Almost 5 years

Thursday, September 24 marks the fifth anniversary of the night my husband and I got engaged at Michael Timothy’s.  I simply can not believe everything that has transpired over the past 5 years.  We have moved a few times, got a dog, had one kid, bought a house and had another kid…oh and we are still fixing the “new” house.  All of these things are good.  We love our life.  However, next year I will be entering the “latter half” of my 30’s and it’s a bit scary.  We have so much we want to see and do, and we will, but I am starting to feel REALLY old.

Some tips

Those that know me, know I take housework pretty seriously, or at least attempt to make it a priority.  Sometimes this is difficult when you work full-time and have two toddlers.  However, I came across this blog post on Full Time, All The Time (lives on Work It! Mom) that has some great tips.   To date, I do most of them and would also like to add a few tips of my own, that help save time and be more efficient:

1. Pack lunches the night before (when cleaning the supper table, put left overs directly into lunch containers).

2. Take the trash out every night, no matter what.

3. Make the beds every morning – even if the house isn’t completely picked up, it seems that way.

4. Always have newspapers on hand – makes for a great “drop cloth” for the impromptu paint sessions

Lunchtime Post

I will admit – I have been ignoring my blog.   And I don’t mean to, really, I don’t.  Life has just gotten so incredibly busy lately that I have not had the proper time to draft a post -and I don’t now either as I am rushing through my lunch break.  But, I do have a few things I want to say.

First, the state of our country is SCARING me.  That is all I will say about that.

Secondly, I am very thankful for my husband and children.

Thirdly, I am lucky enough to really like what I do for a living.

Lastly,  for fun, I just read this blog entry on Business Week’s Working Parent’s Blog and it made me smile.  While I will never be a CEO of anything – household or company (since I straddle both), I like this idea.

Integrity

I like this definition from Wikipedia:

“Integrity may be seen as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one’s actions.”

Does this sound difficult to live by?  Didn’t think so.  I wish more people would start living this way.

Marry for Money?

No, not literally. But check this out.  This post talks about a Q&A with Elizabeth Ford and Daniela Drake, M.D., authors of the book, “Smart Girls Marry Money“.   And if you clicked these links, you would see that it’s not really about marrying for money, but more about having that open dialogue with your potential partner.

I have only been married for a few years, but I will say that I am so grateful we went through Pre-Cana.  Some of our friends laughed at us, but truly, it was a great exercise.  it forced is to think about financial issues we may not have thought about – what percentage to dump in 401k, mortgage rate, health insurance costs – and how all of these (and other) line items affect our bottom line – and our household.

I  mean, now that we pay out thousands to daycare, it’s not that relevant, but still…every penny counts!

Why is it always black and white?

And, I mean this literally.  The WSJ’s The Juggle posted about a recent study on bi-racial teens, found here.  About halfway through the article I realized that they just surveyed/studied black and white kids.    So, like you are only considered bi-racial if you are a mix of black and white?  I have posted about this issue before.  Because my kids ARE  bi-racial and they are not the typical black and white combination, they are, gee, how do I say it?  Well, I can’t put it in colors because there aren’t any to describe how beautiful my children are.  They don’t have a color per se.

My point is, when people think “bi-racial” they often think of it in black and white terms, and it’s not.  Believe me, anyone who knows me,  knows I tend to think in black and white, but I certainly don’t live it.  Obviously.

So,  I wonder what behaviors my kids will exhibit in their teens….I guess I will just wait and find out.  And to anyone who reads through the post or the survey, note the data is from the 1990’s…when I, my bi-racial husband and a lot of you, were in your teens.  And I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t posting graffiti or stealing. …

Taking It Easy

Yes, I know, it’s been awhile.  But rest assured, it’s not because I am “taking it easy”.  Check out this article on Forbes.  This article about recent graduates is completely disturbing for a number of different reasons.  This not the time to take it easy, rather this is the time to get your act together and do everything you possibly can to ensure you gain employment.  Are they not thinking clearly?  Obviously!

What about health insurance?  Or are they convinced that the government will institute national healthcare and all will be solved?

Good quote here: “As a generation, this age group doesn’t have a lot of resiliency and resistance,” says Philip Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. “This is a generation that has had a lot of enablers making sure things get done for them. They haven’t had to deal with adversity, and they think that when times get tough, someone is going to help them. If you have never been held accountable, you have a tendency to just withdraw. It’s an entitlement thing.”

Long story short, get off your duff.

March 20

Today is my daughter’s first birthday and it’s the first day of  Spring.   When she was born last  year I didnt’ even realize it was the first day of Spring!  But now, a year later it’s hard to believe that she is ONE and that it’s actually Spring!  Lots to be thankful for over the past year, and every day.

Off the list

Interesting read in US News today regarding the US.

The bottom line for your retirement: Once you make it to age 60, men in the developed world are likely to live 20 years or more and women should plan for at least 25 years.

More Tips on Spending, or Not

Good tips from the Dr. Phil Show this week on saving money.  He had the Economides family on – they are are proud to be America’s cheapest family and offer some good tips.