Friday, September 30, 2011

Making ends meet


One thing all families can probably universally agree with is that it's important to keep a budget and make sure that everyone's needs are taken care of. I'm not sure what your situation is, but if you're like many Americans, you've had your ups and downs, right? I know we have.  I'm a spreadsheet fanatic, so I really like to document where our money goes every month and where it comes from. I can't stand it when a creditor calls and wants you to run down all your expenses with them so they can "prove" to you that you really CAN make a payment agreement. It doesn't take rocket science to know that it's difficult to raise a family on a small budget, right? For many people, the key to financial well-being is to Stop Collection Calls because all that stress makes life way more difficult. Whether the solution lies in a consolidation loan, lower interest rates or even just paying off everyone a teeny bit at a time, it's just nice to know that there IS a solution and you don't have to put up with all the nastiness and stress that these guys like to put out there.



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Best advice ever


I'm about to share with you the number one best homeschooling tip ever .  When my oldest was about 8 months old, we joined a local homeschool support group in the city where we lived, it was the AV Rose Rock Inclusive Homeschool Support Group, it was a chapter of the nationwide Rose Rock group of inclusive homeschool support groups, started by Bonnie Carter and Kim... shoot, what was Kim's last name... I don't remember. Either way, it was one of a chain of support groups that welcomed families of all faiths, homeschooling styles and whatever else. We had a family drop out once because she read our guidelines and realized that we'd welcome a same-sex couple and just thought that was far beyond her comfort level.. That's why we defined the term inclusive before we started, right. We wouldn't have WANTED the presence of someone who was judgmental, or otherwise believed that diversity could hurt their children. We specifically invited everyone and believe that everyone has value.

Anyway, it was in this group that I decided I wanted to get to know these homeschool moms better, so I asked a few if I could come over for a visit to see what they do at their house. The very first place I visited was a woman named Lisa who had 3 children. We were house-hunting at the time and she advised me to go for hard wood floors because you can always put rugs over top of it and clean them without having your floors ruined.  best.advice.ever.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Keeping everyone dressed

One awesome thing about traveling (other than the fact that the kids have been able to tour a million museums and meet awesome people all over the country) has been the shopping. We've seen outlet malls, we got to spend some time in the Los Angeles Fashion District (cute pink hoodie for a steal), we got to check out the Epic Threadz company, they travel the world shopping for handmade items and then bring them all back to the US to resell and every piece has a story. Every item on the rack was made by someone they remember. Imagine living in some third world country and making your beaded jewelry and having some American come and buy it all in one day, it would feel like winning the lottery, right? I love supporting individuals but as a mom sometimes, we just need to focus on supporting our own kids. And our husbands, that's why I like shopping online from major retailers. I was able to get some hoodies and mens t shirts for such a bargain. The cool thing about shopping online is that you know you're probably getting a great deal because they don't have to worry about a sales staff, most of the work is automated. You don't have to finance the staffing of a person that folds clothes all day, re-shelving things, and stuff like that. Anyway, keeping everyone dressed is a constant dilemma, might as well make it fun, right?

Here's a story

So a few years ago at the county fair, my husband bought himself an RC helicopter. he played with it all the time, he loved it and it was his favorite toy. Grown men don't often get to indulge in playing with toys so this was definitely a treat. Well, one day we were gone and the kids decided they wanted to play with it, too. They crashed it into the irrigation canal and it broke. It's been broken ever since, sitting in a box in our closet and he looks at it all the time, wanting it to be repaired. But the silly thing is that the cosmetic damage was easy to repair, it's one little soldered connection inside where some wire needs to be reattached to a circuitboard. Can you imagine letting your favorite toy sit undisturbed and unplayed with for like 4 years just because of one $25 repair. It's $25 if he replaces his soldering gun- I think that's what we paid but nevermind that, we have a friend with a computer repair shop who soldered things all day long. I'm sure that if he wanted to, he could walk in and use HIS soldering gun instead of buying one, then the repair would be virtually free.

Anyway- it just dawned on me that it wouldn't happen with the kids' stuff, it would be repaired or given away or thrown away much faster than that. Why would an adult- who has the means to make it work for himself- choose to let his toy sit dusty and unplayed for so long?  Who knows? I just know that whenever I need a cheap (or free) gift for him all I need to do is get that helicopter fixed and he'll be so happy.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Getting a taste of Broadway with Mary Poppins


Guest post written by Donna Singer

I'd never seen a Broadway play actually on Broadway until our recent trip to New York this summer. I had seen Broadway plays while they were on tour across the country and stopped near us, but I've always heard that they can't do nearly as much with the plays while they're on tour as they can when they're actually on Broadway. So I was definitely ready to actually see a play on Broadway in New York.
While I was looking online to get some more info on it, I saw some info about a waterproof hearing aid. I showed it to my husband and he actually went to go and get fitted with one. I never thought that he would admit to needing one!
We really loved the play! It was so neat, especially during the chimney sweep scene. I'm curious if they could have pulled that off on a national tour. If it comes on tour right near us, we'll just have to go and see it again! It was just so much fun and kind of makes me wish I was a kid again.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Taking Care of Pops


I just love the idea of allowing Pops to stay in his own home as he ages. I was excited to find a nj senior care company that specializes in in home care. I think the best sort of new jersey elder care allows patients to stay in their own homes because it's so much more dignified and I can't imagine being taken away from my home just because I'm aging. In a perfect world (my perfect world anyhow) families would live in communities, taking care of each other and I'm hoping the visiting nurse acts like family, so Pops feels more like he's visiting with someone rather than like someone is coming over to take care of him. I wish we had found something like this several years ago, it seems like the perfect solution. They check over the meds, they help with hygiene and all sorts of other things, to help make life easier for Pops.

So have you ever used an elder care service? What sort did you go with? I think our culture has strange practices for aging, like when Aunt Rita was 94 and she went into the hospital for something simple, they ended up wanting to give her surgery. I was so happy when she said "No thanks" and just went on about her life. She lived another 3 years after that and died at home in her sleep. She told her daughter that next time she's not feeling well, tell her to suck it up because "I'll be damned if I'm going to die in some hospital bed somewhere."

Gotta love her, I hope I'm just as fiery at that age!