You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February, 2009.
Baby Steps to Being Debt Free - Karen at Write From Karen
Facebook Made Me Do It - Raina Kelley, Newsweek Online
Not Your Father’s Country - Jack Cafferty, CNN
Maybe You Feel It Too? – Everyday Mommy
Bon Appetit - George Will
An Orderly Home Affects Early Literacy Skills - Debra Lau Whelan, School Library Journal
If your house is anything like mine, at any given moment, there is a trail from the door throughout the house strewn with shoes, jackets, Star Wars figures, books, art projects, writing utensils, sports equipment, school papers and any number of other items that an 8 year old boy and a 5 year old girl touch and leave behind during the day. I don’t think they MEAN to leave stuff everywhere but, I don’t think they try very hard NOT to either!
In order to combat the mess and help them remember to take care of (and responsibility for) their stuff, we are implementing a “BUY BACK BOX”. Here’s how it works…
- I make 2 sweeps through the main living areas of the house (kitchen, dining room, living room & family room) each day. The first is in the morning after everyone goes to school and the 2nd is in the evening after kids are in bed.
- Anything I find on those sweeps that belongs to the kids and is NOT WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE (i.e. their rooms or backpacks), goes into the BUY IT BACK BOX.
- Each Saturday (allowance day), the kids will have the opportunity to buy back items from the box that belong to them.
- Each item can be repurchased for $0.25. ONLY CASH IS ACCEPTED.
- At the end of each calendar month, anything left in the BUY BACK BOX (i.e. anything not bought back) will be donated or discarded.
Here’s my thinking…
- If they are old enough to have STUFF, they are old enough to take care of it (know where it is, put it away, etc.).
- They have more than adequate closet and storage space in their rooms. That is where their stuff belongs.
- If it’s not important enough for them to take care of it, doing without it for a couple of days might remind them how much they like it.
- Not having it may help them realize that they don’t really like it and don’t want to have to keep up with it.
- Money is a language that speaks to them in ways I cannot.
- If they are not willing to take care of it OR pay to get it back, they don’t need/want it and we might as well give it to someone who does.
If we’re lucky, we’ll make enough money to buy more stuff to sell back to the kids!
I have been a Christian for well over 25 years but I have never officially observed Lent. Certainly, I have been around people from a variety of beliefs and denominations that participate each year. So I am not completely out of the loop where this practice is concerned.
A few years ago, my mother announced what she was giving up for Lent. Honestly, the first thought that went through my mind was something like, “Lent? When did we (meaning our family and our denomination) start doing Lent?”
This past Sunday, on our way home from church, I commented to my husband that I was thinking about giving something up for Lent this year. His answer? “Do we do Lent?” “I’m not sure,” I said “but my mom has been doing it for several years and I am thinking of giving it a try. In fact, the next time I talk to her, she will probably ask me what I have decided to do without.”
So, last night, at the end of a phone conversation with my mother, I was not surprised when she asked. “I don’t know if I do Lent,” I answered. “I’m still thinking.”
Long story short…for the first time in my memory, I’m observing Lent. I am determined to live without BREAD from now until Easter. Also, I am participating in a special 40-day prayer emphasis for my church. More than sacrificing bread (something I dearly love), I am making a commitment to learn about the practice of Lent. I know that the 40 days is meant to commemorate Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness. Beyond that, I don’t know much. I am excited about what God will teach me during this time and I can’t wait to share what I learn with you too!
I have seen this at Lisa Writes several times and meant to use it. This is the first time I have actually gotten around to doing it…
SITTING…in my chair in my office. My daughter is next to me at her “desk” (a plastic storage container with a stool for a chair) making a book with scissors, tape, paper and the stapler that Santa Claus brought in her stocking.
SIPPING…unsweet tea with crushed ice, sweet n low and lots of lemon
PONDERING…politics & politicians…apparently, if you are a decent, moral, upstanding person when you decide to become a politician, you are probably NOT going to stay that way after you get elected.
THINKING ABOUT…why Facebook is so popular? I have recently become a member and I am very intrigued with the psychological need for connection that is OBVIOUSLY feeding that phenomenon.
THANKFUL…for good friends. Anytime I think about any period of my life, I am blessed to remember that I have ALWAYS had good, kind, Godly people around me.
AMAZED…at some of the things my kids say. I always expected that they would be smarter and more insightful than I am, but I didn’t expect it to happen so early. After all, they are only 8 and 5!
CURRENTLY READING…Belong To Me, Marisa de los Santos and The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg
NEXT ON THE READING LIST…whatever the library gets first on the list of things I have requested. One of the following,
- Dewey, The Library Cat - Vicki Myron
- Patriotic Grace - Peggy Noonan
- a couple of other fiction titles that I can’t remember
LOOKING FORWARD…to the beginning of my son’s baseball season and my daughter’s soccer season in a couple of weeks.
FEELING GUILTY…for being behind on my bible study, AGAIN THIS WEEK.
WADING…into some research and an outline for a book I want to write.
WONDERING…what I am going to cook for dinner.
WISHING…I enjoyed exercising and taking better care of myself instead of reading and working on the computer all the time.
FINISHING…laundry for the next few days. I would love to think that I was finished for the week but who am I kidding?
12 Steps to Jump Start the Economy - Robert Hale
Better Than The Super Bowl - Rubel Shelley
When Writing Isn’t Enough - Hope ?
Free Your Damaged ‘Angel-In-Waiting’ - Wally Lamb
Healthy Habits: A Month of Living Perfectly - Carol Mithers
Should the news go non-profit? – Peter Osnos
Bail yourself out? – Linda Stern
Learning from The Velveteen Rabbit - Carrie at 5 Minutes for Books
Being Realistic About Our Families – MaryBeth Hicks
Suze Orman was on Morning Joe yesterday talking about some specific things that we can do for ourselves financially. Certainly, we will all be affected (whether we benefit from it or not) by the stimulus legislation and the housing rescue plan enacted this week. No matter what laws and/or policies are in place, the ultimate responsibility for our personal finances is ours. Do you have a plan? If so, what is it? If not, why not?
Watch this video to get some ideas about great ways to get started… http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/#29278551
DISCLAIMER: I did not see the full interview that Bristol Palin gave to Greta Van Susteren on her show last night. My opinons are SOLELY based on the sound bites and print articles that I have seen/read today. I can virtually guarantee that my thoughts here are NOT unbiased!
If her mother had not been selected as John McCain’s running mate, we wouldn’t know that Bristol Palin was just one of millions of unwed, teenagers that got pregnant and had babies last year. Actually, we wouldn’t even know the name Bristol Palin, much less the names of her siblings and, now, her infant son. Since we have made it our business to know her and lots of information about her personal life, the least we can do is listen to what she had to say when talking about her experiences during her pregnancy and, now, as a new mother.
“it’s not glamorous at all” …”she wishes she had waited another 10 years to have a baby”
It would be wonderful if the takeaway from Palin’s interview is that being a parent and a caregiver to a child is tiring, tedious, hard work and that teenagers are not prepared for that work. Being sexually active is not something to be taken lightly. Likewise, sexual activity has consequences (like unplanned pregnancies). Babies don’t care how old their parents are or what other plans may have been out on hold when they arrived. Having a child means making the child, its needs and best interests, a top priority from now on. Teenagers are not prepared to do that.
Being a mother is never simple or easy, even “10 years later” with a spouse and a job. But hearing someone from the other end of that age spectrum say so openly and plainly, maybe, hopefully will make other teenagers think twice before making choices that put them in the same situation Palin finds herself in.
“the best option is abstinance… but it’s not realistic at all”
I don’t agree with Palin about this but I understand why she would make such a statement. In today’s society, sex outside of marriage is definitely the norm. Also, sexual activity among teenagers is more and more prevalent than ever before. Books, TV shows and movies that, a few short years ago, would have caused outrage for portrayals of such questionable and immoral behavior are huge sellers and award winners each year. Our permissiveness isn’t Bristol Palin’s fault!
Regardless of what most teenagers are doing, however, abstinence is possible. Maybe not common; certainly not easy; but absolutely possible (and realistic) for those that make a choice to practice it. Without a doubt, some will use Palin’s words to argue the need for schools to teach a variety of contraception methods (instead of abstinence) to teenagers. That’s certainly a political debate and a hot one at that! I don’t think Palin wants to get involved in fighting that fight. Rather, I think she wants to be an advocate for abstinence and an example of “what NOT to do”. Give her credit for honesty there.
“she doesn’t regret having him at all”
Let’s be very clear…loving her child and not regretting having him in her life is a VERY different thing from wishing she hadn’t gotten pregnant in the first place. Her statements about regret and her lack of it, are focused on the child, not the situation. My guess (pure speculation, of course) is that, if she had it to do over again, she might choose NOT to have sex at all until later.
Good, bad or indifferent, Bristol Palin doesn’t get to be one of the nameless, faceless pregnant teenagers that started down a very difficult road last year. She’s lucky to have a supportive family and a large network of people to help her care for her son. By all appearances, she and her fiance are taking responsibility for their mistake and are working hard to make the best of their situation. Obviously, they love their son even if he didn’t arrive in the most ideal circumstances. With any luck and, by the grace of God, they will be OK.
Be careful though. If we stop there, congratulate them and mark this down as a “happily ever after” story, we haven’t really listened to what Palin is saying. That won’t be her fault either!
Last summer, I made a conscious decision to have few, if any paid writing jobs. I finished a long-term assignment in May and I knew that I needed to spend some time renovating my blog, creating a web site, etc. So, I quit scouring the internet for paying jobs and decided to concentrate on making my writing and my writing business better. While I did expect any great epiphanies from the “time off”, I found that I had some anyway. Here are some worth sharing…
- Limited work time made me more efficient - Because my children were home and my days weren’t “scheduled”, I found myself working in smaller time increments. Additionally, there weren’t as many of those time slots available as there are during the school year. Consequently, I didn’t spend as much time doing things AROUND my work (e-mail, blogging, reading blogs, etc.) as I did doing my work.
- I gained new skills - I have a background in technology but, I have been out of that field since 2000. Creating a web site and working out the details of hosting and posting gave me some new ways to do things that will improve my business and the services that I can offer my clients.
- There is no rush – I am a writer and I will be a writer until… I don’t have to be in a hurry to write a certain number of words or bill a set number of clients. I am a writer because I enjoy being a writer. Writing fulfills me in ways that other things don’t. There is no way to set a clock on that!
- My writing has improved - If nothing else, it’s more consistent. I actually do it more often and with more purpose.
Last summer, I was fortunate to be able to write without being paid. I would encourage any writer to find a time, even if it’s just a few days, to do the same. Spend just a few days writing like you’re not getting paid and see what a difference it makes!
Long before anyone had ever thought about the Internet (or personal computers for that matter), my grandmother used to clip articles from newpapers, magazines, newletters and church bulletins and mail them (via the post office, mind you) to friends and family. Depending on the subject matter, she might include notes, thoughts or “commentary” with the clips. Here’s my version of the clipping exercise I learned from her…
- When books could change your life - Tim Kreider
- Confessions of a 40-Something Woman - Lisa Kogan
- Missy at It’s Almost Naptime has some great thoughts in “Oh, the wisdom”
- Interview with the author of “Street Gang: A History of Sesame Street”
- Interesting information about the current state of our spelling and punctuation - Diane Mapes
- Considering Valentine’s Day - Sarah Stirman
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