "regular t.v." as I call it (That's anything on the major networks and NOT The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon), most of the kid shows are pretty tame. I have had issues in the past with the sassiness of the characters and some of the cheeky language that they use, but last night I was overwhelmed by show after show with parents who are portrayed as mindless goofballs and the children who have NO RESPECT for them.

Sure, we could peck over every petty little thing on T.V. if we wanted to and then we'd have NOTHING to watch. But I think this is very disturbing and I'll tell you why. Where are kids taking their cues from? T.V. Who are kid's trying to emulate? T.V. stars. Who do they want to dress like, look like, act like? It's not you and me. We are LAME compared to Miley, Selena, Miranda, and the rest of the teen and pre-teen idols. EVERY parent figure on these shows are boobs. They are goofy, uncool, and lack intelligence. ESPECIALLY the men. What is this saying to our kids? Sure, we all thought our parents were big ol' nerds, too, back in the day. I get that. But the father figures I remember were from "Leave it to Beaver," "Growing Pains," "Family Ties," and "Diff'rent Strokes." They may have not been the coolest dads in their kids' eyes, but they were treated with respect. Last night on "Good Luck Charlie," the little boy's character said "I wonder what kids with SMART dads do for fun?" after he had tried to pull one over on his father. REALLY?!?! Could you have seen Arnold Jackson saying that about Mr. Drummond? For those of you under the age of 30, um... that's a heck to the NO!

In the end, the dad from "Good Luck Charlie" actually pulled one over on the youngest son which I'm sure was a win for proud moms and dads everywhere. The young boy realized his dad wasn't such a goofball after all and all was well in the world of kid shows. Hopefully that little tidbit will also sink in to the minds of our impressionable youth as much as all the other innuendos they are bombarded with. We can only hope. I plan to talk to Jamie about this more in detail later and perhaps turn the T.V. off and nurture her love for books more than I have in the past. 'Cuz my reaction to having to give up my kids shows would be a pouty "What chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?!" And nobody wants to see me go THERE! LOL! ;)

Music Therapy Thursdays

I got such a huge response when I posted a little "music therapy" a while back on Facebook, that I thought I'd continue the party over here on my blog. I'm the type of person that RELATES to music. I mean I REALLY RELATE. :) Every momentous occasion in my life has a soundtrack. Almost every memory has a song attached to it. Weird, I know.

So it's probably no surprise that while I choose to celebrate with a song, I also cope with loss and sadness by tuning on the tunes. Sometimes, mere words fall short of the emotions that we're feeling. But combine those words with a melody, and magic happens. While listening to a little "music therapy" I've laughed, I've cried, and I've boogied so hard I got a side cramp. :D But in the end, "music therapy" left me feeling lighter, better... dare I say happier. And for a lot less than a visit to your neighborhood shrink.

And so "Music Therapy Thursdays" has been born. I hope you enjoy today's version. I thought it was a fitting choice to kick off our little party... And if nothing else, Dobie's shirt will surely make you smile!

Today's Top Ten

The Top Ten Ways You Know That Fall Is On It's Way To Alabama

10. What's that?? Nuthin' but silence, baby. The kids have been in school for about three weeks. Nice...

9. You have went through your closet (and the kids' AND your husband's) to strategically remove all tank tops and anything abnoxiously tropical. (Side note: my husband does not wear tank tops or tropical prints. Your welcome, Chuck. )

8. The AC in your car has been moved from the MAX setting to the regular AC setting.

7. The pool and been drained. ((sniff))

8. You realize after a few minutes outside in the evenings that you don't need your arsenal of insect repellents, the vat of "Skin-So-Soft" you stocked up on, or the bee suit you bougt off E-Bay. So long suckas!! (Pun DEFINITELY intended!)

7. Somebody said SOMETHING about a football game on Saturday... :D

6. Mums are showing up everywhere from front porches to Homecoming corsages. Ahh, memories...

5. Neighbors are getting re-aquainted as heat advisories for the elderly and the very young have been lifted.

4. Your children come into the living room dressed for bed in last years flannel p.j.'s. True story.

3. You wonder how long you can make your pedicure last before it's "closed toe shoe season." I mean, why spend the money when they're just going to be covered up so no one can see them, right??!!

2. You start thinking that chili for supper is not such a bad idea...

1. Wal-Mart has started putting out their Christmas decorations. Fo real.

I Can Dream, Can't I?!

It has occurred to me more than once when I view my blog that the cute little sillhouettes to the right are a little misleading. Well, only one, really. MINE.

I think that everyone else's is dead-on. I couldn't have done better if I had blackened out an actual pic of the kids and Chuck... but mine... well, it looks nothing like me. Kinda makes me feel bad, too, like I'm contributing to some kind of "false advertising" or something. It could definitely pass for the "me" circa 1993, but not the "me" of today, for sure.

I'm not completely to blame, of course. WWW. WIDDLYTINKS.COM did not have a slightly overweight female figure with super short hair, so I was reduced to choosing a sillhouette that represented me in a former life. Before kids. Twenty five pounds ago. When I had the time and energy to have a hairstyle other than the one I stole from Sinead O'Conner.

Maybe I should shoot those guys over at WiddlyTinks an e-mail and tell them that a body type of Queen Latifah and the hairstyle of Jamie Lee Curtis would be a more accurate representation of me these days. Maybe they would even be inclined to make that particular sillhouette for me. You know... just for kicks. I guess for now I'll keep it the way it is. And I'll keep to my South Beach Diet. And maybe sometime in the not so distant future, it may come to resemble me once again. I can dream, can't I?! ;)